Weekend edition 5/9-11 and open thread

What the ... ? Bill Sali, Mike Simpson, and the rest of the House Republicans voted against Mother's Day?

OK, that was a procedural vote. The Republicans voted for Mother's Day before they voted against it. Or something like that. But Idaho's less-than-dynamic duo also voted with most of their party against helping beleaguered homeowners. Americans United for Change sent a press release Friday blasting Sali for that vote and noting that between 7,000 and 8,000 Americans are filing for foreclosure each day as a result of subprime loans made in 2005 and 2006.

“Fresh on the heels of a $30 billion bailout this Administration supported for Bear Stearns and other Wall Street financiers, it takes a lot of nerve for President Bush to now threaten to stand in the way of help for so many American families on the verge of losing their homes under a mortgage crisis that his own Administration’s inaction and incompetence exacerbated,” said Americans United spokesman Jeremy Funk. “And now struggling Idaho families caught up in this mess know exactly where Congressman Sali stands." And Simpson, too. The 1st CD race has been targeted by pundits and poll-watchers, but that's no reason to let 2nd District Rep. Mike Simpson off the hook on this and other issues, including his support for prolonging the war in Iraq and preserving the unaffordable Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

Early voting starts Monday in Ada County for the May 27 Idaho primary. You can vote from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through Monday, May 26, at either the  Ada County Public Safety Building, 7180 Barrister St. in Boise or the Ada County Weed Pest and Mosquito Abatement office at 975 E. Pine St. in Meridian. Absentee voting is still available, too. Primary ballot requests (via a form available on the county website) must be received by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21, and your absentee ballot must be received at the Election’s Office by 8 p.m. on Election Day, May 27. Click here for contact info for other Idaho counties.

Any day now, if he hasn't already, Barack Obama will overtake Hillary Clinton in superdelegate support.  As of Friday night, the tally was about 272 each. Obama also leads in contests won (32, or twice as many as Clinton) and pledged delegates (1590 to 1426), and he picked up nine new superdelegates Friday . Obama now needs 165 total delegates to secure the nomination; Clinton needs close to twice that number. No doubt: It's been a big, if not quite definitive, week in the looooong-running Democratic presidential primary.

Have a great weekend. And all you fellow moms out there: Have a great Mother's Day, no matter what the Republicans say. They're probably bummed (or embarrassed) about why it started.

Comments

[Irwin Horowitz]

Want to point out to those who may be interested that the Boise Astronomical Society will be holding a public solar and lunar viewing session tomorrow at the Discovery Center of Idaho as part of Astronomy Day. We'll begin about 10 a.m. and continue until the middle of the afternoon.

[Julie in Boise]

Thanks, Irwin.

That's now today - Saturday.

Stop by after Race for the Cure!