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If you’ve never seen these, take a gander. They’re very well done.

While you’re at it, you may want to check out this RunAriannaRun.com. It’s run by some people who think Arianna should run for Governor of California.

The new 6 series has been unveiled at Top Gear, and true to the new design regime at BMW, it’s ugly.

Jeb Stuart Magruder, who was Nixon’s deputy campaign director, says he heard the president tell John Mitchell, who was running Nixon’s re-election campaign in 1972, to go ahead with a plan to break into the Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate complex and bug the party chairman’s phone.

This is great. The Republicans have tried the Texas redistricting move again, and the Democrats have left for New Mexico. This redistricting plan is completely screwed up. Bravo to the Democrats for taking this stand.

Wow. This $250,000 fundraising drive started Friday night at 11 Eastern to match the money that Cheney was going to raise today with his private $2000 a head luncheon. 7,902 Dean supporters have not only matched that goal, but have nearly doubled it in a day (the first goal was met last night around 10:30 Eastern). The average donation is $52.59, just 2.6% of the donation amount for the luncheon attendees. Incredible.

Also, listen to “All Things Considered” this afternoon for a story about the Dean campaign.

I just came back from the Venice boardwalk where I was manning the Dean tent. Lots of strange people in Venice… had a few people come up to learn more about Dean, while others come to talk about how much they disliked Bush. Got at least one person to sign up for Dean information, which is pretty good, considering how light traffic was… this afternoon should be pretty good. It’s a beautiful day.

The fundraising this weekend to beat Cheney is going very well: “As of 2pm ET, supporters have raised $130,572.50 online in the Dean Team vs. Bush-Cheney Challenge, with 2,319.” That’s just $56.31 per person! Compare that to the $2000 per person Cheney will raise in SC. We’re halfway to the Monday midnight goal, which is great. The number of contributers have tripled since last night, and the total has more than doubled in value. Now money isn’t everything, of course, but this shows the kind of widespread support this campaign has. With the money, the campaign will be able to open offices in more cities and get in touch with people who aren’t connecting via the websites.

I’m going to hold off on my contribution until Monday, when they’ll update the numbers every half hour.

I’ll be out on Venice Beach on the boardwalk tabling for Dean tomorrow morning. Come by the boardwalk if you want to say “Hello” or check out our propaganda. We’ll be located at Rose and Ocean Front Walk.

Dick Cheney is holding a fundraising luncheon this coming Monday in SC. The Dean campaign has decided this would be a good opportunity to match Cheney’s numbers. The luncheon will cost $2000 per person (the contribution limit). So that’s 125 people. As of midnight ET, the Dean campaign has raised $50,379.53 from 743 contributors. That’s an average of only $67.81 per person! If you want to contribute, any amount is welcome. I’ll probably give them another $25 this weekend.

Kerry’s my second choice at this point. However, he’s probably a good second choice. Tonight a number of Kerry supporters will be meeting at Britannia Pub in Santa Monica, just off the Third Street Promenade. Let me know if you want to join me for a Guinness (I’m wearing my Guinness shirt!) and meet some Kerry supporters. If it’s anything like the Dean MeetUp, there won’t be anything exciting going on, but you’ll be able to talk to people about why they support Kerry, what’s wrong with Bush, etc., etc.

Heh. I think Bill Maher compared Kerry to Treebeard, the “living, walking tree-shepherd” from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Updated September 14.

California lieutenant governor Cruz Bustamante announced today that governor Davis will face a recall election October 7.

I dislike Davis as much as the next guy. He’s a bland Democrat whose specialty seems to be raising money for his campaigns. In terms of policy, he’s a reluctant progressive who doesn’t seem to have any strong stances on the issues facing the state. He’s far too beholden to his donors. However, he is at worst a mediocre executive, and that is not a sufficient reason to hold a recall election.

Now we’re going to hold an election estimated to cost $30 million to $35 million—money the state doesn’t have. Furthermore, the state constitution states that “A state officer who is not recalled shall be reimbursed by the State for the officer’s recall election expenses legally and personally incurred.” Davis has a large war chest, and he’ll use it.

A bigger concern about the upcoming election is the fact that few voters will likely participate. A good number of those who do will be recall supporters. Davis has few supporters in the state, and they may decide to stay home. If the recall effort is successful, the state may have a Republican governor that was elected by a very small minority.

Let me repeat: the state may have a Republican governor that was elected by a very small minority. Even if you dislike Davis, I can tell you that Tom McClintock or Arnold Schwarzenegger will be worse. McClintock is a very conservative politician whose views are way out of line with the views of most Californians. Schwarzeneggar is more of a “centrist” but lacks the experience and knowledge to run a state that boasts the world’s 5th largest economy. Would you put Schwarzeneggar in charge of France, China, or Italy? Hell no.

It’s very reminiscent of the 2000 Presidential election, where a bland Democratic candidate failed to win his own state and other states that he should have won—thus preventing a decisive victory in the electoral college and giving the Republicans an opportunity to work the Florida election confusion in their favor.

Will a Republican governor be as toxic as the current Republican president? Maybe not in terms of California politics, but let’s not forget how the Republican governor of Florida was able to use his office to purge voters from the registration lists, intimidate voters, and influence election officials.

If the recall effort is not successful, the low voter turnout will still be a problem. Issa and the others will be able to try again within 6 months at a lower expense, since the petition “must be signed by electors equal in number to 12 percent of the last vote for the office.” It is likely that a second recall effort would backfire and incense voters against the recall effort and any person behind it. It would not stop another recall election from being held, however, provided that enough signatures are gathered. Another $35 million down the drain.

So what can be done? Register to vote. Online or offline. Register everyone you know to vote and let them know what’s going on. Persuade them to tell their friends. And most importantly, vote on October 7.

What’s with the two part recall?

There are two parts to the recall:

1. Yes or no on whether to recall Davis.

2. Vote for your preferred replacement.

Please vote no for the first part… this is a vote of principle in favor of representative democracy. Then vote for your favorite on the second part.