That is the new Democratic Party logo – a light blue block “D” surrounded by a dark blue “O”. They may claim it is a circle, but it’s an “O”. The Democratic National Committee site features this new logo, and the Obama campaign logo, which is unprecedented. It is rather obvious that one is the subsidiary of the other, and the logo makes it plain who’s in charge.

We now know that what Robert Gibbs, the President’s press secretary, said in an interview in early August reflects the President’s attitude towards the base of the Democratic Party.

I originally saw the charming quote at the Agonist in Sean Paul’s post, Obama To Liberals: Don’t Blame Me, Blame Yourself.

But most people, like Steve Bates, Digby, Susie Madrak, and Randall Kohn at Corrente are working off of Glenn Greenwald’s post at Salon.

Barack Obama is under the delusion that the entire Democratic Party works like the Chicago party, i.e. once you have been selected everyone closes ranks and supports whatever stupid thing you do. If he thinks that the base of the party will vote in November after the way they have been marginalized and berated by the first two years of this administration, he is in for a shock. While individual members of Congress have fought for their supporters, the majorities in Congress have been wasted by the White House.

People are hurting and this administration hasn’t helped them. They found the will to help Wall Street, but Main Street has been characterized has a bunch of whiners because nothing has been done that would help them.

The Leak Meter is no longer at the top of the front page because there has been official confirmation that the bottom of the well has filled with a cement plug and the plug has passed pressure testing: Gulf well permanently plugged, U.S. says

(CNN) — U.S. officials formally declared an end to the worst oil spill in U.S. history Sunday, a milestone that followed nearly five months of dashed hopes and blistering criticism of nearly everyone involved.

Well owner BP began final cementing operations to permanently plug the blowout on Friday. Pressure tests conducted early Sunday confirmed the cement was holding, and the Interior Department agency that regulates offshore drilling pronounced the well dead at 5:54 a.m. (6:54 a.m. ET), former Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said in a statement issued Sunday morning.

If it turns out that Mr. Allen has again “misspoken”, the Meter will be back.

It’ll be double rations of grog all around in the galley as ye throw the pasta and pesto down your gullet for the final day of Pasta Week, on Talk Like a Pirate Day.
Arr…
Belay that! ‘T’would be better done by swilling lambrusco directly from the flask!
Arr…

Position: 32.4N 65.5W [10 PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: North-Northeast [015°] near 14 mph [22 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 75 mph [120 kph].
Wind Gusts: 95 mph [155 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 345 miles [555 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 90 miles [145 km].
Minimum central pressure: 955 mb ↑.

Currently about 40 miles [65 km] West of Bermuda.

Bermuda has been experiencing Tropical Storm conditions for several hours. Currently [10PM CDT] they have light rain and 74 mph [119 kph] sustained winds from the South with 93 mph [150 kph] gusts. This should be the closest approach to the atoll.

Igor is going through another eyewall replacement, which is very good news for Bermuda, as it has dropped the top winds by 20 mph.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Bermuda.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]