John Gartner:

If such a scenario sounds far-fetched, it shouldn’t. With the presidential election less than three months away, such tactics are gaining momentum, as organizations attempting to influence the election are betting the necessary votes are hidden within consumer databases.
Activist groups including MoveOn.org, along with the major political parties, are spending unprecedented amounts of money to find out where you shop before trying to sell you on their candidate

Monica Davey talks politics in the Dells.

The cause of imperialism, weakened for a time by the fall of the European and Soviet empires, has found new advocates. The fact that the 21st century imperial power happens to be the United States of America, whose independence from colonialism was declared 228 years ago, seems not to matter. The neoconservatives’ project to position the United States as the world’s dominant power — and to use that power to govern in venues chosen seemingly by them alone, and collectively where reasonably easy but unilaterally where necessary — has been advanced and saluted.

Steve Coll’s excellent book, Ghost Wars, is featured on NPR’s All Things Considered this week.

Steve Clemons on an example of the structural corruption in government (Clemons cites an example of ex CIA director James Woolsey, whose wife is a director of Fluor corporation (recipient of $1.6B in Iraq contracts). Another example is Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, whose wife, Linda, is a lobbyist who mostly represents airlines, aircraft makers and other aviation-related interests ? all of which have a steady stream of issues before the Senate.

Monica Davey talks with some Wisconsin voters on the upcoming presidential election:

“Honestly, I don’t know what to do,” Ms. Zavala said as she wandered near Lake Michigan clutching the hand of her young granddaughter. Ms. Zavala voted for President Bush in 2000 and says her relatives still adore him. Never far from her thoughts, though, is that her son-in-law is a soldier, and so her uncertainty keeps growing.
“Now, when I look at it, I think Bush misled the people about Iraq, and I feel sad for all the families, for all these soldiers that had to die,” she said. “But then I don’t really know what Kerry would do about it either.” Ms. Zavala stopped, then finally said, “I guess I can only wait and see what happens.”
There lies a central complication for the campaigns as they fight for a state that gave Al Gore just an ounce more support than George W. Bush four years ago. From working-class neighborhoods in Racine in the southeast to the pine- and fern-covered hills near Lake Superior, voters speak of factories that have closed, schools short on money and health insurance beyond reach.

iTunes gets political – Barry Ritholtz

Interesting contrast to local business climate views. I’ve said a number of times that Wisconsin politicians must make aggressive true broadband (not our current slow dsl/cable services) deployment the priority.