Good to be back home in central Cali, blogging from the dining room table and watching the late-summer tourists walk by. It’s been a reasonably abundant morning of political talk, so here are some palate-pleasers:
* If you had any doubts about Paul Ryan’s negative feelings towards his state’s progressive tradition, The Nation‘s John Nichols decisively lays them to rest.
* At HuffPost, Michael McDonald supplies a reliable overview of early voting in 2012.
* ProPublica’s Kim Barker reports that 501(c)(4)’s like Crossroads GPS and Americans for Prosperity, which don’t disclose donors, are actually outspending SuperPACs in this cycle so far.
* RCP’s Caitlin Huey-Burns notes Tommy Thompson Senate campaign hastily cut ad featuring shout-out from Paul Ryan.
* Palin announces she is not speaking at GOP convention. Another grievous slap-in-the-face from the Establishment!
And in non-political news:
Bad week for Chad Johnson (formerly Ochocinco) gets worse: after arrest for domestic battery and dismissal from Dolphins, VH1 cancels planned reality show.
Back after an actual lunch.
