I know this may not get a lot of comments, but I felt like I had to write something about this Sunday's episode of the CBS crime drama "Cold Case".

In recent years on TV, I've seen shows that tell me gay men are asexual and vapid, that lesbians exist as the butt of jokes unless they can find a man to turn them straight, that bisexuals and transgenders are incestuous and/or serial killers, that gay teenagers are only gay because they're bad people and because they want to infuriate their parents. I've even seen an FX show that made a hero out of a man who beat a gay man so badly that he had to be put into a medical coma.

What I haven't seen on most TV shows, especially network TV shows, is a simple, moving love story between gay men.

Until this Sunday.

[Promoted by DHinMI: This is an excellent corrective to the "Karl Rove controls the universe" bs, a great callout of the LA Times for not pointing out that the reporters who wrote a fawning article about Rove have a personal (and financial) interest in pushing the Rove myth, and--with this excellent comment by Michael1104 --a good rebuttal to the wailings of those who so fear the GOP that they can't imagine that if we work hard and get some breaks we could do very well next Tuesday]

I don't hold any illusions about the role of the media in enabling those Republicans in power. I also see Karl Rove is a smart guy and is not to be underestimated. There are reasons to see him as a huge force for the GOP. What I don't need to see is a "respected" national newspaper like LA Times turn into a weak-kneed fangirl/fanboy. Nor do I care about seeing them fail to mention the history of their reporters (in this case, Tom Hamburger and Peter Wallsten).

The title says it all:

"GOP at a loss? Karl Rove has an 11th-hour plan to win"

Now let's wade through some of the rest:

This isn't the first diary to mention the Melissa Hart-Jason Altmire race, and may not be the last. I don't expect this to get a lot of traffic. I just wanted to mention the race because even though the DCCC has been putting forth some effort for Altmire, this race could easily be overshadowed by the marquee PA House races. I think this seat is actually more winnable than some of those races.

In 2000, Hart won a Dem-held seat when the incumbent, Ron Klink, ran against Santorum. She was the first Republican elected there in 20 years. Her area has many Democratic voters, but they do lean on the socially conservative side. She is far to the right on gay rights, on stem cell research, you name it. But Bob Casey should do well in this district, and Altmire has gone from being a total underdog to tying Hart in independent polling.

Why is defeating Hart so important?

I asked this back in 2004, but a lot can change in 2 years. In your opinion, what is the best Dem Party in the US, the worst Dem Party, the best GOP Party, and the worst GOP Party? I know back in 2004 Ohio was considered the worst or one of the worst Democratic parties - has that changed? Has their state party improved? I know California's Dem party isn't at its best right now, to say the least. The same can also be said for NY's GOP.

What do you think?

Many people have this belief that gays all think alike, look alike, act alike, and have the same agenda. Anything that one of us does is blamed on the entire community. So I am going to take this opportunity to use the "royal we" about Mark Foley.

This is what Mark Foley's lawyer said today:

"Mark Foley wants you to know he is a gay man,"

This is what I have to say:

We don't want you.

I checked and I didn't see any other diaries on this. So for the few of you who are still up tonight:

In the new Mason-Dixon poll, conducted from 9/25 to 9/27, Ford leads by 1 point, otherwise known as a dead heat.

That's a far cry from M-D's July results:

A similar poll of the two candidates in July showed Mr. Corker with a 13-point advantage, which has evaporated after almost two months of aggressive campaign advertising by the Tennessee congressman.

Dan Savage wonders why more progressives haven't focused on the 48th district's state senate race. Although I don't agree with all that he says, I do think this is an important race.

In Iowa and South Dakota yesterday, a total of 7 Republican legislative incumbents were defeated in primaries by more far right challengers. I'll list those who lost. Can any of you who are familiar with IA or SD tell us more about this area, if there are any Democrats running, and if not, any Democrats who could run? Are any of these districts winnable?

I haven't seen a lot of discussion here about the 2006 Oklahoma elections, maybe because none of the races are considered competitive in a way that has national implications, or because many of the Democrats in Oklahoma are very conservative, therefore it's hard to really work up interest in their campaigns. But I'm still interested in what will happen in the state this year, and the governor's office is definitely important to have.

As if poor beleagured Ernie Fletcher (in the midst of a witch hunt by Partisan Democrats Gone Wild!) didn't have enough to deal with, his lieutenant governor opted out of a second term last week, but said he would stay in office until his current term expired. Admidst speculation that Pence will run in the 2007 GOP primary against Fletcher,  Fletcher asked him to resign immediately. Pence said no and Fletcher's people essentially had a little fit.

In 2004, Democrats managed to win enough races to tie Republicans for the number of seats in the Iowa state senate. Control of any body of the state legislature in Iowa is crucial not only to help the people in that state, but also because Iowa is such an important state in Presidential primaries and elections.

Obviously, Republicans are making a concerted effort to win back the state senate. Through focusing on Iowa state senate district 31, you can help keep this race in Democratic hands. But the story is more complicated than just Democrat vs. Republican. This starts with the primary battle between incumbent Democratic senator Matt McCoy and his opponent, Gary Randa...

I started this series last month. I wanted to make this diary on the Minnesota Senate race because for such a high-profile race, I haven't heard a lot of talk about this one. I haven't had the time to be around here as much as I once was, so if I've missed diaries on this, I'm sorry.

Last week, someone asked me why I put the voting phone number for Elliott Yamin in the open thread on Tuesday nights.

I thought I'd write a quick diary on the subject, and ask if any of you watched American Idol. I will admit the show is not anywhere near as important as political matters, as social justice, as the environment - that's one of the reasons I watch the show. I have a lot going on, as I'm sure everyone does, and the show is a distraction. It's not as good as it was in some previous seasons, and Simon Cowell is an ass who claims to know everything but usually only relies on vote totals.

I thought I would start a new series where I give a brief rundown on an election battle raging this year, and you, who probably know far more about the situation than I do, give your feelings, doubts, hopes, fears, predictions, etc.

The first will be the upcoming Senate election in Washington State. Incumbent Democratic junior senator Maria Cantwell is running for a second term. Cantwell has a strong record on issues such as choice and the environment, but is very controversial with progressives due to her vote in favor of the Iraq War Resolution, among other issues. Her opponent is so-called moderate Mike McGavick, a big-time businessman running for his first political office. Dino Rossi Gone Corporate, I suppose. She also has a Green opponent, Aaron Dixon.

I thought I would list a quick roundup of anti-gay legislation which has passed or may pass in various states. Some of this is from the legislature, others might be from a citizen petition process. In the spirit of giving the bad news first, at the bottom I will list the states whose legislature or initative process defeated anti-gay legislation this year. I will also list some of the state gay organizations you can go to if you want to help out, whether through money, or volunteering, whatever you wish. If I have missed any potential laws in any states, please let me know. There are efforts to ban gay adoption and/or foster care in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Indiana, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, but aside from Ohio and possibly Missouri, most of those bans have achieved prominence this year (next year or 2008 may be a very different story).

That's a nice way of saying they got it up the ass.

Anti-family groups in Florida (not content with the state's longstanding ban on gay adoption) have been desperate to get an amendment on the ballot that would ban most legal benefits for gay groups. Knowing that their own election slate includes such proven stamp-out...er...get-out-the-vote candidates as Katherine Harris, the Florida Republican Party bankrolled most of the effort for this hate ploy.

Well, it looks like they FAILED.

In the special election to replace retiring Republican representative Phil Smith, Democrat John Robinson won. He won both Londonderry and Auburn, even though the area went to Bush by double digits in 2004. Robinson was a self-described moderate, his opponent a right-winger on the issues.

Of course this is only one seat, possibly retaken by Republicans in the general election, but in so many special elections over the past year we have seen sensible candidates (in Missouri, in Minnesota, Virginia, now New Hampshire). Over and over voters have had a choice between basic human decency and scare campaigns, and they have flushed the latter down the choice.

Let's hope this is a harbinger for the upcoming midterms. Whether it is or not, congratulations to John Robinson, and may he help the sane members of both parties accomplish good things in New Hampshire.

Conservatives have told gays that even if life in America is not ideal, things could be much worse. And that's true. Just look at what happened in Iran last year (Warning: graphic photos). Young men given the death penalty because of homosexuality. I have often heard that "left" groups do not care about the lives of gays in Iran, although I don't remember if the Secretary of State ever commented on that matter either.

If so many on the right are concerned about "Axis of Evil" Iran, then can they please explain this recent UN vote?