It seems that it's time for birtherism to pop back up again. First, in Arizona, as Dan told you this morning, birthers are trying to get President Obama knocked off the ballot.

Second, the late Andrew Breitbart's site has "discovered" that Barack Obama's literary agent in 1991 accidentally claimed in promotional materials that Obama was "born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia and Hawaii." PROOF!

Third, now that we've read some of the love letters that President Obama wrote as a young man, it's time for the same people who claimed that Obama couldn't have written his own memoir to claim that he didn't write his love letters, either. Dave Weigel at Slate found a doozy of an "expert."

[W]riting longhand, presumably from memory, Obama has the wherewithal to put an umlaut over the “u” in Münzer. In college, I was an Honors English student and a Classics minor, not a political science major like Obama. I had not even heard of Münzer before reading this letter.

That Obama could embark upon a sophisticated, spontaneous discussion of T.S. Eliot — he claimed not to have read “The Waste Land” for a year and never bothered “to check all the footnotes” — should have alerted Maraniss.

Nowhere in “Dreams [from My Father]" is there any mention of T.S. Eliot, Münzer or Yeats.

So there was this:

The Obama campaign is looking to expand the battleground states map to include Arizona, opening campaign offices and registering voters across the state despite its Republican governor, two Republican senators, and a history of voting Republican in presidential elections broken, in the past 50 years, only by Bill Clinton.... “It is going to be a swing state,” said Jim Messina, the president’s campaign manager. “The question is, whether we can get enough people registered to put it in play this year.”

The man in charge of running Arizona’s elections has gone to the birthers. Secretary of State Ken Bennett now says he’s not convinced Barack Obama was really born in the United States and so he is threatening to keep the president off the ballot in November.... Bennett [is] the state’s No. 2 elected official just below Gov. Jan Brewer (R).... “I’m not a birther. I believe the president was born in Hawaii—or at least I hope he was,” Bennett said on the show. “But my responsibility as secretary of state is to make sure the ballots in Arizona are correct and that those people whose names are on the ballot have met the qualifications for the office they are seeking.”

This is why Mitt Romney doesn't do press availabilities:

This is a response to a question about whether Romney stands by a statement he made on Hannity about Reverend Wright that appears to contradict what Romney's campaign said today about Reverend Wright being off-limits. You'll be seeing a lot of this video.

The New York Times has published a 50-page document titled "The Defeat of Barack Hussein Obama" that was put together by Republican strategists for a super PAC, and then hilariously leaked to the press. The Washington Post explains:

The New York Times got hold of a proposed campaign playbook commissioned by TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts, who has become increasingly involved in GOP politics.

The plan, called “The Defeat of Barack Hussein Obama: The Ricketts Plan to End His Spending for Good,” would “do exactly what John McCain would not let us do,” the strategists write, according to the Times report...Mitt Romney’s campaign distanced itself from the idea.

“Unlike the Obama campaign, Gov. Romney is running a campaign based on jobs and the economy, and we encourage everyone else to do the same,” campaign manager Matt Rhoades said. “It’s clear President Obama’s team is running a campaign of character assassination. We repudiate any efforts on our side to do so.”

I haven't read the whole document, but I can't wait to do that. It begins:

The metrosexual black Abe Lincoln has emerged as a hyper-partisan, hyper liberal, elitist politician with more than a bit of the trimmer in him.

Wow! Someone paid a lot of money for that writing. But for now, let's stay focused on this Wright thing. While it's true that John McCain refused to let his campaign attack Obama on Reverend Wright, there were Republican ads featuring Reverend Wright in 2008. The American people heard all about Reverend Wright, and they decided it wasn't a major issue. And let's pretend for a second that every fringe Republican bad dream about this is true, and that Reverend Wright did instill in President Obama, somehow, a deep-seated hatred of the United States. Wouldn't President Obama have destroyed America by now? Waiting for a second term to unleash the full force of your "god damn America" routine doesn't seem like the smartest move.

I refuse to believe this plan would have seen fruition. I think the Romney people (and, yes, the campaigns are supposed to have no contact with their super PACs, but I don't think any American believes that to be the reality) would have pulled the plug on this particular attack line. The last thing the Romney people want, one of the things they're most afraid of, is a discussion about religion. But this is a major black eye for the Romney campaign: Having the plans for the campaign slipped to the media means the Romney campaign suffers basically all the negatives of releasing a negative ad campaign with none of the positives.

You may know about the Romney campaign's attempts to keep reporters off the rope line. CNN has more:

Press aides for the Romney campaign and a lone Secret Service agent attempted to physically block reporters from asking questions of the GOP contender along an event rope line in Saint Petersburg, Florida on Wednesday.

The brief altercation was captured on video by CNN. A spokeswoman from the Romney campaign later called it "an error."

"We're not going to do this," Romney press aide Kristen Warren can be heard saying in the video as she held out her arms to prevent various reporters from approaching the rope line, an area where Romney was shaking hands with supporters.

My favorite part of that video is that the reporters are being denied access to the presidential candidate as Kid Rock's "Born Free" plays in the background. It's not like freedom of the press is in the Constitution or anything, after all! In any case, the Romney campaign has admitted that physically restraining the press was an "error."

Meanwhile, the last anything-goes press conference held by Mitt Romney was back in March.

So it has come to this:

News of Obama’s usage of the dirty “s” word [NOTE: She means "shit," but she cannot type the word "shit," perhaps because she is Mormon, or an elementary-school student.] came when Huffington Post editor Ethan Klapper tweeted “Obama hot mic just now — ‘I gotta get my sh……’” right after the president allegedly used the full-length version of the obscenity....Fox Nation has muffled audio of the utterance, although I’ve listened to it about ten times and still cannot make out any bad language. And Mary Ann LoFrumento says he never swore to begin with, having tweeted in the aftermath of Klapper’s tweet, “I was sitting close to the President on the platform and he said ‘I gotta get my gift’ referring to his medal of distinction.”

This is the most important issue of our time! Here's the video:

Welcome to the Blogtown Election Vulture's Lair, where in this post we'll be covering the Portland race for mayor. Scroll down for the latest on the Oregon Attorney General race, council races, ballot measures... everything else. The latest updates start at the top of the page! For up to the second news and results follow us on the Twitter @portlandmercury, and in particular #mercelex.
Signed,
Mercury 1st Election Battalion (nickname: Nightmare Warriors)

From the Mercury Vulture's Lair 10:37 pm: Well the "10:30 pm" results are in, and while not a poop ton of votes have been added, the numbers are basically the same. Check it: Charlie Hales 38.36 percent, Jefferson Smith 29.22, Eileen Brady 23.80 percent. Unless something crazy happens between now and the morning light, we have our two mayoral candidates who will be butting heads all the way to November. Amanda Fritz and Mary Nolan are tied at 44 percent, and the only clear winners of the night are Ellen Rosenblum (AG), Steve Novick (city council), Bob Stacey (metro), Sam Chase (metro) and the Multnomah County Library (who I'm sure is gonna be wicked hungover tomorrow). Be sure to check out our party-night election wrap-up in this week's edition of the Mercury, hitting the streets by early afternoon tomorrow! THANKS FOR JOINING US!

Eileen Brady party 10:32 pm: "Hey," I thought, "Maybe everybody went up to party on the top of the boat!" (EH)

From the Mercury Vulture's Lair 10:09 pm: Looks like a low turnout election—campaigns estimate only 35 to 40 percent of eligible voters cast ballots. The next round of results is due at 10:30 pm—that is if you're not already in bed, or watching Revenge on your DVR. Have you guys seen Revenge? It's actually pretty fun. I'm tired. (WSH)

From the Mercury Vulture's Lair 9:43 pm: 19-year-old mayoral candidate Max Brumm tweets:

Eileen Brady party 9:30 pm:

Jefferson Smith party 9:13 pm: Alright, Jeff's finally arrived! I caught him on the street. His dad tried to make him cross the street on a red light, but Jeff waited for the green. (That's what happens when you get the police union endorsement.) And, aww, that's sweet! He won't stop kissing his wife. (AZ)

From the Mercury Vulture's Lair 9:25 pm: Now here's a happy-looking guy.

• Dan Olson

Jefferson Smith party 9:13 pm: I hear Jefferson's been spotted at the Jupiter Hotel, home of the party for the three Multnomah County commissioner races and the library vote. But I kid you not, this has turned into a Bollywood dance party. The DJ is now a dance instructor, and old folks are shaking their thang. EXCELLENT. (AZ)

From the Mercury Vulture's Lair 9:02 pm: The 9 pm results are in and here's how it stacks up: Charlie Hales 38.28 percent, Jefferson Smith 29.02 percent, and Eileen Brady an even 24 percent. OUCH!! In some good news for Eileen, Tre Arrow is far in the back of the pack with a mere .72 percent. In your FACE, Tre! (WSH)

Eileen Brady party 9 pm: Results on TV: Hales 39 percent, Smith 29 percent, Brady 24 percent. Other than reporters, no one at the Eileen Brady party is even watching. (EH)

Jefferson Smith party 8:58 pm: Right now there's a crazy DJ with a scarf on, who's pumping house music. I'm confused. Where am I? Where is Jefferson Smith? Is this a dream? Jeff's dad is dancing. (AZ)

From the Mercury Vulture's Lair 8:55 pm: The Oregonian is calling it... Mitt Romney is the Oregon Republican pick for President! (This message brought to you by Lake Oswego.)

Jefferson Smith party 8:50 pm: A ton of celebs are here, Cameron Whitten, Teressa Raiford (who's rooting for Fritz), Jeff Cogen, etc. Really lively, BIG crowd. Still no sign of Jeff. I still haven't eaten, which I'm just realizing. Everyone's getting loopy and yelling at each other over the music. Woo! (AZ)

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Welcome to the Blogtown Election Vulture's Lair, where in this post we'll be covering the Oregon Attorney General race, council races, ballot measures... everything that ain't the mayor's race. The latest updates start at the top of the page! For up to the second news and results follow us on the Twitter @portlandmercury, and in particular #mercelex.
Signed,
Mercury 1st Election Battalion (nickname: Nightmare Warriors)

From the Mercury Vulture's Lair 10:37 pm: Well the "10:30 pm" results are in, and while not a poop ton of votes have been added, the numbers are basically the same. Check it: Charlie Hales 38.36 percent, Jefferson Smith 29.22, Eileen Brady 23.80 percent. Unless something crazy happens between now and the morning light, we have our two mayoral candidates who will be butting heads all the way to November. Amanda Fritz and Mary Nolan are tied at 44 percent, and the only clear winners of the night are Ellen Rosenblum (AG), Steve Novick (city council), Bob Stacey (metro), Sam Chase (metro) and the Multnomah County Library (who I'm sure is gonna be wicked hungover tomorrow). Be sure to check out our party-night election wrap-up in this week's edition of the Mercury, hitting the streets by early afternoon tomorrow! THANKS FOR JOINING US!

METRO RACE Bob Stacey party 10:37 pm: Metro Councilor-elect Bob Stacey says he'll focus on keeping that pesky urban-growth boundary in check. To do that, he hopes to develop nine potential sites inside the boundary for industrial development. Keeping growth in the city will keep jobs in the city and it will keep farmland from being developed, he says. We can assume Stacey will keep his word. He knows a thing or two about sustainability. Stacey also spent the first part of the night with his right pant leg tucked into his sock because he biked to his campaign party. And if that ain't a ringing endorsement for environmental credibility, I don’t know what is. (NG)

Mary Nolan party 10:30 pm: Party's wrapping up fo'real. Nolan is saying she needs sleep and is trying to coerce guests into taking home the leftover vegetables and beer. The couple at the piano are playing, and singing. The cheese plate looks about half empty. No, wait—about 44 percent to 44 percent. The rest is in my belly. (GP)

Steve Novick party 10:20 pm: After his win, Steve Novick says he plans on getting started right away planning for his new job as City Commissioner. Okay, so that’s not until January. And Novick already has a day job at the Oregon Health Authority. Come January this is what we might see: First on Novick’s agenda is mental health and public safety. Novick says he wants to work with the state and county to focus on funding prevention instead of jail beds. Second, Novick says he wants to help reform the state healthcare system. And third on his list is earthquake preparation, (I’m not kidding. Unlike many politician,s Novick takes the matter of our impending doom very seriously.) Novick says he wants to get low-interest loans for homeowners whose houses aren’t attached to their foundations (there are more of these in Oregon than you might think). Novick has other plans in the works, but for now, he is enjoying his victory, and tomorrow, a vacation in New Orleans. (NG)

METRO RACE Sam Chase's party 10:14 pm: "I'm feeling very good here," Sam Chase, who's running for Metro Council said at his campaign party at Santa Fe Taqueria in Northwest Portland. "We'll see where things are." Although Chase, who serves as the executive director of the Coalition of Community Health Clinics, had 58 percent of the vote in Multnomah County, he was still cautious about declaring victory before getting a concession call from his main opponent, Helen Ying.

"I think I've been really impressed with how much people care about the quality of life in our region and protecting what is unique in our region," Chase said.

"You're boring," Zoe Chase, his 9-year-old daughter, piped in.

Chase's phone rang. It was Ying calling to congratulate him. (JT)

Mary Nolan party 9:51 pm: A young man just jumped onto the piano here at the North Star Ballroom, and a woman is now perched in a foldout chair next to him, belting out ballads. They sound 1940s-ish, and her voice reminds me of Adele. KJ Lewis, Nolan's campaign manager: "This is great. Normally you pay money for this sort of show. They're just here, singing for us assholes!" The party is still hovering around just 15 people but it's kind of hopping. Beth Cohen, Nolan's communications intern, told me she likes Nolan because, "while she comes off as really tough, she's not one to dig her heels in. She will always reach across the aisle and come to a solution." Ooh! Barbara Roberts (Oregon's only female governor, 1991-95) is here! (GP)

Leaving Amanda Fritz's party: Going from Fritz's party (no alcohol was served) to Jefferson Smith's is like crossing the Berlin Wall. (JH)

Novick/Stacey party 9:45 pm: As election results continue to roll in, Bob Stacey says he and Steve Novick will continue to party. “I hope we can be a refuge for people battered and beaten in the other elections,” said Stacey. Well-said. I think there might be a few of those nearby. (NG)

From the Mercury Vulture's Lair: Nathan just sent in this pic of Steve Novick reveling in his win.

AG RACE Ellen Rosenblum party 9:24 pm With no Republican candidate in the general election, Rosenblum told me she was "cautiously optimistic" about the election. And with current AG John Kroger stepping down early to run Reed College, Rosenblum is likely to be appointed to the post early. Rosenblum brushed off suggestions that her victory sends a message to those seeking to undermine medical marijuana laws. "It's actually a health care law," she said. (JT)

Mary Nolan party 9:10 pm Uncencorsed Kanye West "Better, Faster, Stronger." I can dig it. "Damn they don't make 'em like this anymore/I ask cause I'm not sure/Do anybody make real shit anymore?"—Mary Nolan for City Commissioner, 2012. These guys are having fun with fashion! (GP)

Amanda Fritz party 9:16 pm: Fritz says her plan for the runoff is to keep doing her job and that what she's best at is interacting with the people. When asked how she will face the financial disadvantage against Nolan—Fritz is limiting contributions to just $50 per supporter while Nolan is taking any and all gifts—Fritz said she just can't ask people for money. And if that means she loses? So be it.

Novick/Stacey party 9:15 pm: It’s official (and not surprising). Both Steve Novick and Bob Stacey have won their respective elections. (If you forgot already: Novick ran for the city council seat long held by Randy Leonard, Stacey for Metro). The most current results have Novick with 73.45 percent of the votes cast so far, with Stacey taking 83.86 percent in his. Novick confessed he was a little annoyed Stacey took a greater percentage of his election’s votes than he took in his own. (NG)

AG RACE Dwight Holton's party 9:11 pm: We move downstairs at Spirit of 77 to hear Dwight Holton's concession speech, as his wife and children stand by him: "I'm so proud of what we did. We fight for people and stand up for people and be on their sides... thank you very, very much." Cheering by all. Chants of "Holton, Holton, Holton." (CF)

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THAT'S RIGHT! We're serious about covering the crap out of tonight's election results and parties. How do I know this? Erik Henriksen is wearing a tie. And in addition? The tie is not covered with Star Wars characters.

We'll be at all the parties! We'll be piping in with the latest results! And tomorrow when you wake up? You'll know more about tonight's election than any of your stupid, uninformed co-workers. Practice your smirk! You'll need it.

HOT LIVE BLOG ELECTION ACTION KICKS OFF RIGHT HERE AT 7 PM! (Results start coming in at 8.) BEEEE THERRRRRRRE.

• See? Even the Hitler Youth voted.

• Next to the ballot slot: "This is not a mailbox"

Today, I used my lunch break to check up on last-minute Portlanders pitching in their votes at the Pioneer Square and Central Library drop-off sites. While a lot of people thought I was some crazy petitioner and ran, others took a second to explain their tardiness. The two leading answers: Procrastination and indecision.

"I'm just lazy," said one jovial voter. Another: "I wasn't sure about the mayoral race, so I waited. It was just as hard today as it was when the ballots were sent out." One guy said he had to call his mom, an out-of-state lawyer, to figure out who to vote for in the Attorney General race.

I ran into an elections staff member exchanging the ballot boxes at the library, who confirmed my belief that a ton of folks held out until today to vote. "The boxes are packed, they never filled up this fast before," she said. "It's such a huge increase in ballots."

On the way back to the office, I ran in to a cheery Jefferson Smith at the Stark St. food carts, making sure everyone had voted (and voted for him). When I asked what to expect at tonight's party? A good time, but—no cartwheels.

Are you one of those last-second voters? Get on over to a ballot drop site before 8 pm and make it happen. Stay tuned in to Blogtown for our minute-by-minute reporting on the election and candidate parties tonight!

From Fox News, of course:

Former President George W. Bush said Tuesday he is supporting Republican Mitt Romney's run for the White House.

"I'm for Mitt Romney," Bush told ABC News after he delivered a speech on human rights in Washington, D.C.

I don't suppose it should be any surprise that George W. Bush is endorsing Romney. Romney's team is lousy with former Bush aides and employees. His policy advisers are primarily from the Bush White House, his campaign is made up of Bush cronies, and his policies are all George W. Bush policies with a patina of teabagginess slopped over the top. Bush's endorsement is just the blood-red, oozing cherry perched at the top of the shit sundae.

The freshest public poll yet in the Portland mayor's race holds some lousy news for Eileen Brady's mayoral campaign a day before voting stops.

Remember that Oregonian/KGW poll last week that everyone called an "outlier" because it put Brady in third place behind Charlie Hales and Jefferson Smith? A survey from OPB released today pretty much affirms that result—which has to be a dispiriting trend for a campaign that's raised, and then spent, more than a million bucks.

Since the last OPB poll done at the end of April, Brady's number has fallen seven points. Meanwhile, Hales saw a surge that same size, while Smith also saw a four-point bump. Hales and Smith are starting to cement their status as the two candidates most likely to make the November runoff—although Brady isn't so far behind, under the poll's 4.9 percent margin of error, that she can't technically manage to squeak into the runoff.

Where Brady finishes (assuming she won't place first, but also remembering what"they" say about assumptions...) will be as big a story as who finishes first in the mayoral race. Even placing second will be seen by some observers as a loss, given Brady's overwhelming cash advantage when it comes to getting her message out. That'll mean a few things: She didn't have a message, or one that voters liked. Or that her campaign didn't do a good job selling the message she had. Or, that, you know, Portlanders still don't much like over-the-top big-money candidates.

In the other big contested city race, the poll notes that incumbent Commissioner Amanda Fritz's lead over State Representative Mary Nolan is all but unchanged since the last one, growing by a single, irrelevant percentage point.

Who do you think will win and how? Vote in our super unscientific accurate, statistically spot-on, and completely scientific poll! Defend your choices in the comments. UPDATE 12:48 PM: My boss threatened to fire me if I didn't correct the characterization of our poll to the "truth." Sigh.

Of course bigoted piece of shit Rand Paul is saying this right behind a big old Christian cross:

What a creep.

Michele Bachmann has withdrawn her dual Swiss citizenship, according to Devin Henry on Twitter.

Hah! Your move, President Obama...if that is, indeed, your real name.

The Obama campaign has been receiving a great outpouring of support, according to Buzzfeed:

After three years of political compromise on issues from health care reform to spending cuts, Obama delivered a surprise gift to what many of his core supporters view as the civil rights issue of the day, simply by saying what everyone assumed he believed. But the distinction between implying a change and saying it outright will more than symbolic in the crucial area of campaign fundraising. Already, gay donors, mostly men, reportedly constitute 1 in 6 of Obama’s top fundraisers known as bundlers. And in the first 90 minutes after the news broke Wednesday, the campaign received $1 million in spontaneous contributions, a Democrat told BuzzFeed.

Remember my column last week on how internal tensions over mayoral picks were roiling the Portland Green Party—with Jefferson Smith backers hoping to get the party to redo a consensus vote that ranked him third behind Eileen Brady (no. 2) and Cameron Whitten (no. 1) on the party's endorsement list?

The party got together last night and apparently sent a fairly blunt message: A pox on both your houses—let's stop this infighting.

In another consensus vote, members decided to withdraw endorsements for both Brady and Smith, leaving Whitten, the young activist with Occupy ties, as their only preferred candidate. Whitten announced the news in a press release, and I've since confirmed the decision with other Green Party members. Here's how Whitten cast it:

The Portland Green Party convened a meeting last night, to officially strip their endorsements of Mayoral candidates Eileen Brady and Jefferson Smith for the May 15th Primary. They maintained their endorsement of Cameron Whitten for Mayor of Portland. The decision was unanimous.

The re-vote came after a long time of speculation, with Smith supporters attempting to pressure the local chapter nominate the State Representative over New Seasons co-founder Eileen Brady.

Apparently, the Green Party did not react positively to politics as usual, which led the chapter to avoid the divisive political manipulations altogether by recalling both of their nominations.

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