GM says the new Chevy Volt will get 230 MPG in the city.  The carmaker says it will have 25 new models out by the end of 2011. The only question left is: where are we going to get all this electricity to power these cars?

New poll in Nevada by Vitale & Associates (July 29-30, 510 LV, MoE +/-4.4%) shows incumbent Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid losing by six points to Sue Lowden, chairwoman of the Nevada Republican Party, 44-38, with 10% undecided.

From the Las Vegas Review-Journal write up:

Pollster Todd Vitale said the most telling numbers might be the ones related to Reid.

In three Reid-related categories -- image, approval and whether they would vote to re-elect -- respondents gave the senator a thumbs down. Just 39 percent viewed Reid favorably, and 34 percent said they would vote to re-elect him.

"All of those are very, very telling pieces of information," said Vitale, who has been a pollster for 15 years. "I've never seen an incumbent with numbers this bad who hadn't had some scandal."

Nicole Russell of The American Spectator has a nice quick read on Tim Pawlenty and the road to 2012.

Arianna Huffington and Steve Kornacki take different roads to the same conclusion: the "compromise fix" is in on health care.

Arianna excoriates the President for breaking any number of campaign promises on the core issue of the progressive agenda, while Kornacki focuses on the smoke signals emanating from the Senate which Kornacki describes as being a betrayal to "Dean democrats" and could "spark a backlash in the House that would kill health care."

German Consumer Prices Fall For First Time in 22 Years - Der Spiegel

New Quinnipiac poll finally has a tiny bit of good news for beleaguered Democratic Governor Jon Corzine.  Corzine still has a dismal approval rating (36%) and still trails his Republican challenger Chris Christie by a wide margin (9 points), but both numbers are up slightly from Quinnipiac's survey last month.

Christie (R) 51 (-2 vs. last poll in July)
Corzine (D) 42 (+1)

Overall, Christie now leads Corzine by 12.1% in the RCP Average.

Corzine's 36% approval rating is a three point improvement from last month, while his disapproval rating dropped two points to 58%.

These slight improvements come amid one of the biggest corruption busts in New Jersey history.  According to the Quinnipiac survey, 71% of voters say corruption is a "very serious problem" in New Jersey, with another 22% declaring it a "somewhat serious problem." Additionally, when asked which party is more associated with the corruption issue, 50% said the Democrats, while only 15% said Republicans and 34% said they didn't know.

Despite those numbers, when asked if the recent arrest of many New Jersey Democrats on corruption charges made them less inclined to vote for Corzine,  67% said "no" while only 28% said "yes."

Lastly, Corzine does lead Christie by six points (42-36) on the all important question "who would you rather spend an afternoon at the Sandy Hook beach with?"

Not shocking in the least:

WASHINGTON - For years, the Bush administration was criticized for not cleaning up enough of America's most contaminated waste sites. The Obama administration plans to do even less.

Environmental groups and some Democratic lawmakers railed against President George W. Bush's cleanup record. But this time, they're shying away from speaking out against a popular president who's considered an ally in the fight to clean up the environment.

Hillary gets huffy (rightly so, I'd say) at an event in the Congo:

"You want me to tell you what my husband thinks?" she replied incredulously when the male student asked her what "Mr. Clinton" thought of World Bank concerns about a multi-billion-dollar Chinese loan offer to the Congo.

"My husband is not secretary of state, I am," an obviously annoyed Clinton said sharply. "If you want my opinion, I will tell you my opinion. I am not going to be channeling my husband."

(SATIRE ALERT: On the heels of the much commented upon Joker poster of President Obama, a new poster has emerged from an another anonymous artist that has people chattering once again...)

Don't be misled. These new posters featuring Barack Obama's face imposed over the likeness of Tinky Winky may appear benign, but they're not.

Their intent is far deeper and insidious: to stir ugly racist thoughts in America's subconscious.

On the surface, the posters don't add anything new to the discussion. Obama has been called a “socialist” before. But, subliminally, the posters draw heavily on stereotypes of the worst kind.

Consider the following evidence:

- First, the obvious: Purple is only a tick or two away from black on the color spectrum, so it's clearly no coincidence that Obama's likeness was imposed over Tinky Winky and not Dipsy, Laa-Laa, Noo-Noo, or Po. Tinky Winky is an unspeakably devious subliminal reminder of the pigmentation of our President's skin.

- Tinky Winky - and the rest of his Teletubby ilk - are meant to draw upon latent and subconscious racism and xenophobia. They're odd looking, they speak in incoherent phrases, they eat strange food and live in a futuristic dome. Clearly, they're not from around here - and they may not even be from this planet. To superimpose Obama's likeness over such a character is a truly despicable tactic designed to remind white people of his foreign heritage and to reinforce the notion that he is "of the other."

- Lastly, using Tinky Winky is a cretinously creative way to emasculate the President. Everyone knows Tinky Winky carries a red handbag, for crying out loud. White evangelicals are particularly attuned to subliminal associations with Tinky Winky since Jerry Falwell outed the cartoon character as a symbol of gay pride with his purple (but remember, also almost black) color and his triangular antenna.

This is ugly stuff. By superimposing Obama's face over the likeness of Tinky Winky this new poster creates a subtly coded, highly effective racial and political argument. Forget socialism, this poster is another attempt to undermine the President by drawing on deep seated stereotypes against blacks, foreigners, and gays.  It's disgusting.