Airlines have pretty high fixed costs. They have to rely on a high volume of business to cover those fixed costs and turn a profit. If ridership goes down, they can reduce the frequency of flights and save some money, but the overall infrastructure which they have to maintain can’t be shrunk or grown very rapidly in conjunction with the ebb and flow of consumer demand.

The airline industry has two primary customers: the business traveler and the leisure traveler. The majority of leisure travelers are middle-class folks who are going on vacation or going to visit family. As middle-class folk earn less money, they have to work more and their ability to get time away from work goes down. And if they can get time away, they are less able to afford an expensive vacation that involves air travel.

The impact of a shrinking middle-class on business travel is more indirect, but significant nonetheless. As middle-income folks lose their purchasing power, demand for the products and services most businesses provide decreases. As a result, the businesses spend less on business travel and other expenditures. An oversimplified example, I know, but you get the idea.

If the middle class continues to shrink, more airlines will have to close up shop. Eventually the only people flying may be the uber-rich in their private jets.

But now it’s down to two candidates, Obama and Clinton. (I’m an avowed Obama supporter, but I would vote for Clinton in a heartbeat if she were to win the nomination.) As things are, many are calling for Clinton to throw in the towel. Some are saying that this prolonged primary is bad for the Democratic party, that the in-fighting and division will hurt us in the long run. There are plenty of reasons why Clinton might withdraw, but there are some very good things about this prolonged Democratic primary.

For one, our candidates are getting a good workout. Whoever emerges will be stronger and better able to handle the crap the GOP will throw at them this fall.

For another, our candidates are getting more air time, which is important in winning voters for the general election.

And third, perhaps most importantly, citizens from all the states are seeing that their vote matters for the first time in a long time. Usually the nomination is settled and done with by the time the New Hampshire primary rolls around, or soon after. This time, every state is having a chance to weigh in. As a result, new voters are registering as Democrats in record numbers across the nation. This is terrific for building the power of the party in the run-up to the general election, and for maintaining a healthy party once Obama wins in November.

Yes, that’s right, he will!

Via DailyKos, via Orcinus.

It seems that rising GOP star Mike Huckabee has his own Willie Horton, but with a special GOP twist.

In 1996, as governor of Arkansas, Huckabee pushed for the early release of convicted rapist Wayne Dumond. What? I thought Republicans were tough on crime — why would he want to release this man? Well, it seems that many of the right-wing activists who got Huckabee elected in 1996 were convinced that Dumond was innocent and had only been jailed because the woman he allegedly raped was a distant cousin of former governor Bill Clinton and the daughter of a major Clinton campaign contributor. “Aha! So Slick Willie threw this guy in jail for no reason! Let’s let him out! That’ll show Clinton!”

Huckabee received letters from the women Dumond previously assaulted, warning against his release, saying he would likely commit the same crimes again. Huckabee ignored these letters and released Dumond in 1999. Dumond then raped and murdered a woman in Missouri a year later. Mike Huckabee, well-played, sir!

Be afraid. Very afraid. So afraid that you’d actually vote for this asshole.

Turns out that a small private intelligence company, the SITE intelligence group, was able to exploit a security breach to gain access to Al Qaeda communications and thereby learned not only that a new Bin Laden video was about to be released, but also the content of the video itself.

Upon gaining this information, SITE alerted White House officials, on condition that they not reveal the information until Al Qaeda released the tape, so as not to alert them that their network security had been breached.

And what did the White House do with this information? Did they try to follow up on the security exploit to gain further information? No, they decided to terrorize the American public as soon as possible by alerting FOX News. As a result, Al Qaeda learned of the intrusion and added more security to end the exploit.

Who are the terrorists?

Full details here.

Today Congress sent Bush a bill to expand the SCHIP program to provide healthcare coverage for millions of low-income children who are currently uninsured. The SCHIP expansion is supported by 72% of Americans and large majorities in both houses of Congress. The cost of the expansion is $35 billion. Bush vetoed it.

Simultaneously, he’s asking Congress for an additional $200 billion to continue the operations in Afghanistan and the occupation of Iraq.

Representative David Obey aired the possibility of a war tax in order to fund the war effort without continuing to bury ourselves in debt. Most Americans would see a 2% increase in income taxes. Wealthier Americans would see a 10-15% increase. You know, to pay for the war. What a crazy idea.

Of course, this idea was a non-starter on both sides of the aisle: Democrats don’t want to give Republicans an opportunity to call them tax-and-spenders; Republicans don’t want anyone to have to sacrifice anything for their Very Important Global War on Terror™ other than the military service members and their families.

So no one wants a war tax. But Bush wants his money. So who’s going to pay for this war? Who’s going to have to own up when the bill comes due in 10 or 20 or 30 years?

Yep, those same kids whom Bush denied healthcare today.

Fuck those kids. Fuck all your kids.

Fuck you.

(Here’s another terrorist organization for you.)

(Hat tip: This Modern World)

Or you can save yourself the frustration. Right now Lieberman is blathering on in his ever-present Droopy Dog dialect. It is truly maddening how out of touch this man is, how much he has sold out to the war-profiteers. He just said, “We must do what is right for our country, even if it is unpopular.” This is a bullshit line often spun by President Bush as well. Here’s what they’re really saying: “We must do what I believe is right for our country, even if it is undemocratic.”

- The U.S. has 277 warships currently deployed worldwide. Nearly half of those are presently within striking distance of Iran. Iran meanwhile has a fleet of 140 naval surface ships and 6 submarines. The Persian Gulf is getting dangerously crowded. [ www.latimes.com ]

- The Senate recently passed, by a vote of 97-0, Senator Lieberman’s Amendment to confront Iran over its alleged proxy attacks on American soldiers in Iraq. [ lieberman.senate.gov ]

- According to a recent U.S. military estimate, nearly half of all foreign fighters in Iraq come from neighboring Saudi Arabia, not Iran. An additional 25% come from Syria, Lebanon, and North Africa. [ www.latimes.com ]

I don’t know that the Bush administration will decide to strike Iran, but there are lots of indicators that they might. And if they do, it will not be to improve the situation in Iraq or to ensure American safety and security. It will be to rally American patriotic fervor behind a President who has failed in everything he’s done. They’re trying to fool you into blaming Iran for the failure in Iraq, rather than placing the blame where it belongs, on the heads of Bush, Cheney, and their cohorts. Don’t fall for it.