Heads up - John Kerry is on C-Span right now (9:43 pm EST) speaking live before a "Black Awards Dinner." I only saw a minute or so and I can tell you the undercurrent of his message: Republicans are racists. I'm going to be all over that transcript when it comes out. Kerry is flailing and desperate to hold onto his base to avoid a Mondale Dukakis-style defeat.

Update – “Kerry hints GOP may suppress black votes”

"We are not going to stand by and allow another million African American votes to go uncounted in this election," the Democratic presidential nominee told the Congressional Black Caucus. "We are not going to stand by and allow acts of voter suppression, and we're hearing those things again in this election."

For the Democrats, urban legend ferments into conventional wisdom – madness takes its toll.

Update (9/12): The Captain reviews the baseless canard that the black vote was “suppressed” in Florida.