Why Are Our Democrats Against Lobbying Reform?

Tell me if I am wrong: The Democrats don't have that much influnce Peddling tainting their Campaigns, do they?

I only know I am sick and tired of all the graft by the Republicans, that I hear about in this Blog!

Let us have it out with the Republicans. I want to see Reid show the determination he did when he called a closed meeting? I want to see every Democrat rally around our leaders to encourage them to STOP THE BIG MONEY PEOPLE BUYING THE COMMONERS FREE SPEECH FOR THEMSELVES.

Don't you realize the CEO's of Big Money People have shut our mouths? When was the last time the common folks had a voice in Government? Name something you called for and got?

If we are being forced to set down and shut up, then lets be the silent majority and withhold our little dab of money and our vote?

California has a long tradition of voting Democratic and it would be good to have the convention here. There are many ultra conservative areas in the state, but by and large we are a blue state, with a Democrat majority in the state legislature and a middle -of-the-road governor who thinks he is Republican, and who is about to get his walking papers in the next election. We think we can do it right for the Democrats.

I think it very important that the Cnvention avoid either coast and choose either Detroit. MI or Denver, Colorado.

Having lived in the Denver ara at one time I highly recommend that the Convention be held there. This is a State with a mixed constituency and it would make political sense to have it there.

Also Denver and the State offer: incredible scenery, marvelous weather that time of year, fine restaurants and cultural events. It's a very special place!

I think it very important that the Cnvention avoid either coast and choose either Detroit. MI or Denver, Colorado.

Having lived in the Denver area at one time I highly recommend that the Convention be held there. This is a State with a mixed constituency and it would make political sense to have it there.

Also Denver and the State offer: incredible scenery, marvelous weather that time of year, fine restaurants and cultural events. It's a very special place!

I think it very important that the Convention avoid either coast and choose either Detroit. MI or Denver, Colorado.

Having lived in the Denver area at one time I highly recommend that the Convention be held there. This is a State with a mixed constituency and it would make political sense to have it there.

Also Denver and the State offer: incredible scenery, marvelous weather that time of year, fine restaurants and cultural events. It's a very special place!

I wrote this poem. Please use it in any way that will help people to understand the wrongness of torture and violations of human rights. Please pass it on to others to use.

A Child’s
Pledged of Allegiance to the Flag

When I Was Just a Small Lad
I Looked up So Proud,
I Saw the Stars and Stripes
And I Recited out Loud!

I Pledge Allegiance
My Young Voice Cried,
To the United State of America
And to the Freedom for Which -
So Many Have Died!

I Pledged Allegiance
To the Republic for Which it Stands,
To the One Nation under God
I Folded My Hands!

As I Recited My Pledge
To the Indivisible Country,
I Whispered a Little Prayer
That Really Seemed -
Very Important to Me!

I Was Pledging to a Country
That Promised Liberty and Justice for All,
Not Just for a Few
No ! Really, Really -
They Meant it for All!

So Everyone Can Be Free
We Go to the Polls and Vote,
Everyone Has a Voice
We Proudly Gloat!

No One Is Supposed to Be Left out
We Should All Have a Say,
But I Find That Is Not Always True
I Just Found That out -
Just the Other Day!

I Found That Some of the Meanings
Of the Pledge Have Changed You See,
They No Longer Seem to Mean
The Same Things -
That they First Meant to Me

I Recently Read That an Iraqi
General Had Died,
Around His Face an American Sleeping -
Bag Had Been Tied!

An American Military Officer
Who Also Recited the Pledge Right Along,
Sat on the Generals Chest
Until All of His Air Was Gone!

I Don’t Think it Was
Was the Right Thing for Him to Do.
And I Find Myself Wondering
If He Thought He Was Doing it -
Doing it for Me and for You!

I Wonder Which Clause of the Pledge
He Thought the Generals Death Would Uphold,
Was it an Act under God
Or Was it Liberty and Justice -
For All to Behold!

I Read That Yet More
Of Our Soldiers Across the Sea,
Were Fighting in Afganastan
They Claimed They Were Fighting -
Fighting for You and for Me!

But I Never Recall
Casting a Vote to Tell,
Those Soldiers That They Could Murder
A Prisoner in a Jail Cell!

They Went into His Cell
To Question Him You See,
And While They Were There
They Beat Him -
Unmercifully!

When They Came Back
Some Time Later That Day,
The Found That the Man Was Dead
They Really Felt -
Like They Had Earned Their Pay!

When Their Commander Was Asked
If These Murderers Would Go to Jail,
The Prisoner Could Have Died of Natural Causes
That Was His Tale!

So All of this Makes Me
Makes Me Wonder Some How,
How Did Our Pledge Change
Why Are We the Way -
The Way We Are Now!

Didn’t Enough of Us Go
Go to the Polls and Vote,
Maybe Too Many of Us Just Sat
Just Sat at Home and Gloat!

Or Did We All Decided
That Our Pledge Should Permanently Change,
The Whole Constitution
We Should Conveniently Rearrange!

If We Are Truthfully a Noble Nation
A Nation under God,
Can We Really Give These Murders
An Approving Nod!

If Our Pledge Does Mean
Mean Anything to Us,
Openly These Murders
Our Country Should Discuss!

If We Don’t Believe in Liberty and Justice for All
As the Pledge Does Say,
Then Lets Start Teaching Our Children
The New Words Today!

Liberty and Justice
the New Words Might Be
God Lets Us Kill
If Public Homage -
They Don’t Pay to Me!

I Write this Anonymous Poem
Anonymously You See,
For I Now Fear That My Government
Might Do the Same Thing -
to Me!

Orlando would be an ideal place. They have a massive convention center and there is plenty to do in the area. Having the convention in Orlando might help the democrats win Florida.

I support Phoenix, Arizona as site for National Democratic Convention for 2008. Why, near the heartland of Native American Reservations who need to be participating with the real Party of the United States. Ever since the inception of this country America its Indigenous population have always faced an uphill battle just to simply survive as people. It is time that the Democratic Party form a National Native American Democratic Advisory Committee prior to the National Democratic Convention to attract new voters, realistic issues; and once and for all eliminate poverty from America's true Indigenous people, the Native Americans!
Never has poverty been fully addressed and as each Census is taken every 10 years note that the poverty rate among the Native Americans remains at all time high. Across American even if the forecasting of the economy is great in the shadow of prospering cities are the Native Americans with unemployment rate as high as 40-80% unemployment. So why does Corporate America turn to other countries for outsource when right next door or not to far in distance are Native American Communities many with IRS Tax Incentives for businesses or corporations that work with America's Indigenous people. So Phoenix, Arizona is recommended to highlight and feature all Native Americans to attract new voters for the elections sometimes so close that block voting by Native Americans makes a difference. For example Arizona's Governor with the help of the Native American Vote has a Democratic Governor. In Washington State a racist US Senator who worked against Native Americans got put out of office and replaced with a DEMOCRAT US SENATOR. So attracting Native Americans Phoenix, Arizona would be key to attracting and formation of a National Native American Democratic Advisor Committee will open doors.
Terrance H. Booth, Sr. (Nishwilgun) Alaska Native in Phoenix

What I want to know is what is the party going to do? Going to force an ETHICS BILL not written by politicians? Am I fool enough to believe only Republicans are the only crooks--NO.They all play the same game by the same set of rules, then take them home and pull thier slick D.C. tricks on us on the State level. AM I going to vote for a different crew of smiley faced crooks? Are we going to pass a line item bills only bill? WHo is going to run ? What happened to Gore? Just what road is the party going to take? I can't seem to get any straight answers from my own party.Boy are we in trouble. They seem to base thier morals on the $$ Before I donate any more I want to know what I'm going to get.Sure like to know so I could get on that team. Just what are you going to do for us Mr. Dean, lose again with the same tactics? By the way folks I'm retired labor and have been a Democrat all my life.

What I want to know is what is the party going to do? Going to force an ETHICS BILL not written by politicians? Am I fool enough to believe only Republicans are the only crooks--NO.They all play the same game by the same set of rules, then take them home and pull thier slick D.C. tricks on us on the State level. AM I going to vote for a different crew of smiley faced crooks? Are we going to pass a line item bills only bill? WHo is going to run ? What happened to Gore? Just what road is the party going to take? I can't seem to get any straight answers from my own party.Boy are we in trouble. They seem to base thier morals on the $$ Before I donate any more I want to know what I'm going to get.Sure like to know so I could get on that team. Just what are you going to do for us Mr. Dean, lose again with the same tactics? By the way folks I'm retired labor and have been a Democrat all my life.

What I want to know is what is the party going to do? Going to force an ETHICS BILL not written by politicians? Am I fool enough to believe only Republicans are the only crooks--NO.They all play the same game by the same set of rules, then take them home and pull thier slick D.C. tricks on us on the State level. AM I going to vote for a different crew of smiley faced crooks? Are we going to pass a line item bills only bill? WHo is going to run ? What happened to Gore? Just what road is the party going to take? I can't seem to get any straight answers from my own party.Boy are we in trouble. They seem to base thier morals on the $$ Before I donate any more I want to know what I'm going to get.Sure like to know so I could get on that team. Just what are you going to do for us Mr. Dean, lose again with the same tactics? By the way folks I'm retired labor and have been a Democrat all my life.

A few superficial reflections on the list:

Anaheim and Orlando are both well-equipped to host conventions; each is also associated with Disney theme parks, which may not be the ideal association to evoke. OTOH, Orlando might also help in Florida, as another commenter suggested.

New Orleans seems risky because we don't know where their city infrastructure will be in 2008. Ideally, a party convention would help stimulate the economy in the area and energize the Southern Democratic base, but there's also a chance that it would overtax the city's resources, cause friction between locals and out-of-town attendees, and possibly make it look like an out-of-touch/manipulative choice of location.

New York City would be a great place to hold the convention as long as we don't care about pissing off everyone in New York City.

Detroit sounds pretty good on the face of it--robustly Democratic, a good place from which to remind voters that we're the party of the working class, and a major enough city that if the GOP is in, say, L.A. or Chicago, it won't seem like we got the first runner-up.

I don't know much about the other options on a cosmetic or logistical level, but Vegas does not strike me as a serious choice, unless we're trying particularly hard to be seen as the party of sin and vice.

I HOPE SAN ANTONIO,TX. HOST THE 2008 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION.dauneekrc@aol.com

Yes, I'm biased as a New Orleans native, but how in the world can you pass up an opportunity to remind the world what an utter failure the Republicans were on Katrina. Rove liked New York for the same rationale (remember how "well" we handled 911?). Even with that pushed to the side, I can tell you with certainty that New Orleans' very survival depends on money coming into the city. Please seriously think about hosting the convention in our wonderful city. How can any of the other cities even compare?

Think about it. Host the convention in New Orleans, but call it the Gulf Coast Convention. Have Mississippi share in a portion of the money that comes in for this. Louisiana and Mississippi shared in the misery; they should share in the successes. You'll probably get more than a few southern Republicans joining you, as well. As for infrastructure: the hotels, the airport, the restaurants can all handle this. Remember, the French Quarter and Garden District didn't take the hit. No excuses. The Gulf Coast is a WIN-WIN for everyone!

Detroit would be the best choice.
Detroit needs the money a convention would bring, and the economic conditions in the Detroit area make it a poster child for the damage that Bush has done to our economy.
Give the conventioneers a good dose of reality.
Maybe they'll come up with a realistic platform and nominate someone who will run a give-a-shit campaign for once.

If the Democrats want to succeed they must have their convention in the South!!!!

All of the cities selected for the convention have merit BUT I would strongly suggest we avoid Las Vegas. The other cities mentioned have much more to offer in image, culture and history.

The Democratic Party needs to stop being so liberal. I think that our nation goes through constant shifts, and we forget that the party should rotate around the people, instead of revolving around Gov. Dean. I personally find Gov. Dean a left wing commie....a idiotic pig.
Get rid of Dean, become a little, just a little more conservative, and be smart during the 200 Campaign, and yes people will not vote for Hillary as President, maybe Vice President but not President, yet. Finally, get your heads out of your butts! the American people...not the rich pigs are suffering because you guys are truly being Jackasses. So cut it out, give the people what they want, and your video sucks. talk about the issues.

The Democratic Party needs to stop being so liberal. I think that our nation goes through constant shifts, and we forget that the party should rotate around the people, instead of revolving around Gov. Dean. I personally find Gov. Dean a left wing commie....a idiotic pig.
Get rid of Dean, become a little, just a little more conservative, and be smart during the 2008 Campaign, and yes people will not vote for Hillary as President, maybe Vice President but not President, yet. Finally, get your heads out of your butts! the American people...not the rich pigs are suffering because you guys are truly being Jackasses. So cut it out, give the people what they want, and your video sucks. talk about the issues more, and remember you cant tell one group something and the other group the exact opposite like Kerry did....he lost remember?

I agree that California would be a good place to host the convention... but New Orleans would be even better.

Hosting our convention in New Orleans will send a clear message that we support the people of the city of New Orleans and that we remember what happened to theme (at the time of the convention it will have been 3 years since Katrina hit). It is very important that the Democrats be the ones to meet in the city devastated by Katrina, because New Orleans is a constant reminder of why America NEEDs a change in the government.

The Republican administration failed America after huricane Katrina, if the Democrats host our convention in New Orleans it will give us the chance to promise America that we will never fail them the way that Bush and his Republican cronies did.

And by the way Mjpetan, sacrificing our values and moving to the right has NEVER worked. The Democrats are proud of our progressive ideals and have no desire to pander to the conservatives by waffling on issues, we are people of conviction. We are proud of what we stand for, and we're proud of Chairman Dean as well!!!

I think it matters less where the convention is held and much more that we send a message that the lapsed Democrats will heed! We have no choice! We MUST win if we want the real American values to return to this country after the years of Republicans.

And by the way Mjpetan, the Democrats are proud of our progressive ideals and have no desire to pander to the conservatives by waffling on issues, we are people of conviction. Sacrificing our values and moving to the right has NEVER worked. We are proud of what we stand for, and we're proud of Chairman Dean as well!!!

My heart is pleading for it to be in Orlando. They would likely hold it at the TD Waterhouse Centre, which is 25 minutes away from my house. Who would I have to bribe for a delegacy? ha ha ha.

But truthfully, it should be in New Orleans. New Orleans has always been a Democratic-friendly city, and following Katrina, it was Democrats who demanded action, felt compassion, and have worked hard to expose and defeat the injustices performed before, during, and after the disaster.

Given the need for the Democratic Party to adopt a winning strategy that moves beyond an 18 state appeal, I strongly endorse consideration of a southern convention. Nashville, Dallas, and Orlando each offer excellent facilities. However, to avoid a convention that competes with the corrupt ingrained political machinery of the Bush brothers in Texas and Florida, I endorse Nashville and suggest the city be invited to participate in the bidding process.

I, for one, think that the Democratic Party needs to make a statement to support New Orleans and I for `one' vote for New Orleans. We need to support New Orleans since the Bush Administration believed from Day 1 (8/29/05) thought that the citizens of New Orleans were expendable!!

As an Black Woman I think it would behoove the DNC not to host the convention in New Orleans. First of all it will stimulate economic growth because the city an anticpate an economic windfall.

We can also reaffirm our committment to the Black voting block which has been very good to the Democratic party. We can use this to energize a community that has felt voicless and powerless.

I too think it is a great idea to spred the economic growth to Missississippi.

Hi guys!
I think that Minneapolis is the best place to host the convention because Minnesota is getting redder and redder (seemingly) and personally, I think it would be a big defeat to see the longest running blue state to go red. Minneapolis is a great place to host the convention because it would show the revival of Democratic spirit in this classic blue state!!

San Antonio would be a great choice, we as democrats must stop ignoring the middle part of the country. If we hope to communicate our message, we need to bring the message to the heartland, the midwest. New Orleans would be fine but might be seen as exploitive. San Antonio is a growing city in a growing state, predominatly hispanic with moderate and strong "family values". It would be a good, introduction to many in Texas to what the democrats stand for. It would certainly get lots of free media coverage in the lone star state. Also the city has plenty of places to see for the families of the conventioneers. Six Flag's Fiesta Tx, Seaworld, San Antonio Zoo, Alamo, Riverwalk, etc.

Do we want to win or not? Clearly we need to hold our convention in a swing state! Orlando seems like the best choice. If we can change even a few votes based on state pride then we can win. In the past two elections "losing" Florida has been our downfall.

Holding our convention in another Democratic stronghold like New York or California only going to further reinforce the Republican propaganda that we are not in touch with middle America. On the other hand, why waist our time in Texas! Does anyone really believe Texas is in play? I also agree with others that "sin city" is absolutely not the image we need. New Orleans would be great but we don't want to seem to be using the disaster for polical gain. The remaining cities are reasonable choices but are not as critical for the electoral college as Florida. Why not just target the state that we must win to take back the White House? The stakes are too substantial in this election and we must think strategically. We will all be better off once a Democrat is back in power!

My first piece of advice would be to ignore the non-sequitur from Mjpetan, who sounds like a Repugnican plant fresh from getting his rocks off from listening to Rush Limbaugh.

My second would be to hold the convention in New Orleans, as a number of others have suggested. New Orleans is struggling to rebuild itself and has refused to admit defeat by foregoing the Mardi Gras and its influx of capital. Holding the convention there would represent a much-needed boost to the economy of one of the poorest and most devastated areas in the country and would go a long way toward showing that the Democratic Party once again means what it says about narrowing the gap between obscenely rich and obscenely poor.

Good points have also been made for other locations, such as Colorado, where a swing to the left is desparately needed. Therefore, I would make it a point to find the most widely respected liberal from each of those places and others to round out the program and allow them all to address the real concerns real Americans have that are being sabotaged by both the Republicans and traitors within our own ranks.

Postscript to above: When I use the term "liberal," I am not referring to the centrist/conservative phonies masquerading as "liberals" in today's Democratic Party. I am referring to those who saw nothing but economic and political disaster come out of the Reagan presidency. Anyone who embraces any aspect of voodoo economics, such as deregulation (meaning capitalism running rampant over our interests) or privatization (meaning giveaways of our tax dollars to price-gouging pigs) is not a liberal.

DETRIOT - Want a backdrop about the destruction of the middle class, lost jobs, lost wages, lost health care? Here you go!!! Not to mention, they just did the Superbowl and are ready to go again.

Where ever it is one thing is for sure - DON"T HAVE IT TOO EARLY LIKE LAST TIME and please -for pete's sake - take the gloves off and fight. No more Mr. Nice guys giving nice safe speechs.

I want to thank your webmaster for timing out my login and preventing me from returning to the form to retrieve what I had typed in to paste once I was able to log back in. Ever hear of refreshing cookies on the basis of new activity? Thanks a lot for wasting my morning!

And another thing: When you wrap a line, you don't repeat the last word on the previous one. A little programming skill is in order!

Finally, if you don't have the skills to refresh the cookie, the least you can do is retain the post in a hidden field of the login page to be posted as soon as the login completes! DUH!

New Orleans wouldn't be a bad idea, except there is no place to house delegates. There aren't even places for people who want to return and work in the businesses which are open.
Would the delegates be housed in the Super bowl?
New Orleans would be a better place for a Republican convention. Put the delegates in the Super Bowl, turn the lights off and only feed them once a day. Put a cordon of cops and National Guard around the perimeter to make sure none of the Republicans escape. ;-p

Super bowl? ooops I meant Super Dome

I think that New Orleans, Louisiana would be the best choice listed. I also think that Colorodo would also be a good choice because if we are serious about having a 50-state strategy, we should be comfortable moving to conservative states in the south and mid-west. But, although Florida is a southern state, there has already been a lot of talk and democratic activity in that state in the recent past, and Florida is already a swing state. Texas sounds like a good choice also because it is in the south and is considered conservative. We have to be serious about getting the south and mid-west. I also think that in 2012, the DNC should send out letters to South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. These should be the 11 states that the Democratic Party take seriously in 2012. I named these 11 states because they seem to be the most ignored southern and mid-western states by the Democratic Party. As far as the southern states on this list goes, for example, all of those states, except for Arkansas, have a high black and moderate population. They only seem ultra-conservative Republican because a lot of those people don't vote, and the Democratic Pary have been ignoring them in the past. It's time for that to change!!! And, as far as the states mentioned on the 2008 list, I think that it would be a bad idea for the DNC to hold the convention in an already strong democratic stronghold such as New York or California. And, as for Las Vegas, Nevada goes, I agree with some of the other people on this board that maybe now is not the time to go to a place that is still considered sinful by a lot of people. Although we do want to run a 50-state strategy, maybe now is not the time for us to be holding a convention in Las Vegas. Maybe in 2016, the people in all 50 states would be progressive minded enough to accept a DNC Convention being held in Nevada.

Why financially support (by pouring in convention goers' dollars) cities in obvious Bush-backing states such as TX and FL? Did you learn nothing from the unfriendly reception from the last convention host-city?

Detroit would be the best choice.
Detroit needs the money a convention would bring, and the economic conditions in the Detroit area make it a poster child for the damage that Bush has done to our economy.
Give the conventioneers a good dose of reality.
Maybe they'll come up with a realistic platform and nominate someone who will run a give-a-shit campaign for once.

Posted by Butte on March 2, 2006 at 11:47 AM

DITTO
You beat me to it!

I think that Denver makes the most sense. It is obvious that we either need the South or the West to win. Western states with the exception of Utah are begining to make a shift. If western issues were put on the national stage we could turn Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Montana blue.

Sorry I forgot Arizona.

The '08 convention site should be New Orleans. It could be the unconvention Dems need to recapture American's vision. Although by '08 it might be too little, too late, it could be groundbreaking. Corporate influence replaced by delegates and guests volunteering, candidates being guests in homes, speeches in the streets -- true soap-box style, committment to individuals not corporations,

-Stafford Kramer

In my opinion, Denver is the ideal place to host the DNC. I love New Orleans, but I don't think it would be a place to hold the convention. Las Vegas, definetly not. Los Angeles wouldn't be a good idea either. Denver is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. Denver is more centrally located, and has better accomadtions than the other choice, Phoenix AZ. Colorado has been rapidly trending Blue. Last year alone, Democrats won both legislative houses, a House seat, and A Senate Seat. Hosting the Convention ther would kind of acknowledge that. Me, myself, I'm a very eccentric person. If it were me, I would it somewhere outrageous. Like Juneau Alaska, for instance. Beautiful scenery, out of the way, that would really be a way to reconnect with people. Plus, it would an interesting place. Another thing, Kerry just gave up on Western States, (except New Mexico, Colorado, and Neveda). That's a bad strategy, it allowed Bush to get overwhelming landslides. The entire Democratic party has done that to Idaho. Letting it become a 1 party state. Dean's done a good job. He's sent hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars revamping a lackluster Statewide Democratic Party, that got it's first big break in decades in 2004. They rode that wave, and are still doing so. Brian Schweiter is the head of that wave, and I suspect his high popularity bodes ill for Republican attempts to take back the state legislature. Conrad Burns is also likely to beat. Rasmussen, the Rasmussen that gives Democrats the worst polls, and Bush the highest approval rating out of any major polling agent, recently polled him losing by SEVEN points 50-43 to State Auditor John Morrison. Jon Tester, he can run for Montana-1, or 2, when Montana gains an electoral vote in the 2012 census. He could probably win. That's way off subject though, and I guess I should shut-up now.

Dammit. Made a lot of typos. It's supposed to be 'Deans done a great job, for one thing he's directed hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars to the revamp a fairly, (until recently), lackluster Democratic Party.'

I hope the Party will strongly consider New Orleans for the convention in '08 as a show of solidarity with our suffering brothers and sisters.

freeforall:

Our leader in one body of the Congress, the Senate is Harry Reid; but the DEMOCRAT's all around LEADER is GOVERNOR HOWARD DEAN, M.D. Democrats need to follow the direction of Governor Howard Dean, M.D. whose decisions will be in the best interest of the Political LEFT.

Especially if Bill Nelson defeats Katherine Harris for US Senate and either Jim Davis or Rod Smith are elected Florida's governor, I think Orlando should get it. I am a 27 year native of Florida though.

I like how 5 of those cities are located in states that have been Republican strongholds for years.

Personally, I'm rooting for Orlando to win the bid; holding the party convention in Florida might help energize the Democratic vote in that key swing state.

I like how 5 of those cities are located in states that have been Republican strongholds for years.

Personally, I'm rooting for Orlando to win the bid; holding the party convention in Florida might help energize the Democratic vote in that key swing state.

Sorry about that double post.

I agree 100% with New Orleans. What a great way to support their economic progress.
Now, my question is, once the city is selected.. how do you get tickets or get into the convention? I have never been to a convention, only to city specific rallies and hope to be able to get into the 2008 convention.

i heard phoenix is a very conserative city

I don't have a leader in the House or the Senate.
I'm a voter, dammit.
They work for me.
It's abour time these politicians get that figured out.

Brendasopinion,

I'm not sure if this is the same in every state but in my state the road to becoming a national delegate begins with getting involved in your state party.

First at the county level by registering as a delegate to your county convention and then representing the county as a delegate to your state convention. At the state people break out into legisaltive districts and make the case for why they should be voted to become apart of the state delegation.

I also know that the DNC has some strict rules about representation for each state so that women people of color, lgbt etc are represented.

Unlike the GOP we want our national convention to reflect the true make up of the American electorate.

I will say that we stil have a ways to go I would like the DNC and Gov. Dean to encourage every state to go above and beyond the suggested AAO numbers for their particular state when chosing delegates to represent them.

The obvious choices are either Minneapolis or Denver. The middle part of the country is all RED and most Middle Americans feel left out. Orlando in the midst of hurricane season would be a disaster (I live in So Fla), Phoenix just too HOT, same with Las Vegas (I mean August in the desert ca'mon), and New Orleans would seem like pandering to the sympathies of the country after the hurricane, and we need inclusion of all. If Democrats are going to win back the White House in 2008, we need massive help from Middle America, which is still all RED, and we'll get that if we are centrist and place our convention in the central area such as Denver or Minneapolis.

The Republican Party used New York City, NY in the election year of 2004 and the Republican party used the theme of 9/11 and Terrorist to scared us.

I feel that we need to have the 2008 Democratic National Convention in New Orleans, LA and used the theme hurricane Katrina as the theme of the democrats to fight the Republican Party. Show the pain and suffering of the people in that state because of President Bush and the slow response in hurricane Katrina. We need to hurt the Republican Party as soon as possible. We need democrats to think like Karl Rove and just used dirt tricks to win this election in 2008. The republicans need to be out of power as soon as possible. We need to take the fight to the republican party and Fox News. The Republicans Party as destroy the American dream in America. The Republican party need to lose the elections in 2006 and in 2008. We need to fight hard and fight dirt too.

The Democratic Party musthave a program which can be articulated in this election. WE need to stad for something. The parties inability to define itself with a proactive peaceful and positive program is hurting it's chances in this election. GEt off your duffs and get behind a program.

We need to have the DNC in New Orleans, LA in 2008 and we need to attack the republican party on their values and their issues. We have a good chance to win the house and the senate this year. We need strike the republican party hard as soon as possible. We need to take back the FCC from the republicans because TV really sucks because of the extreme right wing machine of the Republican party. The republicans used 9/11 for about fives years now and it is time to fight back hard. The republican party has destroy our way of live in America. And many people are suffering because of President Bush and the Republican party. We need to show the damn republicans that you do not mess with USA. The republicans have hurt this country in many ways. We have a good chance to save America from the evil forces of the republican party today. I love the democrat party and we start to fight back now.

I can't believe it. I rewrote that sentence, and got it wrong again. Insert Montana in there. I got way off track talking about long term politics in the west. But, I still say Denver is the absolute best choice.

I can't believe it. I rewrote that sentence, and got it wrong again. Insert Montana in there. I got way off track talking about long term politics in the west. But, I still say Denver is the absolute best choice.

I think the convention should be held in Orlando, FL. This state as a whole is still suffering from 8 years of Jeb and 5+ of W. We're the 4th largest state and flushed with cash, but count our Republican-ran government to ruin it. Our roads and education system are awful. There is no access to elected officials unless you're a lobbyist. We need a rallying point and our fellow party members to show up here and restore this state to being blue for the Democratic Party once again. California and New York are already solid blue states and going to New Orleans would be a disaster. (We've already won that debate.)The Republicans would pounce on that by calling it a political move. Besides, this should be simple math: win 3 of the big 4 (CA, NY and FL) and you win the election. I've always stood by that and it seems like the party gave up on FL in 2004. PLEASE come take it back!

Warren Buffett, if he can be convinced, should be the Dem candidate for President in 2008. He could bring this country together because he is fiscally conservative and socially liberal. More to the point, he is both smart and honest. My fear is that the Democratic Party will implode, as usual, by using this great opportunity to nominate someone polarizing. As a longtime Fem Lib supporter, I appreciate Hillary Clinton. She's smart and accomplished, but this country is too gynaphobic to risk running a woman now. We and the country need a win and can get it now if we don't throw it away. I'm worried about what another 4-8 years of corrupt Republican leadership will do to us.

Mary Ellen Reeswe

Warren Buffet? You mean the mega-rich dude? Why would anyone want to vote for him? He would be seen as a suppporter of the not-so-free "free trade" and other corporate travesties.
I strongly doubt if Warren Buffet would appeal to the Democrat liberals or the true base of the party, the working people, who the Democrats need to win back, if they are to defeat the Republicans.
If he ran as a Democrat, he would be seen as Republi-lite, just like Hillary.
No, we need a real candidate.

The Democratic Party needs to come up with ONE cohesive message to the American people instead of the constant backstabbing and waffling that has gone on for far too long. The obvious message should be National Safety and Security. In keeping with this message the only logical place to hold the National Convention is in New Orleans. Where else to point out the dismal failures of the current regime to keep Americans safe?

I am a New Yorker and I think the DNC should be held in New York City. This is the bluest state in the US. Plus we boost being the home of the Clintons. Plus it would make the RNC they had here look like a redneck convention (which it was).

I am a New Yorker and I think the DNC should be held in New York City. This is the bluest state in the US. Plus we boost being the home of the Clintons. Plus it would make the RNC they had here look like a redneck convention (which it was).

It would be nice if the convention were in New Orleans. I looked on with horror as all the events of Post-Katrina unfolded. If serious healing is to happen in this country, we all must put our arms around New Orleans. W.E.B. DuBois was right when he said "the most serious problem of the 20th Century, is the problem of the color line." This has now spilled into the 21st Century. How much clearer can it get? The Bush Administration does not care about: minorities, the poor, or the disabled. Include also: senior citizens, the homeless, and the mentally ill. Let's throw New Orleans some business. Money talks and @^%#$ walks.

I think the Democrats should select New Orleans and show either Bush's failure or hopefully, their success in lobbying to restore the lives of the poor who lived in the city. I also would love to openly talk about impeaching Bush and Cheney.

I would recommend New Orleans, LA.

Andrewft,

I have to disagree in keeping with the fifty state strategy. We must not have our convention in a blue state. Having it in a blue state is preaching to the choir. Are we serious about engaging Dems everywhere or is that just something nice we say to seperate people from their money and their vote?

I posted last week supporting a decision to choose New Orleans for the 2008 Democratic Convention. I still believe that N.O. should be the choice although we all know that the logistics will be a challenge but I believe that we are the party associated with overcoming adversity. Obviously, the current Administration did not believe nor care about the population of this wonderful city and we have to show that we do `care and care deeply'. I do believe that we can and should call on the `celebrity' factor of our base to support this decision. We have the ability and I believe the backing of the public to support this decision.

I think to choose another city which is obviously in a better economic position would be to give up on New Orleans as has alot of our representatives in Washington, D.C.

This has the potential to be the convention to surpass all conventions!

Nancy

I posted last week supporting a decision to choose New Orleans for the 2008 Democratic Convention. I still believe that N.O. should be the choice although we all know that the logistics will be a challenge but I believe that we are the party associated with overcoming adversity. Obviously, the current Administration did not believe nor care about the population of this wonderful city and we have to show that we do `care and care deeply'. I do believe that we can and should call on the `celebrity' factor of our base to support this decision. We have the ability and I believe the backing of the public to support this decision.

I think to choose another city which is obviously in a better economic position would be to give up on New Orleans as has alot of our representatives in Washington, D.C.

This has the potential to be the convention to surpass all conventions!

Nancy

it is a " no-brainer"--by the time of the convention, the republicans will have made NO, LA the rallying-cry of all decent & compassionate Americans--