« June 2006 | Main | August 2006 »
July 31, 2006
Monday Night Open Thread
Discuss.
Whew!
What a day! We launched 100actions.com and have had a great response. Plus, we're only just beginning to share the stories that have been rolling in about The Democratic Reunion. So far we've heard from:
But that's not all. We've got more great stories tomorrow. It's not to late to send us yours!
- stories and photos: democraticreunion@dnc.org
- photos: (on flickr) http://www.flickr.com/groups/democraticflickr
- video: (on YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/group/democrats
The Democratic Reunion - Montana: It's Tester Time!
Montana Democrat, Jon Tester, Candidate for U.S. Senate
Jon Tester speaks with supporters at The Democratic Reunion in Billings, MT
This weekend Montana Democrats rallied across the state for Democratic candidates, including favorite son, Jon Tester. With 177 volunteers knocking on 5368 doors in neighborhoods across Montana, The Reunion was a big success!
Jon talks with a Billings voter.
U.S. Senate candidate Jon Tester joined the event at a rally and canvass in Billings. After speaking with local volunteers he hit the streets to talk one-on-one with voters at their doors. The Tester campaign also used the event to promote their house party program, a new way for volunteers to get involved in the campaign. It kicks-off August 20, with a goal of hosting 50 parties in honor of Jon's 50th birthday!
You can also see what local news had to see about the Reunion events, here.
Because Staying the Course is Not a Strategy
Today, the Senate and House Democratic Leaders and ranking members from the key national security committees wrote to the President calling upon him to begin the phased redeployment of U.S. forces before the end of the year, to transform the U.S. mission, and to launch a real diplomatic and reconstruction effort to help stabilize Iraq.
While the world has been focused on the crisis in the Middle East, Iraq has exploded in violence. Some 6,000 Iraqis were killed in May and June, and sectarian and insurgent violence continues to claim American and Iraqi lives at an alarming rate. In the face of this onslaught, one can only conclude that the Baghdad security plan you announced five weeks ago is in great jeopardy.
Despite the latest evidence that your Administration lacks a coherent strategy to stabilize Iraq and achieve victory, there has been virtually no diplomatic effort to resolve sectarian differences, no regional effort to establish a broader security framework, and no attempt to revive a struggling reconstruction effort. Instead, we learned of your plans to redeploy an additional 5,000 U.S. troops into an urban war zone in Baghdad. Far from implementing a comprehensive "Strategy for Victory" as you promised months ago, your Administration's strategy appears to be one of trying to avoid defeat.
...
We believe that a phased redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq should begin before the end of 2006. U.S. forces in Iraq should transition to a more limited mission focused on counterterrorism, training and logistical support of Iraqi security forces, and force protection of U.S. personnel.
Additionally, every effort should be made to urge the Iraqis to take the steps necessary to achieve a broad-based and sustainable political settlement, including amending the constitution to achieve a fair sharing of power and resources. It is also essential to disarm the militias and ensure forces loyal to the national government. Finally, an international conference should be convened to persuade other governments to be more involved, and to secure the resources necessary to finance Iraq's reconstruction and rebuild its economy.
Read the full text of their letter to President Bush, here.
The Democratic Reunion: Tallahassee, Florida
I got this report in from Rick Minor, Chair of the Leon County Democratic Party.
Scores of Democratic volunteers braved the sweltering heat to walk Tallahassee's neighborhoods and reach out to voters. In addition to the neighborhood canvassing, many other volunteers called Leon County voters from the DEC headquarters. Local candidates and their campaign volunteers also participated.
About 80 local Democrats arrived Saturday morning for breakfast and outreach training before heading out into the community or making calls from the county party office. To encourage volunteer recruitment, we held a friendly competition amongst our local Democratic candidate campaigns. The three campaigns that brought the most volunteers are recognized on the Leon DECs website. Many other candidate campaigns both statewide and local participated as well, and were very thankful for their help.
Rep. Curtis Richardson, who seeking his fourth term in the Florida House of Representatives, attended the event and marked the occasion with a $1,000 contribution from his campaign fund. Were extremely grateful for his donation, which will help the party elect other Democratic candidates this fall.
Despite the extreme heat and humidity, our canvassers were intent on pounding the pavement! We paired up and drove to our precincts around 10:15am. Most of us forged on for hours, knocking on hundreds of doors and on occasion dodging a few raindrops! The majority of canvassers returned to the county party office after 2pm, with the last die-hard volunteer checking in at 4:30pm.
The local press coverage of our effort has been phenomenal! A TV reporter and cameraman followed a pair of our canvassers as they spoke with voters, and the Leon Democratic Party's Voter Outreach Day became the lead story our local ABC News affliate. Thats two full minutes of airtime at both 6pm and 11pm! We also have a segment currently playing on Florida News Radio/NPR. With such great press exposure, voters from all across North Florida are hearing about the hard work were doing to GET OUT THE VOTE and TAKE FLORIDA BACK!
Make no mistake about it the Democratic Party is alive and well in Leon County, Florida and we are dedicated to WINNING IN 2006!
Kennedy Says Roberts and Alito Misled Us
The Washington Post featured an article over the weekend by U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA). In it, he claims former Supreme Court nominees and current Supreme Court Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito misled the Senate Judiciary Committee on their judicial philosphies.
Now that the votes are in from their first term, we can see plainly the agenda that Roberts and Alito sought to conceal from the committee. Our new justices consistently voted to erode civil liberties, decrease the rights of minorities and limit environmental protections. At the same time, they voted to expand the power of the president, reduce restrictions on abusive police tactics and approve federal intrusion into issues traditionally governed by state law.
As a geek who followed the committee hearings obsessively, I wholeheartedly agree. While most Republican senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee decided that the proceedings were no more than a chance to suck up to the future justices, Democratic senators on the committee asked the tough questions. However, they were for the most part not answered by either nominee. John Roberts refused to answer most questions of substance on his rulings and professional experience, claiming he didn't want to be bound to follow his answers when deciding cases. Please note: this is not a good argument.
Sen. Kennedy argues in his piece that Roberts and Alito purposely evaded questions on their views, yet their votes on Supreme Court cases show them as the ultra-conservatives the Democratic committee members figured they were. Unfortunately, because the nominees would not answer questions, the American public effectively had the wool pulled over their eyes -- until now. A sampling:
During Roberts's hearing, I asked him about his statement that a key part of the Voting Rights Act constitutes one of "the most intrusive interferences imaginable by federal courts into state and local processes." In response, he suggested that his words were nothing more than an "effort to articulate the views of the administration . . . for which I worked 23 years ago."Today -- too late -- it is clear that Roberts's personal view is the same as it was 23 years ago. In League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry , the Supreme Court held that Texas's 2003 redistricting plan violated the Voting Rights Act by protecting a Republican legislator against a growing Latino population. Roberts reached a different view, concluding that the courts should not have been involved and that it "is a sordid business, this divvying us up by race."
Similarly, Alito had a pattern of ruling against individuals in Fourth Amendment cases -- including a case involving the strip-search of a 10-year-old girl. When questioned, he insisted that one of the judiciary's most important roles "is to stand up and defend the rights of people when they are violated." But Alito cast the deciding vote in Hudson v. Michigan , in which the court decided -- contrary to almost a century of precedent -- that evidence gathered during an unconstitutional search of a suspect's home could be used to convict him.
But all is not lost - today we launch 100actions.com, where an action a day will help Democrats win in state legislature races, take back the Senate (where having a majority would've allowed us to block right-wing extremists like Roberts and Alito), and compete in every race in every state across the country.
Waah! Texas Republicans Complain Some More...
From the Washington Post:
Texas Republicans asked a federal appeals court on Monday to let them replace former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay on the November congressional ballot, but Democrats argued that Texas state law requires keeping DeLay as the GOP candidate.DeLay won a March primary before resigning from Congress in June amid a growing scandal. He is awaiting trial on money laundering and conspiracy charges connected to the financing of Texas legislative campaigns in 2002 with alleged illegal corporate money.
Barring catastrophic illness or other extreme circumstance, there is no legal way to replace Delay, Democratic Party attorney Chadd Dunn told a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals."It's a high bar, the Republican party has to get over," Dunn said.
...
U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks said that if he adopted the Republicans' argument, then either political party could change candidates after a primary election merely by declaring a candidate ineligible based on a move.
"This would be a serious abuse of the election system and a fraud on the voters, which the court will not condone," wrote Sparks, a Democrat appointed by Republican former President George Bush.
I love how Republicans can't stop whining about how they have do a crazy little thing like follow the law!
Tom DeLay thought he was so slick when he pulled this stunt. He thought he could get away with this the way he has gotten away with his other shady dealings. Well the repercussions of those actions are catching up with him, and he can't blatently disregard the rules anymore.
One word, buddy: Karma.
The Democratic Reunion: Wisconsin
Some Democrats kicked-off their Reunion events last week. Here is an update I received from a Wisconsin Democrat.
Another local Democratic organizer and I put together an event that brought out about 30 people, and included Democratic candidates and staff for almost every single local campaign, from County Sheriff to State Assembly to Attorney General to Secretary of State to U.S. Representative and U.S. Senate. We also had people from the group Fair Wisconsin.I conceived of organizing our Democratic Reunion event as a way to connect the local grassroots activists with the campaigns of this fall. It was a first step in the longer-term vision of building a local, activist, grassroots Democratic Party. It went off very well, and we built a lot of forward momentum. Some of the best ideas that came out of everyone meeting was a continuation of the event at 75, 50, and 25 days out from the election. And many of us found new avenues of activism with which to get engaged.
Our local DNC organizer, Bob (who has done a great job - especially in the western part of our state), showed up and we talked at length about his work, the 50-State Strategy, and how the fall is shaping up.
The event was great, and I'm thrilled that the DNC is looking to get more local organizing into their plans at becoming a vitalized, energetic and activist party of the people.
All in all, it was fantastic to connect with other local Democrats (many of us Democratic activists knew each other, but we got to expand our network of contacts and friends) and I look forward to seeing more of it in the future. Keep up the great work! Chairman Dean and the DNC staff are making me proud to be a Democrat.
Introducing 100actions.com
This weekend we kicked-off the 100 days before Election Day 2006. Today we launch 100actions.com.
100actions.com has one goal: to help elect Democrats in November.
Each day, a new action will appear that will help make that happen. Some actions may be as simple as writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Others may be things like volunteering for a campaign, organizing people for an event, or mailing postcards with the Democratic agenda printed on them. Whatever the action, meaningful activism through Election Day helps Democrats in every race in the country -- from school board to U.S. Senate.
100actions.com will also provide you with the tools you can use to host and manage your own events, make effective phone calls to your voters, or help spread the word about the Democratic agenda. It also provides a place for you to connect with the volunteer coordinator for your state, who will be able to help you volunteer where your help is needed most.
Check it out, let us know what you think, and take action today!
"Political Cover for Cowards"
Friday night I left the DNC at a pretty normal hour. I enjoyed dinner with some of my co-workers and I headed home. Around 10 p.m. I got home, did the obligatory e-mail check and flipped on the news. Before leaving work I had been keeping an eye out for news on the GOP attempts to hijack the minimum wage issue and poison it before leaving for their August recess.
Sure enough, that is exactly what was happening. As I watched the Congress debate a pension bill, knowing the minimum vote was approaching I was increasingly disgusted with the actions of the Republican leaders of Congress. Here it was almost midnight on a Friday night, and Republicans in Congress were bringing a minimum wage bill to the floor.
This was not the same bill that Democrats had tried to bring up for a vote 7 times. This was a bill that GOP leaders hoped to pass in order to claim victory on the minimum wage, knowing it had little chance of being signed into law.
At the same time they were proposing raising the minimum wage of millions of hard-working Americans, they were trying to give billions away to the richest 7500 families in America with a revision of the estate tax. Although I have become accustomed to the under-handed, two-faced tactics of the Republican Party, this was a move I had to see for myself.
So, just before 11 p.m., I walked from my house to the United States Capital and went to watch the debate in person. I wanted to see for my own eyes how they could justify these grossly manipulative actions.
As I took my seat in the Gallery, the Congress was wrapping up debate on a pension bill. I had never been to see Congress in person, so while they voted on the measure I took in the scene. The chamber I watched daily on C-Span seemed much smaller in person. Yet the activity was more vivid, the speeches more passionate, the seemingly dull parliamentary procedures more urgent. I saw several familiar faces in conference out of view of the cameras, a flurry of young pages running to and fro with messages and paperwork, the grimaces or smiles as the Members watched their colleagues debate and reacted to their words.
As I watched the minimum wage bill come to the floor and the debate began I was struck with a tremendous amount of respect for our Democratic Caucus. They were passionate about their support for working families and their words and movements reflected how deeply they cared about the issue.
"This proposal that links the estate tax and the minimum wage and a bill you know that is not going to pass the senate is the most ethically dishonest, morally bankrupt ploy I have ever seen in a legislative body. For you, Mr. Speaker, and your party, to perpetrate this conscious deliberate deception, not only on the American people but the poorest and hardest working among them is something I would have thought previously you would have been ashamed to do but apparently shame has become entirely irrelevant for you and your party."
Across the aisle, the Republican Caucus lounged in their seats, smug grins plastered on their faces as they goaded the Democrats time and again, a fact they weren't trying to hide:
“You have seen us outfox you on this issue tonight," one Republican remarked.
Democrats countered that they were being held hostage by the vote, knowing that this bill had little hope of being passed by the Senate because it paired a minimum wage raise with a tax cut for the richest of the rich, and would cost billions in revenue.
I have no doubt that Republicans, who are terrified of losing control of Congress, will quickly begin to campaign on this vote. They hope their midnight charade will fool American voters into thinking that they actually care for the working poor. Yet they know that this bill has little hope of passing the Senate and being signed into law.
Democrats tried over and over to raise the minimum wage during this Congress. Seven times they have been blocked by Republican leadership who refused to allow a clean vote on the issue. Republican leaders would not even consider this topic until they found a way to poison the bill - linking it to billions of dollars in giveaways for a few thousand families.
"We are robbing America's families who are struggling for a better future for their children in order to give a tax cut of $800 billion. Not only is this a burden for these low-income families, they are saying to them: 'Your children and future generations, and everyone alive and paying taxes today will be paying for $800 billion added to our national debt. Values – foisting that on to our children and the American taxpayers. Values – putting in a sham bill to give political cover for the cowards who won't stand up and bring a clean bill to this floor to see where the choice would be...We are here to get the job done for the American people. We are not here to transfer wealth to the wealthiest people in America. And who pays the price? The middle class. If we are going to survive as a healthy democracy that is a model to the world it is about time we understood that central to that democracy is a thriving, expanding middle class whose job we are here to do. Let's have tax cuts for them, not the wealthiest people in the country and send the tax bill to the middle class."
On Friday night, I witnessed the best and the worst our Congress has to offer. I saw House Democrats being boxed into a corner by their GOP counterparts but standing firm and fighting back, fighting for the hard-working Americans who deserve a real raise, not a political ploy. In contrast, the GOP stood up for the most obscenely rich families in the country and pulled a political stunt disguised as legislation that has no hope of actually helping working families.
“In all my years here, this is the height of hypocrisy,” said Representative Sander M. Levin, Democrat of Michigan, who said Republicans considered a raise in the minimum wage only out of fear of losing House seats in November. “If you really cared, you would have acted long ago. This is not an election-year conversion; it is an election-year trick.”
The American people will see this election-year trick for what it is. And come November, a Democratic Congress will enact a real increase in the minimum wage, one that will pass the Senate and reward hard-working Americans the raise that they deserve.
Manic Monday Open Thread
Stories are rolling in from The Democratic Reunion!
Remember we wants yours!
Keep the stories, pictures and video coming. Send:
- stories and photos: democraticreunion@dnc.org
- photos: (on flickr) http://www.flickr.com/groups/democraticflickr
- video: (on YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/group/democrats
July 29, 2006
The Democratic Reunion: Governor Dean in Pennsylvania
This morning I met up with Governor Dean and around 80 volunteers at Bob's Inn in Murrysville, Pennsylvania for a Democratic Reunion event. Fred Terling, a DNC-funded organizer for Pennsylvania, helped organize the canvass with Jason Altmire, the Democrat running against Melissa Hart in PA-04, and a host of other Democratic officials and volunteers (including Danny Bertani, the Westmoreland County Democratic Chairman, State Rep. John Pallone, County Commissioner Tom Balia, and County Clerk Dave Patterson).
I got to Bob's Inn and found a packed restaurant of people eager to hear from both Jason Altmire and Governor Dean. Fred gave a quick run-down of the canvass itself, and given that the turnout was triple what was expected, had to think-fast on a shortage of walk lists -- certainly a nice problem to have. After a 10-minute warm-up speech and shaking quite a few hands, our small group headed out to a quiet neighborhood in Murrysville to start walking, while others scattered elsewhere across town, walk lists and door hangers in hand.
I'm won't even try pretend that Governor Dean's presence in a neighborhood on a Saturday morning is subtle. He's always well-recognized and people are always eager to talk. But as soon as everyone hit the ground, it was all business. The Governor was quick to get to the first voter, stunning the man who had stepped out to see what the gathering canvassers were up to. After a brief conversation, it was on to the next house. As Governor Dean worked his way down one side of the street (the even side), Altmire volunteers headed down the other. By the end, everyone was so thrilled with the way things had gone that the Governor walked back up the street, talking with residents who had missed on his first pass.
I have photos posted below (and on DemocraticFlickr), and Tracy has done an absolutely phenomenal job at posting the first few reports we've gotten in so far today, so be sure to check those out as well (see: Ohio, Washington, and New Jersey).
Amazing!
Amazing. That's the only word I can think of to describe the tremendous amount of work that went into making today a success by Democrats in all 50 states.
Thank you.
A fellow staffer just sent this my way and I think it sums up the day perfectly:
I am sitting at a Willie Nelson concert in Raleigh, NC. This guy in front of me strikes up a conversation. He asks me where I am from and where I work. I proudly say, "I work at the Democtratic National Committee."He says, "You had a big day today with all of the reunions. We went to two of them. You guys are doing a great job. We need you in this country."
So if you think that what we are doing doesn't matter...Think again.
Keep the stories, pictures and video coming.
- stories and photos: democraticreunion@dnc.org
- photos: (on flickr) http://www.flickr.com/groups/democraticflickr
- video: (on YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/group/democrats
100 Days. 100 Actions. And every single one counts.
Consider this an open thread...
The Democratic Reunion: Columbus, Ohio
40 different events were held across Ohio today. In Toledo we heard they were expecting over 500 hundred people to turn out for a single event. Then yesterday I spoke with the Field Director for Sherrod Brown's campaign and he commented about all the excitement and how much work Ohio Dems were putting into making The Democratic Reunion a success.
The following are the first set of pictures to make it in.
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Democratic Reunion: Washington
In Washington, Democrats could choose from a number of events for The Democratic Reunion. Spokane Democrats decided to focus on reaching out to rural voters.
DNC-funded field organizer Autumn sent in the following information and these photos!
Who: Volunteers ages 4 to 90 from across northeastern Washington gathered today in Spokane..
 |
The goal: As part of the nation-wide Democratic Reunion we each committed to contacting 100 voters by the end of the day!
 |
How: Local candidates, including our next Congressman in Eastern Washington, Peter Goldmark, came to inspire us for this fun-filled day of voter contact. Together we all made the commitment to contact 100 people each. Working side-by-side many of our local candidates kept us motivated to stay on the phones or out on the streets and reach our goal of 100 voters!
 |
The local and national party teamed up to provide doorhangers for canvassing, call lists for phone banking and postcards for letter writing - all terrific activities to reach out to voters. Together, we'll make America better one door, call and postcard at a time!
Remember, send your photos, video and stories too!
- e-mail: democraticreunion@dnc.org
- photos: (on flickr) http://www.flickr.com/groups/democraticflickr
- video: (on YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/group/democrats
The Democratic Reunion: New Jersey
This Democratic Reunion story was submitted by Colleen, one of your DNC-funded field organizers.
 |
Our Democratic Reunion in Scotch Plains, NJ has been such a success! People began arriving at the Stender Headquarters around 10:15am. By 10:45 the office reached maximum capacity and people were spilling out onto the front lawn.
At 11:15 things got underway. We held a rally in front of headquarters. Linda joined DNC Finance Chair Phil Murphy and Governor Corzine on the front porch to speak to the crowd before hitting the street to canvass with volunteers, stuff envelopes, and work the phones on behalf of Democrats running for office in New Jersey.
The group varied in age from 18 to 81, but they all rallied together, united behind the idea of going out to spread the Democratic Vision for America. Even though it was close to 100 degrees in the sun today, our volunteers were energized and ready to go!
It was encouraging to see the dedication and pride of so many Democrats in New Jersey. They were willing to put up with the heat and humidity to see three leaders speak and then go on to reach out to their fellow neighbors. We all know how important Linda’s race is this November. Today’s event was the perfect way to celebrate the team we have built and to raise the profile of her canvassing efforts!
Because so many volunteers showed up, we were able to canvass every single Democratic and unaffiliated District in Scotch Plains, Fanwood, and North Edison. In a single day we will be able to reach thousands of voters. After seeing the energy and dedication of Democrats here in New Jersey, I know the next 100 days are going to be amazing as we run towards Election Day and Victory in 2006.
[Update]: Check out this diary on DailyKos to hear another 1st hand account of this event.
Corzine, Murphy and Linda energized the crowd (photos will be added later, once I get home and put it up online) by calling for change in Congress and for Mike Ferguson to be fired ASAP. Corzine got loud cheers when Linda saluted him for taking on the property tax crisis, which is a terrible burden on New Jersey taxpayers. Linda roused the crowd when she pointed to the gas station next door and said:"THAT is what's wrong with the direction of this country!"
I also met a number of my old friends, and made some new ones, too. They are people from all ages, all colors, all backgrounds; but they all have a common vision: to take this country back!
More pictures!
 | ||
 | ||
 | ||
 |
Get the Party Started!
 |
So it appears Governor Dean's first event is turning out to be a great success. They have way more people there than they expected and they are all out going door-to-door to talk with their neighbors about the Democratic Vision for 2006 and beyond and what it means for PA.
Congressional Candidate Jason Altmire joined Governor Dean and went door-to-door to talk about his campaign to represent the 4th District.
I also hear that Governor Corzine will be joining Linda Stender in New Jersey and Darcy Burner in Washington is rumored to have a big event shaping up as well!
In April, for our last nation-wide event we had door-hangers to spread the message of the Democratic Party. This time around we have palm cards featuring the Democratic Vision ready to distribute.
State parties and organizers received boxes of cards this month. They were left blank on one side so they could tailor the message for their state and local candidates. They are also perfect for mailing as postcards if you just stick on a stamp! You can download your own here.
Listen Up: This Week on the Radio
Governor Bill Richardson delivers this week's Democratic Radio address.
You can listen here.
A preview:
Democrats know from experience that maximizing our national strength means knowing when to work with others, and when to act alone. It means knowing when and how to employ our great military.Above all, it means understanding that military power and diplomacy are not alternatives to one another, but rather are complementary sources of strength. What the Bush Administration has failed to understand is that while diplomacy without power is weak, power without diplomacy is blind.
The Democratic Reunion: Mississippi
Future Democrats join in The Democratic Reunion
Mississippi Democrats will gather around the state today as part of a national push for the November elections."We want to get out and reach voters in person," Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, told the Daily Journal in a telephone interview. "I think one reason we've gotten ourselves in trouble in the past is we let Republicans define who we are. The Democratic message is about a new direction and new opportunity for the future. We are going to be talking about that all across the country."
Dean will not be in Mississippi this time around, but he said the state party is on the move.
"We've won four special legislative elections and we've got great candidates like Ken Hurt," Dean said, referring to the Democratic nominee for the 1st District U.S. House seat held by Rep. Roger Wicker. "The whole state party has been reinvigorated. The gatherings this weekend are part of that."
Mississippi Democrats have been holding events all week long. This weekend teven more Reunion activities are scheduled. Demiktric Biggs sent in some early photos and info:
In the above photo, the location is the infamous Neshoba County Fair held annually outside of Philadelphia, MS. Our Democratic nominee for U.S Senate, Erik R. Fleming spoke to a crowd filled with "Blue Dot Brigaders" about what he will do for Mississippi if elected in November. Hundreds of people from all over Mississippi came to here the speeches.
On the web:
Erik Fleming
Mississippi Democratic Party
Getting Things Rolling
It looks like things are off to a great start for The Democratic Reunion.
I just got word from one of the staffers traveling with Governor Dean in Western PA - they have had more than double the amount of people expected at their reunion.
Keep the stories coming in. Pictures and video too!
e-mail: democraticreunion@dnc.org
photos: (on flickr) http://www.flickr.com/groups/democraticflickr
video: (on YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/group/democrats
The Democratic Reunion
Remember we want stories, photos and video!
e-mail: democraticreunion@dnc.org
photos: (on flickr) http://www.flickr.com/groups/democraticflickr
video: (on YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/group/democrats
This is an open thread...
July 28, 2006
Tune In: Governor Dean on TV
Governor Dean will be making the rounds early tomorrow morning before heading to The Democratic Reunion.
Tune in before heading out:
7:00 AM - ABC Good Morning America Weekend
8:05 AM - CNN Saturday
8:15 AM - MSNBC Live
This Weekend
Tomorrow's Democratic Reunion events are shaping up to be bigger and better than ever. I hear one event in Toledo, Ohio is expecting over 500 people!
That's amazing.
So what do you need to do before the big day? What are you wearing? What are you bringing? These are very serious questions that I thought we should address.
First up - what to wear? Always a tough question before any important event. I'm going for casual comfort - expecting that the summer heat won't let up anytime soon. This would be a good time to sport any Democratic gear you may have collected or to promote your favorite candidate. If you are going to be canvassing, I'd suggest sneakers.
Now - what to bring? That depends on your event. If you'll be at a potluck - bring something yummy. If you are going to canvass, eat a good breakfast and bring a smile. If you are going to a rally, bring a homemade sign.
Yesterday, Jason León sent an e-mail to Dems across the country to remind them that there are a few things that you should make sure to bring along, no matter what event you are attending:
- Bring your passion!
- Bring a camera
- Bring some friends!
Whatever you do, don't forget that last item - bring a friend along. Last year I read a poll of voters done after the 2004 elections. The thing that stuck with me was the #1 reason why a person became politically active was that they were asked to do something by a friend.
You have the power to swell our numbers simply by bringing someone along. Send one last email. Make one more phone call. Ask again. Getting someone involved now means dramatically increasing the chances that they will get involved this election season.
And, don't forget to document your events! We're looking for photos and feedback from all the Democratic Reunion events. You can get it to us a couple ways.
First, e-mail us stories and photos to democraticreunion@dnc.org.
In addition, you can upload your photos to Flickr and your videos to YouTube. We have groups set up on both sites.
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/groups/democraticflickr
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/group/democrats
Although each reunion is a little bit different, one thing remains true across all 50 states - Democrats everywhere are committed to winning in November.
We are mobilized now. We are active now. We are going to make a difference today and every day until we change the direction of our country. Stay the course is not an answer. It is not a strategy. It is not a policy. It is not acceptable.
This weekend Democrats make a promise: to our Party, to our candidates, to our neighbors, to each other, but most importantly, to our country.
You have the power to take action, to set a new course of action for America, and to send America in a new direction. This weekend we celebrate that.
Find an event | Check out the Resouce Center
Playing Politics with the Minimum Wage
Late yesterday it appeared House Republicans were moving towards a vote on minimum wage, after blocking Democrats from bringing the issue to the floor time and again.
The willingness of the leadership to relent on a wage vote after months of reluctance illustrates Republican nervousness about the November elections...
Yet, even though they are trying to hedge their bets with this vote, Republicans are unlikely to bring the bill to the floor for a clean vote.
Republicans might try to tie the increase to an unacceptable piece of legislation on taxes or health care as a “poison pill” to drive off Democrats and make certain the increase could not clear the Senate or become law.“American workers deserve a fair vote on a minimum wage increase, not a vote on a bill that’s larded up with harmful provisions,” said Representative George Miller of California, the senior Democrat on the Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Some facts on the minimum wage from Rep. Miller's Committee:
- The minimum wage has not been raised since 1997.
- It is now at its lowest level in more than 50 years (adjusted for inflation).
- Nearly 15 million Americans will benefit from this minimum wage increase -- 6.6 million directly and 8.3 million indirectly. Three million children have parents who would benefit directly from the minimum wage increase.
- It now takes a full day’s pay for a minimum wage earner to fill the gas tank. The average annual premium for family health insurance now exceeds the entire annual income of a full-time minimum-wage worker.
- A minimum wage worker working full-time earns just $10,700 per year – $5,900 less than is needed to lift a family of three out of poverty.
House Democrats have been fighting for a higher minimum wage - they have campaigned to bring a clean bill to the floor and have been blocked by their GOP counterparts, who have refused to join 192 members of Congress to discharge their petition from committee.
Now Republicans in Congress see the American people sour on their extreme right-wing policies and do-nothing politics they appear poised to move on the minimum wage in order to provide themselves political cover.
A Republican bill on minimum wage that is compromised with special interest provisions, is not what the American people want, and it is certainly less than they deserve. As Democratic Leader Pelosi has said:
"The American people have spoken: it is immoral that nearly 7 million workers making minimum wage have not gotten a raise in nine years."Before Congress goes home for August recess, we must have a vote on the House floor to raise the minimum wage to $7.25. But that means a clean bill – a straight up or down vote on increasing the minimum wage, without the usual Republican poison pills of attaching tax cuts for the wealthy or other so-called sweeteners for the Republican special interests.
"Democrats stand ready to pass a minimum wage increase into law. We challenge our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to join us."
Democratic Reunion Eve Day Open Thread
That's today.
That means tomorrow is The Democratic Reunion. We have over 900 events scheduled across the country!
Woo-hoo!
This is an open thread...
July 27, 2006
Listen Up: Tampa Talks Dean
Governor Dean is wrapping up his Florida visit today. You can check out what the folks in Tampa are saying here.
Here's a preview:
"Every race counts." And it shows how much impact at a local level can have, all the way up to a national level.
Senator Reid Blogs on A New Direction for America
Over at HuffPo:
In my home state of Nevada, in Reno, families are paying $3.12 for the gas they need to drive to work - more than double the price they were paying in 2001. That means they have hundreds of dollars less each month to spend on food, medicine, and their other needs.In Boulder City, there's a man in a wheelchair I know from church, whose hope has been crushed because President Bush catered to the radical right and vetoed stem cell research last week.
In Las Vegas, there are two families – the Lukac's and Salazar's – who lost their sons in Iraq. Their lives will never be the same, and they're doing everything they can to ensure their sons’ sacrifices are honored.
In Pahrump, there's a senior named Robin who found her prescription drugs would cost 8 times more under the President's Medicare drug plan because it was written for drug companies, not for her.
These Nevadans – and the millions of Americans just like them – are who Democrats are standing with today. They've been ignored by the Do Nothing Republican Congress, which has put special interests and a special few first. They've suffered through weeks of debates over non-issues such as marriage, flag desecration, the estate tax, and medical malpractice. Meanwhile, their real problems have only grown worse.
We need a New Direction for America, and that is what Democrats offer. By changing course in Iraq, providing affordable health care, strengthening the middle-class, and embracing science and medical research, the Democratic agenda will unite America and turn away from the divisive politics of the last six years.
We won't pit Big Oil against working families when it's clear we're all better off pursuing a bold new future of energy independence.
We won't force workers to choose between getting by and saving for the future, because we'll protect Social Security, cut taxes for the middle-class, and build an economy where work pays.
And we won't go to war based on trumped up threats; we'll be tough and smart with a foreign policy that concentrates on our real threats, Iran, North Korea, and Osama bin Laden.
To bring our message to the American people, on the first weekend in August, House and Senate Democrats will kick off a coordinated nationwide effort. Already more than 200 town halls, press conferences, and speeches are scheduled.
And this weekend, the DNC will host 750 New Direction for America, Democratic Reunion events around the country. These events include party officials, candidates, sitting members of Congress, Governors. It’s a party wide effort to nationalize this race and bring it across the finish line.
Sign up to attend an event in your area by clicking here.
The challenges America faces are great. But we can meet them together by working in our common good, making America work for all, and charting a new direction for our great country.
More on A New Direction, here.
The Power of 10
With over 800 events in the works for The Democratic Reunion it's not easy to highlight just one. Here is a look at 10 different events, in 10 different states!
- In New Jersey Rep. Rush Holt has his campaign office Grand Opening in conjunction with The Democratic Reunion.
- In Texas, Congressional Candidate Mary Beth Harrell are "Troopin' and Scoopin'" with a combo Ice Cream Social and Canvass to Kick-Off the 100 Days of Action
- In IL Fighting Dem John Laesch supporters rally for Victory
- In Indiana you can check out the Harden Family Farm event, for an old-fashioned get together with fellow Dems.
- North Carolina favorite Heath Shuler hosts his own event in Asheville
- In Hamilton County, Ohio The Reunion is an all-day affair complete with live music and a Cornhole tournament.
- In Nebraska, join the NDP for a door-to-door effort.
- In West Virginia the Harrison Co. Democrats gather at the West Virginia Blackberry Festival
- In Arkansas you can attend aPotluck social with good people and good food.
- Jon Tester and Co. are in good shape - they've got events all across Montana dedicated to sending him to Washington
Find one in your state today!
Mid-Day Open Thread
Polls are all the rage today.
- Bowers on the 50-Most Competitive House Races
- Markos on the 50-Most Competeitive House Races
- The Next Hurrah has a different poll & more analysis.
- David is back! He's taking on Conrad Burns, who thinks it is a good idea to insult men and women who run into burning blazes for a living.
- Apparently Michael Brown, formerly of FEMA, is interviewed by Playboy this month. Of President Bush he says, "He doesn't have an incredible command of the English language." Guess he didn't like his nickname.
- Brilliant as always, Think Progress lays out why Bolton has been a complete and utter failure at the U.N.
Listen Up: Podcasting Ohio
The DNC podcast is up! This week we chat with Ohio Democratic Party Chair Chris Redfern.
You can listen Chairman Redfern discuss the upcoming elections, 50-State Strategy in battleground Ohio and this Saturday's massive national organizing event, The Democratic Reunion here.
And remember, there is still time to find one of the 42 Democratic Reunion events being held in Ohio or any other state this weekend.
In Their Own Words...
Americablog tipped me off to this article, which looks at the Iraq war through the eyes of the soldiers on the ground.
This kind of reporting, from those closest to the violence, at the center of the conflict, is intense - much more so than listening to General X, Y or Z repeat talking points over and over.
"It sucks. Honestly, it just feels like we're driving around waiting to get blown up. That's the most honest answer I could give you," said Spec. Tim Ivey, 28, of San Antonio, a muscular former backup fullback for Baylor University. "You lose a couple friends and it gets hard.""No one wants to be here, you know, no one is truly enthused about what we do," said Sgt. Christopher Dugger, the squad leader.
It is for these men and women who are being put in danger every single day, that we ask again and again, "What is our plan to succeed in Iraq and at what point can our troops begin to return home?"
Senator Reid said last week that he wanted to see the Senate discussing the situation in Iraq before their August recess, to which the Republicans gleefully responded:
Republicans questioned why Reid wants to go over old ground and were ready to highlight the divisions among Democrats once again."Talk about your bad summer reruns," said Eric Ueland, Chief of Staff to Majority Leader Bill Frist, "if they want to do that we'll go to the mats," he said.
A bad summer rerun? That is how the Republicans in Congress see efforts to end the insanity of Iraq, how Republicans in Congress view attempts to find a plan for success and discussions on when our troops can come home.
They rejoice at the idea of a debate on our side because they remain committed to a raging endless conflict that gets worse everyday. Republicans in Congress refuse to hold the President, his Administration or themselves accountable for the policies that have made American less safe and hampered our ability to deal with other conflicts.
We need a plan for success. We need a plan that sets benchmarks and measures progress. We need to respect our fighting men and women with something more than recycled rhetoric and cherry-picked facts.
Failure Personified
The New York Times' Bob Herbert:
The Middle East is in flames. Iraq has become a charnel house, a crucible of horror with no end to the agony in sight. Lebanon is in danger of going down for the count. And the crazies in Iran, empowered by the actions of their enemies, are salivating like vultures. They can’t wait to feast on the remains of U.S. policies and tactics spawned by a sophomoric neoconservative fantasy — that democracy imposed at gunpoint in Iraq would spread peace and freedom, like the flowers of spring, throughout the Middle East....
“Obviously the violence in Baghdad is still terrible,” said Mr. Bush, “and therefore there needs to be more troops.”
One did not get the sense, listening to this assessment from the commander in chief, that things would soon be well in hand. There was, instead, a disturbing sense of déjà vu. A sense of the president at a complete loss, not really knowing what to do. I recalled the image of Mr. Bush sitting in a Sarasota, Fla., classroom after being informed of the Sept. 11 attacks. Instead of reacting instantly, commandingly, he just sat there for long wasted moments, with a bewildered look on his face, holding a second-grade story called “The Pet Goat.”
Thursday Open Thread
There are 2 days left until The Democratic Reunion!
Governor Dean will be in PA, where will you be?
July 26, 2006
Standing Out from the Crowd
USA Today features an article on the five female Governor's up for re-election and their unique abilities to bring people together.
Although their numbers are still small, female governors stand out as better than their male counterparts at drawing crossover voters, dealing with the opposition party and winning re-election.This emerging statistical picture suggests intriguing prospects that will be tested in November's elections, when a record five of the eight female governors in the USA are running for new terms.
Non-partisan analysts favor four of the five to win, even though all four are in states that were carried by the other party in the 2004 presidential race.
Among governors whose terms are up this year, women are twice as likely as men to be favored to win re-election.
And among all 50 governors, women are three times as likely as men to be running states dominated by the other party.
"You have to ask if there's a female M.O. (modus operandi) that acts to depolarize our politics, to dilute the ideological polarization between the parties that exists throughout the country," says political scientist Thomas Mann of the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank.
Kathleen Dolan, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and author of Voting for Women in the United States, questions whether women govern in fundamentally different ways than men: "I do not see women coming from Venus and men from Mars."
Still, she says, the public does view female candidates differently. "Voters see women as more bipartisan, they see them as more able to work across the aisle, they see them as more honest," she says. "It's possible that in very polarized electorates a woman candidate might receive a benefit of a doubt from voters."
The stakes are high. Governors forge statewide political organizations that can be key in other races and sometimes develop innovative policies in such areas as health and education. State capitals are a training ground for presidents: Four of the past five presidents served as governors.
...
80% of the female governors eligible to run this year are favored to win new terms. In contrast, 11 of the 26 male governors eligible to run are favored to win by the Cook report; that's 42%. Congressional Quarterly rates nine, or 35%, as favored.
Among all governors, five of the eight women — or nearly two-thirds — are in states dominated by the other party, compared with nine of the 42 men, or one-fifth.
Jeanne Shaheen, director of Harvard's Institute of Politics and a former three-term governor of New Hampshire, says female leaders tend to be "more consensus-building, more interested in getting input from other people and less interested in taking credit." She adds: "Women don't often have the need to be macho, to put it very bluntly, and therefore we have less trouble reaching out to somebody who might have been an opponent."
On the Web:
Democrat from Arizona, Janet Napolitano
Democrat from Kansas, Kathleen Sebelius
Democrat from Michigan, Jennifer Granholm
50-State Strategy: Fired Up in Florida!
Governor Dean is in my home state today, and it would seem he is fired up!
From AP:
Down with divisiveness was the message Wednesday delivered by Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean as he told a group of Florida business leaders that Republican policies of deceit and finger-pointing are tearing American apart.Dean called President Bush "the most divisive president probably in our history."
"He's always talking about those people. It's always somebody else's fault. It's the gays' fault. It's the immigrants' fault. It's the liberals' fault. It's the Democrats' fault. It's Hollywood people," Dean said. "Americans are sick of that. Even if you win elections doing that, you drag down our country."
...
The Republican agenda "is flag-burning and same-sex marriage and God knows what else," Dean said. "We need real change in this country. We're in trouble."
...
Dean said Democrats need to start defining their own party to energize voters and to provide a real message of change.
"For too long, we have allowed the Republican Party to give the message about what the Democratic Party is about to the voters," he said to thunderous applause. "That is over with."
He said party supporters would contract two million people across the country on Saturday to ask them for their votes.
"We're going door-to-door. We're going to picnics," Dean said. "Television ads are not enough. You need to knock on doors. You need to knock on every door. You need to personally deliver the message."
The Democratic Party has foundered in recent years because not enough quality candidates have run for local offices that would later put them in positions to become national players, Dean said.
"The truth is one of the reasons we're in trouble in this party is we have not tended to our farm team," he said. "We need to get a good bench."
Dean also lashed out at President Bush's Iraq policy and at allowing Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to address Congress on Wednesday, calling the foreign leader an "anti-Semite."
"We don't need to spend 200 and 300 and 500 billion dollars bringing democracy to Iraq to turn it over to people who believe that Israel doesn't have a right to defend itself and who refuse to condemn Hezbollah," he said.
A group of House Democrats called on GOP leaders to cancel al-Maliki's address to Congress for the same reasons.
...
Dean also attacked the president on national defense, health care, education and Social Security.
"He is bankrupting the middle-class," Dean said.
Around the Blogosphere Open Thread
This stuff caught my eye...
- Connie Schultz blogs over at HuffPo about Sherrod Brown's race in Ohio: "Long before a single vote has been counted, we've already won."
- Idaho Rocks. But we already knew that!
- Stoller's got the goods on what my favorite NY Times writer has to say about the President and his unwillingness to learn and adapt.
- Ouch! Harris staffers up and quit and go work for her opponent! That one's gotta hurt!
What are you reading today?
This Weekend: Will You Have Howard's Back?
When the DNC members elected Gov. Howard Dean chair of the Democratic Party, we did so because of his determination to make the Democratic Party a 50-state party. I personally received hundreds of emails, postcards, and letters asking me to vote for Dean based on his strategy.Dean made good on his part of the promise, quickly funding organizers on the ground in every state. We have four talented people (Autumn Wilburn, Justin Thiltgen, Cyreena Boston, and Jesse Bontecou) working every single day to organize Democrats here in Oregon.
Gov. Dean has often been assailed by the establishment wing of the party, which seems to prefer that money flowing into DNC coffers be used for TV ads in targeted races. Like most DNC members, I believe that the 50-State Strategy is the right direction: We need to fight in every district, in every race that we can. We need to build our farm teams by electing state legislators, governors, mayors, county commissioners, and sheriffs.
So, Dean kept his part of the bargain. Will you? Will you go out and work for candidates and show that people-powered politics, rather than triangulation and targeting, can keep the red tide at bay?
July 29th is the Democratic Reunion, a national day of organizing called by the DNC. July 29th marks 100 days before the election. The DNC and the Democratic Party of Oregon, are asking Democrats throughout the state to show up for events on this day. There are a wealth of opportunities, including a picnic in Klamath, ice cream in Corvallis, a highway cleanup in Florence, and canvasses throughout the Willamette Valley. You can also organize your own event, call your favorite candidate and see if he or she has a canvass scheduled, or get on the (nonpartisan) Bus.
Local DNC organizer Jesse Bontecou says, "For years, we've all been talking about the power and promise of grassroots activism. Now that the DNC feels the same way, it's our chance to prove we're right. Now's our time to show up and deliver on the promise." Please find an event and volunteer today.
And, to keep the discussion going, what do you think about the 50-State Strategy? Do you think it's working? Do you agree with it? And what are you going to do to further progressive politics this weekend?
The Democratic Reunion is a nation-wide event. You can find an event near you or you can host your own. It's never too late to take back our country, to commit to moving it forward and to make a difference.
For more information on Reunion events near you, check out The Democractic Reunion Resource Center.
The Democratic Reunion: Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley Democrats also got a headstart on their activities, hosting The Democratic Reunion with a luau theme. The following is an update from one of your 50-State Organizers, Fadia.
Bad weather did not deter Democrats from coming out to the Lehigh Valley Democratic Reunion Luau in Whitehall, Pa. The Luau was a great success and over 170 attendees had fun and committed to taking action to get the job done in November. The event sparked a new energy among the Democratic family in the Lehigh Valley. It was evident that Democrats are ready to fight to keep Pennsylvania blue.
Over 170 Dems reunited during The Democratic Reunion
Luau to be a social, civic, and political.
In addition to the social aspect of the event, Lehigh Valley Democrats adopted a community project. Democrats donated boxes of needed items to the 6th Street Shelter and Turning Point which was a great success.
Charles Dertinger, candidate for 15th Congressional
District fires up the crowd.
Finally, Democrats also pledged "Think Globally, Act Locally" and to commit to doing 10 things to help stop global warming.
Energized and united for Victory in 2006!
There are a slew of events this weekend across Pennsylvania, and the rest of the country. Find one now!
Split Three Ways
In an attempt to unify the extreme right-wing House Immigration Bill with Republicans in favor of the Senate's more comprehensive legislation, Republicans have presented a third plan, which is likely to fracture them even further, according to early reviews.
The proposal -- sponsored by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (Tex.) and Rep. Mike Pence (Ind.) -- would pressure illegal immigrants to "self-deport" to their home countries within two years of the law's enactment and apply for a new kind of visa that would allow them to return to the United States quickly and work legally if a job awaits them. They would have to work here for 17 years, however, to be eligible for U.S. citizenship. The plan, which has received mixed reviews from those briefed on it, is aimed at unifying Republicans on an issue that has bitterly divided them for months and threatens to damage the party in future elections.The stringent rules for illegal immigrants are certain to draw bipartisan opposition from those who favor a quicker and easier path to citizenship. Additionally, conservatives who favor legislation to secure the border this year and delay action on guest workers and the citizenship question are also expected to oppose it.
It's a ridiculous plan. Which the distinguished Gentleman from Colorado points out in the Houston Chronicle:
Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., a sponsor of the Senate bill, said the Hutchison plan was an unrealistic way to deal with the illegal immigrants already in the United States."Twelve million people are not going to come out of the shadows in order to leave the country on some kind of promise they can come back again," he said.
For more information check out the Immigration Update which keeps tabs on the on-going debate.
Another problem with the legislation? It doesn't address huge immigrant populations - like the Asian American Pacific Islander communities or even the Irish, who fall outside the purview of the law, which considers only immigrants from countries the we have trade pacts with - Mexico, most Central American countries and Canada.
Wednesday Open Thread
There are 3 days left until The Democratic Reunion.
You should read Cheers and Jeers today.
This part, was exceptionally inspiring, and looking back, a preview of what would come:
America's greatness rests on far more than the power of our arms. Our greatness is also measured by our goodness. It is in the capacity of our minds, the size of our hearts, and the strength of our democracy.As I've traveled America, I've seen that strength. I've seen it in the people I've met and their desire to take our country back for the American people. I saw it in a college student in Pennsylvania who sold her bicycle and sent us a check for $100 with a note that said, "I sold my bicycle for democracy." I saw it in a woman from Iowa who handed me $50---all in quarters. She saved it from her monthly disability check, because she wanted to make America well again. And I saw it in the 19-year-old from Alabama who had never been involved in politics before he got in his car and drove up to Vermont, because he didn't feel like he was being heard in Washington.
He was just one of so many. They learned that politics was too important to be left to the politicians. They didn't just pack their bags, they backed their hopes that we can take our country back. And you know what? We will.
We're not going to be afraid to stand up for what we believe. We're not going to let those who disagree with us shout us down under a banner of false patriotism. And we're not going to give up a single voter, or a single state. We're going to be proud to call ourselves Democrats, not just here in Boston. We're going to be proud to call ourselves Democrats in Mississippi, proud to call ourselves Democrats in Utah and Idaho. And we're going to be proud to call ourselves Democrats in Texas.
Never again will we be ashamed to call ourselves Democrats. Never. Never. Never. We're not just going to change presidents, we're going to change this country and reclaim the American dream.
- Governor Howard Dean at the 2004 Democratic National Convention
This is an inspired thread...
July 25, 2006
Late Tuesday Open Thread
For the night owls...
That's Hot!
And now for a little bit of fun from inside the building, we'd like to congratulate DNC Assistant Press Secretary, Kim Hunter, who not only managed to make The Hill's List of 50 Most Beautiful People on Capitol Hill, but also managed to crack the Top 10!.
From the article:
The self-possessed 23-year-old assistant press secretary at the Democratic National Committee is all Washington now, exuding confidence and sophistication beyond her tender age. She talks about a “sink or swim atmosphere” and wants to make arguments “both factually based and rhetorically persuasive.”When most teenagers were wandering listlessly around the high school guidance office, Hunter was charting her future career. She knew in 11th grade that politics was in her future.
Hunter pinpointed George Washington University’s “political communication” program as her only choice. Once accepted, off she went, leaving Alabama in the dust.
She worked relentlessly in school, completing three internships — including one with Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.).
“Where I grew up, people weren’t very politically inclined. You couldn’t have political conversations even if you wanted to.”
On trips back home, the differences now are all the more acute. Her “Yankee” accent gets teased, and her political job draws blank looks.
Listen Up: Podcasting Ohio
This week I'm hosting Chris Redfern, Chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, on the DNC's Podcast. As you all know, Ohio is critical this fall as Democrats have a great chance to pick up seats up and down the ballot.
I'll talk to Chairman Redfern about Governor Dean's 50-State Strategy, The Democratic Reunion and the countless number of events taking place across the state of Ohio. If you're in Ohio, find an event near you by clicking here .
Got a question for the Chairman? Send it to us via e-mail or post it in the comments selection below and we'll use the best one, for our podcast tomorrow!
Pass It On!
(Last week we told you about the U.S. News & World Report profile of the 50-State Strategy. This week, DNC Executive Director Tom McMahon sent an e-mail to Democrats with highlights from the article and information on The Democratic Reunion.)
Dear Fellow Democrat,
Here's an excerpt from a U.S. News & World Report story that shows the difference that our 50-state strategy has already made in places like Mississippi:
Two field representatives have recruited captains in more than 500 precincts so far, along with volunteers for phone banks and canvassing. "I've been trying to contact the party since I moved back here in 1992," says Harold Terry, 43, a Jackson native who volunteered last week at a phone bank. "Someone finally got back to me three weeks ago."
You and I know we have a moral responsibility to build our party everywhere. We can't win if we don't present a choice to people -- and that includes people in Mississippi.
In less than a week, we're taking the 50-state strategy to the streets in your neighborhood.
On Saturday, July 29th, there will be Democratic Reunion events in all 50 states. What's The Democratic Reunion? It's an opportunity to come together and strengthen the bonds of community that will drive our organization to victory during the final 100 days to the election in November.
Candidates, volunteers and newcomers to our party will all come together for events as varied as precinct canvasses, picnics and phone-banks.
To find a get-together near you just plug in your zip code here:
http://www.democrats.org/thedemocraticreunion/find
If there's no Democratic Reunion event near you, you can plan your own using our online events center. If you're already planning another volunteer event on the 29th, you can put that into the system, too, to let more people know about it:
http://www.democrats.org/thedemocraticreunion/create
I've included a few more excerpts from the U.S. News piece below -- please take a moment to read the whole thing and pass it along.
Thanks,
Tom
Tom McMahon
Executive Director
Democratic National Committee
What He Said...
We're going to see lots of races...supposedly Tier 2 contests that are hugely competitive. And unlike CA-50 or OH-02, the GOP won't be able to flood every one of these districts with money and operatives. They'll be stretched thin, unable to defend a newly energized 50-state Democratic Party, forced to compete in places they used to take for granted like Nebraska and Wyoming.
Reading the Fine Print
Did you know?
Over 212 years, 42 presidents issued “signing statements” objecting to a grand total of 600 provisions of new laws. George W. Bush has done that more than 800 times in just over five and a half years in office.
This editorial from The New York Times describes the way the Constitution is getting in the way of the Bush Administration's agenda, which seem to be based on eschewing the separation of powers idea our nation was based on...
Most presidents used signing statements to get legal objections on the record for judges to consider in any court challenge. For Mr. Bush, they are far more: part of a strategy to expand presidential powers at the expense of Congress and the courts. His signing statements have become notices to Congress that he simply does not intend to follow the law, especially any attempt to hold him accountable for his actions....All serve the “unitary executive theory” cherished by some of Mr. Bush’s most extreme advisers, including Vice President Dick Cheney and his legal staff. This theory says that the president — and not Congress or the courts — has the sole power to decide how to carry out his duties. According to a study by a bipartisan panel of the American Bar Association, Mr. Bush objected to 500 provisions of new laws just in his first term — the majority of them because they conflicted with the unitary executive theory. The A.B.A. said that theory was specifically mentioned 82 times.
The Bush administration often says the president is just trying to stop Congress from interfering with his ability to keep the nation safe, and that other presidents also included constitutional objections in their signing statements. That’s just smoke.
For one thing, under this president, all laws are screened by Mr. Cheney’s staff for violations of the unitary executive theory. Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton had the Justice Department report constitutional concerns about new laws to the White House. Mr. Bush often does cite national security as an excuse for ignoring an act of Congress — but that is almost always because lawmakers are trying to rein him in on issues like the treatment of prisoners, and the withholding of information from Congress.
The A.B.A. called Mr. Bush’s use of presidential signing statements “contrary to the rule of law and our constitutional system of separation of powers” and recommended that Congress enact legislation clarifying the issue.
Well it seems Congress may do a bit more than that:
"We will submit legislation to the United States Senate which will ... authorize the Congress to undertake judicial review of "signing statements" with the view to having the president's acts declared unconstitutional," Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter said on the Senate floor.
Distrust
Examining the President's speech to members of the NAACP last week, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman breaks down key reasons why African Americans distrust the G.O.P.:
First, G.O.P. policies consistently help those who are already doing extremely well, not those lagging behind — a group that includes the vast majority of African-Americans. And both the relative and absolute economic status of blacks, after improving substantially during the Clinton years, have worsened since 2000.
Things President Bush did not mentioned during his speech:
- poverty
- the minimum wage
- falling wages
Things President Bush did mention during his speech:
- Repealing the estate tax
About which Krugman notes:
African-Americans are more than a thousand times as likely to live below the poverty line as they are to be rich enough to leave a taxable estate.
Economic issues aside, Krugman also cites the continued efforts of the Republican Party to disenfranchise black voters in order to win elections. He references the new priorities of the Civil Rights division of the Justice Department as well as the tactics used to suppress the African American vote:
The Supreme Court probably wouldn’t have been able to put Mr. Bush in the White House in 2000 if the administration of his brother, the governor of Florida, hadn’t misidentified large numbers of African-Americans as felons ineligible to vote. In 2004, Ohio’s Republican secretary of state tried to impose a ludicrous rule on the paper weight of voter registration applications; last year, Georgia Republicans tried to impose an onerous “voter ID” rule. In each case, the obvious intent was to disenfranchise blacks.
In contrast, Democrats have consistently fought to protect the freedom to vote for all Americans, to raise the minimum wage and to help all Americans - not just the richest of the rich - achieve the American Dream.
Two Things in Life
They say there are two things in this life you can always count on - death and taxes. Well it would seem that depends - on how rich you are.
If you are one of the wealthiest or wealthy Americans, that tax thing may not be something all that worrisome...
The federal government is moving to eliminate the jobs of nearly half of the lawyers at the Internal Revenue Service who audit tax returns of some of the wealthiest Americans, specifically those who are subject to gift and estate taxes when they transfer parts of their fortunes to their children and others.The administration plans to cut the jobs of 157 of the agency’s 345 estate tax lawyers, plus 17 support personnel, in less than 70 days. Kevin Brown, an I.R.S. deputy commissioner, confirmed the cuts after The New York Times was given internal documents by people inside the I.R.S. who oppose them...
...
Six I.R.S. estate tax lawyers whose jobs are likely to be eliminated said in interviews that the cuts were just the latest moves behind the scenes at the I.R.S. to shield people with political connections and complex tax-avoidance devices from thorough audits.
Maybe they aren't all that necessary? Wrong.
Estate tax lawyers are the most productive tax law enforcement personnel at the I.R.S., according to Mr. Brown. For each hour they work, they find an average of $2,200 of taxes that people owe the government.
In their words:
“This is not a game the poor will win, but the rich will,” said John Hruska, another I.R.S. estate tax lawyer in New York who, like Ms. Phillips, is active in the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents I.R.S. workers.Colleen M. Kelley, the national union president, said: “If these lawyers are not there to audit the gift and estate tax returns, then a lot of taxes that should be paid will go uncollected, and that impacts every taxpayer who is paying their fair share.”
Guess Who?
Clue Set #1
On the Iraq war: "It didn't work. . . . We didn't prepare for the peace."
On the response to Hurricane Katrina: "A monumental failure of government."On the national mood: "There's a palpable frustration right now in the country."
Clue Set #2
....he opposes a pullout from Iraq, agrees with Bush's veto of human embryonic stem cell research, and supports constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage and flag burning.
Clue Set #3
...The candidate looked the part of the contender, wearing a monogrammed shirt, his French cuffs sprouting cuff links coordinated with his necktie. He ate carefully, removing the gelatinous yolk from the four-minute egg in his salad. But he spoke with little caution as he ladled a heaping portion of criticism on his own party.
Tuesday Open Thread
Good Morning!
There are 4 days left until The Democratic Reunion!
July 24, 2006
Dems Out West
I'm seeing a theme emerge here...
From The Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
"Go west, Democrats, go west" -- that might well become the motto of the Democratic Party in the coming years.The changing demographics of the West, along with the region's deeply ingrained individualism and libertarian attitudes toward government and religion, may provide Democrats an unexpected opportunity in their efforts to rebuild a national majority coalition.
It would seem the successes of Western Dems combined with the emerging talent in states like Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado and Nevada have started to make people wonder if this whole 50-State Strategy thing wasn't a good idea all along.
Hint: It was.
50-State Strategy: Door-To-Door
New Hampshire residents are saying thanks to the continuing door-to-door operation by the Democratic Party.
People are very happy you [Canvassers] show up at their door; many feel they aren't being listened to, and appreciate the human, grassroots approach.
Residents, who felt somewhat disconnected in 2004, are much more appreciative of the canvassing efforts to regain that connection with the Democratic Party. Keeping them involved and informed is just one approach Democrats are using to implement the 50-state strategy.
Under Bush Administration College Grads Make Less
A few weeks ago President Bush proudly patted himself on the back when announcing a mere 296 billion dollar budget deficit. Now, here is more proof of how his handling the economy is playing out. According to The LA Times, the situation has become bleak for recent college grads:
Wage stagnation . . . is now hitting people with bachelor's degrees for the first time in 30 years. Earnings for workers with four-year degrees fell 5.2% from 2000 to 2004 when adjusted for inflation, according to White House economists.It’s a remarkable setback for workers who thought they were well-positioned to win some of the benefits of the nation's economic growth, and it may help explain why surveys show that many Americans think President Bush has not managed the economy well. These workers did well during the last period of economic growth, 1995 to 2000, with inflation-adjusted average wages rising 12%.
"But how can that be," you ask, aghast, "I always hear the President talking about loads of new jobs he is creating with his sound fiscal policies," you continue...
Well...not exactly...
Companies have continued their long effort to replace salaried positions with lower-paid, nonsalaried jobs, including part-time and freelance positions without benefits. Those contingent positions make up nearly half of the 6.5 million jobs created since 2001, said Paul Harrington, a labor economist at Northeastern University in Boston.Harrington said the number of salaried jobs increased an average of 11.5% during the last five economic recoveries, compared with 2.5% during the current recovery.
"There's clear deterioration in the college labor market," he said. "The American economy just does not generate jobs the way it has historically."
Employment recruiter Alan Guarino has seen a similar change in his work. He says about 15% of workers with four-year college degrees are working at "gray-collar" jobs below their skill level, such as in retail, mainly because they cannot find better-paying jobs; before 2001, the figure was about 10%.
"A very significant percentage of the jobs we are creating are contingent jobs," not salaried positions, said Guarino, chief executive of Cornell International, a staffing firm.
With contigent jobs, graduates working at jobs that pay barely above the minimum wage (which House Republicans still refuse to let be decided upon) and working more than one just to make ends meet you'd think the American people would get more than a celebration over billions of dollars of deficit. But, sadly, no.
In an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released July 14, 60% of respondents said they disapproved of how Bush was handling the economy."The administration is saying the only reason people are not sharing in the recovery is they don't have the right skills," said Lawrence Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute. But if college graduates are not doing well, Mishel said, "what does that say?"
What does it say about an Administration that helps the rich get richer while the poor get poorer and America's next young people flounder.
Zack Karram contributed to the writing and research of this post.
Wyoming Kicks Off the Democratic Reunion
This past weekend, Democrats came together in Wyoming to talk with voters about the upcoming election and gathered for barbeques during their July 22nd Democratic Reunion.
It's no wonder, with all momentum Wyoming Democrats have had lately, that they are some of the first folks kick-off their efforts for Victory in 2006!
State Senate Candidate Larry Clapp (left) chats with a fellow activist at
the barbecue following the volunteer canvass in Casper.
Lee Moser reviews a walk list during
Saturday's canvass in Casper. Lee is
one of the 493 local activists who
have been trained in Wyoming through
Governor Dean's 50-State Strategy
Jane Ifland, a Democratic candidate for the Natrona County Commission,
makes notes on her walk list in one of the 57 targeted precincts in Wyoming.
Afternoon Open Thread
It's Linky...
- ThinkProgress reviews John Bolton's ability to make friends and influence people as the United States Ambassador to the U.N.
- Markos rounds up the latest polling on Governor's up for re-election.
- FireDogLake asks, "Do you trust George W. Bush?"
- The Philadelphia Inquirer looks at the popularity of MySpace and Facebook in the political world. Governor Dean is on MySpace and The Democratic Party is on Facebook.
- Score one for personal privacy. North Carolina rules laws prohibiting cohabitation by unmarrieds is unconstitutional. Pandagon reports.
- Crooks and Liars has video of the President's Chief of Staff getting quizzed on Meet the Press and failing. A lot.
- The Washington Post looks at 8 issues that will shape the midterm elections and who they matter for the most.
From the Inside Out: Remaking the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division
Today the Boston Globe reports that the Bush Administration has dramatically changed the hiring procedures for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. Instead of hiring career attorneys with strong backgrounds in civil rights law, political appointees have been tasked with hiring new attorneys and are filling the Division with attorneys who have less experience, but more conservative credentials.
John Greenbaum, career attorney in voting rights from 1997 - 2003:
``The clear emphasis has been to hire individuals with conservative credentials," he said. ``If anything, a civil rights background is considered a liability."
Here are some numbers from the article:
- The percent of lawyers hired with civil rights background has decreased, from 77 to 42 percent since the administration changed the rules to give political appointees more influence in the hiring process.
- Of those lawyers nearly half, 9 of 19 lawyers gained experience by "defending employers against discrimination lawsuits or by righting against race-conscious policies"
- The average ranking for the law school attended by successful applicants hired after 2003 has dropped, from 34 in the years before the changes, to 44 after 2003 when hiring changes began.
- The number of lawyers with conservative credentials has risen sharply.
- 11: number of lawyers who were members of the conservative Federalist Society
- 7: number of lawyers who are members of the Republican National Lawyers Association.
- 2: number of lawyers who volunteered for the Bush-Cheney campaigns.
- 6: number of lawyers who worked for Christian organizations that promote "socially conservative views".
- "Several new hires worked for prominent conservatives, including former Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr, former attorney general Edwin Meese, Mississippi Senator Trent Lott, and Judge Charles Pickering."
The result of this shift?
"There has been a sea change in the types of cases brought by the division, and that is not likely to change in a new administration because they are hiring people who don't have an expressed interest in traditional civil rights enforcement," said Richard Ugelow, a 29-year career veteran who left the division in 2002....
Morale has plunged and experiences lawyers are leaving the division.
...
At a recent NAACP hearing on the state of the Civil Rights Division, David Becker , who was a voting-rights section attorney for seven years before accepting the buyout offer, warned that the personnel changes threatened to permanently damage the nation's most important civil rights watchdog.
``Even during other administrations that were perceived as being hostile to civil rights enforcement, career staff did not leave in numbers approaching this level," Becker said. ``In the place of these experienced litigators and investigators, this administration has, all too often, hired inexperienced ideologues, virtually none of which have any civil rights or voting rights experiences."
The results of this shift can be seen already. President Bush's political appointees in the Justice Department have demonstrated their willingness to push their own agenda, regardless of the effect it will have on civil rights.
...division supervisors overruled the recommendations of longtime career voting-rights attorneys in several high-profile cases, including whether to approve a Texas redistricting plan and whether to approve a Georgia law requiring voters to show photographic identification.
With these hiring changes the Bush Administration has made it even easier to push for discriminatory laws that make it harder for Americans to exercise their freedom to vote and severely weakened an institution which has worked to ensure the protection of civil rights for decades.
Democrats Welcome Hispanic Republicans to the Party
The declining fortunes of the GOP described in David Broder's recent column come as no surprise to Democrats. The GOP lag among Latinos has been brewing for well over a year now, with no resurgence of support in sight. Senator Martinez hit the nail on the head when he said, "the people who come from the Caribbean and Latin America are not looking for welfare. They want to work, to start businesses. Their dream is to own their own home." The Senator's tone makes clear he is not happy with the direction his party is taking on immigration.
Martinez goes on to say that Latinos also "have great pride -- and sensitivity. He noted that "immigration is not really an issue for Cubans, but we want to see people treated with respect. When they start saying that it's un-American to have ballots printed in Spanish, it sends a message that we're not wanted, not respected." Recent polls by the Pew Hispanic Center, Gallup, and more recently, NDN, confirm this shift away from the GOP, a result propelled by the hard line position and harsh rhetoric many Republicans have embraced on the immigration issue. The Pew Hispanic Center survey found that among registered Hispanic voters, Democrats have a major advantage over Republicans--46% to 9%--as the party that is perceived to have more concern for Latinos.
"The Constitution is Not What the President Says It Is."
In April, The Boston Globe highlighted the President's pesky habit of ignoring the Constitution through the use of "signing statements":
President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution.Among the laws Bush said he can ignore are military rules and regulations, affirmative-action provisions, requirements that Congress be told about immigration services problems, ''whistle-blower" protections for nuclear regulatory officials, and safeguards against political interference in federally funded research.
Legal scholars say the scope and aggression of Bush's assertions that he can bypass laws represent a concerted effort to expand his power at the expense of Congress, upsetting the balance between the branches of government. The Constitution is clear in assigning to Congress the power to write the laws and to the president a duty ''to take care that the laws be faithfully executed." Bush, however, has repeatedly declared that he does not need to ''execute" a law he believes is unconstitutional.
Today the American Bar Association reports that President Bush can't just ignore things he decides he doesn't like:
President Bush should stop issuing statements claiming the power to bypass parts of laws he has signed, an American Bar Association task force has unanimously concluded in a strongly worded 32-page report that is scheduled to be released today.The bipartisan panel of legal specialists includes a former FBI director, a former federal appeals court chief judge, former Republican officials, and leading scholars.
The panel said presidents do not have the authority to declare that sections of the bills they sign are unconstitutional, and that they thus need not be enforced as Congress wrote them.
Bush has used these so-called signing statements to challenge more than 750 laws that have been enacted since he took office, more than all previous presidents combined.
``The president's constitutional duty is to enforce laws he has signed into being, unless and until they are held unconstitutional by the Supreme Court," the report said. ``The Constitution is not what the president says it is."
Let's read that again:
``The Constitution is not what the president says it is."
But what about the oft-used excuse that it is impractical to veto important legislation over small measures when the bulk of the bill must be passed?
The ABA task force, however, said that the Constitution's limits on presidential power trump such pragmatic considerations.``The Founding Fathers contemplated bills with both attractive and unattractive features packaged in one bill with heterogeneous provisions," the panel wrote. ``The president nonetheless was expected to veto `urgent' bills that he believed were unconstitutional in part.
``If the urgency were genuine, Congress could either delete the offending provisions or override the president," the panel wrote in its report.
So, to review:
The President can not just ignore parts of laws he doesn't like because he wants to, or doesn't think they allow him adequete executive power.
In case he didn't realize, that's the point of this whole seperation-of-powers thing those crazy founding fathers had in mind when they wrote the darn thing all those years ago.
Monday Open Thread
Happy Manic Monday!
There are only 5 days left until The Democratic Reunion!
July 22, 2006
Weekend Open Thread
Have a great weekend.
July 21, 2006
Don't Act So Surprised, AP
An impromptu back rub that President George W. Bush gave German Chancellor Angela Merkel is now massaging millions of funnybones.A 5-second video and series of photographs recently posted on YouTube.com and various blogs show Bush surprising Merkel at the G-8 Summit by quickly rubbing the back of her neck and shoulders. The chancellor immediately hunches her shoulders, throws her arms up and grimaces, though she appears to smile as Bush walks away.
My favorite quote from the article, from Larry Sabato, professor of politics at the University of Virginia:
"A president ought to know enough not use an expletive in a fairly open meeting and almost any male alive today knows that you don't offer uninvited massages to any female, much less the Chancellor of Germany."
See the President acting like an obnoxious frat boy, as narrated by John Stewart, here.
The Democratic Reunion: Tallahassee, Florida
The Democratic Reunion is just 8 short days away. We know that lots of events are being planned, and everyone is geared up for an exciting weekend together.
In Florida, Democrats have a 33 events to chose from, with more being added every day! Rick Minor, chair of the Leon County Democratic Committee, sent me this update on what Democrats in Florida's Capital City will be doing on July 29th.
In conjunction with The Democratic Reunions taking place across the nation on July 29th, we’re finalizing our plans for a massive Voter Outreach Day in the Tallahassee, Florida area. Scores of us will walk neighborhoods, visit with voters, and distribute literature, while many others will participate in a volunteer phone bank from the county party headquarters in downtown Tallahassee.Organizations that are joining us include the Leon County Democratic Executive Committee, the Democratic Club of North Florida, the Leon County Young Democrats, and the Capital City Democratic Women’s Club. State and local candidates are also planning to participate, and have asked their own campaign volunteers to sign up.
Our Democratic Reunion voter outreach activities begin on Saturday, July 29 at 9:30 AM at the Leon County Democratic Party’s headquarters with breakfast and a brief training session. We’ll then split into various groups to either walk neighborhoods or make phone calls.
Floridians all over our state are tired of the Republican Party’s style of government, which serves at the beck and call of the highest bidder. Here in Florida’s Capital City we’re mobilized like never before because we want to take our country back!
Victory in 2006!
To attend the Leon County Reunion, RSVP here.
In Florida: find a Democratic Reunion event, here.
Anywhere else: find an event, here!
If you have a sneak preview of your plans for July 29th you can e-mail an update to: democraticreunion@dnc.org.
Calendar Changes?
This weekend the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee will meet to vote on possible changes to the presidential primary calendar.
Democrats are on track to jumble the states in the presidential primary calendar in response to growing criticism that the same predominantly white states hold many of the cards in early voting.And not even complaints from a former president and a half-dozen White House hopefuls can stop them.
Iowa would still go first in the new calendar, but a Western state - possibly Nevada or Arizona - would be wedged in before the New Hampshire primary. A Southern state - possibly Alabama or South Carolina - would follow New Hampshire.
The national Democrats' rules and bylaws committee expects to vote on the proposal this weekend.
...
Members of the Democratic committee plan to choose one state to hold a caucus between Iowa and New Hampshire and one state to hold a primary after New Hampshire. The Democratic National Committee will vote on the recommendation later this year.
Ten states plus the District of Columbia have applied: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, South Carolina and West Virginia.
The decision of the Rules and Bylaws Committee then must be approved by the full Democratic National Committee at the August meeting in Chicago.
98-0: A Voting Rights Act Victory
The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to extend the landmark Voting Rights Act for another 25 years, as lawmakers of both parties said federal supervision was still required to protect the ability of minorities and the disadvantaged to cast ballots in some regions of the country.“Despite the progress these states have made in upholding the right to vote, it is clear the problems still exist,” said Senator Barack Obama, Democrat of Illinois.
Approval of the measure, on a 98-to-0 vote, came on the day that President Bush made his first presidential visit to a convention of the N.A.A.C.P., where he promised to sign the bill.
The House passed the measure last week after a flurry of rebellion from several Southern lawmakers.
...
The legislation was named for several civil rights figures: Coretta Scott King, Fannie Lou Hamer and Rosa Parks.
As the Senate voted, Representative John Lewis, Democrat of Georgia, who was beaten in the 1965 voting rights march on Montgomery, Ala., came to the floor, and other lawmakers provided their memories of the era as they spoke in support of the legislation.
“I recall watching President Lyndon Baines Johnson sign the 1965 act just off the chamber of the Senate,” said Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts and one of three current senators serving when the law was originally passed. “We knew that day we had changed the country forever, and indeed we had.”
After House Republicans repeatedly stalled the measure, it is nice to see the Senate acting so quickly on such important legislation.
TGIF Open Thread
Happy Friday!
There are just 8 days left until The Democratic Reunion.
Where will you be July 29th?
July 20, 2006
More Training!
This week in Chicago, the DNC is hosting a voterfile training for state parties. I just got this update and a few photos from a too-shy-to-be-named Technology staffer who's on the ground...
Yesterday, the DNC kicked of its voterfile managers training session in Chicago. At this three-day training session, 46 states, and the District of Columbia will have the opportunity to receive training in everything from how to build a state voterfile, how to model and target, what is NCEC data, and how consumer information appended to the voterfile can be useful to their campaigns, along with many, many other topics. The days are packed – they begin each morning at 8:30, and sessions last until nearly 7 at night.This session is the latest in the DNC's commitment to the 50 state strategy. Because this training is so important, the DNC paid for airfare and lodging for one voterfile manager from each state so that all states would be able to attend this training. Because managing the voterfile is critical to any field operation, this training should have a direct effect on the results of the 2006 election.
Yesterday began with a session for new voterfile managers. This session, led by several experienced state party voterfile managers, provided a basic overview of what it means to be a voterfile manager, what are some of the challenges that are common across elections and states, and how the Democratic Party as a whole works with regards to coordinated campaigns and how that affects the voter file manager's job.
After lunch, the main sessions began. The first session was an update on the National Voter Database project, provided by Ben Self and Josh Hendler at the DNC. This provided details on not only what the project is, but also detailed the exact process that the DNC uses when updating and cleaning voterfile data. After this session, Lashannon Spencer of Arkansas and Katie Allen of the DNC led a session that provided advice on working coorperatively with the Field Staff of any campaign. This was followed by Gus Bickford, DNC member and voterfile expert, talking about working with voterfile vendors and then DNC employees Josh Hendler and Lisa Morton taught an introduction to SQL class.
Feedback from the first day seems to indicate that things are going well – even if trying to absorb all of the information is a little bit like drinking from a fire hose...
Photos below...
The Decider vs. The Constitution
The Washington Post points to a speech given by Rep. Franks last week that should have been given more attention.
Congress Is Meant For Oversight, Not Afterthought:
The problem, as Frank sees it, is that Bush believes in a "plebiscitary presidency" in which the election makes the chief executive the "decider" of national policy, to use one of Bush's favorite terms. "That is not a word you find often in American history," Frank said -- nor, he might have added, in the Constitution. "The president is a very influential and very powerful person. But he is not the single decider. He is the most important in a system of multiple sources of power."The most striking examples of Bush's expansive view of presidential power come in the national security area. Frank cited Bush's ignoring the congressional mandate that domestic surveillance programs be conducted only under the supervision of a specially appointed court -- a policy belatedly and only partially corrected by the agreement announced last week between the White House and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter.
Frank also pointed to the after-the-fact offer of a briefing from the Treasury Department on the secret monitoring of the financial transactions of people with ties to suspected terrorists. Treasury offered Frank and others the briefing "as a courtesy" only after it learned that the New York Times and others were about to report on the program. As Frank said: "That sums it up. The process of briefing members of Congress is supposed to be part of the constitutional mandate for collaboration. It does not come from Miss Manners; it comes from the Constitution."
From the speech:
So whether it is signing statements or misuse of the authorization of use of force in Afghanistan, or refusal to talk to Members of Congress on things, or exploiting the fact that it is very hard to get judicial decisions, all of these things come together in a pattern. That is why I say, I acknowledge now that when I told friends over these past couple of years that we should just go policy issue by policy issue and not talk about the overall framework of governance, I was wrong.It is now clear to me there is a pattern to this administration's actions, and it is one that rejects not democracy, but the democracy of checks and balances and participation and cooperation and collaboration that we have long known; and it substitutes the democracy of the plebiscite, the democracy of the strong man who gets elected and is then allowed to go forward without interference. And I think that is wrong both from a philosophical standpoint and also from a practical standpoint.
I think the insistence of this administration to doing it by themselves and by rejecting efforts to draw in other sectors of this society weakens America and doesn't strengthen it, that it makes things look more controversial than they need to be.
You can read the full text of Rep. Franks remarks, here.
Stem Cell Community Responds to Veto
What had Bush figured out that no one in the scientific community could see then and remains unable to see now?...
With his veto the president has now reaffirmed a policy that never made any sense, garnered no scientific support to speak of, was abandoned by both houses of Congress and the leaders of his own party and, most importantly, got no traction with those most in need of the benefits of the research — patients and their families.
The president has now told doctors, researchers and patients to drop dead.
(h/t to Markos, who pulls a paragraph from this for a post on DailyKos; the full article is worth a read.)
Thousands have signed on in support of expanding federally funded research to find cures now. Add your voice.
What Took Him So Long?
For five years in a row, President Bush has declined invitations to address the annual NAACP convention. This year, with the Senate poised to renew the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Bush said yes.The White House says Bush wants to address the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on Thursday to show his commitment to civil rights.
''The president has had five years to prepare for this speech,'' Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, past chairman of the Congressional Black Democratic Caucus, said Wednesday. ''I hope that this time, he makes it worth the wait.''
Democrats have called on Bush to use his appearance to renew the Voting Rights Act. ''He could sign it right here on this stage,'' Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., told the NAACP on Wednesday, eliciting cheers from the audience.
...
Every president for the past several decades has spoken to the Baltimore-based group. Until now, Bush, who received 11 percent of the black vote in 2004, had been the exception. His appearance comes in a critical midterm election year, when Republicans fear losing control of Congress.
In light of the President's decision to finally speak to the members of this important organization, the DNC has prepared a list of 6 questions for the President, one for every year he has ignored the NAACP.
1. If the President is committed to civil rights, what took the President so long to address one of the nation's preeminent civil rights organizations?2. Why has President Bush failed to provide real leadership on voting rights issues or use his political capital to get the Republican Congress to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act, stopping Republicans across the country from pushing discriminatory voter ID laws, and fully funding Help America Vote Act reforms?
3. Why has President Bush slashed small business loan programs that have been crucial for African American-owned businesses?
4. Why is it that, even though the number of African Americans who lack health insurance has climbed to more than seven million, President Bush has slashed funding for Medicare and Medicaid and forced through a prescription drug plan that raises prices for low income seniors?
5. If average household income for African American families has fallen by more than $2,000 and more African Americans are living in poverty, why have President Bush's budgets shortchanged college opportunities and gutted job training programs?
6. If African American seniors and children rely on Social Security at a rate disproportionately higher than the rest of the population, why is President Bush promoting a Social Security privatization scheme that would slash benefits for African American seniors and make it harder for survivors to receive benefits?
Yesterday at a press conference Tony Snow, the President's Press Secretary, said he was speaking with the group, "because he wants to." So by that logic, he has declined invitations for the past six years because he did not "want to" spend his time addressing the group.
Just for giggles, it's worth noting that President Bush is the first United States President in 80 years to go an entire term without speaking to the NAACP.
Oh Really?
From The Hill:
Speaking at a function for interns working on Capitol Hill later in the day, [GOP Majority Leader] Boehner had an interesting response to a question about the Republican Party’s agenda: “We have no agenda. Our Republican party believes in less government, lower taxes and lower spending. It’s pretty simple, it’s what holds us together.”
You could have fooled me.
I guess he means less government, except for when it comes to the private lives of Americans and governing our personal decisions, from who we marry to what we do with our doctors.
I guess he means lower taxes for the richest of the rich who benefit from Republican tax cuts.
And I guess he means lower spending when you discount the billions we are spending on the war in Iraq or pork-filled appropriation bills with bridges to no where or energy bills that give billions to Big Oil.
The Republicans do have an agenda, one that serves their best interests, and not the best interests of America.
Thursday Open Thread
Good Morning!
There are 9 days left until The Democratic Reunion!
Ack! Have you signed up for an event yet!?!?
July 19, 2006
What The President Did Today
(Governor Dean sent the following e-mail to urge Democrats across the country to speak out about their support for sound science and an expansion of federally funded stem cell research.)
Dear Fellow Democrat,
Today George Bush chose political posturing over human life, denying hope to millions of Americans, their families and loved ones who are affected by debilitating diseases.
He used his first-ever veto to stop the discovery of new cures for diseases like juvenile diabetes, leukemia, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and many others. More than 70% of Americans from every walk of life -- whether in the faith community, the science lab, the hospital or at the bedside of a sick relative -- and majorities in both chambers of Congress disagree, but that didn't stop him.
The bill he vetoed wasn't a sweeping change -- it was a small, practical measure that would have made a big difference for medical research based on sound science. But the consequences are sweeping: the proposed law would have allowed research on excess embryos generated during processes like fertility treatments -- embryos that would otherwise simply be discarded.
Now is the time to speak out. Send a message to your representatives letting them know that you support cure discovery now:
http://www.democrats.org/curediscovery
If George Bush truly believed his rhetoric about stem cells, he would do something about the processes that create the excess embryos in the first place. But he won't. They will continue to go unused (his spokesman limply calls it a "tragedy"), and cures will continue to be beyond our reach.
Bush may not be willing to choose cure discovery over his right-wing base, but the vast majority of Americans support cure research.
Even after his veto, Democrats in Congress will continue to keep the pressure on to get more votes. If Republicans refuse to join the cause and override Bush's veto, it will have to be decided at the ballot box in November. Democrats will continue to fight to keep this hope for the discovery of new cures alive.
The Congress and the rest of the country are paying attention right now, and we have to seize this moment to build the coalition of support for cure discovery. Please add your name to the list of supporters and we'll send your message to your representatives:
http://www.democrats.org/curediscovery
As a medical doctor I'm offended at the political meddling in potentially life-saving research. All of our families could be touched by hope found through stem cell research: from juvenile diabetes to Alzheimer's, it offers the opportunity for new cures. Yet this important research has been dwindling because of restrictions put in place by Bush five years ago.
That's half a decade we have lost. How much longer will those suffering and their families have to wait?
People can disagree in good faith on this issue, but Bush's extraordinary action doesn't meet that threshold -- it smacks of political calculation. The opportunity to save lives of people with debilitating diseases, and to reduce suffering for them and their families, requires that a president respect the will of the people and the Congress.
Join the cause supporting cure discovery:
http://www.democrats.org/curediscovery
History will judge this veto as a sad political calculation.
Just a few votes stand in the way. With your support we'll get them -- either now, or in the new Democratic Congress you elect in November.
When we do, we will restore hope through life-saving research and cure discovery.
Thank you.
Governor Howard Dean, M.D.
"With One Stroke of His Pen"
Simply put:
"With one stroke of his pen, President Bush has once again denied hope to millions of Americans and their families who suffer from Diabetes, spinal cord injuries and Alzheimer's. Republicans in Congress must now show their commitment to hope and sound science by overriding the President's veto of this critical, life-saving, bi-partisan bill. Democrats are committed to providing millions of Americans with the hope of new cures and treatments that stem cell research offers." - Governor Howard Dean
St. Louis or BUST!
Roadtripping their way to CDA, interns and staff leave for St. Louis!
Today we say "Bon Voyage" to a slew of staffers and interns who are on their way to St. Louis, Missouri for the College Democrats Convention.
More on the Convention, here.
Mid-Day Open Thread
- The Washington Post has a great timeline, which highlights major events in the stem cell debate.
- Salon recounts the political demise of former Christian Coalition leader, Abramoff crony and failed LG candidate, Ralph Reed.
- The Bush Administration has given billions to faith-based groups to provide social services, but has not done the work to make sure they don't discriminate against people of different faiths.
- The "ghetto tax" - one reason why the poor keep getting poorer in an economy that helps only the richest of the rich.
- NDN released the results of their poll of hispanic voters. Markos and Bowers break it down.
Denying America Hope
The stem cell debate is the difference between sound science and hardcore ideology. Yesterday Governor Dean said,
"If the President vetoes this bill, he will once again be ignoring sound science and denying hope to millions of Americans and their families."
Millions of Americans, Republicans and Democrats alike, who overwhelmingly support expanding federal funding for this research. From Reuters:
Debi Martin is a Christian, a Republican and opposes abortion but she is ready to vote against the party in November if President George W. Bush and congressional Republicans limit stem cell research."This is a vote breaker for me," said the Cincinnati mother. "I tell people I'm becoming a Republi-crat at this point -- because there are just things wrong in the Republican Party where people's voices are not being heard anymore."
The passage on Tuesday of a Senate bill to fund embryonic stem cell research -- and a presidential veto expected on Wednesday killing the legislation -- hits very close to home for Martin. Her 9-year-old daughter, Jessi, has diabetes and they both hope stem cell research can some day find a cure.
Martin also feels strongly about the use of embryonic stem cells for research because Jessi was conceived by in vitro fertilization -- and Martin and her husband decided years ago to discard nine unused embryos because she could not have another child.
"I would give anything if I could have had those nine cells to give to have a cure for my baby now," she said. "And I think the worst sin of all, and I am a very religious person, I am pro-life, is to look a miracle from God in the face and throw it away."
Over at DailyKos, science blogger DarkSyde explains why embryonic stem cell (ESC), and not only adult stem cell (ASC) research is critical to finding these cures:
Stem Cell research offers the promise of regrowing damaged spinal cords and for that matter, almost any other diseased tissue. Maybe even entire organs, specifically tailored for the patient, could be produced with applications that flow from stem cell research. The long term possibilities are dazzling; new limbs for amputees; new hearts or livers to replace those destroyed by disease; new retinas or even whole new eyes for the blind; brand new skin, scar-free, for burn victims. The potential breakthroughs dwarf any advance in medicine since the development of general surgery or antibiotics.We do not know if these dream treatments will become a reality. What's critical to understand is that to develop any of them, we need government funded research into both ASC and ESC. Scientific discovery and innovation is serendipitous. We need to learn how to develop and program stem cells and to do that, a whole array of physiological questions must be answered about how to turn them on and off to become specific tissues and avoid rejection. ASC and ESC research provides that insight, the two work hand in hand. And the end product in many cases will almost certainly rely on research done on both types.
And if you had any question that the President's expected veto is anything but another way to cater to an ultra-conservative minority:
ESC lines come from material stored at fertility clinics which is already slated for destruction. Preventing these blastocysts from being used for research won't 'save' them. It simply means they'll be disposed of in a medical waste facility instead of being used to find cures for disease. The only reason to restrict federal approval of new lines is to appeal to a minority of extremist social conservatives and it comes at the cost of possibly delaying or denying treatment--and in some cases life itself--to millions of people.
Just a reminder, this is the roll call from the Senate, where you can find out how your Senator voted.
With Friends Like These...
It's no wonder that the Republicans in Congress, and in the Administration, are so keen on throwing red meat to their conservative base to try and placate them. They just figured out that President Bush is a complete and utter foreign policy failure and they are not happy:
At a moment when his conservative coalition is already under strain over domestic policy, President Bush is facing a new and swiftly building backlash on the right over his handling of foreign affairs.Conservative intellectuals and commentators who once lauded Bush for what they saw as a willingness to aggressively confront threats and advance U.S. interests said in interviews that they perceive timidity and confusion about long-standing problems including Iran and North Korea, as well as urgent new ones such as the latest crisis between Israel and Hezbollah.
"It is Topic A of every single conversation," said Danielle Pletka, vice president for foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank that has had strong influence in staffing the administration and shaping its ideas. "I don't have a friend in the administration, on Capitol Hill or any part of the conservative foreign policy establishment who is not beside themselves with fury at the administration."
FL-CFO: Introducing Alex Sink
Alex Sink is running for Cheif Financial Officer in Florida. She is the only female statewide candidate, and she seems to be doing just fine among the boys:
The only woman running statewide for a state government office in Florida proved this week that she can compete with the ol' boys club.Perhaps she's fooling macho donors with a no-nonsense name like Alex Sink.
The Democratic candidate for chief financial officer raked in more than half a million dollars in the past three months, more than her male Republican rivals combined.
I don't think she's trying to "fool" macho donors. Her supporters are proud to have a strong female on the ticket:
Marty Munroe, a sales rep and gung-ho Sink supporter, was wearing a gold lapel pin in the shape of a pair of high heels. It's the Sink crowd's way of underscoring the fact that "Alex" is a she -- something a lot of voters don't yet realize. "We're trying to tell people that Alex is a female," Monroe said. "Women need to write checks. We need to pump some power into the system."
For more on Alex, check out her website.
FL-SEN: Priceless
Departing Katherine Harris staffer, in an e-mail to her friends:
Value of "George Harris Legacy Loan" to Senate campaign: $10 millionValue of "refurbishments" to Capitol Hill residence: $100,000
Value of Handing in my Resignation Letter: Priceless
Tim had some great coverage of the revolving door that is the Harris campaign here, here and here.
Immaturity and Insularity
My #1 reason for subscribing to The New York Times' Select Service, Maureen Dowd:
The president has enshrined his immaturity and insularity, turning every environment he inhabits — no matter how decorous or serious — into a comfortable frat house.No matter what the trappings or the ceremonies require of the leader of the free world, he brings the same DKE bearing and cadences, the same insouciance and smart-alecky attitude, the same simplistic approach — swearing, swaggering, talking to Tony Blair with his mouth full of buttered roll, and giving a startled Angela Merkel an impromptu shoulder rub. He can make even a global summit meeting seem like a kegger.
Catching W. off-guard, the really weird thing is his sense of victimization. He’s strangely resentful about the actual core of his job. Even after the debacles of Iraq and Katrina, he continues to treat the presidency as a colossal interference with his desire to mountain bike and clear brush.
In snippets of overheard conversation, Mr. Bush says he has not bothered to prepare any closing remarks and grouses about having to listen to other world leaders talk too long. What did he think being president was about?
Mark your caldendars, there are only 915 days left.
More: The open-mic debacle and his groping of another world leader.
Wednesday Open Thread
Good Morning!
There are 10 days left until The Democratic Reunion.
July 18, 2006
Dear Mr. President
The following is the text of a letter sent to the President by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid urging President Bush to meet with experts and listen to what supporters of H.B. 810 have to say before using his first veto:
Dear President Bush:The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (H.R. 810) is historic legislation that provides our government the opportunity to give hope to the millions of Americans across the country suffering from debilitating diseases. We are deeply troubled by reports that you oppose and intend to veto this legislation and are writing to respectfully request the opportunity to meet with you and representatives of the research, religious, and patient communities to allow you the opportunity to hear all the arguments in favor of it.
H.R. 810 carries with it wide bipartisan support in Congress, the support of an overwhelming majority of the American people, and the endorsement of major medical and scientific associations, research universities and institutions, and dozens of patient advocacy organizations. Before you commit to exercising your first presidential veto on legislation with such widespread support and so many far-reaching benefits, we hope that you would fully consider the views of the many supporters of this bill.
As you know, the current rules governing embryonic stem cell research have resulted in a patchwork of regulations across the country, which simultaneously impedes the development of a clear ethical standard for such research and prevents scientists from fully providing the benefits it could offer to the American people. Enactment of H.R. 810 would solve both problems, tightening ethical rules governing stem cell research even beyond your current policy and greatly expanding scientists’ access to the new, healthy, uncontaminated stem cell lines that offer so much promise for Americans suffering from debilitating diseases and conditions.
While two other related bills (S. 2754 and S. 3504) purport to affect this research, for Americans waiting on the hope new treatments and cures from embryonic stem cell research, there is simply no alternative for HR 810. Of the legislation before you, H.R. 810 offers the only opportunity for you to clear the way for research that could lead to treatments and cures for a wide range of debilitating disease and conditions.
We ask you to take this opportunity to fully weigh the merits of this legislation. In the interest of making a fully informed decision on an issue of such importance to millions of Americans, we strongly urge that you convene this meeting before you take any further action.
Sincerely,
Nancy Pelosi
House Democratic LeaderHarry Reid
Senate Democratic Leader
50-State Strategy: Go West!
Roll Call has an article talking about how the 50-State Strategy is playing out in the Western states.
In Wyoming:
In 2004, Mike Gierau and other Wyoming Democratic leaders wanted to boost the Kerry-Edwards ticket's local profile by securing some bumper stickers. But helping local Democrats in a state that the ticket was certain to lose in a landslide was not exactly the first priority of either the national party or the presidential campaign. So Gierau, now the state party chairman, was reduced to ordering the items from an online store.What a difference two years - and a new Democratic National Committee chairman, Howard Dean - can make.
As part of Dean's strategy to build up the Democratic Party infrastructure in all 50 states, the DNC has committed $120,000 to Wyoming over two years - enough to hire a field director and a communications director, rather than just an executive director, as in the past.
The DNC also donated $5,000 to jump-start the party's grass-roots organization, said party executive director Kyle DeBeer. The party plans to have teams of 25 volunteers deployed in 57 key precincts on Election Day.
"I don't see that as too much money to create a presence and rattle the boat and win some more seats" in the Republican-dominated Legislature, said Democratic state Rep. Pete Jorgensen, who also serves as a Democratic national committeeman. Jorgensen argued that House challenger Gary Trauner might be able to knock off Rep. Barbara Cubin (R) this fall and that Democrats may be able to defeat some of the weaker Republican legislators. If so, he said, "that would be money well spent."
The idea behind Dean's 50-state strategy is to rebuild the Democratic Party, even in long-forsaken areas, from the ground up. Fundamentally, it is a long-term plan for Democratic revival.
...
"We understand the situation in swing seats, and that's important, but if we don't stand up in places like Wyoming, it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy - we'll always stay where we are," Gierau said. Since the money was allocated, "we've gotten more candidates running and more quality candidates for state legislative seats. We've got a contested primary for county treasurer in Teton County, Wyo. - an office we had not filed for in 30 years."
Gierau and other Democrats in the Mountain West are realistic about their chances.
In Wyoming, for instance, rather than unrealistically shooting for a legislative takeover, Gierau and Jorgensen talk of flipping a couple legislative seats, which would enable Democrats and moderate Republicans to prevent GOP leaders from overriding a Freudenthal veto.
In Montana:
In 2004 and 2002, for instance, Democrats Brian Schweitzer and Dave Freudenthal won the governorships of Montana and Wyoming, respectively, and the party won control of the Montana House and Senate two years ago. This year, Sen Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) is in a fight for his political life....
To many party insiders, such developments suggest that the Mountain West could be one of the most important growth areas for Democrats in the coming years.
"The attention and financial help has created a historic shift in most of the states of the Rocky Mountain West," said former Rep. Pat Williams (D-Mont.). "One party, the Republicans, thought they could win the Rockies if they tilted their Stetson just so, and my party believes that if you come out to [the ski resort area of] Sun Valley once every four years, you'll win the west. Dean has seen it otherwise."
In Missoula, Mont., state House Democratic Leader Dave Wanzenried said in lightly populated regions, even a little money "can make a difference in legislative races and county elections." Winning such races builds up a farm team for higher office, he added - a crucial factor in rebuilding the party over the medium- and long term. The Dean money, he said, is "absolutely a good thing."
...
The DNC funds either directly or indirectly have aided Democrat Jon Tester, who's challenging Burns, Montana's three-term Republican Senator, said Chuck Denowh, the executive director of the Montana Republican Party.
"I think it will have a major impact here, and I worry about that money, as well as 527 committee money," he said. Measured by ad rates and cost of living, "we're a 'cheap' state, and it doesn't take much to make a difference."
In Idaho:
Though Idaho lags well behind Montana in evidence of a Democratic resurgence, Democrats are targeting an open House seat in which the GOP nominee, Bill Sali, won a divisive primary with just 26 percent of the vote. And in the gubernatorial race, Democratic newspaper publisher Jerry Brady is making a second aggressive run, squaring off against Rep. Butch Otter (R).Money from the DNC "has made a world of difference," said former Rep. Richard Stallings, now the state Democratic Party chairman in Idaho. "It has essentially tripled my staff, from two to six. For years, we were unable to respond to every stupid thing the other side said about us. Now, I've got a full-time press person, a very good former reporter, plus two community organizers, one for the north and one for the south, and a fundraiser. It couldn't have come at a more opportune time."
In some cases, said Corey Taule of the Idaho Falls Post-Register, local Democratic Web sites are now much better than those of their GOP counterparts.
"The Dean money has inspired people to work harder, because they know the party has the assets to back us up," added John McGimpsey, who's running for the Legislature from an Idaho Falls-area district. "Having two field coordinators is incredibly helpful in getting candidates information and teaching us how to use the databases and the other infrastructure."
Former Idaho state Rep. Jim Hansen (D), who's challenging Rep. Mike Simpson (R), added that "there's been a good grass-roots organization on the ground for years, but it hasn't been reinforced until now. It's been ignored by the national party."
In a nutshell - this is what the 50-State Strategy looks like on the ground. When you take these words:
The Democratic Party is committed to winning elections at every level in every region of the country, and we're getting started right now with a massive effort to fund organizers on the ground in every state.The ultimate goal? An active, effective group of Democrats organized in every single precinct in the country.
And then turn them into a reality. You get hundreds of trained organizers and volunteers working side by side to move their precincts, towns, counties, states and country forward.
More on Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.
You take the lead
(DNC Executive Director Tom McMahon sent the following email to folks to remind them to signup for the Democratic Reunion)
Dear Fellow Democrat,
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
Across the country on July 29th, people will be coming together as part of the Democratic Reunion, a series of events that will kick off the last 100 days until Election Day.
What will you be doing?
It's up to you. If you host your own Democratic Reunion event, you can make it a social event, a neighborhood canvass, or an outing to volunteer for a local candidate. The only requirement is that you bring people together to unite around our common mission of building our party and winning this November. And if you set up your event by Friday, we'll make sure you have everything you need to make it a success.
Planning your own event is easy, and thousands of people have done it using our online events center. Just plug in the details of your event and the online tools will help you send invitations and track your RSVPs.
You can get started right here:
http://www.democrats.org/thedemocraticreunion/create
Not ready to host your own event? There are over 500 Democratic Reunion events already planned across the country. Chances are there's one near you.
Find a Democratic Reunion event in your area:
http://www.democrats.org/thedemocraticreunion/find
The Democratic Reunion is our next big step as we build our party locally and organize to win this November and for years to come, and I know that I don't have to tell you what's at stake. We need your help to ensure Democratic victories up and down the ballot, all across the country.
Our party is about people, and our organization starts with you. Now's the time to take the lead in your community.
Thank you,
Tom
Tom McMahon
Executive Director
Democratic National Committee
On Women and FMA: Rep. Conyers Speaks Out
Today, while the Senate is expected to pass legislation that would offer hope to millions of Americans, the Republican controlled House of Representatives will consider the Federal Marriage Amendment, an act which has already failed in the Senate, but which provides good political fodder for their extreme right-wing base.
Rep. Conyers is speaking out against the amendment, which would not only write discrimination into our constitution, but would also endanger American women:
As the Republican party attempts to cater to its base by pushing its so-called "Values Agenda" - including bills that cover abortion, cloning, religious freedom - it is once again ginning up the crusade to pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages. But in the process, Republicans are leading an assault on victims of domestic violence and making it easier for batterers to go free.Today, the House will vote on the Federal Marriage Amendment. The purpose of this constitutional amendment is to marginalize groups of citizens while energizing Republican votes this November. The FMA provides not only that any marriage must be between one man and one woman but also prohibits the federal and all state governments from conferring the legal incidents of marriage on any other type of union.
Although the marriage debate has centered around same-sex marriages, one enormous consequence of the constitutional amendment that is not well-publicized is the effect it would have on Federal and state domestic violence laws. In January, Congress passed and the President signed into law the Violence Against Women Act of 2005 (VAWA). Among other things, this Act criminalizes acts of interstate domestic violence and funds domestic violence programs nationwide.
In addition to VAWA, every state has domestic violence laws, some of which make it a crime to commit an act of violence against a spouse, a former spouse, a person "living as a spouse," or a person "similarly situated to a spouse." "Living as a spouse" and "similarly situated to a spouse" are almost uniformly interpreted to include live-in boyfriends and girlfriends, as the laws recognize that it is the relationship - not legal status of the couple - that merits a more severe crime being charged. The same holds true for state laws providing for civil protection orders - many allow domestic partners, whether married or not, to seek a protection order in the face of threatened violence.
These protections for victims of domestic violence that VAWA and the states have provided will be placed in jeopardy if the Republicans succeed in passing the Federal Marriage Amendment.
Read his full post here.
Listen Up: Claire McCaskill on Stem Cell Science
This week Democratic nominee for Senate from Missouri, Claire McCaskill, delivered the Democratic Radio Address:
This stem cell legislation will hold up the light of hope for those who suffer and their families. And, at the same time it tightens ethical guidelines for this important work. No wonder this proposal has the support of most Americans and many elected officials of both parties.
Listen to the full address here.
Sound Science: The Stem Cell Debate
This afternoon the Senate will likely pass H.R. 810, a bill whose passage would mean new hope for millions of Americans who suffer from debilitating diseases and who understand the possibilities that expanded stem cell research has to offer.
From The Washington Post:
The legislation in question, which the House has passed, would allow federal funding for research on stem cell lines derived from frozen embryos that are stored at fertility clinics and slated for destruction. The president's policy allows for federal funding of research only on stem cell lines that existed as of Aug. 9, 2001, the date he announced his policy. Bush said such a policy was reasonable because additional embryos would not have to be destroyed to create stem cells.
Since President Bush signed strict restrictions into law that limited the stem cells available for study the scientific community has been hindered:
Although the so-called ``presidential lines'' continue to grow and be distributed, some researchers say the number of government-approved cell lines is inadequate.``We're still going to be needing new cell lines under new conditions all the time in order to better understand what the properties of these cells are,'' says Kevin Eggan, a Harvard researcher, who spoke at a July 1 press conference at the International Society for Stem Cell Research meeting in Toronto.
According to scientists, including 80 Nobel Laureates, embryonic stem cell research has the potential to unlock the doors to treatments and cures to numerous diseases, including diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, Lou Gehrig's disease, multiple sclerosis, cancer, and spinal cord injuries.
In 2001, before Bush signed restrictions into law, they wrote to the President:
"Some have suggested that adult stem cells may be sufficient to pursue all treatments for human disease. It is premature to conclude that adult stem cells have the same potential as embryonic stem cells -- and that potential will almost disease to disease. Current evidence suggests that adult stem cells have markedly restricted differentiation potential. Therefore, for disorders that prove not to be treatable with adult stem cells, impeding human pluripotent stem cell research risks unnecessary delay for millions of patients who may die or endure needless suffering while the effectiveness of adult stem cells is evaluated."
In addition, 591 Organizations - Scientific Societies, Research Universities, Health Organizations, Patient Advocacy Groups, and Others - wrote to Members of the Senate today saying that Only H.R. 810, which provides for funding of embryonic stem cells, will advance stem cell research.
"Of the bills being considered simultaneously, only H.R. 810 will move stem cell research forward in this country."
Finally, nearly three-quarters of Americans support embryonic stem cell research. A national poll, conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation, found that 72 percent of Americans support embryonic stem cell research, up from 68 percent in 2005, and 70 percent want the Senate to pass a bill providing federal funding.
Despite this wide-spread support, despite the possibilities and the hope this research offers, the President is expected to veto this legislation. He will veto potentially life-saving legislation to please a minority of the extremely conservative religious right-wing of the Republican party. He will veto legislation that offers hope to millions; he will put politics before science, before the welfare of the American people.
In addition to the majority of Americans who support federally funded research, some of the prominent groups in support of this bill are:
Alzheimer's Association
American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Diabetes Association
American Society for Reproductive Medicine
Association of American Medical Colleges
Biotechnology Industry Association
Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation
National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, National Organization for Women
National Women's Political Caucus
The bill is opposed by:
Christian Coalition
Concerned Women for America
National Right to Life Committee
Traditional Values Coalition
U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Family Research Council
Compare those two lists and you see a stark contrast between sound science and pure ideology. The President should not use his first veto to block the pursuit of science, but it's likely that he will. The House and the Senate will have done the right thing with the passage of this bill, which puts the health of Americans, and the health of their families, first. In contrast, the President will have failed us again, by pushing aside facts and figures in favor of an extreme ideology which leaves millions of Americans and their families behind.
Will Bush Speak at the NAACP Convention?
Maybe. However, if he does, it won't mean that the President has undergone a fundamental shift in his thinking.
Even for some Republicans, the notion was hard to take at face value: the Republican Party would make an explicit play for black votes, a strike at the Democratic base and a part of a larger White House plan to achieve long-term Republican dominance....
But as Mr. Bush is tentatively scheduled to speak at the N.A.A.C.P. convention in Washington this week - after five years of declining to appear before an organization with which he has had tense relations - it seems fair to say that whatever the motivation, the effort has faltered.
Yesterday's Washington Post article talks more about Bush not attending:
Bush has avoided the conventions since taking office in 2001, making him the first sitting president in decades not to have spoken to the group. His schedule for Wednesday lists an event with the notation "TBA," or "to be announced."
Bush may speak, but it's unlikely his attitude will change. He was the first President in 80 years to not speak before the convention for a full term in office. What does that say about his concern for issues that affect African Americans?
Tuesday Open Thread
Good Morning!
There are 11 days left until The Democratic Reunion!
Sign up for an event today!!!
July 17, 2006
"Dean's List": A Look at the 50-State Strategy
US News and World Report on The 50-State Strategy:
Here's what the front line of Howard Dean's revolution looks like: two dozen senior citizens seated inside this gated community's clubhouse listening intently as operatives from the state Democratic Party pitch them on becoming precinct captains. A rep named Jay Parmley approaches an oversize easel and flips to a page showing John Kerry's share of the 2004 presidential vote here in Hancock County. "28%" is scrawled in magic marker. "Kind of scary," Parmley says.But he flips the page to show former Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove's share of the vote here in his unsuccessful 2003 re-election bid: "43%." The discrepancy, Parmley explains, shows that the better Mississippians know a Democrat, the more likely they are to vote for him. Which is why he's here recruiting precinct captains. If Democrats can define themselves on a "neighbor to neighbor" basis, Parmley says, their candidates can win again, even here, in a red county in a red state.
If that doesn't sound revolutionary, consider this: Mississippi's Democratic Party hasn't trained precinct captains for more than a decade. Until recently, the state party consisted of a single full-time staffer. In 2004, the Democratic National Committee invested so little here that activists shelled out thousands of their own dollars to print up Kerry yard signs. That all changed last summer, when newly elected DNC Chairman Howard Dean began rolling out his "50-State Strategy," a multimillion-dollar program to rebuild the Democratic Party from the ground up. Over the past year, the DNC has hired and trained four staffers for virtually every state party in the nation--nearly 200 workers in all--to be field organizers, press secretaries, and technology specialists, even in places where the party hasn't been competitive for decades. "It's a huge shift," Dean tells U.S. News. "Since 1968, campaigns have been about TV and candidates, which works for 10 months out of the four-year cycle. With party structure on the ground, you campaign for four years."
Read the full article...
Consider this: Number of organizers trained: 223 and counting.
Those organizers then go onto train leaders in their communities, and those leaders turn around and train volunteers. Then what you have is a roster of activists ready get Democrats elected.
Building a strong ground game is not easy, and not a short-term project. It takes dedication, and it takes persistence. A lot of the time you ask people to volunteer and they look at you as if you have two heads. But the rest of the time you find Democrats who, like you, want to see a change. You find Democrats who, like you, want to make that change happen.
Once you find them, and train them, you give them the tools they need to be successful: Access to materials, access to state leadership, access to a list of their neighbors to contact. Every time we take one of these steps we are one step closer to a Democratic majority, not just in Congress, but at every level of government.
Like Governor Dean has said, it's hard work and we have to get up and be smarter, tougher and more persistent every single day. But that is what you see happening across the country with the 50-State Strategy.
You see states like Nebraska and Wyoming making huge inroads to turning their "red" counties "blue". You see successes like those we had in 2005 in New Jersey and Virginia. And you see energy, passion and purpose in Democrats who are working together to make these things possible.
Our next big step together, The Democratic Reunion is a national organizing day where Democrats from sea to shining sea will get together and to kick-off the 100 Days before the Midterm Elections!
Find an event or plan your own!
Illinois Double-talk
The double-talk keeps on coming from GOP candidate for IL-Governor, Treasurer Topinka.
Last week it was over money for her campaign coffers as she cozied up to the President, this week it's over money for America's veterans.
From TopinkaWatch.com:
Topinka: “I think we need to do something that’s substantive…you have to do more than go to funerals.”
Except she doesn't actually support anything "substantive":
Treasurer Topinka supports giving state employees a raise, which would cost taxpayers $33 million, yet says that Veterans Care, Governor Blagojevich’s new program that gives vulnerable Illinois veterans access to affordable health care is too expensive. Veterans Care will cost the state $6 million this year.
See the newest in a series of internet ads, here.
Around the Blogosphere...
Some of my favorite posts of the day:
- MyDD interviews Democratic Senate candidate Claire McCaskill.
- Markos beats me to the punch, and writes about Gary Trauner working to take back Wyoming.
- Swing State Project covers New Hampshire's Paul Hodes.
- Burnt Orange Report talks about redrawing the Texas map in light of the Supreme Court's decision.
Let's Play Oddball
To anyone who ever said, “I wouldn’t vote for that bum for a million bucks,” Arizona may be calling your bluff.A proposal to award $1 million in every general election to one lucky resident, chosen by lottery, simply for voting — no matter for whom — has qualified for the November ballot.
Mark Osterloh, a political gadfly who is behind the initiative, the Arizona Voter Reward Act, is promoting it with the slogan, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Vote!” He collected 185,902 signatures of registered voters, far more than the 122,612 required, and last week the secretary of state certified the measure for the ballot this fall.
The idea is definitely...ummm...creative, but it's not exactly popular:
Editorial writers, bloggers and others have panned the idea as bribery and say it may draw people simply trying to cash in without studying candidates or issues.“Bribing people to vote is a superficial approach that will have no beneficial outcome to the process, except to make some people feel good that the turnout numbers are higher,” said an editorial in The Yuma Sun. “But higher numbers do not necessarily mean a better outcome.”
And it might even be illegal:
Passage of the initiative would supersede a state law barring any exchange of a vote for money, legal experts agreed, but whether it would get around similar federal laws was a matter of debate.One federal statute calls for fines or imprisonment of up to one year to anyone who “makes or offers to make an expenditure to any person, either to vote or withhold his vote, or to vote for or against any candidate; and whoever solicits, accepts, or receives any such expenditure in consideration of his vote or the withholding of his vote.”
“It’s clearly illegal,” said Jack Chin, a professor at the University of Arizona law school who has studied voting rights issues.
“This is cute and clever, but even though it responds to a real problem, it does so in a way that threatens to degrade the process,” Mr. Chin said.
Here is my simple suggestion for upping voter turnout - do it with a friend. If you are a committed voter, share the love. Take responsibility for getting your friends and family to their polling place. Make voting something you celebrate instead of something you fit into your schedule.
Share you ideas in the comments.
There's Something Happening Here...
In 2004, young people voted in the highest percentage they had since 1992, and in the third-highest percentage in the nine presidential elections since a constitutional amendment in 1971 lowered the voting age to 18.In 2005, overall voter turnout declined in the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, except for the student-dense precincts with big voter turnout projects...
...In the 2004 presidential election, when the overall electorate showed a four-percentage-point increase in turnout from 2000, the turnout rate among people ages 18 to 24 increased by 11 points -- to 47 percent from 36 percent.
It's true, and just another aspect of the 50-State Strategy, which not only makes sure Democrats are working everywhere, but that we are talking to everyone, young and old, about the issues that matter to them.
...Young people believe Democrats are better equipped to handle their top concerns -- gas prices, education and the economy -- by a wide margin.
And they aren't wrong. Democrats offer real solutions to the issues that young voters care about and we are working to reach out and talk with young voters every day as part of our on-going commitment to building a strong national Party.
At the Democratic National Committee, youth outreach has become a part of Chairman Howard Dean's 50-state strategy of investing in the party for 2006 and beyond. "With the new changes in the DNC, a lot of people woke up to the fact that we were the only age demographic that Kerry won," said Grant Woodard, 22, the president of the College Democrats of America, which is structurally a part of the DNC. In April, 45 young Democratic leaders convened at the DNC's convention in New Orleans to share tips on party building.
This week, College Democrats of America will host some of the most promising young activists in the nation at their annual convention in St. Louis, MO where they will participate in trainings, workshops, and candidate forums. They will also be hearing from leaders in the Democratic Party including Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Chairman Howard Dean.
The war in Iraq, the ever-expanding national debt, the high price of gas and the low minimum wage, the lack of health care, the environment - these are all issues that play a huge part in the lives of young voters. When you consider all that it's not a surprise that young voters are growing increasingly active. The dangerous policies of the Bush Administration have lasting consequences that will effect young voters for decades to come and they aren't buying the spin the White House has to offer.
MN-Sen: Klobuchar in the Lead
Democrat Amy Klobuchar is leading her Republican opponent 50-31 in a recent poll:
DFL Senate candidate Amy Klobuchar has opened up a strong early lead over GOP rival Mark Kennedy in a Minnesota Poll that shows Klobuchar with 50 percent of likely voters' support, compared with 31 percent for Kennedy.Much can change between now and November. But in what had widely been considered a close race, Klobuchar in midsummer has more support than Kennedy in nearly every demographic category: men, women, liberals, independents, lower- and upper-income Minnesotans, seniors, urban dwellers, suburbanites and outstaters.
In addition to her lead in the polls, she's also leading the money race. This quarter alone Amy raised $1.83 million - 92% of which came from 25,000 individuals.
For more on Minnesota Dems like Amy check out the State Party blog, DFLers.org.
[Update]: Bowers has a more wonkish analysis...
FL-Sen: Campaign Funds Fix Harris Home
No, that's not a joke. Apparently when she promised to spend her entire inheritence to win this race in memory of her father, she was just kiddiing...
Katherine Harris contributed more than $3 million to her campaign for Senate, but then took back $100,000 to finish renovating her "historic home in Washington, D.C.," her campaign revealed Friday.A campaign official said that the Republican congresswoman would sell the house, if necessary, to fund her embattled Senate race to unseat Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson. The decision was immediately questioned.
"I have never heard of a candidate taking money out of a campaign coffer like it's an ATM. It absolutely boggles my mind," said former Harris campaign manager Jim Dornan.
"This is a woman who has completely lost touch with reality. You don't take your campaign contributors' money, whether it's yours or not, and spend it to renovate your house. This is absolutely insane."
In addition, most of her staff quit, again.
Just Another Manic Monday Open Thread
There are 12 days left until The Democratic Reunion.
Have you signed up yet?
July 16, 2006
Sunday Open Thread
Discuss
July 15, 2006
Saturday Open Thread
Have a good weekend.
July 14, 2006
Worms and 36%
A friendly FYI for Republicans: (For the most part) Nobody likes you. Everybody hates you. I guess you should just eat worms:
From AP:
Republicans are in jeopardy of losing their grip on Congress in November.With less than four months to the midterm elections, the latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that Americans by an almost 3-to-1 margin hold the GOP-controlled Congress in low regard and profess a desire to see Democrats wrest control after a dozen years of Republican rule.
Further complicating the GOP outlook to turn things around is a solid percentage of liberals, moderates and even conservatives who say they'll vote Democratic. The party out of power also holds the edge among persuadable voters, a prospect that doesn't bode well for the Republicans.
The election ultimately will be decided in 435 House districts and 33 Senate contests, in which incumbents typically hold the upper hand. But the survey underscored the difficulty Republicans face in trying to persuade a skeptical public to return them to Washington.
On the bright side, President Bush's approval rating is holding steady at a whopping 36%.
Nebraska Dems Have the Big Mo!
Momentum, that is.
From The Omaha World-Herald:
Democrats in Nebraska said Thursday that anger over the national debt and the GOP-controlled Congress has energized their congressional campaigns' fundraising.Maxine Moul of Lincoln and Scott Kleeb of Dunning trailed their Republican opponents in total dollars raised, but both raised enough in the second quarter this year to be financially competitive.
Moul is trying to unseat U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry in the Lincoln-based 1st Congressional District, while Kleeb is running against State Sen. Adrian Smith of Gering in western Nebraska's 3rd District.
Moul, a former lieutenant governor, said voters are upset at the Iraq war, high gas prices and the nation's budget deficit."There is a whole different mood out there. People do want to see a change," said Moul.
Kleeb said many voters in his district have voiced concern about the deficit. And although he's running in a GOP stronghold, Kleeb said, he has a chance because voters are searching for an independent voice in Congress."There's a general frustration with the direction in which our country is going," he said.
Nebraska - another place where the 50-State Strategy is going strong, with Democrats running throughout the state, up and down the ballot, to make a change. And, they're doing pretty darn well. Kleeb has more money in the bank than his opponent, and Moul is going strong too - raising more than twice as much as the 2004 Democratic challenger.
And don't forget The Democratic Reunion - the Nebraska Democratic Party hosts an event for The Democratic Reunion on July 29th.
For 1% of Americans the Economy Rocks!
Paul Krugman in today's New York Times:
I’d like to say that there’s a real dialogue taking place about the state of the U.S. economy, but the discussion leaves a lot to be desired. In general, the conversation sounds like this:Bush supporter: “Why doesn’t President Bush get credit for a great economy? I blame liberal media bias.”
Informed economist: “But it’s not a great economy for most Americans. Many families are actually losing ground, and only a very few affluent people are doing really well.”
Bush supporter: “Why doesn’t President Bush get credit for a great economy? I blame liberal media bias.”
To a large extent, this dialogue of the deaf reflects Upton Sinclair’s principle: it’s difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it. But there’s also an element of genuine incredulity. Many observers, even if they acknowledge the growing concentration of income in the hands of the few, find it hard to believe that this concentration could be proceeding so rapidly as to deny most Americans any gains from economic growth.
Yet newly available data show that that’s exactly what happened in 2004.
(snip)
...the real income of the richest 1 percent of Americans surged by almost 12.5 percent. Meanwhile, the average real income of the bottom 99 percent of the population rose only 1.5 percent. In other words, a relative handful of people received most of the benefits of growth.
(snip)
In short, it’s a great economy if you’re a high-level corporate executive or someone who owns a lot of stock. For most other Americans, economic growth is a spectator sport.
Can anything be done to spread the benefits of a growing economy more widely? Of course. A good start would be to increase the minimum wage, which in real terms is at its lowest level in half a century.
But don’t expect this administration or this Congress to do anything to limit the growing concentration of income. Sometimes I even feel sorry for these people and their apologists, who are prevented from acknowledging that inequality is a problem by both their political philosophy and their dependence on financial support from the wealthy. That leaves them no choice but to keep insisting that ordinary Americans — who have, in fact, been bypassed by economic growth — just don’t understand how well they’re doing.
So basically, the 99% of us who are out of luck will have to:
A.) wait until this Congress gets serious about helping working Americans and stops blocking the Democrats who are fighting tooth-and-nail to raise the minimum wage...
B.) wait until The Bush Adminstration decides to impliment policies that benefit all Americans....
C.) take back Congress in November...
D.) take back the White House in 2008...
E.) C & D
DNC Voting Rights Institute on CA-50 Special Election
For several weeks since the June 6th Special Election in California’s 50th Congressional District there have been reports of election irregularities. The DNC Voting Rights Institute (“VRI”) has been monitoring the developments since Election Day and has raised a number of concerns regarding new and disturbing information.
First and foremost is the fact that any election where there are allegations of machine tampering, break downs in chain of custody, security breaches and other such irregularities must be taken seriously. There are several facts in this race that raise very deep concerns.
On the facts:
- We know for a fact that San Diego County election officials have admitted that a number of the voting machines were taken home in violation of the federal security regulations and guidelines and that a number of the machines showed evidence of tampering (broken seals, which should also have immediately disqualified those machines from use according to state laws implemented in just the last several months in response to new severe vulnerabilities discovered Diebold's optical-scan and touch-screen voting systems.)
- We know that under state and federal guidelines, any such breach of security seals or the new "secure storage" requirements for these machines and their memory cards should have immediately disqualified those machines from use in the election for the reason that they became effectively decertified for use upon such security and chain of custody violations.
- We also know that both the Diebold optical-scan and touch-screen (DRE) machines have been proven to be vulnerable to tampering in test after test by industry experts, including a team of computer scientists and security experts convened by California's Secretary of State in response to recent revelations concerning the hack ability of Diebold voting systems.
- We know that serious security issues and efforts by Diebold to obfuscate problems with their hardware and software led California’s former Democratic Secretary of State to decertify Diebold touch-screen systems in 2004, only to have the Republican Secretary who succeeded him reinstitute the machines over the objections of scores of computer scientists and experts and hundreds of election integrity advocates.
This is no longer about whether or not Busby or Bilbray won the election on June 6th. This is about the importance of verifying the facts related to election and voting machine irregularities in this race and the need to ensure an accurate count of all votes cast in this election so that the electorate may have confidence in the announced results in future elections.
The VRI will continue to monitor facts as they become available and will call for a swift and verifiable “manual count” of all 150,000 ballots cast in California’s 50th District’s "bellwether" June 6th special election in order to ensure the integrity of November 7th general elections and the overall integrity of our country’s voting systems in this still-untested age of computerized voting.
Greg Moore is director of the DNC's Voting Rights Institute.
Finally, someone lays it out...
Thank goodness for the L.A. Times, which has been able to explain the President's point of view on this crazy Supreme-Court-Smacked-Me-Down-for-Being-Unconstitutional-Thing:
Here's the "logic."• The president has always insisted that we are treating all detainees humanely.
• To the president, "humane" interrogation techniques include dog leashes, water-boarding and measures such as forcing a prisoner "to stand naked in a cell kept near 50 degrees" while he is repeatedly "doused with cold water."
• Because Common Article 3 requires that detainees be treated "humanely," such techniques — being as the president says, humane — satisfy Common Article 3.
• And because they are "humane," such techniques obviously cannot be understood as constituting "cruel treatment and torture" or "outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment," which are explicitly forbidden by the remaining language of Common Article 3.
• Which in turn means that Bush administration compliance with the Supreme Court's decision in Hamdan requires no change in policy whatsoever.
Still don't get it, do you? Maybe you're something of a philistine, incapable of appreciating great legal art?
Don't despair. During Tuesday's Senate hearings on detainee rights, Justice Department representative Steven Bradbury thoughtfully provided a Cliffs Notes version of the administration's latest creative masterpiece. "Under the law of war," he explained, "the president is always right."
Creativity means never having to say you're sorry.
Thanks, L.A. Times!
In case that wasn't enough of an explanation, here is some scholarly explanation on the bill and how Senator Spector is basically giving the President everything he wants under the guise of "oversight".
Hispanics Cite Rise in Discrimination - Solution is to Vote Democrat
An article in today's Washington Post reports Hispanics surveyed say they are facing higher levels of discrimination.
Hispanics believe that discrimination has risen since the start of the congressional debate over illegal immigration, according to a survey released yesterday.But they also think their group is more galvanized after the pro-immigration marches that resulted from the debate, and many believe they are on the verge of a major social movement, according to the survey by the Pew Hispanic Center.
Surprisingly, the article said Hispanics were unclear on which party could improve their situation.
In the survey, three-quarters of respondents said more Hispanics will vote in those elections. The percentages did not waver much between foreign-born Hispanics (74 percent) and native-born ones (76 percent).But there is indecision over which party to vote for, the survey shows. Although most Hispanics in the survey believe that Democrats have taken the better position on the immigration issue, the party is not favored by much.
Thirty-seven percent said Democrats have more concern for Hispanics, compared with 9 percent for Republicans. Another 37 percent said there is no difference between the parties in their attitudes about Hispanics.
This is sad. Republicans want to build a big wall along the border with Mexico, and Democrats want sensible reform including a provision allowing guest workers.
Democrats are fighting for comprehensive immigration reform. Bush is caving to the extreme right of his Party and backing away from his support of guest worker programs.
There is no question who is on the side of Hispanics in this country on the issue of immigration: the Democrats. We stand up for the rights of all Americans.
Friday Morning Open Thread
Good morning! Fifty days until UCLA's college football season officially starts.
This is an open thread.
[UPDATE]: (by Tracy) There are 15 days left until The Democratic Reunion!
July 13, 2006
Victory for Voting Rights
The Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization has passed the House 390-33.
All four of the Republican Amendments were defeated.
This is a huge victory for Democrats, who were spectacular today.
From The Washington Post:
Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., displayed photos of civil rights activists, including himself, who were beaten by Alabama state troopers in 1965 as they marched from Selma to Montgomery in support of voting rights."I have a concussion. I almost died. I gave blood; some of my colleagues gave their very lives," Lewis shouted from the House floor, while the Rev. Jesse Jackson, another veteran of the civil rights movement, looked on from the gallery.
"Yes, we've made some progress; we have come a distance," Lewis added. "The sad truth is, discrimination still exists. That's why we still need the Voting Rights Act and we must not go back to the dark past."
In California...
From Political Wire:
In the first Rasmussen Reports poll since California's primaries, Phil Angelides (D) holds a narrow lead over Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), 46% to 44%. The incumbent had been increasing his lead over both Democrats during the primary campaign.Meanwhile, in the race for U.S. Senate, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) crushes challenger Dick Mountjoy (R), 60% to 33%.
California is all over The Democratic Reunion. Find an Event!
The Freedom to Vote
It's pretty unbelievable that legislation as critical to our democracy is being attacked, even dismantled.
Today the House considers the Voting Rights Act reauthorization. Despite the promises of the Republican leadership to bring this bipartisan, bicameral bill up under suspension of the rules – with no amendments - the House will consider four extremely dangerous amendments.
These amendments should be defeated. They each chip away at the protections of the Voting Rights Act, weakening it. When we allow that to happen we weaken our democracy. The Voting Rights Act was aimed at preventing tactics like literacy tests, poll taxes, intimidation, threats, and violence, which kept many Americans from exercising their freedom to vote. Today the danger of discrimination still exists, which is why the Voting Rights Act is critical.
For 41 years this law has protected our freedom to vote, and it has been reauthorized, on a bipartisian basis, time and again. Yet this Republican Congress is trying to change that with their amendments intended to strip the Voting Rights Act of many critical provisions.
They want to eliminate oversight:
Republican Congressman Norwood of Georgia wants to revise the provisions of Section 5 of the VRA which mandates that the Justice Department approve any changes to electoral process in places with a history of discrimination. This Section is still critical - in fact it's been the only thing stopping over a thousand different changes which the Justice Department has objected to as discriminatory since the last voting rights reauthorization in 1982.
They want to eliminate 15 years of protection:
Republican Congressman Gohmert of Texas wants to cut the reauthorization period down to 10 years - instead of the recommended 25 year reauthorization period that was suggested by a bipartisian judiciary committee.
They want to eliminate assistance for American citizens:
Republicans Steve King (R-IA), Ernest Istook (R-OK), Candice Miller (R-MI), Ginny Browne-Waite (R-FL), and Spencer Bachus (R-AL) hope to see the language provisions that provide for bi-lingual ballots to be removed from the Act. Democracy thrives when citizens are knowledgeable and informed, when there is an obstacle free path to participating in government.
Language provisions make sure our citizens understand what they are voting for and Americans should not be penalized for needing that assistance to take part in democracy. This provision is aimed at our fellow Americans - despite common misconceptions - it has nothing to do with immigrants debate and is not aimed at non-U.S. citizens.
More than 70 percent of those seeking this assistance are citizens who were born in the US. They are not only Latino citizens, but Alaskan natives, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. The remaining 30 percent of those taking advantage of this provision are naturalized U.S. citizens.
They want to eliminate effectiveness:
Republican Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia wants to see the Attorney General expedite the Section 5 "bailout" process. Westmoreland would have the Attorney General annually determine whether each state and political subdivision subject to Section 5 preclearance requirements - all 900+ of them - has met the requirements for "bailout". This amendment would place the burden of seeking exemption on the Justice Department, instead of on the jurisdiction - crippling the Justice Department who would be overwhelmed investigating where discrimination doesn't exist instead of addressing voting discrimination and constitutional violations.
All of this is bad. All of this endangers millions of voters who have been enfranchised by the Voting Rights Act since it's initial passage.
Follow the House debate today on YouTube.
Check out Voting Rights expert Spencer Overton's blogging work over at MyDD where he is a guest poster this month.
Even more great info from CivilRights.org.
Democrats Work to Raise the Minimum Wage
Democrats have tried seven times to move for a vote on the minimum wage during this Congress, but have repeatedly been blocked from bringing the issue to the floor by the Republicans in Congress who are largely content to give themselves pay raises while millions of Americans toil beneath the poverty line.
Despite these roadblocks, Democrats are persisting, forcing the issue repeatedly, while refusing to allow the automatic Congressional pay raise to take effect.
“We are putting some skin in the game,” said Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “We’re saying that there will be no pay increases for Congress until there’s an increase in the minimum wage.
It would seem the stubbornness is paying off.
Yesterday 25 House Republicans started to crack and wrote to their Speaker and requested that a vote be scheduled, no doubt because they are in danger of losing their seats in November and want something to brag about at home. While I applaud their fantastic display of showmanship, it's just that - for show. If those 25 really wanted to make something happen, they would only need to add their name to a petition (this one) which already has 191 co-signers. 190 of whom are Democrats.
From The New York Times:
The private-sector workers who need a pay raise the most have been waiting nine years and counting for some kind of increase to offset the rising cost of living. But there has been no sign of mercy yet from the Republican leaders. They warn of raising “the first rung of the economic ladder” beyond a noble striver’s reach — as if that rung is securely anchored at $5.15 an hour.For a family of three, the minimum wage of $10,700, set in 1997, is now more than $5,000 below the federal definition of poverty. In that same time, a lawmaker’s salary rose $31,600— better than 20 percent — while the purchasing power of a minimum-wage earner deteriorated by 20 percent.
Last month, Rep. Obey explained his motivation behind the issue in a pretty great floor speech:
...after my parents were divorced my mother worked for the minimum wage. I can tell you how it feels to see a woman work 40 hours and come home with less than $40 in a check.”“It doesn’t feel very good. I can tell you how it feels to see that you run out of money before you run out of days of the month. And so at the end of every month you have to take a household item- a table, a lamp or a radio - down to Epstein’s pawn shop to get a little money to get you through the month.”
“And the outrageous fact is that today the minimum wage buys less than it did when my mother was earning it a number of years ago. This Congress has an obligation to do something about that, but it hasn’t.”
“And in the meantime, food prices have gone up by 20%, housing costs have gone up by 25%, medical expenses have gone up by 40%, gas prices have doubled.”
“Last week, this institution voted to take no action to block the cost of living increase for Members of Congress. It takes a woman working at the minimum wage four months to earn the equivalent of that Congressional COLA. Four months.”
“What is the matter with people in this institution if they can justify a COLA increase for Members of Congress at the same time as they have been blocking a minimum wage increases for nine years?”
“I find it outrageous.”
"This to me is a matter of elemental decency, it’s a matter of equity. A Congress that does nothing to stand in the way of a cost of living increase for itself is a Congress that certainly ought to have the decency to pass a minimum wage increase for the people we’re talking about.”
It is outrageous. And Democrats are going to do something about it.
Here are three things you can do:
- If your representative hasn't signed on to the discharge petition to bring the issue to a vote, pick up the phone, call their office and tell them it's time Congress to bring the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Bill to the floor for a vote.
- Write a Letter to your local paper and talk about the issue.
- Remind your friends and families, especially those who work minimum wage jobs, that they are stuck on the bottom-rung of the economic ladder because Republicans in Congress prefer to give hand-outs to Big Business instead of to working Americans.
Thursday Open Thread
Good Morning!
There are 16 days left until The Democratic Reunioin
Where will you be on July 29th?
July 12, 2006
Listen Up: Ask an Expert
This Friday I'll be hosting the DNC's Podcast with former United States Secretary of Labor Robert Reich. Under President Clinton, Secretary Reich was instrumental in instituting the Family Medical Leave Act, led a national fight against U.S. sweatshops and an international campaign against child labor and headed the Clinton Administration's efforts to raise the minimum wage.
We'll talk about a wide range of issues including the economy, the federal minimum wage, gas prices and the budget deficit. But more importantly, I'd like to know - what's on your mind? If you've got a question for Secretary Reich post it in the comment section below or e-mail them to me at podcastquestions@dnc.org. We'll select the best ones for the interview and announce them during the podcast this Friday, July 14th.
Check him out on The Daily Show, read his blog and then chime in with some questions!
In dollars and cents...
Rep. Murtha has a report on his website comparing domestic spending to what we spend every day in Iraq.
We are spending $8 billion a month in Iraq. That equates to $2 billion a week, or $267 million a day, or $11 million an hour.
$11 million an hour? That's $183,333 a minute. Truly mind-boggling.
Compare that to say, education - $3.4 billion/yr or 13 days in Iraq.
You must check out the entire post and see the comparisions for yourself from everything to homeland security, to healthcare, to infrastructure.
Rep. Sanchez: Renew the Landmark Voting Rights Act
Over at The Hill:
This Thursday, Congress has the chance to fulfill its promise to renew the landmark Voting Rights Act.Warning: the following will look like a typical Washington cliché, but it isn’t. The Voting Rights Act is as important to a healthy and accountable democracy as any other act in United States history. It is impossible to overstate its importance.
There are some members of Congress who say that the need has passed for protecting the rights of U.S. citizens to directly participate in the democratic process. They ignore the fact that the VRA was upheld last month by the Supreme Court, and that the VRA reversed a case of electoral discrimination in Kilmichael, Mississippi only 3 years ago.
There are still other members who say the VRA discourages immigrants from learning English. This argument not only completely ignores the fact that immigrants are eager to learn English so they can succeed - look at the 3-year waiting lists for ESL classes in places across the country - but it is also completely irrelevant to the VRA. The VRA is about protecting the rights of U.S. citizens to vote - it is not about immigration.
The VRA has been tremendously successful in enfranchising millions of U.S. citizens. We all wish it wasn’t necessary anymore, but that’s not the case. Let’s renew the VRA without destructive amendments and be a model for democracy around the world.
Moving Minnesota Forward
Veterinarian Ford Bell has decided against running in the Minnesota Senate primary against Amy Klobuchar and endorsed her yesterday, in hopes of sending a Democrat to Washington in November:
"The differences within our party are important, but the differences between Mark Kennedy, George Bush and the needs of America are much greater," said Bell, who didn't rule out a future run for political office.Klobuchar welcomed his backing.
"We've had our differences, but today we are united and determined to elect a senator who will put the people of Minnesota first," she said in a statement.
For more about Amy, check out her latest ad, here.
Yes Men
It's good to know that the President surrounds himself with people capable of speaking truth to power.
Yesterday, Acting Deputy Attorney General, being questioned in Senate hearings by Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont:
LEAHY: The president has said very specifically, and he’s said it to our European allies, he’s waiting for the Supreme Court decision to tell him whether or not he was supposed to close Guantanamo or not. After, he said it upheld his position on Guantanamo, and in fact it said neither. Where did he get that impression? The President’s not a lawyer, you are, the Justice Department advised him. Did you give him such a cockamamie idea or what?BRADBURY: Well, I try not to give anybody cockamamie ideas.
LEAHY: Well, where’d he get the idea?
BRADBURY: The Hamdan decision, senator, does implicitly recognize we’re in a war, that the President’s war powers were triggered by the attacks on the country, and that law of war paradigm applies. That’s what the whole case —
LEAHY: I don’t think the President was talking about the nuances of the law of war paradigm, he was saying this was going to tell him that he could keep Guantanamo open or not, after it said he could.
BRADBURY: Well, it’s not —
LEAHY: Was the President right or was he wrong?
BRABURY: It’s under the law of war –
LEAHY: Was the President right or was he wrong?
BRADBURY: The President is always right.
That is so wrong.
Army Cuts Ties With Halliburton (Maybe)
After spending 14.5 billion dollars to pay Halliburton for providing logistical support to the U.S. Army, The Washington Post reports the contract will not be renewed...
The Army is discontinuing a controversial multibillion-dollar deal with oil services giant Halliburton Co. to provide logistical support to U.S. troops worldwide, a decision that could cut deeply into the firm's dominance of government contracting in Iraq.The choice comes after several years of attacks from critics who saw the contract as a symbol of politically connected corporations profiteering on the war.
Under the deal, Halliburton had exclusive rights to provide the military with a wide range of work that included keeping soldiers around the world fed, sheltered and in communication with friends and family back home. Government audits turned up more than $1 billion in questionable costs. Whistle-blowers told how the company charged $45 per case of soda, double-billed on meals and allowed troops to bathe in contaminated water.
But it doesn't appear as if they finished the job they were paid to do, despite the fact that construction is "winding down".
"The Iraq reconstruction is winding down . . . so there is no need for new contracts to replace the existing," Foster said.Instead, the Iraqi government will have to find its own contractors to do the work, which includes tackling a large number of projects left undone by the United States.
Here's the maybe:
The Pentagon's new plan will split the work among three companies, to be chosen this fall, with a fourth firm hired to help monitor the performance of the other three. Halliburton will be eligible to bid on the work.
I wonder how the Vice President is taking the news...
Wednesday Open Thread
Good Morning!
There are 17 days left until The Democratic Reunion.
July 11, 2006
Tuesday Night Open Thread
Tuesday night used to be my favorite night of the week. Not so much anymore. Oh, how times have changed.
This is an open thread...
Democrats You Should Know About
Here are four short introductions to Democrats running for Congress across the country that I think you should know about.
- Republican Congressman Tom Davis says:
"I've never taken a nickel from oil companies"
That's not exactly true. $117,360 dollars not true. Democratic nominee Andrew Hurst is working to show him the door. Hurst is 36-year old attorney and running for office for the first time. He has been named the Under-40 Lawyer of the Year by the DC Bar Association, in part for his work with small and minority owned businesses. - Mary Beth Harrell is running for Congress in Texas against GOP Congressman Carter, one of the Congressional Republicans to hold up the reauthorization of the VRA, saying during the debate:
"I simply believe you should be able to read, write and speak English to be a voter in the United States," Carter declared. That is a curious comment from a member of Congress and former judge, because citizenship is the requisite for voting, not literacy, and certainly not the ability to communicate in English.
His hometown newspaper, The Austin American Statesman called the act an "embarrassing tirade". In contrast, Mary Beth is the only female challenger to a GOP incumbent Congressman in Texas. She is a former prosecutor for Bell County, Texas and currently an attorney in private practice. She and her husband, a retired Army Warrant Officer, founded a non-profit animal rescue, St. Francis Animal Sanctuary. Both of her sons serve on active duty in the United States Army - one is currently deployed in Iraq. - Ron Klein is a candidate for Congress from my home town in South Florida. He is running in a district that went for Kerry 53.8% and he is a superstar! The Palm Beach Post says of his fundraising:
Klein’s total makes him one of the top three, if not the number one, fundraiser among Democratic congressional challengers nationwide.
He is well known for his work as an advocate for Florida's working families, consistently working to improve education funding in the Florida Senate and protect the Florida coastline.
His Rubberstamp Republican opponent Clay Shaw has taken over $30,000 from Tom DeLay and has managed to sell out his district, which has a huge senior population, by voting the GOP Medicare Prescription Drug Bill that will give billions to businesses and the health care industry, while forcing seniors to accept annual increases in premiums and deductibles and a growing gap in coverage for the prescription drugs they buy. - From the great state of Minnesota, Patty Wetterling emerges as the nominee for the 6th District. In her own words:
“I have built my resume: in public service my own way;
Patty has been a tireless advocate for children and families since the abduction of her son Jacob sixteen years ago, working to pass some of the most crucial legislation in the state and the nation aimed at keeping our youngest citizens safe, including an act names for her son, Meghan's Law and activating Amber Alerts.
one person, one meeting, one family, one law at a time.”
Who do you think I should know about?
From the left...
The NY Times profiles my favorite cable news host, Keith Olbermann and talks about the growing audience for a show whose host is fed up with the failed conservative policies of the Bush Administration:
That a rabid audience can be built for a political discussion show from the left, as it has so effectively been done on talk radio and on some of Fox’s programs from the right, has not been demonstrated before, unless you count the fake news shows on Comedy Central. Mr. Olbermann said the administration had created enough disaffection to keep both his ratings and his outrage up.“The country gave this president every imaginable benefit of the doubt,” he said, about the period following the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. “He abused it. You know what Lincoln said: You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of time. But it looks like you can’t fool all of the viewers all of the time, endlessly.”
I'm a big fan of the "Worst Person in the World" segment. Who would you nominate?
North Carolina Democrats Get Things Done
Last week we talked about the difference control of State Legislatures can make. Here's proof:
North Carolina’s minimum wage is poised to rise to $6.15 an hour after the General Assembly gave final approval to a $1-per-hour increase Monday and Gov. Mike Easley said he was ready to sign it.“There were times that I wasn’t sure” it would pass, said Rep. Alma Adams, D-Guilford, who had unsuccessfully pushed minimum wage bills for a decade. “But I know it was the right thing. And always right will prevail.”
North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Jerry Meek praised the State House and Senate for their work and said:
North Carolina Democrats aren’t waiting on the federal government, we’re leading the way.
North Carolina Democrats are leading the way, moving forward at the state level on issues where the Bush Administration has failed.
Connect with North Carolina Democrats at The Democratic Reunion.
Republican Congress Just Can't Get Things Done
Our Republican Congress is doing a bang-up job:
Anti-gay-marriage week was followed by a week dedicated to the not-so-burning issue of flag burning, accentuated shortly thereafter by media-bashing week. Now, members of Congress bristle at the notion that they haven't gotten enough done this year.Too bad. They have to wear that in the midterm elections. For all the serious problems facing America, Congress is wasting too much time on hot-button issues they know will never pass. This is a lousy use of the public's time and money.
There is nothing unusual about Congress purposely accomplishing little in an election year, because many members are afraid to vote on contentious legislation close to the start of campaigning. President Harry Truman ran against the "do-nothing" Congress during the 1948 re-election campaign.
But this is no ordinary year, no ordinary do-nothing Congress. The president is extremely unpopular. The GOP House majority is in trouble for the first time in more than 10 years.
Oh, and let's not forget that they have managed to accomplish all of this nothingness by being in session less, and out pandering more, all the while ignoring the actual issues that matter like the war in Iraq, voting rights, and the minimum wage.
You know it's bad when they've given up telling you what to change, and instead just wish you would give up.
In the comments name 3 pieces of legislation you would like to see passed.
Something to Crow About
When the Bush Administration doesn't have anything good to talk about they like to dress up and play pretend. Today they are "celebrating" their fiscal policy.
The release of the White House midsession budget review is an annual event normally marked by a few wonkish observations and the routine updating of various spreadsheets, not by a full-dress presidential dog-and-pony show. But President Bush plans to preside today, with members of Congress and invited guests in attendance. By all indications, including his own in his weekly radio address last Saturday, he plans to turn this into a celebration — just in time for the fall campaign.
Lesson Learned: Anything can be spun into something to be thrown to the base during campaign season, even pie charts...
This is proof, if anyone still needs it, that this administration is desperate for something to boast about. On Mr. Bush’s watch, triple-digit budget surpluses have turned into annual triple-digit budget deficits. There’s no information in the midsession report to alter that utterly dispiriting fact. Yes, the report is expected to project that this year’s deficit will be somewhat less gargantuan than last year’s — probably somewhere between $280 billion and $300 billion, versus a $318 billion shortfall in 2005. That’s not much to crow about.But Mr. Bush is likely to gloat, anyway. Earlier this year, the administration conveniently projected a highly inflated deficit of $423 billion. With that as a starting point, the actual results can be spun to look as if they’re worth cheering.
Lesson Learned: In order to claim success, lower expectations so far that anything is good news.
If Mr. Bush looked behind his headline numbers, he, too, could see that the rich are getting richer while the rest are, at best, only holding ground. It would make sense to use some of the windfall revenue to enact policies and programs that tilt against growing inequality. Unfortunately, he’s flogging more tax cuts that will deepen the divide.
Lesson Learned: Catering to special interests and the richest of the rich is good for your campaign coffers, but bad for most everyone else.
What lessons have you learned from the Bush Administration?
[UPDATE]: Think Progress has the numbers, and it's good to know that the President is still in the Top 5 Largest Deficits of all time.
Here’s the top five:1. 2004 (George W. Bush) $413 billion
2. 2003 (George W. Bush) $378 billion
3. 2005 (George W. Bush) $318 billion
4. 2006 (George W. Bush) $296 billion (projected)
5. 1992 (Geroge H. W. Bush) $290 billion
Tuesday Open Thread
Good Morning!
There are 18 days left until The Democratic Reunion.
What are you reading this morning?
July 10, 2006
Smacking Down Science
I love that the President feels free to take actions each and every day to end lives, but can't take a step forward to save some:
President Bush will likely cast the first veto of his presidency if the Senate, as expected, passes legislation to expand federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research, White House aide Karl Rove said today."The president is emphatic about this," Rove said in a meeting with the editorial board of The Denver Post.
The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed the legislation, co-sponsored by Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, and Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del. If the Senate approves the bill this month it would go to the president's desk.
How many lives lost in Iraq because of his rush to go to war based on ideology instead of evidence?
How many times is this administration going to let their ideology trump evidence?
Saved
John McCain thinks we need saving.
From the Hotline, via Senate Majority Project, which has the details:
He also believes that time is running out, not because he is growing old -- or not just because he is growing old -- but because our politics and even our sense of common identity have degenerated so quickly. The fact is, John McCain believes we are the ones who need saving, not him.
Is the same John McCain who was going to save us from corruption with ethics reform and then published a report that said he was just kidding and that there was no need for reform?
Is this the same John McCain who has a secret plan to fix Iraq but isn't saying anything until he gets promoted to a higher committee position?
Yeah...it's that John McCain...
Delayed for Diplomacy...
Supporters of a resolution that would impose limited sanctions on North Korea agreed to delay a vote in the hope that China can pressure Pyongyang to return to six-party talks on its nuclear program and halt missile tests, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said Monday.Ambassadors from the five veto-wielding nations on the Security Council — who are divided over sanctions — met with Japan, which sponsored the resolution, as a Chinese delegation arrived in North Korea pledging friendship and deeper ties.
Bolton told reporters after the meeting that the resolution's supporters — including the U.S., Britain, France and other European council members — decided not to press for a vote Monday "while the diplomacy in Pyongyang proceeds."
"We think it's important to keep the focus on Pyongyang, which after all is the source of this problem, and to provide maximum support for, and leverage on the Chinese mission to Pyongyang," he said.
Michigan Gov. Granholm Creates Jobs
Today, the Vice President spoke at a closed door, special interest fundraiser for Congressional candidates before heading to a photo-op with members of the Michigan National Guard.
With such unusual Republican attention directed at the state, I have to ask: what have the Republicans done for Michigan lately?
President Bush's energy plan gave huge windfalls to his friends in the oil and gas industry, but did nothing to make America energy independent or create an energy independence industry that would create good jobs in Michigan.Worse still, President Bush used the recent visit by the Japanese Prime Minister as an opportunity to visit Graceland, but did nothing to press the Japanese government to end unfair trade practices that have undermined American auto manufacturers.
Luckily for Michigan, Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm has pursued the most comprehensive jobs plan in the country. In fact, last Friday the Governor signed legislation that will create jobs in Michigan by providing new incentives to bring alternative energy companies to the state.
George Allen on Taxes: All Over the Dude Ranch
Senator Allen (R-VA/CA??) appeared on "This Week" to talk about his record, saying:
"We got rid of the marriage penalty tax...we cut taxes for all taxpayers." [ABC, 7/10/06]
Hmm. Cutting taxes you say? From DNC Research:
2006: Allen Voted To End Tax Credits for Lower Income Families Saving For Retirement. Allen voted to end retirement saver's tax credits that benefited more than 140,200 Virginians, who saved $26 million through the program. The Saver's Credit allows lower-income families to deduct up to 50% of the contributions they put into retirement plans. [H.R. 4279, 5/11/06, #118; IRS Data, October 2005; Kansas City Star, 4/3/05]Can you expect any straight shooting from this broken arrow?2006: Allen Voted to End a Tax Break for Teachers. The Allen vote also ended an educator expense deduction that benefited more than 90,000 Virginia teachers in 2003, saving them $21.9 million. The provision allowed teachers to deduct to $250 of out-of-pocket expenses they pay for books and classroom supplies. [H.R. 4279, 5/11/06, #118; IRS Data, October 2005; IRS Tax Tip]
2005: Allen Voted Against Extending The Middle Class Tax Cuts That Expire In 2005, By Altering Other Tax Provisions. In 2005, Allen voted against waiving the Budget Act to consider the Conrad amendment that would extend only the tax cuts that expire in 2005, by offsetting the cost by altering other tax provisions. Sixty Votes required to waive the Budget Act. [S 2020, Vote 330, 11/17/05, Failed 44-55, D:41-2, R:2-53, I:1-0]
2001: When Offered the Chance to Speed Up Marriage Penalty Relief, Allen Voted "No." "Allen's top priorities in the 2000 election were an education tax credit, the elimination of the estate tax and the elimination of the so-called marriage penalty-a quirk in the tax code under which many people pay more taxes as married couples than they would if they had stayed single. Yet, when offered a chance to speed up the phase-in of marriage penalty relief, Allen voted no." [Newport Daily Press, 5/20/01]
Congress is Back
Reuters notes that Congress is back this week.
U.S. lawmakers returning from a weeklong break on Monday will take up a long list of unfinished -- and possibly insurmountable -- tasks that could help decide whether voters will re-elect them in November.Action or inaction on a series of contentious issues including immigration, pensions, energy and federal spending will determine whether this Congress sheds the impression that it has made few legislative achievements.
Immigration reform may be up again, as well as stem cell research, an energy bill that would give incentives to build new refineries, and possibly a bill to give President Bush power to hold special military tribunals. You may recall that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a few weeks ago that such tribunals were unconstitutional.
I hope everyone saw the World Cup Final. Zidane is a thug.
Eye on Idaho
Could it be that Idaho is on it's way to a blue November?
A few weeks ago we talked about the Idaho State Convention and Congressional candidate Larry Grant who is making waves in the Gem State. We also know that Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brady, whose "Idaho is not for Sale" slogan is catching fire with Democrats across Idaho, has outraised his GOP opponent.
Now we find our Lt. Governor candidate, former Congressman Larry LaRocco, is within striking distance of his opponent. New polling of his GOP foe, who is currently serving as acting Governor, has less than half of voters (46%) rating his job performance positively and a mere 36% of voters committed to re-electing him. So we could likely see yet another state-wide pick-up.
That's what 50-State Strategy is all about folks. Fighting everywhere, and making it happen.
Find a Democratic Reunion event in Idaho here or plan your own.
Georgia Voter ID Cards Blocked Again
A Georgia judge has blocked Republican attempts to require an identification card to vote in the state.
For the second time, a judge has blocked a Republican-sponsored effort to require Georgia voters to present government-issued photo identification cards before they can cast a ballot.
The New York Times article from this weekend details the contentious battle over the Georgia voter ID cards. The ID cards initially drew criticism over their price - $20 each - which essentially amounted to a poll tax. The price tag was removed, but the cards are still seen by many as placing an unnecessary burden on voters. The voter ID cards would be required to vote if the voter did not have a driver's license or other government ID.
Update: Check out the DNC's statement.
Monday Open Thread
Just another manic Monday...
There are 19 days left until The Democratic Reunion.
July 9, 2006
Sunday Open Thread
There are 20 Days left until the The Democratic Reunion.
Have a great day....
July 8, 2006
Saturday Open Thread
It's a lazy hazy summer day.
There are 21 Days left until The Democratic Reunion.
Have you signed up yet?
July 7, 2006
False Logic
I agree with Ezra.
George W. Bush on Larry King Live:
It's easy to lose resolve if you made decisions based upon polls. If you make decisions based upon what you believe in your heart of hearts, you stay resolved. And what we're doing is hard. But what we're doing is going to make this country more secure. And what we're doing is going to lay that foundation for peace.Check out that false dichotomy: choices based on polls or choices based on beliefs. It's a rather amazing reflection of this guy's mindset that he never bothers to even assert that he made this decision based on the facts.
Turning the Senate Blue
The Washington Post has offered up some quick Senate race rankings.
A couple that caught my eye:
#2 Montana
Democrats are higher on state Sen. Jon Tester than any other candidate in the country. His farming background, flattop hairdo and unique "hang loose" trademark (the result of his losing his three middle fingers on his left hand to a meat grinder as a child) seem to be the exact right profile for a Democrat to win in this state. Plus, we have continue to believe that Burns' late response to allegations of wrongdoing in connection with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff have damaged him deeply in the minds of voters. (Previous ranking: 3)
#4 Missouri
It's a tribute to Democrats' chances of picking up seats this fall that Missouri is still ranked fourth on the Line. A Research 2000 poll late last month that showed state Auditor Claire McCaskill with a 49 percent to 43 percent edge over Talent demonstrated just how ripe a pickup opportunity this seat is for Democrats. McCaskill is spending most of her time in the Show Me State's vast rural expanses in hopes of improving on her less than stellar showing there when she ran for governor in 2004. She also looks likely to get a turnout boost from ballot initiatives advocating stem cell research and a minimum wage increase -- both of which should pass overwhelmingly. (Previous ranking: 4)
I love that Florida is not even breaking the Top 10 any longer. Senator Nelson is leaps and bounds ahead of Katherine Harris, who manages to make Republicans look worse than they already are on a near daily basis.
But that is just me...what are you favs?
Watch It: Governor Dean in the Situation Room
Just a quick heads up: Govenor Dean will be on The Situation Room this afternoon around 4:15.
The Voting Rights Act: Still Needed Today
Today the daughters of President Lyndon Johnson have authored an op-ed in The New York Times, urging Republicans to stop stalling and reauthorize the Voting Rights Act.
The Voting Rights Act, signed into law on Aug. 6, 1965, by our father, President Lyndon Johnson, opened the political process to millions of Americans. The law was born amid the struggle for voting rights in Selma and Montgomery, Ala., which the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called "a shining moment in the conscience of man." By eliminating barriers, including poll taxes and literacy tests, that had long prevented members of minority groups from voting, the act became a keystone of civil rights in the United States.Now, crucial provisions of this legislation are in jeopardy. Last month, Congress seemed set to renew expiring sections intended to prevent voter discrimination based on race or language proficiency. Instead, a group of House lawmakers opposed to those sections succeeded in derailing their consideration.
The Voting Rights Act prohibits discrimination in voting everywhere in the country. But it has a special provision, Section 5, intended for regions with persistent histories of discrimination. These states and localities must have their election plans approved by the Justice Department.
Since the act was last renewed, in 1982, the federal government has objected to hundreds of proposed changes in state and local voting laws on the basis of their discriminatory impact. In recent years, proposed election changes in Georgia, Texas and other states were blocked because they violated the act.
By allowing critical provisions of the VRA to expire, the Republican-led Congress is caving to the extreme-right wing of their Party at the cost of preserving the civil rights.
No one disputes that our nation has come a long way since the Voting Rights Act was first signed into law. But while it would be nice to think we don't need this legislation anymore, we do. We still struggle with the legacy of institutionalized racism. If either of the act's two sections under attack is weakened or allowed to expire, the door will be opened to a new round of discriminatory practices.
It's time to stop the games, stop stalling and do the right thing for America.
As the Johnson daughters say:
In his own era, our father faced powerful opposition to the Voting Rights Act, including from members of his own party. Nonetheless, he pushed forward with the legislation because he knew it was desperately needed. It was the right thing to do then. It still is.
Bush Beginning To Side With Extremists On Immigration
Perhaps "beginning" isn't the right word choice. Bush has been trying to get immigration reform legislation passed. He now appears to be succumbing to the right-wing extremists in his party by dropping the comprehensive reform idea and going straight for an all border security plan with no guest worker program.
To quote the New York Times:
"...President Bush is signaling a new willingness to negotiate with House Republicans in an effort to revise the stalled legislation before Election Day. Republicans both inside and outside the White House say Mr. Bush, who has long insisted on comprehensive reform, is now open to a so-called enforcement-first approach that would put new border security programs in place before creating a guest worker program or path to citizenship for people living in the United States illegally. The shift is significant because Mr. Bush has repeatedly said he favors legislation like the Senate's immigration bill, which establishes border security, guest worker and citizenship programs all at once. The enforcement-first approach puts Mr. Bush one step closer to the House, where Republicans are demanding an enforcement-only measure."
I grew up in a border state. I honestly don't know how anyone who has lived in a border state (or was, say, Governor of said border state at one point) could stomach supporting a short-sighted plan that avoids the problem instead of dealing with it. Shame on Bush!
UPDATE: The Hotline quoted White House officials who said Bush remains committed to a new compromise where border security would come two years before any other part of the "compromise," including guest worker programs.
WH officials insisted that Bush "was not stepping back" from an immigration reform compromise that has been floated recently, in which border security measures would be put in place as much as two years before guest worker and immigrant legalization programs.
That doesn't sound like much of a compromise.
And the Charade Continues...
Today we get treated to more sham immigration hearings. This time down in Laredo, Texas.
You don't have to take my word that this is all a charade, yesterday The New York Times opined...
Something bad happened to the nation's debate over a serious reform of its immigration laws.It got hijacked yesterday by "Border Vulnerabilities and International Terrorism" — the first of many hearings that House Republican leaders plan to hold around the country this summer, ostensibly to solicit public opinion about immigration reform. The hearings are an effort to delay action on legislation until after the November elections, and to drum up opposition to the Senate's immigration bill, which focuses not only on border security but also on a path to citizenship for qualified illegal immigrants.
This novel approach to governing — seeking public input on bills after they have passed — reflects a cynical gamble that linking immigration and terror will upend the Senate bill and give House Republicans a short-term electoral boost.
TGIF Open Thread
After a weird week, it's finally Friday!
There are 22 Days left until Democratic Reunion
What I'm Reading Today:
July 6, 2006
Read all about it: Democratic Senate Candidates
Yesterday MyDD interviewed Pennsylvania Senate Candidate Bob Casey.
Today AP has a story on Tennessee Senate Candidate Harold Ford, Jr.
Chili, Ice Cream, Barbecue, or Phone-banking?
DNC Executive Director Tom McMahon sent an e-mail to folks asking them to come to the Democratic Reunion.Dear Fellow Democrat,
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
In just about three weeks you will have the opportunity to come together with Democrats in your community to meet, greet and organize as we get ready for elections this fall.
Saturday, July 29th will mark 100 days until Election Day, and Democrats will be celebrating the occasion and making their commitment to work hard until November in a series of events called the Democratic Reunion.
They've captured the spirit perfectly in Oklahoma, where you'll find an "Oklahoma Democratic Party Family Reunion" where Democrats young and old will join others who have left politics or never participated before. All of them will be committing to give their all for the last 100 days.
And in Washington, they've worked to coordinate their events with campaigns from across the state - ensuring that come Election Day, there's a network of dedicated volunteers to help get out the vote.
Find a Democratic Reunion event near you -- just follow this link and plug in your zip code:
http://www.democrats.org/thedemocraticreunion/find
All kinds of events are happening as part of the Democratic Reunion. Social events, canvasses and phone-banks, candidate meet-and-greets -- whatever your comfort level, whatever your community wants, the important thing is that Democrats come together.
A few of the other kinds of events:
- Casper, Wyoming: Casper Canvass and Barbecue
- Eugene, Oregon: Lane County Democratic Party Chili Cook-off
- Biloxi, Mississippi: Picnic for Democracy
- Tucson, Arizona: Ice Cream Social
- Nampa, Idaho: Meet Your Local Democratic Candidates
That's only a few -- not to mention the 31 events in Georgia, the 42 events in Ohio, or the event in Fairbanks, Alaska being put together by a candidate for the state legislature.
Can't find an event near you? There are so many options, and planning your event is so easy with our online events center, why not create your own? We'll provide tips and support to make your event a success, and we'll even make sure you get materials like doorhangers and postcards to help spread the word in your community.
Plan your own Democratic Reunion event now:
http://www.democrats.org/thedemocraticreunion/create
It's an exciting time to be a Democrat, and the Democratic Reunion is the next big step in our drive to build our party everywhere and win this November.
We have a lot to do, but we have to remember that there's nothing we can't do together.
Thank you for getting involved.
Sincerely,
Tom
Tom McMahon
Executive Director
Democratic National Committee
Karma?
I'm sad for Tom DeLay, really, I am...
From the Houston Chronicle:
A federal judge ruled today that Republicans cannot replace former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay on the ballot for the 22nd Congressional District race.U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks, a Republican appointee, ruled that DeLay must appear on the Nov. 7 ballot as the GOP nominee for the congressional seat that he abandoned last month.
Sparks said DeLay could "withdraw'' from the race under Texas election law, but that still would not allow the Republicans to replace him on the ballot.
Gee, that's just too darn bad...
Lots more at DCCC's Stakeholder from Jesse Lee
It's up to the NY Legislature
New York's highest court today turned back a broad attempt by gay and lesbian couples across the state to win the right to marry and raise children under New York State's marriage law, saying that denying marriage to same-sex couples does not violate the state constitution.In a 4-2 decision, the Court of Appeals found that the state's definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman, enacted more than a century ago, could have a rational basis, and that it was up to the State Legislature, not the courts, to decide whether it should be changed.
Governor Dean responded to the decision in a written statement, saying:
As Democrats, we believe that every American has a right to equal protection under the law and to live in dignity. And we must respect the right of every family to live in dignity with equal rights, responsibilities and protections under the law. Today's decision by the New York Court of Appeals, which relies on outdated and bigoted notions about families, is deeply disappointing, but it does not end the effort to achieve this goal.As that essential process moves forward, it is up to the State legislature to act to protect the equal rights of every New Yorker and for the debate on how to ensure those rights to proceed without the rancor and divisiveness that too often surrounds this issue.
According to the National Stonewall Democrats, New York Democrats may be on their way towards achieving that goal:
The New York State Democratic Party overwhelmingly passed a resolution in 2003 that calls for marriage recognition for same sex couples in the state. Additionally, the majority of New Yorkers support marriage equality according to a recent poll released in April. Gubernatorial nominee and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is one of a number of leading Democrats in New York who has pledged to work with the state legislature to pass legislation granting marriage equality to same-sex couples.
50-State Strategy: One State (House) at a Time
Today's Wall Street Journal reports:
With several statehouses controlled by razor-thin edges, the potential for swings in power may be greater at the state level than in Congress, where the struggle for control gets more attention.
In 2005 I was asked to join a Virgina campaign, not Tim Kaine's race for Governor, but a 13-precinct House of Delegates race. In those few weeks I spent in Virginia I learned more about a true grassroots organizing then I could have ever learned on a larger race. Focusing on just over a dozen precincts we were able to have a huge impact on local voters, knocking on doors, talking to them face-to-face, building a team that was able to engage their neighbors at the precinct level and truly have an impact.
That is the sort of organizing that is happening around the country via the 50-State Strategy. And it has the potential to change our country, not only by taking back Congress or The White House, but by electing Democrats to a majority in State Houses.
We won that race, a seat that was in Republican hands for 32 years became a Democratic strong-hold. But that's not the best part, the best part was that the work we did in those 13-precincts trickled up to win even the reddest precinct for all of our state-wide Democratic candidates, and it's something that could happen in your backyard.
In 29 legislative chambers across the nation, a shift of no more than five seats would bring a new party to power. If the restless, dissatisfied mood among many voters produces a desire to throw out incumbents, both parties could see turmoil at the state level. If the sentiment turns against Republicans in charge at the national level, Democrats could make significant gains in elections.Democrats appear to be in the better position. With modest gains in a handful of states, they could take a majority of legislative chambers. Republicans have prevailed since 2002, when they won a slim majority for the first time since 1952.
And the shift may extend to the Governor's Mansion in many states:
Beyond the legislatures, Democrats also hope to regain a majority of governorships for the first time since Republicans gained the advantage there in 1994. Currently, Republicans have a 28 to 22 edge. But with 36 gubernatorial races this year, a big swing is possible.
So much energy and attention are focused on the national political debate that it is sometimes easy to forget that 'all politics is local' and the kind of impact our state legislative chambers can have on important issues like the minimum wage or reproductive rights or tort reform.
A change in legislative control can affect a range of issues, including taxes and tort reform -- as well as the boundaries of a state's congressional districts, which could affect control of the U.S. Congress. "When you flip a chamber, the conversation in a state changes immediately," says Michael Davies of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, a group helping party candidates nationwide.In Tennessee, for example, Republicans' one-seat dominance was responsible for torpedoing a proposal this spring to raise the state's minimum wage. That has parallels in Iowa, where Democratic Senate President John Kibbie says a chamber knotted at 25-25 "can't even get a minimum wage bill out of committee."
In 2004 we saw the beginning of these changes. Colorado and Montana Democrats took control of their state governments.
In 2006 we could see a whole slew more. In 2008 that trend can continue. Imagine what kind of change we can bring about after four years of intense on-the-ground organizing in all fifty states. It's never been done before with this level of organization, with this kind of dedication to long-term party building and sustainable organized effort.
We know that the 50-State Strategy means fighting everywhere, for Democrats up and down the ballot, for The White House to The Governor's Mansions to the County Sheriff. That is why organizing at the local level, where we can talk to our friends and our neighbors about the importance of their vote is so crucial and why we are taking steps now to ensure Democratic victories this November and in Novembers to come.
Thursday Open Thread
Hello, America!
There are 23 Days left until The Democratic Reunion.
What's happening in your corner of the world?
When Small is Not Really Small
The NYT wrote yesterday about small business protections being misused. Government contracts that are supposed to be set aside for small businesses are actually in some cases going to large corporations.
The Small Business Administration and other federal agencies are mandated by law to provide at least 23 percent of federal contracts to small businesses. But for years, government studies show, large corporations like GTSI, Boeing, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman have been counted as small businesses either through legal loopholes, via acquisitions or simply by mistake. And despite some efforts by the federal government to correct the mistakes, problems persist.The stakes for small businesses are huge as they try to compete for contracts in an expanding federal marketplace. Since 2000, the amount of federal contracting has grown 55 percent, to $377 billion.
Last year, at least $4.9 billion worth of contracts, coded as small business, went to 13 of the largest government contractors, according to a review by The New York Times of contracting data provided by Eagle Eye, a research firm based in Virginia.
This may seem like a small matter, but it's not. There are two different types of errors. On one hand, clerical errors and improper categorization of large corporations as small businesses are problems that the government can fix relatively quickly. But the second problem - that large companies are able to compete for small business contracts because of a legal loophole - is a much more complex issue. The government doesn't seem to even want to touch it. Meanwhile, the big losers are small businesses who can't even compete fairly for small business contracts.
July 5, 2006
Listen Up: New DNC Ad to Air During Sham Immigration Hearings
Today as the Republicans begin their series of sham immigration hearings the DNC will be airing a spanish language ad calling on the GOP to stop stalling legislation and scapegoating immigrants for political gain.
Translated Audio:
Paid for by Democratic National Committee. www.democrats.org. This communication not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. The DNC is responsible for the content of this advertising.For more than 26 years I served on the border, fighting to keep our enemies and drug dealers out. And for years in Congress, I've called on Republicans who control everything in Washington to take action to secure America's borders.
But for six years Republicans have done nothing. Worse, they have blocked Democrats' efforts to increase border security.
Now, instead of acting to secure our borders and pass immigration reform; Republicans are holding hearings, just so they can keep scapegoating immigrants. They think that's how they'll win elections in November.
We can't trust Republicans with our security or with immigration reform. Democrats want to act now.
This is Congressman Silvestre Reyes. Join Democrats in calling on Republicans to stop playing games with immigration; and start securing our borders.
Click here to listen in Spanish
[UPDATE]: Calitics has some on-the-ground opinion of the San Diego hearing.
Fighting Dem: Webb For Senate
Californian George Allen is running for re-election in Virginia this November. His Democratic opponent is Jim Webb, a veteran.
In contrast to Allen's formative childhood years in Cali, Webb's time in California consisted of a year of college at the University of Southern California on a NROTC scholarship. He left USC for the Naval Academy after one year, where he was a varsity boxer. In my opinion, Webb must have realized that USC sucks and UCLA is awesome.
After the Academy, Webb served in Vietnam, was staff to the Secretary of the Navy, and later completed his law degree at Georgetown University.
Webb has authored six best-selling books, including one that is considered by many to be the classic novel of the Vietnam war: Fields of Fire (1978). He even speaks Vietnamese!
He has a blog called "Born Fighting": http://www.webbforsenate.org/blog/
President Carter & Democrats Abroad
Great news in Democrats Abroad world!
President Jimmy Carter has agreed to become the first Honorary Chair of Democrats Abroad to encourage Americans living outside the United States to register to vote and to help promote www.VoteFromAbroad.org a Democrats Abroad project that makes it simple to request absentee ballots and register to vote from outside the States.
In an e-mail to Democrats Abroad members President Carter wrote:
”Since leaving the White House, Roslynn and I have visited more than 120 nations in our work at the Carter Center. In many cases, we have become deeply involved with them in resolving some of their political, health, and agricultural challenges. During the earlier years, their admiration and friendship toward our country was almost universal. Lately, there has been a drastic and disturbing shift towards distrust, alienation, and outright hatred.“We are faced in 2006 with congressional elections of momentous historical importance, more so than at any time in my memory. There can be no better qualified or objective analysts than Americans who live overseas and who are not unduly swayed by the constant stream of biased news media, like Fox News and the all-pervasive right-wing radio talk shows.
“It is imperative that every American citizen living abroad join us in this movement to change the course of our government by registering to vote and participating fully in the electoral process. Democrats Abroad has made registering to vote and requesting an absentee ballot quick and simple at VoteFromAbroad.org. I invite you to use that website, request your absentee ballot, vote, and make a difference.”
A Dem Candidate Who Makes Me Believe
The day he announced his candidacy for Arkansas governor, state Attorney General Mike Beebe declared "You can't come up the way I did and not believe that anything is possible." Beebe was raised by a single parent, a mother who worked to raise her son on a waitress's tips. Beebe put himself through college and law school by serving his country in the U.S. Army Reserves.
Currently the state's Attorney General, Beebe has represented the people of Arkansas for more than 20 years as a state senator and attorney general.
If you don't already love the guy, it's really hard to not dislike his opponent. The Republican candidate, Asa Hutchinson, is Bush administration-official-turned-lobbyist who was the undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The independent 9/11 Commission issued near-failing grades for Hutchinson's handling of his role at DHS.
Beebe has a pretty sweet website, including video notebooks.
84% Agree: President Bush is Losing the 'War on Terror'
Gee, should we be surprised that experts agree we are losing the "war on terror" under the direction of President Bush?
Despite high-profile arrests, security operations and upbeat assessments from the White House, the United States is losing its "global war on terror," experts warn.Five years after Washington launched its hunt for those responsible for the September 11 attacks, the world has not become a safer place, and a new large-scale strike against America at some point appears likely, they say.
Even the killing last month of Al-Qaeda's leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, hailed by the White House as a major blow against the terror network, has not dented its ability to recruit new militants or mount attacks.
In May the influential US magazine Foreign Policy and a Washington-based think-tank questioned 116 leading US experts -- a balanced mix of Republicans and Democrats -- on the progress of the US campaign against terrorism.
Among others, they consulted a former secretary of state, two former directors of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and dozens of the country's top security analysts.
The result? Eighty-four percent believe the United States is losing the "war on terror", 86 percent that the world has become a more dangerous place in the past five years, and 80 percent that a major new attack on their country was likely within the next decade.
"We are losing the 'war on terror' because we are treating the symptoms and not the cause," argued Anne-Marie Slaughter, head of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.
"Our insistence that Islamic fundamentalist ideology has replaced communist ideology as the chief enemy of our time feeds Al-Qaeda's vision of the world," boosting support for the Islamic radical cause, she said.
For Leslie Gelb, president of the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations, the unity of views expressed by those questioned reflects a deeply critical attitude towards the administration of President George W. Bush.
"It's clear to nearly all that Bush and his team have had a totally unrealistic view of what they can accomplish with military force and threats of force," he said.
Immigration "Dog-and-Pony" Shows
Let's translate some spin...
From The New York Times:
On the eve of nationwide hearings that could determine the fate of his immigration bill, President Bush is signaling a new willingness to negotiate with House Republicans in an effort to revise the stalled legislation before Election Day.
What they mean:
The day before House Republicans hold sham hearings to further stall immigration legislation, the President is willing to buckle to the extreme right-wing of his party in order to appear successful at something as Election Day gets closer.
Oh and let's look at these hearings for what they are: "made for media" events that leave out critical voices in the debate and focus on one aspect of the immigration debate.
From the San Diego Union Tribune:
As Republican leaders in the House of Representatives hold the first in a series of national congressional field hearings today related to the immigration debate, local farmers who have lobbied strongly for a guest-worker program won't be there.(snip)
The Farm Bureau is not invited to the table to discuss a guest-worker program it has spent months lobbying for, executive director Eric Larson said, so the group has instead issued its own call to participants in the hearing.
“There is no reason that Members of Congress cannot achieve strong border security and comprehensive immigration reform at the same time,” the Farm Bureau statement reads. “The issues are fundamentally connected. A temporary-worker program with legal channels for needed workers to come and go is a key element of a secure and well-managed border.”
Currently, a Senate plan for immigration reform would beef up border enforcement, offer a path to legalization to millions of undocumented immigrants and create a guest-worker program. A House proposal focuses on border and interior enforcement.
“Enforcement only, without a workable program for agriculture, will devastate farmers and hurt the national economy,” the Farm Bureau statement says. “Agriculture has real labor shortages.”
“It's called a public hearing, but it's very orchestrated,” he said.
Today's hearing, while open to the public, will give speaking time only to scheduled witnesses, as is done at all congressional hearings, said Sara Carmack, district director with Royce's office, adding that she has heard complaints from numerous groups that feel left out. Carmack said the agenda was set in the interest of time and to focus the conversation on border security, not immigration reform.
Border security and not immigration reform? Yeah, you read that right. Immigration hearings that don't address immigration reform.
Classic.
House Dems aren't going to let them get away with that sorry excuse for governing.
From the San Francisco Gate:
Democrats initially considered boycotting the hearings, but will treat them as a platform to assail an enforcement-only approach to immigration reform, said Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks."If they want to have a dog-and-pony show, that's fine," said Sherman, the ranking Democrat on the International Relations subcommittee on International Terrorism and Nonproliferation, which will host the San Diego hearing. "They have really ugly dogs and really mangy ponies."
C.I.A. Closes Unit Assigned to Hunt Bin Laden
I wonder if the fact that it was one of the slowest news day of the summer had anything to do with this story being released yesterday?
From The New York Times:
The Central Intelligence Agency has closed a unit that for a decade had the mission of hunting Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants, intelligence officials confirmed Monday.The unit, known as Alec Station, was disbanded late last year and its analysts reassigned within the C.I.A. Counterterrorist Center, the officials said.
The decision is a milestone for the agency, which formed the unit before Osama bin Laden became a household name and bolstered its ranks after the Sept. 11 attacks, when President Bush pledged to bring Mr. bin Laden to justice "dead or alive."
Wednesday Open Thread
Good Morning, Democrats!
There are 24 Days left until The Democratic Reunion.
What are you reading this morning?
July 4, 2006
Independence Day Open Thread
Happy 4th of July!
There are 25 Days left until The Democratic Reunion.
For your reading and learning pleasure, visit the US Archives online and read the Declaration, Constitution and Bill of Rights and remember just exactly what it is we are celebrating.
Then go watch fireworks and hug your family and friends.
July 3, 2006
932
From the AP - Things that make me count the days until January 20, 2009:
North Korea vowed on Monday to respond with an "annihilating" nuclear strike if its atomic facilities are attacked pre-emptively by the United States.The Bush administration responded sternly, saying while it had no intention of attacking, it was determined to protect the United States if North Korea launched a long-range missile.
"Should North Korea take the provocative action of launching a missile the U.S. would respond appropriately, including by taking the necessary measures to protect ourselves," Julie Reside, a State Department spokeswoman, said.
(I made an error the first time around, turns out It's even longer away than I thought...)
Bonus C-Span!
Yeah, I know, crazy dorky to be that excited about C-Span, but sometimes I just can't help it.
I just saw this diary on DailyKos which has a list of YearlyKos panels that will be rebroadcast on C-Span this week.
If you were looking for more YearlyKos fun, these would be great things to set your TiVo or VCR for.
Excuses and Distractions
I missed this editorial on Sunday, by Frank Rich of The New York Times:
Old Glory lost today," Bill Frist declaimed last week when his second attempt to rewrite the Constitution in a single month went the way of his happy prognosis for Terri Schiavo. Of course it isn't Old Glory that lost when the flag-burning amendment flamed out. The flag always survives the politicians who wrap themselves in it. What really provoked Mr. Frist's crocodile tears was the foiling of yet another ruse to distract Americans from the wreckage in Iraq. He and his party, eager to change the subject in an election year, just can't let go of their scapegoat strategy. It's illegal Hispanic immigrants, gay couples seeking marital rights, cut-and-run Democrats and rampaging flag burners who have betrayed America's values, not those who bungled a war.No sooner were the flag burners hustled offstage than a new traitor was unveiled for the Fourth: the press. Public enemy No. 1 is The New York Times, which was accused of a "disgraceful" compromise of national security (by President Bush) and treason (by Representative Peter King of New York and the Coulter amen chorus).
The emphasis is mine.
I wonder how long the GOP will keep this up. Dividing Americans, scapegoating entire groups, appealing to what is the worst in us instead of what is the best in order to distract the public from their failures at home and abroad.
It's shameful. We're deserve better than that.
Mr. Rich speaks more of the way in which the press has been under fire from the administration, cites specific instances of distraction and the exaggerated attacks that have been bandied about in the past week. He concludes:
Such ravings make it hard not to think of the official assault on The Times and The Washington Post over the Pentagon Papers. In 1972, on the first anniversary of the publication of that classified Pentagon history of the Vietnam War, The Times's managing editor then, A. M. Rosenthal, reminisced in print about the hyperbolic predictions that had been made by the Nixon White House and its supporters: "Codes would be broken. Military security endangered. Foreign governments would be afraid to deal with us. There would be nothing secret left." None of that happened. What did happen was that Americans learned "how secrecy had become a way of life" for a government whose clandestine policy decisions had fomented a disaster.The assault on a free press during our own wartime should be recognized for what it is: another desperate ploy by officials trying to hide their own lethal mistakes in the shadows. It's the antithesis of everything we celebrate with the blazing lights of Independence Day.
Rural Voters and the Future of the Democratic Party
The Washington Post has an article today on Democratic candidates and rural voters:
The wooing of rural voters is essential to Democrats' hopes for taking back the Senate this November, party strategists say. Rural voters wield real electoral power in Missouri, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Montana, Tennessee, Virginia and Arizona -- all of which are being targeted this fall by Democrats.
The full article cites the Senate campaigns of Claire McCaskill in Missouri and Jim Webb in Virginia as examples of places where Democrats are appealing to rural voters, but I would say that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Democratic candidates and elected officials are everywhere. I do believe Montana, Kansas and Virginia have huge swaths of rural voters and we've got a fantastic Governors there. Ditto for the Senators in Colorado and Nebraska. Those are just a few examples. Look back at the 50-State Strategy interviews and you'll find a whole bunch more.
Yet the GOP will continue to try and sell us, wholesale, on the idea that Democrats aren't right for rural votes. Well, we're not buying that, and neither is anyone else. People can see with their own eyes the destruction and corruption the Republican party has brought them and that isn't something anyone wants to take home from the market. In fact Senate Democrats put together a Rural Report Card for the President and the GOP and graded them on how they have served rural America. (Here's a hint: They didn't exactly pass...)
On the other hand, honest and open government without the stink of corruption, real security at home and abroad that is based on telling the truth to Americans and our allies, a plan for energy independence, health care for the millions who don't have it, retirement security for our seniors and educational and economic opportunities for American familes. Those are the kinds of things Democrats offer and there isn't anything out of step with that.
President Carter in The Washington Post
Talking about the Freedom of Information Act, which turns 40 tomorrow:
The U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) turns 40 tomorrow, the day we celebrate our independence. But this anniversary will not be a day of celebration for the right to information in our country. Our government leaders have become increasingly obsessed with secrecy. Obstructionist policies and deficient practices have ensured that many important public documents and official actions remain hidden from our view.The events in our nation today -- war, civil rights violations, spiraling energy costs, campaign finance and lobbyist scandals -- dictate the growing need and citizens' desire for access to public documents. A poll conducted last year found that 70 percent of Americans are either somewhat or very concerned about government secrecy. This is understandable when the U.S. government uses at least 50 designations to restrict unclassified information and created 81 percent more "secrets" in 2005 than in 2000, according to the watchdog coalition OpenTheGovernment.org.
(snip)
Increasingly, developed and developing nations are recognizing that a free flow of information is fundamental for democracy. Whether it's government or private companies that provide public services, access to their records increases accountability and allows citizens to participate more fully in public life. It is a critical tool in fighting corruption, and people can use it to improve their own lives in the areas of health care, education, housing and other public services. Perhaps most important, access to information advances citizens' trust in their government, allowing people to understand policy decisions and monitor their implementation.
Justice Kennedy - Not that Liberal
Is it just me, or does an article entitled "Kennedy Reigns Supreme on Court" seem a little ominous?
Maybe it's the eight years we've had where Kennedy has been relatively conservative that have me sweating now that he is the sole remaining swing vote on the most important court in the nation.
By the end of the term, it was clear that the main impact of the turnover was to enhance the influence of a justice who has been at the court since 1988, 69-year-old Anthony M. Kennedy.With the departure of centrist Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the court is now frequently split between two four-justice liberal and conservative blocs, with Kennedy as the sole remaining swing voter.
Kennedy goes both ways. I'm no Supreme Court expert, but I've certainly spent my fair share of time paying attention to the court over the last year -- Saturday was the one year anniversary of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's resignation. I was there on the steps of the Supreme Court on July 1, 2005 with my activist sign and my black robe, begging the Supreme Court to continue to protect women's rights. And Kennedy has been there for women. He has also voted against us.
He's not an ideologue, he's not always on one side of the aisle, and maybe he is becoming more liberal. But I wouldn't count on it, folks. Remember: he was appointed by a Republican President.
The only way to protect the rights we've fought for is to vote for Democrats.
Pre-Holiday Open Thread
Good Morning!
There are 26 Days until The Democratic Reunion.
Did you see this article?
The U.S. National Security Agency asked AT&T Inc. to help it set up a domestic call monitoring site seven months before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, lawyers claimed June 23 in court papers filed in New York federal court.The allegation is part of a court filing adding AT&T, the nation's largest telephone company, as a defendant in a breach of privacy case filed earlier this month on behalf of Verizon Communications Inc. and BellSouth Corp. customers. The suit alleges that the three carriers, the NSA and President George W. Bush violated the Telecommunications Act of 1934 and the U.S. Constitution, and seeks money damages.
"The Bush Administration asserted this became necessary after 9/11," plaintiff's lawyer Carl Mayer said in a telephone interview. "This undermines that assertion."
July 1, 2006
The Supremes in Transition
I really enjoyed this article from The New York Times about the new Supreme Court.
Heres an excerpt:
As the dust settled on a consequential Supreme Court term, the first in 11 years with a change in membership and the first in two decades with a new chief justice, one question that lingered was whether it was now the Roberts court, in fact as well as in name.The answer: not yet.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. was clearly in charge, presiding over the court with grace, wit and meticulous preparation. But he was not in control.
The article also goes on to review some of the most important cases that were brought before the Court this year.
What are you reading today?
Listen Up: Webb Speaks Out
Fighting Democrat and Virginia Senate nominee Jim Webb delivers the Democratic Radio Address this week.
You can listen here.
This is an open thread...
Contribute
| Democratic Party | |
|
· From the Roots (DSCC) · The Stakeholder (DCCC) |
· Project 2010 (DGA) · Smart Ass (CDA) |
| State Party Blogs | |
|
· Alabama · Arizona · California · Colorado · Delaware · Idaho · Kansas · Mississippi · Nebraska · Nevada |
· New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Pennsylvania · South Carolina · Tennessee · Utah · Wisconsin |
| Blogroll | |
|
· Afro-Netizen · AMERICABlog · Atrios · Brad DeLong · Carpetbagger Report · Charles Kuffner · Citizen Orange · Crooks & Liars · Daily Kos · David Neiwert · Eric Alterman · Firedoglake · The Future Majority · Glenn Greenwald · Jack and Jill Politics · Juan Cole · Latino Netroots · Latino Pundit · Liberal Oasis · Marisa Treviño · Matt Browner-Hamlin · Migra Matters |
· MyDD · Oliver Willis · Pam's House Blend · Pandagon · Political Animal · Political Wire · Rafael Noboa · Roger Ailes · Seeing the Forest · Street Prophets · Swing State Project · The Talent Show · Talk Left · Talking Points Memo · TAPPED · TBogg · Think Progress · Tom Tomorrow · Ugga Bugga · VetVoice · Wampum · War Room |
Statewide Blogs
· 50-State Blog Round-Up
- QuickLinks:
- Site Resources:
- Party Builder:
- Social:
-
Paid for by the Democratic National Committee -- 430 South Capitol Street SE,
Washington, D.C., 20003.
This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.