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November 30, 2006

Paying the Price for Cheating Democracy

A judge in New Hampshire rules that the New Hampshire Democratic Party can seek millions in damages from the GOP:

MANCHESTER, N.H. --A judge has ruled New Hampshire Democrats can go after more than just the cost of renting and using telephones that were jammed by Republicans on Election Day four years ago.

The ruling offers the Democrats the right to argue the GOP jamming in 2002 hindered their attempt to boost voter turnout.

Republicans wanted Judge Philip Mangones to rule the Democrats could only claim $4,974 in damages -- the cost of renting and using phones for the get-out-the-vote campaign. Democrats argued they should be able to go after more than $4 million in damages -- the cost of seven months of work for the get-out-the-vote effort.

That's nearly half of what Democrats spent on their effort, which was disrupted for nearly two hours the day it was supposed to pay off.

Mangones placed some limits on Democrats' claims.

He said Democrats can't include the entire cost of their seven-month-long, get-out-the-vote operation. The costs of "postage, signs, rent and other such expenditures that were not proximately (almost directly) impacted by the telephone system interference would generally not be recoverable," he ruled.

In rejecting Republicans' arguments, Mangones said jamming the phone lines prevented Democrats from communicating with field offices, volunteers and voting sites.

"To the extent that the (Democrats) can establish a direct link between the precluded communications and the hindered (voter turnout) activity, such evidence would warrant consideration for purposes of damages," he said.

The Republicans hired a telemarketing firm to place hundreds of hang-up calls to phone banks for the Democratic Party and the Manchester firefighters union, a nonpartisan group offering rides to the polls. The election featured a hotly contested U.S. Senate race in which U.S. Rep. John Sununu defeated Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.

Watch It!: Governor Dean in Canada

Governor Dean delivered the keynote address at the Canadian Liberal Leadership Convention.

Watch it: Part 1 | Part 2 | Commentary

An Excerpt...

...The Democratic Party had a great day a few weeks ago. But it was the start of our rebuilding, not the end.

Still, I believe there are two main lessons from our success. Lessons for progressive parties everywhere.

Simply put, they have to do with the place of power and how it's practiced.

By the place of power, I mean where it resides.

And that is with the people.

It does not work its way from the top down.

It grows from the grassroots up.

It grows not just in the areas that have traditionally supported you. Whether it is the Liberal Party or the Democratic Party, we should never cede a single region or province, never cede a single state or city. Nor should we ever cede a single voter. Not a single one. It is a mark of respect for the voters that we ask each one for their vote regardless of the likelihood of getting it. This is what we call the 50-state strategy.

We shouldn't just court big donors; we must include small contributors.

We have had to transform ourselves into a Party that could communicate with its supporters and with all of our citizens... in the traditional ways... but also in new ways. By using the power and potential of technology as part of an aggressive outreach to meet and include voters and to get our message out.

But at the end of the day -- whether we're talking 50-states or a 13 provinces and territories -- it's pretty simple.

It's just this: Show up everywhere. And work hard everywhere.

Knock on doors everywhere. Make the calls everywhere. Shake hands everywhere. Do the hard work everywhere.

And keep doing it... because that's what running a permanent campaign takes.

So for us, that work won't stop. But I think on November 7th, the American voters demonstrated that if Democrats do these things...

If we show up, work hard and ask people for their votes...we can win in any part of our country.

My party took a major step in this election towards our goal of being a national party again. We won in places that some thought we couldn't. And we earned the votes of people who not have voted for a Democrat in a very long time.

We even earned some votes from people who hadn't even seen a Democrat in quite some time.

We did it by investing early. We did it by investing at the state level, laying the foundation that our outstanding candidates needed to be successful.

But most of all, we did it by showing up in every state in the country and reaching out to all of our citizens, regardless of party or religious affiliation. We did it by talking about our values, and the beliefs we share.

We went to where power resides. And we proved... if we competed in the most conservative parts of the country, we could win ... at any level, anywhere.

Believe it or not, I'm not much of a zen person.

But I've found that the path to power, oddly enough, is to trust others with it. That means remembering the power is where the voters are.

That's the first step to rebuilding a party.

The second step has to do with how we put the power into practice. First, remember it's on loan. Next, fight for what you believe in.

When my party was wandering in the wilderness, there were those who said we should change direction... that we should become more like the Republican Party whose policies and priorities we disagreed with.

When you say that, in essence you are arguing that our basic and guiding principles can be altered or modified.

More than that, you're conceding that those principles may be wrong.

They are not. Our basic principles remain as true as ever...

And, on the Democratic approach to politics and the strategy of hope and promise:

We trust people and we bring them together. We appreciate our differences and we focus on our similarities...we say our diversity does not divide us, it defines us. We propose we meet our shared challenges with shared solutions.

The Democratic Party and the Liberal Party are the 'we' parties, our opponents too often are the 'me' parties.

This year we trusted people and brought them together. We are at our best when we create and inspire a sense of community.

That is true of our politics.

Full speech below the jump, but the video is so much better!

(h/t to Kossack Swampfoot, who YouTubed the speech!)

Keep reading "Watch It!: Governor Dean in Canada"

Open Thread

Chat away...

November 29, 2006

Absurd

Down and out of power, the Republican attacks become even more ridiculous. One can only imanagine what is going to come next.

Right-wing media outlets are engaged in an effort to tar House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who won the Cesar Chavez award from the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation in 2003, as anti-worker.

The conservative claim, initiated by Hoover Institution fellow Peter Schweizer, is that Pelosi and her husband are guilty of hypocrisy over workers’ rights because they own a vineyard in Napa Valley that is non-union. The claim has filtered up through the blogs to Fox News and conservative print outlets like Investor’s Business Daily.

Over at ThinkProgress, Nico has the lastest on this absurd excuse for "reporting" on Speaker-to-be Pelosi and the video clip debunking it, which asserts that not only do the Pelosis pay their workers more than unionized workers make in the Valley, but that it would be illegal for her to help her workers unionize.

Somehow those facts were never uncovered by Fox News and their friends.

In Florida, Serious, Serious Problems

In the FL-13 election, there have been serious problems with voting machines that seem to have disenfranchised thousands of voters and handed the election to the GOP candidate. Yesterday they audited the machines and the problems were clearly evident.

From the Herald Tribune, via DailyKos.com

An audit of the county's touch-screen voting machines Tuesday found several discrepancies, most prominently in the disputed 13th Congressional District race, but state elections officials said it is unclear whether the problems were the result of human or machine error.

All four voting machines that officials used to simulate the Nov. 7 election had miscounts, and three of them had miscounts in the District 13 race [...]

The voting machines tested Tuesday were among those that the state programmed for the county, but were not used in the Nov. 7 election.

State officials selected four precincts, and had their workers vote to reflect proportionately how votes were cast in the actual election [...]

Of the 251 ballots cast, five additional votes were counted for Jennings, including three extra votes in one precinct. There were also miscounts in five other races.

"Most likely it's human error," said Jenny Nash, spokesperson for the State Division of Elections.

Markos and Georgia10 have more.

Memo to Those in Denial

Re: "Civil War"

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a civil war as:

civil war: n. 1. A war between factions or regions of the same country.

So, while the White House continues to live within a 'State of Denial' they have come to know and love, let it be known that their attempts at creative rhetoric aren't fooling anyone.

During Monday's Press Gaggle, Press Secretary Tony Snow, in response to the question, "Do you maintain it's still not a civil war?":

MR. SNOW: -- (inaudible) -- civil war? No, but you have not yet had a situation also where you have two clearly defined and opposing groups vying not only for power, but for territory. What you do have is sectarian violence that seems to be less aimed at gaining full control over an area than expressing differences, and also trying to destabilize a democracy -- which is different than a civil war, where two sides are clashing for territory and supremacy.

This is a new added qualification for Mr. Snow, who just last week, seemed to take a different view of what qualified as a civil war:

SNOW: At this point, you do have a lot of different forces that are trying to put pressure on the government and trying to undermine it. But it's not clear that they are operating as a unified force. You don't have a clearly identifiable leader. And so in this particular case, no.

What you do have is a number of different groups -- you know, they've been described in some cases as rejectionists, in others as terrorists. In many cases, they are not groups that would naturally get along, either, but they severally and together pose a threat to the government.

The President, his Administration and anyone else who refuse to acknowledge the truth about the war in Iraq look ridiculous clinging to false rhetoric and spin.

Thankfully, not everyone is ignoring the reality.

CNN's Michael Ware:

WARE: Well, put it this way, this is the way I define it. It's that anyone who still remains in doubt about whether this is civil war or not is suffering from the luxury of distance.

Former Secretary of State, General Colin Powell:

Speaking with CNN reporter Hala Gorani in Dubai today, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Iraq’s violence meets the standard of a civil war and thinks President Bush needs to acknowledge that. According to Gorani’s report, Powell said if he were heading the State Department right now, he would recommend that the Bush administration adopt that language “in order to come to terms with the reality on the ground.

How long will it take the White House to come to terms? When will "The Decider" decide to stop sticking his head in the sand?

Reid To End the Do-Nothing Senate

Just like the Democratic led House, the Democratic led Senate isn't going to waste any time lollygagging around. Under the leadership of Senator Reid they are ready to get down to work.

Via WaPo:

He is wrapping up his final days as Senate minority leader. He will assume control of the Senate's agenda on Jan. 4, when the next Congress convenes with 10 new senators, at least 52 new House members and Democrats holding majorities in both houses for the first time since 1994.

"We're going to put in some hours here that haven't been put in in a long time," Reid said. That means "being here more days in the week, and we start off this year with seven weeks without a break. That hasn't been done in many, many years here."

Reid said he hopes President Bush is willing to work with Democratic congressional leaders, but he added that the early signs have not been encouraging. He said the White House has not reached out to him since his meeting with Bush in the Oval Office on Nov. 10.

"He said when I met with him after the election he wanted to work together, and I told him, `Mr. President, you said that two years ago and we haven't gotten anything done,'" Reid said.

White House spokesman Tony Fratto said lawmakers have been out of town for most of the time since the Nov. 10 meeting and the president has been traveling abroad. He said Bush "has been very forthright in his interest in having a bipartisan dialogue on the Hill. That wasn't just a gesture in the days after the election _ that was an authentic, sincere effort."

Reid said he hoped Bush would use his State of the Union address before Congress early next year to lay out plans for health care, retirement security, decreasing dependence on foreign oil, reducing government deficits and, most importantly, Iraq.

He said the Senate will conduct hearings to investigate problems in Iraq but Democrats have no immediate plans to cut spending on the war.

"Now he's the commander in chief, and we're not going to do anything to limit funding or cut off funds, even though there are some on the outside who suggest that," Reid said. "I think we want to make sure that the troops have everything that they need."

Won't it be nice to have a Senate that will actually focus on governing instead of wasting time on divisive wedge issues intended to rally an extreme right-wing base?

Open Thread

Chat away...

November 28, 2006

Tuesday Open Thread

What's happening in the world today?

November 27, 2006

Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who sent Governor Dean a birthday card to help him celebrate his big day!

Keep reading "Thank You!"

50-State Strategy: North Carolina Democrats "Surge"

We've said from the beginning that the 50-State Strategy is a long-term plan. We've said from the beginning that it's about investing in every state and asking every American for their vote. We've said it's about the power of organizing at the most local level, and we've said that it's long past time that we've taken the steps to fully support a national party, from coast to coast, that remains strong before, and after, Election Day.

2006 brought some early success stories for the Strategy. Blue states became bluer. Red States are now tinged with purple. In places where the Democratic Party had been a long time gone, it's back and it's thriving. In parts of Utah, Idaho, Nebraska, Georgia, Wyoming, Mississippi and North Carolina, Democrats have made gains.

Not all of these gains can be measured by the win/loss column for Congressional elections. In some states, those gains manifested themselves as higher turnout, greater numbers of registered Democrats, a newly formed county Party organization, a revived group of grassroots activists or a win at the local level. All of these small successes are the keys to achieving larger victories.

North Carolina is a state that had some note-worthy successes in 2006 up and down the ballot. And those successes came, not just at the federal level, where Democrats elected Heath Shuler to Congress, but at the local level, where Dems took control of county commissions and Sheriff's offices.

From the News Observer:

Margaret Johnson was worried on election night that the walls would literally come tumbling down at the Democratic headquarters in the small North Carolina foothills town of Columbus.

Two hundred and fifty rain-soaked people jammed into the 1940s-era building -- a converted church -- to celebrate Democrats' near-sweep in what has been a strong Republican county.

...Such were the dreams of Howard Dean and Jerry Meek when they became chairmen, respectively, of the national and state Democratic parties last year.

Both pushed for spending more money and effort on organizing in Republican-leaning areas such as the North Carolina mountains. Call it their "Leave No Democrat Behind" program.

The election was so good for the Democrats that they hung a banner from the porch of their headquarters in downtown Raleigh that read: "NC Democrats Kicked [and there is a drawing of a donkey]."

And from AP:

For Democrats in western North Carolina, there was more to celebrate on election night than Health Shuler's victory against eight-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor in the state's marquee race.

In county commission votes and races for sheriff, Democrats did well across the ballot in a part of the state where Republicans have historical links dating to the Civil War and an advantage in voter registration. In Ashe County, for example, Democrats now have a majority on the county commission and the sheriff's post for the first time in about 15 years.

"It had been a long time since we had won anything," said Melba Jones, chairwoman of the county Democratic Party. "We've been the minority and we just haven't had anyone in power in a long time."

Party activists say there was more to how the west was won than a national wave of anti-Republican sentiment spilling out of Washington. The party started work last year, spending time and money to hire staff and organize volunteer efforts to persuade unaffiliated and Republican voters in the region that Democrats better reflected their values.

"The Democratic Party is well-organized and fired up," said Ashe County Sheriff-elect James Williams, who beat his Republican opponent with 51 percent of the vote. "I think everybody worked hard. ... Folks were just ready for a change."

Along with Shuler's win, which gave the party a majority in North Carolina's congressional delegation, Democrats added four western district seats in the state Legislature, part of their overall pick up of as many as seven seats. State Democratic officials also said they picked up 16 seats on county commissions in the western third of the state, earning majorities in five new counties.

The party also won sheriff's races in Ashe, Polk and Watauga counties, where the incumbents were all Republicans.

So what's their secret?

Republicans have had a strong voter base in much of the North Carolina mountains since the Civil War, when farmers tended to support Abraham Lincoln and preserving the union over the cause of Confederate plantation owners. Democratic state party chairman Jerry Meek made the region a priority after his election in early 2005.

"I never thought western North Carolina was out of reach," Meek said.

Meek hired a western regional staff director before the Democratic National Committee agreed to pay for three regional leaders as part of national chairman Howard Dean's "50-state strategy." He also assigned a task force to look at ways to improve the party's fortunes in the area.

But the key was reaching out to voters.

Party volunteer working on a "marginal voter project" made contact with people in five state House districts - most in western North Carolina - who had previously voted only in presidential years.

Ashe County Democrats canvassed neighborhoods for the first time that Jones could remember. They got training from Democrats in Watauga County, which Meek and others hold up as a model. Even though Republicans hold a 6 percentage point advantage in Watauga County in voter registration, Democrats now hold all five commissioner's seats, both legislative seats and the sheriff's office.

"From day one, we surrounded ourselves with bright, energetic people who worked hard," said Steve Goss, a retired Southern Baptist minister and coach who upset heavily favored David Blust in the 45th Senate District, which includes Watauga County.

With the help of Appalachian State University students, the Democratic Party in Watauga County contacts voters year-round to remind them the party is working on local problems. And when they have a success at finding a solution, Meek said, the party lets voters know about it.

Blust, who lost by about 320 votes, said scandals and out-of-control spending by Republican in Congress hurt voter perceptions of the GOP and kept the party faithful at home. But he acknowledged the Democrats' activity swamped him and other Republican candidates in the west.

"All over the mountain area, the Democrats were organized," Blust said. "They smelled blood two years out. They outworked Republicans, no question about it."

"They outworked Republicans." That's the secret. Showing up, doing the hard work, and win or lose, getting up and doing it all over again. People power is the heart of the 50-State Strategy, and when the people believe in the need for a new direction, and believe in a better vision for our county, a little support can go a long way. It's the driving force behind the 50-State Strategy and it's not going away anytime soon!

North Carolina Democrats know it, and so do Democrats in every other state.

Just Another Manic Monday Open Thread

Chat away...

November 26, 2006

Open Thread

Chat away...

November 24, 2006

Open Thread

Another open thread...

November 23, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving Open Thread

A Turkey Day message from Governor Dean...

"Today, Americans across the country, and those serving and living in other nations, give thanks for the many blessings we have received throughout the year.

"While I'm personally grateful for the trust the American people placed in our strong Democratic leaders in this month's elections, I am most thankful for our American democracy. We should all be grateful that America's democracy remains the strongest on Earth, and that we can all express our political convictions freely and openly. And we especially give thanks to the men and women in our Armed Services as they continue to protect the freedoms we cherish and celebrate this Thanksgiving Day.

"When pilgrims and Native Americans gathered for the first Thanksgiving four centuries ago, their joint celebration represented the great diversity that would become the foundation of America's strength. America has always been at its best when we are united and work together for the common good.

"In this spirit, Democrats will honor the trust the American people placed in us by respecting all Americans as we work together to move America in a new direction. We give thanks this holiday season for those who came before us and built our country on the idea that every American has the right to freedom, opportunity, and a chance to live the American Dream.

"My family and I wish you a happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful holiday season."

This is an open thread...

November 22, 2006

Open Thread

Discuss...

November 21, 2006

Open Thread

Chat away...

November 20, 2006

Just Another Manic Monday Open Thread

This is an open thread...

November 19, 2006

Sunday Open Thread

• Speaker-to-be Pelosi blogs over at HuffPo about bringing the war to an end.
• Georgia10 over at DailyKos.com has the latest developments from FL-13 where Democrat Christine Jennings is fighting to make sure every vote, and every voter, is counted.
• That didn't take long...
• Another reason why women can't trust Republicans to protect their rights: Federal appointees.
• Howie Klein blogs alongside John Laesch, who challenged Dennis Hastert this cycle, about what they learned during Laesch's first-run for Congress and why we must fight for every district.

This is an open thread...

November 18, 2006

Saturday Open Thread

I'm at RootsCamp in NYC today...If you are in the area, you should come on by!

This is an open thread...

November 17, 2006

Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish

Ummm a little bit late...but still so true and more evidence of why it is time for a change.

This is a story I should have written 12 years ago when the "Contract with America" Republicans captured the House in 1994. I apologize.

Really, it's just a simple thesis: The men who ran the Republican Party in the House of Representatives for the past 12 years were a group of weirdos. Together, they comprised one of the oddest legislative power cliques in our history. And for 12 years, the media didn't call a duck a duck, because that's not something we're supposed to do.

I'm not talking about the policies of the Contract for America crowd, but the character. I'm confident that 99 percent of the population — if they could see these politicians up close, if they watched their speeches and looked at their biographies — would agree, no matter what their politics or predilections.

I'm confident that if historians ever spend the time on it, they'll confirm my thesis. Same with forensic psychiatrists. I have discussed this with scores of politicians, staffers, consultants and reporters since 1994 and have found few dissenters.

Politicians in this country get a bad rap. For the most part, they are like any high-achieving group in America, with roughly the same distribution of pathologies and virtues. But the leaders of the GOP House didn't fit the personality profile of American politicians, and they didn't deviate in a good way. It was the Chess Club on steroids.

The iconic figures of this era were Newt Gingrich, Richard Armey and Tom Delay. They were zealous advocates of free markets, low taxes and the pursuit of wealth; they were hawks and often bellicose; they were brutal critics of big government.

Yet none of these guys had success in capitalism. None made any real money before coming to Congress. None of them spent a day in uniform. And they all spent the bulk of their adult careers getting paychecks from the big government they claimed to despise. Two resigned in disgrace.

Having these guys in charge of a radical conservative agenda was like, well, putting Mark Foley in charge of the Missing and Exploited Children Caucus. Indeed, Foley was elected in the Class of '94 and is not an inappropriate symbol of their regime.

(h/t Atrios)

TGIF Night Open Thread

It's been over a week. Has it sunk in yet? Speaker Pelosi? Majority Leader Reid? I know I am still getting used to it.

This is an open thread...

"Bush's Brain" Leaving the White House?

Typical take out the trash day fare, the good stuff comes out late in the day on Friday...

(Via ThinkProgress)

The White House Bulletin, a service of Bulletin News, reports that White House senior political adviser Karl Rove — aka “Bush’s Brain” — may soon be on his way out:

The rumors that chief White House political architect Karl Rove will leave sometime next year are being bolstered with new insider reports that his partisan style is a hurdle to President Bush’s new push for bipartisanship. “Karl represents the old style and he’s got to go if the Democrats are going to believe Bush’s talk of getting along,” said a key Bush advisor.

Other elements are also at play: The election yesterday of Sen. Trent Lott to the number two GOP leadership position in the Senate is also a threat to the White House and Rove, who worked against him when he battled to save his majority leader’s job after his insensitive remarks about Sen. Strom Thurmond.

And insiders report that Bush counsel Harriet Miers isn’t a fan, believing that Rove didn’t do enough to help her failed Supreme Court nomination among conservatives. In fact, one top West Wing advisor said that the unexpected ouster of Rove aide Susan Ralston over ethics questions was orchestrated by Miers as a signal to Rove to leave. The advisor said that Rove is aware of the situation and that a departure might come in “weeks, not months.” A Rove ally, however, noted that he has a record of out-witting his critics.

Early this year, Rove gave up his role of overseeing policy development to focus more on politics with the approach of the fall midterm elections.

Rove said prior to the midterm elections that he had “the math” to prove the Republicans would win back the House and Senate. Rove’s predictions were proved wrong, earning him a public sniping at the hands of President Bush who said: “I obviously was working harder in the campaign than he was.”

Wanted: Civil Campaigns

Democrats will lead the way:

The Democrats who will be senators in the 110th Congress beginning in January have spent the week after Election Day choosing their leadership team and discussing agenda items for their return to the majority.

But they also are taking a glance back at the 2006 campaign that awarded them the six-seat net gain they needed to take control — and decrying negative campaign tactics they pinned on Republican candidates.

“We have to do everything we can to make elections more civil,” said Harry Reid of Nevada, newly chosen by his Democratic colleagues as Senate majority leader, at a breakfast Wednesday sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor.

“Somehow, constitutionally, we’re going to have to figure out a way to stop this,” Reid added, saying he would support measures through whichever venue would be most effective, whether administratively or through legislation.

Chatting with reporters Wednesday, Reid reminisced about his first election for lieutenant governor. “I was looking around for something to put on my little [biography] card I passed out. ... But I looked at things that were positive about me,” he said. “I never considered putting anything negative about my opponent. And now that’s the first place people go.”

Reid decried the tactics used in the tight contests in states such as Missouri and Maryland where “robocalls” and “push-polls” were used to attack Democratic candidates, he said.

“We’re going to need to have legislation to stop that, and we’re going to do everything we can to make elections more civil than they have been,” Reid said.

Speaking on the matter with characteristic bluntness was New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer, who spearheaded the party’s national takeover campaign as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Schumer accused Republicans of “despicable” tactics in the 2006 election cycle, alleging that their operatives called Democrats and lied to them about the location of their polling places.

“I think somebody who does that, and who authorizes that — I don’t care who they are — should go to jail for 10 years,” Schumer said.

In my experience on the campaign trail the difference between the two parties is quite clear: Democrats want to turn out as many voters as possible. We believe that the more people who exercise their right to vote, the better our country will be.

In contrast, the Republican strategy is focused on turning out the most extreme part of their base to win, combined with blocking the rest of the electorate from casting their ballots - be it by challenging them at the polls, using voter suppression tactics like advertising different polling places or alternate election days, or employing harassing robo-calls.

It's time for a change and with Democrats in control of Congress, I think we can expect to see a return to cleaner, more civil and honorable campaigns.

More More of the Same

It seems Republicans just can't let go of their failed "Stay the Course" behavior. After losing control of the House and Senate, House Republicans have decided to 'stay the course' with their failed leadership.

This morning, Republicans chose to keep their current leaders, John Boehner and Roy Blunt, for two more years. As DK over at Talking Points Memo put it, they are gonna dance with the one who brung 'em.

Well those are the same ones who have been shining examples of the problems that have plagued the GOP that voters rejected last Tuesday. Boehner has strong ties to Republican lobbyists and special interests in Washington, while Blunt was a protégé and top aide to indicted former GOP leader Tom DeLay. It is clear from the selection of their leadership that Republicans learned nothing from last week's elections.

Our research department has put together some examples of this leadership team's ties to the GOP Culture of Corruption.

More of the Same

So this is what the President's bipartisan efforts look like?

From the NYT:

The voters sent a clear message last week that they do not want the far right of the Republican Party calling the shots in Washington. But President Bush has ignored the message, resubmitting a group of archconservative, underqualified judicial nominees that Senate Democrats have already said are unacceptable. With the Democrats about to take control of the Senate, it is highly unlikely that these men will be confirmed. But the renominations suggest that when it comes to filling judgeships, Mr. Bush is still not looking for either excellence or common ground.

The four most controversial nominees that President Bush resubmitted are ideological in the extreme. William Myers III, a longtime lobbyist for mining and timber interests, would no doubt use his position on the San Francisco-based United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to gut environmental laws. William Haynes II, who helped develop the administration’s torture and “enemy combatant” policies as the top lawyer for the Pentagon, could be counted on to undermine both civil liberties and reasonable limits on executive power.

Terrence Boyle, a district court judge in North Carolina and a former aide to Senator Jesse Helms, has a long record of insensitivity to victims of race and disability discrimination. He would be able to pull the law in the wrong direction in these areas if he became an appeals court judge. Michael Wallace, a former lawyer for Senator Trent Lott, Republican of Mississippi, has a bad civil rights record, including arguing in favor of letting Bob Jones University, which discriminated on the basis of race, keep its tax-exempt status.

Beyond their ideology, these nominees embody values that the American people rejected in the midterm elections. The voters were angry about the influence of lobbyists and special interests. But Mr. Myers would bring that influence onto a powerful appeals court. The voters were upset about the incompetence this administration has shown on everything from Iraq to Hurricane Katrina. But Mr. Wallace is the very rare appeals court nominee to receive a unanimous “not qualified” rating from the American Bar Association.

A fifth appeals court nominee, Peter Keisler, is likely to face stiff opposition for well-founded procedural reasons. When President Clinton tried to fill this seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Republican senators blocked him, saying the court needed only 10 judges. Since then, the court’s caseload has decreased. It is unlikely that Democratic senators will allow the Republicans to fill the seat now.

President Bush’s decision to resubmit these names could be a final sop to his far-right base. Perhaps, once this slate fails one more time, he will make more reasonable choices. Mr. Bush may have no other choice, if he wants to get any nominees confirmed in the next two years. Senator Charles Schumer, Democrat of New York, has said that “the days of hard-right judges” are over, and when Democrats take over in the Senate, he will be in a position to see that they are.

Happy Birthday, Governor Dean!

It's the Boss' birthday today. And a few people noticed...

Use this as a Birthday thread...

Friday Open Thread

Congresswoman-elect Carol Shea Porter of New Hampshire.

This is an open thread...

November 16, 2006

Thursday Night Open Thread

Congressman-elect, Ron Klein, who is from my hometown
in Florida, with aide, Brian Smoot.

This is an open thread...

MI GOP in Disarray Too?

After getting spanked by the Michigan Democratic Party who successfully re-elected Governor Jennifer Granholm and Senator Debbie Stabenow, in spite of the millions of dollars GOPpers dropped into the failed campaign of their '06 candidates, DeVos and Bouchard, Michigan Republicans appear to be ready to oust their State Party Chair.

From the Lansing State Journal, via Michigan Liberal:

Who to believe? On the eve of the election when unity is supposed to be Job One, comes mixed signals that disunity may be taking over the Republican Party. The future of one Saul Anuzis, the party chairman, may hang in the balance.

Michigan Liberal reported on the intra-party conflict even before all the votes had been cast, when angry Republicans starting showing signs of cracking under the pressure of their anticipated defeat. Well they were defeated at the top of the ticket, and at the bottom too. In addition to holding onto the Senate seat and the Governor's mansion (despite DeVos' $40 million attempt to take it), Michigan Democrats made enough gains at the State House level to take back that Chamber and picked up an additional seat in the State Senate. The Republican Party in Michigan is, to say the least, not pleased.

Then, the Hotline blog picked up on the story and they have more on the brewing leadership battle, which in addition to being framed in the context of the massive losses, is now also being linked to "Straight-talker/Maverick/"Explorer" John McCain and a possible East vs. West Michigan fight.

Is it 2008 already?

In contrast Michigan Dems are going strong. In addition to their above mentioned victories, they also had local victories:

Democrats picked up new majorities on 7 county commissions and picked up 44 seats in 33 different counties. According to the U.S. Census’ 2005 population estimates, 5,650,050 people, or 55.8 % of Michigan’s population, now live in counties with majority Democratic county commissions.

Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer is leading a Democratic powerhouse and has been one of the most vocal supporters of the 50-State Strategy. Clearly, he understands the importance of asking for every vote, for every race, from the top of the ticket to the bottom of the ballot and it's paid off for Michigan Dems.

It's All Their Fault!

If a Democratic uttered something even close to this the media would be all over it like white on rice:

“White rednecks” who “didn’t show up to vote for us” partly cost GOPers their cong. majorities, Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL) told fellow Republicans today. And Putnam, seeking the post of GOP conference chair, chided ex-Chair J.C. Watts (R-OK) for ruining the conference’s ability to serve its members.

Three Republicans in the room independently confirmed to the Hotline the substance and context of Putnam’s remarks.

Ezra discusses it over at TAPPED.

50-State Strategy: Delaware Dems Devastate State GOP

So you may have heard that some folks inside the Beltway still haven't quite gotten the concept of the 50-State Strategy. I know that is hard to believe - the idea that the Democratic National Committee would seek to a build a National Democratic Party is clearly hard to grasp. Luckily, outside the beltway, Democrats get it and have seen the success of the strategy, even in these early stages.

Delaware provides a delicious example.

On their side:

State GOP ousts staff Three paid employees out on Dec. 31; party chief blames money woes

The Delaware Republican Party has fired its entire paid headquarters staff, effective at the end of the year, blaming a post-election cash shortage.

State GOP Chairman Terry Strine said David Crossan, the party's executive director, Ken Grant, its communications director, and Chris DuHadaway, the office manager, will stay on the payroll through Dec. 31.

He said unpaid volunteers will perform the office manager and communication director jobs until the party is on a better financial footing, but that the GOP will look for a new executive director.

"It's a very, very difficult job and something I'd rather not do," Strines said. "But it's something we have to do to keep the doors open."

The dismissals follow disappointing Election Day results for the GOP, highlighted by the loss of three state House of Representatives seats and the defeat of Ferris Wharton, the Republican candidate for state Attorney General.

And on our side...

Democrats this year had three full-time staffers paid for through the 2008 election as part of Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean’s nationwide party-building plan.

But the state GOP has had to rely on its own fundraising prowess to pay staff salaries.

“It’s something that gives them a tremendous advantage,” Strine said.

And that's just Delaware.

DelawareLiberal has more on this development, including the GOP reaction to the news and the local County Democratic Party's newest action.

Plus, check out the Delaware Democratic Party website and blog!

New House Leadership Team

Nominee for Speaker:
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Majority Leader:
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

Majority Whip:
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC)

Caucus Chair:
Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL)

Vice-Caucus Chair:
Rep. John Larson (D-CT)

Thursday Open Thread

The newest Members of the Ohio Delegation: Congressmen-elect
Space and Wilson and Congresswoman-elect Sutton

This is an open thread...

November 15, 2006

Wednesday Night Open Thread

Chat away...

Still Undecided

Over on DailyKos Markos has a concise run-down of the Congressional races that are still on the table.

The Difference

John Aravosis has a good look at the Senate Democrats and their Iraq inquiries:

Two articles in today's Washington Post show the difference the elections made when it comes to Iraq. Democrats on the Armed Services Committee, which will include Jim Webb (D-VA) after he's sworn in, already intend to be very aggressive...This is why elections matter. Even today, two separate articles in the Washington Post outline the Democrat's aggressiveness on Iraq. It just shows the change. And, it shows that these are Democrats with power now.

Go read the whole thing!

"What's Right With Kansas"

Today's New York Times has an editorial about the state of Kansas and the new direction that the voters of Kansas have taken, rejecting extreme conservatives from state and local offices, and instead choosing moderate, common sense leaders, like Democratic Governor Sebelius.

They note, "What's Right With Kansas":

It would be remiss to finish the election post-mortems without noting a major shift in the nation’s heartland. Kansas — lately considered the reddest of red states — emerged from the election as a bastion of moderation.

Just two years after President Bush carried the state by 25 percentage points, Kansas voters rebelled against continued domination of the state’s politics by the sharply conservative state Republican Party. The Democratic Party posted major gains, including some by former Republicans who switched parties.

The moderate Democratic governor, Kathleen Sebelius, received a whopping 58 percent of the vote to secure her re-election. Three moderate Republicans holding statewide jobs also won easy re-election, two of them after beating back conservative challengers in the primary. And two of the four people elected to the House of Representatives were Democrats, a result that would have seemed inconceivable not too long ago.

Victories by moderate Democrats and Republicans ended conservative control of the Kansas State Board of Education, which tried to replace evolution with creationism in public school classrooms.

And for us, one of the most satisfying results was the resounding defeat of Attorney General Phill Kline, an anti-abortion zealot who gained national notoriety by misusing his office to further his ideology. He tried to force health care workers to file reports on the sexual activity of teens, and to seize women’s confidential medical records. That gross assault on privacy and legal rights was a major issue in the campaign. The 58-to-42 landslide that elected a former Republican, Paul Morrison, was a victory for moderation and the rule of law.

Now this is not new news to us. We've been watching the Heartland transformation for some time, and applauding the job of the Kansas Democratic Party, which has worked hard to recruit, run and elect leaders that will truly reflect the values of people of the state of Kansas, bring people together and move Kansas forward.

Inmate No. 27593-112

Consequences:

Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, convicted of federal charges after using expensive gifts, campaign donations and exotic trips to win access to the powerful in Washington, went to prison Wednesday.

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

November 14, 2006

Tuesday Night Open Thread

This is an open thread...

Eliminating the Medicare [Part-D]onut Hole & Other Fixes

There is a lot on the agenda plate for the new Democratic-controlled Congress to tackle. Years of the Republican Congress rubber-stamping the Bush Administration and selling out to corporate special interests have produced legislation that serves big business instead of the broader electorate. But Democrats want to change that. Soon-to-be Speaker Pelosi has outlined her vision for the first 100 hours of a Democratic Congress, which includes passing the 9/11 commission recommendations and raising the minimum wage, as well as instituting ethics reform to "drain the swamp" of the Culture of Corruption that has plagued the Capitol under Republican rule.

On that agenda is also a desire to fix the disastrous Medicare bill passed by the Republicans which prevents the federal government from negotiating lower drug prices for seniors.

Today, the NYT Editorial looks at the problem and offers up some insight:

Michael Leavitt, the secretary of health and human services, says he does not want the power to negotiate drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries, but Democrats should give it to him anyway.

The Democrats have pledged to move on the issue as soon as they take control of Congress. If they succeed, it would allow an important test of the hypothesis that government negotiators can wring lower prices from the manufacturers than those obtained by the private drug plans and pharmaceutical benefit managers that currently negotiate on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries.

The 2003 Medicare drug law — written by a Republican-dominated Congress in thrall to big drug company contributors — explicitly prohibits the federal government from negotiating drug prices or establishing a list of preferred drugs.

The Democrats are only beginning to explore what they want the government to do.

Read the whole thing....

"Dated Kerry, Married Dean"

Some love for Governor Dean and the way he has transformed Democratic politics, courtesy of the Hotline:

Who won the election for Democrats last week? Apportion a large measure of credit to the national environment and to Republican mistakes. Give the Democratic grassroots, who cultivated candidates, knocked on doors and raised money for people and causes ignored (at first) by the national party. Certainly, Rahm Emanuel and Chuck Schumer deserve their accolades.

And then there’s Howard Dean, the unorthodox, insurgent chairman of the Democratic Party. For more than a year, many of the party’s familiarly named strategists, consultants and hangers-on have been convinced that Dean wanted to shape the national committee as a counterweight to the party committees. So if party committees get credit for the victory, Dean should get none, right?

Wrong.

Dean ran for chairman on a platform to devolve power and spending authority to state parties. Dean believed the national party committees were too closely aligned with – and therefore only serviced – the interests of the Washington establishment. He redirected the flow of money and responsibility outward to his patrons in states. He legitimized the grievances and complaints of the party’s grassroots army, who had grown frustrated with their status as outsiders looking in. The RNC pioneered a ground-game first approach in 2004; Dean became the first Democratic chairman to validate the work of volunteer ground warriors.

Whether Dean was right, in the normative sense of the word, is irrelevant. He did what he did, and the consequences speak for themselves.

Three years ago, Howard Dean-style politics was too outré for the Democratic Party to bear. Today, arguably, Dean Politics is Democratic politics. Embedded within Dean's campaign theme was a broad critique of the Republican approach to power. Iraq was simply its worst manifestation. But Dean also evinced his distaste with Republican "corruption." He talked about how Democrats - and independents and even Republicans -- were interested in results, not ideology. In his eyes, Americans wanted a fresh approach. He urged, first Democrats, then Americans, to take their country back. He also urged the party to overlook interest group apostasy; remember that Dean got an “A” rating from the NRA as Vermont's governor. He clumsily endorsed an outreach to "the guys with confederate flags on the back of their pick-up trucks."

Leave the Internet aside: the architecture of Dean Politics has become the de mode style for the entire party. Dean promoted a vocal, confrontational style of campaigning, one that did not cede an inch to Republicans. His primary campaign was predicated on a 50 state strategy. He urged Democrats to adopt issues that would drive wedges between the Republican base and the party’s weaker adherents (mostly in the suburbs). He rejected the politics of inoculation, pronouncing himself proud to be the talisman of the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party. He intuited that the party (and voters) wanted the Democrats to be the opposition party.

When Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. and Iraqi troops in December of 2003, then presidential candidate Dean called the arrest "a good thing which I hope very much will keep our soldiers in Iraq and around the world safer." Then he uttered the words that would hasten his cataclysmic collapse as the Democratic frontrunner: "The capture of Saddam has not made America safer." At the time, it was an outrageous statement, and one from which Dean quickly retreated.

In retrospect -- three years later, amid a sluggish, intractable civil war that's left 2500 more American troops and untold Iraqis dead, Dean was prescient. Few who voted in last Tuesday's elections would disagree. They couldn't disagree; the facts on the ground have proven Howard Dean right.

As the result of Dean's own 50 state funding initiatives, when states like Indiana and Wyoming and Nebraska suddenly featured competitive races, the DNC had trained field staffers on the ground. But even Dean’s admirers admit that there’s no concrete way to know whether the 50 State Project gave these races a bigger boost than the DSCC and DCCC efforts.

But give Dean credit for setting the tone and style of Democratic politics. Successful, Democratic politics, that is, in an environment that Dean first detected three years ago.

New Senate Leadership Team

Incoming Majority Leader, Senator Harry Reid, announced the new Senate leadership team this morning.

“It’s time to move America forward, and this is the team that will do it,” said Reid about his new leadership team. “We’re going to focus on bipartisanship. We’re going to lead an open government. And we’re going to deliver results. From Iraq to the economy, Americans want change, and the Senate Majority - - led by this distinguished, talented, experienced group - - is going to fight for change next Congress.”

On deck to lead the Democratic Revolution:

• Robert C. Byrd, President Pro Temp

  As President pro tempore, Senator Byrd will continue to provide the Democratic Caucus leadership and experience gained from a lifetime of public service.

• Dick Durbin, Assistant Majority Leader

  As Assistant Majority Leader, Senator Durbin will serve as the Majority Leader’s key aide on and off the floor, helping to lead the Democrats’ fight to protect America and help working families get ahead.

• Charles E. Schumer, Vice Chair of the Conferenc

  The third ranking member of the Democratic leadership, Senator Schumer will serve as Vice Chair of the Conference. In this post, Schumer will oversee strategy and policy to keep and build support for Democratic values.

• Patty Murray, Secretary of the Conference

  As Secretary of the Conference, Senator Murray will play a critical role in helping shape and set the Democratic agenda.

• Charles E. Schumer, Chairman of Campaign Committee

  In addition to his role as Vice Chair of the Conference, Senator Schumer will once again serve as Chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).

• Byron L. Dorgan, Chairman of Policy Committee

  As he did during the 109th Congress, Senator Dorgan will continue to provide strong leadership at the Democratic Policy Committee (DPC). Under Senator Dorgan, the DPC has been credited with conducting aggressive Congressional oversight and generating innovative policy ideas for the Democratic Caucus.

• Debbie Stabenow, Chair of Steering and Outreach Committee

  Senator Stabenow will serve as Chair of the Steering and Outreach Committee. In her role as chair, Senator Stabenow will engage Democratic Senators and community leaders across the country in an active dialogue about the pressing issues facing our nation.

• Jeff Bingaman, Chairman of Committee Outreach

As Chairman of Committee Outreach, Senator Bingaman will provide a voice in the Democratic leadership for Committee Chairs. Bingaman will harness the Committee Chairs’ tremendous knowledge and experience, and ensure their important committee work is advanced in a united and consistent manner.

• Hillary Rodham Clinton, Vice Chair of Committee Outreach

  As Vice Chair of Committee Outreach, Senator Clinton will work closely with Senator Bingaman in helping to coordinate the committee work of the Democratic Caucus.

• Blanche L. Lincoln, Chair of Rural Outreach

  As she did in the 109th Congress, Senator Lincoln will again serve as Chair of Rural Outreach. This position was created in the last Congress as a sign of the Democrats’ strong commitment to aggressively engage and communicate with rural Americans. In this post, Senator Lincoln will continue guide rural outreach for the Caucus and find new ways to reach rural, suburban and exurban American communities.
  



• Barbara Boxer, Chief Deputy Whip

  As Chief Deputy Whip, Senator Boxer will continue to be responsible for managing and implementing Caucus efforts on the Senator floor. Working as the “right hand” of the Democratic Leader and Assistant Democratic Leader, Boxer plays an instrumental role in articulating, advancing and achieving the objectives of the Democratic Caucus.
  

An End to Taxation Without Representation?

This image was used by in support of the 1978
DC Voting Rights Amendment, dated 1977
by the Self-Determination for D.C. Coalition.

For those of us stuck inside the Beltway in Washington, D.C. one of the great ironies of living here and working for the United States government is that residents of our nation's Capitol have no voice to represent them in Congress. Although the District elects a Member, that Member has been categorically denied full voting rights. Well that could soon change:

U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the incoming speaker of the House of Representatives, supports District voting rights and is a co-sponsor of legislation that would give Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) a full vote in the House, a spokeswoman said yesterday.

The statement from Pelosi's office clarified her position after heated discussion on Washington Post Radio about her position on the issue. On Thursday, Pelosi said she would change House rules on the first day of the new Democratic-controlled session in January so that Norton could vote on proposed changes but not final approval of legislation on the House floor. That would be a temporary measure, Norton said.

"She wants D.C. to have full voting rights in the House," said Jennifer Crider, a spokeswoman for Pelosi (D-Calif.). "She doesn't co-sponsor many pieces of legislation."

Democrats to Revise the Alternative Minimum Tax

Apparently, talking about taxes is boring. At least that's what Tracy Joan would have me believe. But, I'm betting it is a matter of interest to the 26 million American taxpayers who would be "eligible"/forced to pay the Alternative Minimum Tax in 2010, if current regulations were left standing.

Lucky for those people, Democrats are addressing the problem now.

Democratic leaders this week vowed to make the alternative minimum tax a centerpiece of next year's budget debate, saying the levy threatens to unfairly increase tax bills for millions of middle-class families by the end of the decade.

The complex and expensive tax was designed to prevent the super-rich from using deductions, credits and other shelters to avoid paying the Internal Revenue Service. But because of rising incomes, the tax is expected to expand to more than 30 million taxpayers in 2010 from 3.8 million mostly well-off households in 2006.

Fixing the AMT has long been a top priority for Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who is in line to head the Senate Finance Committee.

...

Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.), the presumptive chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, this week put fixing the AMT at the top of his agenda."

The Washington Post has the full story.

Tuesday Open Thread

This is an open thread...

November 13, 2006

The Class of 2006

New Kids on the Block

Use this as an open thread...

Inside Baseball

A handy guide to the different Leadership posts up for grabs in the House and Senate is available over at TPM's Election Central.

Listen Up!: Governor Dean on the Radio

Listen up, here.

"Average Joe" Montana

The NYT profiles Jon Tester:

When he joins the United States Senate in January, big Jon Tester — who is just under 300 pounds in his boots — will most likely be the only person in the world’s most exclusive club who knows how to butcher a cow or grease a combine.

All his life, Mr. Tester, 50, has lived no more than two hours from his farm, an infinity of flat on the windswept expanse of north-central Montana, hard by the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation.

For all the talk about the new Democrats swept into office on Tuesday, the senator-elect from Montana truly is your grandfather’s Democrat — a pro-gun, anti-big-business prairie pragmatist whose life is defined by the treeless patch of hard Montana dirt that has been in the family since 1916.

It is a place with 105-degree summer days and winter chills of 30 below zero, where his grandparents are buried, where his two children learned to grow crops in a dry land entirely dependent on rainfall, and where, he says, he earned barely $20,000 a year farming over the last decade.

Read the whole thing and meet one of your newly elected Democratic Senators.

'Tom Terrific'

Our fabulous Executive Director, Tom McMahon, is featured in today's Omaha World-Herald:

After last week's elections, he's "Tom Terrific."

At least that's what a security guard at the Democratic Party headquarters here calls former Omahan Tom McMahon - and it may be true.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate was an engineer on the Democratic train that steamed to dramatic election wins nationwide.

As executive director of the Democratic National Committee, McMahon helped design a strategy to compete in all 50 states. He guided the strategy of putting party operatives in every state 18 months before the election to help Democratic candidates.

He helped shape the Democratic message. And he provided the fuel by expanding the use of Internet fundraising and grassroots techniques pioneered by DNC Chairman Howard Dean's 2004 presidential bid.

All that paid off last week, when Democrats won control of the U.S. House (with a total of at least 229 seats) and the U.S. Senate (51 seats). Democrats also picked up six new governorships, for a total of 28, and nine new state legislative chambers.

"It was complete jubilation," McMahon recalled during a Friday interview at the darkened, mostly empty DNC headquarters. "It was absolutely euphoric."

Read the rest below the fold...

Keep reading "'Tom Terrific'"

Just Another Manic Monday Open Thread

Chat away....

November 12, 2006

Sunday Night Open Thread

This is an open thread...

[Update]: Ok, now it really is an open thread!

Sunday Open Thread

The Sunday shows should be good today!

You can catch Governor Dean on "Fox News Sunday" and the new Majority Leader of the Senate, Harry Reid on "Face the Nation" over on CBS.

This is an open thread...

November 11, 2006

Saturday Night Open Thread

This is an open thread...

Veterans Day Open Thread

Today we honor all those who have served the United States of America in the uniform of our military. Their numbers are many, and their service and sacrifice have guarded our freedoms and liberties in this great democracy.

Personally it's a day when I remember my Grandpa, who fought in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II and was awarded a purple heart. I think of my uncle, who volunteered for the Airforce during the Vietnam War. I think of Sgts. Shanks, Brown, White, and Jackson who used to be stationed in Florida, but have now been deployed to different places - some home and some abroad - as they continue their service.

To all of them, thank you.

This is an open thread...

November 10, 2006

TGIF Open Thread

This is an open thread...

[Update]: Just a suggestion - Shut Up and Sing, the documentary film about one of my favorite groups, The Dixie Chicks, opens today in theaters nation-wide. I was lucky enough to see an early screening of the film, and it rocks! Go and finish off a week of Democratic victories by going to see a movie about some true American patriots!

Friday Morning Open Thread

Chat away...

November 9, 2006

Watch It!: Governor Dean & the Midterm Midtacular

"The Dawn of a New Democratic Revolution"

This is an open thread...

The Kids Are Alright!

I'm Young! I'm a Democrat! I Voted! And I wasn't alone:

Young Americans voted in the largest numbers in at least 20 years in congressional elections, energized by the Iraq war and giving a boost to Democrats, pollsters said on Wednesday.

About 24 percent of Americans under the age of 30, or at least 10 million young voters, cast ballots in Tuesday's elections that saw Democrats make big gains in Congress. That was up 4 percentage points from the last mid-term elections in 2002.

"This looks like the highest in 20 years," said Mark Lopez, research director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, which compiled the data based on exit polls.

...

Republican pollster Ed Goeas said young voters could have swayed a number of tight races on Tuesday, noting that of 28 seats Democrats picked up from Republicans in the 435-member House of Representatives, 22 were won by less than 2 percent of the vote and 18 were won by just 5,000 votes or less.

"The increase in the youth vote did come into play," he said.

...

Future elections could also be at stake. The "Generation Y" of Americans born from 1977 to 1994 -- shaped by the September 11 attacks, the Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina -- in nine years will make up a third of the electorate.

And some more stats, courtsey of YDA:

Young people, ages 18-29, increased their turnout to 24%, up from 21% in 2002. Young people also increased their share of the overall electorate to 13%, up from 11% in 2002. In states like MT, it was as high as 17%. Additionally, according to CNN exit polls, young people voted for Democrats with an impressive 22 point margin (60% Democrat, 38% Republican). The next best age group gave Democrats only an 8 point advantage.

Lauren Wolfe, President of the College Dems, puts it this way:

"A new generation of Democrats are in charge of Washington, and the youngest generation of Democrats, embodied by CDA, will be proud to support them," said Lauren Wolfe, CDA President.

O Say, Can You Sing?

Yes, yes we can!

Congressman-elect John Hall (NY-19) joins Stephen Colbert in an awesome rendition of the national anthem.

Victory Open Thread

I'm back in DC, and as I was walking into work this morning, it occured to me that I don't think the Capitol has ever looked as beautiful as it did today...

A Democratic House.

A Democratic Senate.

It's a wonderful thing.

November 8, 2006

A Message From Governor Dean

(In the wake of Democratic victories in all 50 states, Governor Dean sent out the following message today...)

Dear Fellow Democrat,

This year will be remembered as another moment when Americans started another historic process -- one that will usher in a new sense of community and demands for a government that focuses on the common good.

That's the thing about America. Whenever our leaders have failed to meet the challenges of the day, whenever our government's priorities have narrowed to represent the few at the expense of the many, the American people have risen up as one and corrected our course.

It will also be remembered as the rebirth of a political party devoted to ensuring that ordinary people not only have a voice, but real power at all levels of government.

Just 21 months ago we began the long process of breathing new life into our party with a 50-state strategy. After years of watching the playing field of "competitive" races dwindle and our operation disappear in many parts of the country, ordinary Democrats across the country demanded a truly national party.

Since then we've built the field organizing, communications, technological and financial infrastructure of a party that can and will compete everywhere. We've done it by growing our operation from the ground-up and empowering Democrats to take our party and our democracy into their own hands.

Here are just a few examples of how that work impacted this election:

Kansas: Our 50-state strategy organizers helped transform the Democratic Party in Kansas under the leadership of Democratic Governor Kathleen Sebelius. Strong leadership from the Democratic Party created a wave of party-switchers -- moderate Republicans fed-up with the right-wing stranglehold on their party. The reinvigorated state party knocked on hundreds of thousands of doors and elected Democrats up and down the ballot, including new Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Boyda in the 2nd Congressional district and new Attorney General Paul Morrison, who beat his opponent by over 134,000 votes.

Minnesota: Four DNC field organizers in Minnesota have created an unprecedented field program. Republican Mark Kennedy was supposed to have a lock on the open Senate seat, but with new technology by the DNC and 1.6 million voters contacted, Amy Klobuchar defied expectations and handily won the race after thousands of unlikely voters came to the polls. We're not stopping here -- this work will continue apace as we position our party to take back a Senate seat in 2008.

Ohio: Our field organizers in Ohio expanded the state party's infrastructure, making inroads deep into what has long been considered "Bush Country." A DNC-funded field director, four field organizers, and a voter database manager all helped run voter contact operations in parts of the state that hadn't heard from the Democratic Party in years. Take Butler county, for example, where Democratic performance improved by nearly 50% on our 2004 results as we elected a new Democratic Senator, Democratic Governor, Democratic Secretary of State, and more Democrats up and down the ballot.

South Dakota: The Democratic Party in South Dakota is now a powerful political operation. In 2002, Democrats recruited only 66 legislative candidates. This year we recruited 90. Democratic Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth was re-elected, and South Dakotans rejected a radical measure that denies the basic right of women, in consultation with their families and doctors, to make their own decisions about their reproductive health.

New Hampshire: In this crucial state we re-elected our Democratic governor and picked up House seats. In the course of our work we laid a permanent foundation for the party -- including a research and tracking operation that helped elect Democrats this cycle and will be the foundation of a tracking operation to hold Republican presidential candidates accountable as they crisscross the state.

Indiana: Over a year ago, Democrats in Indiana started planning for Election Day. They focused on a strategy that initiated a new media campaign to hold Republicans accountable for their actions, and worked to drive the Democratic message using grassroots support. The state party was able to hire a communications director, and because the executive director no longer had to focus on working with the media, he was able to concentrate on fundraising - raising enough money to hire an organizer to work in the 2nd congressional district, another Democratic pickup, where Democrat Joe Donnelly gained more than 17,000 votes than the Democrat had in 2002.

And in other states, Democrats gained new majorities in eight state legislative chambers. We now have majorities in 55 state chambers - the largest shift since 1994.

Next week will mark one year of organizing for 2006 -- we began in earnest just a week after 2005 elections that yielded new Democratic governors in Virginia and New Jersey. Across the country, at over 1,000 venues in all 50 states, ordinary Democrats came together to organize for elections nearly a year away.

Those nationwide events built over time -- the 50-State Canvass, the Democratic Reunion, the 50-State Turnout Kickoff -- bringing more and more ordinary people into the Democratic operation in every state across the country.

That process will continue, and soon you're going to have more opportunities to participate meaningfully than ever before.

For the first time in a generation, after a national election our party operation will not disintegrate. Our growing party operation in the states will support newly elected Democrats and educate the public about the common sense solutions we'll be pursuing, and hold Republicans accountable for their corruption and continued failures of leadership.

A special group of people make that possible. Nearly 35,000 Americans have been invested in this victory for months -- many for over a year. They give a small amount every month in the form of a Democracy Bond. Democracy Bond holders are a community of people committed to providing the long-term financial backbone necessary to pursue this kind of 50-state operation.

You can commemorate these historic wins and lay the groundwork for a generation of victories ahead of us by joining the Democracy Bond community now:

http://www.democrats.org/2006victorybonds

It's been a big Election Day, and every Democrat has earned the right to celebrate today. We won elections up and down the ballot tonight because Democrats are ready to lead.

There's one more thing anyone watching the Democratic Party should know today:

We're only getting started.

Thank you.

Governor Howard Dean, M.D.

Democrats Take the Senate!!!

• Jon Tester in MT
• Jim Webb in VA
• Claire McCaskill in MO
• Sherrod Brown in OH
• Sheldon Whitehouse in RI
• Bob Casey in PA

These pick-ups mean Democrats now control a majority of the Senate.

There are no words. This is amazing. Democrats swept the House and the Senate, and the good news is still coming in from all over the country. We haven't even touched on the Governor's races, the state houses or the local races.

This is what happens when you fight everywhere, when you show up, when you ask people for their votes and when you offer people something they desperately want - a new direction for America.

Rumsfeld Resigns

The chief architect of the Iraq War, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, submitted his resignation today.

It's Tester Time!

Welcome to the next Senator from Montana -- Jon Tester.

[Update by T/R]: We knew it was coming...and it's so sweet...by my count, that's six...

Flashback

Then.

Now.

Wednesday Open Thread

As we savor the victories of last night, I just want to say thanks again to all of the activists who gave more time and effort than they thought possible to make this happen. We did it.

NY Times quotes the soon-to-be Speaker of the House:

"Today we have made history," Ms. Pelosi said. "Now let us make progress."

This is an open thread...

50-State Strategy: Democratic Victories

All across the country we are seeing Democratic victories. Here are the pick-ups and open seat wins (so far)....

In the Senate:

• Claire McCaskill (Missouri)
• Jim Webb (Virginia)
• Sherrod Brown (Ohio)
• Sheldon Whitehouse (Rhode Island)
• Bob Casey, Jr. (Pennslyvania)
• Bob Menendez (New Jersey)
• Ben Cardin (Maryland)
• Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota)

In the House:

• Jerry McNerney in CA-11
• Dave Loebsack in IA-02
• Ed Perlmutter in CO-07
• Harry Mitchell in AZ-05
• Mazie Hirono in HI-02
• Tim Walz in MN-01
• Nick Lampson in TX-22
• Charlie Wilson in OH-06
• John Hall in NY-19
• Steven Kagen in WI-08
• Bruce Braley in IA-01
• Nancy Boyda in KS-02
• Carole Shea-Porter in NH-01
• Jason Altmire in PA-10
• John Spratt in SC-05
• Gabrielle Giffords in AZ-08
• Chris Murphy in CT-05
• Tim Mahoney in FL-16
• Ron Klein in FL-22
• Phil Hare in IL-17
• Joe Donnelly in IN-02
• Brad Ellsworth in IN-08
• Baron Hill in IN-09
• John Yarmut in KY-03
• Paul Hodes in NH-02
• Kirstin Gillibrand in NY-20
• Mike Arcuri in NY-24
• Heath Shuler in NC-11
• Zack Space in OH-18
• Joe Sestak in PA-07
• Chris Carney in PA-11
• Peter Welch in VT-AL

(*Bob Menendez was a sitting Senator, but since he was appointed and this is his first election victory, I thought we would include him in the list. Technically, it's a hold...)

The Big Mo'! Claire McCaskill Wins in Missouri

Claire McCaskill is going to be the next Senator from Missouri...

Now, we wait for Montana...

If (when) Tester takes it, we take the Senate too...

WEBB WINS

Congratulations to Jim Webb - the next Senator from the commonwealth of Virginia.

It was tight, but this is what happens when you fight everywhere....

November 7, 2006

Democrats Take Back the House

Thanks to all of our activists in all 50 states, the Democrats will control the House of Representatives in January 2007. Rep. Nancy Pelosi from California will be the first female Speaker of the House.

This is a momentous day for Democrats and for women. We couldn't have done it without the 50-state strategy and the efforts of our activists everywhere. If you're wondering what this means for policy, Tracy previewed a Democratic House a few weeks ago.

The First 15

The 15 Democratic Pick-ups...

• Gabrielle Giffords in AZ-08
• Chris Murphy in CT-05
• Tim Mahoney in FL-16
• Ron Klein in FL-22
• Phil Hare in IL-17
• Joe Donnelly in IN-02
• Brad Ellsworth in IN-08
• Baron Hill in IN-09
• John Yarmut in KY-03
• Paul Hodes in NH-02
• Kirstin Gillibrand in NY-20
• Mike Arcuri in NY-24
• Heath Shuler in NC-11
• Zack Space in OH-18
• Joe Sestak in PA-07
• Chris Carney in PA-11
• Peter Welch in VT-AL

Hello, Madame Speaker...

(Ok, it's more than 15...but we aren't gonna be too picky right now...we'll have more later.)

New Election Night Open Thread

More results...this time including new Democratic governors.

Senate/Dems +3 so far: Brown (OH), Casey (PA), and Whitehouse (RI).

House/Dems +13 right now: Arcuri (NY), Carney (PA), Donnelly (IN), Ellsworth (IN), Giffords (AZ), Hodes (NH), Mahoney (FL), Murphy (CT), Shuler (NC), Sestak (PA), Sodrel (IN), Space (OH), and Yarmuth (KY).
DCCC has live updates.

Governors/Dems +4.
Congrats to Patrick (MA), O'Malley (MD), Spitzer (NY), and Strickland (OH). DGA's site is updating in real time.

Your Democratic Governors

Check out the election night map below from the Democratic Governors Association, updating all night long.

Watch It!: Governor Dean on Your TV

8:30 PM: MSNBC "Decision 2006" with Chris Matthews
8:45 PM: Bloomberg Election Special with Judy Woodruff
9:00 PM: Fox News with Chris Wallace
11:15 PM: MSNBC "Decision 2006" with Chris Matthews
11:30 PM: CNN Election Special with Wolf Blitzer and Lou Dobbs
12:05 PM: CNN Larry King Live

Election Open Thread

We're getting results...this is an open thread for y'all to discuss.

UPDATE: Dems +3 on Senate seats so far: Brown (OH), Casey (PA), and Whitehouse (RI). Dems +2 in the House, DCCC has live updates.

Results Resources

You'll find returns all over TV and the web today. Here are a few places I have found that seem useful - but you can pick your own poison as we wait out the results. The flip side of the 50-State Strategy is when we are competitive everywhere, it means we have to wait for results from everywhere...

• CNN: In addition to their TV coverage, they've got a fun widget that lets you pick your top 20 favorite races to follow and gives you a custom page.
• MSNBC: They've got "key races" section.
• DCCC: Cross your fingers and watch the count-down for the first "Madame Speaker" of the House.
• DailyKos.com: Markos has set up a results page based on regions and based on type of race. If you *heart* the netroots candidates - this is place you want to be.
• TPM Cafe: Another page with full results

On the TV front right now my favorite anchor, Keith Olbermann is making this early part of the night tolerable over on MSNBC. But if you check out CNN, you can see some of the most beloved and most detested names in the blogosphere when they cut into the coverage of their blogger party thing.

Then, of course, you've got a myriad of local blogs and local news for your hometown races.

Tick Tock Open Thread

The clock is ticking on Election Day. We made it through the morning rush hour. The midday lull is about to turn into all out craziness as people leave work and head to the polls.

Here in Ohio there are just about 4 hours left to vote. Then we wait.

This is an open thread...

Election Day Heroes

Democratic poll workers....

Election Day: Predicted Races to Watch

The Washington Post suggests we may know how the election is going early on tonight.

No matter who triumphs today -- Election Day -- supporters of both political parties and will have something to be happy about: They probably will not have to stay up too late to know which way the midterm elections are heading.

"The key races in Congress are concentrated in the Eastern and Central time zones, so we ought to have a good sense of the trend relatively early in the evening," said Amy Walter of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

In the Senate, Democrats would have to gain six seats to win a majority, and all but one of the most competitive races are in states in the East or Midwest: Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Ohio and Maryland. The single nail-biter farther west is in Montana.

Most tossup House races are also clustered in states east of the Mississippi River. By watching the fate of Republican candidates in Connecticut, New York, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio, political enthusiasts will have a good idea whether Democrats will win the 15 seats they need to take control of the House, analysts say.

That is, of course, if everything goes smoothly. And things rarely do. Uncertainties about electronic voting machines and hassles over identifying registered voters could make early predictions about the election precarious.

I'll believe it when I see it. But, the key races to watch may prove helpful in seven hours. Has everyone you know voted yet? If not, get on the horn and let them know if they want change, they have to vote.

Election Day Reading

In the interest of keeping minds occupied until 7 PM tonight when we start to get results, below are two articles I enjoyed reading this morning.

The NY Times editorial from yesterday, railing on Republicans in Congress:

On Tuesday, when this page runs the list of people it has endorsed for election, we will include no Republican Congressional candidates for the first time in our memory. Although Times editorials tend to agree with Democrats on national policy, we have proudly and consistently endorsed a long line of moderate Republicans, particularly for the House. Our only political loyalty is to making the two-party system as vital and responsible as possible.

That is why things are different this year.

And then there's the article in Huffington Post predicting a Democratic Senate. How can you resist:

I talked yesterday about the 20 races (of 33) for the United States Senate that have really already been decided, many of which were over before they even started. When you add the expected results from these races to the 67 seats that were not contested in 2006, we stand at 47 seats for the Republicans and 40 for Democrats, with 13 races outstanding.

The conventional wisdom for many months has been that Democrats would need to run the table on all toss-up races to have a net gain of six seats and take control of the Senate.

That's exactly what's going to happen -- here's how...

Let's get out the vote today nationwide - the 50-state turnout concludes tonight.

Happy Election Day!

Happy Election Day!

I wanted to do a morning check-in. I know there is already an open thread - so consider this a bonus. As you all know, it's Election Day. The day we've been waiting for, working for, the day that decides it all.

Right now polls are open. People are voting. I overnighted my absentee ballot to my Board of Elections office yesterday (fun fact - I have never voted in my polling place because I have always been away from home on Election Day or working for Democrats on Election Day).

So, now it all comes down to field. It's raining in Columbus right now. I don't really know very much about how bad weather effects voter turnout, except that I know it does. Election Day is just like your wedding day - you want perfect weather, but there is so much we can't control and the weather is on that list. Don't let that deter you or your neighbors from getting out there. If you are on deck to do some GOTV bundle up, grab an extra umbrella and have some fun splashing in puddles along the way...

In an e-mail this morning, Governor Dean said:

Today most people will simply vote and go home.

That's not enough. Whether you're voting today or you've voted early or absentee already, what you do today could determine the outcome of this election The power is in your hands -- by getting as many people to vote as you can, you'll bring a change to our country and end Republican rule.

The conversations you have today, the extra few minutes you take to bring someone who might not otherwise vote with you to the polls, the follow-up with your friends, family and neighbors to make sure they have voted -- all of it will multiply the power of your single vote.

So don't keep your politics to yourself! Spread the word about the Democratic Party today - talk with your friends, your family, your co-workers, the person who you buy your coffee from, the cashier in the grocery store, your kids teacher, the babysitter, the mailman, the store clerk, the person at the toll booth - anywhere and everywhere you talk with people today, you can talk about voting.

And remember, if you can do more than talk, your local Democratic campaign can use your help today for GOTV activities. Even if you can only squeeze in a few hours after work - get to your local campaign office and lend a hand. A few extra phone calls, or door knocks, or minutes sign-waving during rush hour could be the margin of victory!

Vote

DNC Chairman Howard Dean sent the following to Democrats this morning.

Dear Friend,

Today most people will simply vote and go home.

That's not enough. Whether you're voting today or you've voted early or absentee already, what you do today could determine the outcome of this election The power is in your hands -- by getting as many people to vote as you can, you'll bring a change to our country and end Republican rule.

The conversations you have today, the extra few minutes you take to bring someone who might not otherwise vote with you to the polls, the follow-up with your friends, family and neighbors to make sure they have voted -- all of it will multiply the power of your single vote.

To help you get to the polls -- and to help you get others to the polls you can find your states polling information online:

http://www.democrats.org/pollingplace

We've also put together the resources you need to spread the Democratic message and reach as many people as possible. Here are just a few a couple of those resources:

Last-Minute Volunteers

The best way to volunteer at the last minute is to call your local Democratic Party: http://www.democrats.org/volunteer/call

Print Your Own Flyers

The Democratic Agenda: http://www.democrats.org/agenda
Voter Protection Info: http://www.democrats.org/voterprotection

There's another thing I want you to be aware of as your and your neighbors head to the polls today.

There have already been widespread reports of voter suppression by Republican operatives, ranging from apparently legal harassment of Democratic voters to potentially illegal efforts to keep voters away from the voting booth.

This isn't new for Republicans. It's a cynical art that the Republican machine has refined for years, and each election brings new variations on oldtactics that target minorities and minority-heavy areas.

Here's what you need to know:

1) If you're a registered voter, do not leave your polling location without voting. Every registered voter is entitled to cast a provisional ballot.

2) If you're in line before the poll's closing time, you are entitled to vote.

3) You're entitled to view a sample ballot at the polling place before voting.

4) If you experience any problems voting or observe any irregularities, immediately call 1-888-DEM-VOTE to report the incident. In addition to providing your polling place information, by calling 1-888-DEM-VOTE you can record a complaint or speak with an election protection monitor. The line is available in English and Spanish.

You can also report any voting irregularities or problems online:

http://www.democrats.org/voterprotection/report

Democrats are committed to ensuring that every rightful voter has the freedom to cast his or her ballot free from intimidation or undue burden, and we've deployed voter protection teams across the country to make sure that's possible today.

There's one more thing I want to tell you.

Today is not the end of anything. All the Democrats we elect, from city council to Congress to governor, will still have a lot of work to do after they take the oath of office in January.

And so will we, the committed Democrats who have promised to build a new kind of political party that doesn't evaporate after each election.

For the first time in our party's history, we're prepared to take the investments we made to win an election and turn them into permanent investments in our party.

We've spent millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours to turn a year and a half of work on our 50-state strategy into an unprecedented 50-State Turnout operation.

We've seen in the last few weeks the dramatic impact we can have when we fight in places the Republicans take for granted. We've made a demonstrable difference in this election and laid the groundwork for future gains in even the most "red" parts of the country. When the final results are in, we'll report to you on the impact it's impact.

But right now you still have the opportunity to do something about this election.

Please take that opportunity while you can.

Thank you.

Governor Howard Dean, M.D.

P.S. -- If anyone who hasn't been paying attention to this election until today asks you what Democrats stand for, point them right here: http://www.democrats.org/agenda

Election Morning Open Thread

Rise and shine, Democrats! It's Election Day. Vote and make sure everyone you know does too.

Use this as an open thread...

November 6, 2006

Election Eve Open Thread

This is an open thread...

GOTV!

I just got phonebanked. Awesome. GOTV in action. It's happening in all 50 States. There are just over 14 hours until the polls start to open. Tomorrow, we leave it all on the field.

So get to your local campaign office tonight and put in a few hours on the phone. And then, tomorrow, no matter how many hours you can give, be it 1 or 12 - spread the Democratic message. Make sure that when you wake up on Wednesday, you don't have a single regret!

GET OUT THE VOTE!

50 State Strategy: Big Sky, MT

As part of the 50-State-Strategy, the DNC has graciously paid for several staffers to go out and help on campaigns in the final two weeks. So, I happily trekked out to Helena, Montana, and I've been working with the MT Democratic Coordinated Campaign. I'm helping out with the Native American Nation GOTV program. There are seven Native American Nations in the state of Montana, and the Indian Nation vote is essential for Democratic victory in Big Sky Montana.

Stacey Parenteau (who was one of our original DNC State Partnership Project organizers out here) is the Coordinated Campaign Native Outreach Director and is doing a tremendous job working with all the organizers to insure turnout on the reservations. She has taught me so much about the Native American citizens in Montana and the politics in the Indian Nations.

Last week we had a string of GOTV events across the state, including seven in the Indian Nations with Jon Tester, Governor Brian Schweitzer and Senator Max Baucus. Turnout at all the events have been incredible state-wide. Montanans are ready for a change, and ready for a new U.S. Senator! (See one of my pics from the Kalispell Rally last week).

The race out here is extremely tight, and you can feel the energy at headquarters here in Helena, and across the state. There are the early morning message meetings, wonderful volunteers in and out of headquarters all day and night, the endless pot of coffee all day and pizza dinners every night. Last week we had volunteers in here every day until midnight putting precinct packets together and finishing final mailings. It's a lot of hard work, but I am helping out a group of amazing staffers who have been working tirelessly for an incredible candidate who will hopefully become our next U.S. Senator from the beautiful Great State of Montana.

We'll know tomorrow!

It's Time

(Governor Dean sent the following email to people across the country today)

Dear Fellow Democrat,

There's one thing everyone who wants Democrats to win tomorrow needs to remember: be prepared for anything. We offer a fresh start and a new direction, but each and every Democrat must get to the polls to make our vision a reality.

Reports of voter suppression and potentially illegal tactics have already begun surfacing in districts where Republicans seem to be heading for defeat. That's why it's so important that you vote. From repeatedly harassing phone calls to disgusting flyers sent to Hispanic voters, they're trying everything they can to keep Democrats from voting.

No matter what the other side does to try to keep Democrats at home, we have to continue our person-to-person outreach for this final stretch. Our democracy can withstand these tactics if every one of us lives up to our responsibility to engage our neighbors in this movement to take America in a new direction.

We've put together the resources you need to spread the Democratic message and reach as many people as possible. Here are just a few of those resources:

Find Your Polling Place
In addition to allowing people to report election irregularities, the 1-888-DEM-VOTE number also provides your polling place. You can call, or find your state's polling information here: http://www.democrats.org/pollingplace

Last-Minute Volunteers
The best way to volunteer at the last minute is to call your local Democratic Party: http://www.democrats.org/volunteer/call

Print Your Own Flyers
The Democratic Agenda: http://www.democrats.org/agenda/vision
Voter Protection Info: http://www.democrats.org/voterprotection/materials

One look at those flyers will remind you what we're fighting for in this election.

What do the Republicans offer us? Spiraling costs in both human and monetary terms with no accountability and no plan in sight for Iraq, more people working full-time just to live in poverty because the minimum wage hasn't changed in a decade, and more people suffering in silence because, just like 45 million others, they don't have health insurance.

The vast majority of Americans have had enough. That's why the Republicans have resorted to doing anything they can to distract or deceive voters.

But we Democrats have our own plans, which couldn't be clearer:

Honest Leadership & Open Government
We will end the Republican culture of corruption and restore a government as good as the people it serves.

Real Security & A New Direction in Iraq
We will protect Americans at home and lead the world by telling the truth to our troops, our citizens and our allies, and we will heed the advice of our commanders on the ground and force a change in the failed Republican strategy in Iraq.

Energy Independence & Lower Gas Prices
We will create a cleaner, greener and stronger America by reducing our dependence on foreign oil, eliminating billions in subsidies for oil and gas companies and developing energy alternatives.

More Jobs, Better Pay & College Access for Everyone
We will create jobs that stay in America, raise the minimum wage, and open the doors to college for every American.

Healthcare that Works for Everyone & Life-Saving Cures
We will join 36 other industrialized nations in making sure everyone has access to affordable health care, and we will make decisions to invest in stem cell and other medical research based on science, not politics.

Retirement Security
We will ensure that a retirement with dignity is the right and expectation of every single American, starting with protecting workers' pensions expanding saving incentives and preventing the privatization of social security.

I can't stress enough how important these final hours are -- and because of the Republican voter suppression tactics, every one of us will need to do even more.

If you or someone you know has any trouble voting or is harassed in any way, please take down as many details as possible and report it. You can report any voter suppression or election irregularities by calling 1-888-DEM-VOTE. You can also report problems online here:

http://www.democrats.org/voterprotection/report

You'll hear a lot of predictions over the next day or so, but ignore both the good ones and the bad ones. We're got to work, work and work some more until this election is over. There is no other option -- we've all done too much for too long to let this slip away.

The only poll that matters will be on Election Day and it will signal a new direction for America.

Thank you.

Governor Howard Dean, M.D.

Encourage Women to Vote

I often see bumper stickers that say "When Women Vote, Democrats Win". With that idea in mind, check out an Election Day ad aimed at women:
http://www.nywomenvote.org.

1-888-DEM-VOTE

The Democratic Party believes in promoting civic participation and a stronger democracy through ensuring every citizen's right to vote. "Democrats believe that the more people who vote, the better it is for our country," said DNC Chairman Howard Dean. "That is why we have the most comprehensive national election protection program ever, ensuring people can vote with confidence in all 50 states."

The Democratic Party advocates a voting process that is accessible and inclusive of all eligible voters. This November, many Americans will be facing new voting technology for the first time. New laws have placed additional burdens on voters. Leading up to Election Day, we have implemented a 50 state voter protection strategy to ensure that Election Day is a fair and open process. In addition, the national voter protection hotline, 1-888-DEM-VOTE is designed to help every American vote with confidence this November 7th.

If you have questions about voting or voting-related concerns, this hotline will connect you directly to the election protection team in your state.

For more information, check out the Voter Protection Resource Center.

On the Campaign Trail with Governor Dean in Lansing

Jim Marcinkowski for Congress

Dean talks with Michigan Dems

Jim Marcinkowski and supporters.

Governor Dean and Jim Marcinkowski stand by
while Mark Brewer, Chair of the MI Dems, introduces them.

Governor Dean takes the mic...

More pictures at Democratic Flickr...

On the Campaign Trail with Governor Dean in Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor Coordinated Campaign Office.

Organizers sign-up volunteers for Election Day

"Too Young to Vote - What's your excuse?"

Governor Dean & Michigan Dems

After the speeches, some one-on-one time.

The Organizers

More pictures over at Democratic Flickr...

College Democrats Invade Ohio

This weekend the Ohio Democratic Party teamed up with College Democrats of America to bring students from all over the country to Ohio for a weekend of GOTV activities. The "CDA Ohio Invasion" was a big hit - with College Dems pouring into the ODP offices and mobilizing for a weekend of voter contact.

The Ohio College Dems put a lot of work into organizing the weekend. Their intent was twofold, in addition to adding a boost to GOTV efforts for the weekend, Lauren Wolfe, the President of CDA, who made her way down from Michigan for the weekend, explained to me that their intent was to give CDA members from states that may not have super-competitive races in their neck of the woods experience working in a swing state during a close election.

While this was largely about Election Day 2006, the added benefit was giving College Dems who weren't around during the '04 cycle a taste of high-intensity campaigning in anticipation of ramping up their efforts for 2008.

In between canvass shifts, College Dems lit up the phone to
remind people to vote for the Democratic ticket on Tuesday!
Matt Browner Hamlin, of Baltimore Group Blog was in town for the weekend covering the swingiest of swing states and blogged the invasion too:

The center of the GOTV storm here in the Columbus ODP office today was an infusion of youth in the form of over 100 College Democrats from around the country.

“The Turn Around Ohio Invasion” brought College Democrats from ten states to Columbus to canvass and phone bank for the full ticket of Democratic candidates. They spent six hours Saturday hitting precincts throughout Franklin County, which is split between the 15th (Mary Jo Kilroy) and 12th (Bob Shamansky) congressional districts. As the walk teams made it back to the Democratic Party headquarters, they picked up call sheets and started making phone calls for Sherrod Brown and the Democratic ticket.

The hard effort for victory prize has to go out to twenty-four students from Mississippi who traveled almost fifteen hours by bus just for for the canvass on Saturday and will head back home Sunday morning (Some of the Mississippi University for Women Democrats have set up a blog for their chapter - go give them some love.). “One of the goals of the “Turn Around Ohio Invasion” was to get students involved in a highly competitive election who wouldn’t have that opportunity in their home states,” said Lauren Wolfe, College Democrats of America National President. “Students in Mississippi came here to see how these races are run. We would have even more students here today, but there are so many competitive races around the country.”

Wolfe says the College Democrats have their own version of the Fifty State Plan - they are the youth outreach arm of the DNC after all. There are currently College Democrats chapters on about 1,500 campuses nationwide; Wolfe aims to have a chapter on every single college campus in America by the 2008 election. The students who are in Ohio today will return to their campuses better prepared to organize for a more Democratic America over the next few years.

More photos over at Democratic Flickr...

Governor Dean on TV

Today...

12:03 PM - FOX News Live
12:15 PM - MSNBC Decision 2006
12:30 PM - CNN Newsroom - Election Special
8:30 PM - MSNBC Countdown with Keith Olbermann
9:00 PM - CNN Larry King Live

Monday Morning Open Thread

Tomorrow is the big day.

Today's Action: Reach out to everyone you know to confirm they know tomorrow is Election Day.

November 5, 2006

Sunday Evening Open Thread

This is an open thread...

Governor Dean on "This Week"

In Response to Cheney Comments on Administration Staying the Course in Iraq:

"I think most Americans would agree that we're not safer. In fact 16 of the intelligence agencies of the United States of America have said that this war is creating more terrorists than its getting rid of. That's our own intelligence estimates saying that. So, clearly this was a mistake (Iraq).

"I think that's a mistake also. (In response to VP Cheney) I think we made a lot of mistakes going into Iraq because the president wouldn't listen to the military. I think it's time that we listen to the military. I don't know many people who think this war is winnable from a military point of view. It's a political solution that needs to happen and our troops are in the way and the Iraqis have said that they're in the way. We need to think about our troops once in a while. These folks in the White House, including Dick Cheney, sent the troops over to do the job without adequate equipment, without listening to their superiors about how many more troops they needed. They had no idea what they were getting into. They had no exit strategy. ...He (Colin Powell) had a three point plan. You always have to use maximum force. You know exactly what you're getting into. And, you know how you're getting out. Colin Powell was in the administration. They wouldn't listen to him. And they wouldn't do any of those things."

On Democrats Plan for Iraq

"Actually, there's underlying commonality that we have. First of all, you have to recognize that should we win the House and Senate, which we're hopeful that we will, it will be a signal for a new direction in the country. The president, as the vice president indicated, may not listen and he has control over military and foreign policy. Secondly, here are the elements in common we have which we call phased redeployment. That the national guard and reserve come home soon, in a matter of months. That we leave a strike force in the Middle East, a special operation force, not in Iraq, but in the nearby friendly country where we can go into Iraq and other places where there's a terrorist problem. And that we redeploy some troops to Afghanistan.

"...there's a wide cross section of people from Jack Murtha to Dianne Feinstein who have agreed that this phased redeployment option is the basic way you get out. I don't know anybody who's arguing that we leave Iraq immediately. We do know that the president's policies have created an enormous problem for us in Iraq. I don't know any Democrats who think we ought to stay the course, as the president and vice president have indicated."

On the Economy/ Middle Class Tax Fairness

"Nancy Pelosi has said that there will not be a middle class (tax) increase. I think that there are places where you will see us unwind the tax breaks. The tax breaks, for example, that the vice president and the president gave to the big oil companies. They're making billions of dollars, charging us $3 a gallon. Of course those folks don't need tax breaks and we could use that money to balance the budget. What I didn't hear the vice president talk about was balancing the budget. Democrats believe in balancing the budget. It's only happened once in the last 40 years when Bill Clinton was president. We want to balance the budget. We need to restore Pell grants and make it easier for middle class and working class kids to go to college so they can get ahead, since the president is sending our jobs elsewhere. And, we need to balance the budget. There are places to get that money. We will not raise taxes on the middle class. We will not raise taxes on the middle class.

"I have heard no one speak about moving tax increases. Im telling you that I have not heard one person in the leadership talking about tax increases except unwinding tax breaks that were put in the middle of the night for oil companies and insurance companies.

"We're actually talking about a tuition tax credit for folks. We're actually talking about finding ways to lower taxes for the middle class. That's not a promise I want to get out there and make because were going to get in there and find enormous budget deficits. One of the things that's happening is the Bush Administration is cooking the books on the deficit. The deficit is actually a lot bigger than it really shows. Some of that is left over from years and years and years of borrowing from the Social Security trust fund which doesn't show up in the budget deficit. Some of it is left from cooking the books and they hide things. All of these emergency resolutions used to finance the war in Iraq, none of those appear on the deficit. So, the deficit is bigger than we think and its really a serious problem. I think we could promise that we will not raise taxes on the middle class. We would like to cut tax on the middle class. I think that making a promise like that is irresponsible until we get in there and find out what's really in those books because the books are not kept honestly."

On the Democrat's Agenda:

"... subpoenas are not on the first list of things to do. If we win, its because Americans want a new direction. They want a new direction in Iraq. They want a new direction in the economy. The fact is the economy does not work for 80 percent of the people in this country. Average people in this country have seen their wages go down.

"What's up first is health care, fixing the economy so ordinary middle class people have a chance again. First thing were going to do is raise the minimum wage. And the second thing were going to do is pass real ethics legislation to end the Republican corruption of culture they've brought to Washington. The third thing were going to do after that is look at how to make the tax system fair for middle class people. And the next thing were going to do after that, I hope, is to have a real down payment on universal health care.

"We're very hopeful that we can take back the House and Senate. Frankly, it depends on people getting out and vote. If people really want change, they can do both."

Watch It!: Free Speech

Governor Dean exercises some free speech!

Two Days Out Open Thread

Today's Action: Join a Sunday night phone bank at your local campaign.

November 4, 2006

Saturday Evening Open Thread

This is an open thread...

Ohio GOTV Rally

Signs of change...

A full house in Toledo

Our veterans deserve better than the GOP.

Hot off the presses, Democratic door-hangers...

Governor Dean meets and greets...

Congresswoman Kaptur meets and greets her constiuents.

A "Future President" with her proud Aunt and Grandma...

Three Days Out Open Thread

This is it - Get-Out-The-Vote weekend has officially begun.

Act now: Helping out your local campaign by canvassing all weekend. If you haven't made plans to do this yet, call your local campaign and get down there.

November 3, 2006

Friday Evening Open Thread

Update: The Democratic Party has a new web ad. This one lists the many faulty predictions and assertions of both Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Cheney. President Bush said earlier this week that the two were doing a "fantastic job" and would be staying on through the end of his presidency.

On the Campaign Trail with Governor Dean

Governor Dean made his way to Toledo, Ohio for a GOTV rally with Ohio Democrats and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur. I made the short trip from Columbus to Toledo, to attend the event at a local VFW hall. The event was part rally, part luncheon - with home cooked food scattered alongside a variety of Democratic literature, stickers and doorhangers. The crowd was a mix of young activists and seasoned veterans, all of whom were loudly cheering on the local Democratic candidates. A few children sat on laps of their parents and grandparents, too young to vote, but not too young to proudly display stickers with the Strickland/Fisher, Sherrod Brown or Marcy Katur logos.

Governor Dean was introduced by the Congresswoman, and he spoke about the hard work we had to do over the next 4 days in order to elect a Democratic majority in Congress and in the Senate. He talked about the difference between the two parties and the ugly tactics of the GOP, who work to divide, instead of unite, Americans. Governor Dean proudly talked about the priorities of a Democratic Congress - including passing ethics reform, raising the minimum wage and passing and funding all of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations. He also deviated a bit from his speech, and talked for a while about the importance of investing in healthcare for all Americans, focusing specifically on the very youngest children.

After the event Governor Dean was surrounded by the crowd. He talked with them one-on-one and posed for pictures, all the while making sure to encourage every person he spoke with to keep up the hard work as we approach Election Day.

While Governor Dean was busy, I had a chance to briefly talk with one local county Chairman who offered his thanks to the DNC for support the Democratic National Committee has given local Democratic parties. I was happy to hear that he was supportive of the 50-State Strategy, and that our efforts were being felt at the local level, but I quickly told him that no thanks were necessary - because the real hard work was being done by people like him, in county parties all across America. That is where true grassroots politics takes shape, and where people can make the biggest difference. Showing up, talking to everyone - from your neighbors, to your dry cleaner, to the person behind you in the grocery store - and asking for their votes, is the heart of the 50-State Strategy. And the people, like this Chairman and his local Democrats, are the ones who are really doing the hard work that is paying off.

I'm now about an hour north of Toledo, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at one of the Michigan Democratic Party's coordinated campaign offices. Governor Dean will be here shortly to kick-off yet another GOTV event. After sending in this update to the internet team back in DC, I'm going to get on the phones and make some GOTV calls to Michigan voters! With just 4 days left until Election Day, there is no time to waste!

You can do the same thing for your local Democrats. All you have to do is show up at your local campaign office and volunteer!

More from the Michigan rallies later today...

50-State Strategy: New Hampshire

Unbelievable. If you've seen the reports out of New Hampshire lately, you may be scratching your head a bit before breaking out into a huge smile. Both Congressional races in the state are extremely close, with second district Democratic candidate Paul Hodes leading the incumbent Congressman who has held the seat for 6 terms.

Check out the latest UNH poll:

1st District
Carol Shea Porter (D) 42%
Jeb Bradley(R) 47%

2nd District
Paul Hodes (D) 45%
Charlie Bass (R) 37%

Go 50-State Strategy!

Four Days Out Open Thread

Today's action: Call any friends that are still on the fence and make sure they will vote for Democrats on Election Day.

November 2, 2006

Thursday Night Open Thread

This is an open thread...

On the Campaign Trail in Tennessee

DNC staffer and CDA Executive Director, LaToia Jones, sent in these photos from Tennessee, where she is on the campaign trail working to elect Tennessee Democrats up and down the ballot...

Harold Ford, Jr. supporters out on the campaign trail.

Jr. for Senate!

Tennessee Democrats rally for Ford and Gubernatorial candidate, Phil Bredesen.

50-State Strategy: The West

The New York Times notes a shift in the Mountain West from red to blue as Democrats make electoral gains in governorships, state legislatures, and Congressional seats.

Despite a Republican edge in registration, Democrats are discovering the Mountain West - and Colorado in particular - to be a new political frontier as the party benefits from a potent mix of changing demographics, anger over the war in Iraq, resentment toward conservative social initiatives and millions of dollars' worth of advocacy advertising.

(snip)

In neighboring states, Democrats are seen as having a good chance of capturing a Senate seat in Montana, are battling in what should be safe Republican House seats in Idaho and Wyoming, and have their eyes on Republican seats in Arizona and New Mexico. The increasingly blue tinge of the formerly red region - some say it gives new meaning to the phrase 'purple mountains' - has the national party seriously considering holding its 2008 presidential convention here at the foot of the Rockies.

The Montana Senate race comes down to the wire -- and Senator Max Baucus is featured in a new ad for Democratic candidate Jon Tester.

Montana Sen. Max Baucus is stumping for fellow Democrat Jon Tester in a new television ad, saying he disagrees with Republican Sen. Conrad Burns on "a lot of things."

"You might have heard those ads from Conrad Burns using my name," Baucus says in the spot, which was to begin airing Tuesday. "Well, let me be clear - I support Jon Tester."

Arizona's Senate race is apparently much closer than observers had expected.

According to our October 29 to 31 survey of 745 likely Arizona voters, fully 30% of the Arizona electorate has already voted. We expect that perhaps up to two-fifths of the voters in this election will vote early or by absentee ballot. In our October 8 to 31 tracking polls (since early voting started) we have interviewed a total of 594 early voters. Among these early voters, Jim Pederson is leading Jon Kyl by 4 points: 44% for Pederson compared to 40% for Kyl, with 4% for other candidates and 12% refused. This 4% Pederson lead is all the more remarkable since registered Republicans and Democrats are equally likely to have voted early, and in fact there are more Republicans than Democrats in this early-voting sample of 594 respondents.

And finally, AZ-5's Democratic candidate Harry Mitchell has a new ad on stem cell research.

Compare and Contrast

Americans: Change the course in Iraq.

The poll found that just 29 percent of Americans approve of the way President Bush is managing the war in Iraq, matching the lowest mark of his presidency. Nearly 70 percent of Americans said Mr. Bush did not have a plan to end the war, and an overwhelming 80 percent said Mr. Bush’s latest effort to rally public support for the conflict amounted to a change in language but not policy.

The poll underlined the extent to which the war has framed the midterm elections. Americans cited Iraq as the most important issue affecting their vote, and majorities of Republicans and Democrats said they wanted a change in the government’s approach to the war. Only 20 percent said they thought the United States was winning in Iraq, down from a high of 36 percent in January.

Bush: Heckuva job, Rummy.

Mr. Bush, in an interview with wire service reporters on Wednesday, said he intended to keep Mr. Rumsfeld at the Pentagon and Mr. Cheney in the vice presidency until he leaves office in 2009. Both are controversial figures, even among some Republicans, but they are also popular with conservatives who form the foundation of Mr. Bush’s political and electoral strategy.

Morning News Roundup

The New York Times editorializes on President Bush:

Since he can’t defend the real world created by his policies and his decisions, Mr. Bush is inventing a fantasy world in which to campaign on phony issues against fake enemies.

Keith Olbermann writes on keeping up appearances:

There is tonight no political division in this country that he and his party will not exploit, nor have not exploited; no anxiety that he and his party will not inflame.

There is no line this president has not crossed — nor will not cross — to keep one political party in power.

He has spread any and every fear among us in a desperate effort to avoid that which he most fears — some check, some balance against what has become not an imperial, but a unilateral presidency.

And the Washington Post covers the Republican culture of corruption and the impact it will have on next Tuesday's election:

Indictments, investigations and allegations of wrongdoing have helped put at least 15 Republican House seats in jeopardy, enough to swing control to the Democrats on Tuesday even before the larger issues of war, economic unease and President Bush are invoked.

Five Days Out Open Thread

Today's action: See if your local campaign needs any help putting together walk packets for the Get-Out-The-Vote canvass.

November 1, 2006

Rural Voters Going Blue

The Des Moines Register writes of a shift in rural communities - a shift that favors Democrats:

Republicans' hopes in battleground areas of rural America are crumbling while Democratic prospects are improving, according to a new poll due to be released Friday.

The survey, commissioned by the Center for Rural Strategies, a Whitesburg, Ky., think tank, found rural voters in key states and districts are moving away from Republicans and toward Democrats. Concerns about the war in Iraq, the economy and President Bush's unpopularity are driving the shift, experts say.

"In past elections, we've seen the numbers in rural areas break toward the Republicans at the end and now it's breaking toward the Democrats," said Dee Davis, the president of the group. He said a similar pattern was seen in the elections of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.

It seems the war in Iraq has been a key factor this election cycle:

He said "the war has become a very big issue in rural communities," perhaps because rural Americans are bearing a disproportionate number of the casualties in Iraq.

"I believe we’re beginning to see some exasperation of people who are ready for this war to be over," Davis said. "They’re no longer making the same connection with the war and the war on terrorism that they were making before."

If you live in a rural community, volunteer to help get out the vote.

Wednesday Evening Open Thread

This is an open thread...

Pictures from the Sherrod Brown Rally with Michael J. Fox

Below the fold are a bunch of pictures from the Sherrod Brown rally with Michael J. Fox...

Keep reading "Pictures from the Sherrod Brown Rally with Michael J. Fox"

Young People Overwhelmingly Democratic

So says Harvard:

"Younger voters could make the difference in campaigns across the country," said Jeanne Shaheen, a former New Hampshire governor and director of Harvard's Institute of Politics, which conducted the poll.

About 52 percent of those "most likely" to vote on November 7 prefer Democrats to control Congress, while 29 percent favor Republicans and 19 percent have no preference, according to the Harvard poll of 2,546 young Americans taken October 4-16.

By a three-to-one margin, they say the country is on the "wrong track." Forty-six percent favor a total troop withdrawal from Iraq within a year, while a third said troops should be withdrawn after the Iraqis take full control.

"Young people overwhelmingly are more supportive of the Democrats in this election," said John Della Volpe, who directed the Harvard poll.

Democrats need to gain 15 seats in the House of Representatives and six in the Senate to reclaim control in each chamber.

After crunching separate youth poll numbers last month, Ed Goeas, a Republican pollster, said if young voters turn out in the same numbers as in 2002 they could give Democrats a 1.8 percentage point advantage, enough to sway tight races.

If you are between the ages of 18 to 24 ("young people" as defined by this poll) or just a person who wants to help, please give your state party a call. Get out the vote.

Myopic Misjudgements

MoDo:

...if there’s one thing W.’s reign proves beyond a shadow of a doubt, it is this: Experience, like affectations, can be dangerous.

They will fill up history books with all the myopic misjudgments made by a war council with a couple of centuries of experience, blunders that undermined America’s security and integrity, wrecked Iraq, loosed Osama, and made the world more dangerous.

Those on the president’s “dream team” of foreign policy advisers were haunted, not strengthened, by their years of past service in top jobs. When they got the chance to run the country again under W., all they wanted to do was finish unfinished business, misapplying old ideas to new crises, like those who sabotage new romances with baggage from old relationships.

The President, with all of the experience, and all of his men, has no strategy for success in a conflict that gets worse by the day, with no end in sight. He's got empty rhetoric and snappy slogans - but he's got no substance.

It's time for a new direction.

Six Days Out Morning Open Thread

Have you volunteered?