President Bill Clinton received an extended, thunderous applause from the crowd and gave the assembled delegates plenty to cheer about. Senators John Kerry, Evan Bayh and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle also delivered speeches tonight.

Find those speeches and more here.

Tomorrow, we head to Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium for Senator Barack Obama's acceptance speech of the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

Tonight, former President Bill Clinton will speak to the convention and Senator Joe Biden (D-Delaware) will accept the Democratic nomination for vice president.

Other speakers include Governor Bill Richardson (D-New Mexico), Senators Evan Bayh (D-Indiana) and John Kerry (D-Massachusetts). Check the full schedule here.

Gov. Mike Beebe said Rebecca Gwatney accepted an invitation from party leaders to fill the vacancy left in the state's delegation when her husband was killed last week.

"I can't express how honored I am to represent Bill at the Democratic National Convention ...," she said. "Bill loved helping and serving people. He wanted to make Arkansas better for everyone."

Here's a shocker: Gov. Mike Huckabee won his home state of Arkansas.

Gov. Mitt Romney was able to hold on to the state he, apparently, despised for the twenty-plus years he lived, raised his kids and governed there.

Meanwhile, Sen. John McCain won in Illinois, New Jersey, and Connecticut.]]> http://www.democrats.org/a/2008/02/more_polls_clos.php http://www.democrats.org/a/2008/02/more_polls_clos.php Blog Tue, 05 Feb 2008 20:44:18 -0500 Yesterday Mike Huckabee's staff attempted a cover-up of the shocking secret that could very well derail their boss's Presidential effort. I'm talking, of course, about Mike Huckabee's addiction to chocolate:

The man who famously lost 100 pounds shows off his campaign Winnebago's fridge, stocked with fruit, yogurt and wild cherry diet cola. Oops: On the top shelf sits a multi-pack of Reese's peanut butter cups.

Huckabee's campaign staff quickly throw themselves on the grenade. "Oh, no, those are for us!" cries Chip Saltsman, campaign manager.

Then again, Huckabee has said that food will win him the election:

“We’re going to be there with Hope watermelons. If nothing else brings them our way, 150-pound watermelon should do it," Huckabee said on NBC.

Hope, Ark., Huckabee's hometown, is renowned for its large fruit and the annual festival that honors the seeded behemoths.

State parties will publish their delegate selection rules and clearly explain how to participate in the summer of 2007.

Arkansas Democratic Party
1300 West Capitol
Little Rock, AR 72201
501-374-2361
501-376-8409 (fax)

District-Level Delegates: 22
At-Large Delegates: 8
Pledged Party Leader & Elected Official (PLEO) Delegates: 5
Unpledged Delegates: 12
TOTAL Number of Delegates: 47

Alternates: 6

TOTAL DELEGATION SIZE: 53

System type: Primary

State convention page: Available
State plan: Plan Available (PDF)
State filing form: Not available online. Please contact state party to receive a copy.

** This information is prepared by the DNC's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection and may be subject to change. For more information, please call 202-863-8000.

Griffin is a protégé of Karl Rove and formerly research director of the Republican National Committee. In 2004, BBC News published a report showing that Griffin led a "caging" scheme to suppress the votes of African-American service members in Florida.

ThinkProgress published this helpful explanation of what "caging" is:

In 2004, BBC reporter Greg Palast obtained two e-mails — prepared for the executive director of the Bush campaign in Florida and the campaign’s national research director--that listed "1,886 names and addresses of voters in predominantly black and traditionally Democrat areas" of the Jacksonville, FL Naval Air Station. Palast explains:

Here’s how the scheme worked: The RNC mailed these voters letters in envelopes marked, "Do not forward", to be returned to the sender. These letters were mailed to servicemen and women, some stationed overseas, to their US home addresses. The letters then returned to the Bush-Cheney campaign as "undeliverable."

The lists of soldiers of "undeliverable" letters were transmitted from state headquarters, in this case Florida, to the RNC in Washington. The party could then challenge the voters’ registration and thereby prevent their absentee ballots being counted.

In 2004, African-American leaders denounced the caging scheme as "another shameful Republican effort to keep blacks from voting."

According to ThinkProgress, the Bush administration was so worried about the allegations that it decided not to proceed with the Griffin nomination before the Senate because it would draw attention to this very topic.

In her recent testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, former Justice Department official Monica Goodling dismissed "caging" as "just a direct-mail term."

To listen to his remarks, click here.

Good morning. This is Senator Mark Pryor from Arkansas.

Coming nearly five years after 9/11, the bombing plots uncovered in London last week were a stark reminder of the dangerous world in which we live. They served further notice that America is a country at war against terror, and that there are extremists in the world who are determined to strike us wherever and however they can.

I commend British authorities for defusing this terror plot and apprehending the suspects. Their actions protected the lives of innocent civilians, including many Americans. I also commend the men and women on the frontlines of terror here at home, airport screeners, border patrol agents, intelligence officers, police, and firefighters. They're all doing their job to prepare for and prevent another terrorist attack.

While the war in Iraq has generated the most headlines, required the greatest sacrifice of our military, and consumed the most resources, we must not forget that terrorist groups like Al Qaeda and rogue nations like Iran remain an ever-present threat to America's security.

The fact is we know the world is a dangerous place, and terrorists are working hard to grow their network. This week's events should compel us all to rededicate ourselves to the War on Terror.

My fellow Democrats and I believe our government must do more to protect Americans at home and around the world. We also understand there is no time to waste. Five years after 9/11, our country is not as safe as it needs to be, or should be. More needs to be done.

Our first-responders lack critical resources. For example, the Administration has cut funding for a proven program in Pine Bluff, AR that has provided on-site training to over 70,000 first responders across the nation.

Our military, including our National Guard, has been stretched to the breaking-point. Returning Guard units no longer have adequate equipment to train for their next mission

Our ports, borders and chemical plants remain unsecured, the person responsible for the 9/11 attacks - Osama bin Laden - is still on the loose, and North Korea and Iran continue to pursue their nuclear ambitions.

We need a new direction. It's time for Washington to be tough AND smart about the threats we face. Americans deserve real security, not just leaders who talk tough but fail to deliver.

Together, we must do more to protect our homeland and to make sure our military is prepared to address our growing threats.

This begins by once and for all securing our borders, implementing the recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 commission, and making a commitment to screen 100 percent of the cargo in our aircraft and at our ports. My Democratic colleagues and I have supported funding these efforts. Five years after 9/11, there is no excuse for why these steps have not already been taken.

There's also no excuse for why - four years into the Iraq War - our country's political leaders have not matched the level of excellence our troops have displayed.

Our troops have performed heroically in Iraq, but the Administration's poor management has created a rallying cry for international terrorists. The poor management of the war has diverted our focus, our military and more than $300 billion from the war on terrorism. Our troops and people deserve better.

As a member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, I understand the challenge of protecting America in a post-9/11 world.

The events in Britain are a reminder of the enormous difficulties we face, but working together, we can meet them, and become a stronger, safer nation as a result.

I'm Senator Mark Pryor. Thanks for listening.

Now, Vice President Cheney is rewarding Hutchinson by heading to Springdale, Arkansas, today to raise money for Hutchinson's gubernatorial bid. In a stunning demonstration of just how out of touch he is with the values and priorities of Arkansas' working families, Hutchinson is bringing in Vice President Cheney despite the fact that the President's approval rating in the state has dropped to a paltry 37%. [SurveyUSA, 7/17/06]

"When Asa Hutchinson and Vice President Cheney share a stage in Springdale today, they should both explain why the Bush Administration has failed to secure our borders, improve security at our ports, and make our communities safer," said Democratic National Committee spokesman Damien LaVera. "The last thing Arkansas needs is a governor who shaped the Bush Administration's dangerous incompetence and misplaced priorities on homeland security."

The following is a fact sheet on the failure of the Bush Administration to improve port security or strengthen our borders:

When Asa Hutchinson served as Undersecretary for Transportation and Border Security at the Department of Homeland Security, he oversaw the Bush Administration's failure to secure our ports, rail systems and borders. Now, as he runs for Governor, Arkansans are right to wonder: Can we afford to bring Asa Hutchinson's failed leadership to Little Rock?

9/11 Commission Gave Bush Administration a "D" Passports and Document Security; "C" On Screening. In its final report card on the implementation of its recommendation's the 9/11 Commission gave the Bush Administration a "D" on "international collaboration on borders and document security," saying that the Republicans in Washington had made "little progress" on the sharing of terrorist watchlists and passport security. The Commission also reported that "border screening systems are not yet employed at all land borders, nor are these systems interoperable." [Final Report on 9/11 Commission Recommendations, 12/5/05]

Hutchinson Oversaw Bush Administration's Failure to Enforce Immigration Law for Businesses. Under Asa Hutchinson's management, there was a 99.3 percent drop in the attempts to take action against employers for the hiring of illegal immigrants. In 2004, immigration authorities issued penalty notices to only three companies. [The New York Times, 3/05/06] By comparison, in Fiscal Year 1999, the federal government attempted to take action against 417 employers for the hiring of illegal immigrants. [Government Accountability Office, "Weaknesses Hinder Employment Verification and Worksite Enforcement Efforts," Report GAO-05-813, 08/31/05]

On Asa's Watch, Apprehensions of Illegal Immigrants Dropped, Deportable Aliens Declined, and Audits of Employers Fell. Despite doubling the number of border agents over 10 years and massive illegal crossings, apprehensions of illegal immigrants have dropped under Bush by 30%. The number of deportable aliens located in states other than TX, NM, AZ and CA declined by 36% under Bush, reaching an all-time low of 21,113 in FY 2004. Under the Bush DHS enforcement rate, it would take 228 years to apprehend all of the illegal immigrants currently residing in the non-border states. Audits of employers suspected of using illegal immigrants have dropped from 8,000 under Clinton to less than 2,200 in FY 2003, and only 46 employers were convicted of illegal immigrant employment in FY 2004. [Third Way, 5/14/06]

Bush Administration and Republican Congress Underfunded Border Security Called For By 9/11 Act. The Republican Congress has broken the promises it made on funding additional Border Patrol Agents, immigration enforcement agents and detention beds. In 2004, Congress enacted the 9/11 Act, which mandated an additional 2,000 Border Patrol agents being hired over each of the next five years, but the Republican-led Congress funded only 1,000 additional agents. The 9/11 Act mandated an additional 800 immigration enforcement agents over each of the next five years, but in FY 2006, the Congress funded only 350 additional agents. The Act also mandated an additional 8,000 detention beds, but in FY 2006, the Congress funded only 1,800 additional detention beds. [Third Way, 5/14/06]

DHS Report Card: Department Scores "C-/D+" on Port Security; Bush Port Policies A "House of Cards;" Containers Rarely Inspected. The Democratic Staff of the Committee on Homeland Security's annual report card on the Department of Homeland Security gave the department a C-/D+ on its port security policies. They called the current port security regime a "house of cards," and noted that containers arriving at American ports are rarely inspected and that the Department "remains unaware of security arrangements at foreign ports and vessels shipping goods to the United States." In addition to the threats millions of Americans face as a result of the Bush White House's failed port policies, it was estimated that "a terrorist attack at a major U.S. seaport would cause $60 billion in economic damages." [Democratic Staff of the Committee on Homeland Security, Annual Report Card, 2/06]

Bush Budget Shortchanges Port Security: President Bush's FY07 budget "eliminates the port security grant program, the only source of funds committed to help ports pay for post-9/11 security requirements." And, instead of funds set aside specifically for ports, the White House "has proposed $600 million in Targeted Infrastructure Protection Program (TIPP) grants, forcing ports to compete with rail, mass transit, and other critical infrastructure for funding." [Democratic Staff of the Committee on Homeland Security, Annual Report Card, 2/06]

Bush Budget Does Not Address Needed Screening For Nuclear Weapons And Dirty Bombs. The Bush Administration has also not done enough to make sure that containers arriving at our ports are checked. Seventy-five percent of our ports do not have the ability to screen a container for dirty bombs or nuclear weapons. But, President Bush "requested only $157 million for radiation portal monitors, which means U.S. seaports will not have the ability to screen containers for nuclear weapons." [Democratic Staff of the Committee on Homeland Security, Annual Report Card, 2/06]

Currently the state's Attorney General, Beebe has represented the people of Arkansas for more than 20 years as a state senator and attorney general.

If you don't already love the guy, it's really hard to not dislike his opponent. The Republican candidate, Asa Hutchinson, is Bush administration-official-turned-lobbyist who was the undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The independent 9/11 Commission issued near-failing grades for Hutchinson's handling of his role at DHS.

Beebe has a pretty sweet website, including video notebooks.

"Unfortunately, Senator McCain seems to have auctioned off his principles for political gain," said Democratic National Committee Spokesperson Amaya Smith. "John McCain has changed his position so many times that Arkansans don't know where he stands on anything. Instead of serving his own ambitions, McCain should join Democrats who have a bold agenda of change and are working to create a government as good as the American people.” ]]> http://www.democrats.org/a/2006/04/mccain_brings.php http://www.democrats.org/a/2006/04/mccain_brings.php Arkansas Wed, 12 Apr 2006 14:01:34 -0500 This week, Congressman Marion Berry of Arkansas delivered the weekly Democratic Radio Address.

To listen to the audio, click here.

"Good morning. I'm Congressman Marion Berry of Arkansas, a senior citizen, a pharmacist, and someone who has spent the past five years trying to give the American people an acceptable Medicare prescription drug benefit. I have fought alongside my Democratic colleagues to put seniors first and I have watched with complete amazement as the Bush Administration and the Republican Congress forced a disastrous prescription drug scheme on America's greatest generation.

Everywhere I go in Arkansas, I hear from concerned seniors. Many of them cannot access lifesaving medicines, some have seen their drug prices increase, and others are so confused by all the mass mailings and phone calls they cannot figure out which plan is best for them and their family. No one can. My staff and I have taken thousands of calls from desperate seniors who did not deserve to have their own government do this to them.

Sadly, it does not stop there. In Arkansas, we have pharmacists who are struggling to stay in business. Many have paid out of pocket so their customers do not lose critical drug coverage and have little confidence that the Administration will find a way to reimburse them for their goodwill. I will never forget one conversation I had with a pharmacist from DeWitt, Arkansas who had given away $60,000 in free medications in just one week because he knew his customers might die if they did not receive their refill that day. Medicare Part D is the FEMA of health care.

These are not the stories of a benefit that works. Our seniors deserve better. Our pharmacists deserve better, and working together we can do better.

On May 15th, the registration period will close, and the Bush Administration will impose a prescription drug tax on any senior who does not sign-up according to their timeline. To penalize our seniors because they are hesitant to register for a confusing and deceptive scheme is completely unfair. Instead of forcing a benefit on Americans that allows the drug and insurance companies to rob our seniors and bankrupt our neighborhood pharmacies, what America needs is a benefit that puts seniors first.

Democrats know how to do this.

We need to extend the sign-up period by six months to give seniors more time to make sense of this benefit, and we need to eliminate the Bush Administration's prescription drug tax. These short-term reforms will take pressure off of Americans and give our government time to think long and hard about meaningful Medicare reform.

We can have a simple Medicare prescription drug benefit, give our seniors low prices just like the Veterans Administration, and save the taxpayers $40 billion a year. If Medicare bargains for lower prices, it will put money back into the pockets of America's seniors, not insurance and pharmaceutical companies, and strengthen the Medicare system.

Today's seniors helped this country through the Depression, fought two wars, and turned America into the greatest nation in the world. They do not deserve to be treated like second-tier citizens by their own government, and be made victims of backroom deals by pharmaceutical and insurance lobbyists.

Every American deserves the best health care we can provide. We do not have to accept a failed benefit and we do not have to tolerate a culture of corruption or leaders who are afraid to admit their mistakes. Democrats have the answer, and under a Democratic Congress, we will give seniors the prescription drug benefit they were promised years ago. Together we can do better.

This is Congressman Marion Berry of Arkansas. Thank you for listening."

.

Last week, the South Dakota GOP-Controlled Legislature passed legislation specifically to challenge the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling - a ruling that keeps politicians out of the private health decisions of women. Now GOP 2008 presidential hopefuls are testing the waters - and the patience - of the majority of Americans who support the privacy of individuals to make their own health care decisions. Over the weekend, at a dinner set up to hob-knob with newsmakers in Washington, DC, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee - who is rumored as a 2008 hopeful - voiced his support for a ban on all abortions except if the women will die. "I've always felt Roe v. Wade was illegitimate," Huckabee said, and in fact, Arkansas has a law on the books which has the same prohibition, but Roe vs. Wade made it illegitimate. No beating around the bush here - if the Supreme Court meddles with Roe v. Wade, politicians - in South Dakota, Arkansas and possibly the state where you live - will be unwelcome third wheels in your bedroom.

Read news coverage for yourself: Huckabee supports S.D. bill restricting abortions.

The DNC knows where it stands - FIRMLY with women and their privacy.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, speaking on South Dakota approval of a ban on abortion:

"Once again, Republican politicians, this time in South Dakota, are injecting themselves into deeply personal and private health care decisions that Americans believe women and families have the right to make for themselves. We can all agree that abortion should be rare, but it should also be safe and legal. This difficult personal health care decision should be made by a woman, in consultation with her physician, and not by politicians."