Democratic Senators Dick Durbin (IL), Chris Dodd (CT), Tom Harkin (IA), Jack Reed (RI) and Frank R. Lautenberg (NJ) held a press conference this afternoon to praise the passage of the legislation. Senator Durbin (IL) said, “The tobacco companies’ days of peddling one of the most deadly products in the world have finally come to an end. With the passage of today’s legislation we will begin to reduce the terrible toll tobacco has taken on children and families across the nation.”

The Washington Post reported:

“…Congress has been trying for more than a decade to regulate tobacco, coming close several times but faltering in the face of opposition from the tobacco lobby, the White House or procedural hang-ups. But in the years that the debate has raged, changing social attitudes toward tobacco helped transform the idea of regulation from controversial to common sense.

"There's not a smoker in the country that's an adult who wishes their children would begin smoking," said Sen. Chris Dodd, himself a former smoker. "And there are many adult smokers today who wish they never started. . . . This has been a very long battle. . . . For the first time we're going to make a difference. The FDA is going to regulate the production, sale and marketing of these products. That is history."

UPDATED by Cloe:

The House passed the bill today 307 to 97. Minutes after the legislation passed, President Obama made a statement from the Rose Garden. It’s excerpted here:

"…For over a decade, leaders of both parties have fought to prevent tobacco companies from marketing their products to children, and provide the public with the information they need to understand what a dangerous habit this is. And after a decade of opposition, all of us are finally about to achieve the victory with this bill, a bill that truly defines change in Washington.

"I'm proud that the House and the Senate have acted swiftly and in an overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion to pass this legislation that will protect our kids and improve our public health. Along with legislation to protect credit card owners from unfair rate hikes, homeowners from mortgage fraud and abuse, and taxpayers from wasteful defense spending, this kids tobacco bill would be the fourth piece of bipartisan legislation that I've signed into law over the last month that protects the American consumer, and changes the way Washington works and who Washington works for...."

As someone who had the privilege of commanding paratroopers, I know the tremendous sacrifices our troops and their families are making. They deserve leadership worthy of their sacrifice. Leadership that unites us, drawing on that unique American spirit which, at every stage in our nation's history, has enabled us to turn adversity into advancement, and tragedy into triumph. That's the type of leadership that President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will provide.

Each day, our servicemen and women risk their lives and do everything in their power to seize the objective. But the strength and security of our nation is not solely the charge of those who serve in uniform. It rests with each and every one of us-in the choices we make; the values we teach our children; the commitments we keep to family, community, and country. The power of American ideals will always remain unsurpassed, so long as we, as citizens, accept the responsibility to advance the causes of freedom and equality.

My father was a school janitor, after serving in the Navy during World War II. Like many parents, he and my mother valued education and civic duty. My dad would often go in early to help kids get to school safely, and stay late so folks could hold community meetings. They taught me there is heroism in every citizen willing to sacrifice to strengthen our society. Barack Obama shares these values. He was raised with these values. And he lives them every day - through his storied career in public service.

Recently, I joined Senator Obama and Senator Chuck Hagel on a bipartisan trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. We were all impressed with the heroism and dedication of our troops. What also struck me was the astounding level of admiration, enthusiasm, and respect that our troops have for Senator Obama. Everywhere we went Barack was surrounded by soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who simply wanted an opportunity to shake his hand and thank him for his efforts and leadership. Our men and women in uniform know a leader when they see one.

During our trip, our days were filled with visits to forward operating bases, military hospitals, meetings with troops, and briefings with senior officials. Barack Obama demonstrated, like he has time and again, that he will be a superb commander-in-chief.

There is a clear choice in this election: For eight years, John McCain has fallen in line with every one of George Bush's national security decisions, and now he offers up four more years of the same failed policies.

Barack Obama has proven he has the judgment to deliver the change we need.

While Senator McCain was a cheerleader-in-chief for the Bush Administration's rush to a war against a nation that posed no imminent threat, Barack Obama and I opposed the war in Iraq from day one.

While Senator McCain said that we'd be greeted as liberators in Iraq, Barack Obama warned of an "occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs, and undetermined consequences."

While Senator McCain supported policies that took the pressure off al-Qaida and allowed bin Laden to remain at large, Barack Obama said as early as 2002 that we needed to focus on finishing the fight against bin Laden and al-Qaida.

And as commander-in-chief, he will keep that commitment.

The courage of our soldiers and the generosity of the American people is limitless, but after eight years of the Bush Administration, our national security resources are limited. We cannot keep sending our troops to fight in Iraq, on tour after tour, without a clear mission and a strategy for success. Our military is overstretched, our military families are overburdened and other pressing security threats go unchecked.

But Senator McCain wants to stay in Iraq indefinitely, spending $10 billion a month while Iraqi politicians sit atop a $79 billion surplus. We cannot afford more of the same from John McCain.

It's time to responsibly end the war in Iraq, and that's what Barack Obama will do.

Barack Obama will work with our military commanders to begin the phased redeployment of our troops out of Iraq in 16 months. He will only keep troops in Iraq to target al-Qaida, protect our forces, and train Iraqi troops. Barack Obama will restore our military and shift more resources to finish the job George W. Bush has failed to do: hunt down bin Laden and destroy his network.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden have laid out a strategic vision to end the war in Iraq and strengthen our nation at home. They will use every tool in our diplomatic, economic and military power to meet these goals. And after eight years of a politics based on division, they will once again summon Americans to a common purpose.

And together, with Barack Obama and Joe Biden at the helm, America will rise to meet the challenges of our time and turn the page to a new, more hopeful, more prosperous and more secure chapter in our nation's great history.

Thank you.

Another sign of the incredible energy expressed by Democrats are the record voter registration numbers.

The past seven states to hold primaries registered more than 1 million new Democratic voters; Republican numbers mainly ebbed or stagnated. North Carolina and Indiana, which will hold their presidential primaries on May 6, are reporting a swell of new Democrats that triples the surge in registrations before the 2004 primary.

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

Rhode Island Democratic Party
249 Roosevelt Ave. Suite 202
Pawtucket, RI 02860
401-721-9900
401-724-5007 (fax)

District-Level Delegates: 13
At-Large Delegates: 5
Pledged Party Leader & Elected Official (PLEO) Delegates: 3
Unpledged Delegates: 11
TOTAL Number of Delegates: 32

Alternates: 4

TOTAL DELEGATION SIZE: 36

System type: Primary

State convention page: None available.
State plan: Plan Available (PDF)
State filing form: Not available online. Please contact the 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.

Rhode Island Democratic Chairman Bill Lynch introduces the site here:

Note: We wouldn't have known about this if we hadn't caught the Partybuilder post from Pat Crowley. Thanks to Pat for pointing it out here.

While Senator Chafee is reputed to be a moderate, he and his campaign have refused to denounce this extremist ad, which demonizes Latinos by falsely implying that Mexican immigrants will carry out acts of terrorism against government buildings and airplanes. This week, the Democratic National Committee's Hispanic Caucus sent NRSC Chair Elizabeth Dole a letter demanding that she pull the ad and "stop fear-mongering and demonizing Latinos for political gain." Nether Senator Dole or Senator Chafee have responded.

The Senator's silence prompted Providence Journal columnist M. Charles Bakst to ask today, "Why won't Sen. Linc Chafee stand up to the National Republican Senatorial Committee over an ugly, inflammatory TV ad that even he worries might stereotype Hispanics as it attacks primary challenger Steve Laffey on immigration issues?" [Providence Journal, 8/31/06] Senator Chafee will have yet another opportunity to join Democrats in denouncing the ad this weekend when he appears on ABC's This Week on Sunday.

"Senator Chafee's silence on an ad that relies on divisive, misleading innuendos to recklessly incite fear looks like a calculated attempt to save his political hide by scapegoating immigrants," said DNC spokesman Damien LaVera. "The people of Rhode Island have a right to know if Senator Chafee supports the shameful and divisive tactics being used on his behalf by the Karl Rove Republicans in Washington."

"Democrats understand that Americans want comprehensive immigration reform that strengthens our borders, protects U.S. workers and their wages and allows hard-working immigrants who pay taxes and obey the law the opportunity to earn the right to apply for the responsibilities of citizenship, not shameful attempts to play politics with this crucial issue by scapegoating immigrants."

The following is the text of the letter sent by the DNC's Hispanic Caucus to NRSC Chair Elizabeth Dole:

August 29, 2006

Honorable Elizabeth Dole
Chairwoman NRSC
422 2nd Street, NE
Washington D.C. 20002

Dear Senator Dole:

We are writing to demand that the NRSC immediately stop airing your new campaign ad currently running in Rhode Island supporting your candidate for the Senate.

Your ad shamefully demonizes Latinos by falsely implying that Mexican immigrants will carry out acts of terrorism against government buildings and airplanes. Such divisive, misleading innuendos recklessly incite fear for what can only be a calculated attempt to win an election by scapegoating, rather than an honest debate of the issues. While we support the goal of comprehensive immigration reform, such an advertisement has no place in American political discourse and we insist that you repudiate any such portrayal of Latinos as the campaign season moves forward.

Furthermore, we were appalled to see that you dismissed the legitimate concerns many raised about Senator Conrad Burns's recent remarks about immigrants as "silly." As a leader of your party, your tacit endorsement of anti-immigrant slurs is distressing.

At a national gathering of Latino leaders earlier this year, your party chairman Ken Mehlman used a very different tone as he told the audience that reaching out to the Hispanic community was "vitally important" given the changing demographics and increasing importance of Hispanics in American society. We submit to you that this shameful ad, which is part of the divisive rhetoric and tactics we have heard and seen from your party demonizing Latinos, makes it clear that your party is willing to say or do anything to win an election.

We urge you to act immediately and stop running the ad in Rhode Island or anyplace else, and to stop fear-mongering and demonizing Latinos for political gain. Additionally, we urge you to publicly call on your candidates and campaigns to renounce fear tactics that demonize all Hispanics, and that the NRSC insist that all of its candidates' campaign tactics treat all Americans regardless of background with the respect and tolerance that made America great. Anything less would send a clear message to the Latino community across the country that Republicans don't care about their lives, their future, or their votes.


Alvaro C. Cifuentes
Chairman, DNC Hispanic Caucus

Steven K. Alari
DNC Member,
Long Beach, California

Dr. Celita Arroyo de Roques
DNC Member
San Juan, Puerto Rico

Tonio Burgos
DNC Member
Jersey City, New Jersey

Luisette Cabanas
DNC Member
San Juan, Puerto Rico

Hon. Maria Chappelle-Nadal
DNC Member
University City, Missouri

Linda Chavez-Thompson
DNC Member
Washington, D.C.

Maria Echaveste
DNC Member
Berkeley, California

Edward Espinoza
DNC Member
Washington, D.C.

Norma Fisher-Flores
DNC Member
El Paso, Texas

Hon. Grace Flores Napolitano
DNC Member
Washington, D.C.

Alexandra Gallardo Rooker
DNC Member
Los Angeles, California

Giovani Garibay
DNC Member
Houston, Texas

Maria Handley
DNC Member
Lafayette, Colorado
Teresa Krusor
DNC Member
Winfield, Kansas

Maria Luna
DNC Member
New York, New York

Debbie Marquez
DNC Member
Edwards, Colorado

Adriana Martinez
DNC Member
Las Vegas, Nevada

Hon. Iris Y. Martinez
DNC Member
Chicago, Illinois

Ramona Martinez
DNC Member
Denver, Colorado

Raul Martinez
DNC Member
Hialeah, Florida

Robert Martinez
DNC Member
Dallas, Texas

Hon. Kenneth McClintock
DNC Member
San Juan, Puerto Rico

John A. Perez
DNC Member
Los Angeles, California

Hon. Roberto Pratts
DNC Member
San Juan, Puerto Rico

Jeffrey Radjweski
DNC Member
Chesterfield Twp, MI

Joe Rios
DNC Member
Kearney, Arizona

Mannie Rodriguez
DNC Member
Denver, Colorado

Eliso Roques-Arroyo
DNC Member
San Juan, Puerto Rico

Mirian Saez
DNC Member
San Francisco, California

Annadelle Sanchez
DNC Member
Espanola, New Mexico

Hon. Raymond Sanchez
DNC Member
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Hon. Norma Torres
DNC Member
Pomona, California

Christine Trujillo
DNC Member
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Tracy Velasquez
DNC Member
Bozeman, Montana

Jerome Wiley Segovia
DNC Member
Falls Church, Virginia

Steven Ybarra
DNC Member
Sacramento, California

Missouri
Research 2000 (+/-3.5%) 6/19-6/22
Claire McCaskill (D) 49
Jim Talent (R) 43

Montana
Lake Research (+/-4.0%) 8/8-8/10
Jon Tester (D) 44
Conrad Burns (R) 37

Ohio
Columbus Dispatch (+/-2.0%) 7/11-7/20
Sherrod Brown (D) 45
Mike DeWine (R) 37

Pennsylvania
Quinnipiac (+/-2.6%) 8/8-8/13
Bob Casey (D) 48
Rick Santorum (R) 42

Rhode Island
Brown Univ./Taubman (+/-3.5%) 6/24-6/26
Sheldon Whitehouse (D) 38
Lincoln Chafee (R) 37

Tennessee
Benenson Strategy Group (+/-2.9%) 8/10-8/15
Harold Ford (D) 44
Bob Corker (R) 42

In honor of this post, please take today's action: find out if you can vote early. According to an outdated list I found online, one of the above states can vote early. You'll have to call your local election board to find out for sure.

"The American people have seen past the public relations and now they want to see results on the ground. They don't want to see just slogans. They want to see a real plan that is not apparent to them. It's not apparent I think to anyone yet," he said. "The Administration went in to Iraq with a very flawed strategy," he said.

Reed also pointed to the President Bush's failed Iraqstrategy for the American public's continued loss of confidence in his Administration.

"From the very beginning there was disconnect between what they were saying and what the American people were seeing. President Bush lands on an aircraft carrier and says 'mission accomplished,' yet people still see violence, and they still see anarchy in the streets," said Reed.

"[The American people] don't see a strategy that is working, and they're increasingly not only frustrated but concerned. Not only do they see Iraqin chaos at many times, very critical areas in Iraq. But they look and see the growing power of Iranin the region. They see signs of instability spreading form Iraqto other parts of the region, and they're also wondering, in effect, what this has to do with the war on international terrorists who today are plotting to attack us in the United States, not from Iraq, but from many other parts of the world."

To listen to the podcast, click here.

To listen to the audio, click here.

This is Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island.

While visiting with U.S. troops in Iraq in July 2003 on my first of six visits, Rhode Island National Guard soldiers told me that they needed armor for their vehicles and better body armor. When I returned to Washington and told Bush Administration officials what the troops wanted, I was told that the supply of both was adequate. It took months of effort by Congress to finally get the National Guard troops the equipment they required to carry out their mission.

The response to the lack of equipment for our troops typifies the Bush Administration’s failure to plan for the war in Iraq and acknowledge the realities on the ground.

Two and a half years later, this disturbing trend continues.

President Bush is not meeting his responsibility to provide Americans with candid information on Iraq. Failing to plan, misstating the case for weapons of mass destruction, declaring the “mission accomplished” years too soon, ignoring a growing insurgency, and underestimating the costs of reconstruction, have seriously eroded his credibly with the American people and diminished his ability to rally support for the nation’s mission.

The American people are eager to hear the President's plan for success in Iraq, rebuilding the country and bringing our troops home. Instead, the President continues to offer vague generalities and rhetoric with no specifics about what needs to be done and the time and resources necessary to accomplish it.

I have found it disturbing that the Bush Administration has attacked the patriotism of those who question the Administration’s policies in Iraq.

Baseless, partisan attacks won't help us win the war, won't help the troops and won't protect our nation from our enemies.

This is not partisan politics. In the Senate, Republicans and Democrats joined together to pass an amendment requiring the President to provide a detailed plan.

Continuing to follow the current course in Iraq is a mistake. If the President has any hope of regaining the nation’s support for operations in Iraq and justifying the growing cost in lives and taxpayer dollars, he must articulate a clear plan for success. He must be candid and honest about the current situation, what is at stake, what it will take to succeed, how long the mission will last and what it will cost.

In two speeches in the past two weeks the President has again failed to provide this plan and these details.

Our military won a decisive victory over Saddam Hussein’s Army. While the Iraqi people and the world are better off without that tyrant in power, our troops and the American people continue to pay an enormous price as a result of the Administration's mistakes and failure to plan and to be honest.

No one can defeat the United States military and Democrats firmly believe that the U.S. can and must succeed, but the President's open-ended, ill-defined policy will not get us there.

2006 must truly be a year of significant transition in Iraq in which the Iraqi government assumes greater responsibility for its own security. The President must identify and clearly layout for the American people the political, economic and military benchmarks that must to be met for success if he hopes to regain the trust of the American people and the support of both Democrats and Republicans in Congress.

http://www.ridemocrats.org/

Chair: William J. Lynch
Vice Chair: Rep. Grace Diaz
Executive Director: Tim Grilo

The Democratic Party is committed to winning elections at every level in every region of the country, and we're getting started right now with a massive effort to fund organizers on the ground in every state.

The ultimate goal? An active, effective group of Democrats organized in every single precinct in the country. Here's what we're doing to get there:

1. The Democratic Party is hiring organizers chosen by the state parties in every state -- experienced local activists who know their communities.
2. We bring those organizers together for summits where they can learn from each other the best practices for getting organized to win elections.
3. Armed with the knowledge they've shared with each other, Democratic organizers return to the states and recruit and train leaders at the local level.
4. Those local leaders recruit more leaders and volunteers until every single precinct in their area has a trained, effective organization of Democrats dedicated to winning votes for Democrats.

Success Stories

We're going to win by putting people on the ground to organize right now -- today. So the Democratic Party has identified the first few rounds of states to get this program started.

A 50 State Strategy Success Story: North Carolina

Read More Link to this Article

A 50 State Strategy Success Story: West Virginia

Read More Link to this Article