Cleaning House

AP: Democrats post big gains in voter registration

Mike W — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:39:10 EDT

Democrats post big gains in voter registration
By JULIE PACE and STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press Writers
Sun Sep 7, 6:40 AM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080907/ap_on_el_pr/voter_registration

CLAIRTON, Pa. - Five days a week, Linda Graham trolls tattered neighborhoods of this once thriving steel city outside Pittsburgh for unregistered voters she can sign up as Democrats - one of thousands of unknown volunteers whose work outside the limelight has already altered the basic arithmetic of the November election.

The epic nomination battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton helped put millions more Democrats on the voter rolls while Republican registration declined. Now Graham, 45, has taken three months of unpaid leave from her job at Pittsburgh's Central Blood Bank in the hope of adding to those gains before the presidential vote.

She's encouraged by the response here. "They're all feeling the crunch" of lost jobs and a sagging economy, Graham said. "But people are feeling empowered. They're feeling like, you know what, I hold a little bit of power in this."

To counter this effort, the Republicans are counting on a formidable, high-tech get-out-the-vote operation that has helped them win the past two presidential elections.

Watch our broken government make

Frank Lynch — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 17:15:44 EDT

the Wall Street speculators rich.
They will come up with some goofy plan for Fannie and Freddie that will leave serious invesstors wondering how it will affect the stock price

But the insiders will know beforehand and get rich ahead of us.

They should stop trading the stock and have a true takeover just like with the banks where the stock is wiped out forever

But the Wall Street insiders will get rich and you and I will probably pay $10,000 per person in taxes for the bailout
I want to hear barack saying we will not bail out the insiders

The press apologizes to McCain...

Gretchen — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:33:59 EDT

Roger Simon of Political apologizes for the press in regards to Sarah Palin.

On behalf of the media, I would like to say we are sorry.

On behalf of the elite media, I would like to say we are very sorry.

We have asked questions this week that we should never have asked.

We have asked pathetic questions like: Who is Sarah Palin? What is her record? Where does she stand on the issues? And is she is qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency?

We have asked mean questions like: How well did John McCain know her before he selected her? How well did his campaign vet her? And was she his first choice?

Bad questions. Bad media. Bad. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13143.html

I don't care about her pregnant daughter-- What I care about is where she stands on the issues that may affect me and my family--

So, If the press can't ask questions about Palin, her experience, where she stands on the issues.... PLEASE tell me what questions you think McCain would be happy to answer??? What is the presses role during the election process??? Is it they haven't had time to educate her on what her stand is??? PLEASE... does anyone know???

Thanks, g

In the 90's Palin belonged to a group that wanted Alaska to succeed from the U.S.

Gretchen — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:32:56 EDT

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/members-of-frin.html

ABC new reports that members of 'Fringe' Alaskan Independence Party Say Palin Was a Member in the 90s. This group wants Alaska to succeed from the U.S.A.

The foundation of the Republican Party was started with Abraham Lincoln and keeping the South from succeeding from the Union... Now they have a V.P. candidate who belonged to a group that believes that Alaska needs to succeed from the United States...????

Great choice McCain!!! great choice... still am shaking my head!!

Know your opponents

Mike W — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:53:08 EDT

"Oppo" is a slang term for opposition research. We must all be watching the national convention of that other party this week to be better prepared for the 4-Nov-08 election.

The excerpt below is from The Art of War (Chinese: 孫子兵法; pinyin: Sūn Zǐ Bīng Fǎ), a Chinese military treatise that was written during the 6th century BC by Sun Tzu.

Sun Tzu on the Art of War:

Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.

If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

Mike W
Tulsa+
Who has done pro-oppo [professional opposition research]

Chet Edwards, Barack Obama

Mike W — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:40:27 EDT

US Rep. Chet Edwards [D-Waco]

Commemorating 73rd Birthday of Social Security [8-14-08]

Mike W — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:23:53 EDT

"America's Town Hall" At 2008 Democratic National Convention

Mike W — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:29:56 EDT

Democrats Release Platform

Mike W — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 21:02:34 EDT

Democrats Release Platform
By Jonathan Weisman
Barack Obama's takeover of the Democratic Party is nearly complete.
Posted at 6:23 PM ET on Aug 7, 2008
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/08/07/by_jonathan_weisman_barack_oba_1.html

A draft of the Democratic National Committee's 2008 platform was sent this morning to platform committee members, and aside from some nods to the losers, Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards, the 54-page document reads like a compilation of Sen. Obama's stump speeches. There is a section on fatherhood, a definition of patriotism (not only to declare our love of this nation, but to show it), a section detailing Obama's newly rejiggered economic stimulus plan, a call for more service, through an expanded AmeriCorps and Peace Corps, and a whole lot of hope.

"It is time for a change," declares the draft's preamble.

The Democrats commit themselves to a comprehensive overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, including a commitment to bring illegal immigrants "out of the shadows" and to allow them to "get right with the law." A party at times riven over the issue of abortion will state it "strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of the ability to pay." That piece of the platform appears to favor doing away with restrictions on the use of taxpayer funds to help finance abortions.

And the party promises to turn away from the intrusive police apparatus of the post-9/11 world of President Bush's War on Terror.The platform pledges to "reject illegal wire-tapping of American citizens," so-called national security letters issued by the FBI that leave citizens little legal recourse, and "torture."

"We will restore our constitutional traditions, and recover our nation's founding commitment to liberty under the law," the draft platform states.

For Edwards, who has bigger issues to deal with at the moment, the DNC makes good on Obama's pledge to him to elevate poverty eradication as a policy goal. "Working together," the platform states, "we can cut poverty in half within ten years."

And Clinton is the star of the platform's section on expanded opportunities for women.

""We have produced [the] first woman Secretary of State, the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives, and, in 2008, [with] Hillary Rodham Clinton, the first woman in American history to win presidential primaries in out nation," the platform states.

---
Renewing America’s Promise
http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/Platform%208%207%2008%20%282%29.pdf

100 days until 2008 Election Day

Mike W — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 12:19:10 EDT

C-SPAN: Netroots Nation keynote, Howard Dean, 7-17-08 7:30 pm CDT

Mike W — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:24:00 EDT

C-SPAN: Netroots Nation keynote, Howard Dean, 7-17-08 7:30 pm CDT
5:30 pm PDT, 6:30 pm MDT, 7:30 pm CDT, 8:30 pm EDT

Opening Keynote: Gov. Howard Dean
http://www.netrootsnation.org/node/889

Thursday, July 17th 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM [CDT]
Keynote, Exhibit Hall 4
Time: Thursday, July 17th, 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Room: Exhibit Hall 4

Gov. Howard Dean will kick off Netroots Nation 2008 with an evening keynote.

Repent, GOP...

Mike W — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:04:46 EDT

Dean to lead national voter registration effort [schedule]

Mike W — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:14:43 EDT

Dean to lead national voter registration effort [schedule]
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Democratic National Committee
DNC Press Office
Press Release
For Immediate Release

DEAN TO LEAD NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION EFFORT
Register for Change Bus Tour to Kick-off in Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana This Week

Washington, DC - Governor Howard Dean will lead a national grassroots voter registration effort. The cross country bus tour, "Register for Change," will build on the overwhelming enthusiasm and voter turnout seen during the primaries as Democrats mobilize and organize voters for the fall election.

The tour kicks-off with events in Crawford and Austin, TX on Thursday, July 17th. Dean will also deliver the Opening Keynote Speech at Netroots Nation 2008 in Austin, TX. On Friday, July 18th and Saturday, July 19th the tour will continue with events in Hattiesburg, and Jackson, Mississippi, and New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. All listed times are local.

I Think, therefore...

Mike W — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:24:37 EDT

Netroots Nation 2008; Austin July 17-20

Mike W — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:06:39 EDT

Netroots Nation 2008. The third annual gathering of the Netroots (formerly known as the YearlyKos Convention) will be held July 17–20... Netroots Nation 2008 will include panels led by national and international experts; identity, issue and regional caucuses; prominent political, issue and policy-oriented speakers; a progressive film screening series; and the most concentrated gathering of progressive bloggers to date. Agenda at http://www.netrootsnation.org/agenda-2008

How Democrats Could Turn Texas Into the Blue Star State

Mike W — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:00:55 EDT

How Democrats Could Turn Texas Into the Blue Star State
By Bob Moser
This article appeared in the July 21, 2008 edition of The Nation
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080721/moser

"Did I mention that it's fun to be a Democrat in Texas?" asks Matt Glazer, editor in chief of the Burnt Orange Report, the state's leading progressive blog. He has, in fact, mentioned it a couple of times over beers at Scholz Garten, a legendary liberal hangout in Austin, and always with the same glimmer of happy bemusement behind his black-frame blogger specs. I'd been seeing that look in Democrats' eyes all over Texas in early June--at their raucous, record-breaking state convention, at local Democratic shindigs, in giddily overburdened Obama HQs. "It's like everyone who toiled on that Democratic death march for years, when it was so difficult, is now seeing daylight," says Josh Berthume of the Dallas suburb Denton, editor in chief of TheTexasBlue.com and another key player in a vigorous blogosphere that has helped ignite the startling Democratic flare-up here, in the bright red heart of Tom DeLay and Karl Rove's "permanent" Republican majority.

The very notion of Texas Democrats glimpsing daylight--of America's biggest chunk of Republican real estate being shaded pink on the '08 election map--seems almost absurd, a contradiction in terms, even to those who are making it happen. Like many of the nuevo pols, bloggers and progressive activists who are constructing a state-of-the-art Democratic machine in Texas, Glazer and Berthume are too young to remember the last time skies were blue for the party that ruled Texas politics from Reconstruction clear through to Reagan/Bush. So is Burnt Orange publisher Karl-Thomas Musselman, who's 23. "The last time Democrats won my hometown"--a small outpost in the central Hill Country--"was 1964," he says. "And that was only because President Johnson brought the chancellor of Germany to Fredericksburg for a visit."

Update for SMU Petition Signers, 7-14-08 [Bush Library]

Mike W — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:28:35 EDT

Update for SMU Petition Signers, 7-14-08
Monday, July 14, 2008

I am Andrew J. Weaver, organizer of the petition at http://www.protectSMU.org and an ordained United Methodist clergyman and research psychologist. I am a graduate of Southern Methodist University (SMU) and live in New York City. There are over 12,500 petition signers including thousands of SMU alumni who are deeply concerned about the future of the university. I am very grateful for your faithfulness regarding this issue.

---
Breaking Story About Bush Complex and Bribery
July 13, 2008
London Times
Stephen Payne: a hotshot lobbyist who can get you into White House

A lobbyist offered access to Dick Cheney and other US leaders in return for a donation to the Bush library

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4322719.ece

---
Our Educational Effort Began

In June an intensive educational effort began regarding the Bush project at SMU. It includes a website with interactive capability. You can find the website at http://www.whatwouldjwdo.net

Our goal is to persuade South Central Jurisdiction delegates to reject the SMU/Bush Foundation lease proposal when they meet in Dallas at the Hilton Anatole Hotel, July 15-19. We are seeking to convince the "court of public opinion" through the media that the SMU-Bush linkage is injurious to both SMU and the United Methodist Church (UMC) that owns the university. Please keep this issue in your prayers over the next several days.

Growing the Petition

Finally, please continue to encourage your friends and colleagues to sign the petition. Each name is important. We need to tell officials of the UMC at every level that we find that a partisan institute honoring George W. Bush at SMU to be "utterly unacceptable."
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/protectsmu

With best regards,

Rev. Andrew J. Weaver, Ph.D.

New PartyBuilder Blog Site

Jan CO — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:30:32 EDT

For those that may not have heard there is a new partybuilder blog site at http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/PartyBuilderBloggers.

The purpose of this Party Builder Group is to “Build” our party and get as many Democrats elected as we can this year. Yes, the group is moderated and yes, each person has control over their own blog in that you have the option to delete offensive replies. In addition, you can find a group from your town or city to hook up with to work on your State and Local races.

If you would like to help promote your Democratic Candidates then come on over and really, help to “Build” the Democratic Party. Many have already joined and there's room for many more.

Why are you voting for Democrats this November?

Mike W — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:35:26 EDT

Why are you voting for Democrats this November?
Thursday, July 3, 2008
David Hardt, YDA President
Young Democrats of America
http://whYDA.org

Dear Young Democrat,

On this Fourth of July, whether you are a student a month into a much needed summer with no classes, a young worker excited to have a long weekend to celebrate with friends, or a young family looking forward to fireworks with the kids, you might notice that this year's patriotic celebrations have a little extra hope and optimism attached to them. You see, this year the Fourth of July falls exactly four months before Election Day 2008.

Already, 2008 has proven to be the year of the young voter as a Young Voter Revolution sweeps the country. During many of the primaries and caucuses young voter turnout doubled, tripled - and in some cases - quadrupled compared to the numbers we saw in 2004. Even in deep red states like Georgia, Louisiana, and Tennessee, more young voters cast ballots for Democrats than Republicans.

    Why are you voting for Democrats this November?
    Tell your story at http://www.whYDA.org

The opportunity our generation has to sweep Democrats into office up and down the ballot in every state in the nation is unprecedented. Turning this opportunity into a reality, however, will take a lot of hard work. We need to do everything we can to convince our friends and family to vote for Democrats come November. With everyone gathering together to celebrate our nation's independence, I can't think of a better weekend to get started.

That is why YDA picked this holiday weekend to unveil our newest project. A web site designed to encourage a community of young voters to share why they are voting for Democrats and why they think others should as well. We call it whYDA.org (get it?), and in order for this to be an effective community building and persuasion tool, we need you to visit and tell your story.

    Why are you voting for Democrats this November?
    Tell your story at http://www.whYDA.org

Where we are today.

Karstar — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:48:51 EDT

As we stand today - Obama leads the presidential race. We will pick up as many as 10 Senate seats. We will pick up as many as 40 House seats.

What we need to focus on is - our platform.
Helping those Democrats that need it.

Victory is ours - but we will have to work for it.

Lets Go Dems.