Dean, DFA and DFA Training Academy are first!

I second your first, Susan.

Pretty informative article about McNerney in today's SF Chronicle.

I agree - no one's perfect - and it looks like he had his reasons for his vote.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...'

Believe me, he's heads above Pombo or any other Republican that could have that seat. It could be much worse for the valley dwellers and others in his district - I'm grateful he won and am happy to help him keep his seat next election.

3.

Denise
Mon, 05/14/07
6:14 pm

That goes for me too. I live in the gerrymandered red heart of Central California. My Congressman is Radanovich.

Bush met with Dobson and other conservative leaders to disucss Iraq, Iran and global terror. Trying to rally support. Sickening.

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Bush_meets...

Such a beautiful part of California, Susan. We'll turn it all blue some day!

I was just over in Jackson on Saturday night at the casino. I left a small donation, of course ;)

Actually, every one of the 11 Republicans who "put Bush on notice" voted against the war bill putting Bush on notice 5/14

Test

Monday: 5 GIs, 1 Dane, 65 Iraqis Killed

Who Killed the Electric Car?

GM and Exxon(and others) thats WHO!


Stevie Ray Vaughn sings a tune by Leadbelly where the lyrics go something like this:

"The sky is crying. Can't you see the tears roll down the street."

These days the earth and sky are surely crying. We can see the tears on flooded streets filled with torrential rains, hurricane and tornado damage. We can feel the earth's heartache in melting glaciers and in global warming. The weather has gone haywire and weathermen worldwide are confused since their so called "computer models" are frequently wrong. Earthquakes and Tzunamis are becoming more rampant. The earth is crying very loud. It is in pain and this pain is inflicted by manmade evil. Smoke from huge chimney stacks attached to factories that pollute, over fishing, bomb explosions from wars we don't even want, nuclear waste, carbon dioxide from automotive and aviation exhaust pipes, oil spills on the high seas, all these things are killing Mother Nature. Is it any wonder that she's in pain and has started protesting the unjust treatment man is imposing on her?

The saddest thing, though, is that when a certain portion of responsible human beings take up the fight against the evil polluters who are causing all the problems, they are killed on the spot by those in power.

One case in point is the electric car produced in the 1990s by GM -- the EV1. The car ran exclusively on electricity an was non-polluting. It was the answer to all the respiratory diseases caused by gas guzzlers in a city like Los Angeles. The EV1 had no exhaust, no combustion engine, didn't consume gas or oil, didn't pollute. In fact, it was the answer to North America's air pollution problems caused by carbon dioxide.

What happened to the EV1? GM, the Federal Government and the California lesgislatures killed it! That's what happened. The powers that be quickly saw that they could no longer earn profits from gas sales, and sales from all the other parts retailed to millions of consumers who drive cars with combustion engines (parts like oil and gas filters, motor oil, spark plugs and spark plug wires, etc.). So, big business killed the EV1.

http://www.sierra-arts.net/EI_Homepage.h...

6.

Denise
Mon, 05/14/07
6:38 pm


Yes Denise it is very beautiful where I live in the sierra foothills near Yosemite. But we're going to need redistricting to happen before we can begin to think about turning the 19th CD blue.

Is there a unspoken tradition on the Blog for America that the comments should have nothing to do with the post they are attached to? I had to wonder if I was replying to the right post after I read some of the previous comments.

 Anyway, I attended the DFA training session this past weekend in Bloomington and I think that Eric and the people at Democracy for Monroe County did a great job from start to finish.  The DFA training sessions, and the instructors, are very good and we all left better than when we came.

Dustin wrote "Is there a unspoken tradition on the Blog for America that the comments should have nothing to do with the post they are attached to?"

No, but there's prohibition against it.  You can write about whatever you feel like.

Hey Dustin - the answer to your question is.....yes!

It seems you hit the right post with your comment, too.

Glad to hear it was a good experience for you.

We discuss all kinds of topics here at BFA, so please stop by again to comment on future threads - or just to say hello.

Dustin, you read my mind! LOL!

Thanks for the praise. Same goes out to Scott, Eldon, Carole, Rosemary, Chaim, Regina, Shaunica, Paul, Charlotte, and  the awesome trainers from DFA - Matt, Tom, Dorie and Jennifer.  We couldn't have done this without the help of the Indiana Progressives and the Democratic Women's Caucus of Monroe County - and, again, the ever-patient folks at DFA.

Dustin

We have talked most of the day about DFA Training (or lack of it in tidewater VA.); what we really value is first person reports so thanks for sharing.

We usually have already hashed over the topic on a previous thread.

the original discussion was about whether or not to target training or districts where it is easy or to go into the red lion's den and then have to live with whoever can slay the lion

we can agree that a candidate that takes on an entrenched Republican in a red district has the courage of Daniel, how to hold them accountable was the debate

Eric

one of the traditons here is a HOWARDLY AWARD for those that make it happen

thanks to the you and the crew

and I agree if the training happens anywhere near you take it

folks did alot of work to make it happen

to indy on the prior thread:

your posts the other day did seem to me to be rant-like. you may not have intended them that way, but that's the way i saw them once in print.

i agree that we hold electeds responsible, but, there's different levels of doing that, i think. say, on the one hand as a dfa supporter, and on the other as someone in that district. re: jerry, i'm not in his district, i'm in a neighbor district, and i'm delegate, dfa, etc. so i see levels for myself also. calling for a replacement, for example, i think should come from within the district if the elected's in any way "on our side(?)" this is different than lending support to a candidate/elected who's not in your district. is this making sense?

i think all electeds, at least federal, should have to answer to all of us once elected because, pombo for instance as a chair, could have a really huge impact on the entire country. this isn't just looking after your own flock. etc.

phil, thanks for your continued kudos on the disc. its good to know people like your stuff and aren't just being polite. sometimes, being polite just sucks. know what i mean?

I'd be happy with a dead cod fish replacing Pombo so I'm too biased to comment further.

I do favor letting critters know when they make a mistake, a primary challenge is serious stuff, and I wouldn't hesitate against a true DINO.

21. yep!!!

Bloomberg Again Nixes Presidential Run

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press Writer

Monday, May 14, 2007

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Printable version

One Amazon Indian leader, Jecinaldo Satere Mawe, said the Pope's remarks had been arrogant and disrespectful.

Pope Benedict XVI told Latin American bishops in Brazil that American Indians had been "silently longing" to become Christians 500 years ago.

dud is going on the fishing trip Mark, the cabin has a good sound system

bbl

Brown Says Bush 'Dangerously Misguided' On Gas Mileage Rules

California Political Desk
May 14, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO - California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today criticized the Bush administration for illegally adopting "dangerously misguided" gas mileage rules.

Brown, in a lawsuit backed by 11 states and several environmental organizations, said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's new mileage standards violate federal law by ignoring both the environment and our country's growing dependence on foreign oil.

"After years of neglect, it is unconscionable to increase vehicle mileage standards by only one mile per gallon," Brown said outside the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where the case was argued Monday. "We are asking the court to reject this dangerously misguided policy that exacerbates global warming and enriches foreign sponsors of terrorism."

http://www.californiachronicle.com/artic...

hey dave!!!

Published - May, 14, 2007
Howard Dean to visit Alabama
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, plans two fundraising stops in Alabama on May 24.

Dean will speak to a $50 per person breakfast at the Sheraton Civic Center in Birmingham at 7:30 a.m. and attend a $1,000-per-person luncheon at a home in Mountain Brook, said Jim Spearman, executive director of the Alabama Democratic Party.

Both events will raise money for the DNC, Spearman said.

Dean is not the only national Democratic figure visiting Alabama in coming days. Two presidential candidates are also planning stops.

New York Sen. Hillary Clinton has scheduled a private fundraising luncheon in Daphne on Saturday, and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards is planning a speech to Alabama legislators on May 24.

Alabama’s presidential primary is scheduled for Feb. 5.

http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps...

is this spin or just stupid wishful thinking
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Last modified 5/10/2007 - 5:14 pm
Originally created 051107

Will Howard Dean step in GOP's Florida primary trap?


By MATT TOWERY, The Times-Union

Now that our long-predicted early date for the Florida presidential primary has materialized, the question becomes whether Howard Dean will take the bait.



As I've been reporting for months - usually to deaf ears - the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature cleverly chose to move the Florida primary to Jan. 29.

This has brought threats of penalties against presidential candidates if they campaign in Florida to win the primary races there.

Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has joined many top officials in making it clear that delegates for the national nominating convention may not be selected by the votes in the Jan. 29 Florida Democratic primary.

In making these pronouncements, Dean and the DNC are about to fall into one of the most cleverly devised political traps in recent years.

Florida Republicans are privately ecstatic over the response to the new primary date by Dean and the Democratic rule-makers.

If the national Democrats hold their ground, they will reduce the Democratic primary in Florida to a meaningless exercise, while the Republican winner will most likely receive most or all of the GOP delegates for Florida.

How is this a trick? The Republicans know the DNC is governed by hard-nosed and inflexible leaders who have managed to botch numerous presidential campaigns in recent years. Knowing that Dean likely will attempt to make a Jan. 29 Democratic primary meaningless, Republicans recognized the opportunity to be the only game in town.

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/st...

Dean: 1-way campaigns days over

By Associated Press
May 11, 2007
Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean said Thursday the days of the $60 million political convention coronations are numbered and he's studying ways to make them more relevant to average people.

Dean said politicians need to find more ways to connect with voters, going door to door, instead of depending on television to deliver their messages. He said next year's convention in Denver will be different.

"We've got to change the way we do conventions in this country. I'm looking to try to make this a transitional convention, in the sense that the day of the $50-$60 million convention is coming to a close. The day of one-way campaigns where we do everything on television, and we don't listen to people before, is coming to a close. We need to be knocking on doors, talking to them directly, asking their opinions," Dean said during an interview on the Aaron Harber show on KDBI-TV.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/lo...

Obama Hijacks MySpace Page, Mails Howard Dean

Talk about mixed emotions. I like Barack Obama – at least, as seen on TV – and just when I started to like him more because of a letter he sent to Democratic National Convention Chair Howlin' Howard Dean urging him to put debate video under public license, the Washington Post reports his campaign officers butting his biggest fan out of MySpace.

Because I like him, I want to say it was his campaign managers and not Obama. So let's start with the good news first.

Last week, Stanford Law's Lawrence Lessig petitioned both the DNC and RNC to arrange with the TV networks for open licensing of debate footage. The purpose of public domain licensing, or at least, Creative Commons licensing was so online participants could post, share, or even remix footage.

http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2007/0...

New thread!