Deaniacs are first.   Bravo, linda b, bravo.

Linda B. is a hero to all who blog because her actions show an understanding of Howard Dean's famous injunction: "YOU have the power." 

Howard and Jim Dean and Linda B are all first on this thread!

Thanks Linda for putting together this thread. It is very well done, a total recap of TBA from your prospective.

I have put the link on my toolbar for now to keep coming back to this. I do hope to get to TBA next year. Linda's has me into doing that:)) All depends on the family situation here.

Thanks for including the video

DIGBY REVEALED

>

really cool to hear her speak as the camera pans across all the others on the stage.  Very warm. 

DIGBY REVEALED

>

Oh, I am tingling all over, watching Ms Digby, listening to her speak, and knowing what we all feel...

Gore/Dean08, folks. Gore/Dean08 ! 

I was surprised by Digby, I really didn't know who she was. So smart and caring.
And the fact she mentioned Howard was wonderfu.

Paine -

On the Obama '08 blog, there's some bloggers there praising Bill Moyer's speech at the UCC on this past Sat morning (drop down to the bottom of the thread):

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post_group/ObamaHQ/CXVd#comments

...

Yes, just up the road from the field of dreams.

Normally an aspiring Presidential candidate expects to draw activists to events scheduled in Iowa. They are rarely disappointed. However, in an interesting twist the training workshop for activists sponsored by the First District Democratic Committee at NICC in Peosta on July 14th is drawing the candidates. The daylong event will be training precinct captains in the art of running a caucus among other topics, and this local grassroots leadership is the very group of people courted by the Presidential candidates; so a gathering is tailor made for that famous Iowa personal touch. On the schedule so far with Congressman Braley, are Senators Joe Biden and John Edwards, and more are expected. All area Democrats are invited.

Phil Specht, McGregor

District Communications Chair

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

for those who missed this when I sent it to area papers

Wow Phil, district chair. I would not know how to run a caucus but would love to learn. Gee, training would helps.

If it’s just the time frame of the comments made that’s at issue, here’s Dean from the Colbert Report last month:

Dean: Left in the Middle East. Not in Iraq, but in the Middle East to deal with terrorism, the rest of the Guard and Reserve home, everybody else home within a year.

Colbert: Okay, so that's, that's–

[Applause]

Colbert: -- that's giving the Middle East over to the terrorists.

Dean: No it's not.

Colbert: 25,000! How do you -- how 25,000 guys can do it, if 145,000 can't?

Dean: 25,000 troops did great in Afghanistan. If you know what you're doing, it's not hard. The trouble is, they wouldn't listen to Colin Powell.

Finally up. Enjoy, any questions or comments , fire away.

linda, how did you like Joe Conason?

On my knees to Linda B :)

Tom, this Linda likes Joe Conason.


linda b ROCKS! As does those Dean brothers fighting for Democracy for America!!!

I am going crazy trying to find any listings for our Theaters and SiCKO. I've resorted to calling, because online says NO THING, but I can't even get help with that.

SHEESH.

bbl

Again, the old thread was not notified and I was posting away.  Bad form, Paine.

Great reporting, Linda.

Phil, do the Iowa voters know that if one of the three *leading* candidates is our nominee, Nader will throw the election to the repugs?  DO THEY KNOW THAT? We will lose AGAIN and we can't just blame the dems.  Iowa voters need to wake up and smell the lines of BS they've been given.  They always fall in line just like the neo-cons.  For god's sake, Kucinich or Gore should be right in there.  Why aren't they?  Becuz Iowans aren't awake?   Sorry, Phil, but IA is gonna do it again....give the nod to one of the three worst possible contenders.  Lambs to the slaughter.  This is so distressing,  I can barely stand to read about these three anymore, or hear about the IA caucus as tho it's a political god.  

Man, do I wish I lived in IA for just the caucus season.!!!

Phil, I don't understand why you aren't working hard for Kucinich or Gore.  You appear to have a lot of influence, yet you're out there pushing the big 3.  Why?  What am I missing with Iowa?  What have I missed with you?  Are you in favor of one of those three?  I thought you liked Gore.  If so, why aren't you pushing for him?

I'm sadly lacking in understanding of the IA caucus and how it gives us the lesser of 2 evils.  I just very disappointed in the voters buying into the CMW.  If it's true that 40some percent of Iowans are undecided, that tells me they want someome other than the big three.  Give them someone else already!  Do they HAVE to caucus for one of the turkeys?  Don't these people have a mind of their own?  

Sounds to me like the caucus doesn't work well and should be put out to pasture.  Give another state a chance to do better.

Cranky today and I hate being left on a thread w/o notice of a new thread.  Last night and now today again.  Very cranky. 

I have always admired Joe Conason from when he wrote for salon.com and other media.
But he is much better looking in person.
At the Politico press conf to tell who won the straw poll I looked around and said "hi Joe" . He was sitting right next to me. He thought who is this woman?
I said hi , I am Linda b.

I remember how Howard said he didn't like the caucus process in Canada and he got slammed by the msm.
putzes.

linda

Did Hillary Clinton give anyone personally a chance to talk with her after her speech? Many wonder who the real Hillary is, just wondered if she ever gives anybody a chance to get close enough to find out.

Joan, I don't think that happened, security was tight for her and nancy.
Altho she tried to talk over the booing, it did not work this time. she was yelled at from the audience.

I remember that too linda, and as a result some expected him as chair of DNC to stay away from an early Iowa caucus. He dislikes it even today I'll bet. I see caucus for primaries as rather barbaric.

joan how are you making bold in your posts and I have no way of doing that?

Hillary needs to have some small town hall meetings on C-span.

Yes. But it usually means little anyway.

How do you like my crystal ball linda? I know what your question is before you ask it:))

joan, that kind of made me think, hello??

Great(!!) job on the thread Linda b !!!!!
:)

After hearing NPR report towards the end of last week that hillary's campaign had managed to have *hundreds* of her supporters in the room for her speech, i would
have like to have been there to feel the 'vibe' myself. If she still managed to get
boo'd with hundreds of her 'people' in the audience, then maybe there is a little
hope for this country.

I'm afraid that there's no excuse for HD's ignorance about the real Colin Powell; just as there's no excuse for Obama trying to glom onto Powell's misbegotten prestige.

51,

chilimac,

Regardless, I like to learn whatever I can about every Dem candidate, including Hill, so I know why I will be voting against them:))

Oh Shit!!

5-4, 5-4 Supreme Court Contradicts Itself
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/062507R.shtml
The Supreme Court today loosened the restrictions on what companies and unions can spend on television advertisements just before elections, and in so doing may well have affected the thinking of political strategists for the 2008 elections.

Cafferty just said that 1/3 of voters thinking of voting indie in 08.  Here' comes Nader.

The news is so bad, I feel like Judy.  I may just leave for awhile or until Gore comes in. 

Iowans should just refuse to go along with their outdated  and dangerous for dems caucus. 

60.

Linda*in*SFNM
Mon, 06/25/07
5:50 pm

"58. Fred, you may well appreciate it[Obama's pre-primary candor,] but I don't share that opinion and I don't think many from the non pro war party does either.

What do I mean from that?....

=====================

Personally, I was against the invasion from the beginning, and even skeptical about Afghanistan.

 All I am saying is that I would not vote against Obama in the primary for that reason alone.  As far as the rest of your criticism of Powell, well, it was an extraodinary time and you can be just as critical about  George Tenet and half the Democrats on The Hill.  I don't exonerate all those people, but neither do I think we can  do an ideological purge and win elections at the same time either.

:Not sure what you mean by the last paragraph above, kind of abstract, including to whom you are referring.

Sitka

No  Dem thinks the same and Howard will not always agree with you and/or me. None of us walk in step as often demonstrated on this here unwieldly blog. That's good and I hope it never changes.

~~~~~~~~~

linda

Where was Ms. Digby hiding all this time. I visited her website, OurFuture.org, but I really believe she gets it out better being a verbal "pundit" as she calls herself. One great lady!

65.

seashell
Mon, 06/25/07
6:02 pm


I just sent a note to the DCCC stating that they won't get one penny from me anymore unless:

1. Al Gore runs.

2. Cheney and Gonzales are impeached.

3. Funds for the occupation are cut off.

>>>> GOOD one Sea!
______________________________________

Just to let the others know, the thread just went up at 6pm and Tom did let us know Linda B's thread was up.

Apparently the earlier comments were from an accidental, then removed posting earlier.

Tom was a good dooby to us.

Tom wrote:
66.

Tom Bearse
Mon, 06/25/07
6:08 pm

New thread by linda b.

sea,

All those indies will come home to mama by election day as they always do.

15. Echoing that post!

Linda b ROCKS!!!

30. Joan, me too :-)

17. hi seashell ♥ you were in the right place - this thread was just promoted to the front page at 6:07, Tom posted new thread right away. (thanks Tom :)

35. Fred, you wouldn't vote against Obama for that reason alone? LOL, neither would I, but that is just another addition to his pro War/Corporatist position that is mounting against him. And my point was, trying to use a piece of someone elses comments from years ago as ones argument, doesn't hold water.

Iowa has a slow motion IRV where you can vote your second choice if necessary. Until your state has provisions like that I will take your criticism with a grain of salt, and I find a winner take all primary especially abhorrent for allocating delegates to the National Convention.

Find out how your state operates and get back to me if you think it fairer.

National delegates are real people with individual names. How is yours picked?

31.

I never liked McCain/Feingold.  Don't think it's right to restrict the voters.  If candidates are spending too much, limit how much and from whom they can accept donations.  It will be good practice for when they are in office and aren't supposed to take bribes.

Anticipatory bribes are no better than those that are more timely.  

I'm sure Feingold was sincere, but he got snookered by McCain who's got the Republican habit of supporting failure down pat.

It's a safe strategy to promise something that either can't be done (stop homosexuality, for example) or is illegal (prohibiting political expression just before an election).  The latter is actually a two-fer.  It got McCain browney points with liberal reformers and now he's got something to blame on the judges.

The high school kids got slapped down, btw, because they're minors.  Minors don't have any civil rights. 

35

Hang in Fred. We all need to see, hear and fully understand EVERY Dem candidate before making some offhand decision and trying to influence others with some random remarks. I intend to follow this rule to the day I know for certainty who I will support.

The problem I have is: will my Florida primary vote even count. Maybe not so why am I bothering to study candidates. I do hope HD rethinks his thinking about the Florida primary. What is, is. That's what we have to deal with here. Help us out here Howie, we're pretty much helpless here being in the hands of a Republican legislature and governor.

Obama will lose me, if he tries to get to the right of Hillary. He is not quite there yet.

seashell, Edwards is in the lead here, what is your specific complaint about him?

40.

Monica,

We could limit the amount the candidate can spend during the primary and then during the general election.

I think the candidates will lose their delegates credentialling if they actively campaign in Florida     (correct me if I'm wrong). 

  nobody violate the injunction and all the votes count, the party can't change state law as to when the election is held

all Howard is saying is rules are rules and he will follow the vote of the DNC

35. Fred, you wouldn't vote against Obama for that reason alone? LOL, neither would I, but that is just another addition to his pro War/Corporatist position that is mounting against him.

===============

Fine, but obviously Obama has more to lose than gain by Powell's association B4 the primary.

Would you feel better if Obama disowned Powell before the primary, and then accepted his endorsement after he won it ? 

Do you really believe Richardson will leave Iraq ASAP without one American official on Iraqi soil, or that could win the general election with such incredible claims?

Troops stationed in Bosnia, Korea, Germany, Japan, Kosovo, etc. were never election issues.

Another thing Iowans should think deeply about is this:  If Nader comes in to spoil again, think about another neo-con prez and the SCOTUS.  It's again the Supreme Court.  We cannot have Nader in the race since he'll steal votes from the dems.

Are we the only ones who can think?

We need to get rid of the CMW somehow. 

35

Hang in Fred. ....

The problem I have is: will my Florida primary vote even count. Maybe not so why am I bothering to study candidates....

=============

Exackerly... what are we arguing about with candidates.  We should be trying to change the process, from and one of an "Ordination" process to a truly Democratic process.  I am convinced if our candidate were truly chosen in a democratic fashion, Kerry would not have won.  His ordination took me by surprise.

The proverbial "smoke-filled room" has been replaced by the "wine-and-cheese" room, or maybe the "whine and please" room.

44.

Phil

We know what the rules are. All the candidates have said they are going to campaign here since if they win the primary they will have wanted to have at least been here.

However, in any event, we have no control over them either. We realize our position puts Howard between a rock and a hard spot. Howard rarely backs away from his decisions so we will probably just be voting on some very important amendments and a meaningless straw vote for candidates.

I vote for a national primary day at the least.

a truly Democratic process

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

how many of you filed amicus briefs when I advanced a fair process to the rules committee?

By the time we have our primary, it's already been decided.  That really bugs me.

Phil, I don't like Edwards' foreign policy and his defense of Israel.  Nor do I know if he's sincere, but I think he's much better than the other two.  Altho I wonder if it's possible to have a candidate who believes in an even-handed approach to I/P. Howard was dissed for saying that and that disturbs me greatly.  We need to keep AIPAC out of our decisions IMO and that doesn't look promising.

I would really like a candidate who would get us out of the ME and to do that, AIPAC will have to be marginalized.  What's the chance of that at this point with all the power it has?

A big plus for Edwards is his wife IMO.  I would like all the candidates to talk about who they'd like as a running mate. That would influence me I'm sure.  Why don't they do that?

 Cheney chose himself, didn't he?

America the Dutiful.

After hearing NPR report towards the end of last week that hillary's campaign had managed to have *hundreds* of her supporters in the room for her speech, i would
have like to have been there to feel the 'vibe' myself. If she still managed to get
boo'd with hundreds of her 'people' in the audience, then maybe there is a little
hope for this country.

I will say it again, the audience was not FOR hillary and challenged her. I was in the front row and watched her try to talk "over " the boos. It did not work.
They were pissed.

These attendees are really progressives. Like me and maybe u.
Some liked Hil. I am waiting to see.

I want to know who is paying off Nader, maybe the msm.

I would really like a candidate who would get us out of the ME and to do that, AIPAC will have to be marginalized.  What's the chance of that at this point with all the power it has?

================

You may as well as them to deny the holocaust, because that's the way AIPAC will spin it.

I would like all the candidates to talk about who they'd like as a running mate. That would influence me I'm sure.  Why don't they do that?

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

seashell, Edwards has addressed that and has said he would chose someone sympathetic to his vision rather than attempt to "balance" the ticket

thanks for your comments
peace to all.

Gore won't go that far either seashell.

how many of you filed amicus briefs.............

============

And in plain english that means ????

bbl

20.  Here is the REAL Hillary! :

I'm confused by a couple of things in Florida Joan has written about:

1)  I thought the state parties conduct their primaries.  Why doesn't the Florida Democratic Party back up the primary date for Democrats and let Republicans do whatever they want?

2) The sanction for early primaries is not Dean's to lift.  He doesn't have veto power or the power to pardon scofflaw state parties.  The party members adopted the sanction rule by a vote.  That's who Florida voters have a complaint with.

And in plain english that means ????

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

that's why god created google fred

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

if you want to influence a process find out who makes the decision, when they meet, how they are elected (the deciders), and then work backward to find out how to have an impact on the outcome

it is all over but the shouting, but back when it counted I had a personal meeting with our past State Chair who was on the Special Rules Committee, that reported to the Rules Committe, whose report was adopted by the DNC thereby tying Dean's hands, and gave it my best shot as one individual, and I tried to rally support here to no avail

sigh

don't blame me now, if you don't like the product when you did nothing to change the outcome when it was in flux

it is an economic development issue for the state legislature here

if other states would stop elbowing for position and instead work for a universal fair system where everyone had the same vote we could get somewhere in the next cycle, it is too late for this one

Iowans should just refuse to go along with their outdated and dangerous for dems caucus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It isn't Iowa that's dangerous for the Dems: they need to look in the mirror. They were elected last fall to do a job. They are refusing to do it. If they get fired, I won't weep. . . . .

I want to know who is paying off Nader, maybe the msm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No one has to pay him; his ego's big enough to do it all on his own.

If the Dems would actually BE Dems (including Gore), Nader would pass unnoticed in the dark.

62.  I'm sorry, I must be missing something...I thought that the Dems would need at least 60something seats to push any legislation through the Senate.  How would they be able to end the war if they can't override the President's veto?  Or even a filibuster for that matter?  Would you mind clarifying how the Dems are not doing their job in the Senate?  I honestly don't fall on either side of the question yet, I'm just trying to figure out what everyone means when they say that they "aren't doing thier job...

Thanks for your views. Here are a couple of points in reply:

1) Why do you presume Dean is ignorant about Powell, rather than accept he may know as much or more than you but feel differently?

2) Glomming onto prestige is obviously one interpretation of what occurred, but all we’re specifically discussing is meeting with Powell. I can’t get upset about a presidential candidate getting together with a former secretary of state because the type of insight available as a result is potentially useful to an outsider, i.e., a candidate with no experience within either the military or the executive branch. Obama wouldn’t necessarily have had to subscribe to the advice, or have taken anything from the meetings except for some information.

I know no more than you whether Obama met with Powell in this instance, listened to his advice or whatever, and thought to himself “What an asshole.” He hasn’t said, and he might not say even if it were true. This is quite different from actually telling the press and broadcast media that you admire someone, that someone would make a good secretary of state, or that someone is a voice of moderation that Bush and his filthy henchmen ignored.

An Iowa caucus is very much like the blog, one of the reasons I'm comfortable here.

We consider our role to be an intial vetting to say whether candidates are ready for prime time and the first three should be considered as such whatever rank. Howard passed the test last time. It wasn't Iowans that made winning all or nothing.

Phil wrote "It wasn't Iowans that made winning all or nothing."

You're quite right about that.  It was that feral, scum sucking pig, Terry McAuliffe.

is it just me, or does hillary look like a freakin' vampire on the magazine cover ?

Powell has called for the immediate closure of Gitmo. that has rehabilitated him somewhat with me. his integrity is what is suspect after putting loyalty ahead of country, and integrity was his chief stock in trade

bbl

no Tom it was Joe Trippi

69 was an answer to 70, this blogsoftware is a trip

HQ's set your clock and I post when I hit submit not after NSA sends it back to you

Fred wrote: Do you really believe Richardson will leave Iraq ASAP without one American official on Iraqi soil, or that could win the general election with such incredible claims?

LOL...who ME? Ask anyone here, don't look at me for believing anyone of Richardson's claims. He's the last person to trust. All evidence points away from that. He just likes bringing things up to get on paper, the facts though, when you check out those things he puts on paper tells much different stories.

And, his latest baby, when he slammed the other candidates at the Tba for supporting the Feingold/Reid Bill, WELL, he not only supported it, he posted that on his website and had his team try to scrub it before the planned speech at TBA. Well, not TRY to scrub it, they did. They removed it, but there were plenty of bloggers and others who had copies of his website BEFORE they removed it, stating "I support the Feingold/Reid Iraq Bill".

Don't look at me for support on Mr. "Rightie" Richardson, who had Pundits scratching their heads after his first debate when he did so bad and exclaimed he was happy with his performance. He wanted to show he was a Moderate and he succeeded. And they said "do you really want to do that in the PRIMARY? They usually try to appear more to the left and THEN jump over to the right".

This is a smoke filled happily contentious room today.

I realize Gore won't rock the boat re Israel but maybe he would be more pro-active in a peace process.

It was known last election that the RNC or some repug entity was supplying Nader with money.  This is another reason I really don't like him.  He's not honest.

There's a lot of blame to go around when talking about the dems what they are or aren't doing and IA and how much influence it really has. 

Hillary was brave enough to go for an everyday look in her soprano commercial, I give her credit for that.

but I refuse to comment on personal appearance when so much else is more important, and if you do it just for women, sexist

and yes those two sentences are contradictory so it is time to go move the hot wire for the day

bbl

God, what a messy last sentence.  I won't even bother to correct it.

I'm happy to hear that Edwards said that he would do x,  y and z re:VP.  I would like names please. He's dodging and I don't like that slickness. 

Just in:

Gore will go to Giants Stadium show
by Jay Lustig
Monday June 25, 2007, 2:08 PM



Al Gore, executive producer of Live Earth - the worldwide series of environmental benefit concerts taking place July 7 - was initially unsure which show he would attend.

"I'm going to be wherever I can do the most good and add the most value," the former vice president told Billboard magazine in April, soon after the shows were announced.

Apparently he feels he is most needed in New Jersey. He will attend the Giants Stadium Live Earth concert, choosing the Meadowlands over other Live Earth locales such as London, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Sydney.

Al Gore

"Our worldwide control room is in London - I'll be in London, but Mr. Gore will be in New Jersey. He'll be off and on (the stage), very involved," Kevin Wall told The Star-Ledger today. Wall, who has worked on other megabenefits such as Live Aid and Live 8, is co-executive producing the event with Gore, and came up with the idea for it after seeing Gore's global-warming documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth."

Performers at the Giants Stadium show will include The Police, Roger Waters, Bon Jovi, the Dave Matthews Band, Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, Fall Out Boy and Alicia Keys.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/06...

PAC uses Iowa radio ads to encourage Gore to run for president
June 25, 2007 17:37 EDT


DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- The effort to persuade Al Gore to run for president is hitting the airwaves in Iowa.

The Draft Gore Committee launched its first radio ad today on WHO-AM radio in Des Moines.

The 30-second ad, dubbed "You-Who," features a chorus of voices urging the former vice president to seek the Democratic presidential nomination.

The political action committee claims to have gathered 94-thousand signatures on an online petition to try and urge Gore, the 2000 Democratic nominee, to run again.

Gore has said he has no plans to seek the nomination, though he hasn't ruled out a bid.

The radio ad included such pleas as "Mr. Gore we need you for president," and "We deserve a president we can respect."

http://www.kgan.com/template/inews_wire/...

The way things stand now there will be a three way tie. Why should one or two percent mean anything more than Iowa thinks three are qualified.

winning three out of the first four should be a boost for super Tues. though

all different winners and we are on our way to a convention candidate, and in that Iowa is instructive because second choices count there and after a couple of rounds of balloting at the convention too 

are Hillary and Obama a tag team against Edwards? time will tell

Great reporting, Linda.
>

Baby doll, check the time/date stamp:

Deaniacs are first.   Bravo, linda b, bravo.  

[June 25, 2007, 4:30 pm]
"(AP) PAC uses Iowa radio ads to encourage Gore to run for president"

By AMY LORENTZEN
Associated Press Writer
DES MOINES, Iowa


Yoo-hoo! Mr. Gore _ some grassroots supporters are ramping up their efforts to encourage you to run for president in 2008.

The Draft Gore Committee launched its first radio ad on Monday in Iowa. The 30-second ad, dubbed "You Who," will go national in July. It features a chorus of voices seeking Gore's attention and urging him to seek the Democratic presidential nomination.

The political action committee, which claims to have gathered 94,000 signatures on an online petition, is not officially affiliated with the former vice president. He has repeatedly said he has...


...no plans seek the nomination, though he hasn't ruled out a bid.

Eva Ritchey, the treasurer for the Draft Gore Committee, said drafts have been successful in the past and pointed to one that persuaded Dwight Eisenhower to run for president in 1952. She said drafts "are a legitimate political mechanism for encouraging an unwilling candidate to enter the race."

She thinks Gore is enjoying success on his current career path and may be reluctant to change his focus and commit to campaigning. But, she said the nation needs him as president to make policy changes and appoint the appropriate people who can combat global warming.

"If the American publicreally wants him to run, then they have a responsibility to make that loud and clear," she said in a telephone interview from Hendersonville, N.C.

The radio ad, being run on WHO-AM in Des Moines, included such pleas as "Mr. Gore we need you for president" and "We deserve a president we can respect."

"Al Gore: Right on Iraq, right on global warming, right for the 21st Century," the ad says.

____

On the Net:

http://www.draftgore.com/

http://www.wkrn.com/nashville/news/ap-pa...

John Nichols wrote in the Nation on 1/21/02:

"With little public notice and no serious debate inside the party, Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe and his allies have hatched a plan to radically alter the schedule and character of the 2004 Democratic presidential nominating process. If the changes McAuliffe proposes are implemented--as is expected at a January 17-19 meeting of the full DNC--the role of grassroots Democrats in the nomination of their party's challenger to George W. Bush will be dramatically reduced, as will the likelihood that the Democratic nominee will run the sort of populist, people-power campaign that might actually pose a threat to Bush's re-election.

"The change, for which McAuliffe gained approval in November from the DNC rules subcommittee, would create a Democratic primary and caucus calendar that permits all states to begin selecting delegates on February 3, 2004. That new start-up date would come two weeks after the Iowa caucuses and just one week after the traditional "first in the nation" New Hampshire primary. Thus, the window between New Hampshire and the next primary--five weeks in 2000--would be closed. Already, says McAuliffe, South Carolina, Michigan and Arizona Democrats have indicated they will grab early February dates, and there is talk that California--the big enchilada in Democratic delegate selection--will move its primary forward to take advantage of the opening. McAuliffe's changes will collapse the nominating process into a fast-and-furious frenzy of television advertising, tarmac-tapping photo ops and power-broker positioning that will leave little room for the on-the-ground organizing and campaigning that might allow dark horse candidates or dissenting ideas to gain any kind of traction--let alone a real role at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

"'What McAuliffe is doing represents a continuation of the shift of influence inside the Democratic Party from volunteer-driven, precinct-based grassroots politics to a cadre of consultants, hacks and Washington insiders,' says Mike Dolan, the veteran organizer who ran voter-registration campaigns for the California Democratic Party before serving as national field director for MTV's 'Rock the Vote' initiative. 'This whole process of reshaping the party to exclude people at home from the equation has been going on for years, but this really is the most serious change we've seen. And it's an incredibly disturbing shift. It will increase the power of the consultants and the fundraisers. But it will also make it a lot harder to build the enthusiasm and volunteer base a candidate needs to win in November.'

"McAuliffe, who is riding high after playing an important role in securing Democratic wins in November 2001 races for the Virginia and New Jersey governorships, says reforms are needed to avoid long, intraparty struggles and allow a clear focus on the task of challenging Bush. With a wide field of Democratic senators, governors, representatives and a former Vice President positioning to run in 2004, he says, 'We can't be going through the spring with our guys killing each other.'

"McAuliffe makes no secret of his desire to have Democrats mirror the Republicans' compressed nominating schedule-- which helped front-runner Bush dispatch the more appealing John McCain in 2000. He wants his party's 2004 nominee identified by early March. Then, the nominee-in-waiting can get down to the business of fundraising and organizing a fall campaign without having to march in Chicago's St. Patrick's Day parade, visit Wisconsin's dairy farms or jostle for a position on the stage of Ohio's union halls.'

" . . . .

"That bodes well for the best-known candidates with the strongest fundraising networks, like former Vice President Al Gore and Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, and also for well-heeled senators like Massachusetts' John Kerry and North Carolina's John Edwards. But low-budget, issue-driven campaigns, like those imagined by Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur of Ohio or outgoing Vermont Governor Howard Dean, will be even more difficult to mount. That, says former Democratic National Committee chairman Fred Harris, is bad news for the party and for progressive politics in America. 'If you tighten up all the primaries at the start, it will limit the serious choices for Democrats to those candidates who are well-known or well-financed, or both. That takes away the range of choices, it makes the process less exciting and, ultimately, less connected to the grassroots,' says Harris, a former senator and 1976 candidate for the presidency. 'This really is a move in the wrong direction. The Democratic Party, to win, needs to be more democratic--not less.'"

"Hillary was brave enough to go for an everyday look in her soprano commercial, I give her credit for that."

sorry, I dont give courage points for 'appearances'. she could have shown
real courage in the senate and she's done just the opposite.


"but I refuse to comment on personal appearance when so much else is more important, and if you do it just for women, sexist"

her personal appearance to me has nothing to do with her gender and everything
with the fact that she does the corporate bidding of real life 'soprano's'.

Edwards hasn't dodged a question at any event I was at, nor Biden, nor Hillary, nor Obama, and though I haven't seen any others this cycle I doubt they are ducking any either.

Kerry won respect here last time by staying long enough to answer every question at his events and that is the Iowa tradition. Howard did it too.

Fundi number one:  "No abortions.  Right to life."

Fundi number two:  "Killing the mother and unborn child is certainly a much better answer."

Boy, am I cranky today!

Watching Keith?  Apparently mothers in advanced stages of pregnancy are in great danger of being killed by one whacko or another. 

I'm going dancing tonight to get away from this demise of our whole social structure. 

Tom

Howard wasn't even chair yet in the corresponding time frame you reference. now is the time to organize for the next cycle

can I count on your support to giving every single party member the same vote?

the party at that time was organizing the rules to beat a popular incumbant in the months following 9-11.

clearly powerful current interests still want a nomination decided in part by big money

Linda wrote "Don't look at me for support on Mr. "Rightie" Richardson, . . ."

Ha, ha.  I'll vouch for that.

Joan* In*Florida
Mon, 06/25/07
7:01 pm
___________________________________________________________________________

Do you really think so Joan?  Perhaps a portion, but more thn enough Indies are sooo pissed off with your party and the repubs (more so the Dems though) I sincerley doubt it.................

We shall see.............but with regards to you and Tom, your recruiting tactics are in dire need of new ideas and structure................it might work with Huron, as for me...dont waste your time....

Id rather stand up to the hypocricy than join it................lets roll the dice shall we?

Phil wrote "Howard wasn't even chair yet in the corresponding time frame you reference. now is the time to organize for the next cycle."

I know.  I mentioned that repeatedly to Joan, because Dean was innocent of any changes to the primary caucus calendar.  My fusillade was directed towards McAuliffe who, as John Nichols pointed out, was basically the mastermind behind the Kerry coronation in 2004. 

Believe me, the record will reveal that I've gone along with your suggestions for changes to the primary season schedule many times in the past.

Jim S

Hey Mr. S, I don't know if you checked the thread where last we traded a couple of comments - you seemed to think that I might have insulted you.  I did not.  I don't recall what it was, but I assure you nothing was below the table.  Just made a joke, which I recall trying to explain in a later post to you. 

All's well.  BTW, I like Obama, Clinton, Richardson, Gravel, Dodd, Edwards, Biden, and Mr. K (hope I didn't leave anyone out)

.....lets roll the dice shall we?

>

Sure, go for broke.  Elect another Repug majority.  Make my day.

linda b

who was the speaker at the TBA conf who made you cry?

Lindab - Thank you for all this info. You are one awesome Deaniac!!!!!!

In other sad news - my dear sister has been evacuated from her home in Lake Tahoe - fire is two blocks from her home. She is so distraught. Hoping and praying she doesn't lose her house. My brothers have homes on the ritzy side - North Shore so they're safe.

time stamp test

09:04

prayers and vibes headed for Tahoe,

6:12 a.m.

Paine -

Thanks for the clarification...Sorry if I took it the wrong way, I believe you had written something about "grassroots activism" and I took it along the lines of you were calling me an *ss haha.  I think I missed the explaination because that thread stopped showing posts after #55.  

I look forward to future conversations.  Or "trading comments" :-)

:10

25:80

Better get a new watch.

Grrrr....

Coulter about to blast Barack for taking on the Right in his UCC speech on FOX News....sorry...Faux Noise...

Oh right Jim, that sweet Obama girl vid!  Yeahr, that's ass-root activism!

 Of course, now I am being too vulgar.  But, that is grassroot activism ;)  Got my root going, anyway. 

Oh, now I have gone too far.

Just kiddin'

Time, try 7:19 MST.

mary vb

hope the house makes it.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Listening to Nancy P(TBA conference)...she gives it to the insolent rude people in the audience with class.

Amazing how RUDE some few in the audience were.

Btw, don't know if anyone posted this from the other day, but someone started their own Goreganice website.  Here's the story on it.  I think it's great.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/24/132324/440 

insolent rude

I guees that is redundant

:26

Haha...Goreganic....awesome haha

I tree Al Gore.

I'm  Goregasmic with Al

This blog is multiply Goregasmic

:36

Ok, night folks.

Paine........eeeeeks ! :)

__________________________

108.

Tom Bearse

...TOM, u surprise me.

I (Pine)
Al Gore :)

I agree. And I will neither excuse nor apologize for HD when I disagree with him. 

I want to know who is paying off Nader, maybe the msm.

The Democratic Party could pay him off just by governing according it's own party platform. 

I declare this the Summer of Gore.

Linda, bless you!

The stars were perfectly aligned last Monday.  First, Jim Dean was generous enough to offer his afternoon to visit Capitol Hill to talk to Jim Webb's staff.  Then, Linda contacted me via the TBA website and pulled strings to cut through the red tape to actually set up the appointment.  Then Rachel Rifkind, Chair of the VA Democratic Women's Caucus joined us, as did Linda's hubby, Wayne, who took lots of great pics.  We had a great meeting with Webb's staff, and had a ball that afternoon.

DFA is a wonderful tribe!  I love how we all come together to do great work and have great fun!

Keshini wrote "DFA is a wonderful tribe!"

It's pretty cool.

One more Bravo to Linda B.   Say Hi to Misty for me !................ OK, a student at a high school can not walk on the public property ( sidewalk) with a sign , with opinions(freespeech) but they can be recruited inside the school and held to a military contract. Good luck to the youth, and our future. ...............and use my tax money to promote religious causes? If I am agnostic, I believe ther is a major problem. Who voted for Alito and Roberts?

119.  I cannot believe that the Supreme Court could justify that position...or take it for that matter.  What a horrible decision.  Pretty soon, students won't be able to display anti-war messages, then anti-administration messages.  Great way to stifle debate, GET EM WHILE THIER YOUNG!!

Santa Fe Linda - thanks for the story on Gore from Des Moines - I were born there!

I too tree Al Gore and am totally Gorganized for him. 

"Why should one or two percent mean anything more than Iowa thinks three are qualified."

Phil, I don't understand this statement.  Are you saying that Iowa thinks the top 3 are qualified?  That's what I don't get!  They are not progressive at all; certainly not Clinton.  Iowans may be wonderful Beings, but lordly, they appear to be conservative to the point of drinking the Kool-Aid.

I guess I just don't understand why the IA caucus is good for our party.

Linda*in*SFNM

Don't look at me for support on Mr. "Rightie" Richardson, who had Pundits scratching their heads after his first debate when he did so bad and exclaimed he was happy with his performance. He wanted to show he was a Moderate and he succeeded. And they said "do you really want to do that in the PRIMARY? They usually try to appear more to the left and THEN jump over to the right".

================

Just catching up after shopping, news and supper.......

People need to see the candidates in this perspective.  You cannot judge them on a Left/Right basis in the primary, because they are trying to please core constituencies, but they know the general public in the general election will not be as "radical" (for lack of a better word)

Well, none of them are pleasing me if they think they're talking to progressives.  Progressives want out of the ME....these 3 *leading* clowns will keep us there for years.  Maybe not Edwards, but I think yes, becuz he talked of our "special friend" Israel.  We've been doing a lot of Israel's bidding and I want it to stop or at least slow down.

Gore or another country.

At least someone else is nervous about the IA caucus since ads for Gore are now going to be running.  This is wonderful news.

And why isn't Kucinich getting traction?  Not enuf money?  Not enuf CMW interest?  Too good a message?

I think DFA should start putting up bats here again.  How about a bat for Gore, Sheri? 

Wars cost money. Congress controls that.

Thanks Linda b for the report. Can't wait to see the Howard Dean links. I talked to others who attended and they felt the same way about code pink and the Hillary reaction.

So glad to see the DFA presence was there. Last year I went and no one including Howard Dean was there. Sounds like this year they have returned to a more progressive line up and respect to the grassroots

I know Rahm is not our favorite, but I'm very glad he's trying to do this:

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

Top Democrat claims 'overwhelmingly positive' response to move to defund the Vice President
Michael Roston
Published: Monday June 25, 2007

124. "Gore or another country"

 The only thing worse than being convinced to easily is not having the ability to be convinced at all...

What do you mean when you say the "leading clowns" will keep us in Iraq for years?  Right now, with the field as it is, I am an Obama guy - Gore, maybe if he runs.  Obama came out against the war when it was popular to support it, ie. when the other 2 "leading clowns" supported it.  He has also outlined a plan  for withdrawal.  He's also emphasized on several occasions that our national security is inexorably linked to removing the influence of oil (a.k.a. the ME) in America.  How is this going to "keep us there for years"?

Top Democrat claims 'overwhelmingly positive' response to move to defund the Vice President

When Rahm delivers, he will be praised for it. 

125.  Yes, Sitka, Congress does control that.  But they still need enough votes to get a funding (or de-funding) bill passed, and by all counts, they were about 16 short...right?

Suzanne H.-definitely welcome. And "I pine 4 Gore 2" :)

_______________________________________________________


Did you all see this?

Breaking: Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) breaks away from Bush on Iraq
by BruinKid [Subscribe]
Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 07:08:17 PM PDT

CNN's Anderson Cooper is reporting right now that Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) just made a speech on the floor of the Senate today repudiating Bush's policy on Iraq. He's not waiting until September and Gen. Petraeus's report to say it's not working, and that we need a change in policy.

This is the first significant Senate Republican who's not up for re-election that's broken away so strongly from Bush on Iraq. Dana Bash was citing the importance of this development, because now when the right-wing media tries to make attacks at Democrats for being partisan on Iraq, we can now direct them to Lugar's comments.

Update #3: ThinkProgress has the video of Lugar's speech on the floor of the Senate. (h/t to bumblebums)

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/25/...

Annilow I gave Rahm a howardly for that and shocked even myself for doing it, lol

I'm  Goregasmic with Al

GOREGANIC!!! 

I gave Rahm a howardly for that

Shouldn't a howardly be given for accomplishment rather than rhetoric?

But they still need enough votes to get a funding (or de-funding) bill passed, and by all counts, they were about 16 short...right? 

They don't need to break a filibuster or override a veto to NOT give Bush what he demands.

All it takes is the moral courage to do nothing, if that's what it takes.

"I find it curious that physical courage is so common in the world and moral courage so rare." -- Mark Twain 

Shall we have a Goreganized Union to promote I Pine 4 Gore on 100 percent Goreganic cotton? :)

Edwards will be on Leno tonight seashell, have a look.

I guess I just don't understand why the IA caucus is good for our party.

It's just good for Iowa's politicians. Any state could and should be first.

GOREGANIZED LABOR!!!

new thread

http://www.blogforamerica.com/view/21306...

i'll catch up later

Sitka,  Thanks for clarifying that :-)   So the strategy was (should have been)  to not send in a bill at all, thereby causing the money well to dry up by default?  What was to stop the Repubs from sponsoring a bill?  You know JOE would have voted for it.

So the strategy was (should have been)  to not send in a bill at all, thereby causing the money well to dry up by default? 

Strategy is another matter. One would be to not send Bush another bill to veto. Another was to keep sending Bush the one they claimed was the right one. They did neither, gave Bush what he demanded, made themselves look craven and unsure, and broke the promise which put them into power -- to end the occupation.

What was to stop the Repubs from sponsoring a bill?  You know JOE would have voted for it.

They did sponser a bill -- essentially the one eventually passed by Democrats. In other words, Repos STILL run Congress! 

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` 

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Standing up to hypocrisy won't elect a GOP majority. Acquiescing to it will. 

Listening to Nancy P(TBA conference)...she gives it to the insolent rude people in the audience with class.



Amazing how RUDE some few in the audience were.


It was code pink, they sat IN FRONT of the audience holding up a peace sing and a small paper sign.
The photographers were all over them. They were infuriating.

92.

Imn2Paine
Mon, 06/25/07
8:47 pm

Reply to this

linda b

who was the speaker at the TBA conf who made you cry?

The ladies from Acorn, who had lived in New orleans during Katrina and what they had to go through. I sat there in tears along with Maxine Waters. How terrible for them