I was a paid staff back then for Dean For America in Tulsa, Oklahoma; we had an early February 2004 primary so we were going full blast for several months with 100+ at our Dean MeetUps!

There's a Dean for America Alumni group on the DNC platform at http://www.democrats.org/page/group/DeanforAmericaAlumni that is targeted at Dean staffers.

Mike W, Tulsa+, www.dfalink.com/oklahoma www.dfalink.com/tulsa

HD

(could mean High Definition and/or Howard Dean -- I prefer to think of HD as both -- thanks Howard for making all of this possible)

58.
Phil Specht
Thu, 06/07/07
8:27 am

Reply to this

On Saturday, June 9, Americans from every state will mobilize on a massive scale to Walk for Change.

...

+++

Phil -

Thanks for posting this.

The Dean's of Democracy for America are first!

Hi to all, kind of sore this a.m. as hubby and I unloaded new doors and such from his truck yesterday. too old I guess.

Anyway, still need people to work the DFA table at the TBA conference june 18-20. Can u help?

Did you know Howard and Jim will be there?

Hi to all, kind of sore this a.m. as hubby and I unloaded new doors and such from his truck yesterday. too old I guess.

Anyway, still need people to work the DFA table at the TBA conference june 18-20. Can u help?

Did you know Howard and Jim will be there?

why did that post twice? oh well.

http://www.iowaindependent.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=263

Malone has been president of Local 566 based in Ottumwa, Iowa, since its inception last year; previously, he had been a lead organizer for the Great Plains Laborers District Council working throughout Iowa and South Dakota.

In the past Iowa legislative session, “Labor in general was pushing very hard for fair share. And in general, everyone’s a little upset about that,” he said. “Actually they’re a lot of upset about that.” Malone said the only labor winner in the last legislative session was the teachers’ union, whichsaw teachers’ salaries go up.

...

Malone said he did not expect his union to make an endorsement in the 2008 presidential race. Local unions do not endorse on the federal level he said, and he did not think the Laborers on the international stage would make an endorsement either. “I would look to my union to probably not make an endorsement before the primary because we have so many good friends in the Democrats that are running right now,” he said. “When you have several sitting senators and governors involved, nobody is going to make a rush to an endorsement.”

He did say, however, that individuals are encouraged to get involved and that he had chosen his horse: Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. Malone, who is on Obama’s Iowa steering committee, said he took a liking to Obama after working in Illinois a few years ago.

...

Malone said he thinks Obama is “the type of centered candidate that can really bring the country back together again” and that as a union organizer, he was impressed that Obama had been a community organizer. Malone said that Obama’s opposition to the Iraq war was not the deciding factor for him. “[It was] not a negative by any means, but that wasn’t a major issue for me, and I know I’m a little out of the norm,” he said. “My main issue was really about the working-classfolks of this country and getting things back in order for them. And I think this guy’s capable of doing it.”

The JFK pipeline plot appears to be the work of yet another gang that couldn't jihad straight. Its ring leader made a living exporting broken air-conditioner parts to Guyana. Talk about your boom market! There was no set plan. There was no financing. They didn't have any explosives -- and yet government officials were quoted calling the amorphous plot "one of the most chilling plots imaginable" that almost "resulted in unfathomable damage, deaths, and destruction." And people wonder why the public has become cynical about how the war on terror is being used for political purposes.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/the-jfk-pipeline-plot-_b_51051.html

7.

Sometimes a double click will do it.  The no quick repeat function seems to be off since robot computers don't seem to be able to get in to post anymore.

Anyway, I got distracted this morning writing up something about our Link meeting with one of our Senate candidates and a really stunning article on KOS about the return of Fred Malek.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/6/182434/8934 

8. These union guys must be pretty dumb if they're backing Obama. He consistently votes for corporate America and against the workers' interests

cynical?  Say it isn't so!

17.

seashell
Thu, 06/07/07
12:50 am

.....
That dramatic shift to the left ain't happening yet. We're shifting away from both parties;.....
----------------

It is happening, imo.

"shifting away from both parties" IS a "shift to the left" indeed, simply by definition!

One will agree with that when recalls that one Party IS "too far to the right" while another one IS "not so far to the right"..., lol.

Gore/Gravel
Gravel/Gore

Paul/Gravel
Gravel/Paul

Gore/Paul
Paul/Gore...

Just six possible (good) combinations (excluding Gore, there are only two!). Not very many!

Are we willing to lose?

It's uncomfortable to say, but the corporate branch of the Democratic Party won't pay any attention to the progressive branch until we are willing to stay home and lose an election.  Until then, they'll just assume we have nowhere to go and will keep ignoring us as we keep voting for Kerry and Hillary and whoever else they put up as candidates.

The religious right has its power, in part, because they will stay home and let the GOP lose if they are not appeased. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/the-jfk-pipeline-plot-_b_51051.html

Then we have fear-mongering presidential candidates like Rudy Giuliani wasting no time laying the JFK plot and the Fort Dix plot at the feet of "Islamic terrorists" -- raising the specter of Osama bin Laden.

It's almost comical how Giuliani keeps trying to present himself as a national security expert. Let's not forget: this is the guy who strongly backed the scandal-plagued Bernie Kerik to be in charge of Homeland Security. Is that the kind of appointment we can expect from President Giuliani (even saying the words makes me feel less safe)?

Huron John -

I see that the Ottawa Senators lost last night (I was really rooting for them to go all the way, they almost had as much of a drought -- last time they won was in 1929 -- as baseball's Red Sox, who before their win in 2004, hadn't won since 1918).

Now, on the subject of calling people dumb, do you really think that is anyway to get your point across with those that value things and people differently than you do and have made decisions differently than you would of ?

Are we willing to lose?

I'm willing to help euthanize the Democratic Party, if I'm given the option of voting for a credible, progressive, anti-war third party.

Well, Obama may be capable of a lot of things.  The question is will he want to do them?  He didn't even want to talk to New Hampshire Democrats assembled in convention.

We had an interesting discussion with one of our Senate candidates last evening.  She's a lawyer but claims not to have thought about the long-term effects of failing to hold public officials accountable via impeachment.  She also had a hard time understanding a question about her interest in money--where it goes, who gets it and how it is spent.  Her spouse, a former Congressman, jumped in and said he tells her when she's spending too much.  Tom Lantos' daughter is someone who has been involved in campaigns for thirty years and is still working on the model of making stump speeches and clever ads.  That's no longer working.

17. by which I mean a Party (say Greens) without Ralph Nader as its candidate. Ralph is a great American who has made great contributions to this country, but not credible as a presidential candidate.

Now, on the subject of calling people dumb, do you really think that is anyway to get your point across with those that value things and people differently than you do and have made decisions differently than you would of ?

Mr. Dorgan, I think anyone who deliberately votes against his/her interests is "intellectually challenged", to use a more high-flown expression.

The millions of working class people who voted for Bush exemplify this phenomenon.

Calling people dumb?

On the other hand, should the abolitionists have played "nice" with the supporters of slavery?  If someone believes something which is wrong, we are obligated to say so, clearly and without reservation.  That can be done without attacking the person ad hominem, but when told some of their corebeliefs are wrong, we shouldn't be surprised they take it that way, and we shouldn't shy away just because of that reaction.

I remember once referring to religion as "superstition" on this forum.  That wasn't taken well.

It's my sense that the "Democrats have got to win" line has been promulgated from on high.  Our Senate candidate explained that quite a few things aren't possible until Democrats have a larger majority in the Senate and can do things like pass national legislation to "protect reproductive rights" under the commerce clause.  She didn't cotton to the idea that politicians should stay out of medecine entirely.

The more I think about her, the less I like her. 

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/060607J.shtml

While Washington lawmakers play procedural games with an out-of-control executive branch, Iraqi legislators are working to bring an end to the occupation of their country.

17.

Huron John
Thu, 06/07/07
9:48 am

Are we willing to lose?

I'm willing to help euthanize the Democratic Party, if I'm given the option of voting for a credible, progressive, anti-war third party.
-----------
19.

Huron John
Thu, 06/07/07
9:50 am

17. by which I mean a Party (say Greens) without Ralph Nader as its candidate. Ralph is a great American who has made great contributions to this country, but not credible as a presidential candidate.
***********

Well the system IS in a state of visible paralysis. Either Gore can find its way out without hitting hard its dead end wall is a big question. History knows almost none such a cases. At least, imo, chances are he may not be a afraid to repair it in the direction everyone else is going to be afraid of going...

It's uncomfortable to say, but the corporate branch of the Democratic Party won't pay any attention to the progressive branch until we are willing to stay home and lose an election.

A point well taken. But voting for someone other than the corporate candidates in the primary and then other than the D or R nominee in the general election would be a better way to get a point across than staying home. 

A vote not used sends no message. But then, sometimes there are only two names on a ballot. 

good to see Mike Workman.

Rich, we stayed home in 2000. Didn't seem to change things all that much.

Monica, had an interesting visit to baby this morning, at four a.m. -- from JohnMcCain2008. Checked: the referrer was the Hannah blog. No conclusions, lol, just. . . . . interesting.

20.

Huron John
Thu, 06/07/07
9:54 am


............
Mr. Dorgan, I think anyone who deliberately votes against his/her interests is "intellectually challenged", to use a more high-flown expression.

The millions of working class people who voted for Bush exemplify this phenomenon.
-------------

I would not use such a harsh adjectives.
I would prefer word "deeply confused"...., btw, BY our progressive professional politicians including.

Shame on THEM, NOT on working class people!

I remember once referring to religion as "superstition" on this forum.  That wasn't taken well.

__________________________________________________________________________

Rich,

I, personally have never "needed" religion myself..even in ones darkest days.........someone once said the Bible has some intersesting "stories" in it.......I leave it at that, although I believe in mans past their have some great prophets though........................

OT-- I would be interested in ready that report when you are done. Will email ya!

Always Howard Powered.

20.

Well, lots of people aren't selfish.  They don't know what self-interest is.  They consider it a sin.  They try to look after other people and assume that other people are going to look out for them.  That, they were taught to believe, is how the world works.

Besides, how do we know, any of us, what our interest is one year or even one month out?  The charge that people are willfully voting against their own interests is not very different for blaming the victims of physical abuse for getting beat.  The beater does it and then law enforcement echoes it.

There's one other point about our Senate candidate that might be salient.  She makes much of being the daughter of holocaust survivors.  This is supposed to be significant because we assume that people who've suffered greatly are keen to insure that others don't suffer, as well.  But, there's no proof for this assumption.  In fact, we know from domestic abuse situations that the abused often turn into abusers themselves.

The same pattern would seem to hold for individuals who have a strong antagonism to some force or other (like communism and totalitarianism).  We assume that this antagonism would translate into these individuals abjuring such behavior for themselves. That's another assumption that's proven false.  We now have to recalculate and come to the realization that the antagonism either wasn't real or was motivated by jealousy.  The latter would seem to explain the totalitarian regime our former fighters of communism are busily installing here in the good old U.S.of A. 

29. I don't want to stay home. I've voted in every election  for which I was qualified all my life, and every state, federal, and municipal election in this country since I became a US citizen.

That's why I'm hoping a viable, credible third party arises out of the septic tank that is now the Democratic Party. That way I won't have to choose "The lesser of evils" which after Kerry, I vowed never to do again.

The probable result--New third party drains enough votes from the Dems to put the rethugs back in power.  Too bad, but I'm through voting for DLC Dinos!

Well, I'll still be voting for Obama.

Keep on your thinking hats (I and that union guy In Iowa do).

But if you say we aren't, that's your perogative in our free, right to choose society.

bbl

Ralph is a great American who has made great contributions to this country, but not credible as a presidential candidate. 

I think you probably mean "viable" candidate (Bush isn't "credible" yet he's president). 

As for Nader or anyone else being viable, our votes belong to each of us to use as we see best. I see less and less point in using mine to perpetuate the traditional Tweedle-blue/Tweedle-red political system. 

BLOG BOOK CLUB

TONIGHT JOIN US! ( even if you haven't read the book yet )

Author of Armed Madhouse Greg Palast, This Thursday, June 7th, 7:00pm EST

AT  

http://www.blogforamerica.com

if you are not a member of Democracy for America, you must create an account before blogging with us. This is obviously  free, and you should do this before the start time.

TTT--

You should stop by in Durham on your way from Portsmouth to Manchester.  Just take route 4 west, get off before the tolls and follow 4 to the first durham exit, Rt 108 south on the left to the first light and left to Newmarket till you get to Bennett Rd (over the rise and on your right), take Bennett to the end and turn right onto Packers Falls.  After the stop sign (white house almost on road), we're the third house (246) on the right. Three spare bedrooms and a shed, in case anybody else wants to "rough" it.

Durham is about nine miles from the coast as the crow flies.  20 miles along roads. 

Wish I was going to D'fest.  particulary the bloggersbreakfast :-(

Hope everyone has a great time.

26.

Sitka
Thu, 06/07/07
10:05 am

........
A vote not used sends no message.
----------

Message has been sent in any case. It all then depends on either this message is been listened to. In the current system it IS NOT.

Btw, just curious, is there any min% of participating eligible voters to not validate election?

Say, if 20% (15%) only voted is it going to be valid election..., by law I mean?

It's telling that GOP candidates fall over each other in trying to appeal to their most principled base whereas Democrats ignore theirs.

Message has been sent in any case.

Thye 50-60% who don't vote in every election send no message that can be discerned. Disgust becomes indistiguishable from apathy. 

I'll be getting into Dfest Friday night (my flight hits Manchester at 6:26 pm if anyone needs a ride to the hotel :-)).  I need to pick up my rental car and get to the hotel but after that I'm up for a "blogger's dinner".

Btw, just curious, is there any min% of participating eligible voters to not validate election?

I think not. There are no quorums in elections. 

Staying home only works if it is clear a group stayed home, and that cost the election, like it has done for the GOP when the social conservatives stayed home.  It is preferable to fight it out in the primary and win, but if we get a corporate Democrat, and we keep voting for them, whay would the Party work to court us?

Looks like our weather is still unselttled.  The dog has gone into hiding again.

The probable result--New third party drains enough votes from the Dems to put the rethugs back in power.  Too bad, but I'm through voting for DLC Dinos!

__________________________________________________________________________

Where theres one..and another.....and another..........and another.....add me to that list.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-begala/mitt-steps-in-shit-media_b_51019.html

 It's tempting to shoot the messenger here, but he's right this time!

In a 2000 debate, Al Gore said that during wildfires in Texas he'd met with the director of FEMA. In fact, Vice President Gore had met with the deputy director of FEMA. Although I had been at the meeting as well, I didn't remember it either. But the press, spoon-fed by the Republican smear machine, used the misstatement to damn Gore as a "serial exaggerator."

So I expected the 600 journalists covering the GOP debate at St. Anselm's College to spank Mitt Romney when, in answering the first question of the night -- knowing what you know now, would you have invaded Iraq? -- Romney said that if "Saddam Hussein had opened up his country to IAEA inspectors, and they'd come in and they'd found that there were no weapons of mass destruction...we wouldn't be in the conflict we're in."

Wolf Blitzer followed up, trying to get a straight answer. But again, Romney repeated this story: "You can go back and say, if we knew then what we know now, by virtue of inspectors having been let in and giving us that information, by virtue of if Saddam Hussein had followed the U.N. resolutions, we wouldn't be having this -- this discussion."

So, in Romneyland, Pres. Bush invaded Iraq because the Iraqi government would not allow weapons inspectors in. The lack of inspectors led Bush to believe Saddam had WMDs and was preparing to use them against us or our allies. So Bush had to invade.

Boy, oh boy, I thought, Ol' Mitt's gonna take some shit. Because everyone knows that Iraq did allow weapons inspectors in. Everyone remembers that day -- September 17, 2002 -- when Saddam capitulated to Kofi Annan and allowed inspectors in without conditions. (The CNN story that day was headlined, cleverly, "Iraq Agrees to Weapons Inspections.")

Everyone remembers Hans Blix and over 250 experts scouring the countryside, looking for weapons of mass destruction. Everyone remembers the Bush Administration deriding their work, Dick Cheney saying they provide false comfort, right-wingers darkly hinting that someone the International Atomic Energy Agency was secretly in league with -- or at least sympathetic to -- the evil dictator.

And everyone remembers that, after months of searching and finding nothing, the weapons inspectors asked for more time. Begged is more like it. But President Bush refused. On March 17, 2003 and kicked the weapons inspectors out, and on March 20 he launched his war.

So for Mitt Romney to say it was Saddam who kicked the inspectors out, well, I thought he'd be crushed for his ignorance -- or his dishonesty. I almost felt sorry for him.

But after the debate, nothing.

I couldn't believe it. I understood why Romney's Republican opponents didn't correct him. They need the public to believe the myth that Saddam wouldn't allow weapons inspectors in. In fact, Bush has repeated this same lie. Republicans want to blur the record, to revise history, so we don't have to confront the fact that if Mr. Bush had given the weapons inspectors more time to do their job, they would have concluded Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction. No weapons, no threat. No threat, no war.

But I was -- and am -- stunned at the lack of scrutiny by the media. The New York Times found the space to correct some bit of arcana they believe Romney misstated about Z-visas -- a form of visa that does not exist, incorporated in a bill that will not become law. And yet the Times, like most of its colleagues and competitors, ignored the fact that Romney told a big, fat whopper about why Mr. Bush went to war -- and why tens of thousands of people are now dead.

To its credit, CNN (where I work as a political analyst) replayed the tape of Romney's fib -- or flub -- repeatedly. But when I pointed out Romney's blunder, the Republican pundits on the set with me vigorously disputed that Romney was even wrong. I yelled. In fact, my wife later called and said I was too aggressive. I was in full Crossfire mode.

Jon Stewart, whose show I love, gave Crossfire its epitaph when he said it was "hurting America." I thought then, and I still think, that was bullshit. Sure, we yelled a lot. But at least people like Carville and me yelled to try to stop George W. Bush from lying us into a war. When the smart set in the elite media were all repeating the Bush lies about war, the clowns on Crossfire kept saying there was no threat. And we yelled.

And so I yelled again last night when a leading Republican again lied about why we went to war. But with all respect to Jon Stewart, that's not what hurts America. What hurts America is when powerful media elites excoriate a Democrat for an insignificant error, but turn a blind eye to a campaign of lies about war.

47.

Michael Ellis
Thu, 06/07/07
10:33 am


The probable result--New third party drains enough votes from the Dems to put the rethugs back in power. Too bad, but I'm through voting for DLC Dinos!
____________

Where theres one..and another.....and another..........and another.....add me to that list.
----------

Demos will wage another war not to allow 3-Party to happen.

Say, if this 3-Party will be represented by Grave/Paul (or vise versa), it would a REAL danger for both Parties.

44.

Sitka
Thu, 06/07/07
10:29 am


Btw, just curious, is there any min% of participating eligible voters to not validate election?

I think not. There are no quorums in elections.

---------
One more "smart" design element by our founding fathers..., lol.

I almost forgot this isn't a Dean fan club anymore.  I'll be interested in the results of this new strategy to abandon the Democratic Party.  Thanks to Laura Nevitt for asking what it means to be a Dean person four years later.  The responses have been revealing.

John,
The Unions backed the Republican party instead of the Democrats in NY...AND the auto manufacturer's, will workers vote for their interest, or the Corporations interest, irony there in itself. 'nough said. :)

__________________________________________

Are we willing to lose?

I am. If I don't get represenatation, instead of these Corporate/DLC candidates. I said last November, this is the last time they get a D vote. And I was SICK voting for SherROT Brown. And he has proven my ill feeling correct with his votes. We said, maybe it takes another 4 years with Bush for them to get the picture. We were wrong, they are allowing the Corporationss to rule too much and I will not be a part of that. It seemns no amount of time will cause them to wake up. Or will they before it's too late. I want to vote for someone whose principles reflect the Democratic party.

I will no longer vote "Anybody But......"
I want to vote FOR someone.


I doubt I'll stay home, but my vote will not automatically go to some one just because they put a D next to their name.

Heck even my mother in Miami is saying the same thing. I had to talk her out of going Inde, just so she can still vote in the Primary.

Morning Folks,

75 mile per hour winds here.  Feels like fall.  The wind thumped the windows and house, screeched, and banged porch furniture around.  Ah, the climate of Coloado.

Went to the Meetup for Democracy in Estes Park last night.  The director of field strategy for Colorado spoke to us.  This is the person paid by the national committee and is the embodiment of the 50 state strategy.  She called Howard Dean brilliant, said that as much as she wished he were president, he's where he should be.  He's a master strategist, and we are seeing results.

Robin was dynamic, offered  many ideas for GOTV, for talking to Republicans, for getting counties like our own Weld County to look at the Democratic point of view.  She talked about framing.  For instance: we are occupying Iraq.  You can't win or lose an occupation.  The only thing you can do is annex or exit.  

We spent some time talking about this last vote for funding the war, and the Democrats have taken a hit for this, in the polls as well as in the anger of the base.  At least in the debate last Sunday, they were mouthing the ethical responses.  But, we have lots of work to do.

One of us in the group talked about patience, that it took the Republicans 30 years to become the power that they are now.  It took another six years to end the Vietnam War after the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago.

Still, the anger over the weakness of the Dems is palpable.  An experienced party activist  who organized and managed the campaign  of one of three peace candidates in California in 1968 urged the Democrats not to tear ourselves apart.  I think there's caution here that should be taken into account.

Jon Stewart, whose show I love, gave Crossfire its epitaph when he said it was "hurting America." I thought then, and I still think, that was bullshit. Sure, we yelled a lot. But at least people like Carville and me yelled to try to stop George W. Bush from lying us into a war.

It was fitting that a comedian should write the epitaph for Crossfire which became a parody of public discourse. 

51.

Tom Bearse
Thu, 06/07/07
10:57 am

Reply to this

I almost forgot this isn't a Dean fan club anymore.

___________________________________________________

Speak for yourself. I doubt all the others here would agree with you, but for myself, I surely don't.

Tis a shame you feel that way.

I forgot to chime in on the question of this thread.

For me, being a Deaniac means the same thing it did in 2004 -- wanting to reform the Democratic Party into one that represents ordinary people rather than special interests. I think Dean and DFA have made progress in that regard, whether enough of it quickly enough I haven't decided.

And here's another idea that was proposed at the Meetup last night.  Each of us offered to become knowledgeable about one of the candidates.  I chose Mike Gravel.  My friend chose HIllary.

If anyone has information about Mike Gravel that would be helpful, I'd appreciate it. 

From a contrarian point of view, I'm thinking what Hillary as president would do to all those bigoted, self righteous white male republicans.  I grin to think of it.  Hillary was the only one to challenge Wolf Blitzer when he had the candidates raising their hands to indicate they'd be willing to bomb Iran, etc.  

I'm thinking about all those women who say that they vote the way their husbands tell them to vote, all those young women in high school and college twho hide their minds because they want to be liked by boys.  It would be thrilling to see a strong, intelligent, assertive, and wise woman leading this country.  Hillary isn't my choice, but I do have to say that she is made out of steel.  I can't imagine how most women would have responded to a husband who was president, who was so utterly self-centered and selfish to humiliate her as first lady to the whole world.  It is just stunning that Hillary refused to crawl into a closet, rage at him, or make her real humiliation a focus politically.  I am still awed at her restraint and dignity over something that even as I write this is just amazing.  How Bill Clinton could be so careless, so utterly self indulgent as to disregard his family, the mythos of the presidency, the democratic party and get away with it tells me we have a long way to go with respect to this country still being a  patriarchy. We have only to look at the Republican candidates to tell us we are indeed a patriarchy.

Linda wrote "I doubt all the others here would agree with you, but for myself, I surely don't."

Thanks.  I was wondering about that.

51.

Tom Bearse
Thu, 06/07/07
10:57 am


I almost forgot this isn't a Dean fan club anymore.
----------
???

Why?
We are, I think, his fans...., but that may not necessarily makes us to pray him.

Or people just must to pray someone?

I think maybe Tom B was trying to say we weren't responding to the main post?

Is Deanfest this weekend? Will someone let us know what is happening so we don't feel so left out?

Here's the only article I found this morning that's not already posted. By the way the sky is falling, if you haven't heard. C. Little (no offense Mz Little :~))

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/20251

Bush's Amazing Achievement

By Jonathan Freedland

Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic
by Chalmers Johnson
Metropolitan, 354 pp., $26.00

Second Chance: Three Presidents and the Crisis of American Superpower
by Zbigniew Brzezinski
Basic, 234 pp., $26.95

Statecraft and How to Restore America's Standing in the World
by Dennis Ross
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 384 pp., $25.00


One of the few foreign policy achievements of the Bush administration has been the creation of a near consensus among those who study international affairs, a shared view that stretches, however improbably, from Noam Chomsky to Brent Scowcroft, from the antiwar protesters on the streets of San Francisco to the well-upholstered office of former secretary of state James Baker. This new consensus holds that the 2003 invasion of Iraq was a calamity, that the presidency of George W. Bush has reduced America's standing in the world and made the United States less, not more, secure, leaving its enemies emboldened and its friends alienated. Paid-up members of the nation's foreign policy establishment, those who have held some of the most senior offices in the land, speak in a language once confined to the T-shirts of placard-wielding demonstrators. They rail against deception and dishonesty, imperialism and corruption. The only dispute between them is over the size and depth of the hole into which Bush has led the country he pledged to serve.

I'm with Howard Dean.

I want someone from the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party.

****************************

Mike, a good example of a stronger Third party hurting Dem's is here in New Mexico. Dem's were losing a lot of votes to inde;s here. Inde's may not win, but neither were the Dem's. There is such a strong good ol boy Corporatist network here in the Dem party. So, what did they do? They just changed the rules and Richardson signed the Bill that you can no longer petition signatures for a State Wide office to get on the ballot, you must win a majority of the delegates at Convention. Great, backwards moving, putting the choice in the hands of a select few.


This just appeared in the LTE's today,


"The New Mexican carried a story about a prominent Republican, John Dendahl’s, intention to move to Colorado. Why? He said he could no longer live here because — and I quote him regarding Gov. Bill Richardson: “To govern through intimidation and fear and retaliation is corrupt conduct. To me, corruption goes beyond breaking laws. It’s a style. It’s a moral idea. It’s a personal style.”

Pat 51-- thanks for sharing that. that makes me feel great ( about your meetup). hope you are safe in the high winds.

Monica-- my dog use to shake and crawl into spaces that seemed unimaginable when a storm or fireworks, guns etc.. went off.

 Howard Dean in NYC was supported by many unions as we all know, the purple people!  Unions in NYC did not support Kerry--everyone was shocked, I still am surprised, but not shocked.

former wrote "Why?"

Because Rich, Indy and others have told us so.

Pat 57--- you said what i feel about Hilary perfectly.

63.

Tom Bearse
Thu, 06/07/07
11:10 am

former wrote "Why?"

Because Rich, Indy and others have told us so.
------------------

Ok..., even so...
So what?

Have people necessarily have to be someone's fans?
I certainly don't think so.

Richardson signed the Bill that you can no longer petition signatures for a State Wide office to get on the ballot, you must win a majority of the delegates at Convention. Great, backwards moving, putting the choice in the hands of a select few.

There's no doubt who Richardson works for........

Rich,

This just came in, which fits pretty darn well with our conversation here this morning.

Book Crowd Begs Gore to Run for President
By Christopher
Chicagoans, desperate for a genuine Democrat they can support in the 2008 presidential election, besieged former vice president Al Gore on Wednesday at a book signing at Borders Books. Borders employees handed out all 1000 wristbands ...

former wrote "Have people necessarily have to be someone's fans? I certainly don't think so."

No.

Sitka,
Yeah, did anyone catch his (Richardson) other hypocrisy? Trying to claim being Environmentally friendly, when there are SO MANY Holes in his actually doing things list, he stands in the Debate and claims he doesn't think the Oil company was gouging.....he just sold his shares , about 500K in Oil Refineries.

People forget after his first HORRIBLE debate, he said he set out to show he was a Moderate and he achieved that. Even the talking heads laughed at that one and said "does he want to do that in the Primary?. Usually they swing to the middle after they win the Primary".

68.

Tom Bearse
Thu, 06/07/07
11:16 am

former wrote "Have people necessarily have to be someone's fans? I certainly don't think so."

No.
--------
Ok, it looks like we agree on that..., to pray to NONE and to be fan of NONE.

Don't you feel better know..., more freedom..., can better think independently..., good feeling isn't it?

Hello Fellow Deaniacs!,

All the Dean for America crew I got to know well are still kickin' ass wherever they are.

Where am i now? Still in Tulsa! I've been extremely active in the GPUS, see: http://www.gp.org/

I've done many direct action beginning first with my Si Se Puede, Dean for People, People for Dean in late 2003. *Grin!

Republican Democrat = One big Corporate Party Don't vote R & D it only encourages them.

Peace and joy in the moment,

joni in tulsa

Democrats will have Obama and Hillary face off, neither represent the Dean spirit!

Geri Wes Corbley has begun the Good News Network *videographer for Dean

p.s. The Pro Peace Party IS the Green Party. Pro Ecological, Pro Grassroots....Everything i stand for! My Vote is my Voice....STILL!

Anyone know about Congressman Earl blumenauer? He has a food and Farm bill of rights

http://www.earlblumenauer.com/cgi-bin/display.cgi?page=foodandfarm

Linda*in*SFNM

At least Richardson is going nowhere in the Democratic contest and probably won't get even enough delegates to buy a job in the next administration.

But the anti-democracy law you cited him signing is a shining example of why DFA and other reform orgs need to keep replacing the corrupt old guard with honest people at the lower levels of government. 

former wrote "Ok, it looks like we agree on that..., to pray to NONE and to be fan of NONE.  Don't you feel better know..., more freedom..., can better think independently..., good feeling isn't it?"

No we don't.  I agreed you don't have to necessarily be someone's fan, not that I'm not.  I don't feel any better at all.

Oh, Sitka, I dunno. I'm seeing statewide races of his numbers on the climb, because ...at the top is Clinton,Edwards and Obama, we understand in the face of who is listed as a canidate, realizing the problems with them, who else do you go to? Unfortunately, it shouldn't be him, either. He's a dangerous fellow.

I wonder how he's doing on the campaign trail and not able to get his every 3 week pedicure. ... or is that why he makes a periodic stop for a day here.

The Inaugural 'Graphic Artists Supporting Positive Actions’ Award

in honor of J.C. ( takeyourcountryback.com )

http://www.graphicsforamerica.com/

http://www.takeyourcountryback.com/

http://jcdesigns.blogspot.com/ (check blog archives for a large portfolio of her work)

I look forward to receiving your nominations and thoughts.

Email me: cspeich (at) aol.com 

Fox Chicago

Should Al Gore Run?

Yes
No

Go vote.
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/myfox/

74.

Tom Bearse
Thu, 06/07/07
11:30 am


former wrote "Ok, it looks like we agree on that..., to pray to NONE and to be fan of NONE. Don't you feel better know..., more freedom..., can better think independently..., good feeling isn't it?"

No we don't. I agreed you don't have to necessarily be someone's fan, not that I'm not. I don't feel any better at all.
-----------
Well, that's Ok too!

What can I say..., I just can suggest if I may:
If you "don't feel any better at all" while been someone's fun..., then try not to be. May be you'll feel better then. I wish you would.
Good luck in any case!

former wrote "If you 'don't feel any better at all' while been someone's fan..., then try not to be. May be you'll feel better then. I wish you would.  Good luck in any case!"

Thanks for your warm wishes.

79.

Tom Bearse
Thu, 06/07/07
11:59 am

Thanks for your warm wishes.
--------

You are very welcome!

on thread: (and Laura, the comments here have never followed the main post, the fact that we are still involved with the old Dean site means 90% of us posting are deaniacs)

I heard Howard at a gathering of a couple of dozen activists in 2002 and immediately ran for local office (I lost but it didn't matter) after hearing his challenge to be the change you want. 

Howard challenged one after another special interests that have their tentacles in the party and government, and as a long time Democratic Party progressive activist who began that lifetime opposing the Vietnam War and working on environmental issues I was synpathetic to Howard from the start. As Iowa State Platform Committee Chair at the time I was able to maintain my neutrality for the caucus process, but in that position I have a very good feel for what the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party is, an Howard was truth telling when he said he represented it.

It is his most important contribution to modern politics. Tell the truth as you see it.

Laura, google HOWARDLY, and you will have a treasure trove of acts of truth telling and activism inspired by Howard Dean. I came up with that designation to recognize folks who reported their actions here that were true to the challenge Howard gave us to take our country back. they number in the score 

LInda 77-- mostly yes to al running in that poll out of 477 responses

phil look at my question on 77 please. im going to go google howardly myself

81 chris...that's great!

I'm a fan of Wendell Berry, can I still post?

Here is an EXCELLENT Diary on Daily Kos of ones own personal experience in Chi town yesterday to see Al Gore.

I cracked up when she said she "turned to a puddle of goo".

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/6/2...

opps phil i ment the comment on 72 about the farm bill-- i dont' know who wendal barry is, but maybe that wasn't about that

85.

Phil Specht
Thu, 06/07/07
12:14 pm
---------
You are allowed, Phil...., lol.

if i would also knew who is that?

Linda-- I recommended it. thanks for the tip--

The Anaheim Ducks are Stanley Cup Champions, but the Detroit Red Wings can at least take some consolation in knowing they were virtually the only team in the 2007 playoffs to actually press Anaheim into a battle.  Detroit's 3 goals in the ferocious third period of Game 6 would have worked too, if it hadn't been for 1 third period goal by Pahlsson.   They'll be back.

Chris, :)

His numbers are really riding high on the poll. Over 81 percent.

Chris

Iowa is under high alert for severe weather so if I'm not there tonight it was because I had to unplug my computer.

see Tom, it is OK to be a fan, someday soon the octoppi will fly again

at the top is Clinton,Edwards and Obama, we understand in the face of who is listed as a canidate, realizing the problems with them, who else do you go to?

Whomever it is I most agree with and trust without regard to "viable" (which is just the 2008 version of the bogus rationale "electable"  -- which means basing my decision on how I've been convinced or misled into thinking others will decide). 

Laura,

HOWARD DEAN SPEAKS FOR ME

Need I say more?

Iowa is under high alert for severe weather

Imagine a million wind generators spinning madly. 

Phil wrote "see Tom, it is OK to be a fan, someday soon the octoppi will fly again "

Yes, but I almost forgot this isn't a Dean fan club anymore.

Senate fails to block debate on Immigration bill, essentially killing the bill after all this debate on amendments.

60 YES votes were needed to end the debate and vote on the bill. ALL Repugs, 15 Dems and one Ind (Sanders) voted NO.

Also, Harry Reid said he took polls all over the country during their last recess. Immigration was not a top issue. Iraq and energy (gas prices) led the way.

As most of you know, I went from Carter to Anderson to Reagan to Bush1 to Dole to McCain to Wellstone to Dean to Edwards to Kerry and now to? Kind of a tortured path isn’t it?
I have affinity for McCain as we were both chewed up in VN; and for Kerry as we both shared many similar experiences (VN, VNVAW, Prostate Cancer, searches for MIAs plus other VA and social issues).
I like Dean in his current role and he deserves full praise for delivering Congress to Dems.
I like the Hillary that was the Arkansas Governor’s wife. Bubba was a known sex dog then but Hillary did wonders in working and leading to improve Arkansas schools and health care. The Hillary then was a fantastic person. She has done more for women, children and the poor in general then all the Republicans combined anywhere. The Hillary now is a corporate Democratic shill for the same special interests that bought the Republican party.
In the past, I rarely supported Democratic candidates because their stand and platform was limited and their candidates weak. Mondale’s platform was to raise taxes and offered no real alternative to the Reagan machine. The Democratic Party lost their vision. The same with Dukakis in 1988. In 1992, Bush1 ran a weak visionless campaign because he is a corporateist at heart and thought leadership was telling his staff what do. Bubba won because he had a vision and could articulate what he wanted. The guy packs a lot of heat; not all of it is in other women’s beds. I voted for Dole as an anti-Bubba vote. Maybe it was supporting another disabled veteran. I liked Bubba’s economic plan and worked hard to implement its benefits in the business world. I supported McCain as another Vet and as a person who at least tried to speak the truth. He has lots of flaws (Keating 5 anyone) but thought he was the best candidate in 2000. I was not a big Al Gore fan until Bush won the nomination. I did not support Kerry initially but thought the 2004 was too important an event. When Kerry got the nomination, I worked as hard as possible. We have lots in common but he is and always be a DC candidate.
I think in the past, we could support the candidates the machines gave us. We may not have agreed with them on everything but they still supported our core values. I am not sure that is true anymore. The DC Dems are too close to the Republican Party for my taste. Who is the real Hillary? or the real Obama? or Biden? I am comfortable with Edwards. I gravitate to Gravel and Dennis because in Gravel’s case; he was the champion for us all in the ‘70s. I don’t know if he speaks for as many people today. Dennis is more than an irritant; his position on every issue is a position I can support.

Sitka said:

I think Dean and DFA have made progress in that regard, whether enough of it quickly enough I haven't decided.

That's because he's still young.  LOL 

Linda in NM thanks for your insight.

and the gore poll is going strong for gore to run.

and our city committee chair says all the calls he is getting at Webb's office is against amnesty.

this is a smokescreen.

while paris is out of jail. our guys are getting killed in iraq.

where is that on the news. it is getting worse each day.

revolution. riot, revolt.

don't go away cindy, you stood for right and justice.

what is left?

Re "Dean Fan Club":

 I'm a great admirer, and devoutly wish he were president now. That does not make me an unabashed "fan", however. On the Iraq imbroglio, I think he's wrong, and let's face it, that issue overshadows all others until it's resolved. The Democrats blew it big time on the funding bill, and he supported their stand. He could have refused to comment, and preserved some credibility on the issue. Unfortunately, he did not stand with Feingold, Kucinich, and the few who opposed it. (I don't include Clinton and Obama in the"few". They waited on the sidelines and cynically voted against it, rather than helping Feingold lead a rebellion).

I know the "Dean is first" comments are part of the DFA liturgy, but at this time, I feel that Progressives have better, more courageous leaders, so I don't consider him "first".

Pat in Colorado wrote:

 "An experienced party activist  who organized and managed the campaign  of one of three peace candidates in California in 1968 urged the Democrats not to tear ourselves apart.  I think there's caution here that should be taken into account."

By pissing on their base, Establishment Democrats are tearing the Party apart. I don't feel the least bit guilty in wishing the party ill.

100.

Tom Bearse
Thu, 06/07/07
12:31 pm

...I almost forgot this isn't a Dean fan club anymore.
----------

Correct, it is "Democracy for America" club now.

Suppose it is Hillary vs. Rudy?
Repub against Repub?
Do we support the near Repub or the real Repub?

dog wrote "Suppose it is Hillary vs. Rudy? Do we support the near Repub or the real Repub?"

You would have to be literally high to think about this for more than two seconds.  What's in the bowl?

By pissing on their base, Establishment Democrats are tearing the Party apart. I don't feel the least bit guilty in wishing the party ill.

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

that one vote undid months of work, no doubt, and if we lose the next election will be the cause

87.

Linda NM

Thanks for posting the link to KOS. I haven't lived near Chicago since I was 20 years old. But the pics posted at KOS were nostagic. I can't count the hours I spent at that outstanding landmark the Chicago Theater, it hasn't changed it's looks, that's great.

Sorry, I just won't visit Fox website if it meant my life.

In lieu of visiting Al in Chicago, we watched an older one-hour biography of him I had recorded from one of the lesser known channels. Al is showing up everywhere.

Phil wrote "that one vote undid months of work, no doubt, and if we lose the next election will be the cause."

What planet are you from?  This is the craziest horseshit I've read here yet.

Rudy v Clinton with a Hagel/Bloomberg Unity ticket?

Rudy v Gore in the same circumstance?

If the Party wants the White House they know what to do.

109.

Tom Bearse
Thu, 06/07/07
12:47 pm

Phil wrote "that one vote undid months of work, no doubt, and if we lose the next election will be the cause."

What planet are you from? This is the craziest horseshit I've read here yet.
--------

And what is that "the craziest horseshit" here..., please elaborate a little.

Tom

the funding vote turned off thousands of activists I was counting on here in Iowa, and the work I do is entirely within the party

it took many months to build that momentum, and now we lost it

I find the prospect of trying to get the base to work their tail off for a Democratic candidate greatly diminished, not that I won't try.

Giuliani takes the Bill of Rights and walks on it like a doormat.  He will nominate strict constructionist judges and justices, actually believing there aren't way too many already.  I would write in Speed Racer before voting for him.

Phil wrote "I find the prospect of trying to get the base to work their tail off for a Democratic candidate greatly diminished, not that I won't try."

It's like a biosphere in here.  People have to get out more.

I am still a fan of Howard Dean and while he is not perfect he is usually spot on issues.

I have only one bumper sticker on my car and that is a DFA sticker.

I tout Dean at my city committee meetings and when the lady who tables her propoganda at our meetings stopped putting my DFA stuff on her table I gave her what for and stopped supporting her.

When people would say "oh he lost it with the scream" I come right back at em and say, "that was a media set up and everything howard has said it the truth". then they actually agree with me.

I endorse the Democracy bonds monthly and would do so with DFA again if they would put training down in my part of Va. While I can see someone at HQ rolling their eyes now, I mean what I say. I talked to my friend in Arlington Va and when she heard that DFA was doing training there AGAIN, she said that was really stupid , they have SO MUCH training up there they are in overload. So am I wrong there folks? You know I am not.

And I am persistent not cause I have nothing better to do,  I do and I do that too.

I am just adament in getting the word out to other parts of the country and not just the DFA groups that are already in those cities.

So I will be at the TBA conf. and work the table and won't Jim be surprised to actually meet me and he can roll his eyes right in front of me. Boo!!!!!!!!!!

Which is most likely how Karl Rove got his beloved nick-name from Bush -  “turd blossom”.  Such minds always amaze me.

And Bush keeps trying to tell people how ‘righteous, moral and ethical’ he is. Speaking of which, it’s getting harder to watch any of the state-run media; O’Really O’Reily, highest paid carnival barker, Vanity Hannity, the control freak. . They get more rank and rude as the Republicans popularity goes down.   And I’m getting worried about Keith Olbermann.  Johnny Carson was a big hit for so long, because he was smart enough not to have to use foul language or call people ‘fat’ or use dirty jokes.  Jay Leno has to reach that low to find something funny –and lost half that audience.   Yesterday, Keith got very close to crude with comments on Paris Hilton – nah – he was crude.  Unbecoming of a magnificent mind.  Might as well listen to ...say.... Glen Beck, who  had his own little goodbye Ciny Sheehan special  – gross and ugly. That man is ON something.   Watch your ratings now, Glen.   Fox’s ‘Red Eye’ is just plain creepy.  SEND the children out of the room and I’m going with them! : )  

Al Gore would revitalize the base because he had no part in that fiasco.

Phil--what do you think of this bill from this congressman? Be careful in the storm--but boy i hope you are able to join us tonightEarl blumenauer? He has a food and Farm bill of rightshttp://www.earlblumenauer.com/cgi-bin/display.cgi?page=foodandfarm

Linda and Joan-- great that the poll on fox is flying for gore.  I agree, queezy going over, so will only go there to vote, which i already did. How many have voted at this point Linda? 

Linda 115-- what are you talking about the HQ wouldn't agree with you or something?

Tom

don't underestimate the difficulty of electing a DLC democrat who thinks Bush has made us "safer".

 It's like a biosphere in here.  People have to get out more.

This blog reflects a lot more reality than Bushworld, which is what you enter when you "get out" into the American meanstream, especially our awful, jingoistic, propagandistic media. Joseph Goebells would be proud. Talk about Orwellian!

New thread awaiting firsties.

http://www.blogforamerica.com/view/21112...

Sam 116-- Long time ago I liked Jay Leno, but he lost me when he had Arnold announce his candidacy on his show..

New Thread

Phil wrote "don't underestimate the difficulty of electing a DLC democrat who thinks Bush has made us 'safer'."

I'm stumped. You were here less than a year ago telling us that  DLC Chairman, Tom "Vanilla" Vilsack, would make a good president.  Now the difficulty is electing a DLC Democrat, regarded by Republicans as part of the lunatic left fringe?  There is a continuum of voting attitudes between Lyndon LaRouche and George Lincoln Rockwell.  It's like the flyover country of the American electorate.  People here are seeing Hollywood past the Hudson River.

17.

Huron John
Thu, 06/07/07
9:48 am

Reply to this

Are we willing to lose?

I'm willing to help euthanize the Democratic Party, if I'm given the option of voting for a credible, progressive, anti-war third party.
================

Great statement you make - but without a runoff law, probably requiring an amendment, your would be a 1/2 vote for your 3rd party candidate and 1/2 vote for the Republicans.

4 Years Later  by Laura Nevitt

In answer to your question...Iove to say:

Howard Dean Speaks for me, and I scream for Howard Dean.