If it is true that Tom Kaine is giving up the 50 state stratagy and that Dean was asked to not attend the DNC event, then count me out of working for Democrats any more! I will become an Independent and work only when moved to. This country is tired of being run from the top down. Get off your high horses and actually work for working people. Stop the lip service!!
Dean for surgeon general, not that cutesie tv guy Gupta!
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Alternative EnergySource: David Apperson
url: http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/alternative-energy
Governor Howard Dean returned to the great state of New Hampshire today to rally students at UNH – Durham. UNH – Durham is the largest university in the state of New Hampshire, so the student population has the potential to play a deciding factor in this upcoming election. With early voting over, students in New Hampshire can still register and vote on Election Day through same day registration. Governor Dean encouraged all the students in attendance to make their voice heard by showing up and registering to vote.
Also appearing at the event were two young women who recently graduated from college themselves – Molly Shaheen (Jeanne Shaheen’s daughter) and Kathleen Shea-Porter (Carol Shea-Porter’s daughter). Governor Dean urged students to not just vote for Senator Obama, but to vote for the whole Democratic ticket, all the way down including former Governor Shaheen and Congresswoman Shea-Porter. Barack will need help as President, and we need to keep New Hampshire blue to give him the Senators and Congressmen he will need to get our country back on track.
Dean told the students assembled that they were taking part in a historic election – one that will witness a passing of the torch -
In many ways this election is similar to the 1960 election between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Kennedy was running on a promise of hope and change while Nixon was running as the status quo…and we all know what happened in that election and Kennedy’s historic inauguration.
Dean wrapped up by reminding students what a great country we live in and urging the UNH students to knock on doors and make phone calls and do everything they can to help the Democrats win. You can help too. Find your local office. Sign up to Get Out The Vote. This is OUR TIME.
MANCHESTER-- Former Vermont governor and current chairman of the Democratic National Committee Howard Dean will be in New Hampshire this Thursday, October 30th for a Rally for Change. With just over a week until New Hampshire voters head to the polls, Gov. Dean will stress the incredibly high stakes of the election for young voters and encourage them to vote. Dean will also discuss Sen. Obama's plan to create jobs and improve the state of our economy so that young Granite Staters can successfully enter the workforce upon graduation. Earlier today, the Obama campaign in New Hampshire released a list of 50 New Hampshire student leaders who are not only supporting Sen. Obama's Campaign for Change, but are working on campuses to elect former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter, and Congressman Paul Hodes. These student leaders have been and will continue to play an active role in the last days of the campaign energizing students to vote and have dedicated their time to engaging classmates in the electoral process. New Hampshire students can visit NH.BarackObama.com for more information on voting and how to get involved in these final days of the campaign. Thursday, October 30th 11:45 a.m. Rally for Change with Gov. Howard Dean UNH Durham- Granite State Room-- MUB 83 Main Street, Durham
MANCHESTER-- Former Vermont governor and current chairman of the Democratic National Committee Howard Dean will be in New Hampshire this Thursday, October 30th for a Rally for Change. With just over a week until New Hampshire voters head to the polls, Gov. Dean will stress the incredibly high stakes of the election for young voters and encourage them to vote. Dean will also discuss Sen. Obama's plan to create jobs and improve the state of our economy so that young Granite Staters can successfully enter the workforce upon graduation.
Earlier today, the Obama campaign in New Hampshire released a list of 50 New Hampshire student leaders who are not only supporting Sen. Obama's Campaign for Change, but are working on campuses to elect former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter, and Congressman Paul Hodes. These student leaders have been and will continue to play an active role in the last days of the campaign energizing students to vote and have dedicated their time to engaging classmates in the electoral process. New Hampshire students can visit NH.BarackObama.com for more information on voting and how to get involved in these final days of the campaign.
UNH Durham- Granite State Room-- MUB
83 Main Street, Durham
Dr. Drew Westen, professor of psychology at Emory University, has written, “The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation,” (457 pp. PublicAffairs. $26.95) in which he offers explanations for the Democrat’s relatively poor performance in elections.
On Aug. 26, NY Times columnist David Brooks wrote “Stop Making Sense” a derogatory review. In his review Brooks asks several snide questions. Here are those question and my snide answers:
“First, why did someone with so little faith in rational inquiry go into academia . . .?” THE FACT THAT MUCH OF THE ELECTORATE IS NOT RATIONAL, IS POORLY INFORMED AND IS RECEPTIVE TO SUPERMARKET-TABLOID-TYPE JOURNALISM DOES NOT DEVALUE RATIONAL INQUIRY.
“Second, the states of upper New England and the Pacific Coast regularly used to vote Republican in presidential elections but now they generally vote Democratic. Did people in those states become less emotional, and therefore more amenable to the Democrats’ rational appeals over the past few decades?” NO, THEY REALIZED HOW MUCH THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS FUCKED UP THE NATION!
“Third, how did John Kerry beat Howard Dean in the Democratic primaries? Was it because of his Oprah-esque displays of emotional intensity?” DEMOCRATS WERE OVERWHELMED, PANICKED ACTUALLY, BY THE REPUBLICAN-STOKED WAR HYSTERIA. THEY THOUGHT THEY NEEDED A GENUINE WAR HERO WHO HAD, AT THE TIME, SUPPORTED THE INVASION OF IRAQ.
“Fourth, is it possible that substance has something to do with the political fortunes of parties?” NO, IT’S NOT SUBSTANCE THAT’S PROPELLING THE MCCAIN CAMPAIGN. “Could it be that Democrats won in the middle part of the 20th century because they were right about the big issues — the New Deal and the civil rights movement?” ABSOLUTLY! “Is it possible Republicans won in the latter part of the century because they were right about economic growth and the cold war?” NO. CARTER WAS INEFFECTIVE. REGAN COULD SELL SUGAR TO CUBANS, AND REPUBLICANS HAD PERFECTED THE TECHNIQUES THAT WESTEN COMPLAINS ABOUT. “Is it possible Democrats are winning now because they were right about whether to go to war in Iraq?” THEY’RE NOT WINNING LATELY! “And if substantive policies correlate with political fortunes, what does that say about the human mind?” THERE’S LITTLE CORRELATION ONCE CAMPAIGNING BEGINS, NONE AT ALL IN THE PAST EIGHT YEARS.
“Finally, if voter decisions are driven by the sort of crude emotional outbursts Westen recommends, and if . . . “a substantial minority of Americans hold authoritarian, intolerant ideologies driven by fear, hate and prejudice that are fundamentally incompatible with Democratic (and democratic) principles,” then shouldn’t we abandon this whole democracy thing?” NO, WE MUST HOPE THAT ONE DAY REPUBLICANS WILL STOP PANDERING TO THE LEAST INFORMED AND MOST GULLIBLE.
“It’s rare that one comes across a book that raises so many questions.” BUT NOT THE ONES BROOKS ASKS. HE IGNORES THE OBVIOUS. HIS QUESTIONS ARE EXAMPLES OF THE VERY THINGS HE SEEMS TO SAY DO NOT EXIST. “Of course it’s rare that one comes across a book that so avidly flatters the prejudices of its partisan readers.” WHAT NONSENSE! NEW ONES ARE COMING OUT ALL THE TIME, MOSTLY, BUT NOT EXCUSIVELY, BY REPUBLICANS.
“The core problem with Westen’s book is that he doesn’t really make use of what we know about emotion. He builds on the work of Antonio Damasio, without applying Damasio’s conception of how emotion emerges from and contributes to reason.” REALLY?? MOST EVIDENCE INDICATES OTHERWISE.
“In this more sophisticated view, emotions are produced by learning.” RIDICULOUS! IT’S MOSTLY BY BIOLOGICAL IMPERITIVES AND ACQUIRED PREJUDICES!
“ . . . It’s not necessary to dumb things down to appeal to emotions.” BUT, IF YOU DO, YOU GET MORE VOTES! “ . . . “The best way to win votes . . . is to offer people an accurate view of the world and a set of policies that seem likely to produce good results.” THEN, WHY DO REPUBLICANS PEDDLE BULLSHIT A LA CHENEY & ROVE?
CIRCUMSTANCES ARE NOT AT ALL AS BROOKS IMAGINES. HE REALLY NEEDS TO GIVE UP POP-PSYCHOLOGY.
I was a John Edwards supporter during the primary, because my main interest at that point was policy, and I thought (and still think) that his whole package was the best. So why am I here now? Because I am also a grassroots activist who got started by the Dean campaign, and this campaign fascinates me. I also want to make sure we change direction in this country, because selfishly, at age 65, I am terrified of an old age under the Republicans!
SETTING THE STAGE
The people do have the power. But due to mass-transportation and mass-communication we routinely deal with a world outside of empirical evidence, and are accustomed to relying largely on second-hand hear-say from the media. A third of the country's newspapers are owned by Gannett, Knight Ridder, & Tribune. Seven more companies own another 20%. 15 conglomerates control the vast majority of radio, with Clear Channel & Viacom alone, controlling a third of it. Six mega corporations control the vast majority of television content;
General Electric - NBC/UniversalTime Warner - CNN/HBO/Warner BrosWalt Disney - ABC/A&E/Touchstone/MiramaxNews Corp - Fox/Wall Street Journal/NY Post/20th Century FoxCBS - Showtime/Simon & ShusterViacom - Paramount/Nickelodeon/MTV
Media mergers used to be regulated. Now they are not, though many vocally oppose media consolidation. Consolidation yields huge financial dividends and power to the media. The stage is set.
HOWARD DEAN
I worked hard for Howard Dean's campaign during the 2004 election cycle. If you've done homework on him, then you know Dean is a wise and heartful statesman with sound policies and proven results. The bulk of his support came from grassroots internet communities via small donations. Individual supporters used to say "I am Howard Dean's 'special interest'". In regard to making things better, he used to say "Yes we can, and we will". In many ways he was much like Barack. Everything was more or less looking great, and he was far and away the people's favorite. He was endorsed by Al Gore, and the media embraced him.
Then, when publicly asked about his position on the subject, Dean voiced strong opposition to media consolidation. Less than two weeks later in Iowa came the utterly bogus "Dean scream". How did it happen? Well, I was there, and I can tell you. Rallying supporters after a primary, the packed hall was a deafening din of fervent supporters, and to those in the room, it was nearly impossible to make out what anyone was saying. In this chaos, Dean hollered into his mic. Correctly for the occasion, it was a special "uni-directional" mic that cuts out all sound from the sides. Only straight-on vocals register. Well, besides being fed into the PA, this mic had a direct feed to the media-pool room. Result, they had Dean hollering, without the chaotic roars, cheers, and screaming going on around him that put it in context. The media, led by Diane Sawyer, re-played this "Dean scream" 633 times over a four day period on national news networks alone. Adding local news, it was well over a thousand replays. It was viral wildfire. Commentators had a field day yucking it up, making smug comments, and questioning Howard Dean's sanity. While there were other factors to be sure, right there, Dean died. It was heartbreaking. Dean's 30% lead in New Hampshire polls vanished, and after that he was never able to rebound. Ms sawyer later apologized adding "It was not our finest hour", but it was too late, the damage was done. And people generally tend to ignore apologies and retractions. To this day, mentioning Dean to much of America, gets you a look of rolled eyes, as if to say "whoa, that nutcase". It burns me every time I experience this attitude, and I tell this story, as a matter of principle.
"Swift-boating" only works with people who don't do their political homework. Past elections have shown how stupefyingly pliable public opinion CAN be. Too many voters are fickle, and base their votes on a handful of sound-bites and a few headlines. As John Kerry and Howard Dean can attest, ignoring "swiftboat" moments is not an option. It's appaling that people respond to this garbage, but they DO.
OTHER FACTORS
We all know that media is business concerned with the "bottom line", which means attracting sponsors, which means getting viewers to watch by whatever means. But sometimes we lose sight of how deeply this goes. The vast majority of news anchors do not actually do ANY investigative journalism. They are more acurately news models, who simply read what is handed to them, commonly feigning concern and empathy. Exceptions in varying degrees like Walter Chronkite, Dan Rather, and yes Tim Russert, are rare. What's more, many shows that pose as news outlets, are more acurately variety shows. Fox news is NOT news. Like what Hi-C is to real fruit juice, it's 10% news to validate their name, and the rest is junk posing as news. It's entertainment and tranquilizers for fearful anal small-minded folks who do NOT like change. O'reilly, Hannity & Limbaugh do not believe much of what they spout. Nasty as they are, they're too smart for such simple pablum. They see an entertainment nitche, and are making big money off of fear-based anger-expressed dysfunctia.
Media loves a close horse race. Look closely. They consistently knock the leader down a peg, and give the flagging candidate a "leg-up". When the flagging party takes the lead, it isn't long before the media moves to undermine it. Anything to keep things "neck in neck" so you continue to watch. When all else fails, media will make provocative statements to get you worked up. That's why Wolf Blitzer will float rediculous suppositions that make you just want to slap him. Remember always, these guys are ACTORS at WORK who's bosses generally don't care a wit about right, wrong, up, down, or ANYTHING other than that you WATCH. They don't stand for anything, except their business interests.
BARACK TODAY
I'm thankful Barack has learned from Dean and Kerry to respond quickly and efficiently to lies. We need to as well. Don't get caught up in media BS, and don't let it define you. The trick is to not get rattled, yet quickly, calmly, firmly, and efficiently respond. Then don't dwell, move on, looking to restore the focus to positive and productive things. Barack does this, and that gives me confidence.
Think for yourself, question authority, and do your own homework. We need to network and stay in touch. We need to be vigilant about the media. We need to steer IT, rather than it steering us. The internet has given us this power.
TV & RADIO ARE A ONE-WAY CONVERSATION! They boom to the world en masse, and we as invisible individuals powerlessly listen. By contrast, THE INTERNET IS A HEALTHY DIALOG. It is the great equalizer, leveling the playing field. Real people, seen and heard, decide what sinks and what swims.
The internet is the SINGLE and ONLY medium that truly and equally empowers the public. No one interested in manipulating the public appreciates the internet. I am convinced that the potential power of the internet to the average citizen went virtually un-noticed by the "powers that be" until it was too late to stop. The floodgates are open. NEVER NEVER NEVER let ANYONE regulate or legislate anything about the internet for ANY reason. It must remain utterly and equally available to anyone and everyone at all times. Powerful entities will try to convince us that various regulations are for our own good, to protect us, to make it better, safer, nicer. They will play on our fears, and economics, etc. Don't buy it. Let it stand as it is, warts and all. Net neutrality is your friend and the answer.
How do we get where we're going, where Barack is going? By networking, and the most effective networking tool is the internet. This site is our first networking hub to effect positive change from the ground up. It's part of the plan, and Barack is on our side, our partner reaching from the top. We are working together, as a family. We can do this. Yes we can.
PS - I highly recommend the movie Network to anyone who has not seen it. It is a classic. Prophetic, informative, yet comedic and thrilling. It addresses how TV desensitizes and corrupts everything it touches, while being thoroughly entertaining in the process. I know it sounds dry or preachy, but trust me, you won't regret it.
All Good Things, Greg
The pundits rarely understand or even recognize the seminal moments of American history as they happen unless there are explosions, large crowds, or clear winners and losers. In other words they need easily marketable events to sell to their consumers. It is the reason they missed out on the historic nature and obvious strengths of the Obama campaign a year ago and why they understood the importance of Iowa. More importantly it is why they missed the bus today.
When Barack Obama and Howard Dean decided to renounce all lobbyist and PAC money to the DNC I heard the death knell for the modern era of political campaigning. Obama already proved that a radical message of change resonates with the American people. He defeated the mammoth political machine known as Hillary Clinton! We are 16 months, 35,000,000 votes and hundreds of millions of dollars removed from the start of this campaign but stop and think for a minute at just how amazing an upset this really was.
I can only speak for myself, but Barack's stance toward's lobbyists is the reason I jumped the Hillary ship and donated what I could to this campaign.
Between the new "Obama Rules," Dean's 50-state strategy, and our amazing ability to generate clean cash the Republican Party and John McCain are trapped. They cant stick with the lobbyists because the American people won't stand for it. Nor can they renounce it. They desperately need the money to combat the charisma of Barack Obama. But ironically, if they cave to popular demand now they will appear to be following the democrats. They will lose all credibility and independence on the issue. Their choices are few. They can stick with the lobbyists and lose or renounce the lobbyists and leave McCain out to dry. Either way, we win.
But, as I mentioned at the top, this anti lobbyist strategy is difficult for the echochamber to market so it is our responsibility to publicize. This is huge! Way bigger than winning the nomination, we've known since April about that. And its way bigger than an African-American or a Woman winning the Presidency. Both would happen eventually. Lobbyists are the slime that has permeated and destroyed our government and their grip on it will only strengthen as time goes on if we do not act now.
This is our time.
No kids, so I can't be an Obama Mama. So I'll be an Obama Aunt. I'll confess, Obama wasn't my first choice. I was trying to draft Gore, indeed I have a Support page for him on my website. But when Gore made it clear he wasn't running, I reluctantly resigned myself to Hillary. But on the night of the Iowa caucus, I saw a charismatic, brilliant man who definitely could be President. And he hasn't disappointed me yet.
He has Gore's intelligence and publicmindedness but with a charisma that helps people acutally listen to him for a change. Like Gore, he chose service over just making a lot of money, and in a harder environment. He's an author, speaker, although not as much of an environmentalist and scientist.
Why didn't Hillary win me over? Certainly the first woman to have a serious shot at the nomination should be pretty exciting. She just didn't seem to have "enough" of that something that since Kennedy in grade school, made for a President. I was hardpressed to find something that really moved her enough to really fight for it that didn't benefit her in some way. There didn't seem to be the passion that created the Peace Corps, the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), or other things that create a lasting legacy of civic improvement.
So this former Gore supporter and Deaniac was looking and not expecting to find much. Thank God that wasn't the case. Thank you Obama, for not waiting your turn (is there such a thing for Democrats anyway?), and giving us someone who was more than just another uninspiring politician.
Yes we Can...make the world better and make history.
John McCain, the presumptive Republican candidate for President, today said he envisions most U.S. troops home by 2013. “By January 2013, America has welcomed home most of the servicemen and women who have sacrificed terribly so that America might be secure in her freedom,’’ McCain predicted. “The Iraq War has been won. Iraq is a functioning democracy, although still suffering from the lingering effects of decades of tyranny and centuries of sectarian tension. Violence still occurs, but it is spasmodic and much reduced.’’ The Democratic Party Chair, Howard Dean, responded: “The reality behind Senator McCain’s new rhetoric is that his plans either ignore the problems he identifies or actually makes them worse." (NY Times story here).Schools, food, highways, dams, New Orleans, oil prices, alternative fuels, money for fixing what's needed in the U.S., can these wait for 2013? And that 2013 mention isn't signed on any dotted line...For an excellent, clear chart comparing the candidates' positions on Iraq, click here.Carole
I'm so happy right now... if I had my stimulus check in my hand, I would donate all of it to Obama's campaign. Do you think George Bush would appreciate that? I want to stick it to Bush....Anyone with me?
P.S. Obama/Dean 08
DNC,
I am terribly disturbed by Dean's INACTION and somewhat limp-ish round table discussions this past weekend on the Sunday morning circuit. There is no way that Hillary will win, and we need a Democratic leader to step up and assume the role of Chairman at this stage of the game. We will lose November if the will of the people don't win in this election due to prejudices. I would be saying the very same thing if Hillary were in the lead in delegates and votes. I have worked extremely hard in this campaign. I got involved for the first time as a Democrat in the election process here in Texas. I campaigned, registered new voters, took training classes on our complicated voting system, voted early, caucused later and became my precinct's delegate chair. I went to the county elections and ran our caucus (while the Hillary delegates were trying to fix the results by throwing our caucus into a frenzy). They don't play by the rules, they cheat and steal their way for a win, rather than educating Democrats on the Democratic Process!!! I am proud to announce that in my little precinct, we now have 60 new and dedicated Democrats who are all involved in national and local elections (before Obama there were TWO). The Hillary folks are NOT involved. They do nothing around here but wait for their next directive by the Hillary camp. Fair weathered Democrats with absolutely no back bone and integrity. It is true what they say about her core demographic, but when it comes to Obama, he connects with ALL Democrats and not just a few. I will not vote for Hillary Clinton if she becomes the nominee if appointed by the Stupid-Delegates, because it would be a significant blow to my intelligence and due diligence. I will write in Barack Obama, as well as the hundreds of thousand supporters. Please ask Mr. Dean to step up and act like a leader. Barack Obama had to do (quite possibly) the hardest thing he has ever had to do with his Pastor today. It was painful, uncomfortable and probably shook him to his core. Talk about JUDAS!! But he did what his conscience commanded, the RIGHT THING. No matter how it looked, no matter how it sounded, it hurt him deeply, but it was the right thing to do for HIMSELF. Mr. Dean and the whole Democratic Party needs to step up and support a man of such integrity. Please give it some thought. Make the tough decisions that a true leader SHOULD do. Thank you for your consideration, Stephanie Fitzharris
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As the Democratic Party steps in to solve the dispute over the Florida and Michigan delegates, the question now appears to be who can broker a deal before the party's convention in August.
Former President Clinton is hardly neutral, and former Vice President Al Gore said in a CBS "60 Minutes" interview Sunday that he's "not applying for the job of broker."
That leaves Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, who's under enormous pressure, to do something.
The DNC stripped Florida and Michigan of their delegates as a penalty for scheduling their primaries too early. Both states want their delegates to have a say at the convention, but the party has been unable to come up with a plan to seat them.
On Wednesday, Dean met with Florida's Democratic congressional delegation and announced, "we will absolutely seat a delegation from Florida at the convention."
So, is there a deal? Not quite. Dean, however, did make one big announcement.
"We are confident enough that we have reserved hotel rooms for the delegates from Florida in Denver as far as I know," Dean said. Watch more of Dean's comments »
Rep. Karen Thurman, chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, said, "We have hotel rooms reserved, and we are excited about that.''
"This is a breakthrough to have the [national] chairman indicate that he's going to do everything he can,'' said Rep. Ron Klein, D-Florida.
Some Democrats have been getting impatient -- like Phil Bredesen, the governor of Tennessee.
"What I want our party to do is just take it off auto-pilot here. We've got a problem, and our party's just got to step in and find some way to resolve it," he said.
The fact is, there are no party bosses anymore; nobody can tell the candidates what to do.
Dean did lay down one marker, saying there's "no reason that we shouldn't know who our nominee is by the first of July."
Dean got backing for that deadline from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
But Sen. Hillary Clinton has said she intends to stay in the race with Sen. Barack Obama and fight all the way to the convention.
Neither Clinton nor Obama will win the 2,024 delegates needed to capture the nomination outright, meaning the superdelegates probably will determine the Democratic nominee. Watch an analysis of the race »
Obama currently leads Clinton in delegates 1,625 to 1,486, according to CNN estimates. Obama also leads in the overall popular vote.
The fact is, no one can broker a deal except the candidates themselves, as Dean has acknowledged. Watch Dean's interview with CNN's Campbell Brown »
"The best option is whatever we can get the candidates to agree to," he said.
"I think the delegates are eventually going to be seated from Florida and Michigan as soon as we get an agreement from the candidates about how to do that," Dean added.
In 1988, Michael Dukakis and Jesse Jackson made a deal over campaign resources. In 1984, Walter Mondale and Gary Hart made a deal over party rules. In 1980, Ronald Reagan and George Bush went on the ticket together, as John Kerry and John Edwards did in 2004.
The point is, the candidates have to do it themselves.
"…North Carolina's seven Democratic House members are poised to endorse Sen. Obama as a group -- just one has so far -- before that state's May 6 primary, several Democrats say. Helping to drive the endorsements is a fear that the Obama-Clinton contest has grown toxic and threatens the Democratic Party's chances against Republican John McCain in the fall….”
from Monday, March 31, 2008 front page of the Wall Street Journal, by JACKIE CALMESread the entire article at:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120692054573175525.html?mod=special_page_campaign2008_topbox
Go Tarheels!
Also, some super-delegates are joining the "Pelosi Club", committed to voting for the delegate leader at the end of the primaries.
As of 3/29 we have 7 members of the "Pelosi Club"
Clinton endorsers: Sen. Maria Cantwell (WA) - most pledged delegates, most states won
Obama endorsers: Rep. Zoe Lofgren (CA), Sen. Tom Daschle (SD)
Today the Florida Democratic party announced their decision not to go with a statewide re-vote, after considering options, costs, and ramifications.
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1763038420080317?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=10112
As much as this remarkably extended primary contest has lent itself to Democrat-versus-Democrat infighting, bickering, and bitterness, it's important that - whether you favor Senator Clinton or Senator Obama for the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 2008 - we keep in mind why the Florida primary date was moved up to January, why the short-circuited primary results were disqualified, why there was even a discussion of a re-vote in the first place, ultimately ending in the probably contentious decision not to conduct a 'do-over' primary in Florida.
The Obama campaign didn't "disenfranchise" Florida voters.
Neither - the blatant unfairness of her proposal to seat the Florida delegates "as is" based on the results of the disqualified Florida "beauty contest" primary, as soon as the chips were down and any delegates, fairly or unfairly won, helped her chances notwithstanding - did the Clinton campaign.
It was the state legislature of Florida that voted to move the Florida primary to a January date that was in direct violation of the rules set out by the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.
A state legislature controlled by REPUBLICAN majorities.
Florida Democrats, whether they prefer Obama or Clinton, have opportunities in several key contests to help elect FLORIDA DEMOCRATS to Florida positions currently held by Republicans - Republicans who are probably snickering through clenched teeth that the problems they've caused have resulted in months and weeks of contentious bickering, mudslinging, and cries of "disenfranchisement" creating dangerous rifts within the Democratic party.
When you're tempted to do or say something that plays into this infighting - STOP. THINK. Are you playing right in to the hands of divisive, partisan Republican bickering? We can't fight divisiveness, bitterness, misunderstanding, and the ugly partisan back-and-forth of the last two decades of American politics with more of the same. It's time to do things differently. It's time for unity. And that has to start within the Democratic party first, if we're going to convince America that there's a better way this Fall.
By remembering and taking to heart our FIFTY STATE STRATEGY to take back our municipalities, counties, states, and country - by remembering that the presidential nomination is not the only Democratic campaign we need to work, promote, and volunteer for - we can begin the 'good work' of fixing the broken systems in Florida and around the nation that have resulted in the national embarrassments of Florida's election goofs, gaffes, and scandals of 2000, 2004, and 2008.
Aren't Floridians getting tired of their great state being a running joke every four years?
It's time to "connect the dots" and sweep the Republican majority responsible for these repeatedly botched elections out of municipal, county, state, and Federal offices.
EVERY STATE MATTERS. NOT JUST THE BIG ONES. WE ARE THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!
Voters who want to really understand how the 2008 Dem delegate selection process came to be, including how Michigan, Florida, and the super-delegates are now such major issues should read "A Possibly Super Problem" By Michael Tomasky "How likely is it that the Democrats are in for a bitter nomination fight, even on the floor of their convention in Denver in late August?" Full text at: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/21130
This article was written on February 21, 2008, but published in The New York Review of Books March 20 issue.
Pennsylvania, with no disrespect to Wyoming and Mississippi next week: This is Your Time. Knowledge is power, and, to quote Bill Clinton, "always vote for hope and change"
Mr. Dean and staff,
I am writing with an urgent heart. Myself and many of my friends are quite worried about the state of this primary season -- which I'm sure is no surprise to you.
However, I want to offer some insight into my stance on the primaries. Two things mainly concern me:
1. I am 28 years old. I was born in 1980. Mr. Dean, do you realize that there has been a Bush or a Clinton in the White House, either as President or Vice President, every year that I have been alive? I'll be 30 in two years. That is a very long time to have two families, and two specific types of leaders, in power.
2. Mr. Dean, I can assure you -- from the standpoint of someone who is young enough to not be jaded but old enough to be teetering on the brink -- we cannot afford to put the excitement that has been generated by Senator Obama on the back burner for eight years. He has brought a new sense of life, a new sense of urgency to politics that has created, in itself, almost a brand-new constituency. Young people, independents, even Republicans are voting for him in record numbers.
Mr. Dean, this momentum cannot be bottled and then brought out again 8 years from now under expectations of the same results. The young people getting involved in the process now will not do so eight years from now if they feel they have been "had" this year. Senator Clinton eking out a win in this primary season by pressuring superdelegates will only serve to shatter our party and disillusion the majority of this new rallying force. It will ensure not only victory for the GOP in November, but possibly for many more elections to come.
Mr. Dean, I have nothing against Hillary Clinton. It's true that I support Obama but my words come not from a place of vitriol against her. It's merely common sense. We cannot allow this to go on for several more months while the GOP coalesces to defeat us. There have been reports of Republican voters crossing party lines to vote for both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama -- but for different reasons. The Obama voters are voting because they believe in him and actually want him to be President. The Clinton voters are voting for her because she will be an "easier target" to beat in November -- and in November they will switch back to John McCain.
I know that you have little hand in determining how the superdelegates vote. You can't force them to vote one way or the other any more than I could, but it is possible that you could explain these situations to them. If they are true Democratic Party loyalists, I doubt they'd want to see their party splintered at such a crucial moment in history.
Thank you for taking the time to read this message, Mr. Dean. I may be a little scared of the current prospects, but I'm also confident that together we can unite the party behind Senator Obama and ensure a win for the Democrats in November.
Sincerely,
Jessica Sharp
I've noticed that several groups are putting together contact lists of superdelegates. This is great, and I agree that we must make our voices heard. However, we should be careful about how we go about contacting the superdelegates, since at least one Obama staffer has warned us NOT to deluge superdelegates with e-mails: http://demconwatch.blogspot.com/2008/02/obama-campaign-dont-contact.html
This means we should take a careful approach to contacting the superdelegates. "Play it smart," as they say at the Oaks Casino. Superdelegates can endorse a candidate at any time, but they can change their mind and I believe they don't actually vote until the DNC convention in August.
Here's what I suggest. First, everyone should sign the petition against counting Michigan and Florida delegates. There are 377 of these, all for Hillary, so it's crucial that they don't count. The signatures have quintupled since I signed on February 5. Do it now, and tell your friends about it. It's crucial to nip this thing in the bud: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Give-Us-Fairness
Next, sign the following petition to all the superdelegates:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/please-endorse-senator-barack-obama
We will gather signatures, and send this petition to each superdelegate using our contact list. One e-mail (or list) does not a spam make, so the campaign should be cool with this. I think the superdels will also be impressed at how much thought we put into it.
Please add me as a friend and contact me immediately if you are interested in helping in this superdelegate contact effort, or already have a list going.
More stuff you can do to help if your primary has already run its course:
(1) Hold a party in your neighborhood fundraising for the campaign. We want to send the superdels a message that we are willing to pay for change.
(2) Phonebank nationally on this website.
(3) Put together a viral YouTube video courting the superdels for Obama. This might be a lot of fun if we can coordinate it.
