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Showing posts from November, 2006

DC pundits vs. the American People

Once in awhile, Josh Marshall just hits the nail on the head with impunity. This piece is one of those moments: It really does seem as though the cardinals of DC punditry are constitutionally incapable of believing that George W. Bush has ever -- in the real sense -- gotten anything wrong or that they, the Washington establishment, has gotten anything wrong over the last six years. I don't like to use such words but I can only think to call the denial and buck-passing sickening. I can't think of another word that captures the gut reaction. Sickening, that's a strong word coming from Josh who is not known for peddling easy outrage. Is it merited? Take a look at this passage Marshall quotes from a recent Roll Call piece by beltway "cardinal" Mort Kondracke: President Bush bet his presidency — and America’s world leadership — on the war in Iraq. Tragically, it looks as though he bit off more than the American people were willing to chew . The U.S. is failing in Ir

Pelosi's 100 Hours

I want to confess that I'm left scratching my (very bald) head about Democratic public relations post-election, especially headed into the all-important Turkey Day political love-fest that we call Thanksgiving Dinner Discussion with our relatives. As far as I can tell there is one thing that everyone in the country is aware of regarding what our new Democratic majority is going to do in what promises to be an action-packed January. That one thing is Speaker-elect Pelosi's program for the first 100 Hours of a Democratic-controlled House. Why aren't more people talking about the specifics of this? If the GOP had a 100 Hours program they'd be selling it like it was going out of style. Heck, we in the netroots should be able to run down the list of that Democratic program as if it were the menu for Thursday's Thanksgiving dinner. I'd like to offer a brief break-down of this 100 Hour Plan (w/ links) and speculate on how we in the netroots fit in to Democratic str

a beautiful day

A crystal clear autumn sun rose over Northern California today. What a beautiful day! Take it to heart, savor it. We defeated Congressman Richard Pombo. So many of you played a part in that. It is our shared victory. Nationally, we Democrats have taken the House. We have won the United States Senate. We have taken the majority of Governorships. We have won victories in so many State Houses. Savor that. Don't let anyone tell you or spin you otherwise. The national election of November 2006 was a repudiation of Republican governance. George and Laura Bush could not rescue candidates. They lost in district after disctict, and state after state. Their Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, has resigned in utter and shameful disgrace . That says something. I have a message to all those who worked so hard on GOTV and covering all these campaigns: thank you. This victory is for you and by you . Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Whether it's the folks who propelled Carol S

some reasons for confidence

One year ago, in the fall of 2005, I was locked down in the process of ghost-writing a grant proposal to fund an effort to empower blogs to help Democrats take back the House of Representatives. My first task in writing that proposal was to convince people a Democratic take-back of the House was even remotely possible . Things have changed. None of us will know the reults of the 2006 mid-term elections till...well..later tonight.  But here's a couple reasons I'm confident and here's some of the exit poll data I'll be looking out for... Reasons for Confidence : 1. I think history will look back and see the election of Democrat Tim Kaine in Virginia in 2005 as a turning point in United States politics.   The GOP put everything they had into that race and lost. The President's effort did not produce a victory in a red state.  That election, admittedly for a governorship, proved that the Democratic domestic agenda had real appeal in a state like Virginia.  Kaine was a

CT GOP: vote for us and we'll stop Robo Calls

This is a new twist in the Robo Call dirty trick game: Robo Call Blackmail . Robo Calls GOP National Republican Congressional Committee NRCC

chickens and geese

We're past crunch time.  We're at the 12 hour moment. It's election day.  I'm coming from Jerry McNerney's phone bank in Oakland.  It was packed.  I did GOTV at West Oakland BART this morning; voters were receptive....right now I'm outside my assigned precinct off the Lake in Oakland... I have a really simple message to everyone considering volunteering today who hasn't quite screwed up the courage. I've done GOTV every election day, primary or general, for years now. I can guarantee you that whatever volunteering or Get Out the Vote effort you make between now and poll closing tommorrow will mean votes for our side . Every time I've ever gone out that has been my experience.  Sure, GOTV can be personally rewarding. But I'm talking about something pragmatic: your activism might very well make the difference on election night in a race you care about. Your GOTV wins votes. That's something to consider tonight: Do More than Vote . :: Now, I&#

the Mainstream Media now covering GOP Robo Call controversy

ABC News number one story on Political Radar this afternoon has this headline: Stop Illegal Robocalling: Dems send Cease and Desist Letter to Republicans : ABC News' Ellen Davis Reports: Bob Bauer, General Counsel for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sent a cease and desist letter to Don McGahn, General Counsel of the National Republican Campaign Committee requesting a stop to what he alleges is an illegal form of random calling of voter's residences using recorded political messages, often known as 'Robo-calling' . Kossack, and CNN watcher, StarkyLove reports that CNN featured Talking Points Memo's reportage on Robo Calling this afternoon and mentioned that the blogs were "abuzz" with the news. Update : You can see the CNN coverage on Crooks and Liars . Josh Marshall is also reporting that some media outlets chickened out of covering this story. Robo Calling may yet prove a net negative for the GOP. Robo Calls GOP National Republica

MyDD and TPM on Robo Calls

Adam Conner at MyDD has a great post up about Robo Calls and dirty tricks: With a bit more than 26 hours before the polls close here in Ohio, and across the country the Republicans are in the last throes of their campaign. You see a pretty stark and fundamental difference between the parties emerge now in the final days of the campaign. Democrats getting out the vote. Republicans trying to suppress the vote. It's the part of the 72-hour program Republicans don't talk about. But if you think about it, theirs is a campaign tactics that fundamentally undermines democracy itself. They don't want people to vote. Flat out don't want them to vote. Because on a level playing field they lose. By suppressing voters they're suppressing Democracy. And everyone should be outraged by that. Josh Marshall, per usual, nails it in a couple sentences : Only one party has a nationwide campaign to deliver millions of intentionally-harassing calls disguised to appear that they're fr

another local paper covers GOP Robo Calls

GOP robo calls are emerging as the story of the last two days of the election cycle. Here, the Times Herald Record in New York's 19th Congressional District writes: Republicans say they are not behind a barrage of calls to voters over the weekend that Democrats say are part of a campaign of "dirty tricks" to steal tomorrow's election in the 19th Congressional District. The automated calls attacking Democratic congressional candidate John Hall started sometime Saturday and rolled through Sunday, interrupting football games and family dinners throughout the region. But what might have been a minor election-season annoyance approached harassment, when the machine repeatedly called back — as many as seven times — until its entire message was heard, several recipients said. Hall campaign spokesman Tom Staudter says the campaign received angry calls from recipients who did not listen to the entire script and, in turn, blamed Hall for the annoyance. He said the tactic coul

Local news coverage of Robo Calls in New Hampshire

Blogger keener of NH-02 has been covering the NRCC Robo Call campaign from the beginning. Voters are reporting that the NRCC is making repeated, harassing Robo Calls that pretend to be from the Democratic Candidate but clearly aren't. Now the local news media , WHDH in Boston, is covering this: But a spokesman for the NRCC said Sunday that are no plans to curtail the campaign that has resulted in a flood of calls to the state Democratic Party from angry voters who think the messages are made on behalf of Democratic congressional challenger Paul Hodes. Instead, they were coming from the National Republican Congressional Committee on behalf of Rep. Charles Bass, but sound, at first, as though they may be from the Hodes' campaign. "It's a clear effort on behalf of the Republican Party to annoy and upset New Hampshire residents ... and people are under the assumption they are coming from Paul Hodes," Democratic Party spokeswoman Kathleen Strand said. Robo Calls GOP

take a look inside a GOP Robo Call

Local blog Take 19 has audio of a GOP Robo Call being used in New York's 19th Congressional District on behalf of vulnerable GOP incumbent Sue Kelley. This call does identify itself as being from the NRCC. Apparently, however, the call was used to harass targeted voters with repeated messages. One New York 19 voter writes: When I called Representative Kelly's office to register my unhappiness about this I was told that "unfortunately there are outside groups involved that they have no control over". Sorry, but that excuse is unacceptable. Sue Kelly is responsible and will be held responsible at the polls. Robo Calls GOP National Republican Congressional Committee NRCC

GOP Robo Calls represent an attempt to steal this election with dirty tricks

Josh Marshall reports that right at the tail end of a hard-fought campaign, thousands of voters are receiving repeated harassing phone calls purporting to be from the Democratic candidate. Some Democrats are fighting back directly . Chris Murphy in Connecticut has released this press release . The reality is that these calls are coming from the Republican National Congressional Committee which is breaking the law both in misleading voters to think these calls are coming from Democrats and in having their machines call back repeatedly even after the receiving party has hung up. Further, they are calling folks listed on the national do not call registry. This robo-call operation is a dirty trick. The GOP, having run out of ideas, is using it in an attempt to sabotage this election. I will cover this story as news comes up through election day. Robo Calls GOP National Republican Congressional Committee NRCC

an open letter to my fellow Californians

{I wrote this piece on dKos three nights ago. It still holds.} Tonight is an exciting night. As I write this diary, President Clinton is making a stop in Stockton California on behalf of Democrat Jerry McNerney ...a candiates who stands a solid shot at winning an upset victory on November 7th. Even those of us who were confident that the race in CA-11 would be close this election cycle, even those of us who fought early and hard for Jerry, would have been hard pressed to predict the "Clinton Seal of Approval" at this point in the campaign... but here we are . As hopeful as this moment is for all Californians, however, I'd like take one moment and ask all of us here in the Golden State to do a five minute gut check. There's so much more to do this election, and going forward. We California Democrats have our work cut our for us. :: You see, as I write this tonight there's also not a political prognosticator in the country who gives Democrat Phil Angelides a bat

a Quick look at State House races

This morning I had an hour-long coffee conversation with Joshua Grossman, founder and brain behind both Progressive Kick and Progressive Punch . Joshua and I collaborated on a piece in December of 2005 here on k/o called Starting with the Districts . That piece has held up, imo. Given that, I'd like to share with another aspect of the occasional conversations Joshua and I have about the state of US politics: a quick look at the races for State Legislatures. :: For anyone concerned about the bedrock health of our democracy, it's hard to underemphasize the importance of the battle for state legislatures. State legislatures represent both a "laboratory" for new domestic policy ideas, and critically, as we approach the 2010 census, the bodies that will determine redistricting and the make up of the House of Representatives for the upcoming decade. (Given the way different states stage and cycle their elections, paying attention to this in 2010 will be too late. This is s

take a look at Abel Guillen

I'd like to invite my fellow Oakland residents to take a look at Abel Guillen who is running for Peralta Community College Board. (These are the folks who run Laney and hence, set the higher education agenda in service of the majority of the residents of the East Bay. Healthy community colleges are essential to any progressive urban agenda.) Abel is a strong, progressive candidate whose insurgent campaign against the long term incumbent represents a fresh voice in Oakland politics. Abel has won the endorsement of labor, the Greens, the Oakland Tribune, the Bay Guardian and the Peralta Federation of Teachers. That is no small accomplishment. Oakland politics is seeing a resurgence, and Abel Guillen is perhaps the best representative of a new way of doing politics in our city. Abel is getting young people involved at every step of the process; Abel's commitment to both innovation in serving the community and to excellence in oversight represent a break from the current patte

McCaskill, Stender, Lamont, Walz and Webb: the heat is up all over

Check these out: A BlueStem Prairie reports that the Winona Daily News has come out for Tim Walz . Winona is a lovely town on the Mississippi home to a great fish restaurant and some gorgeous bluffs. Both my mom and dad lived there in their college years. Go Walz! (On top of that musician Martin Zellar is rallying for Walz ; that's news to warm the heart of any flannel-flying Minnesotan of my generation.) Blue Jersey reports the HUGE news that Politics New Jersey is calling New Jersey 7 a "toss up". For those of us who've been targeting Mike Ferguson for months that is music to our ears. Go Linda Stender ! My Left Nutmeg has this GREAT new Lamont ad. Check it out, it'll warm your heart...one of the best political ads this season...Ned Lamont, with alot of help from Frank Capra. Lowell at Raising Kaine heard it right. George Allen's goose is cooked. And, finally, SMART a blog out of Missouri has this great news about another Claire Mc Caskill endors

Conservative AZ editorial board switches from Hayworth to Mitchell

This endorsement from the Arizona Republic, favoring Democrat Harry Mitchell over incumbent GOP blowhard JD Hayworth in Arizona's 5th Congressional district can serve as a stand in for why the Republican Party's goose is cooked this year. It's called Mitchell over the Bully and here are the key grafs: The Arizona Republic has recommended Hayworth's election each of the past six times he has run for Congress. In those editorials, we noted his characteristic bluster and needlessly confrontational attitude but also praised his strong work ethic and dedication to serving his district's constituents. Not this time. This time, we're going to recommend his opponent, Harry Mitchell. Mitchell, a Democrat, has served this community for more than three decades, as a city councilman and long-time mayor of Tempe and most recently as state senator. He is a consensus-builder, respected by community leaders and supported by high-profile Republicans in this race. It isn't