How My Iowa Precinct Caucus Works- With all the talk about Presidential Campaigns, debates, etc. these days, I thought the world could stand yet another story about how the caucus process works in Iowa.
John Edwards speaks about his health care plan at a town hall meeting in Dubuque IA. He emphasizes choice, continuity of coverage, offering competing coverage from the government and subsidizing coverage for the poor and middle class Americans. I think health care should be a top issue in the campaign and am glad to see that Edwards is putting forth a comprehensive plan. However, I think it is past time to take the private insurance companies out and begin to limit the AMA's influence over medical costs.
Judicial Appointments or Elections- A truly interesting and extensive piece appeared over at the MAINstream Coalition's blog today that discussed an upcoming ballot initiative in Johnson County, Kansas that would move county judges from being appointed by a panel to being elected by the public.
The instigator of the ballot initiative is of course another wing-nut who thinks that by making judges become elected he would score a bunch of conservative judges - ignoring the fact that this will definitely not be the case, especially among the members of the Johnson County Bar Association.
The piece links to a 2007 AP story on the Tim Golba as well as info on the specific bill.
"No age group has been more ridiculed for their lack of participation than those under 30. But in Indiana that age group comprised 16 percent of the overall vote while those 65 or older comprised 15 percent. Under 30s went for Obama 61 percent to 39 percent, a margin that all but neutralized Clinton's 44 percent margin among older Hoosiers."
Breaking: Indiana Voters Turned Away- According to a release from the Student PIRGs a number of Indiana voters were INCORRECTLY turned away from the polls today and given MISINFORMATION about the validity of their identification preventing them from casting a ballot they legally should have been able to cast.
Let me remind you - that when the US Supreme Court made its decision they decided...
Hillary’s Favorite Fallacies- Abstract. Any student of logic has to be astonished that the five most important arguments being advanced on behalf of Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination are fallacious. Some of them, such as that, since she prevailed over Obama in certain large states, such as Pennsylvania, Obama would be unable to win those states in the general election, are even being featured on the front page of The New York Times. But that Obama lost to Hillary in the primary does not mean he would lose to John McCain in the general election. The best reasons for Hillary could not pass scrutiny in a freshman course on critical thinking.
"This was never supposed to happen. I think everyone was unprepared for this because Pennsylvania has never mattered before!" she said over the phone between spirits of answering questions to shouting voices in the background.
Kansas State Treasurer and Republican candidate for Congress Lynn Jenkins (CPA) has spent the last several months trying to make her American Century scandal go away... and with good reason. That's some pretty sketchy hijinks if you ask me.
In her op-ed to the Kansas City Star, Jenkins CPA wrote (I would link but archived articles at the star older than a week old must be purchased for $2.95 proving once and for all that the Star is all about money ... not so much about news... but I digress)
NY-21: A Universal Health Care Candidate!- Cross Posted on DailyKos
Now that the furor over Spitzer's prostitution-prosecution scandal has died down and Governor Paterson has been sworn in, things can get back to normal in New York's Capital Region. The region is home to the 21st New York Congressional District, where two amazing things are happening.
First, we have five announced candidates in a Democratic primary to fill retiring Representative Mike McNulty's seat, something that has never happened in the district before.
Second, out of all these five candidates, only one, Phil Steck, is distancing himself from the pack by joining local doctors and advocating for full, single-payer, universal health care. He's doing this for two main reasons: first, because it makes sense, and second, because no matter who gets elected President this year, once we have the White House, we're going to need Congressmen who are able to push him or her to keep their promises.
More below the fold.
The primaries came roaring through this week (I live in Ohio) so I got the same heavy dose of campaigning many of the rest of you already received. One of the strongest impressions it left is that this election season has many of the bad features of previous ones, only more so. As a result we have not had a discussion of many issues of substance.
KS-02: Making Tom DeLay Smile- The Kansas Second Congressional District race just started to get a little more interesting. And a whole lot more snarky.
BoydaBloc has posted a great video that captures the recent excitement.
KS GOP Laughs Off Young Voters- This week after the Kansas GOP primary I got a tip off about a piece in a local Kansas paper about the caucus and the comparable turnout. Understandably, there was immense turnout for the Democratic caucus and not so much for the GOP despite the fact that the GOP caucus was infinitely more convenient - being on a Saturday morning which wasn't plagued with a blizzard.
After Edwards dropped out of the race, there were many tributes and appreciations. John Nichols delivered one of the best, in the Nation:
A call for help!- I'm a life-long Democrat running in the Democratic primary against one opponent who has voted Republican in every election from 1996 to 2006 and another who has never voted in a Democratic primary in the district. They are both trial lawyers who have hit the jackpot.
Obama's Game- In every con game, there comes a moment when even the dumbest sucker in the world will ask, "Why me?"
"What makes me so special that I should get $2 million from a secret Romanian bank account in return for a mere $11,000?"
Super Tuesday- Tomorrow I get to vote. I actually get to vote in an election that actually may effect the outcome of the American political process.
Edwards, Clinton, & Obama: On Economics & Workers- John Edwards' loyal, astute supporters are rightfully proud of his focus on economic inequities and the decline of the middle- and lower-classes in this country. Therefore, these two important news revelations will certainly interest both Edwards and his supporters:
Batwoman vs. the Fog Monster- Edwards is gone, Kucinich is gone, Dodd is gone, and somehow the progressive movie that we thought we were watching has turned into Batwoman vs. the Fog Monster.
I expected it, didn’t you? Instead of "Hanging Chads", this time we got the instantly infamous “Double Bubbles" on the 2008 L.A. County primary ballot. Independent voters were required to ask for a Democratic ballot, and then required to check a little BUBBLE at the top of that ballot to confirm they wanted to vote in the Democratic primary. What is this, government by Larry David? *
On Considering The Past Week, Or, It’s Time For A Difficult Conversation- There are many unknowns after the public spoke in Iowa and New Hampshire this past week; but one thing we do know is that you and I are just as good at predicting the outcome of these things as most of the experts.
To be honest, all the confusion is exactly why I’ve kept my mouth shut until now.
I still don’t think I can offer effective predictions…but that’s not my goal for today.
Instead, we need to have a talk about what may have made so many New Hampshire polls so wrong, and how that might affect the top three Democratic contenders…and maybe Richardson as well.
It’s not happy talk, and some of it takes us to very unpleasant places—but it’s a talk we need to have.
Why I'm in Iowa- I've been in Iowa for a week, doing whatever it takes to win Iowa and the Democratic Nomination for Senator Joe Biden.
I'm beyond talking about Chuck Grassley and Tom Carper's Bankruptcy Bill, or the Clarence Thomas hearings that were cut short by Anita Hill's team. I'm beyond pedantic enucleations of back-door bureaucratic negotiations. I'm way beyond Hillary bashing. I'm not even asking for money. Instead, I'm going to tell you a story that in some ways goes back to a young college student in his small town's only diner, and in other ways goes back to a young man growing up in Delaware. Hopefully, you will indulge me as I go back in to my past, our past, and Joe Biden's past with some of my recollections and a few quotes that help tell the story. To those enamored with brevity, I apologize for the commodious topics covered in this diary. I think it's a rewarding read, but it's not for the faint of heart. Perhaps it will tell you more about a great Democratic Senator and a little about ourselves. And so it begins ...
Al Gore and Iowa Caucuses- The efforts of the grassroots movement supporting Al Gore for the presidential nomination will land him a ballot spot in New York (as diaried here).There may be a problem in other states, which may require the candidate to file an affidavit of candidacy. In addition, some caucus states may present a roadblock. The purpose of this diary is to discuss the process in Iowa and how to best approach the movement here.
John Edwards Brings Populist Message Back to Ohio- Democratic Presidential candidate, John Edwards, brought his message of returning power to the people into Columbus, Ohio Friday evening. Speaking to a lively and engaged crowd of about 800 people, Edwards laid out his distinct vision for America. Under his popular grassroots theme of, "Small Change for Big Change", Edwards energized an already eager for change crowd, stumping for about 25 minutes, at the Plumbers & Pipefitters Local #189 union hall, near Ohio State campus.
It was about a year ago that I decided to support Edwards. I did so for many reasons (which I discuss here and here) but for one reason above all others: I believed he would be the most progressive candidate among the top-tier. And so he has; he is. On virtually every important issue--health care, taxes, trade, climate change, poverty, even foreign policy--he's running to the left of Obama and Clinton. We've arrived at the point where progressives have to concoct reasons not to support him.
How Edwards Can Win Over Small Business Owners- John Edwards is pretty good when it comes to the credit card industry. To be sure, he has made an issue out of it, while I can't find much anything about the issue on either Hillary Clinton's or Barack Obama's websites. I'll give credit where it's due: He's willing to take on issues that matter to real Americans.
But then the flip-side of that is that I'm addressing this diary to him, and not to the others. They should listen too. But I think Edwards is the only one who might, and maybe is the one who can make the best political use as well.
More below the jump.
During last night's GOP debate--among the half-truths and no truths spouted by the Gang of Ten--this one stood out. Or should have. Asked by Wolf Blitzer whether the United States was right to start the war in Iraq, Mitt Romney said:
As I'm sure everyone here knows, the Iowa caucuses are not for the faint of heart, politically speaking. Low temperatures, bad weather, not to mention having to be at a caucus for as long as four hours while telling other people why you support who you're supporting. It can be almost exhausting from what I hear. Which is why I'm curious about the recent polling in Iowa.
Edwards Plan re: drop out rates, NCLB and Debate wrap up- Hey all just saw this on Edwards' site thought it might be a good thing to post here. I am also going to put out a bit of a debate wrap up. I read through the transcript and it did not seem like anything too new was mentioned. Edwards really did not get to talk about education so I will highlight it.
Do you really know what's for lunch tomorrow?- This was originally written for Daily Kos but has been edited and adapted for posting elsewhere.
I see so many diaries, articles, and essays being posted (on the InterTubes), each breathlessly claiming their choice of the 3 "Official" candidates is the most electable or will win
Supporting Senator Joe Biden is truly a labor of love.
He is an underdog for the Democratic party nomination. (Which is, of course, a testament to the diversity of our party that the old white guys are the underdogs on the Presidential ticket.)
I went to vlog an Edwards Town Hall in Dover, NH on Saturday. It was a day marked by torrential thunderstorms yet about 300 NHer-ites turned out to see the candidate speak and take hard questions from Granite State voters. They, my neighbors to the north, know they're king makers and they take their job seriously. Thank God that at least "some people" still have respect for the process.
I recently saw the You-Tube clip of a conversation between Hillary Clinton and John Edwards after the presidential debate with Edwards stating that the fringe candidates should not be allow to debate because they were not "serious" enough. Clinton agreed and stated that her campaign had tried to derail them previously. They agree to try again in the Fall.
Obama's The One!- If ever there was a doubt about who would best lead our country and defeat the incompetent and evil Republicans next year, all that was shattered during the latest Democratic debate.
Barack Obama was on game, to the point, and not afraid to take a hard stance while Hillary Clinton seemed uncharacteristically lost trying to attack Obama.
I'm sure many of you have already seen the news. The minimum wage went up to the princely sum of $5.85/hour on Tuesday. Although it's a start, it's nowhere near enough. Indeed, this miniscule wage increase still leaves millions of Americans below the poverty line here, in the richest nation on Earth. And the one candidate who realizes that even $7.25/hour (the amount the minimum wage is scheduled to reach) is not enough is John Edwards. Follow me after the jump for more on how John Edwards is waging the latest battle in the War on Poverty.
Gore, Clark, Kos, and the 2008 Election- For readers of tea leaves, the omens have not been favorable lately for a 2008 Gore Presidential run. For one thing, the man himself still sounds decidedly less than enthusiastic about the prospect, and there are those supposed semi-insider leaks that say Gore spoke more positively in private about the prospect two months ago than he has of late.
Who won the Debate? CNN.- You Tube Debate Analysis
July 25, 2007
Winner of the last Democratic presidential debate: CNN
Loser: The American people.
Here is why:
1. CNN is terrified that you might actually notice Dennis Kucinich.
When I first heard this phrase, I was puzzled. For me, it could easily be the other way around. But then I’ve always enjoyed opposites and contradictions; you know, turning something on its back and looking at its belly. Whether we use this phrase as a campaign guide or a life guide, I’ll stick with John Kenneth Galbraith in his distrust of conventional wisdom.
I've been criticized from time to time for "humanizing" the health crisis. People write to me complaining about "my stories". No, they're not my stories, they're tragic American stories.
I'm sure it can't be easy to defy the pundits, consultants and the professional talkers--all that brilliant and expensive conventional wisdom.
Al Gore: The Next 44 Days.- The time has come to have a serious discussion about Al Gore and about whether or not you want him to run for President because let's be honest with each other.
Al Gore doesn't have to run. He can go forward and fight his fights from the outside in. He can run a different campaign and keep winning it. If you were Al Gore, you probably wouldn't run either. Do I think he would lose a lot of momentum if and when it's clear he isn't running for President? Hell yes. But he would still have plenty to do.
But I'm here to say: we need Al Gore.
John Edwards is Visiting My South- Marks, Mississippi. Marianna Arkansas. Memphis Tennessee. These are the first stops for John Edwards on a special journey that begins July 16 in New Orleans, goes up the Mississippi, across to the Rust Belt of the upper Ohio Valley states and ends in Appalachia. John Edwards is highlighting poverty in this country: The Road to One America Tour.
Today, Uncle Bud's great-nephew announces a new service designed for the Progressive Left. He has created a Google gadget to provide an Eisenhower Republican's daily thoughts and concerns about the woeful state of his party. Well, it was his party, but now it is a tattered sock-toy worried almost to shreds by the many GOP factions fighting among themselves for the chance to fumigate the White house in 2008. (Tom "The Exterminator" Delay is angling for the no-bid contract.) Uncle Bud looks at the GOP candidates and sees quantity trumping quality.
Digging Mike Gravel- Cross posted at Future Majority
Mike Gravel may be the crazy grandfather in the Democratic presidential primary, but he's also a potential rallying point for a whole bunch of folks who voted Nader in 2000 and think Kucinich is a toothless joke. He's had some solid appearances lately - particularly on the Colbert Report and during the Democratic debate, where he was a jolt of energy in an otherwise soporific event.
I went to a NH meet and greet with Ned Lamont appearing on behalf of Chris Dodd for President. It was old school Granite State grassroots with about 30 people attending an open discussion of current events in a lovely private home.
I can connect the dots, can you? I always liked playing "connect the dots" as a child. That's why I like John Edwards. He takes away the confusion. Just connect the dots. John Edwards has a way of pulling back the curtain and showing the citizens how the system works and what we can do to take the power back of "we the people".
John Edwards - Reno Town Hall: Two Americas- John Edwards made an appearance at a town hall at Damonte Ranch High School in Reno NV last Saturday. This is an excerpt from that speech.
What does Fred Thompson have going for him except that, like Paris Hilton, he's famous for being famous?
His acting? Please. He plays the same character in every role. Himself. And he wouldn't even do that well but for the luck of having a sonorous, good-ol'-boy voice.
Dem Presidential Roundup - The Rest of the Candidates- After the CNN forum (I hesitate to call it a "debate"), there has been much talk about how the early favorites are framed, (such as in this diary on framing from earlier today on DailyKos) how much TV time they got, etc. This leads to another question: who really should get to decide who the leaders are, and how is it decided?
Former Sen. John Edwards, left, Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama during the Democratic presidential primary debate in Manchester, N.H., June 3, 2007.
The Recipe for Debate Du Jour- As with any recipe the use of quality ingredients will have a direct result on your outcome. Start with half a dozen or so canned and homogenized candidates, making sure that each candidate is so full of themselves as to exude confidence. Then in a well-greased and corporately funded cable news network place the candidates in the media-mixing bowl.
Chuck Todd, a quintessential insider, recently described a phenomenon that will come as no surprise to Edwards supporters. Speaking to Ezra Klein, Todd said of Edwards, "[F]or some reason he's pissed off half of DC...half of the Democratic elite here in DC just hate John Edwards."
The Party Line- Diversity is rigeur du jour in the Democrat Party. I say rigeur, because it has become a rigid standard to not only accept diversity, but also to encourage diversity.
I Support John Edwards- Cross posted at DailyKos.
I spent a great deal of time this year thinking about who, if anyone, I should support in the Democratic Presidential primary.
Local Politicking: I Attend a County Commissioner Candidate's Forum- Cross-posted at DailyKos.
In my experience, most "netroots" progressives are the kind of people who follow the national news. They're likely to already know who's running for President on both the Democratic and Republican sides. They're likely to know who's running for Congress, Senate, or Governor in not only their own state, but also states half way across the country. They're likely to have contributed money to a candidate, or to have spent time working for one (or more) themselves.
The Importance of Hope- Cross-posted to DailyKos.
On Tuesday, May 15th, I will be voting in Pennsylvania's primary election. The race that is gaining most of my attention is to determine which Democrats will be nominated in the York County Commissioners race. Doug Kilgore, Doug Hoke, and Ned Grove are all running for the slot. Two of them will be nominated.
Where Every Vote Counts: Voting in Local Elections- Cross-posted to DailyKos.
The dust has settled in the Pennsylvania primary election. Debra Todd and Seamus McCaffery are now the Democratic nominees for two open State Supreme Court positions. Act 1, part of Governor Rendell's plan for property tax relief, faced a resounding defeat, everywhere in the state. And, in my home county of York, Pennsylvania, Doug Hoke and Ned Grove, in a surprising upset, defeated incumbent Doug Kilgore in the Democratic primary for County Commissioner.
How is that going to help? (Changing the nomination calendar or process)- As more states move their primary dates up, presumably to attract more attention from the candidates and to have more of a say in the nomination, the effect of such leapfrogging on individual candidacies is unknown. As Devilstower diaried yesterday at DailyKos (Who Wins At Leapfrog?), there is a lot of discussion about the jockeying going on among the states and no apparent consensus about what the result might be for any particular candidate for the presidential nomination.
DCDemocrat for Hillary!- This is my first post on Diatribune, and I thought I would take an opportunity to add my first few words to the site. I am grateful for the invitation to participate in the dialogue here. I suppose some of the people who post here may know me from Daily Kos.
And I hope in the coming days, weeks and months, he will push even harder.
Once the significant and sustained organized attacks against John Edwards begin in earnest, we'll recognize that his healthcare proposal is a bit more radical than anything we've yet seen. It's still preserves private insurers and the huge waste they generate, but it opens the door to single-payer, or so I believe.
Progressive Democrat Newsletter Issue 122- This week I discuss the Democratic presidential candidates, another right wing nutcase spewing hate speech, and how Veterans are targeting John McCain for his lockstep, blind support of Bush. If you visit my blog, don't forget to click on an advertiser or two since that helps me keep the blog going. As usual I also highlight local events and organizations for several states.
I have been watching the news, the campaigns, and I realize we have a very diverse group of Democratic Candidates already in the race for President and the leader of the pack. We probably have the most diverse group to ever be in contention at anytime in history, and it seems absurd that I can not find comfort in any of them.
There no longer can be any doubt: John Edwards is running a bold, progressive campaign. Even supporters of other contenders now acknowledge that he has embraced positions--and ways of articulating them--that progressives can't help but like.
I started out this morning writing a diary about how the American people were once again robbed of meaningful discussion on economic policy and transformational politics when John Edwards appeared on "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos. But wouldn’t you know I was also trying to listen to The Young Turks on Air America.
A Fake Consultant Field Trip: John Edwards Visits The Fighting Trojans- It was a cool spring afternoon, the sun peeking out from behind occasionally gray and ominous patches of clouds.
The kind of spring day that carries the hope of renewal-the time of the season when it seems every team has a shot at the pennant.
In yesterday’s Washington Post, Harold Meyerson has a thought provoker about the Republican and Democratic primary candidates. It’s called "Democrats in Conflict, the GOP in Space" Meyerson on the 2008 Race
Talk To Us: Democrats, Policy, and Young Voters- Cross-posted at MyDD and Daily Kos
In 2004, John Kerry made a huge mistake. While touring colleges and universities,he delivered long-winded speeches about medicare and social security to audiences of teens and twenty-somethings whose main concerns were rising student debt, shrinking employment opportunities, and their friends, busy fighting an ill-conceived land war in Asia. As a result, one of the more popular sites during the '04 election was called John Kerry is a douchebag but I'm voting for him anyway.
History is in the details, and this week when the ’08 candidates presented the cash available for the upcoming primary season, history turned the corner. I knew it when I went to Canadian Broadcasting Company looking for a hockey game. An ad came up for CBC news with all those fast action photos they run by you – a Bush close up, war in Iraq, fires in California, bears slipping on ice floes in The Great White North.
This time there was a new face: Barack Obama’s and it popped up a few seconds even before Bush’s. Another famous face was conspicuously absent: Hillary Clinton’s.
No doubt everyone here has already heard the terrible news. Cancer is something that strikes not just the body, but the soul as well. It is a terrible disease that cares not one whit what your color, class, race, creed, or political persuasion is. And yet, in this darkest of moments, John and Elizabeth Edwards have shown us what it truly means to be a beacon of hope and optimism in troubled times. They will continue to fight, not just for Elizabeth's health, but for a brighter tomorrow for all of America. A discussion of the stakes after the jump.
Oh -- but he's such a good speaker: The Obama Factor- As a continuation of my rip on the Presidentials that don't strike my fancy I'm moving to #2.
Obama jumped onto the radar at the convention in 2004 with his profound and passionate speech that energized from the rooftops anyone who might be a little huffy about their respective candidates not winning the 2004 nod.
He speaks and writes with passion. He brought democrats together at a time of necessary unity for the success of our party.
Presidential Ponderings: HRC- As my first debut I thought it would be best to be upfront about my Presidential opinions.
I believe Hillary Clinton can win a presidential bid in 2008. Let's just get that out of the way. I think she can do it. In fact, I'm sure she can do it. There are a large number of states HRC would need to win and of those her leanings are far more mainstream than that of McCain who has more conservative clout than Mr. Guli.
Barack Obama drew over 20000 people to hear him speak on a rainy Friday in Austin Texas. You can watch a video of his speech here or here. These are really amazing numbers at any point in a campaign but it is particularly impressive this early in the season.
There were a couple of posts on Daily Kos yesterday, here, and here chastising Hillary Clinton for her refusal to say that her vote authorizing the war in Iraq was a mistake.
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A truly interesting and extensive piece appeared over at the MAINstream Coalition's blog today that discussed an upcoming ballot initiative in Johnson County, Kansas that would move county judges from being appointed by a panel to being elected by the public.
The instigator of the ballot initiative is of course another wing-nut who thinks that by making judges become elected he would score a bunch of conservative judges - ignoring the fact that this will definitely not be the case, especially among the members of the Johnson County Bar Association.
The piece links to a 2007 AP story on the Tim Golba as well as info on the specific bill.
Liz Rincon is the state director for the Pennsylvania League of Young Voters, and while she hasn't been on the ground organizing for more than several months she's done a lot.
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I went to vlog an Edwards Town Hall in Dover, NH on Saturday. It was a day marked by torrential thunderstorms yet about 300 NHer-ites turned out to see the candidate speak and take hard questions from Granite State voters. They, my neighbors to the north, know they're king makers and they take their job seriously. Thank God that at least "some people" still have respect for the process.
