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One nice by-product of Party of Never Leader Judd Gregg's pre-retirement tradmed lap is that the DNC isn't letting him get away with his distortions anymore.
Once upon a time, a not very long time ago, there was almost no one around to counter his spin. Certainly the UL wasn't going to do that.
The DNC Change Commission held its final in-person meeting today in Washington DC. The Commission discussed draft findings and recommendations regarding the timing of primaries/caucuses, the role of super delegates, and caucus issues. The Commission will have a conference call prior to December 31, 2009 to complete its report. The report will then go to the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee (RBC) which will consider the Commission's recommendations when the RBC drafts the 2012 Delegate Selection rules.
Timing
As to timing, the discussion was relatively brief and consistent with prior discussions - Iowa/NH/SC/Nevada can go after Feb. 1, every other state goes after March 1, the rules should encourage regional clusters by offering incentives such as bonus delegates, the RBC will address enforcement procedures and sanctions, and the DNC will try to coordinate timing with the RNC rules committee. The RNC coordination process is ongoing.
I'm down with that. The '08 primary came dangerously close to being an '07 one, after all.
One of my Facebook friends is upset about the new mammogram guidelines and wrote, "This is not the change I voted for". I commented: "Close your eyes and imagine President McCain and Vice President Palin. She replied, "I see what you mean."
There is a diary here asking whether to boycott the DNC, Organizing for America and Obama's reelection campaign. People have every right to do this, as well as to criticize the seemingly slow pace of change.
I feel as frustrated as the next person, but then I realize the mess we're in wasn't created during eight years of Bush, but during thirty years of an assault on everything progressive that came before, especially the New Deal. Also during that time there has been a severe backlash against women's rights. Stupak-Pits is only the outer manifestation, the boil, if you will, on a much deeper abscess.
There is a diary up at Daily Kos outlining some of what President Obama has managed to accomplish. It's not exhaustive in that there is so much left to be done.
"It is not enough to look back in wonder at how far we have come; those who came before us did not strike a blow against injustice only so that we would allow injustice to fester in our time. That means removing the barriers of prejudice and misunderstanding that still exist in America."
- Democratic Party Platform, 2008
On Monday, November 9, 2009, on Americablog and Americablog Gay, John Aravosis & Joe Sudbay, launched a boycott (temporary hopefully) against the Democratic National Commitee, Organizing For America, and the Obama re-election campaign. They have been joined by:
Daily Kos
Jane Hamsher (FireDogLake)
Dan Savage (The Stranger & Slog)
Michelangelo Signorile (Sirius OutQ & Gist)
David Mixner
Andy Towle & Michael Goff (TowleRoad)
Paul Sousa (Founder, Equal Rep)
Pam Spaulding (Pam's House Blend)
Robin Tyler (ED, Equality Campaign, Inc.)
Bill Browning (Bilerico Project)
Their reasoning:
President Obama promised to be a "fierce advocate" for LGBT Americans. But while making modest progress on a scant few issues, on the major campaign promises made to our community, the President and the Democratic party have failed to keep their commitments.
There has been little, if any, pressure from the White House for votes on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). The administration continues to send mixed signals on the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT). And we've been told not to expect the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to even be considered until President Obama's second term. In the last two weeks alone, we were angered that the Obama administration continued to defend DOMA in the courts -- last June, the administration's lawyers even compared loving gay relationships to incest and pedophilia -- and we were saddened that the White House and the Democratic party refused to help us defeat anti-gay ballot initiatives in Maine and Washington state. LGBT Americans, our families, and our friends kept our promise at the ballot box, we now expect President Obama to keep his in the White House.
Until the Democratic Congress passes, and President Obama signs, legislation enacting ENDA, repealing DADT, and repealing DOMA, we ask you to join us in pledging to postpone contributions to the Democratic National Committee, Organizing for America, and the Obama campaign.
I don't usually do this kind of thing, join boycotts or promote them, yet I have been feeling such frustration over the national Dems and the Obama administration's handling of gay issues (beginning with the inauguration) I just had to do something.
Last Friday I posted on my blog, Dubious MindBomb Internet Radio, my feelings and concerns over the boycott being called for by Americablog's John Aravosis and Joe Sudbay. John and Joe (who was raised in Maine) worked tirelessly on Maine's No on 1 campaign! They have blogged about it constantly and raised thousands in support of "No on 1" (through Americablog and Americablog Gay). They even live-blogged from Portland on election night
The failure of Obama (or his administration) to even mention support for the civil rights effort in Maine and the DNC's failure to support it financially or to even it mention it in get out the vote e-mails (sent out on election day), were the final straws for them and should be for us! Unfortunately, there is much, much more...
I would love for you all to take a look at it, follow the links & weigh it carefully, and then join me in signing the pledge not to support (temporarily) the DNC, OFA, or the Obama campaign financially.
Turn off the gAyTM? I say, "Yes"!
This was a hard step for me to take...My blog is there, primarily, in support of my Internet Radio Station, "Dubious MindBomb", and not political action.
So please give it a read and let's stop the national politicians from taking our money with one hand and slapping us in the face with the other!
Read my full post at:
http://dubiousmindbomb.blogspo...
Sign the Pledge here: http://www.dontaskdontgive.com
Read the boycott FAQ:
http://gay.americablog.com/200...
Just when I was getting depressed over this post from Bowers on the scaling back of Howard Dean's 50-state strategy, this good news pops up in my in-box.
Our own Ray Buckley has been elected president of the Association of Democratic State Chairs. From the email release, boldface mine:
"I am humbled and honored to accept this position," said Buckley. "As president of the Association of State Democratic Chairs, I will lead the fight to continue the 50-state State Partnership Program, which dedicates resources and staff to every state Democratic Party across the country. I'm excited to work with Chairman Kaine on his agenda to both maintain and create Democratic majorities at a state and national level.
Congrats, Ray. And anything you can do to keep the spirit of the 50-state strategy alive and well for the next cycle is much appreciated.
UPDATE: Meet Ray Buckley, my new hero. CNN:
WASHINGTON (CNN) - When Jennifer O'Malley Dillon, the new executive director of the Democratic National Committee, concluded her brief remarks to a meeting of state party chairs in Washington on Wednesday, she got a clear and simple reminder of what DNC members want from the committee's new leadership.
"Jen, you don't really need to hear any questions," New Hampshire party chairman Raymond Buckley told her. "We have three words for you: '50-state strategy.'"
According to NYT & WaPo, Governor Howard Dean is stepping down as Chairman of the DNC:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes...
He will make a great Cabinet member (HHS?).
Back from my days at Middlebury, I've long admired Gov. Dean ... his "50 state strategy" in large measure made it possible for President-elect Obama to compete in - and WIN - Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia, Colorado and all those red states that turned blue last week. His speech at Carol Shea-Porter's house party in Manchester (including his story about Rahm Emanuel) also was one of my favorite '08 speeches here in NH.
Many, many Hamsters are Deaniacs from Day 1, and we're all Deaniacs now, so let's make this an open thread in honor of one visionary, progressive Democratic Party chairman!
Undercover cops were among the unruly at DNC
By Felisa Cardona
The Denver Post
When a Jefferson County deputy deployed pepper spray into a crowd during the first night of the Democratic National Convention, he did not know that his targets were undercover Denver police officers.
During a melee that occurred Aug. 25 between protesters, police and bystanders near Civic Center Park, undercover Denver detectives staged a struggle with a police commander in order to get out of the crowd undetected.
A Jefferson County deputy, unaware of the presence of undercover police, thought that the commander was being attacked and deployed the pepper spray, according to a police use-of-force report obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado.
Time for some of that "national dialogue." Whenever we have a national racial incident -- say, Michael Richards and his tragic crackup in L.A. -- someone calls for a "national dialogue on race." So we have it, for a couple of days or maybe a week, and then we drop it. Forgive the analogy, but the point is, if we don't want to talk about it, we don't talk about it.
Politics, for good or ill (and I would argue, ill) never stops. So maybe -- maybe -- this endless and breathtakingly expensive political campaign will spur some useful dialogue.
I had planned to bring this up on November 5 or 6. But some conservatives are jumping the gun.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Campaign Finance Gets New Scrutiny
Obama's Take Raises Questions About Web
Barack Obama's unconventional fundraising success, many experts say, could transform the campaign finance system, though it also raises new questions.
By Matthew Mosk
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 26, 2008; Page A01
Sen. Barack Obama's record-breaking $150 million fundraising performance in September has for the first time prompted questions about whether presidential candidates should be permitted to collect huge sums of money through faceless credit card transactions over the Internet.
Lawyers for both the Republican and Democratic parties have asked the Federal Election Commission to examine the issue, pointing to dozens of examples of what they say are lax screening procedures by the presidential campaigns that permitted donors using false names or stolen credit cards to make contributions.
"There is so much money coming in and yet very little ability to say with certainty that you know who is giving it," said Sean Cairncross, the Republican National Committee's chief counsel.
Sean, my friend, please take this in the spirit that it is intended: You are a lying sack of s**t. But don't take my word for it, look across the proverbial aisle:
In a paper outlining those safeguards, provided to The Washington Post, the [Obama] campaign said it runs twice-daily sweeps of new donations, looking for irregularities. Flagged contributions are manually reviewed by a team of lawyers, then cleared or refunded. Reports of misused credit cards lead to immediate refunds.
In September, according to the campaign, $1.8 million in online contributions was flagged, and $353,000 was refunded. Of the contributions flagged because a foreign address or bank account was involved, 94.1 percent were found to be proper. One-tenth of one percent were marked for refund, and 5.77 percent are still being vetted.
I suppose Mr. Cairncross would argue that it's easy for the wealthy Obama campaign to vet its donors, whereas he needs every dime. But afford is a relative term in politics, and the RNC has plenty of cash.
It's great to see that the Obama folks are so cautious. Here's hoping it's genuine vigilance and not "Let's cover our a** from potential criticism from McCain." Then again, I shouldn't care about the motivation.
The main premise of this concern, that credit card transactions are "anonymous," is patently ridiculous. In our great nation, every financial transaction involving a bank (including you taking 20 bucks from an ATM) is monitored. Those transactions are ranked according to risk. Higher risk transactions, like large cash deposits, are flagged immediately, as are certain behaviors -- if you take a credit card cash advance in a casino, that goes on your credit report.
This article cites conservative bloggers using fake names to make Obama donations. Thanks for the money, guys. All the transaction software cares about is the card. I know this because, yesterday afternoon, I bought groceries using a debit card. The cashier did not ask me for an ID. And by the way, this was not my regular supermarket, so the guy had never seen me before. The line had to move.
My wife is licensed in her profession, so she pays a fee to the state licensing board. Once or twice, she's forgotten to mail the form and had me pay online to make sure it got there on time. This happened at least once before we were married. How does the state know I'm not committing fraud? It doesn't. The transaction device does not care about the name.
So these conservative bloggers are either deliberately ignoring this fact and trying to create trouble for Obama, or just unaware.
I am here to help. I'm looking forward to our national dialogue on campaign finance.
Today's crop of worry-warts has not yet started over on DailyKos. Over the past few days there has been a steady stream of diaries talking about how the convention has been too boring, or Hillary's speech didn't praise Obama enough, or speakers were not attacking McCain enough. Much of this concern seems to come directly from the Pundit Industry.
In my opinion the convention has been just about perfect.
Momocrat Julie Pippert sits down with Jeanne Shaheen for a few minutes at the convention:
To be fair: I'll add vid of Sununu at the RNC. Oh, wait, I forgot. He's too afraid to admit he's a Republican, and has sprinted away from that association.
Now that one of the most remarkable primaries in our nation's history has concluded, attention is turning to the Democratic National Convention in Denver. In less than three months, the Mile High City and the Rocky Mountain West will host this historic event for the first time since 1908.
The Convention also coincides with Denver's 150th birthday - a
century-and-a-half of progress and innovation since its birth at the height of the Colorado gold rush. A hub of opportunity for people seeking new frontiers, people come to Colorado seeking much more than gold these days. The spirit of visionary zeal and limitless possibility is as strong as ever in the New West. So it's fitting that as the Democratic Party marches toward its own new frontier, it will do so through Denver.
A message to all of you in New Hampshire: you don't have to be in Denver - or on the Convention floor - to get in on the action though. The Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee has organized two interactive ways for people anywhere in America to get involved. We're convening a national conversation about democracy and community and invite everyone to participate.
Our own State Senator Martha Fuller Clark is a member of the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee which, as fate would have it, will play a large role in the Democratic nomination endgame on Saturday.
Sen. Fuller Clark is an Obama supporter. But, Hillary fans, I wouldn't get too concerned - Clintonian Harold Ickes, justly famous for his grasp of party arcana on the one hand, and his power to persuade on the other, is on the committee as well.
This has been covered here, there, and everywhere, but I thought it might be useful to sum it up, along with a copy of the press release that Michael Brunelle sent on behalf of the NHDP (email, and below the fold):
There are 30 delegates going to the Democratic convention from the Granite State (and four alternates). Here's the breakdown:
Clinton's supers are Gaetan DiGangi, Anita Freedman, and Kathy Sullivan's the add-on, while Obama has Carol Shea-Porter, Paul Hodes, and Martha Fuller-Clark.
Feels so odd to be tying the bow on the NH Primary like this after such a long process. And how reflective of the nation we are in our delegate count! Obama and Clinton are tied. Yet the former has a virtually insurmountable lead in delegates won, states won, the popular vote, and fundraising. There's a strong argument to be made that the remaining unpledged supers as well as those Edwardians not feeling loyalty to John ought to be swayed by that reality. And the latter happens to be the candidate who won our state. Just as strong an argument can be made for that person to get the majority of our delegates because of the simple fact that she won.
That's probably why the Air Force, the entity most favored by our flyboy Presidents and president-wanna-be McCain, has committed itself to a fleet of stealth fighters and bombers, despite the fact that they're hard to land and don't do well when there's salt in the air. But, that's not my topic today. Rather, alerted by Laura Clawson to the fact that Huckabee had set up a new PAC in support of Republican long-shots, I was prompted to take a look at what else the fellow, who supposedly gave up on his quest for the Republican presidential nomination in early March, has been up to.
The DNC Doctor is in (from an linkless email, sorry), and he's got no intention of messing with the pre-existing rules regarding Michigan and Florida (boldface mine):
"We're glad to hear that the Governors of Michigan and Florida are willing to lend their weight to help resolve this issue. As we've said all along, we strongly encourage the Michigan and Florida state parties to follow the rules, so today's public overtures are good news. The rules, which were agreed to by the full DNC including representatives from Florida and Michigan over 18 months ago, allow for two options. First, either state can choose to resubmit a plan and run a party process to select delegates to the convention; second, they can wait until this summer and appeal to the Convention Credentials Committee, which determines and resolves any outstanding questions about the seating of delegates. We look forward to receiving their proposals should they decide to submit new delegate selection plans and will review those plans at that time. The Democratic Nominee will be determined in accordance with party rules, and out of respect for the presidential campaigns and the states that did not violate party rules, we are not going to change the rules in the middle of the game.
Hard to read the tea leaves on it, but my guess is that he'd be happy if they each resubmitted plans for a new primary.
