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Upcoming LFA & 21st CD Trainings
Latinos for America and 21st Century Democrats are offering the following campaign training sessions in the month of August:
August 7 - 8, 2004
Phoenix, AZ
Information & Registration >
August 8, 2004
Tucson, AZ
Information & Registration >
August 14, 2004
Albuquerque, NM
Information & Registration >
August 21 -22, 2004
Austin, TX
Information & Registration >
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Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention
Volunteer Social with Governor Dean
Mass for Dean
Wednesday, July 28, 2004 12:00pm - 2:00pm
This is a free, informal event for Dean supporters—a chance to reunite with old friends, meet new ones, and see Governor Dean once again.
Hurricane O'Reilly's
150 Canal Street, Boston, MA
Details & RSVP >
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Howard Dean at the Democratic National Convention
Governor Howard Dean, M.D. addressed the 2004 Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night. A transcript of his remarks follow.
I was hoping for a reception like this. I was just hoping that it would be on Thursday night, instead of on Tuesday night.
I may not be the nominee, but I can tell you this: For the next hundred days, I'll be doing everything I can to make sure that John Kerry and John Edwards take our country back for the people who built it. Because tonight, we're all here to represent the Democratic wing of the Democratic party...
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Where would we be without Howard Dean?
Lindsay Lewis, Democracy for America's National Finance Director, sent this message today to DFA supporters.
Dear Friend,
Here in Boston, delegates, activists and supporters have been thanking Governor Dean for bringing passion back to our party. They are grateful that he helped us remember our fundamental values, taught us how to stand up for ourselves again, and put politics back in the hands of the people.
As he prepares to speak to the convention tonight, we have put up "the bat" to say thank you to Governor Howard Dean:
democracyforamerica.com/thankyouhoward
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Today at the Democratic National Convention
Standing Up to Take Back America
Campaign for America's Future
Tuesday, July 27, 2004 2:00 p.m.
Event with Governor Howard Dean.
Royal Sonesta Hotel
5 Cambridge Parkway, Cambridge, MA
Details & RSVP >
Revolutionary Women's 2004 Boston Rally
Tuesday, July 27, 2004 2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Governor Howard Dean will be speaking along with several famous female progressive leaders.
Boston Conference and Exhibition Center
415 Summer St. Boston, MA
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Fortress Boston: The Happiest Place on Earth?
By Arianna Huffington
BOSTON — Forget Disneyland, for the next few days, Beantown is the happiest place on earth. Or at least the most civil.
The Kerry campaign has put the kibosh on Bush-bashing, preferring to make their candidate's positive vision for the country the overriding theme of the convention.
It's the Anger Management Platform—and a very sensible strategy...
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Vermont's lessons on gay marriage
By Howard Dean
Last week's Senate discussion about gay marriage was another attempt by the Republican Party to gain political points by appealing to our worst prejudices.
In the spring of 2000, Vermont became the first state to recognize same-sex partnerships and to make sure that every right outlined in Vermont's Constitution and laws applied equally to heterosexual and homosexual Vermonters. Every right but one. Gay and lesbian Vermonters do not have the right to call their unions marriage...
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Democratic National Convention Schedule
Governor Dean will be making several appearances during the Democratic National Convention in Boston. The following events are open to the public:
Wednesday, July 28, 2004 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Volunteer Social with Governor Dean
Mass for Dean
This is a free, informal event for Dean supporters—a chance to reunite with old friends, meet new ones, and see Governor Dean once again.
Hurricane O'Reilly's
150 Canal Street
Boston, MA
Please RSVP
Tuesday, July 27, 2004 2:00 p.m.
Standing Up to Take Back America
Campaign for America's Future
Event with Governor Howard Dean.
Royal Sonesta Hotel
5 Cambridge Parkway
Cambridge, MA
Thursday, July 28, 2004 2:00 p.m.
Progressive Democrats of America Conference
Governor Howard Dean is scheduled to address the progressive Democratic caucus.
Roxbury Community College
Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center
1234 Columbus Avenue
Roxbury Crossing, MA
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Swimming Against the Current
By Arianna Huffington
Arnold Schwarzenegger's attack on the Democratic legislators as "girlie men" is a clear indication of his rising anger and frustration at the fact that Fabian Nunez, the 37-year-old Democratic leader of the Assembly, far from being what Arnold calls a "girlie man," has actually outsmarted the Terminator.
I talked to him this morning and it appears that he succeeded in restoring the worst cuts in Arnold's budget: he succeeded in restoring admissions to the thousands of high school students who would not have been able to attend UCs or CSUs if Arnold's budget had prevailed; he succeeded in restoring funding for the Healthy Families program for poor children; he succeeded in restoring in-home support services for people who are disabled; he succeeded in restoring funding for mothers who are moving from welfare to work; he succeeded in restoring funding for child care for many single working mothers. That must have been enough to give the Terminator a fit.
Arnold's governing has always been a masterfully produced masquerade, dependent on his abilities to seduce and charm and on the media's inability to move beyond being star struck and to scrutinize what he is actually doing.
It takes a lot of energy to swim against the prevailing current, so the vast majority of mainstream journalists head in the direction the assignment desk points them. That's why we see so many stories tracking the results of the latest polls. As a result, polling data become a self-fulfilling prophecy: reporters are often reluctant to take on politicians with robust job-approval ratings. We saw it in the heady early days leading up to the Iraq War, when the president's 77-percent rating acted like a flak jacket—a Kevlar statistic cloaking him in an aura of invincibility. And the same has been true of Arnold Schwarzenegger. But now, the mask is slipping, and it's the bully, not the seducer, speaking.
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Outfoxing America
by John Podesta
From my work for Vermont Senator Pat Leahy, and later as White House Chief of Staff, I always knew that Howard Dean was one of our nation's most effective leaders. He was a terrific chief executive, a courageous voice for tolerance and, thanks to Howard Dean's leadership alone, every child in Vermont—and virtually every adult—is now able to see a doctor.
Tragically, it's a record a lot of Americans never heard about.
Instead we were all treated to week after week of "news" stories about Howard Dean's web site, his fundraising, his personality, and his speaking style.
What we were hearing was the Washington echo chamber. It's what happens when we have cut-rate news coverage guided by the conservative status quo and conventional wisdom.
Outrageously, the noise coming from the echo chamber is only growing louder.
As media corporations grow ever larger, independent voices are left with fewer opportunities to be heard. This is particularly true for progressives offering bold ideas.
That's why the Center for American Progress (www.americanprogress.org) joined forces with Moveon.org to sponsor Outfoxed; the hard-hitting Robert Greenwald film detailing the right-wing agenda guiding media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and the Fox News Channel.
Outfoxed documents how Fox News uses its reporters, anchormen and pundits to parrot the Bush administration's policies and presents them as facts.
Want proof?
How about Fox's Bill O'Reilly declaring: "Americans are looking for a strong leader. Mr. Bush has been that. And most Americans had emotion invested in him. He did exactly the right thing after 9/11." [Fox host Bill O'Reilly, 7/22/03]
Then there's Fox News Sunday host Tony Snow who said Bush's Iraq policy; "has created peaceful conditions in more than 90 percent of Iraq." Snow offered no source for his statistic. [Fox anchor Tony Snow, 10/14/03]
If that's not enough, there's Fox anchor Neil Cavuto who praised the right's anti-labor agenda because it represented "a view of individual worker spirits, a boundary-less type of environment where managers can talk directly to workers rather than through an intermediary like unions." [Fox anchor Neil Cavuto, 7/30/02]
Of course, no one has to tell the activists of Democracy for America that outfits like Fox aren't getting the story right. The reason you joined DFA is because you know that, no matter what the corporate media tells us, our country desperately needs to change course.
That's why I'm so proud that Howard Dean and the entire DFA team are helping to spread the word about Outfoxed. They understand that there's only one way to challenge the power and influence of the media conglomerates, and that's to confront them head on.
I know how much DFA's activists are doing to change the direction of our country, but I have one more suggestion. Obtain a copy of Outfoxed at: http://www.outfoxed.org. I encourage you to show it during a Meetup or other DFA gathering in your community. It can be a great organizing tool to bring together others who are fed up with corporate media and ready to make change happen.
Individually, none of us will ever have the strength it takes to fight back against companies like Fox, but together we do!
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The Latest Dean Dozen
Democracy for America sent this message to our supporters last night.
This week's Dean Dozen is just a slice of the thousands of candidates fighting hard to take our country back. These men and women are providing hope. Now it's our job to provide the mouse and shoe leather they are going to need to win. Please take the time to learn more about each of these candidates and campaigns, and let's get to work!
Re-elect Judge Gail S. Tusan to the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia. The Republicans are targeting common sense justices in Georgia in the July 20 primary. Their mission is to control the judicial branch of government for decades to come. It is an organized assault and we need to fight back. There is only a few days left before this election - act now to re-elect Judge Tusan! www.reelectjudgetusan.com
John Drury for the Iowa State Senate. With the help of John Drury and Democracy for Iowa (www.blogforiowa.com), change is coming to Northern Iowa. As a former mayor, John knows the concerns of rural Iowa. Running a grassroots campaign, he is doing what it takes to win - meeting the voters, speaking clearly on the issues and engaging people in his campaign. Learn more about John and how you can help at www.druryforiowasenate.com.
Brian Schweitzer for Governor of Montana. Want to meet a dynamic leader? Meet Brian Schweitzer. Brian came EXTREMELY CLOSE to unseating an incumbent, conservative United States senator four years ago. Since then he has been preparing for the governorship. Now he's ready. Help take our country back in Montana! www.brianschweitzer.com
Melina "Mel" Fox for Congress from Indiana. Melina played a major advisory role in developing the Dean for America Rural America and Farm policy proposals. Now she plans to implement those proposals as a Congresswoman from the Indiana 6th. www.foxforcongress.com
Dr. Arthur Anderson for Supervisor of Elections in Palm Beach County, Florida. Do you think that Palm Beach County could use some new blood when it comes to counting ALL the votes? Democracy for America does. That's why people are so excited about electing Dr. Arthur Anderson. He was the keynote speaker at the Palm Beach "The Computer Ate My Vote" rally yesterday and is a strong advocate for a verifiable paper trail. www.electarthuranderson.com
Nicole LeFavour for Idaho State House. Idaho needs leaders like Nicole LeFavour - people who will fight for smaller class sizes, better health care and the conservation of our natural resources. She has helped defeat an anti-gay ballot initiative, brought community groups together to fight pollution and discrimination, and taught school in Boise. Democracy for America proudly supports teacher, labor advocate and human rights campaigner Nicole LeFavour. www.nicolefordistrict19.com
Al Weed for Congress from Virginia. The Virginia 5th is lucky to have a strong Democratic candidate like Al Weed. And the Weed campaign is lucky to have members of Democracy for Virginia working tirelessly on his campaign. Your help in this race makes Virginia competitive in the presidential race. And when Virginia votes Democratic we all win! www.alweed2004.com
Nick Waugh for San Francisco Supervisor. Thousands of volunteers helped Howard Dean in California with mouse pads, shoe leather and hope. One of those who helped most was Nick Waugh of San Francisco. Running on a platform of education, affordable housing and economic development proposals, Nick will be a dynamic community leader for the future. www.nickwaugh.com
Tony Ford for Rutherford County, Tennessee School Board and Jared Barrett for Rutherford County Road Board. This duo of Iowa Stormers have returned to the Volunteer State and are doing their part taking the country back. Their election is next week. They need your help now! www.change4rutherford.com
Thurston Cromwell for Kansas State Senate. The Kansas legislature has failed the public schools and needs Thurston Cromwell to get something done. As the Kansas volunteer coordinator for the Dean campaign, Thurston knows how to recruit, motivate and engage supporters. This is a great race and great candidate! www.thurstoncromwell.com
Julia Boseman for North Carolina State Senate. Democracy for America joins the Victory Fund, Lilian's List and our friends leading Democracy for North Carolina in enthusiastically endorsing Julia Boseman. With the selection of Senator John Edwards to be John Kerry's running mate, Democratic turnout in North Carolina is going to be very, very high. With that turnout, and Julia's great campaign - she's going to win! www.bosemanforsenate.com.
Tom McMahon
Executive Director
Democracy for America
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Not a Pretty Picture
by Arianna Huffington
Reading the comments about Kerry's pick of Edwards last week, I was surprised by how many did not mention the most progressive part of Edward's agenda -- bridging the gap between the two Americas. As for those who are still questioning whether to vote for the ticket, I want to recommend a book I just finished, "Bush on the Couch," in which psychoanalyst and George Washington University professor Dr. Justin Frank uses the president's public pronouncements and behavior, along with biographical data, to craft a comprehensive psychological profile of Bush 43.
It's not a pretty picture.
Poking around in the presidential psyche, Frank uncovers a man suffering from megalomania, paranoia, a false sense of omnipotence, an inability to manage his emotions, a lifelong need to defy authority, and an unresolved love-hate relationship with his father.
Other than that, he's the picture of psychological health.
One of the more compelling sections of the book is Frank's dissection of what he calls Bush's "almost pathological aversion to owning up to his infractions" -- a mindset common to individuals Freud termed "the Exceptions," those that feel "entitled to live outside the limitations that apply to ordinary people".
Limitations such as having to report for required Air National Guard duty. Or having to adhere to international law.
And it doesn't help diminish this sense of entitlement when Daddy and his pals are always there to rescue you when you get in trouble -- whether it's keeping you out of Vietnam by bumping you to the top of the National Guard waiting list or bailing you out of lousy business deals with cushy seats on corporate boards or making sure those dangling chads in Florida aren't properly counted.
But you don't make it as far as W. has without some psychological chops of your own -- especially when it comes to defending yourself against your own fears and insecurities.
Raised in a family steeped in privilege and secrecy, and prone to the aversion to introspection and denial of responsibility, Bush has become a master of the psychological jiu-jitsu known as Freudian Projection.
For those of you who bailed on Psych 101, Freudian Projection is, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a defense mechanism in which "the individual deals with emotional conflict or internal or external stressors by falsely attributing to another his or her own unacceptable feelings, impulses, or thoughts."
In layman's terms, it's the soot-stained pot calling the kettle "black".
At the end of his analysis, Dr. Frank offers the following prescription: "Having seen the depth and range of President Bush's psychological flaws... our sole treatment option -- for his benefit and for ours -- is to remove President Bush from office."
You don't need to be a psychiatrist to heartily second that opinion.
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Count Every Vote: Delivering Your Petition
Governor Dean just sent this message to everyone who signed the Count Every Vote Petition.
You signed the Count Every Vote petition -- you and over 130,000 others agreed that American democracy deserves an election process that produces accurate and verifiable results.
Now the time has come to the deliver your petition to election officials across the country.
Tomorrow, July 13th, you can be part of a nationwide series of events to push for action. In 19 states we will take our concerns directly to the officials responsible for administering our elections. Find an event near you:
democracyforamerica.com/july13
When we vote, we have the right to be able to verify our choices. And our officials have the responsibility to ensure that when the election is over, the results can be recounted. We cannot afford to risk our democracy on machines that do not meet these standards.
Election day is approaching -- we must act now. Your participation on July 13th will help ensure that everybody can participate on November 2nd. Please join an event near you.
Thank you.
Governor Howard Dean, M.D.
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The First Great Decision of the Kerry Presidency
by Arianna Huffington
The choice of John Edwards as #2 on the Democratic ticket is the first great decision of the Kerry presidency -- a mature, self-confident choice that bodes well for the Kerry campaign as it kicks into high gear.
It wasn't based on looking at a map and trying to figure out who could deliver the most Electoral College votes. It wasn't based on who Kerry felt most comfortable hanging out with. It wasn't based on who would help make Kerry look most presidential.
It was based on who was the best choice for the country.
Instead of picking a running mate who had the strongest resume, Kerry picked the one who had the strongest vision for the country -- a vision that can help Kerry bring heart and soul back to American politics.
Here are just two of the many things about John Edwards that should be sending a cold shiver down Karl Rove's spine right about now:
One: Edwards can help Kerry make this campaign about what kind of America we want to live in -- a campaign not just about policies and programs but also about our fundamental values as a country.
Throughout his primary campaign, Edwards showed an uncanny ability to frame his positions in the language of morality and traditional American values.
"I believe we can build a better life for our families," he said during a Democratic primary debate. "But it has to be based on the values of hard work and responsibility, not accounting tricks and corporate greed. I want to bring your values, the values of Main Street America, to Wall Street and then to Pennsylvania Avenue. I want to give this White House back to the American people."
This is a linguistic battlefield that has been dominated by the right since the 1960s. Edwards' ability to speak to core American ideals like hard work, responsibility, fairness, faith, and family -- the values that built America -- will help Kerry reclaim key words and concepts like "values", "morality" and "responsibility" from the recklessly irresponsible and grossly immoral GOP.
It's not by accident that this is the first quality Kerry cited when announcing Edwards as his running mate: "John understands and defends the values of America. He has shown courage and conviction as a champion for middle class Americans and those struggling to reach the middle class."
George Bush wants to define this campaign in terms of right and left. John Edwards will help make sure that it comes down to a discussion of right and wrong.
Two: Edwards' core theme of the two Americas -- "one for the powerful insiders, and another for everyone else" -- helps sharpen the differences between the two tickets, and shows that far from being a uniter George Bush has been the ultimate divider. As Edwards evocatively paints it, Bush has created two school systems, two health care systems, two economic systems, two tax systems, and even two systems of government, all designed to benefit "those who never have to worry about a thing" -- and at the expense of ordinary Americans.
Edwards has also shown a commitment to putting poverty-fighting front and center in his campaign, sending the message that we are all in the same boat together. This powerful, positive, and patriotic populist vision stands in direct contrast to the "every man for himself" rallying cry of the conservative movement, which is epitomized by Bush and his buddies in the Leave Us Alone Coalition, who'd like nothing better than to see all social programs gutted and abandoned.
As Edwards put it during his presidential run (and will no doubt repeat now that he's back on the stump), "2004 is a make-or-break election because we need to create one America again. And that is the one thing George Bush will never do. Dividing us into two Americas -- one privileged, the other burdened -- has been his agenda all along."
I hope to see those of you in California at "The Democratic All-Stars"Democracy for America fundraiser tonight in Los Angeles, where I will be introducing Governor Dean.
For more on why I'm so excited about Kerry's choice of John Edwards for VP, tune in to Tavis Smiley tonight on PBS.
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Foreign Policy by Tony Soprano?
by Elaine Ciulla Kamarck
Achmend Chalabi reminds me of Tony Soprano. They even look alike - the receding hairline, the fleshy jowls, the stocky body. You can imagine Achmed standing in front of the refrigerator in his wife beater style T shirt eating whatever the Iraqi equivalent of cappicola is - right out of its wrappings. But while Tony steals things, puts fat guys in no show union jobs and occasionally whacks someone, he's got three things in his favor as far as I'm concerned. First, he doesn't dress his criminality up in the ideology of freedom and democracy. He knows he's a crook and he suffers - on the psychiatrist's couch. Second, the Feds who are after him don't have any trouble telling the difference between a con man and a patriot. And finally, when he goes to war he knows what it means and what he's up against.
As for Achmed, he is that most dangerous of combinations - a con man with a cause. For the past fourteen years he's managed to con some pretty important Feds - the Vice President of the United States and the Deputy Secretary of Defense to name a few. But to really understand Chalabi read Jane Mayer's superb piece in the June 7 issue of The New Yorker. Then, send it to absolutely anyone who might consider voting for Bush/Cheney.
Like Tony Soprano, Achmed Chalabi is a cash and carry sort of guy. Chalabi burst onto the American scene while on the lam from Jordan where he had been convicted of thirty one crimes covering everything from embezzlement, to theft, to forgery, to currency speculation, to making false statements and making bad loans to himself and his friends. After his bank fraud convictions he used his knowledge of America to con the CIA into making him the lead guy for organizing a resistance movement to Saddam Hussein. And then the river of cash got really serious. This may have been a good way to spend tax payer dollars except that it didn't yield much in the way of an Iraqi resistance and it didn't yield much in the way of useful intelligence.
In the Sopranos, when poor Adrianna didn't provide anything useful to the FBI they put the squeeze on her and upped the ante to include delivery of her fiancée Christopher - and we all know what happened next. But the CIA is ever so much more gentle. When they concluded that Achmed wasn't delivering - they cut him off - not at the knees - but financially.
This left Achmed to explore other avenues and so, in the mid 1990s he began to befriend Republican members of Congress and prominent neo-conservatives. He found a "paisan" as Tony would say, in Paul Wolfowitz. And then Achmed got really lucky. The Supreme Court decided the 2000 election in favor of George Bush and suddenly the Republicans and Neo-Cons that Achmed had courted so assiduously were the leading family and his friend Wolfowitz was the Godfather. While the CIA knew better than to take Achmed back on the payroll it no longer mattered. The new Godfather created his own intelligence unit over at the Pentagon.
And that was where things really went wrong. One of the reasons to have a professional intelligence service is to have people who get pretty sophisticated about when they're being conned. I once asked a former spy to tell me the most important thing you have to know about intelligence work and it turns out to be pretty simple. When the guys hanging out on the global street corner hear that the U.S. wants information on certain things, they know they'll get well paid to provide what the U.S. wants - whether its true or not. Much of Mayer's piece details the myriad ways in which Chalabi and friends supplied the United States with information about all sorts of dangers - from anthrax to mobile weapons labs to weapons of mass destruction - that we now know is not true. Then they convinced the Bush Administration that an invasion of Iraq would result in a welcome with open arms. Right.
Achmed's decade long con with the United States may have come to an end at last. When his friends in the Pentagon whisked him into Iraq soon after the invasion - no one cared. He had blown through hundreds of millions of dollars and still the Iraqis didn't want him. He has been cut out of the new government and his intelligence - once wolfed down like so much pasta carbonara by the Bush Administration - has been discredited.
But don't count this con artist down and out. Like the Mob which moved from bootlegging to drugs to construction in a seamless effort to make money, Achmed has many more lives before him. Last month his house was raided and he and his associates were accused of giving American secrets to Iran. This time he's out to con the Iranians. Let's see if they'll bite.
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