Go, jjem!

Jessica, as she gives a leg-up to Howard and DFA, is first. 

And so note:  as Jessica is first - Howard and DFA are before her.  Some displays of altruism are admirable.  Bravo, Jessica.

Of all the slogans and phrases DFA uses, in your mind, what slogan best reflects what DFA does?

Progressive people-powered politics

Name 2 things you don't like about the current DFA logo.

I like the logo.

Name 2 things you do like about the current DFA logo.

The colored tiles and font

If you choose only one color to define DFA what would it be?

Gold

Would you be opposed to getting away from red/white/blue color scheme?

DFA's logo colors are blue, gold, red and white.

To you, what is the most important thing DFA has done in the past 2 years?

Supporting and growing the Democratic progressive grassroots movement within the spirit of taking our county back.

To you, what is the most important thing DFA has done in the past 2 years?

Supporting and growing the Democratic progressive grassroots movement within the spirit of taking our county back.

next up!  mississippi

Jess,

The logo isn't DFA's problem.

Lack of clarity of vision is a DFA problem.

Lack of effectiveness of operations (look at the blog for one example) is a DFA problem.

Lack of apparent willingness to see and address its weaknesses is a DFA problem

I'll stop there, except to say that these problems, and others, are not new.  They date back to immediately after the campaign, when DFA 2.0 was formulated.

Sorry to be so negative this early in the morning (8:54 EDT) 

No, Volney, what I read was that the investigation had to be authorized by mukasey!  That it's being handled by the public integrity section of the DoJ.

Changing logos is a waste of money.

Ed Rendell quote of the day, on the Clintons'incessant yammering for a Clinton-Obama ticket:

"I don’t think it’s a ploy, gosh.�

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/...

Golly gee, Ed, not as far as you know???

-- volney

Democratic, progressive, and equal. 

Found(ing fathers), revolt, and create.

Generated movement for opposition to Lieberman, and a movement for Howard to the DNC Chair (oops, more than 2yrs ago).

Social Progress

Fiscal Responsibility

Grassroot Activism

I don't understand the reasoning for the three colors currently used.

Name 2 things you do like about the current DFA logo.

X, Y 

One color?  Blue.

Would you be opposed to getting away from red/white/blue color scheme?

  No, not at all - with in reason.

7.

Aaah. Well then that does cast a strange light on it to be sure. I thought you meant for jurisdictional clarity they spoke with the NY AG to inform him that the activity had become a federal matter due to the interstate trafficking.

I have no idea why the public integrity sector of Justice would need to be involved, but the question this begs is are any of the other numbered "clients" people in government, and, if so, is the GOP in any way protecting its own??

-- volney

If DFA thinks the logo is the problem all I can say is "wow". on the other hand if you are going to totally redo the whole public interface including this site now might be the time

Dean For America is my suggestion.

rich^kolker

FYI - just to get up to speed

Jessica received an e-mail from HQ (yesterday), which apparently intends to make changes...and they are seeking input - not from BFA, but (apparently) solely from folks HQ has deemed relevant. 

Jessica created this thread front page as a bottom up (their a's) avenue for BFA input.

Or something along that line.. 

DFA does training very, very well.

Jim Dean is a very effective Progressive spokesperson and national head of a "branded" PAC.

Howard Dean had a message that empowered tens of thousands to action the nation over.

evn dysfunctional BFA allowed a community to form

listening to Susan Rice (Condi's cousin - yuk!) and she is always a great surrogate for Obama.  watch for Hillary & Co to try to find a way to silence her.

Good morning all!

Clinton poaching pledged delegates. Aint gonna happen with our family in WA state. I would also add that the people in our precinct were die-hard Obama supporters with not a change in he!! of switching.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3...

change s/b chance. I get all caught up in the change rhetoric. LOL Coffee...

How is it that transcripts of a sting made it to the media before even an indictment?

Isn't a leaky politicized Justice Department a worse crime than hiring a prostitutute?

Why is Vitter still a Senator?

http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2007/07/republican_post.html

Susan Rice is Condi's cousin? Never knew. Guess Susan got all the common sense.

DFA should fix the flippin' blog and wait until Dean leaves the DNC to make any major changes in what once again should be HIS 'baby'.  yes, Phil, Dean for America would be fitting and imo would attract many folks at the state level who have been helped by Dean's hard work at the DNC.  perhaps one day this blog will have an impact as it once did - whether in $$ raised, grassroots input or just as a place of community sharing progressive idears.

Obama won Texas.

"might be a Veep seat at the back of the bus, boy" I don't think so.

What Obama needs to do in Pennsylvania:

First of all, in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, there are a lot of voters voting some kind of backlash.

There are whites who would ordinarily be racial bigots but who hate the Clintons so much they will be happy to vote for a black man instead.

There are your garden variety black-hating whites and white-hating blacks.

There are people, many if not most of them women, who don't ever want a woman to be president.

All of these types lurk among the conservative Dems of Ohio, PA, and even the part of NY where I live.

So one thing I would recommend to Obama in PA would be to campaign with beloved football stars, since football in PA totally transcends the color barrier.

Campaign with Jerome Bettis in Pittsburgh and Lynn Swann in Philly. Unfortunately, Joe Paterno will be out stumping for McCain, but you get my drift.

This is a page out of Hilly's own playbook. When she was running for Senate the first time in NY and we were all very lukewarm toward her, she campaigned in our part of the state with Buffalo Bills then-QB Doug Flutie and other players. And it did make a difference.

So Barack, do the Oprah thing again but this time without Oprah.

-- volney

Obama is really cool, even when he is really ticked off.

I think he has the near perfect demeanor for President.

When Hillary gets in a jam she starts thrashing and trashing.

Good morning and a big HI to Annilow should she appear here today.

I will just agree with all your opinions for the questions of the day because I don't have any myself. BFA always ends up on the right side because of the commenters.

Just fix the blog is all I can ask.

bbl - "Y" day.

23.

Phil, you have totally hit the core of his appeal.

McCain? Hot tempered.

Hilly? Hot tempered.

Big Dog? Hot tempered.

Barack. Cool cat. Which is why I want him answering that 3 am phone.

-- volney

Vitter and Spitzer. One is a legislater and the other a law enforcer if you will. Spitzer seemed to have higher standards - he is now ethically challenged. I think he should resign immediately. Don't we want better Democrats?

Boy, rich really got bumped to the bottom.  LOL

9:38 AM 

Hm, my 24. is a blank, and I'm home sick so I think I'll go back to bed.

Later, gators.

-- volney

Julius Irving is who I think of when I think Pennsylvania sports stars volney followed by Terry Bradshaw. But ya gotta love the Bus.

Lynn Swann would be a good poke in Rendell's eye just for theh*llofit if you could get him to switch parties

9:47 AM EST

This is "ready on day one" experience ?:

http://thepage.time.com/obama-foreign-policy-memo/

...

To: Interested Parties

From: Greg Craig, former director, Policy Planning Office, U.S. State Department

RE: Senator Clinton’s claim to be experienced in foreign policy: Just words?

DA: March 11, 2008

When your entire campaign is based upon a claim of experience, it is important that you have evidence to support that claim. Hillary Clinton’s argument that she has passed “the Commander- in-Chief test” is simply not supported by her record.

...

Name 3 adjectives you think of when you think of DFA
grassroots
influencial
visionary


Name 3 verbs you think of when you think of DFA.
inspire
reform
rehabilitate

mary vb - yeah, I learned about Condi's connection to her during the Dean campaign.  Susan has the common sense AND the integrity in the family!

Of all the slogans and phrases DFA uses, in your mind, what slogan best reflects what DFA does?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"We'll fix that dag gummed clock...........somehow"

If DFA is planning on changing it's branding that would be a HUGE MISTAKE.

All they really need to do is hire a good publicist.

And FIX THIS BLOG!

rdorgan - thanks for the link to Greg Craig's piece - it's very well done!

this sums it all up, peops - it shows why Hillary is just more-of-the-same Bushlight and Obama is the obvious leader on national security:

{{{volney}}  hope you feel better soon!

the cmw's tells us Clinton's campaign has 'addressed' the Ferrarao problem this morning - Wolfson said 'we don't agree'.  geez, you mean Obama could have said that about Samantha Power and all would be well, she'd still be working with the campaign?  even tho she was offereing a personal opinion, while Ferraro was playing the race card?  Clinton needs to ask Ferraro to apologize and to distance herself from her campaign.  you hardly hear a word about Ferraro's comments, while Power's were plastered on the news for days.  double standard, ya think?  and the Clinton's cry about the press tilting towards Obama!

gotta go - hope you all have a great day and hope what some in the Clinton camp would call a 'small state that doesn't matter' kicks their butts today! 

mary vb

I agree Democrats have higher standards. Spitzer should resign. That wasn't the argument I was making.

My question to Republicans clamoring for Spitzer to resign was check a mirror for the Vitter log in your own eye.

NSA is sending every e-mail and every phone conversation through a search engine. and we just had proof that this Justice Department will leak politically sensitive information

and this with people in contempt of Congress refusing to be probed about the use of the Justice department for political ends

am I the only one troubled by that aspect of the current scandal?

what would you think if you knew they were sitting on the same evidence of a Republican Governor?

BTW

Democrats need to attach the torture language to the FISA Bill 

Why does Wolfson still have a job?

If DFA is planning on changing it's branding that would be a HUGE MISTAKE.

All they really need to do is hire a good publicist.

And FIX THIS BLOG!

Amen to that, sister.  And who knowswhere  my response to your excellent comment will wind up?

BBC: Printable version Croats in Hague war crimes trial   Three Croatian former generals have gone on trial at the UN war crimes tribunal accused of the persecution and murder of Croatian Serbs in the 1990s

hi donna

looks like we are going through the  same NSA server at least

http://eatapyzch.blogspot.com/

cute cat hats for anyone wanting a diversion from the tension of waiting for another days voting results

popping back in for a minute to share this kos diary - the diary and the comments are very inspriring!  someone left the link on the blog yesterday and I'm just getting around to reading it:

From the right to the left--My journey here...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/3/10/02757/6636/601/473331

DFA has a petition drive going to "let the voters decide"; and they had better hope that an Obama campaign who plays by the rules and goes for delegates would not have that overturned by Clinton who is using a big state popular vote plan.

the national vote total tells us very little of the true nature of the contest, which is for the allocation of delegates to the nominating convention

Folks who move around a lot and who have never had the responsibility of another mouth to feed other than their own do have a tendency not to know some conventional wisdom. I don't care how much educational back ground they may have if their education has not allowed them to be responsibile for anybody else's well being and happiness other than themselves it is useless. You just don't do everything in this life all for the sake of a paycheck. If you think anything otherwise then you must be a Republican.

---

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-does-throwi...

Throwing the baby out with the bath water is an expression that suggests one doesn’t need to reject an entire idea, concept or practice if only part of it is good. The baby, in this sense, represents the good part. The bath water, on the other hand, is usually dirty after the baby is washed and needs to be discarded. ...

..Since throwing the baby out with the bath water isn’t likely to occur, the expression of it, including its usage in Murner’s work, has been metaphor for the dichotomy existing in an idea or practice that is both good and bad. How can you keep the good, while still getting rid of the bad?...

http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/perspe...

...Throwing out the baby with the bath water may well characterize scientific revolutions, but in the world of education and schooling, where new claims must be tempered with the wisdom of practice, progress is rarely made in such spectacular fashion.

---

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinventing...

Reinventing the wheel is a phrase that means a generally accepted technique or solution is ignored in favor of a locally invented solution. To "reinvent the wheel" is to duplicate a basic method that has long since been accepted and even taken for granted.

The inspiration for this idiomatic metaphor lies in the fact that the wheel is the archetype of human ingenuity, both by virtue of the added power and flexibility it affords its users, and also in the ancient origins which allow it to underlie much, if not all, of modern technology. As it is not considered to have operational flaws, an attempt to reinvent it would be pointless and add no value to the object, and would be a waste of time, diverting the investigator's resources from possibly more worthy goals which his or her skills could advance more substantially.

At the same time, however, "reinventing the wheel" is an important tool in the instruction of complex ideas. Rather than providing students simply with a list of known facts and techniques and expecting them to incorporate these ideas perfectly and rapidly, the instructor instead will build up the material anew, leaving the student to work out those key steps which embody the reasoning characteristic of the field.

The dual meanings of this phrase lend it an ironic flavor when not used derisively, especially when the user applies it reflexively, possibly to indicate that his or her activities might be perceived as merely reinventing the wheel, but that they actually possess additional value. This added value may be technical, or it may work around software licensing incompatibilities. ...

No telling where this will end up :-)

If DFA is investigating where to go from here, we have an excellent opportunity.

Let's not rush it.  Let's take the time to get all the ducks lined up for a launch after the election.  Yes, I know that seems like a long time, but what DFA becomes is really dependent on what happens in November.  We can prepare for the possibilities, but basically the ground is frozen until the 800 pound gorilla of a Presidential race is behind us.

I know some of us here think everything's fine with DFA, but the exodous of people from this board is just one indication that that's not true.  That doesn't mean DFA hasn't done some very good things, but doing some good things is not enough for an organization to be successful.  There was a time when this blog was a leader.  It could have grown into something like Kos, but it didn't.  There was a time when the progressive movement, such as it was, looked to DFA, in part, for leadership.  That hasn't continued.

What's missing?  Maybe Howard (which is nothing against Jim, but he isn't who brought us all here in the first place).  Maybe a more formal connection between DFA-HQ and the DFX "link ups".  Maybe a decision whether we are a Democratic organization or a Progressive Organization.

To a great extent, DFA is still running off the momentum of Dean for America.  But there is no such thing as perpetual motion.

11:17 EDT 

Democrats need to attach the torture language to the FISA Bill

DCDems need to stand up to the lamest duck in history even while capitulating to him? Not likely.

btw, Owning a pet doesn't count as another mouth to feed but it's a beginning. A pet doesn't argue with the hand that feeds it.

How about a real honest survey for the grassroots. DFA has spent an unbelievable amount of dollars on pollsters in the last couple years. The dollars spent were enough to last a lifetime. It's really simple when you think about it. All they really have to do is ask some very simple questions, then listen to the answers and what is not being said. It's just not rocket science.

I think the Spitzer thing is what this govt is doing. Using wiretaps to go after opponents.

What is up with the "trafficking" angles???

This woman can't travel across state lines? Give me a break here folks.

This was a setup from the getgo.

He used his own money.

Why is Karl Rove not in jail??

calling all Vermont dems!

please go here http://www.vtdemocrats.org/page/s/nominations to nominate Howard.  he already won this in 2002 but I honestly believe no one in VT can match what he's done for the Democratic party with his 50 state strategy. 

Thank You!

11:35 AM EST 

Iraq, 5 years after, certain legislators gave the ok to invade:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080311/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrest_080311144907;_ylt=Av7p0gytPvxTOjB4qlWKJ_SbOrgF

I enjoy DFA for the blog et al.

But excuse me. I have yelled for years about training in this part of the "world"

DFA needs to reach out to the other side, by that I mean people like me who have been around since Dean started his campaign and still are energized by his message.

DFA knows that I will do my part to make training a success here. People down here would come to the training. So who makes the decision?

I have done my part down here keeping the dream alive but I need som help here folks.

I admire Jim Dean for following up with the process, I know it must be a challange. I have met him and seen him in action at the TBA conf. But Jim, please get some training down here.

Obsessing over mathematical analytical equations out of yesterday news doesn't hold the water when you're traveling on a raging river. The best that anybody can do is take a first-aid course, always bring a rope, wear some protective gear and not be afraid out getting all wet and messing up your latest hairdo.

yesterday s/b yesterday's

out s/b of

11:51 AM EST

from the Vermont perspective, comes our potential next president:

http://www.reformer.com/ci_8529534?source=rss_viewed

The Clinton logic is that only the big states that traditionally vote Democratic, such as New York and California, matter. The 30 states that Obama won are not "significant" states, in the words of Clinton campaign chairman Mark Penn.

But ignoring those so-called boutique states could be Clinton's undoing.

...

a national party seeking to run a national campaign needs to run in every state in the union.

...

the Clinton campaign used the traditional, top-down approach, Obama appealed to the grass-roots and ran a bottom-up campaign. The top-down approach fit the Clinton strategy of appealing to traditional party constituencies. The bottom-up approach fit the Obama strategy of expanding the party base and bringing new voters and new ideas.

...

The beauty of DNC chairman Howard Dean's 50-state strategy is that it forces the Republican Party to use more of its resources defending territory that it once considered safe.

...

11:57 AM EST

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gGBqGg

...

Mississippi Voter Rights:

• Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11th. If you are in line by 7:00 p.m., you must be allowed to vote.
• In Mississippi, any registered voter can vote for Barack on Tuesday by requesting a Democratic ballot at the polls.