Resources

Written by: Kenneth Quinnell on Oct 13, 2008 2:21 PM EDT

Linked to groups: Florida DFA, Democracy for Florida, Democracy for America Miami-Dade (DFAM), DFA Tallahassee, Training Academy Alumni, Class of 2007, DFA at Netroots Nation (formerly YearlyKos) July 17-20, DFA Campaign Academy Alumni

Linked to campaigns: Obama for America

Tools you can use:

Election Protection Wiki

Backgrounder on the Credit Crisis

Green Energy Voter Guide

Required Reading In Hard Times

Income & Taxes

Steal Back Your Vote

The Straight Facts On Women In Poverty

Voter Suppression Wiki

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Late night Watercooler

Written by: DFA Community and you

DFA's home for a free form, open-ended discussion of what matters most to committed progressive activists.

I Canvassed All Day And All I Got Was A Wedgie

Written by: Thomas Janowski on Oct 12, 2008 3:02 PM EDT

Linked to groups: dfaROCHESTER

Linked to campaigns: Obama for America

First some background.  I was finally able to join our group, dfaROCHESTER, on an out of state trip to campaign for Barack Obama.  Originally, I thought we were going to Erie, PA.  But there was a last minute change and we headed to Meadville, PA instead.  At the Meadville Democratic Committee headquarters we were given instructions to head to Cochranton, PA to do our canvassing. 

From http://www.cochrantonboro.org/main:

Chartered as a Borough: April 5, 1855

Population: 1200

Square Miles: 7.55

From Wikipedia:

Cochranton is a borough in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was recorded as 1,148 in the 2000 census.

The racial makeup of the borough was 98.78% White, 0.44% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.26% Asian, and 0.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.09% of the population.

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Candidate Clips for 10-13-08

Written by: Dave on Oct 13, 2008 10:23 AM EDT

Hi everyone!  Here are today's candidate clips from the worldwide web:

You couldn’t find even 1 talkative lawmaker
10-12-08    Las Vegas Sun     Lisa Mascaro
Few lawmakers will talk about the do-over bailout plan, and how they plan to vote.

Rural Nevada comes into play
10-11-08   Lahontan Valley News    Steve Ranson  
Douglas county rancher Jill Derby, a Democrat running for the US House of Representative’s seat held by incumbent Dean Heller, visits Fallon Monday morning. ...

Polls show Nov. 4 election races will be tight
10-12-08Farmington Daily Times   Steve Lynn
Forty-one percent of voters back Luján, while 18 percent favor East and 14 percent likely will vote for Miller, according to another recent Research and Polling poll for the Albuquerque Journal. More than 27 percent of voters were undecided or wouldn't give their choice. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 8.4 percentage points.

Titus shows she’s learned from mistakes of run in ’06
10-12-08   Las Vegas Sun    J. Patrick Coolican
He was accused of assaulting a cocktail waitress in a parking garage after a night of drinking at a Las Vegas seafood joint.  And a woman said Gibbons had hired her to be a nanny for the family even though she was in the country illegally.  Gibbons denied the allegations, but any of the three would have buried most candidates.

Porter's lead slim against Titus
10-12-08    Las Vegas Review    Paul Harasim
The nation's economic collapse, Titus' own ballyhooed polls and Porter's long-standing support for President Bush, now one of the most unpopular presidents in U.S. history, would point to a solid Titus lead in the poll, the analysts had thought.

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Ohio: nursing homes

Written by: Frances M on Oct 12, 2008 4:42 PM EDT

My Mother and Aunt are in Nursing Homes in Hamilton County Ohio. This is the Republican stronghold of Ohio. I was recently told by my Mother that they had registered her to vote along with others at her Nursing home. That in itself is not a bad thing, but my mother who is 90 has only voted once in her life.

Now today my cousin told me that when she went to check on her Mother at her Nursing home yesterday she was wearing an I Voted Sticker. Her Mother has a bad case of dementia. She was not aware of having voted. Her Nursing home specializes in Alzheimers and they have an entire wing for it which my Aunt may soon have to go into.

This is starting to look like voter fraud. Who should we report this to? I am in California. I suggested that my cousin tell her local Democratic Headquarters. This seriously needs to be checked into.

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Top Ten Reasons to NOT Vote for McCain

Written by: Thomas Janowski on Oct 12, 2008 1:33 PM EDT

Linked to groups: dfaROCHESTER

Linked to campaigns: Obama for America

1.  McCain wants 45 new nuclear power plants build before 2030.

2.  McCain would seek to overturn Roe v. Wade.

3.  McCain has no plan for Afghanistan. (Just like Bush)

4.  McCain favors NO gun control. 

"I believe the 2nd Amendment ought to be preserved--which means no gun control."

5.  McCain has no interest in universal health coverage.

6.  McCain has no specific plan to deal with Social Security.  He has said "nothing's off the table." And still favors privatizing Social Security.

7.  McCain wants to make the Bush tax cuts (favoring the weathly) permanent.

8.  McCain advocates for the current free trade agreements, with no revision or examination.

9.  McCain favors expansion of federal death penalty and limits on appeals.

10.  McCain picked Sarah Palin as his running mate.

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Monday items

Written by: Gerry L on Oct 13, 2008 8:07 AM EDT

Monday~

***************round of articles about our domestic ‘issues’ ~ October 13th,  2008

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America’s Political Cannibalism

Chris Hedges

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20081013_americas_political_cannibalism/

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Lords of Misrule

JEFFERSON DECKER: On the campaign trail, they're culture warriors; once in office, conservatives just follow the money.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20081027/decker

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Stephen Views the News 10/12/08

Written by: Stephen Weinstein on Oct 12, 2008 1:07 PM EDT

Stephen Views the News  10/12/08 

http://stephenviewsthenews.blogspot.com/ 

* A note to attendees of McCain-Palin rallies – After participating in these rallies that get your juices flowing with hateful responses to hateful and divisive remarks by the Republican standard bearers, go home and open your quarterly retirement plan statements. Perhaps even read a newspaper. If there is objective grey matter still functioning, consider how the U.S. reached this weakened state. Republicans blame everyone but themselves while their blame game and desire to maintain power has reached a vicious level. Seeing the crowd reaction at your political rallies one could conclude that the dumbing of America now mirrors the Dow Jones Average. And is it not ironic that your political party, that touts its affiliation with the religious-right, has no problem promoting ungodly hate, prejudice, ugliness and divisiveness? If there is a God of Hypocrisy you are on his wish list. 

NY Times columnist Frank Rich offers a thoughtful analysis of the McCain campaign strategy and McCain and Palin’s refusal to condemn Republican rally attendees’ yells of “terrorist,” “treason,” “kill him,” and “off with his head” directed at Obama. Rich pointedly notes the anti-black sentiment the McCain campaign and Palin’s speeches are engendering. While thinking about my very negative opinion of such despicable tactics, as well as the ticket and policies of the 2008 GOP, I remembered emails I recently exchanged with a conservative friend who calls himself a Libertarian. He said that he is voting for McCain. My reply to him was, “I just don’t get it.” I am curious to learn if my friend is changing his mind. I would like to think that fair-minded Americans who were for McCain now have serious doubts. 

* Choices - In many respects this presidential election is a wake up call for America. It is an election that offers very clear choices. John McCain offers a continuation of the Bush strategy of blind military power and a deregulation philosophy that favors the haves and disregards the needy and disadvantaged. Barack Obama offers a foreign policy approach that includes negotiation supported by a strong military. Obama offers a healthcare plan that enables all citizens to have access to medical care. McCain would give further tax breaks to the wealthy and the mega corporations while Obama offers tax decreases to individuals earning less than $150,000, including small businesses. Obama’s campaign appeals to the broad spectrum of Americans while McCain’s campaign raises fears of difference. Consenting Adult has a video of Donna Brazile, Democratic activist and Al Gore’s campaign manager for his presidential run in 2000. She speaks about growing up in a segregated South, sitting in the back of busses. Brazile notes that America has come a long way since those days. She emphatically states that she is not going back. Let us hope that America makes the same choice.

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Action Alerts

Written by: Kenneth Quinnell on Oct 12, 2008 10:10 AM EDT

Linked to groups: Florida DFA, Democracy for Florida, Democracy for America Miami-Dade (DFAM), DFA Tallahassee, Training Academy Alumni, Class of 2007, DFA at Netroots Nation (formerly YearlyKos) July 17-20, DFA Campaign Academy Alumni

Linked to campaigns: Obama for America

Sign the petition: Protect Our Vote (Progress Florida)

Donate money: AIG goes golfing, we go to work (FLA PIRG)

Send an e-mail: Help Protect the Marbled Murrelet! (TWS)

Send an e-mail: Keep Colorado's Roadless Area Protected! (TWS)

Donate money: Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund

Sign the petition: Save the Debates (PFAW)

Sign the petition: Will You Fall For the McCain-Palin Lies? (DCCC)

Sign the petition: Tell FDA: NO CONTAMINATED DAIRY INGREDIENTS FROM CHINA! (FWW)

Sign the petition: Take the Watch Out for Wildlife Pledge! (DOW)

Sign the petition: Encourage Women who are Working Their Families out of Poverty (FINCA)

Sign the petition: Tell EPA to Protect People from Pesticide Poisoning! (EJ)

Sign the petition: Support Critical Ocean Conservation Plan (Care2)

Sign the petition: Demand Health Care Reform That Works for Women! (NWLC)

Sign the petition: Some People Get a Golden Parachute...For Everyone Else, There's the Golden Promise: Social Security (CAP)

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Love Story #8

Written by: Thomas Janowski on Oct 11, 2008 5:00 AM EDT

Linked to groups: dfaROCHESTER

In the current issue of the Advocate you'll find an article called Love Stories. The article is both about love and commitment and Proposition 8 in California.  Prop 8 is a ballot measure that will end marriage equality in the state. 

The article opens with 24 photographs of newly and very happily married gay couples, then goes on to feature short stories about 14 of those couples.  For anyone looking for guidence on how to vote on Prop 8, I can offer the following--look at the pictures!  Pictures and captions are all that is needed to help in deciding how to vote. 

As you'd guess, the photos all feature smiling couples.  But there is just one other bit of information that needs to be seen.  The couple profiles all begin with their names, their date of marriage and how many years the couples have been together.  That last bit of information is most revealing.  The "years together" number can be viewed in several ways.  I'm saddened that these couples had to wait so long before they were allowed to marry.  But I'm uplifted by the idea that their marriage wasn't a beginning but a celebrations of years of love and commitment. 

So, here's a listing of the "years together" before getting married for the 14 featured couples:

3 years    11 years    4 years    10 years    30 years    10 years    14 years    17 years    41 years!!

4 years    4 years    12 years    15 years    5 years

I have a warning for the voters of the state of California--DON'T MAKE YOURSELF LOOK STUPID!  At a time when many California marriages are measured in hours, not years, don't deny the love of gay couples. 

Could it be that gay couples are setting the standard for love and commitment--whether they can marry or not?  Could it be that gay couples are showing everyone the true meaning of love and happiness and endurance?  I think so, especially in this day and age when divorce is just as common as marriage among those who marry.

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A Sunday scan

Written by: Gerry L on Oct 12, 2008 8:37 AM EDT

Sunday~

***************round of articles about our domestic ‘issues’ ~ October 12th,  2008

=========================================

The Mask Slips

By Bob Herbert

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/11/opinion/11herbert.html?em

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White House Overhauling Rescue Plan

~~~The Treasury Department’s surprising turnaround on the issue of buying stock in banks, which has now become its primary focus, has raised questions about whether the administration squandered valuable time in trying to sell Congress on a plan that officials had failed to think through in advance.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/business/12imf.html?hp

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