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December 29, 2005
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Thursday's Links
Activism
MoveOn recently sent out an email to its 3 million members, asking them to go here and pose a question (or rate the hundreds that have already been asked) to the DNC Chairman candidates. The site will be up through Friday, and then the highest rated questions will be posed to all six candidates, who will respond. The goal of this process is February 7th, when MoveOn will ask all of its members to vote for a DNC Chair. This process should be considered very important, as MoveOn is one of the largest and most active Political Action Committees in America, and the results of the vote will surely help the 440 voting Democrats in their choice for DNC Chair. We ask that you take a moment to pose a question, or rate the questions listed. As MoveOn put it in their email, "With no Democratic President, Speaker of the House or Majority Leader, the DNC chair will likely be the single most important Democratic organizer, fundraiser and spokesperson for years to come. Whoever is chosen needs to know that if they embrace a bold progressive vision and put the grassroots at the heart of the Party, you'll be there to back them up every step of the way."
News
Traditionally, the president picks cabinet members who, although they may have their own share of criticism, are still qualified enough for their position that once they pass their Senate Confirmation Hearing, it's a matter of formality. Last week, the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee voted to proceed with Rice 16-2. Yesterday, the full Senate voted to confirm Condi Rice by a count of 85-13. Before you throw stones at what seems like a very one-sided vote, keep in mind that the 13 "no" vote was the largest for any SecState nominee since 1825 (Henry Clay, who received 14). Nine hours of Democratic debate preceded the vote, and many Democrats were hoping to find a voting button labeled "yes, with reservations," but had to settle for the "yea" button. We commend the 13 Senators who voted no, and we now turn our attention to Alberto Gonzales, who was confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee 10-8, and will now be voted on by the full Senate. However, Gonzales is expected to win a closer vote in the full Senate, due to the Republican edge (55-44). Charles Schumer (D-NY) has our quote of the day, saying Alberto Gonzales being "less polarizing than John Ashcroft is not enough to get my vote." In a close second, Joseph Biden (D-DE), "His judgment is defective."
Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO) is reintroducing a bill that would nationally define marriage as being between one man and one woman. His reasoning, we think, is that enough of the Senators who voted to shelve the bill are now gone. In order to become an amendment, the bill (called the ridiculously named "Marriage Protection Amendment" would need to be approved by 2/3 of the Senate, 2/3 of the House, and 3/4 of the states. The fact that we are even forced to write about this shows how many steps backwards we've taken since January 20th, 2001. We live in a nation of tolerance, and yet we're considering an amendment to our constitution to limit the rights of individuals who live within out borders. What really scares us is that we can't simply laugh this off - it is entirely possible that the Senate could vote to approve, and pass it to the House.
For Democrats, part of the problem that resulted in the loss to Bush in the 2004 was the old cliche of "too many Indians, not enough Chiefs." The party had nine candidates for president, but wasn't throwing its weight behind any of them, preferring to see how the primaries turned out. That left Kerry with very little time to have the spotlight on his own. The same thing seems to be happening with the DNC Chair position. As we mentioned above, there are six candidates running for DNC Chair, and there is no clear cut winner. By now, you know that our choice is Howard Dean, yet many in the party seem to be doing everything in their power to keep him from getting elected. Once again, the party is being reactive, and not proactive. One thing is sure, though: whomever does become chair, whether it is Dean, Frost, Rosenberg or one of the other three, they will have to unite this party.
Editorials
And speaking of Howard Dean, check out the transcript of his appearance on This Week with George Stephanopoulos last Sunday. There's no doubt in our minds that Dean has the energy, vision and diligence to lead the DNC these next four years. This appearance only reaffirms that belief.
Hey, We ARE Making A Difference. MyDD gives us a breakdown of how Democratic blogs are becoming more and more important than Republican blogs. This may sound a little silly, but MyDD links to several important things Democratic bloggers have helped accomplish.
Closing the Fence After the Horse Has Bolted. Bush ordered his cabinet to not rent any more journalists to promote propaganda. Certainly, this is on the heels of the Armstrong Williams/Maggie Gallagher debacles, but we, like the New York Times, wonder why this wasn't made clear last year, during the propaganda news reports for the prescription drug plan became apparent.
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December 29, 2005
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Thursday's Links
Activism
MoveOn recently sent out an email to its 3 million members, asking them to go here and pose a question (or rate the hundreds that have already been asked) to the DNC Chairman candidates. The site will be up through Friday, and then the highest rated questions will be posed to all six candidates, who will respond. The goal of this process is February 7th, when MoveOn will ask all of its members to vote for a DNC Chair. This process should be considered very important, as MoveOn is one of the largest and most active Political Action Committees in America, and the results of the vote will surely help the 440 voting Democrats in their choice for DNC Chair. We ask that you take a moment to pose a question, or rate the questions listed. As MoveOn put it in their email, "With no Democratic President, Speaker of the House or Majority Leader, the DNC chair will likely be the single most important Democratic organizer, fundraiser and spokesperson for years to come. Whoever is chosen needs to know that if they embrace a bold progressive vision and put the grassroots at the heart of the Party, you'll be there to back them up every step of the way."
News
Traditionally, the president picks cabinet members who, although they may have their own share of criticism, are still qualified enough for their position that once they pass their Senate Confirmation Hearing, it's a matter of formality. Last week, the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee voted to proceed with Rice 16-2. Yesterday, the full Senate voted to confirm Condi Rice by a count of 85-13. Before you throw stones at what seems like a very one-sided vote, keep in mind that the 13 "no" vote was the largest for any SecState nominee since 1825 (Henry Clay, who received 14). Nine hours of Democratic debate preceded the vote, and many Democrats were hoping to find a voting button labeled "yes, with reservations," but had to settle for the "yea" button. We commend the 13 Senators who voted no, and we now turn our attention to Alberto Gonzales, who was confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee 10-8, and will now be voted on by the full Senate. However, Gonzales is expected to win a closer vote in the full Senate, due to the Republican edge (55-44). Charles Schumer (D-NY) has our quote of the day, saying Alberto Gonzales being "less polarizing than John Ashcroft is not enough to get my vote." In a close second, Joseph Biden (D-DE), "His judgment is defective."
Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO) is reintroducing a bill that would nationally define marriage as being between one man and one woman. His reasoning, we think, is that enough of the Senators who voted to shelve the bill are now gone. In order to become an amendment, the bill (called the ridiculously named "Marriage Protection Amendment" would need to be approved by 2/3 of the Senate, 2/3 of the House, and 3/4 of the states. The fact that we are even forced to write about this shows how many steps backwards we've taken since January 20th, 2001. We live in a nation of tolerance, and yet we're considering an amendment to our constitution to limit the rights of individuals who live within out borders. What really scares us is that we can't simply laugh this off - it is entirely possible that the Senate could vote to approve, and pass it to the House.
For Democrats, part of the problem that resulted in the loss to Bush in the 2004 was the old cliche of "too many Indians, not enough Chiefs." The party had nine candidates for president, but wasn't throwing its weight behind any of them, preferring to see how the primaries turned out. That left Kerry with very little time to have the spotlight on his own. The same thing seems to be happening with the DNC Chair position. As we mentioned above, there are six candidates running for DNC Chair, and there is no clear cut winner. By now, you know that our choice is Howard Dean, yet many in the party seem to be doing everything in their power to keep him from getting elected. Once again, the party is being reactive, and not proactive. One thing is sure, though: whomever does become chair, whether it is Dean, Frost, Rosenberg or one of the other three, they will have to unite this party.
Editorials
And speaking of Howard Dean, check out the transcript of his appearance on This Week with George Stephanopoulos last Sunday. There's no doubt in our minds that Dean has the energy, vision and diligence to lead the DNC these next four years. This appearance only reaffirms that belief.
Hey, We ARE Making A Difference. MyDD gives us a breakdown of how Democratic blogs are becoming more and more important than Republican blogs. This may sound a little silly, but MyDD links to several important things Democratic bloggers have helped accomplish.
Closing the Fence After the Horse Has Bolted. Bush ordered his cabinet to not rent any more journalists to promote propaganda. Certainly, this is on the heels of the Armstrong Williams/Maggie Gallagher debacles, but we, like the New York Times, wonder why this wasn't made clear last year, during the propaganda news reports for the prescription drug plan became apparent.
|
December 29, 2005
MoveOn recently sent out an email to its 3 million members, asking them to go here and pose a question (or rate the hundreds that have already been asked) to the DNC Chairman candidates. The site will be up through Friday, and then the highest rated questions will be posed to all six candidates, who will respond. The goal of this process is February 7th, when MoveOn will ask all of its members to vote for a DNC Chair. This process should be considered very important, as MoveOn is one of the largest and most active Political Action Committees in America, and the results of the vote will surely help the 440 voting Democrats in their choice for DNC Chair. We ask that you take a moment to pose a question, or rate the questions listed. As MoveOn put it in their email, "With no Democratic President, Speaker of the House or Majority Leader, the DNC chair will likely be the single most important Democratic organizer, fundraiser and spokesperson for years to come. Whoever is chosen needs to know that if they embrace a bold progressive vision and put the grassroots at the heart of the Party, you'll be there to back them up every step of the way."
News
Traditionally, the president picks cabinet members who, although they may have their own share of criticism, are still qualified enough for their position that once they pass their Senate Confirmation Hearing, it's a matter of formality. Last week, the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee voted to proceed with Rice 16-2. Yesterday, the full Senate voted to confirm Condi Rice by a count of 85-13. Before you throw stones at what seems like a very one-sided vote, keep in mind that the 13 "no" vote was the largest for any SecState nominee since 1825 (Henry Clay, who received 14). Nine hours of Democratic debate preceded the vote, and many Democrats were hoping to find a voting button labeled "yes, with reservations," but had to settle for the "yea" button. We commend the 13 Senators who voted no, and we now turn our attention to Alberto Gonzales, who was confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee 10-8, and will now be voted on by the full Senate. However, Gonzales is expected to win a closer vote in the full Senate, due to the Republican edge (55-44). Charles Schumer (D-NY) has our quote of the day, saying Alberto Gonzales being "less polarizing than John Ashcroft is not enough to get my vote." In a close second, Joseph Biden (D-DE), "His judgment is defective."
Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO) is reintroducing a bill that would nationally define marriage as being between one man and one woman. His reasoning, we think, is that enough of the Senators who voted to shelve the bill are now gone. In order to become an amendment, the bill (called the ridiculously named "Marriage Protection Amendment" would need to be approved by 2/3 of the Senate, 2/3 of the House, and 3/4 of the states. The fact that we are even forced to write about this shows how many steps backwards we've taken since January 20th, 2001. We live in a nation of tolerance, and yet we're considering an amendment to our constitution to limit the rights of individuals who live within out borders. What really scares us is that we can't simply laugh this off - it is entirely possible that the Senate could vote to approve, and pass it to the House.
For Democrats, part of the problem that resulted in the loss to Bush in the 2004 was the old cliche of "too many Indians, not enough Chiefs." The party had nine candidates for president, but wasn't throwing its weight behind any of them, preferring to see how the primaries turned out. That left Kerry with very little time to have the spotlight on his own. The same thing seems to be happening with the DNC Chair position. As we mentioned above, there are six candidates running for DNC Chair, and there is no clear cut winner. By now, you know that our choice is Howard Dean, yet many in the party seem to be doing everything in their power to keep him from getting elected. Once again, the party is being reactive, and not proactive. One thing is sure, though: whomever does become chair, whether it is Dean, Frost, Rosenberg or one of the other three, they will have to unite this party.
Editorials
And speaking of Howard Dean, check out the transcript of his appearance on This Week with George Stephanopoulos last Sunday. There's no doubt in our minds that Dean has the energy, vision and diligence to lead the DNC these next four years. This appearance only reaffirms that belief.
Hey, We ARE Making A Difference. MyDD gives us a breakdown of how Democratic blogs are becoming more and more important than Republican blogs. This may sound a little silly, but MyDD links to several important things Democratic bloggers have helped accomplish.
Closing the Fence After the Horse Has Bolted. Bush ordered his cabinet to not rent any more journalists to promote propaganda. Certainly, this is on the heels of the Armstrong Williams/Maggie Gallagher debacles, but we, like the New York Times, wonder why this wasn't made clear last year, during the propaganda news reports for the prescription drug plan became apparent.
