Activists NEED To Set a Price

Candidates on both sides of the isle are courting activists...read grass/netroots individuals. In the 2006 election, our work, efforts and money were the crucial difference in a lot of close races, and some not so close races. In short, they want our volunteerism, love our dedication to a cause once committed, and the money is and extra added value. Problem is, once the dust settled after the 2006 elections, many of those Congress people we grass/netroots got elected into office are not taking us to Washington with them. In short, we were good enough to have around UNTIL AFTER THEY WERE ELECTED, then the distancing and excuses started to come in.

I spoke to one unnamed Congressman, and was told that the grassroots that got them elected would not be going to Washington with them...seems we don't fit into the system that well. Hello, we worked as hard as we did, sweated our BLOOD because we wanted the system changed. We don't want business as usual, and we do not want Congressional/Senatorial offices run the way they have been in the past, which is to say only well healed large financial donors get direct access, while the rest of us get the traditional thanks for your inquiry letters signed by an electronic signature machine.

2008 has to be DIFFERENT, we cannot allow ourselves to be used, then pushed off to the sidelines once again. If the BIG GUNS wanting to run for President, or for a Congressional seat want our help, we need promises, and ONES WRITTEN IN INK, as in a signed contract. You get elected, we go to Washington, we get a seat at the table for a change. In short, the politician wins, we win, we ARE A PART OF STAFF. A few sandal wearing, blue jeaned, dead head T-shirted, long haired grass roots activist would do Washington a WORLD OF GOOD, and this old hippie for one is tired of doing ALL THE WORK to get these folks elected, then finding our side dumped at the altar.

*NOTE TO ACTIVIST...it is time to DERAIL Presidential hopeful, former Mayor Rudi Guiliani's primary run. It's simple...not only does his company have a MAJOR multi-million dollar contract with Indian Point, on November 22nd he ENDORSED Entergy's bid to renew this aging and decripid facilities license for another 20 years. Set your sites on this environmental pariah NOW.

Nov 25, 10:43 PM EST
Presidential candidates court activists
By HOLLY RAMER and MIKE GLOVER Associated Press Writers
AP Photo/GERRY BROOME
Advertisement

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- He does not come armed with posies and poetry, but when it comes to courting Democratic activists, John Edwards is a determined suitor.

The former North Carolina senator and 2004 presidential running mate never fails to propose when he calls Jim Demers - and he calls often.

"I don't think there's ever been a time I've talked to him when he hasn't concluded by point-blank asking if I'll sign on to his team," said Demers, a Democratic activist in New Hampshire.

Even before the votes were cold in the November election, the ritual courting between potential presidential candidates and Democratic and Republican activists in early primary and caucus states was well under way in anticipation of the 2008 presidential election.

The pairing of White House wannabes with grass-roots activists and local political leaders - a mating dance known in political parlance as the "ground game" - has a serious purpose. Often a relative handful of activists and party regulars determines the outcome of the early primaries and caucuses, which in turn can either launch or torpedo a presidential bid.

Frequently it is the candidates with the best field operations who triumph. Successful field operations rely on influential and skillful local activists to turn out supporters.

Blue Dog Democrats Need to Stop Barking

The contentious fight for the Majority Leader is over, and despite some wanting to turn it into a slam on Nancy Pelosi's leadership abilities, the theatrics were nothing more than a distraction from the real issues facing Democrats, the Congress as a whole, and our nation. In short, we have far larger fish to fry, more important issues on which to focus our attention on...yet, in the never ending struggle to maintain business as usual, the Blue Dog Democrats are barking like a rabid pack of mutts smelling red meat. They need to shut up and get down to the real business they were sent to Washington for...Nancy Pelosi is the Speaker of the House, and it is her choice, priviledge and right to name the next leader of the House Select Committee on Intelligence. That choice should be made based on the best person for the job, not who gets another feather in their bonnet. The Blue Dog Democrats want the feather, and are willing to back a poor choice in their quest for same...SHAME ON THEM.


Do the Blue Dog Democrats really think Americans care about their 44 member strong coalition of *supposed* centrist? We do not, and will not unless all of you as a collective whole show us you are capable of GETTING ALONG, and doing the peoples business now that you have the majority. We've seen enough of infighting and power struggles while the Republicans were in charge. Congressman Mike Ross said, "We don't want to be obstructionists, but we don't want to be a rubber stamp," He then went on to say, "We want to bring the party back to the middle." Mike Ross makes a BOLD assertion in assuming America wants a centrist Democratic Party. What we do want, is ACTION ON ISSUES, not rhetoric and infighting within our party.

We want CHANGE in Iraq, want those in Washington to figure out how to force Bush to abandon his failed "Stay the Course" policy. We want immigration reform that DOES NOT grant Amnesty to 12-15 million criminal illegal aliens, and we want our fence. We want to see legislation that saves Social Security, and brings down our National Debt.

If the Blue Dog Democrats need something to do right now, I'll give them a suggestion. Spend some money to hire a web designer, your site is pathetically ugly, the presentation found lacking and unoriginal.

TIme For Grass/Netroots to Start New Party?

Any one who followed this past election cycle knows that the grass/netroots was instrumental in seeing the Democrats into power. Yet, as the power pie is sliced and handed out, once again we are pushed under the table, denied a chair, told to accept the few crumbs that fall our way. The only group getting any real attention from the new Democratic Majority is MoveOn.org who has used our efforts, and our money to become a power player with their own agenda.


Groups like the Daily Kos, DD, Swingstate Project and Move On managed to raise over 17 Million dollars for their candidates, that money coming out of the pockets of the grassroots. This does not count money that many of us gave directly to campaigns, or raised on our own small fund raising pages on the Democratic Web Site. No one has put a value on it, but most of us in the grassroots were out putting up campaign signs, knocking on doors, making phone calls, donating time at campaign headquarters acorss the land, running attack blogs, and putting up attack video's on You Tube...in short, we were the foot soldiers that made this Democratic Victory happen, yet where is OUR PRAISE, where is our seat at the table?


We have almost two full years before 2008, and looking at this reality, looking at how we are always taken for granted, I am wondering if the time has come for us to seriously consider forming a third party? Or, creating some grassroots PAC's to force our own agenda, rather than always supporting someone else's in the hopes that one or two campaign promises will actually be kept. Imagine for a moment a Bloggers PAC, or You Tubers for Change PAC, with all of us tossing our small donations into one big communal pot. Every one LOVES US on the path to election night, but seems we are pushed aside the next morning like a bad hangover, and this might be just what the doctor order to get us the respect we deserve from those we got elected.

Republican Ponies Lining Up For 2008

Right at one week after the decisive elections of 2006 held last Tuesday that swept Democrats into the drivers seat, Republican Presidential hopeful are rushing to officially form exploratory committees so they can begin raising serious amounts of dollars. A Republican Pundit on CNN tonight said the winning candidate in the Republican Primary will need to raise 100 Million dollars just to win the primary...that's some serious cabbage, and means any one winning the nod is already in the pocket of the rich and elite.

McCain was the first out of the gate, officially tossing his hat in the ring over the weekend. Not far behind him was THE RUDI, famous mayor of New York who declared his intentions today. Though not officially in the Race, former governor of New York, Pataki is openning up an office here in the Peekskill area, so you can look for him to officially declare within days.

Bush Supporting, war mongering, stay the course McCain...forget about it. Iraq is not going to turn around soon, if at all. McCain does not support troop reductions and bringing our troops home, but instead wants to greatly increase the troop strength there, and that is not a winning position and makes him unelectable in 2008, not to mention the fact that he's getting very long of tooth...we do not need another episode like Dole's infamous falling off the stage routine.

The RUDI...OK, lets be honest here. He did a MAGICAL JOB during the aftermath of 9/11 but was not really a good mayor, let alone a great mayor before that disaster fell upon our shores. His positions on key issues are all WRONG for the majority of Republicans, and once things start getting closer to the primaries you can look for some serious swift boating to sink his run. PAtaki...he is a sleeze, and not even going to discuss his run. I lost all respect for the man when I saw him attending an event in upstate NY at the old Plattsburgh Air Base...he was off to the side speaking to his cronies and made a very derogatory comment about what he REALLY though about the people of the area.

So, three major hats in the ring, and my money say NONE of them can get elected. So, who else will toss their hats into the Republican Ring, and for that matter who is going to go up against Hilliary...not talking a great pretender in a second tier governor, talking serious contenders here.

Hannity and Right Wing Nuts Seething

First up...Rumsfeld is GONE! In honor of the out of power and out of luck religious radical right wing of the Republican Party, let's have and AMEN on that one. Now we have Bush wanting to replace this villian with another evil character, one of his Daddies hand picked cronies ,in Gate's, who headed the CIA under Bush 1's enept term in the White House. Has Bush learned nothing in Tuesday's defeat...America wants to see change, and change does not mean going BACKWARD in time to his father's previous administration. How about some new FRESH faces in the Cabinet, instead of trying to foist off a has been retread from ancient times?

It's Friday night, and for amusement I am watching Hannity foam of the mouth on the FOX pro-Bush channel with his mental midget twin Michelle Malkin, both of whom are whining incessantly about the Democrats decisive win in Tuesday's election. Poor old Hannity just cannot stand that he and his party are slipping out of the lime light. With the radical rightwing zealots agenda officially rejected, he is ON HIS WAY OUT, and cannot stand it. He and Michelle Malkin are incapable of toning down their rhetoric and moving towards the middle, and in their stubborness they are becoming obsolete. It is time for Colmes to find a new partner, and time for Michelle Malkin to get a life and lose her blog. With any luck, Ann Coulter's criminal problems in Florida will have short circuited her potty mouth...find it funny she of all people is suspected in voter wrong doing.


Hannity is also beating the publicity drums for John McCain who announced today that he is forming a committee to run for president in 2008...let me give Hannity and the Republican Party a clue. Any candidate they put up who stood firmly behind the Bush policy of "Stay The Course" in Iraq does not have a chance in hell in 2008, and on the top of that list are two people...John McCain and Joe LIEberman. Democratic Senators in Washington may think it smart to welcome Joe back to the party with open arms, but for those of us in the grassroots, he's a turncoat who should sell his soul out to the Republicans, as we do not need him. Hannity needs to find someone else to support as a candidate, and needs to wake up to the reality that his own base is rapidly vanishing, and he either tones down his rabidly obvious hate of Democrats, or he will soon be off the air and out of the national spot light he so craves and adores.