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January 27, 2005
Seymour Hersh: "We've Been Taken Over by a Cult"
Posted by Jim at 02:57 PM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2005
Lobbying Trip set for Jan. 31
The Baltimore Chapter of DFM is going on a lobbying trip to Annapolis on Jan 31, 2005 at 6:30 pm in the Lowe House Office building.
We will be deciding on our specific course of action this Thursday at the meeting of our State and Local committee meeting, email Matthew Saroff or Noel Levy for more information.
At the top of our list will be verifiable (paper) ballots.
There are a number of "phony" verifiable ballot bills out there, and we need to educate our state reps.
How to get there: Easiest parking is at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium (http://tinyurl.com/6n9he), and take the trolley bus to the Lowe building. $4 for the Parking and $0.75 for the Trolley.
Posted by Jim at 01:12 PM | Comments (0)
January 19, 2005
The 'Politics' of Wal-Mart and Sam's Club!
This is from the UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers)local 400 website
Do We Want to Trade Good Jobs at Giant, Safeway, Shoppers Food Warehouse, Kroger, and Magruders Which Have Good Wages, Health Care Benefits and Pensions for Poverty Level Jobs at Wal-mart? We Hope Not!
Over the past decade, Wal-Mart has become the largest corporation in the world. With over $220 billion each year in revenues, this giant has become a fixture in America and is the largest retailer in history. Chances are, if you’re looking to buy any product, Wal-Mart's got it. And in many of our communities Wal-Mart is the only place for miles you can buy anything. At first glance, one may be impressed by the rapid growth and phenomenal sales figures of Wal-Mart. Community leaders and politicians may also be drawn by the Wal-Mart promise of new jobs and infusion to the tax base. After all, with "Supercenters" averaging over 200,000 square feet (more than 4 football fields!) of selling area, these stores must bring in new business to our communities. And surely all businesses will benefit from these new long-distance shoppers... right?
Wrong. Simply put, Wal-Mart has perfected the art of 'conquer and destroy' unlike any retailer in history. Time and again, communities across America experience the wrath of Wal-Mart’s ruthless business practices first hand. Lured by the same promises of low-cost, one-stop shopping, hundreds of new jobs and an expanded tax base, community leaders not only allow Wal-Mart to build their "Supercenters," they often engage in bidding wars to see which will be the next "lucky" suburb to get a Wal-Mart. As part of the business enticements, Wal-Mart is often offered tax breaks and incentives to build. Additionally, it is not unheard of to have zoning changed to suit Wal-Mart’s needs, building regulations stretched where they find it necessary, roads and water lines expanded all at no cost to Wal-Mart. When this occurs, communities are "paying Wal-Mart," even before the store opens!
To read the entire article, click the title
There is also a fascinating discussion on the future of labor at this SEIU (Service Employees International Union) sponsored website.
SEIU has also creted another site dedicated to Walmart. Check out their Walmart fact sheet.
Posted by Melissa at 06:54 PM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2005
Announcing a special DFH event!
At 7pm on Monday, January 24, Democracy for Howard County will host a screening of the video "How Democrats and Progressives Can Win: Solutions from George Lakoff." We will use this video from the renowned professor of linguistics and cognitive science as a springboard for a discussion on how Progressives can use language to better "frame" the issues. Conservatives have gotten very good at using language to their advantage, now we need to do the same! This video screening/discussion will take place at the East Columbia Library, 6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, MD 21045. All are welcome!
RSVPs are not required, but they will be helpful in ensuring that we have enough chairs and REFRESHMENTS! You can RSVP at http://dfa.meetup.com/138.
Posted by Dawn at 10:44 AM | Comments (0)
January 11, 2005
I'm Running
As I have traveled across our country, I have talked to thousands of people who are working for change in their own communities about the power of politics to make a difference in their own lives and in the lives of others. Every group I have spoken to, I encouraged them to stand up for what they believe and to get involved in the electoral process—because the only sure way to make difference is to step up and run for office yourself.
Today, I'm announcing my candidacy for the Chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee.
The Democratic Party needs a vibrant, forward-thinking, long-term presence in every single state and we must be willing to contest every race at every level. We will only win when we show up and fight for the issues important to all of us.
Another integral part of our strategy must be cultivating the party's grassroots. Our long term success depends on all of us taking an active role in our party and in the political process, by volunteering, going door to door and taking the Democratic message into every community, and by organizing at the local level. After all, new ideas and new leaders don't come from consultants; they come from communities.
As important as organization is, it alone can no longer win us elections. Offering a new choice means making Democrats the party of reform—reforming America's financial situation, reforming our electoral process, reforming health care, reforming education and putting morality back in our foreign policy. The Democratic Party will not win elections or build a lasting majority solely by changing its rhetoric, nor will we win by adopting the other side's positions. We must say what we mean—and mean real change when we say it.
But most of all, together, we have to rebuild the American community. We will never succeed by treating our nation as a collection of separate regions or separate groups. There are no red states or blues states, only American states. And we must talk to the people in all of these states as members of one community.
That word—'values'—has lately become a codeword for appeasement of the right-wing fringe. But when political calculations make us soften our opposition to bigotry, or sign on to policies that add to the burden of ordinary Americans, we have abandoned our true values.
We cannot let that happen. And we cannot just mouth the words. Our party must speak plainly and our agenda must clearly reflect the socially progressive, fiscally responsible values that bring our party—and the vast majority of Americans—together.
All of this will require both national perspective and local experience. I know what it's like to lead hands-on at the state level and I know what it's like to run for national office.
With your help, this past election season, Democracy for America, already started creating the kind of organization the Democratic Party can be. This past election cycle, we endorsed over 100 candidates at all levels of government—from school board to U.S. Senate. We contributed almost a million dollars to nearly 750 candidates around the country and raised millions of dollars for many more candidates.
Together, we helped elect a Democratic governor in Montana, a Democratic mayor of Salt Lake County, Utah and an African American woman to the bench in Alabama. Fifteen of the candidates we endorsed had never run for office before—and won.
I also have experience building and managing a local party organization. My career started as Democratic Party chair in Chittenden County, Vermont. I then ran successful campaigns: for state legislature, lieutenant governor and then governor. In my 11-year tenure as governor, I balanced the state's budget every year.
I served as chair of both the National Governors' Association and the Democratic Governors' Association (DGA). And as chair of the DGA, I helped recruit nearly 20 governors that won—even in states like Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Mississippi.
All of these experiences have only reaffirmed what I know to be true. There is only one party that speaks to the hopes and dreams of all Americans. It is the party you have already given so much to. It is the Democratic Party.
We can win elections only by standing up for what we believe.
Thank you and I look forward to listening to your concerns in the weeks ahead.
Posted by Jim at 03:58 PM | Comments (0)
January 05, 2005
The Media Narrative
From a Distance, Hope Glimmers Like a Mirage Amid the Misery
By Philip Kennicott
"We've entered the moment of insipidity. No matter what may be happening on the other side of the globe, where hundreds of thousands are dead and injured, millions homeless and whole regions in shambles, the narrative arc of the stories Americans expect requires hope. So even before the real actors in this faraway drama have felt the full burden of despair, journalists have moved on to inspiring tales of survival, affirmation that life is returning and that healing proceeds apace..."
Posted by Jim at 10:17 AM | Comments (0)