Great meeting tonight on Social Security; we learned a lot, and had a really productive debate. If you missed the meeting for some unconceivable reason, most of what you need to know is at ThereIsNoCrisis.com.
For anyone who went to Thursday's rally or sat-in at the admissions office: You made a huge difference! Here's some of the amazing press coverage you got:
Via Kos, we learn that Bush is more than happy to face questions from the German people. As long as they don't, y'know, ask any actual questions:
The much-touted American-style "town hall" meeting the White House has been planning with "normal Germans" of everyday walks of life will be missing during his visit to the Rhine River hamlet of Mainz this afternoon.A few weeks ago, the Bush administration had declared that the chat -- which could have brought together tradesmen, butchers, bank employees, students and all other types to discuss trans-Atlantic relations -- would be the cornerstone of President George W. Bush's brief trip to Germany [...]
The Germans, though, insisted that a free forum should be exactly that. Wolfgang Ischinger, Germany's Ambassador to the United States, explained to the New York Times last week: "We told them, don't get upset with us if they ask angry questions."
In Germany, this is a serious abandonment of democratic ideals. In Bush's America, it's a presidential campaign.
Yale Dems active member Chris Lange has his own radio show! "Politics with Christopher Lange" is on WYBC 1340 AM every Wednesday from 3-4 PM. Tune in your radio, or listen online here.
Chris Bowers at MyDD has a good recap of a Santorum (ugh!) rally on Social Security. Here's an interesting tidbit:
Outside the hall before the event, Philly DFA began chanting "Hey-hey, ho-ho, Riock Santorum has got to go!" Local college Republicans, who are just about the only Republicans in West Philly, responded with a chant that beautifully was captured live by CNN: "hey-hey, ho-ho, Social Security has got to go!" I love it when the other side does your campaigning for you!
Republicans want to dismantle FDR's New Deal - our New Deal - piece by piece. When they think no one's watching, they'll come right out and say it. Don't let them get away with it.
When we're linking to Tech Central Station, you know it must be juicy. Today, Ryan Sager has a post documenting his visit to the Conservative Political Action Conference. The results are not pretty:
Arrogance toward Democrats isn't the problem -- though that was everywhere, from Ann Coulter's conservative stand-up routine (kind of a Republican version of "You might be a redneck if…" delivered to wildly cheering fans) to the popular t-shirt slogan, "What blue states? I only see red?"No, the arrogance that will prove problematic, ultimately, was that directed at the libertarian-leaning conservatives by the social conservatives. The message in that regard was clear: We Christians can do this alone, y'all who ain't down with J.C. best be running along.
That was the message when Tamar Jacoby of the Manhattan Institute, who was on a panel to defend President Bush's proposed immigration reforms (supported by no less a conservative institution than The Wall Street Journal), was loudly booed by the anti-immigrant crowd. That was the message when a representative of the Log Cabin Republicans was booed and then asked by a student, "You people [homosexuals, that is] already have the right to live together, you got the sex, what else do you people want?"
In fact, if there was anything particularly striking about this year's CPAC, it is to just what extent Republicans have given up being the party of small government and individual liberty.
Make absolutely no mistake about it: This party, among its most hard-core supporters, is not about freedom anymore. It is about foisting its members' version of morality and economic intervention on the country. It is, in other words, the mirror image of its hated enemy.
Provocative stuff.
The Times is reporting that the era of Chief Justice Rehnquist could be nearing an end:
When the Supreme Court resumes its term on Tuesday, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist will again be absent from the bench because of his illness. Although he is not bedridden and has been regularly attending the justices' private conferences, his empty black leather chair will certainly set off a new round of speculation and chatter about his tenure on the court.
Kos has a good rundown of Rehnquist's possible replacements; TNR's Jeffrey Rosen examined these candidates in more detail. Slate's Nicholas Thompson makes a surprisingly strong case for Chief Justice Scalia.
What do you think?
A good catch by Alissa - Apparently, the UK Navy refuses to let bigotry trump national security:
Five years after Britain lifted its ban on gays in the military, the Royal Navy has begun actively encouraging them to enlist and has pledged to make life easier when they do.The navy announced Monday that it had asked Stonewall, a group that lobbies for gay rights, to help it develop better strategies for recruiting and retaining gay men and lesbians. It said, too, that one strategy may be to advertise for recruits in gay magazines and newspapers.
Read the whole article. It's an inspiring story of government leaders who understand that tolerance and pluralism are national security issues. Maybe some day, we'll have leadership like that.
If you were trying to sell Social Security privatization to seniors, what would you do? Well, if you answered "Try to anger the AARP," you'd be a Republican:
Taking its cues from the success of last year's Swift boat veterans' campaign in the presidential race, a conservative lobbying organization has hired some of the same consultants to orchestrate attacks on one of President Bush's toughest opponents in the battle to overhaul Social Security.The lobbying group, USA Next, which has poured millions of dollars into Republican policy battles, now says it plans to spend as much as $10 million on commercials and other tactics assailing AARP, the powerhouse lobby opposing the private investment accounts at the center of Mr. Bush's plan.
Excellent!
If you're an average American, you spend a lot of time guessing how much Bush's latest policy will screw you over. Well, Senate Democrats have eliminated some of the guesswork with their very own Social Security Calculator.
Looks like the YDN was listening:
The Yale College Democrats and Yale Students for Clean Elections trekked to the state capital Friday to lobby lawmakers for campaign finance reform, with possible implications for politics in New Haven and the state in general.Twenty Yale students engaged legislators in debate about Senate Bill 877, which would create a voluntary system of public campaign financing in New Haven, providing public funds to candidates and matching contributions made by citizens. Members of the College Democrats and YSCE participated in a press conference with state Sen. Martin Looney and the General Administration and Elections Committee chairman Chris Caruso and met with the GAE Committee, which will be voting on the bill.
Read the whole article. You really made a difference.
Brad DeLong is fond of saying, "I'll stop calling the Bush administration 'Orwellian' when they stop using '1984' as an operations manual." Certainly, no one likes to cheapen the political discourse by tossing around names like that lightly. But I'm at a loss for what else to call something like this:
The chairman of a Senate committee that oversees environmental issues has directed two national organizations that oppose President Bush's major clean-air initiative to turn over their financial and tax records to the Senate.Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), who heads the Environment and Public Works Committee, asked for the documents 10 days after a representative of the two groups criticized Bush's "Clear Skies" proposal before a Senate subcommittee. Inhofe is the leading sponsor of the administration bill, which is deadlocked in his panel.
I guess it's not fair to call Inhofe the new McCarthy. At least McCarthy was fighting something worth fighting, like Communism. Inhofe has dedicated his tenure in the Senate, so far, to fighting environmentalism and human rights.
It's also not great to read this:
Democratic senators on Inhofe's committee also were dismayed by his action, but declined to say so publicly because they were in the midst of sensitive negotiations with the chairman on the legislation, staffers said.
Here's a list of the members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Let them know what priorities you think they should set.
Congratulations to the members of the Dems and Students for Clean Elections who went on a very successful lobbying trip last Friday! Thanks for your hard work in convincing members of the CT legislature to support the public financing of elections and your excellent job at the press conference and public hearing. We are looking forward to many more successful lobbying trips in the future!
Pictures of the event are here.
A new study reveals that a healthy environment may be the key to a healthy community in ways you might not expect:
Lead left in paint, water, soil and elsewhere may not only be affecting children’s intelligence but may cause a significant proportion of violent crime, a U.S. researcher argued on Friday.He said the U.S. government needs to do more to lower lead levels in the environment and parents need to think more about where their children may be getting exposed to lead.
Democrats, of course, believe that the Earth we live in is on loan from future generations, and we have a responsibility to preserve and protect it. Some people disagree.
Our brand new Photo Gallery has just been launched! We already have photos from the Hartford lobbying trip we took on Friday!
Some in the mainstream media (coughHANNITYcough) like to pretend that Democrats scare off moderate voters by speaking out for what we believe in. As usual, they have no idea what they're talking about. The real truth is that Americans want someone to stand up to President Bush's radical agenda and incompetent leadership:
"Americans want Democrats to stand up to Bush," the Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire reports. "Fully 60%, including one-fourth of Republicans, say Democrats in Congress should make sure Bush and his party 'don't go too far.' Just 34% want Democrats to 'work in a bipartisan way' to help pass the president's priorities."
Of course, there's nothing wrong with bipartisanship; some of the Democrats' best leaders have been known for crossing partisan boundaries. But bipartisanship only works when both sides are looking for compromises that help the American people. Today, the radical right isn't looking to compromise. They're just looking to win, and it doesn't matter if they have to climb on the backs of ordinary Americans to do it. There is a time for bipartisanship. And a time for taking a stand.
The real truth is just like Howard says: The thing that really scares Republicans is that we may actually begin fighting for what we believe.
Oliver Willis breaks an absolutely astonishing story: The Incredible Magical Missile Defense Shield failed yet another test:
A test of the national missile defense system failed Monday when an interceptor missile did not launch from its island base in the Pacific Ocean, the military said. It was the second failure in months for the experimental program.A statement from the Missile Defense Agency said the cause of the failure was under investigation.
Shocking. I'm sure this has Kim Jong Ill trembling in his high-heeled boots. In the meantime, where might this money be better spent? Gee, how about our troops?
This week, Senator Kerry will introduce legislation to expand the Army and Marine Corps and help meet the needs of America’s Military families. Expanding the Active Duty Army and Marine Corps are essential first steps in strengthening our military, relieving the stress on the force, preventing the emergence of a “hollow” military and keeping America strong. Senator Kerry’s legislation will grow the Army by 30,000 and the Marine Corps by 10,000. Given recruitment and training times, it will take approximately two years for these new troops to be ready to deploy....
The total cost of the Kerry plan would be approximately $6.5 to $8 billion. Taken separately, raising the armed forces by 40,000 personnel will cost between $4.5 and $5 billion per year, and the Military Family Bill of Rights would be between $2 and $3 billion per year.
But Republicans would rather spend about $15 billion a year building a missile shield that doesn't work in the rain. Democrats take America's military and our troops seriously. Republicans...well, not so much.
On C-SPAN right now, the Democratic Policy Committee is holding a hearing on waste and fraud in the distribution of Iraqi reconstruction funds. The testimony is startling: The Bush administration has managed to be less responsible with Iraqis' money than they are with Americans'! John Kerry said that America can win in Iraq, but George W. Bush can't; it sure sounds like he has a point. Will anyone in the White House begin taking Iraq seriously?
Also, notice that this is not a hearing being held by Congress. It is being held by the Democratic Policy Committee. I guess we know which party stands for accountability and reform, and which one doesn't.
"It must be around here somewhere."
A new poll shows: Americans are having voters' remorse. Of course, as usual, the numbers don't tell the story. Most Americans are actually ambivalent about President Bush's policies, and are split evenly. But those over 50 disapproved so strongly that they dragged Bush's overall number down to a solid 45%. Ouch.
The upshot? President Bush's Social Security salesmanship is tanking badly, and maybe even backfiring. President Bush's Magical Mystery Tour must not be doing the trick. (Bizarre exchanges like this one can't be helping.) It's unclear where the president can go from here; maybe soon, he'll start selling snake oil.
Oh wait, he already is.
Yesterday, Gov. Howard Dean was elected as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee! He pledged to take on the Republicans' divisive, destructive agenda and rebuild the strength of the Democratic Party - from the grassroots up! Here's an excerpt from Gov. Dean's remarks:
We all know that we're the party of the big tent and new ideas.We know that we're the party for young Americans looking for a government that speaks to them… we know that we're the party for working Americans desperate for a government that looks out for them… and we know that we're the party for older Americans and veterans and members of the Armed Services expecting and deserving a government that honors them.
And we know that no matter where you live or who you are, what you look like or how you worship, ours is the diverse party that welcomes you.
But right now, as important as all of that is… it is not enough. We have to move forward. We cannot win if all we are is against the current President.
Republicans wandered around in the political wilderness for 40 years before they took back Congress. But the reason we lost control is that we forgot why we were entrusted with control to begin with.
The American people can't afford to wait for 40 years for us to put Washington back to work for them.
It can't take us that long.
And it won't take us that long… not if we stand up for what we believe in… organize at the local level… and recognize that this Party's strength doesn't come from the consultants down, it comes from grassroots up.
Take Action!
http://www.cga.ct.gov/2005/tob/s/2005SB-00963-R00-SB.htm
There's an act going through the CT state gov't to legalize gay marriage. Marriage. Not civil unions or domestic partnerships, but straight up MARRIAGE.
It's going to the Judiciary Committe for a public hearing tomorrow.
That link up there is the most easily readable piece of legislation we've ever seen; check it out.
If you want to support this, please please please send your support to any and all the members of the committee: http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/MemberList.asp?comm_code=JUD&doc_type
Particularly malleable ones:
Mike Lawlor: Co-chair of the judiciary committee, rep. from East Haven
Juan Candelaria: New Haven 95th dist
Patricia Dillon: Asst. Majority leader, New Haven 92nd dist.
William Dyson: Asst. Majority leader, New Haven 94th dist.
Cameron Staples: New Haven / Hamden 96th dist
Tony Walker: Deputy Majority Leader, New Haven 93rd dist.
The purpose of the hearing is to hear from the public, and since I doubt many people could even make it to the actual hearing, emails can still work! Or phone calls, if you're so inclined.
If CT legalizes marriage for love over marriage for body parts, it could be the start of something big.
Sometimes it's the little things in life that bring the most joy....
From http://www.jossip.com/dailyj/2005/01/31/ann_coulter_gets_schooled_by_canada.php
Normally we wouldn't allow such a large picture of Ann Coulter to appear on this website, but we wanted to afford our readers every pixel of Coulter crow. The conservative talking head was being interviewed by Bob McKeown on Fifth Estate on Canada's CBC in that low droaning voice we're huge fans of when she got her facts terribly, terribly wrong about the Vietnam war.
Coulter: "Canada used to be one of our most loyal friends and vice-versa. I mean Canada sent troops to Vietnam - was Vietnam less containable and more of a threat than Saddam Hussein?"
McKeown interrupts: "Canada didn't send troops to Vietnam."
Coulter: "I don't think that's right."
McKeown: "Canada did not send troops to Vietnam."
Coulter (looking desperate): "Indochina?"
McKeown: "Uh no. Canada ...second World War of course. Korea. Yes. Vietnam No."
Coulter: "I think you're wrong."
McKeown: "No, took a pass on Vietnam."
Coulter: "I think you're wrong."
McKeown: "No, Australia was there, not Canada."
Coulter: "I think Canada sent troops."
McKeown: "No."
Coulter: "Well. I'll get back to you on that."
McKeown tags out in script: "Coulter never got back to us -- but for the record, like Iraq, Canada sent no troops to Vietnam."
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