Progressive Democrat Issue 88: THOUGHTS

As we approach November, I feel nervous. I know how badly the Republicans want to hold on to power and their desperation means there will be a lot of voter fraud and a lot of money spent smearing Democrats. And the tame media will be helping them.

We need to really put up a fight. As my pessimism warns me to expect the worst, I keep hearing news that makes our chances seem better and better. We need to keep fighting, keep writing letters to the editor, donating time and money and talking to our friends to get out the Democratic message.

Right now some major Republican sources are predicting Democrats will gain 4 Senate seats (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Montana and Rhode Island) and will lose one to an Independent (Lieberman in Connecticut) and one to a Republican (New Jersey). That looks like the worst scenario. Democratic sources are predicting a much better Senate win, with as many as 6 pick ups. Holding New Jersey is a must and it is starting to look like both Tennessee and Missouri Senate races are becoming very competitive. In fact, those two states are tossups at the moment. If we can hold New Jersey, and take the four predicted seats the Republicans expect us to win, AND take BOTH Tennessee and Missouri, we take the Senate. If we want it, we have to work VERY hard for it.

The House is wide open. Even Republicans are predicting we will pick up 11 House seats. But by now about 40 House seats that were expected to be safe are up for grabs, and almost all of them are Republicans seats. Democrats are only at risk in a handful of districts while Republicans are at risk all over the nation. We need 15 seats, but if we work our asses off, we could take as many as 20.

So that is what it is all about until November. Donations and volunteer hours to win. Period. This is our chance to win big.

Progressive Democrat Issue 88: PROGRESSIVE GRASSROOTS GEARING UP FOR NOVEMBER

This year has so much potential not just for Democrats, but also for the progressive grassroots. Already, the grassroots are geared up for puting up their biggest fight to date. I want to highlight a couple of ways the grassroots are prepared to take a stand against the corrupt Halliburton Republicans and to restore integrity and democracy to our government.

Starting with Democracy for America, here are just a few things that DFA has done just in the last month:

1. Raised thousands of dollars for key Secretary of State candidates so we can start restoring fairness and accuracy to our elections, something I am working on as well.

2. Expanded DFA coverage of congressional districts though their linkup groups to cover 420 of the nation's 435 congressional districts. That leaves only 15 Congressional districts with no DFA group! You can find your local group or start a new group here.

3. Trained 2000 activists in message development and dissemination through their "Night School Program." You, too, can sign up for training here.

And that was only in one month.

MoveOn.org has been focusing their attention on putting out TV ads in key congressional districts. Market research has shown that these TV ads have been turning districts from leaning Republican to leaning Democrat, opening up more possible pick up chances. You can view these ads and donate to put more on the air by going here.

But MoveOn.org is firing up a new effort, one which my wife and I will be doing our small part for. They are gathering thousands of volunteers to participate in phone banks around the country, targeting the 30 hottest House races. Joy and I will probably be hosting one of their organizers here in Brooklyn where one of their phone banks will be located. You can sign up to participate in this effort here.

I know of a few other efforts but they are local to NYC. If you know of any other national efforts, please post them in the comments. But the most important thing is to volunteer or donate now if you want to win in November.

Progressive Majority is one of my favorite new groups. They start at the VERY local levels (School Board, state legislatures, election boards, etc.), and they win! In 2005 they won 71% of the races they got involved in. They are hoping to win even bigger this year. They have an excellent slate of candidates covering Arizona, Colorado, Washington State, and Wisconsin as well as working to increase the diversity of representation across the country. Please see their list of candidates and donate to one or two if you can. Remember, since they are targeting more local races, your donations can make much more of a difference.

Progressive Democrat Issue 88: MORE SECURITY ISSUES WITH VOTING MACHINES

As many states face a decision of what technology to choose to replace the old voting machines, more security issues are cropping up around the touch-screen (DRE) machines.

I already have reported on how the DRE machines are easily hackable, use prorietary software that prevents open public oversight of elections, have no official paper trail preventing any kind of independent recount and, on top of it all, are far more expensive to buy, maintain and replace than the alternative, "scantron" (PBOS) system. A summary of a Princeton study on security issues surrounding DRE machines can be found here.

But the DRE machines are also easy for almost anyone to open. Turns out the locks they use can be opened by a standard key that will open hotel minibars and many kinds of office furniture. From the "Freedom to Tinker" technology blog:

“Hotel Minibar” Keys Open Diebold Voting Machines

Monday September 18, 2006 by Ed Felten

Like other computer scientists who have studied Diebold voting machines, we were surprised at the apparent carelessness of Diebold’s security design. It can be hard to convey this to nonexperts, because the examples are technical. To security practitioners, the use of a fixed, unchangeable encryption key and the blind acceptance of every software update offered on removable storage are rookie mistakes; but nonexperts have trouble appreciating this. Here is an example that anybody, expert or not, can appreciate:

The access panel door on a Diebold AccuVote-TS voting machine — the door that protects the memory card that stores the votes, and is the main barrier to the injection of a virus — can be opened with a standard key that is widely available on the Internet.

On Wednesday we did a live demo for our Princeton Computer Science colleagues of the vote-stealing software described in our paper and video. Afterward, Chris Tengi, a technical staff member, asked to look at the key that came with the voting machine. He noticed an alphanumeric code printed on the key, and remarked that he had a key at home with the same code on it. The next day he brought in his key and sure enough it opened the voting machine.

This seemed like a freakish coincidence — until we learned how common these keys are.

Chris’s key was left over from a previous job, maybe fifteen years ago. He said the key had opened either a file cabinet or the access panel on an old VAX computer. A little research revealed that the exact same key is used widely in office furniture, electronic equipment, jukeboxes, and hotel minibars. It’s a standard part, and like most standard parts it’s easily purchased on the Internet. We bought several keys from an office furniture key shop — they open the voting machine too. We ordered another key on eBay from a jukebox supply shop. The keys can be purchased from many online merchants.

Using such a standard key doesn’t provide much security, but it does allow Diebold to assert that their design uses a lock and key. Experts will recognize the same problem in Diebold’s use of encryption — they can say they use encryption, but they use it in a way that neutralizes its security benefits.

This really should NOT be the kind of shoddy, careless security we trust our vote to.

Let me emphasize that new technology is fine. I have in the past been accused of wanting to stick with the old voting machines. I am not confident in those either because they have not been well maintained, at least in NY State. Here we use very, very old lever-operated machines whose counters are often hard to read. In the last primary I caught a counting error made by the (by then very tired) poll worker. His count was off by 10 votes for one candidate and when I called his attention to it, he very willingly changed it. But it was an error due to the fact that our current machines are old and the counters are hard to read.

But to abandon a problematic technology for one that is completely unreliable and not open to public scrutiny is crazy. I think this is what is hard for people to understand. DRE/touchscreen machines make fraud not only possible but easier than with existing machines and makes fraud much harder to prove. These machines would, in essence, make our voting an act of faith rather than a fair, verifiable election. The PBOS/scantron technology is a cheaper and more reliable system. Even though problems can arise with this technology as well, ultimately it is verifiable. If there is fraud, it can be caught. With DRE/touchscreen machines, fraud can never be proven.

We cannot turn our vote into an act of faith. We need a voting system that is open to public scrutiny, has adequate security, and where a recount is possible.

Please contact the media and contact your state officials before it is too late. Time is running out even as the evidence mounts showing that the DRE machines are completely inadequate.

Progressive Democrat Issue 88: REPUBLICANS CONCEDE A HOUSE RACE IN ARIZONA

Democrats only need to win 15 more House seats to take back the House. That's out of 40 surprisingly close races. Well, the Republicans have all but conceded one of those races, meaning Democrats only have to win 14 more.

White Supremicists are often too close for comfort to the Republican Party. Virginia Senator Allen, for example, is clearly a bit too much of a racist for my taste, leading me to donate to and advocate for Democratic candidate for the Senate, Jim Webb. But Republicans in general don't necessarily LIKE being associated with white supremicists. Witness the Republican candidate for AZ-8 Congressional seat: Randy Graf is well connected with white supremicists and has now been endorsed by former Grand Wizard of the KKK (and former Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor of Louisiana and twice for president of the United States) David Duke. This was too much even for the Republican Party, leading them to do the right thing and pull out all support for Graf.

Here's a statement from the DCCC on this:

I couldn't have better news. The Republicans have withdrawn all of their financial support in the pivotal race in Arizona's 8th Congressional District, all but conceding defeat in a race that we had targeted.

Their extremist nominee, Randy Graf, was already unacceptable to Arizona. But, when he was endorsed by former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan David Duke -- after a history of mingling with white supremacists -- something had to be done. I immediately stepped in and issued a letter to put pressure on my colleague Tom Reynolds, chair of the NRCC, to pull out of the race.

"While you and I may have differences of opinion when it comes to policy, certainly we can agree on the right thing to do. Supporting a candidate with ties to the white supremacist community is not the right thing to do.

...Tom, you should pull down your ads in support of Graf immediately. Candidates tied to white supremacists are not right for Arizona and they are certainly not right for America.

...I assume that it is for these reasons and more that incumbent Republican Congressman Jim Kolbe will not endorse Randy Graf. If he is not worthy of the incumbent's endorsement, he should not be worthy of yours. Please do the right thing and pull your support of Randy Graf."

As a result, the NRCC cancelled all of their media buys and walked away.

For once...for ONCE, the Republican Party is turning its back on a right wing nut case. Too often they embrace such nut cases, like Pat Robertson, Ann Coulter and, well, the little George Bush. For once, they did the right thing. White Supremicists are a disgusting breed that should be shunned by BOTH parties.

Now let's remember that Arizona is one of the most hotly contested races this year with two close House races and an increasingly close Senate race. If we can win these three seats, we will be WELL on our way to winning Congress back. Please donate to turn Arizona blue in 2006.

Progressive Democrat Issue 88: BROOKLYN ACTION

This weekend we went to the Atlantic Antic Street Fair, which to me is one of the better street fairs. Listend to some great drumming and ate some Caribbean food that was spicy even to me. Great stuff.

I was also able to spend some time with the folks from Council of Brooklyn Neighborhoods (CBN), which grew out of a series of discussions Brooklyn Boro President Marty Markowitz held in the Spring of 2004 with members of a number of community groups to better understand their concerns regarding the proposed development of the Brooklyn Atlantic/Vanderbilt Yards. CBN is composed of community groups, business groups and churches in Community Board Districts 2, 3, 6, and 8. You can see a list of the component organizations here.

What CBN is doing now is analyzing the DEIS report from the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) and providing this analysis for people to look at and use. They are also urging everyone to send comments in to the ESDC and to local polticians before the Sept. 29th deadline.

CBN is providing a series of bullitins on the DEIS report, which can be found here. The fifth bullitin contains a summay of their findings. Here is a summary of the summary:

* Many parts of the DEIS read like promotional material for the development, not a balanced analysis of impacts. There is more focus on the presumed benefits of the project than on the costs or problems. The purpose of the environmental review is to disclose potential impacts and identify negative impacts, not promote the project.

* The three alternative plans (UNITY, Extell and Pacific) are never analyzed or discussed in any detail. For the most part they are only described; the relative impacts are never quantified. They are simply discounted as not achieving the project goals that promise more housing and jobs, but the quantitative goals set up by the developer are self-serving. The alternatives would all bring new housing and jobs and result in fewer negative impacts, yet because they don’t achieve the numbers arbitrarily advanced by the project developer they are discounted.

* Mitigations are generally not detailed or clearly defined.

* In the areas of traffic, transportation, noise, and construction impacts where the DEIS says there will be significant adverse impacts, the mitigations proposed are minimal and ineffective. This project, when added to all the other new development in the area, requires major new initiatives in transportation planning to avoid further congestion in the downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.

* The DEIS does not include several critical analyses that were specifically requested by individuals and community groups:

Security and Terrorism
Environmental Justice
Mental Health

I want to emphasize two things about the process that are often overlooked. First off, as implied in the first point above, the ESDC never even attempted to make a fair anaylsis of the problems vs. benefits of Ratner's plan. Simply put, Pataki and the ESDC had decided in advance of any public input of bidding that Ratner was going to be given the contract and that the ESDC would give him a glowing report. Remember that the ESDC wanted to hire Ratner's own lawyer at Ratner's expense to help review Ratner's plan...that clearly shows the bias that the whole process has been known for. Regarding this process, Sean Patrick Maloney, while a candidate for Attorney General, made the following statement that I think sums it up well:

…I believe that the Brooklyn Atlantic Yards development must be stopped-cold until some tough questions get asked and answered. As it is today, this project is the face of what’s wrong with a corrupt culture that mixes business and politics, profits and tax dollars. My objections to the project stem from the flawed and secretive process by which decisions are made. Decisions that could change the face of the community forever. Decisions that deserve more scrutiny, more tough issues like fairness and transparency and including:

· The Forest City Ratner proposal is a selective bid.

· A profound disregard for community involvement in the decision making process.

· The shameful lack of accountability and transparency by Forest City Ratner by failing to provide a detailed financial report.

· There is little evidence…that the decision making process included concern for the historical character of the neighborhood.

· The Forest City Ratner proposal does not adequately address affordable housing questions posed by concerned members of the community.

· Although the MTA appraised the value of the rail yards at $241 million, the MTA chose the lowest bidder instead of the higher bid from Extell.

This plan, as it is, cannot be allowed to move forward; however, I would support responsible development that earnestly seeks a partnership and synergy with the community rather than an exploitation of our beauty and resources in Brooklyn.

The ESDC and Pataki have followed a very crooked path to bring Ratner this project on a silver platter and that really stinks!

I also want to repeat my contrast of the ESDC's glowing report with the sttement made by Urban Planner and former City Planning Commissioner Ron Shiffman. His comment was this:

After participating in a planning charette sponsored by City Council Member Letitia James in 2004 shortly after the proposal was first announced and after circulating some ideas about the developer’s proposal, I decided not to speak out on the issue in part because I believed that the inclusionary housing component was an important victory and believing that a more rational plan would eventually emerge.

However, that alternative has not emerged. Forest City Ratner (FCR) and, by extension, the City and State of New York, continue to follow a process that is fundamentally flawed in pursuit of a plan that, if implemented, would scar the borough for decades to come...

What the CBN analysis emphasizes is the same thing that Maloney and Shiffman have been saying: the process has been flawed and unfair. I also want to emphasize the part of CBN's statement that indicates that the three alternative plans for the site, the UNITY, Extell and Pacific plans, have never been given a fair hearing. In essence, they were pushed aside in favor of Ratner's plan even though each of these other three plans go much further in compromising with the community while still offering affordable housing and jobs. The ESDC, as well as ACORN and the construction unions, completely ignore these alternate plans, acting as if it is either Ratner or nothing. CBN provides a graphical comparison of the four plans superimposed on the existing view which you can access through here.

This is NOT a conflict between pro- and anti-development groups. This is a conflict between pro- and anti-Ratner forces. Ratner is a private developer out for his own gain who just happens to be a law school buddy of Pataki's. He has been given this project through an unfair and corrupt process that does not measure up to free market standards, let alone community standards. The Ratner plan does not adequately provide for the massive impact of this scale of development on sewage volume, traffic, public transportation, classrooms, fire house coverage, etc. The DEIS report DOES NOT ADDRESS THESE ISSUES. Ratner has a poor record of job creation through his previous development projects and has NO record of producing affordable housing. The affordable housing provisions in Ratner's plan will beging reasonable but are tied to market value which will rise to a degree that will make the housing unaffordable to lower income residents.

Ratner's plan is not the best plan. We need an improved review process that will allow for a fair consideration of all four plans rather than merely handing it to a crony of Pataki's.

Please read through CBN's materials and submit your opinions to the ESDC. Written comments must be RECEIVED by the ESDC no later than 5:30 PM, Friday, September 29, 2006.

Send your comments to:

Atlantic Yards c/o ESDC
Empire State Develpment Corporation
633 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10017

Or email your comments to:

atlanticyards@empire.state.ny.us

Send a copy of your statement to:

Council of Brooklyn Neighborhoods
201 DeKalb St.
Brooklyn NY, 11205

or email to cbrooklynneighborhoods@hotmail.com

Please also send your comments to your local paper and local politicians.

I suggest sending your opinion to The Brooklyn Papers, Brooklyn Courier, and Daily News.

Write to the following politicians:

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver
speaker@assembly.state.ny.us
LOB #932
Albany, NY 11248

Assemblywoman Joan Millman
millmaj@assembly.state.ny.us
341 Smith St
Brooklyn, NY 11231

Attorney General (and future Governor?) Eliot Spitzer
contact online here
The Capitol
Albany, NY 12224

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn
contact online here
224 West 30th St (Suite 1206)
New York, NY 10001

Councilwoman (soon to be Congresswoman) Yvette Clarke
clarke@council.nyc.ny.us
123 Linden Boulevard
Brooklyn, NY 11226

Councilman David Yassky
yassky@council.nyc.ny.us
114 Court Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201

These are the people who can really be swayed, so PLEASE contact them with your opinion. We are running out of time on this issue as well!

Progressive Democrat Issue 88: QUEENS ACTION

Democracy for NYC Phonebanking Thursdays in Queens:

Thu, 09/28/2006 - 7:00pm

DFNYC will be doing phonebanking Thursday evenings in Sunnyside, Queens, at the office of Marc Crawford Leavitt, 45-29 47th St. helping various Democrats to win in November.

It's a short ride on the #7 train -- take the local to 46th St., walk up one block to 47th St., turn right, and it's 1+ block down on the left side.

This week's beneficiaries: TBA

Call Dan Jacoby at 917-667-2756 if you can come or need more info.

Progressive Democrat Issue 88: BROOKLYN/QUEENS GROUPS AND EVENTS

ALL NYC:

Same-Sex Marriage Forum hosted by Jonathan Bing
Thu, 09/28/2006 - 6:00pm

Assemblyman Jonathan Bing represents the 73rd Assembly District on the Upper East Side, and he was a "Dean's Dozen" candidate in 2004. Jonathan would like to invite DFNYC to this upcoming event he is hosting on same-sex marriage:

Assemblyman Jonathan Bing Invites you to a Forum on Same-Sex Marriage

What is the difference between civil unions and marriage?
What is the difference between civil and religious marriage?
What is the impact of the recent decision by the Court of Appeals?
What is happening in the State Legislature on this issue?

Thursday, September 28, 2006
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Hunter College School of Social Work
129 East 79th Street
Auditorium

Speakers:
Senator Tom Duane
Assemblyman Richard Gottfried
Chris Cormier – Empire State Pride Agenda
Susan Sommer – Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund

Co-Sponsored By:
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Senator Tom Duane, Senator Liz Krueger, Councilmember Daniel Garodnick, Councilmember Jessica Lappin


BROOKLYN EVENTS:

Brooklyn Critical Mass:
Critical Mass is a monthly celebration of bicycles and other nonpolluting means of transportation, exercising our right to the road. Critical Mass is a movement, not an organization; no two riders participate for exactly the same reason. Brooklyn Critical Mass started rolling in 2004.

Brooklyn rides are the Second Friday of every month, 7:00 p.m., meeting at Grand Army Plaza. Come out and join Critical Mass in Brooklyn. Celebrate cycling, and assert your right to the road -- Brooklyn style!

For more events and bike workshops, check out their calendar.


Develop, Don't Destroy Brooklyn's Second Annual Walkathon:
Saturday, October 21, 2006 starting at the Prospect Park Bandshell

Join DDDB and other Brooklyn activists (including my wife and myself) in a walkathon to protect Brooklyn from Ratner's corrupt and excessive development plan. DDDB opposes Ratner's massive development project and favors more community-based development for Brooklyn.

Please join or help sponsor Joy and my team, the "Progressive Cabal." Last year's walkathon was great fun with music and great speakers.


Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats (CBID) (mostly covers Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, and Kensington). http://www.cbidems.org/ My wife, Joy, is now on the executive board of this club. This club is very grassroots and worked very hard for progressive candidates in the recent primary. They need more people if we want to strengthen the grassroots. If you are not yet a member, please come to the next meeting and join. Membership is cheap! Next meeting is 7 PM on Thursday, October 19th, at the Park Slope United Methodist Church, 6th Ave. & 8th Street in the basement (enter through the garden gate on 6th Ave).


New Democratic Majority in Brooklyn:
I will be a co-host of this meeting. We meet the 4th Thursday of every month at the 5th Ave. Ozzie’s in Park Slope, 249 5th Ave (intersection of 5th and Garfield) at 7 PM. You can contact me (mole333@gmail.com) for more info. The next couple of meetings will focus on the November elections around the nation and how those of us in NYC can help out.


Democracy for America Meetings: CLICK HERE!

Lambda Independent Democrats (Brooklyn’s gay and lesbian organization) for meeting info contact LID@LIDBrooklyn.org.

DRINKING LIBERALLY: An informal, inclusive weekly Democratic drinking club. Raise your spirits while you raise your glass, and share ideas while you share a pitcher. Drinking Liberally gives like-minded, left-leaning individuals a place to talk politics. You don't need to be a policy expert and this isn't a book club - just come and learn from peers, trade jokes, vent frustration and hang out in an environment where it's not taboo to talk politics. Here are our local Brooklyn groups:

Park Slope: First Wednesday of each month, 7:00 pm onward, Commonwealth, 497 5th Ave (at 12th Street). Hosted by Emily Farris and Peter Wohlsen, parkslope (at) drinkingliberally.org

Williamsburg: Every Tuesday, 8:00 pm onward the Levee, 212 Berry St. (corner of N. 3rd). Hosted by Elana Levin and Michael Freedman-Schnapp, williamsburg (at) drinkingliberally.org

To find your nearest Brooklyn Democratic club, please CLICK HERE.

QUEENS:

Democracy for America Meetings: CLICK HERE!

Queens Jefferson Democratic Club: Our meetings are normally held the first Thursday of every month, @ 8:00 p.m. (the doors open @ 7:30 P.M.) except for July, August, and months in which a holiday falls on the First Thursday. Meetings are held at the Auburndale American Legion Hall, 198-09 33rd Ave Flushing, New York 11358 (just off Francis Lewis Blvd. near 33rd Avenue).

Queens County Young Democrats: for information CLICK HERE.

DRINKING LIBERALLY: An informal, inclusive weekly Democratic drinking club. Raise your spirits while you raise your glass, and share ideas while you share a pitcher. Drinking Liberally gives like-minded, left-leaning individuals a place to talk politics. You don't need to be a policy expert and this isn't a book club - just come and learn from peers, trade jokes, vent frustration and hang out in an environment where it's not taboo to talk politics. Here are our local Queens groups:

ASTORIA: Third Wednesday of each month, 7:30 pm onward. Cassidy's, 34-16 Broadway (at 35th Street). Hosted by Bob Chamerda, astoria (at) drinkingliberally.org

To find your nearest Queens Democratic club, please CLICK HERE.

Progressive Democrat Issue 88: MANHATTAN ACTION FOR STATEN ISLAND

The one Congressional race in NYC where we have a chance to defeat a Republican is the NY-13 race covering Staten Island and a small part of Brooklyn. Corruption is slowly chipping away at the Republican incumbent, Vito Fossella's already low popularity. The Daily News ran a whole series on Fossella's corruption. The Democratic candidate, Steve Harrison, got a late start but is slowly catching up. This coming week a fundraiser hosted by Chuck Schumer and Anthony Weiner should give Harrison a much needed boost.

Staten Island is just a nice ferry trip away from Manhattan. If you can spend some time flyering for Fossella at the Staten Island ferry, it could do wonders for turning this into a very competitive race. Please contact Steve Harrison's campaign and let them know you want to help and what you can do.

Progressive Democrat Issue 88: VIRGINIA GROUPS AND EVENTS

Dickenson County Democratic Committee Annual Fish Fry
Starts: 9/24/2006 2:00 PM
Ends: 9/24/2006 4:00 PM
Contact: Brian Patton
Location: Bearpen Picnic Area in the Brushcreek section of Clintwood, Virginia
Phone: 276 870-1235

The Fish Fry is hosted by the Dickenson County Democratic Committee and is usually attended by elected officials and hundreds of local Democrats.

Bluegrass group(s) to perform.


Governor's Dinner
Starts: 9/24/2006 5:30 p.m.
Ends: 9/24/2006 9:00 p.m.
Contact: Peter DeFur
Location: Columbian Center, 2324 Pump Road
(Short Pump area)
Phone: 804.360.1223

HCDC fund raiser honoring Virginia Governors. Must have RSVP's so an attendee count can be determined.


Chickin Pickin (Chesterfield Dem Committee)
Starts: 9/30/2006 5:30p
Ends: 9/30/2006 9:00 pm
Contact: Debby Burroughs
Location: Dale Ruritan Building at intersection of Chippenham Parkway (Route 150) and Rt 10 (Ironbridge Rd)

Annual Fundraiser, featuring live and silent auctions, music and dinner. Candidates welcome!


Peninsula JJ and Democrats of the Year Awards
Starts: 10/7/2006 7:00 PM
Ends: 10/7/2006 12:00 AM
Contact: Charles Stanton
Location: Hampton Roads Convention Center
1610 Coliseum Dr.
Hampton, VA 23666
Phone: 757-877-2553

The Democratic Committees of Newport News, Hampton, Poquoson and York County are hosting the second annual Peninsula Jefferson Jackson (JJ) Celebration and Democrats of the Year Awards.

The Hunter Andrews “Democrat of the Year Award”


Elephant Roast (Va Beach Democratic Committee)
Starts: 10/15/2006 2 pm
Ends: 10/15/2006 5 pm
Contact: Paul Baker
Location: The Historic Kellam Family Home at 2384 Princess Anne Rd., Va Beach, VA 23456
Phone: 757-481-4409

The Va Beach Democratic Committee invites you to a FREE Democratic Party picnic and rally featuring 2nd District Congressional candidate Phil Kellam and a host of other Democratic luminaries that we hope will include Senate nominee Jim Webb.


Democracy for America: One of the best ways to get active! FIND YOUR LOCAL DFA MEETUP AND GET INVOLVED!

The Democratic Party: Here are links to some of your local Dem clubs. This is another very important way to be active.

Albemarle County Democratic Committee, Albemarle County, VA

Arlington County Democrats, Arlington VA. Contact Name: Elizabeth Weitzman mewsician1@msn.com (703) 528-8588

Arlington Young Democrats, Arlington VA. Contact Name: Jaime Mulligan publicity@arlingtonyoungdems.org 571-334-7626

Democratic Party of Fluvanna County, Virginia, Bremo Bluff, Virginia VA

Hanover Democrats, Ashland VA

Loudoun County Democratic Committee, Leesburg, VA. Contact Name: Steve Deak chairman@lcdems.com

Norfolk Democratic Party Meetup, Norfolk VA. Contact Name: Alma D. Kesling akesling@yahoo.com 757 333-8694

Rappahannock County Democrats, Rappahannock VA.

Stafford County Democrats, Fredericksburg VA:

Virginia Beach Democrats, VA

Virginia Young Democrats, Richmond, VA. Contact Name: Justin Wilson justin@justin.net


Drinking Liberally: An informal, inclusive weekly Democratic drinking club. Raise your spirits while you raise your glass, and share ideas while you share a pitcher. Drinking Liberally gives like-minded, left-leaning individuals a place to talk politics. You don't need to be a policy expert and this isn't a book club - just come and learn from peers, trade jokes, vent frustration and hang out in an environment where it's not taboo to talk politics. Find your local drinking liberally group or start your own with a few buddies. If there isn't one near you, it is easy to start your own!

Alexandria, Virginia
* Every Thursday, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
* Shenandoah Brewing Company, 652 S Pickett St (Look for us upstairs)
* "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world" - Margaret Mead
* Hosted by David Swim and Quinn Jones, alexandria (at) drinkingliberally.org

Danville, Virginia
* Every other Wednesday, 7:00 pm onward
* The Purple Onion, 215 Main St
* Hosted by Meryl Ibis, danville (at) drinkingliberally.org

Charlottesville, Virginia Drinking Liberally: Every Tuesday, 7:30 pm, Mellow Mushroom, 1320 West Main Street, Hosted by Jared Jenkins, charlottesville (at) drinkingliberally.org

Richmond, Virginia Drinking Liberally: Every Thursday, 7:30 pm onward Commercial Taphouse, 111 N Robinson St. Hosted by Scott Goode, richmond (at) drinkingliberally.org


RUNNING FOR CHANGE: And if you want a healthier alternative to Drinking Liberally (or want to do some running after your drinking), you can RUN for progressive causes. Building a progressive America through organized runs and other grassroots activities. To find your local Running for Change events, CLICK HERE.

Progressive Democrat Issue 88: NEW JERSEY FOCUS

The only Senate seat that Democrats are in any real danger of losing this year is the NJ Senate seat held by Menendez. Needless to say, the desperate Republicans, faced with possibly losing seats all over the nation, are determined to defeat Menendez.

We need to hold the NJ Senate seat as well as win across the nation.

This is an action Democrats 2000 is offering so you can help Menedez win:

Thank you to all of our members that have contacted us about opportunities to support the Menendez for Senate campaign. With the campaign heating up and Election Day less than 3 months away, we would like to make you aware of the opportunity to volunteer on this key Senate race by helping to reach out to voters across the State.

Phone banks have been established and will be operational every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. More times and locations will likely be added as the campaign progresses but now is an important time to get on the phones and continue the momentum that Senator Menendez has built himself by being a tremendous representative in Washington for New Jersey families.

For more information email democrats2000@aol.com

And let me again remind you of the NJ-7 race which is actually starting to look competative. This could be yet another possible Democratic pick up if we work hard. Here is what Democracy for America has to say about this race:

Linda Stender for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District. If we're going to take control of Congress, we're going to have to defeat some incumbents. In New Jersey, Linda Stender is running against a Rubberstamp Republican who needs to go. Linda's already racked up endorsements from Emily's List and New Jersey for Democracy. Now, she's got DFA on her side too. Grassroots activists from across New Jersey have been flooding the 7th Congressional District for months. And Assemblywoman Stender has done a terrific job raising money and building momentum. Please do you your part and help her today.
http://www.lindastenderforcongress.com/

Progressive Democrat Issue 88: NEW JERSEY GROUPS AND EVENTS

Camden County 19th Annual Seafood Gala, September 26, 2006
Tavistock Country Club
Tavistock, NJ 08033
Call 856-424-5757 for information


7-Mile Beach Democratic Club Business Meeting,
September 28, 2006
Avalon Senior Center
Avalon, NJ 08202
Viola Thomas-Hughes, NJ's 2nd Congressional District candidate, will address the Club at 7:30 pm. See the Club website's news page to learn about her- 7milebeachdemocrats.com/home.html. Viola will speak about issues concerning our country and answer questions from the audience.

Please contact the following for more information:
Terry Strobaugh
tstrobaugh@juno.com
368.667.9609

Bonnie Jack
bonniebelljack@snip.net
609.368.4469


End-of Summer Pig Roast for Freeholder Pat Colavita,
September 30, 2006
52 Fiddlers Creek Rd
Titusville, NJ 08560
Save the Date! Join Mercer County Freeholder Pasquale "Pat" Colavita for an End-of-Summer Pig Roast Saturday, September 30th beginning at 3PM. For more information or to RSVP call Nat Moorman at (609)651-2013 or email to colavitacampaign@yahoo.com


Morris County Democrats BBQ
September 30, 2006
Lake Parsippany Park
Parsippany, NJ 07054
Morris County Democrats Fall BBQ for more information visit www.morrisdems.org


Lower Township Democratic Club Spaghetti Dinner
September 30, 2006
Millman Center, Bayshore Rd.
Villas, NJ 08251
Join the Lower Township Democratic Club for their Spaghetti Dinner!

September 30, 2006
5:30pm-7:30pm

Children: $2.00
Adults: $7.00

Please call Jill for more information: 609-465-8299



Democracy for America Meetups: DFA is one of the best hopes we have of retaking America. I strongly urge you to get involved with your local group. New Jersey for Democracy Meetups take place on the first Wednesday of every month @ 7pm. There are many meetups around the state: North, Central and South Jersey.


Common Cause: Common Cause is a major force in Progressive Politics. It was founded in 1970 (by a Republican, mind you!) to counter the influence of special interests in Washington. Today they work on many of the same issues I am trying to highlight. Check out the NJ Common Cause website.

Here is how you can find your local Dem clubs. Go to HERE and click on your county.

Drinking Liberally: An informal, inclusive weekly Democratic drinking club. Raise your spirits while you raise your glass, and share ideas while you share a pitcher. Drinking Liberally gives like-minded, left-leaning individuals a place to talk politics. You don't need to be a policy expert and this isn't a book club - just come and learn from peers, trade jokes, vent frustration and hang out in an environment where it's not taboo to talk politics. Find your local drinking liberally group or start your own with a few buddies: (and thanks to the people in NJ who keep me updated on the changes...I appreciate it!)

New Brunswick, 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of every month, 7:00 PM @ Doll's Place, 101 Paterson St. New Brunswick, NJ

Hoboken, New Jersey, Fourth Wednesday of each month, 8:00-10:00 pm, Mulligan's, 159 1st Street (between Bloomfield and Garden), Hosted by Leigh Wolinsky, David Alpert and Morgan Baden, hoboken (at) drinkingliberally.org

Princeton, Princeton, First Thursday Each Month 7:00 PM @ Sotto Ristorante and Lounge (formerly the Annex) 128 1/2 Nassau St, Princeton, NJ. princeton@drinkingliberally.org or http://princeton.drinkingliberally.org/

Montclair Every other Wednesday, 6:30 pm onward, Egan & Sons, 118 Walnut St. Hosted by Jon Hershberg, montclair (at) drinkingliberally.org

Morristown, Third Thursday of each month (next meeting April 20), 7:00 pm onward; The Famished Frog, 18 Washington St. Hosted by Jim Long, Tracy Kurland, Rob Gregory and Dave Cochran, morristown (at) drinkingliberally.org

Toms River, New Jersey
* First Tuesday of each month (next meeting October 3), 8:00 pm onward
* Joshua Huddy Brew Pub, 1250 Hooper Ave (across from Ocean County Mall) (map)
* Hosted by Robin Kinlin and Ian Valentine, tomsriver (at) drinkingliberally.org


RUNNING FOR CHANGE: For those who prefer running to biking, you can join RUNNING FOR CHANGE: Building a progressive America through organized runs and other grassroots activities.

Progressive Democrat Issue 88: VIRGINIA FOCUS

The more I hear about Virginia Republican George Allen the more disgusting he seems. Racial slurs and now the implication that suggesting Allen is half Jewish is "casting aspersions." Let me quote from an article on the Daily Gotham, a NYC blog, covering Allen's latest:

Like everyone else, I've been following George Allen's spectacular unraveling for a while; when a sitting Senator throws a racial epithet at someone who is pointing a video camera at his face, you know that there will be further entertainment at that Senator's expense. This is the stuff of which meltdowns are made.

Well, the meltdown is in progress, not least because a lot more cameras are now pointed daily on George Felix Allen. The details are widely known: a reporter at a public forum asked him about his supposed Jewish roots, and whether or why these were being hidden; and entirely true to the form revealed by the Macaca incident, Felix demanded that said reporter not "cast aspersions" on him.

Once more, just to savor this guy's cluelessness: asking whether he has a Jewish background amounts to "casting aspersions". Felix went on to first non-deny that he has a Jewsih background; then to say that he had just learned about it. And here it gets, well, just plain icky.

From today's Washington Post:

Allen's mother said she first began concealing her Jewish roots after meeting her future husband, afraid that she would not be accepted by his parents and fearful that her religion could harm his budding coaching career, which started at Whittier College, a school in Southern California founded by Quakers.

"He didn't want me to tell his mother," she said of the elder George Allen. "At that time, that was a no-no, to marry outside the church." Allen died in 1990.

Leo Mugmon, 92, a longtime friend of Allen's mother who knew her as a Jew in Tunis, recalled her decision to hide her faith when she came to the United States.

"She did not say anything to her mother-in-law or her family," Mugmon said. He added that Etty Allen's father, Felix Lumbroso, traveled from Tunis for the Allen wedding. "Mr. Felix didn't say anything about it. In silence, he sort of condoned it."

Etty Allen said she is relieved to no longer have to keep a secret about her past. She said she hopes the revelation does not hurt her son's bid for reelection to the Senate.

It's 2006, and George Felix Allen's mother feels compelled to hide the fact that she was born and raised as a Jew from her family? What kind of a family is this? Seriously?

Is this an example of Republican family values? Is this what Republicans stand for: intolerance and stupidity?

Write the media telling them just what you think of Allan's racism and anti-Semitism and how you are sick of being represented by such a disgusting human being.

Progressive Democrat Issue 88: NATIONAL ACTION

MoveOn.org is holding a "Great Call for Change Challenge" which will include phonebanking house parties across the country on September 30th. Can you join in? From MoveOn.org:

Can you host a phone party next weekend? (You can pick the time and number of people that works for you.)

We're entering a make-or-break couple of weeks in the campaign to take back Congress—and all the polls show the races are tightening up. So if you've been waiting to pitch in, now's a good time to do it. Success later in the election cycle builds on what we do now, so we need to keep reaching voters early.

Who are we calling?

We're concentrating on the most competitive districts throughout the country. We'll focus on calling Democrats as well as Independents who our micro-targeting tell us are likely to be progressives. Among these groups, we'll focus particularly on "infrequent" voters. Research shows that these voters are the most likely to be influenced by our Get Out The Vote efforts. And because these are midterm elections, when voter turnout is low, our efforts will be especially important in the fight to take back Congress and get America back on track.

What do you need to do?

Hosting is easy, fun, and a great way to meet progressive neighbors you never knew you had. As the host of a Call for Change Houseparty, your most important responsibility will be printing out call lists and scripts for your attendees. We know this can be a lot of printing, so you can get a co-host to help shoulder the burden or you can ask attendees to each chip in a dollar to cover your costs.

Attendees will be bringing their cell phones to call with, so other than call lists, your main responsibilities will be providing an area with good cell reception where guests can sit and call, and having an internet-connected computer that can play sound so that your guests can hear the message from our special guests about how important their calling is.

How will the Call for Change Challenge work?

Thousands of MoveOn members will volunteer to attend phone parties in their area to call progressive voters in competitive races across the country. Each caller will commit to a goal and work toward fulfilling that goal at their party. Other MoveOn members will "sponsor" the callers and pledge to make a donation based on how many calls are made overall. For example, a sponsor might pledge to donate $1 for every 1000 calls we make. We'll let sponsors know our collective goal and let them set a limit on how much they want to donate.

CLICK HERE to host a party. If you do nothing else before November, please do this.

Progressive Democrat Issue 88: GETTING LOCAL AROUND THE NATION

This is how our coalition will be built: through out local action. Our success depends on you and your activism. There are many ways you can get active. Below I try to provide a good variety of options and urge you all to find a couple that suit you. These groups below are the way we can get our country back. If we don’t get involved we won’t win in 2006 and beyond. Joy and I are currently involved in a few groups plus our own organizing efforts bringing different groups together and we are finding it a good boost to our social life. We are meeting cool people and it makes us get out a couple of times a month more than we would otherwise.

Finding your local groups:

Democracy for America: Founded by Howard Dean, now run by his brother Jim Dean, this group is very effective at the local grass roots. Many think this is the future of the Democratic Party. I think this is partly true, though the neighborhood Dem party clubs will continue to be vital to our efforts as well. This is a group that you really should be active in either by joining a local meetup or starting one of your own.


Drinking Liberally: An informal, inclusive weekly Democratic drinking club. Raise your spirits while you raise your glass, and share ideas while you share a pitcher. Drinking Liberally gives like-minded, left-leaning individuals a place to talk politics. You don't need to be a policy expert and this isn't a book club - just come and learn from peers, trade jokes, vent frustration and hang out in an environment where it's not taboo to talk politics. Find your local drinking liberally group or start your own with a few buddies.


The Democratic Party: Now that Howard Dean is in the driver’s seat I am hoping the Democrats will become more effective on the local level. One of the main complaints against the DNC in the past couple of elections is that they didn’t help the local parties in most parts of the nation. If you go to the DNC website and find the “Get Local” pull down menu on the left, you can find your local Dem groups. I strongly urge you to get involved with your local Dem club since it is often these groups that actually do much of the footwork to win each district.

Critical Mass: Critical Mass is a bicyclist movement (NOT an organized group!) that holds weekly protests all over the world to protest pollution. Go here to find the closest Critical Mass action in your area (site covers ALL of North America).


Wellstone Action: Paul Wellstone started something in Minnesota and his death hasn’t stopped it. Wellstone’s family is continuing his work and expanding it throughout the nation. Wellstone Action trains activists and grassroots candidates and they did very well in the last election. I urge you to look into any nearby Wellstone Action events.


Common Cause: Common Cause is a major force in Progressive Politics. It was founded in 1970 (by a Republican, mind you!) to counter the influence of special interests in Washington. Today they work on many of the same issues I am trying to highlight. Look for your state’s Common Cause organization.

To find the League of Conservation Voters branch in your state, CLICK HERE. This is the group you should be involved with if the environment is your thing.

To find the NARAL branch in your state, CLICK HERE. This is the group you should be involved with if choice is your thing.

Finally I suggest Americans for Democratic Action. ADA is a progressive branch of the Democratic Party. Email: adaction@ix.netcom.com for info on local groups.