Progressive Democrat Newsletter Issue 145

Some pretty important stuff this week. I urge everyone to pay attention to the article on Pretty Bird Woman's Shelter and to what is going on THIS TUESDAY in Ohio and Virginia. The Ohio and Virginia articles are worth everyone paying attention to because you can help win two more seats in Congress...or at least make the Republicans go into debt to defend two previously safe seats. An hour or two of your time phonebanking from home can help a lot!

Here is this week's newsletter:

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

HOLIDAY SHOPPING FOR LIBERALS

GLOBAL WARMING: Nuclear Energy is NOT the Answer

INDIAN COUNTRY: Help Save Pretty Bird Woman's Shelter

NYC FOCUS: A Democrat Who is TALKING Like a Democrat!

VIRGINIA FOCUS: Republicans Running Scared in VA-1

OHIO FOCUS: Republicans Running Scared in OH-5

NEW JERSEY FOCUS: Events and Groups

CALIFORNIA FOCUS: Fighting Republican Fraud

Holiday Shopping for Liberals

Repeated from last week because 'tis the season to shop!

The Holiday season is upon us. Don't know about you, but I don't set foot in stores this time of year if I can avoid it. I prefer shopping online. Actually, most of my shopping is long gone...Barnes and Noble.com (through my own blog) and A Greater Gift are where I bought most gifts I'm giving this year.

But a political friend of mine has a business that should interest many readers: Alonovo.com. This is a business that allows you, the consumer, to find and shop at businesses that support YOUR values, whatever those values are. YOU set the criteria and Alonovo.com tells you what businesses match your values. This idea is a hit across the political spectrum, letting people feel good about being consumers.

Here is what Alonovo.com has to say about themselves:

Think of the power of a large database that collects information about how corporations behave and then integrates that data directly into the shopping experience. When you are about to purchase a TV, shoes, socks or an IPOD you can not only consider the price and the quality of the product, but can easily see what kind of behavior we are "buying into".

Our alonovo.com mission is to connect the concept of corporate behavior directly to the profit motive. When a corporation is evolving to balance people, planet and profit -everyone wins.

We are working to inform society in a very simple, visually appealing manner with regard to corporate behavior at their point of online purchase. And the reason is every time we make a purchase we are transferring power to a business. Is this power going to support ...

* Fair Labor or Sweatshops?
* Emission Reduction or Pollution?
* Recycling or Toxic Waste?
* Resource Conservation or Plunder the Earth?
* Political Neutrality or Undermine Democracy?
* Partner with Local Community or Destroy the Local Community Economy?

So by offering products from one of the leaders in the online shopping world (Amazon.com), trusted data from independent well-respected sources such as
KLD Research & Analytics, Inc., Social Accountability International and others, we provide a free experience that will gradually connect how a company behaves with their profit. And this is the importance of a large and growing alonovo.com community. If we are just a small group of people, we won't have much of an impact. However if you tell everyone you know about this service (and they tell everyone they know, and so on) we can be a large force that can make a tremendous impact in terms of how corporations conduct themselves.

When you purchase using alonovo.com, you are doing your part to send a clear message to businesses—we want blue skies, clean water, a fair and growing economy, intelligent use of our natural resources, safe and humane workplaces and sensible partnerships with local communities.

Beyond helping to shape social, environmental and political practices of businesses, you are also directly helping non-profit organizations that need funding for their critical work. We, the alonovo.com community contribute between 50% and 100% of what we earn (based upon your purchases through alonovo.com) to your cause of choice.

This is a community we can all be proud to belong to, regardless of political perspectives and ideology.

The alonovo community: the power of millions of informed, aware and caring people acting in concert. For a better world.

So, perhaps you want to do some of your holiday shopping through Alonovo.com...

Global Warming: Nukes Are NOT the Answer

Sometimes when I set out to review a book, certain parts of the book inspire me to write before I am even ready to review it. I made many references to parts of what I was reading in John and Teresa Heinz Kerry's book, This Moment on Earth, before I reviewed it, for example.

Right now I am finishing up the latest book on Global Warming, titled...well, Global Warming: The Last Chance for Change, by Paul Brown, a long-time correspondent for The Guardian. I will review this book soon. It is excellent, far better than my initial expectations of it. Simply put, it is the most comprehensive and thorough discussion of the issue to date. A must read even for skeptics because if they can't address what is in this book then they have no right to be skeptics. But more on that in a later diary someday soon.

Right now I want to focus on a single chapter of this book: Chapter 13 discussing Nuclear Energy.

I have written about the issue of Nuke Enegery as it applies to Global Warming before. I have been swarmed by Nuke industry advocates, both reasonable and irrational, and discussed it at length. We had some Nuke Advocates of the more or less reasonable end on Culture Kitchen for awhile. But the arguements put forward by the nuke advocates alwasy struck me as too one-sided and too dismissive of any other opinion.

Now, unlike the coal industry shills I have gone head to head with in the past, these Nuke advocates do not deny the existence of Global Warming. Coal shills are part of the very stupid Denial Lobby that would have us blindly destroy our society despite ample warnings that we need to change. They will go down in history as some of the biggest fools in human existance.

Nuke advocates, on the other hand, have decided to embrace Global Warming as their savior. In essence, the Nuke industry is a slowly dying one as more and more nations decide to phase it out. The UK wants to revive it. France continues to embrace it. Japan and the US have a love/hate relationship with it. Germany wants to divorce it. No one has a comfortable relationship with nuke energy. So the nuke industry clearly has a major PR proble. So they use Global Warming as a way to convince people that we NEED nuke energy. Their arguement goes that the ONLY way we can phase out fossil fuels in a timely fashion is to switch to nuke. They argue that no alternative energy will succeed beacuse they are all too unreliabe, too underdeveloped, and too irregular to meet even a fraction of our energy needs. Their arguement boils down, pretty literally, to: embrace nukes or die.

When I came to this debate, I was treated like a fool by the nuke advocates and told I just don't understand science, which is kind of odd since I AM a scientist. Truth is, what they didn't seem to get was that I was actually open to nuke energy as a necessary evil to get us off fossil fuels, just not the ONLY solution. I realize that some difficult decisions might be neccessary to deal with Global Warming, and nukes just might be one such difficult decision, particularly when the energy needs of a developing China and India were taken into account. But hearing the nuke advocates talk made me really, really suspicious. The way they talked just didn't sound kosher.

First, whenever a problem arose with a nuke plant, like the earthquake damage at a Japanese nuke plant, they went into "don't worry your pretty heads about it mode." They completely ignore that this was the third nuclear incident in Japan in a decade, two with fatalities. Rather than recognizing the dangers and problems and discussing how future plants can avoid those problems, they downplayed each and every accident, each and every problem and insulted anyone who considered the accidents and problems worthy of concern. When and industry tells us not to worry our pretty heads about them, I get suspicious immediately. And the more they disregard public concern and downplay accidents, the more suspicious I become.

Second, they consistently downplayed the problem of nuke waste. Their solution is to burn it in other reactors. This is a "solution" of sorts, but it does not eliminate the problem, merely reduce it. Their arguement that all you have to do is build more and more reactors is unconvincing...you never can get 100% efficiency in any real world process. Ultimately there will be nuke waste that needs to be dealt with and we do NOT have the capability to store it for even a fraction of its dangerous life. The nuke advocates completely failed to address this issue except to say that MORE reactors can solve it.

Third, I knew that the numbers they used to denegrate alternative energy were dubious. They claim no other technology can wean us off fossil fuels. I have now been reading about the potential of various alternative energy sources for 12 plus years. From what I can tell, the nuke advocates are using outdated claims to denegrate their rivals. For at least a decade we have had the technology to wean us from fossil fuels, but have failed to implement it. And they fail to consider the range of alternative sources. No single alternative energy source will solve the world's problems. But a combination where each one covers the deficiencies of the others can, or so I have argued. The potential of alternative energy is huge and only beginning to be realized. And new technologies are rapidly being developed.

These were my concerns about what they claimed. Ultimately, their approach and the numbers they quote that so obviously seemed biased in favor of nukes made me wonder if their entire arguement was false. So I went from considering nuke energy a probable necessary part of solving Global Warming to wondering if we could trust anything the nuke industry said. The nuke advocates got me MORE suspicious about their industry than I had been before they opened their mouths. But I have consistently tried to keep an open mind.

Now we come to Paul Brown's Global Warming book. This book is a very hard-headed approach to the topic, so I wasn't sure how he was going to deal with nukes. Some of what he advocates in parts of the book may not sit well with some liberals and Greens, though most will. He seems a fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger, for example, seeing Arnold as one of the politicians who has done the most to address global warming. But the chapter on nukes will sit just fine with those who are deeply suspicious of the nuke industry. He titles his chapter on nukes "Vodoo Economics," and that is one of the bottom lines that is the nail in the nuke coffin for me. Fundamentally, Paul Brown argues that going nuke does not make economic sense in any way and the numbers used by nuke advocates are largely useless. And, far more important, the nuke advocates forget to tell you that the average time of construction for a nuke plant is 10 years. Too long to make a difference. The vast majority of alternative energy technology can be up and running in months to a year.

Paul Brown discusses the consequences of an accident like at Chernobyl. But I won't discuss that part because I think we all basically know the risks (despite the denegration of those risks by the nuke advocates) and in truth the nuke plants in America and Western Europe ARE far safer than Chernobyl. We have come some distance since Three Mile Island and safety is not as much of a concern as it once was. But the consequences of something going wrong remain high even if the chances of something going wrong is quite low with newer plants.

It's the cost and the timing that damns the industry for me.

The numbers the nuke industry cite to convince people that nuke energy is competitive with coal and wind power are incomplete. They all equate it with coal in cost and denegrate wind (which is competitive with clean coal) as being unreliable (which it isn't as long as there is another energy source like methane, small hydroelectric, geothermal or solar to complement it). But their numbers are wrong. Nuke energy is NOT competitive. In essence, they do not include the cost to build the plant or the cost of dealing with the waste. Both are considerable and make the industry completely dependent on taxpayer subsidies. That means you and I not only pay for the energy we use, but we subsidize the plants not only at the beginning (which is also the case with some alternative energy sources) but also every year it is in operation and far into the future.

The waste is still a problem. Again, we do NOT have the technology to deal with all of the waste and keep it safe for the duration of its dangerous lifespan. And the way we do deal with it is too expensive...and that cost lands on the taxpayers. Here is one example from the book:

In the UK the part of the nuclear industry that was privatized would have gone bankrupt in 2004 if the government had not agreed to pay all nuclear waste costs until 2086, at a cost of $370 million a year. That fact had been hidden from the public.

And is still being kept hidden from the public by nuke advocates. They're not up front about asking us to foot the bill to build their plants (about $4 billion per plant) and to deal with the waste. I would be less pissed about that if they just said, "look...we have to do it and the taxpayer has to pay it." But they hide these little details. And, one could add, in this day and age you have to consider the cost of defending those nuke sites. They are targets and require security and I guarantee you that cost will fall on you and me. The nuke industry is asking us for HUGE subsidies and not being honest about that.

Now...the safety issue has been greatly improved but still carries major consequences if the worst happens. The waste issue can be reduced by reprocessing, but not eliminated. And the cost of dealing with that waste is large and will be our burden. But if it really was the only answer, then these costs would indeed bye justifiable. Lack of honesty on the nuke industry's part aside, there could still be the chance that they would be right...may be we WOULD have to do it and taxpayers would have to foot the bills.

But...there is a far worse flaw in their arguements. They claim alternative energy sources would take too long to build to make a difference and ONLY nukes could be providing energy fast enough to make a difference. This is a flat out lie. And it was the lie I have been wondering about for awhile. Nuke plants take way too long to build.

Solar, wind, small scale hydroelectric, methane from waste, etc...all can start providing energy within months. Geothermal, tidal of various forms, and some more innovative technologies can be up and running in somewhat longer times...say a year or two. All can be a part of the solution NOW, at a lower cost with little waste except some production waste, which does have to be taken into account.

It takes 10 years to build a nuke plant, on average.

Yep...a decade and $4 billion of taxpayer money to build a single plant.

Let me remind you how long scientists think we have to deal with Global Warming: LESS than 10 years...possibly as little as 5 years. There is no way that new nuke plants can be online fast enough to make a difference. Period. End of story. Nukes are NOT the solution.

There is also the question of the supply of fuel. According to Brown, it is estimated that it would take 1000+ nuclear plants world wide (up and running NOW, not 10 years from now, I might add) to make a dent in carbon emissions. That woud be a cost (worldwide) of $4 trillion taxpayer dollars to build the plants and $375 billion per year to deal with the waste, also paid for by taxpayers. But uraniam is another limited resource much like oil. Even if we had those 1000 plants working, the effort to mine and process the uranium would be enormous, the supply would eventually run out (though, including reprocessing, could last for a good while) and would continue the dependence of nations on specific regions for their energy. By comparison, alternative energy sources use renewable or unlimited sources of energy, are faster and cheaper to build, and allow each region and even locality to develop an energy policy that creates LOCAL jobs and keeps that locality energy independent. This is also more efficient since less energy is lost in distribution.

There is certainly an arguement for continuing to use existing nuke plants, at least until alternative energy sources become far more widespread. I can accept this. Let's not shut down nuke plants until we no longer need them. But building new plants cannot be a part of the solution because it takes too damned long. The money is better spent on other methods.

You can't solve a problem that requires immediate solutions with a solution that takes 10 years to build.

Time to stop sinking money into new nuke plants. Any that are close to comlpetion, fine, finish them. Any up and running are still needed for now. But $4 billion could do far more far faster than sinking it into a 10 year project to build a nuke plant which will come online too late to matter.

I will write more about this book. But I think it is extremely important to single out this one chapter to hopefully end this talk of being saved by nukes. Even if there were no other problems, it will come too late.

INDIAN COUNTRY: Pretty Bird Women's Shelter

I have brought up the Pretty Bird Woman House Woman's Shelter on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation when I discussed the horrific Amnesty International report on the high incidence of rapes of Native American women by outsiders who seldom get procecuted. This shelter's sad story has continued. It was vandalized and is not being sold off. This will leave many women on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation with no support system. On Daily Kos a fundraiser is being held to raise enough money to buy the property and set it up to be a safe and secure women's shelter again.

I am asking you to help out. I donated $100. Some are donating as much as $500. This is pure, old fashioned good works in keeping with the holiday season.

From Daily Kos:

The other day, Georgia Little Shield, the shelter director, used the money we had raised so far to place a bid on the house you see in the photos below. This was great news, but since there was only enough money for a really low bid, things are still a bit tenuous on the house purchase. And then they will need extra for closing costs and a security system.

But we're coming very close to having this shelter be a successful netroots project!

So here's my challenge: $10K by the end of the weekend to seal the deal!

With $10K more, if Georgia has to bid up a little, she will still have money for closing costs. If the seller, a church, does accept the bid, we can get a security system for the house, which will allow the shelter to begin operations much more quickly.

Where else can you see your donations doing something so huge so fast?

A good security system with cameras is pretty expensive. A neighboring shelter spent over $7,000 to have one installed. And then we'll need a fence. That's going to be another large chunk of change. Since this is a one story house, the fence is vital in addition to the security system, so we don't have batterers trying to get in the bedroom windows at night. We don't want a repeat of the theft and vandalism either.

We're at a critical point in this project, and your donations will make a huge difference now. You can go here to donate and get all the info you could possibly want on the shelter if you have missed the story up until now.

There will are other expenses attached to the new house as well. Because of the prior thefts they're also going to need a TV, VCR, DVD player, and the entertainment center to put them on. Boy it really sucks that they got so much stuff stolen! They're also going to need a washer and dryer, as well as new dressers, 2 more bunk beds, and 2 more double beds, since more women and children will be housed here than in the other shelter. They also will need extra couches and chairs because the living room is so big, and the outside of the house needs a new coat of paint.

Those items are all important, but the money to seal the deal for the house and buy the security system is the most urgent.

So please everyone, if you can't donate, keep passing the word. We are SO close.

Can we raise the $10K this weekend?. We're inches away from this being a hugely successful netroots project!

P.S. The shelter also just received another federal grant. If we can get this house, that grant will pay for utilities, food and other expenses. It's also funding another advocate. So, we've got great long-term viability here, we just need to help them with their infrastructure! They are also planning a domestic violence conference for April that will be free for all Standing Rock residents. Georgia just never quits, even in the middle of all this house chaos!

Join me in helping this wonderful project. The netroots can really make this a permanent shelter.

NYC FOCUS: THIS is how Democrats Should be Speaking

As a blogger I get invited to many political events Now as a parent and scientist I can't make many of them, but I still meet more candidates and politicians than the average voter. So I hear lots of political speeches. Usually, since I am meeting similar minded people, I like the speech. But only occasionally do I find the speech to be dead on and exemplary of what ALL Democrats should be shouting from the top of every hill. Things like: Liberal IS patriotic, pro-Choice IS pro-life and marriage equality is about nothing but fairness. Oh, yeah, and how about we have to get out of Iraq. This is what I heard from Steve Harrison, a fairly traditional man running for Congress, and I would like to introduce you to him.

New York City has only one Republican Congressional Rep, Bush Lap Dog Vito Fossella. This guy opposes securing America's ports, flip flops on privatization of Social Security, and has voted to support Bush's Iraq quagmire at every opportunity. Fossella has voted the Bush Republican Party line more than 90% of the time. Hence his designation as Bush Lap Dog. Steve Harrison is the man who can defeat Lap Dog Fossella and actually represent New Yorkers.

Here is what the NY Times had to say about Vito Fossella in 2006:

He has been a real water-carrier for the Bush administration and the Republican leadership, staunchly backing the war in Iraq while at the same time denying health benefits to National Guard and Reserve members who make up much of the American force there.

The congressman...has been unsympathetic to environmental concerns and has opposed a woman’s right to choose. He does his constituents no favors by his support for privatizing Social Security. He has voted to protect gun makers and sellers. While Mr. Fossella has lately sought funding to deal with health problems related to to the attacks of Sept. 11, he has largely been missing on important local issues. His Democratic colleague, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who represents the Sixth District, has often been left to advocate Staten Island’s many transportation needs, including the North Shore rail.

Mr. Fossella has offered only lame excuses for improperly using his campaign funds for skiing holidays in Vail (including lessons and equipment), as well as vacations in Florida — transgressions first reported by the Daily News. He has received donations from a lobbying firm with ties to Jack Abramoff. Earlier this year, he was fined a reported $60,000 for misusing his taxpayer-funded official mailing privileges.

— NY Times Editorial Board in 2006

Corruption, Bush Lap Dog and basically so uninterested in his constituents that Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat representing a neighboring district, is often left to advocate for Staten Island and Bay Ridge. Clearly, it is time for Vito Fossella to go.

In this context, almost ANY Democrat who goes up against Fossella is going to look good in comparison. It would be hard to be worse for NYC than Vito Fossella.

So it is particularly exciting to have a candidate that is really inspiring. Steve Harrison, who, in 2006, came closer than any other previous candidate to defeating Fossella despite being outspent 13:1, is eager for a rematch in 2008. And he has gotten a much earlier start and is holding fundraisers all over the place. At the end of last quarter, he had already raised nearly $50,000, more than a third of his total fundraising for 2006. Meanwhile, Vito Fossella is still in debt from the last time he faced Steve Harrison.

Yesterday, Joy and I went to a fundraiser for Steve in Gravesend (one of the Brooklyn communities in the NY-13 district) and got to hear Steve really hitting his stride. Taking a wrong turn out of the train in Gravesend, we missed the beginning of his speech. But we got to hear some very choice parts and I have to say, I really wish far more Democrats were saying what Steve says. We had heard Steve a few times last year and liked what he had to say. But this year he is hitting a stride beyond what he hit last year.

Of course I want to elect Democrats who vote the way I want them to vote. That is one of my bottom lines. And, having gotten to know not only Steve Harrison himself, but also many other progressives who have gotten to know him (including some fellow DFNYC people and fellow Kossacks), I am confident that he will vote the way I would like him to vote, and better represent the NY-13 district than Vito Fossella ever has. But I also want Demorats who can slap down Republican rhetoric and articulately stand up for Democratic values. And that is what I heard Steve Harrison do last night.

The primary message he gave is that we have to stop letting the Republicans frame the discussion. When you talk to the vast majority of American voter anywhere in the country, you find their values are fundamentally DEMOCRATIC values. In poll after poll this is borne out. By contrast, Americans don't like Republican values which divide us and which favor only the wealthiest 1% of Americans. Do Americans prefer funding port security here in America or sending our soldiers to die in Iraq? Overwhelmingly Americans prefer port security and reject the Iraq quagmire. They prefer DEMOCRATIC values. Do Americans prefer protecting the rights of Americans or giving government the right to invade your privacy at will and violate your rights? Overwhelmingly Americans prefer privacy and civil rights over an intrusive government. They preffer DEMOCRATIC values. Do Americans prefer environmental protection and dealing with global warming or do they prefer letting wealthy oil executives and the Saudis destroy the health of American citizens and the quality of our environment? Again, Americans prefer DEMOCRATIC values.

This is what too many Democrats forget. All Democrats have to do is PASSIONATELY stand up for DEMOCRATIC values and voters love it. This has recently been backed up scientifically in Drew Westin's book The Political Brain. People want passion...and they want the kind of values that Democrats stand for. Put them together and you have a damned good combination.

Steve Harrison passionately stands for good, old-fashioned, Democratic values that resonate with most voters. And he seeks to retake the dialogue from the radical right wing. Steve advocates that we stop running from being Democrats and being Liberals. He seems to favor the term "liberal" to "progressive," and for solid reasons. Liberal is what this nation was founded on, the liberal values of liberty (same root), equality, fairness and rights. Our founding fathers were so passionate about Liberal values that they demanded Liberty or Death...they were willing to die for liberty. George Bush and Vito Fossella ask us to surrender our liberties out of fear of our enemies. Our founding fathers, Liberals that they were, would reject that as cowardly and fundamentally un-American. Liberty is patriotic and this is why Democrats are more patriotic than Republicans today. Steve Harrison believes that surrendering the Constitution out of fear of terrorists is un-Patriotic and un-American because the Constitution is the very foundation of our liberties, of our nation. The Constitution is the codification of the liberties and Liberal values that our founding fathers were willing to die for. We should be proud to call ourselves Liberal because THAT is what America is all about: liberties, equality, fairness. And those are Liberal Democratic values.

In recent weeks Steve Harrison has been attacked on some NYC blogs for being too conservative. These accusations stem from two things: Steve's conservative Catholic background, which he is proud of, and his ties in the past with local Republican politicians. And yet, here is a man, whose basic, personal, values lean conservative, defending Liberal values with a passion that few Democrats muster today. There is no mincing words with Steve. He is proud of our nation's Liberal values and he is proud of his personal conservative values and finds no conflict in this. I believe President Jimmy Carter would agree with Steve on this one.

Steve discussed abortion at some length. For him, the issue is indeed a matter of life. But he denies that the Republican stand is the pro-life stand. He refuses to yield the term "pro-life" to the radical right. He begins from a belief in fairness: there are only two fair ways of treating abortion. Either ban it for everyone or permit it for everyone. No other stand is fair. If you ban it for everyone, Steve argues, women will die. It is as simple as that. That is what history has shown. Ban abortion and women die. The Republican stand, which denies all abortions, puts the value of a woman's life beneath the choice of the rapist who they rape or the choice of the child abuser who rapes his child. Steve argues that protecting a woman's right over her own body is the stand that truely protects life. It is clear he is personally uncomfortable with abortion. He recognizes it as an unpleasant choice, a desperate option. But to deny the choice, deny the option is an anti-Life stand.

Steve approaches marriage equality with a similar sense of fairness. To him there should be no question in the matter. If two consenting adults wish to share their life together, it shouldn't matter if they are the same gender or a different gender. It is a matter of simple fairness to give the same recognition to gay and lesbian love and relationships as heterosexual love and relationships. I don't remember him quite wording it this way, but he in essence made the same arguement he made with abortion: there are only two ways to address marriage. Either permit marriage for all consenting couples or deny it for all. There may not be a life-or-death aspect to marriage, but there is indeed a fairness aspect. Unsaid in what Steve said was a clear sense that he doesn't really understand why any heterosexual marriage would be threatened by marriage equality. Steve is about as traditional as you get, yet he seems completely unthreatened by the idea that gays and lesbians could have equal marriage rights to his traditional marriage. I feel the same. Why do so many feel threatened by the idea that gays and lesbians deserve equality? It shouldn't even be a question. Tradition is not shaken by allowing others equality. And America, Liberal nation that it is, is about equality, fairness and liberty.

Steve had one major criticism for the Democratic Party: Steve Harrison strongly believes the Democrats need to do far, far more to end the Iraq quagmire. Steve is one of the strongest advocates of withdrawal. Steve advocates for securing America's ports and bringing al-Qaeda to justice, but has no patience for Bush's war against a nation that had nothing to do with 9/11. Earlier this year Steve put it this way:

What are we doing in Iraq? Saddam is dead, we found no weapons of mass destruction, and we know that Iraq didn’t attack us — we need to get out.

Steve Harrison, Democratic Candidate for Congress

Sums it up pretty well. Simple, clear, concise...and don't you wish more Democrats were saying it?

Steve Harrison is traditional. He has worked closely with both Democrats and Republicans in the past, including donating to some conservative Republicans from time to time. And he enjoys talking with both conservatives and progressives. Yet he is publicly and unequivocally advocating Choice, Marriage Equality and withdrawal from Iraq. And he does so with a passion that is too often missing in the Democratic Party today.

To help Steve Harrison defeat Bush Lap Dog Fossella and restore traditional American Liberal values of fairness, equality and liberty, you can donate through Daily Gotham's official Act Blue Site. Please help me bring this man to Washington, D.C.

VIRGINIA FOCUS: Republicans Running Scared in VA-1

There are two special Congressional elections on December 11th, 2007. Both are Republican districts that suddenly look like possible Dem pickups. Neither will be easy, but they are panicking the Republicans to such a degree that they are having to sink money they don't even have into these races. Yep...the Republican party are going into debt to defend these two seats, meaning that fighting them here will make it easier for Dems to pick up seats in 2008. OH-5 is getting lots of attention on Daily Kos, and if I get some info on how you can volunteer some time, believe me I will let you know...probably ad nauseum. The other race, VA-1, is getting less attention. This is partly because it is more of a long shot (like many of the 2006 pick ups!) and partly because the Dem candidate (as is typical of Virginia) is more conservative. But to me, it is an opportunity not to be missed. Forcing the Republicans to go deeper and deeper into debt even before 2008 hits us is just too sweet. So, for those who want to help, I present to you the VA-1 Special election in 2007.

From Phil Forgit's (Democrat for VA-1) website:

Philip Forgit is a Veteran of the Iraq War and a Bronze Star recipient . He served with a Naval Special Warfare Unit as an advisor to the Iraqi Army in 2005-2006. A Naval Reservist, Philip was mobilized from his former job as a 4th grade teacher at Rawls Byrd Elementary .

Philip is a nationally recognized teacher , winning the 2005 National Education Association (NEA) Award for Teaching Excellence.

Philip lives in Williamsburg with his wife, Dawn, also a school teacher, and their three children. They attend Grace Convenant Presbyterian Church where Philip serves as a Deacon and Chair of the Mercy Ministry.

Philip Forgit for Congress
Vote December 11th

Support a Veteran AND an Educator for Congress. Phil Forgit has been endorsed by Teamsters Local 95, Former Virginia Governor Mark Warner, Captain Ted Hontz USN (Ret) Former Commanding Officer, Aegis Training Center, Chap Petersen, State Senator-Elect, 34th District (and someone I have pushed for before!), Sheriff Gerald S. Holt, and many others.

If you want to help, here are some ways you can help scare the pants off the Republicans:

Canvass for Philip – Newport News
Every Saturday and Sunday
2 Hidenwood Shopping Center
Newport News , VA
Contact Jamey at Jamey@forgit2007.com

Canvass for Philip – Stafford
Every Saturday and Sunday
Location TBD
Contact Missy at missy@forgit2007.com

Phone for Philip – Hampton Roads
Every Monday through Friday
2 Hidenwood Shopping Center
Newport News , VA
Contact Jamey at jamey@forgit2007.com

Phones for Philip
Every Monday through Friday
Location TBD
Contact Missy at missy@forgit2007.com

Or contact the Forgit for Congress Campaign and offer to Volunteer or Donate. This is a real chance to make in roads into a solidly red district, quite possibly win an off-season pick up, and set us up for some big wins in 2008.

OHIO FOCUS: Republicans Running Scared in OH-5. You can help

There are two special Congressional elections coming up Dec. 11th. Both are seats that once were considered perfectly safe Republican, but suddenly are competitive. I'm telling you, there are fewer and fewer "safe Republican" Congressional disticts. I already blogged about the race for VA-1 along with ways you can help. In that race, Philip Forgit, an Iraq War vet is running as a Democrat and needs our help. That race is a good one for those who recognize the slow but certain trend turning Virginia Blue. This trend started in 2005 and has progressed year by year. This trend, coupled with Bush's abyssmal approval ratings and a deepening Iraq quagmire, is what has made VA-1 no longer safe for Republicans.

That said, VA-1 remains a long shot. NOT impossible, but a long shot. Never forget that we WON many long shots in 2006 and we could wake up Dec. 12th with VA-1 flipped to blue. But the race that is more winnable is OH-5 where Robin Weirauch is running for an unexpected open seat. To quote from Daliy Kos:

By now you probably know that there is a special election in OH-05 in less than a week. This is not a race anyone expected a Democrat to be competitive in, but the NRCC is clearly running scared - they've dumped more than 10% of their money in, using it to fearmonger on immigration.

Progressive, economic populist, Blue Majority candidate Robin Weirauch has a shot here. The DCCC is helping her with an ad buy. The AFL-CIO, the SEIU, and EMILY's List have her back. House Democratic leadership has contributed heavily to her campaign. Wes Clark is raising money for her. Ted Strickland, Sherrod Brown, and Tim Ryan are campaigning for her.

And tomorrow is the last day your contribution can help. After tomorrow, there won't be time for contributions to be put into GOTV efforts or advertising. If you're going to give, do it now. Help push Robin Weirauch over the top.

If you can, PLEASE DONATE! Now. The DCCC put a good sum of money into it, over $100,000. This scared the Republicans so much that they have actually gone into debt countering it with a huge ad-buy of nearly $300,000. This means we are draining their resources for 2008 already. Let me repeat, the Democrats have MORE MONEY than the Republicans right now and we are forcing them to go into debt to defend a previously safe seat. This is phenomenal. And we have a shot of winning.

Even more important than money, you can give your time. If you in Ohio, PLEASE join the phonebanking and canvassing efforts. To do so, email here:
For canvassing and phonebanking in Ohio, email WeirauchGOTV@ohiodems.org.

If you live outside Ohio, you can still help with phonebanking. This kind of virtual phonebanking really helped a lot for close races all over the country. You can be part of history by phonebanking for a really good candidate in OH-5. If you can help, please email here: phonebank4robin@gmail.com

Wherever you live, you can make a difference. To quote Jim Dean, head of Democarcy for America, it's time for us to take ownership of the political process. This race and these virtual phonebanks are the way to do it. And we can bankrupt the Republicans in the process!

NEW JERSEY FOCUS: Events and Groups

New Jersey remains one of the places outside NYC where I have the most readers. So perhaps it is time to remind people of the local opportunities you have to be involved with your local community. My wife and I have made many friends and met many elected officials (and told them our opinions!) through joining local groups and attending local meetings like this. It is probably the most effective way you have available to you to change things.


Every Saturday Morning: Blue Jersey Radio
Saturdays 10:30 - 11:00

Listen Live every Saturday morning from 10:30a-11:00a - or download the podcast anytime to listen to the latest hot topics, gossip and opinion on New Jersey politics with hosts Jeff Gardner and Jay Lassiter.

Click here to listen!


DFA at the Holidays!
Saturday, December 08 2007, 15:00 - 18:00
Come join DFA members from around the state for an end-of-the-year celebration and a look ahead to where we'll be going in 2008.

At 1pm - everyone is welcome at Morris County Democratic HQ - 11 Washington St., Morristown, for a planning meeting - bring your ideas for where DFA should be headed in 2008!

Then, the real fun starts at 3p at the Famished Frog in downtown Morristown - across the street from Morris County Democratic HQ. All are welcome!
More Details and RSVP Here!


December 10th: Brownfields Redevelopment Workshop
8 AM - 5 PM., Trenton Marriott. $40 registration for non-profits.

Call Andrew Seth, 202-454-3922 or email aseth@tfgnet.com for details.


Lawrence Twp. Democratic Club Holiday Party
Tuesday, December 11th, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
100 Berwun Place
Trenton, NJ 08648

Please join Lawrence Twp. Democratic Club and council persons for our annual Christmas/Hanukah/Kwaanza celebration!

American Legion Post 414
100 Berwyn Place, Lawrenceville
FREE OF CHARGE TO CLUB MEMBERS and their family
RSVP no later than December 4, 2007
Call:J. Cermele at 883-9453 or e-mail: joemcerm@comcast.net


December 19, 2007 Lower Twp. Dem Club Christmas Dinner
Breakwater Rd.
Cape May, NJ 08204
DINNER MEETING / CHRISTMAS PARTY
DECEMBER 19,2007 5:30PM
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, BREAKWATER RD. ERMA N.J.
MEETING WILL BE SHORT. ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND THEN FOOD, DRINKS- SOLD AT THE BAR AND MUSIC.

DINNER COST $10.00 PER PERSON , FEEL FREE TO BRING A GUEST.

THIS YEAR WE WILL BE DONATING TOYS TO THE TITLEMAN JUNIOR HIGH TOY DRIVE.
PLEASE BRING AN UNWRAPPED GIFT FOR EITHER A BOY OR GIRL. COST OF GIFT IS FOR YOU TO DECIDE.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO RSVP: BY DECEMBER 17,2007 OR SOONER - JOHN MORRISON AT jpmvillas@yahoo.com or phone 886-1544

Thursday, December 20 Greater Ocean Township Democats Holiday Potluck Dinner
West Park Ave. Recreation Center
Asbury Park, NJ 07712
Thursday December 20th
6:30pm to 9pm

At the West Park Ave Recreation Center
Oakhurst NJ

RSVP by December 17th 732-493-3417


Democrats 2000 Annual Holiday Party
Please Join Us For The Democrats 2000 Annual Holiday Reception and Toy Drive on Thursday, December 20, at 6:30. This event will be held at Doll's Place, 101 Paterson Street, New Brunswick.

This is a free event!

Please bring a new, unwrapped gift which will be distributed to needy children in the New Brunswick area by our friends at Grace Worship Center.

RSVP by visiting our website at www.democrats2000.com/contact.php


New Jersey for Democracy:

Here are the local Democracy for America groups in New Jersey:

North Jersey -

Bergen County
Ethical Culture Society
687 Larch Ave
Teaneck, NJ 07666
RSVP at www.dfalink.com/bergen

Essex County
Cryan's Beef & Ale House
24 First Street
South Orange, NJ 07079
RSVP at www.dfalink.com/essex

Hudson County
The Hard Grove Cafe
319 Grove St.
Jersey City, NJ 07302
201-451-1853
RSVP at www.dfalink.com/hudson
(First Wednesday of the Month, 7:30pm)

Morris County
Morris County Democratic Headquarters
11 Washington St
Morristown, NJ 07960
RSVP at www.dfalink.com/morris

Passaic County
Puzo's Restaurant (Upstairs)
4 Garfield Ave.
Hawthorne, NJ 07506
RSVP at www.dfalink.com/passaic
(First Thursday of the Month)

Union County
Rockin Joe Cafe
20 Prospect Street
Westfield, NJ 07090
908-232-1660
RSVP at Union Meetup

Warren County
MS Health Software Corp
605 Grand Ave.
Hackettstown, NJ
RSVP at www.dfalink.com/nwnj

Central Jersey -

Hunterdon County
Friendly Grounds Coffee
36 Mine St.
Flemington, NJ
908-788-8983
RSVP at www.dfalink.com/hunterdon

Mercer County
Carl A Fields Center
86 Olden Street
(Corner of Olden St and Prospect Ave on Princeton Univ campus)
Princeton, NJ
RSVP at www.dfalink.com/mercercounty
(please check DFA-Link for schedule)

Middlesex County
Panera Bread
1551 Route 1 South
Edison, NJ 08837
(732) 516-1611
RSVP at www.dfalink.com/middlesexNJ

Monmouth County
Racioppi's Kitchen
107 Oakland St. (at the train station at Bridge Ave.)
Red Bank, NJ
(917) 863-2408
RSVP at www.dfalink.com/monmouth

Somerset County
Somerset County Complex
40 North Bridge St. (off of High)
Somerville, NJ
RSVP at Somerset Meetup
(Second or Third Tuesday of the Month)

South Jersey -

Camden County
Haddon Township Library
15 MacArthur Blvd
Westmont, NJ 08108
856-854-2752
RSVP at Progressive Democracy South Jersey
4th Tues. of month

Gloucester County
RSVP at Democracy for Gloucester County
(Please check DFA-Link for date & location)

Ocean County
Joshua Huddy Brew Pub and Grill
1250 Hooper Ave.
Toms River
RSVP at www.dfalink.com/oceancounty
(First Tuesday of the Month)


Drinking Liberally:

For the more social and fun-oriented (and booze oriented), there's Drinking Liberally. Here are the New Jersey Drinking Liberally Chapters:

Hillsborough, New Jersey
* Second and fourth Wednesday of each month, 8:00 pm onward
* Petrock's Bar and Grill, 419 Amwell Rd (at Amwell and 206)
* Hosted by Matthew Dawson, hillsborough (at) drinkingliberally.org

Montclair, New Jersey
* Second Thursday of each month, 7:30 pm onward
* Just Jake's, 30 Park Street (b/t Bloomfield & Claremont)
* We meet in the REAR DINING ROOM. Turn left after entering, go past the juke box, bar and W.C.
* Ample parking in municipal lot next to Just Jake's (free after 7 pm)
* ** Mtclair DL ON THE ROAD, TUES, NOV 13, from 8PM at PAUL'S BAR & BOWLING, 377 CROOKS AVE, PATERSON, NJ (973) 278-1982 http://local.yahoo.com/details?id=10780514 **THIS IS AN ADDITIONAL MEETING, WE STILL HAVE OUR USUAL 2nd THURSDAY
* Hosted by Kevin Kelly and Dan Evans Farkas, montclair (at) drinkingliberally.org

Morristown
* Third Thursday of each month, 8:00 pm onwards
* Hennessey's Tavern, 140 Morris St (Corner of Elm & Morris, next to the train station)
* There's plenty of public parking behind train station or on Elm Street.
* Come on by & raise a pint with other fun loving local progressive's! Hope to see you there...
* Hosted by Jim Long, Chip Robinson, David Cochran and Linda Humphries, morristown (at) drinkingliberally.org


Dover
* First Thursday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* The Hop, 14 N Morris St
* Hosted by Jim Long, Chip Robinson, Dave Cochran and Linda Humphries, dovernj (at) drinkingliberally.org

New Brunswick, New Jersey
* Second and fourth Wednesday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* Doll's Place, 101 Paterson St (corner of Paterson & Joyce Kilmer)
* Hosted by Bob Scardapane and Chris Swasey, newbrunswick (at) drinkingliberally.org

Pennsauken, New Jersey
* First and third Wednesday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* Kings Row Sports Bar and Billiards, 6030 S Crescent Blvd (Route 130 N)
* Hosted by Art Williams and Denise Williams, pennsauken (at) drinkingliberally.org

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


Cape May County Federation of Democratic Women Meeting
Sam DiVico Senior Center
Cape May Court House, NJ 08210
Join the Cape May County Federation of Democratic Women to discuss important local, state and federal issues. All are encouraged to join!

2nd Thursday of every month.
7:00pm
Sam DiVico Senior Center
Romney Place
Cape May Court House, NJ 08210

For more information, please contact:

Virginia Hesel
609-884-5848

CALIFORNIA FOCUS: Fighting Republican Fraud Continues

Out in California the Republicans are DESPERATELY trying to split California's electoral college votes because they KNOW they are unlikely to be winning many elections in the near future if the election is fair. Of course they aren't willing to do it the fair way which would be to reform the system across the country. But fairness is not what they care about. Greed is all they care about.

This initiative was started by a Missouri Republican (so it isn't even a home grown California initiative) who had previously been fined by a court for ass-biting. Makes you wonder about Republicans when California Republicans follow an ass-biter from Missouri. But it seems that they are having big problems convincing people to sign their petitions because Californians have woken up to the fact that this initiative would make California irrelavent in Presidential elections. So they have been trying to con people into signing their petitions by hiding it behind a petition to provide funding for children with cancer. Once they get someone signing the cancer initiative, they try to slip in the election stealing initiative.

And yet they STILL can't get enough signatures. They have missed the filing deadline for the signatures. But they don't care...they think they can keep gathering signatures and file late and get away with it.

From the LA Times:

SACRAMENTO -- As deadlines came and went, backers of an initiative that could affect the 2008 presidential election continued struggling Friday to gather enough signatures to place the measure before voters...

Initiative organizers often miss deadlines and still qualify their measures, but pushing the target date is risky. Once signatures are submitted, local elections authorities must verify them and send them to the secretary of state, who certifies the measure for the ballot.

From Daily Kos:

Submitting signatures after the filing deadline MUST BE CHALLENGED!

Hundreds of thousands of ill-gotten signatures MUST BE DISQUALIFIED!

I can't do that myself. The California Attorney General, The Secretary of State, or an official from their office make the challenge. An individual or group of California citizens can file suit, if they have the resources. However it happens, it must happen, if the petitions signatures are ultimately submitted.

I hope the right people are paying attention, because this story is not getting the coverage it deserves. This one tactic would almost certainly determine the final outcome of the presidential election. How many times must this be said?

These are the vitally important steps that you need to take today:

1. If you witnessed or were duped into signing petitions for the CA electoral votes initiative, please contact the California Attorney General's Office, or the California Secretary of State in some way. Leaving a phone message is great, a written letter is the BEST. Inviting a local congressperson to dinner and asking him/her to deliver the message would be better, I suppose. They might call you back, probably not, though. The point is for the bean counters to total up as many calls on this as possible.

2. Take the time to contact the above people if you are a CA citizen and you're just f#%*#g mad that a group of electoral thugs might force an invalid initiative on the ballot.

3. Find a reason to blog somewhere about it, send an email to your friends, mention it while on a long drive with the fam. (Believe it or not, it helps to tell people which way a "Yes" or "No" vote actually goes on some initiatives. Many voters got to the polls, utterly devoid of any memory of the political chatter thats been occurring the previous months, and vote for whatever looks nice.)

Keep fighting this latest Republican voter fraud. It never ceases to amaze me how Republicans prefer fraud to honesty...I guess they know that if they are honest, no one will vote their way.