The Sunny Side

From Tina in CO:

2011-12-23T21:10:00.002-05:00

Subject: : PP: Obama's advantage: people personally like him

Hopeful...

Subject: PP: Obama's advantage: people personally like him

http://wapo.st/rsOHwG

Merry Christmas, everyone!

From Betta:

2011-12-23T17:19:00.002-05:00

Thank you so much for your encouraging words, Sunny!

I am thrilled to connect with you and know that all of us are being

brought together at the exact right time to help save the world!

Your blog was brilliant by the way, please do add me to your list. In

fact, you've inspired me to make blogging my New Year's resolution-

something I've been meaning to do for way too long!

I'm looking forward to connecting with you in 2012, hopefully lots of

great work and fun in our future!

In the meantime, have a wonderful holiday and happy new year!!

Cheers,

Betta

p.s. Mark sends xoxo

Terry from Sounth Nyack,NY:

2011-12-23T17:06:00.002-05:00

Thanks for your wonderful email about Obama and the battle ahead for the Democrats.

I flew to Kansas City for Thanksgiving...were you there? We had quite a family get together...even my 82 year old Mother flew in from Wisconsin. Perhaps we'll bump into each other again en route...or here on the East Coast.

Have a wonderful Holiday and thanks for sharing your emails with me!

Warmest regards,

From Judy R in Mamaroneck

2011-12-23T09:24:00.002-05:00

Here's the SNOPES link http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/ike.asp

Source for quote from Ike!!!

From Cindy in CA:

2011-12-23T09:00:00.002-05:00

I will be happy to contribute to your blog regarding developments on the Supreme Court and judicial nominations. How about Gringich’s statement on Face the Nation last Sunday that if he disagrees with a decision of the Court, he ought to be able to call up the Justice Department and send out the US Marshals to arrest the judges!!!! That’s called fascism. In addition to health care, there are four or five other extremely important decisions that the Court will make before the end of June, i.e. before the election. You are so right that people need to think about this.

Have a Merry Ho, Ho Ho and let’s hope that 2012 is a great year in every way!!

From Susan WEstchester 4 Change in Harrison:

2011-12-23T08:58:00.000-05:00

The holiday season is upon us and it's time to spend some time relaxing, eating, visiting, and sharing time with family and friends. When you are celebrating, I'm sure fracking will come up in some of your conversations. Please encourage your loved ones to watch Gasland if they haven't seen it (it's on Netflix and in the library). After they watch the film, they will probably ask what they can do. There are a multitude of good websites with links to many articles, but one of the best is www.catskillcitizens.org which has the NY Times Drilling Down series and many, many other articles by topic under their heading "links." I have also attached some statements that were written by experts on various issues with regard to fracking.

If your loved ones are really hooked, ask them to write a letter to the Governor expressing their concerns (cc the letter to all of their elected officials). The website www.amillionfrackingletters.com is very user-friendly. In addition, they can sign this letter to withdraw the SGEIS due to its many flaws: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale. The letter is up to about 11,000 signatures now and more are signing each day. Our elected officials say that the grassroots activists have raised awareness and fracking is one of the most important issues today. Congratulations - you have now recruited another fracktivist!

AFTER THE NEW YEAR JOIN US AT THESE UPCOMING EVENTS:

WORKSHOP: LAST CHANCE TO WRITE LETTERS TO THE DEC

THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD ON THE dSGEIS ENDS ON JAN. 11th

DATE: Thurs. Jan. 5th

TIME: 10 a.m. - noon

PLACE: Susan Van Dolsen's home in Harrison (RSVP to svand58@aol.com to receive directions)

Join us for coffee and bagels

WESTCHESTER FOR CHANGE ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING

DATE: Wed. Jan. 11th

TIME: 7-9 p.m.

PLACE: MAMARONECK TOWN HALL

730 W. Boston Post Rd.

Mamaroneck, NY

RSVP: westchester4change@gmail.com

FRACKING LOBBY DAY

DATE: Mon. Jan. 23rd (all day)

PLACE: Albany

We will coordinate carpools from Westchester, so please let us know if you're interested.

RECENT FRACKING NEWS:

http://binghamton.ynn.com/content/top_stories/567914/binghamton-city-council-votes-to-ban-hydrofracking-for-two-years/

http://www.theislandnow.com/opinions/article_07d01824-2741-11e1-9d44-0019bb2963f4.html

Here's to a frack-free 2012 and beyond!

Happy Holidays!

From Susan in Harrison:

2011-12-23T08:32:00.000-05:00

Thank you for your message to President Obama thanking him for standing up for our health. Working together, we have secured an important step towards securing a cleaner, healthier future for America.

To ensure this message is heard, please take a moment to tell your friends, family, and colleagues about it. Just copy and paste the email message below into a new email!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Friends,

Did you hear? President Obama has taken a stand on toxic mercury. The EPA has come out with a strong new standard that will help us move towards a cleaner future.

Tell President Obama thank you -- I did!
Find out more and send your message here: http://action.sierraclub.org/ThankObamaMercury
Sarah Hodgdon

Conservation Director

Sierra Club

From Caren in NYC and CT:

2011-12-23T08:30:00.002-05:00

Sunny,

Thank you sooooo much for your enthusiasm and dedication. With your commitment, and the common sense of the American people, we will have success in 2012.

Much love and all good wishes, Caren

From Randy in CA:

2011-12-23T08:24:00.002-05:00

After seeing the fiasco of these last several days in Congress and

watching the Republicans make fools of themselves, I am back in. I

really had given up hope but now I think Obama has a good chance of

winning. Once I finish my part time job at the Leukemiua & Lymphoma

Society in mid-Feb, I'm on board to help Obama get re elected. I get

sick to my stomach listening to these Republicans spouting off lies

about how they are for the middle class. It just ain't true

Happy new year to all and let this be a winning year for us.

randy

From Wiesje in CT:

2011-12-22T16:32:00.002-05:00

dear Sunny

Glad you are back and had such a great time in the White House.I was very supprised to receive a X mas card from the first familie this year.

Anyway yes we have to make sure Obama will be reelected in nov.

I wish you and your familie the best of holidays and a very happy and healthy 2012.See you in the new.year.Love Wiesje

From Donna in CT:

2011-12-22T13:57:00.002-05:00

you are simply the best, Sunny. I loved reading this below...Recently, I was trying to list all the wonderful things Barack has done. I will forward this on to many. Thank you...Happy holidays and lots of love, donna

From tina in CO:

2011-12-22T12:31:00.002-05:00

I am with you and planning to work nonstop after January.
See you on the campaign trail. Tina

From sherri in DC:

2011-12-22T12:04:00.002-05:00

Yeah for you. You go girl. Next time you are in DC let us have a drink. Off to a WH party Friday. Surely not as special as yours.

Happy and healthy new year

From Gwynneth in Westchester

2011-12-22T10:18:00.002-05:00

Sunny, God Bless You for all the work to put this together!!!

Happy Chanukah and a very Happy New Year to you.

Bring me some of that Cabo sun and look forward to lunch or dinner with you first week of January???

Love, Gwynneth

From Joan in PA

2011-12-22T10:16:00.002-05:00

Bless you, Sunny!
And happy Hanukkah to you and your whole family.
Yes, we need to get back to that 'fired up, ready to go' enthusiasm we had years ago. What a dreadful last few years, with more Obama foot-falls and miscalculations than I would have hoped ~ but headed in the right direction to be sure.
Here's to an important year ahead for the reelection of Obama/Biden and at least a tiny bit of sanity.
Love to all,

Joan

Happy Holidays to all. May 2012 bring sanity to our country with a win for our President!!!

2011-12-22T10:07:00.000-05:00

Dear Obama/Biden Supporters:

Just a note to tell you all happy holidays and that we need to be gearing up for the fight of our lives next year. I so appreciate all of your e-mails over the last few months and your asking about the blog and where I have been. I am back and looking forward to the new year and communicating with you all. Keeping us connected and reaching out to others is what will help us win in 2012.
One of my friends called this "the election of a generation" since the winner will determine the Supreme Court for the next generation! Some of you have lost interest, enthusiasm, and have shown apathy about 2012. I am here to say that I am fired up, getting lists together, and meeting with women (and some men) all over the country to be prepared for this fight. I don't want to be an alarmist, but we have come so far and can't lose sight of our goals!!! All I have to do to fire up is watch a Republican debate with those buffoons fighting over who is the most conservative, most anti-choice, anti-separation of church and state, anti-science and the environment to get my blood boiling. I then watch a show like the Sixty Minutes interview with President Obama - a smart, calm, sensitive, statesman who has accomplished so much such as eliminating Don't Ask Don't Tell, saving Ford from bankruptcy, stopping insurance companies from turning away clients for pre-existing conditions, ridding the world of Osama Ben Laden and Quaddafi along with other terrorists who threaten our existence, it reassures me that America is in good hands.
Now, it is up to us to get the word out and bring our Dems and Independents into the fold. We need to start the discourse and be ready to answer those who maintain they are disappointed and blaming government for any and all of the discontent. As he said in Kansas, as he channeled Theodore Roosevelt of 100 years ago, we need a Fairer Society with progressive solutions. We have gotten the notion that capitalism means taking whatever you want from whomever you want no mater what the cost. Progressive nationalism recognizes that we are all greater together when everyone has a fair shot to achieve and better themselves. This is the American Dream. To achieve it, we must have government there to level the playing field with programs and regulation. We need political and economic fairness if we are to be a great country.
Just in the last week we have seen more crucial victories in spite of the do nothing GOP who have literally tried to stop all legislation favoring the middle class. They have refused to compromise and have taken a pledge to not raise taxes under any circumstances. We've seen evidence that health care reform is working: 2.5 million Americans are now insured thanks to a provision in the Affordable Care Act that allows young adults to stay on their parent's health insurance until 26, more than double the number previously estimated.The last troops( leaving this past Sunday), the war in Iraq has come to a responsible end. Because of the veterans provisions of the American Jobs Act and the Hiring Heroes Act, which provide tax incentives to businesses who hire veterans in need of work, our troops coming home and all our veterans know that they can get the help they need in finding work and supporting their families. These are the kinds of fights Democrats are waging -- and winning They're crucial victories, but they can't happen without us!!!!!
Last week I also was honored to have been invited to the White House holiday party, and it reconfirmed how fortunate we are to have this President in the White House. The feeling of warmth and inclusion was apparent from our entering. The crowd was composed of a cross-section of all Americans from the famous to the ordinary. There were beautifully decorated Christmas trees that had themes such as children's cards from everywhere in the USA mixed with images of the troops and decorated ribbons of honor. It was an experience of a life time for my daughter and myself.
We met the President and First lady who were so warm and gracious and took the time to take pictures with each famly and make them feel special. Michelle reached out and said,"so wonderful to see you again" and hugged and kissed me. When introduced to the President, he took my hand and I said "I heard from people in Kansas City, where I grew up , that you knocked it out of the park with your speech in KS". He was so appreciative and then he thanked me for my hard work. I was indeed floating on air. I can't remember if and how we took our picture, but it was a life enhancing experience to share with Lilli.
I'd like to end with the truth, despite what disinformation Fox "News" puts out there. Barack Obama has accomplished so much and it is up to us to get the word out there:(***Thanks, Charlie for this list-see below)
“ * Getting us out of Iraq

* Eliminating Osama Bin Laden and senior al Qaeda leadership

* Rescuing the auto industry and a million jobs and getting the money back

* Passing universal health care reform and a plan to control long term costs

* Tackling Medicare fraud and off-shore tax evasion

* New CAFE standards that save $1.7 trillion in oil and 6 billion tons of carbon

* Supporting rebels in overthrowing the terrorist Qadaffi regime

* Repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT)

* Ratifying the New START treaty to further reduce nuclear stockpiles

* Creating an economic stimulus package to avoid a depression

* Regulating dangerous derivative speculation

* Limiting predatory financial industry practices

* New controls on systemic risk and safe unwinding of too-big-to-fail bank(s)

* Accountability for bond rating agencies

* Incentivizing states through Race to the Top to reform education

* Passing a food safety bill that shifts FDA from reaction to prevention

* Encouraging healthy eating

* Seriously tackling deficit reduction for first time since Clinton

* Pushing the economy-wrecking debt-ceiling standoff out past the 2012 elections.”

*Named two women to the Supreme Court
I welcome your comments suggestions and ideas for winning in 2012! We must get it together,get our message out, and be ready for the election -the consequences are too dire if we don't!!! Be certain to check out the Jake Lamar YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJLvtVIk3R8e I, like Jake, am not disappointed in Barack Obama -he gives me hope for our country and spurs me on to do the right thing! As Jake says,this election is about the cold hard realities of being attacked by the right wing GOP who care nothing about getting things done for America but only about getting rid of our President! The GOP is hell bent on making the art of the possible impossible, and I for one will not allow this to happen. Happy and healthy New Year and you better believe I'll see you in 2012 when we will join together and say once again,"Yes WE CAN".
Love,Sunny
A Mama 4 Obama
http://progressivegovernment.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Sunny-Side-Political-news-for-the-Friends-of-Progressive-Government/141511589209655

From Helen in response to my panic answering a misguided GOP fanatic:

I'm not sure someone as uninformed as BB can be answered. The makers and takers stuff is BS, unless he's talking about ordinary working people as the makers and investment bankers, big banks, and Wall Street at the takers. Their greed, foolishness, and plain criminality nearly destroyed our economy. We bailed them out from their staggering errors with our hard-earned dollars. And they go on taking gargantuan pay and whining about how put upon they are. Their self-absorption and self-pity are as dumbfounding as their rapacity.
The one thing to remind people is that our government was constructed so we would have a weak president. The founding generations were not going to risk everything they had to get out from under one King only to set up another one in our government. We don't even have a parliamentary system, where the prime minister has a majority by definition. When one half of the Congress has asserted from the beginning that their only goal is to thwart the president, what do people expect? The stimuli were too small, by Republican insistence; they did save a lot of jobs. He can't just end the wars, setting aside the strategic importance of Afghanistan, in terms of its location and its supply of rare earths.
Forget Israel. Netanyahu doesn't want peace; why would he? Their steady, quiet land grab is getting the Israelis exactly what most of them appear to want, the land. Nobody in the US is abandoning Israel, though its behavior has made Europeans dislike and distrust them. And here's the revanchist "indefensible borders" argument. What meaning does that have in the era of modern warfare? There are no more borders. The Arabs and Iran are not going to take on Israel; it's armed to the teeth with every imaginable weapon. They tried that; it didn't work.
Women generally do not get "indiscriminate" abortions. Only a man could think that. The few who do, which would he prefer, indiscriminate abortions or children to be reared by women who lacked the strength to get themselves in that situation rearing children?
The Obama health care plan is really insurance reform. People without insurance go to the Emergency Room. The rest of us pay for that in our hospital bills and our insurance. Too, why should insurance companies be able to yank someone's coverage when they become sick? Insuring the sick as well as the well is their raison d'etre.
Few US citizens pay no taxes. They pay unemployment, Social Security, Medicare taxes, and state income and sales taxes, and local real estate taxes (even if they are tenants, the landlord adds to their rent the cost of the real estate taxes).
It's globalization most of all that has made us uncompetitive; it was clear from the beginning that this would happen to our country. We pushed it along with NAFTA, etc. We either become like Germany, or we become poorer and poorer.
The presumption of BB that he alone looks at 'both sides of the equation' is laughable. Obama is smart as blazes, very thoughtful, and believe me, they look at everything. Including what they can persuade Congress to pass by a super, 60-vote, majority in the Senate, because the Republicans, among other things, threaten to filibuster anything they don't like. The Founding Fathers definitely did not have that in mind. It is not in the Constitution.
Well, dear dear Sunny - I've ranted enough. He's far from the most ignorant or superficial. It's a national reality and handicap to our having the leadership we should have. Feel free to quote me with or without attribution in responding to any of your querulous readers.

From Gwynneth in white Plains:

Down in Snowy DC for the weekend where my senior kid stayed overnite at GW, and pretty much wants to go there or Georgetown because thery are in DC !!!!!. Had no idea so close to the seats of power, so got stuck in traffic jam because el presdente was passing by at 9:15 pm Saturday on his way to the heliport. Ayway, being in Georgetown, the weather and all just reminded me of our Inaugural weekend and would it not be great to indeed have another one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From Betty in Scarsdale:

I just wanted to make sure you caught Kirsten on The Today Show yesterday. She spoke passionately about her efforts to inspire a new generation of Rosie the Riveters and to get more women off the sidelines.

I hope you'll check out the video by clicking here!

******From Ladies in Westchester who lunch and move Mountains:
Please save the date of 1/11 at 7 p.m. for a general Westchester for Change meeting in the Mamaroneck Town Hall courtroom(Boston Post Rd). We will talk about the ways to become involved in the Obama campaign. I look forward to another lunch at the end of Jan. Here is the youtube video of Jake Lamar that is so good: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJLvtVIk3R8

-Geri suggested we will have 2 differing strategies depending on who the opponent is,(differing opinion on that-some thinking Huntsman,Gingrich,Romney) we need to know who are adversary is!

-we all have to move to center,and get independents to see the dire situation of this election,as Christine said,"election for my children since two to three Supreme Court justices will be appointed and we all know how long they stay on court"!

-we must get lists,cell phones,e-mails all ready to go,when opponent we can start up the most amazing campaign ever!

From Randy in CA:

Can you imagine if there were 2 black candidates running for president in 2012? Those who vote (and it is not even 50% of the adult population)and want to get a black man out, wouldn't know for whom to cast their vote and probably wouldn't vote! It's bad enough that the candidate needs to be a good Christian, but black again? I think it would be great and fun to watch.

randy

p.s. i just couldn't resist.

Mitt Romney and Herman Cain are essentially tied for the lead in the race for the 2012 GOP nomination, with Rick Perry dropping to a distant third, according to a new CNN/ORC poll.

But with only 33% of all Republicans saying that their minds are made up, it's far too early to say the race is over, or even that is has boiled down to a mano-a-mano fight between Romney and Cain.

Cain has seen his support nearly triple, from 9% in September to 25% now; Perry's strength has been cut in half in that same time period.

There has been little change for the candidates in single digits -- 2- to 3-point swings for Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich and little or no change for Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman.

Watch the GOP presidential candidates face off at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, October 18, in the CNN Western Republican Presidential Debate in Las Vegas.

From Herb in Mo and Sheila in NY:

Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling:
"I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971...before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.

Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

1. No Tenure / No Pension.

A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.
2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.
3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen.

Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.
If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.
THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!

From Judy in MO and Carla in NY:

Subj: interesting language

AMAZING WORD GAME

Did you know that, the words "race car" spelled backwards still spells "race car"?
And that "eat" is the only word that, if you take the first letter and move it to the last, spells its own past tense, "ate"?

And if you rearrange the letters in "Tea Party Republicans," and add just a few more letters, it spells: "Shut the fuck up you free-loading, progress-blocking, benefit-grabbing, resource-sucking, violent hypocrites, and deal with the fact that you nearly wrecked the country under Bush and that our president is black, so get over it."
Isn't that interesting?

From Kathy in MO:

People need to realize that most of the wealth and access to the government is controlled by that 1%. It is obscene. People thought if they worked hard they would at least have a shot at taking care of their families, but that is getting to be less and less true all of the time. They have shattered the American Dream. It saddens and angers me to see kids coming out of college with tens of thousands of dollars in debt and no propects for a job. It sickens me to see them trying to shred the social safety net that seniors and the most vulnerable in our country depend on. It is life and death for them. And why....to give more money to the people at the top! It doesn't make sense. It is also so scary that they have duped so many people into supporting these obscene policies. 99% of the country should be rising up against them and demanding change. At least these brave protesters have steered the national conversation to shine light on the destruction of the American dream. It is the least we can do to carry a sign and sit with them. Our little activist, Marisa, has spent the night down there. She has marched with them a number of times and even donated blankets. I am so proud of her.

From Hank in NY:

“Who Speaks For The Silent Majority?” – Op/Ed – November 3, 2011
The title of Mr. Lassiter’s essay raises the major issues facing America today. The absence, by this majority, of speech, political action, non- shouting and non-violent protests, and most importantly, not accepting the right and responsibility to vote, are what ails our nation. The “silent majority” in America, is frankly, far too silent. Millions of Americans have stopped reading newspapers and news magazines, and get most of their information from internet sites like YouTube, Face Book and Twitter, or an occasional glance at the nightly news. Most of us accept without questioning, the sound-bites we get from ever increasingly biased news organizations like FOX, MSNBC and CNN.
Imagine if the 14 million unemployed Americans, with the under-employed and those that have given up hope of finding a job, staged a sit-in in front of and all around the Capital Building in DC, and remained there until Congress passes all or most of Obama’s American Jobs Act! What if all the parents, spouses, children and friends of our troops in Afghanistan peacefully protested in front of the White House until the President made the decision to bring all our troops home now! Speak up America! Our voices need to drown out the radical right and left wing nuts, and send a clear message to Obama and Congress, that we’re fed up and were not going to take it anymore!

From Andy T/DNC:

Romney appointed Robert Bork to co-chair his Judiciary Advisory Committee . . . Gingrich is even worse . . . and support NOW is three to eight times as powerful as the exact same support next fall. Each paid organizer hired now snowballs into literally hundreds of volunteers. Every week we wait is one fewer week for that snowball to grow . .. one fewer week for our volunteers to register millions of new voters and help millions of existing voters jump the newly-erected Republican hurdles to voting. NOW is our best shot at building the turnout that, in 341 days, will restore Nancy Pelosi's gavel, hold the Senate and White House, flip state legislatures and governorships, and – most important of all – assure that we don’t lose the Supreme Court for the next 25 years. Click here, now, if you can help. I’ll see it the minute you do and make sure it’s credited to any event that fits your schedule (and to anyone you designate). Support now doesn’t guarantee success, but is by far the most leveraged way to tilt the odds our way. Thanks!

From Charlie:

Dear Friend - My last partisan communication was on November 6th soon after the memorable 2008 election of Barack Obama. If you have time for a nostalgic “trip down Memory Lane”, see reprint at the bottom. That was a triumphant evening and we have all experienced ups and downs and conflicting thoughts over the past three years. In some ways, Obama has surprised as well as at times disappointed us, but if one thinks of the Republican alternatives, confidence does not explode to the forefront. The choice next year of Obama will be compelling compared to the starkly dark alternatives. In short, we have work to do – you and me, and everyone you know who shares a vision of greater opportunity for all, economic justice, peace and environmental stewardship. We need Barack Obama to be our President again for the years 2013 – 2016.

To start us thinking on WHY this matters, I urge all of you to please spend some time digesting two articles which appeared in New York Magazine and the NY Times this past fortnight. First, Jonathan Chait in New York re-examines 50 years of Democratic presidents from Kennedy to Carter to Clinton to Obama and asks “When Did Liberals Become so Unreasonable?”. You can find it here: http://nymag.com/news/politics/liberals-jonathan-chait-2011-11/ Chait lays out a persuasive case that liberals are rarely satisfied with their Democratic presidents, except perhaps nostalgically years later.

Second, Nicholas Kristof in the Sunday Times observes, “President as Pinata?” – you can read it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/opinion/sunday/Kristof-President-As-Pinata.html?_r=1 And then after you’ve pondered these two pieces of powerful editorial reporting, consider this list of impressive accomplishments penned by one of the thousands of readers posting their reactions to these two articles. Commenter #16 on the Kristof NY Times blog site writes: "Why I Like Obama" (just the big stuff):

“ * Getting us out of Iraq

* Eliminating Osama Bin Laden and senior al Qaeda leadership

* Rescuing the auto industry and a million jobs and getting the money back

* Passing universal health care reform and a plan to control long term costs

* Tackling Medicare fraud and off-shore tax evasion

* New CAFE stds that save $1.7 trillion in oil and 6 billion tons of carbon

* Supporting rebels in overthrowing the terrorist Qadaffi regime

* Repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT)

* Ratifying the New START treaty to further reduce nuclear stockpiles

* Creating an economic stimulus package to avoid a depression

* Regulating dangerous derivative speculation

* Limiting predatory financial industry practices

* New controls on systemic risk and safe unwinding of too-big-to-fail bank(s)

* Accountability for bond rating agencies

* Incentivizing states through Race to the Top to reform education

* Passing a food safety bill that shifts FDA from reaction to prevention

* Encouraging healthy eating

* Seriously tackling deficit reduction for first time since Clinton

* Pushing the economy-wrecking debt-ceiling standoff out past the 2012 elections.”

Now, think of what you might add or subtract from that list………like perhaps 1) restored America’s prestige around the world among peoples almost everywhere, or 2) embodied the true virtues of “family values” through his demeanor as a loving father and devoted husband, or 3) makes you feel confident that “adults are back in charge in the White House”, or 4) inspired countless millions of black and Hispanic Americans to believe that this country still embodies an opportunity, moreso than any other country, for most individuals to achieve lives unfathomable in most other societies – what Chris Matthews in an MSNBC ad calls (a term and context that I deplore, except perhaps in this narrow usage of the concept) the true “American Exceptionalism” - the notion that a son of a Kenyan father he never knew, and a white Kansan mother and grandparents who raised him, named Barack Hussein Obama, born in Hawaii, could become President. It is still breath-taking.
I welcome your comments, feedback, suggestions or ideas. I look forward to sharing the next election cycle with you.

Peace.

From Patty in St Louis,Mo:
Below this week's column is a link to a fascinating video on an important case of police torture and wrongful conviction--

Things Continue Looking Up for Dems

By Don Rose
Democrats should be salivating. First, there’s last Tuesday’s incredible victory in Ohio, where 61 percent of the voters rescinded Governor Kasich’s law stripping unions of bargaining rights—then the sight of Republican presidential candidates publicly imploding while promising to keep on truckin’.

Ohio’s vote should give heart to those fearful of the state going Republican in 2012. It is no guarantee of success next year, but it laid down a strong template for grass-roots organizing in this most important of states. Hardly anyone wins the presidency without it.

Of little significance for 2012, but still an astonishing result, was Mississippi voting 57 percent against a draconian anti-abortion bill that would have outlawed certain forms of birth control and put the lives of some pregnant women at risk. Too damaging even for strong pro-lifers, who would otherwise be a majority in Mississippi—possibly the most conservative state in the union.

Then we have the psychodrama of Herman Cain struggling to erase multiple charges of sex harassment with bombastic statements that offer no credible response to the potentially documentable charges. The situation has cost him some following, yet he remains high on the list of contenders, still leading Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich in one poll.

Cain promises to hang in, despite it all, which can only cause fear and loathing within party ranks. Similarly, Rick Perry, who has, in his terminology, “stepped in it” so many times that all the perfumes of Arabia cannot cover the stench on those thousand-dollar cowboy boots. He, too, promises to stay the course by dropping a million bucks into Fox News commercials to resuscitate himself. But what’s more dangerous to the party is that he is likely to make a subsequent major investment in anti-Romney commercials.

Now, coming up from the rear, is Newt Gingrich—serial adulterer, bling-buying bomb-thrower and card-carrying smart-ass—bidding to become the next flavor of the month. Can’t wait to see replays of that interview where he explains his sexual peccadilloes as acts of patriotism—he was so busy worrying about America that he left his zipper open to all. And that’s just the beginning of an hour-long reel of self-immolation that will keep us in stitches on U-tube and network TV.

All those gaffsters should make it easier and easier for Romney to grab the brass ring, but he still struggles to get a quarter of the vote while he keeps flip-flopping like an Asian carp on Oak Street Beach. Most recently he was for the Ohio union-busting bill before he went neutral on it, then finally came out for it again—which, among other things, may not sit well with 61 percent of Ohio voters.

The Republicans also are so worried about the headway Barack Obama is making by running against this do-nothing, job-killing Congress that they may actually support several of his measures. Yep—they’re hurting so much they may find it less painful to hand him a genuine legislative victory. How painful is that?

Michael Tillman: His Torture & Wrongful Conviction

From Judy in Westchester:

Shows what an arrogant, self-centered character Gingrich is!

Click here: "High Infidelity" by Steve Benen

From Hank in NY:

Subject: To The Editor
“The Good Newt” – Op/Ed – December 12, 2011
I highly admire Bill Keller, but beg to differ with his essay. There is nothing “good” about Newt Gingrich. The former Speaker of the House has ALL the characteristics described by Wikipedia:

“Like all members of the order Caudata, newts are characterized by a frog-like body with four equal sized limbs and a distinct tail. Aquatic larvae have true teeth on both upper and lower jaws, and external gills. They have the ability to regenerate limbs, eyes, spinal cords, hearts, intestines, and upper and lower jaws. Recently it was discovered that the Japanese fire belly newt can regenerate its eye lens 18 times over a period of 16 years and retain its structural and functional properties.”

Newt in fact, is the ultimate newt. He has changed everything about himself over the past15 years, including his spouse (several times), his positions on everything from climate change to abortion rights. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, which is a far higher level of performance than Newt has ever displayed.

From Susan in Rye:

Here is the youtube video of Jake Lamar that is so good: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJLvtVIk3R8

From Ohio Joe:

As far as Ohio goes……the Occupy group continues and almost 99% are Obama supporters, all ages, etc.
From what I am hearing, people support Obama, but are disappointed with the jobs situation, etc. The unemployment rate is going down because people are running out of benefits (food stamps and others are going up) I know this for a fact because a friend works for the state. We have friends who have been out of work for more than 2 years (college grads.)

BUT……they are not the happiest with Obama, BUT they still support him. He is a smart, bright and talented man…..people just wish he were tougher with his own agenda.

From what the GOP is producing so far, I think Ohio will go to Obama.

Have a good trip

#2

Tell Congress: End the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

It's outrageous. The average tax break from the Bush tax cuts enjoyed by the top 1 percent of wage earners is larger than the average income of the rest of the 99 percent of Americans.

And after a decade of giving money to those who literally didn't need it, the deficit caused in large part by the Bush tax cuts is being used as an excuse to take away the social safety net that protects the most vulnerable members of society. Tell your member of Congress and your senators: End the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. Click here to automatically sign the petition.

Ending these cuts should be a no brainer. They had been set to expire at the end of 2010, but President Obama ended up cutting a deal with the Republican leadership to extend the cuts for another two years. But we know that the cuts won't be allowed to expire without a big fight. Republican intransigence on the Bush tax cuts was at the heart of the failure of the Super Committee.

Not only did the Republicans on the Super Committee want the Bush tax cuts to be made permanent, they took the morally bankrupt position that we should blow a bigger hole in the budget by giving even larger tax cuts to the rich. Simply extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy would cost us more than $700 billion over the next decade. There is very little that so clearly demonstartes the venality of some members of Congress than the demand to give the Koch brothers a tax cut while pushing benefit cuts to programs like Social Security,Medicare and Medicaid. Democrats caved in 2010, and Republicans expect them to cave again. Between now and the end of 2012, we can expect a relentless push to make the Bush tax cuts permanent. But this is a fight we can win if we are relentless, too. In this case gridlock and inaction work to our benefit because we don't have to pass a bill — we just need to ensure that Congress doesn't pass a bill that extends the Bush tax cuts past 2012

The first step is speaking out and laying down a marker so that your member of Congress and senators know their constituents want the Bush tax cuts to end.

From Gwynneth in White Plains NY:

Gwynneth who was there said:

Pumped, energized, back to the 2008 campaign is how I felt. He was just fabulous and put to rest all my worries about everything I have been hearing from the Republican side. On a personal level, I also just loved how Jewish his comments were-I know he had great advisers to explain to him exactly who his audience was, but they got it right 1000%--who ever thought you would hear a sitting president use Hebrew, and use it correctly, and teach us a bit of Torah etc. and it was phenomenal to be there in the 3rd row!!!!!!! (Of course one cannot be that surprised, when this is the prez who kashers the White House kitchen for the annual Hanukkah party, and who holds a Seder each year in the WH!)

Obama in 2012!!!!!

Cheers for Obama from key U.S. Jewish group

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — President Barack Obama received a rousing reception on Friday at the Union of Reform Judaism conference, whose members make up the backbone of his U.S. Jewish support.

Obama’s serial standing ovations came during a speech in this Washington suburb where he talked about his unshakeable support for Israel. “Don’t let anybody else tell you otherwise. It is a fact,” Obama said.

Obama was alluding to a stepped-up campaign by Republicans, led by the 2012 GOP presidential candidates, to question his backing for Israel — attacks aimed to drive a wedge between Jewish voters who supported him overwhelmingly in 2008 as well as to appeal to evangelical Christian Zionists.

While the Obama White House has had a few stumbles recently — Obama was caught on an open microphone with French President Nicolas Sarkozy complaining about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — Republicans have been looking to separate Obama from his Jewish voters for years.

In the speech to thousands of members of the Jewish Reform movement, Obama repeated several times a Hebrew word, “hineni,” that was familiar and meaningful to the audience, as it often appears in the Torah. It means, “Here I am.”

Obama made references to this week’s Torah portion, daughter Malia’s attendance at bar and bat mitzvahs, Tikkun Olam (the Jewish concept of repairing the world), and the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, Louis Brandeis.

In other words, Obama threw in everything but the matzo balls and chicken soup.

The speech was delayed while Obama huddled backstage with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. While the crowd waited, Jewish folk rock singer Josh Nelson filled time with tunes ranging from the Hanukkah standard “Maoz Tsur,” also known as “Rock of Ages, to “Great Balls of Fire” to a popular Israeli tune, “Bashana Haba’ah,” which means “in the year to come.”

The Obama speech-writing team crafted the speech to first address Obama’s domestic policies and achievements because the Reform Jewish voter — which tilts Democratic — is not just about Israel. Obama talked about the struggles for voting and civil rights the Reform Jewish movement backed to more current-day battles for women’s, disabled and gay rights.

In turning to Israel, Obama provided a forceful defense of his policies to the friendly group, seemingly giving them ammunition to go out and help make the case for his re-election.

“As president, I have never wavered in pursuit of a just and lasting peace — two states for two peoples; an independent Palestine alongside a secure Jewish state of Israel. I have not wavered and will not waver. That is our shared vision,” Obama said.

Obama also sided with an Israeli perspective on the peace process: that Israel and the Palestinians have to negotiate and no entity — especially the United Nations — can impose a deal.

“There’s no question about how lasting peace will be achieved. Peace can’t be imposed from the outside. Ultimately, it is the Israelis and the Palestinians who must reach agreement on the issues that divide them,” Obama said.

Obama repeated what he has said since he started running for president in 2007: “America’s commitment and my commitment to Israel and Israel’s security is unshakeable. It is unshakeable. “

On the security side, the Obama administration has bolstered military assistance to Israel. “I am proud to say that no U.S. administration has done more in support of Israel’s security than ours. None. Don’t let anybody else tell you otherwise. It is a fact.”

And on the threat Iran poses to Israel — an area where the GOP presidential field has suggested Obama is weak — Obama said he would do what it takes to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb.

Said Obama, “Rest assured, we will take no options off the table.”

From Val in Ohio:
The Ohio legislature has passed a compromise redistricting bill, HB 369. We are no longer collecting signatures on the petitions for a referendum on the earlier redistricting bill HB 319. We needed about 70,000 more by Dec 24 and the compromise avoids the possibility of failure with that effort; the more than 150,000 signatures all of us have collected have provided the pressure needed to force the Republicans in the direction of better redistricting (though not yet far enough). The compromise bill draws a new map. It is still pretty much an unfair and unrepresentative 12 R / 4 D map, but there will be a balanced bipartisan redistricting task force set up with the hoped for outcome being a constitutional amendment to bring Ohio a fair redistricting process and one that could be used to draw new districts for 2014. (If such an outcome does not result, there is still the option of a citizen's petition driven constitutional amendment, unconstrained by the extra short time we have had to collect HB 319 signatures). Also, part of the compromise is a single March 6 primary next year. You can see the new map at

http://www.onntv.com/content/stories/2011/12/14/story-congressional-map.html as well as

http://www.progressohio.org/blog/2011/12/house-dems-stop-gop-from-wasting-millions-on-two-primaries-and-end-redistricting-standoff.html

From Hank in NY:Subject: To The Editor
“Don’t Tax the Rich. Tax Inequality Itself” – Op/Ed – December 19, 2011
All the insipid discussion about equality and inequality, and the 1% versus the 99% is idiotic and useless. The plain fact is that unless we increase revenues in this country, we will never be able to cut the deficit and get back on the road to a full, jobs oriented economic recovery. Here is a simple five step plan that would, over the next President’s term, sharply reduce the deficit, create millions of new jobs, and get America back on track to balancing our budget:
1. End the war in Afghanistan immediately, and bring all our troops home by the end of July 2012. Use the $110 billion in annual savings to make sure that EVERY veteran who fought in Iraq or Afghanistan has a job, a home and the finest medical care in the world.

2. Create a “Medicare for all single-payer system” and raise the eligibility age to 67 for all those who are now fifty or younger. Also, we must add Tort Reform to any sustainable health care delivery system, and change the way providers are paid from how many patients they treat to rewarding providers for outcomes achieved.

3. Allow the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans to sunset at the end of 2012. Twelve years of breaks is more than enough for the wealthiest among us.

4. Create a system of which requires wealthy Americans to pay for some or all of their Social Security benefits.

5. Start, tomorrow, developing ALL alternative forms of clean energy so that the next generation of Americans won’t bear the burden of paying three-quarters of a trillion dollars each year to import foreign oil.
This is not about tax inequality, it is about logical, sustainable ideas that will actually save money and put people to work.

From Robin in NY:

Subject: Week In Review: A Big Week For Little Girls, Facebook's Latest Changes, and more
http://app.streamsend.com/c/15284495/101886/5f1irln/ELuG?redirect_to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ypulse.com%2F
Good morning! Here's your roundup of the previous week’s most significant events and announcements and how they impact Millennials. This is a beta version of Ypulse’s Week In Review VIP newsletter; we hope you find it helpful.
This past week was a big one for little girls; two big players in the toy industry announced new franchises designed specifically for them. First, Disney crowned Sophia, its first preschool princess. Then, a few days later, we got a peek at Lego’s new line for girls, Lego Friends. Both upset adults — Disney’s princess Sophia aims to instill the royal fantasy at an even younger age, while Lego’s Friends play on gender stereotypes instead of building creativity. Taking a step back from the mild uproar, we can’t help but notice what prime roles girls are getting. Two top brands have recognized that their fates hinge not only on winning over boys, but also on gaining girls’ interest. As for the feminist complaints, a girl princess ruling a country or running her own Lego beauty salon seems okay to us (in other words, it also matters how they’re encouraged to play with their new toys).
Facebook has unveiled its new Timeline feature to all users, and the infographic-like layout will go live this coming week. Before the official rollout, users have had the chance to edit and tweak their Timeline to reflect what they want to share and highlight — special photos, major life events, significant status updates, and more. For once, Facebook seems to be getting it right by giving users a chance to review changes in how their profile will be presented before it is published for all their friends to see. So far, we like this new graphic layout of our lives. Timeline isn’t the only new feature Facebook is rolling out; it also launched a new crisis helpline for users who feel they are in desperate situations as the result of cyberbullying or other issues. It's another proactive approach that we can appreciate.
Finally, in an item that could have significant impact in 2012, we learned last week that Millennials are wavering in their support of Barack Obama. They were instrumental in his election in 2008, but they’ve been frustrated on a number of political fronts, from health care to student loan issues to unemployment, and they’re unhappy with the direction the country is currently headed. But they don’t necessarily think a Republican president would be any better. Only time will tell how they'll vote come November, but with their interest in politics and activism, we expect a lot of Millennials will make sure their voices are represented in political arenas by getting involved in campaigns in the coming year.
And that’s the week that was. Catch up on these stories and more in the Ypulse Essentials Archive http://app.streamsend.com/c/15284495/101888/5f1irln/ELuG?redirect_to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ypulse.com%2Fcategory%2Fypulse-essentials , or follow us on Twitter http://app.streamsend.com/c/15284495/101890/5f1irln/ELuG?redirect_to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitter.com%2Fypulse for all the latest news.

PS. — Last week, we mistakenly cited Will Ferrell's website as CollegeHumor.com when it is FunnyOrDie.com.
PSS — We'll be on hiatus next week, spending time with family and friends for the holidays, but we'll be back on January 2nd to fill you in on all the news taking place over the break.

From Hank in NY:

Subject: To The Editor
“Putting Paychecks At Risk” – Editorial – December 21, 2011
This is not only a case of putting paychecks at risk, but rather a serious case of putting job creation and the entire economic recovery at risk. Should Congress fail to pass a two month extension of the payroll tax holiday, more than half the population of the U.S. will see their paychecks reduced by a thousand to fifteen hundred dollars a year, Medicare recipients will see their premiums increase, and millions of long-term jobless Americans will lose their unemployment insurance.
What is so disgusting about this situation is that at the very time when economic recovery is a light at the end of a long dark tunnel, the Republican majority in the House is about to extinguish that light and place the majority of citizens of our nation into abysmal darkness. Job creation will take a sharp turn downwards as employers are once again frightened away from hiring because they lack confidence in our government’s ability to get anything done, and because they will still not know what their long-term tax and health care costs will be. Merry Christmas John Boehner.

Yes We Can & Did! Happy Holidays, hooray for the Dems who never gave up!

2010-12-23T19:59:00.000-05:00

Dear Obama/Biden Supporters:

I have a confession to make-I have had this blog on my desktop for weeks to send out. I have been communicating with many of you individually but couldn't' bear to send out such a negative message. If you don't know it by now, I am an optimist by nature,just like my father used to be. I told sister Suzi last night that I had to send this out before I left and she said,forget it. However, I couldn't do that and all that has gone on since the lunar eclipse has given me strength and renewal of spirit! You may think I am nuts but the passage of Don't Ask Don't Tell started things off and we haven't looked backward in the last 48 hours. You can see from Hank's latest editorial(***see it below) that even he has turned around and found the "President we all voted for". So, I want to end by wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year and saying I can breathe again. We are so lucky to have overcome the hyper-partisanship of the just say no Congress (with major help from the brilliant and beautiful Kirsten Gillibrand-Senator from NY) and to end this year with a bang not a wimper!!! I will end with something Susan from Rye sent me that really struck home,a quote from MLK (that magnificent man who would be so proud of BHO today) . From Susan: Someone brought this quote and read it at the meeting the other night and it really struck me. It is hard to do what is right when one has so many responsibilities! (Obama). Our role as grassroots organizers is to be the ones that keep reminding him of what is right. We can't be unbending and we have to be willing to compromise, but the dialogue must be always framed with the correct message, don't you think? "On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, "Is it safe?" Expediency asks the question, "Is it politic?" And Vanity comes along and asks the question, "Is it popular?" But Conscience asks the question "Is it right?" And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right." — Martin Luther King Jr.

With love and best wishes for a wonderful New Year!

Sunny
A renewed Mama 4 Obama

(Now below is what I wrote before the wonderful passage of DADT, health insurance for 9/11 First Responders,and the amazing New Start Treaty:)

I was watching Bob Dylan's story last night on American Masters and heard a quote from him,"we really believed as song writers we would change the world. We thought from our words and our songs we could help end segregation". I had an ah ha moment of why I have been so tormented the last few days over Obama's "compromise". I think we people who worked for him and gave up our lives to get him elected thought we could change the world and the country. How uniformed we were about the workings of government. We thought we were part of a movement and that good would triumph over bad. Eight years of W with constant disagreement over a war of choice, greed and power running the government and then along came our "savior". What we didn't realize is that most of Congress put the next campaign over people and the country. However,our President is working for the next generation not the next election. I know people are angry and hurt like Kathy in MO who said: "Those assy rethugs are emboldened by the idiots putting them back in power in the last election. I don't think there is any dealing with them. They are going to get their way or nothing at all gets done no matter how important it is or how much it hurts the country. I am disappointed in Obama for cutting a deal with them and leaving the Dems out of the negotiations. Being bipartisan and compromising never used to mean giving in and giving them everything they want!" However, we have to remember those who will benefit from the President's compromise with the GOP. Jenny from the white House committee on women and girl's sent a complete list of those who will benefit from the bill(*****see e-mail from Lee and Jenny). She stated," it is a tough time, but we are moving in the right direction. This will really be good for women and families, so it’s an even more important message for us to get. Thank you for sharing information with others." Sue Hornik from OFA Most of us were pretty peeved that tax cuts for the rich were included, and the night of the announcement when I mentioned our unhappiness to my husband, who formerly reported on economics, he looked at me and said: “Are you nuts? We’re on the verge of a double-dip recession and he just got a second stimulus package.”

So I figured I better do a little more homework. For those of us who aren’t economic experts, the most understandable analysis is Austan Goolsbee’s White Board (he’s the new chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers and was the President’s key econ man during the campaign). You can catch it in two places: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/12/09/white-house-white-board-tax-cuts-unemployment-insurance-jobs and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOH6t6mxuJM ...

Well, now you can see why I was stuck and unable to send this out. All I can say is this is a very special day for me,and I wish our beloved President a good rest in Hawaii. He is going to need all his strength to face the 2011 Congress. We got a "shellacking" and the American people rewarded the party that not only opposed the stimulus but tried to block the extension of unemployment benefits. They also rewarded the party that proposed to inflate the debt by hundreds of billions of dollars with tax cuts for the least needy two per cent. They rewarded the GOP because they were frustrated with inaction and blocked or watered down whatever it couldn't block, but we ended up the winners and don't you forget it. Grassroots and perseverance will not be overcome!!! I will be gone for a week and back after the New Year,lets all take a rest-we deserve it!!!!!!!!!!!!

With love,Sunny
A proud Mama 4 Obama

Please join me at both of these sites where you can make statements and they will reach many more people than in the past. In order to get to the blog please go to http://progressivegovernment.blogspot.com/ and read my updates and make comments

You can also find me on Facebook at "The Sunny Side - Political news for the Friends of Progressive Government" at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/The-Sunny-Side-Political-news-for-the-Friends-of-Progressive-Government/141511589209655

****From Hank in NYC(out of order but right for the day,time,and end of the year!):

This will be my last Op/Ed piece of 2010. I wish you the happiest and healthiest of holidays, and a wonderful 2011!

Subject: To The Editor

“Obama, The Man We Voted For!”

Watching the President smack his hand on his desk and say, “this is done”, referring to his signing of the Bill that repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, we saw the Barack Obama that filled us all with so much hope and promise of what might be possible for America. Listening to the pundits saying that this was a good week for the President, one could not help but think that this was, despite all the doomsayers, a very good year for America. We have come back from the depths of the Great Recession and are poised to make major gains in job creation in 2011. All Americans now have access to quality, affordable health care, and nobody can be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions, serious illness or because they have reached a dollar limit for their coverage. Parents can now keep their children on their health insurance plans until age twenty six, and Obama Care has removed the “doughnut hole” from senior citizens cost of drugs.

This President’s courage and determination to see that all Americans are treated fairly has led to serious financial reform, continued tax relief for the middle class and small businesses, and yes, even the super rich who we hope will use that windfall to help charitable causes and to create jobs. Now that American businesses know what their taxes and health care costs will be, they may well start to hire and expand their operations. Employees will have a one year grace period where their share of payroll taxes will be reduced by 2%. Hopefully this will give many people the impetus to spend, send their children to college, and thereby do their part to further stimulate the economy. For those suffering from not being able to find meaningful, well-paying jobs, Mr. Obama has won them an additional year of unemployment benefits.

One of the more striking accomplishments for Mr. Obama this year was the ratification of the “Start Treaty” with Russia. Despite serious and at one time seemingly improbable odds, the President mounted a strong public campaign to gain support for this treaty, including the buy-in from every living former Secretary of State, Democrat and Republican. With the 71 to 26 vote in favor of ratification, Mr. Obama silenced the likes of Mitch (the un-wise) McConnell, John Kyl and the seemingly mentally depressed and deflated John McCain, the three un-wise men who wanted to be the Grinches who stole Christmas.

Barack Obama came into the presidency arguably facing the greatest set of problems since FDR. His lack of experience, combined with the enormous economic problems he inherited during his first year, were enough to defeat all but the hardiest of men, but Mr. Obama has learned, gained strength and confidence, and faces the last two years of his first term with enthusiasm, historic accomplishments behind him, and the renewed faith in what may have been the greatest campaign slogan of all time, “Yes We Can”!

From Beth in NYC and FL:

Have a great thanksgiving!!!

From Pam in Larchmont:

And I am soo thankful to see that our Sunny is soo driven and heartfelt!!You are a special person and we all appreciate you! So, you,Sunny are one person I am thankful for knowing on this Thanksgiving!!Enjoy your family! Peace!

From Nita our wonderful Westchester congressperson:

I am thankful for you and

Brad. Have a wonderful thanksgiving.

From in Pam Aspen,CO:

Thanks for all the great blogs; you are totally right on; we need to

have a stronger Democratic unity but are lucky for the people we have

that stand united. It was a tough election but there is no way we can

go back to the Neanderthal age of W and cohorts. Would you please put

these 2 people on your ML; one is my nephew Edward G who is very

interested in politics, and another is our friend Denise O'C who

is a stalwart Obama and team supporter. I have forwarded them your

last 2 epistles.

From Sheila in Larchmont:

Good one, Sunny. Have a happy and warm holiday in Florida.

From Robin in North Salem:

I experienced Sarah Palin’s America at Stew Leonard’s this afternoon shopping for Thanksgiving – not pretty!!!

From Doni in New Jersey:

A large Israeli police force accompanied by bulldozers from the Israel Land Administration razed the Bedouin village of Al-Arakib on Monday, destroying the temporary homes constructed by the village residents since the previous demolition. With the help of volunteers, the residents have already begun the reconstruction of the village, and have vowed to keep rebuilding until the Israeli government recognizes their rights to their land.

We, a coalition of Israeli and American Jewish organizations, condemn the Israeli government's continued demolition of Bedouin villages in the Negev and the expulsion of their residents. We condemn the Jewish National Fund for its complicity in displacing Bedouin citizens of Israel from their homes and land to make way for forests and new Jewish-only communities in their place.

The Bedouin have no comparable opportunities to create new agricultural or livable communities. They are being forced to leave their homes, lands and way of life for overcrowded urban centers plagued by crime, unemployment and despair.

We call on the Israeli government, with the support of the JNF in Israel (KKL) and JNF-US, to negotiate a just and mutually agreeable solution to the plight of the 190,000 Negev Bedouin, Israel's poorest and most disadvantaged minority - half of whom live in "unrecognized villages" without electricity, running water, sewage disposal, schools or health clinics, and with the constant fear of demolition and expulsion...
Rabbis for Human rights,http://www.change.org/petitions/view/end_the_destruction_of_bedouin_villages_in_israel

From Fran in Larchmont:

In “Advancing Reproductive Justice for Latinas in the U.S.” Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, deputy director

the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, offers poignant examples of the array of financial, regulatory and social barriers that stop many Latinas from accessing the birth control they seek, even when they have insurance. She displays keen disappointment that the health care reform legislation of 2010 because it does little to nothing to minimize or eliminate the these difficulties is palpable.

Especially if you missed the opportunity to ‘meet’ Jessica when she joined Future Choices in October, you will want to hear from her this month as she unrolls the Latina Institute’s strategies for ensuring the fundamental human right to reproductive health and justice for Latina neighbors, their families and their communities.

Future Choices is brought to your home either on Channel 75 (Cablevision) or Channel 36 (Verizon). The show airs Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm with repeats 3 am, 9 am, 3 pm and 9 pm the following day. See full schedule:

http://www.lmc-tv.org/?q=node/52

From Ross in Kirsten's office:

Yesterday, Kirsten was on Andrea Mitchell’s program on MSNBC talking about the next steps for unemployment benefits and repealing "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell." It’s a great interview that highlights Kirsten’s leadership on these key issues, and I want to be sure you see it.

Click here to watch Kirsten’s interview with Andrea Mitchell.

Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one.

From Lisa in NYC:

I wanted to share this recent list with you all. The New Museum is #5!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/19/21-modern-marvels-of-arch_n_786142.html#s187003

From Betty in Scarsdale:

YouTube - 11.29.10 Mark McKinnon on Lawrence O'Donnell

From Sheila in Larchmont:

Don’t know if any of you saw the segment on Women in the GOP last night on Hardball…but at the end of the segment which portrayed a very specific type of Grizzly Mama…Chris Matthews asked who was the up-and-coming woman among Dems – Joan Walsh said Kirsten Gillibrand and went on to praise her toughness…Chris not only agreed but said she was a woman to watch!!!

From Eileen in KCMO: We have to keep a sense of humor!

A pretty little girl named Suzy was standing on the sidewalk in front of her home. Next to her was a basket containing a number of tiny creatures; in her hand was a sign announcing FREE KITTENS.

Suddenly a line of big black cars pulled up beside her. Out of the lead car stepped a grinning woman.

"Hi there little girl, I'm Sarah Palin. What do you have in the basket?" she asked.

"Kittens," little Suzy said.

"How old are they?" asked Palin.

Suzy replied, "They're so young, their eyes aren't even open yet."

"And what kind of kittens are they?"

"Tea Party," answered Suzy with a smile.

Palin was delighted. As soon as she returned to her car, she called her PR chief and told him about the little girl and the kittens.

Recognizing the perfect photo op, the two agreed that the former governor should return the next day; and in front of the assembled media, have the girl talk about her discerning kittens.

So the next day, Suzy was again standing on the sidewalk with her basket of "FREE KITTENS," when another motorcade pulled up, this time followed by vans from ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN.

Cameras and audio equipment were quickly set up, then Palin got out of her limo and walked over to little Suzy.

"Hello, again,"she said, "I'd love it if you would tell all my friends out there what kind of kittens you're giving away."

"Yes ma'am," Suzy said. "They're Democrats."

Taken by surprise, Palin stammered, "But... but... yesterday, you told me they were TEA PARTY."

Little Suzy smiled and said, "I know. But today, they have their eyes open."

From Ben in NYC:

http://www.benrosen.com/

Just posted The King's Speech on my blog, Through Rosen-Colored Glasses.

From Betty in Scarsdale:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/02/AR2010120205216.html

A No Labels solution to Washington gridlock?

By William A. Galston and David Frum

Friday, December 3, 2010

As President Obama and congressional leaders struggle to establish a working relationship, they should ponder the sentiments of the real - and very frustrated - American majority.

A Pew survey taken after the midterm election found that 55 percent of respondents wanted Republican leaders in Washington to "try as best they can to work with Barack Obama to accomplish things, even if it means disappointing some groups of Republican supporters." Sixty-two percent wanted Obama to work hard to cooperate with Republicans, even if it meant disappointing some of his supporters.

But what the people want and what they expect are very different. In Congress, the center has collapsed, and ideological overlap between the parties has vanished. Although 30 percent of grass-roots Republicans consider themselves moderate or liberal, and 60 percent of Democrats consider themselves moderate or conservative, their voices are muted in the nation's capital. As increasingly polarized media feed centrifugal forces, potential primary challengers stand ready to punish deviation from party orthodoxies. Only 22 percent of the Pew respondents thought that cooperation was likely to happen under these circumstances.

On Dec. 13, more than 1,000 citizens from the 50 states will convene in New York to change the odds. They are founding a movement - No Labels. Among them will be Democrats, Republicans and independents who are proud of their political affiliations and have no intention of abandoning them. A single concern brings them together: the hyper-polarization of our politics that thwarts an adult conversation about our common future. A single goal unites them: to expand the space within which citizens and elected officials can conduct that conversation without fear of social or political retribution...

From Elizabeth in Mamaroneck:
This really, really is worth 13 minutes of your time. Really!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5OtB298fHY
I'm so frustrated with Obama's concessions now. This article below got me all riled up.

Do you know anyone close to him to tell him to show a backbone? I have been the most

rabid supporter but his taking responsibility for partisanship is too much! Thoughts please.

All the best and happy holidays.
Marsha

On the Subject of Quitting

Friday 03 December 2010

by: William Rivers Pitt, t r u t h o u t
Op-Ed
(Image: Lance Page / t r u t h o u t; Adapted: orsorama, TalkMediaNews)

My head is swimming. My hands are shaking. My teeth are grinding together so hard that my jaw muscles look like I'm storing walnuts in there for the winter.

For once, these symptoms are not being caused by politics. I have not had a cigarette in four days. I have been gobbling nicotine lozenges like M&M's, and am breathing freely for the first time in twenty years. I think I've got this thing licked.

As it turns out, I picked exactly, precisely the right week to undertake this daunting exercise. I might as well have; with everything that has been going on, the physical symptoms I have been suffering - wooziness, tremors, grinding teeth, anxiousness, sleeplessness, and the occasional bout of extreme rage - would have been present anyway. Might as well have something good come out of it...(Read rest on line)

From Judy in Mamaroneck:

This is very special.. enjoy! Chanukah 2010 in the White House

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ultJ8EMAXU

From Nancy P in NYC :after seeing the above youtube:

This man really knows how to respect each and every one of us. He is

a treasure.

From Ron R in NYC:

What say you to this…also echoed by Frank Rich in Sundays NYT Op-Ed…..Nice seeing you in Miami

Subject: Robert Kuttner: What Now for the Democrats?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-kuttner/what-now-for-the-democrat_b_792301.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=120610&utm_medium=email&utm_content=FeatureMore&utm_term=Daily+Brief

A real hard shot at Obama from the left. obama's coilition is coming apart. He will be weakened by attacks from the right and left... and he did it to himself.

From Betty in Scarsdale:

YouTube - Our Moral Obligation to Pass 9/11 Health Bill

Your Senator @ work,

From Betty in Scarsdale and Sheila in Larcmont after No labels Conference in NYC:

Hi--Didn't know if you saw this--what a day! Robin--I thought the panel with Mayor Mike was really good and can't remember if you stayed for that! Ill be happy to tell u abt it--also Cory Booker woke all up and Joe Sestak truly spoke from his heart!!

Here is what I remember. Cory Booker was outstanding. I had never heard him speak before and I was blown away. Content wasn't much different from others, but delivery was inspired. I thought the Bloomberg panel was somewhat thought-provoking. It was about gerrymandering and the partisanship emanating from rigged districting. Unfortunately, it was also boring and a waste of Bloomberg and Charlie Christ, both of whom I thought had a lot more to offer. Joe Sesnak was also excellent and very poignant.

I just heard on CNN that the tax bill passed the preliminary vote in the Senate with 83 "for" votes. They said it was likely there would be modification to the estate tax provision in order to maximize the possibility of passage by the House later this week. But that's CNN--very unofficial on everything but the numbers.

Talked to some interesting people at lunch, but all-in-all, by staying as long as you did, in my opinion, you got the gist of it. Sheila

From Jenny in DC:

Thank you for keeping up the fight! It is a tough time, but we are moving in the right direction. This will really be good for women and families, so it’s an even more important message for us to get. Thank you for sharing information with others.

Hang in there. Happy Holidays!

From Susan in Rye:

This piece pretty much says it all for me:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-k-black/what-aspect-of-dealing-wi_b_793707.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=120810&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BlogEntry&utm_term=Daily+Brief bbb
We need to be as strong in our messaging as the other side or we're going nowhere.

From Marsha in NY:

Sunny,

I'm so frustrated with Obama's concessions now. This article below got me all riled up.

Do you know anyone close to him to tell him to show a backbone? I have been the most

rabid supporter but his taking responsibility for partisanship is too much! Thoughts please.

All the best and happy holidays.

On the Subject of Quitting

Friday 03 December 2010

by: William Rivers Pitt, t r u t h o u t
Op-Ed
(Image: Lance Page / t r u t h o u t; Adapted: orsorama, TalkMediaNews)

My head is swimming. My hands are shaking. My teeth are grinding together so hard that my jaw muscles look like I'm storing walnuts in there for the winter.

For once, these symptoms are not being caused by politics. I have not had a cigarette in four days. I have been gobbling nicotine lozenges like M&M's, and am breathing freely for the first time in twenty years. I think I've got this thing licked.(Read rest on line)

#2

Thanks so much for your thoughts and as always ... great support to all.

I am singing a concert at my church job on the 19th and of course singing

Christmas Eve. I'm also busy doing real estate although it's beginning to

slow up. Maybe they'll change it to taxing millionaires and up. That would help!

From Kathy in MO:

It was my birthday and I just couldn't turn on the news or think about what was going on in DC. It is all so frustrating and awful. Honestly, I don't know where we go from here. Those assy rethugs are emboldened by the idiots putting them back in power in the last election. I don't think there is any dealing with them. They are going to get their way or nothing at all gets done no matter how important it is or how much it hurts the country. I am disappointed in Obama for cutting a deal with him and leaving the Dems out of the negotiations. Being bipartisan and compromising never used to mean giving in and giving them everything they want! I do understand his pragmatism about wanting to get the unemployment benefits restored, but that did not protect the millions going off after the first of the year. However, he gave too much to the very, very wealthy at the expense of many important programs. I am like you feeling lost.

From Lee DNC/OFA:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/cwg/blog

Subject: The Tax Deal and Women and Families

Good morning,

Please view the attached report from the National Economic Council on how the tax deal benefits women and families. For example:

· Women represent about 60 percent of the parents benefitting from the EITC and CTC expansions in the agreement. An estimated 12 million women will benefit from the expansion in the EITC and CTC that are extended in this agreement.

· Working mother with three children making $20,000 will receive a tax cut of more than $2,100 from extending recent expansions in the EITC and Child Tax Credit as part of this agreement.

· One out of every three families gaining from the extension of these credits is headed by a single mother. Families headed by single mothers are among the most economically at risk in our fragile recovery. This extension of the EITC and CTC would direct substantial resources to these families, with an estimated 4 million of the families gaining being headed by single mothers. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/12/08/framework-a-tax-agreement-a-good-deal-working-families (Read rest on line!)

You can find all this on the whitehouse.gov site under women.

https://www.democrats.org/page/contribute/DNC-WLF

From Hank in NYC:

This is being published in tomorrow’s Boston Globe!

“Obama and GOP Make Deal on Taxes ” – Editorial – December 7, 2010

This is a full-blown disaster! The president’s continued lack of courage and leadership has now sunk to a level never imagined by this reader and great supporter of Mr. Obama since his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic convention. Not only does Obama’s decision to completely cave in to the Republicans go against one of his most ardent and passionate campaign promises, it adds almost a trillion dollars to the national debt over the next two years.

What is truly frustrating, disappointing and depressing is that we elected a president we thought had the strength of character, and the courage of his convictions that the country so desperately needed after eight awful years of George W. Bush. I never thought I would say anything like this, but if “W” were president today, and he believed extending the tax cuts for the wealth was the wrong thing to do, he would have told Congress exactly what they could do with their tax cuts for the super-rich, and it would have been something like, “stick them where the sun never shines.”

From Joe in Ohio:

Happy Hanukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, Happy and Healthy Winter Holidays to All………

Tis the Season to be Jolly, a season of good will, kindness, love and compassion. A time when we lay down our own needs and think of others, a season of giving, a season of peace. A season of thanksgiving and appreciation of the blessings our nation and the world have been given. We are all proud to be Americans, our land of opportunity, where all are welcomed, all are equal and all can work hard for the American dream.

Whatever holiday you celebrate, we all have a union of compassion, love and caring for all of mankind from our creator. A nation where we live and participate with the leaders of our great country.

A nation we can be PROUD of and as we show the true teachings of our religious believes, values and missions of our faith, giving and compassion………

Our nation where our leaders, both Republican and Democrat deal and gamble their VALUES which must FIRST give to the wealthy in order to give and help the POOR and those in need. We should all be so proud as we have empowered and are part of this great system !!!

Happy Holidays to All !!!

From Westchester 4 change:

westchester4change@gmail.com
We are angered by President Obama's offer to compromise on an extension of the extra tax cuts on the top earners, as well as on a return to a lower rate for estate taxes, in order to secure middle class and unemployment relief. Polls demonstrate that this is out of step with the American public and we believe that Congress should fight for a better deal.

We hope you will call your Representatives and express the need for more fair and progressive economic policies that reduce, rather than exacerbate, income and wealth inequality. Our messages are simple – 1) these levels of economic inequality are unprecedented and unsustainable for the economy; 2) They are damaging for our democracy and the product of policy choices.

Sen. Harry Reid, Majority Leader: 202-224-3542

Sen. Chuck Schumer: 202-224-6542 or 212-486-4430

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand: 202-224-4451 or 212-688-6262

Rep. Nita Lowey: 202-225-6506 or 914-428-1707

Rep. John Hall: 202-225-5441 or 845-225-3641

Rep. Eliot Engel: 202-225-2464 or 914-699-4100

White House: 202-456-1111

Moving forward, Westchester for Change will educate ourselves and the community about the political causes of these growing income and wealth disparities and learn what progressives can do to help rebuild the middle class. We ask you to stay with us in this work. We may not succeed immediately, but our work is important and our goals are big.

New York State Budget Workshop

WHEN: Tuesday, December 14th, 7-9:30pm

WHERE: CWA, Communication Workers of America Union Hall in Port Chester 345 Westchester Ave. Port Chester, NY 10573

RSVP or QUESTIONS: Rachel Estroff 914-525-1940, westchester4change@gmail.com or Meetup Space is limited. PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND!

From Danielle in PA:

http://www.nationaljournal.com/nationalsecurity/house-oks-administration-earmark-for-israel-s-iron-dome--20101210

National Journal

House OKs Administration Earmark for Israel's 'Iron Dome'

By Sara Sorcher

Friday, December 10, 2010 5 a.m.

Tucked into a massive continuing resolution approved by the House on Wednesday is an extra $205 million for an Israeli missile defense system that the Obama administration views as essential to the security of the Jewish state.

President Obama sought the funds in May—well after his fiscal 2011 budget request was sent to Congress—to help pay for production of Israel’s Iron Dome missile shield, which is designed to stop short-range rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. The money comes on top of a separate $200 million provision in the CR to support the Arrow theater missile defense program and other well-established U.S.-Israel missile defense ventures.

“This was a priority of Congress and President Obama, and it is the first funding of its kind for this important short-range rocket and artillery shell defense system,” Rep. Steve Rothman, D-N.J., a member of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, said about the Iron Dome funds. “Given the scrutiny that our nation is appropriately giving to every dollar expended for all purposes—including the defense of the United States and its allies—it is a mark of the great importance of these [missile defense] projects that they were included in this funding bill.”

Although the added funds for Iron Dome have received scant attention inside the Beltway, a Democratic appropriations staffer said there was no particular controversy over adding this to a measure that traditionally provides funds to keep the federal government operating at the previous year's spending levels. “Israel does enjoy strong bipartisan support in Congress so it was more amenable to include these types of funding,” the aide said.

But the looming switch to Republican control of the House next month has clearly changed the political environment in favor of deficit reduction and greater discipline in drafting spending measures, the staffer acknowledged. “I’ve talked with very pro-Israel Republican members of Congress who obviously supported the project because they support Israel, but even they hesitated because of the costs,” he said. “They didn’t want to support any of these [appropriations in the CR] because they interpret their [overall] mandate as cutting spending.”But the ever-growing threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, and the increasing strength of its proxies in Lebanon and Gaza, made the funding for the Iron Dome essential to pass, he added.As a presidential candidate in 2008, Obama went to Sderot, Israel, to affirm Israel's right to defend its citizens against Qassam rockets fired at the town and nearby communities by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip...(Read rest on line)

From Sheila in Larchmont after the defeat of Kirsten Gillibrand's 9/11 bill to cover health care for first responders(photo of Kirsten and Chuck):

I don't know who took this shot, but I suspect KG might still have been at Davis Polk on 9/11. If she was, she would have been in harm's way, as I was, on that day. Even if she wasn't still at Davis Polk, she no doubt had many friends and clients who were directly affected. I can only imagine how she feels at the defeat of this no-brainer bill. Memories of that day never go away. Those unbelievable asses have no souls.

From Mira in NYC:

Today, December 5, 2010, would be my mother Resia Schor’s 100th birthday. This is not just a nostalgic realization looking back at a deep past, as it was for me in 2004 which was my father Ilya Schor’s centennial: he had died in 1961 so forty-three years separated his death from his centennial. My mother died only four years ago, nine days before her 96th birthday. So 100 wasn’t such a stretch. But she had no wish to make it to this landmark. “God forbid!” she said when at one point I explained to her that if she lived to but also died in 2010 I wouldn’t have to pay any estate taxes (an amusing conversation in the light of this week’s disgraceful actions in Congress!). She had retained her excellent memory, her very left politics, her judgment of people unblurred by sentiment, and her courage intact, but when the encroachments of age threatened her independence and her ability to work, she had had enough. When my friend Tom Knechtel said goodbye to her after a visit to Provincetown in the summer of 2006, he said, “I hope I see you here next summer.” “I hope not,” she answered, flashing a beautiful smile.

When I began A Year of Positive Thinking I said that it posed the challenge to myself to find contemporary art that I love but that I would also write about significant artworks, films, and political actions and speech from the near and the deep past that have given me the courage to become and continue to be an artist and an activist. No artists are as important to that personal history as my parents Ilya Schor and Resia Schor.(read rest on line http://ayearofpositivethinking.com/about/)

From Fran in CA and Sunny in NY:

RIP Elizabeth Edwards, you fought the good fight!!

From our Congresswoman Nita:

Promoting Economic Recovery

As you may be aware, Congress and the Administration are working to extend tax relief for middle-class families and ensure those who lost their job through no fault of their own continue to receive unemployment benefits. These priorities are critical to support our fragile economic recovery. The agreement between President Obama and Congressional Republicans is a good start, and we continue our work to support economic recovery without dangerously swelling the federal deficit.

Ensuring Safety of Our Food Supply
Outbreaks of food-borne illness from foods like spinach, tomatoes, peanut butter, and cookie dough have raised questions about the safety of food on grocery store shelves. This week the House passed – and the Senate is expected to pass – the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act to protect public health and safety by preventing food contamination and ensure a quick and effective response if an outbreak does occur.

For more information about food safety, please click here.

Health Care for 9/11 Responders

It is shameful that Senate Republicans today blocked passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 health and Compensation Act, which the House passed in September. The Senate must pass the bill by the end of the year for it to be enacted into law, fulfilling our responsibility to provide health care for those who were sickened or injured as a result of their brave and selfless actions responding to the September 11 attacks.
To watch my remarks on the James Zadroga 9/11 health and Compensation Act, please click here.

From Sheila in Larchmont:

So we keep on calling: Gillibrand, Schumer, Pelosi, Reid, Sanders, Lowey...and hope that someone can figure out what negotiation or compromise really means. Good to see someone in there fighting!

From Herb sending Senator McCaskill letter from MO:

Republicans have gone around the bend. They have now blocked Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, military pay raises, unemployment benefits, medical care for 9/11 first responders, tax cuts for small businesses, and tax cuts for working families -- all to give extra tax benefits to folks on their second million dollars in income.
I don’t care if you’re a Democrat, a Republican, an independent, or a Tea Party member -- no American can take the Republicans’ promises about fiscal responsibility, deficit reduction, and protecting the middle class seriously anymore. Not after this week. This is insanity.

No matter what, we need to get this middle-class tax cut passed now, but that won’t be the end of this fight.

Join me now: Sign your name if you think we need to keep fighting to end the extra tax bonus to multi-millionaires, and use the money to reduce our debt.

A big part of my job is to protect the middle class and small businesses -- and continuing the middle-class tax cuts does that, while also pumping money back into the economy.

But, no matter what the Republicans say, extending tax cuts for the wealthiest 0.1% won’t help the economy. President Bush made the same promises almost a decade ago, when he told us giving a huge tax bonus to the very rich would have a big impact on our economy, and that the money would “trickle down” and create more jobs and stronger businesses.

Instead, the middle class is still struggling, the deficit has ballooned, and unemployment is at record levels.

All we’re going to get from these new tax cuts for multi-millionaires is billions of dollars added to the deficit.

The reality is that the Republicans are holding middle-class tax cuts, and help for the unemployed, hostage to give a tax bonus to the wealthiest Americans, while sticking us with the multi-billion dollar bill. I just don’t see how they can call themselves “fiscal conservatives” with a straight face any longer. But, if we want to save the hostages -- if we want the middle-class tax cuts the economy needs now -- we may have no more options at this point.

However, win or lose this week, I promise to you that this fight is not over.

Thank you for standing with me -- as many times as it takes -- to win this fight.

From Judy in Mamaroneck:

SARAH PALIN: IGNORANCE AND PROMISCUITY

THE NEW COTTAGE INDUSTRY

By Helen L. Burleson, Doctor of Public Administration

Statistically, America is now number 23 in the world in educational achievement.

Look to America’s fascination with Sarah Palin and how she has catapulted ignorance into a multi-million dollar enterprise. Americans on her level can’t get enough of her. The more she mocks intelligence and intellectualism, the more she increases her financial value. Not able to articulate a complete sentence, among her followers this is the new norm. As she sputters, sparks incoherent phrases of derision and mockery, the more they love her. She has become a household name, and has risen to the level of the people who are well known by just one name, like Cher, Oprah, Aretha, Bono, Heidi, Marilyn, Einstein, Ike, Mike, Teddy (both the first and the second – Theodore Roosevelt (also known as the rough rider) and Edward Moore Kennedy.

Palin has produced two books written by others and she has traveled the country greeted with admiration as she grows richer and richer. They call it folksy. They call it relating to her base. The more inarticulate she is, the more they love her.

Though she preaches abstinence, she is now the grandmother of a grandchild born out of wedlock, whose teen-aged mother is now capitalizing on promiscuity. On the speakers circuit, Bristol Palin can command in excess of ten thousand dollars telling teens that she made a mistake, and abstinence is the best policy. In other words, the old fashioned, don’t do as I do, do as I say you should do.

This mother and daughter duo are charming the dollars out of the pockets of the lesser educated people who identify with their common touch. Together as a package or solo, they are gold, pure and simple.

At a time when America is far behind much of the industrialized world, and learning and knowledge are the keys to responding to the technology era, the Palins are taking America back to the Stone Age. Remember the Stone Age when cave men were first learning how to use language, they spoke in sputters and single words and used body language to communicate.

We are in a knowledge-based race to develop and train a generation to get ahead in the age of technology and innovation. Perhaps we are on the wrong path. The Palins seem to have found the keys to the kingdom – ignorance and promiscuity. America seems to have an insatiable appetite for both.

Today, the quitter governor of Alaska, whose only aim seems to be to spread ignorance and hatred for the Obamas, took a swipe at Our First Lady, Michelle Obama. Adjudged the most powerful woman in the world, Michelle Obama, a Princeton University graduate, an attorney and a Harvard law school graduate is a beautiful, well poised, articulate and gracious lady. Palin, by contrast took 6 years and 5 colleges before she could earn a Bachelor’s degree in communications, is now the reigning queen of the trailer park crowd. Palin, also by contrast could easily qualify as the most ignorant woman in the world, yet she lashed out jealously at First Lady Michelle Obama.

Palin’s status in life is solidified and personified as the new low in the dumbing down of America. Bristol Palin, a chip off the old block is doing what her mother should be doing. Sarah should be on the speaker’s circuit saying that American women should not do as she did, but should stay in school, get a good education and add to the body of knowledge as the scholarly First Lady Michelle Obama does. Bristol’s message of don’t do what I did is hollow. Her practice abstinence message would be more effective if she had practiced what she now preaches.

The new cottage industry should not be ignorance and promiscuity because that only causes us to fall further behind in the race to the top for America to regain her position as the most admired and most imitated country in the industrialized world. The new cottage industry should be what President Obama proposes in his initiative to elevate the American standard of excellence with his “Race to the Top.”

From Peggy in LA:

great summary of the year!

http://specials.msn.com/flashback?v=241a63f7-4dfa-4dd7-8772-d62afe8949a1

From Susan in Rye and Robin in North Salem:

There is no reason to think they care about people's welfare (oh, unless they can make big contributions). They should be ashamed.

DADT just defeated…we are going down in flames – this is so painful….why the F do we bother to compromise – these people are inhumane.
Senate Fails to Force Action on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

By MICHAEL D. SHEAR
3:59 p.m.
Updated The Senate has turned down the attempt to move ahead with a defense bill that would repeal the ban on gay troops serving openly in the military. The vote was 57-40, three short of the 60 needed.

Republicans defeated a motion that would have cut off debate on an overall defense authorization bill, including repeal.

The move is a setback to President Obama and the Democratic leadership, who have made repealing the policy a key priority. And it short-circuited the efforts of a handful of Republicans who said they supported a repeal but wanted more time to negotiate the process of the voting.

Their leader, Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, voted in favor of the motion but was not joined by any of her colleagues.

Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, called for the key procedural vote on repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy despite having failed to reach agreement with Republicans to proceed.

Republicans had indicated that without an agreement about the number of amendments and the timing of the debate, they would vote against moving forward to vote on the legislation...

From Susan in NYC:

We have weak leadership in power and obstructionists in opposition. It’s the usual ugly scene in Washington. I also don't think we have activists like in the 1960’s.

From Judy in Mamaroneck:

I received this writing before I saw the caribou clip this morning! I can't help but feel that this country has become Kafkaesque and little makes much sense any more! The Republicans are blatant with their demands, lies, distortions and lack of morality and yet, so many in this country are willing to believe what is being said and vote them into office, no matter how absurd!

As for Sarah Palin... she is 100% ego and in it for as much money as she can amass! The fact that there are people who would vote for her for President because of her "folksines"s is frightening! I still wonder who is caring for her toddler with Down Syndrome, who clearly needs intensive early intervention and daughter Bristol's baby whose mother is busy on Dancing with the Stars and running around the country on the Speaking Circuit! It is all $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!

As for the caribou shooting, it looked like people with her had to show her how to use the rifle!

She is laughing all the way to the bank!

Here's the clip!

Click here: YouTube - Sarah Palin shoots a Caribou - Scene from "Sarah Palin's Alaska", episode 4

From Val in New rochelle:

I'm Judy's friend Val - she mentioned she was looking for

a video clip to send you of Palin hunting, made for her TV show. I

saw it on the news the other night and was disgusted by it. I'm not

sure, but I believe the link below is the same video.
I thought I'd save Judy the trouble, but she said she'd sent it too. Absolutely nothing dissuades people who love her - they turn a blind eye - total dumbing down of America. Please let me know if I can be of any help in the next campaign.

From Jane in Larchmont:

The Tax Bill

On the elimination of the payroll tax this year, the social security 'trust fund.' AARP supports it, believing on faith it will be reinstated. Others are not so sure.

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/12/10/zelizer_social_security_tax

"In the future, proposals to further cut Social Security taxes -- including to do so on a permanent basis -- will certainly be on the table. Once politicians have tasted the political sweetness of tax cuts, they always come back for more. If they succeed, it will worsen the long-term budgetary challenges facing Social Security and create more room for opponents to attack. Indeed, simply by entering into a bipartisan agreement to change the way that Social Security taxes are discussed, the odds improve that one day, some politician might very well be able to scrap FDR's program."

Other news about the bill.

"Senate leaders pack tax bill with narrow credits and perks"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/10/AR2010121005657.html?hpid=topnews

Informative--breaking down the tax proposal--bar chart

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/business/tax-cut-compromise/index.html

From Sharon in Scarsdale:

This is unbelievable!!! Also sickening.

HEZBOLLAH THEME - PARK , LEBANON

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5Tck4nHPT0

From Jane in Larchmont:

Yes, and I was so disappointed that the press either didn't mention S and G's millionaire tax proposal (you had mentioned that a while ago), or if they did, they gave it short shrift. I really think that if the cutoff was at that point from the get-go, it would have to fly, but that's over.

The part of the bill that worries me, as you could see, is the looming ax on Social Security. The debt commission leveled its aim at SS as well--an old Republican target--and an old Democratic pillar. BTW, someone who emerged from that commission looking really good to me was a person I hadn't known before--the congresswoman from Chicago--Jan Schakowsky--

bright, articulate, strong.

#2

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/hendrikhertzberg/2010/12/holbrooke.html

Last night, as I was unlocking my bike on a windswept Greenwich Village sidewalk after leaving a holiday party, a friend approached, cell phone in hand. A few minutes earlier, she and I had been inside, chatting happily amid the buzz and warmth of a holiday party. Now she had tears in her eyes. “Richard Holbrooke died,” she said.

Notwithstanding the hospital bulletins since he fell ill on Saturday—critical condition, damaged aorta, emergency surgery—this sudden, awful ending was a shock, because Richard Holbrooke was such an astounding volcano of vitality. Everything about him was large: his physical size, including the ultimate “in your face” face, a face like a Times Square billboard; his buzz-saw voice, a highly expressive instrument, equally adept at piano (a side-of-the-mouth, gossipy wisecrack, often pleasingly nasty) and forte (a high-decibel outburst of anger or indignation, almost always calculated for effect); his appetites (for experience, for danger, for praise, for power, for fun); and his ambitions (for himself, for his beliefs, for the United States, for the world). He was no doe-eyed peacenik, but as a diplomat he labored long and hard to seek alternatives to war and ways to end particular wars. He was sentimental about his own unsentimentality, romantic about his own tough-guy realism.(read rest on line http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/hendrikhertzberg/2010/12/holbrooke.html#ixzz18Ha8zY4X)

From Debbie in NYC/Care:

Exciting news! After passing unanimously in the Senate, the House of Representatives will vote on the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act (S.987) as early as tomorrow, December 14!

Please call and/or email your Representative as soon as possible. A phone script and sample email, along with background info, is attached – please share this with your networks!

Did you know?...

Sixty million girls around the world are forced into marriage before the age of 18.

These child brides are twice as likely to be beaten or threatened with violence by their husbands compared to girls who marry later in life.

Maternal health risks are particularly troubling as risk of death in pregnancy and delivery for girls under the age of 15 is five times higher than for women in their 20s.

Taken together, the costs of this practice are too high to be ignored. Societies cannot progress when even the common practice of marriage dooms girls and women to a life of poverty. The U.S. now has a chance to help girls around the world avoid early marriage.

Thank you for your support and patience during this process, and your action at this critical time.

From Dudley in NYC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE

I rarely send links but this should be sent around the world to

From Betty in SCarsdale:

Subject: Breaking News: Post-ABC poll: public not yet sold on GOP

Breaking News Alert: Post-ABC poll: public not yet sold on GOP

December 14, 2010 5:03:15 PM-

Republicans made major gains in the November elections but they have yet to win the hearts and minds of the American people, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

The midterm elections – where Republicans gained 63 seats to take control of the House of Representatives and added six seats to their Senate minority – were widely seen as a rebuke to President Obama. Still, the public now trusts Obama marginally more than congressional Republicans to deal with the country’s main problems in the coming years, 43 to 38 percent. And when it comes to who has taken the stronger leadership role in Washington, it's an even divide: 43 percent say Obama, 42 percent the GOP.

From Susan in Rye:

I just was on the conference call with Nita and she spoke a bit about her support for the compromise bill that she feels must pass before the Republicans take control of the House in January. She also spoke about messaging for the 2012 election. I hope you will pass this piece along to Nita and let her know that athough I can understand her anxiety about what is ahead in January, I strongly disagree with her about voting for this compromise. I feel that the Democrats are relinquishing their fundamental core beliefs by acquiesing on the extra tax cuts for the top earners, particularly the estate tax ceiling at $5 million and the capital gains remaining at 15% (which Nita mentioned disagreeing with at our recent meeting). The Republicans' "win" on their core issue of retaining benefits for the top earners is not only disastrous because it exacerbates the huge inequity of income that has caused a collapse of the middle class in our country, but it also allows the Republicans to have a stronger bargaining position when they begin to cut programs due to the even larger deficit. I fear that this will come back to haunt the Democrats in 2012 and this will be a debacle. The Democrats' failure to capture the message of "no more extra tax cuts for the top earners" will be looked at as a lost opportunity.

Please pass this piece along to her and let her know that I appreciate all that she does for all of her constituents and I know she is doing what she thinks is best, but I wanted to express my thoughts and feelings on this subject to her.

http://www.blogger.com/goog_664926043

#2

I would be very pleased if you would put this in the blog along with two more links that Rachel located that really encapsulate the problems with this "deal."

http://robertreich.org/post/2147754943

http://robertreich.org/post/2189538588

From Joe in Ohio:

I am amazed and insulted at the people who feel DADT was such a “landmark” issue for our nation……..A nation where “equality, freedom, liberty and justice for all…….” A nation of “Christian” based values which are GIVE TO THE WEALTHY AND SCRAPS FOR THE POOR….. A nation where the heartless, ignorant and greedy are “elected” into office. Republican Greed and Democrat stupidity !!!

From Dani in Brooklyn:

Thought this Vanity Fair remembrance was quite evocative. May we remember her and what she taught us all.

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/features/2010/11/jill-clayburgh-201011

From Patti in KCMO:

-Winning by Losing or Vice-Versa

By Don Rose

Liberals, progressives and an overwhelming number of Democratic congresspersons are mad as hell at Barack Obama over the “deal” he reached with Republicans to extend the Bush tax cuts not only for the middle class, but for the nation’s top earners—despite his rhetoric ever since the 2008 campaign where he pledged he would restore the Clinton-era taxes for those earning more than a quarter-million bucks a year (In short, raise the top rate from 36 to 39 percent on portions of income above $250,000).

He continued the chant throughout the recent campaign season and right up to the point during the lame-duck session where he changed his mind and agreed to extend the cuts for everyone, with the top-earners’ extension for only two years (hypothetically). He signaled far too early that he would make such a deal, putting himself in a worse negotiating position, leading commentator Jacob Weisberg to opine what a lousy poker player the president is...

The public really likes the deal—Independents, Democrats and Republicans all approve by large margins. Obama’s personal and political ratings have risen and a recent poll shows him beating all his potential Republican opponents in 2012 by numbers outside the margin of error—Sarah Palin by an avalanche.

Everyone agrees that Obama will accomplish nothing major in the next congress, but his veto will prevent the Republicans from either repealing any of his laws or getting anything major of their own. Nevertheless, the economy continues to improve, at least in the short term, and we are likely to see some level of reversal in the unemployment rates because of both the new “stimulus” and increased confidence in the business world that they don’t have to worry about new taxes or “antibusiness” restraints.

On top of all this he managed to repeal “don’t ask don’t tell.” Things are pointing toward a second term for Obama—about which I was slightly dubious, a month or two ago. I don’t know how consciously he might really have tricked the Republicans and that Krauthammer is right. But consciously, accidentally, incidentally or coincidently it looks more and more like he won by losing. ...(read whole article on line http://www.cdobs.com/)...

From Patty in St Louis,MO: Fab article George P. Lakoff is an American cognitive linguist......long but good

http://www.truth-out.org/untellable-truths65905

#2

On the other hand whoever the Repubs are using to write their scripts is workin' "real good" and I am amazed that our side doesn't have an equal or better team of writers. But.....it is also difficult to rope the individualistic Dems in and they would never embarrass themselves and tow the party line. Also, having a whole network squawking 24/7 and spreading the FOX lies is a lot of crap with which to compete. I watch MSNBC but they are preaching to the choir so that does nothing.

#3

Haven't seen news today....did they pass the Start Treaty. The Rs are pissed that he got so much through the lame duck. It will be over soon.......I keep hoping that they will cook their goose by having voted NO on everything and then when they control the house, they will not help the people anyway. Could be a lot of sorry people out there.

From Sheila in Larchmont: After reading Lakoff article!

This article goes in my "saved Mail". I'm going to memorize it. Really cogent.

From Susan in Rye: After reading Lakoff article

This is fabulous! Thank you for sending this, it is worth reading every word. It is exactly what we've been saying and why we are so frustrated by the "deal." Letting the Republicans get their way with their fundamental message just perpetuates the wrong economic policies and doesn't demonstrate why these policies haven't worked for 30 years and won't work now. Rachel, Elizabeth and I are working with Demos on a teach-in/training session for Feb. which we hope will provide history about the rise and fall of the middle class and then tools for 21st century progressive grassroots messaging.We will keep you posted about the details. Also, did you see the NY Times magazine piece http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/19/magazine/19Fob-WWLN-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine? As much as we all love our Obama, he can't let the Republicans define the debate any longer - it's time to take our messaging back!

From Eileen in KCMO: After reading Lakoff article

Please forward to Michelle Obama and Tim Cain The Dems should hire him to train everyone now before the next election. I am serious-they need to have him on staff

From Betty in Scarsdale:

HUGE!!! YAY!!!

Breaking News Alert: Obama signs repeal of 'don't ask, don’t tell'

December 22, 2010 9:38:44 AM
President Obama signed legislation on Wednesday that repeals the 17-year-old law preventing homosexuals from serving openly in the U.S. military.

The bill requires military officials to complete implementation plans before lifting the old policy, a process that could take months.

http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/5O5UA2/40255G/JS1ABL/K6T3WL/L6NSV/JY/h

From Nicole in Mamaroneck:

Hey friend. The email below was sent by our dear friend Karen Cheeks Lomax (ED of My Sister's Place). Direct evidence that Senator Gillibrand is doing good things!!

Wishing you and your family happy everything!!

yes I am bragging -- but this is what American University churns out.

http://cbcfinc.org/blog/archives/663.html#more-663

Check this out! Merry Christmas!!

From Mary in MO:
Thanks for the up date about health care for 9/11 First Responders. I'm just languishing in peace and silence here on the farm.

I had called Kit Bond's office a couple of hours ago and was told the "dud" was voting "nay." So, of course, I told them what I thought. Not rudely, mind you, just very very very disappointed that he would cast one of his final votes in such a negative way --- just incomprehensible, blah, blah, blah........
Take care............Mary

From Senator Kirsten Gillibrand NY:

Two weeks ago, it looked like the US Senate was going to turn its back on the thousands of first responders who risked their lives to help the victims of 9/11 and are currently sick and dying as a result of their heroism. A group of Senate Republicans organized a filibuster and refused to pass a bill that would provide these heroes with the health care they need and deserve.

But now, I’m happy to report that we've had a true Christmas miracle.

Today, the Senate passed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health & Compensation Act, which will provide health care and compensation to the first responders and community survivors who are suffering from illnesses caused by exposure to toxic debris from the fallen towers.

Many of us felt deeply that this bill was the right thing to do, but there were some who insisted on playing politics with the lives of 9/11 heroes. Thankfully, Americans from across the country made their voices heard.

This is not a partisan issue. Senators on both sides of the aisle wanted to fulfill our nation's obligation to these people and in the end, that is what we did. This is a true bipartisan success story.

How fitting that this bill - which is all about people helping others in time of need - would be passed during the week of Christmas. I’m proud to have been a part of this effort. I am so thankful to my colleagues and so many others who helped make this happen, and I am thrilled that these heroes and their families will now have the treatment and security they need during this difficult time.

From Ross in KG's office:

I want to make sure you don’t miss this morning's must-read article in The New York Times. It sums up so much of what we have known all along. Kirsten is something special...and she is just getting started! http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/23/nyregion/23gillibrand.html?_r=2&src=twrhp

From Renee in NYC: about KG article!

It is an unbelievably positive article giving Kirsten her due!!!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for our President and all you sane people!

2010-11-24T21:04:00.000-05:00

Dear Obama/Biden Supporters:

Just a note to say Happy Thanksgiving and wishing you all a wonderful holiday. I am off to Florida to spend the holiday with my sister-in -law Nancy. I am very thankful this Thanksgiving for my family, friends, my President, and all of you wonderful people who continue to care and work for sanity in politics. I am also thankful for all those voters who overcame the onslaught of tea party people to help Jennifer Gray win Dancing with the Stars. Somehow it turned into a contest of wills of us against them, and we won out(Ruthie you don't have to leave the country). I am also thankful for our NY state Senator Kirsten Gillibrand who continues to fight the good fight for us all. We had some good wins and some terrible defeats, but our group just keeps on going. It is abundantly clear to me that the key to political success is effective coalition-building and this group of 900 strong from 22 states and five continents is the best example I could find of that strength. We will not allow the GOP to roll back the clock to the horrible policies of W where there was ungoverned financial over sight , wars of choice were approved,and there was tax relief for the very richest of us. It is now apparent to us all that the Big Lie can only be defeated by constant proclamation of the Big Truth from journalists, to TV commentators -we have to fight back when lies are spread. We will not give any journalists a pass who don't fact check the information of guests appearing on their shows,like Anderson Cooper so appropriately did to Michelle Bachmann and her lies. Just because a person/commentator/actor/tea party leader yells loudly doesn't mean it is the truth . We can fight back armed with truth and in the American way(sounds like Superman,right?). We cannot sit back idly while Fox purports to bring the news, we have to write those letters to the editor, get our message out loud and clear. I could go on and on but you know better than me that we have to gear up big time in 2011 for 2012!!!!

I am also thankful for the efforts of David Brock and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend who are setting up what they hope will become a permanent liberal counterweight over the airwaves to the Republican -leaning outside groups that spent so heavily on this year's midterm elections. This organization will be called American Bridge which will be an independent-expenditure-only political action committee,meaning it will be able to take in contributions of unlimited size from individuals and corporations but must regularly disclose its donors. Unlike the GOP who don't disclose their donors such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Crossroads who significantly outspent Democratic -leaning outside groups. This action network, which tracks conservative politicians and advocacy organizations is organized as a 501(c) 4 nonprofit group and is set to take on an expanded role in the 2012 election . More about this later but just know that we are all getting ready to gear up for the election of a life time. We have to combat the party of NO and the tea party insanity. It won't be easy but you all give me so much hope. In the words of our beloved President, " leadership isn't just legislation but it is a matter of persuading people, setting a tone, giving them confidence and bringing them together". Lets start laying down a new foundation built on truth and justice for all. David Brooks(conservative republican with a brain) stated in his op-ed piece,"This can happen when talented people get together ,when idea systems and mentalities merge. This happens within networks." I thank you all for caring enough to writing your ideas,keeping our strong groups together, and most of all for attempting to get the message out. If we can do this we can thrive in 2012 against any opponent(especially Palin ). I am thankful for our network this Thanksgiving!!!

Love,Sunny

A Mama 4 Obama

Please join me at both of these sites where you can make statements and they will reach many more people than in the past. In order to get to the blog please go to http://progressivegovernment.blogspot.com/ read my updates and make comments

You can also find me on Facebook at "The Sunny Side - Political news for the Friends of Progressive Government" at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/The-Sunny-Side-Political-news-for-the-Friends-of-Progressive-Government/141511589209655.

From Marceline in NYC:

Before I read your communication just in. I have been wanting for

weeks to tell you that your post-election message was wonderful and so

well written. It was heartbreaking, it was sad, it was poignant. It

was intelligent and it was emotionally intelligent, and I sent it out

far and wide.

I had thought of you in the run up to the election and all the way

through it, and I knew that as bad as I was feeling, you would only be

hurting worse. I had no words to console.

From Pat and Phil in PA:

I concur with Mary in KCMO. This says it all and inspires me, too:

"The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."

Ted Kennedy, 1980

Here's some comic relief -- Talkin' Sandwich. It's Jimmy Fallon's answer to Sarah Palin on TV. Jake Gyllenhaal joins him.

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/blogs/2010/11/the-sarah-palin-blt-sandwich-song-with-jake-gyllenhaal-the-banana-boyz/

From Ashley in Chicago:

Agreed on all fronts - we need to get mobilized now and educate folks on how the republicans have no interest in helping the masses. Just in enriching their friends.

From Letty P in NYC:

I love your enthusiasm and I'm grateful for all that you do to keep your friends motivated!

From Robin in North Salem:

I'm really so furious with the Sarah Palin book thing - that she grabs so much oxygen. She's a nasty bitch who doesn't have an iddea in her head. Sick of her negativity on everything. Why don't people see her for who she is and is not!!!! Presidential? I think not!

From Ruthie in AZ:

If Bristol Palin wins DWTS that means the country is truly lost. If you haven't seen the movies Fair Game or Inside Job - find time to see them. I don't know how W sleeps at night.

From Kevin in NYC:

Oops, I thought I sent this to you yesterday!

you've probably already seen this VERY FRIGHTENING STORY:

"Could She Reach the Top in 2012? You Betcha"

By FRANK RICH http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/opinion/21rich.html?src=me&ref=general
From Sheila in Larchmont:

With lots of gratitude for the good things and the will to change the not-good things, happiest of Thanksgivings to all of you.

From Val in Ohio:

Subject: News from Canada re U.S. liberals

From The Manitoba Herald

by Clive Runnels

Canadians: Build a Damn Fence!"

The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration.

The recent actions of the Tea Party are prompting an exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they'll soon be required to hunt, pray, and to agree with Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck.

Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal-rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night.

"I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn,"said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota. The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left before I even got a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?

In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. He then installed loudspeakers that blared Rush Limbaugh across the fields. "Not real effective," he said."The liberals still got through and Rush annoyed the cows so much that they wouldn't give any milk.

Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons and drive them across the border where they are simply left to fend for themselves." A lot of these people are not prepared for our rugged conditions," an Ontario border patrolman said. "I found one carload without a single bottle of imported drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley Cabernet, though."

When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about plans being made to build re-education camps where liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR races.

In recent days, liberals have turned to ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have been disguised as senior citizens taking a bus trip to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a half-dozen young vegans in powdered wig disguises, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior citizens about Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney to prove that they were alive in the '50s. "If they can't identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we become very suspicious about their age" an official said.

Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage and are renting all the Michael Moore movies. "I really feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them." an Ottawa resident said. "How many art-history majors does one country need?"

From Grandma Jane in Larchmont: ****Congratulations from all of us!!!!

I have been seriously out of touch and owe you more than one message! they have been written in my head. Here is one major reason why.

Quote from Samantha:

Indira Miri born at 2:25 PM on Friday, November 19, in a house by the sea. She is so loved!!!

And love to you all,

the Grandma

From Dani in Brooklyn:

This is democracy in action. Stop the plutocrats from running elections. As Benjamin Franklin said, "do not buy something just because it is cheap. It will be dear to thee." It's hard to resist a Target bargain, but the long-term outcome will cost us all dearly.

Subject: Take the Target boycott to Congress

Can you call Sens. Gillibrand and Schumer? Tell them: "Will you ask Majority Leader Reid to bring up the DISCLOSE Act for a vote before the end of the year—and vote yes on it?"

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

Phone: 202-224-4451

Senator Charles Schumer

Phone: 202-224-6542

Report your call

Dear MoveOn member,When Target tried to buy the Minnesota governor's race for a far-right Republican, customers everywhere—including you—responded with outrage and ultimately a nationwide boycott.

And it didn't just impact Target. According to the Wall Street Journal, the boycott kept other corporations from throwing even more money into the election and opened up a national debate.1

Today we're taking the next step.

The only reason we even knew about Target's contribution was because Minnesota has strong campaign finance laws that force front-groups to disclose the identities of their corporate backers.

But at the federal level corporations are still allowed to make unlimited donations in secret—and we have exactly 62 days to do something about it.

A bill in the Senate would force the high rollers behind the millions in attack ads to come out of the shadows. Earlier this year the bill—the DISCLOSE Act—came up one vote short. Several Republicans have said they support the principle of transparency but didn't want it to take effect until after the election.

That means right now we have an opportunity to get that final vote—but we need to convince the Democrats to bring up the bill before the end of the year and put pressure on the potential Republican supporters to stand by their claims. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid makes that decision, and since you're not a Nevada resident he may not listen to you, but he definitely picks up the phone when other Senate Democrats call him.

So can you call Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer and say:

"Will you ask Majority Leader Reid to bring up the DISCLOSE Act for a vote before the end of the year—and vote yes on it?"

Ruthie in AZ:

Not to ruin your Thanksgiving. BUT Sarah Palin is in PHoenix tonight kicking off her "book tour" (that should tell you something about Phoenix and where their politics are) So, I'm watching various newscasts and all I can think is WHY THE F--K don't the democrats just stomp on her and her friggin stupidity? Is it because she's a woman? Well, Karl Rove had no problem with Valerie Pflame or Hilary. What is with us?

Maybe we're taking our "nice guy" image too far. Maybe we need to get down and dirty. Someone has to tell the world that SP is totally unacceptable - not only as a presidential nominee but really as a representative of the American people and certainly the American women. The democrats need to shed all the intellectuals that surround Obama and bring on a few people who aren't afraid to really say "mean things". It's OK to say mean things if they're true and are helpful to the people.

The only thing that will allow me to have peaceful sleep tonight is that FINALLY that PIG Bristol the Pistol lost and is not the STAR of Dancing with the stars. I understand that it's just a dancing show but I just did NOT want the tea party to win this, too.

HELP

From Robin in NOrth Salem:

Oh this from Ruthie in AZ so captures my feeling - I personally would like to go toe to toe with SP - I'd let her know a thing or two!!! Lemme at her!!! Enjoy the holiday. And say thanks for Barack!!! I know I will.

From Bev in Mamroneck:

There is so much important work to do and I, too, am torn this way and that. I, like so many, poured my heart into the Paycheck Fairness Act...and my time...and was so very disappointed by the Maine ladies and Brown in Mass. They sold out to their party. Disgusting. Reid, the Prez, and the Dems came through expect Nelson. Obama met with advocates the next day and promised to continue the fight. That makes me feel a little better. That work is part the Equal Pay Coalition NYC...and then there is NYWA which sponsors it. 2 overlapping coalitions....which I am nurturing and moving to the next level. I love it, but it's a lot plus my consulting gigs. Still, I am thankful for each day of time spent in a meaningful way. I know you and Brad feel the same. We are all lucky, privileged people. Excited about a richer future (ours with a grandchild in Dec!) That is a lot to be thankful for! Enjoy your holiday!

From Mira in NYC:

In Memoriam: Rozsika Parker, Feminist Art Historian and activist

The sad news of the death of British psychotherapist and feminist art historian Rozsika Parker provides the opportunity to bring her work to the attention of anyone interested in feminism, art, and women artists. Parker was a pioneer feminist art theorist and activist from the early 70s to the 90s, often collaborating with the art historian Griselda Pollock.

I consider Old Mistresses: Women, Art and Ideology, which Parker and Pollock co-authored, one of the most important books of feminist art theory and history that I ever read: Parker and Pollock examined how art history as a discipline had misogyny at its core, almost as one of its foundational purposes, with all its terms of value strongly gendered to condemn anything that smacked of the so-called feminine, although of course behind the naturalized frame of universalist neutrality... (Read rest on line http://ayearofpositivethinking.com/)

From Judy in Mamaroneck and Sharon in Scarsdale:

Alan Dershowitz: Ex-President for Sale http://bogieworks.blogs.com/treppenwitz/2008/04/ex-president-fo.html

Carter is making more money selling integrity than peanuts. I have

known Jimmy Carter for more than 30 years. I first met him in the

spring of 1976 when, as a relatively unknown candidate for

president,he sent me a handwritten letter asking for my help in his

campaign on issues of crime and justice. I had just published an

article in The New York Times Magazine on sentencing reform, and he

expressed interest in my ideas and asked me to come up with additional

ones for his campaign.

Shortly thereafter, my former student Stuart Eisenstadt, brought

Carter to Harvard to meet with some faculty members, me among them. I

immediately liked Jimmy Carter and saw him as a man of integrity and

principle. I signed on to his campaign and worked very hard for his

election. When Newsweek magazine asked his campaign for the names of

people on whom Carter relied for advice, my name was among those given

out. I continued to work for Carter over the years, most recently I

met him in Jerusalem a year ago, and we briefly discussed the

Mid-East.Though I disagreed with some of his points, I continued to

believe that he was making them out of a deep commitment to principle

and to human rights.

> Recent disclosures of Carter's extensive financial connections to Arab oil

money, particularly from Saudi Arabia, had deeply shaken my belief in his

integrity. When I was first told that he received a monetary reward in the

name of Shiekh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayan, and kept the money, even after

Harvard returned money from the same source because of its anti-Semitic

history, I simply did not believe it. How could a man of such apparent

integrity enrich himself with dirty money from so dirty a source?

And let there be no mistake about how dirty the Zayed Foundation is. I

know because I was involved, in a small way, in helping to persuade

Harvard University to return more than $2 million that the financially

strappedDivinity School received from this source. Initially I was

reluctant to put pressure on Harvard to turn back money for the

DivinitySchool, but then a student at the DivinitySchool -- Rachael

Lea Fish -- showed me the facts...(Read rest on line)

From Betty in Scarsdale:

Please find below today's Wall Street Journal piece about No Labels. Although it does not capture our message or goals accurately -- it is a start. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

The Wall Street Journal

Aiming for the Political Middle
By Monica Langley

An alliance of centrist Republicans and Democrats is seeking to organize a grass-roots movement targeting the middle of American politics, a political sphere depopulated by the midterm elections and a vital tool for any potential third-party presidential candidate.

The group, called "No Labels," has drawn support from supporters and advisers of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the country's most powerful independent politician, raising questions about his national political ambitions. Mr. Bloomberg has been invited to attend the group's Dec. 13 launch.

Political analysts see a potential Bloomberg bid if Washington's divided government turns into gridlock, if the economy doesn't improve, and if former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and President Obama are the likely nominees. Mr. Bloomberg said he wouldn't consider running in 2012. "I have the best job in the world," he said...(

Read rest on line http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704369304575632903048810256.html)

From Westchester for Change:

We take this time to appreciate friends, family and feasting, as well as the benefits of living in our democracy. While we enjoy our celebrations, we also thank you for your past (and future) work to help ensure that the benefits of this country -- good food, clean water, affordable health care, decent wages, and fair taxes -- are available to everyone in our country.

MOVING FORWARD
As we enter the holiday season, come share a glass of wine and help plan our next steps after the mid-term elections.

WHAT: We invite everyone to gather to socialize, discuss the implications of the mid-term elections, and most importantly plan next steps. In addition to the necessary griping, we will be talking about what progressives did well, what we did not do well, and how we should proceed. At this gathering, we will be accepting small voluntary contributions to help defray our organizational expenses.

WHEN: Saturday, December 4th 2pm

WHERE: Home of Rachel Estroff, 7 Davenport St. Harrison, NY 10528

RSVP or QUESTIONS: Rachel Estroff 914-525-1940, westchester4change@gmail.com, or Meetup

From Tommy Sowers who ran for Congress in MO,and fought the good fight I might add!!

While this journey began with me alone in a room calling and asking for your help, it grew to 20 staff and 400 volunteers. I spent the last couple of weeks winding that organization back down to one, and the final days calling and emailing thousands of you to simply say, "thank you." If we didn't connect yet, please know how deeply thankful I am for your support of me, my staff, and our campaign.

My main mission between now and the end of the year is to make sure that the incredibly hard working, bright, and motivated staff transition to a great next job. If you are in need of a hard working employee, please let me know.

As for me, after 18 months without a vacation, I'm on an extended one, practicing my Spanish and my fishing technique, reading and writing. There seems to be much interest in my next step and I'm humbled by the suggestions to run for office again in Missouri. Well, if you ever lost your first love, and felt then that you'd never love again, you know where I am with politics right now. But I also know from experience that being in love is better than not, and that with space and time, it happens again.

Your support and what we built together have afforded me a myriad of opportunities to serve yet again in a meaningful way. For that, I am truly thankful. So, stay tuned; I'll keep you all posted. The best email going forward is tommy@sowersforcongress.com and I enjoy hearing from you, so please, stay in touch.

Regardless of my decision, from time to time, I'd like to introduce you to another candidate or cause that could use your help. What we built on this campaign was truly special -- a network of people around the nation who believe we need veterans and new blood from my generation in DC.

My best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving.

Hasta luego,

We are angry,upset, confused,worried- one thing to do FIRE UP,and sell TRUTH!

2010-11-21T20:53:00.000-05:00

Dear Obama/Biden Supporters:

The GOP is buoyant after they retook the House and the Dems are despondent and a bit relieved the damage was not worse. We are hell bent on trying to figure out what went wrong,and how to use 2011 to prepare to win big time in 2012. However, no matter what your politics, no one is really happy since most people are still angry about unemployment,taxes,the national debt, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,and the continual threat of terrorism. Somehow the message is not getting out and what seems to be apparent is that virtually everyone was appalled by the negativity of the campaigns all over the country. We know that the negativity was one of the causes for not being able to get volunteers out in MO and it was a huge turn off for young people who were so hopeful after the 2008 election.

There is a fear for the economy that we may stay stuck in the new normal-where businesses learn to do more with less. There is still fear of job losses even though Obama was able to hold off the "great depression threat"(with TARP and responsible regulations on credit card lending, etc). There is even fear that Sarah Palin's crazy accusations of "Obama's enemy-centric foreign policy" and global warming Goregate stuff" are catching on( since catchy discourse is in)!! Heads up guys, we ladies aren't fooled by this pistol packing fake mama (polling five points higher among men than women) but you better be aware that 80% of Republicans love this good ole gal!! This is the person who on April 7 of this year, spoke at a campaign rally in Minneapolis for Michelle Bachmann She had a silver cross around her neck and a flag pin on her lapel, and spoke approvingly of those who are "proudly clinging to your guns and religion" She also condemned the recent health care legislation as "socialized medicine that breaks the bank and violates the US constitution". She was very proud of her party's stout opposition,declaring "What's wrong with being the party of NO?".Well, at least we know what we are up against and I have to put some blame on the progressives ,liberals ,and grassroots voters who didn't come out but sat on the sidelines in this past election. Where are those fired up voters, rappers, young people, seniors, Gen Xers, Baby Boomers and women who care about choice,and fair pay? What do we have to do to reach out and get them to care enough about their country and the their children's future to take a good hard look at those people who want to be in charge of this country. We have been engaged in non stop ways to approach people and take back the Internet,the agenda,and most of all sanity of government and truth in journalism.

We know Barack Obama has to go directly to the people and let them know what he is doing, talk about the bills passed or stalled by the GOP,and what they mean to the average American. WE also have to get the word out via e-mail, small meetings, organizations,and continued sharing of videos like _http://healthreform.kff.org/the-basics.aspx ,where the language is clear and understandable. The majority of the country is watching Fox "news" (more like talk entertainment show) to get their information . CNN and MSNBC is actually reporting the news which should be a standard for television but it is not. An example of the outrageous non fact checked "news reporting" by Fox was described by Thomas Friedman in his op ed piece in NY Times this week. It talks about Anderson Cooper doing the country a favor this week by deconstructing on his CNN show the bogus rumor that President Obama's trip to Asia would cost $200 million a day. This was an important story that underscored just how far ahead of his time Mark Twain was when he said a century before the Internet-"A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes". Friedman goes on to say, that there is an antidote to malicious journalism-and that's good journalism! In case you missed the story that circulated around the Web on the eve of Obama's trip it was that the whole trip would cost 2 billion dollars. Cooper felt compelled to check out the story because he had Michele Bachmann on his show the night before. Instead of answering a question about where the GOP would cut the budget, she used her airtime to inject the phony story into the mainstream. She said,"I think we know that just within a day the President will be taking a trip to India that is expected to cost the taxpayers $200 million dollars a day. He is taking 2,000 people with him and will be renting over 870 rooms in India,and at five star hotels like the Taj Mahal. this is the kind of over-the -top-spending."

So Anderson Cooper checked into the story since his show was used as the vehicle to circulate it. He found after doing a great deal of research that the story had " originated from a quote from an alleged Indian provincial official, from the Maharashtra reported by India's Press Trust ,their equivalent to our A. P. or Reuters. Cooper used
"alleged" provincial official since we have no idea who this person is ,no name was given. It was an anonymous quote, and no proof was given, and no follow up reporting done. You would think if a member of Congress was going to use this figure as a fact she would want to be sure it was accurate,right? Well you are wrong,and that is a fact! Cooper showed snippets of Rush Limbaugh talking about Obama's trip that will cost $200 million a day,and Glenn Beck chimed in saying, "have you ever seen a president go on a vacation where he needed 34 warships and would be traveling with 3,000 people? In Beck's rendition, the visit was a vacation and Obama was being accompanied by one-tenth of the US Navy. This went on and on until finally Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary, said:" I don't comment on these things but I will take the liberty this time to dismiss as absolutely absurd, this notion that somehow we are deploying 10 percent of the Navy and 34 warships and an aircraft carrier in support of the president's trip to Asia. That is just comical. Nothing close to that is being done." When public figures feel free to say anything they want without fact-checking , we have a huge problem! You and I have our work cut out for us, as does the legitimate press.

However, if the NY Jets can come back to win by moving the ball 72 yards in the last 45 seconds of the game, and the KC Chiefs can massacre Arizona, we can get the truth out. I am determined to continue this discussion and I thank you all for chiming in these last two weeks. It was not a comfortable few weeks for anyone who is intelligent enough to know that there are forces out there up to no good! It is our responsibility as caring voters to not only talk almost ourselves but get the information out, and help build up your organizations. We need to reach out to people who care enough to talk about concerns and want to learn more about government, not just from angry screaming actors on stage that can have a dangerous affect on our lives and country. So, fire up and reach out to people in your past organizations and leaders that you care about to help us make public figures aware they aren't free to just say anything without any fact-checking. We have to let them know we are out there watching, reading and making sure that "the carnival barkers that so dominate our public debate today " know they will indeed be held accountable. All we can hope as, Friedman says so beautifully, "is that more people will do what Cooper did-so when the next crazy lie races around the world, people's first instinct will be to doubt it, not repeat it. Best of all it should become common practice to fact-check all information from the Internet and absolutely the ersatz news show brought to us by FOX!!!

Love,A Mama 4 Obama

From Lisa in VT:

My heart broke with your last entry of the blog. I'm coming to NY for a Harvard dinner on Friday. Any chance you'd be in the city in the afternoon? Love your passion and activism. Its so inspiring. Looking for my own voice.

From Jane in Larchmont:

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/02/how-obama-saved-capitalism-and-lost-the-midterms/?src=me&ref=general

How Obama Saved Capitalism and Lost the Midterms

By TIMOTHY EGAN American politics and life, as seen from the West.

If I were one of the big corporate donors who bankrolled the Republican tide that carried into office more than 50 new Republicans in the House, I would be wary of what you just bought.

For no matter your view of President Obama, he effectively saved capitalism. And for that, he paid a terrible political price.

Suppose you had $100,000 to invest on the day Barack Obama was inaugurated. Why bet on a liberal Democrat? Here’s why: the presidency of George W. Bush produced the worst stock market decline of any president in history. The net worth of American households collapsed as Bush slipped away. And if you needed a loan to buy a house or stay in business, private sector borrowing was dead when he handed over power. ..

From Val in Ohio:

http://www.danagoldstein.net/dana_goldstein/2010/11/assessing-our-first-female-speaker-of-the-house.html

A few weeks ago, a friend returned to New York City from a visit to her family in suburban Ohio with the following query: “Why do people hate Nancy Pelosi so much?”

It’s a good question. By any measure, Pelosi has been one of the most effective House speakers in American history, especially given her relatively short tenure. At Salon, Steve Kornacki offers a helpful recollection of her many accomplishments, from health care to student loan reform to the credit card bill of rights to cap and trade. Pelosi consistently delivered legislation that became law, as well as legislation that the Senate then stalled on and failed to pass. As Kornacki writes, Pelosi is unpopular less because of what the House has done or failed to do — most Americans have little idea of those particulars — but because the economy is bad and voters wanted someone to blame.

But there’s another factor that makes Pelosi that much easier to scapegoat: She is a woman — the highest-ranked woman ever to hold elective office in the United States. In January 2007, Pelosi gaveled in her first legislative session as speaker while cradling her newborn grandson (one of seven grandchildren) and surrounded by other legislators’ offspring, whom she had invited to the dais to celebrate. She spoke about her own journey from “kitchen to Congress” and promised that the Democratic Party would govern on behalf of children, and their mothers, too — a vow she fulfilled by collecting the votes to pass the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, which insures 11 million kids, and the Lily Ledbetter Act, which made it easier for victims of gender- and race-based pay discrimination to file civil rights complaints and collect back pay...

From Eileen in KCMO:

good job-loved the John Adams quote

From Sheila in Larchmont:

I have deliberately not contacted you until now. I was not waiting for your blog to publish; I was thinking. Over the past two (or three) years I think all of us were so impassioned by finally having a candidate and then a President who embodied all the hopes and dreams we had suppressed as we suffered though years of Republican domination--domination that seem to slide on a downward vector philosophically as the years passed. We were pumped and we supported President Obama unquestioningly, though in many of our hearts we wished he would take his positions in a stronger way, be less conciliatory and more decisive, and, even to the extent of the technological communication of his team, be more connected as he had been during the campaign.

Hindsight stinks. The President is still the man with the mind, goals and heart we supported and support with the same fervent belief we have had from the beginning.

This election is anything but over. It will live for us in an even more looming way as the lame duck session unfolds and dreaded January makes it real in our lives. We now have two years to reverse the damage that is sure to be done. Really only one year before we have to mobilize against a Rubino or a Rand or whatever lunatic the "Republicans" (if that's even what we can call them at this point) nominate for 2012. So, more than ever, this is the time to look forward, to decide what the real lessons of the past two years have been, to write to our elected officials and let them know what the grass roots loyal supporters think, and to begin to mobilize in a handful of critical ways to get out the messages which the pros failed to get out. I hope we don't get distracted by what is sure to be tumult and chaos deliberately planted by the opposition in Washington, the mess that will continue to be designed to spin all the good into bad, to change by moving backwards, not ahead, and to so discourage the progressive electorate that it (like the students and African-Americans and other groups which were absent, though desperately needed by the Democratic party this year) will be discouraged from even turning out at the polls. I recently looked at Sara Silverman's 2008 You-Tube clip about "schleping" to Florida to convince Nana to vote for Obama, in the context of the reality that in 2010, 24% of the Florida electorate were senior citizens and 85% of them voted Republican because they had been told, and believed, that they were going to lose social security or medicare benefits as a result of the new health care bill? Where were we when this transformation of a Democratic stronghold was cowered by fear into sleeping with the enemy?

Next steps: how to actualize and regain momentum. We are all discouraged, but we can't let ourselves be defeated. The reality is the Republicans won the House. Let's use this as a wake-up call. Now is the time to figure out how to stem reversal of the hard-won programs and how to win in 2012. Onward.

From Ohio Joe:

We must keep to “THEIR (GOP)” RULE24…….they(GOP) have 24 months to fix the economy, unemployment, healthcare reform, immigration, etc.

THE GOP SET THE RULES TO THE GAME, WE MUST MAKE SURE THEY PLAY BY THE SAME RULES !!! RULE24 !!!
#2

I totally agree with you and all of our others……….but when we owned our events business with 4 competitors within a 1 mile area, all competing for events business(ours mainly Jewish events) with 5 Shuls in a 1.5 mile area…….

We had 5 rules of operation….

- Fair, honest, and compassionate pricing and service.

- Give the best services and creative services to the best of our abilities.
- “blinders on” – ignore what others in the industry are doing, gossip, etc…….focus on our business.
- “if you get too close to a SNAKE, you will get bit”

- “what is the prize” look at all aspects of the outcome, from all sides.

The Dems must look forward and see better days ahead, the GOP will not perform, the American public is impatient, this too will pass……..24 months…….the American public will again jump in the arms of Obama. RULE24……..we must remind America of this.

#3

I noticed lack of concern from the public………some people didn’t even know who was Governor, I am in the inner city areas (friends there) and some of the people didn’t realize who was governor, it is not a priority, and the economy, lack of jobs, these people are too busy trying to survive AND gasoline has been 2.90 a gal. so many people are in survival mode.

AND ONCE AGAIN…….Strickland and others used young “KIDS” in management positions and from what I experienced it was like a “CLUBHOUSE” hip, groovy thing……..NOT run like a business as the GOP does and the GOP got the results.
From Christine in Switzerland:

Oh do I miss the exhilarating thrill of the elections....I still follow very closely the American politics and I am stunned, baffled, outraged and discouraged at what is happening. Rarely has a president achieved so much in so little time but it goes unnoticed.... I guess "it's the economy stupid" and people do not realize nobody could have done better given the current context. Getting down unemployment is a must for his re-election.... and this must happen, I would hate to lose him as our leader..... this being said, please keep those blogs of yours going, always a pleasure to read and an inspiration to see so many passionate people.

From Dr. Macrene in NYC:

It is a sad testimony, but we need to face reality. Politics is all about PR - Pericles led the Athenians by his gift of persuasion. It is as simple as that. What we hope is that the one who has the gift of persuasion also has a core morality that is for the good of the country rather than for his own pockets. In this battle, the Democrats do not seem to have a front person with that gift doing what it takes to be front and center in the media with the message. The President is a bit busy at the moment and so his normal persuasive oratory was absent. I wish I were not taken up with my various endeavors so that I could get out there because the lack of rational explanation of what got us into this mess was the downfall of this election.

We must hang in there.

From DC In Santa Barbara,CA:

Dear, dear Sunny,Thank you so much for your wise and loving insight. Your heart and mind are inspirations to all caring progressives. How do we get you on MSNBC? It could be a movement. You know you have a very large contingent of groupies!

From Judy A in Westchester,NY:

I share your frustration. And John Adams certainly got it right! Our trouble started in summer '09 when the Republicans branded the health care legislation socialized medicine and scared the seniors about death panels. Our message was co-opted because people just stopped listening to reason. They became crazed! But I have faith in Obama and his team. Obama isn't going to throw up his hands and quit trying. Be positive!! And be who you are - Sunny!!!

From Lilli in NYC:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/meg-wolff/create-change_b_773468.html

From Carolyn in Mamaroneck:

'I haven't left my house in days. I watch the news channels incessantly. All the news stories are about the election; all the commercials are for Viagra and Cialis.

Election, erection, election, erection –

Either way we're getting screwed!'

-- Bette Midler

From Linda in Ohio:

sunny, the original tea party recognized the importance of the separation of church and state --- something the fake tea party has forgotten. we are all devastated by what happened in ohio but take it as a wakeup call. people are hurting and this, plus huge contributions from god knows who, led to the repugs' victory. nothing will change. thay have no answers. perhaps the weeping john boehner is next great halloween mask!

From Barbara in KS:

Sunny, I can only imagine how hard you and so many others worked on this election and how sad you (and all of us) are at the results. It is just so hard to understand how stupid people are and what they expected Obama to do in two years to fix the mess that Bush left this country in. Please go on line and read ***Gusewelle,s column in today's KC Star...it is so good! (Thanks Barb,I agree terrific article-S)

***Many share blame for liberals’ losses

C.W. GUSEWELLE COMMENTARY

It is depressingly clear, in the aftermath of Tuesday’s midterm elections, that the key to political success is effective coalition-building.

Created through the ceaseless, strident repetition of patent untruths, a coalition of the uninformed, the misinformed, the racially bigoted and the obscenely privileged has made serious progress toward its goal.

The objective is to roll back America’s clock to the ruinous policies of the George W. Bush years: ungoverned financial recklessness, wars of choice and tax relief for the very richest among us.

Obviously there is blame to share.Liberals appeared slow to understand that the tea party phenomenon was not merely a raucous curiosity but a real danger, and that civility was an inadequate reply to ranting.

History’s lesson is that the Big Lie can only be defeated by vigorous, relentless proclamation of Big Truth.

Probably Barack Obama is to be faulted for imagining at the outset of his presidency that bipartisanship was an actual possibility, given the vindictiveness arrayed against him.

And without question the Supreme Court is culpable. Its decision allowing giant corporations to pour limitless millions into campaigns has dangerously, perhaps fatally, transformed the political landscape...

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/11/06/2401935/many-share-blame-for-liberals.html#ixzz14de5WTQ5

From Beth in Ardsley,NY:

My reading of the election is not as dire as the media has painted it. I believe that the standing Congress was voted out. Why? Because the general population feels angry and cheated out of economic security. The knee-jerk reaction is to find a new crop of legislators in order to feel some sense of movement out of this morass.

The bankers felt the TARP - and the rest of us feel the pinch: in education, social welfare, small businesses. retail and even government jobs. President Obama should not respond to the vote in a testy manner - he has to reach out and achieve change through getting along. You cannot get bees with vinegar.

I have complete faith in our president - and I believe that if we watch him overcome this adversity, we will see how truly superb he is in this job.

Everything happens for a reason: we just have to wait and see what this test of strength and focus will yield for this president and the nation.

From Lisa in VT:

Our message isn't so simple so we have to back it up with education. We should not compromise the message integrity but tweak a bit for the sake of a sound bite worthy version - but have all the meat and potatoes available for those who care enough to give it more time. I'd love to help you synthesize info for your blog. It's a great service you do. Hope you had a wonderful evening. Loved the meeting. Thank you so much for including me.

Professor Obama's Budget 101.

The predictably childish reactions of the left and right to the budget blueprint unveiled by the co-chairs of President Obama's debt commission offer the president a chance to play a role to which he may be uniquely suited: the grown-up in the room.

Read the entire story here: http://www.blogger.com/goog_889975063

From Kurt in Ohio:

Remember "No drama Obama" is what he was and is. Though many things were accomplished he was unwilling to blow his own horn or fight the misperceptions the corporatists, whom he dealt with, foisted upon the public.

From Val in Ohio:

I'm sure you saw this in today's NY Times. There are so many good news reports from Obama's first two years with the help of the Dems that were just thrown under the bus. We're fighting against the Fox message machine while MSNBC suspends Olbermann just because he made some donations. You would probably have to suspend the entire faux news department at Fox given those standards.

This is not for the blog. I'm just venting.

Linda is a good Dem. Will have to track her down and go out for a drink.

I can sum up what's wrong with Ohio with one word.....RACE. A group of my buddies got together the day after the election just to lift our spirits. One worked the polls in a very conservative area. She said conversation ranged from how happy the slaves were to other aspects of taking our country back. Needless to say, she has decided not to return as a poll worker but this should give you just a little insight.Thanks for serving as the intermediary. You have assembled a well connected cast of progressives who have one goal in mind...Keep the Dems in the driver's seat for the good of the country

From Sue in Long Island:

Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication in support of Tim Bishop’s campaign.

Sadly, due to a miscount, the race is far from over and we need you to pitch in for a few more days. Congressman Bishop is now trailing by 390 votes with 10,600 absentee and affidavit votes yet to be counted.

This shocking error doesn’t at all diminish the work you’ve done. I’m so proud of the unflagging commitment and constant good cheer of our volunteers. You inspire me every day.

Your calls and canvasses made an enormous difference in this tight election against a candidate with almost limitless funds who was able to dominate the airwaves, scare many seniors with outright falsehoods, and aggressively suppress the Democratic vote.

Please click on the links below to:

1) make a contribution for what will be an expensive fight:

http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/26265

2) report any irregularities you witnessed on Election Day:

http://www.dccc.org/page/s/bishoppolls

If you’re willing to volunteer to help monitor that every vote is counted, call the Bishop voter protection office at 696-1345 or email me.

Thanks so much for your continued support in making this country a better place for all.

From Ben in NYC:

Lewis Lapham, a good friend of ours, among many other endeavors puts out a weekly podcast that is invariably fascinating. In the link below, he interviews Simon Winchester, author of the new book, "Atlantic." Winchester's first anecdote is about's Israel's founding -- that it owes it to the Atlantic Ocean. I think you'll enjoy it.

http://208.131.149.119/lq/Simon_Winchester.mp3

From Jackie in New Jersey:

I owe you an email. I want you to know I understand your pain. Have some thoughts to share. Hope you are well – all things considered.

From Judy in Mamaroneck:

There was a time not so long ago when Americans,regardless of their political stripes, rallied around their President:http://www.seniorlivingmag.com/articles/america-hes-your-president-for-goodness-sake

From Mary in KCMO:

I have started and deleted this message about six times in the past five days. I realize I was over thinking and over analizing the reasons and results of November 2nd. Lord knows, there is plenty of blame to go around.

At this point, it's very simple: we need to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and gear up for the next battle.......that's it.

"The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."

Ted Kennedy, 1980

"WE ARE the Dream Keepers!"

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, (D-18th, Texas) November, 2010
Think about it...............

Is there work to be done? You bet!!! More later..............

Mary
PS Congratulations California and New York!!

PPS A special Thank You to Sunny and her team in New York for making all those calls for Robin Carnahan.

From Ruthie in AZ:

Things are wrong on EVERY level. I agree with Peggy. The democrats need to step up and quit being the "nice" guy. Someone has to get Nancy Pelosi and tell her to get out of the friggin spotlight.

I was in so many states before the election that either the campaign ads or the signs said something that tied a candidate to Pelosi as if it was the plague. They will ride that through the next election if she stays in the limelight.

I am nearly ill over this election. I knew Arizona would go "down" but I had no idea BEN QUAYLE would get elected and that Harry Mitchell would be thrown out of the house. (every one of his opponents ads had his name and Nancy Pelosi's - never even mentioning the republican candidate)

On a rather simple level - having nothing to do with major politics - Bristol Palin is on Dancing with the Stars. You probably don't watch this show but the ex-Cardinal qback, Kurt Warner was on this season so I have been off-and-on watching. She is the worst dancer ever. Just a clutz. HOWEVER, the republican and tea party websites encourage people to vote for her. Hence, she is still on and has made the semi-finals. She will probably win this stupid competition. Case in point. THEY ARE EVERYWHERE. They are like mormons or morons, whatever.

From Joe in Ohio:

I believe Val may have the same feelings, one of the issues with the DEMS and Ohio with this election, they put as I said before the YOUNG, COOL, HIP (its cool to run a campaign, clubhouse mentality) people to MANAGE the campaign…….then people like myself see what a mess it is and QUIT.

This is what happens with the Kerry/Bush deal in some areas of the Ohio……. In Ohio election campaigns many times are a HOBBY not a BUSINESS……the GOP always runs it like a business.

2008 was different; you had Obama master of communication, charisma and knew how to work the WEB!!!! Strickland was the lesser of the two evil…..he has NO charisma, etc…….and Kasich worked it and own……even if there was funny business, the GOP WORKED it……..not a casual hobby.

On to 2012……..and keep them to RULE24 24months……the GOP promised all the answers and solutions…….WE MUST KEEP THEM TO THEM.

From Eileen in KCMO:

good job-loved the John Adams quote

From Patty R in KCMO:

John Adams also said that a democracy could only exist with an educated populace – he was amazingly wise – great quote from Sunny.

From Gwynneth in White Plaiins:

Did you know that:The words "race

> car" spelled backwards still spells "race car"?"Eat" is the

> only word that, if you take the 1st letter and move it to

> the last, spells its past tense, "ate"?And if you rearrange

> the letters in "so-called tea party Republicans," and add

> just a few more letters, it spells: "Shut the f--- up you

> free-loading, progress-blocking, benefit-grabbing,

> resource-sucking, violent, hypocritical douche bags, and

> deal with the fact that you nearly wrecked the country under

> Bush and that our president is black."Isn't that

> interesting?

From DC in CA:

Let’s take a little laugh break compliments of Randi Rhodes! Love you –

Let’s take a break from obsessing about current Republican nightmares, and revisit a Republican nightmare from the past. George Bush recently sat down with Matt Lauer. Bush didn’t exactly open up about his mistakes. Thank God. Bush “opening up” about his mistakes would be a venting that would dwarf the BP oil spill.

On his “Mission Accomplished” speech, Bush said he was caught up in an “exhilarating moment.” I guess the codpiece went to his head.

He says he didn’t fire Donald Rumsfeld over Abu Ghraib because “there was no obvious replacement for Don.” What? All a person needs to replace Donald Rumsfeld is an ability to stand for prolonged periods and talk nonstop without saying anything. I’ll tell you where you can find a replacement for Donald Rumsfeld— in the areas north, west, south, and east of Washington .

He said the photo of him looking out the window of Air Force One in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina made him look “uncaring and detached.” I think photographers refer to that as “capturing the moment.”

George Bush claims he was not in shock when he sat there stunned after being told of the attacks on 9/11. I’m sure he was NOT in shock. 9/11 was just the inevitable result of the half-assed way he had been conducting national security. Still, he wants people to know that he was not paralyzed into inaction. No, the paralysis had occurred earlier, when he was handed a memo saying “Bin Laden determined to strike within the US .”

The former president also described his battles with booze. He says that he was never tempted to start drinking again during his presidency. Good. He would have had to fight the rest of us for the vodka. Of course, in the end, all of his years of hard drinking failed to prevent George Bush from getting to the White House. Well, the bottle let us down again.

At least watching this interview makes it clear why Republicans begged George Bush to hold off his book tour until after the election. If Bush had been all over the airwaves 10 days ago, every Democrat this side of Alvin Greene would have won their election. How soon we forget. And that’s pretty much what Republicans rely on.

From Val from Ohio:

True story

I went to my part time job yesterday and read some evaluations from a workshop I did for the program. One was particularly scathing and left me feeling totally worthless. While musing over the words, I started to think about our wonderful President and how he's disrespected on a daily basis yet he continues trying to do what's best for our country. If he can weather those daily storms, I can get over a disgruntled parent.

Still anxiously waiting to hear the outcome of your Thursday session with Kaine. Our meeting yielded a good review though some of the feedback was incredulous. The OFA field director tried to get a couple of the volunteers to write up a disciplinary action against other volunteers! Needless to say, we lost many volunteers. There was no cohesive message for the volunteers to deliver anyway.

I hosted a MoveOn party this evening. Had a good turnout (about 15 people). Hard to keep them focused on finding solutions. More of a tendency to admire the problem. Nevertheless, we did come up with some ideas for moving forward mainly centered around the need to educate the general public and get the real facts out about issues like health care reform.

One man who attended was a physicist who tended to go against the flow of ideas. He seemed to know quite a bit about economic policy. If looking at a long range remedy, he felt all of the tax cuts needed to expire, however he recognized that was not politically wise. Would have enjoyed hearing more from him.

From Sharon in Scarsdale: Great article shown once before but worth the read!

http://underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/guest-article-obama-will-triumph-so-will-america-by-frank-schaeffer/

Obama Will Triumph — So Will America

By Frank Schaeffer

Before he’d served even one year President Obama lost the support of the easily distracted left and engendered the white hot rage of the hate-filled right. But some of us, from all walks of life and ideological backgrounds — including this white, straight, 57-year-old, former religious right wing agitator, now progressive writer and (given my background as the son of a famous evangelical leader) this unlikely Obama supporter — are sticking with our President. Why?– because he is succeeding.

We faithful Obama supporters still trust our initial impression of him as a great, good and uniquely qualified man to lead us.

Obama’s steady supporters will be proved right. Obama’s critics will be remembered as easily panicked and prematurely discouraged at best and shriveled hate mongers at worst...(Read rest on line)

From Judy in Mamaroneck,NY:

Subj: Message to the Tea Party -- What took you so long to get angry?

I thought that should go in the blog! Clearly the Republicans and Tea Partiers are a different breed of people.. heartless and selfish!

Message to the Tea Party -- What took you so long to get angry?

You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and

appointed a President.

You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to

dictate Energy policy and push us to invade Iraq .

You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.

You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.

You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.

You didn't get mad when we spent over 800 billion (and counting) on said illegal war.

You didn't get mad when Bush borrowed more money from foreign sources than the previous 42 Presidents combined.

You didn't get mad when over 10 billion dollars in cash just disappeared in Iraq.

You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.

You didn't get mad when Bush embraced trade and outsourcing policies

that shipped 6 million American jobs out of the country.

You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.

You didn't get mad when we didn't catch Bin Laden.

You didn't get mad when Bush rang up 10 trillion dollars in combined budget and current account deficits.

You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.

You didn't get mad when we let a major US city, New Orleans, drown.

You didn't get mad when we gave people who had more money than they could spend, the filthy rich, over a trillion dollars in taxbreaks.

You didn't get mad with the worst 8 years of job creations in several decades.

You didn't get mad when over 200,000 US citizens lost their lives because they had no health insurance.

You didn't get mad when lack of oversight and regulations from the Bush Administration caused US citizens to lose 12 trillion dollars in investments, retirement, and home values.

No . . . You finally got mad when a black man was elected President and decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick.

Illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, job losses by the millions, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, and the worst economic disaster since 1929 are all okay with you, but helping fellow Americans who are sick . . . Oh, Hell No!!

From Jennifer in DC:

I hope you’re doing well. What a depressing election night. I still can’t get over all the good Members we lost in New York. It was truly a terrible night for our country.

I’m writing because as I’m sure you know, Cong. Tim Bishop is in a very close recount. His 3,461 vote lead on Election Day is now a deficit of just under 400 votes after a recanvass of the voting machines. This is a dramatic swing of approximately 4000 votes and after reports of problems at polling places, it is clear that we must do everything to ensure that every single vote is properly counted.

Individuals can contribute up to $30,400 to the DCCC’s recount fund and/or $2,400 to the campaign recount fund. Would you be willing to make a contribution or do you know of others that might be interested?

As you can imagine, we are in the beginning stages of what could prove to be a lengthy and costly process and Nita is doing all she can to help Tim. Please let me know if you have any questions and thank you for your consideration.

From Jane in Larchmont,NY:

Well, another day, another link from me--although it's yesterday's Times--Bob Herbert, and I think he basically gives the Democratic case.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/09/opinion/09herbert.html?scp=4&sq=herbert&st=cse

Thank you for everything you are. Hope your meeting goes well.

#2

http://www.thenation.com/article/156387/agenda-lame-duck-congress

This confirms what you said--

http://www.blogger.com/goog_889975046

From Letty P in NYC:

I've been participating in a Palestinian/Jewish women's dialogue group for nearly three years. When The Forward asked me to be the guest editor of their Op-Ed page, I invited my Palestinian sisters to each contribute an essay. For my brief intro, followed by their four essays, click here or paste the URL into your browser.

As always, I'll be grateful for your reactions but please don't feel obligated to respond.

Click here: Forward Forum – Forward.com

http://www.blogger.com/goog_889975043

From Ellen in Chicago: (Obama delegate to convention in 08)

Although This may seem a bit elementary to some of you, this is one of the best presentations I've seen on Healthcare Reform

_http://healthreform.kff.org/the-basics.aspx_

From Randy in Berkeley:

The Republicans have already started in!!!! We are in for big troubles. It's amazing how much power one person can hold over an entire senate. I'm speaking of John Kyle from Arizona!

From Ruthie in AZ, formerly of KCMO:

http://electionink.com/showthread.php/2602-Harry-amp-Bess-The-way...?p=26685

Harry Truman was a different kind of President. He

probably made as many, or more important

decisions regarding our nation's history as

any of the other 42 Presidents preceding him.

However, a measure of his greatness may rest on

what he did after he left the White House.

The only asset he had when he died

was the house he lived in, which was

in Independence Missouri .

His wife had inherited the house from her

mother and father and other than their

years in the White House, they lived their

entire lives there...(Read rest on line)

From Weschester 4 Change:

CANVASS FOR THE EXPIRATION OF TAX CUTS FOR TOP 2%

If you cannot join us, please call The White House, your senators, and representative TODAY!

If you need more information, please read here

President Obama : 202-456-1111

Rep. Nita Lowey: 202-225-6506 (Washington) and 428-1707 (White Plains)

Rep. John Hall: 202-225-5441

Rep. Eliot Engel: 202-225-2464

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand: 202-224-4451

Sen. Chuck Schumer: 202-224-6542

MOVING FORWARD

As we enter the holiday season, come share a glass of wine and help plan our next steps after the mid-term elections.

WHAT: We invite everyone to gather to socialize, discuss the implications of the mid-term elections, and most importantly plan next steps. In addition to the necessary griping, we will be talking about what progressives did well, what we did not do well, and how we should proceed. At this gathering, we will be accepting small voluntary contributions to help defray our organizational expenses.

WHEN: Saturday, December 4th 2pm

WHERE: Home of Rachel Estroff, 7 Davenport St. Harrison, NY 10528

RSVP or QUESTIONS: Rachel Estroff 914-525-1940, westchester4change@gmail.com, or Meetup

NEW YORK STATE BUDGET WORKSHOP

WHAT: Join us for a workshop focusing on the New York State budget process and how we, as progressives, can influence the results. Specifically, this workshop will teach us about the process, as well as how revenue is raised through income taxes, property taxes and user fees. The goal is to equip us to protect important services and press for the most progressive taxes possible in the current economic and political climate.

WHEN: Tuesday, December 14th, 7-9:30pm

WHERE: CWA, Communication Workers of America Offices in Port Chester 345 Westchester Ave. Port Chester, NY 10573

RSVP or QUESTIONS: Rachel Estroff 914-525-1940, westchester4change@gmail.com or Meetup Space is limited.

From Dani in Brooklyn:

Please call - I want my 13 cents worth!! (as opposed to the 77 cents I make for every dollar a man makes doing the same work). It's incredible that we're still not there yet; that somehow it's OK to say that work is worth less when a woman does it.

http://action.now.org/o/5996/t/0/blastContent.jsp?email_blast_KEY=88455

TAKE ACTION:

The countdown is on and we need your help to get the bill across the finish line. On Tuesday, November 16, participate in the national call-in day! Call your senators at 1-877-667-6650 and ask them to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act this session!

BACKGROUND:
The moment is here – thanks to your support, we are within striking distance of passing the Paycheck Fairness Act! The Senate is back in session and precious few days remain for them to pass this critical bill.

Taking action has never been more important than it is right now. The Senate must make this bill a priority: the Paycheck Fairness Act would deter wage discrimination by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and barring retaliation against workers who disclose their wages to coworkers...

From Betty in Scarsdale:

Ck out Schumer and messaging!

Chuck Schumer gets more power

Schumer has been put in charge of the Senate Democrats' "messaging."

» Read full article

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sectionfronts/politics/index.html

From Charlie in Larchmont:

I'm sure it was just a coincidence that this was cut from the broadcast...

By the way, did I tell you that I'm going to lunch with The Easter Bunny next week? I'm so excited to finally meet him face-to-face after all these years!

http://www.blogger.com/goog_889975027

From Sue in Long island:

The economy’s improving but businesses are struggling and unemployment remains stubbornly high.

We CAN do something about this crisis locally. For the Holidays, let’s buy local and support our volunteers’ retail businesses, food products, and creative works. Whether you’re looking for stocking stuffers or ride-on lawn mowers, a painting for your living room or an illustrated book to read to your grandkids, a designer jacket or a healthy edible treat, we have volunteers with entrepreneurial and creative talents who can delight you and your loved ones.

The first step: If you own a retail business, or are a local food or wine purveyor, send us your name, business address, and ONE descriptive sentence (include hours and website).

If you’re an artist, published author, or an artisan, send us your name and where to purchase your works (a descriptive sentence and website too).

Please email me as soon as possible. Last date to be included is next Tuesday, November 23.

I’ll put together a list and email it to OFA volunteers. Let’s make a difference in our community this Holiday season!!

From Edith in NYC,once again:

To amuse…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y54FRMedT_s&feature=player_embedded

From Elizabeth and Sheila in Westchester after viewing video http://healthreform.kff.org/the-basics.aspx from Ellen: (Also Val in Ohio)

Agree about this video!! I just watched it and was so impressed. The way it can be effective of course is by going viral, grassroots. If it seems to be coming from the WH or DNC, people will either not invest the nine minutes or just think of how to oppose it. I'll get to work spreading it right away. Kaiser has been superb on this from the start.E

Great, Sunny. Would help if everyone passed it on, for starters. Sheila

It's a start. At our meeting someone was saying how Obama needed to do better at getting his message out about his accomplishments. My answer to her was "that's our job." The Dems in Congress should also get on board and stop running away from progress. That's exactly what we talked about last night. Do you remember the film shown in just about all elementary schools called How a bill becomes a law? It was simple but something a developing mind would remember. Send my thanks to Ellen for providing a similar little ditty that even a tea party person could understand (our low information voters).

Now if someone will just do the same to provide an explanation of our economic mess.

It is what we were talking about specifics, clear- a bit too long but a start! Sunny

From Amy in Mamaroneck:

This is just going up now on the front page at HuffPost – tried to point out the only silver lining in the travesty of the Paycheck Fairness Act getting shot down – our gal Gillibrand!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-siskind/how-the-gop-blew-it-on-th_b_785194.html

From Judy in Mamaroneck,NY:

What a sad commentary on the widespread intelligence of the voting masses in this country! Article about Sarah reaching the top and running for President by Frank Rich,NY Times!!!

Click here: Could She Reach the Top in 2012? You Betcha - NYTimes.com

From Joe in Ohio:

Try to relax…..WE MUST REGROUP. I want you to think about something…….”Blinders on” I think this is what we must keep in mind……ignore all the GOP and work toward the light at the end of the tunnel…….2012.

Secondly…….for the mass American public, JOBS, JOBS, JOBS and Obama needs to be more public with this issue. The average mild American can not see the good in the equal pay issue, when both mom and dad are unemployed. I personally believe if Obama starts to “WORK IT” the jobs issue in the press…..and I mean “WORK IT” the press…..he can skip the Whitehouse in 2012. The issue with the unemployed is the numbers are decreasing…….BUT they are decreasing because people are running out of benefits….and no longer being counted. So…..ignore that…..just a note…….Focus on JOBS JOBS JOBS……create federal jobs……simplify the application deal…..Homeland security, FDA protecting the food, drugs, etc………from what I see this is what “mild American” can comprehend……don’t forget with Kerry wind surfing…..mild America could not relate and hence he lost………Bush bailed hay and AMERICA GOT THAT…….sad to say……most of America is OHIO, not the coasts.

LAST……….I promise…….I truly believe most of America is ok (including females) with men making more money… with the unemployment issue, they would rather make less and be employed. I believe this…..its back to JOBS JOBS JOBS.

And as we have said America is STUPID…..Obama talks over their heads…..even with his agenda…..I believe this is why Bush, Palin, etc America can relate to them….they use a simple agenda, language, etc…….Obama needs to “dumb up” to relate to AMERICA…..I believe at this point America does not care about the other issues….. its stupid simple for AMERICA JOBS JOBS JOBS…….and I must admit……I can understand, food on the table and even having a home and a table is most important….its survivial

…….I know they think Palin is an idiot. Hopefully Palin will be the candidate……I did a trade show this weekend, MANY GOP ( had to keep my mouth shut) what I over heard is they HATE Palin. So Palin being the candidate could be a GREAT thing.

I do think that Obama needs to pull Hillary with him……With Ohio back in the hands of GOP, we must have a FIRM ticket and be mindful of the past election voting “tricks”…….I can’t believe that Ohio went all GOP……..every office.

If you want to see some real GOP S---…….go to fixohionow.com look at the website……this is the GOP right wing at its best……this is just a HINT of what DEMS will be up against come 2012 and what type of people will be at the helm of the GOP rule and THE 2012 ELECTION process.

Get the word out ,great video Health Care,clear and specific what can do for you!!!!!

2010-11-17T13:01:00.000-05:00

Please pass on to all, fnally a clear understanding of the health care laws and what it means to you!!!
http://healthreform.kff.org/the-basics.aspx

It Isn't Easy to write this note or send out your thoughts, but we will prevail!

2010-11-06T19:49:00.000-04:00

Dear Obama/Biden Supporters:

This is not an easy note for me to write. I have been all over the place with my thoughts on what we should have done differently and where we went wrong in this election. I started reading many of the things you and others wrote about the loss of the House and the mood of the country. I came across this quote from Mort Sahl that I liked a lot , "Liberals feel unworthy of their possessions. Conservatives feel they deserve everything they've stolen". What more can I say? My heart hurts and my mind is racing about how to fix what went wrong. The GOP/Tea Party not only hijacked the language they stole our spirit and drive and all the independents and young people who believed in our agenda from 08. Karl Rove did it again and we let him by not getting our message out and telling people what we had accomplished in the last two years. We should have been shouting about our preventing a global economic collapse and successfully restructuring two auto companies. Why weren't we talking about our President who raised fuel -efficiency standards, negotiated a nuclear arms treaty with Russia,inspired education reforms and reformed health care. Where were the ads that described these incredible accomplishments and made them clear to the public over and over again. Why didn't we see auto workers stand up and say, "Obama saved my job", one after another. Why weren't we shown that this is the America we are proud of and this is the Presidnet who is working to keep jobs for all of us here at home!

My CA sister Peggy called a few days ago to say she hated Obama's talk at the press conference. I was taken aback and then she explained. " He should have said this was a disappointing election because we were in the midst of accomplishing change and weren't given cooperation or time to finish, education reform,energy cap and trade, health care tweaking, controls on big banks spending and lending, but we were able to make huge inroads. I am disappointed that the GOP chose to say no to all initiatives and to put roadblocks up for all the changes from W's failed policies". I am paraphrasing but she was right. He let them make us look like we hadn't accomplished much when he has passed more legislation than anyone since FDR! Now what is wrong with this picture and how do we change it for 2012? The picture on the front page of the NY Times of Barack Obama, the cool collected President ,grimacing was so uncomfortable and sad to me. This is the man who grabbed a brief window of opportunity and passed a major health care bill. He knew in the long run it was good for the country and that it could be made better by tweaking and revising it. How desperately sad that so many conscientious caring Congresspeople who voted for Obama's bill paid the price for placing the good of the nation over the good of the party.

Several Tea Party people who were know nothing candidates with no experience and had never met payroll were swept in on the ignorance that seemed to prevail among voters. All they needed was lots of money and theatrics from Fox news "reporters" who have a disturbing inadequacy of the basic facts of American history and political development. The Tea Party's simplistic appeals to an imaginary past that has little or no relevance to the present seemed to make sense to the uneducated voter. It is also true that Republicans always follow the party line in lock step fashion. The demand for immediate gratification in the world we live in is scary and they ran with this and fears of the unknown future. It is much easier to call for change than look at what has been accomplished by a President given only two years to fix eight years of W's over spending(where were these people when he took us from a surplus to negative trillions).We saw Liberals disheartened as well as Independents and the moderate arm of the GOP. It was if Americans wanted to go backwards to "Mad Men" times. It is like they are thinking about Leave It To Beaver and that his was a real life and one to aspire to. Rove has set the agenda again and we have to regroup and be ready for him in 2012!

People want Obama to stop being the community organizer and start fighting back and getting our message out. It is true that he has reached across the aisle to seek to placate the right by sacrificing demands of the left electorate. However, it seems to me that it was worth his efforts when he won the few votes needed for the stimulus and health care bills. Time and time again of late he has been rebuffed by the party of NO! Now we need to tell the public every time we do something, pass legislation and if not passed ,why and what the loss means to people. We have to clearly define how bills will influence your life and make them better in specific terms. It seems those middle class voters in Ohio didn't think about the tax deductions put in place by the Obama administration and were more concerned that he hadn't proven he was an American Citizen. Why not put this to rest once and for all? Lets pay for ads to toot our own horn and stop the lies!!! My friend Sharon in MO feels that people are voting to be a part of the American dream, even those middle class workers that may never accomplish it. They still have hope that it will come to them if only they can pull themselves up by their boot straps. This may be why they don't feel badly that there is such a differential between rich and poor since one day that dream could be theirs! We haven't sold anything to middle America, and the GOP/Tea Party people are dangling a carrot; if you stick with them it is way to American dream and they bought it hook line and sinker bought it! Hatred brings more hatred and we should think of Alice( *** see CA Randy's youtube,oldest Holocaust survivor ) when we get down and out ! Alice has embraced a powerful wisdom: Suffering does not rob life of meaning. It can make life all the more beautiful and all the more rich. Maybe, before I complain about the injustices of the universe(or this election) I should remember others have it much worse. I should embrace the pain and let it teach me and make us all stronger and wiser!!!!

In closing I want to point out a little know fact I learned from the NY Times this week. John Adams,200 years ago, predicted the rise of the Tea Party!!! " We may please ourselves with the prospect of free and popular governments. But there is great danger that those governments will mot make us happy. G-d grant they may. But I fear that in every assembly,members will obtain an influence by noise not sense. By meanness, not greatness. By ignorance, not learning. By contracted hearts, not large souls"...(Letter dated April 22,1776, while serving in first Continental Congress). Now why the hell don't we use this as an ad?

Love,Sunny
A Mama 4 Obama

Please join me at both of these sites where you can make statements and they will reach many more people than in the past. In order to get to the blog please go to http://progressivegovernment.blogspot.com/ and read my updates and make comments

You can also find me on Facebook at "The Sunny Side - Political news for the Friends of Progressive Government" at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/The-Sunny-Side-Political-news-for-the-Friends-of-Progressive-Government/141511589209655.

(Before the election results)

From Jude Upper bucks county PA Organizer:

Hey Sunny--

Tell everybody to keep their heads up, don't get discouraged. The ground game here in PA is kicking butt. In Bucks County alone this weekend we knocked over 100,000 doors and made over 25000 calls to get out the vote.

From Nita in DC/White Plains:

Yes we can! Thank youxxx

From Susan in Rye:

Great sentiments in your blog today! We all need to think positive now.

From Hank in NYC:

This will be in the Times tomorrow – They are giving me a pass on the usual 60-day rule before another letter runs. “Special dispensation for Election Day!”

To the Editor:

“With Time Short, Parties Advance Last Argument” (front page, Nov. 1):

The Republicans will almost surely regain control of the House and make serious inroads in the Senate on Election Day, but when they wake up bleary-eyed on Wednesday morning they will be faced with the same impossible choices that President Obama and the Democrats have been trying to deal with for almost two years now — a high unemployment rate, an unwinnable war in Afghanistan, an education system crumbling as fast as the antiquated buildings our children attend school in and deficits of monumental proportions.

I’ve listened carefully to G.O.P. and Tea Party candidates tell the public what they will do if elected — cut taxes, reduce the deficit and cut spending — but little is said about how they will accomplish this.

It will be very interesting to see Representative John A. Boehner wield the gavel as speaker of the House, and Mitch McConnell pursue his “single most important thing” for the next two years: making Barack Obama a one-term president.
The real losers, no matter the outcome of the midterm elections, will be the American people.

From Fritzie in NYC:

Thanks Sunny! Absolutely I'll be voting! I've been nagging everyone, and even give staff time off to

go vote.

**********From Randy in CA: About Alice I referred to in above note!

I guess some people have hope regardless of what the situation is ... maybe we should all think positively despite the cruel outcome of this past week's election.
Please view and share this wonderful video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlccsLr48Mw

#2

#2(before election results)

I thought this week's Week in Review was one of the best ever! I read

the entire section and each article seemed better than the next. I

too was very impressed with Kristof's opinion.(see Judy's below)

***From Judy in Mamaroneck:

Click here: Give Obama a Break - NYTimes.com

After the Election Results:

From our Lilly Ledbetter in Alabama:

I am sooooo disappointed in the election results from Nov 2--2010!! I am ready to

get to work for 2012!!!!!!!!!! Hope you are well!!

#2

Wanted to share this with you---------------Lilly

Official Business of the Missouri Federation of Women's Democratic Clubs

To: All MFWDC members and Democratic Friends/Allies

(please pass this on to your local clubs, central committees, and candidates/officials)

Tonight, we saw something that many of us have never seen in our lifetimes. This overwhelming sweep of Republican takeover should be a wake up call for us to consider how we shall proceed to make things different in the next election. As president of the MFWDC, I know you all worked very hard to try to get our Democrats elected or reelected, and I want to thank you for all you contributed to this election. I know you gave 110%. I know you believed in our candidates. Well, frankly I am more determined than ever that we shall overcome this great defeat...our Public Education system depends on us, our community service workers depend on us, and even the little innocent puppies who are so abused, are dependent on us to get out the vote and make a difference in the next election.

It is important to for us to know that, although some fights were lost, we still held our ground. I know Missouri took a beating, from county to state to federal elections. But we are, after all, Democrats, who believe in the rights of the ones without a voice, who care about children and whether they get a quality education, and who continue to have the ethical senses that make us get up out of bed every day and go to work so we can feed our families. We must work together these next two years so that we can not only hold our ground, but that we gain back that which we have lost, so we can continue the great fight for what is good, honest, fair, and just for ALL people in this country, not just corporate interests and the rich.

So, my fellow Democrats, do not be in dismay. All is not lost. It is our responsibility to learn from this experience and to look deep within ourselves and to find the strength and the fortitude to plan our next steps, knowing full well in our hearts, that this is just the beginning of something better....because we CAN and WILL make it better. This is our opportunity!

Thank you to all our Democratic friends and volunteers who worked their tails off this election. Thanks to all of our candidates who ran great races and fought for what is good and just. And congratulations to those who won! I am committed to working with all of you over the next two years to do whatever it takes to put Democrats in office and continue to ensure that our government is truly working for the people.

May God richly bless us and be with us as we move through this time of mourning to the day we find peace amidst this small, two year glitch in the political landscape; remember we shall overcome. Let us make our pledge to one another this day to do every thing we can to get Democrats elected two years from now.

With warmest regards,

Charli Seitz, M.A. Ed.

MFWDC President

Kansas City, MO

#3

Election Results from CAWP: Republican Women Follow Winning Trend

Election results compiled by the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) for U.S. Senate and House and governors show that Republican women matched winning patterns of Republicans overall, and some notable firsts were achieved. Republican women's gains in the U.S. House were offset by Democratic women's losses; depending on races not yet decided, the number of women in the House could drop or remain level.
Read the complete press release here.

Headlines and anecdotes never tell the whole story!

That's why you turn to CAWP's Election Watch. Your gift of $25 or more will help CAWP collect and share accurate data on women candidates, officeholders and voters.

From Robin New Salem:
Hope you are feeling better!!! We missed you last night. Yippee for Kirsten, Chuck and Andrew. Sad re: John. How did Robin Carnahan do? I have many morning after thoughts to share but my biggest is the lesson learned after 08. There was so much grassroots energy and we let it slip away. When we needed it - it wasn't there. We have to stay united and keep going. 2012 will be here in a heartbeat and I already heard on the news last night that in addition for going after Barack they won't make this mistake again of putting up a bogus candidate to challenge Kirsten. I have been so bummed about what has happened to WLF - we've got to keep the fire going!!! Speak soon - feel better.

From Ohio Joe:

Better days are ahead……America is STUPID and you can’t fix STUPID. This too will pass !!!
PS once again Ohio goes from bad to WORSE!!!

#2

Val is correct, I am afraid the DEMS have been beat down with the economy, jobs that many have given up. I watched Mitch McConnell a few minutes and I made me sick…..he is scary at best – he was so full of aggression and hate…….beating Barack down verbally, how does this create growth…….SICK

The energy wasn’t there……I know there are far more DEMS in numbers than GOP, but due to the population that comprises the DEMS party, many do not find it important to vote until the presidential elections. I do not want to sound dramatic or “gay” but I am physically sick from this…….I thought Ohio was going to see light at the end of the tunnel…….LOL…….not Ohio.

It really makes me think “Does Hillary need to be the running mate in 2012 with Barack so we have a win” from Ohio it may make sense for this type of population. If I hear Tea Party again……….Tea Party = STUPID…….and STUPID voted in 2010, hence our results.

From Randy in Berkeley:

60 seats lost to the Republicans let alone some of the Senate seats

like Illinois! It is deplorable what happened yesterday. I hate to

say this but I hope the economy prevails and jobs aren't restored so

the Dems can gain back some of what was lost last night.

Wait till this idiots who voted for these idiots realize what is

happening. In watching CNN which has fabulous visuals, the entire

country is red except for a few areas so small one would almost need a

magnifying glass!

What is going to happen to this country? Soon, if things don't

change, this country will be intolerble.

From Carla NYC:

Do you have any encouraging words? This country seems to be influenced by the gun toting, religious, narrow minded majority, and New Yorkers seem to come from a different planet than the rest of the country. How sad!

From Val in Ohio:

I did some phone banking Monday night and got more callers threatening me with a vote for the opposition if they got one more call. There were too many calls and not enough 1-1 contact where you can actually make your case. OFA has to go if it's the same team they sent for this election. There was a big blow up between the OFA folks and the party folks on election day. I left the headquarters because the atmosphere was toxic. That's pretty much how it has been during this election cycle. The Dems did take Montgomery County in '08. That didn't happen this election. Time to regroup and come out fighting for 2012.

Heard from my sister that Mass. stayed blue. That brightened my day. Very unhappy about Sestak and Strickland.

From Kathy in MO:

You are echoing my sentiments exactly. We let the repubs get control of the message with their lies. They repeated them enough that they became the truth in people's minds. I think Obama didn't think it was necessary to toot his own horn because they were quietly going about the people's business and were so busy trying to solve dire problems. That is the high road. We can't go that route any more because the repubs always take the low road!

This is how bad it was in this bizarro world. Roy Blunt who is on tape saying Medicare should never have been started and that he intended to privatize Social Security, ran ads along with Karl Rove and the Chamber saying flat out that Robin Carnahan was cutting billions from Medicare. He has a record on Medicare and she does not, yet with their lies, they convinced senior citizens that she was taking their Medicare away! I had more elderly people tell me that in the last few weeks that they wanted to support Robin until they heard what she was going to do to Medicare.

You are right, we have to get the message out and it needs to be short and sweet. We have to control the message for the next two years. Once you let them get control and the lies are out, you cannot get them back.

#2

I think everyone is on the same page that we let the repub's multimillion dollar noise machine drown us out, distort facts, and get their lies entrenched well before the election so there was no reversing it. I think you are right we have to engage people for the next two years with ads, editorials, face to face, whatever to confront them with the facts. It is too late during the election season because there are zillions of ads and everyone starts tuning them out.
One of my lovely volunteers was brainstorming with me during the GOTV weekend. We were lamenting about the ignorant electorate and how they vote against their own best interests. We were concentrating on first time and sporadic voters and undecideds...probably low information folks. She asked why we don't try to keep in touch with them over the next two years instead of inundating them right before the election. Her suggestion was to give each activist several names of these kinds of voters and just touch base with them every few months to see what their concerns are. Not to preach to them but to ask them what their needs and worries are. Then as they air their concerns, we can give them the facts about what Obama has done or what the obstructionist Republicans are blocking. For example, if they say they are worried about loans, I can personally atest to the fact that the rethugs blocked for nearly a year legislation that would have enabled my family to get an SBA loan we desperately need. It is legislation that they helped write and voted against because they thought Obama wanted it.

I think this idea has merit, but I don't know how it would be coordinated. You wouldn't want to drive them crazy like we do in a campaign, but more just stay in touch to keep a dialog going.

I am glad people are engaged and ready to mobilize to go forward. I am determined but right now, I am just tired.

I am just sick, but I am in for 2012!

From Hank in NYC:

“Take The Gloves Off Mr. President” – November 5, 2010

The Republicans were swept into power in the House based upon their promises to reduce the debt, cut the deficit, and slash spending. The only quasi-concrete plans these Republicans have put forward are to extend or make permanent all the Bush era tax cuts, and to cut billions from “discretionary” spending. Extending all the Bush tax cuts would not only fail to reduce the deficit, but would do exactly the opposite. At a time when the middle class is struggling to keep its head above water, small businesses cannot get credit to expand and hire, and more Americans are slipping into poverty than ever before, it would be unconscionable to add even a single dollar to the deficit. Now let’s look at “discretionary” spending. What that term really means is all spending that does not involve defense or entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security which account for about 75-80% of all spending in this country. Slashing $100 billion per year as Eric Cantor has claimed will be all but impossible, especially in a Congress that still is driven by creating earmarks for pet projects in their home districts.

It is time for President Obama to return to being the man I campaigned and voted for. The reason Democrats took such a “shellacking” last Tuesday is mainly because Mr. Obama has allowed himself to become walled into the protective fortress we call the White House, and has surrounded himself with people who keep him from using his greatest strength: connecting directly with the people. I urge the President to take immediate and direct action in the following three areas: End the war in Afghanistan and begin bringing the troops home this Christmas. We are spending $2 billion dollars a month, not to mention the lives and limbs of our bravest young men and women, to support a corrupt government, a country that is no closer to being able to defend itself from the Taliban and Al Qaeda than it was nine years ago, and whose only economic infrastructure is the opium trade. The money saved could be used to pay for health care reform and the development of alternative sources of clean energy, as well as enhanced benefits for all our soldiers who have fought so bravely in Iraq and Afghanistan. Second, Mr. Obama needs to come out and say without equivocation, that he will veto any and all legislation that would extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, or reduce and/or attempt to repeal his signature health care reform act. Last, the President needs to rally his party in the Congress, and prepare them for what will surely be an all-out effort by the Republicans to reduce his presidency to an afterthought. Mr. Obama and the Democrats extended the olive branch to the opposition while they controlled both houses of Congress, only to have it thrown back in their faces. If it means becoming the “party of no” in the House, and using the filibuster again and again in the Senate, so be it.

Bi-partisanship is dead in Washington, and it is past time for Obama to realize it. I know that this President can be as tough as nails when he wants to be, but fear that he has been counseled far too often to keep trying to work with the opposition. Mitch McConnell’s now oft repeated single most important challenge for the next two years, to see that Obama is only a one-term President, and Mr. Boehner’s insistence on repeal of the health care reform act, should be all Mr. Obama needs to circle the wagons and prepare for the fight of his life, and the future of our country.

From Barbara in KS:

Subject: FW: Word trivia for word lovers

Did you know that the words "race car" spelled backwards still spells "race car"?

Did you know that "eat" is the only word that, if you take the 1st letter and move it to the last, spells its past tense, "ate"?

And if you rearrange the letters in "so-called tea party Republicans," and add just a few more letters, it spells: "Shut up you freeloading, progress-blocking, benefit grabbing, resource-sucking, violent, hypocritical jerks, and face the fact that you nearly wrecked the country under Bush."
Wow! How weird is that?

From Susan in Rye:

I know we're all pretty down about the Hall election and so many others, but we are forging ahead. I will probably be at Sunny's house for lunch next Friday and look forward to meeting you. Do you want to be put on the Westchester for Change elist? We also are on www.meetup.com/westchester-for-change and facebook. We are having a great event on Nov. 16th called "Better Food for Us All" and one of the panelists is woman who runs NY Coalition for Healthy School Food, Amie Hamlin.

Learn about:

The politics behind our food supply:

How current food policies affect our health

Effective grassroots efforts to improve access at all income levels to fresh, healthy, local food

Date: Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

Time: 7:15 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.

Place: James Harmon Community Center

44 Main St, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706

Featured Panelists:

Amie Hamlin, Executive Director of NY Coalition for Healthy School Food

Mark Dunlea, Associate Director of Hunger Action Network

Elisa Zazzera, Sustainable Hastings

Contacts: Joyce Tichy: joyce.tichy@gmail.com (914) 953-5807

From Andy T DNC/NY:

This is a tough and sometimes disheartening business. What does it say about the electorate, and the process, that in one state (Florida) all 17 major newspapers, from the most liberal to the most conservative, could have endorsed the Democrat -- unanimously -- and yet, so very narrowly, the voters made a different choice?

I feel terrible for our country that we’ve again lurched in the wrong direction, as we did so dramatically in 2000. But I don’t feel bad for trying.

And I feel ENORMOUSLY grateful for the help you gave.

At least on the human-scale, transparent political money, subject to legal limits, the “enthusiasm gap” went all our way. With your help, the DNC far outraised the RNC, and nearly doubled our 2006 midterm fundraising results. As a result, OFA was funded to make tens of millions of personal phone calls and door knocks to get out the vote, which did do the trick for us in a number of key races. Hats off to Colorado’s Senator Michael Bennet, for example, and to its great new governor, John Hickenlooper. Hats off to California. Hats off to New York. And more.

As bad as it was, it would have been a lot worse without your help.

There is so much to say, but I want to leave it at this: onward and upward . . . and THANK you.

From Fran in Larchmont:

Dear Pro-Choice Friends in Larchmont and Mamaroneck!

In "Women: The New Green Leaders" Vicky Markham, Director of the Center for Environment and Population, propounds that the issues of women's empowerment and environmental preservation are so irrevocably linked that 2004 Nobel Peace prize winner Wangari Maathai is now only one of a burgeoning phalanx of forward-thinking women worldwide building coalitions to save the Earth.

Future Choices is brought to your home either on Channel 75 (Cablevision) or Channel 36 (Verizon). The show airs Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm with repeats 3 am, 9 am, 3 pm and 9 pm the following day. See full schedule:http://www.lmc-tv.org/?q=node/52

N.B. Future Choices shows can usually be viewed anytime online as well — see hotlink at http://futurechoices.net/ .

From Judy in Mamaroneck:

This came from one of my Gilda's Singers.. but it is a nice glimpse into our new lieutenant-governor elect! He sounds like a real mensch!

won on Tuesday--having run with Cuomo on the Democratic ticket.

from an e-mail from Muriel....

...One more note--my next-door neighbor is lieutenant-governor elect!! Bill and I went to vote Tuesday morning and we were next in line behind Bob, his wife and younger daughter. The media were all there--it was a zoo. Bob was happy to see us, shook Bill's hand and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I hoped that would not be considered electioneering!! I think New York State is lucky to have him in office. He is truly interested in others and making the world a better place. When Bill was sick last winter, Bob cleaned our walk and even shoveled off our front steps. On a day with really bad roads he drove me to the hospital to bring Bill home, had us stay in his warm car in his driveway while he cleaned off our walk, got Bill into the house, then went to CVS and had a prescription filled for Bill. Someone with a lot of ego does not do things like that. His wife was interviewed by the local tv station and said they intend to keep their house in Rochester. So, he will be here at least some of the time. (We will have to clear the snow from our walks ourselves, however!)

From John in CT:

Maybe we should send this to Supreme Court idiots who equate free

speech with money and have put the last nail in the coffin.

Honey, I tell you, you can never go wrong underestimating the American

people. I hope you are not beating yourself up over the election.

You do more than your fair share. The American people deserve the

government they get because they are too stupid and too lazy to get

off their asses and vote.

George Carlin on "The American Dream"

Perfect for today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acLW1vFO-2Q

...More Americans care about Jersey Shore, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, etc. It is UNCOOL in American to pay any attention to politics or history or our socio-political climate. Just buy a cell phone that you can barely afford to pay the bill on, and get an iPod with more gigs, and EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE.......

From Peggy in CA:

This is fabulous!!!

"Dear Red States..." A Letter From The Blue!

Dear Red States...

We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and

we're taking the other Blue States with us.

In case you aren't aware, that includes Hawaii, Oregon,Washington,

Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. We

believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially

to the people of the new country of New California.

To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states.

We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get Elliot

Spitzer. You get Ken Lay.

We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood.

We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.

We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss.

We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You

get Alabama.

We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states

pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the

Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a

bunch of single moms.

Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and

anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at

once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have

kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no

purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their

children's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq, and

hope that the WMDs turn up, but we're not willing to spend our

resources in Bush's Quagmire.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent

of the country's fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple

and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of

America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners)

90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most

of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and

condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools, plus Harvard, Yale,

Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.

With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88

percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care

costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the

tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern

Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh,

Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.

We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe Jonah was

actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred

unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say

that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved

in 9/11 and 61 percent of you crazy b*****ds believe you are people

with higher morals then we lefties.

By the way, we're taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt

weed they grow in Mexico.

Peace out,

Blue States

From Val in Ohio:

http://www.ellicottvillenews.com/index.php/2010/06/3808/

There was a time not so long ago when Americans, regardless of their political stripes, rallied round their president. Once elected, the man who won the White House was no longer viewed as a Republican or Democrat, but the President of the United States. The oath of office was taken, the wagons were circled around the country’s borders and it was America versus the rest of the world with the president of all the people at the helm. Suddenly President Barack Obama, with the potential to become an exceptional president has become the glaring exception to that unwritten, patriotic rule.

Four days before President Obama’s inauguration, before he officially took charge of the American government, Rush Limbaugh boasted publicly that he hoped the president would fail. Of course, when the president fails the country flounders. Wishing harm upon your country in order to further your own narrow political views is selfish, sinister and a tad treasonous as well.

Subsequently, during his State of the Union address, which is pretty much a pep rally for America, an unknown congressional representative from South Carolina, later identified as Joe Wilson, stopped the show when he called the President of the United States a liar. The president showed great restraint in ignoring this unprecedented insult and carried on with his speech. Speaker Nancy Pelosi was so stunned by the slur, she forgot to jump to her feet while clapping wildly, 30 or 40 times after that.

Last spring, President Obama took his wife Michelle to see a play in New York City and republicans attacked him over the cost of security for the excursion. The president can’t take his wife out to dinner and a show without being scrutinized by the political opposition? As history has proven, a president in a theatre without adequate security is a tragically bad idea...(Read rest on line http://www.ellicottvillenews.com/index.php/2010/06/3808/)

From Kathy in KCMO:

This is an article I sent to Marisa to read when we were feeling crappy about the outcome of the election. It made me feel better. He articulated what I was thinking. Maybe it will make you feel better too.

Read this article from one of the writers at Daily Kos. It is a good summary and makes me feel better. He said what I was thinking. I especially like the last paragraphs about the tea partiers shitting their costume pantaloons! Good stuff. I feel better today!

Cheers and Jeers: Wednesday

The Morning After

First and foremost, we must congratulate some of the Democratic winners, names both old and new: Patrick Leahy and Chris Coons. Chuck Schumer and Dick Blumenthal. Kirsten Gillibrand and Barbara Mikulski. Jim Gray, the new and openly-gay mayor of Lexington Kentucky, Governor John Lynch of New Hampshire, the gay-marriage-into-law-signer who won reelection, and good ol' Barney Frank. Andrew Cuomo defeated the porn-forwarding homophobe with anger issues (I forget his name already) in New York's governor race, and Deval Patrick coasted to his guv win in Massachusetts. I love seeing Lincoln Chafee back in the political saddle as the governor of Rhode Island, and John Hickenlooper in the Colorado statehouse. Jerry Brown and Barbara Boxer--woo hoo! And Maine's two Democratic congressmembers, Chellie Pingree and Mike Michaud went through their challengers like a spoon through a jar of delicious Maine blueberry jam, now on sale at fine supermarkets across America. (Buy some today!)

The Republican Nazi re-enactor in Ohio is crying in his strudel this morning after he literally met his political "D"-Day. (Und vee say Heil! [Thpptt!] Heil! [Thpptt!] Right in Herr Iott's face!) And there will be no stationery printed with the words: "From the Desk of Senator Sharron Angle" on it.

Plus---minor little thing here---we still hold the Senate, which is where destructive Republican bills from the House will go to die. (But, damn, losing Feingold is just crazy.)

And now we'll overturn the stone to see what's underneath and...oh god, that's ugly. The good news is, we didn’t lose 435 seats last night. The bad news is, we seem to have lost 434.

Let's keep this in perspective. This is not a seismic shift to the Republican agenda. This was a protest vote---a message to Democrats that said, "We don’t think you delivered our ponies fast enough, so we're going to make you feel our pain the only way we know how: by reminding you that there's another team out there."

But this does not mean Americans are in love with Republicans, or even that they like them...they don't. Democrats are still more popular than Republicans. Democratic policies are still more popular than Republican policies when we explain them...it's just that the average American doesn’t have the time or inclination to be explained to. So on we search for ways to slap our brand on a bumper sticker. ("We're less worse than Republicans" didn’t cut it this time.)And a special message for the "loose confederation" of "non-affiliated" tea party types:

When you see Republican leaders in the House fucking up and doing the very things you crapped your costume pantaloons over---and they will---you must stay true to your "party-neutral" mission and declare war on them the same way you declared war on those nasty Democrats. Because don't forget: by your own admission you're not Republican...or Democrat...or anything "organized." You say so yourself every five minutes. So when Republicans start pumping out juicy slabs of pork to their districts willy nilly, and add to the deficit, and raise the debt ceiling, and ignore your agenda and, yes, when THEY START TREADING ON YOU...you must hold rallies against them and call them what you called Democrats: tyrants and traitors and Hitlers and Maos and Stalins who want to drop-kick your grandma onto an ice floe (if you can find one these days).And if you don't judge the New Improved House by the same standards you judged the Old Tyrannical House, then you wallowers-in-hypocrisy will have two options: either drop the charade and start calling yourselves plain old (and getting older by the day) lockstep Republicans again...or shut the hell up.

As for you, John Boehner: jobs jobs jobs jobs jobs. If you and your corporate buddies don’t produce jobs jobs jobs jobs jobs by 2012, it's gonna be one helluva short honeymoon. And we'll remember that you told your right-wing fringe last night that "I'll never let you down."As Lawrence O'Donnell responded, in the understatement of the evening: "Oh...yes...you...will."

Don't let them twist our words,facts,issues-fire up and get the truth out!

2010-10-23T12:43:00.000-04:00

Dear Obama/Biden Supporters:

Did you ever realize the potency of words and how they can be twisted to support one's viewpoint before this election? The Republican Party has hijacked our language and turned things upside down. They have been doing it since John Kerry was Swift Boated and you would think we would have learned how to counteract this by now. So, according to them health care is now Obamacare and socialism at its best. It seems that government(as long as it is something you don't want to control like gay marriage) is an invasion into your life and completely over spending. Obama's financial rescue plan that kept us out of the largest depression ever (after W got us into this hole) is perceived as big government on an out of control spending tear.Once again, Karl Rove and now Glen Beck , have fired up this group of hypocrites who say they are for small government but don't want anyone to touch their Social Security and Medicare . What they do with their curious control of language is to get people to vote against their own interests. I mean do you really think that these greedy fat cats, who want to keep all their money, give a damn about the working class. They want their W tax cuts renewed at the cost of about 100 billion dollar deficit to this budget, they say they are so concerned about! It is this kind of language where you spin about bailouts,spending and deficits that makes all these people buy into it like it truth. Somehow I have to believe that this country has smart people who are beginning to see through this rhetoric. They are not as dumb as Rove thinks they are. The Tea Party message of keep government out of my life, except if I want to get rid of gay marriage,build a bridge to nowhere, keep tax cuts for the upper 1%(Koch brothers raison d'etre), dig for oil or abolish something we don't approve of like the education department. These great "father figures" know what is best for us and not that dangerous bloated government . The GOP and Tea Party use this spin that often is composed of lies (or distorted facts) and all use it consistently in lock step every chance they get. It is not about content but spin and saying it enough times that people begin to believe it.

We saw a movie last night in our film class that really drove this point home, called Fair Play, the story of Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame. There were all W's men including Cheney and Libby making this great case for Niger selling yellowcake uranium to Saddam Hussein for WMD's. You know the tale where Wilson wrote his report saying he traveled to Niger and talked to officials and found no evidence of the sale.He wrote a detailed report that stated," Moreover, because the two mines are closely regulated, quasi-governmental entities, selling uranium would require the approval of the minister of mines, the prime minister and probably the president. In short, there's simply too much oversight over too small an industry for a sale to have transpired."So back he goes and finds out in W's State of the Union address that what he had shown to be a false report was being taken as not only true but a reason to go to war with Iraq. W and Cheney were determined to go to war with Iraq. No information, facts, or discoveries of false signatures on the 1990's report was seemingly important or valid for them. This British report (remember those 16 words in the state of the union address) became the basis for war by raising fear that Saddam had Weapons of mass destruction.

I sat there cringing and watching news clips and wanting to tear out my hair over the manipulation of facts. At the very least Congress , which authorized the use of military force at the president's behest, should have investigated if the assertions about Iraq were warranted. Could we be falling for this again and the same guys selling us those lies. Here you have a man whose wife was an exposed CIA agent ,his family and his marriage were threatened because Cheney and Libby didn't agree with his report. Wilson sat down and wrote a an editorial to the NY Times about the results of his trip to Niger that negated the sale of uranium to Iraq. Hence, Libby had Plame outed in retaliation for this editorial. My friend in the film club said," I was not surprised at the lengths the Bush White House went to cover their behinds with the lies and deceit... but it was heartbreaking to know that many Iraqi scientists and their families who were depending on the US to get them safely out of the country, likely died as a result of the outing of Valerie Plame... and worse yet, is that there is no recourse, to this day, for Rove, Cheney, Bush and the rest! And of course the thousands of military and innocent Iraqis who died and continue to die, needlessly!"

Wilson felt both he and the CIA must tell the truth ,and his life was turned upside down and put into imminent danger because he did. Does one speak out when they know things are wrong? Do we protest the a candidate in Delaware is surprised that a separation of church and state is in the constitution. Do we fight back when Obama is pulverized by Fox news?Do we read newspapers and learn about issues since TV is no longer news but entertainment? Television doesn't seem to care about keeping us informed or getting the facts straight . Instead they like to talk about, Sharon Angle wanting Harry Reid to "man up". This is the same woman who sunk to a new low when she told a classroom of Hispanic kids in Las Vegas: "Some of you look a little more Asian to me". In the final scene of the movie Fair Game, Joe Wilson makes a rousing speech for speaking out against injustice and factual reporting. He asks his class how many of you students remember those 16 little words that led us into a war with Iraq? A few students raised their hands . Next he asked how many of you know my wife's name, and the whole room held up their hands. I rest my case says he about sensationalism making news. If you scream loud really loud you get your point across and that makes an impression.

I urge you in these last 10 days of the election to reach out to people. We have to speak out against injustice, no matter what the consequence. We need to get the truth out,since the GOP is more adept at spreading their message irregardless of the facts. The Republicans opposed the stimulus package that created between 1.4-3.3 million jobs. Go to www.FactCheck.org , the indispensable truth squad there says."It's just false to say the stimulus created no jobs".Where is the GOP plan that creates jobs? Indeed they propose actions that would worsen the fiscal situation. For starters they favor $700 billion in extended tax cuts for the most affluent Americans. This would lead to an even more gargantuan gap between rich and poor.They want to do away with health care reform that would mean an increase in deficits of about $455 billion. On the other hand,keeping health care reform will trim the deficits by more than $170 billion between now and 2020 says the C.B.O.(you can fact check this). You and I know these facts but the spinners are out there distorting the issues and making it seem like they will take us to" the promised land". We have to answer back and so many of you are out there doing just that by knocking on doors, making those calls, and e-mailing(don't worry there is an end in sight!!!). We cannot shut up and must report an injustice even if it is a pothole ! Please join me in getting out the facts and the vote on November 2. You can be sure that Palin will vote, Sharon Angle will vote, Rush Limbaugh will vote, and certainly Glenn Beck will vote. Lets don't let them beat us at our own game. We won in 2008 because we connected with the voters and each other. So many of you have come up with such terrific ideas and appeals to reach the voters from ****Dames for Democrats to ***Westchester 4 Change(see examples in this blog). We can and must keep fighting with facts and information against the outrageous unqualified people running for office with Tea Party support. They are not only ill informed but hypocrites begging for small government but not wanting anyone to touch their Social Security and Medicare. Yes we can and will spend these last days doing the right thing and getting our message out because this is who we are and what we do.

Love,Sunny

A Mama 4 Obama

From Betty in Scarsdale:

Nita is really lucky---and so are we to get rid of her opponent!!!

#2

Daily Kos: State of the Nation

Go Viral!!!!

From Jude in PA:

Hi Sunny! Thanks for keeping the fires lit. Let me know if any of your folks want to bus down between now and November 2nd--I'm running OFA operations out of Bucks County PA. we're about 45 minutes from philly, just slightly south of the lehigh valley. theres a train that comes into quakertown and doylestown.Hugs,

From Val in Ohio:

I guess you have not been persuaded to join the tea party (smiles). I just returned from the AARP convention in Orlando. Heard Kathleen Sibelius address health care reform; Larry King and Whoopi Goldberg shared a stage; was enthralled with Gladys Knight and BB King; gained wisdom from Sarah Lawrence Lightfoot; etc.etc. I bet there was not a tea party member in the crowd because the folks were not haters. They just came to have a good time. I didn't even find time to meet with your friend, Harriet.

Our local chapter of Drs. for America will be attending the rally on Oct. 30. That's going to be a nice way to wrap up the campaign season.

Sent the application for an absentee ballot to my son for his signature. Joe Sestak can count on a vote once he gets a ballot.

It's full speed ahead from now until November 2. I already voted so I can help get others to the polls.

From Sara in DC:

Hey obama family-

Hope this finds you all well! Put together a video essentially telling candidates threatening to repeal health care to back off-- thought you might be able to make some use of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4T-J04jwW0

Wonk Room has more: http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/10/05/aca-young-cover/

#2

Hope this finds you well. Thought you'd get a kick out of a video Campus Progress put together as a part of http://www.voteagain2010.com, an effort to boost youth turnout this midterm election cycle being orchestrated by over 30 groups and media partners.

http://www.voteagain2010.com/2010/07/iller/

The video is a response to the persistent talking point that young people who are politically active are zombies.

From Val in Ohio:

I drove down a newly paved street in my community this morning and a thought crossed my mind. If John McCain & Co. had been elected this road would not have been paved. Yes, it was stimulus dollars at work that got the job done. Now as the 2010 election draws near, I have to wonder what else will be taken away if the Rethugs dominate our national agenda. Prez Obama has tried to do what we asked of him with one hand tied behind his back (the Congress). We need to give him some help. Get out and vote!!! PS I hear James Carville said the Dems have come out of their fetal position and are starting to fight back.

From Hank in NY:

“What The World Needs Now” – October 12, 2010

Hal David, along with Burt Bacharach wrote that song many years ago. It was originally sung by Jackie DeShannon, and made even more popular by Luther Vandross. “What the world needs now, is love, sweet love, it's the only thing, that there's just too little of……” These lyrics were never more true than they are today.
Actually, the world, and especially America, is today so full of hate that we can’t even see straight. I thought there could be no more hated man in this country than George W. Bush, but the racist hatred being spewed at Barack Obama is so vile, and so vindictive, it makes the vitriolic contempt leveled on “W” seem as soft and sweet as cotton candy.

Given the level of racism still present in the U.S. in the early stages of the twenty-first century, it is almost hard to believe that Obama ever got elected. If not for the miserable opponent, John McCain, that he faced in 2008, and that candidate’s almost mind-numbing decision to name Sarah Palin as his choice for Vice President, Barack Obama might not be sitting behind that desk in the Oval Office.

Now, everything that is wrong with America is being blamed on Obama. The “Tea Party” movement actually started as a result of ultra right-wing hatred of the president. Even many in the progressive segment of his own party hates him for escalating the war in Afghanistan. The scenes of joy and tears from Grant Park are a distant memory now. On that election night America convinced itself that we had become a color blind nation. The world community, friend and foe stood up and cheered, amazed at what the American electorate had wrought! Then Obama was sworn in and took office. It was as if the president had disguised himself as a caucasian man, and as he drove and walked down Constitution Avenue that cold January 19th, 2009, he started taking off the make-up and showing the world that he was an African American.

The haters stared in immediately, tossing in grenades comparing him to Hitler, and accusing him of not being a U.S. citizen. (Some 18% of Americans still believe it). The Glenn Beck’s, Rush Limbaugh’s, Newt Gingrich’s and Sarah Palin’s of the world hit him with everything from being a total socialist intent on ruining America, to blaming him for both Bush wars and the deficit. The Republican minorities in the House and Senate decided long before Inauguration Day to “just say no” to anything this president asked for, and it was only with the unique courage and conviction that Obama possess that enabled him to get health care and financial reforms passed into law.

Now this hatred has spawned candidates for Governor, the Senate and the House, who are so unqualified as to be incapable of even spelling the word “legislation.” Carl Paladino, Sharon Angel, and Christine O’Donnell are the more prominent names that come to mind, but there are many races where a Tea Party candidate has defeated the Republican Party’s own choice, and got there because of the hatred of their supporters for this president and their own party regulars. We cannot, and will not, solve the massive problems America faces as long as so much hate is present in our discourse. We must become, as Bush 41 said, “a kinder and gentler nation.”

Whatever the voters decide on November 2nd, all Americans need to start singing, “what the world needs now……”

From Lee in DC/NYC OFA and DNC:

As you know we are moving into the final days before the important midterm election on November 2nd. The final weeks of any election are about one thing – getting out the vote. If we can get large numbers of our 2008 voters to vote again this November then Democrats will keep the House and Senate, and President Obama can continue to move America forward. Please help us by volunteering some of your time at our office in New York City.

Organizing for America

25 East 21st Street, 4th Floor

between Park Avenue South and Broadway

Phone banks are scheduled almost daily:

Monday - Thursday from 1:00PM-5:00PM in the afternoon and 5:00PM to 9:00PM.

Saturday: 23rd from 1:00PM-5:00PM

We are doing our GOTV push the final four days, from Saturday October 30th through Election Day, Nov.2nd - - we will be making calls from 10 AM to 9 PM .Additionally, the OFA team organizes Saturday and Sunday trips to canvas in Westchester and Long Island. ** If you have questions please contact our amazing OFA Volunteer Coordinator Clare White (and Women for Obama alum) at 917-783-8905 or at clareawhite@gmail.com. Clare is copied on this email.

Thanks for your continued support,

From Kathy in MO:

Sorry this message is so long. I just think we need to arm ourselves with facts and get out and talk to voters every chance we get.

If you are a Missouri voter or have friends and family who are, please encourage them to get out and vote on Nov. 2 and support Robin Carnahan for Senator. She and her family have a record of real service to Missouri unlike Roy Blunt who only claims to have Missouri values.

Robin supports strengthening Medicare and Social Security where Blunt has said it would have been better if they had never started these life saving programs that have kept seniors out of poverty for years. He claims they really don't benefit anyone. He has voted to privatize or weaken them whenever he has had a chance. This is a very real part of the Republican agenda if they regain control of Congress.

Blunt has a voting record in Washington; Robin does not. He likes to rail against spending in Washington, but he neglects to say that he was Bush’s point man in the House to push through the $700 billion TARP bank/Wall St. bailout of 2008. Many would argue that the government needed to step in, but as it was set up, there was no accountability as to how this would be spent and much of it went to paying bonuses to CEO’s instead of stimulating the economy.

As small business owners, we have watched the legislation on SBA loans carefully this year. Blunt and the Republicans claim to be pro small business, but voted against this important legislation every time it came up. This has delayed for nearly a year us being able to get the loans we need to expand our business. He has voted against Main Street and job creation at every opportunity and for Wall Street and big business at every turn.

Blunt and the Republicans like railing against the stimulus spending and claim it didn’t create a single job. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office claims it has created approx. 2.5 million jobs and saved thousands more jobs of teachers, firefighters, and police officers. Blunt voted against all measures to stimulate the economy.

He is trying to hang a label of corruption on the Carnahan family by running ads against Robin's brother's Missouri windfarm. The claims are totally false. No one lobbied for these tax breaks in the Carnahan family nor in the windfarm company. The money was set aside and designated for companies all over the country to create jobs and encourage clean energy, something the Carnahans have been doing for years not just to get tax breaks or grants this year. Over 1000 companies across the country got these grants and tax incentives. The windfarm is the largest private sector investment in the state in the past couple of years and is expected to generate more than 2500 jobs as well as clean energy!

Blunt is just trying to deflect from his own proven record of corruption. His ties to indicted Tom Delay and convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff are well documented. Even Chris Wallace on FOX questioned whether Blunt had the ethics to lead change in DC! One of his best known ethics breaches was trying to insert into a homeland security bill benefits for his tobacco lobbyist girlfriend and her company. He still maintains that making the tobacco industry stronger makes us all safer! His well documented voting record for big business and gifts from lobbyists is too long to list.

Millions of dollars of Blunt's ads are being paid for by Karl Rove's American Crossroads group and The US Chamber of Commerce that is rife with scandal over contributions from foreign countries to influence our election! They are running a well financed multi-million dollar smear campaign against Robin.

Please help us keep Blunt out of the Senate! He is a bought and paid for politician that exemplifies the very worst of Washington. Missouri and the country cannot afford to have him in the Senate.

Robin Carnahan has served MO well in many capacities most recently as our Secretary of State. She has fought corruption here and fought for consumers. She has also worked hard to make our elections safer and more ethical. We need her in the Senate.

Please support her with your vote and your volunteer efforts. You can see the volunteer opportunities at www.robincarnahan.com Thanks,

Also please Vote yes on Prop B which would strengthen regulation of the unsafe and inhumane puppy mills that MO has become infamous for!

From Mary in MO:

POWER!!!!!

This election is about power. It's about Republicans regaining power. They have shown they will stop at almost nothing to do so, up to and including using the feckless freakish tea partiers.

So now, the Republican Party has gathered under its "umbrella" people who engage in bigoted, absurd, and inflammatory rhetoric (and bahavior) and people who propose, among other things, the privatization of Social Security, the repeal of health care and Wall Street reform, and the impeachment of President Obama. The big "umbrella" includes people who say that government is too big and intrusive and yet propose that all abortions be illegal including for victims of rape and incest. As an advocate for abused and neglected kids for nearly thirty years, I can tell you that this last idea shows an abysmal lack of compassion and understanding.

To the point. Last month I turned 71.......the month before that, I completed treatment for breast cancer.

This month --- I PLEDGE to spend every Saturday until election day knocking doors for Robin Carnahan and to do whatever I can for the GET OUT THE VOTE effort.

I urge you, no, challenge you to do the same where ever you are.....there is work to be done. California, Wisconsin, Florida...there are races everywhere that could use help. Knock doors, make phone calls, -- just do it. I know some of you are already working hard --- enlist others.

In Platte County, Missouri: meet me tomorrowat at the HQ ( the Montee building) on 9 Hwy in Parkville 10:00 am. E-mail me if you can make it or if I can help you.

"They" say they want their country back but what they want to do with it is down right scary! I don't need to tell you that a Republican majority in both houses of Congress would be disastrous.

Let's do it........................

From Jane in Larchmont: How Dare Women not Vote after those who fought to get it for us only 90 years ago!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StF3_Mj0tBg

Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO's new movie 'Iron Jawed Angels.' It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say.

I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder.

Hard to believe this actually happened and we don't even talk about it.

This is the story of our Mothers and Grandmothers who lived only 90 years ago. Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.

The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote. And by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.'

(Lucy Burns)

They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.

(Dora Lewis)

They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.

Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote.

For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.

When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/suffrage/nwp/prisoners.pdf

So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because --- why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining? Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO's new movie 'Iron Jawed Angels.' It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder.

All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote. Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege. Sometimes it was inconvenient.

My friend Wendy, who is my age and studied women's history, saw the HBO movie, too. When she stopped by my desk to talk about it, she looked angry. She was--with herself. 'One thought kept coming back to me as I watched that movie,' she said. 'What would those women think of the way I use, or don't use, my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn.' The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her 'all over again.'

HBO released the movie on video and DVD. I wish all history, social studies and government teachers would include the movie in their curriculum I want it shown on Bunco night, too, and anywhere else women gather. I realize this isn't our usual idea of socializing, but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and I think a little shock therapy is in order.

It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy.The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.' We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party - remember to vote.

From Betty in Scarsdale:

We released this new ad today hitting Joe DioGuardi where he claims to be strongest: on his fiscal restraint, or, rather, the lack thereof when he was a congressman. Link to the ad is below. Please spread it to your networks.

Maggie Haberman and Celeste Katz have the ad up on their blogs:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/maggiehaberman/1010/Gillibrand_goes_negative_on_DioGuardi_.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/10/after-cheery-pro-vets-ad-gilli.html

From Val in Ohio:

I drove down a newly paved street in my community this morning and a thought crossed my mind. If John McCain & Co. had been elected this road would not have been paved. Yes, it was stimulus dollars at work that got the job done. Now as the 2010 election draws near, I have to wonder what else will be taken away if the Rethugs dominate our national agenda. Prez Obama has tried to do what we asked of him with one hand tied behind his back (the Congress). We need to give him some help. Get out and vote!!!

From Gloria in McCungie PA:

Macungie Volunteers -

Lots of good news this morning -

1 - Rick + Noreen have taken on the Herculean task of calling all *382 Obama `08 volunteers* for whom we have phone numbers to nudge them into action. Go, you guys! I'm sure they'd appreciate your help if you have the time.

2 - The Mac Institute has offered us the use of a room *FREE* for one night as reparations for locking us out last Friday night. Free's always good, right?

Bad news -

There are no rooms available there for this Thursday 10/14 as we'd hoped. Two alternatives:

* Wednesday 10/13

* Friday 10/15

Please *email me with your preference* ASAP and I'll let you know the group's consensus.

Fired up + Ready to go!

From Tommy in MO:

28 days left in the campaign --- you know that means, right? Tomorrow, I kick off my third Boots on the Ground operation - BOTG III.

In the last 28 days of the campaign, I will again travel throughout this district's 28 counties. Tomorrow, we begin on Pine Street in my hometown of Rolla and proceed. Over the next 28 days, I'll join my growing field army to knock on doors and meet voters the old fashioned way.

From day one, my campaign made a strategic choice not to to run a conventional campaign. We wanted to build a campaign that people believe in, one less focused on me sitting in a call room dialing for dollars, and more focused on getting my boots on the ground, meeting voters.

That's why I need your help. Every minute I spend knocking doors and marching down Main Streets, my opponent will be destroying my name on the air. We need ammo to fight back. Every dollar you contribute means I can continue to communicate with the rest of the district via television and radio.Will you chip in to keep my ads on the air while I'm on the ground?I really appreciate your support as I prepare to hit the pavement!

From Betty in Scarsdale:

Elie Wiesel: Ground Zero mosque should be used to bring Jews, Christians and Muslims together Make sure and vote!!!

From Peggy in LA:

After a rocky start, Kirsten Gillibrand has not only found her footing, she is poised to assume the mantle of her formidable predecessor. Jonathan Van Meter reports on the Senate’s rising star. Photographed by Norman Jean Roy.

READ THE VOGUE ARTICLE, “IN HILLARY’S FOOTSTEPS”

From Sheila in Larchmont:

It was so great to be with a bunch of impassioned women (and a few men too), writing postcards until our fingers ached (and eating fabulous chocolate), knowing we were part of helping Senator Gillebrand stay in Washington to fight for the President and all of us. How great was it to see her ahead by almost 10 points in the polls the very next day (our postcards did not do it, but our spirit might have)!

Still I worry about all the potential upsets all over the country that may defeat our hopes for giving President Obama the support he needs and for furthering our progressive goals. I can't help thinking that if we could transport all the energy that was collected in your dining room yesterday to our neighbor state, Connecticut, where the wrestler and her money threaten Richard Blumenthal...! Maybe some of your Connecticut fans can tell us what we can do to help them in their efforts. CONNECTICUT: WE'RE HERE FOR YOU! WHAT CAN WE DO?

From Letty in NYC:

I strongly recommend the film "Budrus," about the triumph of Palestinian nonviolence in a small West Bank village. It will be playing in Manhattan from Friday, October 8th through the 21st.

Location: The Quad Cinema, 34 W. 13th St.

Letty

Here's a story on the film that ran in last Sunday's Times. Click here: Film - ‘Budrus’ Becomes Part of a Palestinian Debate - NYTimes.com

*** FOR SCREENING DATES IN L.A. AND WASHINGTON, D.C., CLICK HERE:

Click here: Budrus Official Film Website
Just Vision

From Amy in Mamaroneck:

Check out Joe on CBS News -- on total defensive

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20018941-503544.html

From Randy in Berkeley ,CA:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/17390/210904

This is an article from the October 15, 2010 issue of Rolling Stone by matt Taibbi.

Rolling Stones strikes again-- be sure to read the entire piece. As usual, Matt gets to the heart of the matter.

It's taken three trips to Kentucky, but I'm finally getting my Tea Party epiphany exactly where you'd expect: at a Sarah Palin rally. The red-hot mama of American exceptionalism has flown in to speak at something called the National Quartet Convention in Louisville, a gospel-music hoedown in a giant convention center filled with thousands of elderly white Southerners. Palin — who earlier this morning held a closed-door fundraiser for Rand Paul, the Tea Party champion running for the U.S. Senate — is railing against a GOP establishment that has just seen Tea Partiers oust entrenched Republican hacks in Delaware and New York. The dingbat revolution, it seems, is nigh.

"We're shaking up the good ol' boys," Palin chortles, to the best applause her aging crowd can muster. She then issues an oft-repeated warning (her speeches are usually a tired succession of half-coherent one-liners dumped on ravenous audiences like chum to sharks) to Republican insiders who underestimated the power of the Tea Party Death Star. "Buck up," she says, "or stay in the truck."

Stay in what truck? I wonder. What the hell does that even mean?

Scanning the thousands of hopped-up faces in the crowd, I am immediately struck by two things. One is that there isn't a single black person here. The other is the truly awesome quantity of medical hardware: Seemingly every third person in the place is sucking oxygen from a tank or propping their giant atrophied glutes on motorized wheelchair-scooters. As Palin launches into her Ronald Reagan impression — "Government's not the solution! Government's the problem!" — the person sitting next to me leans over and explains...

...(After speech runs out to speak to some listeners)OK," I say. "And what do you do for a living?"

"Me?" he says proudly. "Oh, I'm a property appraiser. Have been my whole life."

I frown. "Are either of you on Medicare?"

Silence: Then Janice, a nice enough woman, it seems, slowly raises her hand, offering a faint smile, as if to say, You got me!

"Let me get this straight," I say to David. "You've been picking up a check from the government for decades, as a tax assessor, and your wife is on Medicare. How can you complain about the welfare state?"

"Well," he says, "there's a lot of people on welfare who don't deserve it. Too many people are living off the government." "But," I protest, "you live off the government. And have been your whole life!"... The average Tea Partier is sincerely against government spending — with the exception of the money spent on them. In fact, their lack of embarrassment when it comes to collecting government largesse is key to understanding what this movement is all about — and nowhere do we see that dynamic as clearly as here in Kentucky, where Rand Paul is barreling toward the Senate with the aid of conservative icons like Palin...(Read rest on line really great article http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/17390/210904)

From Jennifer in DC:

Is this the Jon Stewart clip you were mentioning?

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-september-23-2010/postcards-from-the-pledge

From Eileen in MO:

Platform for the 2010 Election

I COULD SUPPORT THIS. GEORGE

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!

I am sending this to virtually everybody on my e-mail list and that

includes conservatives, liberals, and everybody in between. Even though

we disagree on a number of issues, I count all of you as friends. My

friend and neighbor wants to promote a "Congressional Reform Act of

2010". It would contain eight provisions, all of which would probably be

strongly endorsed by those who drafted the Constitution and the Bill of

Rights. I know many of you will say, "this is impossible". Let me remind you,

Congress has the lowest approval of any entity in Government, now is the

time when Americans will join together to reform Congress - the entity

that represents us.

We need to get a Senator to introduce this bill in the US Senate and a

Representative to introduce a similar bill in the US House. These

people will become American heroes

Thanks,A Fellow American

Congressional Reform Act of 2010

1. Term Limits: 12 years only, one of the possible options below.

A. Two Six year Senate terms

B. Six Two year House terms

C. One Six year Senate term and three Two Year House terms

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding

Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home

and back to work.

2. No Tenure / No Pension:

A congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay

when they are out of office. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and

back to work.

3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security:

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund moves to the Social

Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social

Security system, Congress participates with the American people.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers

envisioned citizen legislators, server your term(s), then go home and

back to work.

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan just as all

Americans. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers

envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and

back to work.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional

pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers

envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and

back to work.

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in

the same health care system as the American people. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and

back to work.

7. Congress must equally abide in all laws they impose on the American

people. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers

envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and

back to work. Or go to jail, if appropriate.

8. All contracts with past and present congressmen are void effective

1/1/11. The American people did not make this contract with congressmen,

congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and

back to work.

From Stef in KIrsten's office:

I have concerning news. As you know, Kirsten has been an unwavering champion of women's reproductive freedom both as a member of the House and in the US Senate with a 100% pro-choice rating from groups such as Planned Parenthood and NARAL NY.

Amazingly, NY Republicans have nominated Joe DioGuardi, an extreme anti-choice Republican to run against her. DioGuardi opposes reproductive rights even in the cases of rape and incest. He says he wants to see Roe V. Wade overturned and has voted to eliminate funding for emergency reproductive care when a mother's life is in danger.

Read about his extremist record here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lorna-brett-howard/joe-dioguardi-liar-liar-p_b_744184.html Please comment and spread the word to your friends and social networks.

You can help keep Kirsten fighting as our pro-choice champion and progressive advocate by helping out with Women's Week of Action!

Hundreds of women across the state are taking action and it's not too late to get on board! Please reply to this email or sign up at http://kirstengillibrand.com/womensweek to find out how you can help!

From Kathy in MO: In response to KC Star Editorial(see below)

Aren't they just hideous??? Anything that is humane or makes sense they are automatically against! This should be unanimously supported, but again they are twisting everything around to make it look bad to protect animals in this state! The fact that it is outside agitators like Joe the fake Plumber makes it even worse!

Joe the Plumber plunges into Missouri puppy mills

By BARBARA SHELLY

The Kansas City Star

A grand conspiracy is afoot, and it starts right here in Missouri.

So says none other than Joe “The Plumber” Wurzelbacher, John McCain’s improbable sidekick in the 2008 presidential campaign. Liking the limelight and desperately searching for a new gig, Joe has lighted upon the Missouri ballot proposition cracking down on puppy breeding abuses.

Joe wants you to know that Proposition B is not really about making sure that dogs have access to healthy food, clean water, reasonable veterinary care, protection from extreme cold and heat, and room to move around.

No. Prop B is a plot by the dreaded Humane Society of the United States, “simply to get rid of ALL dog breeding in Missouri — the unlicensed AND licensed breeders.”

But it doesn’t stop there. Here’s Joe, on the website Alliance for Truth, dedicated to “exposing hidden political agendas.”

“This bill is just a stepping stone. HSUS eventually wants to extend this law to ALL animals. Their idea of utopia is a United States with NO animal ownership; NO meat to eat; NO pets; NO hunting; NO fishing; NO service animals.”

Is that the end of it? Oh, indeed not. More from Joe:

“Even the extinction of our food industry isn’t the scariest part of this whacko liberal agenda. A law is only as good as it’s enforced. And HSUS is happy to fill the void. HSUS has now become the self-appointed law enforcement of the animal world. We have to draw the line and hold these radical animal rights activists back.”

Wurzelbacher’s rantings could be dismissed as comedy but for one thing: His arguments have been voiced many times in the halls and chambers of the Missouri Capitol.

That’s why the Humane Society mobilized to get Proposition B on the ballot. Animal protection measures are radioactive in the state legislature.

Elected officials in Missouri have argued that tougher rules for puppy breeders are the first step to limits on livestock production. They portray the Humane Society (HSUS to opponents) as a fringe organization determined to turn us into a nation of vegans.

Meanwhile, Missouri holds the dubious status of the “puppy mill capital” of the U.S., with about 1,500 licensed breeders supplying four of every 10 puppies sold at pet stores around the nation — many with breeding and health problems. Officials believe hundreds of unlicensed breeders also operate in the state.

Law enforcement raids continually turn up starved, sick and mangy animals, some stacked atop one another in wire cages.

Contrary to what Wurzelbacher and others claim, existing laws don’t adequately protect dogs. Missouri’s animal care facilities act is 18 years old and lax compared with animal welfare laws in other states.

“The provisions ensure that the dogs survive. It does not ensure that they’re treated humanely,” said Barbara Schmitz, director of the Humane Society of Missouri.

As Schmitz observed, opponents of Proposition B don’t want to talk about the way dogs are treated. So they hide behind smoke screens and outright falsehoods.

Experience from other states debunks the claim that the new regulations would “put almost every breeder in Missouri out of business,” as Wurzelbacher warns breathlessly. In any case, the demise of a business that forces animals to exist in misery is no great loss.

And although some states empower employees of animal protection groups to inspect breeding operations and enforce laws, in Missouri those responsibilities would fall to Department of Agriculture employees and local police and sheriff’s departments.

Wurzelbacher’s ominous vision of “HSUS employees running around with guns and police-like badges breaking down doors,” would not play out here.

Joe the Plumber would love to throw a wrench into the animal welfare campaign. But his conspiracy theory leaks like a bad faucet.

From Judy in Mamaroneck:

Click here: Op-Ed Columnist - Facebook Politicians Are Not Your Friends - NYTimes.com

From Dani in Brooklyn:

When Dowd's good, she's good...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/opinion/10dowd.html?ref=opinion&pagewanted=print

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

October 9, 2010

Lord of the Internet Rings

By MAUREEN DOWD

It didn’t take long, sitting with an enthralled audience and watching the saga of the cloistered jerk who betrayed those around him and ended up unfathomably rich and influential, to understand why it has been hailed as a masterpiece.

They had me at the mesmerizing first scene, when the repulsive nerd is mocked by a comely, slender young lady he’s trying to woo. Bitter about women, he returns to his dark lair in a crimson fury of revenge.

It unfolds with mythic sweep, telling the most compelling story of all, the one I cover every day in politics: What happens when the powerless become powerful and the powerful become powerless? ...

From Amy in Mamaroneck and Todd in Gilllibrand's office:

I think we have the ideal name for DioGuardi: "Old Crony." It was the SEC's nickname for him when he was investigated as part of a ponzi scheme. Below is our press release we sent out today. I think between his tax cheating, his election law scheming and this, "Old Crony" sort of sums it all up. An old time insider using his connections to better himself.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/10/12/2010-10-12_feds_link_gop_senate_hopeful_joe_dioguardi_to_ponzi_firm.html#community

BREAKING…. NY Daily News: Feds link GOP Senate hopeful Joe DioGuardi to Ponzi firm

The SEC described DioGuardi, who faces incumbent Democrat Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in next month's election, as an "old crony" of the company's bosses and suggested "he's connected to the original fraudulent scheme."

As of last November, thousands of investors were owed $1 billion. The feds froze the company's assets; the case is pending.

BY Kathleen Lucadamo

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, October 12th 2010

U.S. Senate hopeful Joe DioGuardi prides himself on his accounting expertise - but he has a history with a firm the feds say ran a $1.7 billion Ponzi scheme.Medical Capital Holdings and its subsidiaries bilked investors out of $1 billion while sinking millions into a mega-yacht and Hollywood flop, a complaint filed last year by the Securities and Exchange Commission said.From 2007 to 2009, the former Westchester Republican congressman was paid $5,000 a month as a consultant for the subsidiary Medical Capital Corp. - and also got $16,000 a year to sit on boards of various other MCH subsidiaries.MCH managed the messy books for several of the companies involved in the so-called scheme and was named in the suit.DioGuardi, a trained accountant, claims he was oblivious to any wrongdoing.

"As a consultant, Joe was tasked with saving hospitals in New York from being shut down, but knew nothing of the schemes that were occurring behind the scenes," said his spokesman Brian Hummell, adding that his boss "has never seen the books."The SEC described DioGuardi, who faces incumbent Democrat Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in next month's election, as an "old crony" of the company's bosses and suggested "he's connected to the original fraudulent scheme."...(Read rest on line)

From Val in Ohio:

The OSU rally had a lot of "fillers" leaving me to think the Prez had not arrived on time. The tea baggers put out a fake agenda listing speeches in five minute increments. Things like Obama explaining the trillion dollar budget, Michelle talking about childhood obesity, etc. Since it wasn't nasty, it was actually amusing. John Legend was great!

Off to a rally tomorrow for John Boehner's opponent. Canvassing last today. This is busy season.

From Hank in NY:

Sent: Sunday, October 17, 2010 9:19 AM

To: 'letters@nytimes.com'

Subject: To The Editor

“The Rage Won’t End on Election Day” – Frank Rich – October 17, 2010

Mr. Rich’s essay is correct, but he doesn’t include the major reasons why. America has lost her way. In many Caucasian neighborhoods, hate thy neighbor has become the lexicon, especially if that neighbor is a Muslim, Latino or African American. Our children are obese, apathetic and are leaving school unprepared to compete in the global economy. Our elected officials vote what the “polls” say, even against the best interests of their constituents. America doesn't make anything anymore, and as the Fed considers printing more money to stimulate the economy, the beneficiaries of that strategy will be Wall Street, not Main Street.

We have been mired in unwinnable wars for a decade, the cost of which measured in lives and national treasure is beyond calculation. But the real reason the rage will continue after the midterm elections is, those elected will do no better than those in power, and perhaps worse. There was a time when American voters could influence their own destiny with their ballot, but today American corporations and billionaires control the outcome of our elections. If we want a real target for our rage, look no further than that.

From Sue in Long Island:

We have a choice in Washington: Moving forward to solve our many challenges vs. pandering to anger and fear. Nov. 2 will be one of the most pivotal elections in our lifetimes. You can make a difference!

Call, walk and talk for Tim Bishop now. The race is neck-and-neck. Most polls show Tim Bishop is ahead among registered voters but trailing among “likely” voters. That’s why we need you: To tell Bishop supporters the importance of this election and make sure they Vote. Please join us! If you care about education, if you care about healthcare reform, if you care about preserving Medicare, if you care about equal rights, if you care about a woman’s right to choose, if you care about the environment, if you care about long-term job growth instead of boom and bust cycles...

From now until Nov. 2, our extraordinary volunteers have organized a bonanza of canvasses and phonebanks. They can’t make all those calls and knock on all those doors alone. Besides, these events are fun! Tonight please join Mike and Irene to make phone calls, join Mike on Saturday for a Bridgehampton canvass, and Susan on Sunday to go door to door in Sag Harbor. Next week Arlene is hosting a Monday night phonebank, Mike’s organized a Southampton canvass, and David will lead a team going door to door in East Hampton. Details here:

PHONEBANKS

Mike and Irene’s Southampton Phonebank

Call first time 2008 voters and get them to the polls!

CANVASSES

Will you help out during the most important 4 days of the campaign season? Commit to work during Get Out The Vote weekend Oct. 30-31, Monday, Nov. 1 and Election Day, Nov. 2 – all day or a half-day. Please contact Sue at suehornik@aol.com, 631-605-4689 or David at dposnett@med.cornell.edu, 631-324-4158

From Judy in Mamaroneck:

Wife of Clarence Thomas Reaches Out to Anita Hill Over 1991 Episode

>

> Virginia Thomas, the wife of Associate Justice Clarence

> Thomas of the Supreme Court, left a message last weekend on

> the voice mail of Anita Hill, who accused her husband of

> sexual harassment during his confirmation hearings, a

> spokeswoman for Ms. Thomas confirmed on Tuesday.

>

> In a message left at the office of Ms. Hill, who is now a

> professor at Brandeis University, Ms. Thomas apparently

> brought up Ms. Hill's accusations against her husband during

> the 1991 hearings.

>

> Andrew Gully, senior vice president of the Brandeis

> University communications office, confirmed that Ms. Hill had

> received the message and that she had turned it over to the

> campus department of public safety. That office, in turn,

> passed it on to the F.B.I.

>

> Read More:

> http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/us/politics/20thomas.html?emc=na

From Betty in Scarsdale:

There are less than two weeks until Election Day and the stakes for New York have never been higher.

Andrew Cuomo needs your support not only to win this election, but to build a movement to turn our state around. And Andrew has run his campaign just like he will govern – by building a coalition for reform that draws support from Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.

But our ability to move New York forward depends on how many supporters like you cast your vote.This election is your chance to send Albany a message that we need to change direction and build a better future for New York.

Make the pledge to vote on Election Day -- Tuesday, November 2nd:

From Elizabeth in Mamaroneck:

Dear friends,

This video clip just about had me in tears, it's so good. Please don't miss it.

President Obama has been harshly criticized by many Democrats for his slow and cautious approach to gay civil rights, but a new video in which he talks about gay teenagers who are bullied is a breakthrough.

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/10/22/obama_speaks_to_gay_teens.html

From John R- ********* Note from Sunny,I loved it and think you will too!

Hi got this from Dean and found it share worthy. Check out the video:

http://bit.ly/9Y7H4Y

**** From Robin in North Salem:Wonderful example of starting a creative appeal to voters:

Dear All,

Got this from my dear friend robin I worked on Obama and the WLF with. It is terrific and I sent home to MO for them to do with Robin Carnahan . Can we do it for our candidates here and Kirsten and chuck? Let me know if any one of you can do this quick break down of who to vote for and few sentences of why?

Love,Sunny

Fired up and ready to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sent to me by my North Salem friend Robin!

Our sample of using their idea--Dear Friends: On behalf of Elizabeth,Susan,Rachael,Sunny,and the Dames for Democracy, I am forwarding this email to each of you in the hope that you will read it and send it to 10 of your democratic women friends in our area and remind them to vote on November 2. We need honest, thoughtful, level headed, hardworking people representing us at the state and federal levels – people who are willing to reach across ideological divides to get really important things done (like finishing healthcare reform, fiscal discipline in government and addressing global climate change). These are huge, complex, nonpartisan issues and republicans and democrats should not be fighting over them -- and would not be fighting over them (at least to the point of paralysis) but for the vicious partisan lie machine at work in our society. John, Mike and Tom (as diverse as they are) are each this kind of leader. I support all three of them. I also support Kirsten Gillibrand for exactly the same reasons. Robin Albin recently sent around a good article about Kirsten in Vogue. If you have not read it, please do and pass it along as well.

Recently I became part of a group called "Dames for Democracy." It is a local group of 10 women formed because research shows when women vote democrats win. This midterm election is crucial. Traditionally voter turnout is low during the midterms when every vote counts even more. The Republicans and Tea Party are using scare tactics to frighten the public about social issues. We must elect people who will support the issues and causes we believe in. Each one of us agreed to contact 10 democratic women and ask each to:

1. Promise to vote

2. Reach out to 10 additional democratic women and ask them to do the same

3. Provide absentee ballot information to friends with kids in college.

We can affect big change with this simple recipe for voter turn out. PLEASE join me and the other Dames for Democracy.

Here is our ballot line up:

Nita Lowey for U. S. House of Representatives: etc etc who can fix this up for us?

John is a staunch supporter of healthcare reform based on a real life family experience where he had to fundraise for a family member to afford medical treatment. He chairs the Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, where he is an ardent advocate for the proper treatment of veterans. He has voted reliably forextensions of unemployment insurance, phased withdrawal of troops from Iraq, support for infrastructure projects, affordable healthcare, and protecting social security.

Nan Hayworth is a very wealthy former ophthalmologist who made enough money in 16 years of work under the current health-denial system to retire at age 45 to pursue her political aspirations. Her husband is the CEO and President of Mount Kisco Medical Group (MKMG) and one of only 9 doctors on the national advisory board of Aetna Healthcare.

She OPPOSES the DISCLOSE ACT (http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h5175/show) which requires those corporations paying for advertising and funding campaign to put their NAME on their ads – BP/Exxon Mobil NOT ‘Citizens for sensible energy’ – Aetna or Cigna not ‘Americans for Healthcare Protection’.

She is in favor of the repeal of the healthcare reforms. A repeal would protect the profits of doctors and facilities like MKMG where her husband is CEO. Repeals of things like allowing people with preexisting conditions to get healthcare; allowing children to stay on their parent’s plan until 26; preventing insurers from dropping members who have been faithfully paying their premiums for years once they got an expensive illness to treat; no co-pays for preventative care, annual physicals, OB/Gyn etc.; Money to seniors to close the ‘doughnut-hole’

She is not pro-choice and supports the Stupak Amendment. (http://www.docstoc.com/docs/15284081/Stupak-Amendment-to-HR-3962-Rev-108)

She would like to see:

a Permanent extension of tax cuts for millionaires (like her)

Elimination of the estate tax which only affects the wealthiest Americans with estates valued OVER $3.5 million (like her)

Privatization of our social security – subjecting it to fluctuations in the market; privative Medicare and Medicaid – allowing Medicare which cost about 1.5% to administer to cost 35% or more; extending the Social security eligibility age to 70; and privatize the VA – subject our veterans to denials and rejections of claims arising from their service to our nation. Instituting a national sales tax – a 23% INCREASE for the middle class and elimination of MORTGAGE interest deduction.

Mike Kaplowitz for NY State Senate:

Mike is a Financial Planner and budget expert NOT a career candidate like Greg Ball.

Mike voted AGAINST Andy Spano’s budget, tax increases and pay raises and was FIRED from a leadership position as punishment.

Mike cut $120 Million in taxes and wasteful spending.

Mike has been in the County Legislature for 12 years – Greg runs for office, ANY office every election cycle.

Mike supports: Consolidation and downsizing of agencies; reduced reliance on property tax to pay for schools; Empowering individual legislators by reducing the total power of party leaders.

Greg Ball:

Greg wants to be promoted from the NYS Assembly to the Senate with a record of 0-132 he has failed in 3 years to have any one of 132 pieces of legislation he sponsored passed.

GREG IS A MEMBER OF THE NYS ASSEMBLY AND AN ALBANY INSIDER – A PART OF THE PROBLEM.

MIKE IS AN OUTSIDER WHO HAS NEVER HELD AN OFFICE IN ALBANY – yet Greg says HE is the outsider and Mike is the insider – clearly he has a problem with basic facts and logic.

Exciting Event coming up on Ocotber 18th with Michelle Obama

2010-10-08T08:46:00.000-04:00

Concert with Mrs. Obama and Sarah Jessica Parker and Patti Labelle at the St. James theater for $250 general seating, $1,000 preferred seating or $2,500 preferred seating and meet and greet with Sarah Jessica Parker and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

http://my.democrats.org/NYOct18

Get out the vote,GET OUT THE VOTE, Tell them and Tell them again---Fire UP!

2010-10-05T16:42:00.000-04:00

Dear Obama/BidenSupporters:

I hate to beat a dead horse but what the hell is up with this election? Christine O'Donnell doesn't understand why monkeys can't turn into people right before her eyes. Bill Maher released another old clip of her on his HBO show where she argues that "Evolution is a myth." He can't believe that she is stupid enough to think primate evolution could happen fast enough to observe it. This is truly scary stuff(much more than her high school witch beliefs) since she could be in a position to make decisions about scientific issues,like global warming and stem cells. This is a woman who thinks primate evolution can happen in a week. We are in serious trouble here, not just the Dems but more importantly our country!! Look at the buffoon running for Governor of the great state of NY who declaring himself mad as hell and is being supported by the tea party movement. How better to dwarf the issues than personally attack your opponent to drown out any debates over policy? This Paladino is sending out e-mail jokes about Obama being an African-tribesman. He has also sent out mailings of a doctored photo of our President and Mrs Obama showing the president in a stereotypical pimp's costume holding the hands of the first lady,who is dressed as a prostitute in a grotesquely revealing outfit. Another example of this fine upstanding fellow is his e-mail showing a woman performing a sexual act on a horse. There are many more and he has acknowledged forwarding them,but now says he showed poor judgement in doing this. I believe these e-mails raise legitimate questions about the capability of this man to govern and more importantly that he is really not well.

This election is about values and we can't let our progressive values to be taken away from us. I understand the anger over jobs and the economy , but this all this shouting isn't going to solve problems. Problems also aren't being addressed in the "Pledge to America" released last week by the GOP that outlined their policy agenda. All it seemed to say was deficit are a bad thing and lets make them bigger. There was no information on the cuts they would be making but this document condemned federal debt 16 times. However, it also had as its main proposal to make the Bush tax cuts permanent, which independent estimates say would add about 3.7 trillion to the debt over the next decade-about 700 million moire than Obama administrations tax proposals. All the rest of the "Pledge" seems to be about the need to cut spending but there is only one specific cut proposed,canceling the rest of the TARP. So where do we cut, well they don't talk about this in the Pledge to America, lets leave it fuzzy(like fuzzy math). What are we doing wrong that we are not getting this message out. My friend Kathleen told me that you have to tell them what you want to say, tell them and then tell them again. I think this is very good advice. We need to get the message out there short ,sweet, but to the point. All I know is that with all its problems government is not evil, it is cures to diseases, roads,schools, police, firemen, and safety from terrorism.The institution of government is the glue that holds societies together, When it weakens,things come unstuck.

Our task is clear we have got to wake up and smell the roses. Apathy is going to be our downfall. If we don't get everyone out to vote, young ,old,and those who helped us win in 08 we are going to turn our government over to very scary unqualified people. I don't know what more it would take than to get onto Christine O'Donnell's web site, or listen to Palladino, Joe DioGuardi or Sharon Angle and their anti- choice anti- everything ranting. If you do that and can sleep at night without getting out the vote, than I give up. Remember what happens once these people take over and turn their real, not-so -secret agenda into reality which mainly involves privatizing and dismantling Medicare and Social Security. The scariest thing of all , according to Paul Krugman of the NY Times , is "the clear and present danger isn't that the GOP will be able to achieve its long-run goals. It is rather,that Republicans will gain just enough power to make the country ungovernable,unable to address its fiscal problems or any thing else in a serious way." This leaves Barack Obama with his hands tied and unable to do anything about the problems facing this country.

I think Tom Friedman's article on the Tea Kettle Movement was quite effective and really said most of what the movement is based on. HE calls it the Tea Kettle movement -because most of what it is doing is letting off steam. This movement has no plan to restore America to greatness,says Friedman. He feels the movement can't have a positive impact since it has misdiagnosed the main problem and has no credible solutions for the problem it has identified. "How can you take a movement seriously that says it want to cut government spending by billions of dollars but won't identify the specific defense programs,Social Security, Medicare or other services it's ready to cut-let alone explain how this will make us more competitive and grow the economy.?" How can we take this movement seriously when it was silent while W launched two wars and a new Medicare prescription drug program while cutting taxes? Now all of a sudden they are mad and screaming at Obama and Friedman wants to know where these people were for those eight years. It all makes sense to us, but they are still yelling about government bloat and socialist spending, and have been able to take control of the dialogue. How come we have let their voices be heard and not ours? I know that steam from a tea kettle can burn, but you can get over it by pointing out the facts. make those calls, write those postcards, reach out to get voters registered in these last few days, and don't give up hope. Tell them what you want to say, tell them and tell them again. We can win if we show how extreme these people are and that they have no solutions to any of these problems. Ask those screaming and yelling what they would do,and how they would make things better. Do they not appreciate the small business support they are getting from Obama's small business bill that has just passed,health care bill, appointments on supreme court supporting a woman's right to choose, and most of all his dismantling of Iraq war mess from W. I could go on and on, but we have to get to work and understand we are up against an extreme group of wealthy individuals and corporations like Fox News,Newcorp,Koch Industires and those Koch brothers,etc.) who really work to invoke fear in voters and don't pay any attention to the facts. It is our job to get the vote out and the truth out to these voters!!!

Love,Sunny

A mama 4 Obama
(*** Post away to your hearts content!)Please join me at both of these sites where you can make statements and they will reach many more people than in the past. In order to get to the blog please go to http://progressivegovernment.blogspot.com/ and read my updates and make comments

You can also find me on Facebook at "The Sunny Side - Political news for the Friends of Progressive Government" at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/The-Sunny-Side-Political-news-for-the-Friends-of-Progressive-Government/141511589209655.

From Betty in Scarsdale:

You are the BEST!!!! Wonderful message to cling to during this craziness!!!

#2

You gotta have heart, President Obama says at $1.4M Manhattan fund-raiser

From Fritzie in NYC:

The Jen in Soho? Kapular? She's amazing. I didn't know that's where you

went! I need it too! WAAAAY too much going on!

ahhh. My Jen is fabulous as well. And we need it in this rising tide of stupidity. Thank you so much for being the force you are! Brava!

From Caren in NYC:

Hi Sweet Sunny,

Unfortunately I am with you. I can hardly stand reading the newspaper or watching the news. My blood boils with the manipulation of untruths that are passed off as news today. It makes me SICK!!

From Jane in Larchmont:

Great news!!

http://www.lohud.com/article/20109220350

Westchester GOP drops candidate over inflammatory essay

Westchester County Republicans dropped their twice-chosen candidate, Jim Russell, as a challenger to Rep. Nita Lowey on Tuesday after the surfacing of a 2001 essay in which he embraces eugenics, cites anti-Semitic commentary and warns against interracial marriage.

The 16-page essay titled "The Western Contribution to World History" combines scholarly language with racist theories. It accuses Jews of stealing "Western" inventions, and — citing research on goslings and finches — warns against racial mingling.

The article ran in The Occidental Quarterly, a journal classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. It surfaced Monday on the Politico website.

Russell is a perennial candidate from Hawthorne and a longtime activist for immigration enforcement. He was endorsed by the GOP for the second time this year to run against Democrat Lowey.

#2

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/senate/ny/new_york_senate_dioguardi_vs_gillibrand-1469.html

From Tina in CO:

We have to ignite our friends, the party base and moderate independents and Repubs. I just hope we can do it in time for this election.

From Dale in MA:

HI Sunny - I loved reading this!! I recently heard Barack say something to this effect -- when you voted for me you voted to change the old guard, and now we have to vote to guard the change!

I also loved reading Eleanor Roosevelt's quote.

Keep these coming!

From Nancy P in NYC:

That Tea Party movement is so very disturbing to me. I think that

Obama has to put the creation of jobs before any other policies.

People are just suffering from poverty so badly, they just want things

to resemble the past 50 years where there was growth and jobs more

relevant to creating things, not just services: eg: homeland security.

From Sharon in Scarsdale: (While you are at in MO people,don't forget to vote for Robin Carnahan who backs Prop B 100%!)

The attacks have started.

This November, voters in Missouri -- the nation’s number-one puppy mill state -- will vote on a measure that will stop puppy mill abuses. It’s called Proposition B, and it would establish common sense standards for the care of dogs.

But last week, the puppy mill industry launched its campaign against Prop B with robo-calls to households across the state spreading lies about this measure. We can’t let those attacks go unanswered.

Missouri is home to approximately 3,000 puppy mills, about 30 percent of all the puppy mills in the country. And this massive industry is going to fight to keep business as usual, so they can continue to cram dogs into small and filthy cages, deny them veterinary care, expose them to extremes of heat and cold, and give them no exercise or human affection.

These puppy mills are cruel and the way these dogs are treated is wrong. And this dirty business affects all of us, because Missouri’s puppy mill dogs are shipped all over the country, sold to pet stores and directly to consumers over the Internet! In fact, as you read this, there is very likely a puppy from a Missouri mill staring out from a cage at a pet store near you.

Please help us with a special donation today to counter the false claims of the puppy millers -- and urge Missouri citizens to vote YES! on Prop B this November.

We can’t let voters be fooled by the falsehoods of the puppy mill industry and their paid consultants who are willing to say whatever it takes to maintain their cruel abuse of animals in the name of profit. If our opponents have their say, tens of thousands of dogs will continue to suffer.

We need to fight back, and set the record straight. With your support today, we can communicate our positive message of the humane treatment of dogs to voters all across Missouri between now and Election Day, through TV ads and other efforts. Please make a special donation now to the campaign to pass Proposition B.

Thousands of dogs suffering in Missouri are counting on you. Thank you so much for your help today.

Wayne Pacelle

President & CEO

The Humane Society of the United States

Congresswoman Nita's office:

Thanks...

I know...What a scary thing....And thank God the GOP dropped him...We just want to make sure that as many people as possible have seen this because not everyone reads the local papers and watches local news! Thanks Sunny...

Have sent it out and so thrilled he is being dropped by GOP. Sent to Nita last night following:

http://www.lohud.com/article/20109220350

Westchester GOP drops candidate over inflammatory essay

Westchester County Republicans dropped their twice-chosen candidate, Jim Russell, as a challenger to Rep. Nita Lowey on Tuesday after the surfacing of a 2001 essay in which he embraces eugenics, cites anti-Semitic commentary and warns against interracial marriage.

The 16-page essay titled "The Western Contribution to World History" combines scholarly language with racist theories. It accuses Jews of stealing "Western" inventions, and — citing research on goslings and finches — warns against racial mingling.

The article ran in The Occidental Quarterly, a journal classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. It surfaced Monday on the Politico website.

Russell is a perennial candidate from Hawthorne and a longtime activist for immigration enforcement. He was endorsed by the GOP for the second time this year to run against Democrat Lowey.

From Helen in NYC:

Two places for people to get talking points on the changes in our health care system put in place last week. Some very good news for a lot of folks who have been kicked around by what we've had.

People can also go to the website Consumers Union set up on just this subject, www.prescriptionforchange.org

Can you get these on your blog? Website?

From Andy T NYC/DNC:

Team! In the first place it’s worth noting the extraordinary successes achieved in the face of the most partisan obstructionism in our history. A Washington Post report makes that case here.

(It’s of particular relevance if you happen to know anyone who has a pre-existing condition or a job that would have been lost or a stock portfolio that would have been decimated in a depression.)In the second place, we may do better November 2 than some expect.

The President and Vice President have now switched from “governing mode” to campaign mode, with much the same team that charted a path to success in 2008. And OFA’s tools have now grown even more sophisticated. For example, click here for a demo of the amazing new iPhone app. Once you sign up, it knows where you are . . . gives you specific doors to knock on . . . coaches you on how to conduct your visits . . . then uploads your results to enrich our database (and keep any one door from being over-knocked).

We are not perfect -- nor would we be even if we DIDN’T face an opposition that cheers when our Olympics bid fails and prays (literally: prays!) for the failure of universal health coverage and filibusters their own Bipartisan Deficit Commission legislation once the President signs on to it.

But as Joe Biden is fond of quoting former Boston Mayor Kevin White: “Don’t compare me with the Almighty. Compare me with the alternative.”

The choice is clear. We would be insane to hand the keys back to the team that drove us into the ditch, and who have now explicitly pledged to drive the same way they did before (see Jon Stewart, here).

Because this election will be determined by turn-out . . . and because the sweet spot are the 15 million unlikely voters who came out for the first time in their lives to vote for President Obama . . . whom we are asking, door to door, face to face, to come out to help him again . . . and because almost the entire effort is volunteer (imagine the competitive advantage of a business where only the supervisors had to be paid!) . . . I hope you will chip in, here. If you do, you’ll have reason to feel proud no matter how we do November 2. Many of you have already been magnificent, and it is deeply appreciated. Help again if you can.Thanks, as always, for your support.

From Debbie in NYC working for CARE: Job opportunity for part time lead advocacy volunteer in Congresswoman Nita Lowey's district!

CARE USA, the humanitarian and development organization focusing on global poverty reduction and women’s empowerment, has an opportunity for a part-time lead advocacy volunteer in Congresswoman Nita Lowey's district. The role of the District Chair is to develop opportunities to build awareness of the issues and legislation on which CARE works, recruit other volunteers, and engage Rep. Lowey and her staff. This would include organizing a few small events, recruiting and leading a delegation to our advocacy conference in Washington, DC (March 8-10, 2011) and outreach to Rep. Lowey’s district office. We train volunteers in advocacy and the issues, and provide all materials and information. Availability and interest of the volunteer will further determine the scope of the position.

Mrs. Lowey is a great supporter of the issues on which CARE works – which include maternal health, girls’ education, food security, microfinance, gender-based violence, and climate change –and we want her to know of her constituents’ support. E-mail Debbie Cooper if interested:E-mail: dcooper@care.org

From Congresswoman Nita Lowey:

Yesterday, Congress passed and sent to the President's desk legislation I introduced that will help small businesses gain access to the capital they need to grow our economy and create jobs.

Small businesses are the engine of economic growth in our region, creating 64 percent of new jobs. Unfortunately as credit lines have dried up, it has become more difficult for them expand inventory, find new customers, and grow.

My bill – passed in a larger measure to help small businesses – will increase the maximum size of federal small business loans from $2 million to $5 million. It will also increase the maximum size of micro-loans from $35,000 to $50,000. This is especially critical for small businesses in our high-cost region where it is more expensive to own and operate a business.

Please click here to read my statement from the Congressional Record detailing additional benefits this legislation provides for small businesses.

From Robin in NOrth Salem:

Thought you might enjoy this one….Found this on a blog…

http://www.r8ny.com/blog/gatemouth/karas_daddy.html

Today, to my utter shock, the Republicans nominated instead former Westchester Congressman Joe DioGuardi, who lost his seat in 1988.

And no, I do not regard his daughter being on "American Idol" as the same sort of street cred.

In this day of oversensitivity about the use of words like “Negro,” I think it is useful to understand that it is not the lyrics themselves which are important, but the tune they signify.

Here is the most famous thing Joe DioGuardi has ever said--a quote explaining why he opposed Medicaid abortions:

''You've got to look at the facts. The facts are that the minority groups in this country enjoy having children. It's their only joy, their only hope. It gets them another check. They're not going to have abortions.''

I should note that not so long ago, a Democratic candidate was forced from the same Senate race, after she was caught using the word “Nigger” to a reporter.

Though tonite that candidate is doing somewhat better, it should be noted that her use back then of the N-word indicated absolutely no bigoted intent. In fact, as the link shows, it was used pretty much in the context of showing empathy with the concerns of people of color.

By contrast, while DioGuardi’s quote is totally devoid of ethnic pejoratives, everything about it implies unspeakable contempt for people of color.

Quite clearly, there is more than one way to say NIGGER.

Joe DioGuardi is in every way the perfect running mate for Carl Paladino.

Truly, DioGuardi should be enough to make Republican nostalgic for Howard Mills.

From Jen in Tommy Sowers MO campaign:

I really enjoy your posts and send them on to others on the campaign and my friends who are Obama supporters. Thanks for sending along.

I thought I'd let you know, Russ Carnahan is also up against someone on Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics list, Ed Martin. He's terrible and unfortunately, a very viable candidate. I live just outside Russ' district in St. Louis but ask my friends to support him too, if they can.

http://www.citizensforethics.org/crookedcandidates2010

Be well and hope to meet you someday.

From Pam in CO:

I've been thinking of you too and sorry not to reply sooner. Just came in from yoga and thinking of you're trying to calm and center yourself! me too. But it makes my blood boil when I know what's going on with barack and the Republicans. Especially the idea of that f....in karl Rove coming into it now. He is the epitome of all things evil and corrupt! But let us not go there.!!!!! *****Note from Sunny:Pam is a wonderful artist with new webstie: please check out this fellow blogger's site! www.pamelajoseph.com

From Lee in NYC/DC and DNC:

“a startlingly strong month of fundraising”
“DNC Shatters Fundraising Record”
“best fundraising month in a congressional election cycle”
“DNC Has Its Biggest Month in Nearly a Decade”

Just one week after the RNC canceled a long-standing field deployment program due to a lack of funds, the Democratic National Committee reported a record-breaking fundraising month in September, hauling in over $16 million. Please see below for coverage of the DNC’s impressive fundraising announcement.

USA Today “DNC collects more than $16 million in September”: The Democratic National Committee had its best fundraising month of the election cycle, raising more than $16 million in September in what has been a tough political environment for the party. The announcement comes as Democrats try to counter that notion that Republicans are more energized a month before the crucial midterm election for Congress. DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse said the haul is "more confirmation that there's some movement in our direction." As further evidence of Democratic enthusiasm, Woodhouse said more than 80% of the money came from online donors who contributed in small amounts instead of contributors writing big checks. "We've found that our supporters are now focused on the election ... and understand the stakes," Woodhouse said in an e-mail. LINK

From Move On and Susan G-NYC:

On October 2nd, exactly one month before Election Day, hundreds of thousands of people are gathering in Washington, D.C. for "One Nation," a huge march for jobs, equality, and progress. Can you join us?

At the historic Lincoln Memorial, progressives from coast to coast will join human and civil rights leaders, labor leaders, faith leaders, celebrities and more to rally for bold action to protect our economy and jobs—and to move our country forward.

With Republicans and their corporate allies determined to take back Congress in November, we'll join together to show the strength and unity of the progressive movement.

Rides are available on buses and in carpools from all over the East Coast, but they're filling up fast—so RSVP soon!

Can you join us in D.C. on October 2nd?

Yes, tell me more and sign me up

Sorry, I can't make it

We're joining dozens of progressive organizations involved in One Nation, including the NAACP, USAction, Win Without War, the Service Employees International Union, and so many more. And in addition to joining the march, MoveOn members are holding "Stop the Takeover" house parties nationwide that weekend, mobilizing get-out-the-vote volunteers in critical congressional races.

The One Nation march will demonstrate that progressives are united to fight—to fight for Congress, and for good jobs, true economic progress, social justice, and equality for all. And it'll also be a lot of fun, gathering with progressives from all over the country on the historic National Mall.

We've got 38 days until the election—can you join us in Washington, D.C. for the "One Nation" march?

Click here to find out more and RSVP:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=90373&id=23651-4046455-Chld_.x&t=5

And if you can't make it to D.C., click here to find a "Stop the Takeover" house party near you (or sign up to host one if there's not one already!):

http://pol.moveon.org/event/stopthetakeover/?id=23651-4046455-Chld_.x&t=6

Thanks for all you do.

From Judy in Mamaroneck:

Extravagant promises and bluster are the stuff of campaign rhetoric, but the House Republicans’ “Pledge to America” goes far beyond the norm. Its breathless mimicry of the Declaration of Independence — the “governed do not consent,” it declares, while vowing to rein in “an arrogant and out-of-touch government of self-appointed elites” — would be ludicrous, if these were not destructively polarized times.

While it promises to create jobs, control deficit spending and restore Americans’ trust in government, it is devoid of tough policy choices. This new “governing agenda” does not say how the Republicans would replace revenue that would be lost from permanently extending all of the Bush tax cuts, or how they would manage Medicare and Social Security, or even which discretionary programs would go when they slash $100 billion in spending. Their record at all of these things is dismal. Read rest on line(Click here: Editorial - The G.O.P.’s ‘Pledge’ - NYTimes.com )

#2

Barbarism continues! Subj: Stoning to death in Pakistan

Not for the faint of heart...circulate so others can see

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f7f_1285099569

From Betty and Amy in Westchester:

Subject: Tea Party - 60% of the crowd is women

Wow –

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703384204575510283851292698.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

Second is the rise of women as a force. They "are the drivers in this election cycle," Ms. Blackburn says. "Something is going on." At tea party events the past 18 months, she started to notice "60% of the crowd is women."

She tells of a political rally that drew thousands in Nashville, at the State Capitol plaza. She had brought her year-old grandson. When the mic was handed to her, she was holding him. "I said, 'How many of you are grandmothers?' The hands! That was the moment I realized that the majority of the people at the political events now are women. I saw this in town halls in '09—it was women showing up at my listening events, it was women talking about health care."

Why would more women be focusing more intently on politics this year than before?

Ms. Blackburn hypothesizes: "Women are always focusing on a generation or two down the road. Women make the education and health-care decisions for their families, for their kids, their spouse, their parents. And so they have become more politically involved. They are worried about will people have enough money, how are they going to pay the bills, the tuition, get the kids through school and college."

From Betty in Scarsdale:

Amy Siskind fires back at Rush Limbaugh: “Ignorant!”

Last week, The New Agenda spoke out in The Daily Caller demanding an apology from Sen Majority Leader Harry Reid for his reference to Senator Gillibrand as the “hottest” member in the senate. The New Agenda » Blog Archive » Amy Siskind fires back at Rush Limbaugh: “Ignorant!”

#2

Democrats Losing Support of White Women: Gallup Poll Data - The Daily Beast
I think NO ONE knows what is going on!!

From Chris in MO:

I hope all is well with you, sorry it's been so long since we last talked. I wanted to let you know I finally have a new article up on the examiner. http://www.examiner.com/democrat-in-panama-city/what-democrats-stand-for Let me know what you think. My re-posted piece is something I'm really proud of, even if it's from last year. I wrote it during a time of frustration with public political discourse (just like now). I'm hoping to write another article soon on the Democratic spirit and all the successes we've had since FDR, but especially recently thanks to our wonderful President. I really feel like people have forgotton all the progress that was driven by Democrats, progress that created our modern world. I'm shocked that when a new Democratic President tries to rekindle that spirit he gets shot down and people don't recognize his amazing achievements. I worry about November, but I know we're doing our best! Thanks, as always, for being a beacon in the struggle. I'll try to link my article to your facebook page tomorrow after work. Take care!

From Westchester4Change:

Phonebank

Click here for all phonebanks in New York City!

The O.F.A. campaign office is now open every afternoon until Election Day!

Monday - Friday, 1 - 5 PM at 25 East 21st Street, 4th floor (map)

Do you have a spare computer to donate? They're needed for data entry! Email Kate at DoehringK@dnc.org. Thanks for all you do!

From Judy in Mamaroneck:

Click here: Op-Ed Columnist - The Tea Kettle Movement - NYTimes.com

There are actually two Tea Party movements in America today: one you’ve read about that is not that important and one you’ve not read about that could become really important if the right politician understood how to tap into it. The Tea Party that has gotten all the attention, the amorphous, self-generated protest against the growth in government and the deficit, is what I’d actually call the “Tea Kettle movement” — because all it’s doing is letting off steam.

That is not to say that the energy behind it is not authentic (it clearly is) or that it won’t be electorally impactful (it clearly might be). But affecting elections and affecting America’s future are two different things. Based on all I’ve heard from this movement, it feels to me like it’s all steam and no engine. It has no plan to restore America to greatness.
The Tea Kettle movement can’t have a positive impact on the country because it has both misdiagnosed America’s main problem and hasn’t even offered a credible solution for the problem it has identified. How can you take a movement seriously that says it wants to cut government spending by billions of dollars but won’t identify the specific defense programs, Social Security, Medicare or other services it’s ready to cut — let alone explain how this will make us more competitive and grow the economy?

And how can you take seriously a movement that sat largely silent while the Bush administration launched two wars and a new entitlement, Medicare prescription drugs — while cutting taxes — but is now, suddenly, mad as hell about the deficit and won’t take it anymore from President Obama? Say what? Where were you folks for eight years?

The issues that upset the Tea Kettle movement — debt and bloated government — are actually symptoms of our real problem, not causes. They are symptoms of a country in a state of incremental decline and losing its competitive edge, because our politics has become just another form of sports entertainment, our Congress a forum for legalized bribery and our main lawmaking institutions divided by toxic partisanship to the point of paralysis...

#2

Click here: Op-Ed Columnist - What Is Paladino About? - NYTimes.com by Bob Herbert

Is the Republican candidate for governor of New York a racist, sexist, pornography-loving creep? Or are there other, more benign, explanations for the stomach-turning e-mails distributed by Carl Paladino?

One of the things that can happen in the news business is that some portion of a story becomes so vile, so offensive, it is virtually impossible to effectively recount or describe. Reporters keep their distance. Editors lunge for the delete button.

Such is the case with the images and videos forwarded by Mr. Paladino to a wide variety of people. The public should know about these mailings, and Mr. Paladino should give a full, thoughtful explanation of why he trafficked in such filth.

Example: A photo showing a group of black men trying to get out of the way of an airplane that is apparently moving across a field. The caption reads: “Run niggers, run.” ...(Read rest on line http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/opinion/28herbert.html)

From Letty P in NYC:

Subj: Short film about women in firefighting

A short film about women in firefighting made by high school students who participated in the summer Tribeca Film Institute. They've done an amazing job (in under 8 minutes!) exploring the invisibility of women in this traditionally male job and why, despite the obstacles, the women love this work. Check it out and please circulate it widely to your friends and colleagues.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid331422615001?bctid=602073068001

From Betty in Scarsdale:

Abortion Issue Re-Emerges In Kirsten Gillibrand-Joe DioGuardi Battle: Update

Using NARAL Pro-Choice New York's attack ad on anti-abortion GOP gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino as a springboard, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's campaign is out with a slap at Republican rival Joe DioGuardi on the same topic.

"As NARAL Pro-Choice New York speaks out resolutely against Carl Paladino’s anti-choice positions, New Yorkers should know that former Congressman turned lobbyist Joe DioGuardi also opposes reproductive rights even in cases of rape and incest. In fact, Joe DioGuardi voted to ban funding for reproductive care even when a mother’s life is in danger," emailed Team Gillibrand.

"Right to Life groups have enthusiastically endorsed DioGuardi and testified to the fact that he does not support any exceptions for reproductive rights - even cases of rape and incest. Note this endorsement from Right to Life Party - 9th Judicial District, which specifies certain candidates that do support exception. According to the Right to Life Party, DioGuardi does not support exceptions."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/09/abortion-issues-emerge-in-kirs.html#ixzz112Bt7YUC...(Read the rest on line)

From Mike in Gillibrand's office:

Wonderful! Stef was telling me you're doing a postcard party! Thanks so much!! You've got it. Can't win without everyone we know voting for Kirsten!

From tommy Sowers in MO:

Our new ad, "Horse Manure" has been on the air for less than 24 hours (have you seen it?) and everyone we talk to is already raving about it. Voters agree with Tommy and are tired of Jo Ann Emerson's lies.

Clearly, this ad is resonating with voters (and the national press)...we need to keep it on the air, but we need your help!With 36 hours until the end of the fundraising quarter, please help us finish the quarter strong and dump the manure! This is a very critical week: Today we are airing our newest TV ad and right now we are less than three days away from the third quarter fundraising deadline!

I'm tired of Jo Ann Emerson airing false ads about me because she doesn't want to talk about voting for bad trade deals and bank bailouts. And she's spent this year collecting money from special interests and lobbyists, then using that money to spread lies. While Emerson has dumped a ton of horse manure on my district, our television ad will remind her that she cannot bury the truth.

Check out the ad for yourself here. Then please, chip in to help us keep it on the air.

With less than 72 hours until the end of quarter fundraising deadline, we need your help now so we can come out of this quarter strong and with the resources to deliver the truth.

Jo Ann Emerson's lies, however, and nothing new -- it's the same sort of manure spewed by incumbents devoid of ideas everywhere, desperate to hold on to their seats. She's not just dumping on me -- but on all of us. I appreciate your support,Tommy

From Dani in Brooklyn:

With only five weeks to Election Day, I need your help to make sure Barbara Boxer is re-elected to the U.S. Senate. Recent polling shows Barbara Boxer in a virtual dead heat with challenger Carly Fiorina -- an extreme abortion opponent -- with neither candidate reaching the magic 50%.

A champion of women's rights, abortion rights and the environment, Boxer never backs down from a fight when our rights and lives are at stake. And now she needs us more than ever.

As you read this, Feminist Majority's Independent Expenditure campaign to re-elect Barbara Boxer is sending organizers to key college campuses throughout California. Right now polling shows young people comprise the largest segment of undecided voters. With a race this close, even modest movement in this key group of voters -- especially young women -- could be the difference between winning and losing.

The Feminist Majority has just the right experience to inform, organize and turn out younger women at the polls -- but we need your help. Please take a minute now to contribute generously to our Independent Expenditure Campaign to re-elect Barbara Boxer.

Carly Fiorina is so extreme on abortion, she has said "I absolutely would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade if the opportunity presented itself," and has been endorsed by every major right-to-life organization. But polls show most voters -- especially young women -- don't know how extreme and out of step with Californians she is .

We must ensure that college students -- particularly young women -- understand what is at stake, particularly for abortion rights - and then we must make sure they vote.

Even in a big money race like this one, election day Get-Out-The-Vote still counts big time, especially in inspiring young people to get to the polls on November 2.

We MUST act now to send a clear message to Carly Fiorina that a woman's right to choose is not for sale. Click here to learn more about how you can help.

For Equality,Eleanor Smeal President Feminist Majority

P.S. We need money for campus organizers, travel, printed materials, and phone-banks. We can reach literally hundreds of thousands of students with our Campaign. But to win this - we need your help. Please act today.

From Dani in Brooklyn:

A useful, if simplified, reality check geared to the "numbers don't lie" crowd. Is is possible that Finland is doing something we aren't - like supporting teachers and helping enrich communities...? Gee.

"But there’s no evidence that teachers’ unions are holding our schools back. Finland, which is currently cleaning our clock in education scores, has teachers who are almost totally unionized. The states with the best student performance on standardized tests tend to be the ones with the strongest teachers’ unions."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/opinion/30collins.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

Your imagination is the preview to life's coming attractions.
#2

Bad teachers should be removed from the classroom, if not the profession - and fast. Tenure rules should be changed, as they are corrupt and ineffective. There is to my mind, however, a way that unions can be part of the solution, rather than demonized as the root of the problem. Without teacher's unions in the picture, under the current regime, teacher's voices "from the front lines" are being erased, while bureaucrats with zero years in the classroom make all the judgment calls. It's humiliating as a professional to be muzzled, intimidated and passed over. It breeds resentment and hampers teachers' efforts to grow so they can do the best job in the classroom. Study after study has shown that teachers who feel empowered in decision-making for their schools are more effective for their students, no matter which assessment tool is used to measure student progress. Moreover, they enforce higher standards for themselves.

From Michelle in CT:

I certainly do not have the inside track on that question but it largely relates to people being largely unhappy with the current “establishment”. Unfortunately, I think that blumenthal represents the establishment. Also, we have a lot of independents in our state and they seem to be moving towards the mcmahon since the whole thing came out about his war service record.

It will be interesting as we get closer to the election and he gets more tv ads out there to see if the tide turns. As I am sure you are aware, we tend to believe everything that we see on tv and she has been bombarding us!!!!!

You wonder if the political process was a little less invasive then we might get some good people to actually run. Now we seem to get the bottle of the barrel. Sad state of affairs for our country!!!! Pretty depressing!!!!!

From Erik in Brooklyn:

busy as u are, ck out this article in the recent new yorker about what

kind of community organizing really works by malcolm gladwell.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell

From Brad in NYC/DNC:

We are very excited to announce Mrs. Obama’s first political trip since the campaign on Monday, October 18th! She will kick off her first trip in New York with 2 events – an intimate reception at the home of Donna Karan and a concert on Broadway. Both will be terrific events and great opportunities to show your support! Here are the details for the reception:

Cocktail Reception and Discussion with Mrs. Obama at the home of Donna Karan

Monday, October 18th at 4:30PM (includes photo with Mrs. Obama)Location: Donna Karan's home (address upon RSVP)
New York City

To RSVP, click http://my.democrats.org/NYOct18Dinner

Or contact Brad Thompson at ThompsonB@dnc.org or (202) 479-5171

If you cannot make the reception, the First Lady will also headline a concert later in the evening at the St. James theater in New York. Details below:

Concert with Mrs. Obama and Sarah Jessica Parker and Patti LaBelle ,Monday, October 18th

Location: St. James Theater on Broadway (246 W.44th Street)

Guest Call Time: 4:30PM

To RSVP, click https://my.democrats.org/page/contribute/NYOct18

Or contact James Pepper at PepperJ@dnc.org or (202) 572-5451

Concert with Mrs. Obama and Sarah Jessica Parker and Patti LaBelle

Monday, October 18th

Location: St. James Theater on Broadway (246 W.44th Street)

Guest Call Time: 4:30PM

To RSVP, click https://my.democrats.org/page/contribute/NYOct18

Or contact James Pepper at PepperJ@dnc.org or (202) 572-5451

Are we going to let the Tea Party out "grassroots" our 08' organization?

2010-10-02T18:00:00.000-04:00

Dear Obama/Biden Supporters:

Just came home from yoga, a class I have not been to in months. However, my reverting back to screaming at the TV and not being able to read most of the newspaper without my stomach churning, necessitated my re-entry to Jen's yoga class. My fear for the future because of the election of unqualified candidates such as Christine O'Donnell is disappointing,depressing and demoralizing. I just can't read about these people any more and their ignorant, irresponsible take on what will make the country better. We are listening to a woman, who according to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in DC and CNN ,used $20,000 in 2009 and 2010 campaign illegally.To quote the organization,"it turns out Miss O'Donnell has treated her campaign funds like they are her very own personal piggy bank. She's used that money to pay for things like her rent, for gas, meals,check to her mother ,and even a bowling outing." This is without even going into her difficulties with the IRS and her religious beliefs. Hence, my desperate need to get to yoga and try to relax. While there, my teacher who I had hugged and mentioned she was my new year's resolution, brought up resolutions and promises. She also mentioned sankupla which is a term about finding peace within. Well, needless to say I jumped on this one. Since, we are going to need as much help as possible keeping ourselves under control for the weeks leading up to the election!!!!

Barack Obama did not create this monster that we are experiencing but he is in the middle of so much anger and disapproval that we have got to find a way of dealing with it. We have to understand these crazy "news reporters" on Fox who interviewed Ms. O'Donnell yesterday(although she says she is not going on any national news shows) without addressing one negative fact surrounding her being a candidate. They are part of the lunatic fringe that is hijacking America.We have a national media source that would not speak to any of the controversial issues about her improper use of money,or her records showing she has not had a salary in five years, and owed the IRS on back taxes. She and Fox were playing to their base and thumbing their nose at the "liberal press" that delves into such issues. Here is a candidate who accuses Obama of being a "socialist" but says she will not speak to the media and has kept away from them. Wow, if this doesn't sound like Cuba,China,and the old USSR than I don't know what it sounds like! Hence, my need for yoga this morning and my becoming enthralled with the idea of sankulpa. I found myself mentally repeating the Sankalpa mantra “I can and I will, I can and I will”. The whole process was a lesson in focus, mindfulness, balance and, in transforming fear. Okay, I am fearful of the crazies but I can use my knowledge and outreach skills to combat them.

Sankulpa is about stepping more widely out of our familiar comfort zones; facing our personal challenges; making changes; and trying things that perhaps we believe we cannot do. Eleanor Roosevelt recognized this and is famously quoted as saying “You should do one thing every day that scares you”. What was revealed to me was that avoiding fear simply perpetuates it and creates even more fear. However, when we face our fear it transforms not only our feelings about that particular thing but about everything! Okay, so today I am resolved to face my fears for our country and I am hell bent on trying to peacefully wake up our wonderful grassroots organization. I will not be afraid to ring doorbells or make those horrible calls, but will jump right in and act for candiates I am supporting. In Sunday's NY Times there were two separate articles about the Tea Party on the front page of This Week in Review. One statement really struck me,"The best thing you can do to make the Tea Party work for you is to literally make it work for you.Tea Party supporters may not admire President Obama's policies,but they do admire the community-organizing operation that got him elected in 2008,and they are out knocking on doors and making phone calls in the hopes of repeating his success". Are we going to let them beat us at our own game? I don't think so. I am digging down deep within myself to find ways to confront the tea party voters and begin asking them for their thoughts on how specifically to make things better. To quote our President ,"if you are unhappy and want things to improve,help me to help you make changes. If you are angry give me some of your thoughts for solutions, but lets stop screaming at one another".

After primary day 2010, we can correctly call on dispirited Democrats,independents and mainstream Republican voters" to get back in the fight for the November elections. If any of us expected to elect President Obama and then sit back for four years while he waved a magic wand to solve problems that were years in the making, it is time to get over it. Special interest groups have a lot to lose if elected officials succeed in curbing their excesses. These groups are playing to the most dangerous fringe elements. I say we have to stand up, brush ourselves off, take a deep yoga breath and get involved. Otherwise, those fringe elements will use all of our wonderful,successful techniques of reaching out to each other, to win in November. I remain hopeful that there are sufficient level-headed voters in the United States who can see through the likes of Newt Gingrich, who accused the President of exhibiting "Kenyan anticolconial behavior"(I can't even touch this without ranting like a crazy person). However, we can make those calls, write those postcards,ring those doorbells and engage people in discussions about the extremist views of this fringe element. Why aren't these candidates being forced to engage in discourse on the issues that this country is faced with? How come we aren't talking about solutions for a recession largely caused by Bush-era economic laissez-faire,and society polarization-where people are targeted for their religious and social differences? We must develop a strong voice to counter the ranting of those extreme elements of this country. We would do well to remind all people we talk to , that the extremists who want government completely out of our lives are asking for us to forget about all the good our government has done for us. Without government, we would not share the benefits of many medical advances,from polio vaccines to flu shots. We would not have meaningful crash standards for our cars,Social Security or even the projects that led us to the moon and the Internet. So I am determined to overcome anger,apathy and amnesia which is what President Bill Clinton said will cost the Dems the election. He also said, "the Republicans want to take this country back-as in backwards-and we want to move forward. Give us two more years and if we can't succeed,throw us out". I liked this ,and feel my working for my ideals is helpful for my finding inner peace,much better than throwing shoes at the television.

Love,Sunny
A Mama 4 Obama

(*** Post away to your hearts content!)Please join me at both of these sites where you can make statements and they will reach many more people than in the past. In order to get to the blog please go to http://progressivegovernment.blogspot.com and read my updates and make comments

You can also find me on Facebook at "The Sunny Side - Political news for the Friends of Progressive Government" at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/The-Sunny-Side-Political-news-for-the-Friends-of-Progressive-Government/141511589209655.

From Robin in North Salem:

Welcome back!!!! Couldn't have said it better!!! As always Sunny you are spot on. I got into a screaming argument on Saturday night with two Democratic friends who have turned on Barack - why they are disappointed in him because he hasn't been giving soaring hope speeches. Oh grow up!!! The man's been working tirelessly to get legislation thru. My friends intend to punish Barack by casting a protest vote. Lotta good that will do. We'll wind up with some tea party wingnut who will really wreck havoc on this country. We need to rally the troops for November. I for one am fighting mad at this nonsense.

From Ohio Joe:

Amercia is a nation of religious freedom…………..AS LONG AS YOU ARE CHRISTIAN !!!!! PS yes you may post this……it is true.

From Leanna in Naples, NY:

If on this anniversary of 9/11, you'd prefer to reflect on what courage and faith in this country's values look like without blather from TVs talking heads, read Nick Kristof's piece (below) on Susan Retik, a woman many on this list know and admire.

Susan, who lost her husband in the attacks, was one of 13 people just awarded the 2010 Citizens Medal, the nation’s second-highest civilian honor, by President Obama.

Susan has acted on her belief that a "surge" of educating girls and women to help them achieve some measure of independence and economic success is the most powerful way to combat fundamentalist terrorism in the long run. Go to beyondthe11th.org to learn more about how the organization she co-founded supports NGOs in helping Afghani women.

OPINION
September 09, 2010

Op-Ed Columnist: The Healers of 9/11

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

A woman who lost her husband in the 9/11 attacks shows the right way to fight back, by working with other widows to tackle poverty and illiteracy inAfghanistan.
Leanna

From Val in Ohio:
This was discussed on the Rachel Maddow show and needs to be shared.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/09/why_elections_matter_in_one_gr.html?referrer=emaillink

From Fran in Larchmont:

Dear Pro-Choice Larchmont/Mamaroneck Friends!

Do you usually think about CARE and women’s empowerment in the same breath? Frankly, neither did I, but with “Caring About Women,” we learn that the venerable international humanitarian organization, CARE, has chosen to become a significant leader in developing innovative strategies which effectively combat poverty by focusing on women’s health and education.

Future Choices is brought to your home either on Channel 75 (Cablevision) or Channel 36 (Verizon). The show airs Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm with repeats 3 am, 9 am, 3 pm and 9 pm the following day. See full schedule:http://www.lmc-tv.org/?q=node/52

N.B. Future Choices shows can usually be viewed anytime online as well — see hotlink at http://futurechoices.net/ .

From Marceline in NYC:

This is long but wonderful! Acc to Wikipedia, he was formerly on the religious right until he realized how anti-American they are.

Subj: Fwd: A look through cleaner glasses

I THOUGHT ALL YOU WONDERFUL SUPPORTERS OF OUR PRESIDENT WILL THINK DEEPLY ABOUT

FRANK'S WRITING...PLEASE PASS IT ON TO AS MANY FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE...THANKS.......

Frank Schaeffer is a New York Times best selling author.

Obama Will Triumph -- So Will America

By Frank Schaeffer

Before he'd served even one year President Obama lost the support

of the easily distracted left and engendered the white hot rage of

the hate-filled right. But some of us, from all walks of life and

ideological backgrounds -- including this white, straight, 57-year-

old, former religious right wing agitator, now progressive writer &nbs p;

and (given my background as the son of a famous evangelical leader)

this unlikely Obama supporter -- are sticking with our President.

Why?-- because he is succeeding. We faithful Obama supporters still trust our initial impression of him as a great, good and uniquely qualified man to lead us.
Obama's steady supporters will be proved right. Obama's critics

will be remembered as easily panicked and prematurely discouraged & nbsp;

at best and shriveled hate mongers at worst.

The Context of the Obama Presidency

Not since the days of the rise of fascism in Europe , the Second

World War and the Depression has any president faced more

adversity. Not since the Civil War has any president led a more

bitterly divided country. Not since the introduction of racial

integration has any president faced a more consistently short-

sighted and willfully ignorant opposition - from both the right

and left.

As the President's poll numbers have fallen so has his support from

some on the left that were hailing him as a Messiah not long ago;

all those lefty websites and commentators that were falling all

over themselves on behalf of our first black president during the

2008 election.

The left's lack of faith has become a self-fulfilling "prophecy"--

snipe at the President and then watch the poll numbers fall and

then pretend you didn't have anything to do with it!

Here is what Obama faced when he took office-- none of which was

his fault:

# An ideologically divided country to the point that America was

really two countries

# Two wars; one that was mishandled from the start, the other that

was unnecessary and immoral

# The worst economic crisis since the depression

# America 's standing in the world at the lowest point in history

# A country that had been misled int o accepting the use of torture

of prisoners of war

# A health care system in free fall

# An educational system in free fall

# A global environmental crisis of history-altering proportions

(about which the Bush administration and the Republicans had done

nothing)

# An impasse between culture warriors from the right and left

# A huge financial deficit inherited from the terminally

irresponsible Bush administration.

And those were only some of the problems sitting on the

President's desk! "Help" from the Right?

What did the Republicans and the religious right, libertarians and

half-baked conspiracy theorists -- that is what the Republicans

were reduced to by the time Obama took office -- do to "help" our

new president (and our country) succeed? They claimed that he

wasn't a real American, didn't have an American birth certificate,

wasn't born here, was secretly a Muslim, was white-hating "racist",

was secretly a communist, was actually the Anti-Christ, (!) and was

a reincarnation of Hitler and wanted "death panels" to kill the

elderly.They not-so-subtly called for his assassination through the not-so-

subtle use of vile signs held at their rallies and even a bumper

sticker quoting Psalm 109:8. They organized "tea parties" to sound

off against imagined insults and all government in general and

gathered to howl at the moon. They were led by insurance industry

lobbyists and deranged (but well financed) "commentators" from

Glenn Beck to Rush Limbaugh...(Read rest on line http://frank-schaeffer.blogspot.com/2009/12/obama-will-triumph-so-will-america.html)

...Meanwhile back in the reality-based community - in just 12 short months -- President Obama:

#Continued to draw down the misbegotten war in Iraq

(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

#Thoughtfully and decisively picked the best of several bad choices

regarding the war in Afghanistan

(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

#Gave a major precedent-setting speech supporting gay rights

(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

#Restored America 's image around the globe

(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

#Banned torture of American prisoners

(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

#Stopped the free fall of the American economy

(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

#Put the USA squarely back in the bilateral international community

(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

#Put the USA squarely into the middle of the international effort

to halt global warming (But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

#Stood up for educational reform(But that wasn't good enough for his critic s)

#Won a Nobel peace prize(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

#Moved the trial of terrorists back into the American judicial

system of checks and balances(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

#Did what had to be done to start the slow, torturous and almost

impossible process of health care reform that 7 presidents had

failed to even begin(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

#Responded to hatred from the right and left with measured good

humor and patience(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

#Stopped the free fall of job losses(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

#Showed immense personal courage in the face of an armed and

dangerous far right opposition that included the sort of disgusting

people that show up at public meetings carrying loaded weapons and

carrying Timothy McVeigh-inspired signs about the "blood of

tyrants" needing to "water the tree of liberty".(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

#Showed that he could not only make the tough m ilitary choices but

explain and defend them brilliantly (But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

Other than those "disappointing" accomplishments -- IN ONE YEAR --

President Obama "failed"! Other than that he didn't "live up to

expectations"!

Here's the good news: President Obama is succeeding without the

help of his lefty "supporters" or hate-filled Republican detractors!

PS. if you agree that Obama is shaping up to be a great president,

please pass this on and hang in there! Pass it on anyway to ensure

that his "report card" gets the attention it deserves. Have a good day.

From Judy in Mamaroneck:

Click here: Op-Ed Columnist - Two Different Worlds - NYTimes.com

From Letty P in NYC:
Click here: On Religion - Muslim Prayer Room Was Part of Life at Twin Towers - NYTimes.com

By SAMUEL G. FREEDMAN

Published: September 10, 2010

Muslim workers worshiped peacefully and without controversy for years in a room on the 17th floor of the south tower...

#2

My current column in Moment magazine decries what's been done to the "good Arabs," Donna Shalala, Salam Fayyad, and Debbie Almontaser.

I filed it before the attacks on Imam Feisal and Daisy Khan heated up. But they, too, belong in the piece.

http://www.momentmag.com/

This past July, Donna Shalala, a Lebanese American, was detained at Ben Gurion Airport as she was leaving Israel. The Israeli daily Yediot Ahronoth and other news sources reported that she was held for more than two hours during which “she was asked invasive and personal

questions” and subjected to a full baggage search because her Arabic last name triggered a security alert.

This flagrant case of ethnic profiling is painful on many levels, not the least of which is its tragic irony: Shalala, the current president of the University of Miami and former secretary of health and human services under Bill Clinton, was a VIP visitor who had arrived with a delegation of American university presidents to protest academic boycotts against Israel. During the trip, she also facilitated a private meeting between officials of Bar–Ilan University, who hope to create Israel’s fifth medical school, and their counterparts at University of Miami Medical School, who have expressed interest in partnering on the project.

The daughter of immigrants from Lebanon’s Maronite Catholic community, Shalala has always been what some Jews call “a good Arab.” She’s a close personal friend of many prominent American Jews. She’s known as a stalwart supporter of Israel and an outspoken foe of anti-Semitism. According to The Jerusalem Post, she first visited Israel in the 1960s as a backpacker and has returned many times because she feels it important to bring as many non–Jews as possible to the country “to hear Israelis talk about their dreams and what they are trying to achieve as well as to meet Arabs.” The University of Haifa and The Technion have awarded her honorary degrees.

For all that, Shalala’s character, commitments and accomplishments were trumped by her Arabic name. Yet, rather than take offense, she said (to the relief of many Jews), “While I was inconvenienced, Israel’s security and the security of travelers is far more important. I have been going in and out of Israel for many years and expect to visit again.” ...(Read rest on line)

From Barbara in KS:

Friends & other readers: I am proud and delighted to announce that I have won this year's Chicago Journalists Association contest for best in the "commentary" category (one of 11 journalistic categories including investigations, sports, etc.) for my Chicago Daily Observer columns.

Do We Over-React to Symbols?

By Don Rose
I’ve had it up to here with over-coverage and over-reaction to all the doings around the 9th anniversary of 9/11, notably the lunatic, publicity-seeking “preacher” who wants to burn Qurans and the politicians exploiting irrational fear and anger at the building of an Islamic center amid the saloons and porn shops a few blocks from “ground zero,” and especially those who want to link the two together.

The real desecration of the World Trade Center site was perpetrated by the political and financial interests who wrangled for years over what was to be rebuilt there with what money and who would control the design and make the profit. World-class architects were auditioned and the impressive Daniel Liebeskind won the contract. His design was followed by protests and posturing by the commercial developer who owns part of the site, igniting a horrendous cat-fight with the city and the NY Port Authority, all of which was a total disgrace to any who view the site as hallowed.

Fortunately the fight ended and construction of a memorial and high-rises is under way, some possibly to be completed in time for the 10th anniversary. But the events of the past couple of weeks illustrate the often-irrational power of symbology over reality, here and elsewhere.

The scrabbling over the Islamic center, which, indeed, will incorporate a prayer room or “mosque,” will continue. Who knows what the Florida preacher or copycats might yet do with Qurans. They’ve latched on to a worldwide attention-getter that reaches the White House and the military—with the likes of Sarah Palin entering the fray to help keep it all going.

We all react strongly to symbols—flags, crosses, stars, crescents, swastikas, hammers with sickles, raised fists, whatever. The response is deeply imbedded, either from early childhood and religious training or the remembrance of recent history. One or another symbol can speak to our deepest values or our worst fears and enmities. Apparently we’re all hard-wired to exhibit these emotional responses.

What I don’t understand is how the force of some of these responses can become as intense as they are in some quarters, inciting violence and killings as did the Muslim response to a set of wacky Danish cartoons purportedly depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a terrorist. If the poorly drawn faces had not been captioned with the prophet’s name they simply would look like stock, bad-taste caricatures of Arabs—including one with a bomb in his turban.

But they set off weeks of rioting, with Muslims bizarrely killing Muslims. Now much of the world fears similar or worse reactions—including attacks on American troops or even the nation itself—if and when a Quran is burned before battery of all-too-willing TV cameras that will replay the event into eternity. The concern over such military or terrorist reaction is unfortunately real.

What I further fail understand is why only certain members of a certain religion in a certain part of the world over-react to this extreme. I suspect political agitation rather than some inherent Islamic emotional instability, though there is a closer relationship between the religious and the political in that world.

How often have we seen Middle East demonstrations where American flags and Israeli flags are burned? We Americans are angered and certainly the sight emotionally wounds Israelis. I do not, however, recall any episodes of violent retaliatory reaction, though those images obviously contribute to the generalized anti-Islam sentiments pervading America today.

For years some politicians tried to amend the US Constitution to outlaw flag burning—which hasn’t been perpetrated here for decades. A few years ago there were picket lines outside the Art Institute of Chicago when a student exhibit featured a flag that people walked on. The demonstrations were nonviolent, fortunately, but the demonstrators showed how deeply the essentially harmless symbology distressed them.

How might the Judeo-Christian world respond to Islamists burning a bible or a torah? More pain and anger, for sure, and more hatred, but I would not foresee bombings—though it would likely provoke more individual attacks, the way that deranged New Yorker slashed a Muslim cab driver.

I clearly understand the fear of potential harm if a cross were burned on the lawn of a black family. That symbol historically suggests physical violence to follow. But I should hope that somehow we—and especially the Muslim world—learn to better control our reactions to symbols that are essentially harmless, even though they might tend to elevate the blood pressure.

http://www.chija.org/images/CJA%20Invite%2010.pdf

From Congresswoman Nita:
Tuesday’s primary results put to rest any remaining doubt: the Republican activist base is now more right-wing, more extreme, and more radical than any major party in the modern history of the United States of America.
In one state after another - Kentucky, Nevada, Alaska, Utah, Colorado – Republican activists have nominated candidates who espouse everything from wild conspiracy theories to outlandish denials of basic science. And in each case, these seemingly fringe candidates are running even or better in the polls.
Now, after last Tuesday’s primaries, the crop of extremist candidates has grown. In Delaware, Republicans nominated a candidate whom even Karl Rove accuses of saying “nutty” things. And right here in New York State, the newly minted GOP nominee for governor is known mainly for distributing racially-charged emails and suggesting that recipients of public assistance be sent to prison.

Honest debate between liberals, moderates and conservatives has always been essential to the health of our democracy, and I have developed strong and trusting relationships with many Republican colleagues, despite policy disagreements.

But this new Republican onslaught is different from anything we have seen before – candidates who are utterly detached from reality and civility. We can only imagine the negative impact these individuals could have, if they acquire more power. Frankly, even if some lose, the constituency they represent will hold outsized influence over the Republican leadership in both the House and the Senate, especially if Republicans acquire a majority.

The good news is that there is still time to make our case clearly and forcefully. There is still time to highlight the enormous threat posed by the radical right. There is still time to motivate progressive, moderate and even responsible conservative voters and bring them to the polls on November 2nd.
But the clock is ticking, and we can’t afford to waste even a single day. We need to mobilize an all-out effort to hold our congressional majorities and push back against this rising radical tide, starting here in Westchester and Rockland.

You know the stakes, and you have already demonstrated your commitment to this urgent challenge, for which I am sincerely grateful.

Today, I turn to you once again with a request for help. Please make a campaign contribution as soon as you are able. Your generosity will ensure that we have the resources to communicate in these closing weeks of the campaign . . . and prevail.

Only together can we make the choice in this election crystal clear. Only together will we win.

Thank you for your friendship and confidence. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

From Gloria in PA:

Hello, all -

This is Gloria McVeigh, member of "Obama for Prez `08" Bear Swamp team, and volunteer organizer for our "Save Obama `10" effort.

We all know that Obama will spend two years as a lame duck and we'll lose everything we fought for if the "Party of No" gains majorities in Congress this fall. Right now, Toomey's leading Sestak by 10% and Dent's leading Callahan by 11%. In our own backyard, Onorato's down 15% to Corbett, whose Marcellus Shale position is to the right of even the oil + gas industry.

Good news: We have 6 weekends to turn this thing around. I've contacted the Sestak, Callahan, and Onorato campaigns, which will start canvassing this Saturday (9/25). I will pick up street lists of Democratic voters and piles of candidate handouts and distribute them to Bear Swamp volunteers. I'll collect and return the materials to the campaign office at the end of the day. We may have to be flexible as to the neighborhoods we cover, based on campaign strategy.

Available time slots for Saturday, 9/25:

10:00a - 1:00p

1:00p - 4:00p

4:00p - 7:00p

Email me by noon Friday caryopter@yahoo.com

if you can get started this weekend and we'll firm up details. Weekly volunteering emails will follow every week until Election Day, Nov 2.

Fired up + Ready to go!

From Judy R in Mamaroneck:

Anger is sweeping America. True, this white-hot rage is a minority phenomenon, not something that characterizes most of our fellow citizens. But the angry minority is angry indeed, consisting of people who feel that things to which they are entitled are being taken away. And they’re out for revenge. Read rest of Paul Krugman on line:Click here: Op-Ed Columnist - The Angry Rich and Taxes - NYTimes.com

From Tommy Sowers in MO:

Today, I'd like to not talk politics. I'd like to ask you to help a friend of mine, a casualty of the events since 9/11. Darren Baldwin was one of the first guys I met in August 2004 when I arrived at 10th Special Forces Group. When I was commanding my A-Team, Darren was just down the hall commanding another. He's that guy you want to be around-sharp, smart, experienced. As I took over my team less than three weeks from deploying into the heart of the Iraq insurgency, Darren took me under his wing and helped get me ready. He had my back.

Now Darren can't walk. You can find out more about Darren's story here. He's being treated for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) tied to two IED incidents and Lyme disease. Bianca, his great, supportive wife, is doing her best to support. But there are huge gaps as our nation comes to terms with the long term effects of TBI and these wars.This week, Darren received the Purple Heart and Bianca sent out a request for funds to help Darren receive the treatment he needs.

You can help. You can donate through the Green Beret Foundation. When you do, in the Comments field, be sure to include the text "donation for Major Baldwin's fund". Please do so today.

If you can't contribute, send a note or a prayer to Bianca and let her know we have her back.

Today, let's give a voice and support to heroes like Darren. Supporting our troops does not mean sending more. It means following through.

From Judy in Mamaroneck:

Like homeowners in the path of an approaching wildfire, Democrats are scrambling to salvage what they can from an anticipated disaster in the coming elections.

Pundits are predicting the loss of the House and maybe even the Senate to the Republicans, and polls are showing a level of disenchantment among voters that is bordering on despair. Nearly two-thirds of respondents to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll said they believe the country is in a state of decline.

A full two-thirds said they are no longer confident “that life for our children’s generation will be better than it has been for us.”...(Read rest on line) Click here: Op-Ed Columnist - Paying the Price - NYTimes.com

From Herb in KCMO: Charlie Reese penned an editorial about 545 people being responsible for "domestic problems that plague U.S.",and it is all true according to www.snopes.com
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18568.htm

Charley Reese has been a journalist for 49 years.
545 PEOPLE -- By Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank...(Read rest on line)

From Judy in Mamaroneck:

Being President While Black

by Gerald A. McIntosh http://consciencedaily.com/index.php
I don't think anyone was under some real illusion that the election of Barack Obama actually meant the end of racism in America . I'm pretty sure that the president-elect knew it better than anyone. After all, he saw it every day, from the moment he announced his candidacy. To some degree, he saw it within his own party during the primaries. And he saw it in all ugliness during the general election. For half of this country, he was "That One". No matter how big and clear his victory was. No matter how smart he is. No matter how decent he is. No matter what a true patriot he is. No matter how optimistic and positive his vision for America was. All that didn't matter. Because at the end of the day, he was still black.

I'm quite old. I remember, vaguely, where my parents were on November 22, 1963. I've seen so many presidents. Some were feared, some were hated, some were adored, some popular and some not. But all of them, without exception, were treated with the highest respect deserving the office of the president of the United States .

That is until a black man won the right to occupy this office. It's been 13 months now, and in the eyes of so many, Barack Obama is still that one. He is being disrespected and at the same time being held to the highest standard of any president I've ever seen – and not just by the Republican side! He has to performm three times better than any president in history, and even that may not be enough.
or the media, he is many more times just "Obama" than "President Obama". They create scandals out of nothing issues. It took them at least 6 years to start giving Bush a small part of the sh-t he deserved. It took them 6 months to begin crap all over Obama because he's yet to fix the catastrophe that was left for him...(Read rest on line http://consciencedaily.com/index.php

From Roz in Larchmont:

Friends, I knew Chris in college. He's a smart serious guy who could hold the Senate for the Democrats. He's back in play because in today's primary, where the tea party candidate beat out the popular moderate republican who was supposed to be running against him. You'll hear some entertaining stuff about the woman the Republicans nominated--but it isn't really funny. She's crazy. Please consider contributing to Chris Coons.https://secure.democratsenators.org/o/59/donate_page/odonnell

From Gwynneth in White Plains:
Thanks to your support, activism, and voting power, pro-choice candidates across the state had some exciting victories in yesterday's primary election!

We are excited to announce that Eric Schneiderman won the Democratic nomination for New York state attorney general. Eric's commitment to reproductive rights spans throughout his career, dating back to the early 1970s when he served as a clinic escort. As he did in the primary, Eric is poised to make protecting reproductive rights a key theme in his campaign, and NARAL Pro-Choice New York is proud stand with Eric to ensure that he becomes New York's next
attorney general.

We also congratulate pro-choice champion Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on her decisive primary victory. Senator Gillibrand has been a staunch advocate for the women of New York in Washington D.C., and we look forward to supporting her through the general election and beyond.

Finally, we congratulate our endorsed candidate Francisco Moya, who won his race for state assembly in Queens against Hiram Monserrate, the former state senator who was expelled from the Senate after being convicted of abusing his girlfriend.
Check out the full list below of endorsed candidates who won last night!

This is just the beginning: now it's on to the General Election! Stay tuned for our General Election Voter Guide coming soon. And get ready for more exciting volunteer opportunities as November 2 approaches.

It's up to us to strengthen New York's commitment to women's health and rights. Here's to a great start and more victories to come this fall!(Check it out http://www.prochoiceny.org/)

Sheila in Larchmont:

Subject: Michael Moore on September 11

I am opposed to the building of the "mosque" two blocks from Ground Zero.

I want it built on Ground Zero.

Why? Because I believe in an America that protects those who are the victims of hate and prejudice. I believe in an America that says you have the right to worship whatever God you have, wherever you want to worship. And I believe in an America that says to the world that we are a loving and generous people and if a bunch of murderers steal your religion from you and use it as their excuse to kill 3,000 souls, then I want to help you get your religion back. And I want to put it at the spot where it was stolen from you.

There's been so much that's been said about this manufactured controversy, I really don't want to waste any time on this day of remembrance talking about it. But I hate bigotry and I hate liars, and so in case you missed any of the truth that's been lost in this, let me point out a few facts:

1. ...This is not going to be a "mosque," it's going to be a community center. It will have the same prayer room in it that's already there. But to even have to assure people that "it's not going to be mosque" is so offensive, I now wish they would just build a 111-story mosque there. That would be better than the lame and disgusting way the developer has left Ground Zero an empty hole until recently. The remains of over 1,100 people still haven't been found. That site is a sacred graveyard, and to be building another monument to commerce on it is a sacrilege. Why wasn't the entire site turned into a memorial peace park? People died there, and many of their remains are still strewn about, all these years later.
2. Guess who has helped the Muslims organize their plans for this community center? The JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER of Manhattan! Their rabbi has been advising them since the beginning. It's been a picture-perfect example of the kind of world we all want to live in. ...

3. The Imam in charge of this project is the nicest guy you'd ever want to meet. Read about his past here.

4. Around five dozen Muslims died at the World Trade Center on 9/11. Hundreds of members of their families still grieve and suffer. The 19 killers did not care what religion anyone belonged to when they took those lives.

5. I've never read a sadder headline in the New York Times than the one on the front page this past Monday: "American Muslims Ask, Will We Ever Belong?" That should make all of us so ashamed that even a single one of our fellow citizens should ever have to worry about if they "belong" here.

6. There is a McDonald's two blocks from Ground Zero. Trust me, McDonald's has killed far more people than the terrorists.

7. During an economic depression or a time of war, fascists are extremely skilled at whipping up fear and hate and getting the working class to blame "the other" for their troubles. Lincoln's enemies told poor Southern whites that he was "a Catholic." FDR's opponents said he was Jewish and called him "Jewsevelt." One in five Americans now believe Obama is a Muslim and 41% of Republicans don't believe he was born here.

8. Blaming a whole group for the actions of just one of that group is anti-American. Timothy McVeigh was Catholic. Should Oklahoma City prohibit the building of a Catholic Church near the site of the former federal building that McVeigh blew up?

9. Let's face it, all religions have their whackos. Catholics have O'Reilly, Gingrich, Hannity and Clarence Thomas (in fact all five conservatives who dominate the Supreme Court are Catholic). Protestants have Pat Robertson and too many to list here. The Mormons have Glenn Beck. Jews have Crazy Eddie. But we don't judge whole religions on just the actions of their whackos. Unless they're Methodists.

10. If I should ever, God forbid, perish in a terrorist incident, and you or some nutty group uses my death as your justification to attack or discriminate against anyone in my name, I will come back and haunt you worse than Linda Blair marrying Freddy Krueger and moving into your bedroom to spawn Chucky. John Lennon was right when he asked us to imagine a world with "nothing to kill or die for and no religion, too." ...

Friends, we all have a responsibility NOW to make sure that Muslim community center gets built. Once again, 70% of the country (the same number that initially supported the Iraq War) is on the wrong side and want the "mosque" moved. Enormous pressure has been put on the Imam to stop his project. We have to turn this thing around. Are we going to let the bullies and thugs win another one? Aren't you fed up by now? When would be a good time to take our country back from the haters? ...I lost a co-worker on 9/11. I write this today in his memory.

From Robin in North Salem:

in the interim for your blog. Saw Bill Clinton 2nte at the John Hall Reception. Bill’s 2 best sound bite were (& be sure to pass them on)…

Anger, Apathy & Amnesia will cost the Dems the election.

& The Republicans say they want to "Take the country back" (as in backwards)…we want to move it forward….

From Doni in New Jersey:

Between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, a group of 60 of Israel's leading writers, artists, scholars and activists - including Israel Prize Laureates Amos Oz, A.B. Yehoshua, Nathan Zach, and Shulamit Aloni; David Grossman, Naomi Chazan, Rabbi Arik Ascherman and award-winning playwright Yehoshua Sobol - issued a statement of conscience, published in Israel's most prestigious newspaper, Ha'aretz, condemning the Netanyahu government's egregious mistreatment of Israel's Bedouin Arab citizens. It happened on the day the Israeli government demolished the Negev Bedouin village of Al-Arakib and expelled its residents for the fifth time in as many weeks.

Yet some defend the government's use of force to repeatedly evict 300 children, old women and men, to raze their homes and destroy their means of livelihood, on the grounds that the police forces acted on a "legal" order issued by a court.

But such "legality" is no defense when the law is patently unjust and used to deny an entire minority, Israel's most disadvantaged community, basic human and civil rights guaranteed to other citizens - Israeli Jews.

"The state has enacted discriminatory laws against the Bedouin Arab population in Israel," these prominent Israelis remind us, "and by way of those laws expelled them from their villages, relocated them, robbed them of their lands and transferred ownership of those lands to the state." The Netanyahu government is attempting to enforce laws which clash with human rights treaties that Israel has signed and ratified.

"Nothing like this exists in any other Western country: that so great a number of tax-paying citizens are denied their basic rights to water, electricity, infrastructure, health services and education as are denied to the 90,000 Bedouin citizens of the state of Israel who live in 45 unrecognized villages in the Negev...

"It is unthinkable that the state of Israel encourages and invests in settlements of every kind for Jews in the Negev, including single-family farms rich in acreage and public resources, while ignoring the needs of the Bedouin community and its future development, in flagrant violation of the principle of equality."

The Israeli men and women of conscience end by issuing a warning and an urgent plea:

"Before the situation gets worse, before calamity strikes, we call on the Government of Israel to stop, to rethink its policy and to arrive at an agreed solution with the Bedouin Arabs in the Negev."

The Jewish Alliance for Change is proud to have published for the first time in English, and to have helped translate, the statement of the 60 leading Israelis.

Read the statement and view the full list of prominent Israeli signatories on a

new website we're launching today on our

Campaign for Bedouin-Jewish Justice in Israel.

There you'll find a selection of the best articles and videos and the latest inside reports from our Israeli partners on the ground - including the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality - on the epic struggle between the Netanyahu government and Israel's Bedouin Arab community in the Negev.

As our friends in Israel turn up the heat on the Netanyahu government, we too in the U.S. must take our campaign in support of their efforts to the next level.

We'll publish the Israeli statement of conscience, with the names of prominent Israeli and American Jewish signatories, in American Jewish newspapers in major cities.

We'll reach hundreds of thousands of American Jews, urging them to stand shoulder to shoulder with those who are working on the ground, in the courts and in the halls of government for a truly just and democratic Israel, fulfilling the vision of Israel's founders.

We can only do this with your support. Help us inform and mobilize the American Jewish community to work for Arab-Jewish equality in the Negev and a just and democratic Israel.

Together, we can strengthen the forces in Israel working for Jewish-Arab coexistence and equality in the Negev in a truly democratic Jewish state.

With your help, we can make a difference.
From Robin in MO:

Complete and utter bull.

That's what this is, pure and simple. If you haven't heard yet, Fox News is suing my campaign to keep our latest ad off the air because we used a clip of their own Chris Wallace asking Congressman Blunt the tough questions about his record.

You and I both know that campaigns use news clips all the time in TV ads, but for some reason Fox News is trying to prevent us from holding Congressman Blunt accountable for his 14-year Washington record.

Well, we're not backing down. We're fighting this lawsuit. And nobody - not Fox News, and certainly not Congressman Blunt is going to stop my campaign from telling the truth and standing up for Missouri families.
We're going to keep showing this ad on TV and online because we believe that people deserve to hear the truth. Will you stand with me and help us fight back?

From Letty P in NYC:

I want to share this exciting new app that's been developed by Peace Now. Click on the link below or cut and paste this URL into your browser. http://www.haaretz.com/culture/west-bank-settlements-can-now-be-tracked-on-your-iphone-1.314817

Try the Peace Now app on your computer or iPhone -- it's absolutely amazing! You can zoom into any location on the map and see what's happening there.

From now on no one can say he or she didn't know what's going on in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in terms of the settlers' land grab and how its continuation represents a serious obstacle to peace. I'm proud that Peace Now has invested its many resources into this project and has provided an invaluable service for all who care about the facts on the ground.

Letty

Click here: West Bank settlements can now be tracked on your iPhone - Haaretz Daily Newspaper
Israel News

From Patricia D, NYC:

Don't miss our special screening and discussion with the filmmakers of Restrepo on Wednesday, September 29th! The Common Good is thrilled to have the filmmakers of the critically acclaimed film, Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington, on hand for a discussion following the film, that will be moderated by ABC News anchor Cynthia McFadden. Winner of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary, Restrepo chronicles the deployment of a platoon of U.S. soldiers on the front lines of the Afghan War. It reveals extraordinary insight into the lives of a remote 15-man outpost, named "Restrepo," making viewers feel as if they have just been through a 90 minute deployment, plunging viewers into the setting of what is considered, "one of the most dangerous postings in the U.S. military." The filmmakers will also discuss their books, War and Infidel, and copies of their books will be available at our screening.

The Common Good Special Screening of Restrepo

Wednesday, September 29th, 7 p.m. (Arrival at 6:30 p.m. please)

1871 Broadway (between W. 61st and W. 62nd Street) - The New York Institute of Technology Theatre

This event is free for The Common Good supporters. Other guests will be charged $75. Due to very limited space for this event, we kindly ask that you please RSVP as soon as possible to rsvp@thecommongood.net. Please note this is not a fundraiser.

From Susan in NYC: Have given up on the system. They're all disgraceful!!!

HRC Calls on Justice Department Not to Appeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Court Case in Wake of Senate Loss

WASHINGTON – Today our military readiness and national security were set back as Senator John McCain successfully led a Republican filibuster of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), to which the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is attached. Not since 1948 has Congress failed to act on the NDAA. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has committed to bringing the bill back up following the election.

“This filibuster was election year politics at its worst,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “It’s a shame that during a time of war, Republican Senators wouldn’t even allow debate on the bill that provides a pay raise for our troops.”

In its continuing efforts to end the ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service members, HRC today released a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder calling on him not to appeal a recent court decision ruling DADT unconstitutional. The case was brought by the Log Cabin Republicans. Additionally, HRC called on its members and supporters to petition Holder to decline to appeal the case.

“We still have a fighting chance to repeal DADT through Congressional action but in the meantime, the best interests of our men and women in uniform – as well as the country – are served by doing everything we can do to get rid of this discriminatory law,” added Solmonese. “We expect the Justice Department to recognize the overwhelming evidence that proves DADT is unconstitutional.”

Nearly 80 percent of Americans support repealing DADT according to a recent CNN poll. President Obama and military leadership, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen also support repeal. Under the language in the NDAA, implementation of repeal would not occur until after the completion of the Pentagon Working Group study due December 1 of this year and upon certification.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

From Jane in Larchmont:

From Wesley Clark--glad to see his name--

and, if I may, some notes my brother sent along to me in response to this mailing:
<>

Election Day is just 42 days from today and everything you and I care about is on the line.

A Republican victory would unleash an agenda so extreme that it would make George Bush blush. Well, that's not going to happen.

I've reviewed the DCCC's campaign plan. They have a smart, aggressive battle plan for winning this election based upon a carefully targeted media strategy and a Get-Out-The-Vote plan using sophisticated voter turn-out models that even our opponents say is second to none.

But, this plan depends upon a secret ingredient: Committed grassroots supporters like you. To launch into action, we must raise $278,451 more before Friday's deadline to get money to campaigns before their Day of Action this Saturday.

Every dollar you give can mean the difference between victory and defeat on Election Day.

Contribute $5, $10 or more to Democrats' Early Voter Action Fund before Friday's deadline when we have to finalize our field plans. Your contribution will be matched 2-to-1 by a group of committed Democrats to help in even more close races.

The fact is more than 75% of the DCCC's funding comes from individual donors like you. The DCCC knows how to put those dollars to work exposing radical Republicans' promises to privatize Social Security, repeal health care reform and gut Wall Street regulations.\

I'm asking you to step up right now and provide the financial resources we need to get out our message and turn out our voters.

The stakes in this election could not be higher. Its outcome will determine whether we continue to move forward with President Obama or return to the failed Bush policies of the past. I'm asking you to stand up and be counted by supporting House Democrats with as generous a contribution as you can afford.

From Ross in Senator Gillibrand's Office:

Right now, our country is experiencing an epidemic of extremism. Cases are popping up everywhere, from California to Colorado all the way to nearby Delaware.

What are the symptoms? Calls to repeal health care reform, overturn Roe v. Wade and cut Social Security.

The virulent extremists making these outlandish demands are actually gaining strength-even here in New York.

Joe DioGuardi, who's right in sync with the Tea Party's ultraconservative vision, has been attacking Kirsten for months-- and it's paying off with rising poll numbers. We can't for a moment think that New York is immune to the rise of the Tea Party, because the truth is that anything can happen. With just 41 days left, please make a contribution right now. Click here to rush your donation to Kirsten's campaign and help us reach our goal of raising $125,000 by September 30. If we don't act now, the situation could get much worse.
The only way to describe the current mood in America is unpredictable. Candidates deemed too out of the mainstream to win are winning. DioGuardi has made it clear he will capitalize on this mood to advance his plans to cut Social Security, take away a woman's right to choose and stay in lock-step with the obstructionists in Congress. He's already thrown vicious attacks at Kirsten, and we know he's got plenty more ready to launch.
We can't sit back and watch as these right-wing extremists try and take over our government and roll back the progress we've made. That's why we need your help today. Please make a contribution today.

If the unexpected were to happen here in New York, I know that as one of Kirsten's faithful supporters you would wake up on November 3 filled with regret that you didn't do more. So let's make sure the unexpected doesn't happen.

#2

Re Job Killers--

case in point: light bulbs.

American inventions--both the incandescent bulb, and the curly fluorescent which will replace it--and the industry, jobs and profit go to -- China.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/07/AR2010090706933.html

From Elizabeth in mamaroneck:

This is really important and I do hope you can join us! We need to approach the whole tax burden problem in a fresh way, and this will help us. Please let me know if you have any questions, please come, and please spread the word.

Thanks! New York Can Do Better:

Fair Taxes and Efficient Services

Monday, October 4th

7:30-9:30pm

Greenburgh Town Hall

177 Hillside Ave. White Plains, NY 10603

The roundtable discussion will focus on fair taxes and efficient services. The goal of the evening’s discussion is to defend equitable progressive taxes and identify efficiencies that ensure taxpayers’ savings. For too long, the debate has been about either increasing taxes or cutting services. This forum will shift the discussion to maximizing efficiency and ensuring fairness in our taxes.

Audience questions will be encouraged.
Panelists will include:

· Louis Wool, Superintendent of Schools, Harrison Central School District;

· Karen Magee, President, Harrison Association of Teachers;

· Ron Deutsch, Executive Director, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, Coordinator, Omnibus Consortium;

· State Senator Jeffrey D. Klein, 34th Senate District

· State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer, 37th Senate District

· Assemblyman George Latimer, 91st Assembly District;

Professor Elliott D. Sclar of Columbia University, who is a noted scholar on public revenue policies, will moderate.

To RSVP: westchester4change@gmail.com or meetup.com/westchester-for-change

Questions: Call Rachel Estroff: 914-525-1940 or Elizabeth Saenger: 698-7569 or email westchester4change@gmail.com