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Sunday, October 31
Howard Dean: Count Every Vote
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 31 Oct 2004 04:06 AM CST
 Count Every Vote
by Howard Dean
A request from your favorite New England Governor...
After
the Florida disaster in 2000, Congress had an opportunity to fix
problems and build a better electoral system. It failed to act quickly.
When it finally did act, the limited reforms that managed to pass
didn't receive sufficient funding.
Now we
face an election that, if the results are close, could be even worse.
Republican officials in several states have tried to keep people from
voting, and the widespread use of paperless electronic voting machines
means that some votes can't be recounted.
That's why we all have to take personal responsibility for the integrity of the voting process. Rep. Rush Holt
of New Jersey, who has been a leader on election reform, has put
together a resource for all of us who want to make sure our elections
are fair:
http://www.counteveryvote.org
We have an obligation to ensure that our elections are fair and accessible. At this web site, you'll find information about volunteering at polling places and reporting any problems.
We also
have to make sure elections are auditable. Congressman Holt was the
only member of Congress who saw that electronic voting machines were
flawed. I support his bill to provide a voter-verified paper trail -
but the fact is that many people have not used these machines and don't
know what to expect.
As more
people have learned about electronic voting machines, support for the
bill has grown. There are now more than 150 Congressional co-sponsors.
But Congress left town without passing it. That's why advocates for
voting rights on the ground will be crucial. Please get involved:
http://www.counteveryvote.org
When
Congressman Holt started his work on these vital issues, he was all
alone. But elected leaders and ordinary Americans have begun to follow.
Join us to make sure that this time we have an election worthy of the
world's greatest democracy.
Thank you,
Governor Howard Dean, M.D.
Friday, October 22
Corrupt-as-they-come Majority Leader Tom DeLay Subpoenaed in Texas Civil Lawsuit
by
Linda Thieman
on Fri 22 Oct 2004 06:01 PM CDT
Corrupt-as-they-come Majority Leader Tom DeLay Subpoenaed in Texas Civil Lawsuit
TylerPaper.com
WASHINGTON
- House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has been subpoenaed in a Texas civil
lawsuit to testify about his role in using government resources to
track down Democratic legislators who fled the state during last year's
bitter redistricting dispute.
The
subpoena was delivered to DeLay's lawyers in Houston on Wednesday after
an attempt to serve DeLay personally failed, said Rep. Lon Burnam, the
Democratic state lawmaker from Fort Worth who filed the lawsuit.
The subpoena calls for DeLay to give a deposition in Austin on Monday.
...Burnam
said there is a "litany of questions with regard to misuse of public
funds" to pursue Democratic House members who fled to Ardmore, Okla.,
and DeLay's role in that.
...More
than 50 state House Democrats, including Burnam, went to Oklahoma in
May 2003 to prevent the quorum needed to pass a congressional
redistricting map engineered by Republicans and pushed by DeLay.
Department
of Public Safety troopers were dispatched to find the Democrats and
return them to Austin. A division of the Department of Homeland
Security also was contacted to help search for a plane owned by
Democratic Rep. Pete Laney, which took some of the lawmakers to
Oklahoma.
(Click here to read the complete article.)
And from Democracy for America . . .
Put this ad on the air - in Tom DeLay's backyard.
Against
all odds, the Republican House Majority Leader faces a do-or-die fight
for re-election. His top aides have been arrested and indicted. Even
his own colleagues on the Ethics Committee (many of them recipients of
DeLay machine money) documented his wrongdoing — but they failed to
hold him accountable. Only the Texans in his district can do that now.
Tom
DeLay is an embarrassment. He operates the most corrupt
money-for-influence machine in Washington. He abuses the power of his
office — in one case even sending the Homeland Security forces after
his political opponents. (see above)
There's a chance to turn this unexpectedly competitive race into a major upset.
To watch the ad or to contribute to the cause, click here.
Tuesday, October 19
Connie Wilson: Al Franken Keynote Speaker at JJ Dinner
by
Linda Thieman
on Tue 19 Oct 2004 05:24 PM CDT
 Al Franken Keynote Speaker at JJ Dinner
by Connie Wilson
Saturday, October 16, 2004
The annual Jefferson/Jackson Democratic dinner at Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa, was held on Saturday, October 16th, with a large crowd of enthusiastic Democrats in attendance.
Prior to Al Franken’s keynote speech, the Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church Choir and numerous Democratic candidates performed and a number of Democrats for various offices spoke, including a long speech by Governor Tom Vilsack and a longer one by Iowa Senator Tom Harkin (previous Howard Dean supporter).
The Lt. Governor of Iowa, Sally Pederson, noted, in her opening remarks, that in Dubuque, during the filming of “Field of Dreams”, there were more people hired to film that movie than “W” has created jobs for during his four years as pResident.
Leonard Boswell, Iowa’s lone Democratic Congressman (from District 3), made his entrance on a motorcycle. Gerald McEntee of the AFSCME International Union bellowed mightily as “host” of the event, but the acoustics were so bad that it was difficult to understand him.
Sharon Stone no-showed, but Vanessa Kerry (Future First Daughter) was smart, poised and savvy in black stiletto pumps. Her intelligent remarks and articulate presence (no bellowing) made her a crowd favorite, as we all waited for the star of the evening, Al Franken, to take the stage.
What follows are some of Franken’s best lines.
First, Al noted, “If Iowa goes for Kerry, you’re all gonna be nuked,” citing Vice pResident Dick Cheney’s recent speech in Des Moines as the source for this outrageous remark. He also noted that Bush would have us all become hunter/gatherers and that he (Franken) would be “fighting over a root….to the death” with the man in the front row. (Much laughter at this.)
Franken comments on the debate: “Language has never been his (“W’s”) strong suit.” (Much laughter). “The Republicans like to use ‘evil-doers’ a lot. Cheney works evil-doers in because everybody on the Republican side has to.” (This is followed by a parody of Cheney’s head and neck posturing, while saying, “Evil doers.”) Al is good. Read his last book.
more »
Sunday, October 17
DFA Grassroots Book Now Available
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 17 Oct 2004 11:53 AM CDT
 DFA Grassroots Book Now Available
My name
is Scott Goldstein. I am 19 years old, and was a very active
member of the Dean campaign. I volunteered for the campaign in
over 5 states, interned, and worked for Generation Dean from American
University in Washington, D.C. I spent last summer in Burlington,
VT, as an intern for Democracy for America.
My new
book, The Tea is in the Harbor, discusses the fight for Democracy in
America, the role of the Howard Dean Presidential Campaign, and the
work still ahead to take back our democracy. Since the founding
of our democracy, the system has come to change a great deal. Our
process is no longer owned by the people, but by special
interests. In this new revolution, there must be a role for young
people. If we really want to take back our Democracy we need to
be in this fight for the long term. Like the first American
patriots did in 1773, we need to throw tea into the harbor once again.
The book is available at Amazon.com. Thanks for your support.
Wednesday, October 6
Bring Dean Back to Iowa Petition
by
Linda Thieman
on Wed 06 Oct 2004 08:48 PM CDT
 Bring Dean Back to Iowa Petition
Dear Fellow Dean Supporters:
Rumors are flying about whether or not Gov. Dean will be returning to Iowa before the November election.
If you would like to help make a Dean appearance happen, please sign this Democracy for Iowa petition. Your email address will not be revealed even to us unless you choose that option.
Bring Dean Back to Iowa Petition
http://www.petitiononline.com/DeanIowa/petition.html
Once you sign the petition, please email it to every Dean supporter you know in Iowa.
Thank you!
Saturday, October 2
Dean Hands Harkin Fistful of Cash for Iowa Candidates
by
Linda Thieman
on Sat 02 Oct 2004 12:34 PM CDT
Dean Hands Harkin Fistful of Cash for Iowa Candidates
Iowa Senator Tom Harkin (left) and Gov. Howard Dean
It
was announced on Blog for America yesterday that Gov. Howard Dean and his
organization, Democracy for America, have handed over checks made out to
some Iowa candidates to Senator Tom Harkin. Blog for Iowa can
only guess which candidates will receive these badly-needed funds since
the envelopes had apparently been kept hermetically sealed on Funk
& Wagnall's porch until noon yesterday.
In
the photo above, you can see Senator Tom Harkin readying to place the
envelopes to his forehead to try to divine the number of candidates
involved.
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