Old Tool Reborn:
Organize for America

As part of the new DFA 2.0, Project Commons is being relaunched with yet another new name: Organize for America.

http://organize.democracyforamerica.com

I believe this has been known alternately as Commons, Deanlink, and Get Local.  Well, whatever they are calling it now, they would like us to post our local events there.  And while you're at it, send them into Blog for Iowa, too!

Here's what you can find over at Organize for America.

If you live in or near an area where a progressive candidate is running, you can use the Organize tools to find other DFA grassroots supporters and contact them about helping out.

You can also use Organize for America to plan and publicize your own events -- DeanCorps projects, social gatherings, working meetings, tabling, canvassing.

Organize has an invitation component which you can use to spread the word about DFA and bring your family, friends and colleagues into the grassroots. You'll receive credit when they join, and you can track your totals.

You will also be able to tell your story about the grassroots fundraising that is changing the role of money in politics.

If you're a registered user on Blog for America, you can use the same email address and password that you use on the blog -- your account has already been created for you. If not, you can sign up with ease.

As always, DFA relies on your feedback and suggestions to improve the tools -- they exist for you. There's a special feedback form especially for Organize for America.

Every state and local group can use Organize for America as its hub for events and grassroots activity. Spread the word about the relaunch and make sure everyone in your community is signed up -- and get organizing!

And sign them up for Democracy for Iowa, too, please, while you're at it.  Here's the link to join DFIA, and here is a flyer you can use to sign them up on paper.  Thanks!

I've just added Organize for America to the Tool component on the left sidebar of Blog for Iowa - in place of Deanlink.

Read an explantion of all the great tools in the Tool component on Blog for Iowa here.

Great Tool: Project Vote Smart

A knowledgeable electorate is the strongest component of a functioning democracy. Information about elected officials and candidates is crucial to maintaining the defense of one's rights and privileges guaranteed in the Constitution. In that spirit, Project Vote Smart (PVS) provides a comprehensive database about thousands of candidates and elected officials for President, Congress, Governors and State Legislators. Less detailed information is available at the county and local level for each state.

Project Vote Smart covers these candidates and elected officials in five basic categories:

· Background and contact information
· Issue positions, provided by candidates through our National Political Awareness Test (NPAT)
· Voting record
· Campaign finances
· Interest group ratings from over 100 groups across the ideological spectrum

The PVS website also includes:

· Public statements made by U.S. Senators and Governors
· Voter registration forms for each state
· Contact information for state and local election offices
· Polling place and absentee ballot information
· Ballot measure descriptions for each state, where applicable
· Links to federal and state government agencies, political parties and issue organizations

Congress Track

Project Vote Smart provides easy access to information on the United States Congress, including Key Votes, Recent Votes, a Status of Appropriation Chart, Other Congressional Resources and Week at a Glance which details major actions taken to legislation on the floor of Congress.

Voter Registration

Do you have questions about Voter Registration? Check out the Voter Registration section of the PVS website. Information can be found on the Deadline to Register, the Qualifications, where you can get a Voter Registration Form, and Absentee Ballot information for every state. 

If you have questions, call the toll-free Voter's Research Hotline (1-888-VOTE SMART) to speak with a researcher.

To visit the Project Vote Smart website, go here.

I have just added Project Vote Smart to the Tools component on the left sidebar of Blog for Iowa.

Tools:  Blog for Iowa "Search" Feature

Now that Blog for Iowa has published almost 140 articles, I've tried to create categories under which to file most of the articles.  It's a time-consuming process to go back and re-file the articles, so I haven't yet completed the task.

But, in the meantime, I wanted to tell you about Blog for Iowa's great "Search" feature.

On the left sidebar of Blog for Iowa, you can enter any word or phrase - let's try Medicare, for example - into the Search box, and that will pull up every instance of that word or phrase on the entire site.  Plus, it will show you how that word or phrase was used and will provide you with a link that you can click on to get to the article of your choice.

A Medicare search pulls up the following list of articles:

Search results for "Medicare":

Medicare Drug Cards A Raw Deal For Seniors
by Linda Thieman on May 5, 2004 07:47AM (CDT)
Medicare Drug Card", AP, 4/29/04, http:// daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1195992&l=32636 . 2.  "New Medicare Drug Cards Offer

Ira Lacher: Who is Leonard Boswell?
by Linda Thieman on April 13, 2004 01:40PM (CDT)
Medicare giveaway to the pharmaceutical and insurance industries.   The Associated Builders and Contractors of Iowa

Tips For Finding Uncontested Races

by 21st Century Democrats

1)  Pick a race that you want to research.
 
You can find elected officials by zip code, along with district information, at http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/dbq/officials.

2)  Find the filing deadline for the race.

You can find a list of all state filing deadlines at the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee website, http://209.61.210.12/pub_filing_deadlines.html.

You can find federal filing deadlines by contacting your state election agency. A directory of state election agencies is online at http://www.nased.org/statelinks.htm.

You can find local filing deadlines at your local board of elections, via your county or city government web site. You can usually find your county government website by typing the name of your county and state into the search engine at www.google.com. Another good portal to local government sites is www.capitolimpact.com/gw.

3)  Ask your State or County Democratic Party if a candidate has filed for the race or intends to file.

Finding candidates to run for office is one of the primary objectives for state and local Democratic committees. You can find a directory of state and local committees at http://democrats.org/states/index.html.

4)  Ask your state election agency (Secretary of State or State Board of Elections) for filing information.

If you can't get the information you need from the party, you can get it from state officials. See http://www.nased.org/statelinks.htm for a directory. You may have to talk to a few people at the agency to get an answer, but persistence will be rewarded.

NEW SEARCHABLE DATABASE CHARTS BUSHCHENEY LIES

As Bushcheney continues to make contradictory statements seemingly day in and day out, MoveOn.org wanted to alert us to a powerful new tool to help journalists, activists and the public compare the Bush administration's claims against well-documented facts.

The Center for American Progress recently launched a comprehensive Claim vs. Fact database at The Daily Misleader that documents statements from conservatives like Bushcheney, Members of Congress and Faux News personalities, and compares those statements to the facts.  Each fact is sourced, and in many cases includes a web link directly to that source.

The database has more than 400 entries so far, but THEY NEED YOUR HELP BUILDING IT.  If you know of a lie, distortion or dishonest statement from a Bush Administration official or another conservative that isn't already in the database, please go to the submission page at:

http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1195992&l=31812

  or

http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1195992&l=31814

There you can submit an entry for addition to the database, so that the tool grows and becomes a real-time tracker of lies.

I've just added this great new tool to the Tools component on the left sidebar of Blog for Iowa.  It's called Search Bushcheney Lies.