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Monday, July 26
Boston Trip Reinforces Small’s Commitment To Serve
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 26 Jul 2004 08:54 PM CDT
Boston Trip Reinforces Small’s Commitment To Serve
The Iowa Delegation to the Democratic National Convention
this evening at the start of the convention
© 2004 Democracy for Iowa. All rights reserved.
BOSTON
– During the first day of the Democratic National Convention, Art
Small, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, met with Sen. Tom Harkin
(D-Iowa) and the Iowa Delegation for breakfast, had lunch with labor
leaders, and had a conference with Sen. Jon Corzine (D-New Jersey),
chair of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee.
The palpable excitement of Iowa delegates, candidates and elected officials bodes well for the week’s events, Small said.
“We’re
all having an excellent time,” he said. “The weather is absolutely
wonderful and the city has just gone out of its way to be hospitable.”
Small
said being in Boston also reinforced his commitment to creating
opportunity for ordinary Americans and to his campaign to defeat Sen.
Charles Grassley this November.
“I
was looking over the city this morning from the terrace of my room, and
I could see the Beacon Hill monument – where the American Revolution
started – and I could see the convention center,” he said. “Then I saw
the wharves and it reminded me of my grandfather. He was a mate on a
ship and fell ill. Because of that, my father had to quit school to
support the family. For some time, he drove a cab in Boston. Now, here
I am, riding in cabs in Boston as a U.S. Senate candidate on my way to
the Democratic National Convention.”
“I’ve
come a long way from being the son of a traveling salesman,” Small
said. “I want all Iowans to have that same opportunity.”
Small said because his father, a smart and hard working man, had not finished high school, most careers weren’t open to him.
Art
Small worked his way through college and attended graduate school on
the G.I. Bill. His personal experience has motivated him to work for an
opportunity society -- where everyone has a genuine chance to secure a
quality education, hold a job, take care of a family and live in
dignity.
To learn more about Art Small for U.S. Senate or to contribute to his campaign, go here.
Mr. Lewis Makes It Through Security
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 26 Jul 2004 06:47 PM CDT
Mr. Lewis Makes It Through Security
One of the security portals at the convention
© 2004 Democracy for Iowa. All rights reserved.
A Report from Darrell Lewis
I’m sending along a photo of the convention security this time.
Of course, I didn’t know that cameras weren't allowed. They stopped me,
but as long as they didn't ask me to erase the photo, I suppose its
OK. [I sure hope so!]
I got caught right in the middle of a bomb scare this afternoon. I was
just going in the door after spending 45 minutes going through security
- they made us wait at the door for a long time and then backed us up
more then a block while they brought something out in a box. Of course,
there I am right up in front, reporters everywhere. LOL. Leave it to me
to find the action and get caught right in the middle.
Report From The LGBT Caucus
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 26 Jul 2004 04:05 PM CDT
Report From The LGBT Caucus
Monica Severson and Linda Langston
from Cedar Rapids, both of whom
are supporters of the LGBT cause
© 2004 Democracy for Iowa. All rights reserved.
Yep, that's Carole King!
© 2004 Democracy for Iowa. All rights reserved.
Darrell
Lewis reports in from the LGBT caucus this morning. Singer Carole
King, pictured above, gave a great speech, and Senator Barbara Boxer,
D-CA, addressed the caucus, too.
Says Lewis, “The LGBT did get a little vocal. This convention is very
scripted and in the name of security, signs are not allowed to be taken
in. The Kerry campaign is making the decision whether or not "gay"
signs will be provided. In years past, there has always been a large
gay sign presence. Didn't really get a straight answer.
No gay marriage signs allowed. There are many people who are really
annoyed in the LGBT caucus that we are being minimized. I had to leave
the caucus early, but it was getting kind of heated when I left.
There were huge, huge numbers of Dean supporters among the 250 gay and
lesbian delegates (largest group ever). Iowa got a huge cheer when the
four of us stood when they did the state roll call.”
Gov. Vilsack Sends His Regards
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 26 Jul 2004 01:51 PM CDT
Gov. Vilsack Sends His Regards
Iowa's Gov. Tom Vilsack (right) sends his regards
from Boston to readers of Blog for Iowa
this morning. With him is Dave Leshtz of Iowa City,
one of our hard-working Dean Delegates.
© 2004 Democracy for Iowa. All rights reserved.
And here are our Iowa delegate/bloggers,
Darrell Lewis (left), a Dean/Kerry delegate
from Clear Lake, and Christina Butts,
an LGBT at-large delegate from Des Moines.
© 2004 Democracy for Iowa. All rights reserved.
Report from Christina Butts
***MONDAY***
8:45AM
-- Had a great breakfast with the Governor, his wife, Secretary Chet
Culver, his father, Senator Harkin, and their spouses. Governor from
New Mexico Bill Richardson & Terry McAuliffe talked to us at the
end, thanking Iowans for showing the nation who the leading candidate
for the Democratic ticket would be. I whispered to Sally that even
though Senators Kerry and Edwards are the heads of the Democratic
coalition, it was Dean who provided the body and soul of this year's
Democratic Party's fire, inspiration and energy.
Have
to get my two disposable cameras processed and Darrell Lewis promised
to scan them for me so I can get them uploaded by tomorrow or tonight.
Keep the home DFIA fires burning!!! Will post more this evening after
the Convention and caucuses.
Connie Wilson Goes On Book Tour
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 26 Jul 2004 01:26 PM CDT
Connie Wilson Goes On Book Tour
Quad-City Times
Yes, OUR Connie, beloved Deaniac extraordinaire, gets the full write-up in the Quad-City Times!
CONNIE Wilson’s got guts. She’s hitting the road next month to plug her book of essays and poems, “Both Sides Now.”
In
August and September, she’ll be stopping in Ames, Iowa; Greeley and
Canon City, Colo. In the fall, while her husband is attending a
conference in Baltimore, she’ll be signing books in Towson, Md.
What takes guts is that she knows, at best, a handful of people in each town.
“It’s a chance to see some friends in far-flung locales,” she said last week.
She hopes to get readings at each of the stores, and is taking along stacks of books to autograph.
If worse comes to worst, she’ll drag out her accordion.
“They
either flee from the room or they’re petrified,” said Wilson, who has
bounced around from bookstores to banks to libraries in her book tours
in the Quad-Cities.
Wilson’s
work has been getting good notice nationwide, with Writer’s Digest
calling it an enjoyable collection, “a little like eating pickles and
ice cream.”
(more)
That sounds like our Connie!
Dean & Bloggers in the News
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 26 Jul 2004 08:03 AM CDT
Dean & Bloggers in the News
There
have been a lot of articles about Howard Dean and also about the role
of bloggers in politics/at the convention lately. Thought I'd
line up a few of them for you to look at.
Dean to pals: Join the team
New York Daily News
BOSTON - Howard Dean today will formally release the delegates he won during the primaries and urge them to vote for John Kerry.
"They're
on board," Dean said of his estimated 150 delegates. "There's always a
few to worry about, but most are ready to commit to Sen. Kerry."
The
former Vermont governor, who nearly stole the nomination with his
grass-roots anti-war campaign, addresses the convention tomorrow night
and will slam President Bush on kitchen-table issues such as health
care.
[I'll
decline comment here. I'm too busy getting Howard's foot out of
my stomach. But isn't that a fabulous picture? It was taken
yesterday by listener.]
(more)
Bloggers carve out political niche
St. Paul Pioneer Press
Online journals 'fill the gaps' in coverage
BOSTON —
As major news organizations unload truckloads of equipment and
thousands of people to cover the Democratic National Convention, Bill
Scher arrived in Boston on Sunday with little more than a laptop and
digital camera.
The New
York City resident is one of about 35 bloggers who have been given
official credentials to cover the convention. Like most independent
bloggers, Scher will work for free and pay most of his own expenses,
posting his reports and commentary on LiberalOasis.com, a Web site with
a typical daily audience of about 6,000.
[Gee, and I thought our 500 a day was pretty good!]
(more)
Politics: Huge Dean welcome at party for young voters
WBAY.com
BOSTON - Howard Dean has been welcomed in Boston like a rock star.
The
former Democratic presidential candidate could barely get through the
crowd at a Sunday night party sponsored by Rock the Vote and Democratic
Gain.
And once he reached the stage -- shirt sleeves characteristically rolled up -- he was greeted with chants of "Dean, Dean, Dean."
(more)
Iowa Bloggers Report In
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 26 Jul 2004 04:19 AM CDT
Iowa Bloggers Report In
This is Denise (from Illinois), Dean blogger extraordinaire.
She's the one who provided the excellent reportage from
Gov. Dean's speech at DemFest yesterday.
You can read convention reports from Iowa bloggers below. Click.
1) Darrell Lewis
2) Christina Butts
See some photos here.
And this report came in from Darrell, too!
Hello bloggers........I just got to Boston in the last hour after a GREAT DemocracyFest weekend....
and I am on one of those DEAN highs.......what a way to start the big convention.
I got to
Pittsfield last Thursday evening and got everything set up in a local
campground and got an early start Friday morning. Joined in the
planning meeting with Jessica and all the hotel folks and other
organizers. Don't know that I added a lot but was there to give moral
support.
All
through the weekend I made and sold buttons and t-shirts and the
profits went to DemFest to help reduce their expenses. Adding that to
what we made on the the bloggers' breakfast resulted in a check to
DemFest in the area of $1,500...thanks to all of you who supported our
efforts to raise some bucks to help out. Alta Price's son, Alex,
helped all weekend in our booth selling buttons and shirts....I would
have been totally lost without his help. Thanks, Alex!!!
Blogger's
Breakfast was, of course, a blast for me just like last year's....and
again I was so busy doing the "organizing thing"...I didn't get to
spend much time chatting or even listening to everyone introduce
themselves. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves...I did, and that's what
counts.
DEAN WAS
AWESOME today...I had a chance to give him the sweatshirt that was
signed on the front at the original bloggers' breakfast in Des Moines
and on the back at BB 2.0 today. Our 250 bloggers names signed to
it...he seemed to really like.
Well,
more later...and boy do I have some stories to tell........here's just
one hint....guess which two bloggers knocked on my tent door (so to
speak) at around 1:30am waking me up to sit around the bonfire (which
by then was mostly red hot coals) to have a few beers....here's a hint
one - of them has the initials CG and was a speaker at DemFest and the
other always has a video camera in her hands....but then again maybe I
can't tell that whole story here...LOL.
The answer is, Yes, I did get up and sit with them around the hot coals and have a libation.
Here's more from Denise - the Q&A Session with Howard yesterday after his speech at DemFest.
Q. How do we get a more progressive media to hear us and our message?
A. "We
don't depend on the press. The internet and our one-on-one
communications are the best ways. I don't worry anymore what the press
has to say. They're like the Senate - always the last to know. If
you're doing something right, it will become known."
Q. What is Kerry doing about the voter fraud issues?
A.
"Kerry is aware and has a private team of lawyers on this. They are
keeping an eye on Florida." He gave kudos to California and Ohio for
not allowing any touch screen voting in these states.
Q. What can we do about the Nader factor?
A. Nader
has "done a lot for this country, but he is in deep, deep trouble. He's
behaving worse than any Democrat did in the primaries." He mentioned
the GOP group "Oregon Family Council" that is helping to get him on the
ballot there, as well as groups in Michigan and Arizona.
"Ralph NEVER compromises. We need to call out Nader for what he is."
He urged
us to "send people to swing states, like the people in Southern
California who sent folks to AZ and New Mexico, and in Northern
California who are sending people to Nevada and Oregon."
Again, he urged us, almost pleaded with us, to work hard for local candidates. "That is the key to winning back our country."
Q. What role do you see yourself playing after Nov. 2?
A.
Whatever John Kerry wants me to do. If he gives me a position, great;
if not, then I'll keep on with DFA. You're doing important work here."
[I suppose, then, that we should consider this fair warning that Howard may abandon DFA after the election.]
Q. Should John Kerry take public financing?
A. "I
talk to John at least once a week, either in person or by phone. I've
been giving him private advice on this matter, so I really can't
divulge anything that is private between him and me."
Q. When
Kerry wins, it will be because our army put him there. Will we be able
to influence his agenda? It doesn't seem like he is speaking out on the
issues that are important to us.
A.
"Actually, Kerry's message IS getting out. I was just with him in
Oregon and it's the local press that is doing most of the coverage that
you think is not being put out there. We know we can't rely on Fox
being fair and balanced (at this point he plugged "Oufoxed", calling it
"phenomenal!")
"There
are about 100 reporters following John around and in the national press
they can't write about the same thing 30 days in a row. You need to go
on the Net and find out all of the good things he is saying locally.
The national press just isn't going to cover it every day."
Q. Should we do DemocracyFest every year, and will you come?
A. "Yes,
we definitely should continue to do events like these. Maybe the next
one should be in Crawford, TX", he joked, "but in December. It's too
hot there in the summer. We need to bring in all of the other
progressive groups out there and work with them."
He
closed with his traditional YOU HAVE THE POWER!! He spent about a half
hour signing autographs and posing for photos. We also presented the
quilt to him and Listener will be bringing it to the Burlington HQ for
him to pick up when he returns from the convention, where he is now in
Boston.
I'm sure
I speak for everyone that we are so grateful that Howard took the time
to come to our gathering. He really emphasized how important the work
we are doing truly is - and he urged us to get everyone we know
involved. We truly do make a difference.
Here's a sampling of delegates' blogs. I'm not going to highlight the links here - too time consuming. Just copy and paste into a second browser window.
http://www.musselmanforamerica.com
http://www.cateread.com
http://www.democraticgirl.com
http://virtuallythere2004.org
http://kcdems.blogspot.com
Thanks to DeanRulz for posting these links.
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