The US Decision to Invade Iraq

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday February 15, 2006 · 8:31 PM PST

2006/02/15 · 20:31

In a recent assignment for a class on foreign policy, I was tasked to analyze the US decision to invade and occupy Iraq from two theoretical perspectives in international relations: realism and progressivism. Since this was an academic exercise, the views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the author. Then again....
Read More

News Release: California Democratic Party Recommends Presidential Primary Reform Plan for 2012

tgangale

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday January 28, 2006 · 11:22 PM PST

2006/01/28 · 23:22

NEWS RELEASE
OPS-Alaska
2262 Magnolia Avenue
Petaluma, California 94952
(707) 494-0666
(707) 773-1037
e-mail: md-r@ops-alaska.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
28 January 2006
Contact: Dr. Marilyn Dudley-Flores, OPS-Alaska, CEO

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA In a unanimous vote in its January 28, 2006 Executive Board meeting in Manhattan Beach, CA, the California Democratic Party recommended that the Democratic Party seriously consider the American Plan for implementation in 2012.
Read More

New Hampshire's So-Called Diversity

tgangale

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday December 03, 2005 · 8:12 PM PST

2005/12/03 · 20:12

A response to NH state Representative Jim Splaine's (D-Portsmouth) letter to the Price-Herman Commission and Chairman Howard Dean.
Read More

New Hampshire's Peculiar Institution

tgangale

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday December 02, 2005 · 4:37 PM PST

2005/12/02 · 16:37

As a commission of the Democratic National Committee considers making changes to the 2008 presidential nomination calendar, the white homeland of New Hampshire argues for its continued privilege of holding the first presidential primary of the campaign season. It argues for holding the rest of the nation in political second-class status. It clings to this position on the basis of tradition in the face of a changing America, a more diverse America that legitimately calls for opening the political process to broader participation, broader both ethnically and geographically. Read More

Charlie Brown Campaign Notes: The Year of the Veteran

tgangale

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday November 06, 2005 · 11:57 PM PST

2005/11/06 · 23:57

Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Gangale

From time to time in our nation's history, a cultural or social upheaval has resulted in a wave of new lawmakers entering Congress. Often the triggering event has been war. John F. Kennedy was one of many young men who returned from the Second World War to serve the nation as political leaders, and several members of the "greatest generation" continue to serve in Congress. There are numerous Korean War and Vietnam War veterans in Congress as well, the two most prominent Vietnam veterans being the former presidential candidates John Kerry (D-MA) and John McCain (R-AZ).
Read More

The Idiot Politician

tgangale

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday October 30, 2005 · 3:26 PM PST

2005/10/30 · 15:26

Mark Twain once said, "Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself."

Are politicians really idiots? In order to prove that proposition, one would have to subject a statistically significant sample of them to IQ tests, and of course, they would have to be idiots to comply with such a testing program. It is better to be thought a fool than to actually be proven one. Read More

Demoforming the American Political Environment

tgangale

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday October 29, 2005 · 1:22 PM PDT

2005/10/29 · 13:22

In the American Plan, we are talking about transforming the political environment at the national level. When speaking about modifying planetary environments, space scientists use the term "terraforming," to make an alien environment more terrestrial. The American Plan is a project to "demoform" the national political environment, to make an environment of alienation more democratic. This new term has a small "d" for a reason; it refers not only to changing the Democratic Party, but also to altering the Republican Party. Read More

Charlie Brown Campaign Notes: A Soldier of Peace Launches His Campaign

tgangale

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday October 28, 2005 · 10:36 AM PDT

2005/10/28 · 10:36

Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Gangale

LtCol Charles Brown, USAF (Ret.), is challenging the Republican congressman John Doolittle for the rural and very "red" California 4th District, which runs from Roseville to the northeastern corner of the state. In some ways, this is a replay of the Paul Hackett campaign, another veteran who ran as a Democrat in a "red" and predominately rural district.
Read More

Reforming the Presidential Nomination Process

tgangale

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday October 13, 2005 · 6:38 PM PDT

2005/10/13 · 18:38

Remains competitive for a longer period of time in order to give the public a greater opportunity to engage the campaign and to become informed about the candidates.
Results in a briefer interval between the decisive contests and the conventions in order to help people sustain the levels of public engagement and information they had attained when the nominating campaign peaked.
Increases the likelihood that voters in all states will have an effective voice in the selection of the nominees.
Preserves "retail politicking" in small states early in the season. Gives an under-funded grass-roots campaign a chance to catch fire and take off. Gives candidates a chance to bounce back from early defeats.
Allows small states that are diverse, both with respect to race/ethnicity and urban/small town/rural, to participate early in the process.

Sticking states in this or that slot is just so many band-aids. We need a comprehensive, systemic plan that accomplishes all of the above goals.
Read More

Newer
Older

RSS