Recommends needed, please, for our traditional Saturday community diary
BREAKING: WYFP WORLD EXCLUSIVE: FOR REAL:
Well-known Madison, WI civil liberties and hemp activist (and kossack) Ben Masel announced today (to me, at Fighting Bob Fest, a progressive political event in Baraboo, WI, which he was kind enough to give me a ride to) that he will be entering the Democratic primary for US Senate, vs. Herb Kohl. If he keeps his fundraising to $4999 he doesn't have to report his finances, and he's already raised $32.00. Ben will attempt to coax Senator Kohl to debate him and any other primary candidates, which I have to say, I think Senator Kohl should.
Yesterday I told some friends I would try to have some kind of effing problem today at
Fighting Bob Fest, so that I would have a legitimate effing problem to report tonight. But unfortunately I had a terrific day, so I will tell you about the effing problems of Robert M. "Fighting Bob" La Follette, a US Congressman, Wisconsin Governor, US Senator, US Presidential candidate who carried Wisconsin and 17% of the national vote for the Progressive Party in 1924, and a true and audacious American original:
He was vertically-challenged and wore his hair in a big pompadour, he was bipolar (manic-depressive) and sometimes quietly retreated to a mental hospital to restore himself, he would become incapacitated by vague ailments when he was scheduled to meet with someone he didn't like (Teddy Roosevelt, President Wilson, William Howard Taft), and he could be very, very long-winded. Oh, and someone once resorted to poisoning his egg milkshake to halt one of his heroic Mr. Smith-type filibusters. But the effing problem in his heart and his gut that kept driving him onward was social injustice.
So what's YOUR effing problem?? Please share, if it'll make you feel better!
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(John Conyers and Russ Feingold spoke in the morning and we didn't get there till noon. My friend Dave says he shouted to Russ during a pause in his speech, "DID YOU VOTE TO CONFIRM MICHAEL BROWN?" Russ paused a moment and replied something like, "Yes, I did, and I am sorry about that now because I think I should not have.")
The event was at the old-fashioned Sauk County Fairgounds.
The Raging Grannies sang for us!!!!
Bernie Sanders, Independent senator from Vermont was very appreciated. His speech was about bread and butter issues.
It's Fighting Tammy Baldwin! She's my congresswoman, the only lesbian in congress, and a wonderful health care campaigner.
Me and Jim Hightower, who gave a wonderful, funny, very on-point speech.
Left to right, myself (Elizabeth D), Milwaukee Mom, and Ben Masel. I'd posted a pic the other day of a small Daily Kos gathering we did in Madison, for the purpose of identifying me and Ben, and fortunately she found Ben toward the end of the day and we were able to chat for a little while. :-) Hello also to Dave, RandyBastard. any other kossacks who attended, I'm sorry we didn't identify each other but if you're reading this, please post and say hello! :-)
Oh, and I saw somebody in an "Eschacon" t-shirt (that was last weekend) and stopped her to talk about it, sounded like they had a good time (but naturally not near as good a time as we will have at Yearly Kos).
On the way home, Ben gave me a wonderful guided tour of the countryside and small towns and feral hemp patches, an area he knows well and has fascinating stories about.
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And won't you help share the joy of WYFP with others by recommending? The diaries are flying by at such a prodigious rate that unless you recommend, WYFP will be off the recent diaries list a little to quickly.