Hi All!

I have a reduced price netroots nation ticket to sell if anyone is interested for $250.

I have never had the great honor of attending yKos or NN.  I always have to work and can't get away, or I just can't afford it.

This year has been AWESOME!  I entered and won, along with 29 other people, the DFA Scholarship to get a free ticket and am beyond excited!

So what do a Mormon, a born-again Kansan, a poor black guy, a double speaking woman, and an angry New England white man have in common???

Well, they’re all running for president of course!!

Last Sunday.. ish ... I posted a blogthat got some stellar play among some of our faith based liberal friends who addressed some serious flaws and flubs among our democratic hopefuls and party loyals.

A poster commented this phrase

One of my favorite political passages in many years.  I'm a lurker in evangelical blogs, and they're starting to come around to the above line of thought (what took so long?  That's the real question).  If it weren't for abortion, I really think the Dems would have a large minority or even a majority of evangelicals.  That issue will force some hard strategic and ideological decisions in the next two years (spoken as a die-hard, almost single-issue, pro-choicer).

And it turns a mind to wonder.... What do you suppose would happen if instead of just having the right stance, spinning it as a health issue, or sitting back and hoping and praying that no one brings it up we actually challenge them on it?

I was prompted, this week, to the new Danforth book Faith in Politics after former Congressman Dr. Bill Roy (D-KS) wrote in his weekly column in the Topeka Cap Journal of the recent take-over between democrats Nancy Boyda and Paul Morrison in KS over conservative Christian incumbents Rep. Jim Ryun and Attorney General Phill Kline.

Dr. Roy asks us  

"Surely by now, even casual political observers recognize the Kansas Republican Party -- and the national party -- are totally submissive to evangelicals such as Kline. Even the GOP's never-competitive gubernatorial candidate figured he needed religionist Sen. Susan Wagle on his ticket.  Did Democrats also narrowly win nationally because of voters' belated rejection of America's religious party?"

I struggled with the idea that going to services this past Sunday might be seen as disingenuous or perhaps even a little desperate by any possible all knowing presence that might possibly occupy the universe.  

But some good friends talked me out of it with a quaint quote from our dear Douglas Adams who said "DON'T PANIC" but other than that he actually said that if by asking the question it shows some form of faith.  And that I can place an unfaltering belief in.  The possibilities - and those I believe are endless.

As such... I have no qualms about posting for us all tomorrow A Prayer for the Progressives

Many years ago when Ann Frank's diary was found and published many around the world marveled at one particular comment

"Despite everything, I still believe that people are good at heart."

Because it perfectly captured the idealism of youth.  That no matter what you do to children they remain resilient in their hope and idealism.

But a new poll issued by the Harvard Institute of Politics captures the trend in the youth movement in America and how they view civil service vs. public service.  This kind of hope and idealism is too often passed off as "childish" and laughed at by the 40+ crowd who had their preverbal puppies killed by years in the hard world of reality.  

But in the last several years we've now begun to see that even American youth is trending toward this same world.  Hope, possibility, and idealism usually reserved for the passion of the youth has been murdered by this same world of cold hard reality that says that dreams are foolish - and I am here to declare no more.

I have been trying to think about how I can make my debut on Street Prophets and today came about a story that I think fits what I've been thinking about.  Little did I know that my KOS ID wouldn't work on StreetProphets... so don't I just feel like the tech idiot.  So I am going to post it here until I can post there ... which will be in a week.  

When you hear the story of Daniel going into the Lion's den you have to wonder if he was standing there thinking to himself... uhhhh... maybe this isn't such a good idea after all.

Just three days after the Surprise Attack against 10 year incumbent Rep. Jim "He's Running Now" Ryun .....

Here is the Ad

it has been confirmed that YES President Bush will be performing a surprise attack himself on the Kansas 2nd District which voted for him in outstanding amounts in 2004 and cemented Ryun's 5th win.  

But now.... ahhha!  The People have begun to understand best what both the President and Ryun have been up to and the good voters of the KS 2nd are beginning to demand answers.

I got the google news alert on Saturday that the DCCC was running an IE ad on behalf of the Boyda Campaign and I sent it to my friend who is working on the campaign.  What I got back was the greatest response - "No way?!  Cool!"

Here is the Ad

Democratic candidate and voting rights advocate Senator Debra Bowen was officially endorsed by the San Francisco Chronicle this morning after an extensive public debate before their editorial board last Wednesday.

The Chronicle advocates:

"In Bowen, California would have a secretary of state who is asking the right questions and has the grounding to know when she is getting straight answers. She recognizes that a conversion to electronic voting systems must be accompanied by appropriate safeguards -- such as paper trails and open source software -- that maintain public confidence in the electoral process."

State Senator and candidate for California Secretary of State Debra Bowen released today her proposal for the Voter's Bill of Rights.

Bowen says given such disregard for the sanctity of an individual's vote in this country as seen in Florida, Ohio, Maryland, and Bowen indicates even in California she has

"written a Voter Bill of Rights -- 10 simple but powerful principles that will guide me every day as your next Secretary of State.

Just when you thought it was safe.....to go back into the voting booth.  Just when you thought your vote would be counted as it was cast - the Republican money and the Republican spin machine has geared up in full force to take the top offices in California.

According to both the LATimes and Bowen's own internals released to campaign supporters via email last week Bowen has a solid lead on current SOS Bruce McPherson.

But this mornings San Francisco Chronicle makes light of an amazing phenomenon in one of the most historic elections for Democrats.    

The new film Man of the Year staring Robin Williams brings the funny back into politics.

While many of us find it hysterical that the GOP eats their own, fumbles scandal, and serves as the most hypocritical shmucks in politics - Truth be told - the Voter's Bill of Rights is no laughing matter and Williams' new film brings to light a very serious subject in a way that the normal every day local yokel can understand.

Yep, that's right - the inability to count votes accurately is now such a reality that it has made it into a mainstream film that parodies this all too disappointing truth of voting in America.  

According to a profile in the Lawrence Journal World this morning:

* Vice President Dick Cheney is traveling to Topeka next week to hold a fund-raiser for Ryun, another possible indication that Boyda is making headway.

This was a bullet in a list of evidence that US Rep. Jim Ryun is running for his life as his 2 time Democratic Challenger Nancy Boyda sails by him with a gaggle of Kansas moderates all thumbing their noses at Washington DC Establishment types.

Howard Dean has served as a convenient punching bag for Old School Establishment folks since 2003.  With his high flying shouts for victory and unsolicited comments about evil among the GOP - Howard has been both the dream and the nightmares of both sides of the isle.

Today is no different.  At a time when Democrats are finally united behind a previous leader who stood before his harshest critics on what could have been a normal interview and announced boldly, pointedly, and decisively "NO MORE!" - Republicans want nothing more than to continue their label and smear campaign against our leaders as being "Crazy" - "Loose Cannons" and "Bad Leaders."

Today's New York Times article is another convenient attack on the only target they can find - as they hope they can successfully label Democrats as troubled, divided, and a sinking ship when in reality - its the pot calling the kettle black.

This morning in the Washington Post

"The resignation rocked the Capitol, and especially Foley's GOP colleagues, as lawmakers were rushing to adjourn for at least six weeks. House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) told The Washington Post last night that he had learned this spring of inappropriate "contact" between Foley and a 16-year-old page. Boehner said he then told House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). Boehner later contacted The Post and said he could not remember whether he talked to Hastert."

You know - it makes me shake my head when media jumps all over SOME People when there is some serious filth going on elseware.

I just sent Tim Mahoney $100 via his ActBlue Page.  I encourage us all to follow behind his local grassroots and make this seat a blue one! more below.

"U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings will announce her plans to help make the U.S. higher education system more affordable, accessible and consumer-friendly" this afternoon at the National Press Club

says a press release posted to the Ed website on Friday.

According to the NPR special this morning as I drove into work collages and universities are too expensive but the only solution in the Bush White House is according to Spelling:

"Too many Americans just aren't getting the education that they need. There are disturbing signs that many students who do earn degrees have not actually mastered the reading, writing and thinking skills we expect of college graduates."

careful... I have a feeling that while we were getting hosed by our colleges and universities for every dime we have that the government just screwed us with our pants on

A new article in the San Jose Mercury News finally acknowledges what we have known all along:  

Debra Bowen will win on November 7th and this race is perhaps the more interesting of the California Statewides

"As elections go, the campaign for secretary of state is generally a sleeper: Voters rarely pay attention to the issues -- and the incumbent almost always wins.
But this year's challenge between incumbent Bruce McPherson, a Santa Cruz Republican, and state Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Redondo Beach, is shaping up to be one of the more competitive races."