https://www.dailykos.com/user/Bob Brigham/rss/index.xml News Community Action Copyright 2005 - Steal what you want Mon, 27 Jan 2020 22:39:19 +0000 Mon, 27 Jan 2020 22:39:19 +0000 Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) https://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/3/16/194692/-Dayton-s-blindsided-meme-is-BS <p>By now, everyone has seen lameduck Dayton <a href="http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/politics/14114838.htm">backstab Senator Feingold</a>, for which Feingold responded:</p> <blockquote><p>In a statement issued to The Associated Press, Feingold said, "I agree with what Sen. Dayton said in January when he called the president's illegal wiretapping program an 'abuse of power.' Now it is up to senators to decide how to respond to that abuse of power.</p> <p>"The Senate has a responsibility to uphold the rule of law by condemning the president's decision to break the law and I hope my colleagues will listen to what their constituents think during the upcoming congressional recess."</p></blockquote> <p>But Dayton also whined like a little baby about being "blindsided" by the proposal. Not telling the whole caucus has happened before, at the time many of us applauded.</p> rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) Censure ChuckSchumer establishmentdemocrats EvanBayh Hillary Clinton HillaryClinton MarkDayton Russ Feingold RussFeingold _194692 Fri, 17 Mar 2006 00:50:21 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/3/14/194115/-Lamont-v-Lieberman-Good-news-from-the-staffs <p>Some good news from the Constitution State. First off, Tom D'Amore appears to be on board with Ned Lamont. There was a <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/3/6/11839/30874">big discussion</a> after Lamont met with D'Amore and Lamont remarked, "I don't know if I'm feisty enough for this guy." According to the <a href="http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-lamont0314.artmar14,0,5612031.story?coll=hc-headlines-local">Courant</a>, Lamont is feisty enough:</p> <p><blockquote>Thomas D'Amore Jr., a former Republican who managed Lowell P. Weicker Jr.'s successful third-party campaign for governor, stood in the back.</p> <p>He will act as an adviser to Lamont, who also has consulted with Weicker, the man Lieberman unseated in 1988.</blockquote></p> <p>But that wasn't the best news from today's story:</p> rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) Angry CT-Sen Joe Lieberman JoeLieberman NedLamont seansmith _194115 Wed, 15 Mar 2006 01:11:06 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/3/11/193384/-IL-06-Who-is-a-Fighting-Dem-and-why In my mind, one of the most inspiring times to read blogs was during the fallout from our losses in 2004. For me, this was a special time because we were able to focus on what we wanted from our Democratic Party. Markos started the "<a href="http://www.google.com/search?num=100&amp;hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;safe=off&amp;rls=GGGL%2CGGGL%3A2005-09%2CGGGL%3Aen&amp;q=%22reform+democrat%22&amp;btnG=Search">Reform Democrat</a>" meme, which helped shape the debate in the race for DNC Chair.</p><p> As short time later, <a href="http://kidoaklandblog.blogspot.com/">Kid Oakland</a> pushed the effort further with <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/11/23/222113/52">To Be a Fighting Democrat</a> (which received 377 comments on the front page of Daily Kos). rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) FightingDems IL-06 PaulHackett _193384 Sat, 11 Mar 2006 21:49:48 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/3/9/192859/-Party-Politics Today's <i>San Francisco Chronicle</i> has a front page story, <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/03/09/MNGFMHL5941.DTL">Putting the party back into politics</a> on the events that progressives in the Bay Area and beyond are using to make politics fun as a way to keep interest high during the mid-term elections. It is an interesting article, Kos has some quotes (including, "Democrat John Kerry's loss in the 2004 presidential race "was the best thing to happen to the progressive movement, because it taught people that this wouldn't be won or lost in a year. It's a multiyear-long process, and it is going to take their involvement every year.")</p><p> Some of the most innovative action is being driven by young people, using social netroots and technology to reach their peers, especially at the intersection of politics and music/beer. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) Partypolitics SanFranciscoChronicle Youth _192859 Thu, 09 Mar 2006 19:17:50 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/3/8/192614/-TX-28-lessons-for-Joe-Lieberman-primary-POLL While there have been a number of postmortems of yesterday's election in TX-28, I want to offer one more look at what happened because I think understanding past netroots efforts and how we judge success will help us refine our game for the big one: whoopin' Joe Lieberman.</p><p> One of the problems with the effort in Texas is that the dynamic advanced so that people were only judging success based upon the election results. If Ciro Rodriguez won, or forced Cuellar into a runoff, then we won. That didn't happen, so we lost.<br> rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) 2006elections CT-Sen Joe Lieberman JoeLieberman TX-28 _192614 Wed, 08 Mar 2006 21:14:05 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/3/7/192325/-Nirvana-s-Krist-Novoselic-pushes-youth-politics Krist Novoselic is pushing youth to get involved in Democracy. In addition to the long-term implications, this is something that should be of immediate concern.</p><p> In 2004, young voters were the only age group Democrats won. Directly after the election, the <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2004/11/04/youth_came_through_with_big_turnout?mode=PF">Boston Globe reported</a>:</p><p> <blockquote>Despite long lines and registration snafus, voters under age 30 clocked the highest turnout percentage since 1972. The good news is that America's young people are more engaged in politics than at any time in two generations. Aging cynics have been quick to blame the kids for a host of political lapses, but the cynics have it wrong.</p><p> Start with the numbers. According to professor William Galston at the University of Maryland, at least 20.9 million Americans under 30 voted on Tuesday. That is an increase of 4.6 million voters from 2000. Four years ago, just 42.3 percent of young people voted. This year more than 51.6 percent did.</blockquote></p><p> While this was good news for Democrats everywhere, the youth surge in the battleground states was critical. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) Music Youth _192325 Tue, 07 Mar 2006 21:32:56 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/3/6/192088/-New-scandals-worse-than-Abramoff-for-Conrad-Burns In 1988, Montana elected an AM radio rustler from Missouri to the United States Senate. Conrad Burns had won his seat on the promise that he would only serve two terms to avoid being corrupted by Washington. Many consider an incumbent most vulnerable during his campaign for re-election and Democrats united around Jack Mudd, a blue suit/red tie candidate who was Dean of the Law School and who lost by 24 pts. In 2000, Burns was considered quite safe as a Republican incumbent in a red state, yet an upstart citizen combined authenticity, straight talk, and bold populism to take 10,000 voters from Burns for a total of 70,000 more votes than Mudd (resulting in Burns winning by a mere 4pts.). In 2006, Democrats have a unique opportunity to get the magic 225,000 votes necessary to win the Senate seat, thanks in part to Conrad Burns. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) ConradBurns DennisRehberg georgebaily InlandNorthwestSpaceAlliance Jack Abramoff JackAbramoff LeoGiacometto MikeBaker MikeRawson MT-Sen RandallPopelka RobertArensberg ShawnVassell StanUllman U.S.-AsiaNetwork WillBrooke _192088 Tue, 07 Mar 2006 00:34:52 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/2/21/188962/-Why-I-went-to-Sherrod-Brown-dotcom <p>I went to <a href="http://www.sherrodbrown.com">Sherrod Brown's website</a> and signed up for email alerts, and I would urge everyone to do the same. I've been wanting to post something for a week, I figured I wait until Brown offered an olive branch to Hackett supporters and then post something about how all of us should give him a fresh start. That <a href="http://www.plunderbund.com/?p=357">has yet to happen</a>, but here is where I see things in Ohio.</p> <p>Right now, the Ohio Senate race is looking really fucked up, and that is a major problem. </p> rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) OH-Sen PaulHackett Progressives SherrodBrown _188962 Wed, 22 Feb 2006 03:05:56 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/2/16/187806/-Tracking-90-of-Senate-Dems-40-took-Abramoff-cash-talking-point Letters to the Editor always have and always will be used to push talking points that are unable to make it in to actual news stories. Since local papers seldom put letters online, it is difficult to see how such ideas are spreading, allowing memes to move under the rader.</p><p> Have you read a letter stating that 40 Senate Democrats (90%) took Abramoff money? Because this is a talking point in Montana. The <a href="http://www.missoulanews.com/News/News.asp?no=5511">Missoula Independent</a> shows how this is moving from the RNC and NRCC into local papers with the state GOP trying to push it further: rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) Jack Abramoff JackAbramoff MT-Sen NationalRepublicanSenatorialCommittee NRSC _187806 Fri, 17 Feb 2006 02:27:04 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/12/13/171645/-Conrad-Burns-Highest-Disapproval-Rate-in-Senate <a href="http://www.surveyusa.com/50State2005/100USSenatorApprovalRatings051213byState.htm">SurveyUSA's new Senate poll</a> is out and Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT) wins the booby prize with the highest disapproval rate in the land: <b>46% of Montanans disapprove of Burns!</b> This hasn't occured overnight, check out the <a href="http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollTrack.aspx?g=e064acf4-b91b-495f-8405-d2b7fd790922">trendline</a>, Burns is sinking like a stone.</p><p> Not a good day for Burns, this morning's local press headlined, <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&amp;display=rednews/2005/12/13/build/state/30-brooke.inc">Ex-Burns aide talks to Justice</a></p><p> <blockquote>A former top aide to U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., who quit to work at the firm of indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff said Monday he is talking to Justice Department investigators as part of the agency's continuing probe of Abramoff's activities.</p><p> Reached at his Bozeman office, Will Brooke, Burns' onetime chief of staff, said he has hired a lawyer in the matter. </blockquote></p><p> Meanwhile... rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) 2006 ConradBurns JonTester Montana MT-Sen Senate _171645 Wed, 14 Dec 2005 00:01:54 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/11/15/165310/-LIVE-democracy-on-the-floor-of-the-People-s-House <b>UPDATE: Looking like it will start closer to 10 PM</b><p> Tonight will be a first for Congress as the Democrats' 30 Something Caucus takes to the floor to answer your questions...in real-time!</p><p> Here is how it works. From 9:30 to 10:30 Eastern, the 30 Something Democrats have control of the floor. So <a href="http://demcaucus.townhall.house.gov/index.asp">ask your question</a>, turn on C-SPAN, and see the answer.</p><p> As far as I know, nobody has tried to do a live chat from the floor of the Congress. Here is how the event is <a href="http://demcaucus.townhall.house.gov/index.asp">being described</a>: rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) 30somethingDemocrats Congress Netroots _165310 Tue, 15 Nov 2005 23:00:27 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/11/14/165055/-Bill-O-Reilly-Enemies-List-Sign-Up-Tonight I live a few blocks downhill from Coit Tower, so I was pretty fucking pissed off when Bill O'Reilly declared open season on the landmark and San Francisco.</p><p> It is clear that Bill O'Reilly is a coward who is aiding the terrorists with his offer for them to attack America.</p><p> Bill O'Reilly has caught hell for his remarks and should be fired. Instead of apologizing, O'Reilly is digging in and tonight vowed to publish an enemies list of the names of internet "smear merchants" who have criticized his invitation to attack our country. To help ensure your name makes the list, use the comments to say what you think of Bill O'Reilly. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) Bill O'Reilly BillOReilly Fox News FoxNews San Francisco SanFrancisco Terrorism Traitor _165055 Tue, 15 Nov 2005 03:03:49 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/11/10/163916/-Next-Step-Leave-No-District-Behind The traditional strategy for taking back the House of Representatives is only half a strategy, conceding far too many seats to Tom DeLay and his radical Republican allies. Every election, we lose more and more seats not because we can't win but because we aren't competing. In dozens of districts around the country, viable Democratic candidates continue to be left behind by the national party, without sufficient resources, giving Republicans easy victories.</p><p> The reason most often cited for not competing in more districts is limited resources. But 21st Century political tools like Internet organizing and fundraising can change the rules of the game and revolutionize an underdog candidate's ability to recruit volunteers and raise money.</p><p> We can't win if we don't compete. And with a majority of Americans believing that Republicans are steering America down the wrong track, the time to start fighting is now. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) 2006 House leavenodistrictbehind Netroots Strategy _163916 Thu, 10 Nov 2005 18:04:16 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/10/25/159511/-Paul-Hackett-Issues-Open-Source-and-the-Netroots Yesterday, <a href="http://www.hackettforohio.com">Paul Hackett</a> followed his announcement with a <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/10/25/133358/83">diary</a> asking Kossacks for their ideas on what his message should be, open sourcing the message creation.</p><p> Today, <i>Crooks and Liars</i> is open sourcing an interview with Hackett, <a href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/10/25.html#a5545">go submit you questions</a>.</p><p> Instead of talking-at the netroots, Hackett has started a conversation. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) FightingDems Issues OH-Sen Open Source OpenSource PaulHackett _159511 Tue, 25 Oct 2005 19:41:00 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/10/12/156162/-Mother-Jones-Cover-Story-on-Hackett <i>Mother Jones</i> magazine embedded a writer and photographer with the Hackett campaign. While you'll have to wait for the print copy to hit your mailbox for the pics, Dave Goodman's feature article is now online: <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2005/11/paul_hackett.html">The Ohio Insurgency: The Democrat Who Fought</a>.</p><p> You probably recognize his name, he wrote <i>The Exception to the Rulers</i> with his sister Amy (yeah, that Amy). It is an important article on the future of the Democratic Party, so go read the whole thing and then come back if you want some of my thoughts on the piece and the current challenges facing the Democratic Party.<br> rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) 2005 Democrats Elections House OH-02 Ohio PaulHackett SherrodBrown _156162 Wed, 12 Oct 2005 15:59:20 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/10/9/155507/-Sirota-Rebuttal-Blog-Truth-to-Power-in-Ohio <i>When we wrote from on the ground in OH-02, you honored us with your engagement. Please offer me a few minutes for my longest diary ever...</i></p><p> I think it is great that there are competing loyalties among some bloggers when it comes to the Ohio Senate Primary. I think it shows that some of the blogosphere has matured to the point that loyalties can cross.</p><p> But my friend David Sirota decided to spend 1,200 words saying that those who question Sherrod Brown's maneuver are, "pariahs who know nothing about politics and worse, don't really stand for any of the progressive ideals they claim to represent." <b>Sirota wrote an entire post saying <a href="http://www.workingforchange.com/blog/index.cfm?mode=entry&amp;entry=CC99DD82-A6F2-7B74-A2F8406E3E0FB329">I was out of line.</a> </b> Instead of talking about the Senate race, our friend David Sirota blasted a fellow blogger and Sirota attempted to lay down a rule of censorship about what could and couldn't be said. Since the <a href="http://www.swingstateproject.com">Swing State Project</a> isn't doing posts beginning "OH-Sen" right now, I offer my rebuttal here. Sirota is one of my favorite allies and we'll kick others' asses on other issues, but <b>I call bullshit.</b>. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _155507 Mon, 10 Oct 2005 00:43:15 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/10/8/155194/-Website-Scrubbing-in-Ohio-Senate-Primary I'm not asking for people to recommend this diary, but if you could spend a moment and confirm in the comments that this is happening it would go a long way towards ensuring we have a fair fight in the Ohio Senate Primary. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) 2006 OH-Sen revisionism _155194 Sat, 08 Oct 2005 12:25:56 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/9/30/153139/-As-Goes-Montana-So-Goes-the-Democratic-Party I was fortunate enough to grow up in Montana, to go to school in Montana, and to learn politics in Montana. Senator Max Baucus was the first politician I volunteered for, yet I now view him as being worse for the Democratic Party than Zell Miller.</p><p> The maturation I've experienced is a process that Democrats, for the good of our Party, need to embrace.</p><p> That is why next year's Senate Primary in Montana is critical to the future of our Party.<br> rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) bobbrigham Montana _153139 Fri, 30 Sep 2005 18:50:37 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/9/20/150644/-Is-Max-Baucus-Brain-Dead As a Montanan this disappoints me. As a Democrat, this pisses me off.</p><p> Montana Senator Max Baucus is a skittish senator known for bolting and running. In fact, Senator Baucus has quite a reputation for running. On November 22 of last year Baucus was running from something for 50 miles when he hit his head on a rock and needed <a href="http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/01/10/news/top/news01.txt">urgent brain surgery</a>. I'm no big city doctor, but I think <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&amp;display=rednews/2005/09/20/build/state/25-baucus-roberts.inc">Baucus lost his fucking mind</a>:</p><p> <blockquote>WASHINGTON -- Montana Sen. Max Baucus, a Democrat, said Tuesday he will vote for Supreme Court nominee John Roberts.</blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) bobbrigham Max Baucus MaxBaucus Montana _150644 Wed, 21 Sep 2005 02:24:26 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/9/15/149149/-NOLA-Boots-on-the-ground-we-need-more-bloggers Having a crack team of bloggers on the ground has allowed us to do more than provide coverage, it has provided real-time communication ability and scalable models.</p><p> As many of you know, we've been working with Dr. Ernest Johnson, President of the Lousiana NAACP. In addition to all of the direct aid relief, we have also been working closely with local political leaders.</p><p> The following case study is just one example of why we need you to get down to Louisiana and help the NAACP scale up efforts.<br> rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) bobbrigham NewOrleans _149149 Thu, 15 Sep 2005 16:12:46 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/9/12/148168/-LA-NAACP-calls-for-distributed-bottom-up-organizing-UPDATED Dr. Ernest Johnson of the Louisiana NAACP is making a huge move and we need to get the word out. Dr. Johnson needs the netroots to stand with the NAACP in solidarity. </p><p> This bottom up, grassroots model is scalable and could make a huge difference in the lives of refugees. <b>This is democracy.</b></p><p> PSA's are running on the radio, but we need to catapult this. Check out the <a href="http://www.amipatriotic.com/movies/Ernest-Johnson-LA-NAACP.wmv">video release</a> and full press release below. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _148168 Mon, 12 Sep 2005 14:21:55 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/9/11/147944/-1-5-Million-Disenfrancised-Voters As many of you know, for the last week I've been all over the gulf coast with the Blogger Disaster Response Team. As I'm sure you can imagine, this is the type of A-Team that can <a href="http://majikthise.typepad.com/majikthise_/2005/09/morgue_mishap_k.html">break into a prison</a>.</p><p> In addition to <a href="http://www.operationflashlight.com/?p=15">providing emergency support</a>, documenting <a href="http://www.operationflashlight.com/?p=28">Lake George</a>, and seeing the <a href="http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/09/bushs-bodies.html">bloated Bush bodies</a>, we've also been doing some political work.</p><p> I've been spending a great deal of time with Dr. Ernest Johnson, President of the Louisiana NAACP. While his membership is devasted, he isn't just in a damage control mode, he is also on offense. And he needs your help. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) bobbrigham Media _147944 Sun, 11 Sep 2005 16:56:02 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/9/7/146338/-ACTION-NAACP-needs-your-old-laptop-for-Katrina-relief Hey all, remember that old laptop in your closet? You know, the one that is never used but is able to get online and operate spreadsheets.</p><p> <b>Send it to Louisiana.</b></p><p> And please spread the word. You can FedEx your old laptop to:</p><p> Louisiana NAACP<br> 1755 Nicholson Drive<br> Baton Rouge, LA &nbsp;70802</p><p> From <a href="http://www.rebuildthesouth.com">www.RebuildTheSouth.com</a> rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) bobbrigham Louisiana _146338 Wed, 07 Sep 2005 14:21:26 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/8/31/142934/-Montana-s-Senate-Primary-It-is-about-values In Montana's senate primary, the contrast could not be clearer. </p><p> Yesterday, the two Democrats running against Conrad Burns sent an email to their supporters -- asking for contributions. And in one day, two emails show the values of the two candidates. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) bobbrigham Montana _142934 Wed, 31 Aug 2005 17:37:15 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/8/29/142399/-Impeach-Governor-Ernie-Fletcher I was <a href="http://www.swingstateproject.com/2005/08/culture_of_corr_1.php">shocked</a> to hear this was happening, but Governor Ernie Fletcher has abused his position by seeking to cover-up a corruption scandal before he testifies tomorrow. It is unknown whether Governor Fletcher will take the 5th, but it is certain that he has created a gigantic political scandal. <a href="http://www.bluegrassreport.org/bluegrass_politics/">Bluegrass Report</a> has been the source on this and <i>Bluegrass Report</i> has a <a href="http://www.bluegrassreport.org/bluegrass_politics/2005/08/legal_problems_.html">legal source</a> who understands Section 77 of the Kentucky Constitution: rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _142399 Tue, 30 Aug 2005 02:10:32 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/8/22/140346/-Tidal-2006-Leave-No-District-Behind Via <a href="http://www.mydd.com/story/2005/8/22/111322/926">MyDD</a>, we have the <a href="http://americanresearchgroup.com/economy/">latest ARG numbers</a>:</p><p> <blockquote>Among all Americans, 36% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 58% disapprove.</blockquote></p><p> <b>HOLY SHIT</b>. Bush actually dropped below 40. </p><p> This means 2006 could be tidal. But a tidal wave does us no good if we don't have Democrats running everywhere to take advantage of it.<br> rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _140346 Mon, 22 Aug 2005 15:56:23 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/8/9/137019/-Charlie-Cook-Waits-by-his-TV-for-The-Revolution Charlie Cook looks at the OH-02 discussion at the (subscription only) <i>National Journal</i>. Mr. Cook ignores both the force of scale and the reality of post-broadcast politics.</p><p> Democrats would be wise to keep their own counsel in examining the implications because Cook's way we will lose one Tivo set at a time.</p><p> Democrats need to stop judging success on Election Day. We need to start judging success each and every day. This simple mindset change is critical in a post-broadcast environment. Out west, one question you hear in HQ is, "We winning?" Democrats need some West Coast Offense because the right investments now can catapult a tidal cycle. We need to stop The Fear from influencing decision making and start focusing on winning every single day in every district in every state. If we can make this simple mindset change before it is forced upon us, then we will win more elections. Stop compromising, play hard and start winning.<br> rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _137019 Tue, 09 Aug 2005 16:57:27 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/8/4/136028/-DCCC-The-Irrelevance-of-Rahm-Emanuel Since I've been getting some ink today, I thought I would expand upon the soundbites so people know where I'm coming from when I say that the DCCC is currently irrelevant.</p><p> In this morning's <i>Washington Post</i>, Dan Balz and Thomas B. Edsall <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/03/AR2005080301899.html">quote me</a> as saying: rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _136028 Thu, 04 Aug 2005 21:52:16 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/8/1/135065/-OH-02-Once-More-Unto-the-Breach <B>Update [2005-8-1 16:1:45 by Bob Brigham]:</B> (Bob) I love each and everyone one of you, thanks for giving the campaign the resources to finish the job.<p> <B>Update [2005-8-1 11:35:8 by Armando]:</B> <i> From the diaries by Armando. Brigham doing good and great things in Ohio. Helping Hackett to do good in Washington DC, we hope.</i><p></p> Here's the situation, the <a href="http://www.hackettforcongress.com">Paul Hackett</a> campaign decided to shoot the moon. Ohio's second congressional district favors Republicans by 30 pts. Running a safe campaign would result in failure.</p><p> Paul Hackett is a Fighting Democrat and he's gambling, pushing, pull out all of the stops and running like his life depends upon it (if he loses, he'll probably be sent back in Iraq).</p><p> To Get Out the Vote, we need to raise $30,000 today. Here's why. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _135065 Mon, 01 Aug 2005 15:35:08 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/7/31/134886/-OH-02-Jean-Doesn-t-Know-Schmidt-about-Noe-factcheck <B>Update [2005-7-31 13:19:7 by Armando]:</B> <i>From the diaries by Armando.</i><br><br> <i>Official state documents prove candidate covered-up ties to corruption</i></p><p> Jean Schmidt is well known for never forgetting a face or a name. Conventional wisdom recognizes her renowned memory to the point where the <i>Cincinnati Enquirer</i> <a href="http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050731/EDIT03/507310314/1023/EDIT">noted</a> (July 31, 2005):</p><p> <blockquote>Schmidt knows the district very well, having almost a "file-card" memory to recall details about people, places and issues she's had experience with on the local level.</blockquote></p><p> Yet on this morning's <a href="http://www.wkrc.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=ADD9344C-8EBC-495E-B74E-B524C25D7D7B">CBS 12 "Newsmakers" program</a>, Jean Schmidt lied to the voters - only two days before the election. In an effort to cover up Jean Schmidt's involvement in the scandalous culture of corruption, Schmidt said she didn't know Tom Noe. Schmidt said she'd never met Tom Noe. Schmidt said she had never even heard of Tom Noe. The woman with the "file-card memory" lied.</p><p> You see, Jean Schmidt was Vice Chair of the Higher Education Subcommittee of the House Finance and Appropriations Committee. During the same period, Tom Noe was a member of the Board of Regents.</p><p> In fact, on March 21, 2002, <a href="http://www.regents.state.oh.us/bdmeet/apr02/32102.Minutes.pdf">official state documents</a> prove Jean Schmidt testified before Tom Noe's committee. Tom Noe <a href="http://www.regents.state.oh.us/bdmeet/mar02/agd03212002.html#communications">seconded and approved the minutes</a> for this meeting, which read:</p><p> <blockquote>There are a number of areas where we are totally lined up with [Jean Schmidt's] thinking. In any event, the conclusion is that we need more contact, more often.</blockquote></p><p> And , <a href="http://www.regents.state.oh.us/legislative/3-18-2003_Noe%20.pdf">additional official state documents</a> establish that Tom Noe testified before Jean Schmidt's committee on March 18, 2003.</p><p> These official State of Ohio documents confirm ties between Jean Schmidt and Tom Noe.</p><p> And this isn't an isolated incident, there is a pattern of the woman with the "file-card memory" not recalling her ties to corruption.</p><p> When it came to lobbying Bob Taft for online casino gambling, she suddenly forgot everything. The <i>Toledo Blade</i> <a href="http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050729/NEWS24/507290436/0/NEWS06">reported</a> (July 29, 2005):</p><p> <blockquote>Jean Schmidt, a former Republican state representative from the Cincinnati area, also appealed to the governor's office on behalf of a Web-based lottery. [...]</p><p> In a November, 2001, e-mail, Jon Allison, a staff member for Governor Taft, complained that Ms. Schmidt "continues to bug me on Internet lottery."</p><p> One year later, her state representative re-election campaign garnered a $1,000 donation from Mr. Ach.</p><p> Ms. Schmidt said through a spokesman that she does not remember any conversations with the governor's office about an online lottery, although she does remember that this was a significant issue at the time.</blockquote></p><p> The next day, the woman with the "file-card memory" was the focus of a <i>Cincinnati Enquirer</i> <a href="http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050730/NEWS01/507300376/1056"> article headlined</a>, <b>Schmidt can't recall Ach favor</b>.</p><p> It is time for Jean Schmidt to come clean about her relationship with Tom Noe, Bob Taft, Roger Ach and online gambling. The culture of corruption will continue until reporters demand that career politicians tell voters the truth.</p><p> Voters deserve straight talk, <b>Come Clean Jean</b>. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _134886 Sun, 31 Jul 2005 16:56:26 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/7/30/134689/-OH-02-Online-Poll From <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2005/7/29/214432/322/50#50">Wynonie Harris</a>, we have an <a href="http://www.wkrc.com/">online poll</a> -- Hackett is leading!!!</p><p> Today is going to be a huge day. I'm going to be shooting video of the events and actions, doing a tour around the district. I'll have cellular internet access so I'll be posting updates over at Swing State Project. I'll have a longer diary on DailyKos later tonight.</p><p> It is already hella hot, but lots of volunteers are already at HQ and the mood is very up-beat.</p><p> Thanks to everyone for everything. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _134689 Sat, 30 Jul 2005 13:31:53 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/7/28/134231/-OH-02-s-Schmidt-Manager-Quits-s-RNC-in-for-750K <B>Update [2005-7-28 16:27:58 by Bob Brigham]:</B> Joe Braun says he's <a href="http://blog.oh02.com/2005/07/28/joe-braun-update/">still campaign manager</a>. In other news, a BDSM profile was removed shortly after it was linked to Schmidt Campaign Manager Joe Braun. But you can see it <a href="http://www.swingstateproject.com/2005/07/oh-02_jean_schm_4.php">here</a>.<p> <i>NOTE: Tagaris has a wedding -- he's out, I'm in. I'll be on the red-eye tonight...in district in the morning. I'll have video and my new laptop cellular card and regular updates at <a href="http://www.swingstateproject.com">www.SwingStateProject.com</a>.</i></p><p> <img align="right" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com" src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/brigham2005/siren.gif">Big news in the Special Election. The Jean Schmidt campaign has been 100% taken over by Washington Republicans hell-bent orchestrating the worst smear campaign that Ohio has ever seen (quite a bold statement).</p><p> <a href="http://blog.oh02.com/2005/07/28/joe-braun-update/">OH-02</a> has two sources on this.</p><p> It appears that Campaign Manager Joe Braun -- who had vowed NOT to go negative -- was forced out after Schmidt insisted on letting the D.C. hacks do their nastiest.</p><p> There is also word that the RNC is dumping $750,000 in smear ads into the district.</p><p> rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _134231 Thu, 28 Jul 2005 18:32:59 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/7/22/132899/-A-List-Chris-Bowers When <a href="http://www.mydd.com">MyDD</a>'s Chris Bowers writes a post on Daily Kos, you recommend it. Look back over his <a href="http://chris-bowers.dailykos.com/">diary history</a>, when he posts, it is worth recommending.</p><p> Now, blogger Chris Bowers has become candidate Chris Bowers. And again it is time to <a href="http://tools.democracyforamerica.com/candidates/recommendation.php">recommend him</a> (for Committeeperson, Ward 27, Division 23 in Philly). When the best and brightest run, we need to support them. From <a href="http://www.mydd.com/story/2005/7/22/16349/3033">MyDD</a>:</p><p> <blockquote>It is one thing to say you want to reform the Dmeocratic Party. It is quite another thing to realize that you can just take it over because you realize very few people are participating within it. This is, indeed, something that we need to do, because a lack of a vibrant party structure has very real consequences at the ballot box.</blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _132899 Sat, 23 Jul 2005 00:21:57 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/7/19/131923/-July-19-Happy-Blogosphere-Day A long time ago, even though it happened one year ago today, there was an event that proved to the whole world the united blogosphere's ability to deploy resources immediately into a single congressional district.<p> Today is <b>Blogosphere Day</b>. As was announced in October of 2004 and <a href="http://beltwayblogroll.nationaljournal.com/archives/2005/07/campaign_bloggi_1.html">covered by the National Journal</a> last week. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _131923 Tue, 19 Jul 2005 18:38:40 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/7/13/130377/-Get-Down-To-It-2-30-1600-Pennslvania What can you do right now to build a crowd tomorrow afternoon at the White House?<p> Stop and think about it for a minute, what can you do to turn people out?<p> Tonight is about speed organizing... <table><tr><td>Who:</td> <td>Citizens from across the country and MoveOn members</td></tr> <tr><td>Where:</td><td>1600 Pennsylvania Ave., in front of White House</td></tr> <tr><td>When:</td><td>Thursday, July 14, 2005, 2:30 PM EST</td></tr></table> rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _130377 Thu, 14 Jul 2005 00:04:17 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/7/2/127454/-TreasonGate-It-s-the-Treason-Not-the-Lying The blogosphere is a buzzing with news that Karl Rove has been exposed as the source of the Plame leak. In the next week, we're going to hear a great deal about the <a href="http://atrios.blogspot.com/2005_06_26_atrios_archive.html#112030703610434280">timeline</a> and the <a href="http://talkleft.com/new_archives/011281.html">two-person rule</a>, the former centering on the federal crime of outing an undercover agent and the later necessary to establish the bonus charge of perjury.</p><p> Over at the <i>Huffington Post</i>, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/lawrence-odonnell/rove-blew-cia-agents-cov_3556.html">Lawrence O'Donnell hints that Rove may be in trouble</a> on both counts.</p><p> If Rove is the traitor and if he lied about it before the Grand Jury -- then he could achieve rare political status of having the cover-up not as bad as the crime -- for him at least. But cover-ups usually involve more than a single man, and this could turn into one giant shitburger considering who "Bush's Brain" spends time with in the West Wing (where he now serves as both Senior Advisor to the President of the United States and Deputy White House Chief of Staff). rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _127454 Sat, 02 Jul 2005 20:58:51 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/30/126840/-Blogger-vs-Blogger-Whose-side-are-you-on Life is full of decisions, sometimes the choices are tough. Sometimes you're either with us or against us. When the barricades are up, you can be on only one side. Blogging is no different, case in point is the today's <b>Blogging Battle</b>: <a href="http://www.swingstateproject.com">Swing State Project</a> <i>vs.</i> <a href="http://www.leftinthewest.com">Left in the West</a>. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) JonTester _126840 Thu, 30 Jun 2005 17:39:29 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/5/119493/-My-response-to-News-Blog-i-e-Fowler-punching-at-me As you've probably <a href="http://www.swingstateproject.com/2005/06/brigham_walks_i.php">heard</a> Donnie Fowler threw a punch at me. He telegraphed his move in an amateur way, so it was easy to avoid. But still, he threw a punch at me.<p> Anyway, <a href="http://stevegilliard.blogspot.com/2005/06/stupid-shit-sunday.html">Steve Gilliard</a> writes about it at <i>News Blog</i>, here is my rebuttal: rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _119493 Mon, 06 Jun 2005 04:58:47 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/5/119382/-Dean-in-Montana-Values-Tester-Western-Strategy Big weekend for discussions about Democrats' western strategy. From the <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/06/04/national/a191657D01.DTL">A.P.</a>:<p> <div class="blockquote">The Rocky Mountain West, long a Republican stronghold, is fertile ground for Democrats hoping to take back Congress and the White House in coming years, Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean told supporters here Saturday.<p> Democrats have more in common with Westerners than the GOP, the former Vermont governor said.<p> They appreciate the free-spirited, independent thinking that dominate states like Montana, and understand the wish for a balanced budget and a strong military, as well as treating soldiers well when they get home, something Dean said the Bush administration has neglected.</div><p> So how are we looking out West and in Montana?<br> rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _119382 Sun, 05 Jun 2005 17:30:59 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/30/118047/-Brian-Schweitzer-s-Populism-and-Democrats-2006-message This weekend, there has been an important online discussion of economic populism and the future of the Democratic Party.<p> <a href="http://fairshot.typepad.com/fairshot/2005/05/its_just_hard_w.html">Paperwight started the discussion</a> with a precinct-by-precinct examination of how Congressman Bernie Sanders out performs Republicans in the reddest areas of Vermont. <a href="http://www.davidsirota.com/2005/05/statistical-case-for-economic-populism.html">David Sirota had more to say</a> and then linked it back to the <a href="http://www.davidsirota.com/2005/05/dems-get-red-state-reward-for-populism.html">Montana miracle of Democrats winning in the west</a>.<p> With all eyes on Montana Senator Conrad Burns re-election campaign, let's look back at the roll populism has played in Big Sky elections since Burns was elected in 1988. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _118047 Mon, 30 May 2005 19:54:59 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/29/117865/-Montana-Populism-Netroots-and-Jon-Tester Montana state Senate President <a href="http://www.testerforsenate.com">Jon Tester</a> has been an official candidate for United States Senate for less than a week, but already the excitement has become a buzz. For one thing, the netroots understand that Burns is one of, if not the, most vulnerable incumbents in 2006. Next, people are excited about a populist candidate running with a message that can ignite the western strategy Democrats need to spread like wildfire. Finally, this is a race where people can get excited about our candidate instead of just getting excited about beating the other guy. <p> Here's a brief recap on what the netroots are saying about <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/5/25/114226/426">"the next senator from the great state of Montana"</a>. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _117865 Sun, 29 May 2005 18:29:57 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/26/117280/-Picking-up-a-Senate-seat-kickoff-news-from-Montana Jon Tester, Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in Montana, received a ton of good press during his state-wide announcement tour. <p> To allow everyone to see how this race is shaping up from the start, I've compiled a collection of reports on the kickoff, including news on the <b>Pearl Jam</b> involvement.<p> If you like what you see, help Tester get his campaign up and running with an <a href="http://www.actblue.com/list/ssp">early contribution</a>. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _117280 Thu, 26 May 2005 21:35:56 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/25/117026/-Montana-Swing-State-Project-amp-Jon-Tester Granted, it isn't every day you see 'swing state' and 'Montana' in the same headline. Who knows where Montana will be in 2008, but in the 2006 battle for the senate it is a crucial swing state.<p> <a href="http://www.swingstateproject.com">Swing State Project</a> writes on the most important races in the country. Following all of the races lets SSP identify the best candidates in races where your support can make a crucial difference.<p> Our first 2006 candidate is Jon Tester, who is <a href="http://www.swingstateproject.com/2005/05/mt-sen_jon_test.php">running for Senate in Montana</a>. I'm calling this THE BEST pick-up opportunity for Democrats -- anywhere in the country. This morning, Kos called Tester, "<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/5/25/114226/426">the next senator from the great state of Montana.</a>" rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _117026 Wed, 25 May 2005 23:05:04 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/23/116251/-Nuclear-Option-Survival-Guide <i>NOTE: I can only post 2 diaries a day on DailyKos, but I can post as many as I want at <a href="http://www.swingstateproject.com">Swing State Project</a>. We already have 11 pages of archives on the <a href="http://www.swingstateproject.com/nuclear_option/index.php">"Nuclear Option"</a>. We'll double that.</i><p> With the Republican Party about to launch a nuclear war upon the institution of the senate, it is important to know what bloggers and the netroots must do to prepare for and respond to a political nuclear attack.<p> Keep this guide in a safe place so that you can refer to it rapidly should the GOP launch a nuclear attack against the Senate. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _116251 Mon, 23 May 2005 14:43:30 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/14/114092/-Bush-Justice-Department-Smears-Reid <b>W</b><br> <blockquote><b>T</b><br> <blockquote><b>F?</b></blockquote></blockquote><p> The GOP political assassination push leading up to the filibuster is now being financed by your tax dollars. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _114092 Sat, 14 May 2005 19:17:54 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/10/113148/-BlogPAC-Infrastructure-fast-track (<i>From the diaries -- kos</i>)<p> Since the election, our side of the blogosphere has excelled at nationalizing issues. We will continue to refine nationalization, but now we need localize.<p> On the eve of the Nuclear Option, BlogPAC is rushing into deployment our regional infrastructure.<p> This is a general call for Democratic bloggers to <a href="http://www.blogpac.org">sign up and unite</a> to wage politics online.<p> <i>More after the fold.</i> rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _113148 Wed, 11 May 2005 03:51:40 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/25/109559/-MT-Sen-BIG-Scandal-in-Big-Sky-Country (<i>From the diaries -- kos</i>)<p> <i>Cross-posted, of course, at <a href="http://www.swingstateproject.com/2005/04/mtsen_conrad_bu.php">Swing State Project</a></i></blockquote><p> <b>QUESTION</b>: What is the one thing that makes a worse scandal than an Jack Abramoff golf trip? <p> <b>ANSWER</b>: A <i>hunting</i> trip.<p>Over at <b>Swing State Project</b>, I have written about Shawn Vasell <a href="http://www.swingstateproject.com/2005/03/conrad_burns_ke.html">before</a>. He is one of the major links between Jack Abramoff and Montana Senator Conrad Burns, having worked for Abramoff directly before and after working for Burns (he was State Director).<p> Vasell was already a key figure in multiple investigations and now he is at the center of a scandal that will enrage Montanans in a way that the corruption scandal never could.<p> Even before this latest scandal, Sen. Conrad Burns was in trouble. The Abramoff corruption scandal was <a href="http://www.swingstateproject.com/2005/03/2006_senate_con.html">hurting his campaign</a>, he was <a href="http://www.swingstateproject.com/2005/03/montana_2006_se.html">sinking in the polls</a>, and the <a href="http://www.swingstateproject.com/2005/04/mtsen_burns_spi.php">press had tired of his B.S.</a> responses to the corruption investigations. And now this...<p> <b><i>The Thanksgiving Deer Scandal</i></b><p> <a href="http://www.newwest.net">New West Network</a> Managing Editor Courtney Lowery has <a href="http://www.newwest.net/index.php/main/article/1011/">THE SCOOP</a>:<p> <div class="blockquote">Washington lobbyist Shawn Vasell, a former aide to Montana Sen. Conrad Burns, has already attracted some unwanted media attention in our nation's capital as a key link between Burns and controversial lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Now we've come across an interesting little story on the Web (with photos) about Mr. Vasell and his Thanksgiving deer that if true, is not likely to endear him even to loyal Republicans.<p> Vasell, who Burns' spokesman J.P. Donovan said worked as the office's state director for about a year before stepping down in December of 2002 to go back to Abramoff's firm, was named and pictured on a Web site about hunting and fishing written by one J.R. Reger. Reger, in what can only be read as a fit of macho hubris, details the rockin' good time that he, Mike Reger and Vasell apparently had on a spur-of-the-moment, day-after-Thanksiving hunting outing. Only problem is, the story depicts the boys in apparent violation of at least four Montana hunting laws.</div><p> FOUR VIOLATIONS? Like Conrad Burns; like Jack Abramoff; Shawn Vasell appears to have a total disregard for the law.<p> <div class="blockquote">In particular, Vasell allegedly shot a deer from the window of a pickup truck, a <a href="http://fwp.state.mt.us/FwpPaperApps/hunting/2005DEARegs_1to23.pdf">clear no-no</a>. And, a quick phone call to the Montana Fish, Wildlife &amp; Parks licensing department tells us that state records (which search back to 2002) show there have been no hunting licenses issued to a Shawn Vasell in the state of Montana. So if that's his deer he's posing with in the photos ...</div><p> So what is the response?<p> <div class="blockquote">Reger, reached on Saturday via phone, would not comment on the story or confirm or deny its accuracy, but told New West he would have time to talk about it later. Alas, he has not returned repeated phone calls since then and - surprise - <a href="http://www.jrreger.com/">his site had been taken down</a> by Sunday morning. We figured this might happen, so we made sure we recovered it <a href="http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:T3Rokm-9NmUJ:www.jrreger.com/vaselldeer.htm+site:jrreger.com+vasell&amp;hl=en">through Google's cache of pages, which is where you can read it here</a>.</div><p> Why would anyone so brazenly brag about breaking the law?<p> <div class="blockquote">The story certainly doesn't read like something that was made up, though it's a bit of a mystery as to why Reger would be so eager to brag publicly about things like his hunting buddy shooting a deer on someone else's land after dark. There is one clue though. Elsewhere on his site, Reger writes: "Every Monday morning I look forward to reading the paper. Moreover, I look forward to reading about one of my delinquent friends or acquaintances getting into trouble with the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department. For the fine amount paid, and trust me on this one, the amount of good press you get from doing something wrong is totally worth it. I highly recommend poaching a little or doing something minor to get your name in the paper at least once a year." </div><p> Montana blogger <a href="http://leftinthewest.com/?p=790">Matt Singer points out</a>:<p> <div class="blockquote"><b>This trip was illegal.</b> If Reger reported the details accurately, multiple laws were broken. Shawn Vasell has not had a hunting permit in Montana (at least not since 2001). He apparently shot the deer from inside a car (illegal). Later, he helped one of the Regers move a deer that had been shot on a neighbor's property without permission after dark following drinking (illegal). This isn't just illegal. It violates many of the unwritten rules of landowner/hunter relations.</div><p> Violating the unwritten rules of the west will result in the worst punishment. Singer also focuses on a fact all of you Jack Abramoff scandal watchers will appreciate:<p> <div class="blockquote">One of the most interesting points is buried in the story. Shawn Vasell's official website lists one of his accomplishments as having "obtained federal [Indian school construction] monies for participating clients." This is exactly the question at issue in the original <i>Washington Post</i> article that brought this former <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61436-2005Feb28.html">Conrad Burns staffer's name</a> to our attention. Burns was accused of giving money to Abramoff clients because of special connections. Now, one of Abramoff's former coworkers is claiming that their firm was responsible for lining up Indian school construction monies for their clients. Hmmm....</div><p> Conrad Burns lied when he said he would only serve two terms (he is running for his fourth). He didn't want to lose touch with Montana, but he did. Burns has been spending time with some very crooked people back in Washington, DC. But that isn't as bad as bringing those crooked people back to Montana to break Montana's laws and the rules of the west.<p> In Montana, you don't violate your neighbor's property and start shooting. Especially after dark.<p> You never shoot from a vehicle. There is an exception to this rule if you have a permit saying you are disabled, but otherwise you never, ever, shoot from a vehicle.<p> If someone is shooting -- after dark -- on another person's property, you call the sheriff. You don't help them drag their poached deer to the truck in a conspiracy to move the game across the property line before it is gutted and tagged.<p> <b>In Montana, you respect guns, you respect property lines, you respect hunting safety, you respect the law, and you respect the game. Nothing is worse than an east-coaster disrespecting law, custom, and common sense...with a gun in his cityfolk hand. Actually, there is one thing worse, when that person was State Director for a Montana politician.</b> rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _109559 Tue, 26 Apr 2005 03:42:16 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/24/109209/-The-Kagro-X-Reader-The-Nuclear-Option <i>Cross posted at <a href="http://www.swingstateproject.com/2005/04/studying_the_nu.php">Swing State Project</a></i><p> While Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist is whipping the zealots into a foaming-at-the-mouth frenzy over the GOP plot for absolute power, people who care about the Constitution, checks and blances, seperation of power, minority rights, and the institution of the United States Senate should spend some time getting reading up on the details. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _109209 Sun, 24 Apr 2005 20:21:45 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/13/106483/-Misinformation-on-Markos-PICK-UP-YOUR-PHONE The <b>San Francisco Bay Guardian</b>, a weekly rag, has some explaining to do. Bay Guardian <a href="http://www.sfbg.com/39/28/x_in_this_issue.html">Executive Editor Tim Redmond</a>:<p> <div class="blockquote">It's annoying that so many bloggers want to be treated as journalists when they can't even bother to pick up the phone and call a source to get accurate information or find out if there's another side to the story. It's annoying that so many are so happy to send misinformation and inaccurate rumors whipping around the blogosphere at light speed without ever making any effort to get to the truth. It's annoying that they can be so self-righteous.</div><p> Previous paragraph:<p> <div class="blockquote">Markos, to his credit, never claimed to be a journalist. He calls himself an activist, and that's perfectly fair. I wish he would disclose all of his clients; it would give his site a bit more credibility, but that's his choice.</div><br> rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) SanFranciscoBayGuardian TimRedmond _106483 Wed, 13 Apr 2005 22:16:37 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/7/105237/-We-Stand-with-Obama-DLC-Exodus (<i>Awesome news, from the diaries -- kos</i>)<p> Last month Kos had to step in to get the DLC to <a href="http://route66.dailykos.com/story/2005/3/16/113148/885">honor the wishes</a> of Senator Barack Obama and remove him from their list:<p> <div class="blockquote"> Twice the DLC has tried to claim credit for Obama, slapping him up on their list of members, and for the second time, they've had to back down. [...] <p> They may love the guy, but Obama wants nothing to do with the DLC. Remember, Obama raised over $3 million from MoveOn members, the very organization the DLC wants purged from the party's ranks. We know where Obama's loyalties lie, and it's wiith the netroots. He's one of ours.<p> This little episode also highlights the DLC's interesting tactic of slapping up people on the list without asking for permission to do so, an attempt to take credit for peoples' success.</div><p> <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/3/15/113651/880">Kos asked</a>: &nbsp;<b>"Anyone else who seems out of place on the list? Anyone else we can peel off this list?"</b><p> I think we can all guess what happened next...<p> I started looking at the list and a few items jumped right out at me. For instance, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom was still listed as a county supervisor even though <a href="http://www.swingstateproject.com/2005/03/dlc_list_of_sha.html">Al From claimed credit</a> for his 2003 election. I noticed that Tim Ryan was listed as a state senator even though he is in his second term in congress. DavidNYC took some screen shots (<a href="http://www.thereisnocrisis.com/files/DLC-List.pdf">HERE</a> pdf), I expected to come back in a month or so to see the list cleaned up.<p> <b>What I found was an exodus. Dozens of names have been scrubbed from the list.</b><p> Sure some politicians were term limited and many lost their seats (after taking DLC advice?). But many up and coming politicians have decided they want nothing to do with the DLC strategy of attacking Democrats through triangulation.<p> Congressman Ryan's name disappeared. California gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides is no longer on the list. Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano has no need for the DLC. Hell, even Ken Salazar would rather stand with Obama than the DLC.<p> In fact, the DLC is no longer taking credit for:<p> <blockquote>Phil Angelides, State Treasurer, CA<br> Janice Bacon, Morgan County Commissioner, IN<br> Marshall Bennett, State Treasurer, MS<br> John Y. Brown, Secretary of State, KY<br> Chris Burris, Mayor, Stone Mountain, GA<br> Jo Carson, State Representative, AR<br> Nancy Chard, State Senator, VT<br> Ken Clark, State Representative, AZ<br> Patrick Colwell, State House Majority Leader, ME<br> Kathleen Connell, State Controller, CA<br> Lou Correa, State Assembly Member, CA<br> Dolores Coulter, Mayor, Barnegat Township, NJ<br> Chris Cummiskey, State Senate Assistant Leader, AZ<br> Preston Daniels, Mayor, Des Moines, IA<br> Nadia Davis, School Board Vice President, Santa Ana, CA<br> Peter Derby, Trustee, Irvington, NY<br> Jim D. Garner, State Representative, KS<br> Jeff Gombosky, State Representative, WA<br> Michael J. Hare, Council Member, Wilmington, DE<br> Leigh Herington, State Democratic Leader, OH<br> Bob Holden, Governor, MO<br> Robert Jackson, State Senator, KY<br> Steve B. Jones, State Representative, AR<br> Vera Katz, Mayor, Portland OR<br> Joseph E. Kernan, Governor, IN<br> Peter Larkin, State Representative, MA<br> David Lemoine, State Representative, ME<br> Gary Locke, Governor, WA<br> Charles Love, School Board Chairman, Hamilton Co., TN<br> Frana Araujo Mace, State Representative, CO<br> Scott C. Maddox, Mayor, Tallahassee, FL<br> Carl Miller, State Representative, CO<br> Mike Moore, Attorney General, MS<br> Ronnie Musgrove, Governor, MS<br> George Nakano, State Assembly Member, CA<br> Janet Napolitano, Governor, AZ<br> Alice Nichol, State Senator, CO<br> John O. Norquist, Mayor, Milwaukee, WI<br> Barack Obama, U.S. Senator, IL<br> Norman Oliver, City Councilman, Wilmington, DE<br> Ed Perimutter, State Senator, CO<br> Anthony Petrucci, County Commissioner, Dauphin Co., PA<br> Terry Phillips, State Senator, CO<br> Margaret Planton, Mayor, Chillicothe, OH<br> Ray Powell, Commissioner of Public Lands, NM<br> Eric Miller Reeves, State Senator, NC<br> Peggy Reeves, State Senator, CO<br> Elaine Richardson, State Senator, AZ<br> John Riggs IV, State Senator, AR<br> Joe Riley, Mayor, Charlston, SC<br> Stacy J. Ritter, State Representative, FL<br> Carroll G. Robinson, City Councilman, Houston, TX<br> Laura Ruderman, State Representative, WA<br> John Ryan, Council Member, Barnegat Township, NJ<br> Timothy J. Ryan, State Senator, OH<br> Ken Salazar, U.S. Senator, CO<br> M. Susan Savage, Mayor, Tulsa, OK<br> Dan Schooff, State Assembly Member, WI<br> Derrick Seaver, State Representative, OH<br> Tyrone Smith, Water Basin Municipal Water District Board Member, Carson CA<br> Gregory R. Stevens, State Representative, IA<br> Christopher Travis Swanson, Kern County School Board Member, Tehachapi, CA<br> Daryl Sweeney, Mayor, Carson, CA<br> Tracy Vance, Vice Chairman, Lee Co., IA<br> Val D. Vincent, State Representative, VT<br> Patrick D. Welch, State Senator, IL<br> J.D. Williams, State Controller, ID<br> Cathy Woolard, Council President, Atlanta, GA</blockquote><p> I'm a big fan of supporting good behavior. You know these people better than anyone, who on this list should the netroots support and why.<p> <b>Update</b> by Kos: People are noting that many of these names are people who have left office or where defeated (Bob made that point in the post). But note that the DLC hasn't been able to replace those losses with new blood. Their list is shrinking big time -- a sign of their increasing irrelevance. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Brigham) _105237 Fri, 08 Apr 2005 05:02:08 +0000