Democracy for New Mexico

Join Greg Palast on DFA Blog Book Club Tonight

If you attended investigative journalist Greg Palast's recent appearance in Albuquerque, you know the kind of blockbuster info he provides on the latest BushCo scandals and schemes. If you didn't attend, all the more reason to blog with him live tonight.

From Chris Speich of the DFA Blog Book Club: Be sure to visit DFA's Blog for America tonight for a discussion with Greg Palast on his new book, "Armed Madhouse." Other guests on the thread will be Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney from Georgia, Susan Pynchon, electronic voting fraud specialist, and Nancy Skinner, DFA Grassroots All-Star competitor. Here's all the info you need to participate:

Book: Armed Madhouse, by Greg Palast
When: Wednesday June, 28th, 5:00 PM Mountain tonight!
Guest Author: Greg Palast
Where: DFA's Blog for America

How: Just come to Blog for America's comments in the Blog Book Club blog Post from Greg Palast. Greg will be answering our questions live. Remember to refresh so you don't miss anything.

Also, please post a comment on our DFA-Link group to suggest our next book, and let us know you will be joining us for the June 28th event. Note, if you can't swing the cost of the book, email me and I can send you a free copy.

Please prepare any questions for Greg or the above in advance and send them in now!

Vote for Madrid for DFA-List Endorsement

 
Patricia Madrid with Joe Wilson (L), John Edwards (R)

From Democracy for America:
This month, Democracy for America is hosting an online vote to determine which Congressional candidate will receive our next DFA-List endorsement. All of the candidates in the competition are running for either a Republican-held seat or an open seat.

Results are updated hourly and can be seen at . Voting for the first round began on Wednesday, June 7 and will close on Friday, June 16 at 3:00 PM Mountain Time. The top five candidates will advance to an instant run-off round starting on June 19 to determine DFA's next DFA-List candidate.

Editor's Note: Patricia Madrid, New Mexico's Democratic candidate for CD1 running against Bush rubberstamp Heather Wilson, is one of the nominees. Visit the DFA Grassroots Allstar page to vote for her today!

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: DFA Endorses Lamont vs. Lieberman

From Jim Dean of Democracy for America:

Joe Lieberman: George Bush's favorite Democrat?  Support Ned Lamont!

For years, Joe Lieberman has supported President Bush on issue after issue. He supported Bush's crusade to dismantle Social Security and he folded on the nominations of Justices Roberts and Alito. Lieberman voted for the invasion of Iraq and he continues to stand in the way of real solutions that will bring our troops home. He has even supported attempts to label criticism of the war as unpatriotic. Last winter, he said, "It is time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge that he will be Commander-in-Chief for three more critical years, and that in matters of war we undermine Presidential credibility at our nation's peril."

On Friday, Connecticut Democrats said, "Enough." The Connecticut Democratic Convention was the first opportunity for an open vote between Joe Lieberman and upstart challenger Ned Lamont. With the process heavily stacked toward insiders, Lamont was expected to collect just a handful of votes. Instead, he shocked the establishment and won more than twice the number of votes he needed to qualify for the August primary ballot.

Ned Lamont has won the support of DFA members across Connecticut and now he's won a place on the ballot to challenge Joe Lieberman. When he's elected in November, Ned will oppose the Bush administration's misguided policies and he'll stand with other Democrats for clean government, universal healthcare, and a moral foreign policy. I urge you to join me in supporting Ned Lamont today!

Joe Lieberman has won strong support from Republicans. Vice President Cheney calls him "a fine U.S. Senator." Republican Congressman Chris Shays and Fox News Commentator Sean Hannity have both endorsed him. Even President Bush loves Lieberman—there are rumors he has been considered for a post in Bush's cabinet. Is that the kind of Democrat that we want in Washington?

Ned Lamont won't have any Washington Republicans fighting for him. He's only going to win through thousands of grassroots donations from DFA members like you. We need to show Ned that the grassroots will stand with him. With your help, our goal is to raise $25,000 from 500 donors today. Can you make a donation of $100, $50, $25 or even $10 to make it happen?

Ned will be a progressive voice in the Senate. He'll speak out against the destructive Bush administration policies that threaten our moral and economic future, our civil liberties, and our nation's security. He has opposed the Iraq War since the beginning and he'll advocate a new direction in Iraq. Let's make it happen.
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Editor's Note: For more information on Lamont's shocking support in the Connecticut Democratic Party delegate vote in this Democratic primary race, check out the coverage on MyDD and watch video of local news coverage of this story. I just gave another $10 to the Lamont campaign via DFA and I strongly encourage you to donate a few bucks. We need to display our grassroots and netroots strength and put our money where our mouth is for this race and others where progressives are challenging entrenched, "Republican-lite" Democrats in name only.

DFA Training for Progressives: Denver in June

From Wendy of Democracy for Colorado:
We are co-hosting a Winning Strategies for Progressives training in Denver on June 10-11 with Democracy for America.  I'd like to invite our progressive friends in New Mexico to join us for an intensive training on effective grassroots organizing using our ThinkPrecinct™ method.

Learn all the skills you need to turn your precinct (or block, or town, or apartment building, or …) into a progressive voting star:

• Think Precinct™ 9-Step Organizing Plan
• Volunteer recruitment and team building
• Effective precinct gatherings
• Canvassing and phone banking
• GOTV
• Fun fund raising
• Getting/using voter lists and data
• Power mapping
• Create your action plan
• And MUCH MORE

Citizens, campaign volunteers, and issues organizations are encouraged to attend. We have secured a discounted hotel rate at the Holiday Inn and are happy to arrange home stays for out-of-town participants. For more information and registration links, visit Democracy for Colorado. Hope you can join us!

Sign Up Now For DemocracyFest 2006

From Jim Dean, Democracy For America Chair:
Preparations for the Third Annual DemocracyFest are underway and the agenda is getting more exciting each day. I hope you will join me and progressive activists from across the country in San Diego from July 14 through 16:

https://www.democracyforamerica.com/democracyfest

DemocracyFest 2006 promises to feature some of the best that San Diego and the progressive grassroots movement have to offer. Event, meal and lodging tickets are available for purchase at a discounted early-bird rate until March 15th. Get yours now before the regular prices take effect.

DemocracyFest organizers from DemocracyFest Incorporated and San Diego for Democracy have a fabulous program planned for you -- a weekend where you can trade ideas, learn new strategies, and get energized for the hard political work ahead. It'll be a great celebration in San Diego -- I look forward to seeing you there.

Editor's Note: We went to last year's DemocracyFest in Austin and it was terrific. Excellent presentations, workshops, social events, noted progressive speakers, comaraderie and, of course, Howard Dean. We met grassroots activists DFA Meetup folks from all over the country. We've signed up again for this year's version. Hope many of you will do the same.

Let Joe Know

From Jim Dean at Democracy for America:

Click Here

Earlier this week while discussing the war in Iraq, Senator Joseph Lieberman said, "It's time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge he'll be commander-in-chief for three more critical years, and that in matters of war we undermine presidential credibility at our nation's peril."

Unfortunately, President Bush has no credibility. His administration misled our nation into the war in Iraq on trumped-up charges of weapons of mass destruction. His "stay the course" strategy has led to over 2,100 American deaths. And no one sees an end in sight.

It is disturbing enough that Senator Lieberman remains one of the president's biggest cheerleaders. But his call for opponents of the president's failed policy to keep quiet is outrageous.

The only way we will end this war is by having an honest debate about how and when we can bring our troops home.

Join me in sending Senator Lieberman an open letter asking him to join the majority of Americans in questioning the Bush administration's Iraq policy:

https://www.democracyforamerica.com/telljoe

If Americans don't challenge a president who is bankrupting our treasury, damaging our moral leadership in the world, and jeopardizing our national security then we are failing our democracy.

Please co-sign the letter today. Next week, I'll join Democracy for America members in Connecticut and deliver our letter with your comments to Senator Lieberman's office.

DFA-DFNM ABQ Meetup to Feature NM Rep. Mimi Stewart

NM REP. MIMI STEWART will be attending our DFA-Democracy for New Mexico Meetup to discuss how we can effectively support progressive legislators and bills and work together toward common goals. She'll also be answering our questions. You may recall that Rep. Steward was scheduled for last month's Meetup but was tied up due to the special legislative session in Santa Fe. We're very pleased to have Rep. Stewart as our guest and hope we'll have a big turnout to welcome her!

After announcements about several upcoming events, there will be a round-table discussion about our legislative goals, as well as how we can get elected officials and candidates to commit to core Democratic values.

Hope to see you this Thursday, November 3rd at 7:00 PM at the First Unitarian Church at Carlisle and Comanche for our DFA-DFNM Meetup!

If you plan to attend, please RSVP at our Meetup site by clicking here or on the Meetup logo on the upper left-hand sidebar on this page.

Set the Iraq Agenda: Sign the Pledge

From Democracy for America:
The war in Iraq began two years ago, on a promise of security—and a web of deception. Now the mistruths have fallen away—and we can see a presidency, and American prestige, sunk in a quagmire.

The cost: almost 2,000 American lives lost. $300 billion spent. A growing tab for our children and grandchildren, in the form of the largest budget deficit in American history. And for the Iraqi people, a stable democracy—and peace—remain nowhere in sight.

We captured a tyrant, but made no provision for keeping the peace. An insurgency took off. Terrorists moved in. And now, we have a country at the heart of the Middle East breeding extremist violence—and verging on civil war.

This is unacceptable. We have to address this issue, and resolve it. But from Washington, we hear little but presidential excuses and the quiet wringing of hands.

Someone needs to take a stand. Here's the deal: that someone can be you.

Take the pledge to send to Washington only those leaders with the courage to face the Iraq mess head-on. Do it today:

https://www.democracyforamerica.com/iraqpledge

We can shake our heads at Bush, and shake our fists at the Congress. In the end, though, we make the Congress. We elect it. It answers to us. And in 2006 and 2008, we can get Congress' attention by telling our elected officials to face the facts—or go home.

Use your power. As the time draws closer to select candidates for the next United States Congress, pledge the following:

I pledge to only support candidates who: 1. Acknowledge that the U.S. was misled into the war in Iraq 2. Advocate for a responsible exit plan with a timeline 3. Support our troops at home and abroad

As we sign the pledge, our names will appear on the Democracy for America pledge map. Let's fill it from coast to coast—so that candidates and the media can't help but see it.

https://www.democracyforamerica.com/iraqpledge

Why sign the pledge? Because you know America can't afford to take more of this. It's time for the public servants we sent to Washington to face the truth.

We expect our leaders to show courage and honor for the sacrifices of our soldiers in Iraq. The best way to do that: by facing the crisis that has killed thousands, emptied our treasury, and destroyed our credibility.

You have shown that courage. Let's tell Washington we expect it to do the same.

Thank you,
Jim Dean
Democracy for America

P.S. If 10,000 patriots sign the pledge today, that would make a great start. But 100,000 signatures would begin to set the nation's agenda. Help us reach that goal—sign today!

Hackett Says Batter Up for DFA

Batter up for Hackett -- and Democracy in Ohio

by Tom Hughes

Wed Aug 3rd, 2005 at 08:11:33 PDT

Paul Hackett sent this out to the DFA email list earlier today. Paul ran a great campaign. And on election night next year -- when we take back Congress -- it will be noted that the tide turned on August 2, 2005 in the OH-2.

Thank you Paul.

And a huge "THANK YOU" to everyone who believe.

Yesterday, one of the reddest regions in America turned a whole lot bluer.

Tom Hughes
Executive Director, DFA

_______________

• Tom Hughes's diary :: ::

I ran in a special election to serve in the United States House of Representatives for the 2nd District of Ohio. I am a Marine recently returned from Iraq, a husband, a father, an attorney, and a Democrat.

When I won the Democratic primary for this contest, few people believed we had a shot at victory. But DFA put its faith in me—and went to work organizing on the ground and online. Your support helped build the greatest Democratic get-out-the-vote effort this district has ever known.

While we didn't pull out a victory yesterday—we came incredibly close. We got 48 percent of the vote. And in those results rests hope for the future.

It had been 15 years since a Democratic candidate for Congress received more than 30 percent of the vote in Ohio's 2nd District and 40 years since a Democrat held the seat. Your support helped me improve Democratic performance by nearly 20 percent. This is a victory for democracy. And if we can do this in Ohio—we can do it anywhere.

Join me, and help DFA elect Democrats in Ohio and across the country:

www.democracyforamerica.com/bat

We have the power to win back Congress. Yesterday proved it. And DFA is on the front lines of the fight—determined, hopeful and fearless.

I believe we can change this country. I believe we can win in every state—and I know that you do too. Please join me today:

www.democracyforamerica.com/bat

Thank you,
Paul Hackett

(As posted on Daily Kos.)

Off to DemocracyFest

We'll be driving out to Austin starting this morning to attend the second annual DemocracyFest put on by DFA folks from Democracy for Texas and My Vote is My Vote. We'll be back in Albuquerque late Tuesday, 6/21.

I've set up some automatic posts for the time we'll be gone. And fellow progressive and Democratic activist, Anne Manning, came to the rescue and generously helped us get a laptop to use on the trip, so we'll also be posting from the event.

We highly recommend Anne and Manning's computer shop for your computing needs. Let's support our local Dems and Buy Blue:

PC Place
9324 Menaul Blvd. NE, Albuquerque NM 87112
Phone 505-293-1867, Fax 505-293-1843
Email: pcplace@nmia.com
Website https://www.pc-place.com/

Thanks Anne!

REMINDER: The Chile Cookoff to benefit the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County is this Saturday, June 18, from Noon to 4:00 PM at Horizon Academy Northwest, 7939 Fourth St. NW (about 1 miles north of Osuna). There'll be three, count them, three bands, lots of terrific chile and chili entries to taste and, hopefully, hordes of fellow Dems to meet. Be there or be square. Click to see the details.

For more info, call County HQ at 256-1855 or email info@bernalillodems.org.

UPDATE: Longtime progressive activist Kathy Flake is promoting the Cookoff on her blog from her new home in London. Check out her virtual chili entry! Yum!