Democracy for New Mexico

Photos and Report from Saturday's Albuquerque Antiwar March

Crowd gathers to hear speakers at Albuquerque's Robinson Park after march. All photos courtesy of Tom Solomon. (Click on photos for larger versions.)

Submitted by Terry Riley:
What did we get done Saturday? We had about 1,000 people mobilized in Albuquerque to march from our three representatives' offices speaking out against the troop buildup AND against Bush. We all saw what was going on and the police saw what was going on. We did not affect many people's lives like we would if we shut down the Big I. What we did do though is we got coverage on ALL THREE Albuquerque network affiliates. We were interviewed and our signs appeared on TV screens all over Albuquerque. We got coverage in Sunday's paper as well. We collectively spoke out in support of SJR05, the resolution in the New Mexico Legislature to Impeach Bush and Cheney that is sponsored by Senators Gerald Ortiz y Pino and John Grubesic.

Marching in downtown Albuquerque

That is a lot! We got a lot done! We also lit fires under citizens who have been afraid to speak up, who feared that there was nothing that could be done. We have hope and Saturday's demonstration was an example of the hope!

Filling downtown sidewalk

Now that you have seen the power of the people I am asking everybody who reads this to PLEASE do EVERYTHING that you can possibly do to make sure that the New Mexico Legislature passes the resolution to Impeach Bush! We hold the power IF we work together! Now is the time to speak up!

Paul Stokes (2nd from left) of United Voters NM and crowd stopped at congressional offices

Call your state legislator - NOW! Call the Governor's office - NOW! (I mean during office hours.) Call Congressman Udall's office - NOW! New Mexico's legislators do respond to the people. We are allowed to speak in every committee hearing in the legislature and if we ask for an appointment we can demonstrate or hold a press conference in the Rotunda. We have the opportunity and we have the responsibility. I am asking any of you who can possibly do it to stay tuned and show up when this bill is heard in committee and support it, to call your state representatives and Governor and tell them that you want Bush and Cheny Impeached. If you have some time, call EVERY legislator. Public pressure can work! Try it! (Editor's Note: For more information on the NM impeachment effort and how to get involved, visit our archived posts on this issue.)

Terry Riley and Albuquerque CodePINK unfurl their Fire the Liars banner next to Robinson Park rally
Tom Solomon (in hat) and daughter (right) with his IM-PEACH sign
NM Rep. Dede Feldman (right) speaks at rally
No comment necessary
Speakers at Robinson Park in downtown Albuquerque
Charioteer for peace
Counter protestors - all 6 of them!

KRQE News online has reporting and video on the demonstration here and here.

Editor's Note: Thanks to Stop the War Machine and all the supporting organizations for a job well done. Thanks to Terry Riley for the report and Tom Solomon for the photos.

More National Attention for NM Impeachment Resolution

The Nation's John Nichols comments on the New Mexico impeachment resolution, Jack Cafferty's respectful reporting about it on CNN and its premise being bolstered by the ongoing Scooter Libby trial. Building, building, building. As was said at the resolution press conference, "'We created a ripple. Your voice is going to turn it into a tidal wave hopefully." Only if we keep up the pressure...

Where is Richardson on impeachment?
What I and many others are awaiting is a definitive word from the presidential candidate from NM, Gov. Bill Richardson, on this matter. You'd think he'd be weighing in on an impeachment effort being launched within his own state legislature, but you'd be wrong. Apparently he'd rather talk about other matters less "controversial." Personally, I think if Richardson wants serious consideration as a presidential candidate, he should comment seriously about perhaps the most important issue on the table: Bush's lawbreaking and what to do about it. What about it, Governor?

Photos: NM Impeachment Press Conference

Photos by Terry Riley (click on images for larger versions):

Leland Lehrman of Mother Media starts it off.

Senators Gerald Ortiz y Pino and John Grubesic speak at Roundhouse press conference announcing introduction of Cheney-Bush impeachment resolution at the NM Legislature in Santa Fe yesterday. It is now Senate Joint Resolution 5 (PDF).

Sen. Ortiz y Pino rouses the crowd with Sen. Grubesic next up.

"We're simply doing what all elected officials should be doing. That is, listening to the voice of the people and trying to carry it out as best we can." --Sen. Ortiz y Pino

"I am an American citizen that believes that the Constitution is a sacred document and that the Bush Administration clearly does not share this sentiment." --Sen. Grubesic

Packed Capitol Rotunda in Santa Fe. There were also many citizen speakers and cheers kept breaking out all over as things progressed!

You can see local coverage, including video, at KOAT-TV 7 News. Other coverage can be found at After Downing Street, which is tracking the effort. And here's Steve Terrell's report for the Santa Fe New Mexican. This article includes quotes on the bill by Sen. Jeff Bingaman and Rep. Tom Udall:

"Sen. (Jeff) Bingaman doesn't think it would be in the best interest of our country to initiate measures to impeach President Bush, though he has a number of concerns about aspects of the administration's domestic and foreign policy agendas," Bingaman spokeswoman Jude McCartin said Tuesday. "Sen. Bingaman thinks our policies should be a reflection of our priorities as a nation and that all too often (Bush's) priorities seem inconsistent with our nation's values."

Rep. Tom Udall on Tuesday didn't close the door on the memorial. He said he would closely monitor the resolution in the state Legislature. "These legislators speak for many of my constituents," he said. Udall said he hopes to talk with those supporting the resolution.

To contact them, visit Congress.org.

See our previous post for more information on the bill.

The Joint Memorial has been assigned to three committees on the Senate side: Rules (SRC), Public Affairs (SPAC), Judiciary (SJC). You can track its progress at the NM Legislature website ats https://legis.state.nm.us/lcs/ and find contact information for legislators who serve on committees that will hear the bill.

Latest on NM Impeachment Effort

The effort to pass a resolution of impeachment against Bush and Cheney in the NM Legislature got front page coverage in the Albuquerque Journal this morning in this article. Quotes:

"Everyone says, 'This is symbolic.' So was dumping tea in Boston Harbor," Grubesic said. "We need to send a clear message to the rest of the world that we're not as insane as our administration is."

... It has been a hot-potato issue within the New Mexico Democratic Party: The party during its convention of more than 1,200 delegates last spring added a call for impeachment of Bush to its platform. But top-tier Democratic politicians, including Gov. Bill Richardson, were quick to distance themselves from that position.

...Both senators said they expect to take some heat for the proposed resolution but believe it can pass the Senate. "Politicians seem to last longer the less controversial they are— don't take on the tough issues; don't take a stand," Grubesic said. "With something important as this, I don't think you can just sit on your hands."

Also, the time of the press conference on the NM Impeachment Resolution has been changed:

From Gerald.Gonzalez@nmlegis.gov:
This Tuesday, January 23rd, at 2PM (not 1PM as previously stated), Senators Gerald Ortiz y Pino (D-ABQ) and John T. L. Grubesic (D-Santa Fe) will introduce their resolution to impeach President George Bush and Vice-President Richard Cheney. Eight Senators in total have signed the Resolution including the Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Cisco McSorley, and the Chair of the Rules Committee Linda Lopez. Based on a resolution crafted by Phil Burk of impeachbush.tv and the national impeachment movement, the resolution makes four charges, three of which are violations of the US Constitution.

The press Conference will directly follow the introduction of the excellent Joint Memorial opposing the creation of a National ID Card in New Mexico sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez and House Majority Leader Ken Martinez.

Who: Mother Media and Citizens from all over New Mexico
Where: The Capitol Building Rotunda
When: Tuesday, January 23rd, 2PM to 3PM
What: Senators Gerald Ortiz y Pino and John T. L. Grubesic to Introduce Impeachment Resolution in the New Mexico Senate

The charges in full:

WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney conspired with others to defraud the United States of America by intentionally misleading congress and the public regarding the threat from Iraq in order to justify a war in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 371; and 

WHEREAS, George W. Bush has admitted to ordering the national security agency to conduct electronic surveillance of American civilians without seeking warrants from the foreign intelligence surveillance court of review, duly constituted by congress in 1978, in violation of Title 50 United States Code, Section 1805; and

WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney conspired to commit the torture of prisoners in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Chapter 113C, the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the Geneva Conventions, which under Article VI of the United States constitution are part of the "supreme Law of the Land"; and

WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney acted to strip American citizens of their constitutional rights by ordering indefinite detention without access to legal counsel, without charge and without the opportunity to appear before a civil judicial officer to challenge the detention, based solely on the discretionary designation by the president of a United States citizen as an "enemy combatant", all in subversion of law.

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More info on Impeachment
https://impeachpac.org
https://impeachbush.tv
https://articlesofimpeachment.net

Support NM Effort to Impeach Bush and Cheney

Editor's Note: A press conference about NM Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino's impeachment bill will be held at the Rotunda in the Roundhouse in Santa Fe on Tuesday, January 23. Meet at the ground floor of the Roundhouse at Noon for lobbying and then join the press conference at 1:00 PM in the Capitol Rotunda. All are invited and urged to attend! For more information contact legislative aide Desi Brown at (505)256-0668 or desibrown@comcast.net. Click for flyer (doc).

From Terry Riley:
Please act on this request ASAP. We have a chance to force our national legislators to do what they seem to be afraid to do. We need to show the world that we do not support Bush, especially since it is very likely that he will be attacking Iran very soon. We have to act NOW before the whole world acts against us.

There is a bill being presented in the legislature this Tuesday to bring impeachment proceedings against Bush and Cheny. According to the Constitution, if a state legislature passes a bill like this and it is presented to Congress, Congressman Udall has agreed to carry it (I believe), the Congress has to put aside all other matters and begin impeachment proceedings. WOW! Please be a part of this very important action:

Please thank:
Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino: jortizyp@aol.com
Sen. John Grubesic, Rules Committee Vice Chair: john.grubesic@nmlegis.gov

Please ask these Rules Committee Members to cosponsor:
Sen. Linda Lopez, Rules Committee Chair: linda.lopez@nmlegis.gov
Sen. Cisco McSorley: cisco.mcsorley@nmlegis.gov
Sen. Dede Feldman: dede.feldman@nmlegis.gov

Send them a message something like this (change and expand as you like):

Please cosponsor, along with Senators Ortiz y Pino and Grubesic, the resolution to petition the U.S. House of Representatives to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney. If we go into the next presidency having established that a president can lie us into war, spy on us in violation of the law, detain without charge, and torture, we will be throwing away the democracy we've struggled to keep and expand for over 200 years. We all have a solemn duty to work for the impeachment of men who have made our executive branch of government into a monarchy. You are in a position to play a key role in making this happen. Please do the right thing. Make the choice you would want your great-grandchildren to be proud of.

More information: https://www.afterdowningstreet.org/nm

Thank you,
Terry Riley
Veterans for Peace
Military Families Speak Out

Editor's Note: Also see our earlier post.

NM Sen. Ortiz y Pino to Introduce Impeachment Bill at NM Legislature

NM Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino plans to introduce a NM Impeachment Resolution at the NM Legislative Session that begins on January 16th in Santa Fe. Click to download a draft copy of the bill (PDF), which will be cosponsored by Sen. John Grubesic. The title of the bill is "A Joint Resolution Petitioning Congress to Commence the Investigation of and Impeachment Proceedings Against President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney."

A story on this effort in New Mexico is front-paged on Daily Kos today, and includes an excellent description of how the process works when a state legislature approves such a measure.

The proposed resolution also gets a mention in an article by David Swanson of AfterDowningStreet.org:

In New Mexico, a leading light of that state's politics, State Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino of Albuquerque, will be leading the way on impeachment. He deserves the support of all the world, and you can thank him at jortizyp@aol.com or 505-986-4380. Let's help him make New Mexico the land of enchantment and impeachment.

If you'd like to urge your legislators to support this resolution, you can find contact information at the NM Legislature Website.

Guest Blog: Support NM Impeachment Effort

Submitted by guest blogger Terry Riley:
I am mad as hell and I am going to do something. I just got an e-mail from a friend of mine in Santa Fe. Leland Lehrman worked with me on the paper ballot / election reform legislation in the 2005 and 2006 legislative sessions. He is proposing that we get out state legislature to bring impeachment proceedings against President Bush. Please read his message. He is right, the states can initiate the action and then the "Democrats" will have to deal with it. Please read, and contact your legislator.

It looks like Bush is going to put another 30,000 soldiers into Iraq after the first of the year and hold the troop strength at 185,000 for two years. Think about our soldiers. In order to maintain this troop level the Pentagon will have to put every soldier and EVERY reservist into a tight rotation, much more than any individual can be expected to survive.

Save our Soldiers! Impeach Bush
Terry Riley
Veterans for Peace
Son of a Veteran
Veteran
Brother of a Veteran
Father of a Veteran
Father or a combat Veteran

Leland Lehrman's Email:

Friends and Legislators,
We're working on a resolution that will impeach President Bush at the NM State Level. According to Jefferson's Rules of the Federal House, if an impeachment resolution passes at the State Level, the Federal Government is required to stop all business and hear impeachment proceedings immediately.

Quoting from ImpeachFor Peace.org:
"In the House of Representatives there are various methods of setting an impeachment in motion: by charges made on the floor on the responsibility of a Member or Delegate (II, 1303; III, 2342, 2400, 2469; VI, 525, 526, 528, 535, 536); by charges preferred by a memorial, which is usually referred to a committee for examination (III, 2364, 2491, 2494, 2496, 2499, 2515; VI, 552); or by a resolution dropped in the hopper by a Member and referred to a committee (April 15, 1970, p. 11941- 2); by a message from the President (III, 2294, 2319; VI, 498); by charges transmitted from the legislature of a State (III, 2469) or Territory (III, 2487) or from a grand jury (III, 2488); or from facts developed and reported by an investigating committee of the House (III, 2399, 2444)."

According to Section 604 of the Manual, "direct proposition to impeach is a question of high privilege in the House and at once supersedes business otherwise in order under the rules governing the order of business." It does not lose its privilege just because "a similar proposition has been made at a previous time during the same session of Congress." On the other hand, "a resolution simply proposing an investigation, even though impeachment may be a possible consequence, is not privileged." Where, however, "a resolution of investigation positively proposes impeachment or suggests that end, it has been admitted as of privilege."

It is also possible to impeach through the submission of a memorial by any private citizen, given a Congressional Committee picks it up and acts on it. This type of initiative has been organized by Impeach for Peace here.

Furthermore, Impeachment of the President was passed with overwhelming support by the NM Democratic Party when it held its most recent statewide Platform hearings. It is an official policy of the NM Democratic Party to impeach President Bush.

We will have to repeat that over and over because it is not common knowledge.

Also, Georgia Dem. Rep. Cynthia McKinney has written articles of impeachment during the last few weeks of her term and we can use those at the State Level. I need everyone to call Senators John Grubesic and Gerry Ortiz y Pino (Santa Fe and Albuquerque) and ask them to support an impeachment resolution and to help us get it drafted before the January session. Rep. Peter Wirth is my target for the House, although we may have better luck with someone else. Please call your Legislators now, and email, mail or fax this information to them.

Grubesic and Wirth are Santa Fe's own, we can hopefully count on them. Ortiz y Pino is one of  the best legislators in the NM House overall; he is associated with the NM PACE and the Albuquerque Peace and Justice social fabric. A social worker by profession.

Grubesic: 820-1825
Ortiz y Pino: 505.250.1280
Wirth: 988-1668

Also, essential to success with be Speaker of the House Ben Lujan, Majority Leader Ken Martinez, Sen Majority Leader Michael Sanchez and President Pro Tem Ben Altamirano. Get familiar with them at the NM Legislature website. All are Democrats. The Governor will have to be invoved as well. With Democratic control of every governmental body in the State, NM has a good chance to make history here.

Please forward to all interested. I have yet to hear from anyone, but will be in their offices or on the phone again with them this week coming. Once we get the OK to draft, we will proceed to incorporate McKinney's articles of impeachment and those in the book, "The Case for Impeachment." Also, below, I include information compiled by of the Green Party, much of which is at the website ArticlesOfImpeachment.net where you can get completely sorted out about the legal methods and more.

Leland Lehrman (505) 982-3609

Editor's Note: This is a guest blog by Terry Riley. If you'd like to submit a post for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link at the upper left-hand corner of our main page.

Cheers and Jeers Greet NM Dems' Impeachment Resolution

(Click on image for larger version or click to view source.)

Passage of a floor amendment to the NM Democratic 2006 Platform that supports the impeachment of Bush is getting nationwide attention. Not only was the story linked on right-wing website The Drudge Report this week, so-called Freepers are up at arms. Robb Chavez's successful floor amendment on impeachment was also were featured on The Huffington Post, Daily Kos and a number of other progressive blogs, where it received many cheers.

I'm sorry to say that the responses of some Dems have been less than stellar, in my opinion. According to a story in the Albuquerque Tribune, here's what Patricia Madrid had to say:

Madrid, trying to oust Republican U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson of Albuquerque, said in a statement today she wasn't present when the vote was taken Saturday. She called the action "premature."

"I hope I get the chance to go to Congress to participate in a full investigation of the underlying issues," she said.

The same article reports this on Senator Jeff Bingaman's response:

Bingaman also says it's too early to support sanctions against Bush for the wiretapping issue, said his spokeswoman, Jude McCartin. Bingaman was in Afghanistan Saturday and is in Baghdad today.

I thought Governor Bill Richardson had the best public response. Even though I personally think he could have gotten out front on this issue nationally by supporting the impeachment resolution, he at least said he understood it and gave delegates props for being engaged on the issues. I think he gets it. According to an article in the Albuquerque Journal, which I couldn't find online:

...the Democratic Governor understands the anger of party members who supported the Bush resolution, given the direction the president's policies are taking the country, spokesman Pahl Shipley said.

"The Governor is opposed to this call for impeachment and feels that is premature," Shipley said. "Nonetheless, he recognizes the mounting frustration with the policies of the Bush administration," Shipley said. "However, he is pleased the party delegates have become very issue-oriented and commends them for their activism."

To those Dems saying they can't support the impeachment or censure resolutions because they're waiting for an investigation, I say read this. When and how, exactly, do they think the dishonest, secretive, cover-up Republicans are going to launch a genuine investigation into Bush's abuse of power regarding NSA domestic surveillance?

Glenn Greewald lays out the compelling arguments against waiting in his piece on Huffington Post entitled Myth-Making and Excuse-Making on the Feingold Resolution.

Senator Pat Roberts STILL hasn't allowed Phase II of the pre-war intelligence "investigation." Remember when our Senate Leader, Harry Reid, shut down the Senate in protest because Roberts was in eternal delay mode on this? Still nothing, months later. How long will we have to wait for Roberts to "investigate" the NSA matter? You can be sure it won't be before the 2006 midterm elections, if ever.

There are many stuck in the conventional wisdom box who say this impeachment and censure talk is premature, a distraction or just plain silly. An Albuquerque Tribune editorial takes this tack, saying impeachment talk is just sour grapes. It directs Dems to concentrate on winning by ignoring the illegal acts of a sitting president for now. They actually claim that Bush won NM in 2004 by "focusing on bread-and-butter issues close to home." Hmm. I didn't notice that. I thought they won by placing hysterical flyers about abortion on cars in Catholic Church parking lots, using McCarthy-like tactics to trump up indignation and fear about gay rights and bellowing dishonest propaganda about Dems being soft on terrorism.

Oddly, the editorial sets up an artificial either-or situation: If Dems are boldly challenging lawlessness in the presidential suite, they cannot possibly focus on winning races. Sadly, the editorial staff of the Tribune apparently believes that tepid is better than bold when serious wrongdoing is uncovered in Washington. They seem to have bought into the right-wing bluff that dares Dems to speak out and face the blare of neo-con fearmongering. What they don't seem to realize is that the right-wing noise machine will continue regardless of what Dems say or do. Truth and facts have nothing to do with their propaganda.

I guess whoever wrote the editorial hasn't been watching politics for the last decade. Did they miss Repubs spending billions of taxpayer money on an "investigation" into Whitewater real estate deals and impeaching a president over consensual sexual acts? Given the much more serious wrongdoing by Bush, why should Dems be disuaded from challenging President Bush for clearly circumventing the FISA law, lying us into war and ignoring the Geneva Conventions?

As usual these days, candidates and editorial boards, insulated from the rigors and realities of Bush's America, lack the sense of urgency and outrage that is rippling through our neighborhoods all over America. Repeatedly they caution us to act like nothing out of the ordinary is happening in our nation, that nothing strange and dangerous is threatening our constitution and our democracy. If Dems must speak about issues, they'd best do so while saying nothing of substance. Just play the political game as it's always been played, or risk derision. This is a winning stratetgy?

How out of tune with Americans can these forces get? Your guess is as good as mine. I point you again to the recent polling on Senator Feingold's censure resolution. Even without widespread persuasion and outreach on this issue, All Adults support censure 46-44% and voters support it 48-43%. Moreover, Democrats support it by a margin of 70-26%. The real issue is whether Dem candidates will represent the strong views of people whose votes they seek, and whether Dem voters will give their votes to candidates who refuse to represent them on issues like this. We'll see.

Impeachment and More: What We Won at NM Dem Weekend Meetings

UPDATE 3/22/06: Today's right-wing Drudge Report features a link to this Santa Fe New Mexican article on the Bush impeachment resolution passed at Saturday's Democratic Pre-Primary Convention. I guess we've hit the big time, big time. NM Dems: Out in front of the pack and calling attention nationwide to the abuses of power perpetrated by the Bush administration. You can comment on the New Mexican story here.
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Despite the ruckesses described in previous posts here, we won some big battles at the NM Democratic Party SCC Meeting Friday and Pre-Primary Convention Saturday. You can see one of them depicted on the front page of today's Albuquerque Journal above. A copyrighted story  by Journal political writer Jeff Jones, describes passage of a floor amendment to the Party platform introduced by Bernalillo County delegate Robb Chavez that says:

...the Democratic Party of New Mexico supports the impeachment of George Bush and his lawful removal from office.

Since this was a floor amendment, it had to pass by at least a margin of 2/3 of the delegates. In the article, NM Democratic Party Chair John Wertheim is quoted as saying

"It was probably 80/20" in favor of the resolution. "There was not a single person to speak in opposition."

In another excerpt, Chairman Wertheim continues:

Realistically, "impeachment is not going to happen while we have a Republican Congress." But he said the resolution shows "there's widespread sentiment among Democrats that the Bush administration has been fraught with abuse of power -- and a greater degree of violations than anything the Clinton administration did."

Above: Dallas Timmons at the Convention mic proposing a floor amendment.

In addition, Dallas Timmons, another delegate from Bernalillo County, who's also an SCC member, introduced this amendment to the platform, which also passed by a large margin:

We believe the United States should abide by the Geneva Convention on all issues of conduct of war and prevent the U.S. military and our nation's intelligence agencies from utilizing torture of prisoners or detainees in any manner or at any time whatsoever.

It's telling that if an amendment or motion from the floor was allowed to be introduced by the Chair, it generally passed by a large margin, sometimes almost unanimously. What does this mean? That the Democratic Convention delegates are definitely from the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party, oftentimes way ahead of elected officials on timely and crtitical issues.

Above: Jeff Armijo, who got 70% of the delegate vote for State Auditor, rounding up votes at Friday's SCC Meeting. He passed out stickers that said, 'You Matter.' And we do.

In addition to wins at the Convention, we also had some significant successes at the SCC Meeting on Friday. SCC member Bill Kass of Bernalillo County introduced a motion to require the Party to create a budget committee to help plan and oversee the Party's financial dealings. Ann Dunlap, another SCC member from Bernalillo County, introduced a motion requiring the Party to institute a regular audit process of its books. Both passed almost unanimously.

Also Friday, SCC members passed a State Rules Committee report that included requiring that each of our three congressional districts be represented in appointments to the Rules Committee, and that changed the Party bylaws to allow the creation of a Native American Caucus within the Party.

What do these successes show? If the Dem grassroots keeps at it, has the gumption to introduce business from the floor at meetings and learns to do it properly by studying the intricacies of Roberts' Rules of Order, members and delegates are often quite receptive and generally vote to approve the measures.

At this weekend's meetings, almost every motion or resolution from grassroots Dems that managed to make its way to the floor was approved by a wide margin. You can see why there's been an ongoing effort in some quarters to quash floor motions and resolutions before they get to the floor. A number of additional platform planks, including ones on equal rights for all and banning weapons in space, would no doubt have passed if they had been allowed by the Chair to reach the floor. Unlike some of our candidates and officeholders, rank and file Dems are ready to rumble and to confront the right-wing noise machine head on. If not now, when?  As legendary Democrat, President Franklin Roosevelt, once said, "The only thing we have to fear is -- fear itself."

There's a movement afoot among Dems of many stripes. It has to do with fighting for what we believe in. With speaking truth to power. With saying what we mean. With fearlessly persuading, educating and leading on issues where voters have heard only the argument of the right-wing cabal. As the badges worn by a number of Dems at this weekend's meetings said:

"I'm a Murtha - Feingold Democrat. Are You?"