There is a lot of talk that Hillary Clinton's comments about Robert Kennedy's assassination are hinting that she is staying in the race just in case something happens to Obama.

I don't think that is true.

But I don't think the truth paints her in a very good light, either...

I feel like this is simply a confirmation of what a lot have been saying:  Most of Hillary Clinton's Superdelegate lead was from early "jumpers on," and as Barack Obama started winning, the Superdelegates would shift his way.

Let's see...

How many times a day do you get emails that you realize were sent in error?  How many times do you send emails to one place when you meant to send them somewhere else?

Check out this email (below) that I got from the Dodd campaign.  Tell me what you think it is...

“It is my greatest hope that those who read this book will choose to become part of a new movement to rekindle the true spirit of America.”
                   - Al Gore in The Assault on Reason

For those of us entrenched in the Draft Gore movement, we think we know exactly what that means.

And in California, we have been going full bore to qualify him for the Democratic Primary, whether he runs or NOT.  The beauty of it is, that if he doesn't want to be on the ballot, he can simply ask Secretary of State Debra Bowen to remove his name.  And by law, she will have to.

And it will not have been a wasted effort.  We will finally have our Shermannesque statement.  Thus far, we have had nothing close to that.

We are 3 weeks away from the deadline, and are on the cusp of doing it, and things have gotten weird...

Just in case you didn't think there were enough Democratic Presidential Candidates, those that are voting in the California Democratic Primary on February 5th seem likely to have another choice: Al Gore.

The effort to put Gore on the ballot is definitely picking up steam, and they are going to be all over the state next week as the period in which they are allowed to collect signatures begins.

For full disclose, I am involved in this effort, and as a matter of fact I first pointed out the relevant laws at the beginning of the year.  I was unavailable over the summer, but the idea was picked up by Roy Gayhart who built an amazing grassroots effort that is going to be successful and has started to get some attention.

There has been much attention paid lately to the fact that the They Work For Us offenders list was scrubbed soon after its debut.  Many wonder how that bodes for a primary challenge against Ellen Tauscher.

For example, the East Bay Express, which takes what I consider an honest look at it, if a bit on the pessimistic side:

What appeared in the first 24 hours to be a new, aggressive effort to replicate the libertarian Club for Growth muscle quickly fizzled into a tepid attempt at damage control. This is hardly an auspicious beginning for the Netroots campaign against Tauscher, and it shows that for all their online anguish, getting rid of the congresswoman will be a lot tougher than people think.

Personally, I think this is a good thing because it makes sense that this project have a populist component.  At the least it makes it seem less personal.  And that is as it should be (when you have a chance go to the link and nominate Ellen Tauscher or your other favorite).
But some seem to take this as an opportunity to cheer on Tauscher...

As kos pointed out, Lisa Vorderbrueggen is "exhibit A" for the incompetence of "the people that are supposedly 'informing' the public about our nation's politics."

Originally she said:

Yes, Tauscher voted to allow President Bush to start the Iraq war. But so did every other Democrat in the nation except one.

Now it reads:

Yes, Tauscher voted to allow President Bush to start the Iraq War. But so did every other Democrat in the nation except one. But she wasn't alone: 40 percent of Democrats voted with her.

That is even worse!  It exposes the fact that she is simply trying to make the facts fit her predetermined conclusions...

Hey folks get your collective butts over to the weblog Awards and vote for LesbianDad.  The nutjob scum bags over at Hang Right Politics are winning and voting closes on Friday. Recommend this diary if you want to make sure everyone else votes too, because to let that loser win would be tragic.

Best New Blog

If you are like me, you are a bit of a political junkie (no, that is not me - I just love the column).  All politics is local, and as a Californian, I was delighted to find Calitics during the just finished election.

As a constituent of Ellen Tauscher, I was even more delighted to find diarists on Calitics going after her again and again and again and again...

You get the idea.  Then something interesting happened: there was a response...

Recent discussions recently have taken place about money power vs. people power.  As an example:

Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA): Tauscher has been one of the most aggressive spokespeople for the Money Party, using her position to undercut major Democratic efforts to address core economic issues from a middle-class perspective. As an example, it was Tauscher who ran to newspapers desperately trying to let K Street know that she would be working to undermine Democrats' efforts to reform our trade policy. More recently, she told the New York Times that Democrats would be engaging in a "kabuki dance" with their own base voters - implying that there would be moves for show, but that pay-to-play business as usual in Washington will continue in the new Congress.

There are plenty of other examples of the Money Party's priorities for everyday people, but I wanted to share what it means at the local level.

I originally posted this at Calitics and thought it should be here as well.  I just changed the title.

Well, the 2006 election is over, but there is little time for us to sit on our laurels.  We accomplished a lot, and we need to continue the momentum.  I think we should go to the 2007 California Democratic Party Convention as delegates.

(For those that watch the video linked above, about 2/3 of the way through, the camera swings around and for a little bit is pointing right at me [goofy guy with green shirt, my 15min of fame] with a banner above me that reads "I am the margin of victory."  That represents what we all are.  WHO we are.  Every bit of ourselves that we put into it makes a difference.)

They had quite the career, but nothing can last forever.  Allen bowed out first because of health issues, but Burns kept rolling on to the end.

But they made a great team...

I just got back from a Democratic Victory Press Conference in Oakland, CA.  Those in attendance (no particular order):

Jerry McNerney
Debra Bowen
John Garamendi
Ron Dellums
Jerry Brown
John Chiang
Art Torres
Loads more on down the list.

"When you are in the Majority, you get to cut the pie a little different."
-Ron Dellums

I don't remember the exact quote, but you have the feel.  My impressions on the flip...

Update [2006-11-8 18:46:39 by marchmoon]: Here is a link to the story

So, we are holding a press conference tomorrow morning with Rep. Barbara Lee (D, CA-09).  We are going to highlight the importance of supporting the Democrat in a close race where a Green is running.

Especially when that Democrat has a Progressive message and agenda, such as John Garamendi and Debra Bowen.

This is late notice, but I wanted to get the message out.  We would like there to be as big a show of support as we can get.  Unfortunately, it is being held during business hours, so that will be a challenge.  It is being held at 9:30 tomorrow morning, but if you can make it please try and be there at 9:00AM to help set up.

The location is in Richmond, CA at 3431 D Macdonald Ave (at 35th).  This is our West Contra Costa County UDC campaign HQ.

Press release on the flip...

This popped into my inbox this morning, so this is late notice for you to get to City Hall:  

Bay Area Democrats - We Need You !
                   Phil Angelides Needs You !

Please Join Assemblymembers Loni Hancock and Mark Leno
at a press conference today. Please join us!

Bay Area supporters of Phil Angelides for Governor will hold a press conference at
San Francisco City Hall on Wednesday, where they will discuss
"Ten Reasons Californians should support Phil Angelides for Governor".
Take BART (Civic Center Station, only 1 1/2 blocks away). Try to be there by 11AM. ...

I just got done reading kid oakland's latest greatest.  If you haven't yet, you really should.

In it, he lists 7 things that you can do to help the Democrats in 2006.  Here is one that I think is important for EVERY SINGLE California race.  Let's talk about it on the flip, and why this becomes more important the bluer your district is:

2. Get out your dayplanner right now and, if you are able, make a plan to do some form of GOTV (Get Out the Vote) before election day.

We are all pressed for time. But, you know what...the voters we need for victory on election day are pressed for time too. And there is nothing voters respect more than when you help them vote. So, get out that dayplanner. Look at the calender. Plan to do some form of GOTV.

Here is a list of places to volunteer by county.  Or you can find your closest by putting in your zip code.

This is just a down and dirty "booty call."  Get out the Vote style...

Here in California, we have a Republican Governor.  We have a Republican Secretary of State.  This is something we don't like.  I won't tolerate it any more.  I am making sure the people of Richmond don't either.  They are 70% Democratic, but have only 30% turnout.  We need to get these votes to the polls.  Or at least to their absentee ballots.

I crave bodies to help me make it happen!  Give them unto me!

Bring them to me across from the El Cerrito Del Norte BART Station...

OK, so this isn't really an ErinnF rant (or was it ErrinF?).  It doesn't matter.  What does matter is that we have a sexist pig for a Governor- your Governor, kos- and if the trends keep going, he will be there for another four years.

But there is something we can do about it.  We can get out there and help Phil Angelides.  He is the Democratic Nominee for the office of Governor of the State of California.  And I am going to do what I can to make sure that he wins.  Let's talk about THAT!