( – promoted by odum)

The energy bill (H 520) is important on many levels.  It’s most obvious function is to strike a symbolic (yet necessary) first blow in the fight against Catastrophic Climate Change.

At the same time, it could help set the stage for a new business policy in Vermont, one which favors the small, innovative individual owner-proprietor rather than a model which continues to offer support to big business which return little profit and no loyalty to the state.

Politically, it represents an opportunity to show where we stand as a state, and where we want to go.

The tragedy of Jim Douglas is that he seems determined to follow the national Republican model of rule by fiat rather than by discussion and collaboration…and, in so doing,  he has set himself against the best interests of Vermont.

An earlier Draft of this Post was Cross Posted at Rip and Read

I've already written about my support for H 520, the energy bill which the Vermont Legislature passed, and which Governor Douglas swears will wither under the heel of his veto, and which the Democrats who control the Vermont House are going to fight to keep alive in a summer session. 

I believe that, in addition to a strong symbolic blow against Global Warming (at, at the beginning of an uphill battle, symbolism is actually very, very important), this bill would also be the first step towards creating a business climate in Vermont which would favor small innovative companies…companies which would supply good jobs, and opportunities for citizen ownership and Independence…building, in short, post-industrial version of Jeffersonian Democracy.

 As we look at the deals with Big Business that we have made here in Vermont, and have seen the return we receive…often in the form of corporate pullouts and massive layoffs…a change in our business strategy seems a very desirable outcome. 

There are other reasons to want this bill passed over Jim Douglas' objections. As John Odum, has pointed out:

Legislative Democrats had their chances for a significant power shift increase dramatically today – and they have Jim Douglas to thank for it.Despite an enormous, broad-based push on its behalf, the Governor has made it clear he will veto the climate change bill, which has become less and less controversial the more members of the media, the legislature and the public have had time to familiarize themselves with it… …if a Douglas veto -any veto – is overridden, that'll be the headline in all the papers the next day. And the perceived power shift will have the potential to send shockwaves into the next session, as well as the next election season.

The Burlington Free Press raises an interesting point in a Monday Editorial( yes, the Burlington Free Press…no, I'm not kidding) on Governor Jim Douglas and H.520. In speaking of Douglas' alternative to H 520, the Free Press asks:

At the same time, if the administration had the ideas and the power to act on global warming without legislation and without a new tax, then why did the governor wait until after the session to make his move?…At the same time, if the administration had the ideas and the power to act on global warming without legislation and without a new tax, then why did the governor wait until after the session to make his move?

I think, alas, the answer to the paper's question is obvious: Vermont Republicans have adapted the Republican National Strategy. The Republican national strategy, which has worked so well for George W. Bush, boils down something very simple: ignore the will of the people, they will go home eventually. 

This is a strategy which has stymied progress and overridden the express choice of the people time and time again- the most recent and obvious example being the failure of the U.S Congress to force an end to the now pointless Iraq War. 

And I think it is now clear that this Republican National strategy is seeping down to the State Level. Ruling by fiat is so much simpler than engaging in debate with one's opponents, so much easier than crafting compromises. Rather than engage in a debate, the administration will wait for the legislature to have it's say, and then, go ahead and do exactly what it wants, secure in the knowledge that the people won't be back in sufficient numbers come summer time…. 

And to me, that is the real tragedy of the Jim Douglas story.    Here is a man who started out as (seemingly) a fundamentally decent human being and conscientious public servant; a man who, throughout his career, was often the choice of both major political parties for statewide office; a man who is courtly, neighborly and genuinely friendly; a man who seems to have escaped the trap of hubris and ego that claims so many public servants.

And yet, this man has chosen, time and time again since becoming governor to take the low road rather than the high one.  This man seems determined to grant Big Business what it wants rather than helping Vermonters achieve what they NEED.

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At last weekend’s DemocracyFest, I had the opportunity for an exclusive ten-minute sit-down with former Vermont Governor and current DNC Chair Howard Dean. I had the chance to ask him a few brief questions just before he went on to deliver the conference keynote, and took the opportunity to ask a few general questions about the electoral challenges ahead, as well as get his perspective on some Vermont happenings.

A note to hopeful readers looking for some sort of Mike Wallace-style grilling: fuggedaboutit. Number one, I aint a reporter, I’m just a guy who splays his opinions on a piece of software for the world to see. But number two, Dean is head of the Democratic National Committee, and the DNC head is simply not a policy position. Sure, if I was talking to Reid or Pelosi, it’d be all about issues, but Dean’s job is to build Party infrastructure, propogate the message and support his candidates – in other words, to win elections.

Having said that, Dean was clearly promoted to his position, not simply to structurally reform the Party, but to do so from a progressive policy position, so it’s a fine line he walks, and IMO he generally walks it well (click here to read an account of his speech before the conference, as an example).

I was wondering if the job had aged the Governor, given it’s demands as well as the grief he has received from friend and foe alike, but Dean looked fit, rested, healthy and relaxed, which suggests to me that the job is a good fit.

A note – I made a tape recording of the conversation, but as we got into it and became more casual and relaxed, the audio tended to drop from the recording because our tones dropped and were swallowed by the room (I denote the drops in the text). Ah well. I’d never even tried to interview anyone before that day (and probably won’t again anytime soon), so it’s live and learn I guess.

Interview on the flip…

odum: With the Presidential campaign kicking off so much earlier, and with the rollback of the primary calendar, how do you deal with the danger of, sort of, elections burnout/campaign fatigue driving down turnout?

Dean: For the average person, that’s not gonna happen at all. I mean, there may be some burnout among the cognescenti who follow this thing religiously, but Americans have a way of tuning politics out until they really want to focus on it. So I dont think youre going to see an intense focus despite the coverage in the media and everything else, despite what’s going on until after the conventions.

Democratic primary voters are different, of course, but in terms of the average American voter, thats when they usually focus is after the conventions.

odum: With all the constant Bush scandals, do you feel that the need to be responsive to them and reactive against them, crowds out room for the Party and candidates to really be proactive with their message?

Dean: I don’t really think so. I think the constant misdoings of the administration are actually very helpful to us because it reminds people why they shouldn’t vote Republican. Eventually the message is going to be a positive, uplifting message about what were going to do and not how awful Bush is, but, look- as long as the press wants to carry all the mistakes and misdoings of the Bush administration, it gets people in the frame of mind of “we really need a change”. And its easier for them to do than for us to do it, and thats great.

Tha campaigns themselves for the most part are actually pretty positive. Mostly, the debates are not all about how terrible Bush is. A lot of them are about what we ought to do about health insurance, and what we want to do is very, very positive.

odum: But is it difficult to manage the tension between the base which wants that reactivity versus the less engaged voters that want something proactive?

Dean: Well there’s plenty of reactivity, you know I think there’s a balance you have to have. But again, every day we see something new in the press about the malfeasence of the administration. But I do think even the hardcore Democratic base wants a positive message.

odum: Have your critics warmed up to the 50 state strategy yet?

Dean: Oh yeah, I think it’s pretty much been absorbed. It’s now called the (looks at aide) what’s it called? The “enhanced field” or something like that. Because of course they would never call it the 50 state strategy…

odum: (chuckle) That’s great.

Of course your presidential campaign has obviously created – they’re out there (referring to the convention floor) – the rise and empowerment of the “netroots” as a force in the Party. How do you think – and obviously this is a question that could go on forever – how do you think, both negatively and positively, that sort of decentralization, that netroots effect….

Dean: I think its the best thing since sliced bread.

The internet has created an opportunity for redemocratizing America after one of the least democratic-with-a-small-d administrations, [that believes whats good for them] is more important than what is good for America. [The internet] empowers ordinary americans, which is what our campaign was all about, and its a good thing.

You know, there is some venom in the discussions, but I actually find that the internet builds consensus in debates that go on on the blogs and the chats, and all that. It’s interesting to see that there’s agreement. I mean, I read those things sometimes, and you know there’s a real dialogue. Sometimes people flame, and they need to be… escorted off, but a lot of it’s real discussion; “yeah, maybe you’re right about this” and such. I think thats very positive because you get people from all over the country talking to each other, and I think thats very positive.

odum: Here’s an impossible question to answer, but I wanna ask it anyway. You’ve worn so many hats and had so many adventures ove last decades, where do you see Howard Dean ten years from now?

Dean: I have absolutely no idea (laughs).

odum: Let me throw out real quick, because I know we dont have a lot of time, some Vermont questions. Democrats obviously made a lot gains in Vermont last year, but theres still a Republican governor. In your opinion, what’s Jim Douglas’s secret? Is it just incumbency?

Dean: He’s a very good politician, there’s no question about that.

odum: He’s just got the skills…

Dean: I think so…

odum: Now you’ve campaigned for Dems in the state, and Douglas has campaigned for Republicans, but looking at the various results, you get the sense that there just isn’t such a thing as political coattails in the state. Why do you think that is? That seems to be uniquely Vermont.

Dean: Well, Vermonters are very independent minded. New Englanders in general are independently minded, but particularly Vermonters, although I think based on last campaign, I think we’re going to win some… you know, we’ve got a pretty good record. I will predict flat out that we’re going to pick up the Lieutenant Governor’s race. You know, depending on who runs I think we have a shot at the Governor.

odum: The “common-law marriage” between Bernie and the Democratic Party seems to be holding and very strong…

Dean: I think it’s working very well – you know Bernie is essentially a liberal or progressive Democrat. I know he prefers to call himself a social Democrat…

odum: Recently – I dont know if you’ve been engaged in Vermont, but, the Vermont Legislature has received a lot of criticism from all sides on its priorities and product. I’m wondering What sort of general advice you would give to legislative leaders to retake control of the debate…?

Dean: I think the Legislature’s done a great job. What they need is a really aggressive message program. Jim Douglas has, what, fourteen people on the media staff? I had one! You know, they’re being out-spun, but their work product is terrific. I mean, I think this is a great Legislature that they’ve got. There hasn’t actually been much that’s come out of the Governor’s office in terms of intitiatives that’ve gotten passed. The Legislature’s passed most of the stuff, and the Legislature’s driving the boat. On the environment for example, even though their environmental thing got vetoed – and we’ll see if that stays – but the Legislature’s setting the agenda, here, in terms of stuff that gets passed. What they don’t have is a press strategy, and it’s not all the Legislature’s fault. The Governor – any Governor – that’s any good at his job……in fact, the legislature’s setting the agenda .

odum: You gonna be in Burlington on July 15th? You oughta come to the blogger’s barbeque on North Beach.

Dean: I’d absolutely want to do it – (double takes to consider what he’s just heard) – the bloggers are having – this is Burlington – Vermont bloggers – are having a barbeque?

odum: Yes, Neil Jensen, Philip Baruth and I – Philip has Vermont Daily Briefing –

Dean: Sure.

odum: And last year was the first one, and we turned out a crowd of people – most of our major candidates. An off-election year won’t be quite as star-studded, but you could certainly change that if you were in town.

Dean: What time is it?

odum: 1 to 5.

Dean: (to aide) 1 to 5, North Beach – write that down. I have absolutely no idea what I’m going to do right now, but, you know – that’d be a fun thing for me to do.

odum: Bring the family! I’m bringing mine!

Well thank you so much, I really appreciate this.

Dean: My great pleasure…(descends to cross chatter)

Eight faces that I’m thoroughly sick of.

Ten faces that make me vomit, projectile style.

Now, the man on the stand he wants my vote,
He’s a-runnin’ for office on the ballot note.
He’s out there preachin’ in front of the steeple,
Tellin’ me he loves all kinds-a people.
He’s eatin’ bagels
He’s eatin’ pizza
He’s eatin’ chitlins
He’s eatin’ bullshit!

Bob Dylan “I Shall Be Free”

I knew this would happen when they started campaigning for the 2008 election five minutes after the 2006 mid terms. I felt it coming, like the feeling I get when I eat a giant sausage sandwich with peppers and onions at midnight, I know that indigestion is in my immediate future.

I’m sick of politics, thoroughly, fed up, to the gills…. Urp!

I know, I know, being sick of politics is like being tired of living, OK so what what what do you do about it? Shut up? Quit bitching? Take up residence in the nearest hermitage? Find a cuckoo’s nest and commit to it?

I’ve been reflecting in the last few days about lofty goals, the dreams and visions of changing the world expressed by the alpha personalities parading before us in this increasingly irrelevant, interminable and irritating beauty contest of a presidential election campaign.

I met a person recently whose goal every day is to help people in one remote village get a second meal each day, just that, help someone who normally eats once in every twenty four hours to get an extra tuna sandwich.

There are thousands of such people who arise each day, not thinking about building a nuclear reactor, desalinating the Indian ocean, irrigating a billion acres of desert, creating productive farmland to feed an entire continent, but simply concern themselves with helping Julius Mukembe provide a second meal for himself and his wife and children as well as the families in the other 17 huts in some remote part of nowhere.

A remote part of nowhere, where a scientific breakthrough is a septic system and mass transit is a foot bridge that enables livestock to forage in new pasture land and cuts hours off the daily task of gathering fuel or food.
A remote part of nowhere where a health care program is clean water, where feeding the hungry means sharing your dinner.

I no longer believe that any of the high class whores depicted in the circus pictures above will do anything that will make life easier or better for the common people in this or any other country. They will not solve a single one of the enormous societal challenges that lie like an enormous weight on our public chest and that lie in wait to restrict our children’s future.

Whether we talk about war and peace, energy or health care, social security or child mortality I cannot find the face of a savior or even a halfway decent prophet in any ring of this circus.

I know that I can trust all of them to say one thing publicly and the opposite when the cameras amd microphones disappear. I know that everyone shown on the stages above has, and will in the future, sell out the interests of the working people of this country and others to the first corporate lizard with with a handful of campaign cash. I hear their phony pronouncements, so carefully crafted by their handlers and spin doctors and reject almost every word I hear.

I am sick of hearing from everyday people around me that “they’re all alike, Republicans, Democrats, it doesn’t matter, they’re all crooked.”

I’m sick of hearing that statement because it’s so damn true. The instant that the election returns were counted last fall my Democratic leadership began groveling at the feet of the same corporate interests that put the Bush/Cheney fiasco in office.

They will provide for the future, trust them, “their future,” but when the pie is sliced and served we will still be eating cake… Urp!

Bob Higgins
Worldwide Sawdust

My final report on DemocracyFest is going to be brief, as I was away in the afternoon during most of the good stuff. I arranged to catch  up with former Alaska Senator (and Presidential candidate) Mike Gravel across town for what turned out to be an extended interview, so I wasn’t able to catch Dennis Kucinich calling into the conference (GreenVermonster was there…. perhaps he’ll grace us with his impression). Nor was I able to catch Matt Dunne’s presentation on “Service Politics.” Basically all I can recount further is a piece of the e Pluribus media presentation, and of course the big speech by DNC Chair Howard Dean.

The good news, though, is that I was able to secure interviews not only with Gravel, but with Dunne, and even Howard Dean. I’ll have the Dean interview up at some point Monday and will trickle out the others as I can transcribe them. Hopefully I’ll also have the Hodes/Shea-Porter clip by the end of the week.

But on to epm and Dean…

I only caught a bit of the e Pluribus Media talk on their model of citizen e-journalism (presented by epm-ers GreyHawk and luaptifer). It was a hoot to hear of the rapid genesis of the citizen media clearinghouse that began with this post by SusanG at dKos which lit the fuse leading to the “horizontally organized” journalism site in only a matter of weeks. Amazing how quickly things can happen in this medium.

It was also downright inspiring to see how comprehensively they have implemented their editorial and fact-checking system with enough redundancies and firewalls to insure quality and verifiable content, but not so much as to choke off content. The presentation wandered a bit, but it was still good stuff.

I seem to have missed a powerful presentation on the impact of the war before Dean’s appearence, unfortunately. In any event, the place had begun to fill once again to capacity in anticipation. Among those present were the three candidates vying for the right to run for Republican Senator Sununu’s seat in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary; Steve Marchand, Jay Buckey and Katrina Swett.

Dean, of course, entered with rock star fanfare. After referring to the event as a “family reunion,” Dean began his balancing act of playing his role as chief Democratic Party cheerleader, while acknowledging, and even validating, the concerns and frustrations of liberal Democrats who play the role of his constituency. He acknowledged openly that the Democratic victories of last year constituted “probational employment,” and after praising Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid, commented that a “fair amount of you are disappointed ahe voting a couple weeks ago in Congress.”

Dean’s response was to validate, but to remind attendees that Harry Reid starts out every Iraq vote with only 49 votes, given Tim Johnson’s temporary incapacity and Joe Lieberman’s delusional intransigence. He also made a point of contrasting the debate rhetoric of the Republican Presidential candidates versus that of the Dems. He noted that the Republicans uniformly endorsed Bush’s comparison of Iraq to the military commitment in Korea, calling it the “50 year plan for Iraq.” He noted that every single Democratic candidate, in contrast, said we should get out as soon as possible, and that they would in fact bring out troops (to varying degrees and at various rates, obviously)

“If we want to get out of Iraq,” Dean said, “we have to have a Democratic President.”

Dean urged activists to fully engage this election cycle, again making the point that we should ask for everyone’s vote (and that doing so was a sign of respect to the voter). He admonished activists when approaching voters to “ask everybody what they think before we tell them what we think.” He spoke optimistically about the prospects of building bridges with the younger generation of evangelical Christians, proposing a forthright approach that states clearly to socially conservative Christians that, while we will not turn our backs on civil rights for gays and lesbians or a woman’s right to choose, there is still much we can agree on, such as strategies for alleviating poverty and protecting the environment.

For those looking for some of Dean’s famous (or infamous) take-no-prisoners rhetoric, they got  a taste during his discussion of the filibustered immigration bill. While acknowleding the bills shortcomings, he placed it’s failure squarely on the shoulders of the far right, stating “what we don’t need is a lot of racist hysteria about immigration” based on fears of immigrants because they “don’t look like you” or that they may “change the character of your town.”

Dean, in contrast, praised the majority of immigrants as hard workers, calling them “the best of the best” and asking “why wouldn’t we want people like that in the United States of America?”

Tying the frustrations around immigration legislation and the Iraq vote together, he stated that it was time to “get rid of the stranglehold the right wing has on the US Senate.”

It was a very positive speech and Dean did what Dean does so well; lay out his own anger and frustration but channel it positively and optimistically into a rallying cry. Whatever you think of the man or his politics, you’d be fooling yourself to deny this oratorical talent he’s honed on the national stage.

Dean closed by stating that he’d taken the DNC job “so we could fix the Democratic Party,” again acknowledging both progress as well as the continuing challenges. Despite his position, he insisted with a smile that it’s “not about whether Democrats win or Republicans win – it’s just that it so happens that the Democrats are right, and the Republicans are wrong.”

Heh.

So what do you all think? Inspiring? Phony? Exciting? Boring? Discuss away…

crossposted at five before chaos.

I was originally starting this off as a post on Sam Brownback, but chances are, if you follow the doings of the theocratic wingnuts, you probably already know about crazy Sam, and it's not like he has a chance in hell of getting the GOP nomination anyways, so why bother wasting anymore pixels on him?

Anyways, I was over at the Anti-Sam Brownback Blog and caught wind of this piece over at RedState.com called “They All Suck”. Yep, for once they were actually correct about something – the sorry state of the current GOP roster of presidential candidates. But a look through the comments was rather revealing as to how clueless these people at RedState really are. They really do have theat Krazy Konservative Kool-Aid running through their veins. Hop below the fold for some choice excerpts as we take a laughable… and sometimes frightening journey (cue ominous music here) … into the Conservative Brain Stem!

First off, we know that many cons have to construct their own parallel universes so their worldviews can actually exist… Apparently this parallel universe also has its own set of lefty blogs….

• (on Newt Gingrich) – “I pick up on a lot of the liberal leaning blogs that Newt is their perceived general election winner.“
• “I always read Daily Kos to see what's going on in la la land, and apparently quite a number of them are pretty scared of Huckabee. They were saying things like, “He nailed it on John Stewart last night” and “He might be a wingnut, but he camouflages it well.”

Keep an eye out for my upcoming piece on why we all need to fear the upcoming and very real possibility of Tom Tancredo not only getting the GOP nomination but the White House itself. Brown people, beware.

In RedState world, machismo still rules supreme, coupled by a pants-pooping fear of ‘the jihadists’. It’s really all about supporting the guy who talks the most like a tough-guy badass (and almost certainly has never served in the military).Or at least someone who's not afraid to remove someone from a theater:

• (on Giuliani) – He was inspirational after 9/11, even while he, himself, was greiving the loss of personal friends. He never wavered on terrorism, even before 9/11. He did throw Arafat out of some concert in 1995.
• Rudy gets it when it comes to what this country faces and he IS America's mayor. We have to have someone with the moral authority lead 60% of this country in the war and neutralize the left. Bush has lost is ability to do that and I'm not even sure Rudy can pull it off but he has the best shot in the lot. As long as 60% of the country remains bliss to or in denial of the threats we face we're doomed to a fate far worse than 9/11.
• Cheer up. The candidate we get may not be as conservative as you like — particularly on social matters. But, by far, the most important thing facing us right now is the jihadist threat.

And of course, there’s those that are truly clueless. It’s amazing they know how to even turn on a computer:

• Brownback! And, why is Jeb (Bush) never mentioned? I know it sounds dynastic, but who could deny he has everything? He's right on social issues and fiscal issues. And many of our wavering Senators would see him as a savior to look forward to.
• Has Jeb absolutely said he won't run? Couldn't we draft him?
• I would also love to see Lynn Cheney in the hunt for either top office! Wouldn't you love to see that? All the focus and courage of her husband, but with twice the eloquence and none of the baggage.
• Who says an older white guy can't have a “compelling life story”? I'd say that Fred Thompson pretty much qualifies in that regard and would be a darn sight better than some of the announced candidates. If we can't persuade Big Fred to run, then Haley Barbour would be an excellent choice.

I can see it now, another Bush/Cheney ticket, this one being Jeb and Lynne. All of the corruption and incompetence that you’ve come to know and love from the Bush family brand, and as an added bonus, the “focus and courage” that is synonymous with the name “Cheney”!  We’re talking landslide, here, folks, a Gore/Obama ticket wouldn’t even break single digits against Bush/Cheney: The Sequel. And I can’t wait to hear about Fred Thompson’s “compelling life story” as a second-rate actor and a hardcore K-Street lobbyist! We’re talking some serious stuff here, maybe even TV-movie-of-the-week, if there’s a lot of details about his wife, who’s old enough to be his granddaughter.

I’ve always avoided the righty blogs for various reasons, mostly they’re wrong about everything (aside from the homophobia, warmongering, racism, theocracy, etc.). But who knew I was missing out on so much humor?!?

Ah, so much democracy, so little time…

Yesterday evening and this morning has proven a relatively laid back affair (well, except for mataliandy). I’m not a big networker unless I come with a crowd, and I’m here all by myself, which means I hide in the corner. Organizers have done a good job making this a very musical experience, as there was never too long a stretch of time between guitar interludes (although the place was hardly hoppin’ last night. I think folks were tired). Lots of live music, no songs written less than about 30 years ago, of course…

Despite my turtle-ish behavior, this morning has been delightful, as I got time to catch up with a few old colleagues, such as Tom Hughes (currently the Executive Director of DFA and in serious need of a real vacation – the man’s a political addict. For his sake, I hope they invent a patch for that) and Kate Donahue, organizer extraordinaire who is now running Blue Mass Group’s Jamie Eldridge’s re-election campaign for the Massachusetts assembly. Chatted with him briefly, and he’s a great, progressive guy. You should go give him some money.

And if yesterday was my day to hear blog complaints, today I’ve had several people come up to me saying how much they appreciate GMD. Probably a sign that the beds here provided for a good night’s sleep.

This morning was the “bloggers breakfast,” which apparently is some sort of tradition at these things. Jim Dean again welcomed the crowd, speaking in glowing terms about blogs and bloggers (we are “elevating and recreating the political discourse” – I’d love to see David Broder’s face over that quote). Before introductions (ack! Nobody told me I’d have to introduce myself!), there was a moment of silence for bloggers passed, such as Steve Gilliard, as well as DFA community favorites JC and The OC of blogforamerica.

Pleasant scene, that blogger’s breakfast. It was the only place here that I’ve felt that oddly worshipful vibe towards Howard Dean that always made me squirmy during his campaign, but very pleasant nonetheless.

But working backwards to last night speakers…

Granny D

So I didn’t miss Granny D as it turned out, as she rescheduled her appearence in order to introduce Mike Gravel, whom she supports. “D” (otherwise knows as Doris Haddock) gained fame for her walk across the country a few years back in support of campaign finance reform. Speaking in front of the room of activists in a flowery sunhat, she struck me from the back of the room as looking like a liberal Minnie Pearl without the price tag.

Her talk was reasonably entertaining, although it was clearly taking a lot out of her. She started off making jokes about Republicans’ intelligence (which got a lot of laughs, but made me a bit uncomfortable, frankly). From there, she spent her time talking about immigration, which seems to be her new focal cause. While her positions reflected straightforward, no-nonsense reality, as did her analysis of the effects of NAFTA and (detrimental effects on traditional farming in Mexico, the subsequent flight into urban areas for jobs, and the resultant flow across the US border) her historical analysis was a bit odd, as she stated explicitly her belief that there was no illegal immigration issue before Clinton signed NAFTA and “militarized” the border. No question that things have gotten worse, but Clinton hardly invented the problem, despite her contention that pre-NAFTA, seasonal immigrants would come into America and return home all the time with no fuss.

Nevertheless, she was a great addition to the program, admonishing participants to “be good citizens and good Democrats” by “asking tough questions” of their elected officials.

Mike Gravel

I confess I didn’t know what to expect of Mike Gravel, but after hearing him, I no longer consider him a hodgepodge of uncoordinated views. He is, in fact, extraordinarily consistent, and his presentation was engaging (although I could have done without his parroting the GOP “haircut” criticism of Edwards for a throwaway laugh line).

The best way I can (currently) characterize him is as someone with a pure, straightforward libertarian ethical perspective – but who has no qualms or hesitation about using government (even what many would call “big government”) to fill in the holes that a pure libertarian government would leave. Whether that makes him an anomoly or a prophet, I couldn’t say. I get a sit down with him later this afternoon, so I’ll see if he bristles at that analysis.

This perspective made for a unique dynamic with the crowd. In combination with his earnest, straight-talking style, the experience of the progressive, activist crowd can only be characterized as bipolar. He started off with strong, progressive minded statements on immigration, even invoking the Trail of Tears as a metaphor for the hardship faced by immigrants. It’s likely he led with that to innoculate himself against criticism for being the only Democratic candidate at the CNN debate who indicated a desire to make English the “official language” of the US.

But then he ripped into everyone on Iraq, recounting his Senatorial history as a one-man filibuster machine and insisting that if even a handful of Democratic legislators took the same approach with a bill that would criminalize the deployment (targeting the Commander-In-Chief, of course) and any veto override votes, that the war could be over by Labor Day.

So the extraordinary bluntness was certainly warmly recived by the crowd. What many in the crowd (as reflected from the q@a afterwards) couldn’t reconcile were his other Libertarian-esque views; his proposal to abolish the income tax and replace it with a national sales tax (which he considers a progressive tax), his desire to put issues such as abortion rights, school prayer and gun control to a national ballot referendum system that would be a cornerstone of his government. But again, even these views were sprinkled with crowd-appealing views, such as the decriminalization of drugs and government sposored addiction treament (“addiction is a medical problem, not a criminal justice problem”), his advocacy of Scandinavia style subsidized education system, and the like.

Should be an interesting conversation this afternoon…

William McNary

William McNary is the Director of US Action, a national grassroots organization that I used to canvass for in a few states under its previous “Citizen Action” incarnation. McNary was an extraordinarily positive speaker, complimenting everyone – including previous speaker Gravel, saying that “our democracy is stronger for him running.”

But McNary was there speaking on behalf of Barack Obama, and I have little doubt that he converted a few people by the force of his own personality. He was funny, warm, energizing – qite possibly even more so that Obama himself, which is certainly saying a lot, given that Obama is the most engaging speaker in the race. I suspect that more than a few people in the crowd wished that McNary himself was in the race…

McNary personalized the dramatic oratorical style associated with African American leaders in a way that was natural, comfortable, even relaxed. He also was very skilled with the words themselves, delivering possibly the best summation of the ethical underpinnings of the progressive movement that I’ve ever heard.

Still, he was there for Obama, not himself, and he eventually slid into a presentation of Obama’s biography. In my opinion, the only thing more boring than hearing a politician drone on about their inspirational story is hearing someone else do it on their behalf, but McNary gave it a better shot than I could’ve imagined possible – especially by sprinkling it with his own terrific sense of humor (for example, saying he could  relate to Obama graduating “magna cum laude,” since he himself had graduated “help me laude, laude, laude…” Ha!).

Beyond the force of his personality, McNary did a lot for his candidate by reviewing his state legislative record, which is far more progressive than his more limited US Senatorial one. He also spent time applauding Obama for cosponsoring the Specter-Durbin public financing bill (S.936) currently on the wall – campaign finance, of course, being a traditionally big issue for US Action (although McNary made a point to state that he was here on his own behalf, not his organization’s)

…and so it goes…

GOt an interview with Matt Dunne on the recorder, about to go meet with Mike Gravel. Dennis Kucinich is calling in, but unfortunately precisely at the time I’m scheduled to interview Senator Gravel, so maybe another participant can get a report on that. And of course, tonight is the big keynote with Howard Dean. I’ll definitely be here for that (as well as the
presentation from the e pluribus media folks, I hope).

Until later…

After days (weeks) of jumping through technological hurdles, we've bade i to and through the 1st Day of DemocracyFest. Today is the 2nd and last day.

I missed all but a couple of minutes of every speaker, but Odum's coverage allows me to “see” them vicariously. but that means I can't give any cool accounts of “Encounters with Greatness.”

We do have one of the most compelling speakers of the event coming up tonight, just before Dean (note, the rest of the event requires a ticket).  

 In 2004 Carlos Arredondo answered the door to find two men in uniform – waiting to tell him his son was dead. Alex had gone to Iraq and would never return home.  Carlos asked them to leave, and they refused. Learn abou Alex, about Carlos and Melida's (Alex's step mom) wonderful son, and their ongoing mission to end the conflict in Iraq. 

Carlos, Melida, and many others will be here today. Come join us!!!

Naturally, getting to the hotel in Manchester wasn’t as easy as it should’ve been, but after getting only mildly lost in the driving rain, I arrived late for breakfast and only just in time for John Edwards’ scheduled appearence. Fortunately for me, Edwards was on politician time (late), so I got to hear the last extended minutes of Democracy For America President Jim Dean (he of the eerily similar voice to his brother).

(Details on Edwards, Jim Dean, Paul Hodes, Carol Shea-Porter, and the impeachment panel including Jeffry Taylor, Dan DeWalt, Dave Lindorff and Adrienne Kinne below the fold…)

Sliding into the q&a portion, I did catch a couple interesting responses or exchanges. First of all, Dean indicated there would indeed be a DFA Presidential endorsement, but he indicated the bar would be set high (“no ‘fifty percent plus one'” that a candidate could eke under), and braced the crowd for the idea that no Dem primary candidate would make the cut. In any event, that’ll be an interesting process to watch.

The other interesting element to the q&a that I heard was the assertive presence of members of Vermont’s Progressive Party. I was told that before I got there, Dan DeWalt (of impeachment fame) asked Dean for advice on how to assertively advocate for the wars end without alienating Democratic allies. I understand Dean’s advice was (wisely) not to make it personal. Regular GMD visitors know of my frustration with the direction the impeachment movement has taken (despite my part in getting it going), and a sincere question like that was a reminder not to lay my frustrations at Dan’s feet (and I had a brief opportunity to offer a quick apology for Dan for coming off too harshly on this site).

On the other hand, another Prog I’m on generally great terms with was more annoyed. He pointedly called on Jim Dean to endorse Progressive Party candidates in Vermont (Dean didn’t close the door on the idea, but indicated he’s primarily interested in making the Democratic Party more responsive). In a brief hallway conversation afterwards, this questioner offered his “two cents” to me, which turned into a scolding for my “overreacting to a couple people” and my “burning bridges.” I told him that I felt the bridges had been burned under me, but he was having none of it, and didn’t really allow for the notion that impeachment-promoting Vermont Dems like myself could reasonably feel alienated after months of seeing the movement we’d played a key role in building become a counter-Democratic Party movement. Ah well, “to thine own self be true” goes both ways, I must remind myself…

Edwards was in absolutely peak form. I was impressed. He was relaxed and natural, his voice largely in conversational tones – and boy, did he know what to say to this crowd.

Edwards made sure to spend particular attention on the war – if only to remind the crowd that he sees it as a priority, and agreed with most of them that it should be firmly and definitely addressed – perhaps not quite to the extent many would like to hear, but by stating clearly that there should be no funding bills without firm withdrawal deadlines. He again acknowledged his responsibility for voting to authorize the war (saying confessionally “I have to live with that”).

Edwards easily moved through a checklist of issues important to progressives, and lingered on a few for particular emphasis. He returned to the poverty theme (which, surprisingly, Obama and Clinton seem to be leaving to him, to large extent) saying “incredible inequality…still exists” and that “the two americas are alive and thriving” referring to his common “two Americas” theme of four years ago. As part of an extended nod to labor and the importance of reforming the laws around workplace organizing, he called the labor movement the “greatest anti-poverty movement there is in history.”

He touched on racial inequalities, our “addiction to oil” and global warming without getting into specifics beyond calling for Justice Department action against oil company price gouging (stating his view that if big oil isn’t breaking the letter of the law, they’re breaking the spirit, and the letter should be changed accordingly.

But Edwards spent particular attention on the health care issue, which he is attempting to claim as his own – accusing his rivals of simply trying to play catch up. He characterized his plan as the only “truly universal” system. And while explaining the basic structure of his vision – that would mandate citizens opt into one of an array of partly subsidized choices,” he explicitly  presented his plan as designed to “move the system towards single payer” by having the “medicare plus” care option be the most attractive, thus drawing people into it voluntarily. The crowd was extremely receptive.

Edwards clearly understands that you need “hearts and minds” for big changes, and that you can’t simply run over skeptics. He advocates being blunt and clear from the bully pulpit of the presidency about the challenges, solutions and the impact of corporate money on the national debate. I almost had the sense that he would approach moderates and conservatives who might be leery of his plans as he would a jury.

Finally, he indicated that he believed the cures to our policy ills could not be cured by “incrementalism,” but by “bold” decisions. He stated that voters who are interested in moving slowly to fix things should choose someone else.

Strong words, but delivered convincingly. We’ll see, I guess…

Next I went to the impeachment panel, which included Jeffry Taylor of Vermont’s “Rutland Resolution,” the aforementioned Dan DeWalt, Dave Lindorff (author of “The Case for Impeachment”) and Adrienne Kinne, an Iraq War vet from Vermont.

I’d guess there were about thirty people in the room, and there was a “preaching to the converted” element, but also some real meaty stuff for three NH State Legislators who were in attendence and are preparing to push their own Rules Committee (this Monday at 11:00) to accept a Vermont-style impeachment resolution onto the calendar (despite being told the standard line that it’s “too late” in the session to consider it).

Dan DeWalt must’ve flown through his intro, because I only stepped out for a moment. He bluntly (and alas, truthfully) characterized much of the Dem leadership as being “stupid” or “afraid” to push forward on holding this President accountable and recounted the Vermont impeachment movement’s phenomenal success. Taylor provided the nuts and bolts of a state legislature using Section 603 of the Jefferson’s Manual, making the point that Vermont’s Senatorial resolution did not meet that standard. He added, though, that a properly executed and presented 603 resolution could not simply be shunted into the House Judiciary Committee, as the press has reported, but must be considered as a “privileged question” before other business. He encouraged the NH legislators to examine the orignal Rutland Resolution for language, rather than the Vermont Senate bill.

Lindorff was impressive, determined and angry at the Democratic leadership (which he made a careful and deliberate point of distinguishing from Dem rank and file – thanks, Dave… I wish more folks could make that distinction) for, in his view, making a deliberate, calculated decision to ignore their Constitutional responsibilities in order to have a weakened, disastrous President better serve their electoral interests. He rejected entirely the notion that hesitant legislators were – as DeWalt put it – “stupid” or too terrified to move (an assessment which is a bit simplistic, IMO, as I think all three of these elements are in play to one extent or another – as well as some good ol’ fashioned honest disagreement). Lindorff went so far as to call on Democrats (which he identified himself as) to withhold votes from elected officials unwilling to advance impeachment.

Finally, Kinne related her own interesting (and disturbing) experience as an Arabic intepreter in Iraq working for Military Intelligence (I think I heard that right…. I was futzing with my cell phone). She indicated that they had been given a blank check to eavesdrop on every and anyone in the Middle East area (including the Red Cross), and acknowledged she had strong misgivings at the time – tying her work to the NSA scandal.

Kinne spent a lot of time expressing her anger with Rep. Peter Welch for not pushing impeachment in Washington. In particular, she focused on his rather ridiculous statement that “history will impeach” George Bush (which makes me cringe everytime I hear it), following up with her own well-stated “history will impeach all of America” for not stepping up to the plate to stop him.

What I, of course, was listening for was whether or not Kinne would echo the call (in front of a Democratic crowd) for Welch and Leahy to leave the Democratic Party as Jeffords left the GOP and directly equate the Dems with the Republicans as her colleague James Leas did on Freyne Land. She did not, thankfully, understanding (I hope), looking at the roomful of supporters, that it was indeed possible to be a Democrat and still be a “good guy.” All in all, the Democratic crowd clearly appreciated her and made her feel welcome.

I’m not going to linger too long on their joint presentation, as I should be getting a clip of them that I can post in its entirety in the next few days. Suffice to say there’s was a feel-good presentation to a crowd of warm supporters. Shea-Porter in particular is the poster child of the grassroots electoral ideal – and the progressive electoral ideal at that, defeating, as she said, a “do-nothing Democrat” in her primary.

They gave the assessment of the improvements in Washington that we’ve heard from sitting Democratic Representatives across the country, celebrating the steady return of congressional oversite, but raising the clarion of the 2008 elections in order to bring a more meaningful majority with a Democratic President. Shea-Porter reminded the crowd that a Democratic majority is not the same as a progressive Democratic majority, and that activists’ expectations should be proportionate.

Again, I’ll post video when I have it, but both Hodes and Shea-Porter came off as exceptionally sincere and intelligent, which made it more… complicated… to hear many of the standard hedges, hesitations and rationalizations against moving directly against the President (either via impeachment or otherwise) that I’d just heard discounted and rejected in the impeachment session. Many of the impeachment participants were in the room at the end of the presentation, and their frustration was palpable.

If you ascribe to Lindorff’s view, Hodes and Shea-Porter were engaging in deliberate cynical calculation to put their Party’s interests above the nation’s. Dan DeWalt would also allow for the possibility of ignorance or fear. I agree with Dan on the fear angle very strongly, as I stated here (and no, I didn’t know about the Al Gore book when I wrote that). I would add that I think it’s possible for sincere disagreement – that there are some who believe impeachment only exists in the event you have a President that becomes an ax murderer or somesuch.

In any event, I don’t accept that Hodes and Shea-Porter are schemers, but I do hope Representatives like them come to take this President’s actions as seriously as we do – because as much as they insist otherwise, if they consider impeachment “off the table,” it’s hard to believe that they really do.

The afternoon was filled with workshops and films. I had to go elsewhere to get a cheaper room, and as a result I think I missed Granny D. Woops.

So I will head back in to catch Presidential candidate and former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel at 7:30, and I’ll linger in the hopes of catching a couple people, such as Matt Dunne (who I also missed this afternoon). I’m still trying to pin down a one-on-one with Gravel, and with any luck, I’ll be able to post a q&a with him over the next coupls days. I tried getting time with Edwards, but ya can’t win ’em all, I guess.

…end part one…

Hamatika School
Gwembe valley
October 4, 2002

Dear Aunty Grace

Thank you very much for the food that arrived yesterday. Mother was thrilled to see
it. She cried because she had not seen so much mealie meal for months.
Straightaway she cooked a really big meal of nshima. We ate really well last night
and I still feel full today.

Some days when I’m unable to write at home, too lazy to make breakfast, or just need a better cup of coffee than I make around here, I head for a local Internet Cafe. Java Street is a very pleasant spot run by a gracious friend named Stacy and habituated by a generally interesting and diverse group of people.

Yesterday as I settled in, plugged in the laptop and ordered breakfast I spoke to a couple of the regulars who play chess most mornings trading quick coffee house greetings. As I opened the morning paper I noticed at the next table a very pretty young woman (I’m a professional, a trained observer, it’s my job) wearing a headset, engrossed in her work and seemingly oblivious to the coffee aromas mixed with the lingering memory of burnt toast and the low murmur of breakfast banter wafting in her vicinity.

I wonder where you managed to find all that food? There has been nothing in the
market here for weeks now and the last maize that came was so expensive that we
could not afford it. The harvest from our farm ran out in July, after only a few
weeks. Since then father has been walking to the next village to work as a brick
maker. He gets really tired with the long walk and the hard work but the boss pays
him in food so at least we have had something to eat, even if it is often only one
meal a day.

I decided when I got up yesterday, to not try to write and instead, take care of some of the administrative jobs on the website, fixing links, window dressing, doing a little promotion, responding to comments at other sites etc. I had written several short things in the last week and felt myself reaching, grasping for more, and knew that I should take a day off lest I succumb to my inner literary greed.

Unfortunately he has been told there is no more work after next week
and so no more food. Mother says my brothers and I will probably have to leave
school for a few weeks to look for food in the bush and to help in our fields in the
hope that we get a harvest this April.

I’m not sure how but after breakfast, after the the checkmate at the next table, after the headset was removed, and my busywork was done I caught the eye of the lovely young woman (blue eyes filled with wit and humor, with intelligence, curiosity and charm) and asked her what she was working on.

I hope things are better for you in Lusaka. We always imagine the capital city will
be really rich, with plenty of food and it must be wonderful to be able to watch
television! Lots of my friends want to come there to get jobs and get rich, but I am
not sure, what do you think?
Please write soon

With love
Joy Mweeba

Her gaze was direct, her smile pleasant, if somewhat quizzical, and her tone frank as she explained that she was a graduate student in anthropology, preparing to leave in a few days for a summer research project in Africa.

I heard the roaring of lions, the gentle thrumming of rain on the jungle canopy, the rhythm of distant drums, I was smitten, smitten with Africa and of course, ancient though I am, with this, this, young lady, this girl really, younger than my shirt, so lovely and young so brave and earnest.

Half a century ago, when I was a boy, before high school, before John Kennedy, Vietnam, marriage, a dozen years before the birth of my son there was a great dam built in what once was Northern Rhodesia on the Zambezi River. Kariba Dam among the worlds largest was built to interrupt the flow and harness the power of the mighty river, power that was needed to run the colonial towns and cities in what would become Zambia and Zimbabwe.

As the river rose, foot by inexorable foot behind the dam, as the great fertile valley became Lake Kariba, now one of the worlds largest man made lakes, great efforts were made to save and relocate the wildlife of the area.

The wildlife of Zambia is the stuff of legend, of history merged with legend, Livingstone and Stanley, Great White hunters, safaris, a magnificent remnant of some ancient Eden.

Project Noah it was called, a great relocation of wild creatures which preserved untold thousands of wild and exotic animals who made their home in the Zambezi valley. They commemorated this rescue with a plaque in Kariba.

There were other residents of the valley of the Zambezi, the Tonga of the Gwembe valley, they called themselves “Basilwizi” the river people. They were the river, a part of the Zambezi and the river was part of them, flowing through them body and soul as surely as the blood that courses in their veins.

They had been there for centuries, living, farming in the rich alluvial soil along the banks of the Zambezi, year after year planting and tilling their crops and and erecting rain shrines all over the basin where they performed Mpande, ceremonial rites to ensure that the rains would come and the the harvest would be plentiful and there would be food to eat.

The Noah project neglected to treat the River people with the same care shown to the animals, the same sensitivity in their relocation. The British made promises, promises of good housing, of schools and roads and loan opportunities, their area, the new one that is, would be a showcase of clinics and wells and grinding mills.

Promises

Promises made to nearly sixty thousand who were relocated on higher ground where the sandy soil no longer supported their crops, where no amount of prayer and supplication or appeasement of the spirits would bring the rich harvest of the past or provide fodder for their cattle, their goats.

The Basilwizi, the River People describe now how their shrines are submerged by the waters, “there was no way the shrines and some of the spirits could be carried with us,” they say.

“Life was very good in the Valley when I was growing up. We had more than enough food,” they say.

“If fields could be carried, we could have carried them with us,” they say.

I’ve had breakfast this morning and coffee and writing was easy with the grass and the rabbits, the leaning blue spruce and the breeze blowing through the window from the back yard.

I’m going to the coffee shop anyway this morning ,
I want to find that earnest and lovely and brave young woman.
I want to ask her to be my friend, to write to me and share what she finds in that place, that Africa.

I want a piece of the adventure she is about to embark upon and I want her to share with me,
to share, these Basilwizi,
her people of the river.

Bob Higgins
Worldwide Sawdust

Just a quick note to let people know that I’ll be blogging (live when possible/appropriate) from this weekend’s DemocracyFest (link to left) in Manchester, NH. I’ll be crossposting prodigiously (I think), but GMD gets the priority.

While I’m there, I’ll try to run down and chat with some of the participants. I aint a reporter, though – so no promises.