Wampum

Emily's List Training post-mortem...not exactly

I still haven't had time to write up my thoughts on the Emily's List candidate training I attended in Vermont this past weekend, mainly because I've been busy doing all the things they told me to do right away (re-write my campaign plan, message, hire staff, etc.) I'll try and get something written up this week, but in the meantime, I wanted to post this information:

EMILY's List will be holding upcoming political opportunity trainings in the following locations:

Columbia, Maryland
May 14-15, 2004
Hilton Columbia

Miami, Florida
May 21-22, 2004
Radisson Hotel Miami

Atlanta, Georgia
June 4-5, 2004
Wyndham Atlanta

Columbus, Ohio
June 11-12, 2004
Columbus Hotel

Dover, Delaware
June 14, 2004
Sheraton Dover Hotel

Des Moines, Iowa
May 14-15, 2004
Four Points Sheraton North

These are the dates and venues for the upcoming candidate training - you don't have to be a "formal" candidate - if you're thinking for running for office sometime in the future, GO! This weekend was a truly amazing experience, and I urge any and all women thinking of holding public office to attend. For more information, visit the Emily's List website, email Jessica Reyna at jreyna@emilyslist.org or call her at 202-326-1400.

Just do it! (Yeah, Nike, you got a problem with this, bring it on!)

One thing - Emily's List is convinced that down-ticket candidates, particularly women, can't raise money on the Internet... Please help me to convince them otherwise, and click on my donate button to the right.

Update: The trainings are FREE! Yes, no charge, graits, libre, etc. You only pay for your hotel, they even feed you (and man, the food at the Stoweflake was awesome - so much for the Atkins while I was there...) Now go! Sign up...hurry, they fill up quick.

in media res

Mark Kimmitt called Aljazeera, and other Arab media outlets the "anti-coalition media" and advised viewers to "change the channel". He was joined by John Abizaid, who said "It is always interesting to me how Al-Jazeera manages to be at the scene of the crime whenever a hostage shows up or some other problem happens to be there."

I found some Kimmitt gems, a few days ago it was accusing the insurgents of using the population as "human shields", and some Abizaid gems, but it seems a silly pursuit. The real question is if these guys worked for George Marshall or Omar Bradley or Chester Nimitz would they be strutting and puffing, in the respective roles of deputy director of deputy director of operations (Iraq) and Brigadier General, and head of US Central Command and Major General, respectively. Or would they be in-route to Unalaska and defense of the Pribiloffs.

It is rather complex. The not very great paper here, the one that went 500 words on "Mullahs bad, elections good" back during the Iranian election cycle when I was doing the multi-part "Return of the ..." series, and finding the time delay in the US media outlets multi-day and the content consolidation rather remarkable -- something like all US press on Story-Foo derived from one (totally or partiall wrong) source, for several weeks of ongoing Foo-Stories, well, the Portland Press Herald just sent one of their people, someone I like, to Iraq. To report. Bill Nimitz is going into the Cheech-and-Chong Gong show orchestrated by Abizaid, Sanchez and Kimmitt, where he could get killed just as dead as Jim Rioux was by Mohammad Atta. He would be far safer here in Portland, and writing from the material that appears in the English editions of the Gulf press, Aljazeera included. America, even the Maine unit now stuck in Iraq, doesn't need more bad copy. It needs good writing and multi-sourced reporting to present a compeating narrative. N.B. Jim Rioux was our toxic torts (lead) attorney, he was going to represent Jonah's claim(s) until 9-11 stopped him.

I started this piece today with the contrast between a Reuters wire that described Sadr as "vehemently anti-American" or some such overblown capitalization, and the texts from many Iraqi bloggers who find him equivalent in his excesses as some people the Americans (we) have put into their (our) puppet government. It was this kind of crap that drove me, personally, to learn French and read Le Monde. That was my escape from a press defined by the Five O'clock Follies" held by the MAC/V press handlers.

There's more: Continue reading this post...

Noted.

There have been nine Pearl Harbor investigations, and on the foreknowledge question, the alternate form of the preventability question, after five decades of advocacy, the "FDR provoked" or "FDR knew" positions are on the fringes. So it isn't that surprising that today's Note has this:

One leading Democratic interest group recently asked a focus group in Florida to respond to a potential television ad accusing Bush of negligence in failing to stop the attacks. The result was volcanic against the ad. LINK

"'They were so angry I thought they were going to turn the tables over,' said a Democratic operative who watched the session. 'It was a very polarizing ad, and it pushed people who were on the fence decidedly away from us.'"

Bush is no FDR, but the whole foreknowledge thing lives in a petri dish rich in things germs of ideas previously deemed noxious thrive on, so popping off that lid is best left where it is ... in a Florida survey group. As The Note Notes, joy to the BC04 high command.

I think those unnamed Democratic consultants share the same spotty sense of history that Chris May over at the NRO managed to make the talk of the town over the weekend.

The Post-Condi Sunday Follies

As you watch Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) on ABC's This Week tomorrow morning, along with Richard N. Perle, about whom I've written unflatteringly about here and here and Dwight wrote about here, with Paul Bremer, who Le Monde's editorial board credits cette révolte – provoquée par une série de gaffes de l'administrateur américain Paul Bremer with the killing of now over 40 uniformed US and what remains of the Coalition soldiers, some civilian contractors, and an unknown number of wounded, along with an order of magnitude greater killed and wounded count among Iraqis, and a surprisingly quick disintegration of the New Model Iraqi Police and Army, I suggest you try and take in the full measure of Susan's slow cadence and calm, almost deadpan delivery.

In her last race Susan started off with a TV ad that was pitched at 3rd-graders on the importance of the flag. That was her substantive ad. In debate she made the point that Federal spending under Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) had risen in absolute dollars during her term in Washington. Anyone of the three of us who write at Wampum could tell you when asleep or changing diapers that the service population is rising non-linearly and funding is not even holding steady, when accounted for correctly, in Maine which is under the Ohio plume (coal fired mercury particulates), and elsewhere (Silicon Valley is another hot-spot).

MB worked hard for Chellie Pingree, who ran against Susan Collins in 2002. We contributed a chunk of change to her campaign. Chellie's gone on now to run Common Cause. Perhaps she will be back in '08, when Susan has to next defend her seat, though '06 may be "the big year" in Maine, with several surprises possible. Perhaps not.

The point is, as you watch Susan tomorrow, consider how you can help get her replaced. Solve for the following boundary conditions: must win in the southern coast (semi-safe Democratic 1st CD), AND must not loose overwhelmingly in the rural balance-of-state (semi-safe Republican 2nd CD), which is where most of the Indian votes are, AND must be a woman. MB isn't running for Susan's seat in '08. But some woman will. MB's got a primary in 8 weeks to win, then a general in November. This is how it begins. Qualified candidates do not just step, fully formed, armed and charming, from the foreheads of gods. Please contribute to MB's campaign.

For the love of old film

Earlier this week, pre-Condi, I watched a film. It was December 7th: The Pearl Harbor Story (1943), directed by John Ford, with Walter Huston as the complacent Uncle Sam. Now I was really struck by the final minutes of the film, which I'd like to write about, but something's come up.

Over on NRO Chris May wrote this:

"President Roosevelt waited until after World War II to put in place a commission to investigate what mistakes led to Pearl Harbor."

Now Ford's work in documentary form (all the exploding models and the exchanges between Uncle Sam (Walter Huston) and his conscence, aka "Mr. C" (Harry Davenport), the tiresome ethnic spies-R-us segments, and the final segment I want to write about were removed) won the Academy Award for Best Documentary (1943). I do not understand how Chris May missed this. Then again, he missed the fact that FDR didn't live to see VJ Day.

But all this mindless blother is about criticism within a democracy of that democracy's prosecution of a war during that war. The timid would prefer to be above criticism during the pendancy of the present war.

When FDR asked Congress for a declaration that a state of war existed on December 8th, Jeannette Rankin (R-MT) voted "No". Throughout the war Rankin spoke against Roosevelt and his policies. She wasn't alone. There was criticism about the North African Campaign, 1,000 dead at Kasserine Pass, about the equipment, about ... and the criticism didn't stop there.

Enough about the amazing Mr. Chris May, who has an interesting and readable bio here.

There is important reading to do. I've found some gems:

• from Home Front and War Front: September 1944,
  
• from FRD's Fala Speech to the Teamsters Union at the Hotel Statler, September 1944,
  
• Reflections on German and American Foreign Policy, 1933-1945
  

The good stuff is in the extended entry. Enjoy the evening, and remember to send MB more gelt. I've spent enough time on this, and its time to go color with the children. Motivation to go googling down memory lane courtesy of Roger Ailes via Atrios (who linked to the extended entry with the lovely Dewey quote last night).

There's more: Continue reading this post...

Nephew of Navajo Nation vice president killed in Iraq

(Window Rock-AP) – The 29-year-old nephew of Navajo Vice President Frank Dayish Jr. has been killed in Iraq.

Sergeant Lee Duane Todacheene of Lukachukai, Arizona, was killed Monday night.

Dayish says he and his family are devastated by the news.

Todacheene was a member of the Army’s First Infantry Division medic unit. He was stationed in Schweinfurt, Germany, where he and his family have lived for the past two years.

Todacheene is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, and his 8- and 9-year-old sons.

Todacheene’s brother Rydell Todacheene says Army officials told the family that his brother was killed in a surprise attack and died instantly. No other details were immediately available.

I'll update this when navajo.org or another site posts details.

Fundraising updates

Friday 5am update:
Only $43.70 left in this fundraising goal! I leave for Stowe, Vermont later this morning for an Emily's List candidate training, so probably won't be around to see reach the top of the thermometer. But I want to again extend my appreciation of all the support, from the contributions to the cheering section. Thank you.

Thursday morning update:
As of 8am this morning, we reached the halfway mark! This also means that I have to submit my 101% finance report to the state campaign finance office within 48 hours, and since I have over 200 donors at that point, that's a lot of typing. Generally, my treasurer would compile the reports, but I know he's busy supporting striking iron workers (he edits the Maine Labor News.) Tomorrow, I'm off to Vermont for an Emily's List candidate training weekend.

Thank you all so much for your support. It's great to see the non-mercury in the thermometer steadily rise.

Wednesday noontime:
I'm off to the printer to pick up the literature piece I'll be sending out later today (or tomorrow, depending upon how long it takes to label and sort 1,700 brochures.) The printer, btw, is Dale Rand, spouse of the Honorable Anne Rand, the last woman elected to the Legislature from the city of Portland. I worked on her final campaign in 2000, as part of the Maine Coordinated effort. This is one more instance where term limits have hurt, rather than helped, the cause of increasing female participation in Maine government.

Since I won't have much time to write today (and tonight I'm mending fences at our local post-Dean meetup), I do want to update our fundraising efforts as we go along today. FYI, as mercury thermometers are prohibited by law here in Maine, the image to the left represents a non-toxic thermometer.

I know a lot of attention is focused on national campaigns these days - but please remember that many of these battles are being carried out in the wells of legislatures in states all around the country, and the races are tight:

A pitched battle for state legislatures Chambers in 25 states could change majorities with a tip of three seats or less as parties fight furiously across the country.

By Daniel B. Wood | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

LOS ANGELES - With the media's political Doppler radar fixed squarely on this November's presidential showdown, a less-obvious political battle is taking place that, in several ways, will have a more direct impact on the lives of Americans.

The outcome also could more accurately reflect where voters stand on a spate of domestic issues, from gay marriage to abortion and taxes.

The battle for party control over state legislatures, say experts, is more intense than at any point in recent political memory.

Of the more than 7,000 legislative seats in the US, the GOP holds a slim 60-seat advantage. And of the 50 states, 25 have legislative chambers that could switch party control with a shift of just three seats or less.

In Maine and Colorado, a switch of one seat could reverse longtime party dominance of both legislative and executive branches. While in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, a change in three seats could significantly reshape the poltical path of the South's fastest-growing states.

Several of the nation's key battleground states - Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Washington - could solidify political alliances for years to come.

"This is a far bigger election year for state legislatures than most," says Tim Story, election analyst for the National Conference of State Legislatures. "Because there are so many close votes which could shift party control of legislative chambers, it will likely have an impact on every issue before state government from civil unions to transportation, education, and health care."

This fall's vote will indicate whether Republicans can continue to garner more power in state governments. The 2002 election gave the GOP control of a majority of US legislative seats for the first time in 50 years. (Republicans now control both chambers in 21 states, compared to 18 for Democrats.)

And speaking of the EPA mercury emissions report...

In case memory in the blogosphere is fleeting, this is not the first time the OMB attempted to sabatoge EPA findings on the dangers of mercury emissions to the nation's children. Back in February, 2003, I reported on Mitch Daniels and the OMB delaying the EPA's report on the health of US children by nine months. In that instance, EPA worker bees leaked the White House's stonewalling to Sen. Barbara Boxer's office, stirring up a bit of a firestorm.

Obviously, it wasn't enough of a ruckus to prevent the White House from trying the same tactic again, although this time, it appears the not only did OMB delay, but it actually redacted information from the NAS's 2000 report on the dangers of mercury emissions. [Nota bene: As mentioned on Monday, EPA has now warned that the NAS number significantly low-balled the dangers to pregnant women and newborns, by an order of magnitude - 60,000 vs. 630,000 per year.]

When I wrote on the subject last year, I firmly believed OMB Director Daniels was motivated by the desire to conceal the dangers of mercury in children, namely due to his ties to Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of the mercury-based preservative, thimerosal. And while Daniels' personal motives might still be suspect, it appears now that the White House is concerned about a problem which may be much more widespread and potentially damaging to the energy industry, an even more important GOP backer than BigPharma.

The concept that so many children have been, and continue to be at risk may be just too difficult for the American psyche to wrap itself around; even yesterday, I stood gazing longingly at the sushi counter at Wild Oats before walking away empty-handed. But on today's agenda: A call to the food service department of my children's school, to make certain that the tuna they're served 2-4 times a month is "light chunk", not albacore.

Why not kick a few dogs while they're at it...

The GOP: The Grand Old Party, with it's highly touted compassionate conservatism, fiscal responsibilty and big-tent philosophy.

Come again?

Within 10 minutes of opening the web sites of the NYTimes and WaPo, I'd already read these three articles on how Republicans in the Administration and Congress truly care about the health and welfare of children and minorities.

White House Minimized the Risks of Mercury in Proposed Rules, Scientists Say
By JENNIFER 8. LEE
Published: April 7, 2004

WASHINGTON, April 5 — While working with Environmental Protection Agency officials to write regulations for coal-fired power plants over several recent months, White House staff members played down the toxic effects of mercury, hundreds of pages of documents and e-mail messages show.

The staff members deleted or modified information on mercury that employees of the environmental agency say was drawn largely from a 2000 report by the National Academy of Sciences that Congress had commissioned to settle the scientific debate about the risks of mercury.

'Dream' PAC Not Living Up To Goal: Little Money Goes To Elect Minorities
By Dan Morgan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 7, 2004; Page A01

When Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-Tex.) took charge of an independent political fund called American Dream PAC in 1999, he made clear that its mission was "to give significant, direct financial assistance to first-rate minority GOP candidates."

Since then, only $48,750 -- or 8.9 percent -- of the $547,000 the southwest Texas congressman has raised for his political action committee has gone to minority office-seekers while more than $100,000 has been routed to Republican Party organizations or causes, including a GOP redistricting effort in Texas, a legal defense fund for House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (Tex.) and Bonilla's reelection campaign. Most of the remainder of the money went to legal fees, fundraisers in Miami and other cities, airline tickets, hotels, catering services, consultants and salaries.

Republican and Democratic members of Congress have used independent "leadership PACs" to spread their influence, and in recent years hundreds have been set up. Such PACs enable lawmakers to multiply contributions from special interests and legally avoid the limits set on personal campaign funds. But Bonilla's comes with a twist: It's one of the few PACs, some experts say, that has not lived up to its clear mission statement.

Indian Fund Investigator Angrily Quits
By JOHN FILES
Published: April 7, 2004

WASHINGTON, April 6 — The court-appointed investigator who has been seeking for more than three years to determine the finances of an Indian trust fund administered by the Interior Department resigned on Monday. He said the government had routinely allowed energy companies to shortchange Indians on royalties from oil, gas, timber and other leases on Indian land.

The investigator, Alan Balaran, accused the department of a persistent effort to impede his work and said he had found a "systemic failure to properly monitor" the activities of energy companies acquiring oil and gas from Indian land.

Judge Royce C. Lamberth of Federal District Court here appointed Mr. Balaran in 1999 as part of a class-action lawsuit filed by Elouise Cobell, a banker and Blackfoot Indian from Montana, and more than 300,000 other Indians. They accused the government of cheating them out of as much as $137.5 billion over the past century.

And it's only 6:30am... Who is next on the GOP's hit list? Grey-haired grannies? Injured puppies? Disabled veterans? (Oh, already made the list previously.)