A New Beginning

Today I finally sorted through all of my old Howard Dean campaign stuff — my lists of local members and my lists of addresses for Iowa and New Hampshire, the position papers and the fundraising letters, the official campaign literature and the stuff we made ourselves. Almost all of it went into a big plastic garbage bag to go out to the curb next trash day. I kept a few blue bumperstickers, a half dozen buttons, a pair of official bat-shaped pens, a Christmas card from Dr. Dean, a photo of the man, and a few "Commonsense" pamphlets.

After the media and the party power elite killed our campaign, I couldn't even bear to look at all that stuff. After a few months though, I started to warm up to Kerry. Late last summer I finally cleared all the Dean stuff off our dining room table and stuck in a crate. The crate went to the basement office. After the election, I couldn't face the crate. The betrayasl, the failures, the lies, the promise of what might have been.

But tomorrow Howard Dean is going to elected to head the Democratic National Committee. The one that all of the insiders tried so hard to discredit and destroy is rising again, like a phoenix.

UPDATE: Today's the day.

Please join me in contributing to the DNC through the Actblue account set up by Markos and other bloggers.

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Foxes guarding the hen house?

I have been following the Gannon/Guckert story for a while on Daily Kos. It just keeps getting better and better. Now the New York Times has the story, but with the gay porn angle. Oh well, can't have everything. Have a great day!

You Have The Power

It's Dean. The last of the other candidates has dropped out.
You Have The Power Remix
Listening to him again and all I can think is I can't believe that this man is now going to lead the Democratic Party. It's a miracle. I do feel empowered.

Reid on Gonzales: No on torture.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid's statement on the confirmation of Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General:

We are a nation at war--a war in Iraq and a war against terrorism -- but this war does not give our civilian leaders the authority to cast aside the laws of armed conflict, nor does it allow our Commander in Chief to decide which laws apply and which laws do not apply. To do so puts, I repeat, our own soldiers and our Nation at risk. But that is what has occurred under the direction and coordination of the man seeking to be Attorney General of the United States, Alberto Gonzales, a man I personally like, but whose judgment on these very serious matters was flawed and is flawed. I have heard a great deal on this Senate floor about Judge Gonzales's background over the last few days, how his parents were migrant farm workers, and how he worked his way up from poverty. It is an inspiring story, and it is one that resonates with me. I met with Judge Gonzales after the President sent his nomination to the Senate. We talked about our childhoods, about coming from small rural towns, some would say without many advantages. The fact that someone from a place called Humble, TX, and someone from a place called Searchlight, NV, have had an opportunity to achieve their dream is what America is all
about.

But, embodying the American dream is not a sufficient qualification to be Attorney General of the United States. The Attorney General is the people's lawyer, not the President's lawyer. He is charged with upholding the Constitution and the rule of law. The Attorney General must be independent, and he must be clear that abuses by our Government will not be tolerated. Judge Gonzales's appearance before the Judiciary Committee raised serious questions about his ability to be that force in the Justice Department. That is why I am going to vote against him.

It looks like its Dean to head DNC

This is the best news in quite a while.