Moving forward

Dear Dem Apples readers, I'm going to be very self indulgent and write a post about me.  Specifically, my graduating.  It has been a pleasure getting to blog here with various folks over the years, from the liveblogging craziness of our Mark Warner gala (too bad we lost that...) to the Dem Apples promo video(that one's for you, Audrey), from covering my home state of Massachusetts to my focus on voter rights, registration, and participation this past year, it has been great having a place to express my thoughts.  

Since I'm graduating this week, I feel it is best for me to no longer post here, except maybe in the comments every now and again, but I invite readers to come visit me on my new blog: http://bostonrob.wordpress.com/ Many thanks to you all because a blog is nothing without its readers (cough desperate plea for subscribers cough cough).

Forward! 

Election Day Voter Registration in MA: an open letter

I'm writing this blog post today to tell you about an issue that is near and dear to my heart: voter engagement/election day registration.  It isn't really a partisan issue (although you folks aren't really ones to worry about this) but it would make a huge difference in participation levels here in MA.  Minnesota has it and when I met the Secretary of State who started it there this past summer, he convinced me of the value it provides.  There's no evidence of voter fraud with it, only increased chances to promote an active democracy.  Just think about it.  College students across MA could register day of election to cast ballots, without needing to think ahead and ask for an absentee ballot. 

For the Harvard specific benefits, think about the benefits this could bring on a local level too.  Imagine having city councilors beholden to the student vote who wanted to help make sure Felipes was open past 2am.  Think about progressive student votes coming in in more conservative towns across MA like Olin College in Needham or the ladies of Wellesley.

I want you sign this petition to help move it forward, the bill promoting this is at a critical point in the approval process.  The governor has already said he would sign it, and so all it needs is to pass the legislature.  Sign here.

Youtube brings out weird things

So I read the blog TechPresident, and they do a weekly roundup of the political youtube videos of the week.  This week had three that seemed particularly distinctive, including Luke Skywalker endorsing Obama, an operatic plea for Hillary to give up the fight, and a very very odd rap by a republican on the emptiness of Barack's campaign.  On that last one, the verses where he raps, instead of the choruses he lifts from a pro, he sounds really republican.  If Eminem was trying to get out-whited, he just did.  Also, this rappers attacks on McCain and arguing for a Limbaugh presidency is an abrupt oddity at the end, complete with a Sousa-esque march playing behind it.  Just thought I'd add on to Sam's post on Soulja Dean.  

Art of Politics

Want to be famous? There's a competition going on right now that's co-hosted by my friends back west at the Oregon Bus Project, called the Art of Politics. Now, they did this back in 2004, and came up with a great poster for that electoral season:

So read some more about it here, and submit your own shot at a poster. Because, hey, we're smart, funny, and creative, right?

An easy way to register to vote!

Voter registration rocks, yes? Yes. Well, now there is a new way for us to register ourselves and our friends: www.harvarddems.com.

Yes, friends, the logo that says register to vote is indeed an application that helps you register to vote! Fill it out online, print it, and mail it in! Granted, it would be awesome to be able to do it all online, but at least we're one one step closer.

If you just want to email a link to a friend, feel free to use this stand-alone one: http://www.registrationbyworkingassets.com/register/?api_key=zDg_txrqH1Y2mIWXZ7ivn2UjaQg

Voter registration is important, for reasons both partisan and non. Voter registration is civic engagement and a sign of a healthy democracy. Voter registration is how your team wins. Voter registration rocks. Register a friend. Double your democracy. Democracy thanks you.

It's all about the... Lincolns? Baby?

Despite what P. Diddy may say, the treasury just gave an upgrade to the lowly five dollar bill.  Check out this delightful summary of the changes, including the massive purple five on the back.  This has been a public service announcement.

p.s. For all the numismatists out there, or if you just want a blast from the past, check out the 5 dollar bills from 1886,  1896, 1907, and 1923, courtesy of Wikipedia. 

Massachusetts Matters!

Rasmussen has it that Obama is only six points away from Hillary here in the Commonwealth, 43% to 37%.  For the first time in my political life, the Massachusetts primary is actually going to matter!  Edwards pulled in 11% of the poll, and of Edwards supporters, 78% of them like Obama, as opposed to 59% of them liking Clinton.  (h/t to BMG and TPM) 

BMG credits the senior senator from MA with the bump.  For those who enjoy fine Boston accents, the Kennedy family, or just awesome speeches, you should check out his endorsement speech.   

And for a happy note to end on, for any Hillary supporters who feel unkindly towards the messenger, BMG has a funny idea for an ad that should be run by the DNC:

At $2.4 million, ads aren't cheap come Super Bowl time.  Nor is a Super Bowl quite the best use of candidate money.  But there's an ad I wouldn't mind seeing this Sunday.  I imagine it would require DNC funding, but is there any finance 2-step that could get a little campaign change into the coffers to make it happen? [All speakers face the camera before outdoor backgrounds in various locations and climates] Obama: I'm Barack Obama, and I approve this message because in America we need to address our challenges hopeful for success, not worried about failure... [quick fade] Clinton: I'm Hillary Clinton, and I approve this message because in America we need a health care system that provides a long healthy life for all our citizens...

[quick fade] Edwards: I'm John Edwards, and I approve this message because in America hard work should bring success for all, not just a few... [quick fade] Richardson: I'm Bill Richardson, and I approve this message because America should be a leader in the world, not the world's bully... [quick fade] Biden: I'm Joe Biden, and I approve this message because America can only have a future as strong as its education system... [quick fade] Dodd: I'm Chris Dodd, and I approve this message because America is built on civil liberties, and we can only defend America if we defend our freedoms... [quick fade] Kucinich: I'm Dennis Kucinich, and I approve this message because America deserves a tax system that is not written by the rich, for the rich. [quick fade] Gravel: I'm Mike Gravel, and I approve this message because in America, the government must listen to the voices of its citizens. Howard Dean:  As Democrats, we have our differences.  But we all know that what unites our party and our country is greater than what divides us. So no matter what happens over the next few months, we ask in November that you vote Democratic.  Now enjoy the game!

A victory for grassroots

Over 220,000 people went to the Iowa caucuses for Democrats tonight. How many people went to the Democratic caucuses in 2004? 120,000.

We're talking about not quite doubling the participation here folks. This is a victory of campaigns in general. I'm sure all of our friends who are working on the Obama campaign are very energized tonight, as they well should be. However, the campaigns in general should all be exceedingly proud of themselves for the tremendous job they did involving people in the process of choosing our next leader.

This has been your general, feel good post of the evening.

For those who love numbers, check out the exit polling data over at MSNBC.

p.s. I already talked about my feelings on Huckabee.  That said, I can't help but love Romney getting trashed in Iowa.  Sorry for the negativity, but sometimes its nice to see a bad guy get hit hard.  Everyone reset your countdown clocks.  103 hours and counting...

Waterboarding. It's like swimming, except it's torture.

Does Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo) really think that waterboarding is like swimming the backstroke? Apparently, yes:

Huckabee scares me

And no, not just because I'm afraid of Chuck Norris delivering a roundhouse kick to my Democratic ass.

UPDATE: Will and I were sharing a mind this morning.  He beat me to the punch by a few minutes, but check out what he has to say.

Our friends over at BlueMassGroup have a great accounting of how Huckabee is a Christian Dominionist, or someone who believes that wants "a nation governed by Christians or a nation governed by a conservative Christian understanding of biblical law." The Rolling Stone article has this to say about Dominionists:

Meet the Dominionists -- biblical literalists who believe God has called them to take over the U.S. government...They want to rewrite schoolbooks to reflect a Christian version of American history, pack the nation's courts with judges who follow Old Testament law, post the Ten Commandments in every courthouse and make it a felony for gay men to have sex and women to have abortions. In Florida, when the courts ordered Terri Schiavo's feeding tube removed, it was the Dominionists who organized round-the-clock protests and issued a fiery call for Gov. Jeb Bush to defy the law and take Schiavo into state custody. Their ultimate goal is to plant the seeds of a "faith-based" government that will endure far longer than Bush's presidency -- all the way until Jesus comes back.

"Most people hear them talk about a 'Christian nation' and think, 'Well, that sounds like a good, moral thing,' says the Rev. Mel White, who ghostwrote Jerry Falwell's autobiography before breaking with the evangelical movement. "What they don't know -- what even most conservative Christians who voted for Bush don't know -- is that 'Christian nation' means something else entirely to these Dominionist leaders. This movement is no more about following the example of Christ than Bush's Clean Water Act is about clean water."

Fun stuff, right? Well, we have Randy Rudy, Mormon Mitt, and now Holy Roller Huckabee. Thing is that Huckabee is only recently popular:

So my guess is that his organization might not be all that it needs to be for a big campaign beyond the early states.

Furthermore, a new CNN poll says that all of the major three Democratic candidates beat Huckabee, with Edwards doing the best against him. Go figure. Full poll results here, for those of you like me who enjoy such things.

So maybe he has god and Chuck Norris on his side, but I think we'll still be ok.

An iPod for your vote?

From the land of i-banks and Olsen twins, the NYU newspaper, Washington Square News, has a story about a poll they did about what students would want in return for giving up their right to vote in the next presidential election. 20% said they'd drop their right to vote for an iPod Touch. 66% for a free ride to NYU (aka $188,532). In exchange for never voting again, HALF of students said that it would cost only one million dollars. So lets say that the average age of respondents was 20. Assuming they'll live till 80, that's 60 years of voting. Even if they only vote every 4 years, thats 15 presidential elections, or only 66k dollars per election.

Interestingly, 90% of students who would give up their vote for money also called voting "very important" or at least "somewhat important." Personally, I'd like the crosstabs on this, but maybe I'm just a nerd.  Then again, I just want you to vote, f*cker!

Scary things and places

The DSCC is playing off the RNC's Scariest Democrat Halloween theme of scary politicians of late with their latest email blast video:

They dig into six big targeted seats for Democrats to pick up in 2008: Norm Coleman, Susan Collins, Jim Inhofe, Mitch McConnell, Gordon Smith, and John Sununu.

While we're on the topic of scary politicians, why not cover 10 of the scariest (ok, most dangerous) political organizations in the US. Guess what, if you're reading this, you are IN DANGER! That's right. Colleges and Universities are rated second on the top 10 dangerous organizations by the group Family Security Matters. I guess I'm about quintuply in danger since I get emails from other of their list toppers: ACLU, MoveOn, ThinkProgress, and the Center for American Progress.

Oh, and if you are a Muslim student and belong to your national student association, you can be dangerous too. With token call outs to the Family Research Council (who got Ann Coulter to keynote their 2006 Values Voter Summit) and the League of the South (which earlier this month had a a conference titled "Southern Secession: Antidote to Empire and Tyranny.") I'm sure he hoped to placate any accusations of bias. Man, I'm definitely going to take this blogger as an impartial judge, after his admission that those two groups are dangerous to politics.

So be safe this Halloween, kiddos.

Read more »

Tsongas Wins!

Its been called.

Massachusetts keeps its all Democratic congregation!  And thats enough celebrating, time to go back to work for the rest of the Senate and House seats we need.   

Dumb but Friendly Freddie Thompson

ABC's blog, The Blotter, has a fun story about Fred Thompson from his days as a senator back during Watergate.  On the tapes from the Nixon Administration, we now know that Freddie was regarded as being "dumb as hell," and that the Democratic counsel on the investigation would "run circles around him" and that he was considered to be friendly which manifested itself in him leaking key information about the investigation to the White House as it was acquired.  

Other miscellany that I haven't posted recently, the Bush Administration is pushing abstinence only ads here in America and the RNC has a terrible logo for their 2008 convention.  Kari Chisolm (great guy, met with him a few times this summer), posts Markos' evaluation of it from his DailyKos posting:

Wide stance? Check.

In Minneapolis? Check.

Prison stripe-wearing? Check.

Starry eyed? Check.

As for the elephant humping the "2008"...

Are they going for a "Still screwing the country in 2008" theme, or is it a reference to hypocritical adulterers like David Vitter and just about the entire Republican presidential field?

All of the above? Check!

Apparently they ran out of space for a collapsing bridge.

 

Election Day Registration rocks my world.

So I've been talking about my summer as a PolitiCorps fellow to basically anyone who asks, but a large achievement of ours was registering 1,500 people to vote.  We got to meet with the State Secretary of Minnesota which has election day registration (EDR) and hearing his stories made me swoon.  The idea that people could register to vote and cast their vote on the same day is an activists dreamland.  

We can make that happen in Massachusetts.  EDR is in committee right now, and it needs to be pulled out and passed.  To quote Blue Mass Group: "It's easy, however, to do something about it. You can write to your Rep via Act for Change, or you can click here and find your Rep's or Senator's info."

Let's make this happen here.  Sign the petition with a friend.  Turn to each other and say "Democracy thanks you."  Because, believe me, it does.