From yamagata at virtual-markets.net Mon Jul 7 13:33:38 2008 From: yamagata at virtual-markets.net (G Richard Yamagata PhD) Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2008 13:33:38 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Davis Democrats] DDC Board Meeting Minutes for June 10, 2008 Message-ID: <200807072033.m67KXcCK014040@out.afes.com> If you have corrections please submit them to yamagata at virtual-markets.net. Davis Democratic Club Meeting Minutes Tuesday, June 10, 7 pm - 9 pm Place: Blanchard Room Davis Branch, Yolo County Library in Davis. 315 East 14th Street. This meeting was held at Place: Blanchard Room, Davis Branch, Yolo County Library in Davis, 315 East 14th Street. Present (10 board members total present -- 10 votes present -- We had a quorum) were: OFFICERS -- EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE BOARD MEMBERS President: Arun Sen, Vice President: Mike Syvanen Treasurer: Betty Weir Recording Secretary: G Richard Yamagata Corresponding Secretary: Vacant Membership Committee Chair: Carl Schmid Publicity: Absent Barbara Slemmons BOARD CHAIRS AND MEMBERS Acting Past President: Bob Bockwinkel, Past-Past President and Newsletter Advertising, Acting Newsletter Editor: Absent Bill Ritter Scheduling Committee Chair: Vacant By-Laws Committee Chair: Jim Provenza Board members: Lyle Smith, Rick Gonzales, and Adrienne Kandel, with Absent Pam Nieberg and Absent Barry Wilson. Ex-Officio Members of the Board: Absent 10 of 14 were present and A Total of 14 active board members on the rolls. After this meeting there are now 16 active board members with 9 board members required for a Quorum. With Barbara Slemmons on medical emergency leave, the quorum requirement is 8 board members at future meetings. Guests: 7 Guests were present before the meeting. There were 5 guests afterwards with 2 of them added to the DDC Board. Absent: Barbara Slemmons (2), Bill Ritter, Pam Nieberg and Barry Wilson. -- (number indicates how many meeting is a row have been missed. Excused medical absences are not counted towards a quorum. Barbara Slemmons was excused due to a long term medical emergency in her family.) There have been 4 meetings since the elections this year. By-laws state that board member cannot miss 3 meetings in a row or 3 out of 5 meetings in a five month period (meaning you cannot just come to every other meeting and still remain on the board). Absences can be excused by the President, but non-medical emergencies are counted against the quorum requirements. TOTAL: 10 of 14 Board Members were present. Arun Sen called the meeting into session at 7:05 PM. AGENDA The agenda was approved MSB with no objection. MINUTES The minutes presented by the Recording Secretary, G Richard Yamagata. Carl Schmid asked that the vote on the minutes be deferred to a future meeting. MOTION/DECISION Carl Schmid made the motion that the minutes be adjusted and voted upon at a future board meeting. The motion was passed MSB by the President with no objection by the Recording Secretary. TREASURERS REPORT Betty Weir was present and made the following report. At the beginning of June the club had $4912.18 in the bank. For the month of May, the following was the state of our treasury: INCOME $995.00 Expenses Newsletter $442.18 (includes printing and postage) TOTAL EXPENSES $442.18 May 1 Balance: $5,648 + $12,458.32 CD = $17,823.32 Grand Total DETAILS The expenses were postage, $63.98, and copy shop charges, $378.20, for a total of $442.16 in cost for May Newsletter. Adrienne Kandel asked who was on the signature card at the bank and can withdraw money and sign checks. Betty stated that she and Arun are on the bank account. BUDGET COMMITTEE Betty Wier and Carl Schmid had a chance to meet. Carl presented the club budget for the rest of the year (which we have sufficient funds to complete) and a preliminary budget for the Davis campaign headquarters (which we do not as of yet have enough funds to complete, though we are close). [This budget outline will be published in next month's minutes, because numbers have been found and filled in and it is more complete as presented in July than in June. June was a preliminary exercise to start from to get a better grasp of the amount of money we have and what we need to open a campaign headquarters and accomplish the goal of electing all Democrats to office to represent Yolo County, both locally and Federally.] MEMBERSHIP COMMITEE All but 80 households have not yet renewed their membership for this year. Carl Schmid is hoping for $2000 more to come in from these households. It could be more. EVENTS YOLO COUNTY FAIR BOOTH. The dates for the fair booth are August 13 through 17. President Arun Sen contacted Vice Chair of the Yolo Central Committee Bob Schelen about the booth at the fair. More on this later. DAVIS DEMOCRAT CLUB HEADQUARTERS The club board is still looking for a location. The projected expenses are for: Headquarters Rent Phones Electricity Printing Ad in Enterprise Paid Staff Member at each headquarters There was a discussion as to whether or not the print ad in the Davis Enterprise was really cost effective. Lyle Smith said the money would be better spent on more phones and a better copier. Last campaign cycle the "free" copier kept breaking down and cost the headquarters hundreds of dollars. This will be further discussed and has yet to be determined as to whether or not we need the "big ad" in the Davis Enterprise. [Note: in the past Betty Wier has telephoned individuals about having their name printed in the ad and raised additional money from the people supporting the ad. Some people on the board have received her phone call and donated more money towards the ad.] Bill Julian commented that with the passage of McCain-Feingold, the complexity in reporting of donations has increased many fold. Money spent on the Federal elections must be compliant with the M-F Act. The Davis Democratic Club is a collection of small, individual contributions. The club needs to coordinate with the Central Committee to be compliant. Bill stated that he recommends that the club should not a lot of money without coordinating with the Yolo County Central Committee. There have been complaints lodged against Yolo County Democratic organizations in the past about spending irregularities. Bill thinks that we should not be worrying about these allegations, but warned that we need to be on the watch in the future. Arun Sen asked that Bill Julian attend the Yolo County Central Committee meeting to coordinate between the Democratic Club and the Central Committee. Where was a question about how much phone service cost for the last presidential election. For the gubernatorial race, there was no land line costs. We did purchase celphones. Betty said that she will look at phone records from 4 years ago and resolve what our costs were. Membership in the club was discussed again and it was stated that 80 people still have not renewed this year, which should bring in a minimum of $2000. Betty is hoping for $3600. There are limits on how much the club can spend on any one candidate. Adrienne asked if it is better for individuals to give to the headquarters, not to the club? Bill Julian stated that as long as the money is Federally Compliant, the money can be raised and spent by the club. The Davis Democratic Club can rent the headquarters facility and charge rent to Lois Wolk (State Senate race), Mariko Yamada (State Assembly race), and the Obama campaigns. If we do not do this, but instead write that this is an in-kind donation to those campaigns, it would not be Federally compliant if they use our headquarters. Bob Bockwinkel stated that the board is lucky to have the input available from Bill Julian. He knows as much or more than anyone in the county about campaign finance laws. EVENTS CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH The Champagne Brunch is scheduled for June 29th from 11AM to 2PM at the home of Bill Julian. Invitations for the event went out. The keynote speaker still has to be worked out. Jim Provenza is trying to secure Deborah Bowen. People that are slated to speak are Assembly candidate and 4th Supervisor Mariko Yamada, 4th Supervisor Elect Jim Provenza, and 8th Assembly representative Lois Wolk. At this point in time, Greg, the statewide Obama campaign coordinator and Katie the local area regional campaign coordinators have been asked to speak. President Arun Sen is waiting to hear from Katie. [Actual speakers were: Keynote speakers Kim Mack, the Northern California coordinator for Senator Barack Obama for President campaign and Alexandra Gallarda-Rooker, the first vice-chair of California Democratic Party, our 8th Assembly Person Lois Wolk (who is running for State Senate), our 4th Yolo County Supervisor Mariko Yamada (who is running for Assembly), 4th Supervisor Elect Jim Provenza, Davis City Mayor Pro-Tem Don Saylor, and Davis City Council Stephen Souza.] Arun Sen stated that he was told that Jerry Brown is not in campaign mode and is not available to speak. Bill Julian stated that he was trying to contact Maurice Jones for Alex Roooker, the 1st Vice Chair of the State Democratic Party. Mike Syvanen stated that he will contact people and coordinate with Rick Gonzales to arrange food items from the board for this event. [Rick Gonzales did a lot of work for coordinating the food and it must be noted that Helen Thomson and Stephen Souza also contributed food and resources for this event. They are club members and not on the board.] Bill Julian has arranged for live music at this event! This will be the first time we have had live entertainment at a Champagne Brunch. It was specifically noted that last time, the club ran out of champagne glasses and plates. It was stated that we need to get more of these items and make sure we have plates, napkins and plasticware (spoons and forks). EVENTS FOURTH OF JULY BOOTH We will be sharing the booth with the Obama for President campaign people. The Obama people will have a monopoly on selling Obama pins and bumper stickers. Bill Ritter is coordinating the other campaigns to have materials at the booth. Carl Schmid put out a list of what was needed and another list for volunteer staffing time slots. The booth will sign up new members for the Davis Democratic Club, sign up voluteers for the campaigns and campaign headquarters, and register Democrats. We will also be distributing materials for all of the Democratic candidates running in November. The booth will be only information material. There will be no selling of food or beverages. Lyle Smith reported that most of the traffic to the booth in past years has been between 6PM until 9PM, when the fireworks display begins. Lyle will send a report he received about foot traffic to the 4th of July booths to Carl. The booth set-up scheduled for 1PM. We will start staffing the booth and having electeds and candidates start showing up at 4:30PM. It was said that at 8:15 it is too dark to be at the booth without lights. Greg Gibbs of the Obama campaign will be contacted to find out if they were willing to string lights to keep the booth open until 9PM. Otherwise, we will shut down the booth at 8PM. The booth will be decorated with balloons by Luba Schmid. [We also will have Dill-Dally the Clown at the booth, making balloon animals. She usually charges for doing this. Arun Sen secured her for this event at no cost to the Davis Democratic Club.] The club has heard from Jim Provenza, Lois Wold and Mariko Yamada and they will be given 30 minute slots to be at the booth to meet with the public. John Ferrara was scheduled to be at the booth before the election. We have not heard from him, but it is assumed that he will not be coming for his half hour slot at the booth. There was a point of information, all candidates that are going to be greeting the public should have their materials at the booth. EVENT CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH continued The question was asked, who gets the speakers for this event. It was stated that the by-laws of the club clearly says that securing of speakers is the job of the Vice President of the Club. Mike Syvanen stated that he has been in contact with Mike Thompson's office and McNierney office. He also has been talking with Eli Fairclough of Mike Thompson's office and she said that she would ask McNierney's office if he is available if Mike Thompson cannot come speak. The question was asked about what is happening with the food and the committee for this event. Mike stated that we should have tables and chairs for 40 people. Last year, we had 100 people show up, but no one used the tables and chairs. Greg had a large set-up under the pop-up tent, but the tables were all empty. Adrienne Kandel proposed that before people leave, they sign the food sign-up list as to what they will be bringing. Rick Gonzales had previously volunteered to coordinate the food. Adrienne also asked that someone help Betty at the door, so that she gets to hear the speakers. In the past it has only been Betty Wier at the front door table. [This year Betty was helped by Luba Schmid that the front table and that went very well.] Adrienne also volunteered to go to Costco and purchase for the club plastic plates, plastic utensils, and napkins. Adrienne also mentioned that in the past the kitchen crew was overworked. Rick Gonzales volunteered to work with the kitchen crew and make sure that there are enough people working and that no one feels over burdened by the workload. Bob Bockwinkel stated that people will bring chairs if asked. Arun Sen stated that he contact Stephen Souza about the club chairs, to find out what happened to them. Bob stated that he will get the champagne from Valley Winery. Bill Julian, Mike Syvanen and Rich Gonzales will all work together. Mike leaves for London on the 29th of June in the morning. EVENT YOLO COUNTY FAIR BOOTH The club will be working with the Yolo County Central Committee. The dates for the County Fair are August 13, 14, 15 and 16, Wednesday through Sunday. Arun will contact Bob Schelen and coordinate. The club has purchased a double booth, paying for half of it with the Yolo County Central Committee. We will know our selected date by the August Board meeting and can start scheduling our day ro days at the booth after August. EVENT EMILY AND JERRY ICE CREAM SOCIAL The ice cream social is scheduled for August 21st. We will discuss this more at the August Board meeting, closer to the event. BOARD MEMBER RECRUITMENT Bill Julian is being considered for board membership. It was discussed and said that he has attended past meetings and this is his second meeting. We will vote on his membership. MOTION/VOTE The motion was made to accept Bill Julian to the Board by Bob Bockwinkel. It was seconded by Betty Wier and Carl Schmid. Bill was elected to the board without discussion. Sydney Vergis has attended 2 meetings and is being considered for Newsletter Editor. MOTION/DISCUSSION Bob Bockwinkel made the motion to elect Sydney Vargis as a member of the board. Carl Schmid seconded this motion. Lyle Smith asked the question that came up during the Davis City Council campaign, "will you [Sydney] support a Republican over a Democrat in any election?" Lyle went on to explain why he was concerned. Lyle stated that Republicans, once they get elected, it gets them to run for higher office. Republicans have planks in their campaign platforms that are anti-Democrat. Lyle also stated that there is no such thing as a non-partisan election. Once Republicans get elected to lower offices, they run for higher office. With the support they may have garnered in the non-partisan elections, they can be serious more threats to Democratic candidates in partisan elections than someone that is unknown [and did not have the experience of serving in a non-partisan elected position]. Sydney stated that she believes that people should have choice in elections and be free to vote for who they believe will do the better job in office. Lyle brought up other examples of problems that occur when we elect Republicans to office. The most glaring to Lyle is that we cannot pass a budget in the State of California. President Arun stated that are considering Sydney not only for the board, but as newsletter editor. What happened in the past is the past. Sydney would be starting anew in her new position. Lyle went on to tell about a Democrat that switched parties and did all kinds of damage to the Democratic Party and Democratic positions. Carl Schmid then asked Sydney, what was she going to be doing or expected to accomplish as Newsletter Editor. Lyle stated regardless of what she believes the charter of the Davis Democratic Club is to elect Democrats to office [If the Davis Democratic Club does not do this, its charter can be revoked by the Yolo County Democratic Central Committee and the State Democratic Party.]. Sydney stated that she hoped to develop the newsletter as a way for multiple clubs to learn about each others activities and bring people to each other clubs events. Bob Bockwinkel stated that Sydney was not going to support a Creationist. Carl Schmid further stated that no one [including Sydney] in the room was going to make a tactical mistake in a political campaign. Bob stated that Sydney was needed to bring the young people of Davis into the Davis Democratic Club. Mike Syvanen stated that Lyle brings up an important point for the club. In the past election for Yolo County DA, a non-partisan position, there were Democrats that supported Risek. It was discussed and generally agreed at passed Davis Democratic Club meetings that the DDC Board would never support the Democrats that supported a Republican and those Democrats would never receive the endorsement of the DDC Board. Lyle Smith stated that we should not want such Democrats on the DDC Board or in places or responsibility for the Democratic Party. Lyle Smith brought up examples of Democrats that supported Risek for DA that occupy elected non-partisan positions in Yolo County and on the City Council. Adrienne stated that she has voted for Independents and Greens for local non-partisan offices. She wants to hear more about Sydney's position on the State budget and social and environmental problems. Adrienne also stated that her litmus test is position on Unions. Sydney stated that she is strongly in favor of unions and would be hard pressed not to vote for a Democrat supported by a union. Lyle Smith stated that "Democratic action starts at the grass roots level. There is no such thing as a non-partisan election. We need to bring people up and groom them for higher office. Two years ago we lost this chance when [Republican] Jeff Risek defeated [Democrat] Pat Lenzi. Better Democrats go on to higher office." Sydney stated that she has Democratic values which guide her in her selection of candidates with similar values. She also stated that she has serious Democratic credentials. She was received by the California State Democratic Party for her stand on reproductive issues. "If my position [and views] was acceptible to Central Committee, why should it be in question here?" At this point Carl Schmid called the question and asked for a vote. VOTE Arun Sen called for a voice vote. There were yahs and no nays. The motion carried to make Sydney Vergis a member fo the Davis Democratic Club Board of Directors. YOLO UNITED The Yolo County Central Committee has the position of Executive Director with the job description, the Executive Director will promote, coordinate and help the campaigns of all Democratic Candidates in Yolo County. The job also states that the Executive Director will identify people that are willing to come forward and volunteer to work in Democratic Campaigns in Yolo County. Our region turns out more voters than any other. We have made substantial gains for the Democratic Party in this region. We have over 80% voter turn out. The goal is to turn out extra voters, that vote Democrat for Obama, Lois, and Mariko to counteract other regions that vote Republican in November. We need to put together a team that can register more Democrats in Davis and Yolo County. This team would work with the Democratic Party voter registration bounty program and they would use the bounty program authorized registration forms to track the registrations so that the Yolo County Central Committee would receive the revenue from this voter registration effort. Claire than explained how the use of databases have revolutionalized and reinvigorated campaigns across the country. This is at the neighorhood level where databases help mobilize volunteers for campaigns. The use of a computer, they have found, is best to get people of school age to volunteer for all levels of activity from the use of the on-line database to contacting people to mobilize. The Obama campaign was able to reach America across democraphic lines and build presence across the country. We are just riding on the Obama campaign coat tails into November. Claire went on to explain how maintaining a database has always been challenging. She explained how a database tool was developed on-line and a voter activation network was created and used for the Obama campaign. This database has been made available for the California Democratic Party and can be used at no cost by the Yolo Democratic Central Committee and Yolo United. The database can be maintained after the election. People are saying that it is a very powerful tool. Claire went on to explain that Davis Democratic Club has precinct leaders and if these people can be rolled into art of on-line database management, this would have Davis covered and mobilized for this coming November Election. Claire stated that the Woodland Democratic club is using this database program and has suspended itself until the November Election. This is so that the Woodland Club can throw its organization and membership into the sole goal of electing Obama in November. Leslie Marcus is the person in charge of the Woodland Democratic Headquarters. Yolo United has something to offer the Davis Democratic Club. Using the database, Claire stated that the club could grow if it helped develop the database and get 1000 volunteers to sign up and work for Democratic values and ideals. We could have a explosion in membership numbers after November. Carl stated that the issue confronting us is where will the campaign headquarters open in Davis. Carl passed out a buget outlining what has been spent at the campaign headquarters in the past. If we can get a handle on the budget, this can lead to growth as we channel our financial resources to direct the clubs way to success in November. The treasurer is Bill Julian, newest Davis Democratic Club boardmember. The Central Committee currently has $6500 in the bank. The central committee will help the local clubs open headquarters and Bill expects the headquarters to be the launching pad for all of the campaigns. He expects contributions from all of the participants to open the headquarters. Carl, Bill and Bob will get together and develop a budget for the Davis Headquarters to get it up and running and funded through the entire election cycle until November. Betty Wier stated that the DDC has never received money from the County Central Committee to fund the Davis Headquarters. We have received money from the various candidate campaigns. It was asked, what can the club expect to receive from Mariko and Mike Thompson? President Arun Sen stated that he wanted Carl, Bill Julian, Bob Bockwinkel and Betty Wier to work together on the budget. Adrienne stated that this is an election where you spend the money to bring in the people enthusiastic for Obama. People will come to the headquarters, because they are excited about Obama. Bill Julian then went into an indepth, detailed explaination of how to organize and how to use a campaign headquarters and what can be done with the headquarters. Basically, organize, phone, drive people to meeting places, collaborate, gather collective abilities, etc to work for electing Democrats to office. President Arun Sen concluded this discussion by asking Carl to bring a more fleshed out budget for the campaign headquarters. [Unspoken was that Carl and others would be looking for a campaign headquarters.] NEWSLETTER EDITOR Arun Sen placed the name of Sydney Vergis before the board as newsletter editor. MOTION/DISCUSSION Jim Provenza made the motion to make Sydney newsletter editor. Bob Bockwinkel seconded the motion. Jim Provenza welcomed Sydney to the board and said that he knew that she would do a fine job as newsletter editor. Bob stated that she hoped that the newsletter can go on-line, because we receive about 10,000 hits per month during an election cycle. There was discussion that Sydney needed software to create the newsletter. It was stated that the club purchased software for the newsletter in the past in 2006 and that software has been passed on to the newsletter editors. Arun stated that he will send a letter to Bill Ritter and Cecelia Greenwald asking for copies of this software be given to Sydney. Lyle Smith stated that may not be necessary, because he may have copies of the software. Adrienne Kandel then requested the board get back to the question of electing Sydney. VOTE Adrienne called the question. The board voted on whether or not it wanted Sydney Vergis to become the next newsletter editor. The vote was unanimous. President Arun Sen asked that the board members send information for Sydney to work into the newsletter. There was discussion by G Richard Yamagata that the fundraising committee and search for its chair be removed from the agenda. It has been over 2 years since the board asked to have this committee started and no one has come forward to fill that committee. Also, it was Richard's opinion that a fundraising committee is redundant, since the club already has monthly fundraisers that are general membership meetings and club functions. It was generally agreed that there is no interest in pursuing this committee. PUBLIC OUTREACH COMMITTEE G Richard Yamagata stated that Barry Wilson had spoken to him about interest in pursuing this committee for club activities for the betterment of the community of Davis. Barry Wilson had some ideas that he wanted to pursue. President Arun Sen stated that he wanted to hear more about this at the next meeting. KUDOS President Arun Sen formally thanked Bill Ritter, Cecelia Escamelia-Greenwald and David Greenwald for their work on the newsletter. Bill Ritter promised to continue working on the newsletter until Arun's term ended at the end of January 2008. Arun asked bill to continue for a few more months and Bill stated that if Arun really needed him to continue, he would continue until the end of April/May 2008. Arun gave his deep thanks to Bill Ritter for continuing beyond the date that he said he could comfortably edit the newsletter. He asked for and received a round of applause for Bill Ritter from the board at this meeting. Carl Schmid also thanked Bill Ritter for his work on the newsletter. Another set of kudos went from Bob Bockwinkel to Rick Gonzales, Carl Schmid and Pam Nieberg for their work to get the DDC paid membership above 300 paid members. Bob hopes to see the club above 400 paid members by the end of 2008. G Richard Yamagata asked for another set of kudos for Arun Sen, for his hard work at searching and finding another newsletter editor for the club. PUBLIC COMMENT There was no public comment. Our two remaining guests both said that they just came to observe. They were Ida Bryant and a Mr Millikan. MINUTES AND REPORTS FROM OTHER CLUBS The Woodland Democratic Club is on hiatus until after the November election. This was decided by that club's President Leslie Marcus. YOUNG DEMOCRATS It was reported that the club members were going to a training event on June 12. YOLO COUNTY BLUE They were concentrating on voter registration. UCDAVIS Campus Democrats The vice president was going to a Obama organizational meeting. The UCDavis campus Democrats was chosen Chapter of the Year by the State Democratic Party. A short summary of all of the activities done by the campus club was given to list why this honor was given to the campus organization. The campus club expects to continue its hard work for Obama, Wolk and Mariko in the weeks leading up to the November election. DAVIS HIGH DEMS It was noted that the imediate past president from the High School Dems was now working with the UCDavis College Dems as he was attending UCDavis this fall. YOLO COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE There was no May meeting. Jim Provenza asked for the meeting to be adjourned, having completed the agenda for the evening with 5 minutes remaining, before the library expelled us from the facility. Arun Sen adjourned the meeting at 8:55PM. These Minutes for June, 10 2008 are respectively submitted, G Richard Yamagata G Richard Yamagata PhD CEO/President VME Inc. http://www.vme.net/ http://vme.net/bcards/bio.html Phone: 530-VIV-VMEI or 530-848-8634 G Richard Yamagata is a member of the Davis Community Network Board of Directors, Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Davis Democratic Club, President of the board of Virtual Market Enterprises, Inc, Secretary-Treasurer of the board of the Davis Progressive Business Exchange and communications liason for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Chapter 169 and the Business Link of Woodland and Davis. For public service to the Democratic Party of Yolo County, Recipient of the 2007 Williamson-Weir Award ========================== The Virtual Markets ================================= Visit The Woodland Opera House at: http://www.vme.net/opera/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Davis Virtual Market - http://virtual-markets.net/vme/ Fresno - http://vme.net/fvm/ Reedley - http://vme.net/rvm/ Sacramento - http://virtual-markets.com/svm/ Vacaville - http://vme.net/vvm/ Woodland - http://vme.net/wvm/ "Pet, Vets, You, and Dr.Sue - http://vme.net/dvm/DrSue/ The thoughts expressed are my own and do not reflect the policies or opinions of DVM, FVM, GVM, RVM, WVM, VVM, VME Inc, DCN, DDC, WBL, DPBE, or IOOF. From jac07 at dcn.org Tue Jul 8 13:17:32 2008 From: jac07 at dcn.org (John Chendo) Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:17:32 -0700 Subject: [Davis Democrats] Gen. Wes Clark : Have Darcy's Back In-Reply-To: <20080708190008.25874.6231.qmail@omail2.sac.getactive.com> Message-ID: ------ Forwarded Message From: Wes Clark Reply-To: Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:00:08 GMT To: John Chendo Subject: Have Darcy's Back Dear John, Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times Last Tuesday, Darcy Burner, Congressional candidate in Washington's 8th district, had her home burn down. Darcy needs to focus on her family -- but that means she can't fundraise. Every dollar that we raise for Darcy gives her a little extra time to take care of her family. Show Darcy that we've got her back -- click here to donate to her campaign! Politics is tough. So when one of our own is down, we have to have their back. Last Tuesday morning, Darcy Burner, Congressional candidate in Washington's 8th district, had her home burn down. Darcy's 5-year-old son was awakened by the fire alarm in his room. He woke up his parents, and thankfully, the family escaped safely. However, Darcy's home was completely destroyed. At this difficult time, Darcy needs to focus on her family as they work to get their lives back in order. That's what she should be doing -- what any of us would do after a similar tragedy. But in Darcy's case, that means she can't fundraise, she can't campaign. And in an election as important and close as hers will be, every day she's off the campaign trail puts her at a disadvantage. She needs our help. Every dollar that we raise for Darcy gives her a little extra time to take care of her family. So let's step up and show Darcy that we've got her back. Contribute to Darcy's campaign today! http://www.actblue.com/page/havedarcysback Darcy is in a tight race and represents one of our best pickup opportunities in the House. She's going to be an advocate to bring our troops home from Iraq. She's going to stand strong to fight warrantless wiretapping and protect the Constitution. We can't let this tragedy stop us from adding Darcy's voice to Congress. Though Darcy says she lost "just stuff," she needs time with her family now. Help me give Darcy the time she needs. Every donation provides Darcy with more time to put down the phone for fundraising and focus on her family. Contribute to Darcy's campaign today! http://www.actblue.com/page/havedarcysback One of the keys to our success over the years is that we stick together. We take care of each other. I am so proud to have supporters like you in the Clark community. Thank you for everything. Sincerely, Wes Clark P.S. I've heard from many of you over the past week, and I can't thank you enough for your support. Now help me support Darcy by contributing to her campaign today! Paid for by WesPAC -- Securing America's Future. Contributions and gifts made to WesPAC are not tax-deductible for federal income tax purposes. Tell your friends and family about WesPAC -- Securing America's Future! Tell-a-friend! If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for WesPAC . This message was sent to jac07 at dcn.org. Visit your subscription management page to modify your email communication preferences or update your personal profile. To stop ALL email from WesPAC, click to remove yourself from our lists (or reply via email with "remove or unsubscribe" in the subject line). ------ End of Forwarded Message From jac07 at dcn.org Thu Jul 10 18:00:01 2008 From: jac07 at dcn.org (John Chendo) Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:00:01 -0700 Subject: [Davis Democrats] Conyers (D-Michigan)Floats Inherent Contempt for Rove, and Speaker Pelosi (D-CA)Shifts on Kucinich Impeachment Resolution In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Robert Wexler-Dem-Florida is a Congressperson on the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by John Conyers-Dem-Michigan, which is the appropriate House committee to seek impeachment. Our Congressperson, Mike Thompson, has stated his support for the impeachment of Dick Cheney. ------ Forwarded Message From: Congressman Robert Wexler Reply-To: Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:33:13 -0400 To: Subject: Conyers Floats Inherent Contempt for Rove and Pelosi Shifts on Kucinich Impeachment Resolution Dear John, Capitol Hill is buzzing today with major developments regarding our campaign for impeachment hearings for President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Just today, in what could be described as a perfect impeachment storm: > > ? Karl Rove once again thumbed his nose at Congress and the American people by > brazenly ignoring a lawful congressional subpoena to testify before the House > of Representatives; > > ? Judiciary Chairman John Conyers indicated his willingness to use the power > of inherent contempt against Rove if necessary; > > ? Rep. Dennis Kucinich introduced another article of impeachment on Bush's > lies regarding the Iraq war; and > > ? Speaker Nancy Pelosi was quoted today saying that the House Judiciary > Committee should address the issues that Kucinich raises in the House > Judiciary Committee. After years of work by so many of you, the time appears ripe to finally hold Bush and Cheney accountable. DONATE Conyers Opens Door to Inherent Contempt for Rove Karl Rove has simply refused to appear, as he is legally required to do. His actions, endorsed by the Bush/Cheney Administration, are a challenge to our system of checks and balances and Congress must respond to this type of outrageous behavior with appropriate severity. Today, Judiciary Chairman John Conyers courageously stated today that inherent contempt will remain an option for the House of Representatives so long as Rove and this Administration refuses to abide by the law. We must now bring Mr. Rove (and other renegade Bush officials) in compliance with the law. This is a defining moment for Congress: Will we continue to allow legislative power to be eroded by an out of control executive branch that ignores the rule of law - or will we finally put an end to this congressional capitulation and properly force Administration officials to testify in full view of the American people? It is time for Congress to hold Karl Rove in inherent contempt. I congratulate Chairman Conyers' positive move in this direction, and we must work to move other Members of Congress in support of the use of inherent contempt. Inherent contempt properly enables the House Sergeant of Arms to physically take custody of Mr. Rove and bring him to the House of Representatives to testify. How do you think a state or federal judge would react to a witness refusing to comply with a legal subpoena? The wayward witness would be arrested. Should the Congress of the United States be shown any less respect than any courtroom in the nation? Should the Congress react any differently than how any American judge would react? Absolutely not. We are long past the time for threats and negotiation. We must bring Mr. Rove in front of the full Judiciary Committee, under oath. No administration official - not even the President - is above the law. They cannot be allowed to redefine it at will. We must all appear when called or suffer the consequences. DONATE Speaker Pelosi's Shift on Hearings and Rep. Kucinich's New Article of Impeachment After stating unequivocally that impeachment "is off the table," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated to CBS News today that the House Judiciary Committee should address the issues that Rep. Kucinich's has raised in his impeachment resolution. Pelosi's words provide genuine hope for our cause of accountability for this Administration. We must use Speaker Pelosi's openness to new hearings in the Judiciary Committee to pursue aggressively the serious allegations against Bush and Cheney relating to lies about the Iraq War, the illegal use of torture, the improper disclosure of the identity of a covert agent, the political firing of US attorneys, and on and on. I again congratulate Congressman Kucinich on his continued leadership and work on behalf of this vital cause. This issue now reaches far beyond the substance of the Judiciary Committee's original inquiry regarding the firing of US Attorneys for political purposes. The crisis at hand relates to our most fundamental laws and of our Constitution. It is, in many ways, more serious than the Constitutional crisis surrounding Watergate ? yet the national media ignores the facts and ramifications of this renegade Executive. Congress has a duty to protect the balance of powers. Mr. Rove, Mr. Bolten, and Ms. Miers have taken actions that severely undermine these powers, and we should not rely on a federal court alone. The political tide begins to be turning and that is why I feel so strongly that we should aggressively push for inherent contempt for Karl Rove and impeachment hearings for President Bush and Vice President Cheney. Thanks you for your work and your commitment to our constitution. - Congressman Robert Wexler DONATE Paid for by "Wexler for Congress" PO Box 810669 Boca Raton, FL 33481 ------ End of Forwarded Message From jac07 at dcn.org Fri Jul 11 04:57:44 2008 From: jac07 at dcn.org (John Chendo) Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 04:57:44 -0700 Subject: [Davis Democrats] Don't We Owe Ted Kennedy Our Support vs. Bush's Threatened Veto of Medicare Bill In-Reply-To: Message-ID: ------ Forwarded Message Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:08:51 +0000 To: Subject: FW: Don't We Owe Ted Kennedy Our Support? with liberty for justice for all > To: jac07 at hotmail.com > Subject: Don't We Owe Ted Kennedy Our Support? > Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:48:23 -0400 > > [http://archive.democrats.com/images/small.gif] > > [http://archive.democrats.com/images/kennedy-medicare-caroline-1.jpg] Dear JOHN, > > Our longtime progressive champion, Senator Ted Kennedy, made a dramatic return to the Senate on Wednesday to cast the deciding vote on a crucial Medicare bill. (That's his niece Caroline Kennedy with him.) > > Sadly, George Bush wants to veto the bill. For Kennedy's sake, let's try to stop him. > > Bob Fertik > > > > [http://archive.democrats.com/images/aarp-medicare.jpg] > > > > Scene opens. The Senate floor. A surprise visitor walks in to thunderous applause? > > Sen. Edward Kennedy returned to the Senate chamber for the first time since surgery for a malignant brain tumor to cast a vote on a "Keep Medicare Fair" bill. A vote along party lines had stalled the bill a few weeks back. This time it passed with a huge bipartisan majority. > > Amazing, right? It's almost got the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster > > And like any great movie, it's got a final cliffhanger: President George W. Bush is threatening to veto this critical legislation! > > In honor of Senator Kennedy?s dramatic return, tell President Bush to Keep Medicare Fair for millions of Americans by signing the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008! > > The legislation that the Senate passed today would: > > * Ensure that Medicare patients continue to have access to care ; > * Improve prevention coverage and services; > * Improve low-income protections ; and > * Provide improved coverage for mental health services. > > As you read this, President Bush is likely hearing from the same folks that worked against Medicare recipients and doctors in the Medicare program during the Keep Medicare Fair campaign. That's why he must hear from ALL OF US immediately! > > Click here to tell President Bush to Keep Medicare Fair by signing the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 into law. > > Once you have sent your urgent message to President Bush, please help us get more messages in to the White House by forwarding this email to your friends and family. > > Thank you in advance for your help. I know that together we can Keep Medicare Fair! > > Sincerely, > > Barry Jackson, Online Advocacy Manager > AARP > > > > > ------ End of Forwarded Message From jac07 at dcn.org Sat Jul 12 23:59:46 2008 From: jac07 at dcn.org (John Chendo) Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:59:46 -0700 Subject: [Davis Democrats] Al Franken for US Senate: republican front group busted for bogus attack ad vs. employee free choice bill In-Reply-To: Message-ID: ------ Forwarded Message From: "Andy Barr, Al Franken for Senate" Reply-To: Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:33:22 -0400 To: John Chendo Subject: Coleman front group busted for bogus attack ad Dear John, Norm Coleman and his corporate cronies will stop at nothing to win. But we'll stop them -- with a healthy dose of the truth. For instance, the latest ad by the ironically-named Coleman front group "Coalition for a Democratic Workplace" attacks Al for supporting the Employee Free Choice Act, which would help workers organize unions free from intimidation by management. The ad accuses Al of wanting to "eliminate the secret ballot." This, of course, is an outright lie -- the Employee Free Choice Act does nothing of the sort. Even the Minnesota press corps has taken notice: click here to watch a local television station's 'Reality Check' (hint: the words "distortion" and "false" are prominently featured) . Al's never been one to put up with right-wing lies -- and when Norm Coleman and his cronies launch their smears, we're going to fight back, and fight back hard. That's where we need your help. This week, we announced that we'd raised over $2.2 million in the second fundraising quarter. Problem is, so did the Coleman campaign. And they've already proven that they're more interested in launching false attacks than they are in a real debate. So we're going to need your continuing support to drown out this kind of garbage. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO HELP US FIGHT BACK TODAY! For the record: Al's sticking by his support of the Employee Free Choice Act, and Coleman's corporate front groups only strengthen his resolve to stand up for Minnesota's hard-working men and women when he gets to the Senate. And we'll keep fighting back against the right-wing smear machine. But we need your help. Can you make a contribution of just $50, $25 -- heck, just $15 -- today? Thanks for all you do, Andy Barr Al Franken for Senate P.S.: Could you do me a huge favor and forward this email to everyone in your address book ? We can't let them get away with lying about this important legislation -- help us fight back! Paid for and authorized by Al Franken for Senate This email was sent to jac07 at dcn.org. To unsubscribe, go to: http://www.alfranken.com/unsubscribe ------ End of Forwarded Message ------ End of Forwarded Message From jac07 at dcn.org Tue Jul 15 16:20:43 2008 From: jac07 at dcn.org (John Chendo) Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:20:43 -0700 Subject: [Davis Democrats] FW: Video Message from Speaker Karen Bass, to help California Democratic Party In-Reply-To: Message-ID: ------ Forwarded Message From: California State Assembly Speaker Karen Bass Reply-To: Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:06:16 -0700 To: John Chendo Subject: Video Message from Speaker Karen Bass Dear John , Last week, I attended a terrific Democratic Unity barbeque, where I recorded a short video message for you about what I think is at stake in this election. Please take a minute to watch it by going to: www.actblue.com/page/bassvideo Sincerely, Karen Bass Speaker of the Assembly Paid for by the California Democratic Party 1401 21st Street, Suite 200, Sacramento CA 95811 Not authorized by any Federal candidate or Federal candidate committee. ------ End of Forwarded Message From jac07 at dcn.org Thu Jul 17 01:43:31 2008 From: jac07 at dcn.org (John Chendo) Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2008 01:43:31 -0700 Subject: [Davis Democrats] Wexler (D-FL): Sign the Petition to stop FOX Inc. from racist smears vs. Barak Obama In-Reply-To: Message-ID: > From: contact at wexlerforcongress.com > > Subject: Update on Campaign to stop Obama smears > > > > > Last week I forwarded you an important email regarding FOX's use of language against Senator Obama and his wife, Michelle. Many thousands of you joined the petition, and for that I thank you. Below is an update on that campaign that was sent earlier this week. > > With great respect, > > Congressman Robert Wexler > > --------------------------------------------- > > > ONLY 72,000 more SIGNATURES NEEDED: > > Over 428,000 people have signed a petition telling FOX to stop their racist and hate-filled smears against Barack Obama. If we hit half-a-million signatures, we can draw media attention and put pressure on FOX's advertisers. > > Plus, Robert Greenwald's Brave New Films released a video this morning documenting FOX's ongoing smears against Michelle Obama. Please check out the video, and then sign the petition calling on FOX to stop peddling racism?and then tell your friends. Just click here: > > [http://pol.moveon.org/foxmichelle2.jpg] > Click here > > Here's the link: https://pol.moveon.org/donate/foxsmears.html?rc=wexler2 > > FOX is shameless: in the last several weeks alone, they've "confused" Obama's name with Osama's, referred to Michelle as "Obama's Baby Mama," and called an affectionate fist bump by Barack and Michelle a "terrorist fist jab." > > Our partners at ColorOfChange.org will hold a major event next week to deliver boxes and boxes of petition signatures to FOX's headquarters. If we can deliver half-a-million signatures, other media outlets will have a powerful story to report?and FOX's advertisers will get the hint that it's not a good idea to associate their products with FOX's hate-speech. > > Thanks for helping to fight the right-wing smears. > > > > Paid for by "Wexler for Congress" > > > PO Box 810669 > Boca Raton, FL 33481 > > From jac07 at dcn.org Thu Jul 17 14:42:12 2008 From: jac07 at dcn.org (John Chendo) Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:42:12 -0700 Subject: [Davis Democrats] Dem Sen Campaign Committee; state by state analysis In-Reply-To: <296670960.1655352352@democracy.dsccdb.www.democratsenators.org> Message-ID: ------ Forwarded Message From: DSCC Rant Reply-To: Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:37:30 -0400 (EDT) To: Subject: Third-party attacks Table of Contents * Colorado: Schaffer Surprise <#CO> * Strong Democratic Fundraising Performance <#money> * Republican Smear Machine Roaring Back To Life <#smear> * Quote of the Week <#quote> * Alaska: Heating Up <#alaska> * Kansas: No State is Off the Table <#kansas> * Maine: Collins is No Moderate <#maine> * Minnesota: Our Favorite Ad <#minnesota> * New Hampshire: Third-party Attacks <#newhampshire> * North Carolina: Cutting Dole's Advantage <#northcarolina> Colorado: Schaffer Surprise Surprise!? Colorado Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer is embroiled in another scandal. This time, he's in hot water over an oil deal he negotiated in Iraqi Kurdistan when he was serving as a big-shot executive for Big Oil.? It turns out that the U.S. State Department had specifically warned energy firms against just these kinds of deals with the Kurdistan Regional Government, fearing the destabilizing effect they might have on the delicate situation in Iraq. It takes a lot of chutzpah to sign a contract against State Department advice in a country where American troops are squarely in harm's way. ? So what's Bob's excuse?? He claims that he "didn't experience any discouragement" from making the deal.? But a recent Huffington Post analysis of press reports from that time period found that government officials from George Bush on down all publicly criticized the arrangements before Schaffer's firm struck its deal. You can almost hear Schaffer stammering out another excuse:? Oh, you mean THAT kind of discouragement!? When you add this to the already festering Jack Abramoff scandal dogging Schaffer at every turn, you begin to understand how big an opportunity this race is for the DSCC and for Democratic candidate Mark Udall. There's a lot of ground to cover between now and Election Day, but one thing is clear: we're going to do everything we can to win in Colorado. Strong Democratic Fundraising Performance Over the last week or so, second-quarter fundraising reports have been streaming in from across the country, and the news looks very good for Democratic Senate candidates. In seven of the top races for Republican-held seats, our challengers actually outraised their opponents.? In four others, Democrats trailed well-heeled incumbents by only small margins. Click here to see a state-by-state breakdown of Democratic fundraising success. It's a rare thing for a challenger to match an incumbent in campaign cash.? But this year, we've developed the winning strategy and serious momentum to hold our own.? In state after state, we're shrinking the Republican cash-on-hand advantage, just like we did in 2006. The DSCC will make sure that cash-on-hand advantage all but disappears.? We had $17 million more than our Republican counterparts at the NRSC at the end of May.? You can be certain that we'll use that money to level the playing field for any Democratic Senate candidate who needs our help to win. Republican Smear Machine Roaring Back To Life The only thing that could prevent us from matching the Republicans dollar-for-dollar this cycle is the right wing's shadowy network of third-party organizations that make up their devious smear machine.? Terrified of losing their last shred of power in Washington, the Republicans are already rushing to resurrect the gang that brought you those Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. ? The latest news has Freedom's Watch, a vicious right-wing front group founded by Ari Fleischer, announcing that they are expanding their operations to include Senate campaigns.? They're hiring key staff from all the worst places: the Bush campaign team, the national Republican Party, and a couple of infamous right-wing organizations. Freedom's Watch is certain to have plenty of money because, under campaign finance rules, they can raise huge sums from just a few anonymous donors.? They spent $15 million on their launch campaign last year and have already spent more than $1 million on just two special elections in 2008.? Some even speculate that their final total this year could be more than $200 million. This could spell big trouble for our candidates unless we do something about it.? The DSCC can't level the playing field if Freedom's Watch neutralizes our fundraising advantage. Now is not the time to back down.? Our candidates need us.? The DSCC needs your help to make sure Democratic Senate campaigns have all the resources they need to stand up to the Republican attacks that are sure to come. Click here to make a secure online contribution.? It's the only way we'll be able to fight back against the attacks and win a filibuster-proof majority. Quote of the Week ? "We have no safe seats right now." - Scott Bensing, Executive Director of the NRSC ? Alaska: Heating Up Democrat Mark Begich, the mayor of Anchorage, launched his first TV ads last week.? The spots blanketed the state and focused on the Begich family's long history of public service. The latest polls show that Republican incumbent Ted Stevens, who has been hounded by constant scandal, only leads this race by 4 points.? The new TV ads from Begich are essential to closing that gap. Kansas: No State is Off the Table A month ago, we told you Kansas was on the brink of becoming seriously competitive.? Earlier this week, there was even more evidence for that when Republican Senator Pat Roberts took to the airwaves with a mudslinging TV ad slamming Democratic candidate and former Congressman Jim Slattery. Make no mistake, when an entrenched Republican like Roberts in a reliably Republican state starts launching attack ads this early, before the race even gets started, that only means one thing: Roberts is worried.? Very worried. Last month, one poll showed this race in the single digits, and it's probably even closer now.? We have a real opportunity in this race, and the DSCC is committed to giving our candidate everything he needs to win. Maine: Collins is No Moderate Republican incumbent Susan Collins loves to portray herself as the epitome of a moderate centrist.? Why then did so many Mainers have so much trouble telling her positions apart from George Bush's policies? Click here to watch our new video exposing Susan Collins' real record to Maine voters. The people we talked to were shocked to learn about Collins' tendency to say one thing and do another.? But they were excited to learn that Democratic Congressman Tom Allen is ready to take on Collins in November. The enthusiasm shows.? Last quarter, Collins only out raised Allen by a scant $56,000 .? That's a tiny margin for an incumbent in danger of losing her seat. Everyone agrees we need change from George Bush's failed status quo.? Our job is to make sure they know Susan Collins was a big part of these failures. Minnesota: Our Favorite Ad Al Franken's innovative campaign in Minnesota is seeing results. ? Franken is succeeding, in part, by airing one of our favorite political ads so far this cycle.? He asks one simple question: Should we be pouring our resources into Iraq or do we need to invest in the future of our own country first? Click here to watch Al Franken's recent ad.? It's my favorite so far. It's powerful stuff, and it's working.? Take a look. New Hampshire: Third-party Attacks Let's be honest.? The shadowy third-party Republican attack dogs are scared to death of losing John Sununu, one of the staunchest allies of the special interests that fund these groups. That's about the only possible explanation for the radio ads last month from Americans for Job Security that directly attacked Democrat Jeanne Shaheen.? These attacks were so egregious that the New Hampshire Democratic Party had to file a complaint to the FEC, asking the body to rule on the tax-exempt status for AJS. But not even these sharpened knives can slow Shaheen down.? She's been on the air with a TV spot of her own that emphasizes her experience as governor and lays out her plan to tackle out-of-control gas prices. Shaheen refuses to get dragged into the mud and the polls continue to show she's getting results.? No wonder AJS is worried that Sununu is going to lose. North Carolina: Cutting Dole's Advantage Last week, Democrat Kay Hagan announced that her campaign raised $1.6 million in the second quarter of this critical election year, demonstrating her strong campaign organization and her wide and growing support across North Carolina. Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole, on the other hand, has been burning through her campaign war chest.? Since April, she has spent more than $2 million on TV advertising trying to shore up her support across the state. ? Three months ago, Dole had 10 times as much campaign money as Hagan.? After Hagan's success and Dole's expenditures, that advantage has been cut to just double. This sleeper race is beginning to pick up steam. Now it's up to all of us to do our part so the DSCC can level the playing field as we charge toward Election Day.? This message was sent to jac07 at dcn.org. To unsubscribe from the DSCC's email list, please click here. You can also send a reply to this message with "unsubscribe" in the subject line. ------ End of Forwarded Message From jac07 at dcn.org Fri Jul 18 08:56:09 2008 From: jac07 at dcn.org (John Chendo) Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:56:09 -0700 Subject: [Davis Democrats] FW: Sign petition to House Judiciary Committee:Send Karl Rove to Jail for Contempt In-Reply-To: Message-ID: ------ Forwarded Message From: Robert Greenwald Reply-To: Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:47:35 -0400 (EDT) To: Subject: Send Karl Rove to Jail 1. Watch the video 2. Sign the petition Dear John, This sounds like a dream, doesn't it? Well, it's not. We have a unique opportunity right now to send Karl Rove to jail, but only if we take immediate action. All we have to do is pressure the 40 members of the House Judiciary Committee , make them hold Rove in contempt and send him to jail. We've never had such a direct opportunity to hold Rove accountable. No, this is not enough punishment for his years and years of crimes, but it's a huge start, and will send a very clear message to the entire Bush administration. We put together this video to explain the issues surrounding Rove's failure to testify before Congress, and why Rove should be held in contempt and sent to jail. Check out Send Karl Rove to Jail, and sign our petition to ensure that the HJC holds Rove in contempt. Watch the video and sign the petition . Today at 1pm ET / 10am PT, the first episode of Meet the Bloggers will air live, and Karl Rove will be the big topic of discussion with bloggers Marcy Wheeler, Liliana Segura, Baratunde Thurston, and special guest Arianna Huffington. The video will be featured on the show, so sign the petition , forward it to friends , digg it and go to meetthebloggers.org to send in your own thoughts, and join the discussion at 1pm ET. If you can't watch live, you can always see what was discussed on the show anytime you want at meetthebloggers.org . Yours, Robert Greenwald and the Brave New Team - From jac07 at dcn.org Mon Jul 28 03:36:08 2008 From: jac07 at dcn.org (John Chendo) Date: Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:36:08 -0700 Subject: [Davis Democrats] How the west will be won or lost on global warming-Western Climate Initiative In-Reply-To: <20080725225825.3604.3395.qmail@omail2.sac.getactive.com> Message-ID: ------ Forwarded Message From: Union of Concerned Scientists Action Network Reply-To: Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:58:25 GMT To: John Chendo Subject: How the west will be won or lost on global warming ? Urge Your Governor to Keep the Western Climate Initiative Strong Dear John, Can we cut pollution and grow our economy? Several western states?including California?and some Canadian provinces are banking on it. Working together in the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), these partners are building a new regional program to reduce the pollution that causes global warming. California officials are designing the state?s own climate protection plan to complement this new regional effort. If they get both plans right, California can expect cleaner air, more green-collar jobs, and more reliable electricity as we shift to renewable energy and clean transportation. But there are risks if the WCI gets it wrong. Please urge Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to ensure that polluters are held accountable! Sincerely, Erin Rogers California Outreach Coordinator Union of Concerned Scientists Subject: Limit offsets for WCI Dear Governor, I'm writing to thank you for your leadership in our state's participation in the Western Climate Initiative. If the WCI produces a strong plan to cut the pollution that causes global warming, we would benefit from cleaner air, more green-collar jobs, and more stable and reliable electricity as we shift to renewable sources of energy and cleaner transportation choices. The WCI includes a cap-and-trade program?a market-based system to reduce the pollution that causes global warming. I want to make sure that the final plan is as strong as possible and minimizes the use of offsets?which allow polluters to avoid reducing their own pollution by paying someone else to cut pollution elsewhere. Current WCI recommendations allow global warming polluters to use offsets to outsource a majority?in some cases 100 percent?of the emission reductions they otherwise would have been obligated to make under the regional cap-and-trade system. This is unacceptable. Please ensure that offsets are carefully limited to no more than a small fraction of the plan's overall reductions. Any offsets that are allowed should come from projects exclusively within the WCI states and provinces. By closing the offsets loophole, you can help our state profit from climate action, instead of outsourcing the benefits to other states and countries. Sincerely, John Chendo Take Action! Instructions: Click here to take action on this issue. Tell-A-Friend: Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this. Tell-a-Friend! What's At Stake: The Western Climate Initiative (WCI), a partnership among seven states and four Canadian provinces to reduce global warming pollution, released recommendations on July 23 for a regional cap-and-trade system?a market-based system to reduce the pollution that causes global warming. The WCI is grappling with the controversial issue of offsets. Offsets would allow polluters to purchase emissions reductions from uncapped sectors or countries, instead of reducing an equivalent amount of their own emissions or buying allowances from other capped facilities. Offsets have become one of the most contentious design elements in state, regional, and federal cap-and-trade systems. WCI'S PROPOSAL WCI's goal for the region is reducing global warming pollution 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. For each state that goal translates into a different reduction level. The WCI recommendations released on July 23 propose global warming polluters should be allowed to outsource a majority?in some cases 100 percent?of the emission reductions they otherwise would have been obligated to make themselves by investing in clean energy and transportation in our state. WCI proposes a limit on offsets that is unacceptably large. More... If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Union of Concerned Scientists . This message was sent to jac07 at dcn.org. Visit your subscription management page to update your personal profile. From this page you can change your email address, mailing address, name, congressional districts, email format preference, or add or remove yourself from various UCS newsletters, networks, and mailing lists. To stop receiving UCS Action Network emails, click to unsubscribe . The Union of Concerned Scientists relies on individuals like you to support our research and advocacy. Join us to promote practical, science-based environmental and security solutions. To ensure you continue to receive emails from UCS, be sure to add action at ucsusa.org to your address book. If you have general questions, comments or concerns about this action, send email to ucsaction at ucsusa.org We are committed to protecting your privacy, your email address will NEVER be sold or exchanged. ------ End of Forwarded Message From jac07 at dcn.org Mon Jul 28 04:17:26 2008 From: jac07 at dcn.org (John Chendo) Date: Mon, 28 Jul 2008 07:17:26 -0400 Subject: [Davis Democrats] Hey Message-ID: Hey, Barack Obama just made a big announcement about the convention in Denver. He will deliver his nomination speech in front of more than 75,000 people at a huge, free, open-air event outside of the convention hall. It's going to be an amazing event, and Barack would like you to join him. Donate $5 or more before midnight, July 31st, and you could be chosen to meet Barack backstage before the event and enjoy front row seats to history. https://donate.barackobama.com/denverconvention Thanks --------- A user has sent this message from BarackObama.com. The sender's name, email address, subject and message have not been verified. From jac07 at dcn.org Wed Jul 30 16:32:06 2008 From: jac07 at dcn.org (John Chendo) Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:32:06 -0400 Subject: [Davis Democrats] Hey Message-ID: Hey, Barack Obama will deliver his nomination speech at the Democratic Convention in Denver in front of more than 75,000 people at a huge, free, open-air event outside of the convention hall. It's going to be an amazing event, and if you make a contribution of any amount before midnight on July 31st, you could be selected to go Backstage with Barack: https://donate.barackobama.com/backstageinvite Thanks --------- A user has sent this message from BarackObama.com. The sender's name, email address, subject and message have not been verified. From jac07 at dcn.org Thu Jul 31 12:06:20 2008 From: jac07 at dcn.org (John Chendo) Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:06:20 -0700 Subject: [Davis Democrats] Barack Obama : Midnight Deadline for campaign finance reporting In-Reply-To: <172f9599d0a0d1379fe60687d40b0a1e@localhost.localdomain> Message-ID: ------ Forwarded Message From: Barack Obama Reply-To: Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:11:47 -0400 To: John Chendo Subject: Midnight Deadline John -- Midnight tonight is the financial reporting deadline for July. Once again, everyone will be sizing up this campaign to see if we can compete with John McCain and the Republican National Committee. Your hard work and generosity have gotten us this far, but the fact remains, our opponents still have a big fundraising advantage. They are very good at raking in huge donations, especially from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs. That's why we need to show the strength of our grassroots movement before the deadline tonight. Help prove that a campaign powered by people like you, giving only what they can afford, can go toe-to-toe with the Republican fundraising machine. Make a donation of $5 or more to support this movement for change. As you've probably heard, if you make a donation before midnight, you could join me at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. This year, we're opening up the convention the way supporters like you have opened up the political process all across the country. On the last day, more than 75,000 people will come together to be a part of history -- folks like you who have been building this movement from the bottom up. It will be an incredible event, and if you make a donation in any amount before tonight's deadline, you and a guest could travel to Denver, spend a couple of nights at a hotel, and join me backstage before I accept the nomination. Make a donation of $5 or more now . I'm looking forward to seeing you soon. Thanks, Barack If you do not wish to make a donation, you can still be selected to join Barack at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Learn more here . Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee, www.democrats.org . This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Democratic National Committee, 430 S. Capitol St. SE, Washington, DC 20003 Contributions or gifts to the Democratic National Committee are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Click here to unsubscribe from this mailing list. ------ End of Forwarded Message