We won a huge victory - From IAMREALITY

[seito]

This message was forwarded to me by IAMREALITY. The message was originally sent out by Democrats.com. For those of you that have not read it, please do. Yesterday was truly a Great Day.

...Visit the NEW Democrats.com blog community!....

We - the broad progressive movement - won a huge victory today in Congress.

No, we didn't win the vote to reject Ohio's Electors - but we never thought we would.

We did win the debate.
(C-Span: http://tinyurl.com/672p9 )

Our side won the debate because we talked about the fundamental basis of Democracy: the right of everyone to vote, and the right to have every vote counted.

Republicans could not challenge our facts. So they viciously attacked our motives. If you missed Tom DeLay's closing argument, you must watch it. It was pure poison - like everything Tom DeLay says and does. We're counting the days until his theft of the Texas legislature puts him behind Texas bars - where it won't be "Camp Cupcake."

But our champions did not wither under withering fire. They stood their ground. They stood tall.

What now?

First, Ohio is not over. There are two cases still in the courts. They raise crucial substantive questions that go to the heart of whether Ohio's election was fair or fraudulent. We will continue to track these cases, to make sure justice is done.

Second, Election Reform is not over. Every Democrat - and even a few Republicans - emphasized the voting problems that need to be fixed. If Republicans block action on basic reforms like paper trails, they will confront millions of very angry voters.

Third, Bush's "legitimacy" is not over. Millions of Americans know that he certainly stole Florida in 2000, and possibly stole Ohio in 2004. The dark cloud over Bush's head will not be lifted until the questions raised in the Conyers Report are answered. As long as Ken Blackwell refuses to answer those questions, Bush's second term will be as illegitimate as his first.

Finally, the pro-Democracy movement is not over. We fought for this debate against infinite odds, and we got the debate we demanded. We fought against the fear of Democratic leaders and the rage of Republican leaders, but they could not silence us or repudiate our cause. Our champions have stepped forward, and we will work with them until we guarantee every American has the right to vote.

Let's thank the Democrats who fought with us for Democracy - call 800-839-5276
Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones
Senator Barbara Boxer
Rep. John Conyers
Rep. Corrine Brown
Rep. Julia Carson
Rep. Bill Clay
Rep. James Clyburn
Rep. Danny Davis
Rep. Lane Evans
Rep. Bob Filner
Rep. Raul Grijalva
Rep. Alcee Hastings
Rep. Maurice Hinchey
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.
Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson
Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick
Rep. Dennis Kucinich
Rep. Barbara Lee
Rep. John Lewis
Rep. Ed Markey
Rep. Cynthia McKinney
Rep. John Olver
Rep. Major Owens
Rep. Frank Pallone
Rep. Donald Payne
Rep. Jan Schakowsky
Rep. Bennie Thompson
Rep. Maxine Waters
Rep. Diane Watson
Rep. Lynn Woolsey
The Democratic staff of the House Judiciary Committee

Let's congratulate ourselves for fighting all the way to the end.

Let's have counter-inaugural protests across the country on January 20.
http://democrats.com/protest

And let's meet in Washington DC with Progressive Democrats of America on January 21-23 to plan a progressive revolution in the months and years to come.
http://www.pdamerica.org/

Bob Fertik

[Patsy Stone]

1. No, we didn't....

Didn't you get the memo??? :evilgrin:
See you later!
:yourock:

[seito]

3. Damn, I did get that memo

Sorry for posting such optimistic rubbish

[Patsy Stone]

7. Well

just see that it doesn't happen again! I'm sure I'll run into you later somewhere. Don't we have some meetings to attend?
Thanks for the great, uplifting post. I'm so proud of us, I could pass a chicken! :)
NGU

[ClassWarrior]

12. Cut it out you two - you're gonna make me plotz!

NGU.

[seito]

20. I am sorry for this interruption

Please resume your regularly scheduled DU programming.

[ClassWarrior]

21. Hmmmmm...

Crackin' the whip at me, WP?? }(

NGU.

[seito]

27. Indeed

Must have been a subliminal message :evilgrin:

[seito]

18. Trust me, that can be painful

[seabeyond]

2. hey i was sent this email

dont know hwo put me on the list, but thank you. i have it marked. gonna go out and look at the site, looking really good and productive. more active, not so much whining or maybe just sees it a lot like i do. anyway thanks for putting this up, was looking to share here with others too

[fooj]

4. Representative Sam Farr stood for democracy, as well!

He is missing from the list! I am proud to have him as my representative!

[IndyOp]

5. Kick

[whometense]

6. Thanks.

Excellent post. Big picture, big picture.

[sabra]

8. IAMREALITY - you are still here in spirit! n/t

[nancyharris]

9. Only in the Democratic Party

can you find people who claim victory in defeat. How sad.

[emulatorloo]

10. Only on DU do you find those snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

Now it is up to you to pressure Frist and Hastert.

Now it is up to you to pressure the Dems to follow through.

Here' s a good thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x261963

[ClassWarrior]

13. No, you find that in the RepubliCON party too - and on any winning team.

WINNING IS ATTITUDE. Didn't you listen to your coaches in high school? No? How sad.

NGU>

[nancyharris]

14. Ha!

Any coach that tells their team that they won, when in fact they lost horribly, is unlikely to remain a coach for long. A team will never win if they don’t know how to play the game!

[FreepFryer]

17. I have read your post and much like it. -- Moses Hadas

[ClassWarrior]

19. And a coach that doesn't praise his team's victories, large or small...

...whether the game is won or lost, is also unlikely to remain a coach for long. We had a VICTORY yesterday - and only the magnitude of it is in question.

What's more, it doesn't take a good coach to notice that our friends in Congress have learned to play the game better in the past 4 years. And despite your implication, you don't just suddenly "know how to play" a game; you have to learn it, sometimes little by little. Our team done good.

NGU.

[nancyharris]

22. Good Luck

And enjoy that Kool-Aid.

[ClassWarrior]

23. Wow, what an eloquent arguement.

<LMFAO>

NGU.

[seito]

35. When drinking Kool Aid

Always go with purple or blue

[bunny planet]

36. oh snap!

NGU!

[Der Blaue Engel]

46. I AM NOT DEFEATED

We are only defeated if we accept defeat.

When the other fucking team cheats and waves the ball around in the air over your head, and one team member on your side risks getting the snot beaten out of her to shout "THEY CHEATED AND I SAW IT!" while many other team members who didn't see it directly but are very worried that it happened rally around her...

...and the other team then laughs in your face and says you deserve to lose because the people on your team can't afford nice uniforms like theirs, and besides, most of you that got cheated are {insert racial, homophobic, or anti-semitic/muslim/atheist/pagan epithet here}...

...and you know that the school board are mostly relatives of the cheaters and aren't going to do anything...

...but you go before the school board anyway, knowing you're going to get shot down, and you vow to expose their cheating, lying ways and their connections to the school board, no matter how fucking long it takes you, and a whole bunch of other people out in the schoolyard hear what's going on for the first time and come out to watch...

THAT, my friend, is A FUCKING VICTORY!!!!!

[oneold1-4u]

11. Keep list for future

These people will be the ones to help others to "begin" to understand where we are and where we must go to remain "The United States of America". They should become speakers in every college, university, and special fund raising events for every BLUE organization. We need them even more than money. We don't need minds that can be bought! That is RED territory!

[Cheswick2.0]

15. nah

there was a tiny bit of relief yesterday. I think those that voted against the ohio electors. But the power democrats have they refuse to use. Nothing will be done.

[seito]

25. Do you really think so?

Children 50 years from now will be reading about what we did yesterday and how it was the first step in the downfall of Bush** and his evil empire. Our grandchildren will learn of heroes such as Rep Conyers, Rep Tubbs-Jones, Rep Waters, and Senator Boxer. All of the individuals that stood up yesterday launched the new American civil rights movement.

For those that say it was too little too late, did you actually listen to the words spoken? Did you see the tears in their eyes as they spoke? The Senate was not absent yesterday.

The Democrats in Congress have very little power. We have the power. I think that it will be my personal mission to become very familiar with the office staff of the House and Senate majority leaders. I hope that we all decide to be a major pain in the *ss until they decide to hear us.

Yesterday was just the beginning.

[Cheswick2.0]

28. how will they get the votes to change anything?

they don't have the power to change anything. The power they have they are afraid to use in case someone might call them left wing.
Congrats to those who stood up, one in the senate and 33 in the congress. But even they don't understand the scope of the problem.

[seito]

29. We put pressure on all of our representatives

I believe that the days of 90%+ incumbency rates in Congress are over. The days of monopoly by the corporate media are numbered. The days of Americans living in complete oblivion to what is happening in our government is history.

We are few in number, but our movement is growing. My greatest fear is that activists will lose faith. Make no mistake, what happened yesterday is because of what we did.

My faith does not rest with any one person. My faith stems from the potential that I see in all of us. On Nov 3rd, I was a Doomsday prophet. Fortunately for me, that day is past. I would hate to have to live without faith and hope.

I believe.

[Blue_In_AK]

32. Seito, I think I've said this before....

....but I really like you. :toast:

[seito]

40. Hey Blue

I like you too :pals:

Thanks :)

[Blue_In_AK]

44. Awwwww............ :-)

[bunny planet]

39. How about for starters, starting to bug the SOState in each of our

respective states about our wishes for NO electronic machines without paper trails. Great beginning yesterday. I am proud to have been a part of making it a happen.
NGU

[FreepFryer]

16. Hear, Hear! (n/t)

[PATRICK]

24. We won one grim battle

with little significance toward a decisive outcome in the future. So there was no miraculous or hidden miracle. At least we pried it out into the open.

The humiliation and degradation of NO serious media headlining or coverage continues, nor did those who spoke out seem to demand that limelight anyway. Nor was there renewed hope that the stonewalling of evidence and challenges has been broken in any way.

I would toss out the high and low scores here and go for the position that takes the moderate and select challenges and calls for reform for exactly what they are. You can balance out what was said- heroically doing their jobs- by certain Dems- against the opposition of everyone else to even touch the truth and against the wasted time and compromises and continued bullheaded electoral suicide of the loyal opposition party.

It was one behemoth to move that should have been totally on the roll years ago- and is not yet at all and with greater odds stacking up. yet we detect movement and it is vital to keep pushing for the momentum that must come sooner rather than later.

I agree with your good points. It is just a long way till they prevail and the damage and the peril mounts as well.

[ClassWarrior]

31. Yes, it's a long hard slog - but I'm up to it. Are you?

Any battle for Progressive values is worth fighting through thick and thin, dontcha think?

NGU.

[PATRICK]

33. Any and all

since they are fundamentally basic for our individual and species survival. The spiritual lines have been drawn black and white by the other side. Their choice. Their mistake.

[keepthemhonest]

26. Seito

thanks for posting that. Say hi to I am reality for us!

I have been going to the PDA website regularly and jsut went there to down load the voting right kit,so I can help teach others.

Thanks to all

[seito]

30. Thanks to you my friend

I will pass the message along, although I believe that he reads this board regularly.

[bunny planet]

34. You closet optimists are making me crazy!!!!!

w00t!!!!
:hi:

[seito]

37. Now, cut that out

Everyone is always trying to out me. When it comes to optimism, don't ask don't tell is the best policy, especially here at DU. :scared:

[bunny planet]

41. most def.

shhhhhhhhhhhush!

[bunny planet]

42. I've noticed most of them come out after midnight. but .............

shuuuuuuuush!

[keepthemhonest]

45. Do yo think they are onto

us seito.Whoops?

[seito]

47. Thanks to BUNNY

I think this cat is out of the bag

Thanks A Lot

edit:dang, still can't spell

[bunny planet]

49. LOL

[Jo March]

38. Excellent post! And for those of you who want to continue the fight

Come on over to our thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=262387&mesg_id=262387

We have gotten together a list of action items and now we are looking for a few good volunteers. Anyone who wants to offer solutions instead of more problems is welcome!

You guys rock! :yourock:

[seito]

43. Excellent Arnheim

Thanks

[Jo March]

48. Smoooooch to seito!

:)