Blogs from Sacramento's DNC Meeting Saturday, 1/22

[housewolf]

MyDD.com has several blogs from the DNC meeting that was held in Sacramento on Saturday.
Go here to read the complete entries:
http://www.mydd.com/

Here are some excerpts:

Fresh Horses -- today's DNC Meeting
by conchis

About a dozen of members of our local DFA group drive the 100 miles to Sacramentoto support Howard Dean for DNC Chair. We arrive at 9:00, just as things start. Once we get there one of the locals tells me, "We originally thought 80-100 people." But by this morning they knew there would be 400+ of us, and indeed we fill the 400+ seats in the room where breakfast is being held. While we eat Cal state Sen Joe Dunn speaks, a progressive who represents the conservative Orange County California, who was involved in catching Enron with their hands in my wallet. The Reverend Al Sharpton enters, to applause, interrupting Joe. Ultimately Joe Dunn's highminded speech about freedom and justice receives a standing ovation at the end.

Sharpton begins speaking.
<snip>


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Live from Sacramento
by JollyBuddah

I met the Rev. Al Sharpton and got a chuckle out of him when I said I thought it was time for the Black Congressional Caucus to move to the front of the bus, and time for the DLC to move to the back of the bus. Without furthur ado, here is his speech:

"I want to congratulate the State of California for giving us the most courageous Senator of all time Sen. Boxer. When voters were disenfranchised in Ohio, the Democratic party was trampled, people didn't have the courage to discuss it, Bush was talking about freedom and they wouldn't even discuss it. Boxer stood up by herselff and said "Let freedom ring."

Barbara Boxer is a profile in courage. She came back during the Senate confirmation hearings and wouldn't let Rice off the hook. Condelizza Rice is my color, but Barbara Boxer is my kind. I'm not running for chair, but if you get out of your chairs once more I just might."

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Noise Machine Pushing Ideology Into Race For Chair
by Chris Bowers

<snip>

Note what Migden did not mention--ideological splits, or moving left / right / center. For her, selecting a chair is about strategy and organization. Now, check out what the non-DNC member quoted in the article had to say:
"If Democrats could clone (Bush presidential adviser) Karl Rove, they would jump at the opportunity -- as long as they could give him an ideology transplant," said political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe. "The question is: Do you want someone to raise a ton of money under the new campaign finance laws, or do you want a great communicator?"(...)

But it's also a contest "between those who want to bring the Democratic Party back to its liberal heart and offer a clear alternative (to Republicans) and the centrists who would like to be the Republicans,'' talking more about heartland issues such as moral values and gun control, Jeffe said.

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[DaedelusNemo]

1. Things that pushed my buttons

That was interesting stuff.

"Next another Dean activist from Sil valley who represents the Dem wing of the Dem party. She worked for Montdale, she worked for McCarthy. She feels that in later years she has not felt Dems have represented her. Dean turned her libertarian son back to the party."

Which is exactly what i think needs to happen. Seperate the theocrats and big money from the rest of the republican party as much as possible. It's easy: Don't accept either religious control or corporate control of the government. eh?

"Howard Dean
Lays out his plan to pay for each of 50 states' Exec Dir, finance people, and 2 grass-roots organizers. For $250,000/year/state, it's worth it.
We will empower you to improve on the things you're already doing
...so that we can win Gov, Congress, Sen, and ultimately Pres 2008"

Which is strategically exactly what i think should happen.

"Rosenberg

The people need a voice in this political system
We've got to build a media machine
We've got to fight and win every day of every year.
End monopoly of Iowa and NH
People from the south and minorities must have a voice in choosing the nominee
Roe v. Wade
We're on the right side of history
We've been on top before and we'll be there again."

Also very good - specifically as far as the media and internet and voice of the people structural change is involved, and the commitment to full-country, full-time work. I would like to know more about the details of both Dean's and Rosenberg's proposals on dealing with the media and netroots stuff - is there any difference in them? If so, i would prefer Dean, but if Rosenberg is better on these points, i wouldn't mind him being in there long enough to make those structural changes, in spite of some of his policy positions, so long as i was sure he wouldn't be setting policy.

"But it's also a contest "between those who want to bring the Democratic Party back to its liberal heart and offer a clear alternative (to Republicans) and the centrists who would like to be the Republicans,'' talking more about heartland issues such as moral values and gun control, Jeffe said."

Since when are liberals against moral values? They're against imposing them on other people, of course, but so are most people - most of us would rather be free than in charge.

Is gun control a fundamentally liberal position? It seems to me that even liberals disagree about it amongst themselves. Certainly, it is more common that a gun-control advocate is on the liberal half of the spectrum - but it seems to me that has more to do with the fact that urban areas skew liberal, and the pressures in favor of gun control, mainly lack of space, operate much more strongly there than in rural areas. In addition, the pressures against gun control are stronger in rural areas; not just because of hunting, but the self-defense issue is intensified by the much greater distance (and therefore response time) from the police - and other people - should emergencies arise.

It seems to me that a sensible way to handle the gun control issue is locally. The federal government should have a gun control policy appropriate for, say, Montana, and the rest of the states add on as they feel necessary; and then the municipalities can establish their own restrictions on top of that. Yes, there's the argument that having a neighbor who doesn't share your restriction makes it easier for smuggling to go on, but face it: do you really think you're going to stop smuggling? Our transportation/communication network is more complex and globalized and multistranded all the time, and you can't control it. Concentrate on enforcing the law in your own jurisdiction.

[Eloriel]

2. Here's a speech he gave about how he wants to change the party

The Future of the Democratic Party
by Howard Dean
Remarks made by Governor Howard Dean on the Future of the Democratic Party.
Given at The George Washington University on December 8, 2004
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1208-38.htm

Here are a few other links I've collected on the issue of the DNC chairmanship:

TX likes Dean over Frost and Stop Dean Movement not working
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/1/24/1589/46881

Howard Dean (Interview)
http://www.rollingstone.com/poydean?rnd=1106358524223&has-player=true&version=6.0.12.1040

January 12, 2005
Dr. Dean Calling by John Nichols
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050131&s=nichols

Liberal Lion Needs a Tiger by Eileen McNamara
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0116-01.htm

Kerry weighs in on DNC pick, putting down marker for '08
http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Campaign/011205.html
Discussed here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1488355#1488770

Facing the Pain By Don Hazen, AlterNet. Posted January 4, 2005.
Howard Dean discusses what he learned from his grassroots campaign - and how, no matter how painful it is, change must happen in the Democratic Party.
http://www.alternet.org/story/20878