Tricounty DFA Update: Congratulatory Messages, Gillibrand in DC Already, Much Furor Over Dean
Hello Everyone!

Hope you are all getting rested up for your exertions and celebrations!


In This Update:

1. A Delightful Congratulatory Message
2. Rep.-Elect Gillibrand In D.C.
3. Parker, Conason, More on Dean and Victorious 50 State Strategy
4. Dean Called To Advise Labor, Liberals
5. Dean Under Attack
6. A New Call For Letter Writing: Defend Chairman Dean
7. Friday Night Film Fest
8. Baffling Comments
9. On the lighter Side: Kang and Kodos


1. A Delightful Congratulatory Message

We've all seen the waves of congratulatory messages in the last week. This Flash animation Dick and Pat forwarded today is far and away the most charming I've seen: http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=1017817064360

2. Rep.-Elect Gillibrand In D.C.

If you are wondering what Representative-Elect Gillibrand is doing, she is at the school or "boot camp" for freshman members of Congress: http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=534929&category=REGIONOTHER&BCCode=HOME&newsdate=11/14/2006

3. Parker, Conason, More, on Dean and Victorious 50 State Strategy

The verdict is coming in from every corner from left to right: conservative columnist Kathleen Parker called it first and Salon's Joe Conason agrees: Governor Dean's 50 State Strategy worked, and far sooner than even Governor Dean himself expected. Parker declared Dean the big winner in the election:

"it was Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who really won Tuesday with his 50-state strategy. While others in his party wanted to spend money on candidates, Dean insisted on rebuilding the party's infrastructure... Dean spent millions paying and training staff in states where there was little or no party structure. The good doctor accurately diagnosed what ailed his party and produced the cure. He built the party, and the people came."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/columnists/orl-parker1206nov12,0,5684693.column

Salon's Joe Conason agrees: "What Dean and his organizers created, however, was an environment that allowed insurgents and outliers as well as the party's chosen challengers to ride the national wave of revulsion against conservative rule. "
http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2006/11/10/dean_dems/

Even Senator Joe Biden has now come around to enthusiastically endorse Dean's strategy:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/11/10/15556/039

One of the best accounts is on Hotline: "Three years ago, Howard Dean-style politics was too outré for the Democratic Party to bear. Today, arguably, Dean Politics is Democratic politics."

and "the architecture of Dean Politics has become the de mode style for the entire party. Dean promoted a vocal, confrontational style of campaigning, one that did not cede an inch to Republicans.... He rejected the politics of inoculation, pronouncing himself proud to be the talisman of the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party."
More: http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/11/post_120.html#more

Scott Gallidez provides some details on Truthout .com: Dean put paid organizers into Indiana a year before candidates even appeared. The belt way types in Washington were furious. Dean was "wasting" money. Election Day, the Democrats picked up three seats in supposedly impregnable Indiana.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/111306J.shtml

( The Governor himself spoke out on the Democrat's new agenda on Fox News: http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=16603 )

4. Dean Called To Advise Labor, Liberals

In fact the Dean approach to politics is so successful Britain's Labor Party and the Liberal Party in Canada are calling Governor Dean in to advise them on how he did it. That's pretty remarkable, because the Labor Party under Tony Blair has not exactly been an unsuccessful political organization. According to the Guardian:

"Labour is particularly interested in the Democrats' style of targeting grassroots voters through low-key meetings in homes. "We want to look at their experience in campaigning, getting out the vote, holding house meetings where people can come together ..."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,1945409,00.html (Thanks Drew!)

The British Labor Parties and the Canadian Liberal Parties probably were looking at what happened in New Hampshire, where Carol Shea-Porter beat a Republican incumbent in what had been considered a conservative Republican bastion. It was Dean For America's house meeting system that flipped New Hampshire from red to blue, creating the the social networks and human capital that Shea-Porter was able to call to victory while spending only around $200,000 in a positive, upbeat, affirmational community based campaign. http://concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061110/REPOSITORY/611100324/1027/OPINION01

What's best, Shea-Porter, along with all the other New Hampshire Democrats, are there to stay, because it's now a good blue state with Governor's Mansion, both houses of the legislature and both house seats in the hands of Democrats.

5. Dean Under Attack

Astoundingly, the usual gang of incompetent, inside the beltway or Manhattan, big name, big buck consultant parasites are now calling for Dean's removal. The leader of this pack of losers is none other than the so-called ragin' cajun, Jim Carville, who's last real claim to fame was the Clinton War Room 14 years ago. He's sold out repeatedly since then, apparently making tons of money in Latin America propping up repressive regimes at the polls.

These people's track record is horrible. Rahm Emmanuel hand picked 22 candidates to win on his famous "red to blue" list. 13 lost, including the celebrated Tammy Duckworth, who received a fortune in party funds to primary a well established, popular grass roots progressive, Christine Cegalis, who got 44% against Henry Hyde in 2004. With a open seat, Cegalis was likely to win.

6. A New Call For Letter Writing: Defend Chairman Dean

So I was not surprised to receive this message tonight, via 20True Blue, from Denise King, the Chair of the Executive Committee of the New York State Democratic Party, who came and spoke to us last summer:

"the Washington consultant class is once again suggesting that Howard Dean should be replaced as DNC Chair. The absurdity of it astounds my fellow DNC members and we are rallying to Howard's defense. We won! The other guys lost. We keep our Chair; they send theirs packing. "

"So, if any of you incredible letter writers have at least one good letter left, please send it to any newspaper you can to stand up for Howard Dean's 50 State Strategy. The only way to build the Democratic Party is to be active and contend everywhere. "

"Let's stand by our man!!!"

"Thanks so much---for everything. "

"Denise King"

As DFA we carry on the legacy and principles of the Dean campaign, so it is up to us to write those letters:

Send a letter to the Post Star at: http://www.poststar.com/contact/form_letter.php
The Chronicle: chronicl@loneoak.com

All other area papers through the AAUW Two-Minutes activist page: http://capwiz.com/aauw/dbq/media/?azip=12801&search.x=23&search.y=12&command=zipresult

7. Friday Night Film Fest

The Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe's Friday Night Progressive Film Fest continues at 8pm with:

Nov 17 SIR! NO SIR! *PREMIERE* (2006) David Zeiger 88 min.
In the 1960’s an anti-war movement emerged that altered the course of history. This movement didn’t take place on college campuses, but in barracks and on aircraft carriers. It flourished in army stockades, navy brigs and in the dingy towns that surround military bases. It penetrated elite military colleges like West Point. And it spread throughout the battlefields of Vietnam. It was a movement no one expected, least of all those in it. Hundreds went to prison and thousands into exile. And by 1971 it had, in the words of one colonel, infested the entire armed services. Yet today few people know about the GI movement against the war in Vietnam. The Vietnam War has been the subject of hundreds of films, both fiction and non-fiction, but this story–the story of the rebellion of thousands of American soldiers against the war–has never been told in film.

8. Baffling Comments

I discovered after my last posting that more than a few of your were baffled by my comments about John Sweeney and DiCarlo's in Albany. I had assumed everyone knew about this, but apparently this was not the case. Mea culpa.

I was not indulging in a cheap shot, nor was it my intention to kick Mr. Sweeney when down. It is well known, and reported in the TImes Union, that our former Congressman frequented DiCarlo's Gentleman's Club on Central Avenue. In fact, he even had a former manager/bouncer on his staff, who he was forced to fire when his odd career path was exposed.

DiCarlo's features "lap dancing." For those who are not familiar with today's so-called "Gentlemen's Clubs" I refer all to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lap_dancing

I suppose taking shots at John Sweeney has become something of a habit. For some of us, this has been going on for a very long time. For example, in 2001, now almost six years ago, I tried to get the national media interested in the Willard Mountain incident, where then-representative Sweeney, after apparently having some drinks apres-ski, hit a power pole, stranding dozens of people on the chair lifts. No Breathalyzer was administered and the incident was covered up, only local papers carried the story. I emailed dozens of national papers and magazines trying to get someone to pay attention to the story. Only Michael Tomasky of New York Magazine responded with a small story. I think no one could see past the drinking aspect to the real issue, abuse of power. It was a very frustrating experience, as you might imagine.

That said, I expect this is the last reference to John Sweeney you will ever see in these postings, and thank God and Rep. Elect-Gillibrand! It's going to be good.

9. On the lighter Side: Kang and Kodos

On the lighter side, if you missed The Simpson's a couple of weeks ago, you missed this priceless Halloween sketch, the best part of which is now on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv885NgXCqg

Many thanks again to all of you! So many of you worked so hard!

My very best for a great week,

Larry Dudley
- posted by Larry Dudley @ 11:59 PM