Tricounty DFA Special Pre-Election Update!
Hello Everyone!

In this special pre-election update:


1. Election Day Candidate Reminders & Endorsements
2. Queensbury Debates on TV-8
3. Wednesday Meeting Reminder & Endorsements
4. RSVP For SiCKO
5. Ballot Initiative Message From Tim Merrick
6. Paul Krugman Must Read
7. Candidate Match Game
8. Friday Night Film Progressive Film Fest


1. Election Day Candidate Reminders


First-- tomorrow is Election Day and there are important races in most areas but I would like to especially remind everyone to come our to support the candidates endorsed by our local DFA groups: Mayor Valerie Keehn and Commissioner Ron Kim in Saratoga Springs and Councilman John Strough in Queensbury. Special mention should also be given to Roger Boor and Richard Sanford. Although they were not formally endorsed, they are John's partners in reforming Queensbury Town government, and to support them is to support John Strough.

Mayor Keehn was also endorsed yesterday by the Saratogian, making it three major newspaper endorsments: http://www.saratogian.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18987004&BRD=1169&PAG=461&dept_id=602475&rfi=6

2. Queensbury Debates on TV-8

Kathy informs me that TV-8 in Glens Falls will be broadcasting the debates in Queensbury tonight at 8pm and 11:30pm. Apparently their may have been technical problems with the debates over the weekend.

3. Wednesday Meeting Reminder

This Wednesday we will be holding our November Greater Glens Falls Area DFA-Linkup or Meetup at our usual time and location, at 7pm at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe on Exchange Street in downtown Glens Falls.

Obviously, we'll be discussing tomorow's General Election results, and the political year ahead, including the likely results of the DFA Pulse Poll for the Presidential nomination and the DNC's call for grassroots organizing. We'll also probably do a bit of planning for the SiCKO showing at the UU next week.


4. RSVP For SiCKO

You are invited to attend a SiCKO House Party/Screening on Wednesday, November 14, 2007 at 7:15 PM! Please RSVP at:

http://www.dfalink.com/event.php?id=24891

DFA has now teamed up with Michael Moore to feature a nationwide special event: local screenings of SiCKO followed by a live nationwide conference call with filmmaker Michael Moore himself.

What: SiCKO House Parties
When: Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 7:15 PM
Where: UU Congregation of Glens Falls, 21 Weeks Road Queensbury NY 12804
Admission: Free!

SiCKO is not to be missed! So please attend and RSVP right away at: http://www.dfalink.com/event.php?id=24891


5. Ballot Initiative Message From Tim Merrick

Tim Merrick sent out this message on tomorrow's ballot initiative:

"Dear Friends:

There has been some discussion and confusion about a ballot initiative that we will all vote on next week. Every New York State resident will be asked to vote because this issue requires an amendment to the State Constitution. An amendment is needed because the Forever Wild clause is embedded in the Constitution.

FYI, here is a section from an Adirondack Mountain Club notice:

“Since 1930, the Raquette Lake Reservoir has supplied the community with drinking water, but for the past five years, Raquette Lake has been under a ‘boil water’ order from the state Department of Health. To address the water contamination problem, the town needs wells on state Forest Preserve land adjacent to the hamlet.
“The ‘Forever Wild’ clause of the New York Constitution permits reservoirs on the Forest Preserve, but makes no provision for drinking-water wells, so a constitutional amendment is needed so the town can legally move forward with this much-needed project. The amendment was twice approved unanimously by the state Legislature, and it is now up to voters statewide to OK it.”

Constitutional amendments make people nervous, and that’s probably a good thing. I believe that these drinking water wells do not signal a danger for environmental groups and are not antagonistic to the original intent of protecting the Adirondack Forest.

I hope this information is helpful and timely.

Tim Merrick"


6. Paul Krugman Must Read


Columnist Paul Krugman of the NY Times is almost always great, but on the eve of an election, and the one year run-up to a Presidential election, today's column is particularly salient, which makes it the "must read" of the week: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/05/opinion/05krugman.html?ref=opinion

"I talk about the origins of the long right-wing dominance of American politics, and the reasons I believe that dominance is coming to an end. Then someone asks, “How can you be optimistic about the prospects for progressive change, when big money has so much influence on politics?”..."The public wants change. “If Americans have ever been angrier with the state of the country,” begins a new strategy memo from the polling organization Democracy Corps, “we have not witnessed it.”'

and,

"...But the Democracy Corps memo warns that “Democrats have not yet found their voice as agents of change.” Indeed. What the memo doesn’t say, but is all too obvious, is that one big reason the Democrats are having trouble finding their voice is the influence of big money."

He concludes"
"...I am worried.
One of the saddest stories I tell in my book is that of Al Smith, the great reformist governor of New York, who gradually turned into a narrow-minded economic conservative and bitter critic of F.D.R. H. L. Mencken explained it thusly: “His association with the rich has apparently wobbled him and changed him. He has become a golf player.”

"So, how wobbled are today’s Democrats? I guess we’ll find out." http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/05/opinion/05krugman.html?ref=opinion

7. Candidate Match Game

If you want to know if the Presidential candidates agree with you on the issues, there's a terrific interactive animation on USA Today that scores them on your response. You can also scroll colored boxes at the bottom under each candidate to learn their stance on a particular issue. Some of them are surprising.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/candidate-match-game.htm


8. Friday Night Film Progressive Film Fest


The Rockhill Bakehouse Progressive Film Festive continues Friday at 7:30pm with"

Friday Nov 9 7:30 pm IT WAS A WONDERFUL LIFE (1992) Michele Ohayon 82 min.
Michele Ohayon's award-winning documentary IT WAS A WONDERFUL LIFE examines the plight of America's hidden population of homeless women through the personal accounts of six individuals. Once secure in jobs and marriages, these women now live in cars or cheap motels and eke out a daily existence fraught with struggle and hardship. Underscored by somber narration from Jodie Foster and a haunting score by Melissa Etheridge, the women's powerful stories reveal the human tragedy of homelessness with fresh honesty and insight.


See you all Wednesday!

Larry
- posted by Larry Dudley @ 5:14 PM