Jeff Crook writes: "This morning, I arrived at the polls at 7:30. It was raining, but there was already a line out the door, people standing under umbrellas, more people walking toward the school, cars parked (and stuck) in the mud. Cars were parked along both sides of the streets in all directions for a quarter of a mile. As I took my place at the end of a long line, buses began to line up along the curb beside us, and the windows of the buses were filled with curious, one might even say baffled children. One kid knocked on her window and mouthed something at me. At first, I couldn't understand what she was trying to say, so she tried again, "Are you voting for Kerry?" As an aside, my wife went to vote after I got home, and while there she spoke to one of the teachers, who told her that they held a mock election at the school yesterday - Results: Kerry 79%, Bush 21%."

This year, 163 statewide measures qualified for the ballot and are helping to frame policy debates for the progressive community, distinguish candidates, increase voter turnout and, of course, reform state law. Essential issues are at stake -- from minimum wage increases in Florida and Nevada to medical malpractice caps in Oregon, Wyoming, Florida and Nevada, from renewable energy in Colorado to employer provided health care and stem cell research in California. Go to the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center's Initiative and Referendum 2004 Election Preview for a comprehensive look at this year's initiative landscape. It provides a breakdown of all qualified measures by state, in-depth analysis of major initiative issues and trends, states to watch in this election, and an analysis of how this election compares to past years.

AP: "A shortage of at least 500,000 poll workers nationwide means many voters could face long lines, cranky volunteers, polling places that don't open or close on schedule and the chance that results won't be known until long after the polls are closed. Roughly 1.4 million people have been trained to serve as poll workers on Tuesday, about the same as four years ago, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. But nearly 2 million will be needed to deal with expected heavy turnout, huge numbers of first-time voters and unfamiliar touch-screen machines in hundreds of counties." Observers say the shortage is outrageous - an affront to the US democratic system. ""If the criminal justice system didn't have access to jurors, the criminal justice system wouldn't exist. Poll workers are just as important as jurors," said DeForest Soaries Jr., EAC chairman and former New Jersey secretary of state.

Mike Hersh: "Bush and Cheney base their campaign on hypocritical accusations that Kerry cannot protect American lives and trivializing or ignoring important issues. No wonder they try to claim they're the only ones who can keep us safe - even though they let terrorists operate in the US after ignoring specific warnings bin Laden was intent on striking. Bush and Cheney hope we forget that it wasn't Kerry who didn't keep us safe, Bush and Cheney failed on that paramount responsibility - and then failed to make needed changes to fix the problems. Either Bush can't do the job for America, or he refuses to do the job. Either way, it's time for serious leadership. It's time to end the blame games, the trivialization, the excuses, and the lies. We cannot afford four more years of more of the same. Bush is unfit to serve four more minutes. Bush whines that the job of president is 'hard.' Let's do him a big favor and fire him next week so he can find a job he can do."

The City of Brotherly Love Showed its love for John and Bill big time!

The Newshound reports: "Bill Clinton and John Kerry appeared today in Philadelphia and the local NBC News just reported that there were well over 100,000 people there. Video was shown from a helicopter and the crowd was massive filling our wide Parkway Boulevard for over five blocks which is especially remarkable for a mid morning rally on a workday. The AP (A.merican P.ropaganda) article about this rally downplayed it saying there were tens of thousands. Channel 10 News (Philadelphia)." People present at the event say it was electrifying, inspiring, incredible - many said the only thing that it could be compared to was the time the pope gave an outdoor mass in the city years ago.

Yahoo: "American expatriates in Germany are turning out in record numbers for the presidential election, spurred on by the German public, U.S. military commanders or a newfound sense that every vote could be decisive. Gary Smith, director of the American Academy think tank in Berlin, said U.S. civilians in Germany will be overwhelmingly pro-Kerry and the military less pro-Bush than in 2000. But Doug Clawson, managing editor of the military's Stars and Stripes newspaper based in Darmstadt, said it was impossible to predict how the military would vote this year. 'All we know is that the military has put in a lot of effort to make sure everyone can vote,' Clawson said. 'And these are soldiers who are going to follow the orders of their commander in chief whether it's Bush, Kerry or Mr. Magoo.' "

Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) was expected to coast to re-election. But now he's diving to defeat, due to growing voter awareness that he's lost his marbles. Last week, Bunning ducked a face-to-face debate so he could hide in the RNC propaganda studio and read off a teleprompter. This week, he ducked another debate on Meet the Press. Now he's mounting a ludicrous counter-offensive: "I can still walk, talk and chew gum at the same time." Unfortunately, that's the limit of his capability. When reporters asked about the Army reservists who refused to drive unarmed vehicles in Iraq, Bunning replied: "Uh, what are you talking about? I don't know what you are talking about." When told the story had been in the news for more than a week, he said, "I don't watch the news. And I have not read a newspaper in over six weeks. When I do watch some TV news, I watch Fox." Hey Jim - you'll have LOTS of time for that when KY voters elect Dr. Dan Mongiardo on Nov. 2! (drdan2004.com)

US Newswire: John Edwards stated: "There's a problem when our troops are in harm's way, fighting for a secure Iraq and our national security adviser is out on the stump campaigning instead of working. There's a problem when the Vice President is warning of a nuclear attack and the Homeland Security Secretary who has declared that he is separate from politics spends the bulk of his time traveling battleground states. There's a problem when there is a flu shot shortage and the Secretary of Health and Human Services is too busy advocating for George Bush instead of those who most need these shots. There's a problem when the economy has lost 800,000 jobs and the Treasury Secretary is out on the stump calling these losses a myth instead of focusing on bringing them back.... But I know how to fix this problem -- it's called Election Day. On Nov. 2, we're going to cast the votes to put John Kerry into the White House and we're going to nip this problem in the bud."

Boston Globe: "A recent Gallup poll suggests [Bush and Kerry] are running dead even in [Colorado], which offers nine electoral votes (the votes may be divided if Colorado approves a referendum next month [how convenient - just as Bush loses ground] to award its electoral votes proportionally). "John Kerry didn't think it was a battleground state. All of a sudden, the lights went on," said Federico Peña, former mayor of Denver.. But now, Bush and Dick Cheney have been forced to come back to Colorado to shore up their base, Peña said. "That is what is driving the Bush campaign crazy. That never was supposed to happen." While the Rocky Mountain News endorsed Bush, their own post-debate reader poll showed Kerry beating Bush by over 50 points - showing the widening gulf between the Bush campaign (including its media minions) and the people.

US Newswire: "The Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) last night endorsed the Kerry/Edwards ticket in the 2004 Presidential election. "We believe Senator Kerry will make America stronger, safer and more respected throughout the world," said AAPAC President Abed Hammoud. "AAPAC endorsed George W. Bush four years ago. Members of our community have strongly expressed their dissatisfaction with his policies." "We played a role in electing George Bush and we will play a major role in unseating him," said Osama Siblani, immediate past president of the group. "He has shaken the very foundations of this country with his assault on civil rights. And no one knows better than Arab Americans how negatively the Arab and Muslim worlds view the United States right now. That has to change if we are to have a peaceful, prosperous future," Siblani added.

Bud Beck writes, "No matter who becomes the next president, they will be blamed for the continuation of the conditions that currently exist. Because of that, the Republicans would be best served if John Kerry is elected the next president. Seriously, Republicans can best serve themselves by voting for John Kerry rather than George Bush. Need another reason? Consider this. If George Bush wins this November 2nd and the conditions do not begin to change until 2007, the election in 2008 will be not only a pivotal one, it will be the election that makes Hillary Clinton the next President of the United States of America."

Brett Marcy's article is typical of the ghoulish response of the Bushie media and politicos to the death and destruction left by this year's hurricanes. "As natural disasters go, last weekend's flood from the remnants of Hurricane Ivan couldn't have come at a better time for President Bush, some political analysts say... This year, the floods that ravaged almost every corner of PA could be Bush's saving grace, according to some political experts. Philadelphia political analyst Larry Ceisler[said] : 'It gives the president a chance to shine. If he can come in and if he shows empathy ... that's how you touch people. This is the power of incumbency.' " So instead of a national tragedy, the disaster is a "political opportunity." Instead of viewing the presence of a president at the scene of a disaster as PART OF HIS JOB, it's suddenly a "chance to shine."

In its neverending efforts to drum up negative headlines for Kerry, MSNBC has, ironically, just admitted that it is BUSH, not Kerry, who is driving Campaign 2004 into the slime pits. While the media keeps trying to support the case that "both sides" are slinging mud equally, the facts don't support this. As MSNBC reports: "The rap on [Kerry campaign advisor] Mary Beth Cahill, even inside the presidential campaign she administers, is that she is too reserved--a schoolmarmish sort who rules with icy glances, who frets overmuch about "going negative" and who, therefore, is the wrong person to guide the fortunes of Sen. John Kerry during this hypernasty political season." Yet MSNBC, CNN, FOX, Washington Post, etc. ad nauseum, continue to try to to help Bush by pushing the phony "it's six of one half dosen of the other" story.

Common Dreams reports that Robert Hickey, the author of "No Holiday For Missouri's Outsourced Workers: Outsourcing, Executive Campaign Contributions and the 2004 Presidential Election" said today: "The report looks at all companies that have been approved for the federal Trade Adjustment Assistance program for sending Missouri jobs overseas since January 2001 when Bush became president. For each company, the political contributions made by the CEO and the directors were collected from the Center for Responsive Politics. When contributions to Bush and Kerry were compared, the company CEOs gave more than 13 times as much money to Bush as to Kerry. In other words, the corporate leaders that are shipping Missouri jobs to China and Mexico strongly prefer Bush as president."

E.J. Dionne writes, "How could such a terrible month be a setup for a Kerry comeback? The answer lies in the word 'overkill.' If there is one thing that came through clearly to the broader public from last week's convention, it is that Republicans were out to frighten the country about Kerry's ability to lead in dangerous times. They were willing to say almost anything and were perfectly happy to distort Kerry's record. Convention speakers were, by turn, sarcastic, ferocious and mean.... There is a great advantage in politics to the candidate who is seen as fighting against attacks rather than launching them. 'The other side,' says top Kerry strategist Tad Devine, 'has opened the door so much for us that we are in a very strong position to counterpunch.' Devine's comments suggest that Kerry's campaign is about to get a lot more aggressive -- and none too soon, in the eyes of worried Democrats."

The latest strategy by Bush's top thug, Karl Rove is not only to attack Kerry viciously in some key areas, thereby appealing to the rightwing core, but to also try to imply that Bush and Kerry "are the same" in other key areas, thereby "validating" the propaganda of the Naderites and pushing the undecided toward Bush. So Rove and his corporate campaign goons claim that Kerry's plan for, say, Iraq is pretty much just like Bush's - they only differ in the details. Ah, but as they say: the Devil is in the details!

You can bet that these same CEOs are cheering on their GOP supporters this week, hoping for four more years of ruining the lives and dreams of workers and adding yet more ill-gotten feathers to their own nests. "Average CEO compensation at the 50 firms outsourcing the most service jobs increased by 46% in 2003, compared to a 9% average increase for all CEOs at the 365 large companies surveyed by Business Week. Top outsourcers earned an average of $10.4 million in 2003, 28% more than the average CEO compensation of $8.1 million. From 2001 to 2003, the top 50 outsourcing CEOs earned $2.2 billion while sending an estimated 200,000 jobs overseas." NOTE: this article goes on to imply that outsourcing companies gave equally to Dems and GOP, but in fact outsourcers gave far, far more to Bush. But that hasn't stopped the media and rightwing bloggers from aggressively disseminating this misinformation, Swift Boat scam-style.

The Observer "In the swing states things are falling apart. If the election were held tomorrow, many experts believe Kerry would win. The Republican advantage in fundraising has evaporated. Kerry matches Bush dollar for dollar. There are signs of trouble across the country. A recent rally of war veterans in the Republican stronghold of Cincinnati in the key battleground state of Ohio should have been a happy home for Bush [but when] a man in the crowd tried to start a chorus of 'Four more years!', the cry fell flat. Only a few voices replied and the chant quickly died out.... Bush pulled in a crowd, but many were drawn by his celebrity, not his politics. Susan Adomanis brought her young daughter to see the President, but said firmly: 'I am pro-Kerry. He's better on things like education and the economy.' ... It is the same all over the swing states. In Ohio, Kerry was ahead of Bush by 9 per cent. In Florida, decided by a few hundred contested votes in 2000, Kerry leads by 6 per cent."

Common Dreams: "MoveOn PAC will host a star-studded, sold out, gala Tuesday, August 24 called "10 Weeks: Don't Get Mad, Get Even!" highlighted by a new TV ad campaign featuring the work of notable American film directors and actors including Matt Damon, Scarlett Johanssen, Kevin Bacon, Woody Harrelson, Al Franken and Rebecca Romijn, Rob Reiner and Richard Linklater.During each of the next ten weeks, Moveon PAC will announce a new grassroots initiative in its campaign to elect John Kerry. Entertainment at the event will include musical performances by The Roots, Moby, Natalie Merchant and Perry Farrell, appearances by Howard Dean, Al Franken, MoveOn PAC Executive Director Eli Pariser, Kevin Bacon, Richard Linklater and many others. Janeane Garofalo will host

"90 days ago, UnlockingAutism.org issued seven questions to both the Bush-Cheney and Kerry-Edwards campaigns. We estimate that there are 10,000,000 people of voting age in the United States alone with a loved one with autism in their life. While the issues pertaining to autism shouldn't be your final reason for selecting a candidate, we thought you would want to know if the epidemic was even on the candidate's radar screen. 90 days passed and only one candidate responded." Hint: his initials are JFK.

"When conservatives gathered in the nation's capital last Wednesday for a panel discussion on the 2004 election, they certainly didn't leave with good news about Bush's re-election hopes. Even the conservative member of the panel said Republicans weren't excited by Bush. 'For all the talk about polarization, I find a startling agreement [from] everybody I talk to,' syndicated columnist Robert Novak told the audience. 'Nobody seems to like George Bush very much. The Democrats I talk to hate him and the Republicans aren't very enthusiastic about him.'... 'If George W. Bush loses this election, you are going to find an implosion in the Republican Party,' Novak said. 'The Christian conservatives will be blamed, unfairly I think, by people who don't want them in the party.'"

Guardian columnist Philip James has slurped up and recycyled the tired old rumor about MoveOn.org that Bush & Co. have so systemmatically fed to the public: that somehow MoveOn is connected directly to the Kerry campaign, and that their relentless criticism of Bush is motivated by Kerry. MoveOn started up its assault on the Bush illegal presidency LONG before Kerry ever threw his hat into the ring. They were outraged by the stolen election and, subsequently, by Bush's attacks on all America once held dear. The group's desire to expose Bush would have helped ANYONE who ran against Bush. The only reason MoveOn is suddenly being lumped in as "soft money" is because it is an election year. Does this mean you're not allowed to criticize a Pres. during an election year? Is grassroots dissent now allowed only three years out of every four?

On May 7 2004, the residents of Cuba City, Wisconsin, were excited. George Bush's bus caravan would be going right through their town. Surely he would make a stop in the "City of Presidents". Children were let out of school. Funerals were postponed. But George Bush's bus blew right through at 40 mph. On August 3, John Kerry's bus tour detoured off its route, and Senator Kerry got out of his bus to talk to the people gathered to meet him. Who will the voters of Cuba City vote for? The man who goes out of his way for them, or the man who says, "Who cares what you think?"

To find a story about the importance of single women voter's in the upcoming election, we had to go to India! But it also underscores just how critical women are to this election, not just to America, but to women all over the world: ExpressIndia: "This November, female voters in the United States will affect the lives of millions of women around the globe. While this may ring of American megalomania, it's distressingly true." Without single women voters - the most underrepresented group at the polls - Bush could win. But if they mobilize against Bush, it will mean "more female politicians, equal pay initiatives, better retirement plans, expanded healthcare and public pre-school programs. If courted correctly, this swing group could go to the polls and halt Bush administration schemes to control reproductive choices and women's freedom at home and abroad."

Forget the pitiful (not to mention obvious in their desperation) polls by CNN/Gallup and the other Bushie minions claiming tepid support for Kerry! Kerry and Edwards are drawing huge enthusiastic crowds everywhere they go! And not just huge - record-breaking huge! "(Mayor Chris) Doherty said the estimated crowd of 17,000 was the largest he's ever seen at a political event in [Scranton, PA]. He compared it to John F. Kennedy's visit in 1960.".... In Grand Rapids, MI, "police estimated that 20,000 to 25,000 people attended [a Kerry rally], which would make it one of Grand Rapids' largest political rallies in recent memory. Hundreds waved blue and white 'Help is on the way' signs." By contrast, only 4,000 people turned out to see Bush, who spoke Friday only a few blocks away!

In this comparative critique of Kerry and Bush's campaign websites and Edwards former democratic presidential campaign website, Edwards' site was rated the best. Kerry's site, however is outstanding in its extensive issues and biography sections. The most important revelation in this critique, however, is something that visitors to the Bush site should know but probably don't: once on the site, they are hit with two tracking cookies. Kerry's site formerly had a single cookie, but removed it. The critic says that in general, Kerry and Bush's sites reflect the candidates: Kerry's is all about communication - Bush's is all about appearance and control.

Trying to make an issue of Whoopi-gate, Bush's campaign manager, Ken Mehlman, wrote a snippy letter to Kerry's campaign manager, Mary Beth Cahill. Cahill answered in kind with a wonderfully nasty note. Enjoy!

"Bush's re-election team drove up negative impressions of John Kerry during a relentless $80 million advertising campaign the last three months, but the Republicans failed to undercut the Democrat's standing as a viable alternative to Bush,"observes Will Lester. In other words, Bush has canceled out any net gain by appearing like a man with plenty of smears and no real message. Meanwhile, Kerry has held back, focusing on building a real message - a brilliant move. While Bush has spent three-fourths of his funds on smearing Kerry, he will have little left to try to construct a viable message in the last three months of the campaign, with questions raised by debates, Fahrenheit 9/11, the 9/11 commission, and failure in Iraq. That's when Bush's smear strategy will backfire and Kerry's carefully constructed message will shine.

Go to the link to see a Flash "Kick Bush Out of the White House".

Political activist Bob Miller, a registered Republican says, "Remember you heard it on WKRP first. The Republican Party is facing a terrible train wreck come November, and we know it. If the plan is to record the party's worst defeat in its history, then we're on the right track. There are lots of pilots in the Republican Party, but no kamikaze pilots. I'll not be surprised if the party dumps Bush in favor of McCain. It's that or total desolation." Actually, Miller was the SECOND to predict Bush could be dumped. Democrats.com said back in May that the GOP was considering McCain, and that is why they kept floating rumors of his VP chances with Kerry - as a way to put him on the media map.

From the rightwing World Net Daily: "Democrats in the U.S. House are cashing in on the reality-TV craze with the debut of 'Republican Survivor,' an Internet-based cartoon spoof making fun of the biggest names in the GOP. President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Attorney General John Ashcroft, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Rep. Katherine Harris and WorldNetDaily columnist Ann Coulter (sporting a bikini) are all featured on a desert island firing paintball guns in the first episode." Here is the link, enjoy http://www.dtriptv.org/

"An increasing number of current and former military officials, defense industry executives, and homeland security professionals have grown disenchanted with the direction of Bush's national security policies." Many are now rallying around Kerry, according to interviews with military and industry officials. Disillusionment with Bush among traditional Republican allies in the military-industrial sector is mounting, according to other members of that community" - largely due to the Iraq war. Top generals, including Eric Shinseki -- who in early 2003 was chastised by Rumsfeld for saying the war would require at least 200,000 troops and who was later replaced as Army chief of staff -- fault Pentagon leadership for not heeding their advice to deploy more ground forces before the invasion or to prepare adequately for the aftermath. They say Rumsfeld and Bushies ignored or belittled them at the expense of the Army, which is straining under the weight of the Iraq conflict."

"We'd rather [Kerry] were bolder, we'd rather he be stronger in many different ways," said Robert Borosage, of the Campaign for America's Future. "But...we're going to focus on the real threat, which is an administration that waged a preemptive war and brought preemptive tax cuts. Borosage acknowledged that 'a huge number' of the liberal activists attending the three-day meeting agree with independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader's call for withdrawing US troops from Iraq -- a position Kerry does not endorse -- but 'remarkably few' in the end will vote for Nader, who Borosage said was 'on a fool's errand' as he pursues the presidency again. Nader was not invited to speak at the gathering, Borosage said."

"Today, the Kerry campaign released a new interactive web feature highlighting what the experts are saying about Bush's misleading and negative ads. The feature, called 'Learning Your ABC's: About Bush-Cheney's Misleading Ad Campaign,' allows users to type in a letter on a keyboard, which triggers a quote from independent experts on how Bush's ads are false or misleading. After the Washington Post reported on Monday that Bush's ads are overwhelmingly negative and false, the Kerry web page will now ensure voters have easy access to what the experts have been saying about Bush's ads."

American Research Group: "John Kerry leads George W. Bush among likely voters in Ohio according to a survey by the American Research Group. A total of 49% of likely voters say they would vote for Kerry if the presidential election were being held today and 42% say they would vote for Bush. In a race between just Kerry and Bush, Kerry is at 50%, Bush is at 43%, and 7% are undecided." Zogby also recently showed Kerry ahead in OH. In response, a "new poll" was conducted by the Mason-Dixon Co (the name says it all!) that, like all Mason-Dixon polls at all times and in all places, shows Bush leading Kerry.

Eleanor Clift writes, "The Bush juggernaut looks like the Keystone Cops. What's going on would be pure farce, except it's tragedy because so many people are dying. Missiles slam into what Iraqis said was a wedding ceremony, leaving women and children among the dead. Israel is going crazy in the Gaza Strip, bulldozing Palestinian homes and shooting into a crowd of peaceful demonstrators. At home, gas prices are rising to an all-time high and in Canton, Ohio, a steel plant that Bush touted as a model last year announced it was closing, costing another 1,300 jobs in a state that has already lost 170,000 in the manufacturing sector. Surveying the wreckage, an aide to a prominent Senate Republican termed it a 'perfect storm of bad events.' It came home to Republicans this week in a way it hasn't before that Bush could lose in November... There is panic on the Hill among Republicans because if the bottom falls out of the Bush campaign, they could lose the Senate."

Hotline editor Chuck Todd writes, "2004 could be a decisive victory for Kerry. The reason to think so is historical. Elections that feature a sitting president tend to be referendums on the incumbent--and in recent elections, the incumbent has either won or lost by large electoral margins. If you look at key indicators beyond the neck-and-neck support for the two candidates in the polls--such as high turnout in the early Democratic primaries and the likelihood of a high turnout in November--it seems improbable that Bush will win big. More likely, it's going to be Kerry in a rout... Historically, when incumbents lose big, they do so for sound reasons: The public sees their policies as not working--or worse yet, as failures. That's certainly increasingly true of Bush today. From the chaos in Iraq to an uncomfortably soft economic recovery to the passage of an unpopular Medicare bill, the White House is having a harder and harder time putting a positive spin on the president's decisions."

Members of the media, particularly at ABC and NBC, have speculated about Kerry picking Republican Sen. John McCain as VP. Now Fritz Mondale suggests Chuck Hagel and a coalition government. We say, NO WAY!

Right-wing challenger Pat Toomey lost the GOP primary to Arlen Specter by a whisker - 51%-49%. "Toomey's supporters lamented what they saw as excessive support for Specter by certain national and local conservatives. Bush's campaign visit one week out from the election provided Specter with the footage for his most effective television advertisement of the campaign. The ad, titled 'Three for Pennsylvania,' featured the resident's enthusiastic endorsement of Specter... Also appearing in that ad was Sen. Rick Santorum (R.-Pa.), who has tried hard to style himself as the premier Catholic, [anti-choice] member of the Senate. Santorum lost many conservative fans with his zealous backing of Specter... Rodgers said he was not sure whether conservatives - especially pro-lifers - would support 74-year-old Specter in the general election." Alienated conservatives could bring defeat to Specter - and Bush!

Bush and Cheney never served in the military - Bush played at being in the National Guard, but the closest he ever got to combat was probably a pretzel fight in a local bar. These two cowards have ordered thousands of men into battle - hundreds of them to their death. They have not had the guts to admit to any mistakes, even when proof of grave blunders and outright lies is now irrefutable. Yet these two have the indecency to try to minimize and to smear the record of a combat soldier who VOLUNTEERED to fight for his country. John Kerry represents not just Vietnam combat veterans, but combat soldiers everywhere - including those now risking their lives for Bush and Cheney's lies. Now Kerry is firing back - on behalf of combat vets and active soldiers everywhere!

If you scroll through US Newswire lately, you will soon note a clear pattern: while John Kerry's press releases are filled with info on how he plans to effect positive change for America - right down to details as to how he will implement these changes, the RNC's press releases are nothing but smears against Kerry. No constructive plan offered - just sliming the opposition. While Dick Cheney spends taxpayer dollars to fly to Missouri to launch yet another pointless smear, Kerry is launching his Jobs First bus tour, to help generate a plan and hope for real Americans suffering from the policies of Cheney and Bush. Never has their been a more glaring contrast in candidates!

This Harvard survey of 1,205 college students shows that Bush is even less popular among college students (18-22, on average), at 38% support than he is with the Nextgen group (18-29) at 41%. (see latest AP-IPSOS poll). Even more telling is the fact that even the students who plan to vote for Kerry say that although they don't know much about the senator yet, they don't care - ANYONE BUT BUSH! Among college students, rejection of the Republican Party is increasing (from 31% last fall to 24%) while identification with the Democratic party is increasing (from 27%last fall to 32%).

"John Kerry, lashing out at the White House's 'twisted sense of ethics and morality,' accused Republicans of distorting his record and attacking his patriotism. Kerry, at an outdoor rally on the University of Pittsburgh campus, used an American flag and the national anthem to fire back at Republicans who charge he is weak on defense for voting against some weapons systems and an $87 billion bill to pay for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan... 'I'm tired of Karl Rove and Dick Cheney and a bunch of people who went out of their way to avoid their chance to serve when they had the chance,' the Massachusetts senator said. 'I'm not going to listen to them talk to me about patriotism.' 'I've seen how these people in the White House today, in their twisted sense of ethics and morality, don't think twice about challenging John McCain and what happened to him as a prisoner of war,' he said in reference to attacks by President Bush in 2000 on his Republican primary rival McCain." You go, Kerry!

A Harvard University Institute of Politics survey has found that "Sen. Kerry leads President Bush by 48 to 38 percent. Ralph Nader draws five percent of the vote. The 'anyone but Bush' effect has taken root - even those who know little about Kerry say they will vote for him in order to remove Bush." Among students, "Support for the war in Iraq dropped from 58% six months ago to 49%t. At the same time, Bush's job approval rating fell from 61% to 47%. Two-thirds believe it will be difficult to find a job after graduation, 57% support gay marriage. Identification as a Republican has dropped from 31% to 24% just since fall 2003, while the number saying they are Democrats has risen from 27% to 32% in the same time."

Boston.com: "Democrats, who less than a year ago faced dim chances of overcoming the GOP's 51-48 majority, now lead in the polls in all seven competitive races in which head-to-head public polling has been done, a trend that would produce a gain of three Democratic seats, in Oklahoma, Colorado, and Alaska.Control of the Senate could be critical for the next president. If Democrat John F. Kerry wins but faces a GOP-controlled Congress, it is unlikely he will be able to pass major domestic initiatives. If Bush wins reelection but is hamstrung by a Democratic-controlled Senate, he will have a more difficult time getting his judicial nominations approved."

"President George W. Bush passed his goal of raising a record $170 million for his re-election campaign, while challenger John Kerry raised more money in one month than any Democratic candidate in history. Bush raised at least $12 million this month through March 17, bringing the total for his re-election bid to $171.4 million, according to his campaign Web site. Kerry raised at least $20 million in March through yesterday, breaking the one-month record for a Democratic candidate of $8.4 million that he set in February, according to campaign announcements. Bush, the 10 Democrats who have campaigned to take his job, the national party committees and outside groups working to influence the presidential election have raised at least $623.4 so far, with Republicans raising 50.3 percent of the total and Democrats 49.7 percent..." Kos comments, "It's actually possible that Kerry could spend more money--at least legally--than Bush. Wow."

"Republicans are contemplating initiating criminal referrals against pro-Democratic 527 groups that are shadowing Sen. John Kerry's (D-Mass.) campaign against President Bush. Whether the threat of criminal referrals is real or merely intended to chill Democratic-aligned 527 activity is not yet clear. But in recent days, some Republican operatives, including a senior Bush adviser, have said they expect complaints to be filed directly with the Department of Justice (DoJ)... while federal election law permits outside groups to file complaints with the Justice Department, government prosecutors rarely take action without referrals from the Federal Election Commission (FEC)...under the new campaign finance laws, the stakes are considerably higher. Violators face mandatory jail sentences and fines." Hey Republicans --you invented the shadow organization game! Look at all those damn think tanks you set up. And the 527's that Tom DeLay uses! Ever heard of DeLay's Triad money laundering scheme?

Michael Kinsley writes, "The documentation on the GOP Web site about Kerry's supposed 350 votes to increase taxes lists only 67 votes 'for higher taxes.' Most of these are votes against a tax cut, not in favor of a tax increase. The 67 include nine votes listed twice, three listed three times, and two listed four times. The logic seems to be that if a bill contains more than one item (as almost all bills do), it counts as separate votes for or against each item. The Bush list also includes several series of sequentially numbered votes, which are procedural twists on the same bill. And there are votes on the identical issue in different years. The only tax increase on Bush's list (counted twice, but hey . . . ) is Kerry's support for Clinton's 1993 deficit-reduction plan. That's the one that raised rates in the top bracket and led to a decade of such fabulous prosperity that even its most affluent victims ended up better off."

"Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry wrapped up his nearly weeklong vacation in Sun Valley on Wednesday and was flying back to Washington to accept a key union endorsement and rally former rival Howard Dean and other party leaders behind his candidacy... He has a private meeting with Dean's congressional supporters and donors, then plans to accept Dean's endorsement during a rally at George Washington University, followed by the AFSCME endorsement. AFSCME, with 1.3 million members, is the second-largest union in the AFL-CIO. The Democratic chiefs come together Thursday night to recognize Kerry as the new leader of the party and raise more than $10 million for the DNC's effort to defeat President Bush. Kerry will be joined by former Presidents Carter and Clinton, 2000 Democratic nominee Al Gore, Terry McAuliffe and all his primary rivals except Dennis Kucinich and Carol Moseley Braun."

Mon dieu! The Republicans are trying to turn John Kerry into a frog. Bush pal and Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evans recently said publicly what his colleagues have long been saying privately: He called President Bush's Democratic opponent a "fellow of a different political stripe who looks French." Dana Milbank of the Washington Post at his best.

In 1936, the GOP, funded by big, anti-labor corporate $, backed oil baron Alf Landon. Armed with far more money than FDR, the GOP used the media to conduct a vicious smear campaign. It backfired big-time. "Roosevelt seemed to relish the attacks... maintaining that he and his New Deal protected the average American against the predations of the rich and powerful. Said FDR, 'Never before have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me -- and I welcome their hatred.' Roosevelt's supporters believed their candidate understood and sympathized with them. As one worker put it in 1936, Roosevelt 'is the first man in the White House to understand that my boss is a son of a (expletive.)' FDR won the election in a walk, amassing huge majorities in the popular vote and in the Electoral College." We predict a repeat of 1936! For more on FDR vs Bush see: http://www.fair.org/media-beat/020131.html

"President Bush's campaign is following an aggressive and precise 90-day media strategy to define Senator John Kerry as indecisive and lacking conviction, with a coordinated blitz of advertisements, speeches and sound bites, senior campaign advisers said this week. The goal, several campaign aides said, is to first strip Mr. Kerry of the positive image that he carried away from the Democratic primary contests and then to define him issue by issue in their own terms before the summer vacation season. The central thrusts will be national security and taxes, they said. The aides said the strategy was planned weeks ago in coordination with Karl Rove, Mr. Bush's chief political aide, while Mr. Kerry was battling for his party's nomination."

"One week after the Bush campaign was criticized for using images from the World Trade Center attacks in its ad campaign, one of the new ads drew controversy for using a dark-skinned young man as a backdrop to discuss the threat of terrorism. An Arab-American leader called on the Bush campaign to change the spot. 'It undercuts the very thing the president committed himself to after 9/11,' said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute. 'It tries to create an identity between terrorists and that face. It can only be called a negative stereotype, it can only be called regrettable.'"

"When the Bush campaign asked James McKinnon to co-chair its veterans steering committee in New Hampshire -- a job he held in 2000 -- the 56-year-old Vietnam veteran respectfully, but firmly, said no. 'I basically told them I was disappointed in his support of veterans...He's killing the active-duty military. ... Look at the reserve call-ups for Iraq, the hardships... Bush is seeking re-election as a 'war president'... But as guerrilla warfare drags on ..many voters in or affiliated with the military are no longer saluting the commander in chief."

"Sen. John F. Kerry, the presumed Democratic presidential candidate, used his harshest language yet to describe his Republican opponents, accusing them today of corrupt and deceitful behavior...'These guys are the most crooked, you know, lying group I've ever seen,' Kerry added. 'It's scary.'...Kerry spokesman David Wade cited doctored photos circulating on the Internet that depict Kerry sitting next to Jane Fonda at antiwar rallies during the Vietnam War and as a young Navy officer shooting a prisoner of war...He also said that Bush advisor Karl Rove has a 'well-earned' reputation for engaging in 'political dirty tricks' and named conservative commentators Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh as part of the 'Republican attack machine.'"

With over $150 million already raised, this is the best that the GOP could come up? A PR stunt so shallow that even the school children it intends to exploit will be able to see through it? "Reggie the Rig" is an "interactive truck" driven by two "all American just plain folks" straight from central casting named "Deke" and "Christine." Their favorite things in the world are rodeos, ridin', fishin' and campin'. The "rig" is painted in a design faintly reminiscent of the NASCAR scheme, with a logo that says "RACING TO VICTORY." In short, it is a Madison Ave. composite of what the RNC imagines the "typical Bush voter" to be. Now if they were HONEST, they would have created a "Reggie the Oil Rig", with Oil Derek and Rightwing Christian-e, dressed in $3,000 suits.

The Moonie Times reports: "A gallon of gasoline in the United States is costing close to 1.80 dollar; a price that would be unimaginably low in Europe, where energy taxes are high, but which for Americans is punishing. Stocks of crude oil and gasoline are unusually low, and the world oil price unusually high, while Venezuela, a major oil supplier, is a political powder keg. In the U.S. presidential election year, gas could prove explosive."

This info may be helpful in planning campaign strategies, at both the state and county levels: "The U.S. Census Bureau today released Census 2000 tabulations on the voting-age population by citizenship for each state and county in the country. Tables released on the Internet also show national and state voting-age populations and their citizenship status by race and ethnicity. The data were derived from the responses from the sample of households who received the census long form, about 1-in-6 nationally, and are subject to sampling and nonsampling error."

US News: "The fight between President Bush and Democratic front-runner Sen. John Kerry over who's more supportive of the military is about to take an unexpected turn. We're told that Kerry plans to boast that Vice President Dick Cheney as Pentagon boss made the same kinds of spending cuts and reforms Kerry voted for but that are now being called unpatriotic. 'Kerry shares most of those votes with Sen. John McCain and Dick Cheney, all crusaders against Pentagon waste,' says a Kerry pal. 'If Bush wants to run against his own vice president, that's fine.'... To aid in his fight, look for Kerry to dispatch a SWAT team of surrogates, including retired Gen. Wesley Clark and ex-Ambassador Joe Wilson. Their job is to portray the election as a 1960 redux between a hard-nosed Dem and an administration that talks tough but can't win the issue of the day--missile gap then, terrorism now." Go Kerry!

Southerners may vote Democratic this fall just to show their anger at being chronically stereotyped by the GOP as a mass of easily manipulated yokels with only enough depth to respond, Pavlov's dogs-style, to about three key issues. While Democrats plan to focus on immediate real-life issues in the south - jobs lost to corporate outsourcing, "Republicans, meanwhile, are counting on Southern distaste for such social issues as gay rights and gun control to solidify their base." But in 2002, before Bush's lies and anti-labor policies came fully to light, exit polls showed Republicans with just an 8 percentage point advantage (44% to -36% in all 11 Southern States. That's only half of the points Bush has lost in his margin against the Democrats in JUST ONE MONTH. We predict the Democrats will SWEEP the south using REAL issues!

"Bush is scheduled to go on the offensive Monday night with a speech to Republican governors [how is singing to a private choir "going on the offensive?"] and his campaign will air its first TV ads March 4 in what a campaign aide called a "new period of engagement." Labeling the move a "tactical shift," [RNC Chair] Gillespie said it is "not an indication of major concern." [Nope - it's an indication of sheer desperation!] But it follows a slide in Bush's approval ratings in several surveys last week that showed Bush trailing the top two Democratic contenders. Gillespie attributed that slide to the volume of attacks on Bush: "Democrats have run in the course of this campaign $17 million in attack ads against the president," he said. "The lion's share of the advertising run in the Democratic primary has been directed at the president, not at each other." [Gee, that's a shame, Gillespie - we know how you repugs were counting on the Democrats to be un-united and attacking each other!]"

Josh Marshall writes: "Oh, how sweet it is. We've been telling you for some time about the 6th congressional district special election in Kentucky, pitting former state Attorney Ben Chandler against Alice Forgy Kerr. This was the first federal election of the 2004 cycle. Kerr based her campaign almost exclusively on her strong support for the Bush agenda. And the AP is now reporting that Chandler has beaten Kerr decisively. That marks the first time since 1991 that a Democrat has won a Republican seat in a special election. This is a big deal for a number of reasons."

"Sen. John Kerry is the runaway favorite of New York Democrats and also would trounce President Bush here, a new poll showed yesterday," reports the NY Daily News. "The Quinnipiac University survey showed Bush...getting pasted here, with 88% saying they would vote for Kerry if the election were today. Only 7% said they would vote for Bush. A national Washington Post/ABC poll released yesterday found Kerry extending his lead over Bush to nine points. The survey of registered voters said Kerry had a 52%-43% advantage over Bush. The Washington Post/ABC survey found that 54% believe Bush lied or exaggerated about intelligence before the Iraq war. And his numbers have dropped sharply in recent weeks, with many categories below 50%, including his handling of the economy (44%) and his handling of Iraq (47%)."

"The White House's top economic advisor, Gregory Mankiw, had this to say earlier this week: 'Outsourcing is a growing phenomenon, but it's something that we should realize is probably a plus for the economy in the long run.' Despite a howl of protests from Democrats and Republicans alike, the White House is standing behind Mankiw. 'The White House on Wednesday stood by a top economic adviser who critics have accused of encouraging companies to export jobs overseas, a factor in heavy job losses during George W. Bush's presidency'... Republicans are also not amused. 'Rep. Donald Manzullo (R-Ill.) called for the resignation of N. Gregory Mankiw... Manzullo said industrial state Republicans are furious. 'I know the president cannot believe what this man has said,' Manzullo said.' And Democrats now vow to make 'offshoring' the centerpiece of this fall's campaign. One Senate Democratic aide promised the words would become staples for every Democratic campaign this fall.'"

Kos writes, "I have decided to proceed with the House Project -- helping the activist community produce and distribute Internet multimedia advertisements targeting House races. The site, which still needs a name, will allow activists to upload information about Republican incumbents, ad scripts, video and still images of those incumbents, and the finished product (Flash or video). The site will also solicit funds to run those ads in the targeted districts... Online advertising will allow me to get to target the ads in targeted congressional districts, making sure thousands of people in the targeted districts see the ads when they log in online. And the cost is far better than radio or television... That'll be the starting point, and I hope to aggressively update functionality on the site to provide for viral marketing tools (ePostcards, 'email this ad to a friend' sort of things)."

"The political spectrum is narrow. Elections are essentially bought, and the democratic culture is severely eroded. Furthermore, the population is aware of it, by and large, but many feel helpless... Nevertheless, though differences are not very large, they do exist. The current incumbents may do severe, perhaps irreparable, damage if given another hold on power - a very slim hold, but one they will use to achieve very ugly and dangerous ends. In a very powerful state, small differences may translate into very substantial effects on the victims, at home and abroad. It is no favor to those who are suffering, and may face much worse ahead, to overlook these facts. Keeping the Bush circle out means holding one's nose and voting for some Democrat, but that's not the end of the story. The basic culture and institutions of a democratic society have to be constructed, and defeat of an extremely dangerous clique in the presidential race is only one very small component of that."

NYT: "Democratic leaders, once fearful that their presidential nominee would inherit a demoralized and divided party, said Sunday that Democrats now seemed poised to nominate a candidate who had escaped damage from internal battling and enjoyed broad support from all factions of the party... 'There is unity within our party; they are not going after each other,' said Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic national chairman, in an assessment that was echoed in the camps of Mr. Kerry's rivals. Mr. McAuliffe took care not to proclaim any winner in the race but said he expected the contest to be resolved within weeks, saying that would be 'a great result.' Art Torres, the California Democratic Party chairman, said in an interview on Sunday that in a career dating to working for Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, he had never seen 'a party more unified proceeding through the primary season.' Mr. Torres said that development made him increasingly hopeful about his party's prospects in November."

MurdochRag reports: "Republicans at the grass-roots level are starting to get the jitters - not because they think John Kerry is such a great candidate (they don't) but because they fear an out-of-touch Bush is blowing it. '[Team Bush] made it too obvious that they wanted to run against Howard Dean because he was liberal - and that made it possible for Kerry to come in as the knight in shining armor when on paper he's even more liberal than Dean,' groused a GOP strategist. 'The economy is coming back, but we're letting Democrats do a gloom-and-doom thing about jobs instead of tax cuts, and we're letting the Democrats and the national media redefine why we went to war in Iraq. We have a heck of a story [i.e. bush*t] to tell and we're not telling it.' Some also fear Bush political guru Karl Rove is so fixed on masterminding a national election that will lock Republicans into power for a decade that he's forgotten that you have to be sure you'll win before plotting to win big."

NY Times: "Republicans and their allies have begun laying the groundwork for a familiar line of attack against John Kerry: that he is 'out of sync' with most voters, 'culturally out of step with the rest of America,' a man who votes with 'the extreme elements of his party,' as Ed Gillespie has put it in recent days... The Kerry campaign, which includes several veterans of the Dukakis campaign, says it will not make the mistakes of 1988, when Mr. Dukakis was widely seen as too passive in the face of the attacks. 'We welcome a debate with the likes of Ed Gillespie, Karl Rove and this White House about who's out of sync with Main Street America,' said David Wade, a Kerry spokesman... Another Kerry adviser was more blunt. 'This is not the Dukakis campaign," the adviser said. 'We're not going to take it. And if they're going to come at us with stuff, whatever that stuff may be, if it goes to a place where the '88 campaign did, then everything is on the table. Everything.'" You GO, Kerry!

E. J. Dionne writes, "Can't supporters of the Bush administration think of something more original than issuing fatwas against 'Massachusetts Liberals'? ... Massachusetts voted for McGovern over Nixon... because the old factory towns such as the one where I grew up remained loyal to the party of Al Smith, Franklin Roosevelt and John Kennedy. In any case, why, in light of history, is voting against Nixon so dishonorable? And here's the clincher: If we Massachusetts people are so weirdly liberal, then why are we the only state with a major league sports team called the New England Patriots? Could there be a better moment in our history to be a fan of a football squad whose colors are red, white and blue? The Patriots, it should be noted, believe in teamwork. They don't brag a lot, they work hard and they always come through in the final seconds. Come to think of it, maybe that's why all these guys are so down on my home state. The truth is, they're worried about us. And they should be."

From Scaife Net Daily: "Complaining it was betrayed, a key Arab-American group that endorsed George W. Bush in the 2000 election says it will back Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich for the Democratic nomination and stand behind that party's eventual nominee... while the Arab-American community is small -- an estimated 3.5 million nationally -- it is concentrated in several 'battleground' states, including Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida."

Mike Lux writes that we are in the "ugly season" of the campaign year as Dems rip each other to shreds. But soon comes "the conquering hero phase [when] a nominee will emerge from the primary fight... [starting] a season of hosannas that the primary fight is over, retrospectives on the brilliant campaign strategy that brought it to a quick end, warm endorsements from the losing candidates (who were carving the victor up with a butcher knife the week before), and a fresh round of glowing media profiles on the plucky champ who prevailed against all odds. This will be a welcome respite and a needed boost to the winner. The Republican onslaught and Democratic response phase. As the trees are budding and early flowers blooming, the Republicans will try to ruin the spring by unleashing a blood-curdling attack reminiscent of the battle scenes in the Lord of the Rings movies, backed up by the hundreds of millions they have been hoarding from their special interest friends."

"With revelations that the Mad Cow scare might have originated in Canada, new life has been pumped into efforts to require country-of-origin labels on meat products. As part of the 2002 farm bill, Senate progressives included provisions requiring country-of-origin labels on meat, allowing consumers to 'Buy American' at the grocery store, to the chagrin of the meatpacking industry and its allies in the Bush Administration and Congress. Not surprisingly, the White House has yet to implement the program, and is now trying to further delay the labeling program with legislation attached to a major spending bill. But progressives are fighting back. Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) will hold a news conference this morning demanding that the White House back off the delay, and implement the program immediately." Could this swing cattle states from Red to Blue? Betcha Karl Rove is losing sleep on this one!

"Arab-Americans enter the 2004 election cycle prepared, as never before, to make a difference," reports the Arab News. "The community is now engaged on almost every level of the political process and is ready to reap the benefits of more than 20 years of political growth. The early focus will, of course, be on the Democratic primaries, which are due to begin in less than two weeks. Two days before Iowans vote, AAI will host a major 'Get Out the Vote' event at Cedar Rapids." A major drive is already under way in Michigan. "In addition, Arab-American committees have been formed on behalf of a number of the leading Democratic candidates and a substantial 'Get out the Vote' effort is under way in order to create a sizeable turnout on primary election day in early February."

EJ Dionne writes, "The conventional wisdom, fed by shrewd Republican operatives and commentators, is that Democrats, so out there in their antipathy for Bush, will push their party into an extremist wonderland and lose white men, security moms and anybody else who does not share their desire for revenge. The opposite is true. Democrats will not have to spend inordinate time or money in this election year 'uniting their base.' Opposition to Bush has already done that... Democrats are so hungry to beat Bush that they will let their nominee do just about anything, even be pragmatic and shrewd. That's why 2004 will be very different from 2003. Democrats who loved Dean's attacks on Bush this year now want Dean to prove he can beat him. Dean's opponents know this, which is why their core case is that Dean can't win. And watch for the appearance of the new, pragmatic Howard Dean, the doctor with an unerring sense of his party's pulse."

Leonard Williams and Neil Wollman write: "In May of 2002, Vice President Cheney warned Democrats not to seek political advantage from the war against terrorism. Now that the Bush administration views Iraq as the 'central front' in that war, the news indicates that some people are indeed seeking political advantage from that conflict--despite Cheney's warning. It is not just the Democrats running for president, though. These days, Republicans and the Bush administration are the ones most focused on using the war for electoral purposes."

"American Muslims endorsed and strongly backed Bush in 2000, a decision many criticized after Sept. 11, 2001, when they say anti-Islamic sentiment began to rise. 'Today I go to mosques and many people tell me they'll vote for ABB -- anybody but Bush,' said Hossam Ayloush, head of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in southern California. A straw poll among the 800 MPAC delegates showed more than 67 percent planned to vote for Dean, compared to just 2 percent for Bush. Upon hearing the poll results, one delegate said, 'How did Bush manage to get 2 percent?' Aslam Abdullah, an activist and head of the Muslim Electorates' Council of America, said his surveys in seven key states showed two-thirds of 1.7 million Muslim voters backed Bush in 2000. He said the size of the Muslim electorate had now jumped to almost 3 million, thanks to massive voter registration drives, a large number of new citizens and an increase in Muslim-Americans who have reached the voting age of 18."

Daniel Patrick Welch writes: "Koppel, of course, succeeded beyond his own wildest dreams; but his Geraldo-esque roots were showing recently when he bared his ample sensationalist teeth over the guest list at the Democratic candidates' debate in Durham, NH. Consider this series of events: the week prior to the event, Koppel is reported to have complained that only six of the candidates should be invited. How can you create conflict on such a crowded stage? Of course, conflict is the goal here -- always has been. Wake up, America. The media's bleating about having to cover candidates that aren't 'serious' is, neatly, the opposite of the truth. A lot like a Bush press release. The truth is that serious is anything but what they want to cover. How can we sell soap, the reasoning goes, off of an intricate discussion of public policy? No, let's get some elbows swinging, spit flying...no hostages, unfortunately, but what can you do?"

Juan Cole: "In the coming year the Dems just have to take off these kid gloves. I'd begin by asking some hard questions about Republican administrations' past relationship with Saddam. Put that photo of Rumsfeld shaking Saddam's hand in 1983 in the commercials; ask hard questions about former Reaganites now serving in the Bush administration who supported Saddam to the hilt while he was gassing Iranian troops and Kurds; find out who authorized the US sale of chemical and biological precursors to Saddam; and be so rude as to bring up the horrible betrayal committed by Bush senior when he stood aside and let Saddam massacre all those Shiites in 1991, after they rose up in response to a Bush call for the popular overthrow of Saddam... And imagine, the Bush administration officials are actually getting photo ops at the mass graves their predecessors allowed to be filled with bodies! What happened Sunday was that the Republicans captured a former ally, with whom they had later fallen out."

Newsweek: "24 percent of [registered Dems] polled rank Dean as their first choice, a big jump from 16 percent one month ago. Retired Gen. Wesley Clark and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman are tied for a distant second with a distant 12 percent of Democrats pulling for their nomination (Clark is down from 15 percent while Lieberman is up from 8). Meanwhile, neither good news on the economy, the passage of a Medicare bill nor his surprise Thanksgiving visit to Baghdad seem to have boosted Resident George W. Bush's approval ratings among all registered voters: with 51 percent approving and 42 disapproving, his ratings are the lowest in the NEWSWEEK poll's history. And less than half (45 percent) of voters say they want Bush to be reelected... [A] majority (53 percent) of all registered voters think Dean has at least some chance of beating Bush in a hypothetical two-way election against Bush next year."

Progressive Majority writes, "Ralph Nader says he's 'testing the waters' on a possible presidential run. Progressives everywhere need to speak out and organize -- and we must act quickly! Join the Just Say No, Ralph Campaign and let Ralph Nader know that we respect his role, but he must not run in 2004. Please sign up to become a virtual organizer who will use the Internet to help spread the word, and give us your ideas for the campaign."

First they want to have their convention on a swank jet-setter's cruise ship. Now they are outsourcing their Bush campaign fundraising calling function to India, where the workers make a fraction of what American workers make (and so many US workers face a grim winter of unemployment that would have been glad of the jobs). So how do the Repugs justify this? Well, India IS a democracy and, besides, a lot of the calling is robotic. Yep, that sure justifies ripping off America.

"For arrogance, it's hard to top this exchange: Koppel: 'This is a question to Ambassador Braun, Rev. Sharpton, Congressman Kucinich. You don't have any money, or at least not much.' Kucinich: 'We've raised $4.5 million. I mean, that's not nothing.' Koppel: 'You've got about $750,000 in the bank right now, and that's close to nothing when you're coming up against this kind of opposition. But let me finish the question. The question is, will there come a point when polls, money, and then ultimately the actual votes... when we can expect one or more of the three of you to drop out?' Kucinich and Kerry chastised Koppel for his obsession with polls, but he wouldn't let up... These were the last 90 debating minutes of the year... and Koppel wasted 30 of those minutes on [worthless] questions... At the end, he congratulated himself, instructing the candidates, 'What you need every once in a while is someone up here who ticks you off a little bit. You're much better when you're angry.'"

Ernest Partridge has written an excellent strategy memo for Democrats in their race against Bush. Here's a key point: "Employ tactical judo - use the enemy's strength to your advantage. Here's an example: the 'mighty media Wurlitzer' has been blasting a message of 'fear and trembling' ever since 9/11, with the implied message that the Flyboy-in-Chief is best qualified to protect us from 'the evildoers.' So now the Democrats should repeat, over-and-over-and-over: 'do you feel safer than you did four years ago?' (Yeah, I know, in 1984 Reagan said similarly, 'are you better off than you were four years ago?' All the better). If that question, 'do you feel safer?' gets lodged in the collective electorate cranium, then every time the GOP tries to put the fear of Osama into us, it will backfire, as Joe Nascar and Sally Soccermom reflect, 'yeah, I'm still scared -- so why hasn't the Prez done something these past four years to protect us?'"

Berkshire (MA) Eagle opines, "Democratic bitterness over this Republican abuse of power is both intense and understandable... Mr. Bush won election with half a million votes fewer than Al Gore, and the reasonable expectation was that his party would see how split the electorate was and would govern from just right of center. The GOP hard-right tilt -- gutting or 'privatizing' social programs, shoveling cash at the super-rich, waging a deadly and financially ruinous war against the wrong foe -- is seen by roughly half the country as both a mistake and a betrayal. Instead of uniting the nation, as promised -- a feat that would have been easy in the post-9/11 burst of common patriotism -- Republicans turned into thuggish opportunists. History will not treat them kindly, and next year's voters shouldn't either."

"Environment2004 is committed to electing a Democratic President and supporting Democratic candidates who will clean our air and water, protect the public health, deliver on the promise of clean energy and conserve America's extraordinary natural resources for future generations. As President Bush and his allies continue their drive to dismantle our environmental laws, weaken public health standards and exploit public lands, Environment2004 will deliver a targeted, factual message to key voters, presenting the truth about these unprecedented environmental rollbacks and their implications for our health, our security, our economy, and for generations to come. " Among EO4's leaders: Carol Browner and Bruce Babbitt. The big kick-off will be, appropriately, in Florida, where the assault on the environment by Bush began the day he stole the election. http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=122-12042003

William Cole writes: "Given the long and sordid history of GOP connections to the pharmaceutical industry, health care and, especially, prescription drugs are issues Democrats usually have in their favor. This makes all the more disturbing recent Republican attempts to co-opt these issues with glossy pronouncements of working for prescription drug coverage while at the same time attaching language to the Homeland Security bill that would absolve drug conglomerates like Eli Lilly from paying damages for thimerosal litigation. Consistent as ever, Bush even awarded a contract to provide 'universal health care' to 25 million Iraqis within a year while pushing tax cuts that will add to the already 44 million uninsured Americans."

"Tom Daschle is demanding that Republicans stop showing their first television ad of the 2004 presidential race, which he called 'repulsive and outrageous.' The 30-second ad, featuring clips of Bush during his State of the Union address last January, portrays the president as a fighter of terrorism as Democrats retreat from the fight... Wesley Clark said the ad is wrong and ought to be pulled. It violates 'the pledge the president made to not exploit 9-11 for political purposes,' Clark said on CBS' 'Face the Nation.' Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy called it an 'attempt to stifle dissent.' On ABC's 'This Week,' Kennedy said 'dissent is a basic part of what our whole society is about.' Speaking on CNN's 'Late Edition,' presidential candidate and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman said the ad was misleading, nothing more than an attempt 'to get the public's mind off the joblessness in America, the bad prescription Medicare drug bill ... the energy bill, which sells out to lobbyists.'"

Michael John Dobbins writes: "The wait is over! StopBushin2004.com has just published '10 Preliminary Actions' citizens can take NOW to help defeat Bush in '04. The list of '10 Actions' are so straightforward even Resident Bush could understand them. Just some of the actions include boycotting Bush donors, taking action in swing states, and joining a liberal group. As his finally act, the author relinquishes all copyrights! This way the message of taking action can spread from sea to shinning sea. Realize the dream of a new regime.... Visit the below link and get a head start on taking action!"

Bernard Weiner writes: "If the neo-cons have to make a few tactical course-corrections before the 2004 election, they'll do it. If they have to immolate a few sacrificial lambs, they'll do it; if the investigative pressure continues to build, I wouldn't be surprised to see a few lower-level fall guys resign to take the heat off of Bush and Rumsfeld and Cheney...In short, the PNAC Posse will do what it has to do in the short run -- make Iraq accommodations, throw a few lesser lights overboard to protect the big cheeses, even (gulp) ask for international assistance -- in order to stay in power and carry out the rest of the imperial plan...We're talking about the tragic flaw of hubris here, the feeling that you can get away with anything because you're so powerful and nasty and scary. But you can almost feel the inexorable convergence of scandals into one big, huge mass at the top of a steep hill, with the White House at the bottom. Critical mass has just about been reached."

"The new commercial... shows Mr. Bush, during the last State of the Union address, warning of continued threats to the nation: 'Our war against terror is a contest of will, in which perseverance is power,' he says after the screen flashes the words, 'Some are now attacking the president for attacking the terrorists.' By indirectly invoking the Sept. 11 attacks, the commercial plays to what White House officials have long contended is Mr. Bush's biggest political advantage: his initial handling of the aftermath of the attacks." Oh you mean when he just sat there in the classroom after the first plane hit the WTC? You mean how he fled in Air Force One after the attacks? Or how he exploited the first responders at Ground Zero for photo ops -- then later denied them aid for their health problems? You mean how he has failed to secure the nation's infrastructure? You mean how his unnecessary war has turned Iraq into a terrorist magnet -- along with loads of dirty bomb material being looted?

"Open Debates works to ensure that the presidential debates serve the American people first. Open Debates is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to reforming the presidential debate process. Currently, the presidential debates are entirely and covertly controlled by the major parties, through the bipartisan-controlled private corporation called the Commission on Presidential Debates, resulting in the stultification of format, the exclusion of popular third party candidates, and the avoidance of pressing national issues. Open Debates is launching simultaneous campaigns to inform the public, the news media and policy makers about the fundamental and irreparable problems with the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. It is also promoting the creation of an alternative presidential debate sponsor - the nonpartisan Citizens' Debate Commission - comprised of national civic organizations committed to maximizing voter education."

"Faced with growing public uneasiness over Iraq, GOP officials intend to change the terms of the political debate heading into next year's election by focusing on the 'doctrine of preemption,' portraying President Bush as a visionary acting to prevent future terrorist attacks on US soil... The strategy will involve the dismissal of Democrats as the party of 'protests, pessimism and political hate speech,' Ed Gillespie, RNC chairman, wrote in a recent memo to party officials... Republicans hope to convince voters that Democrats are too indecisive and faint-hearted -- and perhaps unpatriotic -- to protect US interests, arguing that inaction during the Clinton years led to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. 'The president's critics are adopting a policy that will make us more vulnerable in a dangerous world,' Gillespie wrote. 'Specifically, they now reject the policy of pre-emptive self-defense and would return us to a policy of reacting to terrorism in its aftermath.'"

"It's incredibly ironic that George Soros is trying to create a more open society by using an unregulated, under-the-radar-screen, shadowy, soft-money group to do it,' Republican National Committee spokeswoman Christine Iverson said. 'George Soros has purchased the Democratic Party.'" No he hasn't. And by the way Christine, have you ever heard of Richard Mellon Scaife? The Coors Family? They are the Republican Party benefactors that have been using "shadowy groups" for years -- as part of their Right-Wing propaganda machine. Hey Christine, why do all of you Busheviks suffer from arrested development? Didn't you ever get beyond the schoolyard? Yet again you attack the opposition for playing the very game you created. "Asked whether he would trade his $7 billion fortune to unseat Bush, Soros opened his mouth. Then he closed it. The proposal hung in the air: Would he become poor to beat Bush? He said, 'If someone guaranteed it.'" 'Bout time that our side had someone with deep pockets!

Bernard Weiner writes: "I'd say the tickets could well look this way: Bush/Cheney vs. Dean/Clark or maybe Dean/Graham...It's possible that several major Bush scandals will come to a ripe head prior to the election: 9/11 pre-knowledge, the felonious outing by 'senior Administration officials' of a covert CIA agent, the gross lying by the Administration about the toxicity of the air in New York for months after the 9/11 attacks, Cheney's secret energy report still kept hidden away from public view, and the appalling treatment of soldiers and veterans by an administration that pretends to be a dear friend of the military... It is incumbent on all of us interested in the democratic process to lean on our election officials not to certify those touch-screen computer-balloting machines until the software codes can be certified and until a paper-trail of votes cast can be built into the process."

Sidney Blumenthal writes, "As president, Reagan aligned his justice department on the side of segregation, supporting the fundamentalist Bob Jones U. in its case seeking federal funds for institutions that discriminate on the basis of race. In 1983, when the supreme court decided against Bob Jones, Reagan... gutted the Civil Rights Commission. Reagan consolidated the Southern strategy that Nixon formulated in response to the civil rights movement. It is this Republican party that has created the radically conservative Southern presidency of Bush. When Bush's candidacy was threatened in the Republican primaries of 2000, he rescued himself by appearing at Bob Jones U. and wrapping himself in support of the preservation of the Confederate emblem on the South Carolina state flag. Dean's remarks were awkward, but his challenge to the Republican party's basic character and the need for a strategy for defeating it will inevitably be revisited by whoever becomes the Democratic nominee."

According to the latest Zogby Poll of 500 New Hampshire likely Democratic primary voters, "Dean earned 40%, compared to Massachusetts Senator John Kerry's 17%. None of the other candidates have exceeded single digits in the polling. Retired General Wesley Clark and North Carolina Senator John Edwards are tied for third with 6% each... John Zogby said, 'This is stunning. Dean leads 43-20 among Democrats and 35 to 11 among Independents. He hits 40 among all age groups, union and non-union voters. His lead is 57-17 among self-described progressives, 50-20 among liberals, and 34-14 among moderates. Married voters give him a 38-13 edge and singles a 45-21 point lead. He holds huge leads among all education groups, among investors and non-investors, men and women. This qualifies as juggernaut status. Can he be stopped?'"

"More than 3,000 leaders and members of New York's powerful health care workers union, 1199/SEIU, held an unusual meeting in Baltimore this past weekend to lay plans for an unprecedented $35 million campaign to drive George W. Bush out of the White House next year... Union President Dennis Rivera has recruited 1,000 rank-and-file members and staff to fan out across the country beginning next month to get an early start organizing get-out-the-vote operations in more than a dozen 'battleground' states. Those states, including Florida, Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Ohio, are considered key for Democrats to regain the White House. Each of Rivera's 1,000 volunteers will take a one-year leave of absence from his or her regular job - something permitted by many 1199 labor contracts - with the union paying regular salary and travel costs. 'No one in the labor movement has ever tried anything as ambitious as Dennis and 1199 are planning,' a top AFL-CIO official said."

A disinformation-packed article in the NY Times states: "Two-thirds of the money from small donations went to Republicans during the last election cycle... By contrast, the Democrats received 92% of unregulated contributions over $1 million." The truth? Most of the GOP's small donations were channeled through corporate-funded front sites. While the GOP received 3-4 corporate dollars for every dollar given the Dems, the Dem's big donations came from private, NONCORPORATE individuals. Here's another whopper: "The reason the Dems are now having to play catch-up is because the new campaign finance laws prevent them from being funded by a small universe of very wealthy people." The truth: 77% of Bush's campaign take this quarter came from a VERY SMALL UNIVERSE of just 285 corporate barons and lobbyists, while most Democratic funding is coming from individual donations. What will the Times do next? Claim the GOP is the "common man's party?"

In 2000, the Energy/Natural resources industries (oil, nukes, natural gas, electrical generating, mining, lumbering, etc.) gave a staggering FOUR TIMES as much money to the Republicans as the Democrats. Now, only a few months into campaign 2004, these industries have ALREADY showered the GOP with the same favors: four dollars to Bush for every one to a Democratic candidate. Even in the absence of soft money, the industry has already poured nearly SEVEN MILLION dollars into the GOP's coffers. Meanwhile, thanks to the funding of rightwing front websites by these same corporations, during the 2000 campaign, the GOP also sucked up the bulk of small donations. The Dems are catching up, however - but their websites are funded by REAL PEOPLE, not hidden corporazis.

"The Dean campaign, which is generally credited with introducing the political community to [meetup.com], continues to lead the online charge, adding more than 36,000 people in the past two months, bringing Dean's Meetup total to about 123,000. But several other presidential candidates, spying an inexpensive way of mobilizing their supporters -- and hoping to replicate Dean's success -- have also posted significant gains in the past three months. More than 31,000 have joined in support of retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark's bid, giving him a total of 39,000 Meetuppers. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Ohio) saw more than 7,600 people join his cause, giving him the third-largest total of the candidates, with more than 16,000 supporters. Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.) added 4,000 supporters, for a total of 13,000. Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) and Resident Bush both boast totals of about 1,400 supporters. "

"A new survey of Democratic voters in three states with key early contests in the presidential race finds the party united in hostility toward Bush but divided on how aggressively its eventual nominee should challenge his policies on taxes and Iraq. The poll found Howard Dean maintaining a strong lead in New Hampshire. But its numbers suggested that in Iowa, Rep. Richard A. Gephardt may have regained the initiative from Dean. In South Carolina, six candidates were bunched closely together in the poll, conducted by a Democratic advocacy group called Democracy Corps. The survey also found that the Democratic electorate in these critical states differs on the same issues that have separated the candidates, such as whether to seek repeal of all or part of Bush's tax cuts. 'I would not describe the Democrats as divided, because they are so anti-Bush, and that is a powerful, motivating force,' said veteran Democratic pollster Stanley B. Greenberg."

Lawrence Lessig writes, "When they write the account of the 2004 campaign, it will include at least one word that has never appeared in any presidential history: blog. Whether or not it elects the next president, the blog may be the first innovation from the Internet to make a real difference in election politics.... [T]he blog, a space where people gab. As implemented by most campaigns, it is a place where candidates gab down to the people. But when done right, as the Howard Dean campaign apparently is doing, the blog is a tool for building community. The trick is to turn the audience into the speaker. A well-structured blog inspires both reading and writing. And by getting the audience to type, candidates get the audience committed. Engagement replaces reception, which in turn leads to real space action. The life of the Dean campaign on the Internet is not really life on the Internet. It's the activity in real space that the Internet inspires." Here here!

"Bob Graham, a political veteran whose low-key style failed to gain traction in the crowded Democratic presidential race, said Monday night he was ending his campaign. 'I'm leaving because I have made the judgment that I can not be elected president of the United States,' Graham said in announcing his exit from the race on CNN's 'Larry King Live.' He said he was not successful because he started his campaign too late and had trouble raising money."

From Ben Cohen's True Majority: "TrueMajorityACTION which will educate, lobby, and GET ACTIVE IN THE 2004 ELECTIONS. TrueMajorityACTION's first project is to brand George Bush as a liar. So we're building a 12' high statue of our resident with his pants on fire (using artificial flames) which we will drive all over the country on his very own flatbed trailer. We'll use ridicule and whimsy to disseminate into the national consciousness what the media and pundits aren't saying - that this president lies about some of the most important issues facing our country. So here's the idea behind the campaign: If we are going to cut through the clutter of media, we can't just call Bush a liar. The 'Pants On Fire' statue sends the message that the facts are so plain to see that even a child can get it. People who see Bush with his pants on fire (and our PantsOnFire.net banner) will think 'Liar, Liar.' This interactive mental process makes it really sink in." Check out PantsOnFire.net!

"Barely one-third of Arizona voters say they would give Bush a second term, a statewide poll revealed Thursday. The 34% support for his re-election, with 44% preferring someone else and 22% undecided, reflects a dramatic plunge in popularity for Bush. In 2000, he beat Al Gore in Arizona by a margin of 6%age points, or nearly 100,000 votes of 1.5 million cast. State Democratic Chairman Jim Pederson said the poll results are evidence that Arizonans are 'increasingly frustrated with the Bush administration's performance on both the foreign and domestic fronts.'... The poll also found that slightly more than half (52%) of respondents opposed providing $87 billion, as Bush has requested, for continued military presence and reconstruction in Iraq. 42% supported the request, and 6% were undecided."

"Howard Dean led rival John Kerry by 10 points in the latest New Hampshire poll that showed newcomer Wesley Clark vaulting into third place just one week after entering the Democratic presidential race. Dean, who held a hefty 21-point lead over Kerry a month ago in a similar survey, led the Massachusetts senator 30 percent to 20 percent in the Zogby International poll conducted Sept. 24-25 and released Friday. The poll of likely Democratic primary voters found 10 percent favored Clark, up from 2 percent in August. Zogby said there is evidence that Clark has cut into the former Vermont governor's independent support."

"Granny D is hell bent for election! She and some friends (you?) will make sure that America's working women are encouraged to study the candidates and the issues, and to vote-despite the tremendous demands already on the time and energy of working women! Can you help Doris get voter registration supplies to workplaces in your community? Can you be the captain in your own workplace? Can you help along the way of this 15,000 mile road trip? (Doris says she doesn't have time to walk the whole way: she will walk through the towns, from workplace to workplace with a wagon of voter registration supplies, but will zoom between towns in her little bus, Yankee Clipper). 'Working women have a hard time voting because of all the demands on their time. I know because I worked for many years in a shoe factory. I want those of us who now have some time on our hands to make it a little easier for these hard working, common sense women. If they vote, America will elect good people.' -Doris Haddock"

Democrats.com reminds you to watch the Democratic presidential debate this Thursday. It will broadcast LIVE on CNBC from 4-5:30 PM ET, and again on MSNBC beginning at 9 PM ET. This debate will focus entirely on economics... feel free to send that puny tax rebate (if you got one in the first place) to your favorite Dem. Remind your friends and family watch, or throw a debate party! If you're not sure which channel MSNBC is in your area, click below.

"When Bush tapped Marc Racicot to chair his re-election campaign in June, observers considered it an astute choice.... Now, the Missoula Independent has taken an unflinching (and far less complimentary) look at Racicot, who is Montana's ex-governor and former head of the Republican National Committee. In Montana, the article says, Racicot 'slashed taxes, carried water for big timber, deregulated the state's electric utilities and moaned ceaselessly about the oppressive hand of the federal government.' On issue after issue, the alternative newspaper alleges, Racicot rewarded his contributors to the detriment of the populace. Whether it was prison construction, schools, strip mining or power deregulation, Racicot consistently used public policy to give big gifts to big business donors. And now, Racicot is charge of a Bush campaign that intends to smash all presidential fundraising records as it scours the country soliciting contributions from special interests."

Natasha H. (age 12) writes: "In 2004, will the voters pick a pre-packaged popular guy, someone who speaks straight from the heart or someone they agree with on all the issues? Long ago, the schools reportedly used to tell stories about George Washington and a cherry tree and call Abraham Lincoln Honest Abe. People looked to our country's leaders as examples of honesty and integrity and children were asked to emulate these qualities... So in this age of distrust of public officials, do Americans want more of the same or a return to a government they can honor and respect? One could turn on their TV and see what General Electric or Rupert Murdoch have to say about the subject? Or if a person is curious enough, he/she could take his/her own survey. Yours Truly decided to go the survey route. 410 people were surveyed at a variety of places, including beaches, anti-Bush protests, churches, and shopping malls."

"A band of former Clinton administration officials and environmental lobbyists is trying to exploit the Democrats' long-standing edge on environmental issues to help reclaim the White House in 2004. The group, called Environment2004, hopes to identify, target and mobilize a niche of environmental voters in a handful of key states to tip the electoral balance against Resident Bush in the 2004 election. Group leaders want to harness outrage about Bush's stances on issues such as logging, global warming and drilling in Alaska and the Rocky Mountains to give a crucial edge to the eventual Democratic nominee. The plan is to discredit what they call Bush's 'greenwashing,' his position that his pro-development policies are also nature-friendly.... Frank Loy, a former Clinton administration State Department official who chairs Environment2004[says,] 'It's not an issue that will sway tens of millions. It will sway millions. In a few states, a swing of 50,000 is a big swing.'"

"I have spent a lot of time checking you out. And what I've learned about you corresponds to my experience with you back in March. You seem to be a man of integrity. You seem not afraid to speak the truth.... Gen. Clark, last night I finally got to meet you in person. I would like to share with others what I said to you privately: You may be the person who can defeat George W. Bush in next year's election. This is not an endorsement. For me, it's too early for that. I have liked Howard Dean (in spite of his flawed positions in support of some capital punishment, his grade 'A' rating from the NRA, and his opposition to cutting the Pentagon budget). And Dennis Kucinich is so committed to all the right stuff.... But right now, for the sake and survival of our very country, we need someone who is going to get The Job done, period. And that job, no matter whom I speak to across America... EVERYONE is of one mind as to what that job is: Bush Must Go."

"The Democratic presidential hopefuls differed on trade and taxes at their second debate on Thursday, but saved their harshest attacks for Bush's leadership in Iraq and on the economy. Rather than putting the surging Howard Dean on the hot seat, the Democrats [condemned] the resident's leadership and touted their own proposals. 'This resident is a miserable failure,' said Rep. Richard Gephardt, using a phrase he repeated a half-dozen times... The debate, hosted by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the nation's only Hispanic governor, New Mexico's Bill Richardson, a Democrat, was held in New Mexico to highlight the Democratic Party's outreach to Hispanics, the nation's largest minority. The debate featured some questions in both Spanish and English and was broadcast live on public television with a second audio track offering a Spanish translation. It will be repeated with a Spanish translation on Saturday on Univision, the country's largest Spanish language network."

"Texas senators starting their second month in self-imposed exile in New Mexico met Thursday with Democratic presidential candidates who were in town for the first of a series of national debates. Former House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt met behind closed doors with the Texans, who fled to Albuquerque on July 28 to block a Republican-backed congressional redistricting plan in their home state. Gephardt was scheduled to be followed by former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. Gephardt spoke briefly to reporters before going into a meeting with the Texans, and said his ideas would be good enough to win the nomination and beat Resident Bush in next year's elections. Several of the Texas Democrats left Albuquerque on Wednesday for Washington, D.C., to speak to the press about the redistricting standoff while others remained behind to meet with residential candidates."

ABOJournal News writes: "In a mostly cordial televised debate, Democrats vying to replace Resident Bush brushed aside their own differences on Thursday and roundly condemned his handling of the economy, Iraq and immigration policies. 'This resident is a miserable failure,' said former House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri, repeating the line twice and blaming Bush for the loss of American jobs and prestige. Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who achieved front-runner status after a summer surge in the polls and in fund raising, had expected to be a primary target of his rivals. But the contenders spent most of their time assailing the resident's policies rather than each other." What counts is which candidate has the most guts to go after Bush and shows a real desire to reverse his horrendous policies -- not which one can make him or herself look best by knocking the other Dems.

Tucker Carlson interviewed Britney Spears on CNN's Crossfire: "CARLSON: A lot of entertainers have come out against the war in Iraq. Have you? | SPEARS: Honestly, I think we should just trust our resident in every decision that he makes and we should just support that, you know, and be faithful in what happens. | CARLSON: Do you trust this resident? | SPEARS: Yes, I do. | CARLSON: Excellent. Do you think he's going to win again? | SPEARS: I don't know. I don't know that."

Doug Ireland writes, "Caught between the Scylla of the 'assault' on the Ten Commandments and Charybdis of the gay marriage issue, Democratic chiefs are bereft of any strategy to combat appeals to religious primitivism and bigotry. The GOP will count on the religious right to do the lion's share of the dirty work. James Dobson's Focus on the Families -- whose radio shows draws more listeners than CNN does viewers -- is only one of the well-oiled religious-right groups planning 'to spend as much energy and political capital as necessary to stop gay marriage,' as The Washington Post reported... Bush, Rove and the GOP are counting on all this to energize a wide swath of voters of all colors and thus insure an across-the-board Republican victory. Unless the Democrats come up with a smart counter-attack, Roy's Rock may well become the hammer that chisels a winning Republican bloc if next year's election is a close one."

Cheryl Seal writes, "The Bush Cartel - that wasps' nest of corporate wheeler-dealers, defense contractors, energy barons and developers - plans to protect and perpetuate itself with or without G. W. Bush. As they watch G. W. begin to crash and burn, they are looking around for the 'least offensive' Democrat they can pull onto the stage and shove into power. If they are destined to have a Democrat in office, they want someone hawkish who will not stand in the way of their drive for global corporate conquest, and someone weak, who can be duped into selling out their fellow Democrats on a regular basis under the banner of 'bipartisanship,' 'compromise' and 'moderation' - three terms which are merely euphemisms for Democrats giving the GOP whatever it wants, from Patriot Acts to bloody, illegal wars)."

"The wave of violent death this week in Iraq, Israel, Gaza and Afghanistan brought to the fore a reality that Resident Bush has been reluctant to discuss: Peace is not at hand. A confident Bush stood in the Rose Garden less than a month ago, saying, 'Conditions in most of Iraq are growing more peaceful,' boasting of 'dismantling the al Qaeda operation' and pronouncing 'pretty good progress' toward Middle East peace and a Palestinian state within two years. Those sunny characterizations may yet prove true, but Bush allies and foes alike are coming to the conclusion that the progress may not be noticeable by the time Bush faces the voters again in 15 months. ... Both Republican and Democratic strategists have begun adjusting their plans for what they once viewed as unthinkable: that Bush's handling of national security in general, and the war in Iraq in particular, could become a vulnerability rather than an asset in his reelection race."

AP reports: "The latest Democratic drive to make sure Resident Bush serves just one term takes a page from the effort to oust a Democratic governor in California, calling its web site 'bushrecall' and garnering support through petitions. A new committee called the Fair and Balanced PAC plans to launch its www.bushrecall.org Web site Thursday. The PAC's founders include Joe Lockhart, a press secretary to former President Clinton, and Mike Lux, a Democratic political consultant... the PAC will work to defeat Bush in next year's election, building lists of supporters through a petition drive and raising money to run ads against the Republican, he said... 'What we hope to do is to remind people that all of the things that are being said about Gray Davis as the reasons for the recall can be applied to George Bush,' Lux said Wednesday... The Bush campaign declined to comment." You go, Joe and Mike!

Many unofficial and locally organized Democratic primary presidential debates are being shown on short notice between the 9 Democratic candidates on C-SPAN. For the current schedule, frequently check on a daily basis for many 'surprise debates'!

South Carolina's textile industries "today employ only about half the 1.5 million workers who had jobs in 1994, when NAFTA went into effect. Industry officials say that about half of those losses have come since Mr. Bush was inaugurated... Textile industry leaders blame the administration for not demanding that China alter trade practices that enable Chinese companies to sell goods cheaper in the US than American businesses do, making it harder to compete. J. Richard Dillard, a spokesman for Milliken & Company... said Mr. Bush promised such protections, called "safeguards," before and after he was elected but had not followed through... Asked for a show of hands in Spartanburg to indicate how many of the executives voted for Mr. Bush in 2000, all indicated they had. Asked for a show of hands of how many would be willing to abandon him in 2004, all indicated they would. Tell Michael Janofsky (michaelj@nytimes.com) to report Dennis Kucinich will abolish NAFTA on Inauguration Day.

Rob Kall writes: "I went to the Democratic primary Presidential Candidates Forum in Philly... At the forum, moderated by former Crossfire host, Bill Press, seven of the nine Democratic declared candidates participated. Southerners Edwards and Graham did not show. This Forum was organized the the Sheet Metal Worker's Union, and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, former general chairman of the Democratic Party. There were about 700 Union leaders, 150 VIPs and about 40 members of the press... After the forum was over, I had a chance to talk one on one with a few of the candidates. I asked congressman Dennis Kucinich about voting theft... Kucinich replied that he's introducing a bill to deal with this in congress. That's great news. It will require that all voting software be owned and operated by the government, that there be a paper trail and that all records will be accessible. It is absolutely essential that this be fully in place and operational before the presidential elections."

"Multibillionaire George Soros is committing $10 million to a new Democratic-leaning group aimed at defeating President Bush next year. Soros, who in the past has donated on a smaller scale to Democratic candidates and the party, pledged the money to a political action committee called America Coming Together, spokesman Michael Vachon said Friday. The group plans a $75 million effort to defeat Bush and 'elect progressive officials at every level' in 2004... 'The fate of the world depends on the United States, and President Bush is leading us in the wrong direction,' Soros said in a written statement. 'ACT is an effective way to mobilize civil society, to convince people to go to the polls and vote for candidates who will reassert the values of the greatest open society in the world'."

"Dean said his plan to rescind all of Bush's tax cuts would pay for the expansion of health insurance to uninsured Americans while also allowing the federal budget to return to balance within five years. Gephardt defended his plan calling for the rollback of all of the Bush tax cuts, which, along with a 60% tax credit to employers, would be used to expand health insurance to uninsured Americans. Kucinich said neither plan was workable and that the only solution was to admit that 'the private sector has failed' and that it was time to aim for a government-run, single-payer health insurance system funded by a 7.5% payroll tax increase on employers... Lieberman to ... said a step-by-step approach was needed, warning that efforts to 'do it all at once' would still leave the budget in deficit, threatening Social Security and Medicare. Kerry then accused Lieberman of thinking small... touting his own plan to target rising health-care costs and extend insurance to all Americans."

"Your non-profit, non-partisan starting place for election 2004 information, announcements, news and discussions from E-Democracy." Check it out!

Stan Greenberg, James Carville, and Bob Shrum write, "Obviously, Bush is vulnerable. The economic attacks on the Bush record are the strongest, and the Bush tax cuts are part of his vulnerability. The deficits are a powerful issue now, understood by voters. The attack on the link between special interest contributors and Bush policies has remarkable resonance. And not only on the economy and a range of domestic issues, but now on foreign policy which was assumed to be Bush's strong suit, voters are dissatisfied with the Bush direction. It is not clear that Bush is steering the best course on security and using our troops in the most effective way. As people experience the price of going it alone in Iraq and the world, Bush goes down. It is time for Democrats to step forward confidently, holding Bush accountable for his record, but also giving voters a taste of the Democrats' vision for the future. The results send a strong signal that 2004 is a whole new ballgame."

William Greider writes: "The so-called 'established' Democratic candidates -- Senators Kerry, Lieberman, Edwards and Representative Gephardt -- all face the same suspenseful predicament. They wrong-footed historic events (and stiffed their party's energized base) by choosing to support Bush's misguided conquest of Iraq. These four men need to get right on the war -- the most fundamental matter before the American people -- the sooner the better for themselves but especially for the country's future. At present, the pro-war candidates are trying to shift ground by escalating nuances -- stronger words and phrases to convey their alarm at Bush's mistakes and deceptions. But basically they are merely repeating what people can see for themselves. Expressions of concern won't cut it."

AP reports, "For the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, rank-and-file Republicans say they are worried about Bush's re-election chances based on the feeble economy, the rising death toll in Iraq and questions about his credibility. 'Of course it alarms me to see his poll figures below the safe margins,' said Ruth Griffin, co-chair of Bush's 2000 campaign steering committee in New Hampshire... Republicans said there will be trouble for Bush if postwar Iraq continues to claim the lives of American troops. Another U.S. solider was killed Tuesday, bringing the total killed in action to 153... 'This guerrilla warfare is disturbing,' said former Rep. John Paul Hammerschmidt, an RNC member from Arkansas. A recent CNN-Time poll found that 47% view Bush as a leader they can trust, down from 56% in March. A thin majority of voters said they harbor doubts about his leadership."

"Carville said was the big issue for Democrats in '04 [is] the Bush administration's reversal of 'the generational promise of America -- each time we do what we can do to make the next generation better.' 'That promise, today like no other time in our lifetime, is under attack,' he said. 'The idea that we are a society beyond our own self-interest is under attack. We are told America is best when people are interested in ourselves. We know America is better when we're based on a common interest. 'We have a resident that is no longer interested in what happens to the next generation. We have a resident that is no longer interested in what happens to the promise of America. 'I am telling you that there is so much at stake here. There is so much for us to fight for. There are so many people who don't want to give up the dream of generational promise."

Molly Ivins writes: "What ho, sports fans? Has this been a dandy spell for mind-boggling government, or what? Still no weapons of mass destruction, and every neocon in America is creating elaborate rationales for why it makes no difference whatever if we were lied to about this war. Meanwhile, in a truly creative demonstration of their problem-solving abilities, White House staffers fixed the entire global warming problem by editing it out of a report on the environment. Way to go, team! Why pay attention to scientists when you can insert a study paid for by the American Petroleum Institute instead? That Karl Rove, just brilliant. As Bush said on June 4, 'I'm the master of low expectations.' And he continues to prove it."

Bernard Weiner writes: "Do we give up on the Democrats for 2004, and vote for a third-party candidate, trying to organize from the ground up instead of from the candidate's organization down? Or, recognizing that the objective conditions for a winning third-party run simply aren't there now, do we hold our noses and vote and work for whatever halfway-reasonable candidate the Democrats choose as their standard bearer?...You may believe, as many did in 2000, that there's not a 'dime's worth of difference' between the Democrats and Republicans, but nine cents can make a mighty difference in individuals' real lives on the ground...One's sense of personal 'purity' might be slightly compromised by voting for the Democratic candidate and thus helping to perpetuate a system that is not as uncorrupted as we would all like. But I don't think we can afford that self-involved luxury in 2004; this election decision is simply too vital, a matter of life and death for so many around the world."

Katrina Vanden Heuvel writes, "Here's a modest proposal. Let's start a Coalition of the Rational to take back our country from this radical rightwing Administration. After all, these are times when true conservatives are as concerned as liberal Democrats about the damage being done to our democracy and international credibility as a result of manipulated intelligence, preemptive war policy and arrogant unilateralism. The coalition could bring together a broad, transpartisan group of concerned citizens--from Goldwater-style conservatives, Rockefeller Republicans and former State Department and intelligence officials, to progressive Democrats and religious, labor and student leaders--to mobilize Americans in informed opposition to the Bush Administration's undermining of US security in our name." Hey Katrina - where do we sign up?

David Broder writes, "If Bush is [re-defeated], we may look back on last Thursday, July 10, 2003, as the day the shadow of defeat first crossed his political horizon... 'The CBS Evening News' that night was like Karl Rove's worst nightmare, and the other network newscasts -- still the main source of information for a large number of Americans -- were not much better. The headlines announced by John Roberts... on CBS were: 'Bush's false claim about Iraqi weapons; he made it despite a CIA warning the intelligence was bad. More Americans say U.S. is losing control of Iraq. Also tonight, food lines in America; they're back and getting longer.' Brian Williams, filling in for Tom Brokaw on NBC, began: 'War zone. Two more Americans dead in Iraq, and now the general who led the war says the troops could be there four more years.'... On that black Thursday for the administration, first-time unemployment claims pushed the number of Americans on jobless relief to the highest level in 20 years."

Newsday reports: "But while some Democratic regulars are singing the blues, veteran fund-raisers and strategists are plotting how to counter the onslaught of Republican dollars. 'The spin that's become ingrained in the coverage is that Bush will blow away all the Democratic candidates,' said Simon Rosenberg, founder and president of the New Democrat Network. 'But if you use available measures rather than the shock and awe they're trying to use on the media, we're competitive with an incumbent president with high approval ratings.' Democrats knew they would be in a hole by virtue of the campaign finance law that banned the national party from collecting 'soft money,' the unlimited donations from corporations, unions and wealthy donors that they've counted on in past elections. This time, they face not only a steep financial disadvantage, but the prospect that Bush will have no challenger while their nine candidates scrap for cash and attention, and beat each other up in the process."

Rob Kall writes: "Individually, none of the 10 declared and undeclared democratic presidential primary candidates came close to matching the money George W. Bush raised-- a reported $34 million. But add them all up and it looks like they either beat him or came very, very close. Not surprisingly, interviews and internet searches, including google news for any coverage of this positive aspect of the Democractic campaign failed to find any mainstream media that reported this alternate 'spin' from the story that was primarily reported that Bush's fundraising was far more than what any single Democrat raised."

NY Times reports: "Howard Dean announced yesterday that he had raised close to $9 million this year, establishing himself as a top-tier candidate in the Democratic presidential field. The figure stunned his rivals and transformed Dr. Dean from a maverick into a more traditional contender. Much of the money was collected over the Internet, his aides said, leaving little doubt there are now ways to solicit contributions other than the telephone calls and elaborate fund-raisers that are the stock and trade for most mainstream candidates... The other campaigns said yesterday that they would wait until the fund-raising period was over before releasing their results. 'He'll beat everybody,' Steve Elmendorf, a senior adviser to Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, said of Dr. Dean."

The Washington Post's coverage of the MoveOn primary quotes Democrats.com co-founder Bob Fertik, but doesn't explain the online mobilization that Democrats.com did on behalf of the Kucinich campaign. Together we are much stronger than we ever thought possible. Congratulations to Kucinich and to Howard Dean and to everyone working to Re-Defeat Bush!

CNN reports: "The Democratic National Committee announced details Friday for four of six presidential primary debates that will involve the nine candidates seeking the party's 2004 presidential nomination... Here is the schedule: September 4 in Albuquerque, New Mexico: The event will be hosted by Gov. Bill Richardson and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and broadcast jointly by Univision and participating Public Broadcasting System stations. September 25 in New York City: This CNBC/Wall Street Journal debate will be broadcast by CNBC and MSNBC. October 12 in Phoenix, Arizona: It will be hosted by Gov. Janet Napolitano and the Arizona Democratic Party and broadcast on CNN. October 26 in Detroit, Michigan: This debate is to be hosted by members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Network broadcasting to be determined. Two additional debates, to be held in November and December in Iowa and New Hampshire, will be announced in the coming weeks, the DNC said."

Moveon writes, "On June 24th and 25th, 2003 we held an online vote to help our members express their preferences among the current field of Democratic candidates. This vote also served to determine if there was consensus among MoveOn members for a candidate endorsement for the 2004 presidential contest. MoveOn.org PAC had announced that any candidate from the field of nine that garnered more than 50% of the vote would receive our endorsement. In just a little over 48 hours, 317,647 members voted, making this vote larger than both the New Hampshire Democratic primary and Iowa caucuses combined. "

DEAN 139360 43.87%

KUCINICH 76000 23.93%

KERRY 49973 15.73%

EDWARDS 10146 3.19%

GEPHARDT 7755 2.44%

GRAHAM 7113 2.24%

BRAUN 7021 2.21%

LIEBERMAN 6095 1.92%

SHARPTON 1677 0.53%

Kucinich's strong second place finish was a huge surprise - thanks in large part to Democrats.com members!

"The Democrats are scrambling to get it together for the Presidential election. But the Senate may be the place where they take the biggest hit. [Lou Jacobson, a veteran political reporter, says the Democrats are likely to lose at least four seats.] That would mean an even easier ride for Republican legislation. The Republicans, with the help of only a handful of conservative Democrats, could get the sixty votes needed to end a filibuster, thereby crippling the minority party's ability to stall or amend sweeping laws... As 2004 approaches, the Democrats are trying to pull together a real opposition to the party in power. But they are struggling. Some problems for the Democrats are acute: a popular Republican Administration, no bully pulpit in Washington, and a fundraising disadvantage. Others are chronic and long term: a fading constituency and a muddled message."

Rob Kall of OpEdNews.com has found an important but undiscovered Internet primary - the number of Internet users who are visiting the respective Web sites of the presidential candidates. The raw data comes from Alexa.com, which ranks ALL Internet sites by the number of visitors they receive. As Kall writes, "This is not a poll. Polls sample. This is the whole monty-- the whole web activity pattern, not just based on a few hundred or thousand people. It's based on millions. After a few days of exposure and promotion of three candidates - Dean, Kerry and Kucinich, in order of their being promoted by moveon.org, the web activity has increased dramatically. Dennis Kucinich, the last to get the boost of exposure from the 1.4 million strong moveon.org mailing list, seems to have been helped the most, with his current website activity at levels competitive with Dean and Kerry, the other frontrunners."

Moveon members suggested 1,800 questions for the Democratic presidential candidates. The 7 most popular were chosen, and you can read the candidates' responses here.

Don Hazen writes, "Pundits like Harold Myerson of the American Prospect see Howard Dean as potentially benefiting most from the MoveOn primary process. The web-savvy Dean has raised more than $1 million online, using MeetUp.com to bring supporters together across the country. Yet Dennis Kucinich should also do well, buoyed by what many are calling the most inspiring political speech heard in years, delivered to more than 1,000 cheering activists at the recent Take Back America conference in Washington DC. By the same token the Kerry campaign will not be happy if Vermont neighbor Dean runs away with MoveOn. And if scattered rumors of big union support for Dick Gephardt are true, the fairly sophisticated email apparatus of the AFL-CIO could be quickly mobilized to influence the MoveOn process... To help maintain the trust of its loyal members, MoveOn has hired pollster Stanley Greenberg to do 'exit polls' of voters as extra insurance that the email voting process has integrity."

From the Wyeth Wire: "Proof Of Freeper Fixing: There has been a rumor that a bunch of right-wing nuts intend to infiltrate the upcoming MoveOn primary. But until now there was no direct evidence of Republicans encouraging their rank and file to register in the primary and skew the outcome. Until now. Jimmy Moore, a conservative columnist for Common Voice and Talon News, has posted step by step instructions for how to register in the MoveOn primary and vote for Al Sharpton. Moore posts the text of the registration message from MoveOn, so it appears likely that he is already registered and ready to cast his vote." So the Freepers have hitched their wagons to Al Sharpton - when he gets a few hundred votes, we'll know how FEW Freepers there really are!

Not ONE mainstream newspaper, magazine, TV or radio station investigated the 2000 Stolen Election in Florida - or the electronic voting machine problems in 2002 (see blackboxvoting.com). But days before the historic Moveon primary, the media is suddenly terrified of vote rigging. Why now? Because the Moveon primary will help grassroots Democrats unite behind the most progressive candidates, an idea that terrifies the political establishment - both Republicans and Democrats. If you haven't registered in the Moveon primary, go here: And a memo to Dick Gephardt, whose complaints prompted this AP story: if you want the votes of progressive activists, you could start by demanding Bush's impeachment for lying to the world - and YOU - about Iraq's WMD.

PentaPost reports, "The left-leaning advocacy group Moveon.org will hold its first online presidential primary later this month, a contest that could have a significant impact if any of the nine Democratic presidential candidates is able to seize the group's endorsement. The group will endorse, direct volunteers and raise money -- including holding an 'urgent' fundraiser in time for the Federal Election Commission's June 30 deadline -- for whomever is able to win at least 50 percent of its members' votes. If none of the candidates reaches that threshold -- and it may be difficult, given the size of the field -- the group will put off announcing its endorsement until this summer... 'Ordinary people, at the grass roots, often stand back until a lot of this is decided -- and it doesn't make a lot of sense,' said Wes Boyd, the group's president, explaining its decision. 'Why not play as much as the folks who attend the rubber chicken dinners play?' "

Reuters reports, "For Wisconsin Democrats, the 2004 presidential campaign may be just beginning but the path to victory is clear - attack Bush's policies in the strongest possible terms. At a weekend convention of Wisconsin party activists, many delegates rejected any notion that the nine Democratic candidates should appeal more to moderates. They said they would not make their choice based on which contender has the best chance of winning. They want to pick the Democrat who is most aggressive in challenging Bush. 'Moving to the center may have been the right thing a decade ago, but not now,' said Dan Drumer... 'Trying to please everybody never works for Democrats,' said Drumer. 'You have to stand for something.' Howard Dean, John Kerry and Dennis Kucinich all spoke to the convention on Friday night and received warm receptions for their jabs at Bush. Dean won an unofficial media-sponsored straw poll, although many delegates said they were still undecided."

Former Gov. Howard Dean was victorious in the Wisconsin Democratic Party convention straw poll. Dean beat 8 competing Democrats in all categories- delegates & alternates, & official guests. Dean's combined total of 203 topped John Kerry's combined total of 50. Dean, Kerry & Dennis Kucinich personally attended the convention. WisPolitics.com & The Hotline staged the straw poll to take the temperature of activists in a likely key battleground state next year. Vaughn Ververs, Hotline's editor said "The results were representative of the feeling among the delegates. Had all the attendees voted, the overall results likely would not have been different." Combined total: Dean (203), Kerry (50), Kucinich (27), Graham (19), Edwards (18), Gephardt (10), Moseley Braun (5), Lieberman (4), Sharpton (2), write-ins (14).

From the American Research Group: "When asked if a campaign were organized to draft Gore in the primary, 25% of likely Democratic primary voters say they would vote for Gore, 49% say they would not, and 26% are undecided. Gore would lead in the primary with 25% followed by Kerry at 17%, Dean at 16%, and Lieberman at 12%. Support for Gore was at 25% in a November 2002 New Hampshire Poll, just prior to Gore's decision not to run for president." A nationwide Time/CNN poll, of Democrats and Democrat-leaning Independents, shows Gore way ahead at 40%, compared to 7% each for Gephardt Kerry, or Lieberman (see http://www.pollingreport.com/wh04dem.htm).

Tom Edsall writes, "Major liberal organizations, from labor unions to civil rights groups, have begun to meet privately to develop a coordinated strategy to oppose Bush's reelection in 2004. Their goal is to buttress the Democratic Party and its nominee by orchestrating voter mobilization and independent media in as many as a dozen battleground states. All of the organizations are free to accept unlimited contributions, or 'soft money' from wealthy individuals, unions and corporations... Together, these organizations have the potential to target $40 million to $50 million in key states including Florida, Michigan and Pennsylvania. The amount could be much higher if organized labor invests heavily and a new, pro-Democratic committee gearing up to run television advertisements is successful. In addition, these organizations are expected to play a crucial role in Election Day get-out-the-vote efforts."

Cheryl Seal writes, "Right now, the US government is very much like a pest-infested house - only instead of cockroaches, we are being overrun by their close relatives: corporate lobbyists and their minions in the US government. The 'household food,' of course, is tax dollars and largesse in the form of contracts and corporate-friendly legislation. If we don't stash every bit of this 'food' in air-tight regulatory Tupperware and start to fight back with a giant can of Raid!, they will clean us out and leave behind a thoroughly contaminated home. So what constitutes our can of RAID!? Put simply: R.ally A.round your I.deals, D.emocrats! It is time to stop trying to play both ends of the court -- you cannot be for the common man, the environment, peace, freedom, and justice AND at the same time try to placate the corporations. These goals are mutually exclusive. Period."

Adam Clymer writes: "Last fall's successes in Congressional elections depended heavily not only on Mr. Bush's campaigning but also on a revived effort to get out the vote, something Republicans had forgotten in recent years while unions worked harder than ever to help Democrats in 2000. The 72-Hour Project... tapped heavily into people, like evangelical Christians, who... usually skip off-year elections. For 2004, the party will move into another realm that is usually the preserve of Democrats: voter registration. Matthew Dowd, the president's pollster, said computers would identify nonvoters in Republican neighborhoods. That and other registration efforts, including having party workers at naturalization ceremonies, could 'expand the pool of voters' by as many as three million, Mr. Dowd said." Wake up and smell the coffee, Dems! If you don't get into fighting mode, and inspire young voters (that will campaign for you, unlike the soft middle you always play to), it's curtains for us!

Ron Fournier reports for the AP: "Democratic presidential candidates, courting some of their party's most powerful women, on Tuesday warned that another four years of President [sic] Bush could tip the balance on the U.S. Supreme Court and undermine a woman's right to abortion."

Larry Parsons writes for the Californian: "Blunt-spoken political consultant James Carville on Monday said what he thinks it will take for the Democrats to defeat President [sic] Bush next year. The ideal candidate would be a populist who takes on the nation's powerful elite, while exuding a take-charge sense of responsibility. 'This is a serious time. ... We need to be running a serious campaign on national issues,' Carville said at a press conference at the Panetta Institute at California State University, Monterey Bay."

AP reports: "Representatives of the nine Democratic presidential candidates agreed at a meeting yesterday to conduct six to eight debates between July and the end of the year, campaign officials said. Leaders of the rival campaigns reached a consensus that the debates should be facilitated by the Democratic National Committee and sponsored by national broadcast media, participants said. The committee planned to draw up more detailed plans by the end of the week and submit them to the campaigns for approval, they said. 'Our goal is to maximize attention for our candidates and to ensure that they participate in a substantial number of high-quality debates,' committee chairman Terry McAuliffe said in a statement after the closed-door meeting. The campaigns already have been invited to at least 40 joint appearances in the coming months, said Joe Trippi, campaign manager for Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont."

AP reports: "Missouri's 2004 presidential primary appears to be in limbo after legislators went home without canceling the election, but also without appropriating money to pay for it. Presidential primaries have been held in Missouri just twice, in 1988 and 2000, with party caucuses held in other years. So with the economy weak and tax revenues below estimates, lawmakers chose to save the $3.7 million that would be needed for next year's primary by leaving it out of the budget... If no primary is held, the political parties would be responsible for choosing candidates, presumably by holding caucuses. ...Several states have been considering eliminating their presidential primaries to save money. The Democratic governors of Arizona and Kansas have both vetoed Republican-backed bills that would have canceled their states' 2004 primaries, and Colorado lawmakers have passed legislation doing the same."

"Democratic presidential rivals united Saturday in attacking President [sic] Bush on national security, an issue on which voters rate him highly. White House hopefuls, at a forum designed to highlight their differences, accused Bush of scrimping on domestic defense in favor of cutting taxes for the rich." AP reports: "The 2004 contenders said the inability to ascertain the fate of suspected Sept. 11 mastermind Osama bin Laden is symbolic of what they contend is Bush's failed policy on fighting terrorism. The Democrats said Bush talks tough on homeland security but does not deliver, and uses the issue largely to advance a right-wing agenda. Candidates at the [Des Moines, Iowa] meeting, sponsored by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, also renewed their criticism of Bush's tax-cutting efforts. 'The p-resident's prescription for everything is take two tax cuts and call me in the morning,' said former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, a physician."

"Former President Clinton said Wednesday night that the Democrats seeking the White House have a chance to win in 2004 if they quit bickering and develop a clear philosophy with a national security element. 'I think on balance they're doing pretty well,' Clinton said in an interview with The Associated Press. 'They need to keep making their philosophy clear.' Clinton made the comments after a private session with the Democratic Leadership Council.. Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is described as very liberal by many following the presidential race, Clinton said, 'but look at what he did as governor of Vermont.' Clinton described Dean's accomplishments with health care in his home state and his proposal to promote a national health care plan with a modest price tag as 'New Democrat' positions... And Clinton didn't hesitate when he was asked the overriding question: Can Bush be beaten? 'You can always be beaten,' Clinton said with a smile. 'I could have been beaten in 1996.'"

Ted Rall writes: "Post-attack America is feeling mean... The lesson: besieged Americans want to be led by ass-kicking meanies... [So] go after Bush's ultimate Achilles' heel: run countless loops of the inarticulate Resident's clashes with the English language. 'Too dumb to talk,' a sinister voiceover reads. 'Too stupid to trust.' Use time-proven Republican methods, like name-calling: Extremist. Out of touch. Tax and spender. Hates workers. Racist. Homophobe. Corrupt CEO coddler. Idiot. Drunk. Cut to the post-pretzel -incident photo: 'America needs a sober president'... Dwell on the two years Bush went AWOL from the Texas Air National Guard. 'Brave Americans gave their lives in Vietnam,' a 30-second spot should intone as the camera pans over [the Vietnam Memorial]. 'Rich kid George W. Bush deserted. This coward snorted coke and drove drunk while other kids died.' Who doubts that if Gore had played up Bush's DUI arrest, he would have picked up an extra 500 votes in Florida?"

"In today's America, we endure the phony spectacles of Fogerty's anti-war anthem being used to celebrate patriotism in a blue-jeans commercial, and of the guy who, by all accounts, cut out of his 'military' service a year early being hailed by the media as a martial hero on a par with Hannibal because of a silly and extravagant photo-op... The smearing of Gore on his military service... is relevant because it set the template for what will happen this time. If the candidate is Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), a whisper campaign that has begun with 'aloofness' and 'doesn't know his true self' will be expanded to include his opposition to the Gulf War and his equivocations on this Iraq War, for the express purpose of neutralizing his unassailable record of service in Vietnam... The [DNC] needs to learn from the Gore experience that we are not dealing with people who play by any known rules. Such smear campaigns can't be ignored... but have to be countered -- quickly, and on many fronts."

Remember the Press's Anti-Al Gore Campaign in 2000? Remember the fact-free charges that Al Gore was a phony with identity problems? Well they are at it again. The target this time? John Kerry. Rush Limbaugh says Kerry has the 'algores'. Silly Micky Kaus is running a Kerry Mystery contest on his blog (you can picture Walter Cronkrite or Ed Murrow doing that can't you?). Even the Boston Globe is getting into the act. The right wing press thinks they have seen this movie before, but we have news for them. The ending is going to be different this time.

Doug Ireland writes for TomPaine.com: "Take nine presidential candidates, stick them in a 90 minute format, subtract time for the moderators' intros and questions, for the commercials and station-breaks -- and you're left with a forum in which no one could have time to make a serious intellectual argument. Under such conditions, a 'debate' becomes a sound-bite contest and the political equivalent of a beauty pageant - which is exactly what happened at Saturday night's ABC-sponsored cattle-call for the Democratic presidential field. George [Stepsonallofus], the master of ceremonies, deployed his toothy grin while he tried to goad the candidates into attacking each other."

NYTimes reports: "Bush's advisers have drafted a re-election strategy built around staging the latest nominating convention in the party's history, allowing Mr. Bush to begin his formal campaign near the third anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and to enhance his fund-raising advantage, Republicans close to the White House say. In addition, Mr. Bush's advisers say they are prepared to spend as much as $200 million -- twice the amount of his first campaign -- to finance television advertising and other campaign expenses through the primary season that leads up to the Republican convention in September 2004. That would be a record amount by a presidential candidate, and would be especially notable because Mr. Bush faces no serious opposition for his party's nomination... The back-to-back events would complete the framework for a general election campaign that is being built around national security and Mr. Bush's role in combating terrorism, Republicans said."

On Tuesday, Dick Gephardt "stood before a group of voters in Manchester, N.H., and declared: 'Bush was handed the best economy we've had in 50 years. He came in and squandered the surplus. I am furious at him and I am furious at the Republicans.' He is not the only Democrat skewering Bush on the economy. From the presidential trail to the halls of Congress, Democrats have already decided that Bush's military success in the Iraq war will not translate into political strength at home. They are ready to attack the administration's economic record and fight against Bush's tax-cut proposal in Congress... Presidents can win wars or get impeached, but it is the state of the economy that drives voters, said Lee Miringoff, director of the Poughkeepsie-based Marist Institute for Public Opinion. 'That is the ultimate bottom line,' he said."

AFP reports, "Bush 's 2004 reelection hopes were brighter after Iraqis dragged a battered statue of Saddam Hussein through the dusty streets of downtown Baghdad. But.. political experts joined by opposition Democrats who want 'regime change' at home say a second term is not in the bag, pointing to a rickety economy - and to the precedent set by Bush's father. The elder Bush saw his popularity skyrocket during the 1991 Gulf War [hitting 90% in February 1991], only to see his bid for a second term founder on the perception that he did too little to revive the ailing US economy... Bristling at the notion of political calculation, Bush spokesman Scott McClellan said war in Iraq 'is about the disarmament of a brutal regime of its weapons of mass destruction [LIE: what WMD???] and the liberation of the Iraqi people.' White House aides say he inherited an economy in a recession [LIE: the recession started in March 2001]."

Geov Parrish writes: "While news media are saturated with field reports from Iraq, and Congress wrestles over how much money, exactly, can be shoveled into the pockets of the already obscenely wealthy, and in how many ways, the battle that should concern everyone the most is quietly taking away from the headlines. Welcome to the 2004 presidential race. It will be over -- except for the voting, of course -- before 2004 even begins. For the long-term freedom, health, prosperity, and security of Americans -- and the world's other six billion people, and all its other species, too -- there is no more critical task in the coming months than to oust George W. Bush, and the lunatics surrounding him, in November 2004."

AP reports, "U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean are tied in the latest poll of likely voters in the New Hampshire Democratic primary. The Franklin Pierce College poll released Thursday showed Kerry and Dean each with the support of 21% of those questioned earlier in the week. Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut was a distant third at 9%, followed by Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri at 6%. With 38% undecided, the rest of the candidates each had 3% or less. Dean drew the bulk of his support from voters who said they oppose the war in Iraq. Nearly 90% of his supporters are against the war, while Kerry's support was split almost equally between war opponents and those who either favor it or are undecided... 29% of those polled said they would choose Al Gore as their first choice if he were among the Democratic candidates. 'It shows that Gore still has staying power with many segments of the party,' Killion said."

"Gaining strong support among likely Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire opposed to US military action against Iraq, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean has jumped into a virtual tie with Massachusetts Senator John Kerry in ballot preference among likely Democratic primary voters in the New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Preference Primary according to the latest New Hampshire Poll completed just prior to American military action commencing against Iraq. Kerry receives support from 23% of likely Democratic primary votes and Dean receives support from 22% of likely Democratic primary voters. Through the evening of March 19, 48% of likely Democratic primary voters said they favored US military action against Iraq, 49% said they opposed US military action against Iraq, and 3% were undecided." Both Dean and Kerry are from states bordering NH, which makes them natural favorites.

Sacramento Bee reports, 'An anti-war crowd at the California Democratic Party convention erupted in cheers Saturday when presidential challenger Howard Dean took to the stage.'What I want to know,' said the former Vermont governor in his first sentence to hundreds at the Sacramento Convention Center, 'is what in the world so many Democrats are doing supporting the president's unilateral intervention in Iraq.'... Al Sharpton also brought delegates to their feet with his anti-war remarks. 'We are not soft on American enemies,' Sharpton said. 'We are just not ones that believe that we should be cavalier about spilling American blood.'... [Carol Moseley] Braun -- a former Illinois senator and ambassador to New Zealand -- joined about 400 protesters gathered a few blocks away at the state Capitol. 'What you do may be the only thing that stops us from going into this ill-considered, wrong war,' she said." You go, Howard, Al & Carol!

NY Times reports from Iowa: "Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri came here today for a thoughtful Sunday morning living room conversation with Iowa Democrats about the issues of his emerging presidential campaign: education, health care and pension. But for 25 minutes, Mr. Gephardt was badgered about his support for resident Bush's Iraq policy in a tense session that finally ended when the local Democratic chairman said Mr. Gephardt was running behind schedule. In an instant, Mr. Gephardt was out of the room headed to his next stop. Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts came to Iowa on Saturday to give a speech in Des Moines about women's issues. But he arrived to the shouts of antiwar demonstrators, and a meeting with local Democrats turned into an anguished discussion about what was taking place in Washington and Iraq and Mr. Kerry's support for the Iraq resolution passed by Congress last October."

"Democratic Sen. John Edwards said Wednesday he will run for president in 2004, according to a friend who attended a party where the announcement was made. The first-term senator from North Carolina told about 200 friends he planned to form an exploratory committee for the presidential run, said Walter Dellinger, a former U.S. solicitor general. 'John Edwards is running for president to give Americans a choice,' said Dellinger. Earlier in the day, Edwards told reporters he would make his own announcement Thursday, but would not say whether he was entering the race... Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry are already running, and associates expect Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt to announce he's running within the next week. Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman is leaning toward a run, though he hasn't set a final timetable for his decision. Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle is still talking with supporters with a plan to decide by mid-January."

Here's Bush's re-election strategy:
1. war on terrorism (Con't) - NOT finding Osama for 2 more years
2. protecting the homeland (Con't) - taking away more of our freedom
3. health care costs and access (Con't) - INCREASING costs and DECREASING access
4. legal reform (Con't) - making it impossible for Americans to sue corporate criminals (includes #3 for drug companies)
5. faith-based services (Con't) - more "evangelical pork" for Bush's key backers on the religious right like Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Sun Myung Moon, and Scientology
6. education (Con't) - expanding vouchers for religious schools (includes #5)
7. higher education - cutting federal loans and grants to needy students
8. Social Security reform - the previously discredited "privatization" scheme under some new name
9. tax reform - shifting more of the tax burden from the rich to the poor
10. immigration reform - arresting more immigrants for trivial violations
Wake up, America!

Jeffrey J. Marriotte writes for Mesa Democrats: "If Gore wanted the nomination again, it should be his. There's no person in the country (including the current office-holder) more qualified than Gore to be President. He won more votes than any other Democratic candidate in history, and more than any candidate at all except for Ronald Reagan. We all know he also won more in Florida than George Bush, and if the Supreme Court hadn't decided that 175,000 votes should never be counted, he'd be president today. He's a man of great intellect and moral courage. And, judging by his recent statements, if he had run, we could have counted on a campaign full of fire and excitement. He was the first major figure, for instance, to attack Trent Lott's racist comments at Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday party, and he told Bush how to fix the economy, leading to the firing of the useless Paul O'Neill and Larry Lindsey. When Mr. Gore speaks, people listen and things get done."

Ernest Partridge writes, "The Bush regime is at war, not only with the Democrats, but also with their own proclaimed Christian morality, with the traditions of the American Republic, and with demonstrable scientific fact. Were this otherwise, the corporate media propaganda arrayed in behalf of the GOP would be invincible. However, given the estrangement of the Bush agenda from morality, tradition and fact, if the public is made aware of this estrangement, the Bush team is vulnerable. The challenge, then, is to find the means to educate and arouse the public. Given the state of the media, it is a daunting challenge. Daunting, but not insurmountable. If the above assessment is correct, there is an abundance of resources available to the Democrats and to the progressives - available, and largely unutilized. Moreover, this inventory of the available assets suggests several strategies that might be employed in the coming struggle to halt and then reverse the right-wing tide."

Steven Maurer writes: "How do we win in 2004? Here's my top ten list: 1. Fix - Don't Accuse 2. We're the Opposition - We Need To Start Acting Like It 3. Develop Talking Points To Take Advantage Of GOP Predictability 4. Defend Our Positions 5. Filibuster Reaganite "Credit-Card Prosperity" 6. Fight By Sound Bite 7. Actively Work On Campaigns 8. Reach Out To Independents - To A Point 9. Reach Out To Greens and Social Progressives - To A Point 10. Be Positive... President Clinton is right. There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be fixed by what is right with America. "

Susan Page reports in USA Today, "Even as President [sic] Bush's approval ratings remain high, his political advisers are mapping a strategy that assumes his 2004 re-election campaign will be a close race in which the outcome could hinge on a few thousand votes in a handful of states. So Bush is heeding the adage made famous by the late House speaker Tip O'Neill: All politics is local. In recent weeks, the president [sic] has made a series of decisions boosting him in states that could be critical to his re-election."

Harley Sorensen writes that "If we start now, and work hard, we might be able to get a true progressive -- and a truer American -- to square off against George W. Bush -- assuming, of course, that Bush hasn't gotten us all blown up by then. The bright light, still low on the horizon, is Dennis Kucinich, who... represents the Cleveland area in Congress and is the head of the House Progressive Caucus. A down-to-earth progressive, Kucinich comes from a humble background. There were no millionaires in his family, no ex-presidents or ex-senators. There was a gung-ho ex-Marine, his dad, who worked as a truck driver. Dennis was one of seven children. He lived in 21 different places while growing up, including a couple of cars... 'I believe in the work ethic.' Kucinich told Studs Terkel in 1978. 'There's tremendous dignity in work, and it doesn't matter what it is.' If you work for a living, Kucinich is your man."

This week, the Sierra Club launched a major ad campaign which calls on Congress to revive and pass the Shays-Meehan campaign finance reform bill. The bill has been shortstopped by the House Rules Committee (undoubtedly in the belief that if the bill is stalled long enough, we'll all just forget the whole thing). "Americans don't want to see our clean air or drinking water safeguards sold to the highest bidder," said Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club. "The Senate took the first step to stop the flow of polluters' cash into campaign coffers. Now, the House must step up to the plate to give elections back to all Americans, not just the wealthy corporate polluters." Ads will appear in newspapers in four states and in Washington, D.C.

"After three months of reflection, weight reduction and jailhouse political powwows, the Rev. Al Sharpton says he is ready to emerge from behind bars with 'both guns blazing.'" Sharpton will announce his candidacy on August 20 in DC. "Sharpton said he believes he has 'as much of a chance as anybody' to emerge victorious from the current field of Democratic presidential hopefuls. 'At best, I can win,' he said. 'At worst, I can give voice to issues and constituencies that would be ignored if I don't [run].' Sharpton said he would run as the standard bearer of the Democratic Party's progressive wing and would focus on issues such as criminal justice, human rights, public education, health care and the 'military-industrial complex.'" Hey Al - don't come looking for help from us until you cut all of your ties to right-wing zealot Rev. Moon - including co-chairing his "Coalition for Harmony."

A recent Zogby poll asked, "Do you think President Bush deserves to be reelected in 2004 or would you like to see someone else as president?" A measly 29% said Shrub "deserves to be reelected," while 38% said they would "like to see someone else." Those are pathetic numbers for a President who gets fawning media coverage and just signed the biggest tax giveaway in history.

Three-term Sen. John Breaux, D-LA., has asked a liberal arts college in New Hampshire -- the state where the first presidential primary is traditionally held -- for an opportunity to participate in a lecture series that traditionally features Presidential candidates. Breaux is a leader of the Blue Dog Democrats who helped Bu$h get 85% of his tax giveaway to millionaires, which will return us to the massive Reagan deficits and force deep cuts in social programs. Before he goes to NH, Breaux should give serious thought to rejoining the Democratic Party when it comes time for the actual votes on Bu$h's tax giveaway.

While the Commander-in-Thief gave his first televised speech last week, Al Gore met with more than two dozen of his biggest donors in New York City. But these donors are hearing from other potential candidates, including Joe Lieberman, Dick Gephardt, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), and Sen. John Edwards (D-NC). Here's our advice to the candidates who would like to lead our party in 2004 - start showing some leadership NOW by challenging the illegal Bush administration and its corrupt and reactionary policies. Also, pay less attention to the fickle millionaires and more to the die-hard Democratic activists.