General Forum

Congratulations to all the Democratic winners yesterday, but particular congratulations to Chris Larson and Patrick Flaherty, both of whom were endorsed by the members of the DPMC in January. Larson won his primary as a candidate for Milwaukee County Supervisor from the 14th District, and Flaherty won his as a candidate for Alderman from Milwaukee’s 3rd District. Both will move on to the non-partisan General Election on April 1, 2008, along with these other candidates endorsed by the DPMC:

(We've posted this as a forum topic so that you can add your own personal congratulations, Milwaukee Dems.) 

Diary by Rep. Wexler on Cheney Hearings
Wexler For Congress Campaign, Daily Kos
Monday, December 31, 2007

"...I think it's important to point out that while there may not currently be 218 votes in support of actual impeachment, it's premature to think that support would not be there AFTER hearings...

"The whole purpose of hearings is to investigate and verify credible allegations of wrongdoing. Let us remember that it wasn't until after hearings began that the Watergate tapes emerged. Who knows what will be uncovered when we explore the evidence already on the table? Who knows what support will emerge when the truth comes out?...

"This administration has obstructed our agenda since we took the majority. There is little reason to think that if we avoid hearings, we will suddenly find ourselves in an easier position. In fact, there is good cause to believe the opposite - that if we avoid hearings, we will STILL be obstructed. Such an outcome would be tragic...

"I don't know what genius political consultant has advised the Democratic leadership that it's a bad idea to spend hours of prime time on the floor of Congress reminding the country that Mr. Eleven-Percent-Approval-Rating is a bad guy of whom they disprove and whom they would like to see held accountable. It's supposed to be Politics 101 that you associate yourself with good things and that you are seen to frequently and rabidly denounce bad things." - Air America Radio's Rachel Maddow on Countdown, November 6, 2007

Keith Olbermann's Special Comment, November 5, 2007: "Water-boarding, he said, is torture. Legally, it is torture. Practically, it is torture. Ethically, it is torture. And he wrote it down. Wrote it down somewhere where it could be contrasted with the words of this country's 43rd President: 'The United States of America does not torture.' Made you into a liar, Mr. Bush. Made you into, if anybody had the guts to pursue it, a criminal, Mr. Bush..."

Kucinich says he will force House vote on Cheney impeachment
Nick Juliano, The Raw Story
Friday, November 2, 2007

"Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) announced he would move to force a vote next week on his resolution calling for the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney.

"'The momentum is building for impeachment,' Kucinich said in a statement on his Web site. 'Millions of citizens across the nation are demanding Congress rein in the Vice President's abuse of power.'

"Kucinich said he plans to introduce a privileged resolution, which would have priority for a House floor vote, on Nov. 6. A vote on the measure would be required within two days...

"'We need you to ask your representative to vote No on tabling, Yes on giving impeachment a chance,' wrote David Swanson on the pro-impeachment Website AfterDowningStreet.org. 'Those who vote Yes to table cannot use the excuse that "We don't have the votes," since others will at that same instant with exactly the same exertion be voting No. Please...contact Congress and the media right away!'..."

2 Key Dems Back Bush Atty. Gen. Pick
Devlin Barrett and Lara Jakes Jordan, Associated Press
Friday, November 2, 2007

"(Democratic) Sens. Charles Schumer and Dianne Feinstein say they will vote for Attorney General-nominee Michael Mukasey, which likely gives him enough support to pass the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"Their decision came shortly after the chairman of the committee, Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., announced he would vote against Mukasey, a former federal judge...

"Including Leahy, five of the Judiciary Committee's 10 Democrats had said they would vote against Mukasey's confirmation after the nominee earlier this week refused to say that waterboarding, an interrogation technique that simulates drowning, is torture and therefore illegal.

"But with nine Republicans on the panel, Schumer's and Feinstein's support for Mukasey virtually guarantees that a majority of the committee will recommend his confirmation when it votes on it next Tuesday."

My e-mail to some friends...
Jeff In Milwaukee, DemocraticUnderground.com
Friday, October 26, 2007

"I was at a meeting tonight in Brookfield regarding the Democratic National Committee's Neighborhood Leaders Program. This is an effort to build a community of grassroots organizers in advance of the 2008 election. In the presentation that we saw, the DNC Field Organizer told us that it takes anywhere between 300-400 phone calls or direct mail contacts to yield one additional vote in the General Election. It takes only 14 face-to-face contacts between neighbors to have the same effect.

"The math means that if you target 50 neighbors and talk to them three times in the next year, that's going to yield 10 additional votes. Multiply that by a half million neighborhood organizers, and you've got five million additional votes. That makes a difference.

This short film is a tribute by Director Robert Greenwald's Brave New Foundation to the upcoming Oct. 27th Rallies. The DPMC is proud to endorse this nationwide action against the Iraq occupation.

Chicago will host the Midwest March and Rally, which starts at 1:30 p.m. in Union Park (Ashland Avenue and Lake Street), and ends downtown at 4:00 p.m. in Federal Plaza (Adams and Dearborn). For buses from the Milwaukee area, call Peace Action Wisconsin (414-964-5158). For buses from around the state, contact the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice (608-250-9240).

Paying our share is Wisconsin's way
Dave Zweifel, Capital Times
Monday, October 22, 2007

"Now that a state budget compromise appears to have finally brought this legislative circus to an end, it's time to ask some serious questions of Wisconsin's Republican legislators.

"To whom are they beholden? The people of Wisconsin or a radical right-wing organization based in Washington, D.C., that was founded by a bunch of billionaires and now wants to tell us how we should be running our state?...

"Gov. Jim Doyle's tax proposals were not only fair, but they were designed to affect as few citizens as possible. They were aimed to raise money to help the strapped UW System, provide a few more dollars for local education, help take care of young people who are without health care coverage and assist our low-income elderly population...

With Democrats Like These ...
Editorial, New York Times
Saturday, October 20, 2007

"Every now and then, we are tempted to double-check that the Democrats actually won control of Congress last year. It was particularly hard to tell this week. Democratic leaders were cowed, once again, by propaganda from the White House and failed, once again, to modernize the law on electronic spying in a way that permits robust intelligence gathering on terrorists without undermining the Constitution...

"There were bright spots in the week. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon managed to attach an amendment requiring a warrant to eavesdrop on American citizens abroad. That merely requires the government to show why it believes the American is in league with terrorists, but Mr. Bush threatened to veto the bill over that issue.