Democratic Party of Milwaukee County - General Forum

Congratulation Dem Winners! (In a purely nonpartisan way, of course.)

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:08:43 -0600

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:

• County Executive: Lena Taylor
• City Attorney: Pedro Colon
• District 10 County Supervisor: Annie Woodward
• District 12 County Supervisor: Peggy West

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

Rep. Wexler: "The Constitution does not include a statute of limitations."

Wed, 2 Jan 2008 07:47:06 -0600

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...

Maddow: "Fighting works politically"

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 13:16:55 -0600

"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

"We're Americans, sir, and we're better than that."

Tue, 6 Nov 2007 12:26:56 -0600

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 Will Force Vote on Cheney's Impeachment

Sun, 4 Nov 2007 13:57:38 -0600

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!'..."

Schumer and Feinstein Try to Explain Their Support for Continued Torture

Fri, 2 Nov 2007 23:29:01 -0500

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."

A Plea from a Local DNC Neighborhood Leader

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 18:26:28 -0500

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.

On Oct. 27th: END THIS OCCUPATION

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 18:18:56 -0500

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).

To whom are Wisconsin's Republican legislators beholden?

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 18:18:23 -0500

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...

NYT: "Still the one-party system continues"

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 09:37:08 -0500

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.

Don't Think of a Sick Child

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 20:08:04 -0500

The senior fellows at the pioneering Rockridge Institute have been toiling behind the scenes for several weeks, thinking through the deep frames that underlie the Logic of the Health Care Debate. This foundational thinking and a series of related and reinforcing pieces are live today on the Rockridge Institute website, where you can find a growing host of resources to help you shift the debate about health care and bring the American people closer to genuine, universal care. Check out the think tank's essays, blog posts, and the powerful video ad above.

GOP the Same as it Ever Was

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 11:49:26 -0500

Same Old Party
Paul Krugman, New York Times
October 8, 2007

"There have been a number of articles recently that portray President Bush as someone who strayed from the path of true conservatism. Republicans, these articles say, need to return to their roots.

"Well, I don't know what true conservatism is, but while doing research for my forthcoming book I spent a lot of time studying the history of the American political movement that calls itself conservatism - and Mr. Bush hasn't strayed from the path at all. On the contrary, he's the very model of a modern movement conservative...

"People claim to be shocked by the Bush administration's general incompetence. But disinterest in good government has long been a principle of modern conservatism. In 'The Conscience of a Conservative,' published in 1960, Barry Goldwater wrote that 'I have little interest in streamlining government or making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size.'

Fox Attacks... Iran!!

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 12:49:26 -0500

Filmmaker Robert Greenwald: "I remember very clearly the daily fearmongering led by FOX as they cheered for war with Iraq. The 24/7 images, sound effects, yelling and threatening were an ever-present drumbeat for war. We had to invade, and we had to invade now... anyone who didn't see that was a traitor. They viciously attacked those of us who worked to get out the truth. You'd think that with the complete failure in Iraq, those days would be behind us. Sadly, you'd be wrong.

“FOX wants war with Iran. It's almost too ridiculous to believe, but it's shockingly real. We've already compiled over 4 hours of FOX footage... the same images, sound effects, yelling and threatening that led the U.S. to invade Iraq is happening right now to sell a war with Iran. They are saying the exact same things!! Here is the video evidence, side-by-side with what they said about Iraq..."

Mukasey is an Enemy of Citizens' Rights

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 10:27:47 -0500

Considering Mr. Mukasey
Editorial, New York Times
Tuesday, September 18, 2007

"Michael Mukasey, President Bush's nominee to be attorney general, is being promoted as a 'consensus choice,' which is meant to signal the Senate that it should be grateful and confirm him without delay. Mr. Mukasey is clearly better than some of the 'loyal Bushies' whose names had been floated, but that should not decide the matter. The Senate needs to question him closely about troubling aspects of his record, and make sure he is willing to take the tough steps necessary to repair a very damaged Justice Department...

"Aspects of his record, however, are troubling. As a judge, he was too deferential to the government. In the case of Jose Padilla, who was accused of participating in a dirty bomb plot, he ruled that the president may detain American citizens indefinitely as 'enemy combatants.' His dangerously narrow reading of the Constitution was rightly reversed by a federal appeals court.

"Playing for October-November"

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 00:37:26 -0500

Keith Olbermann's Special Comment, September 4, 2007: "Finally tonight, a Special Comment about Mr. Bush's trip, and his startling admission of the true motive for this war, which was revealed in his absence..."