An Idea Whose Time Will Come

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday June 29, 2007 · 3:21 PM PDT

2007/06/29 · 15:21

Earlier this week, the Employee Free Choice Act failed to gain the 60 votes it needed for consideration by the United States Senate. While this was not unexpected, the defeat of the bill represents a failure by many of those in Washington to stand up for the rights of ordinary workers.

However, Even in defeat, Tuesday’s vote on the Employee Free Choice Act brings with it some good signs for the future. Making progress in American politics is a long-term effort. And, although we may not have been able to pass the EFCA now, it is increasingly likely that we will be able to in the future.

Poll

44 votes Show Results

When will the Employee Free Choice Act become law?

44 votes Vote Now!

When will the Employee Free Choice Act become law?

Later this year

0 votes

In 2008

2 votes

In 2009

18 votes

In 2010

4 votes

In 2011

2 votes

In 2012

0 votes

Sometime after 2012

0 votes

Never

13 votes

Don't know

5 votes

Other (please explain)

0 votes

Victory NOT Guaranteed

WayneNight

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday June 22, 2007 · 5:54 PM PDT

2007/06/22 · 17:54

Lately, I’ve been exposed to comments, both in the netroots community, and in the "real world," that seem assured of the ability of the Democrats to win in 2008. While most agree that the Democrats are on good footing going into 2008, at least some people, in both parties, seem to have reached the conclusion that 2008 will break Democratic because the Republicans are too damaged to win, or because the public will simply decide that it’s the "Democrats turn."

Such ideas of assured victory are false, and progressive activists must not be lulled into believing otherwise.

More below the fold.

Poll

70 votes Show Results

What are your views on Democratic chances in the 2008 presidential election?

70 votes Vote Now!

What are your views on Democratic chances in the 2008 presidential election?

The Democrats are guaranteed to win

0 votes

The Democrats are very likely to win

17 votes

The Democrats are somewhat likely to win

31 votes

It's a tossup

13 votes

The Republicans are somewhat likely to win

2 votes

The Republicans are very likely to win

2 votes

The Republicans are guaranteed to win

1 vote

It'll go to Bloomberg, or some other independent

2 votes

Don't know

1 vote

Other (please explain)

1 vote

A Reply From Bob Casey

WayneNight

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday June 15, 2007 · 5:57 PM PDT

2007/06/15 · 17:57

Labor issues are very important to me. That’s why, a few months ago, I contacted both of my U.S. Senators to ask them to support the Employee Free Choice Act when it comes before the Senate.

It took quite some time, but I eventually heard back from U.S. Senator Bob Casey Jr. The only problem is, his reply didn’t address the EFCA. At all.

Poll

49 votes Show Results

When you contact an elected official, do you feel that their reply should address the issue you contacted them about?

49 votes Vote Now!

When you contact an elected official, do you feel that their reply should address the issue you contacted them about?

Yes, always

42 votes

No, never

3 votes

Sometimes

3 votes

I never contact my elected officials

0 votes

Don't know

0 votes

Other (please explain)

1 vote

Give Us Your Well to Do, Your Educated, Your Valuable

WayneNight

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday June 08, 2007 · 8:33 PM PDT

2007/06/08 · 20:33

Recently, I was flipping through my copy of The American Century, by Harold Evans, and I found a story about late 19th century Romanian immigrants. This story turned my thoughts to the immigration bill that recently stalled in the United States Senate, and the impact it could have, if it ever passes, on what we stand for as nation – not only now, but, for generations in the future.

More below the fold.

Poll

63 votes Show Results

Do you support the point system proposed in the Senate immigration bill?

63 votes Vote Now!

Do you support the point system proposed in the Senate immigration bill?

Yes

18 votes

39 votes

Maybe

2 votes

Don't know

3 votes

Other (please explain)

1 vote

Beer and Union Busting in Pennsylvania

WayneNight

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday June 01, 2007 · 8:24 PM PDT

2007/06/01 · 20:24

Imagine the following scenario: You work a decent, well paying, union job at a local brewery. The town you live in is fairly small, and the brewery provides the majority of employment for the area. You love your job, and you need to hang on to it, in order to keep your family afloat. If you were to be laid off, you likely wouldn’t be able to find anything else in the area. Certainly nothing that pays as well.

One day, you, and the other employees, are called into your boss's office, to talk about the future of the business. He blasts the union – calling them "those guys from Philadelphia" – and threatens to close the company if the workforce remains unionized.

What would you do in that situation? Because it’s precisely the situation that workers at D.G. Yuengling & Son faced last year – and, it’s why the Teamsters Union is now boycotting Yuengling’s products.

Poll

130 votes Show Results

Do you think the workers at D.G. Yuengling were intimidated into dropping their union?

130 votes Vote Now!

Do you think the workers at D.G. Yuengling were intimidated into dropping their union?

Yes, the Teamsters and their witnesses are telling the truth

99 votes

No, the Yuengling employees could not be pressured into lying

12 votes

Maybe

12 votes

Don't know

5 votes

Other (please explain)

2 votes

Paul Wellstone Would Not Give Up

WayneNight

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday May 24, 2007 · 3:34 PM PDT

2007/05/24 · 15:34

Yesterday, with the news that the Democratic leadership had agreed to send an Iraq Supplemental bill with no timelines to the president, views among the netroots were despondent, at best. Not only does it seem that the Democratic leadership is caving to an unpopular president, on an unpopular issue, but it seems that netroots "favorites" like Jim Webb and Jon Tester have caved to Republican talking points on "supporting the troops."

While the majority of netroots progressives remain committed to the cause, many seem to have come to the conclusion that it’s a good time to take a break from politics, or to get out entirely. Some have decided that there’s no hope, ever, for changing the Democratic Party.

Perhaps, then, this is as good a time as any to remember what the late Senator Paul Wellstone might have done in this situation.

Poll

100 votes Show Results

Are you going to give up?

100 votes Vote Now!

Are you going to give up?

Yes. I can't fight anymore.

6 votes

No. Paul wouldn't want me to.

76 votes

Maybe

4 votes

Don't know

3 votes

Other (please explain)

11 votes

Where Every Vote Counts: Voting in Local Elections

WayneNight

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday May 18, 2007 · 8:11 PM PDT

2007/05/18 · 20:11

The dust has settled in the Pennsylvania primary election. Debra Todd and Seamus McCaffery are now the Democratic nominees for two open State Supreme Court positions. Act 1, part of Governor Rendell’s plan for property tax relief, faced a resounding defeat, everywhere in the state. And, in my home county of York, Pennsylvania, Doug Hoke and Ned Grove, in a surprising upset, defeated incumbent Doug Kilgore in the Democratic primary for County Commissioner.

The Democratic results in the County Commissioner race were close. This closeness illustrates how, at the local level, the saying "let every vote count" – one that we mostly hear repeated in contested federal races – can become all the more important.

Poll

49 votes Show Results

Do you believe that every vote counts?

49 votes Vote Now!

Do you believe that every vote counts?

Yes

35 votes

9 votes

Maybe

4 votes

Don't know

0 votes

Other (please explain)

1 vote

The Importance of Hope

WayneNight

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday May 11, 2007 · 8:16 PM PDT

2007/05/11 · 20:16

On Tuesday, May 15th, I will be voting in Pennsylvania’s primary election. The race that is gaining most of my attention is to determine which Democrats will be nominated in the York County Commissioner’s race. Doug Kilgore, Doug Hoke, and Ned Grove are all running for the slot. Two of them will be nominated.

While trying to decide which two candidates I will vote for, I have, obviously, spent time considering their views on County issues, their experience, and how well I feel that they would represent York County. I also, however, am taking time to consider how much hope each candidate would inspire in me if he were a general election candidate.

Hope is an important thing to have when you’re a Democrat in a Republican county. And, providing hope isn’t just the job of presidential candidates like Barack Obama. Indeed, it can – and must – be done just as well, if not better, by local candidates, at the local level.

Poll

20 votes Show Results

I am most easily inspired by...

20 votes Vote Now!

I am most easily inspired by...

Presidential candidates

7 votes

Gubernatorial and/or U.S. Senate candidates

0 votes

Other statewide candidates (State Attorney General, State Auditor General, etc)

1 vote

Congressional (U.S. House) candidates

2 votes

State House/State Senate candidates

0 votes

County and local municipal candidates

1 vote

None of the above

5 votes

Other (please explain)

4 votes

My Democratic Friend Supports the Republicans on Iraq

WayneNight

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday May 04, 2007 · 8:39 PM PDT

2007/05/04 · 20:39

Matt was one of my best friends in High School. He still is today, despite the fact that he took a civilian job at a military base on the other side of the country after graduating from college. Our friendship is helped (though certainly not contingent upon) the fact that he’s a loyal Democrat, and has been ever since we both voted for Al Gore in the 2000 election.

I have a lot of fond memories of Matt, so, as you can imagine, I greatly enjoy hearing from him. Wednesday evening, I was pleasantly surprised when he sent a reply to a fundraising e-mail I sent on behalf of a different friend who is working for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

Imagine my horror when Matt’s e-mail turned into a recitation of right-wing talking points on both the Vietnam War, and the war in Iraq.

Poll

77 votes Show Results

Could the U.S. have won the Vietnam War by staying in that country longer? Can we win the war in Iraq by staying there longer?

77 votes Vote Now!

Could the U.S. have won the Vietnam War by staying in that country longer? Can we win the war in Iraq by staying there longer?

No to both

65 votes

Yes to both

5 votes

No to Vietnam, Yes to Iraq

2 votes

Yes to Vietnam, No to Iraq

1 vote

It's idiotic to ask about both of those wars together, and let me tell you why...

3 votes

Don't know

0 votes

Other (please explain)

1 vote

Local Politicking: I Attend a County Commissioner Candidate's Forum

WayneNight

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday April 27, 2007 · 8:20 PM PDT

2007/04/27 · 20:20

In my experience, most "netroots" progressives are the kind of people who follow the national news. They’re likely to already know who’s running for President on both the Democratic and Republican sides. They’re likely to know who’s running for Congress, Senate, or Governor in not only their own state, but also states half way across the country. They’re likely to have contributed money to a candidate, or to have spent time working for one (or more) themselves.

If you’re reading this, I assume that this description fits you, at least somewhat. But, is it enough to be up to date in the presidential race? Are you serving democracy – and the Democratic Party – adequately enough by supporting congressional and senatorial candidates? Or, is there more you should be doing?

As former House Speaker Tip O’Neill was known to say, "All politics is local." But, how many of you know who represents you at the county and municipal levels? How many of you know who’s running in your area in local races this year? And, how many of you plan to actively campaign for local level, Democratic candidates?

More below.

Poll

29 votes Show Results

What, if anything, will you do in county and local races in 2007?

29 votes Vote Now!

What, if anything, will you do in county and local races in 2007?

I will vote

9 votes

I will vote and campaign for one or more local or county candidate

3 votes

I will vote, campaign for, and contribute money to one or more local or county candidate

13 votes

I will run for office myself

1 vote

I will do nothing

0 votes

Not sure yet

0 votes

Other (please explain)

3 votes

Protecting Students: How Far Should Colleges Go?

WayneNight

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday April 20, 2007 · 7:26 PM PDT

2007/04/20 · 19:26

The massacre at Virginia Tech this week was a horrible incident that, like many other horrible incidents in our past, has given rise to questions about our society, and about the laws that are meant to protect us.

One area of concern has been the role that Virginia Tech itself should have played in stopping the shooting before it occurred. Questions have been raised about why others were not informed about Cho Seung-Hui’s condition, or even about why he was allowed to stay on campus at all.

What obligation do colleges have to warn students about a classmate who suffers from mental disabilities? How far is it acceptable for institutions of higher learning to go in the name of protecting others?

I discuss those questions below.

Poll

37 votes Show Results

Do medical privacy laws that prohibit institutions of higher learning from revealing the mental disabilities of their students go too far?

37 votes Vote Now!

Do medical privacy laws that prohibit institutions of higher learning from revealing the mental disabilities of their students go too far?

Yes

7 votes

24 votes

Maybe

4 votes

Don't know

1 vote

Other (please explain)

1 vote

I Support John Edwards

WayneNight

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday April 06, 2007 · 8:25 PM PDT

2007/04/06 · 20:25

I spent a great deal of time this year thinking about who, if anyone, I should support in the Democratic Presidential primary.

It is a difficult decision. Much more difficult than in many previous elections. The Democrats actually have an overabundance of candidates whom I think would make fine nominees. Barack Obama has a hopeful, inspirational message, that I think could pull together most of the country after years of division. Bill Richardson has an incredibly impressive resume in both foreign policy and executive experience, and is saying all of the right things. Even Hillary Clinton, despite our criticisms of her, and my dislike of her views on certain issues, would make a strong candidate, and would be someone I would be proud to campaign for.

At the end of the day, however, I have to support the candidate whose message and campaign appeal to me the most.

That candidate is John Edwards.

Poll

176 votes Show Results

What will you do if former Senator John Edwards wins the Democratic presidential nomination?

176 votes Vote Now!

What will you do if former Senator John Edwards wins the Democratic presidential nomination?

I will vote for him, and campaign for him

144 votes

I will vote for him, but not campaign for him

12 votes

I may or may not vote for him, depending on who the Republican nominee is

1 vote

I will not vote for him, but I might vote for one or more of the other Democratic candidates, if they were to win the nomination

11 votes

I will not vote for him, nor would I vote for any other Democrat

3 votes

Undecided

3 votes

Other (please explain)

2 votes

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