(The Big Dog is a little cranky. That’s OK. We all get cranky sometimes. I’m cranky all the time. But he’s right. Sometimes you just gotta cowboy up and do what needs doing. – promoted by jsw)

To the Goddamn People Making Me Nuts…an Open Letter.

[This is meant less for this people at Calitics…but I think it needs circulation. Repost at will. TBD.]

We are in a war. I don’t mean Iraq, athough that’s a reality too, but a war within this party that is driving me completely nuts. (That may not be a far drive according to some…but that’s another story…) We are in a war to Take Back The House and save our Constitution.

I read on a daily basis, Daily Kos, MyDD, SwingState at least and usually several more including My Left Wing. I find more and more Party hatred at exactly the time when we need the unity of all Democrats and Independents more than we have since the Elections of 1968. Oh, you don’t remember the elections of 1968?

I do. Humphry versus Nixon. Kent State. Chicago Convention. Dead, literally, in the Streets. Blood flowing in more than one state. Some of it mine. Continuation of the VN War versus a humane view that might have ended it sooner.

Do you know the margin of victory that carried the Electoral College? Oh that’s right….you don’t remember the election and probably haven’t studied Practical Politics, have you? Oh….you just got into politics in 2002?
Well, my fault for assuming you would at least have studied the exisiting literature on how to win an election.

Nixon, that miserable excuse for a human who was so twisted he scared his own people, won by ONE VOTE PER PRECINCT! Yep. One vote per precinct.

Now we face the possibilty, the good possibility of Taking Back The House, and we spend our time online fucking around with Cegelis and Duckworth….the DCCC being evil…The DLC controlling the Party (when they don’t even have a say)…the Vets running for office being above reproach when the House and Senate used to be nearly universally made up of Veterans and too many other things to recite.

So I’ve got a suggestion:
Get off your asses and get into the streets for some candidate or another and knock on a door. If there isn’t one in your area you can work for then call Francine Busby’s office  and volunteer for Virtual Phone Banking or Mike LaFevers office in FL-13 or one you are going to hear a lot about soon Stacey Tallitsch in Lousiana-1 (New Orleans). Get off your ASSES! One vote per precinct made the difference once, it could again in 2006 and 2008.

The difference in 2006 and 2008 won’t be made on the Blogs, much as I love them, but on the streets helping people register to vote, request an Absentee Ballot, making them even remember the election, raise money, making phone calls, sending letters, stuffing envelopes and a hundred other tasks it takes to win a Congressional or Presidential Election.

You can howl at the moon, which is fine after the work is done and the top shelf tequila is out, but not when you really want to make a difference. Making a difference means doing all sorts of things you really don’t want to do.

Doorknocking isn’t fun. Canvassing at a supermarket isn’t fun. Stuffing envelopes isn’t fun. Making 100-200 phonecalls isn’t fun. But those are the things that will win elections!

If you are convinced the Party needs to be re-made…more power to you. But that takes years. Ask Gov. Dean. That is a very long term process. The 2006 elections are only 227 days away! Have you done every thing you can so far?

Most of us haven’t. So get started. It doesn’t have to be a fulltime obsession…give the Candidate a few hours each weekend and the Field Director will think you are a hero!

Be sure we don’t lose by one vote per precinct. If we work hard enough…we can win the House…and then we can start lots of things that will give the Republicans hives! Think investigations.  It can’t be done without you.

Remember John Kennedy’s famous line:
"Ask not what your country can do for you, but rather what you can do for your country."

I guess it sounds like bullshit today. It didn’t then…

Looks like from this Bradley piece

What’s good for donors is bad for voters.  What’s good for political consultants is bad for democracy.  Clean money elections are the next California political earthquake.  Just look at what’s in the news today:

Steve Schmidt has left the Bush White House and now appears to be getting paid $50,000 or so a month to run Schwarzenegger’s bid for re-election as California Governor, reports Capitol Weekly.  $50,000!  No wonder Arnold plans on raising $120 million this year.  Schmidt now joins the big-dollar corporate donors in the small group who benefit personally from the  Schwarzenegger’s campaign, AND who have extra motivation to keep alive the bizarro world system of huge fundraising that has come to define California politics.

Columnist Dan Walters in The Sacramento Bee reports that the California election season began this week.  What does that mean?  Arnold is out fundraising at the posh Beverly Hilton–with his event being invaded by nurses and other union workers–and the Democratic candidates are up on television to the tune of millions of dollars a month. What were you expecting, a policy debate?

Meanwhile, the San Jose Mercury News today reports that Mayor Ron Gonzales is pushing a plan to run clean money elections in the city.  Clean Money elections provide for public financing of the campaigns for qualified candidates, thereby decreasing the influence of lobbyists, fundraisers, and consultants, and increasing voter participation.

The California Nurses Association is sponsoring an initiative on the November, 2006 ballot to bring Clean Money elections to the state. Our campaign begins in April as we hit the streets to collect 600,000 signatures in a month, which we can only do with your help.  Please visit us at www.CalNurses.org/CleanMoney and sign up to help!

Put it another way: no more $2000 candelabras!

Well the Republican incumbent, Gallegly, has dropped out too late and now has jumped back in….it’s like watching a tennis match. What illness could have driven him out that got cured that quick but still may not allow him to move at ‘1,000 miles an hour’? Hmmm….sounds like a campaign theme to me….

<Sigh>….my neck hurts from this one. And I bet his ass hurts from the kicking it got between last week and this one. My best bet is that he wins the General then resigns and causes a Special Election. <Sigh> We’re getting used to those…ask Francine Busby in CA-50.

Here’s the story from CQPolitics (sub)

CA 24: Gallegly To Run After All

By Rachel Kapochunas   |    6:32 PM; Mar. 15, 2006

      

This is an updated version of a story that was first posted on March 15 at 4:38 p.m.

California Republican Rep. Elton Gallegly announced this afternoon
that he will seek an 11th term this November — ending the confusion
caused by his sudden and ultimately unsuccessful retirement
announcement last Friday, just hours before the candidate filing
deadline in California’s 24th District.

Gallegly, who attributed his initial retirement decision to health
concerns, said at a press conference in Washington that he was given a
clean bill of health by John Eisold, the attending physician of the
Congress. Gallegly, 62, declined to specify his condition beyond saying
that medical examinations showed that “there is no catastrophic issue
that we have to deal with.”

Gallegly said some symptoms are persisting that that will keep him
from running “1,000 miles an hour,” but emphasized that he is “100
percent” and would wage an aggressive campaign for an 11th term — which
he also said would be his last.

“I will give it my full vigor the next two years as I have the previous twenty years,” he said.

Gallegly, who filed to run for re-election in February, had announced his
retirement under the mistaken belief that he could withdraw from the
ballot and that the candidate filing deadline would be extended by five
days. Neither action is allowed under state law. Upon learning this,
Gallegly said he spent “five days working” and “thousands of dollars
trying to find another way” to extend the filing deadline.

Gallegly said he received a call early today from President Bush,
who left a message inquiring about his health and urging the
congressman to run again if he felt well enough. Gallegly missed the
call but spoke with White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove, Bush’s
top political adviser, who followed up on the president’s message and
assured Gallegly that the president was offering his full support for
Gallegly’s re-election.

Gallegly also used the press conference to quash some rumors
surrounding the circumstances leading up to his unusual announcement
last Friday. One was that Gallegly spoke to five potential successors
before announcing his retirement; the congressman said this was not the
case.

Rep. David Dreier, who represents California’s 26th District and
chairs the Rules Committee, said that the California GOP delegation is
“gratified” that Gallegly has decided to run and that Republican
leaders will support his campaign. Dreier and other House Republicans
from California appeared with Gallegly at Tuesday’s press conference.

Gallegly will face lawyer Michael Tenenbaum in the June 6 GOP
primary. Tenenbaum, 37, planned to challenge Gallegly from the outset
and has criticized the incumbent’s record on fiscal policy.

Some local Republican officials who endorsed Tenenbaum after
Gallegly said he would retire may rescind their support now that
Gallegly has reversed his position. Gallegly said that he has received
calls from people who originally endorsed Tenenbaum but assured the
congressman that he is their preferred candidate.

Gallegly is favored to win re-election in the primary and in
November would face Jill Martinez, a Presbyterian minister and
affordable housing activist who is the only Democrat in the race.
President Bush in 2004 won 56 percent of the vote in the 24th District.

CQ rates the race as Safe Republican. Please visit CQ’s election forecaster for ratings on all races.