Missing: The Field's DNC Convention Credential

She did a Q&A with us once, and I remember her being very gracious.

It's Juan Cole's balloon-juice.com,

not Juan Cole's ballon-juice.com

Oops, forgot to fix the other typo

It's John Cole, not Juan Cole.

[back at the Mac now with the condom over the keyboard and my typos are horrific.]

Indeed, milk this insider intrigue for all that it's worth Al.

You already earned your way into the convention, so you need to make a stink.

Get the monkey off you back and let him cause havoc in the room for a while--they will think twice about trying to totally exclude your/our voice from the convention.

Especially if they have an idea of letting the wigged-out 'pumas' into the convention.

No, I don't put it past the DNC establishment to try to stifle left-progressive voices.

I have already signed the petition, and Deb has said that she will refund the $55.00 I contributed toward Denver--that will be added to the $50.00 that I have donated to your efforts while you are at your more commodious, natural abode here at the Narcosphere.

I think the petition is great and I've signed it and sent the link around (thanks again to Pamela for creating it). I wonder if it would help if Field Hands and regular readers wrote directly to the DNC (in a respectful and positive way) requesting credentials for Al?

If so, contact info would be great.

Needless to say, I'm rather appalled that this has not been addressed, particularly after learning that you've made the effort to contact the DNC directly.  I've just signed the petition, let us know if you need any other assistance.  FYI, as much as I have been tempted to witness the train wreck live, I've avoided the former host of the ex-Field so as to not inflate their stats and impart any validity to their cause.  I appreciate the updates here, it's great fun. 

Name and link now fixed.

What would I ever do without all you free editors out there?!

She was out because of a cold.

Unless there is an apology forthcoming, I will never post at Rural Votes again, never.

Indeed, I stuck up for Tracy a couple of times--and now I wish I hadn't.

Her claim to fame (in her mind) is that she bravely pointed out that McLame is not techno-savy.  Yawn.

Al, you have already shown that you can develop a revenue flow through engaged readership--now it is time to crack this up to another level.

Kick the gate-creepers in thier face (metaphorically, of course).

Everyone who cares to have Al represent us at the convention, and be our eyes and ears, should email MyersA@demconvention.com.

But remember to be polite.  Trashing DNC officials would not be helpful.  And besides, this isn't about RV or its management, it's about Al and his readers.

 @Nate 9:45 --When using this email address what is the persons name we are corresponding with? please!

MyersA@demconvention.com

The TN site with credentials has the full list http://www.tennviews.com/demcon08

Tonight it shows "Rural Votes" and goes to "The Back Forty". I recall, it went to "The Field" in the past.

Christi!

Read the post again.....it's Aaron Myers

sorry to hear you got shafted. the case is not even subtle. i hope they respond to you with the quickness. will sign petition for sure.

Thanks Nate, I've sent a mail.

@Christi 10:01 - per Al's discussion, I believe it is Aaron Myers at the DNC.

Sent email.

Will send one everyday until the issue is addressed. Will ask my democrat contacts to do the same.

The DNCC list

http://www.demconvention.com/credentialed-blogs/

shows RuralVotes http://ruralvotes.com/thefield which now links to the Back Forty

Sigh!

Al,

I'm cringing at those emails from Deb K.  I realize they are just parts of an email, in some cases parts of sentences but still -what an ego trip this woman was on.  I can imagine one of the emails went something like this, "Now Al, write a blog asking all the readers to beg me to vote for their candidate but DON'T tell them that I don't plan to endorse anytime soon. Oh and you know I need it written tonight so I can smile."

And either Tracy or Sean is planning to use your blogger credential?   I'll email the DNC every day to do my part to keep either one of them from that heist.  How shameful that they are doing this at a site called Rural Votes.  In a real rural environment, if you even stole a $20 shovel from another farm, you would be shunned by the entire community to the point that you have to seriously consider selling.  It just is not done.

Keeping the credential at the Ex-Field and not forwarding the donor funds to you (or refunding  to the donors only when we beg for them back) is considered theft and should be exposed as such.  Why does she want to risk more left wing blogs writing about that and  having her picture posted on the blogs DURING the convention? 

Congratulations. You have successfully signed the petition:
A Petition to the Democratic National Convention to Credential Al Giordano.

You are signer #374

I'll also shoot Aaron a e-mail.

Does anyone remember these dates:

Day The Back Forty was created?

Day that Al got the DNC credential?

@ alexa,

I did a little google research and it seems that the back forty was created May 12th, while the credentials were given out May 29th.

From what I can see The Back Forty first published April 24, 2008.

The DNC convention credentials were announced May 29, 2008.

Wait a minute. I just found this:

Blogger Credentialing Process

Kris, I went to the RV site, and the first BK entry was April 24th. Was it back-dated?

More info from http://www.demconvention.com/blogger-credentialing-process/

Note what I mark in bold. I'm running out to store now.

2008 DemConvention State Blogger Corps

Recognizing the growth of more localized blogs, this pool is designed for those covering state and local politics. To qualify as a state blogger, the applicant’s blog must have been in existence six months prior to requesting credentials and have at least 120 politically related blog posts. Bloggers must submit their daily audience and list their authority based on Technorati stats. Bloggers may also provide examples of posts that make their blog stand out as an effective online organizing tool and/or agent of change.

Once the state bloggers have been identified for the DemConvention State Blogger Corps, the applications of those not selected for this program will all be transferred for consideration for the general blogger pool.

AND . . . 

http://www.demconvention.com/assets/DNCCBloggerCredentialing415.pdf

Kris, Alexa - April 24 is the correct date.

The application was submitted in February.

'Nuff said.

 to e-mail DNC about your credentials ?

Of course. I myself - born in the USA - have been called a "non-US-peep" on occasion. People are much too hung up about borders. That was also part of the problem at the Ex-Field - "don't tell them that you live South of the Border" - that I'm glad to no longer have to oblige.

The whole point of my work is to say: Nobody needs permission to express ourselves. And to the extent we're intelligent about it, we always win.

I have just forwarded to Mr Myers my original communication to the Online Team regarding Al's Credential and asked him to investigate this matter.

BondiBeachViews

As much as I think petitions are a joke, I went and signed this one anyway, Al. I am just shocked that they haven't already taken care of your credential. That's just outrageious.

Let me know if there is anyone I can email or call on your behalf. I wish I were more influential - where I could just make a call to Howard Dean or something. Somebody out there who reads your work should be able to do that for you. This is a no-brainer. You deserve your credential, either as a blogger or as a member of the print news media. No questions asked. You're a real pro.

LOL - great minds think alike (was forwarding the email while you were posting).

I also added in regards to my donations to RuralVotes that I have not received notification of the return of my donations and, in due course, "I will be notifying the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade and the Minister concerned for them to raise this matter on my behalf with your State Department and relevant authorities."

BondiBeachViews

If it's of interest, a few email snippets from DK (from before she put her 'do not share' blurb at the bottom).  I normally wouldn't post an email, but I am outraged that the credential is not following Al.

Email #1:

... Thanks for your past support and I hope you'll check in with RuralVotes as we move to redesign and continue our mission at this critical point in America's history. We will be blogging the convention in August and looking forward to providing a unique "inside" view.  I wish Al remained -- it was never my intent otherwise.

Email #2:

We'll be blogging the convention, likely with a blog team --
new voices (hopefully including a Native American perspective -- a long neglected but important constituency). It'll be good, not Al -- but then he is kind of unique which is why I brought him here as a work for hire writer.  Here's hoping you drop by and decide you'd like to support our efforts at RuralVotes. Well maybe start with ten bucks next time and see if it's worth it! LOL

Just to let folks know, I too just sent a respectful but stern email to Mr. Myers. I also forwarded it to all of my political/activist/academic email contacts.  

An idea: how about putting one of those famous RNC "Countdown Clocks" on The Field site?  We need to start counting down the seconds, minutes, and days (surely this will be resolved forthwith!) until Al gets his justly deserved credential.

Brendan - Excellent idea. For those of us that remember the late '70s, early '80s: "The Field's Credential Held Hostage: Day 14!"

But do they really want to go there?

I'm not comfortable sharing past emails I've received, but I realize that Deb often reads the comments here. If she's reading this, I add my hope that she'll do the right thing and support the transfer of the blog credential to Al. It was his writing that resulted in the hits and ratings that qualified The Field in the first place. The rest is just semantics and a high tech variation of a shell game.

I've spent almost my whole career working in non-profits and I've seen it all. As a community relations, fundraising and pr specialist, I've seen several organizations I worked for and have been affiliated with rocked by scandals big and small. Whether they survived or not (particularly as more than a shell) depended greatly on how robust the organization was and how willing it was to look at where it might have been in the wrong. In the end, dealing with any situation honestly and forthrightly is the only way. I think it is in the best interest of Rural Votes that this situation be resolved and that the transfer of the credential, although perhaps painful in the short-term, is actually in the long-term interest of Rural Votes.

More than to Al, I believe that the credential belongs to the folks who drove the hits and supported the site, namely all us Field Hands. We've moved and the credential should follow.

On the subject of site decor, Al, I notice that the flight plan on the "Send and Equip Al for Denver" graph begins somewhere within a few hundred miles of Manaus--a favorite city of mine. While recognizing that your precise location South of the Border may be highly classified, if you were to toast your receipt of the Convention Credential, would you say "Salud"? "Saúde"? or "Sláinte"?

...Brendan, just encourages me to confuse anybody trying to nail down my location more.

Obrigado!

My address is "somewhere in a country called América."

If you haven't seen the new Hulk movie, it begins in the favela of Rocinha (Rio de Jainero), Brazil, moves on to Chiapas, Mexico, and finally to Vancouver, Canada. An American hero if there ever was one. That green line on the map: it's the trajectory of The Hulk. Let's see whether he or Dr. Bruce Banner arrive in Denver in August!

 Have emailed Mr Myers with cc to you.

amk

Lol. Great minds indeed. I used to have such mind melds with latina for obama.

I don't know if  bombarding Mr Myers with a daily mail is a good idea. .....May be every two days should do fine.

 Spread the word and vote in the poll.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/30/0263/22620?new=true

 Done. And thanks for posting it.

Great idea Christi!

Everyone go over to Kos and "recommend" her diary. I just did.

I'm quite sure the DNC knows who you are... but although the blogging credentials are closed down, at least one well known blogger got press credentials after you moved:

http://www.scripting.com/stories/2008/06/19/dncPlanBItWorked.html

The Rural Votes homepage does not mention The Ex-Field, nor is there a link to The Ex-Field. The RV homepage does have a link to BackForty; which, I saw this evening, contained 0-2 comments per post. Also, the BackForty blog no longer has a link to the Ex-Field. (This is a very recent development, because just last week BackForty had a link to the Ex-Field. Of course, when one hit the Ex-Field link, he/she was directed to the BackForty.  In other words, the Ex-Field and BackForty were one and the same.)

How can the DNC have the Field credential linked to the BackForty, which was not in existence during the required timeframe?  Also, the BackForty obviously has little traffic and would not meet the standard. Could it be the ex-host of the Ex-Field substituted the BackForty for the Field? That's not right!!

However, the DNC credential is linked to the Field, but the Field is no longer associated with Rural Votes, by Rural Votes own admission!  It seems to me that the DNC should tranfer the Field credential to Al or provide him with a new credential. Otherwise, their actions are questionable.          

that Deb has made the decision she did to keep the credentials. I would be visiting ruralvotes to read The Back Forty from time to time but refuse to at this point because I will not help their numbers.

At any rate I'd already signed the petition but I've also now emailed Mr. Myers.

Love the milk bottle!  Thanks Al, for explaining all this in a way so easy to send to media.

Thanks too, to Christi for her wonderful first diary at DKos.  I've been a reader for ages,  signed on for an account so I can rec it.

This hostage crisis Day #14 approach worked for Ted Koppel (yes, Al, I'm that old!) and I think the issues we're raising are so important and the way Al is using this as a teaching/learning lesson is empowering.  Saul Alinsky, Andy Kopkind, bet even Joe Hill are smiling down on us!  Thankful Howard Zinn is still with us to appreciate the Fieldhands too.

 Here

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/29/21124/9721/220/543893

and here

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/30/61227/6685/109/544004

Methinks it is a brilliant Obama move to put Clark out in front on this. I guess media is going dipshit crazy on this today.

amk

Christi,

Recommended your diary at dkos.  Also, Clark has been a great attack dog on McCain's claim to foreign policy expertise. 

diary. Thanks so much!

Aaron Myers just got my email:

I think that it is very important for credentials to be issued to Al Giordano so one of our highly experienced, intelligent online voices will be read, heard, and studied. This historic political campaign is way too important to ignore and to leave one of our great grassroots journalists on the sidelines.

I think that if we put the effort into this, we should see results soon. I do believe that we should highlight the days since the credentials have been kidnapped so that this situation can be a teaching moment in democracy in action.

Indeed, as an opponent of imperialism I have always had big problems with McCain as 'war hero' meme.

What is so heroic about dropping bombs on Vietnamese communities from thousands of feet in the air?

This is propaganda--repeat it often enough and it seems as natural as breathing.

I am hoping against the grain that Obama mitigates the imperialist aspect of standard US foriegn policy.  Yes, I can be called naive, but we need a distinct change in course with repect to domestic and foriegn policy.

The Iraq invasion actually makes the US homeland 'less' safe--and yet McCain and the Republican rightwing score higher on security issues.  This is nothing more than patriarchy deeply inscribed in the collective psyche.

Clark calling out McCain is spot-on--and, unfortunately, Obama might have to take this guy (or Webb) on as a running mate.  The McCain campaign will definately try to play up his precieved strengths as much as possible in the coming months.

Any thoughts Al

this clip from june 13, where he said the same thing. i thought it was completely appropriate. and not many could say so w/cred.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/25120461#25139036

not sure why it didn't 'take' until yesterday. 

I voted (and hope others do).  I suspect the four "no" votes are Deb, Sean, Tracy and -- is it Matt?

I'll send an email to the DNC from work in the hopes that it might move someone.  But I think this is an inside job, that Deb has played the victim for all it's worth, and that no one at the DNC has taken or will take the time to sort it out without some significant pressure.

I'm sure Mr. Myers is having a fabulous day checking his email. . . .  "Monday, Monday . . . "

I'm betting on an undersea city in the Gulf of Mexico.

coming up live on CNN Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com

the bar graph of RV's daily web traffic shows one hell of a steep dropoff in June after Al bolted.  i agree with Al that a certain percentage of their post-Al traffic is probably Fieldhands like myself gawking at the dead bodies rotting in the tumbleweedy ghost town. 

Perhaps if we as a group refrain from gawking for, say, a week, we can see exactly how many readers they've actually got who are there to experience the glory of the Back Forty.

Just a thought.

Agree with Bob - should we appoint a 'designated gawker'?

It might be helpful in our emails to Myers to be able to cite daily traffic, number of comments, size of tumbleweeds (snark!)

Suzy - While I like the spirit of the idea of "designated gawker," it would only suggest to others that they're missing something of importance over there, when all anybody is going to see is more vapid banality, and never an honest addressing of what real people care about.

Their hit count will continue to tank - without any push from this end - as we mop up the remaining readers that are still learning of the move and as the boredom propagated over there ceases to fascinate in the morbid way it does for "fast class" Field Hands.

Appointing a designated gawker would only suggest there is something to gawk at. But as folks have seen, there's only so much gawking worth doing at a rotting "dead armadillo" that thought the "safe" place was with the yellow lines "in the middle of the road," (as Hightower might phrase it). Scabs are scabs because they lack the talent and skills to run a factory on their own, so they're not particularly interesting, by definition.

From TPM:

Obama campaign on Clark ...

"As he's said many times before, Senator Obama honors and respects Senator McCain's service, and of course he rejects yesterday's statement by General Clark," said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton.

So I guess "change we can believe in" is just code for "same ol', same ol'".  Christ, one more cycle where we're going to cede not only the framing of the discussion but the actual defining of words to the Republicans.

Man, a lot of sour notes since the end of the primary campaign - AIPAC saber-rattling, the Father's Day pandering, FISA, siding with the Scalia wing of the SCOTUS on the death penalty, stabbing a strong advocate in the back when's he's standing up for you and right to boot.  Might as well put Sam Nunn on the ticket and make it a perfect 0-fer.

I'm just wondering Al  with all this crap about Deb. did you learn anything? Is there any advice  you could give us from this experience.  I'm wondering if you jumped to soon.  Would it have been so bad to expose the censorship after the convention?

Yes she did censor you but i think the more important thing  would be you being in that convention.

Maybe you should have held your nose a little longer and but up with the stink.  I have a feeling you where doing that  from day  one.

Phil in TN - While it's certain that the Democratic nominee is shifting to the center for the general election campaign (so is the GOP nominee, it's totally predictable and I can't believe anybody would be surprised by it) on certain issues that you mention, the Wes Clark flap is not ideological at all in terms of "left v. right" or even "old v. new."

What Clark said, in my opinion, was a stupid as those hecklers on Saturday that interrupted McCain. All that kind of thing does is create sympathy for the old man. Does anybody really believe that attacking McCain's war record will win votes for Obama (or lose them for McCain)? It helps him!

In fact, naming General Clark as VP candidate would be a much more troubling shift to the right than disassociating one's self from Clark's statement disparaging McCain's military service. As one that would not be pleased if Clark was tapped for vice president, I'm *glad* to see this dust-up. It shows that Clark is not reliable to stay "on message" (the number two criteria for a VP pick, right behind ability to serve as a great president) and helps nudge the nominee toward somebody else.

Your points about the death penalty for child rapists, FISA and AIPAC are legitimate in terms of the right-left dichotomy. But Wes Clark (and I'll add to that telling young men not to abandon their offspring on Father's Day) are not ideological points, they are matters of common sense.

Longroad - What have I learned? All good things: that we could move The Field over here and retain our high readership and high level of comments; that we could raise all the funds and more that were diverted unethically from their intended use, and we will soon enough learn that I can get onto that convention floor with or without permission from a tiny group that overestimates its power to keep me off it.

I know that there are those that would have gone along to get along, not stood up to the censorship, just to get a credential and a free trip. I consider that corruption, and a journalist that would do that will compromise on other matters even larger than that. He would be somebody you can never trust as a reader, either.

Had I done what you propose: stayed on board at a place that had censored my work (and, at that, in a case in which there was no smart justification for the censorship), the control would have been applied even more heavily. More of my work would have been censored (or I would have had to self-censor). My work would have become lame and boring. I would have lost each of you as a reader one at a time by slow attrition. People would stop supporting it. We'd get to a week before Denver and I'd be told "oh, sorry, we spent that money on something else, and our board member wants the credential anyway," I'd go broke, unable to pay the rent, my gal would start to view me as a boring eunuch and I'd be left homeless and alone. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little, but you know what? If I had sold out my principles for a junket and a press pass, I would deserve for all those things to happen to me!

Can't argue with you Al.   Lets just hope at the end of this movie the good guy wins.

Al,

I completely agree with you on Wesley Clarke, while I do think that his point about McCain not having any real EXECUTIVE military experience was valid, I think that he went to far in the soundbyte department.  That "..getting shot down" line compeletely overtook his point about mccain's experience and Obama had to distance himself.

What's sad is this whole stupid thing about Clark completely overshadwoed what I think was a great speech by Obama today.  Many on the netroots are too busy "dissing" Obama to realize what a great speech it was. 

not what someone else defines them to be.  If you view the entire interview with Schieffer, Clark in no way disparaged McCain's service.  He has repeatedly stated that McCain has served honorably.  The "clipped" statement was made in response to a query from Schieffer.  The fact that McCain served and was taken prisoner is not, in and of itself, a necessary qualification for the office of POTUS.

It's McCain who keeps hammering on events of 40 years ago as representative of his foreign policy experience.  Clark called him on it and was right.  Not too long ago, Obama said he didn't "do cowering". Well, he just did.

On Father's Day...it's not that what Obama said was wrong, it's that it was the wrong speech on the wrong day in front of the wrong audience.  In fact, the speech wasn't intended for the audience he stood before at all.  It was simply pandering to white stereotypes of what all black men as fathers are.

Father's Day - and Mother's Day - are days when we celebrate our parents.  Obama had an opportunity to laud all the black men who are taking care of their business on the father front.  He could have started with his own father-in-law.  He chose to be a scold instead and it smelled mightly of political calcualtion.  It was tin-eared at best.

While I recognize that all Democratic candidates live by the mantra of "move to the center" after the primaries, (a) the center ain't what it used to be and (b) as Glenn Greenwald pointed out, it's a losing proposition.  Particularly with this candidate, it makes the call for change ring especially hollow.

You yourself said you supported Obama not because of the his positions on the issues because of the promise for change in the system he holds out.  But if he keeps doing things the same old way, what's changing?  This is my twelfth presidential election cycle either as a campaign worker or voter.  I'm getting old.  Is it too much to ask that just once the goddam candidate stand for something other than just doing what it takes to get elected?

I guess Tracy's true colors as an Edwards "supporter" have really come through haven't they? Would Edwards have supported this theft from a colleague and fellow employee? I despise this kind of psuedo-liberal that thinks of him/herself as "revolutionary" or "progressive" as long as sacrifices are made by others. But, when it really matters and it is time to do the right thing, they are AWOL. Al, I've written to the DNC and will contribute to Denver this month as soon as I get my next paycheck. I am sorry for the delay. I had a lot of family expenses this past month.   

Re: the dialogue between Al and Longroad... I've learned a vital lesson in 5+ decades of life... "When someone tells you who they are, believe them the first time.." (it's grammatically incorrect, but on point-and I don't know who first said it). Censorship is what it is, and Al would have had no reason to believe the censor's habits would change. He believed her the first time... and avoided more unnecessary drama.

I remember right after the primary, either you, Al, or Tom W. said that Obama's supporters should get used to being ignored for a while, since we would not be his target.  I can see it happening, and I can live with it since it seems to be necessary in his calculations in order to win.  I am reading Alinsky's book right now, and he is nothing if not a pragmatist.  I think he would be fine with what Obama is doing.

As to the move, I am glad that you did, and, even if I don't get my other $50.00 back, it will have been worth it to keep reading your well-reasoned posts.  I was a bit upset about Clark until I read what you had to say.  Now I see the logic of it.  I would be interested to know why you think Clark is not a good pick for VP (aside from going off message).

JoAnn

Phil in TN,

The Father's Day Pandering???

I thought that was a great speech, who was he pandering to?

FYI, VoteVets.org has a petition up supporting Gen. Wesley Clark:

On Sunday, June 29, General Wesley Clark put into perspective what it takes to lead our nation’s military and veterans – the right judgment.  In doing so, he pointed out, quite correctly, that Senator John McCain’s honorable and heroic experience does not necessarily qualify him to be commander in chief, if he does not show the right judgment on the major issues of our time.

http://ga3.org/campaign/petitionclark

Phil in TN - Well, I guess we just have to agree to disagree (particularly on the Father's Day matter).

And as others can see, commenters are freely allowed to disagree with my views, and often do.

I'm addressing this to a couple of folks whose comment submissions have not made the grade to be cleared for moderation and who, instead of trying to figure out what exactly about their comments was either off-topic, incoherent, inventing or perpetrating a falsehood or rumor (even if sincerely in error), was thread-hijacking, or telling other people (including me) that we shouldn't be talking about something (because that's part of what we're fighting against), or just plain not up to the high standards here: they then try to post the comment again, and then try to post "what happened to my comment?" Yeah, right. That's gonna work!

More than 380 copublishers here may comment here freely, without awaiting moderation. They use their real names and have invested resources or labor in the project, and that tends to make folks better commenters.

Anybody that chooses to post anonymously (or not confirm their identity via a copublisher application) should look at the comments section as a place for *submissions.* We end up approving more than 95 percent of those comments, but some don't make the cut.

Anybody that has a question (or complaint) about why their comment didn't pass moderation, simply write me at narconews@gmail.com and remind me of what your comment tried to say. But, again, 95 percent of the comments get through, so you have to ask yourself "what is different about my proposed comment than those that I'm reading?" Smart folks can usually figure that out.

This comments section is of high quality because it is lightly weeded. If you don't want moderation, do your part to help with the lifting around here and apply for a copublisher's account (more than 70 new copublishers have been approved in the past two weeks, most of them Field Hands!)

Again, Phil in TN, this isn't directed at you. Your comments have always gotten through. They're coherent, on-topic and interesting including when we might disagree. Some other aspiring commentators could learn from you.

Dear Mr. Myers,

I am an avid reader of Al Giordano's blog, The Field. I am someone who is participating for the first time in politics because of Barack Obama's campaign and the possibilities that now lie before us. But, as one of my favorite African-American feminist activists Toni Cade Bambara once wrote, "If your house ain't in order, you ain't in order." 

I ask that Mr. Giordano's credential be returned to him. The Back Forty was not even in existence when the DNC was going through its credential process. At a time when Americans of all stripes are once again taking responsibility for the direction their country heads towards, as demonstrated by the genuine community Al has created at his former home and now at his new location (the numbers strikingly attest that Al was the draw to rural votes, NOT anyone else), it will be a shame if the DNC allowed such petty theft and made a mockery of the democratic process.

Tracy Russo at The Back Forty has virtually no readership. Her posts most often simply cut and paste what others have written at other sites. She has yet to present any genuine analysis or even demonstrate a basic knowledge of history and the political process. For her to be given this credential when it is Al's labor that earned this credential flies in the face of not only what rural votes ostensibly stands for as an organization but also what the DNC and the nation as a whole is trying to accomplish: fairness, intelligent discussion of the issues, and basic decency

As a minority I am even more troubled if Ms. Russo is to be given this credential. Many minority blogs that have a high readership and present astute and critical analyses were not granted credentials. For Ms. Russo to be given this credential when she has done none of the work and has not earned it at a time when we have a historic candidacy and have turned a corner as a nation would be wrong. 

Ms. Kozikowski has intimated sending a 'minority' to the convention as a way to cover her bases. This "selected" individual would be used because they are a minority, i.e., because they belong to a 'category' and not because they have been instrumental in creating the readership and quality that led to the credential being given in the first place. Such a move would smack of the paternalism and racist benevolence that has no place in our political process.

Sir, I hope you understand the gravity of the situation at hand. Al has created a place where people from all over the world engage in thoughtful, courteous, and challenging conversation. It is truly what public discourse and democracy is meant to be about. 

Shouldn't the DNC catch up to the American people as well as its own candidate?

(siddhartha)

right speech on the  right  day in front of the  right  audience.

pandering i think not.

Since i'm a black man i think i have a little more insight here.-at least i'm going to claim some.

Phil in TN, Obama's "distancing" himself from Clark's statements is smart politics by a number of measures.  As Al suggests, it gives him a rationale for NOT having Clark on the ticket.  It demonstrates his perceived "independence" from even strong supporters in the effort to court a broader swath of the electorate--which will be needed to actually WIN.  And it lets him speak about patriotism ON HIS OWN TERMS.  

On the day that Obama gives a speech about patriotism, in which he refuses to cede the concept of patriotism to the right--by explicitly saying that he would NOT attack anybody else's patriotism, thereby making the people (McCain) who will attack his patriotism look like the churlish racists they are--can you explain how defending Clark would benefit his campaign?  A smarter "surrogate" (and I am not sure Clark fits that bill) would not remind everyone that McCain was imprisoned and tortured the last time he was shot down.  That smarter surrogate might make the point, if he wanted to be contemptuous, that McCain's record as a pilot and an officer demonstrates that his RECKLESSNESS and disregard for basic rules of safety led him to crash a number of planes (4, yes?) before the infamous finale.

But there is a larger issue in the litany of "complaints" about the presumptive nominee, a litany that is sprouting all over the progressive blogosphere and making its purveyors look bored, silly, or naive. The great flaw with the staunchest Clinton supporters is and was their single-minded self-identification with (or as) the candidate herself. Obama's candidacy has been about a movement--not a candidate that IS me or my policy positions.  Personally, I admire Obama's cultivated independence from the blogosphere and other traditional Democratic power bases because this gives him more room to pivot and genuinely change the electoral map. Can you imagine a Democratic President garnering more than 51% of the popular vote?! How huge would that be? Now picture that FIRST as an African American?! That his policy positions sometimes frustrate, disappoint, or even trouble me is the absolute LEAST concern for me right now. I want to win--and win BIG. But to be clear, Obama is not, nor ever promised to be, a "revolutionary."  If you want a "revolution" cultivate another purely utopic fantasy-land (and loser) candidacy. Even Evo Morales--perhaps as close as we can come to a modern day revolutionary in the Americas--tracked to the so-called center to expand his electoral victory and to govern. Huffing and puffing about how disappointing Obama's tracking to the so-called center is becomes little more than a canned, reactionary staple of stuffy academic "radicals" (to use Deb's favorite bugbear term) who never have to bear the responsibility of governing.  That said, Obama does and will continue to disappoint.  So what?

I forwarded my PayPal receipt to Deb, and asked for a refund 'since RV will not be sending Al to Denver'.  Today, I received notification from PayPal that they are processing my refund, in the full amount I contributed.

This will give me a credit with PayPal, I'm thinking (not on my credit card -- I would have to request PayPal to refund my card, I expect).  Can I then go onto PayPal and contribute it to Al's new home?  Anyone else tried this?

Once the refund clears on your PayPal account, it goes into your PayPal balance. You can then decide what to do with it. If you leave it in your PayPal account, then donate from The Field via Paypal, PayPal will take it from your balance unless you designate to fund it differently (from your checking or a credit card). In my experience it took a full week for the refund to actually clear, so keep checking.

@Brendan - Enjoyed your comments on patriotism. I think Obama sees patriotism in different terms than the exclusively militaristic mindset the majority of Americans seem to since the Reagan years. And he sees pragmatic solutions to our problems in other terms as well. One of the unfortunate consequences of Clark's comment is that it keeps discussions focused on military terms. It's the "Don't think of an elephant" problem again. Obama is trying to redefine patriotism in a world where to be pragmatic we can't keep dismissing the other 6 billion people in the world. And its about diplomacy, economics and the well being of our people.

I know many people like the idea of Clark for VP, but I have never bought into the idea that Obama needs him to shore up military or international relations experience. I've been reading between the lines and I don't think Obama wants a "military mind" in the VP slot.

But Obama has to go carefully. The fantasies about the military that American's hold in their minds are amazing. Any small disrespect shown to McCain's military experience is indeed the third rail right now. Assuming he acted independently, Clark was right but he was not wise with his comment.

Al, I'm in the middle of reading Plunkitt of Tammany Hall. Great stuff and reminds me of a couple of Daley administrations I could name.

Dear Jeff, I agree wholeheartedly with your point about Obama's redefining patriotism beyond the simplistic militaristic angle. I would add that though he is not being explicit about it, he is combatting yet again the "ancient" (and white) American mindset that has always been suspicious of African Americans' American-ness not to mention patriotism.  When we consider the fact that African American WWI vets were lynched in their uniforms, the militaristic patriotism you point out becomes yet another cover for racism.  I absolutely love the fact that Obama is taking this head on because Republicans have never seen Democrats be so hard-nosed (and sharp-elbowed).  And they call this "old politics"? It may be for them, but for Democrats such "pre-emptive" strikes [not Clark's ham-handed effort] constitute the core of Obama's "new" (and winning) politics. 

-B

 A top story on Kos today "Breaking Bush Adminstration blocking search for Bin Laden"

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/30/133127/717/931/544175

I asked readers here a few days ago if anyone thought he was still alive and I got zero response. Now Bush is blocking a search for him, what does that tell us? More Importantly why? Is Bin Laden being seen as still alive good politically for the Repugs?

Al-would love if you chimed in on this one.

I am in agreement with Brendan and Al on this question Phil but for slightly different reasons. It seems to me there are no indisputable heros and yet many men and women act heroically. That said, I have no doubt that John Kerry made at least one heroic act and likewise John McCain made at least one heroic act.

Other than that they both were human, imperfect, using their influence to get by in different ways. It makes me want to call this whole line of attack, from either side, a failure. Of course with enough pounding, as in Kerry's case, you can nail in almost any spike. In McCain's case it just isn't going to take, whether McCain broke his arms on the tail of his plane or because of torture is unprovable in any definitive way. All you need to refute it is to point to his stiff arms. In that case find a hundred year old piece of oak and try to get a spike in it.

Of course Clark's point was trying for something substantive but it was clumsy to attack McCain using his being shot down. Ok I cheered when I heard it but I'm not going to vote for McCain. My neighbor who is considering Obama will find the remark at least partly at odds with McCain's disability and doubtful because of that.

It would be better to find statements he has made recently and find in them McCain's lack of knowledge of foreign affairs. "If McCain thinks we are winning in Iraq then why can't they pay their own bills so we can help people here with their oil bills next winter? I don't think he knows much about the way the Iraqi politicians are using our resources to make themselves wealthy."

Hey, I just noticed that more than 100 people have signed the credentials petition to the DNC in the past 18 hours:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/credential-al-giordano/signatures.ht...

Way to go, Field Hands!

Christi glad you found the Bhutto video. I took my post down because I tried to correct the spelling of her name and I got bumped to where I seemed out of order.

I would like to know what Bush and McCain discussed about Iran and Iraq. In speculation mode I see the neo-con plan as establishing long-term bases in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan to replace the strategic importance of Germany which is too far away from what neo-cons see as the interests of our country. Oil was just a side issue in Iraq, which is why nothing substantial has been done about oil production.

On Topic:

I am prepared to e-mail every member of the DNC if this credential hijack doesn't clear up and challenge the Convention Press Credential Committee.
Does anyone have a ready made list or site with addresses.

 Do not know how to embed (Sp?) video yet (hint to someone who does). This is got to be related to keeping Bin Laden alive, in my mind anyway. If Bin Laden is seen as still being alive and free to reign terror than the Bushies have a larger audience for war with Iran?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAKqI_ZVwDc&eurl=http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/30/133127/717/931/544175

 Video of Bhutto "Bin Laden Murdered by Omar Sheikh"

http://littlecountrylost.blogspot.com/2008/01/benazir-bhutto-omar-shiekh-murdered.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/al-giordano/missing-the-fields-dnc-co_b_11...

will not be missing for much longer. I am staying on this one to the happy ending. As of now, we have 225 votes on the poll at dkos, 219 yes give Al the credential, and 6 no. I am sure there are 6 people at RV who voted. Please email all of your contacts with the link and ask them to sign the petition and vote in the poll.

It is now on Digg. Please digg this up!

http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Al_Giordano_Missing_The_Field_s_DNC_Convention_Credential

Longroad,

Point taken, but there was hardly unity in the black blogosphere on the speech.  You could find as many voicing my opinion as yours.

Everyone else on Clark - like Al said, we'll have to agree to disagree.  I'm a little disappointed to see so many buying into the right-wing noise machine's definition of what Clark said.  I just can't find the "attack' in Clark's words (and neither canDigby or Josh at TPM).

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/dont-want-to-say-i-told-you-so.ht...

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/get-ready-for-mother-of-all-hissy...

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/202163.php

By repudiating Clark, Obama is essentially validating McCain's argument that his military serrvice (and POW status) get him over the infamous "commander-in-chief" threshold.  To quote Josh, "What his campaign should not be doing is lending its imprimatur to the proposition that because McCain saw combat in Vietnam and suffered as a POW that he has the judgment to be an effective president."  Unfortunately, today he did just that.

(BTW, I wasn't aware Obama needed a reason not to put Clark on the ticket.)

I support Obama not because I expect him to be in agreement with me on the issues.  I'm far to the left of his positions and find several - health care, energy to name two (and now the death penalty and the Fourth Amendment) -  woefully inadequate.  Like Al, I support him because I expect him to change the process and begin the restoration of a representative democracy.  What I have seen since he became the presumptive nominee is a replay of what I've seen far too many times in the past.  It's not encouraging.  For me, it's not enough just to win.

There seem to be a lot of misconceptions about who Obama is. Obama has always supported the death penalty, he's been a huge Israel supporter ever since he ran for senate and he's been avoiding questions about his stance on the D.C. gun ban for months. So I don't really see him moving to the center on these things, except for the FISA issue. And even that seems more pragmatically inspired than ideologically.

I am questioning their strategy of throwing Clark under the bus though. What he said was the absolute truth and the McCain friendly media is completely ripping it out of context. I can understand that they might not have a different choice, but playing safe and trying way to hard not to offend anyone is the way he might actually lose this thing.

except possibly in my clumsy wording.

There seem to be a lot of misconceptions about who Obama is. Obama has always supported the death penalty, he's been a huge Israel supporter ever since he ran for senate

My point was that I supported him for other reasons than his positions because his positions weren't mine.  I recognize he had to rattle his sabers before AIPAC, but that didn't make it any less distasteful.  And he didn't have to repudiate his general support for capital punishment to avoid standing with Scalia, Alito, Roberts and Thomas.  That was appaling.

but playing safe and trying way to hard not to offend anyone is the way he might actually lose this thing.

Exactly.  It's the old playing not to lose strategy which, strangely enough, always ends in a loss.

I was tied up writing about another issue today but will reiterate my demand that Al get his credentials when I post tomorrow. I'd get something together sooner but I get pretty braindead after writing all day. (And you thought it happened before I wrote!)

Anyway, people hate going through the rigamarole it takes to sign an online petition (unless of course it involves something truly important like an American Idol voting snafu.) The over 450 signatures already collected are quite a tribute to both our beloved center fielder, Al, and all of the the Fieldhands who add the nutrients that are so essential to making the soil so fertile around here.

And if you just found the new home of the field today, why not kick in to the "send Al to Denver fund" so that when you leave here you can call yourself an authentic Fieldhand?

Barry

...at your comment on the petition, Barry:

You can't spell credential without "AL!"

 Please come to San Diego soon and do a show or better yet somewhere in Mexico :-))

Just for the record of future mails to Mr. Ayers - Tracy Russo has left RV and the Back Forty. Sean Regan is the lone blogger there now. Though what you said about the quality still holds (I thought Tracy was the somewhat better of the two.) Sean is strictly regurgitating others stuff.

@Dems to win - I got the refund not to the Paypal account - but credited back on my cc - doesn't matter in any event as the Fund here accepts Paypal in both variants.

Over on another comments' thread, reader Martina has just found her way back to The Field today.

They're out there. Keep spreading the word!

"...the comments made by Obama's surrogates do him little good in a raw political context. Any day John McCain is able to talk about his military service and remind people of the sacrifices he has made for the country is a good day for the Republican candidate.

...

Clark's comments allow McCain to do just that."

In other words talk about the economy, healthcare etc. where McCain is weak and refrain from the gratuitous attacks on him and his military record (even if Clark is right).

This just arrived via email from the HuffPo blog team:

Your post is generating a lot of positive response on the popular social networking site Digg.com.  This is a key time for your post in terms of it being read by the most people possible.  If the post can attract more "diggs" (reader clicks that indicate a positive response) in the next couple hours, it will greatly increase the chances of it moving to the front page of Digg.com, where it will be seen by tens of thousands of new readers.  To help make this happen, please email this link to your friends and family -- and anyone else who would like to see your post get a wider audience -- and encourage them to click the "digg it" button.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/al-giordano/missing-the-fields-dnc-co_b_110059.html

 

http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Al_Giordano_Missing_The_Field_s_DNC_Convention_Credential

being on the same page with Chris Cillizza. ;-)

Claus,

Go watch the video of Clark's FTN appearance yesterday and tell me exactly where Wes "attacked" John McCain's military record.  I'm not talking about questioning whether his military experience is a necessary qualification for POTUS or whether it is relevant foreign policy experience.  You are repeating what the MSM has been harping on all day - that Clark attacked his military record, i.e. his record of performance in the military.  Please clarify where this happens.  Thanks.

Phil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kag0bBJVkIw&eurl=http://www.salon.com/pol...

 Tracy left RV? I thought she was back on the job after a cold. I refuse to go there just to see if there are any posts from her. I didn't read them before, why would I want to now? Has she issued a statement?

Phil I can hear what you are saying. However two things happened around Clark's remark, first it got said and reported, second Obama got to pivot off of it onto his message and got his message out.

It's a bumpy ride right now for me too, but I'm not ready to give up so easily. The time to hold our candidates feet to the fire varies with conditions. Now after 8 yrs of Clinton and 8 yrs of Bush we need to get as many new people in place as possible. I talked to one self-righteous Nader voter this weekend who thinks he might do it again. How many times do you hit yourself over the head to prove you are right.

The way the Obama campaign is organizing, governance will be, to a certain extent, in our hands as much as it will be in the hands of the top party muck-ups. This what the RV/Field conflict is all about if you look at it closely. The RV people (at least some of them, and I do mean for the image of those bloated campers to come to mind) are jockeying for expected appointment plums. They don't want organized communities (Fieldhands) who might decide and fight for appointments otherwise. At the same time those communities will mean that policies might be more pragmatic and less idealistic.

For me the reason the RV people censored the community organizer post is because they saw their plum appointments (which would have been deeply corrupt in the Clinton administration) threatented by organized communities not in their control. And further the reason they are holding on to Al's credentials is to minimize exposure of the attempts, which will be legion, to convert Obama to handing out favors and making deals.

It is, in that light, encouraging to see him throw one of the biggest plum seekers under the bus today. Far more encouraging than it would be for him to back Clark up. Think about it, he is saying no, I'm not going down that road and even if I lose some people over it I'm still not going down that road.

Well there's my post to get me in big trouble with everyone.

Rec'd, tipped and dugg, Al.

Against my better judgment, I did pop over to RV because I'm nosey and I wanted to know if Tracy had really left--but alas, she is posting with as much gusto as ever (which is to say not much gusto at all, lol!). Still very much a part of the team there, it would seem.

When my publication changed its name and URL address, the DNCC modified the credential list to reflect those changes. I really don't understand why it's so hard for them to do this for The Field, which has only changed its address. Especially when they have made such modifications to the list before....

Dan,

I'm still prepared to vote for Obama (not that it will make much difference here in Tennessee).  Unquestionably he's the better choice, warts and all - well, unless he puts Sam Nunn or Jim Webb on the ticket.

Look, I'm a crusty old fart who'll piss 'n' moan but still get the ol' clothespin out on Nov 4, plant it firmly on my nose and go exercise my franchise.  But if Obama keeps allowing the opposition to paint him as just another politician - and then helps that meme along by by appearing to calculate and conveniently cave when he thinks it judicious, will all those young, new voters still show up?  They think they bought something vital and new, not a rehash of triangualtion and playing not to lose.

It is, in that light, encouraging to see him throw one of the biggest plum seekers under the bus today. Far more encouraging than it would be for him to back Clark up. Think about it, he is saying no, I'm not going down that road and even if I lose some people over it I'm still not going down that road.

I'm not sure what road you see Barack not going down by today's actions.  I see today's actions as already ceding the framing of the national security debate (and the very words that will be used) to the right-wing playmakers. Once again Democrats will have to fight this battle on Republican turf.  The opportunity existed to seize control of that debate and frame it in progressive terms.  But the FISA capitualtion and the validation of McCain's claims about his qualifications that today symbolizes ensure the fight will be once again about who can man up and raise his testosterone levels the highest.

Al, considering that you have cross-posting privileges at HuffPo, do you have any insight as to why The Field is NOT listed among blogs in HuffPo's front page "Links" section?

Is there anyone we can contact to encourage them to add you to that prestigious real estate?

And if you aren't deemed worthy of listing on the homepage, then why not, at least, in the comparable box on the HuffPo "Politics" homepage?

Ironically, the Politics homepage list of links includes Matt Taibbi, and the link takes you to a RollingStone archives page of a 2006 Taibbi entry!

Surely that dead link could be dropped in favor of The Field!

 Dan, you said everything I am thinking.

Heather, I really wish you wouldn't have. :()

I know, I am shamefaced and I feel like I need a shower.  Suffice to say--my twenty second visit confirmed that the two remaining bloggers are unworthy of a blogger credential to the DNC.  Those two going in Al's place is just a ridiculous miscarriage of journalistic justice. And I assure you, I won't be going back, not even to rubberneck--I don't want to add to their hit counter, but as I say, I was curious as to Tracy's continued role there (especially since some here had expressed kindnesses toward her once they believed she had left RV as a matter of principle)...

How horrible, I had no idea this was happening! I am changing my bookmark right now.  Thanks for all of the wonderful work that you guys do!

I am bogged down with the end-of-the-month/beginning-of-the-month mandatory duties of my day job (2 separate home-based businesses), so I haven't been very vocal on the Field in the last few days.

However, I have been following directions re: Kos and HuffPo, and after a day and 1/2 of not checking the petition stats, all I can say is Wow!

Thanks to the 125+ new signers!  My goal is to have 740 signers to match Al's $7400!  Keep forwarding the petition to everyone you know with "Field Hands DNA" and we can hit our goal numbers!

Yes We Can!

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

Actually, what's the general take here on HuffPo? I used to visit the site regularly, but I felt many of the articles were sensationalistic. I often left the site feeling riled up. I decided I just didn't need that.

And then they posted a video along the lines of the MoveOn video of the mom who wouldn't let John McCain have her son. The mock video was cruel. The child knew what the mom was saying. His expression became increasingly distressed, and he ended up crying.

It's one thing to show these videos for educational purposes, but it's another to present them as if they're clever and funny.

Today is the first day since then that I visited the site, and only to Digg Al's article.

Hey Pam,

Thanks for your work on this "project".  That's great you are going for 740 signatures.  What is your deadline that you have to send it in?   

Being from a country that keeps the military at a healthy arm's length away from politics, I find it ridiculous that McCain's POW status is worshipped in US to the exclusion of all his not-fit-to-be-C-in-C qualities like temperament, judgement, in-articulation etc.

First, I thought Obama was being smart by putting out Clark out in front to question the unquestionable (at least in US). I saw both of Clark's interviews and he was spot on. I also liked the Obama spokesperson's initial non-denial (it was General Clark's views).

I thought Obama would weigh in later with something like "We respect General Clark for his excellent service to this country, he certainly has earned the right to put forth his views, just like Sen McCain has, and we fully respect his views". That kinda non-denial would not have given the ammo that both the repugs and the blogosphere now seem to be using against him. As they say, you get run over by staying in the middle.

I think Obama lost a golden opportunity here to question the media giving a free pass and McCain taking the fifth on every issue just because he was a POW. Now, the repugs made him look like a wimp.

Score - McCain - 1  Obama - 0.

amk

From the Ben Smith/Avi Zenilman "Remainders" post today:

"Al Giordano wants his convention blogger credential back -- and has the long story why."

@ Catherine:  the calendar "deadline" is *fluid* right now--my self-imposed deadline is signature for dollar with "Send Al to Denver" goal---actually, they are hand-in-hand: $7400 and 740 signatures!

Our goal: the Field Hands' goal, that is...is to "Send Al to Denver WITH that Credential"!

Woudn't you agree?

@Agoram: As I have watched the O-man's campaign, and especially since I've had my "Chicken Little Shots", I trust his judgment more and more...even when I think I should be questioning him.

As it is turning out, McC, like HRC before him, is digging his own hole for his campaign.  1) McC said a few weeks ago that Obama wouldn't make a good Commander-in-Chief because he DIDN'T serve. Where in the Constitution does it say that a President has to be a former member of the military? 2) As Al has said, the O-man has to move more towards the center, and as Brandon said upthread, Obama also has to walk a very fine line and tight rope while continously dodging figurative landmines.

Mostly, because he is so brilliant and so nuanced that even *we* don't always get it, he has to *talk* so that *they* can understand; even if it sometimes makes *us* mad!

He can't be too liberal, too conservative, too black, too white, too hawkish, too dovish, too this, too that, too for HRC, too against HRC...on and on ad nausem! And he can still flash that smile!

Maybe that's because, in order to *prove* that Obama is wrong and he's right, McCain stands on stage shoulder-to shoulder with one of the original Swift-boaters! How pitiful is that?!?! Geez!  If I were Obama, I'd smile, too!

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

I think we forget that it isn't Obama's style to go after someone on something that isn't policy.  If he was going to do that, he would have done it to Ms. Hillary many times over but he didn't --he had tons of ammunition that he kept stored.  Late in the campaign, when he reflected back  he said that he was disappointed that he allowed himself to get off track.  He didn't specify and I could be wrong but I believe he was referring to attacking Clinton with the Annie Oakley remark. 

So his surrogates need to understand he isn't going to go there - even against the Republicans.  And he doesn't need to.  That doesn't mean he's going to be swiftboated - he will defend himself - there is no doubt of that.

I agree that Clark was simply stating that McCain's war hero status doesn't give him the CIC credentials.  The problem is that IMO, Obama DOES think that McCain is qualified to be CIC. (And if we were honest about it, most presidential candidates of either party probably ARE qualifed to be CIC - they are probably less qualified for matters of economic and complex diplomatic matters.) 

So my perception is that Obama doesn't think that qualification for CIC is a legitimate issue with McCain  - he just doesn't think McCain is on the right side of most policy issues.  My point being one can be qualified but have a different view of how to handle the job.

Al you got some great press today!  

First of, congrats on your petition hitting some pretty good milestones.

And yes, with all odds you mentioned stacked against him,  that brilliant smile of his will sway the voters anyday and should win the day for him. Yet, I would like to see him pull no punches in GE as apposed to primaries.

I am yet see his speech on patriotism. Anyone has a link ?

amk

a la affaire Clark

 http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/30/205348/458/732/544398

 amk

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gG5x3Y

Yes, it was a not particulary good band despite Eric Clapton's presence but it is also...

As I have watched the O-man's campaign, and especially since I've had my "Chicken Little Shots", I trust his judgment more and more...even when I think I should be questioning him.

And that ain't good.  Because you're trusting the judgement of someone you don't know from Adam's housecat.  And it's the judgement of someone who has given some of us reason to question the soundness of such judgement.  You should be questioning him at every turn.  It's your right and duty.

I realize a lot of folks here are big on getting it correct politically, winning and sweating the details later, but at what point is it necessary to be right?

Lt Gen Robert G Gard's defense of Wesley Clark.  Worth reading:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/30/184940/513/778/544344

And, FWIW, both kos and John Cole at Agoram's link have got it right.

I found it interesting and unexpected that Obama ‘threw Clarke under the bus” as you say.  Reading the comments here reminded me of Jim Johnson who was originally tapped to serve on the VP selection committee.  My impression of that episode was that Obama placed him on the committee as a sot to the good ole boys, knowing full well that Mr. Johnson’s questionable finances would come to light and Obama would be able to get rid of him without ruffling any feathers. 

Could this case with Wes Clarke be along those same lines?  Did Obama know that Clarke would say something he could comfortably use to distance himself from the guy?  Is Obama really that skillful, and that many moves ahead on the chess board than everyone else to be able to anticipate these things?  Perhaps he even thought it was worth it to lose a press cycle or two just to get rid of Clarke.

I look at all the corpses along the way, and I begin to believe that yes, he is that smart.  Didn’t he refuse to negotiate with Edwards when Edwards wanted something in return for his endorsement?  Then, seemingly out of the blue, Edwards endorsed.  Then, when Elizabeth Edwards withheld her endorsement, she was ‘handled’ too.  Hillary and Bill seem to be corralled.  Moveon.org is even considering giving up its 527 status, I heard.  He’s succeeded in muzzling pretty much every opponent or problem child along the way, and rounded them up under his tent of unity. 

Call me naïve, but this whole process seems like a brilliantly crafted strategy from the get-go.

Wes Clark's statement:

"There are many important issues in this Presidential election, clearly one of the most important issues is national security and keeping the American people safe. In my opinion, protecting the American people is the most important duty of our next President. I have made comments in the past about John McCain's service and I want to reiterate them in order be crystal clear. As I have said before I honor John McCain's service as a prisoner of war and a Vietnam Veteran. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands and millions of others in Armed Forces as a prisoner of war. I would never dishonor the service of someone who chose to wear the uniform for our nation.

“John McCain is running his campaign on his experience and how his experience would benefit him and our nation as President. That experience shows courage and commitment to our country - but it doesn't include executive experience wrestling with national policy or go-to-war decisions. And in this area his judgment has been flawed - he not only supported going into a war we didn't have to fight in Iraq, but has time and again undervalued other, non-military elements of national power that must be used effectively to protect America But as an American and former military officer I will not back down if I believe someone doesn't have sound judgment when it comes to our nation's most critical issues.”

Tell me again why this guy had to be thrown under the bus.  You've got a 4-star general (ret) and former NATO commander saying what needs to be said and Barack gets the vapors and asks for the smelling salts instead of backing him up?

 Election Inspection

http://electioninspection.wordpress.com/2008/06/24/send-al-giordano-to-denver-part-ii/

One Million Strong

http://www.onemillionstrong.us/showDiary.do?diaryId=1256

Jedreport

http://www.jedreport.com/2008/06/the-new-home-fo.html

Agreed some of them are dated 2 weeks back.

amk

I'm glad Clark is standing by his criticism of McCain.

If Obama wants to wimp out on everything, that's fine.

Other Democrats will have to prop him up.

link

I'm sorry, but I saw that post on dkos by kos and I now  I am officially done with dkos.  I'm going to go back to lurking status there, and only comment if I just really can't help myself, it will no longer be a "destination" for me, not after the hystrionics over there for the past week, I've had enough drama.

I'm new to the blogosphere, but if this type of handwringing is just par for the course, I don't wanna be bothered with it. 

I don't believe in following anyone willy nilly into the abyss, but you would think that Obama stole someone's baby and is selling it to the highest bidder over there.  You can civiliy disagree with someone without the drama queen antics that seem to be going on over there, and on many of the liberal blogs lately, except this one.

So I'll stick to The Field and other blogs of its ilk, and continue to donate to Obama.

I was a regular reader of The Field - regular enough that I read the original Alinsky post when it appeared. I was offline for a week or so and when I came back, I couldn't figure out why Al had disappeared from RV. Their site made it seem like he had fallen off the face of the earth! Even typing in the old URL caused a redirect to some totally different (and to me uninteresting) bloggers with no explanation. That was annoying.

Here's the good part. It took me 30 seconds and Google to figure out where Al went, delete the old bookmark and add a new one.

Times have changed. We get to make the decisions now, and readers will go where the good stuff is. Control that!

Phil, Catherine Cain answered your question about the road I was referring to, "not going after someone when its not on policy." (Much more clearly than I was going to answer by the way, thanks Catherine).

Now Kos is going big screen with it. Clark gave an off the cuff reply, it shouldn't have meant anything, but it provided the drama the msm wanted, the venue McCain could use effectively and now the outrage that divides our sense of unity. Three wins for McCain but luckily Obama at least can claim credit for staying on message to stick with policy issues.

Clark is not a very astute politician, never has been, and he has handed McCain a little jewel. Debating who is or isn't CIC material didn't work for Clinton as well as she hoped in the primary and it isn't going to work any better for Obama. I don't think it will work even for McCain unless Obama goes off message about sticking to the policy. You just don't look CIC when you are saying the other guy isn't CIC. Kos is just wrong.

to the speech on patriotism today.  Having seen most Obama speech, this one, too, is another must-see.  The man continues to amaze me.  (and for anyone having seen the "answer" and snark McCain gave to a reporter of the NYT, the contrast couls not have been more start.)  When is the last time any other politician (besides Mario Cuomo at the convention (Dukakis?)) gave a speech that makes you think about it, and inspires one to be more and better?! 

I've been pondering Phil's observations regarding AIPAC, General Wesley, FISA and the death penalty as well as my own emotional reaction when I've read the various news casts in which Obama seems to be either tacking to the center or right or doing something and I've concluded that many of us are projecting on to Obama all the disappointments and legitimate feelings of betrayal that Democrats have been experiencing ever since Bill Clinton screamed "Sister Souljah" and started his endless betrayals called "triangulating".

Relative to Obama's comment on the Supreme Court death penalty decision, I commented somewhere earlier that Obama's statement is quite hedged and isn't really all that much support for the death penalty. And then I remember it's a far cry from Bill Clinton's taking off in the middle of the 1992 campaign so he could fly back to Arkansas and execute a mentally retarded person. It's just not the "same old, same old".

Regarding AIPAC, I read an analysis from a blogger, who is often slurred, I think unfairly, for being anti-semitic. Anyway his take on Obama's speech was that "it's really not all that bad" and it is "chock full of code". His analysis of the speech (particularly the comment on Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel) was similar to Al's "wire cutting" essay on Obama's Latin America speech. I'd link but while the blogger himself isn't anti-semitic, many of his followers and commenters definitely are so I'm not comfortable linking.

To me at least the real betrayal coalesced after the 2006 election and we watched the leadership in Congress cave and pander and contemptuosly disregard the voter's message.

I've often thought that adjusting for history and two centuries, Nancy Pelosi's "Impeachment is off the table" and Marie Antoinette's "Let them eat cake" are essentially the same arrogant dismissive statement.

So I am trying to emotionally detach and analyze events as they occur.

Wow.  I guess I figured Kos was more pragmatic than that.  "I was going to max out to Obama today and now I'm not."  It seems petulant to me.  So he's going to withhold his money now to try and make some point??  And then he gives to Obama later on a "good" day?  Because if you're going to give to him anyway, does it really make a difference?  Or is he considering not giving to him at all?  I don't really get it.  Fine, be mad.  It makes me cranky too because I think the appropriate answer is to tell folks to take fucking chill pill and not interpret every GD statement as some disparaging remark about McCain's military record.  I think most people would agree that flying in a fighter and getting shot down does not equate to any relevant experience to being president.

But maybe there is a bigger picture here that I'm not seeing.  I happen to think he has earned enough credit for me to trust him a bit.

Speaking of contributions, the campaign sure has sentout a lot of solicitations of late.  I hope that doesn't mean June numbers are low.  It kinda wouldn't surprise me.  The primary was just so front and center and generated so much press that got people riled.  I haven't yet seen that kind of emotion in this race and that mean fewer donations.   I sure hope this no public financing thing pays off.  He needs to bank the money now and Americans have very short attention spans.

 It is definitely time to step back for a few days, I hope I return renewed in my commitment and Al has his credential.

Allan-your right my shot was wearing off, thanks for playing Al on this one.

Re: Christi Demuth. Unless you are somehow kidding, such petulant and manufactured outrage--Obama as President of the DLC! ("Lions and tigers and bears, Oh My!")--demonstrates an extraordinary lack of perspective. Taking your ball home in a huff is beyond ineffective; it is simply banal at this stage of the game. Shrill hyperbole gets us nowhere.

 Brendan- A long few weeks and tired of being disappointed in this whole moving to the center. I am naive. This is my first year putting my life on *hold* while I donate my time and money to something greater than me. I will come out of it in a few days. I have to travel to Mex for personal business, I expect I will come back renewed in my support.

Kos could donate $2300 to the Fund For Authentic Journalism without  fear of maxing out anything but the "Send Al to Denver" drive.

(But I suppose what he was talking about was the midnight witching hour for this quarter, which has passed here in EDT,)

 LOL. Good one.

Christi, I will join you in lambasting Obama after he is elected and after he has begun a withdrawal from Iraq, begun to reorganize our defunct healthcare system, begun to put us on the road to bringing global CO2 levels back to 350 ppm, and installed a young, progressive Justice on the Supreme Court. While in Mexico, absorb the Mexican view of Obama (and come back with a report!). I wish you well.  

Just got my $ 25 check from RV. Post marked 24th June. Not bad for a slow boat to India.

Now, on to chasing the clearance.

Al, routing that dough to you via paypal.

I tried and tried to donate by midnight, but when I could access the site (which was hard enough because it was slow), I'd fill out the form, hit "donate now" and the confirmation screen would not load.  Maybe the campaign site was over-loaded today.  I must have received an e-mail to donate from every dem out there in the past few days.

I am resisting the negatives out there about O's strategy at this point and looking at the larger need for him to win a general campaign.  Doesn't surprise me that he's tacked right from the primary phase.  It's just too damn early to judge where he's going or how he plans to play chess with McCain.  McCain is a fairy tale and exposing him for what he is, a PR created image, will take time.

Some commenter at Wonkette (read the post there on W. Clark) said that McCain crashed several jets before his brief tour, 20 hours, over Vietnam, and that maybe, McCain wasn't shot down at all, but just crashed another one, and the enemy caught him with a "butterfly net."  Snark.  From the stories I've read, McCain sounds like a reckless, poor pilot, a poor student, and has the temperament of a lout.  I'm not suggesting attacking him on his military performance, but he does seem like the accidental hero.

Obama seems wise to avoid this part of McCain's story and instead focus on his ill-conceived policies about foreign policy, economics, and on his general befuddledness.

You definitely need a vacation.  Please take it and enjoy your time away.  When getting your inoculations, be sure and get a Chicken Little booster, as your previous one appears to be wearing off.

Fieldhands, I'm currently unemployed and have been since December.  I was laid off and I had a pretty generous severance package, plus I had some long-term incentives that I was able to cash out, so I'm not hurting now or in the near future.

And I am still donating to Obama (sent him some more before the month-end), to some interesting House races (Phil Cohen in TN, Dan Seals in IL), even some to Hillary to help retire her debt.  And I just threw another $100 in the pot to help get Al to Denver.

So when someone like Kos pouts and threatens to take his ball and leave without contributing a dime to Obama, it really pisses me off. 

Maybe when his book comes out in September I'll check it out from the library rather than buying a copy of my own.  After all, I can donate the equivalent to Obama and still derive value from reading it.

In the past, I have been frustrated by several Democratic presidential nominees. Problem is they didn't even get elected. No, more conservative Republicans were elected (Nixon, Reagan, Bush I, Bush II).  I first voted in l972 (worked the McGovern campaign, as many young people are working in the Obama campaign). Since I began voting, only Presidents Carter and Clinton have been elected. If anyone is justified in throwing a temper tantrum, it's me!       

that I was able to find you again. I had now ex-Field in my favorite since it was my first stop during the primaries. Boy, was I confused or what when I couldn't see your name there! I never went back...

I got really excited about Fieldhands & joined my group on the day I found it:) I even posted an invitation at my.barackobama.com!

As a novice in this crazy world called "Politic", I often appreciate your straight answers & views. Comments are mostly "must-read" as well. I don't have enough right now but I'll be able to make a very small contribution tomorrow:)

Here's hoping that my comment about Obama wimping out (on the Wes Clark drama) wasn't censored and that I screwed up in posting it.

Two comments: My remark about avoiding gratuitous attacks was not meant to refer directly to Wes Clarks comments on Face the Nation - I should have made that clearer.

But in my book Clark took a shot at McCain with his "getting shot down..." qip and his (politely frased) comments about the limited reach of McCains military experience certainly came across to me as the overbearing general lecturing a junior officer. What to call it is to me mostly a matter of semantics.

But the outrage around this is just as fake and orchestrated as the outrage around other comments made by other surrogates.

Ups, my bad Tracy is indeed back - I should have checked rather than assume that things can not change.

Don't buy the "I had a cold" though.

for those links on his patriotism speech.

But both the links stop midway@ 12.28. Any ideas why ?

amk

@ 10:25 pm by Phil in TN

It's not BLIND faith...it's seeing his judgment borne out correctly more times than not...and I do know him as much as I can know anyone who I don't personally know well.

When people objectively compare everything they "know" about the candidates and objectively list what those candidates have accomplished in their professional careers and personal lives...the O-man still is at the top of the list, period.

I constantly question him...and he's right more than wrong...that's the point of him showing me I can trust him...

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

The earth is falling attitude now being displayed on the progressive blogs and by the netroots towards the recent moves of the Obama campaign is predictable and getting old. The campaign is taking aggressive steps to win key swing states that usually vote republican as many in such states hold views more towards the centre. I think the campaign is making some pragmatic and shrewd moves with the goal being to win those states as well as help with getting down ticket democrats in such states elected as well. Those states will not be won by remaining to the left as was done in the democratic primaries. The Obama strategy is about winning and I applaud them for their recent moves. For example today Obama is giving a speech on faith. He is aggressively going after the evangelical vote that in past cycles went overwelmingly to the republicans. I applaud the recent pragmatic approach being taken towards the election. The game is about winning and becoming the president of the United States not to be president of the Netroots movement.

I happen to think Phil from Tennessee made a lot of great points and he deserves better than the group-shushing he's received.

There is no known case of an American politician winning the presidency and moving to the left on his or her own. Heat has had to be applied. So every time you see this candidate move rightward on an issue you care about, if you're politically literate, you feel just a bit more doomed when you see large numbers of his supporters welcome the compromise as if it were just what they'd been waiting for.

If you're politically literate, you also understand that on organizing and financing level, Obama is running a groundbreaking campaign. You know that he's charismatic and has an uncanny ability to inspire people. This doesn't make him all-knowing and unassailable.

How nutty do the right-wingers seem to us when they blindly follow Bush or Limbaugh or any number of other reactionary maniacs? Barack Obama is no maniac but neither is he a hothouse flower. He can handle some criticism and handle it well. Besides, criticism from the left makes him seem safer to the cowards in the center.

You know what meets in a big tent full of people who are all in complete agreement? A cult.

So let's stop telling people they need to go away and rest when they disagree with us (as happened to Christi). Let's listen to one another and realize that perhaps the people who most believe in this candidate are the ones who have enough faith in him to believe he can listen to and survive criticism, even when it comes from the ::gasp:: left.

Respectfully,

Barry

WOW!  Petition to DNC is now #499.  We might really have to thank CensorDeb for some of the energy the Fieldhands are generating.  She & ScabTracy can call themselves 'progressives' - but the way this is unfolding, and becoming more & more public, seems a lesson in the importance of transparency, acountability, honesty, real Progressives have been working to create for generations.

Maybe the Democratic Party will learn something from this experience too?????

Thanks for reminding regarding the petition, I completely forgot. I am #502 now

@Barry Crimmins and Melissa - good points indeed.

@ Bryan - Congratulations!! Glad you found Al again and I think there were many of you yesterday that found the new Field with all the press coverage of the stolen credentials.

@kos - Congratulations!!! I didn't see the press release announcing you as a new Obama Campaign Manager. Before the next surrogates go on TV, I'm sure you will have a chance to consult and strategize with Obama and the surrogates so that it all happens according to your campaign plan.

Barry says, "There is no known case of an American politician winning the presidency and moving to the left on his or her own. Heat has had to be applied."

Thinking back, even the "Mt. Rushmore of Progressive Presidents", Franklin D. Roosevelt, required some fire under his seat. His wife Eleanor and others were good at that little job. 

I believe it is society's nature to be conservative and maintain the status quo, since change is threatening and requires risk and effort.  Fieldhands, we have a lot of work to do.        

The combination of Supreme Court cases being decided immediately on the start of the general election (forcing candidates to explain their own views on them) and the apparent ignorance of various netroots people of Obama's long-standing positions on subjects like the death penalty has resulted in this "centering" outrage.

Barry makes a very good point that we need to make sure to debate and argue within the party, and oppose Obama's views when we feel necessary - but it's been the attitude of many that they'll have a candidate that does exactly what they say or they'll have no candidate at all. Those making threats of no more volunteering and donations over the details have already lost sight of the bigger picture.

Hopefully netroots people can criticize Obama's campaign and discuss the issues and the organiziation without constantly making a personal and dramatic huff every time they disagree with something.

In other words: No Drama.

edit: hey look at that, I'm a co-publisher!

@Barry Crimmins.  I appreciate your suspicion of cults. But, I would ask that you shift your gaze to the currently pervasive tut-tutting in the blogosphere about Obama's various positionings.  Case in point: a hyperventilating post on kos tacitly compares Obama's longstanding intellectual support for faith-based charity (read: Trinity) with the Nazis' Nuremburg Laws against Jews and homosexuals. Such frothing is precisely what sober blogs like this one inoculate us ALL against.  I personally deeply admire Phil in TN for his many genuinely heartfelt and deeply committed posts. And the same is true for Christi.  I disagree with you that either of these writers was shushed. I was one of the parties directly engaging them. The bigger Big Tent challenge for progressives is to admit pragmatists and pragmatism into an all too often ideologically charged space. As Melissa said, Obama is directly going after the South and Arizona, while trying to firm his tentative leads in Missouri.  I support this endeavor wholeheartedly as the various blogger spasms of this summer will be entirely forgotten when we all really assault McCain on his POLICIES and his BAD JUDGEMENT (read: character) after the convention. Indeed, this summer's "positioning" is if anything cagey and hedged; it gives absolutely NO indication about how a President Obama will respond to the realities of January 2009.

It is obvious that when Obama tracks in a direction we dislike, we have every right and indeed the responsibility to react, but the echo chamber of the progressive blogosphere readily apparent these last few days is extraordinarily banal and utterly predictable for all the seeming outrage.  Such "enthusiasm" seems more like the residue of a slow summer news cycle (or a lousy hometown ball club) for news/sports fans; hence, it is in my view manufactured to keep folks awake. 

Barry, you raise some good points.  And I have personally gone toe-to-toe with Phil on one other occasion.  He is passionate and an incredibly articulate writer, and his instinct is to criticize and excoriate those with whom he disagrees.  That instinct is perfectly valid, but it can lead him to transform those who are essentially his allies into straw-men who are somehow worse than our common enemies.

Obama encourages us to find common cause, even among those with whom we disagree, in order to influence them to consider changing their minds.

And my buddy Pam precisely expressed my sentiments in her recent comment "By his fruits you shall know him."  For the past 18 months, pundits, analysts and bloggers have all been proclaiming that Obama must do this, or say that, or reject this person or defend that person, proclaiming with each new "mistake" that his candidacy was DOOMED DOOMED DOOMED, and questioning his fundamental strategy of taking the high ground in his comments and the tone of his campaign. 

And he has repeatedly proven by results that his choices were astute, and that frequently those of us on the outside simply lacked the insight to appreciate the strategy behind each individual tactic.

Christi responded, probably while you were composing your latest comment, that she appreciates it when her fellow Fieldhands remind her to keep her cool.  And it was she who declared up front that she is tired and going on a much-deserved vacation, it was not us who directed her to do so.

I'm relatively new to The Field, but the reason I love this community is not because we gather in a tent to worship our messiah Obama.  That's simply not how the people here think or operate, and it's a very tired meme that you disappoint me by invoking, especially here.

I love it here because Al encourages us to avoid Chicken Little syndrome (and is willing to lovingly smack us upside the head when we forget).  I was literally begin to lose my sanity after months of battling in the HuffPo trenches, and when I found The Field, I recognized at once the voice I was seeking.  Calm, rational, focused on the prize, taking the long view, not obsessing over each news cycle as if the election is won or lost on TODAY'S story that the MSM has chosen to hype.

Gooooood Morning Field Hands!

I'm writing up my own thoughts on the last 24 hours of this campaign cycle - on patriotism and dissent, and especially on what I call "smart dissent" - but may be called out to go to market before I finish (the joke was on me: they told me that June 31 was "Mom's Boyfriend Day" but instead of waking up to breakfast in bed I woke up and found that it's already July).

Anyway, y'all are doing a great job at fleshing out the issues raised by this current news cycle, so keep it up, and shortly I'll offer a bright and shiny new post on the theme.

 I edited my comment up thread so it looks like people are chiding me for something I said that is not there. I censored myself because I cussed and said Obama was heading the DLC. I know that is wrong so I removed the comment.

 Yes, I have been upset with Obama's direction in general and Barry is right. If I can not vent about it here then where can I vent? My post regarding donations and time was how I felt at the time. I am maxxed out to Obama for both primary & GE so if I donate now it goes to the DNC. I do not feel I should give any more than I already have.I think if I want to bitch & moan about the centering, I do have a right to. I spent over a month of 12 hour days volunteering in the primaries. I walked up & down sloped streets sometimes straight up hill. Door to door is not easy  with the street much lower than the front porches, thousands of stairs. I have had things thrown at me, been chased by a crazy man and had a couple of dogs at my heels as I was running from the yards and been called horrific names along with my candidate. So thanks Barry for sticking up for me, I am a bleeding heart liberal and I know BO has to move to the center to win in somes states and I understand it, but it does not mean I have to like it.

I really am leaving but not til later. I think I will leave my laptop at home even though I will go through withdrawls.

skulduggery (oh, what a sweet skulduggery it is) that cooked up the Obama-Clark good cop-bad cop routine, but it is working.

It is all bluffs & blusters from the "POW" McWreck camp this am

here

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/07/mccain_camp_manufactures_more.php

and here

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/07/mccain_surrogate_demeans_clark.php

BarAikido indeed.

It is gratifying to see the repugs chicken-littling so well.

amk

@ Brendan-- "But, I would ask that you shift your gaze to the currently pervasive tut-tutting in the blogosphere about Obama's various positionings."

No thanks. I have more to do than read every overreaction to what took place yesterday.

I find most of the vaunted blogosphere to be predictable and unchallenging. I like this blog because Al has used it to open up an opportunity for people's actions to expand beyond arguments that can be contained in subject lines.

It is my sincere hope that many people who became involved in electoral politics this year will stay around to particpate in other grassroots poltical activism in the future. What I dislike and disrespect about the netroots is that it is full of people who think they are cutting edge activists yet have never moved beyond figuring out how to best serve the Democratic Party. Screw the permanent campaign. I don't have a lot of interest in those who have never tested what they have to say anywhere except within the soothing glow of their computer screen.

The net gives and it takes away. I fear we are becoming a nation of couch potato activists.

@ Dan Carr-- Certainly there were several good faith exhanges with Phil. It seemed to me that the sheer numbers ended up becoming a form of shushing. I apologize for not making that clear.

It began to look like piling on to me and so I decided to worm myself to the bottom of the scrum in hopes of taking some of the weight off Phil.

@ Allan Brauer-- IMO and only IMO-- That Christi acquiesced does not vindicate those telling her to go rest. It seemed condescending, like telling a child they disagree with you only because they are overtired.

OK, I have go engage in some "leave the building activism" so I bid you all a good day and thank you for your replies,

Barry

I don't think I'm a huge prognosticator about politics, but I follow the whole thing with great intent. (heh. tried to give up reading political blogs for lent -- which began the day after California's primary-- but the events of February (Obama's streak) and the pockets of good analysis (The Field, wherein Al predicted said streak) and good snark (Balloon Juice) meant that I broke my lenten bloggy fast way too early.)

I've been intrigued and inspired by the discipline of "no chicken littles" and no drama as articulated by Al and as mentioned as part of the Obama campaign. My question over the last month has been, as we navigate the latest twists and turns, how do we maintain that sense of no drama?

I suppose this is a late request from an earlier thread (I'm not gonna jerk yer chain with no new news when there is no new news, so whaddaya wanna talk about instead?): here's my response: How do you maintain that kinda no-drama discipline?

My personal example, this week: Okay, I went to a local Unite For Change meetup, got an Obama tee shirt, which is requisite for the local 4th of July parade I'm going to march in, plus plans for upcoming work for the local challenger for my congressman's seat. None of the day's news changes that, and the solidness of my plans feels like a counter-ballast to the "Oh! Clark! Oh! Obama! Oh!" that I see in Memeorandum.

I hope that the post Al is preparing is, in part, an answer to that question.

One thing I have learned during this campaign, is that Senator Obama has a "Big Picture" Vision for America...he has constantly stated that this campaign is about much more than him.

When people like us, who actually pay attention to this stuff (LOL), go back to the Springfield Announcement (even with the Rev. Wright mini-controversy that a lot of people don't even know), and then look at these last 18 months...all we have to see is how he has run his campaign vs the "also-rans".  He has tried to run as being *above* race and class, but those things keep "hitting him upside his head" and he "takes care of business" within the framework of the greater vision.

Additionally, when we also look at the "Little Details"--they are brilliant!  The 50-state strategy and actually competing in caucus states are the big small things overlooked by "she who is no longer a candidate" to her detriment.  Being in St. Paul for his nomination-clinching victory speech (take that! Republicans!), staying out of the gutter when there were so many *juicy* things he could have thrown at "she who is no longer a candidate", and his "no Drama with Obama" mandate.

I think the Senator also knows and realizes that most Americans ARE "low-information" voters, and get most of their impressions from the MSM "sound-bites".  In addition to all of the other challenges, he has to "fight" the MSM, too...

His cool-headedness under pressure is one of the best things I love about him...something definitely needed in a President and CIC!

Case in point:  when Mrs. Bhutto died (murder? accident?), all of the candidates except Obama fell all over themselves to get in front of the cameras to show their "foreign policy cred".  Romney even forgot to offer condolences and had to call a 2nd press conference to do so.

But Our Candidate made a quiet statement of condolence, and watched everyone else make fools of themselves.  Then a few days later, on the weekend, he quietly, yet forcefully proved HIS "judgment cred" re: Pakistan; even reminding people that what he and Mrs. Bhutto had discussed just a few weeks earlier had come to (unfortunate) fruition.

Even the fact that Michelle Obama wore a black and white dress on "The View" made a "little detail" subliminal statement!  Plus, it sure helped out the company that sells the dress and gyms nationwide when women rushed in to pump iron to tone their upper arms!  LOL!  Reminds us that we even have a choice in potential First Ladies: Jackie O or ***...OK, I'll be nice!

I am VERY smart, really, I am!  But Barack Hussein Obama is smarter, and has shown me that over and over...even when I think he should do something differently.

That's why I continue to support him.  That's why I practically live on this site and others like it (thanx Barry and Jed!)...we can have some cool, calm, and collected discussions, even when we disagree.

I used to get so mad at some of the posters over at the BHO site...Barack HAS to do this!  Barack BETTER do that!  I had to remind people that Senator Obama is running for President of the United States, not President of his high school Student Council!  Who do you think you're talking to with that tone of voice?!?!?...I asked them...

@Catherine:  LOL to Kos!  Is he starting to believe his own press?!?!?

Big Thanks to all of the Petition signers!  We ARE going to reach that 740+!

Si Se Puede!

Lunch over! Back to work...see ya in a few hours...

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

You have more than earned some time off: you have earned my sincere gratitude.

The good news is, people like me who have been on the sidelines are now getting involved, bringing a fresh second/third wave of volunteers.

In the past three weeks I have staffed the Obama table at our local Pride festival, co-coordinated a very successful Unite for Change event, and attended my local Democratic Club's meeting for the very first time.  I'll be at the Obama table again on July 4th at a nearby community's annual festival, I'm considering travelling to neighboring swing state NV to lend a hand, and who knows what else? 

I'm full of energy and ready to throw myself into the battle from here until November, so don't feel guilty about leaving your laptop behind and unplugging.  Know that others are stepping up so that you can enjoy the rest you deserve.

I find myself counseling friends and relatives whom I see over-extending themselves because they care for others to remember: Take care of yourself first, because only then can you be effective at taking care of others.

I find it interesting that there is not a deep enough reservoir of trust built up that folks can accept Obama's GE strategies.  I'm fine with dissent.  What I really don't like is Kos withholding his money and by example encouraging others to do the same.  Within a relationship of any kind there needs to be enough trust on all sides that dissent is acceptable but nobody threatens to up stakes and go home.  Or in a marriage, for example, you don't go sleep in the other room or threaten to withhold the mortgage payment.  We're in this together to defeat McCain.  I disagree with Kos using his money as some sort of leverage or weapon.  People may have those inclinations but they need to be mature enough to keep their eyes on the prize.  And in Kos' case, as a leader, he needs to help others do that.

Christi - I am really impressed with the work you've done.  My hat is off.  Unfortunately, you aren't helping me get over my resistance to getting out there in that manner to help.  Right now, I'm focusing on my fundraiser...I'm really good at throwing parties!

I echo Allan's comments about the quality of discourse here.  I do read stories and posts elsewhere but this is the only place I read the comments.  I miss Cheryl's daily updates on what's up on MSNBC.  I don't watch the MSM but I do think it's important to understand what they're saying.

Keep this Field post above the fold on HuffPo. Go and comment:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/al-giordano/missing-the-fields-dnc-co_b_11...

@Christi:

"Many (Field) hands make light work!"  I will be working the crowds in a July 4th Parade at 8:30 a.m. in my neighboring (mostly Republican) county!

Please continue to state your case and your concerns here...we know you love Barack and he loves you back!  Ditto for the Field Hands!

We *bleeding heart liberals* often feel real hurt when we or those we support have to move towards the center...but that is where most Americans are, and so we have to "go there" to help them come to their senses!  Just kidding...but as Barack has shown, we will never get together if we stay over here and refuse to go over there!

BTW: the best work all of us can do is to get away from the screen every once in a while and 1) refresh ourselves and 2) meet and greet the folks--even or especially those with whom we may not agree; our own version of "working across the aisle"!

Yes, it's hard work, but Barack reminded us that this wouldn't be easy!

It's 1 pm...I'm REALLY getting back to work!

See ya in a few!

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

I've been clicking through to read NewsJunk more than Memeorandum. (memeorandum is becoming not "the news of the day" but "the drama of the day.") 

NewsJunk is the latest in political news stories. As an experiment, I set up a feed for it in the lower left hand of the fieldhands home page, and thus far it's been good. (Tara, it doesn't replace the daily MSNBC updates from Cheryl, but it is the latest in political news from news sources and blogs)

The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an "awesome God" in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we’ve got some gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.
Barack Obama, 2004

My thoughts on Obama's campaign the last two weeks: it feels weird! It feels weird because we've just come out of what has essentially been a six-month intra-party debate. It was nothing but issues important to Democrats, 24/7, ad infinitum, ad nauseum. But that intra-party debate is over, and we need to adjust to a national debate. As Obama signaled in the speech quoted above, presidents don't enjoy the luxury of governing only blue states. And if he remains faithful to redrawing the electoral map, he needs to come up with a narrative where "all the colors bleed into one."

On Religion
Obama has always been comfortable discussing his faith in ways that cross party lines. He telegraphed this interest to the electorate many months ago and it was most definitively underscored during the whole Rev. Wright period. He is already being taken more seriously by the evangelical press than any Democratic candidate in recent memory. America remains, by and large, a nation of theists. Helping them see the logic of Democratic values through a religious prism helps broaden the base.
Color score = Blue and Red

On the recent Supreme Court decisions
Critics of Obama's comments following these decisions haven't been paying attention to their candidate. See this quote from the Audacity of Hope on the death penalty for child rapists. I also remember the completely surreal experience of seeing Obama discussing guns at his big rally in Idaho on the eve of Super Tuesday. Read about it here. My point is that these positions are not sudden lunges to the center or right. These appear to actually be his positions.
Color score = Blue and Red

On Wesley Clark
No one was "thrown under the bus." Obama distanced himself from Clark's remarks, as he should have. Obama prefaces every single comment he makes about McCain by paying tribute to his service to his country. That is how Obama wants to play it. To defend Clark's remarks would have been hypocritical and inconsistent.
Color score = Blue and Red

FISA
This one truly sucked, and I blame House Democrats for boxing Obama in. Disagreeing with the House would signal party disunity. That said, I agree that it was the wrong call to make. However, the liberal blogosphere, where most of the outrage is contained is not representative of the electorate at large. Would be interested to see some wider polling on this to guage the political hit (or not) Obama took for it.
Color score = Red

Gay marriage ban
Obama announced his opposition - very clearly and directly - to the proposed California amendment to their state constitution to ban gay marriage. Story here.
Color score = Blue

Conclusion: I've decided to take a step back and see how he pulls all these recent decisions together into a coherent national narrative, but I take as my guide that 2004 speech, where he rightly recognizes that the most successful electoral future in the post-GWB era will not be in hardening partisan positions but in engaging the opposition and ignoring the convential wisdom. It feels weird because it already almost comes across as post-partisan (except for FISA - and we need to hear him address that himself in more detail). I feel challenged by what he's up to. In a good way.

Pam, I recognized your "Senator Obama is running for President of the United States, not President of his high school Student Council!" comment from the Obama blogs.  All the people telling Barack what to do made me crazy.  He was doing all the right things, and winning, yet so many people acted as though Barack was completely clueless, making bad decision after bad decision.  Just wanted to say that I always appreciated your posts!

I think this flap about Clark and McCain could serve to help Obama.  As a 31 year old, I think most of my generation is absolutely sick of the Boomer's obsession with re-fighting the battles of the 1960s.

This election will not be decided by McCain's record of service in Vietnam or Weatherman Bill Ayers.  Even many of the Boomers I know are tired of their generation's persistent focus on past political wars.  It's time to move forward.  Obama is going to be the first post-boomer President, and thank goodness for that.

Recognizing that this is probably close to the end of this thread, I nonetheless wanted to highlight an excellent post at Kos that enumerates many of the trees (not planks!) in the big picture forest of Obama's quintessentially (and doctrinally pure) progressive agenda.

Here's the best analysis I've seen of what's going on with the Clark situation:

http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/7/1/04415/85653

There are many great stories of conversion, many great moments in time that will stay with me for the rest of my life too. I wouldn't trade this last 6 months for anything. I have met the most wonderful people being a part of this movement. I did not mean to get kudos, just stating my case as to why I should be allowed to complain once in awhile.  For the next month or so, I am going to focus somewhere else and my money is going to Al this month. I really want him to report inside the convention. There were so many times I thought I was going to lose it during the primaries and this was my place of solace and calm. I did not post very often but came here daily for my shot.

Tara- It is not hard to volunteer in many places, I happened to be in western PA, mostly rural, where people there are very behind the times and yep, bitter. I stayed with some really cool people who are progressive, so not everyone there is like that. Texas was much better. Get more involved, you will be glad you did.

Allan-I will be volunteering in NV too. My sons and grandchildren live in LV. I have been registering my friends and family living there and will go to help GOTV. California does not need as much help as NV does.

Pam- I love reading your posts everyday. Thanks for the reminder, Barack did say it would not be easy and that it would get harder the closer we get. Ugh, 4 more months. I live with a guy who is across the aisle so I deal with it everyday. He will vote for BO this year but voted for McCain in the primary. Converting him was the hardest yet. He still won't put a bumper sticker on or go to any events.

Brendan- Thanks for the post on Kos, it reminded me why I am so passionate about BO.

See you guys soon, amarte todo

Estaré detrás

that kos chose to withhold further support on a day Obama did something he didn't agree with? It seems a perfectly appropriate way to express discontent, and being kos the campaign might even hear of it.

Now, would this kerfluffle cause me to withhold support? No, I'm content to let Barack Obama run his campaign as he sees fit. I am not overjoyed by some of his recent statements but there is only one candidate for president that is close to my ideology and that is Barack Obama. I don't care if he moves right, left, or in circles during the campaign. When he is president I'll hold him accountable.

I know I won't get everything I want from an Obama presidency, (not the first term anyway) but sometimes if we can just get things rolling momentum takes over. I think health care is one of those things. If we can just get moving in the direction of universal coverage the momentum will get us to single payor universal coverage.

We can make our world better, we just can't do it all at once. We have to take one step at a time and the first step is to elect Barack Obama.

So if you need to be mad at kos, or Obama, or Clark, or Olberman, or Greenwald fine, but as my daughter says, "but I'm the boss of my shoes."

Thanks, Nancy!  I haven't been over the BO blogs in a long time...maybe I'll peek over there again...but I've been so spoiled since becoming a Field Hand!

@ nepat:  your commentary was SO excellent!  You need to post it as a diary @ Kos!

Christi: I also spoiled because my entire family is pro-Obama, and I live in a 95% Democratic area...that's why I'm going to the neighboring Repug county on Friday to canvass for the O-man...that'll toughen me up!

A selfish reason why Barack has to win in November: if he doesn't our annual 5-day Thanksgiving family reunion with about 60 family members will be a bummer...if he wins...our dinner table discussions will be in the stratosphere!  LOL

On having a Constitutional Scholar as a President--in just one area for now: Gay Marriage.

As a PFLAG Mom (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), I KNOW the fine line the O-man--running in a more red than blue country--has to walk. But his position is again strickly Constitutional--the states do have the last say over "marriage"; this is where my libertarian streak comes in.  I fully understand why the word/meaning "marriage" is so important, but quiet as it's kept, legally the states only confer "civil unions".  You can have the most beautiful and expensive wedding ceremony in the largest church in the country with the most famous minister, but if that county or city clerk doesn't sign that license, you're not "married" and have zero rights as a couple.

"Marriage between a man and a woman for procreation" is a religious concept/principle and the Federal government and state governments shouldn't have a say in that.  "Consenting adults" pledging their commitment to each other should be the only requirement.

Each state sets its own marriage requirements, and those requirements should not be based on a purely religious precept.  That's where the O-man comes in...he is fighting for civil unions between consenting adults, period.  What different churches decide to do is up to them; although they could lose their tax-exempt status if they go against state/Federal law.  BTW: why do religious institutions have tax-exempt status anyway?

My question for all of those people expending all of that energy to go against people who aren't hurting them is:  aren't there some homeless shelters that need your time?  How about some children who could use some adult mentoring or extra help on their schoolwork?  Why aren't you feeding the hungry and helping the injured and downtrodden?  Read the Book: Jesus said NOTHING about same-sex relationships, period.

The only reason people get their noses out of joint is because they make it about s*x!  Mind your own d**ned business!

OK, back to work for this Christian progressive!

I could write pages and pages about so many issues...thanks to Al for giving us a sane forum...

I just love...LOVE all the comments and posters here!

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

I'm so so glad I finally found the Field again!  It's like I've emerged from the wilderness.  Like a crazy person, I kept using my old bookmark, again and again, even though it wasn't taking me where I wanted to go - which is here!  I never thought I'd say it but... thank God for Ben Smith.

...to continue this very conversation.