Yes, We Have Our Credential
By Al Giordano

Attention, Field Hands...
We have received the following communication from our former host:
We are happy to let you know that we will be providing you blogger credentials for the Democratic Convention in Denver. We look forward to reading your reports from the convention. Best, Deb on behalf of RuralVotesDear Al,
So now, thanks to the good works of so many Field Hands and supporters, we have raised the funds to report from the Democratic National Convention in Denver next month, and we now have a blogger credential with which to do that work.
Given that we have achieved our goals, I'm prepared to move on beyond the unpleasant aspects of the past month, let bygones be bygones, and get on with the important work of reporting and analyzing the 2008 presidential elections.
To everyone that signed the petition and organized to make this happen, this is your victory to celebrate, too.
Congratulations. You're the best hands that any Field could have.
Al


Yubba Dubba!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Alexa (not verified)Great news! Thanks, Deb.
Great News!!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by KRK (not verified)So glad this is resolved. Congrats, Al. And thanks to DK and the rest at RV for doing the right thing.
Excellent!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Allan BrauerThis is terrific news!
Let us know if there's anything else we can do. Without sounding too parental, are you sure you have enough money to cover your trip?
YES!!!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Kat (not verified)Can't wait to read your reports Al. And where is your Obama pic from, I love it!!!
I'm so Excited!!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by arelle_dee (not verified)We need you in Denver.....
woo hoo!!!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Laura M. PoyneerBest news I've had all day! I can hardly wait to read your reports from Denver.
Excellent!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Phoenix Woman (not verified)Wahey!
Yes!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Stuart Ballard (not verified)This is great news. Just for today Deb has earned the title of Super again, I think :)
Great news!!!!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Suzy ShureGreat news!
Al, hope your smile is as bright as BHO's!
Sorry it took so much effort on so many people's part to get to this goal, but we've learned a lot in the process - and the next time we hit a 'brick wall' we'll have much better tools to take it down!!!!!
YES WE CAN.
Yeeeeee Haaaaaa!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Christie Covelli (not verified)Brings tears of joy and gratitude to m' eyes! I love us!
Yes!!!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Steven (mayan) (not verified)All is Al-luminated.
Congratutations Al ! Is
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Basil (not verified)Congratutations Al ! Is there a tent or a hotel or bar or someplace where the bloggers might be hanging out with each other? I imagine that would be a lively place, and I'd love to be there. On the other hand, it might be good if you guys spent time with the establishment media people and let some progressive energy rub off on them....
Huzzah
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Susan KitchensFabulous. Onward, onward!
Re: bloggers' tent
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Choom Gang Veterans for Truth (not verified)Basil: I believe that Kos (among others) are arranging for a big tent for the netroots crowd; Al's alluded to this before.
GREAT NEWS AL!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Franco BertacciMade my day.
excellent news!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by siddhartha (not verified)Congratulations! Al, I will be on a plane to India next week hopefully wearing my Obama shirt (if it finally arrives) and hope to keep track of you and the Field Hands whenever I can until I get back in August. I can't wait to read your reporting from Denver. (I am late but I did make a small contribution to the fund. I will be able to do more later on.)
Yippee!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by kariseal (not verified)This is great news, I am so glad the right thing was done, and we get to reap the benefit of some authentic journalism!
Congrats Al!
Fantastic Friday Afternoon News Dump
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Spirit of WIll Rogers (not verified)It is great to know Al is going with the credential from Rural Votes. What a pleasant, positive solution.
Great news for everybody,
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Nancy ChesterGreat news for everybody, including Deb and Rural Votes. In my opinion the petition, raising the money and individuals requesting refunds definitely helped. I increasingly view power politics from the standoint of forces set in motion and pay less attention to specific battles. I was a speck among 30 million people worldwide that demonstrated mid February 2003 trying to prevent the Iraq War. I've never agreed with the common wisdom that it was a waste of time because the U.S. media downplayed it, etc. I think the demonstrations emboldened the Turkish Parliament to reverse it earlier approval to allow the U.S. to stage the invasion from Turkey, leaving the U.S. with a much more difficult 600 mile supply line up from Kuwait through Shiite territory.
I love Dr Clarissa Pinkola Estes beautiful essay, "We were Made for these times." http://www.iwwg.com/index.php?page=834
Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach...It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good. What is needed for dramatic change is an accumulation of acts, adding, adding to, adding more, continuing.
I am honored to have added my little bit toward getting the credential.
Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Pamela Hilliard...Oh Happy Day!!!
WE are the ones we have been waiting for!
Dare we say that SD "saw the writing on the wall" and the "picture" of us going straight to Dean and Pelosi?!?!?!?!?!?
waterprise2 AKA Pam
Liberal with a Capital L!
Victory
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Shawn (not verified)The true winners are the many thousands that will get to read Al's insights from the floor of the convention. Netroots blowhards take note. This is what successful activism looks like.
Great news!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Amy van der HielYay everyone!! What a community :)
Go get 'em Al!
Thank you Nancy Chester
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Suzy Shurenancy
thank you for that link - I LOVED reading the entire essay. What an interesting place IWWG.
Right On and Good Work
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Brendan CorcoranYes, this is the right thing. And it is better late than never. But it is still late. The right thing would have been to make a clean break immediately without engaging in the silliness that RV felt was necessary to "appear" not to be pushed. The end result is thrilling but Deb's means to that end is a big ho-hum for me. You don't get credit for just showing up. Now we can focus though on the things that really matter instead of internecine foolishness. Ad astra, Al.
Yay
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by EnzoValenzetti (not verified)Awesome, props to RuralVotes.
Almost unbelievable!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Amie HowellI think someone at RV believes in community organizing now!
Now, That's some Change you can believe in! ;-)
"I hate quotations."--Ralph Waldo Emerson
"We were Made for these times."
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Amy van der HielWow, thank you for that link Nancy and that quote -- how beautiful!
¡felicidades!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by nezua (not verified)hey al, great news! of course there was no way they could keep you away, but it's good to see it happen now and be done.
PS i told you a week ago or so that i'd report back on the questionnaire that The Sanctuary Group put together for the candidates.
and here's my post announcing it.
Excellent News!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by We Won't Get Fooled Again (not verified)Way to go Fieldhands!
Looking forward to your reports Al.
Congrats! Thanks to all who
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Helen PopeCongrats! Thanks to all who organized and acted. Yea!
that's fantastic news, al!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Carpediva Hussein (not verified)we will sooooooooo need your voice of sanity.
i'm willing to let bygones be bygones as well... just as soon as i can get my refund!
I will...
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Steven (mayan) (not verified)give credit where credit is due and send a personal note of thanks of Deb. This, at least, was stand up and I believe in positive reinforcement.
Congrats
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Barry CrimminsCongrats Al and all the Fieldhands who kept up the heat on and got this done.
Barry
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Olivia WarneckeShort and sweet
Congrats, Al!!!
I could not be happier!! Wonderful, wonderful!!!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Christi DemuthThis is such great news. Al, Pam, Suzy, Susan, Amy, Jess, Allan,me and so many others we should congratulate ourselves for this great victory. Oh, I am so glad I do not have to work on this anymore, now I can focus (again) on getting Barack elected. I am working on going to Denver as we speak. I think I might make it for a couple of days. This is so great!!! I want to thank Deb K too, I appreciate her doing the right thing.
Hey Al, I hope you can get your money back on those stickers and buttons. If not, oh well it was worth it to have them ready to go. On to the next issue...
The Last Time for this Pic...
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Pamela Hilliard...But thanks anyways, Deb...sorta, kinda...
you know what I mean?
waterprise2 AKA Pam
Liberal with a Capital L!
yea for You!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Anonymous (not verified)Al,
I'm logging on from a business/vacation trip and can't remember my password so this is Catherine Anonymous Cain saying, "CONGRATULATIONS!" - that's great news!!
Nice.
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by yellow (not verified)Congratulations, Al.
Congratutations Al!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Chris Oates (not verified)What a great news!
PS. I haven't been able to donate yet but it's on my list...
Job Well Done
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Nalani McClendonand onward to more victories!
That's Great News!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Ezzy (not verified)Yahooooo! Read it on Ben's blog!
Wow, this was kind of
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Steven HuntWow, this was kind of unexpected. Or, maybe not.
However, given that it was your analysis that bumped up the traffic to the site to levels that made it a contender for accedidation, I see this as only fair.
Despite the hard-feelings, that Deb had the fortitude to give you the credentials that you earned bodes well.
And I am sure that Deb will sleep easier too--there is too much riding on getting Obama elected to get caught up in lingering animosities among folks that share the same immediate goal. My hunch is that Deb realizes that her being overly nervous about big donors freaking out over organizing was simply silly. She made decisions that caused unnecessary anguish. But, hey, we all make mistakes--and when we amend our behavior we all deserve the grace of forgiveness and healing.
Nice, you've got travelling, hotel, beer, and food money---Austin we have lift-off!
Wonderful
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by brazilian for obama (not verified)Thanks, Al. I look forward to following the convention through your eyes.
YAY !
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Ricky (not verified)Great news!
Go Al !
:)
hurrah
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by pam ingram (not verified)from the periphery....what a relief to know that you will be guiding us throughout the season and into the election.
Yes, We Can
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Agoram MuthukumaranCongrats to Pam, Suzy, Christi, Allan, et. al. and of course Al.
Al, should I be dropping a line to Deb ? (you know the history).
amk
Yes!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Kelcie (not verified)This is great news! So glad I signed at least ONE petition that came through...
Success!
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by J-PA (not verified)Congratulations Al! A pat on the back to all Field Hands who assisted with your signatures, emails and $$. Now that this battle is won, onward we march. Looking forward to you work in Denver Al.
Good things happen in 3's
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Land of Lincoln (not verified)E-mail for Deb again?
Submitted on July 11th, 2008 by Jeff (not verified)Can someone provide me with the e-mail for Deb again? I never got my money back after e-mailing someone else that I originally was told to e-mail.
Thanks!