Just because this election is over, doesn’t mean we can set back on our laurels.

For example, James Carville responds to the 2006 election by offering Harold Ford a new job teaching Democrats how to win? Ford tried to woo the Southern white voter, and since that's the model Carville and much of the rest of the Democratic Party has pursued doggedly since the 1990s, Carville wants him to replace Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean. http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2006/11/14/no_south/
We cannot allow this to happen, we can’t sit back and let the old patterns re-emerge.

By pushing Howard Dean out of his leadership position, James Carville is antagonizing the new progressive base of the Democratic Party. It goes without saying, but bears repeating, that Dean's 50 state strategy is the MAIN reason that Democrats took control of congress. Obstructionist democratic consultants, who have benefited for years as a result of their undeserved fees, and who are mismanaging crucial elections, should step aside and let the new leadership take over.

It is everyday Americans, outraged and disenfranchised, who are responsible for the changing political winds. When we, the people, are given some organization and tools with which to work, we can do great things. The "beltway insiders" obviously don't get it. But just maybe, every once in a while, they should shut up and listen.

"You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete."- Buckminister Fuller

From Woodward's book
On page 344, Woodward describes the doings at the White House in the early morning hours of Wednesday, the day after the '04 election.
Apparently, Kerry had decided not to concede. There were 250,000 outstanding ballots in Ohio.
So Kerry decides to fight. In fact, he considers going to Ohio to camp out with his voters until there is a recount. This is the last thing the White House needs, especially after Florida 2000.

So what happened?
James Carville gets on the phone with his wife, Mary Matalin, who is at the White House with Bush.

"Carville told her he had some inside news. The Kerry campaign was going to challenge the provisional ballots in Ohio -- perhaps up to 250,000 of them. 'I don't agree with it, Carville said. I'm just telling you that's what they're talking about.'
"Matalin went to Cheney to report...You better tell the President Cheney told her."

Matalin does, advising Bush that "somebody in authority needed to get in touch with J. Kenneth Blackwell, the Republican Secretary of State in Ohio who would be in charge of any challenge to the provisional votes." An SOS goes out to Blackwell.
The rest is history. http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/coffeehouse/2006/oct/07/did_carville_tip_bush_off_to_kerry_strategy_woodward

One would think that Carville wants the Republicans to win in 2008.

We must stay observant each and everyday, watching for this type of stupid moves by old style politicians. We must elect Judges, City Counsel, Town Boards, Supervisors, any and all elections must be treated as if it was the big one. Keep the Democratic earthquake shaking!

For being a true and loyal member of this group you get to cast your vote frequently by your volunteerism. You get to direct ACTION. You get to help determine political futures.

So use your strength and your wit, as well as your laptop.

We are united, and together can make a difference, we can create, and blog to win.

Ron McBride

Corporate profits are at the highest level since 1929, Domestic corporate profits climbed 85% in 2004 alone to $843,700,000,000, and in 2005 increased to $1,438,000,000,000, based on OMB reports, and their estimate for 2006 is $1,672,000,000,000. One- third of the increase was because of changes in the tax law by the Republicans, and most of the remainder was due to profit growth.
The so called Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act of 2002, increased corporate profits by hundreds of billions of dollars, while the Workers received nothing.

America is in debt to other countries, and its growing every month, we have a huge trade deficit, hollowed-out manufacturing base and deteriorating research and development. Households have propped themselves up in the face of falling real wages by maximizing work hours, credit cards and home equity loans. This is taking the low road to no where, it is not a sustainable course. An America that doesn’t work for working people is not an America that works. I come from a long line of farmers and the present system reminds me of a farmer who eats his seed corn, when spring comes he has no seed and no money to buy more. It’s a shortsighted position that is hurtling towards an economic failure.

Democrats have a responsibility to the American people, a responsibility born out of overwhelming support for Democratic candidates in this past election.

That responsibility is, to see that everyone makes a decent wage. The American people support raising the federal minimum wage. Doing so would have a positive effect on the American economy. The minimum wage has been stuck at $5.15 an hour since 1997 and buys less today than it did when Sam Walton opened his first Walton’s 5 and 10 in 1951. It has been a way for tightwad employers to pay poverty wages to a growing share of the workforce—not just workers at the minimum, but above it. The minimum wage is the bottom of the wage floor. And that floor has dropped below poverty levels, millions of workers at and above the minimum wage—just $10,712 a year—can’t make ends meet.

People strive for the American Dream as a bridge out of poverty, not a poverty wage that keeps them there. An anti-poverty bridge that doesn’t exist for one-third of the working, men and women in this country.

The Democrats have an opportunity to not only build that bridge but to ensure that the minimum wage is tied to annual cost of living, as federal and state employees are now, as people like myself on Social Security receive annually.

WeDemocrats.org recommends that the Federal minimum wage be set at 7.25 for 2007, taking effect Jan 1, 2007, and increase to 7.75 in 2008 by Jan 1, 2008. Thereafter it will be tied to the Federal Cost of Living Index. But under no circumstances will it be lowered. For Example if the cost of living for 2009 is 4%, then minimum wage would increase to $8.06.

We must be an upward mobile society not a downward mobile society. This cost of living provision would insure that there is no longer a problem with one party controlling the legislative and executive branches of government and being able to refuse to raise the minimum wage so that corporate profits can increase dramatically. It would insure that all Americans will be able to share in the good life.

There will be battles ahead, and with the 2008 elections on the ever-nearing horizon we must remain vigilant. We must let our elected representatives know where we stand on the minimum wage issue. We must keep their feet to the fire and not let up just because they are new or because they would prefer to wait because of the economy. We must make sure they enact change now.

Election Day always reminds me how lucky we are to live in a country where "we the people" can choose our elected leaders and have a voice in how we are governed.

Ron McBride
netquest@shawneelink.net
Join WeDemocrats at: http://dfalink.com/group.php?id=2043
You can also contribute thru Paypal.com to: contribute@wedemocrats.org
http://www.WeDemocrats.org/donate/ click on the donate button.

This communication is not authorized by any Party, candidate or candidate's committee.
WeDemocrats.org 6155 Flatt Woods Rd, Simpson, IL 62985
Contributions or gifts to WeDemocrats.org are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.
WeDemocrats.org 6155 Flatt Woods Rd, Simpson, IL 62985

Well its now official, we have taken both houses of government in Washington.
But the real challenge is whether or not our newly elected officials can clean up our broken budget and repair the broken politics.

From shining sea to shining sea the Wave of Blue has crashed upon the shores of Washington DC. And it will wash out the problems faced by all of us.

The war, costs of health care, college, prescription drugs and retirement security are the first steps. It can be done but only if the Democrats walk in lock step with one another.

President Bush took the first step to fix the problem with the war in dumping Rumsfeld, but I for one think he has merely jumped out of the skillet into the fire with Bob Gates. Don’t get me wrong, the guy is experienced, someone said earlier today that he worked for seven Presidents. But at what spying on the American people? I have my doubts, but am willing to see what he does before dumping on him.

We Democrats must not forget the election of 2008. But our representatives in Washington must not think short term, they must take the necessary steps to make the future of this country secure, to make it a country that cares once again, to create programs that alleviate the problems faced by millions of Americans in health care, education, global warming, and Social Security to name a few.

Members of WeDemocrats.org gave of their hard earned money, of their time to create this Wave of Blue, I for one am darn proud of each and everyone of them.

We Democrats across the nation have no time to rest on our laurels. There are school board, municipal elections and other elections coming up in the next few months. We took back our Government, we are taking back the Democratic Party thanks to Gov. Howard Dean, we must also take back local governments if we are going to see change in this country.

Many are saying it wasn’t so much the issues as it was a vote against Bush and his Republican cohorts, but believe me it was the issues at the core of this election. We raised the issues that powered the election; especially Iraq, which some pundits told Democrats to steer clear of. We didn’t listen to the political know it alls, we pushed the war in Iraq, and it was a big deciding factor in this election.

It was these same pundits who said that a Wave of Blue was impossible, that sweeping change could not occur. Guess what it happened and is happening as I write this.

New life, new blood in government is needed to formulate changes that are necessary as we face the unknown future.

Its been a long hard fought battle to get where we are today, its been a long couple of days as we waited with bated breath for the final shoe to fall in Montana and Virginia. But its done and we now face a brighter future in America.

Ron McBride
WeDemocrats.org
netquest@shawneelink.net
Join WeDemocrats at: http://dfalink.com/group.php?id=2043

We are a Nation of more than one Party, that by definition should mean discourse and fighting and major disagreements. That is democracy, by finding our differences, out of discussion comes agreement on middle ground. I am disgusted by how misleading and even infantilizing the old political spectrum has become.

Believe it or not, our values are at some deep level fundamentally the same -- governance and law, learning and education, health care and enviroment, all are a concern of each and everyone of us on some level.

WeDemocrats respect our differences and recognize America needs every one of our viewpoints, ideas, and passions -- even those we don’t agree with -- to keep our democracy vital and alive. WeDemocrats recognize that meetings across our land for dialogues across differences builds trust, understanding, respect, and empowerment -- the conditions necessary for freedom and democracy to live in and around us.

The purpose of WeDemocrats is to initiate a new kind of public conversation that moves us beyond polarization so we can effectively address the issues we care most about. We believe all concerned Americans have a piece of the answer, and that listening to and learning from each other -- even if difficult -- will make our country stronger and wiser.

WeDemocrats, commit ourselves and our communities of interest to foster dialogue across the many divides in America, in large and small groups, to build trust, insight, and action toward the more perfect union we all desire.

In a couple days the worker bees, the people that did the grunt work, the voters will be forgotten by both parties. We will be told to take a vacation, to relax we did a great job. At least till they need us again. We must not let that happen in this organization, we must continue to work towards our goals, building the foundation and plans for a major victory in 2008. The only way we win is to work harder, be tougher, and reach more voters than the Republicans. We can win. And your contribution can be the difference.

We need to rent offices, install phones, website hosting, purchase printing and materials, dozens of expenses, find legal and accounting services, train precinct organizers, county coordinators, and state coordinators, that till now has been funded by my wife and I out of our Social Security checks, but its gotten too big and we can’t afford it any longer, we need your help.

Support our member-driven organization: WeDemocrats.org is entirely funded by our members. We have no corporate contributors, no foundation grants, no money from unions. Our small staff ensures that even smallest contributions go a long way. If you'd like to support our work, you can give now at:
http://www.WeDemocrats.org/donate/

I want to express my deepest appreciation for all you members have done, as I write this it looks as if we have a few disappointments and a lot of victories. This in no way means that in those areas we lost, that our members let us down, on the contrary we saw some tremendous gains in Dem vote percentages in those areas over 2004 election. The nature of volunteerism is doing something without being rewarded. And we have 1,079 volunteer members as I write this.

Gov. Dean and his 50-state strategy worked to perfection, but we must not set back on our laurels, we must continue building on that foundation. The 2008 election is in 24 months -- will you make a donation now to fund WeDemocrats and our continuing efforts?

http://www.WeDemocrats.org/donate/

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." – Margaret Mead

You did it, not for us or for anyone in particular, but because our country's in trouble, and we've gotta turn it around. You helped do that during this election and you helped make history tonight.

We couldn't have done this without you, so thanks!

The future of our party -- and our country -- depends on what we do in these coming months and years.
Thank you,
Ron McBride
netquest@shawneelink.net
You can also contribute thru Paypal.com to: contribute@wedemocrats.org
Using Credit Card, or Debit Card a Paypal account isn’t necessary if you use our http://www.WeDemocrats.org/donate/ click on the donate button.

Paid for and authorized by WeDemocrats.org, www.wedemocrats.org
This communication is not authorized by any Party, candidate or candidate's committee.

WeDemocrats.org 6155 Flatt Woods Rd, Simpson, IL 62985

Contributions or gifts to WeDemocrats.org are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.

WeDemocrats.org 6155 Flatt Woods Rd, Simpson, IL 62985

Now is the time to forget the polls, to work for every Democratic vote available, the Final Poll is this Election, it will tell who the winners and losers are. We are winners! As Americans, it is our duty to hold our elected leaders accountable for their performance, and we do that at the ballot box.

All we get from Republicans are “Spiraling costs in both human and monetary terms with no accountability and no plan in sight for Iraq, more people working full-time just to live in poverty because the minimum wage hasn't changed in a decade, and more people suffering in silence because, just like 45 million others, they don't have health insurance.” (Howard Dean)

WeDemocrats find ourselves at a most opportunistic moment. Moments such as these are far and few between. Bush supporters are losing faith in their supreme leader. He attempts to steal their Social Security, He fly's to D.C to impose a law to benefit one family, a law that opposes their beliefs. Republicans tire of the rising deficit, and while they will never admit the Iraq war was wrong, they now know they were lied to.

Stop complaining and do something. VOTE and Change the future!

Lets work, no lets fight to take out the corrupt and the favored and get back to real Democratic values. Things like a living minimum wage, a single payor healthcare system for everyone. We need to stand behind our candidates whether it looks like they are a shoe-in or not.

We are a Nation of more than one Party, that by definition should mean discourse and fighting and major disagreements. That is democracy, by finding our differences, out of discussion comes agreement on middle ground. Not by being a bunch of wimps that avoids a fight.

The nature of volunteerism is doing something without being rewarded.

How can the people force a mean spirited conservative congress to pass a progressive agenda? Simple. VOTE DEMOCRATIC TOMORROW!

We live in a republic. This differs from a democracy in that there is a rule of law which protects the rights of all the citizens. That rule of law is the Constitution.

What will help Democrats win elections will be a surge in grassroots energy and a reengaged corps of activists who are working to take their party and country back. Activists who strive to bring America back to democracy, where the Constitution and Bill Of Rights are respected.

Make a few more calls, vote early then help get others to the polls tomorrow, its your country, no one else can do what you can do, so give the little extra needed to make your efforts to date a success.

VOTE DEMOCRATIC TOMORROW!

Ron McBride
WeDemocrats.org
netquest@shawneelink.net
Join WeDemocrats at: http://dfalink.com/group.php?id=2043