Blogswarm - Online Political News Magazine

A few minutes ago, the third and final presidential debate came to a close. Once again, I am about to head over to the "spin room," and once again I am going to have the chance to talk about a victory for John Kerry.

During these debates, John Kerry has left no doubt that he has the strength and character we need in a commander in chief. He has shown the American people his command of the facts, steady demeanor, and well reasoned arguments. He offered hope and optimism, and showed that he will fight for middle class families.

The Bush campaign has tried to lower the bar for each debate. But the bar can only go so low.

The bottom line is, when it comes to the concerns of the middle class, George Bush just doesn't get it -- doesn't know how to talk about it -- and has no way to fix it. While he offered nothing but more of the same tired rhetoric -- John Kerry presented real solutions to real problems. That's the reason why John Kerry won and George Bush lost -- lowered expectations and spin from the Bush campaign will not change this.

Tonight George Bush's denials further damaged his credibility. He denied we have problems with immigration, No Child Left Behind, equal pay for women and the minimum wage. Bush pretends our problems don't exist, and he won't level with the American people.

"It is the same people who told us that Saddam Hussein had something to do with 9/11; the same people who told us Saddam Hussein had something to do with weapons of mass destruction; the same people who told us we would be able to use the oil for reconstruction money; the same people who told us we would be greeted as liberators, not occupiers; the same people, the same President who told us the Taliban is gone; the same President who told us that Poland is our ally 2 days before they pull out; the same President who tells us Iraq is going just great; the same President who tells us the economy is going just great; the same people who told us the tax cuts were going to create millions of jobs; the same people who told us that the Medicare program only cost $400 billion when it really cost $540 billion."

— Rep. Tim Ryan, October 5, 2004

Dear Friend,

When I spoke those words on the floor of Congress last week, I never dreamt the reaction they would cause. But the truth is that people are fed up with being denied the truth. For too long — far too long — we have been fed one pack of lies after another by the President and the Republican leaders in Congress; by the Karl Roves and the John Ashcrofts; by the apologists and the excuse makers.

And here's one more truth: We have the opportunity to change all of that on November 2nd, but it's up to us to make it happen!
https://secure.dccc.org/win/ryan.aspx?id=ryan

Those of us who have expressed outrage, who have complained, and who have proclaimed, "Someone needs to do something," must realize that it's up to each and every one of us now — no one's going to do it for us.

As part of DCCC leadership, one thing I am doing is urging people to join our "Million for a Majority" campaign. As you may know, in just the last two weeks we shocked Republicans by vastly expanding the number of races we were targeting in states in every region of the country.

If we can raise $1 million more between now and October 24, we can put additional races in play, strengthening our position and our ability to remove Tom DeLay and his allies from control and restore a Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. We've already raised $612,000, so we need less than $400,000 more to go. Whether you can afford to give $12, $18, $25, or $100 or more, please understand how your contributions add up to give us the critical resources needed for this fight.
https://secure.dccc.org/win/ryan.aspx?id=ryan

This election is about more than just honest disagreements about policies, it is about a pattern of behavior that rewards lying to the American people about every issue we hold dear.

On November 3, I don't want to hear that President Bush has been reelected and that Tom DeLay is still in charge of the House. We cannot reward this President and his right-wing allies in Congress with another victory. Please do what you can right now to help us remove George W. Bush and Tom DeLay from doing more damage to our country and to our collective future:
https://secure.dccc.org/win/ryan.aspx?id=ryan

Warmest Regards,

Rep. Tim Ryan
U.S. House of Representatives (OH-17)

Tonight is the third and final presidential debate -- once again, John Kerry will demonstrate his command of the issues and his ability to lead America. And once again, George Bush will refuse to level with the American people.

As soon as the debate ends, the next critical phase of our campaign begins. We turn our attention to key battleground states that will decide this election. As part of this new phase, party strategists will meet this weekend to discuss where to dedicate precious resources.

So we have another fundraising deadline -- by Friday night we have to make sure they have the money to make decisions based on strategy, not finances:

https://www.democrats.org/support/kerry.html

Last weekend they met to discuss advertising, and thanks to the money that you contributed by the Friday deadline, they were able to make some key choices that were not available in 2000. This weekend's deadline is even more critical to the Democratic ticket.

https://www.democrats.org/support/kerry.html

Every step of the way you have been with us. George Bush thought he was going to win reelection by overwhelming our campaign. His strategists did not count on the strength of our supporters. You have given us the ability to face down the Republican attack machine and you have given the Democratic Party the ability to make decisions that nobody thought possible.

I asked the strategists who are meeting this weekend to tell me how much money they needed to make their decisions solely based on strategy. They informed me they needed $4 million. I told them, don't worry, our online supporters are going to give you and all our Democratic candidates $5 million. Prove me right before Friday at midnight.

Thank you,

Mary Beth Cahill
Campaign Manager

Somebody needs to snap this Administration and its Congressional Allies out of the 4 year trance they've been living in.  Because it seems like no amount of expert testimony on Iraq, intelligence reports on 9/11, or facts and figures on the economy seem to be doing the trick.  I mean, the stories and characters featured in my new children's book are more believable than what we've seen from the Republican Party.

For anything that remotely resembles the truth, the Republican national machine puts through their spin and smear cycle, leaves it up to hang dry, throws in another load and re-starts the process all over again.  This Republican machine has been working in overdrive for 4 years; now, it's close to breaking down entirely.  In fact, it's due in for a replacement.  And that's exactly what the folks at the DSCC are close to securing for the American people.  They're watching every race, every hour.  We're just 2 seats away from trading in this rubber-stamp Senate and the polls say we can do it.

I've worked on ENOUGH races to know that during this critical phase of the campaign, the DSCC will need at least $2 million dollars from contributors like you by October 28th to push our candidates over the finish line.

That's why my Democratic friends over at the Senate are chipping in for the final push to 51 with the DSCC's Match Campaign. They're turning up the heat on Republicans by matching your gift dollar for dollar. By doubling your commitment, they're throwing in that 'little somethin' extra' Democratic Senate candidates will need over the next 20 days to pull through to victory.

Click here to contribute to the DSCC's $ 2 Million Dollar Match Campaign today.

Because Democratic Senators know that fixing America's problems begins with facing the truth-the truth about Iraq, the economy and our country's future.  And what they want you to know is, we must first face the truth about this election-that it will take the daily support of all of us to take back control of the Senate from the Republicans.

Now, I know a lot of you folks already gave to the DSCC in the past.  But you wanted to hear the truth, and the truth is this:  we needed your contribution yesterday, we need it today, and we'll need it for every day until the Election.  The polls tell us that the races are so tight, we'll need to raise more money, knock on more doors, put out more ads and get out more Democratic voters to the polls if we're going to win this thing. It will take at least $1 million dollars to make this happen and the moment you make a contribution, the DSCC will send it out to the closest races where it will make the greatest impact.

Give Democratic Senate candidates that little somethin' extra so we can trade in this Republican era for a new era of hope and prosperity. Click here to contribute to the DSCC today.

The Republicans got away with ignoring intelligence experts, our allies, economists and the media for the past 4 years.  Let's make sure they don't ignore the voice of the American people on Election Day.  The truth is catching up to them and so are Democrats.

Sincerely,

James Carville

P.S. Forward this message to a friend or colleague. Tell everyone you know how Democrats are trading in this rubber stamp Senate for a Senate that works for all of us--not just George W. Bush. They can join the campaign for 51 by clicking here.

I have said many times on the campaign trail that I took my last election for granted. By the time I realized that my opponent was a serious contender it was almost too late.  Consequently, I won by an overwhelming margin of 428 votes.  This year I know every vote counts.

Click here to contribute.

I have the opportunity to work in the halls of the U.S. Capitol and not a day goes by when I don't feel the weight of those I represent and the responsibility that comes with my position.  We have been able to accomplish much together, but we still have much to do.  

Click here to contribute.

I assembled my campaign team early and we have been effective at mobilizing a grass-roots team, amassing bi-partisan support, and communicating a positive message throughout our great state.  But it's not over yet! 

Click here to contribute.

I used to box and I can tell you that most fights are not won by a first-round knock-out, but by consistent stamina.  So, I am asking you to go the distance with me to finish the fight we started. Help me win one more round by making a contribution to my campaign.  Let's close this election year together with a victory not just for Nevadans, but all Americans!

Thank you for your continued support and generous contribution.

Sincerely,

Harry Reid
United States Senator

The election is just three weeks away! As all Americans are getting to know John Kerry in the debates, the Bush-Cheney campaign is getting desperate again. Their only hope now is to pummel a small handful of "swing" states with false advertising, push polls, and paid canvassing -- and hope that cynicism and deception wins the day.

Luckily, Democratic Party field teams in the swing states planned ahead for this. They're running aggressive door-to-door programs using tens of thousands of volunteers to get information to undecided voters and to encourage infrequent voters to vote.

Because of the Internet, you can now help them succeed no matter where you live. Using JohnKerry.com, you can make phone calls to Kerry supporters in swing states to recruit new volunteers.

Every little bit adds up to an enormous effort -- click here to join the "Phone Corps" and we'll get you started:

http://calls.johnkerry.com

These calls have already doubled the number of volunteers on the ground. However, we're only calling through about one third of our potential volunteers every ten days. WE NEED MORE CALLERS. If we can just triple our number of regular callers to 15,000, we'll be able to call through all of our potential volunteer lists every single week.

That will have a massive impact on the election.

Every volunteer you recruit will make dozens of voter contacts on the ground in his or her state. Even if you can only give 15 minutes every few days to make calls, that helps us enormously -- with 2.5 million people receiving this request, every little bit adds up.

When you make these volunteer recruitment calls, you'll be reaching out to other John Kerry supporters who signed up or contributed on JohnKerry.com, just like you did. Most have indicated that they want to volunteer. There are simply too many of them for paid staff to call through -- so every call you make unlocks a resource that the campaign would be unable to tap without you.

Please help us with these calls by clicking here:

http://calls.johnkerry.com

Thank you,

Josh Ross
Director of Internet Strategy, Kerry-Edwards 2004

This election is within our reach -- and I am proud to announce a major initiative to get the votes to win. Democracy for America is partnering with MoveOn in a massive get-out-the-vote effort called Leave No Voter Behind.

Here's the plan: 500 paid organizers will mobilize thousands of volunteers in 10,000 key neighborhoods in battleground states. Together they will turn out 440,000 new voters for John Kerry and Democrats at every level. Work has already begun -- organizers are calling tens of thousands of DFA supporters in swing states.

But what can you do in a state that is firmly red or firmly blue? Help pay for the effort:

www.democracyforamerica.com/contribute

Leave No Voter Behind uses proven, neighbor-to-neighbor methods to get out the vote. But nothing comes for free. George Bush's education policy with a similar name failed because he refused to fund it.

Please give what you can to get voters to the polls:

www.democracyforamerica.com/contribute

These next three weeks will be intense, but we have to keep our eye on the ball. The fundamentals are in place -- we just need to execute.

Organizers are on the ground, we are recruiting volunteers, and -- with your help -- we will deliver on Election Day.

Thank you for everything.

Tom McMahon
Executive Director
Democracy for America

P.S. Thanks to your resounding response, during the final week of September we wrote over $200,000 in checks to fiscally responsible, socially progressive candidates across the country. Now we need to turn out the vote for them -- please give what you can to make it happen: www.democracyforamerica.com/contribute

MTV spokeswoman Jeanine Smartt says suggesting that Viacom is squelching speech is "not a fair characterization since on all of our channels we speak directly to our audience about issues."

And now, Viacom steps in to the fray, and shows a cynical disregard for its viewership by refusing to run political advertising on the youth oriented networks it controls, which comprises most watched youth programming nationwide. This is another way of disenfranchising youth voters, by treating them as if the political system does not apply to them and enforcing censorship on the channels they use to get information about their lives.

They probably believe they have a right to refuse to run political content because they give space to 501c(3) orgs like Rock The Vote and Declare Yourself, which urge people to vote more or less "just because."

But here's the thing: becoming an engaged participant in civic life and the political process isn't something you do "just because." It's about formulating and acting upon opinions, and that's about information. Participation starts with making choices based on your (hopefully informed) judgement as to which candidate(s) will best protect and advance your interests, not printing a voter reg form off the internet because a celebrity implied that it was cool. While I'm glad (super glad!) that Rock the Vote and Declare Yourself exist and are registering gobs and gobs of people to vote, they do not in and of themselves express or constitute an informed political consciousness.

Viacom apparently believes that their channels, which reach millions of potential young participants, are not an appropriate forum for additional data which might set their viewers down the path towards forming such a consciousness for themselves.

On the other hand, if an ad promotes getting drunk (Bass, Guiness, Baileys, Coors Light), flashing your tits (Girls Gone Wild), getting regular boners (Enzite), or even just staying in and playing video games it's all good.

So, yeah. The message is clear. Consumerism, intoxication and sex are great, but don't try and spread the raw materials from which people might form some political opinions. We oppose that. We will not take your money to run ads which do this.

Can you think of anything more condescending than that? Anything more patronizing? Anything more un-American? Our future is on the line -- our jobs, our education, our health, the looming spectre of widening warfare and compulsatory military service -- and the corporate masters of our media universe want to keep us in a happy haze. Viacom really wants to be the opiate of the masses.

That and they want to hide the fact that Bush's record and agenda sucks ass from the youth perspective. Sumner Redstone is clearly trying to help his man out by keeping Bush's record on education and the minimum wage off the airwaves. My response? Fuck you, Sumner. I will burn you down.

So lets make a stink. I'm tired of the anesthetization of our generation by the broadcast giants. This is bullshit, and we shouldn't stand for it. If we can put the screws to Sumner and his Viacom cronies, maybe we can get them to re-think their position.

Visit the Viacom Action Center.

Call to complain: 1-800-421-0245

And of course, let's not forget why we are doing this. If you know any young, or virgin voter, let them know they can get information on where Bush and Kerry stand on the issues by visiting www.comparedecidevote.org.

If you want to follow this scandal, visit the CDV Blog

Coalition members include Compare Decide Vote, Music for America, Downhill Battle, Project Billboard, People for the American Way, America Votes, 21st Century Democrats, Stonewall Democrats, New Democrat Network, The Youth Project, American Progress Action Fund, Network Progress and the Participatory Politics Foundation.

Smartt also denied that MTVN is trying to hamper anyone’s freedom of speech in any way. “We speak to our audiences all the time in a nonpartisan way,” she said.