Lampasas County Democrats "Mock" Precinct Convention
Tuesday February 26, 2008
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Street: 602 South Walnut Street
City State Zip: Lampasas, Texas 76550
Phone 903) 818-1512

Notes:
Lampasas County Democrats invite all interested Democrats to attend a “mock” precinct convention, Tuesday, February 26, 6:00 pm, at 602 S. Walnut. Secretary of State Phil Wilson expects “significant levels of voter turnout,” for the Texas Primary, March 4, which may exceed 200% above the primary two years ago according to Boyd Richie, Texas State Democratic Party Chair. Local Democrats encourage all voters in the Democratic Primary to participate to the maximum by attending the precinct conventions following the primary election at the polling places used on March 4.

Betty Lindsey, past-president, of the Democratic Women’s Association of Lampasas, observed, “Many voters overlook the precinct caucuses from lack of experience, but almost a third of the delegates to the national convention are selected by the caucus process.” Democrats who hope to get the most delegates for their presidential candidate need to be at the caucuses on March 4.

Keith King, current county party chair, said, “The caucus hasn’t been important in recent presidential elections in Texas because the candidate had been decided before Texas voted. Because of the intensity in this presidential campaign our state party wants to be certain that precinct conventions are fair, orderly, and disciplined ‘in order to promote confidence in the outcome’. To foster this atmosphere we can hold a mock convention without the pressures of the true campaigns so participants will feel comfortable on March 4.”

Daniel Melder, candidate for county chair, joined King in encouraging all interested Democratic voters to attend the mock convention February 26. “The more voters participate in the process the more they’ll support the decision. I haven’t seen interest like this among young people in the last two elections and we want to keep their participation”

As posted to DailyKos by PDiddie:

John Edwards should still be on the Texas ballot.

John suspended his campaign -- he didn't end it. He can still get votes, and he can still earn delegates if he gets the requisite 15%.

Those of you that haven't voted yet: I can't tell you guys what to do... But if Obama and/or Clinton don't appeal to you; if you think that John is still the only candidate that speaks for you; if you think that John is still the best person to lead the country, still has the best plan and ideas... I only ask that you consider casting your vote for John.

Like it or not, one or the other of the remaining "Big Two" will be the eventual nominee -- we are under no illusions here. BUT - no primary vote is ever wasted. By voting for John, we are showing the world that John's message is still important to a significant segment of the Democratic Party.

Send Obama, Clinton, and the DNC a message. Vote for John -- do it anyway.

...I am.

Early voting started today, and runs through February 29th. Primary day is Tuesday, March 4th.

Don't forget to vote.

Reposting from Daily Kos in hopes of getting the message out... Mark your calendars for Friday, January 18th, and help spread the word.

John Edwards: $7 Million Dollars In One Day - Make It Happen
by KingOneEye
Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 10:01:30 PM CST

There's been a lot of talk in these parts about how the media is shutting John Edwards out of the race. He has been excluded from polling. His campaign events have not been covered. Other candidates with less to show for themselves receive more attention. Etc.....

All of the these things are true. And all of the solutions I've seen have merit. We definitely need to put pressure on the media to cover this election fairly. But the media is probably not going to alter course and suddenly exhibit a journalistic integrity that they haven't even thought about since their freshman year of college. They need to be given a reason to change course; a reason that fits their definition of news.

So either Edwards could engage in a high speed police chase with Britney's kids on his lap and a missing white girl in the trunk, or he could raise $7 million dollars in one day.

Money is one of the key validators that establishment media recognize. It is an extension of their fixation on the primacy of wealth in this materialistic culture. It is the reason that corporations are favored by most political operators and institutions. And it is the reason that these corporate-dominated media companies are marginalizing Edwards in the first place. As more than one pundit has put it, Edwards is their worst enemy.

Edwards' campaign has been the most forthright in attacking the epidemic of corporate greed. He has brought the issue of health care into the realm of the personal by spotlighting the tragically horrendous treatment of Nataline Sarkisyan by Cigna. He is relating the challenge by Warren Buffet to Forbes 400 CEOs to prove that they pay more in taxes than their secretaries. And he has directly taken on the media corporations themselves, particularly Fox News. It is notable that he is the ONLY Democratic candidate to continue to decline to appear on Fox. Obama broke ranks last week and Clinton never really joined the effort. Neither did Biden or Dodd. Kucinich is a frequent Fox guest. Only Edwards has had the courage to make direct statements addressing the dangers of consolidated media conglomerates. From his letter to the FCC:

"High levels of media consolidation threaten free speech, they tilt the public dialogue towards corporate priorities and away from local concerns, and they make it increasingly difficult for women and people of color to own meaningful stakes in our nation’s media."

And on Fox News:

"The basis of a strong democracy begins and ends with a strong, unbiased and fair media — all qualities which are pretty hard to subscribe to Fox News and News Corp."

Given Edwards' propensity for speaking truth to power, we might have expected the counterpunch that these media corporations have wielded. But we don't have to quit fighting.

Ron Paul has managed to stir up respectable levels of exposure despite his low standings in most polls. After being excluded from a Fox News-sponsored debate in New Hampshire, he has now been invited to participate in a Fox debate in South Carolina. That reversal on the part of Fox didn't occur due to some crisis of conscience. It occurred partly because Paul's supporters were pissed and they let it be known, and partly because Paul had validated himself in terms the media can understand - fund raising. Having drawn in a record $6 million dollars in one day went a long ways toward forcing the press to pay attention.

What I want to know is this: If Paul can do it, why can't Edwards? Edwards has far more support than Paul and he ought to be able to mobilize his supporters to attempt to set a new fund raising record. I don't know if Edwards has anything like this in mind but there is no reason his supporters can't embark on this on their own.

So I propose that we do so. I would like to suggest Friday, January 18, as the day to shatter both the record and the media's tinted glass ceiling on coverage. This would give us all five days to publicize the effort. If successful, it should generate some press in time for the Sunday papers and news programs. Then on Monday, there is the debate in South Carolina, where Edwards could promote the results. This would then be followed by the primary on Saturday which, hopefully, would benefit from the newly enhanced press attention.

If we believe that the media is unfairly slanting coverage, it is up to us to do something about it. We must not let them make our decisions for us. By thrusting Edwards' visibility forward with financial support that makes the press do a double take, we are effectively slapping the collective faces of the reporters who think they know what they're talking about; of the pundits who think they know what's best; of the blowhards like Bill O'Reilly who dismissively wave off our candidates as phonies and losers.

On Friday, January 18, go to the donation page at JohnEdwards.com and make a donation for whatever you can afford. Personally, I think Clinton and Obama supporters should do this as well in order to stick it to the media. I'm sure they will consider that a disingenuous ploy to squeeze money out of them, but it isn't. I am completely serious when I say that the press is out there to do us harm. It may be Edwards now, but it will be your candidate later. So this opportunity to spank them is worth embracing.

Feel free to use the the graphic above to get the word out. Post it on your blog, MySpace, Facebook, etc. To embed it on another site, copy and paste this code:

<a href="https://www.johnedwards.com/action/contribute/form/"><img src="http://aycu23.webshots.com/image/41822/2002719841811572189_rs.jpg" hspace="10"></a>

$7 million dollars is a lot of money to raise online, and 5 days is not a lot of time to organize. But if Ron Paul can do it, fer gawds sake, we ought to be able to.

From the CNN Transcript:

LEROY BROOKS: Hello, my name is Leroy Brooks. I am from Houston, Texas and my question is for all the candidates. Whether this flag right here represents the symbol of racism, a symbol of political ideology, a symbol of Southern heritage -- or, is it something completely different?

COOPER: He's talking about the stars and bars.

Governor Romney?

ROMNEY: Right now, with the kinds of issues we got in this country, I'm not going to get involved with a flag like that. That's not a flag that I recognize so that I would hold up in my room.

The people of our country have decided not to fly that flag. I think that's the right thing.

(APPLAUSE)

My own view is that this country can go beyond that kind of stuff, and that instead we can do as a party what we need to do, which is to reach out to all Americans.

Every time I listen to someone like John Edwards get on TV and say there are two Americans, I just want to -- I just want to throw something at the TV, because there are not two Americas. There's one America.

We are a nation united. We face extraordinary challenges right now. And Democrats dividing us and tearing down this country are doing exactly the wrong thing.

We're succeeding in Iraq. We've got tough challenges. We can overcome them. But we do not need to have that kind of divisive talk. And that flag, frankly, is divisive, and it shouldn't be shown.

...So, Willard agrees with Edwards that a) the Stars and Bars shouldn't be flown, and b) we need to build One America.

Got it.

---

Edwards Campaign Statement On Romney "Two Americas" Attack In GOP Debate
Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Today, John Edwards for President communications director Chris Kofinis released the following statement in response to the attack on Senator Edwards in tonight's GOP debate by Governor Mitt Romney:

"In the debate tonight, Governor Romney was caught being deceptive about his own record. He is also being deceptive about whether there are two Americas – one for the most powerful and one for everyone else. News flash, Governor: The 98% of Americans who were not born to great wealth or who have not been given special privilege in our country struggle every day to make ends meet and provide opportunities for their families. No small part of their struggle is because the game has been rigged to protect those on top. It is not surprising Governor Romney proposes additional policies to assist the crowd on Easy Street. Unfortunately for him, the millions of Americans who live and work on Main Street know much more about the reality of where we are as a country."

---

Great diary on Daily Kos by grannyhelen: Edwards: 1, Republicans: 0


transcript by grannyhelen:

Undecided Voter: "I wouldn’t vote for Fred Thompson now I didn’t like him on TV so I don’t like him in politics either I could not find anybody on there, I just really, maybe Hunter, Congressman Hunter, he’s the closest..."

Moderator: Earlier in the break you had said you would maybe lean toward John Edwards, though, and he’s not a Republican.

Undecided Voter:...yes, but at least he has opinions these guys keep saying the same things over and over again.

Moderator: So he’s the strongest one for you even though he’s a Democrat?

Undecided Voter: Yes.

transcript for the second clip:

[ANDERSON] COOPER: Now, Erica Hill was in the same room in Tampa with those undecided voters that we just -- that Joe was just talking about. She -- the ones with the meters in their hands, doing the dial testing. She joins me now.

Erica, did anything they heard tonight actually help them make up their minds?

ERICA HILL, HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Well, let's get a show of hands. Of -- for our 24 undecided Republican voters, are you leaving here tonight as a decided voter for January 29? Anyone?

So no hands raised and a lot of head shaking, Anderson. And some interesting answers when we asked that question a little bit earlier.

Sharon, you said you may have decided but probably not a choice that people expect. Who was that maybe? Do you have your...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have my mike. I'm sorry.

Well, I think if the Democrats have John Edwards, I'd vote for John Edwards.

HILL: So you would consider -- because nothing you heard tonight convinced you that any of these eight men are the right choice for you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's maybe three that could possibly be the right choice. But I'm really going to have to look a little closer at the three that -- I had thought about -- I had thought about Giuliani. I'd thought about Mitt Romney. Also Fred Thompson. I don't care for his TV shows, but you know, I thought maybe him being an actor, that was just a facade, and it's not.

HILL: OK. So none of them really worked out for you tonight. So it will be interesting so see what you actually do on January 29.

Tracy Russo on the JEFP08 blog has a post with a recap and lots of Flickr photos for your enjoyment!

There's also a Huffington Post entry, describing all the celebrities that came out in support of the Writers Guild:
Solidarity! Tina Fey, Tim Robbins, Kristin Davis, John Edwards, And The Creepy Guy From "Lost" Rally For Striking Writers

video from the HuffPo piece:


from the AP: Edwards Supports Striking Writers

NEW YORK (AP) — Democrat John Edwards voiced his support Tuesday for striking television writers, telling a boisterous rally that he would work to protect the rights of union members if elected president next year.

"Stay strong, stay together," Edwards implored members of the Writers Guild of America, whose strike has entered its fourth week. "It's about making sure these big corporations, these big media conglomerates don't step on your rights — that you have a real opportunity to share in the work that you've been producing."

<snip>
David Chase, the creator of the hit crime series "The Sopranos," was among the union writers attending the rally in Manhattan's Washington Square Park.

<snip>
Chase said he was pleased Edwards had spoken to the striking writers. "He said some very important things," Chase said.

The strike has already affected presidential politics. Edwards has canceled planned appearances on "Ellen" and "The View" until the strike is resolved, as has Barack Obama's wife Michelle, who was set to be a guest host on "The View" next week.
All the major Democratic candidates, including Hillary Rodham Clinton, have said they will not participate in a televised debate Dec. 10 in Los Angeles if CBS news writers go out on strike.

<snip>
Speaking to reporters after the New York rally, Edwards announced several proposals he said would strengthen middle class economic conditions.

Among other things, he called for reforming the credit card industry. He said he would create a "Borrowers Security Act" as president to protect consumers from making large, unfair interest payments on credit card balances. He also pledged to raise the capital gains rate on investment income from 15 to 28 percent for families making above $250,000 a year.

"We value work, not just wealth in this country," Edwards said.

AP photos by Kathy Willens

Edwards Outlines Key Economic Policies To Help Middle-Class And Working Families
Edwards brings "America Belong to Us Week" to New York to spotlight his plan to shakeup Washington, and fight for hardworking Americans on the kitchen table issues they care most about

New York, New York – Today, as part of "America Belongs to Us Week," Senator John Edwards discussed our country's growing economic divide and his bold vision to restore the promise of the American Dream to hardworking Americans and their children. At a rally in Washington Square Park to support the striking Writers Guild members and Broadway stagehands, Edwards said he is the one candidate the American people can trust to shake up Washington, stand up to irresponsible corporations and their lobbyists and fight for one America where the dream of America is shared by all, not the chosen few who work on Wall Street.

"The problem of Two Americas is especially true here in New York City," said Edwards. "Investors lost $74 billion this year – but last week it was reported that Wall Street is paying out $38 billion in bonuses this year just the same. At the same time we learned of these record-high bonuses, a new report revealed that one in six New Yorkers goes hungry.

"It's no accident that the economy is working well for Wall Street. Our economy is designed to benefit the wealthy and the powerful because it was designed by the wealthy and the powerful. Last year, the securities and investment industry spent $61 million on lobbying. Since 1996, the number of Washington lobbyists has tripled to 36,000 – that's 60 lobbyists for every member of Congress.

"Putting the power in this country back on the side of middle-class families won't be easy. It's going to take a president who's willing to go to Washington and shake things up. Politicians in Washington have forgotten who they're fighting for. They shouldn't be fighting for Wall Street – they should be fighting for Main Street. When I'm president, we're going to take on Wall Street's excesses and make things right for hardworking American families. Because this is America, and everyone – no matter where they come from – deserves the chance to work hard, get ahead and live the American Dream."

To return the promise of the American Dream to millions of hard-working families, Edwards will:

End abuses in the credit card industry: Interest rates and fees have skyrocketed since rates were deregulated in 1978 and fees in 1996. Today, almost all of the top 10 issuers of credit cards reserve the right to change the APR on the account at any time, for any reason. A single late payment – even by as little as minutes – can result in penalty interest rates that average almost 25 percent. Edwards will pass the Borrower's Security Act to ban the worst abuses in the credit industry, like (1) raising interest rates when a borrower runs into problems, even if they are current on their account, (2) interest rate increases applied to past balances, and (3) a lack of a grace period before imposing penalty rates and late fees. He will also create a new federal agency to protect consumers against unsafe financial products.

Reform the tax system: Repeated, regressive tax cuts on capital gains and dividends have shifted the tax burden onto middle-class workers. Billionaire managers of hedge funds and private equity funds shower Congress with financial contributions to protect their special tax rate – a rate that is far lower than what most Americans pay. That's wrong. As president, Edwards will increase the savings rate by giving more than 20 million families up to a dollar-for-dollar match on their retirement savings. But he will also insist on fairness. And that means raising the capital gains rate to 28 percent for families making above $250,000 a year so the wealthiest investors don't pay lower tax rates than regular families do. And it means closing the billionaire tax benefit for hedge funds.

Address the mortgage crisis: There are millions of families facing foreclosure, but banks have renegotiated fewer than 1 percent of mortgages. A wave of defaults is threatening to swamp our economy and devastate families. As president, Edwards will get families out of these mortgages with a Home Rescue Fund and pass a strong national ban on predatory mortgages.

Thirty-seven days to New Hampshire, sneak peek:


John Edwards addressing the WGA rally in New York City today:


John Edwards on the NBC "Nightly News" with Brian Williams from earlier tonight:

Voters quiz Edwards on policy booklet
By Holly Ramer, Associated Press Writer
Sun Nov 25, 5:47 PM ET

ROCHESTER, N.H. - Voters didn't mind that Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards was running a bit late Sunday — it gave them time to scrutinize the 77-page policy booklet printed by his campaign.

Though many attendees at the town hall meeting came prepared with questions, others told the former North Carolina senator they were inspired by reading the booklet he has been distributing to voters in New Hampshire and Iowa.

In it, he outlines his vision in four areas: standing up for working families, ending the war in Iraq, building a better future for children and ensuring opportunity for all. But one voter suggested a fifth category: balancing the federal budget.

"We had good time to read your pamphlet while you were flying in. I love everything, but it seems to me that there is a Roman numeral five that might be missing," the woman said. "I worry that with you as the candidate, the other side would paint you as a typical way-out on the left, tax-and-spend liberal."

Edwards said any Democratic nominee is likely to face that kind of criticism but said his universal health care, education and other initiatives would help working families, which in turn would spur economic growth and eventually allow for national debt reduction.

"We need to have shared prosperity again," he said. "If we do that, we get rid of these structural problems in our economy and the economy will grow in the way it has in the past."

<snip>

Rochester, NH 11-25-07 (AP photos by Joel Page)








John Edwards on New Hampshire Public Radio [mp3] - "The Exchange" hosted by Laura Knoy


Edwards Touts Record as Trial Lawyer
By Philip Elliott

Bow, N.H. (AP) — Democrat John Edwards says his experience as a trial lawyer makes him the presidential contender best able to give voters hope — and to give the establishment grief.

Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina, has focused his campaign on pledges to change a government system he says is rigged against most voters.

"While you shop (for candidates), I hope you will think about two key things: Who can you trust to tell you the truth about what's wrong in Washington, and who can you trust to fight like hell to make it right?" Edwards said during a town hall-style meeting Monday. "Those are the two things we need in the next president of the United States."

Edwards then turned to his background as a trial lawyer and work on behalf of plaintiffs.

"What I did was I gave them hope. And then I walked into that courtroom and I gave the company hell because they deserved it," he said. "That's the kind of fight we need. We need a president of the United States who will give you hope, who will stand up and fight for you to reclaim democracy. ... But we also need somebody who is ready for that fight, somebody who has been engaged in that fight. I've been in this fight my entire life. It didn't start last year. It didn't start in 2004."

Edwards said he is the candidate with a record of upsetting the system and standing firm.

"I won. I just didn't fight, I won and I won ... not just because I was right, but because I never gave up and I will never give up."

<snip>

Manchester, NH 11-26-07 (AP photos by Charles Krupa)

John Edwards to Speak at Writers Guild Rally in New York
Democratic Presidential Candidate to Join WGA at Washington Square Park
By Linda Moss -- Multichannel News, 11/26/2007 1:15:00 PM

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards is slated to speak at the rally the striking Writers Guild of America is holding Tuesday in Manhattan, according to union officials.

The WGA East is expecting almost 1,000 people to be at its lunchtime Solidarity Rally in Washington Square Park, with Edwards on the roster as a speaker.

Also scheduled to be on hand at the demonstration are Congressman Jerry Nadler, Tim Robbins, Joe Pantoliano, Colin Quinn, Aasif Mandvi, Tony Goldwyn, Evan Handler, Gilbert Gottfried, Randi Weingarten of the United Federation of Teachers, Ed Ott of the Central Labor Council, Gary Lebarbera and Denis Hughes of the New York State AFL-CIO, Screen Actors Guild New York president Sam Freed and former national SAG president Richard Masur.

All three Democratic Presidential candidates -- Edwards, Sen. Hilary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama – have voiced their support for the WGA in its strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. [...but only Edwards actually showed up at the picket line!! - Teh Editor] The strike started Nov. 5, and the writers and studios resumed talks Monday, week after negotiations broke off Nov. 4.

Edwards, Clinton and Obama last week said they will not cross picket lines if CBS News employees, who are also WGA members, go on strike. The CBS News workers have authorized a strike in their dispute with CBS.

If there is a CBS News strike, it could put the kibosh on a Dec. 10 debate among the Democratic presidential candidates that CBS is scheduled to broadcast.

---

From the Guild:
Labor Solidarity with Writers: Rally on Tuesday, November 27 at Washington Square Park.
Solidarity Rally
Tuesday, November 27
Washington Square Park
12:00 - 1:30 p.m.

DOWNLOAD THE FLYER!

Join your fellow members of the Writers Guild of America, the labor community, and supporters and fans, as the WGA begins week four of its strike against the media conglomerates of the AMPTP.

Recently confirmed participants include:

Senator John Edwards, Congressman Jerry Nadler, Tim Robbins, Michael Emerson, Joe Pantoliano, Colin Quinn, Aasif Mandvi, Tony Goldwyn, Evan Handler, Gilbert Gottfried, Randi Weingarten (UFT), Gary Le Barbera and Ed Ott (Central Labor Council), Denis M. Hughes (NYS AFL-CIO), Sam Freed (SAG NY President), Richard Masur (former national president of SAG), WGAE leaders, and more.

We are expecting a huge showing of solidarity from other New York Unions. Joining the striking WGAE members at the rally will be leaders in the labor community, politicians, and exciting speakers from the entertainment community.

Meet us at Washington Square Park for a Solidarity Rally. We’re expecting a large attendance from the union community -- including SEIU, AFTRA, SAG, UNITE-HERE, AFT, NYS AFL-CIO, national AFL-CIO, and the New York City Central Labor Council among others -- as well as some exciting speakers, music and entertainment.

We want to thank the thousands of union members from every industry who have joined us on the picket lines from New York to Los Angeles and stood with us to preserve decent working standards against corporate power. Now that we’re going back to the table, it’s even more important to send the companies a strong message: We’re all in this together and we demand a fair deal!