random musings from a serialist
Hillary Clinton 2008?
A friend passed along this joke about a bumper sticker popular with both major political parties. I had to chuckle.
I’m torn between wanting to support a woman running for the office of the President, and my general dislike for Hillary Clinton personally. Is she the only Democratic woman that the party can support?
Nominate Howard Dean for Chairman of the Democratic National Committee!
Nominate Howard Dean for Chairman of the Democratic National Committee!
We the people of the Democratic Party of the United States of America and/or members of Democracy For America and it’s state groups do herby advocate for the election of Howard Dean to the position of Chairman of the Democratic National Commitee.
I just read Howard Dean’s new book….
Some friends generously gave me a gift certificate to Powell’s Books for my birthday this year, and this weekend I had the opportunity to visit that giant independent bookstore in Portland. I used their gift to purchase a copy of Howard Dean’s new book, You Have the Power, which I just finished reading tonight. It is both educational and inspiring, with the right mix between his reflections on his presidential race and his vision for the revitalization of the Democratic Party. On assuming that Democrats have the African-American vote, Dean writes,
“The truth is
I feel betrayed by the Democrats.
Howard Dean is going to endorse John Kerry. I will still vote for Dean in the Kentucky primary, and for Kerry in the Presidential elections, but I will not lift a finger for either of them. I’m still pissed at Kerry and the media for their treatment of Dean, and now I’m pissed at Dean for actually endorsing Kerry. Even though Kerry is going to win the nomination, I still hoped that Dean would stand firm in his beliefs and continue to raise the issues that need to be addressed. As far as I’m concerned, by endorsing Kerry, he has effectively wiped out anything good that his campaign brought to American politics.
Local politics aren’t much happier for me. Democrat Dan Mongiardo, who is challenging incumbent Republican Jim Bunning for the US Senate seat this November, happens to also be a co-sponsor of the Kentucky Senate bill that will amend the Kentucky state constitution to not only exclude gay people from getting married, but also exclude us from the benefits any kind of domestic partnership. This guy is supposed to be better for me than some Republican?
Both of these things are making me think about why I should stay in the Democratic party. On the one hand, if I’m not around to force the party leadership to take me and others like me seriously, then they will continue to move closer to the Republicans. On the other hand, I don’t want to have anything to do with these homophobic, spineless…. jerks.
*deep breath*
I voted today.
I voted this morning in the special election for Kentucky’s 6th district Congressional Representative. I hope that there is a good turnout both here and in Wisconsin, where they are voting in the Democrat primary. I hate that the leaders of this nation are usually decided by a minority of citizens.
I’m going to vote for Dean.
I went to a Dean Meetup last night for the first time. I’ve been leaning towards him for a while now, and it was the final thing to make me decide that he is not only the candidate I will vote for in the Kentucky primaries, but also someone I am willing to volunteer to help. I wrote two letters last night – one to a woman in Iowa and the other to a man in New Mexico urging them to attend their caucuses and vote for Dean if they are so led. It felt good to do something that is grassroots political. I have been a registered Independent for many years (previously a registered Republican), but this past fall, when I moved to a new county, I registered as a Democrat. For the most part, I think the Kentucky Democratic Party and the DNC are out of touch with what Democrats and Democrat-minded folks want and need. I think that Howard Dean is different and can shake things up in a way that they need to be shaken. Also, he dislikes GW as much if not more than I do, which is a big bonus in my book. I promise I won’t turn this blog into a political forum to express my personal views, but I felt like I needed to share this – particularly since I have added a Dean banner.
