Re: Reforming the Democrats — Or a Third Party? By Bernard Weiner, The Crisis Papers

Mark-Readers should keep in mind that a major reason the Dems have gone weak-kneed is that they are losing rigged elections. I’m not saying that the Dems don’t have plenty of intrinsic weaknesses and have not substantially sold out to the corporate establishment. But it does have a profound impact on strategy, courage, fortitude, etc. when no matter what you do you get beaten. Make no mistake, these rigged elections are being interpreted by the Dems as well as the media and the public as bigtime referenda saying the American public, for whatever reason, wants nothing to do with liberalism or dissent. You keep touching that hot stove and before long you don’t even want to see the inside of a kitchen. The rigged election impact is that strong and I don’t see how a third party could be any more successful than the Dems until the electoral apparatus is made at least roughly accurate and honest. The value of third party (or independent) candidacies, however, would be some sort of legal standing to challenge electoral results and procedures. This does not require an elaborate third-party movement, just a lot of grassroots participation. See below for this idea as put forth by Dennis Morrisseau.-Jonathan

In a nutshell, then:
We get people to run in every district and state for every US House and Senate seat available in the ‘06 elections, e.g. 435 House seats and 33 Senate.

To Run,…… to Run……It is not necessary to win or even to dream of winning. We run in rebellion, as rebellion, as an act of civil disobedience against the gathering darkness. We run for love of country and to save ourselves. Not to join the present Congress . We run AT IT. To model a sane but potent rebellion. As a
theater of rebellion. Intending to break it down and repeople it if we win, with ourselves. It is not necessary to win………….though winning is possible.

If we run in numbers, real numbers, and with all the color and creativity of which we are capable, the beast falls. (We run from all parties and groups AT both Dems and Repugs.)( Run in R or D primaries, then as Independents (whatever) in the general election, or as 3rd party from the get-go.)

The very first thing each of us does after announcing, is to file a lawsuit (built from a single generic action, customised for each district/state) to set aside and restrain all recent elections law, and to restrain the use of any electronic voting or vote counting equipment. Ask each court to order that in this election the old established paper ballot with hand count process be reinstated (that’s easy for a court to do and for elections
officials also). As candidates, we will clearly have “standing ” to do this. And as candidates, we cannot be stopped from publicizing what we’re doing and why. We can holler and yell “They’re stealing elections in America!” as long and hard as we wish, no matter what the judge says……and this cry will be heard. ( Recent polls show astounding public concern re vote fraud by machine rigging.) Everyone understands what it means, if the fucks in power can steal our votes! We don’t gotta explain that!

State of the Union Protests
March to CNN in Hollywood
Gather with CA Peace Action at Derby in Los Feliz (scroll)

State of the Union Demonstration (From — World Can’t Wait)

On Tuesday, Jan. 31, as Bush delivers his State of the Union address, throughout the country, we will bring the noise and drown out Bush’s lies, letting the world hear our demand that “Bush Step Down and Take Your Program with You!” Bring your own noise – drums, pots & pans, musical instruments, your voice. Let car horns blare and church bells ring as we declare that the state of the union is a STATE OF EMERGENCY.
5 p.m. – Gather at Hollywood & Highland
6 p.m. – Noise & March
7 p.m. – Rally at CNN (Sunset & Cahuenga)

Scheduled speakers at the rally are:

Gore Vidal
Bianca Jagger
Blase Bonpane (Office of the Americas; KPFK)
Rev. Richard Meri Ka Ra Byrd (KRST Unity Center)
Jane & Jim Bright (co-founders of Gold Star Families for Peace)
Rev. Louis Chase
Suzanne Gage (Progressive Health Services)
Jim Lafferty (Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild, L.A.)
Jan Lundberg (environmentalist, oil industry analyst, founder of Auto-Free Times)
Lucia Marano (actor)
Dolly Veale (Revolutionary Communist Party)
Student activists from Occidental College

If you can come early, there are a thousand things that need to be done to make this day as powerful as it can be: come to our office to phone bank; make organizer’s kits; pick up leaflets and posters to saturate the city with word of the protest; help with set-up at the beginning of the march and the rally at the end. And we need to raise $$$$$ and more $$$$ to reach–via ads on the radio, TV, in print–the millions of people who hate this regime as much as we do and need to know there’s a movement that is going to drive this Regime out and isn’t stopping until we do.

Finally, after drowning out the State of the Union, come to DC to take our protest directly to the White House! On Saturday, Feb. 4, people from all over the country will be converging in the very seat of power of this regime in DC to demand that Bush Step Down and Take His Program With Him!

For details and news from all over the country, visit the national website of World Can’t Wait at www.worldcantwait.org. Or come by our office at 5507 Santa Monica Blvd. #207 (northwest corner of Santa Monica Blvd. & Western Ave.); call us at 323-462-4771.

On Sunday there will be an organizers’ meeting to make plans and immediately maximize and organize coming off of the protest on 1/31. This important meeting begins at 1pm at the Peace Center, 8124 W. 3rd Street, L.A. (west of Fairfax and just west of Crescent Heights); park and enter through the back.

Tomorrow, be a part of making history! Drown out Bush’s State of the Union on January 31st! On to D.C. to Surround the White House on February 4th!

Hello Progressives of District 31.

In the annual State of the Union speech, the President outlines his agenda for the year to Congress and the American public. In 2002, President Bush gave us the “axis of evil”, in 2003, he provided false information about Iraq’s supposed weapons of mass destruction. In 2004 and 2005, he argued that the war on terror was working, and we were making progress in Iraq.

What ridiculous statements await our ears in 2006?

To find out, join CA Peace Action and other progressive organizations at a State of the Union viewing party to watch the speech, and take action to stop this administration’s reckless agenda. You can’t watch it alone!

We’ll have drink specials at our no-host bar, complimentary light snacks, and three big TVs to watch the speech. A short response panel will follow, with time for discussion.

January 31, 2006
From: 05:30 PM until 08:30 PM

Address

The Derby
4500 Los Feliz Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
MAP

Directions

The Derby is located in Los Feliz on the corner of Hillhurst and Los Feliz Blvd

Link to RSVP
http://ww2.californiapeaceaction.org/event/index.jsp?event_KEY=11106

Peace
Matthew Gerbasi

Reforming the Democrats — Or a Third Party?
By Bernard Weiner, The Crisis Papers

The Democratic Party, with its current cast of characters in charge, has refused time after time to stand up and fight for its underlying principles. Its recent incoherent or wimpy positions on the Iraq War, electoral fraud and the Alito nomination make clear that it’s stuck in a self-destructive rut and isn’t terribly eager (or can’t figure out how) to climb out of it.

As I see it, we have two options in dealing with this deficient, bumbling, weak-kneed crew. 1) We get rid of them, work to take over the party from the grassroots up (similar to what the Republicans did after the Goldwater debacle of ‘64), and eventually bring some coherence and dynamic initiatives back into the party. Or, 2) We give up on the Democrats as an embarrassing joke, and begin thinking seriously about joining with others, similarly disenchanted with
the political choices offerred, and found a viable third party.

There is another option: doing nothing, just continuing on as a rag-tag, undisciplined, weak OINO — that’s “Opposition In Name Only.” But I think we all know that simply makes no sense. Being rolled regularly by the Republicans, or refusing to fight them in ways other than symbolic, gets old real fast.

Read more.

The following voted for cloture tonight, thereby killing the filibuster:

Akaka (HI), Baucus (MT), Bingaman (NM), Byrd (WV), Cantwell (WA), Carper (DE), Dorgan (ND), Inouye (HI), Johnson (SD), Kohl (WI), Landrieu (LA), Lieberman (CT), Lincoln (AR), Nelson (FL), Nelson (NE), Rockefeller (WV), Salazar (CO)

From Sheila Parks:

I am writing this to the people I worked with most closely – in a variety of different ways – on organizing this cloture vote.

These are the Democratic Senators that Senator Ted Kennedy said (via KOS) needed to be contacted: Pryor, Lincoln, Cantwell, Murray, Baucus, Harkin, Levin, Bayh, Lautenberg, Menendez, Lieberman

We got Murray, Levin, Bayh, Lautenberg and Menendez to vote against cloture

I had heard earlier that Harkin would abstain and then later that he would vote against cloture – so assume he did, but I did not hear what he did on the final vote. I would guess he did what he said he would

I am now hearing this long speech by Baucus saying why he will vote against the nomination (although he voted against cloture)

WE DID GOOD. VERY VERY GOOD. EXTRAORDINARILY GOOD

TO CONTINUE OR NOT? I think we need 7 more votes for tomorrow to defeat Alito

I am wanting to go for it if we knew who we would have to go after and if we could find out how many of those voting against cloture are now going to vote against Alito. And is Biden going to vote for him?

Chaffee voted against cloture wil vote against Alito. Baucus same. Who else?

Sxo

Contacting Senator Mikulski

In addition to my office in Washington, I have offices in Baltimore, Annapolis, Greenbelt, Hagerstown and Salisbury.
Baltimore Office
Brown’s Wharf
1629 Thames Street
Suite 400
Baltimore, Maryland 21231
410-962-4510 (phone)
410-962-4760 (fax)
410-962-4512 (TDD)

Annapolis Office
Suite 202
60 West Street
Annapolis, MD 21401-2448
410-263-1805 (phone)
410-269-1650 (Balt. line)
410-263-5949 (fax)

Greenbelt Office
Suite 406
6404 Ivy Lane
Greenbelt, MD 20770-1407
301-345-5517 (phone)
301-345-7573 (fax)

Hagerstown Office
32 West Washington Street, Room 203
Hagerstown, MD 21740-4804
301-797-2826 (phone)
301-797-2241 (fax)

Salisbury Office
Suite 1E, Building B
1201 Pemberton Drive
Salisbury, MD 21801-2403
410-546-7711 (phone)
410-546-9324 (fax)

Washington, D.C. Office
503 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-2003
202-224-4654 (phone)
202-224-8858 (fax)
202-224-5223 (TDD)

E-mail Senator Mikulski

We need to tell them we will put them out of office – and mean it – if they do not think this is extraordinary circumstances (LOL here, since I believe the elections are rigged. But these Senators don’t get that yet.)

Gang of 14 -Dems

SEE BELOW TWO PARAGRAPHS WHAT A Republican friend has written about Inouey and use it when you talk with his office.

This below via Dennis Morrisseau: (802) 645-9727,dmorso@netzero.net
Roberts was chair of a three judge panel that was getting ready to rule on Bush Admin power to detain and try foreign fighters in spite of traty obligations that required another course of action—-at the very time that he (Robert’s) was being interviewed for the Supreme Court by Bush Rove Cheney and Rummy. He ruled for the President (a truly incredible– and some would say corrupt) result; and was promptly appointed to the Supremes.

If a sitting judge ever did such a thing and it became widely known that judge would be subject to impeachment. Rogers should have recused himself from the 3 judge panel while he was being considered for the High Court. Not too many people are aware of this fact. Inouye is a real stickler for propriety among judges. Alito doesn’t have this overt legal problem, so who knows what Inouye will do?
________________________

Lieberman
Byrd
Nelson – Nebraska
Landrieu
Inouye
Pryor
Salazar