The California Democratic Council is offering a free workshop covering a variety of different topics that activists should learn about if they want to become more involved with the party.
Whether you are a candidate or a volunteer, these topics will help prepare you for rising in the ranks of the Democratic Party.
The next workshop is on March 21, 2009 and will be held in Folsom, CA.
For full details, check out the event listing:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gptp5l
Please not that you must register here: http://www.cdc-ca.org/Training/
Don't miss out!
It was quite fascinating to hear of John McCain's response to recent questions regarding his position on whether or not he thought it was unfair that some insurance companies cover Viagra but not birth control prescriptions. Yes, John McCain, danced around the question like his pants were on fire. But, if you think about it, it really was a very good question. After all, one cannot happen without the other.
The problem is not just a matter of cost effectiveness or a question of medical necessity, as the insurance companies might argue. At stake here is the sexuality of men and women and the preferential treatment of the male gender.
One can only wonder which is more important, the ability of a man to rise to the occasion and perform sexually or the necessity of a woman to protect herself against an untimely pregnancy? Which pregnancy, strangely enough, could very well be the result of the male using Viagra. In either case, there is the deeper issue of who really has the right to enjoy sex?
For argument's sake let's just say that insurance companies should be required to pay for Viagra because the man's inability to attain an erection is deemed a medical condition, (EDD). Now, I don't know about some of these medical professionals and how they come up with the names to these conditions or how they determine whether something is a dysfunction or not, but when I was growing up they referred to that condition as OLD AGE. I could be wrong, but I believe part of the Creator's intent here was to install what might be referred to as a built in birth control system. Now, when this system is working properly, the woman doesn't have to worry about untimely pregnancies from this particular individual.
In any event, it would seem that many men in this "modern" day and age just don't want to admit or accept their anatomical limitations. This is especially true when these limitations are an indication of aging. Our masculinity is brought into question anytime there might be the slightest innuendo that we can't perform like the EverReady Bunny. And I could be wrong, but I would imagine that many senior women would feel quite relieved at the prospect that after several decades of dutiful performance to their husbands, often with little or no satisfaction of their own, that at last their husband's "manhood" has gone into retirement.
So, let's return now to John McCain's position in this discussion. The man is as old as Methuselah and if he does still have a sex life it would indubitably require the magical assistance of Viagra. Of course the man is going to think that it is o.k. for the insurance companies to pay for his enhancement medications. Add to this the obvious... the man has never had to worry a day in his life whether or not HE was going to get pregnant.
Why do some insurance companies not cover birth control medications? Because it is not politically correct. Women are supposed to get pregnant! Remember? By George, that's not a dysfunction. In fact, pregnancy is expected of a woman. Besides, if a woman gets pregnant it's her own fault. (WOW... I'd like to know how they do that one.)
Abortion is a horrible thing. What a blessed age in which we live, where medications are available that can prevent untimely pregnancies. But, no matter how you look at it, the woman is not going to be able to get pregnant without the participation of her male counterpart. What was John McCain thinking? In all fairness, allow women the right to receive equal medical coverage under the law.
I read an article this morning about John McCain's new campaign slogan, and saw a copy of an e-mail that he is sending to his supporters. He is not touting himself as the candidate for "the right kind of change." It's been a long time since I have heard such good news.
I think that McCains new slogan, "A Leader We Can Believe In" and such tactics as pointed out are the best sign that I have seen yet that we are starting from a good point in the general election fight. In the last two presidential elections, the Republicans have set the agenda, mostly through attacks, propoganda and misinformation, and the Democrats fought to catch up. McCain's campaign has now signalled that they recognize that the agenda has been set by the Obama campaign, and they are going to try to catch up. They can't.
It is important to continue to hammer this point with everyone you meet. McCain's new slogan is all the proof we need that he has acknowledged that Obama has what it takes to lead, as his campaign is now following Obama's. Tell all your friends, especially the Republican ones.
Brian
I worked late last night, so listened to the speech on the way home on AM radio. A few minutes into the speech, driving through ranch country, I realized that I was playing it through the headset of my helmet, being on my bike. It occurred to me that I had paid a lot of money for upgrades to the stereo, and I switched over to speaker so that I could share the experience with those around me. I don't know if any of the ranchers (typically staunch Republicans) driving near me really got the message, but at least some have now heard Barack's voice. It will take a lot of work to keep getting the message out, and we need to be creative and look for every opportunity.
Of course, being AM radio, the other aspect was that I had to listen to the talk-radio spin. Before the speech, there were a couple of announcers talking of how "women were thrown under the bus" and "no woman is ever going to vote for Obama." This, of course, is simply the media trying to create an issue where none exists in order to influence the election outcome. What scares me about it is how well this tactic worked with the "blue-collar, not college educated" demographic. Once the media started telling them that they supported Clinton and didn't feel that Obama represented them, they started believing it and it became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Of course, they are not going to vote for McCain, but we need them to come out on November 4 and vote for Obama. The one truth that the media told in this dbacle is that we can't win without them.
This brings us to the issue of women. The media is working very hard to create another split in this area. I am sure we all know of the concerted efforts to create a "massive" demonstration at the rules committee meeting last Saturday, and have seen the media coverage of the small protest that did develop. One report talked of "busloads from Florida," but otherwise the reports that I read estimated the crowd in the "several hundred" range. If there was a real division, it would have been easy for the Clinton crowd to have thousands or tens of thousands out there, so we know that the real split is only in the eyes of the media. The risk, however, is that people may read the stories and believe that there is division. The politics of the last decade remain alive and well, with the concept of power through polarization well proven. Our only defense is to speak out at every opportunity so that the country knows that we are unified as a party and as people who support change. This campaign has grown through grassroots efforts, and will only be successful through these same efforts.
The media will continue to do what it does, which is to fan the flames of division in order to keep us believing that there is controversy. This creates power for them and sells advertising. We need to remember that the "Swift Boat Veterans" were a small fringe group until the media "reported" on their efforts and created a controversy where there was none present. The same will be happening over the next 5 months in this campaign. The only hope that we have is to remain vigilant and seek every opportunity to clear the confusion and set the record straight. Blasting the message of hope from speakers on a Harley through ranch country may not sway any voters, but telling everyone you meet about that hope and seeking every opportunity to counter a lie will. There will be a few hundred, perhaps even a few thousand, women who will vote for McCain out of spite for their candidate not winning the primary. We can not do anything about that. What we can do, however, is let everyone know that there is no one who has been thrown under the bus, and we are a united movement that will continue to grow and to represent all groups in the general election, ending with a victory for Barack Obama on November 4.
Is it just me, or are others totally offended by the latest tack of the Cliton camp, saying that gender is why she has lost in the primaries? I can't believe that she is riding on this track. She even has Geraldine Ferraro out there stirring things up again, and is supporting the view that "it's not OK to be racist but almost acceptable to be sexist." This, despite the fact that exit polls show that race AND gender have counted strongly in her favor.
I truly wonder where Hillary has been throughout the struggle for civil rights in this country. Is she really so blind that she can not see what is all around her? I really find this latest flap to be a slap in the face of all who have struggled to rise above their roots, regardless of race, gender, religion or disability. I am open to any suggestions on how to express the outrage that I am feeling appropriately.
All of this also fails to call into account her claims of electibility. Her latest stance really does a lot to discredit these claims. I wouldn't go down the "I lost to a black man because I am a woman, but I am better able to beat a white man in November."
Hilary has lost because of who she is, and Barack has won because of who he is. Nothing more and nothing less to it. We need to adhere to this message in all that we do, and not let this latest flap draw us down to the level that others play at. I know this in my heart and my head, but my gut is just struggling to adhere to it at this moment.
According to my dashboard, I am tied for 83,946th place in points. That doesn't sound like much, but given the millions of supporters that Senator Obama has, it ain't too bad, either. I can say with gret pride that I am in the top 85,000, and climbing.
I have not yet had the opportunity to be very active in this campaign. With two jobs and two kids still at home, it seems that most of my time is already spoken for. I am hopeful of a greater opportunity to be of service as the general election nears, however. I don't know how I would respond to the prospect of four more years of Cheney policy, and will do what I can to prevent it from ever happening. Anything that I am able to do which will help, I'll be there. Hope to meet a lot more of you all along the way.
