tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61305382012-01-04T12:48:15.877-08:00Heeeeyah! The (unofficial) Weblog of Santa Barbara County DemocratsThis weblog is collaboratively authored by several members of the Santa Barbara County Democratic Central Committee and the Democratic Service Club.Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comBlogger2071100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1139600401038409802006-02-10T11:30:00.000-08:002006-02-10T11:40:01.050-08:00Democrats stand up for your rights and give back to their community. With the attention on Coretta Scott King's funeral this week, we had the opportunity to remember a woman who was both a true defender of people's rights and liberties, as well as someone who took pride in giving back to her local community. It is worth reminding ourselves that Democrats do this in ways big and small every day, Vernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1135117468363039502005-12-20T13:42:00.000-08:002005-12-20T14:24:28.413-08:00Who stands with the President? News that the President authorized thousands of wiretaps on American citizens has been out for days now. The President has admitted repeatedly violating your civil liberties, in what amounts to at least 30 violations of the Foreign Intelligence Security Act (FISA). Even though the secret court set up by FISA has rejected only four warrant requests out of 15,000 Vernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1131040804276595252005-11-03T09:40:00.000-08:002005-11-03T10:00:04.326-08:00Push poll alert. I just received an automated "poll" from a company named FEC Research. It's parent company is called ccAdvertising, so it is not a true polling firm. A little Googling shows that it has a history of being involved in conservative push polls.
By traditional push polling standards, this was pretty tame. The main questions for the special election regarded Prop 73 and Prop 75, and Vernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1126912489196411392005-09-16T15:54:00.000-07:002005-09-16T16:14:49.203-07:00Bait and switch? A few hours ago, I visited the KEYT television studios to view Arnold's reelection campaign announcement and provide a local Democratic response. The event was late in getting started, opened with a yawner of a warmup from state finance director and former Congressman Tom Campbell, and then lapsed into more boredom as the absentee governor was increasingly late. He finally Vernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1118639302330753872005-08-09T21:34:00.000-07:002005-08-10T21:30:55.476-07:00What a wonderful world we live in. Through the magic of the internet, one can experience that magical feeling of nausea that only the editorial page of the News-Press can deliver anywhere in the world. Editorial chief Travis Armstrong took a break for a while, but recently he's been back with a vengeance, albeit an increasingly desparate one. The most recent antics over there include digging Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1120762704308943012005-07-07T11:43:00.000-07:002005-07-30T11:33:16.010-07:00When not to trust your doctor. You've heard all those scary stories about how rising medical malpractice insurance is driving your doctor out of business, right? And of course, you've heard that it's because the number of malpractice claims and the size of jury awards is skyrocketing, which means we need to cap jury awards for malpractice, right? Wrong.
This study (summarized in press release Vernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1118941548170228912005-06-16T10:01:00.000-07:002005-06-16T10:07:08.940-07:00
Be your own boss. Party boss, that is.
The Democratic Central Committee is the official body of the Democratic Party in Santa Barbara County. It is responsible for recruiting candidates for county and local races, chartering Democratic clubs, operating coordinated campaigns for state and national races, and increasing voter registration and turnout.
The Central Committee currently has one Vernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1118861197770729662005-06-15T11:26:00.000-07:002005-06-15T11:46:37.776-07:00
Get your Lakoff on. Progressives have finally been getting, er, religion on how narratives and framing shape how people think about leading news stories of the day. Even while conservatives complain about the phantom "liberal media," they expertly push narratives through a corporatized and lazy Fourth Estate that put liberals on the defensive.
So for all you Lakoff graduates, this article on Vernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1118418391009235332005-06-10T07:24:00.000-07:002005-06-10T08:46:31.060-07:00God Bless Marty Blum. As most of the more regular readers of this site know, about a month ago I took a job in San Francisco and Jen and I had to move. This was after some months of being super-distracted by another project; in short, this space has been neglected. This is one of the basic problems with weblogging. If you're only doing it when the spirit moves you, it's going to be pretty Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1112737059899279512005-04-05T14:36:00.000-07:002005-04-05T14:37:39.900-07:00Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1111452091150111732005-03-21T15:41:00.000-08:002005-03-21T19:28:29.396-08:00Count the mistakes in today's News-Press editorial. The News-Press should run this morning's editorial on the back of a children's cereal box, like one of those "count the things that are wrong with this picture" games.
Rather than attack the fundamental premise of the living wage ordinance - that it is wrong to balance the city's budget on the backs of the working poor, especially in a city as Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1111445563772075302005-03-21T14:41:00.000-08:002005-03-21T19:55:07.700-08:00I caught Crossfire this afternoon - Ralph Nader was on and was suprisingly smooth and entertaining. He gets along with Novak, which is almost too bizarre to think about. The topic du jour was (you guessed it) Terri Schiavo. There's plenty of blather about this on the net and I'm not going to add to it except for this: the word I kept expecting ole' Ralph to bring up, and one that I feel like Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1111176137730613242005-03-18T12:02:00.000-08:002005-03-18T12:02:17.730-08:00It's plug day. I just checked out Daraka's continuously excellent hoverbike. (and I've finally added this to the blogroll column over on the right, along with BlogaBarbara). There's a link to the new and cheerfully very yellow Santa Barbara for a Living Wage site, but check out the post with the text of Joe Armendariz's latest missive in particular. We have our own little Grover Norquist, right Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1111160412409998062005-03-18T07:40:00.001-08:002005-03-18T08:21:13.196-08:00Rejoice, ye disciples of Diogenes and ye se seekers of that kind of truth which is so rarely found on the pages of the News-Press! For unto our worthy community is bestowed a new fountain of wisdom and commentary. Behold, BlogaBarbara!
Seriously, this is a good thing. There is a great and important tradition of anonymous political speech in this country and it's wonderful to see someone doing itDan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1109780040948648252005-03-02T08:14:00.000-08:002005-03-02T08:16:33.380-08:00Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1109222573517052792005-02-23T21:13:00.000-08:002005-02-23T21:22:53.520-08:00The government is taking over your church. That is the ultimate goal of the moral-values-war-on-terror-ban-any-behavior-that-would-embarrass-you-in-church mentality of this Republican administration. If you don't believe me, just look at this Orwellian military recruitment church service that occurred last month in Lexington, Kentucky.
Via the daily Kos.Vernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1108584079212860332005-02-16T11:54:00.000-08:002005-02-16T12:01:19.213-08:00Please, please read this article in Newsweek.
Most importantly, though, read the political proposals suggested in the article. Don't these sound like commonsense proposals? Don't they sound like Democratic family values?Vernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1108572552279650872005-02-16T08:49:00.000-08:002005-02-16T08:49:12.280-08:00If you want a real ownership society, vote Democratic. There is a long but important article by William Greider over at The Nation that explains (among otherthings) why Phil Angelides is a heroic reformer. From
The New Colossus"Angelides, for instance, articulates--actually resurrects--old wisdom about the nature of economic development. Public investment and private enterprise are not at war Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1108252322755236792005-02-12T15:51:00.000-08:002005-02-12T15:57:41.143-08:00As expected, Howard Dean was elected chair of the Democratic Party today at the winter meeting in Washington, D.C. - approximately two years to the day after giving his "what I want to know" speech. Amazing stuff. ActBlue has made it incredibly easy to donate - you can do it from right here, even:
Contribution amount:
$
Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1107798625642679872005-02-07T09:50:00.000-08:002005-02-07T09:50:25.643-08:00Democracy Is No Polite Tea Party:"At Cambridge I was taught a laudable method of argument: You never personalize, but you have absolutely no respect for people's opinions. You are never rude to the person, but you can be savagely rude about what the person thinks."Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1107789149645475952005-02-07T07:02:00.000-08:002005-02-07T07:12:29.646-08:00Also, an early morning, pre-rail forum shout-out to my buddy Greg Gandrud, R-extremist from Carpinteria, who announced his suppport for "privatizing roads" this morning in the paper. Here's why this is a stupid idea: it's not like companies can compete for owning a road beyond their initial bid, so if you did this, you're basically granting a monopoloy to one company to gouge people for driving Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1107788456079160322005-02-07T06:51:00.000-08:002005-02-07T07:00:56.080-08:00Just for the record... There's a letter in today's News-Press that claims that "liberal Democrats on the county's South Coast" don't acknowledge the loss of middle-class folks from the city of Santa Barbara. Just for the record, I'm a South Coast liberal Democrat who recently has been spending just about every waking moment working on this problem, and I am most certainly not alone. Defending Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1107374688408018322005-02-02T13:04:00.000-08:002005-02-02T12:44:35.503-08:00"So what?" My letter to Dan Walters about this:
So, three of the Gov's top contributing industries are financial services, real estate developers, and big pharmaceutical companies. Then in the State of the State address, he proposes a pension privatization scheme that would just so happen be a
massive windfall for the financial services industry, housing deregulation that would
just so Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1106945409044937932005-01-28T13:41:00.000-08:002005-01-28T12:50:09.043-08:00No on Gonazles
There's been a lot written lately about the upcoming vote in the Senate to confirm Alberto Gonzales to replace John Ashcroft as Attorney General. I hadn't gotten to this yet, but reading the first page and a half of the story in this month's American Prospect about the stories of some of the women who were imprisoned at Abu Ghraib...actually the first page and a half was all I Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1106947025946569642005-01-28T13:15:00.000-08:002005-01-28T13:17:05.946-08:00This may a little on the tweaky side, but there's an interesting thread about capital vs. human resource shortages over on j-bradford-delong's site.Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1106777120317926422005-01-26T14:05:00.000-08:002005-01-26T14:05:20.316-08:00This cartoon sums up the social secuirty phase-out nicely.Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1106606556813076942005-01-24T14:10:00.000-08:002005-01-24T14:43:31.566-08:00How pro-life Dems can be pro-choice. There was certainly great tribulation among traditional Democratic constituencies when Harry Reid earned the Senate minority leader post. Did a pro-life legislator in a top Democratic post signal a cave-in to the Republicans' "moral values" warfare? Was the party backtracking on a long-standing support for abortion rights?
Fortunately, the answer to both Vernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1106584313256487432005-01-24T08:31:00.000-08:002005-01-24T08:32:54.480-08:00Two sides to every coin. Dan Weintraub has this to say about SB 921:
Sen. Sheila Kuehl is back with her plan for a government-run, single-payer health care plan. I oppose this idea on principle, because I do not want the people who run the DMV and ruined California's electricity industry to be managing my health care.
And yet I don't want corporate America - the people responsible for Enron, Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1106425303328478272005-01-22T13:20:00.000-08:002005-01-22T12:21:43.326-08:00I don't know if Daraka is trying to keep this under wraps or what, but he's started blogging and of course, it's really damn good stuff!Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1106173042466810812005-01-19T13:34:00.000-08:002005-01-19T14:17:22.466-08:00From blogpac, there's a new site about Bush's Social Security "reform" plans. The D-trip also has a nice site up, Privatize This. Social Security is an old friend of a program that needs your help. It's amazing that the Republicans want to endanger such a successful, critical program and plunge the country into even more massive debt simply because of a philosophical disagreement with it. Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1106156457147789922005-01-19T09:31:00.000-08:002005-01-19T09:40:57.146-08:00I just visited ABC's Bloggers are People of the Year story, and the page was plastered with ads for Wal-Mart's latest tactic in their touchy-feely propaganda campaign: walmartfacts.com. Conveniently, there's a feedback page on the site where you can send them a message. Mine was "avast, ye scurvy corporate union-busting sprawl-causing dogs, and prepare to be boarded!" but send them whatever Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1105460042314508372005-01-11T08:08:00.001-08:002005-01-11T08:14:02.313-08:00Ridiculous. This morning, the News-Press complained yet again about the supposed lack of public comment on Inclusionary Housing. This is nothing short of completely preposterous. There were FIVE HOURS of public comment on this, ok? The 5-0 vote didn't go your way. Now quit with the whining!Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1105402511108577992005-01-10T16:15:00.000-08:002005-01-10T16:15:11.106-08:00Remember when the Governor "fixed" worker's comp last year? Turns out it was "fix" as in "fix a horserace," not fix as in "fix a car." These folks are fighting to clean it up: Denial of Care | A Disabled Workers' House of Horrors.Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1105210833734466622005-01-08T10:46:00.000-08:002005-01-08T11:00:33.733-08:00Liveblog from 35th AD committee. Good morning Santa Barbara, I'm live at the 35th Assembly District Committee meeting. This is a group that elects new folks every two years to go to the State Convention. The turnout is great, there's almost 100 folks here at the eastside library in Santa Barbara. Some factions want the party to become more accessible, some want it to be more fun, and everyone Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1105026363556584732005-01-06T07:42:00.000-08:002005-01-06T07:46:03.556-08:00So, the Governor travels around the whole state pushing Republican candidates for the Senate and the Assembly, and gets his butt kicked. The News-Press pushes hard for their candidate here, and they get their butt kicked. Now both the Governor and the News-Press think redistricting is the top priority for this state? Those are some sour, sour grapes.Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1104955824095555882005-01-05T12:10:00.000-08:002005-01-05T12:10:24.096-08:00From Andrew Sullivan today,
Tax Preferred
"I see no good reason why my own money should be invested for me by the government when I feel I could do a much better job for myself. If there's any way we can liberate individual decisions from the oppressive and incompetent hand of government, I'm all for it."
Funny that he mentions "incompetence" here, because nothing could be further from the Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1104819019836135872005-01-03T22:10:00.000-08:002005-01-03T22:10:37.866-08:00Ouch: "Religious right Web sites ignore Tsunami relief, while liberal religious sites appeal for tsunami donations."Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1104780913412755422005-01-03T11:24:00.000-08:002005-01-03T11:35:13.413-08:00Green Manhattan? Check out this nicely accessible article, Green Manhattan, on the relationship between energy and land use in urban and suburban areas. This is very relevant to the ongoing land-use debate here in Santa Barbara, although the article makes no mention of the sweet spot that exists in the territory between the suburbs and large city level density that could be accomplished in smallDan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1103822276485177792004-12-23T09:13:00.000-08:002004-12-23T09:17:56.486-08:00Happy Holidays! I've been posting so lightly that I couldn't even find it in me to go after the News-Press for endorsing McClintock's insane budget plan yesterday, or to pull together a post on the right's ridiculous war on politeness with this Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas battle the right has ginned up. Oh well, plenty of stuff for the new year. Have a great holiday and rest up: 2005 is Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1103570539036846332004-12-20T11:14:00.000-08:002004-12-20T11:22:19.036-08:00Isn't it Christian to care about mothers? When ardent right-to-lifers state that they believe in saving "pre-born" fetuses even when the health of the mother is at risk, ask them if they're referring to this.
There's something very wrong when Christian fundamentalists crave Christian babies so much that they start killing Christian mothers to get them.
Vernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1103567067975724552004-12-20T10:14:00.000-08:002004-12-20T10:24:27.976-08:00What is the biggest threat to heterosexual marriage? Is it gay marriage? No. Liberal activist judges? No. Renegade, God-hating blue states? No. It's the Federal government, courtesy of the Social Security Administration, that is taking away the church's God-given right to perform marriages between a man and a woman.
The linked article ends with this quotation: "They're delving into every Vernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1103323090639209522004-12-17T14:14:00.000-08:002004-12-17T21:35:55.066-08:00Two definitions of equality. My proposed Democratic message begins with "Equality." Republicans and Democrats have different definitions of equality. We have to show how theirs is a sham, and how it takes away your security and freedom.
Case in point. Today, the LA Times reported that Bush has opened a health savings account (HSA). As a healthcare consultant, I can assure you that these are Vernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1103134881209715592004-12-15T09:49:00.000-08:002004-12-15T10:22:16.786-08:00The importance of security. The second part of my proposed Democratic message is "security." Our political debate has been awash in the terrorism aspect of security for years now, but we can't forget that the administration's second term is determined to continue threatening our economic security. And the first salvo in that battle, the battle over Social Security "privatization," is an excellentVernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1102464799805943312004-12-07T16:01:00.000-08:002004-12-07T16:16:58.670-08:00The perils of dishonesty. Via Atrios, we learn today’s sad morality tale.
On October 4, in the heat of the presidential campaign, Bush showcased the family of Mike Hintz, a youth pastor in Iowa who had benefited from Bush tax cuts. During an Iowa bill-signing ceremony, the Reverend Hintz extolled Bush’s moral values:
Where we are in this world, with not just the war on terror, but with the Vernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1102442316535444012004-12-07T09:44:00.000-08:002004-12-07T09:58:36.536-08:00Equality, Security, Honesty. One of the themes of Democrats' election post-mortem is the search for a message. We're starting to acknowledge that many now perceive us as a collection of political interests rather than a party with a organizing philosophy. "Equality, security, honesty" is my nomination for that message. It's a tweak on Clinton's "New Covenant" message of "Opportunity, Vernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1102233358189414492004-12-04T23:55:00.000-08:002004-12-04T23:55:58.190-08:00Speaking of Our Leaders, I just came across the Mayor's Weblog. Great stuff on there!Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1102212303595003832004-12-04T18:04:00.000-08:002004-12-04T18:05:03.596-08:00I can't believe this is real: Our leader. But those aren't photoshopped.Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1102030766568522542004-12-02T14:49:00.000-08:002004-12-02T15:44:07.786-08:00Gay marriage and the cooties theory. On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to overturn gay marriage in Massachusetts. The circumstances and the arguments around this case highlight the most effective strategies of conservatives and Christian fundamentalists. They also highlight how their tacticts can be used against them most effectively.
The case had been brought by Liberty Counsel, a legal Vernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1101748255057973492004-11-29T08:57:00.000-08:002004-11-29T10:42:22.286-08:00Something in the News-Press to be Thankful for. We here at Heeyah spend a lot of time critiquing the News-Press, especially the editorial page. But over the past week, they've run been running Melinda Burns' moving and comprehensive "Mixtecs & Maize," a seven part series covering the conditions in the home villages in Mexico of many of the Oaxacan immigrants that have settled in Santa Maria. Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1101194480170168202004-11-22T23:17:00.000-08:002004-11-23T09:33:16.803-08:00Whites speak first policy at the County Supes? Last night, the County Board of Supervisors punted yet again on the changes to the inclusionary housing ordinance. There may be a decision as early as today, let's hope so. The meeting was mind-bendingly long (it started at 5 and finally wrapped up a little before 10) and was for the most part quite orderly and businesslike.
Except for one Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1100891045670624992004-11-19T10:05:00.000-08:002004-11-19T11:07:50.913-08:00Housing, the environment, structural racism and social justice. Today's News-Press editorial page tried to blast Supervisors Rose, Marshall and Schwartz as being anti-environment because of their openness to at least considering the changes to the county's inclusionary housing ordinance that are going to be decided upon this Monday. The News-Press, yet again, is a badly lagging indicator of Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1100813606816268292004-11-18T13:48:00.000-08:002004-11-18T13:33:26.816-08:00Check out this Gadflyer blog post from Tom Schaller. It incorporates many of the tactics that will be effective in reclaiming respect for Democrats in the "moral values" debate. Some of the key strategies demonstrated in this post include:
Focus on religious leaders, not religious people. Much of the liberal anti-religion talk I've seen recently falsely lumps the opinions of "James Dobson, JerryVernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1100730998848800132004-11-17T13:19:00.000-08:002004-11-17T14:37:11.426-08:00Some sad news. The movement recently lost one of it's finer warriors. Jeff Arthur, a top staffer with the Natural Resources Committee of the State Assembly, died suddenly on Friday the 14th. The Sacramento Bee has
a touching obituary with the details.
As chair of the Natural Resources committee, Assemblymember Jackson and Jeff worked very closely. Through this connection lots of folks Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1100330544187666202004-11-12T23:13:00.000-08:002004-11-12T23:23:29.316-08:00Countdown to publication. I'm enclosing below a letter I've sent to the News-Press editorial pages. I normally wouldn't do this, but I've chosen to print it here for two reasons:
The News-Press almost never prints letters that criticize its editorial decisions, other than arguments about which comics to include or exclude from the funny pages. In the likely event that Travis Armstrong sends thisVernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1100325720643287482004-11-12T21:12:00.000-08:002004-11-12T22:03:43.600-08:00Latest Dance Craze: The "Values" Backspin. Pundits on the left and right are working overtime to downplay the significance of the "moral values" voters in November 2004. The appearance of right-wing debunkers, those of the neocon and economic conservative stripes, may stem from fear of the new self-entitlement shown by Christian fundamentalists James Dobson and Bob Jones III. The objections fall Vernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1100124169128575812004-11-10T13:02:00.000-08:002004-11-10T14:02:49.126-08:00Winning on Values. Much has been made of late about exit polling showing that 22% of voters cited "moral values" as their primary criterion for the Presidential election, and that 79% of them voted for Bush. The blogosphere is abuzz with musings on what this means and how it should fit into the Democratic Party's retooling for 2006 and 2008. Some musings have been constructive, and some have beenVernon Schaberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971722710636538000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099597622860462002004-11-04T10:37:00.000-08:002004-11-04T11:47:02.860-08:00So we've had a mixed bag of results. Kerry's loss was a gigantic disappointment, but it seems like most everyone I know took yesterday off to mourn and is back at work today. I certainly hoped putting Senator Kerry in the White House would be the first step in taking back our country, but I think everyone realized that either way that would only be the first step. So there's a lot to do.
Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099454845553399762004-11-02T19:53:00.000-08:002004-11-02T20:07:25.553-08:00smoke 'em if ya got 'em
In about a minute and thirty seconds, the polls are going to close here in California. Seems like we've had a good run. The party is at El Paseo, I imagine it's already started. There's a small group of us left here at Pedro's after bringing back the last of the GOTV data, but we're headed over in a bit. I did manage to score an internet connection so if that still Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099422613878921562004-11-02T11:10:00.000-08:002004-11-02T11:10:13.876-08:00Pedro and his wife Susan at the polling place, about to cast their votes as KEYT looks on. Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099422376062911272004-11-02T11:06:00.000-08:002004-11-02T11:06:16.063-08:00Marlene & Jan working the front desk at Dems HQ. Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099419040203773532004-11-02T10:06:00.002-08:002004-11-02T10:18:50.746-08:00Go vote! Go vote! Go vote!
Don't just vote, though...help get it out, too. The campaigns today have a nearly infinite demand for help. Most of the action is being coordinated out of Pedro's HQ here at 3208 State Street, but 1341 State Street has work going out too. Give us a call at 563-4500 or just come on by!Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099380036165330642004-11-01T23:01:00.000-08:002004-11-01T23:20:36.166-08:00We're watching the TV news coverage of today's protest against the Governor and...look, I'm sorry, but students and people trying to get healthcare are NOT "special interests." Teachers are not a special interest. If a Republican comes across this weblog, I know I have bigger things (like GOTV) to think about but I'm genuinely curious about this: do the Republicans just not understand the Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099366626926642442004-11-01T19:37:00.000-08:002004-11-01T19:37:06.926-08:00SB City Council member Helene Schneider, letting absentees know they can still turn in their ballots tomorrow at any polling place. Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099346640395998652004-11-01T14:04:00.000-08:002004-11-01T14:05:01.460-08:00Ariana from the Sierra Club has given up and decided to start campaigning for the President...not!Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099343913549509882004-11-01T13:06:00.000-08:002004-11-01T13:18:33.550-08:00If you haven't seen it yet, check out Eminimem's new video. Woah!Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099340704232051022004-11-01T11:53:00.000-08:002004-11-01T12:25:04.233-08:00So it turns out that the Governator's coattails haven't turned out to be as long as the Republicans initially thought they might be. The
LA Times has the story, but it's no suprise. People like Arnold personally enough to vote for him, but he's just plain out of step with the values of this state, especially on education and healthcare.Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099248450926764372004-10-31T10:47:00.000-08:002004-10-31T10:47:30.926-08:00Garrett training the first round of walkers going out from Pedro's headquarters. Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099241664090565282004-10-31T08:42:00.000-08:002004-10-31T08:54:31.736-08:00More insanity from the So Called Liberal Media. Look people: Osama's tape absafrickinloutely does NOT help President Bush at this point. Osama is still out there. Bush didn't get him. Kerry would have. This isn't that difficult!
This afternoon is prime time for talking to folks. Both Pedro HQ and Dems HQ have walks going out this afternoon, so swing by...except for E-Day, this is pretty Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099179640424870502004-10-30T16:40:00.000-07:002004-10-30T16:40:40.423-07:00Speaker Nunez and local ace volunteer David talk campaigning at Pedro HQ a little while ago. Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099179418751398592004-10-30T16:36:00.000-07:002004-10-30T16:36:58.750-07:00Pedro and Susan out walking a precinct in Goleta early this afternoon. Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099178806628603102004-10-30T16:26:00.000-07:002004-10-30T16:26:46.626-07:00It's a little dark, but look at all the people! If I was a Republican on the South Coast I'd be scared about now. Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099176397448189592004-10-30T15:46:00.000-07:002004-10-30T15:46:37.446-07:00Mary Anne dropping some science at the first E-Day training, Thursday evening at Dems HQ. Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099159174291336312004-10-30T10:56:00.000-07:002004-10-30T10:59:34.290-07:00Rally! It's 11am and the rally here at Dems HQ is about to start. The place is mobbed...I was going to try to post some pictures but unfortunately my fancy new laptop doesn't like the wireless network here. Go figure. But the sign up sheets are up, the podium is set, the doorhangers are (um, mostly) labeled, the tents are raised and the food is out. I make an effort to avoid the polls at thisDan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099097375841867762004-10-29T17:48:00.000-07:002004-10-30T00:34:14.626-07:00On the morning of November 3rd, win or lose one of two things is going to happen. You are either going to feel like you did everything you could do to make this election work, or you aren't. Think about that morning. Think about winning.
Below is the schedule for the next four days. Basically, if you show up at either of these offices any time between 8 or so and midnight, there'll be Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099076453375441542004-10-29T11:54:00.000-07:002004-10-29T23:17:20.306-07:00Pedro Nava update. The News-Press editorial page dropped to a new abysmal low this week by running some stuff that not a single other news organization on the South Coast (including the NP's own news side) would touch. I'm not going to dignify the accusations by repeating them here or even linking to them; they were fallout from a dreadful and very personal family tragedy that Pedro went Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1099074265777283542004-10-29T11:16:00.000-07:002004-10-29T11:24:25.776-07:00I'm finally back from Washington - we had a great time working the 5th and 8th Congressional Districts up there. We even found a pocket of actual Bush/Kerry undecided voters out in Pullman, WA, home of Washington State University. They were new voters that the campaigns hadn't particularly targeted, so talking to them felt really productive. I wonder if the Republicans who have been trying so Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1098466275866356452004-10-22T10:04:00.000-07:002004-10-22T10:31:15.866-07:00In my last post, I forgot to mention the other collassal reason I haven't been posting as much here: I've been helping launch a website called SpeakOut, California. The site that's up now is a tiny, tiny sliver of what we've got planned, but for now, the most immediately relevant link is this handy guide to the ballot propositions. There's been a lot of controversy around some of these, Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1098155557853241782004-10-18T19:57:00.000-07:002004-10-18T20:15:11.553-07:00Heeyah's been kinda quiet... I apologize for the infrequent posts - I've been stationed up in Seattle, where Jen and I are talking to UNlikely voters on a swing congressional district. I'd hoped I'd be able to post pictures from up here, but until my new laptop arrives (this Thursday) I'm out of luck. Things are going great here, though: we saw our candidate(who is fantastic) speak the other dayDan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1097536985896060112004-10-11T16:16:00.000-07:002004-10-11T16:28:12.750-07:00We don't do a whole of investigative journalism around here, but an opportunity to do just that has come up. Travis Armstrong's column in Sunday's Santa Barbara News-Press is a perfect example of what happens when biased "pundits" make an attempt at real journalism and the record badly needs correcting.
There are two main claims buried in the spurious bits of evidence hidden
throughout Mr. Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1097442335314694062004-10-10T14:05:00.000-07:002004-10-10T14:05:35.313-07:00File this under why I'm a Democrat: If America Is Richer, Why Are Its Families So Much Less Secure?. Some amazing reporting from the LA Times, a mix of micro (personal stories) and macro (studies and statistics) reads on the economy we've built here in this country. We've shifted the risk from companies and the government on to the backs of individuals, and the benefits of this have all gone toDan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1097247607784182022004-10-08T08:00:00.000-07:002004-10-08T08:20:40.626-07:00Earth to President Bush...
Your Tax Cuts Aren't Working
Increase in U.S. Jobs Lagged in September
"'I wouldn't want to be in President Bush's shoes. He had better prepare himself for an onslaught,' said private economist Ken Mayland of ClearView Economics, noting tonight's second presidential debate. "The reality is that a 96,000 increase in a work force of a 131 million base is an anemic riseDan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1097172167783575262004-10-07T11:02:00.000-07:002004-10-07T11:02:47.783-07:00The deluge is about to begin. This was just at the edge of my awareness, but when I read this description of what comes next at dkos it rang true. The Republicans (starting with Cheney the other night, as I remarked) are using the same strategy that the News-Press editorial page used with devestating effect regarding inclusionary housing recently: flood the zone with so much disinformation thatDan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1097079404891641142004-10-06T09:16:00.000-07:002004-10-06T09:16:44.890-07:00Apparently a couple hundred business and economic professors are also tired of being trickled down on. The write, "If your economic advisers are telling you that these deficits can be defeated through further reductions in tax rates, then you need new advisers."Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1097034860228849042004-10-05T20:21:00.000-07:002004-10-05T21:15:58.700-07:00VP debate react. My first impression was that it was pretty close to a draw, but on further consideration I'm mostly focusing on the breadth of multiple dishonesties that Vice President Cheney attempted. Jon Stewart fixed the BC04 campaign slogan: "Unmitigated Gall." That was certainly on display tonight. If anything, I might give a slight edge to Cheney on style (he appeared authoritative) Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1096995325611072652004-10-05T09:55:00.000-07:002004-10-05T09:55:25.613-07:00Media Matters for America has been rocking out recently. There was a letter in the News-Press today about this "global test" BS. Here's MM's straight dope on this issue. Since the GOP got nothing on Kerry in the debate, they have no choice but to desparately twist his words around. Send voices at newspress dot com a letter if you can!Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1096907200314814462004-10-04T09:26:00.000-07:002004-10-04T09:26:40.313-07:00Some great population related news this morning, from the LA Times:
California Cuts Its Population Projection. There was a story in Wired about a year ago that reflected this larger trend: births everywhere on the planet are peaking and starting to decline, bringing us closer to a sustainable population. Go Planned Parenthood!Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1096654073875287442004-10-01T10:37:00.000-07:002004-10-01T11:34:47.813-07:00After the mid-debate report last night, it actually got worse for Bush. About 45 minutes in he started repeating himself. He ran out of material! The slacker/C-student appeal thing that he had going on four years ago just isn't cutting the mustard in the post September 11th world. Here's the
transcript.
One interesting aspect of all this is that despite all the moaning and griping about Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1096594479658499662004-09-30T18:26:00.000-07:002004-09-30T18:34:39.656-07:00Mid-debate report. I apologize for trying to spin this thing before it's over, but is Bush getting stomped here or what? It's only been half an hour, but Bush looks like he's freaking out already and Kerry is rock solid and bringing it. Kerry's not nailing every answer but Bush is throwing out some real laughers, like "I sit down with foreign leaders (long pause) all the time."Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1096572262694745702004-09-30T11:38:00.000-07:002004-09-30T12:26:20.803-07:00OK, there's a lot going on today. First of all, our hits are WAY up and that makes me really happy. I have it set up so these statistics are visible to the public - click on the "sitemeter" button down at the bottom of the page to see for yourself. 132 visitors a week may not sound like much, but it is a fantastic start. Tell your friends! Part of it may have to do with the 20,000 of these that Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1096351721165429202004-09-27T22:55:00.000-07:002004-09-27T23:09:30.483-07:00In an effort to at least slightly step up the amount of campaign coverage here, I'm doing as I said I would and posting the link to the pictures from Saturday, where the DSC was tabling at this year's Gay Pride festival. If you were there and I took a picture of you with "Senator Kerry," help yourself and enjoy. I went a little haywire on the pictures of local folk-rock duo Antara & Delilah, but Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1095965272830193582004-09-23T11:47:00.000-07:002004-09-23T11:47:52.830-07:00If you're not depressed enough about Iraq, read
this report from Salon's war correspondent (registration required).
Also, apparently President Bush said the right track/wrong track numbers are better in Iraq than they are in the US at a press conference this morning. (ahha, so he does look at polls!) The video is over at c-span, it's the joint press conference with PM Allawi, about 37 Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1095704009470617602004-09-20T08:17:00.000-07:002004-09-20T11:16:28.913-07:00Kerry taking it to the hoop. At some point, the American public is going to realize what dawned on me about a week ago while reading a transcript of Al Franken's show: Senator Kerry has been perfectly and totally consistent on Iraq this entire time. Keep in mind, he voted for authorization of the war, while stating clearly that he expected Bush to use this to do whatever was necessary to deal Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1094602295581478532004-09-07T17:11:00.000-07:002004-09-07T19:58:31.286-07:00A
post at NewDonkey.com neatly encapsulates what I was thinking about labor day yesterday, from the perspective of the south, which I hadn't considered...
If you had to identify one simple reason for this grinding poverty, beyond the legacy of racism, it was the perpetual delusion of southern political and business leaders that the region had to stay poor and dumb in order to attract the Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1094587924579822812004-09-07T13:12:00.000-07:002004-09-07T13:12:04.580-07:00From a friend of mine in the bay area, check out this appalling account of his trip to Guantanamo on the Hudson. My feeling is that protests are in general no longer an effective tactic, but there is no excuse whatsoever for suspending civil rights and throwing people in jail for two days.Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1094191930445323642004-09-02T23:12:00.000-07:002004-09-02T23:12:10.446-07:00Open Thread? We don't typically do open threads 'round here, but I noticed that dailykos seems to have crashed hard so if you've got something to say about Bush's speech tonight, click on "comments" and let it rip. The Central Committee meeting was tonight so we missed it; we watched a little on the C-Span rerun but must have missed the part with actual content, or something. The crowd seemed aDan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1094146656766596422004-09-02T10:37:00.000-07:002004-09-02T10:37:36.766-07:00Yikes! Jen & I missed last night's RNC action and I forgot to set the Tivo, but I think I
get the picture. What was yesterday's theme, "we'll frighten you into submission"? And they accuse us of being wild-eyed? It's an interesting strategy they're trying- they're bordering on 100% negative. I thought the Democratic Convention was a little light on the substance, but it was nothing like Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1093969905512327152004-08-31T08:47:00.000-07:002004-08-31T09:31:45.513-07:00Governor Schwarzennegger sells out, for $350k...
ARNOLD TRIP PAID FOR BY DRUG INDUSTRY LOOKING FOR A VETO: Corporations are ponying up about $350,000 to finance Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) trip to the convention, including a lavish party at Planet Hollywood (taxpayers will be footing the bill for his security). Many of the contributions come from large
pharmaceutical companies like Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1093929172540540222004-08-30T21:44:00.000-07:002004-08-30T22:12:52.540-07:00Even after just a few minutes of watching the Republican convention, it's clear that the lies, misconceptions and shadings of the truth are coming thick and fast. They're working across the entire taxonomy of deception, but there's a big one out there that their entire story hinges on: that Iraq and 9-11 are connected.
Practically everything comes back to this. "Bush is decisive"... because Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1093621168534089612004-08-27T08:39:00.000-07:002004-08-27T08:39:28.533-07:00Some really important analysis of how the Swift Vets manipulated the media, from the Columbia Journalism Review's Campaign
Desk:
As radio talk shows and cable shoutfests seized upon the 'story,' the few outlets that initially ignored it or gave it little play were forced to ratchet up their coverage -- a classic example of the elements of the media lower down the professional food chain Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130538.post-1093276314818014482004-08-23T08:51:00.000-07:002004-08-23T08:51:54.816-07:00This is
just beautiful - a series of pictures showing a mobbed
Dems voter registration table, with tumbleweeds blowing through the
Republican zone. I'm glad to see the Republicans out there finally, though! (we've been at this for more than a year now)Dan Anconahttps://profiles.google.com/103536510431985427725noreply@blogger.com