Today I dropped in on the health care rally in DC. Everyone who's anyone was there (not literally, but it certainly felt that way when I was there).
Howard Dean was there. We got to ask him if he thinks the Democratic leadership is prepared to move forward without Republicans and if he agrees with the statement that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer made at the health care summit that everyone shares the same goal of covering all Americans:
Billionaire's for Wealthcare were there:
And, one of my personal favorites, Edward Kimmel, the man who braved hordes of teabaggers at the 9/12 tea party in DC (he had to be escorted out by police that day, the reception was much nicer today). Here's the 9/12 tea party footage of him:
And here's my interview with him today:
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Training Tuesday: Free/Cheep Stuff Part 2!
Okay folks, last week we posted part 1 from the Organizing 2.0 session on Free and Low Cost Online Tools. This week we have part 2 of that sessions with some great short clips. These are all great things for small organizations, campaigns, and individuals.
Easy Email Blasts and The Google Wave
Get Free (or Cheap) Software for Your Organization or 501(c)3
Cheap and Easy Donation Collecting Services
Check back next week for another round of Training Tuesday!
Easy Email Blasts and The Google Wave
Get Free (or Cheap) Software for Your Organization or 501(c)3
Cheap and Easy Donation Collecting Services
Check back next week for another round of Training Tuesday!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Health Care Hysteria
As the health care fight drags on, folks on every side (and there are far more than two) have tended towards some hysteria. I just heard Sam Stein, of the Huffington Post, call Congressman Kucinich the "Ralph Nader of health care" because he refuses to vote for a health care bill without a public option.
Let us examine this and pretend, for a moment, that it has some shred of a correlation to reality.
Congressman Kucinich tends to represent to very left of the Democratic Party. He voted against the Patriot Act (every time):
And the Iraq war (authorization and funding).
We can go on and on, on every issue. On health care, he has pushed for single payer.
That is incredibly important to keep in mind.
When Congressman Kucinich supports reform with a modest, at best, public option, that is a compromise. That is a big compromise and demonstrates some realism, if you will. Several progressives have made that point, including folks you would not call radical lefties like Congresswoman Donna Edwards:
The Congresswoman makes the point that the public has embraced the public option. So when Congressman Dennis Kucinich holds out for the public option, he is holding out for the most popular section of the bill that has done more to energize the progressive base than any other section.
To come back to my original point, it is hysteria to call someone the "Ralph Nader of health care" because he chooses to hold strong for a public option. There are many reasons you could call Congressman Dennis Kucinich the "Ralph Nader" of any number of issues (although the "Kucinich of _____" is fitting enough), but this is so far from being one. Seriously folks, what do progressives have to do to convince people that the push for a public option is part of a very significant political philosophy? This is not some minor section of the bill to many folks, regardless of how often they are told by "more reasoned minds" that it is. And it is certainly far from extreme to hold out for the public option.
Let us examine this and pretend, for a moment, that it has some shred of a correlation to reality.
Congressman Kucinich tends to represent to very left of the Democratic Party. He voted against the Patriot Act (every time):
And the Iraq war (authorization and funding).
We can go on and on, on every issue. On health care, he has pushed for single payer.
That is incredibly important to keep in mind.
When Congressman Kucinich supports reform with a modest, at best, public option, that is a compromise. That is a big compromise and demonstrates some realism, if you will. Several progressives have made that point, including folks you would not call radical lefties like Congresswoman Donna Edwards:
The Congresswoman makes the point that the public has embraced the public option. So when Congressman Dennis Kucinich holds out for the public option, he is holding out for the most popular section of the bill that has done more to energize the progressive base than any other section.
To come back to my original point, it is hysteria to call someone the "Ralph Nader of health care" because he chooses to hold strong for a public option. There are many reasons you could call Congressman Dennis Kucinich the "Ralph Nader" of any number of issues (although the "Kucinich of _____" is fitting enough), but this is so far from being one. Seriously folks, what do progressives have to do to convince people that the push for a public option is part of a very significant political philosophy? This is not some minor section of the bill to many folks, regardless of how often they are told by "more reasoned minds" that it is. And it is certainly far from extreme to hold out for the public option.
We're All Doomed...
cross-posted from Sum of Change
Fair warning, the video below contains crazy. Not cute, quirky crazy. We're talking crazy crazy.
Get it, we are all doomed and it is all your fault! An earthquake could not possibly be explained scientifically, it must be vengeance!!!
These were interviews we held at the March for Life back at the end of January. We also spoke with several folks about abortion, or reproductive health, and the proposed health care legislation. You can view those videos here.
Fair warning, the video below contains crazy. Not cute, quirky crazy. We're talking crazy crazy.
Get it, we are all doomed and it is all your fault! An earthquake could not possibly be explained scientifically, it must be vengeance!!!
These were interviews we held at the March for Life back at the end of January. We also spoke with several folks about abortion, or reproductive health, and the proposed health care legislation. You can view those videos here.
[Live Feed] President Obama and First Lady Speak at International Women's Day Reception
Streaming live online, thanks to the folks at the White House, is President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the International Women's Day Reception. We've got it streaming live at Sum Live Change as well.
MUSIC MONDAY: Fela Kuti and 'Fela!' on Broadway
If you are a fan of Hugh Masekela, whom I have written about previously, you will love the music of Fela Kuti, one of Masekela's friends and mentors. Kuti was a revolutionary, both musically and politically. Musically, he is generally considered as the first person to mix traditional jazz music with both James Brown inspired funk music and West African musical styles to create what is now called Afro beat. Politically, he created his own separatist commune within his home country of Nigeria (which was viciously attacked by the Nigerian Government) and was arrested over 200 times.
Though he recorded over 70 albums and gained international acclaim, Kuti's African identity always remained centrally important to him (which is evident in his music) and he chose to remain in or around Nigeria instead of moving to the west, where he could have become an international superstar. As a result, he became a local leader (he tried to run for president of Nigeria twice but was prevented by the government) but only maintained a small, but very strong, cult following in the United States and never received massive international success and popularity.
This is one reason why I am very happy that there is a (relatively) new broadway musical 'Fela!', which has enjoyed much critical and popular acclaim. I have not seen it (though I have seen the preview performed on The Colbert Report embedded below) but I very much hope to do so soon. The non-Colbert videos were posted by the the show's producers on Youtube. They briefly and succinctly explain more about Kuti's musical sound and personality. Enjoy!!
For tickets and more information of the musical, please go to www.felaonbroadway.com
For more Music Monday articles, please go to www.SumofChange.com/musicmonday
Though he recorded over 70 albums and gained international acclaim, Kuti's African identity always remained centrally important to him (which is evident in his music) and he chose to remain in or around Nigeria instead of moving to the west, where he could have become an international superstar. As a result, he became a local leader (he tried to run for president of Nigeria twice but was prevented by the government) but only maintained a small, but very strong, cult following in the United States and never received massive international success and popularity.
This is one reason why I am very happy that there is a (relatively) new broadway musical 'Fela!', which has enjoyed much critical and popular acclaim. I have not seen it (though I have seen the preview performed on The Colbert Report embedded below) but I very much hope to do so soon. The non-Colbert videos were posted by the the show's producers on Youtube. They briefly and succinctly explain more about Kuti's musical sound and personality. Enjoy!!
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Fela! - Zombie | ||||
| ||||
For tickets and more information of the musical, please go to www.felaonbroadway.com
For more Music Monday articles, please go to www.SumofChange.com/musicmonday
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Secret Video of Actual Politico Editorial Meeting
Hat-tip to Wonkette for this find. And this, of course, on top of this actual quote out of Politico:
There is nothing we like better than ass-kicking coverage of Congress. It's the one institution open enough, transparent enough to let enterprising reporters bring government figures and action to life almost every day. One of the main reasons we started POLITICO was because we knew in our guts - and from our experience - that there was a set of reporters who had the right moves, the right instincts, the right values to do just that. And we knew if we pulled it off, POLITICO would be indispensable reading for everyone who works in Congress - or cares about the institution.
We have been accused of hyperbole once or twice, but we can safely declare: we have officially pulled it off. We can not recall a more talented and relentless group of congressional reporters in all our years of Congress-watching. You guys rock - and the past few weeks amplify why.
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