LCDP General Party Meeting
Monday, April 21, 2008
7:00 to 9:00 P.M.
Ho Chunk Nation 3 Rivers House
724 Main St.
La Crosse
Speaker: Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now

UW-L College Dems Barbecue Fundraiser
Sunday, April 27th
1:00 P.M.
Location TBA (Watch your email for location)

Tara Johnson for State Senate Fundraiser
Thursday, May 8th
5:00 to 7:00 P.M.
Forest Hills
Special Guest: Lt. Governor Barb Lawton

Ron Kind's Birthday Celebration
Monday, May 12th
5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.
La Crosse Yacht Club Details to follow

LCDP General Party Meeting
Monday, May 19, 2008
7:00 to 9:00 P.M.
Ho Chunk Nation 3 Rivers House
724 Main St.
La Crosse
Speaker: La Crosse County Legislative Candidates

Democratic Party of Wisconsin State Convention
June 13-14, 2008
Stevens Point Holiday Inn & Convention Center
Stevens Point
(see details below)

via the Huffington Post

Our country is facing two serious crises right now, one foreign -- the disastrous war in Iraq -- and one domestic -- a mismanaged economy on the brink of collapse.

This is obviously why the right track/wrong track polling numbers are at such stunning extremes: 22 percent "satisfied" to 72 percent "dissatisfied" in the latest Pew poll, 19 percent/80 percent in Gallup.

John McCain may not have a clue about what's going on in Iraq, but he's certainly seen those poll numbers. That's why he's suddenly running as fast as he can from the Bush presidency, telling ABC, "The point is, I'm not running on the Bush presidency, I'm running on my own service to the country, my own record in the House of Representatives and the United States Senate and my vision for the future."

Well, he can run, but he can't hide because running on his own record isn't going to put much distance between him and Bush either. That's because it's the policies of McCain and those most closely associated with his campaign that got us into both our foreign and domestic disasters in the first place.

Two important pieces explained the roles played by McCain and his advisors in creating our current foreign and domestic crises.

In Politico, Lisa Lerer detailed how former Senator Phil Gramm, the general co-chair of McCain's campaign and one of his top financial advisors, was the primary force behind the banking deregulation bill in 1999 that helped pave the way for the current subprime meltdown.

Two years after Gramm dutifully did the banks' bidding, he was rewarded, after a quick trip through the revolving door, with the title of vice chairman at UBS and, along with two others, with $750,000 in lobbying fees. UBS investors weren't as lucky as Phil: the bank has written off over $18 billion in subprime loans, while 8,000 UBS employees were laid off.

And McCain has hinted that Gramm might be his Treasury Secretary.

The new McCain has started backing away even from campaign finance reform, his signature maverick issue. And with his buddy Phil best-friend-the-banks-ever-had Gramm right behind him, the idea that McCain is some sort of financial reformer is absurd.

But don't tell that to the media -- it would be like telling an 8 year-old there's no Santa Claus. They worked hard constructing their McCain narrative, and dammit, they're going to keep believing in it.

It's much the same on the foreign policy front. In the great new site The Washington Independent, Spencer Ackerman has a dead-on analysis of Mccain's foreign policy. The money shot:

"Since he began running for president, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has embraced President George W. Bush's foreign policy. He has done so for a simple and understandable reason: it was McCain's policy first." That's right -- the reason McCain will be a continuation of George Bush's foreign policy is because George Bush was following McCainism all along. Or, as Ackerman puts it: " McCain represents not a break from the Bush Doctrine, but rather its intensification."

Here's John McCain circa 2000:

"I'd institute a policy that I call 'rogue state rollback'...I would arm, train, equip, both from without and from within, forces that would eventually overthrow the governments and install free and democratically elected governments." Now over seventy percent of Americans believe that "rogue state rollback" has not worked out that well.

McCain, of course, sees the same numbers. So he's careful to throw in a few qualifiers for the media -- the equivalent of dangling keys in front of them -- as he did in a foreign policy speech last week. Did it work? Sadly, all too well.

As Ackerman notes, CNN's Dana Bash called it a world view "quite different from the president's." And Gail Collins in the New York Times said that McCain "broke dramatically with the administration."

What was this "dramatic break?" That we should "listen to the views" of our allies.

Yeah, sure, we should "listen" to them. And after they say they vehemently disagree with us, as they surely will (good luck getting a coalition together for that invasion of Iran), what then?

The LCDP will welcome Scot Ross, the executive director of One Wisconsin Now as its guest speaker at the April General Party meeting. Scot orginally worked as a print reporter, with his stories appearing in publications such as The Pittsburgh Press and The New York Times.

Scot has been working to promote progressive ideas across Wisconsin for the past few decades, serving as the communications director for a number of campaigns including that of Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk. Many of you might remember that Scot ran for Wisconsin Secretary of State in 2006. In addition, Ross served as the research director for America Coming Together, a group dedicated to registering and mobilizing voters to elect progressive candidates in Wisconsin.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin State Convention will take place on June 13-14, 2008 at the Holiday Inn and Convention Center in Stevens Point.

To make a room reservation, call the Stevens Point Holiday Inn and Convention Center at 715-344-0200 and ask for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin Room Block.

DNC Members Election

This year at the State Convention, we will be electing Wisconsin's Democratic National Committee members. Wisconsin has two male and two female Committee Members, which are elected by the delegates to State Convention.

To run for a DNC position, please submit the Candidate Intent Form by Friday, May 23, 2008 at 5:00pm. The form is available on the DPW's State Convention webpage (link below).

State Convention Delegates

To be a Delegate, you must also be a current party member. To request a membership form please send an email to: laxdems@yahoo.com. If you have questions about your membership status please contact Fabio Burgos or Kris Troyanek.

If you are interested in becoming a Delegate or Alternate to State Convention, please contact your Fabio Burgos. Delegate lists are due by Friday, May 23, 2008 at 5:00pm.

Pre-Registration for Convention

Registration fees are $20 before May 30, 2008, or $30 at the door. A pre- registration form can be found at the DPW website or picked up at the April General Party meeting.

Platform and Resolutions

The 2008 Democratic Party of Wisconsin Platform will be voted on this June.

Resolutions to the State Convention must:

We know one of these three men will be out of a job in January, 2009. Let's do our best to make sure that the other two get to join him in retirement. Dan Kapanke in the Wisconsin State Senate and Mike Huebsch in the Wisconsin Assembly are the personification of President Bush's far right-wing agenda in Wisconsin.

The way to restore La Crosse to its rightful designation as a "blue" county is to get involved. The LCDP needs volunteers now for party building and 2008 election preparation. In Tara Johnson (the 32nd Senate District) and Cheryl Hancock (the 94th Assembly District), we will have excellent candidates. Growth of our local party will make it possible for these candidates to have success. We need both volunteers and increased membership in order to fund a campaign office. Keep in mind that neither the National Democratic Party nor the State Democratic Party fully fund our campaign offices and in this election cycle the funds may come late. In order to open an office soon and support our local candidates we need increased membership, funding and volunteers.

We have several standing committees/projects. To assist in fundraising please contact Marcia Wine at 783-0172 or mrswineiii@charter.net

To assist in newsletter preparation please contact Pablo Ruiz at 738-8251 or pablomruiz3@yahoo.com

To assist in list development/voter targeting, please contact Fabio Burgos at 792-0878 or fburgos@laxdems.com

We also need assistance in graphic design, and event planning. 2008 is not just a presidential election year. We need a special effort in '08, particularly in the 94th Assembly District and in the 32nd State Senate District.

The defeat on an excellent Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice, Louis Butler, to a challenger who ran one of the most disgusting campaigns on record while funded by far right-wing interests on April 1st should propel all of us into action.

There has been much talk of 2008 being "a Democratic year" and this may yet be the case. However, this elections won't be won by assuming that the mass of voters will punish the incompetence of the Bush administration and Wisconsin Republicans. Unless we all work hard and get involved, on November 5th we face the real possibility of John McCain to carrying Wisconsin and extreme right-wingers like Mike Huebsch and Dan Kapanke returning to Madison after winning re-election.

We have a chance to do something very special this year, but it will not happen by simply assuming the tide is running our way. April 1st should demonstrate that this is a faulty assumption.

Therefore, please get involved and join us at either the general party meetings on April 21st and May 19th, the College Dems Fundraiser on April 27th, and our Summer Fiesta on June 19th or preferably, all four.

Fabio Burgos
Chair
La Crosse County Democratic Party

THANK YOUS

Thanks to all who came to the LCDP Spring Fling/St. Pat's Day party on March 15. Special thanks of course to Loren Kannenberg and Karri Kline for hosting. Marcia Wine also deserves much gratitude for setup and her assistance that night.

In addition, thanks to all who helped staff and participate in the La Crosse County National Convention Caucus on April 6th at the Cartwright Center at UW-L. Kudos especially to UW-L College Dems and their Co-Chairs Graham Clumpner and Casey Giltner, who set up the caucus. The College Dems have been doing exception work this spring and deserve all of our thanks.

Please renew your memberships!! If you have not done so, you can find our 08 membership form at laxdems.com. (Left side of front page).

Our goal is to push party membership over 400 people. Please check our website at laxdems.com, which has a membership form or email laxdems.com if you cannot come to our future party meetings.

Membership rates, effective October 1, 2006, as established by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, are as follows:

Students, Senior Citizens: $10.00
General: $25.00
Pairs (two memberships): $35.00
Activist (up to three): $45.00
Family(includes all family members: $75.00
Supporter: $120.00
Friend: $240.00
Patron: $600.00
Investor: $1200.00
Benefactor $2400.00
 

Half of the above membership dues go to the State party, with the exception of the Family membership, where $45.00 of $75.00 goes to the local party. Those who join at the higher levels of membership ($120.00 and above) should remember that only $50.00 of those memberships will stay with the local party.

If your intention is to become a new member or renew your membership with the Democratic Party and you want more of your contribution to go to the Local County Party, please consider joining at the single $25 or $75 Family membership level and making additional contributions to the county party directly.

HELP ELECT PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS IN 2008

Senator Feingold has long believed that a strong grassroots field program is the key to electoral victory. As such, Senator Feingold started the Patriot Corps in 2006 as a way to support important races across the nation. In the lead up to the 2008 election, Senator Feingold will again be hiring, training and sending field staff to key races across the country.

We're looking for at least 20 energetic, personable activists from across the country to participate in our second Patriot Corps program. Once chosen, Patriot Corps members will participate in an extensive, multi- day training program in Milwaukee, WI the first week of September. This training will focus on volunteer recruitment, organizing a canvas, running a phone bank, working with local activists, advanced GOTV training, and staffing a candidate. Patriot Corps members will then be placed on targeted campaigns across the country for the last two months leading up to the election.

While we're looking for organizers with experience, we're also hoping to hire activists with a willingness to work hard to bring victory home this fall. For more information or to apply for the Patriots Corps Program, please contact Paula Zellner at zellner@progressivepatriotsfund.com or 715-735- 7811. All applications must be submitted by Friday, July 25th.

PATRIOT CORPS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What will my work schedule be like?

While your workweek will be established by your individual campaigns, field organizers on a competitive campaign are often expected to work 7 days a week. It is not uncommon for campaigns to establish a workday that can be 10-12 hours per day. We are looking for a significant commitment from Patriot Corps participants and you should understand this before you decide if this program is right for you. Participants should not expect to leave the campaign site for any significant amount of time during the eight weeks they are working on their assigned campaign.

How will I get to the training in Milwaukee and to and from my assigned campaign?

Participants are expected to make their own arrangements for travel to Milwaukee for the initial Patriot Corps training in September. The Progressive Patriots Fund will help subsidize your expenses by reimbursing you for your gas costs for travel from the Milwaukee training to your assigned campaign and your return to Milwaukee following the election. While having access to a car is not a requirement for participation in the program, it is strongly recommended that Patriot Corps participants have their own vehicle. In order to be effective campaigners, applicants are generally expected to be able to provide transportation to travel around their district.

Where will I be housed during the training in Milwaukee and after being assigned to a campaign?

Housing will be provided for all participants during the three day training in Milwaukee. Once on the campaign, housing will be provided at no cost to you by the local campaigns. The Progressive Patriots Fund will work with local campaigns to ensure basic housing arrangements are made for all Patriot Corps employees. In most cases this will mean living with a local campaign staff person or volunteer.

What support will I get from the Progressive Patriots Fund while working on my assigned campaign? Guidance and support will be provided through weekly conference calls with Progressive Patriots Fund staff. In addition, your trainers will be available to answer any questions you may have and will work with you to address any challenges you face while working on your assigned campaign.

What campaign will I be sent to?

Every two years, the DPW Platform and Resolutions Committee is charged with presenting a platform for adoption at the state convention. The proposed 2008 platform is too long for this newsletter but can be found online at laxdems.com