Tara Johnson Fundraiser with Senator Russ Feingold
Saturday, August 9th
Time TBA
Freighthouse Restaurant
107 Vine St.
La Crosse

Bangor Fun Daze Parade Sunday, August 10, 2008
Meetup location to follow

Cheryl Hancock Fundraiser
Wednesday, August 13th
1925 Main St.
La Crosse
Time TBA

Holmen Kornfest Parade
Saturday, August 16th
11:00 A.M.
Lineup at Holmen Aquatic Center

August General Party Meeting
Monday, August 18th
7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.
La Crosse County Democratic Party Office
127 S. 6th St.
La Crosse
Speaker: State Senator Pat Kreitlow

Labor Day Parade and Laborfest
Monday, September 1st
Lineup location TBA

Ron Kind CornRoast
Saturday, September 6th
La Crosse County Fairgrounds
West Salem

La Crosse County Democratic Party Fall Dinner
Saturday, October 18th
Save the Date

by Joseph Palermo

excerpted from The Huffington Post

In 2004, the Republican Party's "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth," acting as a surrogate for the George W. Bush reelection campaign, launched the sleaziest, most despicable smears against a veteran's war record ever undertaken during an American presidential campaign. This well- heeled group of extreme right-wing Nixonians who were still smarting over John Kerry's work in the early 1970s with Vietnam Veterans Against the War, deployed a tapestry of lies and innuendo to make a mockery out of the United States Navy's decision to award Kerry the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts for his service in Vietnam. So caustic and over-the-top were the Swiftboaters' attacks on Kerry that both George W. Bush and John McCain were forced to squeak out tepid, half-hearted criticisms of the group. But only a couple of days before McCain gushed loving praise for Bush at the Republican National Convention, he blamed Kerry for eliciting the Swiftboat attacks himself because he had made his Vietnam record a political issue in the campaign. That's the way McCain showed his solidarity with a fellow navy vet who served in Vietnam.

The Swift Boat smears against Kerry were qualitatively light-years beyond anything ever cooked up even by Joseph McCarthy or Richard Nixon. The moment the group emerged the New York Times exposed its ties to the Texas GOP and to Karl Rove and the Bush campaign. But the mainstream press gave Bush a free ride to pretend he had nothing to do with his own surrogates.

"Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" was so abrasive and sleazy that the term "Swiftboating" has earned a place in our political lexicon denoting lies aimed at smearing an opponent in a political campaign. The right-wing Regnery publishing house produced the Swiftboaters' hatchet job on Kerry. John O'Neill, who had a 30-plus year grudge against Kerry from the time he worked for Nixon, made the rounds on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NPR pissing all over Kerry's war record while eager "journalists," including Jim Lehrer on PBS, lapped it up and dedicated weeks of "coverage" and commentary. The new meaning of the word "Swiftboat," for which we can thank Rove and Bush (and the media), has had a disparaging effect on the vast majority of real swift boat veterans who served honorably and did not agree with the Swiftboaters' methods or motives. "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" has forever tarnished these veterans' names, and ultimately their service.

At the 2004 Republican National Convention hundreds of people sported purpled band-aids on their fingers mocking Kerry's war wounds that earned him three Purple Hearts. The corporate media thought it was funny.

More than any other act of rank hypocrisy that we have grown accustomed to expect from John McCain his recent embrace of the Swiftboaters to help his presidential campaign is beyond astonishing, especially for someone who is running in large part on his Vietnam record. McCain's new love affair with the Swiftboaters should expose to the mainstream press once and for all that their man -- their father figure and "hero" -- their "maverick" -- is nothing more than a Karl Rove-George Bush clone, a human-political/animal hybrid who jettisoned his ethics and integrity the minute he realized he was poised to become the heir to the glorious Bush legacy.

John McCain has happily accepted large campaign contributions from the following Swifboaters: Bob Perry, T. Boone Pickens, Carl Linder Sr., Harlan Crow, Jack E. Caveney, Albert Huddleston, and Sam Fox. He has even recently added the prominent Swiftboater, Bud Day, to his stable of war veterans who are currently shilling for his campaign. According to the Federal Election Commission, McCain has raked in over $600,000 in cash from former members of "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth."

McCain is running for president largely on his "experience" that his Vietnam service gave him. But unlike the treatment his Swiftboating friends and allies dished out to Kerry in 2004 McCain wants discussion of his military record to be sacrosanct. He and his surrogates are whining about recent statements by Wesley Clark and Jim Webb about whether McCain should keep on beating Barack Obama over the head with his military experience. General Clark simply questioned whether the type of experience McCain had in Vietnam automatically qualifies him as an expert in foreign policy and gives him the judgment to be commander-in-chief. All Webb said was that McCain might want to "calm down" a bit his pounding away with his putative monopoly on patriotism and pointed out, correctly, that not everyone who serves (or has served) in the United States military is a Bush-McCain Republican.

2008 is one of those rare years where there is little difference between national and state issues. Dan Kapanke and Mike Huebsch have the same attitude as George Bush and John McCain: hostility or indifference towards public education, middle class access to health care and a woman's right to choose. Helping to defeat Dan Kapanke and Mike Huebsch is also helping elect Barack Obama President of the United States, and vice- versa.

Please visit and volunteer at the La Crosse County Democratic Party Office at 127 S. 6th St, (608) 785-5866. Even an hour here and there makes a huge difference.

A reminder that the office also has a myspace page at the following link: myspace.com/demofficelax. Please stop by to view the office and to volunteer.

Thank you to all who responded to our wish lists in the May and June newsletters. However, the office will have continuing and additional needs as we approach November. The following items would be much appreciated: white copy paper, printer ink, toilet paper, kleenex, healthy food :), diet soda, and general office supplies (particularly labels, pens,staplers and staples!!).

This list is NOT EXCLUSIVE. Please contact the office at (608)785-5866 to Please help support those who will be volunteering from now until Election Day.

The following people have volunteered at the LCDP Office: Judy Alf, Cynthia Arauz, Stan and Ceal Berg, Vicki Burke, Maureen Carroll, Emeron Christianson, John Cleveland, Rachael Collins, Amanda Coughlin, David Goode, Linda Goodwin, Sharon Hampson, Mary Kocar, Mary McKnight, Barb Reithel, Jim Ryan, Jan Stacey, and Marcia Wine. We apologize if any names were missed. The time you have spent in the office has been much appreicated.

Special thanks to Vicki Burke and Marcia Wine for doing a super job of getting the word out to party members about volunteer opportunties and of course to Katie Naessens and Kat Dellenbach for all their work with volunteers within the office.

THANK YOUS, KUDOS, NEWS & NOTES

Thanks to Vicki Burke, Barb Clark and Kris Troyanek for their help in setup and food preparation for the LCDP Summer Fiesta on June 16th.

Congratulations to Graham Clumpner and Kat Dellenbach, who were named La Crosse County Field Organizers for the Obama campaign.

Welcome to Roger Low, who will be the Regional Coordinator (3rd Congressional District) for the Obama campaign.

What is already the biggest campaign office in recent memory is getting bigger. In cooperation with the Obama campaign, the LCDP has rented additional space connected to our office at 127 S. 6th St. in La Crosse. The additional space is needed for additional Obama staffers and volunteers. In addition, we will be holding general party meetings at the office from this point through the election.

As anyone who has been at the office can attest, the level of activity during June and early July is comparable to an October-like level of activity in past election years.

I would recommend as we celebrate our nation that every citizen read Barack Obama's speech on patriotism given in Independence, Missouri last week. It can be found at http:/ /my.barackobama.com/page/community/po st/stateupdates/gG55dC. It is great explanation of why we are working so hard to elect him President of the United States and why we are working to elect Democrats of the same philosophy to Congress and our state legislature.

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.

Please join us on Monday, July 21th at 7:00 P.M. at our expanded office at 127 . S. 6th St. in La Crosse for our July General Party Meeting.

The speaker will be UW-L Political Science Professor Joe Heim on the national political outlook. Obama Regional Field Coordinator Roger Low will also speak.

FUTURE MEETING SPEAKERS:

August 18th: State Senator Pat Kreitlow