Saturday, February 24, 2007

Americans Unaware of Iraqi Death Toll

This kind of explains some of the American sentiment toward the Iraq war. An AP article on MSNBC says a recent poll had Americans grossly underestimating the loss of life in Iraq by tens of thousands of people.

posted by Adam Lang at 9:50 AM 0 comments Post to DemWire

Friday, February 23, 2007

State Chair Katie Naessens

Ms. Naessens outlined the achievements of College Democrats this past fall. She also spoke about Wisconsin's importance within the national organization. Last summer, former State Chair Awais Khaleel became the College Democrats of America National Vice-President. She introduced chapeter leaders from around the state to talk about their successes and struggles.

All in all, things are looking up around the state. The key points of Gov. Dean's 50 State Strategy are evident in each chapter's progress over the past year.

posted by Oliver Kiefer at 8:08 PM 0 comments Post to DemWire

Brian + Richard + Awais = Campaign Messaging 101

What do you get when you put together the finest of CDM's Senior Circuit? A lesson is political campaigns that one won't soon forget. The three distinguished gentlemen put on a great show, underlining the five C's of communication: Be Concise, Contrast, Clear, Creative, and Credible.

They were very well received by the audience and certainly provided many College Dems with a preview of some of the information that will be presented at April's Democratic Leadership Institute. Check out the link for more info, and stay tuned to uwmadisondems.org for further information on this event. It's a great way to learn how to run campaigns and get involved in state progressive politics.

Next Up: State Chair Katie Naessens
Tomorrow: Rep. Steve Kagen (D - 8th District WI)

posted by Oliver Kiefer at 7:35 PM 0 comments Post to DemWire

CDW Convention - Friday Evening Speakers

After dinner, Andrew Werthman, Legislative Aide to State Senator Vinehout, talked about hardships on Election Day for same day regrestrants. He noted that College Dems made huge contributions to turnout in Eau Claire and at other campuses throughout the state.

He was followed by State Rep. Jeff Smith (D - Eau Claire). Rep. Smith introduced himself by saying, "Hi, I'm Jeff Smith. I'm a liberal." He again noted the importance of Eau Claire in the recent democratic swing of the Wisconsin legislature, and underscored the work that College Dems did in the fall election. He sees Eau Claire as a model for Democratic campaigns throughout the state; campaigns based on hard work and new ideas, and not founded on huge contributors and divisive politics. Rep. Smith concluded by reminding the Convention that politics is not a game, and that College Dems is not a social club. Instead, he offered, the College Dems are a "work club," dedicated to promoting progressive issues that keep the priorities of working families, students, and seniors in mind.

posted by Oliver Kiefer at 6:36 PM 0 comments Post to DemWire

College Democrats of Wisconsin State Convention

This weekend in Eau Claire the College Democrats of Wisconsin are holding their annual State Convention. There will be officer elections, presentations from the Eau Claire County Party Chair, and a number of elected officials.

Updates will come throughout the evening and into tomorrow as convention continues.

posted by Oliver Kiefer at 6:00 PM 0 comments Post to DemWire

And Then There Were Eight

It seems Tom Vilsack today will be announcing he's dropping out of the race for the White House. He gets the honors (perhaps) of being both first in and first out.

I'm kind of disappointed. He seemed like a pretty nice guy when I had a chance to chat with him. But I have a bit of a bias for midwesterners. They're like me, ya know?

posted by Adam Lang at 11:15 AM 0 comments Post to DemWire

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Pressure on Sudan

From the Racine Journal Times:

Wisconsin would rid its pension fund of investments in foreign companies working with Sudan under a bill legislators introduced Wednesday to help end violence in Darfur.

The measure reflects a growing movement among states to divest from Sudan as ethnic violence in the east African nation continues. California, Connecticut, Illinois and Maine have passed similar legislation, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

You can read more at the linked article.

posted by Adam Lang at 1:47 PM 0 comments Post to DemWire

John McCain Might As Well Be Gay?

Seth Zlotocha at In Effect has an insightful blog post that simultaneously explains why John McCain's goose is cooked and sheds a light on how backward our country can be.

posted by Adam Lang at 1:40 PM 0 comments Post to DemWire

Election May Be Holiday

A state lawmaker introduced legislation Monday that would make Election Day in November a state holiday.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Surgery will put Wis. governor on crutches for weeks

From the Chippewa Herald:

Gov. Jim Doyle is expected to be on crutches for six to eight weeks following surgery Wednesday to repair his left hip, his office said.

In a brief statement, the governor's office said Doyle was scheduled to undergo hip resurfacing surgery later Wednesday.

The procedure is expected to last two to three hours and involves removing some bone from the hip joint. It is an alternative to total hip replacement surgery and could give the governor a better range of motion, the statement said.

The governor's office promised additional details as they became available.

Doyle, 61, will miss the upcoming meeting of the National Gov.'s Association in Washington, D.C., scheduled for Saturday through Feb. 28 because of the surgery.

Poor Jim.

posted by Adam Lang at 3:49 PM 0 comments Post to DemWire

A Timetable: An Update

It looks like Denmark is leaving Iraq, too.

posted by Adam Lang at 3:44 PM 0 comments Post to DemWire

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

A Timetable

From Deutsche Welle:

The White House has confirmed reports that British Prime Minister Tony Blair is set to announce a timetable for the withdrawal of British soldiers from Iraq. A White House spokesman said that Blair had informed US President George W. Bush of his intentions in a telephone call earlier in the day. British media reports say the plan is for 3,000 British troops to pull out by the end of this year, with half of those returning to the UK within the next few weeks. A spokesman for Blair's office said the prime minister would address the issue before the House of Commons on Wednesday. Britain currently has about 7,000 troops in Iraq. Most of them are based in and around the southern city of Basra.

posted by Adam Lang at 9:58 PM 0 comments Post to DemWire

The Big O

Take a look at Barack Obama's big O that he's using as his campaign logo. I personally think it's the best political logo in ages, what with the dual purpose of being both a sun rising over the American heartland and a big O. Plus it looks slick.

I really hope the Obama folks take that big O and make circular bumper stickers with just that, much the same way that the George W Bush folks made the oval W04s that marked which drivers on the roads were rednecks.

If they do branding like that, they will surely win. And I will surely vote for him in the primary. As of now (because no such sticker exists? or because no one candidate has proved him or herself to me?) I'm a fence sitter.

And thus ends my completely inconsequential post.

posted by Adam Lang at 8:05 PM 0 comments Post to DemWire

Monday, February 19, 2007

Australia to Ban Incandescent Bulbs

From MSNBC:

Australia will be the world’s first country to ban incandescent lightbulbs in a bid to curb Greenhouse gas emissions, with the government saying on Tuesday they would be phased out within three years. Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull said yellow incandescent bulbs, which have been in use virtually unchanged for 125 years, would be replaced by more efficient compact fluorescent bulbs by 2009.

That's a new one. Our state should do this.

posted by Adam Lang at 11:50 PM 0 comments Post to DemWire

Does America Really Need Another Tough Guy President?

Everyone knows that after 9/11, "America's mayor," Rudy Giuliani, was canonized by the American media for his strength and courage in the face of the terrorists that attacked the World Trade Center. We know Giuliani "sounds tough on national security" but let's step back for a minute. He was the mayor of a city, albeit a major city, but does that give him national security credentials? Not really. Yet the conventional wisdom is that since he "hates the terrorists" more and "seems tougher" than those wussy Democrats, the media regularly elevates him above people who have actual foreign policy experience. The thinking goes something like, "if only those socially conservative Republican primary voters could look past the fact that he's pro-choice, he'd be exactly what this country needs in a time of war and would be very attractive in a general election."

I highly recommend this editorial in the LA Times which goes a long way toward debunking the myth that Giuliani would necessarily make a good president. After all, "talking tough" got us into Iraq and has made much of the world hate us. It's not a substitute for good foreign policy. What happened to speaking softly and carrying a big stick?

UPDATE: The Onion published glorious piece last week illustrating my point.

posted by Ryan Greenfield at 12:31 PM 0 comments Post to DemWire

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