DL21C's Eye on '08 Series continues with U.S. Senate Candidate Jim Neal (D-NC) Candidate for Senate against Sen. Elizabeth Dole Retreat Lounge 37 W 17th St (between 5th and 6th Avenues)
DL21C's Super Duper Tuesday Party Live Returns, TV Coverage, Special Guests and Much More Tonic Bar & Lounge 727 Seventh Avenue (at 49th Street) N/R/W/Q to 49th Street; 1/2/3 to 50th Street 7:00 pm until LATE
The Al Qaeda is not a state. It is not a standing army. It is a leaderless organization like the Wikipedia is a leaderless organization. Their group dynamics is pretty cutting edge.
I have consistently said at this blog the war on terror is the same magnitude as the cold war and the only way it will end is when all Arab countries have become democracies. You drain the swamp.
And then I have suggested Nepal's April Revolution 2006 might be the way to go about it. You build a coalition of all political parties. You shut the country down for a few weeks completely until the autocratic regime falls. An interim government takes over. It holds elections to a constituent assembly to write the country a new constitution. In this the diaspora of that country necessarily plays an important role.
Chicago belongs to America, Dallas belongs to America, San Francisco belongs to America, but New York City belongs to the world. Everybody you need to spread democracy into all countries of the world is right here in New York City. The single best thing anyone could do to spread democracy into all corners of the world would be to grant voting rights for the city elections to everyone who lives in this city. Proof of residence is all you should need. Either you got a lease, or your landlord fills out a form saying you live at a particular address. That would get all New Yorkers politically active, including the estimated 40% who don't have the legal papers to be in the country. Every single town on the planet is represented in New York City. Shanghai can claim skyscrapers but it can not claim NYC's diversity.
People from poor countries working odd jobs in New York City are people who love this city, they are people who love America. They don't go to bed at night and wake up in the morning having had dreams of blowing up buildings. But they have been denied their due political respect.
America is not an ideal democracy. It remains a racist democracy. Not all are equal. Capitalist America responded to Russia's October Revolution with a welfare state. America will win the war on terror as it should, but it will have to become a nonracist democracy in the process.
I hit the wall with DFNYC trying to get some, any, help on Nepal's democracy movement. Action against the Iraq War was okay, but Nepal was not in New York City. And so I shunned them as an organization after the magical April Revolution 2006. That one was for world history.
I might have hit the wall with DL21C on 2.0. And that is okay, it is a free country.
Moving around political organizations in Manhattan you get to feel the caste system. My thought on that is, well, fuck the caste system. Fuck the caste system in India. Fuck the caste system in America. And that is why my number one focus has been on experiencing events rather than trying to get to know people.
I have instigated a French Revolution. What have you done? Why should I think you are politically higher up than me? Especially when I find the group dynamics of leaderless organizations so very appealing. There is no higher up. There is only action.
Once in a while you will come across some white guy who is gearing to run for office in Queens. And I am like, I have been to Queens so many times. I don't meet white guys when I am walking around. How is this any different from British Viceroys landing upon Calcutta?
I think that is where BarackObama.com comes in. It is an amazing political tool. It is a stripped down version of Facebook and it is a stripped down version of MeetUp. Anyone can sign up. Anyone can create events. You get to create a profile. You can blog at the site.
Of course over time you get to know the regulars. You make friends. And leaders appear: people who really work hard behind the scenes to create events. But the skeleton of it is it is a leaderless organization.
BarackObama.com is an amazing tool that Barack will need more as president than he does now. It will be the primary feature of his presidential library.
Romney leads some Michigan polls, lags in others MarketWatch China and India: New Vision, Old Tensions BusinessWeek Kenyan Opposition Wins Parliament Speaker Vote Voice of America Obama, Clinton call for end to bitter fight CNN Apple announces ultrathin laptop, movie rentals CNET News.com Sexism, racism emerging from Clinton-Obama rivalry Inquirer.net McCain Moves Into Lead; Obama Gains on Clinton Washington Post Sen. Barack Obama all but erasing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's once-overwhelming advantage among Democrats ..... Clinton had dominated in national polls from the outset, holding a 30-point advantage as recently as a month ago, but the competitiveness of the first two contests appears to have reverberated among Democrats across the country. ....... 42 percent of likely Democratic voters support Clinton (N.Y.), and 37 percent back Obama (Ill.). Clinton's support is down 11 percentage points from a month ago, with Obama's up 14 ...... opinions shifted decisively after Obama's big win in Iowa and Clinton's narrow victory in New Hampshire. ....... Obama has a 13-point edge among independents ...... Many of the upcoming contests limit participation to registered Democrats, which Clinton's advisers see as an advantage. ...... Obama holds a lead of nearly 2 to 1 among African Americans ....... 59 percent of black women support Obama and 35 percent back Clinton. Among white women, Clinton's margin over Obama is 20 percentage points ...... Obama now leads Clinton among men, 42 percent to 33 percent, and while she retains an advantage among women, it has been severely attenuated. She has an 11 percentage-point lead among women, down from 39 points a month ago. ....... Obama has eliminated the 3 to 1 advantage she enjoyed among single women a month ago. Married women go for Clinton over Obama by 53 percent to 30 percent. ....... Obama has in some cases neutralized what were big Clinton advantages. ..... half now see him as the most inspiring Democrat. ...... By a decisive margin, Democrats in the new poll said they prioritize a new direction and new ideas over strength and experience Bill Clinton: Move Beyond Race Remarks ABC News Bill Clinton courts Nevada ahead of caucusesSeattle Post Intelligencer Hillary Clinton's Dirty Campaign TacticsAlterNet Hillary Clinton will not just fight hard, but fight dirty, to win. And her tactic of choice is attempting to suppress the votes of her rival's supporters. ......... Nevada, where the Nevada State Education Association is widely seen as filing a suit on Clinton's behalf to stop Las Vegas' most powerful union, Culinary Workers Local 226, from caucusing inside downtown casinos after the union endorsed Barack Obama. The tactic foments a split along racial and class lines in arguably the strongest union city in America. ......... the Clinton campaign has made similar moves in New Hampshire and Iowa. ........ In the first primary state, her supporters -- backed by New Hampshire Democratic Party officials -- pressured poll workers to remove observers stationed by the Obama campaign. ....... in Iowa, the Clinton campaign -- with the help of the state's largest newspaper, the Des Moines Register, which endorsed her -- was discouraging students from returning from winter break to vote, even though their right to do so was legal ....... her campaign's increasingly critical rhetoric has been accompanied by voter suppression tactics aimed at her rival's core voters. ........ intentionally suppressing voters -- especially under-represented, low-income minority union members ......... no organization is more aligned with those voters in Nevada than the Culinary Union, whose training materials for its members are printed in four languages ....... a strong turnout from the tens of thousands of Culinary Workers Union members in Las Vegas, where 70 percent of Nevada voters live, could swing the state's early foray into presidential politics ....... In 2000, fewer than 1,000 people participated in Nevada's caucuses. In 2004, that number was about 9,000. This year, estimates are in the tens of thousands. ....... "This (caucus) plan was created by some of the same people who are plaintiffs in the suit against it," he said. "It's not that they didn't like the plan when Clinton was ahead." Poll: Clinton, McCain Lead Nationally The Associated Press
Nevada Debate Watch Party
Hi Barackers,
The race is on! Come cheer for Barack when he debates Hilary and Edwards at the Democratic Debate in Nevada. With Barack and Hilary neck and neck, the debate is sure to be exciting!
Where: Irish Rogue, 356 West 44th St., 2nd Floor Drink Specials all night: $3 domestic beer/$4 draft and imported beer/$1 off all other drinks. Special Pub Food Menu for Barackers
When: 8 to 9 PM: Intro to Phone Banking with Justin Allen. Find out the key techniques in representing the Obama campaign
9 to 11 PM: Watch the debate with fellow supporters televised live on MSNBC. Cheer for Barack as he takes on the rival candidates.
*Join ObamaNYC.com! As Super Tuesday approaches, the campaign needs everyone's help. Please email me if you're interested in being an active organizer role with ObamaNYC, a grassroots group of enthusiastic and fun campaign volunteers.
