the week I missed

Sorry for the long absense dear readers, I took a much needed vacation. Canada is very interesting, it is like a cleaner, nicer version of the U.S. But I couldn't live in a country that doesn't have the guts to stick up for itself and permitted Great Britian to control it until late into the 20th century. I saw many interesting things, like the hundreds of bunnies hopping around the University of Victoria (pics to come).

I also enjoyed Seattle, but I think the overcast weather would eventually be draining on my phyche even though my skin would love it. I had not really been outside in the sun this whole year until last week and even though I used sunscreen, I got pretty burned. Remember kids, apply liberally and thorougly, especially when you go out on a boat or on a long bike ride.

On the plane, I read Glenn Greenwald's book, which I bought, and Kos/Armstrong's book, which I checked out from the library. I am glad I bought what I bought and borrowed what I borrowed. Crashing the Gate reads like a series of blog posts by Kos, which tend to be more based on emotion that clear, thorough logic. Maybe it is the fact that I am in law school, but I found Glenn's writing to be excellant and will be giving the book to my father who seems inclined to think that the NSA wiretapping scandal is no big deal. I believe it will pursuade him otherwise. Whereas, if you weren't already a believer in Kos and Jerome's brand of agressive progressiveness, you were only pursuaded that the GOP has their sh!t together whereas the Democrats don't in areas of consultants, ad buys, and GOTV.

The DLC section to me is the most frustrating thing. No matter how many times I and others tell folks on Kos or MyDD that the DLC doesn't endorse or support candidates other than writing policy papers and calling them the New Dem of the week or among the 100 to Watch. The DLC doesn't have a vast conspiratorial agenda, and I don't see how they can simultianously be irrelevant and capable of taking down Howard Dean.

The DLC is a 501(c)(3), which means it can't support candidates or get involved at all in primaries other to state their opinion. Individuals associated with the DLC/PPI like Al From could endorse a candidate personally and give them $2,100, but that's it. There is no way they would risk their tax status to help Liberman win. Sure they might had advised him, DLC members might have given money or raised money for him, but the DLC can't and doesn't get involved in any election other than in their magazines, blogs, and interviews. DLC staffers liked Rep. Ed Case, CA Aud. Steve Westly, and ex-Rep. Tim Roemer, but they did little for those folks in their efforts to climb higher. The DLC like to take credit for spotting rising stars and crafting them with the DLC's message, but they aren't repsonsible for telling them to run for higher office or supporting them on an institutional level.

Westley's big mistake was hiring the Chris Lehane of California politics: Garry South. South ran Gray Davis' horribly nasty 2002 reelection effort that reduced turnout to unheard of levels, even for California. Was it surprising to anyone that South used the same low-ball tactics against Angelides that he used in 2002 against GOPers? Westley also shouldn't have listened to South, but that's another story for another time.