Okay folks, if like me you really can't go to CT this weekend, let's work out our frustration. In my case, I can't get away from the job and commitments down here in DC. I'm sure there are others.

So what's the next best thing? Cash. Money. Last minute ad buys, flyers for the people who can go, etc... Free media from a last minute surge in donations.

So this diary is to self-report your donations over the weekend. From time to time (maybe twice a day), I'll hop in and do a tally/update. I've never shilled for a recommend before, but let's bump this sucker up there. No discussion, just numbers. Allieviate your frustration at not being on the ground by popping in a donation. We want major money by Sun evening, just in time for the Monday new cycle.

Remember folks, as Kos noted, if everyone who actually reads this site kicked in a lousy $10 bucks on something, we'd generate a minimum (most conservative stat interpretation) of $1M. So let's go!

Join us after your holiday weekend to learn more about the D.C. primary elections coming up in September and to hear about DC for Democracy's endorsement plans. We'll be joined by mayoral candidate Marie Johns, council chair candidate Kathy Patterson, and more! A full list of those campaigns planning to attend in person or by representative (to date) follows, and will be updated as we hear more. Weds July 5th, 7pm at Ben's Chili Bowl

RSVP Here

Click "read more" for a listing of candidates to date.

Well, well, well...it appears the Post can't handle the VP of facial buckshot being booed today.

The first pitch of the Washington Nationals' second season at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium was low and away, bouncing in the dirt before being scooped up by catcher Brian Schneider.

For that, Vice President Cheney received a round of boos from the home crowd this afternoon. But the catcalls didn't last long before the fans cheered for the Nationals, who took the field in their white uniforms with red trim against the New York Mets.

Over the past few days, a whole lot of folks have become outraged over the DSCC led disaster regarding Paul Hackett's ouster from the Ohio Senatorial race. Given how much this was hashed out, it really doesn't serve much point to go over the story again. However, there has been no clear idea of what response, if any makes sense. Inevitably, the extremes kicked in between the "screw the Democratic Party" and the inevitable "But unless you accept this without question, the Republican will win" counter blackmail. Neither of these options is very compelling.

Then Matt Stoller at MyDD came up with a post offering two alternatives to make a point to the Party Establishment. The Swiftian "take out Casey" and the "take out Lieberman" line. I'm not quite sure if he was serious, but the idea got me to thinking of what an effective strategy might be to send a message without doing an inane kamikaze run. The following is my own "Modest Proposal", but one that I mean seriously. If done well, this action could achieve a few goals at once, with relatively minimal risks. Those goals would be (in order of likely impact, highest to lowest):

I've been watching DC Channel 13, and they held the vote. 8 to 5, the Nationals Stadium Lease crashed and burned.

Not being a supporter, I'm quite happy. I just figured I'd pop out this notice, and list out the votes.

For

Kathy "This vote bought me a fundraiser!" Patterson
Jack Evans
Sharon Ambrose
Vincent Orange
Linda Cropp (Who still doesn't know which side she is on.)

Against

Adrian "Our next Mayor" Fenty
Jim Graham
Marion Barry
Phil Mendelson
Kwame Brown
Vincent Grey
David Catania
Carol Schwartz

Just a quick report from Northern Virginia.

Thankfully, I'm working out my last few weeks at my present job in Herndon, VA, as I live in downtown DC. Anyway, at about 7pm I stopped into the Sterling, VA (near Dulles airport) Costco to top off my half full tank and shop. 24 pumps...10K gallons storage...dead for the remainder of the day. No gas.

I spoke to the clerk waving people off, and apparently they started selling about 2-3K gallons of gas an hour. Everyone is trying to fill up before expected increases from a Rita hit. They don't expect another truck until ~10am Thurs, and expect to be out again by noon, 1pm at the latest.

If Rita does hit the Houston/Galveston area, things are going to get bad very, very fast.

I have never been so happy about a job change in my life. I'll be really enjoying the new 1.4 mile commute on a bike or on foot.

Okay, did anyone else notice the following two things?

1. How is it that the Treasury Bond backed Social Security Trust Fund can have "no real assets", and is just backed by "a cabinet of worthless IOUs". Yet the solution to risk aversion is private accounts is an option to invest in, yes, Treasury Bonds. Muh?

2. Not a single "journalist" has yet to comment on this (excepting Josh Marshall, but I emailed the point to him an hour before he posted on it, so who knows).

Usually don't have time post much anymore, and Sterling, Bonddad, Jerome (Paris), and others usually cover the economic issues extremely well.

But I just discovered this report which is extremely important.

Now everyone here who reads the above mentioned folks knows and expects that the Dollar will eventually take a huge whack, given our policies. However, this is often placed off into the future a ways.

I've been following the Goldberg/Cole argument, and I think everyone is missing the correct tack. Folks should lay off on the Chickenhawk argument, as it applies to volunteering for the military in Iraq.

As he himself has stated (this link), he's now too old to volunteer for the military at this point. That, and other issues make this a dead end point.

However, there is a much better option to make the point.

Okay, here is a perfect example of the sort of thing that keeps clobbering us. And once again, it comes from one of the champions of that fabulous "old establishment" wing of the party. Joementum? Nope, Tim Roemer.

From today's WaPo op-ed, "Repairing the Democratic Tent"...

For those of you in, or around DC:

DC for Democracy, Democracy for Virginia, and Democracy for Maryland, are proud to announce a Grassroots Kick-Off Celebration with Governor Howard Dean this Wednesday, February 9th, 7:00 - 9:00 pm at the Capitol City Brewery, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE.

Before the Democratic National Committee starts its Winter Meeting this week to elect the new Chair of the party, join hundreds of grassroots supporters to hear Governor Dean lay out the vision and message to carry Democrats forward.

What: Grassroots Kick-Off Celebration: Meet Howard Dean
When: Wednesday, February 9th, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Where: Capitol City Brewery, 2 Massachusetts Ave, NE (Union Station)
Cost: FREE - RSVP Today: www.democracyforamerica.com/feb9

Welcome Howard Dean to DC, and help kick off the DNC Winter Meeting where he will be elected the Democratic Party's next Chair! Show the strength, unity and power of Democrats moving forward and join us for this FREE event.

It was just great to see such a huge success in an election where our foreign intervention has been questioned. It validates the entire policy.

I speak, of course about the 1967 election in Vietnam. Read it and weep.

I'll let the news report itself...

Denver post

I considered Wellington Webb and Dean to have been the two best in presentation at the NYC event. While I'm sorry to see him go, this was a natural move.

Now we just need to get Simon on board as the Ops Manager below the Chair, and everything rocks from there.

Look, I'm getting utterly sick of the entire thing.

"Oh my God, we better put in a Southerner! Better yet, a gun shooting Southerner! One who drives a pickup truck! Or maybe a Midwesterner who Great Uncle came from the South, and is a Pentacostal! Wait a minute! Gum chewers went to Bush 2-1...lets get some Bazooka Joe out to our people toot suite, and make sure they blow biiig bubbles!"

Idiocy.

Another way for folks to take a tangible action to protest this Admin and its policies is to go out and sell your Savings Bonds. The last issue of Treasury Notes, to put it mildly, did not go well. Given the profligate polies of the Admin and congressional GOP, combined with the increasing rise of the Euro as a counter currency to the US Dollar, foreign and domestic investors are showing greater unwillingness to float our debts.

Why should we be helping these fools? When you liquidate your Bonds, the Treasury has to sell more to fill the gap. Let them have fun doing so.

And before anyone says "don't hurt the country"...bah. The extremely wealthy (a prime GOP base) have already been doing this for over a year, as evidenced by the slow T-Bill sales. Why should we, the little guys be the chumps, or any more patriotic than the rich GOP folks? In addition, hurting the debt markets would force the Admin (even if only a little) to rein in the tax cuts.

(BTW - I'd really like to hear from PastorDan and Ihlin on this).

Having read a number of the Diaries on the subject of more "Faith" language in our party, I've noted that the arguments are waaaay too simplistic. Like most things, everyone has lumped the latest fad, "Evangelicals", into a generic for all categories. It doesn't work that way, and without being careful you'll end up alienating part of the "faith" community by pandering to evangelicals.

Having been raised a Roman Catholic (albeit I'm now Agnostic) of Eastern European decent (the bulk of US Roman Catholics), I can tell you that the majority of Catholics share the "flinty New Englander" attitude. My very Catholic Mom and Grandmother used terms like "holy roller" or "Elmer Gantry" in a very disparaging way about anyone, including few other Catholics, that wore their faith on their sleeve. Most Catholics find public displays of religion to be rude and unseemly...and common to hypocrites.

Opus Dei? Forget about it. In the immortal words of a Jesuit I knew, "Why don't those jerks just become Protestants, instead of being wannabes?".

Having just gotten back from OH, and caught up with the Diaries going up, I'm seeing a lot of stuff that is just a bad idea, or impossible.

1. Picking a 2008 candidate to back. Are you nuts?! There is a midterm to worry about, and even that is 2 years away. This one is silly.

2. Election reform. Forget it, along with any other legislative agenda. We LOST seats folks...other than possible State agendas, there will be ZERO chance of any of this happeneing until at least 2006. Forget it.

Reading the WaPo while stuck on a late night software update at the office, I encountered the following op-ed from David Broder.

Here

He notes the horrid state of Congressional elections (most being one-sided). Whichever way this one goes, in 2006 we have to bring the same effort over to these elections. This time the Presidential has been the big money and time suck...in 2006, we have to crank out both. None of this "only where we're competitive" crap that the party does. We need to get on each and every one (DFA will be a big help in this).