Anyone who knows anything knew this was coming: ["Ralph Nader calls Democrats whiners"].
Nader also called Democrats "chronic whiners" for continuing to blame him for the election of Republican President George Bush in 2000. "They should realize that the retrospect on Florida concluded (Democrat Al) Gore won Florida," Nader told the Wisconsin State Journal shortly after his speech at a the National Conference on Media Reform at UW-Madison on Saturday morning. "Gore won the election," Nader continued. "It was stolen from the Democrats. And they should concentrate on the thieves and the blunderers in Florida, not on the Green Party." He added that 300,000 registered Democrats in Florida voted for Bush. "I think the Democrats can be fairly charged with chronic whining, and they ought to look at themselves first and foremost," Nader concluded.Exactly.
Political notes
Kerry shakes up campaign staff ... again, via email:
"I have decided to make a change at the top of my campaign leadership. Mary Beth Cahill, an accomplished leader for Democrats and progressive causes, including President Clinton, Sen. Ted Kennedy, Rep. Barney Frank, and EMILY's List, will be my new campaign manager. From the bottom of my heart, I thank Jim Jordan for his leadership, extremely hard work, unsurpassed loyalty and devotion to me, to this campaign, and to the people who have worked with him. I've asked Jim to continue in his role as Senior Strategist as we enter this critical phase of the campaign."If a ship is leaking, changing the captain doesn't do a whole lot of good. Unless - of course - the captain orders repairs to be made to the ship - which is going to be hard when the ship is Kerry himself.
Another important follow up article on the state of primaries in America: ["Some states scrapping presidential primaries, citing cost, low turnout"].
Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin said: "Clearly, the process is flawed. The country is only now beginning to wake up to the fact that there's a primary. Active Democrats are only now focusing on it. Average voters aren't focused at all. And that's not good." [Curtis] Gans [director of the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate] said the changes are not all bad. A turn to caucuses strengthens person-to-person politics, rather than the television-driven, mass advertising campaigns that mark such big primary days as Super Tuesday, when 11 states vote.Again, thanks to DNC head Terry McAuliffe front-loading the primaries, the chance for Democratic and independent voters - in state after state - to have a quick say in the process has been taken away. The chance for people to signal a protest via the ballot box and for candidates to get free media via campaign appearances has been taken away. Sure, states canceling primaries and the Democratic Party holding caucuses will allow the most organized - not the best financed - candidates to win. But the turnout will be lower and the importance of the victory will be less to those candidates.
If a Democrat wins the presidency in 2004, those Democratic states should consider doing the same thing to Republicans in 2008, whether it saves money or not.
Gephardt takes a big lead in Iowa: ["Gephardt inches ahead in Iowa"].
It's Kerry and Dean mixing it up again: ["Dem flip flap: Kerry rips Dean for reneging on fed $$"].
Pissin' off the teachers' union: ["Vermont teachers' grudge haunts Dean"].
Al Franken for U.S. Senator? Hilarious: ["'08: No Joke"]
