It was Gov. Dean and his 50 state initiative, I believe who was responsible for me, a liberal Libertarian receiving e-mails and who inspired me to donate to the national cause of taking back the America I love.

Many people can take credit. I personally would obtain information I garnered from this and many other sites which informed me, on an ongoing basis, to the outrageous actions of this administration, especially the power grab identified as the “Unitary Executive”. I would pass this information on to others.

One person I passed it on to is a deacon in the Presbyterian Church. She could not quite trust what I was saying, but after I explained about “Signing Statements” and later, much later, the MSM reported that he had signed over 800 of the nasty buggers, she was anxious for me to share things I learned.

She is also very active in a number of other organizations and clubs. She would talk with those she knew about the things I would share with her.

She was appalled when her church made her stand up one Sunday, after the sermon, and read a statement to denounce homosexuality. Her brother whom she loves dearly is homosexual. She told me it made her very uncomfortable. She had always believed her church was one of inclusion not exclusion. One who preached love of all mankind.

She began speaking out and lately began referring to Bush as the Antichrist. She has been speaking out for almost two years now.

So I have to say, once and for all, millions of people through word of mouth, not just Rahm or Gov. Dean or any “one” person is responsible for this victory, it is everyone who took the time to become informed and went to the polls to say “No” to this administration and it’s policies and “No” to the corruption and hypocrisy.

I want to scream from the rooftops: No more lawbreakers elected to be lawmakers!

Oops, that was sarcasm (except about Hoyer)because my belief is that this is the time for stepping on Republican necks (or Leiberdick’s), not Democratic ones.
Blast away on Leiberdick; he’s a traitor, an opportunist and an ass, and should be shipped off to Gitmo, waterboarded or whatever fate his treachery deserves. But that’s only cause he’s not a Democrat. In fact, if Reid asserts he should be given a committee chair I think a bold,strong Dem should say “Screw that Harry, you do that and I’m going to go independant and caucus with the Republicans myself. Why does that *sshole get to call his own shots? This ‘independant’ thing is his own bed, let him lie in it.”

Il’d like to see the look on Lieberdick’s puss if someone had the balls to do that. It would probably get all squished up and squirt like a schoolgirl at the unfairness of it all. “He/She took my ball away Harry! It was all mine! Waaaahhhh!!!!”

Wondering at all, anyone, why the Virginia and Montana Senate races both turned into cliffhangers, in defiance of the exit polls in those states?
…

Who knows how many key House races had similar “help” from the wizardry of secret computer code in partisan hands.

Great work gathering those numbers. I’ve been wondering too how Allen could’ve been so blithe with his gaffes throughout the campaign and yet appear so confident of victory.

I also noticed that many of the close, as yet uncalled, races had Republican women in them. Were they getting a little help to keep up the facade that the Republican party is really ‘big tent’?

How much election fraud was there and how big was this Blue Tsunami really?

Ron Chapman @ 178

(snip because of length but very important ideas, worth a re-read)

This will be my first post to FDL (or any blog for that matter) and I am very happy to have finally garnered the courage to move from frustrated lurker to active commentor. To me the progressive liberal blogs have served as a vehicle for vital personal support and I just wanted to say thanks. The blogs have made me feel a lot less alone over the last 3 years.

Hi Ron and welcome. I think you’re correct, we’re on the edge of something huge. I’m *so* looking forward to government by wiki! ;)

Bibliography: Wiki :) and wiki-esque…but in my defense I did say “referenced”.

I know I have to hold my nose to collaborate and compromise with these two and the forces they represent – but it literally makes me sick to my stomach.

I love the fact that the progressive community worked its fingers to the bone to help the Dems win this victory – and our thanks is a shoe in the face and a kick down the stairs.

I want to know the best way to protect Howard Dean, the best way to marginalize people like Rahm, Chuck and Joe, and the best way to get more people like Ned involved in politics. (What like minded person would want to be treated like Ned was by the leadership of his own party?)

dab, it makes me mad, too. I am not the type to try harder in a case like this, I just don’t have it in me to hang in for more abuse. Fortunately, we can do an end-run around them on the ‘Net, thanks to the wisdom and foresight of our Ladies of the Lake — goddess bless our watery tarts! — and Howie Klein, John Amato, Markos, and Firedogs everywhere. Not to mention Dr. Dean himself, Keith O and so many more.

Here’s another thought, you could call it a permanent Democratic base in the base. Rayne says it’s fraught with 501(???) considerations to set up, but it looks like a good way to *be*.

Making campaigns less expensive would be a good thing, too. At $15 million for a campaign, running for Congress can be a *very* expensive hobby. Candidates with Ned’s cojones *and* the necessary millions do not grow on trees. If the ante weren’t so high it would be easier to find good folks to run. There also would not be the pressure for ROI.

P J Evans @ 226

Unfortuately the state of the law nowdays considers corporations as persons.

If they’re persons, why can’t they vote?

Corporate personhood is a legal fiction, because the laws a century or so back weren’t written with corporations in mind. ‘Personhood’ was how they worked the idea of a corporation (as opposed to ‘natural persons’, like you and me). It needs to be revised in the light of the last fifty or sixty years of conglomerates and multinationals. Maybe they’d have to be restricted more in some ways, like limiting their donating power to that of individuals. I don’t see giving corporations a vote would work, except as one corporation, one vote. But IANAL.

They are “legal persons”, that is they are treated as persons for the purpose of *contracts*. That was a legislated convenience to allow businesses larger than partnerships to make contracts without having every single member sign each time. It also permitted limited liability, which was a bonus for the directors and shareholders. Treating corporations as ‘persons’ in human and social contexts is an abuse of language and if the courts pretend to not know the difference then legislation will have to make it clear. Corporations have no business voting in the affairs of humans. They are immortal, feel no pain, and are fixated on the next quarterly report. Their *directors* vote. Their *shareholders* vote. No, no, no corporate sufferage. And you can put me down as being against corporate marriage, too. I’m such a bigot!

Nice to know!

My CBS station is now going back to Guiding Light.

Good, I’ve been wondering what happened to Reva.

LMAO

I don’t hear or see Senator Clinton celebrating “her” party’s victory.

Hill & Bill are two of the most selfish, self absorbed politicians of our era. Bill did very little to build a strong Dem party when he was in office. There was an article this week about how little Hill helped other candidates in New York state this election cycle.

I’ve defended them for years. But no more.

I agree with what you are saying. As I posted in a previous thread, I would posit that to marry strategic and tactical thinking on the political side with the principled and ethical on the other in making the first steps we need in the House is to get the ethics committee beefed up like nobody’s business… then clean OUR OWN HOUSE. Kick Jefferson LOUDLY and PUBLICLY to the curb FIRST THING.

This will help Waxman and Conyers greatly down the road as they dig into the investigations that need to occur. If we demonstrate we are open, transparent, consistent and ethical regardless of party ID, it will be not just the correct thing to do, but will lay the groundwork and arms us well when we start doing the correct thing to change course while holding the GOP and the Bush White House to account.

Corruption and the flood of scandels plagueing the GOP are a hot iron as evidenced by the exit polling as well, but striking it via our own dirty laundry will pay handsome dividends politically down the road and help ease the entry into the relationship of the centrist and “Reagan Democrats” as they are back home.