DCDL

Drinking Liberally is pleased to host best-selling author Frank Schaeffer on Thursday, Nov 30 in the back room at Timberlake’s, 1726 Connecticut Ave NW (Dupont Circle Metro stop). Happy Hour starts at 6:30. Mr. Schaeffer will speak about his new book “Baby Jack,” followed by your questions starting at 7:30.

In the novel “Baby Jack” Mr. Schaeffer takes readers into the life of the Ogden family, where intelligent and talented son Jack decides, in the words of his father, to “throw his life away” on the Marine Corps and join that “collection of victims.” Jack joins because of a need inside him that he knows exists, but that neither he nor his family understands.

Mr. Schaeffer (along with Kathy Roth-Douqet) is also the author of “AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America’s Upper Classes from the Military and How it Hurts Our Country.” His fiction, humor and nonfiction have received international critical acclaim. The Los Angeles Times describes his writing as, “A rich brew of cross-cultural comedy.” The Guardian UK says: “funny and wonderfully observed.” The Times of London says: “Schaeffer describes both the pleasures and occasional torments of childhood with charm and humor.”

(crossposted at home)

I have a positive Thanksgiving post to offer on the second anniversary of StealthBadger.net, and I’m actually grateful for many things this year.

For my country, there are many people I’d like to thank for the process of democracy that began to show real fruits, and will hopefully continue past the election - the process of revitalizing and inspiring the Democratic party to be more than a machine. I hope that the Dems continue to grow and change, as well as become even more responsive and responsible in both their actions and outlook.

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For those of us who live in the national capital and pay federal taxes but have no vote in the Congress that decides how those taxes are spent, this sounds hopeful, doesn’t it?

U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi said yesterday that she hopes to swiftly bring the District a step closer to full voting rights in the House, a measure D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton called a move in the right direction.

But the article goes on to say that although Norton would be able to vote on changes to legislation, “she would not be able to vote on final passage”. Okay, but that’s still something, right? Wrong. Look at the fine print, a few paragraphs down (emphasis added):

From 1993 to early 1995, Norton and delegates from four U.S. territories were allowed to vote on the House floor in most cases. However, if their votes ever provided the margin of victory on a measure, a House member could request a second, binding vote without them. Republicans nixed the limited vote in 1995, after taking control of Congress.

Pelosi’s press secretary, Jennifer Crider, said last night that the proposed rule changes would seek a return to those provisions. However, she said, Pelosi had not yet specifically addressed the issue of the U.S. territories’ voting rights.

So if Norton’s vote ever actually makes a difference, they’ll re-vote without her. In other words, the whole thing is just symbolism. I realize that Norton has been complaining for more than a decade now about losing this meaningless voting power, but that doesn’t mean that restoring it is anything to rejoice about.

We’re excited.

We’ve already done one “Na na na na, hey hey hey” (for Santorum).

We’re All Sorts of Excited.

Did I say we’re excited? :D

Now let’s see what happens when the Democrats that have been sat on for four years and the Republicans who have been perilously close to committing seppuku over what ShrubCheneyCo has been up to have to confront what has gone before, and how to fix it. :D

I’m betting Cheney and the maniacs Bush has appointed do not go gently into that good night….

Did I mention that we’re excited. :D

I’d like to apologize for that whole gay marriage ban thing.

I’d also like to pre-emptively apologize for Allen not being ridden out of Washington on a rail. I hope I’m wrong about this one.

In the wake of the Kerry flap, the GOP is seeking to rally its base. Will Democrats and progressives be able to overcome the GOP get-out-the-vote advantage? Here’s an overview in Huffington Post of the stakes and the resources available to both Democrats and Republicans. On top of the work being done locally by DC for Democracy to aid Judy Feder and Jim Webb, Democrats have a unique at-home tool in moveon.org’s Call to Change program that allows you to call Democratic-leaning voters from home. Also, if you’ve got at least five minutes or five dollars, progressives are turning to the “Do More Than Vote” website that puts together a variety of electioneering options.

Even if there’s not much suspense about the outcome of the general election in the District (has a Democrat ever lost?), it’s still important to vote. Besides, you’ll need to vote for at least one non-Democrat in the at-large council race, and the school board and ANC races are nonpartisan.

If you’re registered to vote in DC, you can vote on November 7 for candidates for eight citywide offices, plus a councilmember for your ward if you live in Ward 1, 3, 5, or 6, plus a school board member if you live in Ward 5, 6, 7, or 8, plus an Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) member. So that’s nine to eleven decisions you need to make before Tuesday. If you don’t know your ward or ANC district, this form will tell you.

As I did for the Democratic primary, I’ve compiled a list of DC candidates with links to their websites. I’ve put the candidates in the order they appear on the ballot and marked the incumbents with an asterisk. If you know of any websites I’m missing, let me know in the comments.

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