[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

So there I was, sandwiched in some sweet seats in the third row center of the mezzanine of Hollywood's Kodak Theater. Directly in front of me, my television hero, "Toby Ziegler" of The West Wing. On my left, Congresswoman Grace Napolitano and Congressman Joe Baca. On my right, Congresswoman Hilda Solis. Down below, Stevie Wonder, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Steven Spielberg.

Everywhere I looked, anyone who was anybody in Democratic politics was there for the history-making clash between Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama.

It was, in my opinion, the kind of debate Democrats of all stripes were hoping for: civil, issue-focused, and detailed with minimal intervention from the press.

But you can read about that elsewhere. There was much more going on than what was happening on stage.

The "pre-game show," as it was dubbed, was a half-hour of warmup before the debate. California Democratic Party Chair Art Torres was the emcee, rousing the crowd with his projections of Democratic victories and introducing the notables. The biggest surprise? Former Gov. Gray Davis got the only standing ovation from the crowd.

There's more...

Photo courtesy Los Angeles Times.

by Julia Marden [courtesy of Blog for America]

Sometimes it's pretty frustrating to read articles like this one in the NY Times. Yesterday in Rogers, Ark., President Bush had the audacity to suggest his veto of S-CHIP was in the best interests of poor children.

But there's good news. Today, DFA activists took action. DFA members around the country made phone calls, either to Representatives who might swing towards overturning the Bush veto, or to fellow members who live in those swing districts. One DFA member from Michigan found herself talking to Grassroots All-Star Charlie Brown's wife. You can bet that when Charlie Brown wins, he'll never vote against America's children.

In other news, DFA's going to Hollywood. Dean for America that is. That's right. George Clooney has teamed up with Leonardo DiCaprio to make a movie of the 2004 Dean Campaign. DiCaprio has already been cast as former Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi. Our question: who's going to portray Jim Dean?