by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

The Clinton campaign will host "Voices Across America" town hall rally for US Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. 4 p.m., Ferry Building. In LA, it's led by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, 4:30 p.m., Pico House. I'm going to try to make the SF one here in a few minutes. Hopefully.

by Lisa Harney [courtesy of Blog for America]

Hi!

My name is Lisa Harney, and I will be a Field intern here at DFA for the next six weeks. I am currently a sophomore at Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont. I am studying anthropology and psychology with a focus on prejudice within and between cultures. I am very interested in social justice issues and grassroots activism, and I am sure that my internship will be a way to address those interests.

I was born in Ireland and moved to Massachusetts 10 years ago. I just became a US citizen in 2007. The current presidential campaign is my first ever opportunity to vote, and I plan to use that opportunity well!

Today is my first day at the office. I’m excited to learn more about political activism, and to play an active role in politics at DFA and beyond.

- Lisa

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Yesterday's Daily Kos featured this fascinating post by its founder (who spoke at the Assembly Democrat's policy seminar earlier this year). Seems the king of the netroots is enamored by Hillary's efforts on the campaign trail. As of this morning, more than 750 readers responded to the post.

"Steady, steady
by kos
Mon Oct 29, 2007 at 01:22:16 PM PDT

A few thoughts about the presidential campaign:

1.) In 2003, it made sense for campaigns to build a strategy around the possibility that Dean would implode. I mean, Howard was a ticking time bomb. Every time I saw him about to speak, I would cringe and hold my breath, praying he said nothing damaging to the campaign.

In 2007, it's been frustrating seeing everyone except Edwards run a safe, milquetoast, non-threatening race, thinking it would somehow challenge the Hillary machine.

Clinton is no Howard Dean. In fact, she may be the most disciplined politician I have ever seen. She's a machine, always on message, relentlessly perfect on everything -- appearance, message, and policy. It's that discipline that has allowed her to fool people into thinking she'd pull all of our troops out of Iraq and that her vote on Iran wasn't REALLY as horrible as it really was.

There's more...

by Julia Marden [courtesy of Blog for America]

The Nation picked up on the Presidential Pulse Poll this morning, with an article about the email that Richardson sent out today to our community:

"THE DEFINING ISSUE OF THE 2012 CAMPAIGN"... It is almost Halloween and Bill Richardson is offering up the scariest notion of the current presidential campaign.

The various candidates for the Democratic nomination have been asked to submit "Vote for Me" email messages to members of Democracy for America who are voting in the final "DFA Presidential Pulse Poll."

More than 90,000 people have voted in the final Pulse Poll. If you haven't cast your vote yet, head on over. There's still time to have your voice heard in DFA's endorsement.

by Bob Brigham [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

It is often said that in San Francisco, our parks are our backyards. In February, San Francisco voters will have the opportunity to support a $185 million bond that our backyards desperately need. While everyone loves parks, getting support north of the 2/3 threshold is never an easy task in a political city full of old grudges and shake-down artists -- not to mention a crowded presidential campaign.

In 2000, San Francisco's political community united to pass the first neighborhood parks bond in 50 years (disclosure: I managed the campaign). Even though the election was less than four months after a very contentious mayoral race, everyone came together for the parks. We need that level of unity once again.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

The front page of today’s San Francisco Chronicle features one of the strangest political stories I’ve seen in some time. "The state chairman of the 'Californians for Obama' campaign has raised thousands of dollars in donations through promotions ranging from celebrity-studded Mexican cruises to CD sales to campaign office 'grand openings' in support of the popular Illinois Democratic senator and presidential candidate. But the official presidential campaign of Barack Obama said Tuesday it was unaware of the activities of the entirely unauthorized Los Angeles-based fundraising efforts of Emmett Cash III..."
 
Critics say Cash’s "his independent efforts to parlay Obama's presidential drive into a fundraising bonanza illustrates an increasingly disturbing trend in political campaigns of the Internet age -- the proliferation of entrepreneurs who use technology to scoop up voter donations without official campaign sanction… while Cash has raised nearly $10,000 this year, not one dollar has gone to the Obama campaign -- or any other political candidate."
 

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

With voting for the February California about five months away, the heavily-funded presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama still hasn't hired any California staff while rival Sen. Hillary Clinton's operation has been going full steam for months. Over at Calitics, the progressive Democratic website, the frustraiton with the Obama campaign is starting to boil over. Calitics regular Juls Rosen posted this "Where's Obama's Campaign in California on Tuesday," and the comments are still rolling in.
 
Here are a few of the comments: