by Ronald Cloud [courtesy of Blog for America]

Macon, GA 31210

November 14, 2007

The Honorable Tim Ryan
The Honorable Debbie Wasserman Schultz
The Honorable Christopher Murphy
United States House of Representatives

Regards: Energy Bill Surrender

Dear Representatives Ryan, Wasserman Schultz, and Murphy:

It was a great pleasure to view the exchanges among the three of you on the House floor
during C-SPAN coverage one evening last June.  A discerning listener might detect partisanship and scripting in your remarks.  That's fine with me.  Having tuned in to the opposing partisans' radio jockeys during their 24-hour domination of talk radio over the public's airwaves, I found myself wishing that same audience and medium would devote equal time to the intellectually stimulating, well reasoned, arguments that each of you made in turn. 

The central theme that I followed in your arguments was the case that what Congress does matters. 
It makes a difference in:
how well the majority of our citizens can make a living,
whether, or not, we are able to engage in "the pursuit of happiness" that is our birthright,
and whether, or not, our children and grandchildren will live better or worse than those of us responsible for today's decisions.  

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Newspapers languishing and television declining as a source of news, while the internet is soaring and radio is creeping up

By Frank D. Russo

The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) poll released on Friday is crammed full of information about Californians' attitudes about elected leaders, state issues such as health care, national issues such as Iraq, and current choices of California voters for President.

So full, that little notice has been given to questions at the end of the survey that show that the internet is now second only to television as to where Californians get most of their information about politics, ahead of newspapers, radio, and other media. This is going to have profound implications for the 2008 elections and public policy, both locally and nationally. And there's a lot more here about how Californians get their news and how they feel about their choices for information.

When asked: "Where do you get most of your information about what’s going on in politics today—from [rotate] television, newspapers, radio, the Internet, magazines, or talking to other people?", 47% responded television, 17% the internet, 15% newspapers, and 12% radio.

by Lewis Miller [courtesy of Blog for America]

Tonight marks six years since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It has also been roughly six years since:

• President Bush claimed that Osama bin Laden would be captured for his role in the attacks, and then conveniently forgot about him.
• EPA Chair Christie Whitman claimed the air at Ground Zero was safe to breathe, while emergency responders and office workers began to experience respiratory ailments.
• It became obvious that when the president declared you were either "with us or against us", he meant you were either with Republicans or terrorists.

Listen to the live show tonight. Call in at (646) 716-8150 to talk about your story or thoughts on 9/11 and how it has affected our country & the political process.

Scheduled guests:

by Lewis Miller [courtesy of Blog for America]

This week on DFA Radio, our topic will be "Paths to Progressive Power". Our guest on Tuesday night's program is Heather Taylor, Communications Director at the Center for Civic Responsibility, who will discuss increasing progressive power within local political parties. We'll also discuss the upcoming DFA Training Academy in Springfield, Illinois (Sept. 29 & 30) with organizer Pamella Gronemeyer.

As always, we'll take calls from the DFA community. Tune in to hear your fellow DFA members, or call in & let us know what's on your mind.

Click on Read more for more information on this week's guests & hosts.

DFA Radio
Every Tuesday @ 9-10pm Eastern, 6-7pm Pacific
Listen to live or recorded programs at: democracyforamerica.com/radio
Call-in number during live shows: (646) 716-8150