Americans are struggling.  Foreclosures are up.  More of our neighbors are losing their jobs. And everyone feels the constant anxiety caused by our current healthcare system.

But sometimes the scope and depth of our nation's suffering don't hit home until tragedy strikes us, a friend or loved one. When everything is still going well for us personally, the exhilaration of these final days before the election can lead us to forget all the reasons why this fight is so important.

To help all of us remember, Progressive Future has just launched a deeply moving ad that focuses on our nation's economic challenges.  The ad weds images of ordinary Americans struggling through troubled times to singer Paul Simon's empathetic lyrics of "American Tune":  "I don't know a soul who's not been battered/I don't have a friend who feels at ease/I don't know a dream that's not been shattered/or driven to its knees."  The ad concludes with an image of Senator McCain, his arm draped around President Bush, as viewers hear the lyrics, "Still, when I think of the road we're traveling on/I can't help it/I wonder what's gone wrong." 

I hope you'll take a minute to watch it.  It will being airing nationally today on CNN.

As a nation, we have been through a very trying eight years.  But there is hope. We know what has gone wrong.  And now it is time to fix it.

Election Day is almost here!  And I know that everyone on Talking Points Memo wants to do everything possible during these last eight days to help carry Obama over the finish line to victory.
 
This is such a committed group that I know many of you are already engaged with one of the many great progressive programs that are doing voter outreach and GOTV.  But if you're still looking for a fun and effective way to get involved, please come join Progressive Future's Obamathon!

What's an Obamathon?

It's a 96-hour, give-it-all-we've-got plan to help get out the vote for Obama in ten battleground states: Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. Here's how it works:
 
* We've identified thousands of registered, but infrequent voters who support Sen. Obama. Let's just say these folks could use a few friendly reminders.

* That's where we need your help. From the 1st of November all the way until the polls close on the 4th, we'll be working at our offices in these 10 states to remind these pro-Obama voters where and when to vote, what's at stake, and whatever else they need to hear in the way of motivation to get out and vote.
 
* To reach all of these voters, we need the help of people like you. You can make phone calls with us, go door to door with us, drop literature with us, or pitch in at one of our offices. It's easy, it's fun and it couldn't be more important.
 
To sign up, just *click here* and fill out the form. It'll take about a minute to tell us your name, what you'd like to do and when, and the best way to reach you. One of our organizers will call you before November 1st to confirm the details and answer any questions you might have.

Even if you only have a few hours to spare, we would still love to have your help! Certainly there are some staff and volunteers who are stocking up on Red Bull so they can keep going strong for just about all of the 96 hours. And if you're as crazy for Obama as they are, you can sign up for the full Obamathon.
 
But our Obamathon is open to all comers, whether you have just a few hours to spare, or the whole weekend before Election Day, or something in-between. Whatever you can do, we'd love to have you. In fact, the more, the merrier! If you'd like to bring a friend or even a few, just tell our organizer when she calls.

 
If all goes well, after the polls close you can join the rest of the Progressive Future Obamathoners at a bar or restaurant and whoop it up when all of these states turn blue on the color-coded maps and the networks declare Obama the winner -- and know that you helped make history this election!

Last week, the Supreme Court handed down a solid victory to the Ohio Secretary of State.  Even though it was decided on a standing rule, it still provides some  comfort to those of us who are concerned about fair elections -- and who want to be assured that all qualified citizens will be able to cast a ballot.

But the fight in Ohio, unfortunately, is only one of many.  Now there are reports of voting machines in West Virginia that won't register the voter's choice correctly.  Intimidation at the polls in North Carolina.   And continuing concerns about voters being kept from casting a regular ballot in Colorado because of technical problems with their registration forms. 

We know that these aren't isolated incidents because in Michigan Republican operatives finally admitted that they did have an illegal scheme to deny the vote to individuals who had lost their homes.  If they will admit to this scheme in Michigan, what could they be hiding elsewhere? 

We obviously can't wait until Election Day to address the problems - we need to do it now.  And at least one of these schemes - the Montana effort to challenge 6,000 legitimate voters -- was stopped at least in part by ongoing public pressure .

 So between now and Election Day we should be telling political operatives around the country to stop these improper attempts to undermine our democracy.  Let them know that we are watching them and we won't tolerate it.  Progressive Future has a great petition that you can use to help send them this message -- please check it out.

Sure, the polls look good now.  But there is still at least one more way that we could lose this election.  The other side could simply rely on their old tried and true voter suppression tactics to take away the votes of thousands of key voters in swing states around the nation.

Yes, many throughout the progressive movement have worked hard to register hundreds of thousands of new voters; but there are still many ways that Republican party operatives could either purge those names from the voter rolls or otherwise seek to have their ballots disqualified.

 There have already been so many reports of such nefarious activity around the country that I am really surprised that this issue isn't getting more coverage.

We already saw one report from the NY Times documenting how "tens of thousands of eligible voters in at least six swing states have been removed from the rolls or have been blocked from registering in ways that appear to violate federal law."

 And then yesterday the Denver Post reported that more than 6,000 voter registrations have been "delayed" in the critical swing state of Colorado because they provided their social security number for identification without checking a box which idicates that they don't have a driver's license that could be used for the same purpose.  So despite having a valid way to prove their status, the Republican Secretary of State is returning their forms to them -- just 19 days before the election.  

In Ohio, a GOP lawsuit has put nearly 200,000 voters at risk of being blocked from casting a regular ballot on Election Day. Republican operatives want to force the Ohio Secretary of State to release a list of 200,000 voters so that they can challenge them on Election Day because technical glitches have caused their names to fail a match with social security or motor vehicle registration databases.  But we know that Election Day challegnes to 200,000 names could create a situation that could cause havoc and long lines that discourages voters from participating. Is that really fair treatment for citizens whose only crime was that their name was misspelled by a bureaucrat entering their data? The matter is pending before the Supreme Court today.

And how about our old friend Florida?  There, Republican Secretary of State Kurt Browning is pushing enforcement of a "no match, no vote" law that could turn tens of thousands of voters away from the polls on Election Day  even if they can provide valid proof of eligibility when they show up at the polls.

Can you see a pattern here?  Republican operatives around the country are setting up barriers to voting that could trigger a tsunami of problems on Election Day.  We need to act now to draw attention to these problems and tell the bad actors to refrain from doing anything that would keep eligible voters from casting a ballot.  I hope you will consider signing Progressive Future's "Hands Off Our Votes!" petition to let these folks know that we are watching them and we won't let them get away with it.

Even as America faces some of the greatest challenges in our history, McCain and Palin aren't addressing the issues at their rallies. Instead, they are leading gathering where their followers focus on fear, anger and hatred.  We need to tell them:  it is time to stop.

Each day, more stories are surfacing about what is really going on at these McCain rallies.  Now even middle-of-the-road commentators like David Gergen are alarmed. As Gergen commented last night on Anderson Cooper's 360: "There is a free-floating sort of whipping-around anger that could really lead to some violence . . . And I think we're not far from that."

With all of the tremendous challenges our nation is facing, we don't need more anger, division and hatred.  We need hope and solutions.  It needs to stop -- and only one person can stop it:  John McCain. 

Tell him to stop it now, before it gets any worse.  Progressive Future has an email tool that makes it easy to send John McCain this message.  Please use it today.

Times are getting desperate over at McCain headquarters. Poll numbers are dropping and defeat is in sight.

Unfortunately, when the powerful become desperate, their followers can become dangerous.

Palin and McCain can’t win on the issues; so they have been focusing their speeches and rallies on personal attacks fueled by anger and hate. Frighteningly, as their attacks against Obama become increasingly vicious, so does the reaction of the crowds they are addressing.

Have you seen the video from some of these events?  They seem to be pushing their supporters to operate from hate and fear – rather than from issues and facts.  They are trying to stir up an angry mob.  You can hear shouts of "Terrorist!" and "Treason!" coming from supporters at several McCain/Palin rallies, and the Secret Service is now investigating an incident in which someone shouted "Kill him!" at a rally in Florida.

This kind of fear-mongering and hateful speech is unacceptable, yet John McCain is standing by and saying nothing.  

Tell John McCain to renounce these statements, tone down his rhetoric, and stop inciting hatred. Progressive Future has a tool on its website that makes it easy to send him this message – you can find it here.

I am posting this story on behalf of Sarah Payne, Progressive Future’s intrepid Media Associate.

Wash U has a sense of humor.

I spent the afternoon today walking around the quad of Washington University in St. Louis in a Progressive Future t-shirt and mask, introducing myself as Sarah Palin. The mask -- Bush with red lacquered lipstick -- got a lot of laughs.

Along with Dania Becker, a Progressive Future volunteer, I welcomed people to "John & Sarah's Diner", where the stale old fare of the Bush Administration is still on the menu -- dishes like "Baby-Give-Back-to-the-Wealthy Ribs" and "John’s Wall Street Sliders". I think I do a pretty good Sarah Palin. "How are ya!!?!" Lots of exclamation points. "Too, though, you should try my Baked Alaska! Made in a global warming oven!!"

The titles of the dishes entertained people, but most of them were surprised to see the tab. We had calculated the price that each taxpayer pays for Bush's failed policies, ones that John McCain supported and would only continue in the White House – and the grand total was more than $27,000.

$27,000! That can pay for college, a down-payment on a house, solar panels, most of a teaching position, a hybrid car. Instead, what are we forced to buy? Bridges to nowhere, global warming pollution, a protracted struggle in Iraq, and golden parachutes for fat-cat CEOs.

The ironic thing is that, despite much posturing to the contrary, John McCain helped get us into this mess. Exactly nine years ago this Election Day, McCain voted to abolish key protections designed to tame Wall Street and prevent disasters like our current economic crisis. So, Dania and I asked people, “Would you ask the person who drove you into a ditch to drive you back out again?”

Nope.

But the most impressive part of the day wasn’t the laughs we got, or the surprise that registered on peoples’ faces when they learned just how much of their money Bush and McCain want to burn.

It wasn’t even getting out the Progressive Future message on Hardball with Chris Matthews, which was broadcasting live from the quad – though that was an awesome addition. The best part was this: we ran into crowds and crowds of young people who where political and nuanced. There was a large contingent, for example, of students who were organizing for Power Vote, a growing group of youth voters who want to hold the next president accountable to clean energy, green jobs, and economic growth.

Like Progressive Future, these people don’t segregate the array of progressive issues in isolated bins. The Power Vote folks aren’t just stumping on global warming – they’re talking about the relationships between energy, community, and prosperity. It leaves room for the issues – and their solutions – to be dynamic. And that’s pretty smart.

It’s certainly an interesting counterpoint to the right’s highly nuanced take on policy. “Drill, baby, drill,” may be pithy, but it’s not the thoughtful kind of answer we need. Students at Wash U really picked up on this message, and at the two remaining presidential debates I’ll be excited to see whether young voters at Belmont and Hofstra do the same.

I have a hunch they will.

I am posting this story on behalf of Sarah Payne, Progressive Future’s intrepid Media Associate.

 

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Wash U has a sense of humor.

 

I spent the afternoon today walking around the quad of Washington University in St. Louis in a Progressive Future t-shirt and mask, introducing myself as Sarah Palin. The mask -- Bush with red lacquered lipstick -- got a lot of laughs.

 

Along with Dania Becker, a Progressive Future volunteer, I welcomed people to "John & Sarah's Diner", where the stale old fare of the Bush Administration is still on the menu -- dishes like "Baby-Give-Back-to-the-Wealthy Ribs" and "John’s Wall Street Sliders". I think I do a pretty good Sarah Palin. "How are ya!!?!" Lots of exclamation points. "Too, though, you should try my Baked Alaska! Made in a global warming oven!!"

 

The titles of the dishes entertained people, but most of them were surprised to see the tab. We had calculated the price that each taxpayer pays for Bush's failed policies, ones that John McCain supported and would only continue in the White House – and the grand total was more than $27,000.

 

$27,000! That can pay for college, a down-payment on a house, solar panels, most of a teaching position, a hybrid car. Instead, what are we forced to buy? Bridges to nowhere, global warming pollution, a protracted struggle in Iraq, and golden parachutes for fat-cat CEOs.

 

The ironic thing is that, despite much posturing to the contrary, John McCain helped get us into this mess. Exactly nine years ago this Election Day, McCain voted to abolish key protections designed to tame Wall Street and prevent disasters like our current economic crisis.

 

So, Dania and I asked people, “Would you ask the person who drove you into a ditch to drive you back out again?”

 

Nope.

 

<img src="url">

 

But the most impressive part of the day wasn’t the laughs we got, or the surprise that registered on peoples’ faces when they learned just how much of their money Bush and McCain want to burn. It wasn’t even getting out the Progressive Future message on Hardball with Chris Matthews, which was broadcasting live from the quad – though that was an awesome addition.

 

The best part was this: we ran into crowds and crowds of young people who where political and nuanced. There was a large contingent, for example, of students who were organizing for Power Vote, a growing group of youth voters who want to hold the next president accountable to clean energy, green jobs, and economic growth.

 

Like Progressive Future, these people don’t segregate the array of progressive issues in isolated bins. The Power Vote folks aren’t just stumping on global warming – they’re talking about the relationships between energy, community, and prosperity. It leaves room for the issues – and their solutions – to be dynamic. And that’s pretty smart.

 

It’s certainly an interesting counterpoint to the right’s highly nuanced take on policy. “Drill, baby, drill,” may be pithy, but it’s not the thoughtful kind of answer we need.

 

Students at Wash U really picked up on this message, and at the two remaining presidential debates I’ll be excited to see whether young voters at Belmont and Hofstra do the same. I have a hunch they will.

 

 

The sun is still shining! The grass is still green! Puppies are still adorable! Whew.

Despite the gloom and doom predictions, Congress’ failure to pass Paulson’s original bailout plan yesterday did not lead to the immediate implosion of our economy. In fact, the stock market was up this morning. So I think we can now safely set aside the threats of those who tried to frighten us into accepting an awful bailout plan. It seems that there is a brief time for us to address this problem fairly, effectively and responsibly.

So what should we do?

Let’s seize this opportunity to propose a truly progressive solution. We should tell Congress, and especially the House leadership, that we need a fresh, thoughtful alternative centered on the following key principles:

1. Do more to make Wall Street, not working families, bear the brunt of the financial burden.
2. Adopt stronger rules to protect us from banks that are “too big to fail” and the reckless, over-the-top borrowing that left our financial system teetering on the edge.
3. Do more to help struggling families stay in their homes -- including allowing bankruptcy judges to let homeowners negotiate new terms for their mortgages.
4. Commit to the public investments that we know will pay off for America – including clean energy, health care and education.

If you support these goals, please go Progressive Future's website and send an email to Nancy Pelosi telling her that you expect a fair, progressive solution to this crisis.

We should take action to make our economy stronger; but let’s not leave behind our values as we do it.

We have to convince congressional leaders to stand strong in opposition to any type of blank check for the Bush administration as they seek authority to bail out Wall Street.

 

Progressive Future has a great online action that allows you to send an email directly to Pelosi telling her that, if we are going to hand over $700 billion, we need to demand:

 

* Better oversight and regulation of financial markets.

 

* Help for the people who are struggling to stay in their homes.

 

* No "golden parachutes" for the CEOs of failed corporations that benefit from the bailout.

 

You can find the email action here - it’s quick and simple.

 

Please sign it today.  Don't let them push this massive, historic bailout through without the consideration it deserves and the changes that must be made to safeguard the interests of the American people.

Let’s be honest: the week is off to a rough start. Bank failures. Stock market losses. All those annoying lipstick jokes. When will it ever end?

Something has to change. But where should you start?

I suggest you start with the basics. Step one: register to vote.

Been putting it off because you’re too tired each night to do anything other than eat, blog and watch “The Daily Show”? I can help with that, too.  With Progressive Future’s spiffy new online voter registration tool, you won’t even need to leave the sofa.

This awesome new online registration system makes the whole process quick, simple and secure. And the voter registration deadline is just around the corner – so don't delay.

Think you can do more? Then put down those Pringles and give it a try!

Step Two: Get your friends and family to register. Sure, you think all of them have this under control; but are you sure? That uncle who drives around with expired tags? Your neighbor who still has the weed whacker that you loaned to him last March? Are you sure that they all remembered to register?

Just to be on the safe side, why not use this Progressive Future action page to send those folks a short email letting them know about our quick, easy online registration tool?

You can send it along with a reminder about that weed whacker.

On Monday, top Justice Department officials met with the leaders of key civil rights groups and election watchdog organizations to discuss the department’s plans to assure that the November 4th election operates smoothly and fairly. Sounds promising, right?

Problem is:  most of the voter advocates weren’t satisfied with what they heard.  Apparently, the Justice Department’s plan will include some actions to protect voter access to the polls, but department officials will be putting equal weight on detecting voter fraud. But is voter fraud such a prevalent problem that it should be occupying half of the department’s resources?  A 2007 study on the issue by Lorraine Minnite, a political science professor at Columbia University, found that actual instances of voter fraud are rare. The study found that only 24 people were convicted of or pleaded guilty to illegal voting between 2002 and 2005 -- so roughly eight instances each year.

"For the department, the focus should be on voter access," said Kristen Clarke, voter-participation co-director for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, when quoted by the Wall Street Journal about the meeting. "It does seem the criminal division is spending some of their capital on vote fraud, which is disconcerting."

I agree.  In the rare instances where voter fraud occurs, it should be stopped. But too many state and national elections bring dozens of stories of voters who are denied access to a ballot -- or whose vote is not counted -- because of poor government planning or outright vote suppression.  The Justice Department should be spending more of its resources tackling these larger, more pervasive problems.

We all remember the voting machine problems in Florida in 2000; and the long lines at polling places in Ohio in 2004.   But did you realize that many of those problems still haven’t been resolved?  Palm Beach County in Florida held a judicial race just last August where a recount returned a total vote that was 3,500 ballots short of the original vote count (the margin between the candidates is only 60 votes).  No one knows whether the 3,500 ballots are missing or just never existed. In Michigan, the chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County (in Detroit) plans to challenge the voting rights of every citizen whose house has been sent a foreclosure notice.  Of course, many people remain in their homes for quite some time after receiving such a notice and frequently homeowners even renegotiate the terms of their mortgage; but the action may well disrupt many Detroit polling places and disproportionately limit the voting rights of poor and minority citizens in an important urban area of a key swing state. According the Michigan Messanger, one in every 285 homes in Macomb County -- 1,834 total -- received a foreclosure notice during the month of July.  

These are the types of outrageous schemes that we need to publicize, oppose and stop.

The Justice Department should do it; but if they won't, then we must.  Join Progressive Future's team of Election Watchdogs and tell us about suspicious attempts at voter suppression in your state or town.  We'll publicize them and then work together to stop them.

Click here to get started!

On Monday, top Justice Department officials met with the leaders of key civil rights groups and election watchdog organizations to discuss the department’s plans to assure that the November 4th election operates smoothly and fairly. Sounds promising, right?

Problem is:  most of the voter advocates weren’t satisfied with what they heard.  Apparently, the Justice Department’s plan will include some actions to protect voter access to the polls, but department officials will be putting equal weight on detecting voter fraud. But is voter fraud such a prevalent problem that it should be occupying half of the department’s resources?  A 2007 study on the issue by Lorraine Minnite, a political science professor at Columbia University, found that actual instances of voter fraud are rare. The study found that only 24 people were convicted of or pleaded guilty to illegal voting between 2002 and 2005 -- so roughly eight instances each year.

"For the department, the focus should be on voter access," said Kristen Clarke, voter-participation co-director for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, when quoted by the Wall Street Journal about the meeting. "It does seem the criminal division is spending some of their capital on vote fraud, which is disconcerting."

I agree.  In the rare instances where voter fraud occurs, it should be stopped. But too many state and national elections bring dozens of stories of voters who are denied access to a ballot -- or whose vote is not counted -- because of poor government planning or outright vote suppression.  The Justice Department should be spending more of its resources tackling these larger, more pervasive problems.

We all remember the voting machine problems in Florida in 2000; and the long lines at polling places in Ohio in 2004.   But did you realize that many of those problems still haven’t been resolved?  Palm Beach County in Florida held a judicial race just last August where a recount returned a total vote that was 3,500 ballots short of the original vote count (the margin between the candidates is only 60 votes).  No one knows whether the 3,500 ballots are missing or just never existed. In Michigan, the chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County (in Detroit) plans to challenge the voting rights of every citizen whose house has been sent a foreclosure notice.  Of course, many people remain in their homes for quite some time after receiving such a notice and frequently homeowners even renegotiate the terms of their mortgage; but the action may well disrupt many Detroit polling places and disproportionately limit the voting rights of poor and minority citizens in an important urban area of a key swing state. According the Michigan Messanger, one in every 285 homes in Macomb County -- 1,834 total -- received a foreclosure notice during the month of July.  

These are the types of outrageous schemes that we need to publicize, oppose and stop.

The Justice Department should do it; but if they won't, then we must.  Join Progressive Future's team of Election Watchdogs and tell us about suspicious attempts at voter suppression in your state or town.  We'll publicize them and then work together to stop them.

Click here to get started!

On Monday, top Justice Department officials met with the leaders of key civil rights groups and election watchdog organizations to discuss the department’s plans to assure that the November 4th election operates smoothly and fairly. Sounds promising, right?

 

Problem is:  most of the voter advocates weren’t satisfied with what they heard.  Apparently, the Justice Department’s plan will include some actions to protect voter access to the polls, but department officials will be putting equal weight on detecting voter fraud. But is voter fraud such a prevalent problem that it should be occupying half of the department’s resources?  A 2007 study on the issue by Lorraine Minnite, a political science professor at Columbia University, found that actual instances of voter fraud are rare. The study found that only 24 people were convicted of or pleaded guilty to illegal voting between 2002 and 2005 -- so roughly eight instances each year.

 

"For the department, the focus should be on voter access," said Kristen Clarke, voter-participation co-director for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, when quoted by the Wall Street Journal about the meeting. "It does seem the criminal division is spending some of their capital on vote fraud, which is disconcerting."

 

I agree.  In the rare instances where voter fraud occurs, it should be stopped. But too many state and national elections bring dozens of stories of voters who are denied access to a ballot -- or whose vote is not counted -- because of poor government planning or outright vote suppression.  The Justice Department should be spending more of its resources tackling these larger, more pervasive problems. 

 

We all remember the voting machine problems in Florida in 2000; and the long lines at polling places in Ohio in 2004.   But did you realize that many of those problems still haven’t been resolved?  Palm Beach County in Florida held a judicial race just last August <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Garamond; panose-1:2 2 4 4 3 3 1 1 8 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> where a recount returned a total vote that was 3,500 ballots short of the original vote count (the margin between the candidates is only 60 votes).  No one knows whether the 3,500 ballots are missing or just never existed. In Michigan, the chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County (in Detroit) plans to challenge the voting rights of every citizen whose house has been sent a foreclosure notice.  Of course, many people remain in their homes for quite some time after receiving such a notice and frequently homeowners even renegotiate the terms of their mortgage; but the action may well disrupt many Detroit polling places and disproportionately limit the voting rights of poor and minority citizens in an important urban area of a key swing state. According the Michigan Messanger, one in every 285 homes in Macomb County -- 1,834 total -- received a foreclosure notice during the month of July.  

 

These are the types of outrageous schemes that we need to publicize, oppose and stop.

 

The Justice Department should do it; but if they won't, then we must.  Join Progressive Future's team of Election Watchdogs and tell us about suspicious attempts at voter suppression in your state or town.  We'll publicize them and then work together to stop them. 

 

Click here to get started!