- A lot of coverage is on-line from AFSCME Presidential forum and the Take Back America conference. Chris Dodd, who is outlining his national service plan today, posted some quick and easy videos like the one below (from TBA) of bloggers who like Dodd.
- It's been a big couple of days for Barack Obama: La Audacia de la Esperanza (the Spanish-language version of The Audacity of Hope) came out today in bookstores, and the campaign launched its text messaging campaign, Obama Mobile.
- Jim Gilmore wrote a letter to President Bush asking him to refocus our policy in Iraq. Read more from his website.
- Go to Mitt Romney's website to see what kind of (flash) technology he's using to be more personal with visitors. Also check out his new ad entitled "Work Like Crazy."
- There's a lot of talk about NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's recent move. The WSJ blog takes a funny look at it, comparing the coverage Bloomberg got to that which Hillary Clinton received for her new video announcing her campaign song. Check out the picture below.
- John McCain is speaking in Palm Beach, FL today about Latin America. He is also set to discuss Cuba, which he describes as a national security threat, and Hugo Chavez.
- Newt Gingrich was featured in a new ad on immigration. Watch it below, but first check out what ThinkProgress thinks about it here.
For more information on NDN's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election, click here.
The Center for Progressive Leadership is now accepting applications for the 2007 Political Leaders Fellowships in Arizona, Michigan and Colorado.
It is a 9-month, advanced political leadership development program for promising progressive leaders in Michigan, Arizona, and Colorado that represent the most promising future candidates, organizational leaders, and campaign staff. Fellows participate in intensive skills and leadership training, including weekend training workshops, one-on-one coaching, political networking, and mentorship.
This article from the San Francisco Chronicle is astonishing. From the lede:
The California Republican Party has decided no American is qualified to take one of its most crucial positions -- state deputy political director -- and has hired a Canadian for the job through a coveted H-1B visa, a program favored by Silicon Valley tech firms that is under fire for displacing skilled American workers.
Gloria Nieto finds the State GOP's actions hypocritical when compared to those representative of the national Republican party:
"The hypocrisy is disgusting," said longtime Democratic Party activist Gloria Nieto, policy director at San Jose-based Services Immigration Rights and Education Network, or SIREN, an immigrant advocacy nonprofit organization.
Nieto argued that the party has painted Latinos "as the brown menace. ... But it's perfectly OK to hire people from outside the country? What does it say about the Republican Party that they import their hired guns?"
A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal polllends bad news to the current administration who finds itself scrambling to define its legacy: despite its (read: the President's) efforts, Hispanics now identify themselves as Democrats rather than Republicans by 51%-21%. View the poll here.
In a new YouTube video, Barack Obama asks users to tell stories about the work they are doing to change the country. As Obama says:
“This campaign is about the regular people who are playing an integral role in changing this country. What we hope to do over the next several months is stitch together these stories to illuminate for the entire country how this next generation wants to grab the baton and lead us forward.”
The video is going to be featured as YouTube's YouChoose '08 candidate spotlight next week. To tell your story, either post a reply to the video below or follow the instructions on Obama's website:
For more information on NDN's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election, click here.
The Dreams Across America tour - which was organized by the Catholic Church, unions and community groups - is well under way and is set to end on June 19th with a rally in Washington, DC. In advance of the rally, Eduardo "Piolín" Sotelo is delivering one million letters encouraging legislators to pass immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship. From the San Jose Mercury News:
In the spring of 2006, Sotelo and Coello used their popularity to rally hundreds of thousands of people to march for reform in California and across the nation.
Now Sotelo is collecting letters asking for a path to citizenship for the country's approximately 12 million illegal immigrants. He's broadcasting his appeal from cities along the way, and expects to have about 1 million letters by the time he gets to Washington today.
"If someone's already proved they're working hard for this great nation and for his family, and he's proved he's a good human being, why not live legally here in this country?" Sotelo said. "We're waiting for a positive answer from our senators."
Below is a picture of Piolín with Simon and Joe with his "Mas Que un Partido" jersey.
- Chris Cillizza from The Fix wonders whether Bill Richardson's unpredictability will reflect in a positive way upon those Richardson encounters along the campaign trail.
- Greg Sargent from TPMCafé takes Rudy Giuliani to task in two posts. The first shows how Rudy, who recently questioned Bill Clinton's handling of terrorism on, actually defended Clinton after 9/11. The second highlights recent comment Giuliani made about Iraq that show an utter lack of leadership on his part. The comment from the NY Times:
Iraq may get better; Iraq may get worse. We may be successful in Iraq; we may not be. I don’t know the answer to that. That’s in the hands of other people...
- Visitors to YouTube are watching more of the Republican candidates' videos than they were, but they still flock to videos about Democratic candidates. AdAgehas more on the Nielsen numbers which revealed the difference.
- There is a ton of coverage from the Obama campaign's Walk for Change. Check out this fun picture from one of the events in Iowa:
- Joe Biden's proposed Federal System for Iraq gained some support - including Senator Sam Brownback - in the Senate.
- John McCain told reporters he plans to strike $150 million in proposed defense spending that was proposed by his Senate colleague and fellow presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton.
For more information on NDN's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election, click here.
- AdAge has more about how CNN plans to integrate YouTube into is next debate. Anderson Cooper gave this bit of advice on what to expect from the debate format: "I'm going to host it, but, basically, it is going to be your questions and your YouTube videos the candidates are going to have to sit through and watch. So make them creative."
- Sam Brownback issued a response to Speaker Pelosi's remarks on embryonic stem-cell research
- Chris Dodd released two new ads: "Split" and "Amazing Grace" (He also released a statement about his participation in the Univision debate)
Offering a path to citizenship to immigrants - one of the primary elements of the Senate immigration bill - received broad support in a poll conducted by the LA Times/Bloomberg. From the article of the poll results:
Only 23% of adults surveyed opposed allowing undocumented immigrants to gain legal status. That finding bolsters the view, shared by President Bush, that the bill's opponents represent a vocal minority whereas most people are more welcoming toward illegal immigrants.
...
Although the pathway to citizenship is one of the most controversial provisions of the Senate bill, 63% of those polled backed the idea — as did 58% of those who identified themselves as conservatives and 65% of Republicans.
This poll further reinforces the consensus (that was also revealed in this one from New York Times) among Americans that a path to citizenship is something many support.
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