From: Richard Kissack [rkissack@cis.net] RETURN
to Home Page
Sent: Sunday, December 04, 2005 7:25 AM RETURN to
Newsletter Archive
To: DEMOCRATS OF CLINTON COUNTY
Subject: CLINTON COUNTY DEMOCRATS' NEWSLETTER
“Defeating liberalism is more important to the conservative elite than
all other concerns. They can’t abide any departure from their doctrine even in a President
they helped elect.”
(Allen Thorpe in U.S. News &
World Report 11-7-05)
http://www.clintoncountydemocrats.org
December 5, 2005
NOTABLE REPUBLICAN
QUOTATIONS
v “Congressman Jim Nussle, Chair of
the House Budget Committee, has provided poor leadership in reducing the nation’s soaring deficit.
It takes no intellectual firepower to cut spending across the board and
it is reckless to save pork and pet projects, while placing vital programs and
our most vulnerable citizens at risk.
During the time Nussle has headed the committee, deficits have soared,
and there’s little reason to think he would act differently
as Governor.” (Bob Vander Plaats, Republican candidate for Governor)
v “Vander Plaats
doesn’t understand the package Nussle is
crafting. I would question the
intellectual firepower of a political candidate who apparently can’t even read a newspaper.” (Nick Ryan, Nussle campaign manager)
v The Republicans seem to have
colorful descriptions of each other. Do
the Democrats need to say more? Who are
we to question the accuracy of these gentlemen?
COMING EVENTS
FUND RAISING RECEPTION
FOR BILL GLUBA
at the home of Bob and Wendy Krajnovich
5:00 – 7:00 P.M., Saturday, December
10
If you can attend, please RSVP at
563-459-6558 or 563-242-4298.
Dress casual and bring a friend.
POLLY BUKTA’S ANNUAL
CHILI SUPPER
Thursday,
January 5 - 4:30 – 7:00 P.M.
Fund
Raiser - Donation $10.00
2006 DEMOCRATIC PRECINCT CAUCUSES
Monday, January 16, 2006
The
elections are nearly a year away -- and that's exactly the point. We cannot wait
until the last few months before an election to build an organization, and we
cannot let that organization fade away after Election Day. This is an exciting time for our party -- I
hope you can be part of it. (Tom
McMahon, Executive Director Democratic National Committee)
THEY’VE DONE IT TO US AGAIN
The Karl
Rove propaganda machine has done it to us again. They’ve got the
public and even many Democrats believing that the Democratic Party can only be
divisive and demonize Bush and the Republicans.
(The Republicans have created the mess all by themselves. They didn’t need
our help.) Rove and his gang paint a picture of a Democratic Party that lacks a
unifying voice with a clear message. Don’t believe it! Take a look at the Democratic Party Platform
which had its origins in the precinct caucuses and was written by ordinary
citizens. Also, look at the
accomplishments of some of our leading Democrats such as Iowa Secretary of
Agriculture Patty Judge.
PROGRESS DURING SECRETARY
PATTY JUDGE’S TERM IN OFFICE
v
v Thousands of jobs were created by
adding value to
v Agriculture was made more
environmentally friendly — through increased conservation and nutrient
management practices.
v Livestock confinement farming has become
more “neighbor friendly”.
v Much was done to protect our water, air
and local communities.
LET’S COMPARE THE
ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE TWO MAJOR PARTIES!
CHET CULVER OFFICIALLY
BEGINS CAMPAIGN FOR GOVERNOR
Chet Culver
officially announced his campaign on November 3rd, when he barnstormed the
State and detailed his plan for how we can make
"Culver
not only entered the race for governor, he also jumped into the race for ideas.
He actually gave us a glimpse of what he'd try to do if he gets elected. He
sounded like a contender." - Todd Dorman,
"[Culver's]
idea to get
You can read
more of the latest press coverage of where Chet stands here:
State
Representative Ed Fallon Secretary
of State Chet Culver
Secretary
of Agriculture Patty Judge
Former Director of the Iowa
Department of Economic Development Mike Blouin
WE MUST BUILD A POWERFUL POLITICAL
ORGANIZATION THAT REPRESENTS THE COMMON PEOPLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH VOTERS AND
GET THEM TO THE POLLS!
Republican control of the
White House and Congress has been a disaster -- for our economy, health care,
education, the environment, civil rights, our national security and so much
more. Polls show that millions of
Americans are realizing that we simply cannot afford Republican control of our
government any longer.
The Democratic Party is
investing significant resources in the states at every level from precinct to
precinct. We will not concede a single state,
a single district, or a single voter to the Republicans. But we have to start
right now -- we can't wait until a few months before the election.
WE NEED YOUR HELP! PLEASE ATTEND THE 2006 PRECINCT CAUCUSES.
From: Richard Kissack [rkissack@cis.net]
Sent: Sunday, December 11, 2005 7:28 AM
To: DEMOCRATS OF CLINTON COUNTY
Subject: CLINTON COUNTY DEMOCRATS' NEWSLETTER
"
(Nebraska Republican Senator Chuck Hagel}
http://www.clintoncountydemocrats.org
December 12, 2005
COMING EVENTS
THE
WILL NOT MEET DURING
DECEMBER
POLLY BUKTA’S ANNUAL
CHILI SUPPER
Thursday,
January 5 - 4:30 – 7:00 P.M.
2006 DEMOCRATIC PRECINCT CAUCUSES
Monday, January 16, 2006
We encourage citizen participation to honor the memory of Martin Luther
King. Our most important function will
be to write the planks for the 2006 Democratic Party platform that express the
values and beliefs of the Democratic Party.
The party platform is the work of ordinary citizens at the grassroots
level. There are people who complain
about everything but never take the opportunity to influence future
events. Many never even bother to vote. Sixty percent of the eligible voters in
ENCOURAGE THE COMPLAINERS TO GET
INVOLVED!
A RESPONSE TO THE NARROW PASSAGE OF
THE
HOUSE BUDGET RECONCILIATION BILL
“The
prophet Isaiah said: ‘Woe to you legislators of infamous laws ... who refuse
justice to the unfortunate, who cheat the poor among my people of their rights,
who make widows their prey and rob the orphan.’ Today, I repeat those words.
When our legislators put ideology over principle, it is time to sound the
trumpets of justice and tell the truth.
“It
is a moral disgrace to take food from the mouths of hungry children to increase
the luxuries of those feasting at a table overflowing with plenty. This is not
what
“Budgets
are moral documents that reflect what we care about. Budget and tax bills that
increase the deficit put our children's futures in jeopardy - and they hurt the
vulnerable right now. The choice to cut supports that help people make it day
to day in order to pay for tax cuts for those with plenty goes against
everything our religious and moral principles teach us. It says that leaders
don't care about people in need. It is a blatant reversal of biblical values -
and symbolizes the death of compassionate conservatism. “The faith community is outraged and is
drawing a line in the sand against immoral national priorities. It is time to
draw that line more forcefully and more visibly.
“I
applaud those House members who have stood up for better budget priorities and
fought hard all year to keep issues of basic fairness at the forefront of this
debate. And I thank those on both sides of the aisle who stood up and did the
right thing in voting against this bill, despite pressure from the House
leadership. These strong voices provide some hope for getting beyond an
ideology that disregards the role of government for the common good.”
WHERE DO WE STAND ON
“The American
people are eager for a plan on
“But don't
let
“To undermine
the insurgency, we have to simultaneously pursue both a political settlement
and the withdrawal of American combat forces linked to specific, responsible
benchmarks. This critical first step should be part of a specific timetable for
transfer of political and security responsibility to Iraqis and realignment of
our troop deployment. That timetable must be real and strict. The goal “
“We may never
get George W. Bush to admit his string of disastrous mistakes in
SUGGESTED DEMOCRATIC
PARTY PLATFORM PLANK: The Democratic Party
pledges to work with and respect the international community and to solve
international problems without rushing to war. The
THE
BUSH ADMINISTRATION DESCENDS FARTHER DOWN INTO THE ABYSS OF INCOMPETENCE
“This administration’s
appointments to the Federal Emergency Management Agency turned it from a
professional relief organization into a chummy political clubhouse. It was a reckless indulgence to pass over
countless thousands of professionals and put the nation’s
disaster agencies into the hands of people who do not know how to run
them. They have appointed campaign
public relations people, (large contributors and other campaign workers) to
positions for which they have no qualifications. This is, purely and simply, an outrage.”
(Mortimer B. Zuckerman,
Editor-in-Chief, U.S. News & World Report, September 19, 2005)
SUGGESTED
DEMOCRATIC PARTY PLATFORM PLANK: The Democratic
Party pledges to appoint people to office on the basis of proven competence
that the office requires and not on the basis of campaign contributions.
From: Richard Kissack [rkissack@cis.net]
Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2005 7:24 AM
To: DEMOCRATS OF CLINTON COUNTY
Subject: CLINTON COUNTY DEMOCRATS' NEWSLETTER
“The Democratic Party represents people of all races,
cultures and religions.
We respect the ideas of all people and celebrate the
cultural diversity
of all people of this nation and of the
World.”
http://www.clintoncountydemocrats.org
December 19, 2005
COMING EVENTS
THE
COMMITTEE WILL NOT MEET THIS MONTH.
DURING DECEMBER WE
CELEBRATE THE FEAST DAYS
OF TWO OF THE WORLD’S GREAT
RELIGIONS.
DECEMBER 25 –
CHRISTMAS
Christians celebrate the birthday of
Jesus Christ. Religious ceremonies
observe the season of “Peace on earth, good will toward men.”
DECEMBER 26 – HANUKKAH
The Hebrew
word Hanukkah means dedication. The
Hanukkah holiday begins on the eve of the 25th day of the Hebrew
month of Kislev and lasts eight days.
The original festivities celebrated the victory of the Jews of Judea
over the Syrian tyrant, Antiochus IV.
WE RESPECT THE WISDOM
OF OUR FOUNDING FATHERS in recognizing the dangers of establishing a State religion. We in the Democratic Party celebrate the
great diversity of religions and the freedom for all people to worship in the
religion of their choice.
POLLY BUKTA’S ANNUAL
CHILI SUPPER
Thursday,
January 5 - 4:30 – 7:00 P.M.
2006 DEMOCRATIC PRECINCT CAUCUSES
Monday, January 16, 2006
The values
of the Democratic Party are stated in the Party platform which is written at
precinct caucuses by the common people.
WHAT ARE THE VALUES OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY?
UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE
We support:
v A national health care system that guarantees universal access to comprehensive, non-discriminatory, high quality and cost effective healthcare that emphasizes prevention for all persons living in the United States regardless of socio-economic status, a single payer system;
v Chemical dependency treatment
options;
v Dental and eye coverage;
v Hospice and palliative care
v Financed by equitable contributions from individuals, employers and government.
The above statements are from the
2004 Iowa State Democratic Platform.
Help to write the 2006 Platform by attending the precinct caucuses.
Stench of Sleaze Rises from Congress
(Des Moines Register
Editorial)
“It takes
two to commit bribery — the person who takes the bribe and the person who gives
it.
”
”They're just as guilty as he is. Prosecutors should keep pressing their
investigation to nail anyone involved in corrupting Cunningham — and any other
members of Congress who might be similarly entangled.
”Congress and the Pentagon have some investigating to do, too — of themselves.
Cunningham served on a subcommittee for defense appropriations. He admitted
using his influence to get the Pentagon to award contracts to the contractors
who bribed him. Something is deeply wrong with Pentagon procurement if a single
member of Congress can steer contracts to certain contractors.
”The Cunningham scandal comes in the midst of a hydra-headed investigation of
influence peddling by lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the
indictment of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay
for an alleged campaign money-laundering conspiracy and an investigation of
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist for possible
insider trading.
”There is a stench rising from Congress. It's not just the criminal probes but
also the growing sense that this Congress has been bought and paid for —
through campaign contributions, members' luxury travel on lobbyists' tabs and
high-salary jobs upon departure in companies their lawmaking helped. Such
activities may be perfectly legal, but they leave an impression of sleaze.
”Republicans took control of Congress a decade ago with promises of bringing
higher ethical standards to
COMMENTS:
The Republican promises were written at the very highest level of
Republican leadership. The Democratic
Party Platform will be written at the grassroots level along with demands that
business as usual in
WE NEED YOUR HELP! ATTEND THE PRECINCT CAUCUSES ON JANUARY 16.
From: Richard Kissack [rkissack@cis.net]
Sent: Sunday, December 25, 2005 11:12 AM
To: DEMOCRATS OF CLINTON COUNTY
Subject: CLINTON COUNTY DEMOCRATS' NEWSLETTER
"Because we in Congress are
charged with sending our sons and daughters into battle, it is our
responsibility, our obligation, to speak out for them. That's why I am speaking
out.”
(Democratic Congressman John Murtha from
http://www.clintoncountydemocrats.org
December 26, 2005
COMING EVENTS
POLLY BUKTA’S ANNUAL
CHILI SUPPER
Thursday,
January 5 - 4:30 – 7:00 P.M.
Fund
Raiser - Donation $10.00
We’re preparing for
a tough campaign.
All the chili (mild, moderate or hot) you care to eat plus many toppings,
corn bread, dessert, coffee, milk, beer
etc. Polly will give her assessment of
the 2006 Iowa Legislative session which starts Monday, January 9.
THE POLITICAL PROCESS OF 2006
Monday, January 16,
6:30 P.M. Precinct
Caucuses
Sunday,
January 22, 1:00 P.M. Clinton County Convention
committees meet. The platform committee
arranges the resolutions from the precinct caucuses to produce the platform for
the county convention.
Saturday,
March 4 9:00 A.M.
Saturday,
April 29 First
Congressional District Convention
Tuesday, June 6
Saturday,
June 17 State
Democratic Convention
November 7, 2006 National and
State Elections
WE’RE GRADUALLY INCLUDING MORE DEMOCRATS ON OUR eMAIL LIST.
The best way to build the strength of the Democratic Party
in
PLEASE HELP!
THE
The Iowa Caucuses will be held on Monday, January 16, Martin Luther King
Day. The Democrats and Republicans will both hold their party caucuses that
evening. The community gatherings offer
INFORMATION ABOUT THE PRECINCT CAUCUSES
Check the county auditor’s office
if you don’t know which is your township or precinct. Phone Jean Pardee at 242-8111 for other
questions.
Caucus registration begins at 6:30 P.M. The caucuses will convene at 7:00 P.M. We hope to be finished by 9:00 P.M.
Caucus Sites:
IT’S TIME FOR ORDINARY
PEOPLE TO TAKE BACK THEIR NATION.
THE PROCESS OF
DETERMINING THE VALUES OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY BEGINS WITH THE PRECINCT
CAUCUSES. WE HOPE YOU’LL BE PART OF THE PROCESS.
SOMETHING TO THINK
ABOUT
“The fact
that organized crime and terrorist groups around the world are combining is
very disturbing. Even more disturbing is
that American users of “recreational” and illegal drugs may be funding those
groups. Is this a wake-up call for those
who think using illegal drugs is no one’s business
but their own?”
(Nancy Riggan,
SENATOR ROGER STEWART PRESENTS HIS LIST OF "NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR IOWA'S FUTURE
I hope all of you read Senator Stewart's guest editorial in the Clinton Herald Saturday, December 24. His ambitious list includes plans for creating more jobs, raising the minimum wage, raising teachers' salaries and hiring the best teachers possible, supporting Iowa small businesses by forming purchasing pools for health insurance, addressing funding shortfalls for Iowa's prison system, expanding Iowa Values Fund, protecting consumers, cleaning up Iowa water, helping Iowa's veterans purchase homes, expanding health care coverage, increasing incentives to encourage the production and use of ethanol and bio-diesel fuels and expanding Iowa's State parks. If we had more progressive State Legislators like Senator Stewart, Iowa would lead the nation in many fields. As Democrats we need to work hard to change the complexion of the Legislature and put more progressive people like Senator Roger Stewart, Senator Frank Wood and Representatives Polly Bukta and Tom Schueller in the majority and in a position to lead this State to a status of excellence.
WE NEED YOUR HELP! ATTEND THE PRECINCT CAUCUSES ON JANUARY 16.