Politics & Social Media in #CA10

Brian Lawrence of NoJibberJabber takes a look at the convergence of social media & politics, and wonders if the Obama campaign model can be so easily applied in California's 10th Congressional.

Another example of the growing importance of technology in campaign's is visible in my own Congressional district. Ellen Tauscher will be stepping down to take a job in the State Department. The presumed favorite to replace her is State Senator Mark DeSaulnier. The only other person on the Dem side that I know for sure is running is Adriel Hampton.

I'd never heard of Adriel until a couple of days ago, but he is pretty well-known in some of the progressive politics circles. From what I can tell, he seems like a Twitter fanatic: http://twitter.com/adrielhampton

If Twitter and Ning are going to be the cornerstones of his campaign, I'm curious to see how effective his campaign can be. He's a huge underdog to Sen. DeSaulnier so he will need something to be a game changer. From what I've seen, his Twitter posts primarily consist of asking for cash and publicity - we'll have to see if he uses it to flesh out his platform.

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Van Jones Goes DC Green

Oakland activist Van Jones, the co-founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, and founder of Green for All, as well as author of "The Green Collar Economy" is off to DC. He's joining the Obama Administration as Special Advisor for Green Jobs

The “green jobs” movement will get a major boost next week as Green For All Founder Van Jones joins the Obama administration and economic justice powerhouse Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins takes the reins at Green For All.

On March 16, Van Jones will leave to become Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). His duties will include: helping to shape and implement job-generating climate policy; working to ensure equal protection and equal opportunity in the administration’s climate and energy proposals; and publicly advocating the administration's environmental and energy agenda.

As White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley said:

"Van Jones has been a strong voice for green jobs and we look forward to having him work with the departments and agencies to advance the president's agenda of creating 21st century jobs that improve energy efficiency and utilize renewable resources."

She said Jones also "will help to shape and advance the administration's energy and climate initiatives with a specific interest in improvements and opportunities for vulnerable communities."

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Prop 8 Camp Ignored Obama Letter

It came out over the weekend, that in the weeks running up to the November election, the most popular presidential nominee in our lifetimes, Barack Obama, wrote a letter in support of the No on 8 campaign.

It's hard to believe things could get worse for the bungled "No on Prop 8" campaign in hindsight, but it appears they have. Over the weekend, fury re-erupted across the gay blogosphere following a report on the recent "No on 8" Town Hall in the Bay Area Reporter. The fury is centered around a letter to the Alice B. Toklas club from Barack Obama expressing the candidate's disapproval of Proposition 8. It was a letter that was never used. Revelations emerged from the meeting about the decision not to use the letter

I can't tell you how many times I heard the lie repeated from Prop 8 supporters that "Obama supports Prop 8" as if that were their pass to vote for the measure.

Steve Smith, and the rest of these consultants, need to be kept as far away as possible from any future campaigns for equal rights...or anything else for that matter.

What a bunch of morons.

Worst. Campaign. Ever.

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No More Raids

The Obama Administration takes another step in the right direction.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is sending strong signals that President Obama - who as a candidate said states should be allowed to make their own rules on medical marijuana - will end raids on pot dispensaries in California.

Asked at a Washington news conference Wednesday about Drug Enforcement Administration raids in California since Obama took office last month, Holder said the administration has changed its policy.

It's time to end the war on drugs all together now. It hasn't worked and is a waste of money and puts too many harmless people behind bars. One step at a time though.

Support AB 390

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Credit Where It's Due

SFBG Politics Blog is happy to see SF getting getting credit from Obama on the health care front...Tim Redmond just wants to make sure that credit goes where it's due.

"Instead of talking about health care, mayors like Gavin Newsom in San Francisco have been ensuring that those in need receive it," [Obama] said.

Actually, Sup. Tom Ammiano and his colleagues developed Healthy San Francisco. Newsom joined in later, after the hard work was done. Ammiano has been very good about letting Newsom take some of the glory, but it's a bit annoying for the rest of us to see a guy who has never been good at developing and implementing his own programs get so much praise for someone else's work.

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Pirates for Obama

Best. Obama Campaign T-Shirt. Ever.

Where was this one during the campaign? Anybody know if you can actually buy this T-shirt?

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Harkin & Grijalva for Dean for HHS

Sen. Tom Harkin has publicly endorsed Howard Dean for Sec of Health & Human Services, while Congressman Raul Grijalva has penned a letter to President Obama.

Kos offers his take.

Yesterday, two progressive champions -- Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin and Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva -- publicly endorsed Dean for HHS. Could that be characterized as "momentum" in favor of a Dean nomination? I wouldn't bet on it. Rahm's a son of a bitch and his grudge-holding is legendary (it's probably a reason Obama chose him as chief of staff). And then there's recent history with cabinet nominations: flirt with a couple progressives, then pick the corporatist Blue Dog or conservative Republican instead.

So while Dean isn't the only solid progressive who would be a good choice for HHS, I'll defer to recent history: it'll be either Bredesen. Or Newt Gingrich.

While I think that Dean is more than qualified for the HHS post...I tend to agree with Kos on this one. I don't see it happening.

No reason to quit trying. If you haven't already...join the Dean for HHS facebook group.

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AP Has A Posse

A posse of lawyers that is...and theyre going after Shepard Fairey's Obama poster

"The Associated Press has determined that the photograph used in the poster is an AP photo and that its use required permission," AP's director of media relations, Paul Colford, said in a statement. "AP safeguards its assets and looks at these events on a case-by-case basis. We have reached out to Mr. Fairey's attorney and are in discussions. We hope for an amicable solution."

It's Fair Use anyways...but as far as I know, Shepard Fairey gave the image away and hasn't made a dime off the thing. So unless the AP plans on going after the guy at BART with the 3 dollar buttons...I really don't see what they hope to accomplish.

What now AP?

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President Obama's First Weekly

From The White House

"This is not just a short-term program to boost employment," he said. "It’s one that will invest in our most important priorities like energy and education; health care and a new infrastructure that are necessary to keep us strong and competitive in the 21st century."

With a $40 billion budget gap and unemployment in the Golden State about to reach double digits...Let's hope Obama plans on kickin' a whole bunch of that stimulus out California's way.

I know I should have taken care of it during the Clinton years...but please President Obama...save California's schools...I'd really like to get back to one of them one of these days.

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RUN DC

Best.Inauguration T-Shirt.Ever.

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Obama's First Official Act

From The White House Blog

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 20, 2009, a National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation, and call upon all of our citizens to serve one another and the common purpose of remaking this Nation for our new century.

...and call upon all of our citizens to serve one another and the common purpose of remaking this Nation for our new century.

Yes We Can!

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Change Has Come To America

...and there's a new website.

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Obama's Inaugural Address

From ABC News

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many.

They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.

To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.

We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

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Inauguration Live Blog

Over a million people chanting Obama! Obama! ...

Wow...

Hey! It's DiFi. California Represent!...

F Rick Warren...

God Bless America! Sing it Aretha!...

Biden is the VP..."That's quite a Bible!"...

Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman...I've seen both live...dig it...

Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America...Change is in the Air!...Yes We Can!...

The 44th President is speaking...

Wow...Just wow!...I'll post a transcript later...

and the crowd chants "Yes We Can!"...

Poet Elizabeth Alexander...Praise Song For The Day...

Benediction from Rev. Josephy Lowery...Yes We Can work together to achieve a more perfect union...Amen!

Star Spangled Banner...

The bottle of champagne has been cracked...Cheers!

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Yes We Can!

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Watch the Inauguration Online

From CNN.com

• Our sister site CBS News will have day-long live coverage January 20 on TV and the Web, starting at 7 a.m. EDT. Katie Couric will also host a special Webcast that night with reporters and punditry, for which viewers can submit questions.

• CBS streaming coverage will also be Webcast on Joost's Everything Obama page, which also features interviews, campaign highlights, and satire clips.

• MSNBC will be live streaming the event on its home page and politics section, and visitors can embed the video into their own sites. Its inauguration page also features videos of inaugurations from decades past.

• Fox News will provide live streaming coverage via Hulu beginning at noon for about two hours. After the live stream, Hulu will provide on-demand access to the ceremony. The live stream is embeddable, as is an inauguration countdown from Hulu. The video site's Obama Presidency page also features related content like speeches, commentary, satire, and past inaugural speeches.

• C-SPAN will debut its Inauguration Hub on January 20, featuring an online "control room"--a multichannel grid designed by Mogulus with Webcasts of inauguration activities. Visitors will be able to choose from one of four live feeds featuring events like the swearing in at the Capitol, the parade, and a number of inaugural balls.

• CNN is partnering with Facebook to provide live streaming of the swearing in and Obama's speech. Viewers can "RSVP" for the event on Facebook, and as they watch, they will be able to provide status updates with their thoughts on the events. A Facebook window on the CNN.com Live channel will show viewers their friends' relevant status updates.

• Current TV and Twitter are teaming up, as they did during the election, to add real-time tweets to Current's broadcast and Webcast of the swearing in, which starts at 11:30 a.m. EDT and will be replayed throughout the day.

• The New York Times, the AP's online video network, and the Online NewsHour will also live stream inauguration coverage.

For those of you stuck at work on this historic day.

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That Was Then...

From The Political Carnival

“I favor legalizing same-sex marriages,and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages,” Obama wrote in the typed, signed, statement.

Amazing what a Presidential run will do to a stance on same-sex marriage.

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The Real West Wing

(Hat Tip: Matt Ortega)

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DiFi's Power Play

Via SFGate

"She feels strongly about protocol," Feinstein's friend said. "As chair of the Intelligence Committee, she expected a courtesy call, especially if it was going to be outside the norm."

"If she did not respond with a show of strength, she'd be seen as weak," the insider said. "This is not the time for weak leaders. And she is not the kind of wallflower that would simply turn the other cheek with this kind of offense."

So the story seems to be that DiFi is pissed because she wasn't in the loop on the Panetta appointment. The politically savy Rahm Emanuel just forgot to get in touch with the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee? DiFi is raising this much of a stink over hurt feelings? I'm just not buying it. Sounds to me like Obama is trying to clean house at the CIA while some long-time members of the intelligence committee play CYA.

But who knows. Maybe Obama did just forgot to call Feinstein. In any case, DiFi is pissed and we're going to be hearing about it for the rest of the week.

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They Need Another Mexican

So Bill Richardson is out as Commerce secretary, and even though he has said previously he is not interested in a cabinet position, it is looking like Xavier Becerra's name has moved to the top of the list.

“Even though he turned down the trade representative slot, Becerra is not only Hispanic, but he has the skill, talent and experience to do the Commerce job,” said the source, who was not authorized to speak for the president-elect.

“Xavier's name has gone to the top of the list of potential replacements in part because he is a member of the House leadership, he is well liked, he has very good credentials, and, of course, he was an early Obama backer,” the source said.

I think Aravosis may have a point on this one.

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