I don't know about anyone else, but I think the election processs in this country is absolutly fucked. Between the myriad of rules processes and machines involved in any state sponsored election, we have some states that parties must pay for their primaries. I have been an Obama backer from pretty early on, a former Deaniac switched on to politics. I know it's out of the norm to have such a close primary recently, but we had a friggin toss up. My candidate won, but damn the process seems antiquated. My goal for the next few years is to bring democratic change to our complete election processs.

Drewid's diary :: ::
This may very well be a worthless dairy, but it is something I feel needs attention. We can't set about changing GE procedures without addressing primaries, and this is where I want to start. Our primaries are frakked. Dominated so far by small and unrepresentitive states. Many state Dem parties forced to pay for the primary. cuacus or full on primary. Of course a caucus cost less Myself personally, I'm torn on caucuses. On one hand it does deny the right to vote to people who can't make arrangements to caucus. On the other hand it is a decent messure of a candidates depth of support. It can't be disputed that some states have cheaper media markets, so a cadidate doesn't have to spend crazy ammounts of money to run in an early state. As far as the GE, many states have things in the pipes to award the states electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote, and I support that. The question is what do we dems do with our primary process, and what do we work for as standards for national elections. All I know is, Super D's suck, Iowa and NH always first sux,  Limited voting time sux, GE and def caucuses.Either we finance elections, as a party of a government, or we have to live with state parties holding caucuses. We dems should lead by example. We should demand the most democratic and transparent primary from our party. Leave no doubt as to who we voted for, and fight for expanded access to the ballot box acrosss the board, everywhere at every level.
I will post further about it, we have work to do, just wanted to get it off my chest.
Drew

After witnessing this whole situation with Barack and his grandmother it made me think about my own family. When I learned that Netroots Nation was going to be in Pittsburg next year my mind was made up. I was born in New Castle, PA, about an hour or so outside of Pittsburg. I'm just getting settled down here in Vegas, I moved here in May from the southeast. My own grand parents are getting on in years, and I don't know how much time I will have left to visit with and aquire their wisdom. So I figured going to Pittsburg, and visiting my grandparents, during the month of my birth might be a worthwhile trip. Thing is I want to do something for my grandfather he might appreciate.

Drewid's diary :: ::
The last time I did anything for my grandfather was to stand in line and get a copy of "The Hornets Nest" autographed by President Carter himself. Speaking of grandsons, I met Jimmy's when I worked for the Dean campaign, but that's another story, this is about my grandparents. My grandfather is a great man. Farmer, teacher, highschool football coach, man of god are all great things I can salute about his life. The man is 70 some odd years old (77 I think) and untill last year he farmed about an acre and a half of land. All of his extra crops he'll sell at a roadside stand on a fold out card table with a change box, honor code only. He gives the money to the church. Two years ago he was calling down opposing defensive schemes to my uncle, his namesake, who coaches highschool football. Along with his garden and church choir of course he goes out a few days a week and builds houses for habitat for humanity. I hope I am half as eager and active when I am his age.
My own grandmother is a little worse off. She has a growing number of physical ailments. Palsy, a glutin allergy, on going heart conditions and what not. My grandmother and father are oldschool. Grams never learned how to drive, never got her liscence. Her mom did, but everytime she tried to go for the test, there was a family emergency or tragedy, so she decided that was just god telling her she didn't need to drive. Her and my grandfather have been married going on 60 years, an absolute love story. When my grams broke her hip, my grandad slept on the couch, he was affraid he'd keep her from healing by sleeping with her in the bed. Everyone in my family pretty much knows when one goes, the other will surely soon follow. So for the first time I am going to netroots nation, and I have a favor to ask. If anyone is interested I'd like to show up at one of my grandads habitat worksites while I'm there, probably before hand. And I was wondering if anyone would like to make the hour drive north of Pittsburg to lend me a hand, it'd mean alot to me gramps.
I will keep everyone posted, it's just an idear I'm kicking around in my head, but I'd like to do it.

So yeah, a full half hour infomercia. It came on after the Jimmy Kimmel show on our Vegas ABC affilliate. It was a  mix of bio, greatest speeches clips, town hall meeting clips, suppporter testimonials, and the pitch was to go to the website or call to join to get news updates about the campaign . Oh and the entire half hour McSame wasn't mentioned once. I try to check here and Kos every day and I haven't heard about Obamamercials, wanted to spread the news. On a blacklberry at a bar and hopefully crossposted soon on Kos.

I've spent half of my life in the Palmetto state, it's been okay. I haven't whithered, I haven't prospered, so goes my life in Columbia. Well no more, tomorrow I'm done. Done with this city and state. I'm picking up and moving to Vegas to get outa here while the gettins good. My puter broke some months back, and I don't really have the resources to get a new one. I also will be spending much time finding a job, trying to get a job dealing cards and playing much poker, as well as trips to LA and Pheonix to visit friends. Alas that will leave me with little time to wax poetic about issues of the day online, so this is officially my TTFN.
In a few months when I get settled, in a new house and not the apartment that will immediatly be my domicile, I will be back. However, much distaction I will have. Oh yeah, this is gonna be my back yard:

Seriously, I walk out of my apartment complex and into The Palms casino.
So, uh, guess I'll see you guys around.

Funny, I thought call out diaries were strictly forbidden here, and often deleted. So how is it that a diary that's only intent is to call out multiple users of both mydd and dailykos and sow division among progressive bloggers still a few down there on the recent list. Are there going to be weekly "what they say over at dKos" diaries here that call out comments users make on another site. The daily Dailkos watch! Just look what they're saying, how horrid, they are not one of us. Shun Them Shun Them!
How childish. A diary like that does very little to advance any cause of the democratic party, or draw attention to important issues. It doesn't do anything to help anyones candidate, yet someone took the time to wade through dozens of comments and throw them together in a call out diary for what?
I imagine this very diary will be deleted shortly, as it could be considered a call out diary, we'll see if the other is deleted as well.

Lets honestly try and step outside our digital world and try and see things from the perspective of someone who doesn't surf the web from the perspective of our enightened views.

Alright, ready, here we go.
"Do ya'll really think Clinton can win the general election if she wins the nomination through super delegates after having lost in pledged delegates and most probably the popular vote?"
Just wonderin.

I was poking around what many here affectionatly call "The great orange satan" earlier and ran across a diary by someone who has for some reason lost posting privledges here. Not a banning I gather, just suspension of posting privledges. I won't comment as to any reasons why privledges were suspended, because I don't know. A few weeks ago a diary was "smuggled" in for a prominant Clinton supporter, so I figured it might be acceptable. I'm not going to go on for a paragraph or so about censorship because I really don't see blog moderation to be an infringment of anyones 1st amendment rights. I do hate to take up the space of another diary about some Penn. poll, but without further ado, below the fold Dracomicron has something they'd like you to know.