"Some of you in the DNC may see us as barbarians at the gate.
Some of us see ourselves as the cavalry.
The truth is, we are fresh horses."

That was me two years ago, speaking to a room packed with DNC members and 450 grassroots activists who came to address them at the DNC's Western Regional Gathering, shortly before an election for a new DNC chair.  The activists were there to lobby on behalf of the candidacy of Howard Dean who was facing a crowded field of candidates.

That was a great day... and the rest is history.
And so, increasingly, are the Fresh Horses.

The grassroots activists who got engaged in the 2003 presidential primary race and have been working in the trenches ever since... are increasingly exhausted.

And the reason why? It's the chickenhawks.

Not the Cheneys and the Limbaughs and the warbloggers... but our very own species of chickenhawk: progressives who think the war on the right wing desperately needs to be fought... but who aren't enlisting.  

Yes, I know... we're never going to get Bush impeached while there's a Republican congress. And I know... Bush is just a symptom of the greater problem of right-wing ideology in this country.

But in an environment where Democratic candidates aren't going to talk about impeachment for fears that it'll scare away those precious swing voters (who have abandoned Bush by now, anyways), that doesn't mean that WE can't be making the idea more and more visible - and viable.

To that end, I've made my entry in the Huffington Post "Contageous Festival": Bush Is Over.  You can go there to print letter-sized posters of this message, to post everywhere. To remind people that, uh, they have the power.  To plant the seed. So when we do retake Congress...

And if it reminds you of John and Yoko's "War is Over!" ad campaign, well, yeah!  But it'll be orders of magnitude easier to get rid of Bush than to eradicate war.

I wish every Democrat or progressive could attend a California Democratic Party convention.  CDP delegates come in every ethnicity, religion, height, weight, gender and economic class. The convention is a rich reduction sauce of the human comedy. On display is incredible diversity, courage, idealism and dedication... as well as ego and arrogance, pettiness and backbiting... and the tendency of humans to dissent and dispute endlessly... and also come together for common goals.

This was my second convention. I was one of the crop of 2005 delegates brought in on the flotsam of the 2004 presidential campaign: a class of grassroots organizers who were recruited by opposition to Iraq, trained by Howard Dean, and deployed by John Kerry. By the time of the last convention, many of us were new to politics, but already scarred by battle... and ready to try to work within the California party because we needed to reclaim our party.

These are the impressions of one of the "Fresh Horses"  one year after.

From the diaries. I sitll say Markos looks more like Anton Apollo Ono than anyone else--Chris

For some reason, I've got the movies on my mind. And it's clear that in spite of diminishing box office, the movies are "where it's at". Nobody reads anymore - you can tell that by the way Americans vote: so if it didn't happen on the big screen, it didn't happen, baby.

So, given the recent hubbub on this site about the publication of this "Crashing the Gate" book, it's clear we need to get it on film. I thought I'd donate my services as a casting agent, which I have extensive experience in based on participating in numerous internet newsgroups devoted to Neil Gaiman graphic novels. First of all, realize that the movies are all about exaggeration. It's all larger than life. It's all about "truthiness".

So when real life presents us with this...

... the movies will serve up this:

Embrace it.

My casting selections below (accompanied by pictures of the victims... I mean honorees).

This article is cross-posted at the Daily Kos and MyLeftWing.

I'm not here to sing the praises of Howard Dean. Chairman Dean has garnered plenty of adoration around these parts. This diary is all about the next Howard Dean.

Republicans and Democrats embody different worldviews, and it shows in our leadership styles. The typical Republican leader wants your vote, but requires little else. In exchange, they'll try to make you feel warm and fuzzy about how wonderful America is... just the way it is. And they especially like it when we're passive and compliant.

By contrast, Democratic leaders demand of us that we step up to the plate. They aren't characterized by our adulation. In fact, they only succeed to the degree that they inspire our emulation. Our participation. Our dedication.

They have always required of us that we be the ones to carry the torch forward.

Here at MyDD we are the tip of the spear. Many folks here have already given money to the DNC to show solidarity with Chairman Dean this week. Some have called or written Joe Biden's office to protest yet another instance of a Democrat criticizing Howard while the Republicans sell our country to the highest bidders. Many of us have signed the Dean Speaks for Me petition. And some of you have written letters to the editor in support of Howard Dean.

Well, for every one of us here... there are a dozen more we can reach out to in order to continue to shore up support for Howard Dean... so some of us at Sonoma County DFA are proposing an outreach effort to all Democratic activists to make a big splash to enhance our visibility and demonstrate our fund-raising and organizational capabilities: Support Howard Dean Day - June 15th.

I've put up a Bat that dynamically tracks contributions made to the DNC through Markos' ActBlue page!

Go to:
http://sparechangeforamerica.com

I just received this message on one of my activism lists from Garry Shay, a member of the DNC from California who has made his decision about who he is supporting - and endorsing - for DNC Chairman.

I'm posting his entire message below the fold because it contains a very thoughtful run-down of all the candidates and their positions, and he explains his thinking about how he is evaluating their strengths.

It's an interesting glimpse inside the selection criteria of an actual DNC member.