Dear nancy, Good Morning!
Get ready to attend a State of the Union watch party, if you can't go out to attend a party there are ways to have fun online too ! I collected a few great Texas news articles including : Perry exiting the race and TX Redistricting.
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Thanks,
Nancy Cunningham
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A few great Citizen's United articles on the 2nd Anniversary | 
The hard truth about Citizens United -On the second anniversary of a terrible decision, every proposed solution has a downside. By Steven Rosenfeld The movement to overturn the Supreme Court's controversial Citizens United ruling and confront the doctrine of "corporate personhood" stands at a perilous crossroads. Read on What if Citizens United Actually United the Citizens? This past week saw a flurry of progressive victories that could upset the conventional wisdom about a post-Citizens United world. The following article first appeared on the Web site of the Nation. For more great content from the Nation, sign up for its email newsletters. After a long, dark period of stagnant progressive momentum and pay-to-play politics, this week saw a flurry of progressive victories that could upset the conventional wisdom about a post-Citizens United world. Read on Citizens United: A Tsunami of Secret Corporate Cash Is Drowning Our Democracy Isaiah J. Poole, Campaign for America's Future: "Today is the two-year anniversary of the infamous Citizens United ruling by the Supreme Court that allowed corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns. Since then, our democracy has been drowning in a tsunami of corporate special interest money. Our government is under the thumb of the Koch brothers and other corporate moguls instead of the hands of the people. And citizens are uniting in their disgust." Read on |
Supreme Court Blocks Judges' Redistricting Plan in Texas Case | 
The Supreme Court on Friday instructed a lower court in Texas to take a fresh look at election maps it had drawn in place of a competing set of maps from the Texas Legislature. The justices said the lower court had not paid enough deference to the Legislature's choices and had improperly substituted its own values for those of elected officials. Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na |
Democracy Now | 
Leading up to the South Carolina primary, several Republican presidential candidates have been criticized for comments made over issues of race. This week Newt Gingrich defended his description of President Obama as "the food stamp president," while offering praise for President Andrew Jackson, the architect of the Indian Removal Act. We speak to South Carolina civil rights activist Kevin Alexander Gray and longtime political reporter Wayne Slater about how Republicans have adopted the long-held "Southern strategy" of race baiting in order to win over bigoted white voters. Watch/Listen/Read The Obama administration has rejected the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline that would stretch from the Alberta tar sands to the Gulf Coast. On Wednesday, President Obama said he was turning down TransCanada's application for the pipeline because there was not enough time to review an alternate route that would avoid the Ogallala Aquifer in Nebraska. Environmental groups have hailed the permit's rejection, but it does not mark the end of the pipeline fight. TransCanada has already announced it will reapply for a permit based on a different route, and Obama said he was only making his decision based on time constraints, not on the pipeline's "merits." We get reaction from Jane Kleeb of Bold Nebraska and 350.org founder Bill McKibben, an expert on climate change who has led massive protests in Washington, D.C. against the pipeline over the past six months. Watch/Listen/Read We speak with reporter Michael Hastings about the "disastrous past year" in Afghanistan and the mentality a decade of war has bred there. His new book, The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America's War in Afghanistan, originated with his 2010 Rolling Stone article, "The Runaway General," about Gen. Stanley McChrystal, then commander of the war in Afghanistan, and his inner circle. McChrystal was fired after the article was published. Watch/Listen/Read |
You are invoted to State of the Union watching parties ! | 
State of the Union Watch Party Stonewall Democrats of Dallas When Tuesday January 24th Time 6:30pm until 9:30pm Description: Join Stonewall Democrats of Dallas for this free event and watch President Obama give the State of the Union. The Brick will have the address on the large jumbo screen, and there will be drink special, too! For more information please contact info@stonewalldemocratsofdallas.org The Brick & Joe's /2525 Wycliff Ave. Suite #120, Dallas, TX 75219 Watch the State of the Union with Us- WHOTUS On Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m. ET, President Obama will give a State of the Union address to Congress. He'll talk about where we find ourselves as a nation and lay out his agenda for the year ahead. At the White House, David Plouffe -- a senior advisor to the President -- sat down to talk about the speech and how you can get involved. To make sure you're getting the most out of the speech, we're also putting together an enhanced version of the State of the Union that you'll be able to watch as President Obama speaks. The enhanced version will be available at WhiteHouse.gov/SOTU so be sure to tune in Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. As the President outlines his goals for 2012, we'll pull out key facts and important data -- and go deeper to give you additional information. This speech will be a big moment, and we hope you'll watch it with us. Learn more from David Plouffe, and don't forget to tune in Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. ET. WhiteHouse.gov/SOTU Find a watch party near you https://my.barackobama.com/page/event/search_simple Twitter and Online with League of Young Voters The League of Young Voters invites you to our online State of the Union watch party and Twitter discussion, #BarackTalk, this Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. EST on BarackTalk.com. |
Texas Democrats The Promesa Project comes to UNT | 
The Promesa Project. Phase two will include putting a paid staffer on campus at UNT-Dallas. That person will receive extensive training and be tasked with generating an increase in Democratic primary turnout using a variety of means. You can read all the details below but here's the takeaway - Republicans are busy bashing Latinos every chance they get, Texas Democrats are putting our money where our mouth is and working to earn Latino support. The organizer we place on the UNT-Dallas campus will be part of the Promesa Project Fellowship Program. He or she will be a part of a larger team of Fellows who will be stationed on campuses all over Texas. We firmly believe this program has the potential to have dramatic electoral effects all over the state, including at the statewide level. Sound to you like something you can get behind? Any contribution you can make will go a long way towards making this Fellowship Program a success. http://www.promesaproject.com/ |
North Texas Progressive Book Suggestion | 
Corporations Are Not People: Why They Have More Rights Than You Do and What You Can Do About It By Jeffrey D. Clements List Price: $17.95 Price: $11.81 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details READ ON
This is the first practical guide for every citizen on the problem of corporate personhood and the tools we have to overturn it. Jeff Clements explains why the Citizen's United case is the final win in a campaign for corporate domination of the state that began in the 1970s under Richard Nixon. More than this, Clements shows how unfettered corporate rights will impact public health, energy policy, the environment, and the justice system. Where Thom Hartmann's Unequal Protection provides a much-needed detailed legal history of corporate personhood, Corporations Are Not People answers the reader's question: "What does Citizens United mean to me?" And, even more important, it provides a solution: a Constitutional amendment, included in the book, which would reverse Citizens United. The book's ultimate goal is to give every citizen the tools and talking points to overturn corporate personhood state by state, community by community with petitions, house party kits, draft letters, shareholder resolutions, and much more. |
North Texas Democrats : Notes and News | 
Democratic Women of Collin County Monday January 23, 2012 is the first General Meeting of the year for Texas Democratic Women of Collin County. Join us at 6:45pm at the Preston Ridge Campus of Collin College, 9700 Wade Blvd Frisco, Texas, Founders Hall, Shawnee Room F148. As always there will be refreshments and time to socialize. Program will include: election of officers, plans for 2012, redistricting, Texas Primary and Voter ID bill Grassroots Democratic Coalition Thursday, January 26, 2012 7:30 PM Black Eyed Pea Restaurant 7979 Belt LIne Rd at Coit Rd - Next to Shell Service Station Dallas, TX 75287 Price: $2.00 per person Meet the Candidate! Sean Hubbard A reception for senatorial candidate, Sean Hubbard, will be held in McKinney on January 29. For more information, call Nancy Bryant at 972-562-3507. Democratic Party of Collin County Moving Collin County Forward An Opportunity for Service Will You Commit to an Evening of Service in Honor of the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.? Collin County Homeless Coalition in Need of Hundreds of Volunteers for the 2012 Collin County Point in Time Count of Homeless Persons Thursday, January 26, 2012 / 8 p.m. - 1 a.m. Count Locations This Year In Plano, Frisco, Allen, & McKinney Please sign up for this important community effort through the following link: www.surveymonkey.com/s/STF2NSF Please wear clothing appropriate to the weather, comfortable shoes, and bring a flashlight, pen, and clipboard if you have one.For more information, contact Cara Mendelsson of the Collin County Homeless Coalition via email at caraathome@gmail.com, or send a message on the Colllin County Homeless Coalition's page on Facebook. MID-CITIES DEMOCRATS MEETING THIS THURSDAY NIGHT When: 7PM Thursday, January 26th Where: Los Jimadores Tequila Factory, 3314 Harwood Road, Bedford 76021 (map) Guest Speaker: Michael Li, Dallas attorney who has been closely following the redistricting case in the Supreme Court and the Voters Rights case in the DC court. What does the recent Supreme Court ruling mean to Texas? Michael Li will explain what the court's ruling means concerning the Primary in Texas and how voters will be effected. Please come early to eat. The meeting starts at 7PM. |
| Labor happenings around town ... | 
DFW Chapter of Texas Alliance for Retired Americans meets at UAW 276 hall, 2505 W.E. Roberts in Grand Prairie, 9:30 AM on 4th Tuesday, Jan 24. Everyone invited. At 10:30, the UAW Area Retirees Council meets at the same place. Texas Alliance for Retired Americans convention begins 9 AM Friday, January 27, at the Omni Southpark Hotel in Austin. Everyone invited. Friends of working families present a Labor and Civil Rights Songfest at 2 PM on Sunday, February 26, at 1408 N Washington. Contact labordallas@sbcglobal.net for ticket info. in solidarity, Gene Lantz http://www.labordallas.org/ |
Dogs ( and their human friends) get into the 2012 election groove | 
Beagles for Barack Founded January 14, 2012 Location Dallas, TX About Dudley (beagle extraordinaire) just loves President Obama! He wants other animals and people to join him in raising their paw, hoof, wing, fin or hand to show their support for Barack! Description Woofs... My name is Dudley Winston Goode and I reside outside Dallas, Texas with my mom, Jan Marie. We both love President Obama and just wanted to show some love for him. I know he cares for the little man/woman and doggies, too. Have you seen the life Bo lives?! Please keep comments 'Pawsitive'! I would hate to have to use my paws to delete you...but I will! Peace and Paws... Mission To spread my tail-wagging love for President Barack Obama! Peace and Paws... Email jangoode@att.net /Beagles-for-Barack/364174810266248 Dogs Against Romney The Official Site of Dogs Against Romney(TM) founded 2007. Hi, I'm Rusty. Mitt Romney is mean to dogs. Help me get my message out about the Romney dog on roof story. http://www.dogsagainstromney.com/ |
2012 Presidential Primary Calendar; 2012 State and Presidential Primary and Caucus Dates | 
2012 Presidential Primary Calendar; 2012 State and Presidential Primary and Caucus Dates Via The Thicket: "National Conference of State Legislature's (NCSL) new 2012 Presidential Primary Calendar, and its companion, a state-ordered table, 2012 State and Presidential Primary and Caucus Dates...Jennie Bowser created the lists and checked them against a multitude of official sources. She says, "this year, it was more complicated than ever to assemble this data." Here are a few of the complications: o State legislatures decide the dates of primaries (except in the states where parties do); o Political parties decide the dates of caucuses (except in the states where the legislature does); o The two major parties don't always use the same dates in a given state; o More states changed their dates this year than in any of the last three presidential cycles (and Texas' date could still change); and, o Some primaries are "beauty contests" only, designed to bring attention to a state but not to choose delegates to the national conventions where presidential nominees are officially selected. o To understand all the vagaries in presidential nominating events, the National Association of Secretaries of State has just released a comprehensive report, NASS 2012 Presidential Primaries Guide. In it, you'll learn the state-by-state details on how the date is chosen, how the primary is funded, who can vote in the primary, and where to find official results." Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/550955#ixzz1kIVuMRAO |
The Young Turks Announce the Launch of The Point | The Young Turks (TYT) announces that it has launched The Point, (http://www.youtube.com/thepoint ) on December 15, 2011, the first program for their new YouTube channel Town Square, as part of YouTube's new original channels initiative. Produced by Cenk Uygur and TYT, Town Square is a political news and commentary channel. The Point tackles the issues of the day with a rotating panel hosted by Uygur addressing videos from contributors. New episodes of the show will post each week. Each episode of  The Point will focus on a few topics from that week's news that reflect the passions of contributors who will make videos exclusively for the show. In addition to Uygur, the show will feature analysts and newsmakers from the worlds of entertainment, politics, government, business and breaking news. Members of the rotating panel include Brian Unger, The History Channel's host of How The States Got Their Shapes; Ben Mankiewicz, Turner Classic Movies' weekend daytime host; Jimmy Dore, of Comedy Central specials Citizen Jimmy, Pop in Politics, nationally touring comedian, and host of The Jimmy Dore Show on KPFK Los Angeles; Michael Shure, political correspondent for The Young Turks and host of the online show TwentyTwelve; Dileep Rao, actor from Avatar and Inception; Tina Dupuy, managing editor of Crooks and Liars, syndicated op-ed columnist, and featured Huffington Post blogger; Richard Eskow, former executive in health care and finance; Sam Seder, Host of The Majority Report; David Sirota, highly acclaimed author (Back to Our Future) and host of The David Sirota Show on AM760; Adam Green, Co-Founder of Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC); Glenn Greenwald, columnist for Salon.com and author of With Liberty and Justice for Some: How the Law Is Used to Destroy Equality and Protect the Powerful; as well as Ana Kasparian, co-host of The Young Turks and host of TYT University. |
How Colbert and Cain toppled Rick Perry | 
After initially staggering out of the gate, it looks as if Herman Cain -- standing in for comedian Stephen Colbert's exploratory committee for the presidency of the United States Of South Carolina -- is going to win the battle of "people on the ballot who are no longer actually running." With just shy of 95% of precincts reporting, Cain/Colbert have taken 5,937 votes, compared to the 2,336 earned by Perry and the 1,629 that have been claimed by "Others." That's good enough for one percent of the vote and, technically, a fifth-place finish. (At the moment, 69,346 votes separate Cain/Colbert from fourth-place finisher Ron Paul.) read on |
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| Andrew Sullivan: How Obama's Long Game Will Outsmart His Critics
Newsweek | 
The right calls him a socialist, the left says he sucks up to Wall Street, and independents think he's a wimp. Andrew Sullivan on how the president may just end up outsmarting them all. You hear it everywhere. Democrats are disappointed in the president. Independents have soured even more. Republicans have worked themselves up into an apocalyptic fervor. And, yes, this is not exactly unusual.
read on
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North Texas Progressive Newsletter Nancy Cunningham
Editor
Contact: Nancy This newsletter is a project of the North Texas Progressive , which is an umbrella organization for the Dallas Air America group, which was founded in 2004 to promote and support progressive talk radio and independent media in North Texas. Visit the North Texas Progressive web pages to get more information. Newsletter archive Sponsor the newsletter here ! |
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Dr. Errington Thompson's "Where's the outrage? " blog | 
Dallas native Dr. Errington Thompson, former host on Revolution 880 from Asheville, NC now blogs at erringtonthompsonmd.com
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Candle Vigil Commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day | Candle Vigil Commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day Set for Jan. 26 
Each January we come together to reflect upon the profound tragedy of the Holocaust where six million Jews were senselessly murdered - just because they were Jews. A special program of remembrance is planned for Thursday, January 26th at 6:30 p.m. to mourn the loss of each and every victim. Together with Rabbi Yitzak Cohen in the DHM/CET Garden of Remembrance and Tolerance, we will pray the Kaddish, read the names of victims, and light candles to illuminate the beauty of human beings once alive and vibrant. Your presence at this ceremony is a bold statement of unity and tolerance, one that keeps the eternal flame of hope burning, that lights the way to Never Again. We invite you to make this gathering special and personal. Come with your friends, your family, your children - those you hold most dear - to experience this intimate gathering of hope and remembrance. Bring your blankets to huddle close together in the safety of the garden seating. A candle will be provided for each of you to light as you read the name of a victim aloud. These names have not been spoken in so many years. The more people who attend, the more names we can recite, the more victims we can remember. Your RSVP is requested by January 24th to RSVP@DallasHolocaustMuseum.org or 214.741.7500.
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A Day of Renewable Energy for People | The Dallas Alternative Energy Meetup Group Saturday, January 28, 2012 10:00 AM Rockwall Library 1215 E. Yellowjacket Ln. Rockwall, TX 75087 
Our personal energy starts and ends with food. As it becomes obvious to most of us that peak oil is behind us, as our industrial food system becomes more expensive and less safe, growing some of our own food becomes more and more important. Yet few of us know how, when, or where to start. In addition, even fewer of us know Permaculture, the sustainable way to build our homes naturally, lay out our land (large farm or postage-size city lot), supply alternative energy, harvest water, and grow food intensively. We will start with the basis of growing food: Seeds Schedule: 10 am Seed Swap 11 am Showing of Power of Community 12:45 pm Showing of Urban Permaculture 2:45 pm Introduction to Intentional Communities Come to one or more segments or the entire day January 28: A FREE Day of Sustainability and Learning to Garden. Produce Food and Create Your Personal Renewable Energy--from the Inside Out
More info here
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13 Great New Political Movies You Should Watch | 13 Great New Political Movies You Should Watch As the major festival circuit begins, the big political doc titles emerge. Here are some of our favorites. READ ON
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Hulu to Premiere First Original Scripted Series 'Battleground' | Hulu will launch its first original scripted series, Battleground, set in the world of the political campaign trail, on Feb. 14, the company announced at its first presentation at the TCA press tour here Sunday. Battleground will be in the faux workplace documentary-style, exploring the behind-the-scenes chaos of campaign workers and volunteers in a Wisconsin state Senate race. The weekly series centers on the character Chris "Tak" Davis, the campaign manager of a distant third-place candidate, as he tries to overcome corrupt politicians and staff in fighting to win the primary.
http://www.hulu.com/battleground
| Battleground - A Hulu Original Series (Trailer) |
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2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte wants you to pick the poster ! | 
2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. Now, I'm happy to announce the top 12 finalists. Our team spent hours going over the submissions and with considerable difficulty, we whittled it down to just 12 for you to vote on. Now it's up to you to vote for your favorites. The rules are simple. The poster with the most votes will be one of the official posters of the 2012 Democratic National convention. Select your three favorites today; visit www.charlottein2012.com/postercontestto register your vote!
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