GREETINGS FELLOW DEMOCRATS!





Check this out...

www.imvotingrepublican.com

Listen all the way through. If you are thinking about sitting out November maybe this will help you get energized.





From Keith Olbermann last night. A special comment on some of McCain’s statement

If you missed it..here it is.

SPECIAL COMMENT: "NOT TOO IMPORTANT"

http://thenewshole.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/06/12/1137670.aspx





June 2008 Newsletter

It was sent to almost 3000 Democrats. Four years ago we started out with a mailing list of around 450. If you want yours in paper form let us know. The last copies should arrive on Saturday. Comments appreciated. Make them kind. We know we can always be better. The next edition will come in October before early voting...it will cover all the candidates.

Click Here for June, 2008 Newsletter





The least expensive gas in your zip code

This is pretty nifty. Yes, it even works in Hawaii ! Just enter your zip code in the site below, and it tells you which gas stations have the cheapest prices (and the highest) on gas in your zip code area. It's updated every evening.

http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx?zip=&src=Netx

Be a good neighbor and pass this along.





STATE GOP CONVENTION BEGINS WITH SHARED CRITICISM OF DEMOCRATS AND NATIONAL REPUBLICANS

Will a divided convention come together as did the Democrats in Austin?

June 12, 2008 -- 6:37 PM

The state’s top elected officials, all of them Republicans, alternately excoriated their Democratic rivals and chided their own national party leaders in afternoon speeches on the first day of the Republican Party of Texas state convention.

Kicking off the day was Gov. Rick Perry, who began with a fervent promise to restore the Governor’s Mansion after a suspected arsonist caused extensive damage to the residence over the weekend.

“We will rebuild. We will restore. We will renew this Texas treasure for future generations,” he said.

He then went on to mock the “Change We Can Believe In” campaign motto of presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama. In a criticism that was echoed by subsequent speakers, Perry said, “Let’s not forget what Democrats really mean when they talk about change. When Democrats talk about change they’re really talking about the change they’ll be sucking out of your pockets.”

Much has been of the general mood of the state’s main political parties. While Democrats have been described as energetic about their prospects, Republicans have been described as downright glum. Indeed, today’s mood struck this observer as somewhat downbeat although it could very well be that the scene could become energetic as more delegates arrive for the weekend.

Still, the elected officials were advancing the notion that the Republican Party needed to atone for not staying true to its supporters. “I won’t sugarcoat it,” Perry said. “At the national level, our party has lost its way. The lack of fiscal discipline has been disheartening to all of us who know that that is the bedrock of the Republican Party. But we need to stick together and remember who our opponents are.”





Hillary Clinton scored a real victory for women

Marie Wilson, WHITE HOUSE PROJECT
Wednesday, June 11, 2008

"I am here because of Hillary Clinton."

Over the past few months, that phrase has been repeated to me by hundreds of women you've never met but whose names you may one day recognize. They are this country's next generation of female leaders — women of all ages and persuasions who have been searching for the means and encouragement to step into positions of leadership in their communities; women of all political affiliations who thank Hillary Clinton for making the impossible finally appear possible.

As someone who trains women across the country to lead, it has been easy for me to see, firsthand, the impact of Clinton's candidacy. I have watched over the past year as women in the mining towns of Minnesota's Iron Range and urban centers such as Atlanta and Denver have stepped forward as never before to lead. It's a mistake to suggest that women's political leadership will be crippled by Clinton's loss in the Democratic presidential nomination race. In fact, I believe that the end of her candidacy will eventually rank as a modest disappointment when measured against her larger wins — which include what has been revealed to us about the often invisible political aspirations of women and how we can leverage their talent and passion to bring about change at all levels of government.

Already, the political pipeline promises a bevy of "women to watch" — governors (Arizona's Janet Napolitano, Kansas's Kathleen Sebelius and Alaska's Sarah Palin) U.S. senators (Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota) and other elected officials who are seen as next in line. Our country has a wealth of dedicated, intelligent, politically savvy women who are ready to take their leadership to the next level. Through their example, they will continue to inspire others.

But it's not just the women already near the top who demonstrate the impact of Clinton's historic run. The real and long-term effect of her candidacy can be seen in the burgeoning movement of women at the grass-roots level who are working to alter our political landscape. They are the retiring teachers who want to amplify their good works in the community; the recent college graduates determined to transform the world around them; the seasoned factory workers who want their voices to finally be heard. These women may not be on our national radar, but they are changing the face and voice of American leadership as surely as Hillary Clinton has. She has shifted cultural perceptions of what a leader looks like.

The fact that we have women at the top and the bottom levels of politics across this country is no accident of fate — it is the result of decades and decades of work and ambition. And it is a strategic imperative if we are to have a truly representative democracy, one in which women of all colors and from all communities lead in equal numbers alongside their male peers.

As more women enter the political pipeline, the quality and character of our political institutions will be better off for their participation. They will help reflect the diverse nature of our nation's experiences and embody the richness of our collective visions for change.

Clinton's candidacy has brought unprecedented visibility to women's leadership. We may at times have disagreed with her campaign tactics, her voting record or her political maneuverings. And her candidacy did highlight certain fissures between women of different racial, generational and political backgrounds. But whether we liked Clinton the person or Clinton the candidate pales in comparison with this unassailable truth: Her candidacy has helped change the political game forever.

Now it's up to the rest of us to do our part — by encouraging women's leadership in every shape and form. We do that by inviting our female friends and relatives to take the next step in their political lives by running for office. We do that by being brave enough to run for office ourselves. We do that by supporting the female candidates who do run for office — not simply because they are women but because they are just as qualified as their male peers to bring about the changes we seek.

This race does not end with Hillary Clinton's campaign. By helping to fill the pipeline with a critical mass of diverse, well-equipped women, Clinton's candidacy has changed everything about the future of leadership in this country. And that is a legacy of which she — and our nation — should be proud.

Wilson is founder and president of the White House Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that aims to advance women's leadership. This column first ran in The Washington Post.





Brazos County Democratic Party
P.O. Box 4568
Bryan Texas 77805
979-779-5600 Fax 979-779-5601

America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.
Harry S. Truman, Democrat, President of the United States of America