Columbia Street in Albany is one of those modern marvels of urban transportation.  It's one of those streets that becomes a one way street in one direction and then in a different one.  And a different one.  I was wondering how I was to find Congressional candidate Tracey Brooks's campaign headquarters...

...in a torrential downpour, that is.  For those who aren't film buffs, rain symbolizes change.  Which is the big word in all 2008 elections.  This includes the 21st Congressional District of New York where Tracey Brooks is one of five Democrats seeking to replace a Democratic veteran of two decades.

In the interview below the fold, Tracey goes deeper into her life's story and experience than ever before, and faces questions that may be the closest any candidate in the race gets to Hardball.  Campaigns themselves can be an obstacle course, as can an interview, but as she says in the interview below:

"Never have I faced anything with an obstacle perspective, but rather a can-do, will-do, must-do perspective...just like we have approached this race."

Reiterating My OPPOSITION to Tolling I-80 as PA Turnpike Commission Reveals Plans to Spend I-80 Toll Money:

This week the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission released details of their plans to repair Interstate 80 using the funds generated from tolls paid by users of the highway.  It was stated by the Turnpike Commission and their consultants that "An assessment of the interstate showed that more than half its length has not been repaved since it was built some 40 years ago".  In press accounts, Barry J. Schoch, identified as Project Manager, also detailed plans to build a "cashless open road tolling system" that will utilize the EZ Pass system to collect a portion of the tolls.  Mr. Schoch also described how vehicles not equipped with EZ Pass will have their tolls collected saying "a driver without E-ZPass will have his or her license plate photographed, generating a mailed-out bill for the vehicle owner".  He also stated that this non EZ Pass system "is not currently used on any U.S. highway."

Not good.

The Albany Times Union yesterday debuted the first article in a series chronicling the growth of the Capital Region’s suburbs in the last half century and the effect it is having on the present day.  Yesterday’s cover story gives the editorial introduction, and today’s page prints comments from the TU’s blog.

Now, with the price of gas above $4 a gallon, some wonder if the Capital Region, and the rest of the country, is at a crossroads. Can the growth of suburbia continue? Can the region maintain its high quality of life if existing trends continue? Will fuel become so pricey people can no longer afford commutes from the outlying suburbs?

As I read the article and the comments, I couldn’t help but notice that these questions have great relevance to the Democratic primary for Congress in the 21st district.  Indeed, some are exactly the same questions being asked of the four Democrats running for the seat.

Complete analysis below the fold...

DEP Rejects Permit Application for PA Waste / Boggs Township Landfill.

I'm pleased to report the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has rejected the permit application filed by PA Waste LLC to construct a 5,000 ton per day municipal waste landfill in Boggs Township, Clearfield County. As county commissioner, I've been working over the past 4 years, first with Rex Read and Mike Lytle, and now with John Sobel and Joan Robinson McMillen, to oppose the construction of this landfill in Clearfield County.

President Clinton:

I have always been a fan of yours; you inspired me from an early age to get involved in politics. You made me realize that being a Democrat was the correct choice. You got me excited about politics and made me realize that I wanted to be in politics someday. In short you were my political idol. I thought you were a great President and realized that triangulation was something that was done because it was needed. We had a very hostile, conservative Congress for you to deal with and you did the best you could with them, and did beautifully. I really only disagreed with a handful if your decisions and it was a very odd feeling when you left office because in a sense you were the only president I knew, the only one that I could remember.

Oringainally Posted on The Albany Project

When I met Darius Shahinfar at the Tea & Tap Room in Albany, he greeted me with an anecdote about this story, which joked that, if elected, his name would mess up all the Congressional spell-checkers.  The unusual name is of Iranian origin, as Darius is a first-generation Iranian-American, named after one of the great emperors of ancient Persia.

But while he recalled this story with a sense of humor over introductions, he introduced his campaign to with a sense of confidence over coffee.   The race in the 21st shrank with the turning in of petitions, and he now has only three opponents.  Something he said during the course of the interview, however, indicated that he didn’t see things quite that way:

"I’m not running against Paul Tonko, I’m not running against Phil, I’m not running against Tracey...I’m running for Congress."  Shahinfar said as part of the interview below the fold.

I realize you may not like this defense (the 3 people who hid it certainly didn't;
I need uprates if it's not too late),
but what I said OBVIOUSLY could not be hidden in accordance with any guidelines.
The attacker said:

I didn't expect anything different from him, since I've known he was a politician and not a savior all along. But neither would I say Obama is what I'd consider the best presidential candidate we could get or are ever likely to get. And if he keeps this shit up, I hope somebody better primaries him next time around.

My defense was that Carter was very unpopular in 1980, but that even a candidate with the gravitas and history of Ted Kennedy got absolutely nowhere vs. him in a primary.  My point was that you simply can't primary an incumbent president around anything that's happening NOW -- this ISN'T 1968.

Let's assume triangulating Democrats and screaming progressives don't screw it up for us, and Obama is elected the next president.

I feel strangely confident that this will occur.

But it's been widely noted that President Obama will be taking over a wounded nation; by what measure should we judge his ability to lead us towards a brighter future?

"Use It or Lose It" legislation fails to reach two-thirds majority.

On June 26th in response to ongoing calls to allow oil drilling off the coast of the United States and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Democratic members of Congress offered "Use It or Lose It" legislation to mandate that oil companies either drill on federal land they have leased or relinquish the right to do so.  Currently, oil companies have dormant leases to over 68 million acres in the western United States and Alaska that are available for immediate drilling and exploration that, according to Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md) "contains over 100 billion barrels of oil".

While the vote was 223 for and 195 against, it failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed for passage under shortcut parliamentary rules.  For the record, all Democratic members of the Pennsylvania delegation voted for "Use It or Lose It" while all Pennsylvania Republicans voted against with the exception of Rep. John Peterson who did not vote.

As We Celebrate Our Independence, It Is Time for Energy Independence.

On Friday July 4th we will celebrate Independence Day marking 232 years since our founding fathers declared that the United States of America would be an independent nation.  Back in 1776, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and others showed courage, leadership and vision by drafting the Declaration of Independence creating a democratic government based on freedom and rights for the common people.  

Now, 232 years later, we need to see the same courage, leadership and vision from our elected leaders to declare independence again.  In 2008, the independence we need to declare is not from tyrannical leaders and an oppressive government but energy independence from foreign sources that have too much control over a product that is so vital to our nation.

This past week had important events scheduled every day ending with a very busy weekend.  Here is a brief rundown of the highlights of the week:

The first major joint debate between the 2 candidates in the 5th Congressional District was held on Tuesday at the CBICC luncheon.  The event was broadcast later that evening on PCN.  The feedback I’ve received is that the debate clearly showed the contrast where I stand on the important issues, both regional and national, and where my opponent stands.  The important topics addressed included healthcare, the Iraq war and the growing crisis of increasing gas and energy costs.

Like most unrealistic Dirty F'n Hippies, I am outraged by both the assaults on the Constitution by Team Bush and the GOP as well as the unflinching resolve by Decent Responsible, Upstanding, Serious Adult Democrats to hand him every last thing he desires.

Between the sheer power of a minority GOP and the sheer dedication of Democratic leadership to give them what they want, people like me feel pretty powerless and totally shut out.

Well, here in Georgia there is a Bush Democrat named "John Barrow" and he is up for re-election and he has a primary fight on his hands.

Make the jump...with both feet.

NOTE: this diary is substantially rewritten and reposted.

It seems like Hillary Clinton has a debt of $22.5 million from the primary campaign, and $23 million in donations from her supporters for the GE which she cannot use to retire her debt.  The GE funds she is obligated to return to the donors if they wish it, unless they authorize her to use it for other purposes, like her a future Senate reelection bid (should she not gain any post in an Obama administration).

Any Clinton supporter might ask her to do so regardless of this suggestion, but for those concerned about Hillary´s debt from the primaries, they might ask Obama supporters to choose to donate to Hillary (to retire the debt) in exchange for a dollar for dollar authorization to give those GE funds to the DNC for use during the general election or the convention, perhaps even for use buying ads to support Obama.

I´m not an expert on the campaign financing rules, but it seems this might be a solution that would do a lot for party unity.

3/31.    6/30.    9/30.    12/31.

Most of us reading or writing at DKos understand what those numbers mean.  The end of the fundraising quarter.

(Cross posted from Boyda Bloc)

Just as the Republican Primary campaign bursts on to the stage, all of us watching the race in the Kansas 2nd Congressional District got a very, very unexpected surprised today that throws the conventional wisdom about this race right out the window.

Results of a poll conducted in the Kansas 2nd District in May by  Anzalone Liszt Research, Inc. shows truly shocking numbers- and proves Congresswoman Nancy Boyda isn't quite as vulnerable as previously thought.

Here they are as they were sent to us:

Father's Day -- Our Day to Relax

Today being Father's Day, I'm getting extra special treatment from Amanda.  I was treated to breakfast this morning and afterwards, Kelly and Amanda headed to the community pool in Clearfield so I could relax for a couple of hours.  For all the fathers, soak up the special treatment today because tomorrow it's back to solving problems.

The Candidate-Nominee Crossover
The first article in this series described how some of the most astute political observers were "blindsided by Hope" and Barack Obama’s historic victory, convinced America would continue to be ruled by Freak Show politics.  Eleven organizational principles guided Obama’s campaign for the nomination, which relied heavily on grass roots and community organizing tactics.  The successful "early states" strategy provided enough momentum to carry Obama over the finish line, a race he won by the only measure that counted: delegates.

This article offers a candid assessment of the campaign’s challenges as Obama goes from being a candidate to the nominee.  Obama will adapt his management approach to the general election campaign, internalizing electoral strategy as an important part of the corporate culture.  The internal challenge is melding a grass roots movement with the Democratic Party establishment and limiting expenditures on paid political ads and services.  The external challenge is to avoid inevitable