by Christi Parsons
WASHINGTON--Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine claimed his job as chairman of the Democratic National Committee this afternoon, but he and President-elect Barack Obama spent almost as much time downplaying the importance of party as in announcing its new mission.
In short, they said, the new DNC should be about engaging all Americans in the civic process - regardless of whether they voted for Obama or not.
The party should strive for "breaking free of old orthodoxies, reaching across party lines," Obama said in a joint press conference, with the goal of achieving "progress for all Americans."
Kaine is fit for the job, Obama said, because of his "belief that politics is about something more than what all too often it has become in Washington," the president-elect said.
Politics should focus not on "feeding partisan disputes or getting your name in the papers," he said, but on the "dignity of service."
Kaine said he hopes to "carry the banner of a proud party," emphasizing ideals like respect for work and care for what he called "the least of these."
"At the end of the day, the story of this campaign is . . . you don't have to be a big donor for your donation to matter," Kaine said. "You don't have to be a PhD for your idea to matter."
Comments
From Obama's coments - The Democrats don't need a DNC Chief.. Sounds like more CHANGE.
Posted by: Inky | January 8, 2009 4:45 PM
“For American labor, 2009 will be a big year,” [American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees President Gerald] McEntee said. “We have a new administration. We have governors all across the country who are looking toward being able to organize more workers in red states that have become blue.”
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/17080.html
Posted by: a party of union-organizer governors? | January 8, 2009 4:59 PM
"Kaine Officially Made DNC Chief!"
...meanwhile, Republicans are still pushing for Chip "magic negro" Saltsman to be the next grand wizard of the nearly defunct RNC.
.
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/12/republicans_popping_up_to_defend_saltsman_for_magic_negro_cd.php
Posted by: Rush | January 8, 2009 5:28 PM
...
For American labor, 2009 will be a big year,” [American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees President Gerald] McEntee said. “We have a new administration. We have governors all across the country who are looking toward being able to organize more workers in red states that have become blue.”
Posted by: a party of union-organizer governors? | January 8, 2009 4:59 PM
...
Sounds good to me, bought and paid for anti-union Teresa,
Americans have never seen the power of a well organized boycott. Can individual workers do anything? Not really. But a powerful union movement can use a few pennies from each member and buy a saturation advertising campaign which names names and clearly states that XXX Corp is acting in an UnAmerican fashion.
Employers who shift production abroad yet still want to sell their products here deserve a swift kick in the pocketbook. But you say foreign competitors will underprice them and make matters worse. Well, with a strong Labor movement, all of our "free trade agreements" would include provisions to protect labor in those other countries, and if the other countries are unwilling to improve living standards for their workers, then the USA will impose tariffs to balance the equation.
Just because you've been told for 30 years that there's nothing we can do except swallow the bullshit being fed us by the corporate media, that doesn't mean it's true.
And just as an aside, why do the countries with the highest standards of living have the strongest unions? Why do German labor unions have representation on the Boards of Directors of all the major corporations? Maybe they should give that all up and follow the USA's example?
Posted by: Reagan was fraud and a failure | January 8, 2009 6:00 PM