Comments for Herding Donkeys http://herdingdonkeys.com Fri, 04 May 2012 02:58:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.2 Comment on Herding Donkeys Paperback by Mike Maday http://herdingdonkeys.com/2012/02/01/herding-donkeys-paperback-2/#comment-559 Mike Maday Fri, 04 May 2012 02:58:00 +0000 http://herdingdonkeys.com/?p=339#comment-559 I just got the paperback version of Herding Donkeys. Thanks for leaving the possibility for Hope open at the end and for giving us Obama folks the last word. In Colorado, to coin a phrase, we are Fired Up and Ready to Go. It looks to me that the development of neighborhood teams in El Paso County is on pace with, if not ahead of, 2008. Over three dozen volunteer events statewide today on a Thursday, about typical for a week day. I think 2012 will test the community organizing model more than ever. It will be a match up between hundreds of millions of conversations with voters and hundreds of millions of dollars spent by Super PACs on ads attacking the President. It's too early to write the book on how this one will turn out but it should be a great story! I just got the paperback version of Herding Donkeys. Thanks for leaving the possibility for Hope open at the end and for giving us Obama folks the last word. In Colorado, to coin a phrase, we are Fired Up and Ready to Go. It looks to me that the development of neighborhood teams in El Paso County is on pace with, if not ahead of, 2008. Over three dozen volunteer events statewide today on a Thursday, about typical for a week day. I think 2012 will test the community organizing model more than ever. It will be a match up between hundreds of millions of conversations with voters and hundreds of millions of dollars spent by Super PACs on ads attacking the President. It’s too early to write the book on how this one will turn out but it should be a great story!

]]> Comment on Attack of the Super PACs by Suzanne Prescott (@pancheetah) http://herdingdonkeys.com/2012/03/13/attack-of-the-super-pacs/#comment-555 Suzanne Prescott (@pancheetah) Sat, 21 Apr 2012 18:54:38 +0000 http://herdingdonkeys.com/?p=348#comment-555 I'm one of many who would like to read a sequel to Herding Donkeys based on the runup to the 2012 election. I’m one of many who would like to read a sequel to Herding Donkeys based on the runup to the 2012 election.

]]> Comment on New Media by Chauncey Jones http://herdingdonkeys.com/2011/09/12/new-media/#comment-515 Chauncey Jones Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:27:53 +0000 http://herdingdonkeys.com/?p=314#comment-515 This book provides a very thorough and factual account of what brought Barack Obama into the office of the presidency. It provides the information for all real and dedicated progressives to follow and defend why progressivism must prevail. This in order for the middle class to grow , resurge and lift the poor.Conservatism does not bring the social and economic growth America must have in order to comeback from the 'Great Recession". This book is a must read for anyone who has a real comittment to the rebirth of the great American society. This book provides a very thorough and factual account of what brought Barack Obama into the office of the presidency. It provides the information for all real
and dedicated progressives to follow and defend why progressivism must prevail. This in order for the middle class to grow , resurge and lift the poor.Conservatism does not bring the social and economic growth America must have in order to comeback from the ‘Great Recession”. This book is a must read for anyone who has a real comittment to the rebirth of the great American society.

]]> Comment on The Book by Blog for Iowa Interview with Ari Berman, Part I | Blog for Iowa http://herdingdonkeys.com/the-book/#comment-507 Blog for Iowa Interview with Ari Berman, Part I | Blog for Iowa Sat, 17 Dec 2011 11:02:18 +0000 http://herdingdonkeys.com/#comment-507 [...] with Ari Berman, Part I Ari Berman writes for The Nation magazine and is author of the book Herding Donkeys, published in October 2010 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Paul Deaton of Blog for Iowa [...] [...] with Ari Berman, Part I Ari Berman writes for The Nation magazine and is author of the book Herding Donkeys, published in October 2010 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Paul Deaton of Blog for Iowa [...]

]]> Comment on Austerity Politics by Dave http://herdingdonkeys.com/2011/08/03/age-of-austerity/#comment-456 Dave Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:32:23 +0000 http://herdingdonkeys.com/?p=309#comment-456 Age of austerity? Spending is at historically high levels and will continue to be. If anything, the "Age of Austerity" was the Clinton years of the 1990s. Notice the unemployment rate in, say, 1999 compared to now, and then compare how much we were spending. Age of austerity? Spending is at historically high levels and will continue to be. If anything, the “Age of Austerity” was the Clinton years of the 1990s. Notice the unemployment rate in, say, 1999 compared to now, and then compare how much we were spending.

]]> Comment on HuffPo: What Obama Can Learn from Obama by Ena Lipsey http://herdingdonkeys.com/2010/11/23/huffpo-what-obama-can-learn-from-obama/#comment-404 Ena Lipsey Wed, 29 Jun 2011 02:19:45 +0000 http://herdingdonkeys.com/?p=244#comment-404 This really is a fantastic post. Thanks a lot for taking a few minutes to explain all this out for all of us. It's a great guide! This really is a fantastic post. Thanks a lot for taking a few minutes to explain all this out for all of us. It’s a great guide!

]]> Comment on Bloggingheads.tv by Mike Maday http://herdingdonkeys.com/2011/04/06/bloggingheads-tv/#comment-397 Mike Maday Wed, 27 Apr 2011 05:02:23 +0000 http://herdingdonkeys.com/?p=292#comment-397 Did you see Messina's video yesterday outlining the campaign's strategy? Looks grassroots to me. I suppose it could be smoke and mirrors, pandering to the activists but we shall see. The grassroots organization is way ahead of where it was four years ago. They are putting some very good field people in place, including Jeremy Bird as national Field Director. BTW, don't you think Messina seems Plouffesq in the glasses and with the map. Any possibility he learned something as Plouffe's right hand during the last general election? I know several people from the 08 campaign who had good things to say about Messina, as did David Plouffe. But I understand as a member of the east coast liberal, liberal press you are unable to give the Prez and his people a break. Lots of us out west think he's doing a pretty good job for a guy who can't even produce a birth certificate. (I had to throw that in Ari :) ) Keep up the good reporting. Did you see Messina’s video yesterday outlining the campaign’s strategy? Looks grassroots to me. I suppose it could be smoke and mirrors, pandering to the activists but we shall see. The grassroots organization is way ahead of where it was four years ago. They are putting some very good field people in place, including Jeremy Bird as national Field Director. BTW, don’t you think Messina seems Plouffesq in the glasses and with the map. Any possibility he learned something as Plouffe’s right hand during the last general election? I know several people from the 08 campaign who had good things to say about Messina, as did David Plouffe. But I understand as a member of the east coast liberal, liberal press you are unable to give the Prez and his people a break. Lots of us out west think he’s doing a pretty good job for a guy who can’t even produce a birth certificate. (I had to throw that in Ari :) ) Keep up the good reporting.

]]> Comment on Washington Journal by Luckygirl http://herdingdonkeys.com/2011/01/14/washington-journal/#comment-286 Luckygirl Thu, 27 Jan 2011 04:39:26 +0000 http://herdingdonkeys.com/?p=271#comment-286 I have not yet read your book, but I believe Barack has very good, even progressive instincts and heart, plus intelligence. Don't see any way to beat that! I have not yet read your book, but I believe Barack has very good, even progressive instincts and heart, plus intelligence. Don’t see any way to beat that!

]]> Comment on HuffPo: What Obama Can Learn from Obama by Bob Nemanich http://herdingdonkeys.com/2010/11/23/huffpo-what-obama-can-learn-from-obama/#comment-168 Bob Nemanich Thu, 25 Nov 2010 16:34:14 +0000 http://herdingdonkeys.com/?p=244#comment-168 Ari: I am a colleague and friend of Mike Maday in CO Springs, CO, whom you mentioned in your book. Some insights that appear to be going unnoticed in CO and especially the bellwether county El Paso County, CO where even though Republicans own a 2-to-1 registered voter base but where El Paso also holds the 2nd highest number of Democrats in the state of CO. 2010 Midterm saw that Bennet won the unaffiliated (independents) in the county 51% to 25% going to the collection of 3rd Party candidates (4 being rightwingers, 2-o-1 in that pool) and Buck receiving 23% of that vote. Furthermore a State Senator, Dem majority leader Morse won re-election with a similar fashion in the county, (actually Morse carried 55% of the unaffiliated's in his district) and won by 1.1%. Dem's indeed turned out at a 82% rate in the early vote stage that included the mail votes. Election day voting was way down at 32% of all remaining voters, where Dem's lost a few percentage points discounting the theory of a late surge. What this is telling me is that independents in CO and El Paso County rejected the Tea Party candidacies 7.5-to-2.5 in a state where there are supposedly more Tea Party affiliated voters. Furthermore the Maes-Tancredo vote has demonstrated a real fragmenting of the Republican brand and party where it appears only 190,000 Republicans are real party loyalists, (same number that McGinnis got in the Rep primary). This represents about 11% of the entire electorate that voted and about 25% or less of the entire registered Republican base in the state. What this means is foretelling going forward. In the end Donkeys remain herded, but the Elephants are splitting up. Ari:

I am a colleague and friend of Mike Maday in CO Springs, CO, whom you mentioned in your book. Some insights that appear to be going unnoticed in CO and especially the bellwether county El Paso County, CO where even though Republicans own a 2-to-1 registered voter base but where El Paso also holds the 2nd highest number of Democrats in the state of CO.

2010 Midterm saw that Bennet won the unaffiliated (independents) in the county 51% to 25% going to the collection of 3rd Party candidates (4 being rightwingers, 2-o-1 in that pool) and Buck receiving 23% of that vote. Furthermore a State Senator, Dem majority leader Morse won re-election with a similar fashion in the county, (actually Morse carried 55% of the unaffiliated’s in his district) and won by 1.1%. Dem’s indeed turned out at a 82% rate in the early vote stage that included the mail votes. Election day voting was way down at 32% of all remaining voters, where Dem’s lost a few percentage points discounting the theory of a late surge.

What this is telling me is that independents in CO and El Paso County rejected the Tea Party candidacies 7.5-to-2.5 in a state where there are supposedly more Tea Party affiliated voters. Furthermore the Maes-Tancredo vote has demonstrated a real fragmenting of the Republican brand and party where it appears only 190,000 Republicans are real party loyalists, (same number that McGinnis got in the Rep primary). This represents about 11% of the entire electorate that voted and about 25% or less of the entire registered Republican base in the state.

What this means is foretelling going forward. In the end Donkeys remain herded, but the Elephants are splitting up.

]]> Comment on Vermont media by NYC Events This Week | Herding Donkeys http://herdingdonkeys.com/2010/11/12/vermont-media/#comment-138 NYC Events This Week | Herding Donkeys Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:27:16 +0000 http://herdingdonkeys.com/?p=231#comment-138 [...] ← Vermont media [...] [...] ← Vermont media [...]

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