On the Passing of Congressman John Murtha

This afternoon, Congressman John Murtha (D-PA) passed away at age 77. First elected in 1974, Congressman Murtha was Pennsylvania's longest-serving representative and the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress.

On his passing today, President Obama said that following Murtha's career in the Marines, "Jack’s tough-as-nails reputation carried over to Congress, where he became a respected voice on issues of national security. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife of nearly 55 years, Joyce, their three children, and the entire Murtha family."

Chairman Tim Kaine issued the following statement:

“Today we mourn the loss of a great American figure who dedicated his life to serving his country both in the military and in the halls of Congress. Congressman Murtha had a storied 37-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps and in 1974 he became the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress.

“Just the other day, Congressman Murtha became the longest serving Pennsylvanian in the history of the House of Representatives. During his career, he worked hard to bring tens of thousands of middle class jobs to western Pennsylvania. His legacy as a fighter for his causes and his constituents will be remembered long after his passing.

“Our thoughts and prayers today are with the Congressman’s wife, his children and his grandchildren.”

Monday Open Thread

Good morning.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a Republican member of the Cabinet, feigns being a blocking back for President Barack Obama as he arrives backstage to meet with GOP House leaders before speaking to their issues conference at the Renaissance Baltimore Harbor Place Hotel in Baltimore, Md., Jan. 29, 2010. Photo by Pete Souza.

President Obama Speaks to the Democratic Party: "This is who we are"

This morning, a few minutes ahead of schedule, President Obama spoke to the fired up crowd of folks who'd made it through the snow to hear him address the Democratic Party's 2010 Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C.

In his speech, the President reiterated his fierce commitment to fighting for health insurance reform:

"The easiest thing to do right now would be to just say, oh, [passing health reform] is too hard, let's just re-group and lick our wounds, try to hang on. We've had a long and difficult debate on health care. And there are some, maybe even the majority in this town, who say perhaps it's time to walk away. But here's thing, Democrats -- if we walk away, we know what will happen. We know that premiums and out-of-pocket expenses will skyrocket this decade and the decade after that and decade after that, just as they did in the past decade. More small businesses will be priced out of coverage. More big businesses will be unable to compete internationally. More workers will take home less pay and fewer raises. We know that millions more Americans will lose their coverage. We know that our deficits will inexorably continue to grow because health care costs are the single biggest driver.

So just in case there's any confusion out there, let me be clear: I am not going to walk away from health insurance reform. I'm not going to walk away from the American people. I'm not going to walk away on this challenge."

The President closed by reminding the audience of the Democratic Party's rich history and it's past accomplishments, many of which came in the midst of equally tough times:

"I know we've gone through a tough year. But we've gone through tougher years. We're the party of Thomas Jefferson, who declared that all men are created equal, and we had to work long and hard to ensure that those words meant something. we're the party of Franklin Roosevelt who in the midst of depression said all we had to fear was fear itself, to save freedom and democracy from being extinguished here on earth. and that was hard because the natural impulse was to fear. but we as a party helped to lead the country out of that fear. We're the party of John F. Kennedy, who summoned us to serve, who called us to pay any price and bear any burden. And we're the party of Edward M. Kennedy, whose cause endures, who said that here in the United States of America the promise of health care should not be a privilege but a fundamental right.

That is who we are, Democrats. After all the promises we've made, this is our best chance to deliver change that the American people need. And if we do that, if we speak to the hopes of the American people instead of their fears, if we inspire them instead of divide them, if we respond to their challenges with the same sense of urgency they feel in their own lives, we're not just going to win elections, elections will take care of themselves. We will once again be the party that turns around the economy and moves this country forward and secures the American dream for another generation."

UPDATED:Here's the full video of the President's speech to the Democratic Party's 2010 Winter Meeting:

Weekend Open Thread

Hello Saturday. Make sure you check out President Obama's address to the Democratic Party. Video is streaming live now.

DNC 2010 Winter Meeting: Day Three

In the middle of a record snowstorm -- with more than 30-inches predicted for Washington, D.C. -- members of the Democratic National Committee are beginning their third and last day of the DNC 2010 Winter Meeting.

Even with the snow, the General Meeting featuring President Obama is still on track to begin as scheduled, and you can watch the live webcast here beginning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Also speaking are DNC Chairman Tim Kaine and D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton.

Here's the view from outside of the Capital Hilton this morning:

And while you await the President's remarks, take a look at some photo highlights from yesterday's meeting.

DNC Change Commission Presents Its Final Report

This evening, the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee was presented with the final report of the Change Commission, the panel created to reexamine and recommend changes to the Presidential nomination and delegate selection process. The 34-member panel, co-chaired by Senator Claire McCaskill (MO) and Congressman James Clyburn (SC), met throughout the past year in order to deliver on President Obama's campaign promise to improve the Democratic nominating process following the 2008 election.

The Commission's recommendations aim to bring the party's nominating process closer in line with Democratic Party ideals of inclusivity, accessibility, and accountability to the will of the voters.

You can learn more about the Commission, and read the recommendations and full report here.

You can also submit your feedback and comments on the recommendations here.

Rules and Bylaws Co-chair James Roosevelt, Jr. introduced the recommendations to the Committee:

"The Democratic Change Commission was created by a vote taken at the full Democratic Convention in Denver, to study and improve our nomination system, always with the goal of yielding the best Democratic candidate. The resolution instructed us to make recommendations on three aspects of the process -- changing the window of time during which primaries and caucuses may be held. Second, reducing the number of unpledged delegates. And three, improving the caucus system.

Throughout this last year, the Change Commission met and received input from academics, on both the theory on and history of the nominating process from experts in the field, from grassroots activists who saw how it affected people's participation, and from party leaders who talked about how the process affected their roles....now, itis this committee that will make a recommendation to the full DNC of the actual rules to be adopted."

Here are the Commission's final recommendations:

• Timing of presidential primaries and caucuses: The Commission recommends pushing back the window of time during which primaries and caucuses may be held so that the pre-window could not begin until February 1st or thereafter, and the primary window could not begin until the second Tuesday in March or thereafter. Second, the Commission suggests an incentive system to encourage states to regionally cluster their contests and/or hold their contests later in the nominating calendar so as to avoid frontloading in the calendar.

• To significantly reduce the number of unpledged delegates: The Commission recommends: 1) the category of unpledged add-on delegates will no longer be allocated and 2) converting unpledged delegates (DNC members, Democratic Members of the House and Senate, Democratic Governors and Distinguished Former Party Leaders) to a new category of pledged delegates called the National Pledged Party Leader and Elected Official (NPLEO) delegates, which will be allocated to Presidential candidates based on the state-wide primary or caucus results. These individuals would also have the option of attending the convention as a non-voting delegate. In either case, they would receive the same floor credentials and housing as others in their state delegation. The NPLEO designation continues to recognize the important role our party's leaders play and will ensure that they continue to have a voice and role in the nominating process and at the convention.

• To improve the caucus system: The Commission recommends establishing a “Best Practices” program to help states improve and strengthen their caucuses, keeping in mind that different types of caucuses are used within the Party and that state parties often have limited resources with which to work. The “Best Practices” program would help states adequately plan, organize, and staff caucuses and maximize the opportunity for full participation by all Democratic voters.

Following today's meeting, the Rules and Bylaws Committee will meet again to decide whether to adopt the recommendations, which it would then present for adoption by the full DNC.

Changing the Political Process: "The campaign was just the beginning"

Ashely Bliss-Herrera, 23, is the youngest member of the Democratic Change Commission -- the panel charged with recommending changes to the Presidential nominating process that will present its findings to the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee later today. The Commission was made up a wide range of folks -- activists, academics, members of Congress, and those who've been involved in politics for years -- as well as people like Ashely, who had never worked on a campaign before she became a field organizer for President Obama in Ohio in 2008.

The Commission was tasked with making recommendations in three areas of the presidential nomination process: changing the window of time for caucuses and primaries, reducing the number of unpledged "superdelegates," and improving the caucus system.

We caught up with Ashely to hear more about her work on the Commission and why it's so important:

Our goal was to examine the process and make the best recommendations to fix the presidential nomination process in 2012 -- based on 2008, what can we fix and what can we learn? In the moment, President Obama winning the election was great, but that was just the beginning. The Change Commission focused on what we learned in 2008, and how are we going to make it even better for the next time around.

What was fascinating was the mix of people on the commission -- there were activists and big names and members of Congress and politicians from all different levels, and they took into account the youth voice and minority perspectives -- that was really important. That's what was so exciting, people from all different perspectives and levels of participation got together as a group to improve on the process for the next time around. Speaking as a minority and a young person, I think it's really important to educate youth and minorities on the process and how not to feel intimidated, because so many people stay out of the process because of intimidation or because they don't know what to do. If we want to be open and transparent, people need to feel comfortable with how our country runs its political system.

We're making recommendations in three areas. On the caucuses, we're changing the window when caucuses and primaries can be held. On best practices -- during the Obama campaign, we saw so many people going out to vote, elderly and youth and minorities, so that was so key in this best practices...we wanted to focus on education with the caucus system, making sure people know how to participate, especially first generation people, those who might not speak English well, making sure the dates and times of caucuses are accessible.

Ashley also spoke about her work as an organizer on the Obama campaign:

It was the first campaign I'd ever done. I was a field organizer, and they sent me to Ohio. You're assigned a certain turf, and it's your job to get out there and grow as much support for Obama, getting voters to turn out, getting people involved. It was focused on who they voted for, but even more important, it was about building the community for a common cause. You saw relationships being built on a daily basis. In one of my areas, I got six women to be friends, and they still have coffee together regularly. I still get emails on a regular basis from these women about what they're doing to help push health care through, doing work with OFA, phonebanks and canvassing. Our goal was helping Obama win, but also going in and helping to set up that network. The volunteers are the people who are going to continue it. We left. But it was an incredible experience, an amazing experience.

We Don't Quit: Day Two of DNC Winter Meeting Begins

As the President said last night, "We don't quit." So even as Washington prepares for an historic snowstorm, Democrats are braving the weather and gathering for day two of the Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting.

DNC Chairman Tim Kaine described the atmosphere at the leadership breakfast here at the Capital Hilton, "It's challenging weather, but there's a warm feeling in the room, and we're hearty people, so it'll be a great kickoff."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke to the ballroom full of DNC members, her daughter Christine in the audience holding Isabella, the Speaker's 10-month-old granddaughter:

The Speaker talked first about the some of the ideological differences between Democrats and Republicans:

When I'm out traveling the country, I get the question 'What is the difference between the Democratic Party and Republican Party?' During his acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention in 1948, President Truman said, 'The Democratic Party is to the peoples' party and the Republican party is the party of the special interests, it always has been and always will be.'

It was true then. It is true today. Democrats are the party of the people. Democrats are the defenders of the middle class and all who aspire to it. Democrats are fighting for fairness and economic justice....And Democrats are for health care for all Americans as a right, not a privilege.

She then spoke about the ongoing fight for health reform, to a standing ovation from the audience:

Central to our fight to create jobs and strengthen the economy is our fight for health reform for the American people... The most privileged person in America has better care if everyone has health care...With Senator Kennedy as our inspiration, with the leadership of President Obama, and with your help, we will pass health insurance reform this year...

The status quo is totally unsustainable. It's unsustainable for individuals, people who've worked their whole lives and done everything right, and have come before me in tears and said 'I can't make it.' Imagine that this is happening in the greatest country in the world... But [by] standing together and working together, we will pass health reform for the American people.

Stay tuned for more coverage of the meeting throughout the day and tomorrow.

Friday Open Thread

Happy Friday!

President Barack Obama prepares for his State of the Union speech with Director of Speechwriting Jon Favreau and Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications, in the Oval Office, Jan. 25, 2010. Photo by Pete Souza.

Democrats Converge in D.C. for DNC Winter Meeting

Yesterday, Democratic National Committee members from across the country came together in Washington, D.C. for the first day of the 3-day DNC Winter Meeting. The DNC holds meetings several times each year for members to meet and make decisions about Democratic Party business.

Here at Democrats.org, we'll be posting live updates from the meeting throughout the day today and Saturday. You can also follow our updates on the Democratic Party Twitter account, or tweet updates yourself using the #DNC10 hashtag.

Here are some of the highlights you can look forward to during the meeting over the next few days:

• This morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will speak at the leadership breakfast

• Throughout the day today and tomorrow, Democratic Party Caucuses and Councils will meet -- including regional caucuses, the LGBT Caucus, Black Caucus, Hispanic Caucus, Women's Caucus, Seniors Council, Rural Council, Veterans and Military Families Council, Youth Council, and Native American Coordinating Council

• This evening, the Rules and Bylaws Committee meets. They'll be presented with a report from the Democratic Change Commission – the panel that was charged with reexamining and recommending changes to the Democratic Party's rules for the 2010 Presidential nomination and delegate selection process.

• During the Saturday morning general meeting, President Obama will address the attendees, along with DNC Chairman Tim Kaine, and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.

We’ll be livestreaming all the speakers at the general meeting on Saturday here at Democrats.org, including the President’s address. Check by here at 10 a.m. tomorrow to watch online.

Afternoon Open Thread

Good afternoon.

Photo by Pete Souza.

Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Photo by Pete Souza.

Gates Testifies On Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee today, where he unveiled a plan to abandon the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. Implemented in 1993, the policy prohibits LGBT Americans from openly serving in the U.S. military. This hearing comes less than a week after President Obama, in his State of the Union address, vowed to work with Congress and the military this year to end the policy.

Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

President Barack Obama meets with former President George H.W. Bush in the Oval Office, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010. Photo by Pete Souza.

Celebrating Black History Month

Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tim Kaine and DNC Black Caucus Chairwoman Virgie Rollins issued the following statements in recognition of Black History Month:

DNC Chairman Tim Kaine:

“Today we begin our celebration of Black History Month, a month where our country sets aside time to honor African Americans and their contributions to the fabric of American life and culture. We must not forget how far our country has come within such a short amount of time. Less than 60 years ago African Americans were relegated to segregated bathrooms and second-class citizenship by force of law. Now African Americans are an integral part of and participate in the leadership ranks of our most esteemed private and public sector institutions.

“Last year, our nation swore in its first African American president. President Obama's election is a significant moment in U.S. history—a moment that all Americans can be proud of and a sign of how far our country has come.

“Our success as a nation would be incomplete without the contributions of African American pioneers such as Fredrick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, W.E.B. Dubois, Howard Thurman, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, Dr. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Justice Thurgood Marshall, Governor Douglas Wilder, and many others too numerous to mention. As a result of their leadership and tireless efforts America is a stronger nation. All Americans, regardless of race, creed or color have benefited from their accomplishments.

“Of course, there is more to do. Inequalities in many aspects of American life—including education, health care, housing, and more—still disproportionately affect African Americans. The Democratic Party is committed to making sure that all Americans have the opportunities and resources they need to succeed, are treated fairly, and are given the respect they deserve.

“On behalf of the Democratic Party, I thank all of those who spent their lives fighting for equality, and encourage all of us to recommit ourselves to the march for civil and equal rights.”

DNC Black Caucus Chairwoman Virgie Rollins:

"We celebrate the beginning of Black History Month reflecting on African American achievements. Nearly forty-five years after the passage of the Voting Rights Act, the Democratic Party continues to be at the forefront of ensuring social and economic justice for every American, and promoting the richness of diversity in our nation.

"We made history electing our first African American President. Our Party will continue its commitment to ensuring that African Americans have the same opportunities as our fellow Americans in realizing the American Dream.

"We also continue to pray and support our sisters and brothers and their families in Haiti."