New numbers coming in:

With Obama now firmly in charge of the DNC, and directing his big-dollar donors in its direction, the DNC is finally competitive with the RNC. Combined, the Obama/DNC combo is now near parity with the McCain/RNC pairing. That didn't take long to close the gap. This month, the GOP gets left in the dust, and given that their current heavy spending isn't making much of a difference, that truly is a whiff of desperation you're smelling from the McCain camp.

Meanwhile, our two party committees are crushing their counterparts. The NRCC, in particular, is in woeful straits, and won't be in any position to provide its members or candidates any help whatsoever. Remember -- this is the month that included their big annual Bush fundraiser. They ain't got any more of those on tap.

The NRSC on the other hand has got enough money to play some respectable defense, though little more. The NRCC can't even offer that. But across the board, Democrats will be on the attack this November, with little Republicans can do except fill up some sandbags and hope the rising waters don't crest.

The quadrennial Democratic National Convention will be held in Denver, Colorado from August 25-28.  I think its website is very cool.

Additionally, there's The Big Tent thing.  Check out that link.  Really.  It may wind up being better than the Convention-proper, except for the last night and Obama's acceptance speech.

I set to be there -- from Aug 23-29 -- "Live Blogging for Left in Alabama".  Those of you who met Mooncat (as Spouse Mooncat - aka Herding Old Cats) at Netroots Nation met the founder of LIA and our Blog Leader.  Country Cat and I, along with an intrepid Radio Station owner/personality here in Ala, will be the LiA live blog team (maybe one other) in Denver.    

So, then:  who here's coming to Denver?  

As we discussed launching a Netroots platform in the run-up to Netroots Nation, the consistent theme in people's comments was, "I can't make it to Austin, how do I get my ideas into the platform?!?!?"

The concept, initially proposed by Jerome Armstrong, was to open the site to the world after kicking it off with a pair of Netroots Nation workshops.

That means now anyone can help create the Netroots platform - including YOU!

Just go here:

www.netrootsplatform.org

Read on for the details...

There are some items up on News Unfiltered that may interest the community.

DNC on Howard Dean's national tour to engage voters:

After a successful kick-off tour through Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana last week, Governor Howard Dean continues his national voter registration efforts in North Carolina and Georgia Friday and Saturday. The tour builds on the overwhelming enthusiasm and voter turnout seen during the primaries as Democrats mobilize and organize voters for the fall election.

Read more.

There are some items up on News Unfiltered that may interest the community.

McCain's trip to Maine yesterday with former President Bush reveals a duo of dense on the economy:

After a week in which John McCain received more criticism for his ties to top economic advisor Phil Gramm, who echoed Senator McCain's sentiments that America's economic problems were "psychological" by saying we are in a "mental recession," McCain is in Maine today, where his out of touch positions and attitude on the economy will be on full display. Today, McCain will raise campaign cash in Maine with former President George H.W. Bush and his wealthy friends (if McCain was really trying to erase his reputation as being out of touch with Americans and their economic concerns - he might have thought twice about appearing with the elder Bush who himself didn't understand the economy as president.) John McCain is not only taking help from the Bush family to raise money, he's calling for the continuation of the Bush-Republican economic policies that have been a disaster for America's families.

Read more.

Whoever at Netroots insisted that Fox News could only come to Netroots Nation if they were credentialed as "opinion media" was spot on.  

Now the DNC should do the same.   If Faux News wants to come to the DNC, they come as opinion media or they don't come at all.  Those are the only two acceptable choices, make them pick one.

The DNC better understand that if you allow Fox News to control the cameras at your convention, they will alter video, use audience shots to misrepresent the ethnic representation of attendees, and position their cameras in such a way to make Democrats appearing on camera seem awkward.  Trust me, a camera can do this to anyone.

Hello Progressives,

PLEASE GO TO THE NEXT DNC LOCAL PLATFORM SETTING MEETINGS AND SET YOUR OWN TOP CHOICE OF WORDS FOR A CEASE FIRE PLANK - CREATE PEACE NOW - THANKS!!!

Let all candidates know undeclared wars are costing too many generations, too much.

Peace is free, let's take the path of a cease-fire, and get out safely; guard and fix our soil and future.

No matter your party, nor political preference; the DNC and Obama have a great tool to find a meeting to build the ideal Presidential Platform.

I suggest you go to:
http://www.democrats.org/...
to find a meeting in your time & location.

These are some of the latest results from the one held in Santa Rosa, CA last Sunday.

Please share your results. Do what you can to require Congress take back the sole power to declare war; only with majority public consent.

Peace does prevail,

Colleen Fernald

While student voter turnout has not been very high in the past, this year looks to be quite different. And young people appear to be leading the Democrats' surge in party identification - which can only be good news heading into the election.

But we all know what that means: The Republican machine is kicking into high gear to stymie young people's efforts to participate in the democratic process.

I read this article on the CNN website and was surprised at the enthusiasm disparity between the Democratic and Republican nominees

I could hardly add anything to this email sent to major donors to the Clinton campaign. Kudos to Don Fowler and Alice Germond.

Hi y'all. I'm sitting in the Darcy Burner panel about prepping to run. Darcy is full of cool geekiness and true courage: hope I get to interview her over the weekend.  

So, re: the Unofficial Netroots Nation Podcast, I've been getting to talk with some wonderful folks, both known and not. Here's the Chair of the DNC, our very own Gov. Howard Dean, talking with tlg, the incoming DNC member for Asia, backstage before his Keynote speech:

See article here regarding the fundraising "edge" that the RNC/McSame have over the DNC/Obama.  A few things in there confused me, I was hoping fellow Kossacks could help.  Most of my befuddlement comes from the whole "primary election" funds vs. "general election" funds distinction, though media bias in general also had me scratching my head.

This  is a rebuttal of  the
McCain raises $62.5 million through public finance loophole
diary,  which is on the rec list despite being  almost libelous.
The diary  accuses McCain of "violating his public financing pledge"
(in "grand style") by "exploiting a loophole".
Rational minds must disagree:
the factual  truth is that  this is just how the process works .
My comment from all the way back on JUNE 25 accuses the Obama campaign
of pissing away $84M for September and October by FAILING to
do THE SAME thing that the McCain campaign "is accused of" doing in the diary.

For those who didn't click the links:
The McCain campaign is (surprise, surprise)
soliciting and routing donations to the Republican National Committee.
Meanwhile, the Obama campaign, for better or for worse,
is not bragging about the fact that it is asking people
to donate to the Democratic National Committee.

More of this, please!

Dr. Dean just showed 'em how it's done in an interview less than an hour ago with MSNBC reporter extraordinaire David Shuster. It's part of the media kickoff to the DNC's national Voter Registration tour that BarbinMD wrote about yesterday.

Hello All,
    I am going to be in Denver the weekend before the Democratic National Convention.  I am going back home on Monday night.  I would LOVE to participate in something convention related while there.  My problem is, I cannot find any schedule of events for the convention.  Yes, I have been to the website. (http://demconvention.com/events/)  Can someone help me out?

To everyone lucky enough to be in Austin this week for the convention, another event has been added to the calendar. DNC Chairman Howard Dean will begin a nationwide voter registration drive with a rally at Netroots Nation to be held Thursday at 12:00, directly across from the convention center.

This is the kickoff event for Register for Change, a cross country bus tour designed to "build on the overwhelming enthusiasm and voter turnout seen during the primaries" and is a part of "the 50-state strategy and Senator Obama's commitment to running a 50 state campaign."

From Texas, the tour heads to New Orleans - a city that experienced the failings of Republican leadership in Washington firsthand - and then to Shreveport and Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Hattiesburg and Jackson, Mississippi. The second swing, July 25-26, will make stops in North Carolina and Georgia - two untraditional battleground states where voter registration efforts will help lead Barack Obama to victory in November. The tour will hit states in every part of the country, culminating in a swing through the Midwest on its way to the Democratic Convention in Denver.

And if you have any problem finding the rally, just look for the bus...

Update: For those of you who were wondering, yes, it is a bio-diesel bus.

Just a quick diary here. The DNC and Obama need our help. We know McCain's fundraising has been weak, and Obama's has been stellar, but currently McCain + RNC has about $100 million dollars.  The RNC was quietly raising funds while we battled it out in our primary. So please give anything you can!

If you need more of a push remember:

Remember the DNC and Obama are NOT taking money from lobbyists and need small donors!

Remember the DNC and Obama and our friend Dean are running a 50 state strategy!

Remember Obama isn't afraid to attack McCain-- this is the year that our gloves come off!

Below the jump is a video from Obama's manager, David Plouffe detailing the situation I just described.

Before you watch the video, and recommend this diary (so everyone sees it and dumps money into the Democratic coffers) give your own donation. Whatever you can:

DNC
Obama

The GOP today announced that they would be copying their Democratic counterparts and opening up their quadrennial platform meetings to the public, well kind of.

Members of the public will be allowed to submit ideas and suggestions through the internet, whereas Democrats will have the opportunity to attend local and national platform meetings and sit in the very room with the members of the platform committee.

There is one other stark difference that really shows the contrast between the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee.

Cross Posted at Political Newsline