HOLD EVERYTHING! TUESDAY IS THE DAY TO STRIKE BACK AT RAHM EMANUEL AND THE BELTWAY POWER ESTABLISHMENT

If I lived in Chicago's 5th Congressional District, I would be working for the election-- an admittedly hopeless task-- of progressive Democrat Johnny Haptonstall (Hap). Hap's little known primary challenge is against Rahm Emanuel, an ethicless sleazebag immersed in the worst of the Inside-the-Beltway power politics who runs the DCCC as a tool for destroying grassroots, independence, progressive politics and anti-war sentiment in the Democratic Party. In 2004 he won his seat with 78% of the vote. And unfortunately he'll win again in November. Potentially the Democratic Party's mirror image of Tom DeLay, Emanuel is not a right-winger at all. He's a middle of the road "moderate," with a penchant for supporting corporate-favored legislation, whether to attack and occupy Iraq or to prohibit effective food labeling. Unlike Emanuel, Johnny Hap supports Jack Murtha-like proposals to end the occupation of Iraq. Hap says he stands with Russ Feingold on re-writing the Patriot Act so it conforms with the U.S. Constitution. Emanuel is a Patriot Act booster. Emanuel is a major PAC slime bag-- a way for corporations to bribe congressman; Hap opposes corporate PACs. Hap is for National Health Insurance; Emanuel doesn't support HR 676.

Unfortunately Hap isn't a real threat to Emanuel. The primary race this Tuesday in the CD next door, IL-06, is. Emanuel has staked his reputation of being able to beat grassroots and progressive favorite Christine Cegelis in the primary. He has parachuted a carpetbagger into the district, has pressured big name national Democrats like John Kerry, Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi to support her. The clueless Kerry is so out of touch and easily manipulated by Emanuel that he winds up butting into plenty of Emanuel's pet races against progressives and afterwards he says he didn't know there was a primary challenge (like he did in Emanuel's destructive campaign against Jan Schneider in FL-13). After his much ballyhooed fundraiser for Cegelis' opponent, Tammy Duckworth, Kerry was so embarrassed that he donated money to Cegelis and whimpered ignorance.

While Emanuel rounds up the big names and the big money interests to help him defeat Cegelis, grassroots organizations and non-Beltway true blue Democrats-- the only who love democracy, not personal power aggrandizement-- have rallied to Cegelis.

Like most actual Democrats-- as opposed to Rahm Emanuel Democrats-- Cegelis opposes the catastrophic continued occupation of Iraq. She was a strong opponent of the anti-labor CAFTA legislation. Unlike Emanuel, she will go to the wall to protect a woman's right to choice.

In January DWT endorsed Christine Cegelis. Tuesday is crunch time. Christine can win this one-- a win for everything we believe in and a win for real grassroots Democrats. And probably the only way progressives have to tell Rahm Emanuel what we think of the tactics he has used to help drive good decent Democrats out of races before their primaries. Nancy Pelosi should be pressured to find a less destructive job for Emanuel than running the crucial DCCCC. Defeating his hand-picked puppet candidate Tuesday will help build that pressure up before it's too late and our party turn into... you know what! Please visit the ACT BLUE Page and give Christine what you can this weekend. This fall she'll need it to defeat whatever monstrosity the Republicans throw up against her.


SUNDAY UPDATE: A MESSAGE FROM CHRISTINE

Counting Down. Counting on You.

Monday is the last full day of campaigning before Tuesday’s election. We need you now more than ever if we’re going to overcome all the big-name firepower and big-money blasts that have been aimed at us. Here’s how you can help:
We need volunteers from 6:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on Monday morning to pass out flyers at the Metra stations.  If you can help, please email Sandra at sjv60640@gmail.com
with the following information: Your phone number(s) and the location of the train station nearest you. Also, let her know whether you can come to the campaign headquarters (1920 S. Highland, Third Floor, Lombard) this evening to pick up hand-outs or you’d prefer someone meet you at the train station in the morning with campaign literature.

Monday night.  We need people to deliver GOTV (Get Out The Vote) flyers to voters in the district anytime between the hours of 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. You will be given flyers and a list of addresses. All you have to do is drive around and leave one flyer at each home on your list. Email Sandra at sjv60640@gmail.com. Let us know whether you can come to the campaign office to pick them up or you’d prefer that we drop the flyers off at your home or workplace.

Tuesday.  First of all, VOTE! And make sure everyone you know votes – for Christine! If you have time to spare, we will have hundreds of volunteers in the streets on election day, please drop by the headquarters at 1920 S. Highland Avenue, Stuite 300 to join the teams. After the polls close at 7:30 p.m., you’re all invited to our Election Night Party at the Holiday Inn, 1250 Roosevelt Rd., Glen Ellyn (east of I-355 and west of S. Finley Rd.).
Music, food, beverages, TV’s to watch for Election Night coverage, old friends, new friends, and, of course, the candidate herself.

Also, you’ll have a chance to meet one of the most prolific Progressive voices in America, William Rivers Pitt, who has flown in from Boston for the celebration Tuesday night. Will is the lead writer for truthout.org and is a New York Times and internationally best-selling author of two books: War in Iraq – What Team Bush Doesn’t Want You to Know, and The Greatest Sedition is Silence. Will is currently working on his third book, Four More Years – Truth, Justice, and the Ethic of Total Opposition. Also joining us will be Tim Carpenter, executive director of Progressive Democrats of America.