Under the Radar

Outside Money


Open Thread and a bit more nagging (including Farmer stunner)
by kos
Mon Jun 21st, 2004 at 19:33:56 EDT

The Knowles campaign announced a $1,000 matching grant, paid if we can raise an additional $2,000 for the campaign over the next three days.
Not to be outdone, the Farmer campaign has received a promise from several donors for $10,000 in matching donations, paid $1 to $1 for every Daily Kos donation from now until the end of the quarter (until we hit ten grand). Not only is early money like yeast (it raises dough), but in this case, it literally doubles as soon as you make your donation.

Don't forget to add $0.01 to your donations!

Also, I'll be in DC the week of the 27th, and I'll be doing the networking rounds with various organizations. There are still a bunch with which we haven't met, so drop me a line if you'd be interested in meeting with me and Jerome of MyDD.

This is an open thread.

Update: Check out this cool gizmo from the Knowles campaign. I'll be integrating it with the "dKos info page" I'm building.

Open Threads ::

Tony Knowles: Will He Carry the Torch for Feminism?

As I prepare to file my motion to challenge family law statutes in Alaska, I have been doing research on case law and studies that deal with children.

Those that have visited this site when researching the "Tony Knowles Campaign", have been linked to a blogger who goes by the name atrios. Tony Knowles had placed an ad on this blogger's web site and had high praise for the blogger. The gist of Tony Knowles' statements were; he agreed with the the blogger's methods of presenting issues and opinions.

In my research, I came across the blogger's comments on a very important case decision from the California Supreme Court. Here are the comments made by the blogger.

Trish is an unabashed, unapologetic, (and isn't that freshing) left-wing feminist with a special interest and expertise in such matters, although she blogs about much else; she's been on top of the "looting of Iraqi antiquities" story from the beginning.

Okay, maybe motherhood/family issues generally don't raise your blood pressure the way another Bush lie or Rummy "vase" comment does. Well, maybe it should.

Think for a moment about the mileage Dan Quayle's puppetmaster, Bill Kristol, got out of a fictional unmarried professional woman's decision to have a baby. All it took was an Atlantic cover story with a catchy title, "Dan Quayle Was Right About Murphy Brown," by a previously barely known academic, Barbara Whitehead, to do the trick of wiping from the minds of most mainstream media the memory of how ridiculous Quayle's comments had sounded when he first said them. From such nonsense can come more serious kinds of nonsense, like "the defense of marriage" legislation. (Yes, I know, Clinton deserves a thump upside the head for that one)

The same kind of Whitehead style of flawed social science research designed to prove a point is still going on. Someone named Sanford Beaver seems to have needed to prove that maternal moveaways lead to damaged children (sound familiar). Trish tells you about it here.

The case decision that this blogger refers to is the Lamusga case.

Federal laws have been legislated that cover custody issues and Tony Knowles if elected could have an impact on custody laws on the federal level.

When it comes to family relationships, and laws that surround families, Tony Knowles has aligned himself with organizations that are considered liberal and groups who are against case decisions such as the Lamusga case, a case decision that in effect corrects bad law in California.

Unfortunately, for California, goups like California Women's Law Center pushed for legislation that would overturn the Lamusga case.

When it comes to Outside money, Knowles leads Murkowski on money from California and alot of Knowles' money comes from law groups and lawyers. The question is, will he carry the torch for feminists and their agenda?

Note: A listing of those who filed a brief on behalf of the mother.

Attorneys for Appellant:

Law Office of Kim M. Robinson, Kim M. Robinson and Eric H. Zagrans for Appellant.

Vicky L. Barker and Marci Fukuroda for California Women’s Law Center, California Women Lawyers, Coalition for Family Equity, California Federation of Business and Professional Women, California National Organization for Women, The Feminist Majority Foundation, Children Now, California Alliance Against Domestic Violence, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, National Network to End Domestic Violence, San Francisco Women Lawyer’s Alliance, Queen’s Bench Bar Association of the San Francisco Bay Area, Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, Lawyers Club of San Diego, Women For:, National Council of Jewish Women/Los Angeles, Women’s Equal Rights Legal Defense and Education Fund, Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Minnesota Program Development Inc., New Jersey Coalition for Battered Women and Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence as Amici Curiae on behalf of Appellant.

Law Offices of Joanne Schulman and Joanne Schulman for Margaret A. Gannon, Cheryl Sena, Carole Cullum, Joanne Schulman, Deborah Appel, Patricia Wagner, Leslie Knight, Gloria Sandoval, Stand! Against Domestic Violence, Roy F. Malahowski, Barbara Hart, Lynne Arrowsmith, Nina Balsam, Andrea Farney, Diane Post and Anne Thorkelson as Amici Curiae on behalf of Appellant.

Law Offices of Tony J. Tanke and Tony J. Tanke for Judith S. Wallersten, Paulina F. Kernberg, Joyanna Lee Silberg, Julia M. Lewis, John B. Sikorski and Stephanie Joan Dallam as Amici Curiae on behalf of Appellant.

Carol S. Bruch, Scott Altman, Edward Imwinkelried and Mary Ann Mason for Herma Hill Kay, Grace Ganz Blumberg, Carol S. Bruch, Janice E. Kosel, Frances Olsen, Joan Heifetz Hollinger, Mary Ann Mason, D. Kelly Weisberg, Jan C. Costello, Sheila James Kuehl, John E. B. Myers, Lisa C. Ikemoto, Scott Altman and Janet Bowermaster as Amici Curiae on behalf of Appellant.

Oil interests eye crude in Arctic refuge

The pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska is believed to house the largest untapped oil reserves in the United States.

Candidates battle over 'Outside activists'

The ex-Deaniacs come to Alaska.

More Talk From Carol

Bullying experts provide guidance

"We have been working on anti-bullying for years, way before this tragic event," Comeau said, referring to the Central student's attempted suicide.

The district has some 20 anti-bullying programs in place, from peaceful conflict resolution to enhancing decision-making skills to encouraging students to intervene when they see bullying happening. Principals are told to develop a plan that works with their students, Comeau said, adding that many programs draw from Olweus.

The district also has a zero-tolerance policy involving discipline. Students who are attacked, for example, are generally expected to get help from an adult and not hit back. If they do, they're considered a participant and probably also punished.

During the school board election, I was called by parents of special education students who were bullied. One parent in particular, has two children in the school district and they were being bullied. The parents looked to the school teacher for help, the school principal for help, and then went to the School Board, Jerry Sjolander and Carol Comeau for help.

The parents recieved no help from the school district what-so-ever. The comments from one parent was, "she could not stand Jake Metcalfe and hoped he would lose".

Interestingly, I recieved this call from the parents when they had seen the debate on KAKM where I had spoken about the McKay schools in Florida and the reduced bullying in the McKay schools.

It isn't surprising that Carol didn't attend.

Waiter, There is a Moose in My Chowder

Okay,

This business of chowder and Knowles is becoming very hysterical. This idea of Outside interests influencing Alaska politics in a federal election needs to be cut, diced and then cooked to a slow simmer.

The Daily News once again talks about Outside influences as if a federal Senator is their own island and has no impact on other states?

The Daily News states:

Yes, there is. The original ad is technically accurate and also deliberately misleading. It lumps Mr. Knowles, who has supported ANWR exploration for 20 years, with Democratic Sens. Ted Kennedy and John Kerry of Massachusetts, both opponents of ANWR drilling. It is just as misleading and dishonest as would be an ad lumping Sen. Murkowski with Republican Sens. Lincoln Chaffee of Rhode Island or Norm Coleman of Minnesota, who also voted against ANWR drilling last year. The ad is a clear case of Outside money trying to mislead Alaska voters.

The idea that Chaffee and Coleman are representative of the majority of Republicans just ain't so. But the majority of Democrats are represented by Kennedy and Kerry who are against drilling in ANWR. So if the majority in the Senate switch to Democrats, then where will that leave Tony and ANWR?

For Tony Knowles to think that he will influence and change the minds of the majority of Democrats on ANWR, he is sadly mistaken or in serious need of a reality check in politics. A Jimmy Stewart he ain't. The Daily News goes on with its diatrabe.

The baloney in the air about who said what about whom is beside the point. It's self-serving, manipulative campaign half-truths. What voters need in ads and other campaign information is material that appeals to their integrity, intelligence and values. On those grounds, the ANWR ad and Sen. Murkowski's response could do a lot better for Alaskans.

What voters need is a candidate who complains less about Outside interests and can really come up with an honest answer to how are you, a minority voice in your own party going to change the majority of minds in your own party?

There is nothing self serving in attacking a candidate on the facts of how the Senate is run. And how are they, who say they are independent (meaning Tony won't tow the line with Democrats) going to change the hearts and minds of the majority in their own party.

When it comes to odds in changing minds, Lisa Murkowskis has fewer minds to change in the Republican party. Those are odds that when most Alaskans look at, they will take.

It is time for a reality check for the Tony Knowles Campaign. Crying about a moose in his clam chowder is getting old.