Back in 2000 and 2001, when it became increasingly clear that Bush's entry into the White House was accompanied by much fraud and that he could not be called our elected president, so much as our SELECTED president, sadly most of the Democratic Party structure allowed the bloodless coup take place with more confusion than anger. Nationally, it was really only the Congressional Black Caucus that tried to object. They couldn't even get a single Senator helping them out.

On the state level only one state Democratic Party advocated that the Party refuse to accept the stolen election: the Oregon Democratic Party. All other state parties decided to accept the stolen election and allow Bush to take power without a protest. We now know what a horrible mistake THAT was, being the first of many ongoing attacks on our Constitution and our democracy and allowing the insane invasion of Iraq which we now know Bush already had planned when he stole the election.

I wrote a letter back then to my own New York State Democratic Party, urging them to stand with the Oregon state party in opposing the acceptance of the stolen election. I received a condescending reply in essence saying, "there, there...we have better things to do with our time than stand up for American democracy." In retrospect there wasn't much that the New York Democratic Party accomplished in that sad period, so one wonders what they really WERE busy doing back in 2000 and 2001 that prevented them from standing up for democracy. But they shamefully remained silent...much like the rest of the official party structure.

I was impressed by the guts of the Oregon Democratic Party. Would that the rest of the nation had taken more notice of what they did back then. But they were left to stand alone and since then I have tried to show my appreciation for their brave stand by copnsistently donating to the Oregon State Democratic Party. This month I once again donated to the Oregon Democrat, once again thanking them for being a more democratic Democratic party than my own New York State party. With election 2008 coming up, with a Senate race in Oregon that could be yet another Democratic victory, I am asking you to join me in donating to the Oregon Democratic Party to thank them for having the guts to stand up to Bush before anyone else in the party structure would. I have an Act Blue Site where you can donate to the Oregon Democratic Party as well as to the 2008 Senate run and to the OR-2 Congressional race which could shape up to be competitive in time.