DNC Sporting New Look

By Kyle LaFleur — Talk Radio News Service

The Democratic National Committee today unveiled a new logo, slogan and website during an event held on the campus of George Washington University in Washington, D.C.  

The new party logo is a light blue D with a darker blue circle around it that sits above the new slogan, “Change that Matters.” 

“The new identity of the party captures that spirit and unites us all,” said DNC Chairman Tim Kaine. “Democrats, all of us, working for the changes that matter.”

The website allows users to connect with a multitude of Democratic groups, view multimedia materials and use social media to connect with the party. The site also detects where the viewer is in order to give them more tailored information on their local Democratic candidates.

“It’s highly local and highly action orientated,” said DNC New Media Director Natalie Foster.

With less than eight weeks until the midterm elections, Democrats hope this new look and web presence will help to sway voters to keep them in the majority.

“We are unveiling it now because there are tools that matter for this election now and we want voters to have everything they need at their finger tips,” said Foster.

New polls gage likely outcome of Election 2008

George Washington University held a conference call to release the findings of a new Battleground Poll that tested national attitudes on race, the economy, and the Iraq War in relation to the candidates involved in the 2008 presidential election.

Brian Nienaber, vice president of the Republican polling firm the Tarrance Group, said that with three out of four voters disapproving of the direction the country is headed, “you’d certainly be well-positioned to think that the Republican Party and its presidential nominee would be in a nearly hopeless position, even at this early stage in the electoral process.” He went on to enumerate what he believed to be presumed presidential nominee Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) strengths on issues like Iraq and national security, saying that he has his own “brand of change” to sell that will distance him from anti-incumbent sentiment without “repudiating” the Republican Party. Citing statistics from the poll analysis that support this, Nienaber said that 40 percent of Americans still believe the U.S. should maintain a presence in Iraq until military officials say it is safe to leave. He said that 56 percent of voters still like President Bush as a person, even if they do not approve of his Administration. Nienaber also cited the Democratic Party’s weaknesses, saying that 1 in 5 supporters of each major nominee did not plan to vote for the other if their candidate was not elected. Nienaber said that “as bad as things are right now,” the Republican Party can still look forward to “successes” in November.

Celinda Lake, president of the Democratic polling firm Lake Research Partners, said “there’s no question that there are enormous challenges to the Republican brand,” but that McCain is a “formidable candidate” that Democrats should not underestimate. However, she said that Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is “overwhelmingly” winning over independent voters compared to McCain. Lake said that 87 percent of Democratic voters say that the Iraq war was not worth the cost, while 75 percent of Republicans still think it was. Lake also said that Republicans in Congress have even lower approval ratings than Bush, emphasizing the strength of voters motivated by a desire for a change of the party in power. While she said that the general presidential election “bodes well for the Obama ticket,” Lake maintained that “it’s not over until the fall.” She also said she thinks Obama can “bring home” Hillary supporters to the Democratic Party if he is the nominee.

Former Indonesian President speaks out against Muslim extremism

Today at George Washington University, Former Indonesian President His Excellency Kyai Haji Abdurrahman Wahid, also known as “Gus Dur”, addressed an auditorium of Muslim students, onlookers and media members urging young Muslims to “reclaim authentic Islam.” President Wahid served as Indonesia’s “first democratically-elected president from 1999-2001 and remains the leader of the National Awakening Party (PKB), which he established after the fall of Suharto in 1998.”A highly-regarded and much respected Muslim cleric, he has led the Nahdlatul Ulama, the worlds largest Islamic organization with forty million members. He is a strong advocate for religious tolerance and a proponent of many democratic ideals. “When addressing Muslim audiences, Gus Dur invariably reminds his listeners that it is their sacred duty to respect others’ beliefs, and to avoid any form of discrimination or intolerance towards those who worship differently from themselves.” (continued)







C. Holland Taylor and President Wahid co-founded the LibForAll Foundation which is the “world’s foremost supporter of peaceful, moderate, and progressive Muslim’s in their fight against well-financed radical Muslim extremists characterized by an intolerant understanding of Islam.” The event was also co-sponsored by The American Islamic Congress through its Project Nur program, which is based on numerous college campuses and emphasizes the positive relationships between Muslim students and students of other religions.

President Wahid, often called a moderate Muslim, is sometimes seen as controversial due to some of his pro-western ideals. After the President of Iran’s claims about the Holocaust being a myth, President Wahid, although claiming to be a friend of the Iraninan President, said that this stance was wrong citing that history will stand for itself. At a recent one-day conference on the island of Bali, there was a gathering of religious leaders and victims of terrorist attacks. Present was President Wahid, Hindu spiritual head Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Buddhist teachers, a Jesuit priest and rabbis. This kind of gathering is unprecedented in today’s world and speaks to the message that President Wahid is trying to push.

Senator Hillary Clinton outlines her policy on Iraq

Democratic Presidential Candidate Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) addressed students and the public at George Washington University. It's a long road to peace, Clinton said, but it's a necessary road to travel, and we travel with others around the world.

It's been five years, Clinton said, and our people in uniform have done all that we asked of them, and more. For every American soldier that has made the ultimate sacrifice for this mission, she said, we should imagine, carved in stone, "they gave their life for the greatest gift one can give to a fellow human being, the gift of freedom."

The mistakes in Iraq are from our Commander-in-Chief, Clinton said. Ten months from now, she said, we will have a new president and a new opportunity in Iraq. It won't be easy, she said, and there isn't a magic wand to wave. It will take a president that is ready to be Commander-in-Chief on day one. It requires knowledge, confidence, and readiness, she said, and if you give me the chance, I will be that president, and I will face the obstacles in Iraq as they are, not as we wish them to be.

Today, she said, the Iraqi government has failed to provide basic services for their citizens, they have yet to pass legislation ensuring the equitable distribution of oil revenues, or even pass a law setting the date of provincial elections. By the middle of the summer when the additional surge forces have been sent home, we'll be right back at square one, Clinton said. As we continue to police Iraq's civil war, the threats to our national security, our economy, and our standing in the world, continue to mount.

Despite the evidence, Clinton said, President Bush is determined to continue his failed policy in Iraq until he leaves office, and Senator McCain will gladly "accept the torch" and continue to stay that course and keep us in Iraq for up to 100 years if necessary. They both want to keep us tied to another country's civil war- a war we cannot win. In a nutshell, she said, that is the Bush-McCain Iraq Policy: "Don't learn from your mistakes, repeat them." There is no military solution to the situation in Iraq, Clinton said.

The most important part of her plan, she said, is the first step: to bring our troops home and send the strongest possible message to the Iraqis, that they must take responsibility for their own future. No more talk of permanent occupation, no more policing a civil war, no more doing for the Iraqis what they must be doing for themselves. As we bring our troops home, she said, I will ensure we are fully prepared to take care of them and their families. I believe that when men and women sign up to serve our country, Clinton said, we sign up to serve them too.

Under her plan, she will continue to fight terrorism within Iraq, and also will work to secure stability within Iraq as the troops are successfully withdrawn and brought home. Right now, she said, no one doubts that the Iraqi government is failing its citizens. These failings are in part the fault of the Iraqis, and in part due to the Bush Administration's efforts to match political efforts with military ones.

We must convince all countries in the region and beyond, she said, to refrain from getting involved in the Iraqi civil war, to hold themselves and others to their past pledges to provide funding in Iraq, and to support the central role to the United Nations. My plan, Clinton said, are critical first steps, ones that draw on the strength of our alliances, and the power of our diplomacy, and uses the greatest military force on earth as a last, not a first, resort. Achieving all of this will not be easy, she said, but we don't have any choice.