Woodhouse also ripped McCain, who sought to postpone tomorrow night's first debate, that the President of the United States must be able to "walk and chew gum at the same time."

If you have any questions or need any information, please feel free to contact me at LaVeraD@dnc.org.

In light of Hurricane Gustav and the ongoing situation along the Gulf Coast, the DNC announced that it has canceled the tomorrow morning's news conference at the DNC's More of the Same Media Center in St. Paul. We continue to keep our friends and families in the area in our thoughts and prayers.

Damien

Damien LaVera
Deputy Communications Director
Democratic National Committee
LaVeraD@dnc.org

As a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, I was overjoyed to be a part of history at the beginning of the 110th Congress with Stephanie. We became two of the five CBC members who would chair full committees in the House of Representatives.

Her life and legacy is full of history making—as the first black woman to become a member of Congress in Ohio and the many “firsts” she accomplished as a successful attorney in the state. One thing is clear: to be a first in so many areas, to be such a trailblazer in public service you have to be strong. You have to be committed to making a difference in the lives of others.

The role of a first is not to walk through a door and then close only to prevent future entry by others. The role of a first is to walk through that door of opportunity, open new doors, and create new opportunities for others. And so, my challenge to all of us is: to avoid the legacy of the one and only.

We don’t need to create any more opportunities that die with an individual. We need more legacies like Stephanie’s—the kind of legacy that lives on. Her legacy demands that we do what Gandhi once said—to “be the change you want to see in the world.” This is the change we see in Barack Obama. So, let’s continue to trail blaze, to take the road less traveled, so that someone else can walk down that road. Then our living will not be in vain.

We’re going to see a video tribute to other great Democrats who passed away over the last four years.

Now let us observe a moment of silence to honor Stephanie’s memory.

The bus tour also builds on the success of the DNC's 50-state strategy and Senator Obama's commitment to running a 50 state campaign, and the belief that if Democrats show up and ask for people's votes, we can win everywhere. Throughout the tour Governor Dean will engage local leaders and grassroots activists in the effort to register new voters and talk about Barack Obama's strong message of change.

Starting Thursday, you can register to vote, find more information on how to register others to vote and follow the bus tour state-by-state at registerforchange.com.

"After eight years of George Bush and with John McCain promising more of the same on everything from the economy to Iraq to Social Security to health care, America is ready to join Barack Obama and Democrats to Register for Change," said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. "People are really struggling. They want different leadership, not more of the same failed Bush policies that John McCain will continue. So we'll be going neighborhood by neighborhood, door by door to bring more people into the process to elect Barack Obama and Democrats up-and-down the ticket to bring change that all Americans can believe in."

The Register for Change tour kick-offs of Thursday, July 17, in George W. Bush's backyard in Crawford, Texas - a clear reminder of John McCain's promise of a third Bush term on everything from the economy to Iraq to health care. The tour then heads to Austin, Texas for a Register for Change rally at noon before Dean speaks to the Netroots Nation Convention that night.

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.

Stateline columnist Louis Jacobsen writes:

Some Democrats hold out hope that Obama could actually win one of the six Southern states that he won so convincingly during the primary season — Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina — all of which have voted strongly Republican in recent presidential elections .

But while it’s an outside possibility in North Carolina, most analysts believe Obama’s likelihood of picking off any of the other five Southern states is a long shot.

More plausible, though, is a November scenario in which the voters Obama draws to the polls also pull the lever for Democrats up and down the ticket — in statewide posts, congressional seats, state legislative seats and even county positions.

Democrats in the region have been salivating over this possibility for months. Consider Waring Howe, a Democratic National Committeeman from South Carolina and, until recently, chairman of the Charleston County Democratic Party. When Howe first realized that Obama might become the party’s nominee, “I used that as a candidate recruiting tool. But I actually didn’t have to use it much, because a lot of the prospective candidates already felt that way anyway.”

You can bet it's going to shake up some House Republicans for the rest of the week. They're still spinning, but it's pretty obvious that they phoned this one in. Mostly, the NRCC tells Republicans not to rely on them to help out... at all:

I encourage all Republican candidates, whether incumbents or challengers, to take stock of their campaigns and position themselves for challenging campaigns this fall by building the financial resources and grassroots networks that offer them the opportunity and ability to communicate, energize and turn out voters this election.

That translates to: don't rely on the NRCC to save you.

So now the House Republicans are going to do the same soul-searching that they did the last time they lost a seat like this one. And the time before that. But what's going to change? Are they going to stop blocking Democratic proposals in the interest of getting things done? Unlikely. Will they stop politicizing everything, to the point that they're voting against Mother's Day? Doubt it.

Instead, they'll probably just come up with another slogan. Nothing against slogans, of course, but slogans don't distract people from blocking children's health care or standing with Bush on issue after issue.

Updated by Matt Ortega: The Hill:

The sky is falling on House Republicans and there is no sign of it letting up.

The GOP loss in Mississippi’s special election Tuesday is the strongest sign yet that the Republican Party is in shambles. And while some Republicans see a light at the end of the tunnel, that light more likely represents the Democratic train that is primed to mow down more Republicans in November.

Another sign of the incredible energy expressed by Democrats are the record voter registration numbers.

The past seven states to hold primaries registered more than 1 million new Democratic voters; Republican numbers mainly ebbed or stagnated. North Carolina and Indiana, which will hold their presidential primaries on May 6, are reporting a swell of new Democrats that triples the surge in registrations before the 2004 primary.

In his order, DeLaughter said the election should be held "within 90 days of the governor's Dec. 20, 2007 proclamation of writ of election...on or before March 19, 2008.

Hood cited Mississippi Code 23-15-855, which applies to U.S. senator vacancies. He and Barbour have differing interpretations of that statute.

Several prominent local Democrats have jumped into the race to unseat Gov. Barbour's appointed replacement, Senator Roger Wicker. Mississippi Democrats can start the wave of Republican seats tipping over to the Democrats before the summer.

(Hat tip: Swing State Project)

State parties will publish their delegate selection rules and clearly explain how to participate in the summer of 2007.

Mississippi Democratic Party
832 North Congress Street
Oxford, MS 39202
888-674-3367 (toll free)
601-969-2913 (local)
601-354-1599 (fax)

District-Level Delegates: 22
At-Large Delegates: 7
Pledged Party Leader & Elected Official (PLEO) Delegates: 4
Unpledged Delegates: 7
TOTAL Number of Delegates: 40

Alternates: 6

TOTAL DELEGATION SIZE: 46

System type: Primary

State convention page: None available.
State plan: Plan Available (PDF)
State filing form: Not available online. Please contact the state party to receive a copy.

** This information is prepared by the DNC's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection and may be subject to change. For more information, please call 202-863-8000.

To download the address, click here.

Good morning. This is Congressman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi.

This Labor Day weekend comes in the midst of several important and painful anniversaries. On Tuesday, Americans remembered Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the tragedies that befell the Gulf Coast region, including my own home state of Mississippi. Next week we will mark the 5th Anniversary of the tragic events of September 11th.

Unfortunately, though there has been progress to remedy the problems caused by Hurricane Katrina, here we are one year later and many residents still remain displaced and homes and communities still need to be rebuilt. In my own home state, thousands of people are still homeless. And throughout the Gulf Coast, 80 percent of businesses with approved federal disaster loans are still waiting for their money.

And while Gulf Coast residents have done all that they can, it is time that the federal government step up to the plate and lead the recovery efforts.

Immediately after the storm, Democrats in the House and Senate led by the Congressional Black Caucus and Gulf Coast members acted swiftly and introduced legislation that would help jump start the reconstruction efforts. Unfortunately, Republicans let partisanship get in the way of doing the right thing.

Resources have been identified but the funding is slow getting to those on the ground and continues to be bogged down in bureaucratic red tape. While the recovery efforts sluggishly move along and neighborhoods languish, the Gulf Coast faces another storm seasoned virtually un-recovered from last year.

The Katrina Anniversary also reminds us of the need to ensure we do all we can to keep Americans safe. As the ranking member on the House Homeland Security Committee, I fully understand what's at stake when we fail to protect our nation from catastrophic events whether it is from the likes of a hurricane or a terrorist attack.

Despite multiple warnings of future and possible man-made or natural disasters, the Bush Administration and the rubber-stamp Republican Congress have failed to adequately prepare our nation, leaving us vulnerable to large-scale disasters.

In March I released a report on the state of homeland security and the Bush Administration received a failing grade on emergency preparedness and response. From our ports to our nuclear facilities, to transportation and aviation security, this Administration has failed and continues to fail to keep our country safe.

There are remarkably troubling gaps that exist in our homeland security. Yet, time and time again, this Administration and the Republican Congress have ignored the recommendations of the bi-partisan 9/11 Commission. And time and time again, Republicans have blocked Democratic efforts to implement and fund these recommendations to ensure our safety.

Rather than implementing policies that will strengthen our security at home and abroad, the Administration serves up slogans and PR campaigns. America needs real solutions for real security - not jingles and slick posters.

Our President continues to resort to name-calling and fear mongering in an attempt to distract from his failure to keep America safe. But sadly, Americans have seen this page of the Republican playbook before.
As we witnessed from the events of Hurricane Katrina, September of 11th, and from recent news of thwarted attacks in London, we cannot afford to shortchange our first responders or neglect our national security.

While we must focus on rebuilding businesses and communities and bringing back jobs, we cannot undermine these efforts by failing to prevent similar disasters and catastrophic events which threaten the progress made.

America - the Gulf Coast will rebuild and recover. Our sisters, brothers, and neighbors are hard at work to make it happen.

Now we just need to insist that the federal government does right and that matches the fervor and resilience of the American spirit.

Democrats are offering a new direction for America that will strengthen our security at home and abroad with policies that are both tough and smart. Only then can we truly restore this country to its standing of a nation that answers the call for help at home and abroad.

President Bush:

• Bush In Arizona Campaigning Hard To “Pre-Sell” A Political Victory at 12pm ET. Bush talked to an invitation only audience of about 400 people at the Pueblo El Mirage RV and Golf Resort. The Arizona Republic said Bush came to campaign hard for his new Medicare plan. “The main focus of Bush's visit was to elaborate on the new Medicare drug benefit…Having high numbers of enrollees also will be a political victory for the president, since he pushed the Medicare reform measure through Congress in 2003. Members of the Bush administration have been on the road, going across the country to talk up the program…. ‘I think Bush would like it (the Medicare drug benefit) to play a role in the elections next year -- he's been touting it as one of the big accomplishments of his first term,’ David Mark, of Campaigns & Elections Magazine, said Monday.… Bush said Monday that he was in El Mirage ‘pre-selling’ the importance of enrolling for the benefit.” [Arizona Republic, 8/30/05]
• Bush Stopped To Celebrate McCain’s Birthday At Luke Air Force Base. “Greeting Bush was Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)… The president paused on the tarmac to help celebrate McCain's 69th birthday, but on a blazing Arizona day, the cake melted before he could taste it.” [Washington Post, 8/30/05]
• “Upbeat” Bush Continues Campaigning, Speaking Straight From White House Talking Points In Rancho Cucamonga, CA at 5:45pm ET. “An upbeat and slightly sunburned President George W. Bush chatted with the nation's Medicare chief and several locals in a casual, town hall-type setting Monday, encouraging seniors to find out more about their new prescription drug benefits. Repeatedly telling an audience of 200 invited guests at the James L. Brulte Senior Center that the new program was "a good deal,' the president also assured seniors that he sympathized with their apprehension.… Bush, who spoke for just under a half-hour, pulled talking points directly from a White House fact sheet that states Medicare has not kept up with advances in medicine…. Bush's appearance was part of a $300 million campaign to promote awareness of the program and boost interest in it.” [Whittier Daily News, 8/30/05]

The Gulf Coast

• Katrina Moves On Shore As Category 4 Hurricane. At 6am, the National Hurricane Center warned that “extremely dangerous category four hurricane Katrina preparing to move onshore newar southern Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana…Hurricane-force wind gusts occurring over most of southeastern Louisiana…and as far east as the Chandeleur Islands.” [Hurricane Center]
• At Least 55 Reported Deaths By Hurricane Katrina Throughout Gulf Coast. “Hurricane Katrina barreled into the Gulf Coast on Monday morning, its fierce winds cutting a 125-mile swath of destruction stretching from coastal Alabama across Mississippi to the French Quarter and the Superdome. At least 55 people were killed. The storm's leading edge, wielding winds up to 145 mph across the Gulf of Mexico, made landfall as a fearsome Category 4 hurricane at 7:10 a.m. Eastern time near the Louisiana bayou town of Buras, about 63 miles southeast of New Orleans. Katrina then wheeled into western Mississippi, bringing a 20-foot storm surge along the coast near Biloxi. It headed north later Monday to inundate most of the Mississippi Delta, spun off dozens of tornadoes through the South and promised drenching rains later in the week as far north as the Ohio Valley.” [Washington Post, 8/30/05]
• The flooding begins - literally. Pictures start to come in from residents and reporters as the Gulf Coast is washed away.

For a full comparison, check out the research document, Timeline of a Catastrophe.

Leaders of the recovery effort said Tuesday that although progress had been slow in some areas, success can be pointed out in some New Orleans neighborhoods, including the famed French Quarter and the Garden District. However, neither area was damaged as severely as the Lower 9th Ward. Mayor C. Ray Nagin told the National Association of Black Journalists on Friday in Indianapolis that billions of dollars of federal aid are going to contractors.

Minor Sinclair, who heads the U.S. regional office of Oxfam America, a charitable organization points out that $17 billion has been approved by Congress to rebuild homes in Louisiana and Mississippi, but not one house has been rebuilt with that money in either state.

A report from the Democratic members of the House Small Business Committee found that 80 percent of small businesses on the Gulf Coast have not yet received loans promised by the federal government. The Small Business Administration has approved loans in excess of $10 billion, but only $2 billion has found its way to business owners.

A report by the Mississippi conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said the lack of rental aid will have long-term impacts on places like Biloxi, Miss., where 70 percent of renters were black, and Pascagoula, where 75 percent were black. A report by the Brookings Institution in Washington argued that with rents having risen 39 percent in New Orleans, the need to repair affordable rental units is crucial.