Local Democrats won't fix the party because Adam and Jeff are delighted to FIX the party.

The ruling family in characteristically posh luxury.

I gotta hand it to the Exalted Chairman of the (still kinda sorta) Local Ruling Party.

Whenever I need the perfect photo to enhance the point of his flock's escalating irrelevance, he always has one posted right there at the top of the feed, as when local DemoDisneyDixiecrats gathered last week to celebrate the legacy of slave-owning presidents.

Occasionally amid pockets of enlightenment, these "traditions" are modified.

Jefferson-Jackson Dinner Will Be Renamed, by Ashley Southall (NYT; 8 Aug 2015)

An Iowa Democratic Party panel voted on Saturday to change the name of the popular Jefferson-Jackson dinner, joining several state parties in distancing itself from the legacies of the two former slave-owning presidents for whom the dinner is named. (from Democrats in general have lost the ability (and the inclination) to reach out to the entire population.)

However, not in New Gahania, where introspection is as common as streetside stump grindings.

Dear Leader doesn't reflect. He doubles down, and then Adam happily trots down to the laundry with a another basket of soiled jockstraps.

Can Democrats Fix the Party? by Tim Dickinson (Rolling Stone)

Trump's victory exposed the party establishment as utterly broken – now Dems hope to rebuild in time for a 2018 comeback

 ... Under Obama, the party infrastructure was honed to elect a president. And being a presidential party is a powerful thing – until you lose the White House. The Clinton campaign lost significantly on its own merits, though the party is loath to admit it. The same candidate who was caught flat-footed by the rise of Obama in 2008 found herself stunned by the grassroots surge behind Sen. Bernie Sanders. "And she was really surprised by how strong Trump was – and part of it was she just sucked," says the Democratic strategist, who criticizes Clinton despite being entrenched in her center-left, pro-trade wing of the party. "At a really fundamental level we gotta get people to acknowledge what a fucking piece of shit her campaign was, because Donald Trump should not have won this election."

The strategist adds, "Yes, Comey happened. And yes, the Russians happened. But she had more money than God, and they spent all of it trashing him and not actually rebutting his ideological agenda." By transforming the election into a referendum on character, Team Clinton let Trump off the hook as the frontman for the extremist GOP platform. "The country's waking up shocked to what he's doing because Hillary didn't actually explain to anybody what he was going to do when he became president," the strategist says. "We focused on him groping people – and not on him saying he was going to end our alliance with Europe or he was going to strip health care. It was an amazing failure of our politics to make our case."

Taibbi: "Democrats in general have lost the ability (and the inclination) to reach out to the entire population."

Fantasy Island for local DemoDisneyDixiecrats.

You know, the sort of superheroes who engineer secretive public housing putsches.

Jefferson-Jackson Dinner Will Be Renamed, by Ashley Southall (NYT; 8 Aug 2015)

An Iowa Democratic Party panel voted on Saturday to change the name of the popular Jefferson-Jackson dinner, joining several state parties in distancing itself from the legacies of the two former slave-owning presidents for whom the dinner is named.

Not here in Floyd County, and not on Mr. Sticky's (or Jeff Gahan's) watch. Meanwhile ...

The Democrats Need a New Message, by Matt Taibbi (Rolling Stone)

After another demoralizing loss to a monstrous candidate, Democrats need a reboot

How low do you have to sink to lose an election in this country? Republicans have been trying to answer that question for years. But they've been unable to find out, because Democrats somehow keep failing to beat them ...

... The electoral results last November have been repeated enough that most people in politics know them by heart. Republicans now control 68 state legislative chambers, while Democrats only control 31. Republicans flipped three more governors' seats last year and now control an incredible 33 of those offices. Since 2008, when Barack Obama first took office, Republicans have gained somewhere around 900 to 1,000 seats overall.

There are a lot of reasons for this. But there's no way to spin some of these numbers in a way that doesn't speak to the awesome unpopularity of the blue party. A recent series of Gallup polls is the most frightening example.

Unsurprisingly, the disintegrating Trump bears a historically low approval rating. But polls also show that the Democratic Party has lost five percentage points in its own approval rating dating back to November, when it was at 45 percent.

The Democrats are now hovering around 40 percent, just a hair over the Trump-tarnished Republicans, at 39 percent. Similar surveys have shown that despite the near daily barrage of news stories pegging the president as a bumbling incompetent in the employ of a hostile foreign power, Trump, incredibly, would still beat Hillary Clinton in a rematch today, and perhaps even by a larger margin than before.

If you look in the press for explanations for news items like this, you will find a lot of them. Democrats may have some difficulty winning elections, but they've become quite adept at explaining their losses.

As an addendum, NAC has been unable to confirm whether New Albany Mayor Jeff M. Gahan or anyone working in the city's administration is under federal investigation or indictment for corruption, bribery or racketeering. It is standard policy of the U.S. Justice Department to refuse to confirm or deny the existence or non-existence of investigations or subjects of investigations. A similar policy exists at the F.B.I.

Mr. Disney's club has a laser focus, which may even have to do with a minor issue or two.

Oceania was at war with Eurasia: therefore Oceania had always been at war with Eurasia. The enemy of the moment always represented absolute evil, and it followed that any past or future agreement with him was impossible.
-- George Orwell, 1984

The Democrats got together, the newspaper sent the Clark ...

Wait -- what was that?

How can I begin a post about the DemoDixieDisneycrats with a quote from an actual work of literature?

Beats me. A momentary lapse of reason? Let's try to get through this, shall we?

The Democrats got together, the newspaper sent the Clark County reporter because we no longer have one, and oceans of Bud Light were consumed by all.

Democrats talk pivotal election cycle at New Albany event,by Elizabeth Beilman (We Got Cooking School)

NEW ALBANY — The Floyd County Jefferson-Jackson Dinner on Thursday evening captured the momentous election cycle that Democrats in Southern Indiana are feeling at every level.

"We've just got a lot of tremendous energy, and I think we're more laser-focused than we've ever been this year," Floyd County Democratic Party Chairman Adam Dickey said. "I think it's in part because of the issues and concerns."

As Stephon Moore tries to jump-start the Southern Indiana Young Democrats, Mr. Disney drones.

Beware New Washingtonians with muzzles.

Amid the 'Bama-chained newspaper's many Clark County stories, hipster enrichment tweets and cooking school blurbs in today's edition, there's this.

Southern Indiana Young Democrats group springs into action; First meeting will be after tonight's Jefferson-Jackson dinner in New Albany, by Aprile Rickert (We Live in Louisville and Work in Jeffersonville Gazette)

SOUTHERN INDIANA — A New Albany man is working to get off the ground a group he hopes can fill a political gap in Southern Indiana.

Stephon Moore, 22, is trying to rally young people to be part the Southern Indiana Young Democrats, an organization that he hopes will bring young people in Clark and Floyd counties, and beyond, together to get involved in the party.

Ironically, I had the pleasure of meeting Stephon last evening at the Southern Indiana Equality quarterly meeting, and he made it a point to tell me about the gathering tonight at Brooklyn and The Butcher.

I'm a few years older than 35, but allow me to thank him publicly.

Moore's chat takes place following the DemoDisneyDixiecratic Knitting Circle function at The Grand, which for some unknown reason continues to celebrate Andrew Jackson's prowess at engineering Native American genocide.

Not only that, but for $40 a plate, you get stand-up comedy.

... Adam Dickey, Democratic party chair for Floyd County and the 9th District, said there was a group several years ago in his county, but it dissolved. He's glad to see Moore and his peers stepping up to fill the space left behind.

“This is a great opportunity for young people,” he said. “Especially those who have a belief that we can do better than what we're seeing from state and other government, to come out and support good candidates for public office.”

I love it: "State and OTHER government."

Does the non-elected Mr. Disney mean his local government, where he has more power than most office holders who aren't afraid to face the electorate -- or is he just really that funny?

The Voting Rights Act, the Democratic Party, LBJ and John Gonder.

“Lyndon Johnson bared his scars, American stars 'n bars.” -- Neil Young

It is a sentiment with which I concur, even when our local Democrats rush to advocate Reaganite "trickle ripple tinkle down" corporate welfare schemes in economic development.

"As Democrats, we will continue to fight to expand access to the polls for every eligible voter."

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act means giving props to Lyndon Baines Johnson, and accordingly, at-large councilman John Gonder offered this Facebook comment suggestion that is sure to be ignored.

In honor of this momentous occasion, as well as all the other civil rights progress he ushered in, and because Andrew Jackson has more than a few skeletons in his closet, why not replace one of the Js in the JJ Dinner with LBJ? It's time to stop honoring Indian fighters, and start recognizing the good deeds our party has done in (many of) our own lifetimes.

As usual, it makes far too much sense.

Jeff Gahan and local Democrats tout purely Orwellian "preservation by demolition" theories filched from Greg Fischer.

Unretouched Floyd County Democratic Party blurb. 

Greg Fischer echoes neighborhood activist Phipps: "Tear it down."

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Not Surprising: Greg Fischer’s Professed Transparency Is A Myth & He’s Learned Exactly Zero Preservation Lessons at The 'Ville Voice.

In which Jake Payne levels Greg Fischer for non-transparency, a scenario strikingly familiar to New Albanians who looked on in abject disgust, powerless, as Jeff Gahan took down 922 Culbertson last year and designated Dan Coffey to ride shotgun on his official "bash historic preservation" stagecoach ... all in the shadows and darkness of back alleys and Hauss Square corridors.

And who do Floyd County Democrats look to as a shining metro light?

That'd be Fischer, of course, who'll attend the party's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner on April 23, presumably arriving aboard a CCE dump truck, wearing a hard hat (note that the image above is NOT photoshopped).

This one's tackier than Mr. Disney's cellar-scraping norm. From TVV:

If Steve Poe can save the façade at the Aloft site, those buildings’ historic façades could have been saved.

So I asked one of the individuals responsible for saving and paying for Whiskey Row (I’m making the decision to withhold publication of their name because you know how Greg Fischer treats whistleblowers) a couple questions.

They told me that the façades could have 100% been saved, quickly and easily. They also believe key parts of the buildings themselves could have been saved.

When asked what kind of message they think it sends the city’s residents when Metro Government takes abrupt action like this without communicating and without allowing anyone to respond? Here’s their response: “DISTURBING.”

48% ($139 million, including tax rebates and $17 million for a parking garage) of the Omni project will be taxpayer funded, so preservationists and all people with half a brain are adamant that there should have been more public input and way more listening on the part of Fischer and his staff.

Forget the historic buildings and their façades. Ignore the reality that Fischer’s employees routinely fine people for unkempt lawns and graffiti but can’t be bothered to protect properties on the National Register of Historic Places.

Louisville ought to be outraged because Mr. Transparency is once again trying to pull the wool over its eyes.

It's all okay. In New Albany, our mutts have sweaters.

Benedetti to NAC: I've been to the Muhammad Ali Center.

In response to an article published here on May 31, 2007, 5th district council representative Diane Benedetti has cleared the air.

C'mon, who could turn down an afternoon at Louisville's Muhammad Ali Center?

At the aforementioned Jefferson-Jackson Dinner on April 27, Mr. and Mrs. Confidential were flatly envious of 5th district Democratic council candidate Diane McCartin Benedetti, who walked off with the door prize of specially selected Muhammad Ali Center materials and admission tickets. I wonder if she has yet had time to visit, and if so, whether the experience was good for her.

After this evening's council meeting, Mrs. Benedetti told me that not only has she visited the Muhammad Ali Center, she found it wonderful, and she also provided tickets to underprivileged kids so they could experience it, too.

And now you have the rest of the story, because at NAC, we follow up. Good day.

Sipes makes it official.

Connie Sipes will not seek re-election to her District 46 State Senate seat. At tonight's Jefferson-Jackson dinner, she introduced the party's annointed choice to run in her place next year: Charles Freiberger, current County Commissioner.

Howard Dean was excellent, and when he told the assembled local Democrats that they should stand for something, not nothing, the silence was audible. But we'd expect that, wouldn't we? Council members in attendance were John Gonder and Bob Caesar. The Confidentials had a good time, and the NABC flashed on the screen, though not as Dean spoke.

Care to comment? I'm outta town all day Friday, so unless Bluegill swoops in ...

Not that any of the Republocrats will even be there, mind you.

The reaction of tonight's Jefferson-Jackson crowd to Howard Dean stands to be Priceless.

In more ways than one.

C'mon, who could turn down an afternoon at Louisville's Muhammad Ali Center?

Given a choice on Memorial Day between attending the Abbey Road festival honoring the Beatles and visiting the adjacent Muhammad Ali Center, we opted for the latter.


Something in the way the Courier-Journal slickly touted the riverfront Beatlerama struck an unresponsive chord within us, while the memory of listening to the Ali Center’s Daniel Kalef speak at the Floyd County Democratic Party’s Jefferson-Jackson Dinner remained strong, urging an appreciation of the boxer-turned-cultural ambassador’s fascinating life.

In fact, it is difficult to imagine any self-declared Democrat – for that matter, any person, period – consciously turning down the opportunity to reflect on the universal human ideals considered therein:

The Muhammad Ali Center serves as both a destination site and an international education and cultural center that is inspired by the ideals of its founder Muhammad Ali … Two-and-a-half levels of interactive exhibits and captivating multi-media presentations present Ali’s life story through the six core values of his life: respect, confidence, conviction, dedication, giving, and spirituality … Ultimately, the Ali Center strives to inspire you to pursue your potential and explore the greatness that lies within yourself.

At the aforementioned Jefferson-Jackson Dinner on April 27, Mr. and Mrs. Confidential were flatly envious of 5th district Democratic council candidate Diane McCartin Benedetti, who walked off with the door prize of specially selected Muhammad Ali Center materials and admission tickets. I wonder if she has yet had time to visit, and if so, whether the experience was good for her.

It certainly was good for us. Here are a few views of the interior.

Friday’s Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, RFK and the Gang of Four.

It was an evening devoted to the legacy of Robert F. Kennedy, with a keynote speech by Daniel Kalef, a ranking official at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali Center, and not infrequent references to Dr. Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa and the contemporary relevance of liberalism, and as you might expect – this being New Albany, after all – when it comes to the importance of lessons like these, those local Democratic politicos most in need of schooling skipped class.

Current city council members not in attendance were Donnie Blevins (at-large), Dan Coffey (1st), Larry Kochert (4th) and Steve Price (3rd). All except Kochert are running for re-election as Democrats. No-show city council candidates were Roger Hefler (4th), Vicki Denhart (at-large; a.k.a. “Freedom to Screech”) and James Hollis (at-large).

Chairman Randy Stumler performed admirably, emphasizing party unity by aggressively taking certain local mainstream newspapers to task for allegedly portraying Democrats as “squabbling idiots.”

Given the fact that most of those Democrats responsible for the past three years of, well, squabbling idiocy on the New Albany city council were not in attendance (see above), Stumler’s polemical agility is to be fully commended.

There’ll be more ruminations on the dinner tomorrow. Apart from personalities, it really was a powerful reminder of core principles.