Two thoughts: 1) Wow! and 2) Particularly considering it just so happens to be Iowa, it will be extra interesting to see how this ongoing story will play out alongside the presidential primary election.
From the Chicago Tribune:
DES MOINES, Iowa – A Polk County judge on Thursday struck down Iowa’s law banning gay marriage and ordered the county recorder to permit gay and lesbian couples to marry.
Less than two hours after word of the ruling was publicized, two Des Moines men applied at the Polk County recorder’s office for a marriage license, and for the first time the application was accepted. The process of granting a license to marry in Iowa takes three days. [click to continue…]
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One of my firm’s clients is the IAFF – the fire fighters union that has been taking on Giuliani. I’ve been keeping a secret for a week, but we finally got the go-ahead to break the news at 4pm today…
The IAFF is endorsing Senator Dodd for president at a news conference tomorrow in DC. This is the union that endorsed Kerry in 2004 – when he was no where in the polls. I don’t think anyone at the IAFF thinks this will have the exact same result as that endorsement, but it would be nice to see Dodd get a second (or even a first) look from the public, the MSM and the bloggers.
So, this is the first bit of news that I get to break on a blog…it should be everywhere tomorrow! It’s started with this confirmation in The Hill this afternoon.
Oh, and the IAFF would have been the first union endorsement of this cycle, but Hillary’s campaign was prepared! After news of this first started spreading yesterday (and reporters were calling the campaigns trying to find out “who it would be”), Hillary’s campaign must have called in a favor…she got the official first labor endorsement today from the United Transportation Union.
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As a part of The New Hampshire Project, BSB chief (and PB alum) Jerid sat down for a fifteen minute interview with Democratic Presidential candidate Senator Chris Dodd.
It’s an excellent interview by Jerid. Having participated in a Meet The Bloggers event before, I know both how powerful these opportunities can be, and how difficult it can be to interview candidates as a normal citizen.
These kinds of events are tremendously important. So listen, learn, and comment. If candidates notice, they’ll be more likely to participate in the future, and really, the blogosphere is perhaps the most democratic form of media, with low barriers to entry and easy opportunities for readers to participate. So participate! Dodd gets it, and if others notice our influence, they’ll get it too.
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He’s not my favorite candidate by any means, but he is smart enough to know a prezzie is gonna need the blogs in ‘08 – and gonna need Ohio blog love – so the good Senator is sitting down with Jerid at BSB during his New Hampshire Project in what I’m hearing is a no pre-determined rules conversation. The most amazing thing is that they called him up, obviously riffing off of the Obama misstep of kicking Jerid out of a public event. I haven’t commented on that yet, but suffice to say I think the Obama folks screwed up and are in danger of spoiling what good vibes they established with the very hospitable action at last year’s state dinner.
So get your questions to Jerid. He’s asking and this is the reason the NH Project was born. Great, great stuff! Maybe Joe Hallett would like to submit a question. I hear he’s a pro at this “original reporting” thing.
Props to Tim Tagaris, a familiar name to us here in OH, for helping his campaign get it. My own personal hope is that the other campaigns see that Jerid is not out to hurt our side in any way. He’s been very public about his desire to get their stories from NH out in an unfettered way. None of us – that I know of – have really settled upon any one candidate. I know this for a fact with Jerid.
Great job all. I think this is what was envisioned when the genius who came up with the NH Project envisioned it!
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