I was surprisingly inspired by John and Teresa Heinz Kerry’s new book, This Moment on Earth, coming out March 26th, 2007. This inspiration snuck up on me around the third chapter. Prior to that, I found the book good, well worth reading, but a little bit like just one more book outlining what humans are doing wrong. Starting around the third chapter I realized I was referring to the book in several conversations and several blog diaries and that several of the people and organizations featured in the book I mentally filed away as worth looking into for future political connections, diaries and general research.

In short, almost without my realizing it, John Kerry’s book was getting into my brain and inspiring me. The book starts a bit dull but by the end is excellent.

My earliest impression, from the press material that arrived with the book and from the introduction, was that this book promised something really new and welcome. The book was billed as the next step in the evolution of the environmental debate. I was ready for a book that took as given the problems and focused primarily on solutions. Having been through way too many “debates” online where I yet again outlined the very clear scientific evidence for global warming only to have yet the same false claims that global warming was some kind of scam or myth (these claims are never backed up by scientific evidence of any substance), I really was ready to have a book that moved beyond that.

Give Queens Republicans some credit: they're reaching out to their grassroots by appointing blogger Robert Hornak to chair their Candidate Recruitment and Development Committee. Meanwhile, Urban Elephants reports, the new County Chair is doing some energetic outreach of his own:

Newly elected Queens County Republican Party Chairman Phil Ragusa, as part of his pledge to focus his energies on rejuvenating and growing the Queens GOP's grassroots infrastructure, has been tirelessly touring the County visiting local Republican clubs, stopping by to discuss and share his plans for the future of the Party with the Queens Village, Northeast Queens, Whitestone, and Frank Kenna Republican clubs, with visits to the Rego Hills, Women's Club and Rockaway clubs already scheduled.

Imagine how nice it would be to see the same kind of commitment from our Democratic county leaders.

Of course, as one commenter at the Daily Politics post pointed out, Queens Republicans have larger problems, involving the fact that their two endangered state Senators are currently busy selling out their own constituents to Joe Bruno's machine in the budget battle. But there's no doubt that Hornak has some good ideas:

The announcement of Hornak’s appointment was accompanied by the unveiling of plans for an ambitious "Candidates’ School," to be held by the County scheduled for May, as aspiring candidates, prospective campaign managers and treasurers are instructed on the fundamentals of ballot access and campaign organization by leading experts from the Republican delegations in the State Senate and Assembly, as well as party leaders.

Another DP commenter observed that what Hornak is planning to do, essentially, is replicate the New York County GOP's intriguing new School of Applied Politics.

Here's my question: do New York Democrats have anything similar to this? If so, I haven't heard of it. The organization I work with, New Democratic Majority, will be bringing back its Activist Academy this spring, in an effort to provide the very same kind of service. But we're a grassroots group digging for change behind the sofa cushions. It would be great if local Democratic leaders realized the utility of putting resources behind something like this. The Republicans took control of American politics by being better organized and more politically innovative than the Democrats. I'm not saying they'll take over in New York, but it never pays to be complacent when your opponent is being creative.

Last night was a big night in the tiny world of Brooklyn reform Democratic politics. Both the Independent Neighborhood Democrats (IND) and the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats (CBID) had big meetings. I attend IND, so can go into some detail about that but can only summarize CBID's meeting, which my wife attended.

CBID, the more progressive of the clubs and one which I recently wrote about how they can do good things when everyone behaves, had it's much expected civil war last night with its two main factions fighting it out tooth and nail. I saw last January's version of this and liken it to ancient Rome's public entertainment in the Coliseum: gladiators, wild beast fights and public executions. Last night's meeting was apparently similar. Much fighting, one side won big, the other side is threatening to take their marbles and go home. My wife, being one of only a handful of people both factions like, was re-elected to the Executive Board and was elected Corresponding Secretary (congratulations!). My wife and I agree that our interactions with BOTH sides have largely been fine and BOTH sides are pretty active. We by and large agree with BOTH sides on almost every issue except how they interact with eachother. Which brings up the interesting point that both sides by and large seem to agree with eachother on almost every issue except how they interact with eachother. The defeated faction has already been taking an interest in another club that I have heard good things about, Brooklyn Democrats for Change, and there has been talk of formation of yet another club. For my wife and myself, CBID is practically around the corner and, along with IND, cover the territories we live and play in, so we are likely to stay focused on those two clubs. But to Brooklyn Democrats for Change and any other new reform or progressive minded clubs: we wish you luck and look forward to working with you in the future. And my hope for both CBID factions: let's cool off a bit and try working together. There are far more important things at stake than who controls the quarum calls at one club in Central Brooklyn.