The American people are very dissatisfied with the present state of affairs in their country. Polls taken in July revealed that less than 20 percent of Americans approve of the direction in which the United States is going. Furthermore, they are not naive as to the reason for this wrong direction: well over half the citizenry understands that a few billionaire tycoons have rigged our political system and media in order to advance their unfettered global business interests.

What makes a good candiate? Groups like Emily's List and Working Families Party have a tendency to look to the candidates who have money, whose skills are in fundraising. Some people seem to think only lawyers can be effective politicians. And some simply think all candidates are pretty much the same and despair of finding excitement in supporting a candidate.

I don't buy any of those. I do get excited about candidates. They do not tend to be the ones who are supported by big money interests, and they are not always lawyers, but they are the candidates who are smart, articulate, and good on the issues. But there is one thing more that really makes a candidate kick ass. Dedication to the community. In some ways this may be the thing that can break through racial, cultural and political divides, because a candidate who proves him or herself to the community can get broad support: black and white, rich and poor, liberal and moderate. I want to discuss just such candidates.

This is it folks. Tonight is the night!

Endorsed by Eliot Spitzer...

Designated a 'Top Tier' race by the NY DSCC...

...Our man Brian Keeler (NYBri) is having a 'Blograiser' -- located physically in Manhattan and virtually online -- live-blogged on DailyKos.com and other excellent sites across the blogosphere.

This is our chance to make a bold statement about the direction of politics in America -- and continue to expand the passion and implement the progressive values of the Netroots.

After further review and agonizing soul-searching (which explains why I didn't write a diary yesterday), I have decided that I can no longer support Russ Feingold for President. I am well and truly beaten. I did not realize that a twice-divorced candidate would be such a big liability. I fear that it would be such a great liability that we would be beaten even worse than McGovern and Mondale did.

As much as we might agree with Feingold 100% on the issues, he is simply not electable. People want a candidate who represents America, and they would always go for the man who best represents their ideals. This includes having a traditional family. After all, if a man can't run his family, then how can he run this country?

This is directed at anybody who thinks that their vote will not be important in the next election for whatever reason. It doesn't matter whether you are a Green disgusted at what you see as a lack of spine by the Democrats or a former Hackett supporter disgusted at what you see as an insular establishment who determines the candidates for Senate in smoke-filled backrooms. You are missing the key point as to why it is so important that you go to the polls and vote for a Democrat. You forget that a vote for a Democrat for Senate or the House is a vote for John Conyers as chair of the House Judiciary Committee.

It predictably began within 20 minutes of the conclusion of Patrick Fitzgerald's Friday press conference. All over the blogosphere, the cry went up: Fitzgerald for president!

Every time Joe Wilson issues a public statement or gives an interview, we encounter it: Wilson for president!

Periodically, usually after a particularly deft skewering of GOP hypocrisy on The Daily Show, there is a clamor: Stewart for president!

I present readers with my resounding response: NO. An emphatic and capitalized NO!, in fact.