Hey guys, (this is also posted at Kos as I am trying to reach as many progressives as possible) as many of you know I am a die hard, progressive Democrat down here in the middle of ruby red Tennessee.

I was elected at the age of 19 to the local county commission and have served as the Democratic Party Vice Chair for four years and about to become Chairman in April. So I have a deep love for public service.

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     Even though it hasn't even been a month into the Obama presidency I am already tired of Obamania. Let's be clear I am not tired of President Obama, but I am getting extremely tired of everyone invoking his name and attaching it to any pet cause they happen to favor. It's as though by doing so they add instant legitimacy to their cause. I am reminded of how modern Christians have for decades done the same with the name of Jesus or God; attaching Him to all types of doctrines and circumstances He may or may not favor.

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Human Rights Hearing: "Healthcare is a Human Right" to be held at Burlington City Hall, Contois Auditorium (149 Church St., Burlington) Thursday Oct 23 at 7:00 p.m.

Burlington - For months volunteers for the Vermont Workers' Center have been surveying Vermonters from all across the state, including many in the Burlington area. The results have been clear: Vermonters believe that healthcare should be a human right.

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Burlington - The Vermont Workers' Center's "Healthcare is a Human Right" campaign is looking to hear from Vermonters about their healthcare horror stories.

For months volunteers for the Vermont Workers' Center have been surveying Vermonters from all across the state, about their experience with the healthcare community. The results have been clear: Vermonters believe that healthcare should be a human right.

The state, however, has come up woefully short on this issue. More than 11 percent of all Vermonters are without health insurance, including more than 11,000 children. Thousands more are woefully under-insured, and cannot afford their costly premiums and co-pays, which are only rising as the cost of healthcare soars.

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As editor of Voic.us, a Drupal community covering Southeast politics, I've been able to watch the political blogospheres of 9 states for the last year, and track their success in moving the political conversation and elections.

Now, with newspapers and campaigns alike fighting to either hire bloggers or get their own blog products out there, I think it's a good time to talk about what works, based on an enormous pile of evidence.

The winning strategy is a scaled community with full-time analysis of candidates, issues, and other bloggers. The site should be friendly with your party, but not overly-friendly. If the site managers feel free to diss their friends at times, so will others. And I can't emphasize enough the need to use a Community Service Network platform, like Scoop, Slash or Drupal, rather than a blog metaphor. (Dailykos runs Scoop.)

Details follow.

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