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June 30, 2006
McCain's Secret Plan to Fix Iraq
So apparently Senator McCain has a plan - a secret plan - to fix Iraq.
But he's not telling. Not until he's named chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
McCain said that when he rises to chairman of the Senate Armed services Committee he will try to move things along towards a better direction in Iraq. From the Financial Times:
"I think we will obviously have hearings, and we will try to analyze the problems that exist and the remedies are for it."
Seriously? If he has an idea, why doesn't he just speak up, be a leader, all those things our Senators are supposed to do. Instead he's sitting on his hands until he gets a better title. I'm sure our troops, and the American people, will understand.
I guess the Senator figures that it worked for Nixon...
Posted by at 3:41 PM | Comments (58)
Listen Up: Voting Rights
This week, the DNC's Podcast hosts Donna Brazile, Chair of the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute. Donna Brazile discusses the Republican assault on Americans' voting rights including the Republican controlled Congress stalling action on the Voting Rights Act, one of the most significant civil rights statutes ever enacted.
Listen here.
Posted by at 2:57 PM | Comments (15)
Student Loans 101 - GOP Gets a "F"
The deadline for current and former college students to consolidate their federally guaranteed loans and lock in new fixed interest rates that, starting Saturday, will rise as high as 7 percent.Under the mandated change, Stafford loans, the loans most commonly used by students, will no longer come with an adjustable rate, which means a farewell to the long era of low interest rates.
As college costs outpace family incomes and the availability of nonloan financial aid grows more slowly than tuition, more and more students have turned to loans to finance their educations.
So I thought it'd be a good time to compare the Syllabi of the Republicans and Democrats when it comes to helping America's students.
The Republican Syllabus:
- Do nothing as the cost tuition for 4 year colleges rises by an average of 40% (just since President Bush took office)
- Slash $12 billion from student aid programs, not for deficit reduction, but to finance additional tax cuts for special interests and the wealthy
- Leave trillions of dollars of debt for future generations to pay off
The Democrat Syllabus:
- Increase the maximum Pell Grant from $4,050 to $5,800 this year, double the HOPE Scholarship tax credit from $1,500 per student to $3,000 per student, and make the HOPE tax credit refundable.
- Enhance funding for minority-serving institutions.
- Increase support for GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program)
- Forgive the student loans of highly qualified public service teachers who commit to five years in high-poverty schools and of excellent professionals in other public-service careers with personnel shortages.
Which course would you enroll in?
Posted by at 2:07 PM | Comments (7)
50-State Strategy: Texas has COURAGE
John Courage is running for Congress is the 21th Congressional District of Texas. I had the opportunity to meet him before I came to the DNC, while I was working in Texas and a few things were apparently evident: he is a favorite of his District's activists, he is working hard, he's got the right stuff and he's got momentum.
Today MyDD profiles him as their latest addition to the netroots list.
This week, John took the time to answer a few questions.
What made you decide to run for Congress?
I’m running to restore honesty and integrity to Congress and to go to Washington to make government work for the people.
What is it like for Dems in Texas right now?
The atmosphere and attitudes of Texas Democrats is really great right now. More and more ‘new’ Democrats are stepping up to take back Texas and take back our country. The Democratic establishment in Texas is getting reinvigorated by this wave of determined, energetic Democratic Activists!
What about your opponent? What do we need to know?
Consistently over nearly 20 years my opponent has voted:What are you hearing from people on the ground?I could go on and on, suffice it to say he is on the opposite side of most of the people who live and work in the 21st Congressional District.
- against supporting public education by not fully funding federally mandated educational programs like IDEA and NCLB
- against healthcare by voting to cut Medicare funding and promoting private health plans and supporting this disastrous Medicare Plan D program that is too complex and too expensive
- against our veterans by allowing medical facilities in his district to deteriorate, by raising their cost of services, by not being responsive to veterans groups that have asked for his help
- against the environment by supporting Big Oil and the coal mining industry with tax breaks and relief from meeting pollution standards that has allowed a dangerous increase in global warming, by not voting to really fund alternative energy development
- against protecting Social Security and earned retirement programs by voting to privatize Social Security and by voting to deregulate the protections for worker retirement programs
They are ready for a change. They are tired of the culture of corruption in Washington and the cost of corruption in Congress, the no bid contracts, the tax breaks for companies making huge profits, the earmarks, the lack of meaningful legislation on education, healthcare, the economy, the rising deficit, a war with no end in sight etc. etc. etc. They want a government that works! In a recent poll we conducted only 31% of the voters in my district would vote to reelect Smith if the election were held tomorrow. 69% would vote for a new representative who will serve the public interest, not the private and special interests. I am that representative.
What has the campaign been like so far?
We launched our field program on Memorial Day. We have hundreds of volunteers committed to walking calling and mailing. We are energizing our base and identifying committed Democratic voters and likely ones as well and we are planning on informing independent and disaffected Republican voters (of which there are many, with the numbers growing daily) about what I stand for as a person and what I will do in Congress on their behalf. We also are preparing our media campaign which will kickoff this summer and we will be using all forms of media, mail, newspapers, radio, television and the internet. We have a comprehensive media program going. We are also holding a series of Town Hall style meetings in every county in the district to communicate with voters on a personal basis.
Working in Texas was quite the surprise. I didn't expect to find a thriving community of committed activists deep in the heart of Texas, but I did. Just another reason why we need The 50-State Strategy, and and why it is going to work.
[UPDATE]: The Courage Campaign just let me know that they will be hosting events for The Democratic Reunion. RSVP for Austin or San Antonio!
Posted by at 9:43 AM | Comments (9)
TGIF Open Thread
Woo-hoo! It's Friday!
Finally.It seemed almost too much to hope for, but the Supreme Court finally called George W. Bush onto the carpet yesterday and asked him the obvious question: What part of "rule of law" do you not understand?
Posted by at 9:27 AM | Comments (190)
June 29, 2006
Not without a fight...
Republicans seem to have a new favorite tactic, called not lettinig things come up for a vote. They passed their ridiculous excuse for a resolution reguarding the The New York Times coverage of the already-known SWIFT program, but refused to let Rep. Frank's substitute even be considered.
House Dems didn't let it happen without a fight. Here are some highlights:
"Let's take this resolution for what it is: it is a campaign document...There's never been any oversight of the program. The fact is that because there has never been any oversight of the program, there isn't one person in this body, who will vote on this resolution, who can attest to this statement. They're asking us to vote on something that we absolutely cannot attest to. Not any one of you can attest to this as a fact."
"The Republican party has become masters of cut and run, cutting from the issues so that they can run for re-election in November. This resolution is a diversion. If it was really about condemning leaks of classified information, it would also mention Valerie Plame, Karl Rove, and Scooter Libby. As the Member of Congress representing the district that suffered the greatest loss of life on 9/11, I believe that combating terrorism is a serious bipartisan issue, not a one-sided, last-minute, take it or leave it, Republican-only, political campaign stunt."
Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY):
"They've called the disclosure of the swift anti-terrorist program a disgrace, they've accused a newspaper that first wrote it, the the New York Times, of forcing its "arrogant elitist left-wing agenda" on the rest of the country. If all of this is true, I have no choice but to conclude that our President, President Bush himself, is a disgraceful, arrogant left-wing elitist, because it was Mr. Bush who leaked the story."Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA):
"Let's be honest. We are here today because there hasn't been enough red meat thrown at the Republican base before the Fourth of July recess. That's why we are here. So just in the nick of time we have H.Res. 895."Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA):
"Others have said yes, it's true that the terrorists learned from Bush Administration statements that we were tracking their financial activities. But apparently they didn't know that that involved banks. Did they think we were going through their pockets? I mean, how can you acknowledge that people knew that they were being tracked financially but no, it didn't involve bank records."Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL)
"Maybe it's the devil who makes them do this. We have flag burning, proposal for constitutional amendments, we have gay marriage, proposals for constitutional amendment, yet, when it comes to the basic freedom and liberty of this country, the press, we are presented with a resolution that condemns them, that's all it does, it doesn't sanction, it condemns them, it's our opportunity to vent and say little things about The New York Times."Rep. John Conyers (D-MI):
"Well, there may be some motive that is political about the selective crying out about information. The swift story bears no resemblence to security breaches, disclosure of troop locations or anything that would compromise the security of individuals."Rep. John Dingell (D-MI):
"They tell us that they're protecting our civil liberties while they're tapping our phones and spying in our libraries and looking into our bank accounts. They tell us to trust us on everything. They tell us to trust us on -- trust them on everything because they're protecting their civil liberties. Well, I don't think I can trust this administration to protect my civil liberties and those of the people that I serve."
Posted by at 9:09 PM | Comments (18)
Abandoning Ship
About 20 minutes ago the liberal House Clerk reported on the liberal House floor that the liberal President Bush's Justice Department has subpoenaed Bob Ney's district director.I wonder if Bob Ney can surpass Katherine Harris with the number of staffers to walk out?And now the liberal media is hurling false liberal attacks by reporting these liberal facts. It also turns out that Ney's staffers are a bunch of cowardly liberals...
Three Top Ney Aides Departing; District Aide Subpoenaed
[Roll Call]The top three aides for Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) are leaving, or already have left, the Ohio Republican's office, the latest sign that Ney's legal and ethical troubles stemming from the Jack Abramoff scandal are growing worse with each passing day.
Will Heaton, Ney's chief of staff, and Brian Walsh, the communications director, are planning to leave Ney's staff soon, according to sources close to the office. Walsh will accept a job as communications director for Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), while Heaton's destination is unknown. Heaton recently was married and was unavailable for comment Thursday.
Chris Otillio, Ney's legislative director, left the office last Friday, the sources said.
In addition, Matt Parker, district director in Ney's office in St. Clairsville, Ohio, was subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury conducting the Abramoff probe. Additional subpoenas of Ney's staffers are expected soon, said a source familiar with situation.
Walsh confirmed his departure from Ney's office, although he declined to comment on Heaton or Otillio. "This was not a decision I took lightly," said Walsh, who has found himself under fire for the past 17 months as Ney's spokesman. "I am looking forward to this new opportunity to advance Sen. Cornyn's agenda." Walsh will start in Cornyn's office in two weeks.
Walsh thanked Ney "for the chance to work for him, which was great," and said Katie Harbath, his deputy, will be taking over for his position.
It was fun. But don't worry, there are other corruptions in the sea...
Walsh, who has found himself in a media firestorm since the Abramoff-Ney connection was first exposed by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) 17 months ago, earned solid grades over his handling of the scandal.
"Picking up Brian Walsh is a great move for Senate Republicans. He's battle-tested ready and will be an asset to Senator Cornyn, who is rapidly becoming a rising star," said a top House GOP leadership aide.
More reasons we love Zack Space!
Posted by at 5:42 PM | Comments (24)
Bush Smacked Down by Supreme Court
The Supreme Court ruled today that the Bush Administration's treatment of prisoners and handling of military courts at Guantanamo Bay is illegal. The ruling settled for good a matter that had dogged the Bush Administration for months.
From the Washington Post:
In a 5-3 decision, the court said the trials were not authorized by any act of Congress and that their structure and procedures violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and the four Geneva Conventions signed in 1949....The ruling, which overturned a federal appeals court decision in which Roberts had participated, represented a defeat for President Bush, who had ordered trials before special military tribunals for detainees at the Guantanamo Bay naval base.
Very interesting.
UPDATE: "The Supreme Court sent a clear message today to the Bush Administration that it is not above the law, period. This is an Administration that has consistently and wantonly defied the Constitution, and has claimed the ability to put itself above the law, whether in leaking the name of a covert CIA agent for political purposes or undertaking illegal spying on American citizens and then lying about it.
"With their repeated attempts to act above the law, the Bush Administration makes the Nixon gang look like a bunch of amateurs. This stunning rebuke to the Bush Administration is a reminder that no one, not even the President, is above the law."
-- DNC Communications Director Karen Finney
Posted by at 2:57 PM | Comments (31)
www.VoteFromAbroad.org Now in Spanish!
Americans living overseas can now use www.VoteFromAbroad.org to register to vote and request absentee ballots.
The Spanish version was launched last week so that 1.1 million Americans living in Mexico, and the hundreds of thousands living in other Spanish speaking countries can exercise their right to vote.
Posted by at 1:40 PM | Comments (5)
The Democratic Reunion: Our Next Big Step
Mark your calendars: July 29th we all take a huge leap forward.
Last year we took the first step. On November 15th we held The National Organizing Kick-off. Across the country Democrats gathered together and starting putting the pieces together to organize in every state, district and precinct.
Then in April we held The Neighbor-to-Neighbor National Organizing Day. It was an unprecedented effort. Six months before an election, holding a 50-State Canvass, and together we talked to over a million voters.
July 29th is going to be bigger and better. July 29th Democrats across the country will once again gather together for The Democratic Reunion.
Governor Dean described The Democratic Reunion in an e-mail he sent today:
The Democratic Reunion will be a series of events across the country, in every single state, that will bring people back into the political process and remind everyone who wants change that we're all in this fight together for the last 100 days.Your local Democratic Reunion can be a social event like a picnic, a voter contact event like a canvass, or a campaign event with local candidates. The only requirement is that you come together with your neighbors on July 29th and kick off 100 days of work to build your local network and win this November.
It's that simple. We get together and make a commitment to ourselves, to each other and to our Party. With 100 Days left until the election, we will each contact 100 voters. We will take 100 actions to move our country forward. That's what the 50-State Strategy looks like in action.
You can host an event yourself, or you can hook into one already being planned by your state party.
You can invite your friends and family, your neighbors or your co-workers. You can tailor it to sync into your local candidates campaign plan or you can strike out on your own and be the representative for change in your community.
We've done some of the work to get you started. We have a resource center available and we will be updating and adding to it as we get closer to July 29th.
But the real work is yet to be done and the power to do it lies in precincts across the nation, where ordinary Americans like you and me take on the extraordinary task of building up our Party, leveraging our power to win in November and changing the direction of our country.
Find an Event | Host an Event | Resource Center
Posted by at 11:16 AM | Comments (15)
Voting Rights Act: Bi-Lingual Ballots Upheld
Although the GOP continues to block the Voting Rights Act from being reauthorized, they did allow an amendment that would eliminate funding for language provisions to be considered. It failed:
The House of Representatives agreed to affirm the right of voters in areas with large populations of non-English-speaking citizens to cast ballots in their native language.Leader Pelosi on the Amendment:The 254-167 roll call Wednesday in support of bilingual balloting came just a week after Republican divisions over the issue contributed to the postponement of a House vote to renew the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Any diminishing of language assistance is a diminishment of our American democracy. The right to vote must never, ever be compromised. Every vote counts – every vote must be counted.
Posted by at 10:47 AM | Comments (11)
Thursday Morning Open Thread
What I'm Reading:
Posted by at 9:36 AM | Comments (225)
June 28, 2006
Wednesday Night Open Thread
Why do I feel like there is never enough time to read through all the things I want to read?
This is an open thread...
Posted by at 8:07 PM | Comments (112)
GOP Halts Extension of Historic Voting Rights Act
Greg Moore, Director of the DNC's Voting Rights Institute penned this update on the GOP efforts to place the renewal of the Voting Rights Act.
In an unexpected development late last week, House Republicans balked at extending the historic Voting Rights Act because of disagreements over provisions of the law that require approval of voting changes in certain states and that mandate language assistance in the form of bilingual ballots. Republicans have pushed the Voting Rights Act renewal to the Back of the Bus while at the same time elevating a draconian measure that would require a restrictive national Photo ID bill (HR 4484) that will strip away the voting rights of millions of Americans this fall.
Widely viewed as one of the nation's most important and most successful civil rights laws, certain provisions of the Voting Rights Act are due to expire next year. Only last month, reauthorization of the legislation received wide bipartisan support, but last week in a meeting of Congressional Republicans, GOP leaders agreed to pull the bill from the floor.
Reauthorization opponents want to end preclearance, even though racial and ethnic minority voters still encounter major obstacles to voting in preclearance states. According to recent reports by RenewtheVRA.org , a coalition of civil rights and civil liberties organizations supporting extension of the landmark law , since the VRA was last renewed in 1982, the Department of Justice has issued 91 objections to voting changes in Georgia, 107 objections to changes in Texas, and 120 objections to changes in Mississippi. And only recently, a federal court barred Georgia from implementing its Photo ID law passed in 2005, which imposes stringent new requirements that undermine voting protections for many Georgia voters. Other VRA reauthorization opponents say that instead of requiring bilingual ballots in voting districts where at least 5 percent of the population are non-English speakers, all voters should simply be required to learn and speak English.
Congressman Arthur Davis (D-Ala.), who represents the landmark Selma and Birmingham districts, said of the latest Republican shenanigans:
"Apparently, the leadership of the Republican Party cannot bring its own rank-and-file members into line to support the Voting Rights Act...That ought to be a significant embarrassment as they fan around the country trying to skim off a few black votes in the next four months."As the 109th Congress convened last year, Republican leaders vowed that they would only bring up to the floor bills that were approved by the "Majority of the (Republican) majority", a move that ensured that the far right-wing forces would control the legislative agenda. It's clear that the "majority of the Majority" has taken control of the legislative process in Congress when it comes to voting rights and are highjacking this landmark civil rights legislation. The Democratic National Committee will continue to work through our Voting Rights Institute, the House Democratic Leadership, the Congressional Black Caucus and the civil rights leadership to reverse this far right, anti-civil rights cabal that has taken control of the Republican legislative process.
Democrats remain committed to passage of the Voting Rights Act in this congress. As Americans, we believe that both parties should work together to make it easier, not harder, for all Americans to register to vote, cast their vote and have that vote counted. If the Republican leadership fails to pass this landmark legislation intact, we will redouble our efforts to elect a Democratic Majority who will pass a strong Voting Rights Act bill when the new Congress convenes in January, 2007.
Posted by at 6:45 PM | Comments (10)
GOP "Values" Agenda Fails Out of the Gate
Maybe they wouldn't be such big losers if they tried to pass legislation that would, you know, make the country better? Instead they try and make it worse by taking away our rights, scape-goating entire groups of people, and focusing on issues that divide Americans instead of the issues that bring us together.
As they read the tea leaves that say Americans want a change, Americans want real leadership, Americans want actual governing to happen in the Capital instead of pork-barrel give aways and political pandering, they try this kind of thing, but they fail:
House Republicans failed Wednesday to advance a bill protecting the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. Only a day earlier, the GOP had placed the measure on its "American Values Agenda" in hopes of bolster the party's prospects in the fall election.But Republicans could not muster a simple majority on the issue in a committee where they outnumber Democrats by six.
Contrast their values with ours and you see that Democrats continue to fight for those who need it the most. For instance, fighting for an increase in the minimum wage. Yesterday Governor Dean said:
"This is a moral nation, so the first thing we must do is convince people that poverty is a moral problem," Dean told the crowd. "It is a moral principle to raise the minimum wage. It is nothing but economist mumbo jumbo to say raising it will hurt jobs."
and Senate Democrats, led by Harry Reid, vowed to:
...block a congressional pay hike unless some of the lowest-paid hourly workers get their first raise in nearly a decade."Congress is going to have earn its raise by putting American workers first: A raise for workers before a raise for Congress,"
That is what real governing looks like.
Posted by at 4:57 PM | Comments (9)
50-State Strategy: Washington - Meet Darcy Burner
I talked with Darcy Burner early this morning. Darcy is running for Congress in Washington's 8th Congressional District. She called me before the sun rose in her part of the country, so I knew right off the bat that she is running to win. We immediately started chatting about the blogosphere and the netroots, as she has been chosen as one of a handful of netroots candidates this cycle. Darcy had nothing but praise for the bloggers and blogosphere saying:
I am very very fortunate to have such an active and on top of things local blogosphere that are working to do what they can to help us win. We might just have the best local netroots community in the country. There are a huge number of people doing blogging on a regular basis. The quality of information is exceptional. They interact with each other so it is a community, and they have built all of it themselves. It's pretty amazing.
I didn’t know much about Darcy before we started chatting. I knew three things: that she used to work for Microsoft, that she was a new Mom and that she was running for Congress. So I asked her what made her decide to run.
Well after my son was born, I did what a lot of new parents do; I took a step back and said how do I give this helpless little creature the best possible world? I asked the normal questions everyone asks, ‘What do I feed him?’, ‘What school should he go to’? ‘Does he need a nap?’. I was responsible for giving him a better life and the more I looked at it there was no way to give him the kind of life I wanted him to have by just my individual decisions.Our country was headed so much in the wrong direction that I decided we had to chance the direction of the country. So then the question becomes, ‘How do we change the direction of the country?’ and I came to the conclusion that I had to give 100 percent of myself to make it happen. I knew we had to take back the House and that we needed 15 seats to do it and I believe it is going to take Washington State to make that happen. This is a critical junction and something I can do to make a difference.
It should be noted that by this time in the conversation she’s won me over. Now of course, I’m biased towards her already – she’s a young female Democrat running for office. (What’s not to admire?!?) I asked her what is was like being a first-time candidate and how she started off her campaign.
This is the 1st time I've run for office. I've done local things of course, I was the President of my local Homeowners Association and I was involved in community organizations. I ran the women’s organization at Microsoft, but this is the first time I’ve ran for political office I started laying the groundwork after the 2004 elections. I had left Microsoft in Fall of 2004 knowing I was going to do whatever I could to change the direction of this country.In January of 2005 I started talking to people about the feasibility of running for office. Six months later in June of 2005 I filed to run for Congress and I have been campaigning full time ever since.
I have been fortunate to have been given terrific advice at every state of the game. Early on a former Seattle Council Woman, Sue Donaldson, told me that the learning curve for this was huge, that I needed to hire a professional who knows what they are doing very early. I did that and it was a profoundly good piece of advice. A year later we have assembled a terrific team. I think we have the best campaign team in the entire country, but I may be biased.
Most of the interviews I’ve done with candidates have been with candidates running in places that most would consider “red” states or districts. I didn’t think of Washington that way, maybe because they birth the progressive meeting haven Starbucks, who knows. But I wanted to know more about the district she wanted to represent and the people, specifically the Democrats, who live there.
The 8th is a District that went for Clinton, Gore and Kerry. At this point more than half the state legislators are Democrats. It's a district that is particularly willing to elect Dems. For a longtime there a Republican incumbent in office, but she retired before 2004. Last time around the race was pretty close.The Democrats locally are very engaged in doing what they can to try and take back the Congress this year. That means mostly two things - one of those things means electing me. The other is helping make sure Maria Cantwell returns to the Senate. There is also increasing interest in 2 other districts in Washington State, both Republican incumbents are being challenged by Democrats, but those are tougher Districts, but if we have a big enough wave it is entirely possible we will send more than one Democrat to the House from Washington State.
I asked Darcy to share 3 things that we wouldn’t know from reading her lit pieces or her website. You may not know that:
She is a complete “book-o-holic”:
My husband laughs at me and thinks I should seek treatment. In every house we have lived in we built in floor-to-ceiling bookcases and filled them up. I love reading but don't have time to do it these days.
She knows how to rock:
I am an amateur musician. I play piano, guitar, bass, and the drums. I don't have time for that these days either. When my husband and I were first dating we played together in a rock band. I'm not saying it was a great rock band, but it was fun.
She also knows how to find a bargain online:
In my campaign office we have tons of phone lines coming into the office. Most campaigns can’t afford fancy and expensive phone system, so they make due with what they can find. I knew we should install PBX system, so I went to eBay and got a system for a few hundred dollars. After the end of last quarter I installed it myself. I'm a fan of eBay for campaign purchases. We purchased our really nice copier off eBay for a fraction of the price. It's the geek approach to life.
Darcy Burner is turning heads and picking up major steam. A week ago EMILY'S List endorsed her. Her Rubberstamp Republican opponent has been lagging behind so badly he needed President Bush to make an emergency visit to help him fundraise before the end of the quarter. Darcy Burner is the real deal, she's on her way to Congress and Washington is lucky to have her.
Posted by at 2:20 PM | Comments (3)
50-State Strategy: Kansas - Hope in the Heartland
Kansas Democratic Party Chairman Larry Gates sent us this update.
Last week, hundreds of Democrats from across Kansas filed to join Governor Kathleen Sebelius on the ballot for 2006. Democrats have stepped forward to give Kansans real choices for offices at every level, from county commission to Congress. We've got Democrats running in 100 races for the Kansas House - the first time we've reached that threshold in a decade!
In 2004, Kansas Democrats contested 39 Republican-held legislative seats. This year, Democratic candidates are running for 58 seats currently held by Republicans and our Democratic incumbents will be helping new candidates, working with them to craft winning campaigns so they can join them in the Statehouse.
In addition, the Kansas Democratic Party is growing, bringing Kansans together who will change the direction of our state. Through the leadership of Governor Sebelius and other Democrats like state legislative leaders Sen. Anthony Hensley and Rep. Dennis McKinney, nine of our Democratic candidates were Republicans at this time last year.
New Democratic leaders include Lieutenant Governor candidate Mark Parkinson, a former chairman of the Kansas Republican Party and Republican state legislator, and District Attorney Paul Morrison, our candidate for Attorney General against the radical Phill Kline.
Local newspapers have picked up on the trend, and this week The Guardian looks at what is happening:
One of the key reasons Kansas Democrats are in fighting mood is their governor, Kathleen Sebelius. Sebelius's vote represents an island of Democratic blue in a sea of Republican red on the political map, and she has impressed by reaching the middle-ground voters in a startlingly successful first term. Shunning the hot-button social issues, she has focused on education, jobs and health. This has earned her approval ratings touching 68 per cent in a state that was overwhelmingly pro-Bush in 2004.Sebelius has cracked the political holy grail: persuading heartland Republicans to vote Democrat. 'Her style works here, and then bringing over Parkinson to the Democrats has been the coup of all coups,' said Professor Bob Beatty, a political scientist at Washburn University near Topeka.
As the Democrats enjoy a resurgence, the Republicans are in disarray. Parkinson's defection encouraged other moderates to abandon a party controlled by right-wing religious zealots.
These former Republicans are joining the Democratic Party because they recognize that Governor Sebelius and Kansas Democrats are committed to finding commonsense solutions to the issues faced by all Kansans.
As I told the Guardian, Governor Sebelius and Democrats are bringing Kansans together to move our state forward while the Kansas Republican Party is dividing Kansans with the same old partisan bickering. Kansans know our candidates are dedicated to putting progress ahead of partisanship, and the best interests of the people of Kansas ahead of anything else.
Posted by at 1:58 PM | Comments (1)
Caregivers for the Disabled Get Jacked
The Washington Post features a story today on TANF, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families that is basically the new welfare. The Bush Administration will be putting out explicit guidelines about what does and does not count as work for welfare recipients. They are trying to eliminate what they believe is abuse of the system.
There was one eliminated category of work that caught my eye. Thanks to these new guidelines, taking care of a disabled relative no longer counts as work.
The Government Accountability Office said last year that states defined work in too many ways. For instance, of 10 states reviewed, five said caring for a disabled relative would meet work-participation requirements. Six states counted substance-abuse treatment as work.
I've taken care of a disabled relative. It was time consuming and a lot of work. I cared for him part time after high school. That was many years ago. Today, that disabled relative has a full time caregiver. He cannot be left alone for more than a couple hours at a time. I don't think this is uncommon.
It is absolutely egregious that the Bush Administration would place families who receive TANF in a situation where they could be forced to leave a disabled person without a caregiver. That's dangerous. My disabled relative often says he feels like a second class citizen because of his challenges. This TANF change by the Bush Administration will only worsen that feeling.
Posted by at 10:35 AM | Comments (11)
Supreme Court Rules on Texas Redistricting
News is just being released about this long-awaited opinion:
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld most of the Texas congressional map engineered by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay but threw out part, saying some of the new boundaries failed to protect minority voting rights.The fractured decision was a small victory for Democratic and minority groups who accused Republicans of an unconstitutional power grab in drawing boundaries that booted four Democratic incumbents out of office.
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, writing for the majority, said Hispanics do not have a chance to elect a candidate of their choosing under the plan.
There was also a question of timing of redistricting and the legality of it being done more often than every 10 years and for political purposes. The Court ruled that was acceptable:
On a different issue, the court ruled that state legislators may draw new maps as often as they like - not just once a decade as Texas Democrats claimed. That means Democratic and Republican state lawmakers can push through new maps anytime there is a power shift at a state capital.USA Today has this bit:The Constitution says states must adjust their congressional district lines every 10 years to account for population shifts. In Texas the boundaries were redrawn twice after the 2000 census, first by a court, then by state lawmakers in a second round promoted by DeLay after Republicans took control.
That was acceptable, justices said.
"We reject the statewide challenge to Texas redistricting as an unconstitutional political gerrymander," Kennedy wrote.However, he said the state's redrawing of District 23 violated the Voting Rights Act.
Posted by at 10:26 AM | Comments (7)
Wednesday Open Thread
The New York Times has a fantastic editorial today on Patriotism and the Press. The whole thing is worth a read, but here is an excerpt:
Ever since Sept. 11, the Bush administration has taken the necessity of heightened vigilance against terrorism and turned it into a rationale for an extraordinarily powerful executive branch, exempt from the normal checks and balances of our system of government. It has created powerful new tools of surveillance and refused, almost as a matter of principle, to use normal procedures that would acknowledge that either Congress or the courts have an oversight role.The Swift program, like the wiretapping program, has been under way for years with no restrictions except those that the executive branch chooses to impose on itself — or, in the case of Swift, that the banks themselves are able to demand. This seems to us very much the sort of thing the other branches of government, and the public, should be nervously aware of. We would have been very happy if Congressman Peter King, the Long Island Republican who has been so vocal in citing the Espionage Act, had been as aggressive in encouraging his colleagues to do the oversight job they were elected to do.
The United States will soon be marking the fifth anniversary of the war on terror. The country is in this for the long haul, and the fight has to be coupled with a commitment to individual liberties that define America's side in the battle. A half-century ago, the country endured a long period of amorphous, global vigilance against an enemy who was suspected of boring from within, and history suggests that under those conditions, it is easy to err on the side of security and secrecy. The free press has a central place in the Constitution because it can provide information the public needs to make things right again. Even if it runs the risk of being labeled unpatriotic in the process.
Posted by at 9:51 AM | Comments (206)
June 27, 2006
Bush and Co. Attack NYT for "Leaking" Well-Known Program
Yesterday the President, Vice President and various GOP Administration officials slammed The New York Times for reporting on the US monitoring of SWIFT transactions.
They attacked the paper for "leaking" the details of the program. But apparently that program has already been reported on and it's existance isn't exactly news:
Reports on US monitoring of SWIFT transactions have been out there for some time. The information was fairly well known by terrorism financing experts back in 2002. The UN Al Qaeda and Taliban Monitoring Group , on which I served as the terrorism financing expert, learned of the practice during the course of our monitoring inquiries. The information was incorporated in our report to the UN Security Council in December 2002. That report is still available on the UN Website. Paragraph 31 of the report states:
“The settlement of international transactions is usually handled through correspondent banking relationships or large-value message and payment systems, such as the SWIFT, Fedwire or CHIPS systems in the United States of America. Such international clearance centres are critical to processing international banking transactions and are rich with payment information. The United States has begun to apply new monitoring techniques to spot and verify suspicious transactions. The Group recommends the adoption of similar mechanisms by other countries.”
So just a memo to the President and his pals: It's not a leak if people already know about it. And that goes double if it's the UN that has already told people.
Posted by at 3:48 PM | Comments (14)
Color me NOT Surprised...
Yesterday in the Dirksen Building, before the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, intelligence assessments on postwar Iraq were discussed before Congress for the first time. The testimony before Senate Democrats once again illustrates the way in which the Administration ignored the facts and recklessly pursued their own agenda.
Via WaPo:
Days after the United States invaded Iraq, senior U.S. officials were warned that Iraqi Sunnis would strongly resist American troops' occupation efforts, according to testimony given yesterday before Senate Democrats.Wayne White, a former deputy director in the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, told senators that when British soldiers were forced to repeatedly take the port city of Umm Qasr from Iraqi guerrillas, "I knew then and there that we would have a serious problem on our hands."
(snip)
Witnesses who came before the senators included Paul R. Pillar, a longtime CIA analyst and a former national intelligence officer covering Iraq, and Lawrence B. Wilkerson, chief of staff to then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell.
White and Pillar both discussed the lack of Middle East experience by White House officials, including President Bush and Vice President Cheney, who pushed for the Iraq invasion. White said that "lack was a major impediment to sound policymaking if one already does not have an open mind and is driven by a particular agenda."
Pillar said "little if any" of the warnings such as White's, on the problems that would be faced in post-Hussein Iraq, "influenced the decision-making on going to war."
Assessments by the intelligence community, Pillar said, showed that the "political culture" of Iraq "would not provide fertile ground for democracy," and analysts foresaw "a significant chance that the sectarian and ethnic groups would engage in violent conflict unless an occupying power prevented it."
They also predicted that the occupying forces would become targets and that "war and occupation would boost political Islam, increase sympathy for terrorist objectives and make Iraq a magnet for extremists from elsewhere in the Middle East," Pillar said.
Republican Senators were invited to attend the hearing but declined.
What a shocker.
Posted by at 12:55 PM | Comments (8)
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Governor Dean is on deck to throw out the first pitch at tonight's Baltimore Orioles game. They are playing the Philadelphia Phillies at Camden Yards. Game time is 7:05 p.m.
Posted by at 11:56 AM | Comments (6)
Rep. Waxman Issues F.D.A. Report
In case you missed it, the New York Times has an article today about Rep. Henry Waxman's (D-CA) report on the enormous decline in enforcement by the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.).
A 15-month inquiry by a top House Democrat has found that enforcement of the nation's food and drug laws declined sharply during the first five years of the Bush administration.For instance, the investigation found, the number of warning letters that the Food and Drug Administration issued to drug companies, medical device makers and others dropped 54 percent, to 535 in 2005 from 1,154 in 2000.
The seizure of mislabeled, defective or dangerous products dipped 44 percent, according to the inquiry, pursued by Representative Henry A. Waxman of California, the senior Democrat on the House Government Reform Committee.
The research found no evidence that such declines could be attributed to increased compliance with regulations. Investigators at the F.D.A. continued to uncover about the same number of problems at drug and device companies as before, Mr. Waxman's inquiry found, but top officials of the agency increasingly overruled the investigators' enforcement recommendations.
Many of you know that Rep. Waxman frequently plays the role of government watchdog. Just last year he released a report on the state of "sex ed" in public schools, arguing that misleading and incorrect information was being taught in abstinence-only classes.
This report is equally troubling. Kudos to Rep. Waxman for shedding light on this serious problem.
Posted by at 11:33 AM | Comments (4)
Utah Primary Day: Go Vote!
Utah voters head to the polls today for primary elections.
To find out where to vote contact your local board of elections office.
Posted by at 9:59 AM | Comments (1)
Tuesday Morning Open Thread
What's up?
(The NCAA is considering expanding the post season college basketball tournament to 128 teams, up from the current 65 teams.)
Posted by at 9:08 AM | Comments (351)
June 26, 2006
Monday "Night" Open Thread
We've been rained out. Luckily the Internet Team can work from anywhere!
This is an open thread.
Posted by at 4:15 PM | Comments (241)
Idaho is Not for Sale
Over the weekend, the Idaho Democratic Party held their convention in Idaho Falls, ID. Larry Grant, a candidate for the U.S. House in Idaho's first district, gave a speech by the Snake River.
Idaho-Democrats.org has the official word on the convention, but my favorite take on the convention comes from a Red State Rebel blog: Idaho is ready to rumble!
If you could boil it down to five words, it'd be: Idaho is not for sale. That's Jerry Brady's slogan, but we'll all run with it. From preserving access to public lands to keeping our air and water clean to building strong local economies that lift every boat (not just the yachts), Democrats are standing up for working Idahoans. We're fired up, we're not distracted by wedge issues, and we're one helll of a lot more unified than the GOP seemed to be following their contentious convention last week.Now, Idaho Falls is a Republican stronghold, but even here, the tide may be turning. Check out d2's entry at 43rd State Blues about a conversation with the clerk at a local motel, who said:
"I think you're gonna have a good election this year. My mom's always voted Republican, and she's had enough. The last straw was when she found out that everything at the Republican convention last week seemed to focus on how to keep non-Republicans from voting. I mean, that's just wrong. Everyone's supposed to vote."
The 50-state strategy is surprising some folks. The Idaho State Party put out a press release thanking the National Party for paying attention to Idaho this year. We're all in this together, Idaho. That's what the 50-state strategy is all about...
Happy early Birthday to my favorite Idaho man (you know who you are).
Posted by at 3:48 PM | Comments (2)
Alabama's Salt of the Earth
In seven days of intensive research performed by the Democrats.org team, we have determined Lucy Baxley is neither a farmer, nor a thief.
The Democratic candidate for Governor in the state of Alabama, Baxley appears to have a keen interest in helping rural and poor Alabamians seek a better standard of living.
She's experienced in state government, having served as the state's first female Lieutenant Governor. That must have been some glass ceiling to break through.
Other "We Love Lucy" facts: she's a former single parent, and businesswoman. She grew up in rural southeast Alabama, and has an abiding faith in God.
When I signed up for her email updates, I got a nice note from her via email that said:
Thanks again for letting me know you want to be part of my campaign. It truly means so much to me.
She's a total sweetheart.
Posted by at 2:24 PM | Comments (2)
Voting Rights Act, Southern Style
Alabama's Huntsville Times features a story today about the Voting Rights Act. The author makes the point that the South became a major focus of the VRA because discrimination in the South was so widespread.
Of course the bill focuses on the South. That's where discrimination was most rampant. And in some places still is, in more subtle forms. Karen Narasaki of the Asian American Justice Center writes of the 2004 election in Bayou La Batre where a Vietnamese American ran for office and the only challenges that were filed were against voters with Asian names.USA Today wrote an article back in February about this same runoff election where outside observers had to be sent in from the Justice Department.
After being urged by several candidates to vote in the municipal election, many of the Southeast Asian-Americans in the town of about 3,000 had their ballots challenged. Nearly 50 of them were forced to fill out paper ballots and have another registered voter vouch for them.Despite these hurdles, Phuong Tan Huynh - the first Asian-American to run for City Council there - defeated Jackie Ladnier in the October runoff, but only after the Justice Department intervened.
Tuesday, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a non-partisan group, released a 187-page report that argues the need for reauthorizing the sections of the Voting Rights Act that are set to expire next year. One of them empowered the Justice Department to send observers to monitor Bayou La Batre's runoff election.
Last week the renewal of the Voting Rights Act was put on hold when some Republican members balked at the VRA provisions which required alternate language ballots and special procedures for some Southern states. Their argument was that these protections were no longer needed. I beg to differ.
Posted by at 12:48 PM | Comments (13)
Abramoff Used Non-Profits to Funnel Money
Sunday's Washington Post details Jack Abramoff's clandestine shuffling of money through willing tax-exempt organizations. Grover Norquist and his group, Americans for Tax Reform, get called out, as do Ralph Reed, former Christian Coalition executive director, and Amy Moritz Ridenour, president of the National Center for Public Policy Research.
"Call Ralph re Grover doing pass through," Abramoff wrote in a stark e-mail reminder to himself in 1999, a year in which Norquist moved more than $1 million in Abramoff client money to Reed and Christian anti-gambling groups. Reed was working to defeat lotteries and casinos that would have competed with Abramoff's tribal and Internet gambling clients.
The whole article is worth a read.
Posted by at 11:27 AM | Comments (4)
Monday Morning Open Thread
Watch out for that rain!
Posted by at 11:01 AM | Comments (26)
On the Hill
An article by the Associated Press details an extensive Republican pay-to-play scheme whereby convicted former GOP super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff had a former client give a hundred thousand dollars to one of Abramoff's Republican cronies to secure for them a meeting with President Bush.
The Washington Post notes that the top U.S. commander in Iraq presented a plan to reduce American troops in Iraq.
Senate Democrats reacted angrily yesterday to a report that the U.S. commander in Iraq had privately presented a plan for significant troop reductions in the same week they came under attack by Republicans for trying to set a timetable for withdrawal.Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said that the plan attributed to Gen. George W. Casey resembles the thinking of many Democrats who voted for a nonbinding resolution to begin a troop drawdown in December. That resolution was defeated Thursday on a largely party-line vote in the Senate.
It's unfortunate that Republican politics have prevailed over reason.
Posted by at 9:20 AM | Comments (21)
June 25, 2006
Sunday Night Open Thread
The weekend is almost over...enjoy it while it lasts....
Posted by at 5:11 PM | Comments (198)
June 23, 2006
Set Your TiVo!
Governor Dean will field sports-related questions on ESPN2's "Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith" tonight at 11:00 PM.
This is an open thread...
Posted by at 3:52 PM | Comments (583)
Twisted GOP Priorities
Today The New York Times calls out the GOP for their ridiculousness with back to back editorials:
Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed an estate-tax cut that is a repeal in everything but name. The so-called compromise would exempt more than 99.5 percent of estates from tax, slash the tax rates on the rest and cost at least $760 billion during its first full decade. Of that, $600 billion is the amount the government would have to borrow to make up for lost revenue from the cuts, which would benefit the heirs of America's wealthiest families, like the Marses of Mars bar and the Waltons of Wal-Mart Stores. The remaining $160 billion is the interest on that borrowing, which would be paid by all Americans.No lawmaker who voted for the compromise gets any points for moderation. Like the earlier full repeal bill, this one is unfair and grounded in intellectual dishonesty. The goal is not to pass good legislation, but to get this top priority for big-shot constituents nailed into law before the November elections produce a legislature that's more responsible on fiscal matters.
In addition to giving Paris Hilton the leg up she desperately needed, House leaders tacked on a provision that would benefit timber companies.
So what has timber got to do with Paris Hilton and her pals? Think special interest give away in order to convince the Senate to pass the bill, since they rejected it, recognizing it's this charade for for what it is.
All this effort for a bill that would put $760 billion in new debt on the backs of Americans in the name of making a handful of extremely rich people even richer. Congressional leaders may know how to count votes, but otherwise their math is pathetic.
Senate Republicans don't fare any better in the other piece "A Look At Republican Priorities: Afflicting the Afflicted":
At the same time that Republicans are fighting to exempt the richest estates from taxes, they are blocking a raise for the nation's poorest workers.Senate Democrats tried unsuccessfully this week to raise the federal minimum wage, which stands at just $5.15 an hour. It has not been increased in nearly a decade, and at its current stingy level, the rate flies in the face of Americans' belief that those who work hard and play by the rules will be rewarded. A minimum-wage worker earns just $10,700 a year, nearly $6,000 below the poverty line for a family of three.
(snip)
The restaurant industry and other low-wage employers that make heavy campaign contributions have thrown their weight around with great success. A bill sponsored by Edward Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, to increase the minimum wage by $2.10 over two years drew the support this week of 52 senators, including eight Republicans, but Republican leaders threw up procedural barriers.
But the most outragous aspect of this, with the exception to the fact that the poverty line for a family of three is $16,600:
In the House, Republican leaders are not letting a minimum-wage increase come to a vote, apparently because it would pass.
Add refusing to let the Voting Rights Act reauthorization come to a vote and you have a trifecta of twisted priorities.
Posted by at 1:34 PM | Comments (47)
How Not to Buy Online Ad Space
From the Times-Reporter in New Philadelphia, Ohio...
Zack Space is the Democrat running against Ney in Ohio's 18th district (my home district). Pretty sure he's never been to Scotland with Jack Abramoff.
Posted by Josh McConaha at 11:24 AM | Comments (7)
50-State Strategy: California - Talking with Jerry McNerney
This week I sat down to chat with Jerry McNerney, the Democratic nominee for Congress from California's 11th District.
Tell me a bit about yourself.
I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico and then went to a Catholic military boarding school, and later earned a PhD in mathematics in college. From there I started working in the wind and renewable energy field. I worked in that field for 25 years.
How did you get the into wind energy field?
Well actually, I got into it by going to an interview in Port Arthur, Texas for an oil company, but when I got off the airplane you could feel the oil in the air. It seemed to me that they were exploiting the earth for profit, and so I headed back home. When I got home I got a call about working in labs to develop wind energy and that sounded liked a perfect fit.
What made you decide to run for Congress?
After September 11, 2001 my son joined the Air Force to defend our country. He is now a commissioned officer, and in 2004 he called me and said there was no one running in the Democratic primary in 11th Congressional District, and said 'I want you to do your duty like I did and run for Congress'. After thinking about it for a while, I decided to run for Congress because I felt a duty to my son and a duty to my country.
What do you see happening in the CA-11th?
I have a positive vision for the District; I want to create thousands of jobs by transforming our District into the "Silicon Valley" of renewable energy - by fostering bio-fuel, solar and wind energy opportunities. This has really resonated with people I have talked to. They are interested in these technologies, on ending our nation's dependency on foreign oil, as well as concerned about pollution and asthma rates which are on the rise and some of the highest in the nation.
What kind of concerns are you hearing about on the ground?
A large part of the district is very depressed economically and so there is a political and economic divide. Yet healthcare issues are important across the board. Last week I was at a meeting at SEIU with a number of retired seniors who have pensions of $200 and $300 a month, yet they have to pay over a thousand dollars each month in prescription drug costs. We have 45 million uninsured Americans in this country, and even those who are insured have to pay a high price for health care. Healthcare costs are hurting our families and our businesses and we need to address this. Another issue of concern is our education system. Education is the key to our prosperity, but California is one of the lowest states for per capita spending per student. Education is part of what made California so prosperous and we need to devote resources necessary so our children can compete and be successful in the future.
Do you think the voters are ready for a change?
Yes, Mr. Pombo's corruption is being recognized and understood for what it is by the people of the District. We have some of the worst roads in the state and the worst air quality. We have twice the state's unemployment rate. Mr. Pombo is the Chairman of the Resources Committee, yet he's brought home very little for his own constituents. People are starting to get that.
Moving into the General Election, what is your strategy for success?
Last Thursday I joined the two other Democratic Primary candidates for a unity breakfast and we will be working together in the future. We won the primary with a great campaign team, a good ground game, and outreach into the District, and we'll win in November the same way. The grassroots have been a very big help and an inspiration. I feel humbled by how dedicated my supporters are. If this is what it takes to move our country forward, this is what we are going to do. We are going to appeal to our grassroots and netroots supporters and make a change.
Posted by at 10:42 AM | Comments (7)
TGIF Open Thread
Making Headlines this morning:
Posted by at 9:30 AM | Comments (165)
June 22, 2006
50-State Strategy: Oklahoma Online
The Oklahoma Democratic Party recently launched a new blog: OK Blue Notes. It's great to see more state parties taking an interest in online communications. It really is bringing new people to the Party, not just at the national level, but locally, where feet on the street make a difference and where the party building is really happening.
While poking around on the Oklahoma Dems site, I also came across this:
ODP Chair Lisa Pryor said she is joining Oklahoma Yellow Dog Democrat Club members on June 23 for an 8:10 p.m. screening of the new Al Gore documentary film “An Inconvenient Truth.” The movie will be shown in Oklahoma City at the AMC Quail Springs Theater.
You can also find info about the event here through our Events Tool
Now that's cool, for a number of reasons:
1. Movies nights are fun, and this is a great pick.2. Social events are a great way to keep Dems active - "Dems who play together, stay together" that's what I always say!
3. The OK Dems are making the connection between the national party and the state party, using the events tool to cast a wider net for their event.
We've talked a lot about our National Organizing Days, but the Event Tool is available 365 days a year, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. It's a repository of Democratic events across the country, from National Organizing Days to campaign canvasses to County Party meetings to social events, like the Oklahoma Dems Movie Night.
If you know of an event in your area, step up and add it in today!
Posted by at 6:26 PM | Comments (4)
$10,700
Yesterday the Senate rejected a bill designed to raise the minimum raise, which has been stuck at $5.15/hour.
The 52-46 vote was eight short of the 60 needed for approval and came one day after House Republican leaders made clear they do not intend to allow a vote on the issue, fearing it might pass.The Senate vote marked the ninth time since 1997 that Democrats there have proposed _ and Republicans have blocked _ a stand-alone increase in the minimum wage. The debate fell along predictable lines.
Americans believe that no one who works hard for a living should have to live in poverty. A job should lift you out of poverty, not keep you in it," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. He said a worker paid $5.15 an hour would earn $10,700 a year, "almost $6,000 below the poverty line for a family of three."(emphasis mine)
$10,700 a year - and the Republican-led Senate can't find the will to do something about it. Yet, Senator Frist and his pals will take up the fight for the estate tax to give the Paris Hilton's of America a boost - because they need it.
[UPDATE]: Today the House takes up the fight, no not for minimum wage, but for the estate tax and you must see this video from Rep. Slaughter as she calls the Republican-led House leaders on their ridiculous priorities and trys to help the people who need it the most.
Posted by at 12:46 PM | Comments (15)
Thursday Open Thread
Just because: Laptops Give Hope to the Homeless
Chat away...
Posted by at 9:28 AM | Comments (349)