Author: Jane Hamsher

  • Kucinich Blows Grayson Out of #1 Spot, Now Ahead by 11,000+ Votes in FDL Fire Dog Contest

    Suzanne's dog Token

    Dennis Kucinich knocked Alan Grayson out of the #1 spot and now leads the field in Day 4 of the FDL Fire Dog Contest to determine which members of Congress will get FDL support in 2010.

    Yesterday, Kucinich sent an email out to his list asking supporters to vote for him, and is now ahead by over 11,000 votes. But Grayson is fighting back and now has a post up at The Seminal, asking readers to vote for him.

    The top three vote getters will receive a $10,000 fundraiser on ActBlue and 500 voter ID’s in their district to assist in getting Democratic voters to the polls in November.

    Over 63,000 votes have now been cast. Each day at 3pm we announce the cumulative vote total, and Grayson had been in the lead since the Day 1 totals were announced.

    Anthony Weiner has also knocked Eric Massa out of the #3 spot since yesterday. Massa drops to 8th place, with Barney Frank, Barbara Lee, Raul Grijalva and John Conyers moving ahead of him.

    The bottom spot is occupied by anti-choice Rhode Island Democrat Jim Langevin with 7 votes.

    One of the things I was struck by during the health care battle was how badly we suffered because progressive infrastructure has not developed any reliable way for incumbent members of Congress to finance their races that doesn’t involve crawling to corporate lobbying interests. But Alan Grayson’s stunning 4th quarter haul in 2009, the highest of any Democrat in Congress at $861,000, came from low-dollar online donors expressly because he has stood up to the banks as a member of the House Financial Services Committee.

    It is well within the means of online progressive communities to support that kind of independence in our representatives. Moreover, if we’re asking them not to compromise their votes by taking corporate cash, it’s incumbent upon us to help them do so.

    We had announced that we would close the voting at midnight tonight, but we’re going to keep it open until tomorrow morning and close it at 10am ET. The winner will still be announced at 3pm tomorrow.

    Vote now for the 2010 FDL Fire Dogs

    Previous Posts: Contest Announcement, Day 1 Totals, Day 2 Totals, Day 3 Totals

    You can see the current standings after the jump. . .

    Member of Congress Day 4 Total Member of Congress Day 4 Total
    Kucinich, Dennis (OH-10) 18043 Miller, George (CA-07) 73
    Grayson, Alan (FL-08) 6666 Fudge, Marcia (OH-11) 71
    Weiner, Anthony (NY-09) 4136 Welch, Peter (VT-AL) 71
    Frank, Barney (MA-04) 2818 Mitchell, Harry (AZ-05) 70
    Lee, Barbara (CA-09) 1981 Murphy, Christopher (CT-05) 69
    Grijalva, Raul (AZ-07) 1929 Carnahan, Russ (MO-03) 67
    Conyers, John (MI-14) 1887 Cummings, Elijah (MD-07) 67
    Massa, Eric (NY-29) 1800 Tsongas, Niki (MA-05) 67
    Waters, Maxine (CA-35) 1796 Eshoo, Anna (CA-14) 63
    Kaptur, Marcy (OH-09) 1329 Rodriguez, Ciro (TX-23) 60
    DeFazio, Peter (OR-04) 1016 Courtney, Joe (CT-02) 59
    Doggett, Lloyd (TX-25) 890 Vel·zquez, Nydia (NY-12) 58
    Wasserman Schultz, Debbie (FL-20) 778 Harman, Jane (CA-36) 57
    Ellison, Keith (MN-05) 750 Kagen, Steve (WI-08) 57
    Pingree, Chellie (ME-01) 717 Arcuri, Michael (NY-24) 55
    Pelosi, Nancy (CA-08) 692 Carney, Christopher (PA-10) 55
    Schrader, Kurt (OR-05) 681 Dicks, Norman (WA-06) 55
    Woolsey, Lynn (CA-06) 657 Driehaus, Steve (OH-01) 55
    Waxman, Henry (CA-30) 630 Hastings, Alcee (FL-23) 55
    McGovern, James (MA-03) 601 Stupak, Bart (MI-01) 55
    Edwards, Donna (MD-04) 467 Davis , Susan (CA-53) 52
    Baldwin, Tammy (WI-02) 367 Sherman, Brad (CA-27) 52
    McDermott, Jim (WA-07) 333 Sutton, Betty (OH-13) 52
    Shea-Porter, Carol (NH-01) 316 Berman, Howard (CA-28) 51
    Hall, John (NY-19) 305 Boswell, Leonard (IA-03) 50
    Polis, Jared (CO-02) 296 Connolly, Gerald (VA-11) 50
    Tierney, John (MA-06) 290 Halvorson, Deborah (IL-11) 49
    Capuano, Michael (MA-08) 289 Price, David (NC-04) 49
    Edwards, Chet (TX-17) 289 Moran, James (VA-08) 48
    Kennedy, Patrick (RI-01) 281 Owens, Bill (NY-23) 47
    Filner, Bob (CA-51) 275 Olver, John (MA-01) 46
    Jackson-Lee, Sheila (TX-18) 242 Teague, Harry (NM-02) 46
    Hinchey, Maurice (NY-22) 236 Klein, Ron (FL-22) 45
    Blumenauer, Earl (OR-03) 219 Lofgren, Zoe (CA-16) 45
    Clyburn, James (SC-06) 185 McCollum, Betty (MN-04) 44
    Schakowsky, Janice (IL-09) 183 Miller, Brad (NC-13) 44
    Watson, Diane (CA-33) 183 Adler, John (NJ-03) 43
    Honda, Michael (CA-15) 180 Larsen, Rick (WA-02) 43
    Yarmuth, John (KY-03) 176 Loebsack, David (IA-02) 43
    Murphy, Patrick (PA-08) 172 Schwartz, Allyson (PA-13) 43
    Stark, Pete (CA-13) 163 Berkley, Shelley (NV-01) 42
    Farr, Sam (CA-17) 157 Kratovil, Frank (MD-01) 42
    Capps, Lois (CA-23) 154 Shuler, Heath (NC-11) 42
    Markey, Betsy (CO-04) 153 Bishop, Sanford (GA-02) 41
    Inslee, Jay (WA-01) 151 Doyle, Michael (PA-14) 41
    Hare, Phil (IL-17) 148 Carson, Andre (IN-07) 40
    Kilroy, Mary Jo (OH-15) 144 Oberstar, James (MN-08) 40
    Holt, Rush (NJ-12) 143 Clay, William Lacy (MO-01) 39
    Garamendi, John (CA-10) 139 Himes, James (CT-04) 39
    Giffords, Gabrielle (AZ-08) 139 Johnson, Eddie Bernice (TX-30) 39
    Perriello, Thomas (VA-05) 139 Sarbanes, John (MD-03) 39
    DeGette, Diana (CO-01) 137 Spratt, John (SC-05) 39
    Nadler, Jerrold (NY-08) 136 Titus, Dina (NV-03) 39
    Jackson Jr., Jesse (IL-02) 130 Napolitano, Grace (CA-38) 38
    Dingell, John (MI-15) 129 Ellsworth, Brad (IN-08) 37
    McNerney, Jerry (CA-11) 129 Peters, Gary (MI-09) 37
    Obey, David (WI-07) 118 Van Hollen, Chris (MD-08) 37
    Kirkpatrick, Ann (AZ-01) 110 Hill, Baron (IN-09) 35
    Delahunt, Bill (MA-10) 109 Levin, Sander (MI-12) 35
    Salazar, John (CO-03) 107 Moore, Gwen (WI-04) 35
    Speier, Jackie (CA-12) 107 Rush, Bobby (IL-01) 35
    Bright, Bobby (AL-02) 106 Smith, Adam (WA-09) 35
    Castor, Kathy (FL-11) 104 Lowey, Nita (NY-18) 33
    Ackerman, Gary (NY-05) 102 Matsui, Doris (CA-05) 33
    Wu, David (OR-01) 102 Etheridge, Bob (NC-02) 32
    Murtha, John (PA-12) 101 Thompson, Mike (CA-01) 32
    Schauer, Mark (MI-07) 100 Tonko, Paul (NY-21) 31
    Slaughter, Louise (NY-28) 97 Brady, Robert (PA-01) 30
    Bishop, Timothy (NY-01) 96 Israel, Steve (NY-02) 30
    Gutierrez, Luis (IL-04) 93 Pomeroy, Earl (ND-AL) 29
    Skelton, Ike (MO-04) 93 Scott, Bobby (VA-03) 29
    Brown, Corrine (FL-03) 92 Andrews, Robert (NJ-01) 26
    Braley, Bruce (IA-01) 90 Kind, Ron (WI-03) 26
    Maloney, Carolyn (NY-14) 89 Watt, Melvin (NC-12) 26
    Cohen, Steve (TN-09) 87 Pascrell, Bill (NJ-08) 25
    Payne, Donald (NJ-10) 85 Quigley, Mike (IL-05) 25
    Chu, Judy (CA-32) 84 Peterson, Collin (MN-07) 24
    Michaud, Michael (ME-02) 84 Rothman, Steven (NJ-09) 23
    Perlmutter, Ed (CO-07) 84 Larson, John (CT-01) 22
    Cleaver, Emanuel (MO-05) 83 Engel, Eliot (NY-17) 21
    Foster, Bill (IL-14) 83 Johnson, Henry (GA-04) 21
    Markey, Edward (MA-07) 80 Schiff, Adam (CA-29) 19
    Luj·n, Ben Ray (NM-03) 79 McIntyre, Mike (NC-07) 18
    Walz, Timothy (MN-01) 78 Mollohan, Alan (WV-01) 16
    Heinrich, Martin (NM-01) 77 Kildee, Dale (MI-05) 14
    Boucher, Rick (VA-09) 76 Roybal-Allard, Lucille (CA-34) 9
    Fattah, Chaka (PA-02) 75 Sires, Albio (NJ-13) 9
    DeLauro, Rosa (CT-03) 74 Langevin, James (RI-02) 7
    Becerra, Xavier (CA-31) 73
    Total 64027

    Vote now!

  • Rahm and the Health Care Blame Game: It’s On!

    Objects are closer than they appear (photo: Aubrey Arenas)

    One sure sign that the Senate health care bill is dead as a doornail is the inevitable appearance of the anonymously-sourced, finger-pointing articles. And in a novel twist, we have one blaming Rahm for the failure to pass health care reform that appears to be written by Rahm:

    The emerging consensus among critics in both chambers is that Emanuel’s lack of Senate experience slowed President Barack Obama’s top domestic priority.

    Lack of experience — rather than being a corporatist hack who negotiated the PhRMA deal right out of the gate, which compromised not only the ability to control health care costs, but poisoned public trust once word got out.

    [O]n Capitol Hill he’s under fire for poor execution of the president’s healthcare agenda in the Senate.

    “I think Rahm ran the play his boss called; once Obama called the play, Rahm did everything he could to pass it, scorched-earth and all that,” said a senior lawmaker, who added that Emanuel didn’t seek a broader base of Senate Republicans. “I think he did miscalculate the Senate. He did what he thought he had to do to win.”

    One stenographer journalist after another told us that the White House was letting Congress take the lead on health care, and the administration was sitting by with its thumb in its mouth until a bill arrived on the President’s desk. Well, I guess that particular fiction is finally dead now that the blame game is in full swing.

    No Democrat is calling for Emanuel’s resignation, even privately, and they acknowledge his hard work and straightforward approach in a very tough job.

    Rahm’s a hard working guy. Nothing he needs to resign over. . .

    The lawmaker said Emanuel misjudged the Senate by focusing on only a few Republicans, citing Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins as too narrow a pool.

    Yes, because over and over again, Mitch McConnell and George Bush jammed through their legislation by courting Democrats and tailoring their legislation to their fine sensibilities. So now, the answer is to be nicer to Republicans, just like they’ve been saying all along.

    Hello, McFly?

    One senior Democratic senator said Emanuel was initially reluctant to push healthcare reform so early in Obama’s first term, counseling instead for the president to focus on jobs and the economy.

    But the president decided healthcare had to pass when he had a strong political mandate and the party controlled large majorities in both chambers.

    Yes, poor Rahm. Just because he’s been giving one vanity interview after another to the New York Times taking credit for running the health care show out of his office, now he was only reluctantly doing what the President wanted.

    The senator said that Emanuel allowed White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina, who had worked 15 years for Baucus, to take more of a lead in the upper chamber. The lawmaker said that was a mistake that allowed Baucus more time than necessary to negotiate with Republicans.

    Blame Baucus Messina! Well, you could see that one coming down Sepulveda when the PhRMA deal was leaked.

    Emanuel declined to be interviewed for this article.

    Really. So, did he farm it out, or was it one of those famous “off the record” conversations?

  • Weiner Moves Up, Challenges Massa for #3 Spot as 2010 FDL Fire Dog

    Tbogg's dog, the late great Beckham

    Tbogg's dog, the late great Beckham

    Vote now for the 2010 FDL Fire Dogs

    It’s 3pm, and here are the Day 3 tallies for the 2010 FDL Fire Dogs.

    Today Anthony Weiner moves past Raul Grijalva and challenges Eric Massa for the #3 spot on the list. With two days left to go, there are only 151 votes separating them.

    Over 15,000 votes have been cast for 178 Democrats in the House since last Wednesday, and Florida’s Alan Grayson still holds a commanding lead with 2115. At the bottom of the list are New Jersey Reps Rob Andrews and Steve Rothman, who have 2 votes each.

    Vote now!

    Prizes:

    1. The first, second and third place winner will be added to an FDL ActBlue fundraising page
    2. Voter lists from the winners’ districts will be purchased and entered into our Voter ID/GOTV tool.
    3. Members of the FDL community will call voters in these districts to identify and persuade constituent support, encourage voter registration and recruit volunteers.
    4. Those voters will be called again by the FDL community to help turn out voters during the fall election
    5. When $10,000 has been raised for each candidate on ActBlue and 500 Voter ID calls logged, we will rerun the contest and add 3 more candidates to the list.
    6. Those who are already on the list will receive the same incentives for another cycle, subject to a confirmation vote by the community so they remain accountable.

    Rules:

    1. Voting will be open for 7 days. It will close at midnight, Tuesday February 9th.
    2. You can only vote once.
    3. Each day the new vote totals will be announced on FDL at 3pm ET.
    4. The winners will be announced on Wednesday, February 10.

    What you can do to campaign for your favorite representative:

    And the third day totals for the FDL Fire Dogs are. . .:

    Member of Congress Votes Member of Congress Votes
    Grayson, Alan (FL-08) 2115 Fattah, Chaka (PA-02) 25
    Kucinich, Dennis (OH-10) 1727 Himes, James (CT-04) 25
    Massa, Eric (NY-29) 1036 Markey, Edward (MA-07) 25
    Weiner, Anthony (NY-09) 885 Stupak, Bart (MI-01) 25
    Grijalva, Raul (AZ-07) 753 Ackerman, Gary (NY-05) 24
    Frank, Barney (MA-04) 669 Owens, Bill (NY-23) 24
    Lee, Barbara (CA-09) 304 Becerra, Xavier (CA-31) 23
    Waters, Maxine (CA-35) 301 Heinrich, Martin (NM-01) 23
    DeFazio, Peter (OR-04) 290 Rodriguez, Ciro (TX-23) 23
    Kaptur, Marcy (OH-09) 276 Wu, David (OR-01) 23
    Doggett, Lloyd (TX-25) 270 Courtney, Joe (CT-02) 22
    Schrader, Kurt (OR-05) 267 Kratovil, Frank (MD-01) 22
    Conyers, John (MI-14) 262 Miller, George (CA-07) 21
    Pingree, Chellie (ME-01) 202 Eshoo, Anna (CA-14) 20
    Wasserman Schultz, Debbie (FL-20) 202 Miller, Brad (NC-13) 20
    Ellison, Keith (MN-05) 200 Oberstar, James (MN-08) 20
    McGovern, James (MA-03) 198 Shuler, Heath (NC-11) 20
    Pelosi, Nancy (CA-08) 170 Doyle, Michael (PA-14) 19
    Edwards, Donna (MD-04) 153 Halvorson, Deborah (IL-11) 19
    Shea-Porter, Carol (NH-01) 150 Israel, Steve (NY-02) 19
    Polis, Jared (CO-02) 148 Klein, Ron (FL-22) 19
    Hall, John (NY-19) 146 Teague, Harry (NM-02) 19
    Woolsey, Lynn (CA-06) 135 Welch, Peter (VT-AL) 19
    Edwards, Chet (TX-17) 125 Berkley, Shelley (NV-01) 18
    Waxman, Henry (CA-30) 120 Peters, Gary (MI-09) 18
    Capuano, Michael (MA-08) 108 Schwartz, Allyson (PA-13) 18
    Hare, Phil (IL-17) 101 Dicks, Norman (WA-06) 17
    Baldwin, Tammy (WI-02) 95 Sarbanes, John (MD-03) 17
    Yarmuth, John (KY-03) 92 Tonko, Paul (NY-21) 17
    Markey, Betsy (CO-04) 79 Chu, Judy (CA-32) 16
    Murphy, Patrick (PA-08) 79 Davis, Susan (CA-53) 15
    Tierney, John (MA-06) 79 Harman, Jane (CA-36) 15
    Giffords, Gabrielle (AZ-08) 78 Johnson, Eddie Bernice (TX-30) 15
    McDermott, Jim (WA-07) 78 Larsen, Rick (WA-02) 15
    Schauer, Mark (MI-07) 66 Hill, Baron (IN-09) 14
    Perriello, Thomas (VA-05) 65 Lowey, Nita (NY-18) 14
    Filner, Bob (CA-51) 63 Olver, John (MA-01) 14
    Clyburn, James (SC-06) 62 Price, David (NC-04) 14
    Bright, Bobby (AL-02) 59 Smith, Adam (WA-09) 14
    Hinchey, Maurice (NY-22) 59 Spratt, John (SC-05) 14
    Kennedy, Patrick (RI-01) 59 Titus, Dina (NV-03) 14
    Kirkpatrick, Ann (AZ-01) 59 Hastings, Alcee (FL-23) 13
    McNerney, Jerry (CA-11) 58 Lujan, Ben Ray (NM-03) 13
    Blumenauer, Earl (OR-03) 57 Moore, Gwen (WI-04) 13
    Bishop, Timothy (NY-01) 53 Peterson, Collin (MN-07) 13
    Kilroy, Mary Jo (OH-15) 53 Velazquez, Nydia (NY-12) 13
    Schakowsky, Janice (IL-09) 52 Berman, Howard (CA-28) 12
    Murtha, John (PA-12) 49 Bishop, Sanford (GA-02) 12
    DeGette, Diana (CO-01) 48 Boswell, Leonard (IA-03) 12
    Salazar, John (CO-03) 48 Etheridge, Bob (NC-02) 12
    Skelton, Ike (MO-04) 48 Fudge, Marcia (OH-11) 12
    Stark, Pete (CA-13) 48 Moran, James (VA-08) 12
    Garamendi, John (CA-10) 47 Napolitano, Grace (CA-38) 12
    Slaughter, Louise (NY-28) 47 Pascrell, Bill (NJ-08) 12
    Delahunt, Bill (MA-10) 46 Driehaus, Steve (OH-01) 11
    Honda, Michael (CA-15) 45 Ellsworth, Brad (IN-08) 11
    Farr, Sam (CA-17) 44 McCollum, Betty (MN-04) 11
    Holt, Rush (NJ-12) 44 Michaud, Michael (ME-02) 11
    Inslee, Jay (WA-01) 43 Pomeroy, Earl (ND-AL) 11
    Watson, Diane (CA-33) 42 Sutton, Betty (OH-13) 11
    Foster, Bill (IL-14) 41 Adler, John (NJ-03) 10
    Nadler, Jerrold (NY-08) 41 Brady, Robert (PA-01) 10
    Jackson-Lee, Sheila (TX-18) 38 Clay, William Lacy (MO-01) 10
    Mitchell, Harry (AZ-05) 38 Johnson, Henry (GA-04) 10
    Capps, Lois (CA-23) 37 Kind, Ron (WI-03) 10
    Castor, Kathy (FL-11) 36 Loebsack, David (IA-02) 10
    Speier, Jackie (CA-12) 35 Lofgren, Zoe (CA-16) 10
    Obey, David (WI-07) 34 Scott, Bobby (VA-03) 10
    Cleaver, Emanuel (MO-05) 33 Sherman, Brad (CA-27) 10
    DeLauro, Rosa (CT-03) 33 Thompson, Mike (CA-01) 10
    Maloney, Carolyn (NY-14) 33 Van Hollen, Chris (MD-08) 10
    Payne, Donald (NJ-10) 33 Levin, Sander (MI-12) 9
    Perlmutter, Ed (CO-07) 33 Matsui, Doris (CA-05) 9
    Walz, Timothy (MN-01) 33 McIntyre, Mike (NC-07) 9
    Dingell, John (MI-15) 32 Watt, Melvin (NC-12) 9
    Kagen, Steve (WI-08) 32 Engel, Eliot (NY-17) 8
    Murphy, Christopher (CT-05) 32 Mollohan, Alan (WV-01) 8
    Arcuri, Michael (NY-24) 31 Schiff, Adam (CA-29) 8
    Cohen, Steve (TN-09) 31 Larson, John (CT-01) 7
    Tsongas, Niki (MA-05) 31 Carson, Andre (IN-07) 6
    Boucher, Rick (VA-09) 29 Quigley, Mike (IL-05) 6
    Braley, Bruce (IA-01) 29 Roybal-Allard, Lucille (CA-34) 5
    Gutierrez, Luis (IL-04) 29 Rush, Bobby (IL-01) 5
    Jackson Jr., Jesse (IL-02) 29 Sires, Albio (NJ-13) 5
    Carney, Christopher (PA-10) 28 Kildee, Dale (MI-05) 4
    Connolly, Gerald (VA-11) 27 Langevin, James (RI-02) 4
    Brown, Corrine (FL-03) 25 Andrews, Robert (NJ-01) 2
    Carnahan, Russ (MO-03) 25 Rothman, Steven (NJ-09) 2
    Cummings, Elijah (MD-07) 25
    TOTAL 15411

    Vote now

    Previous Posts:

  • Rahm Emanuel and the Failure of Eleven-Dimensional Chess

    (photo: clarescupcakes)

    Steve Clemons points to the Edward Luce article in the FT and sums it up thusly: “Core Chicago Team Sinking Obama Presidency.”

    In the article, Luce notes:

    In addition to hurling frequent profanities at people within the administration, Mr Emanuel has alienated many of Mr Obama’s closest outside supporters. At a meeting of Democratic groups last August, Mr Emanuel described liberals as “f***ing retards” after one suggested they mobilise resources on healthcare reform.

    “We are treated as though we are children,” says the head of a large organisation that raised millions of dollars for Mr Obama’s campaign. “Our advice is never sought. We are only told: ‘This is the message, please get it out.’ I am not sure whether the president fully realises that when the chief of staff speaks, people assume he is speaking for the president.”

    Sarah Palin tried to hijack that story, with some success. But its true relevance — the reason it stayed alive, and the reason I kept it alive by writing about it and telling it to journalist after journalist until Peter Wallsten of the Wall Street Journal finally tracked it down and wrote about it — is it what it says about the failure the health care campaign the White House was running.

    Rahm was directly yelling at MoveOn when he used the words “f*#king r*#ards.” He did it because them they were going to advertise against Blue Dogs for blocking passage of the health care bill on the Energy & Commerce Committee. It made no public sense, because everyone was being fed the story that the White House couldn’t achieve its objectives on health care because of Those Darn Blue Dogs. So MoveOn was only reflecting the very direct wishes of their 6 million members, who thought they were doing what Obama wanted.

    The White House was doing one thing (negotiating with lobbyists, dealing away the public option) and saying another. When Kathleen Sebelius acknowledged in August that a public option wasn’t critical to the White House health care plans, Obama’s poll numbers took a huge hit. And Obama had to reassert his support for the public option in his speech before the joint session of Congress in September. His poll numbers started on the upswing again.

    After the speech, I wrote a post about the trap they had set for themselves. . .:

    The administration’s inability to close the gap between expectations and reality is a boon for progressives members of Congress. Earlier this week, the co-chairs of the Progressive Caucus — Raul Grijalva and Lynn Woolsey — wrote a letter urging the President to mention it in his speech. I spoke with Rep. Grijalva yesterday, and he reiterated the need for the President to mention it in his speech. As long as the President keeps expressing his support for a public option, they — and we — can quite rightly say that we’re only insisting on something Obama himself endorses, something he campaigned on.

    Of course, the actions of the White House betray quite a different intent. The deals they have negotiated with health care industry stakeholders do not include a public plan, they don’t believe they can back out of them without triggering a rush of lobbyist money to GOP coffers. At some point there will be a day of reckoning when the public understands that the public option is gone. The White House wants to stop their opponents — and let’s face it, progressives who are insisting on the inclusion of a public plan are at this point their opponents — from being able to exploit that gap. Because every day that goes by the base gets more and more wedded to the promise of a public plan, encouraged by the positive rhetoric of the President himself. And it becomes that much harder for the White House to extract itself from the double bind they have created without paying a huge political price.

    One day the 11 dimensional chess set is going to have to come to terms with the fact that Rahm Emanuel worked with Max Baucus to cut deals that they force into the House through the Blue Dogs, and that the goals of the White House are not at odds with those of the Blue Dogs.

    Information travels too fast these days to maintain that kind of charade when you’re actively working against against your own base. Rahm thought that you could fool all of the people this time, that in the end they could package a “goody bag” and Obama could sell it to his supporters and call it health care reform — even though he had campaigned against the very back room deal making with PhRMA and other stakeholders that formed the underpinnings of the health care bill. When insurance stocks soared, people understood. When the PhRMA deal leaked out, they got it.

    You’d have to be a real political nitwit to think it was a good idea to tell these six million people to get stuffed for doing what they thought was in support of the President’s health care plan. The one he campaigned on.

    That day of reckoning has arrived, and Rahm’s flim-flam insurance industry/PhRMA bail out is dead, for now anyway — and I personally don’t see how they resurrect it in an election year. It’s just too toxic. Public option supporters won. Not because we were “purists” by any means (as Robert Wright suggests), but because we leveraged broad public support to make sure the price of passing health care reform was going to have to mean doing what they said they were going to do. What 80% of the country wanted them to do, what they had whipped public support for on the campaign trail. What the House bill delivered. While it wasn’t a great bill by any means, it delivered what Obama said he wanted.

    But if their true objective was merely to secure campaign cash for the Democrats by sacrificing the ability to control health care costs for the next decade — as the Senate bill did — we said we would work to defeat that bill. We did. It wasn’t the victory anyone wanted, but it kept something far worse from happening, which would have made fixing the problem of spiraling health care costs all but impossible to do in the future.

    But we only won because Rahm arrogantly thought that people were sheep and Obama could always stand before them and wave his magic wand and they would instantly fall in line for whatever piece of shit they negotiated. Rahm’s contempt for the entire “change” campaign that Obama ran on made the gap between action and rhetoric eminently exploitable. And when the time came to sell the Senate health care bill, it was so unpopular Obama didn’t want to get out in front of it lest his own popularity plummet.

    Rahm failed. And so did 11 dimensional chess.

  • Palin Drives Libertarians out of Tea Party

    "But I brought party favors!" (photo: Joe Burbank via tgaume)

    Sarah Palin got a lot of publicity for speaking at the Tea Party convention in Nashville, but I’m not sure she knew where she was because her Sunday morning follow-up  hit a sour note note that destroyed whatever support she got from appearing there in the first place:

    President Barack Obama won’t be re-elected in 2012 unless he can “toughen up” on national security, according to Sarah Palin. The former Governor of Alaska believes that declaring war on Iran could help the president get re-elected.

    “Say he decided to declare war on Iran or decided really to come out and do whatever he could to support Israel, which I would like him to do,” Palin told Fox News’ Chris Wallace Sunday. “That changes the dynamics in what we can assume is going to happen between now and three years.”

    She might as well have said “let’s burn the constitution and expand the Fed.”

    Granted, the tea party messaging can be pretty schizophrenic and has often served as a grab bag of anti-Obama sentiment.  But their primary message has always been economic, and they have their roots in the libertarian-leaning, anti-interventionist conservatism of Ron Paul.

    Tea party star Allen West, who raised over twice as much in the 4th quarter of 2009 than Democratic incumbent Ron Klein (FL-22), says “We must get away from occupation warfare and nation building.”  Rand Paul, who is very likely to win Jim Bunning’s Kentucky Senate seat, would’ve voted against the war in Iraq and wants a constitutional declaration to continue the war in Afghanistan.  Adam Kokesh is running as an anti-war candidate against Democratic Rep. Ben Ray Luján in New Mexico’s third congressional district (Lujan voted for the war supplemental).

    There’s a tension within the conservative movement right now between the more social conservative, neocon wing that Palin represents, and the anti-tax tea party libertarians who have stronger paleo leanings.  The latter have an ugly nativist streak, but they are straining to get away from George Bush’s war.  It’s gays & God vs. guns.

    There was a lot of pushback because of the price of the Palin tickets, and many of the rank-and-file tea party activists see her as a symbol of the establishment GOP’s attempt to co-opt their nascent movement.

    Palin evidently thought she could endorse Rand Paul and they’d all throw flowers at her feet. Instead they’re having a melt down over her speech, trying to figure out how to keep the neocons out of future conventions.

    Rather than navigating the gulf between the tea party activists and the GOP, Palin drove a wedge between them.

    Well, at least she had the good sense not to mention her Bridge to Nowhere. But you have to wonder why they invited her there in the first place.

  • Massa Overtakes Grijalva in Day 2 Contest for FDL Firedogs

    Vote now for the 2010 FDL Fire Dogs

    Lisa Derrick's Dog Dexter

    Lisa Derrick's Dog Dexter

    New York Congressman Eric Massa shot up from #6 to overtake Arizona’s Raul Grijalva for the #3 spot in the week-long contest where the FDL community votes to determine who will be the 2010 FDL Fire Dogs.

    Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts also leaped from #27 to #16 after posting the contest on his Facebook page. Alan Grayson still maintains a commanding lead.

    Members of Congress are getting serious about looking for online campaign support after Alan Grayson’s eye-popping fourth quarter haul of $861,000 from small-dollar donations. As a freshman he was given a choice spot on the House Financial Services Committee so he could secure donations from Wall Street interests and defend his Florida swing district seat, a top Republican target.

    But unlike his fellow freshmen who raised big money from finance interests, Grayson stood up to the banks and joined with Ron Paul to whip cosponsors for their “Audit the Fed” bill. He subsequently received very little money from financial interests. But by eschewing bank support Grayson was able to raise more than any other DCCC frontline candidate from low dollar online donations last quarter, which averaged $35 apiece.

    How does he do it? Well for starters, Grayson respects our community. He spends time on the blog talking with readers about the bills he introduces. He treats people on the blogs the way other members of Congress treat Goldman Sachs or Pfizer. These readers are smart — they understand if someone is saying one thing and doing another. They watch committee and procedural votes. And they’ve liberated Grayson from groveling for PAC donations. His independent actions on the Financial Services Committee are a direct result of that financial freedom.

    Voting will continue until next Tuesday night at midnight, and the winner will be announced on Wednesday. But daily vote tallies will be released on FDL each day at 3pm.

    Just to recap, here are the prizes:

    1. The first, second and third place winner will be added to an FDL ActBlue fundraising page.
    2. Voter lists from the winners’ districts will be purchased and entered into our Voter ID/GOTV tool.
    3. Members of the FDL community will call voters in these districts to identify and persuade constituent support, encourage voter registration and recruit volunteers.
    4. Those voters will be called again by the FDL community to help turn out voters during the fall election.
    5. When $10,000 has been raised for each candidate on ActBlue and 500 Voter ID calls logged, we will rerun the contest and add 3 more candidates to the list.
    6. Those who are already on the list will receive the same incentives for another cycle, subject to a confirmation vote by the community so they remain accountable.

    Voting will close at midnight on Tuesday, February 9. Vote now.

    And the Day 2 FDL Fire Dog vote totals are. . .

    Representative Day 2 Representative Day 2
    Grayson, Alan (FL-08) 1238 Cummings, Elijah (MD-07) 13
    Kucinich, Dennis (OH-10) 981 Gutierrez, Luis (IL-04) 13
    Massa, Eric (NY-29) 556 Miller, Brad (NC-13) 13
    Grijalva, Raul (AZ-07) 493 Obey, David (WI-07) 13
    Weiner, Anthony (NY-09) 451 Becerra, Xavier (CA-31) 12
    Frank, Barney (MA-04) 389 Berkley, Shelley (NV-01) 12
    Lee, Barbara (CA-09) 192 Braley, Bruce (IA-01) 12
    Waters, Maxine (CA-35) 184 Cohen, Steve (TN-09) 12
    Kaptur, Marcy (OH-09) 161 Davis, Susan (CA-10) 12
    Doggett, Lloyd (TX-25) 159 Heinrich, Martin (NM-01) 12
    Conyers, John (MI-14) 150 Hill, Baron (IN-09) 12
    DeFazio, Peter (OR-04) 148 Israel, Steve (NY-02) 12
    Schrader, Kurt (OR-05) 145 Himes, James (CT-04) 11
    Ellison, Keith (MN-05) 123 Jackson Jr., Jesse (IL-02) 11
    Pingree, Chellie (ME-01) 123 Kratovil, Frank (MD-01) 11
    McGovern, James (MA-03) 115 Miller, George (CA-07) 11
    Wasserman Schultz, Debbie (FL-20) 108 Oberstar, James (MN-08) 11
    Polis, Jared (CO-02) 104 Stupak, Bart (MI-01) 11
    Pelosi, Nancy (CA-08) 100 Teague, Harry (NM-02) 11
    Edwards, Donna (MD-04) 90 Titus, Dina (NV-03) 11
    Woolsey, Lynn (CA-06) 80 Welch, Peter (VT-AL) 11
    Hall, John (NY-19) 75 Carnahan, Russ (MO-03) 10
    Shea-Porter, Carol (NH-01) 75 Dicks, Norman (WA-06) 10
    Waxman, Henry (CA-30) 67 Schwartz, Allyson (PA-13) 10
    Capuano, Michael (MA-08) 66 Velazquez, Nydia (NY-12) 10
    Edwards, Chet (TX-17) 60 Wu, David (OR-01) 10
    Giffords, Gabrielle (AZ-08) 57 Berman, Howard (CA-28) 9
    Baldwin, Tammy (WI-02) 53 Doyle, Michael (PA-14) 9
    Yarmuth, John (KY-03) 51 Fudge, Marcia (OH-11) 9
    Markey, Betsy (CO-04) 50 Larsen, Rick (WA-02) 9
    Tierney, John (MA-06) 50 Lowey, Nita (NY-18) 9
    McDermott, Jim (WA-07) 48 Olver, John (MA-01) 9
    Murphy, Patrick (PA-08) 46 Pascrell, Bill (NJ-08) 9
    Filner, Bob (CA-51) 40 Peterson, Collin (MN-07) 9
    Clyburn, James (SC-06) 39 Smith, Adam (WA-09) 9
    Kirkpatrick, Ann (AZ-01) 38 Boswell, Leonard (IA-03) 8
    Bishop, Timothy (NY-01) 37 Halvorson, Deborah (IL-11) 8
    McNerney, Jerry (CA-11) 36 Harman, Jane (CA-36) 8
    Perriello, Thomas (VA-05) 36 Lujan, Ben Ray (NM-03) 8
    Schauer, Mark (MI-07) 36 Peters, Gary (MI-09) 8
    Blumenauer, Earl (OR-03) 34 Price, David (NC-04) 8
    DeGette, Diana (CO-01) 34 Spratt, John (SC-05) 8
    Kilroy, Mary Jo (OH-15) 34 Bishop, Sanford (GA-02) 7
    Kennedy, Patrick (RI-01) 33 Chu, Judy (CA-32) 7
    Schakowsky, Janice (IL-09) 31 Connolly, Gerald (VA-11) 7
    Stark, Pete (CA-13) 31 Fattah, Chaka (PA-02) 7
    Nadler, Jerrold (NY-08) 30 Hastings, Alcee (FL-23) 7
    Inslee, Jay (WA-01) 29 Lofgren, Zoe (CA-16) 7
    Hare, Phil (IL-17) 28 Moore, Gwen (WI-04) 7
    Hinchey, Maurice (NY-22) 28 Adler, John (NJ-03) 6
    Salazar, John (CO-03) 28 Johnson, Henry (GA-04) 6
    Mitchell, Harry (AZ-05) 27 Levin, Sander (MI-12) 6
    Bright, Bobby (AL-02) 26 McCollum, Betty (MN-04) 6
    Castor, Kathy (FL-11) 26 Scott, Bobby (VA-03) 6
    Farr, Sam (CA-17) 26 Thompson, Mike (CA-01) 6
    Honda, Michael (CA-15) 25 Tonko, Paul (NY-21) 6
    Slaughter, Louise (NY-28) 25 Van Hollen, Chris (MD-08) 6
    Garamendi, John (CA-10) 24 Carson, Andre (IN-07) 5
    Murtha, John (PA-12) 24 Driehaus, Steve (OH-01) 5
    Delahunt, Bill (MA-10) 23 Ellsworth, Brad (IN-08) 5
    Maloney, Carolyn (NY-14) 23 Johnson, Eddie Bernice (TX-30) 5
    Skelton, Ike (MO-04) 23 McIntyre, Mike (NC-07) 5
    Watson, Diane (CA-33) 23 Moran, James (VA-08) 5
    Capps, Lois (CA-23) 22 Napolitano, Grace (CA-38) 5
    Holt, Rush (NJ-12) 21 Sutton, Betty (OH-13) 5
    Foster, Bill (IL-14) 20 Brady, Robert (PA-01) 4
    Kagen, Steve (WI-08) 20 Clay, William Lacy (MO-01) 4
    Speier, Jackie (CA-12) 20 Etheridge, Bob (NC-02) 4
    Perlmutter, Ed (CO-07) 19 Loebsack, David (IA-02) 4
    Carney, Christopher (PA-10) 18 Mollohan, Alan (WV-01) 4
    Cleaver, Emanuel (MO-05) 18 Pomeroy, Earl (ND-AL) 4
    Dingell, John (MI-15) 18 Quigley, Mike (IL-05) 4
    Murphy, Christopher (CT-05) 18 Rush, Bobby (IL-01) 4
    Payne, Donald (NJ-10) 18 Sarbanes, John (MD-03) 4
    Tsongas, Niki (MA-05) 18 Langevin, James (RI-02) 3
    DeLauro, Rosa (CT-03) 17 Michaud, Michael (ME-02) 3
    Walz, Timothy (MN-01) 17 Schiff, Adam (CA-29) 3
    Brown, Corrine (FL-03) 16 Sherman, Brad (CA-27) 3
    Courtney, Joe (CT-02) 15 Engel, Eliot (NY-17) 2
    Jackson-Lee, Sheila (TX-18) 15 Kind, Ron (WI-03) 2
    Klein, Ron (FL-22) 15 Larson, John (CT-01) 2
    Markey, Edward (MA-07) 15 Matsui, Doris (CA-05) 2
    Rodriguez, Ciro (TX-23) 15 Hinchey, Maurice (NY-22) 2
    Shuler, Heath (NC-11) 15 Roybal-Allard, Lucille (CA-34) 2
    Boucher, Rick (VA-09) 14 Watt, Melvin (NC-12) 2
    Eshoo, Anna (CA-14) 14 Andrews, Robert (NJ-01) 1
    Owens, Bill (NY-23) 14 Kildee, Dale (MI-05) 1
    Ackerman, Gary (NY-05) 13 Sires, Albio (NJ-13) 1
    Arcuri, Michael (NY-24) 13
    TOTAL 8759
  • Bank Lobbyist Jamie Gorelick Endangers Student Loan Reform

    Jamie Gorelick

    Jamie Gorelick

    Student loan reform, which would cut out middle-man pariahs like Sallie Mae and save $87 billion over the next 10 years (which could go directly to students instead), is now in danger — thanks to the efforts of Jamie Gorelick.

    The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act passed the House in September last year, despite the best attempts of lobbyists to buy Democrats like Paul Kanjorski. But the Senate has put off passage because of health care, and lobbyists like Gorelick have been using the time to peel off support:

    President Obama called the idea a “no-brainer” last fall, predicting it would take billions of dollars from the profits of private lenders and give it directly to students, and many colleges were already moving to get loans directly from the federal government in anticipation of the next move by Congress.

    But an aggressive lobbying campaign by the nation’s biggest student lenders has now put one of the White House’s signature plans in peril, with lenders using sit-downs with lawmakers, town-hall-style meetings and petition drives to plead their case and stay in business.

    []

    Political action committees for the lenders and company employees made $2.1 million in political contributions last year, with the money split evenly among Democrat and Republican candidates, the data showed. Sallie Mae’s PAC alone made $194,000 in donations.

    There’s no reason for the government to guarantee the loans and insure the profits of private companies rather than do it directly. So, how did the lobbyists make headway?

    Student loan lenders employ about 35,000 people around the country, although estimates differ as to how many jobs would be eliminated if the federal government took over all direct lending on student loans.

    “We haven’t left any stone unturned — we’ll meet with anyone who will meet us,” Mr. Remondi said in an interview. “We’re trying to identify at least 12 senators who would be helpful in this process.”

    At the same time, Sallie Mae and other lenders have staged a series of town-hall-style meetings at their job centers around the country to help mobilize opposition to the White House plan and collect thousands of signatures for a petition drive in support of their own plan.

    “I would think that the White House would prefer not to make senators vote for something that is going to be very unpopular in their states — and for good reason,” said Jamie Gorelick, a former Clinton administration official who is now lobbying for the lending industry.

    Gorelick worked in the Clinton White House as a Deputy Attorney General. Like Rahm Emanuel, she had no experience that should have landed her on the board of a mortgage lending giant like Fannie Mae. Despite that, she became a Presidential appointee to Fannie Mae in 1997, only to leave in 2003 — after collecting $26.4 million for her troubles.

    Regulators found that those bonuses were calculated because management manipulated earnings:

    Federal investigators (PDF) would later say that “Fannie Mae’s management directed employees to manipulate accounting and earnings to trigger maximum bonuses for senior executives from 1998 to 2003.” The New York Times would call the manipulations an “$11 billion accounting scandal.”

    If you’re not familiar with the Fannie/Freddie scandal, read this classic Washingtonian article by Ross Guberman from 2002 where Chris Shays gets awakened in the middle of the night by lobbyists after he casually mentions he might to go after Fannie Mae. It’s a sewer of corruption spanning decades that embraces both Republicans and Democrats, and an object lesson on how big lobbying operations are more powerful than the President. In addition to all their other tricks, they used foundation money as payola (something that happened in the health care battle, too) because it’s almost untraceable, unlike campaign donations.

    Gorelick has benefitted tremendously as lobbying money has flowed to the Democratic side of the aisle. In addition to SLM Corp (Sallie Mae), she also represents the scandal-plagued investment bank Lazard Freres. She’s also lobbied for JP Morgan, BP America, Lucent, the Medicines Company and Google in the past.

    Influence peddling on the Hill may well kill student loan reform. It has managed to keep any meaningful investigation into the corruption at Fannie and Freddie from happening for decades — which, despite GOP fear mongering, was not caused by the CRE or because they handed out money to poor people. Rather, they used poor people as an excuse to hand out money to people like Jamie Gorelick.

    One can only hope that when Dennis Kucinich or the Angelides Commission starts looking into Fannie and Freddie, her name is on the witness list.

  • Will Palin Slay the Limbaugh Dragon?

    (image: twolf1)

    (image: twolf1)

    Update: And she’s backpeddling already! And I have to be wrong about being wrong in record time.

    Last year I wrote a post wondering if there was a Republican with the guts to take Rush Limbaugh on. Looks like Sarah Palin — to her credit — has decided to try. Greg Sargent:

    In the wake of Palin’s demand that Rahm Emanuel be fired for calling a bunch of liberal activists “f–king retards,” a bunch of people have asked how she will react to Limbaugh’s tirade on the air yesterday.

    “Our political correct society is acting like some giant insult’s taken place by calling a bunch of people who are retards, retards,” Rush said, adding that Rahm’s meeting yesterday with advocates for the mentally handicapped was a “retard summit at the White House.”

    I asked Palin spokesperson Meghan Stapleton for comment on Rush’s rant, and she emailed me this:

    “Governor Palin believes crude and demeaning name calling at the expense of others is disrespectful.”

    Well, good for her. If she’s going to go after Rahm Emanuel for using the word “re**arded,* Limbaugh deserves the same treatment.

    The bigger question, though, is how Limbaugh will react — and what Palin will do in the wake of it. As Timothy Egan wrote last year in the New York Times, polling has found that Limbaugh is deeply unpopular, and “a self-described prescription-drug addict who sees America from a private jet” is hardly the populist image a party wants to project when they’re trying to ride a wave of populist discontent.

    Last year I didn’t think Palin would stand up to Rush, however, so I have to admit I was wrong:

    [S]omeone in the GOP could make a name for themselves taking on Rush, but it would have to be the right person. Newt may think it’s him, but his negatives are probably as high as Rush’s, and they’d just drag the whole thing further into the mud. Jim Baker may have the gravitas, but he has operated in the background for so long he’s not really a household word. My top pick was Orrin Hatch, whose social conservative credentials are good, but so far he has shown no appetite for the task. Palin, like Jindal, Pawlenty and Cantor, is too much of a lightweight. The only reason anyone listens to them is because nobody’s listening to Boehner, so his bellyaching is useless.

    Does Palin have the guts to follow through, though? Or is this just a prelude to a Mike Pence moment, when she is forced to kneel and kiss the cyst like so many before her?

    Fifty bucks that says Limbaugh has Levi on within the week. Which could lead to the most perversely strange bedfellowing of all time: Rush Limbaugh and Andrew Sullivan, imploring Levi to “tell it all.”

    Oh, what Rahm hath wrought.

  • First Day Vote Tallies: Which Members of Congress Become 2010 Fire Dogs?

    Phoenix Woman's dogs

    Phoenix Woman's dogs

    It’s 3pm and as promised, here are the first day vote tallies to determine which members of Congress become FDL Fire Dogs, and receive community fundraising and GOTV support in 2010. The contest will continue until next Tuesday, and each day at 3pm we’ll be announcing the running tally.

    We encourage people to campaign for the members they support by:

    And remember, this is just round one. So even if your member of Congress doesn’t win this time, it’s well worth the effort to make the case that they deserve to win in the next round. We’re already seeing that those members who take time to interact with the community and fight for they progressive issues they care about are doing well. But often people just don’t know what a member of Congress is doing on an issue they care about a great deal, so taking time to educate and connect with the community is key.

    Just to recap, here are the prizes:

    1. The first, second and third place winner will be added to an FDL ActBlue fundraising page.
    2. Voter lists from the winners’ districts will be purchased and entered into our Voter ID/GOTV tool.
    3. Members of the FDL community will call voters in these districts to identify and persuade constituent support, encourage voter registration and recruit volunteers.
    4. Those voters will be called again by the FDL community to help turn out voters during the fall election.
    5. When $10,000 has been raised for each candidate on ActBlue and 500 Voter ID calls logged, we will rerun the contest and add 3 more candidates to the list.
    6. Those who are already on the list will receive the same incentives for another cycle, subject to a confirmation vote by the community so they remain accountable.

    Voting will close at midnight on Tuesday, February 9. Vote now.

    And the first day FDL Fire Dog vote totals are. . .

    Representative Day 1 Representative Day 1
    Grayson, Alan (FL-08) 550 Becerra, Xavier (CA-31) 6
    Kucinich, Dennis (OH-10) 444 Bishop, Timothy (NY-01) 6
    Grijalva, Raul (AZ-07) 260 Braley, Bruce (IA-01) 6
    Frank, Barney (MA-04) 179 Cummings, Elijah (MD-07) 6
    Weiner, Anthony (NY-09) 178 Fudge, Marcia (OH-11) 6
    Massa, Eric (NY-29) 169 Heinrich, Martin (NM-01) 6
    Lee, Barbara (CA-09) 98 Kratovil, Frank (MD-01) 6
    Doggett, Lloyd (TX-25) 90 Larsen, Rick (WA-02) 6
    Kaptur, Marcy (OH-09) 85 Maloney, Carolyn (NY-14) 6
    Waters, Maxine (CA-35) 83 Schwartz, Allyson (PA-13) 6
    DeFazio, Peter (OR-04) 74 Ackerman, Gary (NY-05) 5
    Schrader, Kurt (OR-05) 73 Adler, John (NJ-03) 5
    Conyers, John (MI-14) 70 Arcuri, Michael (NY-24) 5
    Ellison, Keith (MN-05) 67 Capps, Lois (CA-23) 5
    Polis, Jared (CO-02) 64 Connolly, Gerald (VA-11) 5
    Pingree, Chellie (ME-01) 60 Doyle, Michael (PA-14) 5
    Wasserman Schultz, Debbie (FL-20) 43 Lowey, Nita (NY-18) 5
    Edwards, Donna (MD-04) 41 Luj·n, Ben Ray (NM-03) 5
    Pelosi, Nancy (CA-08) 39 Moran, James (VA-08) 5
    Woolsey, Lynn (CA-06) 38 Speier, Jackie (CA-12) 5
    Hall, John (NY-19) 37 Stupak, Bart (MI-01) 5
    Shea-Porter, Carol (NH-01) 33 Titus, Dina (NV-03) 5
    Capuano, Michael (MA-08) 32 Tonko, Paul (NY-21) 5
    Giffords, Gabrielle (AZ-08) 31 Tsongas, Niki (MA-05) 5
    Waxman, Henry (CA-30) 31 Vel·zquez, Nydia (NY-12) 5
    Tierney, John (MA-06) 30 Berman, Howard (CA-28) 4
    McGovern, James (MA-03) 29 Davis, Susan (CA-53) 4
    Edwards, Chet (TX-17) 25 Fattah, Chaka (PA-02) 4
    McDermott, Jim (WA-07) 25 Markey, Edward (MA-07) 4
    Perriello, Thomas (VA-05) 24 McIntyre, Mike (NC-07) 4
    Yarmuth, John (KY-03) 24 Miller, George (CA-07) 4
    Markey, Betsy (CO-04) 20 Oberstar, James (MN-08) 4
    Clyburn, James (SC-06) 19 Obey, David (WI-07) 4
    Baldwin, Tammy (WI-02) 18 Pascrell, Bill (NJ-08) 4
    Filner, Bob (CA-51) 18 Peterson, Collin (MN-07) 4
    Kilroy, Mary Jo (OH-15) 18 Price, David (NC-04) 4
    Murphy, Patrick (PA-08) 18 Wu, David (OR-01) 4
    DeGette, Diana (CO-01) 17 Boswell, Leonard (IA-03) 3
    McNerney, Jerry (CA-11) 16 Brady, Robert (PA-01) 3
    Schakowsky, Janice (IL-09) 16 Carnahan, Russ (MO-03) 3
    Carney, Christopher (PA-10) 15 Chu, Judy (CA-32) 3
    Kirkpatrick, Ann (AZ-01) 14 Cohen, Steve (TN-09) 3
    Murtha, John (PA-12) 14 Driehaus, Steve (OH-01) 3
    Bright, Bobby (AL-02) 12 Ellsworth, Brad (IN-08) 3
    Castor, Kathy (FL-11) 12 Himes, James (CT-04) 3
    Cleaver, Emanuel (MO-05) 12 Israel, Steve (NY-02) 3
    Hinchey, Maurice (NY-22) 12 Jackson Jr, Jesse (IL-02) 3
    Kennedy, Patrick (RI-01) 12 Levin, Sander (MI-12) 3
    Mitchell, Harry (AZ-05) 12 Lofgren, Zoe (CA-16) 3
    Nadler, Jerrold (NY-08) 12 Moore, Gwen (WI-04) 3
    Schauer, Mark (MI-07) 12 Peters, Gary (MI-09) 3
    Skelton, Ike (MO-04) 12 Quigley, Mike (IL-05) 3
    Stark, Pete (CA-13) 12 Smith, Adam (WA-09) 3
    Blumenauer, Earl (OR-03) 11 Thompson, Mike (CA-01) 3
    Foster, Bill (IL-14) 11 Van Hollen, Chris (MD-08) 3
    Garamendi, John (CA-10) 11 Welch, Peter (VT-AL) 3
    Hare, Phil (IL-17) 11 Berkley, Shelley (NV-01) 2
    Salazar, John (CO-03) 11 Bishop, Sanford (GA-02) 2
    Shuler, Heath (NC-11) 11 Dicks, Norman (WA-06) 2
    Delahunt, Bill (MA-10) 10 Engel, Eliot (NY-17) 2
    Farr, Sam (CA-17) 10 Etheridge, Bob (NC-02) 2
    Holt, Rush (NJ-12) 10 Hastings, Alcee (FL-23) 2
    Inslee, Jay (WA-01) 10 Johnson, Eddie Bernice (TX-30) 2
    Miller, Brad (NC-13) 10 Klein, Ron (FL-22) 2
    Watson, Diane (CA-33) 10 Loebsack, David (IA-02) 2
    Boucher, Rick (VA-09) 9 Mollohan, Alan (WV-01) 2
    Courtney, Joe (CT-02) 9 Napolitano, Grace (CA-38) 2
    Honda, Michael (CA-15) 9 Maurice D Hinchey (NY-22) 2
    Rodriguez, Ciro (TX-23) 9 Olver, John (MA-01) 2
    Slaughter, Louise (NY-28) 9 Pomeroy, Earl (ND-AL) 2
    Dingell, John (MI-15) 8 Rush, Bobby (IL-01) 2
    Eshoo, Anna (CA-14) 8 Sarbanes, John (MD-03) 2
    Kagen, Steve (WI-08) 8 Scott, Bobby (VA-03) 2
    Murphy, Christopher (CT-05) 8 Sutton, Betty (OH-13) 2
    Payne, Donald (NJ-10) 8 Clay, William Lacy (MO-01) 1
    Perlmutter, Ed (CO-07) 8 Halvorson, Deborah (IL-11) 1
    Walz, Timothy (MN-01) 8 Harman, Jane (CA-36) 1
    Brown, Corrine (FL-03) 7 Johnson, Henry (GA-04) 1
    DeLauro, Rosa (CT-03) 7 Langevin, James (RI-02) 1
    Gutierrez, Luis (IL-04) 7 Matsui, Doris (CA-05) 1
    Hill, Baron (IN-09) 7 McCollum, Betty (MN-04) 1
    Jackson-Lee, Sheila (TX-18) 7 Michaud, Michael (ME-02) 1
    Owens, Bill (NY-23) 7 Roybal-Allard, Lucille (CA-34) 1
    Spratt, John (SC-05) 7 Schiff, Adam (CA-29) 1
    Teague, Harry (NM-02) 7 Watt, Melvin (NC-12) 1
    TOTAL Votes
    3927
  • When is Rahm Going to Apologize to MoveOn?

    (photo: floyd brown)

    (photo: floyd brown)

    I have a hard time in general with the language police, even when it’s Rahm Emanuel we’re talking about, and especially if Sarah Palin is leading the charge. But, I agree, Rahm does owe an apology for using the expression “f&*king r%!ards” — to MoveOn.

    Because that’s who he was addressing.
    down memory lane to the end of July, when the Blue Dogs were holding the care bill “hostage” the Energy and Commerce Committee. On Friday, July 31, the committee was scheduled to vote, and MoveOn announced that it would run radio ads against any Blue Dog who voted against it. Gregg Sargent ran the script.

    Three Blue Dogs voted “no”: Melancon (LA), Barrow (GA) and Matheson (UT). MoveOn produced the spots, and on Tuesday morning, August 4, announced their intention to begin running them the next day:

    That afternoon, Rahm showed up at the Common Purpose meeting and told MoveOn what he thought of them for doing this: “fucking retarded.”

    Rahm was already angry that MoveOn had pushed back on him earlier in July, telling their members to contact the President in protest after Rahm told the Wall Street Journal that he liked the idea of triggers. But after the Common Purpose meeting, Rahm knew he’d gone too far. He immediately went to Jonathan Martin at Politico and told a highly sanitized tale of what had happened. But too many people had been present at the meeting, and it was only a matter of time before the story came out.

    It wasn’t the first time that the White House had chastised liberal groups at the Common Purpose meeting for pushing back when the Blue Dogs tried to sell the party to lobbyists and let them write the health care bill. The very purpose of the weekly event is to enforce message discipline, and both CAF and USAction had been upbraided in front of their peers by administration staff for criticizing Blue Dogs in the past.

    The White House has a long history of treating “liberal” groups with high-handed arrogance and disrespect after they were extremely strong allies of Obama during the campaign. Rahm isn’t alone. He just says what everybody else is thinking. Rahm and others in the administration owe MoveOn — and liberals — more respect than that.

    His great misfortune as far as the media is concerned was to say it in a very Rahm-esque way and get language nannied by Sarah Palin. He is meeting with disability advocates today, and after the Special Olympics indicated they did not accept his apology, he is sincerely apologizing again.

    Rahm should publicly apologize to MoveOn, and promise to respect their independence in the future. And if he wants to put the “R” word incident behind him, here’s an idea: he’d be the perfect spokesperson to do a PSA for R-word awareness. You know, speaking straight into the camera. With feeling. And March 3 is R-word Awareness Day.

    I’ll personally pledge a hundred bucks toward putting it on the air.

  • Vote Now: Which Members of Congress Should be an FDL Fire Dog?

    It’s going to be a tough election year in 2010 so helping good incumbents keep their seats is going to be as important as supporting challengers was in 2006 and 2008.

    You get to decide — who should we help? Which member of Congress gets to be an FDL Fire Dog?

    Two thousand people who hailed from their districts nominated 180 members of Congress. Voting is now open to the entire community.

    Prizes:

    1. The first, second and third place winner will be added to an FDL ActBlue fundraising page
    2. Voter lists from the winners’ districts will be purchased and entered into our Voter ID/GOTV tool
    3. Members of the FDL community will call voters in these districts to identify and persuade constituent support, encourage voter registration and recruit volunteers.
    4. Those voters will be called again by the FDL community to help turn out voters during the fall election
    5. When $10,000 has been raised for each candidate on ActBlue and 500 Voter ID calls logged, we will rerun the contest and add 3 more candidates to the list.
    6. Those who are already on the list will receive the same incentives for another cycle, subject to a confirmation vote by the community so they remain accountable.

    Rules:

    1. Voting will be open for 7 days. It will close at midnight, Tuesday February 9th.
    2. You can only vote once.
    3. Each day the new vote totals will be announced on FDL at 3pm ET.
    4. The winners will be announced on Wednesday, February 10.

    Criteria:

    People are free to evaluate candidates on any basis they want. However on the voting page, we include where each member stood on the 3 criteria used in the FDL whip counts:

    1. Pledged to vote against any war funding that does not have troop withdrawal provisions
    2. Voted against June 2006 war supplemental
    3. Pledged to vote against any health care bill that does not have a public option

    We have also listed candidates in reverse order of district PVI. PVI is a measure of how heavily the district leans to a particular party. In general, the higher the Republican PVI, the harder time the incumbent will have in the next election if Democratic turnout is low. If someone is in a heavily gerrymandered Democratic district they probably don’t have much to fear from a Republican challenger.

    Vote Now!

    Below are listed the members who were nominated, and the reason given for the nomination by their constituents. . . :

    Nominated By County Member of Congress Nomination
    John Ramsey AL-02 Bobby Bright A Democrat — for now anyway.
    James Navajo AZ-01 Ann Kirkpatrick She ia doing a good job & responds to my letters
    Jeremie Maricopa AZ-05 Harry E. Mitchell Harry Mitchell is a decent man and a popular local politician in a Congressional District filled with conservatives. His loss would be catastrophic to all moderates and liberals in this area. We need Harry!
    Cecilia Aros Pima AZ-07 Raúl M. Grijalva Grijalva votes well and represents his constituency well. He works hard and has the “guts” to stand up for heath care when so many other representatives have sold it down to the bad bill it currently is.
    DeWayne Pima AZ-08 Gabrielle Giffords Votes for Democratic proposals most of the time, supports science and technology, and green jobs.
    Douglas Yolo CA-01 Mike Thompson Has been on the right side even though he has many conservatives in part of his district.I think he does what he thinks is right instead of running for reelection on every vote. Good congressman.
    Roy Sacramento CA-05 Doris O. Matsui She has done a fine job so far
    Andrea Sonoma CA-06 Lynn C. Woolsey Representative Woolsey had stood firm on all issues that I care about.
    Contra Costa CA-07 George Miller Supports liberal causes. Would be great if you support him but he generally wins reelection by hugh margins. Things could be different this year, however.
    Eugene Los Angeles CA-08 Nancy Pelosi She intelligence, courage, strength of character, good concepts…and is not afraid to fight the lunatic fringes in government.
    Marion Alameda CA-09 Barbara Lee Represents the people and our Constitutional rights,
    not “private” or big company interests. The best.
    James Contra Costa CA-10 John Garamendi John Garamendi hasn’t been here long – he just replaced Ellen Tauscher and seems a little more progressive than she was. He may not need help, but if he does he deserves it. (The “member of congress” field is required and incorrectly contains Tauscher in stead of Garamendi for my district)
    Joseph Contra Costa CA-11 Jerry McNerney Jerry McNerney, has fought hard for the environment and the working folks. He opposes the idea of corporations running the country, unlike his predicessor Piobo.
    Mary San Mateo CA-12 Jackie Speier Congresswoman Speier may still be new but she’s been a long standing figure in California, usually on the best/progressive side of the issues. i would really like to see her supported.
    Georgia CA-13 Pete Stark Pete always seems to be on the right side of any issue. He is a loyal Democrat who puts the people above the big lobbyists
    Santa Clara CA-14 Anna G. Eshoo A strong supporter of health care reform (but in a relatively safe district).
    Richard Santa Clara CA-15 Michael M. Honda Mike has remained a Progressive and done his work quietly. And we have right-wing nuts here in California, too.
    Donald & Deanna CA-16 Zoe Lofgren COnsistently good work with environmental and civil rights issues. Also good head for economic concerns. Listens to constituents. Has open phone line town meetings. Good communications with constituents.
    JoseRaul Santa Cruz CA-17 Sam Farr Mr. Farr has stand by many issues that concern me, community and district; Health reform, LGBT issues and more.
    Santa Barbara CA-23 Lois Capps Former nurse who understands the impact health issues have on families, and communites. Understands a broad range of issues and is willing to stand firm to defend the best interest of her constituants. Is empathetic and philosophically generous.
    Alfred Los Angeles CA-27 Brad Sherman He is a reliable progressive.
    Art Los Angeles CA-28 Howard L. Berman Consistant supporter of health care reform and job creation.
    Debra Los Angeles CA-29 Adam B. Schiff He has support health care reform, environmental reform and economic justice issues through out his tenure in Congress.
    Julie Los Angeles CA-30 Henry A. Waxman He works hard for all the best policies. He has done so for many years, and will continue into the future.
    Lucila Los Angeles CA-31 Xavier Becerra Almost 20 years of service, advocating the rights of low-income communities and standing for a vision of peace and democracy
    Julian Los Angeles CA-32 Judy Chu Even though just recently elected to complete the term of our formal representative (Hilda Solis), Congresswoman Chu has held firm in supporting issues such as health care reform that effect the quality of life of not only her constituents, but of all Americans.
    holly Los Angeles CA-33 Diane E. Watson watson rocks! she’s very progressive by today’s congressional standards.
    Aostara Los Angeles CA-34 Lucille Roybal-Allard A great supporter of healthcare reform as well as animal rights.
    eileen Los Angeles CA-35 Maxine Waters Ms Waters is one of the most progressive congresspeople in the house. She is amazing.
    Wanda San Diego CA-35 Susan A. Davis Susan Davis is a moderate in a still Republican County. She usually votes in our progressive interest.
    Susan Los Angeles CA-36 Jane Harman Good stands, particularly for women’s choice, and good communication with constituants.
    Craig Los Angeles CA-38 Grace F. Napolitano Rep. Napolitano was a cosponsor of HR-676 and a reliable vote for strong health care reform. She scores highly with Peace Action West and generally votes on the progressive side of issues. She is in a fairly safe Democratic district and probably will not need much help, but anything that you could do for her would be appreciated.
    Alan San Diego CA-51 Bob Filner Representative Filner has consistently supported the liberal and progressive agenda, never wavering in the face of opposition. He is not afraid to take a stand for what he believes in, even when it is not popular, and always looks out for his constituents here in San Diego.
    Brian Arapahoe CO-01 Diana DeGette Ms. DeGette has been a crusader for progressive values for some years now, and I would like to see her stay in office.
    Elizabeth G. Eagle CO-02 Jared Polis He listens, cares and understands about the issues. He is new to Congress but I think is increasingly finding his voice.
    Robin Delta CO-03 John T. Salazar even though he’s a blue dog, he’s our first Democratic in 30 years. Good on most issues.
    Lauren Weld CO-04 Betsy Markey Betsy has not done a terrific job, but she’s a Democrat in a VERY conservative district. We suffered with Marilyn Musgrave for years, and before her, 2 or 3 uber conservatives. Betsy did vote for the stimulus and cap and trade, she’s pro-choice, but she voted against healthcare — for now. I can’t stand the thought of another anti-gay, anti-choice idealogue in this District.
    Ann Jefferson CO-07 Ed Perlmutter Ed works very closely with his constituents and is very responsive. He was a big supporter and crafter of the original House health care proposals
    Robert Hartford CT-01 John B. Larson Although I think John Larson could be more vocal on certain issues and take more of a leadership role, especially with CT’s freshman members of congress, he has always worked hard for the people that need it most and he deserves our help.
    Carlyn Hartford CT-02 Joe Courtney Joe Courtney is the model of integrity. When he entered Congress in 2006, he refused to take part in the extremely positive Congressional health care program until every American has a similar program. That is only one example of this man’s efforts to change America for the better. He deserves everyone’s help.
    Sally New Haven CT-03 Rosa L. DeLauro A consistent progressive.
    Sara Fairfield CT-04 James A. Himes Great start as freshman, needs more time to make great impact.
    Martin CT-05 Christopher S. Murphy Chris has been a stalwart for HCR since replacing the insurance companies’ BFF, Nance Johnson. He will be in a tough race and needs help. Looking a bit further down the road, if he wins he will be the prime candidate to take on Joe LIEeberman in the 2012 Senate race.
    Eileen Virginia Beach City FL-03 Corrine Brown Bright, centrist Dem may be able to hold this traditionally GOP seat — if allowed to vote his conscience.
    Nancy Orange FL-08 Alan Grayson Alan speaks up for what is right. He is in nobody’s pocket. We need more Reps like him. He has made me very proud and I would vote for him again in a heart beat. He has proved to be someone to be reckoned with and that’s why Repubs are after his seat.
    Rochella Hillsborough FL-11 Kathy Castor Kathy Castor has been a staunch and unwavering advocate for health care reform and fights hard to make the lives of the people of this district better.
    Kenneth Miami-Dade FL-20 Debbie Wasserman Schultz She is smart, reasonable and a fierce spokeswoman for progressive policies. She works non-stop for South Florida.
    Jim Palm Beach FL-22 Ron Klein He seems to be fairly liberal and supportive then many of the democrats who seem to be too centrist.
    Jo Ellen Broward FL-23 Alcee L. Hastings Rep Hasting has stood strong for the Public Option in health care and for Clean Energy initiatives.
    Paul Prince Georges GA-02 Sanford D. Jr. Bishop Shares my ideological views.
    Joe GA-04 Henry C. “Hank” Jr. Johnson Supported Health Care and the President. May face strong opposition next election.
    Robert Scott IA-01 Bruce L. Braley Rep. Braley is a progessive; that’s good enough for me.
    Thomas Johnson IA-02 David Loebsack Loebsack has consistently voted for the public option; for employee right to work, for good climate change legislation; all the right votes on all the right issues. He has 3 Republicans lining up against him. He took the seat away from a 30-year House vet and we need to establish the Second District as a solid D seat.
    Marilynn Polk IA-03 Leonard L. Boswell He has stayed on top of the issues, and he’s doing all he can to help pass health reform.
    Bernie IL-01 Bobby L. Rush He’s as progressive as they come on social issues but he won’t need help as he will win. Let’s make sure Grayson in Florida wins.
    Lucious Cook IL-02 Jesse L. Jr. Jackson Mr. Jackson is a progressive who has tried to serve his district by attempting to bring another airport to the southside of Chicago.
    Phillip Cook IL-04 Luis V. Gutierrez Progressive stand on public option
    Paul Cook IL-05 Mike Quigley I have volunteered for Mike because of his record as a change agent. He “gets it” and works hard on progressive issues.
    Frederick Cook IL-09 Janice D. Schakowsky Jan Schakowsky is one of the most progressive members of Congress, and emphatically deserves our support.
    Barbara B. IL-11 Deborah L. Halvorson She is doing everything she can to help the voters of our district. She is doing things to help veterans, which is important. She is voting the way I want her to on most issues.
    Lavon Kane IL-14 Bill Foster He is thorough, thoughtful and compassionate, and, while not in agreement with me on every issue, an effective Democratic leader representing a largely Republican district.
    Norma Knox IL-17 Phil Hare He’s steadfastly spoken in favor of universal health care AND he explains his thinking very well – I was very impressed with his interaction with constituents at meetings. He deserves support.
    Bryan Marion IN-07 André Carson Is the only progressive-friendly member of Congress in the 16th largest state
    Vanderburgh IN-08 Brad Ellsworth He is a Blue Dog in a highly Republican District, but I believe he has done a credible job, especially on Health Care, of pushing “what is right” rather than pandering to vocal critics.
    Monroe IN-09 Baron P. Hill Baron Hill has done a good job for the 9th district. Any of his potential Republican opponents are supporters of Big Business interests and will support the efforts of Health Insurance industry.
    Peggy Jefferson KY-03 John A. Yarmuth John has fought for us from day one. He did the same as editor of our alternative paper for years. We had so many years of Anne Northup fighting against anything that would help working class Kentuckians and as long as Mitch McConnell is in the Senate the disloyal opposition will have way too loud a voice. I’ve worked on his campaigns and am proud to have him in congress.
    Richard Hampshire MA-01 John W. Olver I am a personal friend of John and have had much interaction with him regarding progressive issues. He has participated in meetings with my colleagues that I have helped organize and has done much to promote causes that I believe in. I feel fortunate to be represented by John and to have a means to express my beliefs.
    zola Worcester MA-03 James P. McGovern He has supported progressive issues consistently. He is trying to alter our too much emphasis on war and war spending. He has run unopposed in some elections, but we are in a different atmosphere here. He needs to be reelected.
    Joanna Norfolk MA-04 Barney Frank He’s Barney Frank!!! There is no other. But as long as we are not gerry mandered out of a district after the census, he will likely be a safe seat, so pls. help someone who needs it more. But I have to nominate Barney – he’s a sure bet.
    Middlesex MA-05 Niki Tsongas She votes on the correct side of my issues.
    Deborah Essex MA-06 John F. Tierney Congressman Tierney has done an outstanding job as my representative in congress, and he has stood up for health care and the public option. He is facing a challenge from a man who represents the Tea Partiers and the Birthers. I think he will need your help, even though Hudak seems to have shot himself in the foot at the moment.
    Ann C. Middlesex MA-07 Edward J. Markey Markey has continued to work hard for working people, for health care reform and for improving the economy.
    Joshua Middlesex MA-08 Michael E. Capuano Rep. Capuano has not only been a strong liberal voice in the House for all the years I’ve lived in his district, opposing the war in Iraq and supporting health care reform and gay rights, but he’s also been extremely responsive to questions and suggestions from his constituents.
    Carlotta M Norfolk MA-10 Bill Delahunt He has walked the walk. He’s a fighter for ordinary people, including military families. He supports CapeWind, an alternative energy project. He supports Obama and his agenda to unite the United States and bring out this country’s greatness. As far as I can see, Bill Delahunt carries on Ted Kennedy’s legacy of sticking up for ordinary citizens in no uncertain terms.
    craig Kent MD-01 Frank Jr. Kratovil Because the Republican alternatives are incredibly bad, and this is a knife-edge race. Frank is a decent thoughtful guy in a district that is both moderate-rural and suburban wingnut. I live in the moderate-rural part and I don’t want to have to suck it up and put up with the likes of Andy Harris, republican wingoid.
    Lynne Anne Arundel MD-03 John P. Sarbanes He’s been responsive to all my attempts to contact him and he’s stayed strong as a progressive democrat. He gets my vote!
    Michelle Montgomery MD-04 Donna F. Edwards She’s in her fresh(wo)man year, but I like her progressive stance on all the issues. She’s been a key proponent in the insertion of consumer protection language into the Wall St. regulations bill.
    Donna Howard MD-07 Elijah E. Cummings He’s working for the people, and I think he deserves to be supported.
    Leslie Montgomery MD-08 Chris Van Hollen Consistently takes rational positions on matters I care about.
    Brad Cumberland ME-01 Chellie Pingree My representative is a progressive leader in Congress working to reinstate the public option in health care right now! She is a stellar example of the kind of folks we need to support and hopefully encourage to run for even higher office.
    Michael and Amy ME-02 Michael H. Michaud Mike has to thread a tricky maze here in ME’s 2nd District, but he has been 99% reliable in heart and vote and often our only comfort in a stormy sea.

    He ABSOLUTELY HAS TO BE KEPT in his seat–no ifs, ands or buts!

    Bruce Campbell MI-01 Bart Stupak We don’t have a member of Congress from MI -2 fortunately we have an opportunity with Fred Johnson, Ph.D. running for the 2nd Congressional Seat. Hokestra, the current incumbent, is a red dog republican who is trying to become governor of MI. Support Fred Johnson for MI -2.
    Michael Saginaw MI-05 Dale E. Kildee A man of honor and a proud progressive Democrat.
    MI-06 Nataline Mosher
    Bill MI-07 Mark H. Schauer he has consistently voted for obama’s programs even oposing stupaks ammendment and standing up for womens rights. even though he had pushed out a religious right wing republican and has been targeted for removal by the right wing groups. lets help him stay in office.
    Oakland MI-09 Gary C. Peters He unseated a Republican in 2008, and has been very vocal in support of working people, especially in Michigan where we are hurting. He is fighting and is being targeted by the Republicans in 2010. Help Gary Peters!
    Sharon Oakland MI-12 Sander M. Levin Sandy has always stood for progressive values and fights hard for us everyday. He usually doesn’t have to campaign much — no Democrat typically challenges him, and in the general, he always wins by a landslide. This year, he faces a primary challenger in August and has to actually take time away from working hard for us to campaign. I’m sure he’d appreciate any help that could be provided to him.
    Robert Wayne MI-15 John D. Dingell one of the most reliable members of congress there are things i dont always agree with him on but he does seem to usally be on the right path he is a thinker
    barbara Dakota MN-01 Timothy J. Walz Walz is a genuine Dem who has triumphed twice in a mega-red district. The Republicans are pulling out all stoppers in an attempt to unseat him in 2010. He deserves to stay. He’s one of the good ones!
    Ramsey MN-04 Betty McCollum Not a member of the Progressive Caucus, but agrees with their positions on some issues. I would like a show of constituent support in favor of Rep. McCollum leaning more toward progressive votes.
    Anne Hennepin MN-05 Keith Ellison A true progressive and groundbreaker, Keith’s probable opponent has a one note campaign message: Muslims can’t be part of the federal governement. Her stance is SO extreme it seems laughable but she will bring in $ from outside the district
    Joan Otter Tail MN-07 Collin C. Peterson He does a good job.
    Tracy Carlton MN-08 James L. Oberstar He’s for universal healthcare and most progressive legislation and has been personally helpful to people in his district, etc. He’s been a loyal progressive rep. for Minnesota.
    Vicky Greene MO-03 Russ Carnahan He has been a strong supporter of health care reform, and he is rated as a strong progressive representative by other groups.
    florence Laclede MO-04 Ike Skelton has consistently worked for district to help protect jobs
    CL Jackson MO-05 Emanuel Cleaver Was a clear, concise and Christian voice for reform. I think, however, Reverend and Rep. Cleaver needs to do much more to raise his Washington profile.
    Chatham NC-02 Bob Etheridge Supported Obama & Health care insurance reform
    Working to get jobs $ for NC
    Neil Orange NC-04 David E. Price He’s generally on the right side of things and, I think, never on the wrong side of big issues.
    Earnestine Columbus NC-07 Mike McIntyre Cong. McIntyre has been especially effective in bringing all his constituents to the table. He has had a tremendous impact on economic progress in his rural districts as we transition from tobacco farming to small businesses. There are also several small majority-black towns in Bladen, Columbus and Brunswick counties that he has nurtured and now have completed water systems and on track for sewer. Both of which are necessary for economic progress.
    janet Transylvania NC-11 Heath Shuler Heath Shuler is a Blue Dog Democrat in a very Republican, conservative district. Although I have been disappointed with several of his votes, he does listen to reason when a thoughtful argument is made. He is way better than any Republican we would get and they are out to remover him.
    Philip Mecklenburg NC-12 Melvin L. Watt He has been dependable, and clear about his stands
    Michael Wake NC-13 Brad Miller Brad has led the fight against mortgage abuse before most people knew it existed. He consistently takes progressive positions on domestic issues and is incredibly thoughtful in his approach to everything.
    kathleen Grand Forks ND-AL Earl Pomeroy Great congressman! He has common sense and very intelligent.
    I completely trust his integrity.
    He represents our state well.
    It would be a tragedy if Kevin Kramer(the republican candidate) got elected!
    meg Rockingham NH-01 Carol Shea-Porter Rep Shea-Porter has been a steady and consistent supporter of Democratic values. Her office is attentive and responsive to her constituency. She typically has signed on to support progressive bills before I have a chance to contact her to ask her to do so! I heartly recommend that she receive help from FDL Action PAC to retain her seat.
    Keith Camden NJ-01 Robert E. Andrews I heard him speak at a town hall meeting regarding health care and I feel that he has the right ideas that Americans need.
    Christopher F. Burlington NJ-03 John H. Adler He is far more progressive than his predecessor, Jim Saxton, who wanted US to wage war with all Muslims while supporting the military-industrial complex at Fort Dix AND Lockheed Martin.
    ken Essex NJ-08 Bill Jr. Pascrell he has been an outspoken proponent of a real public option and real health care reform;as well as many progressive changes
    Marinus NJ-09 Steven R. Rothman Rothman is a reliable Democrat, but will probably need to be encouraged to keep the faith to work for progress.
    Ann Mercer NJ-12 Rush D. Holt I am proud to be represented by Rush holt. my congressman IS a rocket scientist and he is also conscience driven and progressive. his policy votes have totally represented things that I value.
    Joseph Hudson NJ-13 Albio Sires Rep. Sires is one of the 60 who signed the pledge to reject any bill which did not include a public option.
    Stephen Dona Ana NM-01 Martin Heinrich Despite his freshman status in a former Republican held district, Martin Heinrich has been a leading outspoken progressive reformer. He has fought for real reform, when holding his head down and raising funds from big donors might have seemed the prudent politically wise thing to do. Martin Heinrich is bringing real progressive leadership to a Congress that badly needs it. He deserves our support!
    Linda Grant NM-02 Harry Teague Even though his vote against the health care was because of the taxation it included, many are disappointed. He has done much for our veterans and speaks for the rural, less progressive people outside the cities. Mr. Teague is facing a difficult and divisive campaign against the previous Republican who left to run for another office. Harry Teague needs money and foot soldiers to keep this seat Democrat.
    Leon Quay NM-03 Ben Ray Luján He represents the will of the majority of the ordinary people of his district. He personally answers a lot of his e mails.He is accessible to Joe Blow.
    Evan Clark NV-01 Shelley Berkley Shelly has done an outstanding job for Nevada. She is excellent on assisting and caring about veterans.

    Please help us support her re-election campaign.

    Kenneth Suffolk NY-01 Timothy H. Bishop Tim Bishop is a progressive Democrat in a Republican-leaning district. Southampton Town recently had a Republican sweep, largely due to fears of a deteriorating economy (don’t ask why that makes sense as a reaction, but there it is). I am worried about Tim’s seat. Thanks!
    Lita Suffolk NY-02 Steve Israel I believe Steve Israel has represented our district well, despite the pressures put on him by the uber-conservatives who live in our area.
    Angela Queens NY-05 Gary L. Ackerman Representative Ackerman has been a very strong supporter of not only health care reform, but the public option as well. He is very in tune with the wants and needs of his constituants. Please continue to give him your support
    Doug New York NY-08 Jerrold Nadler Rep. Nadler has been on the right side of darn near every issue I can think of that progressives care about. He’s smart, he’s tough, he’s got tremendous experience bringing progressive heat to Washington’s lukewarm oatmeal, and his loss would be incalculable. Normally I’d say he’s a “safe” incumbent, but thanks to the Supremes, we can assume that the big corporations will be gunning for this guy, and he’ll need our thanks for his outstanding record, expressed in dollar form.
    Paul Queens NY-09 Anthony D. Weiner I nominate Congressman Weiner because of his strong support for the single payer system and the public option by being one of the vocal leaders in the House.
    Brian Kings NY-12 Nydia M. Velázquez Nydia has supported all of the changes that will help move our society forward. She thinks and acts on behalf of the welfare of everyone. She absolutely deserves only the highest praise.
    Michael Queens NY-14 Carolyn B. Maloney Congresswoman Maloney has been a tireless advocate for a woman’s right to choose–she voted against the Stupak-Pitts Amendment in the House Healthcare Reform Bill. She has been a staunch supporter of her LGBT constituents–supporting full Marriage Equality and a repeal of the Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell policy.
    Sharon Bronx NY-17 Eliot L. Engel Has been one of the most progressive advocates for health reform
    Victor Westchester NY-18 Nita M. Lowey Rep. Lowey is a constant voice in support of healthcare reform, and has earned my respect for her hard work.
    Linda Sullivan NY-19 John J. Hall Seat at risk after serving a great first term, filling a traditional Repub seat. Is a progressive who stands for his constituents. Strong Repub challengers coming to fore. Deserves our support.
    Linda Rensselaer NY-21 Paul Tonko He is a strong advocate for the public option though he’d prefer a single payer plan and stated so at the town hall I went to this summer in the district.
    Diane Orange NY-22 Maurice D. Hinchey Congressman Hinchey has done so many wonderful things for this district with environmental clean-up issues like PCBs in the Hudson, Love Canal, etc, and creating Heritage areas. He has helped create jobs, and has always supported or inititated legislation that will benefit the working man, local farmers, students, seniors. I believe he’s one of the most competant, wise and honest members of the House of Representatives.
    Linda Lewis NY-23 Bill Owens We’ve got to keep him in because it will be very difficult to elect another Dem from THIS district again. His vote helped Nancy get the health care bill passed in the House.
    MarieChristine Montgomery NY-24 Michael A. Arcuri He is totally dedicated to Health care reform. He was my state representative for years before going to Washington and was an outstanding , totally responsive to his constituents member of our community/
    Ann Niagara NY-28 Louise McIntosh Slaughter Outspoken, fearless, and right on the issues. She holds a powerful position and knows how to use that power to prod Democrats to do the right thing. She is a listener and a doer.
    Steve Steuben NY-29 Eric J. J. Massa I live in NY-29 and Eric Massa is the real deal. He’s always cuts through the crap and calls it how it is. He’s also continually gone after the tea baggers on television and in a continual schedule of townhall meetings all over our district.
    Tom Hamilton OH-01 Steve Driehaus Steve Chabot is leading in polls and may be re-elected to OH District 1. While Driehaus has opposed using federal dollars for abortion, that is the sentiment of his district and has been exploited by Republicans to stall any progress on healthcare reform. Fighting this issue is pushing independent voters to the GOP. Mr. Driehaus is a good guy and we don’t want Chabot to defeat him. VP Biden and Chris Van Hollen will be campaigning hard for him. I hope FDL will too.
    Cathy Lucas OH-09 Marcy Kaptur Progressive rep. on just about everything, other than abortion(see her voting record). Pro sustainable energy, stewardship of planet,Great Lakes Protection. May be vulnerable this yr due to high rate unemployment, anger over loss of manufacturing jobs. Please evaluate if she is at any real risk from “backlash” Republicans. Thank you for your time.
    Sincerely,
    Cathy Crumley
    Steven Sussex OH-10 Dennis J. Kucinich One of the few honest politicians left in America who is not “bought and paid for” by corporate and military lobbyists… and that is my Delaware perspective.
    bonnie Cuyahoga OH-11 Marcia L. Fudge In her short time in Congress, Marcia Fudge has shown herself to be a real progressive. I would be happy to work for her when she comes up for re-election.
    John Summit OH-13 Betty Sutton Congresswoman Sutton is a wonderful person who thus far in her term, in my judgment, has been on the right side of every issue. Needless to say, she supports the President strongly.

    John C. Fazio

    virginia Franklin OH-15 Mary Jo Kilroy Rep. Kilroy is a progressive leader. The GOP is already working on their campaign against her and she just got to Congress. She/we need all the help we can get.
    FRAN Washington OR-01 David Wu Congressman Wu has always supported the middle class and has made significant strides in providing opportunities, particularly in education, for those aspiring to the middle class. He has voted to protect the environment, jobs, public and domestic safety, and the economy. These are the fundamental issues facing all levels of our society today.
    Martha Multnomah OR-03 Earl Blumenauer He is an excellent combination of practicality and integrity and while I was disappointed that he didn’t hold firm on not undercutting a woman’s right to choose, looking at the big picture, we need to return him to the Congress where he now has considerable seniority.
    Karrin Lane OR-04 Peter A. DeFazio Peter DeFazio is one of the few politicians left who actually tries to represent his constituents rather than lobbyists. He isn’t in the pocket of big business, and he has fought for health care.
    Kirk Marion OR-05 Kurt Schrader Kurt is a first-term Dem from a conservative district, a solid liberal and a fiscal hawk. I believe progressive support will help bring him solidly into progressive ranks. Because the district is so conservative, he has not been as outspoken at Blumenauer or DeFazio, but I am convinced (as a local MoveOn coordinator who’s met with both his staff and him) that he is worthy of your support and that it will help get out progressive voters to support and encourage him.
    william Philadelphia PA-01 Robert Brady He has been a stauch supporter of the health care legislation going on in the House
    Valarie Philadelphia PA-02 Chaka Fattah Good Guy – likes public option
    Debby Bucks PA-08 Patrick J. Murphy Patrick is facing an uphill battle in the very Republican part of his district and will need all the help he can get. Even though he pretends to be a blue dog he is really one of the most progressive members of congress and deserves your support!
    Robert Union PA-10 Christopher P. Carney The Republicans have approached him to switch parties since he is a Democrat in a largely Republican district. He won his first term because the incumbent was under investigation for attempting to strangle his mistress. Since he rejected their offer, they are coming after him with blazing guns this year. PA-10 is sliding from red to blue as sensible Republicans become independent from Palinitis and more and more non-inbred folks move into the district. This election will be critical in keeping the momentum moving.
    Carole Greene PA-12 John P. Murtha I feel sort of ambivalent about Mr. Murtha, but in general, I think he’ll be an asset on the health reform question, so I think he ought to get financial and organizational support.
    Eric Montgomery PA-13 Allyson Y. Schwartz Schwartz has a long record of perfect scores from NARAL and Planned Parenthood, a strong record for poverty prevention (receiving two 100% The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law), and is a real progressive. She even voted against the version of the health care bill that included the Stupak Amendment! This shows a strong willingness to defend Women’s Rights.
    Margaret Allegheny PA-14 Michael F. Doyle Rep. Doyle is a consistent vote for the progressive side in the Congress despite the fact that his district includes many conservatives. He places national and district welfare above the so-called demands of re-election.
    Temple Providence RI-01 Patrick J. Kennedy He is a solid liberal on many issues, esp. health care, and has supported abortion inclusion in spite of opposition from his church. He is in danger in part because his Republican opponent is fairly strong and Patrick Kennedy isn’t a charismatic politician. He needs our help.
    Maryanne Washington RI-02 James R. Langevin He has been a steady advocate of health care reform and has progressive values.
    Allan Kershaw SC-05 John M. Jr. Spratt Any Democrat in South Carolina is going to need all the help he can get, and Rep. Spratt has been loyal to the party and to the President. There is NO QUESTION in my mind that he should and must be reelected.
    John Cherokee SC-06 James E. Clyburn He stands up for South Carolina against the right wing and the GOP who want to keep America in the dark ages…With out him South Carolina would noy have a voice.
    Joey Shelby TN-09 Steve Cohen He has done a GREAT job. He is totally accessable to all of hes constituents and LISTENS. We all love him.
    Patrick Dallas TX-17 Chet Edwards I grew up in Chet’s district, and my family still loves him. He’s from the most Republican district in the country for a Democrat, and yet he still votes fairly progressive in light of his district. He’s gonna have a tough fight this year, and he’ll need all the help he can get.
    Elizabeth Harris TX-18 Sheila Jackson-Lee Congresswoman Jackson-Lee always votes for progressive legislation. I know I can always count on her to vote the way I would vote.
    Moses Bexar TX-23 Ciro D. Rodriguez His contributions to me and fellow citizens of District 23 has been beneficial in producing new buisnesses and job opertunities. He is only going to make matters better.
    Steve Travis TX-25 Lloyd Doggett I can’t think of a single time Lloyd Doggett has been on the wrong side of an issue of importance to liberals. I think if you examine his voting record you will this to be the case. When it comes to health care, working people, the environment, women’s rights, the war on Iraq, and every other issue, you will find Doggett has been on the correct side. He has been a passionate, unabashed liberal throughout his career.
    John Dallas TX-30 Eddie Bernice Johnson Eddie Bernice is a charter member of both the Black caucus and the Progressive caucus. What’s more, she’s easy to support because she regularly gets above 90% of the vote. Most of the time, the R’s don’t even run a serious candidate against her.
    Newport News City VA-03 Robert C. “Bobby” Scott Bobby Scott has consistently stood up for progressive values and causes his entire political career. If we had a Congress full of Bobby Scotts America would become the place we progressives dream of!
    James Albemarle VA-05 Thomas S. P. Perriello Since his narrow election, Tom has worked tirelessly to bring good constituent services to his economically depressed Southside Virginia district, as well as to promote economic recovery there. Tom voted courageously for the climate/energy bill and for health care reform. Yes, he supported the Stupak anti-choice amendment–and that may turn off some progressives. Understand, though, that he represents a conservative district with strong right-to-life sentiments. This was a tactical decision that I (as a pro-choice person) understand.
    Edie Fairfax VA-08 James P. Moran Jim Moran has consistently supported Health Care Reform, as well as other issues important to Progressives. I feel that he has earned my vote in the 17 years I have been voting in this district.
    Robert Patrick VA-09 Rick Boucher He voted against HCR once because he had a very good reason to do so. He is definitely a Democrat and wants to change things for the people. I have not seen any evidence of his votes being bought by outside interest. We need more Democrats like him.
    Roberto Juan Prince William VA-11 Gerald E. Connolly This is an honest, serous, low-key legislator who has been a staunch fighter for progressive liberal value in a tough, conservative district, at a time when these values are increasingly under fire. He is precisely the kind of man we want in Congress — a Congressman who does not hesitate to put himself on the line for his constituents and his principles. He needs our support. He deserves our support. He has earned our support. Please, please give hp that support. Thank you.
    Dave Orange VT-AL Peter Welch Congressman Welch has been a consistent advocate for progressive causes, even during the most bleak of times, the Bush years. We need him to stay in Washington on behalf of all Vermont working families, children and seniors.
    Beth Snohomish WA-01 Jay Inslee Jay has has supported most if not all progressive ideals. I’m proud to have him as my Rep. He is smart, pragmatic and knows what needs to be done to help the American people.
    David Skagit WA-02 Rick Larsen A smart, tough, seasoned incumbent who has been on the Right Side of every issue the President has fought for. We absolutely CANNOT lose this seat to obstructionist Republicans!
    Lee Pierce WA-06 Norman D. Dicks A difficult district in which to be a progressive. Boeing, Microsoft, and a host of defense related companies push for war not welfare of the people. Norm Dicks works diligently to make effective human relations.
    Lendy King WA-07 Jim McDermott Congressman McDermott is the embodiment of progressive values. He voted against the war in Iraq and supports the most liberal and progressive agenda of any elected official. To be fair, he probably does not need your support as much as others. I’m lucky to live in a district that supports such a great congressman as Jim McDermott.
    Emily Pierce WA-09 Adam Smith Adam Smith fights on our behalf with dedication, common sense, and the values that will move us forward in the positive direction we need to go.
    Mark Rock WI-02 Tammy Baldwin Tammy is a progressive member of Congress, who works for the good of the people. We can count on her to be on the right side of the important issues that we face.
    Ronald Eau Claire WI-03 Ron Kind Has been a voice in support of middle-class needs and Obama’s agenda.
    Nick Milwaukee WI-04 Gwen Moore As a member of the Congressional progressive caucus, Gwen Moore is a fighter for the reforms we advocate. She is an activist who will lend support to grass roots actions in her district (Milwaukee).
    Manley Barron WI-07 David R. Obey Rep. Obey has been supportive of progressive values during his entire service in congress. He will be facing major opposition this year, especially now that the Supreme Court has voted in favor of corporate spending. Corporate spending was instrumental in the election of the past two Wisconsin Supreme Court judges. This district is heavily conservative, and false and misleading ads are prominent here. Rep. Obey needs help to offset the infusion of money in opposition.
    Mark Brown WI-08 Steve Kagen Rep. Kagen has been a consistent and staunch supporter of the Obama agenda in a “purple” district. He has also taken unwavering stands in the face of fierce critcism, including some of the most unprincipled and unruly behavior seen at last summer’s town hall meetings.
    Ritchie WV-01 Alan B. Mollohan I watched him to a decent job shutting up the teabagger idiots at the town halls this past summer, and sticking by his support for the public option.

    Vote Here

  • Durbin or Schumer for Majority Leader?

    It’s official, the battle for the next Majority Leader has begun. The fact that Harry Reid is running 10 points behind his generic Republican opponent has not escaped the attention of Messers Schumer and Durbin:

    Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), the vice chairman of the Democratic Conference, has been the biggest giver to Democratic Senate candidates, contributing $210,000 to colleagues and candidates.

    During the same span, Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has given $110,000 to Senate candidates.

    The leaders gave money to newcomers and candidates facing tough races. But they also contributed to those whose reelection prospects seem solid, such as Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who last won in liberal Vermont with 71 percent of the vote. While Leahy probably does not need the money for reelection, Durbin and Schumer may feel they need to contribute to his campaign to cement his loyalty.

    Both lawmakers gave the money through their leadership political action committees (PACs), which allies say is a sign that they are preparing for a possible leadership battle if Reid (D-Nev.) loses reelection, a prospect that is looking more likely.

    Spokesmen for Durbin and Schumer declined requests for comment.

    I don’t really think there’s a lot more to say. It’s the latest chapter in a battle that’s been going on since last year, when Schumer was arguing that as a Majority Leader from a red state, Reid would grow timid and be “Daschled” in a midterm. Well, you didn’t have to be the Amazing Kreskin to see that one coming now did you.

    So, who should it be? Schumer or Durbin? Discuss.


  • Big Banks: Unions Stopped Fighting, and the Entire Left Got Punched

    (photo: KWDesigns)

    (photo: KWDesigns)

    The Times of London reports that Lloyd Blankfein, head of Goldman Sachs, will receive a bonus of $100 million for 2009. I’m with Felix Salmon — color me dubious:

    It goes without saying, of course, that Goldman’s rivals couldn’t possibly know what Blankfein’s bonus is going to be. And given Goldman’s record-low compensation ratio this year, along with the bank’s cap on bonuses in the UK, it frankly boggles the imagination that he’s going to get anywhere near $100 million. Goldman knows that bonuses are a hot-button issue politically, and it’s going to keep them (relatively, by its standards) modest for 2009.

    Blankfein — who hardly needs the money — knows full well that he can’t, this of all years, pay himself the largest bonus ever received by a bank CEO in the history of the world. As a result, his bonus is going to be less than the $68 million he made in 2007. It’ll probably be in the eight figures, but it won’t be anywhere near $100 million. No matter what Helen Power heard from gossipy bankers in Davos.

    But it really doesn’t matter. The steady drip-drip-drip of these kinds of stories does incredible damage to the administration and to the Democrats, who now own the bank bailout (despite the fact that TARP was first authorized under George Bush). A steady erosion of public trust continues to be fed by the things they are guilty of: being too chummy with bankers, a failure to do anything they promised about the AIG bonuses (that continue to be paid out), the feeling that the banks were rewarded for criminal behavior while millions are losing their homes.

    As unemployment continues to soar, these stories are the poison that is killing the Democratic party’s chances in 2010.

    Back in the day (2008) the unions were waging aggressive campaigns against private equity groups that were buying up companies, slashing their staffs, breaking their union contracts, selling off their assets and reaping millions. They led the way on the issues of corporate governance, Wall Street accountability and the Bush bailout that gave banks a blank check.

    But just as the tea parties were getting going in April of 2009, the White House met with bankers in the wake of the AIG scandal who told them to put the kibosh on the harsh anti-bank rhetoric:

    The banks’ message: If you want our help to get credit flowing again to consumers and businesses, stop the rush to penalize our bonuses.

    And so calls went out from the White House to the unions to put a pin in it (they were holding EFCA over their heads).

    They did.

    Which left the field wide open for the tea parties (who were being heavily juiced by Fox News) to reap all of the economic discontent. “Our side” abandoned the field.

    I remember standing out in front of the White House with Bill Greider, David Swanson, Jason Rosenbaum and three Code Pink people for the protest organized by A New Way Forward in April, the day before the tea party protests began. Bill and I shook our heads and said “this is bad.” There was no institutional support coming from liberal groups whatsoever.

    And for millions of people justifiably pissed at the banks, the tea parties became the only game in town.

    So all the independents, who continue to be quite predictably pissed off at the banks, are steadily drawn in. As Fox — and anybody with half a brain — knew that they would be.

    Can you imagine a world where the unions had led the way for the left, and now had the approval rating of the tea parties? Yeah me either, because Fox is never going to give them 24 hour glowing coverage.

    But the message that the unions had about corporate accountability was coherent. The idea that the GOP will do anything but unleash whatever vague restraints that exist on corporate power is ludicrous.

    Sadly, the unions stopped fighting at the request of the White House. And the entire left got punched.

  • Debbie Wasserman-Schultz: Senators Lied About Supporting Public Option

    Cenk Uygur had Debbie Wasserman-Schultz on the Young Turks yesterday. Now that only 50 votes are needed to pass a public option in the Senate, guess what? They magically disappear:Wasserman-Schultz

    She was also pessimistic about the idea of including the public option in the new proposed reconciliation bill in the Senate:

    “We don’t have the votes for the public option in the Senate.”

    Now, remember we were told earlier that the Senate easily had 51 votes for the public option but that we needed 60 votes in the Senate because of the big, bad Republicans. Now, all of a sudden we don’t have 50 votes. If it only needed 40 votes, or 30 or 20, we still wouldn’t have it. Why? Because the corporations run the place. The rest is all smoke and mirrors.

    Remember too that these “fiscal conservatives” are supposedly worried about the cost of the bill, but they would rather pass the wildly unpopular excise tax than vote for a public option which actually saves money (even Schumer’s weak “level playing field” saves $25 billion). And now that we’re all worried about losing seats in swing districts? Well, a bill with a public option in it is more popular than the Senate bill without one — even among Republicans.

    So, the Senate wants what the lobbyists tell them to want, and all the rest is kabuki. One more time, here is the list of 51 Senators who say they want a public option. Biden would make 52. What’s stopping them now?

    Here is a list of the 51 Democrats who said they support a public option:

    # Senator State Comment
    1 Akaka HI Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    2 Baucus MT Said reason for voting against on Senate Finance was the need for 60 votes
    3 Bennet CO Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    4 Bingaman NM Voted for Schumer’s “level playing field” public option on Senate Finance
    5 Boxer CA Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    6 Brown OH Voted for HELP Committee public option
    7 Burris IL Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    8 Byrd “In his honor and as a tribute to his commitment to his ideals, let us stop the shouting and name calling and have a civilized debate on health care reform which I hope, when legislation has been signed into law, will bear his name for his commitment to insuring the health of every American.”
    9 Cantwell WA Voted for Schumer level playing field on Senate Finance
    10 Cardin MD Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May
    11 Carper DE Voted for Schumer’s “level playing field” public option on Senate Finance
    12 Casey PA Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    13 Dodd CT Voted for HELP Committee public option
    14 Dorgan ND I do believe that some sort of public option needs to be part of the proposal, along with a focus on bringing down health care costs and prevention.
    15 Durbin IL Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May
    16 Feingold WI Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    17 Feinstein CA Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    18 Franken MN Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    19 Gillibrand NY Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    20 Hagan NC Voted for HELP Committee public option
    21 Harkin IA Voted for HELP Committee public option
    22 Inouye HI Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    23 Johnson SD I asked, “What about the bill are you opposed to?” He replied, “That it doesn’t have a robust public option”.a
    24 Kaufman DE Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    25 Kerry MA Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    26 Klobuchar MN “I would prefer a public option that would be a competitive option that would allow people to buy into a Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, which is a series of private plans.”
    27 Kohl WI Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    28 Lautenberg NJ Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    29 Leahy VT Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May
    30 Levin MI Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May
    31 McCaskill MO Voted for Schumer’s level playing field on Senate Finance
    32 Menendez NJ Voted for Schumer level playing field on Senate Finance
    33 Merkley OR Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    34 Mikulski MD Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    35 Murray WA Voted for HELP Committee public option
    36 Nelson (Bill) FL Voted for Schumer’s “level playing field” public option on Senate Finance
    37 Reed RI Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    38 Reid NV “I’ve told people, whoever will listen, that I am in favor of the public option.”
    39 Rockefeller WV Voted for Schumer Level Playing Field public option on Senate Finance Committee
    40 Sanders VT Voted for HELP Committee public option
    41 Schumer NY Sponsor of Schumer Amendment
    42 Shaheen NH Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May
    43 Specter PA Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    44 Stabenow MI Voted for Schumer’s level playing field on Senate Finance
    45 Tester MT “We need competition, and if we get a public option that will help Montana. I will support it.”
    46 Udall CO “I support the President’s plan to include the public option as a tool help reform our broken health care system. But above all, any reform must be done in a deficit-neutral way and must provide choice, stability and security for those who have insurance.”
    47 Udall NM Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May
    48 Warner VA “It’s not a make or break thing–he wants to see a health reform bill that contains costs, and if it includes a public option…he would vote for it.”
    49 Webb VA Told the Huffington Post he is open to a public health care option.
    50 Whitehouse RI Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    51 Wyden OR Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
  • List of 51 Senate Democrats Who Support a Public Option: What’s Stopping Them Now?

    (photo: adobemac)

    (photo: adobemac)

    Some day, just for kicks, I’m going to collect quotes from every scold who called upon their volumes of wisdom about Senate procedure to decree that Joe Lieberman must be the ultimate decider on any health care bill, because after all it took 60 votes to pass anything. Because now, as we’ve known all along, that’s a self-imposed limitation that the Senate can surmount if they want to.

    But let’s remember that back in August, when Chuck Schumer was pushing to pass health care through reconciliation, here was the guy who was running the health care show on behalf of the White House:

    [Rahm Emanuel] acknowledged the political realities that have made the Finance Committee’s still-unfinished cooperative plan a center of attention.

    “We have heard from both chambers that the House sees a public plan as essential for the final product, and the Senate believes it cannot pass it as constructed and a co-op is what they can do,” Mr. Emanuel said. “We are cognizant of that fact.”

    And then he handed the keys over to Joe Lieberman and Blanche Lincoln to write a wildly unpopular bill that is threatening to take down the party.

    When he voted against a public option on the Senate Finance Committe, Max Baucus — who has supported a public option in the past — said he did so because it couldn’t get 60 votes in the Senate. And now they can’t even get 50 votes to agree to change the bill in any way.

    So, should we conclude that the 51 Democrats in the Senate who said they support a public option when 60 votes were needed were all full of shit, now that the bar is down to 50 and they’re still not moving?

    Here is a list of the 51 Democrats who said they support a public option. . . :

    # Senator State Comment
    1 Akaka HI Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    2 Baucus MT Said reason for voting against on Senate Finance was the need for 60 votes
    3 Bennet CO Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    4 Bingaman NM Voted for Schumer’s “level playing field” public option on Senate Finance
    5 Boxer CA Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    6 Brown OH Voted for HELP Committee public option
    7 Burris IL Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    8 Byrd “In his honor and as a tribute to his commitment to his ideals, let us stop the shouting and name calling and have a civilized debate on health care reform which I hope, when legislation has been signed into law, will bear his name for his commitment to insuring the health of every American.”
    9 Cantwell WA Voted for Schumer level playing field on Senate Finance
    10 Cardin MD Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May
    11 Carper DE Voted for Schumer’s “level playing field” public option on Senate Finance
    12 Casey PA Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    13 Dodd VT Voted for HELP Committee public option
    14 Dorgan ND I do believe that some sort of public option needs to be part of the proposal, along with a focus on bringing down health care costs and prevention.
    15 Durbin IL Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May
    16 Feingold WI Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    17 Feinstein CA Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    18 Franken MN Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    19 Gillibrand NY Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    20 Hagan NC Voted for HELP Committee public option
    21 Harkin IA Voted for HELP Committee public option
    22 Inouye HI Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    23 Johnson SD I asked, “What about the bill are you opposed to?” He replied, “That it doesn’t have a robust public option”.a
    24 Kaufman DE Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    25 Kerry MA Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    26 Klobuchar MN “I would prefer a public option that would be a competitive option that would allow people to buy into a Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, which is a series of private plans.”
    27 Kohl WI Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    28 Lautenberg NJ Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    29 Leahy VT Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May
    30 Levin MI Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May
    31 McCaskill MO Voted for Schumer’s level playing field on Senate Finance
    32 Menendez NJ Voted for Schumer level playing field on Senate Finance
    33 Merkley OR Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    34 Mikulski MD Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    35 Murray WA Voted for HELP Committee public option
    36 Nelson (Bill) FL Voted for Schumer’s “level playing field” public option on Senate Finance
    37 Reed RI Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    38 Reid NV “I’ve told people, whoever will listen, that I am in favor of the public option.”
    39 Rockefeller WV Voted for Schumer Level Playing Field public option on Senate Finance Committee
    40 Sanders VT Voted for HELP Committee public option
    41 Schumer NY Sponsor of Schumer Amendment
    42 Shaheen NH Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May
    43 Specter PA Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    44 Stabenow MI Voted for Schumer’s level playing field on Senate Finance
    45 Tester MT “We need competition, and if we get a public option that will help Montana. I will support it.”
    46 Udall CO “I support the President’s plan to include the public option as a tool help reform our broken health care system. But above all, any reform must be done in a deficit-neutral way and must provide choice, stability and security for those who have insurance.”
    47 Udall NM Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May
    48 Warner VA “It’s not a make or break thing–he wants to see a health reform bill that contains costs, and if it includes a public option…he would vote for it.”
    49 Webb VA Told the Huffington Post he is open to a public health care option.
    50 Whitehouse RI Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
    51 Wyden OR Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
  • Obama Leads the Way on Lobbyist Transparency

    underwater_borrowers

    Per the Hill, the White House is asking for tougher restrictions on lobbyists just as the President said in the State of the Union speech the other night. Which is a very good thing:

    The Obama administration wants to close a “loophole” in the 1995 Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) that allows individuals to avoid registering as lobbyists if they spend less than 20 percent of their time lobbying.

    Such a proposal could force Washington heavyweights, such as former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), to register as lobbyists.

    Unfortunately, Daschle doesn’t use the “20%” excuse. Rather, he slides under the wire by not communicating requests specifically on behalf of clients:

    Lobbyists, after all, are required to register with Congress and file quarterly reports disclosing their actions on behalf of clients. The South Dakota Democrat, like a growing number of people in his line of work, has made sure he doesn’t have to do that.

    “I’ve not made a call nor made a visit since I left the Senate on behalf of a client. And I don’t have any expectation that I’ll do that in the future,” Daschle told the New York Times recently.

    By claiming that he never picks up the phone on his clients’ behalf, Daschle is not legally obliged to declare himself a lobbyist, even if all his work for those clients falls under the general definition of “lobbying activity.” That means he can keep his clients’ identities and how much they pay him entirely secret.

    How do we know? Because he says so. But Daschle’s a choir boy compared to Newt Gingrich, who is writing legislation along with members of Congress on behalf of his clients. But Newt’s not a registered lobbyist. Neither is Dick Gephardt, who runs a “PR firm.”

    Lobbying isn’t an inherently evil activity. Unfortunately, what often happens is that the rules put in place to limit the influence of lobbyists get used against those like Tom Malinowski, a lobbyist for Human Rights Watch who was denied a job at the White House on that basis. But a waiver was given to William Lynn III, a lobbyist for Raytheon, who got a top deputy job at the Pentagon.

    There have been a rash of lobbyists canceling their registrations after the administration requested they no longer serve on advisory committees, restricted them from lobbying on the stimulus package and issued the executive order limiting their ability to be hired for administration jobs. And because it’s really hard to monitor whether someone spends 20% of their time doing something or not, it’s also difficult to enforce compliance.

    As Craig Holman of Public Citizen notes, the best way to be able to collect that data is to make policymakers disclose who they meet with, something Obama called for in his speech. To his credit, Max Baucus posts his schedule every day, though there is no archive on the site. OpenCongress has an archive of those members of the House and Senate who post their schedules, but because it’s done manually there’s always a lag in reporting.

    If members of Congress and the administration and posted their schedules as well, it would be a lot harder for the Daschles and the Newts to slide under the wire and claim they weren’t “lobbying” when they show up inserting themselves into deliberation on issues that their clients have an interest in.

    A recent report by the IMF showed that there’s a direct correlation between lobbying and the financial crisis. Organizations who spent a lot of money lobbying Congress for weaker lending restrictions went on to practice “horrible underwriting. As shown in the map above, they conclude that many of these firms “did near collapse and needed to be bailed out by taxpayers.”

    Lobbying has had a serious impact on our disfunctional Congress. It’s good to see the President taking the lead on much-needed transparency, because Congress doesn’t want their future gravy train messed with and will fight reform every step of the way.

  • Obama Rips Lobbyists by Night, Invites Them for Private Briefing by Day

    UPDATE: Dave Johnson from Seeing the Forest emails that the Hill article is a mischaracterization of the call:

    I joined two of these calls.  The invite came to me through a progressive organization.  They were not secret.  They were not organized by the Treasury Dept.  There were no “lobbyists” asking questions on the calls unless you consider progressive organizations that are C4s to be “lobbyists”.

    The calls were following up with details on specific issue areas from last night’s speech.  Nothing more.

    I have been very critical of Obama in the past and continue to believe that having Geithner in the Cabinet undermines his Presidency and progressives.  But this story is completely false and is clearly intended to undermine the Obama Administration’s credibility with progressives.

    They just can’t stop themselves:

    After Obama rips lobbyists, K St. insiders get private briefings

    A day after bashing lobbyists, President Barack Obama’s administration has invited K Street insiders to join private briefings on a range of topics addressed in Wednesday’s State of the Union.

    The Treasury Department on Thursday morning invited selected individuals to “a series of conference calls with senior Obama administration officials to discuss key aspects of the State of the Union address.”

    []

    The invitation, which is addressed to “Friends,” emphasizes in bold and italics that “this call is for background information only and not intended for press purposes.” It advises callers to tell the operator “you’re joining the ‘White House Briefing Call.’ ”

    Apparently everyone in the White House learned the wrong lesson from the Massachusetts election. It’s not that the country loves Republicans, it’s that they hate DC insider deal making. You can’t claim that you’ll “end the outsized influence of lobbyists” one night and then give them exclusive access you consciously try to hide from the press the next day, and expect that people will find it credible.

  • Waxman, GOP Make Bipartisan Request for Info from White House on PhRMA Deal

    From the President’s State of the Union speech:

    To close that credibility gap we must take action on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue to end the outsized influence of lobbyists; to do our work openly; and to give our people the government they deserve.

    That’s what I came to Washington to do. That’s why – for the first time in history – my Administration posts our White House visitors online.

    It’s ironic this statement comes on the same day that Henry Waxman’s Energy and Commerce Committee makes a bipartisan request for information meetings that the White House held during May and June of 2009 with PhRMA, the hospitals, the AMA and others when the secret deals memorialized in the Senate bill were cut.

    “There is a legitimate need for transparency regarding health reform,” Mr. Waxman said in statement at a panel meeting on the request.

    The person who was charged with cutting those deals at the White House was Rahm Emanuel. Obama’s White House is run by Rahm Emanuel,” said the NY Times. He proudly runs the [health care] campaign out of his West Wing office.” The Hill refers to him as “one of the principal architects of healthcare reform” who “played a crucial role in striking an accord with the pharmaceutical industry earlier this year.”

    But if you look at the White House visitor logs for those months, there are only 11 meetings listed for Rahm, one of which was with his brother (the agent):

    # Date Name Affiliation
    1 6/30/2009 Stephen Cohen Brookings Institute
    2 6/30/2009 Dennis Rivera SEIU
    John Podesta Center for American Progress
    Kirk Adams SEIU
    Leslie Dach WalMart
    Michele Nawar SEIU
    Judy Feder Center for American Progress
    3 6/25/2009 George Kaiser George Kaiser Family Foundation
    4 6/17/2009 Addison Rand AARP
    Erin Shields Baucus Aide
    Jon Selib Baucus Chief of Staff
    5 Nicholas Malkovitch Baucus Assistant
    6 6/9/2009 Jonathan Lavine Bain Capital
    7 6/1/2009 Lewis Sachs Counselor to the Treasury Secretary
    8 5/28/2009 Lewis Sachs Counselor to the Treasury Secretary
    9 5/27/2009 John Podesta Center for American Progress
    10 5/8/2009 Ari Emanuel Brother
    11 5/9/2009 Jon Huntsman Governor of Utah

    It appears from these limited records that Rahm negotiated the health care bill primarily with unions, think tanks and Hill Staffers. There are no lobbyists listed other than Rahm’s friend Joel Johnson of the Glover Park Group, but the White House later said that meeting never took place. Billy Tauzin, head of PhRMA, apparently visited the White House 11 times. Somehow Rahm, who played a “critical role” in striking the PhRMA deal, is never listed as meeting with him.

    The lack of disclosure regarding Rahm Emanuel’s participation in these deals is merely symptomatic of the problem, however. The White House began releasing full visitor logs starting in September, but has never offered more than selective disclosure about which stakeholders were there during that critical time early in 2009. Moreover, the first visitor logs records released by the White House included more detailed descriptions of meetings (which often showed [REDACTED] content, including a meeting on 11-MAY-09). The current White House visitor records include highly sanitized versions (if any) about the nature of the meetings.

    Why the change to less information rather than more?

    The Obama White House has certainly been better about transparency than Dick Cheney’s black hole, but their commitment seems to be to the idea rather than the spirit of transparency. The whole point of requests for release of the logs was to shine light on deals that have been cut, and yet the White House has adamantly refused to provide any information on them.

    Lack of transparency with regard to deals cut in secret is one of the factors that has made the public mistrust the administration’s health care bill. Release of those records could do much to allay many fears.

  • Victory: Mike Stark Gives 36,000 Signatures of Thanks to Rep. Raul Grijalva

    This morning, PhRMA and AHIP are seeing their sweetheart deals with Rahm Emanuel fizzle. The Senate is in disarray because the House won’t pass their corporate giveaway, and Harry Reid says their bill is going nowhere.

    We won this round. The White House/Baucus bill is DOA.

    But none of this would have been possible had Raul Grijalva not stood his ground and refused to budge when every vote counted. Even when it was considered a fait accompli that the public option was obsolete and the Senate must be obeyed, Grijalva stubbornly refused to go along. He showed leadership throughout, and stood on principle when others were fleeing.

    He knew that the majority of the people in the country did not want to be forced to pay money to the private insurance companies that they hated, and he stuck to his guns. And over time, the common sense populist wisdom of that position prevailed.

    Yesterday, Mike Stark presented him 36,000 signatures that we collected to show support when he was being pilloried as a “monster,” and being told to “to stop making threats, join hands with [his] Democratic brethren, and just get this done” by other progressives.

    Mike spoke to Rep. Grijalva at his office on Capitol Hill:

    GRIJALVA: The Senate bill for many of us is off the table. There’s just too much in it, And I don’t the lack of a public option. As you well said, there’s a lot of giveaways in it to corporate America. And more importantly it does nothing to really deal with the population of people that need health care in this country. So that’s off the table.

    I don’t know what leadership is going to do in terms of demanding that the Senate do a reconciliation vote, and what we’re going to amend that bill with. Or if we’re going to do things in an incremental way. We’re waiting to hear what that decision’s going to be. But as far as for myself and I think others, the Senate bill in its present state is off the table.

    STARK: I think a lot of people have got a newfound respect for progressives that are willing to stand on principle, because it’s been a lot of time since that’s happened. And I know I and a lot of people at Firedoglake Action have you to thank for that. So thank you very much.

    GRIJALVA: Well thank you very much. And thank you for what you’re doing.

    Against all odds, the $1.4 million being spent each day on lobbying failed. Those who insisted that it was unfair to force the country to pay money to private insurance companies without the alternative of a government run program won. We won because of Raul Grijalva’s leadership, and because the public rejected a health care bill that put corporations first and people second.

    Now it’s time to return to the task of passing real health care reform. And this morning in the Houuse, Chellee Pingree and Jared Polis are pushing the Senate to reconsider the public option.

    But that’s only happening because Raul Grijalva stood strong. Please say thanks by donating to his campaign, because you know PhRMA won’t.


  • And the First Nominations are….

    (photo: John Morton)

    (photo: John Morton)

    (Nominations are still open, so if you’d like to nominate your member of Congress for FDL support in the 2010 election, do it here.)

    Yesterday we announced that we’re going to taking nominations for which members of Congress the FDL community wants to help in 2010.

    In the wake of the Massachusetts election, everyone knows Democratic turnout is going to be a huge issue. So just as we did with our “One Voice for Choice” project, we’ll acquire lists of likely Democratic voters in specific districts and then phone bank directly to those households to ID voters and get out the vote. We wound up with over 21,000 voter IDs on the OVFC project, and we want to do the same for Democratic House members that our readers support.

    Here are some of the nominations we’ve received so far. . . :

    Nominator Zip Representative Reason for nomination
    ken 07003 NJ-08 Bill Jr. Pascrell he has been an outspoken proponent of a real public option and real health care reform;as well as many progressive changes
    Jeanette 34705 FL-08 Alan Grayson Because he’s the best damn progressive in the entire US House, he shoves the Republican rhetoric right back at them, and they hate his guts. He’s in for a battle because his district leans R and is has a active tea bagger movement. They WILL show up to vote. Alan will need every Democrat to do the same.
    Madeline 43016 OH-15 Mary Jo Kilroy Profile in Courage: Congreswoman Kilroy voted against Stupak amendment and for health care reform’
    Susan 03894 NH-01 Carol Shea-Porter She supports most progressive causes and will likely face stiff opposition in this conservative cycle.
    Bill 48821 MI-07 Mark H. Schauer he has consistently voted for obama’s programs even oposing stupaks ammendment and standing up for womens rights. even though he had pushed out a religious right wing republican and has been targeted for removal by the right wing groups. lets help him stay in office.
    Jamie 01602 MA-03 James P. McGovern McGovern has held consistent progressive positions on pretty much every issue. He, for instance, called for exit plan in Afghanistan and voted against the war supplemental.Having spoken with him, it seems that what he needs is consistent support and spine-strengthening from progressives. He said, for instance, on the cap and trade bill that all he heard was conservative criticism about taxes but essentially nothing from either supporters of the bill or from progressives calling for the bill to be stronger.

    The local media is conservative, so it is imperative to have other channels such as FDL support to get the word out.

    He is also in a very dangerous district. In the recent senate campaign, most of McGovern’s district–exurbs outside of Worcester turned out strongly and heavily for Scott Brown.

    Nancy 32801 FL-08 Alan Grayson Alan speaks up for what is right. He is in nobody’s pocket. We need more Reps like him. He has made me very proud and I would vote for him again in a heart beat. He has proved to be someone to be reckoned with and that’s why Repubs are after his seat.
    Stephanie 32803 FL-08 Alan Grayson Compare Alan Grayson to Suzanne Kosmas (neighboring districts & similar constituency) & you will walk away questioning which side Kosmas is on. But you will never question which side Grayson is on–the people’s. Every issue he has taken up & has gone full force for the progressives. Other than Obama, Alan Grayson was the first time I voted for a candidate I believed in who actually got elected–and unlike Obama, he has held tight to his promises. In fact, he has held to his promises so well that he will indeed be a HUGE target for the GOP & all of their huge conglomerate businesses–especially with the SCOTUS decision. He has taught Central Florida that politicians CAN stand up for whats right & scream it from the mountaintop! What a shame it would be for him to lose office because Disney, Darden, Publix, Chamber of Commerce & the like spends bazillions on getting him out. We need to fight like mad to keep Grayson where he should be, and FDL needs to help in that fight.
    Jan 24590 VA-05 Thomas S. P. Perriello He’s been good, holding town halls, asking for our opinion on issues and is very much in touch with his constituents. He is a thousand times better than Virgil Goode ever was; he deserves to be re elected.
    Jackie 45152 OH-01 Steve Driehaus Okay, since I couldn’t nominate the challenger in OH-02, I suggested Driehaus, who is a good guy and who’s going to run smack into Chabot’s well-funded machine. Consider also David Krikorian running against Mean Jean Schmidt in OH-02. He ran as an independent in 2008 and got the highest vote percentage of any independent in the nation (18%). Now he’s come home to his Democratic party roots and is clearly in a strong position to send Jean out of office. He’s a thoughtful, articulate person–and while I find he’s a little to the right of me, it’s not in a troubling, Blue Doggish way. He is not taking any PAC money and hates the influence of big money in politics. Krikorian is definitely worth our consideration.
    richard 86315 AZ-01 Ann Kirkpatrick Ann, won when previous office holder Renzi, found himself under investigation. Ann sits in a strong republican district and I would like to think she could do it again.
    michael 33647 FL-08 Alan Grayson he is a real liberal progressive and a major supporter of the public option. He is in a toss-up district, so he faces a tough re-election. He is someone who should remain in congress to fight for progressive values, but he needs money to win his re-election. Out of all the dems in florida, he is the most at risk of losing his seat. I think that only one other dem held district is close; the rest are safe.
    Frank 78704 TX-25 Lloyd Doggett Congressman Lloyd Doggett has been reliable supporter of progressive causes throughout his political career.
    1519 FL-08 Alan Grayson He rocks! And he’s not afraid to call a spade a spade. Or a war criminal a war criminal.
    Todd 90046 CA-12 Jackie Speier Came out against Senate bill.
    62012 OH-10 Dennis J. Kucinich His record.
    Brian 98177 WA-01 Jay Inslee He’s strong on the environment
    48374 MI-09 Gary C. Peters He unseated a Republican in 2008, and has been very vocal in support of working people, especially in Michigan where we are hurting. He is fighting and is being targeted by the Republicans in 2010. Help Gary Peters!
    joe and mary 95612 CA-01 Mike Thompson the most progressive blue dog we have
    Nance 97030 OR-03 Earl Blumenauer Rep. Blumenauer is great on all the issues.
    John 75216 TX-30 Eddie Bernice Johnson Eddie Bernice is a charter member of both the Black caucus and the Progressive caucus. What’s more, she’s easy to support because she regularly gets above 90% of the vote. Most of the time, the R’s don’t even run a serious candidate against her.
    Balaji 10004 NY-08 Jerrold Nadler A true progressive voice – voted against the Patriot Act in 2001
    Madelyn 95060 CA-17 Sam Farr Sam is a standup guy, who supports the progressive values of his district on a variety of issues: healthcare reform, reproductive rights, immigration, and labor. Keep him in office, please!
    Randolph 98107 WA-07 Jim McDermott A long-time progressive, good on many issues in many ways. *And* his office answers their e-mail.
    Clark 14830 NY-29 Eric J. J. Massa Eric voted against the bank bail-out, supported the stimulus bill, is for a single payer health system, voted against the house bill and locally is making sure natural gas drilling in our district does not pollute our water. He is an independent thinker and voter,supporting the people.
    Ray 94704 CA-09 Barbara Lee From her fight against the Iraq War and strong stand on the public option, Rep Lee is the only CONSISTENT progressive. While I nominate her, I seriously doubt she will ever be seriously challenged in this district. However, she needs to be recognized for her progressive stands.
    ben 91934 CA-51 Bob Filner Consistently progressive winner in a “conservative”, Hispanic district. Good on gay issues, good on veterans issues too. Has his people at every event in his district. A real worker.
    Steve 14830 NY-29 Eric J. Massa I live in NY-29 and Eric Massa is the real deal. He’s always cuts through the crap and calls it how it is. He’s also continually gone after the tea baggers on television and in a continual schedule of townhall meetings all over our district.
    Stephen 88005 NM-01 Martin Heinrich Despite his freshman status in a former Republican held district, Martin Heinrich has been a leading outspoken progressive reformer. He has fought for real reform, when holding his head down and raising funds from big donors might have seemed the prudent politically wise thing to do. Martin Heinrich is bringing real progressive leadership to a Congress that badly needs it. He deserves our support!
    Bryan 46208 IN-07 André Carson Is the only progressive-friendly member of Congress in the 16th largest state
    James 94546 CA-09 Barbara Lee One of the only real progressives in the present party.
    Barbara 12490 NY-22 Maurice D. Hinchey Maurice Hinchey has consistently supported progressive causes in Congress and has been outspoken against the wars and in his condemnations of the many crimes of the Bushies.
    He has been vilified by the right-wing wackos and they are mounting a campaign to defeat him in November. He could use our help. Thanks.
    Nancy 34788 FL-08 Alan Grayson Congressman Grayson speaks from the heart, not from a staff-scripted speech. He has no illusions that his frankness may cost him his seat. He will pass healthcare reform simply to save lives!
    L. Maya 12498 NY-22 Maurice D. Hinchey i believe maurice hinchey has been a solid liberal throughout his long career.i have spoken w/ him privately about liberal-progressive issues & he has illuminated me about why & how he does what he does on certain issues. as a result, i trust that he is always trying to do the best he can to promote liberal causes & operates with integrity.

    Some nominations didn’t qualify because they weren’t made by people in the district. You have to live IN THE DISTRICT to nominate your member.

    Nominations close at midnight tonight, so if you’d like to nominate your member (or steer someone who lives in their district to nominate theirs), please do it by then.

    Nominate your member of Congress for the FDL 2010 election support program.