REPUBLICROOK TOM NOE FINALLY PLEADS GUILTY

When I started DWT exactly one year ago I had two especially egregious Republicrooks in my sites: Randy "Duke" Cunningham, formerly an extreme right-wing Congressman from San Diego's northern suburbs, currently serving an 8 year, 4 month term in a federal prison for bribery, and Thomas Noe, a kingpin of the Ohio Republican Party. Just hours ago, Noe-- after screaming about his innocence (like all the Republicrooks always do, from Tom DeLay to Robert Ney to Ken Lay) for a year-- plead guilty. According the the TOLEDO BLADE "Former GOP fund-raiser Tom Noe admitted today that he used politicians, former aides to Gov. Bob Taft, coworkers, and friends to illegally pour thousands of dollars into the effort to reelect President Bush."

Actually, it's even more exciting than just that. Noe, a Republican Party County Chairman, had been Mr. GOP power broker in NW Ohio for many years. There isn't an important Republican office holder in a state-- where ALL the important office holders are Republicans-- who isn't beholden to Noe, from Governor Taft, Secretary of State Blackwell, ex-Governor/now Senator Voinovich, Attorney General Petro, State Auditor Montgomery, right up to 5 of the 7 Supreme Court judges. And in a state with virtual one-party rule (and with a Secretary of State who has been clearly shown to be a manipulator of vote counting), there were no checks and no balances. Even if you didn't follow the Enron case too closely, you must be aware how many millions of dollars were lost (read: "STOLEN") from employees' retirement funds (that is, from the voluntary private accounts the employees had). In this case, the Republican office holders-- the ones with the legal fiduciary responsibility for protecting the money collected from taxpayers, the ones with no checks and no balances-- decided to "invest" MILLIONS of dollars from the Ohio Workers' Compensation Bureau into a highly speculative fund, which buys and sells rare coins, run by the GOP Chairman of Lucas County, Thomas Noe. No other state invests public money in something this risky but the most charitable thing I've heard about this "strategy" is that its safer than taking the money to a riverboat gambling operation.

While Noe was funneling HUGE sums of money into the Bush/Cheney campaign and into the campaigns of Governor Taft, Secretary of State Blackwell, Senators Voinovich and DeWine, Attorney General Petro, State Auditor Montgomery, a gaggle of Republican congressmen and state legislators, and 5 of the 7 Ohio Supreme Court judges, as much as 20% of the investment was "lost" (again, read: "stolen"). We're not talking about the values decreasing; we're talking about the coins being PHYSICALLY lost ("stolen").

At one point Noe had publically threatened to "take down" the whole Ohio Republican Party with him, but, apparently, some kind of a deal has been made and he hasn't taken down anyone.

His plea was guilty on all 3 felony charges against him. No date has been set for sentencing yet anbd the maximum would be 15 years. Being white, rich and Republican it is more likely that he'll get 2 years and then get pardoned by Bush, who he helped steal the Ohio 2004 election. And the crooked Secretary of State who worked on all this stuff with Noe? He's the GOP candidate for Governor.


THURSDAY UPDATE: STATE CHARGES STILL PENDING

Turns out Noe's guilty plea yesterday was only for the federal charges of "illegally funneling money to George W. Bush's 2004 reelection campaign." According to today's NY TIMES the prosecutors' recommendation that Noe serve between 24 and 30 months in prison will be held in abeyance until after the state trial for stealing the millions of dollars from the Ohio worker compensation fund. Noe has already pleaded not guilty to those (far more serious) charges. And those are the charges that could lead to unpleasant consequences for Ohio's Republican Party office holders, most-- not many, most-- of whom were part of Noe's scheme to defraud Ohio workers with a massive transfer of funds from their compensation fund to GOP party coffers (and pockets). There are 53 charges pending in the state case. Three Noe recipients in the biggest trouble right now are Senator Mike DeWine, Congressman Bob Ney and Secretary of State Ken Blackwell.

DIXIE CHICKS DIDN'T BACK DOWN, DIDN'T MAKE NICE-- DEBUTED AT #1 THIS WEEK

The Dixie Chicks aggressively promoted their new album, TAKING THE LONG WAY, by reminding people-- not papering over the "problem"-- how they feel about Bush's catastrophic war against Iraq. It was a strategy fraught with danger, at least from a commercial perspective. Until last week, the only song most people could hear was "Not Ready to Make Nice," which made it clear that they weren't backing down from a position that some conservative radio stations cited as a reason to ban their music. The "strategy" has worked well for the Dixie Chicks-- really well.

Only one album a week can be #1 and this week TAKING THE LONG WAY debuted as the #1 album in the U.S. Now, the Dixie Chicks have had #1 albums before, of course, but this is the first time ever that a female group has had 3 albums debut as #1. They sold (over the counter) more than 500,000 album, which means it is also gold already, right out of the box. And, predictably, foreign sales are also excellent.

My guess is that most people who bought the Dixie Chicks new album bought it because they love their music. But it's hard to imagine that anyone bought it unaware of the controversy swirling around the band, particularly since they publicly withdrew their polite, pro forma apology to Bush, issued at the height of their last crisis with him. Between the cover of TIME Magazine and the segment on 60 MINUTES, everyone knew they were standly their ground-- loudly. And if someone still doesn't know how they feel about Bush and his policies, tonight the band will sit down for an in-depth interview with Larry King on CNN.

Meanwhile music fans-- regardless of politics-- are going bonkers over the songs and reviews have been superb. "This is an album that has something for everyone," opined THE NY TIMES, "old fans who thought the Dixie Chicks were at their finest in their fancy-free early days as well as recent admirers who are eager to see the band push beyond the confines of country." Tickets for the band's tour, which starts on July 21 in Detroit, go on sale next week (June 3).

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN NEW HAMPSHIRE? ARE THEY TRYING TO BEAT CALIFORNIA & TEXAS IN THE GOP CORRUPTION GAME?

I don't know how many people are aware that the White House and the New Hampshire Republican Party conspired-- successfully-- to steal a senate seat for John Sununu (currently a loyal Bush rubber stamp in the U.S. Senate, consistently voting against his constituents' best interests to further the far right/Big Business agenda. But if you're a regular DWT reader, you've known since last Augustabout how Republican party operatives were caught in the act and about the trials that have ensued.

And although the mass media has tended to protect Ken Mehlman and Karl Rove, some of the local Republican operatives were found guilty of various crimes that amounted to a systematic attempt to subvert democracy in New Hampshire and guarantee the election of an extreme right wing senator, and were sentenced to prison. Some are still in prison. But one has gotten out. And he's rehabilitated and back to work. Well... he's back to work. Sunday, the WASHINGTON POST ran a heart-warming storm-- well, heart-chilling if you're a Democrat running for office-- that Republican jail-bird
Chuck McGee, the former executive director of the New Hampshire Republican Party, and "a major figure in the Election Day phone-jamming scandal that embarrassed and nearly bankrupted the New Hampshire GOP is out of prison and back in the political game... He's back at his old job with a Republican political marketing firm, Spectrum Monthly & Printing Inc., and will be helping out at the firm's 'GOP campaign school' for candidates."

Reminds me of when Denny Hastert appointed Bob Ney to teach ethics to Republican freshmen. (I know you think I'm making that up-- I mean even Hastert wouldn't dare-- but I'm not; look. I don't know if it's a contemptuous sense of humor, cluelessness or just plain old hubris.)

Anyway, sorry for the tangent; back to New Hampshire. Richard Pease, one of the presidents of Spectrum, said ole Chuckie, now a Spectrum VP "would be available to advise candidates at the two-day event, planned for next weekend in Manchester. McGee's role at the school was reported Thursday by the New Hampshire Union Leader. 'Chuck will work with the candidates in any way they want... If they want his advice, if they want his . . . experience, it's there for them to take or leave.'"

Pease reassured the interviewer that Chuckie is "certainly not going to be standing there and advocating breaking the law," although McGee refuses to comment about what his role will be. "In court, McGee acknowledged that the phone-jamming of get-out-the-vote drives by Democrats and organized labor was his idea, inspired by a lesson he learned in the Marine Corps: cut off your opponent's communications. The calls had the desired effect for two hours the morning of Election Day, but then the scheme began to unravel. Two other people have been sentenced to prison in the phone jamming."

Sununu won't have to face voters again for 4 years. In the meantime Granite State voters can show rubber-stamp Republicans what they think of election theft by defeating Bush's and DeLay's two New Hampshire allies, Jeb Bradley and Charlie Bass. Democrats in NH-01 will choose their standard bearer on September 12 (Carol Shea-Porter looks like the progressive in the primary race). But in NH-02 Democrats and Independents have put aside all differences to rally around Paul Hodes in the hope of sending Bass into retirement. Hodes is on the DWT ACT BLUE Page and if you want to help send the GOP a message about stealing elections, a clean sweep in New Hampshire is both do-able and a great idea.


3 PM UPDATE: WHO KNEW WHAT-- AND WHEN?

Today Paul Kiel at IN THESE TIMES asks "How high did the Republicans’ New Hampshire phone scheme reach?" Well, definitely to Jim Tobin, then regional director for both the RNC (Republican National Committee) and the RNSC (Republican National Senatorial Committee), now another convicted Republicrook hoping to avoid prison time. But there is also plenty of evidence that Tobin was getting his orders directly from the White House and that someone had directed Jack Abramoff to help fund the little operation to the tune of $15,000. Good investment for the bad guys. Sununu has given them their money's worth-- and much, much more.

If I show I can write something as dopey as a Nino Scalia legal opinion, can I not have to go back to that [expletive deleted] job in the morning?

It's entirely a coincidence that on one and the same day:

(a) the new Roberts Court did a dry run of the reign of legal terror the new majority has in store for us with that no-free-speech-for-gummint-drones case, and

(b) I had just this really, really sucky day at work. I mean,the kind of day where all you want to do is tell those [expletive deleted]s what to do with their suckilaciously [expletive deleted] job.

Like I say, it's just a coincidence. But it's the kind of coincidence that makes you think. Makes you think, for example, "Like, man, how the [expletive deleted] do you get one of those [expletive deleted] jobs like Supreme Court justice?" As far as I can see, there isn't even, like, a test you have to take.

Oh, I remember when Justice Antonin Scalia was invented. Great legal mind. That's all you heard—great legal mind. Greatest legal mind since, I don't know, Perry Mason, "Bullet Bob" Bork, one of them guys.

Really, now, have you read any of these guy's legal opinions? Do I have to say any more? I could say plenty, but it would just lead to a free flow of expletives, and a possibly dangerous elevation of my blood pressure.

Whereas the people I work with, and especially for. Jeez, why don't you try it, why dontcha? I fantasize like a Twilight Zone episode where I wish them all dead and suddenly they all die, and it seems as if I ought to feel bad—only I don't.

But it's not just Supreme Court justices. What about all those Republicrooks who treat taxpayer-paid salaries as mere "walking-around money" while they busy themselves stealing every dollar they can get their sticky hands on? Not to mention all those free trips. Do you have any idea how long it's been since I took a trip?

I've also been thinking about think tanks. What's the [expletive deleted] deal with [expletive deleted]-in think tanks? I've got to ask, how the [expletive delted] does a person get one of those gigs? Like I keep wondering, do you suppose anybody has calculated how many right-wing rich guys' zillions were funneled through think tanks into the pockets of the neocon geniuses who cooked up the invasion of Iraq?

I'm here to tell you that I can think rings around those bozos. Not to mention that I would do it for a price that all those professional thinkers would consider too insignificant to be worth stooping to pick up. As a matter of fact, I figure that if I just cashed the check—however insultingly small—and did nothing but play computer solitaire and tetris all day, wouldn't I be making a considerably more worthwhile contribution to society?

Now, I don't know if it's customary to offer, like, ideas on spec for prospective think-tank "work." But I'm prepared to give one up for nothing, just to show how serious I am about this. (Serious, anyway, about not having to go back to that [expletive deleted] place tomorrow morning.)

OK, here it is: an American version of the British TV series Murder Prevention Unit. I haven't gotten to casting yet. I figure for that I should wait for the first check, and I mean waiting for it to clear. This is an idea, I'm telling you, that is better than the invasion of Iraq.

Alternatively, let's say I do go back to my [expletive deleted] job in the morning, and let's say when I get there, they're all dead. I don't think I'll feel bad. Sure, I'll have to make the coffee, but don't I usually? I pour myself that last yucky cup from the bottom of the pot and then put on a fresh pot that is of course drunk down to the bottom by the time I get back to drink from it.

The thing is, though, if by chance they are all dead, in case anybody should happen to ask, you'll tell them I was here with you all this time, right?

But won't Sen. Doctorbill Frist's chilly heart be warmed to learn that gay people just wanna be Beltway insiders—just like regular folks?

A footnote to Howie's rant (below) regarding the HRC's endorsement of Sen. Joe "Some of My Best Friends Are Gay" Lieberman:

I'm so far out of the alphabet-soup loop that in reading this apparently well-deserved ringing denunciation of HRC, I had to follow one of the links to find out what the heck HRC is. Or, at any rate, what it was before it turned into what it has become.

I just want to suggest another way of looking at the evolution of HRC. You could take it as a heart-warming tale of the mainstreaming of gay folks, who turn out to be just like "normal" people—just lookin' to carve out a little p'litical turf o' our own to call home (and shoot any goddamn trespassers).

Surely this will warm the heart of patriots like Sen. Doctorbill Frist, who I hear went on the TV this weekend to announce that the two absolutely most critical issues facing the U.S. today are:

(1) flag desecration, and

(2) the attack on the institution of marriage from same-sexers who (shudder!) wanna get married

Just think, once the senator comes to realize that gay people are just like normal people, wanting nothing more than to be cozy Beltway "insiders," he'll be free to take a few minutes to pause and ponder whether there aren't any other problems confronting the country at this particular moment which might be worthy of his attention.

If he really can't think of anything, not anything at all of possible current concern to Americans, perhaps he can use the rest of his allotted pausing-and-pondering time to contemplate some of the more extreme damage done to the institution of marriage by straight people. By, for example, and just to pick a random example, God-fearin' and God-spewin' wife-beaters and kiddie-bashers (who are not to be confused—oh, exceptin' sometimes—with God-fearin' and God-spewin' kiddie-molesters.)


THURSDAY UPDATE: I'm AFRAID DOCTORBILL HAS MORE ON HIS MIND THAN BURNING FLAGS AND GAY WEDDINGS TODAY. THE FEC JUST FOUND HIM GUILTY

Poor DoctorBill-- well actually he has somehow managed to make himself a billionaire while serving in the Senate-- just when he was getting ready to mount a full frontal attack on America's 2 biggest problems: gays marrying each other and someone burning American flags, the damned Federal Election Commission finds him guilty of one of the cases pending against him. This case, brought against Frist by the nonpartisan Citizens For Responsibility in Washington (CREW)-- the same folks who filed against the DLC's William Jefferson-- alleged (and have now been backed up by the FEC) that "Frist 2000, Inc. failed to disclose a $1.44 million loan taken out jointly by Frist 2000, Inc. and by Frist's 1994 campaign committee, Bill Frist for Senate, Inc. The result of the discrepancy was to make it appear that Frist 2000, Inc. had significantly more money that it actually had." Frist was fined $11,000.

HRC ENDORSES THE DUPLICITOUS MAN

Because I was lucky enough to have had something of a reputation as an enlightened corporate leader for several years, my mantle is filled with awards from progressive public advocacy groups like the ACLU, GLAAD, People For the American Way and HRC. Actually my mantle used to have an HRC award on it. But a little over a week ago, just as the National Organization For Women (NOW), DFA and MoveOn.org were bravely stepping forward to say they would no longer support Democrats who have taken their constituencies for granted and have voted in support of bigoted nominees and who have consistently sent mixed signals on hate-issues-- two glaring problems between Lieberman and the GLBT community-- HRC endorsed Lieberman over clear, enlightened, unambiguously progressive and pro-gay Ned Lamont. So I took the award down and put it in a box where no one-- including, or especially, myself-- will see it.

In 1997 I had been so proud to accept HRC's Leadership Equality Award "for outstanding corporate leadership and dedication to the gay and lesbian community." My mother and my grandmother were kvelling and my boss, the Chairman of Warner Bros, was beaming at my side when I went up to make my speech. Last week I thought about calling friends and family over and having a smashing-up ceremony but I decided to just wait and see if HRC changes and gravitates more towards their roots as real agents for change and leaves the severely compromised kiss-up politics that pervades the sick, sick system Inside the Beltway to others. I'm not overly optimistic. HRC's fancy new 8-story building symbolizes their institutional self-perpetuating role inside that insider game.

When I was in Washington a few weeks ago, visiting friends at another progressive civic group, someone there asked me why HRC had donated money to right-wing Republican Joe Schwarz' re-election campaign in MI-07. The Club for Growth and other extremist hate groups have fielded a lunatic to run against Schwarz but Schwarz' record on GLBT issues is clear and unambiguous: anti, anti, anti. No doubt his opponent is worse, but Schwarz' score of GLBT issues is zero so no matter how much worse his opponent is... well there's nothing below zero. And looking at the "featured HRC endorsees" on their website was pretty sad. It includes 2 of the most reactionary Democrats being shoved down progressives' throats: Melissa Bean in Illinois and Bob Casey in Pennsylvania. (Among the not featured endorsees is Congress' most outstanding and tenacious fighter for GLBT rights, openly gay Wisconsin congresswoman/heroine Tammy Baldwin. What the hell is wrong with HRC?)

Hugh Baran is disappointed but he isn't surprised that HRC endorsed the duplicitous Lieberman, who has consistently failed to support gay marriage equality.

Ultimately, what HRC values is access to power, and its money certainly does provide it with access. Consistent support of an incumbent like Lieberman, especially when he is facing a tough race, is certainly a way, if he is elected, to help maintain that access. But HRC is never going to lose its access or influence by not supporting people like Lieberman. It would only stand to gain by withholding support in the race, or by coming out strongly for Lamont. HRC already has access, but what good has it been, when the situation of LGBT Americans has for the past decade remained little changed?

The only way the LGBT community is going to win equality is if we build up not our access, but our real political power. If we are unwilling to demand that candidates take the best stands on our issues-- especially when it is completely politically possible, as it is in Connecticut-- then how will we ever build a pro-marriage, pro-equality majority in either house of Congress? I'm not even saying that the HRC had to endorse Lamont (though that would have certainly been nice). But in such a high-profile contest, on the same day that NOW is willing to take a stand not only for women but for queers too (because they, unlike HRC, understand that the feminist and queer struggles are inextricably bound up with one another), why does HRC feel the need to use its (unearned) position as the leading LGBT advocacy group to undercut them that same day? There was no need for HRC to endorse in this race, and in doing so they continue to undermine the fight for LGBT equality in this country both by acting against their interests and by alienating key progressive allies gay and straight.

Lieberman does his best to come across as an aww shucks, folksy type. It masks a slick power-player and, as I remarked above, a duplicitous nature. Many of us watched with dismay earlier this year as Lieberman used one of his slimiest tactics to help Bush get uber-reactionary Sam Alito confirmed in the Senate. Although Lieberman brags now-- defensively-- that he voted "no" on Alito, he didn't cast that no vote until he had done what was necessary to make sure Alito would indeed get confirmed. The only chance progressives had to defeat Alito would have been a defeat of the Republicans' cloture motion to shut off debate. Knowing full well that that was the vote that mattered, Lieberman voted with Bush and the Republicans and against the Democrats. He does it frequently-- especially when it really matters, like when he helped make sure Clarence Thomas was confirmed with the same exact tactic. And of course, Lieberman protected his Big Business campaign contributors by doing the same thing when the bankruptcy bill came up. He voted to cut off debate, knowing that would doom any chance of stopping the bill-- and making it safe for him to vote against it so he could ingenuously tell his liberal and moderate CT constituents that he voted the way they wanted him to-- against Bush's horrific bankruptcy bill (as well as against Thomas and against Alito). And of course, what the slippery snake is really voting against are his constituents' interests.

A few months ago I mentioned here how Lieberman has been running around wringing his hands about how some of his best friends are gay. (Yes, he really said that-- to editors of a local CT newspaper.) When he voted for the hateful and treacherously-named Defense of Marriage Act, HRC was led by a stronger and more forthright executive director than it is now. Elizabeth Birch minced no words about why DOMA was a hateful, gay-bashing piece of legislation. "The Human Rights Campaign is appalled over the passage of the Defense of Marriage Act... Denying lesbians and gay men equal marriage rights will not stand. HRC vows to continue to fight this legislatively and in our country's courts of law and public opinion." Maybe someone should explain that to the new executive director and also explain to him why, when a politician tells a newspaper that "homosexuality is wrong," its a clear indication that, although he may court gay voters, he is unlikely to be sympathetic to a gay perspective on life and death issues to the gay community.

STEPHEN COLBERT HAS A STROM THURMOND STORY AND SO DO I

Today's NY POST has a cute paragraph about how ex-South Carolinian Stephen Colbert once voted for Strom Thurmond ("excellent constituent services"). I don't know if it's true or a joke but it reminded me that I once had a Strom Thurmond experience too.

It happened in the mid-60s. I was stoned the whole time until 1969 so forgive a couple of imprecisions here and there. I was Chairman of the Student Activities Board at Stony Brook on Long Island. I wandered into my faculty advisor's office, dear Miss Couey, who was very sweet but did work for a dean who hated my bearded, longhaired, pot-smoking dealing self. Her job was to keep me as under control as was humanly possible. (I had already been expelled from the dorms for being a bad influence.) Anyway, I turned up at Miss Couey's to let her know I had booked a radical young Georgia African American who had just been elected to the state legislature, to speak at Stony Brook. It was Julian Bond, the head of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and white folks used to think the "non" before "violent" was just a ploy.

"Howie, don't you think it would be a more interesting program if it were balanced?"

Ughh... I saw where she was going. I had no interest whatsoever in balance. "Are you telling me, you want me to get the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan to speak as well?"

We had such a nice relationship. She asked me to please find someone appropriate. I couldn't find a number for anyone from the KKK but I came close enough. I found a Senator Strom Thurmond, a former Democrat who bolted the party when they finally started to abandon apartheid, who then ran for President (of the United States) on the Dixiecrat Party and eventually found a more than comfortable home at the new racist party, the party of Abraham Lincoln. I agreed to pay Thurmond $5,000, just like I was paying Julian Bond.

About a week before the event I was higher than usual and I had a flash of an idea. I called the senator's office and explained to his aide that we were a poor state university and that the budget was cut drastically-- something they would heartily approve of, of course-- and that I was forced to have to beg the senator to speak for a paltry $2,500. The aide agreed, making me think I should have offered $1,500 but I let it slide. Then I called Julian Bond and told him there had been a mistake in the contract and that I'd have to pay him $7,500. He agreed.

The day of the event I asked one of my closest friends-- a kind of Perle Mesta of the Student Activities Board, the chairman of the hospitality committee, the gayest person I had ever met at the time-- to please meet Senator Thurmond at the station and take him to dinner where he could meet lots of students. I suggested a pizzeria a short walk from the campus and asked Perle not to spend over $10. I then went to the waiting stretch limousine and had the chauffeur drive me to meet Julian Bond. We went to the fanciest, most exclusive restaurant on the North Shore of Long Island. All the waiters were African-Americans. All the dinners were white. I may have been the only Jew eating there but we soon found out that Julian was the only African-American who had ever eaten there. As we were leaving two elderly waiters approached us in the parking lot to thank us for doing something that they never thought they would ever see-- eating in their restaurant (which was like 55 miles from Manhattan). I still tear up whenever I tell the story. (And a few days ago Julian was nominated to be on the Board of Directors of a Civil Liberties Board I'm on. I got to second the motion.)

We drove back to campus. Julian Spoke first. He fired up the audience. When he was finished 1,200 people walked out, including me. Could it have been spontaneous? Things like that happened in those days. Perle and Miss Couey and a couple dozen weird people had Strom all to themselves. I never did meet him. I loved sending the check to his office though.

FRANCINE BUSBY, ONE WEEK AND ONE DAY-- RACE FAR FROM OVER

A devoted DWT reader made a great offer today. He wants to put up a grand worth of matching money at the ACT BLUE Page. So we got into a little discussion about which candidates he wants to do it for. The first thing he said was something like "I love Busby too but she's got her race in the bag so let's direct the money towards candidates who really need it."

Well, I'm sure Karl Rove would love that kind of talk-- and thought. Francine's poll numbers and trends look good and her money flow is decent. But it's a solidly Republican district and even though Bilbray is a corrupt lobbyist and is seen by many in the district as a potential Cunningham, the GOP is dumping unprecedented money into a well-coordinated smear campaign against her. Rove isn't called the lowest lowlife in the history of American politics for nothing. This is totally not the time to give up on Francine's campaign. A week from tomorrow people go to the polls. And then she has to do it all over again-- albeit as an incumbent-- 5 months later!

Meanwhile the story circulating from U.S. News & World Report today, could be good news or could be a plant. Steady, unblinking, eyes-on-the-prize extra effort is what's called for now, not slacking off. If the report-- that the Repugs are crapping their pants-- is true, fine. But so what? This race will be won when the last recounted vote is counted and the last dirty trick is countered.

This stuff shouldn't effect what anyone inside or outside the campaign has been planning. The Republicans will stop at nothing to derail Francine. This is the time to redouble efforts. If you can afford it... you know the drill. And if this kind of stuff titillates you, enjoy:

Staffers from the National Republican Congressional Committee are quietly telling GOP House members to prepare for a possible loss in the June 6 special election to fill the seat of Randy "Duke" Cunningham, now in prison for taking bribes. The Southern California district is heavily Republican, but some GOP insiders believe that Democrat Francine Busby will defeat former GOP Rep. Brian Bilbray and go on to win a full term in November. More alarming some worry that a Bilbray defeat could signal the GOP's loss of control of the House. The NRCC has already pumped $3.1 million into the race. "It is becoming more and more likely," says one GOP strategist, "that Bilbray will squeak out a victory." But another longtime Republican operative isn't so sure. "This is a district we should never lose," he says. "It's the stink of Cunningham, and the Bush problem."

Oh, you mean Cheney's visit to the district didn't sweeten the smell and rally the troops? His mindboggling approval rating didn't rub off on Bilbray? Or maybe it did.

WHO IS THE MOST EXTREME RIGHT WING CONGRESSMAN IN CA-- AND WHAT IS THE DEMOCRATIC STRATEGY TO DEFEAT HIM?

CA-42 is a district of suburban sprawl snaking down from Chino, Diamond Bar and Rowland Heights through Brea and Yorba Linda to Mission Viejo. It has the highest percentage of married people in the entire state and it is very white bread (although 40% of the people living there are Hispanic and Asian). In 2004 Bush carried the 42nd with 62%. The district is so hopelessly conservative that no Democrat bothered to even file to run against extreme right-wing nutcase, Gary Miller, who has one of the 10 most far right voting records in the entire Congress, more extreme than Tom DeLay or Roy Blunt and more extreme than any of the California Republican dead-enders like Richard Pombo, John Doolittle, Duncan Hunter, Jerry Lewis, although, like them, he is a crooked self-server who uses his congressional power to enrich himself at the public's expense. The only times Miller is not busy being a Bush rubber stamp is when Bush's (and DeLay's) positions aren't steeped in a high enough degree of sheer Wingnutery for him. Hate to see a kook like this get off without even having to defend his pro-war, pro-Big Business, anti-environment, anti-choice, anti-gay, anti-Labor, anti-education, anti-health care, anti-human positions?

The good news: a full-fledged progressive, a citizen-patriot, Mark Hull-Richter is running as a write-in candidate. A former Dennis Kucinich volunteer, Mark is campaigning on the kinds of themes you would expect from an enlightened progressive: supporting our troops by bringing them home from Iraq, reigning in the run-away presidency, putting an end to the culture of corruption in DC, restoring a sense of power balance between Big Business and common citizens, protecting civil rights and civil liberties for all Americans.

Mark needs 2,461 write-in votes next Tuesday to qualify to run against Miller. Do you know anyone in the district? The congressman before Miller, another right-wing crook, Jay Kim, who was convicted of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, was punished by voters for his unethical behavior (although I think he was still serving in Congress while under house arrest). Perhaps the conservative voters in the district won't wait for Miller to be hauled off to prison before ridding the Congress of his sorry ass. But you can't defeat someone with no one and Mark Hull-Richter is the best hope-- and only hope.


MONDAY MORNING UPDATE: WHO EXACTLY IS MARK HULL-RICHTER?

Jonathan Singer over at MyDD spent some time on the phone with Mark. He's got all the information you need to see why getting rid of California's most extremist wingnut in Congress could have a very positive effect beyond just extinguishing the political career of another far right loon.

BEWARE FAKE VOTER GUIDES-- AND THE FAKE CANDIDATES WHO PAY FOR THEM

I want to tell the mailman to dump all those slate mailers I've been getting in the mail everyday directly into the garbage. He won't though. I bet you get them too, right? I don't want to make a blanket statement and say every single one of those slate mailers is a bought-and-paid for fake that is a for-profit scheme meant to deceive you because maybe one or two aren't. Most are though.

I'm going to talk about California because I live here. But I have a feeling the same is true no matter what state you live in. Do you remember last year when the big pharaceutical corporations were trying to confuse voters into endorsing their anti-consumer Pop 79? They purchased the "endorsement" of a few dozen completely bogus operations disguised as legitimate organizations. Among the cards you probably got in the mail at least some were from civic-sounding organizations like P.O.W.E.R., GeM Communications Group, Citizens for Representative Government, Valley Taxpayers Coalition, Family Faith and Freedom Association, Voter Information Guide, Democratic Voters Choice, Team California, Citizens for Good Government, Non-Partisan Candidate Evaluation Council, CRA Voter Guide, United Democratic Campaign Committee, Continuing the Republican Revolution, Save Prop 13, The Council of Concerned Women Voters, Coalition for Senior Citizens Security, Our Voice Latino Voter Guide, Voter Education and Registration Action, ADF Networking Consultancy, Team California, Your Ballot Guide, Californians for Quality Healthcare, Republican Voter Checklist, COPS Voter Guide, Orange County Firefighters Voter Guide... Some of them even sound legit and familiar; they're not legit and they're supposed to sound familiar.

I could start one called The Yerevan-Glendale Voter Education Alliance to capitalize on the large and influential Armenian-American community in the L.A. area. Maybe I put pictures of popular Mayor Rafi Manoukian on the mailer and maybe Duarte City Councilman George Chapjian and Downey City Councilman Kirk Cartozian. That establishes my bona fides. Then I could go hit up non-Armenians looking for endorsements and votes among Armenian-Americans either for their own candidacies or in support of ballot initiatives. Oh, but do people really do this?

A friend of mine who works in state politics told me that the "pay-to-play" mailers are big business, although he says he thinks it's predominantly a California scam. "Basically," he told me last week, "these slimy firms use fake astroturf groups and put a 'gun to the head' of campaigns and have them bid against each other." Here are a couple of "groups" jonesin' for campaign money in return for endosements on their mailers this year (notice the addresses):

Coalition for Senior Citizen Security
2350 Hidalgo Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90039

Our Voice Latino Voter Guide
2350 Hidalgo Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90039

Parents' Ballot Guide
1954 West Carson Street Suite B
Torrance, California 90501

The Early Voter
1954 W. Carson Street Suite B
Torrance, California 90501

Many of these "organizations" don't exist and the address is just the address for the proprietor of a slate mailer company. Using these tools is one way that well-heeled corporate candidates attempt to buy elections against actual grassroots candidates. Political operators like Rahm Emanuel and Tom DeLay give their puppet candidates money for these kinds of slate mailers in order to deceive voters into thinking that civil and grassroots organizations support them. Up in the San Joaquin Valley, for example, the Emanuel shill, Steve Filson, has bought every bogus mailer he could find in order to combat the actual grassroots support that his opponent Jerry McNerney has built in the district over the last several years. He's even on one that is urging a NO vote of Prop 82 (the pre-school initiative)! And, predictably, Steve Westly is using the same technique.

BOB TAFT MAY BE THE WORST GOVERNOR IN HISTORY... BUT WAIT TIL MICHIGAN GETS TED NUGENT (WHO WANTS TO NUKE IRAQ)

When it came out in 1977 I sort of liked Cat Scratch Fever" (although not enough to actually play it on my radio show) and there was something almost cool-- albeit a little derivative-- about The Amboy Dukes' "Journey to the Center of the Mind" about 10 years before that. But I was booking bands in my college at the time-- The Doors, Big Brother, The Who, Pink Floyd, The Dead, Hendrix, Otis Redding, Jackson Browne, Tim Buckley, Muddy Waters-- and I never seriously considered booking Ted Nugent. And those were the only songs of his I ever had a positive feeling about. To me the wanna-be-gross Ted Nugent was always just a wanna-be, an excessive one-- as well as a deaf one. And when he reared his head again in the 1990s with Damn Yankees, a "supergroup" of corporate mediocrity, his music reached new lows. It wasn't until the 90s that I realized that the annoying and tasteless musician was also a rightwing imbecile. I knew he was a hunting maniac but that isn't something I get as upset about as some of my friends. It just reinforced my overall feeling that he is completely gross.

Later I read a typically over-the-top speech he gave as a speaker at an NRA convention, advocating murder and vigilantism. "Remember the Alamo! Shoot 'em! To show you how radical I am, I want carjackers dead. I want rapists dead. I want burglars dead. I want child molesters dead. I want the bad guys dead. No court case. No parole. No early release. I want 'em dead. Get a gun and when they attack you, shoot 'em." Yes, "No court case" is particularly telling.

Big tough guy-- and, of course, a die-hard Republican shill and major supporter of Bush's war against Iraq. In fact, he loves war-- as long as other people and their kids are the ones who are fighting it, of course (after all, he is and millionaire Republican and that is a basic tenet of millionaire Republicans: "war good as long as other people have to fight it." In fact in 1990 Nugent explained to his hometown paper, the DETROIT FREE PRESS, how he had avoided the draft during the VietNam War. He claims that 30 days before his Draft Board Physical, he stopped all forms of personal hygiene. The last ten days he ingested nothing but junk food and Pepsi, and a week before his physical he stopped using the bathroom altogether, virtually living inside pants caked with excrement and stained by his urine. He claims that's how he got his deferment and adds, "but if I would have gone over there, I'd have been killed, or I'd have killed... or I'd have killed all the hippies in the foxholes… I would have killed everybody." No doubt. Goldfinger wrote a cool song about him called "Fuck Ted Nugent.

When the Illinois Republican Party was desperately hunting for someone to run for the U.S. Senate seat against Barack Obama, they approached Michigan-born/Texas resident Nugent, who turned them down and they were forced to settle on a certifiably insane person from Maryland. Nugent, however, wants to move back to Michigan and run for governor, probably inspired by Kinky Freidman's current race in Texas (and by the electoral success of fellow clowns Arnold Schwarzenegger and that wrestler from Minnesota a few years ago).

According to today's INDEPENDENT the 58 year old neo-fascist Bush backer-- yes, he's one of the 29%; they have a mutual admiration society of two losers-- is definitely looking to run for office. The INDEPENDENT tries explaining Nugent to their British readers: "A keen admirer of fellow-guitarist Tony Blair, he abhors drugs, including alcohol, and maintains that he has never used such substances. He considers homosexuality morally wrong. He speaks about Muslims in a way which, were he to repeat it on globally networked television, might endanger his life. Nugent is aiming to run as Governor of Michigan in 2010." He brags to the Brits about his visit to Fallujah in 2004. "I
visited Saddam Hussein's master war room. It was a glorious moment. It looked like something out of Star Wars. I saw his gold toilet. I shit in his bidet... Our failure has been not to Nagasaki them." That wakes the interviewer up.

"Is that opinion shared by your friends in the Republican Party?"

"Most of them feel that way."

"At what level?"

"I've heard it from high-level senators and congressmen."

"How high?"

"The highest."

"Do you mean Rumsfeld, Cheney, or Bush?"

"No," he says, with a defiant look.

NOW IS THE TIME WE NEED EXTRAORDINARY LEADERS. MONTANA'S JON TESTER IS ONE

Last week I mentioned how important June 6 is, with primaries in 8 states, and I talked about a couple of crucial ones in California (Francine Busby's Special Election run-off against Republican lobbyist Brian Bilbray and Jerry McNerney's grassroots campaign, which first has to beat some Rahm Emanuel shill before he can go on to rid the nation of one of the most corrupt men to ever stalk the halls of the Congress, Richard Pombo). Makes sense to talk about these two high profile House seats in the biggest state in the nation, right?

Well today I want to focus on a race at least as important, for progressives, for Democrats and for America. And it's in Montana. Montana? Isn't that a red state with no people in it? No. Montana's the 4th largest state in the union and there are almost a million people living there. The Republican Party has been in a serious state of decline and the Big Sky State boasts a populist, progressive Democratic governor, Brian Schweitzer, as well as Democrats in all but one statewide office, as well as a Democratic House and a Democratic Senate. The Senior U.S. Senator, Max Baucus, is also a Democrat. That, and the fact that Montana is the most pro-labor union state in the Rockies, makes it sound pretty blue to me. And it is about to get a lot bluer, courtesy of Jack Abramoff. Well, courtesy of Jack Abramoff's extremely close relationship with Montana's junior U.S. Senator, ethically-challenged Conrad Burns, the U.S. Senator who took the most money from Abramoff-- and did him the most favors in return-- of anyone in the upper chamber. He has to face the voters in November-- and is he not popular! (The newest polling shows that 56% of the citizens of Montana think he's doing an unsatisfactory job, a rating surpassed by exactly one other much-hated senator, Rick Santorum, who has managed to alienate 57% of Pennsylvania's citizens.)

It looks to me like the Democrats are going to take the House in November-- or, rather, that the Republicans' greed and over-reaching and bankrupt policies are going to lose it. The Senate is a tougher nut to crack, just because only a third of the seats are up for re-election. The Democrats need 6 seats for a bare majority. Montana is a must-win. Without Montana there is no shot whatsoever. But we're looking at Montana today for more than just little old that. I mean, Democrats need to hold on to Ben Nelson's seat in Nebraska and Bill Nelson's seat in Florida too but we're not looking at those seats (both of which are pretty much in the bag). As bad as the music the Nelsons used to make, the voting records of the Nelsons in the Senate are even worse. Democrats, yes... but... the worst. In the June 6th primary we have a chance to chose between a really stellar candidate and a mediocre one to face off against the doomed Burns.

The really stellar one is Jon Tester. (The Democratic political hack-- way better than a Republican political hack (way, way, way better), but a hack nonetheless, a DLC one at that, is Montana State Auditor John Morrison.) Tester is more than just better than the other guy. He's a transformational politician, the kind of inspiring public servant who we will be able to look to for a genuine effort to actually make our nation a better place, the way candidates like Ned Lamont in Connecticut or Rick Penberthy and Jan Schneider in Florida, or Jerry McNerney, Francine Busby and Marcy Winograd in California can be expected to do the same. Not run-of-the-mill garden variety Democrats, but men and women who have the ability, the capacity and the intention of doing far more than just going along with the political whores who rule the roost Inside the Beltway.

I want to tell you a little about Jon. But first I want to ask you to read what someone else has to say about him. John Rodwick is a guy in Montana who stumbled across Down With Tyranny a few months ago. He was cynical about the sorry state of politics-as-usual and I asked him to look into Jon's campaign and to go meet him. Last week he did and his report is here. The word that comes up in John's report-- and in any report of first-hand experience with Tester-- is "straight shooter." When I was running Reprise Records I sometimes would get so excited about an album that an artist delivered-- more often than not, something from Green Day, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Wilco, Depeche Mode, Joni Mitchell-- that I'd fantasize about going door to door with an iPod and asking people to just listen. I'm positive that if Jon Tester could just meet every one of Montana's voters...

So who is this guy? I first started writing about him last July. My excitement has grown and grown as I've seen more of him in action. A 48 year old organic wheat farmer from Big Sandy and President of the State Senate, Jon announced his populist, progressive candidacy driving his tractor-trailer rig around Montana. He’s endorsed withdrawal from Iraq, a clean renewable energy policy (he actually sponsored a renewable energy standard in Montana), and is calling for expanded health care— including government funded health care for all children. He’s also endorsed a reasonable version of single-payer health insurance. Morrison (as a DLC shill) has more incommon with Burns on these issues than he has with Jon. Jon Tester's stands on the issues are what I expect from every Democrat; unfortunately my expectations are shot down more than they are realized. That's why when a strong and outspoken leader like Jon comes to the fore, I feel grateful... and eager to help in any small way I can.

When I asked Jane to look this over for me, she asked me 2 questions: How is Tester on Choice and Gay issues (talk about separating the wheat from the chaff!) and what are Tester's real chances? I call these next two my Jane paragraphs. Like John Kerry, Tester is personally pro-Life. The good news is that he has a 100% pro-choice voting record in the State Senate. That's because to him it's a privacy issue between a woman and her physician (and anyone else she wants to talk about it with). He's a Montanan and he's not eager to see Big Government interfering in peoples' private lives. The gay issue is always the hardest for any politician not living in an urban area. But Tester hasn't ducked that one either. He's come out strongly against the hate and bigotry amendments the Republicans have tried passing and he's worked hard to make sure others in the State Senate understood the issue as well. The man has great instincts and we can expect him to come to progressive conclusions about important issues.

Now, can he win? The DLC has been running around trumpeting the inevitability of their puppet Morrison because he's been scooping up lots of cash from wealthy, often out-of-state, donors, while Tester's strategy has been to fund-raise from average voters inside the state. In the last month, Tester has overtaken Morrison in fundraising, a result of more people in the state getting to know him and also of Morrison's ethics problems. The momentum is clearly with Tester now and he very much looks like a winner. Polls show either Democrat beating Burns, who is so mired in corruption that people wonder what the chances of his indictment before November are, but at this point the latest polls show Tester surging and Morrison basically holding steady.

The irony, of course, is that the DLC and Inside-the-Beltway schnooks who have been propping Morrison up all during the campaign and insisting that the issue was electability against the hated Burns, are screwed. Now that every newspaper and media outlet in the state has been titillating its audience with stories of Morrison's infidelity and how that mixed with state business, he no longer looks all that savory OR electable against an incumbent who has turned off most Montanans not because he's a far right maniac but because he is widely perceived to be corrupt and dishonest. Morrison is now similarly tainted in the public eye and Tester's straight-arrow reputation makes him look far more electable. Add that to the fact that the Beltway Establishment's #1 stated reason to turn against grassroots and populist candidates-- that they can't raise big money-- has been utterly demolished by Tester and all that is left are a bunch of corporate Democrats sputtering and fuming and feeling very much hoist on their own petards.

Last weekend's fund-raiser for Jerry McNerney and Francine Busby brought in around $3,000. I was really happy about all the generosity from the readers and Jerry and Francine were thrilled. Every contributor got a Neil Young CD in the mail. I have a feeling you can figure out who I'm hoping to collect some much-needed last minute money for this weekend. I just opened a Jon Tester page at ACT BLUE so that whatever you feel you can chip in will go directly to Jon's campaign. Is there an incentive this weekend too? Of course. As long as my old friends from the record companies take my calls I'll have boxes of CDs to share with contributors! But to play it safe, let's say... first 50 contributors (regardless of amount) get a CD. Give to Jon Testa's campaign today because you want to make America a better place; the CD's just a bonus from Jane and Ken and Adam and me, something we're happy to share.

JUMPY JERSEY GOP CONGRESSLOON JIM SAXTON TRIGGERS COSTLY FALSE ALARM IN CAPITOL

Unless I can stay awake long enough to watch John Stewart, the daily TV news cycle lasts about 5 minutes for me, usually from 5AM when I wake up and watch a little CNN 'til 5:05AM when I go for a swim. So I get my news other ways. Like my neighbor. She tells me the main headlines while we're climbing the hills early in the mornings. And today she told me that 4 ambulances were dispatched to Capitol Hill after gunshots, 4 of 'em, were heard in the garage of the Rayburn House Office building. 4 shots? Tancredo? Hastert? DeLay? Ney? Lewis? Doolittle? Sensenbrenner? It could be so many. Of course on the other hand, it would take 4 shots from a high-powered rifle to bring down something like Hastert or Sensenbrenner. I immediately banished those horrible thoughts from my mind. Remember Gandhi; remember Martin Luther King, Jr.: non-violence, non-violence, non-violence. And don't even wish harm on people, no matter how rotten they are. I stepped up the pace of our walk, though, 'cause I was anxious to get home and see who was killed.

Turns out it was just another paranoid Republican's crazy fantasy. Not that New Jersey right-wing loon Jim Saxton doesn't have plenty of reason to be hearing footsteps behind him. He's probably the absolute worst congressman from the state of New Jersey and if a tsunami of revulsion starts building against the corrupt slime masterminding the Republican Culture of Corruption and against the Republican rubber-stamp congressmen who have given the less than popular George Bush a completely free ride to inflict his harebrained schemes and disastrous agenda on America, James Saxton will be displaced by Richard Sexton in November.

No one is saying whether or not Saxton wet his pants when he came screaming out of the garage elevator in a panic and rushed back into his office and hid under his desk, but his silly outburst soon  "forced a lockdown of the sprawling Capitol office complex... and had tactical teams wearing flak jackets and police sniffer dogs swarm[ing] through several US Congress buildings."

After being dragged out from under the desk by amused aides, Saxton reluctantly "admitted to being the source of the mistaken report of gunfire that sparked the mayhem amid worries that an armed intruder was on the loose in Congress, leading authorities to shut down parts of the legislative office complex for hours."

Embarrassed, Saxton suspiciously changed his pants, and then ran to the place where all right wing nuts know they will find solace... and spin: "I heard what I thought to be between six and ten shots," he told Fox News. "It sounded exactly like gunfire to me. It was not of a backfire nature. It was the sharp crack as comes out of a weapon... I dove back into the elevator..."

Although the House-- as usual-- was not in session, a debate in the Senate was suspended as a precaution and there were hundreds, if not thousands, of people affected by the security clampdown. Saxton's jitteriness brought on a "scene [that] was one of barely-controlled panic, as armed Capitol police officers surrounded the complex. No one was allowed to enter Rayburn, and at least four ambulances were deployed outside the building. Meanwhile, hapless tourists who had been sightseeing at Congress -- one of Washington's top attractions -- were required to sit immobile on the floors of the congressional corridors while police conducted a laborious, room-by-room search of the building."

Eventually it was determined by Capitol police that Saxton's costly panic attack was the result not of "between six and ten shots" and the "sharp crack"of weapons but of noise from a nearby construction site. "There were some workers working in the area of the Rayburn garage," the police reported. "In doing their routine duties they made some sort of noise" that frightened Congressman Saxton. Even without admitting that he had messed his pants and "without apologizing for the mayhem his report unleashed, Saxton told Fox television that the silver lining in the whole episode was that it gave Capitol Police a chance to shine. "It was a great testament to a lot of people who were highly trained and very capable of taking care of the situation," said Saxton. The police had no comment on that one.

Before today, Saxton was probably best known for his sleazy relations with crooked Republican lobbyists Jack Abramoff and Brent Wilkes and for a seriously misleading report on the estate tax he released to the public. It is widely known on Capitol Hill that Saxton was a regular at Wilkes' tawdry poker parties where Republican solons willing to play ball were rewarded with winning hands at the poker table and with fulsome prostitutes. Saxton's Democratic opponent in New Jersey's 3rd CD, Richard Sexton, has flat out accused him of criminal activities in regard to Abramoff and other GOP operators with whom Saxton is close.

WES CLARK PULLS A LITTLE CLOSER TO A PROGRESSIVE MURTHA-LIKE POSITION ON IRAQ-- WHAT ABOUT HILLARY?

I had one not so very hot meeting with Wes Clark a few months ago-- during which his ideas about ending the U.S. occupation of Iraq sounded uncomfortably close to George Bush's ideas about ending the U.S. occupation of Iraq. I was very disappointed-- particularly because General Clark had been a lonely outspoken opponent of Bush's fatally flawed policies towards Iraq before the attack. After I wrote about it, I had many run-ins with Clark bully-boys who convinced me that at least an outspoken portion of his considerable following consists of the kind of weak-minded people who have historically attached themselves to military strongmen-- be it a Napoleon or a Tojo or a MacArthur.

But rudeness, racism, homophobia and bigotry from a few loud-mouthed fans of the general hasn't closed my mind to his message. And, even though I don't personally feel he has the right temperament and make-up for a U.S. president-- although he's be an improvement over the current fellow or his dad-- there is little doubt in my mind that Wes Clark can play a significant and positive role in our nation's destiny. I don't know if anyone is presumptuous enough to be making lists of vice presidential choices yet but if anyone is, I wouldn't be surprised to find Clark's name on the top of them all, especially Clinton's and even Feingold's. And if he doesn't wind up as Veep, he'd probably be a good bet for a Cabinet position.

I was really happy today to read that Clark's Iraq thinking has continued to evolve and that he is calling for troop withdrawals to begin. While he still hasn't been able to embrace a straight-forward Murtha-like approach, his thinking is definitely a major step-- albeit a late one for a leader-- in the right direction. He's miles ahead of reactionaries like Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and, of course, Joe Lieberman, on this.

“It's necessary ... to make this year a year of transition in Iraq,” Clark told The Associated Press in an interview during his visit to Kosovo. “The Iraqi government must take charge... And then we should begin the process of withdrawing the U.S. soldiers and other coalition soldiers from Iraq... I do think that there should be no permanent bases there. I think that the United States should soon begin its process of redeployment,” he said, adding that he believed there will be “some withdrawals very soon given where we are.”

MoveOn.Org Endorses Ned Lamont Today

MoveOn.org members in Connecticut voted in their own senate primary this week and today every member got an e-mail from Eli Pariser, the Executive Director of MoveOn.org Political Action. Here is part of the letter:

Dear MoveOn member in Connecticut,

I wanted to share the results from our online primary with you before we tell the media.  Drumroll, please: By a whopping 85% to 14%, MoveOn members supported Ned Lamont for Connecticut's U.S. Senate seat—securing him the MoveOn endorsement.

Now that we've decided together to support Lamont, please consider making a contribution to his campaign by clicking on the link below.  Senator Lieberman has a war chest of over $4.2 million— so Ned will need all of our help to wage a good campaign.  Can you chip in a few bucks to help elect a new Democratic senator for Connecticut?

Your endorsement of Ned Lamont means that we'll raise money for him and help get folks out to the polls for the August 8th primary.  We'll bring some national focus to the race as well.  But how well he does in August will depend largely on our Connecticut members.  Now's the time to get involved.

So why did the vote come out the way we did? Here are a few representative comments that illustrate what we heard from a lot of you:

"I do not see that Senator Lieberman actually cares about Connecticut voters. He has treated them with contempt and complacence. I don't have a problem with Democrats who don't vote the party line, but I do have a problem with senators who treat their offices as an entitlement, and this is what Sen. Lieberman seems to be doing."
        -Dara from New Haven, CT

"Lamont is exactly the sort of candidate MoveOn should support: a true progressive running against the forces of Beltway conventional wisdom and accommodation of the Radical Right."
        -Greg from Watertown, CT

"I'm impressed with the 'fresh approach' that Ned Lamont seems to bring to the table.  I think that he's correct when he says that the Democratic party needs to stand out from the Republicans (and the 'W' administration). At first I was leaning towards Joe Lieberman because I can see that he is an established senator who has many contacts and perhaps has the power of persuasion within Washington, but I'm willing to take a chance on a 'new guy' who better fits the voice I'd like represented."
        -Meegan from Waterbury, CT

"Ned Lamont articulates my values about Iraq, health care, the environment."
        -Marion from Branford, CT

Ned's been having a couple of really good weeks. NOW endorsed him 2 weeks ago and then this week DFA endorsed him and now MoveOn.org. And on top of all this, the official Democratic Party Convention, where no one thought Ned could even get the 15% of delegate support to get on the ballot without going through the onerous and costly signature collection procedures, gave him 33% of the vote, stunning Lieberman and his old line Democratic Machine. (Even SpongeBob Squarepants is supporting Ned in his campaign to replace Bush's favorite Democrat with a real Democrat.)

Oh, and by the way, MoveOn.org has 50,000 members in Connecticut. They are all registered to vote and they are all fired up to get America back on the right course. Getting America back on the right course means getting rid of rubber-stamp Republicans (and Democratic enablers) who have given Bush free reign to ride roughshod over the Constitution and who have supported Bush's catastrophic policies at home and abroad. If you'd like to join your brothers and sisters in Connecticut fighting for our liberty, please visit the ACT BLUE Page and donate whatever you can directly to Ned Lamont's campaign.

TESTER TIME-- A MAN WHO CAN MAKE BIG SKY COUNTRY PROUD IN THE U.S. SENATE

John Rodwick is a Down With Tyranny reader up in Montana. The first time we corresponded he seemed somewhat dejected and even cynical about the state of politics. Who could blame him? But I recommended that he go meet Jon Tester and get involved with his Senate campaign against the corrupt wing-nut Conrad Burns. I had read a lot about what an amazing candidate Tester is and I figured it would cheer John up about what could be done with politics. Besides, Pearl Jam had recently played a benefit for Jon's campaign and if someone as intuitively skeptical as Eddie Vedder could be convinced, anyone could be. Jon's sprawling legislative district-- 17,000 square miles (bigger than 9 entire states!) is extremely Republican-- but he won there and he can win everywhere in Montana. The notes I've been getting from John since then have been considerably more upbeat and a couple nights ago he wrote up a story about his meeting with the next Senator from the state of Montana.

May 24, 2006

I went to meet Jon Tester last night and found him to be an intelligent, straight shooting guy. He made great eye contact when I was speaking with him individually. When I asked him pointed questions about the war, economy, privacy issues and social programs, he didn't hesitate, flinch or have to think about how he felt. Regarding Iraq he said we need to develop an exit plan and get out or we are not ever going to be able to leave because you can't fight terror in the old war conventional manner. We have to lead by example and show compassion and that will be the way that others begin to see our country in a more positive light. We won't be able to beat them into submission.

He feels that the qualities he has demonstrated in the Montana Senate: hard work, the ability to listen and the ability to read (this got a big laugh because we all know Burns can't read) are what will serve him well in the U.S. Senate. He knows that Burns can be beaten and that he is the man to do it. Morrison has too much ethical baggage that will not stand up against Burns whereas he challenges anybody to question his ethics be it family, work on the farm or his record in the Montana legislature. An interesting statistic here is that Burns has a war chest of 10 million bucks. Only 17% of that money is from inside Montana! Tester's money is 67% from Montana. Conrad is supported by big business, pharmaceutical and oil money. Tester's money is largely middle class money.

Conrad is not a conservative. He spends money like it is going out of style- political pork runs rampant for the man. He said his own (Tester's) brother is a conservative and he hates Burns.

Tester said that he will be in the Senate to effect change and that an effective change agent leads by example and isn't afraid to speak their mind. We can't change the direction in this country unless we are willing to elect people who will effect change.

Tester has run his farm organically for 20 years. He supports wind energy development, particularly for eastern Montana and sees energy independence as a viable alternative- he helped move Montana from 50th to 15th in wind energy. He supports a tax policy that will help middle class people stay middle and not have their position eroded. He would like to see the Patriot Act repealed.

I liked the guy a lot. He seemed to be the genuine article and showed no fear about speaking his mind when he was asked some tough questions where he could have hedged on his opinion so as not to alienate anyone like Max Baucus, who obviously has seniority, but is not an effective change agent. He described himself as a progressive Democrat.

Hell, it's been 30 some years since I attended anything political but I was really impressed with his style, straightforwardness and his ability to express his thoughts spontaneously. I donated twice, once after I had asked him some questions privately and again after he spoke to the crowd.

I think if he can beat Morrison in the primary he will beat Conrad in the general. But that's a big "if." Morrison has big name recognition and this state is so damn conservative. If it's Morrison and Burns in November I'm afraid that Burns will win again and that will be so sad. Burns is a joke. He's stupid, only interested in feathering his own nest and arrogant as well. But mostly stupid.

Someone was telling me a couple days ago that they were on vacation in Hawaii and were talking with some congressperson over there who said that Burns is the laughing-stock of the senate. Mike Mansfield must be rolling over in his grave.

My overall gut impressions: nice smile, sense of humor, honest, caring, intelligent, great verbal skills and committed to making a difference and being a change agent. It's always nice to meet someone you agree with too-- especially here in northwest MT, which is pretty damn close to Hayden Lake sometimes. The best part of the gathering was being in a room with a hundred other people who have similar values. When Tester made a point about the war, economy, privacy rights, alternative energy, etc, the crowd applauded. That felt good to me.

A little bit of money goes a very long way in Montana political campaigns and all the Big Business money is going to Morrison because of his DLC orientation and to Burns because he's the #1 biggest lobbyist whore in the entire U.S. Senate. So... I just opened an ACT BLUE Page for Jon. You wanna help out?

SNOW OUT. ZOELLICK IN. OOPS... NO ONE REMEMBERED TO TELL CHIMPY

Bush claims he had some kind of a Saul-on-road-to-Damascus moment that solved his debilitating snow problem some time ago. And now that he's hired Fox "News" propagandist Tony Snow, he's figured out a way to rid himself of his other Snow problem. I mean who needs two Snows in one Regime? And it was getting taxing for poor Bush's over-stressed brain-- and you don't want anything taxing anywhere near anything to do with the Treasury Department! CNBC reported today that Treasury Secretary John Snow is leaving the Regime in a few weeks. Although Fox "News," rumored to have some connections inside the secretive and increasingly paranoid White House, is also reporting that Snow will be gone by mid-June, apparently neither Cheney nor Bolten nor whoever makes the deck chair arrangements has bothered to tell the Bozo-in-Chief yet. "He has not talked to me about resignation. I think he is doing a fine job. Our economy is strong." Sure it is, Bozo-- especially if you own an oil company.

Snow took over in early 2003 after Paul O'Neill grew increasingly disenchanted with the inherent dishonesty that had already permeated the whole Cheney Bush Regime and resigned or was fired. Snow has sucked up all the Regime's catastrophic pseudo economic policies but Bush or someone there wants a true believer for the job. No, that doesn't mean they'll be doing an extensive search of the graduating classes of Bible colleges in the next few weeks. He has a nutcase right in the house who has threatened to leave the Regime if Cheney didn't get rid of Snow before July and give him the job: the hapless Snow's cutthroat colleague, Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick.

That name sounds familiar? He's one of those shady characters in the background whenever really bad decisions have been made in the last decade or so. Perhaps you saw the list-- that should one day be a war crimes indictment list-- of the folks who started this whole fascist/NeoCon Project For A New American Century. Along with household nitemares like Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Perle, Abrams, Kristol, Bolton and Armitage, Zoellick was on that one too. Toni Solo had an apt description of Zoellick in a COUNTERPUNCH piece he wrote in 2003. "Zoellick is a superb and practised faith-based con-man. Preaching free trade, he trails a long history of private business interests in predatory multinational corporations like Vivendi, Enron, Goldman Sachs, Alliance Capital and SAID Holdings, the Bermuda-based South African patent and copyright security specialists. His outlook melds seamlessly into the Bush regime's deliberate confusion of the wishes of their rule-bending plutocrat buddies with the interests of the United States people."

Please take your seat promptly, Mr. Zoellick. And strap youself in tightly. The Titanic may be in for a little chop.

LAY AND SKILLING FOUND GUILTY. WHEN WILL IT BE BUSH'S AND CHENEY'S TURN TO FACE JUSTICE?

Although Cheney and the gang from Halliburton are safe for now, the other pillar of the Bush era slash and burn economy, Enron's Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling have been found guilty on, respectively, 6 and 19 charges and face spending the rest of their miserable lives in prison (although both will in all likelihood be pardoned by Bush on his last day in office-- a day on which he will need lots and lots and lots of pens). Reuters just reported that the case was "a major victory for U.S. prosecutors intent on sending a message that corporate America must clean up its act. Lay, 64, was convicted of six counts of conspiracy and fraud and faces up to 45 years in prison. Skilling was found guilty of 19 counts of conspiracy, fraud, insider trading and making false statements which, combined, carry a maximum sentence of 185 years."

The L.A. Times said it all came down to the jury embracing "the testimony of a parade of former Enron executives who said Lay and Skilling lied publicly about the energy company's financial health and condoned, if not actively encouraged, the use of accounting tricks to boost reported profits and hide debt."


Bloomberg.com quotes David Irwin, a former state and federal prosecutor who now handles white-collar criminal defense cases in Baltimore: "This conviction brings to a close the government's effort to send a clear message to the corporate world that fraudulent behavior won't be tolerated." We shall see. Remember, Lay and Enron gave Bush over $500,000 over the last years. Bush is unlikely to get him rot in prison. Sentencing takes place September 11, a date that has figured prominently in Bush's horrific presidency.


FRIDAY UPDATE: BUSH HAS STEADFASTLY SUPPORTED KEN LAY

Robert Parry has all the particulars of Bush's unending support of arch-criminal Ken Lay in an article he just wrote for Consortium News. And it goes way beyond endearing nicknames and Christmas cards. For example, he points out that "As Enron’s crisis worsened through the first nine months of Bush’s presidency, Lay secured Bush’s help in three key ways:

--Bush personally joined the fight against imposing caps on the soaring price of electricity in California at a time when Enron was artificially driving up the price of electricity by manipulating supply. Bush’s resistance to price caps bought Enron extra time to gouge hundreds of millions of dollars from California’s consumers.

--Bush granted Lay broad influence over the development of the administration’s energy policies, including the choice of key regulators to oversee Enron’s businesses. The chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was replaced in 2001 after he began to delve into Enron’s complex derivative-financing schemes.

--Bush had his NSC staff organize that administration-wide task force to pressure India to accommodate Enron’s interests in selling the Dabhol generating plant for as much as $2.3 billion."

MONDAY UPDATE: WANNA BET HOW MANY YEARS LAY GETS?

A DWT reader just let me know that online bookmakers are now posting odds on the length of Lay's sentence. It's pretty hilarious but I don't think it's supposed to be. So, if you want to place a bet... I hope this is legal.

WATCH A MOVEMENT BEING BORN IN CONNECTICUT AS NED LAMONT SHOCKS THE DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT

I really love Democracy. I don't want to say "grassroots Democracy," because Democracy is grassroots. Here's a video a friend of mine in Connecticut sent me. It brought tears to my eyes, tears of joy, tears of joy as I watched my fellow citizens rising up to start a movement to declare that we, as citizens, would NOT let a self-interested and incompetent establishment continue to lead our country down a path of destruction and ruin. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did. It's about 7 minutes. And after you watch it I hope you'll be move to click here, for Ned Lamont.

There's lots and lots of this:
"And the great town of Fairfield, realizing that our country and Sean Hannity's favorite Democrat is going in the wrong direction, casts 18 ballots for Ned Lamont!"
"Eastford is pleased to cast 1 vote for peace, 1 vote for Ned Lamont"
"Madame Chairwoman, Kilingworth, the home of the anti-war Democrats casts 3 votes for Lamont"
"Mansfield casts all 10 votes for Ned Lamont"
"And one vote for defense of the Constitution for Lamont"
"In honor of the brave men and women fighting in Iraq Monroe casts its 8 votes for Ned Lamont."
"Oxford unanimously has 3 votes for Ned Lamont."
"The residents of Morris have entrusted their lone soldier of democracy to vote for Ned Lamont."
"New Fairfield casts all 5 of its votes for Ned Lamont."
"Madame Chairwoman the town of North Cayman believes that the war must end. We proudly cast our 2 votes for Ned Lamont."
"And two for the man of conscience, Ned Lamont."
"Madame Secretary, Southbury, the town that invited Joe Lieberman to speak in Feb and is still waiting for a return call proudly casts 5 votes for Ned Lamont."



Meanwhile, fellow arch-hypocrite and supporter of the religionist-right, as well as of Bush and his occupation of Iraq, John McCain, endorsed Lieberman on the Larry King show. So here we have it-- the power elite circles the wagons around one of their own to do their best to thwart democracy.

JUST HOW CORRUPT IS DENNIS HASTERT? I MEAN DID HE DO MORE THAN JUST SCREW OVER THE ARMENIANS FOR A BRIBE FROM TURKEY?

Let me answer both questions. VERY corrupt, right up to his ham hocks; and much more than just taking bribes from the Turks to foil Armenian-Americans. Early today I was somewhat astounded to hear Hastert howling like a madman that the FBI had dared to invade the sanctity of crooked Democratic congressman William Jefferson's freezer (where they found $10,000 less than the $100,000 bribe he had recently taken). Why, thought I, is Hastert running around like a stuck pig screaming about the Constitution-- after participating, quite actively, in gutting it for the last half dozen years? I mean he was stomping around and bellowing so loudly that he had another meeting with Bush-- this while Democratic House Leader Pelosi is demanding that Jefferson resign his House Ways and Means Committee seat! It makes more sense this afternoon.

Now ABC News is reporting that it was Speaker Hastert who got the most bribe money from Abramoff of anyone in the House of Representatives. This should surprise no one who has been paying attention. Remember, to agree to torpedo a House resolution, which he had been supporting, recognizing Armenian-American claims about their nation's genocide, Hastert took $500,000 in small bills from agents of the Turkish government. No one knows where he hides his money-- although he has been a major supporter of off-shore businesses-- but one thing for sure: considering what he consumes in a day, there's no room in hisfreezer for half a million dollars!

Although the FBI investigation of Hastert's previous bribe case was very mysterious and murky, the ABC piece is much clearer-- and far more out in the fresh air for Americans to see: "The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert, is under investigation by the FBI, which is seeking to determine his role in an ongoing public corruption probe into members of Congress, ABC News has learned from high level government sources. Federal officials say the information implicating Hastert was developed from convicted lobbyists who are now cooperating with the government. Part of the investigation involves a letter Hastert wrote three years ago [co-signed by 3 of the most corrupt bosses presiding over the Republican Culture of Corruption: Roy Blunt (R-MO), DeLay and Eric Cantor (R-VA)], urging the Secretary of the Interior to block a casino on an Indian reservation that would have competed with other tribes. The other tribes were represented by convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff who reportedly has provided details of his dealings with Hastert as part of his plea agreement with the government. The letter was written shortly after a fund-raiser for Hastert at a restaurant owned by Abramoff. Abramoff and his clients contributed more than $26,000 at the time."

That was certainly a nice day for Denny, although just a small amount of the nearly $70,000 Abramoff and his clients gave him between 1998 and 2004. (Actually the crime-busting SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE reports that Hastert took at least $100,000 from Abramoff, not $70,000.) Like all crooked pols caught like rats, Hastert denies everything, of course.

In September, 2004 The Washington Post had written about that very letter in an article about the systematic Republican corruption that had taken over the nation's capital. "DeLay has also shown support for causes important to Abramoff's clients. A source close to Abramoff who asked not to be named because of the continuing grand jury investigation said Abramoff lobbied DeLay's office to organize a June 2003 letter -- co-signed by DeLay, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Deputy Whip Eric I. Cantor (R-Va.) -- that endorsed a view of gambling law benefiting the Coushattas' desire to block gambling competition by another tribe. The letter, sent to Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton, said the House leaders opposed a plan by the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians to open a casino at a non-reservation site, expected at the time to be outside Shreveport, La., not far from a casino owned by the Coushattas. The intent of the letter, the source said, was to protect the income from the Coushattas' casino -- about $300 million a year. V. Heather Sibbison, a lobbyist at the time for the Jena Band, said: "I do this for a living, and I have never seen a letter like that before. It was incredibly unusual for that group of people, who do not normally weigh in on Indian issues, to express such a strong opinion about a particular project not in any of their home states."

A friend of mine from a backward part of rural Georgia, Jeremy, who I've written about on DWT before, moved to California and is recovering from years and years of Fox "News" brainwashing. He's making progress but sometimes he slips. He slipped today. Jeremy has been demanding that I denounce Louisiana crooked congressman William Jefferson and admit that political corruption is not partisan. Let me tell you why he's off-base.

Sure there are-- and, as he pointed out, always have been-- corrupt people who have gotten into office and used their positions to advance their personal finances at the expense of the general public. William Jefferson appears to be one of those. But when I talk about a Culture of Corruption pervading Washington, that isn't what I'm talking about, far from it. Jeremy and anyone else who has been brainwashed by Hannity or Limbaugh or O'Liely-- please read, for starters, a short piece in THE NATION called "Exile On K Street". It will clear up any confusion about the difference between a rogue crook like Jefferson and a carefully-crafted and operated system of corruption utterly dominating all aspects of our nation's capital's political life.

Another difference people need to look at-- speaking of letters-- is the letter Pelosi sent to Jefferson today asking him to leave his powerful committee position. (Hastert, on the other hand appointed the already indicted DeLay to the same committee after the indictment and after he was named as a possible target in several bribery investigations.

May 24, 2006
Congressman William J. Jefferson
2113 Rayburn House Office Building
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Congressman Jefferson:

In the interest of upholding the high ethical standard of the House Democratic Caucus, I am writing to request your immediate resignation from the Ways and Means Committee.

Sincerely,
Nancy Pelosi
Democratic Leader

Clear difference, right? Even in Georgia?


9:30PM UPDATE: BOEHNER WAS PROTESTING PRETTY LOUD TOO. GOD ONLY KNOWS WHAT HE MUST BE HIDING!

Ron at Politics 1 has all the skinny on congressmen who feel they're immune from FBI search. (And maybe they are but I gotta think that the ones who have consistently proven they don't give a rat's ass about The Constitution and who now scream the loudest, must be hiding something. And with Boehner's and Hastert's propensity for taking bribes... well, you gotta wonder.)

"Well, I have got to believe at the end of the day it is going to end up across the street at the Supreme Court. I don't see anything short of that ... [the search was] the Justice Department's invasion of the legislative branch ... [The FBI] take the same oath, so somebody better start reading the Constitution down there," said Boehner. Hastert was outraged: "Nothing I have learned in the last 48 hours leads me to believe that there was any necessity to change the precedent established over those 219 years [of barring Justice Department searches of Capitol Hill offices] ... I am very concerned about the necessity of a Saturday night raid on Congressman Jefferson's Capitol Hill Office in pursuit of information that was already under subpoena and at a time when those subpoenas are still pending and all the documents that have been subpoenaed were being preserved. The Founding Fathers were very careful to establish in the Constitution a Separation of Powers to protect Americans against the tyranny of any one branch of government. They were particularly concerned about limiting the power of the Executive Branch. Every Congressional Office contains certain Legislative Branch documents that are protected by the Constitution." Hastert demanded -- and received -- a meeting with President Bush. At the meeting, Hastert said he told the President the search was "unconstitutional" and demanded that the Justice Department "back up, and we need to go from there."

HOW IMPORTANT IS THE RACE FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR? DOES IT MATTER? SHORT ANSWER: YES

Oh, is Arnold really all that bad? Yes, as a matter of fact, THAT bad and worse. I hope Democrats and Independents don't need me to tell them why he is. But just in case... You know, you don't have to run around in a white sheet and pillowcase or a Nazi uniform to be a member of the vast right-wing conspiracy. Schwarzenegger may be better than bigots and nutcases like Santorum, Frist, Sensenbrenner, DeLay, Cheney, Bush and Robertson but he's still way, way to the right of Californians on just about everything. It's incredible that anybody likes this guy.

Well, maybe I shouldn't make blanket statements like that. Some people-- even beyond his family-- like him... a lot. Big Business, for example; they LOVE him. In fact, they picked up the tab for $300,000 worth of parties he threw to impress people at the 2004 Republican National Convention Hatefest in NYC. Was that so the Chamber of Commerce goons who were there in force would get free invites? Nah. They had something else-- something far more important-- in mind. And they got it. The very next day after he got back to Sacramento from NY, he vetoed legislation that the state Assembly and state Senate had passed to raise California's minimum wage, #1 on Big Businesses priority list of what they wanted from him. See? Like I said, some people just love him.

And, you know, Arnold's veto pen has been a godsend for lots of Big Business interests. Those crazy pro-worker assemblymembers and senators in Sacramento passed a bill to keep taxpayer money from going to companies that use outsourced labor. Arnold vetoed that one too. And he vetoed a bill passed by both houses of the legislature that would have started a prescription drug importation plan, making it less expensive for poor people and seniors to buy medicine. (Did you think the big drug companies gave him lots of money? If you said "yes," give yourself a pat on the back and try to remember in November.) And he did more than just veto stuff; sometimes he's been pro-active for his pals on the far right. Like when he decided to balance the budget by slashing health care for the poor and elderly-- a way of getting around raising the taxes of his wealthy campaign contributors.

You know Arnold is unpopular and on the defensive now so he never brings this stuff up, like he used to when he thought people liked him. It was only about a year ago when he was talking about carrying another bucket for Big Business-- the Big Enchilada, their long-time (like from the day FDR proposed it) fervent dream that Social Security would be abolished. He announced plans to privitize the California state retirement system (after Big Business interests stuffed $6 million in bribes up his ass).

OK, so we all agree that Schwarzenegger's got to go, right? Now we have to decide who would be the best choice to oppose him. I haven't gotten to know either Phil Angelides or Steve Westly, but I'm going to try to express some feelings about each one. I actually did get to meet Steve Westly once. It was a thoroughly revolting experience and I'm about to re-live it for your benefit. A friend of mine from the Dean campaign invited me to meet Westly, who he thinks highly of, and hear him speak in an intimate and private setting. I knew nothing about the man. I was immediately turned off because before Westly even began to address the small gathering, someone had asked him if he would run for governor. Schwarzenegger had just gotten into office and was still enjoying a honeymoon with the public and seemed quite unassailable. Westly laughed it off and explained that Schwarzenegger was too popular to take on. He didn't say "I'm a craven, opportunistic coward who cares nothing for Californians, only for my own career trajectory," but that was what I heard coming out of his mouth. On top of that he seemed uptight to the max, like someone had shoved a broom up his butt before he came into the house and he hadn't removed it yet.

Let me set the context, or scene, to be more precise. Westly and I weren't the only two non-Armenians at this gathering. There was also an Asian-American local Glendale official on the hunt for some political love. Everyone else was a successful Armenian-American, entrepreneurs and professionals. The event was in a lovely backyard of a private home in the hills. The catering could have been for a swanky bar mitzvah. There were maybe 40-50 people but enough food for 5 times that many. The hospitality was overwhelming-- as were the good feelings. And when the highest ranking Armenian prelate in North America walked in, it was like the Pope (John, not the German we have now) had walked into the room. People seemed profoundly moved and in complete awe. Normal college guys I had been chatting with 5 minutes earlier were trembling. OK... into this interesting scene walked Steve Westly, California State Controller, candidate-for-nothing-now-but-someone-who-will-be-one-day-so-remember-me.

I was stunned by his speech. I didn't realize that Steve Westly had gotten into politics to right all the wrongs ever perpetrated against the Armenian people! I mean I've heard enough politicians to know that many of them pander-- some outrageously-- to whomever they're speaking to. But this was beyond anything I had ever experienced-- or even imagined. In my mind I wrote him off on the spot.

Before I move on to Angelides, I just want to address some silliness I've seen online about how Westly must be hip because he was an eBay executive. Sounds real high tech and groovy to you? You must not use eBay much. This company-- aside from being politically extremely right wing-- is a nitemare for many people who use it. They're probably the most fascist run company in America and you can ask almost any long-time eBay user what they think and you'll probably get lots and lots of this. I'm not claiming Westly is responsible for how bad eBay is, but don't vote for him because you think he's some way cool tech guy.

No one's gonna think Phil Angelides is a way cool anything guy, at least not from looking at him. To be honest I just assumed he was another colorless hack Democratic California politician. Until last year. Last year-- when Westly and many other Democrats were either afraid of Schwarzenegger's perceived popularity or were kissing up to him-- Angelides took him on. He's actually used his office of State Treasurer to do a lot of good for the state while Schwarzenegger was trying to do to California what Bush has done to America. He's been a bold and unabashedly liberal innovator as Treasurer. But, of course, what caught my attention was how he went to the wall, brilliantly and forthrightly against Schwarzenegger's horrible voter initiatives. And he beat him on every one. He beat him once and he'll beat him again. I'm a little wary that he's been endorsed by the state Democratic Establishment but since Westly is anything but a grassroots populist, I'll be holding my wariness at bay on June 6th and casting my vote for Phil Angelides.

DESPITE THE FAR RIGHT'S BEST EFFORTS, NEIL YOUNG'S LIVING WITH WAR, IS FLYING OFF THE STORE SHELVES

Yesterday I found myself driving to meet to friends for lunch and I was howling with laughter in my car. Al Franken was doing a bit-- a fantasy conversation between the Foreign Minister of Mexico and the French Ambassador to Mexico-- that was insane. As you probably know, O'Liely called a boycott of France and French products after France refused to follow Bush into his disastrous and unjustified war in Iraq. Since O'Liely's boycott, Americans have bought over $5 Billion MORE French products. So on his lame TV show a couple days ago O'Liely threatened the Mexican Foreign Minister with a boycott of Mexico and told him to ask the French Ambassador if he wants to get a gage on the power of the O'Lieley audience. Franken's skit emphasized O'Liely's imaginary clout and impact which ended in the Foreign Minister and the Ambassador trying to come up with ways to incite O'Liely so he would follow through on his threat. Crooks and Liars should get this up; I'll tell John.

But the reason I'm bringing this up today has nothing to do with Al Frankin or Bill O'Liely or with Mexico or France. As you probably surmised from the title, it has to do with Neil Young and his awesome new album, LIVING WITH WAR. The last time I talked about it, I think I explained that you would be able to listen-- free-- to the whole CD at NeilYoung.com. Well, Neil has done something else pretty innovative at the site, thought it takes a little hunting around to find it. Here's the short cut to "The Great Debate." Neil is running reviews, both laudatory and scathing for the album-- including from right-ring propaganda rags like The National Review, The Moonie Washington Times, the Washington Post and Rupert Murdoch's NY Daily News. These right-wings are frothing mad and screeching like banshees about all their... issues. Neil says that LIVING WITH WAR has generated "the most remarkable reaction to any of my albums to date"... the biggest reaction in his 40 years of record making! "Many people," he says "just thank me for speaking for them."

Despite the nay-sayers on the far right, the record has been well-accepted by the public at large. As you probably know, I was the president of Reprise Records, Neil's record label, for many years. I retired a few years ago but I was really excited to see this one come charging out of the gate, saleswise, at 60,000 units and entered the overall sales chart at #15. But that only tells part of the story. A leading indicator of where music sales trends are going is i-Tunes. And although LIVING WITH WAR peeked last week at #2 on the overall chart, the album came in #1 on the rock chart (2 weeks in a row)-- not too shabby for someone who's been making records for 40 years.

A normal Warner record release sells around 5% digitally. Neil's album sold 16% digitally. That can be attributed to the power of the music blogs and progressive blogs to get out the word. There are 3,000 sites hosting album promotions and over a quarter million albums have been streamed online. There are 6,300 blogs talking about the album-- from monsters like the Huffington Post and Daily Kos to small personal blogs where people are talking about how the songs have impacted them emotionally. The CNN interview on YouTube was seen by over 200,000 people and Neil's MySpace page has had over half a million visitors in 3 weeks-- and 30,000 friends linking to his page!

And overseas, they seem to like LIVING WITH WAR too. While the U.S. week #1 was 60,000, outside of the U.S., the # was over 160,000. It entered the Canadian sales chart at #7 and came in #11 in Germany (Europe's biggest market) and #14 in the U.K. It was #4 in Norway and #11 in Sweden.

Back at iTunes, the most downloads were for the song "Let's Impeach the President" and the second most from the new album was "Looking For A Leader." But as big as the record is saleswise and as popular as it is at iTunes and other online services, commercial radio stations-- parts huge corporate monopolies that have taken over the public airwaves (thank you very much, Bill Clinton)-- are scared to death to play it. I spoke to one old friend, a program director who LOVES the album and whose wife loves the album and who listens to it all day. He told me his station only plays it late at night because "It's too polarizing." God forbid! Then programmers ask (eachother and their consultants) why radio has become more and more irrelevant 1 + 1 = 2; very simple; very direct.

At non-commercial radio (stations like KCRW here in L.A., WFUV in NYC, WXPN in Philly, KEXP in Seattle, etc) the album is #4. These are stations that don't focus on pre-digested playlists of singles but who go deep on albums based on quality and play lots of different songs. These are stations that are eating up LIVING WITH WAR.

Meanwhile, toothless rednecks, the non-billionaire part of the 29% coalition in the U.S. who still approve of George W. Bush, have declared war on Neil Young. Take a look (unless you get sickened easily by people like Limbaugh and Hannity):




FRIDAY UPDATE: DIXIE CHICKS LAUGHING, BILL BENNETT CURSING UP A BLUE STREAK

At the very top of Neil's website, he urges everybody to go out and buy the Dixie Chicks album. As HITS Magazine said, " The Dixie Chicks alienated their Red State fans three years ago, and rather than sucking up, they've chosen not to make nice with their original base. But is the trio's bold strategy of going after the non-country, non-conservative audience paying off in the early going?" Well... Dixie Cicks fans don't seem to mind all the squawking and moaning by the shrill voices on the far far right. I mean 60,000 is a solid number for Neil. And over 430,000 was a real good number for the Dixie Chicks first week sales.

THE RACE FOR CALIFORNIA SECRETARY OF STATE: VOTE FOR DEBRA BOWEN

Glenn (aka- woid) and I were both djs on San Francisco's legendary rock station, KSAN, in the late '70s. Like me, he lives in L.A. now. He's a writer and a few days ago he asked me why I wasn't more pro-active about the Secretary of State election. And he wasn't the only one telling me that. Just yesterday I had lunch with my friend Melissa, the California Policy Director for People For the American Way and she was hammering me about how McPherson had managed to disenfranchise 100,000 California voters so far. Meanwhile, Glenn had read my one story about it last February and he felt DWT readers needed to know that the race is absolutely crucial. He's right and I asked him to give it a whack. I think he hit it out of the ballpark.

DEBRA BOWEN FOR CALIFORNIA SECRETARY OF STATE
by Woid
 
“It’s not the people who vote that count... it’s the people who count the votes.” — Stalin (allegedly)

While the Wise Men of Washington warn us against the folly of a 50-state strategy, Republicans keep plugging away with their own.

Here in California, one of the bluest of blue states, the Republican machine is pushing insecure, hackable electronic voting machines, as brought to us by those democracy-lovers at Diebold. And at the same time, they’re doing everything they can to disenfranchise voters before they ever get to those machines.

Unlike many states, but like Florida and Ohio, voting in California is under the supervision of the Secretary of State. It’s one of those down-ballot offices that are far below the public consciousness— but the outcome of this year’s Secretary of State election might determine whether voting here will be clean or corrupt for a long time to come.

The current Secretary of State, Bruce McPherson, is an Arnold appointee and Republican functionary. (He got the job after his elected Democratic predecessor, a holdover from before the Schwarzenegger Putsch, resigned amid a trumped-up scandal.) Good Republican that he is, McPherson has been doing his best to erode voting rights. 
 
Last year, McPherson signed an agreement with the Justice Department to install a new statewide voter registration database, programmed to insist on exact matches with names as listed on driver’s licenses or other official documents. The result has been a stupendous rejection rate for voter applications, often because of discrepancies between maiden names and married names, or variant spellings. Recently, over 14,000 new registrations from L.A. County were rejected en masse— a 43% rejection rate, compared with a typical 1-2% nationwide. Worst of all— under the previous system, virtually all of these applications would have been accepted.

Not only that— McPherson has re-certified Diebold’s voting machines in the state, in spite of numerous horror stories during their use here. (When McPherson initially de-certified the Diebold machines, he cited an error rate of more than 10%.) The re-certification was done without public comment, and in defiance of both state and federal laws. In short, it stinks.

Because voting systems in California are selected by local election officials rather than statewide, there’s a lot of pressure on those officials to go with the cheapest alternative. That’s Diebold, who markets the voting machines the way Gillette markets razors: sell ‘em cheap, and they’ll be buying your blades— or voting on your corrupt machines— from now on. And that’s where the real profits come from.

State Senator Debra Bowen is running for Secretary of State, with voters’ rights as her number one issue. Bowen has a great legislative and voting record in the State Senate, and she’s a leading opponent of privatized, corrupted voting systems. She’s won endorsements from many heavy hitters, including the California Democratic Party (there’s a long list at her web site).

Before Bowen can take on McPherson, though, there’s a serious hurdle just ahead: the June 6 Democratic primary. Bowen is in a two-candidate race, against another State Senator. Here’s the catch: Debra’s opponent is named Deborah— Deborah Ortiz. At a fund-raiser over the weekend, Bowen worried out loud about losing votes to confusion over the names.

Obviously, neither candidate’s name recognition will change over the next few days. So Bowen is counting on her supporters getting the word out through emails and personal contacts. And this is the word:

The election for California Secretary of State is a crucial one. Debra Bowen is the candidate to back. If you’re a Californian, get out and vote for her in the primary on Tuesday, June 6.

LIKE MOST AMERICANS, GREEN DAY AREN'T FANS OF BUSH AND HIS CATASTROPHIC POLICIES. BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS WINS SONG OF THE YEAR AWARD

Last night the greatest band in the world got an award from ASCAP. That's not the end of the story. Actually Green Day was given an award for their incredible song, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," which won song of the year at ASCAP's annual shindig at L.A.'s Beverly Hilton Hotel. ASCAP's been around since 1914 but they're keepin' up with the times; songwriter of the year was 50 Cent!

Green Day was also given ASCAP's Creative Voice Award "for advocating change, questioning the status quo and supporting the truest of ideals." They sure do that! In fact Billie started going on about how the best advice he could give is to play music with your pals. Then he asked, rhetorically, "Is this where I'm supposed to say 'Fuck George W. Bush?" The ballroom-- which wasn't filled with punk rockers-- burst into cheering and applause. When the rowdy songwriters and industry types quieted down a bit Billie answered his own question. "You know what? He's done a great job of fucking himself."

You want to see why Boulevard of Broken Dreams was the song of the year?

JOHN DOOLITTLE- THE MOST OUT-OF-TOUCH PERSON IN CONGRESS

When it comes to who the argument of who's the most corrupt man-- or for the sake of argument (a certain Katherine Harris being a contender), woman-- in Congress, now that Republican Capo Di Tutti Capi Tom DeLay and greedy-but-lame foot soldier Randy "Duke" Cunnigham have resigned in disgrace-- one already in prison and the other fighting depserately to stay out-- it's absolutely impossible to come to a definitive conclusion. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) seems to be leading the pack because of his systematic bribe-taking/kickback/earmarks schemes but then you find Bob Ney (R-OH) and John Doolittle (R-CA) popping up in virtually every single scandal (except the one in William Jefferson's freezer) that has hit the Congress in the past 4 years. And just when you feel you're narrowing it down, along comes another ethics organization with accusations against Richard Pombo (R-CA) or a federal investigation opens aimed at Virgil Goode (R-VA) or Katy Harris (R-FL). And that doesn't even touch on the Senate where we have Conrad Burns (-MT) vacuuming up more Abramoff bribe money than any other memeber of either chamber or Bill Frist (R-TN) guiding legislation through Congress to make himself a billionaire, not to mention Rick Santorum (R-PA), co-designer and co-operator with DeLay of the nororious K-Street Project.

It's a problem ethicists, philosophers and political scientists will be grappling with for decades. So I'm just movin' on to a much easier topic. Forget who's the single most corrupt. Let's look at who's the single most out-of-touch. We like to think our Representatives-- if not our haughty senators-- actually represent us beyond taking home a fat paycheck (+ perks). I remember how astounded-- even mortified-- regular Americans were when it was reported that George I didn't know what a grocery story check-out scanner was in 1992, technology that was introduced into all of our lives in the '70s. For many Americans that appearance of how utterly foreign their day to day lives were from the president cemented in their minds an image of Bush as some kind of an aloof alien-- even beyond the obvious facts about how he was a multimillionaire and a son of privilege.

Last January I posted a story about two Republican solons-- Trent Lott (R-MS) and John Doolittle (R-CA) reacting to demands that lobbyists at least be forced to have their $100 lunches with congressmen reported. Doolittle recoiled in horror at the notion that he might be forced-- on his $158,000 salary-- to join the rest of us at a Baja Fresh. "Maybe you can eat at Baja Fresh," he snidely blurted out. Maybe you have some constituents, Lord Doolittle, who wish they could afford to eat lunches at Baja Fresh. Congressmen like Doolittle are so utterly out of touch with working Americans' struggles that they actually believe they are entitled to all the little perks big bribes they get daily from lobbyists eager to get them to allocate hard-earned taxpayer money to benefit ther "generous" tab-accepting dining partners (and never taxpayers).

Today the Center For American Progress was kind enough to point out that Doolittle, who is one of the biggest recipients of Jack Abramoff's largess (as well as one of the biggest self-entitled bribe takers in a Congress notorious for both self-entitlement and bribe-takers), has an entirely bizarre notion, due no doubt to spending virtually all of his time breathing the rarified air of power and prestige inside the Beltway, of how actual Americans live. Doolittle, formerly always found perched high above "the little people" (the ones who eat at Baja Fresh) in Jack Abramoff's exclusive and expensive corporate skybox-- watching baseball, basketball and football in luxury-- opined that already over-paid, over-fed congressmen need even more perks. He suggested 3: "'a corps of staff to assist the members, to perform routine tasks such as rides to airports, pickups, deliveries, etc;' 'an additional automobile' to use around the nation’s capital; and government-funded moving expenses when they relocate to Washington, DC."

When challenged, his flack justified Doolittle's preposterous demands by claiming-- either through grotseque ignorance or contempt for the plight of most middle class American families the policies he and Bush have supported have brought on that "'He thinks that Members of the House, the staff and all federal employees should have the same benefits that all Americans are insured with,' pointing out that federal employees, for example, currently don’t receive a dental or vision benefit."

As The Center For American Progress pointed out 41% of the American middle-class didn’t even have basic health insurance for part or all of 2005 and only 29% of companies now offer dental and vision benefits. (Statistics on how many Americans have a personal “corps of staff” to “perform routine tasks” were unavailable.) What planet is this guy on?

Well, Planet Corruption is a better guess than Planet Claire. And Northern California Democrats, independents and just fed up people in the district seem to have come up with an antidote-- upstanding citizen Charlie Brown, an actual man of the people!

Ain't it ironic? People who have truly no respect for the rule of law were able to sucker-punch Al Gore because he does

It still seems to me inexcusable that Al Gore and the Democratic Party let themselves be outmaneuvered as well as outmuscled during the Florida vote-counting mess. I dunno, maybe they had difficulty believing that the Republicans would actually try to STEAL the election--which seems pretty naive considering how hard the Republicans were working, in plain sight, to do just that.

But once the fight found its way into the courts, and especially once the Supreme Court agreed to interfere where most of us thought it would surely see it had no business to, well, then Gore was in a position that I don't think I've felt so starkly until reading the remarks of his that Howie just presented.

If you believe in the rule of law, and a country with the rule of laws, then when you confront a point of law, the Supreme Court's word is the final word.

Do I have to underline the irony—that the Court's shocking and disgraceful machinations (oh, I'll bet a few justices really believed that by opting for a quick solution rather than a proper vote count, they were patriotically sparing the U.S. a period of uncharted trial and tribulation, which just goes to show that naiveté doesn't disqualify you from serving on the Supreme Court) wound up installing in the executive branch a cabal that truly DOESN'T believe in the rule of law, and certainly not in the rule of laws.

And I mean this quite literally. Oh sure, they'll mouth off about "the law" when it suits their purposes. But plain and simple, Chimpy and the people around him believe that the law, like everything else, is just a tool to be used to enforce their will.

DFA JUST ENDORSED NED LAMONT

Last week it was NOW. Today Democracy For America endorsed Ned Lamont's bid to become the next Democratic senator from Connecticut. This is a particularly important endorsement because DFA Chairman, Jim Dean, lives in Connecticut and has been very active in local politics there. Here's the press release that just went out:

Today, Democracy For America enthusiastically endorsed Ned Lamont in his run for United States Senate against incumbent Joseph Lieberman. Lamont surprised the pundits and Senator Lieberman with a strong showing at the Connecticut Democratic Party Convention on Friday and
earned a spot on the primary ballot. The primary will be August 8.

"Ned Lamont has been loud and clear about America's position in Iraq and world affairs, one of the most important concerns for voters," said Jim Dean, Chair for Democracy for America. "Senator
Lieberman has been a broken record supporting broken policies."

Democracy for America will help raise money, media, and volunteers for Lamont's campaign from across the nation.

And later today DFA will be sending the following letter out to all DFA members, not just in Connecticut, but across the country.

For years, Joe Lieberman has supported President Bush on issue after issue. He supported Bush's crusade to dismantle Social Security and he folded on the nominations of Justices Roberts and Alito. Lieberman voted for the invasion of Iraq and he continues to stand in the way of
real solutions that will bring our troops home. He has even supported attempts to label criticism of the war as unpatriotic. Last winter, he said, "it is time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to
acknowledge that he will be Commander-in-Chief for three more critical years, and that in matters of war we undermine Presidential credibility at our nation's peril."

On Friday, Connecticut Democrats said "enough." The Connecticut Democratic Convention was the first opportunity for an open vote between Joe Lieberman and upstart challenger Ned Lamont. With the process heavily stacked toward insiders, Lamont was expected to collect just a handful of votes.
Instead, he shocked the establishment and won twice the number of votes he needed to qualify for the August primary ballot.

Ned Lamont has won the support of DFA members across Connecticut and now he's won a place on the ballot to challenge Joe Lieberman. When he's elected in November, Ned will oppose the Bush administration's misguided policies and he'll stand with other Democrats for clean government, universal healthcare, and a moral foreign policy. I urge you to join me in supporting Ned Lamont today.

Joe Lieberman has won strong support from Republicans. Vice President Cheney calls him "a fine U.S. Senator." Republican Congressman Chris Shays and Fox News Commentator Sean Hannity have both endorsed him. Even President Bush loves Lieberman -- there are rumors he has been considered for a post in Bush's cabinet. Is that the kind of Democrat that we want in Washington?

Ned Lamont won't have any Washington Republicans fighting for him. He's only going to win through thousands of grassroots donations from DFA members like you. We need to show Ned that the grassroots will stand with him. With your help, our goal is to raise $25,000 from 500 donors today. Can you make a donation of $100, $50, or even $25 to make it happen?

Ned will be a progressive voice in the Senate. He'll speak out against the destructive Bush administration policies that threaten our moral and economic future, our civil liberties, and our nation's security. He has opposed the Iraq War since the beginning and he'll advocate a new
direction in Iraq. Let's make it happen.

Sincerely,

Jim Dean

Chair

If you want to chip in to Ned's efforts, you can click here and kick down whatever you feel is appropriate... to help save our poor battered country. Even $5 and $10 contributions will help Ned overcome the gigantic onslaught of corporate money that normally goes to actual Republicans (instead of Republicans in Democratic clothing like Lieberman).

AL GORE: NO INTERMEDIATE STEP BETWEEN A DEFINITIVE SUPREME COURT DECISION AND VIOLENT REVOLUTION

My friend Brad sent me a quote from Al Gore. Gore was talking about something I used to think about a lot-- something that makes me incredibly sad and even scared. NEW YORK MAGAZINE (the new issue) asked if he, like so many of us, thinks the 2000 election was stolen. "Gore pauses a long time and stares into the middle distance. 'There may come a time when I speak on that,' Gore says, 'but it's not now; I need more time to frame it carefully if I do.' Gore sighs. 'In our system, there's no intermediate step between a definitive Supreme Court decision and violent revolution.' Later, I put the question of Gore's views on the matter to David Boies, his lawyer in the Florida-recount battle. 'He thought the court's ruling was wrong and obviously political,' Boies says. So he considers the election stolen? 'I think he does—and he's right.'"

I suppose the nightmare will end-- please God-- but Americans have played a dangerous game with our liberty by not taking to the streets. I don't. None of us did. Do we even deserve our liberty?

AL WEED CAN FIX SOMETHING THAT IS FAR FROM GOODE IN VIRGINIA'S FIFTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Virginia politics scares the hell out of me-- every morning. When I check out LeftyBlogs there are always more posts from Virginia than from the rest of the country combined. (Well, Massachusetts is right up there with them.) There are so many Virginians blogging about politics-- and for these gentlefolk this is a BLOODSPORT. I mean, if you're a regular-- or even an irregular-- DWT reader, you know I can bash up anyone associated with the DLC and the Inside the Beltway Democratic elite power establishment headed by Rahm Emanuel and other anti-worker/anti-consumer Democrats. But these Virginians... they just beat the HELL out of whomever the other candidate it. The Webb v Harris senatorial primary battle has turned me off so badly that I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot poll. First I was excited about Webb because it looked like he could beat Allen in the general. But then it dawned on me that a little Zell Miller might be hiding in there ready to jump out as soon as he was elected so I decided to check out Harris Miller. I interviewed him and I have to say he was the most boring, unelectable candidate I ever heard in my life. So I was kind of left worrying about the other 49 states instead. But every morning I see all these Virginia posts and I'm aghast! Here, let me see a few today: "Is Harris Miller the Anti- Christ? (from Virginia Centrist), "Miller to Wave the White Flag" (The Richmond Democrat), "Did Harris Miller Dodge the Draft?" (Raising Kaine), "Harris Miller, 'A Worm With Hair'" and "Harris MIller is a Lobbyist" and "Harris Miller is Conceited" (The Virginia Progressive), "Harris Miller Admits Crime On The Air" (Not Larry Sabato)... and that's just what I noticed today!

So it is with some amount of trepidation that I'm venturing into the wonderful world of Virginia politics today. Normally I wouldn't but Virginia has a congressman, a right wing psycho, who has ventured into my territory: the Randy "Duke" Cunningham bribery scandals: Virgil Goode, Jr. Officially Goode represents the 5th congressional district but he's commonly referred to as Virgil Goode, Jr. (R-MZM). You probably remember that last February Mitchell Wade, one of the Republican defense contractors who has already pled guilty to bribing Cunningham, also told the Feds that he was paying off Goode and Katherine Harris for favors they were doing (or, in the case of the incompetent Harris, trying to do) for his businesses. But the MZM connection is hardly Goode's first brush with the muck and slime of the Republican Culture of Corruption. Not by a long shot.

The 5th distict appears on a map like an arrowhead penetrating into the south-central portion of the state from North Carolina with an apex just north of Charlottesville. Goode is the first Republican to represent the area since Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox (which is in the district) But he started his political career as a Democrat-- sort of. He ran as a Democrat and consistently voted as a Republican, first in the state senate and later in the U.S. House. After aping Joe Lieberman and Zell Miller, undermining Democrats from within, and after he voted with the radical right to impeach Bill Clinton he finally left the Democratic Party and eventually the Republicans were able to get him to join them in return for a seat on the Appropriations Committee, the one where the most bribes and kickbacks flow.

And Goode quickly got down to business-- his own business of raking in the dough. The Irregular Times has all the details of Virgil's association with Wade and MZM (his #1 campaign contributor). Like Cunningham, DeLay, Abramoff, John Doolittle, Jerry Lewis, Bob Ney-- not to mention Richard "I'm not a crook" Nixon-- Goode feigns shock and outrage when he's confronted with his bribe-taking. So far he has avoided Cunningham's fate. But the investigation grinds on and it is widely expected that he will be indicted eventually. But decent citizens in the Southern Tier don't want to wait for the slow wheels on justice to rid them of their Goode problem. Diverse interests in the district have come together in a pretty unified fashion to back Al Weed as an excellent alternative to the execrably bad Goode.

A self-made man from a family that had to subsist on welfare after his father's military service, Al earned scholarships to Yale and Princeton and has had a successful career both as a farmer and as a diplomat. Unlike DCCC puppet candidates, who are advised ordered to avoid issues and positions, Al has one of the most extensive and thorough explanations of where he stands on all the important issues of the day on his website.



He comes across as a good government reformer, a clean-hands citizen who wants to clean up the mess being left by Goode and the other rubber-stamp Republicans. Goode's well-considered positions sound suitably progressive and filled with the common sense moderation one would expect from someone who has grown comfortable using his considerable intellect to move his life forward. Where Goode was wallowing in the filth and slime of Tom DeLay's Republican Culture of Corruption, I feel certain that Al Weed will be a patsy for no one being a rubber-stamp is not on his agenda either. I noticed today at MyDD that Al had endorsed Markey's Net Neutrality bill, like many of the savviest and most independent candidates, including several DWT is already helping to raise funds for, like Rick Penberthy (FL-05), Joe Sestak (PA-07), Jerry McNerney (CA-11), Coleen Rowley (MN-02), and of course, the progressive alternative to Bush's favorite Democrat (Lieberman), Ned Lamont. So I guess I should add Al to the ACT BLUE Page, right?

Last week what could have been a bruising primary battle was avoided after the Buckingham County Democratic Committee voted 114-73 to endorse Al and his opponent, Bern Ewart, withdrew and heartily endorsed him. Now's the time for everyone looking for a change of direction to come together and support great candidates like Al Weed who are willing to venture into the brutal political world inside the Beltway to try to make our country a better place. Last week respected New Jersey Republican, ex-Governor Tom Kean who got a close look at the Bush Regime when he served as head the 9-11 Commission, made a commencement address at my friend Andrew's niece's graduation from Skidmore. Kean had a lot to say but thinking about candidates like Al Weed brought to mind a juxtaposition Kean made between Plato and Bush. "Plato said, 'The penalty for not participating in government is to be governed by your inferiors.' Think about it. It may be happening." It certainly is-- and it isn't just Bush and Cheney. Crooked rubber-stamp Republicans like Virgil Goode, Jr. represent the very definition of inferior. Let's help Al Weed fix that great wrong.

This cynic suggests that the GOP passion for an all-powerful president will turn on a dime if the next occupant of the White House is a Democrat

Speaking as I just was about the ungodly messes that Chimpy the Make-Believe President's successor will be left to clean up, I stumbled across a pithy observation on how quickly and dramatically the current GOP fervor for an imperial presidency and a totally subservient Congress can be expected to change in the event that the new "emperor" is a Democrat.

It's a comment appended by a reader to an item in William M. Arkin's washingtonpost.com "Early Warning" blog praising General Hayden's Senate committee testimony for "straightforwardly criticiz[ing] decisions and actions of the Bush administration, even gingerly suggesting a truth that everyone on the planet except for the occupants of the White House already knows: The Iraq war is a disaster and a diversion undermining and not enhancing any potential American action to stem global terrorism." This comment speaks for itself:

Folks, remember what I have told you here. If in January, 2008, a democrat takes over at the Oval Office, just watch how quickly the roles will reverse. Just watch as the heavy breathers on the right who support any action against Iraq or Al Quaeda--irrespective of whether those actions are within the law and the Constitution--completely reverse themsleves and beging to call for a more restricvtive view of the power of the Executive. Just watch--assuming republicans manage to hold on to both Houses--as Congress finds a renewed interest in checking the power of the Executive. Just watch as suddenly this obsequeious, accommodating Congress suddenly devlops a spine and starts up investigations of Executive Branch actions. And just watch as some of the Bush sycophants on this very forum suddenly start wringing their hands and fretting over too much Executive power.

The one thing we do not have a shortage of in Washington is a monumental excess of hypocrisy.

Posted by: Jaxas | May 22, 2006 10:31 AM

Did you know that the president's actual plan for Nat'l Guard border-patrol duty is open-ended? Chimpy's successor will have to deal with it

Much as I hate to miss any of Rachel Maddow's Air America Radio show (which plays from 7 to 9am here in New York), for me the absolutely most indispensable segment is the "Underbelly" (in the 8:15 quarter-hour), where the Maddow team "poke[s] a sharp stick in the soft white underbelly of the right-wing scheme machine"—i.e., chronicles ways in which the Right manipulates and controls the national agenda. Today's underbelly technique was the "slow launch," wherein large-scale commitments are slipped through the grid of consciousness in the form of seemingly small-scale ones, and the next thing you know they're full-blown monstrosities.

Now, most listeners to the president's immigration-policy speech came away thinking that the 6,000-strong Guard force would be doing border duty for a "transitional" year, the time needed—Chimpy clearly seemed to be saying—to bring the new, improved Border Patrol up to strength. Ah, but there was a loophole: a reference to "initial" Guard deployment. As anyone who has watched the scandalous misuse of Guard units in Iraq knows, "initial" deployment is just what precedes the second deployment, and so on. Guard members don't get to actually leave until Sec'y Rummy says they can leave, and if they're looking for an actual date, I strongly recommend that they not hold their breath. And obviously a "first" deployment leaves entirely open the option of bringing in reinforcements.

Well, it appears that the other shoe dropped in the dead of night Friday, when conveniently—at the lowest point in the news cycle—a Pentagon memo was leaked. According to the report on the KXTV Sacramento website that's linked at maddowonline.com:

"A Pentagon memo sent to California National Guard leaders this week and obtained by The Associated Press indicates President Bush's planned deployment of troops along the U.S.-Mexico border will last at least two years with no timetable for concluding the operation."

The memo does indicate that a reduction from 6,000 to 3,000 troops is planned for the second year. Of course we still don't know what we're talking about in actual numbers to create an active force of 6,000 or 3,000 border-patrolling Guard members. And maybe the number will drop by half in Year Two; maybe it won't. More important, though, look at the timetable that's build into what's announce here. Since, according to the memo, deployment won't begin until June, Year Two takes us through June 2008, without even talk of planned withdrawal of the Guard from border duty. Which makes it seem pretty clear that the actual plan is to dump the problem in the lap of the poor schlub who follows the present First Schlub in the White House.

EACH PARTY HAS AT LEAST ONE SENATOR WHO EMBARRASSES EVERYONE ELSE. TODAY: SANTORUM, CRACKPOT BLOGGER

Oh Jesus Christ, as though Santorum didn't have enough problems-- between his abysmal voting record, his bigotry, his leadership role in the Republican Culture of Corruption and the K Street Project, his funny-business with charities, etc-- now he's become a blogger for a blatantly racist, neo-fascist site called Red State. What is wrong with this guy? Doesn't he realize he's supposed to be representing Pennsylvania, not Utah or Alabama? This Red State blog is not just some quasi-respectable, garden variety Republican Party propaganda site. No, sir; this is a bona fide online insane asylum, populated with all the whacko radical right extremists and meshuganahs you can imagine-- from the KKK kooks to the bomb-makers and the kinds of people who run around tearing their hair and screaming that Bush and Cheney are liberals. And Rick Santorum. He's lost whatever remained of his small, narrow mind.

PAUL KRUGMAN SERVES UP A KNOCK-OUT PUNCH FOR BUSH'S FAVORITE DEMOCRAT, HOLY JOE LIEBERMAN

Paul Krugman has the Lieberman/Lamont contest all figured out. One thing about Krugman, he gets things right. His NY TIMES story, "Talk-Show Joe," lays bare the whole fraud that is Lieberman. "What happened to Mr. Lieberman?" asks Krugman, after explaining the jeopardy Lamont's showing at the convention has put his campaign in. "Some new reports may lead you to believe he is in trouble solely because of his support for the Iraq war. But there's much more to it than that. Mr. Lieberman has consistently supported Republican talking points. This has made him a lion of the Sunday talk shows, but has put him out of touch with his constituents and with reality." Bush's approval rating in Connecticut is 31%, one of the lowest rankings in the country. Krugman thinks Lieberman's upbeat vision of the Iraq situation, which is exactly the Bush Regime's upbeat vision, is "delusional" and his column makes reference to Lieberman's labeling of Democrats (and others) who questioned the war and occupation as "unpatriotic." There are a LOT of "unpatriots" in Connecticut ready to let Mr. Lieberman know what they think of him. In fact, the kind of people who vote in Connecticut primaries are these very "unpatriots." And they're pissed.

He also refers to the now-infamous corporate-whore Hillary letter that backfired on them both. "A letter sent by Hillary Clinton to Connecticut Democrats," writes Krugman, "credited Mr. Lieberman with defending Social Security 'tooth and nail.' Well, I watched last year's Social Security debate pretty closely, and that's not what happened. In fact, Mr. Lieberman repeatedly supported the administration's scare tactics. 'Every year we wait to come up with a solution to the Social Security problem,' he declared in March 2005, 'costs our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren $600 billion more.' This claim echoed a Bush administration talking point, and President Bush wasted little time citing Mr. Lieberman's statement as vindication. But the talking point was simply false, so Mr. Lieberman was providing cover for an administration lie."

Not many Democrats were sympathetic to the psychosis of Frist and Santorum and DeLay and the Bush Brothers in regard to the Terri Schiavo tragedy. Most Democrats-- on both sides of the Beltway for a change-- were repulsed by what the Republicans were doing. But Holy Joe was right there with them. But, fossilized hypocrite that he's always been, interfering in people's personal lives has always been a hallmark of Lieberman's reprehensible political career. Krugman reminds us that "Lieberman showed far more outrage over Bill Clinton's personal life than he has ever shown over Mr. Bush's catastrophic failures as commander in chief."

Krugman rightly takes issue with the media constantly calling a confirmed right-winger like Lieberman a "moderate," when all he's ever been in a self-serving shill for corporatist power and wealth. "Mr. Lieberman's defenders would have you believe that his increasingly unpopular positions reflect his principles. But his Bushlike inability to face reality on Iraq looks less like a stand on principle than the behavior of a narcissist who can't admit error. And the common theme in Mr. Lieberman's positions seems to be this: In each case he has taken the stand that is most likely to get him on TV. You see, the talking-head circuit loves centrists. But a centrist, as defined inside the Beltway, doesn't mean someone whose views are actually in the center, as judged by public opinion. Instead, a Democrat is considered centrist to the extent that he does what Mr. Lieberman does: lends his support to Republican talking points, even if those talking points don't correspond at all to what most of the public wants or believes. But this "center" cannot hold. And that's the larger lesson of what happened Friday. Mr. Lieberman has been playing to a Washington echo chamber that is increasingly out of touch with the country's real concerns. The nation, which rallied around Mr. Bush after 9/11 simply because he was there, has moved on and it has left Mr. Lieberman behind."

You probably already know this, but you can click right here to help our whole nation leave the wreck of Lieberman permanently behind.

IN PLAY-- BIG TIME-- NY-24. SHERRY BOEHLERT FINALLY PACKS IT IN. MIKE ARCURI LIKELY TO PAINT THIS DISTRICT BEAUTIFUL BRIGHT BLUE

For a Republican, Sherwood Boehlert wasn't that horrendous. But his voting record wasn't something to cheer. Yes, he's definitely to the left of Vlad the Impaler (especially on abortion, the environment and on education issues but he was usually worse than Lieberman, worse than Jim Marshall, worse than Melissa Bean... worse than the most reactionary Democrat in either House-- much worse. The last of an already dead breed, Rockefeller Republicans, Boehlert, first elected in 1982, has long been rumored to be sick of the right-wing nut cases who have taken control of his party (I mean imagine being the chairman of the House Science Committee with these kooks and religionist fanatics in charge!!) and ready to retire. Friday he did.

My old college house-mate came from this virtually all-white central New York district and she was Boehlert's niece. He always seemed like a decent enough guy-- for a Republican. Boehlert won in 2004 with 57% (with the neo-fascist he had beaten in the Repug primary, David Walrath, a Club For Growth shill, running as a Conservative and taking almost 10% of the vote). In 2002 the Democrats hadn't even bothered to field a candidate and Boehlert won with 71% (with the neo-fascist Walrath running on the Conservative Party line). In 2004 Bush had 53% and in 2000 he had barely beaten Gore, 48% v 47%. Walrath's campaign was hampered because he hadn't been paying his taxes.

Conservative State Senator Ray Meier is the favorite to succeed Boehlert, but he’s no moderate. Meier is 100% anti-choice, 100% against stem-cell research, and was 1 of only 8 State Senators to vote against raising the minimum wage in New York State. Also running is a real Wingnutia kook named Brad Jones, mayor of Seneca Falls. It promises to be very costly and very bloody and it is a very late primary (September 12 , less than 2 months in front of the general election), putting the GOP at a distinct disadvantage to the unified Democrats (for a refreshing change).

Mike Arcuri is the Democrat who might have been able to beat Boehlert and can certainly take on either Meier or the drooling nutcase from Seneca Falls. He's the first Democratic District Attorney for Oneida County in 40 years, and one of only three in the history of the County, which makes up about a third of the votes in the district. He is a nightmare to the Republicans because he is tough and a proven vote getter in a Republican County.  The guy has been reelected three times and is even respected and popular among local Republicans. His website indicates that he's not some kind of DCCC patsy who will be pushed around by Emmanuel and Hoyer. He's forthright and clear on the controversial issues that they have demanded Democratic challengers avoid. He wants our troops out of Iraq; he flat out will fight to support women's right to choice; he's going to be the bain of law-breaking Republicans' existence with his stand on illegal wiretapping; and when it comes to the Republican's favorite hot button issue, the demonization of gay men and women, Arcuri doesn't waffle: "I oppose unwarranted government interference in the private lives of consenting adults, and I support laws that provide equal benefits, for all citizens, to health and life insurance, inheritance and other basic rights like hospital visitation." Here's a guy with guts, brains and charisma who's going to make a really great addition to the U.S. House of Representatives.

He was strongly endorsed by his main Democratic primary opponent, Les Roberts in a unity move, and about a month ago another Democrat who wanted to challenge Boehlert, Cortland Mayor Bruce Tytler also dropped out. Democrats in the district are on fire for Arcuri and their enthusiasm is going to go a long way towards painting this district blue. New York's hugely popular Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate, Eliot Spitzer is campaigning for Mike too and Hillary Clinton will probably take some time out from her jihad to re-elect Joe Lieberman in order to lend Mike a hand too. You want to help? You can volunteer here and you can make a small donation here.

EVERYONE HATES BUSH NOW-- EVEN DENNIS HASTERT, RICHARD VIGUERIE AND A RIGHT WING LOON IN BENSALEM NAMED PHIL

The Prince of Darkness reported in his CHICAGO SUN-TIMES gossip column that the biggest man in the House, Speaker Dennis Hastert, had a screaming fit directed at Cheney a couple days ago. Cheney ventured up to the Hill to receive some kind of bogus pro-forma Distinguished Service Award and Hastert started yelling at him-- not because of what he has done to our nation and not for the misery and devastation he is responsible for in Iraq-- but because he screwed over Hastert's old crony Porter Goss, a former corrupt right-wing congressman who was fired from his job as CIA Director after a year and a half of gross incompetence + hookers and bribes (all things that are obviously just water off a duck's back in Congress these days).

"Hastert was so vituperative that a private session with President Bush in the living quarters of the White House was scheduled immediately... With the vice president sitting in, Bush expressed his high regard for Goss. Hastert had criticized the choice of Gen. Michael Hayden as Goss' successor, and Bush urged the speaker to support the nominee." Apparently no one has bothered to tell Bush that the Senate rubber-stamps the appointments, not the House and that Jabba only works in the House, not the Senate. In any case, Hastert didn't yell at Bush-- but he's still pissed off (and vindictive). Bush doesn't need more people hating him. Even extreme right-wing guru Richard Viguerie denounced him in today's WASHINGTON POST. The Hispanic voters he tried courting are sick of his bullshit and are turning on him now. His approval ratings are headed towards zero (not counting Utah and the Aryan Nation) and now every poll but one the Republican Party took, says the American people overwhelmingly rate him as personally unlikeable. (I feel so ahead of the curve-- again. I once booked The Doors to play at my college for $400-- before they were famous-- and Steven Krantz, the sophomore class representative, screamed at me and started a petition drive-- which failed-- to have me removed as Chairman of the Student Activities Board for wasting money on a talentless band like The Doors. I found Bush personally unlikeable when he was still a coke-snorting frat boy trying to act like a big shot in his daddy's White House.)

Anyway, Jabba the Hastert's "wrath reflects the feeling in the House Republican cloakroom that Goss, who gave up a safe congressional seat from Florida for a thankless cleanup mission at the CIA, is being made a scapegoat for the government's intelligence mess. But Hastert's discontent goes beyond the CIA. The GOP mood on Capitol Hill, particularly the House, is poisonous. With pessimism rising over a contemplated loss of their majority in the 2006 elections, Republican lawmakers blame their parlous condition on Bush's performance." They all sense the jig is up and that many are not just headed for unemployment lines but to federal penitentiaries-- like their former colleague Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who, after all, wasn't doing anything that almost all of the House Republicans were are doing.

Even an acquaintance of mine from Bensalem, PA, Phil, who's not terribly bright, a little on the attention deficit end of the spectrum and a rabid right-wing loon-- a gay and poor right-wing loon-- has now turned against Bush. (He's still majorly behind Santorum but is aware that whomever wins the Senate race in November will be representing the extreme right-wing values he so fervently-- if incomprehensibly-- espouses.) It was hard to get Phil to explain why he's gone from Bush-lover to Bush-loather. "I don't want you guys to know," he said. What guys? "California liberals." Eventually he kind of whispered one word: "Immigration." And take my word for it, Phil, like all right-wingers, HATES labor unions, so he's not angry because Bush's immigration plans are aimed at neutering organized labor and keeping wages low for... people like Phil. Nope; like with virtually all right-wing Republicans, you don't have to scratch too deeply beneath the surface to find a weak, frightened, xenophobic, racist a-hole.

Did you watch ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" today? John Edwards was another voice explaining that the emperor is stark naked-- and pretty repulsive to behold. Bush, said the former North Carolina senator, "is the worst president of our lifetime... absolutely" worse than Nixon. He said if he were still in the Senate he would back Russ Feingold's censure resolution. "He's done a variety of things-- things which are going to take us forever to recover from... You have to give Bush and Cheney and gang credit for being good at politics-- you know, good at political campaigns. They're very good at dividing the country and taking advantage of it. What they're not good at is governing, and it shows every single day in this administration. And the country is paying a huge price for that." Edwards, like over 80% of Americans, is not a big fan of Dick Cheney either. "It is not an accident that he's unbelievably poorly thought of. He is one of-- if not the-- principal architects of this disaster in Iraq. He put us on an energy path that the American people are paying an enormous price for right now. He paid little to no attention to making sure the government was prepared to respond to the kind of disaster that hit our Gulf Coast. We've got a health care crisis going on, he's had no proposal of any kind that I know of. And people don't trust him anymore, which is understandable. I wouldn't trust him."

Pretty soon, the only ones who will say they like Bush are people on the payroll and, of course, the prisonfuls of crooked Republican politicians waiting for presidential pardons-- and Jeff Skilling and... Kenny-boy.

JUNE 6- PRIMARIES IN 8 STATES INCLUDING CALIFORNIA WHERE FRANCINE BUSBY & JERRY McNERNEY COULD MAKE HISTORY

In just over 2 weeks there will be a virtual superbowl of state primaries. June 6 will see Democrats picking candidates to fight for our values and our ideals in 8 states: Alabama, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota. Some of the races are forgone conclusions and a little sleepy-- although the only nose-picking I'm aware of is Paul Begala's-- and some of the races are absolutely crucial. I want to cover some of the crucial ones today, all of which can still be impacted by volunteers and contributors.

What makes a Democratic primary crucial for me is when it pits a grassroots, independent-minded progressive against a company man. A company man? Yeah, someone who represents the Inside-the-Beltway careerists who think they own the Democratic Party, the Rahm Emanuels and Steny Hoyers and Chuck Schumers of the world. Look, the Republicans are the enemies of all that makes our country great and they will be dealt with by the voters in November (and by the justice system as time goes on), but there is a culture in Washington shared by career pols on both sides of the aisle and that culture is rigged against workers and consumers. Too many-- way too many-- Democrats have bought into that culture and the rich rewards kowtowing to the Big Business agenda brings. Primaries are crucial because it is the only time we can reclaim the party that is supposed to represent working men and women from the corporate-whores who make their careers inside the Beltway.


Ironically, the most important race on June 6 is only coincidental with a primary and it is one that does NOT pit the grassroots and progressives against a DCCC corporate shill. The northern San Diego County (CA-50) special election run-off to replace disgraced, imprisoned Republican Randy "Duke" Cunningham, has united all factions of the Democratic Party-- from Howard Dean's Democratic wing to Rahm Emanuel's Don't-be-afraid-of-us-We're-just-like-the-Republicans wing, from liberals to moderates to reactionaries. All Democrats are firmly united behind good government/reform candidate Francine Busby in her valiant bid to stop the GOP from inserting a corporate lobbyist with highly dubious ethics into the seat of the first Republican-- probably the first of many-- to be jailed for taking bribes and kickbacks from Republican contractors who were given hundreds of millions of dollars worth of sweetheart deals in return.

Brian Bilbray, the Republican, is a mess and a disgrace. A defeated ex-congressman from a neighboring district, he immediately moved to Virginia and hung out a shingle as a lobbyist, using his contacts in the body his constituents had just kicked him out of, to enrich himself. As expected, the Republicans are running a typically gutter-level campaign to cling onto the seat, complete with absurd and degenerate tv ads attempting to portray Francine, a dedicated and committed lifelong educator as someone who sympathizes with child pornography. The NRCC has spent over $2.5 million on the campaign, approximately 1/10 of their total cash on hand. And yet, every week, polling in this very red district (Cunningham won with 58% in 2004 and 64% in 2002 and Bush won with 55% in 2004 and 54% in 2000), shows Bilbray losing more and more support-- and Francine pulling ahead. The latest poll, from Lake Research shows her at 47% and Bilbray at 40% with Francine garnering a 53% favorable rating and Bilbray with a 48% favorable rating. Momentum is clearly on Francine's side. But with the national GOP pouring money into the district Francine needs volunteers and donations. Help if you can. A win here, in the heart of Wingnutia, would be a great way to help build momentum going into the November midterms. In fact, the first 50 people who donate today (any amount) through the ACT BLUE Page, will get a free CD mailed to them courtesy of FDL and DWT.

The most important primary on June 6 is in northern California when Democrats have to decide who to pick to take on one of the dozen worst Republicans in Congress, Richard Pombo, the man who would like nothing better than to sell the national parks in order to give bigger tax cuts to the wealthy business interests who have underwritten his political (and financial) rise. The primary in a classic case pitting an independent-minded grassroots progressive against an Inside-the-Beltway shill who Rahm Emanuel and his clique are attempting to impose on the district.


Jerry McNerney is wearing the white hat here and Steve Filson is the Establishment puppet. In 2004, in response to the urging of his son Michael, who had enlisted in the Air Force after 9/11, Jerry entered the race for Congress as a write-in candidate because the Democratic Party had written-off the district as too difficult to bother wasting money on. Out of NOWHERE, Jerry received nearly 104,000 votes in the general election, the most votes ever received by a challenger to the execrable Pombo.

So along comes 2006 and what does the DCCC do? Do they get behind Jerry McNerney and his huge base of support in CA-11 to help him beat Pombo? No way-- Jerry opposes the occupation of Iraq; Jerry is a progressive; Jerry is a populist; Jerry is independent-minded and has no intentions of serving any political bosses from either side of the aisle, not someone named Tom and not someone named... just pick any Dick or Harry out of a hat... like Rahm or Steny. So instead of capitalizing on the groundwork that has been laid and helping Democrats in the San Joaquin Valley rid themselves-- and the nation-- of one of the most corrupt and corrosive influences on issue after issue that has come before Congress, the DC Insiders recruited and anointed an ex-Republican, pro-Business uninvolved mediocrity who they know will be a good little pawn if they can get him the job.

Fortunately, California Democrats don't cotton to this kind of stalinist bossism and the state Democratic party convention endorsed Jerry with 75% of the vote. Jerry has also been endorsed by the California Labor Federation (the umbrella group for labor in the state, and includes both AFL-CIO and Change to Win unions), by SEIU (The California State Council of the Service Employees International Union) and by a dozen other unions, as well as by virtually all the district's Democratic clubs. His opponent, on the other hand, has been endorsed by a cabal of Inside-the-Beltway power brokers, the bottom feeders of the Democratic Party who Emanuel was able to whip into following his lead.

This is ground zero for the battle for the soul of the Democratic Party. Visit Jerry's website, think about how important it is to stop the bosses so that we don't let the People's party be turned into just another subsidiary of Corporate America. And you know what? The same offer I made above about a free CD for the first 50 people who contribute to Francine goes for Jerry too. And then we take on Pombo... and make America a better place to live.

I don't want to slight any of the important races in any of these states that go to the polls on the 6th. Maybe I better take the rest up next week, especially the Montana Senate primary where Democrats get to pick the man who will crush Jack Abramoff's closest bud in the U.S. Senate, Conrad Burns. But in California there are a few other important contested primary races for Congress, particularly in picking a Democrat to oppose one of the GOP kings of the Culture of Corruption, John Doolittle, where Charlie Brown looks like the best bet. And in the suburbs of L.A., there is the race to oust the homophobic closet queen David Dreier, the man to whom Denny Hastert turned when he needed someone to draft ethics legislation that would allow the Republican Culture of Corruption continue unabated. Moderate Democrat Russ Warner is probably the best Democrat to be able to retire Dreier and turn the district blue. There's also a lively primary to pick a challenger to take on scandal-ridden Duncan Hunter down in CA-52; all the Democrats look pretty decent so I'm just waiting to see what the voters come up with here.

HABLA ENGLISH EVERYONE?

Bush speaks Spanish abysmally. He also speaks English abysmally. He's a mess. And so is his crumbling regime. Yesterday morning the lame new press secretary he filched from the Republican Propaganda TV network, Tony Snow, officially told the press that Bush supports the Senate's idiotic and discriminatory proposal to make English the "national language." Meanwhile, Attorney General Alberto "The Torturer" Gonzales, whose grandparents were illegal Mexican migrants, said Bush has long opposed making English the country's national language. Even if there's a little lack of clarity here, at least we know that men with the moral fiber of people like George W. Bush, Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, etc would never use something like this for political gain. Neither Bush nor Gonzales would go as far as Harry Reid who called the Senate proposal "racist."

HUGE LAMONT VICTORY TONIGHT! LIEBERMAN SHOULD RETIRE AND SAVE HIS $5 MILLION AND WHAT'S LEFT OF HIS DIGNITY

Today was the Connecticut Democratic Party Convention. Lamont needed to get 15% of the delegates to qualify for the ballot. Virtually no one believed he could pull it off. I mean, Lieberman owns the Democratic Party machinery in that state. Lamont's campaign had decided to go the petition route to get on the ballot.

But today, hundreds of party delegates turned on George Bush's favorite Democrat and kicked Lieberman to the ground. The final vote count from the 1,509 delegates:

Ned Lamont- 505 (33.4%)
Lieberman- 1004 (66.5%)

Connecticut bloggers say it was an unexpected swing of small towns-- the ones where the big city party machines have no power-- that gave Lamont more than twice the votes anyone expected. I wonder if the last minute letter of support to all the delegates from corporate-whore Hillary Clinton actually hurt Lieberman's chances today.

Lamont's campaign always felt that theeir biggest hurdle would be to get past the party apparatus because the progressive Democrats who decide Connecticut primaries would be very receptive to Lamont's message and to the kind of man Ned Lamont is. Well, that hurdle was cleared-- spectacularly. The next hurdle is to face the $5 million war chest of the most vicious mud-slinging political hack in the history of Connecticut politics, the dirtiest fighter in the entire Democratic Party. You want to help? This would be a good time to let Joe Lieberman know that progressives are sick and tired of his treachery, of his fake Democratic credentials, of his support for Bush, and of his neocon agenda in support of war and corporate greed. Ned Lamont and his campaign achieved some great stuff in the last couple of months. Let them know you're with them by making a direct contribution through ACT BLUE.


7AM UPDATE: MAINSTREAM MEDIA IS QUIET AS A MOUSE BUT JOY SPREADS IN DC

A political friend of mine just sent me an e-mail about Lieberman's humiliation: "This is incredible... heard the great news over NPR. As a former intern of Joe Lieberman... I couldn't be more happier to see what is happening in Connecticut." Sunday's COURANT makes it very clear that Lieberman's in trouble, deep, deep trouble. The Connecticut Democrats who have been paying attention are sick and tired of this treacherous and reactionary hypocrite sullying the good name of their state, plotting with the Bush Regime while masquerading as a Democrat.


SUNDAY UPDATE: NED THANKS THE BLOGOSPHERE

John at Crooks & Liars, who revolutionized the Internet with this kind of thing, taught me how to embed videos yesterday. Tim Tagaris just sent this one over. Take a look:

NEW SCHOOL GRADUATION CEREMONY ERUPTS INTO BOOS WHEN McCAIN SPEAKS

I used to teach at the New School. Actually I was teaching darkroom classes at the Parsons School of Design at the New School. The Parsons students were incredibly dull but I got tremendous stimulation from talking with the much more interesting New School students. I would have guessed they wouldn't have been too pleased to have corporate whore John McCain show up to give the commencement address at their graduation today. (I'm sure the Parsons students wouldn't have cared one way or the other.) A few days ago I had the honor of having dinner with THE NATION's brilliant young writer Ari Berman. Sensing it might be explosive, Ari just covered the New School graduation ceremony and wrote a story called "McCain at New School: Honeymoon is Over."

"The school's tradition of dissent carried on today. Scores of New School students held orange signs, and a few banners, reading 'McCain Does Not Speak For Me,' and 'Our Commencement Is Not Your Platform.' What began as mild rumblings of disapproval before McCain's speech soon exploded into boos, catcalls and turned backs... The Senator spoke in a dull monotone, without his usual charisma or charm. He was noticeably deflated by the crowd's harsh reception towards him. Remarks such as 'I supported the decision to go to war in Iraq,' were met with loud boos."

Maybe McCain really was deflated-- or maybe he was just out looking for a Sister Souljah moment. We'll see if Rove or whoever will be running his campaign uses the footage in an ad.


THURSDAY UPDATE: McCAIN STILL WHINING ABOUT THE NEW SCHOOL

The Republican's biggest hypocrite, McCain was crying crocodile tears for the New School students today. Yes, he acknowledges that he was boo-ed but claims that it is their lives that will be worse now. "It's unfortunate, because these young people now will have a duller life because they won't listen to the views of those that they disagree with. And that's unfortunate because the whole theme of my speech was interestingly and ironically is that we should strongly disagree with one another." What a straight-talker! He told CNN he hasn't seen Al Gore's movie yet. He hasn't mentioned when he plans to go check it out. Maybe he can take some of his Senate colleagues (who also vote to imperil the actual earth we live on with their consistent policies putting Big Business' voracious greed above planet habitability) with him. Sure.

AMERICAN VALUES= PROGRESSIVE VALUES

A few days ago I was driving down the street listening to Air America when I heard Rachel Maddow explaining about American values. Ken is always referring to how great she is but because she's on from 3-6AM here, I never hear her. This bit was absolutely stunning. And since it turned out to be a People For the American Way spot, I called my friend Josh there and asked for a copy. He even made me a link so all DWT readers can hear it. Please give it a listen and think about what she's saying and how it relates to why you're proud to be an American and a progressive.

The following week I was walking down the street telling two other friends how excited I was about the spot-- I hope you've listened to it by now so you know what I'm talking about-- and then: BOOM, one of the women says "Thank you; I wrote that spot." I always suspected Laurie Boeder was pretty brilliant but she sure nailed this perfectly.

It made me start poking around the People For the American Way website (blogrolled on the right) and I found something new and wonderful and fun: WikiThePresidency: everything you ever wanted to know about the Bush presidency and were afraid to face... and it grows and enriches itself daily... hourly!

CORPORATE WHORE HILLARY CLINTON COMES TO THE DEFENSE OF BUSH'S FAVORITE DEMOCRAT AND FELLOW CORPORATE WHORE, HOLY JOE LIEBERMAN

And just when we were all starting to feel almost warm and fuzzy about Hillary because of her courageous-- sorry, couldn't resist-- stand on net neutrality, here she comes and sends all the delegates to the Connecticut Democratic Convention a letter touting her allegience to fellow corporate-whore Joe Lieberman. The "You-have-nothing-to-fear-from-us-We're-just-like-the-Republicans" wing of the Democratic Party is rallying around Bush's favorite Democrat. The letter is sickening, just like the anti-worker/anti-consumer political games these two vile triangulators play.

I found it funny that she talks about how she and Joe worked together on so many issues-- first responders, children's health care, cleaning up Long Island Sound... but not a word about censoring music and films nor a word about flag burning amendments. Aren't Hillary and Joe proud of those things too? I mean when you think of Joe Lieberman what comes to mind? How he undermined Democratic efforts to stop Alito? How he spearheaded the right-wing attack on popular culture and free speech? How much money Big Business always stuffs up his ass in return for his pro-corporate voting record? How much worse he is even than Bush on pushing war in the Middle East? How he revels in undercutting progressives by attacking real Democrats on Fox "News?" There are so many, many things Hillary Clinton forgot to mention.


5PM UPDATE: LAMONT WILL EASILY HIT THE 15% MAGIC NUMBER

I knew the PC thing for progressive bloggers was to downplay Lamont's chances as much as the Lieberwhore forces were trying to inflate them. But I couldn't resist predicting that Lamont would win the 15% Lieberwhore was so, so, so desperate to keep him from. Lieberwhore failed. Counting is going on right now and Matt at My DD is blogging live from the convention and feeding us all the great blow by blow. It looks like Lamont will go quite a bit over 15%, even with the notoriously vindictive and vicious Lieberwhore pulling every trick out of his vile playbook. The last report from Matt showed only 599 votes counted out of 1607 and Lamont already had 200 of the 599. (He needs a total of 241.) LOL!

After swearing to Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer that he wouldn't run as an Independent if Lamont beats him in the primary, Lieberman is still threatening to do just that. (A real Democrat, Lamont has already pledged to support Lieberman if Lieberman wins the primary.)


5:30PM UPDATE: LAMONT OVER THE TOP

Tim Tagaris is also blogging live from the Democratic Convention and he just released the last count, giving Lamont over 500 votes, considerably more than the 241 he needed to get on the primary ballot. Lieberman must be plotzing! Everyone knew Connecticut delegates wanted Lamont to win but no one thought they'd find the guts to stand up and oppose Lieberman, who never forgets and never forgives.

HASTERT LETS THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG: REPUBLICANS HAVE NOTHING BUT CONTEMPT FOR AMERICAN WORKING PEOPLE

Like 9/11, Hurricane Katrina brought a sense of unity to most Americans, the feeling that we were all in this together and that we desperately needed to pull together and help solve the unfathomable problems facing our compatriots in a city we all love and in a region as American as any other in our union. The very first voice to shatter that sense of community came from the porcine Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert, who suggested that instead of the difficult and, in his mind, too costly job of rebuilding New Orleans, we just level it. “It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed,” opined a man who looks like he's always demanded far more than his share. (In fact, when it came to screwing over the Armenian-American community, Hastert took half a million dollars in bribes from the government of Turkey-- in small unreported cash donations-- in return for using his position as Speaker to derail legislation involving recognition of the Armenian genocide.)

Anyway, yesterday, Hastert managed to stick his hoof in his mouth between regularly scheduled feedings. Right on the floor of the House, showing his disdain for typical Americans who do not buy him $200 lunches at fancy restaurants, Hastert declared "Well, folks, if you earn $40,000 a year and have a family of two children, you don’t pay any taxes. So you probably, if you don't pay any taxes, you are not going to get a very big tax cut." Of course, under the Republican tax proposals he was defending, all the tax cuts go to the very wealthy people who do pay for the gluttonous Speaker's notoriously gargantuan meals-- and line his pockets with kickbacks and bribes.

Hastert, like so many of our "representatives," has been well taken care of by the lobbyists and the corporations whose bidding he routinely carries out. Once a humble high school teacher, he has somehow morphed into a millionaire. What all his ill-gotten wealth hasn't brought him is either a brain or a sense of compassion for people who don't get giant bribes and kickbacks and have to make do with meager salaries in the grotesque Republican economy that Bush and Hastert's rubber-stamp Congress have brought us. Hastert discounts entirely that "the little people" who make $40,000 pay Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes, gas taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, etc.

House Democrats boo-ed Hastert's outrageous and repulsive remarks, his denigration of working men and women. Jim Clyburn, Chairman of the Democratic Caucus, seemed pissed off but still eloquent. "To this point, I have been baffled by Republican budget and tax priorities that value millionaires and billionaires above working families, and sink this nation's budget deeper in debt every year. But Speaker Hastert crystallized GOP budget philosophy— working families don't pay taxes and don't deserve a tax cut. No statement has been more telling, arrogant and out of touch. Today's narrow passage signals the need for change, because the Republican majority will stop at nothing to advance a fiscally reckless and immoral budget."

JACK CAFFERTY MAKES CNN LOOK A LOT LESS LAME, NOTES "RIGHT WING NUTS" AND "THE LUNATIC FRINGE" IN CONTROL OF THE GOP AGENDA

I was getting dressed this afternoon after a swim and CNN was on the TV. Jack Cafferty popped up and... wow! Did he ever lay into Arlen Specter, Bill Frist and the Republicans! It was amazing. So I said to myself, "Self, you think John caught it over at CROOKS & LIARS?" I just checked. HE DID!!! Watch the video on the link. Here's the transcript:

Jack Cafferty: Wolf, Today's lesson in hypocrisy comes to us courtesy of the Senate Judiciary Committee. They met in a different private room behind closed doors today and approved a Constitutional Amendment banning gay marriage. at one point the thing got pretty ugly. A shouting match, between the Republican Chairman Senator Arlen Spector and Democratic Senator Russ Feingold, who said he was against the Amendment as well as Spector's decision to hold the vote in a private room out of the public's view.
 
These guys are shameless. Feingold eventually stormed out telling Spector "I've enjoyed your lecture Mr Chairman. See ya."

Senator Spector in a real show of courage, says that he is "totally opposed to the Amendment", but he voted for it anyway saying that it deserves a debate in the Senate. Majority Leader Bill Frist says the full Senate will now debate a Constitutional Amendment which has absolutely no chance of passing. Frist hopes to have a vote by June 5th.

This is all being done by the republican majority in an effort to appeal to Right-wing nuts in the Republican Party ahead of the upcoming mid-term elections. Ignore all of the pressing issues facing the country, and instead go grovel at the feet of the lunatic fringe. Senator Frist should be very proud of himself. That's leadership.  Here's the question: Is now the time for the Senate to consider a constitutional Amendment on gay marriage?"
 
The Republicans show their cowardice once again by hiding in a private room. Good for Feingold. Frist and the word "leadership" in the same sentence is scary. Lunatic fringe sounds about right to me. This should be called the "James Dobson" amendment.

WHAT DO PROGRESSIVES DO ABOUT DEMOCRATS LIKE LEONARD BOSWELL?

If someone asks you, as a progressive, to name the 5 best senators in America, I bet Russ Feingold and Barbara Boxer would be on that short list. It isn't just their admirable voting records (Russ and Barbara). Both have exhibited the kind of courageousness and independence that should be a daily staple in the U.S. Senate and instead is a rare treat. These are two Democrats who put their constituents, workers, consumers and the American people first, NOT campaign contributors. (Too many Democrats are too much like Republicans in this regard-- always putting the welfare of people after the demands of their big corporate campaign contributors.) So when Boxer or Feingold send me an e-mail, I read it, even if it's just spam.

Today both e-mailed me about Leonard Boswell, a venerable and vulnerable Democrat from Iowa. I've already remarked on Boxer's penchant for accepting bad political advise from the reactionary Inside the Beltway Democratic power Establishment. She's not as bad as Kerry, but she's getting there. Feingold, on the other hand, has been a gold standard for progressives. And if you don't follow politics too closely, you'd have no reason to think today's e-mail should put that standard into question-- and on the very day when Feingold stood up (alone, as usual) against the vile homophobic fascists in the Senate and against hot-air hypocrite Arlen Specter.

Russ' e-mail was entitled "Please join me in supporting Congressman Boswell" and it came from the Progressive Patriots Fund, a PAC I am helping to raise money for on the Down With Tyranny ACT BLUE Page.

I am writing you today to express my strong support of one of our greatest Democrats in the House of Representatives, Congressman Leonard Boswell.

Recently, I spent time in Iowa with the congressman. Over the course of the weekend, I learned how special a man Leonard Boswell is. He's a decorated veteran, an intelligence expert, a farmer, a family man and a strong Democratic leader.

I also learned about how hard Republicans in Washington, D.C., are trying to discredit his good name. Leonard remains the only Democrat from Iowa in the U.S. House of Representatives. And as you can imagine, Karl Rove and his Republican attack machine are committed to ending Leonard's career this November. The National Republicans have targeted Leonard as their #1 priority this year. They will be coming at him with everything they have.

We must stand up now and do all we can to help Leonard today!
Already, several national Republicans have campaigned against Leonard. Recently the Republicans boasted of having raised $744,000 to fund their vicious attacks on Leonard!

It almost made me want to send some money. Almost. But not quite. That's because I see Boswell's name on a lot of lists-- and it's always the lists of the 8-12 Democrats who join the Republican majority-- even when the few decent moderate Republicans won't-- to make sure the extremist Bush-DeLay agenda gets passed in the House. Boswell is one of only 25 Democrats with a Progressive Punch score of under 70. It's a fairly sickening list, mostly made up of men and women who consistently sell out workers and consumers for wealthy corporate interests-- people like Henry Cuellar, Ike Skelton, Dan Boren, Gene Taylor, Jim Marshall, Charlie Melancon, Jim Matheson... sound familiar? They should. Without Democrats like these much of the horrid Bush agenda would have failed, or would have been watered down by compromise.

I wrote Russ a letter. I didn't hear back. I didn't bother with Boxer because I've already given her my advice about this stuff and she's ignored it. I guess it's just that, in the end, these people are professional politicians playing by DC rules and if winning a majority means supporting a candidate who votes against women on choice issues and against gays on equality, well... the hell with 'em? A Democratic majority is important, even crucial but so is a poem written by anti-Nazi Lutheran minister Martin Niemoller:

First they came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up,
because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up,
because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up,
because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and by that time there was no one
left to speak up for me.

There are Democratic ideals and principles that come before political careers. I really do hope Nancy Pelosi becomes Speaker of the House and I can even reconcile myself with the power that will accrue to (and be abused by) Rahm Emanuel after a Democratic victory. But not at the expense of freedom of choice and not at the expense of gay equality and not at the expense of what the Democratic Party stands for that makes it different from the Republican Party.

If I lived in Iowa's third congressional district, I'm not sure I would vote for Leonard Boswell even though he is better than the alternative-- much better. In fact, he votes with Democrats quite a bit more than he votes with the Republicans. And if I were rich enough so that I could afford to give every single Democrat $2,100 this year, maybe I'd even give some money to Boswell, though I sincerely doubt it. In any case, money is scarce and there are truly progressive Democrats running-- incumbents like Julia Carson and Tammy Baldwin who have consistently stood up for very difficult Democratic values and who need help now and for challengers like Jan Schneider and Jerry McNerney and Rick Penberthy who will be strong independent and ethical voices in a very toxic environment. Good luck to Leonard Boswell. My donations go here.

MOBY, R.E.M., RICK PENBERTHY, MATT STOLLER, TRENT REZNOR KICKIN' IN TO SAVE THE FREE INTERNET-- AND HILLARY CLINTON TOO!

Matt over at MyDD has been doing a really terrific job in focusing attention on Bush's Big Telecomm contributors' naked attempt to take over and pervert the free Internet. Matt has been tireless in encouraging a strong coalition of Net Neutrality advocates in the business community and the political world. Some of the best Democratic challengers this year have understood why this issue is so important and have pledged their support, including Herb Paine (AZ), Tony Trupiano (MI), Eric Massa (NY), and, of course, tech entrepreneur Ned Lamont. Today I got a press release from DWT endorsed Rick Penberthy (FL).

Today Congressional Candidate Rick Penberthy announced his support for Network Neutrality legislation.

"I support net neutrality because a nation founded on equality and freedom for all will not stand for segregation of any kind," said Penberthy. "Telecoms have their priorities backward and their wallets forward on this issue."

Net neutrality is best described as the First Amendment of the Internet insuring that the public is able to view the smallest blog as easily as a corporate web site. Network Neutrality legislation would ensure that the networks only job is to move data- not choose which data to privilege with higher quality service.

"This is an issue that cuts at the heart of the American spirit," explained Penberthy. "A free and equal Internet promotes innovation, creates jobs, and educates millions. I commend Congressman Ed Markey's introduction of The Network Neutrality Act of 2006 and when elected will support Network Neutrality legislation whole-heartily."

Think about being represented by a congressman like the man who looked at the issue and responded the way Rick did instead of by a rubber-stamp extremist ideologue whose most memorable moment in Congress was when she demanded that the bodies of U.S. servicemen who were killed and buried in France be dug up and shipped to the U.S. because she and Bush were having a hissy fit that France wouldn't invade Iraq. Rick Penberthy will be a congressman the 5th CD, all of Florida and all of America will be proud of, unlike Ginny Brown-Waite, who everyone is just embarrassed about.

But it isn't just Rick who announced support for Net Neutrality today. MoveOn.org's Save The Internet campaign got a big boost when concerned, technologically-savvy musicians like Moby, R.E.M., Q-Tip, Trent Reznor (NiN), Indigo Girls, Wilco and Jill Sobule announced their own action to back Congressman Markey's legislation.

I guess Hillary watched the Moby video because right after it came out even she-- one of Corporate America's best friends-- declared that she's supporting Markey on this one! "I support net neutrality. The open architecture of the Internet has been the critical element that has made it the most revolutionary communications medium since the advent of television... Any effort to fundamentally alter the inherently democratic structure of the Internet must be rejected."

DO PROGRESSIVES EVER SUPPORT REPUBLICANS? A LOOK AT MI-07

I have a friend in DC-- let's call him Bill-- who is one of the few people in town who doesn't care about politics. But he loves to debate. Sensing (somehow) my obsession, he kept asking me all through lunch if I would ever endorse a Republican. In the end I said that although it is theoretically possible for a progressive to support a Republican, the reality is that even the best Republican-- given what the party has turned into-- is worse than a totally dreadful Democrat. This wasn't always the case of course. Although too young to vote at the time, I supported liberal Republican Congressman John Lindsay over reactionary Democrat Abe Beame when they ran for mayor of NYC. New York Republicans like Jacob Javits, Ken Keating and even Nelson Rockefeller has streaks of independence from right-wing ideologues and would stand up and fight the right wing tide that was starting to destroy mainstream Republicanism. (New York Democrats still seemed better than these liberal Republicans but one never got the sense that when these guys won, basic American values were being threatened the way they are today when Republicans win elections and get their hands on the levers of governance.)

After our lively debate I found myself in the office of a friend of mine who works at a progressive public interest PAC. The PAC seems to support progressive Democrats. He floated an idea by me in regard to Michigan's 7th CD, the south-central part of the state east of Battle Creek. The district had a moment of fame when the Republican incumbent, Nick Smith, got into a really vicious little intra-party contretemps with Tom DeLay. DeLay, as was his standard operating procedure as GOP Majority Leader and capo di tutti capi of the Republican Culture of Corruption, offered Smith a bribe if he would support the anti-consumer prescription drug bill. DeLay promised to raise $100,000 from corporate sleaze-merchants for Smith's son if Smith, who was retiring, voted for the bill and there was an implication that Smith's son would have his political legs cut off if Smith voted against the GOP mob. Smith voted against the bill and his son, Brad, was defeated in the Republican primary, as DeLay had promised. Six months after the vote, on the last day of September the House Ethics Committee admonished DeLay for his tactics, the last action of the Ethics Committee before DeLay fired the Republicans who had voted against him and replaced the Chairman with a corrupt, extremely compromised shill, "Doc" Hastings. The winner of that primary-- and the subsequent general election in the very red district-- was Joe Schwarz, a relatively moderate Republican. He had beaten Smith's son and several other Republicans including a far right wingnut named Tim Walberg.

OK, now everyone's up-to-date and Walberg is back to challenge Schwarz. This time Walberg is the only far right candidate and he's being pumped up by all the extremist hate groups that normally fund fringe and neo-fascist Republicans, from the Club For Growth to the Eagle Forum. So my friend at the progressive PAC asks me my opinion about them endorsing Schwarz in the Republican primary. He points out that he has already been endorsed by the AFL-CIO, HRC and Republicans For Choice.

It's a pretty red district. In 2004 Schwarz beat Sharon Renier, an organic farmer and musician who the Democrats ran (but didn't support financially), in every single county and overall 58%- 36% (with 5% of the vote going to independents). She ran considerably behind Kerry, who took nearly 45%. (Gore had taken 46%.) The right-wing loon who runs the Republican Michigander blog has a thorough and keen analysis of the district's politics from the Wingnutia perspective.

The organic farmer is up for another go-round, although her website has no positions or issues pages yet. There is also a Fighting Dem in the race and his website makes him look pretty progressive-- Fred Strack. If November turns into a tsunami despite Rahm Emanuel's tepid and lame, over-cautious, "Don't-be-afraid-of-us-We're-just-like-the-Republicans-in-most-ways" strategy, this is a district Strack can win. But, by all conventional measurements, Schwarz will be the congressman from MI-07 after the midterms.

So... should the progressive PAC help him? I was open to the idea-- until I started digging down into his congressional voting record. Apparently he was better as a state legislator a few years ago. But as a congressman, he's been absolutely, indefensibly horrible on every important issue. Progressive Punch gave him a zero on gay issues and his voting record on choice is nauseating-- as it is on Labor and anything else progressives care about. No doubt Walberg would be worse-- albeit easier for Strack to beat in November-- and... Schwarz is an F+ or, at best, a D-. So if Walberg is an F, what difference does it really make? Not enough difference to sully the good name of the progressive PAC, let alone to waste money that could be better spent on helping real progressives who are desperate for it.

Part 2 of this is going to be an exchange of letters between myself and Russ Feingold regarding a reactionary Democrat who he asked me to donate money to. I'll try to get to it today. (UPDATE: I did it but I did it a little differently than what I was planning. Check it out.)

PENNSYLVANIA PRIMARY DAY FOLLOW-UP

Yes, I'm an optimist, even a hopeless optimist but I never believed for a minute that Chuck Pennacchio was going to stop Bob Casey. After Casey gratuitously endorsed Alito I had visions of Pennsylvania Democrats waking up and seeing that they were being hoodwinked by a non-ideological, careerist Inside-The-Beltway power structure that couldn't care less if they were inventing a new Joe Lieberman to savage progressive values and ideals inside the Democratic Party. But it didn't happen. That didn't stop me from donating money or from asking others to do so. DWT readers ponied up nearly $1,000 for Chuck's campaign.

There's no chance I'll be asking anyone-- including myself-- to donate money to Casey's campaign even though he's running against the worst Senator up for re-election. If you live in Pennsylvania you have to ask yourself if you want to get rid of the indescribably detestable Santorum by electing a reactionary Democrat who will almost always vote against important progressive values and ideals. Casey will be far worse than Lieberman. He'll vote better than Santorum in the Senate and he'll be absolute poison for the Democratic Party.

Other than the expected results there, PA looked pretty good last night. The 3 Democrats running in the primary for the Senate seat substantially out-polled Santorum (726,651 to 549,425) and even in the unlikely event that the 100,000 or so progressives who voted for Pennacchio and Sandals decide they can't vote for Casey-- and I wouldn't blame them-- Casey still drew far more votes than Santorum (613,890 to 549,425). Another indication of Pennsylvanians' dissatisfaction with Opus Dei's representative in Washington is that political novice Lynn Swann, running in a doomed campaign against right-of-center incumbent Democratic Governor, Ed Rendell (corporate whore), outdrew Santorum 570,704 to 549,425). That means over 20,000 Republicans who bothered to show up on primary day and vote for Swann just could not bring themselves to pull the lever for the state's incumbent U.S. Senator.

But these two top of the ticket races were not even the worst news for the much despised PA Republican Party. Bush's approval rating in what was considered a major battleground state just one year ago is a mere 28%-- and dropping rapidly. Pennsylvanians were not amused by the Republican-controlled state Senate voting itself a pay raise in the dead of night and the Republicans' two top legislative leaders, Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Jubelirer and Senate Majority Leader Chip Brightbill, were defeated in their primary races! And at least 8 Republican state reps also lost their seats in the General Assembly.

On the federal level, the big shock of the night was the close call for one of Pennsylvania's biggest hypocrites, Congressman Don Sherwood in the 10th CD. A big family values loudmouth, Sherwood was caught in a widely publicized sex scandal involving an extramarital affair and domestic violence. An unknown school guidance counselor, Kathy Scott, nearly beat him in the primary. He will face much tougher opposition from Fighting Dem Chris Carney in November.

Completely underneath the radar of Washington punditry is the congressional race in the northwest part of the state, PA-03, a district held by Phil English (aka- Congressman Gluttony). He's being challenged by grassroots progressive Steven Porter. Neither man faced any opposition in yesterday's primary. Gluttony, an incumbent the DCCC doesn't think should be challenged, drew 30,042 votes. Porter-- with no DCCC help at all-- drew 30,612. Hopefully this will wake Rahm Emanuel and his shop full of hacks up.

Nor was this the only congressional district where more Democrats, fired up and smellin' blood, out voted dispirited Republicans. In the 4th CD, almost 56,000 Democrats went to the polls as opposed to 32,000 Republicans. In the 6th-- where Lois Murphy won a chance to take on rubber-stamp Republican Jim Gerlach again-- slightly more Democrats voted than Republicans. And in the 8th, where Fighting Dem Patrick Murphy is on his way to retiring Mike Fitzpatrick, about 5,000 more Democrats voted than Republicans.

Pennsylvania looks like a potential bonanza for Democrats in November where I expect to see wins by two Murphys and Sestak and possibly Porter and Carney. And since he will vote with Democrats on organization, I'll count Casey as a Democrat and predict he will beat Santorum (by a substantial margin). You can donate to Lois Murphy, Patrick Murphy, Steven Porter and Joe Sestak here.

SPONGEBOB-- ACTIN' BLUE FOR McNERNEY, FEINGOLD, HODES, LAMONT, BUSBY & CARDIN

If you're a regular DWT reader you know how excited I get about our ACT BLUE Page. I just got back to L.A. from my little excursion inside the Beltway. One of the first things I did when I got back was to check the Act Blue pages and I was floored to see that while I was away SpongeBob Squarepants had donated to some of the progressive candidates on the page, namely Jerry McNerney, Paul Hodes, Ned Lamont, Francine Busby and Ben Cardin. Now Paul Hodes makes perfect sense, not just because he and SpongeBob share basic progressive values, but because Paul started a children-oriented independent record label. (SpongeBob is in the studio with Andy Paley right now working on an album. The two of them had collaborated on 3 songs for the SpongeBob movie soundtrack, including two songs that are mind-blowing, "Employee of the Month" and "Best Day Ever.") Anyway, SpongeBob read about Francine Busby, Jerry McNerney, Ben Cardin and Ned Lamont and decided to toss some doubloons their way too. And, on top of that, he tossed some into Russ Feingold's Progressive Patriots Fund.

I know SpongeBob has a lot of concerns that normal Americans have-- from Bush's war in Iraq, to NSA spying to the Republican Culture of Corruption-- but I have a strong suspicion that the reason he decided to donate to these particular candidates is because all of them have been extremely committed to issues that involve the health, education and welfare of children, something that SpongeBob and the Mrs. are also very committed to. Progressives believe in investing in children, our most valuable resource, and these are candidates who have devoted their lives to issues that impact children's lives. It makes plenty of sense for SpongeBob. I bet it does for you too.

WHO LIKES BUSH? NOT COUNTING A BUNCH OF CHILD MOLESTING MORMONS, IDAHO & WYOMING, NO ONE

Having lost support in Nebraska (and Oklahoma, where he was 50/50 last month) Bush now has a positive approval in two real states, Idaho and Wyoming + "Utah." And even in these backward areas, Bush's positives just barely beat out his negatives. Everyone hates this guy and his horrible and disastrous policies.

Only 23% of Rhode Island and New York voters approve of him. The other states where Bush' disapproval rating is 70% or more, include Vermont, Massachusetts, Delaware, New Jersey, California, and Pennsylvania. And states that voted for Bush in 2004 but whose citizens now disapprove of Bush by 60% or more include Missouri (68%), Ohio (65%), Arkansas, Kentucky, Iowa, Colorado, North Carolina, New Mexico, South Carolina, Kansas, Nevada, Indiana, Florida, and Tennessee. Even in his own state of Texas his approval rating is down to 42%.

Scales falling off the eyes of millions and millions of Americans have turned admiration and respect for Bush into mistrust-- at best. More and more voters are making the connection between Bush's catastrophic policies and his rubberstamp congress. Although the imaginationless DCCC is solidly focused on winning a bare majority in the House, as few as 15 seats, none grassroots Democrats can see as many as 40 seats changing hands. Never consider giving a dime to the DCCC or DSCC. Howard Dean's DNC is trustworthy and giving directly to progressive candidates via ACT BLUE is probably the best way to help turn to House blue.


UPDATE: APOLOGY

I feel badly that I slurred all Mormons by identifying them with Bush and child molesters. I met a great guy on a plane to Madrid last year who's a Mormon and who hates Bush and is certainly not a child molester. And the Mormons on SOUTH PARK are the chosen people-- albeit very boring ones. So I just mean to slur Mormons who still like Bush and who molest children, not Mormons who, like most Americans, neither molest children nor like Bush. Those Mormons are just like normal Americans and we should all embrace them and their whacky religion-- which is no more or less whacky than anyone else's religion. Now denizens of the Aryan Nations up in Idaho... that's a whole other story.

Oh, and today's WASHINGTON POST is also pointing out that Bush's reverse coattails are swamping his whole right-wing political party. "Public confidence in GOP governance has plunged to the lowest levels of the Bush presidency, with Americans saying by wide margins that they now trust Democrats more than Republicans to deal with Iraq, the economy, immigration and other issues, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll that underscores the GOP's fragile grip on power six months before the midterm elections." In fact the public now trusts the Democrats to handle ALL 10 issues on which this kind of polling is based! And only a third of those polled want to see the GOP maintain control of Congress. I wonder if Rahm Emanuel reads the POST. If he does he may pull his head out of his ass call a truce in his vicious war against grassroots progressives like Jerry McNerney and Jan Schneider long enough to find an opponent for Long Island Republican slime-bucket/rubber-stamp Peter King (NY-03).

PAUL BEGALA-- GROSS NOSE PICKER-- GROOVIN' WITH INSIDE-THE-BELTWAY SLIMEBUCKET BOB NOVAK, WHILE GRASSROOTS DEMOCRATS PUT TOGETHER A VICTORY STRATEGY

Today a good friend of mine told me he and Paul Begala went to school together. I managed to not throw up and held down my comments to a moderate-- hey I'm INSIDE THE BELTWAY this week-- "I think Begala's time has passed." But it turns out my friend wasn't telling me he had gone to school with Begala to start a story lauding him. Quite the contrary in fact. He was launching into an attack on Begala's liege lord lady, Hillary Clinton and other corporate-whores inside the Democratic Party Establishment. Begala works for Hillary and my friend had told him a week or two ago that Hillary has no chance of winning the presidency and that Begala should get a clue-- (and an honest job?). But this isn't about Hillary and the perils of presidential politics. It's about the utter cluelessness of Paul Begala.

You may have noticed that I've never been a fan of Democrats taking advice from Republican propagandists like Bob Novak, a dangerous and partisan gossip-monger (and probable wartime traitor). Last week Novak joined in the vast right-wing conspiracy-- the non-partisan one-- to discredit grassroots progressive hero Howard Dean by trumpeting the ignorant Inside-the-Beltway claptrap Begala has been pushing. Novak's crocodile tears for DNC assets being spent ineffectively by Dean should be a clear warning that Begala and Novak are all wet and that progressives need to support Howard Dean and his 50 state strategy.

Quoth The Raven Begala about Dean: "He's in trouble, in that campaign managers, candidates, are really angry with him. He has raised $74 million and spent $64 million. He says it's a long-term strategy. But what he has spent it on, apparently, is just hiring a bunch of staff people to wander around Utah and Mississippi and pick their nose. That's not how you build a party. You win elections. That's how you build a party."

As you know, Indiana Democrats were gigantically successful 3 weeks ago in turning out more Democrats than the Republicans turned out for the primaries in the 3 battleground congressional districts in that state. Three Democratic pick-ups in a state that red would signal a real tsunami-- a tsumani that Dean and the state party chairmen have been working on at the grassroots while Inside the Beltway blovators like Begala have been... blovating. Here's a nice open letter the Indiana Democratic Party Chairman, Dan Parker, sent to Begala.

Dear Mr. Begala:

I write to express my extreme dismay at the comments you recently made concerning Gov. Howard Dean’s leadership of the Democratic National Committee and his implementation of a national vision that includes a funding component for every state.

You clearly aren't aware of the political landscape in the Midwest and have spent too much time in Washington, D.C. You've done a great disservice to our Party and to those of us working
at the grassroots level to win back Congressional seats, as well as statewide and local offices.

Indiana could have easily been lumped in with Utah and Mississippi as Republican bastions. I know we look like a red state to folks on the East Coast. As Presidential races go, we turn crimson on CNN an hour after our polls close.

But we had Democratic Governors at the Statehouse for 16 years prior to 2004. A majority of our mayors are Democrats. We are poised to win back a Democratic majority in the Indiana House of Representatives which we have held for 14 of the last 18 years.

If that history doesn't impress you, here's a fact that's made other ears inside the Beltway perk up: This year, Indiana has three – one, two, three – nationally targeted Congressional races. That means we could send a trifecta of Democrats to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, potentially delivering 20 percent of the seats Democrats need to win back a
majority in that chamber.

We couldn't be doing the work we're doing without the support of the DNC and Howard Dean.

Indiana has always been one of those passed-over states when it comes to federal funding because we don't look useful to the 'Presidential-only' pundits. Howard Dean doesn't see it that way. He sees a country where every state-– even those oozing Republican red-– is home for at
least a few good Democrats.

The 50-state funding we received from the DNC last year has allowed us to employ a full-time communications director and two field staffers who are organizing party support at the grassroots level in two of our nationally targeted congressional districts.

They're hardly walking around "picking their noses."

They're helping Democrats win.

In our primary election two weeks ago, the two Congressional candidates with DNC-funded field staff members outpolled their GOP opponents by thousands of votes. Did I mention those results came in Republican-leaning districts in which John Kerry received 38 and 40 percent of the vote in 2004?

Without the DNC employees, we only have five full-time employees at our state party. The addition of a full-time communications director has allowed the rest of our staff to focus on
fundraising while she deals with the media and disseminates our statewide message. This addition also has been partly responsible for the dramatic slide of Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels’ approval ratings.

As an aside, I also want you to know that the DNC is committed to helping Indiana fight a strict GOP-backed voter identification law that passed our General Assembly last year. After we lost at the district court level, the DNC pledged both financial and legal resources for our appeal. We never would have received that kind of assistance before.


At the heart of my frustration with your comments is the notion that we should all be in this together. We're all Democrats. And you should be building the party up, not slinging mud at someone who’s helping the cause both financially and psychologically.

I think you owe a personal apology to Howard Dean, to the state chairs across America who
have benefited from his leadership and to the DNC-funded staff members who are working hard
to elect Democrats at every level of government.

On a personal note, I want you to know that I've issued an edict to my staff that if they pick Their noses, scratch their derrieres or pop their pimples on work time, they have to move to
Washington to work for you.

Democratically yours,

Daniel J. Parker
Chair
Indiana Democratic Party

WEDNESDAY UPDATE: WHY IS PAUL BEGALA (& HILLARY?) AGAINST THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY?

Zack Exley has another excellent open letter to Paul Begala on HUFF PO about his moronic attack on Howard Dean's 50-state strategy. "Yes, Paul, we have to win elections. But a myopic obsession with squeaking through in a few high-profile races is not party building, it's suicide. Your comments came as part of a series of attacks on Dean and the DNC from big-name members of your Clinton Class of '92. A whole generation of new Democratic activists finds these attacks totally bewildering and appalling... before you insult the 50 State program organizers any more, go down to DNC headquarters and see who these people are and what they're actually accomplishing. I've been there frequently over the past year, and that big meeting room on the first floor is almost always filled with organizers from all over the country being trained in how to win elections. The program has trained more than 190 organizers from 40 states, in areas such as:
- Building strong precinct programs.
- Voter contact.
- Targeting and using voter files.
- Communicating a unified Democratic message, tailored to states and local communities.
- Internet organizing and communications and use of other new technologies to expand the base.
- Reaching out to all constituencies, including seniors, veterans, rural voters and faith-based voters.
- Leadership skills, leadership development and organization building.
Most exciting to me, these organizers are being hired at the local level and are rooted in their own communities -- these are not the typical kids on an adventure between college and grad school that you'll find flocking to your beloved high-profile Senate races this year. These organizers are in it for the long haul."

Tired of hearing about how great the economy is doing? And wondering when you're going to get your share? Let Tom Toles explain

And speaking of Bush administration incompetence, don't forget the Medicare prescription-drug debacle

While we're on the subject of the calculated incompetence of the Bush administration, we should take note of the passing of yesterday's deadline for signing up for one of the insurance-company scams masquerading as "Medicare Part D."

Fortunately, once again Paul Krugman was on the case. (And once again, I'll post the full column text as a comment.)

"It appears that millions of Americans, confused by the array of competing plans or simply unaware of the cutoff date, will miss the deadline," he wrote. "This will leave them without drug coverage for the rest of the year, and subject to financial penalties for the rest of their lives."

As I've mentioned, this affects me personally, since, as I've mentioned before, I've had to figure out what to do for my nearly 87-year-old mother. In the end, we have officially joined the ranks of Krugman's "confused."

"D for Debacle" is how Krugman graded this particular fiasco, pointing out once again that little else was to be expected from a gang that doesn't believe in government, except as an instrument to enrich its cronies. In this instance, our elderly have been used to suck out a welfare program for the insurance and drug industries.

Is there anyone connected to this administration who even has the gumption to be ashamed?

Now that we've heard from the Immigration President, don't you feel safer from all those invading hordes massed at our borders?

No, I didn't watch the speech. I always figure I'll find out only too well what I need to know about these "events." And indeed I got to hear, though not yet see, His Chimpiness do his little false start on the speech, then stop and wait, in one of his famous brain-locked dazes, to be told by the people with actual working brains what the f--k to do. Hey, don't most big-time acts like to send out a little comedy act to warm up the crowd? You could say that Chimpy was just doing his own warmup.

The speech itself turns out to present a more elaborate immigration plan than most of us were expecting, though not necessarily a more sensible one. To the extent that it strives for nuance, of course, it will fail to achieve the goal of placating Chimpy's openly rebelling far-right flank.

Still, probably the message that most folks are hearing is yet another military solution from a band of governmental incompetents who are out to prove that government can't do anything right except to further enrich the rich. You have to wonder, though, if any significant portion of the populace is really so addled as to hear the idea of sending the National Guard to the rescue as anything but a cruel joke at a time when the Guard has been so seriously compromised—darned near broken, in fact—by our adventure in Iraq.

Which makes you wonder whether the speech will even accomplish its obvious primary function: changing the subject. As E. J. Dionne Jr. points out in a really good column in today's Washington Post, "Rove vs. Reality," changing the subject has from the start of the Bush administration been not just a political tactic but what Karl Rove and his Pinocchio-boy president thought was a matter of transforming actual policy. Unfortunately for them (and, alas, for the rest of us as well), their malignant ideological fantasies ran up against reality, at just about every turn, but nowhere more graphically than in Iraq. Will the American people really not make the connection?

Yesterday I quoted the opening of Bob Herbert's terrific NYT column "America the Fearful." Today it seems more appropriate to quote the closing:

"There are not enough pretty words in all the world to cover up the damage that George W. Bush has done to his country. If the United States could look at itself in a mirror, it would be both alarmed and ashamed at what it saw."

"Crazy John" Gibson wants us to make babies—of course, assuming we aren't (shudder!) "minorities." What a great country, where he holds down a job!

Watching tonight's Colbert Report, I got to see Fox's resident raging nutjob John Gibson in full-out, in fact boastfully racist rant urging viewers to make more babies, in order to offset the mounting terror of massing hordes of "minority" babies.

(Yes, "minorities" is how Crazy John kept referring to, well, them. It's safe to say he doesn't think there are a whole lot of "minorities" among his viewers. This is one of the rare points about which people with over-double-digit IQs might confidently agree with him.)

Just a while earlier, The Daily Show did one of its delicious video montages, in this case of the Fox News anchors paying lockstep-lying-stooge tribute to the babelike innocence of the NSA's massive phone-data-collection program. And while it's easy to say that if you put all these bozos' brains together, you couldn't assemble one working model, nevertheless—can anyone question that the looniest of the ultraloons is our C.J.?

Of course the guy is a flaming ignoramus. He's a plug-ignorant pile of protoplasm, barely walking upright. But I really don't think it's entirely, or even principally, a matter of stupidity, or ignorance. This fellow isn't playing with a full deck. Full deck hell! He's playing with just a couple of 2's, plus maybe a dog-eared 3. It's hard to believe that you could find a shred of sanity anywhere in that poor crazy-wired brain. You wonder if he has the teensiest lifeline to reality.

And yet he keeps his job! I was about to begin a sentence, "Even by Fox Nooze standards . . . " But in what sense can Fox Nooze be said to have standards?

NED LAMONT IS GOING TO BEAT BUSH'S FAVORITE SENATE DEMOCRAT, JOE LIEBERMAN. NOW ENDORSES NED TOMORROW

Howie here, reporting live from... INSIDE THE BELTWAY!!!! So far I haven't turned into a corporate whore. But... I... just... don't... know... how... much... longer... I... can... hold... out. I have to admit that it's always a little thrilling arriving in the city and see the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian museums, even the Capitol is inspiring (maybe more palatable for me now that I feel so confident that the corrupt and extreme right is about to be swept out of power). But there's also the eerie feeling of driving by Brent Wilkes' congressional whorehouses at the Watergate and Westin, both kind of mediocre places for the mediocre men involved in this ugliness-- and that isn't as eerie as when I walked by a building emblazoned with the besmirched name Patton Boggs, where just hours ago Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald informed Karl Rove's attorney that Rove will be indicted and to tidy up his business.

But I'm not here for sightseeing. No, tomorrow I have a meeting of a Board of Directors I'm on, one that is concerned American's civil and social rights. And today I crashed a staff meeting their PAC was having about how to help candidates they want to endorse. If you're a DWT regular, you can probably imagine what a great time I had. I mean, for me, this is better than a World Series game or a Broadway show or a Green Day Blink 182 concert. After hearing me pontificating long enough about "Rahm Emanuel shills," I think I may have even gotten them to save some money of a few corporate whores and send it to needy progressives.

But I couldn't get any traction on Ned Lamont (not that I'm giving up, of course). I mean all these people are awesome, intelligent, caring progressives. But they live in the heart of the beast and they do get caught up in all the DC bullshit and spin. So it may take some work to make them cut through the Inside-the-Beltway conventional wisdom and hype that says Bush's favorite Democrat, Joe Lieberman, can't be beaten.

I have another shot at it tomorrow. So wasn't I excited when I got back to my hotel and found an e-mail that NOW is about to endorse Ned! That should shake some people up! This is what the press release in the e-mail said:

After extensive research and discussion, the National Organization for Women's (NOW) Political Action Committee (PAC) has made a decision about an endorsement for the US Senate seat in Connecticut.

NOW PAC will hold a press conference on Tuesday, May 16, 2006, at 1:00 PM to make official NOW PAC’s endorsement for the Democratic nomination to the US Senate seat in Connecticut.

Melody Drnach, NOW Vice President – Action, http://www.now.org/officers/md.html, will announce
this important endorsement. NOW PAC will mobilize both political resources and grassroots activists in order to make a difference in this critical Connecticut Senate race.

The NOW PAC endorsement is extremely important for Democrats in Connecticut, especially women, to consider. NOW has been the foremost feminist activist organization in the nation since 1966. The Connecticut Democratic Convention to nominate a US Senate candidate is on Friday, May 19th. After the convention, there will be over 2 months for Connecticut Democrats to review the Democratic candidates for US Senate before making their final decision at the Democratic Primary on August 8, 2006.

NOW PAC will gladly share with Connecticut Democrats the basis for its endorsement for this significant US Senate seat.

If you're not up to speed on Ned's grassroots campaign to send Holy Joe into retirement, please watch this awesome video. Friday, Democratic Party delegates get together in Hartford to endorse a candidate in this year's primary. If Ned can manage to get 15% of the vote, he automatically gets on the ballot, a ballot where Lieberman's Republican backers can't vote. Observers think Ned can get as many as 25% of the delegates support. If he doesn't, he goes the petition route--15,000 signatures, a piece of cake. August 8th is D-Day. If you live in Connecticut, please volunteer. If you don't live in Connecticut, you can help too.


UPDATE: LOWELL WEICKER ENDORSES NED LAMONT

Lowell Weicker was a popular Senator and Governor of Connecticut, a truly (as opposed to relative) progressive Republican. He was attacked from the right by an exceedingly vicious and corrupt Democrat and beaten for being "too liberal." That Democrat, of course, is George Bush's favorite Democrat, the execrable Joe Lieberman. Yesterday Weicker wrote an editorial in the HARTFORD COURANT entitled "Enough of War-- And Enough of Lieberman," endorsing Ned Lamont for his old Senate seat.

Ned Lamont has taken a clear stand on exiting this insanity. Sen. Joe Lieberman has made staying the course the cornerstone of his term. In his TV advertisements, Sen. Lieberman belatedly pleads for a civil dialogue on the war issue. How do you dialogue on a mistake based on a lie? A candid and wise man would have admitted his error and moved on in a new direction. Not so the incumbent senator.

Ned is challenging Sen. Lieberman for the Democratic nomination this week in Hartford. I know Ned from the years when we were fellow townsmen in Greenwich. Indeed, I appointed him chairman of the Investment Advisory Council to the state pension fund-- a volunteer job-- when I was governor. He is a highly qualified, idealistic individual.

He speaks to the issues of Connecticut's cities, health care and education - all issues that are on hold for lack of adequate funding because of the Iraq war. My sources inform me that most of the delegates from the big cities are voting for Sen. Lieberman. How is that possible when the senator has prioritized Iraq and not Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, New London, etc.? Ned Lamont understands the obscenity of the amount of money going to Iraq-- by some estimates, more than a trillion dollars - when juxtaposed against the needs of Connecticut's poor and middle-income citizens.

I want to see brave men and women stand up with Ned Lamont in the days ahead and say: Enough! We don't want to be cast in the image of President George W. Bush, of whom Sen. Lieberman is so enamored. America is better than the portrait painted by this Republican administration.

I speak as an independent who has seen the two-party system corrupt itself to the point of irrelevance during a dangerous time in our history. Ned Lamont can start the reform process by providing opposition to a Republican Party too long in power. What is needed is Ned Lamont's voice for health care for all, funding for our cities, and public education from kindergarten through college that works for our children.

With Howie in D.C., do you suppose Rahm's minions have spirited him away for safety? But who will protect us against the alligators—and Karl Rove?

As I write, Howie should be in Washington, D.C., and I'm half-awaiting news that the administration has taken steps to do something about it. If not them, maybe Rahm Emanuel? Unless maybe Rahm's stooges have tactfully hustled him out of the District. We don't want Howie and Rahm hooking up, do we? It's bound to get ugly. Well, we'll just have to hope for the best.

I don't know about you, but the news I'm really waiting to hear from Our Nation's Capital is the eternally awaited indictment of Karl Rove. While we wait, unless you count Michael Jackson's missing millions, the news seems to be mostly about alligators. This sudden rash of people-eatings seems to have grabbed the nation's notoriously short attention span away from the oh-so-recently-panic-worthy TV avian flu.

The best speculation I've heard so far about the alligator alarm was Rachel Maddow's this morning on her Air America Radio show. She seems quite certain that it's just a matter of time before our Karl comes up with a way to turn the people-eating alligators into a political attack weapon. Her personal suggestion was that the alligators may be part of President Clueless's about-to-be-revealed plan to seal the borders against—gasp!—those immigrants who're overrunning the country.

Why, it was just this morning that Bob Herbert was reminding us in his column, "America the Fearful," about the insidious way the Bush administration has waged a war of terror on its own unsuspecting citizens. "In the dark days of the Depression," he began, "Franklin Roosevelt counseled Americans to avoid fear. George W. Bush is his polar opposite. The public's fear is this president's most potent political asset. Perhaps his only asset." (As usual with hostage-held NYT columnists, I'm posting the full text as a comment.)

Or maybe it's just a matter of time before Rush and Little Annie Coulter are warning us that godless Democrats are soft on person-eating crocodilians. Let's hope "Prosecutor Pat" Fitzgerald can get to Karl before he unleashes the alligators on us.

(Whew! I just double-checked, and there is indeed a Yankee game on the tube this evening, to spare me any temptation to tune in to the crud-spewing crocodilian from Crawford. Not that there's likely to be much temptation. Since the days of Dickie "I Am Not a Crook" Nixon, I've learned not to watch Republican presidents on the TV. Those TVs are expensive, and I can't afford to keep replacing the damned things.)

AN OPEN LETTER TO NEIL YOUNG: THE PLIGHT OF PROTEST SINGERS TODAY

Starting today, at noon, Stephan Said is releasing his new single, "Another World Is Possible," free online. The song is an anthem that Stephan hopes will help galvanize the global justice movement. Stephan Said (who also goes by the name Stephan Smith) is an Iraqi American songwriter who grew up in Appalachia. We started talking a few weeks ago after DWT started blogging about Neil Young's new album, LIVING WITH WAR. Yesterday the SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE ran an article Stephan wrote as an open letter to Neil called "Hey, Neil Young: We young singers are hog-tied, too."

Dear Neil,
You recently said that you felt compelled to write your new album "Living With War" because you got tired of waiting for young protest singers to pick up the torch. I'm compelled to tell you that young protest singers are here, and we're holding the flame. I'm one of them. The trouble is, you can't hear us on major radio stations for the same reasons you noted last year when you poignantly stated, "I can't do anything in the record industry, or especially radio, because it's so
controlled by corporations."

While established artists like yourself may have felt your hands tied, the truth is far worse for upcoming artists: Even booking agents and managers won't touch us for fear that we will offend their audiences in a country where consumerism and patriotism stand united, as your song "Restless Consumer" makes clear.

Bono was right when, at U2's induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, he said, "There
is very little chance for there to be another U2 the way the business is constructed right now." Describing corporate dependency on the toothless hit single, he said, "You have to have the hit
single immediately. Bruce Springsteen didn't have a single for 10 years. Neil Young, I'm not sure, he ever had a single."

If radio won't play an artist whose singles touch on politics, the only hope is to get a break opening for established acts. But, I don't know of a single mainstream artist whose agent will allow an
unestablished political artist to open for them. Would you?

Your good friend and former record company president Howie Klein, who wrote the first review of "Living With War," put it eloquently when he told me he thinks it's depressing that in a world of unprecedented global economic inequality, environmental degradation and increasing frustration
causing terrorism, today's Bob Dylans and Neil Youngs are not getting a chance to be heard.

Some see positive developments, though. Industry legend and activist Danny Goldberg, now Vice Chairman of Air America, says, "The Internet provides opportunities for new artists to find a fan base that was not available in years past." But still, the Internet has its limits.

I should know. As then-president of Artemis Records, the nation's largest independent label, Danny signed me in 2003 after my song "The Bell," with Pete Seeger and Dean Ween, which was released on the internet on Sept. 11, 2002, burst into mainstream press as "the anti-war anthem
for this generation."

But, even though "The Bell" was downloaded hundreds of thousands of times, printed over 250,000 times on various compilations, and was covered by artists from Dave Matthews to DJ Spooky, booking agents and managers remained too fearful to take it on. Why? Because most industry professionals, even those who pride themselves on their left leanings, believe they have to protect their audiences from politics.

As Geoff Edgers reported in the Boston Globe, when discussing the Dixie Chicks and Pink, whose songs "Not Ready to Make Nice" and "Dear Mr. President" address President Bush, John Hart, president of Bullseye Marketing Research in Nashville, said, "I don't think they're bad people. I just think they're expressing an opinion.

"Unfortunately, they think most of their listeners or fans feel that way, and they're wrong. All the fans want is to hear their music."

But this is not true. As Howie revealed to me, contrary to widespread belief of a detrimental backlash to the Dixie Chicks' anti-Bush comments, radio response to their new album was 90 percent positive. It was only 10 percent of the listeners who objected.

Already, during the initial invasion of Iraq, the industry knew there was a market for dissent. When I took part in the launch of ProtestRecords.com in March 2003, a Web site of free protest MP3s started by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, replete with unknown artists, the Web site was hit over 1 million times in the first six days. Still, the industry failed to respond while soldiers and civilians continued to die.

Many say that Green Day and Steve Earle received Grammys for their largely topical albums, and
Kanye West, Bright Eyes and Anti-Flag have all profited from dissent in the past 2 years, but this is misleading: These are all artists who were established before they questioned the war in Iraq. For now, questioning authority in the mainstream industry remains reserved for celebrities.

When I called Seeger recently to tell him about your great new album and your thought-provoking comment, Pete said, "Protest singers have never been played on the radio. In the 1930s, at the depths of the Depression, no radio station played the songs of the miners organizing for their
rights in West Virginia, like 'Which Side Are You On.' "

In the 1960s, artists like yourself, Dylan, Phil Ochs and Joan Baez could rise to the fore because visionaries like Pete and Woody Guthrie built a community independent of the industry, and shared it with the youth. Neil, will you, or Springsteen with his "We Shall Overcome," follow in their footsteps?

Yours,
Stephan Smith

WHEN WILL THE AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS SLEEPING GIANT AWAKEN?

-By Marlene Rose



As I watched the hundreds of thousands (some say millions) of Hispanics march in the streets of our cities, I couldn’t help but wonder what it will take to awaken the middle class to begin their own march of millions. We know what this Bush administration is after and it is the destruction of the middle class. Bush is destroying our country piece by piece, most recently with the connivance of all but three of the Republicans whose places were cheerfully filled by three Democrats (the 2 Nelsons and Pryor). The nuclear bomb aimed at the middle class to which I am referring is the $70 billion tax cut (not to mention the permanent repeal of the estate tax which is waiting in the wings.) Bush has proven himself an expert in the field of putting politics over the national interest and has used corruption and cronyism to further the financial gains of himself and his friends. I wonder if anyone noticed that the dollar sank 2% against the euro the same day the Republicans gleefully showered more and more tax breaks on their contributors. It’s also interesting that the stock market declined more than 100 points the day of and the day after the Congressional insanity.


Bills come due! If you spend more than you receive whether it is salaries or taxes, eventually you have to pay up. We are heading toward the plight of Germany prior to World War II when a German needed a bushel full of money to buy a loaf of bread. Our dollar has sunk “only” 35% since Bush took office, but the rising national debt and trade deficit are constantly eroding the buying power of the dollar. It is only because multinational corporations are using cheap labor abroad and here (through illegal immigrants) that costs have been kept down. But even Wal-Mart wants to increase the minimum wage because their customers are having a harder and harder time finding affordable products. As for Americans, the unemployment rate, which ignores discouraged workers who have given up looking for jobs, is another case of figures don’t lie but liars figure. Just ask the millions of Americans who are at or near the poverty line how easy it is to survive.


George Bush has finally realized Steve Forbes dream, a flat tax. But it is an inverted flat tax with the poor paying higher federal taxes than the rich. Bush’s flat tax has led to enormous deficits, increased the nation’s debt and trade deficit, forced the debt ceiling to be raised four times during his presidency (we can now borrow up to $8.9 trillion), stolen the trillions of dollars in the Social Security Trust Fund, and allowed corporations and the superrich to avoid taxes and hide their assets so that any taxes due are deferred into the future. Willie Sutton said he robbed banks because that’s where the money is. Bush says transfer wealth to the already rich because that’s where the power (and contributions) are.


The inversion of the tax rate comes because when Bush speaks of federal taxes, he conveniently ignores payroll taxes. A worker making $1 of taxable income may pay a higher rate than the wealthy. The superrich often live off their dividends and capitals gains that are taxed at only 15% (until 2010 at least, thanks to the tax cut extension.). The $1 of taxable wages is taxed at 10% PLUS 6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare resulting in a total federal tax rate of 17.65%. On course, if you earn more, you’ll pay a higher rate than 10% while the wealthy are still clipping coupons at 15%.


Unless Americans awaken to the crisis that Bush has created and vote out the Republicans who have enabled him, we are literally doomed. I don’t mean to be overly dramatic, but Bush and his cronies have been working toward an ownership society in which only the wage earners pay taxes and investors collect their money tax-free. Unfortunately, wage earners don’t earn enough to support this government and the superrich make their money on dividends and capital gains, not work. So our society is heading toward a third world, banana republic economy. The gilded age where there were only two classes, the very rich and the very poor, is not far away.


Only a massive turn out to ensure the defeat of the Republicans can save us. With so much concern about voting machine fraud, it will take a massive Democratic vote to prevent another stolen election. Max Cleland was ahead in Georgia by 5% and then lost by 5% (a turn around of 10% in the first state to use Diebold voting machines). We cannot afford a low turnout. The sleeping middle class giant must awaken or there will be no middle class, only the struggling poor and our corporate masters. That’s not something I want to leave to my children and grandchildren.

WILL FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NEED TO BUILD A NEW PRISON FOR REPUBLICAN EARMARKERS-- OR WILL A NEW WING OR TWO DO?

Right-wing Republican ex-Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham is in prison now, basically for taking bribes from Republican lobbyists and defense contractors and for fixing them up with tens of millions of dollars in sweet federal contracts. But in the hierarchy of the Republican Culture of Corruption that permeates Washington DC, Cunningham was strictly small potatoes. The kings of earmarks and bribes were committee chairmen and solons far better connected than the doltish Cunningham. The real culprits included not just Bob Ney of Ohio and Tom DeLay of Texas, but 3 far right California congressloons, Duncan Hunter, John Doolittle and, worst of all, Jerry Lewis. Today's SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE goes a long way towards explaining what Lewis has been up to and how Lewis enriched himself and his friends at the public trough.

Of course, like Abramoff and Cunningham and all the Republicrooks who have been caught by Federal investigators, Lewis is screaming his innocence, using the identical script that his buddy Cunningham used just before Cunningham broke down, weeped like a 9 year old girl, begged for mercy and started ratting out all his colleagues. The powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Lewis feigned anger yesterday when he categorically denied that he or his egregiously crooked staff had engaged in any misconduct in dealing with lobbyists. He didn't quite say, "What's an earmark?" but he came close.

The UNION TRIBUNE has a source inside the federal investigation that is putting together the case against Lewis and they say there is no doubt that Lewis has been consistently steering earmarks towards "certain entities" that were steering a great deal of cash towards a certain right-wing Republican congressman, namely Jerry Lewis.

Although Lewis claims that he doesn't know nothing about no stinkin' investigation, subpoenas have been issued. Meanwhile, seeking to separate himself from the scandal, at least on the surface that casual voters will see, Lewis went on the attack-- and he is a vicious and smooth SOB-- lashing out at Justice Department officials and at his former close friend, the sloppy Cunningham. “I am angered and frustrated by anonymous sources, either inside or out of the Justice Department, who would imply to journalists that an investigation has been launched when no suggestion has been made that an investigation is needed." (And in the closed little world of the Republican Culture of Corruption where greed-obsessed, self-entitled criminal scumbags like Tom DeLay, Rick Santorum, Bill Frist, Roy Blunt, John Boehner and Bob Ney are on top of the heap, investigations truly are not needed.)

Last December, THE UNION TRIBUNE first started detailing the "close personal, professional and financial ties between Lewis" and his personal badman, ex-Congressman/current lobbyist Bill Lowery, as well as their staffs. "Lowery's firm has collected millions of dollars in lobbying fees from public institutions and businesses that received money through the House Appropriations Committee that Lewis chairs. Lowery, in turn, arranged hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to Lewis' political causes." (Like Lewis screeched to journalists, "Who needs an investigation?")

In the future, Duncan Hunter, Virgil Goode, Jr., John Doolittle and Richard Pombo will be saying this in regard to Lewis but yesterday Lewis expressed his disdain and hatred for his hapless ex-pal Cunningham. “Mr. Cunningham," oozed Lewis, " ...betrayed his oath of office, his constituents, and his fellow members of Congress. I have never been as angry toward anyone in my entire career.” He claims he barely knew Cunningham and that Cunningham betrayed his trust. "However," the UNION TRIBUNE reminds us, "Lewis and Cunningham sometimes campaigned together, including a joint fund-raiser at the San Diego headquarters of General Atomics in October 2004 with Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine. Lewis and Cunningham also worked in tandem on Pentagon funding requests that came before the Appropriations Committee, defense contractors and military analysts have told the UNION TRIBUNE. 'Lewis and Duke worked together, exerting a lot of control. It was pretty frightening,' said a San Diego military contractor who dealt with both Lewis and Cunningham." (The contractor spoke on the condition of anonymity because he didn't want to jeopardize his professional relationships in Washington, D.C. where John Boehner, Dennis Hastert and Roy Blunt have made sure the Republican Culture of Corruption has continued to hum along, throwing off millions and millions of dollars for the upcoming midterm campaigns.)

It's important to remember that even after Cunningham had pleaded guilty, Lewis resisted an independent investigation of Cunningham's activities on the Appropriations Committee. An indication of how dishonest Lewis is, he claimed that he had done an informal review of Cunningham's earmarks over several years and was satisfied that they were all legitimate, all this while concerned citizens' groups realized Lewis was busy destroying evidence of his own blatant misconduct and gross criminality.

"According to government and defense industry sources, Lewis and Cunningham worked together to help Poway military contractor Brent Wilkes as he pursued contracts on Capitol Hill. Cunningham admitted taking bribes from Wilkes, who has been identified as co-conspirator No. 1 in Cunningham's plea agreement. On April 15, 1999, three months after Lewis was named chairman of the House defense appropriations subcommittee, he received $17,000 in campaign contributions from Wilkes and his associates. At the time, Wilkes was vying for a project to digitize military documents in the Panama Canal Zone, which the United States was about to return to Panama. 'If you can't go to people on Capitol Hill, it's very difficult to remain viable as a government contractor,' said one of Wilkes' associates who contributed money to Lewis at the time. 'You have to talk to people. And to talk to people, you have to give money.' But the Panama project hit a snag. The Pentagon did not want to give Wilkes as much money as he requested... According to military and defense industry sources, Lewis and Cunningham got the money for Wilkes, founder of ADCS Inc., by using their clout to threaten the funding of the Pentagon's F-22 fighter jet... A Pentagon official told the LOS ANGELES TIMES this week that the Pentagon shifted roughly $10 million to Wilkes' flagship company, ADCS Inc., after the F-22 was threatened... Funding for the F-22 was quickly restored. And the next year, when Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon tried to cut F-22 funding, Cunningham went to the floor of the House to call him a 'socialist.'”

As you can probably guess if you've followed Lewis' sleazy career, he has always insisted that there is no connection between the F-22 funding cut he and Cunningham engineered and the aid for Wilkes (which resulted in huge kickbacks to both these crooked Southern California Republican congressmen). "Since 1993, Lewis has received $88,252 in contributions from Wilkes and his associates. Only two other legislators received more: Cunningham and Republican Rep. John Doolittle from the Sacramento suburbs, both of whom have admitted steering millions of dollars in contracts to ADCS. During the same period, ADCS received more than $90 million in federal contracts, most of it through earmarks from the Appropriations Committee."

Imagine how Louie Contreras must feel right now! Will Lewis be indicted before November? Will the GOP stick another shill into the race, the way Republicans in CA-50 were able to insert ethics-challenged Republican lobbyist Brian Bilbray as a substitute for Cunningham's seat? Maybe Rahm Emanuel will stop his vicious war against grassroots, independent-minded Democrat Jerry McNerney in CA-11 long enough to focus a little tiny bit of attention to Contreras' monumental task of educating voters in the High Desert about Lewis' record.


MAY 19 UPDATE: HOW MANY CONGRESSMEN WILL WIND UP IN PRISON ON BRIBERY CHARGES?

Today's Boston Globe has an excellent story on Republicrook Mitchell Wade and how his sentencing has been delayed while he continues to testify against a whole slew of bribe-taking Republican congressloons, particularly Katherine Harris, Virgil Goode, Jr., Bob Ney and Jerry Lewis. And speaking of Lewis, he is really up shit's creek without a paddle now. His partner in crime, Randy "Duke" Cunningham, is back with the program and cooperating with the federal prosecutors who are pursuing a huge bribery investigation against Lewis, John Doolittle and Duncan Hunter. The question remains, of course, is whether or not these 3 crooks will be indicted before the midterm elections.

AL GORE, ONCE AND FUTURE PRESIDENT OF THE USA-- ON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

John over at Crooks & Liars has last night's appearance on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE by Al Gore. Watch it. The transcript:

Announcer:
And now, a message from the President of the United States.

President Al Gore:
Good evening, my fellow Americans.

In 2000 when you overwhelmingly made the decision to elect me as your 43rd president, I knew the road ahead would be difficult. We have accomplished so much yet challenges lie ahead.

In the last 6 years we have been able to stop global warming. No one could have predicted the negative results of this. Glaciers that once were melting are now on the attack.

As you know, these renegade glaciers have already captured parts of upper Michigan and northern Maine, but I assure you: we will not let the glaciers win.

Right now, in the 2nd week of May 2006, we are facing perhaps the worst gas crisis in history.

We have way too much gasoline. Gas is down to $0.19 a gallon and the oil companies are hurting.

I know that I am partly to blame by insisting that cars run on trash.

I am therefore proposing a federal bailout to our oil companies because - hey if it were the other way around, you know the oil companies would help us.

On a positive note, we worked hard to save Welfare, fix Social Security and of course provide the free universal health care we all enjoy today.

But all this came at a high cost. As I speak, the gigantic national budget surplus is down to a perilously low $11 trillion dollars.

And don't get any ideas. That money is staying in the very successful lockbox. We're not touching it.

Of course, we could give economic aid to China, or lend money to the Saudis... again.

But right now we're already so loved by everyone in the world that American tourists can't even go over to Europe anymore... without getting hugged.

There are some of you that want to spend our money on some made-up war. To you I say: what part of "lockbox" don't you understand?

What if there's a hurricane or a tornado? Unlikely I know because of the Anti-Hurricane and Tornado Machine I was instrumental in helping to develop.

But... what if? What if the scientists are right and one of those giant glaciers hits Boston? That's why we have the lockbox!

As for immigration, solving that came at a heavy cost, and I personally regret the loss of California. However, the new Mexifornian economy is strong and el Presidente Schwarznegger is doing a great job.

There have been some setbacks. Unfortunately, the confirmation process for Supreme Court Justice Michael Moore was bitter and devisive. However, I could not be more proud of how the House and Senate pulled together to confirm the nomination of Chief Justice George Clooney.

Baseball, our national passtime, still lies under the shadow of steroid accusations. But I have faith in baseball commissioner George W. Bush when he says, "We will find the steroid users if we have to tap every phone in America!"

In 2001 when I came into office, our national security was the most important issue. The threat of terrorism was real.

Who knew that six years later, Afghanistan would be the most popular Spring Break destination? Or that Six Flags Tehran is the fastest growing amusement park in the Middle East?

And the scariest thing we Americans have to fear is ... Live From New York, its Saturday Night!

IF EVEN A FAR RIGHT KOOK LIKE MEL GIBSON HAS TURNED ON BUSH... IT'S ALL OVER BUT THE TRIALS

You always thought Mel Gibson was a right wing religionist psycho, right? You were correct. He's so far right that even the Republican creeps who write SOUTH PARK made fun of him for being too far right.

But right-wing loon or not, Gibson is using near universal anti-Bush sentiment to help hype his new film, APOCALYPTIC. Gibson compared what he referred to as the "fear-mongering Bush" to the savage, barbaric superstitious monstrosities who ruled the Mayan Empire and sacrificed human beings to help maintain their power and control.

Gibson's movie, which will be released late in the year, highlights the violent decline of Mayan civilization. As part of his promotion campaign he told the British film magazine HOTDOG, "The fear-mongering we depict in the film reminds me of President Bush and his guys."

First the American public wises up and comes around the realizing that Bush's character leaves a lot to be desired and that Bush compares unfavorably to President Clinton when it comes to essential character traits like honesty and trustworthiness. Now Gibson compares "Bush and his guys" to tyrants who were routinely eating beating human hearts. What's next? Will Rove try to claim it was all Bush's idea to out Valerie Plame and that he was just following orders like the good little Nazi he's always been?

ROVE NOT IN PRISON YET AND PROBABLY WON'T BE EXECUTED FOR TREASON BUT HE'S BEEN INDICTED & HAS TO RESIGN FROM HIS WHITE HOUSE JOB

Patriotic Americans have been waiting all year to see if Justice still lives in America. Today Jason Leopold reports that George Bush's closest advisor-- you remember "Bush's Brain," right?-- Karl Rove, has informed the White House that he has been indicted on charges of perjury. It's a good start.

"Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald spent more than half a day Friday at the offices of Patton Boggs, the law firm representing Karl Rove. During the course of that meeting, Fitzgerald served attorneys for former Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove with an indictment charging the embattled White House official with perjury and lying to investigators related to his role in the CIA leak case, and instructed one of the attorneys to tell Rove that he has 24 hours to get his affairs in order, high level sources with direct knowledge of the meeting said Saturday morning... It was still unknown Saturday whether Fitzgerald charged Rove with a more serious obstruction of justice charge. Sources close to the case said Friday that it appeared very likely that an obstruction charge against Rove would be included with charges of perjury and lying to investigators."

Rove told Bush and Bolten that the jig is up, that his goose is cooked and that he'd resign his White House job as soon as he was officially served (probably early next week). It will be difficult for Rove to balance the job he does for Bush-- manipulating elections to keep the rubber-stamp Republican congress in power-- with the pressing exigencies of keeping out of prison. Speaking about prison, one can't help but wonder if all these Republicans being indicted and tried and sentences will all be in the same prison. No one has better coverage of all things Plame/Fitzgerlad/Libby/Rove than Jane Hamsher at FireDogLake. If this case fascinates you in any way, you must bookmark Jane.

CHENEY JUST CAN'T GIVE UP HIS WHALEBONE CORSET

Dick Still Wants to Wear His Girdle
-Mags

Dick Cheney is out gallivanting the globe, talking to dictators about what swell democracies they have and promoting a new war against Iran. Far as I know, they still let him Vice President to his heart’s content. He is still out there on the front lines of politics even if that means shooting people in the face for America. He is a dynamo. It must be those naps during the speeches of foreign dignitaries that keep his energy up.

No one is more sympathetic to those in their senior years than I am. Heart disease and the accompanying decline is no easy thing to watch. I took care of my mother for several years and watched as vascular dementia changed and eventually took away who she was and also changed her thought processes.

However tragic, a caregiver looks back on the experience to find humorous moments because… well, that is what we humans do. My mom was a school teacher and she was used to being dressed “properly” every day. She loved clothes.

She was from the old school, the one where foundations are important to a woman, and by that I do not mean the kind you find under buildings. Girdles serve little useful function in the lives of women, to my way of thinking, no matter how in thin is, even less so for a white haired granny. Let’s face it, the rewards for tugging a girdle onto an 80 something year old lady who cannot keep her balance several times a day are hardly worth the struggle no matter how much personal satisfaction she might gain from knowing she is smooth and trim. Pantyhose? Hooo boy!

One day, I had had enough. I switched mother over to anklets and knee highs, long skirts and slacks. I informed her of her new freedom. She was about to embark on her girdleless phase of life. Needless to say, Mother was not pleased.

To this day I can see her waiting for me in an ambush one day, her arms crossed, and her crossed leg swinging up and down determinedly, the showdown. She was, by golly, going to wear that girdle and it was my job to hire someone to put it on her. Of course, this was not logical or even possible at that point.

It was the first line I had to draw with my mom as her caregiver. I had never had to tell her “no” before. Sadly, that day comes for many of us…we must one day tell the aging…”no.”

I feel for Dick, I really do. And, I know as VP he feels he must travel and speak for his party. But, the further we peer into the Valerie Plame incident. And, the more we know about the WMD lies and Iraq, and the more this man promotes war and aggression, we must come to the conclusion that maybe someone needs to draw the line.

No matter how hard it is, someone needs to tell Dick he is done wearing that girdle.

AMERICANS OVERWHELMINGLY SEE PRESIDENT CLINTON AS BETTER THAN BUSH ACROSS THE BOARD. CNN TALKING HEADS ARE IN SHOCK

Don't get the idea that I'm a big CNN fan-- I hate them-- but I'm staying in a hotel with these huge flatscreen TVs on every other wall. So today I get back to my room, turn on the TV eager to follow up on the Dusty Foggo story and instead what I find is Wolf Blitzer hyping this new CNN poll. He's going on and on about how shocked-- shocked I tell you-- you will be to hear what CNN has discovered when they polled people about their feelings regarding President Clinton and the crooked little impostor turd who came after Clinton. (He didn't refer to Bush as a turd.) "You ain't gonna believe what we found. You will be really surprised." And then they broke for a commercial.

Well, I'd be surprised if anyone liked Bush more than Congress outside of the Old Confederacy and in a few really backward areas like Utah and Idaho. But when they came back, the "big surprise" was that everyone thinks Clinton was better than Bush on every single category... every single one of them-- from the substantive to the character issues, domestic and foreign. Wolf was surprised? No wonder CNN sucks so bad? I mean how out of touch are these guys??

And the specifics? Who handled natural disasters better? Apparently 30% of the respondents still hate President Clinton enough to answer than it was Bush. Although when it came to who handled the economy better, reality is so harsh that only 23% would choke out an answer that Bush does better than President Clinton. Taxes? All those tax-cuts and only 35% stupid enough or rich enough to think Bush did a better job. President Clinton also beat Bush on National Security, slaughtered him when they asked who was a united and who was a divider and when they asked "the character question" about trustworthiness and honesty? Bush gets the short end of the stick on this too. Makes sense to me. But CNN didn't ask me. They asked David Gergen.

"Who ever would have expected this?" pontificated Gergen. "On honesty?? Yes, you clueless, assholes. President Clinton was a serious-- albeit flawed leader. Bush is a turd. That's all he is and until the Wolf Blizters and David Gergens of the world realize that and embrace it, they will be utterly useless.

POLICE SWARMING OVER DUSTY FOGGO'S HOME AND OFFICE RIGHT NOW

Just as I was walking out to go meet a friend for lunch, I heard a bulletin that law enforcement authorities had shown up at GOP hack/bribe-taking traitor/just fired CIA Executive Director Dusty Foggo. I hope someone else will write this up while I'm having lunch. If not, I'll do it when I get back from chow.

CNN announced that he's being investigated for his relationship with Republican briber Brent Wilkes. CNN also mentioned poker parties with prostitutes and the "Duke Cunninham bribery case." No mention of Jerry Lewis so far. Apparently Foggo's office and his home are being searched right now.

SO WHAT DO THE REPUBLICAN DEAD-ENDERS THINK OF THE NEW NEIL YOUNG ALBUM?

With Bush's job approval ratings in free fall and heading into the teens-- like Cheney's-- is this the time for Republican loyalists to start rockin' out in the free world? As you probably know by now, Neil Young's new album, LIVING WITH WAR, is filled with criticism for Bush and his policies. Vit Wagner, the pop critic for the TORONTO STAR, has noticed that American right-wingers aren't too happy with Neil or his new album.

Neil Young's new album, LIVING WITH WAR, might not trigger the downfall of U.S. president George W. Bush, but it has served to sort out any lingering confusion about the legendary singer's nationality.  A Canadian calling for the impeachment of a U.S. president will tend to do that.

Young, born in Toronto and raised in Winnipeg, is a Canadian.  This will not come as news to anyone on this side of the border, where the 60-year-old tunesmith is revered as one of Canada's greatest musical sons. But the distinction is sometimes lost down south, where — if you believe long-held conventional wisdom — it is assumed that Young, who has lived in the U.S. for 40 years without taking citizenship, is an American.

It's hard to gauge the extent of this misconception.  But it's a safe bet that it's less common now than it was before "Let's Impeach the President," the most controversial of the 10 tracks on /LIVING WITH WAR, started streaming for free on Young's Web site a week and a half ago.

The album, which arrives in stores today, has provoked a flood of commentary outside the usual music press circles, much of it focused on whether Young is even entitled to have an opinion about the commander-in-chief.

"Neil Young is not a U.S. citizen.  He's Canadian," protests the online edition of conservative weekly, THE NATIONAL REVIEW. "He can't even vote. He's been in America for 40 years, and has never bothered to take out citizenship. And this interloper from the land of moose and Mounties is telling us to impeach our president! For goodness' sake.  If it's not Mexican fence-jumpers trying to dictate legislation to us, it's fur trappers from the wilds of Ontario insulting our head of state."

On Fox News, host Mike Gallagher complained, "Neil Young is rich and famous because the country he's trashing made him so.  Wouldn't his words carry a little more clout if he bothered to become a citizen of the country that made him rich and famous?"

Another Fox commentator, John Gibson, accused Young of disrespecting the memory of 9/11.  Gibson suggested the singer take in a screening of United 93, not realizing, apparently, that Young paid tribute to the victims of that flight with his 2002 song, "Let's Roll."

The blogosphere is predictably awash with similar sentiments, replete with derisive remarks about back bacon and other Canadiana.  Young has had his defenders, too, including Illinois Senator Barak Obama, endorsed by Young on another of the disc's songs, "Lookin' for a Leader."

This is not the first time Young has disturbed the waters politically.  "Ohio," a response to the killing by National Guardsmen of four Vietnam War protestors at Kent State University in 1970, was a hit for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young that has endured as an anti-war anthem.

A decade later, Young made waves by offering a positive assessment of then-president Ronald Reagan.  Disillusioned though many liberals were by this revelation, few, if any, suggested that Young's citizenship disqualified him from voicing an opinion.  Conservatives, for the most part, were delighted.

The irony is that while Young might not technically qualify as a U.S. citizen, LIVING WITH WAR is written from an entirely American perspective.  The album's criticisms of government policy are framed by the assumption that America is a fundamentally good, freedom-loving nation being led astray by corrupt, misguided leadership.  The concluding track, after all, is an irony-free rendition of "America the Beautiful."

Tracks from the disc will serve as a focal point for the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young trek that stops at the Air Canada Centre on July 10. Even the name of the tour, "Freedom of Speech '06," has a decidedly American ring.

In any case,LIVING WITH WAR isn't nearly as incendiary as Steve Earle's 2002 powder keg, JERUSALEM, flung directly into the teeth of 9/11's highly patriotic aftermath, or his 2004 follow-up, THE REVOLUTION STARTS HERE.

Many of the same pundits also slammed Earle, particularly for his sociologically empathetic portrait of Taliban conscript John Walker Lindh.  But there's a world of difference.  Earle, who has unabashedly identified himself as a Marxist, is calling for a revolution.  In "Looking for a Leader," by contrast, Young floats the less-than radical-assertion that maybe Colin Powell would be a better president than Bush.

The political climate is different now, too.  With Bush's approval ratings slithering, Young isn't the only U.S. resident contemplating impeachment. The thought has probably crossed the mind of the odd Republican. Judging by Bush's plummeting popularity even among conservatives, disenchantment with the administration runs deep. In that sense, the political views expressed on LIVING WITH WAR are more mainstream than right-wing commentators let on.

It's easier to dismiss the messenger as an unworthy interloper than deal with how widely the disillusionment is shared.

Besides, it isn't as if Young eagerly sought the mantle of national conscience.

"I was waiting for someone to come along, some young singer 18 to 22 years old, to write these songs and stand up," Young told THE LOS ANGELES TIMES. "I waited a long time. Then I decided that maybe the generation that has to do this is still the Sixties generation."

Or maybe, in the spirit of free trade, the job just fell to a Canadian.

BUSH INCHING CLOSER TO ZERO PERCENT APPROVAL RATING. AT THIS RATE HE'LL BE AT ZERO BY LATE OCTOBER

I just could never figure out how much manages to consistently score over 30% approval ratings. I haven't met anyone who approves of him. And even though I don't go to polygamy communities like they show all day-- and especially all night-- on CNN, I just can't imagine 30% of the country of my birth is so self-loathing and insane that they approve of Bush. And finally, after months and months and months of scratching my head, today's WALL STREET JOURNAL is reporting that at last Bush is under30%!

"President Bush’s job-approval rating has fallen to its lowest mark of his presidency, according to a new Harris Interactive poll. Of 1,003 U.S. adults surveyed in a telephone poll, 29% think Mr. Bush is doing an “excellent or pretty good” job as president, down from 35% in April and significantly lower than 43% in January. Roughly one-quarter of U.S. adults say 'things in the country are going in the right direction,' while 69% say 'things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track.' This trend has declined every month since January, when 33% said the nation was heading in the right direction. Iraq remains a key concern for the general public, as 28% of Americans said they consider Iraq to be one of the top two most important issues the government should address, up from 23% in April. The immigration debate also prompted 16% of Americans to consider it a top issue, down from 19% last month, but still sharply higher from 4% in March."

PRAY FOR ARLEN SPECTER? IF I GET A WISH IT'LL INVOLVE BUSH AND CHENEY NOT SPECTER. BUT JACK CAFFERTY DOES HAVE A POINT

I'm in NYC today and everything is different. My NY office is different from ny L.A. office inasmuch as the L.A. office has no TV. The NY office has a monstrous flat screen taking up half a wall. So here I am workin' on the computer and CNN is on behind me. There was so much news I heard-- and none about sorority girls from Alabama in Aruba.

One piece that shocked me was Jack Cafferty's little schpiel a couple hours ago. John over at CROOKS & LIARS has the video. Here's the transcript.

We all hope nothing happens to Arlen Specter, the Republican head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, cause he might be all that stands between us and a full blown dictatorship in this country. He's vowed to question these phone company executives about volunteering to provide the government with my telephone records, and yours, and tens of millions of other Americans.

Shortly after 9/11, AT&T, Verizon, and BellSouth began providing the super-secret NSA with information on phone calls of millions of our citizens, all part of the War on Terror, President Bush says.

Why don't you go find Osama bin Laden, and seal the country's borders, and start inspecting the containers that come into our ports? The President rushed out this morning in the wake of this
front page story in USA Today and declared the government is doing nothing wrong, and all this is just fine. Is it? Is it legal? Then why did the Justice Department suddenly drop its investigation of the warrantless spying on citizens because the NSA said Justice Department lawyers didn't have
the necessary security clearance to do the investigation. Read that sentence again. A secret government agency has told our Justice Department that it's not allowed to investigate it. And the Justice Department just says ok and drops the whole thing. We're in some serious trouble, boys and girls.

GOP LOWLIFE GOVERNOR OF KENTUCKY, ERNIE FLETCHER, INDICTED TODAY BY GRAND JURY ON 3 COUNTS, 14 MORE COUNTS STILL SEALED!

Last summer, nearly a year ago, DWT predicted that Kentucky's crooked governor, Ernie Fletcher would be indicted. It took longer than it should have but finally, today, a Kentucky Grand Jury indicted Fletcher. "The special grand jury that’s been investigating state government hiring practices indicted Gov. Ernie Fletcher on three misdemeanors for conspiracy, official misconduct and political discrimination. The jury lso indicted former Transportation Cabinet official Sam Beverage for perjury, which is a felony. And the jury also submitted to Franklin Circuit Judge William Graham 14 more indictments that are under seal. Those indictments cover crimes that may have occurred before Aug. 29, 2005, when Fletcher pardoned all administration officials except himself."

A right-wing nut case and egregiously corrupt slime bag, it looks like Fletcher may soon be sharing an exercise yard with dozens of fellow Republicans who have betrayed the public trust.


UPDATE: BYE-BYE UNCLE ERNIE?

Hard to say when, or even if, Ernie Fletcher will take up residence in a federal prison with other Republican crooks who have been caught ignoring laws. But at the moment only 40% of Kentucky voters think he should stay in office between now and when his trial begins. Time to resign and face the music, Fletcher.

REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMEN ONE STEP AHEAD OF THE LONG ARM OF THE LAW-- HOW MANY WILL GET PRISON SENTENCES?

Former right-wing Republican Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham lives in a prison in North Carolina. Half a dozen big time Republican lobbyists like Jack Abramoff and Brent Wilkes and Mitchell Wade have already pled guilty to numerous serious crimes and will be sentenced to prison terms too (determined by how cooperative they are with Federal investigators trying to nail high ranking Republican solons). The chances of Bob Ney not going to prison are so small that they aren't worth thinking about. Tom DeLay will soon be in prison. Earlier today the Federal investigation of House Appropriations Committee Chairman, Jerry Lewis on a mind-boggling bribery scam was reported in the L.A. TIMES today. Other Republican congressmen with prison sentences in their immediate future probably include Duncan Hunter, John Doolittle, Richard Pombo, Virgil Goode, Jr., Katherine Harris and as many as a dozen others. There are also some on the Senate side that have some legal concerns, particularly the Senate's Jack Abramoff best pal, Conrad Burns (R-MT).

The Republican Culture of Corruption is so widespread and so deeply ingrained in Washington that scores of Republicans are worrying if their name will be the next one to wind up in the headlines of their hometown newspaper. Former Republican Senator from Wyoming, Alan Simpson speaking at the National Press Club today indicated how widespread the Republican worry is: "One time, you're the toast of the town, then you're toast. One day, you're on the cover of Time, then you're doing it."

FINALLY... THE END OF THE ROAD FOR REPUBLICAN CRIME BOSS JERRY LEWIS?

About an hour and 20 minutes after it was clear Randy "Duke" Cunningham was part of a pay-for-play scam on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and that he was enriching himself by helping corrupt Republican defense contractors get sweet contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars, it was also clear that Cunningham was merely a greedy, stupid pischer whose sloppiness was screwing things up for the far more corrupt chairmen of the two committees which had the power to make the deals turn into the flowing of tax-payer dollars: Duncan Hunter (still not charged) and Jerry Lewis (about to be indicted).

If you've been reading DWT for a while, you are already well aware that Jerry Lewis is one of the key crooks in the web known as the Republican Culture of Corruption. Today readers of the L.A. TIMES are discovering that the Inland Empire kingpin could soon be joining Cunningham in prison.

"Federal prosecutors have begun an investigation into Rep. Jerry Lewis, the Californian who chairs the powerful House Appropriations Committee, government officials and others said, signaling the spread of a San Diego corruption probe. The U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles has issued subpoenas in an investigation into the relationship between Lewis (R-Redlands) and a Washington lobbyist linked to disgraced former Rep. Randy 'Duke' Cunningham (R-Rancho Santa Fe), three people familiar with the investigation said... 'For goodness sake, why would they be doing that?' Lewis asked."

Well, where does one begin? Lewis, the congressional king of earmarks, sucked up at least hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes-- more likely many millions-- from his criminal association with GOP lobbyist Bill Lowery. Lewis is directly responsible for the deaths of one in four American servicemen who died in Iraq, sabotaging armor for their vehicles and for their bodies, so that he could enrich the contractors who were bribing him, wasting taxpayer dollars on unwanted projects. Jail is too good for Lewis... far too good. He is a filthy traitor and a firing squad would be too easy for him.

Lewis was vacuuming up bribes from Brent Wilkes, Mitchell Wade, Bill Lowery and many other Republican lobbyists eager to direct millions and millions of taxpayer dollars towards their "generous" clients. "The government is looking into the connection between Lewis and his longtime friend Bill Lowery, the sources said. Lowery, a lobbyist, is a former congressman from San Diego. As chairman of the Appropriations panel, Lewis has earmarked hundreds of millions of dollars in federal contracts for many of Lowery's clients, one of the sources said. Lewis said he knew Lowery well, having spent 12 years in Congress with him, but denied favoring earmarks for Lowery's clients."

Every single Republicrook who has been caught, from Cunningham to DeLay to Abramoff to Ney and the whole lot of them, have denied everything, professed their innocence and sworn they knew nothing... until they cut deals for shorter sentences , agreed to rat out their colleagues and pled guilty. (DeLay and Ney haven't pled guilty yet but probably will soon if the Feds allow them the chance.)

"According to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan research organization, Lewis has earmarked at least $70 million in federal funds for a mapping software company in Redlands. The company, Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc., is one of Lowery's largest clients and has paid more than $320,000 in lobbying fees, according to the nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity. Investigators are said to be particularly interested in the intermingling of Lewis' and Lowery's staffs and whether it led to favorable treatment for Lowery's clients in securing government contracts. Jeff Shockey, a key Lewis staffer, went to work for Lowery as a lobbyist in 1999 and then returned to Lewis' staff last year. According to a source familiar with the investigation, Shockey received $600,000 in severance payments from Lowery's firm before returning to Lewis to become the deputy staff director for the House Appropriations Committee — with an annual salary of $170,000. 'He is now the gatekeeper for more than $850 billion,' said Keith Ashdown of Taxpayers for Common Sense, referring to the Appropriations Committee's role in disbursing government funds."

Louie Contreras, a first-time candidate, has been busy introducing himself to voters all over the sprawling district. It's a very Republican district but even the Inland Empire isn't likely to elect a congressman behind bars, a place Lewis is headed.

CUNNINGHAM RENEGS ON COOPERATION DEAL... IN THE EXPECTATION THAT BUSH WILL PARDON HIM ON THE WAY OUT?

Now that Cunningham has gotten off so lightly-- just 8 years and a few months instead of 30 years, for bribery and other criminal acts, he has cooperating with Federal investigators. Yesterday's North County Times has reported today that he "has not been helping federal authorities as they continue to probe the former North County congressman's web of corruption. Rick Gwin, special agent in charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service's western regional office, said he is troubled by the lack of assistance, particularly in light of Cunningham's plea agreement that calls for him to tell all that he knows. 'In my opinion, he has not been cooperative and I have not gotten any information from him to further develop other targets,' Gwin said in a telephone interview from his office in Mission Viejo. 'I was hoping that from a jail cell, he might become more cooperative, but we just don't have the cooperation that I think we should have... This is much bigger and wider than just Randy "Duke' Cunningham," he said. 'All that has just not come out yet, but it won't be much longer and then you will know just how widespread this is.'"

It was widely expected that Cunningham's testimony would at least help authorities successfully prosecute 3 other right-wing Republican congressmen who were bribed by the same defense contractors who were bribing Cunningham, Jerry Lewis, Duncan Hunter and John Doolittle. CIA chief Porter Goss and his deputy "Dusty" Foggo were fired last week for their involvement in the bribery scandals swirling around Cunningham, Brent Wilkes and other Republican defense contractors who were "losing" a great deal of money at weekly poker games to "lucky" GOP solons. Like Cunningham, Goss and Foggo were making sure the defense contractors got sweet contracts in return for millions of dollars in bribes.

And there's the little matter of Cunningham's pal Thomas Kontogiannis who had given Cunningham $400,000 to buy a pardon for himself from the one person who could grant him one, Cunningham's other pal, George W. Bush. Some people think Bush has let Cunningham know that if he just sits there quietly he'll spring him with a presidential pardon as he leaves office, a pardon that can't be challenged.

Meanwhile a brand new SUSA poll reported today that the Republicans' mirror image crooked ex-congressman/lobbyist choice to replace Cunningham, ultra sleazy Brian Bilbray, is rapidly losing support in a district gerrymandered for a Republican. "In a special election held today, 5/10/06, in California's 50th Congressional District, Republican Brian Bilbray and Democrat Francine Busby tie, each with 45%, according to a SurveyUSA poll of 442 likely voters conducted exclusively for KGTV-TV San Diego. 9% would vote for some other candidate. Bilbray gets 82% of Republican votes. Busby gets 92% of Democrat votes. Among Independents, Busby leads Bilbray 54% to 19%."

Worried about "TV avian flu"? You'll be glad to know that HHS is on the case—but keep your duct tape and plastic sheets handy

This comes from Al Kamen's "In the Loop" column in today's Washington Post:

Feeling Avian? Wash Hands, Stay in Bed

The Department of Health and Human Services public affairs office is fully prepared for the bird flu pandemic. No, not a real one; the really scary one on ABC-TV last night, "Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America."

The HHS staff, after previewing the movie, issued an internal memo with talking points such as:

· "[The show] is a movie, not a documentary. It is a work of fiction designed to entertain and not a factual accounting of a real world event."

· "There is no influenza pandemic in the world at this time."

· "The . . . virus has not yet appeared in the U.S. [and should it] appear in the U.S. it does not mean the start of a pandemic."

The bottom line: Don't panic. "You can keep a supply of food and medicines on hand in case you have to stay home," the talking points recommend, and don't forget things "like frequent hand washing and staying home when sick."

The HHS memo says "the film does depict scenarios that could unfold should a severe pandemic ever develop, including . . . disruption of supplies, medicines and other essential services" and "the expected months-long delay in developing an effective vaccine" once the flu strain "emerges."

But don't panic.

Other nuggets in today's "In the Loop" include:

• the story—in case you haven't heard it—of the guy whom HUD Sec'y Alphonso Jackson claims to have turned down for a grant because he said he doesn't like President Bush. (Since this would be totally illegal and NJ Sen. Frank Lautenberg is already calling for Jackson's resignation, official sources are apparently claiming that the secretary was actually, well, lying, and it never happened.)

• the reply by Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to a question from a member of the Associated Press editorial board, "If Vice President Cheney were to step down and President Bush asked you to become vice president, would you do it?" The reply, according to the State Dept. transcript, was: "inaudible." (For audibilization, sort of, check out the column.)

NET NEUTRALITY: YEAH, I GET PISSED AT NANCY PELOSI PLENTY-- BUT SOMETIMES SHE DOES STUFF THAT REMINDS ME WHY I ALWAYS VOTE FOR DEMOCRATS.

I know it's hard to come by ROLL CALL if you don't have a subscription and, you know me and how I hate breaking rules... but this article from today's issue is just too important not to share with DWT readers. If you haven't been following the battle to prevent the Republicans from giving away the rights to administer the Internet to their Big Business campaign contributors in a way that will wreck the free internet we're all digging so much, here's some background.

Today Pelosi showed some real backbone on the issue. One can only imagine what the pro-business-contributions members of her inner circle, like Rahm Emanuel and Steny Hoyer, are saying. This issue is too important for vital democracy-sustaining communication to let a few political contributions from AT&T get in the way of principles. When you read the article, note the quote from Jarvis Stewart, the sleazy former chief of staff for right-of-center Democrat Harold Ford. Remember, corrupt lobbyists, are overwhelmingly Republicans but if we're not careful... I don't expect much from Democrats who suck the corporate tit like Republicans-- scumbags like Ed Towns, Al Wynn, Charlie Gonzales, Bobby Rush and Gene Green-- but I was proud to see Pelosi take a principled stand on this today.

PUSH BY PELOSI IRKS TELECOMS
ROLL CALL
Tory Newmyer
May 10, 2006

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is drawing the ire of telecommunications giants after she came out against them in a fight between corporate titans of long-standing importance to Democrats — and encouraged her party colleagues to fall in line behind her.

The battle — over the relatively obscure issue of "net neutrality," which concerns whether and how the federal government should regulate the Internet — pits cable and phone industry giants against tech heavies such as Google, which is based in Pelosi's home turf of the Bay Area, as well as an array of consumer groups.

That the debate has turned partisan is angering cable and phone-friendly Democrats, who accuse Pelosi of trying to impose her personal views on the party.

"She's taking this bill personally. It's a constituent issue for her, and she's generalized it into a Caucus issue," said a senior aide to a Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Jarvis Stewart, a former chief of staff to Rep. Harold Ford Jr.(D-Tenn.) who's now lobbying for Verizon on the issue, called the minority leader's involvement "heavy-handed."

However, Pelosi aides and others who support her position argue that it was Republicans who fired the first partisan shot in the debate. They say that Pelosi is simply seeking to get her Caucus on the right side of history by sticking up for the public's right to unfettered Internet access.

"She personally feels it's a good place for Democrats to be," said Pelosi spokeswoman Jennifer Crider, emphasizing that the Minority Leader is not going so far as to whip her Caucus on the issue.

The fight pairs two entrenched lobbying forces — the cable and telephone industries — against Web-based businesses, which are relative newcomers to the Washington, D.C., influence game, but who carry clout because of their role as engines of new economic growth.

Both sides have been dumping lobbying resources into the fight, plastering the Hill with consultants for briefings and one-on-one meetings, covering cable airwaves and Beltway publications (including Roll Call) with issue ads and roping in outside groups to help make their case.
For Democrats, the debate offers a chance to court an emerging industry with increasing clout on Capitol Hill. And insiders say that the potential for a backlash against the party, at least in the short term, is low, since most phone and cable companies have already maxed out their political contributions for the 2006 cycle.

What's at issue is a provision in a broader overhaul of telecommunications laws that's expected to hit the House floor in the next few weeks. Democrats are pressing to strengthen language in that bill to prevent phone and cable companies from discriminating against certain sources of online content delivered over their broadband networks. For instance, these Democrats don't want to see Internet service providers giving special treatment, such as faster downloads or quicker access, to Web sites that have signed sweetheart deals with some content providers, or to limit access to sites that have not formed partnerships.

The cable and phone companies counter that new federal regulations will stifle online innovations. And they argue if they aren't allowed to charge major Internet businesses, consumers themselves will end up paying the cost of expanding network infrastructure to meet growing demand for more and better access.

Ordinarily, Congressional face-offs between rival big-money interests break down along geographic lines, with lawmakers taking sides with whichever industry looms larger back home. Telecom measures especially have a history of passing with bipartisan support, with most contentious issues ironed out before bills reach the floor.

Given this history, industry insiders said they are surprised that the net-neutrality issue has emerged as a partisan flashpoint.

"I don't see where this is political," said BellSouth spokesman Bill McCloskey. "It just seems odd for the Democrats to take an anti-consumer position — to say the government should set rules to deny consumers choice."

Others, however, said that Democratic leaders were smart to move swiftly and outflank Republicans on an issue that could resonate with voters. Former Rep. Vin Weber (R-Minn.), who lobbies for a coalition of Internet companies on the issue, said "the endgame politics — the politics of Election Day — are overwhelmingly weighted toward our side" since "tens of millions of voters" stand to be impacted.

As Pelosi and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) looked at this, "they must have thought, 'Holy cow, we've got a great issue here,'" Weber said. "That's why as a Republican who cares about my party, I'm telling people to please pay attention to this."

Pelosi publicly entered the debate last month, just as the telecom overhaul was passing out of the committee.

After the committee marked up the bill on April 26, the Minority Leader posted on her leadership Web site a petition urging people to become "citizen cosponsors" of an amendment, offered by Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), to add tough net-neutrality language to the telecom overhaul.

The night before, Pelosi had huddled for about an hour with committee members and staffers, several participants said, adding that the Minority Leader herself didn't talk much during the meeting, but that other lawmakers there tried to rally support for Markey's net-neutrality amendment.

Meanwhile, that week, a newly formed alliance of online activists and bloggers called the SavetheInternet.com Coalition started putting pressure on lawmakers to buck the cable and phone companies on net neutrality. While the group includes some high-profile conservative voices, perhaps most notable among its membership is MoveOn.org, the liberal group that helped pioneer online political organizing.

Other online voices from the left also got on board. DailyKos.com, a leading voice for the emerging "net-roots" movement in Democratic politics, began to trumpet Pelosi's work on the issue, as Pelosi logged on to encourage activists to get involved.

"Without Net Neutrality, corporate special interests will be able to charge extra fees and turn the internet into a multi-tiered network of bandwidth haves and have-nots," she wrote on the site that week. "The Netroots have made a tremendous difference in this debate — please keep up the good work."

Keeping the Democratic "netroots" happy and motivated is considered crucial if Democrats are to take over the Senate and the House this fall. Rank-and-file wired activists have been a boon for Democratic turnout and energy, but they have also riled party leaders at times for pushing for more aggressively liberal policies than the Democratic establishment prefers.

A month before Pelosi wrote her plea on Daily Kos, an unscientific poll of more than 14,000 visitors to the site found a mere 19 percent approved of the way Pelosi was doing her job, with 67 percent saying they disapproved.

The pressure from the online groups appears to have helped close the margin when the full committee voted on the Markey amendment, with two Democrats who had opposed the measure peeling off to support it. But the proposal nonetheless failed, and the overall bill then easily won a green light.

Now, insiders on either side of the debate predict the effort in the House could all be for naught. Democrats are readying an amendment addressing the matter to offer on the floor, but several sources said it is unlikely that House GOP leaders would allow it, to avoid forcing their members to put themselves on the record.

Instead, proponents expect their best chance at a win will come in the Senate, where Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) are readying a bill on the issue.

CAN THE GOP HOODWINK IGNORANT VOTERS AGAIN WITH A TAX CUT FOR THE RICH? THEY'RE TRYING.

Isn't it great when members of the House of Representatives and members of the Senate can get together to agree on important legislation and then send it to the president who is eager to sign it? Well, no, not if its importance is how destructive it is to our national social fabric and not if the members who are agreeing are a bunch of greed-and-selfishness obsessed Republicans determined to serve the interests of the wealthy campaign contributors who have allowed them and their families to get fat and rich at the public trough.

That said, if you don't care about our country-- and if you're a multimillionaire-- you have something to be happy about. Yesterday right-wing pigs in the Senate and right-wing pigs in the House agreed to another huge tax cut for the rich, one that will further wreck the country's financial well-being. Yep, $70 billion will be saved, mostly by extending the outrageously low 15% tax rate for capital gains and dividends-- primarily we're talking about passive investment not the kind of entrepreneurial active investment that creates jobs and a thriving, healthy economy-- until 2010.

This is almost entirely another Republican give-away to those who need it least. "The top tenth of 1 percent, whose average income is $5.3 million, would save an average of $82,415." Americans in the middle-- with an average income of $36,000 a year, save $20, not enough for half a tank of gas at the BushCheney rates. Well what about if you're doing pretty well but just not raking in $5 million a year? OK, three-quarters of all taxpayers, make $75,000 or less per year. They'll get $110 in savings-- enough to fill the ole SUV up twice.


If you voted for BushCheney you're probably not reading DWT but maybe you, like me, know someone who did. Ask them if it was worth it? Look around at what this deficit-addicted/war-addicted Regime has wrought. Is it worth a tank or two of free gas?

WHY JERRY McNERNEY'S AND JAN SCHNEIDER'S PRIMARY RACES ARE SO IMPORTANT FOR PROGRESSIVES

There are two extremely important primaries coming up, one in a couple of weeks, June 6, in California and one on September 5 in Florida. Both states have full slates of Democratic candidates, some of whom I'm very excited about. I want to see Rick Penberthy win in FL-05 (a rural Florida district north of Tampa) so he can beat right-wing whacko Ginny Brown-Waite and I want to see Charlie Brown win in CA-04 (in the extreme northeast of California) so he can take on one of the most corrupt villains ever to stalk the halls of Congress, John Doolittle. In fact, there are lots of important races in each state. But I've chosen these two today for a very specific reason.

Jan Schneider and Jerry McNerney have a few things in common. Both are progressive, independent-minded, serious candidates. Both are grassroots-supported candidates. Both did extremely well against lavishly-funded, entrenched incumbents in 2004-- in races written off by the DCCC as "hopeless." And both are fighting for their lives-- against the same enemy: Rahm Emanuel and the Inside-the-Beltway Democratic Power Establishment!

Huh? Rahm Emanuel, head of the DCCC is supposed to make sure Democrats win in November. How can he be fighting against Jerry McNerney, who was overwhelmingly endorsed by the California Democratic Party convention and Jan Schneider, who did better against Katherine Harris in 2004 than any Democratic challenger did against any Republican incumbent in the state of Florida? I'm damn glad you asked.

Let's start with Jan's race for the now open-seat in Florida. (Katherine Harris who may wind up in a mental institution or a penal colony but certainly not in the U.S. Senate, abandoned the seat to run a pointless and doomed campaign against conservative Democrat Ben Nelson.) Since Jan almost beat her last time and has tremendous name recognition in the district, she would have a great chance against a non-incumbent Republican. Emanuel, recognizing an independent thinker and a progressive when he saw one, endorsed a pro-Business, ex-Republican banker, Christine Jennings, who, unlike Jan, has nothing much to say about any of the important issues of the day other than DCCC-manufactured pabulum. I called Jan to ask her what's up with that.

"It's very uncomfortable for me"-- and I could hear the palpable pain in her voice-- "to be fighting the Democratic Party because I've been a Democrat all my life." (Perhaps that Jennings is a convert from the Republican Party adds to a feeling of abandonment by the Democratic hierarchy.) When she started telling me what the DCCC has been pulling on her it reminded me of what the Inside-the-Beltway power elitists had done to derail Paul Hackett's campaign in Ohio a few months earlier and what I had just witnessed them do to Dave Lutrin in another Florida district down the road.

When I asked Jan why Emanuel and his lord chief executioner, Steny Hoyer, would do all this stuff to her and treat her with such disrespect she was frank and to the point. "I'm too independent-minded for them. And she [Jennings] has more money. But the last time we were in a primary she spent over half a million dollars and I spent $146,000 and I wound up with 48% of the vote and she got 38%" (in a 4-way race which included 2 further left candidates). Right now the DCCC propaganda is trying to emphasize the inevitability of a Jennings primary win (which everyone believes-- except the people in the 13th CD). One way they do that is to constantly point out how Jennings raises a lot more money (although $305,000 of her $400,000 total was money she put into the campaign herself). And even with that sleazy worm Hoyer calling her funders and trying to convince them to not donate to Schneider, she had raised around $70,000 when I spoke with her early in March. Since then Joe Trippi and Dan Walter have come aboard and Jan's campaign is looking very good. As it should; she's an incredible woman with tremendous accomplishments and a great deal of talent. A successful attorney and author, Jan graduated with honors from Brown University and did postdoctoral work at Columbia University and Yale (where she earned a Ph.D and a law degree. She is a thoughtful, instinctive progressive whose website, unlike her opponent's, delves into all the big issues voters might want to know about before they decide who they want representing them.

Jerry's story isn't identical-- but the insidious and revolting role of the Washington Insiders in the race is. In 2004, in response to the urging of his son Michael, who had enlisted in the Air Force after 9/11, Jerry entered the race for Congress as a write-in candidate because the Democratic Party had written-off the district as too difficult to bother wasting money on. Out of NO WHERE, Jerry received nearly 104,000 votes in the general election the most votes ever received by a challenger to the execrable Pombo. 

So along comes 2006 and what does the DCCC do? Do they get behind Jerry McNerney and his huge base of support in CA-11 to help him beat Pombo? No way-- Jerry opposes the occupation of Iraq; Jerry is a progressive; Jerry is a populist; Jerry is independent-minded and has no intentions of serving any political bosses from either side of the aisle, not someone named Tom and not someone named... just pick any Dick or Harry out of a hat... like Rahm or Steny. So instead of capitalizing on the groundwork that has been laid and helping Democrats in the San Joaquin Valley rid themselves-- and the nation-- of one of the half dozen most corrupt and corrosive influences on issue after issue that has come before Congress, the DC Insiders recruited and anointed an ex-Republican, pro-Business uninvolved mediocrity who they know will be a good little pawn if they can get him the job.

Fortunately, California Democrats don't cotton to this kind of stalinist bossism and the state Democratic party convention endorsed Jerry with 75% of the vote. Jerry has also been endorsed by the California Labor Federation (the umbrella group for labor in the state, and includes both AFL-CIO and Change to Win unions), by SEIU (The California State Council of the Service Employees International Union) and by a dozen other unions, as well as by virtually all the district's Democratic clubs. His opponent, on the other hand, has been endorsed by a cabal of Inside-the-Beltway power brokers, the bottom feeders of the Democratic Party who Emanuel was able to whip into following his lead.

This are two important races. They're important because they could lead to the replacement of exceptionally bad Republican rubber-stamp extremists with two exceptionally visionary and committed, unbossed true blue Democrats. June 6 in California and September 5 in Florida are really important days. If you live in either district, both campaigns need volunteers. If you live outside the districts, both campaigns can use your prayers and... a little blue love if you're feelin' flush.

WORSE NEWS FOR REPUBLICANS THAN ROVE INDICTMENT: SEC INVESTIGATING DIEBOLD

Night follows day; day follows night; Republican use their electronic voting systems to steal elections. If you're not aware that Diebold Electronic delivered Ohio's electoral votes to Bush/Cheney in 2004-- and thus the presidential election-- then you haven't been paying close enough attention. They did. And, no doubt, they have been hoping to use their pals there again. No doubt the hideously corrupt Secretary of State/Republican candidate for Ohio Governor, Ken Blackwell, has every intention of making sure Diebold fixes his own election-- just like he and they did for Bush. But a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation might put a crimp in Republican plans. The best source of news on election fraud is The Brad Blog and they've got the whole lowdown today too.

I suppose once Bush is out of office, the FEC can also investigate Diebold.

LOOKS LIKE JACKSON BROWNE'S NOT DIGGING BUSH'S WAR EITHER- "LIVES IN THE BALANCE"

You might not know this, but John from CROOKS AND LIARS, one of my favorites places on the net, is a musician, a sax player. Just before he started C&L he had gone out on tour with Duran Duran. So his site is more likely than most to break the good news about what happens when culture and politics collide. A couple minutes ago I got an e-mail from him telling me that one of my favorite musicians from college days had a very relevent song and accompanying video and that he had put them on C&L.

I first met Jackson at a Velvet Underground show when we were both teenagers and I invited him and his pals, Steve Noonan and Tim Buckley-- none of whom had any records yet-- to come play at my school on Long Island. They kind of moved in for a while. Jackson even became the lead singer of an early incarnation of the Blue Oyster Cult (Soft White Underbelly), the campus band. Anyway, Jackson has a great new album called SOLO ACOUSTIC, VOL I and John figured people might want to listen to this great new version of "Lives in the Balance."


I've been waiting for something to happen
For a week or a month or a year
With the blood in the ink of the headlines
And the sound of the crowd in my ear
You might ask what it takes to remember
When you know that you've seen it before
Where a government lies to a people
And a country is drifting to war

And there's a shadow on the faces
Of the men who send the guns
To the wars that are fought in places
Where their business interest runs

On the radio talk shows and the t.v.
You hear one thing again and again
How the u.s.a. stands for freedom
And we come to the aid of a friend
But who are the ones that we call our friends--
These governments killing their own?
Or the people who finally can't take any more
And they pick up a gun or a brick or a stone
There are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire

There's a shadow on the faces
Of the men who fan the flames
Of the wars that are fought in places
Where we can't even say the names

They sell us the president the same way
They sell us our clothes and our cars
They sell us every thing from youth to religion
The same t