What Do Reactionary Plutocrats Do In Blue States... Like California?

Norman Solomon won't accept any corporate cash... period

You're probably aware of Blue America's ongoing war against conservative Democrats who, as a matter of political DNA, sell out the values and principles-- not to mention working families-- at the root of the Democratic Party. We even have an ActBlue page dedicated to Blue Dog eradication. Wealthy special interests pour millions of dollars into the campaign warchests of Blue Dogs and other ConservaDem outfits, like Harold Ford's and Joe Lieberman's DLC, and they're all funded by the same folks who fund the Republican Party. That's because they're not about red t-shirts and blue t-shirts; they're about gaining advantages for their interests regardless of which party is temporarily in office. They try to make sure conservatives are always in office. And they've been highly successful at doing just that-- nationally and state by state. This week the Sacramento Bee exposed a trio of sleazy multimillionaires making another attempt to undermine and capture the California Democratic Party.

The new right-wing operation is calling itself Govern For California and it's funded by David Crane, a Schwartzenegger advisor who calls himself a Democrat, Ron Conway-- a straight up GOP money bags-- and Greg Penner, a WalMart Board of Directors member who didn't register with either party and gives to conservatives in both parties. The objective of the group is to elect anti-worker state legislators who will do the bidding of wealthy donors.

The three founders also plan to form and help fund an independent expenditure committee that will act "in support of courageous candidates regardless of party and from any part of the state" in the upcoming elections.

"In the case of Democrats, courage means the nerve to stand up to government employee unions whose demands take funding from other programs and penalize private-sector job creation. In the case of Republicans, courage means the nerve to stand up to those unions as well as to corporations and no-tax groups who, even when presented with all the reforms they seek, refuse to acknowledge that sometimes more revenue for the government can be a good thing. And in the case of all legislators, courage means an unshakeable dedication to honest budgets, truthful accounting, open government and governing for the general interest," Crane wrote in a letter announcing the group's formation.

So bought-off legislators standing up against working men and women who have formed unions is what defines courage when plutocrats get together in their private clubs and on their private planes? These guys are even worse than the DCCC which, like in past years, is still promoting worthless Blue Dogs in congressional races as though they were actual Democrats. I knew Nancy Pelosi was making a grievous error when she appointed "ex"-Blue Dog and sleazy corporate shill Steve Israel the head the DCCC. He's already blowing the Democrats' opportunity to take back the House by favoring the kinds of conservative candidates who find favor in the eyes of right-wing big donors but who Democratic voters don't want to go out and vote for.

The worst example so far is in Albuquerque, where state Senator Eric Griego, the most progressive member of New Mexico's legislature, is running against the worst Democrat in the state, anti-union/anti-environment corporate whore Marty Chavez, who was recruited by... Steve Israel.

Saturday Griego sent an e-mail to his constituents in Albuquerque that encapsulate the uphill slog progressives face when dealing with conservatives and corporate whores in both political parties.

The people of New Mexico are hurting for more jobs. They’re looking for leadership from our elected officials to create jobs, not play political games. Yesterday, the State Senate rejected a bold job creation bill with bipartisan support that I spearheaded with encouragements from both business and labor communities. If passed, it would have created thousands of new jobs throughout the state rebuilding public buildings like senior centers and repairing roads and bridges through projects such as a new interchange at Paseo del Norte and Interstate 25.

Instead, the Senate had to settle for a weaker bill because some members were more interested in scoring political points than passing a real job creation bill. I was left shaking my head at the political game that doesn’t serve the good of the people and our state.

I have always fought for what I believe to be for the good of New Mexico’s working families: creating good jobs, strengthening public services, promoting a clean and healthy environment, making government more transparent and accountable.

Steve Israel and the DCCC have something else in mind, not unlike what shady plutocrats like David Crane, Ron Conway and Greg Penner have in mind. If you can, please consider giving Eric a hand at the Blue America ActBlue page.

Can New Deal Democrats who don't take blood money from corporate PACs and shady conservative groups bring in enough money to compete? Griego is giving the special interests who finance Chavez's shameful career a run for their money. Ilya Sheyman, a former DFA and MoveOn organizer is rockin' the small donor base. And yesterday Norman Solomon reported taking in over $200,000 without a cent from a corporate PAC. It's all grassroots, good-government contributions. “The large corporations giving big bucks to candidates are not engaged in philanthropy-- they’re buying influence,” Solomon said. “Candidates for Congress routinely take money from Wall Street and say it’s necessary. I say it’s undermining democracy, and I don’t want any part of it... I don't want their money. I want to be accountable to voters, not Wall Street. We need to invigorate democracy, not sell it off to the highest bidders... We hear a lot about shared sacrifice in these difficult economic times but the vast majority of us are being sacrificed to the financial benefit of big banks and large corporations. Congress has acted in the financial interests of the rich instead of the public. That must change.” And, yes, he's on the same page as Eric Griego.