DownWithTyranny!: Mike Rogers Can Devote All His Time To Undermining Democracy Since He Has No Reelection Worries

Congenital liar, Mike Rogers (R-MI)

Until recently, Michigan congressman Mike Rogers has operated mostly in the shadows. Some might find that fitting for the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee; we don't. Rogers is charged with over site of the sprawling, out-of-control surveillance state. Instead he has run his committee as a cheering squad for it. Mike Rogers, along with Ranking Member Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Jeff Miller (R-FL), Mike Conaway (R-TX), Peter King (R-NY), Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Adam Schiff (New Dem-CA), Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), Mike Pompeo (R-Koch), Jim Himes (New Dem-CT), Joe Heck (R-NV), Mike Thompson (D-CA), and Terri Sewell (New Dem-AL) have made themselves complicit in the criminal culture that defines the Spy Establishment.

The DCCC has long granted Rogers a free pass to reelection and, especially since like-minded "ex"-Blue Dog Steve Israel took over as DCCC chairman, has undermined progressive grassroots opponents Michigan Democrats have put up to take on Rogers. This might look especially strange, since Rogers is in a swing district, if you weren't aware of the Center Aisle pact and the nasty little deal Israel has with the NRCC to save his own worthless hide.

Let's take a quick look at Rogers' district, MI-08. The PVI is R+2 and Obama beat McCain there by a healthy 52-46%. In 2012, Steve Israel sabotaged Democratic eftorts in the district to help derail a run by grassroots candidate Lance Enderle. Not only did that help Rogers win reelection, it helped Romney win the district 51-48%. Despite Israel's efforts to protect Rogers, Enderle won the heart of the district-- Ingham County (Lansing), which cast the most votes in the district-- 51-46%. Would Enderle have beaten Rogers if the DCCC had assisted him instead if wasting time and resources on ridiculous Blue Dogs who were defeated anyway? Absolutely. Obama beat Romney that day in Oakland County 54-46%. Had Enderle had party help there, it would have overcome the heavy odds Democrats always face in deep red Livingston County, Rogers' reactionary base.

Enderle fought Rogers on domestic spying and corporate intrusion into people's lives right from the start. But that certainly didn't help persuade Steve Israel to allow the DCCC to help his campaign. In fact, given Israel's own positions, it probably set in cement his decision to protect Rogers' seat-- which he's doing again this year. Right now, there is no Democrat running for this seat. I spoke to two high-ranking Democratic officials in Lansing and to a Democratic operative in Rochester Hills and they all told me the same thing: no one will run for this seat until Israel is out of the DCCC. "It isn't worth the time or effort," one told me, "when your own party is hitting for the other team. This is an open secret around here. Steve Israel is the most digesting person who could be running the DCCC. The party will never take back Congress as long as he's in power and he is dooming Democrats in Michigan. He's chasing after that clown Benishek with another clown and ignoring races he should be engaging in." The other guy in Lansing was much more colorful but we don't use that kind of language here at DWT. Meanwhile, Rogers can continue slandering people like Glenn Greenwald with absolute impunity-- and immunity! Now he's accusing him of selling stolen material leaked by whistleblower Ed Snowden. "A thief selling stolen material is a thief,” is how the corrupt Rogers put it.

“I’m never selling documents,” Greenwald said in an interview. “I don’t get money and give them documents, like, ‘Hey, nice doing business with you.’”

Greenwald said he has worked with news outlets around the globe to publicize newsworthy aspects of the documents Edward Snowden copied while working for the NSA in Hawaii. However, Greenwald said he and others working with him supply the foreign outlets with proposed articles and are not “fencing stolen material,” as House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) argued at a hearing Tuesday.

“We do the reporting first… I vet the stories,” Greenwald said. “We come with the story already formed. We work on drafts of the story. We always edit the story. We have approval rights.”

Greenwald, who is an attorney, acknowledged insisting on freelance contracts in order to supply the stories. However, he said that is itself a legal precaution aimed at ensuring that authorities treat him as a journalist and not as a source. Traditionally, sources have sometimes been subject to prosecution for disclosing secret documents, while the government has shied away from prosecuting those who act as journalists or publishers.

“If I went around and reported on this without a freelance contract or a freelance fee paid, the government would say I’m acting as a source and not a distributor of the documents,” Greenwald said. “I never work with any foreign media outlet without any kind of agreement…. I have to do it that way. If I don’t, they would make other accusations.”

...“Any journalist who reports on top-secret documents is necessarily getting paid. If you’re going to characterize that as selling documents, you’re necessarily selling documents,” he said.

Greenwald noted that journalist Bart Gellman has written a series of stories for the Washington Post on a freelance basis drawing on documents Snowden obtained while working at the NSA. Yet, there has been no similar call for charges against Gellman.

“How is that any different than what Bart Gellman does?” Greenwald asked. “He’s freelanced for the Washington Post and he gets paid per story.”

Greenwald said he believes U.S. officials want to take action against him and are therefore trying to make distinctions between his actions and those of others who have reported on the Snowden revelations about U.S. surveillance.

“What they’re trying to do is to remove it from the realm of journalism, so that they can then criminalize it,” he said. “The fact that I’ve been more defiant about the U.S. government…. makes them want to do something to me more. That fact that I’ve gone around the world doing this reporting in different countries and publishing reporting around the world-- that is something they want to stop.”

Keep contributing to the DCCC and keep expecting these kinds of results.

UPDATE: MoveOn To The Rescue?

I got a note from MoveOn a few minutes after this post was published today to let me know that they and some other groups are trying to find a candidate to tale on the odious Rogers.

More than 450 residents of Michigan 8th Congressional District are urging Susan Grettenberger, a social worker, educator, and mother of four, to challenge incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in the 2014 midterm election. The petition from local educator Mike Vasas cites Rep. Rogers’ record of joining with right-wing extremists to block jobs legislation and Rogers’ support of the government shutdown as reasons he should be voted out of office.

“In these tough economic times, we need a member of Congress who will work tirelessly for the people of Michigan's 8th district, not just for the wealthiest corporations,” explained Mike Vasas, the local public educator who created the petition. “Rep. Mike Rogers and the Tea Party shut down our government and helped create the most do-nothing Congress in history. Susan Grettenberger has a proven track record of creating real opportunity for all families. If she chooses to run for Congress, I'm standing ready to support her!”

“I've known Susan for many years and her determination to help others and strong family ties will make her a good candidate for the people of Michigan's 8th District in Washington,” explained Gail from Houghton Lake as she signed the petition. “She will be a tireless worker and a fair supporter of all issues concerning the people of Michigan! Go Susan!”

“Mike Rogers shut down the government and supports unconstitutional spying on all his constituents-- TIME TO GO, MIKE!” added Brian V. from Okemos.

According to a Public Policy Polling survey released this October, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) faces tough challenges with voters after voting to shut down the government, including an approval rating of only 42 percent following the shutdown.