Trumpanzee Makes His Move Against The Florida GOP Establishment-- Endorses A Neo-Fascist For Governor

Suppose you found yourself in charge-- for a week. One week to clean up America. Would shooting plutocrats Sheldon Adelson, Rebekah (and Robert) Mercer and Foster Friess be part of the plan? (We’ll leave the Koch brothers out of this for a moment, because this post isn’t really about shooting anyone.)

Who remembers when Adam “Howdy Doody” Putnam retired from Congress in 2009? Little Howdy Doody had one dream… to be governor of Florida. So he ran for Agriculture Commissioner in 2010, a stepping stone to the governor’s mansion. And he’s waited patiently. Everyone assumed he would be a shoo-in for the Republican nomination in 2018. The 3 top Democrats in the race-- Andrew Gillum, Blue Dog Gwen Graham, and conservative self-funder Philip Levine-- have all been tacitly running against him. But Señor Trumpanzee upended the race this week, with a seemingly off-the-cuff tweet, pretty much endorsing a far right extremist congressman, Ron DeSantis. Every single poll since December of 2016 had shown Putnam winning the GOP primary and the most recent poll has him ahead of DeSantis 23-12%. But… along comes Mary, I mean Trumpanzee.

Back to Koch, Mercer and Friess. In the wake of Trump’s tweet they’re all on Team Neo-Nazi, part of DeSantis’ Finance Leadership Team, along with David Bossie and far right money-bags Jonathan Burkan, Dick Uihlein, Elliott Broidy, Roger Hertog, and Darwin and Doug Deason. Bossie, who doesn’t need a “neo” when his politics are described, said Trump and all those billionaires backing DeSantis sets him “apart from the rest [Putnam]. He will have the financial resources and the ground game and the Trump base to be an incredible statewide candidate.” Politico’s Marc Caputo:

As a member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, DeSantis is a frequent Fox News guest who has earned a reputation as a small-government conservative, an opponent of the independent federal investigation of Trump and a supporter of moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. And donors have so far loved what they have heard.

“These big national finance givers are true believers. Donors like Adelson care about Israel, and they watched DeSantis fight for what they care about,” the fundraiser said. “They see him consistently boosting Trump on Fox. So here they have a prominent national congressman who speaks their language, pushes their issue and defends their president.”

A spokesman for the Adelsons, who own the Las Vegas Sands casino empire, said “there is no decision on the level of financial support” for DeSantis but that the husband and wife duo “appreciate and have great respect for the leadership of Congressman Ron DeSantis on numerous issues.”

Mercer’s support for DeSantis stands above the others. She manages the political giving of her father, hedge fund magnate Robert Mercer, and played a key role in the Trump transition. The Mercers, top supporters of Trump’s campaign, own a stake in the conservative Breitbart media enterprise and the Cambridge Analytica data firm used by Trump’s campaign.

Other top DeSantis finance team members include:

• Bernard Marcus, a Home Depot co-founder who has given nearly $18 million to federal campaigns and political committees since 2000, Federal Election Commission records show. Of that money, more than $7 million went to committees supporting Trump’s 2016 election.
• Thomas Peterffy, the founder of Interactive Brokers, one of the nation’s largest electronic brokerage firms. Peterffy contributed $366,200 in 2016 to two committees helping Trump’s election, according to Federal Election Commission records. Peterffy, according to a Time report, was Florida’s richest immigrant who supported Trump.
• Foster Friess, a Wyoming-based investor who has toyed with running for U.S. Senate in his home state after talking to Mercer and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. Friess has given more than $4.3 million to federal campaigns and committees since 2000, with more than $2 million going to committees supporting Rick Santorum’s presidential campaign in 2012. Friess also donated $100,000 to the Trump Victory PAC in 2016.
• David A. Siegel, the CEO of Westgate Resorts in Orlando, who contributed $30,000 last year to the Trump Victory committee. Many expect the time-share mogul could start playing more in state and national politics with Trump’s election. Siegel last year said Trump’s election was “the greatest thing that's happened to me since I discovered sex.” Siegel’s wife, Jackie, said she once went on a few dates with Trump.

One name conspicuously absent from DeSantis’ list: Koch. None of the famed conservative brothers have signaled their support for him, though Siegel and other DeSantis backers, such as Dallas investor Doug Deason, are Koch network donors.

In a sign of his rising national profile, DeSantis played golf with Charles Koch in June at a Koch network retreat in Colorado. Another prominent Florida Republican who is considering a bid for governor, state House Speaker Richard Corcoran, didn’t get the same face time. While Trump’s tweet supporting DeSantis put a damper on Corcoran’s prospects, the list of top national donors supporting the congressman makes it even tougher for the state legislative leader to run as the conservative alternative to the GOP front-runner, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.

Though many of the big-name Republican donors who announced their support of DeSantis have yet to contribute to the congressman, his campaign-to-be is expecting their financial support in the beginning of the year to eat into the hefty fundraising advantage enjoyed by Putnam, who is widely perceived in Florida conservative circles as having a relatively weak right flank in a Republican primary.

In a state as big as Florida, where a week’s worth of saturation TV during next year’s general election could cost as much as $3 million, cash is king. And Putnam has so far reigned over both his likely and current Democratic and Republican rivals by raising his money from the major industries that do business in Florida’s capitol, such as agricultural interests, the health care industry, power companies and Disney.

Blue America is supporting Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum for governor of Florida. If you’d like to keep another Trumpist out of the governor’s mansion, please consider contributing to his campaign here. And if you want to read why we’re supporting Andrew, you can read about that here.

An Important Race No One Outside Of Florida Is Talking About-- Guest Post By Doug Tudor

Doug Tudor was the Blue America-backed progressive running for the Democratic nomination in FL-12 (some of Hillsborough County and almost all of Polk). The DCCC saw to it that Blue Dog Lori Edwards won that race, although they have since abandoned her to her fate. Nate Silver figures the Republican in that race, Dennis Ross, has a 87.5% chance of winning tomorrow. Silver's latest prediction is that Ross will take 49.1% of the vote; Edwards will take 37.5% and the Tea Party candidate, Polk County Commissioner Randy Wilkinson, will only get 8.6%. Doug has been on the ground in Hillsborough and Polk counties, working for the Democratic ticket, including Edwards, and he thinks she's going to win. He thinks she's going to win because Wilkinson is going to do much better than outside pollsters, pundits and prognosticators figure. That will be an interesting one to watch, although not one I'll be rooting for one way or the other.

Doug is very excited about a race I hadn't been following, the campaign pitting Adam Putnam against former Tallahassee Mayor Scott Maddox for Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. It looks like Scott is running for Consumer Affairs Commissioner and Putnam is running for Agricultural Commissioner. Doug endorsed him, calling him "intelligent, innovative, and extremely ethical," not a ready combination in Florida politics on either side of the aisle.

While I truly believe in Scott's leadership qualities and credentials, there is another reason that we need to rally behind him. Scott is running neck-and-neck with our "old friend," Congressman Adam Putnam... The concept of a Governor Putnam is the scariest thing I can think of during this Halloween season.

Fortunately, we have a great candidate in Scott Maddox. Standing with Scott, we will continue to fight the special interests, right-wing insanity, and corporate cronyism that Adam Putnam is trying to bring back to our state's capitol.

...Scott has a common-sense approach to Florida agriculture; he believes that we need a strong partnership between the department and Florida's many diverse agricultural entities-- securing and growing a one billion dollar industry for the future.

Scott believes in the promotion of fuel crops-- reducing our dependency on foreign fossil fuels by promoting 'American Grown' fuel and investing in a multitude of green energies, specifically: tidal and solar sources. 

Throughout his career, Scott has always been a strong consumer advocate. He took an early stance against offshore oil drilling and believes the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services should take a leading role in combating the many types of fraud that are currently running rampant in Florida, especially against our seniors.

I called Doug and asked him if he's help put the importance of this race in context for us by explaining how Putnam plans to use it. He did:

President Putnam?

-by Doug Tudor

Down ballot races are often ignored by political pundits and voters. There’s just nothing sexy or exciting about a candidacy for a county Soil and Water Conservation Board, for instance. What we do know, though, is those candidates and office holders often go on to occupy higher office.

In Florida, there are four members of the state’s cabinet. Along with the Governor, Attorney General, and Chief Financial Officer, the cabinet includes the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Again, nothing sexy, right?

Actually, the Ag Commissioner is a very important post as it deals not only with farming issues, but with consumer and environmental issues. In a state prone to hurricanes, for instance, it is the Ag Commissioner who acts as responder-in-chief to oversee controls and combat fuel and insurance price-gouging and other disaster-related consumer frauds.

Now here is where this particular race gets interesting. In early 2009, Florida’s political landscape looked pretty well secure. Wildly popular Republican Governor Charlie Crist would run for reelection in 2010, as would Attorney General Bill McCollum, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, and U.S. Senator Mel Martinez. No one seriously considered any of the incumbents to face anything by token opposition.

Viewing the toxic landscape for Republicans in Washington, and after being forced from the House leadership-- okay, he resigned on election night before his fellow Republicans could force him out-- our old friend, Adam “Howdy Doody Looking Nimrod” Putnam, decided to return to Florida via the 2010 Ag Commissioner race.

After all, Opie could glide to victory, serve four years in a state-wide office, then run to replace Charlie Crist as Governor in 2014, once Crist was term-limited. From the Governor’s chair, he could view his future options of a U.S. Senate seat or even the Oval Office. Hell, when you’re 35 and stinking rich and you’ve already been in office for 13 years, the sky truly seems to be the limit.

Accordingly, the Boy from Bartow announced on Super Sunday 2009 that he would leave the U.S. House and seek the non-sexy office of Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. We constituents were thrilled to get this rabid rightwing demagogue out of Washington.

But something happened on the way to Putt Putt’s coronation. Senator Mel Martinez resigned from the U.S. Senate. Governor Charlie Crist appointed his Chief of Staff, George Lemieux, as senatorial seat warmer until Crist could win the seat himself this year. McCullom would run for Governor, as would Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink. Suddenly, all four of Florida’s cabinet seats were open, and a boring off-year election cycle had exciting potential.

This was only a minor hiccup for Putnam. In his eyes, this meant he would either have to face an incumbent Democratic governor in 2014 or ride the Ag post another four years until the incumbent Republican governor was term-limited in 2018. What the hell, he would still only be 44 when he cake-walks into the Governor’s mansion and in his early 50’s when he strolls back to Washington.

Okay, so back to the main point. Down-ballot races are extremely important. They allow the office holder to change the way a particular matter is handled. For instance, Adam has taken hundreds of thousands of campaign contributions from financial services ($616,373), but is set to be the consumer watchdog on banking and other financial matters. He has taken tens of thousands from Big Insurance ($230,275), but is set to be its chief regulator in the nation’s fourth most populous state. He has taken tens of thousands from Big Oil ($84,300), and was one of the “Band of Brothers” who was chanting “Drill, Baby, Drill” in August 2008. Even after the BP disaster this year, Putnam would not back down from his quest to bring drilling closer and closer to Florida’s shores.

In the long term, the real importance of a down-ballot office becomes even more apparent. These offices serve as spring boards for higher office.

Putnam’s ascendency to the Governor’s mansion, the U.S. Senate, and the White House has to run through the office of Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. It may not be sexy, but as Vice President Biden might say, “It’s a Big Fucking Deal.”

Right-wing Republicans In Florida Threaten To Nullify Any Health Care Reform Congress Passes That Helps The Needy

The extremists from the Marco Rubio faction of the Florida GOP have the perfect solution to health care reform: they've proposed a constitutional amendment banning federal health care. Think Progress broke the bizarre story last night. Two of the worst right-wing fanatics in the state legislature, Senator Carey Baker (Eustis) and Representative Scott Plakon (Longwood), filed HJR 37, a whacked-out proposal that somehow forgot to mention that President Obama was born in Mombassa, Jakarta and Mexico, but that does seek to prevent planned Federal health care reform legislation from affecting Floridians.

Baker, who's an underdog in the GOP primary for State Agriculture Commissioner against Adam "Howdy Doody" Putnam is a leader of the Florida secessionists and a self-styled tea-bagger. The bill calls on all Floridians to provide for their own health care "to preserve the freedom of all residents of the state." Baker receives health care benefits under the US Veteran’s Administration, funded by federal tax dollars, and participates in Florida's health insurance plan whose premiums are subsidized by state taxpayer funds. He's widely considered to be an off-the-wall crackpot, a product of too much Hate Talk Radio.

Even the very conservative Orlando Sentinel couldn't resist gently poking fun at the two delusional wingnuts. Paranoid and looking for some free publicity, the two of them are calling health care reform an "unprecedented power-grab by President Obama and Congress" which is "clearly not in the best interests of the citizens of Florida.”

The Legislature and then 60 percent of the state's electorate would have to OK the state constitutional amendment, which would almost certainly face its own federal constitutional hurdles (the state doesn't have much say-so in federal tax penalties).

Nearly 4 million Floridians are uninsured presently, and an effort last year by Gov. Charlie Crist and the Legislature called "Cover Florida" to try and make more no-frills coverage plans available without placing mandates on businesses or insurers has so far failed to make a dent in that number.

The battle perfectly demonstrates the narrow and twisted conservative mentality that fights for the status quo and for wealthy elites and has, historically been on the wrong side of every important battle in American history. Conservatives like Baker, Plakon and Rubio opposed the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution, the Bill of Rights, "universal" suffrage for white males, extending suffrage to women and to the poor and to minorities; conservatives opposed ending slavery, opposed public education, opposed food safety and consumer protection, opposed the abolition of child labor, opposed the 8 hour workday, opposed the national park system, opposed the minimum wage, opposed the right of workers to form unions, opposed cleaning up our air, our water, and toxic dump sites, opposed rural electrification, Social Security, Civil Rights, Medicare and Medicaid. They opposed-- in general-- PROGRESS-- and they're still dancing to the same stale tunes.


UPDATE: The Need For Health Care Reform In Florida

The Ceter For American Progress took a look at the health care situation in Florida that Baker and Plakon are trying to use to further their disgraceful political careers. The numbers show a great need for the kind of health care reform President Obama is proposing:

• 850 residents of Florida are losing health insurance every day, and 14,000 Americans nationwide lose insurance daily.

• The average family premium in Florida costs $1,400 more because our system fails to cover everyone-- and $1,100 more nationally.

• Our broken health insurance system will cost the Florida economy as much as $19 billion this year in productivity losses due to the uninsured-- and up to $248 billion nationally.

• In Florida there has been a 15 percent increase in the uninsured rate since 2007.

• 3,920,000 are uninsured today in Florida.

• In Florida the combined market share of the top two insurers is 45 percent, limiting employers’ and families’ health insurance options as well as the care they receive.

• The average family premium will rise from $12,763 to $21,779 by 2019 in Florida without health care reform.

• In Florida, without health care reform, 556,070 will have lost coverage from January 2008 to December 2010.

• In Florida, 1,854,000 people would gain coverage as a result of the House health care reform bill by 2013, and 2,982,000 would gain coverage by 2019.

• A typical Florida family will pay $21,779 for health coverage in 2019 without health care reform.

Grassroots vs The Inside-The-Beltway Establishment-- Will Doug Tudor Be The Democratic Nominee In FL-12?

Last year there was an intrepid grassroots movement in Florida's Polk County and it spilled over into the Hillsborough County suburbs just east of Tampa. It's been a strongly Republican area in recent years with a PVI of R+5 that translated to a 58% win for Bush in 2004, respective 65% and 69% wins for incumbent Adam "Howdy Doody Nimrod" Putnam in 2004 and 2006. The grassroots movement-- which got absolutely zero nurturing for the state or especially the national Democratic party, was around a Naval vet running against Putnam, Doug Tudor.

After being dissed and insulted by Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, the DCCC's curiously pro-Republican head honcho in Florida, Doug just went on to work with on-the-ground progressives and Democrats to make a spectacular showing in a district the Democratic Party had given up for dead. Doug won an eye-popping 127,477 votes (42%) after spending $109,851 to Putnam's $2,054,571. In losing races sanctioning by Wasserman-Schultz-- in which real money was spent-- Christine Jennings only managed 38% ($2,416,633) in FL-13, incumbent Tim Mahoney only managed 40% ($2,741,491) in FL-16 and Raul Martinez ($1,881,108) only managed the same 42%, attracting a mere 97,928. Meanwhile, the energy and enthusiasm of Tudor's efforts helped turn out a huge vote for Democrats that propelled Obama to a near tie with McCain-- and far more votes than either Gore or Kerry managed in FL-12.

But I wasn't surprised this morning when a magazine catering strictly to the Establishment political class and read by no one outside the Beltway (but me), CQPolitics, touted a minor Polk County official, Lori Edwards, as some kind of a front-runner for the Democratic nomination. Democrats inside FL-12 are eager for Doug to have a shot at the seat again, particularly because Putnam is resigning to run for state Agricultural Commissioner. Edwards is the kind of me-too Democrat-- another loser like Christine Jennings-- who, offering no tangible contrast with Republicans, doesn't win against Republicans. Doug has more in common with Alan Grayson, the polar opposite of Republicans-- and Florida's most significant victory in 2008, although not, naturally enough, a race that Wasserman-Schultz and the DCCC were key players in.

This morning I asked Doug his thoughts on the rush among all these people jumping into the race for the congressional seat in the 12th. “As was the case during the last run, the 'experts' discount the power of a grassroots campaign to win office. We took over 137,000 votes, which gave us 42.5% of the vote. That was the second best showing among Florida Democrats who didn’t take the seat. As for [Republicans] Ross and Dockery, I say 'Welcome to the big league. Winning a couple of neighborhoods in Lakeland isn’t the same as running in a 2,000 square mile district.' As for Ms. Edwards or any other Democrat that may enter the race, I say 'Where were you when we needed you? Where were you when the race was against Adam Putnam? Where were you when working families were being destroyed by the Republican economy?' Here’s my real regret about the last election. Today the Employee Free Choice Act will be introduced into the House of Representatives. I desperately wanted to be a member of Congress to cast my yea vote on that bill. I have no doubt that Adam will vote no. I wonder if my 2010 competitors, if they were in the House now, would have the courage to stand up for working families. I’d bet dollars to doughnuts that they wouldn’t, and that’s a real shame.”

It's crucially important for the health of the Democratic Party that local Democrats inside their own districts recapture the party from the fatally compromised powers inside the Beltway. The Democratic Party's ideas and values is what makes people get out and vote for candidates. But Inside-the-Beltway it's all a business and the principles and values are the first to get trampled the second its convenient to do so. Democrats in FL-12 need to tell DC hacks and flacks and the DCCC who they plan to send to Congress-- not the other way round.

Please consider making a contribution to Doug's campaign at our ActBlue page. Early money is the most valuable donation a grassroots challenger ever sees. And, even $5 and $10 contributions can add up to more people like Donna Edwards, Alan Grayson, Jim Himes, Carol Shea-Porter and Eric Massa and fewer shills sucking on the corporate teat and manifesting Big Business power... regardless of political party.

Those Repugs are so giddy about that stimulus money they claim to have brought home, you'd think they, like, actually voted for it!

Chris Lee (NY-26) is No. 16 -- and counting -- in the

Republican Hypocrisy Hall of Fame.

"You have absolutely no reason -- none -- to trust our word or our actions at this point."

-- Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele

This goes back a day, so the numbers are probably already out of date, especially with more members of Congress back home meeting their anxious constituents over the weekend, but yesterday Chris Lee of upstate New York became No. 16 of the DCCC's Republican Hypocrisy Hall of Fame, Republicans who "are celebrating the benefits of President Obama's economic recovery bill in their districts -- even though they voted against it in Washington."

Looking at the list, Howie points out: "And some of our faves too: Howdy Doody, the nortorious Diaz-Balart Brothers, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen . . . lots of other Florida hypocrites must have heard that voters like Charlie Crist's position more than theirs -- a lot more."

As Glenn pointed out the other day in Politico ("Nine Fla. Republicans want stim cash"), "They voted no, but they want the dough."

We're getting into broken record territory here on Republicans clamoring for stimulus money.

Nine GOP House members from Florida, all stimulus no's, joined nine of their Democratic colleagues, all yesses, in asking the feds to grant a waiver giving them access to, you guessed it, hundreds of millions in state stabilization stimulus cash.

The nine members of the Florida wing of the GOP Hypocrisy Hall of Fame, by the way, are: Adam Putnam, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Tom Rooney, Mario Diaz-Balart, Ginny Brown-Waite, Cliff Stearns, John Mica, and Bill Posey.


JINDAL MAY BE A LOON (HE IS), BUT HE'S NOT AS HYPOCRITICAL AS THE REST OF THEM

That's Howie's reaction to Politico's report that Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal "will decline stimulus money specifically targeted at expanding state unemployment insurance coverage."

In a statement, Jindal, who is slated to give the Republican response to President Barack Obama’s message to Congress on Tuesday, expressed concern that expanding unemployment insurance coverage would lead to increased unemployment insurance taxes later on.

“The federal money in this bill will run out in less than three years for this benefit and our businesses would then be stuck paying the bill,” Jindal said. “We must be careful and thoughtful as we examine all the strings attached to the funding in this package. We cannot grow government in an unsustainable way.”

As Keith Olbermann pointed out, Louisiana has the option of phasing this out after the three-year period, and even if business wound up paying some of the cost, is that really too much to ask in return for restarting the economy? As he noted, unemployment insurance comes as close to pure stimulus as spending gets.

Politico notes that Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour also plans to turn down the unemployment-insurance money, saying in an interview Friday: “Subject to learning more, my position is that Mississippi won’t accept funds that require us to have a tax increase later, because [they would force] us to change our rules for qualifying for unemployment compensation.”

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It's Howdy Doody Time-- Or The End Of It

Poor little (rich boy) Adam Putnam. As third-ranking leader of their demoralized and defeated House caucus, he became the GOP's designated scapegoat when they were swamped in the congressional elections in November. He was quickly pushed aside, in effect, becoming a backbencher with no influence or power and not many prospects for advancement. But Putnam, whose colleagues refer to him as "that Howdy Doody-looking nimrod," has always seen himself as an up-and-comer, not as a has-been, especially not a 34-year old has-been.

Since then, it's been no secret that he's been planning on switching his political ambitions away from the federal level and back to state politics. So little Doody has decided to run for Agricultural Commissioner of Florida, leaving the 12th CD open. His people claim that the Agricultural Commission job is "widely seen" as the door to the governorship-- Putnam wants it in 2014 when Charlie Crist would be termed-out-- but looking over a list of recent Florida governors, we're seeing another example of Putnam making a lame stab on creating his own facts on the ground, facts unrelated to reality. Charlie Crist was the Education Commissioner and then the state Attorney General before becoming Governor and never served as Agricultural Commissioner. Jeb Bush was just a political operative from a famous family who worked for a short time as Florida's Secretary of Commerce but never served as Agricultural Commissioner. Buddy MacKay was a congressman and extremely powerful Lt. Governor before becoming Governor and was never Agricultural Commissioner. Lawton Chiles was a state senator and a U.S. Senator before becoming Governor and was never Agricultural Commissioner. Bob Martinez was the mayor of Tampa (and a Democrat) before becoming Governor (and a Republican) and never served as Agricultural Commissioner. The closest thing to an Agricultural Commissioner-- and this is what may have mixed little Doody up-- was extreme right wing Democrat John Wayne Mixson who was a farmer and the chairman of Florida's House Agriculture Committee, though never Agricultural Commissioner, before being elected Lt. Governor (and also serving simultaneously as the state's Secretary of Commerce) and then becoming Governor for 3 days when Bob Graham became a U.S. Senator. Graham himself was a state Senator before being elected Governor and never served as the state Agricultural Commissioner. In fact, despite what Putnam claims, the job of Florida Agriculture Commissioner is not known as a stepping stone to the governor's mansion; it's known as a political graveyard, just the right place for Putnam.


Last November Putnam was startled when his underfunded Democratic opponent, Doug Tudor, did as well against him as the heavily funded Democrats in the southern parts of Florida did against less high profile incumbents. In 2006 the feeble Florida Democratic Party didn't even bother to run a candidate against Putnam, who still failed to crack 70% of the vote against unfunded independent candidates. For the 2008 cycle a grassroots campaign by Tudor garnered 42.5% of the vote. He received no support form the state or national party. Debbie Wasserman Schultz turned him down flatly (and rudely) when he asked for help from the DCCC. Now compare the numbers racked up to the numbers of the other candidates who didn't prevail but who were financed by the DCCC. According to the DCCC they made independent expenditures in 3 congressional districts lost by Democrats:

Joe Garcia- $828,638 (resulting in resulting in 47%)
Raul Martinez- $819,830 (resulting in 42%)
Tim Mahoney- $431,098 (resulting in 40%)

The DCCC also helped these candidates plus Christine Jennings raise a great deal of money. Jennings, for example, spent $2,383,471, much of it raised from Democratic PACs taking their direction from Inside the Beltway power mongers, from the poodle unions like AFSCME who do whatever Rahm Emanuel tells them to do, to the clueless demography groups like Emily's List (which endorses candidates primarily based on their plumbing) to hefty donations from conservative congressional money launderers like the Blue Dog PAC, Steny Hoyer, New Democratic coalition, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, etc. Jennings, a business oriented Democrat who was not seen as friendly to the aspirations of working families wound up with an embarrassing 38% of the vote against a weak, lunatic fringe freshman.

Meanwhile Doug Tudor managed to raise $120,000 almost all of it from small individual donations and not a dime of it through any Democratic Party channels. Local unions like the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the United Auto Workers, the Teamsters, the Sheet Metal Workers, the Communications Workers, made small donations but none of the big national unions whose political giving is controlled by the Inside the Beltway Democratic Establishment gave any help at all. And yet Doug managed to do as well or better than the candidates who spent millions of dollars.

Look at Raul Martinez for example, running in the 21st congressional district. He's a conservative Democrat who would have been looking for opportunities to cross over and vote with the GOP whenever he could. With the help of the Democratic Establishment he raised $1,886,870, which helped him to garner 97,928 votes in a district with a PVI of R+6. Tudor's $120,000 brought in 137,465 in a district with a PVI of R+5. More important, Martinez did nothing whatsoever to build a grassroots Democratic Party and, by sending confused mixed messages, wound up weakening the Democratic Party in his district. Tudor worked to build the Democratic Party and educate voters about progressive values and principles. He has built a future for the party and for his own candidacy.

And with Putnam retiring, Doug is in a good spot to turn a red seat blue. He was one of the first candidates supported by DWT who declared his intention to finish the job he started by running again in 2010. Here at DWT we've opened an ActBlue page for his campaign. I hope you'll join me in sending another real fighting progressive to Congress. Why should you? His politics are strongly progressive across the board. He wants to end the war in Iraq. He defends a woman's right to choice. He would never support inequality for any Americans and he supports the equal rights for gay men and women. Here are a couple of answers to questions we asked Doug about issues that people who read this blog seem interested in, answers that will give you some insight into what kind of a guy Doug is:

On Bush's FISA bill authorizing warrantless wiretaps against American citizens-

“On five occasions during my Navy career, I raised my hand and affirmed ‘to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.’ Members of Congress take a similar oath. I believe that those members who voted in favor of HR 6304 did so in violation of their oath of office. I would have voted against this bill.”

On Rush Limbaugh's anti-Obama screed during his first week in office, urging Republicans to "hope" President Obama fails-

"I think the newly elected junior senator from Minnesota said it best: Rush Limbaugh Is A Big, Fat Idiot. It speaks volumes that Rush continues as the mouthpiece of the Republican Party, even as the party implodes into electoral insignificance in most parts of the country. It also reveals the true values of the GOP in that this convicted drug addict, serial racist, gay-bashing closet case, and insulter of our troops, continues to have such a messianic hold on the party rank-and-file. Screw Rush Limbaugh and the dittoheads he continues to ride in on."

Putnam was one of the biggest supporters of the irresponsible TARP plan Bush used to spread over $300 billion around among his bankster buddies. This is what Doug had to say the week of the TARP vote:

Here’s what I think I understand about the proposed legislation being considered by the House and the Senate. It will give the Secretary of the Treasury authority to purchase mortgage-related assets up to $700 Billion.   Additionally, the debt ceiling will be raised to $11.3 trillion. The Secretary’s only requirement is that he makes a report to Congress every six months.
 
In military terms, we should ask Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (WTF)?
 
WTF, since George W. Bush and his Republican accomplices, including 98.7% Putnam, have sunk the ship of state, why would we let them take command of the lifeboats?
 
WTF, since we have yet to see George Bush and his Republican accomplices make a single correct and rational executive decision in eight years, why is the Democratic leadership of the House and the Senate caving in and chiming in on a bipartisan solution?
 
WTF, where is the single Democratic leader who is ready to raise the BS flag? Where is the single person of power who is ready to apologize?
 
I guess an aspiring congressman is supposed to have a more politically correct vocabulary, but this is absolute bullshit!
 
It is bullshit that once again the taxpayer is going to get stiffed, while multimillionaire CEO’s strap on their golden parachutes.
 
It is bullshit that guys like Adam Putnam can stand in front of news cameras, spout a bunch of lies, and have the news anchor “thank you for joining us, Congressman.”
 
It is bullshit that we have troops in the field, and our elected representatives are tripping over themselves to figure out how to keep bankers from losing their banks.
 
If I had any hair left, I would be pulling it out. Instead, I am going to wake up tomorrow and start over yet again. I am going to knock on doors, make phone calls, and talk to anyone who will listen. I am going to do my best to explain the failures of our federal government and make the case that we the people deserve better. I am going to tell folks about my experience, my education, and my values. I am going to … take back my country.

I know times are tough right now but even $5 and $10 donations add up quickly. If we don't help elect citizens like Doug Tudor to office we wind up with bought-and-paid for corporate shills-- Republicans like Adam Putnam and Michele Bachmann or barely distinguishable Democrats like Heath Shuler and Bobby Bright. This morning Doug reminded me that "there are several Republican and Democratic multimillionaire conservatives slobbering all over themselves today as they envision taking the open U.S. House seat in Florida’s 12th District. As for me, I ran in 2008 to win, and I am running now to win. The American people elected a progressive agenda this past November, and I will continue to make the case to FL-12 that a Progressive agenda is the only hope for a state with one of the worst economies in the nation, and a district with the worst unemployment rate and graduation rate in the state. As more and more working families fully realize the economic mess our country is in, I firmly believe they will vote their pocketbook. This is a 52% Democratic registered district carried by the only two statewide-elected Dems, State CFO Alec Sink and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson. It is a winnable district, and we Progressives will win it together in 2010. When Adam Putnam’s name is nothing more than a Trivial Pursuit answer, our Progressive values will still be moving our country forward. This is going to be one of the great races throughout America in 2010. I am ready!”Check out Doug's website here and, again, please donate what you can here.


UPDATE: And Putnam's Not The Only Florida Wingnut Jumping Ship Today

The Party's corrupt House Speaker, Ray Sansom, is resigning "temporarily," so he can face the legal battles looming on his cloudy horizon.

Sansom is facing investigations by a grand jury and the state ethics commission after taking a $110,000-a-year fundraising job at Northwest Florida State College the same day he became speaker on Nov. 18. Critics charge Sansom was given the job as payback for channeling more than $35 million the last two years to the school while most others were receiving closer to $1 million as the state began slashing most budget requests.

He has also been accused of putting $6 million in the 2007 state budget for an aircraft hangar to benefit a political supporter.

Sansom, who has served in the Legislature since 2002, stepped down from the college earlier this month and Friday conceded the controversies made it impossible to be effective in the speaker's job with the 2009 session convening in just over a month.

Or maybe he didn't resign and wants to hold that plum as a bargaining chip to keep himself out of prison.

In 2010 Doug Tudor Will Finish The Job He Started This Year-- Despite Debbie Wasserman Schultz

A few days ago we were stunned to hear that Democrats were seriously considering putting one of the most disloyal and treacherous among them, Debbie Wasserman Schultz-- who bears a great deal of responsibility for the failure of two outstanding progressives, Joe Garcia and Annette Taddeo, to oust far right rubber stamps Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen-- in charge of the DCCC. As head of the DCCC's red to blue program it was her job to help Democratic challengers win GOP seats. Instead she sabotaged the seats adjoining her own in South Florida, announcing publicly that she supports Diaz-Balart, his despicable brother and Ros-Lehtinen. In any case, I was relieved today to find out that Chris Van Hollen will be heading up the DCCC again and that the DWS rumor was just something she put out there herself.

Another progressive victim of Wasserman Schultz' elitist attitude and personal corruption was Naval veteran Doug Tudor, who ran in Polk County against Adam Putnam, another race Wasserman Schultz refused to help out in. In 2002 Democrats didn't even run an opponent against the newly elected Putnam, and in 2004 he was reelected with 65%, and then two years later with 69%. Even with Wasserman Schultz working against him, Doug managed to hold Putnam under 60% and forced him to spend time, resources and energy fighting for his own seat in Florida rather than coming to the assistance of Ric Keller and Tom Feeney, each of whom was defeated. When the rumors about DWS were getting off the ground, we asked Doug to share with us his experience as a first-time Democratic candidate. His report:

Looking back on my recent defeat in FL-12’s U.S. House race, I want to offer a single warning to our progressive friends who might be considering offering themselves as candidates.

Do not count on national party support!

No matter how attractive a candidate you might be, and no matter how well you understand the strategic importance of your race, the party elders are only looking at dollars and cents. Down With Tyranny has well-documented my run-in with Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Denver. She epitomizes much of what is wrong with our party’s thought process about electing progressives. I say this fully knowing that she may very well be the DCCC chairwoman in 2010, which means I will probably once again not receive any support.

Despite Adam Putnam’s national standing in the Republican Party, and thus national disdain from progressives; despite my military service on a national level with three Commanders, U.S. Central Command, and thus my ability to make Adam’s pro-war, anti-veteran votes a pertinent campaign issue; and despite a 52-48% Democratic registration rate in FL-12, our supposed leaders like DWS only saw that I wasn’t a multi-millionaire who could make myself “viable” by dropping a quarter-million out of my own pocket. We, the Progressive Community, have to ensure that the national party listens to us.

Now be very clear on this. I do not begrudge any of the other Democratic candidates in Florida any support they received. For instance, Alan Grayson and Suzanne Kosmas both won, and I believe they will serve their constituents very well.

Here are some quick numbers, though. I took 42.5% of the vote in my race against Adam Putnam. With the exception of Joe Garcia, I took the largest percentage of votes for a Democratic challenger who didn't win a seat in Florida. There were at least four other DCCC-backed challengers who did not win their seats.

We did that with only seven months on the trail, as I was precluded from participating in partisan politics prior to my retirement from the U.S. Navy in February. We did that on my first run, with my brother as my campaign manager. And we did that with only $100,000, which we raised without party support.

I don’t say that to brag. I simply am trying to point out that the DCCC model is flawed. If the DCCC had contributed one-quarter of 1% of their $40 million war chest-- $100K-- Adam Putnam would be packing up his office right now. It doesn’t have to be that way. You can change it by ensuring that you continue to put progressive pressure on the DCCC.

I'm not certain how much the DCCC will pay attention to our pressure, but I never stop trying to apply it. Meanwhile I would like to suggest something else. Doug is probably going to run again in 2010, and we should be supporting that bid from today. Right now he has a $30,000 campaign debt, and his ActBlue page is still active and taking contributions to pay off the debut and build up a war chest to retire Howdy Doody in 2010.

This year DWS, while rudely and high-handedly rejecting Doug's plea for assistance from the DCCC, led the charge for clueless and reactionary ex-banker Christine Jennings. According to Open Secrets, Jennings spent $2,094,766 as of October 15, not counting any independent expenditures on her behalf. She scored 38% (136,233 votes). Doug's $100,000 helped him score 42% of the vote in a far more difficult race. Like Rahm Emanuel, who she seeks to emulate, DWS put the DCCC support behind the wrong candidate-- a non-progressive loser. Similarly in FL-21, DWS eventually allowed the DCCC to get behind Raul Martinez, an extremely questionable character who was bragging that he planned to vote with the Republicans if he was elected. Fortunately he wasn't-- drawing far fewer votes than Doug while spending $1,073,000 as of October 15 (not counting the more than $1,000,000 the DCCC pumped into his race). These atrocious decisions are the qualifications that DWS thinks would make her a great DCCC chair.

To The Victors... And One Loser Thinks She Should Jump Ahead Too

House Dems court disaster with DWS

As we've been predicting, the House leadership has made Howdy Doody (R-FL) the scapegoat for their loss of a couple dozen more seats. A big supporter of the bailout-- and of Wall Street special interests in general-- Rep. Doody (aka Adam Putnam) was forced out of his leadership post yesterday, the first casualty in the Republican Civil War of 2008... and not likely to be the last.

Younger, more conservative lawmakers moved yesterday to assert their influence in the House Republican caucus as the GOP began the traditional period of soul-searching that follows a major electoral defeat. Conservatives also began jockeying to fill the post of Republican National Committee chairman early next year.

...The fate of the No. 2 Republican, Minority Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.), was uncertain [UPDATE: not anymore it isn't; he's out], and one of the younger party mavericks, Virginia's Eric Cantor, was poised to replace him amid widespread discontent among party rank-and-file with the Election Day performance.

Way on the other side of the state from Howdy Doody Florida, is the lair of the female version of Rahm Emanuel, Debbie Wasserman Schultz. She did the worst job imaginable of anyone running the red to blue program. In her mind-- and that of the Democratic caucus members she so famously bribes with money laundered from right wing Cuban groups and Big Sugar-- that entitles her to take over the DCCC from Chris Van Hollen, who is trying to muscle Caucus vice chair John Larson (D-CT) out of the way so he can take over Rahm Emanuel's job as Democratic Caucus chair when Emanuel gets kicked upstairs where Obama can keep an eye on him and keep him from undermining the new president's reforms. (I know I'm stretchin' it here, folks, but the honeymoon hasn't even started yet, let alone ended.)

For the record, the cycle ended with 63 candidates in the Red to Blue program, just a few of whom were the recipients of almost all the help and most of whom got... lip-service and bupkis. Of the 63, only 22 were elected (although grassroots-backed Darcy Burner (WA), Tom Perriello (VA) and Charlie Brown (CA) are in races where votes are still being tabulated-- as are Insider-backed Ethan Berkowitz (AK) and Frank Kratovil (MD).

The worst example of Wasserman-Schultz' leadership came at the beginning of the cycle when she petulantly declared, publicly, that the south Florida Democrats running in neighboring districts-- Joe Garcia, Annette Taddeo and Raul Martinez-- would get no help from her because she prefers the 3 right-wing Cuban-American thugs, Mario-Diaz-Balart, his criminal brother Lincoln (who fancies himself entitled to the presidency of a post-Castro Cuba), and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Her announcement crippled all 3 candidacies and led to their eventual defeat. She was especially active in undermining Annette Taddeo, even after her arm was twisted to support Garcia and Martinez, each of whom wound up with a million and a half dollars in DCCC television buys while Taddeo was pointedly left off the ads.

Wasserman Schultz showed her true colors when she spat in the face-- figuratively-- of the grassroots Democrat running against... yep, Adam Putnam. She was insulting and rude to retired Naval officer Doug Tudor when he had the temerity to approach her for help, thinking for some reason that the DCCC is supposed to help Democratic candidates. No thanks to Wasserman Schultz, Tudor did far better against Putnam than any other Democrat ever.

Bruce Braley (D-IA), who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to elect all Democrats and who is viewed as a straight arrow with impeccable ethics, would be a far better choice than DWS, a self-aggrandizing show boat and someone determined to build her own personal power base.

Mario Diaz-Balart thanking Debbie Wasserman Schultz:

Will Howdy Doody Be The Scapegoat In The House?

This morning Roll Call was all atwitter about who the Republicans will blame-- or at least who would be the scapegoat-- for their expected catastrophe at the polls today. No one ever suggests looking to see how they've stratued so far from the mainstream into the bizarre extremism of radicals like Michele Bachmann, Mean Jean Schmidt, Dick Cheney and James Inhofe. Earlier today we touched on how no one expects the GOP to become more moderate in response to their repudiation by the public. And that extends to Republican congressmen left behind in the House.

As voters across the country head to the polls today, the expected Republican rout at the Congressional level appears almost certain to alter the makeup of House GOP leadership in coming days, with aides suggesting that no one’s job is safe and speculation swirling about possible challenges up and down the ladder.

However, no one has yet emerged as the consensus alternative to challenge Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) for the top job.

Chief Deputy Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) is widely viewed as likely to seek a promotion in the next Congress, but most observers see him as unlikely to challenge Boehner unless there is a groundswell of support to oust the leader after the results are in.
Several lawmakers, including Republican Study Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (Texas), are expected to consider running for the job of Conference chairman, a post currently held by Rep. Adam Putnam (Fla.).

According to a GOP aide on Monday, Hensarling already is calling Members to gauge support for a possible run for Putnam’s job.

These intra-party turf wars aren't really about ideology, just blind ambition. Putnam's a schnook with no base of support. Expect to never hear from him again even if he manages to fight off a challenge from Navy veteran Doug Tudor today.

And what a sadsack the poor--- actually he's rich-- little Howdy Doody-looking nimrod is! He's the most disposable sacrifice among the GOP leadership, the little creepy jerk no one gives a damn about.

Well, not no one. My friend David sent me a great headline a few days ago regarding Putnam:

Doody dumps Doofus for Dookie

That came after revelations that it was Putnam who paid for the Sarah Palin signs at last week's Polk City rally that mentioned only Palin and pointedly not poor old struggling McCranky. The body wasn't even cold and young Adam was already trying to ingratiate himself with the ascendent Know Nothing wing of the GOP. There was no sign of McCain's name at the rally-- just Palin's... and Putnam's. Hillsborough and Polk Counties Democrats in FL-12 have rallied enthusaistically behind Doug Tudor. Now Republicans who don't appreciate Putnam and Palin shoving McCain overboard so fast should do the same.

Why Does The DCCC Allow Adam Putnam To Waltz To Re-election Without Lifting A Finger?

Sometimes it gets very frustrating that even in the best of political environments, like this year's, the DCCC can't really muster a truly national campaign and compete in hundreds of districts instead of just a few dozen. Chris Van Hollen is a tremendous improvement over last cycle's DCCC chair, Rahm Emanuel, who worked very hard to hold down the battlefields and was personally responsible for countless losses, especially close races for progressives where he refused to get involved (Larry Kissell, Victoria Wulsin, Charlie Brown, Eric Massa come instantly to mind-- all of whom have become major priorities for Van Hollen this year.)

Democrats will never get back to the 1936 situation where they held all but 88 seats in the House (and all but 17 in the Senate) if they don't take on more Republicans who have earned, by their records, stiff challenges. Emanuel is a crabbed, nasty, corrupt little man with a small uptight vision. Van Hollen is a step in the right direction. But just a step. One race the Florida Democratic Party and the DCCC should be hammering is in a district just east of Tampa Bay, the twelfth's Hillsborough and Polk Counties, currently occupied by pompous, buffoon Adam Putnam, the #3 rubber stamp in the GOP House hierarchy. He is the walking incarnation of everything Americans have come to hate about the Republican Party. Aside from his shallow ideological outlook on politics and his predisposition to always support corporate special interests over the well-being of the middle class, Putnam has taken a great deal of money from shady corporate operators and has voted exactly how they have asked him to in return. In my book, that spells corruption. In yesterday's L.A. Times Rosa Brooks explains how McCain's ability to escape punishment for his role in the Keating Five Savings and Loan scandals led directly to the current Wall Street meltdown. Florida voters should end Adam Putnam's career now that he's shown himself to be even more corrupt than McCain.

Putnam, who early on was dubbed "that Howdy Doody looking nimrod" by his colleagues, sits on the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises. His activities on that subcommittee paint a gruesome picture of corruption. Instead of living up to the stated objectives of the committee-- to "review laws and programs related to the U.S. capital markets, the securities industry, the insurance industry generally (except for health care), and government-sponsored enterprises, such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac," he used his position as a fundraising tool with the very people he was supposed to be keeping an eye on! Putnam's subcommittee also "oversees the Securities and Exchange Commission and self-regulatory organizations, such as the New York Stock Exchange and the NASD, that police the securities markets." What did he do? He became the subcommittee's #1 advocate for the irresponsible deregulation that has brought the country to the brink of financial collapse. Putnam led the charge to wreck the federal regulatory agencies that have been carefully put in place to protect the middle class and society at large from the kinds of powerful financial predators who he has been taking bribes "donations" from. This year alone Putnam has taken a whopping $298,340 from the industry that finances insurance and real estate, $40,000 from the securities and investment industry, $35,150 from commercial banks, $30,940 from sleazy lobbyists, $24,050 from shady "miscellaneous" finance operations, $18,000 from finance and credit companies, and another $12,500 from mortgage bankers and brokers. Just this year alone he's taken in close to half a million dollars from the very industries he's supposed to be providing with oversight. That is the definition of corruption. And that alone is why the DCCC should be pounding him.

But on top of that, Putnam has an ideal Democratic challenger, a 22 year Navy vet who understands two things Putnam is clueless about, our nation's security and the struggles of middle class working families. That man is Doug Tudor, an exceptional candidate and independent-minded progressive. I don't know this for certain but I would be willing to bet that Doug hasn't been given even one dime of help from the DCCC or the Florida Democratic Party. As far as they're concerned, Adam Putnam can just skate to re-election.

Putnam, on the other hand, senses the craving in Florida for change and he realizes he could easily become a target of that sentiment. When most members of Congress were trying to deal with the financial catastrophe his subcommittee should have headed off at the pass, Putnam was partying in Nantucket with his wealthy campaign contributors from the Big Banks and Wall Street investment firms-- literally. He was vacationing or hobnobbing in one of America’s most wealthy enclaves, while every news source was reporting that House and Senate leadership was meeting with the President’s people to try to figure out how to keep the country from depression-era misery. And it wasn't just for fun and games; it never is with people in that world. While our country’s economy is sinking further and further into the crapper, Adam was hosting a $2,500 per person “Weekend with Adam” for his fat cat lobbyist buddies. Even though he leads Doug by nearly $1.6 million in fundraising, he felt it was more important to get more cash for himself and his running-scared Republican buddies in the House than take part in bailout discussions. Even though he personally is worth nearly $15 million and could well fund any and all aspects of his campaign, he absolutely couldn’t be bothered to remain in DC and work on the many, many challenges facing his constituents, the actual Florida voters who employ him.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz is the Democratic political boss of Florida, at least when it comes to Congress. When she insulted Doug at the Denver convention she was showing her contempt for military vets, for regular Americans and for anyone not from her "class" making a populist case. Doug and candidates like him will never get any help from elitist insiders like Wasserman Schultz unless it is forced by the grassroots. This year we forced her to give up on her support for reactionary Republicans Mario and Lincoln Diaz-Balart and for her close friend Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and she ha snow given her OK for Democrats to help Joe Garcia and Annette Taddeo. Please join me in donating to Doug Tudor today-- even $5 or $10 helps-- so that we send a message to Wasserman Schultz and the DCCC that we expect the Democratic Party to fight bad characters like Adam Putnam. DWT has set up a special page for the best candidates being ignored by the DCCC. Please click on that link and give what you can to Doug Tudor.


UPDATE: WANT TO TAKE SOME ACTION?

Well, the DCCC is sitting on a 40 million dollar advantage over the NRCC. If they were willing to invest just a quarter of 1% of that money in FL-12, Doug would win this race-- absolutely, positively. Next year they'll come crying to use about how they screwed up the way they just did about Larry Kissell, who came within 320 votes of beating reactionary goon Robin Hayes in 2006 but missed out because the DCCC refused to help. If you want to do something, aside from donating to Doug's campaign, please contact Brett Wask at the DCCC and tell him (politely) you'd like to see some action: wask@dccc.org or (202)607-1595. Let's restore representative democracy to central Florida!

Doug Tudor, 22 Year Navy Vet: Bush Regime Has Sunk The Ship Of State, Why Would We Let Them Take Command Of The Lifeboats?

... and the rest of us lost

Florida is turning out a new breed clear-eyed populists. Last night Orlando Democrat Alan Grayson looked at what the failed and crooked corporate "leaders" and their allies in the Bush Regime were demanding and his response was a well-reasoned "String 'em up!." This morning I heard from Polk County congressional candidate Doug Tudor who is running against one of the primary forces behind the avalanche of bought-and-paid-for anti-regulatory mania, Adam Putnam. I'll let Doug speak for himself, since he's apparently put a lot more thought into this than Putnam, who is galavanting around Nantucket with other multimillionaires and masters of the Universe this weekend, or most members of Congress:

Here’s what I think I understand about the proposed legislation being considered by the House and the Senate. It will give the Secretary of the Treasury authority to purchase mortgage-related assets up to $700 Billion.   Additionally, the debt ceiling will be raised to $11.3 trillion. The Secretary’s only requirement is that he makes a report to Congress every six months.
 
In military terms, we should ask Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (WTF)?
 
WTF, since George W. Bush and his Republican accomplices, including 98.7% Putnam, have sunk the ship of state, why would we let them take command of the lifeboats?
 
WTF, since we have yet to see George Bush and his Republican accomplices make a single correct and rational executive decision in eight years, why is the Democratic leadership of the House and the Senate caving in and chiming in on a bipartisan solution?
 
WTF, where is the single Democratic leader who is ready to raise the BS flag? Where is the single person of power who is ready to apologize?
 
I guess an aspiring congressman is supposed to have a more politically correct vocabulary, but this is absolute bullshit!
 
It is bullshit that once again the taxpayer is going to get stiffed, while multimillionaire CEO’s strap on their golden parachutes.
 
It is bullshit that guys like Adam Putnam can stand in front of news cameras, spout a bunch of lies, and have the news anchor “thank you for joining us, Congressman.”
 
It is bullshit that we have troops in the field, and our elected representatives are tripping over themselves to figure out how to keep bankers from losing their banks.
 
If I had any hair left, I would be pulling it out. Instead, I am going to wake up tomorrow and start over yet again. I am going to knock on doors, make phone calls, and talk to anyone who will listen. I am going to do my best to explain the failures of our federal government and make the case that we the people deserve better. I am going to tell folks about my experience, my education, and my values. I am going to … take back my country.

And although Adam Putnam is all for the taxpayers picking up the tab on the bad management-- even paying for the executives' golden parachutes-- wiser heads in Congress agree with Doug's assessment. Yesterday Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) told his constituents "Major action to help rescue our economy is certainly necessary, but what disappoints me about this proposal is that it's all Wall Street and no Main Street. We can't ignore the millions of Americans who may lose their homes, and there must be accountability to protect the taxpayers. It is both unfair and unwise to throw a lifeline to banks that were irresponsible without so much as offering a hand to homeowners and some real limits on risks for the taxpayers." We should help Doug, not just because he deserves it-- but for our own good!


UPDATE: AND IT LOOKS LIKE STOLLER HAS BEEN TALKING TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHO THINK LIKE DOUG

Matt has apost over at Open Left that includes this from one of the best-- if not the best-- member of Congress (who has asked him to keep her name out of it for now):

Paulsen and congressional Republicans, or the few that will actually vote for this (most will be unwilling to take responsibility for the consequences of their policies), have said that there can't be any "add ons," or addition provisions. Fuck that. I don't really want to trigger a world wide depression (that's not hyperbole, that's a distinct possibility), but I'm not voting for a blank check for $700 billion for those mother fuckers.

Nancy said she wanted to include the second "stimulus" package that the Bush Administration and congressional Republicans have blocked. I don't want to trade a $700 billion dollar giveaway to the most unsympathetic human beings on the planet for a few fucking bridges. I want reforms of the industry, and I want it to be as punitive as possible.

Henry Waxman has suggested corporate government reforms, including CEO compensation, as the price for this. Some members have publicly suggested allowing modification of mortgages in bankruptcy, and the House Judiciary Committee staff is also very interested in that. That's a real possibility.

We may strip out all the gives to industry in the predatory mortgage lending bill that the House passed last November, which hasn't budged in the Senate, and include that in the bill. There are other ideas on the table but they are going to be tough to work out before next week.
 
I also find myself drawn to provisions that would serve no useful purpose except to insult the industry, like requiring the CEOs, CFOs and the chair of the board of any entity that sells mortgage related securities to the Treasury Department to certify that they have completed an approved course in credit counseling. That is now required of consumers filing bankruptcy to make sure they feel properly humiliated for being head over heels in debt, although most lost control of their finances because of a serious illness in the family. That would just be petty and childish, and completely in character for me.

I'm open to other ideas, and I am looking for volunteers who want to hold the sons of bitches so I can beat the crap out of them.

This is the appropriate response from any member of Congress who should rightfully expect support from American voters.

If Your Opponent Is As Lame As Adam Putnam It's Not So Bad He Gets Lots Of TV Exposure

There are pros and cons to taking on a powerful leader of the opposition party. The bad news, of course is that the full weight of the power of incumbency can seem immovable. In Doug Tudor's race, he's fighting against the #3 villain in the House Republican hierarchy, Adam "Howdy Doody Nimrod" Putnam. The special interests that Putnam has served so slavishness since being elected-- insurance companies, Wall Street firms, commercial banks, Big Oil, lobbyists, Big Pharmaceutical companies-- have made sure his campaign warchest was obscenely filled. As of August 6 Putnam had already vacuumed up $1,430,300. Doug, who has no one to depend on but grassroots Americans wanting a fair break from their representatives in Washington. His $64,985 must be making him feel a lot like David going up against Goliath.

And then there's the free media. Putnam gets a load of it, not because he has anything original or interesting or innovative or eloquent to say, but because of his position as a Republican Party leader. But that's a two-edged sword. He gets on TV an awful lot-- but he mostly sounds like a twit. Because he is a twit and his ideas are pure GOP dogma, dogma that has failed the American people in Iraq, on Wall Street and back at home on Main Street. Today Bloomberg TV couldn't find anyone to make more sense of the Republican role in wrecking the federal regulatory system so they would up with Putnam. "Congressman," he was asked about the Wall Street meltdown his own policies had helped cause, "how do you protect the taxpayer from all this?" Howdy Doody Time:

Well, ultimately, you know, there’s there’s no question that the taxpayers now, uh uh, have taken on some exposure due to the actions that have been taken over the past several weeks and that’s why we were, quite frankly, frustrated with the lack of Congressional involvement because taxpayers were being exposed, uh, and that’s why I’m glad to see the Chairman and the Treasury Secretary did come to the Hill last night. I’m glad that they’re now reaching out. They recognize there is a very appropriate role for the elected representatives who do speak for these taxpayers who were exposed.

I figured we'd get Doug Tudor to translate this into normal English. Doug was astounded that Putnam was already looking at the crisis as something that taxpayers had "taken on" as "some exposure." Doug:

I don’t remember taking on any exposure. I do remember my supposed representative not representing me and now being stuck with a collective tax increase of nearly a trillion dollars. He’s “frustrated with the lack of Congressional involvement.” He’s frustrated, and WE’RE MAD AS HELL! As for his final sentence, he may be glad that someone is recognizing his supposed voice on our behalf, but he should have been demanding their compliance with federal regulations instead of echoing failed Republican fiscal talking points!

Adam sits on the two committees mainly responsible for overseeing the financial markets-- Agricultural and Financial Services. The Agricultural Committee is involved because the many subprime mortgages were bundled together and sold as commodities. The role of the Financial Services Committee is self-evident. Additionally, he is the Chairman of the House Republican Caucus. In the final role, he is charged with shaping and articulating his party’s message. He has failed in all three roles. Absolutely, Positively Failed!

While our financial system was quickly dissolving leaving millions upon millions of working families in dire financial straits-- checked your 401K lately?-- he and his colleagues decided to spend the month of August addressing an empty chamber of the House, crying “Drill, Baby, Drill!” While our retirement savings were being squandered by his fellow multimillionaires, Adam himself was slated to give a speech at the RNC explaining the Republican message of privatization of Social Security. I am sure he is now elated that Hurricane Ike canceled his speech explaining how investing in Wall Street would strengthen your Social Security pension. While millions upon millions of families lost their homes, Adam described Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s CEO Golden Parachutes of $15 Million and $9 Million “symbolic issues.”

At the start of the interview, Adam stated: “Greed cannot be allowed to move forward unchecked.” Unbelievably, he actually said that with a straight face. That’s after he’s taken $275,000.00 from Finance, Real Estate, Insurance, and Agribusiness lobbyists. THAT’S TWO HUNDRED SEVENTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM THE BUSINESSES THAT HE IS SUPPOSED TO REGULATE ON OUR BEHALF!

Doug gets it. He deserves our support. You can give him some here. And here's someone else who gets it:



Sunday Doug will be helping inaugurate Obama's third campaign office in Polk County, this one in Bartow (at 625 S. Holland Parkway/HWY 17) from 2 'til 5pm. If you're in the neighborhood, by all means stop by and say hello.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz To Florida Democratic Candidate/Military Veteran: "Don't Pull That Populist Stuff With Me."

Ask yourself why Debbie Wasserman Schultz is a Democrat-- not a politician, a Democrat. I know why she's a politician: a nice cushy career and a sick lust for power and importance. But why is someone like her a Democrat instead of a Republican? "Oh, Howie, stop being so mean," you might be thinking now. Let me share a note I got from Democratic candidate Doug Tudor with you. I begged him to let me publish it and he said ok. I've written about him before, back when he said that members of Congress who voted for Bush's warrantless wiretap FISA legislation had violated their oaths of office. He's a twenty-year Navy vet who's selflessly challenging rubber stamp Republican Adam "Howdy Doody Nimrod" Putnam in a district that mostly corresponds with Polk County east of Tampa, Florida. Unlike DWS' district (PVI is D+18), FL-12 is a tough, tough district for Democrats. In fact it was designed to give a Republican a safe seat (PVI is R+5). But Doug is putting up a strong and valiant fight-- which is why he is the only candidate on the DWT ActBlue page.

One of the most satisfying aspects of my time in Denver was being able to see Democrats uniting together to help other Democrats. I received financial support from Congressman John Salazar (D-CO), Congressman Phil Hare (D-IL), future Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO), as well as from convention attendees from Washington, Montana, North Carolina, and Florida. What I have not been able to do is to get Democrats from Florida’s congressional caucus to risk offending their good friend, Adam Putnam, by contributing from their personal wealth or campaign accounts, or by endorsing me.
 
I, of course, was most anxious to meet and speak with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (DINO-FL), who is chairing the DCCC’s Red-to-Blue program. I just knew that she would welcome the chance to defeat Adam Putnam, as that would allow her lay sole claim to the title of “Wonder Kid” in Florida’s politics. Adam, after all, isn’t her next door neighbor. Once she comes onboard, I assumed, the other members of the caucus would lose their timidity and also support me. I was dead wrong, and I should have known better.  
 
It is well known that Wasserman-Schultz supports Republicans Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen over their Democratic opponents, although lately she has been pressured into giving belated and grudging support to Joe Garcia and Raul Martinez who are opposing the Diaz-Balarts. I always figured that she was just afraid of the Hispanic backlash in her own district. What I hadn’t considered is that she is just afraid of all incumbent Republicans in Florida. When I met her in Denver, she immediately told me that she couldn’t support me, saying I hadn’t raised enough money. I told her that I had raised $100K, that I was a military retiree, that my family is living on my wife’s Air Force E6 pay, and that I wasn’t able like other “viable” candidates to drop a quarter of a million dollars into my own campaign. I then told her, “Congresswoman, I am one of those working-class guys that our party claims to represent.” Her response was “Don’t pull that populist stuff with me.” I thanked her for her time.
 
As a person who made his career in the profession of arms, I know that when you’re in a fight, you have to fight on all fronts. Adam Putnam is easily becoming the most-hated Republican in America. He can be beat. Even Adam knows it’s a bad year for Republicans. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz needs to lead, follow, or get the Hell out of the way.

  
Anyone who has been following our little series on how Wasserman Schultz has been sabotaging Annette Taddeo's campaign to win the Miami-Dade seat currently occupied by DWS crony Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (here, here, here, here, and here, for starters) knows we came to the conclusion long ago that she should get the Hell out of the way.

It was very brave of Doug to say what many progressive incumbents were thinking after the FISA vote-- that caucus leaders Rahm Emanuel and Steny Hoyer had let them down by crossing the aisle and voting with Bush-- but only Doug was brave enough to say it on the record. DSW is well known as a mad-dog, vindictive power-monger. By confronting her directly he has raised her ire. Any chance he ever had to get into the DCCC's very suspect Red to Blue program that she controls like a personal fiefdom has been shattered. Please consider joining me in giving Doug some support in his lonely and courageous grassroots battle against Adam Putnam, the #3 villain (and someone who's "gone Washington" but is still a self-proclaimed supporter of mooseburgers) in the GOP House hierarchy (their Rahm Emanuel).

Adam Putnam Expecting Doom And Gloom In The GOP Ranks-- I Wonder Why

Time to say good-bye

Yesterday when we were laughing about how happy Bush, Cheney, McCain, Boehner and the rest of the GOP assclowns were to cut back on their wake-like convention in St Paul, we mentioned in passing that Howdy Doody (R-FL) is still scheduled to address the assorted gathering of lobbyists and fanatics tomorrow evening. Doug Tudor, the progressive ex-naval officer who Democrats have nominated to take back the central Florida seat Doody now sits in, mentioned recently that Doody never uses the words "re-elect" or "Republican" on any of his campaign literature. Republican Party consultants have warned incumbents that antipathy for Republicans and Republican policies is running so high that they should try passing themselves off as anything but a Republican incumbent.

Last week Rep. Doody told a local paper that November is going to be very tough on Republicans. "It's a tough year for all incumbents," he whined, "but it's certainly shaping up to be another tough cycle for Republicans... I think that basically every prognosticator believes that we lose a handful of seats in the Senate and probably will continue to lose seats, almost certainly will continue to lose seats, in the House as well... The voters haven't extracted their pound of flesh yet, and so the anger didn't really diminish after 2006, and in fact, it's kind of increased. Approval ratings are 20 points lower today then they were on Election Day in 2006 when Republicans got fired. So, I don't think anybody has a great handle on how that shapes up."

We've been marveling at Bush rubber stamps like Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Chris Shays (R-CT) actually running TV ads with pictures of Obama! In fact, if you haven't seen Smith's, you should take a look. It's a riot, although something tells me that John McCain won't appreciate it, especially when he described Smith as a member of his "kitchen cabinet"-- after Smith loudly resigned as chairman of the McCain Oregon election team and also declared he wouldn't be coming to McCain's nomination party. When asked how many Senate candidates had decided to skip their party's convention, an RNC spokeswoman said it would be easier to recite the small number who are showing up! And it isn't only Republicans afraid of losing their Senate seats who are trying to distance themselves from McCain and the Republican Party. More than half of Michigan's Republican congressional delegation decided they were otherwise engaged.

But, as a member of the House leadership, Congressman Doody couldn't worm out of it and is in the uncomfortable position of having to make a speech. Doug thinks he may be praying for something to happen that cancels Tuesday too!

The bad joke goes, on September 11, 2001, there were only two Americans that took heart from the terrorist attacks-- Gary Condit and Lee Greenwood. Condit was glad the Chandra Levy headlines would be forgotten, and Mr. Greenwood knew he would have another war from which to profit. Adam Putnam is slated to deliver an address at the Republican National Convention on the night when the Republicans will talk about “reform.” On “Reform Night,” Mr. Putnam will talk about Social Security. He will undoubtedly betray his constituents by parroting the party line of privatization, which the American public rejects at the rate of over 80%. I have no doubt that Mr. Putnam sincerely hopes his “opportunity to address America” will be scuttled by the impending devastation wrought by Hurricane Gustav. Certainly John McCain is glad that Bush and Cheney cancelled.

A few weeks ago Doug was interviewed in the St. Petersburg Times and they made a point of saying how without some financial support, he wouldn't be able to put up a viable challenge to one of the most rubbery of all the Florida Bush rubber stamps. He's the first candidate on a new DWT ActBlue page... if anyone would like to lend a hand. In fact, anyone who donates at least $25 this week will get a brand new double CD by Matt Keating, Quixotic.