Illegal Ballot Destruction In The Midst Of A Law Suit Means Wasserman Schultz Stole The FL-23 Primary Election Afterall

Donna Edwards became a member of Congress-- one of the best members of Congress-- in 2008. But, truth be told, her constituents elected her in 2006... only to see the victory snatched out of her hands on election night with last minute stuffed ballot boxes from corrupt conservative Al Wynn and his Machine. Donna got to work on the 2008 campaign the next day and after Donna eviscerated him in the primary-- 59% to 37%-- he resigned to become a corporate lobbyist.

Last year Tim Canova ran a similar grassroots progressive race against the female counterpart to Wynn-- Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the same crook who, as DNC chair, was fired for fixing the primaries for Hillary Clinton. She fixed the election for Hillary; did she fix her own election against Canova? He always thought so but the media and DC establishment went bonkers when he mentioned it and nearly drove this good man out of politics with all their vitriol and venom. Polling was showing him ahead but on primary day Wasserman Schultz beat him 28,809 to 21,907 in a very low turnout election.

Friday, Marc Caputo broke the a story at Politico about how Brenda Snipes a crooked Wasserman Schultz crony and ally and the Broward County elections chief broke the law by destroying ballots cast in the tight primary election between Wasserman Schultz and Tim Canova after Canova sued to get access to the ballots. Canova, according to Caputo "wanted to inspect the optical-scan ballots cast in his Aug. 30 primary race against Wasserman Schultz because he had concerns about the integrity of the elections office."

Under longstanding federal law, ballots cast in a congressional race aren’t supposed to be destroyed until 22 months after the election. And under state law, a public record sought in a court case is not supposed to be destroyed without a judge’s order.

Snipes’ office, however, destroyed the paper ballots in question in October-- in the middle of Canova’s lawsuit-- but says it’s lawful because the office made high-quality electronic copies. Canova’s legal team found out after the fact last month.

“The documents were not destroyed because they were maintained in an electronic format,” Snipes’ attorney, Burnadette Norris-Weeks, told Politico. “They have the documents... They did a two-day inspection of the ballots.”

But Canova, a Nova Southeastern University law professor, and his attorney say they wanted originals to make sure they weren’t tampered with. Digital copies can be altered, they said.

Seven election-law lawyers interviewed by Politico do not share Snipes' attorney's interpretation of the statute. Nor does the Department of Justice’s voting division, which is in charge of enforcing the federal law.

“If it’s a federal election, i.e., there is at least one federal candidate on the ballot, the custodian must keep the ballots for 22 months,” Brett Kappel, a Washington lawyer with Akerman LLP, said in an email to Politico. “State law may require a shorter time for retention, but federal law would pre-empt any such state law with regard to ballots cast for federal candidates.”

Kappel said evidence in an active court case should never be unilaterally destroyed. He said actual paper ballots are superior to imaged copies, and he pointed to the legal wrangling over Florida’s now-discarded punch-card ballots that were banned after the disputed 2000 presidential elections in Florida.

...Hans von Spakovsky, an elections expert with the conservative Heritage Foundation, said the ballots must be preserved in paper form for 22 months. He said there’s a simple reason that original ballots are superior to an electronic image: “These electronic systems can be hacked.”

According to Snipes’ office, however, the ballot copies are of high quality for a review. Her attorney also dismissed Canova as a sore loser who’s trying to create a name for himself as he challenges Wasserman Schultz a second time.

“Mr. Canova lost this election,” she said. “He’s been all over Washington and has been trying to do a documentary because he’s upset he lost the election.”

In one hearing, Norris-Weeks insisted that she “certainly could get [a sworn statement] from Debbie Wasserman Schultz” to say that “she knows that they're preparing a documentary, and they're running all around talking to different people trying to do that.”

But Canova said the accusation was false.

“I’m not working on a documentary,” he said. “It is unfortunate that counsel for the Supervisor of Elections has to make things up to somehow justify the office’s illegal actions.”

Wasserman Schultz’s office declined to comment, but she has said she looks forward to again facing Canova, whom she beat by 13.6 percentage points last year.

Canova didn’t want to comment about his specific motivations for the suit, but acknowledged he has concerns about the race against Wasserman Schultz. Canova’s interest in the ballots was piqued by Lulu Friesdat, a documentary filmmaker and activist with a group called the Election Integrity network, which filed the first records request to inspect or copy the ballots in March.

A month later, Snipes’ office responded to the records request by saying it would cost $71,868.87 to sort and produce the ballots for inspection. Canova soon got involved with his attorney, Leonard Collins, and eventually they negotiated a price reduction that brought the cost down to about $3,000. But relations soured, and Canova sued in June.

Snipes’ office, meanwhile, is involved in two other lawsuits and has been plagued by errors and controversies over public records and paperwork.

One of the reasons Donald Trump is in the White House is because the Democratic Party was saddled with a corrupt party head, Wasserman Schultz, whose entire career, going back to her days in the Florida state legislature, have been marked with blatant and persistent corruption. She has long been the poster child of everything plaguing the Democratic Party. She has smeared and slimed Canova non-stop from the moment he dared to challenge here reelection. And now its getting closer and closer to the day when she will be, not just fired as the worst DNC chair in history but fired from Congress itself. Please consider helping Canova's campaign by clicking on the Blue America thermometer on the right. Meanwhile, this was the statement he issued after Caputo's explosive report yesterday:

In ordering the destruction of ballots, the Supervisor not only violated federal law requiring ballots be maintained for 22 months. Snipes also certified that the ballots were not subject to a pending lawsuit, which she knew was a complete falsehood given that Snipes had been personally served as the defendant in our lawsuit nearly three months earlier and even though we had already made public records requests and pre-trial discovery demands to inspect the ballots.

The ballot destruction raises serious questions:  Why engage in this blatant lawbreaking? To cover up something worse? What has the Supervisor of Elections been hiding? We demand state and federal investigations into the ballot destruction and prosecution of illegal wrongdoing.

Destruction of ballots prevents any reliable audit of the election results. We are left dependent on scanned ballot images created and sorted by scanning software that requires inspection by software experts. But the scanning software is considered proprietary software, owned and controlled by the private vendors, and often protected from independent inspection and analysis.

This destruction of ballots undermines people's faith and confidence in the integrity of our elections and this election in particular. To restore confidence, Congress must investigate and hold public hearings on the circumstances of my primary, including inspection and analysis of the scanned ballot images and the scanning software. Congress should also investigate the relationships between the vendors that control the electronic voting machines and software, their officers and directors, the Broward Supervisor of Elections office, Democratic party officials, and candidates for public office.

The Democratic Party will never be a real alternative to the Republican Party nor a welcoming home for good government reformers, with people like Wasserman Schultz exercising leadership roles in it. This person isn't even the lesser of two evils, which is all the Democrats can claim half the time anyway. She is what makes contemporary politics disgusting and she is the embodiment of what keeps decent people from wanting to get involved with politics.

DONNA! DONNA! DONNA! I MEAN CONGRESSWOMAN DONNA!

In 2006 the sweetest primary victories were when grassroots activists like Jerry McNerney, Carol Shea-Porter, and John Hall swamped the hand-picked Insider shills that were being supported by Rahm Emanuel and local puppets like Ellen Tauscher and a bevy of other clueless elected officials who just do what they're told by The Machine. These progressives had one thing going for them: the people. And the people didn't care about what the Insiders had decided what was right for them.

This year the case in MD-04 was even clearer, where Nancy Pelosi, Rahm Emanuel, Steny Hoyer and other Insider Democrats-- the ones who have kept impeachment off the table and kept the troops in Iraq-- helped push forward a worthless, corrupt reactionary backbencher. Their corporately-funded puppet got his ass kicked today by the people. The grassroots spoke-- very loud and very clear. Donna Edwards and smart, committed, independent-minded men and women like her are the future of the Democratic Party.

The new voters who were so motivated by Obama also voted overwhelmingly for Donna. Basically with voter participation skyrocketing in Maryland, Wynn's numbers are pretty much the same as what he got in 2006. Most of those extra voters went for Donna and her message of real change.

Donna will be more than just another Democratic congressmember. She's smart, seasoned, understands progressive values and is dedicated to principles. She worked hard in 2006 and never stopped believing in what she was trying to accomplish. And we never stopped believing in her either. The Blue America efforts of DWT, Firedoglake, Crooks & Liars, and Digby brought in over $61,000, more than for any of our candidates this year so far. Grassroots donors contributed almost $400,000 for Donna through ActBlue, enough to overcome gigantic efforts by scores of corporate special interests and the concerted efforts of the Democratic Party Establishment. Steny Hoyer, Nancy Pelosi and Rahm Emanuel must be kicking over the furniture tonight.

UPDATE

POTOMAC PRIMARY TODAY-- IF YOU'RE IN MARYLAND YOU CAN VOTE FOR OBAMA AND EDWARDS AT THE SAME TIME

There are already predictions that record numbers of Democrats will turn out to vote in today's Potomac Primary-- contests in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. There's huge excitement in the air with people enthusiastic about both presidential candidates and a few Republicans are expected to make it to the polls here and there as well, though there is no enthusiasm for their presumptive nominee who is basically running on "100 more years of war in Iraq" and "I'm sorry for not being enough of an extremist in the past; I'll make up for it from now on."

Officials in parts of Virginia have received a record number of absentee ballots, a key barometer of turnout. In Fairfax County, the state's largest jurisdiction, requests for Democratic absentee ballots have more than tripled over 2004. "Saturday was one of our busiest absentee voting days for any election, not just for any primary," said Jackie Harris, the Fairfax general registrar.

In Maryland, Democratic leaders predicted that turnout in the party could reach 1 million voters, shattering the record. Four years ago, about 470,000 Democrats voted in the primary. The record is about 596,000 in 1976, when Jerry Brown defeated Jimmy Carter in the state.

"Voter turnout among all voters is going to skyrocket," said David Paulson, spokesman for the Maryland Democratic Party.

With the race between Hillary and Obama still tight-- mostly because of party insiders (superdelegates) trying to game the system for the Clinton Machine-- grassroots Democrats tomorrow feel they can push Obama over the finish-line. "Enough of the Clintons and Bushes already," said one Maryland voter. "Let's give someone else a chance."

Dan Balz posits 8 questions about what today's primaries could mean on a broader scope, starting with whether it makes Obama the front-runner if he sweeps to victory in them like expected.

And there is also a key congressional race in MD-04 pitting grassroots fave Donna Edwards against a third rate corporate hack backed by the Democratic Party Establishment, Al Wynn. As Matt Stoller pointed out this weekend, there has been a gigantic influx of corporate cash flooding into Wynn's coffers at the last minute. And what do you think that money is for? And why do you think companies like Foundation Coal, Verizon, Reliant Energy, Allegheny Energy, American Electric Power, American Healthcare Association, BankAmerica, Cisco Systems, Coventry Health Care, Dell Inc, Dominion PAC, Eastman Kodak, General Electric, Genesis Healthcare Corporation, Healthcare Distribution Management Assocation, National Association of Broadcasters, Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, US Chamber of Commerce, Comcast Corp., GlaxoSmithKline, Safeway, and Northrop Grumman are dumping money into Wynn's lap? He's proven a loyal servant in the past and they know he will always serve their interests and always screw over his own constituents on their behalf without a second thought. Watch Donna speaking about the synergy between her campaign and Obama's. Like Obama, Donna doesn't accept corporate PAC money. Wynn's entire career is based on it-- and yet he's handing out these "official ballot" flyers trying to associate his corrupt and hack politics with Obama's crusade.

MARYLAND HAS A VERY IMPORTANT PRIMARY CONTEST THIS TUESDAY-- AND IT'S NOT ABOUT HILLARY AND OBAMA

Donna Edwards: Let's hope she runs for president one day

To say that Donna Edwards is one of Blue America's "favorite" candidates this year, is quickly borne out by a glance at our donation page. The over $60,000 we have contributed to her campaign this year is considerably higher what we have given to any of our other great candidates. In many ways Donna has been the ideal candidate, a grassroots progressive reformer imbued with the values and principles needed not just to be a stellar representative, but also to help build a national progressive movement.

I was, of course, overjoyed that today's Washington Post endorsed her bid to oust corrupt corporate pawn Al Wynn in Tuesday's Maryland primary. The endorsement points out that Donna "has been an effective, energetic advocate for a range of liberal causes -- the environment, higher minimum wages, stemming domestic violence, campaign finance reform. As a community organizer, she has been an unstinting voice for improving mass-transit options, although sometimes at the expense of building roads that the 4th District badly needs. Even in cases where she clashed with local developers, however, she won their respect as a sensible and no-nonsense adversary. Poised, persistent and principled, she would make a fine representative for the 4th District." The reasons they give though for dumping the incumbent brings me to something very important in their editorial-- and it isn't just about Wynn.

Mr. Wynn has long touted what he regards as a pragmatic ability to work across partisan lines. We're all for bipartisanship, but in Mr. Wynn's case, too often his stances have been unthinking and out of step with his district's interests. His vote to scrap the estate tax suggested he was indifferent to his own middle-class constituents. By flip-flopping on fuel-efficiency standards and opposing campaign finance reforms, he showed his contempt for clean air and clean government. And he seems scarcely aware of the import of his votes to permit federal courts to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case and to support a constitutional amendment banning flag-burning: granting federal courts a license to meddle in private affairs and cramping free speech... we think the district can do better and would with Ms. Edwards.

Fine, but I want to skip down to the very last sentence in the editorial, one dealing with someone else running for re-nomination and re-election Tuesday:

In the 5th District, Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, who is approaching 30 years in Congress and is now, as the House majority leader, a major political asset for Maryland, faces only token opposition.

This is a problem. Steny Hoyer, far more than Speaker Pelosi, has kept impeachment off the table and accountability just a dream for patriotic Americans. Steny Hoyer, even more than Emanuel, has been responsible for the pathetic lack of resolve among Democrats for dealing effectively with Iraq. Unlike Pelosi, Hoyer openly and aggressively backed Bush's attack on Iraq; now he does it behind the curtain. Hoyer-- and the rest of the Democratic Establishment-- have backed Wynn in this race; Hoyer more than anyone. It is shameful that he-- like Emanuel-- has no progressive primary challenger. Defeating Al Wynn Tuesday is, even apart from electing someone as stellar and awe-inspiring as Donna Edwards, is the closest anyone can come to telling Hoyer in no uncertain terms that we want Congress to end the war in Iraq, something the Post still does not want.

The latest polling from MD-04 predicts a victory for Donna.

A new survey of 400 likely Democratic primary voters in the district shows Donna Edwards leading incumbent Albert Wynn by eight points as we head into the final days of the primary campaign.  Donna Edwards' message of fighting for change and the public interest is winning supporters across the district while less than half (44%) of the voters think that Wynn is doing a good job.

Among the organizations which have defied an adamant and vindictive Insider Establishment of the Democratic Party to endorse Donna are:

SEIU
UFCW Local 400
UNITE HERE
Sierra Club
Progressive Neighbors
Clean Water Action
League of Conservation Voters
Friends of the Earth Action PAC
Progressive Maryland
Progressive Cheverly
Progressive Democrats of America
Democracy for America
Democracy for Montgomery County
Montgomery County Student Government Political Action Committee
EMILY's List
National Organization for Women
MoveOn.org
Feminist Majority Foundation
Women's Campaign Forum
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now! (ACORN) PAC
People for the American Way
and, of course, Blue America.

(Wynn depends on corporate bribes for his campaign but, of course, he has some nice-sounding endorsements too-- the usual hacks and shills of the Insider Establishment, organizations that were founded by idealists and have degenerated into grubby political puppets unworthy of their founders' visions or their members' trust: like NARL and AFSCME, who are always there when Rahm Emanuel or Steny Hoyer snap their fingers, regardless of the impact on their members.)

Donna sums up why she's the better candidate in less than 2 minutes on this clip:




UPDATE: HOW TO HELP DONNA

Matt Stoller is on the ground in MD-04 this week and he says this will all come down to the GOTV effort. He says at this time Donna's campaign needs one thing: volunteers. If you're in the area, they can use warm bodies.

NOW-- ON PBS: DONNA EDWARDS vs THE MACHINE

Last night PBS' NOW ran a show, "Democrats Divided 2008," featuring the contest between Donna Edwards and Al Wynn. It starts off with a bias that drives me insane. "Can moderates from the Party's Establishment turn back a challenge from the progressive wing?" asks the putatively authoritative announcer, David Brancaccio. What makes the behavior of Al Wynn "moderate?" He voted with Bush and Cheney on Iraq and he is a consistent supporter of the radical right corporatist agenda-- owned, lock, stock and barrel by sleazy lobbyists. Is that the new definition of "moderate?" He then goes on to claim that "the middle of the road policies shaping by Bill Clinton and embraced by many party leaders are now under attack." Who wrote this for him? Rahm Emanuel. What makes the Clinton-Bush trade policies that have ravaged the American middle class "middle of the road?"

Brancaccio and his Emanuel-scripted blathering soon gives way to Maria Hinojosa talking about "Democracy in action" and focusing on Donna Edwards' campaign in Maryland's 4th congressional district-- for 2 seconds. And then she's yammering on how "by anybody's definition Al Wynn is a liberal Democrat, well-matched to his district." I nearly turned it off at that point. I'm glad I didn't because it soon gave way to footage of Donna explaining the real differences-- differences apparently too subtle for Hinojosa or Brancaccio-- between Wynn and herself. And then... Matt Stoller gets his say. Matt's is one of the most articulate and brilliant voices in the blogosphere. He's able to explain the race-- crashing through the subtleties in a way even a Brancaccio or Hinojosa can understand. And Matt, doesn't use the Establishment propaganda language-- accurately replacing "moderate" when talking about reactionary Democrats with "conservative."

The funniest moment in the show is when Wynn, acknowledges the public record that shows him taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from big business interests. "I think there's too much money in politics," he agrees. "But I don't write the rules." [He doesn't? Isn't that exactly why there's too much money in politics-- because corrupt, self-serving incumbents like Wynn and Emanuel do write the rules and because they write they to serve their own narrow interests?] "What I do say to voters is 'Look, you can look at my record both on the contribution side and on the vote side and I can show you instances where I have voted against the interests of people who have given me contributions." [It's true-- he regularly screws the members of Establishment puppet labor unions like AFSCME by voting against their interests while the corrupt party boss, Gerald McEntee, dances to whatever jig Rahm Emanuel and Nancy Pelosi are playing for him.

The show uses Donna's campaign against the corrupt and reactionary Insider Wynn to show the battle for the soul of the Democratic Party between the grassroots and the Inside-the-Beltway Establishment. You can watch the video at the PBS page, here. If you watch it, though, beware that Matt Bai is also on it, spouting his regular, ignorant nonsense.

After you watch it, please consider going over to Blue America's Act Blue page and contributing to Donna Edwards, John Laesch, and Mark Pera, all of whom face Insider hacks in primaries next month.

FEBRUARY IS ALMOST HERE-- AND IT CAN BE THE FIRST BIG BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR FOR PROGRESSIVES

Earlier today we mentioned how Noam Chomsky had endorsed John Laesch for Congress. I cross-posted that at FDL and we had a lively discussion in their comments section. We had a few hundred dollars worth of small donations for John's campaign, especially when I finally explained why I think John's race is the most important upcoming primary.

Meanwhile, John Laesch would immediately seek to make the Progressive Caucus in Congress into a powerhouse with some real clout. If he’s elected, he’ll change the dynamics in Congress like NO OTHER FRESHMAN EVER HAS

That said, there are other crucial races in February-- and I'm not talking about the presidential primaries, where any of the Democrats are so superior to all of the pathetic pygmies that the disappoints many of us feel about Hillary and Obama are nearly irrelevant in comparison. Instead I'm talking about congressional primaries, where we really can make a difference. Aside from John Laesch, we have to keep Donna Edwards in mind and also Mark Pera.

Last night Pera made mincemeat out of his hapless reactionary opponent, Dan Lipinski, at a League of Women Voters debate. Lipinksi showed up 20 minutes late and was ill-prepared and made a fool out of himself, unable to answer questions of fact and unaware that with the Internet people would be cognizant of his actual votes and be able to point out the specifics of his lies and his attempts to make believe he votes with Democrats instead of with Bush. He didn't get away with anything and couldn't wait to run away and hide afterwards.

Today Markos at Daily Kos and Jane at FDL launched a campaign to encourage 5,000 new donors to give whatever they feel comfortable giving to Marks' campaign. You can do that right here. Jane thinks that between FDL, Digby, Crooks & Liars and DWT we should be able to bring our total number of donors up to 300 from 170 by the end of the week. Considering that Lipinski has been a loud, shrill voice in favor of the war and against woman's choice and against stem cell research, I hope we can shoot right past Jane's expectations.

But that's not all. MoveOn and the SEIU are calling on all progressives to pony up for Donna Edwards in her race against corrupt Insider hack Al Wynn. Here's the letter MoveOn sent out today:

We just got the message below from Andy Stern, head of the Service Employees union (SEIU). He asked us to pass it on to you-- it's an all-hands-on-deck moment for progressives.

The Democratic primary election in Maryland's 4th congressional district is being watched closely by other Democrats who are wondering if they'll be held accountable for cozying up to corporate lobbyists. We need to make sure the answer is a resounding "yes!"

MoveOn members have already raised $100,000 to help progressive champion Donna Edwards, but the incumbent, right-wing Democrat Al Wynn, has special interest dollars pouring into his campaign. If we can raise $90,000 by Tuesday, we can put a fair-but-tough ad on the air that tells voters about Wynn's ties to oil companies and other special interests. Please help.

Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club, weighed in for Donna too:

"We expect every member of Congress to lead in the effort to reduce global warming, protect our environment, and create good jobs. I know Donna Edwards will do that and more.

So... how about $15-- $5 for John, $5 for Mark and $5 for Donna? Think of it as an investment-- in the country we love... and depend on. Take a look at this cool video MoveOn put together to let folks in Maryland know about what Al Wynn has been up to:

THE REALLY IMPORTANT RACES THIS WINTER-- JOHN LAESCH, DONNA EDWARDS, VIC WULSIN, RANDI SCHEURER, MARK PERA...

When you think "change," is THIS what pops into your head?

All eyes that aren't focused on the looming recession and the war without end the Bush Regime's policies are leaving us, are focused on the presidential primaries and caucuses that will determine who will replace him one year from now. It's unlikely that any of the pathetic pygmies running to personify a third George Bush term can beat any of the Democrats seeking their party's nomination. In fact, the lead GOP contender-- McCain this week-- is thoroughly reviled by a great many Republicans, not because his voting record isn't far right enough-- it is-- but because they consider him an asshole and a phony-- he is-- and because he opposed torture and supported Bush's pro-corporate immigration policies. Among the Democrats, Hillary is no longer seen quite as inevitable as she was viewed before her third place finish in Iowa and close call in New Hampshire. But between Romney's and Giuliani's implosions, Huckabee's inability to catch on beyond the narrow confines of the evangelical crusade tents and the Chuck Norris fan club, and Frederick of Hollywood's long, long snooze, next November I expect her to beat McCain. OK, can we move on to something else now?

That something else, to me at least, are the races for the seats in the Senate and House. After the debacle of the current pathetic and anemic Democratic-lead Congress, it has become as clear as day that it isn't, after all, more Democrats that is needed. It's better Democrats. And that takes us back to the primaries. Three states have crucial ones coming up this winter, coming up real fast in fact: Illinois and Maryland on February 5 (Super Tuesday, presidentially speaking) and Ohio, one month later on March 4th. Illinois' and Maryland's primaries are expected to far exceed normal turnout for a congressional primary because of enthusiasm for the presidential candidates on the same day, especially in Illinois where Obama and Hillary have rabid support. Each of the three states has at least one race pitting a better Democrat against a status quo reactionary Insider.

And in Illinois there are actually 4 such races! DWT and Blue America have taken a position on 3 of them, the most of any state. We are urging this community to support John Laesch (IL-14), Mark Pera (IL-03) and Randi Scheurer (IL-08). All three are extremely difficult races. Randi and Mark seek to oust entrenched Republican-lite (actually not all that lite) Melissa Bean and Dan Lipinski, each of whom has abandoned basic Democratic Party values time and again to vote with the worst reactionaries in Congress to rubber stamp the toxic Bush agenda, internationally and domestically. Voting for Lipinski and Bean is like voting for a Republican. Just as tough is John Laesch's race against an Insider-backed millionaire, Blue Dog Bill Foster for the seat long-occupied by resigning disgraced crook Denny Hastert. Laesch came closer to knocking him off last year than anyone else in his congressional history and, in the process, has built a viable progressive machine in northern Illinois. Now he has to face a big-spending Rahm Emanuel hack and opportunist. I can't think of a more important race in the entire country on February 5.

But there is one of equal importance-- the only high visibility primary in the state of Maryland. Last year Donna Edwards seemed to have beaten corrupt, corporate stooge Al Wynn in MD-04-- until some last minute voting boxes were suddenly found, all full of Al Wynn ballots. He managed to keep his seat. Donna is way better known in the district now-- and so is Wynn. The Insider Establishment, lead by Bush collaborators Steny Hoyer and Nancy Pelosi-- with Emanuel pulling their strings from behind the curtain as always-- is desperate to keep their boy Wynn in office. But Donna has put together an energized coalition of labor, environmentalists, reformers, women, anti-war activists, and supporters from the grassroots and netroots. Of all the races February 5 this is probably our best shot at a victory.

Any of these progressives getting into Congress will send a shock wave, a much-needed shock wave, through the party establishment and a message that the Democratic Party is a people's party, not a vehicle for special interests and careerists. On top of that, both Laesch and Edwards, especially, promise to be genuine progressive leaders and actual agents of change (unlike, say Huckabee, Flip Flop, Obama, Hillary... even Bush.)

Bush said Friday he doesn’t take it personally when Democratic and Republican presidential candidates embrace change as a major campaign theme.

“Oh, listen, if you're running for office, you can't run for office and not say, ‘I'm an agent of change,’" Bush told NBC News’ David Gregory. “That's just American politics. If I were running for office at this point I'd be saying, ‘Vote for me, I'm-- I'm gonna be an agent of change.’"

Yes, well he's talking about Obama and McCain and Hillary and Romney-- but if he thinks Donna Edwards and John Laesch are in that category, he's in for a big, big surprise. Both will be more than just good, solid progressive votes in Congress-- votes for the people and against the special interests. Each is an idea person and each is a tough and persistent fighter. I fully expect Laesch to whip the near moribund Progressive Caucus into shape and make it a real force in Congress, a counterweight to the Insider power elite represented by Emanuel and Hoyer.

And then there's Ohio one month later. The most crucial race is in the legendary second CD, an uber-Republican district represented by far right crazy-woman Mean Jean Schmidt. Dr. Victoria Wulsin nearly beat her in 2006 and she's poised to finish the job this year. But the Republican establishment has a trick up it's sleave-- a lifelong millionaire Republican, Steve Black, claims he is now a Democrat and wants to run against Mean Jean. Black has hired Emanuel DC hack John Lapp (an ex-DCCC Rove type slash and burn expert in the most vicious and vile kinds of negative campaigning). So far Lapp's main contribution to Black's campaign is a ridiculous and almost lurid ad claiming Doctor Wulsin isn't a doctor-- and this is based on his sexist overlooking of the fact that she got her medical license under her maiden name before she was married. Look at the ad; it's the reason a wealthy Republican shill thinks Democrats in OH-02 should nominate him to be their candidate. Hopefully Democrats in southwest Ohio will tell Black and Lapp where to go.

The other congressional primaries in Ohio are in the third CD to take on incumbent Michael Turner and the Democrats running are David Esrati, Jane Mitakides, and Charles W. Sanders.; the seventh CD (Dave Hobson's old seat) where Bill Conner, Sharen Neuhardt, Jack Null, Thomas Scrivens, David Woolever, and Richard Wyderski are the Democrats running; the tenth CD where disgruntled Democrats Joe Cimperman, Thomas O’Grady, Rosemary Palmer, and Barbara Ferris are challenging incumbent Democrat Dennis Kucinich; the 12th CD, where Democrats sense Pat Tiberi may be vulnerable and the race has drawn 4 hopefuls: Aaron Dagres, Marc Fagin, Russ Goodwin, and David Robinson; a similar situation in the 14th, where Steve LaTourette actually is vulnerable and will have to face either Bill O’Neill, Dale Blanchard, or John Greene; the 16th CD-- open because of the departure of Ralph Regula-- where both the DC and local Democratic establishments are firmly behind John Boccieri but where a last minute entry by Mary Cirelli throws a spanner into their plans; and a quixotic primary in OH-18 where reactionary freshman Zack Space is being challenged by Mike Pitrone.

The Blue America endorsed candidates, John Laesch, Randi Scheurer, Mark Pera, Donna Edwards, and Vic Wulsin can all use some help. If you have some spare money you want to put towards a better America, it will do a lot more good on any of these races than throwing it into the huge pots being collected by Clinton and Obama. You can donate at the link at the beginning of this paragraph and keep in mind, even $5 and $10 donations add up and help fight the well-heeled candidates bought and paid for by the special interests whose main interests are to screw the rest of us.

In the interest of electing "more AND BETTER Democrats," it would be a no-brainer to replace Rep. Al Wynn with Donna Edwards in Maryland

Not all lobbying is dirty. I suppose as long as we have a more or less democratic government, with votes and rulings and decisions that can be swayed, there will be people who make it their business to sway away. It just gets dirty when special interests use their generously corporate-filled coffers to buy control of a portion of our system--in other words, a whole lot of the time. There's a reason why "K Street" has come to send a shiver through most of us on the progressive battlefronts.

Naturally the games lobbyists play are generally best conducted out of public view. But they're not exactly compulsive about their devotion to secrecy, as witness this post from Matt Stoller today on OpenLeft:

Obama and Edwards Lobbying Bashing:
Al Wynn Takes the Money
By Matt Stoller

I guess I see the reason that Edwards and Obama keep bashing lobbyists. Tomorrow, Al Wynn is having a fundraiser at the office of nuclear industry giant Entergy at 9am. Entergy is a huge Bush-Cheney backer, with former Republican Congressman and current pharma head (and Wynn donor) Billy Tauzin on its board.

The invitation, which you can see above, says in a large font 'Honoring Rep. Al Wynn, Committee on Energy and Commerce'. This Democratic primary is about change, and there's going to be a media event and protest outside Wynn's office tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I'm going out to 101 Constitution Ave right near the Capitol at 9am. While I can't get to New Hampshire, change is everywhere, even outside of lobbyist and energy company offices in DC.

Al Wynn's name will be familiar to regular DWT readers. His name usually comes up when we talk about the need to elect "more and better Democrats," most recently in connection with the mortgage crisis, where Wynn could as usual be found on the side of the moneyed interests--as his Democratic primary opponent, Donna Edwards, made clear.

As Howie has pointed out frequently, Wynn depends on unwavering support from the House leadership--Speaker Pelosi, fellow Marylander Majority Leader Hoyer, and Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel--even though he's rarely around when the leadership is waging, or thinking about waging, one of its tough fights. Donna Edwards gave Wynn a scare in 2006, and would instantly upgrade the quality of the House Democratic caucus if she captured that seat this time around. She has long been one of DWT's and Blue America's most admired congressional candidates, and we urge everyone to pitch in and support her and all the Blue America '08 candidates.

Howie also points out frequently that it doesn't matter if all you can afford to give is a small amount; the power of our fund-raising is that the small contributions can add up to significant--not to mention much-needed--infusions of cash for people who won't get money from the corporate givers.

The goal, again, is more AND BETTER Democrats!

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WHICH POLITICIANS WILL BE HURT BY THE MORTGAGE CRISIS?

Mortgage crisis likely to destroy Donna's opponent, Al Wynn

Somewhat ironically, a DCCC employee sent out a powerful piece from the new issue of Time today, Will Bad Mortgages Hurt the GOP? It's very likely they already have. A slew of Republican rubber stamps in districts with worried and pissed off homeowners have been announcing their retirements every week. All of these retirees have something in common-- aside from craving lucrative jobs on K Street: they all voted for Bush's heinous and, for hundreds of thousands of homeowners, catastrophic bankruptcy bill.

Tim Walberg was one of the rare Republican success stories in 2006. After defeating Joe Schwarz, the moderate G.O.P. incumbent Congressman in his rural southwestern Michigan district, he went on to narrowly beat Democrat Sharon Renier with just 50% of the vote. Walberg, a fiscal conservative, ran on a platform of limited government, tax cuts and strong support of the war in Iraq.

Last Thursday, to the delight of Democrats, Walberg lived up to his conservative ideals-- voting against a bill in the House that tightens restrictions against predatory lending. The measure, which garnered the support of 64 Republicans in passing 291-127, would force lenders to apply for licenses and require them to verify the ability of borrowers to repay loans. "I think the market always works when we let it," Walberg told TIME just before voting against the measure. "We want to make sure that we have opportunities for consumers to have safe and opportune mortgages. This bill, I think, goes away from that, puts heavy regulation in place, discourages lending practices for just very few people who've had that problem."

As the subprime mortgage crisis has worsened and Democrats have moved to pass legislation to the address the problem, they are accusing their G.O.P. counterparts of doing too little to prevent the predicament. The issue could become a potent campaign issue in '08, as the Democrats have targeted several vulnerable G.O.P. members, including Walberg, who voted against last week's bill.

The Republicans "were asleep at the wheel while this problem was heading straight at us," said Congressman Chris Van Hollen, head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democratic candidates. "This is affecting people across the country in Michigan, in Florida, in Ohio-- all important swing states. This will be part of the debate about the economy overall. And people who ignore it do so at their own peril."

It is also affecting people across Van Hollen's home state of Maryland where Bush's Republican rubber stamps were joined by a particularly corrupt Democrat, Al Wynn, to help pass the bankruptcy bill that has put homeowners in double jeopardy. The irony comes in because there is a progressive icon running against Wynn in the Democratic Party primary, Donna Edwards, and Democratic powermongers like Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and Rahm Emanuel, are out pimping for... Wynn, of course. So they may denounce Bush and his cruel agenda and try to use it-- as they should-- against rubber stamp Republicans, but when a grassroots Democrat tries to hold a corrupt reactionary like Wynn accountable what happens? Pelosi scurries over to do a fundraiser for him, showing anyone following politics that Democratic insiders are every bit as hypocritical and untrustworthy as Republicans.

Donna has an answer for Democratic insiders and hypocrits: "Montgomery County has over 700 homes in foreclosure and Prince George's County leads the state. Yet Al Wynn keeps taking in campaign cash from big banks and lenders, and voting their way. His vote for their bankrutcy bill put more power in the hands of his special interests backers; hurting consumers who are having a tough time making ends meet." Donna has pledged not to take camapaign contributions from corporate special interests and to crack down on predatory lenders and help rewrite Bush's and Wynn's bankruptcy bill so that it protects consumers instead of victimizing them.

Today Donna's campaign has a new video out that makes Times point far better than Time and makes it clear that if Republican members of Congress who took legalized bribes to vote for the interests of the credit card and mortage companies and against their own constituents are in trouble, so are the handful of Democrats who went along for the ride. Take a look:



If you think Congress needs better Democrats than Al Wynn, please keep in mind that Blue America is supporting Donna Edwards and several other progressive Democrats battling against the forces of reaction and corruption within our own party. I urge you to consider donating to Donna and other grassroots Democrats with serious primaries like John Laesch (IL), Rep. Steve Cohen (TN), Victoria Wulsin (OH), Howard Shanker (AZ), Sam Bennett (PA), Mark Pera (IL), Gretchen Clearwater (IN), Jon Powers (NY), Randi Scheurer (IL). You can hit them all-- or any combination of them-- right here at our Blue America ActBlue page.


MEAN JEAN SCHMIDT-- A NOTORIOUS SUPPORTER OF PREDATORY LENDERS

Last week when we looked at the small minority of congressmembers who refused to back the bipartisan legislation attempting to deal with predatory lenders and mortgage bankruptcies, prominently on the list, as expected, was Bush rubber stamp Mean Jean Schmidt (R-OH). Her opponent, Vic Wulsin, proposes an entirely different kind of representation for southern Ohio, one based on the needs and wishes of the folks who live there, not on the demands of corporate campaign contributors.

We need real change in Washington. I support this bipartisan, common sense effort to rein in an industry that has spun out of control, and would have voted for it. I believe we must protect all Americans from unfair and predatory lending practices. 

We know what’s happening in our neighborhoods and towns. According to Malia Rulon of the Enquirer, "Ohio ranked fifth in the nation for foreclosures in the past three months," and Cincinnati "had one foreclosure per 145 households." As of today there are 2,103 foreclosure listings in Cincinnati alone, and a shocking 75 in Jean Schmidt’s home town of Loveland, OH, population under 12,000.

What do Jean Schmidt’s neighbors think of her voting against them?

Unlike Rep. Schmidt, Republican Senator George Voinovich knows that this is an important issue, saying that "Ohioans can no longer wait while Congress fails to act." [Cincinnati Enquirer, 11/16/07.]
 
We need to stand up for our hard working families, not the Wall Street insiders who made billions when times were good and are now looking for a government bailout. Maybe she’s listening to the developers who have supported her political career.

 

HAS NANCY PELOSI APOLOGIZED TO MATT STOLLER YET?

Maybe I'm off base here but I sure was proud that a strong progressive woman became Speaker of the House. It made me feel better about my country and it made me feel great about some of the accomplishments we had at Blue America last year. And now... I mean it just feels that she thinks she was crowned into some kind of entitlement. She doesn't represent progressives; she doesn't represent the people. She represents the corrupt special interests normally associated with Republicans and with scumbags like Hoyer and Emanuel. It's like she's turned into one of them!

This video of her at the Al Wynn fundraiser made me ill. I hear it really got under her skin though that we organized around her trip to Maryland and matched the $100,000 she brought in from corrupt lobbyists with $100,000 for Donna raised from ordinary Americans not looking for favors. She was so rude to Matt Stoller that she should be shunned by any decent person til she apologizes to him. Her behavior is what we expect from people like the Bushes, not from members of the peoples' party.

WHY WON'T PELOSI AND HER CREW LET THE DEMOCRATS SOLVE THE MORTGAGE CRISIS? ARE THE BLUE DOGS THAT POWERFUL?

The menu of reasons to dismiss Al Wynn as a hopeless hack and Big Business Interests pimp is so extensive that anyone with an ounce of sense will find plenty of reasons to oppose him and support Donna Edwards. But the one that first got me going was his aggressive support for the credit card-written bankruptcy bill. What's a Democratic representative from a middle class, predominantly African-American, overwhelmingly Democratic, suburban district doing pushing a Republican bankruptcy bill. His campaign donations, of course, tell the story. Wynn's a whore for dozens of business groups, whose bidding he routinely does, regardless of the interests of his constituents. Among his big financial contributors are the real estate industry, commercial banks, and investment firms.

But today I received a thank you note from a woman in MD-04. She was thanking me for sending her an e-mail Blue America sent her asking her to contribute to Donna Edwards' campaign. She donated $5 and sent this note.

My husband and I live in a part of Montgomery County represented by Congressman Wynn. We don't have much to give but we count ourselves among the formerly middle class who recently lost our home to a predatory lender. I am happy and honored, determined and pissed and hopeful to have sent what we could towards the $100,000 goal. I can't thank you enough for what you are doing.

I had over 100 e-mails this week very much like that. These aren't going to be Al Wynn-voters. But Wynn is hardly the only reactionary, corrupt Democrat who is at least partially to blame for the sub-prime lending crisis in our country. Matt Stoller over at OpenLeft has done some great work on this issue. Do you want to know what a Blue Dog is? A Blue Dog is a Democrat who blocks reform that would help families in crisis because of the mortgage lending meltdown. Although the House Judiciary Committee is ready to send a reform bill to the full House, there are enough reactionary Democrats threatening to join Republicans to make it pointless.

The reason the subprime mortgage meltdown is so problematic is because homeowners can't renegotiate mortgages for primary residences in bankruptcy court. If you declare bankruptcy, you still can't get out from under your mortgage debt, which essentially enslaves people whose home value has dropped lower than their debt amount.

The good news is that Brad Miller, Linda T. Sánchez, Barney Frank, and Mel Watt have a bill in Congress that empowers bankruptcy courts to restructure mortgages for primary residences. You can find out more here and here. It's a very sane and reasonable approach that lets people declare bankruptcy and get out from under horrific levels of debt.

Knowing how vulnerable he is, electorally, Wynn has sat by mum, while his political allies have done their best to sabotage the assistance most Democrats want to offer homeowners who find themselves in dire straits a reasonable way out-- the way they always, always, always offer "reasonable" ways out for Big Business (usually in the form of massive taxpayer-funded bailouts).

Instead of offering you a list of the Democrats most actively working to screw over homeowners-- many of them the regular suspects who are always opposing everything and anything progressive, from ending Bush's wars to extending civil rights to minorities, let me give you each of their names with the legal bribes they have taken from the Finance/Insurance/Real Estate industries whose interests they are serving:

Lincoln Davis (TN):
2006: $79,600
2008: $89,486

John Tanner (TN):
2006: $292,579
2008: $127,396

Tim Mahoney (FL):
2006: $183,850
2008: $213,565

Jim Matheson (UT):
2006: $455,600
2008: $117,344

Allen Boyd (FL):
2006: $165,042
2008: $57,550

Jim Marshall (GA):
2006: $166,401
2008: $90,342

David Scott (GA):
2006: $300,152
2008: $157,741

Bean, Melissa (IL):
2006: $404,527
2008: $400,851

Mike Ross (AR):
2006: $170,139
2008: $56,700

Baron Hill (IN):
2006: $110,934
2008: $65,650

Mike Thompson (CA):
2006: $168,413
2008: $116,919

Bart Gordon (TN):
2006: $119,750
2008: $48,250

Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD):
2006: $162,848
2008: $59,400

Charlie Melancon (LA):
2006: $186,265
2008: $56,700

Dan Boren (OK):
2006: $113,370
2008: $98,200

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL, PART 3-- OH, YES, A VERY GOOD NIGHT LAST NIGHT

The election results last night tended to confirm Tom Schaller's thesis that the GOP is rapidly devolving into a small, racist regional party of the Deep South. Countryclub Republican hack Haley Barbour, despite the rumors about closets and corruption and his miserable record on health care and education, cruised to a big win in Mississippi, winning almost as big a victory there as Democrat Steve Beshear won in Kentucky. Barbour defeated a reactionary and useless Insider Democrat who failed to even interest the Democratic base.

But outside of the Deepest and reddest part of the Old Confederacy, it was all bad news for the Republicans, even on the fringes of the South. Kentucky, of course is the story of the day, where Steve Beshear won a landslide victory over incumbent right-wing extremist/corruption poster boy Ernie Fletcher.

The election was clearly a repudiation of Fletcher, who was seriously damaged by a scandal over his administration's hiring abuses in the state merit system. Fletcher refused to testify before a grand jury, was indicted on three misdemeanor counts-- later dismissed-- and pardoned those around him who had been charged.

...Beshear won traditionally Democratic counties that he was supposed to win and made it close in those where Republicans have typically run well. In Boone County, for example, where 63 percent of the voters are Republican, Fletcher won by less than 2 percentage points, and he won only by a small margin in heavily Republican Oldham County.

In all, Beshear carried 92 of the state's 120 counties. Four years ago, by contrast, Fletcher won 86 counties.

Most of the counties Fletcher carried this year were in south-central Kentucky. He even struggled in Republican-performing Northern Kentucky, where he won only Boone County.

Beshear carried Eastern Kentucky, which normally votes Democratic, and Western Kentucky, which has been trending Republican in recent years.

In Jefferson County, where Fletcher lost by just 5,536 votes in 2003, Beshear won by roughly 67,000 votes.

So as Bush officially tops Nixon as the most hated president in history, it isn't just borderstate Kentucky that is abandoning his narrowly-focused party, but even Virginia, until recently a stalwart bastion of somewhat kooky Republicanism. Virginia Republicanism is still somewhat kooky but the state has taken a decided turn towards political moderation, leaving the right-facing and religionist GOP in the lurch. Last night they lost control of the State Senate, even after considerable efforts by the Republicans to turn the campaign into an exercise in xenophobia. That failed miserably, according to today's Washington Post. So, as Pat Robertson hypocritically embraces Rudy Giuliani in a marriage of convenience between authoritarianism and profit-driven Elmer Gantry-style religionism, even Robertson's own state is turning away from the politics of extremism.

Even if the DCCC's policy makers are lost in an insider power game against grassroots Democrats, many of the folks who work there do an excellent job and I owe them for pointing out several cases of how last night's victories auger so very badly for GOP candidates in 2008-- even in traditionally Republican areas. Last night Ohio's 16th CD signaled that the Republicans won't be the party residents turn to when replacing retiring rubber stamp Ralph Regula. The district's largest city (and the only big city in the state that had a Republican mayor), Canton picked a new mayor, Democrat Bill Healy who won with 53% of the vote. No one is calling next year's race for Congress a lock for Democrat John Boccieri, but you'd have to not care about your money at all if you bet against him.

And, like I mentioned last night, Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) should probably start tidying up his resume and strengthening the ties that bind over on K Street. After solid wins (by 56 and 57%) against two state Senate Republican incumbents in NJ-02-- giving the Democrats all 3 state senate seats in LoBiondo's district-- his re-election prospects look particularly dim today. Same in VA-11 where rubber stamp Republican Tom Davis saw his wife lose her state Senate seat to Chap Petersen (55-45), in a race the husband ran. But Jeanmarie Devolties Davis, plagued by ethical lapses and corruption charges, wasn't the only Republican to lose and contribute to the Democratic takeover of the state Senate. Jay O'Brien and Nick Rerras both were defeated and Tricia Stall lost in a bid to win an open GOP seat.

One last thing about Kentucky, though. Larry Forgy, the 1995 Republican gubernatorial nominee, blamed Fletcher's catastrophe on Senator Mitch McConnell. There may be some truth in that but McConnell hardly wanted to see Steve Beshear win the governorship just before his own election, which looks like it will be, at best, a cliffhanger. Freshman Democratic Congressman John Yarmuth pointed out that the disaster that befell the Republicans yesterday in Kentucky was "more than just Ernie Fletcher, but he didn't blame McConnell per se. "I really do think it was part George Bush and part a rejection of neocon Republicanism." And ex-Senator Wendell Ford said Beshear's trouncing of Fletcher bodes poorly for McConnell's chances to be re-elected. "I think it makes it tougher" for McConnell, he said.

And for Blue America and our allies, the sweetness of Beshear's victory is even better savored in the light of how early and concerted action against the Insider Establishment's determination to nominate reactionary and corrupt Republican-lite Bruce Lunsford was thwarted last May. Ironic that just as Beshear was being declared the winner, grassroots Democrats successfully countered the Insiders Club's ill-advised attempt to force the re-election of another reactionary and corrupt Democrat, Maryland's the telecom and banking industries' Al Wynn. Nancy Pelosi may have been able to help Emanuel and Hoyer squeeze more K Street lobbyists for donations to Wynn's campaign last weekend but last night Blue America and several other bloggers plus Color of Change crashed through our $100,000 goal for Donna Edwards' campaign. Her ActBlue total for 2007 now stands at $206,615 and our counter-Pelosi effort brought in $101,665 (so far).


UPDATE: EVEN UTAH...

Yep, even in one of the last bastions of non-Confederate GOP power, Utah, an overwhelming majority of voters rejected the GOP plan for school vouchers, one of their fondest hopes in their mad dash to abolish "socialist education." Utah's state School Board Chairman Kim Burningham said "Tonight, with the eyes of the nation upon us, Utah has rejected this flawed voucher law. We believe this sends a clear message. It sends a message that Utahns believe in, and support, public schools." Utah voters recently joined the rest of the country in giving Bush failing grades for his overall-- and Iraq-- job performance.

NOW IS THE TIME-- RIGHT NOW-- THAT YOU CAN STRIKE A BLOW FOR THE KIND OF GOOD GOVERNMENT YOU YEARN FOR

I spent a couple minutes on the phone today with Donna Edwards. She wanted to thank me for helping with the fundraising job. I wanted to thank her for being an inspiration and a model for citizen participation. Today, as Nancy Pelosi came into her district to raise money from corrupt lobbyists on behalf on Al Wynn, Donna visited Firedoglake, Daily Kos, and AmericaBlog. So there was Pelosi, hangin' out with the criminal element that pollutes our democratic system and there was Donna, taking questions from regular American citizens worried about things like health care, the war in Iraq, Social Security, bankruptcy, wiretapping-- all things we expected a Democratic Congress to work on, only to find out that they are nearly as corrupt and compromised as the Republicans they replaced. Madam Off the Table will be followed into MD-04 by the Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. He may not be Tom DeLay (his boss Rahm Emanuel is) but K Street loves him just as much as they loved DeLay.

If we're ever going to get our country back, it isn't only the corrupt, self-serving Republicans we need to overcome, but also the corrupt self-serving Insider Democrats. Al Wynn, with a record that should make any progressive weep, is a good surrogate-- for now-- for the head crooks, the Emanuels and Hoyers. And although the worst of the Insider Democratic parasites are joining Hoyer and Pelosi in trying to shore up Wynn-- like AFSCME and HRC-- others have taken a good look at the snake oil the Insiders are offering and have backed away in disgust. Emily's List is endorsing Donna next week. I hear rumors that SEIU will do likewise. The Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters, Friends of the Earth, Democracy for America, and National Organization of Women have and Progressive Maryland thumbed its nose at the Insiders' Club to come out for Donna within hours of Pelosi's ill-advised Wynn fundraiser.

Speaking to grassroots, idealistic activists, like Donna, as well as John Laesch, Darcy Burner, Dennis Shulman, Sam Bennett, Andrew Rice, Victoria Wulsin, Ron Shepston gives me hope for our country, hope that we can overcome the decadent corruption in the political system and put the welfare of ordinary Americans before the welfare of powerful special interests. Please take a couple of minutes and watch this video ValleyGirl put together from a 2006 debate between Al Wynn and Donna Edwards. The difference between the two candidates is pronounced and it is interesting to watch Steny Hoyer's body language as he moderated. He seems appalled at Donna's truth-telling and vigor and very much at ease with Wynn's obfuscating and bloviating. Al Wynn and Steny Hoyer are cut from the same political cloth. We'll never get our country back until they're both gone. Watch the video and then go to this page. Look what we raised for Donna in the last 3 days. With our partners at the other blogs and at Color of Change we're fast approaching our goal of $100,000. Help us get there.




UPDATE: CHANGE MEANS MORE THAN JUST TAKING POWER FROM HORRIBLE REPUBLICANS AND GIVING IT TO SLIGHTLY LESS HORRIBLE DEMOCRATS

According to a front page story in this morning's Washington Post Americans are deeply pessimistic and eager for a change in direction from the agenda and priorities of President Bush, The polling data is devastating for Republicans. "Just 24 percent think the nation is on the right track, and three-quarters said they want the next president to chart a course that is different than that pursued by Bush. Overwhelmingly, Democrats want a new direction, but so do three-quarters of independents and even half of Republicans. Sixty percent of all Americans said they feel strongly that such a change is needed after two terms of the Bush presidency."

Many of the leaders of the Democrats in Congress have been Bush enablers and continue to be Bush enablers. Rahm Emanuel and his lap dog Steny Hoyer have effective control over the House Democratic caucus and can force Nancy Pelosi to dance to any tune they play, the way she did yesterday in Maryland. Emanuel and Hoyer have guaranteed that the Democratic takeover of the Congress last year would not mean a break in Bush's policies in the Middle East, which both support. And their idea of "change" is that graft and corruption flow in their direction instead of Republicans' direction. Americans have to be a lot more careful when it comes time to vote. Voting for someone because they have a "D" next to their name doesn't mean they are voting for real change. True, there is not one-- not one-- Republican in either House of Congress worthy of re-election. But the only way to make sure we are voting for change is to challenge corrupt and reactionary Democrats in primaries and elect the good guys and defeat the bad guys.

I wish we were in a position to challenge people like Hoyer and Emanuel directly. Maybe next year. Now we need to pick our districts and races carefully and defeat their puppets. That's why Donna Edwards' race is so very crucial. Wynn is the worst kind of lackey you'll find in Congress-- and Hoyer owns his ass. And, fortunately, as bad as he is, that's how excellent Donna is. It should be a slam dunk. I wish I could say the same thing about races to unseat reactionary Democrats around the country. But I can't. In the vast majority of districts there is either no primary challenge or no credible primary challenge.

The Democrats with the absolute worst voting records in the House, those who vote most frequently with the Republicans for their agenda of endless war and special interests-- John Barrow (GA), Gene Taylor (MS), Jim Marshall (GA), Nick Lampson (TX), Heath Shuler (NC), Jason Altmire (PA), Dan Boren (OK), JoeDonnellyBradEllsworthBaronHill (IN), Jim Matheson (UT), and Chris Carney (PA)-- don't have challengers. (Actually Marshall and Hill, with their anti-SCHIP and pro-war votes have inspired grassroots challengers and we'll watch and see how those develop.)

Aside from Donna's primary, there are 4 we are trying to help with. First we need to back up freshman Steve Cohen in Memphis, a true progressive with a stellar voting record who is being challenged from the right with the help of the most corrupt and venal elements of the insider Democratic Party. There are also 3 important primaries in Illinois we're looking at. John Laesch's fight for the seat being abandoned by Denny Hastert features a classic Republican-lite Blue Dog running against the progressive, grassroots Laesch (Emanuel's Bill Foster). And there are two challenges to incumbent Bush Dogs-- Mark Pera's race against Dan Lipinski and Randi Scheuer's challenge to Melissa Bean. Emanuel is working behind the scenes to guarantee the re-election of the two Democrats who often vote with the GOP On key issues (like Iraq) and to make sure that Blue Dog Foster gets the party nod over Laesch. The Blue America ActBlue page is a convenient "one-stop-shopping" site where you can contribute to all 5 races with one click of the mouse.

DONNA EDWARDS IS A DEMOCRAT; AL WYNN IS A "DEMOCRAT"-- WINK, WINK, NUDGE, NUDGE

This is a great week for Blue America-endorsed progressive Democrat Donna Edwards (MD-04) and the Maryland chapter of the Sierra Club just capped it off by bestowing their 2007 Conservationist of the Year Award on her. As you know, Nancy Pelosi has chosen this weekend to host a bevy of corrupt lobbyists and Establishment insiders in Silver Spring who are supporting Donna's opponent, one of the most reactionary and bribery-prone Democrats in Congress, Steny Hoyer protege Al Wynn.

So while Pelosi and many of the worst elements of American politics were planning their gala fundraiser for Wynn, Donna was being "honored for her years of commitment and service to the environment with the 2007 Conservationist of the Year Award from The Maryland Chapter of Sierra Club. Bonnie Bick and former board chair Betsy Johnson, on behalf of the Maryland Chapter and its chair, Mike Martin, presented the award to Ms. Edwards at the Sierra Club Jamboree held at the Catoctin Mountain National Park."

"It's an honor and a privilege to receive this award from the Maryland Chapter of Sierra Club," said Ms. Edwards. "I have worked with many of these dedicated individuals on various environmental issues and I am proud to receive this recognition from my peers. I look forward to many more years of working together on the local and national level to promote environmental conservation and to address global warming."

"Donna Edwards is a true environmental leader," said Mike Martin, Chair of the Maryland Chapter of Sierra Club. "She has consistently provided the vision and the hard work needed on behalf of environmental issues locally and nationally for many, many years."

"I was so proud to be able to present this award to a long-time environmentalist," said Bonnie Bick. "Her hard work to make National Harbor more environmentally friendly and an all around better development for the community is a testament to her dedication. National Harbor is now an excellent example of a win-win situation for the environment, the community, and business development."

Al Wynn's environmental voting record, like so much of his record, is far to the right of Pelosi's and far to the right of where his constituents stand. He's not getting any awards from anyone who cares about the environment. Take 11 seconds to hear Donna explain why this Congress has an 11% approval rating:



Do you really want BETTER Democrats? You won't find one better than Donna Edwards-- anywhere. Across the internet, we're halfway to our goal of raising the same $100,000 in people money that Pelosi plans to squeeze out of favor-seeking lobbyists on behalf of Wynn tomorrow. Please join us in standing up to corrupt Democratic insiders the same way we stood up to corrupt Republican insiders. Here's the place to do it.

IS AL WYNN REALLY THAT BAD? ...WORSE

Nancy Pelosi made her choice-- the wrong one

I don't know Donna Edwards that well, mostly just some phone calls, e-mail exchanges and one or two face-to-face meetings. But I feel confident in saying that I would rather vote for her to be president than anyone running from either party. Unfortunately, she isn't running for president and, in all likelihood, the ole triangulating Clinton Machine will be back in the saddle in DC come January '09. It should be a step, even if just a baby step, in the right direction. And if we have a progressive Congress, it might not be too big an impediment in cleaning up Bush's mess. But that's a big if.

As I mentioned yesterday, the leader of the House Democrats, from a Maryland-connected political family, Nancy Pelosi is on the campaign trail. But she isn't out there fighting for strong, brilliant, courageous progressives. No, in fact, she's out there fighting for the forces of reaction and corporate corruption. Her candidate is Al Wynn (D-MD), one of the worst Democrats in the Congress.

Sure, his voting habits have gotten markedly better since Donna came out of nowhere and missed retiring him by a handful of (disputed) votes. He was so frightened that he actually started voting with the Democrats instead of with the Republicans. Previously, Ms Pelosi's favored Maryland candidate voted against her and for authorizing Bush's attack on Iraq and against her virtually every time Bush decided to ship more men and money over to Iraq. He and Pelosi never did agree on the GOP plans to abolish the estate tax either. Pelosi's position was one that was based on fairness to working people and the middle class. Wynn, voting consistently with the GOP, favored a position that favored the hereditary wealth of America's 200 wealthiest families-- and no one else. Very few Democrats were in cahoots with now-jailed GOP rainmaker Jack Abramoff when it came to ethics non-reform but Pelosi's Maryland buddy was one of them. He and now-imprisoned Republicrook Bob Ney co-sponsored legislation to undermine campaign finance reform and undermine attempts to get lobbyists off the floor of Congress.

When Democrats tried to reform pension legislation to protect working families, the Republicans knew exactly who to turn to to undermine their efforts; yes, Pelosi's pal Wynn was only too happy to screw over working families... again. There are reasons-- all of them unfortunate-- why the notoriously corrupt head of Pharma, Billy Tauzin, is supporting Al Wynn. Disconcerting to find him and Nancy Pelosi on the same side. And how many Democrats joined Tom Delay in creating a fake issue on the back of Terri Schiavo? Not many-- and certainly not Nancy Pelosi-- but Al Wynn? Oh, yes... he was right there with DeLay and Bush-- just like he was on the Cheney energy bill that has driven gasoline and heating oil prices through the roof, and just like he was for the bankruptcy bill that certainly has helped his campaign contributors but has only helped substantial numbers of his constituents into dire financial crisis. He's been a friend of WalMart, an enemy of the environment, a pal to the telecom giants and the enemy of the Internet. Congratulations, Nancy Pelosi!

Please thank Speaker Pelosi, for Al Wynn and for taking impeachment off the table, here at the special ActBlue page we've set up to see if we can balance out her fundraiser for Wynn this weekend.

Get to know Donna a little and listen to what she has to say about Al Wynn's bankruptcy bill and why it's important that Democrats understand this disastrous law:



We're on our way to collecting the donations we need to neutralize Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, Rahm Emanuel, Harold Ford, Billy Tauzin and corrupt lobbyists who want to keep Wynn in office. We need BETTER Democrats. Donna Edwards is a better Democrat-- a MUCH better Democrat, and if you'd like to lend a hand, our Act Blue page is open for business!


UPDATE: TIME MAGAZINE NOTICED A LITTLE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE GRASSROOTS AND MADAM OFF THE TABLE

Karen Tumulty seems to have noticed that progressive and grassroots Democrats are disconcerted about Nancy Pelosi joining forces with crooked Republican lobbyist Billy Tauzin in trying to keep one of the most corrupt and reactionary members of Congress in office. I think it's the first time DownWithTyranny ever got mentioned in Time.


UPDATE: THE PEOPLE PARTY vs THE MONEY PARTY

Look at the Donna Edwards challenge to Wynn and the Pelosi-Hoyer-Emanuel Establishment through the analytic eyes of David Sirota, author of Hostile Takeover. Across the internet we're over a third of the way to our goal of doing to Pelosi's fundraiser for Wynn exactly what we did to Bush's fundraiser for Reichart-- not just helping people see why the two events are IDENTICAL but outraising both with people-power.