In 43 Days We Can Send A Fighting Progressive To Congress... Or Settle For A Garden Variety Democrat

Maryland's 7th congressional district-- plus the suburbs and small towns to the west and to the north of the city including Ellicott City, Cooksville and Columbia-- is so blue (D+26) that the election that matters is not in November but 43 days from today-- primary day in Maryland. Whichever Democrat wins on that day, will be the next Congress member. The choice isn't between a Democrat and a Republican. The choice is between any number of run of the mill corporate careerist Democrats or a real live, bold progressive.

Among the three top contenders, there are 2 establishment Democrats, Kwesi Mfume and Maya Cummings and one-rarin' to go progressive, Jill Carter, who Blue America is endorsing today. Jill is a state senator and a 2016 Bernie delegate. Please take a look at the endorsement video former NAACP president Ben Jealous cut for her last week:





Jill's platform is entirely oriented towards working families (backing positions like Medicare-for-All, the Green New Deal and free state colleges) and in the state Senate, she has a reputation as a strong independent voice-- something that scares establishment organizations like the DCCC-- and is known as the "People's Champion." Our Revolution Maryland has also endorsed her.

Jill's dad, Walter P. Carter, a legendary Baltimore civil rights activist, committed himself completely to the movement and raised Jill with a social consciousness. "When I was seven years old," he told me recently, "he abruptly died, while giving a speech to the Black United Front, having just won a legal battle against Baltimore’s most notorious slumlord, Morris Goldseker. I spent much of my younger life distraught over his death and always in search of him. He, and Parren J. Mitchell, the first black congressman to represent the district, are two of the greatest men I’ve ever known. They courageously, and selflessly, fought for equality of opportunity for black people, wanting nothing for themselves."

Jill, then an attorney, was one of the first black women elected to the Maryland legislature. "During that time,' she said, "Baltimore’s mayor was executing a policy of mass arrests that violated our constitutional and human rights. I fought against the policy of en masse illegal arrests. The entire Democrat establishment chose to ignore the hard data and cry of the people in favor of defending the then mayor. I was labeled a renegade and treated as a pariah. I became disenchanted with the Democratic leadership and party. Their contempt for poor people, black people, and for me, was palpable. For three and a half terms, I was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates always as the highest vote getter of all delegates in the city. I relentlessly advocated for criminal justice reform, juvenile justice reform, law enforcement reform, lead paint poison prevention and justice for victims, and economic justice. The mayor became the governor and I was marginalized as a legislator. It was then that I realized I no longer had to search for my father because he lived within me."

In 2016, Jill resigned from the House of Delegates to take a job as Baltimore City Director of Civil Rights and Wage Enforcement and then, in 2019 was elected to the state Senate. "I sponsored a bill that exposed the self-dealing and political corruption of members of the University of Maryland Medical System board," she told us. "Nine of the members were awarding multi-million dollar contracts to themselves and the board purchased $500,000 books from the mayor, also a board member, some of which had not yet been printed. Fallout from the legislation caused the entire board of directors to be removed or resign, the president stepped down and the mayor resigned from office. For the first time in my political career, I was allowed to function as a legislator without legislative leaders seeking to malign me.

Since she had been a Bernie delegate in 2016, I asked her how she came to endorse Marianne Williamson in 2019. She told me she had read a number of Marianne's books and then listened to numerous lectures. "I also often rely upon her guided meditation to ground myself. I believe in her authenticity. She has written and talked about a politics of love. Put simply, Marianne operates on a higher plane that most people and all politicians. With her as the moral leader of the country, I believe our individual and collective energy would be elevated. She is a deep thinker who started her campaign saying, 'Why should I get shallow for you. It’s time for you to get deep with me' and 'it’s time for the people to step in.'  That resonated with me because campaign 'experts' encourage candidates to synthesize complex issues into sound bytes. Marianne understands that we need, not only a deeper conversation, but that issues and plans mean nothing without the ability reaching into people’s hearts. She understands the interconnectedness between environment and health, and that we have a system of sick care not healthcare. She also understands that affirmative action programs are inadequate to close the racial divide and heal America without acknowledging the root cause of the divide which is America’s original sin of slavery followed by legal discrimination. While I love Bernie and believe we need a political revolution, Marianne championed a political and societal evolution."

The Special Election To Replace Elijah Cummings Is Coming Up-- Will It Be A Progressive?

Cummings, Carter, Mfume

Maryland's 7th congressional district, represented since 1996 by Elijah Cummings, is getting ready for the February 4 special election primary (and an April 28th special election general) to replace him. The district includes central, western and much of northern Baltimore plus the suburbs and small towns to the west and to the north of the city including Ellicott City, Cooksville and Columbia. Most of the votes come from Baltimore, but with substantial amounts from both Baltimore County and Howard County. All are strongly blue and the district has a PVI of D+26. Obama won it with just over 76% both times he ran and Hillary took almost 76%. 53.3% of the residents are African American, 33.3% white, 7.1% Asian and 3.7% Latino.

Although there are two dozen Democratic candidates in the special, the three top-rated being state Senator Jill Carter, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings (the former congressman's widow) and ex-Congressman Kwesi Mfume, former president of the NAACP. Carter is the progressive in this contest.

Mfume endorsed Hillary in 2016. Carter was a Bernie delegate. Her platform is oriented towards working families (backing positions like Medicare-for-All, the Green New Deal and free state colleges); his platform is moderate, status quo and oriented towards the donor class. In the state Senate, Carter has a reputation as a strong independent voice-- something that scares establishment organizations like the DCCC-- and is known as the People's Champion.

Carter's campaign has been focused on her policy plans, particularly in regard to criminal justice and single payer healthcare, and her campaign claims to have hit more doors than every other candidate in this race combined. The're planning on engaging 500,000 potential voters via social media while contacting at least 50,000 voters at their doors and by phone before next month's special primary. Carter has been endorsed by Our Revolution Maryland, the College Democrats of Salisbury and Frostburg University, Demand Universal Healthcare Now, Baltimore City Councilman Ryan Dorsey, state Senator Anthony Muse, Baltimore City Council candidate Joe Kane, and former 41st District candidate Dr. Richard Bruno.

Yesterday, former NAACP president Ben Jealous endorsed her. A Ben Jealous endorsement would be a big deal for anyone anytime, but the fact that Jill's top opponent is another NAACP former president-- Mfume-- makes it even more significant and noteworthy. People eager to contribute to Jill's campaign, can do it here on the Congress Needs More Progressive Women Act Blue page. This is a good investment in a deep blue seat, where we'd be better off with a strong progressive than just another establishment careerist.

Trump, The Republicans And Baltimore

Rats by Nancy Ohanian

In 2016, Trump won the Republican primary in Maryland with 236,623 votes. On the same day, Hillary beat Bernie in that state, 63.0% to 33.2%... but Bernie's 281,275 second place finish was still enough to beat Trump. In Baltimore City. It was even funnier. Hillary beat Bernie by a lot-- 81,115 to 38,710, but in the GOP primary that Trump won, he only got a little more than a tenth of what Bernie got, 3,950 votes. and in the general election, Hillary crushed Trump statewide, 60.5% to 35.3% but really eviscerated him in Baltimore-- 85.4% to 10.9%. So, apparently, the feeling is mutual.

Remember when Trump promised he would help cities like Baltimore if he was elected? Maybe someone believed him... but no one I know. Yesterday, John Wagner, reporting for the Washington Post, wrote "Four years ago, in the aftermath of rioting in Baltimore, Donald Trump criticized then-President Obama for not doing enough to address problems in the city and claimed that 'I would fix it fast!' if he were president."

But what does Señor Trumpanzee even know about Baltimore? Anything at all? Well... maybe. It turns out that Kushner-in-law is a slumlord there, reviled for mismanagement. Ellen Cranley reported that Kushner "has continued ownership of several Baltimore-area housing complexes that have been so embroiled in housing violations and mismanagement that Kushner has been called a 'slumlord.'nA 2017 investigation by ProPublica and the New York Times called The Beleaguered Tenants of Kushnerville detailed how a subsidiary of the real-estate firm Kushner Companies functioned and the poor living conditions that plagued residents in complexes bought under Kushner's oversight. The investigation reported decrepit conditions including leaking ceilings, maggots in living-room carpet, and raw human sewage coming from a kitchen sink. The report also includes mention of multiple retaliatory lawsuits against tenants who tried to move out. Residents said in lawsuits they noticed near-constant but largely unexplained fees that would end up aiding their eviction if they weren't paid. The cases are ongoing, as Kushner Companies switched the suit to state court after a federal judge ordered the company to reveal the identity of mysterious company investors."

Whether Trump is aware of the complexes where it seems "no human being would want to live" or not, the housing troubles tied to Kushner haven't gone unnoticed by the city.

Baltimore County officials took notice of Kushner's powerful status while announcing in 2017 that he was to be fined for more than 200 code violations in apartments owned by Kushner Companies.

"We expect all landlords to comply with the code requirements that protect the health and safety of their tenants," county officials said in a statement at the time, "even if the landlord's father-in-law is president of the United States."

The Post Greg Sargent noted that whenever Trumpanzee "unleashes one of his racist attacks, the political world tends to go through a now-predictable cycle. We are first told Republicans think Trump’s latest racist display is brilliant politics, a view often pushed by Trump himself. Then gullible pundits echo that claim. And then persistent digging by reporters shows that Republicans are actually worried that his racism poses a serious problem for the party, unmasking the initial confidence as false bravado." Yesterday two other Post writers, Mike DeBonis and Paul Kane, reported that Republicans might not agree with Trumpanzee's assessment of Baltimore. "House Republicans have scheduled their yearly policy retreat for a downtown Baltimore hotel in September… That could present an uncomfortable situation for Trump, as sitting presidents customarily speak each year at their party’s House retreat." Who will play Winston in the Trump reenactment of Room 101 for the convention. I'm sure he would have loved to have gotten Justin Amash. House Republicans with the lowest Trump adhesion score so far this year are Will Hurd (R-TX), John Katko (R-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Fred Upton (R-MI)...

Who Do The Millionaires Want For President? Surprise!!!

All millionaires regardless of party

According to the CNBC Millionaire Survey, Hillary is the runaway favorite for president among millionaires (and billionaires) at 34%. Not many millionaires are pumpin' for Bernie, though, just 7%, same as the number who want Kasich. And if you just ask millionaires who are Democrats... well, that's Hillary's wheelhouse. She gets 76% and Bernie a mere 13%. Oddly, 2% of Democratic millionaires are for Trumpf. And among GOP millionaires, that percentage for the bigoted real estate agent goes up to 15%. 3% of Republican millionaires are for Hillary. None want Bernie. Some people-- albeit not millionaires-- look at the prospect of another Clinton presidency as pretty horrific and their assessments of Hillary are... unkind. Stephen Lendman, for example, seems positively unenthusiastic and actually sees her as even worse than the Republicans! Now that really is pushing it! "Her public record," he wrote, "shows she’s a reliable Wall Street tool. Her self-proclaimed populism is pure fantasy. She represents pure evil, opposite the image she tries to portray, a transparent front, easily discovered by examining her deplorable public record... Her scheme for reigning in Wall Street is empowering its major players more than ever. Her top campaign contributors include Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and Morgan Stanley-- buying influence to assure a Clinton presidency will support their interests... If elected president, she’ll continue dirty business as usual, supporting monied interests, especially Wall Street crooks and war profiteers."

Among Republican millionaires and billionairess though, Rubio (at 26%) is the man who's corralling the most contributors and backers, followed, oddly, by Dr. Ben (16%), Trumpf (15%), and the Jebster (11%).

The poll shows that millionaire voters differ dramatically from the broader population, especially among Republicans. While national polls still show Trump out front among the GOP candidates, he failed to break into the top two slots among millionaires.

The poll was conducted before the terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, and before the candidate's recent comments on preventing Muslims from entering the U.S.

"What surprised me was where Trump is among these voters," said George Walper, president of Spectrem Group, the nonpartisan wealth research firm that conducted the survey. "They're wealthy but don't see Trump as one of them."

Granted, the wealthy are often a poor barometer for election results: Mitt Romney was their favorite candidate in 2012. What's more, being seen as the favorite candidate of the rich could ultimately be seen as a liability in an especially populist election cycle.

Yet because the wealthy now play an outsized role in campaign financing, the poll could signal a wave of cash moving toward Rubio and away from others on the Republican side.

The survey is also the latest evidence that the wealthy are quickly coalescing around Rubio as their favorite candidate. This week, billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin and Art Pope, owner of Variety Wholesalers, publicly endorsed Rubio. Both are major donors to the Republican Party.

Paul Singer, another hedge fund billionaire, is also backing Rubio, and billionaire Florida car magnate Norman Braman has been a longtime supporter.

Nice charts, right?

Republican millionaires

Democratic millionaires

Millionaires who identify as Independents

Bernie wasn't courting millionaires Tuesday. He was in one of the poorest parts of Baltimore, Sandtown-Winchester, Freddie Gray's old stomping ground. "We are the wealthiest country in the history of the world, and every year we're seeing more and more millionaires and more and more billionaires," said Sanders. "But in communities like this, what we're seeing is kids dropping out of schools, being in bad schools, being in dilapidated housing."

The area is dysfunctional and the residents suffer from every form of urban blight known to man, high crime rates, staggering eviction rates, to leaky roofs, inoperable appliances, rodent infestations, collapsed floors and ceilings and lead poisoning (can cause a decrease in IQ, behavioral disorders, hyperactivity and a lack of impulse control).

When Bernie visited the NY Times editorial board the other day, he was asked to answer a question from a random reader, Nick Costantino, who asked him how he would describe the U.S. to a Martian, a Martian named Astor.

"I tell Astor that the United States has a history that we should be extraordinarily proud of. We have a constitution which is the envy of the world. We are a nation made up of immigrants, people from all over the world who bring so much to our country.

"But what I would also tell Astor is that today our country faces very, very serious problems in terms of a declining middle class, income and wealth inequality, climate change, and many other issues. And that if we are going to be successful as a nation, we can’t allow ourselves to be divided up. We’ve got to come together to create in this nation-- the wealthiest in the history of the world-- a country that works for all people, not just the few on the top."

Bernie to the architect of America's catastrophic, Ayn Randian economic agenda (under Reagan, Bush I, Clinton and Bush II), Alan Greenspan: "Come with me to Vermont. Meet real people. The country clubs and the cocktail parties are not real America. The millionaires and the billionaires are the exception to the rule."

The Last Word on Baltimore: It's Up to the State to Stand Down

The world, as the very very rich are making it

by Gaius Publius

I've been listening for days and days about how bad are those bad people in Baltimore, breaking windows and such. And listening to the media give honoring hours and hours to the calls for peaceful protest.

And through my head runs the one message this intends — Violence belongs only to the State.

Here's the terrific writer Ta-Nehisi Coates with the last word on Baltimore:

Nonviolence as Compliance

Officials calling for calm can offer no rational justification for Gray's death, and so they appeal for order.

Rioting broke out on Monday in Baltimore—an angry response to the death of Freddie Gray, a death my native city seems powerless to explain. Gray did not die mysteriously in some back alley but in the custody of the city's publicly appointed guardians of order. And yet the mayor of that city and the commissioner of that city's police still have no idea what happened. ...

And then he writes this indictment:

When nonviolence is preached as an attempt to evade the repercussions of political brutality, it betrays itself. When nonviolence begins halfway through the war with the aggressor calling time out, it exposes itself as a ruse. When nonviolence is preached by the representatives of the state, while the state doles out heaps of violence to its citizens, it reveals itself to be a con. And none of this can mean that rioting or violence is "correct" or "wise," any more than a forest fire can be "correct" or "wise." Wisdom isn't the point tonight. Disrespect is. In this case, disrespect for the hollow law and failed order that so regularly disrespects the community. 

Consider just two of the first three sentences above:

When nonviolence begins halfway through the war with the aggressor calling time out, it exposes itself as a ruse.

When nonviolence is preached by the representatives of the state, while the state doles out heaps of violence to its citizens, it reveals itself to be a con.

Isn't it obvious that this is what's going on? That the violent State is calling "time out" when it starts getting its own back? And isn't it obvious that the media, almost all of it, is complicit in the "con" that Coates eloquently calls out?

When the Social Contract Breaks from Above, It Breaks from Below As Well

I've said this too many times, and I think I will be saying it until the whole thing comes apart. It's up to the rich to stand down. It's up to police to stand down. It's up to the predators to stop feeding on us, eating our money, our labor — and in the case of the torturers in our "security" community — our pain, which they give us to please themselves.

If the rich are determined to extract the last drop of blood (I'm looking at you, TPP, and your presidential enabler), expect the victims to put up a fuss. And don't expect that fuss to be pretty.

Response to the broken Social Contract isn't pretty, and it isn't race-specific

I'm not arguing for social war; I'm arguing for justice and peace.

But if our owners, the very very rich, and their enforcers the police, don't stand down, we may have neither. This outcome, if it comes, is one we will all regret. It took France 100 years to recover from this:



Do we have that long? Do they?

GP