Lots Of Retirements By Incumbents Always Precede A Political Tsunami-- Most Recent: Charlie Dent

Leading his party to doom and destruction

Before you get a political tsunami that wipes out your party, you get ripples-- entrenched swing state incumbents in the tough seats start announcing their retirements. This year the first to throw in the towel was Ileana Ros Lehtinen-- first elected in 1989 and never seriously challenged in an increasingly blue district because her crony Debbie WassermanSchultz always protected her. The 2006 Almanac of American Politics listed her South Florida district's PVI at R+4. She had drawn the boundaries herself in the state Senate. A decade later, the 2016 Almanac of American Politics rated the same district-- no longer FL-18, but FL-27-- as a PVI R+2. McCain had beaten Obama there 51-49% in 2008 but Obama turned it around in 2012 and won the district 53-47%. Last year Hillary eviscerated Trump there-- 58.5% to 38.9%, Hillary's best performance in a Republican-Held congressional district anywhere in the country. That and Wasserman Schultz's loss of power within the Democratic Party was the writing on the wall for Ros-Lehtinen. When the new PVI for the district came out-- D+5 (an unprecedented swing)-- she announced her impending retirement. The DCCC has never fought an election there are has no idea how to win the district, so in a non-tsunami year, the GOP would have a chance to hold the district. But in 2018? Not even DCCC bumbling will save this seat for them.

Ros Lehtinen is a mainstream conservative and she was just the first of her breed to face the bitter reality. Next came Dave Reichert in WA-08, most of whose voters live in the suburbs of Seattle and Tacoma. Reichert was first elected in 2004, the same year Kerry beat Bush in the district 51-48%. 4 years earlier, Gore had beaten Bush there 49-47%. The PVI in the 2006 Almanac of American Politics listed WA-08 as D+2. Reichert proved popular and he hung on as Obama beat McCain 51-47% and then beat Romney 50-48%. Last year, Hillary beat Trump 47.7% to 44.7%, though the district had been slightly rejiggered and was sporting an R+1 PVI. The new PVI, though, is an ominous "EVEN." Reichert was considered fairly safe but in a tsunami year... the calculations for that Beltway safety are mostly moot. The Democrats will have more than half a dozen candidates vying for the nomination in the jungle primary. The district is no slam dunk for an incompetent and bumbling DCCC but if a good candidate emerges in this district that went overwhelmingly for Bernie, we should see a flip blue there.

And then Thursday, came the third mainstreamer calling it quits: Charlie Dent. His Lehigh Valley district-- including both Bethlehem and Allentown-- had a PVI of D+2 right after he was elected in 2004. Both Gore and Kerry had won the district, albeit very narrowly and by 2014 the PVI had slipped to R+2. Obama still managed to bet McCain, 52-47%, but in 2012, Romney took the district 51-48%. Hillary expected to win but she came nowhere near Obama's numbers and Trump out-performed Romney. Trump won 51.8% to 44.2%. In 2014 the Democrats didn't even bother running a candidate against Dent and in 2016 the DCCC ignored Rick Daugherty's challenge entirely. He spent $21,560 against Dent's $1,746,125. That's how the DCCC was looking at the "swingyness" of PA-15. In any but a wave election, the district would have to be seen as having swung too far into red territory for the DCCC to handle. The PVI is now R+4.

There are 5 counties that make up PA-15-- Leigh, Northampton, Lebanon, Dauphin and Berks. It wasn't Bernie country. Hillary and Trump dominated the primaries and in the general Trump was viewed as the lesser evil. Democrats can't count on this one for a flip but with Dent out of the picture they have at least a theoretical shot at it.

Far right-wing nut and Trumpist, state Rep. Justin Simmons had already thrown his MAGA hate into the primary ring earlier in the week with this anti-Dent ad:



Dent was the chairman of the centrist Tuesday Group. His formal retirement announcement will come tomorrow in Allentown.

In a district that has become more Republican-leaning during his tenure but still is viewed as a potential swing seat, Dent has drawn a reputation as someone liked by both sides of the aisle. In his general elections, he’s been bolstered by support from Democrats and independents.

His decision Thursday drew reactions of shock and expressions of praise from both Democrats and Republicans, many of whom caused his phone to continually buzz with text messages and calls as the congressman headed to a round of evening House votes.

Bethlehem Mayor Robert Donchez described Dent as a good congressman who works across the aisle and served the Lehigh Valley well.

“I may not have always agreed with him on every issue, but he was accessible and worked really hard,” said Donchez, a Democrat.

State Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, who represents the district that Dent held during his tenure in the state Senate, said he was caught off guard by Dent's decision. He has known Dent since childhood, and described him as someone unlikely to be frightened by a primary challenger.

"I can say unequivocally, with 100 percent certainty, that's not the case," Browne said. "I know Charlie. It would not be because of a campaign by Justin Simmons."

Dent said that with his exit, he expects “serious, credible Republican candidates” to announce campaign bids for what he expects will be a competitive race.

National Democrats said they’re aiming to take advantage of the opportunity. Evan Lukaske, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said they “are confident that a strong candidate will step up to run and represent the people of the 15th Congressional District in November.”

While Dent may be leaving his post after next year’s election, the outspoken legislator doesn’t sound like he’ll be quieting down after that. He said he hasn’t given much thought yet to his exact plans for his next phase, but said he wants to remain part of discussions on where his party is headed.

“I think we need to bring a stronger voice to the sensible center, of not only our party but of the country,” Dent said. “Both political parties are in a pretty bad place right now and I want to be part of that conversation but maybe from a different seat, from the outside.”

You'll know the Republican mainstreamers see the congressional party really collapsing when we see retirement announcements from folks like Erik Paulsen (MN), Fred Upton (MI), Leonard Lance (NJ), Bruce Poliquin (ME), John Katko (NY), Jeff Denham (CA), Lee Zeldin (NY), Mike Simpson (ID), Martha McSally (AZ), Dan Newhouse (WA), David Valadao (CA), Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ), John Faso (NY), Mario Diaz-Balart (FL), Frank LoBiondo (NJ), Ryan Costello (PA), Adam Kinzinger (IL), Tom Reed (NY), Paul Cook (CA), Dan Donovan (NY), Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA), David Joyce (OH), Pat Meehan (PA), Mike Turner (OH), Peter King (NY), Tim Murphy (PA)... That would signal a real realignment in Congress-- mainstream versus neo-Nazis. Could happen; but still way to early to predict any of these members are seriously considering retirement.

Josh Kraushaar wrote something smart for the National Journal yesterday about the retiring Republicans. "The decisions to step down by Reps. Dave Reichert of Washington and Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania expanded an already-growing map of vulnerable GOP seats next year. Neither seat was on The Cook Political Report’s list of most competitive races, given the incumbents’ impressive track records back home. Dent’s retirement turned his seat from a near-Republican lock to one that 'will be in the thick of the battle for control of the House,' as The Cook Political Report’s Dave Wasserman wrote. With Reichert’s departure, his district shifted from solidly Republican to pure toss-up. Such drastic shifts don’t happen often... Trump’s scattershot approach to governing-- not to mention his historically low approval ratings-- has driven these rank-and-file Republicans to depart. In a statement announcing his decision, Dent referred himself as part of the 'governing wing' in Washington and took a swipe at 'outside influences that profit from increased polarization.' One of Reichert’s last comments before retiring was decrying Trump’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals decision as 'not in the American DNA.' Since retiring, Ros-Lehtinen has loudly slammed President Trump for his record on gay rights, race relations, and treatment of immigrants."

“Trump is fracturing the party to the point where the risk of wholesale retirements and resignations will be high from mainstream lawmakers who came to Washington to do business,” said one senior GOP strategist. “The people who got into public service because they had a successful life, wanted to have rational conversations with rational people on a regular basis, and are now finding the idea of coddling activists around Trump’s daily Twitter habits not very appealing.” Already, Republicans are bracing for additional pivotal retirements. The GOP watch list includes two swing-district members from Michigan: Reps. Fred Upton, the former chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Dave Trott, a junior lawmaker from suburban Detroit. Trump carried both their districts, but these R+4 seats (according to the Cook Report’s Political Voting Index) would be vulnerable in a Democratic wave.

With every Republican retirement from a competitive district, the GOP math of holding its House majority becomes increasingly difficult. Retirements both serve as a signal that the political environment is bad, while also opening up opportunities for the opposition that hadn’t existed before. Name-brand members of Congress can win under tough circumstances, but it’s exceptionally difficult for lesser-known recruits-- even the most talented among them-- to run against punishing political headwinds.

But the issue of whether Republicans can maintain power in 2018 feels secondary to the more consequential long-term development-- that the ideological disposition of elected Republicans is changing before our very eyes. Most of the Republicans who are leaving politics feel like throwbacks to a bygone era-- more serious about governing than showboating. Meanwhile, the next generation of Republican candidates are more likely to be running in the image of Trump-- substance-free, needlessly confrontational, and playing to a hardcore base. When Trump loyalists characterize House Speaker Paul Ryan as a squishy RINO, it’s clear that antiestablishment forces care more for revolutionary zeal than party affiliation.

It’s no secret why Republican leaders have been working tirelessly for years to prevent such candidates from emerging in primaries. But with a president egging on nihilistic elements, it’s becoming a thankless undertaking. If the pace of congressional retirements accelerates, it’s not just the House majority that will be at risk. It’s the future of the Republican Party.

Future MSNBC contributor and Trump critic

Dave Reichert Announces Retirement, Throwing WA-08 Into The List Of Most Competitive Seats

Probably the single best indicator that a swing district is about the flip is when the incumbent suddenly announces retirement. Yesterday, the Republican incumbent in Washington's most swingy district-- Dave Reichert in WA-08-- announced he's leaving Congress at the end of 2018. The district was always sketchy for him and he's had some close calls but the GOPO was able to redraw a slightly safer seat for him with a PVI of R+1. This year, demographic and other changes saw the PVI slip to EVEN. Obama won the district 51-47% in 2008 and 50-48% in 2012. Last year, even as awful a candidate as Hillary was able to win there, although that was really due more to Trump underperforming Romney than anything she did. In fact, she did worse than Obama had in the district, winning it 47.7% to 44.7%-- two really crappy candidates. Bernie absolutely eviscerated Hillary in the caucuses. These were the Bernie-Hillary scores in the 5 counties (in order of how many votes they provide in WA-08 elections) all of which or part of which make up WA-09:

• King Co.- Bernie- 67.3%, Hillary- 32.6%
• Pierce Co.- Bernie- 73.3%, Hillary- 26.5%
• Chelan Co.- Bernie- 71.7%, Hillary- 28.3%
• Kititas Co.- Bernie- 77.4%, Hillary- 22.6%
• Douglas Co,- Bernie- 73.3%, Hillary- 26.7%

The right kind of Democrat-- so, obviously, not a typical DCCC corporate whore-- will easily replace Reichert, although you can expect the DCCC to move into high gear to find exactly the wrong kind of candidate to run. Both Cook and Sabato moved WA-08 from "likely Republican" to "toss up," although Roll Call claims that the district now tilts blue. Just a few days ago, the Seattle Times had reported that 6 Democrats had already decided to compete for the nomination to challenge Reichert: Kim Schrier, a pediatrician from Sammamish; Jason Rittereiser, a 33 year old attorney and former King County deputy prosecutor originally from Ellensburg and now living in Issaquah; Toby Whitney, an Amazon executive who previously worked in DC for former Seattle progressive icon Jim McDermott; Mona Das, a progressive Indian immigrant who lives in Covington; Tola Marts, an Issaquah City Council member; and Tom Cramer, who primaried conservaDem Adam Smith in a neighboring district in 2012.

Reichert was a mainstream conservative and isn't comfortable with the neo-Nazi direction Trump has been dragging the party. Chances are good that a Trumpist will want to run on the Republican side and I'd bet that there will be more than one Republican candidate. Reichert was one of the 20 Republicans who voted against TrumpCare in the House-- although he took a lot of heat for supporting it in the House Ways and Means Committee before flip-flopping.

Washington is a top 2 jungle primary state and it wouldn't be unprecedented for a gaggle of Democrats to split up the vote so badly that 2 Republicans face off in the general election. Washington Democrats did it recently with a statewide race and, of course, the DCCC is expert at engineering such outcomes in their dogged pursuit of execrable conservative candidates.

Protecting American Children From Trump And Bannon

When Blue America first endorsed Pramila Jayapal, becoming the first group outside of Seattle to do so, we talked about her record in the state legislature of working across the aisle. not by sucking up to Republicans and signing on to their toxic agenda the way the New Dems and Blue Dogs do, but by bringing mainstream Republicans along to work on issues where American values outweigh crazy right-wing partisanship and ideology. So... it should come as no surprise that she and another Washington state Congressmember, Republican Dave Reichert, have co-sponsored a bill to protect children from Trump and Bannon's malevolent deportation agenda.

H.R. 496, the Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream and Grow our Economy (BRIDGE) Act, will allow individuals who meet the standards of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to remain in the United States without fear of deportation. This protected status lasts for a period of three years while Congress and the administration update U.S. immigration laws. Additionally, an applicant may not be removed from the U.S. while his or her application for protected status is pending if the applicant meets the necessary requirements.

It's a safe bet that Pramila will be able to deliver every Democrat in Congress-- with the possible exception of a small handful of bigoted Blue Dog fanatics like Collin Peterson and Josh Gottheimer-- when the bill comes up. But can Reichert bring enough of his fellow Republicans along to pass it? That's going to be a tough call. In January 2015, far right racist and crackpot Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) brought up a deportation amendment to throw children who had grown up in America out of the country. It was never enacted into law, of course, but it passed 218-209. Reichert and 25 other Republicans joined all the Democrats to oppose it. Republicans standing up to Blackburn's vicious bigotry were several with large Hispanic populations in their districts like Mario Diaz-Balart (FL), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL), Carlos Curbelo (FL), Jeff Denham (CA), David Valadao (CA), Devin Nunes (CA), Mike Coffman (CO), Peter King (NY), Cresent Hardy NV), Mark Amodei (NV), Joe Heck (NV) and Martha McSally (AZ), plus a few of the less extreme Republicans like Reichert-- Richard Hanna (NY), John Katko (NY), Chris Gibson (NY), Charlie Dent (PA), Ryan Costello (PA), Patrick Meehan (PA), Robert Dold (IL), Adam Kinzinger (IL), Fred Upton (MI), Renee Ellmers (NC), Frank LoBiondo (NJ), Tom MacArthur (NJ) and Christopher Smith (NJ). Reacher's problem is that 6 of these 26 Republicans willing to stand up to the radicals who control their party are no longer in Congress.

"We can and should." Reichert said to his GOP colleagues, "defend the children who were brought to our nation many years ago outside of their own control. This is their country and their home. I am proud to support these children by cosponsoring legislation to allow these individuals who are our neighbors, loved ones, colleagues and productive members of our communities to remain and work in America while we continue working toward a long-term immigration solution. Our immigration system must be fair, effective, and compassionate toward the many families and individuals seeking to live the American dream and contribute to our communities."

This is a battle Pramila has been engaged in for many years before she ever thought about running for Congress. "It’s our moral responsibility to protect children who were brought here years ago through no fault of their own," she explained. "Not only because they are our friends, neighbors and loved ones, but because it’s right thing to do. We are the land of opportunity that welcomes anyone seeking a better life and access to the American dream. Our inhumane immigration system goes against our values. We need to work together to solve this crisis. This is an important first step toward protecting these young people from deportation. I will continue to advocate for a permanent solution not only for these children, but also their families."

By the way, Blue America has endorsed only 6 House incumbents so far this cycle-- Pramila Jayapal being one of them. Please consider contributing to her reelection campaign by clicking on the ActBlue thermometer below:

Flipping A District In The Great Northwest: WA-08

This week we were delighted to hear that two truly awful Republican congressmen-- John Kline in Minnesota and Dave Reichert in Washington-- are stepping down. Kline made it final; he's going for sure, which must be a great relief to America's students (and their parents). Reichert, bored with Congress, is still mulling a run for his state's governor's mansion, which polling indicates he'll lose anyway.

Blue America hadn't made a decision to back a candidate in MN-02 yet, although Angie Craig looks like a good replacement for Kline. It's much easier for us in WA-08, where we already have a great, well-vetted candidate in Jason Ritchie.

Washington's 8th Congressional District is the only CD in Washington that is considered flippable. It is the only district in the state-- and one of only 17 nationwide-- that President Obama carried in 2012 but has a sitting Republican congressman, Reichert. If, as is likely, he does leave this seat open, it must be turned blue for Democrats to reclaim a majority in the House of Representatives in 2016. And not just blue, but progressive.

The DCCC hasn't recruited a conservative to run against Jason in a primary-- having looked and failed. But keep in mind, the Republicans aren't giving the district up without a fight. Reichert tried portraying himself as relatively "mainstream" or even "moderate." (He wasn't.) It's likely that whoever the GOP tries replacing him with won't even try. Privatizing Social Security and cutting back on Medicare are as high on the Republican agenda as rounding up millions of undocumented immigrants and shipping them to Mexico. That's a very different agenda from the one Jason is fighting for.

After Reichert's announcement last week that he's looking closely at the gubernatorial race, Jason told us that he's

seeking this seat in 2016, as I did in 2014, as a strong, progressive Democrat who believes that Social Security, Medicare and Disability are not entitlements; they are earned benefits. I will oppose any Republican efforts to degrade, defund, privatize or otherwise take away our earned benefits.

Across the board, Jason is a stalwart Blue America-backed candidate with values and principles that support working families and not wealthy special interests. 

I strongly support and believe in women's health care choices, and I will oppose any Republican effort to limit access to these health care choices, including any efforts to cut funding to essential access points such as Planned Parenthood.

I own and operate a small construction business building wheelchair ramps and installing grab bars for seniors and people with physical challenges. I know that middle class, living wage jobs are the lifeblood of our economy. I know that economic inequality and lack of opportunity are the largest threats to our democracy and our economy. I will fight to create strong, middle class, living wage jobs in our communities by investing into our infrastructure.

I need your support to fight those Republicans who think they can keep this seat red. I need your help to make the case to the voters of the 8th CD that this race is not only winnable, it is essential that we win this seat in 2016.

This is a seat Jason can win-- with our help. He's not a wealthy man, and the DCCC hasn't given him any help at all, although they haven't been sabotaging him this cycle either. I suspect that if he can raise some money this quarter, they may actually even get behind his campaign. If you can afford to, please consider making a contribution here. Washington deserves an upgrade after 12 years of Reichert! We all do.

Replacing Dave Reichert In Washington State With A Bold Progressive, Jason Ritchie

Blue America’s last endorsement of the 2014 cycle was Jason Ritchie, the candidate running for the Blue-leaning Washington State seat currently held by conservative Republican Dave Reichert, in a district that stretches from the suburbs south and east of Seattle all the way out to Wenatchee and Ellensburg. At the time, Ritchie vowed he word make a concerted effort to win the seat over at least two cycles. "I'll be back in 2016," he said, "and we're building the infrastructure, identifying the voters, and organizing to win now and in the future." This year Jason was Blue America's first endorsement.

We’re asking you, again, to consider chipping in whatever you can to help Jason, a stalwart progressive. Reichert remains a GOP hack, continuing to vote like a zombie-- backing the Tea Party in their demands to shut down funding for the Department of Homeland Security to obstruct immigration reform, shutting down the government in 2013, suing President Obama and supporting nearly 60 votes cast to gut the Affordable Care Act. Reichert, who may declare his candidacy for governor this year, has a clear record as a cog in the Republican Party obstructionist machine.

Jason’s platform continues to be advocacy on behalf of students in his support of America’s College Promise and reforming the student-loan debt machine. He is speaking out on the dangers of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and urging his supporters to pay attention to the details of the proposal. He says:

The challenges of climate change, wage stagnation, income inequality and social injustice will not simply resolve themselves. It’s up to us as progressives to demand change and fight for a more fair future for our country. We must stand up against those who would seek to allow corporate control over our economy and our political system to drive us further into oligarchy.

Jason told us: "The first duty of a progressive is to counter corporate influence and Big Business's corrosive impact on our communities and middle class."

This is the fight that I am committed to in 8th Congressional District of Washington State... I believe in fighting for middle class, family wage jobs. I strongly support the Affordable Care Act, I believe earned benefits like Social Security and disability must be protected and I strongly support women's health care choices. Our social safety net must not be weakened, it must be reinforced.

The 8th Congressional District is one of 17 districts nationwide that was won by President Obama in 2012 but has a Republican representative. This district is a winnable, progressive district that we must turn blue if we are going to turn the House back to our side. Inexplicably, the DCCC has abandoned the district entirely, although they have indicated that if Reichert declares he's running for governor, they will have one of their conservatives to primary Jason. So far, though, Jason has an open shot for this race.

His campaign is already underway.

We have phone banks set up across the 8th Congressional District. We are identifying voters, growing our volunteer base and registering new voters every day.

Jason was a leader of the movement against the TPP in Washington, a state very divided over the trade pact, and he was willing to stand up against corporate Dems. Almost all Dems in Washington, though-- as well as plenty of Republicans and independents-- agree on one issue: the need for environmental protections. "The 8th Congressional District," he wrote, "is home to some of the most beautiful land in the world."

From Snoqualmie Pass to Mount Rainier, we have an obligation to nurture and protect our environment especially from the dangers of global climate change. The Mountains to Sound Greenway runs through the heart of the 8th Congressional District and is our responsibility to maintain and preserve. It is an essential part of our commitment to the environment and our promise to future generations. Maintaining this treasure to the region must be our shared goal.

Protecting local wilderness areas is just one part of defending our environment. As many members of the Republican Party continue to deny the existence of climate change, our planet comes closer and closer to the brink of ecological disaster. According to the EPA, rising temperatures are already affecting our local snowpack, stream flows, and forest cover, and we can expect worsening conditions if current trends are allowed to continue. The snowpack that our Cascades store every winter is expected to dwindle, threatening our agriculture, wildlife, and drinking water supply. Increased drought brings increasingly severe summer wildfires, and our already struggling salmon populations wouldn’t be able to survive in their remaining habitats. Pest and weed control are forecasted to become huge problems as well, which spells trouble for our local farmers. Climate change has far-reaching global consequences, and the potential damage to be inflicted on our own communities in particular motivates me to take action.

This flies right in the face of the virulent anti-environmental approach that Dave Reichert, a climate change denier, has taken. Please consider helping Jason replace Reichert and bring another strong progressive voice to the House of Representatives.

One gone; one to go

Legalization Of Medical Marijuana Is Inevitable-- But There Is Still Money To Be Made By Politicians Opposing It

When Congress legalizes medical marijuana-- and that's coming-- dozens and dozens of ineffective, highly toxic prescription drugs, many with ghastly side effects, will cease providing bounties to the industrial drug makers that manufacture and market them. These pharmaceutical conglomerates have appealed-- so far successfully-- to Congress to at least wait for them to make some minor, inconsequential change to marijuana before they legalize it. That way they can patent and sell some iteration of marijuana as if they invented it.

Several Members of Congress have been working hard to legalize medical marijuana. Jared Polis (D-CO), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CO) and Ted Lieu (D-CA) have been in the forefront this year. Rohrabacher's legislation to prevent the federal government from using funds to come between a doctor prescribing marijuana and his patient passed 242-186 on May 30. Rohrabacher managed to round up 67 Republicans to join 175 Democrats (all but 10) to pass the legislation. So who opposed it?

Who would be against medical professionals prescribing a harmless, natural drug-- in use for thousands of years-- to suffering patients? Well, in short, uptight assholes unaware that the world has moved on since the days of Reefer Madness and, of course, Members of Congress who are paid off by Big Pharma. Since 1990 Big Pharma has spent over $166 million bribing federal candidates. The dozen current Members of the House who took in the most are:

• Anna Eshoo (D-CA)- $1,267,371- supports
• Fred Upton (R-MI)- $1,145,306- supports
• John Boehner (R-OH)- $1,056,680- opposes
• Joe Barton (R-TX)- $923,688- opposes
• Frank Pallone (D-NJ)- $864,529- supports
• Steny Hoyer (D-MD)- $780,772- supports
• Michael Burgess (R-TX)- $652,174- opposes
• Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ)- $639,843- opposes
• John Shimkus (R-IL)- $639,143- opposes
• Joe Pitts (R-PA)- $634,002- opposes
• Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)- $629,900- opposes
• James Clyburn (D-SC)- $616,881- supports

I haven't run into a Democratic congressional challenger this year who doesn't support legalization. All the Blue America-endorsed candidates, of course, back legalization. For example, the Blue America candidate in WA-08, a suburban and exurban district east of Seattle, Jason Ritchie, has been an outspoken proponent of legalization-- as have the voters in his district, which voted for it as a ballot initiative. The current congressman, Dave Reichert, doesn't care. He keeps voting NO to every legalization proposal that comes before Congress.

"In 1998 the people of my State of Washington voted to become one of the first states to legalize medical marijuana," said Ritchie after Reichert's most recent betrayal.

In 2012, they again set a precedent by voting overwhelmingly to legalize marijuana commercial sales. Our State Legislature responded and set up a reasonable regulatory and tax structure. This has happened without incident, except for intransigent Republicans like Rep. Dave Reichert who continue to insist their values should supersede the will of the people. His arrogant and baseless opposition only serves to marginalize him from the people he purports to represent. I strongly support marijuana legalization in Washington State and look forward to ending mass incarcerations for non-violent drug possession.

Jason can use some help in his uphill race to replace Reichert, who has taken $216,917 from Big Pharma since he was first elected. If you'd like to lend him some support, you can do it here.

Who Is Jason Ritchie And Why Is He Running Against Dave Reichert In WA-08?

If you've been following Jason Ritchie's twitter feed, you're following the most active struggle against Fast Track in the state of Washington, Fast Track that sacrifices $700 million in Medicare to grease the skids and Fast Track that is being pushed by Republican incumbent Dave Reichert. Obama won WA-08 both times, by almost 15,000 against McCain and by close to 5,000 against Romney. Both of Washington’s Democratic senators, Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, also won WA-08. The district's voters gave majorities to marijuana legalization, to marriage equality, and to a proposition requiring gun registration-- each of which Reichert aggressively opposes.

Reichert tries to paint himself with the smiley face of a moderate while voting in lockstep on the important issues with the Republican extremists in Congress. He opposes increasing the minimum wage, for example, another issue on which he and Jason fundamentally disagree. "Critics of raising the national minimum wage," wrote Jason, "claim that it would harm small businesses and in fact slow job growth. The reality is that the opposite is true. Raising the minimum wage to $10.10-- in addition to allowing for cost-of-living adjustments-- would help create the jobs that America needs, that Washington needs, and most importantly, that the 8th District needs. The economy is not going to recover on its own. However, by raising the minimum wage we can encourage reinvestment in small businesses and local spending. By raising the minimum wage, we can ensure that people will be able to feel comfortable with the job that they have. I have seen the effects that a subpar wage can do to those who are unable to 'pull themselves up by their bootstraps.' We need to support our lowest-paid citizens and our small businesses by raising the federal minimum wage. We can create this kind of change if we elect the right kind of people-- those that represent the interests of the constituents." Jason:

Creating, sustaining and cultivating an economy that generates stable middle class jobs in the district, with benefits and a living wage that can support a family, should be the goal of our government: federal, state and local. Creating middle class jobs in the district is not a one-sided proposition; it cannot be done well by government or business acting alone. We need partnerships between government and business that maximize resources and share risks.

Middle class jobs are those that require skilled trades and long-term commitments. We need a trained workforce and continuing education for that workforce. We must stand up against efforts to send middle class jobs overseas and any effort to grind down wages to unlivable standards. Our community needs service providers, master plumbers and electricians, teachers and artisans working in manufacturing, all working and living in our community. We need small businesses to take risks, expending capital, inspiring ingenuity and invention. We need federally backed loans, deregulation and tax-friendly environments. We need to cultivate an economy that will support our local businesses, where local dollars are spent in local stores on locally made goods and services.

As your Congressman, I will fight for middle class jobs. I will work to create a climate where businesses and government are working together to create the kind of jobs that can support a family, grow our community and endure.

Reichert opposes equal pay for equal work for women, opposes equality under the law for the LGBT community and is no friend of this country's social safety net, Medicare and Social Security. Jason's positions contrast directly with Reichert's pathetic voting record.

Social Security is one of the most successful government programs and has proven integral to our society. Today, Social Security keeps more than a third of our senior citizens out of poverty. Nearly 65 million Americans depend on this great program, and we must work together not only to keep their benefits intact, but also for the prosperity of our children and future generations.

However, Social Security is not sustainable under current policies. Social Security is rapidly withdrawing from its trust fund, and, at current rates, will run out in 2035. As such, we need legislators who are willing to stand up and propose common sense solutions. Social Security is a problem we can solve; we just need leaders who will act. Dave Reichert has shown he is not one of those leaders. During his 10 years in Congress, Dave Reichert has not only failed to bring about legislation to remedy the upcoming Social Security deficit, but hasn’t even taken a stance on the issue. We must remove these “do nothing” politicians from Congress, who place partisan politics over the well being of all Americans.

As your Congressman, I will sponsor balanced legislation that will allow Social Security to help citizens for generations to come. One key provision will be to raise the maximum taxable earnings level, as wages over $117,000 are not currently subject to Social Security contributions. This means America’s richest are paying a lower percentage than the rest of the country. Allowing up to the 90th percentile of wages to be covered by the Social Security tax, which was part of bi-partisan legislation passed under Ronald Reagan, would fix over 36% of the projected Social Security gap. Fair and proven solutions such as this would play a major role in maintaining Social Security benefits for all Americans.

Jason was one of the first candidates Blue America endorsed for the 2016 cycle. This is the year the Democrats can win in WA-08, and Jason is the candidate who can do it. If you'd like to help him replace Reichert, please consider contributing to his campaign here.

Senator Sherrod Brown And Congressman Alan Grayson On "So-Called" Free Trade

Brown has been fighting against the job-killing corporate trade agenda since long before he was ever elected to the Senate. He was the primary champion of the battle against these unfair trade bills in the House-- just as Grayson is today. Last week, Brown did an OpEd for the Jackson County Times-Journal about the dangers of fast-tracking the TPP.

Folks in Washington like to make big promises when it comes to our trade deals. But for too long, we’ve seen nothing but bad results.

We’ve seen what so-called free trade agreements have done to our workers and our communities over the past two decades. We’ve seen the factories close and the stores get boarded up. That’s why I voted against giving the president authority to rush through a huge new trade agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership. And it’s why I’ll continue to fight for a level playing field for American workers and American businesses.

It’s true that trade deals have created jobs, and that the TPP could as well. But this ignores the millions more jobs that have been lost because of unfair trade deals.

I like to look at things in baseball terms. Lauding gains from exports while ignoring a flood of imports – and skyrocketing trade deficits-- is like reporting half of the score of a baseball game. The Cleveland Indians scoring three runs doesn’t help the team much if the Yankees scored six runs.

We know that past trade deals have replaced manufacturing jobs-- with good pay and good benefits-- with low-wage service sector jobs. We can’t let that happen again.

And we also know that we make deals with countries that don’t play by the same rules we do-- they have lax labor and environmental standards, and what international rules they do have to follow too often get ignored.

That’s why we can’t have trade promotion without trade enforcement.

Instead of rushing a bill through last month, the Senate should have taken the time to get this right and to include my important amendments that protect Ohio workers and manufacturers. I fought for provisions that would guarantee a level playing field for our workers and companies by cracking down on countries who manipulate their currencies, and that would give American businesses new tools to fight back against illegal foreign imports.

I also fought to make sure China isn’t able to sneak into this trade pact at a later date, without any oversight or Congressional approval.

I’m going to continue fighting to get these important protections to the president’s desk. This massive agreement could affect forty percent of the global economy-- it is too important to rush it through.

We know that trade done right can create prosperity. I want trade that lifts up Ohio’s middle class families and that creates good-paying jobs-- not trade that leads to more shuttered plants and shattered communities. That can only happen when the rules aren’t rigged and we have a level playing field.

Unfortunately, with the TPP we know which kind of trade we’re getting-- the kind the results in corporate handouts and worker sellouts.

No wonder Brown's approval rating is through the roof among Ohio voters, while the state's other senator, "Free" Trade architect Rob Portman, is sinking into nothing! Today Grayson sent his supporters an e-mail asking them to call some of his Democratic colleagues he fears may be leaning towards voting for Fast Track:

"Our trade debt," he wrote, "stands at eleven trillion dollars ($11,000,000,000,000.00). That's more than $35,000 for every human being in America-- including you. 'Fast Track' would pave the way for new trade bills that would increase that. How are we ever going to pay that money back?... Fast Track unconstitutionally restricts Congress from holding hearings, conducting investigations, debating a bill and offering amendments-- basically, its job. In fact, it could restrict each House Member to only 83 seconds of debate.

Grayson was blocked by Republicans who control the Rules Committee from submitting a series of amendments to the 3 trade acts the Senate already passed and that the House is taking up now. "The rubber-stamping of these acts," wrote Grayson, "is an abrogation of duty by the House of Representatives. I introduced 30 amendments that would protect our economy, our workers, the environment, and the rights of workers in our trading nation; along with establishing criteria that guarantees any trade deal we enter into would improve our economy. The Rules Committee did not consider any one of them before calling for a vote on these acts. This is another example, like the 'Fast Track' trade authority we will vote on Friday, of trade deals being created in secrecy with no input from those of us where were elected to represent the people of our districts. These deals have repeatedly hurt the US economy, especially workers, and cost us millions of jobs. My amendments required that all deals entered into by the US Trade Representative":

•         Lower the US trade deficit
•         Keep the trade deficit under $100 billion
•         Be withdrawn from if the trade deficit rises above $100 billion
•         Decrease unemployment
•         Have partners with a minimum wage as high as the US
•         Have partners with environmental standards equal to the US
•         Have partners with safety standards equal to the US
•         Have partners with consumer protection standards equal to the US
•         Have partners with established pension programs
•         Ensure that US citizens can appeal from foreign “trade courts” to US Supreme Court as the last resort
•         Automatically expire in no more than 5 years
•         Cannot include any provision prohibiting the US Congress from passing a law requiring products bought by US government to be made in US
•         Have partners with intellectual property protection as strong as the US
•         Have no partners who collect private electronic data on citizens in violation of its own constitution
•         Must clearly explain the projected trade benefits; if these benefits are not met within three years then the deal is withdrawn
•         Have partners with a democratic form of government
•         Have partners with no active and pervasive internet censorship
•         Have partners with freedom of press the same as the US
•         Have partners who prohibit forced labor
•         Have partners who prohibit child labor
•         Have partners with freedom of religion
•         Have partners with freedom of speech
•         Have partners with freedom of assembly
•         Have partners whose laws offer protection against unreasonable searches and seizures
•         Have partners who allow no seizing of private property without just compensation
•         Have partners who prohibit cruel and unusual punishment
•         Have partners whose laws require equal pay for equal work
•         Have partners who allow the right to form trade unions
•         Have partners who require free compulsory education
•         Include the text of the act guaranteeing the supremacy of US law.

No votes allowed. Whose side are these guys on? Help draft Grayson for the Senate here.

UPDATE: First House TPP Fast Track Vote

Around 5 p.m. this evening, the House voted on the Rules Committee proposal to go forward with the "debate" on Fast Track, which includes the Republican plan to cut Medicare to use the money to help grease the way for TPP. It passed 217-212, 8 Democrats, disgracefully, joining 209 Republicans (so all but 8) to cut Medicare and displace hundreds of thousands of Americans from their jobs. The 8 Democrats:

• Earl Blumenauer (OR)
• Gerry Connolly (New Dem-VA)
• Jim Cooper (Blue Dog-TN)
• Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX)
• John Delaney (New Dem-MD)
• Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX)
• Ron Kind (New Dem-WI)
• Rick Larsen (New Dem-WA)

House Republicans have loaded up the combined trade package with a hodgepodge of right wing wishes and traps-- Medicare cuts, language blocking any help for immigrants in trade deals, language blocking any action on climate in trade deals... No Democrat should even consider voting for this monstrosity. It's more than clear that the Obama-Boehner trade package is now a broad corporate attack on core Democratic values and constituencies. And Democrats who vote for it will not just be vulnerable in primaries on trade and jobs and wages, but on climate, immigration rights, food safety and most of all, on Medicare.

  One of the Republicans happily voting to steal hundreds of millions of dollars from Medicare was Dave Reichert from the suburbs east of Seattle. He always tries to pass himself off as a moderate while voting for the extremist GOP agenda. His progressive opponent, Jason Ritchie, has been working hard to organize against unfair trade legislation. Earlier today, before the vote, Jason told his supporters that "Reichert owes the people of the 8th Congressional district and Washington State an explanation after recently proposing to cut $700 million from Medicare to pay for jobs lost by his failed trade policy. In a trade deal that was negotiated in secret by corporations, and where corporations stand to benefit most, why is it that job losses created by the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) would be paid for by raiding Medicare? Corporations have no right using Medicare funds to hedge their bets and the people of Washington State deserve better than the usual "no response" from Rep. Reichert. Medicare is an earned benefit and is vital to millions of Americans. It should not be used as the personal 'piggybank' for Reichert and the Republican Party. Transnational corporations negotiated the Trans Pacific Partnership in secret-- the same corporations that consider the middle class simply another commodity to be traded. I am pro-trade and pro-transparency and accountability. Demanding transparency and accountability doesn’t make one opposed to trade. It makes one an active participant in our democracy. I oppose the TPP and stand with the middle class, environmental groups, and trade unions over corporations. Let’s work for a trade deal that grows our American middle class, protects our currency, our human rights and environmental standards, and puts family needs above corporate profits."

Early this morning, DFA's Jim Dean said, "Ahead of today's votes we wanted to be very clear to Democratic members of Congress: If you vote for either Medicare-cutting Trade Adjustment Assistance legislation or Fast Track Authority for the job-killing Trans-Pacific Partnership, we will not lift a finger or raise a penny to protect you when you're attacked in 2016, we will encourage our progressive allies to join us in leaving you to rot, and we will actively search for opportunities to primary you with a real Democrat."

If you'd like to help replace Reichert with Jason Ritchie, please consider making a contribution to his grassroots campaign here.

Stealing From Medicare To Pay For TPP-- Unhealthy For Republicans... Deadly For Democrats

The vote of TPP is looming in the House and Obama has Jim Clyburn (D-SC) making all kind of handsome offers to Members of the Congressional Black Caucus to guarantee a big vote score from that circle. You won't find caucus members with integrity, like Barbara Lee and Donna Edwards, playing footsie with Clyburn on this, of course.

Would the Republicans suddenly agree to fund summer jobs over trade? Lord knows the President is great at bargaining in a lopsided fashion (2010 Obama: I’ll give up $4 trillion in tax revenue for one year of unemployment benefits).

Several pro-labor Black Caucus members have already said they will vote NO on the deal. Will the gifts change their mind? A whip count at last votes yielded lots of firm NOs even with the gifts. Stay tuned.

Donna Edwards' reaction was a petition against Fast Track Authority. "Fast Track and TPP just got a whole lot worse," she wrote. "Republicans have added $700 million in cuts to Medicare to pay for the trade adjustment assistance... The more the public learns about the wheeling and dealing done to get Fast Track and the TPP passed the worse it looks. And that doesn’t even include the the awful corporate and special interest giveaways inside the actual trade deal!

And while Donna, the progressive candidate for Maryland's open Senate seat, against a wishy-washy Establishment Democrat who stands for nothing beyond his own careerism, was launching her petition, CREDO was launching a Facebook ad campaign against trade reactionaries Ron Johnson (R-WI), Ron Kind (New Dem-WI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Mark Warner (D-VA) and Ami Bera (D-CA). That ad eviscerates the TPP gang for allowing the Medicare cuts. I'm sure Ron Johnson couldn't care less, but that message is likely to freak out Blumenauer and probably Wyden.



Democrats had insisted on financial aid and training for workers displaced by the job-killing TPP, but Republicans have countered that they would only go along if the money was taken out of Medicare. All the Blue America-endorsed candidates are adamantly opposed to Fast Track, to TPP and to pillaging Medicare. 

Mike Noland is an experienced progressive state legislator from Illinois running for the seat being left open by Tammy Duckworth's Senate campaign. He understands the sleight of hand the Republicans are trying to pull with TPP. "Having served in the Illinois General Assembly for the past eight years now," he just told us, "I know that budget sweeps are among the most undisciplined and unprincipled actions a legislator can take."

Funds earmarked for designated programs must be protected. Medicare is a sacred program that provides millions of seniors with the health care services they need. Demanding that funds for job training come from Medicare is just another example of Tea Party Republicans' attempt to dismantle any form of a social safety net. 

Mike's marijuana legislation passed the Illinois legislature yesterday-- 62-53 in the House and 37-19 in the Senate-- and went to the Governor's desk. Under the bill, possession of small amounts of cannabis-- 15 grams or less-- would be punishable by fines of no more than $125. He said, "There has been much talk this year about criminal justice reform and being smarter on crime,” said Noland.

With this measure the Senate and House take an important step in the right direction. The benefits we will see from this plan are innumerable. Today, we become smarter on enforcement of the law while saving judicial resources... 

Illinois has allowed the use of medical marijuana and we need to become prepared for what happens when people actually abuse that law and start driving under the influence. Now is the perfect time.

Noland's bill establishes a limit for driving while under the influence of cannabis. This limit can be tested through blood or through saliva, making Illinois one of the first states for oral fluid testing of THC.

Dave Reichert Disagrees With WA-08 Voters On Almost Every Substantive Issue

Phony smile on phony politician

There's been a lot of chatter that WA-08 incumbent Dave Reichert would abandon his congressional seat to run for governor against Jay Inslee. Although his name recognition is a healthy 53%, a new poll from PPP shows him scoring only 34% against Inslee's 45%. However, some of the other questions in the poll should give Republicans-- both in Washington and nationally-- more cause for concern. Support for de rigueur Republican positions is crumbling. And the crumbling support isn't just among normal voters; even Republicans are backing away from crackpot GOP positions from past eras.

Over the last couple elections voters in Washington legalized gay marriage and marijuana, and enacted background checks on all gun sales. Our newest poll in the state finds that all three of those new laws are even more popular now after being implemented than they were when voters first approved them.

In 2012 Washingtonians voted to approve gay marriage by 8 points. Now voters in the state say they support gay marriage by 20 points, 56/36. 78% of voters say that its being legal has either had a positive impact on their life or no impact at all, with only 22% claiming gay marriage has affected them negatively. Also 65% of voters in the state think gay conversion therapy should be illegal to only 14% who think it should be allowed. Majorities of voters across party lines-- 78/6 with Democrats, 63/14 with independents, and 51/27 with Republicans- think conversion therapy should not be allowed.

Also in 2012 Washingtonians voted to legalize marijuana usage by 12 points. Now voters in the state say they support marijuana being legal by 19 points, 56/37. 77% of voters say marijuana being legal has either had a positive impact on their life or no impact at all, with likewise only 22% claiming marijuana legalization has affected them negatively.

Just last fall Washingtonians voted to legalize background checks on all gun sales by 18 points. Now voters in the state say they support background checks on all gun sales by 44 points, 68/24. 82% of voters in the state say extended background checks have either had a positive or no impact on their lives, while only 18% claim a negative impact. Even among gun owners 78% grant that extended background checks have had no adverse effect on their lives, and they support the policy 61/31.

Washington voters were on the leading edge of legalizing gay marriage, marijuana, and extended background checks. And since those policies went in effect the verdict has been no big deal, leading to their increasing popularity.

Although the DCCC gives Reichert a free pass to reelection-- which is very strange in a swing district with a PVI of R+1-- the Democratic candidate for the WA-08 seat, Jason Ritchie, is calling Reichert out on how out of touch his voting record in Congress has been with the voters in the district. Last month, when Congress failed to decriminalize medical marijuana by only 3 votes, Reichert was not one of the 35 moderates who crossed the aisle to vote for legalization.

"In 1998 the people of my State of Washington voted to become one of the first states to legalize medical marijuana," said Ritchie after Reichert's betrayal. "In 2012, they again set a precedent by voting overwhelmingly to legalize marijuana commercial sales. Our State Legislature responded and set up a reasonable regulatory and tax structure. This has happened without incident, except for intransigent Republicans like Rep. Dave Reichert who continue to insist their values should supersede the will of the people. His arrogant and baseless opposition only serves to marginalize him from the people he purports to represent. I strongly support marijuana legalization in Washington State and look forward to ending mass incarcerations for non-violent drug possession."

And it isn't just on medical marijuana where Reichert diverges from his own constituents. He has an ugly homophobic voting record-- a 0.0 lifetime crucial vote score! An NRA darling, Reichert also opposes commonsense gun regulations including the background checks that Washington voters passed (and have become increasingly fond of). Reichert also opposes the kind of comprehensive immigration reform that most people in the district support. Washington voters also back raising the minimum wage, which Reichert opposes. These are all issues on which Ritchie is aligned with the voters of WA-08 and on which Reichert is the odd man out. Reichert is also a supporter of unrestricted, unconstitutional surveillance on Americans by the NSA (unwarranted wiretapping and monitoring of emails, texts, etc.).

If you'd like to help replace Reichert with Jason Ritchie, here's the place.

How Much Good Can Medical Marijuana Do Patients?

The year 1970 saw marijuana's exit from my life-- or so I thought. (A little background here.) But because of the pain and side effects from 6 months of chemotherapy, I've started a program of medical marijuana every night before bed. It has allowed me to sleep deeply, to re-regulate my digestive system, to manage the intense pain from neuropathy and to eat again (after I lost 45 pounds really fast). Without sleep and food, you don't heal. 

Now I'm healing. And I'm helping other people who need advice and guidance in the strange twilight world of medical marijuana that our bizarre puritan society still imposes. Orlando Congresssman Alan Grayson is, of course, on the side of the angels and is well aware that marijuana can be "a valid treatment for pain... Opponents of medical marijuana," he says, "live in abject fear that someone, somewhere, might be having a good time."

This week, Time's cover story is titled The Highly Divisive, Curiously Underfunded And Strangely Promising World Of Pot Science, and I'm hoping it helps open up a much-misunderstood, and much-maligned, subject to some public scrutiny and discussion. It shocks me that conservative legislators-- primarily Republicans of course-- could be so tone deaf as to leave elderly constituents suffering, cruelly and unnecessarily, because of some outmoded notions about marijuana and hippies. Republicans have managed to block research on a drug that's offering incredible pain-management advances in states where voters have given up on conservative shitheads who just carry out the wishes of wealthy campaign donors, like Big Pharma in this case.

The most common illicit drug on the planet and one of the fastest-growing industries in America, pot remains-- surprisingly-- something of a medical mystery, thanks in part to decades of obstruction and misinformation by the federal government. Potentially groundbreaking studies on the drug’s healing powers are being done to find treatments for conditions like epilepsy, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, sickle-cell disease and multiple sclerosis.

...[D]ecades of prohibition and official misinformation continue to shape public views. “The government did not spend as much effort in finding out the facts about marijuana,” says [scientific researcher Yasmin] Hurd. “That strategy of scaring people rather than provide knowledge has made people skeptical now when they hear anything negative.

"As states now rush to legalize pot and unwind a massive criminalization effort, the federal government is trying to play catch-up on the science, with mixed success. The only federal marijuana farm, at the University of Mississippi, has recently expanded production with a $69 million grant in March, and [the head of the National Institute for Drug Abuse, Nora] Volkow has expressed a new openness to studies of marijuana’s healing potential.

...But scientists and others point out that a shift to fund the real science of pot still has a long way to go. The legacy of the war on drugs haunts the medical establishment, and federal rules still put onerous restrictions on the labs around the country that seek to work with marijuana, which remains classified among the most dangerous and least valuable drugs. “We can do studies on cocaine and morphine without a problem, because they are Schedule II,” explains Fair Vassoler, a researcher at Tufts University who has replicated Hurd’s rat experiment with synthetic pot. “But marijuana is Schedule I.”

That means that under the law, marijuana has “no medical benefit,” even though 23 states have legalized pot as medicine and NIDA acknowledges that “recent animal studies have shown that marijuana can kill certain cancer cells and reduce the size of others.” And marijuana researchers face barriers even higher than those faced by scientists studying other Schedule I drugs, like heroin and LSD. Pot studies must pass intensive review by the U.S. Public Health Service, a process that has delayed and thwarted much research for more than 15 years. The result is sometimes a catch-22 for scientists seeking to understand the drug. “The government’s research restrictions are so severe that it’s difficult to find and show the medical benefit,” says neurobiologist R. Douglas Fields, the chief of the nervous-system-development section at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

That all may change soon. On Capitol Hill, a left-right coalition of Senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Cory Booker of New Jersey introduced a bill in March to federally legalize medical marijuana in states that have already approved it. “For far too long,” said Paul, a Republican candidate for President, “the government has enforced unnecessary laws that have restricted the ability of the medical community to determine the medicinal value of marijuana.”

...While American research on the potential harms from marijuana is booming, the U.S. continues to lag in funding investigations into the possible benefits. In the late 1990s, the U.S. and British governments commissioned separate studies of medical marijuana. The U.K. study was spurred by multiple-sclerosis patients’ using pot to calm spasticity. The U.S. study, done by the Institute of Medicine, was in response to California’s 1996 legalization of medical marijuana.

Both studies reached a similar conclusion: medical pot wasn’t a hippie’s delusion. The research showed that the stuff held real therapeutic potential for specific conditions, including epilepsy, chronic pain and glaucoma. The British responded by treating marijuana as a plant with biotech prospects. U.K. officials licensed GW Pharmaceuticals, a startup lab in Salisbury, England, to grow weed and develop cannabinoid drugs, some of which U.S. scientists like Hurd use in their research.

The Americans, meanwhile, doubled down on the war on drugs. Barry McCaffrey, Bill Clinton’s drug czar, was outraged at the Institute of Medicine’s results. “I think what the IOM report said is that smoked marijuana is harmful, particularly for those with chronic conditions,” he said–pretty much the opposite of the report’s conclusions. Nonetheless, he and then Attorney General Janet Reno vowed to prosecute medical-marijuana patients and doctors who prescribed the drug. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services adopted even tougher strictures against the study of marijuana as a medicine.

The federal antipot policies resulted in a strange kind of scientific trade deficit. The U.S. leads the world in studies of marijuana’s harm, but we’re net importers of data dealing with its healing potential. THC discoverer Raphael Mechoulam runs the world’s leading cannabinoid lab at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Spanish biologist Manuel Guzmán is doing cutting-edge work on the potential of cannabinoids to retard the growth of glioblastoma, one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer. Canada’s health agency may soon approve the world’s first clinical trial to test medical marijuana on military and police veterans with PTSD.

There are signs of change at home, though. This year, the Colorado department of public health awarded $9 million in grants for medical-marijuana research, funded with tax revenue from state-licensed pot stores. They will be among the first U.S. clinical trials to look into the effectiveness of marijuana for childhood epilepsy, irritable-bowel disease, cancer pain, PTSD and Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Kelly Knupp, a pediatric-epilepsy specialist at Children’s Hospital in Denver, will track children using high-CBD marijuana strains to calm seizures. “Some of these children can have 100 to 200 seizures a day,” Knupp says. “We’re hoping we can measure seizure frequency to see if there’s any improvement” among kids trying the cannabinoid medicine.

In the past, medical marijuana hasn't been a front-line issue for Blue America. We were happy when we found articulate spokespeople for legalization, like Beto O'Rourke (D-TX), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Jared Polis (D-CO), Alan Grayson (D-FL) and, of course, Barney Frank (D-MA), but it was never a make-or-break issue for us, like Choice, climate change or income inequality. Until now. 

Now medical marijuana legalization is a Blue America issue. We won't be endorsing candidates who oppose it. And I'm happy to report that our candidates support it. Mark Pocan, the wildly popular progressive leader from Madison, Wisconsin, warned us: "Make no mistake, our nation’s current drug policy is a broken relic of the last century. The 'War on Drugs' has cost the American taxpayer billions of dollars-- over $5 billion dollars is spent on enforcement of federal marijuana laws, including incarceration. In the past five years more than 23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medical or recreational use. It’s time to bring federal marijuana policy in to the 21st century. Marijuana should be legalized and regulated at the federal level. We need to stop misusing federal tax dollars to prosecute non-violent crimes."


And Pocan is far from the only younger Member who understands the ramifications of the debate. El Paso Congressman Beto O'Rourke, who wrote a book about marijuana legalization, told us that if medical marijuana "relieves pain and improves quality of life, and is already legal in one form or another in half the states, why would we stand in the way of allowing doctors to prescribe their preferred treatment when it happens to be marijuana?"

And in California, where, at least technically, medical marijuana is already legal, one of our favorite incumbents and one of our favorite challengers, respectively Ted Lieu and Lou Vince, are commonsense backers of the humane approach. "In an era of limited resources," Lieu told us today, "it is insane to have federal investigators and prosecutors devote even one second of their time to investigating or prosecuting marijuana cases. This insanity rises to new levels when medical evidence shows marijuana can be useful in treating a variety of medical conditions. The current system is also corrosive to our democracy because states are now routinely ignoring the outdated federal law that criminalizes marijuana. It is time to stop the federal criminalization of marijuana." 

Lou Vince, an ex-marine and LAPD officer who is running in CA-25 (Santa Clarita, Simi Valley and the Antelope Valley) took a very pragmatic perspective: "According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Report, police arrest more Americans per year on marijuana charges than the total number of arrestees for all violent crimes combined, including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Decriminalizing marijuana frees up law enforcement resources to deal with more serious crimes. Nationwide, more than 60,000 individuals are behind bars for marijuana offenses at a cost to taxpayers of $1.2 billion per year. Furthermore, Decriminalizing Marijuana will go a long way to reduce the mass incarceration problem we face in America. Marijuana prohibition laws have been used to put African Americans in handcuffs at a much higher rate than whites-- black people are three times as likely to be arrested for personal marijuana possession even though young blacks consume marijuana at lower levels than young whites."

Alex Law will have just turned 25, the minimum age for occupying a House seat, by the time he beats Donald Norcross in New Jersey's first congressional district across the river from Philly. Although he talks a lot in his campaign about protecting Medicare and Social Security benefits for seniors, his age predicts he would be more open-minded about the benefits of medical marijuana than most elderly, brain-washed politicians are. "In America," he told us this morning, "we have a creed that we are the 'Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave' but truth be told, America has the largest percentage of its population in prison of all the countries in the civilized world. Crimes related to marijuana contribute significantly to that terrible reality. The legalization of marijuana is important for our society. The war against marijuana, a substance science has proven to have real medical benefits and to be significantly less harmful than other legal substances, has contributed to bankrupting many of our states. The war on marijuana has turned many nonviolent members of society into criminals. This is also an issue of racial equality. White Americans use marijuana at the same rate as African Americans, yet an overwhelming majority of arrests are of African American males. The enforcement of the current drug laws is just as wrong as the laws themselves. It is time we make the American deed match the American creed.

"States have long been considered he laboratories of democracy," Alex continued. This issue is no exception. Colorado has legalized marijuana and seen a huge net positive from that decision. Crime is down, tax revenues are up, there is a booming industry creating new middle class jobs, and the state has seen an increase in tourism. All of this has happened without any access to capital markets. The growth would explode even more if these new companies had access to financing, an ability to take credit card payment, and an ability to expand out of state. The federal government should follow Colorado’s lead and legalize marijuana in America. As progressives, this is a policy we must endorse."

Jason Ritchie is an entrepreneur from the Seattle area and he's running for the swing seat currently held by rabid anti-pot Republican Dave Reichert. "In 1998," said Jason, "the people of my State of Washington voted to become one of the first states to legalize medical marijuana. In 2012, they again set a precedent by voting overwhelmingly to legalize marijuana commercial sales. Our State legislature responded and set up a reasonable regulatory and tax structure. This has happened without incident, except for intransigent Republicans like Rep. Dave Reichert who continue to insist their values should supersede the will of the people. His arrogant and baseless opposition only serves to marginalize him from the people he purports to represent. I strongly support marijuana legalization in Washington State and look forward to ending mass incarcerations for non-violent drug possession."

Illinois state Senator Mike Noland is the lead sponsor of a bill in the Illinois General Assembly to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. He's running for the House seat Tammy Duckworth is giving up and when he's in Congress, he will be counted on to be another clear voice in favor of legalization of medical marijuana. This is what he told us just a few minutes ago:

The time has come to allow patients to gain access to medical marijuana. Too many people are unnecessarily suffering when there is a natural alternative that can provide much relief from pain and other debilitating symptoms.

The medical community provides more than enough justification to legalize marijuana for medical purposes.

The American Medical Association has long supported research on medical marijuana.

What is known is that the ‘high’ experienced by those who use marijuana is from only one component: Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.  What’s more, our bodies contain a natural cannabinoid that regulates health and wellness.  Indeed, our systems are pre-programmed to work with the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, which may be superior to narcotic painkillers for neuropathy, or nerve pain. Moreover, marijuana can decrease the amount of narcotics needed for pain relief. Yet the science is unequivocal, unlike narcotic painkillers, marijuana has only the same addictive potential as caffeine.

Marijuana’s main side effect is euphoria, and is often used as a sedative for cancer patients.  In fact, it is currently being studied as a treatment for various forms of cancer itself.

The medical use of marijuana has also been shown to relieve the affects of both symptoms and the pain associated with AIDS/HIV, Arthritis, Asthma, Chronic Pain, Crohn’s Disease, Epilepsy, Glaucoma and Multiple Sclerosis. So, many people are suffering unnecessarily when there is a real possibility for hope and relief.

I am proud of my past support of this cause in the Illinois Senate and plan to continue to support the science-based policy of legalized medical marijuana.

If you'd like to help elect candidates like Jason, Alex, Mike and Lou, Blue America has a page for that. Medical marijuana won't legalize itself. We need to elect more progressives to Congress-- lots more. The last time Congress voted on legalizing marijuana, in late April, the proposal was defeated 210-213. 175 Democrats and 35 Republicans voted for legalization. 8 backward Democrats and 205 Republicans-- including Dave Reichert, of course-- voted to kill the legislation.

Lipinski, one of only 8 Democrats who want to see seniors suffer with unspeakable pain rather than get a prescription from their doctor for medical marijuana