Can Howard Shanker Still Beat Back The Insider Hack In Arizona?

More of the same for AZ-01?

A week from Tuesday is the under the radar primary to pick the Democratic nominee-- and overwhelming November favorite-- to replace indicted Republicrook Rick Renzi, who has already resigned as McCain For President Co-chair and is retiring from Congress, reportedly as part of a plea bargain to keep his prison time down to a minimum. The reason this likely red to blue Arizona seat is under the radar is because Democratic Party insiders saw it as a way to insert a clueless rubber stamp of their own. Their pick is an utterly worthless party hack who has less comprehension of the important issues facing Americans than an average political science major at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

The DCCC's Stalinist single-mindedness towards getting the nomination for the hapless Ann Kirkpatrick-- and the tactics they're using to accomplish that-- is reminiscent of 2006 races where the DCCC trued crushing progressive, grassroots and anti-war candidates in California, Florida, Illinois, New York, New Hampshire... and wherever they could. Their most effective trick is to convince lazy and gullible local media "sources"-- this is a Rahm Emanuel specialty-- that their candidate is "inevitable." If that were true we would be looking at hot re-election campaigns for Congressman Steve Filson (CA-11), Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (IL-06) and Congresswoman Judy Aydelott (NY-19), among other shills Rahm Emanuel wasted millions of dollars on to beat out anti-war/anti-corporate Democrats. This year they're doing it again in races covering Staten Island, (with conservative Republican-lite Michael McMahon), Alaska (with corrupt hack Ethan Berkowitz), and a Florida district covered much of suburban Orlando plus a chunk of Atlantic coast south of Daytona Beach (with status quo robot Suzanne Kosmas)... and in AZ-01.

The DCCC and the rest of the unscrupulous and thoroughly corrupt Inside the Beltway Establishment is raising money for Kirkpatrick, although the district's activists and grassroots Democrats prefer Howard Shanker. If money alone can win this race, Kirkpatrick will be another awful Democrat in Washington next year, one that makes people wonder why there are even two parties. Thursday one of her supporters' blogs explained why it may not be just a matter of money. Although he makes some mistakes-- like claiming the Sierra Club endorsed Kirkpatrick (they've resisted the Insider demands to buckle under) and that she speaks Apache (she doesn't; and when I saw her at an event a few weeks ago I was wondering why she could barely speak English)-- for the most part, his analysis isn't off-base. Among other things, this Kirkpatrick partisan says:

A few weeks ago I thought that Kirkpatrick had it in the bag, but recently Flagstaff Attorney Howard Shanker has been running very strongly. Shanker represents the Navajos in an ongoing lawsuit to prevent Arizona Snow Bowl from using treated wastewater to make artificial snow on the San Francisco Peaks (considered sacred by the Navajo--- think of the Mapplethorpe exhibit and the crucifix in urine and you get the idea of how they feel about it.) Right now, after several rounds in court that have gone both ways, the ski resort has won the latest round but it is likely to be appealed, maybe even up to the U.S. Supreme Court. Shanker has a lot of enthusiastic volunteers and seems to have boundless energy. I don't think I've gone to a major event in the past two years where I haven't seen either Howard Shanker (often personally) or someone representing him. Working against Shanker are the huge geographical size of the district and the fact that he has been far less successful at fundraising than Kirkpatrick. Shanker is the most liberal of the leading candidates and he has a lot of personal charisma.

As of June 30th Kirkpatrick had raised $988,611 (to Shanker's $171,149). Like the hopeless reactionary Nikki Tinker, Emily's List has endorsed Kirkpatrick and put over $100,000 into her race. Other big donors are Rahm Emanuel's Our Common Values cesspool of corruption, Steny Hoyer's AmeriPAC, and Unite Here, a low-info labor PAC that does whatever NAFTA-mastermind Emanuel tells them to do. It isn't too late to help Howard Shanker win this thing: here's how.

Stalinism Inside The DCCC-- Beware The Red To Blue Program

The DCCC's hopelessly corrupt and widely discredited Red to Blue Program, co-chaired by the ambitious and venal Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL), who is working vigorously for the re-election of far right Republican fanatics in South Florida, has declared for 45 candidates so far in this cycle. Very few grassroots donors give to this project but it is a veritable stamp of approval for wealthy and institutional Democrats who don't pay much attention. Savvy activists learned long ago that the DCCC is entirely untrustworthy and that many of their hand-picked candidates are the mirror image of brainwashed or brain-dead Republican rubber stamps and that, in fact, way too many support Republican principles and values.

Typically, the DCCC advises Democratic candidates to disguise their stances on controversial issues that separate the two parties. With ABC News reporting today that the lines are starting to blur between which party is pro-choice and which party is anti-choice, socially conservative candidates are meticulous in hiding their anti-choice and their homophobic manias from voters. There will always be one or two like Chris Carney (PA) who will actually lie about it when asked, but most just refuse to discuss it. Take a look at "courageous" Ohio Democrat John Boccieri tap dancing around these two issues.

Last year many of the Red to Blue candidates got into Congress and immediately started voting like Republicans-- but just on crucial issues like the war in Iraq, warrantless wiretaps, immigration reform, trade policies... If you don't pick and choose your own candidates and you instead just give blindly to DCCC Red to Blue candidates you will have donated to candidates who are social conservatives and who will oppose women's right to choice and not fight for equality for gay men and women (like, for example, current reactionary Democrats on this endorsement list Don Cravins, Paul Carmouche, Steve Driehaus, Bobby Bright, John Boccieri, and Kathy Dahlkemper, who are, essentially just like John McCain when it comes to social issues). Although they try keeping it on the down low, several on the Red to Blue list are pro-war and some are corporate-leaning shills. It's never about Democratic ideal, values, principles... it's always getting as many members willing to call themselves "Democrats," for whatever reason, into Congress. That's how Democrats wind up in the majority in the House and can't get anything accomplished.

There were 17 Democrats who voted more frequently with Republicans than with Democrats on the key substantive issues that divide the two parties. Of the 17, nine are freshmen. They are, from bad to worse, Don Cazayoux (LA), Zach Space (OH), Harry Mitchell (AZ), Travis Childers (MS), Chris Carney (PA), Heath Shuler (NC), Jason Altmire (PA), Brad Ellsworth (IN), Joe Donnelly (IN), and-- with a ProgressivePunch score of 28.91 out of 100, Nick Lampson (TX). Further, 2006 Red to Blue candidates Tim Mahoney (FL) and Gabby Giffords (AZ) voted with Republicans as much as they voted with Democrats on these substantive matters. Last year if you donated to the DCCC's Red to Blue program, you helped elect people who are determined to keep the war in Iraq going, who voted to allow warrantless wiretaps, and who were willing to rubber stamp Bush trade policies that throw American workers out of their jobs... and who actually applaud Nancy Pelosi's decision to take impeachment off the table. In fact, they are a big part of the reason why Nancy Pelosi did take impeachment off the table.

That said, quite a few Red to Blue candidates this year happen to be absolutely outstanding, such as Darcy Burner (D-WA), Vic Wulsin (D-OH), Joe Garcia (D-FL), Gary Peters (D-MI), Larry Kissell (D-NC), Tom Perriello (D-VA), Eric Massa (D-NY), Judy Feder (D-VA), Bob Lord (D-AZ), Linda Stender (D-NJ), Gary Trauner (D-WY), Mark Schauer (D-MI), Jim Himes (D-CT), Judy Baker (D-MO), Charlie Brown (D-CA), Ashwin Madia (D-MN), John Adler (D-NJ), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Dan Maffei (D-NY), Dan Seals (D-IL), Jon Powers (D-NY).

But what I want to look at today isn't who is good and who is bad but at the candidates who have already been endorsed by the DCCC but who are still in the midst of hotly contested primaries: Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ), Jon Powers (D-NY), Michael McMahon (D-NY), Ethan Berkowitz (D-AK), and Suzanne Kosmas (FL). The Chris Van Hollen first took over the chair of the DCCC from Stalinist Rahm Emanuel he promised-- in accord with democratic norms and Party rules-- to allow hotly contested primaries to play themselves out and not take sides the way Emanuel had done. Emanuel, you may recall, backed reactionary Establishment candidates in tough primaries against dozens of progressive and grassroots Democrats. In some cases his shills won and we wound up with pseudo-Democrats who vote with the GOP, like Tim Mahoney in Florida, or with a victorious Republican, like Vern Buchanan, who was able to beat a weak, vacillating me-too-Democratic who stood for nothing. In other cases the grassroots beat back Emanuel's anti-democratic strategy and that is why we now have progressives in Congress like John Hall (D-NY), Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH), and Jerry McNerney (D-CA). Van Hollen promised to not follow the Stalinist path Emanuel had lain out. But he has.

4 of the 5 endorsed candidates still contesting primaries are conservative, Establishment hacks fighting progressives. The DCCC's strategy of funneling money and the sense of inevitability into the candidacies of the conservatives makes it extremely difficult for the grassroots candidates to tap into traditional sources of Democratic funding. Even unions-- and not just notorious Democratic Party lap dogs like AFSCME-- often succumb to DCCC pressure to support candidates whose election is not in the best interest of progressive goals.

Recently I saw Ann Kirkpatrick speak at a Red to Blue event. My heart sank. With an outstanding, brilliant and articulate candidate like Howard Shanker in the race, the DCCC is backing a card board cutout of a candidate who stands for nothing whatsoever and is as inspiring as a potato. Better than the neo-fascist Republican running in AZ-01 (Sydney Hay)? Yes, but a C is always better than an F. What about going for an A+? Standing in front of an audience of Democrats Kirkpatrick was unable to make the case of why anyone should even bother to go out and vote. The Republican brand is so damaged in AZ-01, after the indictment of Congressman Rick Renzi, that it will be hard for the Democrats to lose the election. But if anyone can do it, it is Ann Kirkpatrick. The primary is on September 2.

Michael McMahon is so reactionary that his races for New York City Council have been endorsed by the Conservative Party-- which is to the right of the Republican Party. The Staten Island Conservative Party was about to endorse him for Congress-- they love his pro-war approach to Iraq-- when the state party jumped in and forced them to toe the line and endorse whichever Republican was the nominee that particular week. Steve Harrison is a far better choice and an actual progressive. It is unconscionable for the DCCC to try to swing the primary to someone who, of he is elected, will oppose Democratic Party positions for as long as he's in Congress. The primary is on September 9.

Similarly, in Florida's 24th CD Clint Curtis is the grassroots candidate; and the DCCC shill, Suzanne Kosmas, is just some rich person who promises to be easily led around by the nose. In Alaska Ethan Berkowitz is the Rahm Emanuel establishment candidate who is running against a grassroots independent-minded progressive, Diane Benson.

The one case where the DCCC did the right thing was in NY-26, where they added Jon Powers to their list in order to forestall another disaster with disgruntled and crazy ex-Republican Jack Davis-- who switched parties and vowed vengeance when Cheney refused to shake hands with him after he gave the GOP a pile of money. Davis is spending millions of his own dollars to try to buy the seat-- even bribing third party officials to try to guarantee himself a place on the ballot after Powers kicks his reactionary ass in the September 9 primary.

If you're in the mood for helping battle this DCCC Stalinism, please consider donating to Howard Shanker today. He can win his September 2nd primary if he has the resources he needs to get out his message. In fact, everyone who donates at least $30 to Howard's campaign today at the Blue America ActBlue page will get a free copy of the book 50 Simple Things You Can Do To Fight The Right.

Arizona Republican Candidate Advocates Murder-- Literally

With the arrest and indictment of crooked GOP Congressman Rick Renzi and his forced retirement, Arizona's first congressional district is unlikely to fall into Republican hands again. If we're lucky, progressive environmental lawyer Howard Shanker will win the primary against a well-funded but empty-headed, Republican-lite insider-- being pushed by Rahm Emanuel and other corrupt forces within the Democratic establishment. Regardless of which Dem wins the primary one is likely to be the next member of Congress representing the district. But the Republicans are still trying, and their extremist lunatic fringe candidates are bashing each other up good.

The GOP Establishment favors a mine owner, lobbyist and friend of McCain named Sydney Hay, who is extremely right-wing but the alternative, Sandra Livingstone, is trying to prove that she's equally radical, if not certifiably insane. She's given her campaign $200,000 and managed to collect another $4,275 from hapless Republicans in the area.

Around 20 people, mainly senior citizens, showed up for the Livingstone town hall, where they heard her discuss Second Amendment rights, energy policy and her recommendations for bringing the nation's finances under control.

"I believe in the Second Amendment as written-- the right to bear arms, the right to form militias," she said, and advocated for a national law protecting people with concealed weapon permits when the cross state lines.

..."I'm not Rick Renzi, I've never met Rick Renzi." Livingstone said she will be able to stay above the fray because she is "not enamored of Washington."

"Personally I think Washington needs a drive-by in a major way."

That was an unfortunate analogy to make today just as Arizona is coming to grips with the latest tragic shooting at a college. South Mountain Community College saw a "long-standing feud" between two young men erupt into violence that resulted in 3 students being shot. "At the end of Thursday's confrontation, 20-year-old Charee Williams, 17-year-old Christopher Lee Taylor, and 19-year-old Isaac Deshay Smith, lay on the floor of the lab at South Mountain Community College, pleading for help."

WHY DO DCCC-TYPE DEMOCRATS TAKE HOMOPHOBIC, REPUBLICAN-LITE POSITIONS?

Conventional wisdom says that Democrats need to cringe with fear when same sex marriage is brought up in campaigns by homophobic Republicans. Cringers lose elections but the same way the Rahm Emanuel and the DCCC pushed candidates who subsequently lost in 2006 to tone down their anti-war rhetoric, they are being told to avoid standing up for principles of equality when it comes to marriage equality this year.

And nowhere have they found a more willing little worthles shill than in AZ-01, the district being given up by indicted Republicrook Rick Renzi. The handpicked DCCC insider, Ann Kirkpatrick, thinks the way to do battle with a right wing extremist is to take a wishy-washy position. She doesn't support amending the Constitution to ban gay marriage but she says she thinks "marriage should be reserved for heterosexual relationships." Weak, weak, weak. It stinks of loserdom.

The grassroots candidate, Howard Shanker, took a very different approach. Jeff Farias asked him about gay marriage on Air Amrerica. He was far clearer and more consistent-- and more in touch with how more and more Americans think. Listen:



Howard Shanker is a Blue America-endorsed candidate and you can donate to his campaign here.

END OF THE QUARTER-- ONLY GIVE TO ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT PROGRESSIVES, NO DCCC-BACKED CANDIDATES TODAY

Today is the "last day of the quarter," a bogus and arbitrary milepost set up by sometimes unwitting but always dedicated enemies of democracy, the DCCC, DSCC, NRSC, NRCC, etc. It's their very successful method of ginning up cascades of grassroots donations for the pernicious little insider game of politician career advancement, and they use it to drive candidates-- even more than donors-- crazy. In the last week I've had over 100 urgent e-mails and far too many expensive, money-wasting snail mail pleas for donations. And the frequency is accelerating today. Even Blue Dogs, to whom I have explained that I don't donate to Republicans or Blue Dogs, have been sending their entreaties.

To date, Blue America has collected nearly $1.3 million for progressive candidates and causes, none of it for the DCCC, DSCC, NRSC or NRCC, all of which are anti-progressive and, to varying degrees, outright reactionary, the latter two in all ways and the former two at the minimum process-wise. The DCCC is especially interested in Blue America's assistance with raising money for the candidates who are progressive enough to be on our candidate list and who wear the Democratic Party label. That isn't what we plan to do today.

Instead, I want to urge DWT readers to donate to Democratic Party candidates the DCCC fears and wishes would go away.

First and foremost there is state Senator Regina Thomas who is on the front lines battling against a reactionary Democratic shill, Rep. John Barrow in GA-12. Their primary is July 15, and it is a long-shot attempt by a grassroots progressive to oust a conservative, corporate yes man. Barrow is loaded with loot from lobbyists and from the corporate special interests-- like the telecom corporations-- who he supports instead of his own constituents. Regina doesn't have one cent to spend other than what has been raised for her through the grassroots and netroots. She has won her state legislative seats by grassroots campaigning. Inside the Beltway, it is believed she has no chance because she refuses to spend her time and energy begging for money from interest groups and wealthy donors. They're probably right. It's the fundamental tragedy of our political system. Last month she had nothing. This week she has over $40,000 (average donation around $25).

There are four other primaries looming that pit progressive grassroots candidates against insider hacks. Howard Shanker and Alan Grayson are two phenomenally good candidates in Arizona and Florida battling against the odds to beat Establishment-backed conservatives. The DCCC has already violated its own rules by pushing a hapless and clueless state legislator in Arizona against the independent-minded Shanker. In the Orlando race, Grayson is up against a worthless conservative who has far more in common with Republicans than with Democrats. Even the DCCC sees that and has avoided endorsing in that race. Jon Powers is a progressive Iraq War vet campaigning for an open GOP seat in the suburbs between Buffalo and Rochester, against a self-funding millionaire who stands for nothing except a personal desire to have the title "Rep" in front of his name and against a former attorney for the Love Canal (who gave campaign contributions to the Republican Jon has frightened out of running again).

Finally, in Memphis the reactionary forces of former Rep. Harold Ford, now president of the Republican wing of the Democratic Party (the DLC), are trying for a comeback against exemplary Congressman Steve Cohen. Steve is a freshman who has proven himself to be a relentless fighter on behalf of regular folks against Big Business. The Ford allies are using Nikki Tinker as their cat's paw to win back the district, and Tinker is backed by several insider organizations with heavy financing. Steve has earned our trust and deserves our backing.

Times are tough and will probably get tougher. But if you can afford to donate today, please consider these five progressives in tough primary battles against the forces of reaction: Regina Thomas in Georgia, Howard Shanker in Arizona, Alan Grayson in Florida, Jon Powers in upstate New York, and Steve Cohen in Tennessee. Here's the place you can make your contribution. When times do get tougher, these are the people we need in Congress, not more insiders blindly and relentlessly serving the interests of insiders.


DCCC DOES SOMETHING RIGHT

They're running some ads in 13 districts where the Republican incumbents have been bought out by Big Oil and have voted for Big Oil's agenda straight down the line. Although some of the challengers are typical DCCC schnooks, they are also going after some awful Republicans being challenged by great progressives like Vic Wulsin (OH-02), Larry Kissell (NC-08), Sam Bennett (PA-10), Dr. Steve Porter (PA-03), Dennis Shulman (NJ-05), and Tom Perriello (VA-05). The ad is fairly mediocre, but I'm sure some Inside the Beltway consultants think it will help, and they may well be right. You can hear it at the link above.

So Was Van Hollen Just As Bad As Emanuel All Along? Or Did He Just Turn Bad Along The Way? Let's Look At AZ-01

Lucas did such a good job on CVH's knife. Please click on it

I don't want to say I didn't believe Chris Van Hollen when he told me the DCCC would avoid the divisive tactics his predecessor as DCCC chair, Rahm Emanuel, had used to disadvantage progressives and grassroots candidates in hotly contested primaries. He had just taken over as chairman and I saw he had a thoroughly progressive voting record and, after the bloody internal battles precipitated by Emanuel's systemic flouting of the party rules, I sorely wanted to believe a new day was dawning. Still, I felt more secure-- at least about the crucial congressional race in Arizona's sprawling first CD-- when Van Hollen himself promised the grassroots progressive candidate in the race, Howard Shanker, that he wouldn't take sides between a clueless establishment hack and Howard. I felt even more secure when Arizona's most admired and respected Democratic congressman, Raúl Grijalva, enthusiastically endorsed Howard and started campaigning for him. It is highly irregular for the DCCC to diss a senior member of the caucus that way.

I don't know if it was a coincidence or not, but two things happened late last week. The DCCC staffer in charge of Arizona-- who had previously left the DCCC when Emanuel had decided to run it like a Stalinist fiefdom and then returned when Van Hollen took over-- left again. He left the day after the DCCC broke it's pledge to not endorse either candidate in this race and added an utterly worthless hack to the Red to Blue list. We covered it, as part of a "what's wrong with the Democrats?" piece, hours later. Go back and take a look at it and you'll see the DCCC statement and the furious reaction from grassroots Arizonans.

Last October, Blue America looked at the race to relieve the GOP of a seat occupied by indicted criminal/McCain For President co-chair Rick Renzi and endorsed Howard Shanker. The other leading candidate, a blatant shill for corporate interests, who has managed to scoop up immense amounts of money-- the excuse Van Hollen gives for endorsing her-- is Ann Kirkpatrick. She served, without distinction, as a state legislator. With not a single accomplishment to recommend her, she was appealing to the party leadership because she never showed any interest in leading-- just following-- and she never took a controversial position on anything-- the perfect little puppet for the Insiders. And that ain't Howard Shanker.

From day one Kirkpatrick has been pushed as the candidate because “she paid her dues." At one of the first debates she was asked about her positions on the war, immigration and other important issues. Her response stunned the audience. She said “I can’t answer those questions, there are people working on my position statements.” This must have had Emanuel salivating, but it isn't something one would expect Chris Van Hollen to find attractive.

Early on, she was saying that we need to “stay the course” in Iraq, again perfect from an Emanuel perspective. Eventually her handlers/pollsters/DCCC consultants convinced her to tweak her message. She is being told what to say, how to say it and recently got the “party” makeover on how she looks. Even so, she runs as a Republican-lite because her people think that’s the only way to get elected. Party Stalinists did the same thing in AZ-01 before, forcing Paul Babbit onto everybody-- even clearing the primary field for him. And he was a disaster, taking only 36% of the vote. Everyone I know in Arizona is referring to Kirkpatrick as “Paul Babbitt in a dress.”
 
The establishment is trying to circle the wagons because they are feeling the heat of a real grassroots campaign. That’s why the DCCC broke their promises, why Van Hollen has crossed over to the Dark Side... an independent-minded progressive like Howard Shanker, who will serve his constituents, not the special interests who donate to both hopelessly corrupt political parties. It matters not one bit to them that he has a far broader base of support, much more impressive and meaningful  credentials, far more experience, and that he is much better positioned to win the general election.

I tried getting Van Hollen on the phone but he wouldn't speak with me about this. The DCCC insists he didn't break his pledge to not endorse because... um... well, they have a few excuses. He only said he would "prefer" not to endorse, not that he wouldn't. And they insist that being on the Red to Blue page isn't really an endorsement anyway. Another high level Democratic insider who understands their arcane world far better than I do told me that "generally speaking, when candidates meet certain benchmarks and show that they're competitive, the DCCC ratifies their success by adding them to Red to Blue... this isn't really a Rahm-style muscling out of a candidate-- it has nothing to do with hurting Shanker and everything to do with getting the probable candidate ready in the fall... if and when Shanker becomes the probable candidate, you know the dccc will hop on board." I suspect that there are an awful lot of progressive candidates who have raised immensely more money than the shill in Arizona but who haven't been added to the Red to Blue non-endorsement program. I hope some of them will ask the DCCC about that.

And if you're in the DC area this week, please mosey over to the Oyster Bar at Clyde's Gallery Place (707 7th Street, NW) and join Rep. Grijalva (and me) in welcoming Howard to town (6pm, June 4). The primary isn't until September 2, so whatever donations you can spare for Howard's race, will go to good use. And, by the way, Blue America is open for business right now.


UPDATE: RAHM TO THE RESCUE

So the DCCC says they didn't endorse/endorsed Kirkpatrick because she reached certain benchmarks. On March 31, Rahm Emanuel generously decided to shower some benchmark-making dollars on her-- twice. Circular... something.

How Big A Let Down Have The Democrats Been?

Well... alas, pretty big. In the new issue of Rolling Stone Tim Dickinson takes on the Democratic Senate leadership. Below I want to talk anecdotally about some Democratic Party letdowns but first take a look at what ex-Democrat/current independent candidate for Congress, Steve Porter has to say and let's look at some of Dickinson's most salient points. He points out what a shill NY reptile Chuck Schumer has been for crooked billionaire Wall Street operators, "championing one of the biggest tax breaks for billionaires in the history of the republic [as] Democrats in the House fought to close a loophole that levies a tax rate of only 15 percent... on hedge-fund managers who make as much as $3.7 billion a year. But when the debate reached the Senate, Schumer broke with his fellow Democrats and sided with Wall Street-- inspiring the hedge-fund industry to hail him as its 'guardian.'"

Another New York member of Congress, seems to be criticizing Schumer and other Insider Democrats who serve the interests of a very generous plutocracy (generous to their career aspirations that is): Rep. Charles Rangel, who led the hedge-fund tax in the House: "America's middle class have been forgotten. It seems that those with the money have the power." And Harry Reid is backing Schumer and the hedge fund crooks up. Why? They are financing the DSCC, the same way other equally corrupt corporate special interests have financed the NRSC and Bush and the GOP. With power-hungry sleazebags like Schumer (or McConnell for that matter, a kind of Schumer doppelganger in many horrifying ways) in charge do you think effective campaign finance regulations-- taking the billions of dollars pumped into our political system by special interests eager for special consideration-- will ever be enacted? There's only one answer and it has two letters and the first is "no."

According to campaign-finance records, seven of the country's 10 richest hedge-fund managers contributed an average of $24,400 to the DSCC last year. "Schumer didn't want to turn the spigot off," says Bob McIntyre, director of the nonpartisan Citizens for Tax Justice. All told, the hedge-fund and private-equity sectors have showered the Democrats with more than $14 million this year-- double what they have given Republicans.

As the hedge-fund fiasco demonstrates, Democrats have turned the Senate into the chamber where good legislation goes to die. Since regaining the majority in 2006, the Democrats have granted the Bush administration and big telephone companies immunity for illegal wiretapping, declared a branch of the Iranian military a terrorist organization and stuffed the recent Foreclosure Prevention Act with far more goodies for big lenders than for struggling homeowners [$25 billion in corporate welfare-- including, outrageously, billions in tax breaks to speculative home builders who helped create the disastrous housing bubble in the first place-- and only $9 billion for struggling homeowners]. They also confirmed Attorney General Michael Mukasey despite his refusal to disavow torture-- a move engineered by Schumer. "You really want to like the Democrats," says Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "Then they go and do shit like this."

...The bitter truth in the Senate is that it's not Republicans who are betraying the Democratic agenda-- it's Democrats themselves. "It's not the Congress that's ineffective," says Rangel. "It's not the promises that Nancy Pelosi made. We have passed the courageous bills — but for what? To be told what's 'acceptable' by the Senate." These days, he adds bitterly, "We don't need no House of Representatives. All we need to do is go over and ask the Senate, 'What have you Democrats and Republicans agreed to?'"

But the problem with the Insider Democrats who think they know better than the grassroots isn't just about Harry Reid and the NY Reptile-- and it isn't even only about Republican-lite Blue Dogs conspiring with the GOP to thwart a progressive agenda. House Democrats are always whining that it's the Blue Dogs who hold them back and there is a modicum of truth in that. But then how do you explain the fact that the House Democrats consistently break their own rules to prevent real Democrats from being nominated by throwing DCCC support behind Blue Dogs? Oh, they stopped doing that when Emanuel moved upstairs, you say? Well, Chris Van Hollen promised they would-- but they haven't.

Just yesterday the DCCC violated it's own rules by following John Boehner, Tom Cole and the NRCC down an old Stalinist model for candidate selection, backing a clueless Insider stooge, Ann Kirkpatrick in AZ-01 over a grassroots progressive, Howard Shanker. This thoroughly anti-democratic, old Communist regime way of doing things is working out really badly, even catastrophically, for the Republicans... so why would Van Hollen blunder into it, just when everything has been going so well?

A disgruntled Democrat from Flagstaff, on the DCCC's own website wants to know too:

Why does the DCCC pick before the people of the democratic party?

First you quietly pad Ann Kirkpatrick’s coffers, and then you call her the candidate to beat and offer public support. And all this before the primary. If you @$$holes would stop trying to force a candidate down our throats then we would have turned CD1 blue years ago.

Your “anointed” candidate (which you always seem to choose before the primaries) has lost in the last four elections.

Ever thought of playing fair with your own people before? It might work. Either wait till after the primary to back someone, or give a little bit to everyone who brings in enough petition signatures when qualifying.
And personally, I would set the bar higher than the measly 2500 signatures Ann K. brought in.

In fact all the comments on the DCCC site oppose Van Hollen's decision to morph into an unpleasant combination of Rahm Emanuel, John Boehner and Stalin. Another Arizona commenter: "This is pretty simple: Kirkpatrick is not the strongest democrat in the race. I wish folks at the DCCC had seen a debate or two between Kirkpatrick and Howard Shanker-- there’s no contest here. People on the ground in CD1 know that, but people out in DC don’t. This race is Shanker’s to lose, and all the top-down pressure from the Governor and the DCCC isn’t going to change much. Except maybe increase democrats’ frustration with the party." And another: "Yet another lame election year where the party decides who we should vote for even before we vote. Rick Renzi must have enjoyed having the DCCC in his corner for all those years. He would have faced some stiff competition if you actually took the time to see what the Democrat voters of DC1 wanted. Nobody likes being told who to vote for. Ann Kirkpatrick would make a T-shirt illegal if she does not like what it says. I guess she fits well in the DCC’s 'we’ll think for you' approach to politics."

Please think about that the next time the DCCC send you an e-mail begging for money to elect more Democrats-- never BETTER Democrats, always more Democrats, more Democrats to vote exactly how their Republican opponents would have voted on the issues that matter most.

And it isn't only the Inside the Beltway insiders who are systematically betraying the grassroots. A couple weeks ago former grassroots hero-- though never someone him trusted for 2 seconds-- Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia endorsed a corrupt reactionary, Gerry Connolly, for Congress, over Leslie Byrne, the grassroots progressive. Only 18% of Kaine's own base, Raising Kaine, agreed with his decision; 65% disapproved. (Fortunately, Jim Webb endorsed Leslie-- as did Blue America.

But I'm not just complaining because Leslie is a Blue America candidate. Out in southern New Mexico's sprawling second CD, Blue America hasn't endorsed any candidate, although we have noted that nearly 800 people have gone to ActBlue to donate to the progressive grassroots candidate, Bill McCamley, while only 2 people have donated to Harry Teague. It doesn't matter to Teague, a multimillionaire oilman, who is self-funding. Teague was just endorsed by Governor Bill Richardson, who everyone loves because he endorsed Obama. Predictably Teague is a huge Hillary supporter and has donated tens of thousands of dollars to politicians-- from both parties-- and immense amounts to... Bill Richardson. In fact, Richardson for President, Inc. owes Harry Teague's company-- Lea King LLC-- $203,850.70 for the use of Harry's private jet during the campaign. This currently comprises 64% of his campaign debt. Since the end of February Governor Richardson's Campaign has paid off $103,354.41 or 24.5% of his debt. Not a single penny had been paid to Lea King. (Under FEC regulations a vendor like Lea King may forgive debts owed by a committee if the debt was incurred in the normal course of business, the committee “undertook all reasonable efforts” to raise the funds, and the vendor made “the same efforts to collect the debt as those made to a non-political debtor." It doesn't mention endorsements.) On top of that, Teague's company, Teaco Energy, and its employees have bundled over $30,000 in campaign contributions for Richardson and some of that money may have been provided to the "donors" from Teague himself like a $4,600 contribution from an office assistant; that's illegal.

Democrats want our political leaders to act like Democrats, not like Republicans-- whether it's Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid, Chris Van Hollen, Rahm Emanuel, Bill Richardson or Tim Kaine. Grassroots Democrats should stop funding the DSCC and DCCC and donate directly to the candidates who they know they can trust. You can count on the Blue America candidates to support the people's interests, not the special interests and party bosses. Should you decide to donate to Leslie Byrne or Howard Shanker or any other of our progressive, grassroots canddiates today, please remember to add one cent to your donation so it counts as a vote in the Air America contest, which ends Monday morning at 6am, PT.

ARIZONA REPUBLICAN KEN BENNETT DEFIES McCAIN-- PASSES ON CHANCE TO RUN ON THE McCAIN TICKET IN ARIZONA

Gee, all it took was a little reminder that the residents of AZ-01 are still pissed off that Ken Bennett, then the president of the Arizona state Senate, used his influence to get his son off the hook after 40 incidents of raping young boys with broomsticks and flashlights, and whooooosh... Bennett disappeared from electoral politics again. Well, actually, that isn't exactly accurate. First Bennett tried mounting a defense by likening the rape incidents to-- his own word-- "goosing." And that was the end of the Ken Bennett For Congress campaign.

So even though McCain-- who detests the other Republican who had been favored-- demanded Bennett run, and he told the old curmudgeon that he would, he just declared today-- once again-- that he's out and not getting back in. Meanwhile, the woman who was the object of McCain's wrath, Kris Mayes, has also left the field, after McCain demanded that the local GOP not support her. Originally they had looked at her as a godsend who would save them from the aftermath of the Renzi scandal and the prospect of having to run far right extremist Sydney Hay, widely viewed as a lunatic fringe candidate with no real chance of winning.

There is now a clear path to Congress for progressive grassroots candidate Howard Shanker-- unless the Inside the Beltway types can persuade enough Arizonans to vote for their corporate careerist shill, Ann Kirkpatrick, someone who stands for nothing whatsoever (Rahm Emanuel's favorite kind of candidate). This would be a good day to donate to Howard's campaign, right here at the Blue America Act Blue page. The first 5 people who donate $25 or more today get an autographed copy of The Truth by Al Franken.

RAUL GRIJALVA BUCKS WASHINGTON INSIDERS AND ENDORSES HOWARD SHANKER

AZ-01 is bigger than whole states and it has been represented in Congress by an extraordinarily corrupt Bush rubber stamp, Rick Renzi. Renzi, a close ally of John McCain-- and, until after he was indicted on 35 charges, co-chair of McCain's presidential campaign-- agreed to stop running for public office. He was also forced to give up his committee positions. It's one of the Democrats' best opportunities to change a red district blue and there is a grassroots progressive, Howard Shanker, running for the seat. Inside Dems and the DCCC have been trying ton push their whole inevitability shtick about a clueless shill they would like to get into the seat, Ann Kirkpatrick.

Kirkpatrick is the least knowledgeable candidate I've ever seen and doesn't open her mouth until the DCCC tells her exactly what to say. Who wants to trade in a pathetic Republican hack for a pathetic Democratic one? Not Rep. Raul Grijalva, far and away the best congressman in Arizona. Grijalva's voting record is breathtaking, a model for true progressives concerned with the well-being on working and middle class Americans, not lobbyists and special interests.

Raul just broke with the DCCC and the Washington Insiders and endorsed Howard. As a member of two crucial committees for Arizonans, the Natural Resources Committee and the Committee on Education and Labor, Grijalva knows what a difference it makes when his colleagues work for the people rather than for the special interests. He's been talking with Democrats in AZ-01 and telling them why Howard is the best choice in the Democratic primary. “Howard Shanker is a champion for the people” and that Shanker has “a proven track record.” Raul reiterated the fact that Howard Shanker “has been a stalwart fighter for protection of Arizona’s environmental and cultural legacies.”

Both men have been working hard-- one in DC and one in Arizona-- to protect the state's unique environment and quality of life. As we mentioned when Blue America endorsed Howard, he has successfully fought to save the Grand Canyon from a land exchange that would have promoted large scale commercial development that would have negatively impacted the canyon, as well as the economies of Flagstaff, Tusayon, and Williams and created precedent for the protection of desert washes. Howard is also one of the attorneys on the case that recently kept the Desert Nesting Bald Eagle from being taken off of the endangered species list and is loved by AZ-01 residents because of his work advocating for the protection of the Verde River, the San Pedro River, and Oak Creek.

McCAIN FORCES ARIZONA GOP TO THROW CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE KRIS MAYES UNDER THE BUS

One of the many red seats the GOP is desperately trying to hold onto is that of indicted criminal Rick Renzi (R-AZ) who is retiring from Congress-- and public life-- and is likely to be facing as many as 30 years in prison for too many charges to list here. He has already stepped down as co-chairman of the Double Talk Express. Howard Shanker, the Blue America-endorsed candidate for the seat Renzi is abandoning is doing very well and my contacts in Arizona tell me that McCain has gone ape-shit and demanded the local GOP deep six their weak and hopeless candidate, Kris Mayes, and stick in a GOP good ole boy in her place.

The local GOP didn't have much to chose from; it was either Hayes, who is an Arizona Corporation Commissioner with little to offer but who hasn't been arrested or involved in any major criminal activities, or a certifiably insane wingnut-- and political semi-enemy of McCain's-- Sydney Hay. McCain's infamous volatile temper exploded and he started screaming he doesn't want any Hays or Mayes running for that seat and he demanded that local Republicans get former state Senate President, Ken Bennett, into the race. Bennett, like Hay, is a fanatic right wing kook but he has worse problems that have kept him out of the race. His son Clifton "confessed to police that he... sodomized the 11 to 14-year-old boys with broomsticks and flashlights in at least 40 incidents, court documents show." Rumors have been rampant that his father, the then would-be congressman, got him off the hook. McCain says no one gives a damn about the broomsticks and demands Bennett get back into the race. McCain's pal, Jim Click, a Tucson car dealer who is the Daddy Warbucks of the Arizona GOP, is also pushing for Bennett. Click and McCain may not care about "broomsticks" but the victims and their families are still furious. Zachary Motcheck, 13, the first to report the assaults to authorities, was angry when Bennett's kid got off with a slap on the wrist. "I think it's pretty stupid. "It's unfair, and it's just because Bennett's dad is a senator... What they did was wrong, and they both deserved more jail time." Although the county prosecutors had asked for 3 months in jail for the assault, the judge overruled them and gave Bennett's kid 30 days.

McCain, who has his own set of lobbyist and corruption problems to deal with, is unconcerned with Bennett's ethical problems. In 2004, Bennett sponsored legislation that would have allowed his family’s oil firm, Bennett Oil, to claim money from the State Assurance Fund for the cleanup of underground fuel leaks. The state had already paid Bennett Oil Co. $336,000 from the State Assurance Fund to help with cleanups. The fund was fed by a penny tax on every gallon of gas sold in Arizona. The bill would have required that the state pay even if the cleanup was covered by the oil company’s insurance. The bill would have reversed a court decision against Bennett’s company and ordered the state to pay instead.

Meanwhile, former Arizona Congressman Matt Salmon and Malcolm Barrett, chairman of the National Propane Gas Association, and a Prescott native like Mayes, have pledged their support for Mayes' run. Barrett will serve as her finance chairman. This puts them at major loggerheads with McCain-- who likes to think of himself as the king of Arizona Republicans.

Howard Shanker, who was endorsed yesterday by Arizona's most progressive and most admired member of Congress, Raúl Grijalva, is non-plused by the Republican in-fighting. "It doesn’t really matter who the Republicans run for the seat. Whoever it is, we get another rubber stamp Republican politician pushing for the continuation of policies that have been proven not to work over the past seven years. I am running to represent the people of this District, not some platform that is out of touch with what the people need or want. I will protect working families, champion alternative energy development, defend a women’s right to reproductive choice, and move to end the war in Iraq. No matter who the Republicans run for this seat, the best they can do is business as usual, and we know that the status quo is not acceptable.”

Please consider giving Howard a hand in banishing these Republican losers in another district ripe for change. The Blue America page is open... 24/7, and even contributions of $5 and $10 are very much appreciated.


UPDATE: O!M!G!

Last night I was reading David Brock's Free Ride and... wow!!! The vindictive and vicious old man, who has a long-running feud with the Arizona Republic actually had a reason for making the local GOP throw Kris Mayes under the bus. In 2000 Kris was a political reporter for the Republic and McCain wouldn't even let her on the bus. Brock reported on how national reporters-- who were all up McCain's ass and basically just passing along the p.r. line that was fed to them every day-- were surprised when Kris' little rental car followed the "Straight Talk Express" around the country. Eventually even McCain was too embarrassed and he relented. Apparently, though, he's still holding a grudge, one of the character traits the national media ignores but the Arizona media knows all too well.

McCAIN LOSES A MEMBER OF HIS LEADERSHIP TEAM: REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN RICK RENZI INDICTED ON 35 CRIMINAL COUNTS

Wave bye-bye, boys

Though certainly not for the first time-- and, I assure you, not for the last-- it was only yesterday that I was asking why the dozens of Republican senators and congressman who were taking bribes from convicted lobbyists, contractors, war profiteers, and money-grubbers like Jack Abramoff and Brent Wilkes are still roaming around free. Reuters just reported that one of them soon won't be.

A federal grand jury has indicted Republican U.S. Rep. Richard Renzi of Arizona on 35 criminal counts including conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering and official extortion, according to court papers unsealed on Friday.

The indictment stems from plan by Renzi and an associate to benefit from a land-exchange plan in order to receive Renzi's support for necessary federal legislation, court documents said.
"It was an object of the conspiracy for Renzi to enrich (his associate) and personally benefit himself," the indictment said.
It also accuses Renzi of embezzling premiums from clients of an insurance business to fund his congressional campaign.

Renzi is a close ally of McCain's, of course-- birds of a feather-- and is part of the McCain campaign leadership team. As soon as the long-anticipated indictment was handed down, McCain immediately took down the website page that mentions Renzi being on the team. Aren't you glad we saved it for you? Between Renzi and Shadegg, the Arizona GOP is starting to fray very badly around the edges. Does this mean we're going to have another special election? Keep in mind, please, that Blue America has endorsed grassroots progressive Howard Shanker for Renzi's seat. (Insider Democrats have some hack politician with no policy positions they're working hard to slip into the nomination.)

No statement yet from McCain about how he feels about his campaign's co-chairman being indicted-- especially in light of all the ethics discussion swirling around McCain himself. Will he throw his old bud under the bus. It seems like only yesterday when McCain was claiming it was safe enough to stroll around Baghdad's neighborhoods and when he was mocked and dismissed as a clown he gathered up some of his most loyal hacks-- and several hundred heavily armed U.S. troopers with attack helicopters hovering-- and made a quickie PR trip to a market (later blown up). This picture shows McCain lying about how safe Baghdad is, from the safety of the heavily fortified Green Zone, with Mike Pence (R-IN) and Renzi looking on. Lindsey Graham, also on the trip was unavailable for the photo op since he was out haggling of some Iraqi carpets he later bought.


UPDATE: STATEMENT FROM HOWARD SHANKER ON THE RENZI INDICTMENT

Today, the announcement was made that Republican Representative Rick Renzi has been indicted for extortion, wire fraud, money laundering, and other charges. It is unfortunate that Mr. Renzi has had to go through this protracted criminal investigation culminating to date in his federal indictment. It is, however, even more unfortunate that the people of Congressional District 1 have had to live in the shadow of Mr. Renzi’s asserted dirty dealings for so long. Mr. Renzi, who previously withdrew from his committee assignments, has not been focused on helping his constituents, our Congressional District, or our Country, for almost a year. It is unfortunate that we can hold so little faith or trust in our elected representatives. It is time to fix this problem. It is time for Mr. Renzi to step down, so that his seat can be filled by a public servant who is dedicated to the honest and effective representation of the people of Congressional District 1 and this great Nation. We need to reintroduce the concepts of fiscal restraint, accountability, sustainability, respect, and common sense to a governing body that seems to have lost its way. I bear no ill will toward Mr. Renzi. It is, however, time for Mr. Renzi to pass the mantle of leadership and justice to a stronger and more capable arm.

IN REAL LIFE, WHAT DO WE MEAN BY "BETTER DEMOCRATS?" LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT ONE: HOWARD SHANKER

From left: Actor Rodney Grant, who played Wind in His Hair in the movie Dances with Wolves, Howard Shanker (center), and Donovan Brown, attorney with the Navajo Department of Justice.

I can't predict what Congress will be voting on starting in January, 2009 when Donna Edwards takes her seat. But I can predict that she will base her votes and the work she does in Congress on progressive values and principles, not on the slippery slope of bribes from special interests that are disguised as campaign contributions. Please watch this 39 second clip Donna shot right after being declared the winner yesterday. It will give you a good idea about where she is headed as a member of Congress.



Another Blue America-endorsed candidate, Howard Shanker in AZ-01-- a district being abandoned by the corrupt Republican incumbent, Rick Renzi, so he can spent all his time and energy in keeping out of prison-- has responded today to the so-called economic stimulus bill Bush signed yesterday. Like Donna, Howard is facing an Establishment hack backed by the worst elements of the Democratic Inside the Beltway careerist community. She has no issues, just a lust for a good job in Washington. Howard, like Donna, is an independent-minded, grassroots activist with a forthright and progressive approach to problem-solving. When we talk about BETTER Democrats, we're talking about people like Donna Edwards, Darcy Burner, Jim Himes, Victoria Wulsin, Dennis Shulman, Andrew Rice, Sam Bennett, Alan Grayson, Howard Shanker and the other Blue America candidates.

Here's Howard's response to this flawed legislation and the context in which it needs to be examined:

A POLITICALLY DRIVEN ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE CANNOT TAKE THE PLACE OF REASONED ECONOMIC POLICY AND PLANNING

-by Howard Shanker

The bi-partisan stimulus package that President Bush signed with much fanfare yesterday says more about what is wrong with our political process than what it is wrong with our economy. The $168 billion package is a triumph of political expediency over economic basics and common sense.
 
We are faced with a unique situation. After seven years of reckless government spending and a protracted war, our economy should be booming. Instead, consumer confidence in our economic future is at an all time low and we appear to be sliding into recession. The nation’s unemployment rate has jumped. Retail sales are down. Manufacturing activity is down. And our housing and credit markets are flailing-- largely as a result of our banking institutions gambling on sub-prime mortgages.
 
Any stimulus package should have considered our dire fiscal situation. Under President Bush we have gone from record budget surpluses to record deficits.  We will all have to pay for this. My family’s share alone of the increase in our national debt under President Bush is nearly $60,000. We cannot afford to do anything but make sure any stimulus package is narrowly tailored to put money where it is needed for maximum effect. 
 
Instead, our government will spend about $168 billion it does not have on programs that will have questionable, if any, impact on stimulating our economy. Sending checks to people, as planned, will simply increase the deficit with no assurance of any economic boost. Direct rebates may make sense when there is a surplus, but under the current circumstances, it is fiscally irresponsible. The same is true for the business tax credits included in the package. Similar credits were part of the last stimulus package and had no discernable short term economic impact. Indeed, rather than providing tax credits, Congress should have considered creating disincentives for companies shipping jobs overseas.
 
It is telling that the most effective part of the pending stimulus package, is not even part of the package. By reducing interest rates, the Federal Reserve has done its part to help stabilize the housing market and the economy. There are, however, two other things that could have had an immediate impact on the economy without increasing the deficit. Neither of which made it into the package: (1) extend unemployment and food stamp benefits; and (2) release strategic petroleum reserves or at least stop filling them. This could have reduced fuel prices and provided immediate relief to the entire economy. It could have also helped those struggling to pay home heating costs.     
We also need to begin to think about the economy over the longer term. Instead of eliminating estate taxes for the largest estates, why not create jobs by investing in our aging infrastructure. As many as one-quarter of our highway bridges are structurally deficient and we simply lose about 20% of our water supply nationally because of aging and inadequate distribution systems. Reliable estimates have shown that every $1 billion spent on construction and maintenance of our nation’s infrastructure creates approximately 47,500 jobs.
 
We also need to provide tax incentives for the generation of power through renewable resources like wind and solar. Such incentives are necessary to influence the shift away from a carbon based economy and to provide sustainable energy and jobs over the longer term. Given our reliance on foreign oil and our concern over reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it would make sense that such incentives would have been kept in place and increased as warranted. In Washington, however, these items were specifically rejected for inclusion in the stimulus package.
 
Since for the foreseeable future any spending the government does will be deficit spending, as taxpayers it is our responsibility to, at least, insist that the government spend the money it does not have, in a meaningful way. Although a short term boost to the economy would be nice, turning our economy around is not going to happen overnight. We need a systemic change that considers long term growth and sustainability, as opposed to greed and short term economic gain, as the basis for our economic policies. We need an informed electorate who understand that immediate gratification is sometimes beyond our reach-- a lesson we teach our children every day. We can weather the purely cyclical aspects of any economic downturn, if we start putting strategies into place that help maximize the potential for economic growth and prosperity into the future.  
 
Thomas Edison said that three essentials to achieving anything worthwhile were hard work, perseverance, and common sense. Unfortunately, the stimulus package demonstrates that common sense is not very common in Washington these days.

DOOLITTLE FINALLY CALLS IT QUITS-- AND GOP SUFFERS ANOTHER SETBACK IN ARIZONA

No plea bargain announced as of 3 this afternoon

I like the idea that the first story I'm writing back from my travels in Asia is about the retirement-- not unexpected-- of one of the most corrupt and venal far right extremists in the U.S. Congress. True, it was just... yesterday that I was urging him to run again. But my soul is soaring that the crook will no longer be disgracing the state of California by his presence in our congressional delegation.

When I was at Heathrow this morning there were already rumors that he had decided not to run again. By the time I landed at LAX... it was all over.

“My wife, Julie, and I have made this decision after much prayer and deliberation. It was not my initial intent to retire, and I fully expected and planned to run again right up until very recently. But it distilled upon us that we were ready for a change after spending almost our entire married lives with me in public service”

Presumably his wife Julie and he were praying that Bush will be granting them a pardon when he leaves office next year since both are widely expected to be indicted, tried, found guilty and thrown into prison.

The A.P. report mentions the mounting pressure Doolittle was under from fellow Republicans to retire so they would have a fighting chance to retain the district-- and so the GOP can start cleaning up its image as the party of corruption. And if another couple dozen of them resign, they can start working on that. I would recommend another California crooked wing nut next: Jerry Lewis, who has spent over a million dollars (so far) in attorney fees to keep from being indicted. A few months ago I met with a remarkable and energetic woman from CA-41-- Lewis' Inland Empire district-- named Rita Ramirez-Dean and she is the progressive opposing Lewis. As far as Doolittle's former district, Charlie Brown is the candidate for Democrats, independents and even moderate Republicans who are sick and tired of the culture of corruption and sick and tired of narrow partisanship and wild extremism.

CNN points out that Doolittle is the 19th GOP incumbent to announce plans to retire-- so far. So far Doolittle hasn't announced a plea bargain but that is probably coming soon. For now he still insists he's innocent, something no one, on either side of the aisle, believes.

Doolittle has denied wrongdoing in his ties to Abramoff, the disgraced former lobbyist whom he considered a close friend. But after the FBI raided the congressman's Virginia home in April looking for information about event-planning work that Doolittle's wife did for Abramoff, the congressman was forced to step down from the powerful Appropriations Committee.

A flurry of grand jury subpoenas to the congressman and his aides followed. Party leaders pointedly declined to encourage Doolittle's re-election plans and his fundraising lagged.

Doolittle is contesting subpoenas for his congressional records as part of a larger dispute between Congress and the Justice Department over the scope of criminal investigations of lawmakers. That made it unlikely that his legal situation would be resolved before November's election.

For months Doolittle resisted suggestions that he retire, branding his GOP critics "weasels." But he faced mounting legal bills and at least two declared Republican primary opponents, with others waiting in the wings. Meanwhile, the Democrat he barely beat in 2006, Charlie Brown, collected 10 times as much money as the incumbent for a rematch. [Let's make it 20 times against whichever goon the GOP gets to step in for Doolittle.]

He will be the latest in a string of House Republicans to announce their retirements, although most don't have his legal problems. Nearly 20 others are headed into voluntary retirement.

Doolittle has a number of ties to Abramoff, including interceding on behalf of the lobbyist's tribal clients. He received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign money from Abramoff and his clients, and unlike other lawmakers he never got rid of it.

Abramoff's firm employed Julie Doolittle for event planning work from 2002 to 2004, paying her a total of $66,690. Doolittle has said prosecutors seem focused on whether his wife did real work to earn the money. The fundraiser she was hired to plan ended up getting canceled after the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

The Abramoff investigation already has led to a dozen convictions, including a guilty plea from [a close Doolittle associate] now imprisoned former Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio.

UPDATE: IT ISN'T ONLY REPUBLICAN INCUMBENTS WHO ARE DROPPING OUT-- ARIZONA DEBACLE

The GOP is having a very tough time recruiting top-notch candidates. We talked about how the Republican Party in New Jersey is being forced to face top-level Democrats with 4th and 5th choice Republicans when all the smart money tells the top contenders that this is not going to be a Republican year. Yesterday, Republicans in AZ-01-- the seat that was opened up when the Rick Renzi corruption investigation moved into high gear and he was tossed off his committees as an indictment appeared certain-- lost the only contender who had a chance to successfully contest the race, state Rep. Bill Konopnicki. Instead, it looks like the GOP will be stuck with a far right extremist viewed by most voters in Arizona as a "kook," Sydney Hay, head of the Arizona Mining Association.

Blue America has endorsed progressive reformer and citizen activist Howard Shanker for the Democratic nomination, although the Democratic Insider Establishment has a shill they're running as well. You can donate to Howard's campaign here.

Oh... I forgot to ask, any Blink 182 fans at DWT?

UPDATE FROM A DEMOCRATIC PARTY OUTSIDER-- A QUALIFIED PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE WITH GRASSROOTS SUPPORT WHO WON'T PANDER

I asked our Blue America-endorsed candidate from Arizona's first CD, Howard Shanker, to give us a little update on his campaign. As you probably know, there is a hot primary in the district, pitting Howard against a Democratic insider favored by the establishment and by Inside the Beltway hacks. This is what Howard sent to Bangkok from Flagstaff this evening:

The seat is being vacated by the Republican incumbent Rick Renzi, who has run into some legal difficulties. A couple of months ago I had the honor of blogging at Firedoglake. At the time I promised to provide some periodic updates. Since we last communicated, I helped prepare and represent a delegation of Navajo who testified in front of Congress on uranium contamination issues (the Navajo Nation is part of the Congressional District). I argued an historic case on behalf of the Navajo Nation, the White Mountain Apache Tribe, the Yavapai-Apache Nation, the Havasupai Tribe, the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Flagstaff Activist Network, and others, in front of an en banc court of the Ninth Circuit -- to stop the federal government from allowing the use of reclaimed sewer water on the San Francisco Peaks to make snow. The Peaks are environmentally sensitive and sacred to 13 of the tribes in the southwestern United States. I received endorsements from the Navajo Western Agency, as well as the Colorado River Indian Tribes. I was the Grand Marshall in the Western Navajo fair/parade. My float included, in part, four Navajo Code Talkers, the Attorney General for the Navajo Nation, Chapter officials, Navajo Medicine Men, members of the Native American Church, grass roots activists, and members of the band "Blackfire." I participated in a motorcycle run on the San Carlos Apache reservation (also in the District) as well as in the San Carlos parade, and had dinner with the Chairman and Tribal Council after the parade. I celebrated Shabbat at Northern Arizona University with Chabad of Northern Arizona and the Hillel at NAU. I was a guest speaker at Berkeley, Boalt Hall, published an article on "Hormesis in Toxic Tort Litigation," and made numerous campaign appearances.

My campaign is generating tremendous grass roots support from concerned citizens across the country. With wage earners and laborers digging into their pockets to donate $15-$50 during tough economic times and a holiday season. The fact is, the people need a voice in Congress. My goal is to be that voice. My only agenda is to do what is best for the Country and the District. My agenda, however, does not appear to be in line with the plans of Democratic party insiders who have "anointed" an "insider" candidate for the seat. The "anointed" candidate was a state legislator who apparently "paid her dues to the Party." I invite readers to review this former state legislator's record and compare it to my accomplishments as a private attorney. She quit mid-term to run for Congress. She has yet to provide any substantive positions on important issues -- her people are "working on her policy statements." I have clear positions posted on my website. If there is an issue not addressed call or email me and I will address it. Even without substance, however, the Party's heir apparent has raised approximately $400,000. My goal is not to bad mouth or demean my opponent. Indeed, she appears to be very pleasant. I do, however, question the very fundamentals of our Party and our processes. These times call for candidates with vision, as well as the ability and willingness to oppose the status quo. Yet we elect good fund raisers, not leaders. We complain when our elected officials pander to deep pockets. Both the Republican and the Democratic parties understand this lapse in our collective sanity and take full advantage of it to promote their own. Whether out of some misguided sense of loyalty or simply political sinecure, make no mistake, they do have "their own."

We are mired in an unjust war of our own making with no concerted effort to implement an exit strategy. As a nation, we are borrowing money from Saudi Arabia so we can buy oil from, for example, Saudi Arabia. We are faced with a national health care crises -- we don't have coverage. Our population is aging without adequate savings at the same time we have floundering Social Security and Medicare systems. Our government is rife with corruption -- already infamous for selling off essential government functions on a no bid contract basis. We do not have adequate infrastructure or services in place to meet the needs of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Our elected officials continue to talk about global warming as if it is a political issue, rather than a scientific fact. We even have a viable Presidential candidate who rejects the theory of evolution. The list goes on. The system is broken. We need people to fix it, not to be part of it.

The question is, "Do the political insiders have a strangle hold on power?" The answer is, "Only if we let them." The problems facing our country are too important to hand off to political machines whose wheels are greased by cronyism. We need leaders with vision and the ability to stand up for what is right in the face of overwhelming odds. That is what I have to offer. Help me bring democracy back to the Democratic party. If you have read all the way through this message -- Thank you. I invite you to Google me, "Howard Shanker". Even better, check out my website. Please contact me with your suggestions and thoughts. I have a proven track record of standing up against the federal government and big corporate interests to protect communities, families, the environment, and the freedoms we all hold dear. Help me give the people a voice that doesn't march in lock step with party politics as usual. I hope you all have a good holiday season.

Howard Shanker

www.Shanker2008.com

Howard Shanker
Candidate, Congressional District 1
P.O. Box 160
Flagstaff, AZ 86002-0160

Please consider going over to our Blue America ActBlue page and making a contribution to Howard's campaign and also consider voting for Howard in the DFA poll.--Howie

BLUE AMERICA WELCOMES HOWARD SHANKER, OUR FIRST ARIZONA CANDIDATE

Blue America is never eager to step into primaries unless it's a case of an exceptionally bad reactionary-- a Lieberman or a Jim Marshall-- against a surefire progressive. After Rahm Emanuel's term as DCCC Chairman ended I was under the impression that the bad old days of the DCCC getting their right-of-center, insider candidates in at the expense of grassroots progressives had ended. Alas, from every part of the country I'm starting to hear that the bad old days were just sleeping, not dead. And that's the other thing that gets us to jump into a primary. The race in Arizona's first CD is a slightly Democratic-leaning district where Republicans have done well. It offers a unique opportunity in 2008. Before we meet an exceptional candidate, Howard Shanker, let's take a look at the district.

It's the largest district in the whole country that isn't an entire state (Alaska, Wyoming and Montana)-- as big as Illinois, which has 19 congressional districts. It's mostly rural and includes Flagstaff, Prescott, Sedona, Casa Grande and the Navajo Nation. The district is almost a quarter Native American. Since 2002, it's been represented by Rick Renzi, who is under investigation for a variety of criminal activities by a variety of law enforcement agencies, and who is too occupied with figuring out how to stay out of prison to run for re-election again. The Republicans are trying to decide between far right-wing mining lobbyist Sydney Hay, a self-financer, and the guy with all the McDonald's franchises in the area, a local right-wing legislator named Bill Konopnicki, who is favored by the GOP Establishment but can't make up his mind about running.

The Democratic primary has drawn three candidates so far and could attract more. Mary Kim Titla is a former TV anchor who is outspokenly anti-choice. Ann Kirkpatrick is a former state legislator who seems to be the choice of the Insiders-- including the ones Inside the Beltway. At a closed door meeting last month of Democratic precinct committee members she was asked to explain her positions on the most consequential issues of the day. Her response-- regarding things like the occupation of Iraq and women's choice-- was that she had "people" working on position statements for her and that she would get back to them. And then there's our guest today, Howard Shanker; there isn't anyone working on position papers for him. Take two and a half minutes and watch this video of Howard making his own case. It's compelling:



When we spoke last week he had just gotten back from serving as the Grand Marshall of the Western Navajo Fair and Parade in Tuba City. He does a lot of work with the Navajo. They voted for Renzi in the past. They're firmly committed to Howard now. He has a masters degree in public administration and a law degree from Georgetown. At one time he worked for the Department of Justice and more recently President Clinton appointed him to serve on the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council Enforcement Subcommittee. His law firm specializes in civil rights, natural resources and environmental work and he's an adjunct professor at ASU Law School where he teaches courses on environmental justice and environmental litigation.

"You need someone qualified-- someone who understands the intended and unintended ramifications of legislation that's being drafted," he told me. "My vision for Arizona, a place that should be the solar and wind power capital of the country, plus a healthy sense of outrage over what has been going on in the past 7 years, influenced me to run... I've had a tremendous impact on this district as a private person, probably more so than any elected official-- at least in regard to preserving the quality of life and the environment."

Before you surf over to FDL to chat with Howard, and just to give you an idea of where he stands on the issues that are important to this community, the first one he brought up was the occupation of Iraq. "It was unjustified to begin with and we have no business being there. We need to get our troops out of there as quickly as possible-- obviously in a reasonable manner but the status quo is unacceptable. They should begin withdrawing the troops as soon as possible, tomorrow if they could."

Howard's is a people's, grassroots campaign. If you like what you hear today, please consider helping him out at his Blue America ActBlue page.

RENZI THROWIN' IN THE TOWEL. ANYONE SURPRISED?

You shouldn't be. Speculation has been raging for months and very few incumbents relish the idea of running a campaign from a prison cell. And Rick Renzi (R-AZ) is most likely headed for one before the '08 election. He would have resigned already-- after the FBI and IRS raided his place and seized his papers-- but the Republicans begged him to stick it out because they're too broke to fight for his-- or Doolittle's-- seats in special elections now.

Yesterday's Washington Post carried a statement from Renzi calling it quits:

"I will not be seeking re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008," Renzi said in a brief statement released by the National Republican Congressional Committee.

The Arizona Daily Star has the local angle and Roll Call fleshed it out a bit: "I will not be seeking re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008. I am honored and thankful to serve Arizona's first district and appreciate all that we have accomplished together over the past 6 years."

The Republicans, of course, are better off without him, and in that hot sun down there, plenty of easily brainwashed Republican voters will forget in a year and a half that Republicans are the party of organized crime. There are a few Democrats who have already jumped into the race. The Insider Establishment is rallying around State Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, who I've heard nothing but crap about from my Arizona friends. The woman who ran last time (and held Renzi to a 51% share of the vote), Ellen Simon, told me on the phone she wasn't going to run again-- a real shame. The progressive who is taking up the challenge, however, Howard Shanker, sounds like a great guy.

I found an interview with Shanker in a local paper. The last question and his answer revealed a lot:

Democrats took hold of Congress in 2006 with the winds of change at their backs. How do you think they have performed, so far, and how difficult to you think it will be to actually change the entrenched business of politics once you're a House member?

Democrats took control of Congress but they still cannot override a Presidential veto. The Democrats have done some good (and some not so good) already. The impression I have is that some Democrats feel like they have to somehow pander to the right on various issues in order to stay in office. There is validity to the proposition that an elected official has to represent all of his or her constituents. There should, however, also be a number of issues that are important to any elected official (why else would they run) on which they take a specific and well enunciated stand that doesn't change unless presented with compelling facts that justify a change in position. I think that many of our Representatives may be missing, or sacrificing, some of this passion or commitment on issues like the war, the environment, alternative energy, fiscal responsibility, in exchange for political expediency. Compromise in Congress is essential, but like anything else, there has to be a good reason warranting any particular compromise or decision. It will likely be difficult to change the entrenched "politics as usual" once I am in office -- but not impossible and we need to start somewhere. As I discussed in response to one of your earlier questions, I represent environmental, Native American, civil rights, and community groups in litigation against the federal and state government on a regular basis. In other words, my chosen career path can be compared to banging your head against a wall for a living. I strongly believe that if you bang your head against a wall long enough, eventually the wall is going to break. Realistically, as a junior Congressman I could likely begin to chip away at "politics as usual" from the outside. Given enough grass roots support and a little time, however, I have no doubt that the wall will break.

The Republicans are likely to nominate someone even further to the right than Renzi, perhaps even an out and out maniac like Ken Bennett, a Mormon fanatic with a very bizarre history of family problems. Bennett's son Clifton "confessed to police that he and Wheeler sodomized the 11- to 14-year-old boys with broomsticks and flashlights in at least 40 incidents, court documents show." Rumors have been rampant that his father the would-be congressman got him off the hook.