Arkansas Blue Dog Marion Berry Throwing In The Towel

It was mid-November, 2005 when the GOP was trying to ramrod a Robin-Hood-in-reverse budget through the Republican-controlled House. Way back then there were still a small handful of an extinct breed of Republicans-- the kind that had enough of a sense of conscience that they didn't want poor people or people down on their luck to just go die. All 200 Democrats voting that day rejected that truly horrible "deficit reduction" bill-- and they were joined by 14 Republicans and the House's one Independent. Only 5 of those Republicans are still in Congress. Amazingly, the Blue Dog coalition held firm to a sense of cohesion with the Democrats and the bill scraped by 217-215. But for me, what was remarkable about that day was how one of the most well-liked good ole boys in the House, Arkansas Blue Dog Marion Berry, staggered up to the podium (Berry was virtually never sober in Congress since first being elected in 1996) and in the midst of the bitterness and acrimony of the day-- with far right fanatic Jack Kingston (R-GA) calling the Blue Dogs "lap dogs"-- leveled a finger at one of the most laughable inept of the Republican leaders, Adam Putnam (R-FL) and spontaneously dubbed him a "Howdy Doody-looking Nimrod." Although the bill passed, cutting 220,000 people off food stamps, allowing states to impose new costs on Medicaid beneficiaries, squeezing student lenders and freezing Pell Grants, cutting aid to state child-support enforcement programs, cutting funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program but guaranteeing more and bigger tax breaks for a tiny fraction of multimillionaires, the "Howdy Doody-looking Nimrod" moniker stuck and helped drive Putnam out of the leadership and out of Congress.

Today ole Marion, still drunk, is announcing that he will be retiring from Congress, the second of Arkansas' 3 Democratic congressmen to do so. His district includes the state's Democratic heartland along the Mississippi River and his departure-- along with Vic Snyder's-- leaves only Mike Ross, the most right-wing and the most corrupt of the lot left. Once a Democratic bastion in the South, all 4 Arkansas congressional districts voted for McCain over Obama-- Berry's 59-38%-- and this year could well be the coup de grâce for Democrats in the state. Blanche Lincoln is absolutely unelectable and if Democrats don't persuade her to retire (ala Chris Dodd) that is a certain GOP pickup. I wouldn't bet on Ross holding onto his seat nor the Democrats necessarily holding onto Berry's. If Lt Gov. Bill Halder or General Wes Clark runs for Snyder's Little Rock seat, there's a shot they could save that one.

Mark Pryor may wind up with no one to talk to-- except maybe a talking snake.

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

House Dems court disaster with DWS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mario Diaz-Balart thanking Debbie Wasserman Schultz:

Will Howdy Doody Be The Scapegoat In The House?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Doody dumps Doofus for Dookie

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


UPDATE: WANT TO TAKE SOME ACTION?

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

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

... and the rest of us lost

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

Time to say good-bye

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

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

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

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

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

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

Adam Putnam: Howdy Doody Carries Big Oil's Water

It isn't a race the DCCC is targeting and it isn't on any Inside the Beltway radar screens. Many of us first met Doug Tudor here at DWT early in July when he came out swinging against Bush's anti-Constitutional FISA bill which encompassed warrantless wiretaps and retroactive immunity for corporate executives who had been illegally spying on American citizens. What makes Doug's stand doubly interesting is that he is running against the third ranking member of the Republican House hierarchy, Adam "Howdy Doody" Putnam, in a district centered on Polk County east of Tampa, Florida. Putnam was one of the foremost backers of Bush's FISA plan to strip American citizens of a right to privacy.

More recently Doug has been tangling with Puntam over energy policy. In his short time in Congress, Putnam has already taken $70,300 from Big Oil, while pushing billions of dollars worth of tax breaks for them and pushing policies that have led to high prices at the pump. The latest example was on July 24 when a bipartisan majority of congressmen (268 of them) tried easing prices at the pump by releasing some of the strategic petroleum reserve. Putnam was one of the Republicans who refused.

Although he refused to do anything at all to help ease the burden of high gas prices during the congressional session, Putnam was one of the clowns running around Capitol Hill during the summer break waving an air tire pressure gauge over his head and whooping and hollering. This morning Doug sent me something related that he wrote about Adam Putnam's energy "policies." Doug Tudor:

Today I received a “Congressional Update” from my Representative, Adam Putnam, detailing his energy policy. It was a slickly produced piece of campaign literature with a disclaimer “This mailing was prepared, published, and mailed at taxpayer expense.” No matter how misleading the piece was, what really caught my attention was the single quote he included.

“Our goal is for our children to be able to point to the Middle East on a map and say, ‘That region is irrelevant to America’s economic stability.’”
 – Congressman Adam Putnam

My very first thought was that our friends in Israel probably do not share Mr. Putnam’s goal.  As with so many areas in America’s relationship with Israel, our continuing interest in the region underlies Israel’s economic viability and overall security.

In fact, Israel was the very first country with which America entered into a free trade agreement back in 1985.  Since signing the FTA, U.S. exports to Israel have grown from $1.8 billion to more than $9.7 billion, an increase of 335 percent. Roughly one-fourth of all Israeli imports now come from the United States. Meanwhile, U.S. imports from Israel have jumped from less than $2.2 billion in 1984, to more than $16.9 billion in 2005, an increase of 598 percent. The overall volume of trade between the two countries has risen 471 percent, from less than $4 billion in 1984 to more than $26.6 billion in 2005. Israel is now America's 19th leading trade partner.

Two major areas in which our Israeli friends might disagree with Mr. Putnam involves foreign assistance and military sales, which total approximately $5.5 billion per year. Israel has been the largest annual recipient of direct economic and military assistance from the United States since 1976, and the largest total recipient since World War II.
 
For the third-ranking Republican in the House to make such an outlandish statement about an area in the world that has a population nearing 325 million, should be cause for alarm for all Middle East inhabitants. Despite our invasion of Iraq, American military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, UAE, and Qatar, America has played a vital role in keeping trade lanes open. These lanes bring food to a region that has virtually no chance of feeding itself.  This freedom of trade benefits nearly every nation on Earth.
 
It is obvious that Mr. Putnam intended for his comments to reflect the fact that he will continue to carry Big Oil’s water in the U.S. House, as it clamors for its final land grab before the Bush Administration slithers into the history books. Fair enough. With $70,300 of their money in his pocket, they bought Mr. Putnam’s vote fair and square.  If he wishes to defy his constituent’s wishes, he does so at his own political peril. When his asinine words insult hundreds of millions of people, including our Jewish friends in Israel, he should leave the foreign policy predictions to those who understand the damage words can do.

-Doug Tudor

If you'd care to contribute to replacing Putnam in Congress, you can donate at Doug's ActBlue page here. Even $5 and $10 contributions will help him get his message out, even if they're not the size of the donations Putnam regularly gets from Big Sugar ($374,436), the insurance industry ($203,675), the real estate industry ($145,501), commercial banks ($113,800), lobbyists ($77,540), the telecoms (for whom he sold out the Constitution-- $69,750) and the alcoholic beverages industry ($73,000). You see, Adam Putnam doesn't just work for the special interests of Big Oil; he works for the special interests of any big corporation willing to "donate" to his career.

As Beltway Dems congratulate themselves on their shrewd strategizing over Iraq, is there any chance of us getting whatever the heck they're smoking?

"Obviously it's a good move. It gives President Bush and Republicans one less thing to shoot at."
--Democratic pollster Fred Yang [right], on his party's congressional capitulation on funding the Iraq war

In the real world where most of us live, the story about congressional Democrats' capitulation to Chimpy the Prez, giving him the blank check on Iraq he was demanding, is a story of, well, abject capitulation.

Apparently not so within the Beltway-delimited Shangri-La on the Potomac. "The crazy thing about the fight," Matt Stoller writes today on MyDD, "is that Democratic insiders are convinced that capitulation is the right strategy. They actually believe that this will put pressure on the Republicans in the fall, and that standing up to Bush is a bad idea."

Matt quotes this chunk from reporting by Susan Ferrechio on CQ.com:

Democrats said this week they would have jeopardized their fall bargaining position if they had insisted on keeping withdrawal timelines in the current supplemental spending bill (HR 2206). Persisting now would likely have resulted in another veto and would have handed Republicans talking points for the Memorial Day recess about which party supports the troops in the field.

Democrats were particularly worried about the prospect of Bush declaring at wreath-laying ceremonies that "Democrats have stopped resources for the troops," said Rep. Artur Davis, D-Ala. [right].

"The problem is that we have to provide money for the troops, and if we don't, the Democrats will be blamed," added Rep. James P. Moran, D-Va., a war opponent. "Bush has the bully pulpit, so he will define who is responsible."

"Obviously it's a good move," said Democratic pollster Fred Yang. "It gives President Bush and Republicans one less thing to shoot at" during the upcoming recess week.

Which prompts this from Matt:

Bush has the bully pulpit. Obviously it's a good move.

These are the attitudes of Democratic members and pollsters. There's no evidence that Bush moves numbers anymore. In fact, when he talks he becomes less popular. He has no credibility, which means that his access to the bully pulpit is severely diminished. Yet Democrats are afraid of him. More than that, Democratic members think that by capitulating to him that Republicans will stop saying that Democrats won't fund the troops. It's crazy. It's like they didn't notice the 2002 election where they were like 'we can take Iraq off the table'.

And while the news media is abuzz with talk of Democratic capitulation, I'm watching idiots like Louise Slaughter [right] on C-Span saying that this is not a concession to Bush, and that Congress is fighting to end the war. And she really believes it. She really thinks that Democrats are fighting Bush with this bill. It's amazing. It's like la-la land.

POSTSCRIPT: Shh! House Dems scheme to capitulate quietly

Apparently those Beltway Dems are so pleased with their victory-through-capitulation strategy that they're engineering a way of avoiding even leaving a voting trail. David Sirota reports this morning that House Democrats have come up with a way of voting for the Iraq spending capitulation without actually appearing to cast votes for it:

VOTE ALERT: Dick Cheney Dems
Plan to Hide Votes on Iraq TODAY

Today is the day House Democrats are expected to vote on Iraq - except, news out of Washington this morning says the leadership has come up with a nifty little trick to try to prevent the public from seeing who voted for giving Bush a blank check, and who voted against it. If you thought Democrats were behaving like cowards by caving into a President at a three-decade low in presidential polling and giving him the very blank check they explicitly promised not to give him during the 2006 election, you ain't seen nothing yet. Welcome to the rise of the Dick Cheney Democrats - that is, Democrats who endorse governing in secret and hiding the public's business from the public itself.

Here's how it is expected to work today (though it could change). Every bill comes to the House floor with what is known as a "rule" that sets the terms of the debate over the legislation in question. House members first vote to approve this parliamentary rule, and then vote on the legislation. Today, however, Democrats are planning to include the Iraq Blank check bill IN the rule itself, meaning when the public goes to look for a vote on the Iraq supplemental bill, the public won't find that. All we will find is a complex parliamentary procedure vote. Lawmakers, of course, will then tell their angry constituents they really are using all of their power to end the war, and this vote on the rule - which was the real vote for war - wasn't really a vote on the war. It is a devious, deliberately confusing cherry on top of the manure sundae being served up to the American public, which voted Democrats into office on the premise that they would use their congressional majority to end the war.

All of this is happening at the time top Republican leaders are making ever more sociopathic statements at odds with mainstream public opinion. Today, as just one example, House Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam (R-FL) [right, better known to DWT readers as Rep. Howdy Doody] cheered on the blank check, telling Roll Call that "You drop Murtha [troop readiness standards], you drop withdrawal, the troops win." He doesn't explain how popular proposals to better equip and train American soldiers for combat and force the Bush administration to come up with a plan for redeploying troops out of harms way means "troops win."

IS BUSH WAITING FOR GOP LEADERS TO INVITE THE MOODY BLUES TO PERFORM ON THE SOUTH LAWN BEFORE HE TELLS ABU G THAT IT'S TIME TO MOVE BACK TO TEXAS?

Kiss bye-bye, boys

In 1968 Walter Cronkite went to Vietnam and reported that he had seen the lies, corruption, and stalemate in that war and that it was time for us to go. President Johnson listened to Cronkite's verdict with dismay and real sadness and told an aide, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost America." Although Walter Cronkite and The Howdy Doody Show were popular in the same era, there is no newscaster with the moral heft of a Walter Cronkite today and the 2007 version of Howdy Doody... well, he doesn't quite measure up. But Rove, Cheney and Bush must have felt something like what Johnson felt in '68 on Friday when Adam Putnam (R-FL) joined a growing chorus of Republicans clamoring for a quick exit for Bush's incompetent and corrupt Attorney General, Abu Gonzales. If they've lost Adam Putnam, they've lost the brain-dead fringe of right-wing nutcases who always support them on everything, no matter how outrageous and unconstitutional.

It isn't like there is someone in Washington that has just learned that Abu G is incompetent or never knew that his shallow understanding of the U.S. Constitution made him unfit to be a court stenographer or that his supine posture towards power and natural predeliction towards corruption guaranteed that he would be among the worst Attorneys General in American history. No, that was all clear from day one. What happened this week is that it was on teevee and impossible for anyone-- including voters-- to miss.

Little Doody has known for some time that Abu Gonzo needed to be shoved out the door. As Chairman of the House Republican Conference, he's supposed to help build Repugs to get elected, not watch as they are swept out of Congress in disgust. By March he was already seeing the writing on the wall and started gently prodding the White House to kick Gonzales overboard. At a Florida press conference he told reporters "I have been very critical of his actions (in the firing of the U.S. attorneys) and stopped short of calling for his resignation because that is the prerogative of the president. But it is clear he is not as effective as the result of this tornado he is in the middle of."

Yesterday Little Doody, exasperated that gentle prodding wasn't getting him anywhere, conferred with his more cowardly-- but no less concerned-- fellow leaders of the GOP House caucus, and he announced that, basically, Democrats had it right all along: Abu G is unfit to remain Attorney General. Rep. Doody of Florida, "chairman of the Republican conference in the House of Representatives, said it was important for the head of the U.S. Justice Department to have 'unwavering' credibility. 'For the good of the nation, I think it is time for fresh leadership at the Department of Justice,' Putnam said in a brief telephone interview. He said a lack of credibility by the Justice Department chief puts in jeopardy the president's legislative agenda."

Putnam isn't alone among Bush Regime rubber stampers in begging the White House to get Gonzales off the front pages and off the TV screens immediately. "My House colleagues are concerned about the management of the Department of Justice and how this most recent scandal has been handled," Little Doody said-- although he would not say how many of his GOP colleagues are screaming for Gonzales to get the boot. "They recognize the sensitive issues that we all face that involve the Justice Department and know that we do deserve to have the best possible, most open, candid and effective leadership possible at the head of that department."

Republican legislators who abdicated all sense of duty and decency when Bush assumed the presidency and never once questioned any part of his horrific and outrageous agenda-- even the worst right wing ideologues like Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Tom Coburn (R-OK)-- have now found something to posture about that seperates them from the increasingly disdained and distrusted Bush Regime. Clueless as ever, Bush, hasn't felt enough heat yet to cut the ties that bind. It's still, "Gonzo, you're doin' a great job."

Asked Friday whether Bush was interviewing candidates to succeed Gonzales, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters, "Not that I'm aware of, no."

She said that Bush had spoken to Gonzales after he testified and that the president was "pleased that the hearing had finally been held."

Perino said Gonzales "continues to have the president's full confidence."

"I can understand there are some people who still don't want to support the attorney general; that is their right. But he has done a fantastic job at the Department of Justice. He is our No. 1 crime fighter," Perino said.

CNN reports that tipsters, anonymous White House insiders, are dismayed over Gonzales' pathetic performance yesterday. Unlike Perino, the public face of the Regime, who is paid to lie and dissimulate, CNN's sources, "involved in administration discussions about Gonzales, said two senior level White House aides who heard the testimony described Gonzales as 'going down in flames,' 'not doing himself any favors,' and 'predictable... 'Everyone's putting their best public face on,' one source said, 'but everyone is discouraged. Everyone is disappointed.'"

After one official-- Rove-- likened watching Abu G's Judiciary Committee hearing to watching someone club a baby seal, most White House movers and shakers moved on to the next topic: finding a successor for the DoJ. Although Utah's conniving and unscupulous Orrin Hatch has been angling for the job, many inside the Regime say the last thing they need is an egomaniac to follow Abu. "One name that consistently comes up is Ted Olson, former solicitor general. Olson is seen as having the experience, reputation and credibility needed to steer the department for the next year and a half, through the end of Bush's term." The fact that he's a vicious far right partisan deters no one at all.

Now, as promised, ladies and gentlemen, the fabulous Moody Blues:



And if the Moody Blues don't work? It's unlikely Renzi or Domenici would do it but maybe Rosa De Lauro, Pete DeFazio and Frank Pallone could invite Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli?


UPDATE: BUSH AIN'T GIVIN' UP HIS ABU NO MATTER WHAT SOME HOWDY DOODY-LOOKIN' LITTLE NIMROD™ SAYS

Today's WAPO has a funny story by Dan Eggan and Peter Baker about the disarray in the White House over the Abu Gonzo disaster. Rove and all the other snakes are telling Bush to kick his ass out but Bush takes it as a personal affront to his authority, sort of like Eric Cartman, and has dug in his heels. Rove is putting it out there that Bush wants Abu to just resign quietly on his own and take the onus off his poor commander-in-chief shoulders. Apparently, though, Gonzales is living in Never-Never Land and thinks everything's coming up roses.

But in this case, according to Republican strategists, Bush faces the choice of leaving in place a law enforcement chief who has undermined his effectiveness in his department and on Capitol Hill, or reversing gears in the coming days and weeks if the political situation continues to deteriorate.

"Everybody at the White House... all think he needs to go, but the president doesn't," said a Republican who consulted the Bush team yesterday. Another White House ally said Bush and Gonzales are ignoring reality: "They're the only two people on the planet Earth who don't see it." A third Republican intimately familiar with sentiment inside the White House said the hope is that Gonzales will leave on his own. "At some point, he'll figure out that it's not a sustainable situation," the Republican said.

UPDATE: CAN ABU G DO TO THE BUSH REGIME WHAT HE DID TO THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT?

Former federal prosecuter Elizabeth de la Vega (with over 20 years at the DoJ) has a question, one that will be answered before May flowers bloom. She wants to know if Gonzo will "be pushed over the side, take a dive off the plank or simply hang onto the railing of the wreck the Bush administration has made of the Department of Justice." No one can rationally dispute his unfitness for public service. "Certainly, Gonzales is unfit to be the nation's chief law enforcement officer. We knew that before he testified on April 19. We knew that before he was even confirmed. No one who signs off on tortured legal memos authorizing torture, kidnapping and illegal detentions is fit to be the attorney general of the United States."

After his catastrophic televised non-testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee-- likened to watching a baby seal being clubbed by "someone" in Rove's office-- Abu G is trying to keep a low profile. He wasn't on any of the Sunday talking heads shows to defend... the indefensible. And at last night's White House Correspondant's Association Dinner-- while Sheryl Crow and Laurie David tried explaining to Karl Rove works for us, not the other way round-- Gonzo sat quietly, still stunned from his clubbing, at the USA Today table, refusing to talk with anyone beyond, "I am enjoying my meal, it is great to be here. I am enjoying myself.”

HOWDY DOODY TRIES A LITTLE EARLY SANTA CLAUS CHEER FOR REPUBLICANS MOST IN JEOPARDY OF LOSING THEIR SEATS

I'm certain that DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen isn't getting anything out of this he isn't already well aware of, but Florida Rep. H. Doody has a little list, flagging the eleven GOP congressmembers who the Republicans feel are most in jeopardy when they have to face their constituents next year. Congressman Doody handed each of the endangered Repugs, many of whom are under investigation for their criminal behavior, a check for $2,500. What's up with little Doody, you wonder? Well, with Minority Leader Boehner spending most of his time at a tanning salon and trying to keep as far away from anything indictable as possible and with his #2, Roy Blunt practically living on K. Street, the impossible task of protecting the Republicans' scores of vulnerable congressmembers has fallen on the shoulders of poor Doody, chairman of the House Republican Conference.

Paul Kane in today's Washington Post explains that Doody's "Red PAC donations serve as an early window into the thinking of House Republicans in terms of which incumbents are in the most electoral trouble in 2008. The recipients range from ethically challenged incumbents-- such as Reps. John Doolittle (R-Calif.), who still faces questions about his family's connections to jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff, to Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) who's under fire for allegedly pressuring a prosecutor to bring indictments against Albuquerque Democrats-- to those that are in just difficult races because of political geography. Doody's dozen (and their percentage of votes in the 2006 election) minus one:

Steve Chabot (Ohio) 53%
John Doolittle (Calif.) 49%
Jim Gerlach (Pa.) 51%
Robin Hayes (N.C.) 50%
Joe Knollenberg (Mich.) 52%
Jon Porter (Nev.) 48%
Deborah Pryce (Ohio) 51%
David Reichert (Wash.) 51%
Rick Renzi (Ariz.) 52%
Peter Roskam (Ill.) 51%
Heather Wilson (N.M.) 50%

Presumably he considers Michele Bachmann, Minnesota's secret puker, to be too far gone for $2,500 to have any impact at all. Little Doody is still a little wet behind the ears so he might be interested in knowing that Karl Rove, who's been manipulating politics when Doody was still eating his own shit, has a much wider list of Republicans likely to be defeated at the polls in 2008. According to Rove, the Republicans who will be looking for honest work after the next elections are Gerlach (PA), Bachmann (MN), Hayes (NC), Wilson (NM), Musgrave (CO), Roskam (IL), Shays (CT), Mean Jean Schmidt (OH), Drake (VA), Cubin (WY), Doolittle (CA), Porter (NV), Walsh (NY), Pryce (OH), Kuhl (NY), Ferguson (NJ), Knollenberg (MI), Young (Bridge to Nowhere), Galleghy (CA), McKeon (CA), Lewis (CA), Miller (CA), Castle (DE), Young (FL), Kirk (IL), Hastert (IL), Lewis (KY), Bartlett (MD), Ehlers (MI), Walberg (MI), Myrick (NC), Regula (OH), Dent (PA) and Davis (VA).

The only additions to Rove's list on Doody's handout roster are David Reichert (WA), Steve Chabot (OH), and the much-investigated Republicrook Rick Renzi who went on that p.r. stunt/stroll through "safe" Baghdad with McCain last week. Of course, Congressman Doody was just handing out checks-- which is legal-- while Rove was instructing the General Services Administration to help the re-election efforts of the members of congress on his list, which is illegal. What a team!

HOWDY DOODY IN THE NEWS AGAIN-- SAME OLD... DOODY THOUGH

Representative Doody (R-FL) has been getting quite a bit of press lately. In fact, with Boehner increasing his tanning booth time and Blunt increasing his K. Street time, most of the disruption and obstructionism Cheney and Rove have demanded in the House is falling on poor little Congressman Doody's frail shoulders. Today's Washington Post say's he's a total press whore and publicity hound. "The Florida Republican's new job is to jump on anything that makes Democrats look bad and exploit it for maximum effect. As chairman of the Republican Conference Committee, Putnam is the face and voice of House Republicans. His agenda: to aggressively display the flaws of the new majority, to convey the ideas of the Republicans, and to work his hardest to help his party win back the House in 2008."

Most adults in the Republican caucus treat him like a bothersome twerp but he has managed to put together a little team of nincompoops and degenerates including the two stupidest members of Congress: Lynn Westmorland (R-GA) and Patrick McNutcase (R-NC). "Because we're in the minority, we have to work that much harder to get our message out," said Putnam, who edged out Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga) for the job of conference chairman by a vote of 100 to 91." How could someone with not a single positive attribute edge out anyone. Well, remember, who we're talking about. Jack Kingston is not just a garden variety fascist and demonstrably insane; he's the one who seemed to threaten to turn himself into a suicide bomber in order to keep the Democrats from making peace in the Middle East. In the epic battle between Howdy Doody and the suicide bomber from Georgia, Howdy Doody won... by a nose.

Doody was a protege of Planet Denny Hastert, another Republican closet case still on the loose, and he campaigned for him when he was still a child and once he won a seat "placed him on key congressional committees such as Rules and Budget" and then helped him get a leadership spot once Republican congressional leader Tom DeLay was indicted for money laundering.

Doody, who was in charge of keeping the GOP from being swamped because of the Mark Foley page molestation scandal-- it didn't work; they lost 31 seats-- is now trying to coordinate the party's message, the way Rahm Emanuel does for the Democrats. "Life in the minority means the Republicans don't always know days in advance what will transpire and often have to react to Democratic moves, which makes good internal communication key, Putnam said. He is developing a new communications strategy for the Republicans, one that reaches beyond the Beltway to telegraph the party's message to small media markets. He implemented a weekly GOP radio address made available to regional radio stations across the country and is trying to cultivate reporters at small newspapers and blogs that originate far from Washington. 'We're trying to get beyond the Washington Post and the New York Times and take our message to farm radios and weekly papers,' Putnam said." They should call the show IT'S HOWDY DOODY TIME-- AND HAVE I GOT A BIG WHOPPER FOR YOU!

IT'S HOWDY DOODY TIME! (PLUS BONUS-- THE TIES THAT BIND: RAHM EMANUEL & ADAM PUTNAM)

Saturday evening I decided to take a look at the early on-line version of the Sunday Times to see if there were any stories about any of my special targets. You know how excited I get when I find stuff about the worst reactionaries, the Lynn Westmorelands or Patrick McNutcases or Rahm Emanuel. Well immediately, on page 1, I found one of my favorite Republican characters: Adam Putnam (AKA- "that Howdy Doody-looking Nimrod"). I got so excited that I wound up causing Safari to crash. And when I came back... Howdy Doody was gone. And he was gone all day. I was distraught. A friend of mine finally e-mailed a Times editor who informed him that it would run today. Sunday was a slow news day, but not that slow; someone had peremptorily yanked young Putnam's puff piece out of the Sunday paper.

You see, despite the accolades bestowed on him by his Democratic counterpart, the aforementioned sleazebag from Chicago, Emanuel, no one much cares about Representative Doody. Although Speaker Pelosi's office has pointed out that Doody is an ineffective representative-- "... a key question to ask is whether his priorities are delivering for his district, helping our troops in Iraq and our veterans, or trying to get his name in the newspaper by resorting to cheap partisan tactics and over-the-top rhetoric. Unfortunately, the latter seems to be the case."-- Emanuel sees it differently.

I consider Adam one of the best Republicans. I think he’s a worthy opponent. He does his homework. He doesn't just get up there and wing it. He knows his stuff. He's a sharp communicator.

He does his homework? After his milk and cookies? Before getting tucked in and going beddy-bye-- even before George W.?

As usual, when Emanuel disagrees with Speaker Pelosi, I usually agree with her. And I'm not the only one. Keith Olbermann recently named Congressman Doody "The Worst Person in the World." Keith:

But our gold-medalist Congressman Adam Putnam of Florida-- chairman of the House Republican Conference Committee, one of the guys who ran with, and pushed, the phony Nancy Pelosi plane request story.

He's now admitted to the Tampa Tribune newspaper that he not only doesn't know if the story was true... he doesn't care.

He read it in the Moonie Paper in Washington.

Don't know if it's true...don't care if it's true.

Watch this man. He could be nominated for President some day.

Congressman Adam Putnam of Florida... today's Worst Person In The World!

You wanna watch the video? If you know Emanuel, send it to him too. Even better was the diary EmperorHadrian put up yesterday on DailyKos.

What is amazing about Putnam is that despite his age, he still shows the exact same level of moral and intellectual atrophy as the Republican party has shown since 1994... Putnam... is not really that unique amongst Republicans. Truth and reality didn't matter to him any more or any less than it does (or more specifically, doesn't) matter to any other Republican. As long as they could keep repeating a bogus, invented charge, the more time Democrats would have to waste in responding to their manufactured charge. To this extent, Putnam shows the same contempt of reality that all other Republicans show. Fantasy gives them more material with which to attack Democrats. This also shows that Putnam shows the exact same level of partisanship and ideology as all other Republicans. Just like all other Republicans, he would rather win an election than actually do something positive for the country. Like with all other Republicans, winning is the end, not the means to an end

It is the fact that Putnam doesn't really stick out from any other Republican in his contempt of reality, partisanship, or amoral and authoritarian personality, that it lends us to a realization. He is the second youngest member of the house. If one of the youngest Republicans is this arrogant, ideological and amoral, then we can expect to be dealing with this Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) for some time into the future. The battle just started in 1994, and it by no means ended in 2006. 2006 was simply the closing of the first chapter, and the beginning of the second...

It is a very dangerous personality type, because it is so amoral. In that sense, it is quite comparable to the personality type of a sociopath. DeLay, Rove and Putnam all behave in ways remarkably similar to sociopaths. The RWA type will destroy Iraq, destroy the UN, destroy world peace, destroy the federal budget, destroy the futures of our citizens, and destroy the planet, if that means electoral victories. This is the value system of people like Putnam. They will win at any cost. They will accuse democrats of doing the exact same things that they themselves are doing. For the long term survival of the country, we will have to keep fighting them, and ensure that we are able to keep beating them. If we can't beat them, then God help us all.

Maybe Pelosi ought to fire Emanuel as Democratic Caucus Chair and hire EmperorHadrian.

So now you know what Speaker Pelosi thinks, what Rahm Emanuel thinks, what Keith Olbermann thinks and, best of all, what EmperorHadrian thinks. Time for the NY Times. Putnam is "a tousled redhead whose cherubic appearance still causes Capitol police to stop him occasionally." He "has taken on the role of attack dog over the last three months... and generally tried to eke out political points at every opportunity." (Ahh... that's why Emanuel admires him. Honor among thieves...) But, yes... it was a very slow news day. The Times may be laughable but T Boggs has the real story of Howdy Doody and why we should care.