Rep Frank Wolf (R-VA)-- The Mirror Image Of Ashley Todd

The McCain campaign made a big production out of some unfortunate-looking campaign worker of theirs, a demented Texan named Ashley Todd, who claimed to have been attacked and beaten and mutilated by a great big BLACK man. The primitive drums of racism were being pounded on by McCain, Palin and everyone remotely connected to the campaign. "Violent Negroes attacking our women" was the message. Then it turned out that the McCain campaign worker was... well exactly like everyone involved with the McCain campaign at all levels: a congenital liar. After a lie-detector test, she admitted that she made the whole thing up-- and badly, having carved a "B" (for Barack we were told by another McCain spokesperson in Pennsylvania) in a mirror... backwards. Neither McCain nor Palin has apologized for this outrageous, divisive and racist stunt perpetrated on the electorate by their campaign. Instead McCain supporters are still trying to cover up the fact that it was nothing but another discredited McCain gimmick.

Last night there was more campaign violence. But this time it involved a demented old Republican congressman, Frank Wolf, from northern Virginia's 10th CD. Wolf's startling rubber stamp voting record has finally caught up to him in a year when Virginia voters are sick of the GOP and in a year when he has a spectacular opponent (Judy Feder) who is well-financed and running an exemplary campaign. Wolf is freaking out and hysterical. With McCain trailing and Wolf's pal/extreme right Senate candidate James Gilmore III down by 30 points-- even higher in VA-10-- Virginia could well see 4 red congressional districts turn blue, career-ending cataclysms for Virgil Goode, Thelma Drake, and Wolf. (The 4th GOP likely loser is extremist new-comer Keith Fimian, given up by the GOP as road kill 6 weeks ago.)

Wolf is especially concerned this year because he stands out as the worst member of Congress on veterans issues. Not a single member has a worse voting record when it comes to America's military vets. Since November, 2002, Wolf has participated in 24 roll call votes concerning our military vets. He voted against them all 24 times. Hard to believe from someone who voted with Bush and Cheney on every single Iraq-related item. Even when other Republicans were looking for common ground with Democrats on behalf of peace and for the safety of our fighting men and women, Wolf was blindly agreeing to every failed policy Bush and Cheney spewed out. There are very few members of Congress as completely worthless as Wolf. Since the October 10, 2002 bill authorizing the use of force in Iraq, there have been 64 roll calls on Iraq. Wolf was with Bush on every single one of them.

With a record like Wolf's, it's no wonder he doesn't like answering questions from his constituents or from the press. And it helps put into perspective his campaign's violent fascistic reaction to a man asking questions. Frank Wolf is not part of the political mainstream. It's time for him to retire. The folks in McLean, Winchester, Chantilly, Manassas, Front Royal and way out in Frederick County are lucky that just when Wolf has finally gone off the deep end-- along with Michele Bachmann, Robin Hayes, Scott Garrett, Steve King, and some of the other extremists-- Judy Feder is making a case about how she will be a far better representative for northern Virginians than Wolf has been.

Please consider making a donation to Judy's campaign, while you watch Congressman Wolf's version of democracy:

Why Won't Frank Wolf Ever Stand Up For Northern Virginia Voters?

During his career, the real estate industry has donated more to Frank Wolf than any other sector-- $598,673. Lobbyists have given him $226,106. But when you combine all the culprits in the mortgage crisis and Wall Street meltdown, you find that Frank Wolf is one of their most beloved members of Congress. They have showered Congressman Wolf with "donations." In fact, since he was first elected, Finance, Insurance and Real Estate has contributed $962,663 to his career. And they have gotten their money's worth as he has consistently voted against the interests of his constituents and for the special interests who pay him off. Wolf has never met an unfair trade bill or a deregulation bill that he didn't support. His disgraceful voting record has come to define rubber stamp, across a wide array of issues. Frank Wolf is so extreme-- even for a Republican-- that he didn't oppose Bush on a single Iraq-related bill! He was with Bush and Cheney 63 times out of 63 roll calls, a record that few Republicans could ever duplicate.

Same when it came to the roll calls about our military personnel's well-being. Yes, for all Wolf's empty screeching about "support the troops," he has voted against the troops every single time a bill has come up-- from providing them with body armor to providing their families with health care. Wolf, more than any Republican in the House, actually hates military families and his votes, regardless of his rhetoric at election times, prove it! He also has a perfect score on veterans issues. He voted in exactly two dozen roll calls regarding veterans and he voted exactly two dozen times against veterans. When it comes to Big Pharma and Big Oil and Big Insurance, though... he is the first in Congress to throw taxpayers' dollars in their direction.

So it should come as no surprise to anyone that when one of McCain's racist campaign officials in Virginia made extremely disparaging, coded remarks about the residents of the 10th CD-- that they're not "real Virginians," Wolf refused to correct McCain or come to the defense of the people who have allowed him to live the life of a country squire at the public trough for so many years. I want to know what people who live in McLean, Manassas, Winchester, Chantilly and Front Royal think about this kind of talk from the McCain campaign. Watch it, please, and then help Judy Feder, sweep the garbage out of office:

Equal Pay For Equal Work Passes By Large Margin, Despite Dogged Republican Opposition

Yesterday the House passed, by 247-178, the Paycheck Fairness Act. Every single Democrat voted for it and 14 Republicans-- mostly cowards running from their records-- joined then. The worst of the GOP ideologues and extremists all voted no. Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro explained why this bill is so meaningful:

"With this resolution, we take up an effort that began more than 150 years ago when visionary women came together to stand up for women's rights, to better the status of women in our society. In this tradition, more than 11 years ago, I first introduced the legislation that we consider this morning, the Paycheck Fairness Act, and I cannot help but think of all the Aprils we have commemorated Equal Pay Day without legislative movement. But today the legislative inertia we have experienced for years have come to an end. The wage gap is real… Over the course of her lifetime, a female high school graduate will make $700,000 less than the young man she graduates with. Compared to a man, a female college graduate stands to lose up to $2 million in the course of her career. This is true across the board."

Although endangered, petrified Bush rubber stamp reactionaries like Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), the Diaz-Balart Brothers (Rs-FL), Charlie Dent (R-PA), Robin Hayes (R-NC), Dave Reichert (R-WA), Phil English (R-PA) and a small handful of Republicans being encouraged to abandon Republican "principles" by Tom Cole and to run against the GOP, crossed the aisle today so they can lie to women and tell them they support equality, most Republicans up for re-election in November didn't have the sense to dodge this one.

During a conference call, the National Republican Congressional Committee chairman instructed candidates, campaign managers and press secretaries that given the anti-incumbent environment, it could be beneficial for House GOP candidates to distance themselves from politicians they may be serving with next year.

“These [congressional approval] ratings are worse than we had on the eve of losing the majority,” Cole said. “Don’t be afraid to say you are disappointed in fellow Republicans… don’t hesitate to be anti-Washington, D.C.”

The NRCC chief discouraged candidates from attending the national convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, saying that spending days there would be a “waste of time,” and they would be better off campaigning.

Among the Republicans voting against equal pay for women-- daring Republican women to vote against them-- were a wide range of Republicans from make believe moderates like Mark Kirk (R-IL), Judy Biggert (R-IL), and Mary Bono Mack (R-CA or FL; who knows anymore) to died in the wool far right radicals like Michele Bachmann (R-MN), John Culberson (R-TX), Thelma Drake (R-VA), woman-hating closet queens David Dreier (R-CA) and Patrick McHenry (R-NC), Randy Forbes (R-VA), Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Virgil Goode (R-VA), Ric Keller (R-FL), John Kline (R-MN), Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), Randy Kuhl (R-NY), Tom Latham (R-IA-- who is still voting the way Bush wants but is at great pains to claim he's not a Bush clone by bragging to Iowa newspapers that Bush isn't welcome on his campaign), Mike McCaul (R-TX), Steve Pearce (R-NM), Mike Pence (R-IN), Adam Putnam (R-FL), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Mean Jean Schmidt (R-OH), John Shadegg (R-AZ), Tim Walberg (R-MI), Frank Wolf (R-VA) and Bill Young (R-FL).

We reached out two two of self-made women who have been endorsed by Blue America for congressional seats whose opponents are against equality of pay for equal work. Debbie Cook is the mayor of Huntington Beach in Orange County, CA and she's running against reactionary--and somewhat batty-- incumbent Dana Rohrabacher. His vote yesterday may have disgusted her but she wasn't surprise. She told us that "Rohrabacher has voted to increase his own pay 10 times in 11 years. While voting himself $90,000 in pay raises, he's voted against equal pay for women, against access to birth control, against Head Start programs, and against health care for children. Dana Rohrabacher's record on women's issues is clear: he doesn't care at all about the health and well-being of the women in his district."

Judy Feder in Northern Virginia had a similar reaction to the anti-woman vote from her member of Congress, Frank Wolf. "This is the third time in just the last couple of weeks that Congressman Wolf has voted against hardworking Americans and hardworking families in Virginia. And I have to say, as a woman, this particular vote is the most offensive to me," Judy told us this morning. "Not only is this an issue of basic fairness, but as families try to deal with stressful economic times, equal pay for women is also about helping millions of families meet their needs on a daily basis."

Nor, of course, is it only women who are supporting equal rights for women. Bob Lord, the Arizona progressive Democrat running against sleazy reactionary John Shadegg, who has a shady and disgraceful history with women and now thinks he's going to inherit John McCain's senate seat, finds Shadegg's vote against equality as typical of a disturbing pattern among rubber stamp Republicans. "John Shadegg just voted against equal pay for women," Bob told DWT this morning. "Shadegg keeps showing us that he is one of the most conservative members of Congress that votes with Bush nearly 100 percent of the time and this clearly is one of the worst examples yet. Shadegg epitomizes what is wrong with Congress and he made that loud and clear yesterday-- that and it's time to elect new leadership."

Watch George Miller (D-CA) answering disgraceful Republican charges that there is no disparity between men and women.



A thorough analysis from Andrea Miller, the exceptionally brilliant progressive running against garden variety rubber stamp Randy Forbes in southern Virginia:

Randy Forbes has been voting again and here's reason 1,245 why I'm running against him. It's hard to imagine in the 21st century that some legislators still can't accept the idea that women deserve equal pay for equal work. If you follow his voting record, it's hard to believe that Congressman Forbes is actually from humble beginnings, though now he's a millionaire and maybe that's the key to the real problem. Forbes has gotten so rich that he simply can't or won't remember what it's like to really depend on a paycheck. He also seems to consistently forget that while folks on the Chesapeake and Chesterfield side are doing reasonably well, though we're not rich by any means, more than 35% of the district exists on less than $30,000 per year and many of these are households depending upon a woman's salary for their daily bread and butter. Do the words "out of touch" and "totally clueless" come to mind?

There are two critical components of this bill that can really help women. First, the long overdue salary adjustments that are certain to result and second, women will be offered negotiation skills. Women instinctively "fight" for their children and when necessary, even for a husband. Women often are not willing to "fight" for themselves because their mothers taught them to put others first. Putting others first has helped create the paycheck inequality in the workplace.

Randy Forbes, with this vote, just voted against the working women in the 4th District. That's no surprise since he's voted against veterans, children's healthcare, mortgage relief and just a bit of tax relief.

BUSH AND 144 HOUSE REPUBLICANS OPPOSE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE EXTENSION-- BATTLE MOVES TO THE SENATE WHERE McCAIN WILL SHOW HIS LEADERSHIP ABILITIES

The answer was "no"-- for Bush and whole GOP

Yesterday I got a chance to visit with Jon Powers, the Blue America-endorsed progressive running in an open seat in western New York. He was in town visiting friends and I stopped by to see him. So did a roomful of Iraq war vets-- each and every one a strong Democrat, strong patriot, and among the best of what comes out of our country. I felt humbled to hang out with these guys.

While I was meeting with Jon and his friends, the House voted overwhelmingly (279-144) to pass the Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2008 (H R 5749). Someone had asked Jon what the top issue is in his district  (NY-26, which stretched from North Tonawanda and the Buffalo suburbs east to Greece and the Rochester suburbs and south to Wyoming and Livingston counties). His answer was direct: "Jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs." I asked him about the high price of gas and he said that's part of "jobs." Republican incumbent Tom Reynolds, who Jon frightened into announcing he wouldn't seek re-election, voted with the 144 anti-working families Republicans against the bill. Only 49 Republicans abandoned their extremist party leaders to vote with working Americans. Even the worst of the Democrats-- creeps like Shuler, Barrow, Boren, Marshall, Bean-- voted for the bill. Most of the Republicans who crossed the aisle aren't exactly friends of working folks; they are just scared witless about an electoral tsunami headed their way.

Larry Joe Doherty is running against a congressman too out of touch even to be scared witless-- Michael McCaul in Texas. McCaul married into one of Texas' super-rich families and, like Bush, is clueless when it comes to the problems American families are going through today. We asked Larry Joe, who has been endorsed by Blue America, if McCaul's vote yesterday would be an issue in the campaign.

"With rising gas and food prices, even a brief period without work can devastate a family's finances. So what does Mike McCaul do? He kicks families while they're down. But what's worse is that he helped put the economy in this state by voting to spend billions on a misguided war while ignoring economic needs here at home and supporting policies that ship American jobs overseas.  Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice, and we're sending you home."

Northern Virginia is a world a way from the Austin and the Houston suburbs but Judy Feder, the Democratic nominee for the seat now held by out of touch Frank Wolf, had much the same reaction. "The decision by Congressman Wolf to continue to support the failed economic policies of the Bush administration is particularly damaging at a time when many of Virginia's families are faced with concerns about financial and economic stability," Judy told us this morning. "Defending the status quo over the needs of Virgnia's hardworking families is just not acceptable-- they deserve better."

Among the hard core right-wingers who gave the finger to working men and women and signaled that they won't, under any circumstances, be available to help the victims of The Bush Economic Miracle were:

Steve Pearce (NM)
Michele Bachmnan (MN)
Scott Garrett (NJ)
Thelma Drake (VA)
Michael McCaul (TX)
Ken Calvert (CA)
Frank Wolf (VA)
Peter King (NY)
David Dreier (CA)
Dana Rohrabacher (CA)
Two Families Values Fossella (NY)
Mark Kirk (IL)
John Shadegg (AZ)
John Kline (MN)
Mike Pence (IN)
Jerry Lewis (CA)
Marilyn Musgrave (CO)
Virginia Foxx (NC)

Seeing Foxx's name made me double check where little Miss Patty McHenry was. I had a good laugh thinking about how the loud mouthed closet queen once bragged how he would teach his GOP colleagues by example how a true right-winger should vote and how he would never waiver from the dark path. All it took was a strong opponent jumping into the November race and McHenry scurried across the aisle with his tail between his legs to squeak out a "yes," with the Democrats, who I'm sure were as amused as I was.

Despite an out of control unemployment rate (officially 5.5% but, when you include discouraged workers who have given up looking or can't afford the gas to go look, closer to 15%) Bush has vowed to veto the bill if it gets by obstructionist tactics by McConnell and McCain in the Senate. And the House was 3 votes short of a veto-proof majority.

One place the Democrats will not be able to look for one of the 3 votes needed to override Bush's promised veto is New Jersey 's most radical right ideologue, Scott Garrett. New Jersey voters have an opportunity to take him out with the trash in November and replace him with one of the most extraordinary people running for Congress this year, Dennis Shulman. We called Dennis and asked him what he makes of such a crazy and uncaring vote from a congressman representing such a mainstream and moderate suburban New Jersey district. "Scott Garrett's vote is yet another indication that he is out of touch with the economic crisis facing North Jersey and this nation.  Perhaps Garrett's twenty years as a career politician supported by the special interests gives him a false sense of job security, but his constituents know that we are in an economic crisis and that we shouldn't blame families just because the Bush-Garrett economy is failing."

I spoke with quite a few candidates about the vote last night. My favorite off the cuff remark was from Alan Grayson in Orlando. The Republican incumbent in his district, Ric Keller, a notorious rubber stamp, voted against unemployment benfits and Alan said, "Keller will wish that he'd voted for it when he's unemployed, on Nov. 5th." Please consider $5 donations for Alan, as well as for Dennis Shulman, Judy Feder, Jon Powers and Larry Joe Doherty, all easily accessible on the Blue America ActBlue page. It's our government. Let's not let special interests buy it up; we've seen the results of that.

Blue America Endorses Judy Feder In Virginia

Today our special Blue America guest is Judy Feder from northernmost Virginia-- from McLean out past Winchester-- who is running against 14-term backbencher Frank Wolf. Judy is one of the more articulate of our candidates and I'll be happy to let her speak for herself at our 2pm (EST) live blog session with her today at Firedoglake, while I tell you a little something about Congressman Wolf.

Like almost all Republicans-- especially the ones in districts that have changed from red to purple-- Wolf is now claiming to be a "moderate" and an "independent voice." (The district used to be a GOP bastion and in 2001 Mark Warner lost VA-10 by 9 points while winning the governorship. Four years later Tim Kaine won by 4 points; quite the swing. And in 2006 Jim Webb defeated incumbent wingnut George Allen here, giving him his margin of victory. Two months ago The Economist did an excellent account of the district and why, like much of exurban America, it is no longer a GOP Bastion.) But let's take a look at how Wolf's definition of "moderate" (which, of course, is re-inforced by a lazy corporate media) stacks up against reality. Let's take an issue that has been in the headlines lately... Iraq. Since the October 10, 2002 Resolution Authorizing the Use of Force in Iraq, which Wolf enthusiastically voted for, there have been 63 roll calls regarding Iraq and, to his credit, Wolf hasn't missed a single vote. Unfortunately Mr. Moderate Independent Voice voted all 63 times with Bush and Cheney. You may find that startling; it defines an utter and contemptible rubber stamp, not a moderate and not an independent voice.

And lest you think Wolf is just a McCain-like warmonger but challenges Bush on other items on the Regime's toxic agenda, let's look at another issue that's been in the news lately: the welfare of our country's military veterans. Virginia's much-admired junior senator, Jim Webb co-sponsored a bipartisan bill that passed both houses of Congress overwhelmingly, 256-166 in the House. It updates the GI Bill, giving Iraq and Afghanistan veterans a chance to get a higher education. Wolf was one of the die-hard extremists to vote against it. But he is consistent. Since late 2002, there have been 24 roll calls regarding the well-being of our vets. Wolf voted against their well being all 24 times. He says he supports the troops but he means he supports the corporate war profiteers and, of course, George W. Bush. He voted in favor of torture, in favor of retroactive immunity and wireless wiretaps, for a constitutional amendment to ban abortion (even though the district supports Choice by a wide margin) and against the relief bill for victims of predatory lenders in the mortgage crisis that is even more acute in VA-10 than in much of the country.

After the Republicans lost the far redder Mississippi district a few weeks ago, Wolf's congressional neighbor, Tom Davis, who is wisely retiring of his own accord, sent a now famous "dog-food" memo about the Republican brand to all his colleagues. He cited the district right next door to his own, VA-10, as a seat that is in jeopardy due to a toxic political environment for Republicans. The Democrats could hardly have found a better candidate to take advantage of this situation.

First off, people in the district know Judy well, mostly because she ran in 2006, holding Wolf to a 57% win, his closest call since his freshman year in 1982. She has been building on that base for the past year and a half. "This is a district," she told me on the phone a couple of days ago, "that is really ready for change. They want new leadership in Congress. After 27 years Frank Wolf is clearly not representing them and they know I will. On issues important to the district, like affordable healthcare, Frank Wolf is either not engaged-- or standing in the way."

As a congresswoman, Judy neither of those descriptions will fit Judy. A nationally recognized expert in health care policy, Judy did a guest post for DownWithTyranny on the subject a couple of months ago. From her campaign bio:

Judy Feder's three decades of health policy experience will make her an invaluable leader in transforming how Washington does business. She began her career researching ways to make health care more affordable. A widely published scholar, Judy worked at the Brookings Institution and Urban Institute before joining the faculty of Georgetown University in 1984.

In 1988 she served as Staff Director of the Congressional Pepper Commission, the bipartisan commission on comprehensive health care. In 1993, she was appointed to the Department of Health and Human Services, where she worked to expand health insurance coverage, manage Medicare and Medicaid effectively, and assure the safety of food and drugs.

Judy is a professor and, from 1999 through 2007, was Dean of Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute. Her combination of scholarship and government experience have made the institute one of the nation's most respected training grounds for public policy leaders. Her graduates are tackling the nation's most complicated policy challenges-- from health reform in the Congress to military intelligence in the Pentagon.

I hope you'll stick around and get to know Judy a bit. She'll be with us for a couple of hours answering questions about the campaign. If you'd like to donate to her campaign, you can do it at our Blue America page. Please keep in mind that this weekend brings to a close our contest with Air America and if you add one cent to your donation to Judy-- and for any candidates you like-- they will be a step closer to winning the Air America check. [UPDATE: Crooks & Liars has a brand new Blue America video from Judy. Swing by.]

Air America Contest Update-- Did You Vote Yet?

6 Blue America candidates that the DCCC is supporting too

Every other e-mail I'm getting is from someone wondering how the DownWithTyranny/Air America contest is going. I can't believe all the contributions of $1.01. They add up though. The biggest donation since we started on Monday morning was for Regina Thomas for over $600. The average contribution is for around $20. So far the candidates with the most donations are Debbie Cook (CA), Dennis Shulman (NJ), Leslie Byrne (VA), Howard Shanker (AZ), Eric Massa (NY) and Ed Fallon (IA). We just added Virginia progressive Democrat Judy Feder to our list of endorsed candidates-- since she'll be our guest at Firedoglake on Saturday-- so you can vote for her as well if you'd like.

Overnight enough votes came in for Leslie Byrne to put her slightly ahead. We've been presenting Leslie as an example of "Better" in the popular aphorism "More and Better Democrats." This morning Matt Stoller at Open Left and Lowell at RaisingKaine both focus on some of the shady activities surrounding Jerry Connolly, the Joe Lieberman/Zell Miller type Democrat who is running against Leslie-- and running hard; the race is neck and neck and it will come down to a GOTV effort next Tuesday.

JUDY FEDER HELPS US UNDERSTAND HEALTH CARE FROM A 21st CENTURY PERSPECTIVE

Virginia's 10th CD is the northwestern tip of the commonwealth and it has been a fairly Republican bastion. It's got a PVI of R+5; Kerry only managed 44% there and, until last cycle, the rubber stamp incumbent, Frank Wolf was always re-elected with with over 60% of the vote. Then in 2006 he came up against a real opponent, Judy Feder, and he saw his winning total knocked down into the vulnerablity range. Judy is campaigning for the seat again and the constituents know a lot more about her this year than they did then. Professor Feder-- who was also the Dean of Georgetown University's much heralded Public Policy Institute-- is a recognized expert on an issue topmost on many people's minds this year: health care. In Congress she will start out not as just another freshman, but as one of the policy experts on an issue that has to be dealt with seriously. Her work at the Brookings Institution, Urban Institute and as staff director for the bipartisan Congressional Pepper Commission for comprehensive health care, plus stint at the Department of Health and Human Services, where she worked to expand health insurance coverage and manage Medicare and Medicaid effectively, make her uniquely qualified to play a major role in developing solutions to the very real problems facing out country's medical system after 8 years of Bush Regime malfeasance. I asked her to give DWT readers a brief overview. Her report:

LET'S KEEP OUR EYES ON THE BALL: Universal Healthcare Coverage Now!

-by Judy Feder


In the heat of the presidential primary battle, let's keep our eyes on the real difference this year, the difference that will matter to all Americans. The difference between "us" and "them," the difference in electing a president and a Congress that will pass real effective health care reform now and one that won't.

In recent months, Clinton and Obama have been fighting over the differences between their health reform plans. When the primary fight comes to an end-- and we know it will-- we need to know that we're backing a health reform plan that will really get the job done.

The fact is that both Clinton and Obama (whatever their differences) propose health reform that will get us to universal coverage-- real concrete steps that will guarantee coverage that really works. McCain's so-called reform is a sham.

Both Democrats realize, and their plans bear this out, that you need three things to get the Triple-A coverage Americans deserve: health reform requires insurance that gives us Access to the full range of services we need when we're sick, that is Affordable, and that's Available to all of us, regardless of our pre-existing conditions.

An A for access means a plan that really covers the services doctors prescribe. McCain lets insurers define what's covered; a plan that pays for a toothbrush qualifies as "dental coverage." And he supports plans with deductibles so high that people who believe they're "insured" will go broke when they need care. Clinton and Obama assure everybody access to benefits like those members of Congress have-- protection for the full range of medical services people need when they get sick and caps on out-of-pocket spending limited to what people realistically can afford. That's what it takes to guarantee real insurance.

An A for affordability means a plan with insurance that middle American can actually afford. The family premium for a decent health insurance policy now exceeds, on average, $12,000 per year-- a cost beyond the means of modest income families. Under McCain's plan, the most help people would get is $5000 toward the cost of a policy. That's like throwing a 10 foot rope to people stuck in a 20 foot hole. Clinton and Obama assure affordable insurance and real subsidies to keep premiums affordable relative to income; they make affordable coverage real.

An A for availability means that adequate, affordable insurance is available to everyone, without regard to health status. McCain would send us all shopping in a marketplace that rewards health insurers who "cherrypick"-- covering us when we're healthy and avoiding us when we're sick. Clinton and Obama instead guarantee a place to buy insurance—from a private insurance plan like most people have today or a public plan-- where insurers accept all comers and charge us all the same rate, no matter what our "preexisting conditions." That's insurance that will work for us when we need it, not when its convenient for the insurance company.

An effective health reform proposal can only deliver this Triple-A protection if it slows the growth in health care costs that threatens everybody's coverage and eats up our incomes. McCain's approach to cost containment is to tell us to be better shoppers, making us pay more of the bill and look for bargains when we're sick. Both Clinton and Obama would build a better health care system-- one that promotes prevention, not just treatment, manages chronic disease, employs 21st century information technology and conducts the research to inform providers which medical services work and which don't. They'll change the rules of the game to be sure our health care system gives us our money's worth.

Enacting Triple-A health reform will be a daunting task. As they've done in the past, stakeholders in the status quo will try to scare us into believing that reform will make us worse off, not better off. Just remember Harry and Louise-- fictional characters in the health insurance industry's 1994 ad campaign-- who misleadingly but relentlessly picked apart the health reform proposal, asserting over and over again "there's got to be a better way."

Today's Democrats have that way. And we don't need fictional characters today to tell us our system is broken. Our moms and dads, brothers and sisters, friends and co-workers fill that role every day. The time for debate and discussion has passed. The time for action is now.

And let's remember, our Democratic candidates for president, will not be able to pass health care reform on their own. Electing either Democrat without a strong Democratic Congress to back them up will produce only more of the same-- gridlock. That is one of the reasons I am running for Congress and I urge everyone to back candidates up and down the ticket this year who support and are committed to Triple-A health care reform-- NOW!

CLEAR CHOICE IN VIRGINIA'S 10TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT-- ENDLESS WAR COURTESY OF FRANK WOLF OR A RESPONSIBLE END TO THE WAR BY ELECTING JUDY FEDER

Wolf demonstrates rubber stamp Republicanism for Judy Feder

Judy Feder ran for Congress in VA-10 (much of Northern Virginia) against 14-term incumbent Frank Wolf. Wolf won re-election with 57% of the vote, considerably reduced from the margins he won in previous elections (64% in 2004, 72% in 2002, 84% in 2000... notice the trend?). That trend was also borne out by a 3% increase for Kerry over what Gore had pulled against Bush in the district. Judy has decided to take Wolf on again.

As the representative of a moderate district, Wolf has a shockingly reactionary and extremist voting record, particularly on Iraq, where he has been a perfect rubber stamp for every single proposal Bush and Cheney has sent to Capitol Hill. There is not a single member of Congress who has been more gung-ho in support of the Bush Regime's failed and catastrophic policies in Iraq than Frank Wolf. Starting on October 10, 2002 with the 4 resolutions authorizing the use of force in Iraq, there have been 55 roll call votes on Iraq. Not once did Congressman Wolf express disagreement with Bush's extremist and disastrous agenda of endless war and misery. It's an unbelievable record-- and one at odds with the interests and desires of his constituents.

Last week Judy went out and spoke to voters in northern Virginia to ask them what they thought should be done about the Iraq quagmire. The answers she got might shock their out-of-touch congressman: