Koch v Trump-- And A Take-Over Of The Corrupt, Money-Hungry Big Tent Democratic Party

How many hundreds of millions of dollars has the Koch network pumped into the Republican Party-- and continue pumping into the Republican Party ($400 million this cycle alone)? Their far-right "libertarian" ideas have become dominant inside GOP congressional circles, even if not among Republican voters. Now that Trump has taken over and is remaking the Party, the Kochs are understandably discomforted. And now... Godzilla v Rodan.

According to a report from Phillip Elliott for Time there was a discussion in Colorado Springs that was "spurred by several big shifts: The more liberal attitudes of the newest generation of voters, the continued rise of unaffiliated voters and breaks with the Trump Administration on issues like immigration and trade policy. To win some of the battles on their libertarian agenda, some think the group may now need to move beyond working primarily with the Republican Party. News reports leaked out that while the network would continue pouring tens of millions into Republican races to hold the House and Senate, they are not supporting Republican Senate candidates in Arizona, Nevada and North Dakota against far right Democraps, Kyrsten Sinema, the worst Democrat in the House, Jackie Rosen, nearly as bad, and Koch ally Heidi Heitkamp who pleased them by voting to repeal key elements of Wall Street reform legislation and generally votes with the GOP on the issues that mean the most to the Koch brothers.

Charles Koch told a group of reporters that he could work with Democrats in Congress should they prevail in the fall elections.

“I don’t care what initials are in front or after somebody’s names,” he said. That approach would have seemed heretical just two years ago as this group hosted Republican candidates for auditions.

Reports leaking out of the Koch shindig indicate that the network is interested in bolstering the Republican wing of the Democratic Party-- the Blue Dogs and New Dems who accept key Koch ideology-- against progressives like Bernie and the new crop of Democrats coming up, like Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, Alexandria Ocasio, Randy Bryce, Rashida Tlaib, Jess King-- and in Hawaii, Kaniela Ing, who they are already working furiously against in favor of a gaggle of Republicans pretending to be Democrats. They have identified Ing as the biggest threat to their program in America. One Koch operative told me that if Ing gets into Congress "with that girl from the Bronx"... the trajectory of American politics could change for decades... We will never allow him to win there [and that] is already set in stone. He's toast... If we can destroy someone like Ing in the bluest state in the nation, redirecting the Democratic Party will not be that difficult... Sanders and Warren and their noisy little movement isn't going anywhere."

It’s just a lot less fun to watch Republicans whom you’ve championed swerve afield and squander an all-GOP Washington in an era of Trump. On trade, protectionist tariffs and tone, most of these donors are fiercely opposed to what Trump is offering.

“Until Trump is gone, it’s going to be hard to bring the country back to normal, and then it’s going to take a while because he’s really damaged a lot of our institutions and just insulted everything and there’s a huge amount of mistrust,” said Paul Jost, a real estate executive who splits his time between Miami Beach and Washington, D.C.

Michael Shaughnessy, a businessman from the Cleveland area, noted the collapse of civility predates Trump, but notes “all of the division starts at the top and runs downhill. I don’t know that he’s done anything to diminish that. People confuse him with a politician who can say nice things even though he doesn’t want to say nice things.”

While the big wins like tax cuts drive headlines-- and more giving to network coffers-- the political machine has quietly been chugging along on lesser-known initiatives.

...That’s not to say Trump doesn’t have his defenders in the ranks of these donors. Doug Deason, a Texas businessman whose family gave pro-Trump groups $1 million in 2016 and is a regular at these Koch meetings, said the Koch network needs to reconsider its criticism of the President.

“You didn’t support him and he won,” Deason said. “Everything that you question him on has turned out good and he’s won. And he’s going to win this. Is there a lesson learned?”

Even so, the party preferences are fading. The most openly political of the groups organized under the Koch banner, Americans for Prosperity, has run ads against Republicans who voted for Trump’s spending bill and for the lone Democrat who helped rewrite the banking regulation bill known as Dodd-Frank. It caused some seat shifting among longtime patrons of the network, but newcomers liked the moxie.

“If you’re a Republican who sits on the committee that wrote the worst spending bill in our country’s history and you voted for it, you’re darned right we’ll hold you accountable,” Americans for Prosperity CEO Emily Seidel told donors Sunday, greeted by applause in the room and some second-guessing the hallways. “Look, the fact that we’re willing to do this during an election year shows that we are dead serious. This network will no longer follow anyone else’s lead or be taken for granted.”

Tim Phillips, the President of Americans for Prosperity, a day later explained why his group decided not to campaign against vulnerable Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp and instead chose to run a low-cost digital ad thanking her for her vote to roll back some bank regulations. Her rival, Rep. Kevin Cramer, is bad on issues core to the Koch ideology, especially his support for the Export Import Bank. “If this were 2016 or ’14, we would likely just have gone ahead and endorsed him,” Phillips said.

To be clear: this crowd is still overwhelmingly conservative. The Wall Street Journal editorial page is their town square. Maybe a handful of these donors punched their ballot for Hillary Clinton in protest but few liked it. A frequent subject of their disdain is Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a likely 2020 contender for the Democratic nomination.

...Yet, even as these donors toasted their interest in working across the aisle, it’s impossible to ignore that they’re still funding political ads attacking Democrats. In Wisconsin, Koch-backed groups have run almost $3 million in TV ads hoping to oust Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

How sad for them today to see the brand new Emerson poll, in there field after the TV blitz had time to sink in-- that has Baldwin beating either of the two Koch candidates-- Kevin Nicholson 49-40% and the better-known Leah Vukmir 50-36%.

Trump, incapable of seeing anything beyond himself, lashed out Tuesday morning calling the Koch network billionaires "a total joke" and referring to the Kochs themselves as "two nice guys with bad ideas." Charles and David don't care about being perceived as being "nice," only about their ideas. Trump is angry because his tax policies and anti-regulatory agenda have made them richer which in his small, primitive brain means they should be kissing his ass.

In their early morning Playbook yesterday, Politico noted that "in recent days, the general consensus among Republican operatives and aides seems to have shifted, and most people we talk to say that the GOP will lose the House, if the election were held today. Of course, the election is three months from now, but the political picture has darkened for the GOP." Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal editorial board asked, pointedly, if Trumpanzee even cares "if Republicans lose the House of Representatives this November? If that seems like an odd question, consider that Mr. Trump is running a campaign strategy that puts the House at maximum risk while focusing on the Senate. The latest evidence is Mr. Trump’s threat to shut down the government in September if he doesn’t get money for his border wall... It’s always risky to use the word 'strategy' about Mr. Trump because he’s so impulsive and capricious. Only last week GOP leaders thought they had his agreement to delay a wall-funding brawl until after the election. Then on Sunday Mr. Trump tweeted that 'I would be willing to "shut down" government if the Democrats do not give us the votes for Border Security, which includes the Wall!' As if on cue... It’s a significant shift in our thinking: Business takes fresh look at Democrats: 'Business groups, at war with President Donald Trump over trade and immigration, say they’re taking steps to rebuild the political center-- including taking fresh looks at moderate Democrats.'"

Again, by "moderate" they mean conservative, Republican-lite, hollowed out corporate Democrats-- a Biden or a Gillibrand, for example. Do we want these people throwing their money and power behind right-of-center Democrats who oppose Medicare for All, a living wage, free state colleges, a green energy revolution and the exact ideas that are powering grassroots political enthusiasm? Good for establishment Democrats... bad for people.

Kaniela Saito Ing-- Now THIS Is An Inspiring Campaign Video!

The day after Alexandria Ocasio's political earthquake-- her "unlikely" victory over a hack politician who had first been elected to office before she was born-- Chris Hayes had her on his MSNBC show for an interview. She made sure to endorse Kaniela Saito Ing on the program. A week later she dispatched one of her most trusted staffers to Honolulu to give Kaniela a hand with his campaign. The political establishment in Hawaii isn't enamored of the populist agenda that has powered boh Alexandria's of Kaniela's underdog races. In Kaniela's case the corporate media isn't even hiding it-- pushing out every bogus, twisted lie they can dig up against him in order to put doubt into the minds of voters. Why? Watch the video. It tells the whole story of what the establishment fears.

And now that he's going after developers-- the biggest part of the political donor establishment-- the war against him has ramped up to max in front of the August 11 primary. This is a note Kaniela sent to his supporters that has been driving the luxury developers over the top:

We were so sick and tired of “affordable housing” proposals ghost-written by luxury developers and corporate donors.

So, my campaign team consulted with economists and organizers to write a bold and visionary solution to the housing and homelessness crisis. I’m proud to introduce: Housing for all.

Housing for All is the Medicare for all of housing. Read the plan and and watch the Now This video explainer about our vision here.

Our generation is not set up to succeed like our parents were. The median cost for a single family home in Honolulu is now $795,000, which means residents need to make $200,000 a year to afford an average home in my district. And it’s not just Hawaii. For every 100 low-income families in America, there are just 35 affordable homes.

Our Housing for All proposal outlines three goals: build 10 million social houses over next 10 years; keep rent under control; and provide a home for every American.

The money is here. We have multi-million dollar condos popping up every few months. Scarcity does not occur naturally; it is a political choice. Luxury developers, their corporate tenants, and price-gouging landlords have been buying out our politicians for decades.

This is why our campaign refuses all corporate money and why we are building a movement. We are championing and creating bold ideas. We’re really excited to continue pushing the conversation forward and I welcome my colleagues and opponents to jump on the bandwagon.

We are now 18 days until the primary election.

Blue America invites you to help Kaniela bring his bold ideas like Housing for All to Congress by chipping in whatever you can afford at the 2018 congressional thermometer on the right. There is no candidate for Congress running this cycle who can make a bigger impact on Congress than Kaniela. He is the personification of the kind of real change and reform American voters always say they want. the mob of corrupt conservative candidates opposing him are the opposite.

Did YOUR Congressmember Join The New Medicare For All Caucus?

My congressman, New Dem Adam Schiff, didn't join the new Medicare-For-All Caucus. I bet his constituents would freak out if they know. In fact, though I'm not a betting man, I'd bet a lot on that assertion. Some of the most progressive Democrats in the country live in Schiff's district-- West Hollywood, the Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, Hollywood, East Hollywood, Silverlake, Glendale, and Burbank. Those are Medicare-For-All neighborhoods, even if Adam Schiff isn't. This is the wrong district for him. The 3 progressive Congressmembers from from districts bordering on his-- Ted Lieu, Jimmy Gomez and Judy Chu-- immediately joined the caucus. Two more conservative Democrats from districts bordering on Schiff's district-- throw-back Brad Sherman and child rapist Tony Cárdenas-- also refused to join. What about your member of Congress. Did he or she join? If they're on this list they did (and if they're not, they didn't):

• Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)
• Keith Ellison (D-MN)
• Debbie Dingell (D-MI)
• Nanette Barragán (D-CA)
• Joyce Beatty (D-OH)
• Don Beyer (D-VA)
• Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
• Brendan Boyle (D-PA)
• Anthony Brown (D-MD)
• Michael Capuano (D-MA)
• Andre Carson (D-IN)
• Kathy Castor (D-FL)
• Judy Chu (D-CA)
• David Cicilline (D-RI)
• Katherine Clark (D-MA)
• Yvette Clarke (D-NY)
• Lacy Clay (D-MO)
• Steve Cohen (D-TN)
• Mike Doyle (D-PA)
• Eliot Engel (D-NY)
• Adriano Espaillat (D-NY)
• Dwight Evans (D-PA)
• Lois Frankel (D-FL)
• Marcia Fudge (D-OH)
• John Garamendi (D-CA)
• Jimmy Gomez (D-CA)
• Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX)
• Al Green (D-TX)
• Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ)
• Alcee Hastings (D-FL)
• Brian Higgins (D-NY)
• Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)
• Jared Huffman (D-CA)
• Hank Johnson (D-GA)
• Ro Khanna (D-CA)
• Brenda Lawrence (D-MI)
• Barbara Lee (D-CA)
• John Lewis (D-GA)
• Ted Lieu (D-CA)
• Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
• Alan Lowenthal (D-CA)
• Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
• im McGovern (D-MA)
• Jerry McNerney (D-CA)
• Grace Meng (D-NY)
• Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)
• Grace Napolitano (D-CA)
• Richard Nolan (D-MN)
• Chellie Pingree (D-ME)
• Mark Pocan (D-WI)
• Jared Polis (D-CO)
• Jamie Raskin (D-MD)
• Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)
• Tim Ryan (D-OH)
• Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
• Bobby Scott (D-VA)
• ose Serrano (D-NY)
• Adam Smith (D-WA)
• Darren Soto (D-FL)
• Mark Takano (D-CA)
• Dina Titus (D-NV)
• Paul Tonko (D-NY)
• Marc Veasey (D-TX)
• Nydia Velázquez (D-NY)
• Maxine Waters (D-CA)
• Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ)
• Peter Welch (D-VT)
• Frederica Wilson (D-FL)
• John Yarmuth (D-KY)

Congressmembers Karen Bass (D-CA) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) joined early yesterday, bringing the total to 72. Meanwhile, you'd think Jacky Rosen, a conservative freshman House Democrat in Nevada, running, incongruously, for the U.S. Senate, would have the brains to get behind something this popular. Dina Titus (D-NV) sure did.

The idea behind the Medicare for All Congressional Caucus is to help build the evidence base for Medicare for All. As chief sponsor Pramila Jayapal explained, "It will sponsor briefings on topics ranging from the basics of Medicare for All to financing to universal health care systems around the world. In development is also a clearinghouse of resources for members of Congress and their staff. Additionally, the caucus will provide an opportunity for members and their staff to interact with partners and providers across the country to gain a practical understanding of how a Medicare for All system would work. Support for Medicare for All is growing, not only among movement-builders, but within Congress. At its launch, an unprecedented 70 members had joined the caucus.

Health care must be affordable and accessible to everyone in the United States. One of the best ways to ensure health care for all is to use the system that already exists for millions of seniors over the last half century: Medicare. That is why I am so proud to be the founding co-chair of the Medicare for All Congressional Caucus. No one should be one health care crisis from bankruptcy. No one should be worried about obtaining life saving medicine due to cost or access. This caucus is committed to making sure that every American across the country has quality, affordable health care. The path forward is through Medicare for All.

"National Nurses United welcomes the inaugural Medicare for All Caucus in the House of Representatives. Every day, more Americans are rallying behind the need for fundamental reform of our flawed and fragmented health care system that denies health care to millions of our neighbors and family members. Nurses see patients every day that are harmed by this system, and we know that Medicare for All is the best solution to this crisis," said Martese Chism, RN, Vice-President, California Nurses Association / National Nurses Organizing Committee (National Nurses United). "We applaud every member of the Caucus for their commitment to Medicare for All, and extend our thanks to Representatives Jayapal, Ellison and Dingell for taking leadership in forming this caucus. We look forward to working with the caucus to finally achieve equal access to quality, therapeutic health care for every person living in the United States through a Medicare for All, single-payer system."


Nancy Altman, President, Social Security Works added, "It's long past time to improve Medicare and expand it to cover all of us. The creation of the Medicare for All Caucus in the House of Representatives is an important milestone in reaching that long overdue goal. Every person in the United States should have the right to guaranteed, high-quality health care, an essential requirement of economic security."

In a letter to his supporters yesterday, Kaniela Saito Ing wrote, "We are the majority. The majority of us want revolutionary change. We support Medicare for All, tuition-free college, and bold action on climate change. It just requires the courage and political will to stand up to corporate interests. If you believe we can win, then we need to fight together. The stakes are too high to do anything else. We help maintain the rigged status quo when we do nothing or let their cynicism get the best of us." That made me ask some of the candidates who won their primaries already but who are not being backed by the DCCC, which also doesn't back Medicare-For-All, how they feel about Congress' newest-- and most important-- caucus.

Texas progressive Dayna Steele didn't leave any doubt where she stands on this. How could she, since every campaign event she does, includes her talking about Medicare-For-All. "I would join the Medicare-For-All Caucus in Congress," she told me yesterday. "We have a lot of work to do in order to get Medicare for All passed and implemented, and part of that work includes building out a political framework in both houses of Congress. The creation of the Caucus is an important step toward our shared goal of health justice, and a healthier America. Ensuring Texans have the healthcare they need is our number one priority. This is one of the most important things Congress needs to address. Healthcare pays dividends-- healthy people work, pay taxes, create opportunities, and give back to their communities."

Mike Siegel is another progressive Texan who won his primary and finds himself abandoned by a DCCC that is very not-enthusiastic about Medicare-for-All. (None of the DCCC heavy-weights, like Ben Ray Luján, Denny Heck and Cheri Bustos, have joined the new caucus.) Siegel is running against anti-healthcare Trump rubber-stamp Michael McCaul. "My first priority will be healthcare for all," he told us. "Too many people in the Texas 10th are at risk, without sufficient care, on the brink of bankruptcy if a health emergency arises. I am horrified that my opponent, Rep. McCaul, celebrates his votes to cut healthcare for tens of millions of Americans. Healthcare is a human right, and I will fight for universal access by joining the Medicare for All caucus, working with nurses and retirees, and putting my shoulder to the wheel in this essential effort to strengthen the safety net and ensure all Americans have a fair shot."

JD Scholten is the progressive Democrat running for the Iowa seat held by anti-healthcare fanatic Steve King. "Healthcare," he told us, "is the number one issue in IA-04, like it is in many places. Take farmers for example, they don’t have employer benefits. They’re worried about healthcare as much as they’re worried about tariffs and low commodity prices. Medicare-for-All will not only provide the care we need, it would also simplify our complicated lives."

Not Every Red District Is Susceptible To The Blue Wave-- But Blue Districts Are Susceptible To The Progressive Wave

After Blake Farenthold was forced out of Congress earlier in April for being a workplace perv, there was a vague hope Democrats could win his seat in a special election-- very vague. The DCCC gave the seat a thumbs down and refused to engage, especially after it was clear that the leading Democrat, Eric Holguin, is a progressive. The very gerrymandered district (TX-27) stretches along the Gulf from Corpus Christie and Port Aransas up through Victoria and Port Lavaca to Bay City and, incongruously, west through Shiner and Gonzales into the exurbs southeast of Austin. The PVI is R+13, very safely red, and Trump won the seat 60.1% to 36.5%.

In the 9-person jungle primary on Saturday, the winner was Michael Cloud, who was already primarying Farenthold when he resigned in disgrace.Saturday, Cloud won enough votes to avoid a runoff. He spent $326,449 compared to Holguin, who came in second, after spending $65,722. Virtually all the outside spending, around $700,000, was in support of Cloud. Neither the DCCC nor any other outside groups helped Holguin. All 3 Democrats combined didn't get to 40% Turnout was very low. Cloud, this time as an incumbent, will face Holguin again in November for a full two-year term. Every Beltway pundit rates TX-27 as "safe Republican."

Cloud has been endorsed by the far right-- Club for Growth and the Freedom Caucus, which he is expected to join. Like Holguin, Cloud came out against Trump's family separation policy. Holguin took a very strong stand against Trump's child abuse policies, making Cloud nervous. Holguin on election day: "The human rights violations that are occurring on our borders right now is reprehensible, inhumane, and against everything that we as Americans stand for today When our children and grandchildren look back on our history, they will be asking 'Why?' we terrorized children. Now is our opportunity to unite to speak out."

Holguin's issues page on his campaign website looks pretty progressive, especially for such a red district. He comes out for single-payer healthcare for example.

Eric is a real long shot for the November election. But he's been a long shot before. In the original March 6 primary, he just barely made it to the runoff with 23.31% of the vote, while the frontrunner, a perrenial candidate with plenty of name recognition, received 41.22%. Then came the May 22 runoff and Holguin went on to win with over 60% of the vote, putting him in position to become the first openly gay Latino congressman.

He's campaigning for the November general election already.

These long shot races are still long shots, "a venture," says the Merriam-Webster dictionary, "unlikely to succeed, an entry (as in a horse race) given little chance of winning, a bet in which the chances of winning are slight but the possible winnings great." When Alexandria asked for a Blue America endorsement I thought she was a long shot. In fact, I thought she had almost no chance to win. Blue America endorsed her because we hoped she would build up skill and name recognition and run again in 2020 and win then. We saw something special in her, worth investing in for the long game. She's a hard worker and a smart worker with a dedicated crew around her. We decided to do more than endorse her; we spent money in the campaign independently. There were only two outside groups that did-- the Sierra Club spent money-- albeit just a small symbolic amount-- on behalf of Crowley and the establishment they always suck up to. And Blue America put down our biggest investment of 2016 (so far) on behalf of the candidate we felt was working the hardest and earned our support... even if we didn't think she had a chance. Even as the votes started coming in on election night, the returns in her favor appeared to be to be errors that would soon be corrected by the Department of Elections. But that isn't what happened. The distance between her and Crowley continued to grow. I thought it was impossible and that maybe the early votes were from the Bronx where our I.E. had been concentrated and where she worked incredibly hard and where no one has ever heard of Crowley. But I was wrong again-- she was winning in Queens as well... by a lot. A long shot that paid off.

That pay off is giving hope to candidates and campaigns across the country. Pelosi tried to tamp it down, calling it a fluke and an outlier (while working her knuckles to the bone to sabotage Kara Eastman who won her primary in Omaha and who Pelosi's DCCC absolutely refuses to assist. NE-02 was a must-win district when Pelosi was backing disgusting Blue Dog Brad Ashford but as soon as progressive Kara Eastman won, the district vanished as a DCCC priority. Pelosi will be pleading with Democrats to unite for November but that's a one way street for the lousy corrupt establishment. We have to united around their crap candidates while they work to crush ours.

I saw another Democratic Socialist, Kaniela Saito Ing in Hawaii, renew his efforts after after Ocasio gave him a shout out on Chris Hayes' show the day after the election. The establishment candidates, a bunch of establishment conservatives from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party, are ganging up against him, with the assistance of the establishment media. But Kaniela is flighting harder than ever now to win the crowded August 11 primary, which includes conservatives Ed Case, Doug Chin, Donna Mercado Kim and Beth Fukumoto. While the establishment freaks out at the thought of a Democratic Socialist representing Honolulu, Civil Beat featured him in an OpEd as The real progressive in the race. Before you read this, keep in mind that Hillary was endorsed by every single Democratic politician in Hawaii who endorsed at all except by two Kaniela and then Tulsi Gabbard. Bernie beat Hillary by a preposterous margin-- 69.8% to 30.0%. Hawaii was clearly ready for an alternative to the status quo the establishment was offering again. Last week:

For those inspired by Bernie Sanders’ mantra that we deserve better than career politicians who are bought and sold by corporations, we can now wrap our enthusiasm around Kaniela Ing, candidate for U.S. Congress-- the only real progressive in the race.

For so many of us, the Democratic Party’s charge to advocate for working families has been totally undermined by its refusal to directly challenge corporate power, enabling our current president to masquerade as a voice for working people.

Prior to and since that election, progressive candidates have risen up in record numbers offering a different kind of Democrat who will truly represent and look like America, by virtue of  gender, race, religion, profession, economic status-- and most importantly-- who represent people, not corporations.

We’re fortunate to have one such candidate running for Hawaii’s 1st District seat in Congress-- Kaniela Ing. When Kaniela, a Justice Democrat, and his fellow progressive legislators arrive in Congress, they will start on day one, united around an agenda focused on people, not profits, to enact policies that the majority of Americans support:

Ending the corruption of big money in politics, allowing everyone access to a Medicare-For-All single-payer system, providing free tuition for public colleges, creating a renewable energy revolution, enacting common sense gun legislation, fighting for women’s equality and our LGBTQ family, enacting comprehensive immigration reform, implementing a real infrastructure plan, and more.

Not all Democrats are the same. A Democrat who takes corporate money, who’s been a Republican just before they became a Democrat, who talks about being “for the people” but whose votes imply influence by special interests, are not in this fight for the benefit of Hawaii residents and the American people.

It’s only Kaniela who has demonstrated the political courage to turn his back on big corporate donors. It’s only Kaniela’s track record that is long and strong in fighting for working families. Kaniela is the only candidate who supported and aggressively championed marriage equality for Hawaii, while one of his opponents, who claims to be “revolutionary,” opposed marriage equality, and another opponent’s history includes homophobic rants.

Kaniela is a long shot worth gambling on. Blue America is-- and you can support his campaign by clicking on the 2018 congressional thermometer on the right. But, alas, not every candidate inspired by Bernie has an equal chance to win, nor is every one of them as smart and as hard a worker as Ocasio and Ing are. If deploying your limited resources wisely is a factor, it's probably better to concentrate them strategically. (If you have unlimited resources just go wild and write checks for every candidate endorsed by Blue America, Our Revolution, Justice Democrats, DFA, People For Bernie, PCCC, etc.)

I want to point to a low-key campaign in Washington state that I hadn't really looked into until this past weekend-- the primary in the 9th district, which is a heavily Democratic area in the southern and eastern Seattle Metro including Mercer Island, Kent, Bellevue and Renton. When Adam Smith, a conservative Democrat first won the seat in 1996, it was a more competitive district. Now the PVI is D+21. Hillary won 70.5% to 23.3% against Trump, even stronger than the 68% Obama got both times he ran. The district's minority make-up has grown tremendously and it is now just 50% white. A trajectory not unlike Crowley's 14th in New York, although not as developed... and Smith isn't as bad as Crowley. Bad not but as bad. There are a couple of Washington state Dems in Congress who are even worse than he is. Smith has a lousy voting record and ProgressivePunch rates him "F." He's a New Dem, a corporate tool and a stooge for the Military Industrial Complex. The district has outgrown him.

The only way to replace Smith is through a primary. No Republican is ever going to win that district. Adam Smith has raised $426,466 and Sarah Smith, his very progressive opponent, has raised $36,968. $37,000 isn't enough to let voters know who you are-- or even that you are. But there's still time. The local Fox channel (Q13) reputed on the race last week: Could progressive newcomer Sarah Smith upset 11-term incumbent in Washington primary?. She could like Ocasio:

Thirty-year-old Sarah Smith and a team of volunteers are hitting the pavement, knocking on door after door to spread the word: She's running for Congress and taking on 11-term Democratic incumbent Adam Smith in the primaries.

"I had to struggle to overcome this thought in my head of: I'm not from a political dynasty; I'm not supposed to go into politics; I'm working class; I haven't gone up the ladder; I haven't done it the right way; I haven't asked for permission," Sarah Smith said. "I had to really get out of that mindset because at the end of the day, we don't need to ask for permission to run to represent our neighbors."

Sarah Smith is a candidate under Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats, the same slates that supported New York's Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who just dealt a crushing defeat to 10-term Democratic Congressman Joe Crowley.

"I cried when she got elected. I'm a sucker," Sarah Smith said.

Both women are part of a push to elect progressives aligned with Sen. Bernie Sanders. In a state that caucused strong for Sanders in 2016, Sarah Smith's platform is gaining ground.

"I am for single-payer medicare for all; I am for debt-free education; I am for abolishing (Immigration and Customs Enforcement); I am for investing in our infrastructure; and I am for getting us out of, what is it, nine to 11 different military occupations we're in?"

Her opponent is on the House Armed Services Committee. Congressman Adam Smith has a long history in the 9th Congressional District. So who is Sarah Smith?

"I work full time," Sarah Smith said. "I manage a mechanic garage. I have student debt. I have a husband. I can't afford to have a kid. I'm every person in this district."

This political novice is putting the Democratic establishment on notice. The full-fledged progressive told Q13 News Correspondent Simone Del Rosario that compromise is a last resort.

"If you are elected to Congress you are not just representing the progressives in District 9, you will be representing everybody who lives in District 9. Are you prepared to do that?" Del Rosario asked.

"Absolutely I am," she replied. "I recognize that my platform is going to get me elected, so I want to commit to my platform as much as possible and as strongly as possible, because if I get elected it's because of my values and it's because of what I stand up for."

That's what she hopes to take to Congress.

Rep. Adam Smith has served in Congress for 22 years. Q13 News spoke to him over the phone to talk about the progressive movement, his opponent and the upcoming primary.

"For me, this is not about a national movement," Rep. Adam Smith said. "This is about the people who live around Sea-Tac Airport who deal with the noise problems. This is about helping the very large immigrant community that I have with immigration issues. This is about helping the education system in the city of Seattle and south King County.

"I've lived my entire life in the district; raised my children here; sent them to public schools in the district; and I have a very, very strong connection to the people there and I have been very, very effective in being their voice in Congress."

Again, Bernie won Adam Smith's district; Adam Smith was out of touch with his own voters. While Sarah Smith volunteered and then caucused for Bernie's campaign, Adam Smith endorsed Hillary and was a super-delegate for her. Ocasio didn't have a great deal of money-- around $300,000-- but it was enough to get her and her message out to the voters. Sarah is going to need more if she's going to square the circle in time for the August 7th primary.

Needless To Say, Not All Democrats Are For Abolishing Ice

The other day, I mentioned on Twitter how interesting it will be to see the next Congress' likely most progressive member, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, join the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Some of the most conservative Democrats in Congress are part of that caucus. A full dozen have F's for their lifetime crucial vote score from Progressive Punch-- from bad to worse-- Tony Cardenas (CA), Juan Vargas (CA), Norma Torres (CA), Darren Soto (FL), Salud Carbajal (CA), Vicente González (TX), Pete Aguilar (CA), Filemon Vela (TX), Raul Ruiz (CA), Lou Correa (CA), Jim Costa (CA) and Henry Cuellar (TX). The caucus has been warning that they oppose abolishing ICE, which normal Democrats, including Ocasio, have been calling for in their campaigns. The caucus' talking points stress that immigration enforcement is just one part of the agency’s portfolio and ICE also does good work on narcotics enforcement, investigating cybercrimes, human smuggling, firearms smuggling and counterterrorism. "ICE needs greater oversight and accountability," they wrote, "so that we can protect the homeland and better manage our broken immigration system."

And the House Hispanic Caucus isn't alone there. Over the weekend, Axios reported that top Democrats see the danger on sudden party push to abolish ICE. Does that surprise anyone at all? It shouldn't. "Top Democrats" are afraid of looking weak on security. Who are these "Top Democrats?" We have to take Axios' word that they're really top-- or even Democrats-- since they don't name them.

Although one top Democrat, tasked with messaging for the Senate, is on the tip to get rid of ICE and replace it with something better: Elizabeth Warren. Saturday she said that Trumpanzee's "deeply immoral actions have made it obvious we need to rebuild our immigration system from top to bottom starting by replacing ICE with something that reflects our morality and that works," pointing in Boston that the orange ape "seems to think that the only way to have immigration rule is to rip parents from their family, is to treat rape victims and refugees like terrorists and to put children in cages. This is ugly and this is wrong and this is not the way to run our country." She's on the same page as Bernie and Kamala Harris.

It could become an issue in the California Senate race where conservative Dianne Feinstein will face a progressive Democrat Kevin de León in November. He supports abolishing ICE, while Feinstein, desperate to win Republican votes to counteract his hold on progressives, is avoiding saying anything specific about ICE.

Just over a week ago, Kaniela Saito Ing, the progressive running for the Honolulu-based congressional seat (in competition with a gaggle of conservatives from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party) wrote an OpEd for Civil Beat, Mobilize To Change ‘Immoral’ Immigration System. You can read the whole thing at the link above. This is a brief excerpt:

In the legislature, I championed investigations into allegations of human trafficking in the long-line fishing industry, fought to pass driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants, and introduced the nation’s first Sanctuary State Bill. We can do more. The Sanctuary State Bill passed both chambers, but died in conference. We can make sure it passes next session and elect a governor who promises now to sign it into law. Hawaii’s county councils can work with our police departments to prevent cooperation with ICE. All congressional candidates must support defunding ICE. I am the only candidate at this time to support abolishing ICE in the 1st Congressional District.

It’s important to remember that ICE was only created in 2003. The creation of ICE was a George W. Bush scapegoating tactic to pit us against “others” and help justify the Iraq War. We didn’t need ICE then, and we don’t need it now.

ICE is what our immigration policy looks like when it’s rooted in fear and scarcity. It has become the American Gestapo. Everyday, we continue business as usual and allow ICE to take our neighbors away in the middle of the night; it’s our moral failure that inches us towards authoritarianism.

It’s time for us to lead with humanity and aloha. All of us have a choice. We can choose to allow this moral stain to bleed deeper into the soul of our nation, or come together to fight for aloha.

Meanwhile, Señor Trumpanzee was, once again, on the warpath against due process yesterday:

Things Politicians Want To Achieve-- Trump's Real Spy-Gate

It was easy to back candidates Ted Lieu, Pramila Jayapal, Mark Pocan, Keith Ellison, Judy Chu, Jamie Raskin, Karen Bass... They had all been in state legislatures where they had created records that showed how awesome they would be in Congress. None of them have disappointed. This cycle, candidates like Jared Golden (ME-02), Lisa Brown (WA-05), Ellen Lipton (MI-09) and Kaniela Ing have built tremendous records of accomplishment in their state legislatures, each one demonstrating an ability to put forth successful cutting edge efforts on progressive policy initiatives. And each one a leader beyond just voting well, of course.

What do I mean? Let me give you a simple example. Earlier this year, the Honolulu Star Advertiser gave a perfect and very typical instance in a report by Kevin Dayton-- State official wants study of government 'jobs for all'. If you guessed that state official is Kaniela, pat yourself on the back. He's proposing (House Bill 1992) a state task force to study whether Hawaii's state government can provide a job for everyone who needs one. That's a good way to signal constituents and to move worthwhile and cutting edge proposals forward.

The Trumpanzee Regime has a very different perspective on what to move forward. How about the Trump Regime moving ahead with its Orwellian-- i.e., fascist-- plans? The Department of Homeland Security has just announced that it intends to compile a comprehensive list of hundreds of thousands of "journalists, editors, correspondents, social media influencers, bloggers etc.," and collect any "information that could be relevant" about them.  Something tells me that conservatives are going to be as unenthusiastic about this as progressives. This is something that will separate the fascists from the conservatives. Neo-Nazis like Devin Nunes R-CA), Diane Black (R-TN), Jim Jordan (R-OH), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Brian Babin (R-TX) might get excited about this kind of thing but mainstream conservatives will be pulling out their hair by the roots.

So if you have a website, an important blog or you are just very active on social media, the Department of Homeland Security is going to put you on a list and will start collecting information about you.  The DHS has already announced that it will hire a contractor to aid in monitoring media coverage, and they will definitely need plenty of help because it is going to be a very big job…

As part of its “media monitoring,” the DHS seeks to track more than 290,000 global news sources as well as social media in over 100 languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Russian, for instant translation into English. The successful contracting company will have “24/7 access to a password protected, media influencer database, including journalists, editors, correspondents, social media influencers, bloggers etc.” in order to “identify any and all media coverage related to the Department of Homeland Security or a particular event.”

“Any and all media coverage,” as you might imagine, is quite broad and includes “online, print, broadcast, cable, radio, trade and industry publications, local sources, national/international outlets, traditional news sources, and social media.”

If this sounds extremely creepy to you, that is because it is extremely creepy.

...Freedom of speech is one of our most foundational rights, and many are concerned that “monitoring and tracking” are initial steps that could lead to a significant crackdown on Internet activity. Just check out what is about to happen over in Europe.  The Internet has made it possible for ordinary people to communicate with one another on a massive scale, and any efforts by national governments to interfere with that must be greatly resisted.

Unfortunately, it appears that this new Department of Homeland Security program is moving ahead rapidly.  In fact, it is being reported that seven different companies have “already expressed interest” in participating…

Seven companies, mainly minority- or women-owned small businesses, have already expressed interest in becoming a vendor for the contract, according to the FedBizOpps web site.

All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to be nothing. Please spread word about this creepy new surveillance program to everyone that you know, because what they are doing is not right.

If you've spent any time reading DWT, you'd know I ran right to Alan Grayson with this. And he was ready. "There is a phrase," he told me, "that is already widespread in Europe, and codified in European law: the 'right to be left alone.' We’ll see how long it takes before we here wake up and realize that that’s our right, too."

Ed Case-- The Silver Spike Must Have Been Aluminum

The best member of Congress from Hawaii was Patsy Mink-- a legendary FDR progressive-- served in Congress from 1965 2002, with a break to serve in the Carter administration. She was the first woman of color to be elected to Congress, as well as the first Asian-American woman elected to Congress. And a stalwart progressive. In 2002 she was succeeded by Hawaii's worst member of Congress, Blue Dog Ed Case, who served from Mink's death in 2002 until 2007 when he unsuccessfully challenged progressive U.S.Senator Daniel Akaka for his Senate seat. since then he's run against progressives several times and has always lost.

Finally, after being beaten by Mazie Hirono, in 2012, the Joe Liberman of Hawaii announced his political career was finally over. Now he's running again, for Congress, against Hawaii's most progressive political leader, Kaniela Soto Ing. Ironically, he'll probably make it easier for Ing to win, since he is now the 4th conservative Democrat to jump into the race, joining Donna Kim, Doug Chin and Beth Fukumoto.

In 2011 I wrote about Case:

Although he had one of the worst attendance records of any member of Congress, he consistently supported the GOP on job-killing trade legislation and on special interests legislation like abolishing the estate tax for the super-rich, making it easier for banksters to rip off consumers, screwing over working families on pensions and GOP proposals to shift the tax burden to the middle class. He generally voted with the most reactionary Democrats when they joined the GOP to stifle reform and anyone who likes Chamber of Commerce pawns and Patriot Act-type Dems like Dan Boren and Jim Marshall will be perfectly happy with Ed Case-- especially if xenophobia and war-mongering and making sure that victims of big corporations have no recourse to the courts are your cup of tea to boot.

Monday night news started leaking out that Case is trying it again and wants to run from the Honolulu-based congressional seat. "The 65-year-old Democrat," wrote Nathan Eagle, "pulled nomination papers Monday to run for the 1st Congressional District seat, according to the state Elections Office. He has until the end of business Tuesday to officially file for the Aug. 11 primary ballot."

Does Congress Need More Corporate Lawyers? Or More Working Class Heroes?

Inspiring post by Aida Chavez at The Intercept over the weekend, Out Of Poverty And Onto The Ballot: The New Wave Of Woking-Class Candidates Trying To Take Congress. I loved the comparison she started with between David Trone, who spent $13,414,225 of his own money trying-- unsuccessfully-- to buy a House seat in Maryland. He would have been a pathetic waste of a seat-- and how lucky are Maryland and America that he was beaten bt Jamie Raskin, one of the best members of Congress! This cycle Trone has turned his efforts to another district-- abandoned by another crappy self-funding rich person, John Delaney-- and has already spent $5,281,939 of his own loot-- not counting massive bribes to the DCCC-- in a crowded 8 person primary. Chavez contrasts him with state Senator Roger Manno, who she describes as as someone who has gone "through extended bouts of homelessness, unemployment, and other economic depredations rarely found in the biographies of members of Congress."

She offers to introduce readers to candidates who, like Manno, have had "to overcome big money to get where they’re trying to go. When political parties and outside groups begin to estimate the chances that a congressional candidate has of winning a race, the first thing they look at is fundraising-- particularly money raised within the district. Those cash contributions from wealthy donors in the area serve as a proxy for support from the local elite and translate, in the party’s mind, into a high chance of victory. The process has a culling effect on the field, which has left Congress with a total net worth of at least $2.43 billion, according to the political news outlet Roll Call’s conservative estimates, with nearly 40 percent of all members being millionaires. That doesn’t mean there aren’t Democrats from poor and working-class backgrounds who run for Congress. It means that they’re often beaten back by wealthier, establishment-backed candidates who’ve been able to forge better connections. A new wave of candidates this cycle is hoping to change that." Some of the candidates she talks about are real contenders-- like James Thompson (KS), Ammar Campa-Najjar (CA), Amy Vilela (NV) and others are... long shots, if that. And some are typical conservative Democrap candidates, who, if they wind up in Congress, will make it worse, like multimillionaire, Vegas mobster-backed wave-rider, Susie Lee, supported by all the band guys-- from Harry Reid and EMILY's List to the DCCC and their phony-baloney offshoot, End Citizens United.

But she left off many of the strongest working class candidates with the best chances of winning and the best chances to help remake Congress and a badly mis-shaped Democratic Party. Besides James Thompson, I'm thinking of Mainer Jared Golden, Hawaii working class powerhouse Kaniela Ing, Oklahoma orphan Tom Guild, Alexandria Ocasio, the woman who could bring a much-needed earthquake to the Democratic Party, and, of course iron worker and union activist Randy "@IronStache" Bryce.

Why talk about Wall Street-owned New Dems Susie Lee and Angie Craig as working class heroes and leave out Ocasio, Ing and Bryce? Knock, knock, anyone home? Historically, plenty of people are born into poor families and have joined the oppressors asap-- pulling the ladder up behind them. A young Paul Ryan existed on government subsidies and then devoted his life to destroying those exact subsidies. What will Susie Lee do? Why take the chance on her or others like her who the DCCC has embraced because of their wealth, a Gil Cisneros, for example, who was born poor, won the lottery, joined the GOP, switched to the Democrats to run for office and started spreading his money around until the DCCC endorsed his conservative ass? Tomorrow is his primary and hopefully voters in CA-39 will show him and the DCCC the exit, electing a working class kid from the district, Sam Jammal, the son of two immigrant parents, instead.

Chavez understood what it means to be a New Dem when she described the conservative running against Ammar Campa-Najjar, "the 29-year-old progressive also easily won the pre-endorsement over his challenger, Josh Butner [an "ex"-Republican], who has the backing of the New Democrat Coalition PAC, which represents the pro-Wall Street camp." But when it came to Angie Craig... no mention of the New Dems-- "the New Democrat Coalition PAC, which represents the pro-Wall Street camp." And by the time Chavez got to Susie Lee, she seemed to be lauding the New Dems as a legitimate part of a coalition that saw Lee's "working-class background coupled with current wealth that inspires national support: The DCCC, EMILY’s List, the New Democrat Coalition PAC, End Citizens United, and other top Democrats..."

Some of her descriptions are valid and worthwhile. You can read them here. When it comes to solidarity, which I don't think I recall Chavez mentioning, watch this instead; watch it twice in fact--and then send it to everyone you know, especially if any of them live in Queens and the Bronx:



Or read this from Randy Bryce's campaign website:

Randy Bryce is a U.S. Army veteran, cancer survivor, and union ironworker. He joined the race for Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District because he knows first hand how working people have struggled, and he wants to ensure that the middle class is represented in D.C. again. Currently, over half of our Representatives in Congress are millionaires.

Randy was raised in southeastern Wisconsin, and went to public schools. Randy’s father was a police officer, and his mother worked in a doctor’s office. Both currently suffer from serious health issues-- his mother from multiple sclerosis, and his father from Alzheimer's. Seeing their health struggles in the face of Paul Ryan’s attempts to repeal Obamacare and attack Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, helped Randy decide to enter the race.

After high school graduation, Randy enlisted in the U.S. Army, and was posted to Honduras, where he earned the Army Achievement Medal. When he came home, he got a job working with homeless veterans, until the government stopped funding the program. After that, like a lot of veterans, Randy struggled to find work and ultimately took two full time jobs just to get by. Many years later, that experience led Randy to help found the Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce.

In his late 20s, Randy was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Despite working two jobs, he didn’t have health insurance. So, the bills bankrupted him. The doctors also told him it was unlikely he could ever have children. While he was in recovery, Randy found his way to an apprenticeship as an ironworker, which he describes as his ticket to the middle class. His career as an ironworker allowed him to exit bankruptcy and provide health insurance for his son Ben, who now attends public school like his Dad did.

Grateful for all the union had given him, Randy became an active member, and helped organize the resistance to Governor Scott Walker’s Act 10, which worked to destroy teachers and other public sector unions in the state. After that loss, Randy realized he couldn’t sit on the sidelines anymore and he’s been fighting for working families ever since.

Kaniela Ing has been one of the effective tribunes for the working class, not just in Hawaii's legislature but in any legislature in America. His campaign website says he's "an unlikely politician. He doesn't come from money or power. Kaniela is a first-generation college graduate." Watch this video and listen to how he describes himself. It's downright inspiring:



Similarly, Jared Golden returned to Maine from the Marines where he fought on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan, and was elected to the state legislature where he's risen to be Majority Whip. His record shows he's done the opposite of what Paul Ryan has done-- not hauling up the ladder of opportunity but expanding it. A working class kid made good, he's built a record of success fighting for middle- and working-class people. As his campaign website explains, "He has fought passionately for expanded access to healthcare, stronger unions, fairer wages, cleaner energy, better environmental standards, equal rights for women and minorities, and lower prescription medication costs for Maine’s seniors. Jared continues to stand up for his community and his beliefs, and he has been able to deliver real results to the people he was elected to serve." His opponents are a Wall Street Republican, Blue Poliquin, and a well-connected Democrat, Lucas St. Clair, who inherited a fortune from a craven mother who stole it from Burt's Bees.

Tom Guild's life story is heart-wrenching and it's what turned him into a devoted progressive. This video explains it and where he's coming from and what he's offering to Oklahoma voters:



And obviously, this is prone to happen even more in statewide races, which are much more expensive than congressional races. Today Palm Beach billionaire Jeff Greene s officially entered the Democratic primary race for Florida governor, a race filled with multimillionaires and billionaires. There's one exception. Andrew Gillum is the son of a bus driver and construction worker. Do Florida Democrats want to be inspired-- or are they happy being bought by millionaires and billionaires. If ideas and records of accomplishment and public service mean anything, Gillum will win. If Florida Democrats keep nominating centrist, uninspiring candidates for Governor and expect to break the GOP’s 20-year winning streak they're in for another rude awakening on the evening of August 28.

Kaniela Saito Ing Battles Another Republican Pretending To Be A Democrat, Beth Fukumoto

Trying to figure out how someone is going to perform in Congress is the single most important factor in figuring out which candidate to support in a contested election. And as we saw earlier today, one of the easiest ways is to examine the voting records and leadership records of state legislators trying to make the jump. The best legislator in the state of Hawaii, Kaniela Saito Ing, is running for Congress in the Honolulu-based district being given up by Colleen Hanabusa. His opponents are from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party... except one. Until recently Beth Fukumoto, who was stripped of her leadership role in the GOP, was an actual Republican, leader of the House Minority in fact. Now she calls herself a "Democrat." While Kaniela was championing-- and fighting the long and hard battles for-- marriage equality, 100% renewable energy, same day voter registration, emergency contraceptives for rape victims, and making Honolulu's police department change its policy so cops cant get drunk while carrying firearms-- Fukumoto fought him on each one. Kaniela was running up an incredible record of leadership; this is what she was up to:

She voted "no" on marriage equality, "no" on emergency contraceptive for rape victims, "yes" on a bill to exclude the LGBTQ community from a so-called "religious freedom" restoration bill. She also voted "no" on a bill to bring Hawaii into 100% renewable electricity by 2045, "no" on expanding an energy tax on fossil fuel for 15 years, "yes" on corporate ownership of public streams, while refusing to oppose LNG or Nextera.

The NRA gave her a "B", happy with her for voting against background checks and "no" on disallowing gunowners from carrying firearms while intoxicated outside home.

This brand new "Democrat" who thinks she should be in Congress now from America's bluest state voted "no" on Obamacare Implementation after the Republican-controled Congress cut federal funding. She also voted against raising the legal age for buying or consuming tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, from 18-21.

Fukumoto voted against  Same Day Voter Registration and "no" on raising taxes on wealthy out of state speculator-- taxes meant to go towards affordable housing. She wasn't just a Republican in the state legislature, she was the leader of the Republicans in the state legislature. It's not that tough to run on Trump opposition in a deep blue state. Fukumoto is an opportunist who has been a conservative for a very long time and only changed parties to run for higher office.

Basically every time legislators were put to the test on being progressive, she landed on the wrong side. Despite her consultant-crafted progressive rhetoric in this race, she holds one of the most conservative records in state. She was, first and foremost, always working in the interests of wealthy corporations and conservative causes and never for the working families that Kaniela always stood with. 

Her crooked husband David Chang was chairman of the Republican Party of Hawaii from November 2011 until March 2014 and his ponzi schemes financed her political career.