Tomorrow We Pick The Winner Of The Ken Aden Filter Guitar

Ken and his wife Renea are having a baby in 3 weeks

Given Ken's exemplary military background and his commitment to our nation's veterans, we thought Memorial Day would be the most suitable day to pick the winner of the Filter "Hey Man Nice Shot" guitar. You still have a nice shot yourself-- here

Ken, who is already the stepfather of two children is about to have a baby daughter with his wife, Renea, probably in three weeks-- Tatum. And Ken's excited. This morning he told me that "Of all the things which have happened to me in my life, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that her birth will eclipse everything else. At this point and time I am focused on her health. At future campaign events I will have baby Tatum in tow or at the hip and speaking about what's right for Arkansas families. Our campaign manager Jake has four children of his own, so for the last few months I have been getting a crash course in parenting."

And, as Mother Jones pointed out in their feature last week, 9 Progressive Vets to Watch in the Battle for Congress a lot has already happened in Ken's life.

Most folks in the United States first heard of this former Army staff sergeant, Iraq vet, and nonprofit organizer in January, when his campaign manager's cat was found murdered with the word "LIBERAL" scrawled across its body (warning: graphic image at the link). This month, Aden paused in the middle of his 253-mile run for hunger-awareness to rescue a motorist from her flipped car. He's hoping to turn back a freshman congressman best known for joining the "shutdown caucus."

Pros: Did we mention that he rescued a woman from a flipped car in the middle of his 253-mile run against hunger?

Cons: At least one resident of his district is willing to use violence against progressives.

Ken's most recent community project, right after being recognized by President Obama as one of the most outstanding community activists in the country and naming him one of the 2012 Cesar Chavez Champions of Change, the Run 2 End Hunger was a huge success. Ken and his team raised over 14,000 cans of food and are still passing it out across northwest Arkansas. But not everyone in his district is focusing on what's positive about his campaign and there are plenty of nay-sayers.

"As our campaign continues to move along in Arkansas," Ken told me this morning, "we have been receiving a great deal of feedback in regard to our stance on Marriage Equality. Being only one of two congressional candidates in the entire state to stand up for what's right, this has of course started to draw a few 'nasty' comments from those on the wrong side of the issue. This, just like anything else is to be expected when you're running a strong race and you aren't afraid to stick your neck out there above the fray. I'm so fortunate to be in this position today and am more than capable of weathering any hateful remarks and or actions directed at this campaign. Almost nine months ago I was working at a job that paid $7.75 an hour and now we are well on track to win this congressional seat and put it back into the hands of the people. The grassroots support we've gotten has meant so much and it has enabled us to continue the fight! The bottom line is, our primary is over and we are in this for the long haul. Some people in NW Arkansas think 'Progressive' is a dirty word. I ask this question of anyone who takes this stance. Just what is wrong with having an open political discussion? Just what's wrong with actually making the attempt to work together? It doesn't matter what your political leanings are, each and every one of us has a unique idea, a suggestion worth looking at seriously that could be used to benefit this district and this nation. There are so many things which need to be corrected and seriously worked on. The most dangerous in my opinion is the toxic injection of corporate money into our political landscape today. Some people including my opponent have made careers out of prostituting themselves out to the highest corporate bidder, but NOT me." Here's the classic 2002 Filter guitar, signed by all the original band members. We'll randomly select its lucky new owner tomorrow afternoon. Here's your last chance to get in on this.

Hard To Compete With The Koch Brothers' Billions But We Have Guitars And Other Collectible Swag For Social Justice

The other day, after reading about our Filter guitar giveaway on behalf of Ken Aden's Run 2 End Hunger II, a correspondent asked me if I have a lot of guitars and if I play them. I once had a lot of guitars; I never played any of them. Before I was a blogger I ran a record label-- or three, a small indie label in San Francisco, 415 Records, then Sire here in Los Angeles, where I was general manager, and finally Reprise, where I was president. It was a nice run and I wound up with closets filled with memorabilia. Actually, rooms filled with memorabilia... like the guitars. I'm not a musician. They were souvenirs for me-- signed guitars by the artists I worked with. Years ago I decided I needed to find a way to give them away to people who would get some pleasure out of them. I started donating them to auctions for worthy causes-- the guitars and some of the dozens of gold and platinum award discs that used to thrill me so much when I was a kid.

In two hours, we're going to randomly pick a name from among the 400 people who have expressed an interest in "winning" a beautiful Fender Stratocaster guitar signed by all them members-- yes, Steven Page included-- of the Barenaked Ladies. It was one of those guitars in an upstairs closet. The band endorsed my idea of using it to help advance the cause of democracy. So "expressing an interest" meant contributing to our If I Had A Million Dollars ActBlue page or even just sending us a note without any money involved. One person was entered who said she has no money to spare but that she is praying for victories for Norman Solomon and David Gill. She wasn't even a fan of "If I Have A Million Dollars" but another Barenaked ladies song, "One Week," was played at her daughter's wedding party and she fell in love with the song. Anyway, whether someone contributed $5 to be split between Norman and David or $500-- or just let us know they were sending their prayers-- all the names are in a box and at noon (PT) one name will be randomly selected and that person will get the guitar. We'll announce it in an Update on the bottom of this post.

We gave our friends at the Courage Campaign a beautiful, customized TLC platinum and gold award for the 1992 debut album, Ooooooohhh... On The TLC Tip, which sold 4 million copies and included the big hit Aint 2 Proud 2 Beg. They're using the award plaque to fight homophobia in North Carolina this week by funding a grassroots effort filled with TLC to defeat Amendment One. Please consider helping that at that last link-- whether you want the award or not... you can always donate it back if you win it or give it to another charity of your choice (and even get a tax deduction!).

Meanwhile, we're just ramping up another guitar giveaway, this one, which will go to support Ken Aden's efforts to end hunger in Arkansas. This one is a Squier Telecaster and it was signed-- back in 2002-- by all the members of Filter, riding high on their smash hit, Hey Man, Nice Shot. Before becoming a candidate for Congress, Ken, an Iraq and Afghanistan War vet was immersed in running a non-profit community-based self-help group in Arkansas, Residents 4 Arkansas, Inc. Last month he was honored by the White House for his community service and met with President Obama and members of his cabinet to talk about the role of volunteerism in America. Ken has been awarded the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Achievement Medal, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Multinational Force and Observers Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Parachutist Badge. Right now he's in the middle of a 253 mile, 7 day run across his district (ending May 5) to raise awareness and to raise cans of food for families who are hungry in Arkansas. When he ends his run, Blue America will thank one of the supporters of Ken's candidacy with the Filter guitar. Supporters can contribute here or send a check-- or even just a note-- to PO Box 27201, Los Angeles, CA 90027. Everyone will have an equal chance to "win" the guitar, regardless of how much you contribute-- or even if you just let us know you're praying for Ken or rooting for him.

Some may see Ken as a "do-gooder" but he's a tough as nails progressive running in the reddest district in Arkansas. Rather than shrink away from a fight as others in his state have done, this Army Combat Veteran is taking it to the streets and standing up for equal rights for all. As you've probably guessed by now, the main part of his campaign focus is on community service work-- as well as renewable energy technology, veterans rights, and the protection of Social Security and Medicare. In a recent quote he said that "if you even think of cutting Medicare and Social Security you ARE a criminal! The time for corporate prostitution has come to an end!"

As we mentioned on the Act Blue page, we were chatting with Ken last week and he told us about a woman he met while out campaigning the weekend before. She considered herself an independent, and was a supporter of Ken's very right-wing opponent-- Wal-Mart's personal Congressman, Steve Womack-- back in 2010.

"I wish I would have met you back then, because I never would have voted for him," is just what she told Ken on Saturday.

We liked that, because it is the opening lyric of Filter's "Hey Man, Nice Shot," we figured that would be the perfect guitar for Ken's campaign. (Not to mention that Ken is a huge fan of Filter's music himself.) What Ken's doing is so important that we wanted to encourage all of our friends to help. But, since we know we can't ask you to send canned food through the mail even though we are 100 percent in support of our brothers and sisters at the APWU, we thought we'd ask you to pledge to donate $25.30 to Ken's race-- that's one dime for every mile that he'll be running across the district. Of course if you can't donate that amount any help would be greatly appreciated. And if you want to contribute more... please don't hesitate.

And, for every person who makes a contribution through this page for Ken's campaign, you will be entered in a random drawing to win a guitar signed by every member of Filter as a "thank you" from Blue America. Everyone has the same shot, whether you contribute one dollar or 1,000 dollars-- or even if you just send us a note to PO Box 27201, Los Angeles, CA 90027.

So don't delay-- please make your contribution to Ken's campaign today, and by doing so, you'll have a direct hand in ending the plight of impoverished families today. GO KEN GO!!

Here's another Filter song-- this one a cover of an old hit by Harry Nilsson, "One [Is the Loneliest Number]," a song I always thought summed up the right-wing world view summed up by Ayn Rand. Three Dog Night, Al Kooper, Aimee Mann, Dokken, Mastodon and the Chainsaw Kittens all did versions of the song as well. Filter's version was on the soundtrack of The X-Files: Fight The Future, an apt GOP slogan that Ken Aden is battling against.

Hey Man, Nice Shot-- Blue America Goes To Bat For Ken Aden (D-AR)

Our Barenaked Ladies guitar fun for Norman Solomon and David Gill has been working out so well that we decided to launch another one. This time we have a sleek, black Squier Telecaster autographed-- in 2002-- by all the members of Filter. And we're going to send it out as a thank you present to one supporter of our efforts on behalf of Ken Aden. The page is here.

We've introduced you to Ken before. He's a tough as nails progressive running in the reddest district in Arkansas. Rather than shrink away from a fight as others in his state have done, this Army Combat Veteran is taking it to the streets and standing up for equal rights for all. A main part of his campaign focus is on community service work, renewable energy technology, veterans rights, and the protection of Social Security and Medicare. In a recent quote he said that "if you even think of cutting Medicare and Social Security you ARE a criminal! The time for corporate prostitution has come to an end!"

As we mentioned on the Act Blue page, we were chatting with Ken this week and he told us about a woman he met while out campaigning over the weekend. She considered herself an independent, and was a supporter of Ken's opponent-- Wal-Mart's personal Congressman, Steve Womack-- back in 2010.

"I wish I would have met you back then, because I never would have voted for him," is just what she told Ken on Saturday.

We liked that, because it is the opening lyric of, "Hey Man, Nice Shot," by the legendary rock band Filter, and Filter is part of the special surprise we have planned to help Ken, which we wanted to share with our supporters.

You may have heard that Ken's campaign in Arkansas' Third District is highlighting food insecurity and hunger in the impoverished district by holding the Run 2 End Hunger II, whereby Special Forces veteran Ken Aden will run across the entire district-- a run of 253 miles in 7 days. This race is slated to begin on the 28th of April and will continue through the 5th of May. He's collecting pledges for canned food for every mile, and the food which is collected will be donated to three struggling non profit organizations within the state.

What Ken's doing is so important that we wanted to encourage all of our friends to help. But, since we know we can't ask you to send canned food through the mail even though we are 100 percent in support of our brothers and sisters at the APWU, we thought we'd ask you to pledge to donate $25.30 to Ken's race-- that's one dime for every mile that he'll be running across the district. Of course if you can't donate that amount any help would be greatly appreciated. And if you want to contribute more... please don't hesitate.

And, for every person who makes a contribution through this page for Ken's campaign, you will be entered in a random drawing to win a guitar signed by every member of Filter as a "thank you" from Blue America. Everyone has the same shot, whether you contribute one dollar or 1,000 dollars-- or even if you just send us a note to PO Box 27201, Los Angeles, CA 90027.

So don't delay-- please make your contribution to Ken's campaign today, and by doing so, you'll have a direct hand in ending the plight of impoverished families today. GO KEN GO!!!

Again, here's where you can get in on the fun and get a chance to walk away with this unique, collectible Filter guitar-- and help a fighting progressive get into office and start shaking things up. The guys in Filter gave me the guitar when I decided to retire from Reprise. They were one of my favorite bands on the label and their smash hit, "Hey Man Nice Shot," was a song I loved even before it was ever released. Some people were appalled because they thought the song was about Kurt Cobain's "suicide." But it never was. They wrote the song about the suicide of Pennsylvania's Republican state Treasurer, Budd Dwyer. Dwyer was an innocent man unjustly accused of taking a bribe and he shot himself during a press conference with a .357 Magnum. The corruption in this case is that the prosecutors bribed the witness to testify under oath that Dwyer was guilty in return for a lighter sentence for himself. He later recanted that testimony. Just sayin'...



So do you want to try for a Telecaster or a Stratocaster? Barenaked Ladies or Filter? Norman Solomon and David Gill or Ken Aden? Up to you.

Happy Earth Day

Today Disney is releasing Chimpanzee, Earth Day. Yesterday we asked some of the Blue America candidates to tell us what Earth Day means to them. Let me pick that up with a short post from Ken Aden, who's running in a pretty red-leaning district in northwest Arkansas.

"As a Renewable Energy Technology Major I understand how important it is that we work together to find a common sense solution to the energy problems that plague us today. Having served in various conflicts overseas, I am firm in my belief that if we invested more in modern technologies such as geothermal energy and solar panel manufacturing then we would not have the majority of the national security problems that we do. Looking back on my military service I can't count the number of times where oil took the main stage front and center and was the sole focus and or concern. We as a country have gone backwards in our thinking. We are technologically advanced, we have a brilliant pool of minds and leading engineers yet we seem focused on only finding that next spot to drill, that next pocket of oil to extract. For me, Earth Day is an opportunity to discuss these ideas and present them in a way that is easy to understand and easy to visualize. Renewable Energy is a main campaign focus of ours in Arkansas because we know that the NW corner of our state is uniquely situated to become a leader in this field, and pave the way for other states to follow. As our next progressive member of Congress, I will work to increase tax credits for businesses that develop renewable energy technologies. I will also make sure that those tax credits aren’t just for Fortune 500 companies because I truly believe that Main Street can and should play as big of a role in helping America achieve energy independence as Wall Street. I will continue to work with local governments in the 3rd District to help attract green energy companies to our area, not only in terms of manufacturing but in terms of power generation as well. Earth Day is great time for us to pause in reflection on what we're doing right, what we need to do better and how we can make our planet not only livable but viable for future generations.

Like Ken, Rob Zerban, the progressive Democrat running against Paul Ryan, whose budget proposal is astoundingly backward on the conservation and environmental fronts, has also devoted a lot of time and energy on ecology in his life. "Environmental stewardship," he told us, "is how I started my public service. I understand that we have but one world, one planet, to call home. With that comes an awesome responsibility to make sure we leave it better for our children. Congress has been sorely lacking in leaders who understand the delicate balance that protecting our environment plays in everything else we seek to do-- from creating jobs to creating memories with our families. I'm proud to follow in the footsteps of the great Wisconsin environmental leaders like John Muir, Aldo Leopold and Gaylord Nelson and I look forward to preserving their great legacy in Congress."  

Not far south and a bit west of Rob's Wisconsin district, we come to the heart of the Prairie State, IL-13, where progressive David Gill is favored to win a seat being vacated by Tim Johnson. Dr. Gill also takes the idea of environmental stewardship very seriously.

To me, there is no more important issue than restoring the health of our planet. I am a man of science, and sadly, the science of Global Climate Change is all too clear: Global Climate Change is very, very real and it's very, very threatening. And it is clearly a result of mankind's dependence upon fossil fuels. It's tragic that we allow politics to enter into this at all, and that we allow the discussion to be muddied by politicians who are bought and owned by oil companies.

The midnight hour is upon us with respect to irreversible climate change-- immediate aggressive action must be taken, or our Earth will be a dramatically different place in 50 years, in 80 years, in 100 years. As our children's children struggle to find clean water to drink and clean air to breathe, they will look back at the irresponsible "leaders" of our generation and shake their heads in disgust and sorrow. Every other issue facing us will be all but moot when our Earth becomes largely uninhabitable by our descendents.

Darcy Burner is running in a new Washington district that starts in the Seattle suburbs and goes clear up to the Canadian border. Even Republicans in this part of the country appreciate Nature. "Forty-two years ago," Darcy recalled for us, "my friend Denis Hayes organized the first Earth Day and changed the way Americans think about our planet. Now we face a climate crisis of unprecedented proportions. But just as we were up to the challenges half a century ago, we are up to these challenges. Here in Washington State, we’ve been creating the next generation of clean energy technologies which will replace the dirty, polluting fossil fuels of the 19th Century. As we celebrate Earth Day, I hope that you all will join me in taking on our challenges both through our public actions and our private choices."

Chris Donovan is the Speaker of Connecticut's House and the battle for a clean environment and a sustainable earth is something he's been dealing with inside his state legislature. He recalls that "One of my first organizing campaigns at the Connecticut Citizens' Action Group (CCAG) was an environmental justice campaign to protect aquifers, ban the land-filling of toxic waste, and to enact a "right to know" statute so that families and workers would know what toxic waste products existed in their workplaces and communities. That campaign was ultimately successful and stuck with me through my time in the legislature, that we could successfully organize to protect our communities from toxic waste, and to protect our environment for our children and grandchildren. I took that lesson into the successful fights to clean up Connecticut's "Sooty Six" power plants and to remediate brownfield sites. Our stewardship of the environment is the most important legacy we can leave to the next generation. Earth Day is a symbol of that stewardship, and of our responsibility, and our goal must be to have a cleaner environment with less reliance on fossil fuels, in order to create a cleaner, more sustainable world."

Eric Griego, represents parts of Albuquerque in the New Mexico state legislature, where he's been a leader on behalf of the values inherent in Earth Day. This morning he told us that he "believes we need more leaders in Congress to fight for bold investments to make America the world leader in the new energy economy and support science to combat global climate change. I will continue building on my consistent record of championing clean energy, conservation and smart growth."

Joe Miklosi has been fighting this battle in the Colorado legislature and he's going up against virulent Climate Change-denier Mike Coffman in November. He has a very pragmatic approach to the problem-- one that has been a winning approach in Colorado where everyone loves the natural beauty, even many Republicans. Joe:

Earth Day is unique benchmark in time for the environmental movement. 42 years ago the first Earth Day Celebration led to the passage of the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. Thanks to those initiatives, the days when smog choked our cities are over, our water is safer and cleaner, and our communities are more livable and prosperous.

Earth Day is a special reminder that we can grow our economy-- and even spur new American industries, while respecting our environment and national resources. Waves of American ingenuity have been unleashed and new products are been developed for environmentally conscious consumers around the globe.

Opponents of environmental standards have made the same hollow claims for 40 years about the potential loss of jobs. For 42 years they have been wrong and they continue to make these false arguments today. Responsible stewardship actually has created jobs, industries, and cottage industries while making our communities cleaner and more livable. 

In Colorado, our environment is vital to the economy. Earth Day is a reminder that by working together we can make a measurable and lasting difference.

Ann Kuster and Carol Shea-Porter are the two exemplary Blue-America-backed progressives running for Congress in New Hampshire. Both are friends of the earth, in the truest sense of the term. Carol Shea-Porter

I was in high school when the first Earth Day was held, but I was already an environmentalist. My Republican family had taught me to respect nature. My dad had been in the Navy, and he would take garbage out of the water and talk to us about our responsibility to be good stewards on land and sea, but he and his generation did not realize the extent of our problems in the years before Earth Day. Everything came into sharper focus after the first Earth Day, and the battle began to save our planet. Sadly, climate change denial has held us back from treating this effort like the Apollo project, and we have wasted time arguing. In New Hampshire, there was always a bipartisan effort to protect natural resources until recently. Democrats and Republicans worked together to protect our shores, our mountains, and our way of life. Tourism is a huge part of our economy, and we all have a vested interest in preserving our natural resources. But now, the tea party runs NH and they are voting to undo legislation. In Washington, tea partier Congressman Frank Guinta has tried to strip the EPA of its authority to regulate polluters, and his anti-environment votes have earned him an "F" from The Sierra Club. His money comes from the Koch Brothers, oil companies, and others, and he serves their interests instead of the public interest. Granite Staters will change that in November, and I will go back to the Natural Resources Committee and serve the public interest again.

And, we hope, so will Ann Kuster:

Earth Day is significant because it shows the power of an idea to change social behavior. I remember the first Earth Day and when our science class went out to pick up trash on the side of the roads. At that point in time, throwing trash out your car window was normal practice and our highways and byways were cluttered with it. Litter was not a word in our vocabulary. In 42 years we have come a long way. Looking back, what seemed trivial in Junior High School has impacted our lives in incredible ways. Protecting our environment and the health of our people not only improves the quality of life in New Hampshire but also keeps our economy strong.

But we need to stay vigilant. From the New Hampshire State House to the United States Congress, our far right leaders are eroding our environmental protections. I am running for Congress to protect the quality of life of New Hampshire families and the quality of our environment couldn't be more important. Unless we stand up and fight back the attacks on our clean air, clean water and all the rest, we will be passing on a country that has worse quality of life and worse health outcomes for our children and grandchildren. On this Earth Day, lets redouble our collective efforts to do our part for a clean planet.

Lee Rogers, who's running against a classic GOP Nature-hater and environmental destruction machine, Buck McKeon, is a doctor and a father of two young daughters. Like many parents, he looks at the idea of the stewardship of earth's resources through a very special lens. "This weekend," he told us, "I watched Dr. Suess's The Lorax with my 3 year old daughter, Emma. I was amazed to see how quickly she 'got it.' She told me, 'if you chop the trees down, you will be sad.' The problem with Earth Day is that it's only a single day. We need this level of attention to our environment everyday. There are things we all can do to protect our environment; don't litter, recycle, use public transportation, read e-books, drive a more efficient car, and use water and energy saving technology at home. But perhaps the most important thing you can do for the environment is support candidates and legislators who will respect our planet. The uninformed and the science deniers in Congress pose the biggest threat to the health of our world. By being active and informed, we can avoid living in a real version of Thneedville."

You can find all the Blue America candidates on the same page about protecting the air and the water and our stewardship of the environment-- as well as on the same page for much needed campaign contributions.

Obama Administration Honors Ken Aden For His Public Service At The White House

Ken Aden's campaign slogan has been "People First," but it's a lot more than just a slogan. It's an organizing principle for how he runs his life. Ken is the Blue America-endorsed congressional candidate running in a tough as nails district in northwest Arkansas but Obama didn't invite him to the White House to talk campaign strategy. He invited him to the White House to recognize his community service and to meet with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to be part of the White House's first Cesar Chavez Champions of Change event. The invitation:

In honor of Cesar Chavez Day 2012, the White House will honor 10 leaders who, like Cesar Chavez, have dedicated themselves to improving the lives of others throughout their community and across the Nation.  The Cesar Chavez Champions of Change will be honored at a ceremony at the White House on March 29, 2012. You are cordially invited!
 
“Champions of Change” is part of President Obama’s “Winning the Future," where we recognize a group of Americans, businesses, or organizations working to make a difference in our country. Different groups are highlighted each week ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to community activists. The Office of Public Engagement solicited nominations to honor those who exemplify Cesar Chavez’ core values, including service to others, knowledge, innovation, acceptance of all people, and respect for life and the environment.  After receiving over 200 nominations, we have identified 10 Champions that work on diverse issues throughout the country.
 
Please join us to commemorate Cesar Chavez’ life and work and to honor those that continue his spirit of “Si Se Puede”/Yes We Can!

The event will be held on Thursday afternoon, March 29, Cesar Chavez Day. The invitation and honor came as a complete shock and surprise to Ken. "I'm at a loss for words to even be recognized for my work within some of poorest communities of the state," he said. "It came as a total surprise to receive the email from the White House. There's simply nothing better than tirelessly working hard to make a difference. Many non profit organizations are working everyday behind the scenes to make the lives of so many people better. I miss my community work and hope to return to the non profit sector one day."  

While Ken is in DC this week, he won't be on the campaign trail back in Arkansas and he won't be raising money in a tough race against a dedicated one-percenter, Steve Womack. If you'd like to help make up the deficit... you can do it here. 

What's An Occupy Movement Candidate?

This week, Mother Jones found 10 candidates running for Congress as supporters of the Occupy or 99% Movement. Most of them are Blue America candidates-- Alan Grayson, Ilya Sheyman, Elizabeth Warren, Norman Solomon, Eric Griego, and Tammy Baldwin, who we are daily urging people to support on our ActBlue House page or our ActBlue Senate page. But there are a four on their list we haven't gotten to yet:

Hakeem Jeffries (New York): "Income inequality is worse now that it has been since prior to the Great Depression," the state assemblyman said during a passionate speech at an Occupy rally in Brooklyn this fall. In January, Jeffries announced that he'd run for Congress in New York's Tenth Congressional District against 15-term incumbent Ed Towns, who'd angered labor unions when he cast the deciding vote in 2005 for the Central American Free Trade Agreement. Since then, Jeffries has picked up endorsements in the Brooklyn district from prominent unions such as the Communications Workers of America.

Prospects: Fair. Jeffries' success could hinge on stopping the Tenth District from being redrawn to exclude his state assembly district, where he's popular.

Lori Saldaña (California): "Lori Saldaña has leapt headlong into the Occupy movement," writes the San Diego Union-Tribune. While that may be a bit of an overstatement, the Democratic former assemblywoman certainly caters to the cause with her campaign slogan: "Fighting for America's middle class." In January, she joined a rally organized by Occupy the Courts in protest of Supreme Court rulings that give corporations the rights of people.

Prospects: Good. A recent poll ranks her as the frontrunner in the primary and just six points behind incumbent Republican Rep. Brian Bilbray. But an independent who may enter the fray could strip away some of her supporters.

Wenona Benally Baldenegro (Arizona): Two years after Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick lost her Arizona congressional seat to tea party Republican Paul Gosar, she's campaigning to retake it. But she could lose in the primary to Baldenegro, who blames her for alienating supporters with votes against the pro-union Employee Free Choice Act and for job-killing foreign trade bills. A Harvard Law grad who'd be the nation's first Native American congresswoman if elected, Baldenegro has renounced campaign donations from corporate lobbyists and supports taxing the rich and public financing for elections. In late October, she joined six other progressive House candidates-- including Griego, Sheyman, and Saldaña-- to hand-deliver House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) 35,000 signatures from people who "stand with the 99 percent."

Prospects: Fair. Though Kirkpatrick sports name recognition and support from the Democratic establishment, Baldenegro has the endorsement of progressive Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz). More important, the district's boundaries were redrawn last year to include Navajo strongholds that will back her.

Hansen Clarke (Michigan): Sponsoring legislation to forgive student debt has made the Detroit Congressman a hero to thousands of college kids involved with Occupy. During the movement's March 1 "Occupy Education" protests in Washington, DC, activists relayed a statement from Clarke using the famous people's mic: "Young people in America should be able to pursue higher education to achieve their dreams without worrying that this decision will devastate their financial futures."

Prospects: Good. Though he's running against another incumbent Congressman in a consolidated district, Clarke has an early cash advantage and growing list of union endorsements.

We started covering Wenona back in May and she and Hakeem Jeffries are on the Blue America page we use to send a message to the corrupt Democratic power structure in DC. Ever check that page out? Here's part of the description, which was written in the last cycle but still applies today:

Many of us have been disappointed in the Democratic Party (again) this year-- but electing conservatives in the form of Republicans or Blue Dog Democrats is NOT the answer. People with memories that go back beyond last November, though, probably remember just what 8 years of George W. Bush and a Republican Congress meant for our country. And, stretching out from there a bit, some progressives even remember what happened when we split our votes between Al Gore and Ralph Nader. There is a way to send a message to the Inside the Beltway Democratic Establishment. It's called primaries-- and it works better than blindly empowering crazed, angry, racist teabaggers. When Adam Nagourney, Cokie Roberts or Glenn Beck promote Democratic atomization, they're not pumping for progressive values, as Digby pointed out in the post that inspired this Blue America page. She asks how liberals can exert what power we have and have the results be interpreted the way we want them to be-- as a repudiation of corporatism and conservative governance, not as a repudiation of Democratic governance?

There is a fairly compelling theory in political science that says that after political parties come into power, fulfill some pieces of their agenda, get fat and bloated and are finally removed from office, they then tend to deny the reality of their loss and blame it on everything but themselves until they lose enough elections that they finally realize that their ideology has failed. The current GOP is not there yet by a long shot. They are still in the process of doubling down on their radical agenda at a time when the economy is still in ruins, the effects of globalization are being fully felt, the planet is in peril and about to reach a tipping point, and a radical fundamentalist movement is trying to blow people up. I don't think the world can take any more of the right's prescriptions for these problems right now: Lindsay Graham is considered too liberal and neo-Hooverism is their economic program. Yes, the Democrats are corrupt and inept. But the other side is batshit insane.

However, that doesn't mean that there's nothing we can do but wring our hands about how the system is broken and fret ourselves into inertia. The other way to send messages to the Democratic party is through the unsatisfying and often thankless process of primary challenges. Nobody can have any problem understanding that message, not even Adam Nagourney.

It's hard to find challengers and it's no wonder. It's expensive, time consuming and after all your hard work you will probably lose. It takes real commitment and a desire to not only win a seat in Congress but do it by way of unseating an incumbent of your own party with whom you disagree, an act which is guaranteed to make you an odd man out among the party hierarchy. But if you win, it can send shockwaves through the system.

And guess what? We are in another favorable year for primary challenges in recent memory. The insane teabaggers aren't going to allow any rational Republicans to run and the anti-incumbent fever is going to be as high as it's been since 1994. The Democratic base has an energetic activist faction, the netroots can raise money and there is a burning desire to show the party establishment that they cannot take liberals for granted. It's a perfect environment for successful primary challenges.

Back to the Mother Jones article for a moment. There's a postscript from the author, Josh Harkinson: "Many people have contacted me with the names of other Occupy-friendly candidates. If you have suggestions for other races to check out, leave them in the comments or send them to @JoshHarkinson on Twitter, where I've been RTing them." I doubt there's a more Occupy Movement candidate anywhere than George Martinez in Brooklyn, although I'm not certain if he's made his run official yet.

I didn't write to Josh, but I do want to remind readers of this blog about two Occupy candidates who Blue America endorsed for Congress who are very strongly backing the Occupy Movement. Ken Aden is running against corporate shill Steve Womack in northwest Arkansas. "I am a staunch and proud supporter of the Occupy Wall Street Movement," he told us last May. "In fact, I helped folks here in Arkansas start an Occupy chapter in the Northern part of our state. This is a true grassroots movement made up of young people, veterans, students, and folks from across the middle class just like me who are sick and tired of irresponsible corporations buying politicians of both parties while many in the government stand idly by and give corporate America the keys to the proverbial candy store. It's truly nauseating to know that so many politicians can be so easily bought, and not even loose an ounce of sleep over the fact that they are destroying everything which we hold dear. I  firmly believe that more people need to become involved, and stand up for what is right! Corporate greed is the new pandemic in this country. The ratio of CEO pay to that of the average worker is a prime example of the kind of reckless behavior that corporations in this country are exercising on a daily basis. Just look at how many politicians Koch Industries has bought over the last ten years alone. As the next congressman from Arkansas I would support an amendment to destroy the destructive influence of Citizens United. The last time I checked, corporations are NOT and will never be real people."

And the very first candidate Blue America endorsed this cycle was an independent-minded Orlando-area activist, Nick Ruiz, who has been motivated and animated by the exact same values and objectives that animate and motivate the 99% Movement. I asked him for his perspective on the whole idea of 99% candidates. Worth reading:

"For electoral politics, what the Occupy movement reflects is that the average citizen's feeling of being 'outside' of Washington, DC's insider games, has reached the threshold of what will be tolerated by most people. Citizens know they have to fight to get it back again. Democracy, representation, mutual prosperity. It's what the American Revolution represented for so many Americans living in the 18th century.

"For many decades now, too many people have experienced that their interests were not being adequately represented by their Representatives. It has reached the point where they are ready to do something about it. History and more importantly, progress was made in the 1930s, when a whole lot of people, and personalities, like FDR-- made it happen. And progress happened again, in the 1960s, with a mass of supporters and people like MLK and others. It is set to happen again beginning in 2012.

"And once again, we have the same problems they did, with the same lackluster Democratic response from the top. The Democratic Party infrastructure is not ready for us. And the Republicans, of course, want to crush equality of opportunity and representation, in every form. And so we the people, are again-- consciously competing for representation. Competing with the status quo bureaucracy, and the candidates they favor, who are working to ensure that power remains in the unfair hands of those that would enrich them with titles and business favors.

"But this is our United States of America. It belongs to all us. Not just those that have most of the capital and the power that comes with that capital. And we demand a representative seat and a table where truly democratic policy and law-making take place for the benefit of all Americans."

Not your standard garden variety DCCC kind of candidate, huh? You can help Nick win his House race against whichever corporate shill the GOP puts up against him, by contributing here. Let me leave you with George Martinez' Occupy song and video-- and ask you if you think freshly minted Michigan "Democrat" Joe Schwarz will be singing it in the shower?

Blue America Welcomes Ken Aden (D-AR)

At 11am (PT)-- 1pm in Arkansas-- Blue America will be hosting a live blogging session at Crooks and Liars with Ken Aden, our newest endorsee for Congress. Ken Aden is the only progressive candidate for Congress Blue America has endorsed this year in a deep red district. Arkansas' third CD, in the northwest corner of the state, has always been Republican as far as anyone can remember. The last Democrat who almost won was Bill Clinton... in 1974. And Ken is undaunted. As Digby hopes to explore with him at the live chat today is Ken's startling grassroots campaign. In fact, his effort should be a model for working class candidates-- who the DCCC refuses to support (they exclusively pick rich candidates or candidates with access to big money; i.e., not school teachers or truck drivers or almost anyone who's undergoing the same financial straits as the rest of us). Ken sees all the classic negatives, of course... and turns them into strengths and opportunities:

There is no question that our campaign will likely be outspent significantly. However, of all the races in the country today, few offer the kind of opportunity this race does. Our district offers the opportunity to run a true grassroots campaign that will engage voters, inform voters, and make headlines in a district that hasn’t seen a credible Democrat run for Congress in decades. Plus, the fact that it has been so long since voters have had a real choice combined with the fact that we will run visible field and media operations mean that this will not be just an ordinary Congressional campaign, but one that gains significant attention not just from local media but national media as well.

In the post-Citizens United environment, there are not a lot of candidates willing to face the kind of odds we face in this district. There are even fewer who do elect to run in races like this who even plan to mount a legitimate campaign-- much less run an aggressive field operation.

I’m running not just because I believe this race can be won, but because I believe voters deserve a choice between a Congressman in the pocket of every special interst from the Koch Brothers to the poultry industry and a person who will, when elected, actually look out for the people and not his corporate cronies.

One of the first times I spoke with Ken he was busy helping organize Occupy Northern Arkansas. "I am a staunch and proud supporter of the Occupy Wall Street Movement," he told me... This is a true grassroots movement made up of young people, veterans, students, and folks from across the middle class just like me who are sick and tired of irresponsible corporations buying politicians of both parties while many in the government stand idly by and give corporate America the keys to the proverbial candy store. It's truly nauseating to know that so many politicians can be so easily bought, and not even loose an ounce of sleep over the fact that they are destroying everything which we hold dear. I  firmly believe that more people need to become involved, and stand up for what is right! Corporate greed is the new pandemic in this country. The ratio of CEO pay to that of the average worker is a prime example of the kind of reckless behavior that corporations in this country are exercising on a daily basis. Just look at how many politicians Koch Industries has bought over the last ten years alone. As the next congressman from Arkansas I would support an amendment to destroy the destructive influence of Citizens United. The last time I checked, corporations are NOT and will never be real people.

If you can, please drop by today and meet Ken for yourself. Yesterday he formally filed to be on the ballot. Please take a look at the video of that above. If he's your kind of candidate and if you can help, you can do it at the Blue America page. As Digby wrote to our members Sunday: "Blue America endorsed Ken with great enthusiasm and we are spreading the good word about his grassroots strategic vision to progressive challengers across the country.  We believe that this kind of creativity and energy can pay off.  But he needs all the help we can give him to keep the campaign funded. He won't be able to match a corrupt Republican incumbent, not even close.  But he has a good chance to win if he can put this plan into practice and defeat him with sharp grassroots tactics and hard work. Please donate here if you can."

Arkansas Democrats Need To Rebuild Their Shattered Party Based On Populist Principles Not DCCC Expediency

The last time a Democrat won a majority in any of Arkansas' 4 congressional districts was in 2000, when Gore edged out Bush 50-48% in the first CD. It's been straight downhill for national Democrats since then-- in all 4 districts. Obama lost the 1st CD in 2008, 38-59%, but affable alcoholic Marion Berry, the Blue Dog incumbent who had replaced Blue Dog Blanche Lincoln back in 1996, won reelection without opposition. In 2008 none of the state's congressional incumbents-- 3 Democrats and a Republican-- had opposition. Berry and Vic Snyder decided to retire in 2010 and both seats went Republican. This year the last remaining Democrat, reactionary Blue Dog Mike Ross, is also retiring and is likely to be replaced by a Republican. Clearly, the time has come for Arkansas Democrats to rebuild their party from scratch and embrace the populist principles that kept them in power long after Nixon's Southern Strategy had dominated the rest of the South. By embracing the anti-family/anti-worker, pro-corporate Blue Dog vision, Arkansas Democrats hollowed out the Democratic brand and allowed for the triumph of conservatism across the state.

In the reddest of the 4 districts, the 3rd, in the northwest, Blue America is proudly backing Ken Aden, a genuine movement progressive who will offer voters a clear choice between a corporate shill mouthing Tea Party platitudes and a man of the people and for the people. The first CD next door, the northeast corner of the state, could have had a similar dynamic-- except for interference from the DCCC hoping to install another very conservative Republican-lite corporate shill to face, futilely, the Republican very conservative corporate shill incumbent-- a losing formula the DCCC loves to embrace over and over and over... with the same disastrous outcomes.

Gary Latanich is offering a progressive Democratic set of solutions and he's facing off against Clark Hall, a Blue Dog. Gary's dad, a factory worker and janitor, urged him to do better and Gary enlisted, fought in Vietnam and used the GI Bill to put himself through college. He wound up with a doctorate in Economics and has been teaching at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro for 30 years. He worked for then Governor Clinton's Economic Advisory Board in the late 80’s and early 90’s and lead studies on what policies can be crafted to create jobs. He continues to work with local communities throughout the state on studies and policies for job creation and helps train K-12 teachers in Arkansas on how to teach economics in their classrooms. Gary makes a habit of speaking out for the Lilly Ledbetter Fairpay Act, Medicare, Social Security, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and told me on the phone the other day he believes government should do everything it can to craft policies to restore full employment for out-of-work Americans. He believes we need to invest in Pell Grants, apprenticeship training, health-care for “All Americans,” as well as our infrastructure. He advocates steering away from austerity programs that have proven disastrous in Great Britain but are being pursued by the right-wing in America. And his message is resonating. He's picked up the endorsement of the International Union of Painters & Allied Trades and says numerous others are in the works.

In the opposite corner is the newest pup from the 2012 Blue Dog litter. Clark Hall is currently a sitting Representative of the 13th House-seat in Arkansas. He's best known for redrawing the current political district lines “with his granddaughter's coloring crayons.” He's also known for sending his children to a segregationist Private School called the Marvell Academy. The Marvell Academy and it's sister school, the DeSoto Academy, were the brain child of the White Citzens Council, (now currently the Council of Conservative Citzens) in the late 1950's in the Delta Regions of Arkansas and Mississippi. If you were a southern white racist during the 1960's and were concerned about President Eisenhower sending federal troops to integrate the schools and the prospect of your fourth grade child having to share the same air as another African-American fourth grade child? Fear no longer! Private Schools were your answer. Recent demographic of children attending the Marvell Academy reveal that it is 99% Anglo, and the 1% you might ask? The 1% is Asian.

A quick look at a recent Census report shows that Phillips Co. Arkansas, where the Marvell Academy is located, has a population of almost 22,000 people. 63% of the residents in Phillips County are black while 35% are white. Given these numbers, it's hard to understand how a private school can exist without schooling at least ONE black child and claim that this isn't intentional or worst that the white supremacist roots present at it's founding 50 years ago are not still flourishing in it's culture and academia.

This brings us back to Rep. Clark Hall and his meteoric rise in the Blue Dog Coalition. Less than a week after his announcement for Congress, he had secured the endorsement of congressional Blue Dog Caucus in Washington. Within a month of his announcement Blue Dog PAC had thrown him a fundraiser in Little Rock, Arkansas and another in Washington DC allowing Clark Hall the ability to report a little over $100,000 in political contributions. The Blue Dogs then demanded that the DCCC endorse him-- and, of course, that made perfect sense to "ex"-Blue Dog Steve Israel, the DCCC chairman and anti-progressive corporate shill. But what about the DCCC's policy of neutrality in primaries? They've always been full of shit when it comes to that, despite their protestations to the contrary. The DCCC now lists Hall on the “Emerging Races Red to Blue List," Hall publicly vowing to not support Leader Nancy Pelosi. Everyone knows that's just fine with Israel, who would love to replace Pelosi with Steny Hoyer anyway.

One has to wonder, either the DCCC feels so desperate to win a race in the South, that they will take whoever can raise the most money, or do they cynically believe all Southerners are inherently racist hicks and “well that's just life." Either way, it's is difficult to see this game being played again... “The Party” handpicking politically expedient candidates vs. progressives who could win with the right support. I didn’t think we needed to have this fight again but if they want one we should give it to them. We took out one Blue Dog in Arkansas-- Blanche Lincoln. And with your help Gary is poised to rub another one's (and the DCCC's) snout in their own shit again.

How Low Will A Deranged Republican Sink? How About Slaughtering A Pet Cat For "Politics"?

The picture below is gruesome. Please do NOT scroll down if an explicit photo of a tortured, brutalized cat is going to upset you

I've always been more of a dog lover than a cat lover. I go for a walk every day and bring dried duck breast to feed Gabby, Murphy, Licorice and Louie, the neighborhood dogs. I always bring a couple of extra pieces in case I run into any other dogs. And I'm allergic to cats. But I was horrified yesterday at a note I got from Blue America-backed Arkansas Democrat Ken Aden about the ritual slaughter of his campaign manager's family cat. It made me sick. And it was a lot worse than Romney strapping Seamus to the roof of his car.

Aden has been making a great deal of headway against GOP plutocrat Steve Womack in Arkansas's most Republican district. So much so that Womack is starting to get worried. The press has been covering Aden's race, something that is pretty new for a Democratic challenger. So this weekend, when his campaign manager, Jacob Burris, got home from a long day on the trail, he found something pretty horrible: The family cat had been slaughtered, with the word "liberal" painted on the pet's corpse.

The Russellville Police Department is investigating, and a report will be made to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Monday morning.

Jacob Burris, who has served as Aden's campaign manager since late October, arrived home with his family Sunday evening, and his four children discovered the gruesome scene as they exited the family vehicle to enter their home.

The family pet, an adult, mixed-breed Siamese cat, had one side of its head bashed in to the point the cat's eyeball was barely hanging from its socket. The perpetrators scrawled "liberal" across the cat's body and left it on the doorstep of Burris' house.

"To kill a child's pet is just unconscionable," Aden said Monday morning. "As a former combat soldier, I've seen the best of humanity and the worst of humanity. Whoever did this is definitely part of the worst of humanity," he said.

"It is one thing to engage in civil political discourse, and for Republicans and Democrats to disagree with each other, which is an expected part of the political process. Taking it to this level is beyond unacceptable," Aden said.

While the campaign between Aden and incumbent Congressman Steve Womack has heated up in recent months, Aden said they did not believe the Womack campaign to be responsible. "Although we have certainly disagreed and engaged in a great deal of civil discourse, I do not believe in any way that Congressman Womack or his campaign had anything to do with this incident," Aden said. He noted that, before Christmas, KRUM Radio, a station owned by Womack's father, actually promoted a toy drive held by Aden's campaign for children in the Third District. "We suspect this is the action of a rogue individual or group of individuals who are the type of folks that stoop to the lowest common denominator instead of engaging in civil political discourse," Aden said. "It is unfortunate this has occurred, and we will await the results of the police and federal investigations," Aden said.

Was it politically motivated: I got this heartbreaking photo from Blue Arkansas:

There’s no doubting this was political. There’s no doubting it’s another hideous example of right wing terrorism. Personally I would hope that leaders on the right-- Steve Womack, the Arkansas Republican Party, etc.-- would step up and condemn this as strongly as possible. I would also hope that Steve Womack’s father, owner of a local radio station, would stop giving out the names, phone numbers, and addresses of members of the Aden team or anyone else for that matter on his radio program when ranting about Aden. The elder Womack has done that several times and Aden’s former press secretary got a death threat in the mail soon after her name was mentioned on the program. Clearly there is someone out there that doesn’t need anymore of that kind of information, much less inspiration to act on their hatred. I also hope that the Aden campaign will do whatever they can to up the security at some of their events, for the time being at least. Aden has said he’s going to put out a press release on the matter soon, and we’ll be following this and any developments related to it closely.

At least they didn't shoot a person again. If you'd like to, you can contribute to Ken Aden's campaign here.

Arkansas-- Hopelessly Red?

Until recently, Arkansas had two Democrats in the Senate and three Democrats in the House and just one Republican in its congressional delegation. But you know what happened? The Democrats started abandoning the New Deal values that had made Arkansas one of the bluest states in the South. The state's delegation became synonymous with Blue Dogs and corporate-friendly/family-unfriendly/Republican-light shills. Everyone was glad to see one-percenter Blanche Lincoln dumped unceremoniously, but that was followed by a loss of two of the three House seats the Democrats held, and they may well lose the last one this year. The delegation is now composed of: (1) in the Senate, a radical right sociopath corporate-whore Republican and a marginally better Democrat; in the House, three extremist right-wing Republicans and a disgusting, corrupt Blue Dog reactionary, Mike Ross, who is, thankfully, finally retiring.

So what is the Democratic Party doing to fight back? Nothin' much. They have a horrid Blue Dog, Clark Hall, running in the First CD against Rick Crawford in a race that will leave voters wondering if the subtle differences between the two are enough to bother turning out for. In the Second District-- the Little Rock-based one, which should be a Democratic stronghold-- there isn't even a candidate against Rove protégé Tim Griffin; there are just unsubstantiated rumors that Bill Halter or Wes Clark "might" run. And in the 4th, Ross is making sure the Democratic nominee will be as far to the right as he is. Keep in mind that according to ProgressivePunch, Ross voted with the Republicans 82% of the time this year (on crucial roll call votes), more frequently than all but one other Democrat, Blue Dog Dan Boren, also retiring, and more than seven Republicans!

That leaves one district, so far at least, where Democrats have reason to hope-- the Third, usually Arkansas's most hopeless of all. Even when Democrats were real Democrats and served the interests of ordinary working families, the Third, in the northwest part of the state, was a GOP bastion, under the near-feudal control of the Walton family. The district has been under Republican control back to Civil War times, and in 1974 a right-wing fanatic, John Paul Hammerschmidt, beat Bill Clinton, then 28, in his first try for office. Although the district did vote for favorite son Clinton in 1992, it was back voting GOP in 1996 and gave Bush 60% in 2000 and 62% in 2004. McCain did even better in 2008 (something that happened in only the most racist and/or fascist-oriented districts in the country), with 64% against Obama. In 2010, with Congressman John Boozman pulverizing the despised Lincoln on his way to the Senate, the district elected one-percenter Steve Womack with a startling 72%, winning all 12 counties with over 60% of the vote.

And yet... even in the darkest of situations, the brightest of lights can shine through. Of all the unlikely places, home to Walmart and Tyson Chickens, a genuine blue-collar New Deal fighting Democrat is running a real race against one of the most vile Republicans in Congress. Ken Aden is taking on self-entitled would-be plutocrat Steve Womack in a race that is finally starting to get national attention. Oh, I don't mean from "ex"-Blue Dog Steve Israel and his discredited DCCC, which, of course, is only backing guaranteed loser Blue Dog Clark Hall. But more and more national groups are starting to take a look at the brilliant and inspirational campaign that Aden is running against the bungling, arrogant Womack.

Last week he was endorsed by Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair Raúl Grijalva. For one of the most dogged and effective champions of working families to take note of Ken's race must be startling to voters in Arkansas, where politicians usually serve the special interests of big corporations. Here's what Grijalva has to say in his endorsement:

The next Congress must protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. In the face of such weighty issues that have the potential to affect millions of Americans, we need more members of Congress with a true, progressive vision for the future, a representative who will put the interests of American families first.

We need people like Ken Aden in Congress.

After serving his country in Iraq and Afghanistan as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army, Ken returned home to Arkansas and helped found a nonprofit organization dedicated to the belief that people from every economic background and walk of life can come together in some small way to create for themselves a better community and neighborhood.

Ken will bring this same vision, understanding and energy to the United States Congress and fight on the behalf of the people northwestern Arkansas.

Womack's biggest single source of contributions is Walmart, his second a bank that thrives on foreclosures, and the third Tyson Foods. You get the picture? Another major donor: Koch Industries. So far this year 60% of his campaign cash has come from corporate and far right PACs, less than a third from real people. Every dime Ken has gotten has come from individual donors, all of it in small amounts. If you can, please step up and consider helping get his message out in the sprawling Arkansas district where he means to make history. You can do it here at the Blue America ActBlue page.

The End of Empire-- Economist David Korten And Progressive Candidate Ken Aden

Another book that's been absolutely invaluable to me this past year was David Korten's Agenda for a New Economy. It helps me keep current economic events in historical context and part of a meaningful and hopeful narrative. Korten sees the current economic and political dominance of Wall Street as perhaps the last gasp of empire. He calls for a serious makeover of the entire economy, one that services the greater good of mankind, not just the tiny percentage (actually far less than one percent) that owns nearly everything and has the system rigged to perpetuate itself.

We have for too long put up with an economic system designed to make money for rich people and maintain them in a condition of obscene excess by confining billions to lives of desperation and reducing Earth to a toxic waste dump. We can do better.

...In an earlier time, rulers were kings and emperors. Now they are corporate CEOs and hedge fund managers. Wall Street is Empire's most recent stage, and hopefully the last, in this tragic drama. Five thousand years is enough.

This week Romney accused President Obama of favoring an "entitlement society"-- yet he seems to consider himself and his bracket entitled to taxation at half the rate imposed on the middle class. That's the kind of thing Korten was talking about when he wrote how the wealthiest among us feel they have the right to "maintain them[selves] in a condition of obscene excess." That's the entire basis of the Romney tax plan.

Individuals in the top 0.1 percent, or those making over $2.8 million, would get an income tax cut of nearly half a million dollars.

Individuals in the top one percent, or those making over $629,000, would get a cut of over $80,000.

...If Romney’s tax plans pass, in 2015, they would add $180 billion to the deficit-- on top of the $400 billion cost of extending the Bush tax cuts-- for a total deficit explosion of nearly $600 billion. And over 10 years, it would be roughly 10 times that.

Ezra Klein looked at it as well and came to similar conclusions: "Compared to current rates, Romney’s plan would cost a family in the bottom 20 percent $157 and save a family in the top 1 percent $82,000. That looks pretty tilted toward the rich."

Perry's and Gingrich's plans are even more slanted against ordinary working families and toward the richest people. Coincidentally, the NY Times ran an interesting feature the same day on the ossification of the American class structure, now the worst in the developed world, Harder for Americans to Rise From Lower Rungs.

Benjamin Franklin did it. Henry Ford did it. And American life is built on the faith that others can do it, too: rise from humble origins to economic heights. “Movin’ on up,” George Jefferson-style, is not only a sitcom song but a civil religion.

But many researchers have reached a conclusion that turns conventional wisdom on its head: Americans enjoy less economic mobility than their peers in Canada and much of Western Europe. The mobility gap has been widely discussed in academic circles, but a sour season of mass unemployment and street protests has moved the discussion toward center stage.

...“It’s becoming conventional wisdom that the U.S. does not have as much mobility as most other advanced countries,” said Isabel V. Sawhill, an economist at the Brookings Institution. “I don’t think you’ll find too many people who will argue with that.”

One reason for the mobility gap may be the depth of American poverty, which leaves poor children starting especially far behind. Another may be the unusually large premiums that American employers pay for college degrees. Since children generally follow their parents’ educational trajectory, that premium increases the importance of family background and stymies people with less schooling.

At least five large studies in recent years have found the United States to be less mobile than comparable nations. A project led by Markus Jantti, an economist at a Swedish university, found that 42 percent of American men raised in the bottom fifth of incomes stay there as adults. That shows a level of persistent disadvantage much higher than in Denmark (25 percent) and Britain (30 percent)-- a country famous for its class constraints.

Meanwhile, just 8 percent of American men at the bottom rose to the top fifth. That compares with 12 percent of the British and 14 percent of the Danes.

Despite frequent references to the United States as a classless society, about 62 percent of Americans (male and female) raised in the top fifth of incomes stay in the top two-fifths, according to research by the Economic Mobility Project of the Pew Charitable Trusts. Similarly, 65 percent born in the bottom fifth stay in the bottom two-fifths.

By emphasizing the influence of family background, the studies not only challenge American identity but speak to the debate about inequality. While liberals often complain that the United States has unusually large income gaps, many conservatives have argued that the system is fair because mobility is especially high, too: everyone can climb the ladder. Now the evidence suggests that America is not only less equal, but also less mobile.

...The causes of America’s mobility problem are a topic of dispute-- starting with the debates over poverty. The United States maintains a thinner safety net than other rich countries, leaving more children vulnerable to debilitating hardships.

Poor Americans are also more likely than foreign peers to grow up with single mothers. That places them at an elevated risk of experiencing poverty and related problems, a point frequently made by Mr. Santorum, who surged into contention in the Iowa caucuses. The United States also has uniquely high incarceration rates, and a longer history of racial stratification than its peers.

“The bottom fifth in the U.S. looks very different from the bottom fifth in other countries,” said Scott Winship, a researcher at the Brookings Institution, who wrote the article for National Review. “Poor Americans have to work their way up from a lower floor.”

A second distinguishing American trait is the pay tilt toward educated workers. While in theory that could help poor children rise-- good learners can become high earners-- more often it favors the children of the educated and affluent, who have access to better schools and arrive in them more prepared to learn.

“Upper-income families can invest more in their children’s education and they may have a better understanding of what it takes to get a good education,” said Eric Wanner, president of the Russell Sage Foundation, which gives grants to social scientists.

The United States is also less unionized than many of its peers, which may lower wages among the least skilled, and has public health problems, like obesity and diabetes, which can limit education and employment.

Perhaps another brake on American mobility is the sheer magnitude of the gaps between rich and the rest-- the theme of the Occupy Wall Street protests, which emphasize the power of the privileged to protect their interests. Countries with less equality generally have less mobility.

This week at Counterpunch Mike Lofgren asks the very relevant question, Have the Super-Rich Seceded from the United States? He wasn't talking about secession in terms of physical withdrawal from the territory of the country, although that happens occasionally. "It means," he writes, "a withdrawal into enclaves, a sort of internal immigration, whereby the rich disconnect themselves from the civic life of the nation and from any concern about its well-being except as a place to extract loot. Our plutocracy now lives like the British in colonial India: in the place and ruling it, but not of it. If one can afford private security, public safety is of no concern; if one owns a Gulfstream jet, crumbling bridges cause less apprehension-- and viable public transportation doesn’t even show up on the radar screen. With private doctors on call, who cares about Medicare?" To have these people in Congress, let alone dominating Congress, is a death senteence for the interests of the 99%.

The Kennedys have served America far better than any other wealthy dynasty in our lifetimes, and I have no reason to think Joseph Kennedy III is anything but a fine fellow, but I wasn't one of those doing a jig Thursday when he announced he plans to run for the Massachusetts seat being vacated by Barney Frank. Don't we have enough millionaires in Congress? Something like half the Members are millionaires. Even the right-wing faux-populist movement, the Tea Party, is represented by a pack of millionaires.

While the median average net worth in the U.S. House of Representatives was $755,000 in 2010, the comparable figure for the House Tea Party Caucus’ 60 members was $1.8 million, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.

The caucus-- known for its populist politics-- has 33 millionaires, including six members who are worth more than $20 million, the center found.

By comparison, the House Progressive Caucus’ 73 members reported a median average net worth of $639,500. Twenty-four members of the progressive caucus are millionaires.

A Fred Upton, the Michigan plutocrat and heir of the notorious jobs-offshoring bandits Whirlpool, will never have a clue about how 99% of Americans live. Neither will John Kerry. We need to start electing more teachers and other ordinary working Americans to Congress. You may have noticed over the years that we have a great deal of animus towards the DCCC. That is in part because they always favor wealthy candidates over working-class candidates. The DCCC would rather persuade a rich Republican to switch parties and run as a Democrat than back a blue-collar true-blue Democrat.

There are no hereditary millionaires among the Blue America endorsements. Our Senate page has exactly three candidates, all from modest backgrounds. And our House list is made up exclusively of men and women proud of their working-class backgrounds. Don't expect to see any Kennedys on that list, or anyone else whose parents can cover the campaign with a personal check.

Instead, you'll find a guy like Ken Aden. Actually, you'll find Ken Aden. If Ken goes to Congress to represent northwest Arkansas, you'll never have to worry about him compromising away Social Security or Medicare or anything that harms working Americans. Ken's from a working-class background, and he's an 11-year combat veteran who saw active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He's nothing like incumbent Steve Womack, an aloof, self-entitled one percenter, whose family (conveniently) owns a bunch of radio stations.

Folks who attended a Womack town hall meeting Wednesday got a firsthand experience of what it's like being "represented" by a self-entitled one percenter, a kind of junior Mitt Romney. Womack doesn't like being questioned by a lowly constituent. He blew his top publicly, as Blue Arkansas reported Thursday. Kelly Eubanks, a Fayetteville resident who works two jobs to support her two children and is finishing a degree at the University of Arkansas, went to Womack's town hall meeting to find out why her congressman voted to cut the Pell Grants but defends oil subsidies for the most profitable corporations in the history of mankind. Womack's reaction is typical of what happens when, as Blue Arkansas put it, "the schoolyard bully grows up and gets elected to something."

According to Kelley and a handful of other witnesses, Womack happily retorted that it wasn’t the federal government’s job to pay for education (he’s doing this in a college town mind you) and then quickly added that he paid for his education by joining the military, apparently suggesting that the mom of two do the same and totally oblivious I guess to the fact that it was, in fact, the federal government that paid for his education then. Well Womack tried to skirt the rest of Ms. Eubanks question and she proceeded to try and get him to address the discrepancy she pointed out. Well at this point, according to Kelly and several other people that were in the room, Womack blew a gasket.

"He skirted the rest of my question and I called him out on it... he ended up getting pissed off... and screaming at me... 'are you going to be quiet and listen'?”

According to Kelly, some of his aides came up and tried to get the mic from her, but she held her ground and kept her cool, insisting her congressman answer her question. Following being shouted at by Womack and told to “be quiet and listen” like a good little girl, Kelly had to put up with some of the usual Rethuglican sleaze telling her to get a job, even after she told them she had two. (They’ve continued this on Womack’s facebook page.) What’s more, according to Kelly, Womack’s constituent service representative, Pam Forester, cornered her and according to Kelly got right in her face to inform her that if she wanted to talk with the Congressman again she needed to go through her and set up an appointment.

Aden didn't seem surprised by Womack's arrogance, and says screaming at constituents is --

symptomatic of the obstructionist Republican Congress... Womack's display of unbridled arrogance is beyond the pale. Why anyone would behave this way toward a constituent, much less a mother working her way through school by working two jobs, is unbelievable... This is arrogance and pretentiousness run amok. Congressman Womack needs to publicly apologize to Ms. Eubanks and everyone in his district for treating a constituent this way. A member of Congress should be above this kind of behavior. I'd expect something like this from a defendant on Judge Judy, but not from our Member of Congress... Womack, like his radical, Tea Party colleagues that want to shut down the government, kill tax relief to the middle class, and ensure that corporations continue to get the biggest tax exemptions in American history while exporting our jobs overseas, has lost sight of the fact that he was elected to represent the people and hear their concerns.

More like Ken Aden, fewer like Steve Womack? You can help here. Ken's just $115 away from our first goal for him.

NDAA Split The House Democratic Caucus In Half-- Exactly In Half

As Nicole Belle explained in her thoughtful apologia at Crooks and Liars Sunday morning, political reality dictated that Obama sign the heinous National Defense Authorization Act. It's a political reality progressives shouldn't just sit and whine about, but do something to change. The bill passed the House on December 14 with a veto-proof majority, 283-136. 190 Republicans followed Boehner's and Cantor's instructions to vote for it, while 43 refused to go along. The Democrats were split in half, 93-93.

Generally speaking, progressive Democrats led by people like Raúl Grijalva, Keith Ellison, Dennis Kucinich, Barbara Lee, John Conyers, Donna Edwards, Jerry Nadler, Tammy Baldwin and Brad Miller voted no. Blue Dogs and conservative Democrats-- your Heath Shulers, Larry Kissells, Mike McIntyres, Joe Donnellys, Steve Israels, Steny Hoyers, Joe Crowleys, Ron Kinds, Jim Mathesons, Dennis Cardozas... that kind of dreck, voted with the Republicans, although some usually decent Democrats (including Pelosi and Waxman) joined them as well.

Despite bad votes from a smattering of usually good Democrats trying to make it easier for Obama to do what he had to do, the bill really was a line in the sand for committed progressives. I asked Brad Miller (D-NC), one of the most thoughtful Members of Congress, why he voted against it. He was very straightforward:

The indefinite detention provisions in NDAA made already bad law much worse. In fact, it’s a mess.

The law on taking prisoners of war was pretty easy: prisoners were taken on the battlefield, they were wearing the enemy’s uniform, and they were just held until the end of the war, which was usually two or three years max. They weren’t kept as prisoners to punish them for crimes, since they were fighting for their country the same way our guys were. We just wanted to keep them out of the fight until the war was over.

There was very rarely any question that the people taken prisoner were combatants for the other side, and we really didn’t need much legal process to hold them as prisoners. If we did want to punish a prisoner for a crime, then they got a trial.

But with the "war on terror," there is no battlefield, there are no uniforms, there is often real doubt about who the combatants are, there will probably not be an end to the war in our lifetimes, and it’s pretty clear that we really aren’t just keeping suspected terrorists out of the fight, we’re punishing them. In fact, we’re really giving them a life sentence. That should require a lot more legal protection than NDAA provides.

I’m glad that President Obama says he won’t use the indefinite detention provisions on American citizens. So what about the next president?”

I also posed the question to one of the Blue America candidates, Ken Aden, an 11-year combat vet (Iraq and Afghanistan) running against Arkansas plutocrat Steve Womack. Womack, of course, voted for the bill. Ken told me he would have voted against it and he told me why:

Needless to say, I am outraged at the National Defense Authorization Act and I would not have voted to support it had I been an elected member of Congress. As a matter of fact, when elected to represent the people of Northwest Arkansas, I will work hand in hand with my fellow progressive Democrats to repeal this. This particular bill does nothing more than take away our civil liberties, and I for one find it very very disturbing. It gives authority to the president to order the military to detain U.S. citizens without official charge or trial on the mere suspicion of being a terrorist. This will unfairly target members of our Muslim-American communities, and other hard working Americans as well. This bill does NOT strengthen us, it instead weakens us as a nation. If you don't think this to be the case, just look at all the instances where certain people are harassed across our country just for the color of their own skin by those who are supposed to protect us. Our country was founded on freedom, this bill will lead to a gross abuse of power and the result will be one that it is hard for Americans to fathom. What can we do as ordinary citizens to stop this? In 2012, we can for example occupy the ballot box and ensure that we put real representatives in place who have the best interest of the American people at heart. I served my country for eleven years in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I can say with loud clarity that the NDAA is wrong. I can also say that when elected to Congress I will scream out against this. I took an oath when 22 years of age to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Until you have proof that someone is involved with a terrorist organization then they are NOT a terrorist, and you have no right to detain them based upon that suspicion. We are the land of the FREE at least we are supposed to be.

President Obama isn't very popular in Arkansas's Third District, where Ken is challenging Womack. In fact it was one of Obama's weakest showings in the 2008 election. He took 34% against McCain, much worse than anywhere else in the state. The irony is that the conservative Establishment shill, Womack, is handing him the kind of power most voters fear, while the progressive, Ken, who is far more progressive than Obama, is clearly and loudly on the side of the people who live in the area. Both Brad and Ken have been endorsed by Blue America this year. Brad is one of our only incumbents, and Ken is one of our challengers we have faith in to help us change the political reality in Washington.