What Can We Expect From McCain Tonight?

McCain's younger brother Joe-- the one who was rallying KKK members in Virginia a week ago-- has e-mailed the Baltimore Sun blasting his brother's campaign for making ads that show McCain as a "crank and curmudgeon." He attacked the lobbyists who have ruined his brother's chances to win the presidency and who won't let anyone-- meaning himself-- speak to the press. So with McCain's poll numbers continuing to sink dramatically-- in great part because Americans are finally sick and tired of the Rovian attack ads and viciously negative smear tactics-- McCain needs to do something dramatic tonight to put the race back on a footing that won't seal his doom and devastate his entire party.

Conventional wisdom has him reaching out to the older white voters, the last group of dependable voters to have started to move towards Obama, in states like Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Florida... even Arkansas. Early voters are breaking so huge for Obama that Inside the Beltway prognosticators are in shock.



When I was growing up, West Virginia and Arkansas were dependable parts of the Democratic coalition. Both have turned increasingly red in recent years. This week an ARG poll shows Obama ahead by 8 points in West Virginia, his first lead of the campaign. And McCain is down in Arkansas and with just a single-digit lead in a state that was a Republican "given" for the entire campaign. Can McCain turn it around tonight? Unlikely-- but he has to try. He'll target the elderly and especially elderly voters who have sinking investments and promises the Palin crowd that he'll bring the smears and sewage right into America's living rooms tonight.

So it'll be crazed hysteria about Ayers and ugly racism thinly disguised as a Rev Wright discussion, mashed up with half-baked and erratic and desperate rantings about economic pie-in-the-sky. To counter the predictable lies about Obama's tax proposals, the campaign has come up with a widget that allows you to type in your income and see what the results are if Obama's tax plans go into effect while McCain spews out his clueless lies in what is looking more and more like his last stand, as the failing McCain campaign tries defending deeply red bastions like Indiana and shifts its focus full time into voter fraud and media interest shifts to the Senate and congressional races. I even heard some talking head on TV mention them today!

Last night Senator Russ Feingold explained in Eugene why it's so important to elect Jeff Merkley to replace Gordon Smith as the Oregon senator:



In fact, Bush is in Michigan today, not on behalf of McCain, who he's given up on (and who has given up on him), but to bolster the sagging fortunes of far right extremist Tim Walberg, who recent polls show is losing his re-election bid to progressive Democratic state Senator Mark Schauer. Bush is expected to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars at the home of the neo-fascist billionaire Dick DeVos, former head of Amway and a failed candidate for Governor. Cheapest tickets are $5,000 and the money will mostly be split between Walberg and the other endangered Michigan incumbent, Joe Knollenberg. Blue America is raising money for both the Democrats running against these two, Mark Schauer and Gary Peters. Even one dollar helps build war chests against Bush's attempts to leave behind a right-wing force in Congress.


UPDATE: TOO LATE?

My friend's aunt Martha is even older than McCain. She's 95. Today she's breaking out of the British retirement home in Sierra Madre and moving into her own apartment. She's had it with being treated like an invalid! She's also had it with the Republicans. Aunt Martha has voted for a Republican for president every single election. Do the math and think about that. She voted against FDR, voted for Dewey, Nixon (several times), Goldwater... Bush. Last week she pulled up Tim Dickinson's Rolling Stone story, , Make-Believe Maverick, on her computer and cast her absentee ballot for Barack Obama. Obama may be planning to make a play for elderly white folks tonight... but he's too late to reach Aunt Martha. Last night David Letterman the 20 top 10 ways McCain can turn it around:

10. Try the old "I'll vote for you if you vote for me" trick
9. Inspire America by jumping Straight Talk Express over Snake River Canyon
8. Change name to Jorack McBama
7. Start wearing a cape
6. Step one: send Bin Laden free tickets to Giants game. Step two: when he shows up in East Rutherford, New Jersey expecting to enjoy some big blue smashmouth football: gotcha sucka!
5. Sizzling tango with Cloris Leachman on "Dancing With The Stars"
4. Put more effort into budget plan, less effort into Facebook status updates
3. Point out his steady leadership got us through the Great Depression
2. Assure voters the only poll that matters is in his pants
1. Get Sarah Palin to illegally fire herself

Top Ten Extras

11. Uh, stop being old?
12. Start hangin' with one of them talking chihuahuas
13. Suspend campaign until the economy recovers in about 30 years
14. Maybe one of them fake tans?
15. Have Palin start doing impressions of Tina Fey
16. Release new line of trendy hearing aids
17. Instead of boring speeches, read from hilarious Late Show Fun Facts book. Available at fine stores everywhere.
18. New catch phrase: "Chillax, Broseph"
19. Wear tighter slacks
20. An appearance on Sabado Gigante couldn't hurt

Why Are Republican Congressional Candidates Sinking Everywhere In The Country?

It starts with abysmal leadership

For months we've been predicting significant gains for Democrats running for Congress in every part of the country. This morning it's official: Carl Hulse and David Herszenhorn have affirmed it in the NY Times. Covering for laughable Inside-the-Beltway myopia, they claim that "analysts now predict a Democratic surge on a scale that seemed unlikely just weeks ago, with even some Republicans in traditional strongholds fighting for their political careers, and Democratic leaders dreaming of ironclad majorities." And they blame the Wall Street meltdown, rather than a gestalt where the Wall Street meltdown and whatever follows it is a symptom of now loathed Republican misrule.

As we've explained before, the open Republican seats in Virginia, New Mexico and Colorado are out of grasp of the extreme rightists running for those seats. McCain strategists have written off Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina and Al Franken just whipped Norm Coleman in two consecutive Minnesota polls. John Sununu (R-NH) has had a big "loser" sign painted on him all year and it's never coming off and the news on Gordon Smith has been so terrible-- I mean the guy;s frozen food factory was busted for employing undocumented workers a few weeks ago-- that it's hard to imagine that in the current electoral climate he can win. Much depends on the outcome of his bribery trial but corrupt Alaska Senator Ted Stevens has come out on the wrong side of every poll in the last 5 or 6 months. One of the two Mississippi races, Wicker's re-election bid, looks very rocky, And although they are tougher races, Democratic challengers have shots in Texas, Maine, Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Idaho, and Nebraska.

In the House, Democrats say they could capture a dozen of the 26 Republican seats left open by retirements, and challengers are closing in on Republican incumbents in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, New York and elsewhere.

“The last week has severely damaged Republican candidates,” said Stuart Rothenberg, a nonpartisan analyst who predicts that Democrats could gain as many as six to nine Senate seats and 25 to 30 House seats. “Everything points to warning signals for Republicans.”

If such projections by Mr. Rothenberg and others are realized, it would push Senate Democrats tantalizingly close to the filibuster-proof 60-vote majority that has eluded Senate leaders since the late 1970s. While the environment could change again in the remaining weeks, recent polling suggests a fundamental shift, with Republicans absorbing more of the blame for the economic uncertainty.

At the same time, the political arms of Congressional Republicans are being outspent-- their House organization recently borrowed $8 million-- and have fewer targets, with only a handful of Democrats in Florida, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin and in potential trouble.

Republicans are understandably nervous.

...Strategists for both parties say Republican House and Senate candidates are being hurt by the dip in support for Senator John McCain at the top of the ticket, frustrating Republicans who had initially viewed Mr. McCain as a strong asset who could appeal to independents and even moderate Democrats and protect Republicans in a tough year.

But the market volatility and perceived Democratic edge on handling the economy has evidently turned voters to Democrats, a view supported by one top adviser to Republican candidates.

“This financial crisis has provided momentum to Barack Obama and other Democrats, and their campaigns now have the wind at their backs,” said the consultant, who asked not to be identified speaking pessimistically about the Republican outlook.

Look at the upstate New York race that pits progressive Democrat Dan Maffei against reactionary Republican Dale Sweetland. A brand new poll shows Maffei with an 18 point lead! And it's far more than just the pinch in people's wallets. The feeling everywhere in the country is that the Republican Party has strayed too far from the mainstream and have lost touch with regular Americans. Republican registration has plummeted while Democratic registration is through the roof. But pick any serious race-- or even one of the dozens of races rapidly becoming serious-- and you'll see why Democrats are ahead and moving further ahead. Let me pull one up at random--- eenie, meanie, minie, Joe... yes Joe Knollenberg serving his eighth term representing moderate, suburban Oakland County near Detroit (MI-09). If the guy was ever on the ball he's completely lost it. Forget for a moment that he's been a Bush rubber stamp on every single issue domestic and foreign and forget that he flip-flopped on Paulson's Wall Street bailout-- against it like his constituents, and then for it like his campaign contributors ($362,500 from Finance, Insurance and Real Estate). Instead think about what kind of an utterly out-of-touch mentality it takes to buy into a late night comedy show punchline like this:

Knollenberg said Wednesday he had asked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Republican John McCain's running mate, to campaign with him in Oakland County. McCain's campaign pulled out of Michigan last week and Palin said she was disappointed by the tactical move.

"She's an exciting lady. She's somebody who knows something about the real world. The governor of Alaska obviously is very much involved in national security because Alaska touches very close to Russia and Russia is not all that happy with us right now nor are we with them," Knollenberg said.

Highlighting the absurdity of Knollenberg's flight from reality, the Michigan Democratic Party has invited Tina Fey to come campaign in Michigan. New polling out this morning from Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research confirms that Peters is beating the incumbent. Knollenberg's job approval rating is down to 34% and the new polls shows a 43- 40% lead for Peters.

East of MI-09 is a district represented by one of the most radical right extremists in Congress, Tim Walberg. Polls show him losing badly to state Senator Mark Schauer, who has significant support not just from wildly enthusiastic Democrats and from independents but even from mainstream Republicans embarrassed to be represented by someone from the political fringe. It's worth comparing the brand new ads of the two candidates. Walberg's is about... Michael Moore. Here's Mark Schauer's; another example of way the congressional races are turning into a route:



Although Karl Rove, whose future residency in or out of federal prison is likely to hang on the outcome of the election, is still banking on the capriciousness, ignorance and stupidity of undecided voters, less biased political observers are starting to whisper the word landslide. Obama's coattails have already proven themselves as strong as McCain's are toxic. An Obama landslide will be something Republican members of Congress will remember for decades.

Obviously, what the mainstream media would never think of looking into is the differences between progressive Democrats and nominal Democrats from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party, something we looked at yesterday. The differences however, are very real and very crucial and it means a lot more to elect one Darcy Burner or one Gary Peters than a dozen pseudo-Democrats like Paul Carmouche, Bobby Bright or Jerry Connolly. If you'd like to help, you'll find all good ones and no bad ones here at the Blue America ActBlue page.

Retiring Republican Congressmen Refusing To Endorse GOP Extremists In Close Races

Monday we heard that Staten Island's outgoing Republican Congressman Vito Fossella has decided to not endorse the Republican running for his seat, Manhattan hot dog vendor Bob Straniere. This was a terrible blow to Straniere's faltering campaign, particularly because he hasn't been able to round up any other GOP officials to endorse him either (except one widely discredited crony of his, state Senator, Andrew Lanza).

Of course, it could have been worse for the hot dog vendor. Fossella could have decided to endorse his Democratic rival, Michael McMahon. No way? That's exactly what outgoing Republican Congressman Wayne Gilchrest did in Maryland-- urging voters in Maryland's first district to vote for conservative Democrat Frank Kratovil over far right extremist Andy Harris. And then yesterday former Congressman Joe Schwarz (R-MI) endorsed progressive mainstream Democratic challenger Mark Schauer over radical right GOP/Club For Growth incumbent Tim Walberg.

Schwarz, who supports McCain in the presidential election, told the Associated Press in an interview that he decided to endorse Schauer over Walberg in the south-central Michigan congressional district because the anti-tax Club for Growth began running ads critical of Schauer's positions on taxes. He said he had hoped to stay neutral in the race but "once they made the decision, the die was cast. That to me is the straw that broke the camel's back. I object to political dabblers who stand for nothing other than to create havoc and dabble in a congressional race where they truly have no interest."

This comes at a particularly bad time for Walberg. The latest polling in the district shows Schauer beating him substantially, 42-36% among voters who have made up their minds. Schwarz' endorsement is expected to help others, especially in battle Creek, where he had been a popular mayor, to make up their minds as well-- and vote for Schauer. Furthermore, perceptions of Walberg’s job as Congressman are very negative, with only 34% saying he is doing an excellent-to-good job while 46% rate him fair-to-poor, numbers that presage an electoral defeat in November. Schauer has been able to out-raise the unpopular Walberg, an extremist who doesn't fit the moderate district, and as of July 16 Schauer had $928,686 on hand and Walberg, who has been running a vicious, costly negative campaign, only has $855,137.


UPDATE: CONGRESSMAN GILCREST (R-MD) HAS HAD IT WITH THE GOP-- AND THAT INCLUDES GRANDPA

Sounds like he's supporting Obama!

He's had it with his own party, which he says "has become more narrow, more self-serving, more centered around 'I want, I want, I want.' " He's finished with his party's presidential candidate, John McCain, who Gilchrest says "recites memorized pieces of information in a narrow way, whereas Barack Obama is constantly evaluating information, using his judgment. One guy just recites what's in front of him, and the other has initiative and reason and prudence and wisdom."

...After much struggle and study, Gilchrest voted for the bailout; what appalls him about his many colleagues who went the other way was that they appeared to do so based neither on a close examination of the issues nor on principle, but rather with a finger to the wind and an eye on the e-mail inbox.

The congressman, whose strongly Republican district stretches from the Pennsylvania line to the border with Virginia, tells me that he's had it with colleagues who "don't understand the issues, who not only don't read the Financial Times, they have never heard of the Financial Times... We're in this bad place as a country because of the evangelicals, the neocons, the nasty, bitter and mean... very clever ideological groups that use money, technology, fear and bigotry to lead people around," he says. "Voting according to your knowledge and experience-- that's out the window. Competence and prudence? Forget it."

The Solution: Better Democrats-- Lots Of Them

Better Democrats: Darcy Burner and Annette Taddeo

Earlier today we highlighted Rep. Hilda Solis' reasons for voting against Paulson's bailout/giveaway. We've heard from many of our Blue America candidates explaining why they also opposed the bill. Annette Taddeo (D-FL), for example, explained to voters in Miami-Dade why she was against the bill:

“We must protect homeowners and taxpayers. This bill fails to address the collapsing housing market, the root cause of the crisis. I do not support spending $700 billion in taxpayer money on a flawed bill. I call on Democrats in Congress and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen to draft legislation that protects the people and families of South Florida."
 
"While the proposed bill is a start, it is not complete until homeowners and taxpayers are protected, and there are mechanisms in place to assure proper oversight so this does not happen again."
 
“As a small-businesswoman and Past-Chair of the Coalition of Greater Miami-Dade Chambers of Commerce, I know what our economy needs to right itself. Congress should send President Bush a bill that includes real protections for homeowners and taxpayers.”

Now what's important is that Congress makes the bill better-- much better-- so progressives can support it. My fear is that there will be tremendous pressure to make the bill even worse so as to capture votes from the 133 reactionary Republicans who voted no. Andrew Rice, the Blue America-endorsed candidate for the Oklahoma Senate seat held by the most extreme right-wing fringe lunatic in Congress, James Inhofe, has some suggestions for how Congress should re-address the failed bill. Basically, what Andrew said is that he would only support a plan that includes: meaningful oversight; a stake for taxpayers; and hard limits on executive compensation. He looks at it as a bill that didn't do nearly to fix the broken system that allowed abusive and reckless loans, an explosion of risky investments and poorly understood financial instruments, and other excesses. Andrew:

"This bill gives too much away to the people who created these problems without guaranteeing that it won't happen again. Any bill would need to require much tougher consequences for Wall Street in order to earn my support."

"Taxpayer dollars should not be used to line the pockets of the corporate executives who helped create these problems. A message must be sent to Wall Street that reckless speculation and greed will no longer be rewarded."

I'd like to urge you to consider donating to the Blue America PAC to allow us to help elect progressive Democrats to Congress in November. This is the BETTER DEMOCRATS strategy, not the More Democrats strategy. We need Democrats like Hilda Solis, Donna Edwards and Carol Shea-Porter, who voted against Bush's bailout today-- Democratic challengers like Darcy Burner, Gary Peters, Mark Schauer, Larry Joe Doherty, and Annette Taddeo who are demanding a much better bill.

Most of our candidates echo what Mark Schauer had to say today:

"For years, Michigan has been struggling-- and there's been no bailout for us. No bailout for the Michigan homeowners who were losing their homes to foreclosure, no bailout for the Michigan workers whose jobs were being shipped overseas, no bailout for the middle class that kept getting hurt by George Bush and Tim Walberg's failed economic policies. More than that, Tim Walberg and his cronies in Washington have turned their back on us. This plan did not provide enough accountability, nor did it do enough to keep people in their homes, help small business, or bring jobs and economic development to our communities."

By all means, keep donating to the candidates on our list, but also please consider donating to our PAC so we can focus some last minute energy on the races that need them most-- and for the candidates who will be the real progressive leaders.

Meanwhile, join us over at Crooks & Liars at 3pm, PT for a chat with Texas Senate candidate Rick Noriega about this bill.

Extremist Tim Walberg (R-MI) Circling The Drain?

Go right ahead and make up your own caption

There are 16 Republican extremists who have zero scores on the ProgressivePunch scale that measures the tough substantive votes in Congress. There are all people who would abandon the GOP in a second if the Nazi Party, or any other similar fascist entity, was viable. Nine are unreconstructed Confederates and the rest, from Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Barbara Cubin (R-WY) to Dan Burton (R-IN) and Steve King (R-IA) mostly suffer from various mental afflictions. One half a baby step up the evolutionary ladder-- members who have voted like humans, out of hundreds and hundreds of votes, one time-- are 19 more lunatic fringe wingnuts. Just over half are another lot of unreconstructed Confederates, from North Carolina GOP closet queen Patrick McHenry to the odious John Kline (R-MN) and the recently dumped (in a primary) David Davis (R-TN). But the kook we want to look at today, after some excellent news, is one of the most detestable of all Republican freshman, neo-fascist Tim Walberg, who represents a moderate district in south-central Michigan from battle Creek to the suburbs around Ann Arbor.

Blue America has endorsed state Senator Mark Schauer of Battle Creek in this race so we were doubled excited to read in today's Detroit News that, according to the newest poll, he has caught up to Walberg. What makes this doubly dismal for Walberg is that he has been unable to keep up with the popular grassroots Schauer in the fundraising department and he has been up on TV with ads for 3 weeks. In the quarter ending on June 30, Schauer out-raised the incumbent for the fourth straight filing period, something that is extremely rare under the current fundraising system which completely favors incumbents. Most of Walberg's money comes from far right fringe organizations and PAC but he has also gotten a tremendous amount of cash infusion from the industries whose special interests he's always happy to support, no matter how at odds those interests are with ordinary Michigan working families. Walberg, for examples, wholeheartedly supports the kinds of anti-regulatory agenda that has precipitated the mortgage crisis, while taking $59,045 from the real estate industry, $40,850 from the Investment industry, and $19,450 from commercial banks. But what is probably damaging him most of all is a clear voting record of kissing up to Big Oil-- allowing them to drive up gasoline and heating oil prices-- while scarfing up $21,950 from Big Oil & Gas. Here he is making up some kind of crazy claim that we're buying oil from the Chinese who are stealing it by drilling under Florida from Cuba, some kind of urban legend that Republican Senator Mel Martinez said Walberg has all wrong on. He also wants to allow his contributors at Big Oil to drill in Lake Michigan.

Walberg is so worried that he is joining half the Michigan congressional delegation in avoiding the GOP HateFest in St Paul. Reps. Joe Knollenberg, Dave Camp, Candice Miller and Thaddeus McCotter already announced they're staying away from the McCain disaster and Walberg is planning to go for 2 cocktail parties filled with corporate donors to beg for money before scurrying back to Michigan. He was shocked yesterday when fellow Republican ex-legislator, Paul DeWeese, endorsed Schauer.

“The people of Mid-Michigan are ready for change, and Mark Schauer is exactly the kind of leader we need right now to make this state more competitive, The 7th district deserves a Congressman who will fight to fix our broken health care system, and Mark is the best man for the job.”

An emergency room physician, DeWeese is painfully aware how devastating the reactionary, anti-family health care policies Walberg is always pushing have been on Michigan families. He's so disgusted that he actually resigned from the Republican Party.

The first time I spoke with DCCC Chair Chris Van Hollen, he predicted that 2008 was going to be a banner for Democrats in Michigan. I think he had electing Mark Schauer uppermost in his mind. You can donate to Mark's campaign at the Blue America ActBlue page.

Walberg is also delusional.

Yesterday's Primaries-- And A Preview For Tomorrow's Primary In Memphis

Judy Baker, progressive victor in Missouri

Kansas, Missouri and Michigan all had primaries yesterday. Mostly incumbents and Establishment favorites won their races. The stupidest candidate who ran for Congress in any district in any state for either party, Brock Olivo in the Missouri district (MO-09) being abandoned by Kenny Hulsdorf, got wiped out. He came in 4th. If you want to understand why, watch the video at that link back there. What I can't understand is why 4,637 Republicans (10%) voted for him. Blaine Luetkemeyer won the GOP nod with 39%, beating Bob Onder in a bloody, vicious contest between two extremists, and progressive state Senator Judy Baker beat former Missouri House Speaker Steve Gaw (42%-33%) to take the Democratic nomination. It's a very Republican, very white district (PVI is R+7) and includes "Little Dixie." Kerry scored 41% of the vote in 2004.

In the Missouri governor's race, Democratic homophobe Jay Nixon won his primary handily, as was expected, and he will face Kenny Hulsdorf who barely managed (49-45%) to edge by Sarah Steelman for the GOP nod. Nixon is favored to win in November but after his most recent outburt of homophobic hysteria some of his financial support dried up.

There were two congressional races in Michigan people were watching and one in Kansas. The KS-02 race looked like it would be a re-match between radical right lunatic (and ex-Congressman) Jim Ryun and incumbent moderate Democrat, Nancy Boyda. But it appears that Ryun went down to a narrow defeat-- 51-49%-- to Lynn Jenkins. It's a pretty red district but Boyda has done a good job, is known as very independent-minded, and hasn't given the voters any reason to vote her out of office. A side show in Kansas was ex-Attorney General Phill Kline's running for re-election as District Attorney in Johnson County. He's the titular head of the Nazi-faction of the Kansas GOP and he had his head handed to him by a mainstream conservative, Steve Howe.

In Michigan's 7th CD, state Senator and Blue America-endorsee Mark Schauer beat a perennial vanity candidate-- who was the party nominee in 2006-- 66-34%. Schauer will face far right extremist Tim Walberg, a freshman, in November. The more complicated race was in MI-13, where incumbent Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, mother of Detroit's unpopular, hapless and indicted mayor, drew two opponents, Mary Waters and Martha Scott. Aside from being the mother of the reviled mayor, Kilpatrick was a die-hard Hillary supporter, something that went over badly among African-American voters in MI-13, who overwhelmingly and enthusiastically supported Obama. It was neck and neck all night-- with Waters ahead most of the night-- until Kilpatrick's home turf came in late and put her ahead. She raised around $800,000 and her closest opponent, Waters, raised around $10,000.

The other hot race today was the Democratic senatorial primary run-off in Georgia. Moderate ex-state Rep. Jim Martin beat reactionary loon Vernon Jones, 59-41%. He'll be facing extremist Saxby Chambliss, one of Bush's most dependable Senate rubber stamps in November.

Rep. Steve Cohen & Obama

Tennessee holds its primary tomorrow and all eyes are on Memphis, where progressive freshman Steve Cohen, who is white and Jewish, is being challenged by a vicious anti-Semitic, racist pawn of ex-Congressman Harold Ford. It's been a very ugly race-- and the ugliness is all on one side, Nikki Tinker's. Steve Cohen was first elected in 2006 with the help of Blue America and we have enthusiastically endorsed him again. If you know anyone in Memphis, please call them and talk to them about this race. Cohen has been a real leader for working families and he is the only progressive congressman from Tennessee. Tinker is a complete corporate shill and far more conservative across a wide array of issues. Rahm Emanuel, a longtime ally of Ford's, has encouraged institutional support for Tinker and has prevented his DCCC pawn, Chris Van Hollen, from coming to the aid of Cohen, the way the DCCC and Nancy Pelosi backed other challenged incumbents like Kilpatrick yesterday and Al Wynn a few months ago. One of the most corrupt members of the Democratic Party, Gregory Meeks (NY) has been supporting Tinker, as has Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio). More progressive and respectable members of the Congressional Black Caucus like John Conyers and Jesse Jackson, Jr. have been campaigning for Cohen.


EMILY's List Embarrassed By Nikki Tinker's Racist Campaign

We were pretty disappointed when EMILY's List came out for Nikki Tinker in her anti-semitic, homophobic, racist jihad to turn a solidly Blue district reddish. I think they wish they had never gotten involved with this campaign of bigotry. The following statement was issued by Ellen Malcolm, president of EMILY's List, in response to recent ads run by the Nikki Tinker for Congress campaign: 
 
"We were shocked to see the recent ads run by the Nikki Tinker for Congress campaign.  We believe the ads are offensive and divisive.  EMILY's List does not condone or support these types of attacks."

Next time DLC Chair Harold Ford makes a recommendation, take it with a grain of salt.

BUSH REGIME TRADE POLICIES STILL UNDERMINING AMERICAN WORKING FAMILIES

Yesterday I went to a progressive think tank where, among other topics, the Colombia "Free Trade" Pact was discussed. Perhaps you saw the post I put together fresh from the meeting. Jane added far more information about how the right wing propaganda machine is trying to spin this over at FDL. This morning I got a note from Mark Schauer, the Blue America-endorsed progressive running against far right rubber stamp Tim Walberg in Michigan's 7th CD, an area that has been especially hard hit by Bush's (and Clinton's) trade policies.

"In the midst of economic crisis, at a time when Americans are increasingly uncertain about their jobs and futures, the President decided that more outsourcing is the answer," Schauer said. "This treaty encourages American employers to take their operations overseas and pay their workers less. We should be protecting American jobs-- not doing everything we can to get rid of them. By sending this bill to Congress President Bush proved that he is as out of touch as his critics say he is... When our leaders are prioritizing big business and foreign countries over the interests of the middle class, it's clear that we need change. "I'm running for Congress because we deserve leaders who understand that American jobs are a priority."

Schauer is signaling that he will stand up for working families, not just against the Bush Regime, but against slimy corporate Democrats like Rahm Emanuel and Melissa Bean and the nefarious Blue Dog caucus busy taking in legalized corporate bribes hand over fist to support this garbage treaty, a treaty which makes it impossible for Americans to compete because of intolerable work conditions and pitiful wages in Colombia. Bush, Clinton, Emanuel and the Blue Dogs have undermined the very soul of middle class America with their accursed trade policies and it has as much to do with the current two-tier economy as the rest of the Bush agenda.

Fortunately, Speaker Pelosi's progressive roots are showing. She has vowed to block Bush's rampage against American workers and will not allow this trade pact to come up for a vote. Ironically she is also saving Blue Dogs from themselves as they were in a precarious situation, having taken huge amounts of "contributions" from corporate lobbyists eager to see this crap pass but being pressured by furious voters that the treaty be rejected. I was eager to see what Melissa Bean's clueless little blue puppy Bill Foster would have done. Nancy saved his ass from himself.

Another Blue America-endorsed candidate Dennis Shulman is also perfect on trade policy. But then he has a family member who is working full time on this, his daughter Holly. For more information on the ins and outs of this treaty Holly's Public Citizen blog, Eyes on Trade is right in the thick of it. And, wisely, David Sirota is cautious and wary.


UPDATE: MAYBE I WAS TOO FAST TO PRAISE PELOSI?

Today's CongressDaily ran a story exposing what the Democratic House leadership may be up to-- wait til after the November elections, so that Blue Dogs get to keep their corporate bribes without pissing off their benefactors but still get to keep their House seats by not pissing off voters before the election.

House Democratic leaders are seriously considering delaying a vote on the Colombia Free Trade Agreement until after the November elections, thereby providing needed cover for vulnerable rank-and-file members, according to senior Democratic leadership sources.

"It is under serious consideration," said a top Democratic leadership aide who confirmed the plan. "It is an attempt to try and divine a way forward. We are not happy with the way this was sent up here."

...Aides said that a plan to bring the measure to the floor under the procedural cover of delaying the vote to a date-certain after the November election is gaining momentum... Sources in the Republican and Democratic leadership as well as the business community confirmed that Democrats have been attempting to sell the move to business interests as simply a procedural vote that would ultimately allow for a vote on the trade deal.

...[W]ith the campaign season in full swing, labor unions are launching an all-out effort to kill the agreement. "The AFL- CIO is strongly opposed to the Colombia FTA and will mobilize with all of our might to defeat it," AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said in a statement. Change to Win, the other major union coalition, sent a letter to all members of Congress Tuesday demanding they vote against the pact.

Meanwhile, Hillary points out that she disagrees (not just with her semi-fired chief strategist, craven lobbyist Mark Penn but) with her corporatist husband, who netted many, many many millions of dollars last year working in the interests of big corporations, when it comes to the Colombia pact. Predictably, he supports it and she... sees the wisdom of saying she agrees with the vast majority of American voters.


UPDATE: BUSH REGIME IN A SNIT ABOUT THE DELAY BUT PELOSI ASSURES THEM THERE'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT

According to CongressDaily, corporate hack and Bush Regime Trade Rep Susan Schwab said today's decision by Pelosi to indefinitely delay a vote on the Colombia Free Trade Agreement "could have broader implications for the United States trade agenda as well as deal a blow to [what he calls] "a strong ally" in Latin America. "This could be devastating not just to the Colombia FTA but to broader U.S. trade policy going forward, on our ability to negotiate and implement agreements that are of benefit to U.S. workers, that are of benefit to U.S. farmers and entrepreneurs," Schwab said just after the news broke. "The Colombia FTA deserves a vote. Colombia is an important country in a critical region for the United States and deserves to be treated with respect."

Apparently understanding the devastating impact Bush's trade policies have had on most working Americans and on our economy are too complex for Schwab. Needless to say, assassinations of Colombian trade unionists and their families mean even less to this ultimate corporate whore. Maybe she should consult Lisa Bear-Stearns or Fred Morgan-Stanley.

Labor unions are grateful that Pelosi put it on hold but many progressives are suspicious, as I mentioned earlier, that she is simply trying to protect Blue Dogs from their own constituents and that the treaty will be approved after the election. This was bourne out late this afternoon by James Moran (D-VA), a close Pelosi ally who supports the pact.

Moran was confident that House leaders would schedule a vote on the trade pact in a post-election session, when wavering members would be more willing to support it. "I think there'll be a vote in the latter part of November, or early December," he said, adding it would likely be approved in those circumstances.

Meanwhile, here's a statement from Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch Director Lori Wallach on Pelosi's announcement.

We applaud House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for reasserting congressional authority over trade by removing Fast Track treatment from the Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

Public Citizen will apply its full resources to ensure that the Colombia Free Trade Agreement is defeated by Congress.

The United States should never have negotiated a trade agreement with Colombia, a country with a shameful record of labor leader assassinations and systematic violence against Afro-Colombian communities whose current government has been linked to deadly right wing paramilitaries.

The Colombia FTA includes the most egregious provisions of NAFTA, including extraordinary foreign investor protections that promote offshoring of U.S. jobs and expose domestic health and environmental laws to attack in foreign tribunals; and agriculture rules that will devastate hundreds of thousands of subsistence farmers in Colombia, making them poorer and undermining U.S. security interests in the region. The deal also replicates NAFTA's limits Buy America and green procurement policies and on imported food safety and inspection requirements.

UPDATE: BLUE DOGS SNARLING

So which reactionary Democrats Blue Dogs voted against Speaker Pelosi's ultimately successful attempt to postpone the vote on the Colombian Trade pact? No surprises here: Melissa Bean (IL), Dan Boren (OK), Allen Boyd (FL), Jim Cooper (TN), Bud Cramer (AL), Henry Cuellar (TX), Baron Hill (IN), Nick Lampson (TX), Tim Mahoney (FL) and Jim Matheson (UT). John Tanner (TN) voted "present."

SCHAUER POLLING AHEAD OF WALBERG-- AND WON'T CHENEY MAKE IT EVEN WORSE?

Did YOU get one of these?

This week DWT has been supporting Michigan bloggers trying to raise money and awareness for Mark Schauer, the Blue America-endorsed candidate running against far right extremist Tim Walberg. Today a Detroit News poll was released that shows Walberg lagging and unlikely to win re-election.

John Cavanagh, the political analyst for EPIC-MRA, the polling company which conducted the survey warned that "If I were in Tim Walberg's camp, I would have grave concerns at this point that a relatively unknown Democrat in a traditionally Republican district can match up so competitively."

Walberg barely won 50 percent of the vote in the [2006] November general election against a poorly funded, little known Democrat, prompting the Democrats to target him this year.

The district, which stretches from Battle Creek to the western edge of Ann Arbor, has in the past trended solidly Republican.

But Cavanagh says migration from Ingham County to Eaton County is watering down the Republican flavor of the district.

Voters showed little interest in two issues that are among Walberg's priorities: Only 7 percent of voters in the district picked "promoting morality and family values" as their top concern while 3 percent chose "keeping federal taxes low."

The overwhelming top concern picked by voters-- 41 percent-- was "improving the nation's economy and providing jobs."

So what is the extremist fanatic Walberg doing to reach out to his unimpressed moderate constituents? He's bringing the most divisive and hated figure in American politics, Dick Cheney, into the district to campaign for him. It is widely expected that Walberg will do his best to not be photographed with Cheney and to keep Cheney generally out of sight of the public, just hidden away among the fat-cat campaign contributors who have benefited so handsomely from the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and from economic policies that have brought tough times to the middle class. If you haven't given to Mark's campaign yet-- or if you want to give again, you can do it here.


UPDATE: CHENEY IS IN MICHIGAN TODAY

State Senator Mark Schauer, whose political ascendency over wingnut Tim Walberg is what scared the Regime enough to send Cheney in, had some comments just now on the Cheney fundraising visit: "This Administration's failed policies have devastated Michigan's economy and today's news of massive national job loss proves that they haven't worked for America either. We need real, bipartisan solutions that will create jobs for Michigan and put our priorities first-- not those of the special interests."

MARK SCHAUER UNDER ATTACK FROM THE EMPIRE-- CHENEY FLYING TO MICHIGAN

Bush, Cheney and other members of the Regime have been stealthily flying around the country to do very private fundraising dinner with wealthy Republicans for many of the rubber stamps who have supported their entire heinous agenda. It isn't likely that you'll find a more endangered GOP incumbent, nor one who has been a more servile rubber stamp, than extremist kook Tim Walberg from southern Michigan. MI-07 is a moderate district including the western suburbs of Ann Arbor and Lansing and all of Battle Creek. Last year Walberg ousted the moderate Republican who represented the district, Joe Schwarz, and the Democrats weren't prepared, fielding a fringy candidate (who still held Walberg to 51% of the vote). This year the Democrats are very well prepared.

Mark Schauer is a tremendously respected and well-liked state senator in a district that covers much of the reddest parts of MI-07. Blue America has already enthusiastically endorsed Mark (check out his FDL session from October 27) and this week the two biggest Michigan blogs, Michigan Liberal and Blogging For Michigan are trying to raise some grassroots donations for Mark to counterbalance Darth Cheney's visit. Mark would make an extraordinary congressman. Let's give him a hand at the Blue America ActBlue page.


UPDATE: MARK EXPLAINS

REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS HAVE A RESPONSE TO TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES: PENALIZE POOR CHILDREN BY WITHHOLDING HEALTHCARE

If he gets sick, you can throw him away and get a new one

There is an argument in economists' circles whether we are already in a recession or whether there is one around the corner. Bush Regime apologists claim everything is fabulous and pessimists say "forget recession," we're looking at the Bush Depression. No matter who's correct, other than the small handful of Bush Regime apologists, hard times ahead. With that backdrop, the Democratic leadership in the House decided to see if they could work with a few electorally-vulnerable Republican moderates to override Bush's veto of heath insurance for poor children. Their attempt failed today. Every single Democrat except arch-reactionary Jim Marshall in Macon, Georgia, voted in favor of children's health care. 42 Republicans joined the Democrats in trying to help needy children.

Among the Republicans who fought hard to prevent the override were this lot who are in danger of being defeated in November. They should be defeated; every single one of them (along with fake-Democrat Jim Marshall):

Michele Bachmann (R-MN)
Roscoe Barlett (R-MD)
Judy Biggert (R-IL)
Brian Bilbray (R-CA)
Ken Calvert (R-CA)
Dave Camp (R-MI)
John Campbell (R-CA)
Howard Coble (R-NC)
Thelma Drake (R-VA)
David Dreier (R-CA)- Blue America has endorsed Russ Warner
Tom Feeney (R-FL)
Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ)
Elton Gallegly (R-CA)
Scott Garrett (R-NJ)- Blue America has endorsed Dennis Shulman
Virgil Goode (R-VA)- Blue America is likely to endorse Tom Perriello soon
Robin Hayes (R-NC)- Blue America has endorsed Larry Kissell
Tim Johnson (R-IL)
John Kline (R-MN)
Randy Kuhl (R-NY)- Blue America has endorsed Eric Massa
Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
Dan Lungren (R-CA)
Mike McCaul (R-TX)
Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI)
Patrick McHenry (R-NC)
Buck McKeon (R-CA)
Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO)
Steve Pearce (R-NM)
Tom Reynolds (R-NY)- Blue America has endorsed Jon Powers
Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)- Blue America asks you to stay tuned
Mean Jean Schmidt (R-OH)- Blue America has endorsed Dr. Vic Wulsin
John Shadegg (R-AZ)
Tim Walberg (R-MI)- Blue America has endorsed Mark Schauer

The most far right extremists and raving lunatics from the disintegrating Republican coalition are screaming for jihad against the Republicans who joined the Democrats to try to save the S-CHIP bill.

One of the heroes of the child-hating extremists, Tim Walberg, has an opponent this year who isn't letting him get away with this kind of bullshit. Mark Schauer sent out a statement after Walberg voted against S-CHIP (again):

"Ensuring access to health care for children should be an economic priority, not the victim of a misguided ideological tug-of-war. Continuing to embrace the status quo will only lead to further financial troubles for Michigan families who are already struggling to get by. Losing your house or going bankrupt to pay for an unexpectedly sick child is not a choice we should force anyone to make."

Mark hit the nail right on the head. We need representatives in Congress who are part of the solution. Tim Walberg and the radical right extremists have caused the problems with their narrow and pinched ideological fanaticism. Although Pelosi is still protecting Bush and Cheney from impeachment, at least she has enough of a shred of decency around her to remember when she was a decent progressive who fought for the American people. Today she made a genuine effort to reach out to Republicans (as well as reactionary Democrats) to override Bush's vicious and selfish veto. "The issue comes down to what is happening in America's households today. Unemployment is up, housing starts are down. The price of gasoline and food and health care is up, stock market is down. So the indicators, some that are felt very closely and intimately by America's families, some that are felt by our economy, all point to the need for taking a new direction."


UPDATE: 15 VOTES SHY OF HEALTH INSURANCE FOR NEEDY CHILDREN

Or... get rid of reactionary Jom Marshall plus any 14 right wing Republicans and we can move forward like the rest of the civilized world. Which 14 right wing Republicans? Well, start with the list above; any of these goons your congresscritter?

BLUE AMERICA WELCOMES MARK SCHAUER (MI-07)

Marcy (emptywheel) first told me about Mark Schauer, a state senator from a district near her own, quite some time ago. There were a lot of people declaring they would run in southern Michigan's 7th CD-- to face the most radical right member of the state's congressional delegation, Tim Walberg-- but Marcy counseled me to hold off. She felt there was a very good chance Mark would jump in and that when he did, everyone else would bow out and endorse him. After spending some time with him on the phone this week, I understand from whence her enthusiasm springs. Please join us over at Firedoglake at 2pm, EDT today for a live blog session with Mark.

I started off by asking him what issues his constituents are telling him are the most important for them. "Without question," he stated immediately, "the top issue facing the 7th congressional district is the economy and jobs. This is a state that has been rocked by outsourcing, a global economy, and trade agreements that have cost us hundreds of thousands of jobs. Folks are worried about their future, about their families, about whether they can retire, whether they can send their kids to college or whether they're going to lose their home. And related to that are basic security needs, like health care. Are they going to be able to keep health care and afford coverage for their kids or are they going to lose their pension? Will Social Security be there for them? Once you get past that, the war and our foreign policy-- or lack thereof-- are a major concern. Are their sons and daughters and neighbors in harm's way in Iraq? And people are hopeful that we'll be able to restore a foreign policy based more on diplomacy and less on war. And third would be the environment, including climate change."

That got him talking about the economic opportunities for Michigan in pursing alternatives to fossil fuels for energy. "Folks are concerned about gas prices. Folks are concerned about the rising cost of heating their homes and they know there are alternatives. They know our planet is at risk and you have to think about it as the legacy we're leaving our kids. Michigan is a Great Lakes state and the environment is always an issue of concern to the people here. People in south-central Michigan don't think slant drilling in the Great Lakes is the answer, although Tim Walberg supports it."

And speaking of Walberg, I had to ask Mark about the war. Walberg's record is crystal clear. Since getting to Congress last year, he's participated in 18 roll calls concerning Iraq and he's voted 18 times with Bush and Cheney. He never found a single issue about Iraq to disagree with them on-- although most Republicans have. He's also voted 7 times on issues effecting the well-being of our military personnel and he's been wrong all 7 times-- voting against our servicemen and women and for his party leader. But Mark, although a state senator, has an Iraq-related record to examine as well. I asked him to explain it.

It was March, 2003, just days before the president went into Iraq and one of the ultra-conservative members of the Michigan senate put up a meaningless resolution to put everyone on the record in terms of support for Bush's strategy in Iraq. I voted against it. It was a tough vote at the time if you'll recall the public sentiment back then. People were getting in my face about voting against the president when they were equating that with not supporting our troops. I do support our troops but that vote was the right thing to do then and history has born that out. I'm on record from the start saying this was a flawed strategy."

Mark's state senate district, like the congressional district, has a Republican lean. Gore took 46% of the vote and Kerry took 45%. Last year, an underfunded, barely known Democrat who wasn't taken very seriously in political circles, came within one percentage point of beating Walberg. And Walberg hasn't become popular since winning the seat. There's a certain amount of residual resentment of the way a great deal of outside PAC money, from Club For Growth, was used to defeat a decent, moderate Republican incumbent. And his voting record-- in a basically all-American, moderate district-- has been very, very hard right, way at the bottom of the Republican congressional barrel and far more extreme than any other congressman from Michigan. If you examine Progressive Punch's Chips Are Down rankings, you find Walberg sitting there with radical kooks and ideologues like Patrick McHenry, Michele Bachman, Mike Pence, Virginia Foxx, Marsha Blackburn... with an even worse record than Mean Jean Schmidt, Marilyn Musgrave or Virgil Goode.

"We're spending $12 billion a month in Iraq and this president, along with Tim Walberg, opposes spending an additional $7 billion a year to make sure that three a half million kids receive health care. It's a tragedy in so many ways for our country... This president and his policies have put us more at risk. We have got to start to change. You want to hold this president accountable?
This Congress has got to use its investigative powers and if it's determined that George W. Bush has violated his oath of office then he has to be held accountable. I'll be entering office in January of 2009 and there will be a new president and I want to spend my time moving us forward and undoing the mess that this president has created and that's where my energies will be focused-- on that change and that new direction."

Mark is the Democratic Senate Leader in Michigan. I checked YouTube to see if he had any clips and I found a pretty cool one he put up 7 months ago directed directly to bloggers! Take a look-- and then think about giving Mark's campaign a hand over at our Blue America ActBlue page