The DCCC Won't Acknowledge Him, Let Alone Help Him, But There Is A Democrat Running Against John Boehner This Year

As I've mentioned before, Steve Israel protects his own vulnerable seat by never allowing the DCCC to challenge any Republican leaders or committee chairs, not even the ones in blue-leaning districts like Fred Upton (R-MI), John Kline (R-MN) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). When Blue America worked hard to help Justin Coussoule run against Boehner, the DCCC went beyond being not helpful to being downright insulting to an Afghan War vet and decorated West Point grad. They didn't help him; they disparaged him and did everything they could to humiliate and discourage him. After that, no one even wanted to run again. However, this year there is a candidate-- Tom Poetter, who we asked to introduce himself.

My name is Tom Poetter and I am the Democratic nominee for Congress in Ohio's 8th Congressional District against Speaker John A Boehner. I am a professor in the College of Education, Health, and Society at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. My research interests are curriculum studies and the politics of education.

I am running in this race because no one was on the ballot in 2012, and progressives deserve a vote here, too, even in the most conservative district in Ohio. This is about building an infrastructure for a congressional campaign, about starting somewhere, and about making sure that viable candidates can run here in the future. Boehner doesn't run-- he takes his election for granted. As a result, people here don't even know what federal congress DOES, what candidates DO. No one has ever personally asked them for their vote. No one has held town halls on critical issues and no one has ever asked them for anything, including for money and volunteer time. We have to build a capacity to do these things, or we won't ever be able to challenge the status quo.

We know the odds against Boehner. We also know that power needs to be questioned, and power needs to be CHALLENGED. Atticus Finch, in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird says, “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” Let me remind you: We are running for Congress against the most powerful Republican in the nation.

In our campaign we keep in mind the following: IF YOU CANNOT WIN, YOU CANNOT LOSE. Some people think we shouldn’t talk like that, but I want to tell you that this is the experience of a lifetime and you’ve got to be willing to get in it, to do things that people say you’ve no right to do, if you’re going to make any progress. And we’ve already won, because we are DOING IT. Running in this race as a progressive voice IS winning.

I spend 60 seconds each day imagining what it would be like to unseat the SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE. I spend a minute a day feeling those feelings of absolute elation and sheer terror. From the beginning I had an inkling, a glimmer of belief, that if certain things happened, we could win and I still allow myself that rousing feeling, dreaming of winning, for one minute per day. Why just a minute? Because you have to keep your head down, focus on the purposes you are trying to fulfill with whatever talents and time that you have at hand. And there is so much work to do!

And running a congressional race the right way and focusing on the most important things in this election are the most critical, highest purposes to attend to, and some of the most important work we can do.

Our clear and defined purpose: We have to connect with unaffiliated voters, independents, and soft Republican voters in this district, and there are over 300,000 of them. Turning out votes is done with the aid of the two most important, major tools of the day: money, and direct voter contact strategies. No one has ever attempted a campaign with this focus against Boehner in his 24 years in office. And we are doing it and doing it well.

I want this campaign to be a testament to people who step up in impossible circumstances. I want this campaign to honor the ideas that we all share, and to honor a belief in democracy. I want this campaign to be a testament to my staff, to the people who do this for the love of it and for the hope embedded in running and winning and in serving.

I'll never forget walking into that voting booth in 2012 and there was no one on the ballot contesting Speaker Boehner. This isn't that year, and I am so proud, and so happy to be running.

Please support our campaign here.

Annals Of The Republican Civil War: Nevada And Ohio

You may have already read that the Nevada state Republican Party is turning over a new leaf-- at least in terms of the party-sanctioned gay-bashing and anti-Choice mania. I'm not sure how extremists like Sharron Angle are taking this, but over the weekend, Nevada Republicans drastically changed their official party platform. There was a "raucous debate," of course, but in the end the delegates voted to remove the party's opposition to marriage equality and their opposition to abortions.

By a show of hands, convention-goers adopted the platform as proposed by a separate committee without the two planks on marriage and abortion, following the Clark County GOP’s lead in removing hot-button social issues from the party’s statement of its principles. Some 520 delegates attended the convention, but less than half were present when the platform was adopted at about 7:30 p.m. Little debate preceded the vote, a far contrast to earlier in day.

State party Chairman Michael McDonald said it was a successful convention at the end of the day.

“I think it was about inclusion, not exclusion,” McDonald said, referring to the platform. “This is where the party is going.”

Republicans who sat on the platform committee said they decided not to deal with social issues this year because the U.S. Supreme Court and lower courts have weighed in and it doesn’t make sense for the party of “personal freedom” to have the government or the political party get involved in people’s personal lives.

“The issue was how can we back out of people’s personal lives,” said Dave Hockaday of Lyon County, who sat on the platform committee. “We need to focus on issues where we can have an impact.”

Previously, the state party platform defined marriage as “between a man and a woman,” as does the Nevada Constitution. The past document also described the party as “pro-life,” or against abortion, a stance most Republicans still agree with.

GOP extremists are screaming their heads off, of course, and trying to organize a boycott of Las Vegas conventions and vacations. The party fringe is already demanding that the RNC remove Las Vegas from the short list of cities the GOP was considering for the 2016 national convention. Don Nelson of Nevada Right to Life is going insane: "On Saturday the Nevada Republican party decided to drop its pro-life plank and party chairman Mike McDonald said that abortion is a small issue. It’s not small now. It’s being reported all over Nevada and McDonald and the Nevada Republicans just told pro-lifers all over the state that their issue and the killing of 56 million preborn children, does not matter to him and his party and that the Nevada Republicans will take our vote, but that we can’t count on them… The fact is that over 70% of Republicans are pro-life and a many of them hold their nose and vote for Republicans because they have [been] the pro-life party. Events like this do nothing but further depress the Nevada Republican vote."

Meanwhile, halfway across the country, the Tea Party primary against John Boehner is heating up. Up top is the fabulous new J.D. Winteregg ad, Electile Dysfunction (When The Moment Is Right).

"Other signs of electile dysfunction may include extreme skin discoloration, the inability to punch oneself out of a wet paper bag, or maintain a spine in the face of liberal opposition. If you have a Boehner lasting longer than 23 years, seek immediate medical attention."

Winteregg is not seen as a viable opponent against Boehner in the primary and, once again, the DCCC has moved to protect him from Democratic challengers, as they have consistently done in past cycles.

Holding John Boehner Accountable? Not Steve Israel Or His Lame DCCC

Remember reading how CPAC had once snubbed Chris Christie and had welcomed him as some kind of conservative hero this year? Well, maybe John Boehner will be caught up in a big scandal one day that will make him a hero too, but he-- unlike Mitch McConnell-- was snubbed by CPAC this year.

The speaker has grown increasingly vocal in recent months about his frustration with tea party members of the House Republican caucus who have broken with leadership on key votes.

The antipathy is mutual.

“There are not enough curse words in the English language to describe how movement conservatives think of John Boehner,” said Ford O'Connell, a party strategist. “They see him as only slightly better than President Obama.

“But, I think, John Boehner is wise not to attend CPAC because he does not want to become a distraction, and fodder for the news media, by highlighting the rift between establishment conservatives and the movement conservatives,” Mr. O'Connell said.

Just over a week before, the national Tea Party Leadership Fund had endorsed J.D. Winteregg, a right-wing crackpot and high school French teacher, as it's candidate against Boehner in Ohio's May 6 primary. It's one thing for the Club for Growth and the Madison Project to endorse insurgent John Ratcliffe over doddering 90 year old Ralph Hall in Texarkana. Mounting a serious Tea Party challenge against your own party's Speaker is something entirely different.

The DCCC has pointedly not targeted Boehner and not supported local Democrats who have. In fact, the national and state party has gone out of its way to undercut and humiliate the brave souls who have tried to take Boehner on. At least the Tea Party is making him defend himself and account for his behavior, even if not on the ground progressives would like to see him battling on.

Rusty Humphries with the TPLF, a political action committee, said Mr. Boehner has failed to follow through on conservative goals during his time as speaker.

“This is a guy that has allowed spending to increase. This is a guy that fought for benefits for congressmen while at the same time fighting to cut benefits for our veterans,” Mr. Humphries said.

Mr. Boehner has been under fire from tea party groups over last year’s budget deal, which boosted spending in 2014 and 2015, and for this month’s debt vote, when he allowed a 13-month debt increase to pass without conditions on the strength of Democratic votes.

Mr. Humphries said voters in the district itself are ready to dump Mr. Boehner, who is serving his 12th term in Congress-- and second as speaker.

“The one thing I found a lot when I was in the district is how few people have seen him in the district in a long time,” Mr. Humphries said. “This is a guy who has not kept up with his people.”

…The No. 2 Republican in the House, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, is also facing a primary challenge. Dave Brat, an economics professor at Randolph-Macon College, is challenging the Virginia Republican, arguing his support for passing an immigration bill is kowtowing to big-business interests.

Winteregg is asking Democrats to vote for him to oust Boehner. The Tea Party Leadership Fund claims to have a poll showing Boehner's support is down to 25% in the west Ohio district. Winteregg: “People are fed up with the establishment. The one thing consistent with bad policy coming out of D.C. is the people creating the bad policy. The most common thing I hear going door to door is throw the bums out. That’s the national sentiment. Hold them accountable directly to us. [Boehner's district campaign] slogan is, ‘One of Us.’ We get these little booklets now talking about how he’s one of us. If you have to try that hard to convince people, maybe you’re not one of us.” This week Winteregg sent out a national fundraising e-mail. I even got one… although it's probably pretty bad messaging if he's serious about getting many crossover Democratic votes!

In 2010, John Boehner boldly declared about Obamacare: "They'll get not one dime from us. Not a dime. There is no fixing this." In October 2014, Boehner voted to fully fund Obamacare, going back on his promise to conservatives to not fund the government takeover of our healthcare system.



This is a trend of Mr. Boehner for as long he has been Speaker. Tough talk on the IRS scandal, tough talk on the Benghazi scandal, and tough talk on reining in spending have been just that-- talk. He has refused to act on conservative principles, and he has enabled our spend-aholic president to spend away our futures. The president doesn't have to negotiate because he knows Boehner will not stand firm on his word.



It's time for Boehner to be held accountable for his actions. It's time for Boehner to go.



Allow me to introduce myself-- my name is J.D. Winteregg, and I'm a true conservative running against John Boehner in the Republican primary in May. Unlike Boehner, I'm not afraid to stand up to Obama, and unlike Boehner, I'm not a part of the out-of-touch establishment culture in Washington D.C.



I've been preparing for this run for well over a year. After going door-to-door throughout the district and listening to the concerns of Ohio-8, I've earned the support of the local tea party leaders. Last month, I received a major national endorsement from the Tea Party Leadership Fund. While I have momentum in this race, I need your help to keep it going.



You can be a part of history-- no sitting Speaker has ever been defeated in the primary. By contributing $10 to help me in this fight, you can help make history. I'll be able to let the voters in our district know that there is a better, truly conservative alternative to Boehner. Together, we can tell Boehner and the rest of the political elite that our voices will be heard.



Please help contribute to this fight!



In liberty,


J.D. Winteregg

Boehner And McConnell Have Primary Challenges-- Why Not Steny Hoyer, Steve Israel And Debbie Wasserman Schultz?

When I was growing up, my grandfather always told me to never trust the Democratic Party. "They're not as bad as the Republicans." he always said, "but they're bad in their own way. They make believe they stand up for the working class, but they're just out for themselves." Even back then, it was clear the party was dominated by careerists. The Republicans complain about their party in the same way. So it probably surprised no one that most Americans-- across the board-- think we need another political party. Gallup confirmed it this week.

Amid the government shutdown, 60% of Americans say the Democratic and Republicans parties do such a poor job of representing the American people that a third major party is needed. That is the highest Gallup has measured in the 10-year history of this question. A new low of 26% believe the two major parties adequately represent Americans.

…Republicans (52%) and Democrats (49%) are similar in their perceptions that a third party is needed. In fact, this marks the first time that a majority of either party's supporters have said a third party is needed. As would be expected, a majority of independents-- those who profess no initial allegiance to either party-- have always said the U.S. needs a third party. Seventy-one percent currently hold that view, which has been exceeded twice before, in 2007 and 2010.

Given the inability of the Republican and Democratic parties to agree on the most basic of government functions-- passing an annual budget to pay for federal programs-- it is perhaps not surprising that the percentage of Americans who believe a third party is needed has never been higher.

However, the desire for a third party is not sufficient to ensure there will be one. Structural factors in the U.S. election system and the parties' own abilities to adapt to changing public preferences have helped the Republican and Democratic parties to remain the dominant parties in U.S. government for more than 150 years. Third parties that have emerged to challenge their dominance have not been able to sustain any degree of electoral success.

That said, it is interesting to note that the GOP base is supporting primaries against GOP leaders. Mark Bevin is running a grassroots campaign, backed by Tea Party activists, against Mitch McConnell in Kentucky and in western Ohio, where the DCCC never gives John Boehner any trouble at all-- and, in fact, undercuts and humiliates any grassroots Democrat who tries to run against him-- it looks like a lively primary against Boehner is shaping up now. Joseph "J.D." Winteregg, a Troy school teacher, teababgger and founder of the Ohio Accountability Project, announced he was taking on Boehner 2 weeks ago. He's basing his challenge on what he calls a the gulf between the interests and values of the district and Boehner. The media hasn't covered it much.

At part of his launch, Winteregg kicked off his campaign with an Oct. 1 segment on the “Morning Blaze Show with Doc Thompson,” part of Glenn Beck’s The Blaze Radio Network.

Thompson was skeptical when he heard Winteregg was a schoolteacher, and he became even more skeptical when he heard the candidate is a French teacher. “A French teacher?!? Oooo.”

Winteregg told him not to worry, especially considering that he was a French teach, who has actually been to France. “After my time with that socialist government-- you know, I lived and worked there-- I made a vow that I would never let that happen in America,” he said.

“I love the culture, I love the people, but I despise the politics, but we are clearly trending that way,” he said.

One of the reasons, America is trending in the wrong direction is the buffer between Washington and the American people, where now politicians in Washington is more interested in pleasing lobbyists that the voters, who sent them to the nation’s capital, he said to Thompson.

“All representatives must live among their constituents. The number of days they spend in Washington, D.C. will be capped,” he said. “With the technology that exists, and with the need to diminish the lobbyist influence, this mandate will ensure that the representatives do what they’re meant to do-- represent the people.”

Despite the long odds, a Sept. 4 Human Events/Gravis poll of Republican voters in Boehner’s district showed that 50 percent would welcome a primary challenge to the Speaker.

The poll also showed:

• 17 percent of the voters support military action in support of the Syrian rebels;
• 65 percent want Speaker Boehner to push to defund Obamacare “even if it means a government shutdown;”
• 65 percent want Speaker Boehner to call a special committee to investigate the Benghazi incident;
• 48 percent believe Speaker Boehner is not doing enough to lower taxes and spending.

“After having spent a productive and informative year going around the district, getting to know the awesome Tea Party-Liberty leaders, and listening to the people in the district, I can honestly say that this race is absolutely winnable,” the schoolteacher said.

“It’s going to require a lot of teamwork, though. What I’m looking for is willing volunteers who would like to contribute time to this campaign,” he said.

Winteregg, who led an August “Defund Obamacare” rally in front of one of Boehner’s local congressional offices, said people in the district are tired of the Speaker failure to repeal President Barack Obama’s health care law.

It's disappointing that, so far this year, no grassroots Democrats have setpped up to the plate to challenge establishment careerist Democrats like Steny Hoyer, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Steve Israel, Joe Crowley or other party leaders who serve nothing but themselves.

Boehner Doesn't Have To Worry About A Democratic Challenger Thanks To Steve Israel, But His Right Flank Doesn't Look Safe

Last week we looked at the persistent Beltway rumors that Boehner has had enough and wants to retire and spend the rest of his life drinking and golfing. If right wing groups have their way, he won't get the chance. They want to defeat him at the polls in 2014. Grassroots Democrats in western Ohio have tried to do that as well, but the DCCC has savagely undercut them and protected Boehner's left flank. Steve Israel got his way again this cycle-- so far-- and there is no Democrat running against Boehner. The Tea Party doesn't take its walking orders from Steve Israel. They want Boehner's head.

A poll conducted by the conservative publication Human Events and Gravis Marketing, indicates that Speaker of the House John Boehner is facing opposition from constituents in his home district.

Gravis says they contacted more than 1,120 registered republican voters living in Boehner's Ohio district and found that about half of the respondents said they would welcome a challenger to the Speaker in the 2014 congressional race.

Also among the polls findings-- 54 percent opposed U.S. military involvement in the Syrian conflict. 29 percent were undecided and 17 percent were in favor.

Doug Kaplan, CEO at Gravis Marketing says the survey indicates a significant problem for Speaker Boehner.

Kaplan says, "this is a big thing for Boehner because he’s going against eighty percent of his voters," adding that, "People do not want him to vote for this particular military action. People are very concerned and skeptical about it.”

Speaker Boehner has voiced support for limited military action against Syria.

  The Gravis Poll also suggests about 65 percent of those polled want the Speaker to take steps to defund the President’s healthcare law, known as Obamacare, and about 45 percent overall think Boehner isn’t effective in advancing conservative issues. 22 percent polled disagreed.

Gravis says they contacted twice the number registered voters than are normally polled and say the poll has a + or – 2% margin of error.

A Letter From Andrew Hounshell

Yesterday Andy made it official... he isn't running for the western Ohio seat now hold by John Boehner. Below is the letter he sent DWT making his announcement. It appears, at least at this point, that Boehner will once again have no opponent for 2014. Unless Steve Israel wakes up and realizes the value of running someone against the unpopular leader of the obstructionist Republicans in the House.

It’s with great sadness and regret that I announce that I am withdrawing from the Ohio 8th District Congressional race for 2014. After much soul searching and discussion with my family, I have concluded that at this point in time, I am not able to fulfill the role of father, husband, and congressional candidate at a level that would be needed to be successful at all three.

Performing either one of these duties at a level less than 100% would be doing a disservice to my family and the people of Ohio's 8th District. My three children were the main reason why I entered the race, and they are the very same reason I have reconsidered. I have been blessed with the opportunity of having and raising triplets, I owe it to them to make sure that I get it right.

I would like to take this time to thank everyone for their support. I especially would like to thank Howie Klein for all his support and wonderful publicity he brought my way through his wonderful blogging at Down with Tyranny. I want to thank him for all his support for me, but also for the work he does for the progressive movement in this country. I am a huge fan and I am inspired by his work. Thank you to all the Down with Tyranny readers who have shown me support. I would also like to take this time to thank Blue America for all their support and their work to get progressive candidates known and elected across the country. This country is a better place because of the work of everyone there. I was truly honored to have been on their list of candidates they support. The support and confidence that I have been shown has been nothing short of amazing. I will continue to support Blue America and push for fellow progressives to get elected to office.

I deeply regret any disappointment this decision may bring to those that supported this campaign along the way. I truly hoped to bring the representation to the 8th District that the citizens deserve. I will continue to work hard to see this happen, unfortunately at this time I am unable to commit to the time that is required to do this from the seat of a candidate. I would like to thank everyone for their support and I vow to continue to work hard to bring the people a choice at the ballot box.

Thanks again!

Andrew Hounshell

John Boehner-- Bad For America, Bad For Ohio

Republicans find it easy and natural to demonize Nancy Pelosi. After all, conservatives have cast assertive and visionary women as "witches" and "bitches" since time immemorial. It's part of their whole self-inflicted patriarchal disease. And it's another manifestation of the pathetic Republican Party War Against Women. But this week, Billy House at the National Journal asked why isn't Boehner a target in congressional elections?

Excellent question and before we get into it, please let me remind you that although Steve Israel and the DCCC work frantically to protect Boehner and his chief henchmen, there is a progressive champion who's taken on the thankless task of running against Boehner in his western Ohio district, Andy Hounshell. Andy will get exactly nothing from the DCCC as long as Steve Israel is in charge but if you'd like to help him make Boehner's reelection bid something he has to take seriously, you can do that here at the Blue America ActBlue page.

Now, back to House's question. What he's asking isn't why the DCCC refuses to go after Boehner (or any senior Republican leaders or committee chairs, a failed strategy of Steve Israel that means absolutely never taking back the House as long as he's in charge). What he's asking is why don't the Democrats demonize the drunken, lazy, corrupt, dull-witted Boehner the way Republicans have always demonized Pelosi, wrapping her like a stone around their Democratic opponent’s neck. House asked around and hasn't found a clear answer.

One answer is that Democrats simply see more gain in attacking the tea party-- and like-minded congressional Republicans-- as a group with frightening ideas. Boehner is not typically viewed as a tea-party leader, and is often at odds with that faction himself. And while he could conceivably be attacked as an ineffective leader, many experts say he is simply not seen as a scary figure.

“Fear is a bigger driver,” one Democratic strategist said.

Indeed, during the 2012 elections, Democratic ads focused on Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., Mitt Romney’s vice presidential running mate who was himself the architect of GOP proposals to overhaul Medicare and other social programs.

Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., and others in the House Republican Conference also provide a broader “collective” cast of well-known foils for Democrats than is available in the Democratic caucus for Republicans, said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

Still, a Gallup poll released last week showed both Pelosi and Boehner are well-known. Only 11 percent of those surveyed said they had never heard of Pelosi (the most well-known of all four of the House and Senate majority and minority leaders), and only 14 percent said they had not heard of Boehner.

Pelosi led the list of the four leaders in unpopularity, with 48 percent of those surveying saying they had an unfavorable opinion of her, while 31 percent had a favorable opinion.  Forty-one percent said they had an unfavorable opinion of Boehner, while 31 percent had a favorable view.

Frank Newport, Gallup’s editor-in-chief, said he believes-- though he has not seen data to back this up-- that Pelosi has fallen prey over the years to a polarized and intense right-wing media barrage, while more-liberal media voices are less prone to outright personal attacks.

Some of this too may be based on Pelosi’s success in driving the Democratic agenda, such as her role in helping to pass President Obama’s Affordable Care Act while speaker.

“You attack power, not weakness,” said a senior House Democratic aide, “which is why Boehner is less frequently used.”

“I like him, actually. He’s a nice guy,” added Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., of Boehner, who said the speaker has traditionally had a “reasonable and moderate” record.

“If he had it his way, the House Republican Conference wouldn’t be as dysfunctional as it has been,” McGovern said.

Everybody "likes" a lush but McGovern is wrong about Boehner having a “reasonable and moderate” record. His ProgressivePunch voting score on crucial roll calls for the current session is zero, far to the right of most Republicans. Even extremist icons like Joe "You Lie!" Wilson (R-SC), Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Matt Salmon (R-AZ), Paul Broun (R-Pit of Hell), Justin Amash (R-MI), and domestic terrorist Steve Stockman (R-TX) have managed to make common ground with progressives of a few issues critical to the well-being of the country. But not Boehner. In fact, Boehner's career-long score-- and he's had an overly long career-- is a frightening 1.22, one of the most extreme right voting scores in the history of voting scores. I think McGovern is mixing up a tipsy smile from the Speaker with an actual "reasonable and moderate record." Besides which, even people who don't agree with her politically, admit that Nancy Pelosi is warm, supportive and very likable. Not that that would ever stop a Republican witch-hunt.

This morning we asked Hounshell more about Boehner's actual record and what it's meant to ordinary working families in western Ohio. "As Speaker, John Boehner doesn't have to actually cast a vote and he rarely does. But when it came to voting on the devastating sequester bill," Andy told us, "he came down off his perch and voted-- for it. He alternates between taking credit for it and blaming it on President Obama. But the sequester is a disaster and it's an example of the failure of political elites and insiders in Washington looking out for everything but the interests of their own constituents. The sequester is causing real harm to real people.  It's time for them to sit down and work out a budget that will pass. I understand that it is difficult, but it is what they have been elected to do, and what they get paid for. This game of program cutting chicken hurts the people in this country that need their representatives the most. They fixed the flight delays with lightening speed, lets see what they can do with the cuts that are affecting those who need it most, like Head Start and Meals on Wheels."

Two weeks ago the Dayton Daily News reported how colleges and universities across Ohio were having to pull back on crucial, and in some cases life-saving, research programs.

Sequestration, the across-the-board cuts that automatically went into effect March 1 when Congress did not reach a deal to avoid them, is set to drain more than a billion from the federal organizations that fund research. The impact for public universities in Ohio is estimated at $95 million, according to ScienceWorksforU.S., a new campaign launched by the Association of American Universities.

“People like to think that the things that may be impacted are things that may not make a difference, but that’s not the truth,” said Dr. William Ball, vice president for research at the University of Cincinnati. “Promising research is potentially going to be affected.”

The Ohio State University has already seen cuts to grants for cancer and infection disease research, said Carol Whitacre, vice president of OSU’s Office of Research. OSU estimates it will see a cut of $13 million in fiscal year 2013 and $14 million for 2014. UC is also bracing for reductions. The university is at the forefront in research on strokes, a leading cause of death in the US. UC estimates its impact at $17 million, some of which could be years away.

“What people need to understand is that research is their future,” Ball said. The cuts, he said, are”personal” and “not just something that could happen to that institution across town.”

Thanks John Boehner! Yesterday Senator Elizabeth Warren, who's working to repeal Boehner's sequestration bill, told her constituents in Massachusetts almost the same thing Andy Hounshell is telling voters in Ohio's 8th congressional district:

We can't solve our country's budget problems with a meat-ax.

Sequestration isn't just dumb, it's dangerous and irresponsible. Blunt, across the board cuts are hurting our children, our seniors, our veterans-- the people who need our help the most.

Last week, Congress stepped in to restore full funding for air traffic controllers to keep out country moving. But our children, seniors, and veterans shouldn't have to get stuck on a tarmac before Congress pays any attention.

People with cancer or families dealing with autism or Alzheimer's shouldn't be ignored. Flight delays are bad for all of us, but it's also bad for all of us when we cut funding for Meals on Wheels and Head Start. And it's bad for all of us when medical research gets sidelined and when young scientists' work can't get funded.

The truth is that we could end those cuts and put a stop to sequestration right now if we just made big corporations, millionaires, and billionaires pay their fair share.

That's why I'm joining Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse to sponsor legislation that repeals sequestration by ending the tax giveaways and special breaks for our most profitable companies and millionaires.

Washington is rigged for the big guys-- the ones who can afford to hire an army of lobbyists, lawyers, and accountants to create and find the loopholes and special breaks that let big corporations off the hook for paying taxes.

• It's rigged for the five biggest oil companies, which made $118 billion in profits last year-- and yet still collected billions of dollars worth of government subsidies.

• It's rigged for multinational corporations, which get tax breaks to ship U.S. jobs overseas and stash their investments abroad.

• And it's rigged for hedge fund managers and billionaires, who pay lower tax rates than their secretaries.

The Job Preservation and Sequester Replacement Act closes corporate tax loopholes so everyone pays a fair share. And it implements the Buffett Rule so that people who make more than $1 million a year pay it forward so the next kid has a chance to make it big.

Meet Andrew Hounshell-- The Democrat Running For The Ohio Seat Boehner Is Occupying

If you've been reading DWT with any regularity, you no doubt heard me warning readers that lifelong Republican spoiled rich kid Patrick Murphy, who ran against neo-fascist GOP war-criminal Allen West, would make a horrible congressman. Murphy managed-- albeit barely-- to beat West. And he has been a horrible congressman, immediately joining the New Dems, racking up a voting record that has him siding with Boehner and Cantor on most crucial roll calls and seducing a gaggle of naive freshmen Democrats to join the GOP in it's efforts to cut benefits to seniors who rely on the Social Security and Medicare payments they have earned (while Murphy was working hard to become an heir by picking wealthy parents).

I know a lot of ex-Republicans. Not all of them are like Patrick Murphy. I have tremendous respect, for example, for the work Markos Moulitsas has done organizing the Daily Kos community and as an author and activist. He's started out as a Republican, saw the light and has worked hard to do the right thing. When I first met Andrew Hounshell his reasons for leaving the GOP he was born into reminded me of Markos' story. I asked him to write it out for DWT. I hope you'll read it-- and consider contributing to his campaign to beat Boehner here at the 2014 Blue America page.

Why I'm A Democrat

by Andrew Hounshell

I was 5 years old when I heard the dreadful news that our President had been shot in a failed assassination attempt. Even at that young age, I felt the impact the event had on the grown-ups around me. On the way to the grocery store, I asked my mother if we could get a get well card and send it to President Reagan. Together, we picked out one and mailed it to the White House. A few weeks later we received an official letter on White House Stationary from the President, thanking me for the well wishes. Our local newspaper ran a story, “Middletown Boy Gets White House Response,” and I was the talk of the town. From that moment on, this 5 year old from southwest Ohio loved President Reagan and thought he could do no wrong.

Fast forward 10 or 12 years, my brother was stationed in Germany while serving in the Army and was being transferred to Ft. Lewis, Washington unable to take any leave to visit his family due to his orders. His wife had given birth to our parent’s first grandchild and they had yet been able to see him. As legend goes (time clouds the memories in my family), someone made a call to our Congressman’s office (then a fairly new John Boehner) and my brother was able to get his orders changed so he could take leave and visit with his family before reporting to Ft. Lewis. In my young impressionable eyes, John Boehner was personally responsible for me getting to see my nephew for the first time, and getting to spend some precious time with my oldest brother after not seeing him for years. Once again, a young Andrew Hounshell was quite impressed by yet another Republican politician showing how much they cared about my family. These guys were great!

What I didn’t know was what was happening to other families around me. If I had been older than 5 years old when I bought that Get Well card, I might have known that it was only five months later, when our President fired over 11,000 PATCO striking Union workers; a move which has been described as starting “America’s downward spiral;” that our nation’s wages would stagnant for the rest of my life. That decision didn’t affect me as a kid, but nearly 30 years later, it is an event that persuaded me to take a deeper look into policy decisions that our elected officials make and ask myself a deeper question. Could it be the dear Republicans I grew up admiring, were not as supportive of the very middle class that I now spend my adult life fighting for?

Yep... triplets

Memories like mine can mold and shape a person’s voting patterns for a lifetime. Luckily for me, my thirties brought on a time of clarity. There wasn’t one particular event that turned on a light bulb, but rather a combination of many: college, union work, community work, my father relying on the VA for health care, my mother relying on her Social Security to survive, in-laws going without health insurance because they can’t afford it after my father in-law was laid-off from Delphi, having 3 children at one time (the list goes on and on). I realized that through policy, our elected officials do have a huge impact on our livelihood. Through cuts in Social Security, appointments to the NLRB, cuts to the VA, immigration reform (or lack thereof), tax loopholes for corporations, subsidies to oil companies, etc., our middle class has been eroded and we are not taking care of those who can no longer take care of themselves.

The Republicans I loved as a child, and I thought loved me back, were the very ones who were supporting this erosion. How could this be?

The five year old in me feels so betrayed. It turns out, I’ve been caught up in a very real version of the fairytale, Little Red Riding Hood. At first glance, Grandma looked sweet and innocent, with her thank you card from the White House and an a few weeks of leave for a soldier to visit his family. Now that I am all grown up and have a family of my own to support, I see what big teeth you have, and how you have used them to take a huge bite out of the Middle Class. Like many voters in Ohio’s 8 th District and in this country, I see the GOP for what it really is. No disguise is good enough to hide the Big Bad Wolf these days.

Now I dedicate my time to trying to make this world a better place for my children and that includes supporting those who actually support the working class in this country. In 2012, when I looked for that person in the 8th District of Ohio, the ballot was blank. It was then that I decided in 2014 there was going to be a Democratic option for my family, neighbors, coworkers, and community; an option that leads to re-building our Middle Class and a stronger America. No More Boehner. Our Time is Now.

Andrew Hounshell Is Taking On Boehner's Toxic "Free" Trade Agenda

When I first talked to Andrew Hounshell, the Democrat running for Congress in Ohio's 8th district, the seat currently occupied by John Boehner, I was a little worried because all I knew about him is that he was a friend of Obama's and that he's a steel worker and a vice president of his local union, the International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW). I soon realized that just because President Obama invited him to introduce him at the big Cincinnati campaign rally last September that didn't mean he would be parroting any of Obama's specific policies. In fact, when we talked about U.S. trade policy, Andy kept referencing Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, not President Obama. Many people see Obama's trade agenda almost as corporate and Big Business-oriented as George Bush's was and John Boehner's is. Andy talks about "fair trade," not so-called "free trade."

When we spoke a few days ago he was working out some of the problems that Boehner and Obama pushed through as part of the U.S.-Korea "Free Trade" Pact last year. "John Boehner," he told me, "is still using the same model for the Trans-Pacific deal but it's been working out very badly in the Korean deal. Obama should abandon the approach. U.S. exports to Korea are down by 9 percent since the deal was implemented and imports from Korea are way up. And, just like many of us who opposed the deal predicted, the U.S. trade deficit when Korea is up by 30 percent. That means we're losing good manufacturing jobs. That nine percent decrease in exports to Korea since the trade deal began amounts to over $3 billion. Speaker Boehner never talks about losses like that when he pushes these policies. Our exports to Korea are up by around $800 million; there's no balance there."

The big multinationals don't have any problems with this kind of imbalance. They don't care what currencies their profits come in as. Although he's no longer a Member of Congress, long time corporate whore and founder of the Congressional Trade Working Group, David Dreier made a speech in 2009 on the House floor that pleased the campaign donors who financed his long DC career. "It goes back to my education in college; and that is, the notion of the United States of America playing a leading role in global economic growth so that we can increase the number of good American jobs. That means good jobs right here in the United States of America. I believe that trade is key to that. Trade, global trade, is going to play a big role in creating jobs, jobs, jobs." Really? Joshua Holland, cut Dreier's corporate cheerleading to ribbons in his book, The Fifteen Biggest Lies About The Economy.

Dreier gave that speech during the most severe unemployment crisis the United States had faced since the 1930s. It’s a stunningly counterintuitive assertion, because trade agreements facilitate the offshoring of jobs to countries with lower labor costs, which in turn beefs up companies’ profits. That dynamic is evident in executive pay—a 2004 study by the Institute for Policy Studies found that “CEOs at companies that outsource the most U.S. jobs are rewarded with bigger paychecks.” The authors found that “Average CEO compensation at the 50 firms outsourcing the most service jobs increased by 46 percent in 2003, compared to a 9 percent average increase for all CEOs at the 365 large companies surveyed by BusinessWeek.”

As Dean Baker put it, “The truth is, we carefully structured these trade agreements-- we put great effort into it-- to put our manufacturing workers into competition with manufacturing workers in developing nations.

"That meant going to these places and asking: What kind of problems does General Motors face if they want to set up a manufacturing plant in Mexico or Malaysia or China? What can we do to make it as easy as possible? That means that they know they can set up their factory and not have it nationalized, not have restrictions on repatriating profits, etc. Then they need to be able to import the goods back into the United States, and that means not only making sure there are no tariffs or quotas, but also that there’s no safety or environmental restrictions that might keep the goods out."

The offshoring trend can only get worse as long as we stay the present course on trade. Alan Blinder, a conservative economist at Princeton University, estimated that as many as 29 percent of U.S. jobs are offshorable.

And it’s not simply a matter of jobs sent overseas. In a 2007 study analyzing fifty years of research, economist Josh Bivens argued that the current (and largely bipartisan) trade regime adds some bucks to the paychecks of America’s highest earners but keeps wages down for 70 percent of the U.S. workforce, even adjusting for the greater purchasing power they might enjoy because of cheap imports flooding the shelves of Wal-Mart. He found that corporate-driven “free-trade” agreements not only increase the gap between richer and poorer countries, but also add to inequality among citizens of wealthy states such as the United States. Bivens estimated the direct cost of “free trade” deals to families in the middle of the economic pile to be $2,135 per year. That’s about 50 percent more than the same family pays in federal income taxes annually ($1,495).

It’s tempting to focus only on the economic impacts of trade deals such as NAFTA, but it’s just as important to dig deeper into the antidemocratic nature of the “free trade” orthodoxy pushed by Big Business. All too often, progressives tie themselves up in knots discussing trade because they argue the issue on corporate America’s terms, instead of going to the root of the matter: “free trade” isn’t free, and it often has nothing to do with what most people would consider “trade.”

If the central question we’re asking is “Free trade or protectionism?” the debate is already lost. That’s how the corporate globalizers have presented it and that’s how the media-- which clearly have a horse in the race-- report it. And that’s why the so-called free traders have been able to keep the upper hand.

Here’s the truth about “free trade” agreements. When you talk about trade policy, you’re really talking about the enormous influence of corporate power over democratic governance. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), the gutsy leader of the fair-trade caucus, explained the close connection during the lead-up to the vote on the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) in 2005. “Our political system is now up for the highest bidder,” Brown told me at the time. “Energy bills are written by oil companies and environmental bills are written by the chemical companies.

"Similarly, this trade agreement-- CAFTA-- but other trade agreements, too, have been written by a select few for a select few-- and that select few is typically the drug industry, the insurance and financial institutions, and the energy companies, and the largest multinational corporations. It’s the same old song, whether it’s international or it’s domestic.

In his book The Myths of Free Trade, Brown described thousands of corporate jets stacked up over D.C. as the vote neared, carrying industry execs eager to descend on the city to lobby for the agreement. Trade policy is clearly an insider’s game.

In their book Whose Trade Organization, Lori Wallach and Patrick Woodall found that among the hundreds of “experts” who sat on the advisory boards that hammered out the thousands of pages of WTO and NAFTA rules, there were only a handful of representatives of labor. The rest were multinational execs and various lawyers, lobbyists, and sundry industry experts. There was almost zero input from human rights groups, environmentalists, or the rest of society. It’s not only that the treaties we’ve signed are flawed, but the process by which they’re created makes it all but impossible that they would benefit working people or protect our commons. These are simply not corporate America’s priorities (nor those of its counterparts in Japan or the EU).

Ohio voters were savvy enough to elect Sherrod Brown to the Senate and-- despite $18,868,809 spent by Josh Mandel against him, as well as another $13,870,821 in Dark Money from shady outfits with money from Rove, the Koch brothers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (which launders illegal money into American election for interests in China) and Adelson-- to reelect him with a margin of nearly 300,000 votes. It's crucial for the whole country to have someone like Brown in the Senate when trade policies are discussed and decided on. It will be just as crucial to have a steel worker, rather than another career politician and lawyer, in on those discussions in the House. If you'd like to help Andrew Houshell replace John Boehner, please consider a contribution here at the Blue America Act Blue page. And then watch Sherrod talking about trade with China below-- something that suddenly filled U.S. Chamber campaign chests with lots of unaccounted for cash.