DONNA EDWARDS-- A VOICE FOR POST-BUSH AMERICA

Let me lay it right on the line. A couple of months ago when Bush flew to Seattle to do a fundraiser for rubber stamp hack Dave Reichert, the blogosphere dug deep and helped Darcy Burner outraise Bush and Reichert. How different is it for another creature from Inside the Beltway, Madam Off the Table, to be headlining a fundraiser for one of the most treacherous and sleazy Democrats in Congress, Al Wynn? Wynn has no Republican challenge. Pelosi is shameless-- and quickly losing all credibility. She is there to make sure Wynn can beat a brilliant, energetic and progressive real Democrat, Donna Edwards. If Donna Edwards were in Congress instead of Al Wynn, Maryland would have one of the nation's sharpest public policy minds at work for it. And America would have someone who understands what a progressive is and understands that the role of government is not just self-enrichment for officials.

Democrats like Donna Edwards, Mark Pera, and John Laesch are all in primary battles against reactionary hacks. They are battling the Insider socialization and the Democratic Establishment mindset that worked hand in glove to present our country with, and perpetuate, the foul Regime of George W. Bush. At best, Madam Off the Table has turned from a true blue progressive to a George Bush co-dependent. At worst she is a full-fledged collaborator.

George Bush will finally be gone in January of 2009, in all likelihood replaced by Hillary Clinton who will have to be a lot more progressive-- and a lot less a part of establishment insider corruption-- than her husband ever was to even begin to tackle the real mess being left by 8 years of the toxic Bush Regime. I have my doubts that she will measure up to the job; I hope I'm wrong. And that makes it even more essential to elect men and women like Donna Edwards, Mark Pera and John Laesch. Imagine being rid of the likes of Bush Dogs Al Wynn and Dan Lipinski, not to mention ultimate rubber stamp Denny Hastert-- 3 of the root causes of all that is wrong in Washington-- and replacing them with the best and the brightest!

We have seen this year that it is not good enough to just replace horrible Republicans with mediocre-- or worse than mediocre-- Democrats. There is probably little we can do, at least right now, to rid ourselves of Republican-lite garbage like John Barrow and Jim Marshall in Georgia, Gene Taylor in Mississippi or Chris Carney and Jason Altmire in Pennsylvania-- let alone Steny Hoyer or Rahm Emanuel. But Al Wynn and Dan Lipinski are weak and faltering and Donna Edwards and Mark Pera are strong and ascending. Simultaneously, the insider millionaire shill in IL-14, Blue Dog Bill Foster, is a laughing stock everywhere west of DCCC headquarters (not counting those whose fealty he has purchased) and John Laesch is poised to stomp his Blue Dog ass into the ground. Laesch is a natural and energetic leader for serious progressives who understands there is a real job to do in this country.

Saturday Nancy Pelosi Madam Off the Table will be in Silver Spring to help a reactionary and corrupt tool of the Bush Regime raise money to fight a strong and vibrant progressive voice. Pelosi knows no shame. She is owned by Hoyer and Emanuel and the Clinton Machine. She is them and not us. Let's give some special help over the next few days to Donna Edwards' campaign. Matt Stoller put together a special Act Blue page, Better Democrats that I want to invite you to visit. Matt also has a powerful explanation of what we're trying to accomplish over at OpenLeft, as does Jane at FDL. Donna's campaign put together a special Halloween video for today I thought you might enjoy:



And let me leave you with a statement from James Rucker of Color of Change:

"Black Americans have long relied on Black elected officials like Al Wynn to represent their interests in Washington, and far too often, they find those leaders unaccountable and compromised. Al Wynn has repeatedly worked against the interests of his Black constituents, siding instead with big business and the wealthy special interests that fund his campaigns.

Today, we're saying enough is enough. Donna Edwards, Wynn's opponent in the Democratic primary, has been a powerful advocate for policies that benefit the Black community, especially low-income Black folks. She has an excellent record of public service, and we are confident that once in office she will serve her constituents with integrity and accountability.

While Nancy Pelosi holds a fundraiser this weekend in support of one of the least accountable members of the Congressional Black Caucus, we're asking Black folks to stand up, demand better representation, and support Donna Edwards for Congress."

Donna Edwards To Helm The DCCC's Red To Blue Program

I'm still in the beginning on the awesome new book by Elizabeth Warren, A Fighting Chance. I just read a few pages every night before going to bed and then meditate on it as a lesson of the day. I'm reading about her focus on bankruptcy and how her academic peers-- and the entire Establishment-- defined bankruptcy as a kind of moral failure for the men and women who had been forced into it, often through the kind of medical catastrophe that could devastate any family. People filing, her research showed, weren't "lazy bums"-- the preconception-- but, more often than not, ordinary families.

My meditation last night led me to the original struggle Donna Edwards led against an entrenched conservative Democrat, Al Wynn, a backer of a predatory Republican bankruptcy bill sponsored by the avaricious banksters. Donna mobilized the netroots like no one had ever done before. Her Maryland race was a model of what could be. The Establishment lined up behind Wynn, and not just creeps like Steny Hoyer and his K Street allies. More than a few progressives working for Edwards had their hearts broken when Nancy Pelosi hosted a high-profile fundraiser for Wynn in Silver Spring.

A few days before that fundraiser I was feeling pretty bitter: Let me lay it right on the line, I wrote at the time. A couple of months ago when Bush flew to Seattle to do a fundraiser for rubber stamp hack Dave Reichert, the blogosphere dug deep and helped Darcy Burner outraise Bush and Reichert. How different is it for another creature from Inside the Beltway, Madame Off the Table, to be headlining a fundraiser for one of the most treacherous and sleazy Democrats in Congress, Al Wynn? Wynn has no Republican challenge. Pelosi is shameless-- and quickly losing all credibility. She is there to make sure Wynn can beat a brilliant, energetic and progressive real Democrat, Donna Edwards. If Donna Edwards were in Congress instead of Al Wynn, Maryland would have one of the nation's sharpest public policy minds at work for it. And America would have someone who understands what a progressive is and understands that the role of government is not just self-enrichment for officials.

The same week, I wrote that Pelosi had chosen that weekend to host a bevy of corrupt lobbyists and Establishment insiders in Silver Spring who were supporting Donna's opponent, one of the most reactionary and bribery-prone Democrats in Congress, Steny Hoyer protege Al Wynn.While Pelosi and many of the worst elements of American politics were planning their gala fundraiser for Wynn, Donna was being honored for her years of commitment and service to the environment with the 2007 Conservationist of the Year Award from The Maryland Chapter of Sierra Club.

Today Matt Stoller works as a legislative aide to Alan Grayson-- another insurgent progressive, like Donna, who beat the Establishment in the primary and went on to win a House seat. Back then, Stoller was a blogger, activist and organizer and he was on the ground with the Edwards campaign.

Obama and Edwards Lobbying Bashing: Al Wynn Takes the Money
By Matt Stoller

I guess I see the reason that Edwards and Obama keep bashing lobbyists. Tomorrow, Al Wynn is having a fundraiser at the office of nuclear industry giant Entergy at 9am. Entergy is a huge Bush-Cheney backer, with former Republican Congressman and current pharma head (and Wynn donor) Billy Tauzin on its board.

The invitation, which you can see above, says in a large font 'Honoring Rep. Al Wynn, Committee on Energy and Commerce'. This Democratic primary is about change, and there's going to be a media event and protest outside Wynn's office tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I'm going out to 101 Constitution Ave right near the Capitol at 9am. While I can't get to New Hampshire, change is everywhere, even outside of lobbyist and energy company offices in DC.

This morning when I woke up-- after my bankruptcy/Al Wynn/Donna Edwards mediation-- I saw the announcement that Donna had been named the head of the DCCC's Red-to-Blue program. I wrote her a short note of congratulations. I haven't put much credence in the program since Rahm Emanuel made it into a vehicle for stocking the Democratic caucus with conservative corporate shills in his own image. Steve Israel has certainly tried continuing that ugly agenda-- on steroids (although he mostly fails, as he does with everything he tries). Maybe it's worth noting that when a minority of Democrats-- all the regular Blue Dogs and corporate shills-- crossed the aisle to vote for the Wall Street-GOP bankruptcy bill, it wasn't just Al Wynn who was sealing his fate... Steve Israel was, of course, one of the traitors too-- as was Steny Hoyer. Almost all of those disloyal Democrats have, like Wynn, since been defeated and Hoyer and Israel are two of the only survivors, although Allyson Schwartz in the EMILY's List candidate for governor of Pennsylvania now and Ron Kind is the head of the New Dems

When Debbie Wasserman Schultz was the head of Red-to-Blue she went so far as to actually endorse three Miami-Dade Republicans, her corrupt cronies Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and the Diaz-Balart brothers, instead of the three Democrats running that year.

I have every reason to believe Donna will turn things around at the DCCC, at least to the point where it is no longer the engine of conservatism and corruption that Emanuel and Israel turned it into. According to ProgressivePunch, since Donna first beat Wynn and came to Congress, her crucial vote score has been 95.79, the 6th most progressive in Congress, fractionally ahead of Keith Ellison's 95.43 and even ahead of progressive icons like Barbara Lee, John Lewis, Jerry Nadler, George Miller and John Lewis. She isn't the loudest and she isn't disruptive but she's been steady and has always had her eye on the prize. I really do expect a different kind of Red to Blue, one at least ideologically neutral.

IS AL WYNN REALLY THAT BAD? ...WORSE

Nancy Pelosi made her choice-- the wrong one

I don't know Donna Edwards that well, mostly just some phone calls, e-mail exchanges and one or two face-to-face meetings. But I feel confident in saying that I would rather vote for her to be president than anyone running from either party. Unfortunately, she isn't running for president and, in all likelihood, the ole triangulating Clinton Machine will be back in the saddle in DC come January '09. It should be a step, even if just a baby step, in the right direction. And if we have a progressive Congress, it might not be too big an impediment in cleaning up Bush's mess. But that's a big if.

As I mentioned yesterday, the leader of the House Democrats, from a Maryland-connected political family, Nancy Pelosi is on the campaign trail. But she isn't out there fighting for strong, brilliant, courageous progressives. No, in fact, she's out there fighting for the forces of reaction and corporate corruption. Her candidate is Al Wynn (D-MD), one of the worst Democrats in the Congress.

Sure, his voting habits have gotten markedly better since Donna came out of nowhere and missed retiring him by a handful of (disputed) votes. He was so frightened that he actually started voting with the Democrats instead of with the Republicans. Previously, Ms Pelosi's favored Maryland candidate voted against her and for authorizing Bush's attack on Iraq and against her virtually every time Bush decided to ship more men and money over to Iraq. He and Pelosi never did agree on the GOP plans to abolish the estate tax either. Pelosi's position was one that was based on fairness to working people and the middle class. Wynn, voting consistently with the GOP, favored a position that favored the hereditary wealth of America's 200 wealthiest families-- and no one else. Very few Democrats were in cahoots with now-jailed GOP rainmaker Jack Abramoff when it came to ethics non-reform but Pelosi's Maryland buddy was one of them. He and now-imprisoned Republicrook Bob Ney co-sponsored legislation to undermine campaign finance reform and undermine attempts to get lobbyists off the floor of Congress.

When Democrats tried to reform pension legislation to protect working families, the Republicans knew exactly who to turn to to undermine their efforts; yes, Pelosi's pal Wynn was only too happy to screw over working families... again. There are reasons-- all of them unfortunate-- why the notoriously corrupt head of Pharma, Billy Tauzin, is supporting Al Wynn. Disconcerting to find him and Nancy Pelosi on the same side. And how many Democrats joined Tom Delay in creating a fake issue on the back of Terri Schiavo? Not many-- and certainly not Nancy Pelosi-- but Al Wynn? Oh, yes... he was right there with DeLay and Bush-- just like he was on the Cheney energy bill that has driven gasoline and heating oil prices through the roof, and just like he was for the bankruptcy bill that certainly has helped his campaign contributors but has only helped substantial numbers of his constituents into dire financial crisis. He's been a friend of WalMart, an enemy of the environment, a pal to the telecom giants and the enemy of the Internet. Congratulations, Nancy Pelosi!

Please thank Speaker Pelosi, for Al Wynn and for taking impeachment off the table, here at the special ActBlue page we've set up to see if we can balance out her fundraiser for Wynn this weekend.

Get to know Donna a little and listen to what she has to say about Al Wynn's bankruptcy bill and why it's important that Democrats understand this disastrous law:



We're on our way to collecting the donations we need to neutralize Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, Rahm Emanuel, Harold Ford, Billy Tauzin and corrupt lobbyists who want to keep Wynn in office. We need BETTER Democrats. Donna Edwards is a better Democrat-- a MUCH better Democrat, and if you'd like to lend a hand, our Act Blue page is open for business!


UPDATE: TIME MAGAZINE NOTICED A LITTLE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE GRASSROOTS AND MADAM OFF THE TABLE

Karen Tumulty seems to have noticed that progressive and grassroots Democrats are disconcerted about Nancy Pelosi joining forces with crooked Republican lobbyist Billy Tauzin in trying to keep one of the most corrupt and reactionary members of Congress in office. I think it's the first time DownWithTyranny ever got mentioned in Time.


UPDATE: THE PEOPLE PARTY vs THE MONEY PARTY

Look at the Donna Edwards challenge to Wynn and the Pelosi-Hoyer-Emanuel Establishment through the analytic eyes of David Sirota, author of Hostile Takeover. Across the internet we're over a third of the way to our goal of doing to Pelosi's fundraiser for Wynn exactly what we did to Bush's fundraiser for Reichart-- not just helping people see why the two events are IDENTICAL but outraising both with people-power.

MARYLAND HAS A VERY IMPORTANT PRIMARY CONTEST THIS TUESDAY-- AND IT'S NOT ABOUT HILLARY AND OBAMA

Donna Edwards: Let's hope she runs for president one day

To say that Donna Edwards is one of Blue America's "favorite" candidates this year, is quickly borne out by a glance at our donation page. The over $60,000 we have contributed to her campaign this year is considerably higher what we have given to any of our other great candidates. In many ways Donna has been the ideal candidate, a grassroots progressive reformer imbued with the values and principles needed not just to be a stellar representative, but also to help build a national progressive movement.

I was, of course, overjoyed that today's Washington Post endorsed her bid to oust corrupt corporate pawn Al Wynn in Tuesday's Maryland primary. The endorsement points out that Donna "has been an effective, energetic advocate for a range of liberal causes -- the environment, higher minimum wages, stemming domestic violence, campaign finance reform. As a community organizer, she has been an unstinting voice for improving mass-transit options, although sometimes at the expense of building roads that the 4th District badly needs. Even in cases where she clashed with local developers, however, she won their respect as a sensible and no-nonsense adversary. Poised, persistent and principled, she would make a fine representative for the 4th District." The reasons they give though for dumping the incumbent brings me to something very important in their editorial-- and it isn't just about Wynn.

Mr. Wynn has long touted what he regards as a pragmatic ability to work across partisan lines. We're all for bipartisanship, but in Mr. Wynn's case, too often his stances have been unthinking and out of step with his district's interests. His vote to scrap the estate tax suggested he was indifferent to his own middle-class constituents. By flip-flopping on fuel-efficiency standards and opposing campaign finance reforms, he showed his contempt for clean air and clean government. And he seems scarcely aware of the import of his votes to permit federal courts to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case and to support a constitutional amendment banning flag-burning: granting federal courts a license to meddle in private affairs and cramping free speech... we think the district can do better and would with Ms. Edwards.

Fine, but I want to skip down to the very last sentence in the editorial, one dealing with someone else running for re-nomination and re-election Tuesday:

In the 5th District, Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, who is approaching 30 years in Congress and is now, as the House majority leader, a major political asset for Maryland, faces only token opposition.

This is a problem. Steny Hoyer, far more than Speaker Pelosi, has kept impeachment off the table and accountability just a dream for patriotic Americans. Steny Hoyer, even more than Emanuel, has been responsible for the pathetic lack of resolve among Democrats for dealing effectively with Iraq. Unlike Pelosi, Hoyer openly and aggressively backed Bush's attack on Iraq; now he does it behind the curtain. Hoyer-- and the rest of the Democratic Establishment-- have backed Wynn in this race; Hoyer more than anyone. It is shameful that he-- like Emanuel-- has no progressive primary challenger. Defeating Al Wynn Tuesday is, even apart from electing someone as stellar and awe-inspiring as Donna Edwards, is the closest anyone can come to telling Hoyer in no uncertain terms that we want Congress to end the war in Iraq, something the Post still does not want.

The latest polling from MD-04 predicts a victory for Donna.

A new survey of 400 likely Democratic primary voters in the district shows Donna Edwards leading incumbent Albert Wynn by eight points as we head into the final days of the primary campaign.  Donna Edwards' message of fighting for change and the public interest is winning supporters across the district while less than half (44%) of the voters think that Wynn is doing a good job.

Among the organizations which have defied an adamant and vindictive Insider Establishment of the Democratic Party to endorse Donna are:

SEIU
UFCW Local 400
UNITE HERE
Sierra Club
Progressive Neighbors
Clean Water Action
League of Conservation Voters
Friends of the Earth Action PAC
Progressive Maryland
Progressive Cheverly
Progressive Democrats of America
Democracy for America
Democracy for Montgomery County
Montgomery County Student Government Political Action Committee
EMILY's List
National Organization for Women
MoveOn.org
Feminist Majority Foundation
Women's Campaign Forum
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now! (ACORN) PAC
People for the American Way
and, of course, Blue America.

(Wynn depends on corporate bribes for his campaign but, of course, he has some nice-sounding endorsements too-- the usual hacks and shills of the Insider Establishment, organizations that were founded by idealists and have degenerated into grubby political puppets unworthy of their founders' visions or their members' trust: like NARL and AFSCME, who are always there when Rahm Emanuel or Steny Hoyer snap their fingers, regardless of the impact on their members.)

Donna sums up why she's the better candidate in less than 2 minutes on this clip:




UPDATE: HOW TO HELP DONNA

Matt Stoller is on the ground in MD-04 this week and he says this will all come down to the GOTV effort. He says at this time Donna's campaign needs one thing: volunteers. If you're in the area, they can use warm bodies.

DONNA EDWARDS IS A DEMOCRAT; AL WYNN IS A "DEMOCRAT"-- WINK, WINK, NUDGE, NUDGE

This is a great week for Blue America-endorsed progressive Democrat Donna Edwards (MD-04) and the Maryland chapter of the Sierra Club just capped it off by bestowing their 2007 Conservationist of the Year Award on her. As you know, Nancy Pelosi has chosen this weekend to host a bevy of corrupt lobbyists and Establishment insiders in Silver Spring who are supporting Donna's opponent, one of the most reactionary and bribery-prone Democrats in Congress, Steny Hoyer protege Al Wynn.

So while Pelosi and many of the worst elements of American politics were planning their gala fundraiser for Wynn, Donna was being "honored for her years of commitment and service to the environment with the 2007 Conservationist of the Year Award from The Maryland Chapter of Sierra Club. Bonnie Bick and former board chair Betsy Johnson, on behalf of the Maryland Chapter and its chair, Mike Martin, presented the award to Ms. Edwards at the Sierra Club Jamboree held at the Catoctin Mountain National Park."

"It's an honor and a privilege to receive this award from the Maryland Chapter of Sierra Club," said Ms. Edwards. "I have worked with many of these dedicated individuals on various environmental issues and I am proud to receive this recognition from my peers. I look forward to many more years of working together on the local and national level to promote environmental conservation and to address global warming."

"Donna Edwards is a true environmental leader," said Mike Martin, Chair of the Maryland Chapter of Sierra Club. "She has consistently provided the vision and the hard work needed on behalf of environmental issues locally and nationally for many, many years."

"I was so proud to be able to present this award to a long-time environmentalist," said Bonnie Bick. "Her hard work to make National Harbor more environmentally friendly and an all around better development for the community is a testament to her dedication. National Harbor is now an excellent example of a win-win situation for the environment, the community, and business development."

Al Wynn's environmental voting record, like so much of his record, is far to the right of Pelosi's and far to the right of where his constituents stand. He's not getting any awards from anyone who cares about the environment. Take 11 seconds to hear Donna explain why this Congress has an 11% approval rating:



Do you really want BETTER Democrats? You won't find one better than Donna Edwards-- anywhere. Across the internet, we're halfway to our goal of raising the same $100,000 in people money that Pelosi plans to squeeze out of favor-seeking lobbyists on behalf of Wynn tomorrow. Please join us in standing up to corrupt Democratic insiders the same way we stood up to corrupt Republican insiders. Here's the place to do it.

NOW IS THE TIME-- RIGHT NOW-- THAT YOU CAN STRIKE A BLOW FOR THE KIND OF GOOD GOVERNMENT YOU YEARN FOR

I spent a couple minutes on the phone today with Donna Edwards. She wanted to thank me for helping with the fundraising job. I wanted to thank her for being an inspiration and a model for citizen participation. Today, as Nancy Pelosi came into her district to raise money from corrupt lobbyists on behalf on Al Wynn, Donna visited Firedoglake, Daily Kos, and AmericaBlog. So there was Pelosi, hangin' out with the criminal element that pollutes our democratic system and there was Donna, taking questions from regular American citizens worried about things like health care, the war in Iraq, Social Security, bankruptcy, wiretapping-- all things we expected a Democratic Congress to work on, only to find out that they are nearly as corrupt and compromised as the Republicans they replaced. Madam Off the Table will be followed into MD-04 by the Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. He may not be Tom DeLay (his boss Rahm Emanuel is) but K Street loves him just as much as they loved DeLay.

If we're ever going to get our country back, it isn't only the corrupt, self-serving Republicans we need to overcome, but also the corrupt self-serving Insider Democrats. Al Wynn, with a record that should make any progressive weep, is a good surrogate-- for now-- for the head crooks, the Emanuels and Hoyers. And although the worst of the Insider Democratic parasites are joining Hoyer and Pelosi in trying to shore up Wynn-- like AFSCME and HRC-- others have taken a good look at the snake oil the Insiders are offering and have backed away in disgust. Emily's List is endorsing Donna next week. I hear rumors that SEIU will do likewise. The Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters, Friends of the Earth, Democracy for America, and National Organization of Women have and Progressive Maryland thumbed its nose at the Insiders' Club to come out for Donna within hours of Pelosi's ill-advised Wynn fundraiser.

Speaking to grassroots, idealistic activists, like Donna, as well as John Laesch, Darcy Burner, Dennis Shulman, Sam Bennett, Andrew Rice, Victoria Wulsin, Ron Shepston gives me hope for our country, hope that we can overcome the decadent corruption in the political system and put the welfare of ordinary Americans before the welfare of powerful special interests. Please take a couple of minutes and watch this video ValleyGirl put together from a 2006 debate between Al Wynn and Donna Edwards. The difference between the two candidates is pronounced and it is interesting to watch Steny Hoyer's body language as he moderated. He seems appalled at Donna's truth-telling and vigor and very much at ease with Wynn's obfuscating and bloviating. Al Wynn and Steny Hoyer are cut from the same political cloth. We'll never get our country back until they're both gone. Watch the video and then go to this page. Look what we raised for Donna in the last 3 days. With our partners at the other blogs and at Color of Change we're fast approaching our goal of $100,000. Help us get there.




UPDATE: CHANGE MEANS MORE THAN JUST TAKING POWER FROM HORRIBLE REPUBLICANS AND GIVING IT TO SLIGHTLY LESS HORRIBLE DEMOCRATS

According to a front page story in this morning's Washington Post Americans are deeply pessimistic and eager for a change in direction from the agenda and priorities of President Bush, The polling data is devastating for Republicans. "Just 24 percent think the nation is on the right track, and three-quarters said they want the next president to chart a course that is different than that pursued by Bush. Overwhelmingly, Democrats want a new direction, but so do three-quarters of independents and even half of Republicans. Sixty percent of all Americans said they feel strongly that such a change is needed after two terms of the Bush presidency."

Many of the leaders of the Democrats in Congress have been Bush enablers and continue to be Bush enablers. Rahm Emanuel and his lap dog Steny Hoyer have effective control over the House Democratic caucus and can force Nancy Pelosi to dance to any tune they play, the way she did yesterday in Maryland. Emanuel and Hoyer have guaranteed that the Democratic takeover of the Congress last year would not mean a break in Bush's policies in the Middle East, which both support. And their idea of "change" is that graft and corruption flow in their direction instead of Republicans' direction. Americans have to be a lot more careful when it comes time to vote. Voting for someone because they have a "D" next to their name doesn't mean they are voting for real change. True, there is not one-- not one-- Republican in either House of Congress worthy of re-election. But the only way to make sure we are voting for change is to challenge corrupt and reactionary Democrats in primaries and elect the good guys and defeat the bad guys.

I wish we were in a position to challenge people like Hoyer and Emanuel directly. Maybe next year. Now we need to pick our districts and races carefully and defeat their puppets. That's why Donna Edwards' race is so very crucial. Wynn is the worst kind of lackey you'll find in Congress-- and Hoyer owns his ass. And, fortunately, as bad as he is, that's how excellent Donna is. It should be a slam dunk. I wish I could say the same thing about races to unseat reactionary Democrats around the country. But I can't. In the vast majority of districts there is either no primary challenge or no credible primary challenge.

The Democrats with the absolute worst voting records in the House, those who vote most frequently with the Republicans for their agenda of endless war and special interests-- John Barrow (GA), Gene Taylor (MS), Jim Marshall (GA), Nick Lampson (TX), Heath Shuler (NC), Jason Altmire (PA), Dan Boren (OK), JoeDonnellyBradEllsworthBaronHill (IN), Jim Matheson (UT), and Chris Carney (PA)-- don't have challengers. (Actually Marshall and Hill, with their anti-SCHIP and pro-war votes have inspired grassroots challengers and we'll watch and see how those develop.)

Aside from Donna's primary, there are 4 we are trying to help with. First we need to back up freshman Steve Cohen in Memphis, a true progressive with a stellar voting record who is being challenged from the right with the help of the most corrupt and venal elements of the insider Democratic Party. There are also 3 important primaries in Illinois we're looking at. John Laesch's fight for the seat being abandoned by Denny Hastert features a classic Republican-lite Blue Dog running against the progressive, grassroots Laesch (Emanuel's Bill Foster). And there are two challenges to incumbent Bush Dogs-- Mark Pera's race against Dan Lipinski and Randi Scheuer's challenge to Melissa Bean. Emanuel is working behind the scenes to guarantee the re-election of the two Democrats who often vote with the GOP On key issues (like Iraq) and to make sure that Blue Dog Foster gets the party nod over Laesch. The Blue America ActBlue page is a convenient "one-stop-shopping" site where you can contribute to all 5 races with one click of the mouse.

Donna Edwards And The CBC

Although the Congressional Black Caucus's 501 (c)(4) has some CBC members on it, the board is primarily a gaggle of sleazy Beltway corporate lobbyists and consultants, not quite as bad as the notorious CBC PAC board, but not on the side of the angels by any stretch of any imagination. Conservative Democrat Angela Rye is on both boards. Wednesday morning the Bernie-hating Rye (of Impact Strategies), blasted "white progressives" on her Twitter account for pointing out that the CBC is a virtual vacuum cleaner for bribes from many of the worst corporate interests in Washington. According to investigative reporter lee Fang, she was responding to Black Lives Matter calling the CBC out for too cozy a relationship with Big Tobacco, although not even Rye could actually think someone is going to equate Black Lives Matter with the "white progressives" she hates with such a passion.

By February, political activists in the black community-- like Black Lives Matter-- were already denouncing the CBC for selling out to the Establishment by tacitly backing Chris Van Hollen's Maryland Senate race against CBC member Donna Edwards. The hate-filled Rye doesn't just hate Bernie and white progressives, she harbors an intense antipathy towards Donna Edwards and has worked with the corrupt Al Wynn to undermine Edwards at every opportunity. Needless to say corporate shills like Rye weren't comfortable reading this from Color of Change:

A Washington, DC Political Action Committee (PAC) that claims to speak for Black people but is really a mouthpiece for corporate power recently made two very big announcements that could impact important upcoming elections. Two weeks ago, the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, with it's lobbyist-dominated Board of Directors, made a high-profile endorsement of Hilary Clinton and quietly decided not to endorse, fellow CBC member, Rep. Donna Edwards' historic bid to become only the second Black woman to be elected to the Senate.


The lobbyists sitting on the CBC PAC’s board represent the worst of the worst-- companies that are notorious in the mistreatment and exploitation of Black people. The depth of corporate influence over the CBC PAC is so troubling because its endorsements carry the name of the Congressional Black Caucus, trading off a name that is wrapped in the moral authority of the civil rights movement. For hours, media incorrectly reported that the Congressional Black Caucus and not the CBC PAC endorsed Secretary Hillary Clinton for President. Meanwhile, the CBC PAC's corporate board members and donors who represent private prisons, big tobacco and the anti-worker National Restaurant Association were nowhere to be seen. This is wrong and the CBC must act to stop it now.


...The day following the endorsement in the Presidential race, Politico reported that the CBC PAC would not be endorsing Rep. Donna Edwards, a progressive hero, CBC member, and one of two Black women candidates in a competitive primary vying to become only the second Black woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate. According to reports, the decision was largely driven by CBC PAC board member, Al Wynn, the Congressman-turned-lobbyist who lost his seat to Edwards in 2008. Black voters ousted Wynn for his corporate ties back in 2008 but thanks to the corporate board of the CBC PAC, he is still speaking for Black people. If corporate lobbyists on the CBC PAC's board can decide to withhold support from someone like Rep. Edwards, why are they being allowed to operate under the banner of the Congressional Black Caucus?


Bought & Bossed


Although the Koch Brothers are absent, the lobbyists sitting on the CBC PAC’s board represent the worst of the worst-- companies that are notorious in the mistreatment and exploitation of Black people. As The Intercept reported:

Members of the CBC PAC board include Daron Watts, a lobbyist for Purdue Pharma, the maker of the highly addictive opioid OxyContin; Mike Mckay and Chaka Burgess, both lobbyists for Navient, the student loan giant that was spun off of Sallie Mae; former Rep. Albert Wynn, D-Md., a lobbyist who represents a range of clients, including work last year on behalf of Lorillard Tobacco, the maker of Newport cigarettes; and William A. Kirk, who lobbies for a cigar industry trade group on a range of tobacco regulations.


And a significant percentage of the $7,000 raised this cycle by the CBC PAC from individuals was donated by white lobbyists, including Vic Fazio, who represents Philip Morris and served for years as a lobbyist to Corrections Corporation of America, and David Adams, a former Clinton aide who now lobbies for Wal-Mart, the largest gun distributor in America.

Ironically, both Democrat Presidential candidates have shunned contributions from private prison lobbyists, while the CBC PAC remains silent about its relationship with them. The CBC PAC has taken thousands of dollars from Akin Gump, the lobbying firm that has made millions of dollars lobbying to protect their private prison client, Corrections Corporation of America over the last several years. Black caucus members should be leading, not following the disastrous trend towards more corporate control over government.


In addition, the CBC PAC has taken in even larger amounts directly from the Political Action Committees of harmful companies and industries. Anti-worker groups like the National Restaurant Association have given thousands to CBC PAC while they have worked to keep worker wages and benefits at a minimum. Other corporate donors include pay day loans company Cash America, Big Tobacco front group PURO PAC, and the telecommunications companies that worked to bring an end to an open and free internet.


As if it wasn’t bad enough to use the brand of the CBC as a front for corporate lobbyists, the CBC PAC board members used the event of their Presidential endorsement to deride young Black voters who may favor a different candidate. On a stage bought and paid for by some of the biggest corporations in America, Rep. G.K. Butterfield painted a picture of naïve and uninformed voters claiming “many of them are inexperienced and have not gone through a presidential election cycle before." Young Black voters were a decisive factor in securing victory for President Obama in both of his elections but the CBC PAC would rather criticize young people than their own corporate benefactors.


We saw this type of targeted corporate influence during the net neutrality debate, with big telecom lobbyists lining up to cut checks to Black leaders willing to destroy the open Internet. In fact many of the Black elected officials who opposed net neutrality also sit on the board of the PAC alongside bad corporations. This form of “civil rights washing”-- of wrapping dangerous policies in a cloak of support from Black gatekeepers-- cannot be trusted or lifted up as the voice of Black people.


... This isn’t about Hillary or Bernie, although they both have improved their stances on racial justice issues under pressure from the Black community and our allies, they still have room to grow. This is about changing the CBC PAC to stop it from representing itself as the voice of Black communities when it is dominated by some of the worst corporations for Black people.

Rachel Bade's Politico piece about Donna meeting with CBC members last week only scratches the surface of the tension between principled and dedicated legislators like Edwards who are in it to serve their constituents, and the careerist hacks who have very different priorities.

Only four of the 46 CBC members-- Reps. Gwen Moore of Wisconsin, Lacy Clay of Missouri, Robin Kelly of Illinois and Hank Johnson of Georgia-- are backing Edwards over Van Hollen, an unusually small number for a group known for standing by fellow African-American lawmakers. Meanwhile, Van Hollen has been making hay over his growing number of endorsements from black political leaders in Maryland, including some in Edwards’ district, though he has yet to be endorsed by a CBC member.

Edwards, who won her House seat by defeating Al Wynn, a popular member of the CBC, in a Democratic primary in 2008, has had a strained relationship with many black lawmakers from the start. But with she and Van Hollen running nearly neck-and-neck in a primary that many expected Van Hollen to win easily, Edwards has been reaching out over the past two weeks to members of the CBC to ask why they’re not backing her bid to be only the second black woman elected to the U.S. Senate. She’s also pressed her case with lawmakers at the Democratic Club restaurant, where members often eat.

Sources close to the CBC and lawmakers familiar with the conversations said some of Edwards’ CBC colleagues responded to her in frank terms. Members of the CBC have long considered her abrasive and said she’s not an easy colleague to work with.

“She has not developed good relationships with the members of the CBC, quite frankly,” said a source familiar with the CBC. “A lot of people find her difficult.”

Yes, people who want to get something done for the downtrodden and disadvantaged and who refuse to be bought by the "generous" corporate lobbyists who are as much the mainstay of the CBC as they are they mainstay of the New Dems and Blue Dogs, are always considered "difficult" by the Beltway elites who just want to see the pay-off rolling in smoothly. There is no greater sin in that world than successfully challenging a corrupt member who brought goodies to the table the way Al Wynn did-- and, now one of Washington's slimiest lobbyists-- still does. The corrupt conservatives who dominate the CBC have never forgiven Donna for ending his congressional career-- and for challenging him on a package of issues that could be used against most of them.

Angela Rye

True that only 4 CBC members endorsed Donna, but we found over a dozen who had contributed to her campaign, including stalwart progressives Barbara Lee (CA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ) and Yvette Clarke (NY). But so did Jim Clyburn (SC), CBC Chair G.K. Butterfield (NC), Marcia Fudge (OH), Joyce Beatty (OH), Sanford Bishop (GA), Corrine Brown (FL), Hank Johnson (GA), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX), Bennie Thompson (MS), Cedric Richmond (LA), Robin Kelly (IL), Eleanor Norton Holmes (DC), Danny Davis (IL), Lacy Clay (MO) and Gwen Moore (WI). Gwen's endorsement flew in the face of the bullshit Rye, Wynn and the other corruptionist are spreading about her on Van Hollen's behalf. "I am proud to endorse my friend and colleague Donna Edwards for the United States Senate in Maryland. Over the years, I’ve worked closely with Donna to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, tackle income inequality, and stand up to the special interests that try to dismantle the middle class and hurt our most vulnerable. I know when Donna steps into the halls of the United States Senate, she’ll continue the fight to make sure women receive equal pay for equal work and that we protect the victims of domestic abuse, not the aggressors."

Edwards’ defenders, however, say her fellow CBC members should be rallying around a black woman who stands a decent chance of reaching the Senate, where only one Democrat-- New Jersey’s Cory Booker-- is African-American. They say her fellow House members are punishing her for failing to schmooze with CBC members on a regular basis-- and because Van Hollen is known to be close to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

“Donna is about taking care of the business of governing-- and she is not particularly focused on backslapping and hobnobbing with everyone,” said Johnson. “Some members socialize, are very warm toward each other, play together, drink together and sit together on the floor-- and that’s fine. There are others who, for whatever reason, have a different trajectory, and I respect Donna for just being the person and representative that she is.”

Tuesday's the day. Van Hollen's bullying and avalanche of establishment money have worked to bolster his polling. If you know anyone in Maryland, please urge them to get out and vote for Donna Tuesday. The whole country needs her in the Senate. No one needs another cardboard cutout like Chris Van Hollen in the Senate or anywhere else.

In the interest of electing "more AND BETTER Democrats," it would be a no-brainer to replace Rep. Al Wynn with Donna Edwards in Maryland

Not all lobbying is dirty. I suppose as long as we have a more or less democratic government, with votes and rulings and decisions that can be swayed, there will be people who make it their business to sway away. It just gets dirty when special interests use their generously corporate-filled coffers to buy control of a portion of our system--in other words, a whole lot of the time. There's a reason why "K Street" has come to send a shiver through most of us on the progressive battlefronts.

Naturally the games lobbyists play are generally best conducted out of public view. But they're not exactly compulsive about their devotion to secrecy, as witness this post from Matt Stoller today on OpenLeft:

Obama and Edwards Lobbying Bashing:
Al Wynn Takes the Money
By Matt Stoller

I guess I see the reason that Edwards and Obama keep bashing lobbyists. Tomorrow, Al Wynn is having a fundraiser at the office of nuclear industry giant Entergy at 9am. Entergy is a huge Bush-Cheney backer, with former Republican Congressman and current pharma head (and Wynn donor) Billy Tauzin on its board.

The invitation, which you can see above, says in a large font 'Honoring Rep. Al Wynn, Committee on Energy and Commerce'. This Democratic primary is about change, and there's going to be a media event and protest outside Wynn's office tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I'm going out to 101 Constitution Ave right near the Capitol at 9am. While I can't get to New Hampshire, change is everywhere, even outside of lobbyist and energy company offices in DC.

Al Wynn's name will be familiar to regular DWT readers. His name usually comes up when we talk about the need to elect "more and better Democrats," most recently in connection with the mortgage crisis, where Wynn could as usual be found on the side of the moneyed interests--as his Democratic primary opponent, Donna Edwards, made clear.

As Howie has pointed out frequently, Wynn depends on unwavering support from the House leadership--Speaker Pelosi, fellow Marylander Majority Leader Hoyer, and Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel--even though he's rarely around when the leadership is waging, or thinking about waging, one of its tough fights. Donna Edwards gave Wynn a scare in 2006, and would instantly upgrade the quality of the House Democratic caucus if she captured that seat this time around. She has long been one of DWT's and Blue America's most admired congressional candidates, and we urge everyone to pitch in and support her and all the Blue America '08 candidates.

Howie also points out frequently that it doesn't matter if all you can afford to give is a small amount; the power of our fund-raising is that the small contributions can add up to significant--not to mention much-needed--infusions of cash for people who won't get money from the corporate givers.

The goal, again, is more AND BETTER Democrats!

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Maryland's Senate Race Demonstrates Exactly Why Primaries Are So Crucial

With all eyes focussed on the primaries in Wisconsin today-- although people should remember there is also a runoff for Milwaukee County Executive between billionaire/fake Dem Chris Abele and progressive champion Chris Larson-- this is also one week from the first day of early voting in Maryland, which has a crucial round of primaries 3 weeks from today. The most important House primaries are for the two seats being vacated by the two contestants for the open Senate seat. MD-08 pits progressive Jamie Raskin against two Big Money conservatives, some beer and wine billionaire and Chris Matthews' lobbyist wife. And MD-04, the seat Donna Edwards is giving up, needs to replace her with a candidate as staunchly progressive-- state legislator Joseline Peña-Melnyk. But the big one in Maryland, of course, is the classic fight-- progressive vs Wall Street-backed establishment-- for the Senate seat, pitting Donna Edwards against Chris Van Hollen. (Blue America has endorsed Donna, Joseline and Jamie and you can contribute to all three campaigns on the same ActBlue page here.)

I wanted to run the web spot above because Van Hollen and his easy-purchased allies have been running up and down the state claiming Donna doesn't care about her constituents. That's just another in the long, ugly list of Van Hollen lies and her constituents know better. Watch the clip.

The polling has been back and forth and always pretty close between the two candidates. Two weeks ago Donna was up by 10. Last week, Van Hollen released his own poll showing him up by 5. This is going to go right down to the wire. And it's one of the most important races in the country-- not if you think all that matters is D vs R, blue vs red. Donna and Van Hollen are both Democrats and either could easily win in November. But DWT readers well know that there is a difference between what is sometimes called the Elizabeth Warren wing of the party and the corporate wing that represents Thomas Frank's "top 10%" or profession class. Frank's explanation of what went wrong with the Democratic Party is a clear definition of Chris Van Hollen. Donna Edwards is the quintessential champion of working families and has been for as long as we've known her, going back years before she ever ran for Congress. Van Hollen is a garden variety Democrat who will bend with whichever wind blows strongest. He's a careerist who stands for nothing at all, except himself. Handed responsibility once before-- when Pelosi made the colossal error of appointing him DCCC chairman-- he promptly lost dozens and dozens of seats due to his own grotesque incompetence, wracked up the worst history of any DCCC chairman since James Rood Doolittle (who became a Republican), and handed the House majority over to John Boehner on a silver platter. And now, always the entitled one, he's back looking for another undeserved promotion!

Don Hazen and Jan Frel, writing for AlterNet and pointing out that, thanks to his Wall Street financiers, Van Hollen is outspending Donna ten to one, term the Maryland Senate race "a referendum on how progressive the Democratic Party will become." In that way, it's like the primary in Florida between progressive champion Alan Grayson and conservative ("ex"-Republican) Wall Street errand boy Patrick Murphy.

This Senate race has taken on national significance because Edwards, if elected, would make history as only the second African American woman ever to serve in the U.S. Senate. She has emerged as the progressive, grassroots candidate with more than 56,000 donors building on her history of knocking off entrenched incumbent Albert Wynn to make it to Congress eight years ago. And she enjoys the support of national groups like Jim and Howard Dean’s Democracy for America, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Maryland’s Working Families Party.

The race for the Senate in Maryland is about something more than the pathetic lack of diversity in the Senate. The clash between Edwards and Von Hollen is being seen as a referendum on how progressive the Democratic Party will become. The New York Times magazine quotes Neil Sroka of Democracy for America: “We view primaries like this one as a fight over the future of the Democratic Party.”

Edwards’ positions on trade, banking, Social Security and Israel, among others, differentiate her from her liberal opponent Rep. Van Hollen, who has taken on the mantle of the insider candidate after racking up endorsements from Maryland’s political establishment and large donations, increasingly from business interests. For example, Van Hollen has been the recent recipient of more than $900,000 from the National Association of Realtors...

Clearly, for many voters, there are not enough progressives, women or people of color in the Senate. Those factors, as well as Edwards’ charismatic personality and record of service, have generated a lot of enthusiasm for her candidacy.

Edwards told AlterNet why she wants to be in the Senate: "My campaign is about the grassroots stepping up and saying enough with business as usual in Washington. It’s about Maryland’s working families who deserve a progressive champion in the United States Senate. As Maryland’s next senator, I will fight for the woman who deserves equal pay for equal work, the worker who needs a living wage to provide for their family, and to hold the Wall Street banks that crashed our economy accountable."

There are many ways Donna Edwards’ campaign resembles Bernie Sanders’ surprisingly strong primary campaign against Hillary Clinton. Both Van Hollen and Clinton are the favorites of the corporate media, party insiders and the deep-pocketed donors who pump a lot of money into campaigns. Edwards, like Sanders, has established a successful grassroots funding operation. She has been speaking to the hopes of an electorate fed up with insider politics that sets the bar very low for what can be accomplished. Van Hollen, like Clinton, has tried to position himself as the practical candidate who can wheel and deal and get things done.

...[L]ike Sanders, Edwards has been marginalized and victimized by the mainstream media, particularly the Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post (which published 16 negative articles about Sanders in one day). Misrepresenting Edwards as being too idealistic, the Post also constantly portrays her as an activist and single mother and in editorials suggests she does not work well with others. This sexist portrayal is quite a stretch, as anyone who knows Edwards and her work understands that she is pragmatic and far from a rigid ideologue (just as Sanders has been very successful behind the scenes in D.C. shaping legislation).

...One reason Edwards is running so strongly is that her vision is in sync with the goals and hopes of many progressives in Maryland and across the country. Jim Dean of the national Democrats for America explains it all in bullet points:

Donna Edwards is the true progressive in this all-important race. She is:

• The only candidate in the race who won’t take a dime from the Wall Street banks
• A leader in the fight against the TPP
• A strong defender of Planned Parenthood and a woman’s right to choose
• A leader on racial justice and equality
• The first member of Congress in Maryland to endorse marriage equality
• The only candidate in the race opposed to mandatory minimum sentencing
• A fighter for every family-- regardless of zip code

Dean adds: "Donna Edwards is also the only candidate in the race who has always opposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare-- and who has been a leader in the fight to expand both crucial programs."

That video just above is the new ad Donna'c campaign wants to run. If you like it and would like to help her get it up on TV in Baltimore where it can make all the difference, please consider chipping in by tapping the Donna Edwards ActBlue thermometer:

UPDATE: New Poll

Despite all the Wall Street and realtor money being poured into the race for Van Hollen, today's Washington Post released a poll showing Donna ahead of the establishment candidate among likely voters 44-40%. Her favorables are 64% to Van Hollen's 56%, in part die to the ugly, bullying campaign he has run against her.

NOW-- ON PBS: DONNA EDWARDS vs THE MACHINE

Last night PBS' NOW ran a show, "Democrats Divided 2008," featuring the contest between Donna Edwards and Al Wynn. It starts off with a bias that drives me insane. "Can moderates from the Party's Establishment turn back a challenge from the progressive wing?" asks the putatively authoritative announcer, David Brancaccio. What makes the behavior of Al Wynn "moderate?" He voted with Bush and Cheney on Iraq and he is a consistent supporter of the radical right corporatist agenda-- owned, lock, stock and barrel by sleazy lobbyists. Is that the new definition of "moderate?" He then goes on to claim that "the middle of the road policies shaping by Bill Clinton and embraced by many party leaders are now under attack." Who wrote this for him? Rahm Emanuel. What makes the Clinton-Bush trade policies that have ravaged the American middle class "middle of the road?"

Brancaccio and his Emanuel-scripted blathering soon gives way to Maria Hinojosa talking about "Democracy in action" and focusing on Donna Edwards' campaign in Maryland's 4th congressional district-- for 2 seconds. And then she's yammering on how "by anybody's definition Al Wynn is a liberal Democrat, well-matched to his district." I nearly turned it off at that point. I'm glad I didn't because it soon gave way to footage of Donna explaining the real differences-- differences apparently too subtle for Hinojosa or Brancaccio-- between Wynn and herself. And then... Matt Stoller gets his say. Matt's is one of the most articulate and brilliant voices in the blogosphere. He's able to explain the race-- crashing through the subtleties in a way even a Brancaccio or Hinojosa can understand. And Matt, doesn't use the Establishment propaganda language-- accurately replacing "moderate" when talking about reactionary Democrats with "conservative."

The funniest moment in the show is when Wynn, acknowledges the public record that shows him taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from big business interests. "I think there's too much money in politics," he agrees. "But I don't write the rules." [He doesn't? Isn't that exactly why there's too much money in politics-- because corrupt, self-serving incumbents like Wynn and Emanuel do write the rules and because they write they to serve their own narrow interests?] "What I do say to voters is 'Look, you can look at my record both on the contribution side and on the vote side and I can show you instances where I have voted against the interests of people who have given me contributions." [It's true-- he regularly screws the members of Establishment puppet labor unions like AFSCME by voting against their interests while the corrupt party boss, Gerald McEntee, dances to whatever jig Rahm Emanuel and Nancy Pelosi are playing for him.

The show uses Donna's campaign against the corrupt and reactionary Insider Wynn to show the battle for the soul of the Democratic Party between the grassroots and the Inside-the-Beltway Establishment. You can watch the video at the PBS page, here. If you watch it, though, beware that Matt Bai is also on it, spouting his regular, ignorant nonsense.

After you watch it, please consider going over to Blue America's Act Blue page and contributing to Donna Edwards, John Laesch, and Mark Pera, all of whom face Insider hacks in primaries next month.

WHICH POLITICIANS WILL BE HURT BY THE MORTGAGE CRISIS?

Mortgage crisis likely to destroy Donna's opponent, Al Wynn

Somewhat ironically, a DCCC employee sent out a powerful piece from the new issue of Time today, Will Bad Mortgages Hurt the GOP? It's very likely they already have. A slew of Republican rubber stamps in districts with worried and pissed off homeowners have been announcing their retirements every week. All of these retirees have something in common-- aside from craving lucrative jobs on K Street: they all voted for Bush's heinous and, for hundreds of thousands of homeowners, catastrophic bankruptcy bill.

Tim Walberg was one of the rare Republican success stories in 2006. After defeating Joe Schwarz, the moderate G.O.P. incumbent Congressman in his rural southwestern Michigan district, he went on to narrowly beat Democrat Sharon Renier with just 50% of the vote. Walberg, a fiscal conservative, ran on a platform of limited government, tax cuts and strong support of the war in Iraq.

Last Thursday, to the delight of Democrats, Walberg lived up to his conservative ideals-- voting against a bill in the House that tightens restrictions against predatory lending. The measure, which garnered the support of 64 Republicans in passing 291-127, would force lenders to apply for licenses and require them to verify the ability of borrowers to repay loans. "I think the market always works when we let it," Walberg told TIME just before voting against the measure. "We want to make sure that we have opportunities for consumers to have safe and opportune mortgages. This bill, I think, goes away from that, puts heavy regulation in place, discourages lending practices for just very few people who've had that problem."

As the subprime mortgage crisis has worsened and Democrats have moved to pass legislation to the address the problem, they are accusing their G.O.P. counterparts of doing too little to prevent the predicament. The issue could become a potent campaign issue in '08, as the Democrats have targeted several vulnerable G.O.P. members, including Walberg, who voted against last week's bill.

The Republicans "were asleep at the wheel while this problem was heading straight at us," said Congressman Chris Van Hollen, head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democratic candidates. "This is affecting people across the country in Michigan, in Florida, in Ohio-- all important swing states. This will be part of the debate about the economy overall. And people who ignore it do so at their own peril."

It is also affecting people across Van Hollen's home state of Maryland where Bush's Republican rubber stamps were joined by a particularly corrupt Democrat, Al Wynn, to help pass the bankruptcy bill that has put homeowners in double jeopardy. The irony comes in because there is a progressive icon running against Wynn in the Democratic Party primary, Donna Edwards, and Democratic powermongers like Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and Rahm Emanuel, are out pimping for... Wynn, of course. So they may denounce Bush and his cruel agenda and try to use it-- as they should-- against rubber stamp Republicans, but when a grassroots Democrat tries to hold a corrupt reactionary like Wynn accountable what happens? Pelosi scurries over to do a fundraiser for him, showing anyone following politics that Democratic insiders are every bit as hypocritical and untrustworthy as Republicans.

Donna has an answer for Democratic insiders and hypocrits: "Montgomery County has over 700 homes in foreclosure and Prince George's County leads the state. Yet Al Wynn keeps taking in campaign cash from big banks and lenders, and voting their way. His vote for their bankrutcy bill put more power in the hands of his special interests backers; hurting consumers who are having a tough time making ends meet." Donna has pledged not to take camapaign contributions from corporate special interests and to crack down on predatory lenders and help rewrite Bush's and Wynn's bankruptcy bill so that it protects consumers instead of victimizing them.

Today Donna's campaign has a new video out that makes Times point far better than Time and makes it clear that if Republican members of Congress who took legalized bribes to vote for the interests of the credit card and mortage companies and against their own constituents are in trouble, so are the handful of Democrats who went along for the ride. Take a look:



If you think Congress needs better Democrats than Al Wynn, please keep in mind that Blue America is supporting Donna Edwards and several other progressive Democrats battling against the forces of reaction and corruption within our own party. I urge you to consider donating to Donna and other grassroots Democrats with serious primaries like John Laesch (IL), Rep. Steve Cohen (TN), Victoria Wulsin (OH), Howard Shanker (AZ), Sam Bennett (PA), Mark Pera (IL), Gretchen Clearwater (IN), Jon Powers (NY), Randi Scheurer (IL). You can hit them all-- or any combination of them-- right here at our Blue America ActBlue page.


MEAN JEAN SCHMIDT-- A NOTORIOUS SUPPORTER OF PREDATORY LENDERS

Last week when we looked at the small minority of congressmembers who refused to back the bipartisan legislation attempting to deal with predatory lenders and mortgage bankruptcies, prominently on the list, as expected, was Bush rubber stamp Mean Jean Schmidt (R-OH). Her opponent, Vic Wulsin, proposes an entirely different kind of representation for southern Ohio, one based on the needs and wishes of the folks who live there, not on the demands of corporate campaign contributors.

We need real change in Washington. I support this bipartisan, common sense effort to rein in an industry that has spun out of control, and would have voted for it. I believe we must protect all Americans from unfair and predatory lending practices. 

We know what’s happening in our neighborhoods and towns. According to Malia Rulon of the Enquirer, "Ohio ranked fifth in the nation for foreclosures in the past three months," and Cincinnati "had one foreclosure per 145 households." As of today there are 2,103 foreclosure listings in Cincinnati alone, and a shocking 75 in Jean Schmidt’s home town of Loveland, OH, population under 12,000.

What do Jean Schmidt’s neighbors think of her voting against them?

Unlike Rep. Schmidt, Republican Senator George Voinovich knows that this is an important issue, saying that "Ohioans can no longer wait while Congress fails to act." [Cincinnati Enquirer, 11/16/07.]
 
We need to stand up for our hard working families, not the Wall Street insiders who made billions when times were good and are now looking for a government bailout. Maybe she’s listening to the developers who have supported her political career.

 

MOST AMERICANS HAVE PROBABLY NEVER HEARD THE TWO NAMES THAT ARE MOST IMPORTANT TO ME TODAY-- DONNA EDWARDS & MARK PERA

Yesterday we pointed out Lynn Woolsey's bold stand on Bush Dogs-- cheering progressive son who want to force them into primaries. We're hearing her colleague, Ms. Pelosi, is mighty pissed off. I wonder if that's an act-- I hope so-- and Pelosi is just being diplomatic. Who knows? I do know that I ocassionally get calls from the leadership telling me how much they hate this Bush Dog or that Bush Dog and whisper... very, very low, that no one would mind if they get slammed. Most of the anger towards Democrats voting for the Bush agenda regards Iraq. And Iraq can't be underplayed. But I want to remind everyone that there is pretty of egregious stuff going on above and beyond the catastrophe the Bush Regime has created in the Middle East. There's one, in fact, a lot closer to home. And, alas, there are more Democrats taking part than there should be.

Last year when Al Wynn had to resort to violence and vote stealing to hold onto his Maryland seat, he got the scare of his life. Donna Edwards really did beat him but suddenly some ballot boxes were discovered at the last minute and he scraped by. He immediately changed his voting habits on things he didn't really care about-- issues like FISA and Iraq and impeachment. "Rah, rah, rah-- I'm a Democrat now." But on bread and butter issues-- his bread and butter-- he's the same old slimy Al Wynn.

We don't usually quote the New Republic here or give much notice to Jonathan Chait but the day before yesterday he posted a story worth examining, Patronage Saint.

Nearly everybody was baffled when, half a dozen years ago, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) mounted the strongest resistance to campaign finance reform within the Democratic Party. One CBC member, Al Wynn of Maryland, even co-sponsored (along with then Ohio Republican and current federal inmate Bob Ney) the counter-measure designed to kill reform. Numerous other Black Caucus members sided with Wynn. "You have the potential for opposites to come together," said Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi. "I'm talking about liberal African Americans and conservative white Republicans." Thompson has proven prophetic. Somehow, the Congressional Black Caucus has become the party's most reactionary wing.

One has to expect this kind of race-baiting from a Neocon propaganda rag like TNR, which conveniently skips over the fact that members like Barbara Lee (D-CA), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Bobby Scott (D-VA), Maxine Waters (D-CA), John Lewis (D-GA), Jesse Jackson, Jr, (D-IL) and a dozen other CBC members are among the most steadfast progressives in the entire Congress, and the conscience and moral backbone of American politics.

But back then Wynn was getting the lowest rankings, along with reactionary corporate shills Harold Ford, William Jefferson and Sanford Bishop, we took a look at his voting record-- and it made us sick. It's what convinced us to try to help a dynamic and brilliant young woman in the district, Donna Edwards, win a primary against him. Fortunately, she's running again and now is the time to give her a hand.

Now, back to the whole Bush Dog thing. There aren't many in solidly Democratic districts. But one who is, Dan Lipinski, was the subject of our Blue America discussion last weekend at Firedoglake. Our guest was Mark Pera, the progressive Democrat running against him. It's only been a few days and we've already raised over $1,300 for Mark's campaign. Today our pals at DailyKos, MyDD, OpenLeft and Swingstate Project are joining us in asking people to contribute to Mark's campaign. We think he's the progressive most likely to beat a Bush Dog and send a message to the Democratic Inside the Beltway establishment that we're really serious about ending the war and ending Bush's policies. Our Blue America page is open 24/7 and splitting a donation between Mark and Donna sends a message all the Bush Dogs and Blue Dogs need to heed. (MINI UPDATE: Blue Majority also hit it for Dan Maffei, the Blue America-endorsed candidate from upstate New York.)