Blogswarm - Online Political News Magazine

Holy Cow!! - Kerry Gives DSCC $3 Million

Well, my jaw dropped this morning when I read the great news that Senator Kerry is donating $3 million to the DSCC from unused primary funds.  Senator Kerry has served both in the majority and in the minority in the Senate -- and he clearly he understands the importance of our effort to take back the Senate.  Senator Kerry also knows that a Democratic Senate is critical to getting his agenda passed as President.  Thank you Senator (soon President!!) Kerry.

South Carolina -- I'm Jim DeMint and I'd Like to Raise Your Taxes

If you live in South Carolina, you'll want to know about Republican Senate Candidate  Jim DeMint's plan to raise your taxes.  Yes, that's right, Jim DeMint is one of a small number of radical, Heritage Foundation Neo-Con members of Congress who wants to scrap the tax code and impose a national sales tax as high as 23 percent.  Your mortgage interest deduction?  Gone.  Your child tax credit? Gone.  Jim DeMint wants to impose a national sales tax which would significantly raise taxes on the poor and middle class because he doesn't think moderate income folks feel enough of the "pain" of government programs.  Under DeMint's plan, the tax burden would be shifted even more away from the wealthy and corporations (the type of corporations who fund his friends at the Heritage Foundation) and onto the middle class and the poor.  South Carolina's economy has been reeling, South Carolina has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country and more people live in poverty in South Carolina than almost any state in the country and Jim DeMint wants to raise taxes on the poor so they feel the "pain" of government programs.  Mr. DeMint, haven't these folks experienced enough pain? 

Salazar Sweeps Colorado, Coors Would Rather be in a Bathtub Smoking Cigars

Democratic Attorney General Ken Salazar was easily nominated for the U.S. Senate seat in Colorado last week while Republican and beer maker Pete Coors outlasted former Congressman Bob Schaffer in the GOP primary.  We are so lucky to have Ken Salazar as our nominee.  Ken is well-known to voters having won two statewide elections and he has deep roots in rural Colorado.  Ken's family helped settle Southwest Colorado and he has been a strong advocate for rural residents on land, water and agricultural issues.  Ken has been a strong and well respected Attorney General and he enjoys significant support from the law enforcement community.

Pete Coors, on the other hand still remains a mystery politically.  While everyone has seen Coors in his company's commercials, far less is known about him politically.  The most significant thing he said in the primary was that he wants to reduce the drinking age from 21 to 18.  He said little about jobs, little about Iraq and little about healthcare, education or the environment.  But, he wants to lower the drinking age which would allow Coors, Inc. to sell more beer.  Nice Pete, nice.

Oh, and what about this gem.  On Wednesday after the primary Coors went on a "unity" bus tour with Congressman Schaffer where he was overheard saying "I'd rather be in a bathtub smoking cigars this morning."  Pete, after November, you'll have all the time in the world to bathe and smoke cigars my friend.  All the time in the world.

Knowles Continues to Lead, Murkowski Distancing Herself from her Father

This must be one interesting time around the Murkowski household.  Not only does former Democratic Governor Tony Knowles continue to narrowly lead Senator Lisa Murkowski in the polls, Lisa is continuing to distance herself from her unpopular dad, Governor Frank Murkowski, who gave her the job in the first place.  The Washington Post had a front page story last week about how Lisa is distancing herself from her father who has presided over a budget debacle and whose approval ratings are in the 30's.  Roll Call today said that her father and the issue of nepotism have been an "albatross" around her neck.  Her spokesperson even told Roll Call they do not want and are not seeking an official endorsement from her own dad.  Her signs blare LISA with Murkowski in print almost too small to read.  All this and she has to fend off a challenger from within her own party. 

Meanwhile, Governor Knowles is running one of the smartest campaigns in the country.  In the field, he has one of the best on the ground operations anywhere in the country.  They have people knocking on doors tailoring messages to reach Alaska votes.  And, they have a lot of signs out there -- this picture is a hoot! I just had to share.  Tony Knowles has supporters from all parties and species!

Erskine on a Roll in NC, Burr Has a "Secret Plan" to Win Election

Another great poll came out today in the Senate race in NC.  The News and Observer commissioned a poll which shows Erskine with a healthy 47-38 lead over Congressman Richard Burr.  Erskine, coming off a highly successful 10 day bus tour, is doing education events this week.  Meanwhile, Burr must be spending his week explaining to donors and supporters why he and his campaign have been under such negative scrutiny recently.  While the reviews on Bowles have been stellar, analysts, reporters and people in his own party have begun to question Burr’s ability as a candidate.  Uberanalyst Stu Rothenberg, said that after a meeting with Burr that he found him "smug" and that Burr’s contention that he has a "secret plan" to win the election did not give him great confidence that the Congressman was prepared to do so.  Roll Call said today that Republicans "grumble that Burr lacks a consistent message, is micro-managing the day-to-day operations of the race and has virtually relinquished the media spotlight to Bowles, who has seemed to bask in it."  Wow.  Are the wheels falling off for Mr. Burr?  Stay tuned.

NC: A Disgusting Ad from a Would-Be GOP Congressman in NC

This radio ad so p----- me off I just had to share it.  Vernon Robinson is running for the 5th Congressional District in NC -- Burr's seat -- and he has one of the most inflammatory ads on the air I have ever heard of.  In this radio ad he uses the theme music from the twilight zone to compare Mexicans to outer space aliens and says they are filling up the courts and the schools illegally.  Someone might want to remind Mr. Robinson that if it were not for Mexican labor our farms would stop producing food and many our buildings and roads would cease being built.  This has got to be one of the most callous, over top and racially inflammatory ads I've heard in all of my time in politics.  Remember Jesse Helms' "white hands ad" he ran on affirmative action against Harvey Gantt? This, is even worse than that. Take a listen -- and while you are as riled up as I am -- flood Mr. Robinson's campaign with angry phone calls (336.794.0882). I did. Click here to listen to the ad.

Ad Watch

Barack Obama is up and running with a new positive ad. Check out his website to see for yourself: www.obamaforillinois.com.

Republican Blooper of the Week:

"I'd rather be sitting in the bathtub smoking cigars this morning."
 -- Pete Coors (R-CO), during his post-primary unity tour, Rocky Mountain News, 8/12

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Last week, a group of far-right Bush allies released an ugly and outrageous ad which claims that John Kerry faked his injuries, betrayed his troops, and "dishonored his country" in Vietnam. The ad features people who say "I served with John Kerry" (although they didn't) and who make numerous provably false accusations about Kerry's war record.^[1] It's one of the most vile tactics we've seen yet in Bush's ferociously negative campaign.

The "Swift Boat" ad is so far beyond the pale that even Senator John McCain, a Bush supporter, spoke out about it, calling it "dishonest and dishonorable."^[2] Yet despite Senator McCain's request that President Bush "specifically condemn" the ad, Bush refuses to say anything about it.

Together, let's send President Bush a clear message from hundreds of thousands of Americans that we won't stand for these smear tactics, and we expect him to repudiate and reject them. We'll deliver our petition to President Bush on the campaign trail.

Sign the petition to President Bush now at:

http://www.moveonpac.org/falseadvertising/

It's clear that the ad continues the tradition of Bush campaign dirty tricks. In a recent interview, Senator McCain noted that the ad "was the same kind of deal that was pulled on me" in 2000. McCain was referring to a vicious smear campaign -- which included race-baiting allegations that he had a black child our of wedlock -- run by close Bush allies in 2000. In fact, the same firm that ran some of the anti-McCain ads in 2000 produced the "Swift Boat" ad.^[3] And although the group claims to be independent of the Republican party, the group's funding mostly comes from a longtime Bush supporter who gave over $20,000 to his campaigns for Texas governor.^[4]

The "Swift Boat" campaign is a classical political hit job. But even before the ad went on the air, the Washington Post ran a piece discussing how President Bush is running the most negative presidential campaign in U.S. history. In an article titled "From Bush, Unprecedented Negativity," the Post quotes an expert who says that "there is more attack now on the Bush side against Kerry than you've historically had in the general-election period against either candidate."^[5]

Discussing the "Swift Boat" ad, Senator John McCain said, "I deplore this kind of politics." Nebraska Governor Mike Johanns (R) called the ad "trash" and even Pat Buchanan said "not a single charge is substantiated . . . I think the ad is wrong."^[6] But George Bush won't condemn it. Let's let him know that we're sick and tired of this "slime and defend" mode of campaigning.

Sign the petition to Bush now at:

http://www.moveonpac.org/falseadvertising/

Jim Rassman, a Republican veteran who served under Kerry, recently wrote an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal. He told the story of how Kerry saved his life. And he concluded with these words on the "Swift Boat" veterans: "[W]hen the noise and fog of their distortions and lies have cleared, a man who volunteered to serve his country, a man who showed up for duty when his country called, a man to whom the United States Navy awarded a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts, will stand tall and proud. Ultimately, the American people will judge these Swift Boat Veterans for Bush and their accusations. Americans are tired of smear campaigns against those who volunteered to wear the uniform. Swift Boat Veterans for Bush should hang their heads in shame."^[7]

Sincerely,

--Eli Pariser
  MoveOn PAC
  August 16th, 2004

1. FACT CHECK: Swift Boat Veterans for Bush, 8/5/04
http://www.johnkerry.com/rapidresponse/080504_truth.html
2. McCain Condemns Anti-Kerry Ad, 8/5/04
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=536&e=3&u=/ap/20040805/ap_on_el_pr/kerry_mccain
3. Republicans' Dishonorable Charge, 8/6/04
http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2004/08/06/mccain_on_swift_boat_veterans/index_np.html
4. Republican-funded Group Attacks Kerry's War Record, 8/15/04
http://www.factcheck.org/article.aspx?docID=231
5. From Bush, Unprecedented Negativity, 5/31/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3222-2004May30.html
6. AP, 8/5/04 (McCain); Nebraska State Paper, 8/7/04 (Johanns); MSNBC, Scarborough Country, 8/6/04 (Buchanan)
http://blog.johnkerry.com/rapidresponse/archives/002445.html#more
7. Shame on the Swift Boat Veterans for Bush, 8/10/04
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110005460

PAID FOR BY MOVEON PAC www.moveonpac.org
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

"The F.B.I. isn't in the business of chilling anyone's First Amendment rights," said Joe Parris, a bureau spokesman in Washington.

On Sunday, August 29th, YOU can be part of the campaign to give John Kerry a new Congress in November. On that day, hundreds of homes around the country will be throwing Majority Parties with ONE goal in mind: winning a Democratic majority in the House.

Have a great time by hosting or attending a party in your area. You can sign up here:
http://www.majorityparties.com

Your majority party is critical to the effort to win back the House. Imagine Tom DeLay leading the House for another 2 years. Imagine how he and the current House leadership will maneuver to block President Kerry's efforts to reverse the damage done by the Bush administration. With just 82 days left until the election, and with the country so closely divided, EVERY vote, EVERY conversation, EVERY dollar matters.

Help give President Kerry a Congress that will work with him and for the American people:
http://www.majorityparties.com

Majority Parties are a critical element in our Campaign for a New Majority — our comprehensive action plan designed to gain at least the 12 seats necessary to establish a Democratic Majority in the House. Majority Parties will bring you together face-to-face with others who, like you, care enough to invest their time and money in this fight.

Tom DeLay and the current House leadership will throw every roadblock they can at the new President. That's why winning as many seats as we can is so critical. And that's why your party will make such a difference on August 29th.

Let's CLEAN HOUSE and throw out Tom DeLay and his cronies!
http://www.majorityparties.com

Majority Parties will take place around the country on August 29th, and we'll link them all via conference call with Democratic Party leaders and a special surprise guest or two! Make sure to bring your friends and family, and spread the word by forwarding this email.

Thank you - and we look forward to seeing you on August 29th.

Sincerely,

Crystal Patterson
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

PS: This evening at 9pm ET, all interested hosts are invited to attend a conference call to ask questions and get answers about the Majority Parties. Please click here for more information: http://www.majorityparties.com

This week, you proved two things. First, the right-wing attack machine cannot act without consequences. Your action has ensured that they are held accountable for their lies -- we will not yield an inch. Second, the common wisdom is wrong -- August is our month. Your support of the Democratic Party has made all the difference in eliminating the Bush campaign's August fundraising advantage.

Next week, I'll send you an important campaign update that lays out our winning strategy for the next two months -- and how you will play a vital role in that victory. Thank you again for all that you do.

Let's get to work!

Thank you,
Mary Beth Cahill
Campaign Manager
Kerry-Edwards 2004

Diebold - Kevin Shelley

In April, California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley banned a type of Diebold touch screen in California and took the unusual step of asking the Attorney General to investigate both civil and criminal actions against the company for fraud.

Two weeks later, Walden O'Dell, the chairman and CEO of Diebold finally admitted it was a "huge mistake" for him to write -- in a Republican fundraising letter -- that he was committed to delivering electoral votes for Bush.

Since then, Kevin Shelley has become America's leader in ensuring there is a paper trail to prevent voting fraud. When CNN needs a comment on election fraud, they interview Kevin Shelley.

He's right, there should be a paper trail and strong safeguards to prevent fraud. In fact, there is not a single rational argument from the opposition, which consists mainly of diploid and other Bush operatives.

Since they can't logically argue against fair elections, they have now started an aggressive decapitiation attack against Shelley. The strategy appears to assume that an aggressive character assassination of Kevin Shelley will slow the movement and prevent reform before the election.

By aggressive character assassination, consider shell's hometown San Francisco Chronicle is in DAY FIVE of their front page smear campaign against Shelley. Somehow (act surprised), a bunch of documents "appeared" that suggest wrongdoing by a Shelley donor. Not surprising is the fact that there is no evidence Shelley knew of the wrongdoing or could have had anything to do with it. But with any smear campaign, you only find that out if you carefully read the whole story while the headlines suggest Shelley is guilty of the largest scandal since Watergate.

Democrats are standing with Shelley, not just for his singular focus on voting rights, but also for his long service as a groundbreaking progressive legislator. But the smears are taking their toll and are already hurting efforts to ensure a fair presidential election.

The current smear campaign is not without precedent. There have already been reports of FBI agents harassing people for speaking up against unsafe electronic voting.

We can't let CREEP win. We can't let the movement for fair elections slow because of these character assassination attacks. We can't abandon the Secretary of State because of the smear.

Stooping to this level is one more reason why our votes need to count -- we desperately need to get our country back on track.

If you're wondering why they are doing this to Shelley, here are two reasons:
http://www.ss.ca.gov/executive/press_releases/2004/04_030.pdf
http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/ks_dre_papers/diebold_report_april20_final.pdf

Kevin Shelley

Before I let you know what is happening out on the campaign trail, I wanted to say thank you for your overwhelming response to yesterday's email from Mary Beth Cahill. Thousands of you stepped forward to help us by supporting the Democratic Party. This will have a tremendous impact between now and Election Day.

Since the convention, I have been traveling by bus, train, plane, and even boat through more than a dozen states. Our nation is amazingly beautiful, and seeing it from a train is a wonderful experience. If you ever have the opportunity to cross the country in this way, I really recommend it. I have been even more amazed by the thousands of people who have met us at stations in even the smallest of small towns -- all coming to be a part of this campaign.

One of my favorite moments of this trip came as we passed through Winslow, Arizona, where supporters had gathered along the tracks. One group held up two bed sheets with messages painted on in giant print: "You give us 10 minutes -- We'll give you eight years." I stopped the train and gave them fifteen.

Yesterday, after switching from train back to bus, I attended a town hall meeting with elderly Americans in Henderson, Nevada. Like so many other moments along this trip, it reinforced how much is at stake in this election. We heard from a first grade teacher who cannot retire because of rising costs of living; a Vietnam veteran and victim of Agent Orange who cannot collect his full disability pay while receiving his pension; and a woman whose insurance plan does not cover treatments she needs.

The rising cost of health care is hardest to bear for our nation's seniors, especially when it comes to the price of prescription drugs. It is causing millions of seniors real pain, and yet this it is a problem that can be solved with a simple, commonsense plan.

Yesterday, I called on the Bush administration to stop blocking the re-importation of safe, FDA-approved drugs from Canada. Leaders from both parties, including Trent Lott, John McCain and Ted Kennedy, agree on this issue, and it's time the White House did too.

Drug prices have risen 11.5% in just the last year alone, and prescription drugs sometimes cost twice as much in America as they do in Canada. As a result, members of the greatest generation are still making the greatest sacrifices when they should be enjoying retirement. They're cutting their pills in half. They're choosing between filling their prescriptions and heating their homes. At the same time, we are told that the best we can do for them is a Medicare bill that's riddled with waste, corporate handouts, and rules that inexplicably bar Medicare from negotiating with drug companies for lower prices.

This is unacceptable and, as president, I will fight for a real Medicare drug benefit -- one that doesn't force seniors into HMOs and doesn't put protection for the sky-high drug costs into law. We need a Medicare drug benefit that serves our country's seniors, not one that gives hand outs to big insurance companies. Read more about my plan for America's seniors here:

http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/seniors/

Together, we'll build a better America for all generations.

In the coming days, we will make several more stops on our "Sea to Shining Sea" tour. You can continue to follow along on our blog at JohnKerry.com. Once again, thank you for your support yesterday, and I will write again soon.

Sincerely,

P.S.	You can sign up to be involved in "Seniors for Kerry-Edwards" here: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/seniors/

Over the last three days, more than 100,000 MoveOn members have voted on the seventeen finalists in our Real People ad campaign. And we have a winner. The top rated ad features Lee Buttrill, a MoveOn member and Marine who has recently returned from Iraq. In this ad, Sergeant Buttrill simply and eloquently says:

"We were given these ideas that there were weapons of mass destruction...It was just a lie. That wasn't a proper use of American troops. It wasn't a proper use of my life, or my friends' lives, or the marines who I've seen die around me."

With your help, we can get this ad on TV during the Republican Convention, countering their slick spin with this simple and powerful indictment of Bush's failures as Commander in Chief. To see Sergeant Buttrill's ad (and the other finalists) and pitch in to get them on the air, go to:

https://www.moveonpac.org/donate/switchad_winners.html

Starting with the Republican convention, the Bush campaign and the RNC are going to move into high gear. They have the resources - more than a hundred million dollars. And they have the slick ads. But we've got the voices of ordinary people telling the simple truth. And that could make all the difference.

Amplifying these real voices is something we can only do together. The Republican National Convention will be funded by Bush's big-business friends. We don't have a few people who can give a lot, but together we're a lot of people who can give a little. And that's part of what will make this campaign unique: never before have both the content and the funding for an ad campaign come from the grassroots membership of an organization.

Please check out all the finalists and support airing these powerful ads nationwide, starting with Sergeant Buttrill's ad during the Republican convention, at:

https://www.moveonpac.org/donate/switchad_winners.html

When we asked MoveOn members last month for their stories for a Real People ad campaign, we got hundreds of responses from members who voted for George Bush in 2000, but will be voting for Kerry in 2004. Academy Award-winning documentary film director Errol Morris has been interviewed these former Bush voters on camera, and now MoveOn members have told us which ads they find most moving.

Thanks to everyone who voted, to the thousands of MoveOn members who submitted personal stories for this campaign, and to those of you who took interviews with Errol Morris. We wish we could have used them all.

-Wes Boyd and the whole MoveOn PAC team
  August 12, 2004

PAID FOR BY MOVEON PAC http://www.moveonpac.org/
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

http://www.majorityparties.com
DCCC Volunteer 
DCCC Majority Makers 
Speaker Pelosi 

Majority Parties - August 29th

On Sunday, August 29, hundreds of house parties will take place around the country, all with one goal in mind: restoring a Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Have a great time attending or hosting a Party for the New Majority and YOU will help put an end to a decade of Republican abuse!

Check out the parties in your area, or sign up to host one at:
http://www.majorityparties.com

John Kerry needs a Democratic House to reverse the damage done by the radical right that has dominated Congress for 10 LONG years. Otherwise, Tom DeLay and his gang will block President Kerry at every turn. We CAN'T let that happen.

By raising money for Democratic House candidates around the country, we CAN achieve victory. Help make the difference. Sign up today!

Dems Come Back to Secure America

More than 100 House Democrats returned to the Capitol on Tuesday to be briefed by 9/11 Commissioners and to discuss the Commission's bipartisan recommendations. Leader Pelosi convened the Democratic Caucus to begin this work after House Speaker Dennis Hastert refused her requests that a special session of Congress be convened to deal with the urgent recommendations contained in the report.

Of course, Republicans have fought the 9/11 Commission from the beginning. President Bush stonewalled its creation, and after the report's release, Speaker Hastert insisted that he was in no rush to implement any of the recommendations.

@Stake attended the press conference held by Democratic leaders. Speakers emphasized their desire to draft a bipartisan bill as soon as possible that would translate the report's recommendations. The bill would be meant only as a starting point for debate, recognizing that meaningful debate cannot begin until legislation is introduced.

Democratic Caucus Chair Robert Menendez began:

"What I'd like to take my moment here is to create a sense of urgency, and I will not use my words, or my perceptions of that urgency. I use Lee Hamilton's words, before the caucus today.

"Lee Hamilton said - and I served with Lee Hamilton when he was the Chair of the International Relations Committee when I first came here 12 years ago - he said the following:

"'The time to act is now. The time to act is now. There are dangerous risks, and consequences for not acting.' He said, 'Six months of waiting is unacceptable.' And he said, 'It's time to make choices.'

"'No greater risk than preserving the status quo could be taken for this country.' Those are very compelling words..."

As these words make clear, this is not about "rushing" anything, despite Republican attacks. To the contray, it is about utilizing the short period of time left before Congress breaks for the election to actually get something done. Just read the letter below sent to President Bush asking him to call Congress back for a special session and judge for yourself…

The Texas GOP Smear Machine

You may have seen or heard about a new campaign against John Kerry by a dubiously-named group called "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth." You may or may not have heard that their attempt to undermine his war record is filled with error and deceit, so much so that John McCain urged the White House to denounce the ads, calling it "the same kind of deal that was pulled on me." The White House did not denounce the ads, and this article in the Los Angeles Times explains exactly how deeply entwined this group is with the GOP Machine:

"Robert J. Perry, the main financier behind the effort to discredit Sen. John F. Kerry's military record, is the most prolific political donor in Texas.

"A homebuilder who lives lakeside in this Houston suburb, Perry has helped bankroll the widespread success of Republican candidates here, has long-standing ties to many close associates of President Bush and has contributed to Bush's last four campaigns.

"According to interviews and campaign documents, he has given a total of more than $5 million to scores of political candidates."

[...]

"'Bob Perry pulls the strings and never gets his hands dirty. But even by his standards, this latest deal is just over the top,' said Charles Soechting, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party."

[...]

"In the 2002 election cycle, he also provided about $700,000 for the GOP's effort to dominate Texas politics. That included $165,000 given to Texans for a Republican Majority, an offshoot of U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's Americans for a Republican Majority, formed to help conservatives get elected.

"The election that year of a slate of DeLay-backed Republicans - all supported by Perry - gave the GOP control of the state House for the first time in 130 years. That paved the way for passage of a host of conservative measures, such as abortion restrictions and limits on medical malpractice cases. The GOP also redrew congressional maps for Texas, a move designed to shore up Republican control of Congress."

We hear from inside sources that Perry's next group will be Well-to-doers Kept Out of Vietnam by Pushy Minority Glory Hogs (WKOVPMGH), responding to a moment early in Tom DeLay's career...

"In his early years in Congress, DeLay tended to keep his bizarre views out of the headlines. But in 1988 one of his barmier moments occurred in public. According to the Houston Press, DeLay gave an impassioned defense of Dan Quayle, who was then under fire for using family ties to get into a National Guard unit and out of serving in Vietnam. DeLay explained to reporters a theretofore little-noted phenomenon. DeLay claimed there was no room in the Army for people like himself and Quayle because so many minority youths had gone into uniform to escape poverty and the ghetto. This remarkable explanation left his audience dumbfounded. After DeLay left the microphone, a television reporter asked, 'Who was that idiot?'"

As Nicholas Confessore once put it in an article on DeLay's dominance of the lobbying community on K Street, "Welcome to the Machine."

Who needs the 9/11 Commission when the GOP has Katherine Harris?

Even as Republicans ran around indignant that any critic would even suggest they had played politics with terrorism, Katherine Harris, the Florida Secretary of State turned Congresswoman, was giving the lie to their rhetoric. The story broke on outlets across the country…

On the AP wires:

"She told the audience that while in the Midwest recently, the mayor of Carmel told her how a man of Middle Eastern heritage had been arrested and hundreds of pounds of explosives were found in his home."

[...]

"Nancy Heck, a spokeswoman for Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard, said, 'The mayor never talked to Katherine Harris. They never had that conversation.'"

And on local TV:

"Congresswoman Harris faxed us a statement sticking to her guns, but adding, 'I regret that I had no knowledge of the sensitive nature of this situation and any undue concern this may have caused.'

"Bottom line?

"Congresswoman Harris insists a terror plot was uncovered in Indiana. Everyone else we've talked to says there's no proof at all of what Harris claims. We'll keep you posted."

So Harris has found herself in the difficult spot of having either blatantly lied about terrorism for election purposes, and having leaked classified information for election purposes. One of Harris' prospective opponents in the Democratic primary, wrote a letter requesting an ethics investigation to determine which exactly of the two it was, and reminding Harris and the ethics committee of this oath:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will not disclose any classified information received in the course of my service with the House of Representatives, except as authorized by the House of Representatives or in accordance with its Rules."

Next time you see a Republican viciously dismissing a critic for questioning their integrity, remember Katherine Harris.

"Turning the Corner"

Just as President Bush had reached into his bag of talking points to unveil,

"We're turning a corner, and we're not turning back."

His rhetoric was severely undercut by the July jobs report:

"In a report rich with implications for the presidential race and the future of interest rates, the government said Friday that the economy added only 32,000 jobs in July, a second straight month of weak hiring…"

"In addition to the weak job growth in July, the Labor Department revised data from the previous two months, showing the economy added 61,000 fewer jobs than previously reported. Although the economy has added 1.2 million jobs this year, that is only slightly more than what is needed to keep up with growth in the nation's work force. Employers would have to add another 1.2 million jobs by the end of the year just to get even with where the economy was before President Bush took office in January 2001."

This disappointing employment news also comes just as the OMB releases the figures for the federal deficit, which break last year's record of $375 billion at a full $445 billion. To get an idea of the implications, the interest being paid each year henceforth on the deficit from these two years alone will be over $49 billion - paying for nothing, down the hole of debt service.

And even this omits the implications of the Middle Class Squeeze that is affecting families in a number of ways. The Economic Policy Institute notes, for example, that,

"real average hourly wages have fallen from $15.83 to $15.65. Similarly, real average weekly wages have fallen from $533.58 to $525.84."

With the "recovery" having begun over two years ago now, it is clear that administration policies, rather than helping, are actively hurting the translation of the recovery into job gains. And yet the Republicans see no reason to shift gears or abandon their failed policies of tax cuts for the extremely wealthy - rather they simply want more, more, more…

If you wonder whether the Republicans would be so callous, we'll give you another date to look forward to. On August 23rd, as much of America struggles with declining wages, a strained job market, and skyrocketing health care prices, the administration's new labor rules will go into effect, and millions of American workers will lose their right to overtime pay.

Another Outing

After it was disclosed that the information for Tom Ridge's press conference was years old, a fact conspicuously absent from his otherwise detailed account, the administration flooded the media with as much information as possible in an attempt to insulate themselves from charges of politicization. In the process, they appear to have outed one of America's best and only intelligence assets inside Al Qaeda:

"The effort by U.S. officials to justify raising the terror alert level last week may have shut down an important source of information that has already led to a series of al Qaeda arrests, Pakistani intelligence sources have said.

"Until U.S. officials leaked the arrest of Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan to reporters, Pakistan had been using him in a sting operation to track down al Qaeda operatives around the world, the sources said."

In response, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), who was arguably the prime mover urging the investigation of the outing of Valerie Plame, wrote another letter to the White House:

"I respectfully request an explanation to me and any other member of Congress who might wish one of who leaked this Mr. Khan's name, for what reason it was leaked, and whether ... reports that this leak compromised future intelligence activity are accurate."

The only explanation from the White House thus far was that the name was given to reporters "on background," which as the AP explains, "means that it could be published, but the information could not be attributed by name to the official who had revealed it." Decide for yourself whether that defense is even pertinent.

The leak reportedly infuriated Pakistani officials:

"'Let me say that this intelligence leak jeopardized our plan and some al-Qaida suspects ran away,' one of the Pakistani officials said on condition of anonymity."

And British Home Secretary David Blunkett "expressed displeasure in fairly severe terms that Khan's name was released, because they were trying to track down other contacts," going on to denigrate Tom Ridge's behavior in general:

"Is that really the job of a senior cabinet minister in charge of counterterrorism? To feed the media? To increase concern?"

As Democrats were meeting on Tuesday, determined to get to work on serious intelligence reform, a Reuters analysis summed up the state of affairs with the GOP:

""The unmasking of an al Qaeda mole after a U.S. security alert points to disarray within U.S. intelligence and could mean President George W. Bush is accused of playing politics with security, the top U.S. election issue."

Republicans are asking America, "Who will best protect American security, Republicans or Democrats?" We think that the answer is obvious!

Defund the Turncoat

On Friday, Rodney Alexander, the incumbent Democrat in Louisiana's 5th district committed an act of what Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer called "perfidy," or as Webster's defines it, "a deliberate breach of faith; a calculated violation of trust; treachery." Having just re-registered as a Democrat days before, Alexander switched his party registration to Republican just 20 minutes before the filing deadline, effectively preventing any strong Democratic challenger from opposing him, and betraying the voters, volunteers, and party that had gone to extraordinary lengths to elect him just two years ago. DCCC Chairman Matsui issued the following statement:

Matsui Calls on Alexander to Apologize to Grassroots, Refund Supporters After Fraudulently Representing Democratic Affiliation in Campaign

Washington DC - - "Rodney Alexander owes an apology and he owes a refund to the thousands of honest people who supported him based upon his fraudulent claim that he was going to run for Congress as a Democrat. Louisianans and people all across the country took him at his word and backed his campaign with their hard earned money and with their own time and energy. Because of his calculated and cowardly act of personal advancement on Friday, I am demanding that Mr. Alexander reimburse the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) for the $193,000 the committee used to help him win this seat in the 2002 general and run-off elections.

"Mr. Alexander carried the 5th District by less than one thousand votes. The support of the DCCC and the Louisiana Democratic Party was a determining factor to his win. The DCCC directed over $736,000 to the Louisiana State Party to help raise awareness on voter issues in the 2002 cycle.

"If Mr. Alexander has any conscience, he should also give back every penny he has raised this election cycle, including the $70,000 that Democratic Members of Congress have given him based upon his fraudulent claim that he was a Democrat running for Congress. Mr. Alexander's underhanded and secretive party-switch made it abundantly clear that he is not a man of honor. That said, he can find some redemption by doing the honorable thing and returning the contributions to his former supporters who request it."

We want to ensure that every donor who contributed to Alexander is made aware of his actions, and is able to request the refund that he has now promised. If you contributed to Alexander and want a refund, go get your money!

PO Box 367
Quitman, LA 71268
202-387-3742


(His staff was so disgusted by his actions that they quit en masse on Monday, so be patient if they have trouble fielding your call…)

Races to Watch: Farrell and Sullivan Storm Connecticut

On Tuesday night, the Connecticut primaries ended and the campaigns began. Two pivotal stops on the Road to a New Majority are CT-2, where Jim Sullivan will take on faux-moderate GOPer Rob Simmons, and CT-4, where, as the Hartford Courant puts it:

"…the race to watch is the 4th, the southwestern Connecticut district where Democrat Diane Farrell is set to ambush Republican U.S. Rep. Chris Shays."

Both Simmons and Shays are almost stereotypes of the rubberstamp-in-moderate's clothing campaign that Republicans are now running all over the country. Simmons, for example, has spoken to the press about his outrage at the Abu Ghraib affair, and has tried to distance himself from Bush:

"When asked who he'd like to invite to campaign with him, [Rep. Simmons (R-CT2)] mentions Arizona Sen. John McCain, an outspoken Bush critic on several issues. 'We have a lot in common,' Simmons says. He did ask first lady Laura Bush to visit in March, and she helped raise $100,000 for his campaign. But he doesn't intend to extend a similar invitation to the president."

That's all well and good, except that Simmons has voted with DeLay and Bush on 88% of roll call votes, including a vote quashing any House investigation into the Abu Ghraib scandal.

As for Shays, who has only voted with Bush a mere 85% of the time, the best judgment on his true colors comes from the stream of GOP attack dog talking points that have come out of his mouth recently. For example, when the House was debating the repeal of the library search clause of the Patriot Act, yet another vote the GOP cheated their way to victory on, Shays had the nerve to stand up and announce:

"I have 70 constituents who lost their rights on September 11; and to hear this debate, I am not sure we seem to care about that."

This was Jose Serrano's apt response:

"...I am troubled by the comments of the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. SHAYS). To tell a New Yorker, to have a New Yorker hear that we somehow do not care for the victims of September 11 is really the cheapest kind of blow a Member can put on this House floor. I care and everybody else cares. But in the process of caring for the victims of September 11, no one said we were supposed to throw away the Constitution of this country."

Add that to other Shays classics such as, "[Al Qaeda] and Iraq, they're like peas in a pod," or his press release on Richard Clark, "Clarke Statements Revisionist," and you see that Shays has done nothing with his alleged moderate credentials except use them to cynically advance the agenda of his right wing masters.

Jim Sullivan, an investment banker, hails from the largest city in the district, Norwich, where he grew up and served as a city councilman and worked with the Norwich Community Development Corporation. Dianne Farrell is a highly popular First Selectwoman of Westport, a position akin to Mayor. Farrell has also served as chair of the South Western Regional Planning Agency's Metropolitan Planning Organization and was an elected member of the Westport Board of Finance. We'll be working to help these candidates get their messages out, and teach their rubberstamp opponents that they cannot go home and put on the moderate mask.

Quick Links

GOP Kick Themselves in KS-03: A hotly contested GOP primary for the third district in Kansas pitted the party's choice against an extremist, out-of-the-mainstream candidate for the chance to challenge Democrat Dennis Moore in what the GOP thought was one of their best chances for pick-up. Unfortunately for them, it didn't turn out so well: "'The Republicans couldn't get it together,' said Larry Sabato, a political scientist and director of Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. 'They have blown it again.'" Why? Aside from being an extremist, a local editorial noted that "Kris Kobach does not seem to have the common sense to come in out of the rain." Not too promising…

Salazars in Colorado The brothers Salazar are making a charge to make Colorado a shade bluer this November. In the Senate race, Ken Salazar will take on arch-conservative (and beer mogul) Pete Coors, while John Salazar will take on Greg Walcher in Colorado's open 3rd Congressional District. According to Salazar's site, before the primary on Tuesday: "Farmer and Army veteran John Salazar has double-digit leads over all of his likely Republican opponents in the race to replace retiring Congressman Scott McInnis in Colorado's 3rd District, according to a poll Salazar released on Wednesday." Go Salazars!