Evans Liberal Politics
December 31, 2010
Posts Tagged ‘elections’
Christine O’Donnell Under Federal Investigation – Cenk on MSNBC
Dec 31st, 10 / 0 Comments
Evans Liberal Politics
Christine O’Donnell Under Federal Investigation:
campaign finance, campaign finance reform, Christine O'Donnell, Christine O'Donnell latest, Christine O'Donnell legal trouble, Christine O'Donnell news, Christine O'Donnell witch, Delaware, Delaware news, Delaware politics, election, elections, Evans Liberal Politics, FBI news, FBI to investigate Christine O'Donnell, latest, liberal, liberal Christian news, liberal Christian politics, liberal news, liberal news video, liberal politics, liberal politics video, liberal video, MSNBC, MSNBC news video, MSNBC video, news, politics, politics news, truthful liberal news, truthful news, US news, US politics, videoThe Why-Should-I-Get-Out-Of-My-Chair Gap in 2012
Dec 14th, 10 / 2 Comments
Evans Liberal Politics
December 14, 2010
The Why-Should-I-Get-Out-Of-My-Chair Gap in 2012
The Why-Should-I-Get-Out-Of-My-Chair Gap in 2012, Robert Reich.org, December 12, 2010, by Robert Reich, used with permission, quoted verbatim:
In the 2010 midterm elections Democrats suffered from a so-called “enthusiasm gap.”
If Dems agree to the tax plan just negotiated by the White House with Republican leaders, they’ll face a “why-should-I-get-up-out-of-my-chair” gap that will make 2010’s Dem enthusiasm seem like a pep rally by comparison.
 |
|---|
It’s a $70,000 gift for every millionaire, financed by a gigantic hole in the federal budget that will put on the cutting board education, infrastructure, and everything else most other Americans need and want.
Some Dem apologists say the deal is a $900 billion stimulus. Not true. The rich spend a smaller share of their incomes than everyone else, so the huge benefits going their way will barely stimulate the economy. (Their savings will move around the world wherever they can get the highest return.)
And while middle and working class consumers will get a small break from payroll taxes, they’ll use most of it to help pay down their debts because they know the tax break isn’t permanent while their debt payments and penalties are growing. Again, very little stimulus.
An extension of unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless will surely help them and the economy overall. But a new WPA to put the jobless to work would have been far better. The longer they’re out of work the harder it will be for them ever to get back in, even if and when jobs return. But apparently a new WPA wasn’t even considered.
It’s not just the Dem base that worries about the deal. Independents who believe the dice are increasingly loaded in favor of the privileged and powerful are also concerned. (Just the latest example: The New York Times today reports on a small cabal of bankers from the biggest Wall Street houses who meet regularly to maintain their lock on the lucrative multi-trillion dollar derivatives trade. The Times story could have gone further and revealed how much the big banks are spending on lobbyists to gut provisions of the financial reform act aimed at regulating derivatives trading.)
Even Tea Partiers are convinced big government, big business, and Wall Street colluding against the rest of America. Only instead of blaming the powerful and privileged, the Tea Partiers are more comfortable taking aim at America’s so-called cultural and intellectual elites.
The point is that with income and wealth more concentrated at the top than it’s been since 1928, with money flooding politics as never before (much of it secret), and with cynicism about government at a post-World War II high, Obama’s tax deal couldn’t come at a worse time.
Enthusiasts on the right want to shrink government, and the deal sets them up nicely.
Most Democrats, many Independents, and everyone else who still sees government as our last bulwark against privilege and power, are aghast by the deal. They ask: How could it have come to this? And when 2012 rolls around, why should I get out of my chair?
here. Reich’s newest book, Aftershock: The Next Economy and America’s Future has been released September 21, and is available for ordering at this link (Amazon.com). The above article is from Reich’s new blog, and can be viewed here.
Robert Reich’s commentaries are available for listening to at Publicradio.com. Watch the video Aftershock: The next economy and America’s future (about his new book). Thanks to Professor Reich for permission to publish his articles on an ongoing basis.
Have a Listen to Our Playlists of Classic Rock Only Music, the Liberal Christian Rock Playlist, or Pure Electronic Music, or just have a Listen to the master Playlist of 230 Rock, Pop & Electronic Hits. Get your music fix while you browse the news.
Follow Evans Liberal Politics and Paul Evans on | Follow Paul Evans on |
|---|
2010 election, 2012, 2012 election, economics, economy, election, elections, enthusiasm gap, Evans Liberal Politics, liberal, liberal Christian news, liberal Christian politics, liberal economics, liberal news, liberal news source, liberal politics, liberalism, news, Obama, Obama tax plan, politics, politics news, progressive economics, Robert Reich, taxes, the Obama administration, truthful liberal news, truthful news, truthful news source, US liberal news, US liberal politics, US news, US politics, White House, White House tax planRobert Reich – The Secret Big-Money Takeover of America
Oct 8th, 10 / 1 Comment
Evans Liberal Politics
October 8, 2010
Robert Reich – The Secret
Big-Money Takeover of America
The Secret Big-Money Takeover of America, Robert Reich.org, October 7, 2010, by Robert Reich, used with permission, quoted verbatim:
Not only is income and wealth in America more concentrated in fewer hands than it’s been in 80 years, but those hands are buying our democracy as never before – and they’re doing it behind closed doors.
 |
|---|
Hundreds of millions of secret dollars are pouring into congressional and state races in this election cycle. The Koch brothers (whose personal fortunes grew by $5 billion last year) appear to be behind some of it, Karl Rove has rounded up other multi-millionaires to fund right-wing candidates, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is funneling corporate dollars from around the world into congressional races, and Rupert Murdoch is evidently spending heavily.
No one knows for sure where this flood of money is coming from because it’s all secret.
But you can safely assume its purpose is not to help America’s stranded middle class, working class, and poor. It’s to pad the nests of the rich, stop all reform, and deregulate big corporations and Wall Street – already more powerful than since the late 19th century when the lackeys of robber barons literally deposited sacks of cash on the desks of friendly legislators.
Credit the Supreme Court’s grotesque decision in Citizens United vs. the Federal Election Commission, which opened the floodgates. (Even though 8 of 9 members of the Court also held disclosure laws constitutional, the decision invited the creation of shadowy “nonprofits” that don’t have to reveal anything.)
According to FEC data, only 32 percent of groups paying for election ads are disclosing the names of their donors. By comparison, in the 2006 midterm, 97 percent disclosed; in 2008, almost half disclosed.
Last week, when the Senate considered a bill to force such disclosure, every single Republican voted against it – thereby revealing the GOP’s true colors, and presumed benefactors. (To understand how far the GOP has come, nearly ten years ago campaign disclosure was supported by 48 of 54 Republican senators.)
Maybe the Disclose Bill can get passed in lame-duck session. Maybe the IRS will make sure Karl Rove’s and other supposed nonprofits aren’t sham political units. Maybe pigs will learn to fly.
In the meantime we face an election that marks an even sharper turn toward plutocratic capitalism than before – a government by and for the rich and big corporations — and away from democratic capitalism.
As income and wealth has moved to the top, so has political power. That’s why, for example, it’s been impossible to close the absurd tax loophole that allows hedge-fund and private-equity managers to treat much of their income as capital gains, subject to a 15 percent tax (even though they’re earning tens or hundreds of millions a year, and the top 15 hedge-fund managers earned an average of $1 billion last year). Why it proved impossible to fund expanded health care by limiting the tax deductions of the very rich. Why it’s so difficult even to extend George Bush’s tax cuts for the bottom 98 percent of Americans without also extending them for the top 2 percent – even though the top won’t spend the money and create jobs, but will blow a $36 billion hole in the federal budget next year.
The good news is average Americans are beginning to understand that when the rich secretly flood our democracy with money, the rest of us drown. Wall Street executives and top CEOs get bailed out while under-water homeowners and jobless workers sink.
A Quinnipiac poll earlier this year found overwhelming support for a millionaire tax.
But what the public wants means nothing if our democracy is secretly corrupted by big money.
Right now we’re headed for a perfect storm: An unprecedented concentration of income and wealth at the top, a record amount of secret money flooding our democracy, and a public in the aftershock of the Great Recession becoming increasingly angry and cynical about government. The three are obviously related.
We must act. We need a movement to take back our democracy. (If tea partiers were true to their principles, they’d join it.) As Martin Luther King once said, the greatest tragedy is “not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”
What can you do?
1. Read Justice Steven’s dissent in the Citizens United case, so you’re fully informed about the majority’s pernicious illogic.
2. Use every opportunity to speak out against this decision, and embarrass and condemn the right-wing Justices who supported it.
3. In this and subsequent elections, back candidates for congress and president who vow to put Justices on the Court who will reverse it.
4. Demand that the IRS enforce the law and pull the plug on Karl Rove and other sham nonprofits.
5. If you have a Republican senator, insist that he or she support the Disclose Act. If they won’t, campaign against them.
6. Support public financing of elections.
7. Join an organization like Common Cause, that’s committed to doing all this and getting big money out of politics. (Personal note: I’m so outraged at what’s happening that I just became chairman of Common Cause.)
8. Send this post to your friends (including any tea partiers you may know).
Check out our Famous Guide to Liberal News & Politics on the Web, the best guide to where to find "The Truth" in the news around the web.
Check out Paul’s Playlist of 231 Rock and Pop Hits, and have fun with all the artists you love while you surf the web.
NEW! For our readers: Check out our 40 song "Only Classic Rock Playlist", now on its own page!
Follow Evans Liberal Politics and Paul Evans on | Follow Paul Evans on |
|---|
We’re Counting on YOU! Please share Evans Liberal Politics with friends! While we enjoy a certain level of popularity on the web, in order for us to keep bringing you the latest in liberal news and politics, we really need you to SHARE Evans Liberal Politics with your friends and contacts. Can you help us today? If you value liberal and progressive ideas and politics, please simply share Evans Liberal Politics with friends and contacts to keep free, independent and liberal journalism alive. Thanks in advance.
To make a Word or .pdf document of an article, or share or email it, simply load the individual article by clicking the dark blue title at the very top, or use the icons beneath the article.
big money, big-money takeover of America, buying Congress, buying elections, Citizens United, Common Cause, corruption, democracy, deregulation, Disclose Act, election, elections, Evans Liberal Politics, Evans Politics, GOP, Karl Rove, Koch Brothers, liberal, liberal Christian news, liberal Christian politics, liberal news, liberal news source, liberal politics, money, news, politics, power, power and wealth, progressive, progressive news, progressive politics, Republican, Republicans, Robert Reich, Rupert Murdoch, Supreme Court, the rich, truthful news, truthful news source, US liberal news, US liberal politics, US news, US politics, US progressive news, US progressive politicsMichael Moore: There Is Some Evidence the Dems Are Waking Up
Oct 7th, 10 / 2 Comments
Evans Liberal Politics
October 7, 2010
Michael Moore: There Is Some Evidence
the Dems Are Waking Up
Michael Moore: There Is Some Evidence the Dems Are Waking Up, AlterNet, October 6, 2010, by Michael Moore, also published on Michael Moore.com, quoted verbatim:
We’re off to a great start. Last week I gave the spineless Dems five friendly suggestions for things they could do on the off chance they were interested in winning the midterm elections on November 2nd:
1. Deliver a blunt, nonstop reminder to the American people about exactly who it was that got us into the mess we’re in.
2. Declare a moratorium on home foreclosures.
3. Prosecute the banks and Wall Street for the Crime of the Century.
4. Create a 21st century WPA (hire the unemployed to rebuild America).
5. Pledge that no Dem will take a dime from Wall Street in the next election cycle.
So how are we doing a week later? Not bad! It turns out that at least some of these ideas were so simple even elected Democrats could come up with them!
1. Dems have started running tough, killer ads that have balls and SAY WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID. Check these out:
In the California Senate race, Barbara Boxer is going after Carly Fiorina on the outsourcing Fiorina did as CEO of HP.
Rep. Tim Bishop of Long Island, New York hits his GOP opponent Randy Altschuler on how HIS business sent jobs overseas.
Richard Blumenthal half-nelsons his Connecticut Senate opponent (and former WWE CEO) Linda McMahon who said we should consider cutting the minimum wage and then lied about having said it.
Jeez, it’s like they wanna win! More of these, please — NOW!
2. Foreclosure Moratorium fever among the Dems has amazingly swept the nation in the last week!Democratic Attorneys General all over the country are now demanding moratoriums for their states: California (Jerry Brown, now running for Governor), Connecticut (Richard Blumenthal, now running for Senate), Delaware (Joe Biden’s son Beau), Massachusetts (Martha Coakley, who probably wished she’d done this earlier since she lost the special Senate race in January to Scott Brown), Illinois (Lisa Madigan), Texas (Greg Abbott — a Republican!) and Colorado (John Suthers — another Republican!). And so is Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley (at the urging of Rep. Elijah Cummings, who you may remember from ‘Capitalism: A Love Story’).
Meanwhile, the Attorneys General of Iowa, Ohio and North Carolina are opening probes into the mortgage industry. And the banks are feeling the heat — GMAC, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America have already suspended foreclosures in 23 states (with Detroit’s Rep. John Conyers, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, calling on them to extend it to Michigan and the rest of the U.S.).
Wells Fargo? Citibank? Are you paying attention? Now’s the time to do something good so you can later mention it to the sentencing judge.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona has called for a nationwide foreclosure moratorium, and Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey says that may be necessary.
And it goes on and on. Check the special section on my website that I’m updating every day as more and more Democratic officials announce they will no longer allow banks to kick families out of their homes.
3. Prosecute the bastards! Looks like that’s what they’re maybe finally going to do. Check out this stunning letter sent to Attorney General Holder yesterday by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and 30 other members of congress (PDF): “…we urge you and your respective agencies to investigate possible violations of law or regulations by financial institutions in their handling of delinquent mortgages, mortgage modifications, and foreclosures. … The excuses we have
heard from financial institutions are simply not credible three years into this crisis. … It is time that banks are held accountable for their practices that have left too many homeowners without real help.”According to the New York Times, banks will likely face a “wide range of government investigations” for years. Judges may ask for them to be indicted for perjury or obstruction of justice. The Justice Department could prosecute banks for mail and wire fraud, or for making false statements to the government. And the SEC could open civil investigations.
Now we need to hear the Justice Department announce their investigation.
And look — Larry Summers is gone. Great move! The people’s advocate, Elizabeth Warren, is in — genius move! If that’s the direction Obama is now heading in, then these bankers may be shaking in their Salvatore Ferragamos.
So, not a bad start, Democrats (20 months late)! Just four weeks to go and I’m feeling that maybe, just maybe, we may prevent the All Souls Day Massacre. The pundits, who are essentially tools for the Corporate States of America, may have to eat a lot of crow. And if the Dems escape death’s door, they had better not let this nonsense happen again.
So, President Obama and Congress, let’s get busy on ideas #4 (WPA jobs) and #5 (pledge to take no further campaign money from Goldman and their friends).
C’mon everybody — there’s at least 3 million of you reading this (including the 700,000 of you who are my Twitter followers and my 300,000+ close Facebook friends). Let’s pressure the Dems to quit cowering and kick some butt — NOW!
Tell them it’s easy and to repeat after us:
* Stop the foreclosures!
* Prosecute the banks and Wall Street and war profiteer corps!
* Remind the public 24/7 who created the mess!
* Announce a real jobs program!
* Promise not to take Wall Street’s dirty money!
* Win the election!
Simple! Do it!
Michael Moore is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker and author. He directed and produced Roger & Me, Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, and Sicko. He has also written seven books, most recently, Mike’s Election Guide 2008.
We’re Counting on YOU! Please share Evans Liberal Politics with friends! While we enjoy a certain level of popularity on the web, in order for us to keep bringing you the latest in liberal news and politics, we really need you to SHARE Evans Liberal Politics with your friends and contacts. Please help us out — we bring you the latest in liberal and progressive news and politics just to share the truth and promote liberalism. Can you help us today?
*****
To make a Word or .pdf document of an article, or share or email it, simply load the individual article by clicking the dark blue title at the very top, or use the icons beneath the article.
We’re Counting on You!
Tell Your Friends About Evans Liberal Politics!
Listen to 226 Rock and Pop Hits!
Our Playlist is #1 Rated by Google
Use the handy icons, below, to load site features like sharing an article, bookmarking the page, loading a .PDF of an article, printing or emailing it, etc. Just hover your cursor over an icon to see what it will do if clicked.
AlterNet, Democratic liberals, Democratic Party, Democrats, Dems, election, election news, elections, Evans Liberal Politics, Evans Politics, liberal, liberal Christian news, liberal Christian politics, Liberal Democrats, liberal news, liberal news source, liberal politics, Michael Moore, middle class, midterm election, midterm elections, news, political anger, politics, politics news, progresssive, right wing anger, the middle class, truthful news, truthful news source, US liberal news, US liberal politics, US news, US politics, US progressive news, US progressive politicsObama and Dems Struggle to Reclaim Liberals’ Enthusiasm Ahead of Elections
Oct 6th, 10 / 1 Comment
Evans Liberal Politics
October 6, 2010
Obama and Dems Struggle to Reclaim
Liberals’ Enthusiasm Ahead of Elections
Obama Strains to Get Liberals Back Into Fold Ahead of Vote, © The New York Times, October 5, 2010, by Peter Baker, excerpt quoted verbatim:
WASHINGTON — With four weeks until Congressional elections that will shape the remainder of his term, President Obama is increasingly focused on generating enthusiasm within the base that helped put him in the White House two years ago, from college students to African-Americans.
If You Agree |
|---|
But Mr. Obama has aimed much of his prodding — and not a small amount of personal pique — at the liberals most deflated by the first two years of his presidency. Assuming that many independents are out of reach, White House strategists are counting on Mr. Obama to energize, cajole, wheedle and even shame the left into matching the Tea Party momentum that has propelled Republicans this year.
As he holds rallies aimed at college students and minority groups, sends e-mail to his old list of campaign supporters and prepares to host a town hall-style meeting on MTV, the president essentially is appealing to his liberal base to put aside its disappointment in him. Without offering regrets for policy choices that have angered liberals, Mr. Obama argues that the Republican alternative is far worse.
“You can’t sit it out,” he told a conference call of college student journalists last week. “You can’t suddenly just check in once every 10 years or so, on an exciting presidential election, and then not pay attention during big midterm elections where we’ve got a real big choice between Democrats and Republicans.” He added that “the energy that you were able to bring to our politics in 2008, that’s needed not less now, it’s needed more now.”
At times, though, the message has come across as scolding and testy, in the view of some Democrats. Mr. Obama told Rolling Stone magazine that Democrats “need to buck up” because it would be “inexcusable” for them to stay home. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. told a fund-raiser recently that the base should “stop whining and get out there and look at the alternatives.”
The White House may be making progress closing the so-called enthusiasm gap with Republicans, according to Democratic strategists who point to improving poll numbers and fund-raising. But the fact that Mr. Obama needs to make such a concerted effort highlights the depth of disaffection among liberals over what they see as his failure to aggressively push for the change he promised.
“It’s great that President Obama is showing a fighting spirit in the weeks before an election, but what his former voters need to see is that same fighting spirit when he’s governing,” said Adam Green, a co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a group started last year to advocate for liberal goals and candidates.
David Axelrod, the president’s senior adviser, said the appeal to the base stemmed entirely from political reality. “It’s not frustration at all,” he said. “It’s fundamental. Almost the entire Republican margin is based on the enthusiasm gap, and if Democrats come out in the same turnout as Republicans, it’s going to be a much different election.” ….
Read the full article, here.
"The Republican Wave Has Crested;"
Democrats Gaining in Polls
“The Republican Wave Has Crested”; 2 New Polls Show Significant 7 Point Gains for the Democrats, Daily Kos, October 6, 2010, by TomP, excerpt quoted verbatim:
We have seen it recently in California where Brown and Boxer are opening up signifcant leads, in Washington and in Connecticut. Yes, the economy is making it a tough year, but new polling shows the Democrats coming back. The tradmed, however, is so invested in their wished-for Republican wave, that the news is not getting out. WE need to spread the word:
Submitted by Simon Rosenberg on 10/5/10
More evidence this morning confirming the argument we’ve been making for the past few weeks – the Republican wave has crested, and a new dynamic in election 2010 has taken hold.
New Rasmussen and Washington Post polls each show a 7 point swing towards the Democrats in the national Congressional Generic in the past few weeks. As we wrote yesterday this movement tracks similar movement seen in other polls released over the past few days, indicating that the Democrats have made substantial improvement in their position over the past month.
2 New Polls Show Significant 7 Point Gains for the Democrats
Simon Rosenberg is President and Founder of NDN and a veteran of the 1992 Clinton War Room. More from him:
In the lead Washington Post story on their new poll, the 7 point Democratic gain was “modest,” and the 6 point Republican lead “significant.” Not sure how that got by their editor this morning but shows how fundamentally invested much of DC’s political class is in the September version of this story which had Democrats losing the House, a wave election and big Republican gains were already “baked in the cake.”
2 New Polls Show Significant 7 Point Gains for the Democrats
Even with 9.5 % unemployment, the Republicans are having trouble winning both chambers of Congress. 9.5% unemployment. Yes, it was Bush’s fault, but people often just blame whoever is in office. 100s of millions of dollars spent by Big Business and the Billionaires, and yet the Republicans still have not put it away. This was their chance and they have not and will not succeed.
It’s despair that leads people to give up. We need to be agents of hope, showing that Dems can win. Simon Rosenberg sees Dem fortunes improving through October and into the election:
Given current trends it is reasonable to conclude that the Democrats could pick up another 3-6 points in the national polls before election day, which would have a significant impact of course on the many close races across the country.
Read the full article, here
Check out Paul’s Playlist of 206 Rock and Pop Hits, and have fun with all the artists you love while you surf the web.
NEW! For our readers: Check out our 40 song "Only Classic Rock Playlist", now on its own page!
Follow Evans Liberal Politics and Paul Evans on | Follow Paul Evans on |
|---|
We’re Counting on YOU! Please share Evans Liberal Politics with friends! While we enjoy a certain level of popularity on the web, in order for us to keep bringing you the latest in liberal news and politics, we really need you to SHARE Evans Liberal Politics with your friends and contacts. Can you help us today? If you value liberal and progressive ideas and politics, please simply share Evans Liberal Politics with friends and contacts to keep free, independent and liberal journalism alive. Thanks in advance.
To make a Word or .pdf document of an article, or share or email it, simply load the individual article by clicking the dark blue title at the very top, or use the icons beneath the article.
2010 election, Barack Obama, Daily Kos, David Axelrod, Democratic Party, Democrats, Democrats shrink Republican lead, Dems gaining, election, election 2010, elections, enthusiasm gap, Evans Liberal Politics, Evans Politics, Joe Biden, liberal, liberal Christian news, liberal Christian politics, liberal news, liberal news source, liberal politics, midterm elections, news, Obama, politics, politics news, poll, polling, polls, President Obama, progressive, progressive news, progressive politics, Republican lead shrinks, The New York Times, the Obama administration, the White House, truthful news, truthful news source, US liberal news, US liberal politics, US news, US politics, White HouseElection 2010 News
Oct 5th, 10 / 3 Comments
Evans Liberal Politics
October 5, 2010
Election 2010 News
Evans Liberal Politics, October 5, 2010, compilation and commentary by Paul Evans: selected news on House and Senate races of interest as we enter the last month before Congressional elections.
Democrats gain in poll but GOP still leads as midterm elections near, The Washington Post, October 5, 2010, by Dan Balz and Jon Cohen, excerpt quoted verbatim:
 |
|---|
Democrats have cut in half the GOP’s early-September advantage on the question of which party’s candidates voters say they will support on Nov. 2. They have also made small gains on the question of which party people trust to handle big issues, such as the economy and health care.
Voters give Democrats a significant edge as the party that would do a better job in helping the middle class, which has been a key campaign message from the White House in recent weeks.
President Obama’s approval rating has rebounded to where it was in July after hitting an all-time low a month ago. Also, in some state races, Democratic candidates have taken the lead over their Republican opponents or narrowed GOP advantages.
Also See In Ads, Democratic Candidates Play Down Party, The New York Times, October 4, 2010, by David W. Chen:
One New York Democrat proclaims that he proudly opposed the federal government’s health care overhaul plan. Another one pledges, in the finest Tea Party spirit, to oppose any future financial bailouts. Still another has rolled out three Republicans in three separate commercials, all vouching for his credentials.
But there is one word you will not hear mentioned in any of these campaign advertisements: Democrat.
With the Democratic Party bracing for a dismal showing in the elections next month, many candidates are doing everything possible to convince voters that they are not tied at the hip to President Obama or Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker. A vulnerable Democratic incumbent in North Dakota, Representative Earl Pomeroy, praises former President George W. Bush in one of his commercials. But even Democrats in and near New York State are running away from their party.
“In a year of insurgency and anti-incumbency, being a Republican in New York State is, for the first time in a long time, not a bad thing, because being a Democrat implies you’re an incumbent,” Hank Sheinkopf, a veteran Democratic consultant, said.
“So why would you mention that you’re a Democrat?” Mr. Sheinkopf said. “The smarter thing to do is, don’t tell them what kind of party you are, tell them what you’re going to do.”
Russ Feingold News
Also of Interest: Wisconsin’s Russ Feingold in Peril, But Still Practicing ‘I Did It My Way’ Politics, Politics Daily, October 4, 2010, by Walter Shapiro. Wisconsin’s Russ Feingold trails GOP challenger Ron Johnson, who is a plastics manufacturer (and therefore eminently qualified to lead America in the right direction), by some 7 points in the latest McClatchy-Maris poll, with only about three percent of voters still undecided. The candidates debate each other for the first in three debates on Friday evening.
See Feingold: They’re Dancing in The End Zone, Daily Kos, October 5, 2010, by Julie Gulden.
U.S. House of Representatives
OH-16: Boccieri vs. Renacci:
Watch OH-16: Renacci’s civil rights gaffe makes national news, Plunderbund, September 10, 2010, by Modernesquire: Renacci says the Federal Government has little place in the ongoing civil rights, race relations situation, that we’re past this now, and that local governments need to take over this role from the Federal government. It represents a deplorable ignorance of the situation in inner cities and for minority populations, and these sorts of positions have been ongoing among right wingers since back to 1863. The right wing position is one of states rights, and local governmental control. This would leave the disadvantaged without a national protection or voice, at the mercy of ten thousand local entities, and without any real guarantee of civil rights protections. It is a position which should have been abandoned for many decades but which, sadly, many Republican candidates now hold. I find it an incredibly reactionary, and dangerous position for a congressional candidate to hold in this day and age.
My county, Wayne County, Ohio, is the heart of Ohio’s 16th Congressional district. I have marched in campaign parades for John Boccieri so I am hardly a nonpartisan in these matters. But Wayne County is 62 percent Republican, and I fear for John Boccieri’s re-election campaign, what with all the Renacci signs I see in the yards, and with the prevailing anti-incumbent mood around here and around the nation. John Boccieri finally, reluctantly supported the health care reform bill, and now he is paying a political price for that as it is not popular around here. Please consider visiting John Boccieri’s campaign website and donating or volunteering. Thanks.~ Evans Liberal Politics owner Paul Evans
Read Clyburn Slams GOP Candidate Who Said Civil Rights Issues Should Be Left To Local Governments, The Huffington Post, September 10, 2010, by Amanda Terkel.
Visit the John Boccieri for Congress campaign website, and sign up!
Christine O’Donnell News:
Christine O’Donnell gives me a reason to smile every morning when I wake up at 4 a.m. to put up the news. ~ Evans Liberal Politics owner Paul Evans.
Del. Senate candidate O’Donnell: ‘I’m not a witch’, The Associated Press on The Raw Story, October 5, 2010, by AP, photo of Christine O’Donnell is © AP courtesy of The Raw Story:
 |
|---|
Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell is trying to assure Delaware voters: “I’m not a witch.”
The Republican tea-party-backed candidate in her first TV ad since winning the primary pokes fun at comments she made during a 1999 taping of a late-night talk show that she dabbled in witchcraft when she was a teenager.
In the 30-second ad that starts airing Tuesday, O’Donnell smiles at the camera and speaks over a soft piano soundtrack. “I’m nothing you’ve heard. I’m you.”
UPDATE: See Leno tells Christine O’Donnell sex joke (with video), Salon, October 6, 2010, by Tracy Clark-Flory.
See O’Donnell once claimed to have ‘classified’ info on Chinese plot to ‘take over America’, The Raw Story, October 4, 2010, by Stephen C. Webster.
See Christine O’Donnell Opts Out of Being Hare Krishna, ABC News, October 2, 2010, by Ryan Creed:
In a 1999 television appearance, Delaware Republican Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell admitted to dabbling in several religions — including witchcraft and Buddhism — but said she skipped being a Hare Krishna because she couldn’t give up meat.
See 2nd school suggests Christine O’Donnell fudged record, Yahoo News, The Upshot, September 29, 2010, by Rachel Rose Hartman.
Watch Christine O’Donnell: ‘I Love Meatballs’, ABC News video, Bill Maher with Politically Incorrect: 23 seconds.
 |
|---|
UPDATE: See Roundup: The Christine O’Donnell witch doll, Salon, October 5, 2010, by Tracy Clark-Flory.
Also See Educating Christine O’Donnell: LinkedIn-Gate, Lawsuits And Late Degrees Color Senate Hopeful’s Resume, Talking Points Memo DC, September 30, 2010, by Christina Bellantoni.
Don’t think O’Donnell is all that off the wall? Watch Christine O’Donnell’s 90′s MTV Anti-Masturbation Campaign, Rachel Maddow on TPMTV, September 14, 2010 – 1:38.
Still not feeling happy yet today? O.K., watch Christine O’Donnell on Hitler, God, Jews & Lies, Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher on the Young Turks, September 15, 2010 – 2:34.
Comment by Evans Liberal Politics owner Paul Evans: Christine O’Donnell is a moron with the mind of a fifth grader who maybe is a viable candidate for dogcatcher. The RNC is wise if it refrains from spending money on this campaign, as has been reported. See Christine O’Donnell down 15 points in new poll, Politico, September 21, 2010, by Kasie Hunt. My dear, I’m afraid you have served us cold tea… Don’t expect this campaign race to heat up very much, either. The other race that’s fun to watch is the California governor’s race where old Jerry Brown can’t seem to have much chance to blow it against the Republican, Meg Whitman. See Meg Whitman’s meltdown, Salon, October 4, 2010, by Joan Walsh: “The GOP candidate’s hypocrisy is helping to hand the California governor’s office back to Jerry Brown.” In a campaign season that looks dismal for Democrats generally, O’Donnell and Meg Whitman are a reason to smile wryly and say, “see, it’s not all bad news!”
In summation of the evidence that O’Donnell is a lightweight fruitcake, watch Christine O’Donnell’s Greatest Hits, Talking Points Memo TV on YouTube – 3:38. Obviously Christine O’Donnell is a flaming witch who needs to be burned at the stake, right? ~ Paul Evans
Also In the News
Also of Interest: Watch and read The Debate Vid Everyone’s Talking About (CT-Sen) UPDATED, Daily Kos, October 5, 2010, by grannyhelen: In the race for Senator in Connecticut, in a debate, Blumenthal is effective in defending health care reform against Republican WWE magnate Linda McMahon, who has only "no comment" to say about possible criminal charges towards her wrestling empire.
CO – Gov: CO-Gov: Tancredo endangering Colorado GOP’s future, Daily Kos, October 5, 2010, by Joan McCarter:
Tancredo is inching up in the polls at Maes’s expense. A SUSA poll from this week has Tancredo at 34 to Maes’s 15, with Dem Hickenlooper still ahead by double digits at 46. A Rasmussen poll (grain of salt) has Hickenlooper 43, Tancredo 35 (a more than 20-point gain in two months) and Maes 16. His gains are almost entirely from Republicans jumping ship and the wackier fringe of the unaffiliated voters. Tancredo is both egotistical enough and crazy enough to take the Republican party down with him. Could this race get any more interesting?
Minnesota Governor: Biden mocks GOP over federal debt, StarTribune blog Our Voices, October 5, 2010, by Bob von Sternberg:
Vice President Joe Biden mocked Republican calls for fiscal restraint and criticism of the current level of federal debt, pointing out the last federal surplus occured during the Clinton administration.
“Mark [Dayton] knows how to balance a budget, the way he did as [state] auditor. Mark’s opponents are drinking the same KoolAid as the Republican national leadership … This election is a choice. The choice is very stark, between telling the truth or continuing with a Ponzi scheme.”
He repeated his broadest critique of the GOP: “Give me a break — I’ve had it up to here.”
“Look folks, we’ ve seen this movie before and we know how it ends. Minnesota can’t afford it. America can’t afford it….If we lose, we’ll see a rerun of that movie.”
Wrapping up, he quietly implored them, “do for us what you did two years ago.”
See Polling and Political Wrap-Up, 10/4/10, Daily Kos, October 4, 2010, Updated, by Steve Singiser.
No Surprise: Shock:GOP and its allies cook their ads with foreign money (with poll), Daily Kos, October 5, 2010, by karpaty lviv.
Well, well: Watchdog Groups Ask I.R.S. to Investigate Crossroads GPS, The New York Times Politics, The Caucus, October 5, 2010, by Michael Luo: "Campaign finance watchdog organizations say Crossroads GPS, a (right wing, Rovian) nonprofit group, is violating federal tax laws."
Bad News: Disillusioned Hispanics May Skip Midterms, Poll Suggests, The New York Times, October 5, 2010, by Marc Lacey.
Check out Paul’s Playlist of 206 Rock and Pop Hits, and have fun with all the artists you love while you surf the web.
NEW! For our readers: Check out our 40 song "Only Classic Rock Playlist", now on its own page!
Follow Evans Liberal Politics and Paul Evans on | Follow Paul Evans on |
|---|
We’re Counting on YOU! Please share Evans Liberal Politics with friends! While we enjoy a certain level of popularity on the web, in order for us to keep bringing you the latest in liberal news and politics, we really need you to SHARE Evans Liberal Politics with your friends and contacts. Can you help us today? If you value liberal and progressive ideas and politics, please simply share Evans Liberal Politics with friends and contacts to keep free, independent and liberal journalism alive. Thanks in advance.
To make a Word or .pdf document of an article, or share or email it, simply load the individual article by clicking the dark blue title at the very top, or use the icons beneath the article.
2010, Boccieri, Boccieri for Congress, Christine O'Donnell, Christine O'Donnell a witch, Christine O'Donnell news, Christine O'Donnell witch, Congress, Congress news, election, election 2010, election 2010 news, elections, Evans Liberal Politics, Evans Politics, House, House election, House of Representative, Jim Renacci, John Boccieri, John Boccieri news, liberal, liberal Christian news, liberal Christian politics, liberal news, liberal news source, liberal poltiics, midterm elections, news, Ohio, Paul Evans, politics, politics news, progressive, progressive news, progressive politics, Russ Feingold, Russ Feingold news, Senate, Senate election, truthful news, truthful politics, US liberal news, US liberal politics, US news, US poltiics, US SenateOutside groups’ spending on midterm elections dwarfs 2006 totals
Oct 5th, 10 / 2 Comments
Evans Liberal Politics
October 5, 2010
Outside groups’ spending on midterm elections
dwarfs 2006 totals
Outside groups’ spending on midterm elections dwarfs 2006 totals, The Raw Story, October 4, 2010, by Stephen C. Webster, used with permission, quoted verbatim — Evans Liberal Politics is proud to partner with The Raw Story to bring you cutting edge news and political reporting:
A controversial Supreme Court decision that allowed political ad buyers to remain anonymous has encouraged a torrential downpour of private dollars this election season: so much that the sum is now five times greater than funds spent amid the 2006 election season.According to The Washington Post, this year interest groups have spent over $80 million on the elections, up from just $16 million in 2006, when Democrats ended 12 years of Republican rule.
If You Agree |
|---|
Over half of the total spent so far comes from anonymous donors, the Post reported, which are permitted if the group they donate to is registered as a nonprofit. Nameless donors were given much greater leeway to spend on elections after the nation’s highest court reversed a long-standing campaign finance rule that required groups to disclose who was purchasing political advertising.President Obama and many Democrats charge that the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission threatens American democracy as it allows money to flow from virtually any sector, potentially opening the door to wealthy foreigners who wish to influence US elections.
Republicans, who’ve long argued that money is a form of speech, were quick to embrace the toppling of the rules. Former Bush political strategist Karl Rove joined with former RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie to form what’s been called a “shadow RNC” that operates outside of the Republican party but supports Republican candidates.
Those groups, American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, joined with other wealthy conservatives to form a coalition of independent Republicans, looking to exert as influence on the elections as possible. Many of the RNC’s donors have left the official party and followed Rove and Gillespie, leaving the RNC significantly less relevant since Republicans elected Michael Steele as chairman.
Tim Dickenson, writing for Rolling Stone, called Rove’s runaround nothing less than a “coup of the Republican party”.
In a request for an advisory opinion [PDF link] filed with the Federal Election Commission, an attorney for Protect Our Elections cites reporting by RAW STORY, Rolling Stone and The Huffington Post to build a case alleging that Rove and his groups have effectively replaced the official RNC as the party’s center of gravity. The watchdog group proposed the Crossroads groups should be subject to the same rules as the RNC, meaning they would not be allowed unlimited donations.
A second request for review [PDF link], filed with the Department of Justice, urges officials protect the 2010 elections from wealthy individuals and groups who seek to win “by hook or crook.”
They further insist that the DOJ “[launch] a specific criminal investigation into American Crossroads/American Crossroads GPS for its coup d’etat of the RNC for the purpose of controlling the United States Government.”
Of course, it’s not just conservatives that have marshaled their forces for 2010: non-affiliated Democrats and labor unions are joining the independent money bandwagon, but not nearly as fast as Republicans.
“[Based] on budget and spending projections from many big groups on both sides it’s expected that GOP-allied entities are likely to outspend their Democratic foes by a three to two margin and perhaps even two to one,” explained reporter Peter Stone, writing for the Center for Public Integrity.
“For now, unions say they expect to be outspent heavily on the ad wars — and in fact they already have been, according to the Campaign Media Analysis Group,” he added. “A CMAG analysis says GOP-allied independent groups spent $18.1 million on Senate ads from Aug. 1 to Sept. 20, while their Democratic counterparts spent $2.6 million in the same period. On House races, GOP groups spent $6.7 million compared to $2.3 million doled out by Democratic groups.”
See Polling and Political Wrap-Up, 10/4/10, Daily Kos, October 4, 2010, Updated, by Steve Singiser.
Check out Paul’s Playlist of 206 Rock and Pop Hits, and have fun with all the artists you love while you surf the web.
NEW! For our readers: Check out our 40 song "Only Classic Rock Playlist", now on its own page!
Follow Evans Liberal Politics and Paul Evans on | Follow Paul Evans on |
|---|
We’re Counting on YOU! Please share Evans Liberal Politics with friends! While we enjoy a certain level of popularity on the web, in order for us to keep bringing you the latest in liberal news and politics, we really need you to SHARE Evans Liberal Politics with your friends and contacts. Can you help us today? If you value liberal and progressive ideas and politics, please simply share Evans Liberal Politics with friends and contacts to keep free, independent and liberal journalism alive. Thanks in advance.
To make a Word or .pdf document of an article, or share or email it, simply load the individual article by clicking the dark blue title at the very top, or use the icons beneath the article.
2010, 2010 elections, American Crossroads, Boccieri, campaign spending, Center for Public Integrity, Christine O'Donnell, Christine O'Donnell news, Christine O'Donnell witch, Citizens United, Congress, corruption, Crossroads GPS, Democratic Party, Democratic Party news, Democrats, Ed Guillespie, election, elections, Evans Liberal Politics, GOP, House, House of Representatives, interest groups, John Boccieri, Karl Rove, liberal, liberal Christian news, liberal Christian politics, liberal news, liberal news source, liberal politics, liberalism, lobbying, lobbyists, mid-term elections, midterm elections, news, political liberalism, politics, politics news, progressive, progressive news, progressive news source, progressive politics, Republican National Committee, Republican Party, Republican Party news, Republicans, right wing, RNC, RNC news, Shadow RNC, special interest groups, The Raw Story, truthful news, US liberal news, US liberal politics, US news, US politicsPelosi ATTACKS: Republicans Want an American Oligarchy. FIRED UP!
Oct 2nd, 10 / 0 Comments
Evans Liberal Politics
October 2, 2010
Pelosi ATTACKS: Republicans
Want an American Oligarchy. FIRED UP!
Pelosi ATTACKS: Republicans Want an American Oligarchy. FIRED UP!, Daily Kos, October 2, 2010 by MinistryOfTruth, used with permission, quoted verbatim:
But Republicans don’t want tax cuts for the middle class, Pelosi said, “unless we worship at the shrine of those [making] over $250,000…They want to turn [America] into a plutocracy or an oligarchy. And I just will not give them more grist for the grinder when they have a 100-million-dollar grinder.”
Bold text added by the diarist
Today the enthusiasm on the left is growing by leaps and bounds. Polls are moving towards the Dems. Voters who are NOT Glenn Beck fans (and yes, Glenn Beck, we SURROUND you and your little cult of personality and hate) are figuring out that GOP/teaparty candidates are CRAZY and have NOTHING to offer working class Americans. The GOP peaked too early and WE have the momentum. Now, lets SEIZE that momentum.
Crossposted at The Progressive Electorate.com
In an article titled Why Nancy Pelosi Thinks She Can Hold the House, the Speaker doesn’t sound afraid of the George Bush party at all. In fact, she sounds CONFIDENT.
But regarding the “Oligarchy” comment, this isn’t Bernie Sanders, this is the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and she GETS IT. Nancy Pelosi is NOT afraid of the Big Bad Xenophobic Tea Party wolf. Nancy sounds CONFIDENT and she is FIGHTING BACK. And you should too!
So lets get FIRED UP!
 |
|---|
If you can, use our ActBlue link to support Nancy Pelosi’s majority and some great house candidates!
Or donate to your own candidates and tell us who they are and why they are worth supporting!
The momentum is ON OUR SIDE! The Conservative teapublican movement is the George Bush GOP if you shaved it’s butt and taught it to call you a Nazi while it walked backwards. But I got news for you, NO ONE WHO WASN’T ALREADY A LOST CAUSE/FOX VIEWER IS BUYING IT. We will win.
And YES, the GOP wants you to worship the $250,000+ a year income crowd. The GOP WANTS a Citizens United corporate funded Oligarchy of the rich. The GOP LOVES the in come inequality gap; the better to eat you with. Pelosi knows this and is calling it out. She isn’t cowering. She isn’t afraid. She is FIGHTING BACK!
And I, for one, will gladly join her!
So, who is coming with me?
You can follow the author on Twitter @JesseLaGreca. Email MinistryOfTruth here. FULL DISCLOSURE: Jesse LaGreca is a paid employee of PeanutButterPAC, a progressive PAC founded right at DailyKos.com.
See Why Nancy Pelosi Thinks She Can Hold the House, Politics Daily, October 1, 2010, by Melinda Hennenberger.
Recommended: A warning to progressives: How bad can it get?, Daily Kos, October 2, 2010, by shmuelman.
Check out Paul’s Playlist of 200 Rock and Pop Hits, and have fun with all the artists you love while you surf the web.
NEW! For our readers: Check out our 40 song "Only Classic Rock Playlist", now on its own page!
Follow Evans Liberal Politics and Paul Evans on | Follow Paul Evans on |
|---|
We’re Counting on YOU! Please share Evans Liberal Politics with friends! While we enjoy a certain level of popularity on the web, in order for us to keep bringing you the latest in liberal news and politics, we really need you to SHARE Evans Liberal Politics with your friends and contacts. Can you help us today? If you value liberal and progressive ideas and politics, please simply share Evans Liberal Politics with friends and contacts to keep free, independent and liberal journalism alive. Thanks in advance.
To make a Word or .pdf document of an article, or share or email it, simply load the individual article by clicking the dark blue title at the very top, or use the icons beneath the article.
class war, confident, Daily Kos, Democratic Party, Democrats, election, election 2010, election news, elections, Evans Liberal Politics, GOP, liberal, liberal Christian news, liberal Christian politics, liberal news, liberal news source, liberal politics, liberalism, mid-term elections, mid-terms, middle class, middle class tax relief, midterm elections, midterms, MinistryOfTruth, mony, Nancy Pelosi, news, oligarchy, Pelosi, political liberalism, politics, Republican Party, Republicans, tax relief, taxes, the middle class, the rich, truthful news, truthful news source, US, US election news, US liberal news, US liberal politics, US news, US politics, vote 2010
