Money influencing our elections is the number one problem in this country, here is one step to fixing that problem...
Monday, September 27, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Voter Suppression Plans Between Republican Party of Wisconsin, Americans for Prosperity, Tea Party Groups
One Wisconsin Now Exposes Voter Suppression Plans Between Republican Party of Wisconsin, Americans for Prosperity, Tea Party Groups
Coordination on Voter Caging, Targeting Minorities, College Students Outlined in Documents, Tea Party Meeting Recording
A coordinated plot by the Republican Party of Wisconsin, Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin and organizations in the so-called Tea Party movement targeting minority voters and college students in a possibly illegal "voter caging" effort for voter suppression has been uncovered in evidence we have obtained.
Based on what we have heard, the Republican Party of Wisconsin, the Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin and leading Tea Party organizations are in collusion in an effort to suppress the ability of minorities and university students in Wisconsin to exercise their right to vote this November. We will be providing all of the evidence we have received on this wrongdoing to federal and state authorities so that they can investigate to ensure justice and democracy prevail."
One Wisconsin Now has filed formal requests for investigation with the U.S. Attorney's Office, as well as the Wisconsin Attorney General's Election Integrity Task Force and the Government Accountability Board demanding a full investigation to ensure the right to vote is not stolen by these plans.
The non-partisan Brennan Center for Justice outlines the process of voter caging:
Voter caging is the practice of sending mail to addresses on the voter rolls, compiling a list of the mail that is returned undelivered, and using that list to purge or challenge voters registrations on the grounds that the voters on the list do not legally reside at their registered addresses. Supporters of voter caging defend the practice as a means of preventing votes cast by ineligible voters. Voter caging, however, is notoriously unreliable. If it is treated (unjustifiably) as the sole basis for determining that a voter is ineligible or does not live at the address at which he or she registered, it can lead to the unwarranted purge or challenge of eligible voters. ...Moreover, the practice has often been targeted at minority voters, making the effects even more pernicious. [Brennan Center, "A Guide to Voter Caging," 6/29/07]
One Wisconsin Now obtained an audio recording it has verified as authentic from a June 12, 2010 meeting between the leaders of the state's Tea Party movement, led by Tim Dake, head of the GrandSons of Liberty. Dake serves as a regular spokesperson for Wisconsin's Tea Party organizations and is widely viewed as the movement's Wisconsin leader. The full audio, available at One Wisconsin Now's voter protection website, www.SaveWisconsinsVote2010.org, details the plans for a coordinated voter suppression efforts, which is anchored in challenging voter eligibility on Election Day this November 2.
THE PLOT
According to the statements made on the recordings, Dake lays out the plans, detailing contact between himself and Reince Preibus, the Republican Party of Wisconsin Chair and Mark Block, state director of Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin:
• The Republican Party of Wisconsin will use its "Voter Vault" state-wide voter file to compile a list of minority and student voters in targeted Wisconsin communities.
• Americans for Prosperity will use this list to send mail to these voters indicating the voter must call and confirm their registration information, and telling them if they do not call the number provided they could be removed from the voter lists.
• The Tea Party organizations will recruit and place individuals as official poll workers in selected municipalities in order to be able to make the challenges as official poll workers.
• On Election Day, these organizations will then "make use" of any postcards that are returned as undeliverable to challenge voters at the polls, utilizing law enforcement, as well as attorneys trained and provided by the RPW, to support their challenges.
According to the recordings, Dake told the assembled Tea Party members he leads:
So, what we're hoping is that the various groups in the coalition plus Americans for Prosperity and Mark Block, who has been in on this, and the Republican Party, and this is coming all the way from the top: Reince Priebus has said, "We're in." And there's a reason why these guys are volunteering to work with us. They have access to what they call Voter Vault, you know the records of voting. They can go in there and look for lapsed voters. They can go in and compare lists of voters and say, "Oh look at this. This person is registered in this county, this county, this county, and this county." And do something about this. So we're talking about a broad based support behind this idea. What they're offering is training.
Dake continues in the recording to outline the plan:
[RPW is] offering to do the training; it's not going to cost anything, but what we're looking at is statewide getting our groups involved, getting people, like my group has a 2,700 person email list. We want to hit that and see how many of these people we can get involved in this one project. The idea being at some point to go in on September 14 and November 2 and have these people involved and doing poll watching and checking. There are some consultants that have offered to step up, "We're Watching" is stepping up; attorneys from the Republican Party.
Later in his presentation, Dake adds:
Okay, poll watchers what you can do is you can call in a lawyer. The Republican Party, this is one of the things they're offering, they're saying they'll have their lawyers standing by so that if you call, let's say you're poll watching in say Hales Corners and you see something really fraudulent, they will send a lawyer out right away and be able to say, "Here's the deal, here's the law, this is what we expect." Bring the police in and make your complaint that sort of thing. So, we've got that. You can challenge voters through the precinct captains. This is one of the things they will teach you how to do and anybody can challenge a voter. And since the voter law did not get passed this year that could hit you with $100,000 and three years for unsuccessfully challenging a voter, we can still do this.
Dake is interrupted at this point by an unidentified coalition member who shouts, "Hallelujah." Dake adds, "Yes, everybody gets to take credit for that." He goes on to outline Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin's role and how to target law enforcement:
So we're talking about AFP is willing to fund doing a mass mailing to registered voters on this, about getting them involved with this, making sure that their information is current, because people periodically need to go back and check. I found, before we bought the house we lived in. Four years ago I lived in a brand new condo, the first people to live in it. I went to vote and found twelve people registered at my address. My wife and I are the only people to have lived there. Yet, there were twelve people registered to vote. I couldn't believe it. They said, "Wow, you must have a big family." And I'm looking at names and going, "No, there's nobody named 'Nguyen' and 'Din' and that sort of thing in my family." So that's the kind of thing we need to clean up and people need to be aware of. Go in and check who else is registered at your place and ask to have them tossed off. Work with the media on this and district attorneys. Try to get them involved early and fired up about this and say look, "We know you're shorthanded, we're hands, we're boots on the ground. We will help you, just bring the weight of the law behind us." One of the things we're going to do is take these addresses that people give and we want to send out a postcard that says, "You need to call and confirm this. And if you haven't called, well then it could get tossed out." We're also looking for when you send these cards out is they'll come back if it is an undeliverable address.
THE QUOTES: Among some of the discussion also captured on the audio:
"[Y]ou run into the racial thing. You have people screaming, 'Oh, you're denying the minorities the right to vote.' No., we're denying their right to vote multiple times." [Tim Dake, GrandSons of Liberty]
"Work with the media on this and the district attorneys. Try to get them involved early and fired up about this and say look, 'We know you're shorthanded, we're hands, we're boots on the ground. We will help you, just bring the weight of the law behind us." [Tim Dake, GrandSons of Liberty]
"I was a poll watcher from 2000 to 2006 and if you've got a university in your county, or your city, students will come down in droves and then they will all vouch for each other. I had this one kid come in five times with five separate groups of people and this person brings in students, they're usually from Minnesota or wherever up by Eau Claire, and you go, 'Do you live here?' 'Yes.' 'Well do you have anything that shows your address?' 'No.' Then that one student says, 'I vouch for her, I vouch for him.' And they all vote. [Shane McVey, Eau Claire Tea Party]
"This is apparently a very effective deterrent, just having people standing there. Poll watching tends to discourage people when they know someone is looking." [Tim Dake, GrandSons of Liberty]
"It's just having people who have the courage and conviction because in our society we have been 'wussified'.... [T]hey try to claim intimidation and they'll bring a whole bunch of people. If you do challenge a vote like three people will surround you and they'll all start getting in your face and threatening you with legal action and all that stuff. You just have to be strong willed and be able to take that stuff." [Shane McVey, Eau Claire Tea Party]
THE REQUEST FOR INVESTIGATION
The possible illegality of the RPW-AFP-WI-Tea Party plot that One Wisconsin Now lays out in the requests for investigation to law enforcement officials assert:
• Federal law prohibits racially targeted caging operations. Statements made during the June 12 meeting make clear that race is a motivating factor in the planned caging and challenge effort. Any efforts to deter qualified electors from voting based on their race must be immediately investigated and, if substantiated, stopped. [42 U.S.C. §§ 1973(a); 1973gg]
• The organizations' Election Day plans could put the state at possible risk of violating federal law. Federal law makes clear that elector challenges cannot be based solely on returned mail. The organizations' plans to recruit individuals to become poll workers in order to conduct challenges based on the returned mail would result in individuals acting unlawfully under color of state law. [42 U.S.C. § 1973gg; Tiryak v. Jordan, 472 F. Supp. 822, 824 (E.D. PA 1979)]
• Federal law also makes clear that private actors are similarly prohibited from challenging voters based solely on undelivered mail. Even if a challenge comes from a volunteer election observer, the challenge is unlawful if it is based on the voter's failure to respond to the mailing. Any challenge to an elector's eligibility based on such unreliable grounds is an abuse of the right to challenge and violates state and federal law, subjecting the challenger to removal and other sanctions. [42 U.S.C. § 1973gg]
• Disturbingly, the mail program described by the Tea Party members will contain false and misleading information. The Tea Party plans to tell certain voters that their name may be removed if they fail to call the telephone number provided. It would be illegal to remove a voter from the statewide database based on this reason. [42 U.S.C. § 1973gg]
• The deceptive nature of the planned mailing is particularly troubling because the mailing described would almost certainly would appear to be an official governmental mailing. For the same reasons that it is unlawful to use official attire to challenge a voter at the polls on Election Day, it is unlawful to send a mailing that appears to be an official action of the governmental. [18 U.S.C. § 242; 42 U.S.C. § 1973i(b)]
Monday, September 20, 2010
Jon Stewart vs Stephen Colbert at the National Mall 10/30/10
OK,
This is super funny, as a parody of the Glenn Beck rally and as an attempt to have real influence on the political discourse: dueling rallies on the National Mall: Jon Stewart vs Stephen Colbert.
This is super funny, as a parody of the Glenn Beck rally and as an attempt to have real influence on the political discourse: dueling rallies on the National Mall: Jon Stewart vs Stephen Colbert.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Rally to Restore Sanity | ||||
| ||||
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| March to Keep Fear Alive Announcement | ||||
| ||||
Friday, September 17, 2010
Elizabeth Warren, voice of reason
Elizabeth Warren's Greatest Hits from MoveOn.org Official Channel on Vimeo.
Top Five Things You Should Know About Elizabeth Warren (from Moveon.org)
1. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was her idea. Here's why she thinks this agency is so critical: "It is impossible to buy a toaster that has a one-in-five chance of bursting into flames and burning down your house. But it is possible to refinance your home with a mortgage that has the same one-in-five chance of putting your family out on the street."1
2. The Republicans are so scared of her, they tried to pass a law blocking her from leading the agency. Republicans in Congress and the big Wall Street banks have always been against Warren leading the new consumer agency. Republicans even offered an amendment that was widely understood as designed to block Warren. That amendment failed.2
3. She is one of the most prominent, successful and fierce female lawyers in America. Coming from working-class roots, she graduated from high school as a debate star at 16. She finished law school when she was nine months pregnant. And she has repeatedly been named one of the fifty most influential female lawyers by the National Law Journal and was twice nominated as one of Time Magazines 100 Most Influential People (among other honors).3
4. She spoke truth to power about the failed foreclosure program. The Home Affordability Modification Program was supposed to save homeowners from losing their homes but has left many deeper in debt than they were before. Warren used her position on the Congressional Oversight panel to bring the voices of these disaffected homeowners right to the decision makers in the administration and demand accountability.4
5. She may have actual superpowers. She once calmed the entire crowd of an NBA game with her encyclopedic basketball knowledge. She explained the financial meltdown so clearly to Jon Stewart he said it made him "want to make out with" her. And there's a viral rap video about her.5
Sources:
1. "Making Credit Safer: The Case for Regulation," Harvard Magazine, June 2008
http://harvardmagazine.com/2008/05/making-credit-safer-html
2. "GOP Tried To Block Elizabeth Warren From Heading Agency She Proposed," Huffington Post, October 27, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=90368
3. Elizabeth Warren Wikipedia Entry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Warren
4. "Elizabeth Warren is Bostonian of the Year," The Boston Globe, December 20, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=90369
5. "How HAMP Makes Elizabeth Warren The Only Choice For Consumer Protection," The New Deal 2.0, July 22, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=90370
Got a New Sheriff, Main Street Brigade
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W0vCgMRX0o
"Elizabeth Warren is Bostonian of the Year," The Boston Globe, December 20, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=90369
"Jon Stewart to Elizabeth Warren: Let's Make Out," Talking Points Memo, January 27, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=90371
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Wednesday, September 15, 2010
perfect hypocrisy and another quick action to take
So this is just so perfect.
The Republicans in congress, many times now, have held up extending the unemployment benefits for those who lost their jobs during this recession saying that they will not vote for this unless the Democrats pay for it by cutting money somewhere else. The argument is that they care so much about the deficit that they cannot support irresponsible spending.
Now Democrats are trying to renew the Bush tax cuts, which are about to expire, for 98% of Americans - all those except the top 2% of money makers. The Republicans say they will refuse to vote for the renewal of any tax cuts unless the top 2% also got their tax cuts renewed. Their argument is that the more money that is in private hand the faster our economic recovery will be.
So they fight against money going into the hands of the unemployed who need to SPEND the money on food, mortgages, health insurance, etc and fight for money going into the hands of the most wealthy in the nation. This is the group of people least likely to spend the money and most likely to save it.
Perfect hypocrisy and a perfect illustration of who the Republican party is fighting for and against.
The Republican s' plan to renew tax cuts for everyone is estimated to increase the deficit by over $4 trillion, while the Democrats' plan to renew them for everyone but the top two percent will only increase the deficit by $1.5 trillion - a difference of around $2.5 trillion. Big difference.
It is also interesting to note that the Bush tax cuts are expiring because the Republicans used tricks to get them passed that bypassed the normal legislative process and kept the money from showing up officially on the budget deficit. While cutting taxes the Republicans increased spending, started expensive wars, expanded government (Department of Homeland Security), pushed through trillions of dollars worth of corporate tax loop holes and then NOW they use the deficit as an excuse to cut spending on programs that help low income and middle class folks.
So the quick action - call the White House and Harry Reid and tell them to stand firm in not renewing the tax cuts for the top 2% during this economically difficult time. If Republicans want fiscal responsibility then give it to them! Also tell them to be stronger on closing corporate tax loop holes to give us the money we need to create more jobs in this country and to help those who need to get back on their feet.
White House comment line: 202-456-1111
Harry Reid's number in Washington: 202-224-3542
The Republicans in congress, many times now, have held up extending the unemployment benefits for those who lost their jobs during this recession saying that they will not vote for this unless the Democrats pay for it by cutting money somewhere else. The argument is that they care so much about the deficit that they cannot support irresponsible spending.
Now Democrats are trying to renew the Bush tax cuts, which are about to expire, for 98% of Americans - all those except the top 2% of money makers. The Republicans say they will refuse to vote for the renewal of any tax cuts unless the top 2% also got their tax cuts renewed. Their argument is that the more money that is in private hand the faster our economic recovery will be.
So they fight against money going into the hands of the unemployed who need to SPEND the money on food, mortgages, health insurance, etc and fight for money going into the hands of the most wealthy in the nation. This is the group of people least likely to spend the money and most likely to save it.
Perfect hypocrisy and a perfect illustration of who the Republican party is fighting for and against.
The Republican s' plan to renew tax cuts for everyone is estimated to increase the deficit by over $4 trillion, while the Democrats' plan to renew them for everyone but the top two percent will only increase the deficit by $1.5 trillion - a difference of around $2.5 trillion. Big difference.
It is also interesting to note that the Bush tax cuts are expiring because the Republicans used tricks to get them passed that bypassed the normal legislative process and kept the money from showing up officially on the budget deficit. While cutting taxes the Republicans increased spending, started expensive wars, expanded government (Department of Homeland Security), pushed through trillions of dollars worth of corporate tax loop holes and then NOW they use the deficit as an excuse to cut spending on programs that help low income and middle class folks.
So the quick action - call the White House and Harry Reid and tell them to stand firm in not renewing the tax cuts for the top 2% during this economically difficult time. If Republicans want fiscal responsibility then give it to them! Also tell them to be stronger on closing corporate tax loop holes to give us the money we need to create more jobs in this country and to help those who need to get back on their feet.
White House comment line: 202-456-1111
Harry Reid's number in Washington: 202-224-3542
Monday, September 13, 2010
Skateboarder saves Qur'an: "Dude, you have no Qur'an"
Ok, I heard this story on the radio today and had to check it out. I just watched the video again before going to bed - it is pretty classic.
The story is a 23 year old skateboarder saves Qur'an from burning.
He snatched it off the bar-b-que where is was doused with kerosene, ready to be lit, and told the religious nut case who was gonna burn it "Dude, you have no Qur'an" then ran off.
I guess not only is skateboarding not a crime, skateboarders stop crimes
click here to watch video.
The story is a 23 year old skateboarder saves Qur'an from burning.
He snatched it off the bar-b-que where is was doused with kerosene, ready to be lit, and told the religious nut case who was gonna burn it "Dude, you have no Qur'an" then ran off.
I guess not only is skateboarding not a crime, skateboarders stop crimes
click here to watch video.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Democracy is not a spectator's sport: take easy action now!
Don't just sit by and watch your Democracy as if it was a bad TV show. Take a few minutes to participate in it!
It is time to contact Obama and other Democratic leaders to get them fired up to take on the Republicans before the mid-term elections. You can call Obama at: 202-456-1111 to leave a comment and you can email him by clicking here.
This is what I said when I called:
"This is Obama's last chance to energize the Democratic base and get them to the polls by truly standing up to the Republicans and the corporations they represent. Obama was elected by a wave of popular support and we need him to lead like a populist leader. The Republicans will lie and obstruct to cause the Democrats to look bad and the Democrats need to go on the offensive and not let the Republicans frame the debate."
and because I prefer to be more wordy, this is what I emailed to the White House: (click here to email the White House)
"Obama, it is your last chance to fight for the people who elected you! You must stand up now against the Republicans and corporations and do so with action, not just words.
I worked hard to get you elected. I hit the pavement and my wallet in your support. It is clear you have tried to lead this country in a bipartisan manner, which I respect in principle. However the Republicans and Conservatives who have created the problems we now face have only one goal in mind and that is the defeat of the Democrats. They are willing to lie and obstruct to prevent our government from solving the problems we face in order to get elected. An odd strategy that seems to be working.
In your centrist governing style you have failed to make changes that your base feel are important. On the economy, health care, the wars, climate change, you name it, where you have gotten laws passed they are so watered down that many do not see them as much change at all. The democratic base is not fired up by your actions and this could prove devastating in the upcoming elections both for the Democrats and our country.
You need to take on the Republicans and the corporations for which they stand. If you do, you will have powerful influences against you but you will have the majority of the American people at your back. It is your last chance to stand up and fight hard for the working majority in this country - you were elected under a wave of popular support, now you need to govern like a true populist, or I fear you may not be governing for long."
It is time to contact Obama and other Democratic leaders to get them fired up to take on the Republicans before the mid-term elections. You can call Obama at: 202-456-1111 to leave a comment and you can email him by clicking here.
This is what I said when I called:
"This is Obama's last chance to energize the Democratic base and get them to the polls by truly standing up to the Republicans and the corporations they represent. Obama was elected by a wave of popular support and we need him to lead like a populist leader. The Republicans will lie and obstruct to cause the Democrats to look bad and the Democrats need to go on the offensive and not let the Republicans frame the debate."
and because I prefer to be more wordy, this is what I emailed to the White House: (click here to email the White House)
"Obama, it is your last chance to fight for the people who elected you! You must stand up now against the Republicans and corporations and do so with action, not just words.
I worked hard to get you elected. I hit the pavement and my wallet in your support. It is clear you have tried to lead this country in a bipartisan manner, which I respect in principle. However the Republicans and Conservatives who have created the problems we now face have only one goal in mind and that is the defeat of the Democrats. They are willing to lie and obstruct to prevent our government from solving the problems we face in order to get elected. An odd strategy that seems to be working.
In your centrist governing style you have failed to make changes that your base feel are important. On the economy, health care, the wars, climate change, you name it, where you have gotten laws passed they are so watered down that many do not see them as much change at all. The democratic base is not fired up by your actions and this could prove devastating in the upcoming elections both for the Democrats and our country.
You need to take on the Republicans and the corporations for which they stand. If you do, you will have powerful influences against you but you will have the majority of the American people at your back. It is your last chance to stand up and fight hard for the working majority in this country - you were elected under a wave of popular support, now you need to govern like a true populist, or I fear you may not be governing for long."
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
the upcoming (extremely important) elections
Lots of news has been on my mind lately but I have not had time to write about it. I am also trying not to just bombard people with bad news (although we should be aware of what is happening) and rather write about positive things or at least areas where action is needed and possible.
Well voting is one of the most important things each of us can do to have an impact on the country and world in which we live. So I just want everyone to get excited about participating in the upcoming elections and to spread the word that people must get out and vote. This is an EXTREMELY important election.
Now I know excitement for voting is up for those energized by the fact we have Democrats in the Whitehouse and in the majority in congress. Unfortunately for the Democrats (and our country and world) those folks who are energized are the ones who are on the right side of the political spectrum.
The Democrats have been governing from the corporate middle - trying to appease corporate interests and gain Republican support - while at the same time trying to tackle some huge problems - health care, wars, recessions, climate change, etc. This has not gained them support from the right as the Republicans do everything to make the Democrats fail, knowing that if the government fails, Dems will be blamed, and the Republicans will have a better chance in fall elections. Proving that the Republicans are great at winning elections and horrible at governing.
A perfect example of this was the health care bill. The bill went to extreme lengths to make health care companies happy and it was nearly identical to the bill proposed by Republicans many times in the past. Yet nowt that the Democrats tried to pass it the Republicans refused to support it and in fact attacked it with such lies as "Death Panels" and that it is a "government takeover" of health care.
This style of governing by the Dems, while not gaining support from the right, has caused them to lose support from the left. Those on the left see many of the problems such as the economy and health care as being rooted in corporate greed, meaning to fix these things you cannot be on the side of the corporations as many of the Dems are.
Progressives, myself included, are disappointed by the fact that the Democrats are not pushing for a more populist, progressive agenda and many are not fired up to vote for the Democrats - some will not vote, perhaps some will vote for a third party.
This is the Democrats fault and may be their downfall but it is essential that we do what we can to prevent the Democrats from paying the price for their lame political maneuvering.
The Republicans and conservative Democrats have created the problems we now face by cutting taxes which created our deficit, starting wars that increased it, pushing deregulation that led to the recession, oil spills, salmonella outbreaks, etc. Their strategy of dealing with the deficit is to cut programs that help the poor and middle class - health care, education, social security, housing, etc. And they want to cut taxes further and push more deregulation - further entrenching our problems.
So the Republicans screw it up, the Dems take charge, the Republicans prevent the Dems from fixing the problems by obstructing congress completely, they blame the Dems for the problems since they are in charge, the Republicans plan to do more of what caused the problems if they get elected, and it looks like this strategy might translate into a Republican sweep in November. A sad statement of Americans.
We cannot let it happen - we must work hard to get the Dems elected and we must be proud to vote for them. Even though for me I am mainly voting against the Republicans, I am proud and excited to cast my vote against the party that is destroying this country.
To those who say the Dems and Republicans are the same, here are a few illustrations why this is false:
When the Democrats recently passed a law to give money to local governments to prevent the lay off of teachers, firefighters, etc and to pay for it by closing corporate tax loopholes they had to pass it despite Republican efforts to stop it.
Recently the Democrats, in reaction to the recent supreme court decision that corporations can donate unlimited money to political campaigns, tried to pass a law saying that at least the corporation must disclose to which political campaigns they are donating. The republicans blocked it.
The Democrats have tried to close many loop holes in the corporate tax code to make corporations return to paying taxes like they did a decade or two ago (this could reduce the deficit by hundreds of billions or trillions of dollars) - the Republicans fight them every time (so much for fiscal conservatives).
Obama wants to let the Bush tax cuts for the top 2% expire - (I think for a total of about 800 million dollars) - the Republicans vow to fight him.
The list can go on and on and on.
The Democrats in congress are diverse - there are progressives and conservatives - they do not always agree and rarely do they all agree. This is because they represent America. The Republicans in congress almost always vote united, this is because they represent a narrow agenda - that of the corporate super rich of the world. (of the world because more and more of them are moving to places like Dubai as they destroy this country and take its wealth with them)
We need more Democrats in government and less Republicans. Period. In primaries push for more progressive Democrats but we need to embrace the democratic party as our best hope for the future and keep these poisonous Republicans out.
The Republicans running (and maybe winning) this November are pushing for things like the abolition of social security and public education. Meg Whitman promises further cuts in California, a state that has been shredded already. 'Downsize government and help business' is their motto. Problem is they only downsize government social programs - still spending crazy amounts of money on private jails, military occupation, etc and by helping business like Carly Fiorina's Hewlett Packard offshore tens of thousands of jobs and offshore their banking so they pay no taxes in the US. Corporations used to contribute 33% of the Federal Budget and now they contribute just 12%. No wonder our country is broke and the CEOs of these companies are so wealthy they are financing their own political campaigns.
And Let's not forget that by downsizing government they mean fire workers - sounds like a great idea when we are fighting unemployment. Government jobs are the bulk of the jobs out there since corporations chose to employ people in other countries when they can.
As usual, I have rambled more than enough...
God help us of the Republicans take control of congress - please help get out the vote for the Democrats.
Well voting is one of the most important things each of us can do to have an impact on the country and world in which we live. So I just want everyone to get excited about participating in the upcoming elections and to spread the word that people must get out and vote. This is an EXTREMELY important election.
Now I know excitement for voting is up for those energized by the fact we have Democrats in the Whitehouse and in the majority in congress. Unfortunately for the Democrats (and our country and world) those folks who are energized are the ones who are on the right side of the political spectrum.
The Democrats have been governing from the corporate middle - trying to appease corporate interests and gain Republican support - while at the same time trying to tackle some huge problems - health care, wars, recessions, climate change, etc. This has not gained them support from the right as the Republicans do everything to make the Democrats fail, knowing that if the government fails, Dems will be blamed, and the Republicans will have a better chance in fall elections. Proving that the Republicans are great at winning elections and horrible at governing.
A perfect example of this was the health care bill. The bill went to extreme lengths to make health care companies happy and it was nearly identical to the bill proposed by Republicans many times in the past. Yet nowt that the Democrats tried to pass it the Republicans refused to support it and in fact attacked it with such lies as "Death Panels" and that it is a "government takeover" of health care.
This style of governing by the Dems, while not gaining support from the right, has caused them to lose support from the left. Those on the left see many of the problems such as the economy and health care as being rooted in corporate greed, meaning to fix these things you cannot be on the side of the corporations as many of the Dems are.
Progressives, myself included, are disappointed by the fact that the Democrats are not pushing for a more populist, progressive agenda and many are not fired up to vote for the Democrats - some will not vote, perhaps some will vote for a third party.
This is the Democrats fault and may be their downfall but it is essential that we do what we can to prevent the Democrats from paying the price for their lame political maneuvering.
The Republicans and conservative Democrats have created the problems we now face by cutting taxes which created our deficit, starting wars that increased it, pushing deregulation that led to the recession, oil spills, salmonella outbreaks, etc. Their strategy of dealing with the deficit is to cut programs that help the poor and middle class - health care, education, social security, housing, etc. And they want to cut taxes further and push more deregulation - further entrenching our problems.
So the Republicans screw it up, the Dems take charge, the Republicans prevent the Dems from fixing the problems by obstructing congress completely, they blame the Dems for the problems since they are in charge, the Republicans plan to do more of what caused the problems if they get elected, and it looks like this strategy might translate into a Republican sweep in November. A sad statement of Americans.
We cannot let it happen - we must work hard to get the Dems elected and we must be proud to vote for them. Even though for me I am mainly voting against the Republicans, I am proud and excited to cast my vote against the party that is destroying this country.
To those who say the Dems and Republicans are the same, here are a few illustrations why this is false:
When the Democrats recently passed a law to give money to local governments to prevent the lay off of teachers, firefighters, etc and to pay for it by closing corporate tax loopholes they had to pass it despite Republican efforts to stop it.
Recently the Democrats, in reaction to the recent supreme court decision that corporations can donate unlimited money to political campaigns, tried to pass a law saying that at least the corporation must disclose to which political campaigns they are donating. The republicans blocked it.
The Democrats have tried to close many loop holes in the corporate tax code to make corporations return to paying taxes like they did a decade or two ago (this could reduce the deficit by hundreds of billions or trillions of dollars) - the Republicans fight them every time (so much for fiscal conservatives).
Obama wants to let the Bush tax cuts for the top 2% expire - (I think for a total of about 800 million dollars) - the Republicans vow to fight him.
The list can go on and on and on.
The Democrats in congress are diverse - there are progressives and conservatives - they do not always agree and rarely do they all agree. This is because they represent America. The Republicans in congress almost always vote united, this is because they represent a narrow agenda - that of the corporate super rich of the world. (of the world because more and more of them are moving to places like Dubai as they destroy this country and take its wealth with them)
We need more Democrats in government and less Republicans. Period. In primaries push for more progressive Democrats but we need to embrace the democratic party as our best hope for the future and keep these poisonous Republicans out.
The Republicans running (and maybe winning) this November are pushing for things like the abolition of social security and public education. Meg Whitman promises further cuts in California, a state that has been shredded already. 'Downsize government and help business' is their motto. Problem is they only downsize government social programs - still spending crazy amounts of money on private jails, military occupation, etc and by helping business like Carly Fiorina's Hewlett Packard offshore tens of thousands of jobs and offshore their banking so they pay no taxes in the US. Corporations used to contribute 33% of the Federal Budget and now they contribute just 12%. No wonder our country is broke and the CEOs of these companies are so wealthy they are financing their own political campaigns.
And Let's not forget that by downsizing government they mean fire workers - sounds like a great idea when we are fighting unemployment. Government jobs are the bulk of the jobs out there since corporations chose to employ people in other countries when they can.
As usual, I have rambled more than enough...
God help us of the Republicans take control of congress - please help get out the vote for the Democrats.
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