Boehner's Time for DADT---Never

Raw Story has Republican leader John Boehner's reaction to legislation to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell":

The Congress shouldn't even consider policy changes offering equality for homosexuals while the country is facing a recession and two wars, according to the House Minority Leader.

NBC's David Gregory asked Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) to comment about President Barack Obama's call to end the military's controversial policy known as "Don't ask, don't tell." Rep. Boehner believes now is the wrong time.

"In the middle of two wars and in the middle of this giant security threat, why would we want to get into this debate?" Boehner asked, rhetorically....

If we wait for Boehner, there would never be a right time to debate "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." It might be that perhaps Boehner doesn't want to do the work, research, and writing to review the subject. Taking on legislation like this might actually cause Boehner to give up some of his free time he spends on the golf course and in tanning beds.

The truth is that the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy has to do with people's lives. The time to create the legislation is now. We are losing some very qualified men and women from our military services while "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is on the books. The time for change is now.

* I was glued to the TV when President Obama appeared in front of the Republican congressional meeting. No matter what talking points the Republicans threw at President Obama, he stood firm and responded with knowledge and restraint. The GOPers questioned the President for 90 minutes. If not for the pressing issues of the day, I bet the President would have continued with the questioning for several hours. The Republicans continued to try to push their proposals but we have to remember that the Republicans have presented little if anything of substance. (Do you remember the Republican budget from March 2009 that contained no numbers? See AHN.) President Obama was masterful in handling those Republicans.

If Republicans are serious about accomplishing something they need to actually do something instead of playing games, stalling legislation, and holding up approval of nominations.

* This evening, my husband and I watched the special Rosie program about families. It was a beautiful program.

Dirty Tricks

James O'Keefe, the right wing, pimp-dressing, former (?) darling of the Republican Party, is part of the long history of dirty tricks from Republicans and their college Republican group.

The Nation:

On Countdown, Keith Olbermann discusses new information surrounding the break in and attempted wiretap of Senator Landrieu's office by James O'Keefe and three others. Olbermann describes O'Keefe's efforts as "part of an ad hoc dirty tricks campaign focused on health care reform" that extends to other political figures, such as Karl Rove. Nation editor Chris Hayes joins Olbermann to talk about O'Keefe's actions.

Hayes calls this a "part of a long, conservative right-wing tradition," of dirty tricks, which college republicans and others in conservative politics have been doing for decades. But what frustrates Hayes the most about Landrieu-gate is the sense of entitlement that O'Keefe and others enraged about health care reform seem to have. Hayes points out the contradiction between O'Keefe's attempted wiretap and his actions to tarnish ACORN, whose organizations helped people who had very little access to their own political representatives....

These dirty tricks were also done by none other than "turd blossom" himself----Karl Rove.

Seattlepi has a list of some of Rove's notorious deeds (this is only a sampling):

...In 1970, College Republican Rove stole letterhead from the Illinois Democratic campaign of Alan Dixon, and used it to invite hundreds of people to Dixon's new headquarters opening, promising "free beer, free food, girls and a good time for nothing," disrupting the event...

...In 1986, while working for Texas Republican gubernatorial hopeful William Clements, Rove claimed that his personal office had been bugged, most likely by the campaign of incumbent Democratic Gov. Mark White. Nothing was proved, but the negative press, weeks before the election, helped Rove's man win a narrow victory. FBI agent Greg Rampton removed the bug, disrupting any attempt to properly investigate who planted it....

....After John McCain thumped George W. Bush in the 2000 New Hampshire primary, with 48 percent of the vote to Bush's 30 percent, a massive smear campaign was launched in South Carolina, a key battleground. TV attack ads from third groups and anonymous fliers circulated, variously suggesting that McCain's experience as a prisoner of war in Vietnam left him mentally scarred with an uncontrollable temper, that his wife, Cindy, abused drugs and that he had an African-American "love child." In fact, the McCains adopted their daughter Bridget from a Bangladesh orphanage run by Mother Teresa....

Rove's tactics were disgusting, but he has continued to get away with it because of his friendship with the Bush family. O'Keefe's pompous attitude in his vigilante attack on the office of a U.S. Senator might get him more than a slap on the hand. We can only hope.

James O'Keefe is following in the footsteps of Karl Rove. Some Republicans might be happy about that. It is a shame that Republicans can run on their policies, plans, legislation, and have to resort to dirty tricks. The current Republican crop in the House and Senate have done nothing to develop any legislation to get people back to work. Republicans would rather say "NO" and rely on dirty tricks than think, create, and work together with Democrats.

"...Saying "NO!" is not leadership..."

President Obama did a great job tonight! He told the Republicans that "...saying "No!" is not leadership..." I fully agree!

*** There is more on the arrest of the four right wingers who tried to bug Sen. Landrieu's office. The Examiner has details and mugshots:

...(1) The FBI affidavit accuses O' Keefe of working with three other to enter federal property under false pretenses with the intent to commit a felony. A full copy of the affidavit can be read here...

...(4) Another article from NOLA.com cites someone "close to the investigation" saying the men were caught with a listening device at the time they were caught.

(5) Talking Points Memo states that O' Keefe was being paid a salary by conservative media figure Andrew Breitbart. Breitbart has denied having any knowledge of O' Keefe's plan involving the Landrieu phone scheme....

O'Keefe was loved by Fox and the Republicans just a short time ago.

From Kansascity.com, we have this----

...Already, the Salt Lake City Republican Party has canceled O'Keefe's appearance at a fundraiser next Thursday.

"The allegations and arrest today certainly change our plans," county GOP Chairman Thomas Wright told the Salt Lake Tribune. "He doesn't necessarily represent the Republican Party."

Really? You loved him just a short time ago and that is why you invited him to speak to your group!

"...Serious Implications..."

An editorial in the Recordpub questions Republican John Kasich plan to phase out the state income tax:

A proposal by Ohio gubernatorial candidate John Kasich to phase out the state's income tax may be music to the ears of individual taxpayers and businesses, but a loss in revenues projected by the Ohio legislative services to grow to $12 billion annually has serious implications for the programs the state funds, and voters should think long and hard whether that result is desirable.

Beneficiaries of state revenues, of course, include public education from kindergarten through higher education, local libraries, Medicaid, the Ohio Highway Patrol, state prisons, our state parks, state welfare programs and workers' compensation. Would all of these programs and others face more reductions or would Kasich, as governor, find new ways to fund them?

....Ohio has already entered a program that drops the state's income tax over a five-year period, but because of the recession and budgetary burdens has deferred a year of the implementation so it is now a six-year program. The fact that the state has encountered so many budgetary issues with the modest phased reduction of the income tax now under way makes us wonder what the effects of totally phasing out the tax might be....

Kasich also has some odd ideas about teaching Ohio's children. (With ideas like these, you can see why teachers usually don't vote for Republicans.)

Examiner:

He (Kasich) talked dreamily of the time when Ohio school children could learn from online courses. For that to happen, though, Ohio needs to have broadband Internet operating in many rural parts of the state that still don't have it, despite efforts to expand it by Strickland and former GOP governor Bob Taft.

Kasich said Ohio, under his leadership, would be "marching on education against powerful forces," a veiled reference to Ohio's teachers unions.

Kasich said students should have "customized education through software" because that's how they can get turned on to learn. He said charter schools and vouches represent a "laboratory of opportunity" and that labor, viz. teacher's unions, "don't want to do it for fear of change."

It appears that Kasich does not appreciate the role of the teacher in the classroom. He also doesn't understand much about schools. (I wonder how long it has been since he last visited a public school classroom.) Although a small minority of students might do well with a computer-based education, a majority of students profit from a classroom with a human teacher and other students.

I think many people are starting to have doubts about Kasich.

Too Many Questions!!!!!!

A story about Dayton, Ohio, has made the New York Times. However, the NYTimes article does not provide all the information about how NCR's move out of Dayton was missed by the bigshots in the city.

NYTimes:

...NCR stunned the city of its birth with the news that it was moving its world headquarters to suburban Atlanta....

...Jon Husted, an Ohio state senator, came away from the meeting feeling angry and frustrated. “They already knew they were leaving,” he said....

.....NCR is now settling its affairs. It is leaving its archives here, as well as a data center that some company workers will continue to run. But of the 1,200 employees who were here in June, more than half have retired, resigned or been released. The company will not say how many were offered jobs in Georgia, or how many accepted.....

Jon Husted, who supposedly represents Kettering, seemed to be oblivious to what was going on with NCR. Husted, who lives with his family in Upper Arlington, Ohio, but "resides" in Kettering for "voting purposes" obviously has been out of the loop for far too long. Husted has spent time traveling between Kettering, his family home in Arlington, his director job with the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, and visiting every Ohio county GOP club for his run for higher office in Ohio. Looks to me like Husted has been spending too much time on the road and not enough time working and helping the people of Kettering and Dayton.

I just wonder how the people of Dayton vote for these Republicans over and over again, yet Dayton still gets nothing. Why aren't the people of Dayton benefiting from the Husteds, Boehners, and the rest of the right wing of the Ohio GOP? These Ohio GOPers get their political donations from people doing business in the Dayton area, but Dayton remains an orphan city in the state.

**** Husted has $2 million for his campaign, according to the Pullins Report.

According to the Ohio Secretary of State Campaign Finance search page, Husted has received boatloads of money from certain people:

(1) Members of the Brennan family, owners/operators of White Hat Management (largest charter schools in the state), contributed $22,600 (on 6/9/2009), $20,000 (on 9/26/2008)...
If Husted was elected Ohio Secretary of State, how would the owner of White Hat Management charter schools benefit?

(2) Employees/directors of First Energy have contributed $56,000 to Husted...
If Husted was elected Ohio Secretary of State, how would First Energy benefit?

(3) What is the relationship between Husted and Oberer Development/Construction? Oberer people have been major contributors to various Husted campaigns, and the company just happens to get a majority of the construction jobs in Husted's district. Oberer did all the work for the Dayton Metropolitan Housing Authority plus a no-bid contract for them for $500,000. How did that happen?

(4) How did the Austin Pike project even get funding when it wasn't even on the (ODOT) Ohio Department of Transportation tract? How did Husted exert pressure to get this project done? How is it that the Oberer people who got the construction job for the Austin Pike project also happen to own property around the development area? How did that happen???

Saying "NO!" Doesn't Create A Job

On ABC-TV today, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey) named the greatest obstacle to putting people back to work----- the Republican Party.

Raw Story:

"All our Republican colleagues have said is no," he went on to say. "They have used the filibuster, a procedure in the Senate to stop progress, 101 times, unprecedented in the history of the United States Senate!"

Menendez pointed out that when George W. Bush came to office he began with a $236 billion surplus, whereas Obama was handed a $1.3 trillion deficit. He credited Obama with making progress despite the economy, attacking Republicans for standing in the way.

"No doesn't create a job, no doesn't create health care insurance for anyone," Menendez huffed. "Or stop the abuses of the insurance companies. No doesn't help a senior citizen with their prescription drug coverage. Its time to begin to say yes to move the country forward."

Thank you, Sen. Robert Menendez, for stating the truth.

Just Gross!

The bankers who are receiving 6 and 7 figure bonuses after getting our tax dollars for their bailouts should be ashamed. Americans are losing their homes and have lost jobs. Bankers, however, continue to collect higher salaries and perks while refusing to help homeowners renegotiate their loans.

In Ohio, we have two Republican candidates with ties to banking----

1. John Kasich, investment banker with the now bankrupt, Lehman Brothers
2. Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, worked to protect his employer, Bank One

Kasich and Stivers want to bring back the money policies of George W. Bush and the free wheeling times on Wall Street. It is time to say "NO!" to the recklessness of the previous administration and the financial decisions that created this world wide recession. We've had enough of the failed Republican policies that allowed corporations, bankers, and oil companies to set financial strategies while regular people got screwed.

Do you want these men driving our country's finances? (Pic ProgressOhio)

Here are a few notes about Lehman Brothers (truthaboutKasich):

................ In 2001, the New York Observer interviewed John Kasich from his corner office at Lehman Brothers' New York City headquarters. The Observer reported that Kasich "commutes a few times a month from Columbus, Ohio, where he lives with his wife and twin 20-month-old daughters, and tucks into Lehman Brother's corner office to talk about mergers and acquisitions in the health-care space." [New York Observer, 9/16/01]

2008: Lehman Brothers Filed For Chapter 11, Biggest Bankruptcy In History. In September 2008, Lehman Brothers Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the biggest bankruptcy in history. Lehman had $613 billion of debt, which dwarves WorldCom Inc.'s insolvency in 2002 and Drexel Burnham Lambert's failure in 1990. [MarketWatch.com, 9/15/08; Financial Post, 9/15/08]

2009: Lehman CEO Fuld Named One Of 25 To Blame For Financial Collapse. TIME magazine later named Fuld one of the 25 people to blame for the financial collapse. Fuld "steered Lehman deep into the business of subprime mortgages, bankrolling lenders across the country that were making convoluted loans to questionable borrowers. Lehman even made its own subprime loans. … For all this wealth destruction, Fuld raked in nearly $500 million in compensation during his tenure as CEO, which ended when Lehman did." [TIME, 2/12/09]


Just in case you need a reminder of what happened when Lehman Brothers collapsed, here is a picture from the front page of The Times Online from September 16, 2008 (pic from Huffingtonpost):

Dems: DON'T BACK DOWN!!!!

Democrats in the U.S. Senate need to remember this little math lesson:

59>41

There are 59 Democratic Senators and 41 Republican Senators in the U.S. Senate. As long as Democrats are in the majority, they need to be bold and push through with their agenda to fix this country.

In the history of our country, the Republicans have always said no to any legislation that would improve the lives of average Americans. The Republicans voted against Social Security, Civil Rights, Voting Rights, Health Care, Health Care for Children, equal pay for equal work, equal education, etc., etc., etc. We cannot allow the Republicans who have presented nothing new in legislation to take control of the agenda. Personally, I'm tired of the Republicans standing in the way of progress.

Contact as many Democratic Senators as possible and tell them this simple message:

"Don't back down! Be bold and pass our Democratic agenda."

Below you will find contacts for all the Democratic U.S. Senators. Let them hear from you!

Akaka, Daniel - (D - HI) 141 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-6361 E-mail: senator@akaka.senate.gov Baucus, Max - (D - MT) 511 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2651 Web Form: baucus.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm Bayh, Evan - (D - IN) 463 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5623 Web Form: bayh.senate.gov/WebMail1.htm Begich, Mark (D - AK) 825 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202)224-3004 Web Form: begich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailSenator Bennet, Michael - (D - CO) 702 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5852 Web Form: bennet.senate.gov/contact/ Bingaman, Jeff - (D - NM) 703 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5521 E-mail: senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov Boxer, Barbara - (D - CA) 112 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3553 Web Form: boxer.senate.gov/contact/ Brown, Sherrod - (D - OH) 455 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2315 Web Form: brown.senate.gov/contact/ Burris, Roland - (D - IL) 523 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2854 Web Form: burris.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm Byrd, Robert - (D - WV) 311 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3954 Web Form: byrd.senate.gov/byrd_email.html Cantwell, Maria - (D - WA) 717 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3441 Web Form: cantwell.senate.gov/contact/index.html Cardin, Ben - (D - MD) 509 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-4524 Web Form: cardin.senate.gov/contact/ Carper, Thomas - (D - DE) 513 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2441 Web Form: carper.senate.gov/contact/ Casey, Robert P., Jr. - (D - PA) 383 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-6324 Web Form: casey.senate.gov/contact/ Conrad, Kent - (D - ND) 530 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2043 Web Form: conrad.senate.gov/webform.html Dodd, Christopher - (D – CT) 448 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2823 Web Form: dodd.senate.gov/webmail/ Dorgan, Byron - (D - ND) 713 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2551 E-mail: senator@dorgan.senate.gov Durbin, Richard - (D - IL) 332 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2152 Web Form: durbin.senate.gov/contact.cfm Feingold, Russell - (D - WI) 506 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5323 E-mail: russell_feingold@feingold.senate.gov Feinstein, Dianne - (D - CA) 331 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3841 Web Form: feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs.Home Franken, Al - (D - MN) 320 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5641 E-mail: info@franken.senate.gov Gillibrand, Kirsten - (D - NY) 531 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-4451 Web Form: gillibrand.senate.gov/contact/ Hagan, Kay - (D - NC) B 40A DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202)224-6432 Web Form: hagan.senate.gov/?p=contact Harkin, Tom - (D - IA) 731 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3254 Web Form: harkin.senate.gov/c/index.cfm Inouye, Daniel - (D - HI) 722 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3934 Web Form: inouye.senate.gov/abtform.html Johnson, Tim - (D - SD) 136 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5842 Web Form: johnson.senate.gov/contact/ Kaufman, Ted - (D - DE) G11 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5042 Web Form: kaufman.senate.gov/services/contact/ Kerry, John - (D - MA) 304 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2742 Web Form: kerry.senate.gov/contact/office.cfml Kirk, Paul - (D - MA) 188 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-4543 Kohl, Herb - (D - WI) 330 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5653 Web Form: kohl.senate.gov/gen_contact.html Klobuchar, Amy - (D - MN) 302 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3244 E-mail: senator@klobuchar.senate.gov Landrieu, Mary - (D - LA) 724 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5824 Web Form: landrieu.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm Lautenberg, Frank - (D – NJ) 324 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3224 Web Form: lautenberg.senate.gov/contact/ Leahy, Patrick - (D - VT) 433 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-4242 E-mail: senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov Levin, Carl - (D - MI) 269 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-6221 Web Form: levin.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm Lieberman, Joseph - (I - CT) 706 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-4041 Web Form: lieberman.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm?regarding=issue Lincoln, Blanche - (D - AR) 355 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-4843 Web Form: lincoln.senate.gov/webform.html McCaskill, Claire - (D - MO) 717 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-6154 Web Form: mccaskill.senate.gov/contact/ Menendez, Robert - (D - NJ) 502 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-4744 Web Form: menendez.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm Merkley, Jeff - (D - OR) B 40B DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202)224-3753 Web Form: merkley.senate.gov/contact/ Mikulski, Barbara - (D - MD) 709 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-4654 Web Form: mikulski.senate.gov/mailform.html Murray, Patty - (D - WA) 173 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2621 Web Form: murray.senate.gov/email/index.cfm Nelson, Bill - (D - FL) 716 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5274 Web Form: billnelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm Nelson, Ben - (D - NE) 720 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-6551 Web Form: bennelson.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm Pryor, Mark - (D - AR) 217 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2353 Web Form: pryor.senate.gov/contact/ Reed, Jack - (D - RI) 728 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-4642 Web Form: reed.senate.gov/contact/ Reid, Harry - (D - NV) 528 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3542 Web Form: reid.senate.gov/contact/ Rockefeller, John - (D - WV) 531 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-6472 E-mail: senator@rockefeller.senate.gov Sanders, Bernie - (I - VT) 332 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5141 Web Form: sanders.senate.gov/comments/ Schumer, Charles - (D - NY) 313 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-6542 Web Form: schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/contact/contact.html Shaheen, Jeanne - (D - NH) G 53 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202)224-2841 Web Form: shaheen.senate.gov/contact/ Specter, Arlen - (D - PA) 711 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202)224-4254 Web Form: specter.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm Stabenow, Debbie - (D - MI) 702 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-4822 Web Form: stabenow.senate.gov/email.htm Tester, Jon - (D - MT) 204 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2644 Web Form: tester.senate.gov/Contact/ Udall, Mark - (D - CO) B 40E DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202)224-5941 Web Form: markudall.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm Udall, Tom - (D - NM) B 40D DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202)224-6621 Web Form: tomudall.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm Warner, Mark - (D - VA) B 40C DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202)224-2023 Web Form: warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact Webb, Jim - (D - VA) 144 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-4024 Web Form: webb.senate.gov/contact/ Whitehouse, Sheldon - (D - RI) 502 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202)224-2921 Web Form: whitehouse.senate.gov/contact.cfm Wyden, Ron - (D - OR) 516 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5244 Web Form: wyden.senate.gov/contact/

Bachmann and Palin Together???? OMG!

After reading this, I really feel sorry for the people in Minnesota.

StarTribune:

Two Republican Party superstars -- Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin -- will be stumping in Minnesota in April.

The former Alaska governor will make a campaign appearance on April 7 with the Sixth District congresswoman who's running for a third term, Bachmann announced Tuesday....

If you live in Minnesota, you might want to leave the state before these two loons arrive.

Today....

* Today Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (Democrat) will announce his choice of a running mate for his re-election campaign.

* Is Republican Jon Husted confused about where he was born?
Husted's campaign website:

....An Ohio native, Husted attended the University of Dayton....


Hmmm. In information at OH-leg.com, it states the following:

Place of Birth: Royal Oak, MI

Is Husted confused about his birthplace just like he has been confused about his place of residence?

Remembering

On this day that we honor the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we must reflect on his famous speech. Have we realized Dr. King's dream?
Here is only a small section of Dr. King's speech, "I Have A Dream."

MLKonline:

...I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

We need to continue to work to make Dr. King's dream a reality for all Americans.

Does It Matter To You?

A Gallup Poll which measured Honesty and Ethics Ratings of Professionals, bankers had an approval rating of 19%. This poll was released December 9, 2009.

Washington Post:

Why does Wall Street make the big bucks? A nation with 10 percent unemployment is understandably puzzled and outraged when the very people at the center of the financial crisis seem to be the first to recover and are pulling down fabulous pay packages. At Goldman Sachs, the average bonus for 2009 has been estimated at nearly $600,000; at J.P. Morgan Chase's investment bank, it's been reckoned at slightly below $400,000. These averages conceal multimillion-dollar bonuses for top traders and investment bankers; underlings get smaller sums....

With unemployment so high, does it matter that one candidate for office in Ohio has worked as a bank lobbyist? Republican Steve Stivers, a candidate for Ohio's 15th district, was a bank lobbyist for Bank One (now part of Chase). Does it matter that John Kasich, a Republican candidate for governor, was an investment banker with the now bankrupt Lehman Brothers?

Ohioans will have to decide which candidates will represent constituents and which candidates will side with banks, oil companies, and big corporations.

-------------

In case you haven't noticed, there has been a lot of grumbling in Republican circles because of Kasich's choice of Mary Taylor as his running mate. Taylor, currently serving as the State Auditor, is the only Ohio Republican holding statewide office. With Taylor not running for re-election, a Republican candidate for State Auditor will have to start at the very bottom to raise money for a campaign. Meanwhile, David Pepper, a Democratic candidate for State Auditor, has already raised over $300,000 (see David Pepper's website).

Kasich: Same Old Lines

Dennis J. Willard, a reporter for the Beacon Journal, has a very interesting article at Ohio.com which takes the Republican candidate for governor to task:

....Kasich was a managing director for Lehman Brothers — the Lehman Brothers — and there are plenty of people who believe that Wall Street firms like Lehman played a much larger role over the past decade than Strickland in the past three years creating the economic mess facing Ohio....

....He (Kasich) added that state government needs to be restructured, our regulatory system is onerous, school funding needs to be fixed and the Bureau of Workers' Compensation is strangling small businesses.

These are the same issues George Voinovich cited in 1990, Bob Taft in 1998 and J. Kenneth Blackwell in 2006....

The article reminds everyone that....Kasich's party controlled the governor's office and both legislative chambers from 1995 through 2007....

Kasich has to get down to basics and explain how he can cut out the state income tax, but still serve the people of Ohio.

Puzzled

While Republicans are jumping all over themselves with the recent announcement of a running mate by Republican John Kasich, others are puzzled. Here are some things to ponder:

* Why would the Ohio GOP withdraw their best bet for statewide re-election to help a right-leaning, tea party courting candidate like Kasich?

* Why did the politically conservative Columbus Dispatch basically bury the Kasich announcement in this morning's newspaper? Are the editors/owners trying to show their disapproval of the Kasich-Taylor ticket?

* Republican Kasich's cockamamie idea to end the state income tax would definitely bankrupt the state and cause the demise of public school funding, library support, statewide maintenance of roads, and at the very least, cause the firing of possibly 20,000 state employees. Does Kasich plan to sell off the state assets to raise money?

* Republican Kasich's former job as a managing director of the now bankrupt Lehman Brothers clearly puts him on the side of bankers and high profile investors. Does it matter to Ohioans that USAToday and financial experts believe that the "...Lehman Bros. collapse triggered economic turmoil..."? Why hasn't Kasich released his tax returns?

We'll be watching for answers to these questions.

Reactions to Tragedy in Haiti

With news of the horrific earthquake in Haiti, everyone has reacted in many different ways. Many people are contributing through the American Red Cross (http://www.redcross.org/) or other well known charities. The good people at Google have set up a page which has links to various disaster relief agencies ( http://www.google.com/relief/haitiearthquake/ ). Please do what you can to save lives.

Just as many Americans have generously opened their wallets to donate to disaster relief, a few have perverted ideas about the entire response to this catastrophe.

CollegeNews:

...When most people are using their time and efforts to brainstorm ways to help the citizens of Haiti, who have no doubt endured massive suffering after Tuesday’s huge earthquake, Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh opted to use theirs in a decidedly different fashion Wednesday.

Robertson, the go-to guy for agreeing with outlandish premises surrounding victim-blaming after horrific tragedies, said that the reason for Haiti’s earthquake was that the nation-state made a deal with the devil....

....On his radio program Wednesday morning, Rusty (Limbaugh) said that President Barack Obama and company would use Haiti to get closer to the “light-skinned and dark-skinned black [communities] in this country” while adding that the U.S. has “already donated to Haiti. It’s called the U.S. income tax.”

Shame on Pat Robinson. Is this how he demonstrates his Christianity?

On the other hand, I expected this type of racism and arrogance from Limbaugh.

Notes from a snowy day in central Ohio.....

A most incredible woman has passed away.
NPR:

Miep Gies, who helped Anne Frank and her family avoid capture by the Nazis for more than two years and safeguarded the young Holocaust victim's famous diary for posterity, has died at age 100....

In that horrible time, Miep Gies showed courage in protecting and hiding Anne Frank and others. She stood up and did what was right in the face of tremendous odds. There is additional information at the Miep Gies website.

>>>> Those Wall Street bankers are getting ready for their bonuses. Somehow it just seems obscene and unethical for these bankers to get bonuses when their banks have not paid back the federal government.

* * * The Detroit Auto Show has some interesting cars. The Tango is creating a lot of buzz:
(pic from Greatgreengadgets.com)

The car is only 36 inches wide and is electric.
















* I might be the last person to see the picture below, but I had to share it. The picture below is from
BuckeyePunditeers. I think it is worth looking at and reading the post by BuckeyePunditeers.

Think About It.....

**** MotherJones has a great article about the Secret Service investigations of the "birthers."

Over the past year, Secret Service agents charged with protecting President Obama seem to have taken a keen interest in the Birther movement, the committed group of anti-Obama activists around the country who claim the president was born in Kenya, not Hawaii, and is thus ineligible to serve. The idea has been widely and repeatedly debunked (see FactCheck.org's thorough takedown here), but that hasn't stopped Birthers from doggedly making their case in American courtrooms, to US attorneys, and even to a rural county grand jury, in the hopes that a judge will rule in their favor and Obama might eventually be removed from office. Those efforts have failed spectacularly, but they seem to have succeeded in placing the Birthers on the radar of the Secret Service.

At least a half-dozen prominent anti-Obama activists who've petitioned various federal agencies or courts to investigate the president's citizenship or publicly questioned his eligibility to serve say they've been visited by Secret Service or Homeland Security agents. Dr. Orly Taitz, the "Queen Bee" of the Birther movement, says, "A number of my supporters had visits from Secret Service, from different agencies, INS, Homeland Security. There are a whole number of people who got these visits to intimidate and harrass them." She says federal agents visited her home once; however, she was not there to be interviewed.*

Of particular concern to the Secret Service, it seems, are the individuals who are trying to interest federal prosecutors in bringing criminal charges against the president for fraud and treason, a movement spearheaded by a retired Navy lieutenant commander, Walter Fitzpatrick III.....

In my humble opinion, the "birthers" are complete loons. I think that it is correct for the Secret Service to investigate these people who have definitely gone over the edge.

*** Consumers in Ohio now have a website that ranks and grades the hospitals in the state. You may visit it: http://www.ohiohospitalcompare.ohio.gov/

***** Coincidence? Here is a news release from (3/23/05) Wright State:

Christopher Kershner, special assistant to Ohio Speaker of the House Jon Husted and a 2000 graduate of Wright State University, was named Alumnus of the year by the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars. While a Wright State student, Kershner completed a Washington Center internship in the office of Ohio Senator Michael DeWine.

Kershner’s current responsibilities include advising the Speaker on legislative issues, board and commission appointments and serving as a liaison with members of the minority caucus in the Ohio House of Representatives. Kershner volunteered on Husted’s first election campaign for the Ohio House in 2000 and joined Husted’s staff shortly afterwards....

And, here is a list of lobbyists from the Office of the Legislative Inspector General Joint Legislative Ethics Committee (List of Registered Lobbyists in Ohio):

Agents for Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce

Chris Kershner

1 Chamber Plaza, Fifth & Main Street
Suite 200
Dayton, OH 45402

How nice! Husted also "works" for the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce.

>>The civil war in the Lucas County Ohio Republican Party may have settled to some degree, but it is clear that there are rumblings.

Toledo Blade:

The executive committee of the Jon Stainbrook-led Lucas County Republican Party last night nominated Mr. Stainbrook to serve on the Lucas County Board of Elections.....
... On Thursday, the rival group led by Jeff Simpson, who claimed he was elected executive chairman Dec. 21, nominated David Dmytryka of Toledo to replace Mr. Olman, whose term ends Feb. 28.
..... At the December meeting, a group of Republicans opposed to Mr. Stainbrook attempted to take over the local party's central committee at a meeting Dec. 21 and vote him out. That group claims it elected Mr. Simpson executive committee chairman, replacing Mr. Stainbrook, and Paul Hoag as central committee chairman, replacing Ms. Gallagher.....

Is it really over?

Mason, Ohio: Republicans Invading

People living near Dayton, Ohio need to beware of the right wing Republicans taking over their turf.

Journal-News:

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will be in Mason on Tuesday, Jan. 12, to participate in a small business forum with fellow Republican John Kasich, who’s running for Ohio governor....
....Then Tuesday evening, Bush, brother of former President George W. Bush, will be the big draw at a fundraiser for Kasich, Kasich’s campaign said....

Aren't we tired of the entire Bush family, their best friends (Portman), and major followers (Kasich)? Is the Ohio GOP only for rich white guys? Do these Republicans ever come up with any original ideas? The horrible economic situation was created by the Bushies and we don't need their brand of fixes again.

Republican Moron

* Rudy Giuliani and the rest of the Republicans are morons. They make up lies and attack President Obama for not using the word "terror" enough. Seriously. Do the Republicans have nothing to do but to lie and make up stuff? I totally agree with Steve Benen's article in the Washington Monthly on Giuliani:

...Rudy Giuliani has never demonstrated even the most basic understanding of national security policy at any level. Not once....

Giuliani is a full blown fool.

I've got questions!

* Does John Kasich still believe that there should be a Constitutional Amendment for school prayer?

* Which house did the Husted family spend Christmas and New Years Day---- Kettering or Upper Arlington?

* Did any of Ohio's lawmakers go to the Rose Bowl? How many of them went on private jets???

* Does it matter to anyone that Republicans who talk about "traditional values" are divorced?

Someone needs to ask the questions. Will the candidate supply the answers?

More Whining on the Right

You can just hear the Republicans whining and complaining that they're not having any fun in Washington, DC.

Chris Cillizza in the Washington Post:

While the recent political chatter in Washington has focused on Democrats retiring from Congress, Republicans are leaving the House in greater numbers, a trend that could blunt the party's momentum heading into the November midterm elections.

Rep. Henry E. Brown Jr. (S.C.) on Monday became the 14th Republican to announce that he will not run for reelection this year. Ten Democrats have said the same, including an attention-grabbing four in the past two months from swing and Republican-leaning districts....

Waaaa! Waaaa! Waaaaaaaaaaaa! It is just no fun being in the minority. :(

>>>> The right wing nuts are upset with the movie, 'Avatar,' according to the LATimes.com:

It's no secret that "Avatar" has been stunningly successful on nearly every front. The James Cameron-directed sci-fi epic is already the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time, having earned more than $1 billion around the globe in less than three weeks of theatrical release. The film also has garnered effusive praise from critics, who've been planting its flag on a variety of critics Top 10 lists. The 3-D trip to Pandora is also viewed as a veritable shoo-in for a best picture Oscar nomination when the academy announces its nominees on Feb. 2.....

...To say that the film has evoked a storm of ire on the right would be an understatement. Big Hollywood's John Nolte, one of my favorite outspoken right-wing film essayists, blasted the film, calling it "a sanctimonious thud of a movie so infested with one-dimensional characters and PC cliches that not a single plot turn, large or small, surprises. . . . Think of 'Avatar' as 'Death Wish' for leftists, a simplistic, revisionist revenge fantasy where if you . . . hate the bad guys (America) you're able to forgive the by-the-numbers predictability of it all."

..."Avatar" has, of course, far more on its mind than its politics. It's a triumph of visual imagination and the world's first great 3-D movie. But it is fascinating to see how today's ideology-obsessed conservatives have managed to walk away from such a crowd-pleasing triumph and see only the film's political subtext, not the groundbreaking artistry that's staring them right in the face.

It is apparent that the movie-watching public totally disagrees with these conservatives. As the movie continues to break box office records, the Republicans waste their time on silliness.

Yoyo vs. Wiit

To me, the Republicans represent the idea that "You're On Your Own" (YOYO). They believe that it is up to the individual if they want health care, a college education, etc. They don't believe that you should get any help from the government.

The YOYO people like Rush Limbaugh, Mitch McConnell, John Kasich, John Boehner, and the rest of the GOPers, like their exclusive little, mostly white, rich, men's club. They care about themselves and their own problems like the country club, their capital gains taxes, and the increasing fees of their stockbrokers. Republicans want to make it better for themselves and their rich friends.

Democrats are the more inclusive party and believe that "We're In It Together" (WIIT). Everyone and anyone can join the Democrats. They believe that our nation benefits when everyone has a chance to get a college education, equal primary and secondary education, public transportation, health care, and social programs, etc. Our nation is better when everyone has the same chances to get it right. Democrats want people to work together to make it better for all Americans.

Republicans just don't care. They never have and never will.