Top Ny Times News

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Wednesday, 12 June 2013

Corrupt New Jersey Machine Dems Gravitate To Christie... Of Course

Posted on 10:00 by Ashish Chaturvedi
New Jersey corruption personified: Christie and DiVincenzo

New Jersey politics is a cesspool of corruption-- bipartisan corruption. The New Jersey Republican Party is hopelessly corrupt and the New Jersey Democratic Party is hopelessly corrupt. That's why I've been so awed by Barbara Buono's nomination as the Democratic candidate for governor. She isn't corrupt. In fact... she's been fighting the corrupt Machine Democrats inside her own party for years. In 2010, Buono’s Democratic colleagues made her the first woman majority leader of the state Senate. But her tenure was short-lived. Buono refused to go along with Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver’s support for Christie’s plan to reform public employees’ pension and health insurance benefits. Buono supports pension reform, but was opposed to lumping together pensions and health care. She is adamant that health care benefits should be hammered out only through collective bargaining. In response, the Democrats stripped Buono of her Senate title, replacing her with Senator Loretta Weinberg of Teaneck. "It wasn't a hard call," Buono says of her stance. "I'd do it again." This morning she told us:
"When I go around New Jersey meeting folks and telling them who I am, I always make sure they know first and foremost that I am running this race for them. I've proved I'm a reformer in the past, by refusing to go along with Christie's plan to strip public employees' of their health insurance benefits, even though it cost me my Senate majority position, and I'd do it again. To do what is best for New Jersey's middle class and working poor, I won't shirk from standing up to Republicans or Democrats."
The corrupt politicians hate her and fear she will take away their opportunities for graft and bribes. So, of course the most corrupt Democratic machine bosses are supporting Chris Christie, who they've been playing footsie with for years. No one was surprised when state Sen. Brian Stack, the mayor of Union City, a grievously corrupt Democratic powerbroker in Hudson County and a key legislator in pushing through Christie's reactionary agenda, announced he's for Christie. From yesterday's Newark Star-Ledger:
One of New Jersey’s more influential Democrats, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, is poised to endorse Gov. Chris Christie this afternoon-- just a day after the Republican was backed by another Democratic powerbroker.
When many in New Jersey hear Christie's and DiVincenzo's names linked the first thing they think of is the 3 part New York Times expose from last year that resulted from a 10 month investigation and exposed the kind of corruption that has plagued New Jersey where corrupt Democrats and corrupt Republicans have each other's backs. "A company with deep ties to Gov. Chris Christie dominates New Jersey’s system of large halfway houses," reports the Times. 'There has been little state oversight, despite widespread problems... After decades of tough criminal justice policies, states have been grappling with crowded prisons that are straining budgets. In response to those pressures, New Jersey has become a leader in a national movement to save money by diverting inmates to a new kind of privately run halfway house. At the heart of the system is a company with deep connections to politicians of both parties, most notably Gov. Chris Christie. Many of these halfway houses are as big as prisons, with several hundred beds, and bear little resemblance to the neighborhood halfway houses of the past, where small groups of low-level offenders were sent to straighten up. New Jersey officials have called these large facilities an innovative example of privatization and have promoted the approach all the way to the Obama White House. Yet with little oversight, the state’s halfway houses have mutated into a shadow corrections network, where drugs, gang activity and violence, including sexual assaults, often go unchecked." Over 5,000 inmates have escaped, including two violent inmates who went on to commit murders. That's just one example about the way corrupt political bosses in New Jersey enrich themselves and their cronies and promote their careers-- all at the expense of the public. Christie has good p.r., but he's at the center of a web of corruption, bolstered by crooks like DiVincenzo.

In 2011 the Star-Ledger exposed another scam that enriched the politicians at the expense of New Jersey taxpayers-- so called "community education centers" that have been set up as shell corporations running the halfway houses and operates based on a rigged bidding system put together by Christie and DiVincenzo. "Community Education and its executives are major supporters of Mr. DiVincenzo, one of the most powerful politicians in North Jersey. Community Education employees, including senior executives and several of their family members, have donated a total of $30,600 to Mr. DiVincenzo’s campaigns since 2006," the New York Times reported. "The comptroller also questioned the legality of the state's contract with its largest provider of halfway houses, the politically connected Education and Health Centers of America. The state can only contract with nonprofit groups for halfway homes. But the report describes EHCA as a shell corporation, passing almost all its state dollars to the for-profit company Community Education Centers, which runs the houses. The same person, John Clancy, runs both organizations. William Palatucci, Gov. Chris Christie's close political adviser, is a senior vice president at the for-profit company."
Inmate escapes. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in overpayments. Shoddy buildings. Lax inspections. New Jersey pumps nearly $65 million a year into a network of privately run halfway houses, but the system is rife with problems, according to a state comptroller report released today. Even when contracts are violated, the state has failed to crack down on security lapses, the report said. Worst of all, the report said, it’s unclear whether the programs are actually achieving their chief goal: reducing the number of inmates committing new crimes by preparing them for life outside prison. Comptroller Matthew Boxer said the state "cannot simply cut these halfway houses a check and hope for the best."
Meanwhile, Christie has asked Palatucci, who had been a registered lobbyist for Community Education (but so had Christie himself), to lay low while he's running for reelection in the hope that the voters will forget all the corruption. Yesterday's endorsement by DiVincenzo reminded voters about why they hated Christie so much before Hurricane Sandy swept away so many memories of his corrupt way of doing business and milking the taxpayers. Christie's p.r. attempts to make himself over as a reformer instead of a gangster was taking a hit.
[W]hen it comes to Community Education Centers Inc., the principal operator of privately run halfway houses in New Jersey, Christie is following the path taken by his predecessors. Christie forged a close alliance with a company that’s deeply entrenched in New Jersey’s political status quo-- a move at odds with the style that has made him such a hero among Republicans across the country.

That helps explain Christie’s vigorous defense of Community Education-- and the deafening silence from Democrats-- after a scathing New York Times examination this week of the state’s halfway house program. It found that the halfway homes system had morphed into “a shadow corrections network, where drugs, gang activity and violence, including sexual assaults, often go un-checked.” Supervision is lax and since 2005, some 5,100 inmates have escaped, the report found.

At town hall meetings and press conferences, Christie loves to single out examples of government gone haywire-- school superintendents who move like salary-padding mercenaries from district to district, retirees amassing enormous sick leave payouts, teacher unions using students as “drug mules” to carry home propaganda about school elections.

Those broadsides have become the hallmark of the Christie style. But he’s never vented his disgust over the thousands of inmates who slip away from halfway houses. He did not go bonkers last year when the state comptroller studied halfway houses and revealed “crucial weaknesses in state oversight.”

Instead, Christie is something of an apostle of Community Education’s work, citing it as a prime example of how a privately run company functions better than government-- in this case, by reducing recidivism and prison costs. By promoting their work, Christie has used private companies like Community Education to help fashion his own image as a cost-effective pragmatist.

“A spotlight should be put on them as representing the very best of the human spirit,” Christie said during a visit to a Newark facility in 2010. “Because as you walk through here, as I’ve done before many times, what you see right before your eyes are miracles happening.”

Christie’s relations with Community Education stretch back more than a decade. John J. Clancy, its chief executive and founder, hired Dughi, Hewit & Palatucci, a Westfield law firm, to lobby in Trenton. Its lobbyists were Christie and William J. Palatucci, who has been and remains Christie’s longtime political confidant and adviser. Although he was registered, Christie did not actively lobby for the firm.

In 2005, Palatucci was hired as Community Education’s senior vice president. Clancy’s son-in-law was hired in 2010 to work as an assistant in Christie’s office. And while Community Education officials have not made direct contributions to Christie or the Republican State Committee, which he controls, the firm donated $50,000 to the Republican Governors Association in late 2008 and 2009 at a time when the group ran ads promoting Christie’s candidacy for governor.

Political analysts say the Times report could put a dent in Christie’s well-crafted national persona as a former-lawman-turned-reformer governor. But there is a potential saving point here for Christie, thanks to the Jersey political culture that he decries. Whereas in other states, a report like this would fuel opponents, Democrats here in New Jersey have held off attacks on the Republican governor.

...Community Education’s contributions may also explain why Democrats have been so uncharacteristically muted about The Times’ report. Former Gov. Dick Codey of Roseland, a major recipient of Community Education campaign donations, did not return a call seeking comment. Codey was also a longtime insurance broker for the company, according to the newspaper. Only Sen. Barbara Buono of Middlesex County-- who received a combined $2,600 in donations in 2010 and 2011 [which she returned]-- publicly raised concerns about halfway house supervision and Assemblyman Charles Mainor, D-Hudson, called for legislative hearings on the halfway house issue.
Christie, of course, fought the efforts to investigate his cronies and "used a line-item veto to reduce new disclosure requirements about halfway houses that the Democratic-controlled Legislature inserted in the state budget" and "vetoed a requirement that the department report actions that the halfway houses had taken to prevent, and protect inmates from, violence." He and DiVincenzo have stood by each other's corrupt and criminal activities.
For those who know DiVincenzo, none of this comes as a shock. This is the guy who collects a $59,000 pension on top of his big salary, and he hasn’t retired yet. He knows the angles.

The surprise came when Gov. Chris Christie was asked about this at a recent news conference, and he chose to defend DiVincenzo, a key Democratic ally.

“If, in fact, what they are doing is moving forward on their political agenda, then that’s appropriate,” the governor said.

If you listened hard, you could hear the final nail being pounded into the coffin of ethics reform during the Christie years.

Christie is New Jersey’s only hope on ethics reform. Famous for his undefeated string of corruption convictions, he brought a busload of federal prosecutors with him to Trenton. And he presented a strong package of ethics reforms almost immediately.

The Democrats have ignored it. Turns out they like to have two government jobs, they like to keep their finances under wraps and they don’t want any do-gooder campaign finance rules that might deprive their political machines of needed cash.

So if the governor goes wobbly, too, there really is no hope. That’s why the news conference was so deflating.

“If they’re operating within the current law, then they’re operating within the current law,” he said of the crew in San Juan.

Say what? The cops who take home $200,000 in unused sick pay are operating within the law, and so were the teachers who refused to accept a pay freeze. He didn’t have any problem pounding them into dust.

It’s sad, really, that Christie has squandered his natural advantage on the issue. The first big blow came when he solicited secret donations to Reform Jersey Now, an outfit run by his closest allies. When the donors’ names were finally revealed, a number of state contractors were on the list.

He squandered more of his mojo when he lambasted the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission for its patronage habits, but was moot when similar charges were made against the Elizabeth Board of Education, a political ally of his.

Christie’s hypocrisy on this gives Democrats safe haven. When the governor proposes limits on campaign spending by unions, for example, they can point to the money he raised for Reform Jersey Now.

“We’re supposed to silence the union, but let all his corporate buddies fund all they want?” asks Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester).
And let's not leave out George Norcross, the South Jersey Democratic political boss, another corrupt Christie crony, who desperately wants to see Christie reelected.
For students of Jersey politics, the elephant in the room, of course, is Christie’s role in the Palmyra investigation, and those notorious tapes of George Norcross practicing politics. I ask Christie to discuss the subject. "I made it a practice not to talk about that kind of stuff from when I was U.S. Attorney, in terms of ‘shining any new light’ on things," he replies. "I think if you want to know what my view of the investigation was, then read the letter I sent to the acting Attorney General." In that letter, addressed to the state Attorney General’s office, and ultimately disseminated to the media, Christie explained that he would be unable to prosecute Norcross because investigators bungled the case. They failed to obtain wiretaps on their principal subjects, including Norcross, and didn’t equip an informant with a wire at one key political function. Christie even wondered, in print, if the investigation had been purposefully undermined for political reasons… "Reviewing the letter again," I say to Christie, "as I did this morning… you look like a guy lamenting the one that got away. Right? And one of the ones that got away there was George Norcross." The entire time I speak, Christie sits there nodding. Then he responds: "Well, listen, you know, you change roles. Um, I’m now-- here I was the United States Attorney, a prosecutor, and I was doing my job as I saw it. And now I’m the governor. And now I’m a political leader, on top of being a governmental leader. And so certain things that I couldn’t do as a prosecutor, I can do now, and I’m really obligated to do, and certain things that I could do as a prosecutor I can’t do anymore. So, you know, your power is in some ways expanded and your power in some ways is limited, as the governor, as compared to being U.S. Attorney."
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
Posted in Chris Christie, Culture of Corruption, New Jersey | No comments
Newer Post Older Post Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • Another Manifestation Of The GOP Civil War: Utah's 2 Republicans Parted Ways On Immigration Reform
    Mike Lee & Orrin Hatch What's a Republicano to do? The racist, hate-filled base they've nurtured equates comprehensive immigrat...
  • How Badly Will Obama's Chained CPI Error Hurt Democrats In The Midterms?
    Social Security has long been the third rail of American politics. It has generally kept Republican predators, fearful of losing their caree...
  • Sunday Classics (double) preview: Enter the bird-catcher; exit Sir Colin Davis
    Colin Davis (1927-2013) at home by Ken As I must have mentioned, one of my core LPs in the early getting-to-know-music stage was a budget Se...
  • New York GOP: Cruzin' For A Bruisin'
    I know that the New York State Republican Party had a golden age... but it wasn't during the 20 years I lived in New York-- nor in the d...
  • New Dems Vs Actual Democrats-- Chained CPI
    The Blue Dogs are a discredited, spent force, essentially wiped out in the Great Blue Dog Apocalypse of 2010 when Democratic voters in their...
  • Mark Smith, Democratic Candidate For Pennsylvania Lt Governor, Rocks... In More Ways Than One
    I've only been to the Bahamas once; it was to visit the legendary, now shuttered, Compass Point Studios in Nassau, where one of our band...
  • EMILY's List Up It Its Old Tricks Again... Trying To Slip In A Corrupt Conservative Over A Progressive Because They Like The Plumbing's Better
    Except when it's bad women candidates like Michele Bachmann, Colleen Hanbusa or Katherine Clark  I got into a friendly Twitter argument ...
  • "Free" Trade-- Another Way For Conservatives To Undermine Democracy
    In the closing to his brilliant book, The Fifteen Biggest Lies About The Economy , Joshua Holland takes on the misleading notion of 'fre...
  • Will Hanabusa's Political Cowardice on LGBT Issues Come Into Play In The Hawai'i Senate Race?
    Last week we took a look at a contentious Senate race shaping up in Hawai'i between progressive incumbent Brian Schatz and more conserv...
  • The new Men's Wearhouse slogan: "You're going to look like crap probably, but now that the old guy's history, see if we care"
    "You're going to like the way you look. I guarantee it." by Ken Ah, so that's what it was. It seems that in the three mont...

Categories

  • 1848 (1)
  • 1896 presidential election (1)
  • 2012 congressional races (2)
  • 2014 congressional races (34)
  • 2014 gubernatorial races (8)
  • 2016 presidential race (6)
  • 9/11 (1)
  • Aaron Schock (1)
  • abortions (1)
  • accountability (1)
  • ACLU (1)
  • Adam Schiff (3)
  • affirmative action (3)
  • Afghanistan (3)
  • Afghanistan War spending (2)
  • Agriculture Committee (2)
  • Al Kamen (3)
  • Alabama (1)
  • Alan Grayson (19)
  • Alaska (4)
  • Alito (3)
  • Allen West (1)
  • Allyson Schwartz (3)
  • Amnesty International (1)
  • Andrew Hounshell (10)
  • Andrew Maguire (1)
  • Andy Borowitz (2)
  • Ann Callis (1)
  • Ann Coulter (2)
  • Ann Kirkpatrick (1)
  • Ann McLane Kuster (3)
  • Anthony Kennedy (1)
  • Anthony Weiner (1)
  • anti-Semitism (2)
  • Antonin Scalia (2)
  • Appalachian Trail (1)
  • Apple (2)
  • Arizona (6)
  • Arkansas (2)
  • arms trade (1)
  • Army Wives (1)
  • Art Pope (2)
  • Asa Hutchinson (1)
  • Ashburn (3)
  • Asheville (2)
  • austerity (7)
  • Ayatollah Khamanei (1)
  • Ayotte (1)
  • Baca (2)
  • bankruptcy (1)
  • banks (1)
  • banksters (5)
  • Barack Obama (2)
  • Barbara Buono (5)
  • Barney Frank (1)
  • Barrow (6)
  • Bartiromo (1)
  • Beethoven (5)
  • Beltway Dems (1)
  • Beltway journalism (1)
  • Berlioz (1)
  • Bernie Sanders (12)
  • Beyonce (1)
  • Big Oil (7)
  • Big Pharma (1)
  • bigotry (7)
  • Bill Johnson (1)
  • Bill McKibben (2)
  • Bill Moyers (1)
  • bipartisanship (3)
  • Blanche Lincoln (1)
  • bloggers (1)
  • Blue America (1)
  • Blue Dogs (5)
  • Bob Graham (1)
  • Bob Lord (1)
  • Bob Mankoff (3)
  • Bob Scheer (1)
  • Boehner (4)
  • Boehnerland (1)
  • Boston Marathon (6)
  • Brian Schatz (7)
  • bribery (3)
  • Brownback (1)
  • Bruno Walter (3)
  • Bryan Fischer (1)
  • Buck McKeon (11)
  • budget cuts (3)
  • budget deficits (1)
  • Burgess (1)
  • Bush library (1)
  • Bush Regime law-breaking (2)
  • Bush trade policies (1)
  • Bush v. Gore (1)
  • CA-25 (2)
  • CA-45 (1)
  • Calhoun (1)
  • California (7)
  • campaign finance reform (1)
  • Canada (1)
  • Cantor (3)
  • Carl Levin (1)
  • Carl Sciortino (4)
  • Carol Shea-Porter (1)
  • Catholic Church (1)
  • CDC (1)
  • Cecil Bothwell (1)
  • certifiably insane Republicans (2)
  • Chaffetz (1)
  • Chamber of Commerce (1)
  • Charlie Crist (3)
  • Chellie Pingree (1)
  • Cheri Bustos (1)
  • Chicago (2)
  • Chile (1)
  • Chimpy the Prez (1)
  • China (4)
  • Chocola (1)
  • Choice (3)
  • Chris Christie (8)
  • Chris Hayes (7)
  • Chris Matthews (1)
  • Chris Van Hollen (1)
  • CISPA (5)
  • civil rights (4)
  • Clarence Thomas (1)
  • class war (1)
  • clean energy (1)
  • climate (1)
  • climate change (5)
  • Club for Growth (1)
  • Coal (1)
  • Coffman (1)
  • Colbert (6)
  • Collin Peterson (1)
  • Colorado (1)
  • comedy (1)
  • Congress (1)
  • Congressional Budget Office (1)
  • congressional ethics (1)
  • conservadems (5)
  • Conservative Consensus (2)
  • conspiracy theories (1)
  • Constitution of the U.S. (1)
  • contest (3)
  • Corey Robin (1)
  • corporate governance (1)
  • corporate welfare (2)
  • corrupt Democrats (1)
  • Cory Booker (3)
  • Cory Gardner (1)
  • cost of Iraq war (1)
  • courageousness (2)
  • cowardly Dems (1)
  • crack use by Republicans (1)
  • crazy extremists (3)
  • crime and punishment (1)
  • Cuba (1)
  • Culture of Corruption (13)
  • Cyprus (4)
  • DADT (1)
  • Dan Maffei (1)
  • Dana Milbank (4)
  • Darrell Issa (7)
  • David Bowie (1)
  • David Cameron (1)
  • David Chase (1)
  • David Cicilline (2)
  • David Frum (1)
  • David Gill (1)
  • David Neiwert (2)
  • David Vitter (1)
  • Daylin Leach (13)
  • DC (1)
  • DCCC (24)
  • DEA (1)
  • Dean Baker (1)
  • Debbie Wasserman Schultz (6)
  • DEBKA (1)
  • debt ceiling (1)
  • Dede Scozzafava (1)
  • deficits (1)
  • DeMint (2)
  • Democrats (1)
  • derivatives (2)
  • DesJarlais (1)
  • Dianne Feinstein (1)
  • Diaz-Balart (1)
  • Dick Armey (2)
  • Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (1)
  • Difference between 2 parties (1)
  • digital dementia (1)
  • disappointment with Obama (1)
  • Dolce & Gabbana (1)
  • DOMA (5)
  • domestic spying (8)
  • domestic terrorism (1)
  • Don Young (1)
  • Donna Edwards (1)
  • DREAM Act (1)
  • drones (4)
  • DSCC (4)
  • E. J. Dionne Jr. (2)
  • E.W. Jackson (1)
  • economic bubbles (1)
  • economic inequality (4)
  • economic sabotage (1)
  • Ed Markey (4)
  • Ed Marksberry (1)
  • Education (2)
  • Edward Snowden (4)
  • Egypt (5)
  • Eisenhower (1)
  • election integrity (1)
  • election theft (1)
  • electronic surveillance (2)
  • Elijah Cummings (1)
  • Eliot Engel (1)
  • elites (2)
  • Elizabeth Warren (8)
  • Ellen Corbett (1)
  • Elvis Costello (1)
  • EMILY's List (5)
  • eminent domain (1)
  • energy policy (1)
  • Enron (1)
  • environment (7)
  • EPA (2)
  • Eric Garcetti (3)
  • estate tax (1)
  • Etzioni (1)
  • European Union (3)
  • Evangelicals (1)
  • evolution (2)
  • extraterrestrials (1)
  • Ezra Klein (2)
  • FAA (1)
  • fake moderates (1)
  • Far Right (1)
  • Farm Bill (3)
  • fascism (5)
  • fast food (1)
  • FDR (1)
  • FEC (1)
  • federal regulatory agencies (3)
  • filibuster (2)
  • financial reform (1)
  • financial-services industry (1)
  • Fincher (2)
  • firefighters (1)
  • Florida (15)
  • Food Network (2)
  • food safety (1)
  • food stamps (3)
  • Fox Noise (2)
  • fracking (1)
  • France (1)
  • Frank Lautenberg (2)
  • Frank Luntz (1)
  • Frank Pallone (2)
  • Fred Upton (2)
  • free trade (3)
  • freedom (1)
  • FreedomWorks (1)
  • freshmen (1)
  • fundraising (2)
  • Gabby Giffords (1)
  • Gail Collins (1)
  • Gallego (1)
  • Garamendi (2)
  • Garrett (3)
  • Gary Miller (2)
  • Gatsby (1)
  • gay equality (5)
  • gay Republicans (10)
  • gender gap (1)
  • genocide (1)
  • Georg Solti (2)
  • George Carlin (1)
  • George Steinbrenner (1)
  • George Szell (1)
  • Georgia (6)
  • Germany (1)
  • Glenn Beck (1)
  • Glenn Greenwald (3)
  • Global Peace Index (1)
  • global warming (2)
  • Gloria Negrete McLeod (2)
  • GOP homophobia (5)
  • GOP racism (4)
  • Grassley (1)
  • Greece (2)
  • Greed and Selfishness (1)
  • Greg Sargent (1)
  • Greg Walden (2)
  • Guantanamo (2)
  • Guatemala (1)
  • gun control (15)
  • Haaretz (1)
  • Hanabusa (5)
  • Handel (2)
  • Harry Reid (1)
  • Hate Talk Radio (1)
  • Hawaii (5)
  • HBO (1)
  • health care (3)
  • health care reform (1)
  • health insurance (1)
  • healthy food (2)
  • Heather Mizeur (1)
  • Heidi Heitkamp (1)
  • Heritage Foundation (2)
  • higher education (3)
  • Hill (The) (1)
  • Hillary Clinton (3)
  • Hispanic voters (3)
  • History Channel (1)
  • homophobia (8)
  • Hong Kong (1)
  • hospitals (1)
  • House Agriculture Committee (1)
  • House Financial Services Committee (3)
  • House of Lords (1)
  • Howard Ahmanson (1)
  • Howard Dean (1)
  • Huffington Post (1)
  • hunger (1)
  • Hypocrisy (2)
  • Ian Welsh (1)
  • Iceland (1)
  • IL-13 (1)
  • IL-17 (1)
  • Illinois (3)
  • immigration (34)
  • income disparity (1)
  • infrastructure (1)
  • Inhofe (1)
  • Inland Empire (1)
  • internalized homophobia (1)
  • Internet (2)
  • Iowa (1)
  • IQ (1)
  • Ira Glass (1)
  • Iran (4)
  • Iraq War (1)
  • IRS (3)
  • Israel (4)
  • Italy (3)
  • Jack Eichenbaum (1)
  • Jack Kingston (2)
  • James Dobson (1)
  • James Surowiecki (1)
  • Jamie Oliver (1)
  • Jane Jacobs (1)
  • Japan (1)
  • Jared Huffman (1)
  • Jay Stamper (9)
  • Jay-Z (1)
  • Jeanne Shaheen (1)
  • Jeff Flake (4)
  • Jeff Merkley (1)
  • Jeff Sessions (2)
  • Jeffrey Sachs (1)
  • Jeffrey Toobin (2)
  • Jennifer Brunner (1)
  • Jennifer Garrison (1)
  • Jerry Nadler (2)
  • Jim Cooper (1)
  • Jim DeMint (1)
  • Jim Graves (5)
  • Jim Himes (2)
  • Jim McDermott (1)
  • Jimmy Carter (1)
  • Jindal (1)
  • Jobs Bill (1)
  • Joe Barton (3)
  • Joe Conason (2)
  • Joe Manchin (1)
  • Joe McNamara (1)
  • Joe Miller (2)
  • Joe Sestak (1)
  • John Aravosis (1)
  • John Barrow (2)
  • John Birch Society (1)
  • John Campbell (1)
  • John Conyers (1)
  • John Cornyn (1)
  • John Delaney (1)
  • John Fleming (2)
  • John Hanger (2)
  • John Kline (3)
  • John Nichols (1)
  • John Paul Stevens (1)
  • John Roberts (2)
  • John Shimkus (1)
  • Jon Vickers (2)
  • Jordan (1)
  • Josef Krips (3)
  • Joseph Crowley (2)
  • Joseph E. Stiglitz (1)
  • Joshua Holland (3)
  • Julian Assange (1)
  • Justin Amash (2)
  • Kansas (1)
  • Karl Boehm (2)
  • Keith Ellison (5)
  • Ken Calvert (1)
  • Ken Cuccinelli (5)
  • Ken Sanders (1)
  • Kentucky (2)
  • Kevin McCarthy (1)
  • Kevin Strouse (1)
  • Keystone XL Pipeline (6)
  • Kibbe (1)
  • Kirsten Gillibrand (1)
  • Klaus Tennstedt (1)
  • Kobach (1)
  • Koch (3)
  • Koch Industries (2)
  • Kolbe (2)
  • Korea (1)
  • Kyrsten Sinema (3)
  • L.A. Times (1)
  • Labor (1)
  • Lady Gaga (1)
  • Larry Flynt (1)
  • Lawrence O'Donnell Jr. (4)
  • Lawson (1)
  • Leadership (1)
  • Lee Fang (9)
  • Lee Rogers (5)
  • Leonard Bernstein (2)
  • LePage (2)
  • LGBT community (10)
  • LGBT equality (11)
  • Libya (1)
  • lies (1)
  • Limbaugh (1)
  • Lindsey Graham (13)
  • Lipinksi (1)
  • Liszt (1)
  • lobbyists (6)
  • Long Island (2)
  • Los Angeles (5)
  • Lou Vince (3)
  • Louie Gohmert (4)
  • Louisiana (2)
  • Mac Thornberry (1)
  • Macklemore (1)
  • Mad Men (1)
  • Magic Flute (2)
  • Maher (3)
  • Mahler (2)
  • Maine (2)
  • Malcolm Smith (1)
  • Malek (1)
  • Marc Maron (2)
  • Margaret Thatcher (4)
  • Marijuana (2)
  • Mark Begich (5)
  • Mark Foley (1)
  • Mark Kirk (1)
  • Mark Pocan (1)
  • Mark Pryor (2)
  • Mark Sanford (7)
  • marriage equality (10)
  • Martha Robertson (1)
  • Maryland (1)
  • Massachusetts (4)
  • Masterpiece Classic (1)
  • Matheson (4)
  • Matt Cartwright (1)
  • Matt Salmon (2)
  • Max Baucus (1)
  • Max Blumenthal (1)
  • Maxine Waters (1)
  • Mayors Against Illegal Guns (1)
  • McCain (2)
  • McCain's vindictiveness (1)
  • McCaul (1)
  • McClintock (1)
  • McCranky (1)
  • McCrory (2)
  • McDonnell (2)
  • McKeon (4)
  • media (2)
  • medical-industrial complex (1)
  • Medicare (1)
  • Melissa Harris-Perry (2)
  • Menendez (1)
  • Mica (3)
  • Michael Bennet (1)
  • Michael Bloomberg (5)
  • Michael Froman (1)
  • Michaud (1)
  • Michele Bachmann (9)
  • Michelle Nunn (4)
  • Michigan (2)
  • Middle (The) (1)
  • Mike Honda (4)
  • Mike Lee (1)
  • Mike Lux (2)
  • Mike McIntyre (7)
  • Mike Obermueller (1)
  • Mike Rogers (2)
  • Mike Ross (1)
  • military industrial complex (4)
  • minimum wage (2)
  • Minnesota (3)
  • Minutemen (1)
  • misogyny (2)
  • Mississippi (1)
  • Mitch McConnell (5)
  • Modern Family (1)
  • Molly Ivins (1)
  • Montana (1)
  • moral clarity (1)
  • Morning Sedition (2)
  • Morrissey (1)
  • Mozart (10)
  • Municipal Art Society (1)
  • Musharraf (1)
  • Music Business (1)
  • Muslim Brotherhood (1)
  • NAFTA (1)
  • Nan Rich (3)
  • Nanci Griffith (1)
  • Nancy Pelosi (1)
  • national parks (1)
  • National Security (3)
  • Nationals Park (1)
  • Neocons (1)
  • Nevada (1)
  • New Dems (20)
  • New Hampshire (2)
  • New Jersey (11)
  • New York (6)
  • New York Review of Books (1)
  • New York State (2)
  • New York Transit Museum (1)
  • New Yorker (The) (5)
  • Nick Ruiz (11)
  • Norman Solomon (1)
  • North Carolina (10)
  • NRA (17)
  • Nurse Jackie (1)
  • Obama's cabinet (1)
  • Obama's stimulus package (1)
  • Obamacans (1)
  • obesity (2)
  • obstructionist Republicans (12)
  • OccupyWallStreet (1)
  • offshore drilling (1)
  • OH-08 (2)
  • Ohio (5)
  • oil spill (1)
  • Oklahoma (1)
  • Olympia Snowe (1)
  • Orange County (1)
  • Orlando (2)
  • Orrin Hatch (1)
  • Otto Klemperer (3)
  • oversight (1)
  • PA-13 (3)
  • PA-17 (1)
  • Pakistan (1)
  • Palast (1)
  • Palin (2)
  • Pam's House Blend (1)
  • patent reform (1)
  • Patrick Murphy (5)
  • Patsy Keever (1)
  • Paul Broun (6)
  • Paul Clements (2)
  • Paul Kane (2)
  • Paul Krugman (3)
  • Paul Ryan (7)
  • Pennsylvania (7)
  • Pentagon (2)
  • perfidious Republicans (1)
  • Peter King (3)
  • PFAW (2)
  • Phil Gingrey (2)
  • plutocracy (2)
  • polling (1)
  • pollution (2)
  • Pope Francis (3)
  • post office (1)
  • Priebus (1)
  • primaries (6)
  • Pritzker (2)
  • Prop 8 (1)
  • public education (6)
  • Rachel Maddow (13)
  • racism (4)
  • Rafsanjani (1)
  • Rahm Emanuel (1)
  • Rana Husseini (5)
  • Rand Paul (1)
  • rape (5)
  • Raul Grijalva (4)
  • reactionary Democrats (1)
  • regulation (1)
  • Religionist bigotry (3)
  • religious bigotry (2)
  • religious fanatics (2)
  • renewables (1)
  • Renzi (1)
  • Republican brand (1)
  • Republican civil war (15)
  • Republican governors (1)
  • Republican hypocrisy (3)
  • Republican War on Science (2)
  • Republican War on Women (10)
  • retirements (2)
  • Richard and Mildred Loving (1)
  • Richard Mourdock (1)
  • Rick Perlstein (1)
  • Rick Perry (2)
  • Rick Santorum (1)
  • Rick Scott (2)
  • Rick Weiland (2)
  • right-wing bulllies (1)
  • Right-Wing Noise Machine (3)
  • Rivera (1)
  • Rob Ford (1)
  • Rob Portman (2)
  • Rob Zerban (4)
  • Robert Naiman (1)
  • Robert Reich (5)
  • Roberts Court (1)
  • Rodgers and Hammerstein (1)
  • Rohrabacher (2)
  • Ron Barber (3)
  • Ron Paul (2)
  • Ros-Lehtinen (2)
  • Rossini (1)
  • Royce (1)
  • Rubio (11)
  • Rudolf Serkin (1)
  • Rush Holt (2)
  • Russ Feingold (1)
  • Russia (1)
  • Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2)
  • Ryan Lizza (1)
  • same-sex marriage (1)
  • Sandy (2)
  • Sarah Palin- Attack Dog (1)
  • SB 1070 (1)
  • school lunches (1)
  • Schweitzer (1)
  • Science (1)
  • Scott Brown (1)
  • Sean Patrick Maloney (3)
  • secession (1)
  • Seinfeld (1)
  • Senate (1)
  • Senate 2014 (28)
  • Senate 2016 (2)
  • sequester (6)
  • sexism (2)
  • Shameless (1)
  • sheriff (3)
  • Sherrod Brown (1)
  • Simcox (1)
  • Social Security (20)
  • solar energy (2)
  • South Carolina (16)
  • South Dakota (3)
  • Spain (2)
  • special election MA (3)
  • special elections (2)
  • Spitzer (1)
  • Springsteen (1)
  • State Dept (1)
  • Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (2)
  • Stephen Colbert (1)
  • Stephen Lynch (1)
  • Steve Cohen (1)
  • Steve Israel (7)
  • Steve King (5)
  • Steve Stockman (1)
  • stolen valor (1)
  • student loans (6)
  • Sunday Classics (27)
  • Supreme Court (13)
  • Sviatoslav Richter (1)
  • Swalwell (1)
  • Sweden (1)
  • Syria (9)
  • TARP (1)
  • tax havens (1)
  • tax policies (2)
  • tax scofflaws (1)
  • Tea Party (5)
  • teabaggers (5)
  • Ted Cruz (8)
  • Ted Haggard (1)
  • Tennessee (2)
  • terrorism (1)
  • Terry McAuliffe (2)
  • Tesla (1)
  • Texas (4)
  • the nature of conservatism (12)
  • The Sopranos (1)
  • The South (1)
  • ThinkProgress (1)
  • Tim Johnson (2)
  • Tinker (1)
  • tobacco (1)
  • Todd Akin (2)
  • Toledo (1)
  • Tom Coburn (1)
  • Tom Cole (1)
  • Tom Corbett (2)
  • Tom Kean (1)
  • Tony Soprano (1)
  • Toomey (2)
  • Toronto (1)
  • trade policies (4)
  • Trans-Pacific Partnership (1)
  • Trent Franks (1)
  • triangulation (1)
  • Turkey (3)
  • TV Watch (12)
  • twitter (1)
  • U.S. attorneys (1)
  • U.S.-attorney purge (1)
  • UK elections (1)
  • UKIP (1)
  • Umair Haque (1)
  • UN (1)
  • unemployment (3)
  • union-busting (1)
  • unions (1)
  • Urban Gadabout (1)
  • Utah (1)
  • Van Jones (2)
  • violence against women (4)
  • Virginia (5)
  • voter suppression (1)
  • voting records (1)
  • voting rights (7)
  • wacko birds (1)
  • Wagner (4)
  • Wall Street (2)
  • Wall Street bailout (3)
  • Wall Street Journal (1)
  • Wall Street reform (5)
  • war on drugs (1)
  • War on Terror (1)
  • war powers (1)
  • Washington Post (4)
  • water resources (1)
  • Wendy Davis (1)
  • West Virginia (2)
  • Weyrich Lunch (1)
  • WI-1 (4)
  • Wisconsin (4)
  • women's equality (7)
  • work (1)
  • xenophobia (1)
  • Young Republicans (1)
  • youth vote (3)

Blog Archive

  • ▼  2013 (500)
    • ►  July (35)
    • ▼  June (150)
      • People For The American Way Makes The Case For Def...
      • The Supreme Court sends a message to would-be job ...
      • Sunday Classics: In "The Flying Dutchman" Wagner s...
      • Digital Dementia-- Is It For Real?
      • FEC Quarter Ends Today; Should You Care?
      • Does Steve Israel Understand How To Make GOP Racis...
      • TV Watch: I'm going to try again, but I still won'...
      • Court And Spark
      • Right To Vote/Right To Marry: The Red States
      • Bipartisanship... The Good Kind
      • Sunday Classics preview: A little more of "The Fly...
      • Now that we've heard from everyone else about marr...
      • Arizona’s Freshmen Reps: What’s Going On Here?
      • Wendy Davis For Governor Of Texas?
      • A Note From DCCC Chairman Steve Israel: "Top Race ...
      • Can Boneheaded Florida Republican Tom Rooney Keep ...
      • Could Morris Bender have diagnosed what's wrong wi...
      • Comprehensive Immigration Bill Passed The Senate.....
      • Hanabusa at a Crossroads-- Will It Lead Back to Co...
      • Minutemen-- Liars, Rapists, Murderers, Nazis... An...
      • Your Supreme Court at work and play -- as same-sex...
      • Republican SuperPACs Aren't Bringing In The Cash T...
      • Barbara Buono's Lesbian Daughter Is In A Very Diff...
      • Democratic Senators Who Voted To Confirm Fascists ...
      • Ed Markey Won The Senate Seat-- Now Let's Make Sur...
      • OMG, Anthony Weiner is now the NYC mayoral front r...
      • Another Manifestation Of The GOP Civil War: Utah's...
      • Chamber Of Commerce Moves To Bolster Their Boy Rub...
      • Is It Political Suicide For Paul Ryan To Still Be ...
      • Is It Worth It For The Democrats To Try Winning Th...
      • So you think it's a piece of cake being a far-righ...
      • One Final Kaddish For The Farm Bill... And John Bo...
      • Guess What Blanche Lincoln Has Been Up To To Make ...
      • Morsi's New Governor Of Luxor Resigns Amid Growing...
      • Dan Lipinski Joins The Blue Dogs As They Gasp Thei...
      • How Do You Figure Out Who To Vote For? How Do You ...
      • Behind the scenes with the Gang of Eight -- with a...
      • Tomorrow Is A Big Day For Miss McConnell
      • Sunday Classics: "In the lilt of Irish laughter, y...
      • I Got A Call From A New Dem Friday
      • TV Watch: James Gandolfini (1961-2013)
      • Dolce, Gabbana and... Rick's Auto Body
      • Paul LePage, What A Goober!
      • It's Almost As Though The Georgia GOP Has Figured ...
      • Things Are Bleak In Boehnerland This Week
      • Sunday Classics preview: You know who this famous ...
      • To reduce litter, you get rid of the trash recepta...
      • In 10 Days The Republicans Will Force Student Loan...
      • Progressives Break With The Clinton-Bush-Obama Tra...
      • DCCC-- No Shame Whatsoever In Exploiting Women
      • Threats Of Primaries By GOP Racists Make It Harder...
      • "Why America Still Needs Affirmative Action" (John...
      • SNAP! Agricultural Subsidies For Wealthy Republica...
      • CONTEST TIME: Nick Ruiz Is Into The Cult
      • Rick Weiland Guest Post On His Take It Back Campai...
      • A Perspective Of Gezi Park From An Old Turkish Hippie
      • The new Men's Wearhouse slogan: "You're going to l...
      • So Even a Pathetic Pipsqueak Like Dana Rohrbacher ...
      • Hanabusa Cozies Up to Defense Contractors
      • When Did The GOP Become The Party of Unrelenting M...
      • The World Is Less Peaceful In 2013
      • When we make "tradeoffs" for "national security," ...
      • Begich Admits What His Voting Record Proves: At He...
      • When Will The Republican Party End It's Sick Jihad...
      • Big Business Has A Friend-- Congress
      • Is Debbie Wasserman Schultz Maneuvering To Get Cha...
      • A spokesman clarifies Pope Francis's announced con...
      • Will We Have To Go Back To Drinking Wine Instead o...
      • We Need A Nobel Peace Prize Winner In The White Ho...
      • New Jersey Has A Senate Front-Runner Nearly As Sic...
      • Oh no, Pam Spaulding is closing down "Pam's House ...
      • Can Florida Democrats Blow The 2014 Gubernatorial ...
      • Reactionary New Dems Help GOP Pass A Fatally Flawe...
      • Sunday Classics: Father's Day special -- Wagner's ...
      • Does The Pope Refuse To Live In The Papal Apartmen...
      • TV Watch: Maybe "Graceland" only seems "formulaic"...
      • Rightists Have Always Been Obsessed With Homosexua...
      • The House Finally Voted To End The War In Afghanistan
      • Iran, Syria, Obama-Bush and... Alan Grayson
      • Will Glenn Greenwald Run For Congress Against Pete...
      • Sunday Classics preview: Father's Day special -- m...
      • Who was who in the Iranian presidential election? ...
      • Steve Israel And The Gatsby Curve-- If The Music I...
      • Lindsey Graham Wants War-- War Against American Ci...
      • Heather Mizeur: Not Interested In Business As Usua...
      • Is "system" really the word for our two-party, er,...
      • DeMint Is Ready To Go To War-- Against Conservativ...
      • Solar Energy In L.A.-- And Japan
      • Former Republican Congressman Rick Renzi Is Finall...
      • Yes, There Are Still NRA Shills Among Congressiona...
      • Republican Anti-Immigration Filibuster Is Defeated...
      • Is he a hero or not a hero? No, not the NSA guy! I...
      • Does The DCCC Actually Care About Immigration Policy?
      • Corrupt New Jersey Machine Dems Gravitate To Chris...
      • Conservative Men Further Ramp Up Their War Against...
      • Isn't it time we all got our priorities on NSA sur...
      • The Banksters Know Just How To Fix Spain's Economy...
      • Republican Hatred Of Science (And Reality) Lends I...
      • O Hillary
      • Lunch Anyone? How DC Works... At Least On The Righ...
    • ►  May (153)
    • ►  April (148)
    • ►  March (14)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

Ashish Chaturvedi
View my complete profile