Rep. John Campbell (R-CA) Is Retiring... Yawn?

CA-45 is entirely within Orange County... and not the more liberal part on the coast. The district goes from the Anaheim Hills, North Tustin and Irvine down to Mission Viejo and Lake Forest. The eastern part of the district beyond Silverado and Trabaco Canyon is uninhabitable. Last year Campbell won reelection against a credible Democrat, Sukee Kang, 59-41%. Campbell spent $1,421,706 and Kang spent $754,627. The DCCC completely ignored the race and spent zero, same as they did when Beth Krom ran in 2010 and when Steve Young ran in 2008 and 2006. They don't see this R+7 district as worth investing in. McCain bested Obama 51-47% and Romney won there 55-43%.

There doesn't appear to be a Democratic challenger yet, although someone will probably give it a try. So far, the action is all in Crazyville. Every Orange County GOP officeseeker who can walk upright and string a sentence together wants to run. The primary should be a joy to watch-- and it won't be the first time. In his new book, And Hell Followed With Her, about the Minutemen mayhem, Dave Neiwert recounted how ambitious extremist Jim Gilchrist ran for Congress against Campbell. (This was a year before Gilchrist told the Orange County Register that "I'm not going to promote insurrection, but if it happens, it will be on the conscience of the members of Congress who are doing this. I will not promote violence in resolving this, but I will not stop others who might pursue that." Bush appointed Wall Street shill and super-reactionary Congressman Christopher Cox to the chair of the SEC (which turned out to be an absolute catastrophe for America and helped trigger the Great Recession) and it created a rare open seat in Orange County.

The special election rules created a wide-open field in the primary in which ten Republicans and four Democrats vied for their parties’ respective nominations. Gilchrist ran instead as the sole candidate of the American Independent Party, which is the California affiliate of the Constitution Party. That organization, as it happens, is essentially the Patriot movement’s own party: in the 1990s, it was one of the original promoters of the militia concept among mainstream conservatives, and its politics and candidates have been in that same mold ever since.

Gilchrist got a brief scare when former congressman Robert Dornan-- an archconservative in the John Birch Society mold, notorious in his time for inflammatory and frequently bigoted remarks (his nickname was “B-1 Bob”), who had lost his seat in the 1996 election to Loretta Sanchez-- made brief waves by indicating he wanted to run for Cox’s old seat under the AIP banner. But party leaders, who saw Gilchrist as a potential rising political star, rebuffed his efforts.

After the primary, only an establishment Republican named John Campbell and a Democratic attorney named Steve Young remained on the ballot-- along with Gilchrist, who campaigned hard against Campbell on the basis of his supposedly “soft” stance on immigration. And when Election Day came around on December 5, it was a testament to Orange County’s deep-red conservatism that Campbell still won handily with 44 percent of the vote, while Young came in second with 27 percent, and Gilchrist finished a close third with 25 percent.

Afterward, Gilchrist declared victory anyway: “The time of the modern Minuteman, the Patriot, the time of the American people is here, and America WILL return to the rule of law-- whether the special interests, and the party label enforcers, and the open borders lobby-- and the mainstream media-- like it or not!”

Yes, 25% of the voters in this OC hellhole were willing to vote for a murderous neo-Nazi fanatic whose goal is to destroy America. What a place! And next year is already looking like another wild jungle primary in Crazytown. This week another Republican crackpot, State Sen. Mimi Walters, joined the fray. She's already been endorsed by 7 reactionary California congressmen-- Darrell Issa, Ed Royce, Kevin McCarthy, David Valadao, Doug LaMalfa, Jeff Denham, and Paul Cook-- which is very inconvenient for Rep. Gary Miller, who finds himself in a blue district and wants to run for the open seat in CA-45 to avoud political oblivion.

Walters is largely considered a wholly owned subsidiary of religionist lunatic Howard Ahmanson, Jr., who is no longer living in an insane asylum. Think Progress was first to point out the connection to Walters and the far right's attempt to overthrown democracy and replace it with a "Christian" version of Sharia law, what the lunatic fringe behind Walters calls "total integration of Biblical Law." Ahmanson funneled money into her failed campaign for state Treasurer through his shady Fieldstead operation.

Fieldstead & Co. is an incorporated private company which Ahmanson uses to distribute money to his favorite causes without having to disclose the donations publicly.

Most notorious among these was the Chalcedon Foundation. Ahmanson served for decades on the board of this radical Christian Reconstructionist organization and heavily funded its efforts. The group’s late founder, Rousas John Rushdoony advocated for American laws to literally follow those in the Book of Leviticus, including death by stoning for gay and lesbian people and similar execution for adulterers, juvenile delinquents, non-believers, and most other Americans. While Ahmanson has made clear he personally does not advocate “the stoning or execution of homosexuals,” he conceded to the Orange County Register in 1985: “My purpose is total integration of biblical law into our lives.”

Ahmanson is a major funder and director of the Discovery Institute, a group which promotes creationism and tries to obstruct science education. He was one of the largest contributors to the unconstitutional Proposition 8 campaign to take away the right of same-sex couples to marry in California, spent heavily in support of school vouchers efforts in Colorado and California, backed CareNet (a group that provides “crisis pregnancy centers,” which mislead women about abortion), and, reportedly, funded a $1 million smear campaign against the Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop and efforts to split the worldwide Anglican Communion over LGBT inclusion. And, he was the second-largest donor to a 2006 California ballot initiative effort which would have required the government to compensate any property owners if land-use or zoning laws hurt the value of their property; Walters served as honorary chair for the unsuccessful effort and called the position her “proudest accomplishment.”

In her time in the California Assembly and Senate, Walters has accumulated a voting record that is very much in line with Ahmanson’s far-right views. She has consistently voted against LGBT equality, endorsing Prop. 8, protecting harmful “ex-gay” therapy, and opposing anti-discrimination laws. She opposes women’s reproductive rights. She also is a strong supporter of “school choice” and vouchers.

Walters has called herself a “proven conservative” and has drawn criticism for her anti-immigrant campaign ads. She voted against California’s same-day voter registration law and amassed an embarrassing 3 percent lifetime score from the California League of Conservation Voters.

In the past, even anti-LGBT conservatives like Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) and former Gov. Linda Lingle (R-HI) have returned campaign contributions from Ahmanson in light of his radical views and record (Full disclosure: in 2004, the author was president of an LGBT-rights group that successfully pushed Wolf to return a $1,000 contribution from Ahmanson). But Walters has accepted his money since her 2006 campaign.

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Paul Clements Takes On Fred Upton In Southwest Michigan

A couple days ago, we took a look a one of the best-- albeit ignored-- Democratic targets in America, southwest Michigan's 6th district. I spoke with the Democratic candidate taking on Fred Upton and I was really impressed with the lens with which he looked at politics. DWT endorsed him and you can contribute to his campaign here. Here's the guest post he did for us:

Guest Post by Paul Clements

Corporate power is the biggest threat to American democracy. Let’s be clear: American prosperity is built on business. The overwhelming majority of businesses are ethical and good. But there is a small slice, including many of the richest corporations, that hire armies of lobbyists to write tax laws and banking and environmental regulations in their favor. This is not because of evil people; it’s the result of our present setup, and the consequences are grave.

The nub of the problem is a legal structure and ideology that endorse profit seeking by any means as the right path for corporate leadership. If X pursues profit efficiently but Y does not, Y will be driven out of business. Add this to a political system, even before Citizens United, where money translates into political voice, and where politicians must raise enormous funds to survive, and the consequences are clear. You get Apple arguing shamelessly that they had to flee their tax obligations from building up intellectual property (moving ownership to a shell company in Ireland) because the law allowed it. You get Exxon paying quasi-scientists to say the science of climate change is pretty unclear.

Michigan’s sixth Congressional district, where I am campaigning, offers a case in point. Our long serving Republican Congressman, Fred Upton, now chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has become a tool for the kinds of corporate interests that are antithetical to the common good. Receiving significant contributions from oil and gas industries, he sponsors legislation to remove the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate greenhouse gasses. For this and other attacks on the environment, the LA Times names him the Number 1 Enemy of the Earth.

To support strong business we need leading technologies, excellent education, a healthy population, and good infrastructure, preferably mixed with rich culture and a thriving democracy. (Here democracy is means as well as end.) For these we need a smart government that can set goals and carry out programs efficiently to achieve them, all on a basis of evidence.

But real democracy should support each citizen’s substantive liberty, their capacity for meaningful participation. Healthy democracy depends on good education, a living wage for all, the absence of gross polarities in income, and limits on the capacity of the wealthy to dominate politics. Strong business is an important means to real democracy, but just that-- a means to an end.

Through a long lens American history can be interpreted as the sometimes stumbling yet ever increasing inclusiveness of our democracy. But from this perspective the threat of corporate power becomes clearest. In the medium term it subverts and drives out participatory democracy and increases economic inequality. In the long term, given the reality of climate change, it endangers the very planet upon which humanity depends.

Take a look at my ideas and help me turn red to blue in Michigan: ClementsforCongress.com.

Below is a resolution on climate change Clements submitted to the Michigan Sixth District Democratic Party Issues and Resolutions Committee, the Executive Committee and the wider Party.

Resolution on Climate Change

WHEREAS, our nation and world face rapid climate change due to unsustainable levels of greenhouse gas emissions causing increasing global temperatures, extreme weather events, drought, and dangerously rising sea levels; and

WHEREAS, power plants in the United States produce nearly a third of all our greenhouse gas emissions; and

WHEREAS, the scientific community estimates the United States needs to reduce carbon emissions by nearly eighty-five percent by 2050; and

WHEREAS, storms such as Superstorm Sandy are strengthened by the effects of climate change and will continue to devastate our communities,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the 6th Congressional District Democratic Committee supports President Barack Obama’s measures to confront climate change, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, specifically from power plants, encouraging development of renewable energy, and providing American leadership to secure an international agreement with national targets for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions consistent with limiting global warming to two degrees centigrade; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the 6th Congressional District Democratic encourages the Representative of Michigan’s 6th Congressional District Democratic President Obama’s efforts to confront climate change; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the 6th Congressional District Democratic encourages all of Michigan’s federal delegation in the US House of Representatives and the US Senate to support President Obama’s efforts to confront climate change; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this resolution be widely publicized to the media, a copy sent to all County Democratic Party Chairs in the 6th Congressional District Democratic sent to the Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lon Johnson and the Michigan Democratic Party Executive Committee members, and a copy sent to all Michigan Democratic Party Caucus and Committee Chairs; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the 6th Congressional District Democratic encourages other organizations regardless of partisan status to educate their constituents and act to confront climate change.

Submitted by Paul Clements
Candidate for Congress

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Patrick Murphy-- Is He The Worst Freshman Democrat? Unlikely He'll Be The Worst Sophomore

Technically, Patrick Murphy is a Democrat. He switched his registration from "Republican" just before challenging much-hated Tea Party target Allen West in 2012. A son of great wealth and privilege, Murphy was, of course, a lifelong Republican. Since getting into the House he's voted with Republicans on crucial roll calls more frequently than with Democrats. As a member of the House Financial Services Committee, he's sold out 100% to the Wall Street banksters and works consistently to help the Republicans seduce weak-minded and cowardly New Dems into joining them in dismantling the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reforms. The Democratic freshmen voting more frequently with the GOP than with their own party are:

• Patrick Murphy (New Dem-FL)
• Kyrsten Sinema (New Dem-AZ)
• Raul Ruiz (CA)
• Pete Gallego (Blue Dog-TX)
• Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ)
• Sean Patrick Maloney (New Dem-NY)

Florida Republicans see Murphy as weak and their easiest target in the state. He's also one of the easiest targets in the whole country, primarily because no progressive can vote for him and even those who held their noses to get rid of Allen West, won't be backing Murphy again this year. (He can count on a couple million dollars from Steve Israel, who encourages his atrocious voting pattern. Israel falls asleep every night repeating his mantra: "burn the base.")

It's not clear which Republican will be running against him-- so many plausible candidates want to try-- but Murphy had some especially bad news this week, when former state Rep. Carl Domino announced he's running. Domino, who had a net worth north of $20 million, was the richest man in the Florida legislature when he was serving there. Murphy's district has a PVI that is R+3 and Romney beat Obama there 52-48%. And Domino is famous for winning in blue districts. His last victory, also in an off-year, was in a D+5 district. No wonder Murphy sent out over a dozen desperate, substanceless e-mails begging for money over the weekend! George Bennett at the Palm Beach Post explained the lay of the land pretty well on Monday:

After months of waters-testing, former Republican state Rep. Carl Domino of Jupiter said today he’s definitely running for the Palm Beach-Treasure Coast congressional seat held by freshman Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Jupiter.

Murphy is a top GOP target because he narrowly defeated Republican Rep. Allen West in 2012 and his district is one of only nine in the U.S. that chose a Democratic House member while voting for Mitt Romney last year.

Domino said he’ll file papers this week. He’ll join announced Republican candidates Ellen Andel (the vice mayor of Juno Beach) and Alan Schlesinger (a former GOP Senate nominee in Connecticut) in what could become a crowded GOP race.

Other Republicans who have shown interest in running include former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, St. Lucie County Commissioner Tod Mowery, state Rep. Gayle Harrell, former Tequesta councilman Calvin Turnquest and Martin County businessman Gary Uber.

Domino was elected four times to the state House, serving from 2002 to 2010. He also lost state House primaries in 2000 and 2012 and a bitter GOP Senate primary in 2010.

The National Republican Congressional Committee’s top recruiter has estimated that challenging Murphy will cost between $3 million and $5 million. Domino listed his net worth at $24.3 million in 2011 and poured more than $1.3 million of his own money into his four winning and three losing campaigns.

Something tells me Murphy's buddies on Wall Street and his pals at Big Oil aren't going to step up and save his ass. He'll be bothering the Democrats he's betrayed for money from now 'til election day.

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The Perfect District For The DCCC-- MI-06-- Has Been Taken Off The Table By Steve Israel

Fred Upton is one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the House. But he's considered safe by the Beltway Establishment, with another nice free reelection pass signed by his old crony from the Center Aisle Caucus, Steve Israel. The Center Aisle Caucus alumni don't try to defeat each other. Since Pelosi made the colossal mistake of appointing Israel chair of the DCCC, the corrupt, conservative Long Island Democrat has protected some of the most obvious seats needed for a Democratic takeover of Congress. Southwestern Michigan's 6th district is one of the most obvious.

In 2008 Obama smash McCain 53-45% in the district, easily Obama's best showing in any of the 9 Michigan GOP-held districts. Even a remotely competent DCCC chair-- or one that was being properly supervised-- would have targeted MI-06 in 2010 and 2012. In 2008, while Obama was stacking up a substantial lead in the district, the DCCC ignored Kalamazoo City Commissioner Don Cooney, the Democratic nominee. He spent $84,883 against Upton's $1,527,587 and Upton beat him 59-39%. Two years later, the DCCC was perfectly content to see him as the party's candidate again-- and ignore him again. In 2010 Upton spent even more money-- $2,083,790-- and Cooney only managed $61,614 and scored a dismal 34%.

Steve Israel took over as DCCC chair for the next cycle and he didn't do anything about recruiting but, fortuitously, ended up with an excellent candidate in Mike O'Brien. Upton was worried and more than doubled his spend-- $4,724,798-- but with no help whatsoever from the DCCC, O'Brien only managed to raise $293,987. He held Upton down to a 54-43% win and tied him in Kalamazoo County, the district's biggest county.

This is a district where the DCCC should be recruiting. Are they? I don't think so. Israel doesn't recruit against his fraternity brothers. There's a very qualified political science professor from Western Michigan University who is backed by local Democrats, Paul Clements who is running, but the DCCC is studiously ignoring his race, the same way they ignored O'Brien and Coons in the last three races. If Pelosi was paying attention, this district alone would have her kicking Israel's ass out of the DCCC chair. This is district has a PVI of R+1, a MUCH better bet than most of the districts Israel has decided to stake the 2014 congressional battle in. And voters there are sick of the way Upton, formerly a mainstream conservative, has been dragged further and further right by the racists and teabaggers who control the House Republican Caucus. His overall career-long ProgressivePunch score is a respectable-- for a Republican-- 12.38. But for 2013 it's a shocking 1.67... pure Tea Party territory. His constituents now see Upton as a political coward.

Paul Clements teaching about international development administration but when he spoke with me on the phone yesterday, he mostly talked about how there can be no democracy-- here or anywhere else-- without economic justice. BINGO! He also wanted to talk about green energy alternatives and how that could make life better for people in western Michigan-- a topic that puts him at odds with Upton, a dedicated shill for Big Oil and Gas. (Upton has accepted $517,250 in legalistic bribes from Big Oil and their payoffs have accelerated since Boehner named him chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. In his "heart" he may agree with Paul Clements about climate change-- but not in his voting record. Clements:

Climate change is the greatest threat to Michigan and to the world in the 21st century. We need to keep global warming under two degrees Celsius, but this takes a strong international agreement limiting greenhouse gas emissions in each country. Such an agreement can only be reached with American leadership.

Recently Michigan has seen failures of apple and cherry crops, Lake Michigan at historic lows, some of the hottest and driest summers in our history, and increased flooding from stronger storms and heavier rainfall. These and other influences from climate change are likely to get worse. With runaway climate change we could lose half our species of plants, trees, animals and birds. West Michigan could have a climate similar to West Texas by the end of the century, with summers seven degrees Fahrenheit hotter than today. But around the world it would be even more disastrous. Runaway climate change is likely to cause droughts and floods that drive millions from their homes, collapsing governments, and wars over water and other resources.

The technology exists to keep global warming below two degrees Celsius. Southwest Michigan must lead in manufacturing based on this technology. America must take the lead to negotiate an international agreement, address the harms from climate change, and develop the technologies for a clean energy future.

...In America and around the world we are “mining” natural resources such as water supplies, fisheries, and forests. We are withdrawing more each year than nature regenerates. Also, polluters and others who harm the environment usually do not pay the cost of their pollution.

We should move toward full cost accounting, taxing polluters for environmental harms. For example, coal-based power plants should be taxed for the health effects from their pollution, and nuclear energy and natural gas companies should be held liable for accidents and other harms they may cause.

Michigan is blessed with great lakes, forests, rivers and wildlife. It is our responsibility to sustain these blessings for future generations.

Please consider joining me in giving Paul a hand in his uphill-- but very winnable-- battle against Fred Upton.

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Lee Rogers Is Running For The House Seat Currently Occupied By Buck McKeon

After the closest call with political mortality of his life in 2012, Santa Clarita Republican Buck McKeon has told political allies that he won't run in 2014 if Lee Rogers challenges him again. Today he's getting the bad news: Rogers-- this time with the solid backing of the DCCC-- is running for the CA-25 seat. McKeon has promised the seat to Tony Strickland but Santa Clarita Mayor Bob Kellar, state Sen. Steve Knight, former Assemblyman Cameron Smythe, State Equalization Board chairman George Runner and Assemblyman Scott Wilk all agree that the seat isn't McKeon's to give away and that Tony Strickland, who ran against Julia Brownley last year, is a carpetbagger. This promises to be a very bloody primary-- at least on the Republican side.

Democrats in Santa Clarita, Simi Valley and the Antelope Valley have closed ranks behind Rogers, who has built a solid base of supporters, a network of donors and volunteers and a top notch campaign team to take on McKeon or whoever replaces him if he's too scared to face him again-- or too eager to go into the lobbying business his brother and nephew have already started for him.

Rogers, a nationally acclaimed surgeon and a recent national spokesman for the American Diabetes Association, has impressed district voters as a health care and patient advocate with the experience and know-how to reduce medical costs by making appropriate adjustments in the Affordable Care Act. Last year he was endorsed by Blue America and we're endorsing him again this year.

"I'm running for Congress, because I still believe that one person can make a difference. Nothing worthwhile comes easy. I could have done the easy thing and get back to my life being a doctor and treating patients who need me. But the district and the country also need me. Washington is constipated and it requires an enema. There is no progress. We demand improvements to the Affordable Care Act, passing universal criminal background checks for gun purchases, achieving comprehensive immigration reform by providing a reasonable path to citizenship for undocumented residents, getting out and staying out of wars in the Middle East, and preventing corporate money from influencing elections. I need your help to put progress back in Congress."

Rogers opposed the Sequestration which McKeon supported and which has held back economic growth. Rogers also opposes the Obama-Boehner scheme to cut Social Security benefits by messing with the cost-of-living adjustments, which McKeon supports. Here are a dozen important votes McKeon took since he was reelected that Rogers disagrees with (chronologically):

• H.R. 678- McKeon voted against requiring that when practicable, all materials used for conduit hydropower generation be manufactured in the United States
• H.R. 624- McKeon voted for CISPA, a Big Brother type domestic spying bill.
• McKeon also voted against a motion to make H.R. 624 less intrusive by prohibiting employers, prospective employers, or the Federal Government from requiring the disclosure of social networking or personal account passwords by an employee or job applicant without a court order.
•H.R. 1406- McKeon voted to penalize workers who receive overtime pay for overtime work.
•H.R. 807- McKeon voted to prioritize payments to China, Saudi Arabia and wealthy bondholders if the Republicans decide to stop funding the government.
• H.R.3- McKeon voted to approve building the Keystone XL Pipeline would will bring toxic tar sands into the U.S. from Canada so it can be trans-shipped to China
• H.R. 1911- McKeon voted to double the cost of student loan rates-- starting today!
• H.R. 1960- McKeon voted against giving the victim of sexual abuse in the military the power to choose whether to allow the Office of Chief Prosecutor to make the binding decision on whether a case goes to trial, or to allow the commander to proceed with the case.
• H.R. 1797 McKeon voted to make it illegal for a woman and her physician to go through with an abortion after 20 weeks.
• H.R. 1947- McKeon voted over and over to cut the food stamps program.
• H.R. 1613- Mckeon voted against allowing California to decide on its own whether or not to allow offshore drilling for oil.

• And, of course, McKeon and Rogers have a basic disagreement over the Affordable Care Act. Rogers sees a flawed bill that needs to be fixed and made better. McKeon voted 37 times to just repeal it, even though it is already saving Californians hundreds of millions of dollars in health care costs.

"We can't let crazy extremist social policies, like limiting a woman's right to make healthcare choices with her doctor, rule the day," Rogers told me yesterday. "If you want someone to go to Washington and stick up for our values, to fight for individual freedoms, and to prioritize challenges faced by our country, I'm your guy!" We know that... please consider being a first-day-supporter, right here.

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FEC Quarter Ends Today; Should You Care?

Today's the end of the FEC fundraising quarter and I want to refer you to a post yesterday you may have missed about real bipartisanship, bipartisanship based on compromising that genuinely works for both sides, not compromise based on a combination of opportunism, bribery and one side betraying core values.

Some Members of Congress-- virtually all the Republicans, all the New Dems and every single Blue Dog for example-- finance their political careers by taking legalistic bribes from special interests like Wall Street banks, armaments makers and/or Big Oil. Blue America has been encouraging a new model, one based on congressmen and senators who represent actual citizens and citizens who in turn chip in to help with those Members' campaigns. Our primary avatars for this model has always been Alan Grayson in the House and Bernie Sanders in the Senate.

Like I said, this weekend is another quarterly FEC deadline. You probably got dozens of e-mails from all kinds of phony-baloney Democrats begging for help, primarily ones like Patrick Murphy, Sean Patrick Maloney and Ann Kuster who have worked for the bad guys all year and have only earned your scorn. Instead we'd like to ask you to consider making a contribution to Alan Grayson's campaign. He continues to super-serve ordinary working families, not big, wealthy corporations and their lobbyists.

This week he offered an amendment to an offshore drilling bill that would have guaranteed each state the right to make the ultimate decision about drilling. He put together a coalition of environmentally concerned Democrats and states rights-oriented Republicans, including some of the most right-wing Members of Congress. Big Oil panicked and put pressure of the GOP House leadership to get some of the Republicans to change their votes. Some did-- but not enough. But Big Oil had an ace in the hole: Blue Dog John Barrow (GA), the House Democrat they gave the most money to last year. He and fellow Blue Dog Jim Matheson (UT) were the only Democrats to vote against Grayson's amendment Friday. The amendment lost by one vote... by one vote in a House where Republicans have a 33 vote margin. No Democrat has been able to do anything like that... except Alan Grayson.

Big Oil, Big Finance, the Military Industrial Establishment have every Republican and a good solid chunk of Democrats. We have Alan Grayson. Let's make sure we keep him in Congress. The other names on that page have been vetted with Grayson in mind. We want to find him a team who will be there fighting for the same values and principles, instead of more like John Barrow and Jim Matheson.

UPDATE From Congressman Grayson

To whom does Haliburton give money?

Not me.

Here's how Congress works for most of the Members: they sit in their offices, they cross the street to the Floor of the House to vote every once in a while, and, while in their offices, corporate lobbyist after corporate lobbyist comes to kiss their rings. They kiss that ring with their lips, and, with their hands, they hand over the language that they want inserted into a bill that will help their cause.

Then, after the Members of Congress do the bidding of their corporate masters, they walk across the street to the party HQ, pick up the phone, and ask those same corporations to raise tens of thousands of dollars for their campaigns.

These corporations aren't bankrolling my campaign, because I don't do their bidding. I rely on you. If you want me to keep fighting and keep legislating in the public interest, I need your support before the important June 30th deadline.

Even $5 and $10 contributions, if enough people make them, can determine a race. You can help Alan here.

We ran this amazing video of Grayson already but I want to run it again... it's that good:

And here's another clip that should blow minds-- especially inside the DC Democratic Establishment. "We need more Democrats who are Democrats... As Howard Dean said years and years ago, 'You can't beat a Republican by being a Republican.' Nobody's fooled by that. If the public has a choice between a real Republican and a fake Republican running as a Democrat, they'll choose the real Republican every time. So it's actually self-defeating." He just devastated Steve Israel's entire DCCC strategy:

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Does Steve Israel Understand How To Make GOP Racism Work Against Them-- Or Is That Not Reptilian Enough For Him?

Like we saw Thursday, now that the Senate has passed comprehensive immigration reform, what's next? The Senate Democrats have already given away every conceivable bargaining chip available before the bill becomes worthless and insupportable. Nothing will ever change the minds of the racists in control in the House. There are two camps of Republicans in the House on this issue-- the majority camp of racists and bigots and then a more mainstream camp that knows it should be done for various reasons but is afraid of the racists and bigots. Until Boehner has a majority of Republicans willing to break away from the racists and bigots, there will be no signing ceremony in the White House. So where do we go from here? Fawn Johnson sketched out a few ideas Friday for Roll Call.

Some proponents have floated the idea that the House could pass an immigration package that includes provisions unpalatable to President Obama and Democrats and excludes pieces they consider essential, such as a path to citizenship. They would settle for this outcome for the sole purpose of the House passing something-- anything-- that would get them to a conference committee with the Senate. In theory, the deal-breaker provisions could be erased in the conference negotiations.

That strategy isn't flying with Democrats. Here's just one example: House Republicans say that allowing local law enforcement to apprehend and detain unauthorized immigrants is critical to enhancing border security. Democrats reject that idea without blinking. "No," said Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., a lead sponsor of the Senate bill, when asked if Democrats could accept that provision as part of a comprehensive package. "Look, I have opposed that forever, because even the toughest law enforcement will tell you that you undermine the confidence of communities to talk to local police."

Democrats have other demands. Anything short of eventual, full citizenship for undocumented immigrants would trigger protest marches from liberal activists. And House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has made it clear that immigration negotiators are not to touch Obama's health care law, which means Republicans who want to ban health care subsidies for green-card holders are out of luck.

The situation becomes a stalemate: Deal-killer provisions for Democrats are essential components for Republicans.

There may be another way to get to Point B, but it is based on the questionable proposition that the House GOP would work its will at first and then be willing to compromise later. The House Judiciary Committee has readied a series of smaller immigration bills-- on local law enforcement, agricultural workers, electronic verification, and high-skilled visas-- that could see floor votes in July. Assuming they pass, Republicans say they could package them as an opening bid for conference negotiations with the Senate.

Thus far, however, the list of House bills doesn't include anything that legalizes the undocumented population, ignoring the top demand from both Democrats and Obama. What's more, the bills have not passed the committee with Democratic votes. It's hard to convince bipartisan reformers that they should back a strategy in which House GOP leaders have to rely solely on Republican votes. The farm bill's downfall last week erased what little faith they might have had in such a plan.

So what's next? Members "have to get beat up a little bit at home" before a vote on a major immigration bill is even possible, said one GOP aide close to House leaders. So far, that's not happening. "My constituents all like what we're doing," said Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., who chairs the Judiciary Committee's Immigration Subcommittee. "They like the fact that you're giving scrutiny to each component, as opposed to saying, 'We hope that you like this enough to overlook the fact that you don't like this at all.'"

The Senate's comprehensive immigration bill is exactly the kind of grand compromise that rank-and-file House Republicans are assiduously avoiding. They see Republican senators giving away a path to citizenship, desperately sought by Democrats, in exchange for promises of tougher enforcement-- a bad deal, in their eyes. "Oh, they hate it, my constituents," said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah.

It's hard for reform advocates to fathom that the GOP rejects what they see as an obvious truth-- either immigration reform passes or Hispanics ditch the Republican Party forever. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid calls House Republican opponents "the crazies."  Congressional aides supportive of reform efforts shake their heads in disbelief, urging reporters to ask Republicans what they propose to do about 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a supporter of a path to citizenship, says opponents of immigration reform hurt the GOP's image with Hispanics. "It's hard to sell your economic agenda if they think you're going to deport [their] grandmother," he said.

But such arguments don't seem to have much traction in the House. To wit, ultraconservative hard-liner Steve King, R-Iowa, is feeling pretty good. "I was a lonely guy two months ago," the congressman said of his protests against bipartisan groups in the House and the Senate crafting big immigration bills. "Lots of people said, 'You can't stop that... Now I'm juiced. I'm going to go try out for the Redskins."

The ultimate arbiter is liable to be voters at the ballot box. Nate Silver put together a list of the Republican congressmembers with the largest Hispanic populations. This chart is just the Members with 25% or more. No one wants to lose a quarter of the voters even before the campaign begins, right? Well, no one sane does. But who would argue that these far right Republicans from Texas and California-- and that's 22 of the 26 districts!

Mitt Romney’s dismal performance with Hispanic voters in November gave Republican legislators “a new appreciation” for change, as Senator John McCain, a Republican from Arizona who is one of the eight senators in the bipartisan group, has said.

That may be true for many politicians seeking to win national and statewide elections in places where the Hispanic share of the electorate has increased significantly. But the main hurdle is expected to be in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where a different set of political incentives apply.

Most Republicans in the House come not only from very conservative districts but also from overwhelmingly white districts.

In the 232 Congressional districts represented by Republicans, the average Hispanic share of each district is 11 percent (the 200 Congressional districts held by Democrats are, on average, 23 percent Hispanic). Just 40 of the 232 Republicans in the House come from districts that are more than 20 percent Hispanic, and just 16 from districts that are at least one-third Hispanic. At the other end of the spectrum, 142 districts represented by Republicans are less than 10 percent Hispanic.

In all, 84 percent of House Republicans represent districts that are 20 percent or less Hispanic.

...[T]here is no guarantee that Republicans with a greater share of Hispanic constituents will necessarily favor reform. But three of the four Republicans in the House already negotiating an immigration bill with Democrats-- Representatives John Carter and Sam Johnson, both of Texas, and Mario Diaz-Balart, of Florida-- come from districts that are more Hispanic than the average Republican-held Congressional district.

The fourth Republican negotiator in the House, Raúl R. Labrador, represents Idaho’s First Congressional District, which-- at 10 percent Hispanic-- is just below the average for Republicans. Mr. Diaz-Balart represents Florida’s 25th Congressional District, which is 70 percent Hispanic. Mr. Carter represents Texas’s 31st District, which is roughly a quarter Hispanic. And Mr. Johnson represents Texas’s Third District, which is 15 percent Hispanic.

Of the 26 districts in the chart above, the DCCC is only targeting 6, even though some are Blue districts. The only Republicans worried about electoral defeat are

• David Valadao (R-CA)
• Stevan Pearce (R-NM)
• Blake Farenthold (R-TX)
• Gary Miller (R-CA)
• Jeff Denham (R-CA)
• Buck McKeon (R-CA)

Ileana's seat would be in the bag if Debbie wasn't protecting her

All these other seats... 100% ignored by the DCCC. Some of them have free reelection passes from Israel and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, like Ileana Ros Lehtinen. Others are just out of reach because of DCCC incompetence. In 2008 Obama beat McCain in Darrell Issa's district. Regardless of how badly Issa has been behaving, Steve Israel refuses to get serious about recruiting a candidate to run against him in a district with a 26% Hispanic population. Ed Royce may be quieter, but he's as much a villain as Issa-- and has a district that's over a third Hispanic and with lots and lots of Asian-Americans too, who Royce has given plenty of reasons to want a new congressman. Last year the Democrats had a sterling candidate running, Jay Chen, and the DCCC studiously ignored him. Royce-- who spent $4,515,190 to Chen's $714,594-- beat him 59-41%. The DCCC spent exactly-- to the penny-- zero. The Democrats will never-- and I mean NEVER-- win back Congress as long as Steve Israel is chairman of the DCCC. It's as though he were working for the Republicans. Reappointing him after his disastrous performance in 2012 was Nancy Pelosi's biggest career-long mistake. Sí, se puede!

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Will Glenn Greenwald Run For Congress Against Peter King?

Terrorist supporter Peter King and civil libertarian Glenn Greenwald

Long Island as a geographical entity includes all of 4 counties: from east to west, Suffolk, Nassau, Queens and Kings (Brooklyn). Long Island as a state of mind is Nassau and Suffolk. When someone in NYC says they're going to "the Island," no one thinks they mean Brooklyn or Queens. There are 3 Long Island congressional districts, NY-01, NY-02 and NY-03 (although NY-03, represented by Steve Israel has a significant slice of Queens in it now). Although NY-01 and NY-03 are represented by Democrats, Obama did best last year in NY-02, the "Republican district" represented by Peter King. Here's how Obama performed in the 3 districts last November:

• NY-01- Obama- 49.6- 49.1%
• NY-02- Obama- 51.6- 47.2%
• NY-03- Obama- 50.8- 48.2%

[Update: I left out the new 4th CD, represented by Democrat Carolyn McCarthy, which now takes many of the Democratic-leaning South Shore Nassau County towns formerly represented by King. Her new district went for Obama with 56.3%, easily the most Democratic of the 4 (not 3) Long Island districts.]

Point: NY-02 is hardly a district the DCCC should be leaving uncontested as a red stronghold. But they do, especially under Steve Israel, a longtime crony of Peter King's. The district's PVI is R+1. Democrats represent 15 districts that are R+1 or worse. They are winnable seats, as Democrats like Carol Shea-Porter (NH), Raul Ruiz (CA) and Joe Garcia (FL) showed last year when they beat Republican incumbents in R+1 districts. The trick to it, though, is that the Democrats need a viable candidate and need to wage a real campaign. This is not something Peter King has had to face. When King first ran in 1992, it was an empty Democratic seat that Congressman Bob Mrazek had left so he could run for the Senate). King won 49.56 to 46.46%. But he never had a serious challenge after that. Blue America backed Dave Mejias in 2006 and he came close with 44% but the DCCC stabbed him in the back, Mejas spending only $908,135 to King's $2,075,502. And its been worse since then with the DCCC discouraging anyone from running and undercutting those who tried. Last cycle Vivianne Falcone took 41% of the vote after spending $11,115 (against King's $1,201,207), Needless to say, the DCCC spent exactly zero trying to help her, wasting millions of dollars are far redder districts where their conservative candidates had no chance at all.

King, probably best known for supporting violent foreign terrorists in Ireland, for his intense bigotry against Muslim-Americans and for picking fights with Michael Jackson, is back in the news this week.

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) made waves yesterday on a Fox News interview in which he called for “legal action” to be taken against Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald. The congressman’s comments were delivered in his usual stentorian style, with absolute certainty and conviction, even though they appear to lack any factual basis.

Abridging the whole situation, however, involves something of a brain-twister, but we’ll give it a try anyhow: Legal action should be taken against Greenwald, says King, not only because of the NSA intelligence leaks that he has already published but also because of information he has threatened to publish-- specifically the names of CIA agents. Even though he hasn’t threatened to publish any such thing.

Here’s how King articulated the matter to Fox News host Megyn Kelly:

Not only did he disclose this information, he has said that he has the names of CIA agents and assets around the world, and they’re threatening to disclose that. The last time that was done in this country, you saw a CIA station chief murdered in Greece. No right is absolute. And even the press has certain restrictions. I think it should be very targeted, very selective and certainly a very rare exception. But in this case, when you have someone who has disclosed secrets like this and threatens to release more, then to me, yes, there has to be-- legal action should be taken against him. This is a very unusual case with life-and-death implications for Americans.

That stuff about the CIA-- not true, wrote Greenwald on Twitter:

...Wherever he’s fetching his information, King’s comments reflect one of three disturbing possibilities:

1) He knows something about Greenwald that none of us does;

2) He’s spouting off to a large Fox News audience on topics with which he has little familiarity;

3) He’s willfully misquoting and misconstruing the many public comments made by both Greenwald and Snowden on this case.

...Peter King would make a poor journalist. May he never, ever complain about being quoted out of context.

His words yesterday don’t speak to his acumen as a public servant, either. As argued previously in this space, the recent explosion of leak news has highlighted the centrality of governmental self-restraint in preserving freedoms.

Blue America is trying to recruit Greenwald to run against King. A prominent constitutional lawyer and author, Glenn was born on Long Island and got his law degree from NYU. Although he'd love to see Peter King retired, he doesn't want to serve in Congress. I can't blame him-- but I'm still trying to persuade him... and I'm willing to pledge a maximum legal contribution personally and endeavor to raise as much money for his campaign as we have done for Alan Grayson and Donna Edwards, each over $100,000 from Blue America donors.

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Can "Ex"-Blue Dog Steve Israel Be Beaten... Preferably In A Primary?

When making an excuse for reappointing Israel chairman of the DCCC, despite his dismal failure in 2012, the nicest thing Nancy Pelosi could muster to say about his abilities was that he's "reptilian." Although he claims he performed so horrifically in 2012 because his wife was divorcing him, he doesn't seem to have learned a thing and is leading the Democrats to doom again-- forcing vulnerable freshmen far to the right of their Democratic bases which is likely to lead to the Great New Dem Apocalypse of 2014 for almost identical reasons the DCCC brought on the Great Blue Dog Apocalypse of 2010.

Though I was born in Brooklyn, a good part of my childhood-- as well as all of my college years-- was spent on Long Island. I know Steve Israel's district better than the back of my hand. And don't be surprised if voters there oust him. All it would take is a plausible opponent-- either in a primary or in a general election. And while I'd rather see a progressive Democrat take him down, I'd be almost as happy to see a Republican beat him if the Democrats can't get it together to clean up their own mess.

Obama won all three Long Island districts, though not by much-- and underperformed his 2008 totals in all 3. He did better in Peter King's NY-02 than in Israel's NY-03.

• NY-01- Obama- 49.6- 49.1%
• NY-02- Obama- 51.6- 47.2%
• NY-03- Obama- 50.8- 48.2%

While Patty Murray was leading the DSCC from one jaw-dropping victory to another in state after state, cleaning up against the Republicans last November, Israel was losing, losing and losing-- losing everywhere as all his ill-conceived strategies-- starting with pathetic recruitment and even worse targeting--- failed dismally (albeit predictably). And while this was going down, he was occupied fighting with his wife over the spoils of personal corruption... and working with his donors at JPMorgan Chase on a short sale of his Dix Hills home that included a convenient $93,000 bribe from one of the worst bankster outfits on Wall Street.

The original mortgage lenders to Congressman Steve Israel made over $50,000 in campaign contributions to Steve Israel for Congress and more to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee he chairs.

Of two original loans to the Congressman and his ex-wife for the Dix Hills home they recently sold in a short sale, one was from Homebridge Mortgage Bankers Corp. The company went bankrupt in 2008 and is currently the subject of numerous lawsuits. Two of the loans they got to refinance the home a year later were both from Homebridge.

Records show Homebridge Chairman and President, Nicholas A. Bratsafolis and his wife Michelle, gave $21,000 to the Steve Israel for Congress Committee and his New York Jobs PAC between 2003 and 2007.

Another listed President of Homebridge Mortgage, David Pankin, from Plainview, contributed $3,500 to the Steve Israel for Congress Committee between 2003 and 2005.

Together, Bratsafolis and Pankin also contributed more than $35,000 dollars to the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, chaired by Israel.

According to Stephen Labate, Congressman Israel’s GOP challenger in the November election for the newly drawn 3rd Congressional District, “The donations tied to the loans raise serious questions of insider sweetheart deals.”

In July of 2004, Congressman Israel and his wife, Suffolk County Family Court Judge, Marlene Budd, purchased the Dix Hills home with two mortgages: one from Homebridge for $464,000 dollars and another from National City Bank for $57,950 dollars. Congressman Israel paid a down payment of $58,050 dollars or roughly 10% on the original purchase.

In August of 2005, Congressman Israel and his wife, refinanced with Homebridge, getting two loans from them, one for $508,000 and one for $63,500 dollars totaling $571,500 for the house they bought for $580,000 dollars in 2004. They satisfied the original loans when they refinanced.

“It is more than curious that just a year after purchasing the home, the congressman refinanced the home at 98.5% of the original purchase price from a mortgage lender whose principle owners just happen to be major donors to the congressman and his party.” according to Chris Thompson, Mr. Labate’s campaign manager. The Israel camp did not respond when asked how much, if any, down payment was part of the refinance deal in 2005.

In October of 2006, Congressman Israel and his wife got another mortgage on the same property for $105,000 dollars from JP Morgan Chase. That brought the total in 2006 to $675,500 dollars for the three mortgages on the Long Island home. In 2006, they also purchased an apartment in Washington, D.C. for approximately $416,000 dollars.

The house in Dix Hills sold recently for $460,000 dollars. In early October, the New York Post ran a story revealing JP Morgan Chase forgave $93,000 dollars on Israel’s “underwater mortgage.” The Israel campaign does not deny the amount and the fact of the JP Morgan Chase loan forgiveness.

Congressman Israel voted in 2008 to bailout JP Morgan Chase with $25 billion, through the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).  JP Morgan paid back the loan with interest.  GOP strategists argue they may have paid back Congressman Israel by forgiving the $93,000 debt he still owed on his “underwater loan” to them.  The Israel camp denies any special treatment and insists that all transactions were above board and by the book.

Ed Cox, the New York State GOP Chairman, released a statement after the New York Post  article responding to the loan forgiveness.  

“On the surface it would appear that he would not qualify for such a reduction, so we asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate the circumstances that surround what looks to be a highly questionable transaction and a potential abuse of power.”

...“Short sale listings on Long Island per MLS (for the period 1/1/12-10/10/12) were 3,348 out of 30,526 total listings. That calculates to 10.9% not the 14.5% offered by the Israel campaign,” according to Mr. Thompson [campaign manager for his 2012 Republican opponent]. “Looking only at homes over $450,000 the number falls to less than 1% and Mr. Israel’s home was 1 of only 246 homes in that price range” he added.

Congressman Israel will not have to pay taxes on the cancellation of debt, because the Mortgage Debt Relief Act, (HR 3648,110th Congress), was extended through 2012 by the Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, Steve Israel voted for.

Before the Mortgage Debt Relief Act, anytime a lender, would write down (or forgive) the borrower’s debt to accommodate a settlement, they were required to report the amount of the write-down to the IRS and it could be considered income to the borrower. Treated as income the written-down amount becomes taxable and would need to be reported on the 1040 tax return. Normally, if a person gets debt forgiveness on an unsecured debt like a credit card, he must pay taxes on it. A temporary measure, The Mortgage Debt Relief Act was to expire, but thanks to the extension of the act through 2012, something Congressman Israel voted for, he will not have to pay taxes on the $93,000 JP Morgan Chase forgave.

Family Court Judge Marlene Budd and Congressman Israel have a combined income of over $300,000. Records show they purchased a 2nd home in Washington D.C. in February 2006.  Two mortgages were taken out on the D.C. apartment from Wachovia Bank: one for $56,667 and another for $302,228 for a total of $358,895. This apartment is not currently listed for sale as reported in Newday recently.

The total mortgage debt on their two homes in October of 2006 was about one million dollars.  Without including any credit card debt they might have had, their debt equity would be greater than the norms allowed for a conventional mortgage at their pay grade, according to the Labate campaign.

Democratic New York State Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, has a televised campaign ad touting the new “Stock Act” she recently passed-- banning insider trading in the stock market by members of Congress based on information they get as members of influential committees. “Members of Congress should play by the exact same rules as families like yours.”

Some Republican’s are questioning whether Mr. Israel who has represented the 2nd Congressional District since 2001 and is now running for the 3rd CD, is playing by the same rules as his own constituents when it comes to his mortgage.

According to Stephen Labate,  “Since the story of the Congressman’s short sale broke, voters all across our district have been expressing their outrage, both to me and to our campaign volunteers.  Many have relayed their personal stories of financial duress and being turned away by their mortgage lenders when they sought relief. Voters are tired of the insider deals our elected officials cut for themselves and I believe they will voice their discontent at the polls on Election Day.”

Election Day came and went and Labate wasn't deemed a plausible candidate by the voters. Israel has portions of three counties. He won them all, although underperformed in the parts of the district, Nassau and Suffolk, where they knew him best.

• Nassau- 62,180 (56%)
• Suffolk- 51,903 (57%)
• Queens- 22,604 (65%)

The new 3rd District includes the Queens neighborhoods of Whitestone, Beechhurst, Little Neck, Douglaston, Fort Totten, Bay Terrace and (a portion of Bayside). On Long Island, Israel's new district lost the towns of Babylon and Islip from his old district. He retains the Town of Huntington and a small western portion of the Town of Smithtown from the previous district. In Nassau County, the district now includes Oyster Bay, Great Neck, Manhasset, Port Washington, Roslyn, Williston Park, Floral Park and New Hyde Park.

Previously a D+8 district, Israel's is now one of only 9 in the whole country rated exactly EVEN, not an R+1 like Peter King's to the south and not a D+1 like Frank LoBiondo's in New Jersey. So Israel had to actually campaign for himself last year. His first instinct, of course, was to throw President Obama under the bus.

“I’ve had disagreements with President (Barack) Obama over certain things,” Israel said. “I have agreements with him on other things, but on the disagreements I’m able to talk to him face to face because I’m in leadership and say ‘we need to do better on this.’”

A source of debate with Obama has been the “Bush tax cuts.”

Obama wants to eliminate the cuts for people earning more than $250,000 each year. Israel said he believes the cut off should be higher in areas of the country that are more expensive to live in.

“Well, $250,000 may make you rich in Hastings, Nebraska, but it does not make you rich in Huntington, Long Island,” Israel said. “I’ve had an argument with (Obama) that we ought to adjust the tax code to reflect the local cost of living.”

Although many Long Island residents are annually among the nation’s highest earners, Israel said the elevated cost of utility bills, property taxes and a high cost of living can make for difficult financial situations for residents of his district.

“Being chairman of the DCCC... puts me in the Oval Office where I can say to the president ‘Rich is relative, Mr. President and I wish you would understand that,’” Israel said.

He won but this cycle the NRCC has said they will target him and spend money trying to defeat him if they can recruit a credible candidate. I wish them all the luck in the world.

How could anyone vote for Steve Israel? He represents the wealthy people of his district-- and only the wealthy people of his disrict. Meet his constituents:

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