2018 congressional races

Mike Crapo's Senate bill to roll back a huge chunk of Dodd Frank passed the House Tuesday, 258-159. Only one Republican voted against it.

Read any of that stuff about how most Democratic candidates don't want the Clintons campaigning for them?

Remember this photo of Roger Stone and I? I was backstage at Politicon, where Randy was giving a keynote address at the Latino Victory Project. Afterwards we ditched Stone and went for dinner. The waiter recognized him and treated him like a celebrity. Randy didn't have a credit card. He doesn't have a credit card.

Not second worst or third worstThe worst Democrat in Congress, chair of the Blue Dogs, is Kyrsten Sinema. Kyrsten is a woman. Of the 78 Democrats rated "F" by ProgressivePunch 15 are women. Any list of the worst Democrats in the House would have to include, Kyrsten Sinema, of course, as well as Stephanie Murphy (Blue Dog-FL), Cheri Bustos (Blue Dog-IL), Jacky Rosen (NV), and Kathleen Rice (New Dem-NY).

Last Tuesday, one of the biggest victories for progressives was Kara Eastman's win in the Nebraska Democratic primary. She beat Blue Dog and DCCC endorsee Brad Ashford 20,239 (51.43%) to 19,113 (48.57%).

Rick doesn't have the most money, but he has the best issue for TuesdayThe media tended to cover Kara Eastman's startling-- at least to them-- win of DCCC/Blue Dog Ben Ashbrook in Omaha last week as a win for Medicare-for-All versus a status quo approach. And there is no doubt that that was a part of the equation that, despite the DCCC, catapulted Kara into the Democratic Party nomination. But it wasn't just their two respective approaches to health care.

No one will need that graphic againIt wasn't that long ago that Pennsylvania was a Republican state. In my lifetime presidential elections went to Republicans in the Keystone State 8 times and to Democrats 10 times. In 1980, 1984 and 1988 Pennsylvania voters went for Reagan over Carter (49.6% to 42.8%), for Reagan over Mondale (53.3% to 46.0%) and for George W. Bush over Michael Dukakis (50.7% to 48.4%).

Yesterday, in the Washington Post, Michael Gerson, described a societal problem of Trumpism in terms of social psychology. It reminded me of George Orwell's post-World War II writing. And Huxley's Brave New World pre-World World War II masterpiece. And Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? (1968). There were other authors who tackled the dystopian problems that Trump is thrusting on us today, Margaret Atwood (Handmaid’s Tale), Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451), Anthony Burgess (A Clockwork Orange), Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games), Stephen King (The Running Man).

A friend of mine used to be in business with one of Trump's lawyers. He told my friend and my friend told me a funny story. Lawyers hate working for Trump and not only because he doesn't pay his bill. This particular lawyer told him that among lawyers who have worked for Trump this is fairly common. He and Trump would be their way to court.

Ashford lost the debate badly-- so the DCCC told him to stop debatingExcept for the inappropriate use of the word "moderates" to characterize reactionaries, I loved Wedneday's wrap up in the Washington Post by James Hohman of Tuesday's primary elections. Oh yeah and the word "far left" to describe actual moderates. But that's why the Beltway media does.