Eloise Reyes

Yesterday the Senate postponed voting on extending unemployment insurance for the 1.3 million Americans whose benefits expired last week and for even more people whose benefits will expire between now and July. Reid sensed he could get 5 Republicans to cross the aisle and back the American people, instead of their own party's determination to make Obama fail by making America fail. It worked.

Conservatives always ignore history and always want to reargue their issues. Today we're hearing the same tired, discredited arguments for why the rich should be the focus of government largesse and why helping the poor is a waste of money.

Take a look at those poll results above that PPP found when they surveyed CA-31 (the Inland Empire). The very extreme right Republican incumbent, multimillionaire Gary Miller, has one of the most dismal job approval ratings of any incumbent in any district in America-- 27%. If the election were held today-- with no campaigning at all-- he would lose to any Democrat 48-39%.

If you're a Blue America member, you already saw the letter we sent out from Eloise Reyes, the progressive running to win the bluest seat in America held by a Republican, CA-31, the Inland Empire (San Bernardino, Uplands, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Loma Linda, Colton). A typical DCCC misstep-- backing an empty suit who is too conservative for the district, Pete Aguilar-- cost the Democrats this D+5 district in 2012. Aguilar was beaten by two Republicans and because of him there was no Democrat on the general election ballot when Obama beat Romney 57-41%.

The Republican civil war is pretty front and center and getting quite a lot of media attention. There is also something of a Democratic civil war brewing, a more ideological/less careerist based one. You may have seen sparks of it last week when the Wall Street owned ConservaDem group, Third Way, went on the attack against Elizabeth Warren and the progressive populism she espouses. Third Way, the Blue Dogs and the New Dems are the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.

I asked one of the sharpest minds I know on Capitol Hill if there's a single issue facing Congress right now-- just one-- that separates conservatives from progressives. He didn't miss a beat: the Social Security Enhancement and Protection Act and the Strengthening Social Security. Act. Yesterday we had a guest post from the progressive candidate for the Maine Senate seat, Shenna Bellows, on the topic.

Last night I was at a fundraiser for Eloise Reyes thrown by the Mexican American Bar Association PAC. It was wonderful watching the candidate speak from her heart to a roomful of successful attorneys about preserving Social Security by raising the cap and preventing any president-- be it a Republican or a Democrat-- from imposing Chained CPI.

Yesterday I went to see my doctor, Dr. Vicky. She is the bomb! And she wrote me a prescription for 4 weeks of Doryx (200 mg). The pharmacy said the cost is $786.00/week. With Medicare insurance the price is $25/week. That's why seniors-- at least the ones who are awake-- react so badly to reactionaries like Paul Ryan and Ted Cruz who want to "ease out" Medicare and undermine Obamacare.Also yesterday, when I got back from Dr. Vicky's office, I spoke with Matt Moore, one of the Democrats intent on taking on Don Young for Alaska's single, giant at-large House seat.

In 2012 Steve Israel's empty suit candidate lost to TWO Republicans in a D+5 district!Redlands’s unelected Mayor, City Councilman Pete Aguilar, has never actually ever done anything well.

Buck'n'Schmuck- California anti-Latino RepublicansCA-25 is divided into three valleys: Simi Valley in the west, the Santa Clarita Valley in the center, and the Antelope Valley in the east. Last year, Buck McKeon lost the Antelope Valley third of his district (Lancaster, Palmdale, Pearblossom). Latino voter participation has exploded in CA-25, but especially in the Antelope Valley.