Tom SteyerYesterday, Greg Sargent reported on how climate change and the debate over the long-term fate of the planet might end up exerting a bit of influence over the political agenda in this election cycle.
Joe Baca was one of the worst members of Congress when he was in Congress-- a corrupt, conservative Blue Dog and NRA shill. Although he voted with the Republicans against core progressive values and principles virtually all the time, there is such an utter lack of party discipline that he was able to cross the aisle with complete impunity.
Tim Canova, the intrepid Democrat challenging entrenched incumbent Debbie Wasserman Schultz in a deep blue district in South Florida, wrote that "primary challenges like mine are often the only effective way to force accountability on entrenched incumbents. Here at home, for instance, Florida’s 23rd Congressional District is seen as a safe Democratic seat.
Kurt Schrader leads the Republican wing of the Democratic Party in the House, the much-depleted and defanged Blue Dogs. His constituents have long wanted to replace him with a real Democrat and Dave McTeague's late February decision to run has been widely hailed. The 5th district is considered a "swing district," although Obama won it against McCain 53-44% and against Romney 50-47%.
Every incumbent and candidate running for Congress pays lip service to jobs, jobs, jobs. But many of them support trade policies that send jobs, jobs, jobs to low-wage, anti-labor union hell holes abroad. Last June, fast track authority for the TPP narrowly passed in Congress, 218-209. 190 Republicans and 28 Democrats voted for it.
A national poll from Quinnipiac in July came up with some startling results: 92% of respondents favor background checks for all gun purchases, and that includes 86% of Republicans. 90% of Republicans and 91% of Democrats also support Congress passing laws preventing people with mental illness from purchasing guns. I'm not even sure why I referred to those results as "startling." Two decades ago, on May 3, 1995, then-President George H.W.
Schrader/BoehnerBecause most of the more senior Blue Dogs in Congress have been defeated and their caucus utterly decimated in recent electoral cycles, relatively inexperienced Oregon conservative Kurt Schrader has become the chairman of this motley branch of the Republican Wing of the Democratic Party.
Boehner consults SchraderReactionary Democrat Kurt Shrader (OR), took over as chairman of the Blue Dogs after John Barrow was defeated in his reelection bid, trounced 90,987 (54.8) to 75,123 (45.2), which was marked by Democratic voters just not bothering to come out to vote for the ultra-right-wing Barrow.
More Democrats who act like Republicans? No way!I was at a political fundraiser for Alan Grayson on Friday evening. Among the speakers besides Grayson were NYC Congressmembers Charlie Rangel, Carolyn Maloney, Eliot Engel and Yvette Clarke as well as progressive candidates Rob Zerban (D-WI) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ).
