Senate 2016

Alan Grayson, currently on a fact-finding mission to Israel, didn't seem all that fazed by the DSCC decision to interfere in the Florida Democratic primary by endorsing lifelong Republican Patrick Murphy for the open U.S. Senate seat. "Florida Democratic voters," he told us soon after DSCC chair Jon Tester's sad sack announcement, "choose our party nominee, not out-of-touch party bosses sipping cognac in a smoke-filled room in Washington, DC." And the Florida Democratic Progressive Caucus was just as dismissive of Tester and Schumer. The Caucus' president, Susan Smith:

Yesterday, writing for Roll Call, Nathan Gonzales asserted that Jon Tester, the new chairman of the DSCC, is pursing the very same toxic strategy this year that would have kept him out of the Senate in 2006.

The NRSC has been lying about Patrick Murphy, insinuating his rich Republican father and daddy's shady collection of cronies and friends are the only source of funds for Patrick's campaign for the open Rubio Senate seat.

Obama and congressional Republicans barely ever find any common ground. But last week they sure did when it came to making a deal for Trans-Pacific Partnership Fast Track authority. Just the way Bill Clinton delivered NAFTA for Wall Street, Obama is determined to give them the TPP. Progressives are dismayed.

Late in 1997, Enya, one of the most enigmatic-- and successful-- artists on the record label I ran, delivered a new album, Paint The Sky With Stars, a greatest hits compilation with two previously unreleased songs. It was a Christmas smash that year, with over 12 million album sales worldwide, 4 million in the U.S. alone. Enya isn't exactly a household name-- but she's sold far more albums than many artists who "seem" to be better known-- 75 million worldwide and close to 27 million in the U.S. Four of her albums won Grammy awards and one of her songs was nominated for an Oscar.

It always amazed me that there were so many elderly white men in the top jobs in the music business. I recall being in meetings where a significant number of seniors would be dozing. They were very rich and I often wondered why they were clinging to their positions, jobs they could no longer functionally accomplish. Eventually I realized it was because those positions were how they identified themselves.

Wall Street has picked its candidate for Maryland's open Senate seat: Establishment lackey Chris Van Hollen. He's their kind of Democrat and he's always played ball with them-- as they robbed his constituents blind. The Finance Industry has been very supportive of Van Hollen's career-- having put $1,584,364 into his political campaigns.

There is no better word to describe the Florida Democratic Party than "pathetic." Professional losers incapable of change, they have managed to wreck the Democratic brand by enshrining a Republican-lite raison d'être into their own DNA. Florida is a 50/50 state-- although Democrats in Florida won 3 out of the last 4 presidential elections.

Although his supporters assure me he's no longer anti-Choice or anti-LGBT, Blue America is unlikely to ever endorse right-of-center Ohio Democrat Ted Strickland, a former congressman and governor. He was never a Blue America type of politician and he's not a Blue America kind of candidate. His opponent, incumbent Rob Portman, is of course worse... much worse.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen defending Simpson-Bowles as a "balanced approach" at the Pete Peterson Fiscal "Summit"by Gaius PubliusIf you've been following Democratic politics lately, you know that Party leadership–favorite Rep. Chris Van Hollen is running for the open Maryland Senate seat against progressive favorite Rep.