Alabama and Kansas are very different demographically-- Alabama, for example, has a sizable African-American population (26.4%) and Kansas' African-American population is just 5.6%-- but the two states have something very much in common: both are Republican bastions. Alabama's PVI is R+14 and Kansas' is R+13. In 2016, Hillary won just 34% in Alabama and 36% in Kansas. Alabam's politics is based on racism.
This is the picture you can winYesterday we started a contest to win a copy of this beautiful print above, Nancy Ohanian's Congressional Terrorist. We're asking readers who would like a chance to win it to contribute to Betsy Sweet's campaign on this page by 6:00 PM (ET).
Imagine electing Bernie or Elizabeth in November-- and a stronger Democratic major in the House with more outstanding progressives like Mike Siegel, Dana Balter, J.D. Scholten, Marie Newman, Morgan Harper, Kara Eastman and Kim Williams. And then waking up on Wednesday and realizing congressional terrorist Mitch McConnell is still running the U.S.
For the last few days, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) have been bashing each other on Twitter. Yesterday their Twitter feud spilled over to the press and even TV... at least in Wyoming, where Paul called into KTWO to slap Liz around a little (video above). Paul: "I really think that the Western Republicans, the ones that I’ve met in Wyoming and the ones I’ve met throughout the West, are very, very independent. They’re tired of spending $50 billion a year in Afghanistan. They’re tired of building roads in Afghanistan.
Yesterday, Mike DeBonis and Paul Kane reported that congressional Republicans are in a holding pattern in regard to gun legislation-- waiting for Trump to make up his mind, while their constituents fume.
Birds of a feather... Lipinski and BustosIn 2018, it was shocking when incumbents in Congress, led by Jan Schakowsky in the House and Bernie in the Senate came out and endorsed progressive Democratic reformer Marie Newman in a Chicagoland primary that pitted her against longtime incumbent, reactionary Dan Lipinski, an anti-Choice, anti-gay, anti-immigrant, anti-healthcare Republican-lite Blue Dog.
There are some really excellent Democrats running for the Senate this cycle-- and some real dreck. Schumer has always had a nose for the dreck-- especially when their opponents are progressive. Schumer's biggest fear isn't about Republicans winning-- it's always about independent-minded Democrats winning and spoiling his nice little racket inside the Democratic caucus.
From 1905, when it was first introduced, to 1965 when a Democratic landslide the year before than finally allowed it to pass, Medicare had been opposed by conservatives-- of both parties. In its last few years before passage, Wilbur Mills (D-AR), the completely conservative Democrat sexual predator and alcoholic who chaired the then all-powerful House Ways and Means Committee prevented Medicare from being voted on.
The Jack Abramoff scandal had broken wide open and one of Abramoff's biggest lackeys was Montana Senator Conrad Burns. Democrats saw a glimmer of hope of taking back the Montana seat that Burns had won from John Melcher in 1988. In 2000 Burns was barely reelected-- 50.6% to 47.2% against Brian Schweitzer. Montana had been trending red-- in 2000 Bush won the state 58-33% and in 2004 was reelected 59-39%.
As Trump's leader-less FEC prepared for Hurricane Dorian's landfall Saturday morning, Trump took time out of his busy schedule of golfing and not going to Poland to tweet about giving the wealthiest Americans another tax cut and to start fighting with his reality TV doppelgänger Omarosa, who he brought into the government and then fired:
