Shenna Bellows

Yesterday MoveOn.org released a new set of polls conducted by PPP from red and purple states. In all seven states-- Maine, Kansas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Florida, Kentucky and Virginia-- large percentages of likely voters thought that their state should accept federal Medicaid expansion dollars.

Blue America donors noticed before anyone else outside of Maine. Judging by the relative number of contributions-- both in aggregate amount and individual donors-- they started coalescing around Shenna Bellows early on and have kept the momentum going.

Boehner honored on the front page of Hanabusa's official websiteAs we've been warning she would, corrupt New Dem Colleen Hanabusa has already, albeit inadvertently, shown her true colors when it comes to choosing between her wealthy business donors and ordinary working families.

Digby, John and I did not expect to send this note out today. We planned a sabbatical until after the first quarter rush was over Tuesday. But… we got an offer we couldn't refuse-- and one I hope you won't be able to either. As you probably already have figured out, we feel that Shenna Bellows, the 39 year old former executive director of Maine's ACLU, is our idea of a perfect candidate.

Last night I interviewed Lee Rogers on KPFK, the Los Angeles Pacifica station. The show will run tomorrow evening. As you probably know, unless this is the first time you've ever read DWT, Rogers is a progressive Democrat running for Congress in the northwest corner of L.A. County-- Santa Clarita, the Antelope Valley and Simi Valley.

Please go back one post and read Part I, where we began our look at the tax extenders (i.e., corporate loopholes) bill the Senate Finance Committee is getting ready to sneak through and present as a fait acompli, an incredible transpartisan exercise in Beltway corruption.

Monday we asserted-- and we stand by it-- that there's no legitimate reason to assume Shenna Bellows can't defeat Susan Collins in Maine. Although she vowed to Maine voters, she would only seek the Senate seat twice, she's embarking on her fourth run. And she's not even that popular. How does Susan Collins’ 2008 re-election vote (61%) compare with other Maine Senate elections? In 2006 (also a good year for Democrats) Olympia Snowe’s re-election vote was 13% higher at 74%!

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee seems content to waste their resources on reactionary Blue Dog Travis Childers' hopeless attempt to win a Senate seat in deep red Mississippi (where Obama lost with 44%) while ignoring the best Democrat running for Senate in years, Maine's Shenna Bellows-- and in a state Obama won with 56%.

This afternoon, the Republicans were able to kill a bill living up to the country's debts to military veterans, by filibustering the attempt to move it forward. Although every Democrat plus two Republicans-- Dean Heller (NV) and Jerry Moran (KS)-- voted for it, they needed 60 to shut down the filibuster. The final vote was 56-41.

Can NARAL save America from Michael Boggs?Shenna Bellows is a brilliant, independent-minded and dedicated progressive running for the Maine Senate seat current occupied by Susan Collins ®. This morning we were talking about President Obama's shocking nomination of a right-wing ideologue from Georgia to the federal bench, Michael Boggs.