Although Rick Santorum has reassured his far right-wing allies that Collins has to occasionally make believe dh's a moderate to trick Mainers, she never betrays the GOP when push comes to shove, voters still expect her to come through for the mainstream when it's important. Yesterday it was important, very, very important.
It's almost a truism of today's politics that "one man, one vote" has been replaced with "one dollar, one vote." We'll know we've recaptured our democratic form of government when that changes, when we no longer have a Supreme Court-- not to mention the two other branches of government-- made up of corporate whores whose idea of "balance" involves balancing the rights and privileges of corporations and Big Business against the rights and privileges of American citizens.
Jim Himes (New Dem-CT), Wall Street's candidate for the next DCCC ChairmanIn her new book, A Fighting Chance, Elizabeth Warren spent a little time explaining how Wall Street tried sabotaging her campaign for Senate. Scott Brown was their boy and they shoveled more money into his campaign than any campaign in the country. He was the #1 recipient of their political contributions.
Most of their wealth comes from oil and gasThis morning, you may have read that just one of the arms of Koch brothers' political Dark Money assault against democracy, a shady proto-fascist outfit called Americans for Prosperity, plans to spend a minimum of $125 million on the midterm elections.
This weekend's "must read" was Trip Gabriel's NY Times piece, 50 Years Into The War On Poverty, Hardship Hits Back.
More than a few people have been asserting that Republican Governor Paul LePage, knowing he's already lost his reelection fight, is now only working for an audience of two: Texas neo-fascists David and Charles Koch.
I was reading the other day that one of the poor, benighted states controlled by Republicans is about to pass a bill allowing for campaign contributions from foreign nationals, not dual citizens like Israeli agents Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, but full blown foreigners with a position they want to see supported in the U.S. Congress.
The DSCC preview of the electoral cycle that they hand out to big contributors is as upbeat as they can make it. In the section on South Dakota, where Democrat Tim Johnson is retiring, the DSCC asserts that "Democrats and the DSCC are committed to holding Senator Johnson's seat next year and will devote all the resources necessary to elect a new Democratic senator in South Dakota.
I couldn't face up to writing about the McCutcheon decision yesterday. It was just too depressing for me and I begged Ken and he bravely shouldered the task with verve and aplomb… and Andy Borowitz. He also began his post by quoting Bernie Sanders: "Freedom of speech, in my view, does not mean the freedom to buy the United States government." This morning, Bernie was on the air at Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman.
This is the freest danged speech you ever will see!"Freedom of speech, in my view, does not mean the freedom to buy the United States government."-- Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders"I am concerned that today's ruling may represent the latest step in an effort by a majority of the Court to dismantle entirely the longstanding structure of campaign finance law erected to limit the undue influence of special interests on American politics."-- Arizona Republican Sen.
