Congressmen Alan Grayson (D) and David Jolly (R) are running against each other for the open Florida Senate seat but are also co-sponsoring a bill that would prohibit federal elected officials from soliciting campaign donations-- which everyone in DC knows are bribes. Yes, bribes, but bribes redefined in such a way as to keep those who write the laws and those who underwrite their careers out of prison.
The crooked politicians who take money from the payday lenders have offered to sell their own constituents-- poor ones with little influence-- to the industry in return for campaign contributions. There has been a lot of talk about how Debbie Wasserman Schultz has bolstered the position of payday lenders and given them a green light for their predatory practices. Generally-speaking, though the payday lending industry goes to Republicans for support.
Few people remember Joe Biden's Senate record. But I'm one who does. "Corporate whore" comes rapidly to mind. Biden was a right-of-center establishment Democratic who represented Wall Street interests while painting himself as a man of the people who road Amtrack. Outside of Delaware-- where he was a sentaor from 1973 'til 2008-- no one ever bought the hype back then, though Politico, which wasn't around then, does today.
Tuesday is primary day in Pennsylvania. It looks like Trump will defeat Cruz and Kasich massively and that Clinton will chalk up a narrower victory over Bernie-- unless there's a massive turnout, in which case Bernie will chalk up a narrow victory over her. But many people are taking the presidential results for granted and are more interested in the Democratic Senate primary pitting former Congressman Joe Sestak-- an Admiral who is the highest-ranking military officer ever elected to Congress-- against machine boss hack Katie McGinty.
Like me, Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders are both graduates of PS-197 and James Madison High School in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn. There isn't much else, though, that Schumer and Bernie have in common. Bernie is a life-long progressive and reformer. Schumer has never had a reformist moment in his miserable political life.
Is it fair to point out that Hillary used anti-gay demonology as a tool to reach her goals? You be the judge by watching the video of her above sticking to her conservative principles and keeping in mind what she told an NPR audience just before she turned 50: "I feel like my political beliefs are rooted in the conservatism that I was raised with...
The internet has freed grassroots campaign contributors from having to contribute money through the extraordinarily corrupt Beltway campaign organizations-- the DCCC, the DSCC and the DNC-- by making it easy and convenient for anyone to contribute directly to a candidate of his or her choice without going through establishment gate-keepers with suspect
As we've been saying lately, Chuck Grassley's policy of naked and hyper-partisan obstructionism against President Obama's SCOTUS nominee has changed the dynamics of the Iowa Senate race. Once thought a safe seat, Iowa is now in play. Remember, Obama beat McCain there 54-44% and then beat Romney statewide 52-46%.
Rich, spoiled Republican-masquerading-as-a-Democrat Patrick Murphy turned 33 today. His wealthy Republican daddy bought the ne'er-do-well Patrick a political career. One of America's least effective members of Congress is also on the take.
At tonight's SisterGiant/BlueAmerica progressive candidates forum (6pm, PT; 9pm back East), Marianne is interviewing congressional candidates Mike Noland from Illinois and Mike Manypenny from West Virginia. Last night she spoke with Rep. Ted Lieu (CA), Carol Shea-Porter (NH) and Rubin Kihuen (NV). That link just above allows you to watch the brand new interviews and the archived ones as well.
