Pramila Jayapal

The Obama Administration maintained a White House staffed public comments line as well as a staffed switchboard message number for people to call the White House. As of this week, neither number is functioning.

Last week, we predicted that Pelosi would appoint the biggest Wall Street shill among the new freshmen, Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), to the biggest fount of congressional corruption, the House Financial Services Committee.

Just a small handful of members of Congress objected to the certification of Putin’s puppet as president: Barbara Lee (D-CA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Bobby Scott (D-VA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), John Conyers (D-MI), James McGovern (D-MA), Maxine Waters (D-CA) and two of the freshmen Blue America backed this past cycle, Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD).

Sick of poisonous garbage like Wasserman Schultz? Here's an antidoteGetting rid of powerful Republican policy-makers is something the DCCC doesn't ever even try to do. Even though the NRCC ruthlessly-- and sometimes successfully-- targets Democratic leaders and committee chairs, the DCCC virtually never targets GOP leaders or committee chairs.

Despite all the hubbub in recent days, Team Trumpanzee isn't grappling for a coherent immigration policy, just a p.r. approach that can appease suburban voters who shun overt racism, xenophobia and gratuitous viciousness while not turning off Trump's base among racists, xenophobes and the gratuitously vicious. Republican Party operative Stuart Stevens hasn't been impressed. He referred to the Trumpanzee Campaign as "utter chaos [and] a smash and grab operation, not a campaign." The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has always remained neutral in presidential races-- until this year.

I'm guessing few Bernie supporters will dance to the siren calls of the orange-faced racist, xenophobic, misogynystic sociopath no matter how many times he waves an anti-TPP banner at them.

Gas money hereObama came close to sealing a Grand Bargain with Boehner that would have made significant cuts to Social Security and Medicare, my raising age eligibilities and by slowing cost of living allowances. It wasn't harsh enough for the Tea Party so most conservative Republicans voted against it and it failed.

A couple years ago, when Blue America endorsed Ted Lieu for Congress, it wasn't because he was Asian-American any more than it was because he was a male or because he was in the Air Force Reserve. It was because he was the most progressive candidate in the race and because he had an eye-popping record of accomplishment in the state legislature as the most creative, effective and member dedicated to working families.

I love all our Blue America candidates. Some, however, are a little further along in their evolution towards being... the next Elizabeth Warren or the next Alan Grayson or the next Donna Edwards. After all, that is what we're looking for in candidates. Not John, not Digby, not Jacquie and not yours truly is looking for a candidate we can-- or have to-- tell what to do. I've had hot-under-the-collar disagreements with Donna, with Ted Lieu, with Joe Sestak...

Two of our very first Blue America candidates, a decade ago, were Alan Grayson and Donna Edwards, who have been inspirations from the moments they ran, won and started pushing their strong progressive agendas in the House. These are two admirable people who have made a substantive difference in a screwed up, largely dysfunctional Congress.