Daily Archives: May 10, 2007

Uncategorized

Jerry McNerney Votes with Bush Enablers on Iraq

37 Comments

Yesterday, I received two letters from Congressman McNerney thanking me for two separate contributions. But those will probably be my last. Pombo isn’t running and McNerney just voted to stay in Iraq. When you vote worse than Ellen Tauscher on the most important issue of the day, I really don’t see how I can have respect for anything else you do. I think Ezra explained this concept well:

But not all issues are created equal. In the opinion of the netroots, if you opposed eliminating dividend taxation and drilling in ANWR but enthusiastically supported the war in Iraq–and appear incapable of really repenting or learning from that error–you are not 66 percent liberal and thus an ally; you were and are wrong on the preeminent issue of our time.

This should have been an easy yea vote, for the life of me I can’t understand why McNerney screwed up.

UPDATE: Stoller says, “That’s a pretty good number of progressives, and a good showing. And now we have people on the record for or against the war.” Indeed.

UPDATE II: More Stoller:

Atrios has a list of freshmen Dems who voted against this. […] Most of the new Dems backed the amendment, including every winner on the netroots page except McNerney (who is losing his base).

Stoller might be right about McNerney losing his base.

UPDATE III: The reaction on the big blogs. Master Jack at Mydd:

I donated to McNerney last fall.

  I didn’t donate to him so he could go to Congress and be a wuss.

  I think I’ll donate elsewhere next year.

ab initio at Daily Kos:

Now we know that there are 59 Dems that don’t want to end the occupation of Iraq!

I guess 2008 will be coming rolling and I’ll be keeping this vote in mind. I am particularly disappointed in Mcnerney and Roriguez who I provided campaign dollars.

Uncategorized

Poor Dana

2 Comments

From an excellent piece in the Hill:

Amid new Justice Department activity in the Jack Abramoff case, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (CA-46) says he regrets a personal favor for the fallen lobbyist, a friend of more than 20 years. Rohrabacher said if he knew back in 2000 what he knows now about Abramoff’s illegal activities, he would not have agreed to serve as a reference for Abramoff’s loan application for $60 million to purchase SunCruz Casinos.

But wait, it gets bettter…

“Now that I know that he was wheeling and dealing and making a lot of bad decisions, I certainly wouldn’t have done it,” Rohrabacher said in an interview

But, hmmm, Susan Crabtree is not going to let the Congressman off that easy:

In 2005, the Washington Post quoted Rohrabacher as saying about the reference: “I don’t remember it, but I would certainly have been happy to give him a good recommendation” and “He’s a very honest man.“

You’ll have to read the rest at The Hill. It’s good stuff what with mystery gifts of unnamed expense from Mr. Abramoff and other such lingering questions for Congressman Rohrabacher. Poor Dana is torn between his utmost repsect for the man and his, uh, need to distance himself from the indicted criminal.

Regardless, it turns out that the Congressman is another Republican who’s memory is failing him greatly lately. I guess Jack Abramoff is an eminently forgettable fellow. Funny how the election of 2006 caused this massive wave of amnesia…I mean oversight…for the GOP.

And don’t forget the kind of stuff Dana likes to say when he’s not waxing about Mr. Abramoff.

Uncategorized

Boxer’s New Push and Site

10 Comments

Many of you probably got Boxer’s email about her 10k donors for 2010.  She is working hard at building up the coffers, even though the election is several years away.  She is doing one of two things, trying to scare away potential challengers, or ensuring he has enough to fight off a top level challenger like Arnold.

She also relaunched her site today and its looking pretty snazzy.  The shoutout to the netroots is pretty dominant.  The flash rotating features box has a picture of her with the roses the netroots sent her a couple years ago and her Yearly Kos 2006 address.

She has all of the requisite social networking buttons like the presidential campaigns.  Boxer is using both google video and YouTube.  Once again, she is generally ahead of the curve with her PAC web presence.  I look forward to seeing what creative things they come up with, especially with regards to supporting other campaigns like they did with great success last year.

Uncategorized

Today is our opportunity to bring our troops home

5 Comments

(You bet it is! – promoted by Lucas O’Connor)

Crossposted at DailyKos

Friends,

Over four years ago President Bush misled our country into a bloody and costly occupation of Iraq.  Four years later, you have the power to end it.

For four years those of us in the progressive movement, in Congress, online, and in the streets, have stood firm in our opposition to the President’s failed occupation.  We have been called traitors; we have been accused of not supporting the troops; and some have even questioned our patriotism.  But four years later our voices have now become part of the mainstream position held by the majority of Americans.

And most importantly, today, we have the power to bring them home.

This afternoon the Congress will bring up H.R. 2237, a bill, which would ensure that the only money this Congress approves for Iraq would be used to fully-fund the safe and orderly withdrawal of our soldiers.  The Progressive Caucus has been for fighting for months to advance such a bill, both behind the scenes (link to relevant article -check Roll Call from March), and right in the open (link to floor speech), and finally we have our opportunity.  Back in February we even made it part of our official platform (link to CPC site).

So please, stop whatever you are doing, take two minutes, and call your Representative right away.  Tell them to support a fully funded withdrawal of our soldiers from Iraq, and to vote for H.R. 2237.

We must fully-fund the withdrawal

We must fully fund the reconstruction

But we cannot fund this President’s occupation any longer.

Thank you for your help

-Lynn

###

Uncategorized

CA-04: Doolittle Indictment Imminent?

14 Comments

Because Doolittle himself turned down a plea offer and seems to be bracing for an indictment, I wanted to take a brief moment and refresh everyone’s memories about what would happen next.

First, he would need to resign from congress. Losing his seat on appropriations has already been a disaster for CA-04 and the voters deserve a Representative focusing on the people’s business, not arraignment hearings. Then, pursuant to Section 1773 of the Government Code, the Governor would need to file a “writ of election” within 14 days calling for a (section 10703 of Elections Code) Special Election on a Tuesday at least 112 days out and not more than 126 days. In short, a four to five month sprint.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Budget

Kick-The-Can Budgeting

9 Comments

The state of California is not generating the revenue that they expected.  This is clear and it’s been known for some time.  The original budget that the Governor proposed, based on those sunny estimates, is obsolete.  In order to balance the budget, spending will have to decrease or revenue increased.  We know what choice the Republican will make.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is likely to call for state spending cuts beyond those he proposed in January when he presents a revised budget to the Legislature next week, administration officials said Tuesday […]

In January, Schwarzenegger outlined a $103 billion general-fund budget for the 2007-08 fiscal year and proposed balancing it by withholding cost-of-living increases for welfare recipients, cutting welfare payments to children whose parents fail to comply with work requirements, and reducing aid to the homeless, among other things.

The cuts to welfare will remain in the budget the Republican governor is slated to unveil on Monday, Palmer said. That could set up a showdown with Democratic lawmakers, who have made it clear they oppose reducing the social safety net for children.

But don’t worry, there’s a Plan B; privatizing the lottery!

over…

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is poised to call for privatizing the state lottery, a move that would bring California a cash infusion of as much as $37 billion to help solve pressing budget problems but also could sacrifice a major revenue source for decades to come.

….It comes at a time when the state is facing only a modest budget deficit for the coming fiscal year – about $1 billion. But billions more in bond payments will be due soon after.

This is “kick-the-can-down-the-road” budgeting, and it’s no different than George Bush trying to run out the clock on Iraq so that the next executive has to clean up the mess.  It’s irresponsible to put so much of a debt burden on future generations.  We’re looking at hundreds of billions of dollars in debt for decades and decades, in bond issues and the loss of revenue for short-term gain.  Kevin Drum thunders on this, and he’s absolutely correct:

Once again, Arnold “We Have To Stop This Crazy Deficit Spending” Schwarzenegger is desperately trying to figure out a way to increase our deficit spending so that he can continue to pretend that he hasn’t raised taxes. That’s all this is about.

He’s already done this once with his deficit bonds, which will have to be repaid out of increased taxes eventually, and now, in order to make sure that “eventually” is sometime after he leaves office, he wants to raid the lottery to tide himself over. The result, of course, will be lower revenue in the future and therefore higher taxes. But not on his watch.

Schwarzenegger may have a sunnier persona than George Bush, but the cynicism on offer here is even worse than Bush’s. Arnold knows perfectly well he’s raising taxes. He’s just hoping the rest of us are greedy enough to allow ourselves to be convinced otherwise.

We’re going to have three and a half more years of this nonsense, of this focus on short-term glitz at the expense of long-term security.  We are getting played, and I would like to see some of our Democratic leaders in this state make this point forcefully.

Orange County, San Diego

Call Congress to THANK THEM for Saving Trestles!!

2 Comments

UPDATE: I just got off the phone with one of Loretta Sanchez’s DC staffers, and he gave me the good news. The Davis Amendment passed, along with HR 1585! We’re one step closer to saving Trestles for good. And yes, Loretta DID vote for the amendment! : )

Remember what I said yesterday about Susan Davis’ amendment to the Defense Authorization bill that would require TCA to comply with state and federal laws in extending the 241 Toll Road? Well, the amendment has come up for a vote TODAY… And we won! Now we know that TCA’s preferred route for the Foothill-South 241 Extension would rip through and destroy the last great stretch of coast in Southern California. We also know that the Foothill-South 241 Extension would do nothing to relieve traffic, and it would totally violate the law.

Basically, we know that this proposed toll road to Trestles is a total waste of our time and money… And now, we know that our representatives in Washington do as well. We need to  thank all our Democrats on the Armed Services Committee who voted for this timely amendment. Follow me after the flip to find out how you can thank House Armed Service Committee members for doing what’s best for ALL OF US in Southern California…

Contact these California Democrats to thank them for joining Rep. Susan Davis (D-San Diego) in asking TCA to comply with the law and save Trestles for many years to come:

Ellen Tauscher (D-Walnut Creek)
DC Office: (202) 225-1880
Walnut Creek Office: (925) 932-8899
Fairfield Office: (707) 428-7792
Send an Email

Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove)
DC Office: (202) 225-2965
Local Office: (714) 621-0102
Send an Email

And contact these California Republicans to tell them that there’s nothing “conservative” in wasting any more tax dollars on a project that violates state and federal law, and that goes against the very principles of conserving our natural resources:

Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon)
DC Office: (202) 225-5672
Local Office: (619) 448-5201
Send an Email

Buck McKeon (R-Santa Clarita)
DC Office: (202) 225-1956
Local Office: (661) 254-2111
Send an Email

Ken Calvert (R-Riverside, SAN CLEMENTE)
DC Office: (202) 225-1986
Riverside Office: (951) 784-4300
South Orange County Office: (949) 888-8498
Send an Email

Don’t delay! The future of Southern California’s coastline depends on our action! : )

Uncategorized

$4.33 a Gallon Gas

2 Comments

The rest of the state probably won’t see $4 a gallon gas until Memorial Day or maybe till Labor Day. But in this case, the reason that gas costs $4.33 – $4.53 a gallon is because the station owner is a kick-ass economic activist.

But FYI of what is to come, there are a number of places in CA where gas is already almost $4 a gallon. Bob Oyster in the SF Chronicle story brings up a number of reasons why gas is higher. Why should a vertical monopoly be allowed?

Uncategorized

Ellen Tauscher is Worthless, Really

5 Comments

Talk about saying one thing and doing another…yet again we have Ellen Tauscher to kick around. Really, I’m having a hard time writing this without using the term “totally full of shit” (whoops, there it is).

Earlier today, dday asked people to call Ellen Tauscher and ask if she would support adding Habeas Corpus to the Defense Department authorization bill. Her untrustworthy staff said she supported Habeas Corpus and would be a co-sponsor of Ike Skelton’s bill.

Which is great, except for the fact that Skelton’s bill will NOT include a restoration of Habeaus Corpus. Sure, Tauscher could introduce an amendment in the Armed Services Committee, but that would involve her actually being good for something (don’t hold your breath). Literally, if she can’t even stand up for a principle that has been the foundation of law since 1215 A.D. then she really is totally worthless — at best. What a waste of a safe Democratic seat.

Although it is probably a total waste of time, call Tauscher’s unproven staff at 202-225-1880 and ask if she will prove she isn’t entirely worthless by introducing a Habeas Corpus amendment in committee to the bill she is co-sponsoring.

UPDATE: She’ll probably blow it on this, too.

Coachella Valley

Mary Bono Doesn’t Get It, Part Two

5 Comments

(It is great to see her targeted, maybe we’ll have an excuse to visit Palm Springs (and better yet, Joshua Tree). – promoted by blogswarm)

Hat tip to dday for this treat for CA-45th Democrats from Robert Salladay at Political Muscle:

Retired generals and veterans from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars are targeting California Rep. Mary Bono (R-Palm Springs) as part of a $500,000 media campaign to peel off support for President George W. Bush and the Iraq war.

Ah, VoteVets.org.  I hadn’t noticed that Bono is the only California target – sweet.  So will this convince Mary Bono to unplug herself from the loyal Bushie borg and really support the troops?  Somehow I doubt it.  She didn’t learn much from the last ad

Crossposted to Daily Kos

Just last month, Americans United for Change popped Mary upside the head with their ad, and she immediately issued a fundraising letter, asking for help to fight the liberals’ “nasty early attacks,” and calling the ad a “clear sign that the liberals will do anything, say anything and spend anything to increase their majority next year.”  WATB alert – yes, epiphany – no.

Our local GOP-friendly paper, The Desert Sun puts it this way:

She was the target of another ad last month that Americans United for Change sponsored.  The group, which is working with VoteVets.org, questioned Bono’s support for the war before a recent vote on Iraq War funding.

She voted against the Democrat-sponsored legislation, which would have required Bush to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq by October. Bush vetoed the legislation.

Mary Bono and Barbara Boxer had side by side OpEds in The Desert Sun on April 8th (diary here)  Here’s a sample of her principled rationale for opposing that Iraq funding bill:

The purely political approach to this issue does a disservice to our armed forces serving in harm’s way and to the American people who are tired of politics as usual.

But, it is not just the excessive pork that is contained in this bill that concerns me. It is the message we send to our troops and to our enemies abroad.

While there are many serious issues upon which Americans differ, our brave men and women who protect our national security always have received strong support from the vast majority of our citizens.

Congress has a responsibility to demonstrate the same support for our troops by passing an emergency supplemental funding bill that gives our forces the funds they critically need without the pork.

Our future national security is too important to allow this type of political gamesmanship to continue.

  Well, the latest bill stripped other issues, so what will be her excuse this time?  Norquist will provide, and the GOP fans here will buy whatever they’re hocking as usual.

That’s what makes this VoteVets ad so very interesting, though.  Because if the default-Republican voters in the 45th are ever going to give our side a hearing, it will likely start with nonpartisan emissaries like (Ret.) Major General Batiste.  I thank him for his honorable service, and for the courage to tell an unsavory truth to those who don’t want to hear it. 

Let’s hope it sinks in somewhere.  Clearly, reality still eludes Mary Bono, and will until the GOP leadership gives her the OK to change her tune.  Twas ever thus.