The National Report

Last Change

2006-05-23T14:35:00.000-04:00

New and final location: Net Roots

Lieberman Smears Lamont

2006-05-23T12:54:00.000-04:00

Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) is making primary challenger Ned Lamont's (D) personal fortune a campaign issue, according to the Hartford Courant.

Said Lieberman: "Having between $90 million and $300 million, Ned Lamont can not only try to buy a seat from Connecticut in the U.S. Senate, he can probably buy a seat in a couple of other states if he wanted."

An interesting argument coming from a man with over 4 million dollars in his "war chest" coming mostly from lobbyists and big business. Lamont, on the other hand, is raising money from individual and grass roots donations only and has barely breached the million dollar mark.

DFA Supports Lamont

2006-05-23T12:45:00.000-04:00

Lamont's recent victory at the CT democratic nominating convention has resulted in an uproar of publicity to the CT senate race and the endorsement of Democracy For America, a group dedicated to social progress, fiscal responsibility and grassroots activism: all keystones of the Lamont campaign.

Today, Democracy For America enthusiastically endorsed Ned Lamont in his run for United States Senate against incumbent Joseph Lieberman. Lamont surprised the pundits and Senator Lieberman with a strong showing at the Connecticut Democratic Party Convention on Friday and earned a spot on the primary ballot. The primary will be August 8. “Ned Lamont has been loud and clear about America’s position in Iraq and world affairs, one of the most important concerns for voters,” said Jim Dean, Chair for Democracy for America. “Senator Lieberman has been a broken record supporting broken policies.” Democracy for America will help raise money, media, and volunteers for Lamont’s campaign from across the nation.

Help DFA meet goal today! Read"Joe Lieberman: George Bush's Favorite Democrat?"on Blog For America, the DFA blog.

My Summer: Interning with Ned Lamont

2006-05-17T23:15:00.000-04:00

I am going up for an interview with Ned Lamont's campaign for a summer internship tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Farrell for Congress

2006-05-15T20:47:00.000-04:00

Diane Farrell was officially nominated today to run as a Democrat against Congressman Christopher Shays in the 4th district of CT. The Farrell race is one of, if not the, highest profile congressional race in the country and its gona be a hot one! I love Diane as a politician and personaly but I am not going to be interning with her this summer. Why? Because I believe Diane will have no problem kicking Shays out of Congress. She lost by a very small margin last election and since then the republican party has been exposed for the corrupt, greedy lot they are. Instead I will be doing everything I can to help Ned Lamont kick Joe Lieberman out of the Senate. In any case, this blog endorses Ms. Farrell and will continue to cover the campaign.

Watergate The Sequal

2006-04-06T13:39:00.001-04:00

Vice President Dick Cheney's former top aide told prosecutors President Bush authorized the leak of sensitive intelligence information about Iraq, according to court papers filed by prosecutors in the CIA leak case. Before his indictment, I. Lewis Libby testified to the grand jury investigating the CIA leak that Cheney told him to pass on information and that it was Bush who authorized the disclosure, the court papers say. According to the documents, the authorization led to the July 8, 2003, conversation between Libby and New York Times reporter Judith Miller.

You Know It's an Election Year When...

2006-04-06T09:23:00.000-04:00

Today's Kos Diary Have you ever read a tiny article in the back of some film magazine announcing the production of some movie and then three years later its the highest grossing movie phenomenon of the era? That's how a progressive feels every day (just substitute the movie for a major public scandal). It's hard as a progressive not to get 'i told you so' syndrome. Below is a perfect example. How long have voices on the liberal "fringes" been talking about the billions and billions of dollars being squandered in no-bid contracts and poor allocation in Iraq? How many bloggers have "whined" about Halliburton bus drivers being paid more then U.S. military men who brave the battle field each day with inadequate armor and weaponry? Well finally, years later, its coming into the public forum. Of course it takes an election year with a incredibly unpopular president for republicans to sign on to this but its better late then never.

WASHINGTON -- Two House Republicans have agreed to cosponsor a landmark proposal to create a special House committee to investigate Iraq war spending, joining Democrats in demanding more accountability for billions of dollars that allegedly have been misspent, according to lawmakers and congressional aides. The stalled proposal to create a modern-day ''Truman Committee" -- modeled after the oversight board run by then-Senator Harry Truman to root out contracting abuses during World War II -- has been blocked from consideration by GOP leaders for more than a year. But after new reports about malfeasance involving reconstruction contracts in Iraq, the bill for the first time has begun to attract the support of rank-and-file Republicans.(Boston.com)

Too Soon?

2006-04-06T08:57:00.000-04:00

Open Thread.

Myth: Immigration Hurts U.S. Workers

2006-04-05T22:18:00.000-04:00

Reposted from Think Progress The recent focus on immigration has provided an opportunity to knock down several prominent myths about the issue — that mass deportation of 12 million people is a feasible solution; that hardline “enforcement-only” proposals will actually reduce illegal immigration; or that undocumented workers don’t pay taxes. Another common misperception is that increased immigration has had a negative impact on wages for lower-skilled U.S.-born workers. But as Princeton University professor Alan Krueger shows in a new American Progress memo, the actual impact of immigration on lower-skilled workers is negligible. Why?

One likely factor is that, in addition to increasing the supply of labor, immigrants increase the demand for goods and services produced in the U.S. This leads to higher wages and employment for all workers in the U.S. Immigration can also result in an increase in capital investment. And many immigrants become entrepreneurs, creating jobs for other immigrants and natives. (The latest U.S. Census data shows that “Hispanic-owned businesses now comprise one of the fastest-growing segments in the U.S. economy.”)

As Krueger writes, if we are serious about helping low-income workers, we need to act now on measures that can have a much larger impact, like “an expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit, an increase in the child tax credit, a boost in the minimum wage, and increased job training.”

Christopher C. on Daily Kos

2006-04-03T23:41:00.000-04:00

Look out for my Diaries on The Daily Kos under username "Christopher C."

Can the GOP replace DeLay?

2006-04-03T23:15:00.000-04:00

The Law says NO:

145.035. WITHDRAWN, DECEASED, OR INELIGIBLE CANDIDATE'S NAME OMITTED FROM BALLOT. A candidate's name shall be omitted from the ballot if the candidate withdraws, dies, or is declared ineligible on or before the 74th day before election day. Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., ch. 1109, § 7, eff. Sept. 1, 2005. 145.036. FILLING VACANCY IN NOMINATION. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), if a candidate's name is to be omitted from the ballot under Section 145.035, the political party's state, district, county, or precinct executive committee, as appropriate for the particular office, may nominate a replacement candidate to fill the vacancy in the nomination. (b) An executive committee may make a replacement nomination following a withdrawal only if: (1) the candidate: (A) withdraws because of a catastrophic illness that was diagnosed after the 62nd day before general primary election day and the illness would permanently and continuously incapacitate the candidate and prevent the candidate from performing the duties of the office sought; and (B) files with the withdrawal request a certificate describing the illness and signed by at least two licensed physicians; (2) no political party that held primary elections has a nominee for the office sought by the withdrawing candidate as of the time of the withdrawal; or (3) the candidate has been elected or appointed to fill a vacancy in another elective office or has become the nominee for another office. (c) Under the circumstances described by Subsection (b)(2), the appropriate executive committee of each political party making nominations for the general election for state and county officers may make a replacement nomination for the office sought by the withdrawing candidate. (d) For the purpose of filling a vacancy, a majority of the committee's membership constitutes a quorum. To be nominated, a person must receive a favorable vote of a majority of the members present. (e) A vacancy in a nomination for a district, county, or precinct office that was made by primary election may not be filled before the beginning of the term of office of the county executive committee members elected in the year in which the vacancy occurs.

Read the Law UPDATE:The law is a bit more confusing for national elections. Follow the analysis on Swing State Project by blogger DavidNYC

Conservatives will do whatever it takes to discredit Hillary Clinton.

2006-04-03T23:00:00.000-04:00

Monday night on MSNBC's Scarborough Country Joe Scarborough had a seven minute segment about how Hillary Clinton had poor taste in furniture and did not do her job as first lady to maintain a tasteful decor. He had a single guest on that claimed Clinton "didn't want the job, she wanted her husband's job". My theory: these Republicans are so damn scared of Hillary Clinton that they will do anything to make her look bad. But when they result to insulting her talent for interior decoration you know they're in trouble.

BREAKING NEWS!

2006-04-03T22:09:00.000-04:00

Unbelievable, Tom DeLay just spoke with MSNBC's Chris Matthews and told him he will withdraw from the 2006 Congressional race tomorrow morning. He says he does not think he can "reverse the trend" of anti-DeLay voters. He decided it is too important to have a Republican in the Texas seat and he does not want to risk losing it to the Democrats.

Personally, I was looking forward to beating DeLay in Texas but I suppose it will be just as gratifying to beat his replacement. One down.

Update: DeLay apparently believes he can more easily lead the Republican Party from outside the congress! Is he serious or is he just covering for the fact that he knows there is no way he can juggle his bleak trial and bleak political campaign. In either case, he is sure that any other republican could simply "Walk into the seat". I am scared he may be right

UPDATE II: When Washington Post reporter Mike Allen asked DeLay if he thought his actions were unethical he started to answer, stopped himself and said "We are all sinners".

Oh yeah... hes outta here.

2006-04-03T21:16:00.000-04:00

“QUESTION: Have you had any thoughts that you might be leaving soon? MCCLELLAN: I don’t speculate on any personnel matters. QUESTION: You’re not speculating for yourself. MCCLELLAN: I’m focused on helping the President advance his agenda, just like the rest of the team at the White House.”

Without Personal Attackes...

2006-04-03T17:15:00.000-04:00

Bill O'Reilly Would Be A Mime Another great video from Media Matters for America:

Spring Cleaning

2006-04-03T11:43:00.000-04:00

CNN Reports: Press Secretary Scott McClellan Next to Resign

According to both administration and GOP insiders, we’re hearing here at CNN that Press Secretary Scott McClellan and Treasury Secretary John Snow could be the next ones to be shown to the door. Now, why McClellan? Several sources familiar with the thinking of new White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten say that immediately, right out of gate, he began on focusing on improving White House communications in order to regenerate the White House’s — the administration’s message, the performance — you know those poll numbers are really lagging right now. One White House insider says there’s been “a lot of dissatisfaction with the state of communications.” At the same time, though, very important to point out that there are many who insist that McClellan is very secure because of his close personal relationship with President Bush. We are hearing that if McClellan were to leave, that one name being floated as a possible replacement is White House counselor Dan Bartlett. (CNN)

Irony!

2006-04-03T11:38:00.000-04:00

President Bush’s new Medicare drug plan is so confusing “even the parents of the Michael Leavitt, secretary of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department, ended up picking a plan that put their retiree medical coverage at risk. And this after Leavitt helped his parents in making their initial selection.”

Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room

2006-04-02T20:19:00.000-04:00

I Highly Recomend it! I just saw it and I was outraged!

I Looked Into His Soul...

2006-04-02T18:16:00.000-04:00

Remeber this:

After meeting Putin for the first time in June 2001, Bush said he had been able to gain “a sense of his soul” and had found Putin to be “very straightforward and trustworthy.”

Ooops:

Putin has repressed Russians and their media, supported Belarus’ authoritarian president and not cooperated with the U.S. in dealing with Iran’s suspected development of nuclear weapons.

Statements Made "Under Duress"

2006-04-02T17:59:00.000-04:00

Now that U.S. journalist Jill Carroll is home and safe she has recanted the statements she made while still in captivity speaking out against the occupation and criticizing the American government. Idiots on the right were quick to take these comments and call her a terrorist sympathizer not even considering that perhaps she was being forced by her captors to say what she said. Some even went as far as to joke that she would be the kind of person to walk into the green zone with a bomb strapped to her chest. Now that she is safe we know that she was being forced to make false statements. I hope the right wing critics are proud of themselves.

Morning Talk Show Open Thread

2006-04-02T00:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Daylight Savings Time Meet The Press Sen, John McCain, R-AZ, Armed Services Committee and Gen, Tony Zinni (Ret.), U.S. Marine Corps, Author, "The Battle for Peace" The Chris Matthews Show Gloria Borger -- CBS News; U.S. News & World Report Joe Klein -- Time Magazine Laura Ingraham -- The Laura Ingraham Show Andrew Sullivan -- New Republic Magazine; Time Magazine This Week Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Sen. George Allen, R-Va. Face The Nation Sen. Richard Durbin Democratic Whip D-Illinois Rep. James Sensenbrenner House Judiciary Committee R-Wisconsin David Brooks The New York Times

Fox News: Liberal Media 'Out To Sabatage The Economy'

2006-04-01T10:40:00.000-05:00

According to Fox News guests, the media is ignoring all the great news about the economy just like it does in Iraq. Watch it: Transcript:

But according to a new survey, 59 percent have bought into that crackpot notion. They rate it [the economy] as bad, very bad, or terrible, in fact, when all the facts say that just the opposite is true. So, where are the folks getting this image? My next guest says look no further than the liberal media. Larry, it’s media making the people thank the economy stinks, is that right?

But the polls don’t reflect media manipulation. Americans see the real state of the economy in their everyday lives: - After adjusting for inflation, wages have not risen during the last three years. In fact, real hourly wages fell for most middle- and low-income workers in 2005 and the inflation-adjusted value of the minimum wage is 29 percent lower today than it was in 1979. - The poverty rate has risen each year since 2001, with 12.7 percent of the population now living in poverty. - Job growth during President Bush’s term has been the lowest since World War II. Fox News: misleading the public!

Saturday Open Thread

2006-04-01T10:39:00.000-05:00

Whats up?

Lamont

2006-03-30T23:46:00.000-05:00

If you asked me three weeks ago who Ned Lamont is I wouldn't have an answer to save my life. But in the last week or so it seems like the Democratic challenger for Joe Lieberman's CT senate seat has been all over the blogosphere and talk radio. Basically, Lieberman is a closet Republican who needs to either switch parties or retire from the Senate. He sides with the president on far too many issues and refuses to denounce the war despite it's obvious mishandlings. The closer we get to the CT primaries the more democrats rebel against Lieberman.

Lieberman became Obama's mentor when Obama was sworn into the Senate in 2005. They stayed close at Thursday night's event, too, entering the room together and working the crowd in tandem. Despite the camaraderie between the two, the crowd was clearly more receptive to Obama's remarks than Lieberman's speech about party unity and the potential for Democratic victories at the ballot box this fall. In fact, scattered boos greeted Lieberman when he took the podium, and he had to stop three times during his remarks to shush the crowd so he could deliver key points.

Is it possible for Lamont to beat a powerful, well funded incumbent in a primary? Not likely. But there is a chance. I gave $10 to the Ned Lamont campaign and signed up to host a house party for him. If you care about establishing a democratic majority as strong as the current republican majority then join me in slowing Lieberman's "Joementum" and volunteer for the Lamont campaign.

They Deserve Better

2006-03-30T22:57:00.000-05:00

Army bans use of privately-bought body armor By Chris Casey Since the beginning of the war on terror, frightening reports of inadequate body armor and low-tech weapons have trickled from the front lines to the front page of news organizations all over the country. Families have been forced to raise money on their own just to buy body armor and advanced munitions accessories for their relatives in Iraq and Afghanistan. Well Thursday the pentagon put an end to that problem not by ensuring that every soldier in properly equipped but by outlawing the use of "non-official" gear.

WASHINGTON - Soldiers will no longer be allowed to wear body armor other than the protective gear issued by the military, Army officials said Thursday, the latest twist in a running battle over the equipment the Pentagon gives its troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I get that it isn't fair that some people get fancy armor with cool features like "stopping bullets" and others are stuck with a few layers of corrugated cardboard wrapped in vinyl but the answer is not to lower everybody down to the weakest leak of official-issue gear. Perhaps the government should use the $21.3 million it spent on hiring mercenaries to buy effective body army for the patriots that are working not for the money (paid mercenaries get $1,000 per day) but for the love of their country. Until then we should allow their concerned families to send them effective armor.