"The most consistent and smartest thinking and writing about progressive politics isn't happening in Sacramento, but being churned out day after day on sites and by organizations like Calitics, Orange County Progressive, and the California Budget Project." - CalBuzz
I was heartbroken to hear of Senator Ted Kennedy's passing and my deepest sympathies go out to Vicki, his children and the entire Kennedy family.
I will always think of Senator Kennedy as the lion of the Senate. From his seat in the back of the beautiful Senate chamber, he used his powerful voice to speak out for the voiceless. He could always be counted on to champion justice, fairness and compassion - and to challenge all of us to do the same.
Personally, I will miss Senator Kennedy's warm and engaging presence, his bellowing laughter and the way he reached out to all senators in friendship.
No one will ever be able to fill his shoes, but we must honor his extraordinary legacy by continuing his life's work. The most fitting tribute we could give Senator Kennedy is to carry on his fight for a quality education for all our children, affordable health care that families can rely on, an economy that works for everyone and equal rights for all our citizens.
In his honor, I collected some of my favorite "YouTube moments" from the late Senator. I just hope his legacy lives on. And btw, you can help make sure it does by joining this Facebook group. Thanks.
What happens when you combine a Democratic fundraiser in North San Diego County, a homophobic right-wing neighbor disturbing the peace, and the San Diego County Sheriffs? Apparently, one BIG, nasty mess! Here's the original TPM story:
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that a fundraiser for Francine Busby, who previously ran for the deeply-Republican Fiftieth District and came close to winning in the 2006 special election and subsequent regular election, was raided by sheriffs after an unnamed neighbor made a noise complaint. Busby now calls it a "phony" noise complaint, and the article says that multiple neighbors said there was no great noise at all.
Here's the twist: The fundraiser was hosted by a lesbian couple, and shortly before the sheriffs came a particular neighbor had shouted anti-gay slurs at the assembled crowd. "It was a quiet home reception, disrupted by a vulgar person shouting obscenities from behind the bushes," Busby says.
As one neighbor told the paper: "We didn't hear anything until the sheriff came, with eight patrol cars and a helicopter."
And yes, the new developments are becoming more sordid by the minute. Details after the flip...
New Orleans may sink into the sea by 2100. Much of Florida may also be underwater by then. Drought will likely become the norm out West, meaning California could no longer provide the food we depend upon. Las Vegas may become downright inhabitable.
No, I'm not fabricating any of this. These will be the consequences of inaction if we continue to delay implementing the solutions we need to solve the coming climate crisis. But for some reason, may of our supposedly wise lawmakers in Capitol Hill are either willfully ignorant of the facts or downright lying about our future.
Oh, my! The national Republicans are worrying. Ken Calvert is among the first 10 "Patriots" in NRCC's program to fundraise for vulnerable incumbents.
So what exactly does this mean? They are expecting Calvert to raise about $100,000 just today. Wow. They must really be afraid.
So how can we respond? Bill Hedrick doesn't have the big corporate dollars that Calvert and the NRCC rely upon, but he does have us.
Please give Bill Hedrick whatever you can. He nearly defeated Calvert last year with little money and a few dedicated grassroots supporters. Think of what can happen if we all step up to the plate.
Hey, the Republicans are already running scared to their big corporate "ATM". Let's show them that our people power is more powerful.
In case you haven't been paying attention, there's an uprising going on. LGBT progressives are sick and tired of being taken for granted. We were promised "change" by candidate Obama, but all we've seen so far from President Obama & Congress has been more requests for our change ($). Seriously, this needs to change.
Apparently just two days before the scheduled "LGBT DNC Fundraiser Extravaganza" that's losing donors so fast the DNC & Obama White House are in full panic mode, Fundraiser Co-chair Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) announces that he will introduce a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) as his colleague Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) will soon introduce a repeal of the "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA). And pay attention to what they have to say.
"I'd like to make it a rule: No yelling at the president until you show me a letter you have written" to your House member and two senators, says gay U.S. Rep. Barney Frank.
As lawmakers prepare to head home for their July 4 recess, key congressional allies emphasize that every member of Congress needs to hear from constituents passionate about passing legislation to move gay Americans toward equality. [...]
What does gay-friendly Rep. Jerry Nadler, chairman of the Judiciary subcommittee on civil rights, need voters to do to help him pass the anti-DOMA bill he'll soon introduce?
"Call your representatives. Meet with them. Pressure them," Nadler told me.
Nadler hopes to quickly get a Senate companion bill. Already, a House bill to repeal [the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" (DADT) military service ban] has been introduced. A Senate version is likely shortly.
OK, I get it. Frank and Nadler are trying to deflect criticism of President Obama by telling us to contact our members of Congress. Fine, then. Let's call them on their bluff.
Compared with the period from 1960 through 1979, temperatures in the Southwest are expected to rise 4 to 10 degrees by the end of the century.
The chance for longer-lasting heat waves could force the region's residents to use more air conditioning, which would increase the risk of blackouts as electricity supplies become depleted.
The report also warned that the region, already suffering an extended drought as evidenced by declines in Colorado River flow and spring snowpack, should be prepared to face large reductions in spring precipitation by the end of the century. With that, combined with temperature increases and rapid population growth, the Southwest can expect increased competition for water.
The rising temperatures will also lead to more wildfires, and the loss of wetlands will cause more flooding along rivers. Also, ski resort areas will have less snow, cutting recreational opportunities.
While all of this sounds like a doomsday movie script, it is being presented to the public in all seriousness by many of the country's top scientists.
The Las Vegas Sun mentioned this brutal reality today in a hard-hitting editorial on the need for real action on the climate crisis. The whole world is threatened, but we're especially at risk here in The American Southwest. We already have little water, but climate change may end up taking away the little water we have left.
So what can we do? We need to change. We need to rethink the way we interact with this planet.
(Even Blue Dog Health Care point person Jim Cooper is backing the public option, so hopefully we're back on track for universal health care! - promoted by atdleft)
Excuse the messiness of this diary, but I have some major news to break. David Shuster just interviewed Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Santa Ana) on MSNBC, and he was obviously preparing to hammer her over the recent statement by 20 Blue Dogs in the House that only support a limited "fallback" public option in the major health care bill expected to be revealed in the Senate today. Loretta had previously said she will reserve judgment until the language of the bill is known, but she stated clearly on MSNBC just minutes ago that she will support a full public option.
(Btw, I'll add video and more links as soon as they're available.)
UPDATE from HuffPo (and apparently West LA Blue Dog, Jane Harman, is also in full support of the public option):
Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) is "unwavering" in her opposition to a Blue Dog Coalition health care position issued late last week, she said Tuesday. The Blue Dogs, a caucus of conservative Democrats, issued a set of principles opposing a public health care option unless it was triggered by the failure of private insurers to meet certain goals.
Harman, in a statement, said she supports a public option without a trigger. "I will oppose any plan that does not include this option, and am unwavering in my opposition to the so-called 'Blue Dog trigger,'" said Harman. [...]
Harman said she's sticking by her pledge.
"I am proud to have signed the HCAN (Health Care for America Now!) pledge to seek universal coverage," she said. "I am a strong supporter of universal health coverage, which is why I support the health care reform plan being developed by President Obama, Senator [Ted] Kennedy, and Congressman [Henry] Waxman. Like them, I believe that the bill must include a public health insurance option which guarantees all Americans access to quality, affordable health care."
Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.), a Blue Dog who also signed the pledge, told the Huffington Post she backs a public option without a trigger.
"America can't afford to wait for health care reform. While a single-payer system would be ideal, I am prepared to support other measures that also reduce costs, preserve doctor choice, and assure affordable, quality health care for all Americans," she said in a statement. "I think a public option without a trigger would be a good way to fix what's wrong with health care while preserving what works."
Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), the vice chairman of the Blue Dog Health Care Task Force, has also since come out in favor of a public option without a trigger.
OK, so today's Mothers' Day. I'm planning to stop by my mom's house shortly and check up on her. But before I do that, I must address this:
President Barack Obama's national security adviser says allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military is in the early discussions.
But retired Marine Gen. James Jones says it's very preliminary in a very busy administration.
Jones said Sunday he's not sure if the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy would be overturned, although Obama has said he wants it eliminated. Jones said the decision to go forward lies with the president.
For now, Jones says, "We have a lot on our plate right now."
Mr. Jones, President Obama, and members of Congress, you just allowed this fine patriotic soldier to be fired. And believe it or not, we've already lost too many thousands of good soldiers simply because they're queer. Now's the time to lift the military service ban. Seriously.
OK, he's doing it. Bill Hedrick will definitely be running for Congress again in 2010. And why not? He seemingly came out of nowhere last year to nearly upset long-time incumbent Ken Calvert... Though he was really working the district hard and winning over voters by offering real solutions to their economic concerns.
So are you ready for a real barnburner of a race next year? I'm hopeful the Hedrick Campaign is. Hopefully the DCCC is as well. I certainly know the GOP will try this time not to fall asleep at the wheel again.
Irvine City Councilwoman Beth Krom visited the California Democratic Party convention Saturday, touting her race for Congress in the 48th Congressional District.
Pictured above, Krom meets with bloggers Robert Criukshank, David Atkins and David Dayen.
I know this isn't OC, but it's close enough. Just a hop, skip, and jump down the 5 from San Clemente, the 50th Congressional District inhabits a simply gorgeous stretch of coastline in North San Diego County. I myself am quite familiar with the 50th District, as I first chomped my political teeth while interning with Francine Busby's 2006 Special Election Congressional Campaign after Duke Cunningham had to resign the seat in scandalicious disgrace. I poured my blood and sweat into the Busby Campaign, but we unfortunately fell short by just 4% in June 2006.
Well, it looks like my old boss may be at it again. I just hope she learned the lessons of what went wrong in 2006. Pretty soon, I'll do a write-up of my experiences from that campaign as a warning to not just Francine Busby, but also a few certain high-profile Congressional candidates running in OC. But for now, check out the release after the flip.
Here are a few of the reasons Beth Krom is such an excellent candidate for California's 48th District:
She can win elections. Beth Krom has won five campaigns, In 2006, she garnered 60% of the vote in her re-election as Mayor and in 2008, won her current City Council seat with 8000 votes more than the next candidate.
She gets things done. We need elected officials who have experience getting things done for their constituents. Beth Krom is a strong advocate for environmental stewardship. Her vote was instrumental in cleaning up the water along the Orange County coast: she was the first "inland" representative to advocate for full secondary treatment of the effluent the OC Sanitation District pumped out into the ocean and was the "swing vote" in getting the board to fund implementation.
I am sure that all of you are aware of Thursday's Flight 3407 crash outside Buffalo, NY, which killed 50 people.
However, you may be unaware that the crash took the life of an individual who spent a large portion of her existence defending human rights for those unable or afraid to speak up.
Doctor Alison Des Forges was the senior adviser of the NY-based Human Rights Watch's Africa Division. Des Forges spent four years in Rwanda documenting the 1994 atrocities and testifying before UN and congressional panels. She was also an expert on the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to Human Rights Watch's executive director -
She was truly wonderful, the epitome of the human rights activist - principled, dispassionate, committed to the truth and to using that truth to protect ordinary people.
Let us honor Alison Des Forges by continuing to voice our opposition against genocide.
