Should We Be Really Worried about Dem Prospects in 2010?

by: admin

Mon Jan 25, 2010 at 22:20:36 PM CST

After last weeks Scott Brown victory, we've had a number of discussions on this board about what went wrong.

Let's not play the blame game here either. h/t to Ministry of Truth

However, I'm a little concerned when I see how much trouble we are in based on news of retirements of House Dems in Arkansas and the announced decision today of Beau Biden to forgo a Senate Run in Delaware

I'm also remembering reading about some other top Dem prospects that decided to stay off the ballots in the 2010 cycle.

So what say you? Should we be more concerned that we were this time last week?  

Texas write in Candidates needed

by: benawu

Thu Jan 07, 2010 at 05:40:48 AM CST

As you may already be aware there are a number of uncontested Republican Congresscritters.

And that sucks - big time.

Below the fold to see exactly what you (if you live in Texas) can do about it.

(Cross posted here, there and everywhere)

California Dreaming - 2010 House Races

by: benawu

Sun Jan 03, 2010 at 04:21:53 AM CST

How will we fare in 2010?

Below the fold for all the details and hey go check out the 2010 Race Tracker Wiki over at Open Congress for all your House, Senate and Gubernatorial needs.

(Cross posted at Daily Kos, MyDD and Open Left)

House Votes for Wall Street Reg Bill Despite GOP Fail

by: admin

Fri Dec 11, 2009 at 20:48:50 PM CST

The bill, passed in a 223-202 vote, calls for the creation of a new federal agency dedicated to protecting consumers that would police consumer credit products like mortgages and credit cards. It also establishes new rules for the trading of derivatives and increases the transparency of the credit-rating process -- two previously under-regulated parts of the economy that played a large role in last year's economic collapse.

Not a single Republican voted for the bill. Twenty-seven Democrats broke with the rest of their party to vote against it.

Despite breaking down party lines (not even the vote of Joseph Cao can save it), some observers still call this legislation historic and groundbreaking financial regulatory reform

"Today is an important milestone in reversing the decades-long stranglehold Wall Street and big banks have had over our economy. But it is just the first step," said Service Employees International Union Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger. "Despite the millions Wall Street and the Chamber of Commerce spent fighting the demands of the American people and the dozens of visits by big bank CEOs to strong-arm members of Congress, our leaders found the political will and courage to pass the most historic financial reform legislation in nearly 80 years."

Conclusion

I believe this is clearly a step in the right direction. I'm a bit dismayed that the bill does not go far enough. I think it is absolutely ridiculous that the Marshall amendment failed which would have allowed bankruptcy judges to cut principal for homeowners. A judge can alter terms on a vacation home, but not a primary residence.  Rep Jim Marshall of Georgia, who offered the amendment, is one of the more conservative Dem members. So how this could fail is beyond my grasp at this point other than we had way too many Dems sellout.  

PA-16: You couldn't stop Stupak. But you can stop Pitts.

by: LoisHerr2010

Thu Nov 12, 2009 at 13:59:18 PM CST

My name is Lois Herr, and I'm running for Congress in PA-16.

And I am mad.

While there is much good in last night's healthcare bill, an amendment sponsored by my opponent, Rep. Joe Pitts, is a direct attack on the freedom and privacy of American women.

Now keep in mind: this is the same Pitts who LED the debate of this amendment on the floor .

This is the same Pitts who has actively SPREAD LIES about the bill.

YES WE CAN! But It's NOT ENOUGH to elect a Progressive President, so here's what we have to do next

by: MinistryOfTruth

Mon Nov 09, 2009 at 10:35:48 AM CST

What I learned

What this reform fight has taught me:

it is not enough to elect a progressive president, we need to elect liberals and progressives in congress as well.

    The frustrating inability of this Democratically controlled Congress is PROOF that our job did NOT END when Obama won the Presidential election in 2008. In fact, our work has just begun, and we must face it with the same dedication, intensity and enthusiasm that we did in 2008, or we WILL lose, because we simply don't have the money to compete with the special interests that control our Government.

    But we DO have the people, and they can't beat that.

    So, here's how we should FIGHT BACK.

Breaking News; Health Care Reform Passes House

by: admin

Sat Nov 07, 2009 at 22:46:13 PM CST

219 Democrats and 1 Republican joined together - just two more than the 218 needed

Not really but that's one more yes vote than we got from our Alabama Delegation which includes 3 Democrats.

Who was the Republican vote? - Ahn Joseph Cao from New Orleans who replaced "Dollar" Bill Jefferson in the House.

For the roll call vote

39 Dems who voted against

Adler(NJ), Altmire, Baird, Barrow, Boccieri, Boren, Boucher, Boyd, Bright, Chandler, Childers, Davis(AL), Davis(TN), Edwards(TX), Gordon (TN), Griffith, Herseth Sandlin, Holden, Kissell, Kosmas, Kratovil, Kucinich, Markey (CO), Marshall, Massa, Matheson, McIntyre, McMahon, Melancon, Minnick, Murphy (NY), Nye, Peterson, Ross, Shuler, Skelton, Tanner, Taylor, Teague

Dear Readers, help us choose which elections to get involved in

by: MinistryOfTruth

Tue Oct 06, 2009 at 17:49:08 PM CDT

    Where do you live? What are your issues and what Congressional and Senatorial races do you want The Progressive Electorate to get involved in.

    I am lucky enough to live in a very blue state, New York, where we only have 3 Republicans left in the House and solid Dems in the Senate. Other than the Governor's race and my local Reps (John Hall NY-19, Scott Murphy NY-20) I will have some free time to work on races outside of NY.

   But where do I start, or rather, where do WE start, because, as readers, writers and even you lurkers out there (I know your watching!), this is as much YOUR website as much as anybody else's. What can I say, I am a socialist on some issues.

: )

    So which races do YOU want US to be involved in? Which issues are the most important to you? We cureently have 5 Candidates/Races targeted on our ActBlue page and will probably add at least 5 more, though I would like to go even bigger than that if I can.

    Where do we begin, and why? Go below the fold and I will leave the floor open to you.  

URGENT: Single Payer Day - UHC and Single Payer - Today is the day, folks

by: MinistryOfTruth

Tue Jul 21, 2009 at 12:15:47 PM CDT

Woke up to an e-mail from change.org. A petition request to protest UHC. United Health Care for those who have not had the misfortune to cross paths with them. They asked for a personal comment and here is mine:

It's no coincidence that your e-mail arrived in my inbox this morning. It is raining today and I' a small-plot organic farmer so I have some inside time today. This Tue morn is dedicated to doing battle with UHC and the idiots who make its policies.

Those policies are designed to cheat the members who pay big money for their premiums. We get our UHC through my wife's employment at Home Depot. I am disabled and we get by on her $22k a year but mostly we need that job just for the health insurance.

UHC are masters at mis-billing, avoidance of contract fulfillment and general outright fraud. I have friends who are doctors and their side of the story is even worse than mine as a poor patient.

I will lose an otherwise productive inside day spending it on the phone, delving the depths of incomprehensible automated telephone voice mail menus, only to find myself at the wrong department.

If by some stroke of luck I find a human being, I may be transferred to the right department - and disconnected while waiting five minutes on hold. Then I will start all over again until I get through.

Some of today's issues are interesting. My wife took family leave to tend to her dying mother last year. We paid all of our co-pays on time. But somehow I disappeared from the rolls for about two weeks during the transition back to full-time post-maternal-death. Instead of being charged $50 - $15- co-pays, I am being charged in the hundreds for procedures that should have been covered.

Your prayers for my patience are appreciated. The problem is not the underpaid, overworked employee on the other end of the phone who bears the brunt of the collective anger. Pray for them. They are ou. The problem is in the executive and upper managerial suites, the board, and the Street. All compensation flows to the top these days. All these greed-heads want is to make their quarterly numbers thereby triggering their bonuses. All else means nothing.

These people have no humanity. They are lying, extorting and bribing their asses off today to kill single payer health care. Please join in, call your congressman and help get this done right. It is NOW or NEVER on health care reform. Our time has come. Shame on us if we let it slip by.

God bless you all.

Credit Default Swaps To Be Regulated By The Agriculture Committee?

by: Curtis Abbey

Sat May 30, 2009 at 03:12:37 AM CDT

What does this have to do with agriculture? The CFTC is one of two regulatory bodies competing for the role of CDS regulator. The CFTC, Commodities Futures Trading Commission is overseen by the House Agriculture Committee.

Heather Ryan's First T.V. Ad: The Zephyr Hillbilly

by: RDemocrat

Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 19:47:32 PM CDT

How many House seats will the Dems pick up?

by: admin

Wed Sep 24, 2008 at 08:18:09 AM CDT

I believe it is a lot harder to measure pick up opportunities in the House for a number of reasons.

1. There are 435 house seats. It is really difficult for analysts to keep an eye on each of these districts.

2. A number of competitive open seats this year.

3. Less polls are taken in Congressional Races than Senate races.

4. Congressional Races more closely mirror local races.

Anyways - we can only give a range of estimates in terms of the number of seats that will go to the Dems.

I would say that we should get about a 7 seat turnover on the low end and on the high end will be conservative and say 16 would be our max on the high end. Those are very rough estimates and not at all Swing State Project scientific.  

We look very primed to take a couple of open seats in NY including NY-13, NY-25 that were in Republican hands.

Also knock me over with a feather if we can't manage to pick up AZ-1. Rick Renzi's seat.

Here are my safe Dem pick ups

NY-13
NY-25
AZ-1
NJ-03
VA-11

I think we will lose - PA-11 according to some recent numbers and so-so trends for the Dems in in PA. We may also lose TX-22. I think LA-06 will go our way.

There are a numnber of toss ups that I really like including NM-01 and AL-02 and AK-AL. CA-04 is another race that I really would like to spend more time analyzing.

Now I would also put IL-10 into a toss up category. Mark Kirk is a Republican in a +D 4 and he doesn't seem to be running as much to the center as some of the Republican Candidates. I think this will be a nail bitter.

Melancon (D for TX 4) Never Surrender to Financial Terrorism

by: glenn melancon

Mon Sep 22, 2008 at 13:25:42 PM CDT

Our Founding Fathers wisely limited each branch of government and assigned each part specific responsibilities.  The Constitution is clear-Congress, not the President nor the Federal Reserve, is the "decider."  Congress decides how much to spend and what to spend it on.  George Bush's request for a blank check to bail out Wall Street strikes at the very heart of our Constitution.  If our Representatives write the check without protections for the taxpayers, then the American experiment of limited government will be over.

Heather Ryan Hits Back

by: RDemocrat

Sat Aug 30, 2008 at 10:37:39 AM CDT

Exxon Ed Whitfield's Hypocrisy on Healthcare

by: RDemocrat

Tue Aug 12, 2008 at 21:11:13 PM CDT