In response to the netroots call for Democrats in safe seats to kick in money from their war chests in support of those in competitive races, Barney Frank this week will give more than 30% of his September 30 cash-on-hand. It was a bold move, but then again Barney is a courageous guy.
As Kos says:
Here's the bottom line — safe Republican incumbents are ponying up in an effort to keep control of Congress — to the tune of $2.3 million more than Democrats. It's why they win — they work harder and sacrifice more than our safe, lazy, entrenched incumbents who would rather stew in the minority than actually extend themselves out a bit.
We get working people, those on fixed incomes, letting us know all the time that seeing Congress change hands this fall is really important to them and that they are setting aside money to make sure that it happens. Many of these people will have to work harder to sacrifice the five dollars they gave candidates through our Blue America page than would a candidate chipping in cash-on-hand from a race with no challenger. These war chests came in large part from us, and it's not asking too much that these safe candidates stop acting like they're members of the "And More About Me" party and pull together with the rest of us to initiate some oversight.
Barney Frank is the ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee, and should the Dems squeak by to victory in November he would become the Chairman. His actions give us a lot of confidence that he will act responsibly and judiciously in this role, and deserve all our support as he does so.
Please take a look at this Chris Bowers list and see if your congressperson is in one of the ultra-safe Democratic seats, then give them a call and ask them why they aren't doing like Barney Frank. Let us know in the comments what happens.
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Hi Jane!
Go Dems!
Go Barney!
Go Michael J. Fox and blessings to him and his family!
Go FDL!
OT Your daily gas and oil prices
Average price for regular gasoline 10/24/06 in 50 states and DC
$2.90 plus 1 state : Hawaii
$2.80 plus 0 states
$2.70 plus 0 states
$2.60 plus 1 state : Alaska
$2.50 plus 2 states
$2.40 plus 5 states
$2.30 plus 3 states
$2.20 plus 14 states
$2.10 plus 13 states
$2.00 plus 12 states : Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Missouri, Mississippi, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia
Average daily decline in the national average for regular gasoline beginning at the peak:
August 8-15: .56 cents
August 15-22: 1.06
August 22-29: 1.19
Aug 29- Sept 5: 1.54
September 5-12: 1.7
September 12-19: 1.8
September 19-26: 1.7
Sept 26-Oct 3: .9
October 3-10: .61
October 10-17: .56
October 17-24: .30 cents
Average national price: $2.202, down $.003 from yesterday
Down 42.2 cents from same time last year.
Highest recorded national average price: $3.057 9/5/2005
Highest average price: Hawaii $2.932
Lowest average price: South Carolina and New Jersey $2.047
http://www.fuelgaugereport.com/sbsavg.asp
Nymex Crude Future $59.35, up $.54 from yesterday
Dated Brent Spot $57.54, up $.27
WTI Cushing Spot $57.10, up $.04
The fall in gas prices has slowed markedly. As you can see above, the daily decline in gas prices is half what is was last week, a third of what it was three weeks ago, and a sixth of what it was a month ago. In the last week, gas prices fell just 2.1 cents. A month ago the same fall took just over a day.
The oil market remains split. The spot markets are low while the futures market is up, indicating that while the market is cheap now it will not remain so.
Barbara Lee spends for me. Well, at least she’s not on the list (CA-09)
Hugh,
Isn’t it about time (or past it) that the refineries switch to heating oil production and therefore prices should rise?
Solid steel, I’m telling you. Cojones of steel.
Hooray for Barney Frank!!
Hugh @
2
how telling. how convenient.
What am I going to write about tonight, y’all?
Pressure’s on. Tick…tick…tick…
Barney is a Real Democrat – and he’s stepped up. Time to get the rest to do the same!
John Lewis GA is listed as “under review”- I’m guessing that it means he is reviewing how much to give, since an office number is not listed. But, if anyone knows for sure, please set me straight.
TRex @
7
Cognitives Dissing Tits?
Hearing the Tweety hour now and listening to them discuss the Anti-Harold Ford blonde bimbo ad. My take: Michael Smerconish is a loudmouth fool and racist.
And Bob Herbert nails it.
Enough of the shameless racist baiting from the Rove-Mehlman-Bush crowd. You shall know them by the company they keep…and these racist sob’s keep company with each other.
TREx…topic:
Republicans…how low can they go?
Prairie Sunshine @ 11
Michael Smerconish is an idiot or a liar. The purpose of a politiacl ad isn’t to be funny
Smartest person in the House, hands down. Thank you, people of Massachusetts, for electing this man.
I wanted to include this on the Lieberman/Lamont thread, but you guys moved too fast for me.
I just wanted to let you know that all of you who visited CT’s WTNH blog last night to weigh in on the debate did Lamont an enormous favor. Local ABC WTNH news coverage on the debate focused on viewer reactions based on their blog. And Ned was the big winner!
You can read about it here or watch it exactly as it appeared.
The debate got a huge number of CT viewers:
This kind of coverage is gold. :)
Prairie Sunshine @ 12
Republican Limbo! Complete with a song…
I have been away from the computer for awhile. Has there been any news on how long Hastert was before the “Ethics Committee” today? Not trying to hijack the thread with this question.
T-rex what are you hearing about the Burns, Barrow race??? I’m not a big fan of GA dems and normally vote issues but not this year.
I met Barney Frank many years ago when he and other Congresstypes visited the base at which the spouse was stationed at the time. Frank impressed me with his matter-of-fact attitude and his command of the facts and issues of the military members.
When we spoke, he was genuinely interested in what I had to say even though I was not a constituent. The man just impressed the heck out of me.
I’ve followed his legislative career and have seen nothing to change my opinion of him.
TRex, you could talk about Michael J. Fox or Keith Olbermann– both beautifully representative of the best of Americans.
Or you could chat about “The Googler in Chief”
Or a post on Jim Webb, Ned Lamont, Steve Porter and/or John Tester, etc.
Or you could chat about Kevin Tillman and the lies promulgated by this asshat administration who used and lied about his brother.
topic-
Only in america could the president relentlessly demean his opponents for not being stay the course, and then say – WITH A STRAIGHT FACE – “we’ve never been cut and run, George”
I mean, I have seen a lot of shit, but that takes the cake.
I have a question: I looked all over the Use it or Lose it section at MyDD and don’t see anything about the Senate. Are their donation rules different? If not, it would seem we should be hitting the safe and non-running Senators too.
Hey SharonW –
Is there still something (event, person) in the works? You were hinting that something might happen.
Is it me, or does this seem like the admin is talking about “timetables”? Of course, next week they’ll say “we’ve never been against timetables”.
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Two weeks before U.S. midterm elections, American officials unveiled a timeline Tuesday for Iraq’s Shiite-led government to take specific steps to calm the world’s most dangerous capital and said more U.S. troops might be needed to quell the bloodshed.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200…..1024185441
Just talked with my congress (Sam Farr) critter’s campaign chief of staff who promised to check out Blue American and see what they can do to share some of their dough. There is a big – and far from sold out Big Dog Clinton event coming up in SF at the Warfield on Nov. 1st – and will just hope and trust Sam Farr gets some dough out through the netroots before E. Rahm squeezes them for every last dime.Stay tuned.
uh-oh:
dab from CT @ 23
(sigh) Things are stalled for the moment on that. I’m still keeping my fingers crossed though.
However, there is something pretty cool planned near the finish line.
punaise @
26
I saw that. Worrisome
TRex @ 7
Did Dubai Ports World ever complete the sale?
Dubai Firm to Sell U.S. Port Operations
Move to End Three-Week Dispute Comes After GOP Lawmakers, Defying Bush, Vowed to Kill Deal
By Jonathan Weisman and Bradley Graham
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, March 10, 2006
A United Arab Emirates-based maritime company at the center of a furious controversy over port security bowed to pressure from Congress yesterday and announced that it will sell off its U.S. operations to an American owner.
kind of OT: Thank you scarecrow and others for your encouraging words earlier this afternoon after my grumpy comment about the “reichwingers.” I got called away right after I posted, but I read your answers later. The Glenn Greenwald link about what really is mainstream was great.
And on topic, Barney Frank always cheers me up! He is so smart, for one thing, and I love how he takes no crap. He was excellent on Bill Mahr this week.
UptownNYChick @ 28
How horrible! I hope the police & FBI are on top of this. (I’m sure we are all thinking something none of us want to think.)
In another investigative vein, TRex– Dru had a great question last thread:
heh
http://photos1.blogger.com/blo…..581_fs.jpg
Sharon,
I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure the backstory will come out when the election is over.
Worrisome. Ominous. Horrible. Surprising?
Maydaze #4,
Sorry it took me a while to answer you.
I think the switchover began around the first or second week of September because that’s when heating oil prices fell (because production rose). About 7 percent of US homes use heating oil. Most of this is concentrated in the Northeast where it heats around 32 percent of homes. So far stocks have been adequate, temperatures unremarkable, and heating oil prices have been fairly steady. This means that they have not exerted much pressure on gasoline prices yet.
If the differential developing between the spot and futures prices in crude oil lasts, there will be a move to build up stocks since storing may be cheaper than buying later. This would act to keep prices low or slow increases. The countervailing trend is winter and how cold it may be. A moderate El Nino usually results in a milder, wetter winter in the West and North. I have also seen forecasts that say this winter will be colder than last winter but warmer than average. We will have to wait to see how these factors play out.
Apple Canyon 2 @
17
Latest AP story on Hastert
next up on cnn – democrats taking on the wussy factor.
:)
smells like green spirit:
Hey y’all,
Me, Kenny and Rickie Lee are going on a three day bus tour November 2-4 with Ned Lamont, performing “Have You Had Enough.”
I’m pumped. Howie’s already told the BBC, but I wanted y’all to know.
I’m almost as young and beautiful as I appear in writing, and can’t wait to meet some FDL nutmeggers. Back on the road!
Blank Kludge @ 35
I wouldn’t jump to any conclusions
tommy yum @ 40
yee hah!
tommy yum @ 40
Bless you all!
I wish so much that I was still a Nutmegger! Whew.
Hugh @ 36
Thanks, Hugh. I was worried that the low gas prices would create a bad political climate, but it really hasn’t seemed to have much of a positive effect for the Rethugs. I guess they’re in such bad shape even cheap gas doesn’t help!
tommy yum @ 40
Awesome. Joe Tortureman will never know what hit ‘em.
tommy yum @ 40
Would love to know your schedule. We Mass folks will come down to see you.
I won’t vote for either one of those jerks!
JPL @
18
tommy yum — woo hoo!
Lamont’s people will have it up I bet, scarecrow.
Here’s my response to Ned’s advance team, asking us if there’s anything we need:
Tommy Yummmmmmmm!
WooHoo! what great news!
And it’s wonderful that Esten is doing well enough that you can go … I’m been tracking his Care page and you are one wonderful family!
Apple Canyon 2 — Hastert story coming up on KO/Countdown, 16 minutes into the hour.
Liam Madden, a Marine whistleblower, blowing the admin away on KO.
tommy yum– it’s a veritable rebirth and congrats. Loved the SNZ and Rickie Lee separately; together you are the future.
Siun @ 50
Got that right, knocking on wood. We both got our heads shaved today.
Tommy – make them feed you the good cookies from the Deli near HQ! coconut pecan … ahhh!
Olbermann is talking about Iraq with this Sgt. in the Army, who is speaking out against this war. This kid has got guts. Certain non-Republican politician’s silence on the need to get out of Iraq, shrieks irresponsibility and yellowness.
so who looks better? that little guy of yours is mighty cute!
Olbermann now on Hastert.
TRex – Help! I just got a job at a nice office and they are having a Halloween party where everyone dresses in costume! (AACK!) Please suggest something clever i can wear! Thanks.
Here’s my request: someone *cough*darkblack*cough* make me a t-shirt with the FDL flame logo and I’ll wear that fucker. Size large, all cotton.
Am thinking about taping “707″ on the back of my guitar.
Siun @ 56
I look like an escapee from an institution and he looks adorable.
tommy yum @ 40
Wow. Look forward to shaking your hand.
Thanks so much. Really.
Maydaze #44,
Initially, I think the fall in gas prices did help both Bush (his JARs went up into the 40s) and Republicans. People were feeling less stressed but the Foley scandal was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It kicked the religious right and movement conservatives in the chops and reminded everyone else what a slimey and corrupt bunch they all are. And if that weren’t enough, Iraq chose that moment to blow up, again.
Kathryn in MA – not a Trex concept but my all time fave halloween costume was a creation of my son who (on his own) made a cardboard signboard … front and back of a check on it … then bounced around at every door trick or treating .. as a bouncing check of course!
tommy yum @
40
Dang, are you coming to Kulifuhnia, too? Bet it will be a blast on that bus!
Hugs for Esten from my Sprout (7). He wants to send Esten a soft toy. What kind of animals does he like? Can we figure out a way for him to send it?
tommy yum @ 59
LOL Have fun!
Urban Pirate @ 61
Urban – where are you located?
Mommybrain,
He likes Thomas the Tank Engine and the Cat in the Hat, and I’ll get from you in person (CT?). Or, I’ll give you my addy.
Kathryn in MA @ 58
Foley mask?
Lieberman mask?
Rove mask?
Cheney? Bush? Condi?
Limbaugh? Hannity? O/Reilly? Coulter?
So many scary people, not enough masks.
OR,
If the office is mostly Bush supporters, go as the Constitution; or Lady Justice; or from the International Tribunal on War Crimes, or just Nancy Pelosi; it’ll scare the s**t out of them.
HOOOORAYYY, Tommy Yum
HOOOORAYYY, Rickie Lee
HOOOORAYYY, Kenny
tommy yum @ 59
I’d buy that shirt. I bought a Mary Jo Kilroy shirt (OH-15), but it’s cotton poly. I’m allergic to Polly.
tommy yum @ 40
WOOHOO TOMMY & RICKY LEE! That’s fantastic!
I don’t know if it helped, but on this end, way back, your fanfreakintastic video was mentioned to Swan.
I absolutely adored your work and was incredibly impressed on how all of you pooled your resources together to produce a free, high quality message that covered all the bases in such a delightful way. The song was perfection. And to offer it up to candidates for use was sheer brilliance.
Of course, your notoriety may have preceded you all on its own. :)
tommy yum @
40
Yessssss! You’ve got the magic, Tommy!
You and family are in my thoughts. It’s great to see you again, and what I wouldn’t give to be there. Kick some serious ass!
Gonna go hang w/Ken.
As an extra treat (for the obsessed), we will have Don Raleigh, the Zips’ original bass player, with us.
Love to all.
tommy yum @ 73
right backatcha y’all!
Hugs to Esten and his sis and Mama, too.
MayDaze @ 44
The polls on the subject indicate that most people believe this is intentional price manipulation by the admin due to their ties to big oil and the Saudis in particular.
Whether true or not, it’s pretty cool the public thinks so. :)
dab from CT @ 66
Born and raised in Stamford. Home is now Montauk. I’m volunteering for the Stamford office, and staying in CT pretty much until the victory party. :)
This guy asks me at school today, what is the ONE common thread that unites Progressives? I didn’t miss a beat. Being against the Iraq war, I replied. But hey I continued, this is the one thing that is beginning to unite America. This fellow teacher and conservative said, “agreed”.
Of course there are many, many other issues, that are dear to the liberal heart.
scarecrow @ 68
Wonderful! I grew up practically next door – Riverside.
Hope I see you in Meriden on the 7th.
Hugh @ 62
I really think we are in a perfect storm that will wash those SOBs right out of power!
dab from CT @ 79
Hey, I grew up in OG. Used to go to Ada’s after school (Junior High). Small friggin’ world!
I heard on NPR, from an Oil Company CEO, (Shell
I thunk) that the run up, and then run down of gas prices was all weather-related..
What the fuck?
Jack
Scarecrow – a shredded Constitution — hmmmmmm
SharonW @ 75
Yeah, I think it was something like 42% that said the lower prices were due to manipulation. For once, I’m not alone.
dab from CT @ 79
Yep. Definately.
My family is from Riverside. (sunshine ave. I think)
OK I get most of the stuff but I finnally gotta ask-
707?
LOL upside down– you fall outta the chair, funny.
Really funny.
Okay, who said this:
Kathryn in MA @ 83
Farfetched? I once went as a nuclear power plant, complete with leaking pipes. I lived in Sacramento, and the local utility, SMUD, had this nuke that folks wanted to shut down.
The Newt?
Kathryn in MA @ 83
habeus corpse
new action upstairs, folks
Goldman Sachs bailing on gasoline futures in early August tracks almost to the day the beginning of the fall in gas prices. The new Treasury Secretary came from there.
The world crude oil market is a lot larger than our gasoline market and the Saudis don’t have the clout in it they once did.
My view is that any market that behaves in an irrational way, that is you can’t relate price to the pressures on the market in any coherent way, is manipulated. I would say that the US gasoline market is not being manipulated now but that it is always manipulated. As gas prices increase generally and the difference between its highs and lows becomes greater so does the degree of manipulation involved.
scarecrow @ 88
Joe Lieberman?
angie @ 94
nope, Santorum
punaise @ 91
That’s it = i’m going dressed in black with an explanatory sign saying ‘Habeas Corpse’ – easy, to the point, and i don’t look ridiculous.
gak, scarecrow!
Makes sense though. His Syria, Iran and Iraq belligerance Acts are equally stupid and dangerous.
gak again!
Urban Pirate @ 85
Did you go to GHS? I graduated in 1985. I have 6 brothers who also went there.
Twisted Martini @ 81
OMG Ada’s…. too funny. Ada with the nicotine stained fingers picking out that penny candy – gaaakkk
I lived on Riverside Ave – across from Club Road.
Twisted, some of you may have known some of my best friends, the Twoohy’s???
Yes – I did graduate from GHS – but a bit before your time. My sister graduated in 1982.
This is hysterical. Definitely a small world
Right on Dab, I grew up on sound Beach Ave, right down from OG school.
Kathryn in MA @ 96
especially important not to look ridiculous at your new job!
angie @ 100
Name doesn’t ring a bell, but that doesn’t mean anything. I still have a brother who lives in Cos Cob and another who lives in Darien.
tommy yum @
59
Like this, Tommy?
I’m not in the T-shirt business, but if the trademark owners (Christy and Jane) have no objections regarding trademark use, etc…
Here’s hoping that the news just gets better and better for your son every day.
Scarecrow @ 37&51,
Thank you for the heads up. I tried to refresh after my question and all i got was
“No New Comments.”
I then went to DKos and then watched KO.
Just saw that you are going down to meet Tommy Yum and friends to help Ned Lamont. You’re lucky to be so close to make the trip.
In Illinois, so will be rooting for you from afar, but you all are in our thoughts. Go Ned!
Hugh @ 93
Yeah, Goldman Sachs is always a big player in matters of world economy.
However, there is no doubt, as well, that back 2004 the Saudis not only did, but said they did indeed (according to Woodward’s book) turn on the oil spigots to full blast. They pumped at capacity.
I can only imagine that if they hadn’t, that all the fears built into the market from the incredible instability in the ME, Nigerian attacks on oil workers and stations, the loss of a good portion of Iraq’s oil due to the war, the devastating hurricanes of 2005 and the ever-looming threat of demand exceeding supply due to increased use by the U.S., China and India which pushed the prices as high as they did would only have been worse.
In other words, Goldman Sach’s prediction of $100 a barrel would have come true. But, they certainly helped the hype, didn’t they?
Now as the fear subsided back in August, production was not trimmed back until a call to do so last week. So, I think there is a certain amount of manipulation within the system on that end. And we all know that the Saudis produce the most.
I also do not think we’ll ever see oil below $50 a barrel ever again, which means that while all sorts of experts of various stripes proclaim no major impact on our economy, that is almost double the price paid in 2000. It will filter into the inflation equation and will always be subject to dramatic swings in the event of ME instability (like that’s never gonna happen again *g*) and the inevitability of demand out-weighing supply. NOW. Not some time in the future.
And nobody should believe ANYTHING any oil exec ever says.
punaise @ 103
How come nobody told me that? Might have come in handy, over the decades…
I’ll buy one of those T-shirts if you make them.
barney frank — man of steel
amazing dude
rock on and on and on
frank/barack 2008
TRex @ 7
I’d like to hear what you think the charge should be if Diebold were to be found guilty of tampering and fixing a federal election. Treason? What should the penalty be?
darkblack @ 105
Yeah, if FDL is cool with it, save the pic to your computer, cut the logo out in a square in Paint, reverse so it’s backwards and print to an iron-on transfer sheet. You can get a pack of 10 for like $10.
Then you cut out the logo to shape or keep it as a square and iron it right on to a teeshirt. :)
BTW, Tommy, my best wishes and good thoughts to you and your family during this difficult time. May healing and good health be your family’s future.
I was living in Cambridge in 1982 when redistricting was set up to shut Barney out. He was expected to lose to Margaret Heckler. He crushed her.
Barney’s a survivor, tough as nails, and smart as hell. He was never my Congressman–I was in Tip O’Neill’s district–but he represents a commitment to principle, one that other democrats need to emulate.
And in that bit, Barney just put into the discussion a principled view. It’s unfortunate that it takes pay cable to enable a discussion of this quality. But we have to keep grinding.
One of the things I love about Barney’s (he’s like Bernie in VT, a first name politician) presentation in this is that he reiterated his prediction about gay marriage in MA. He said, at the time, that he had no problem with a legislative review two years on, because people would see that it didn’t make any difference. That gay marriage had zero impact on anything. That’s proven to be true, and it was prescient of Barney to put it in those terms.
Frank in ‘08 for Prez!
Whoa!
Stephaine Miller is on Larry King
tommy yum @ 40
Eeeeeeeeeek! [teenage girl scream]
not to change the subject, but since I can’t seem to get into the “relevant” thread….I don’t think we should be to critical of John Forbes Kerry. Why, just today he a dazzlin display of courage asked me(via E-mail) for a $$$donation to help the Dems win back the House and Senate….JERK
Yehawwww! MyLeftNutmeg welcomes you to Connecticut!