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You can donate to Donna Edwards and Mark Pera through Blue America here.
As we near the end of the fundraising quarter, remember: the way to change the climate of insider politics in Washington DC is to kick out the insiders. Blue America has two really good candidates in primary races this year: Donna Edwards and Mark Pera.
Donna is in a tough battle with the entrenched Al Wynn in MD-04, who managed to get the NARAL endorsement despite voting with Republicans to let people who bomb abortion clinics escape from the debt by filing for bankruptcy.
The CBC Monitor has been watching Wynn’s record– and all members of the Congressional Black Caucus– and his ratings have been an absolute disgrace. He is a pawn of corporate interests and, even though he was frightened enough by Donna’s challenge to try to clean up his act, he’s still one of the least progressive members of Congress with an overall score of D+ (up from an F).
Donna has been racking up progressive endorsements — Emily’s List, SEIU and UFCW, the Sierra Club — but the financial support hasn’t been forthcoming. Donna very nearly beat Al Wynn last time (and some ballot boxes that had been tampered with indicate she actually did beat him) but she took Wynn by surprise that time. This time Wynn was ready and has been pulling out all the stops.
Mark Pera is running against the anti-choice, anti-stem cell research, anti-immigrant, pro-war Dan Lipinski in IL-03. Lipinski inherited the seat from his father (and I think we all know how well that works out).
As Howie Klein said during Mark Pera’s Blue America visit:
His prosecutorial specialty, by the way, is environmental law. Sandra from the Northside DFA described him to me as "right on all the issues that Lipinski is so wrong on, he’s charismatic, confident, and well spoken. And unlike Lipinski, if elected he will owe his allegiance to the people instead of to the Democratic machine. If you are a voter in District 3, it’s a no-brainer."
Some battles we take on just because it’s the right thing to do, regardless of the odds. But in both of these races, the candidates stand a very good chance of winning — and shaking up the do-nothing DC Democrats. If you have a little cash to drop in their Blue America coffers, even $5, it’s a great way to express confidence in progressive values and hope for the new year.
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Morning, Jane!
zed?
well, 2nd’s good, too.
Hi, Jane. Hi, Prof.
They’re not afraid of angry letters. They ARE afraid of primary challenges. Let’s make it happen.
I’m going to volunteer for Donna after the new year. I’ve been trying to get together with LoudounLib for coffee after we became friends on Facebook, and we decide we would meet and volunteer for Donna at the same time.
We were going to see about getting some other pups involved. More details as they develop.
DAMMIT to HELL !
…we need more and better Democrats in Congress like DONNA and MARK.
Please, if you can afford a little green to put in their Blue America’s stockings, now’s the time.
Bright Blessings and Yule-tide greetings, all.
Right back at ya jacqrat.
Morning to you too!
RE: my #6….
Sorry for the cussin’. Guess I shouldn’t have posted so soon after reading the various remarks on “Rape-gurney Joe’s” decision to back McCain over at Howie’s site.
The season’s greetings at the end were absolutely heartfelt, honest :)
Conyers does NOT care about Wexler’s Petition to start Cheney impeachment hearings!
Read the transcript from Democracy Now.
http://willyloman.wordpress.co…..-petition/
He will NOT allow impeachment hearings to take place.
Conyers knows that Pelosi will undercut the efforts of impeachment rather than helping to build a bi-partisan coalition to impeach.
Conyers knows that Pelosi will again be Speaker of the House next year and she will take him off the Judiciary Committee if he goes against her wishes. It’s a “lose-lose” for him and impeachment.
Let’s help him and the rest of the members of the House of Representatives by removing an obstructionist Speaker. It can be done and must be done to start the impeachment process.
http://www.petitiononline.com/…..ition.html
Done. I dropped $25.00 in a few other candidates’ coffers as well. Back to holiday prep. I wish all of you a warm and loving end of the year, whatever or however or if ever you celebrate it.
Gnome
Here’s a little Mood Indigo for everyone’s listening pleasure while stuffing Blue America stockings..)
Is this petition really legit? Who handles it and to whom do they take it? Just asking because I am inclined to sign it even it’s just to scare Pelosi.
I donated to Donna Edwards a while back, and hope to send more to both these challengers after New Years Day.
Since all the National legislative seats for Alaska are held by the GOP, our most interesting primaries up to today have been for the Democratic nominations as challengers. But A fairly credible GOP challenge to Ted Stevens surfaced yesterday afternoon in Anchorage real estate developer,/multi-millionaire Dave Cuddy. Cuddy’s more conservative than St. Ted, though.
Even better. Make em spend money on challenges from the left and the right both.
title says it all for me :)
NARAL behaviour over the last couple of election hav been shamefull. They have lost their way.
Somedy needs to send Conyers a copy of his own friggin’ “Blueprint for Impeachment” book.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reade…..eader-link
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? Methinks now Conyers DID vote for impeachment:
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/….._0516.html
Oh, wait — that was his wife, Monica Conyers. Never mind.
Without making a value judgment on the DCCC, they’ve just included Blue America candidate Russ Warner in their top 40 House target list, which is good news. This is the first decent opportunity that the Dems have really ever had to knock off the Dreaded David Dreier in CA-26.
Go Donna, go Mark!
Smart Democrats
won’t mention the war, abortion or taxes.
The surge has worked, the battleground states are pro-life,
and everyone wants to be a millionaire.
[ Did I mention that what would have been my NPR contribution this
year went to the two Edwards? F*ck you, Scott Simon. ]
Digg this post. Help spread the word.
The Nice Polite Reds!
IIRC Nancy Keegan is a practicing Roman Catholic. Unlike the wacko fundies, the Roman Catholic Church has had a consistent position on “choice”. If Ms. Keegan is still a practicing Catholic, she can’t be President of a pro-choice organization…the two conditions cannot co-exist, IMO. It would be interesting to see if there has been a policy change since she took over.
Done!
And on theNewshour last night, Jim Lehrer, Mark Shields and Bobo
never let the words “John Edwards” dirty their lips.
That is odd. One would think that having someone with religous beliefs that are in conflict with the organisaton’s goals head that organisation would be a dumb idea.
welp, glad you keep an eye on their shenanigans ;)
Done!
$25 to each and $10 to Act Blue.
Christy’s upstairs…
And, check out You Tube of Donna Edwards calling out Al Wynn- and Hoyer in the background. Short video- won’t take long ;)
Donna Edwards Debates Al Wynn — “Sorry It’s Just Too Late”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO4wbZVwchg
p.s. hope link works – I keep getting 404 error when I try to open in preview.
p.p.s. okay, it works, once posted.
Has anyone thought about running against Pelosi in the primary? I know that it would almost certainly be futile in terms of actually winning, but it might be worth it anyway. Just like the candidates in 2006 (was Jane Harman one?) who got scared enough to move back away from the right, if Pelosi had an opponent who got even 20% of the vote in the primary, it could send her a message. A lot of her arrogance and sloppiness comes from feeling that she’s safe in her district. Wouldn’t hurt her to find out that a certain percentage of her own constituents aren’t happy with her performance.
See also Kos on current Democratic politics: “This is it. This is the way to save our party. (Primary fights)”
Also don’t miss Rebecca Solnit’s Secret Library of Hope which tells why we need to be hopeful, even in these dark times, and offers Solnit’s favorite 12 books to buck us up!
I’m late to this thread but I had to send some $ to support Donna Edwards again. In addition to all his other pro-corporatist votes, Al Wynn has voted against net neutrality in committee and on the floor. He has got to go.
If Senator Hilary Clinton were seeking re-election in 2008, and if a qualified progressive candidate were primarying her, Blue America would probably support that challenger. Vote for Change in Congress, and the White House.