You know things are bad for the liberals in the House when one of their own gets sent out to coax the doubters into agreeing with the crappy Senate language on abortion rights. As Sam Stein bluntly states, "DeLauro is one of the strongest champions for women's reproductive rights in the House; her blessing over the Senate abortion language represents a potentially major concession."
A key pro-choice House Democrat, working on health care in Congress, hinted on Monday that said she might be willing to support the Senate's abortion language.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) who has been tasked by leadership with helping hammer out a compromise on abortion between the two chambers, said she was not thrilled with either the House or Senate legislation's provisions. But in an interview with the Huffington Post, the Connecticut Democrat did say she would support the Senate's version of abortion-related language provided that she could confirm her belief that it did not go beyond current law.
"There are some questions I still have," DeLauro said. "And that's why I want to see this side-by-side with the language. It's not Stupak-Pitts [the House's language]. So, it's already [an improvement]. And it would appear to be current law. I would have to look at the questions that surround it, et cetera. But if it is current law then it would be something that was my goal at the outset: let's maintain current law and then let's pass health care."
Rosa DeLauro isn't pulling any punches. She's quoted in Politico as stating that she believes that Joe Lieberman ought to be recalled:
"No individual should hold health care hostage, including Joe Lieberman, and I'll say it flat out, I think he ought to be recalled," Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) told POLITICO.
John Larson also indicated that he finally "gets it" regarding Lieberman..sort of:
"It goes beyond frustration in Connecticut in terms of the way people feel," Larson said. "I have a great deal of respect and I have long admired Joe Lieberman. This goes against the grain of most of what he's fought for and stood for all of his life. It's thoroughly frustrating and disappointing for so many of us."
Thankfully, Connecticut voters have another chance to do what they should have done three years ago: vote for Ned Lamont, albeit for governor instead of senator. Can you begin to imagine how much better off this country would be today if Ned Lamont were in the United States Senate instead of Joe Lieberman? I hope we don't have to ask ourselves that question about the state of Connecticut three years from now.
Today, 57 Democratic members of Congress signed a letter to House leadership stating that the Blue Dog compromise on the public option in the Energy and Commerce Committee was "fundamentally unacceptable." Here is the full text of the letter, which includes a clear line in the sand:
Dear Madame Speaker, Chairman Waxman, Chairman Rangel, and Chairman Miller:
We write to voice our opposition to the negotiated health care reform agreement under consideration in the Energy and Commerce Committee.
We regard the agreement reached by Chairman Waxman and several Blue Dog members of the Committee as fundamentally unacceptable. This agreement is not a step forward toward a good health care bill, but a large step backwards. Any bill that does not provide, at a minimum, for a public option with reimbursement rates based on Medicare rates - not negotiated rates - is unacceptable. It would ensure higher costs for the public plan, and would do nothing to achieve the goal of "keeping insurance companies honest," and their rates down.
To offset the increased costs incurred by adopting the provisions advocated by the Blue Dog members of the Committee, the agreement would reduce subsidies to low- and middle-income families, requiring them to pay a larger portion of their income for insurance premiums, and would impose an unfunded mandate on the states to pay for what were to have been Federal costs.
In short, this agreement will result in the public, both as insurance purchasers and as taxpayers, paying ever higher rates to insurance companies.
We simply cannot vote for such a proposal.
Missing from the list of signatories? Any single Member of Congress from Connecticut, including Progressive Caucus member Rosa DeLauro.
August will be a long month of citizen lobbying, insurance industry spending, and message maneuvering on health care thanks in large part to the delay of the House floor vote that was also a key part of the Blue Dog compromise. There is still a long road ahead, but what happens in August will be key.
All of Connecticut's delegation - John Larson, Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro, Jim Himes, Chris Murphy - will be in their districts next month. They will certainly be hearing from the insurance industry. They need to hear from their constituents too. Ask them to pledge to vote against any legislation that does not include a strong public option.
As the August recess looms, the state of health care reform in the House of Representatives is changing by the minute.
Today, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman appears to have possibly called the Blue Dogs' bluff and set the stage for passing the House health care legislation before the recess without the right-wing Dems in his committee getting to vote against it.
Also today, the ranks of progressives in the House who are standing tall and saying they refuse to vote for any legislation without a robust public option - on the floor, or after it comes back from conference - is growing.
Minutes ago, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), who had previously refused to commit to voting against any reform-in-name only bill without a public option, changed her tune dramatically:
I have always been a strong supporter of the public option (including co-sponsoring single-payer) and pledged to you several weeks ago to fight like heck to make sure a public option will be included in any health care reform bill. But, having watched the debate evolve over the last week or so, I want to make sure all of you know that I have decided I will not vote for a health care bill in the House that doesn't include a real public option and I Pledge to uphold the public option principles agreed upon by the Progressive Caucus.
And here's Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME), saying largely the same thing in a statement today:
"I'm not going to vote for any House bill that doesn't include a robust public option without any triggers or coops -- that's a must-have for me. I also believe that it's vital that there be a vote on the bill before the August recess. Delaying will only give entrenched special interests time to do everything they can to defeat it."
We specifically asked if "House bill" also meant conference report, and she indicated that it did.
Meanwhile, Connecticut's delegation - John Larson, Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro, Jim Himes, and Chris Murphy - still have not stood up to declare that they will vote against meaningless reform-in-name only.
As Rahm Emanuel unilaterally declares a public option not to be a necessity for the Obama administration (for the second time in two weeks), and President Obama himself finds himself walking back his chief of staff's comments from halfway across the globe, the need for a progressive bloc in the House of Representatives who will stand together and pledge to vote against reform-in-name only, making a real public option a necessity for any health care bill's passage this year, gets only clearer and clearer.
In CT, Joe Courtney is the latest Connecticut Representative to refuse to commit to voting against any health care plan without a workable, robust public option. Campaign Silo has the audio from his appearance last week on WNPR's "Where We Live":
This echoes Courtney's recent comments at a town hall meeting with constituents in DC, where he also refused to commit to vote against a health care bill without a public plan.
Our representatives need to know that at this point in the legislative process, voicing "support" for a public option means very little. What we need desperately are Democrats committed to real health care reform - like Jerry Nadler in New York - with the courage and the conviction to say loud and clear that a bill without a public option will be dead on arrival in the House.
Joe now joins Rosa DeLauro in refusing to be part of this effort. Apparently "Where We Live" will be hosting Rosa and the remainder of the Connecticut House delegation in the coming days and weeks (Chris Murphy was on yesterday), so constituents can continue to call in.
Here's how the citizen whip count of targeted progressive representatives (specifically, whether they will pledge to vote against any bill that does not contain a public option that is (1) available nationwide (2) on day one and (3) accountable to Congress and voters) stands as of today. You can contact your representative using the info here and report their response using the whip count tool here.
Previous "Whipping the Public Option in CT" posts:
Via FDL, Rosa DeLauro becomes the first Connecticut Representative to pledge to vote against any health care bill that does not include a robust public option.
Update: Posted too soon. Apparently Rosa's staff has clarified her position, and she has been moved out of the "committed" column.
For a more detailed take on why this particular strategy is so crucial, see this post.
Ask all of the members the Connecticut delegation (including Rosa) to pledge to vote against any bill that does not contain a public option that is (1) available nationwide, (2) on day one, and (3) accountable to Congress and the voters, and report any response to the FDL whip count tool here:
("The CT #healthcare09 delegation arrives in @jahimes office." by CCAG via TwitPic)
Today, Beau from CCAG is twittering the huge Health Care '09 rally and lobby day live from DC. You can follow CCAG's twitter feed all day here, photo updates here, and video updates here. This is by all accounts the largest national healthcare reform lobby day in history, and it comes at a crucial time. You can follow CCAG on twitter throughout the day for updates on meetings between Connecticut voters lobbying for meaningful health care reform - including a robust public option - and their representatives.
While most recent attention - and pressure - on healthcare legislation has been focused on the opaque workings of Senate committees and the huge egos and twisted priorities at work therein, this week Firedoglake and nyceve from Daily Kos launched a public whip count of progressive Representatives asking them for a firm commitment to vote against any health care "reform" legislation that does not include a public option that is "1. Available nationwide, 2. From day one," and "3. Answerable to Congress and the voters."
As Ben Smith from Politico points out, public whip counts like this are one of the most powerful tools available to online activists who want to influence legislation:
Legislative vote counts are one of those things that the Web can transform. They're typically closely held - counting is an insider's art - and deliberate ambiguity is a key negotiating tactic. Legislators who would prefer to vote no, for instance, might be willing to be the last vote, for a price. So while this has the effect of pushing members toward Obama's position, it also shines a spotlight on members who might prefer to stay uncommitted, or to wait for details and compromises.
Getting only 40 progressive Representatives to commit to voting against meaningless "reform" legislation without a public option may be the best way to force the Senate's - and White House's - hand on the public option. The Firedoglake whip count tool is here, but it only targets 100 progressive Representatives who they believe to be the lowest hanging fruit. Only one Rep from Connecticut - DeLauro - is on the list, and she has yet to respond. Yet Connecticut has 5 Democratic representatives who are all signatories to the Health Care for America Now "core principles" -- 3 of whom were elected to replace Republican incumbents in 2006 and 2008 based in large part on their support for real health care reform.
There's no reason not to ask CT's entire House delegation to commit to oppose meaningless reform-in-name-only that does not include a workable and robust public option. Contact your Rep at the phone number below and ask them to pledge to vote against any bill that does not contain a public option that is (1) available nationwide, (2) on day one, and (3) accountable to Congress and the voters, and report any response to the FDL whip count tool here.
(Ironic that Republicans who called previous voters against supplementals traitors or defeatist now vote against it, and Democrats vote for it. - promoted by Jon Kantrowitz)
When it comes to a major opportunity to stop the wars, as Edwin Starr would sing, Absolutely nothing!
All the members of the Connecticut Congressional delegation--Rosa DeLauro, Chris Murphy, Joe Courtney, Jim Himes, John Larson--voted for the war supplemental. Several of these pols have presented themselves in their campaigns as being committed to a less warlike foreign policy. But when the chips were down and there was an opportunity to stand up and really cut the funding that fuels this bloody mayhem, they voted for war.
On Monday, Obama supporters from Rosa DeLauro's district (CT-3) officially thanked her for voting for the House version of the budget earlier this month.
Organizing for America (OFA) Volunteer Pia Pyles hosted the event, presenting Rosa with a "thank you" certificate in appreciation for her support of President Obama's policies.
These OFA-sponsored "Thank You" events have also been held for Congressmen Himes, Courtney and Larson and are scheduled for Senator Dodd and Congressman Chris Murphy.
As they met, Rosa talked about how great it would be if we engaged our network of Obama volunteers to get the word out about stimulus package programs that are available to individuals and we are now talking about possibly working together on a public information campaign. One volunteer had the idea of canvassing older neighborhoods with information on the weatherization program etc.
Rosa and her staff have been busy lately making sure folks are informed about programs available to them and we look forward to helping them out if we can.
Thanks to Rosa for taking the time to meet with volunteers and for once again being a community leader. The idea of collaborating on getting the word out about stimulus package benefits would never have happened without this thank-you ceremony that took no more than 15 minutes - a great example of the power of simple gestures to make change.
Jen Just
unpaid volunteer CT Liaison for OFA (among other things)
I'm not sure why there would be a letter writing campaign against the most approachable person in the United States Congress. This whole mishegas seems like it was created by an AstroTurf group (copyright Monsanto) rather than a real grass roots organic food organization.
I contacted Rosa's office and got the following Myth/Fact sheet about H/R. 875.
Myths and Facts H.R. 875 - The Food Safety Modernization Act
MYTH: H.R. 875 "makes it illegal to grow your own garden" and would result in the "criminalization of the backyard gardener."
FACT: There is no language in the bill that would regulate, penalize, or shut down backyard gardens. The focus of this bill is to ensure the safety of foods sold in supermarkets.
MYTH: H.R. 875 would mean a "goodbye to farmers markets" because it would regulate and penalize "each farmer who wishes to sell locally."
FACT: There is no language in the bill that would result in farmers markets being regulated, penalized by any fines, or shut down. Farmers markets would be able to continue to flourish under the bill. In fact, the bill would insist that imported foods meet strict safety standards to ensure that unsafe imported foods are not competing with locally-grown foods.
MYTH: H.R. 875 would result in the "death of organic farming."
FACT: There is no language in the bill that would stop or interfere with organic farming. The National Organic Program (NOP) is under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Food Safety Modernization Act only addresses food safety issues under the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
MYTH: H.R. 875 would implement a national animal ID system.
FACT: There is no language in the bill that would implement a national animal ID system. Animal identification issues are under the jurisdiction of the USDA. The Food Safety Modernization Act addresses issues under the jurisdiction of the FDA.
MYTH: H.R. 875 is supported by the large agribusiness industry.
FACT: No large agribusiness companies have expressed support for H.R. 875. The bill is supported by several Members of Congress who have strong progressive records on issues involving farmers markets, organic farming, and locally-grown foods. Also, H.R. 875 is the only food safety legislation that has been supported by all the major consumer and food safety groups, including:
-- Center for Foodborne Illness Research & Prevention
-- Center for Science in the Public Interest
-- Consumer Federation of America
-- Consumers Union
-- Food & Water Watch
-- The Pew Charitable Trusts
-- Safe Tables Our Priority
-- Trust for America's Health
MYTH: H.R. 875 will pass the Congress next week without amendments or debate.
FACT: Food safety legislation has yet to be considered by any Congressional committee. After the committees of jurisdiction complete their hearings on the issue and legislation moves forward in Congress, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will consider H.R. 759 as its base bill. The Senate HELP Committee will consider S. 510 as its base bill.
I was also told that Stanley Greenberg (Rosa's Husband) does not work as a consultant or in any other capacity for Monsanto.
Two Democratic sources say that White House is considering Rep. Rosa DeLauro for the now-vacated Health and Human Services Dept. nomination. DeLauro has the health care chops; she knows the issues cold. She is personally close to the two men who will lead healthcare through the Senate, Sen. Ted Kennedy and Sen. Chris Dodd, for whom she served as chief of staff at one point. Oh, and the chief of staff to President Obama lives in her basement.
President Barack Obama, center, signs the Lilly Ledbetter Bill with Lilly Ledbetter, fourth from the left, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009, in the East Room at the White House in Washington.
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama signed an equal pay bill into law Thursday, declaring that it's a family issue, not just a women's issue.
The president picked the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act for the first piece of legislation to sign as president.
He appeared before a packed East Room audience for a ceremony, and Ledbetter stood at his side.
His entrance in the room was met with hearty cheers from the many labor and women's groups represented there. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the first woman speaker in the history of Congress, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were present.
The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire is reporting that Rep. Rosa DeLauro is a top contender for Labor Secretary:
Rep. Rosa DeLauro is also a top contender in the protracted hunt for a Labor secretary and according to sources familiar with her travels, the Connecticut Democrat has traveled to Chicago.
I don't know much about Rep. DeLauro's record on labor, so I'll leave that up to y'all to discus.
UPDATE: Great catch Ryan...here's a quick rundown of her credentials.
DeLauro has been a congresswoman since 1990 and currently sits on the labor, health and human services, and education subcommittee of the appropriations committee. She's been a leader on health policy and workers' rights, sponsoring legislation to guarantee employees' sick leave and equal pay for men and women. She previously served as the executive director of EMILY's List and is the second-highest ranking woman in the House. Earlier this year, she came to the defense of New Haven labor unions, which were protesting food services giant Aramark's treatment of workers. So, while she may not be a labor insider with strong ties to Michigan and other union hubs, she's reliably progressive on the issues. "You want someone who knows how to work the Hill, and she does more so than Harley," the labor expert added. "I can see [unions] preferring to sitting down with a politician."
Everyone, please feel free to add to the mix.
UPDATE 2 Scarce: The Associated Press is now reporting it's Hilda Solis. A good to excellent choice, imo.
A labor official says Rep. Hilda Solis of California will be nominated as labor secretary by President-elect Barack Obama.
UPDATE 3 CTB: Rep DeLauro issued the following statement:
"I am honored to have been considered by President-elect Obama for Secretary of Labor. I did not seek this position, as my passion is the work I do for people in Connecticut and the changes I can bring in the U.S. Congress."
"I met with President-elect Obama in Chicago this past week for 45 minutes. We had a very serious conversation about restoring protections for employees, the economic crisis and events impacting women. It further affirmed the importance of him succeeding to bring the change the country needs."
"I am delighted with his choice of my friend and colleague, Congresswoman Hilda Solis. She will do an excellent job in an a department where change is sorely needed. I look forward to working with her, President-elect Obama and his entire cabinet to get this country back on track."
I was absolutely blown away by Joe Biden last night -- as was everyone in the Pepsi Center. I know Joe well -- I remember when Joe came to Connecticut for Chris Dodd during his first Senate race. So I know what he is capable of.
I was thrilled that the entire country was able to really get to know Joe Biden and learn more about his poignant story. And that started with the moving introduction by his son Beau. There was a reason Michelle Obama was holding on to that kleenex. It was so touching and that was because it was from the heart. You could tell that what Beau said about his dad, he truly meant. Joe Biden is dedicated to his family and they are dedicated to him.
And from the first few sentences of his speech, it was clear that Joe was going to knock this out of the park. He spoke from the heart and soul about his family, his upbringing and what drives him. All of Connecticut knows how my mom has always been a motivational force in my life. Well, last night we saw that Joe Biden had a similar force with his mom, Catherine. So it is no surprise that Joe Biden is not afraid to take on the Bush Administration -- on national security, on foreign policy, on the economy, or anything. We are all living with the failed policies of the Bush Administration, and as Joe rightly pointed out last night, that John McCain only offers more of the same.
People want to know that the people running to be president and vice president understand what it is like to walk in their shoes...the nature of uncertainty of their lives and that they are going to be listening.
Barack Obama and Joe Biden can look people in the eye and tell us how they are going to turn this country around. With Obama's surprise appearance last night, he continues to shake up things. I cannot wait for Obama's speech tonight.
Monday begins the 2008 Democratic Convention and it is a critical time in our nation's history. I am pleased to share my experiences with you at MyLeftNutmeg. At this convention we will talk about Barack Obama and his plans to turn the economy around, provide real relief to the middle class, responsibly end the Iraq war and change our foreign policy to make our country safer. The country will see the very real differences between Barack Obama - who wants to lead this country in a new direction - and John McCain - who will continue the failed policies of the Bush Adminstration. One of the most glaring differences is on advancing women's issues, and importantly, working to close the wage gap between men and women - an issue I recently wrote about on HuffingtonPost.
The Paycheck Fairness Act: A Victory in Closing the Wage Gap
This is Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. I have had the honor of serving the people of the Third Congressional District of Connecticut for the past 18 years.
In the coming months I hope to engage in conversations with you about issues facing our country and what we are doing in Washington to help improve our country. Before I talk about the Paycheck Fairness Act, I just want to say that I have been blessed to serve the Third Congressional District for the past 18 years. I appreciate your continued support and do not take your support lightly.
For more than a decade, I have been fighting to ensure that women receive equal pay from their employers. When President Kennedy's Equal Pay Act was signed into law in 1963, Women were earning 59 cents for every dollar earned by a man. To this day women are still just earning 77 cents per dollar earned by a man. This wage disparity between men and women costs women anywhere from $400,000 to $2 million over a lifetime.
By now all of you in the blogosphere are familiar with the case of Lilly Ledbetter, -- the woman whose pay discrimination case against Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company went all the way to the Supreme Court. The Roberts Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that Ms. Ledbetter needed to file a complaint within 180 days of her first pay discrepancy to be awarded damages.
In Ms. Ledbetter's testimony before the Education and Labor Committee she said, "Goodyear acknowledged that it was paying me a lot less than the men doing the same work... So, I was actually earning twenty-percent less than the lowest paid male supervisor in the same position... What happened to me is not only an insult to my dignity, but it had real consequences for my ability to care for my family. Every paycheck I received, I got less than what I was entitled under the law."
The Ledbetter case highlighted the loopholes in the current law and the need to close them. On Thursday July 31st, the House of Representatives took the next step to correct this injustice by passing H.R. 1338, the Paycheck Fairness Act by a vote of 247-178. This vote was about ensuring that women who work hard and productively and carry a full range of family responsibilities are paid at a rate they are entitled. So many employers and companies do the right thing as a matter of course, but passing this bill says that this is now a matter of right and wrong, that discrimination is unacceptable anywhere and we are all diminished when we fall short. We have the chance to make all men and women whole and contribute to the richness of America.
Of my 18 years in Congress, this was one of the most rewarding victories I have experienced in this remarkable institution. With your help in electing Barack Obama as our next President, I hope to enjoy many more days like we did when we passed the Paycheck Fairness Act in the years ahead.
For more information on me and my positions, feel free to visit my website www.rosadelauro.com. I look forward to talking with you more in the coming months.
As DavidNYC noted in his Orange-to-Blue endorsement post of Jim Himes yesterday, Chris Shays has a history of pretending to be a "moderate" while voting again and again for Bush's policies.
This morning, Shays joined many in both parties in Congress by standing with Bush again on the FISA "compromise".
(Here was Jim Himes's statement in opposition to the FISA "compromise" yesterday.)
Thankfully, Connecticut has four out of five Democrats in our House delegation, and all four - John Larson, Rosa DeLauro, Joe Courtney, and Chris Murphy - stood up and voted against both the war supplemental and against retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies included in the FISA bill.
Let's show them that we have their backs. Send a thank you note to all four CT Dems for their vote today here:
Since
last
fall's review of the spending habits of Congressional
campaigns, the state's candidates
have continued to find thrifty, questionable and downright foolish
ways to spend their money between October and March, several months
before voters start paying attention to them.
Democrats
in ostensibly competitive districts (Courtney, Himes, and Murphy) have
spent much less of a percentage of their income on average than
their Republican counterparts.
Chris Murphy's campaign, a
disciplined machine, has raised and saved the most and, not
coincidentally, has the lowest and most consistent burn rate.
John
Larson is the only candidate spending more than he is
raising. He
was actually left with less cash on hand at the end of March
than
when he started this electoral
cycle.
Sean Sullivan is the worst GOP candidate of the
year. (Tony Nania would compete for the title if he were for
real.)
Jim
Himes nearly matched Chris Shays in cash on hand, in large
part
because of Shays' pattern of big spending and Himes' past thriftiness.
But Himes raised less and spent more than Shays early this
year, diminishing
his progress.
CD
Candidate
Cash on hand
Jan 1 07
Raised
Jan 07 -
Mar 08
Spent
Jan 07 -
Mar 08
Cash on hand
Mar 31, 08
Burn
rate
Jan 07-
Sep 07
Burn
rate
Oct 07-
Mar 08
Total
burn rate
1
Larson
236,969
652,432
682,850
179,552
87%
155%
109%
2
Courtney
47,599
1,465,808
318,722
1,194,685
20%
25%
22%
2
Sullivan
-
230,450
101,462
128,988
23%
72%
44%
3
DeLauro
16,124
624,773
473,024
167,873
83%
66%
76%
4
Shays
61,544
1,608,255
532,072
1,137,726
37%
29%
33%
4
Himes
-
1,379,992
274,781
1,105,212
11%
27%
20%
5
Murphy
50,703
1,791,612
297,675
1,544,639
16%
18%
17%
5
Cappiello
-
654,655
232,039
420,316
24%
43%
35%
5
Nania
-
31,989
21,943
10,046
-
77%
77%
Burn rate = (total spent + debt)/ total raised.
More on the spending
habits of each candidate, and an update on April spending below.
This post is not about high-priced prostitutes or primary pie-fights.
No, there's actually some political news of the day that should bring smiles to the faces of CT Dems. Namely, that Jim Himes was named by the DCCC today to their selective "Red to Blue" list of challengers, further establishing the Fourth CD as one of the premier targets for national Democrats:
"These candidates have come out of the gate strong and the Red to Blue Program will give them the financial and structural edge to be even more competitive in November," said Chairman Chris Van Hollen, Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "The candidates for change in our first round of challenger Red to Blue are strong examples of Democrats who represent a commitment to new priorities for the families in their districts."
In an email to supporters today, Jim Himes commented that this recognition from the DCCC is not so much of his own performance as a candidate as it is of the accomplishments of those who have generated the groundswell of activism and support on the ground in the district:
This is not an honor for what I am doing - it's an honor for all you are doing - for your ideas, your enthusiasm, and your investment in time and contributions. You've sent a clear message, and it's your voices that are being heard.
Anyone who was at the amazing Hilltop Brigade event last Friday in New Haven knows just what Jim is talking about.
To the standing-room-only crowd that gathered and promised to hit the streets over the next seven months, she said: "You can be of tremendous help to us. We can expand the majority in the house by 40 seats. We can take 40 Republicans. I have that on good order. We could take 40 Republican seats," she repeated to cheers.
The energy among the committed Democratic activists in the room was remarkable - and it's energy that is only growing as Democratic voters who turned out in record numbers for the primary in February are getting ready to do the same in November to show both George Bush and Chris Shays the door.
And seeing a picture like this in front of the Capitol on inauguration day, 2009? That's the prize.
In this radio interview with Fox News' John Gibson (Feb 27, 2008), former democratic vice presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro first plays the race card, in public anyway, which has caused a shitstorm this week. Ferraro rails against democrats who've sided with Barack Obama, saving special scorn for Georgia congressman and erstwhile Hillary Clinton supporter John Lewis, Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, and rather oddly Connecticut congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, who apparently only supports Obama because her constituents are black.
You can hear this part about 3min into the interview.
The debate surrounding the GIVE Act in Congress this afternoon is a microcosm of the current stalemate in Congress, according to Rep. Joe Courtney, a Democrat from Connecticut's Second District.
The GIVE Act, or HR 2857, which should've pass Congress this afternoon but was pulled from the floor because of partisan bickering,is a $981 million or so appropriation that provides money for community service activities in many forms, like expanding AmeriCorps by 100,000 people, increasing a foster Grandparents Program, and creating a $20 million Summer of Service program, which was Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro of New Haven.
Yet at the same time, the almost $1 billion for volunteerism here is merely a drop in the bucket compared to the $2 trillion price tag on the war in Iraq, the latest figure on the cost, according to Bob Herbert in the New York Times this morning.
The contradiction isn't lost on Courtney.
"I think it is an outcome endemic of a divided government," Courtney said. "That is the problem. There is a complete stalemate about changing course in Iraq that prevents better efforts for this country. Every effort to change policy has run into the math of the present Congress and the White House. We don't have veto proof margins. We are really just able to redirect priorities in small increments."
Monday begins the 2008 Democratic Convention and it is a critical time in our nation's history. I am pleased to share my experiences with you at MyLeftNutmeg. At this convention we will talk about Barack Obama and his plans to turn the economy around, provide real relief to the middle class, responsibly end the Iraq war and change our foreign policy to make our country safer. The country will see the very real differences between Barack Obama - who wants to lead this country in a new direction - and John McCain - who will continue the failed policies of the Bush Adminstration. One of the most glaring differences is on advancing women's issues, and importantly, working to close the wage gap between men and women - an issue I recently wrote about on HuffingtonPost.
Since
The debate surrounding the GIVE Act in Congress this afternoon is a microcosm of the current stalemate in Congress, according to Rep. Joe Courtney, a Democrat from Connecticut's Second District.
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