Between now and June 22nd, progressive pose a real threat to House Blue Dogs and Senate ConservaDems in at least six primary campaigns. Five of these primary campaigns feature incumbents, and in all six campaigns the Democratic Party machinery is backing the more conservative candidate. Sometimes, as is the case in the Pennsylvania Senate primary, this support means several hundred thousand dollars of paid advertisements.
There is no better way to get Democratic members of Congress to listen to you, than by defeating, or even by coming close to defeating, incumbent Democrats in primary elections. If you can beat the party, or at least make them sweat, then they have no choice but to take you, and your concerns, seriously. These are six campaigns where the party machinery is already sweating.
So, today I a asking you to join up with all six of these primary campaigns. Follow the links below, and sign up to their email lists. If you want abetter Democratic Party, this is the best possible way to make that happen:
Primaries on May 18th
Join Joe Sestak, running for Pennsylvania Senate against ConservaDem Arlen Specter
Join Bill Halter, running for Arkansas Senate against ConservaDem Blanche Lincoln
Join Shelia Dow Ford, running for Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional district against Blue Dog Tim Holden.
Primaries on June 8th
Join Marcy Winograd, running for California's 36th Congressional district against Blue Dog Jane Harman
Primaries on June 22nd
Join Elaine Marshall, running for Senate in North Carolina, and facing a run-off with future ConservaDem Cal Cunningham
Join Claudia Wright, running for Utah's 2nd Congressional district against Jim Matheson.
There will be more primaries over the summer, and lots of general elections to focus on as well, but right now these are the campaigns we need to support. So, sign up and get your primary on! The Democratic Party won't represent you just to be nice,or if you just stamp your feet--this is something we have to fight for.
Tomorrow when you go to OpenLeft, you will likely see a "splash page" (e.g., a small page appearing on top of the regular OpenLeft window). We're putting that page up to ask you to join Open Left Action's e-mail list. The page will appear rarely, and is completely optional of course.
Now, you're probably thinking, why should I join another e-mail list. Before you decide, I have four reasons you should consider.
2. OpenLeft is on the cutting edge of progressive online activism. We are one of the very few progressive political blogs to have our own e-mail list. With your help, we placed advertising in traditional media publications when we placed ads in the Washington Post, Roll Call, and The Hill on the public option late last year. With your help, we linked our writers on the ground in key progressive fights- Matt Stoller with Donna Edwards, Chris Bowers with Joe Sestak, and myself in Maine. We've helped make public whip counts a science. We were one of the first blogs to partner in launching the new, user-friendly Change.org petition widget you see at the top right of the page. We've led the way in progressive online action, and will continue to do so.
3. Unlike other organizations or electoral campaigns, we won't clog your inbox. Trust me, we get it- as online activists ourselves, we understand how annoying a barrage of e-mails asking for money or help can be. We're in your camp, and that's why I think many already on our list can attest that we only e-mail you when we see a serious opportunity to create progressive change. We'll ask you what issues and fights you're most interested in, too.
4. Lots of big fights coming up. We're working on filibuster reform, financial regulation reform (like our FDIC comment action), and other key issues, and we can't do it alone.
If I've convinced you, and you're not a member of Open Left Action, join today. If you're already a member, consider asking asking your friends to join. Together we will build a stronger progressive online movement.
After a meeting today with Senator Feingold, Open Left reader PR writes in:
Feingold is in for P.O. through rec
That makes 34 supporters of using reconciliation to finish health reform, and 20 in favor of the public option. See the whip count here.
Further, I have received confirmation from Senator Reid's office that "all options are still on the table," including reconciliation. The aide with whom I spoke also reiterated to me that Senator Reid supports the public option. While that is a "yes" and a "maybe," given the way we are counting votes, they are still positive.
In 2008, the world economy crashed because of excessive risk-taking behavior by banks and other large financial institutions. This wasn't an accident. Even now, at many of those institutions, the more risks the executives take, the more they are paid.
To stop this behavior, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), is proposing a new regulation that will financially penalize banks that reward executives for taking excessive risks. Before they pass this regulation, they want to hear from the public.
We need to get new regulations like this passed. So, please, tell the FDIC what you think of this new regulation. Post a comment to this thread, and we will submit it to the FDIC for you before Friday's deadline.
We checked with the FDIC, and confirmed they would accept comments in this form. If you don't have an account, just sign up and make one. It is quick and easy.
The banking industry is still doling out huge bonuses for excessive risk, and has spent tens of millions of dollars on lobbying against regulations such as these. We can never outspend them, or even equal them. The only weapon we have against them is our populist anger.
So, follow the advice of the Emperor in Star Wars, and release your anger. Post a comment to this article, and tell the FDIC what you think of banks rewarding executives who take excessive risks that lead to economic catastrophe.
Off-topic comments will be deleted. Also, don't make any threats or incitements to violence. Still, when voters aren't angry, politicians don't respond. So, don't be gentle.
Please post a comment, and may the force be with you!
Update: In the comments, lutton raises an important question:
Don't most of these public comments require real name/ID/address to prevent astroturfing?
I'll be glad to post a comment here either way, but are there alternatives avenues those of us with pseudonymous IDs should consider?
Now, I was told it would be fine. However, if, just to be sure, you would like to provide your name and location, that is good, too.
Senator Charles Schumer has signed the Bennet letter on the public option. That brings the total number of Democratic Senators open to using reconciliation to finish health reform up to 32, and the number in favor of using the public option in that process up to 18. See the whip count here.
We also have a response from Senator Maria Cantwell's office. Open Left user RubyK writes in:
XXX from Cantwell's office got back to me. His short answer was "we're studying it with caution"
His longer answer was:
Senator's been in Washington state, doing business there and he hasn't checked in with her on this yet. She will be back in Washington [DC] next week.
"We're studying it with caution" b/c she's had and expressed concerns for using reconciliation for larger sweeping changes.
As a general rule doesn't want to use a process to end run, use something like reconcilliation to pass something so big.
He told me: she hasn't given up on health care, and reminded me she's a supporter of public option
He lastly suggested this to me, one of her reasons for hesitation on reconciliation generally would be that it would create a ten year sunset, which would make it more unstable, and with the health care system needing stability, going back to this in ten years might cause more problems.
Well, at least it wasn't a no. Even if that isn't the sort of answer we wanted, it is still useful information. Cantwell appears to be one of the recalcitrant Dems on reconciliation.
If your want to help push the undecided Senators in the right direction, click here to contact one of them.
The Senate reconciliation whip count continues to make progress. As of this morning, 28 Senators have made public statements in support of using reconciliation to finish health reform, and 15 have agreed to sign onto the Bennet letter supporting a public option during that reconciliation process. That is an increase of 7 reconciliation supporters, and 6 public option supporters, from yesterday.
On our end, we have made press inquiries to about 50 of the 59 members of the Democratic caucus. Follow-ups go out this afternoon, and I will personally be making 5 new requests this morning. We should hit our goal of making media inquiries to every member of the caucus later today.
There is a lot of momentum behind this effort. The ultimate goal is to get 50 Senators to agree to both, including hitting 50 on question #1 by the time of the February 25th health summit.
Update: Senators Barbara Mikulski and Frank Lautenberg sign on. That pushes the count up to 30 for reconciliation, and 17 for a public option in reconciliation. Big Mo'!
Calls are starting to go out for our crowdsourced journalism project on using reconciliation to finish health care reform. Already, calls have been placed to the offices of Senators Begich, Dodd, Harkin, Klobuchar, Lieberman, Reed and Schumer. If you want to help out and are willing to make a media inquiry, send me an email at christopher_j_bowers@yahoo.com.
As of right now, 21 Senators are on the record favoring using reconciliation to finish health care, and one is "not necessarily opposed" to the idea (Mark Pryor, Arkansas). Additionally, 9 Senators have signed onto the Bennet letter to include a public option in health care reform.
50 Senators are needed to win either campaign. Two are opposed to reconciliation, and four are opposed to the public option. We can suffer nine defections and still win.
This is real news. Public whip counts on major legislation should be a regular feature of political news, so I have no idea why no other media outlet hasn't already conducted this sort of survey. Still, I am happy to try and fill the gap. Together, let's make this happen--the public deserves to know where Senators stand on this crucial legislative matter.
Open Left is supporting this campaign to finish health reform right in multiple ways. Next week, we will be sending out an email to our list asking members to contact Senators. But, before we do that, we will be engaging in a major group journalism event to help provide information on this whip count. To do this, we need a couple dozen volunteers willing to make media inquiries to Senators asking them the following questions:
Hello, my name is [FILL IN BLANK, use real name] and I have a media inquiry from Openleft.com. Can you please put me in contact with the pres secretary / communications director?
[And then, once in contact]
Hi, my name is [FILL IN BLANK, use real name] and I have a media inquiry from Openleft.com. Can you please tell me if:
1--Does Senator [FILL IN BLANK] support using the reconciliation process to forge a deal with the House of Representatives and finish health reform?
2--If so, does Senator [FILL IN BLANK] support including a public option in that reconciliation process, including signing onto Senator Bennet's letter on the public option?
If you are willing to make a call like this, either tomorrow or Thursday, PLEASE CONTACT ME OVER EMAIL BEFORE DOING SO. My email is christopher_j_bowers at yahoo dot com. I need to have your contact information, and know which Senator or Senators you are calling, so I can keep an updated count of which offices have received media contacts, and which ones have not. I am maintaining that list here:
Already, we have 18 supporters for question #1, and 6 supporters for question #2. (We will not be contacting any of the Senators who indicate their support for #2, or their opposition to #1.) When we get to 50, we will have accomplished a truly remarkable journalistic feat by proving there are enough Senators to finish health reform, hopefully with a public option, through the reconciliation process.
The basic idea behind this campaign is that, despite our relatively small numbers compared to the other four organizations, we can help the effort more in its early stages through media inquiries than through constituent contacts.
If you are willing to help, send me an email at christopher_j_bowers at yahoo dot com to volunteer!. We need to place all of these calls by Thursday morning, at the latest.
If you want to help, and have already contacted your Senator on the PCCC website, but do not want to make media inquiries, please scour to Internet to find evidence of members of the Democratic Senate. Post anything you find in the comments.
The health care summit is next week. We need to prove that health reform can be passed through reconciliation, with a public option, before them. There is no time to waste-send me an email, and let's get going!
Filling in for Chris on this, who has unavoidable conflicts at the moment
The Senate voted to confirm Ben Bernanke for another term as Chairman just now. The final vote on cloture was 77-23. The final vote on passage was 70-30. It was the highest number of Senators ever to vote against a nominee for the Chairmanship.
A number of opponents of Bernanke's nomination, including Boxer, Harkin and Whitehouse, "aye" in favor of cloture and "nay" on the nomination. By my count, a total of six Democrats (Begich, Cantwell, Feingold, Merkley, Sanders, Specter) voted nay on both. Pretty amazing that a number of Senators who opposed his nomination were persuaded to treat his nomination differently in terms of cloture than regular legislation when, in my view, the Fed Chairman's influence is just as wide-reaching as any piece of public legislation.
Here's the full vote count on cloture. Here's a link to Chris' latest whip count yesterday.
Moved from "undecided" to "no": Ensign (R-NV), Grassley (R-IA); Harkin (D-IA)
Moved from "yes" to "no": Whitehouse (D-RI)
Moved from "lean yes" to "undecided: Begich (D-AK)
Negative changes:
Moved from "undecided" to "yes": Brown (D-OH), Cardin (D-MD), Casey (D-PA), Cochran (R-MS), Klobuchar (D-MN), Lautenberg (D-NJ), Leahy (D-NJ), McCaskill (D-MO), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Pryor (D-AR), Rockefeller (D-WV); Tom Udall (D-CO)
Moved from "undecided" to "lean yes": Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
The odds are long, but there is still time to win this. In the extended entry, you will find a complete list of Senators sorted by state, along with their current position on Bernanke and phone numbers for their D.C. office. Check out the extended entry, and make a phone call or two--we need to round up as many no votes as possible!
During his time as chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke failed to identify, prevent and adequately respond to the financial crisis. This week, the Senate will vote on whether to reconfirm Ben Bernanke to a second, four-year term as chair of the Federal Reserve.
The Senate should not confirm Bernanke without:
Demanding a job plan from the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve is required by law to work to achieve full employment in America. However, even as he gave two trillion dollars to Wall Street, Ben Bernanke says there is nothing he can do for Main Street.
Launching a comprehensive investigation into the Fed's role in the bailout of insurance giant A.I.G. and the big banks. Taxpayers are on the hook for hundreds of billions for AIG; big banks got paid off dollar for dollar. How does that make sense?
Requiring an audit of the Fed. Trillions were used to backstop American and foreign financial institutions. What were the terms? Who got helped and who got shafted and why? The Fed can't commit literally trillions with no accountability whatsoever.
Demanding a detailed admission of responsibility from Bernanke showing he understands how he missed the housing bubble, and how he will change his approach to managing the economy.
Probing Bernanke's views on reform. Bernanke has opposed the administration's reform package, including the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, crucial to protecting consumers from credit card and bank abuse.
Is your Senator going to vote this week to re-appoint Ben Bernanke to run the Federal Reserve, without demanding any accountability for actions before and during the financial crisis?
You can find out TODAY by joining the "Bernanke Whip Count!"
Campaign for America's Future is partnering with OpenLeft.com on the "Bernanke Whip Count," finding out who is blindly supporting the Fed Chairman, so we can maximize grassroots pressure for accountability.
In the extended entry, you will find a list of all 100 Senators, and the phone numbers for their Washington, D.C. offices. Call your Senators and find out where they stand on Ben Bernanke. If your Senators have already made their position clear, you can call other Senators, too.
When you get a response from an office, either post a comment or email me at christopher_j_bowers@yahoo.com, and I will update the chart.
Call your Senators now! A complete list of phone numbers can be found in the extended entry.
Let's assuming for the moment that there will be no vote on Ben Bernanke until Scott Brown is seated. If that is the case, then in order to stop Bernanke's confirmation, the number of Democrats opposing Bernanke needs to be the same as the number of Republicans supporting Bernanke. This is because there will be 41 Republican Senators when Scott Brown is seated, and because it will take 60 votes to cut off debate on Bernanke. So, as long as every Republican supporter is cancelled out by a Democratic opponent, Bernanke is defeated.
Right now, Bernanke's defeat looks quite possible. That is because, according to an available whip count, he has five Democratic opponents, and four Republican supporters:
So, right now, we appear to be one Democrat ahead of where we need to be to defeat Bernanke. The best way to maintain that is to target more Democrats.
Here is a list of Democratic Senators Democrats who have not committed to Bernanke, and who either have made noise about opposing him or who voted against the bailout either the first or second time it came up.
That is the primary target list. If you live in one of those states, please send an email, or make a phone call. If you hear back, please post the response in the comments.
This is a winnable fight, and it would send a huge message that the status quo is not acceptable. Make your calls and send your emails today!
Update: Reid comes out in favor of Bernanke, via an email statement. Still ahead by one vote, though.
In the comments to today's action post, some have asked why I, and other progressives, are embracing the Senate bill. Here is my blunt answer: 45,000 Americans die every year from lack of health insurance. The Senate bill reduces the number of people uninsured in this country by roughly two-thirds, thus potentially saving 30,000 lives a year. The House bill will reduce the number of uninsured by roughly 75%, thus potentially saving 36,000 lives a year.
By no means does this solve the health care problems we face in America, but this is still a real achievement. Throw in the fact that, against all odds, we managed to get a triggerless public option in the bill, and yeah, I'd vote for the Senate health care bill. And yeah, I will work to pass it.
Right now, we have 56 votes for cloture, and we need to get the last four frickin' members of the Democratic Senate caucus on board. The Adopt-a-State action is a great way to help do this. Please, join in.
The action is going well, too. By a long, long way, more members of the Open Left community are participating in this action than any non-petition action we have run since the Senate whip count campaign over the summer. Already, nearly 4,000 over 7,000 people have clicked through to SEIU's Adopt-a-State action site, just from the email blast. Many more have clicked through from the blog itself.
I'm glad that people are pissed off. I am actually glad that some are not willing to accept the bill. As I wrote earlier today, I believe we need a much larger, hardcore progressive base.
But personally, I support this bill, and I will work to get it passed. If you don't, that's fine, but if you do I hope you will take part in the Adopt-a-State action. This can save lives--a lot of lives--and we are only four frickin' senators away from pulling it off.
The Senate introduced its health care reform bill yesterday, and only four fricking members of the Democratic Senator caucus are standing in the way of passage. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana are the only four remaining "Democratic" Senators who have not ruled out joining with a Republican filibuster of health care reform.
What the #%@*!?!
What's worse, these four don't really give a rat's a$$ what you think, even though their vote affects you. Unless you are a resident of Arkansas, Connecticut, Louisiana or Nebraska, as far as they are concerned, you might as well live on Pluto.
Fortunately, Open Left is teaming up with SEIU to do something about it. Even if you do not live in Arkansas, Connecticut, Louisiana or Nebraska, SEIU has developed activist tools that allow you to contact voters in those four states, and tell those voters to tell their Senators to get on board with health care reform. Fight back and make a difference--sign up and tell one, or all four, of these "Democratic" Senators to pass health care reform with a public option:
All the efforts we made to retake Congress. All of the efforts we made to retake the White House. All of the efforts we made to find 51 Senators in favor of health care reform with a public option. It took us fifteen years to get to this point, and we still have to deal with four freaking Democratic Senators who might join with Republicans and filibuster health care reform? Aaarrgghhhh!
To keep the momentum going, Open Left community member debcoop has pledged to match the next $500 in donations. So, if you give right now, your donation counts double!. Deb will also give another $500 if we stop the Stupak amendment from ending up in the final bill.
Your support, as always, is humbling and a great reminder of who we work for on Open Left. The next six months will cover the most pivotal legislative fights of a generation--health care, climate change, financial regulations, reproductive rights, a new jobs bill and what to do with the leftover bailout money. We want to keep making as big a difference as we can during these fights, and need another $8,645.01 to cover our operating costs until May. Please, chip in what you can now.
Update: $170 into the donor match. Please, take this chance to double your support!
STATE BLOGS
In the comments to