Really? Really, Sen. Udall – that’s what you’re going to work towards in the Senate? And again, we see a Democratic Senator pledge to work with their Republican colleague toward a policy solution when it is quite apparent what McCain really wants [emphasis mine]:
President Barack Obama must put forth a White House plan as soon as possible that congressional leaders can debate, McCain said.
Is this a continuation of the Cons’ view that executives make laws? Because if they do, then President Obama doesn’t need the Congress for anything. No, McCain and his Con buddies just want to continue to use President Obama as a smear target. Sen. Udall – you cannot work with these people until they demonstrate they want to work with you. And no, sliming Democrats at every opportunity and trashing the deliberative process in your chamber doesn’t count as working with you, in case you were curious or confused.
There was a lot of news and commentary this weekend after Bush’s Bailout was passed and Sarah Palin demonstrated just how unknowledgable she is about important domestic and foreign policies. The economy has been bad for average Americans for years and this election is critical. So I’m going to stay on top of both issues by pointing to aspects of news and commentary I found. I’ll update this post throughout the day due to the volume of material I want to cover.
1. Democratic Rep. Mark Udall and Republican Bob Schaffer were profiled in the Rocky Mountain News. Here’s a short bio on both: Rep. Udall has spent a good portion of his career trying to improve our energy policies – in Colorado first, and then nationally. There is a long road to walk until we have a renewable energy-based society, which is needed for a healthy climate and national securtiy. Mark Udall will make a decent Senator (note I didn’t say good or great. I have real problems with his centrist approach in general and his recent vote to retroactively immunize telecom corporations who illegally wiretapped domestic traffic). Bob Schaffer used to be a Jack Abramoff yes-man. His actions tell us he is in favor of forced abortions, sweatshops and fossil fuels. His past is well-paved with corruption and Colorado can’t afford to have a 20th century fringe CONservative blocking work to move forward in the 111th Congress.
2. Bush admitted on Friday as he signed his Bailout that the legislation is just “the beginning”. Really? The beginning of what, exactly? The beginning of more taxpayers Bailouts of immoral corporate gambling? Overall, Americans recognized this Bailout is just that. There is no part of the legislation that addresses the actual problems in the economy. No homeowner assitance. No path towards more jobs. No increase in income. The Bush administration will not prosecute the fools that set up this economic collapse. The bottom line: trickle-down (voodoo) economics does not work. Dumping larger sums of money at the top will not make any more fall to the bottom.
3.The Bailout passed because of the tax breaks attached to it. There are many reasons why that fact is odious, but I’ll focus on one for now: all of them already exist. That’s correct: the tax breaks were merely extensions! Entities like the Denver Post, in fact, spent more time opining about the tax breaks than they did about the underlying Bailout. The Senate hadn’t extended any of the tax breaks all year, but managed to stick it on the Bailout so it would pass. Oh, the corporate media also hasn’t reported the reason those extensions hadn’t passed all year: a CONservative Senator from Oklahoma issued a record number of filibuster threats this Congress. One person alone managed to hold up about 100 necessary bills. All so the CONS could run ads saying Congress didn’t do anything all year. CONS put all their focus on elections and none of their focus on governing.
File this in a desperate campaign’s attempt to garner attention. Republican Bob Schaffer is telling audiences that Rep. Mark Udall won’t debate him. Despite the fact that they’ve debated six times already and have eight more scheduled in the next 47 days, or one per week. Udall’s spokesman said it best, “I have two concerns here. One is that Bob Schaffer can’t count. The other is that he is dishonest.” Hey Bob, there’s a reason your campaign is down by double digits. Telling lies won’t close that gap – it will just make you look like an ass when you lose.
I was going to write a post about Senate candidate Bob Schaffer continuing to flash his pro-oil corruption for all to see. But then I remembered that despite requests to the contrary, his Democratic opponent, Mark Udall, voted to gut the 4th amendment prior to the July 4th holiday. In response to being given the finger by my Representative, I will continue to save my time and effort and not write anything about this latest scandal.
If and when Mark Udall decides he wants to work to defend the Constitution and recognizes the issues his constituents care about, I’ll jump back into things. If he wants to vote like a coward to prevent scary, bullshit attack ads against him, he’s on his own. Better Democrats, please. Thanks again, Mark!
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johne at SquareState wrote something. Schaffer is killing his own chances, really.
Continued politics over the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission‘s proposed rule changes: foes are striking as extreme a position as possible so the new rules won’t go into effect. More than that, they’re working very hard to make sure the same kind of rules don’t get implemented elsewhere, which seems likely to happen. At some point, more citizens are going to stand up for their localities long-term health, including environmental concerns. If these rules pass now, they stand a good chance of spreading. Additional rules might even be in store in the future. The longer oil and gas interests delay, the longer they can operate under older, less restrictive rules.
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Mark Udall maintains his moderate advantage over Bob Schaffer in another poll, this one from Quinnipiac University. Similar to the Rasmussen poll I discussed earlier this week, the Q-poll has Udall 48 – Schaffer 38, a 10-point spread. Oh, the independent numbers are mighty interesting: Udall 54 – Schaffer 27. Bob’s going to have to work much harder this year due to voters’ well documented shift from Republican to “Independent” and from “Independent” to Democrat.
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Here’s Governor Ritter’s planned activity for Tuesday:
Gov. Ritter will take part in a dedication ceremony for a new solar array at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale. The 150-kilowatt system sits on a half-acre of ranchland owned by the high school and is the largest solar electric installation in Western Colorado. It will power the school’s science building, and excess energy will be fed onto the town of Carbondale’s power grid. The voter-approved project is a joint venture that also includes the Aspen Ski Co., Community Office for Resource Efficiency, Town of Carbondale and Xcel Energy.
I’ve read plenty of disparaging comments on newspaper blogs that are trying to push the meme that Gov. Ritter’s New Energy Economy isn’t actually doing anything. This is but one example that demonstrates those comments are based solely on ideology and not on fact.
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The U.S. Drought Monitor has identified the panhandle of Oklahoma as being in “Exceptional Drought”, its most severe category. Neighboring areas in Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas and Texas are classified as “Extreme Drought”. Locals who were around for the Dust Bowl in the 1930s say its drier now than it was then. The record speaks for itself: with less than an inch and a half of rain so far this year, the area is drier than the Sahara Desert. Under a new climatic regime, severe droughts are just as likely as severe flooding. Will conditions convince Oklahomans to rid themselves of the virulently anti-science Sen. Tom Coburn when his term is up?
The right-wing opinion writers that make up the Rocky Mountain “News” (RMN) editorial board came to the defense of Bob “Big Oil” Schaffer’s support of the fossil fuel industry in today’s piece. Entitled, “Buying into the Big Oil smear”, the editorialists manufacture plenty of crocodile tears for the poor voters who buy into misleading attack ads.
They cite Republican political consultant Katy Atkinson’s oh-so-sincere concern over the League of Conservation Voters “negative” ad linking Bob Schaffer with Big Oil. The next item mentioned in the column is closer to her true concern with Schaffer’s 2008 campaign, I think:
When negative ads are running without anything contradicting them, and when there are no negatives against Udall . . . I wouldn’t have been surprised if Udall’s lead was 15.
As long as Republicans run negative ads in return, everything would be fine, it appears. I didn’t hear Katy or any other Republicans whining about the negative ads their party and related 527s ran in 2006 or 2004 or … anytime recently. But that was before they started losing races at every level across the country. Now, negative ads are just plain bad. They’re probably not representative of our old fashioned American values, either. But as far as Republican ads go, in no way should Democrats or associated groups feel sorry that they can’t raise money or interest in their candidates this year. Bob Schaffer made the decision to run. It’s his responsibility to define himself to voters. If he allows others to do it for him, well, that’s just the way it goes.
When I think something is shady or unethical about the way in which a Democrat votes, I don’t hesitate to call it as I see it. The House’s approval of retroactive immunity for telecommunication corporations last week is a prime example. I have zero love for corporatist Democrats. My interests (and yours) aren’t taken seriously when companies like AT&T, Verizon and Sprint can spend millions of dollars to ensure they get their way.
MapLight.org examines how two votes this year produced Democrats that voted against immunity before they voted for it. Not surprisingly, a large number of Democrats that switched their votes also received money from the afore-mentioned corporations.
Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint gave PAC contributions averaging:
$8,359 to each Democrat who changed their position to support immunity for Telcos (94 Dems)
$4,987 to each Democrat who remained opposed to immunity for Telcos (116 Dems)
88 percent of the Dems who changed to supporting immunity (83 Dems of the 94) received PAC contributions from Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint during the last three years (Jan. 2005-Mar. 2008).
Click on the link above to see the list of these 94 Dems.
Of note to Coloradans:
John Salazar (CO-03): $6,000
Ed Perlmutter (CO-07): $1,000
Mark Udall (CO-02): $0
Here’s the way I read this: John Salazar is a Corporatist Democrat. He’s willing to vote based on pressure applied from big-money interests (note: you and I don’t make that list). I don’t think Ed Perlmutter is a Corporatist Democrat, but I’m not sure how else to describe him. Why would he vote to grant retroactive immunity to corporations that knowingly broke federal wiretapping laws? Especially with Qwest’s presence in the state: they didn’t hand control over to the Bushies. Why should the other telecoms get off scott free?
Mark Udall is running hard for the center of the political spectrum and it’s disgusting, quite frankly. Republican politicians will stab his “bipartisanship” in the back the first chance they get (see Sen. Ken Salazar’s ridiculous contortions for proof). I don’t think Republican voters want immunity that much more than Democrats do, which is to say not at all. I would be very interested in seeing any kind of quantitative rationale for switching his vote. Does his campaign think it will secure Undeclared or Republican votes this November? He might need them if he continues to stick it to his base.
Here’s what it means to Democrats at the national level: folks like Steny Hoyer, Rahm Emanuel and Nancy Pelosi need to be replaced with better Democrats. This capitulation based on campaign donations is sickening.
The Colorado Senate race this year is important on many different levels.
One, we have the opportunity to get rid of Wayne “Do-Nothing” Allard. If you think that’s a silly name, do a search for legislation he’s sponsored. Despite a decent level of seniority within the Senate, he hasn’t done much except vote for Bush’s legislation the way Bush wants.
Two, we have the opportunity to send a Senator from Colorado that more accurately reflects our Western views. Mark Udall understands that the Iraq invasion and occupation was wrong, he understands the importance of science in our 21st century society, and he understands that Coloradans and Americans need and deserve a universal health care program.
Three, Bob Schaffer displayed an amazing lack of understanding of what his job entailed while representing Colorado’s 4th Congressional District. He is on record as being proud that he did more for the Ukraine than his district. His Republican colleagues are on record as noting that Bob Schaffer wasn’t terribly engaged. He is on record as only wanting to serve a limited number of terms in Congress. After a hiatus, he’s running for office again. This short list alone should preclude him from being elected to the Senate. But there are plenty more reasons not to elect Bob Schaffer.
As johne at SquareState has been busy documenting, Bob Schaffer‘s Congressional career is proving to have been linked in significant ways to Jack Abramoff’s large web of corruption. Legislators were sent around to world on junkets paid for by lobbyists. When they returned to Congress for hearings, they attacked and subverted established government entities and workers. Those workers and agencies were functioning well, and as such didn’t fit into the Republicans’ worldview of being bad. Many people associated in one way or another with Abramoff have found themselves found guilty (by plea or by decision) of numerous crimes. Many more await, I’m sure.
This latest Schaffer-Abramoff post utilizes items found in Bob Schaffer’s Congressional archives. This is important to note: his own memos and emails, combined with the growing body of evidence surrounding Abramoffs’ and others’ activities are painting their own picture. Unlike Dick “Macaca” Wadhams, intrepid muckrakers don’t have to try to make things stick to Schaffer. He’s done the job quite nicely on his own. As these details and the larger narrative of Schaffer’s corruption slowly make their way to the public, this Senate race should increasingly lean Mark Udall’s way.
Out here in the Western U.S., we know that forest fires are a critical issue. Forest health is an issue that should receive serious attention by those we send to represent us in D.C. As usual with Republicans in charge, the publics’ best interests aren’t being considered. Here is the Bush administration’s plan to deal with forest fires: slash forest fire prevention budgets, then propose that the shortfalls in budgets be made up by selling off the timber that would have otherwise had to have been protected from fire. Ingenious, no?
But the proposal slashes the agency’s preparedness funding by $77 million, including a $13 million reduction in money to remove dead trees and overgrown brush that act as kindling for fires in 155 national forests.
Republicans are out to prove to the American public that government can’t work. That’s why you shouldn’t vote for them. Would you go to a doctor who wanted to prove to you that medicine didn’t work? The Bushies are out to pad the pockets of their corporate cronies. Affected citizens are getting the shaft.
Meanwhile, climate change continues to impact these areas that were mismanaged by forest policies for a century. A drier climate will not make the Forest Service’s future tasks any easier.
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Now, some economic news.
Last week, a barrel of oil cost $135, setting record after record. Following suit, gas prices continue to rise. The national average? $3.90 today. That’s putting some hurt on consumers.
The Federal Reserve last week lowered their 2008 economic forecast, then raised their projections for inflation and unemployment. Which should worry all of us because the most widely accepted values of both inflation and unemployment miss significant portions of our economy. If those commonly accepted values are increasing, the values that more closely match reality are also rising, and likely doing so more quickly.
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Dick Wadhams and Bob “Sweatshop” Schaffer are in the news trying to make something out of nothing. They’re pushing the meme in the corporate media that Mark Udall really does live in Boulder, gosh darn it! Why would they be wasting their time on this? Aside from the fact that they have nothing of substance to offer Colorado voters this fall, they’re trying to magically legitimize Dick’s favorite name for Mark: “Boulder liberal”. Mark Udall moved to Eldorado Springs over five years ago. Dick’s latest plug: showing Udall’s mailing and physical address zip codes, the former is in Boulder, the latter is in Eldorado Springs, according to the Assessor’s office.
Stygius at S2 shared a good zip code that’s much more relevant to the issues:
96950. That’s the zip code for the Mariana Islands, where Bob Schaffer helped out labor bosses and Jack Abramoff’s agenda. Human rights, labor rights, the child sex trade and forced abortions: issues Bob Schaffer and Dick Wadhams want to distract our attention from by repeatedly calling Mark Udall names. It’s one reason why Bob Schaffer will lose this election.
First up, there was some severe weather in Colorado on Thursday and Friday. A long-lived but relatively weak tornado (EF-2, preliminary) hit south of Greeley and traveled up east of Fort Collins. One death has been blamed on the storm, which did something like $200 million of damage. Other cells also produced tornadoes, but they weren’t as damaging.
I went storm chasing both days. I didn’t get out until after the big-news tornado, which touched down at 11:30A and traveled north-northwest. Unfortunately, I didn’t see much on Thursday. On Friday I went out to the far eastern plains and even poked into Kansas a little bit. I ended up backtracking north and west into Colorado. I think if I had kept going into Kansas, I would have seen more action. Tornadoes were reported pretty consistently with those storms. Oh, and while I was out, another tornado hit near Greeley. Some luck. This storm season is setting records for number of confirmed tornado reports and deaths.
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Remember that NASA’s Phoenix Lander is scheduled to land on Mars tonight. I’m going to my local museum to watch NASA’s live feed of the event. It’s a tricky landing, so I really hope everything goes well.
