Democracy For The Southern Adirondack/Tricounty Area

Tricounty DFA Update: Reminders -Meeting Wednesday, Vigil Saturday, More

2011-12-05T23:59:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone!

In this update for December 5th, 2011:

1. Glens Falls DFA Meeting Wednesday, 7pm

2. VIgil In Support of Occupy Wall Street Saturday, 11am

3. Great Work At Truman National Security Project

4. Must Read

1. Glens Falls DFA Meeting Wednesday, 7pm

We will be holding our usual meeting of Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area this coming Wednesday, December 7th, at 7pm at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe in downtown Glens Falls.

On the agenda will be setting up contingency plans for next year''s congressional race, which will be the dominant ones here in NY, since NY is a very safe state for Obama, and also, I think, pretty safe for GIllibrand. I say contingency plans, because we do not know, and may not know until as late as May, into what Congressional District we will be placed by the legislature. The only thing we can say for sure is that we will not wind up in Peter Welch's district. But, as Pasteur famously said, luck favors the prepared.

2. VIgil In Support of Occupy Wall Street Saturday, 11am

We will be holding another vigil in support of Occupy Wall Street this Saturday, December 10, at 11am in front of the Civil War Monument at the corners of Bay, Glen and South Streets in downtown Glens Falls. Come, bring a friend, there are usually plenty of signs, and show your support for the 99%.

3. Great Work At Truman National Security Project

I am sure many of us fondly remember working with Scott Murphy campaign staffer Liz Mckenna during the campaign last year, Liz is now with the Truman National Security Project in Washington, D. C., and is running their new campaign to protect international development - Make US Strong (http://www.makeUSstrong.com).

One of the latest initiatives of the Truman Project is a campaign to stop the Republicans from endangering the US ad the world by slashing foreign aid. Accordng to Liz, "Yesterday, we introduced a new narrative into the debate over this funding: Connecting the foreign aid programs of the Greatest Generation to today’s fight against terrorists around the world and America’s role as a world leader. The ad, called “Tell 'Em Joe Sent You,” reminds viewers that foreign aid and international development made America safe and strong and is a necessary tool of American strength and standing in the 21st century."

You can check it out at http://makeusstrong.com/muss_blog/watch-gi-joe-stars-in-our-new-ad/

4. Must Read

I want to pass on a must read from Rolling Stone Magazine that Dick recommended to me -- it is an extraordinary overview of how we got to where we are economically, and why, in a sense, there is now a movement for the 99%: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-the-gop-became-the-party-of-the-rich-20111109?print=true

Thanks everyone! See you all Wednesday,

Larry

Tricounty DFA Update: Wednesday Meeting Reminder, GOTV, More

2011-10-31T00:10:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!

First, I hope you all have a Happy Halloween!

In this update for October 30, 2011:

1. Meeting Reminder Wednesday 7pm

2. Agenda:

GOTV

Training

Tabling

Vigil

3. Social Security Under Attack by Supercommittee

1. Meeting Reminder Wednesday 7pm

We will be having our regular monthly meeting of Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area this Wednesday, Nov. 2nd at 7pm at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe in downtown Glens Falls. The Cafe is one block west of the roundabout in downtown Glens Falls on the corners of Hudson Avenue, Elm and Exchange Streets. Because the election is bearing down on us, we will have a busy agenda:

GOTV

We have endorsed several candidates this year: John SIlvestri for Supreme Court, Mike O'Keefe for County Treasurer, Bill Mason for County Supervisor and John Strough for Queensbury Town Board. We will be discussing and organizing for the big Get Out The Vote effort this coming weekend.

Training

We volunteered at our last meeting to host a DFA National training weekend for next year, and I hope to hear from Monique Teal at DFA National about this. Roy Thomas has also been inquiring on this with the City.

Tabling

We have had a group tabling at the Farmer's Market as well and we want to keep that going.

Vigil

We have also been having an excellent turnout at the vigils we have been holding at the Civil War Monument in support of Occupy Wall Street and "We are the 99%." As we all know, we decided to do this at our last meeting on October 5th. This is in many ways a continuation of the several years of vigils we held at the same time and place against the Iraq War.

We are going to hold another one at 11am Saturday, again at the Civil War Monument at the corner of Bay and Glen Streets. We will be discussing this at our meeting as well. If you cannot come to Wednesday night's meeting, please come to the vigil on Saturday. There are also new pictures on our Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Democracy-For-The-Greater-Glens-Falls-Area/291798854180727?sk=wall&filter=1

3. Social Security, Medicare Under Attack by Supercommittee

DFA National and DFA Chair Jim Dean and DFA founder Gov. Dean are sending out an urgent appeal on the budget supercommittee.

Jim Dean alerted us first:

"Democrats on the so-called Super Committee are caving to Republican demands and pushing a plan that would make drastic cuts to Medicare.

"This is bad policy and bad politics. Cuts like these are the worst possible way to reduce the deficit. They protect the status quo for the richest 1 percent while the 99 percent are expected to sacrifice vital healthcare that they need to survive in tough economic times like these -- and they'll hamstring Democrats running for reelection in 2012.

"We've been down this road before. Republicans and some Democrats have been pushing plans to destroy Medicare and Social Security for months. We beat them then and we can beat them now with an overwhelming show of grassroots opposition to any plan that cuts Medicare.

"Join me and tell Washington that this deal is Dead On Arrival."

Pledge to oppose any candidate -- Republican or Democrat - who votes for a plan that cuts Medicare and Medicaid benefits for the 99 percent.

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/activities/668

Gov.Dean adds:

"I'm going to get straight to the point. If the so-called Super Committee votes to increase the age of Medicare eligibility from 65 to 67, it will completely erase all the gains we made in providing healthcare to every American under President Obama.

"Medicare is the only universal healthcare program that exists in the United States of America. No one who supports moving back the age of eligibility can possibly be considered an advocate for universal health insurance.

"In fact, if that happens, the legacy of the Democrats for the past four years will have been to do far more harm to the healthcare system than good.

"By raising the age of eligibility from 65 to 67, hard working Americans who are in their 50's or 60's, and cannot afford insurance under the current system will have to wait two additional years before Medicare kicks in. They would be forced to stay in the private healthcare system - if they can afford it."

Help support this at:

https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/fightbackmedicare?refcode=GHDnond

There is more detailed info at:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-altman/super-committee-social-security-cuts_b_1065105.html

Thanks everyone! See you all Wednesday!

Larry

Tricounty DFA Update: Our Occupy Wall Street Vigil Continues

2011-10-18T22:58:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!

As many of you know from the large turnout we had last Saturday, our vigil in support of Occupy Wall Street was a great success with over 50 in attendance.

We had an impromptu meeting last week and we agreed we will continue this vigil again this Saturday, at 11am in the same place we held our almost four years of weekly vigils against the Iraq War, in front of the Civil War monument at the corners of Bay, Glen and South Streets in downtown Glens Falls.

It was great to see so many people who had been with us during our vigils against the war, it was almost like Old Home Week!

Come on down, bring a friend, meet old friends, and show your support for "We are the 99%."

Also, we have had a Facebook group page for several years, but Facebook is migrating all the groups to a new status, so we have created a new Greater Glens Falls DFA Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Democracy-For-The-Greater-Glens-Falls-Area/291798854180727

I have put a large album of photos of Saturday's vigil on our new page for everyone to see, so click the link above to see the photos and while you are at it, join the page so you can get updates through Facebook as well.

Hope everyone can make it Saturday!

Thanks,

Larry

Tricounty DFA Update: Solidarity Vigil with OWS Saturday at Civil War Monument Downtown at 11am, Endorsements, more

2011-10-11T00:15:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone!

In this update for October 10, 2011;

1. Solidarity Vigil With Occupy Wall Street Saturday, 11am in front of the Civil War Monument in Downtown Glens Falls

2. Solidarity With Occupy Wall Street Resolution

3. 99% — Which Side Are You On?

4. Endorsements: O'Keefe, Mason, Strough

1. Solidarity Vigil With Occupy Wall Street Saturday, October 15th, at 11am in front of the Civil War Monument in Downtown Glens Falls

In the last two weeks Occupy Wall Street has mushroomed into a national phenomena, connecting Americans together in a new community discussion, similar to what Democracy For America has been doing since its inception.

At our meeting we agreed to holdina solidarity rally on October 15th at 11am in front of the Civil War Monument at the intersections of Bay, Glen and South Streets in downtown Glens Falls. It will last at least one hour. This is in concert with the International Day of Solidarity around the world.

Come, bring all your friends and make a sign supporting Occupy Wall Street and expressing support for the 99%.

2. Solidarity With Occupy Wall Street Resolution

The decision to hold the vigil grew from a resolution DIck introduced at our meeting Wednesday night at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe, which passed unanimously. It reads:

"Be it Resolved:

"That the Greater Glens Falls Democracy for America hereby Endorses and Supports OccupyWallStrreet.
"We do so because:
"1) The power, greed and arrogance of Wall Street is crushing the Middle Class.
"2) The power, greed and arrogance of Wall Street is completely destroying the American Dream for millions and millions of Americans.
"3) The power, greed and arrogance of Wall Street has "convinced" a large bulk of our politicians that the Federal deficit is more important that jobs.
"4) The power, greed and arrogance of Wall Street has never been investigated for it's widespread fraud and complicity in the financial collapse
of 2008.
"5) The power, greed and arrogance of Wall Street is gleefully behind the division of income and wealth, so the top 1% has almost a full quarter of all income in the U.S; the top 400 families have a much wealth as the bottom 150 million; "the richest five percent of households obtained roughly 82 percent of all the nation's gains in wealth between 1983 and 2009. The bottom 60 percent of households actually had less wealth in 2009 than in 1983..(Economic Policy Institute) .
"6) The power, greed and arrogance if Wall Street is behind the lies about Social Security so that at last they get to privatize demanding exorbitant fees for management.
"For all this and to all of this an more, OccupyWallStreet brings a blinding light of attention.

3. 99% — Which Side Are You On?

It is common in national news reports to hear claims that the Occupy Wall Street protestors do not have a specific agenda or stance. This is not so. It is just that the position is radically simple: which side are you on? The 99% or the 1%. This is the question Occupy Wall Street is posing to the nation.

4. Endorsements: O'Keefe, Mason, Strough

At our meeting we hosted Democrats Mike O'Keefe, candidate for Warren County Treasurer, Bill Mason, candidate for Queensbury County Supervisor, and John Strough, candidate for the Queensbury Town Board.

O'Keeke, son of current Warren County Treasurer Frank O'Keefe, spoke about the importance of an open, fair and honest accounting of county finances, and keeping check on the Republican dominated county Board of Supervisors. Mason spoke of the need for more Democrats on the Board of Supervisors to counter Republican mismanagement of county government, while Strough spoke about a number of issues facing the rapidly growing Town of Queensbury, including planning.

After the presentations the group voted unanimously to endorse and support the candidates, and discussed get out the vote efforts.

Also, if you want John Silvestri lawn signs, we have them! Let us know how we can get you one, or if you also want a Mason or O'Keefe sign, we will let them know.

Thanks everyone! See you all Saturday at 11am downtown.

Larry

Tricounty DFA Update: Wednesday Meeting Reminder & Dark Days Ahead

2011-08-01T12:46:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone—

In this update for August 1, 2011:

1. Meeting Reminder: Glens Falls DFA Wednesday 7pm
2. The Disaster
3. Concrete Action
4. The Real Democratic Party

1. Meeting Reminder: Glens Falls DFA Wednesday 7pm

We will be having our regular monthly meeting of Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe at 7pm, this Wednesday, August 3rd.

I'm sure it'll be a lively meeting, given what just happened in Washington.

The Cafe is one block west of the roundabout in downtown Glens Falls on the corner of Elm and Exchange Streets and Hudson Avenue.

2. The Disaster

It has become agonizingly apparent over the last few days that a disaster of epic proportions is happening in our nation's capitol. The so-called deal, which hands a right-wing faction of the Republican Party a victory that seemed beyond their reach even weeks ago seems to be in place, unless congressional Democrats lead by Rep. Pelosi can overturn it. She may. I would note the Congressional Black Caucus has now broken with Obama.

This "deal" puts on the chopping block, for certain destruction the entire achievement of the Democratic Party since the beginning of the New Deal, and liberals and progressives in all forms, since the administration of Teddy Roosevelt. A few key points:

*Tthis deal actually undermines the Constitution and American democracy itself. No longer do we have a system of government that translates the will of the people into action. A vicious minority can now rule over the many. Check out Paul Krugman today on this today, he characterizes it as surrender: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/opinion/the-president-surrenders-on-debt-ceiling.html?src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB
Also Robert Reich: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/debt-deal-republicans-_b_914737.html

*This erasure of the New Deal and everything Democrats have stood for may be tied to Obama's reelection strategy, according to a piece in the NYRB that everyone is talking about— it is an extraordinary picture and if you only have to read one of these, this is probably it: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2011/aug/18/what-were-they-thinking/

*However, we need to resist the notion that Barack Obama is somehow the victim in this, or had no choice because of those "awful Republicans." He is a perpetrator. He could stop this madness in a moment by evoking the 14th Amendment, and end the fake crisis. He will not.

There is by now massive documentation that Obama went into this process determined to advance cuts in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other programs. http://www.americablog.com/2011/07/larry-summers-in-2009-obama-will-launch.html

A fake crisis was used by Obama, the so-called "Shock Doctrine," to push through changes the American people would never have supported.
For more check out Arianna Huffington and Glenn Greenwald:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/the-debt-ceiling-impasse_b_909314.html
http://www.salon.com/news/budget_showdown/index.html?story=/opinion/greenwald/2011/08/01/debt_ceiling

Reagan economic adviser Bruce Bartlett put it starkly to Chris Matthews on Hardball: " the dirty secret is that Obama is a moderate conservative."
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/07/28/999759/-Hardball:-Bruce-Bartlett-desroys-every-Republican-fiscal-talking-point-in-5-minutes-?via=siderec

House Democrats could still shoot this deal down. Since we do not have a Democratic representative, you could try calling another. The Congressional switchboard is (202)224-3121

3. Concrete Action

Beyond this, what we do we do? First, we keep focused on changing legislatures and the next congressional election. We have to take back the House. But that does not mean we have to win any specific race, any Democratic pick up works for us, too.

RIght now DFA National is trying to win the Wisconsin recall elections. Channel your anger into that effort:

Yes! I'll make calls to Wisconsin voters on Tuesday.

Sorry, I can't make calls, but I'll contribute $5 to help air TV ads in these districts.

4. The Real Democratic Party

We must not despair about the Democratic Party. This was on Daily Kos, about the REAL Democratic Party:

"On the eve of what could be the biggest giveaway in the political history of the United States by one political party to another, I got to thinking -- where have all the Democrats gone? Because as surely as Washington is saying "Cut Social Security and Medicare" there can be none left in the three Houses (White, Yellow and Red) in the District of Columbia."

"And then the answer came to me.

• They've gone to Wisconsin, to fight in the State Senate recalls and to turn Fitzwalkerstan back into a first-world state.
• They've gone to Ohio, where they gathered 1.3 million signatures to overturn Kaisch's labor law.
• They've gone to Michigan, where they are fighting their own so-called Democratic Party torecall their own version of Scott Walker, Rick Snyder, and give democracy back to its towns and cities.
• They've gone to California, where they are desperately trying to save the state by enacting single-payer health care (e.g., Single Payer Now and California One Care).
• They've gone to Maine, where they've been working hard and long to convince Maine voters to reconsider their ban on marriage equality, and to undo their state's new law forbidding same-day voter registration.
• They've gone to Colorado, where they will be trying to put a marriage equality initiative on the ballot."

Thanks everyone! See you all Wednesday!

Larry

Tricounty DFA Update: Gov. Dean On Afghanistan, NY-26, Gibson votes, moreKathy

2011-05-10T11:26:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!

In this update for May 9, 2011;

1. Gov. Dean Now Calls For Afghan Change\

2. Reminder To Sign Up WIth Us At DFA-Link

3. Kathy Hochul in NY-26 Now In The Lead

4. Gibson Hits New Lows

5. Washington County Democratic Women's Luncheon

1. Gov. Dean Now Calls For Afghan Change

News came yesterday of a major new initial from DFA National based on demands from members and local groups and a shift in position by DFA founder Gov. Dean. Dean is now calling for a phased withdrawal. Dean made an extensive case in an interview with the Daily Beast: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-04-18/howard-dean-to-president-obama-get-our-troops-out-of-afghanistan/?cid=hp:beastoriginalsC1#

More info on Dean and DFA National at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/09/howard-dean-democracy-america-afghanistan-withdrawal_n_859320.html

DFA National is asking everyone to join as a citizen co-sponsor of a withdrawal bill authored by Sen. Barbara Boxer and co-sponsored by Sen. Gillibrand, Sen. Sherrod Brown and Sen. Durbin. Read the bill and sign on at: http://www.democracyforamerica.com/activities/512?akid=753.214578.tGpxpV&rd=1&t=1

Kirsten also sent an excellent message out on this via DFA earlier in the day.

2. Reminder To Sign Up WIth Us At DFA-Link

While you are signing on as a cosponsor, please take a few seconds extra to sign on to DFA-Link and our group: this will help make sure you get updates, and you will also be able to get more information on the DFA site, for instance, past training sessions.

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/groups/113-democracy-for-the-greater-glens-falls-area

3. Kathy Hochul in NY-26 Now In The Lead

At the recent Democratic Rural Conference there was a lot of talk about the special election to Congress on May 24th in the 26th Congressional District in Western NY. Democrat Kathy Hochul now has a slight lead in one of the most rock-ribbed Republican districts in the country. If this seat flips Democratic, it will set off national shockwaves and help roll back the tea party surge.

They are looking for people to phone bank from home. If you have some spare time, contact Blake@KathyHochul.com, or if you can go west to volunteer contact Jesse@KathyHochul.com or Kyle@KathyHochul.com

2. Gibson Hits New Lows

In the meantime Rep. Chris Gibson has been a busy fellow. He voted:

*To repeal mandatory funding to set up health insurance exchanges under healthcare reform. The grants are part of the 2010 health care bill which requires each state to establish an exchange by 2014.

*To repeal a section in the 2010 health care bill providing funding for the construction of school-based health centers.

*He voted for the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act - which would prohibit federal funds from being used for abortions, except in the cases of rape, incest or danger to the woman's life, and to bar most abortion expense deductions and tax credits for healthcare policies that cover abortions.

*He also voted to defeat a Democratic sponsored measure to bar the IRS from accessing medical records to establish whether rape or incest occurred, in connection with a provision in HR3 making abortion costs not tax deductible except in cases of rape or incest

*And to require the Interior Department to sell oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Virginia.

*Gibson also voted against a Democratic sponsored measure for a direct vote to end $30 billion in subsidies and tax breaks for the oil industry and use the money for tax breaks to industries to create jobs.

This all speaks for itself. As I noted before, we need volunteers to help put information on www.chrisgibsonwatch.com

5. Washington County Democratic Women's Luncheon

And don't forget the Washington County Democratic Women's Luncheon:

For information call Barbra Kinglsey at 518-677-5921 or Ellen Faber at 518-677-8345., Mail checks made out to WCDC to Ellen Faber, 100 East Main Street, Cambridge, NY 12816

Thanks, everyone! Remember, we still need volunteers for www.chrisgibsonwatch.com

Larry

Tricounty DFA Update: A New Era, Meeting Wednesday, Gasland Video, More

2011-05-02T15:34:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!

Bin Laden's death is a moment for celebration, but also a moment to remember all those who have died or suffered over the last decade.

Hopefully, Bin Laden's death, along with the still burgeoning Arab Spring, will mark the beginning of a new cycle of events. The Dean campaign and DFA may never have come into being had 9/11 not happened, and had George Bush had not been able to exploit it politically. We now must work to restore balance in our foreign commitments, repair our battered civil liberties, curtail the national security state, and a create sane and moral approach to rebuilding our nation's economy.

And I hope it is not politically crass to point out that this success makes Barack Obama the un-Jimmy Carter. The failure to rescue the hostages in Terhan doomed Carter's reelection chances. The jubilant crowds outside the White House and in Times Square last night, a sight not seen since V-J Day in 1945, surely immensely bolsters Obama's. Watch for Republican challengers to start dropping out.

In this update for 5-2-2011:

1. Glens Falls DFA Meeting Wednesday at 7pm

2. Academy Award Nominated Video Documentary Gasland

3. Gibson Watch Videos Up Of Town Hall

3. America's Growing Inequality

4. Washington County Women's Luncheon

We will be holding our regular monthly meeting of Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area this Wednesday, May, 4th at 7pm at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe in downtown Glens Falls.

On the agenda is a discussion of local events, and a report on the Democratic Rural Conference, which I was at last weekend. The Cafe is on the corner of Elm and Exchange Streets and Hudson Avenue, one block west of the roundabout in downtown Glens Falls

2. Academy Award Nominated Video Documentary Gasland

If we get time, we will also have a showing of the Academy Award nominated video documentary Gasland, which is about the horrible, environmentally destructive practice of hydrofracking, which is becoming an enormous issue here in New York State.

DFA National has been making a big push on this, and you should add your name to their petition: http://stopfrackingnow.com/fp

3. Gibson Watch Videos Up Of Town Hall

Republican Rep.Chris Gibson held a town hall in Malta last Tuesday. A lengthy succession of questioners hammered Gibson on a range of issue from Medicare to America's growing inequality. I got some video and will be putting clips up online. The first is already up at http://www.chrisgibsonwatch.com

They are worth watching because a demonstration outside completely blew off coverage of the tough questions being asked inside, so everyone who was not there missed Gibson's squirming and ducking. The worst thing we could do to Gibson is to let people see what he is actually saying.

3. America's Growing Inequality

The first question at Gibson's town hall meeting was about inequality. Here is something on this from the Huffington Post:

THERE IS A WAR ON AMERICAN WORKERS

The top 1% owns 43% of the financial wealth; the next 4% owns 29%. THE BOTTOM 80% SHARE ONLY 7% OF THE FINANCIAL WEALTH.

This is not what a democracy looks like. The top 5% control 72% of all the financial wealth, and along with it, the vast majority of power. The republican meme of "what's good for the rich is good for all of us" just is not true.

Working class Americans are facing cuts in education, healthcare, wages, and services as essential as sanitation of their water supply. Yet we're told that tax cuts and subsidies to corporations are essential because they create jobs. We've been told that for 40 years now, so why do wealth inequalities continue to grow?

There's a pie chart at Flickr. Go to Flickr, in their search box type in "DISTRIBUT ION OF FINANCIAL WEALTH", click on green pie chart until you get to the size you want, then PRINT IT OUT AND PASS IT ON.

I've been leaving copies in restaurant booths, public restrooms, waiting rooms, shopping carts, etc.

When I quote the wealth distribution figures to people, they don't believe me. When I prove it to them, they are shocked.

4. Washington County Women's Luncheon

You are invited to the Washington County Democratic Women's Luncheon on Friday, May 20th from Noon-2pm at the Cambridge Hotel in Cambridge, NY. Tracey Brooks, President of Family Planning Advocates of New York will be the featured speaker. Brooks was former regional director for Sen. Clinton. $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Men are, of course, welcome!

For information call Barbra Kinglsey at 518-677-5921 or Ellen Faber at 518-677-8345., Mail checks made out to WCDC to Ellen Faber, 100 East Main Street, Cambridge, NY 12816

Thanks everyone! See you all Wednesday,

Larry

Tricounty DFA Update: Gibson Town Hall, Washington Co. Women's Banquet, more

2011-04-24T22:58:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!

In this update for April 24th, 2011;

1. Gibson Town Hall Tuesday

2. Gibson Votes To End Medicare

3. Other Gibson Votes

4. Washington Democratic Women's Luncheon

5. Make a difference with GIbson Watch

1. Gibson Town Hall Tuesday

Republican Rep. Chris GIbson will be holding a public town hall this Tuesday, April 26 at 6:30 pm at the Malta Community Center. The center is next to the Malta Parks and Recreation Department on the corner of Bayberry Drive and Rt, 9 just a bit up the road from the Malta Price Chopper, outside Ballston Spa.

I would urge everyone who can make it to attend this event and come loaded with questions. Republicans have been shocked at the negative response they have been getting at town halls across the country -- the grillings at some of these meetings have been devastating.

If you are going to go, it is very important to get there early enough to get a seat and get inside to ask your questions, and also to keep GIbson and his people from packing the hall.

Unfortunately, there will be some attention seekers outside protesting -- I would urge everyone to ignore these people and get into that room. Don't get distracted. It is not about us and what we feel, but getting GIbson out of office.

We need to educate people about what Gibson represents. Unfortunately, a protest action can only distract from that. Both newspapers and TV have only so much space or time to allot to coverage of this event. All coverage of the action outside will come out of time or space allotted to covering what happens inside. Instead, people need to see images of GIbson ducking, waffling and evading questions, or saying something about what he is really doing that will piss voters off.

What should happen is that Gibson goes in and is confronted by a row of senior citizens who want to know why Gibson is dismantling Medicare, or diary farmers demanding to know if he understands how a nuke plant will affect Washington County farmers, and so on. This is how we put him on the spot, get the word out, and shape perceptions of him.

2. Gibson Votes To End Medicare

The biggest issue at the moment is that Gibson voted to end Medicare.

From the DCCC:

Fact Check: Representative Chris Gibson Voted to End Medicare, Turn it into Voucher Program

In an interview with Capital Tonight’s Liz Benjamin, Representative Chris Gibson (NY-20) continued to mislead voters about his vote to end Medicare and force seniors to pay more for their health care. Despite repeatedly claiming to oppose using vouchers for Medicare, Representative Gibson voted to do just that when he helped pass the Republican budget. Now, caught breaking a campaign pledge, Representative Gibson is resorting to lies and distortions in an attempt to trick his constituents.

FALSE Gibson Claim: “Listen, I’m opposed to vouchers, and I remain opposed to vouchers because we don’t want to privatize this program. We don’t want a situation where our government just sends checks to senior citizens and says ‘you’re on your own, from there’ that’s what a voucher program would do and that’s unacceptable.”

FACT: Ryan Plan Will End Medicare And Turn It Into A Voucher Program. According to the Wall Street Journal, “The plan would essentially end Medicare, which now pays most of the health-care bills for 48 million elderly and disabled Americas, as a program that directly pays those bills.” The New York Times reported that, “The plan would turn Medicare into a voucher program for future generation[.]”[Wall Street Journal, 4/04/11; The New York Times, 4/11/11]

( Maury Thompson of the Post Star specifically asked Gibson about this last September, and Gibson promised to oppose vouchers: http://209.98.77.34/albanyproject/diary/9359/ny20-gibson-lies-about-medicare-vouchers )

FALSE Gibson Claim: “If you’re a current senior, no change. If you’re 55 years and older, no change.”

FACT: The Republican-passed budget will force nearly four million seniors to pay an additional $2.2 BILLION for prescription drugs next year alone. Under the Republican budget, 273,223 New York seniors will pay $153 million more for prescription drugs next year alone. [DPCC, 4/21/11]

FALSE Gibson Claim: “If you’re 54 years and younger, what we’re talking about doing is giving future seniors the same options that members of Congress have.”

FACT: Under The Republican Plan Seniors Will Pay 68% Of Their Health Care Costs While Members Of Congress Only Pay 28%. In an April 2011 open letter to the House, Congressman Paul Tonko wrote, “If this plan extended the same kind of health care options that Members of Congress have access to, seniors would be responsible for only 28 percent of their health care premiums. Yet, CBO projects that seniors will have to pay for 68 percent of their premiums within ten years of enactment of the Ryan Voucher Plan. Today, by comparison, the average senior on Medicare pays about 25 percent of their total health care costs. The Republican budget plan’s burden of 68 percent of health care costs on seniors is a far cry from the 28 percent of costs that Members of Congress pay.” [Office of Congressman Paul Tonko, 4/7/11]

FACT: Seniors Will Pay More Under Ryan Plan, Or Face Limits To Coverage

· Wall Street Journal: “The House Republican plan for overhauling Medicare would fundamentally change how the federal government pays for health care, starting a decade from now, likely resulting in higher out-of-pocket costs and greater limits to coverage for many Americans.” [WSJ, 4/6/11]

There was more today from the New York TImes: http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/272-39/5728-a-real-choice-on-medicare

3. Other Gibson Votes

However, what the Republicans and GIbson want to do to Medicare is only the beginning. Here are some other choice votes:

Fiscal 2011 Planned Parenthood Funding - Vote Passed (241-185, 1 Present, 5 Not Voting)

Following passage of the 2011 spending bill, the House adopted this enrollment correction resolution that would have blocked funding for Planned Parenthood. The Senate rejected the resolution so it will not be part of the final spending bill.

Rep. Chris Gibson voted YES..

To repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund - Vote Passed (236-183, 13 Not Voting)

This House bill would eliminate funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which was established by the health care law. Supporters of the bill say there is no accountability to determine where the money is spent. Opponents of the bill say it would defund important prevention programs. The Senate is unlikely to take up the measure.

Rep. Chris Gibson voted YES..

Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011 - Vote Passed (255-172, 5 Not Voting)

The House passed this bill that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases for the purpose of addressing climate change. A similar measure failed in the Senate earlier in the week.

Rep. Chris Gibson voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Net Neutrality Disapproval - Vote Passed (240-179, 13 Not Voting)

This resolution would nullify a Federal Communications Commission rule prohibiting broadband Internet service providers from blocking content or traffic. Supporters of the resolution say the FCC does not have the authority to regulate the Internet, while opponents contend the regulations are necessary to provide unfettered access to the Internet. A companion resolution has been introduced in the Senate but its future is unclear.

Rep. Chris Gibson voted YES.

The HAMP Termination Act of 2011 - Vote Passed (252-170, 1 Present, 9 Not Voting)

The House voted to end the Home Affordable Modification Program, a home foreclosure prevention program that uses Troubled Asset Relief Program money to help homeowners modify their mortgages. The Senate is unlikely to take up the bill.

Rep. Chris Gibson voted YES...

The House also voted 184-240 against Rep. Henry Waxman’s (D-Calif.) amendment hat would have put the chamber on record backing the widely held scientific view that global warming is occurring and humans are a major cause. In other words, they voted against the idea climate change is occurring. http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/154445-house-votes-down-climate-science-amendment

4. Washington Democratic Women's Luncheon

For information call Barbra Kinglsey at 518-677-5921 or Ellen Faber at 518-677-8345., Mail checks made out to WCDC to Ellen Faber, 100 East Main Street, Cambridge, NY 12816

5. Make a difference with GIbson Watch

Again, we really need an active team for www.chrisgibsonwatch.com If you are going to the town hall, take notes, make recordings or shoot video, which we can ppost! We need to get the stuff above out. If you want to help with Gibson Watch, let me know and I will send you the information you need.

Many thanks everyone, we will be having our usual meeting a week from Wednesday, May 4th, at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe at 7pm.

Larry

Tricounty DFA Update: Gibson Watch News Alert & Next Week

2011-03-30T23:32:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!

This is a special update:

There is a major new story on Gibson Watch ( http://www.chrisgibsonwatch.com ) on Gibson's so-called energy advisory panel, and who Gibson has chosen to lead it: Bill Teator. That name may be familiar. Teator is the lobbyist who organized former Congressman John Sweeney's "Lake Placid Challenge" lobbyist trips that Kirsten Gillibrand first ripped into when she was first running way back in 2006. Teator has a long record of working for Jerry Solomon and John Sweeney, as well as the nuclear power industry and the lobbying group Solomon formed after retiring from Congress, and much more. Find out who Gibson is associating with by reading the full story at http://www.chrisgibsonwatch.com

Also, a week from today, Wednesday April 6th, will be our eighth anniversary meeting!

Yes, it seems hard to believe, but it was eight years ago next week in the space that is now the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe that we came together for our very first Dean For American Meetup. Needless to say, an awful lot has happened in eight years: the incredible surge of the Governor's campaign, the heartbreak-- for this country -- of the eventual suspension of his campaign, his creation of Democracy For America, our first effort in 2004 to go after John Sweeney, hosting Kirsten Gillibrand's very first pubic political appearance at our 2nd Anniversary Meetup, DFA's highly successful effort to save Social Security in 2005, clean ups, vigils, weekly demonstrations, working for Obama, and finally the effort we made for Scott Murphy last year.

It has been a wild ride, and I humbled and honored to have been along with all of you.

We have a lot going on with Gibson Watch, now, so it will be a special meeting next Wednesday at 7pm at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe in downtown Glens Falls. There will be more news this weekend.

Thanks so much and see you all there!

Larry

Tricounty DFA Update: Gibson Watch Now Online, How To Make a Difference & Why

2011-03-15T11:28:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!

In This Update For March 14, 2011:

1. www.chrisgibsonwatch.com Project Now Up And Running

2. How You Can Help Make A Difference

3. What Do We Aim To Achieve?

4. Why This Is So Important: The National Perspective

5. Why This Is So Important: The Grassroots Perspective

1. www.chrisgibsonwatch.com Project Now Up And Running

A proiect GFA-DFA has been at since last year— www.chrisgibsonwatch.com— is now up and running -- you can see it at http://www.chrisgibsonwatch.com

First, I want to salute everyone who helped make this possible. Our group will be celebrating our 8th Anniversary at our next meeting in April, and although we have sponsored trainings and helped get candidates elected, this is one of the biggest things we have done on our own since we got started.

A few details: http:// www.chrisgibsonwatch.com looks like a blog but it is actually a fully integrated web system. Posts to Gibson Watch are automatically "echoed" to a Gibson Watch Twitter account and the GIbson Watch Facebook page. This means that anyone who wants to be automatically notified when there is a new post or other information on Gibson Watch can subscribe to twitter on their computer or cell. Or, they can join the Gibson Watch Facebook page and get updates on their page, too. This is important because many people in the media and politics now rely on Twitter for fast updates.

If you want to get updates on Twitter, you will need a twitter account. You can subscribe by going to the GIbson Watch Twitter page at: http://twitter.com/gibsonwatch and open an account.

Also, join our Gibson Watch Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chris-Gibson-Watch/108979135849779

And if you haven't joined our GFA-DFA Facebook page, do it now! http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=106419759408230

2. How You Can Help Make A Difference

It's like the Uncle Sam recruiting poster: Gibson Watch Needs You!

We have created a great tool, but to be successful Gibson Watch is going to require a team of people who keep track of what our right wing Representative is up to, figure out what it means and post it.

If you want to help, email me back and I will send you an invitation link. I will also send you an user's manual with suggestions and some guidelines.

We need volunteers who will identify or develop areas in which they have expertise, whether it be educational issues, environment, economics, national security or others, and follow Gibson’s positions accordingly, and provide alternatives.

We need to especially focus on how Gibson’s positions are out of the mainstream of the district and upstate New York in general, and damage the local economy, jobs and environment.

You don't have to be in DFA. The Gibson Watch team is open to all liberals, moderates and progressives across the 20th CD and the upstate New York region who support responsible positions that build the district and the nation, support peace, economic and social justice, human rights and human dignity, and America’s progressive tradition of a government, as Lincoln put, “of, by and for the people,” not the powerful, the connected, or privileged and wealthy elites.

If you want to help, even if you can only do something occasionally, email me back and I send you an invitation and that user's guide.

3. What Do We Aim To Achieve?

Congressional representatives, particularly from upstate New York, routinely go to Washington and then consistently vote against the interests and beliefs of their constituents— and get away with it— due to the geographically dispersed nature of a district as large as the 20th.

Misrepresentations often go uncorrected. One current example is Rep. Gibson’s recent statement he is an original co-sponsor of a provision passed in the House of Representatives to repeal a requirement in the Healthcare Reform Bill that small businesses file 1099 forms with the IRS for every purchase of goods and services over $600. In fact, this problem was first identified by Rep. Scott Murphy last year.

Harry Truman once said "I never gave anybody hell! I just told the truth and they thought it was hell."

The very worst thing we can do the Republicans is tell the truth. Like mold, they can't stand the light of day.

4. Why This Is So Important: The National Perspective

There are two sides to the "Big Picture" of why we have to do this.

1. In 2012 we absolutely have to take back the House of Representatives before the Republicans destroy our country. For instance, last night, came news that Gibson voted to kill mortgage relief for the unemployed and a program to help people refinance homes that are worth less than their mortgages. Another example in the news: Chris GIbson is gung-ho on nuclear power and recently sent staffers to Easton to encourage the Town Board to volunteer their town as the site for a new nuclear power plant. (great timing...)

2. There will be no leadership from the White House. No doubt you have also noticed that Pres. Obama has been AWOL on the crisis on WIsconsin. By abandoning the unions to whom he pledged his support and loyalty before the election, he has effectively left the Democratic Party. I don't know what he is, but he is not even a Blue Dog anymore. If you doubt that, here is another shocker -- last week Obama signed a Republican bill that completely eliminated funding for Reading Is Fundamental, one of the best things anyone ever thought of to help kids read. So much for "winning the future." Obama signed for illiteracy and ignorance instead. Read at http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/reading-is-fundamental-funding-eliminated_b24798?c=rss

3. We have to get Nancy Pelosi back as Speak of the House so that the Democratic Party and our nation has some leadership that works someone other than the big financial interests.

5. Why This Is So Important: The Grassroots Perspective

The 20th CD has been slowly trending Democratic for a long time and we need to keep that trend going.

But here's the big thing right now: people are deeply upset and frustrated and there is a temptation to do things that at the least waste energy and tire people out to no purpose, and at worse make us look foolish and impotent. We need to give everyone something constructive to do. We can't just preach to the choir, we have to reach out -- that's how we make change.

Thanks everyone! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Larry

Tricounty DFA Update: All On The Line: Rally Tomorrow In Albany

2011-02-25T12:13:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone!

A special update:

Make Or Break

I am sure you are all following the astonishing blow-up in Wisconsin. This is a make-or-break battle for the rights of working Americans. The Wisconsin unions have already given the Governor everything he wants financially. But that is not enough. Conservative extremists want to destroy the right of working Americans to organize collectively. If they succeed, the middle class in this country is finished.

Rally Tomorrow In Albany

There is a major protest in Albany tomorrow being organized by a union-led coalition of groups.

NYSUT, the state AFL-CIO, SEIU, the Capital District Area Labor Federation, and other unions are organizing a rally backed by a coalition of

progressive groups at Noon at the west steps of the State Capitol building in Albany. I urge everyone who can to go.

The Larger Stakes

It is no accident this right wing attack is backed by the billionaire Koch brothers. They and people like them want to not only destroy the middle class, they want to defund Democrats, liberals and progressives to lock in their power. The Supreme Court's outrageous Citizen's United decision is a key part. So we are not only on the verge of losing the middle class, but democracy itself.

Eugene Robinson and Paul Krugman brilliantly summarize the issues:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/21/AR2011022103778.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/25/opinion/25krugman.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

Support Our Heros

Richard also sends along that we need to thank the 14 hero Democrats in the Wisconsin Senate who left the state to stop this right wing attack, and stand with public employees in other states:

http://action.afscme.org/c/51/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1562&utm_source=taf-425&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=WI14

http://action.afscme.org/c/51/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1444&utm_source=taf&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=StandWith

Grassroots On Their Own

Equally astonishing as this attempted conservative coup, is the total collapse of leadership at the very top of the Democratic Party. Frank sent me this clip from the Ed Show, and it is sensational, and I recommend everyone watch it. We simply have to forget about leadership from the White House, and focus on turning back these attacks and taking back the House of Representatives:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/41771258#41771258

Meeting Next Week

Also, don't forget! We will be having our usual monthly meeting of Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area this Wednesday, March 2nd, at 7pm the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe in downtown Glens Falls. More on that later this weekend.

Thanks everyone!

Tricounty DFA Update: Meeting Reminder, What We Can Do

2011-01-31T14:32:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone!

In this update for January 31st, 2011:

1. Meeting Reminder: Wednesday

2. Action Agenda: GIbson Watch

3. Social Security and Democratic Party Legacy Still Under Attack

4. Join Jim Dean in Safe, Stable & Secure

5. Open Gibson-Little Meeting

1. Meeting Reminder: Wednesday

We will be having our regular monthly meeting of Democracy For the Greater Glens Falls Area this Wednesday, February 2nd, at 7pm, at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe in downtown Glens Falls.

Cabin Fever is beginning to wear on all of us, I think, so it's a good chance to get out and see your friends. We will be discussing our action agenda and Dick and Pat will also report on a recent Moveon meeting.

2. Action Agenda: GIbson Watch

If you have been to one of our recent meetings, you will know that we have been working on a new project, Chris Gibson Watch, an online information source on Chris GIbson. In the past our members of Congress usually disappear into an informational vacuum when they arrive in Washington, with people back home having no idea what those representatives are really doing and supporting in Washington.

We agreed we have to prevent that from happening to Gibson. He has barely gotten there, but is already showing support for an extremist agenda that is far from the basically moderate views of people in upstate New York.

We need a large team from a wide area to follow Gibson's activities. We will be setting this up at the meeting. We will be making a formal announcement after the meeting.

We are still working on it, but you can see it online now by going to http://www.chrisgibsonwatch.com

3. Social Security and Democratic Party Legacy Still Under Attack

It is clear that because of loudly expressed concerns by Democrats, President Obama backed off from calling for cuts in Social Security. However, he has not firmly taken it off the table. Republicans are calling to dismantle the program, and the question is whether Obama and the neoliberals he rehabilitated will fight back or "compromise" yet again.

However, as Paul Krugman make clear, there really is no ground for compromise: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/14/opinion/14krugman.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=opinion&adxnnlx=1295640092-huUSC/sw7aNWOiZiwyEfew

William Greider superbly summarizes the big picture: ""Whatever the issue, the rich guys win... Lots of people understand this—it is the essence of the country's historic predicament." and, for this is key, "The Tea Party crowd got one big thing right: the political divide is not Republicans against Democrats but governing elites against the people. A similar division exists within business and banking, where the real hostages are the smaller, community-scale firms imperiled by the big boys getting the gravy from Washington. We have more in common with small-business owners and Tea Party insurgents than the top-down commentary suggests." A must-read at: http://www.thenation.com/print/article/157511/end-new-deal-liberalism

4. Join Jim Dean in Safe, Stable & Secure

Jim Dean has sent out a call for us to support Social Security: "It's never been more important to stand up and fight than now. Right-wing Republicans are willing to do anything to tear down Social Security. They're talking about shutting down the government, holding the debt ceiling hostage. Whatever it takes to destroy Social Security and prop up big banks, insurance companies and Wall Street, they're going to do it. " http://safestablesecure.com/dfa1

5. Open Gibson-Little Meeting

Chris Gibson and Sen. Betty Little are scheduled to hold an open public meeting on Feb. 3rd at 7pm at the ACC theater on Bay Road in Queensbury. If you have not had a chance to see Gibson, here is an opportunity to get a sense of what we are up against.

Thanks everyone! Check out http://www.chrisgibsonwatch.com and see you all Wednesday.

Larry

Tricounty DFA Update: Murphy Fundraiser, Mega-Canvas, Yepsen, Siena Poll

2010-09-17T12:26:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone;

In this update for September 17, 2010:

1. Murphy Fundraiser In Glens Falls Tomorrow, Saturday Sept. 18th

2. Mega-Canvas Saturday, September 25th

3. Yepsen Event

4. Siena Poll Out

1. Murphy Fundraiser In Glens Falls Tomorrow, Saturday Sept. 18th

You are all invited to an afternoon with Congressman Scott Murphy, Tomorrow, Saturday, September 18 from 3:00-5:00 PM:

Come and meet Scott!

Hosted by:

Mayor Jack Diamond
Joanne DeTore & David Westfall
Julie Frazer & Todd Feigenbaum
Ghrissia & Rachid Daoui
Mary & Preston Jenkins
Dennis Tarantino

Carrie & Mark Mauro

The Home of Carrie and Mark Mauro
20 Garrison Rd
Queensbury, NY 12804
Event will be outside, weather permitting

Suggested Contribution Amounts:
$75 - Friend
$125 – Supporter
$250 – Host

To RSVP please contact Tom Mintz at:
rsvp@scottmurphyforcongress.com
518.832.9841
www.scottmurphyforcongress.com/sept18

This is a chance to show your support for Scott's reelection, meet him in person and hear him talk about the issues.

2. Mega-Canvas Saturday, September 25th

I have been informed by Scott Murphy's Northcountry FIeld Organizer, Liz McKenna, that there will be a "Mega-Canvas" across the 20th CD on Saturday, September 25th. I am sure most of us remember the canvasing effort our group made for Kirsten the first time she ran. I hope you will all consider helping again!

From Liz:

"As part of a nation-wide effort, Scott is asking every supporter to sign up for one three-hour shift of canvassing on Saturday, September 25th. We are hoping to hit thousands of doors across the entire 20th District."

"We will be launching a mega-canvass in Glens Falls from 10 AM to 7 PM. We will be launching volunteers from the Glens Falls Office (5 Warren Street) at 10 AM, 1 PM, and 4 PM and asking volunteers for just three hours of their time. "

"Canvassing is one of the most valuable ways to make a difference and we make it easy by providing volunteers with scripts, voter lists, and Scott Murphy literature (stickers too!). If you, or anyone you know is interested in signing up for a shift or two of canvassing, please get in touch with me at the number listed below."

"We need all of the help that we can get to ensure that Scott is re-elected. Whether you can offer an hour, an evening, or an entire day, your help and support will go a long way."

On Sunday, you are alos invited to a Barbecue Picnic with Joanne Yepsen, Candidate for New York State Senate District 43

"To Celebrate Another Beautiful Summer in Saratoga and Rensselaer Counties"

Location:

VFW Post 420
190 Excelsior Ave
Saratoga Springs, NY

Time:

Sunday, September 19th, 2010

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Entertainment by D.J. Dan
Hotdogs, Hamburgers and Salads
Keg Beer One Dollar Per Cup
Tickets $20 per person

For more information, call 584-4737
RSVP to Erik@YepsenForSenate.com

Finally, the first Siena Poll is out on the 20th CD race. According to the TU, Scott Murphy leads Gibson by 17 points, and on almost every issue.

http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/31859/poll-murphy-leads-by-17-strong-on-issues/

This is great, but it is also a bit dangerous: there is no room for complacency. Republicans still out number Democrats here. Further, outside right wing groups coming in to spend millions of dollars on attack ads against, and they are going to have an effect. http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/31636/ads-planned-attacking-murphy/

We still have to act like we are 17 points down rather than 17 up.

I think this confirms what I was saying in my last post, that this will be a transformational election. Four defeats in a row will prove this is no longer a right wing stronghold, and reveal what many of us have known for a long time, that this area is not that conservative, but actually typically American middle of the road.

Thanks everyone!

Larry

Tricounty DFA Update: The Meaning of Four In A Row, Primary Reminder & Info

2010-09-12T23:20:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!

In this update for September 12th, 2010:

1. The Meaning of Four In A Row

2. What To Do?

3. Primary Reminder And Personal Recommendation for Eric Schneiderman

1. The Meaning of Four In A Row: Follow Up On Murphy Report

Although we are hearing quite a bit of doom and gloom around the country about Democrat's prospects, I think Scott is in a good position and is about to do something historic, and in fact, he already has. So far, he is significantly out fundraising GIbson. We have never had a Democratic candidate here who had more money than the Republican at any point in a race. That is truly remarkable, and really says something about Scott as a candidate. I don't know why this hasn't gotten more attention.

But once he is reelected— and I believe he will be—Democratic candidates will have won four Congressional races in a row. I don't believe we have had four Democrats elected here in a row since the Revolution. With four in a row it be undeniably clear that a profound long term trend is underway.

Many of you have heard my talk over the years about how we actually live in West Vermont, that our area is the western most part of New England, and the 20th CD should be blue on the map the way New England is. Four in a row will start to make that a reality. It will demoralize the Republicans. Their fear and intimidation will lose credibility. Democrats up and down the district will start to rise, and our politics will increasingly resemble our progressive Green Mountain State neighbor, as they should.

That means this could really be a transformative election, with the district changing for the better in all kinds of profound ways. The society, the culture will start to follow, it will open up to new ideas and forces as change and confidence and free initiative returns. Just as there is a lot at stake nationally, with the control of Congress, there is an awful lot at stake right here at home.

This is going to be a good race, a very worthwhile race, even a fun race that everyone will want to be involved in, and can look back on and be proud of. I have been in all kinds of races over the years, but that is the kind that can't be beat.

2. What To Do?

Here's a few suggestions just to start:

Letters to the Editor

Particularly here in Glens Falls, we are lucky to have a newspaper that will publish letters. I suggest you write a letter supporting Scott Murphy in your own words, and get the facts out on Gibson: he wants to take us backwards on health reform, and he will have to support the dismantling of Social Security, and, indeed, the whole safety net. Keep it positive, and under 300 words. Here's where to send them:

The Post Star: http://poststar.com/app/contact/?form=letter

The Saratogian: letters@saratogian.com

The Chronicle: chronicl@loneoak.com

Go to the AAUW Media Action page, enter your zip code and get a list of additional newspapers and email addresses. http://capwiz.com/aauw/dbq/media/

Facebook

Go to Scott's Facebook page athttp://www.facebook.com/ScottMurphyForCongress?v=wall&ref=ts

and hit the like button to show your support. There is a volunteer tab if you want to do that. Then suggest to all your friends on Facebook that they do the same.

SIgns

Go to Murphy 's Headquarters (on 5 Warren here in Glens Falls), get a sign, make a donation, volunteer and get a sign and bumper sticker. Incidentally, the Republican's are already up to their old practice of destroying signs, so keep an eye on any Democrat's signs that you see for theft of vandalism-- and report it.

I'll have more in a few days.

3. Primary Reminder And Personal Recommendation for Eric Schneiderman

There is a primary election on Tuesday, mainly for Attorney General. I have had a number of people asking for info, and who the progressive candidate is. None of them are really bad, but I would note that Rice was a Republican who didn't even bother to vote until she was 37 years old, and that the AG's office has absolutely zero to do with drunk driving.

I think the clear progressive choice is Eric Schneiderman. I know our DFA counterparts in NYC have long been big backers of Schneiderman-- he has a solid progressive record and backing. Over two years ago Schneiderman wrote a brilliant article for The Nation on the need for "Transformational Politics." I suspect everyone on this list who reads it will know who they want to vote for. It's at: http://www.thenation.com/article/transforming-liberal-checklist

He also organized getting Hiram Monserrate expelled from the Senate after his domestic abuse case, and led the reform of the dreadful Rockfefeller era drug laws.

Schneiderman has also been endorsed by The Nation, The New York Times, The TImes Union, as well as columnists like David Sirota. You can read the Times unusually strong endorsement at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/21/opinion/21sat1.html

Sirota is a must read at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sirota/eric-schneiderman-the-pro_b_703207.html

Thanks everyone! See you all soon,

Larry

Tricounty DFA Update: Murphy Meeting Report

2010-09-10T10:08:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!

A group of our Steering Committee members met Representative Scott Murphy Wednesday morning.

I think I speak for everyone when I say we had an excellent meeting with Scott (as he insists on being called).

We wanted to first follow up on our three letters to him on what we regard (and hear from all of you) three key issues:

*Social Security
Scott was very firm in his support for preserving Social Security and is completely opposed to cuts in social security benefits. He said he is asked this a great deal, with seniors actually concerned about losing benefits.

We asked him if he would consider joining with Kirsten GIllibrand in her call for popping the cap on Social Security contributions, which are presently limited to the first $106,000 of income. Scott said he was not opposed to that at all, and very open to the idea, and would consider it. He agreed that if it were implemented, it would solve any theoretical shortfall in social security funding that occurred.

Scott noted that the Republicans are lying like crazy about Social Security and that includes his opponent Chris Gibson, who he characterized as being in Republican minority leader Boehner's pocket, and that Boehner in particular and the Republicans in general have always wanted to privatize Social Security, and Gibson would back that, or have to back that, if elected.

We urged him to publicly back removing the cap in his campaign as an effective way to counter Republican claims. Dick noted how Hilary Clinton's campaign used the word risky locally, and we urged him from our experience to characterize the Republican position as "risky." Scott really liked that and agreed to really focus on that language, which was great.

We discussed public anxieties about the Deficit Reduction Commission. Scott agreed that Social Security was separate from the deficit and did not contribute to it. Dick asked him if he would support Rep. Grivalja's letter to President Obama calling for the President to repudiate the commission report if it called for Social Security cuts. He said he was not that familiar with it, but took a copy and said he would consider it.

Scott also made it clear he is opposed to continuing the Bush era tax cuts on upper income earners, but wants to continue them for the middle class.

There is no question the people of the district can completely count on Scott to protect Social Security.

*Heathcare Reform
Scott said that he has found going around that there is a small group of people who want to repeal Healthcare Reform, but that it was clear that the vast majority of people in the district want to keep the present bill, which he agrees with. He followed up on the idea of risky, saying the language he intends to use, and we should use, is "improve" upon Healthcare rather than "repeal" it.

We asked him if he would support Lynn Woolsey's new bill to open up Medicare to everyone as a Public Option in the soon to come public exchanges, and he was very interested in that and wanted to know about costs and numbers (all we have was that the CBO has scored it as saving $68 billion over roughly the next decade). He promised to look into Woolsey's bill and consider it.

He was very strong on the need for tort reform as an overall part of keeping skyrocketing medical costs under control. I think we all expressed a strong preference for single-payer. I did note, and he seemed interested in the idea, that unlike most of the country, we are much closer to Canada and there is a higher awareness here of their single-payer system, and correspondingly more support for single-payer.

Scott noted the existence of the present bill is a huge, historic change on the American scene, and now, once established, it can and will be continually improved. He also points out that Gibson has gone on the record as wanting to repeal healthcare reform in any new Republican Congress.

Scott is now a total supporter of HCR and after our Q&A there is no question we can count on Scott to make it better.

*Net Neutrality.

The final issue we got to discuss was Net Neutrality. Scott stated that he believes he is a very strong supporter of Net Neutrality. Most people have been defining preserving Net Neutrality in the context of what is called Title II of the Telecommunications Act. He believes that is a cobbled together measure, and that something more clearly defined is needed, a new TItle Three, and that he has discussed this with FCC Chairman Genachowski. Scott said that this new Title Three would codify and protect Net Neutrality, and prevent any kind of diversion or slowing of traffic or control of content. I think he is concerned about wireless access (iPhones and the like), but I think we were very satisfied with his strong support for Net Neutrality, whether a new Title Three is needed or not.

Throughout, Scott's concern for average working people was clear, while displaying the knowledge he brings from his business background on how to promote economic development. As a former internet entrepreneur, he is a bit of an unusual figure in a chamber mainly filled with lawyers, but since I think most of us would agree there are too many lawyers there already, this is actually a very good thing, and should not be misunderstood. Yes, he does talk a good bit about those kinds of economic/business promotion issues, maybe even a bit too much, because he knows and gets excited about that kind of thing, but that does not mean he does not care about average working people: the entire thrust of everything he says, taken together as a whole, make it very clear that he cares very much.

Scott's reelection will only happen if everyone makes it happen, however, we can't take anything for granted. I will be sending more info out on pitching in for Murphy, what can be done. In the meanwhile, there is a must read from Robert Creamer in the Huffington Post that takes apart the idea that Democrats are doomed in November: I strongly recommend it to anyone who thinks things are going badly, for instance, at this point in 2008 John McCain was substantially ahead, and we all know how that turned out.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-creamer/time-for-the-pundits-to-t_b_708721.html

Thanks everyone!

Larry

""God is a comedian, playing to an audience too afraid to laugh"— Voltaire

Larry Dudley
ldudley@larrydudley.com
ldudley@nycap.rr.com

Tricounty DFA Meeting Reminder & More

2010-08-31T00:20:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!

In This Abbreviated Late Summer Update For August 30, 2010:

1. Meeting Reminder: Wednesday

2. Some Late Summer Must Reads

1. Meeting Reminder: Wednesday

Democracy For the Greater Glens Falls Area will be holding its monthly meeting at our usual time and place: the first Wednesday of the Month, September 1st, at 7pm at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe in downtown Glens Falls.

We should have a report about contact with Rep. Murphy's staff on some of our messages to him, including Net Neutrality. As you probably know, Rep. Murphy just participated in a closed door debate limited to members of the local Chamber of Commerce.

We will be discussing that, various campaigns, and some things that have been going on with DFA.

The Cafe is located on the corner of Elm and Exchange Streets and Hudson Avenue, one block west of the roundabout in downtown Glens Falls.

2. Some Late Summer Must Reads

It goes without saying there is increasing unrest with many of the Obama administration's Wall Street-friendly policies. At the same time, the far right is gearing up in a way we haven't seem in some time— we can see that in the attack over the so-called "ground zero Mosque." (One big lesson from that is that Democrats have not yet learned NOT to take the bait, and fall for right wing distraction tactics.)

On the problems with establishment Democrats, this piece from Raw Story is a must read before our meeting: it describes how the real threat to Social Security is coming from corporate Democrats, except for the reality Wall Street has always hated it and wants to loot it: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/0830/liberal-economists-social-security-siege-democrats/

There is a growing chorus of protest against what increasing numbers of Democrats see as a corporatist coup that hi-jacked their party-- this new piece in Newsweek, Obama's Old Deal is only one representative example http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/29/how-obama-got-rolled-by-wall-street.html

On the right is the threat from billionaires trying to buy our government, as outlined in these pieces by Frank RIck in the NYT and in the New Yorker. As Rich asks, Where is the fight? http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/opinion/29rich.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

The New Yorker piece is the most astonishing one of all, because it details the frontal assault the ultra-wealthy Koch family has been waging on our democracy for decades. If you only have time to read one article, this is it: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/30/100830fa_fact_mayer?currentPage=all

What are we to do? Where to turn? The answers aren't completely clear at this point, but one thing is clear: we need to keep the pressure on.

See you all Wednesday!

Larry

Tricounty DFA Update: Meeting Reminder, Murphy Letter, Democrat's Distress

2010-08-02T10:31:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!

In this update for August 1st, 2010:

1. Greater Glens Falls DFA Monthly Meeting Wednesday

2. Our Letter To Rep. Murphy

3. Democrats and Core Issues

1. Greater Glens Falls DFA Monthly Meeting Wednesday

We will be holding our regular August meeting this Wednesday, August 4th, at 7pm at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe in downtown Glens Falls. Our recent meetings have been dominated by a growing concern that Democrats in Washington are favoring big business and high finance over the needs of average working people, and I am sure we will be discussing that again.

It looks like we will also have a report on a meeting of progressive activists with Rep. Scott Murphy.

One thing we may want to support is new legislation by Rep.Lynn Woolsey to revive the public option by allowing a Medicare type buy-in in the coming insurance exchanges.

The Cafe is located at the intersection of Exchange and Elm Streets and Hudson Avenue, one block west of the roundabout in downtown Glens Falls.

2. Our Letter To Rep. Murphy

At our last meeting we discussed the dangerous and growing push to generate a fake Social Security finance crisis as a means of "dealing" with deficits that are in fact not a problem. We adopted a letter to Rep. Murphy, which I will paste at the bottom on this update. We would like to thank The Chronicle for running it in full in this week's issue!

3. Democrats and Core Issues

More and more I am hearing growing distress among Democrats at the steady negative drift of what must be called the Washington Democratic Party on a wide variety of issues. This is despite the fact a large number of good things are being done, and the Obama administration has accomplished far more of its promises than most people realize.

However, when healthcare reform was watered down, there was uncertainty. But when we now look at the gutted financial reform bill, which totally favors the banks, or the unwillingness of President Obama to appoint Elizabeth Warren to head the new Consumer Financial Protection agency, because banksters don't like her, or the administration's unwillingness to prosecute Bush era officials for torture, or how the administration is now seeking warrantless wiretaps of American citizens, and so on, a clear pattern has now emerged. Far too many Democrats on the national level cannot be relied upon to support core Democratic issues and ideals, and, as Bill Clinton memorably put it, "people who work hard and play by the rules." On the core issues of who owns America, who this country is for, and who we need to stand up to, there is serious problem. These people are elitists who identify with elites, whether in finance, industry, the military or the intelligence agencies. And they are wishy-washy, without conviction.

Howard Dean spoke recently, and it's must read if you want to know or have forgotten what Democrats are supposed to sound like. As Dean says, "I have often said the biggest problem with the Democrats is that we are not tough enough." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/howard-dean/no-more-apologies----its_b_659043.html

Consider a few links, one from Marketwatch.com (of all places!) on what a fraud the finance reform bill is: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wall-street-reform-does-nothing-for-main-street-2010-07-18?pagenumber=1

Or the Washington Post on how the Deficit Reduction Commission has had its deck stacked in advance, and will push a conservative agenda that will attack Social Security and drive the country deeper into economic distress: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/28/AR2010072803466.html

Or how ignoring torture will ensure its eventual repetition: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/30/AR2010073002674.html

Or Krugman today on how economic failure is being defined down: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/opinion/02krugman.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

Frank Rich has a take on Obama that is interesting, although more charitable than I would write (for instance, Speaker Pelosi made Heathcare Reform happen, not the White House, which entirely sold it out and obstructed it.) http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/aug/19/why-has-he-fallen-short/?pagination=false

In some ways we are right back where we were after the Democrat's disastrous 2002 wipe out. The progressive movement, particularly after Howard Dean, took the Democratic Party and the country back after the 2004, 2006 and 2008 elections, and made those victories happen.

It now looks like we are going to have to do it all over again.

I have heard from some people I like and respect a lot that they are demoralized. I understand that, in some ways it is worse than during the Bush years, because then we could hope and believe that when Democrats came to power things would be different, and so today's disillusionment is all that more bitter.

But we can't give in to this, although I know it is hard. We have to stick together and keep our institutions ready for the future.

Thanks everyone! Hope to see many of you Wednesday,

Larry

Representative Scott Murphy

120 Cannon House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Murphy;

The following letter was draft and unanimously approved at our Wednesday, July 7th meeting.

***

Dear Representative Murphy;

We would like to express our thanks and appreciation for your recent votes in favor of the emergency extension of unemployment benefits and other benefits, financial regulation, and extending the home purchase credit. These were important steps towards fulfilling the Democratic Party's long-term promises to the American people, for restoring our economy, and the American tradition of equality and fairness. We would urge you to continue to support efforts in the future to strengthen the financial regulation bill, for instance, by the full restoration of the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933, and other measures that will get Wall Street out of the casino racket and back into its proper role of helping finance real economic development, that is, by helping create wealth rather than merely gather it.

However, our principle concern in this message today that conservative elements in our economy and, very unfortunately, within the Democratic Party, are attempting to generate a bogus crisis over the future of Social Security, very much as they attempted to do during the Bush years.

We would make several points:

*The real financial stability of Social Security is not at issue. There is no crisis. Any future short falls can be easily dealt with, for instance, and most specifically, by removing the cap on upper income individuals.

*There is no deficit crisis, relative to the U.S. economy and its strengths. Bringing deficits down is mainly an inside-the-beltway concern. We are sure you are aware of polls that indicate 60% or more of the American people feel that the government is not doing enough to get the country moving economically, and that deficits are not a present concern. Least of all, there is no need or a mandate to reduce deficits by attacking Social Security.

*As medical science and health standards improve, and people live longer, it may be sensible in the future to raise the retirement age, but this must be done carefully, with great attention to the special needs of Americans who work physically, very many of whom are members of or supporters of the Democratic Party. Any change in retirement ages should only be considered independent of any crisis atmosphere, where an effort will be made by vested interests to stampede the nation into a hasty and ill-advised decision.

*Special interests still would seek the privatization of Social Security– indeed, there are still what both President Roosevelts labeled economic malefactors, who are drooling at the prospect of channelling all of the nation's retirement savings through Wall Street, so that they may dip their greedy fingers into every American's retirement income. They are not entitled to a share. And above all, the present ongoing economic crisis, and the wild fluctuations in the stock market, expose as thoroughly as could be imagined the folly of letting Wall Street have anything to do with Social Security, if we had done so during the Bush years, the results would have been catastrophic. In fact, the entire modern trend away from traditional defined benefit pensions to IRAs, 401Ks and the like should now be in question.

Again, we appreciate these votes. Will we have your commitment to preserving the achievements of the New Deal and Great Society, including protecting Social Security from privatization in any form, and that the costs of any reforms will not come at the expense of the poor, the elderly, students and the middle class, but from those people who have benefited the most from the American Dream, often at other’s expense?

Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area.

Tricounty DFA Update: Emergency Action Call, Our Facebook Page, Letter To Rep.Murphy

2010-07-19T22:11:00.002-04:00

Hello Everyone!

In This Update:

1. Facebook Invitation!

2. Emergency Action Call: Who Will Run The Consumer Financial Protection Agency

3. Letter To Rep. Scott Murphy On The Threat To Social Security

1. Facebook Invitation!

Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area now has a Facebook page, and since the news announced tonight that there are now 500 million people on Facebook,
it's clearly become a top way for people to connect with one another, organize and get news.

So I would urge you all to go to http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=106419759408230&v=wall
and join our new online group! We'll be doing a lot more with it in the future, and you'll get updates on your
Facebook page when we do, but only if you sign up.

2. Emergency Action Call: Who Will Run The Consumer Financial Protection Agency

Also tonight: There is a major action call to contact the White House and urge President Obama to appoint Elizabeth Warren
as the head of the new Consumer Financial Protection AGency.

At issue is whether there will be any, and I emphasize, any, reform of the US's financial industry.
Do not think that because there was a financial reform bill that there will actually be financial reform.
What basically happened is that Congress punted on the details in order to get Blue Dog votes,
and passed the buck to whoever runs the regulatory agencies.

Elizabeth Warren got the financial reform ball rolling and understands the issues better than anyone else
and will fight for consumers., The banking industry is pressuring the White House not to appoint her,
and so far the White House has pretty much taken their side on just about everything.

For more in depth coverage, read this piece from today's Huffington Post and add your name to the online petition:
http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/pick_warren/index2.html?rc=paste2&r_by=-3063121-iwIObbx

John R. Talbott
Bestselling author of The Coming Crash in the Housing Market
Posted: July 18, 2010 11:33 AM
The Real Reason Geithner Is Afraid of Elizabeth Warren

As reported on HuffPost last week, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has expressed opposition to the possible nomination of Elizabeth Warren to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, according to a source with knowledge of Geithner's views.
One can assume that Geithner, being very close to the nation's biggest banks, is concerned that Warren, if chosen, will exercise her new policing and enforcement powers to restrict those abusive practices at our commercial banks that have been harmful to consumers and depositors.
Certainly, Warren is not the commercial banking industry's first pick to serve in this new role. And unlike other legislation in which an industry's lobbying effort would naturally slow or cease once the legislation is passed, the new financial reform bill is continuing to attract enormous lobbying action from the banks. The reason is simple. The bill has been written to put a great deal of power as to how strongly it is implemented in the hands of its regulators, some of which remain to be chosen. The bank lobby will work incredibly hard to see that Warren, the person most responsible for initiating and fighting for the idea of a consumer financial protection group, is denied the opportunity to head it.
But this is not the only reason that Geithner is opposed to Warren's nomination. I believe Geithner sees the appointment of Elizabeth Warren as a threat to the very scheme he has utilized to date to hide bank losses, thus keeping the banks solvent and out of bankruptcy court and their existing management teams employed and well-paid.
To see how this scheme works during the current crisis we must go back and examine previous crises and recessions in order to understand their cause. As Kenneth Rogoff explains in his new book, This Time is Different, most crises are preceded by a boom or bubble period in which asset classes, such as homes in this case, reached unsustainable pricing levels. The main driver of most of these asset bubbles is loose bank lending in which banks offer money to asset buyers on very liberal terms, thus guaranteeing that asset prices will inflate abnormally. Eventually, all bubbles burst, and in the worst cases we are led into financial crises. The banks make things even more difficult because as prices fall the banks end up with substantial increases in problem loans.
To deal with this increase in problem loans, the banks typically pull back on all lending, not just lending in the affected sector. The banks, now primarily concerned with their own survival if they wrote off the problem loans, literally stop almost all new lending, thus driving the economy into a deep recession. It is difficult to sustain economic activity when there is no credit being supplied by the banking system. The banks, instead of lending to businesses and consumers, shift their investments to very safe instruments like US Treasury securities. The result is a risk-free cash flow that over time eventually repairs the banks' balance sheets by increasing their profitability and thus restoring their book equity.
Typically, during crises, the Federal Reserve also lowers interest rates and the cost of bank borrowing so as to make this risk-free profit spread to banks even greater. In the current financial crisis, the Federal Reserve has lowered interest rates to almost zero percent per annum thus assuring that the banks can profit enormously by doing almost nothing, not lending and sitting on risk free Treasury investments. While good for the banks, one can see how damaging this lack of credit extension can be to an economy trying to recover from an economic crisis.
What is most damaging about this approach to an economy attempting to recover from a recession is that it ensures that the policy of tight money from the banks will continue for some time. Time is needed for the banks to earn their way out of their loan losses and insolvency problems if they decide not to quickly write off the bad loans. In Japan, after their banking crisis of 1994, it took more than a decade for the banks to repair their balance sheets and resume normal lending thus retarding economic growth for decades.
This is exactly the plan that Geithner and Larry Summers have proposed for the current crisis. If you remember, Hank Paulson, the Treasury Secretary at the time, had announced that the $700 billion TARP funds would be used to buy toxic assets like bad mortgage loans from the commercial banks. But this never happened and now the amount of bad bank loans has increased in the trillions. Immediately after receiving authorization of the funding for TARP from Congress, Paulson reversed direction and decided to make direct equity investments in the banks rather than using the TARP funds to acquire their bad loans.
So where are the trillions of dollars of bad loans that the banks had on their books? They are still there. The Federal Reserve took possession temporarily of some of them as collateral for lending to the banks in an attempt to clean up the banks for their supposed" stress tests". But as of now, the trillions of dollars of underwater mortgages, CDO's and worthless credit default swaps are still on the banks books. Geithner is going to the familiar "bank in crisis" playbook and hoping that the banks can earn their way out of their solvency problems over time so the banks are continuing to slowly write off their problem loans but at a rate that will take years, if not decades, to clean up the problem.
And this is where defeat of the nomination of Elizabeth Warren becomes critical for Geithner. For Geithner's strategy to work, the banks have to find increasing sources of profitability in their business segments to balance out their annual loan loss recognition from their existing bad loans in an environment in which they continue to recognize new losses in prime residential mortgages, commercial real estate lending, sovereign debt investments, bridge loans to private equity groups, leverage buyout lending and credit card defaults.
The banks have made no secret as to where they will find this increase in cash flow. They intend to soak their small retail customers, their consumer and small business borrowers, their credit card holders and their small depositors with increased costs and fees and are continuing many of the bad mortgage practices that led to the crisis (ARM's, option pay deals, zero down payments, second mortgages, teaser rates, etc). American and Banking Market News reports this week that the rule changes in the financial reform bill may lead banks to start implementing fees that had essentially disappeared from the industry early in the new millennium, such as fees for not meeting minimum balance requirements on a checking account, or reinstituting fees for certain online banking transactions that are currently free or charging to receive a paper statement or to talk to a live teller as Bank of America's CEO has recently proposed.
It is exactly these types of unwarranted fees on small consumers and poorly designed products that Elizabeth Warren will fight against as head of the new consumer finance protection group. And it is why Geithner sees her as so threatening. Unless the banks are allowed to raise fees and charges on their smaller consumer customers, Geithner's and Summers' scheme for dealing with the banking crisis by hiding problem loans permanently on the banks' balance sheets will be exposed for what it is, an attempt at preserving the jobs of current bank executives at the cost of dragging out this recovery needlessly for years in the future. For the investment banks without small consumers and depositors to soak, Geithner and Summers have offered an environment with fewer competitors, more dominant market shares for the surviving firms and near monopoly pricing of their investment banking and derivative products to corporate clients and institutional investors to ensure continued and increasing profitability and growth.

Warren's appointment wouldn't just be a setback, it would devastate Geithner's entire plan on how to deal with trillions of bad assets the banks still won't recognize as losers. That is why I think she is going to face enormous resistance, even inside of the administration. The next one to oppose Warren after Geithner will be Larry Summers for this very reason. Then they will see if they can get Bernanke and finally Obama on board. The pitch to Obama and Bernanke will not be personal, it will be the same phony argument that Paulson and Bernanke used to justify TARP to congress, they will say that if Warren is appointed the entire world of banking and finance as we know it will come to an end.

I am reminded of when Bernie Sanders offered an amendment to audit the Fed to the financial reform bill earlier this year. While it was just one of many amendments being considered, the administration came out and said it was not against any of the amendments being discussed, with one exception, they would fight the "audit the Fed" idea to the death (me thinks the lady doth protest too much). Why? The same reason, a complete audit of the Fed would show that we have still not dealt with the bad loans on the banks' books.
As to the other two potential nominees on Obama's short list for the position, Michael S.Barr is Geithner's boy currently working for him as an Assistant Secretary at Treasury. More importantly, he is Bob Rubin's boy, having served as Rubin's assistant in the Clinton administration. If you are Rubins' boy, you are the bank lobby's boy as this position of Rubin's boy was previously held by Summers and then Geithner. Eugene Kimmelman seems like a nice enough person who has no background in finance. If the banking lobby can't get their guy in, the next best thing is to get a completely clueless person in who is too afraid to act boldly given he couldn't tell a CDO from a CEO. He has been the top lobbyist for the Consumers Union, so he is pro-lobbying and as a positive comment, really understands how toasters and garage door openers work.
Elizabeth Warren won't just protect consumers, her Oklahoma bred sense of honesty, fairness and decency just might reinvigorate and redirect a government and a banking industry that for too long has seen the average American taxpayer and the typical small consumer as the enemy to be taken advantage of at every turn.

If you want to help make sure Elizabeth Warren is appointed to head the new consumer finance protection agency, please take a minute and http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/pick_warren/index2.html?rc=paste2&r_by=-3063121-iwIObbx that will be presented to the President and then use the accompanying email opportunity to invite your friends to do the same.

3. Letter To Rep. Scott Murphy On The Threat To Social Security
The same people who gave us the financial crash are gearing up for another run at wrecking Social Security: over the next few weeks you are going to be hearing a great deal about this, and we will have more.

DGGFA adopted the following letter at our July 7 meeting and sent it to Rep. Scott Murphy.

Dear Representative Murphy;

We would like to express our thanks and appreciation for your recent votes in favor of the emergency extension of unemployment benefits and other benefits, financial regulation, and extending the home purchase credit. These were important steps towards fulfilling the Democratic Party's long-term promises to the American people, for restoring our economy, and the American tradition of equality and fairness. We would urge you to continue to support efforts in the future to strengthen the financial regulation bill, for instance, by the full restoration of the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933, and other measures that will get Wall Street out of the casino racket and back into its proper role of helping finance real economic development, that is, by helping create wealth rather than merely gather it.
However, our principle concern in this message today that conservative elements in our economy and, very unfortunately, within the Democratic Party, are attempting to generate a bogus crisis over the future of Social Security, very much as they attempted to do during the Bush years.
We would make several points:
*The real financial stability of Social Security is not at issue. There is no crisis. Any future short falls can be easily dealt with, for instance, and most specifically, by removing the cap on upper income individuals.
*There is no deficit crisis, relative to the U.S. economy and its strengths. Bringing deficits down is mainly an inside-the-beltway concern. We are sure you are aware of polls that indicate 60% or more of the American people feel that the government is not doing enough to get the country moving economically, and that deficits are not a present concern. Least of all, there is no need or a mandate to reduce deficits by attacking Social Security.
*As medical science and health standards improve, and people live longer, it may be sensible in the future to raise the retirement age, but this must be done carefully, with great attention to the special needs of Americans who work physically, very many of whom are members of or supporters of the Democratic Party. Any change in retirement ages should only be considered independent of any crisis atmosphere, where an effort will be made by vested interests to stampede the nation into a hasty and ill-advised decision.
*Special interests still would seek the privatization of Social Security– indeed, there are still what both President Roosevelts labeled economic malefactors, who are drooling at the prospect of channelling all of the nation's retirement savings through Wall Street, so that they may dip their greedy fingers into every American's retirement income. They are not entitled to a share. And above all, the present ongoing economic crisis, and the wild fluctuations in the stock market, expose as thoroughly as could be imagined the folly of letting Wall Street have anything to do with Social Security, if we had done so during the Bush years, the results would have been catastrophic. In fact, the entire modern trend away from traditional defined benefit pensions to IRAs, 401Ks and the like should now be in question.
Again, we appreciate these votes. Will we have your commitment to preserving the achievements of the New Deal and Great Society, including protecting Social Security from privatization in any form, and that the costs of any reforms will not come at the expense of the poor, the elderly, students and the middle class, but from those people who have benefited the most from the American Dream, often at other’s expense?

Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area.

Thanks Everyone! See you on our new Facebook page!

Larry

Tricounty DFA Update: Our New Facebook Page, Meeting Reminder, more

2010-07-05T10:18:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone;

Hope you all had a fun-filled, safe and patriotic holiday weekend!

In this update for July 5th, 2010:

1. Our New Facebook Page

2. Meeting Reminder

3. Washington County Picnic

At our last meeting we decided to create a Facebook page. Unfortunately my computer troubles delayed that, but it is now up and running and available to you all! You can see it at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=106419759408230

I would urge everyone to join this new page. (You will need to join Facebook first.) As a member of the page you will be able to post messages to "the wall," which, if you are not familiar with it, is a community bulletin board where any member can post a message that every other members sees and gets on their own page. This makes it a good way to communicate with and find other members. It's a very flexible thing with a lot of potential for creative uses. If we want to we can– all together– make this into a major center of progressive politics in the entire Southern Adirondack-Tricounty-Greater Glens Falls-Saratoga-Lake George Area.

So go and sign up at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=106419759408230

Be looking forward to hearing from you all.

1. Our New Facebook Page

We will be having our regular monthly meeting this Wednesday, July 7th, at 7pm at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe in downtown Glens Falls. Last month we sent a letter to Rep. Murphy about some of his votes. We've received a partial reply back and Dick has also been in contact with Murphy's Chief of Staff Todd Schulte, so we may have more response to this by Wednesday.

Rep. Murphy has made some very good votes lately- for instance, he voted for financial reform and then voted for the unemployment extension, which is excellent and I am sure will please us all. His race against Republican challenger Gibson does not seem to be attracting much attention, but that probably is for the best for Murphy as the incumbent.

The cafe is located on the corners of Elm and Exchange Streets and Hudson Avenue, one block west of the roundabout in downtown Glens Falls.

3. Washington County Picnic

An invitation from Naomi Marsh at the Washington County Democrats:

Washington County Democrats' Annual Picnic

Where: Roger’s Island - Fort Edward off Rt. 197 (end of the Island at the Idle Hour Club Grounds)
When: Sunday July 18, 2010 - 12 noon to 4 pm (food served between 1 and 3 pm)

The Committee will provide barbecue meats and non-alcoholic beverages Everyone is asked to bring a dish to share.

Beer and Wine will be sold by the Idle Hour Club for $2.00 each.
Note: No alcohol can be brought into the park.

Good Food - Music - Political Guests
Cost is $18 per individual; $30 per couple
(children under 12 free)
For tickets contact your local town chair or Judy Doonan: 692-7215

Thanks everyone! See you all Wednesday,

Larry

Tricounty DFA Update: Meeting Report, Murphy Letter, more

2010-06-17T00:19:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!

In this update for June 16, 2010:

1. Meeting Report

2. Letter To Representative Murphy

3. PCCC Petition Top NY Dems

4. Must Read: "progressive policy is also good politics"

1. Meeting Report

Our June meeting was dominated by a discussion, which went right up to the Cafe's closing time, of the increasingly corporatist drift of what might be called the D.C. Democratic Party, and particularly some recent votes or stances by Rep. Scott Murphy. We decided unanimously to send a letter to Murphy about our concerns, and it is below.

On a personal note-- my apologies for any delay in getting this out-- the hard drive on my computer began to fail the day after the meeting, which hung everything up and I am still catching up.

2. Letter To Representative Murphy

Here is the letter to Rep, Murphy, which I think explains itself.

Representative Scott Murphy
120 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Rep. Murphy;

We are writing to you on behalf of our group, Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area. We were pleased to meet with you last August and our monthlyJune meeting was given over to the issues we would raise again in another such meeting.

The first issue that concerned us was your signing the letter challenging the FCC’s revised position on Net Neutrality. This is an issue we feel strongly about, from experience. The entire rise of the progressive movement and the Democratic Party since the Dean campaign started in early 2003 would have impossible without an open, free Internet.

We were greatly relieved when FCC Chairman Genachowski reclassified broadband under Title II of the Telecommunications Act. This was appropriate, and no further action is needed, including action by Congress. Because the Internet was created by the federal government and not private interests, and restricted commercially before being opened up, it was first legally clear, and then implicit, that the Internet belonged to the American people. Unfortunately, there are those who would seek to obscure this.

A digital land rush by large broadband providers would not be in the national interest. If Net Neutrality is lost the companies will have the right and power to restrict access to any information they want. Exactly that is being done in China, and in some cases U.S. internet companies are doing it for the Chinese. The dictators in Beijing know full well the control of information is essential to their control. That is why there is no more important issue for the future of democracy than Net Neutrality.

Further, the changes demanded by the large broadband providers would gravely damage our economy. It is true intellectual property theft is a problem online, but to destroy the basic structure of the Internet to deal with a few cheats is like burning a house down to get rid of some ants. We need to remember what happened to Napster. It's nonsense to claim that enforcement of intellectual property rights isn't done or can't be done.

Again, we need look at what is happening in China. That country is the biggest source of intellectual property theft in the world. They are basically adopting a non net-neutral approach, but they are not using it to police intellectual property theft, they are using it to crush free speech, block democracy and protect official corruption.

Once a conglomerate has the right to filter or control what goes over their lines, then they inherently would have the right to filter out content from competing media companies. There are parallels from the past– for instance the vertical integration of movie studios that once owned their own theaters, and would not show pictures from competing studios–which resulted in a situation where some communities did not have access to other studio’s films. Another example would be the pre-anti-trust era, where some railroads entered into exclusivity contracts with shippers so that the communities they served were denied access to competitors. A situation like that could easily arise again were Net Neutrality to be destroyed.

Accordingly, we would strongly urge you to remove your name from that letter and support an open Internet.

We were also concerned by reports of your vote against HR 4213, the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act, which would have extended unemployment and COBRA coverage, among other things. The economy is showing scant signs of recovery, pump-priming measures are still urgently needed, and unemployed Americans must be protected from devastating cutbacks.

PAYGO rules must be applied in a way that does not fetter the ability of government to respond to a crisis. Further, those rules must not be interpreted in such a way that large areas of federal spending– for instance waste in defense spending– is treated as sacrosanct and beyond consideration while essential human services are targets for cuts. It was deeply wrong for conservatives to game the PAYGO rules in order to kill programs they could not defeat otherwise.

Funding these programs by cracking down on tax breaks given to ultra wealthy hedge fund managers was entirely appropriate. Tax breaks for the super rich gamblers who helped wreck our economy are not more important than the unemployed.

Finally, we were also surprised at your vote against the measure introduced by Speaker Pelosi to eliminate tax breaks for companies that send American jobs overseas. Although we recognize this measure had little chance of passing the Senate, its purpose was valid in an election year–to force Republicans to shed their fake populist claims and show who they really stand for: big business and the wealthy. Democrats must show working Americans who really cares for them.

We believe that promises our party has made to the American people over the last several election cycles are not conditional or contingent, but are binding covenants. Democrats have repeatedly stated, in the words of Bill Clinton, that our party is for average people “who work hard and play by the rules.” The growing perception that we are more responsive to Wall Street than Main Street is a threat to Democrats at every level. There is no future to a bait-and-switch party.

Many of your votes, for instance to make good on Democrat's long overdue promise to abolish Don't Ask Don't Tell, demonstrate your willingness to consider progressive measures. We would urge you to broaden that perspective to include structural economic reforms needed to prevent future crashes (breaking up banks “too big to fail” ) and the growing inequality of American society. As it was often said of President Franklin Roosevelt, the highest praise given him was that he was “a traitor to his class.”

We hope you agree Democrats must honor their party’s covenant with the American people, and that the support of rank and file Democrats for their candidates depend on this, and that they are right to simply walk away in the Fall if that covenant is ignored.

3. PCCC Petition Top NY Dems

Echoing the concern in our last meeting, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee has a warning and petition out tonight for New Yorkers: efforts are being made, lead by NY Democratic Representative Gary Ackerman, to wreck the reforms required to rein in Wall Street excesses, prevent another devastating crash and make American fairer.

The excuse given, and it is a dilly when you phrase it correctly, is that Wall Street's gambling mentality, the severe overconcentration of wealth, and a blind eye to gross corruption and indifference to the needs of society are acceptable because they generated tax revenue for New York State. Similar arguments were once made for other immoral economic activities, like slavery.

The answer is to rein in Wall Street and then not hurt the New York economy by fairly taxing the people who ripped off our economy. The top 1% of Americans now has about a quarter of the wealth of the nation, probably an all time high.

For more on the Ackerman initiative and NY Dems: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/16/new-york-dems-standing-st_n_614402.html

To sign the PCCC's petition and learn more: http://act.boldprogressives.org/cms/call/call_lincoln_ny/?referring_akid=1406.314353.O1eYTY

4. Must Read "progressive policy is also good politics"

If anyone argues with you that political expediency requires bad policy, the answer is that progressive policy is good politics, it's also the way to win. Dick passes along this terrific piece by Peter Daou, who used to work for HIllary Clinton: "Last Chance Mr. President, Go Big and Go Left." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-daou/last-chance-mr-president_b_611228.html

Thanks everyone! See you all soon,

Larry

Tricounty DFA Update: Meeting Reminder, Net Neutrality & Murphy, more

2010-06-01T11:27:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone!

In this update for June 1, 2010:

1. Glens Falls DFA Meeting Wednesday

2. Scott Murphy, Net Neutrality & HR 4213

1. Glens Falls DFA Meeting Wednesday

We will be having our usual monthly meeting of Democracy For the Greater Glens Falls Area this Wednesday, June 2, at 7pm at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe in downtown Glens Falls. This should be a fairly important meeting relative to our agenda for the fall, given the following items that we have to discuss. If you haven't been in awhile, I would urge you to attend to discuss this.

The Cafe is located on the corner of Elm and Exchange Streets and Hudson Avenue in downtown Glens Falls, one block west of the roundabout.

2. Scott Murphy, Net Neutrality & HR 4213

There are a pair of news items about Rep. Scott Murphy that everyone should be aware, but has not hit the general news media, at least not yet.

First, late last month Rep. Murphy was one of a group of Representatives who signed a letter to the FCC opposing Net Neutrality.

http://www.savetheinternet.com/node/30594

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/74_dems/

Firstly, I think most of us are aware of the issue known at Net Neutrality. Historically, the Internet has grown up as a free open space where users could transmit information without restriction. The entire rise of the progressive movement since Howard Dean stood up in early 2003 with his famous "What I Want To Know" speech would have complete impossible without Net Neutrality. Indeed, the Dean campaign and others based on small donations would probably been impossible without Net Neutrality.

There is now a serious effort by major media companies including some major internet service providers to change this, and allow Internet companies to control and "regulate" the information, programs and data that flows over their network. Supporters of Net Neutrality maintain the internet at all levels should be like the old phone system, with providers like common carriers, and everyone being able to say or send anything they want over their line. In effect, the Internet companies want to transform themselves from being common carriers to something like broadcasters who provide and control the content that goes out over their transmitters or cable connections.

The issue is, in a nutshell, the right to free speech in the digital era. Do we want to see the "Fox News"-ification of the Internet?

This Spring, the FCC issued new proposed rules that would give the companies what they want. There was a storm of protest. Like many groups and people across the country, we passed a resolution at our last meeting opposing this change, which I cc: to our congressional delegation. The FCC seems to have backed down.

However, late last month Rep. Murphy was one of a group of Representatives who signed a company backed letter to the FCC supporting the companies' position and against Net Neutrality.

Why any Democrat of any political persuasion would sign such a letter is hard to understand-- can anyone really believe these companies are going to be friends of Democrats in the future? If Net Neutrality is lost the companies will have the right and power to restrict access to any information they want, whether websites, YouTube feeds or whatever. Don't think it can't be done. They are doing exactly that, right now, in China, and in some cases these internet companies are doing it for the Chinese. It can be argued that right now there is no more important issue for the future of democracy itself than Net Neutrality.

So, Murphy's extraordinary signing of this letter, and our position, and what we do, will be our main agenda.

Some of Murphy's votes are good, for instance last week he voted to make good on Democrat's long overdue promise to abolish Don't Ask Don't Tell. But then Friday, according to information in the Post Star and online, he voted against HR 4213, the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act , which would have extended unemployment and COBRA coverage, tax breaks for small business, the standard deduction for state and local property taxes, and the deduction for state and local sales tax, among other things. The bill was strongly supported by most Democrats and passed basically on a party-line vote.

The bill would have been financed in part by a measure to crack down on tax breaks given to ultra wealthy hedge fund managers that allowed them to claim certain income as a capital gain, which is taxed at a low rate. For more: http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/Web/20102981.htm

Does he really think that, in effect, tax breaks for the super rich gamblers who helped wreck our economy are more important than the unemployed or people with COBRA medical coverage here in the District?

So, we have much to discuss.

See you all Wednesday!

Larry

Tricounty DFA Update: Meeting Wednesday, Murphy Thanks, Yepsen Announces, More

2010-05-03T09:28:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone:

In this update for May 2nd, 2010;

1. Meeting Wednesday

2. Meeting Report: Murphy Thanks

3. Taser Hearing

4. Yepsen Announces

5. WCDC Women's Spring Luncheon

1. Meeting Wednesday

With our seventh anniversary behind us last month, Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area begins its eight year with its regular first Wednesday of the month meeting this coming Wednesday, May 5th, at 7pm at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe in downtown Glens Falls.

As always, the meeting is open to all liberals and progressives, who are also urged to bring a friend. On the agenda this month is this year's upcoming election and whether we should continue the effort elsewhere to hold Town Hall meetings on business corruption, influence and lobbying in government.

The Cafe is located on the corners of Elm and Exchange Streets and Hudson Avenue, one block west of the roundabout in downtown Glens Falls.

A very sad note related to our recent seventh anniversary: one of the twelve people who came to that first meeting, Walter Lape, died a week ago Saturday at the vacation home he shared in Florida with his spouse Ron Pisano, who also came to that first meeting. Walt will be well remembered by several decades of students at Queensbury High School, and as an artist and writer. Ron is organizing a memorial at the Hyde Museum on Sunday, June 6th at 2:30pm.

2. Meeting Report: Murphy Thanks

At our April meeting we unanimously passed a pair of resolutions, one thanking Rep. Scott Murphy for his decision to support the Healthcare Reform Bill, and another to Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, for her remarkable leadership in getting healthcare reform passed: given the failure of decisive leadership from the White House, it is clear it never would have passed without her. (The resolutions are at the bottom of this message.)

We also heard a report from Chris Schmidt about his campaign to end Taser abuse by local police departments, particularly the Glens Falls Police Department. Chris recently had a guest op-ed in the Post Star on Tasers.

Then, to celebrate our 7th anniversary, we kicked back for a showing of Michael Moore's latest film, Capitalism, A Love Story, which was both shocking and inspiring. (I highly recommend it if you have not seen it! It's available in the Crandall Library video section.)

3. Taser Hearing

Chris Schmidt announced as part of his presentation that there will be an official meeting of the City Committee For Public Safety at Glens Falls City Hall on Wednesday May 5th at 4:00pm. "The Taser Issue" will be on the agenda. The meeting will be held in room 202, the Mayor's Conference Room. The meeting is open to the public and all interested parties are urged to attend.

4. Yepsen Announces

Democratic Saratoga County Supervisor Joanne Yepsen announced Thursday that she will enter the race for State Senate against incumbent State Senator Roy McDonald of Wilton. Yepsen presently represents the City of Saratoga Springs on the county board of supervisors. She gathered signatures to run against McDonald the last time but was knocked off the ballot when some of her signatures were challenged by Mike Russo, who subsequently went down to defeat by a wide margin.

5. WCDC Women's Spring Luncheon

You are cordially invited to the annual Washington County Women's (and men's) Spring Democratic Luncheon, Friday, May 21st, Noon to 2pm, at the Cambridge Hotel in Cambridge, NY, hosted by Ellen and Steve Faber. Guest Speaker will be Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice, who is a candidate for State Attorney General.

Tickets are $25, $30 at the door. RSVP's are strongly recommended as space is limited. Food will be soups, salads and quiches by chef Rich Wilson. For information, call Barbara Kingsley at 677-5921. Or send a check made out to the Washington County Democratic Committee, to Ellen Faber, 100 East Main Street, Cambridge, NY, 12816.

Thanks, Everyone! See you all soon. The resolutions thanking Rep. Murphy and Speaker Pelosi are below.

Larry

Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area

Resolution #1, April 7th, 2010

Be it resolved:

Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area, a group following the leadership of Democracy For America, now in its seventh year of continuing the principles of the Howard Dean and other progressive campaigns, would like to express its great gratitude and appreciation to Rep. Scott Murphy for his courageous decision to vote for Healthcare Reform legislation. It was a pivotal vote for America’s future, and his support came at a critical and decisive time.

We would urge him to continue the struggle for healthcare rights for all Americans, and urge him to fight for Rep. Grayson’s proposal to allow all Americans to buy into Medicare, or other similar proposals, including a strong Public Option. We believe these public options are essential to his stated goal of reining in out of control healthcare costs which, even in the present legislation, pose a threat to America’s long term prosperity. Only not-for-profit public solutions, not private ones based on denying coverage while passing along costs, can guarantee a a basic human right to healthcare combined with economic efficiency. Medicare is the model for the future, both for its rights-based service model, and its economic efficiency.

Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area

Resolution #2, April 7th, 2010

Be it resolved:

Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area, a group following the leadership of Democracy For America, now in its seventh year of continuing the principles of the Howard Dean and other progressive campaigns, would like to express its great gratitude and admiration to the greatest Speaker of the House since Henry Clay, Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

Your resolution, skill, finesses, fortitude and indomitable spirit of commitment to healthcare for all Americans, made healthcare reform possible, and it would not have happened without you. This achievement will endure as one of the high points of the long and extraordinarily distinguished history of the House of Representatives, the very vindication of what President Lincoln called government of, by, and for the people.

We support your continued efforts to advance heatlhcare reform, including, we hope, future provisions for Medicare For All or a strong Public Option.

Tricounty DFA Update: Seventh Anniversary Meeting Wednesday! Special Showing, Capitalism, A Love Story

2010-04-05T00:20:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!

First: Seven years ago this coming Wednesday, a group of people came together in what is now the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe for what would be the first Howard Dean For America meetup in Glens Falls. Since then, we've embraced all our great friends from the other campaigns-- Kucinich, Clark, Kerry, and later Obama and Clinton, to create Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area, Democracy For America's bastion of progressive politics in the southern Adirondacks.

If you had told me seven years ago that we would still be going strong in 2010, I would've thought you were crazy. But you made this possible-- probably well over 100 regular and special meetings (I know, I've been to every one!), and more vigils, tablings, canvasses, forums, screenings, house parties, fundraisers, cleanups, training sessions and other events than I could even begin to count. It has been a wild ride, and humbling and inspiring to me that you have all been willing to be a part of this, and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart!

In this update for April 4th, 2010:

1. Seventh Anniversary Meeting Wednesday

2. Murphy Votes For Healthcare: A Resolution of Thanks

3. Special Showing: Capitalism-- A Love Story

4. America's New Agenda: Financial Reform, Fighting Corporate Control

1. Seventh Anniversary Meeting Wednesday

As noted above, we will be having our regular monthly meeting of Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area this Wednesday, April 7th, at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe at 7pm. If you have been to any of our meetings over the last seven years, this will be a great night to come on down to the Cafe and reconnect with all your friends.

The Cafe is on the corner of Elm and Exchange Streets and Hudson Avenue, on block west of the rounabout in downtown Glens Falls.

2. Murphy Votes For Healthcare: A Resolution of Thanks

The first proper order of business will be a resolution of thanks to Rep. Scott Murphy for his decision to vote in favor of the healthcare reform bill.

There was massive disappointment when Rep. Murphy voted against the bill last year. However, he helped pass the final bill, and we need to give our thanks. We also need to urge him to keep on working to improve the bill with a Public Option or the right to buy into Medicare.

Also in order is a resolution of thanks to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who made the bill happen against all odds, including White House irresolution, mismanagement and corporate favoritism. In my opinion, Pelosi is the greatest Speaker since Henry Clay almost two centuries ago.

3. Special Showing: Capitalism-- A Love Story

To celebrate and look forward, we will conclude with a special showing of Michael Moore's new film, Capitalism, A Love Story, a look at how corporations and corporate values are distorting and destroying the American Dream. SiCKO was a phenomena, and Capitalism, A Love Story is, too.

4. America's New Agenda: Financial Reform, Fighting Corporate Control

DFA will continue to fight for better healthcare for all, as well as progressive causes and candidates and against right wing extremism-- the job of Taking America Back is not over. However, the growing issue is becoming corporate control of our politics and economy. To get a sense of what we are up against, Dick along sends along the article below.

Thanks, everyone! See you Wednesday,

Larry

To battle Wall Street, Obama should channel Teddy Roosevelt

By Simon Johnson and James Kwak

The Washington Post
Sunday, April 4, 2010; B03

In late February 1902, J.P. Morgan, the leading financier of his day, went to the White House to meet with President Theodore Roosevelt and Attorney General Philander Knox. The government had just announced an antitrust suit -- the first of its kind -- against Morgan's recently formed railroad monopoly, Northern Securities, and this was a tense moment for the stock market. Morgan argued strongly that his industrial trusts were essential to American prosperity and competitiveness.

The banker wanted a deal. "If we have done anything wrong, send your man to my man and they can fix it up," he offered. But the president was blunt: "That can't be done." And Knox succinctly summarized Roosevelt's philosophy. "We don't want to fix it up," he told Morgan, "we want to stop it."

Just over a century later, on March 27, 2009, 13 bankers were summoned to the White House. The global financial system was verging on collapse, in no small measure because of the bankers' concentrated power and their manifest inability to manage the risks of their "financial innovation." Banking had to be rescued -- no modern economy can function without credit, of course -- and only the Obama administration had the power to save the day.

But instead of specific new regulations or changes in the way they operate -- or even any constraints on their power -- what did these 13 bankers find waiting for them? On this day and in the months that followed, the administration provided generous expressions of unconditional financial and moral support, both explicit and implicit, along with gentle and nonbinding admonitions.

The headline quote from President Obama sounded tough: "My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks," he told the meeting. But the reality was as mild as it could be: All 13 bankers, no matter how discredited, kept their jobs, their salaries, their bonuses, their pensions, their staff and, most remarkable given the near-complete breakdown of governance, even their boards of directors. Our leading bankers were saved by the generosity and magnanimity of our president.

Since that meeting, the country has seen no discernible changes in the financial management and incentive systems that for 30 years have given Wall Street the benefits of the upside and Main Street the costs of the downside. And politically, our financial titans have bitterly opposed the mild reforms that the Obama administration eventually proposed. Even Citi and Bank of America, which essentially spent 2009 as wards of the state, have engaged in egregious lobbying.

There is no way that Teddy Roosevelt would have stood for this. He saw finance and economics through the lens of political power. In his book, it did not matter how important you were, or claimed to be, to the economy. If you were too powerful, and if your actions were hurting other people in the economy, Roosevelt wanted to take you on -- and he instructed his lawyers accordingly.

Roosevelt did not launch the antitrust movement by gently tugging on some low-hanging fruit. He took on J.P. Morgan, the central figure in the burgeoning American financial system, and he won (though just barely, with the Supreme Court voting 5 to 4 to dissolve Northern Securities). And after many twists and turns, the new consensus regarding acceptable business practices led to the breakup of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil -- arguably the most powerful company in U.S. history to that date.

Of course, Roosevelt did have the 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act on his side. But before 1902, that law had never been used against an industrial trust, and precedent suggested that there was no legal basis for reining in Morgan's ventures. Roosevelt's audacious move seemed against the odds, and it was very much against the advice of top figures in his Republican Party.

In the spring of 2009, Obama and his senior advisers did not seem terribly troubled by the dangerous concentration of power, wealth and hubris on Wall Street. The president thought it reasonable to find a way forward through amicable accommodation, assuming that Big Finance really could change. Yet, in memoirs and public statements, the bankers repeatedly submit their defense: The system -- the mechanics and incentives of Wall Street -- made them do it. Unfortunately, Wall Street and its intimate connections to Washington have not become any safer for the American economy since this crisis began.

In fact, the latest boom-bust-bailout cycle probably worsened matters. We can argue whether, before September 2008, the people running huge financial firms really thought they were "too big to fail." Lehman, after all, did go bankrupt; Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs were rescued at the eleventh hour. But today, who thinks Goldman could fail?

In the moment of most intense crisis, Goldman became a bank holding company, subject to the supervision of the Federal Reserve and able to borrow from the Fed's official "discount window" -- effectively gaining government support. Yet today the firm is also allowed to carry out essentially the same activities (including securities and foreign-exchange trading, as well as real-estate-related transactions) as it did prior to the meltdown of 2008, when there was supposedly no government backing.

If you were exempt from paying speeding tickets, no matter how fast you drove, what would you do? Perhaps, immediately after observing a horrific crash or having a near-death experience, you would be more careful. But soon you would feel the need to get somewhere quickly. And you might even think that your special legal status merely reflected your advanced skills. How long until the next big accident?

Since Democrats lost the special Senate election in Massachusetts in January, the president has shown some new fire. In a major potential course correction, he proposed the "Volcker Rule," named after former Fed chairman and current Obama adviser Paul Volcker, which would constrain the risk-taking and the size of the largest U.S. banks. The move blind-sided Wall Street. In the sound bite of Jan. 21, Obama sounded just like Teddy: "If these folks want a fight," he said, "it's a fight I'm ready to have."

It is now time for that fight. Senate Democrats have proposed a financial overhaul that includes the Volcker Rule, and White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Tuesday that passing regulatory reform by late May is realistic. But to make progress in this legislative cycle, the president needs to go all in, as he did with health-care reform. The potential political message here is powerful: If opponents of reform think they are "too big to fail," then we will prove them wrong.

It doesn't help that Wall Street has vast amounts of cash to spend on lobbying and political ads. Yet, if framed correctly, the reform message cuts across the political spectrum. If there is one thing that the left and the right agree upon, it is that a "get out of jail free" card distorts the free market. Massive banks have access to cheaper financing because the credit markets understand that the government stands behind them. This is unfair competition, pure and simple.

Will the administration stand up and fight now, before we have another crisis? Surely this is what Theodore Roosevelt would have done. He liked to act preemptively; when he saw excessive power, he took it on, creating his own moments of political opportunity.

Of course, there is always the other Roosevelt. When FDR took power in March 1933, he took aim at the banks. As historian Arthur Schlesinger wrote in "The Coming of the New Deal" -- "No business was more proud and powerful than the bankers; none was more persuaded of its own rectitude; none more accustomed to respectful consultation by government officials. To be attacked as antisocial was bewildering; to be excluded from the formation of public policy was beyond endurance."

By the mid-1930s, Franklin Roosevelt had become skeptical of powerful financiers, but he was only able to translate those feelings into policy after a major global depression. Obama shouldn't wait for another one before pushing for the changes that matter.

baselinescenario@gmail.com

Simon Johnson is a professor of economics at the MIT Sloan School of Management and a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. James Kwak is a law student at Yale University. They are the co-authors of "13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown."

Tricounty DFA Update: Final Healthcare Vote Action Alert

2010-03-14T23:41:00.002-04:00

Hello Everyone;

According to all accounts, at long last, it appears a decisive vote on Healthcare Reform really is coming this week.

However, it is still unclear whether or not the final bill will contain a Public Option, or if it will pass at all.

Governor Dean said it best in the Huffington Post about a week ago: the bill contains some really good things, but it also contains some toxic things. However, Democrats need to pass the bill because we simply cannot allow the Republicans to push us around any more.

That, I think, is the last word.

As it stands tonight, there are apparently 51 votes in the Senate for a Healthcare Bill with a Public Option.

That means it's up to the House to include a Public Option in their bill. The Senate is waiting for that. There are a series of actions we all can take:

1. DFA Petition.

DFA National has a petition calling on Speaker Pelosi to include the Public Option in the House Bill. You can sign it at: http://www.democracyforamerica.com/activities/311

You can also call the Speaker's Office at (202) 225-0100.

2. Medicare Buy-In

However, which Public Option? Rep. Grayson is calling on Speaker Pelosi to include HR 4789, which would allow anyone to buy into Medicare. You can sign at : http://salsa.mydccc.org/o/30019/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=17

(Thanks to Lisa!)

3. Rep. Murphy??? Time To Call!

Rep. Murphy voted against the Healthcare Reform bill the last time it came up. The vote in the House is going to be extremely close, possibly with only a couple of votes to spare, so every vote is needed.

Everyone should call his office personally.

Brucie Rosch in Saratoga offers some great language to use: "...we are ready to ABSTAIN in November if he doesn't mend his ways. He is COUNTING on Dems and progressives having no choice but to vote for him in November, and that gives him cover to run to the conservative middle."

The word abstain is important for its ethical implications-- it does not mean we are sinking into apathy, that we don't give a damn, or support the Republicans, but are acting on conscience.

Murphy's phone numbers are:

Washington, DC (202) 225-5614

Hudson (518) 828-3109

Glens Falls (518) 743-0964

Saratoga Springs (518) 581-8247

Clifton Park (518) 280-1791

Delaware/Otsego (607) 746-8449

You may have to call multiple times to get through-- if one doesn't answer, try another. Remember, this will be an astonishingly close vote.

4. Finally, there will be a rally from 4pm - 5:30pm Wed. March 17th outside Rep. Scott Murphy's Clifton Park office - it's in a strip mall "Shops at Village Plaza" near Border's Books. From Route 146, go south on Clifton Country Rd, and take a quick right by Wendy's and Arizona Pizza, Murphy's office is in the rear. (Thanks to Joe!)

Thanks everyone! WIsh us all luck, I guess!

Larry

P.S. We've all heard too many sad stories about some NY Democrats lately-- here's something from Drew to put that all in perspective:

Republican Offenders.

Republican Sex Scandals Dwarf Those of Democrats.

Republican Sex Offenders.

And just for good measure, the endless Bush Scandals List.

Tricounty DFA Update: Meeting Reminder, Lois Montfort, Blue Dog Murphy, more

2010-01-02T23:04:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone;

First, Happy New Year!

In this update for January 2nd, 2010:

1. Glens Falls DFA Meeting Reminder

2. Lois Montfort: In Memoriam

3. Scott Murphy Defects To Blue Dogs

4. Ascendency of "Corporatism?"

1. Glens Falls DFA Meeting Reminder

Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area will hold its first meeting of the year as usual on the first Wednesday, January 6th at 7pm at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe.

It will be a busy agenda, what with heathcare still in flux, the need for candidate searches and the conservative drift of the beltway Democrats.

The Rockhill Cafe is located on the corners of Elm and Exchange Streets and Hudson Avenue, one block west of the roundabout in downtown Glens Falls.

2. Lois Montfort: In Memoriam

Sad news came this week that Lois Montfort, former Warren County Democratic Commissioner of Elections and long time Warren County Democratic Committee member, died Monday afternoon after a long struggle with pulmonary disease. Her passing will come as a great loss to her husband, Warren County Democratic Chair Bill Montfort, her family and her many friends. Our condolences go out to them.

Lois was an institution at the Warren County Board Elections, cheerfully helping many years worth of Democratic candidates with petitions and filings, while generously sharing her knowledge and many words of wisdom. She will be missed.

There will be calling hours at the Alexander-Baker Funeral Home on Sunday from 2-4pm, followed by a memorial service at 4pm. The Alexander-Baker Funeral Home is at 3809 Main Street in Warrensburg.

3. Scott Murphy Defects To Blue Dogs

You probably missed this news due to what appears to be its deliberate timing, but just before New Year's Eve Rep. Scott Murphy joined the conservative Blue Dog coalition in the House of Representatives. http://www.house.gov/melancon/BlueDogs/Press%20Releases/2009%20-%20BD%20New%20Member%20Announcement%20-%2012.16.09.pdf

People sometimes ask who or what the Blue Dogs are. There are a number of answers, none good. One is that they are conservatives who know they can't run-- and win-- as Republicans any more, so they try to run as Democrats. Another is that they are the Republican Wing of the Democratic Party. The Blue Dogs have taken the lead in the Democratic Party in attempting to derail heatlhcare reform.

Given his background as a financier, I don't think many expected him to be a progressive, but every person I know of was quite happy with a moderate. A Blue Dog was certainly not how he presented himself when he first appeared on the scene a year ago. However, given his recent vote against healthcare reform, where he joined the Blue Dogs in voting with the Republicans, I guess it cannot be regarded as surprising, however shocking it may be, and shocking it is. At lot can be said about this, and will be, at our meeting.

4. Ascendency of "Corporatism?"

I don't have to explain or amplify the idea there is almost universal dismay at the direction of the new Democratic Administration and the direction of policy in Washington. There have been a series of articles over the holidays on aspects of this internal crisis in the Democratic Party that most of us probably missed. This piece by MIles Mogulescu at the Huff Post is one of the better ones and I recommend it highly.

Miles Mogulescu

Entertainment attorney

Posted: December 23, 2009 02:32 PM

The Democrats' Authoritarian Health "Reform" Bill and the Ascendency of Corporatism in the Democratic Party

(This is the first of a series of blogs/articles that will try to put the growing disappointment of many progressives at President Obama's policies into a wider political and theoretical perspective about the divide in the Democratic Party between progressives and corporatists.)

If Barack Obama and today's Congressional Democrats were passing Social Security for the first time, instead of a creating a public program, they would likely be mandating that every American buy an annuity from a private, profit-driven Wall Street firm like Goldman Sachs (who could keep 15%-20% of their payments for overhead, profits and executive salaries) with the IRS serving as Wall Street's collection agency. If they were passing Medicare today, they would be mandating that every American buy a health insurance policy from profit-driven companies like Aetna, Humana and Wellpoint that would start paying benefits with 40% co-pays and $10,000 a year deductibles when they turn 65.

Therefore, when Senate "liberals" argue that their health "reform" bill, while compromised, is like the first iterations of Social Security and Medicare and provides a "starter home" that can be added to later, many progressives respond that its foundation is built on quicksand and that it's not incremental reform but a step in the fundamentally wrong direction.

Democrats and liberals once stood for providing a social safety net through government programs like Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance, which were administered by government employees for the benefit of the American people and not by private companies for the benefit of their shareholders and executives who receive multi-million dollar salaries and bonuses. For over 60 years, they stood for the principal that health care should be a right and not a privilege and that Medicare should be extended to all Americans.

Democrats in Congress, under the leadership of Barack Obama, have now turned that principal on its head and made health care neither a right, nor a privilege, but an obligation for individual citizens and a government-mandated profit center for private corporations. For the first time in American history, Democrats are about to pass a bill that uses the coercive power of the federal government to force every American -- simply by virtue of being an American -- to purchase the products of a private company. At heart, the Democrats' solution to 48 million uninsured is to force the them to buy inadequate private insurance -- with potentially high deductibles and co-pays and no price controls -- or be fined by the federal government.

In effect, this represents an historic defeat for the type of liberalism represented by the New Deal and the Great Society and the ascendancy of a new type of corporatist liberalism. As Ed Kilgore recently wrote in an important and provocative article in The New Republic,

"To put it simply, and perhaps over-simply, on a variety of fronts (most notably financial restructuring and health care reform, but arguably on climate change as well), the Obama administration has chosen the strategy of deploying regulated and subsidized private sector entities to achieve progressive policy results. This approach was a hallmark of the so-called Clintonian, 'New Democrat' movement, and the broader international movement sometimes referred to as 'the Third Way,' which often defended the use of private means for public ends... To put it more bluntly, on a widening range of issues, Obama's critics to the right say he's engineering a government takeover of the private sector, while his critics to the left accuse him of promoting a corporate takeover of the public sector."

Or as David Brooks wrote in The New York Times earlier this summer,

"[Obama and Clinton] Democrats learned never to go to war against the combined forces of corporate America. Today, whether it is on the stimulus, on health care, or any other issue, the Obama administration and the Congressional leadership go out of their way to court corporate interests, to win corporate support and to at least divide corporate opposition."

The differences between progressive New Deal liberals -- what Howard Dean termed the "Democratic wing of the Democratic Party" -- and corporatist liberals or "New Democrats" were largely papered over for the past 8 years by common opposition to the free market absolutism and neoconservative foreign policy of the Bush administration. In terms of health care reform, they were papered over by the hopes of many progressive liberals -- who were willing to give up fighting for Medicare-For-All as politically "impractical" -- of achieving a robust public option as an acceptable compromise in the context of a larger health insurance mandate.

For many of these progressive liberals, the idea of the public option, at least at the beginning, was that it would be so large and successful that it would prove the superiority of government-run health insurance over private profit-driven health insurance and would eventually evolve into a single payer system. They watched, with increasing concern, as a large and robust public option was first turned by House Democrats into a small and puny public option that would insure only a handful of Americans and provide little competition to private insurers, and then as the public option was dumped entirely by Senate Democrats, with no help by President Obama to defend it.

And as they have seen the end result of the Democratic Senate's health care bill, progressives have started to get angry. Stripped of the public option, progressives could now look through the Democratic health care bill to its essence: the permanent entrenchment of the corrupt private health insurance corporation as the nexus of the American health care system; the authoritarian liberal solution of solving the problem of the uninsured by using the coercive power of the federal government to force citizens to buy inadequate private insurance sold by oligopolies with their profits subsidized by taxpayer dollars; and the increased political power of the of the private health care industry into the indefinite future, fueled by government money that can then be used to lobby the government for more private benefits.

As a result, the past two weeks have seen a revolt from much of the progressive base of the Democratic Party, articulated by people like Howard Dean, Marcos Moulitsas, Keith Olbermann, Ed Schultz, and by organizations like MoveOn, The AFL-CIO, SEIU, and Progressive Democrats of America. The ideological fault line between progressive Democrats and corporatist "New Democrats" has split wide open.

Obama campaigned, at least on the level of political imagery, as a progressive liberal. His campaign slogan was "Yes We Can", taken directly from the '60's era slogan of Cesar Chavez and The United Farm Workers Union, "Si Se Puede". He evoked the imagery of Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement. He talked about overthrowing the influence of special interests and lobbyists and transforming the way Washington does business. He promised transformative "Change" (although, as some critics pointed out at the time, he left the direction of "Change" so vague that voters of various stripes could read what they wanted into it). That's why a majority of progressive Democrats supported Obama over Hillary Clinton in the primaries, particularly after the more populist John Edwards withdrew. They didn't want to see a return to the centrism, corporatism, and triangulation of Clintonism.

But from the moment he was elected, Obama has governed not as a progressive liberal but as a corporatist liberal. Progressive liberals hoped Obama would be like FDR. Instead, he's been like Bill Clinton on steroids.

Obama's economic advisors, such as Larry Summers and Tim Geithner, were all drawn from the Wall Street wing of the Democratic Party. His foreign policy advisors were all liberal hawks like Hillary Clinton or even Bush administration veterans like Robert Gates. From day one, Obama continued Wall Street Republican Hank Paulson's financial policies of throwing money at the banks while demanding next to nothing in return in terms of making credit available to average Americans and small businesses or creating new jobs.

When it came to health care "reform", Obama's strategy was to cut deals with for-profit health care corporations. He cut a deal with big Pharma to continue banning Medicare from negotiating for lower drug prices and to continue banning consumers from buying cheaper drugs from Canada. He cut a deal with the for-profit hospital industry that there would be no effective national public option that might pay them lower rates that the for-profit insurance oligopoly. While he gave mild rhetorical support to the public option, he did nothing to actually fight for it , and, as Russ Feingold has pointed out, Joe Lieberman was really doing Obama's work in killing it.

Because of Obama's rhetorical and imaging skills, it has taken until the past week or two, with the death of the public option, for progressives to begin to wonder whether Obama was really their friend. And what's most remarkable, by teasing them with the hopes of a public option, he's so far held onto the vote of virtually every Congressional liberal for an essentially authoritarian corporatist health care bill.

So total has been Obama's success to date in defeating the progressive Democrats and enshrining the corporatist New Democrats, that even progressive talk radio veteran Al Franken and the closest thing to a European-style social democrat to hold national political office, Bernie Sanders, are not only voting for -- but are talking up the virtues of -- the Senate health "reform" bill. Although nearly 60 members of the House Progressive Caucus signed a letter promising to vote against a health care bill doesn't have a robust public option, unless, to everyone's surprise, there's a big enough revolt over the Christmas holidays among large progressive groups like the AFL-CIO (who's money and volunteers many Democratic Congresspeople need to get reelected), virtually all of those House Progressives will end up breaking their pledge and voting for a final Congressional Conference bill with no public option, a coercive mandate, and a tax on the "Chevy" health care benefits of union workers.

Only an African American President cloaked in the rhetoric and imagery of progressive change could have pulled off such a rout of progressives and such a virtually unanimous victory for the corporatists in the Democratic Party. The Clintons could never have pulled it off.

That helps explain why many progressive Democrats -- myself included -- are increasingly in a state of anger and despair. If after millions of progressives worked so hard to elect Barack Obama and a Democratic majority in Congress, the result is an almost total defeat of progressives in the Democratic Party -- or at least in the Congressional Democratic Party -- where do progressives turn? A progressive primary challenge to Democratic incumbents in 2010, or even to Obama's reelection in 2012, is probably futile and counterproductive. At the same time, as the 2000 Nader campaign so aptly demonstrated, the winner-take-all American electoral system makes the formation of a third party equally futile.

Historically, strong popular movements, like the labor movement and the civil rights movement, have pressured elected corporate Democrats to enact a measure of progressive change. And, as progressives come to understand the corporatist nature of Obamism, perhaps the best hope is that progressive organizations will be less anxious to be extensions of the White House and return to grassroots organizing. The question is whether Obama -- the one-time community organizer -- is susceptible to pressure from mass grassroots organizations. If not, the country, as well as Democrats and progressives, may be in for a hard time.

As it increasingly appears that Obama is the President of Wall Street, and not the President of Main Street, he is losing not only the left but the center. It's a myth that the path to winning the popular center in American politics is moving to the corporate center. If the only political choice given to American voters is using their taxes to help big government subsidize wealthy corporations, or the Republican message of shrinking the size of government and cutting their taxes, many who voted for Obama will return to the fold of the seemingly brain-dead Republican Party. Obama will likely face an even more conservative Congress after the 2010 election and even, like Jimmy Carter, could end up as a one-term President.

The hopes of millions of Obama campaign workers and voters that the Age of Obama would sweep in a new era of progressive change could be dashed. A generation of young voters could be turned off to politics instead of becoming permanent Democrats.

Let's hope, that with the defeat of the public option at Obama's hands, the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party wakes up and begins to realize that it has a fight on its hand against the corporatist Democrats, and that Obama might not be its natural ally.

As Kevin Baker wrote in Harpers Magazine last spring, warning of the dangers of a failed Obama Presidency,

"Obama internalized what might be called Clinton's 'business liberalism' as an alternative to useless battles from another time...Clinton's business liberalism, however, is a chimera...a capitulation to powerful and selfish interest. ..a 'pragmatism that is not really pragmatism at all, just surrender to the usual corporate interests...

Franklin Roosevelt also took office imagining that he could bring all classes of Americans together in some big, mushy, cooperative scheme. Quickly disabused of this notion, he threw himself into the bumptious give-and-take of practical politics; lying, deceiving, manipulating, arraying one group after another on his side--a transit encapsulated by how, at the end of his first term, his outraged opponents were calling him a "traitor to his class" and he was gleefully inveighing against "economic royalists" and announcing, 'They are unanimous in their hatred for me--and I welcome their hatred.'

Obama should not deceive himself into thinking that such interest-group politics can be banished any more than can the cycles of Walls Street. It is not too late for him to change direction and seize the radical moment at hand. But for the moment... Barack Obama is moving prudently, carefully, reasonably toward disaster."

That was spring. Now it's the winter of our discontent. The moment for Obama to "change direction and seize the radical moment at hand" is fast receding. Will he continue to move "prudently, carefully, reasonably towards disaster?" If not, I worry for the future not only of progressives and Democrats, but of the country. President Palin in 2012?

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POSTSCRIPT: As I read the comments, I find too many are taking away the message that everything is now hopeless for bringing about progressive change. That's not the message I intended to convey. While I'm disheartened in many ways to report on the truth, as I see it, of Obama governing from the corporatist wing of the Democratic Party, my goal with this article is to increase awareness, not to encourage the view that there's nothing that can be done. The first thing is for progressives to understand the situation with clarity. Then progressive organizations need to move away from trying to ingratiate themselves with Obama and Rahn Emanuel and working hand in glove with the White House and go back to their core mission of building a mass grassroots movement for progressive change. We can't leave all the grassroots organizing to the populist right and the tea-baggersm who are effectively adopting the old strategies of progressive movements and whose organizing, for the moment, seems to have more energy than that of progressives. To quote the old labor slogan, "Don't Mourn. Organize." Or to quote from the beginning of Studs Terkel's last book, "Hope has never trickled down. It has always sprung up." Historically, elected corporatist liberals have sometimes enacted progressive change when put under enough pressure by grassroots progressive movements like the labor movement and the civil rights movement.

Thanks everyone! See you Wednesday,

Larry

Tricounty DFA Update: Dr. Dean On Meet The Press Sunday, Right Back Where We Started

2009-12-19T23:24:00.002-05:00

Hello Everyone;

First, from me to all of you, happy holidays and a great New Year!

In this update:

1. Governor Dean On Meet The Press

2. Healthcare Reform Blow Up

3. Right Back Where We Started... Taking Back America & Underlying Divisions Among Democrats

1. Governor Dean On Meet The Press

I want to alert everyone that Governor and Doctor Dean will be on NBC's Meet The Press tomorrow morning, December 20th, at 10am in most TV markets. He will be appearing with White House advisor David Axelrod, so it should be really something.

2. Healthcare Reform Blow Up

As I suspect we all know, healthcare reform blew up this week when the White House and Senate leaders caved in to demands by Sen. Joe Lieberman and other Democratic conservatives.

Governor Dean put the case against this awful bill best in the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/16/AR2009121601906.html?nav=hcmoduletmv

This is not reform, but yet another bailout of the medical insurance wing of the financial oligarchical complex, a vast transfer of wealth from working people to powerful companies and the rich.

30 million people are not "getting coverage for the first time." They are being forced to buy something they are not going to be able to afford, even with subsidies. It's really a tax-- a cruel tax on being a lower income earner without coverage.

However, I think it is vital to realize this is not about Joe Lieberman: as Senator Russ Feingold immediately said, a bill with the Public Option stripped out is exactly what the White House wanted all along. As Governor Dean put it, this is the collapse of healthcare reform, and it is going to blow up in the face of Democrats.

However, there is still the House Bill, it is now much better than the Senate Bill, so the fight goes on. Compare the two bills at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/health/compare-health-plans-2009/?hpid=topnews

In the meantime, and I know how frustrating it is, but call Congress and let them know how pissed you are.

Sen. Schumer: 1-202-224-6542

Sen. Gillibrand: 1-202-224-4451

Rep. Scott Murphy: 1-202-225-5614

3. Right Back Where We Started... Taking Back America & Underlying Divisions Among Democrats

This group started almost seven years ago in response to Governor Dean's call to "take back America." It seems to me we are right back where we started, despite what we thought a year ago. This piece below by Glenn Greenwald best makes it clear what the stakes are-- a corporate state benefiting the few, or a real democracy, as Lincoln put it, of, by and for the people. I most strongly recommend it.

From all the mail I am getting, the anger is clear, and that we are going to have a big meeting next month. See you all in January and have a great holiday season!

Many thanks to all of you,

Larry

The underlying divisions in the healthcare debate

BY GLENN GREENWALD

Ed Kilgore has a very perceptive analysis in The New Republic about the underlying (and largely unexamined) ideological and strategic differences among progressives that are at least partially driving the rift over the health care bill. He argues -- correctly -- that the current debate "displays a couple of pretty important potential fault lines within the American center-left" that have manifested in other disputes as well. That was the principal point of this much-maligned Daily Kos post observing that many (but not all) of the progressive bloggers most vehemently demanding passage of the health care bill also supported the Iraq War. As the author of that post (Jake McIntyre) explicitly said, his intent wasn't to suggest that those individuals shouldn't be listened to because of their Iraq position six years ago (that would be an invalid and unfair claim), but simply that -- as Kilgore says -- there are underlying and significant differences in strategic and ideological outlook driving the health care debate that have been present for some time but are typically ignored.

Shared contempt for the Bush administration (at least once Bush and the Iraq War became discredited) largely obscured these differences when Bush was in office. The desire to undermine the Bush GOP and dislodge that movement from power subsumed all other objectives and united people with vastly different political outlooks and agendas. There is still a shared revulsion towards the Palin/Limbaugh Right, but that faction is too marginalized and impotent to serve the same function. With the unifying force of Bush/Cheney gone, the divisions Kilgore describes are now vibrant and increasingly potent. In addition to health care and Iraq, roughly the same progressive fault lines are seen over the bank bailout, escalation in Afghanistan, Obama's economic team, tolerance for Obama's embrace of Bush/Cheney civil liberties polices, and even the reaction to Matt Taibbi's recent Rolling Stone article on Obama's subservience to Wall Street.

There are many reasons for the progressive division on the health care bill. There are differences over the narrow question of health care policy, with some believing the bill does more harm than good just on that ground alone. Some of it has to do with broader questions of political power: if progressives always announce that they are willing to accept whatever miniscule benefits are tossed at them (on the ground that it's better than nothing) and unfailingly support Democratic initiatives (on the ground that the GOP is worse), then they will (and should) always be ignored when it comes time to negotiate; nobody takes seriously the demands of those who announce they'll go along with whatever the final outcome is. But the most significant underlying division identified by Kilgore is the divergent views over the rapidly growing corporatism that defines our political system.

Kilgore doesn't call it "corporatism" -- the virtually complete dominance of government by large corporations, even a merger between the two -- but that's what he's talking about. He puts it in slightly more palatable terms:

To put it simply, and perhaps over-simply, on a variety of fronts (most notably financial restructuring and health care reform, but arguably on climate change as well), the Obama administration has chosen the strategy of deploying regulated and subsidized private sector entities to achieve progressive policy results. This approach was a hallmark of the so-called Clintonian, "New Democrat" movement, and the broader international movement sometimes referred to as "the Third Way," which often defended the use of private means for public ends.

As I've written for quite some time, I've honestly never understood how anyone could think that Obama was going to bring about some sort of "new" political approach or governing method when, as Kilgore notes, what he practices -- politically and substantively -- is the Third Way, DLC, triangulating corporatism of the Clinton era, just re-packaged with some sleeker and more updated marketing. At its core, it seeks to use government power not to regulate, but to benefit and even merge with, large corporate interests, both for political power (those corporate interests, in return, then fund the Party and its campaigns) and for policy ends. It's devoted to empowering large corporations, letting them always get what they want from government, and extracting, at best, some very modest concessions in return. This is the same point Taibbi made about the Democratic Party in the context of economic policy:

The significance of all of these appointments isn't that the Wall Street types are now in a position to provide direct favors to their former employers. It's that, with one or two exceptions, they collectively offer a microcosm of what the Democratic Party has come to stand for in the 21st century. Virtually all of the Rubinites brought in to manage the economy under Obama share the same fundamental political philosophy carefully articulated for years by the Hamilton Project: Expand the safety net to protect the poor, but let Wall Street do whatever it wants.

One finds this in far more than just economic policy, and it's about more than just letting corporations do what they want. It's about affirmatively harnessing government power in order to benefit and strengthen those corporate interests and even merging government and the private sector. In the intelligence and surveillance realms, for instance, the line between government agencies and private corporations barely exists. Military policy is carried out almost as much by private contractors as by our state's armed forces. Corporate executives and lobbyists can shuffle between the public and private sectors so seamlessly because the divisions have been so eroded. Our laws are written not by elected representatives but, literally, by the largest and richest corporations. At the level of the most concentrated power, large corporate interests and government actions are basically inseparable.

The health care bill is one of the most flagrant advancements of this corporatism yet, as it bizarrely forces millions of people to buy extremely inadequate products from the private health insurance industry -- regardless of whether they want it or, worse, whether they can afford it (even with some subsidies). In other words, it uses the power of government, the force of law, to give the greatest gift imaginable to this industry -- tens of millions of coerced customers, many of whom will be truly burdened by having to turn their money over to these corporations -- and is thus a truly extreme advancement of this corporatist model. It's undeniably true that the bill will also do some genuine good, as it will help many people who can't get coverage now to get it (though it will also severely burden many people with compelled, uncontrolled premiums and will potentially weaken coverage for millions as well). If one judges the bill purely from the narrow perspective of coverage, a rational and reasonable (though by no means conclusive) case can be made in its favor. But if one finds this creeping corporatism to be a truly disturbing and nefarious trend, then the bill will seem far less benign.

As I've noted before, this growing opposition to corporatism -- to the virtually absolute domination of our political process by large corporations -- is one of the many issues that transcend the trite left/right drama endlessly used as a distraction. The anger among both the left and right towards the bank bailout, and towards lobbyist influence in general, illustrates that. Kilgore says that anger among the left and right over corporatism is irreconcilable, and this is the point I think he has mostly wrong:

To put it more bluntly, on a widening range of issues, Obama's critics to the right say he's engineering a government takeover of the private sector, while his critics to the left accuse him of promoting a corporate takeover of the public sector. They can't both be right, of course, and these critics would take the country in completely different directions if given a chance. But the tactical convergence is there if they choose to pursue it.

This supposedly irreconcilable difference Kilgore identifies is more semantics than substance. It's certainly true that health care opponents on the left want more a expansive plan while opponents on the right want the opposite. But the objections over the mandate are largely identical -- it's a coerced gift to the private health insurance industry that underwrites the Democratic Party. The same was true over opposition to the bailout, objections to lobbying influence over Washington, and most of all, the growing anger that Washington serves the interests of financial elites at the expense of the working class.

Whether you call it "a government takeover of the private sector" or a "private sector takeover of government," it's the same thing: a merger of government power and corporate interests which benefits both of the merged entities (the party in power and the corporations) at everyone else's expense. Growing anger over that is rooted far more in an insider/outsider dichotomy over who controls Washington than it is in the standard conservative/liberal ideological splits from the 1990s. It's true that the people who are angry enough to attend tea parties are being exploited and misled by GOP operatives and right-wing polemicists, but many of their grievances about how Washington is ignoring their interests are valid, and the Democratic Party has no answers for them because it's dependent upon and supportive of that corporatist model. That's why they turn to Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh; what could a Democratic Party dependent upon corporate funding and subservient to its interests possibly have to say to populist anger?

Even if one grants the arguments made by proponents of the health care bill about increased coverage, what the bill does is reinforces and bolsters a radically corrupt and flawed insurance model and an even more corrupt and destructive model of "governing." It is a major step forward for the corporatist model, even a new innovation in propping it up. How one weighs those benefits and costs -- both in the health care debate and with regard to many of Obama's other policies -- depends largely upon how devoted one is to undermining and weakening this corporatist framework (as opposed to exploiting it for political gain and some policy aims). That's one of the primary underlying divisions Kilgore identifies, and he's right to call for greater examination and debate over the role it is playing.