Lobbyists

If you have seen the movie Birds of Prey (And the Fabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), you know the underlying theme was her discovering her power amidst a world of insanity, crime, and social degradation; hence her emancipation. That brings me to the current impasse in the Senate, with...

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  • October 4, 2021

Like ALEC writing legislation for a lazy GOP, Heritage Action is providing the same “song sheets” for state legislatures trying to suppress voting rights. Heritage Action says it wrote “8 key provisions” in Georgia voter suppression law, “19 provisions” in Texas House bill & “3 provisions” of Iowa law. Dark...

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  • May 13, 2021

Received this e-mail today from former presidential candidate, Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D. TX), on behalf of his organization, Powered by People: Did you see the news this week? Texas gained the most residents in the past decade of any state according to the 2020 census – and as a result,...

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  • May 1, 2021

Here’s the latest news on the recall effort in California: The effort to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has gathered over 2 million signatures — a number of signatures, if validated, that could force a measure on a ballot. The leaders of RecallGavin2020 announced this week that their effort reached over 2,060,000 signatures...

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  • March 16, 2021
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The sparse number of actual carbon capture and sequestration projects plus weak carbon markets amplify the problems of the climate crisis yet to be revisited, post-Trump. Two heartland examples in North Dakota and Texas show how there are several interlocking problems addressing the climate crisis that must be included in future environmental policy. More specifically...

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  • February 28, 2021

Here’s the latest news today out of Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D), who announced a 2022 Senate bid earlier this month, said in a statement Tuesday that he will not accept donations from the fossil fuel industry in his run. Fetterman said in the statement obtained by The Hill via...

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  • February 16, 2021

While I didn’t plan on getting back to posting election diaries until after today, I figured it was important to post this: x This was tweeted by field director of @NRSC run by @SenRickScott. pic.twitter.com/ej5rTL82Qu— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) January 20, 2021 So this is a preview of what we are...

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  • January 20, 2021

As Steve Bannon is pardoned for scamming border wall money, he’s likely the new operative for a Trump political party to promote neo-fascism. Trump has trial ballooned it prior to leaving DC and its site of a recent insurrection. Bannon has been speaking with Trump in recent weeks. x Trump pardons Stephen...

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  • January 20, 2021

In other words, a monstrous, noxious, venal scheme to lightly garnish the shart soufflé that is Donald Trump’s presidency. The New York Times: As President Trump prepares to leave office in days, a lucrative market for pardons is coming to a head, with some of his allies collecting fees from...

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  • January 17, 2021
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The neoliberals’ “free market” is not going to sequester enough carbon to save the environment. Even Warren Buffett isn’t willing to take a bet on surviving an impending climate crisis catastrophe, because “the rents are too high”. Existential threats have a critical reality, about which ruthless criticism is entailed. Even...

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  • December 27, 2020

Even as he puts his White House cronies on the board of the Kennedy Center, Trump criticizes its funding in the latest COVID relief bill.  Pam Bondi, who took an illegal $25,000 donation from Trump to drop prosecution in the Trump University suit, gets a Board seat at the Kennedy...

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  • December 23, 2020

There was a partial unsealing in the DC district court involving a bribery for pardon scheme several months ago. Lots of redaction in the document, and it’s unclear who was involved other than an attorney acting as an intermediary in a ‘pay-to-play’ scheme. One element was a lobbying scheme, and then there was...

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  • December 2, 2020

Here’s the latest news out of Georgia: x GEORGIABiden 49% (+4)Trump 45%.#GAsen:Ossoff (D) 44%Perdue (R-inc) 44% Opinion Insight/@AAF (R), LV, 10/12-15https://t.co/aYPXpogmS8— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) October 23, 2020 x #GAsenWarnock (D) 31%Loeffler (R-inc) 19%Collins (R) 18%Lieberman (D) 3%Johnson (R) 2%Johnson-Shealey (D) 2%Bartell (I) 2%Winfield (D) 1%Tarver (D) 1% Opinion Insight/@AAF (R),...

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  • October 23, 2020

So you remember that big Pebble Mine scandal that U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R. AK) got busted in? Here’s a click reminder: x YouTube Video Dr. Al Gross, a Democratic-aligned independent running to unseat Sullivan, had been, even before the recording, blasting Sullivan for failing to explicitly oppose the mine’s...

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  • October 23, 2020

The White House is now blaming Michigan governor Whitmer for the kidnap/assassination plot against her by domestic terrorists. Similarly Trumpists think Biden is weak for not wanting to catch COVID from Trump. We do not still know when Trump last tested negative before going to Walter Reed. Besides, who wants...

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  • October 9, 2020

From Newsweek: Kentucky Democrat Amy McGrath has set a new campaign record for fundraising in August, adding to her impressive war chest heading into the final weeks of her Senate campaign against Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The McGrath campaign told Newsweek that the team raised $8.7 million in August—the most money she...

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  • September 10, 2020

From Salon: Montana Republicans Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Greg Gianforte share a tight financial and legislative history with each other and with the tech giant Oracle that goes back years. That relationship has netted each of them several million dollars and made Gianforte one of the wealthiest members of...

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  • September 8, 2020

So the guy who says nearly any kind of malarkey accuses his opposition of “massive disinformation”. Firehose of gaslight projected on an entire nation. x #SundayThoughts: The word “trumpery” appeared in the 15th century with the meanings “deceit” or “fraud”. 100 years later, it was being applied to objects of...

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  • September 6, 2020

Remember when Donald Trump tried to convince us he’d be uncorruptible because he was financing his own campaign? Hoo-boy, that was a good one. I didn’t believe him, of course, but apparently some walnut-brained yokels with conspicuously more animal carcasses on their walls than diplomas did. And here we are....

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  • August 26, 2020

Very glad to see this: x YouTube Video The debut ad, his first TV spot of his campaign, highlights his upbringing in a Savannah housing project and his journey to the pulpit of Atlanta’s famed Ebenezer Baptist Church, the spiritual home of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. As the...

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  • August 20, 2020
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Trump went to another COVID “hotspot” and gave an infrastructure speech because it's that week again. CNN and MSNBC had the good taste not to broadcast it. Trump wore no mask, in violation of Atlanta policy. Strange how only GOP governors void local mask mandates, not coincidentally they have higher...

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  • July 16, 2020

Hell has officially frozen over: x The lovely Amy McGrath is a Marine Corps veteran.  The average donation to her campaign is $36. Mitch McConnell is a broken-down old man owed by cheap labor lobbyists.#DefeatMcConnell— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) July 10, 2020 On Friday afternoon, conservative commentator Ann Coulter made news...

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  • July 10, 2020

Received this e-mail today from former presidential candidate, Tom Steyer (D. CA), in support of Sara Gideon’s (D. ME) U.S. Senate campaign: What if I told you that 72% of a particular group of climate candidates — leaders committed to climate justice — go on to win their races? Those candidates are...

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  • July 2, 2020

Politico has a great piece out today how U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R. CO), who is absolutely one of the most vulnerable incumbent GOP Senators this election cycle, used to have the cannabis industry’s support in the U.S. Senate. But thanks to U.S. Senate Majority Mitch McConnell (R. KY) and...

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  • May 23, 2020

Received this e-mail today from Teresa Tomlinson’s (D. GA) U.S. Senate campaign: Teresa Tomlinson (D. GA) Ahmaud Arbery’s murder is part of a system of oppression that extends beyond Georgia. The public outrage it has triggered it is not confined to our state lines. The injustice made known to the...

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  • May 13, 2020

Former Congressman Alan Grayson has much to say about Trump and progressive values. He did not mince his words for the disdain he has for policies from the GOP leadership. Congressman Alan Grayson did not disappoint Watch the full episode here. Alan Grayson is back. He is still the progressive fighter we always knew...

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  • May 8, 2020

Received this e-mail from the Progressive Change Campaign Committee: Donald Trump seems to think he can direct funding based on which politicians are nice to him, which states he’s trying to win in November, and which businesses he wants to enrich — all without any accountability. @EWarren and I think...

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  • May 5, 2020

Evil is as evil does when it comes to Moscow Mitch’s declaration that the states should go bankrupt rather than have the federal government keep them afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.  And it appears that Kentucky Democrats are not going to let the famous Grim Reaper off the hook when...

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  • April 24, 2020

Here’s the latest news out of Colorado: A central benefit of Obamacare, say its backers, is the national health care law’s requirement that insurance companies cannot deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. That’s particularly important now, they say, because COVID-19 is especially dangerous for people with underlying conditions, like...

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  • April 21, 2020

Kudos to Julia Conley at Common Dreams for capturing this: Three weeks after government watchdogs demanded the resignation of U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and Richard Burr following reports that both responded to briefings about the burgeoning coronavirus pandemic in late January by selling millions of dollars in stocks, critics slammed...

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  • April 18, 2020

No link yet, but Stephanie Ruhle of MSNBC is reporting that CEO’s of some major companies are pushing back against Trump’s “plan” to reopen the economy on May 1st.   Quick takes from what she reported: Dartagnan wrote a blog about how Trump is trying to get American business leaders to sign...

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  • April 15, 2020

Received this e-mail from former Columbus, GA Mayor, Teresa Tomlinson’s (D. GA) U.S. Senate campaign: We just got some extraordinary news. The National Organization for Women Political Action Committee is endorsing Teresa in Georgia’s Democratic primary to take on David Perdue in this battleground Senate race. In the national president’s...

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  • April 1, 2020

Jake Tapper: “It’s not all bad news”. There’s no way of knowing the false sense of security that Trump’s declaration created one month ago, that “15 cases will soon be zero”. The Trump goal remains reelection, if only to evade indictment, and the key is trying to resurrect the economy,...

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  • March 25, 2020

Giving the GOP emergency powers is another scheme to loot the treasury, much like the attempts to defund social security and Medicare. So much cynicism in the GOP pimping a stimulus package that favors corporate income. x Sen. Jeff Merkley explains why Senate Democrats blocked Mitch McConnell's corrupt coronavirus stimulus...

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  • March 23, 2020

Joe Biden and Why America Needs a Strong Progressive Movement photo: Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont at Sunday’s debate at a CNN studios in Washington, D.C.(Evan Vucci / Associated Press) | Los Angeles Times By Alan Minsky, Executive Director – Progressive Democrats of America In...

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  • March 18, 2020

Love it: With the COVID-19 crisis keeping healthcare in the headlines, the Texas Democratic Party has launched an ad campaign targeting Republican Sen. John Cornyn as the “top salesman” for repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Cornyn, who faces reelection in November, has voted to repeal the ACA — commonly...

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  • March 18, 2020

We’re at a crucial point, with the Coronavirus, with the economy collapsing and America’s political future hanging in the balance. At this time, Joe Biden seems poised to the Democratic nomination. To this I have to warn: do NOT nominate Joe Biden. It would be an absolute disaster, not just in 2020...

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  • March 13, 2020

Received this e-mail today from the progressive group, Indivisible: We’ve talked to local groups, we’ve vetted candidates, and we’ve counted the votes. And now, we’re excited to announce Indivisible’s third round of national endorsements for the 2020 election cycle! These national endorsements elevate the candidates preferred by the grassroots, showcasing a new...

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  • March 12, 2020

Kevin Spidel – PDA Memorial Tribute By Bryan Buchan – Progressive Democrats of America   Kevin Spidel, a life long political and community organizer and social activist, a former Campaign Director for Amnesty International, former National Field Director for Kucinich for President, and co-founder and former National Deputy Director of...

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  • March 4, 2020

Received this e-mail today from U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D. MT) in support of Amy McGrath’s (D. KY) U.S. Senate campaign: Amy McGrath (D. KY) Did you see the latest poll? Democratic challenger, Amy McGrath is TIED with Republican Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell. You know what this means? Kentucky...

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  • February 26, 2020

Breaking news: x BIG: the @BostonGlobe, who once suggested Warren should sit out 2020, has endorsed her for president. “Fearless and brilliant on her feet, Warren has the greatest potential among the candidates to lay bare Trump’s weaknesses on a debate stage.” https://t.co/pgRbx5M9Nm— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) February 26, 2020 Here’s...

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  • February 26, 2020

received this e-mail today from Democracy for America in support of Theresa Greenfield’s (D. IA) U.S. Senate campaign: Yesterday we announced endorsements in Georgia, today I’m excited to announce we’re expanding the map again — adding Iowa to our Flip the Senate slate! For the first time in decades, Iowa’s...

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  • February 14, 2020

TODAY 3PM ET; Noon PT: How To Win The Climate Struggle photo: Climate Activists Demand the Declaration of a Climate Emergency, (Takver • CC BY-SA 2.0) In solidarity,  Mike Hersh for Alan, Mike F., Dan, Deb, Janis, Kimberly, Bryan, Dr. Bill, and Donna—Your PDA National Team Join Activists On The...

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  • January 30, 2020

Received this e-mail yesterday from Governor Tony Evers (D. WI) on behalf of Democracy for America: I have to thank you. When I won my race for Governor of Wisconsin in 2018, I knew it was because of progressives in state and nationwide, including the critical support of DFA members....

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  • January 27, 2020

Indonesia is one of the most vulnerable nations on earth to climate change. Indonesians will face more intense floods, droughts and sea level rise in the years to come. The low lying and densely populated nation has 18,000 miles of coastline and many islands at sea level. Winds and rainfall...

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  • January 9, 2020

Last year, the Parkland students took on the National Rifle Association (NRA). All of the adults in the proverbial room told them that it was futile because the NRA was just too powerful with its legion of followers. The kids didn’t know any better and took them head on, even when...

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  • November 28, 2019

It turns out the media's obsession with the superrich isn't confined to the world of celebrity and entertainment. In politics, the press also seems utterly fascinated with how the 0.1% live, and especially what their political leanings are. For the 2020 campaign, that means a barrage of coverage about what...

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  • November 27, 2019
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I attended public school growing up in Oklahoma. After I graduated from the University of Houston, a public university where tuition cost only $50 a semester, my first job was as a special education teacher at a public school in New Jersey. I later attended a public law school. I...

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  • November 18, 2019

Donate Now To Re-Elect AOC In solidarity,  Mike Hersh for Alan, Mike F., Dr. Bill, Dan, Janis, Deb, Kimberly, and Bryan—your PDA national team.   Help PDA Re-Elect AOC   Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) was founded on specific progressive principles. Our endorsement standards are exacting. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) stands out...

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  • October 22, 2019

As part of the ongoing project to catalog every awful thing the Trump Administration has done as a reference for future political arguments and whatever few posterity survives to see 2020, here’s everything awful the Trump Administration has done this week. The EU ambassador agreed to testify against Trump in...

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  • October 18, 2019