Arlen Specter to Become a Democrat?

I guess so.

Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter will switch his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat and announced today that he will run in 2010 as a Democrat, according to a statement he released this morning.

Specter's decision would give Democrats a 60 seat filibuster proof majority in the Senate assuming Democrat Al Franken is eventually sworn in as the next senator from Minnesota. (Former senator Norm Coleman is appealing Franken's victory in the state Supreme Court.)

"I have decided to run for re-election in 2010 in the Democratic primary," said Specter in a statement. "I am ready, willing and anxious to take on all comers and have my candidacy for re-election determined in a general election."

He added: "Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans."

Overall, I'm happy. I mean, why shouldn't I be when we will be assured of 60 Senate votes once Al Franken is seated in Minnesota? Still, I have a few reservations.

After all, Specter was one of the key "Senate Moderates" who caved into Bush-Cheney every time he could. He caved on Iraq. He caved on torture. He caved on civil liberties. He's even indicated he might cave on Employee Free Choice. So what should we do?

While I don't always agree with him on everything, I think David Sirota is onto something here. We shouldn't let him get away with opposing the Employee Free Choice Act, especially since he's now a Democrat. We should make sure he supports an all-inclusive ENDA that protects all LGBT workers from wrongful unemployment. We should make sure he supports President Obama's budget and ensure he doesn't try to water it down. Basically, we should exert pressure on Arlen Specter to be more of a Democrat now that he's hoping to win reelection as a Democrat.

Now don't get me wrong. I get that "Snarlin' Arlen" is only doing this so he can reelected next year. Still, he should know that he doesn't get our help as Democrats for nothing. If he wants all the benefits in Pennsylvania of being a Democrat, then Specter needs to at least start acting like a mainstream center-left Democrat.

So am I glad we're closer to having 60 Democrats in the Senate? Sure. I just want to make sure that this is what we're actually getting today.

Yay! Sen. Chuck Schumer Endorses Marriage Equality!

Not too long after New York's Junior Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand (D), endorsed full equality for gay & lesbian families, it looks like New York's Senior Senator is ready to do the same.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) today announced his support for marriage equality for same sex couples and for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The announcement followed a meeting on Sunday evening in Manhattan, initiated by Senator Schumer, with a group of New York LGBT elected officials and leaders of the city's largest LGBT organizations, including Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle.

"I want to thank Sen. Schumer for his support of marriage equality and the repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act,” said Van Capelle. “Like a majority of New Yorkers, Sen. Schumer recognizes that only marriage equality provides same sex couples the status, protections and rights afforded to all other Americans. We look forward to working with him to win marriage equality in New York State and around the country."

Van Capelle said that during the meeting, Schumer pledged his support to repeal DOMA and, in the interim, to work to provide federal recognition and portability of benefits to legally married same-sex couples.

Hopefully, this means we'll soon see action on repealing DOMA. And at the very least, this should help The Empire State move a little closer toward giving its LGBT residents full civil rights. :-)

Is This the "Stimulus Bill" or "Bipartisan Bill"?

Really. President Obama needs to make a choice, and we need to push him to make the right choice. I've had enough of the "bipartisan" BS and the corporate media idiots chattering on about how success will be mesaured by whether or not John McCain likes the bill. Shouldn't we mesaure success on how many people are saved from financial catastrophe?

Paul Krugman hit the nail on the head today in diagnosing the disease in DC that's causing the stimulus bill to gradually weaken and worsen into nothingness.

What do you call someone who eliminates hundreds of thousands of American jobs, deprives millions of adequate health care and nutrition, undermines schools, but offers a $15,000 bonus to affluent people who flip their houses?

A proud centrist. For that is what the senators who ended up calling the tune on the stimulus bill just accomplished.

Even if the original Obama plan — around $800 billion in stimulus, with a substantial fraction of that total given over to ineffective tax cuts — had been enacted, it wouldn’t have been enough to fill the looming hole in the U.S. economy, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates will amount to $2.9 trillion over the next three years.

Yet the centrists did their best to make the plan weaker and worse.

First off, the bill in its present shape is far too little to be very effective. How the hell can an $820 billion package with 40% of it consisting of near-worthless tax cuts be enough spending to fill that $2.9 trillion gap? And secondly, why were the most effective parts of the bill either trimmed down or completely eliminated? Studies have shown that direct aid, like food stamps and state & local government assistance, are the best ways to prevent an economy from failing. So why is President Obama so open to allowing a "stimulus bill" to pass that excludes what's really needed to stimulate this economy?

The problem, as Jane Hamsher pointed out this morning, is that effective provisions of the bill are being forsaken for the sake of "bipartisanship". Why? So Susan Collins and Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman can feel good about themselves? So Mitch McConnell and John Boehner can really have their way despite being in the minority? So "El Rushbo" Limbaugh can be "vindicated"?

Bipartisanship should be the means to an end, not some religious cult. There's no reason why aid for the working poor should be sacrificed for "bipartisanship". There's no reason why aid for states like California, states about to literally go bankrupt, should be sacrificed for "bipartisanship". There's no reason why kids should be deprived of a college education for the sake of "bipartisanship". There's no reason why people should be deprived of needed health care for the sake of "bipartisanship". And no, there's no reason why we shouldn't start investing in better energy choices for the sake of "bipartisanship".

President Obama made a serious mistake in elevating the process over the substance, and we need to correct that. Tell the President not to sacrifice his values for the sake of placating cruel and bloodthirsty Rethuglicans. If you have GOP members of Congress, tell them to stop holding needy people hostage for the sake of "bipartisanship". And if you have Democratic members of Congress, tell them to stand firm in supporting good provisions in the stimulus that actually help all of us in need.

We need real help, not empty rhetoric. We need a bill that puts people back to work, not a bill George W. Bush would be proud of. We need to remind our elected officials in Washington that they work for us, so they need to stop bending over backwards for stupid Beltway Pundits and start doing something for us.

Al Franken Wins?

It looks like Minnesota has a new Senator... FINALLY! Oh wait, I guess it isn't over yet. Hopefully, this won't be tied up in the courts for too much longer.

Who Will Be Colorado's New Senator?

With all the recent attention on the Illinois debacle & the New York drama, I figured it would be nice for us to remember that Colorado will also soon have a Senate vacancy. So who would you like to see as Ken Salazar's successor?

David Sirota & I Agree on Something!

Really? Yes, it's true! We both agree on who should NOT be the next Senator from Pennsylvania. ;-)

This Week's Strategy Session

So where do we stand now? Democrats have now won the White House, at least 58 Senate seats, and at least 255 House seats. We still have a Senate seat to win in Georgia, a Senate seat in limbo in Minnesota, and 5 House seats in limbo. We still have an illegal discriminatory intitative to overturn in California, a legally questionable discriminatory initiative to overturn in Florida, and the entire 2010 election to start preparing for.

So where do we begin? Well, let's start in Georgia. Jim Martin needs our help right now.

I mean it. We are so close to winning. But if we slack off, we'll probably lose. Georgia is still a Red State, so most voters there are naturally inclined to elect Republicans.

However, this year is different. We have a great candidate in Jim Martin. We have a runoff election where it won't be too difficult to take advantage of our enthusiasm edge. We can win this election if we give it a try.

So why not go for it? What say you? And better yet, why not take some action if you're so inclined?

We'll need as many allies we can in Congress to implement President Obama's agenda of change. So why not take a shot at winning in Georgia? Now's the time to do it!

Whoops...

Nevada Rethuglicans look to be in a tailspin! Their one possibly legitimate challenger to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid looks like he's about to be indicted for mishandling state college savings funds. And they want to complain about supposed "Democratic corruption"? What about the rot plaguing their own house?

Haha. Give 'em hell, Harry. ;-)

BREAKING: Mark Begich WINS Senate Race in Alaska!

Hooray! Senate seat #58 is OURS! Democrats are closer to the 60 seat dream.

This is breaking on MSNBC. I'll grab a linky as soon as I can get one. Right now, convicted felon & Republican incumbent Ted Stevens is trailing by 3,724 votes. Right now, there only about 2,500 votes left to be counted.

So yippee, Democrats win... IN ALASKA! You betcha! :-D

Weekly Strategy Session: If They Won't, We Will!

OK, everyone! Ready for this week's strategy session? I am! We need to talk. Seriously.

Unfortunately, many of our Senators decided to ignore us & let "Traitor Joe" Lieberman off the hook. He keeps his dear Homeland Security Committee chair and he only loses one Environment subcommittee chair. After working aggressively AGAINST Democrats, he only gets a weak slap on the wrist and a meaningless "condemnation" from real Democrats.

Is this for real? REALLY??!! Did Traitor Joe just get away with almost murdering the Democratic Party?

I don't know about you, but I'm furious! Even my own Senators in my reliably Blue State couldn't muster the courage and the decency to hold Traitor Joe accountable for elliing out his integrity and our party for his additional 15 minutes of infamy with his beloved Johnny Mac. How could they? How could the Senators that we elected cave into Traitor Joe?

It's not like he actually does his job. On the Homeland Security Committee, he's never held one investigation into the botched response to Hurricane Katrina or our continued national security challenges. He's always caved into Republicans in agreeing to confirm radical right judges who consistently oppose civil rights, workers' rights, and environmental protections. He always runs to the corporate media to bash real Democrats and bad-mouth our now President-Elect. So again, why are Democrats rewarding Traitor Joe for failing all of us?

If they won't do what's best for our party and our country, then we must. It's time for us to hold "Traitor Joe" accountable. The aforementioned (as in linked) petition to start a campaign to unseat Traitor Joe in 2012 looks like a good start. But what else can we do? That's where I need your help!

What can we do in the coming months to not just defeat Traitor Joe Lieberman, but really hold accountable all those politicians that break their promises to us before actively working against us? Let's talk about it. And once we have a plan of action, let's make it happen!

And Now, The 2010 Election!

You think it's too soon? Think again! We have ourselves more vulnerable Republican incumbents... Including a Senator in Florida! (via MyDD)

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist remains overwhelmingly popular with a 68 - 18 percent job approval rating that makes him a strong favorite for re-election in 2010, but Sen. Mel Martinez's 42 - 33 percent approval rating makes him much more vulnerable, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
[...]
Although Sen. Martinez gets a somewhat favorable job approval rating, only 36 percent of voters say he deserves another term, while 38 percent say no and 26 percent say they are not sure. If the election were today, 36 percent say they would vote for Martinez while 40 percent would support his unnamed Democratic opponent and 24 percent are undecided.

As soon as we have a candidate in Florida, it might be a good idea for us to invest in this campaign. Hey, why don't we want another Democratic Senator from The Sunshine State? ;-)

Traitor Joe Lives Another Day

Ugh. Senate Democrats have just allowed "Traitor Joe" Lieberman to remain Chair of the Homeland Security Committee where he does not do his job. Really??!! Those that fail get to "fail upward"?

Color me disappointed.

Enough of the Loserman

Really. It's time for Democrats to stop appeasing him. Either he can take whatever Harry Reid offers or he can become completely irrelevant.

Senate Report: Our Rising Stars... REALLY!

Take a look at the new Research 2000 polls up at the top of Daily Kos! Isn't this amazing?

Texas:

President-
McCain (R) 52%
Obama (D) 40%

Senate-
Cornyn (R) 50%
Noriega (D) 44%

Mississippi:

President-
McCain (R) 50%
Obama (D) 40%

Senate-
Wicker (R) 47%
Noriega (D) 46%

OK, so Obama may not win The Lone Star State & The Magnolia State. Still, his numbers are much better than Kerry's in 2004. And guess what? That's helping us downballot!

Just weeks ago, Ronnie Musgrove and Rick Noriega were considered hopeless and helpless. They were in Blood Red States with no chance at all. But in just 2-3 weeks, they've now become 2 of our best chances to 60 Senate Seats.

So what should we do now? Obviously, DONATE! And if you live in Texas or Mississippi, please consider volunteering with your state Democratic campaigns! We have no time to lose, so please use it well!

NH-Sen: C4O Spotlights Jeanne Shaheen

OK, now that the convention is over... It's time for us to get back to work! And for us here at C4O, this means getting more & better Democrats elected. So today, I'd like to introduce you to a truly awesome person who will make a fantastic Senator from New Hampshire.

Are you
ready to meet her?





Jeanne Shaheen was the first woman ever elected as Governor of New Hampshire. But not only did Gov. Shaheen make history this way, as she also worked hard as Governor to build a clean, green energy infrastructure in the state, as well as implement real ethics reform, improve New Hampshire's schools, and advocate civil rights for all. Oh yes, and her list of accomplishments didn't end after she left office. From 2005-07, she was Director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Now contrast this with Republican Incumbent John Sununu. He's an out-of-touch George W. Bush Republican who would rather side with Bush than the people of New Hampshire. The people of New Hampshire are ready for change, but Sununu only offers more of the same.

Fortunately, the race here has become quite competitive. In fact, Democrats may even have a slight advantage here. But still, that doesn't mean we should take a win here for granted. Bush, McCain, and Sununu will do anything to win New Hampshire this fall, so we Democrats must be ready to fight back!

And guess what? Democrats are lining up to support Jeanne Shaheen! Emily's List is on board, as well as the DSCC, the Democratic organization that supports our Senate candidates. New Hampshire is poised to be one of our best Senate pick-up opportunities, so we need to be prepared to win!

So please join us in standing up for great Democrats like Jeanne Shaheen! let's say no more to the GOP and its watys of the past. Let's say "Yes, We Can" and make real change happen today! :-)

Claire McCaskill at the Democratic Convention

Here was another great speech from last night that I hope everyone gets to see.

We Are Making a Difference! UPDATED

A few weeks ago, I donated to MyDD's Road to 60 ActBlue project, which as of today has raised $3575 from 67 donors. My donation was spread among four different Senate candidates, one of whom was Mark Begich, who is running to unseat Alaska Senator Ted Stevens.

The grassroots fundraising is making a big difference in the Begich campaign, as confirmed by an email that I received today:

[Psychodrew] --

I can hardly believe I'm writing to tell you this, but you guys did it:

Together we out-raised Sen. Stevens in the last fundraising period by over a quarter of a million dollars.

You are part of a grassroots surge - over 4000 contributors in the last three months (more than four times Stevens number of donors).

We outperformed the special interest network of a 40 year incumbent.

I am humbled by the strength of your support and I'm ready to keep fighting, bringing my message to Alaska voters.

We can win this race, all because of you.

Thank you.

Mark Begich

According to the Alaska Report, the Begich campaign raised $1,034,660 from more than 4,099 donors. Of those, 3017 were donations of $100 or less. Senator Stevens raised only $745,000.

In case you haven't yet, donate to the Road to 60 Project. Sixty Democratic senators means that the GOP cannot filibuster our legislative priorities. That means a real energy policy, meaningful health care reform, and improving our education system.

Oh, and as for the Begich campaign the most recent Rasmussen poll has Senator Stevens up 46-44. This race--and the others--are winnable. We need to do our part.

[Updated at 2:47am EST by Psychodrew]

According to Rasmussen, great news in Oregon:

Democratic challenger Jeff Merkley for the first time has edged ahead of Republican Senator Gordon Smith 43% to 41% in Oregon, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey. While the advantage is not statistically significant, it is noteworthy for an incumbent senator to receive such low levels of support at this point in a campaign.

If leaners are factored in, the race is tied with each candidate claiming 46% of the voters.

Last month, Smith, who is seeking a third six-year term, led Merkley by nine points 47% to 38%. Merkley is the speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives.

In the four previous months, Smith has been narrowly ahead, but he has never crossed the 50% mark, below which an incumbent is generally viewed as vulnerable. His support has ranged from a low of 45% to a high of 48%.