Great chart, and thanks for keeping up the pressure! As a minor typo alert for candidate No. 18, I think it’s Marion Berry for the First District in AR (Arkansas) and not Arizona (AZ) and similarly the state abbreviation for No. 1 Snyder should be AR and not AK (Alaska).

How does this compare to Cantor’s whip list? And could a successful GOP whip effort actually increase progressive power in negotiations?

The link to the Cantor memo on Health Care: http://republicanwhip.house.gov/floor/CantorHCMemo.pdf

Can someone bring me up to speed here?

I thought voting for the house bill the first time was a *good* thing, right? Don’t we want to wait and see if the final result is acceptable before we start trying to kill it … or has the consensus emerged that it doesn’t matter and we’re opposing anything that comes out of this process?

I’d mentally accepted a compromise where I’d support the mandate in exchange for a robust PO and national exchange. Anyone have pro/cons on on this position?

“a robust PO and national exchange”
____

Pardon me if I don’t hold my breath.

It’s time to oppose: the effort is to get rid of the mandate.

No Public Option, No Mandate!

The final bill will have to look a lot like the present Senate bill in order to get the votes needed for final passage.
Nelson Lieberman Lincoln Landrieau won’t vote yes for any version of the bill that has a public option

like vb said don’t hold your breath

Arnold is against health care refore, unless CA can get some of that sweet government moola.

While I enthusiastically support health care reform, it is not reform to push more costs onto states that are already struggling while other states get sweetheart deals.

Health care reform, which started as noble and needed legislation, has become a trough of bribes, deals and loopholes.

California’s congressional delegation should either vote against this bill that is a disaster for California or get in there and fight for the same sweetheart deal Senator Nelson of Nebraska got for the Cornhusker State. He got the corn; we got the husk.

What robust PO? below 150 percent of poverty level. Tax of up to 20 percent of gross income on poor and middle folk. No negotiating, no importation, prices guaranteed to skyrocket for everyone, high deductibles on junk insurance and other anti care abilities.

Stupak!

While technically correct, it is enormously generous to characterize Karl Rove gofer and protege Tim Griffin as a “former US Attorney”. He held the post on an appointed, unconfirmed basis. The fallout from the US Attorney firing scandal quickly led him to resign.

That episode documents, though, that from the extreme right’s perspective, the still inexperienced Griffin is a made man. He was and is still being groomed for this sort of role and he can call on big donors. Likewise, he will continue to do their bidding, no questions asked, as he’s always done.

His motto from the Florida vote anti-recount campaign in 2000, stolen from 1999′s Gladiator, remains, “Unleash Hell”.

But, the bill will only have a mandate (with penalties for noncompliance). We have to organize to vote against the bill because, if it passes as written, Americans will be forced to buy insurance without being given an affordable vehicle to do so.

Top 20 Democrats Who Could Lose Their Seats over Health Care Vote Soon Become High Paid Insurance Industry Consultants.

There, I fixed the headline.

Costa won 73% of the vote – all districts in CA are drawn safe – yet he voted for Stupak anyway.

The real q is who is on our side? Who are the progressives from vulnerable districts who we should help?

I’m confused about what is being scored here.

Shouldn’t we be far more concerned with ConservaDems who voted Nay on H R 3962 (or who voted Yea on H R 3962 just after having voted Aye on the Stupak Amendment) even though they occupy safe Democratic seats than with ConservaDems who voted Yea on H R 3962 despite apparently having to face tough challenges from Republicans come Nov 2010?

I think the conventional wisdom is all wrong. Once this thing passes it will be the greatest thing since sliced bread.

James Surowiecki writes

“Congress is effectively making private insurers unnecessary, yet continuing to insist that we can’t do without them.

The truth is that we could do just fine without them: an insurance system with community rating and universal access has no need of private insurers…”

But, then he concludes

One could recoil in disgust at the inefficiency and incoherence of the process—at the fact that private insurers will continue to make billions a year providing services the government has shown, via Medicare, that it can provide on its own. But, messy as the reform plans are, they can still dramatically transform the system for the good. Reform would guarantee that tens of millions of people who don’t have insurance will get it, and that people who have insurance now won’t have to worry about losing it. And, by writing community rating and universal access into law, Congress will effectively be committing itself to the idea that health care, regardless of risk, is a right. If a little incoherence is the price of that deal, it’s worth paying.”

Right. “the idea that health care, regardless of risk, is a right”

I’m just glad I don’t yet suffer from “government-run” military defense, police, fire, and product/Rx safety protection.

The incoherent capitulation is just depressing.

How does the Democratic Party win the

1. White House
2. Control of the Senate
3. Control of the House

and within 12 months risk losing everything?

It is very simple.

the day of the COPORATE DEM is over.

Bush done the progressives one big favor he divided the USA.

all the DC talk about governing from the middle is a bunch cow dung!

what does the middle want?

the middle wants less than 40K troops in Afghan but more than 30K troops in Afghan?

the middle wants a little public option?

the middle wants a little bailout of main street and only a 2 trillion dollar bail out of wall street?

any Democrat or Republican that runs for the MIDDLE will lose. Ask Dodd

Obama, Rahm, and the other dumb Corp Dems, thinks the entire base of the DEM party is stupid. NO you are the stupid ones.

Bush wiped out the middle.

You either take care of your BASE, and do the things the Base wants ie PROGRESSIVE if you are Dems or Tea Baggers if you are Republicans, or you lose.

Obama, Rahm, and other Corporate Dems, must have miss the last eight years, BUSH burned down CLINTON DEMOCRATIC WING.

Bye Bye Corporate DEMS.

Obama must decide, to become FDR or to become Hoover.

It is that simple

Is the purpose to target ConservaDems who voted Yea on H R 3962, but who might now accept the Senate’s bullshit with the mandate, in the hope of flipping them into opposing the Senate’s bill w/mandate? If so, excellent way to apply some pressure!

I think what is being scored is the risk faced by Democratic incumbents. There isn’t a “rationale” other than that. However, it might mean that the above candidates could also face a primary opponent. Now those could be more conservative or in some cases open up a chance for a progressive.

Another possibility is that Pelosi will do the calculus and allow some of the above to make a “NO” vote in order to garner their anti-HC credentials. If she can convince a few of those who voted against the HR3962 to vote for the Conference Bill (provided they sit in safe seats) she could allow those under threat to vote “No”.

Obama must decide, to become FDR or to become Hoover.

In that light…

OK, thanks. Got it. We’re assuming the Senate bill will come out of conference (and yeah, “robust” is hardly a way to describe the House PO – my bad). I hate mandates, always have, always will … and am inclined to oppose any bill on those grounds alone. That is *the* issue that made me support Obama over Clinton, so it’s nice to have some company.

One final up-to-speed question. Does this posture have a stand-down position in the unlikely event of national exchanges, an entry-level PO, elimination of monopoly exemption and mandate in the final bill? (i.e. we’re counting the fight for an acceptable bill as lost and just trying to prevent the rape of our country now – not fighting to see something like the House version come out of conference?). Not holding my breath, just curious on the strategy for various contingencies.

Sorry to be sort of obtuse, I’ve been out of the loop a bit recently … and this is one of the few places where I actually trust folks to give an honest assessment of where the fight sits.

Obama must decide, to become FDR or to become Hoover.

I like the way Dr. Westen put it in Leadership, Obama Style, and the Looming Losses in 2010: Pretty Speeches, Compromised Values, and the Quest for the Lowest Common Denominator (12/20/2009):

He’s increasingly appearing to the public, and particularly to swing voters, like Dukakis without the administrative skill.

And:

If you cut backroom deals with every special interest who is part of the problem and offer the American people no coherent message while the other side is messaging straight out of the messaging memo written by Frank Luntz (“government takeover,” “a bureaucrat between you and your doctor”), you can expect half a loaf.

And:

People in the center will follow if you speak to their values, address their ambivalence (because by definition, on a wide range of issues, they’re torn between the right and left), and act on what you believe. FDR did it. LBJ did it. Reagan did it. Even George W. Bush did it, although I wish he hadn’t.

But you have to believe something.

Let’s hope that anyone who votes for a mandate bill with no public option loses their seat!

If he were right that it is “the idea that health care, regardless of risk, is a right” then there would be a lot less concern among those on the left. The problem is that this is “health insurance that is required to be purchased under punishment of law”. It’s possible that the biggest problem with this whole debate is that supporters believe that purchasing health insurance and receiving heath care are interchangeable terms.

By the way, Dr. Westen is back at his thread. He certainly stirred the interest.

Jason Linkins:

“The press will tell you that lawmakers like Joe Lieberman and Max Baucus and Ben Nelson and Mary Landrieu are obstacles to health care because their votes are centrist ones. This is wrong. They are obstacles to health care because their votes have been bought.”

Yep. He cites David Simon:

“Why does reform seem so impossible?”

“We live in an oligarchy. The mother’s milk of American politics is money, and the reason they can’t reform financing, the reason that we can’t have public funding of elections rather than private donations, the reason that K Street is K Street in Washington, is to make sure that no popular sentiment survives. You’re witnessing it now with health care, with the marginalization of any effort to rationally incorporate all Americans under a national banner that says, “We’re in this together.”

Yep. Read all of David Simon’s rant. Dead-on.

I didn’t know he came back. He wrote a great article well worth a lot more discussion. Thanks for letting me know!

Yep. I was all over that a long time ago. e.g.,

“PUBLIC OPTIONAL”

I am really sick of hearing about the “public option” wrangle 24/7 in the media these days. I am increasingly skeptical of its inclusion of any final legislation that may or may not reach the President’s desk, and likewise skeptical that it would comprise much of an improvement even should it pass the Congress (and, it looks increasingly to me like a slickly orchestrated “misdirection” strategy). Without a “public option” (our having taken Single Payer off the table a priori), it is difficult to see what “health care reform” would truly amount to. But, then, “public option” as currently proffered (e.g., H.R. 3200) merely looks like — as I’ve said before — [1] corporate welfare (“Play or Pay” forcing everyone to buy health insurance policies under threat of tax penalty for non-compliance), and [2] outright “welfare” (means-tested government subsidy for health insurance “affordability”).

I quit writing about it. Pointless.

Some would say the problem is with us.

The average progressive isn’t poor or unemployed enough as they were in the 30′s or oppressed enough as they were in the 60’s.

We have it too good.

I don’t understand how the govt. can both lift the mandate and also compel insurance companies to cover everyone regardless of pre-existing conditions. That would allow people to wait and buy insurance when they get sick . It won’t work economically as far as I can see,

House and senate control is always gained in those districts and states that are closest to the middle politically- places where one rarely finds a progressive running as a progressive.

Ohio, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Arkansas, etc These states are the key to political control.

“…supporters believe that purchasing health insurance and receiving heath care are interchangeable terms.”

I do believe you broke the code.

Not long ago the Houston Chronicle reported that the largest increase in uncollectable debt by the county hospital district came from working americans earning between $40K and $70K per year. We already have too many people that can’t afford to use the health insurance they already have (and a bunch that are too dumb to realize it simply because they haven’t gotten sick yet) and we think the answer is forcing a few million more to join them.

Many times I have heard people say “let the gov’t do it” or “not my problem, let the gov’t take care of it.” I always tried to explain that they ARE the gov’t but I don’t do that any more because it’s not true. WE don’t run any thing – it’s been taken from us and we are going to have to fight inch by inch to get it back.

“I don’t understand how the govt. can both lift the mandate and also compel insurance companies to cover everyone regardless of pre-existing conditions”
___

That is in fact the linchpin of the pending deal.

It could only be done if there is either a modification on the ban on pre-existing conditions exclusions or a modification in the ban of the mandate- for example, there could be an “open enrollment” period for every person say once a decade during which anyone can sign up for insurance, but those who declined can be excluded from insurance until the next “open enrollment”.

Two headlines:

1]

Top 20 Democrats Who Could Lose Their Seats To Republicans Over Health Care Vote in 2010 General Election

2]

Top 20 Democrats Who Could Lose Their Relection Bids to Progressive Challengers Over Health Care Vote In 2010 Primary Elections

In about ten months we should know for sure, right? It will tell us a lot about the direction of this country.

Neoptolemos

I agree with you.

I have no clue what Obama believes in.

Obama is the typical Corporate Dem in the era after Bush.

Obama and Rahm, want to use the old strategy if we piss off the left, this will make the middle like us. One BIG problem the left is beyond pissed off, bush already accomplished this tasked.

the middle did not get obama elected.

Obama was elected by a lot of very, very, angry americans, and most of these people hated the status quo.

Obama like you said, does not have any core beliefs.

I do not think you can govern the USA after Bush without any core beliefs.

Bush and Karl Rove govern from the base of their party, most of the time.

Obama does not want to face reality, Clinton america died.

WHAT makes the OBAMA and Rahm adminstration look so dumb is that they were given the opportunity to be remembered like FDR, JFK, etc.

All Obama had to do was follow the FDR play book.

Obama should have jump on Air Force One, Put on a Hard Hat and got a shovel, and flew to every major city in the USA, and when he landed in each city started FED GOVT BUILDING PROJECTS.

OBAMA with all of his Harvard education does not understand simple stuff, Like people need to see the CRANES, DUMP TRUCKS, CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, building the USA again. People can’t see WALL STREET.

Perception is everything. OBAMA should have made people smell the DIRT moving, seen the BIG CRANES working as he rebuilt the USA.

Health Care Reform is a scam, every doctor I know says the USA has a disease management system. The USA does not have a health care system. Obama is not person to lead the battle for healt care in the USA. I agree to lead this battle you must believe in something.

Jane,
You are our info babe.

All things considered, loosing 20 is bad but could be worse. Due to the current financial state of our nation and the amount of unemployed Americans, this also plays into the loss of at least 20 seats.

So Jane, should we cry over these 20, or is there any hope that ANY of them would see the writing on the wall and vote AGAINST the bill?

How many of these seats are ripe for a primary challenge by a Progressive?

I’m not into “Democrats [Being Elected] At Any Price,” and this sure feels like we’ve been subjected to a corollary of “Peace at Any Price.”

How f*%^&ing smart do you have to be to Do the Right Thing [vote "no"] and save both yourself and your country? Only loser by that “no” vote is Obama, and one would hope they’d figure out he’s not worth saving.

I like your ability to choose words well. It is obvious that the PEOPLE are calling for the Public Option. What are the specifics?

What insurance do we have that yet another un-Constitutional Mandate will not be just another rip-off, that will net no improvements in our Nations Health Care Delivery System?

Dear Jane,

You are Brilliant. Run for something.

WHAT makes the OBAMA and Rahm adminstration look so dumb is that they were given the opportunity to be remembered like FDR, JFK, etc.

They thought small and will lose big. I completely agree: they threw away the opportunity to be remembered among the great American leaders for generations to come.

OBAMA with all of his Harvard education does not understand simple stuff, Like people need to see the CRANES, DUMP TRUCKS, CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, building the USA again. People can’t see WALL STREET.

Perception is everything. OBAMA should have made people smell the DIRT moving, seen the BIG CRANES working as he rebuilt the USA.

Truly excellent observation! Unfortunately, I doubt Obama’s listening. Too bad for him… and too bad for all Americans.

If they use the Senate bill as a template, as has been suggested, then there won’t be a Public Option (unless it’s added in an amendment during the ping-ponging). So, we still don’t know whether there will be a PO and mandates together. But, our position in general is if there’s a mandate there has to be a public option to balance it out.

If they go with the Senate mandates, then we must insist on the PO or we could demand elimination of the mandate.

Obama has said he wants ‘affordability’ and depending upon what goes under that rubric we might get a good deal. I’m personally still against the mandates as I think it’s probably unconstitutional and will definitely be characterized (rightly) as a TAX which will kill us politically.

WTF are you doing.

Do you seriously think that putting pressure on ANY of these Dems is going to make the health care reform that passes MORE progressive? Because I thought that was your goal – to get a version of HCR that is more liberal than the current Senate bill passed. If you start pressuring conservative Democrats to vote against health care reform, what do you think is going to happen? The answer is obvious: we’re either going to lose HCR completely, or we’re going to get a more conservative version of reform. At least when you’re pressuring liberal congressmen to stand up for the public option, there’s a chance that progressive resistance to the bill will move the bill to the LEFT. What you’re doing right now will move the bill to the RIGHT.

You people have completely lost your mind. There’s just no other way to describe the insanity that has taken over this website.

One would presume that House progressives, many in safe districts, pledged to vote against any bill lacking a robust public option would be our friends who deserved our help. I’m not sure we can still tell who those are, though.

The letter they signed doesn’t seem ‘operative’ any more.

That can change. One illness, one pink slip, one spousal abandonment, one sick child, one reduced-hours notice, one mortgage ARM adjustment — any combination of two of these things will take (and have taken) middle class folks from comfort to destitution and homelessness. It’s happening all around us, as food pantry donors become clients, free clinic volunteers become patients, and the employed become the un-.

There are progressive “no” votes to be had in the House to make up for these lost ConservaDem votes. Shedding conservative supporters will make the leadership craft the bill to pick up liberals. Stupak/Nelson would be a start.

Thanks for your mental health assessment.
It’s worth about what I paid for it.

Stupak/Nelson is a disgrace to old school conservative principles.

#46: been there, know what its like. Our health care system is a disaster, there is no doubt. too many “middle men” parasiting off of the weak, sick and wounded, and running a “shake down” mandate won’t accomplish a damn thing other than rob from the poor and give to the filthy rich.

No one is putting pressure on the democrats to vote no, JH is simply pointing out that they are conservative democrats who may pay for their vote to institutionalize mandatory consumerism in the next election. Also calling people crazy when you disagree with their tactics is just silly and unhelpful.

Now, by my count six of the dems on that list are bought and paid for blue-cross dog democrats:

Sanford Bishop

Harry Mitchell

Dennis Cardoza

John Salazar

Zack Space

Marion Berry

When 2010 election rolls around, I would love it if the only ones losing their seats were blue dogs, and I want to work to make that happen. I would be happy to see other people on sites like this convincing their friends and neighbors to join them in refusing to donate or volunteer for any bluecross democrat, and instead work for an actual progressive candidate, even if s/he’s in the next district (or state).

For instance, I would be very happy not to have to trudge down to local DNC HQ to have to work up enthusiasm for my DINO senator, I am wiling to forego making any donations to him, or the DSCC & DCCC, and instead give my donations and phonebanking time to a real progressive, even if I have to make calls to another state.

Think of it a bit like “targeted divestment”. Progressives should only volunteer for, and donate to, progressives.

Hey Mauimom, most progressives tend to be in districts gerrymandered to be strongly Democratic, and so run little risk of losing over a health care vote. That’s why they’re always leaned on to take shitty votes that help the Blue Dogs pay off their corporate benefactors.

They should face challenges from within their districts from other Democrats, but because everyone assumes this will be a bad year for Democrats and progressives will take the blame for it (for being too “left,” though acting like a bunch of anti-corporatist hacks is actually the root cause) it’s hard to lure people into the race.

The bill has some good in it, but the more you look into it the more horrific it becomes. I’d rather die than pay a cent to any private company at this point.

Just hoping for some good progressive challengers to these seats. Can’t wait for the msm head-scratch when no Repub gains are made. You mean Joe Scarborough got it wrong? No, he’s such an insider…

No matter how disillusioned some may feel here (and I’m with you believe me), I still believe Obama is our great hope. Even if it was a C- year for him.

And can’t we petition and go after Emmanuel and Summers and Geithner like those a-holes went after Van Jones? Or is that misguided?

Isn’t having Joe Lieberscum and Ben Nelson working against the Rape of the Middle Class (that they would enforce on us) a better option?

Yea, I know it’s long winded: But no bill is better than Lieberman/Nelson.

Let’s see (using fingers and toes to count)…doesn’t that leave the Republicans in charge?

I too believe in the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus.

If Obama is our great hope, we’re screwed. I’ll believe he’s on our side when he kicks Rahm to the the curb.

Is the only reason “some” progressives and left blogs are supporting this clusterf*ck, because of the word REFORM??? That seems to be the underlying message on the blogs. “well, it isn’t perfect, but a start”…”it has some good things”…”it’s better than nothing”…..from what I’ve seen and read, it is NOTHING! Nothing in it controls healthcare costs, and nothing in it provides healthcare to Americans. What it does provide, is more INSURANCE MONEY to greedy corporations. That’s it in a nutshell people. And for those that think it can be revisited, and changed? How much change has been made to any Rethuglican or Bush legislation? Patriot Act been changed? FISA? Anything? NONE! Disgusting pigs at the trough, is exactly what this Congress and entire administration is. Vote every damn one of them out. This nation is beyond screwed. The daily discussions are all about corruption, torture, and oh looky at the little tiny dogbone those awe inspiring Dems are giving us!

–”The final bill will have to look a lot like the present Senate bill in order to get the votes needed for final passage.
Nelson Lieberman Lincoln Landrieau won’t vote yes for any version of the bill that has a public option”–

…because he incredibly corrupt Emanuel/GolddamnSachs/Obama White House SQUANDERED the BULLY PULPIT for ALL of 2009.
One thing ESPECIALLY egregious of the Emanuel/GS SABOTAGE of the health care reform most Americans thought a “CHANGE!” president would at least attempt to enact:
__SMALL BUSINESSES__ are being HAMMERED by the soaring health care costs of the insurance industry, Big Pharma, and HMO & hospital operators profiteering.
AS WELL AS BIG BUSINESSES – by now everyone knows, that UNION fights with management START & END with HEALTH CARE benefits.
WHY build a new auto factory IN AMERICA – where your company will BE HAMMERED by HEALTH CARE COSTS for DECADES to come – when you can step across the the border TO CANADA, get the SAME infrastructure you have in America – and NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT extortionate health care costs?!
Mr. Obama has SQUANDERED the support of SMALL INDUSTRY, AND big manufacturers, to SELL OUT to the Big Insurers!
That’s THE DEFINITION of CRAZY – not to mention HORRENDOUS “leadership” for America.

So Jane, what is your recommended strategy for this group of twenty? What are we going to tell them?

Excellent question. Seems like the point is to find enough ConservaDems in the House to help reject the Senate’s bill so that Progressive House Democrats will have more leverage in demanding that more of the House’s superior bill be in the final legislation. But if there’s more of the House’s bill, won’t Lieberman or Nelson just raise their ugly heads in opposition again?

At this point I have no problem with them just killing the bill and going with nothing. Let’s see what Obama does when staring down the possibility of defeat.

We can actually hope for something when the “progressives” get it through their heads that in order to get something from the bill they have to threaten to withhold their votes for it.

FDL pups: I looked up “progressive” in the “Urban Dictionary” the results are confusing. I looked up “progressive financing”, as referrenced in the FDL Petition, that I will sign in a minute or two, since I operate in three different Counties I don’t know if Adam Putnam, Bill Young or Vern Buchanon would give a flying f#%k to know about it, if you know what I mean. However “progressive financing” is in fact in perfect harmony with the teachings of Christ, so i got no problem with it.

Some of the definitions of “progressive” started to put the key-bosh on the good vibes of late, as an old-school conservative, I do not relate to the so-called Blue-Dogs these days
and I think that the Neo-Cons are a collection of douche-bags, no offense to douche-bags intended, so how about Corporate ass-wipes versus all the rest of us? sounds good to me, all the moose shit: left vs right, right vs left is ruining everything. I would join the Constitution Party in a heart-beat if they would recognize Womens’ Constitutional Rights’ to Reproductive Choices, what sort of idiot stands for the return to the day’s of “pass out the coat-hangers” again, don’t they like women?

So lets see, is the U.S. Constitution cool with you folks at FDL? If the answer is anything other than YOU BET, please don’t answer, think about it for a decade or so.

What I got figured out so far is WE the 290 Million or so PEOPLE vs the single digit percent of Greedier than a black hole, outsourcing, faithless, treasonistic, globalistic Corporate minded white collar criminals.

Plus “Gerry-mandering” is one of the greatest enemies to our Great Experiment in the valiant attempt to be a real live Democratic Republic.

Did I leave anything out?

It is my Prayer (see legal definition of “Prayer” if offended) that we don’t let “labels” ruin a Good thing. And I mean “Good” in the original definition of the word “Good”, as opposed to the current day degenerated political cliche’ definition of “Good”

We Got a NATION to save. see you when i see you.

Dear FDL,

Just participated in your Petition. I trust that everyone will be cool with me exercising my 1st and 10th Amedmt. rights and responsibilities to have copied your excellent letter, and adjusted a few words to something I am proud to sign my name to.

Jane, you have my word that I will support FDL, although I could not furnish a credit card number at this time, I will as soon as possible contribute to FDL’s brilliant contribution to our Beloved United States.

You’re right, if that’s what he wanted to do. But it appears he wanted to be Hoover more than he wanted to be FDR.

Kilroy deserves to lose after turning her back on ACORN when they needed her. Before she won the office Kilroy was at every ACORN function pretending to be a friend of the organization and asking them to help her get elected. The first time they needed her she votes to defund them. We in the African American community in Columbus Ohio are going to make sure the people know about this. I called her office a couple of months ago to express my displeasure with her actions but I did not get any return calls from her office.

You get what you settle for and if you settle for less than what you want whose fault is it when that is what you get. The progressive movement can no longer afford being linked to a corporate controlled democratic party bcz they are not as bad as the republicans. To continue voting for a party that disrespects you even though they need you to win is insanity. The unions and progressive media are learning a hard lesson about linking themselves to one head of a two headed monster. Putting Obama and the dems above our movement is a mistake we can no longer make if we want true reform. http://www.zmag.org/zmag/viewArticle/21334

I agree, Obama is not worth saving.

Thanks for the link. Just a quick update for CA-11, Jerry McNerney’s seat: Del Arroz is out, but several other GOP challengers are in. Check it all out at http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics.