Et Tu, Sen. Keenan?

We all remember how George W. Bush promised he would be a "uniter, not a divider" and bring people from all different political perspectives to forge common ground. And we all remember how he then proceeded to push a far right agenda that made him the most polarizing president in modern times. Unfortunately, as I'm learning here in Montana, that kind of behavior is not limited to Washington, D.C.

As the legislature convened in January of 2005, the Billings Gazette wrote that "Minority Leader Bob Keenan (R-Bigfork) said Republicans planned to cooperate" with his political opponents, specifically promising to work to "find the common good for the common good."

Less than two months later, though, the Missoula Independent reports "Keenan has engaged in a crusade to politically destroy Gov. Brian Schweitzer."

Keenan's crusade has involved everything from killing major initiatives, to playing petty politics. For instance, despite the bipartisan support for a bill improving the state's ethanol economy, Keenan and his cronies tried to kill the legislation . This is a bill, mind you, that has broad support from rank-and-file legislators from both parties. As the Great Falls Tribune editorial board said, the bill is "a win-win-win" for Montana. But that apparently didn't matter to Keenan. What mattered was trying to stop the bill from passing so that the governor couldn't take any credit for it.

Look, I'm not saying people can't honestly disagree with Schweitzer - he's not perfect. But this kind of destructive behavior is not based on any policy disagreement - its based on vindictiveness. As the Missoula Independent reports, Keenan is so focused on destroying his opponents that he "spent more time on the [interview] airing his ethical concerns about Gov. Schweitzer than he’s spent actually researching those concerns." During his wild-eyed diatribe, he actually missed six votes on legislation, just to spew more vitriol.

From the unending witch hunts against Bill Clinton, to Bush's polarizing attacks on his opponents, to right-wing smears of war heroes like Max Cleland, to outrageous smears of AARP and now to these petty local wars, the question is: hasn't America had enough of this crap?

Request Permission for Fly By...

Went flying yesterday in a single-engine Piper Cub over the Gallatin Valley yesterday...we checked out Three Forks, the source of the Missouri River...

Here is the scene before takeoff:



Here is Emily before taking off:



Here is Emily and pilot John McKenna flying over:

New National Op-Ed

Check out this new op-ed of mine that is being published nationally in Knight-Ridder newspapers. It shows how some GOP governors are tacitly indicting the most important economic underpinnings of the conservative movement.

Schweitzer's Question

With a new poll out today showing Americans overwhelmingly support legalizing prescription drug reimportation, Gov. Brian Schweitzer is giving the official Democratic radio address this weekend on the subject. Though President Bush paid lipservice to the issue, he continues to take his orders from the drug industry and do everything possible to prevent allowing Americans to buy cheaper, FDA-approved medicines from Canada, even as prices skyrocket here.

And that begs this great question from an embargoed copy of Schweitzer's address: "President Bush was recently here in Montana. And we had just one question for him – why allow bad beef to enter the US from Canada and not allow safe medicine?"

What say you, Mr. President?

Amen, Harold Meyerson

Just read this terrific piece by the American Prospect's Harold Meyerson. As he points out, the critical problem for Democrats right now is that "55 percent of white working-class voters trusted Bush to handle the economy, while only 39 percent trusted Kerry." That is obscene, considering Bush's Cadillac Conservative policies of cutting taxes almost exclusively for the rich, not to mention his record leading America into a recession as one of the worst jobs presidents in modern times.

Meyerson concludes that Democrats "need to side with Main Street over Wall Street...Like the conservatives 40 years ago, the Democrats need to offend their own elites to build an America that reflects their best values, and in which working people can and do count on them for support."

After I wrote an earlier piece touching on similar ideas, I took my share of attacks from the Democratic Party's corporate elite in Washington - the same elite Meyerson says Democrats need to challenge. I say Amen, Harold - you're right on the money.

NEW: Permanent Minority vs. Towards the Majority

My latest "Permanent Minority vs. Towards the Majority" section in the Nation about what the Democrats are doing to help and hurt their chances to regain the congressional majority:

PERMANENT MINORITY: Eighteen Senate Democrats voted with all Republicans to pass a bill limiting citizens' ability to bring class-action suits against abusive corporations. Barack Obama, touted as a future progressive leader, voted for the measure, despite its being attacked by civil rights organizations, labor unions, consumer groups, state prosecutors and environmental advocates.

TOWARD THE MAJORITY: Senator Harry Reid staked out a strong principled position against the class-action bill, saying, "It limits corporate accountability at a time of rampant corporate scandals" and it is "one of the most unfair, anticonsumer proposals to come before the Senate in years."

Debate the Future of the Democratic Party

Just when I thought I had left the east coast, I received an invitation to speak next Tuesday, March 1st at the Philadelphia Constitution Center at an NPR-sponsored debate about the future of the Democratic Party. NPR will air the hour-long event on about 100 stations. Tickets for the event are free, so if you are in the area and want to attend, just reserve a seat here.

If you want to tune in, check Justice Talking's website for local listings.

Helena, Montana

Here we are coming over the Wyoming border into Montana:

And here we are entering our new hometown, Helena, Montana:

Allen Called Onto the Carpet

A friend of mine just sent me a transcript of Sen. George Allen (R-VA) having to answer a question on CNN pulled directly from Sirotablog. Here is the excerpt (see this link for the full transcript):

WOODRUFF: You and Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu introduced a resolution formally apologizing for the failure of the U.S. Senate to pass anti-lynching legislation. That is obviously getting some attention. But now there is a fellow at a Democratic think tank called the Center for American Progress, pointing out to the media that there was criticism of you during your campaign for governor, that you had promoted Confederate history month, that you opposed the Martin Luther King state holiday and so forth. They're asking, isn't there a contradiction here?

ALLEN: Virginia has a very complex history, and the Confederacy and the Civil War is part of our history. In Virginia, there's a lot of tourism in battlefield sites involved in that. One goes through life learning, and when one sees things that are wrong in the past and folks come to request my assistance, I wanted to help them. I think it's a deplorable lack of activity on the part of the U.S. Senate in years past to not pass an anti-lynching bill which would have helped, I think, prevent a lot of these deaths as well as help prosecute those involved in it. I could go through all of my record, but I'm one who's grown up believing that every person, regardless of their race, their gender, their religion or ethnicity ought to have an equal opportunity to compete and succeed...

Clearly, George Allen still has no answer for his embarassing past.

Free Trading Away America's Heartland

A drive across the country is a lot of things - long, sometimes monotonous, sometimes beautiful, but above all, a glimpse into how our government's free trade policies have affected the heartland. Sure, we saw some benefits of that trade policy like the Subaru plant in Lafayette, Indiana, but those examples were far outweighed by all of the abandoned factories and mills that dot the landscape. Many of the towns we passed through were trying to make due by promoting their local historical museums, fast food chains, and motel strips (The Holiday Inn Express in Salina, Kansas is pretty nice). But it was clear that these towns' new efforts to attract tourists don't come close to replacing the better-paying jobs that have been exported overseas.

And make no mistake about it - we were reminded of our government's sellout free trade policy in all sorts of manners. Just two days ago, my brothers gave us an REI gift certificate for snowshoes for our wedding. We went to the gingantic REI in Denver and tried on many pairs, and I almost bought a pair of Tubbs snowshoes. Now today we found out in today's Boston Globe cover story that Tubbs is just the latest company that is shipping its operations overseas to China.

It would be easy only to blame the company - but as the article notes, its a product of a free trade policy that provides a financial incentive for American companies to troll the world for the cheapest labor - regardless of the social costs here at home. You see, firms such as Tubbs have to match "competitors already outsourcing to China and [m]ove there themselves to match labor and other costs." As the article notes, many of the workers who will lose their jobs don't blame company management because they understand the company needs to compete. Who should they blame? Politicians in BOTH parties who continue to push this free trade policy, even as it decimates the American heartland. Maybe that's why its time for Washington to seriously consider the current bipartisan legislation to repeal the China free trade deal, and renegotiate the pact on terms more fair to American workers...

Da Vinci Code in Lousiana

Just got to Montana after a long, 2500 mile ride over the last few days. In my email box was this article in the Baton Rouge Advocate dissecting my earlier "Democrats' Da Vinci Code" article from the American Prospect. Louisiana is a great example of how Democrats lost so many of the "red states" - and how they can get them back.

More when I get settled in Helena...

Class Action Sellouts

Eighteen Democrats this week voted with all Republicans to restrict Americans rights to collectively file class action lawsuits. Now, I understand the Republicans voting for this - they make little effort to hide the fact that they are a wholly-owned subsidiary of Corporate America.

But 18 Democrats? This is a complete betrayal of the party of the middle class. Under the guise of "legal reform," this bill is nothing more than a way to protect abusive corporations from cleaning up their acts. As Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) said in voting against this bill, “it limits corporate accountability at a time of rampant corporate scandals” and is is “one of the most unfair, anticonsumer proposals to come before the Senate in years.” If you've ever seen movies like "The Insider," "A Civil Action" or "Erin Brockovich" you know that Reid is right: often-times class actions are the only way to reign in huge companies - especially now, when so much of our politicians are bought and paid for by Big Business.

I was especially disappointed in Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), who voted for the bill. Most of the Democrats voting for the bill were the typical sellouts like Evan Bayh and Joe Lieberman, who have made long careers out of sucking up to Corporate America. But Obama, who was a civil rights lawyer, is supposed to be different. The excitement surrounding his election was, in part, due to the fact that people expected him to be a leading progressive voice for economic justice. This vote, so early in his Senate career (his ninth vote, to be exact), puts all that hype into question - and that doesn't even mention that his second vote ever was to confirm Condoleezza Rice for Secretary of State. Let's hope he soon realizes the error of his ways.

For more on the vote, see this entry at Daily Kos.

NEW: Permanent Minority vs. Toward the Majority

Check out my new bi-weekly section in The Nation magazine called "Permanent Minority" vs. "Toward the Majority." It is a chronicle of what Democrats are doing to help and hurt themselves and the progressive cause.

Because the online version requires a subscriber login, I've included this first one here:

MINORITY/MAJORITY

Barbara Boxer, profiled in this issue, knows what's needed for Democrats to become the majority party again. Unfortunately, many in the party don't. Beginning with this issue, every other week David Sirota of the Center for American Progress will single out Democrats whose actions help, and hurt, the cause.

Permanent Minority: Representative Allen Boyd has the dubious distinction of being the first Democrat to endorse privatizing Social Security. Newly elected Colorado Senator Ken Salazar defended Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's nomination, despite his involvement in the Iraq torture scandals.

Toward the Majority: Montana Senator Max Baucus, who helped the White House pass its 2001 tax cuts for the rich and its Medicare bill, came out against Social Security privatization, signaling other red-state Democrats to strongly oppose the President's plan. Most Senate Democrats voted against Gonzales.

Moving to Montana

I will be away from the blog for the next week or so as we are moving from Washington, D.C. out to Helena, Montana and will be driving cross-country. My wife has taken a job with Gov. Schweitzer. I will be writing my book for Crown Publishers from out there, and staying on as a fellow for the Center for American Progress, writing articles and posting to their new blog. I will also continue to do The Al Franken Show twice a week.

On to the next adventure...stay tuned...

ABC News Asks GOP About its Porn Money

Check out this story from ABC News last night. Apparently, the GOP's biggest moralizers like Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) refuse explain why the party of "moral values" keeps taking money from companies that disseminates pornography.

For more on this, see my earlier post from last week.

CLAIM vs. FACT: "Frivolous" Lawsuits

Great catch by Atrios:

CLAIM:
“Frivolous asbestos claims.”
- President Bush, 2/2/05

FACT:
“W.R. Grace and Co. and seven high-ranking employees knew a Montana mine was releasing cancer-causing asbestos into the air and tried to hide the danger to workers and townspeople, according to a federal indictment unsealed Monday. More than 1,200 people became ill, and some of them died, prosecutors said…The federal grand jury said that top Grace executives and managers kept secret numerous studies spelling out the risk the cancer-causing asbestos posed to its customers, employees and Libby residents. The indictment also accused Grace and Alan Stringer, former manager of the now-closed mine, of trying to obstruct efforts by the EPA to investigate the extent of asbestos contamination in the Libby area beginning in 1999. Additional charges in the indictment include wire fraud and violating the federal Clean Air Act…Lori Hanson, a special agent with the Environmental Protection Agency, called the allegations against Grace and its executives ‘one of the most significant environmental indictments in our history.’”
- Associated Press, 2/7/05

Is This "Fair, Reasonable and Responsible?"

With the White House unveiling its 2006 budget this week, Vice President Cheney on Sunday said that "I think you'll find once people sit down and have a chance to look at the [President's 2006] budget that it is fair, reasonable, responsible, serious piece of effort" and that it is not "suddenly turning our back on the most needy people in our society." But compare Exhibit A and Exhibit B below and the story appears otherwise:

EXHIBIT A: Ignoring skyrocketing deficits, the Bush administration is trying to make permanent its previous tax cuts for the wealthy, at a cost of $2 trillion.

EXHIBIT B: Citing budget constraints, the Bush administration is proposing massive cuts to education, law enforcement and health care programs. The administration is even proposing to raise fees on veterans for their health care and limit services at veterans hospitals even as the NY Times reports "thousands of veterans are on waiting lists for medical services, and some reservists returning from Iraq say they have been unable to obtain the care they were promised."

Unless you are a totally out of touch and twisted human being, that doesn't seem "fair," "reasonable," or "responsible."

DLC Working With Big Business on Bush Agenda?

At a time when Democrats must be united in fighting against Social Security privatization, "tort reform" that restricts workers rights, and regulatory rollbacks, there are some new troubling signs that some factions claiming to represent the Democratic Party might be helping push a right-wing agenda.

In its cover story today about how the "Chamber of Commerce Helps the Bush Agenda," the Washington Post noted:

"The chamber has hired the Swiss Guard of paid consultants from both political parties. Several showed up at a recent dinner hosted by Donohue at the chamber, including Al From, chief executive of the Democratic Leadership Council [and] Thomas F. "Mack" McLarty, who was White House chief of staff in the Clinton administration."

Edwards' Opportunity

Here is an op-ed I had published in today's Charlotte Observer on John Edwards. He is scheduled to give a speech in New Hampshire this weekend, and I thought it would be timely. He has a real opportunity to define and differentiate himself. The question is, will seize that opportunity or not?

Will the "Moral Values" GOP Refund the Money?

The Republican Party likes to call itself the party of "moral values." So the question is, will it return the tens of thousands of dollars it has pocketed from companies that air pornography?

As reported by the LA Times today, "Adelphia Communications Corp. has quietly become the nation's only leading cable operator to offer the most explicit category of hard-core porn."

According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Adelphia gives the overwhelming amount of its financial support to Republicans, the party of "moral values." The company has given more than $100,000 to the GOP in soft money contributions, and thousands more in PAC contributions, and contributions from the company's executives. This money has gone to people like President Bush and Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), one of the most outspoken moralizers in the Senate.

For more on this issue, see this recent Washington Post article entitled "GOP Corporate Donors Cash In on Smut." The question is, will the GOP return the contributions?

The GOP's Revisionist History on Civil Rights

Earlier this week, the LA Times described Republican efforts to recast themselves as the "party of civil rights" in a cynical attempt to court minority voters. Today, on the first day of Black History Month, we have a good example of how futile that effort really is.

Virginia Sen. George Allen (R) is introducing a bill essentially condemning the Senate for filibustering anti-lynching laws earlier in the 20th century. It's a laudable bill – but its author has anything but a laudable record on civil rights and racial issues. According to the Associated Press in 2000, Allen was discovered to have been displaying a hangman's noose and the confederate flag in his law office. As governor, Allen "signed a Confederate Heritage Month proclamation without denouncing slavery." Allen also "opposed a state holiday honoring Martin Luther King" and referred to the NAACP as an "extremist group."

According to reporters, Allen did not apologize, but instead "defended the flag and noose as mere decorations." What sensitivity.