Blue Dog Democrats

Now I'm not a litmus test kind of guy, but if there is one litmus test for the Democratic Party, it has to be access to affordable healthcare. Christ Almighty, we as a party have been trying to get this basic right for Americans since FDR's first term.

The idea that there are Democrats who still want to enrich the insurance industry at the expense of the least of the us, is totally beyond me. Why don't these Blue Dogs just go ahead and switch parties and save us all the drama?

So, if I were POTUS, here's what I'd do. I would personally call each Blue Dog and give them an ultimatum: either vote for this watered-down bill or consider yourself on my personal, political hitlist. That hitlist would include anti-Blue Dog fundraising, radio and television ads denouncing the member as being anti-family, and proactive recruitment of a Progressive challenger.

If I were the Senate Majority Leader: I would ensure that any Democrat that doesn't vote for this watered-down bill, loses his or her chairmanship and any consideration for future chairmanships.

If I were the Speaker of the House: I would remove the office privileges of any Democrat who doesn't vote for this watered-down bill. In other words, I would deny the Blue Dog office space in the House buildings. This is totally within Speaker Pelosi's perogative. Even the wingers would have to respect that level of chutzpah by the Speaker. Can you imagine a House Member having to go back to his or her district whining "Nancy Pelosi won't let me in." Poetic justice at its best.

Another alternative to consider is a good-ole-fashioned ass whipping, administered by SEIU "thugs." If we're going to allow the right-wingers to frame them as such, they might as well earn their rightful title.

Now the alternative to all of the above radical ideas is this: Call each and every Blue Dog, detailing your relationship to the Member of Congress (i.e. My Aunt Millie lives in your district; I used to serve at Naval Station Umpty-Squat), and ask him or her to please stand up for working families, children, the disabled, and seniors. Follow up by writing a letter to the editor of the largest newspaper in the MC's district stating the same thing.

After all, "The only thing politicians fear is the next election."

Presidential Address to Students

I'm cool with the President speaking to America's students, as long as he doesn't read "My Pet Goat." We saw how that turned out the last time a President tried it.

Tom Ridge

So, the former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security -- which is a very scary sounding department in the first place -- claims the Bush Administration rigged the threat-level warning system for political purposes.

Welcome to the real world, Mr. Secretary. Everyone on Planet Earth knew you were just another political hack when you spread fear everytime Shrub's numbers dropped.

You and your neo-conservative accomplices should be in jail, not on a book-signing tour.

Bipartisan Support for Healthcare Reform

Screw that. We have the votes; pass HR 676 -- Single Payer Healthcare.

Rachel Maddow

Yes, I am a straight male. Nevertheless, I wish I could be woman, so that I would have a chance with Rachel Maddow. That's it, I'm finally out. I am a lesbian trapped in a man's body with a love jones for Rachel Maddow.

Rachel Burgin

It is curious as to why Rachel Burgin, who does not have a university degree, is a member of the Florida House of Representatives' State Universities & Private Colleges Appropriations Committee. I am also curious as to why Ms. Burgin will not anser this constituent's letters as to why she has not made a public statement on Speaker Ray Sansom's ethical challenges.

Ms. Burgin was hand-selected by the state Republican party to replace a flawed Representative. I guess it actually doesn't surprise me that she answers only to the Republican party, not her actual constituents. She will have to answer to those constituents, though, when she runs for office again in 2010. I imagine she will face a strong Democratic candidate, as her district is only moderately Republican registered.

Her biggest challenge to her reelection is her own persona. Given a credible alternative, no one wants a whiny, non-educated, 20-something representing them. It might have worked during 1980's Reagonism, but Rachel was barely born then.

A Union-Made Miracle

They're calling it a miracle--the successful landing of a US Airways jet in the Hudson and subsequent rescue of all 155 passengers. They're detailing the heroism of all involved, starting with the pilot and including cabin crew, ferry crews, and first responders. What they're not telling you is that just about every single one of these heros is a union member.

There's the pilot:

What might have been a catastrophe in New York — one that evoked the feel if not the scale of the Sept. 11 attack — was averted by a pilot's quick thinking and deft maneuvers. On board, the pilot, Chesley B. Sullenberger III, 57, unable to get back to La Guardia, had made a command decision to avoid densely populated areas and try for the Hudson River. When all were out, the pilot walked up and down the aisle twice to make sure the plane was empty, officials said. Sullenberger is a former national committee member and the former safety chairman for the Airline Pilots Association and now represented by US Airline Pilots Association. He--and his union--have fought to ensure pilots get the kind of safety training to pull off what he did yesterday.

Then there are the flight attendants:

One passenger, Elizabeth McHugh, 64, of Charlotte, seated on the aisle near the rear, said flight attendants shouted more instructions: feet flat on the floor, heads down, cover your heads. They are members of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. Yesterday's accident should remind all of us that flight attendants are first and foremost safety professionals--they should not be treated like cocktail waitresses.

There are the air traffic controllers:

The pilot radioed air traffic controllers on Long Island that his plane had sustained a "double bird strike." They're represented by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Someday, they'll rename National Airport for the work these men and women do to keep us safe in the air.

There are the ferry crews:

As the first ferry nudged up alongside, witnesses said, some passengers were able to leap onto the decks. Others were helped aboard by ferry crews. They're represented by the Seafarers International Union. They provide safety training to their members so they're prepared for events like yesterday's accident.

There are the cops and firemen:

Helicopters brought wet-suited police divers, who dropped into the water to help with the rescues. They're represented by the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and the Uniformed Firefighters Association and Uniformed Fire Officers Association (IAFF locals). They're the men and women who performed so heroically on 9/11--and they've been fighting to make sure first responders get the equipment to do this kind of thing.

Bob Corker and Richard Shelby like to claim that union labor is a failed business model. But I haven't heard much about Bob Corker and Richard Shelby saving 155 people's lives.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/howie-klein/two-democrats-break-ranks_b_157965.html

Mr. Bush's Legacy

Failed Economy, Endless War, Lessened Standing in the International Community, and Diminished Civil Rights. I'd say that about covers it.