Consequences and Reactions to Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell Repeal

Some notes (ongoing) on the "nightmare scenarios" predicted by opponents to DADT Repeal, and, in time, reportage on actual effects/problems/successes implementation. Please email me if you see something interesting, or post it in comments.

Reactions from Military

• Reactions from Military "Mixed" (from Stars and Stripes, 12/19/2010) --but the content of article belies the title: most servicemembers are indifferent or positive, w/ a few apprehensive
• News: "Military Will Write the Rules on DADT Repeal", WaPo 12/20/2010
• Marine Commander John Amos

Homophobia in Military is a Leadership Problem

• Richard Cohen, "Marine Corps Commandant Must Go," Washington Post, Dec 20, 2010 (in which he takes Marine Corps commander John Amos to task for the homophobic misconceptions about gay soldiers in his testimony to Senate)
• Reactions to this type of critique from the Right: "typical Left Wing intolerance/hypocrisy--differences of opinion are not OK!"

Gays are Irresistible to Soldiers (aka Gays are Marine Kryptonite)

• American Spectator, "DADT and Hard Empirical Evidence", John Guardino, Dec 20 2010 (in which troops are compared to sex-obsessed high schoolers and Marines are presumed to be at the mercy of the advances of flaunty gays)

"Repeal is Really Just Bringing Cultural Politics to Barracks: We Just Don't Want Gay Soldiers Flaunting their Sexuality in Our Faces"

• I  hear this a lot in the commentariat... as if repeal were about Gays flaunting, as opposed to being about Gays being held to SAME standards as straight soldiers AND not being fired for their sexual orientation and home life.
  

Gays are Going to Make the Army Fabulous

- Political Cartoon, 12/20/2010

Other News/Notes

• Harvard U welcomes ROTC back to campus (12/21/10)

Reactions and Organizing from the Right

• Religious Right to "punish" Senators who voted for DADT repeal (Alternet, 12/21/2010)
• "Bring the Pain": Turning on Scott Brown--even mocking his military service. ( cites Mass. Family Institute as "going to bat" for Brown in Jan 2010, calls the left the "homoerotic left")  (by Don Feder, 12/22/2010)

Welcome to the Echochamber

Jon shows how pundits get their scripts DIRECTLY FROM THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.  Kinda insane. Slide to 3:40.

Tuesday February 28, 2012

I Can't Believe It Got Better! 

America's economic recovery is good news, unless you work for a media organization whose job it is to make sure Barack Obama doesn't get re-elected.  LINKTO: http://bit.ly/zCM3DJ

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

"Their bias is toward sensationalism and laziness...not a liberal agenda...it's fluff..." -Jon Stewart on Chris Wallace interview; June 19 2011--all interview a great exercise in media criticism.

The Conservatives' narrative of Victimization (June 2011, Daily Show)

There is no Debunking anymore.

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welcome to the Idiocracy, Egypt Edition (Feb 2011)

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Facts don't matter: Motivated Reasons, emotions trump logic--there's science to it
c

Meet John Boehner: Why He Cries, Why He's a Hypocrite

John Boehner will be the new Speaker of the House when they return after the new year.  He is already being known for his penchant for tears.

Great little essay about what makes him tear up--and how his voting record belies his supposed values:

The American Dream that Boehner evokes between tears has never been more threatened. By some measures, social mobility — that is, the ability of people to move up a notch in class — is at an all-time low in this country. Poor Americans now have less than a 5 percent chance of rising to the upper-middle-class within their lifetimes.

At the same time, the gap between the rich and poor, and the concentration of wealth owned by those at the very top, has never been so great. After examining these trends, The Economist wrote that “the United States risks calcifying into a European-style class-based society.”

Numerous studies have shown that what knocks people out of the middle class, or keeps them from ever joining it, is a catastrophic bill or two — usually from getting sick and not having health care. Then, those debts go on credit cards, which leads to a misery hole of high interest and limited choices.

Against this backdrop, Boehner has fought against strivers and strugglers at the lower end, while shilling for ever-more concentrated corporate power and banker control. The one thing that stirs his passion is tax cuts. But nearly half of American households don’t pay any income tax at all, so Boehner’s crusade doesn’t affect them. And a decade of aggressive tax-cutting has done nothing to reverse the woes of everyday working people.

Gail Collins also addressed John Boehner's Tears in her column last week:

Many of us first noticed his tendency toward tears when he appeared on election night to celebrate his party’s taking control of the House. He had hardly gotten in front of the microphone before things got watery.

“I spent my whole life chasing (sob) the American dream,” he told the cameras. “Put myself through school, working every rotten job there was ...”

The American Dream has had such a bad year. During the campaign, it was tossed around by billionaire candidates who insisted on telling groups of underprivileged children that they, too, could someday own a mega-yacht or run a slimy but extremely profitable health care corporation.

Now, John Boehner is blaming the Dream for making him howl like an abandoned puppy. It’s what my friend Rebecca Traister calls “Boehner doing Masterpiece Theater on the hard life of John Boehner.”

Boehner is opposed to extending unemployment benefits for the jobless, and he wants to kill off the law that guarantees health coverage to all Americans. So you know when he starts weeping when his wife says she’s “real proud” of him, it’s not a sign of softness.

In 2007, he cried while delivering a speech on the floor of the House, in support of funding for the war in Iraq. “After 3,000 of our fellow citizens died at the hands of these terrorists, when are we going to stand up and take them on?” he sobbed.

Then this year, he voted against providing money to take care of our fellow citizens who became ill while doing rescue and reclamation work at ground zero after the terrorist attack.

Twice.

Oy.

Here's some video footage:


Sniff.

On Obstruction: Time to Fix the Filibuster?

Filibustering ain't like it used to be.

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Obstructionism

• Scott Lehigh - Who will bust the filibuster? - Opinion - The Boston Globe (6/6/2012) - http://goo.gl/upvUk
• Conclusion time: In a polarized era, Scott Brown deserves credit for his occasional willingness to break with his party and help end filibusters. That said, given his vote against the filibuster reform package, there’s little reason to think his leadership on the issue would extend beyond his periodic personal example.
• Warren vows that she would vote for filibuster reform. And that’s why it’s fair to say she’d play a more substantial and systemic role when it comes to fixing the broken Senate.
• LETTER IN RESPONSE: When asked, Scott Brown ducked the issue. That speaks volumes. - The Boston Globe - http://goo.gl/Rru7c 
• Olympia Snowe and Misdiagnosing Gridlock | The Nation (2/29/2012) http://bit.ly/zv0Xi9
• What Allen's piece, and many similar analyses, fail to point out is that only one political party has become more extreme and more partisan in recent years: the GOP. Political science professor Keith Poole conducted acomprehensive study that plotted every Congressional vote from 1879 to 2011 along ideological axes, and found that around 1980, Republicans veered sharply right, with no corresponding leftward shift from Democrats. In 2011, the partisan Republican (the “90 percent” Republican) is almost at the limit of conservative ideology, while the partisan Democrat is much further from the leftward extreme—and has barely shifted in the past thirty years. This analysis shows what we can see to be anecdotally true every day: while the Republicans are lockstep behind privatizing Medicare, there isn’t even close to Democratic consensus that Medicare should be extended to everyone.
• GRAPH: Republicans Responsible For Hyper-Polarization Of Congress | ThinkProgress (2/29/2012) http://bit.ly/w4TNbT --- graph shows that  Democrats have barely edged towards the left over the last 30 years, while both moderate and partisan House Republicans have veered way off to the extreme right.
• President Obama Calls Out Mike Lee's Scorched Earth Obstructionism | ThinkProgress (1/30/
• CNN ignored evidence of GOP obstructionism, allowed McConnell to attack Dems | Media Matters for America (2007) 
• Post Partisan Depression (1/30/2012) 

Some notes/ongoing

• Daily Kos: Mitch McConnell offers a helpful reminder of why Senate Democrats must reform the filibuster now - http://bit.ly/PFgw5z (11/7/2012)
• Daily Kos: Is Rules Reform a "Power Grab"? (no) 12/24/10
• More discussion on BMG re: Filibuster reform (12/23/10)
• ALL Returning Senate Democrats sign letter to Harry Reid asking for filibuster reform (National Journal 12/22/10)
• Covered also by Ezra Klein, WaPo
• Rules for New Senate beginning to take shape (12/16/10, HuffPo) -- ends with likely GOP line of attack on idea.  I think all are sufficiently dealt w/ in Harkin et al's proposals but I need to find out more. 
• Robert Creamer, "Senate Reforms a Must in January" (12/2010 Huffpo)
• Bipartisanship in 112th Congress? Ha! Mitch McConnell: "Our priority over next 2 years is to DEFEAT OBAMA"--not govern, not compromise, not work together. But destroy the Obama presidency. 
• Crooks & Liars on Republicans' promises of Obstructionism BEFORE Dems took power--and their renewed promises after midterms Nov 2 2010
• Ezra Klein: "Republicans Dare Democrats to Reform the Filibuster"12/1/2010 - Reviews Merkley's proposals for reform (make it into real debate on the floor not phoning it in)
• " This is filibuster reform that even the filibuster's supporters can love: It focuses the practice on the tradition of debate and discussion that Senate traditionalists consider to be the institution's indispensable trait."
• Blue Mass Group blog on reforming the filibuster (Dec 2010)
• Crooks & Liars: "Why Filibuster Reform is Vital"(Dec 2010) (good discussion/links re: "founders' intent" and the supermajority)
• Some amusing whining from Lindsay Graham.: Obstructionism and START (Dec 2010)
• (end)
 

ARCHIVE: Actions:

• Call/email/fax Senator John Kerry, ask him to support filibuster reforms being offered by Senators Merkley, Udall, Harkin
• DC: (202) 224-2742, Boston: (617) 565-8519, Fall River: (508) 677-0522, Springfield: (413) 785-4610
• Get informed: Fix The Senate Now
• Petition: DailyKos - Reform the Filibuster
• Petition: Common Cause: Fix the Filibuster
• Petition on Change.Org: We have only ONE DAY to fix the filibuster! 

 

9/11 First Responders: Zadroga Bill

UPDATE 12/22/10 3:44 PM: Zadroga bill PASSED by unanimous consent!

[Update: Mon 12/20, 8PM: I'm hearing that Brown's offices are saying he's still opposed to the bill's funding--(in spite of the changes brokered by the indefatigable Sen. Gillibrand?)--"even though" he "supports" the bill in spirit. Given that he has just voted for a MASSIVE increase in the deficit w/ the tax bill--this reasoning cannot stand. Is Scott Brown really saying that Tax Loopholes for Foreign Corporations are more important than taking care of 9/11 First Responders? Call him. Tell him to stop dawdling: support our heroes now]

[Update: The Zadroga bill is definitely going for another vote, before Congress closes shop] The New York Times is reporting that the Zadroga bill--which provides some financial relief and health coverage to the first responders and rescuers of 9/11/01 (many of whom are getting cancers and other serious/life-ending ailments from the toxic fumes from the fire and pile)--has gotten "new Republican support" and may be will be coming up for a vote again before this Lame Duck is over. Let's hope so.

[UPDATE: it's coming for a vote--switch your calls to SCOTT BROWN:
202-224-4543 ph.; Fax (202) 228-2646 (use free services on the web to fax!)]
Please call/fax/email Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and ask him to bring the Zadroga Bill back for a vote before the lame duck ends DC Phone: 202-224-3542 - Fax: 202-224-7327 (I use http://faxzero.com to fax from the web) -

In light of these new developments (also covered here by ABC News), I'm posting here in order to collect/organize relevant info/material on the bill, as I find it.

12/22 interview with 9/11 First Responder Kenny Sprecht (NYC Fire Dept):

/

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I put some other links (including Stewart's interview w/ Huckabee) on the "Lame Duck" omnibus entry.

• "How did GOP end up against 9/11 Heroes?" NYT 12/22/10
• The GOP Fight Against 9/11 Heroes, Think Progress, 12/21/10
• Dem lawmakers want Obama to step up on the bully pulpit for 9/11 bill (compares to Jon Stewart), Dec 21 2010
• Shep Smith at Fox has been calling out Republican senators blocking this bill:
• Videos embedded at bottom of this blog post
• Calls them out by name -12/20/10
• Calls out Tom Coburn - 12/21/10
• Tom Coburn (OK-R) opposes bill. Giuliani and Huckabee say it should not be partisan.(Huffpo, 12/20/2010)
• The US Chamber of Commerce (the People who fight to Outsource American jobs, rely on foreign $$, donate to GOP) lobbied hard against the Zadroga bill
• Republican Senators have already complained about working after Christmas day, and will likely revive that complaint if Zadroga is added again to the docket. So, do remember NYC firefighter Kenny Specht said about working on Christmas:
• "You won't find a single New York City firefighter who considers it a sign of disrespect to work in a New York City firehouse on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day." - 9/11 First Responder Kenny Specht
• Media Matters chronicles Fox's whitewashing of GOP's role in killing 9/11 billl
• McCain accuses Democrats of playing politics with 9/11 Responders--Schumer fights back
• Even Fox News is finally, slowly, catching on to the outrage of screwing over these heroes--a word I do not use lightly. Not passing it?: "It's all political"--And goes on to skewer the prioritizing of tax breaks for millionaires. Wow. From Fox! But it's Shep Smith, and he's shown independent thought before. Watch Chris Wallace squirm:

• The Republican Objection to Zadroga has been typical: first it was about "Procedure" (Scott Brown's favorite excuse for Not Doing the Right Thing), then it was "We Care More About Tax Cuts for Millionaires",... Needless to say, I think it's all purely invented reasons that are partisan-driven: to try to keep Dem congress from passing very popular legislation (screwing the actual 9/11 heroes in the process). For a look at the Conservative objections to this bill, read this blog post by a conservative granny.
• Local perspective: Maine firefighter was part of a New England contingent, is lobbying ME senators to pass the bill. (Dec 19)
• Some background info on prior funding for 9/11 related health problems
• Some coverage of the Republican distortions on this (particularly Enzi), including "How the workers are already covered under a lawsuit settlement"
• Washington Monthly editorial, covering some of the criticisms and reaction, to Zadroga; has lots of links
• The Hill's inside the beltway coverage of the bill
• NYPost excoriates the GOP for their vote
• This Arizona Blog has good overview, plus links to relevant material (Dec 2010)

I'll add videos here at the end as I find them:


Shep Smith/Fox News calling out Tom Coburn AND doing some political analysis--calls BS on Republicans' claim that it's being "jammed thru"



Shep Smith/Fox News: Calls Out Republican Senators by Name (12/20/2010)


Jon Stewart on Dec 9, 2010: after Republicans blocked the 9/11 Bill in Lame Duck senate... Says NO REPUBLICANS henceforth get to use 9/11 in any of their campaigning, electioneering. Really, watch!

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/

URGENT: Last Legislation: Your Calls are Needed--DADT, DREAM, START

Tell him to SUPPORT THE ZADROGA 9/11 HEALTH CARE BILL
This is the legislation (renewed once again--thanks to Sen. Harry Reid and SEn. Gillibrand) that would provide health care to the 9/11 rescue workers and first responders.  Scott Brown voted AGAINST it last week--many are very angry about this, including conservatives who support him. Please ask him to take care of these 9/11 heroes. Further info on this blog post.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTACT SENATOR SCOTT BROWN: 
Email him thru his homepage
Phones: Boston -- (617) 565-3170
Washington, DC -- (202) 224-4543 FAX: (202) 228-2646 (you can use services like FaxZero.com to send free faxes from the internet!)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Call for YES vote on START Treaty

Update Mon 12/20 8:30 PM: START appears to have enough Republican support to pass
Update Mon. 5:00PM: I'm hearing reports that Scott Brown is now a YES on START. Advocacy--calls and emails and spreading the word--works! 
 -- 
The obstructionist GOP has been dragging its feet on this.  All former Republican Secretaries of State support its passage.  Fmr. Pres. George H W Bush supports its passage. Reagan's baby has become the latest ploy in GOP obstructionism.  Overview of new START from WaPo. Condoleezza Rice and other GOP bigwigs support its ratification. On some of the latest back/forth from Republican Senators (Dec 18). MIT physicists call on Brown to pass START

• UPDATE: As of earlier today (Mon,  Dec 20, 2010)--Brown's Boston office confirming Brown is still "UNDECIDED" on START, citing "concerns" and wanting "amendments".  Does he know better than Kissinger, Condi Rice and Fmr. Pres. Bush? Call him and tell him to support passage of NEW START treaty.

(while you're at it--send an email to Senator John Kerry and thank him for his support of key legislation such as the above all along--not at the last minute)

 ***
UPDATE 12/18: Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell was repealed yesterday! Brown voted for its repeal, 2x, keeping his promise this time.  DREAM Act did not move forward: with 55 votes, they could not get past the filibuster. Brown voted AGAINST Dream Act moving forward. Be sure to thank Senator Kerry for voting for both DREAM and DADT repeal.  START treaty is still coming for vote next week... GOP leadership still making noises about not supporting it. ???!!! Call Scott Brown. It's unclear where he stands.
--
URGENT-- Call now: VOTES HAPPENING BEFORE NOON, SATURDAY 12/18 *TODAY*
please call Scott Brown re: 
- Don't Ask Don't Tell Repeal
- DREAM Act

The Votes are TODAY , likely before Noon, (Saturday)--please urge him to vote yes on both.
His position on DADT seems relatively secure (but remember he pulled a fast one last week), but he has said he is opposed to DREAM Act.  Hearing from constituents is important to remind him if/when he takes votes out of step w/ his constituents.

Notes from a Lame Duck: Misinformation, Lie of the Year, 9/11 Responders, Child-Marriage, and Second Chances at DADT and DREAM

Some things you might have missed during the lame duck session:

*LIE* of the Year: "Government Takeover of Health Care"
The GOP has been beating this drum--that "Obamacare" is a "government takeover of health care".  Politifact examines the claim--widely, widely used by Republicans--and finds it worth to be the lie of the year. A lie we have heard a lot of from Scott Brown, on the campaign trail and after.

START Treaty: still up in the air
Reagan's baby has become the latest ploy in GOP obstructionism.  Overview of new START from WaPo. Condoleezza Rice and other GOP bigwigs support its ratification. On some of the latest back/forth from Republican Senators (Dec 18).

Zadroga / 9/11 First Responders' Health Bill (more at this entry)
Republican Senators--including Scott Brown--voted AGAINST providing medical care for 9/11 First Responders--many of whom are dying of cancers/diseases from breathing the toxic fumes from the World Trade Center rubble. Only Jon Stewart--the comedian with the fake news program--is sufficiently outraged about this. Watch:

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9/11 First Responders React to the Senate Filibuster
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Child-marriage Act (S 987)
 A bill to work against child-marriage world wide was victim of the Culture Wars, when Republican congressmen succumbed to the (untrue) Rumor that the bill MIGHT "really" be about abortion.


Bernie Sanders and the Tax Bill
 What happens when a progressive champion actually argues--actually makes the case--for the little guy?  When you can, make sure you review highlights from Senator Bernie Sanders's (I-VT) "filibuster" against the Obama-GOP tax cut compromise.  It is inspiring!
(Links forthcoming)

Study Shows that TV News Viewers Misinformed--Fox Viewers Most Misinformed
Well, now it's quantifiable. Read the summary of the findings, and also look at the study itself. You can also download the Full Report and Survey Questions/Methodology (PDFs).  The section "A Note on the Question of What is “True”" is a very interesting read--page 3 of the Full Report.

Jon Stewart gets to some of this in his interview with Mike Huckabee, in which Stewart takes Fox to task for their silence on the Zadroga bill (from top of this blog post):

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Mike Huckabee
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 And just in case you need further reason to smack your head...Fox head instructed its reporters/anchors to discredit climate science.


In case you thought  misinformation didn't have real world impact...
The new Freshman Congress is going to spend its energy--un-greening the Capitol. Really. It's Reagan and the solar panels all over again.

Things that are More Important to GOP than Bonus Tax Cuts for the Wealthiest 2% of Americans

Republicans have been VERY CLEAR that they will not pass any legislation til bonus tax cuts for income over $1 million is passed first.

Here is a list of things that NOT more important to GOP than Bonus Tax cuts for the Wealthy:

(in progress)
Not Relief for Seniors.
Not honoring and providing for 9/11 first responders.
Not justice and equality in the military.
Not a responsible nuclear future.
Not middle class tax cuts--or even tax cuts for income under $1 million. 
Not the unemployed in a deadly economy.
Not immigration reform that would cut our deficit.
Not the deficit and debt.

Jon Stewart again gets it right--watch.

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The Tax Cut Deal: Obama Plays Ball in Republicans' Game

I've been asked by some people about my position on the tax cut deal struck between Obama and the Republicans earlier this week.  I haven't said anything to the group yet because I am really truly ambivalent about what I think we should do next.

Off the bat, let's be clear: I think the tax cut deal is bad, very bad. I think the people on the left who are trying to make a case for it as a stimulus are trying their best to make lemons into lemonade, but they are essentially arguing for the GOP economic ethos:  trickle-down economics... Which 30 years have shown *do not work*.

The question for me, now, as a liberal who supports the president and understands that we need to protect the presidency from a President Palin...or Brown...in 2012, is whether or not I put energy behind defending/helping pass thru a bill that I think stinks... Or do I put my energy in the risky maneuver of trying to leverage Democratic opposition to the deal into tweaking it for improvements--and not least of all, to get Obama/Democrats to find a different way to engage with the Republicans--who have shown themselves to be nothing but hijackeers (and are plain and proud about it!).

In the end, I DO think that the President's tax deal WILL pass.  The question is how to be productive in this space/time of anger/opposition/dismay/rebellion.



Some Analysis:
From The Economist: How Stimulative are Tax Cuts for the Wealthiest 2%? (Not very--close to nil)
"Supply Side Economics, Tea Party Style"

Scott Brown the Flip-Flopper Votes Against Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell Repeal -- After Saying He'd Vote For it

The Defense Authorization bill, which contains the Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell repeal, was BLOCKED from moving forward in the Senate earlier today. It failed by three votes.


JUST SIX DAYS AGO, Brown said he'd support repeal,--but when it came time to make a hard call assert his vaunted "independence" and vote for something overwhelmingly supported by MA voters--Senator Scott Brown voted AGAINST. Let him know your disappointment in this cowardly vote.

I will update this post with relevant links/info later.
(more links/info on Brown, here)

Scott Brown looks out for Scott Brown, not Massachusetts.
Or soldiers.  Or 9/11 responders.  Or the unemployed.  Or the middle-class.  Or Labor.  Or seniors.

Blue Mass Group discussion on Brown's failure of spine and independence.

NOTE:
Senator Lieberman (I-CT) and Senator Collins (R-ME) have said they will sponsor a STANDALONE "DADT repeal" bill, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she will bring it for a vote on the House floor.

Sounds promising... but cautious about being too hopeful... Don't know how many procedural hurdles predoom it, but I like that it's happening!

the DREAM Act: Some quick info

Updates AFTER failed to pass 12/2010:

• "Obama to make grassroots push for DREAM in 2011" (HuffPost, 12/24/10)

----
Update 12/17: ANOTHER Senate vote on DREAM Act will be tomorrow. Please call BROWN. He has said he is a "NO" vote. He needs to hear from us.
--
DREAM act gives a very narrowly defined group of illegal immigrants ---people who were brought here (illegally) by their parents and have spent their whole lives here -- a path to citizenship, through education and military service. As it stands, there is no channel for these betwixt/between people to become citizens.

Information sheets about DREAM act (FAQ/common misconceptions) - CLICK HERE
Politifact fact-checks the attacks on DREAM. 
It is widely supported by American voters (66%)
BONUS: it cuts the deficit! (click here)
Even the conservative/libertarian Cato Institute sees benefits of DREAM Act! (I must add--against tide of Tea Party sentiment!)
Texas Clergy support DREAM Act. Texas!!

Scott Brown is on the fence about the DREAM Act (using language of support but setting himself up as being "dissatisfied" w/ the process or soemthing). [Update: Here's Brown saying it's Backdoor Amnesty, to Boston Globe]

CALLS ARE IMPORTANT--please ring him (and Rep. Stephen Lynch--who is also listed as UNDECIDED) TODAY.

SENATOR SCOTT BROWN: 

 Phones: Boston -- (617) 565-3170

Washington, DC -- (202) 224-4543

 FAX: (202) 228-2646 (you can use services like FaxZero.com to send free faxes from the internet!)

UPDATE:Rep. Lynch voted YES on Dream Act

CONGRESSMAN STEPHEN LYNCH 202-225-8273

Pentagon Study on the Effects of "Don't Ask Don't Tell" Repeal: Military More Mature than Congressional Republicans

Update 12/17/10: a STANDALONE measure to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell (intro'd by Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins) will go for vote tomorrow (Sat). Scott Brown says he'll vote for repeal. Make sure he doesn't pull a fast one--call his office and tell him you expect him to vote for passage.
--
Update 12/9/10: GOP blocked DADT repeal (in the Defense Authorization bill) -- it failed passage forward by THREE VOTES.  Scott Brown--in spite of earlier saying he would vote for repeal--voted AGAINST REPEAL.  Call him and let know what you think of this shameful vote.
--

The Pentagon's 9-month study on the effects of repealing "Don't Ask Don't Tell" (which mandates that gays serving in the military remain closeted or be discharged) was released yesterday.  Its results were shocking--SHOCKING!!  A clear majority of soldiers see no negative effect on gay soldiers serving openly!  Wow! In 2010!

Kidding aside it's actually really gratifying to confirm that men and women in uniform are serious and responsible, committed to their jobs and not cultural hysteria over The Gays.

Now that that's settled--it's time to call on those (largely republican) lawmakers who have hemmed/hawed/delayed voting on DADT:  the proof is in!  It's quantified and the conclusion is clear:  repeal DADT.

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Scott Brown --surprise!-- is one of those Republican Senators who has argued that Congress can't possibly act on DADT without making sure everybody is OK with it first (because we always check with soldiers first whether orders are OK with them, right?).

Now we have the results, Brown surely will be leading the charge on repealing DADT...right?  Let's give him a call to remind him just in case he forgot.

John McCain is another one...Take a look (it is worth it!):

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MORE ARTICLES:
Marine says: "Sexuality Doesn't Matter on the Battlefield" (Dec 2010)

Paycheck Fairness Act

UPDATE: The Paycheck Fairness Act did NOT pass; Brown did NOT vote for it. 
---
CALL BROWN TODAY: The Paycheck Fairness act is going to a vote today---and Brownie is of course a holdout. And he is claiming he’s not hearing from supporters of the bill. So a dozen calls from Needham citizens would help!

--
Here's a LIST of things we should be asking Senator Brown to support:

• Paycheck Fairness Act [Update: DID NOT PASS]
• Extending Unemployment Benefits [Update: BROWN NOT SUPPORTING]
• Letting expire the Bush tax cuts for income over $250,000 (would cut $700billion from the deficit)
• Support REPEAL of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
• Support the DREAM act

Email: Click thru Scott Brown's "Comment" Form on website:

Phones: Boston Office -- (617) 565-3170 -Washington, DC Office -- (202) 224-4543

FAX: (202) 228-2646 (you can use services like FaxZero.com to send free faxes from the internet!)

Ask Democrats, Obama to toughen up

Two worthwhile petitions that cut to the heart of what people like me have been fretting over for a long time... the overability of Democrats/Obama to defer to Republicans and the inability to take hard stances and fight for our agenda.


Yes, Tea Party Republicans took over the House (but as I noted, it's hardly a mandate, and today brings another poll that emphasizes the non-mandate nature of the elections)--

But we, the American People, also elected Democrats in 2008 and it is still the 111th Congress.  Let's get moving and pass some REAL legislation, no compromises!, during the lame duck session!

Sign this petition and edit the cover letter to your point of view.

Amidst signals that Obama is ready to compromise with Republicans re: extending the disastrous, deficit-making Bush tax cuts for the top 2% of earners (see  my post below)...

Sign this Credo petition and tell him to NOT extend the Bush Tax Cuts.  It's a winning issue for Dems--but if and only if Obama takes leadership and fights the case.

There is also the Progressive Change Campaign version of the same petition.

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UPDATE:  Others are picking up the chorus:

Michael Moore has taken to the airwaves and the blogs to argue for sweeping Democratic legislation to be passed during the lame duck session.

Blue Mass Group bloggers plead: "Mr. President, do not learn the wrong lesson from the midterms"

Extending Bush's Deficits with the "Bush Tax Cuts"

Off the Charts Blog | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities | Dissecting the Deficit (8/2012) http://goo.gl/XYtIl:  Indeed, the tax cuts and the wars alone account for nearly half of the public debt by 2019.

UPDATE: This NYTimes "solve the deficit" puzzle should be required activity for anyone who claims we should extend the Bush deficit-bombs, tax giveaways to the top 2%.  And here's a useful FACT SHEET about the Bush tax giveaways, from Politifact.
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Here's what's on the table:

 

And here's a little sense of history--the top marginal tax rates over time--with some helpful Questions to Consider in the graphic: 

 UPDATE Dec 1 2010:

The President just announced, with much fanfare, a plan to Freeze federal workers' pay as part of an austerity/cost cutting measure. 

Our own Scott Brown is refusing to extend Unemployment Benefits (which will impact middle and working class Americans right at the holidays) because of the impact on the deficit.

Consider this: 

The "savings" from freezing fed workers' pay is less than 1% of the total deficit.  Not even a drop in the bucket. 

And extending the Bush tax cuts (deficit bombs) for income over $250,000 will add ANOTHER $700 BILLION to the deficit!!

If we are to believe Senator Scott Brown, The Deficit and Not Adding to It is a primary concern that trumps all others, including the protection of families meager safety net income in the winter, over the holidays.  

If Senator Brown argues FOR extending Bush tax holidays for income over $250,000--he will prove himself a liar:  that he doesn't actually care about the deficit. 

 

Call him on it. DO NOT LET SENATOR BROWN GET AWAY WITH VOTING FOR BUSH TAX GIVEAWAY EXTENSIONS.   

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How income has been bleeding away from middle class to the top 1% for the last 30 years...

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CONTACT SENATOR SCOTT BROWN

Email: Click thru his "Comment" Form on website:

Phones:

Boston -- (617) 565-3170

Washington, DC -- (202) 224-4543

FAX: (202) 228-2646

(you can use services like FaxZero.com to send free faxes from the internet!)

Needham again the center of the Democratic universe

Arguing that the January 2010 election of Scott Brown to US Senate was not a radical scrambling of Massachusetts DNA, POLITICO points to Needham's Nov. 2, 2010, election results, where Deval Patrick beat Charlie Baker handily.

Baker (and Brown) both made Needham a special focus during their campaigns (Brown putting campaign HQ here, Baker making several high-profile campaign stops, including one w/ Brown: "Yesterday’s [Needham] event, billed as a “Hometown Rally’’ for Baker...").

So we deserve the shout-out from Politico:

Patrick racked up sizable victory margins in places Brown only narrowly lost in January, steamrolling through Worcester by 27 percentage points and winning Baker’s suburban hometown of Needham by a 10-point margin.

Thanks, Lisa Geller, for calling my attn to this--AND for canvassing all day in Needham for Gov. Patrick!

The Crap Economy: Whom/What Do Voters Blame?

You'd think--given the media and Republican babble--that the Republican victories on Nov 2 2010 = "repudiation of Barack Obama" and in particular his handling of the economy.

That would be a very confusing repudiation.  As I noted earlier--voters do NOT want what Republicans have been hawking as economic fixes (tax cuts, hate the stimulus).

And it seems like Barack Obama is not even at the top of voters' "Who to Blame" list: he ranks 3rd--
after "Wall Street" and "George W. Bush".

Fuller information here.

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2012 Update: The economy? It’s still Bush’s fault - The Washington Post (1/18/2012) -- A majority of Americans believe that former President George W. Bush is more responsible than President Obama for the current economic problems in the country, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Stop the Meme!: 2010 was not a repudiation of Obama or his policies

UPDATE: 
New (Nov 16, 2010) CNN Poll:  Midterm Results NOT a mandate for Republicans

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Let's stop the media-created myth before it gets rolling too far:

http://www.pollingreport.com/prioriti.htm

The 2010 midterm election was NOT a repudiation of Barack Obama's agenda, as the Republicorp/Mainstream media are trying to insist. Gallup exit poll shows that the TOP priority of voters is MORE STIMULUS FOR JOB CREATION--that is certainly NOT what the *Republicans* have been selling!! Way, way, way down on the list is extending the Bush tax cuts. Let's stop a media myth before it gets out of hand, people!

USA Today/Gallup Poll. Oct. 28-31, 2010. N=1,140 adults nationwide. Margin of error ± 4.
"Looking ahead, which of the following should be the highest priority for Congress after the election: repealing the new healthcare law, passing a new economic stimulus bill designed to create jobs, cutting federal spending, or extending all the federal income tax cuts enacted during the Bush administration?" Options rotated
			%
	Passing new stimulus bill		38
	Cutting federal spending		24
	Repealing health care law		23
	Extending all income tax cuts		8
	Other (vol.)		4
	Unsure		3