Tag: House

Kentucky Republicans live in a fantasy world that puts anything dreamed up by J.R. Tolkien to shame. Where else in this country do you find people who believe that the suppression of Free Speech by theft and vandalism is a “Christian Value? Where else do you find people who are invested in, and profiting from our pain at the pump seeking to lecture all of us on the high price of gas, while voting against a windfall tax on Big Oil? Indeed, where else will you find a Congressman who refuses to return the blood money of a convicted terrorist seek to lecture the rest of us on the “War on Terror”?  

Well, in my Congressman, Exxon Ed Whitfield you find all of the above. As you will soon see, his hypocrisy knows no bounds.

What else can it be but hypocrisy when a man who has become a millionaire off Exxon, and Chevron stocks seeks to lecture us on Gas Prices, when that very Congressman rubber-stamped the failed Bush/Cheney Energy Policy that has led to record gas prices for us, and record profits for himself and his fellow stockholders in Big Oil? One need only look at his site to see the hypocrisy shining through:

Furthering his efforts to increase domestic supplies of energy and reduce skyrocketing fuel costs for Kentucky consumers, U.S. Representative Ed Whitfield (KY-01) called on the leader of the House of Representatives last week to immediately consider legislation which would increase American supplies of energy.

“Kentuckians know that in order to bring down record high fuel costs, we need to increase our domestic energy production,” Whitfield said. “Yet, leaders in the House of Representatives continue to block consideration of any sensible, productive legislation that would aid American consumers trying to fill up their tanks this summer. The time for action is now.”

http://whitfield.house.gov/new…

Well, if Exxon Eddie really believes that, he has a funny way of showing it:

Voted NO on investing in homegrown biofuel.

H.R.3221: New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act: Moving toward greater energy independence and security, developing innovative new technologies, reducing carbon emissions, creating green jobs, protecting consumers, increasing clean renewable energy production, modernizing our energy infrastructure, and providing tax incentives for the production of renewable energy and energy conservation.

Reference: New Direction for Energy Independence; Bill HR3221 ; vote number 2007-0832 on Aug 4, 2007

Voted NO on tax incentives for renewable energy.

CONGRESSIONAL SUMMARY: Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008:

Production Incentives: Extends through 2011 the tax credit for the production of electricity from renewable resources (e.g., wind, biomass, geothermal, and hydropower).

Extends through 2016 the energy tax credit for investment in solar energy and fuel cell property.

Allows a new tax credit for the production of plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Extends through 2010 the tax credits for biodiesel (including agri-biodiesel)

Allows an alcohol fuels tax credit for the production of qualified cellulosic alcohol fuel.

Denies the tax deduction for income attributable to domestic production of oil, gas, or any related products.

Reference: Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act; Bill H.R.5351 ; vote number 08-HR5351 on Feb 12, 2008

Voted NO on tax incentives for energy production and conservation.

OnTheIssues.org Explanation:This bill passed the House but was killed in the Senate on a rejected Cloture Motion, Senate rollcall

#150Congressional Summary:A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide Tax incen Credits for biodiesel and renewable diesel.

Sec. 124. Credit for new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles.

Sec. 127. Transportation fringe benefit to bicycle commuters.

Sec. 146. Qualified green building and sustainable design project

Reference: Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act; Bill HR6049 ; vote number 2008-344 on Jun 21, 2008

http://ontheissues.org/House/E…

You see, even though the research and development of the fuels of the future holds countless potential in really achieving Energy Independence, and although it holds countless potential for new, high-paying jobs growing and refining these fuels in his mostly rural district, Exxon Ed Whitfield cannot allow his Exxon and Chevron stock to be devalued. He is invested in, and profiting handsomely from the current Energy Policy that makes us slave to Middle Eastern Oil, and record profits for Big Oil during a time of war.

You see, even though his stock is enjoying record profits, Whitfield will have none of ending the huge amounts of Corporate Welfare doled out to such companies in favor of investing in real Energy Independence:

Voted NO on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies.

This legislation seeks to end the unwarranted tax breaks & subsidies which have been lavished on Big Oil over the last several years, at a time of record prices at the gas pump and record oil industry profits. Big Oil is hitting the American taxpayer not once, not twice, but three times. They are hitting them at the pump, they are hitting them through the Tax Code, and they are hitting them with royalty holidays put into oil in 1995 and again in 2005.

It is time to vote for the integrity of America’s resources, to vote for the end of corporate welfare, to vote for a new era in the management of our public energy resources.

Reference: Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation(CLEAN); Bill HR 6 (“First 100 hours”) ; vote number 2007-040 on Jan 18, 2007

http://ontheissues.org/House/E…

You see, in the visionless, hypocritical world of Exxon Eddie, personal profits for himself, and the special interests that have bought and paid for him are far more important than the promise of achieving Energy Independence that benefits all Americans.

However, unfortunately that is not even the most hypocritical part of Exxon Eddie’s agenda. His lust for special interest money to smear his opponents and hold onto power knows no boundries. Case in point, the “War on Terror”:

Voted YES on authorizing military force in Iraq.

Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Iraq: Passage of the joint resolution that would authorize President Bush to use the US military as he deems necessary and appropriate to defend U.S. national security against Iraq and enforce UN Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq. It would be required that the president report to Congress, no later than 48 hours after using force, his determination that diplomatic options or other peaceful means would not guarantee US national security against Iraq or allow enforcement of UN resolutions and that using force is consistent with anti-terrorism efforts. The resolution would also give specific statutory authorization under the War Powers Resolution. Every 60 days the president would also be required to report to Congress on actions related to the resolution.

Reference: Bill sponsored by Hastert,R-IL; Bill HJRes114 ; vote number 2002-455 on Oct 10, 2002

Voted YES on declaring Iraq part of War on Terror with no exit date.

Voting YES would support the following resolution (excerpted):

Whereas the United States and its allies are engaged in a Global War on Terror, a long and demanding struggle against an adversary that is driven by hatred of American values and that is committed to imposing, by the use of terror, its repressive ideology throughout the world;

Whereas the terrorists have declared Iraq to be the central front in their war against all who oppose their ideology;

Whereas the United States and its Coalition partners will continue to support Iraq as part of the Global War on Terror:

Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives–

Honors all those Americans who have taken an active part in the Global War on Terror;

Declares that it is not in the national security interest of the United States to set an arbitrary date for the withdrawal or redeployment of United States Armed Forces from Iraq;

Declares that the United States is committed to the completion of the mission to create a sovereign, free, secure, and united Iraq;

Declares that the United States will prevail in the Global War on Terror, the noble struggle to protect freedom from the terrorist adversary.

Reference: Resolution on Prevailing in the Global War on Terror; Bill HRES 861 ; vote number 2006-288 on Jun 12, 2006

You see, Whitfield blindly rubber-stamped a failed President and policy which allowed our real attacker on 9-11, Osama bin-Laden walk away scot-free, and insultingly release video tapes that snubs his nose at those who lost loved ones on that fateful day. Then, whenevidence emerges that the American people were misled into cutting and running from our true attacker, bin-Laden, Exxon Eddie will not even allow the matter to be investigated:

Voted NO on investigating Bush impeachment for lying about Iraq.

OnTheIssues.org Explanation:This vote is on referring the impeachment resolution to a Congressional Committee to decide further action (not on impeachment itself).Congressional Summary:Resolved, That President George W. Bush b Fourth Amendment

Article XXVI–Announcing the Intent To Violate Laws With Signing Statements, and Violating Those Laws

Reference: The Kucinich Privilege Resolution; Bill H.RES.1258 ; vote number 2008-401 on Jun 11, 2008

http://www.ontheissues.org/Hou…

However, it only gets worse. After all his talk about the “War on Terror”, Exxon Eddie aligned himself against the 9-11 families by taking money from Abdulrahman Alamoudi, and refusing to give it back when it was proven this man was a terrorist in his own right:

In June of 2000, Ed Whitfield received a $1000 donation from a man named Abdulrahman Alamoudi1.  At the time this man was an outspoken supporter of the U.S.-designated terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah2, and he was busy making friends in the highest levels of government. Congressman Ed Whitfield was one of these friends.  Many politicians were smart enough to steer clear of this shady character.  Dennis Kucinich received a $500 donation from Alamoudi, and he returned the money.  Hillary Clinton received $1000 dollars from Alamoudi, and she returned the money.  GEORGE BUSH received $1000 from Alamoudi and even HE returned the money!!  They knew that Alamoudi had questionable connections and radical, terrorist beliefs and they did not want to be associated with him. They were proven to be correct when in 2002 Abdulrahman Alamoudi was sued on behalf of the families of the victims of 9/11 for being involved in terrorist financing activities which led to their loved one’s deaths3.  Most politicians would try to distance themselves from this kind of controversy by returning any campaign contributions, but Ed Whitfield stood by his man and kept his money.

Then, in 2004, Alamoudi confessed in U.S. Federal Court to plotting to assassinate the Crown Prince (now the King) of Saudi Arabia.  He was paid by the Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, and he hired Al Qaeda terrorists to carry out the plot.  He was sentenced and is currently serving 23 years in federal prison4.  Once again, Ed Whitfield’s man Abdulrahman Alamoudi was implicated in a high-level terrorist plot, and Ed 33Whitfield chose to keep his $1000 campaign contribution.

Ed Whitfield has some tough questions to answer.  Why did he choose to associate himself with this terrorist, Abdulrahman Alamoudi?  Why did he keep his $1000 campaign contribution when President George W. Bush was returning his in October, 2000?  Why didn’t he return the money when Alamoudi was implicated in the 9/11 victims families’ lawsuit in 2002?  And why did he not return the money when Alamoudi confessed in U.S. Court in 2004 that he plotted with Libyan and Al Qaeda terrorists to assassinate the future King of Saudi Arabia?

Ed Whitfield’s constituents in Western Kentucky want answers to these questions.  The soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division in Ft. Campbell, stationed in Whitfield’s own Congressional District, want to know why they are asked to fight and die in the War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan while their own congressman profits from terrorists.  We are all waiting for Congressman Ed Whitfield’s answers to these questions.

1 Click here to see Ed Whitfield’s FEC statement listing Alamoudi’s campaign contribution from June, 2000.

http://herndon1.sdrdc.com/cgi-…

2 Click here to see video of Alamoudi announcing his support of Hamas and Hezbollah in front of the White House in October, 2000. Four months after Whitfield took his money.

http://www.pbs.org/weta/crossr…

3 Click here to see the 9/11 victims families’ lawsuit.  Alamoudi is defendant #12.  Osama bin Laden is defendant #78.

http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/…

4 Click here to see Alamoudi’s plea agreement from July, 2004.  The plot to assassinate Crown Prince Abdullah is described beginning on PDF page 32.

http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/…

http://exxoneddie.com/News.html

So, in the twisted world of Exxon Eddie, vandalism and thievery are “family values”, Corporate Welfare and his own profits are “Energy Policy”, and fighting Terrorism is only important if the Terrorists AREN’T writing checks.

Heather Ryan, his Democratic challenger wasted no time in calling out Exxon Eddie on all points atFancy Farm:

Yes, the hypocrisy of Exxon Ed Whitfield and the Kentucky Republican Party truly knows no bounds. What the First District of Kentucky desperately needs is New Leadership:

Not the failed “leadership” that puts money over all else, even principle:

Heather Ryan is a true “Fighting Democrat” that will take Exxon Eddie to task over his hypocrisy, and failed record of “representing” the citizens of Western Kentucky in the Congress. To do this however, we need your help. Ryan for Kentucky will never take special interest money from Big Oil, or the blood-soaked money of terrorists, so we need you to get our message out. Please, consider helping Heather get the resources she needs to let the 62% of registered Democrats in this district know about the hypocrisy of Exxon Ed Whitfield here:

With your help, we can and will win this race!!

White House Announces Bush Administration to Leave a Record Budget Deficit of $482 Billion.

Since January when we began our campaign for the 5th District seat in the US Congress, I’ve consistently stressed that my biggest concern is the fiscal mess that has happened in Washington.  This week, White House officials admitted the Bush administration would leave office in January 2009 with a record budget deficit sitting on the books of $482 BILLION.   This record $482 billion deficit is coupled with a record debt of $9.5 trillion.  

On January 20th, 2001, when George W. Bush was sworn in to his first term in office and the Republican Party had control of both houses of Congress, the United States government had a record budget surplus, our economy was in a period of record expansion and the national debt was being paid down.  In fact, if the Bush administration would have continued the fiscally responsible polices from the 90’s by continuing to grow the surplus and pay down the debt, the federal debt could have been retired by 2013.

It is all fantasy now thanks to the irresponsible fiscal policies of the last 8 years, but, imagine what we could have done in the United States after the debt was paid off in 2013.  Our country would have had a surplus of funds that we could have invested in a complete rebuild of our infrastructure to make it ready for the next century,  We could have made a real effort at addressing the health care crisis because funds would have been available.   We could have invested in updating and upgrading our military and providing for our veterans.  We could have had a real investment to fix our public education system.  All these possibilities – GONE.

In the 90’s, difficult decisions were made and sound fiscal policies were put in place by the federal government.  These decisions were made in a bipartisan manner with a Democratic administration in the White House and the Republicans in control of Congress the second half of the decade.   Rather than sticking with sound logic in support of a fiscally strong government, Republicans in Congress joined with George W. Bush in the early days of his administration and decided that short term gratification from across the board tax cuts, with the overwhelming majority directed towards the top 2% income levels, was more important than the long term fiscal and financial security of the federal government.

In the 5th District race, voters will have the decision to choose between more of the same fiscal irresponsibility as my opponent continues to voice his strong support for the Bush tax cuts.  Or, they can choose something better because I believe we must show the courage and responsibility to clean up this fiscal mess once and for all.  It won’t be easy in the short run, but, if we make the commitment to stick to strong fiscal policies, we can finally invest in the things we need to in order to make the lives of our citizens better and our country more secure.  

Campaign Receives Endorsement from Pennsylvania AFL-CIO:

I am pleased and excited to announce that our campaign has received a letter from the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO endorsing my candidacy.   I am truly honored that we have received this important endorsement as it represents support from working men and women, not only in the 5th district, but from throughout Pennsylvania working for our cause.  

In announcing the list of endorsed candidates in a press release posted on Yahoo.com, Bill George, President of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO said “These candidates have proven themselves to be the friends and supporters of working families.  They understand that workers are struggling in this economy with stagnant wages, soaring prices for health care, gas and food.  They advocate and support an agenda that mirrors the priorities of the labor movement.  We are confident that they will put this country back on track toward prosperity and opportunity for all not the few.”.

The letter from the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO concluded with the positive exclamation “Congratulations on Labor’s endorsement!  On to Victory!”.

Major Fundraising Event for DuBois area / Elk and Jefferson Counties:

Campaign Chairman Henry Guthrie and his wife Molly have finalized plans for a McCracken for Congress fundraising event to be held Friday August 15th at the Lion’s Club Sky Lodge in DuBois.  This is going to be a fun filled evening with entertainment from the Moore Brother’s Band and a Chicken BBQ dinner.  We are inviting several local and state level elected officials.  Tickets for the event are $20.  We are also looking for sponsor level support for the event for a donation of $150 or more.  Please contact Henry or Molly at 371-1892 or 577-2398 for ticket information.   Also we would greatly appreciate it if you could take 10 or more tickets and sell them.

Recap of the Past Week:

The majority of the past week was spent working close to home at the Clearfield County Fair.  The response from people visiting the Democratic booth was tremendous.  I was also encouraged by the positive comments and remarks that we received from people interested in the Obama campaign.  I have to recognize the people who put in the time and effort to make the booth available for the week.  Specific recognition goes to County Chair John Sughrue, Sue Lemmo and Terry Noble for leading the effort over the past months to have the booth.   Also, Patrick Yingling was at the booth several nights, County Controller Claudia Read worked for many weeks to schedule people to work the booth and Rodger Baumgardner was on hand every evening to make sure the booth was properly secured at closing time.

Tuesday evening I made a trip to Potter County to spend the evening working with County Chair Norma Nichols in the Democratic booth at the Potter County Fair.  It was a very positive visit and I made contact with many voters from Potter, McKean and Tioga counties.

On Friday evening, I traveled to St. Marys for the Elk County Democratic Picnic.  Media Advisor Diane Kesner traveled with me to shoot some footage that we will use later in commercials for the campaign.  The event had a great turnout with the highlight of the evening coming from a rousing speech given by Rep. Dan Surra who talked about the problems facing our region, state and country.  Rep. Surra made it clear that this is a key election in the history of our country and he called on everyone to get involved to elect the candidates who will work to solve the problems.  State senate candidate Don Hilliard also gave a tremendous speech addressing the important issues in his race.  

On Saturday, Kelly, Amanda and I made a trip to Juniata County to appear in the parade for the Fayette carnival in McAlisterville.  While this was a small parade, it was an important event for the campaign.  Fayette Township is the only municipality in Juniata County that is part of the 5th District.  Juniata County Commissioner Teresa O’Neal has been working with me to make sure our campaign has a presence in Juniata County.   Although Juniata County only has a very small portion in the 5th District, it is important to me that we include them on our campaign schedule.

Scheduled Events for the Upcoming Week:

Monday — Clinton County Fair — 6 PM

Tuesday — Meeting with Sierra Club — State College

Wednesday — Elk County Fair — 6 PM

Thursday — Sykesville Fair — 6 PM

Friday — Tentative — Venango Co. Fair

Saturday — Multiple Events Subject to Change — Clinton County Fair Parade / McKean Co. Fair / Warren Co. Fair

Sunday — Potter / Cameron County Joint Democratic Picnic — Austin PA

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We now have campaign materials available!  Don’t forget to pick up your magnetic bumper sticker or campaign yard sign.

Mark B. McCracken

Your Candidate For Congress

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This diary is cross-posted at McCracken’s campaign blog, PA’s Blue Fifth

Mark McCracken for Congress

ActBlue page

On Saturday a fundraising solicitation arrived in the mail from Iowa Senator Tom Harkin. It asked me to confirm delivery of the enclosed “supporter card” within ten days, and also to “help keep my 2008 re-election campaign on the road to victory” with a special contribution.

Funny, I wasn’t aware that Harkin needed any extra help. Everyone in the election forecasting business has labeled this seat safe for him. The available polling shows Harkin with a comfortable lead.

According to Open Secrets, Harkin had $4.1 million cash on hand at the end of the second quarter. His little-known Republican opponent, Christopher Reed, has raised a total of $11,765 for his Senate campaign and had $292 (two hundred and ninety-two dollars) on hand as of June 30.

Harkin’s letter got me thinking that we need a “Use It Or Lose It” campaign for 2008.

In 2006, MyDD and MoveOn.org launched a “Use It Or Lose It” campaign to contact “ultra-safe Democratic House Representatives and ask them to help fully fund all of our competitive challengers this cycle.” The project spurred at least $2.3 million in additional major donations from House incumbents (click the link to read details).

A similar project targeted at safe incumbents in the House and Senate has the potential to raise even more money this year.

The Democratic House and Senate campaign committees have been crushing their Republican counterparts in fundraising. At the end of the second quarter, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had about $46.2 million cash on hand, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had $54.7 million cash on hand. As of June 30, the DSCC had about twice the cash on hand as the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and the DCCC had six times the cash on hand as the National Republican Congressional Committee.

But we should be able to outspend the Republicans even more if our Democrats in safe seats donate more to the relevant committees.

Everyone agrees that the Democrats have an unusually large number of solid pickup opportunities. Here’s the Swing State Project list of competitive Senate races. All them are Republican-held but one (Louisiana), and that one is “lean Democratic.” Only one Democratic-held seat (New Jersey) is even on the “races to watch” list.

Look at the most recent Senate forecast by Chris Bowers. He’s projecting a pickup of six seats. He also lists ten “Democratic held, uncompetitive locks”:

Arkansas (Pryor), Delaware (Biden), Illinois (Durbin), Iowa (Harkin), Massachusetts (Kerry), Michigan (Levin), Montana (Baucus), Rhode Island (Reed), South Dakota (Johnson), West Virginia (Rockefeller)

I haven’t added up the cash on hand numbers for all those incumbents from the latest FEC filings, but it must total many millions of dollars.

In the past six weeks, the DSCC has sent out many fundraising e-mails touting “11 battleground states” (Alaska, Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, and Virginia).

How many more Senate races could become more competitive if the DSCC were able to put significant resources behind our candidates? Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Georgia immediately come to mind.

The netroots are already working hard to promote Democratic challengers for Republican-held seats. Daily Kos has featured 10 House and four Senate candidates in its “Orange to Blue” ActBlue page. MyDD is raising money for five Senate candidates on its “Road to 60” ActBlue page. SenateGuru even went “on strike” until readers donated enough to three of eleven candidates on SenateGuru’s ActBlue page.

But it’s likely that Tom Harkin alone could donate more to the DSCC than all of the donors to all of those ActBlue pages combined.

Not only that, but safe Democratic incumbents sitting on huge war chests could do a lot for legislative candidates in their home states. A few thousand dollars can go very far in a statehouse race.

I don’t mean to pick on Harkin. (After all, he was the only senator to have the guts to vote against confirming Gen. David Petraeus as the new chief of U.S. Central Command last month.)

More to the point, I know Harkin is already helping other Democrats. He has reportedly donated to the Iowa Democratic Party’s GOTV efforts. Over the weekend he held a joint event with Becky Greenwald, the Democratic candidate in Iowa’s fourth Congressional district. He’s holding a fundraiser with Rob Hubler, candidate in Iowa’s fifth Congressional district, this Thursday. Earlier this summer, he gave $2,000 each to five Iowa House and five Iowa Senate candidates, plus an extra $5,000 to two candidates who received the most votes from constituents in Harkin’s “Building Blue” contest. I hear rumors that Harkin will hold fundraisers for other Democratic candidates in key Iowa statehouse races, or perhaps donate substantial amounts to the Iowa House and Senate Democratic leadership funds.

For all I know Harkin has already donated a substantial amount to the DSCC as well. I couldn’t find a list of Senate incumbents who have given to that fund.

But still–Harkin had more than $4.1 million in the bank at the end of June, which is more than 14,000 times the amount his Republican challenger had in the bank. Couldn’t Harkin dig a little deeper to help the DSCC get behind Scott Kleeb, Jim Slattery, Andrew Rice and other good Democrats?

While I’ve talked primarily about Senate races in this diary, of course a potential “Use It Or Lose It” 2008 campaign should also focus on some House incumbents. The DCCC has reserved ad time in 51 districts so far, and only 17 of those are Democratic-held. (Click here for the first wave of DCCC ad buys and here to see the 20 districts targeted in the second wave.) I take that to mean that the DCCC feels confident about holding more than 200 of our House seats.

There have to be at least 150 House Democrats who meet the “ultra safe” standard and should be putting more of their campaign funds into the DCCC pot.

Look at Swing State Project’s list of competitive House races. Four Republican-held seats are in the “lean Democrat” category, another 11 are “tossups”, another 17 are “lean Republican,” and at least two dozen more could become competitive with more money for Democratic challengers to spend. Meanwhile, no Democratic-held seats are in the “lean R” category, and only two are even rated tossups.

How many of those Lean R or Likely R races can we break open with more money for challengers to spend? How many races not even on Swing State Project’s list right now could become surprise wins for us, along the lines of NH-01 in 2006?

For instance, Swing State Project’s list does not currently include the two Republican-held seats in Iowa, but in my opinion both Becky Greenwald in IA-04 and Rob Hubler in IA-05 have a chance to win in a strong Democratic year. (I explain why here and here.)

I look forward to reading your thoughts and comments on a possible Use It Or Lose It campaign. Bob Brigham had some great suggestions earlier today at MyDD:

1. The earlier the better. Getting the money moving now helps a great deal with budgeting. Money spent just after Labor Day is worth far more than a last minute spree just before the election.

2. When it comes to lose it for senators, I wouldn’t just focus on those with a safe race this year, but those who left 2006 with big warchests.

3. I think after they pay up, they should be made a secondary ask to their supporters to get involved in local federal races. This is easy to do. Yet since most out of state money comes from blue, urban areas, this segment could be asked to Adopt-A-Race.

MyDD user Ramo already thought of a reasonable proposal for the senators:

If you’re Landrieu, Lautenburg, or Obama, we’re not asking for anything.  If you’re vulnerable in 2010 (Boxer, Salazar, Dorgan, Reid, and Feingold), we’re asking for 3% of your CoH.  If you’re vulnerable in 2012, we’re asking for 7% (McCaskill, Tester, Conrad, Menendez, Brown, and Webb).  Otherwise, 10%.

That would net us $9.693 million.

For someone that talks so tough on Terror, Ed Whitfield sure doesn’t care much about it when money is involved. We have already seen how Ed Whitfield won’t let suspected terrorist ties, and criminal activity get in the way of his investments, and now we get another look inside the twisted, hypocritical world of this Kentucky Republican.

Disgraced Congressman Bob Livinston founded a lobbying firm, the Livingston Group after he resigned from Congress. Far from being “tough on terror”, this group decided to represent the Lybian regime in Washington, a regime guilty of the cold-blooded murder of 189 American citizens in 1988. This group also raised ethical concerns with their representation of Turkey in Washington after trying to secure a billion American dollars in Turkish aid, even after the Turkish Government refused to allow American troops to use Turkish soil as a staging point for the invasion of Iraq.

As it turns out, this group has been very friendly to Kentucky Republicans, including Exxon Ed Whitfield. Of course, when you recieve over$10 million in Turkish contributions, you have plenty to spread around. Unfortunately, the Turkish government didn’t come off of this money for nothing, as Livingston helped kill an amendment that sought to recognize the Armenian Genocide which occured from 1915 to 1923.

Of course, since Exxon Ed Whitfield had recieved money from the Livinston group, he opposed the amendment to recognize the genocide. Here is Exxon Ed Whitfield, bought and paid for by the Turkish government, via the Livingston Group opposing the amendment:

The citizens of Kentucky’s First Congressional District need a representative that fights for our interests, not one that is for sale to the highest bidder, no matter who it may be. All Exxon Eddie’s talk about being “tough on terror” is just that, talk. Sometimes terror pays more.

We have a great candidate in one of the poorest Congressional districts in the country. We need your help to get the word out on Exxon Ed Whitfield, and his auction house to the highest bidder. We don’t have foreign countries and powerful lobbying groups standing in line to fund us, and we need your help. Our district is 63% registered Democrat, and if we get our message to them we will win. Please, help us make that happen here:

We can win this race, and expand our Congressional majorities with your help!!  

The hypocrisy of the modern Republican Party never ceases to amaze me. The Republican Party leadership is, and always will be the party of the mighty Greenback. Despite this they try to lecture all of us on things like moral values, and being tough on terrorists. However, if these things ever interrupt their endless quest for profits, they are easily forgotten if those profits are threatened.

A perfect case-in-point is the Congressman of Kentucky’s First Congressional District, Ed Whitfield. He paints himself as “tough on terror”, but the true terror to him is losing his precious profits.

As it ends up, he is tied to the Bush Family by more than just rubber-stamping every failed policy of a failed administration. Shortly before George W. Bush’s uncle, Jonathan Bush took over as CEO of Riggs Bank, Ed Whitfield bought some  Riggs Bank Stock. Whitfield held on to this stock, even though Jonathan Bush had been fined $30,000 in Massachusetts, and several thousands more in Connecticut for violating registration laws that govern securities sales in 1991 and was barred from securities brokerage with the general public in Massachusetts for one year.

But that is just the beginning. It appears that a Saudi named Omar al-Bayoumi housed and opened bank accounts at Riggs Bank for two of the 9-11 hijackers. Just two weeks after this assistance began, al-Bayoumi’s wife began recieving monthly payments totaling tens of thousands of dollars from Princess Haifa bint Faisal, wife of Bandar Bush of Farenheit 9-11 fame.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R…

When the FBI discovered these transactions, they began an investigation of the bank for possible money-laundering, and funding of terrorism. Riggs bank was fined a record $25 million in 2004 for allegedly violating anti-money laundering laws because of it’s handling of Saudi-controlled accounts that were under investigation for possibly funding terrorism. One of Whitfield’s fellow Republicans, Charles Grassley had this to say about the fine:

“Riggs Bank deserves every penny of this huge fine,” Grassley said in a statement Thursday. “Banks have a patriotic duty, not to mention legal requirement, to report suspicious activity. When banks look the other way, they put our national security at risk. Whether it’s through incompetence, negligence or greed, they are allowing terrorists to funnel their blood money through the system.”

http://www.usatoday.com/money/…

Do not Congressmen have a “patriotic duty” not to invest in such unscrupulous, criminal enterprises?

But it doesn’t stop there. Riggs bank also helped Chilean dictator  

Augusto Pinochet Ugarte hide millions of dollars of assets from international prosecutors while he was under house arrest in Britain. They came up with a clever and dishonest scheme to do this:

Senate investigators, who spent more than a year looking into Riggs, found that the bank attempted to use offshore and other accounts that were misleadingly named to obscure their connection to Pinochet. In documents required by federal regulators, for example, the bank referred to Pinochet not by name but as “a retired professional” who held a “high paying position in public sector for many years.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…

Riggs Bank was forced to plead guilty in early 2005 to felony charges that they failed to file suspicious activity reports and were fined another$16 million to resolve the anti-money-laundering deficiencies in it’s former embassy and international operations.

Now, according to his seemingly incomplete 2006 personal financial disclosure, Ed Whitfield sold off his Riggs Bank holdings on Sept. 9, 2006. My question to Exxon Ed Whitfield, is why after this bank was taken over by a former criminal CEO, paid a fine for laundering possible terrorist Saudi money, and pled guilty to hiding money for a ruthless dictator, did it take him so long to sell off his stock? Are these the kind of “Family Values” that Whitfield sees fit to invest in? How can one be tough on Terrorism if they invest in institutions that possibly fund such activity?

This investment shows where the priorities of Exxon Ed Whitfield truly lie. The fact of the matter is that through two criminal investigations, guilty pleas, and fines, Exxon Ed Whitfield still saw Riggs Bank as a worthwhile investment, whether it supported terrorism and ruthless dictators or not.

Now, I am all for Americans investing, and bettering themselves. Part of the American way is the ability to grow your wealth, and be successful. However, don’t the investments you choose to make reflect upon your character and judgement? The fact that Whitfield supported all this illegal activity with his own invested money speaks volumes about his ability to lead, and make decisions for the citizens of Kentucky’s First Congressional District.

We need a new direction from this seat in our Congress. Exxon Ed Whitfield has become a millionaire while representing our district, and the average working family has fallen further behind. Now more than ever, we need new leadership in the Congress from this district:

We can win this race if we let the voters here know just how bad the judgementExxon Ed Whitfield has exercised truly is.

To do that, we need your help. Please consider supporting Heather Ryan, and helping her gain momentum going into the Fancy Farm Picnic, which kicks off the political season in Western Kentucky. You can do so here:

It is time to retire members of Congress like Exxon Ed Whitfield, whose poor judgement puts profits over ethics, and blindly invests in criminal activity.  

Here in Kentucky, we are saddled with two of the worst of the lot in Republican “leadership”. While Mitch McConnell needs no introduction, a lot of national Democrats don’t know about my Congressman, Exxon Ed Whitfield, who is best known for protecting the profits of Big Oil. It seems these two got together this week to plot the demise of Democrat Heather Ryan.

In the latest episode of the “Bag Eddie” series, McConnell and Whitfield get together for drinks, and strategy:

As you can see, these two have it all figured out!!

If you missed the other installments of “Bag Eddie”, here they are:

It seems though, that Mitch and Eddie do disagree on something. After his election year Renaisance, Exxon Eddie has returned to his Dark Ages form, and voted against the Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008:

http://www.congress.org/congre…

I guess his house in Florida must be paid for!! Unfortunately the only house he has in the district is his daddy’s house in Hopkinsville. I knew he was an underachiever in Congress, but a man his age that still lives with his dad?

We need your help and support in Kentucky’s First District to retire Congressman Whitfield to Florida where he lives. He has plenty of stock options to fall back on, as he has become a millionaire in his tenure representing this district. Help us defeat a sitting Republican Congressman and expand our Congressional majorities here:

Best wishes Democrats!!

cross-posted in slightly different form at Bleeding Heartland

Congressman Tom Latham is a conservative Republican representing a swing (D+0) district. He has a lot more money in the bank than Democratic candidate Becky Greenwald, but Iowa political observers think this race could be very competitive.

Today Latham opened up his war chest to start running statewide radio ads touting his advocacy of more oil drilling in the U.S.

Follow me after the jump for more.

Iowa Politics has this press release from Latham’s campaign about

a statewide radio ad highlighting Latham’s work to lower gas and energy prices for Iowa families.

The sixty second ad reinforces Latham’s continued commitment to renewable energy but also discusses the need for Congress to work immediately to increase domestic energy supplies that America controls.

“$4.00 a gallon gas hurts Iowa families,” notes Latham in the ad. “And they’re frustrated with leaders in Congress for not doing more about it – and they have every right to be.”

“I have always been, and will continue to be, a strong supporter of alternative energy research and production, but we need to work for solutions that get Iowans from point A to point B without busting their family budget.”

Latham has been working in Congress on legislation aimed at increasing our domestic supply of affordable that will lower gas and energy prices through the increased use of our current resources, to include off-shore drilling and drilling in ANWR.

Latham recently told Iowa Independent that Republicans can ride high gas prices to victory this November. It’s not clear to me why this is a big selling point for the GOP–shouldn’t they have been doing something to reduce our dependence on foreign oil during the years Republicans controlled Congress as well as the presidency?

Anyway, some Republicans clearly believe that this issue will save them from an otherwise hostile political environment. Last week John McCain started running a television ad blaming Barack Obama for high gas prices because Obama opposes more offshore oil drilling.

The rapid response from Becky Greenwald’s campaign points out the various misleading aspects of Latham’s radio ad:

For Immediate Release                                                                      Contact: Erin Seidler

July 29, 2008                                                                                                         515-537-4465

Latham Runs Misleading Ad on Drilling To Divert From Votes Against Immediate Gas Price Relief

Waukee, IA – This week, Tom Latham’s campaign released a radio ad misleading voters about offshore drilling. Experts agree that offshore drilling will do nothing to lower gas prices for seven to ten years, and its clear that this ad is a diversion from Latham’s votes against opening the Strategic Petroleum Reserves and forcing oil companies to drill on existing leases. (McClatchy, 6/18/08)

“I’m running for Congress because of these sort of shenanigans. Latham is trying to get Iowans to think about leasing 2,000 more acres when 68 million acres already leased are open, untapped and will lower prices. Latham is trying to divert attention from his failure to support immediate relief through opening the Strategic Petroleum Reserves and forcing oil companies to drill on existing leases,” said Becky Greenwald, Candidate for Congress in Iowa’s 4th District. “Is it too much to ask for leaders to be honest with us?”



Unfortunately, Latham, like George Bush decided to play politics with gas prices. Last week, he voted against a bill that would release 70 million barrels of oil from the strategic oil reserve to bring relief from high gas prices. This bill would bring almost immediate relief to high gas prices. (H. Res. 6578)

And two weeks ago, Latham voted against a bill to force oil companies to drill on existing leases. There are 68 million acres of federal land already leased by oil companies. That is two times the size of the state of Iowa available for energy production that is now sitting idle. (H.R. 615)

Instead, Democrats in Congress and Becky Greenwald are fighting for a comprehensive energy policy that includes in the short term, opening the Strategic Petroleum Reserves and forcing oil companies to drill on almost 68 million acres of existing leases.

In the long term, Becky will fight to invest in a green energy industry here in Iowa by investing in ethanol, wind energy, biodiesel, and other homegrown, alternative forms of energy.

“I know that investing in renewable fuels will reduce our reliance on foreign oil and bring down gas prices and create thousands if not hundreds of thousands of jobs in rural America, including Iowa’s 4th District,” Greenwald continued. “It’s time for a solution, not diversion tactics.”

The bolded passages were bold in the original, by the way.

Latham’s advocacy of more oil drilling will do nothing to solve our energy problems. Even the president of the Teamsters Union, which has long supported increased oil drilling in the U.S., declared last week that

“We must find a long-term approach that breaks our dependence on foreign oil by investing in the development of alternate energy sources like solar, wind and geothermal power.”

Furthermore, public opinion on this matter may not be where Latham thinks it is. The polling firm Rasmussen says the public is divided on whether more drilling is the answer:

A new Rasmussen Reports national survey, taken last night (Monday), finds that 45% think placing more restrictions on energy speculators is more important , while 42% take the opposite view that allowing offshore oil drilling is more important.

A major partisan divide on the issue, like the split in Congress, is evident, however. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of Republicans say lifting the ban is the highest priority, while 59% of Democrats – and 48% of unaffiliated voters — say controlling speculators is more important. Only 29% of unaffiliateds say lift the ban first.

Unaffiliated or “no-party” voters have a slim plurality among registered voters in Iowa’s fourth district, and there are about 8,000 more Democrats than Republicans in the district.

If Rasmussen’s findings are accurate, it seems that Latham is out of step with his district on this issue.

If you reject Latham’s misleading spin on energy policy, please donate to Greenwald’s campaign to help her respond on the air. She has a lot going for her in this race and a real chance to win if she raises enough money to get her message out. Remember, the fourth district has a partisan index of D+0.

Final note: Latham’s press release says the radio ad is running statewide. That’s a lot more expensive than just running the ad in fourth district markets.

Is he trying to raise his profile outside his district to pave the way for a gubernatorial bid in 2010? If he loses to Greenwald, he could start campaigning for governor immediately. But even if he wins re-election, serving in Congress isn’t much fun when you’re in the minority party.  

A busy week campaigning across the 5th district:

The highlight of the past week was the opening of the Centre County Democratic Campaign Headquarters in State College.  Over 200 people were on hand to celebrate  the opening that included a round of rousing speeches from candidates and campaign representatives including Greg Stewart and Jay Paterno for the Obama campaign, Auditor General Jack Wagner, State Representative Scott Conklin and candidate for state representative Joanne Tosti-Vasey.  I want to thank and congratulate Centre County Democratic Chair Diane Gregg, Greg Stewart, Ben Flatgard and everyone else involved in getting the headquarters up and running.  Having a facility like this in downtown State College is going to be a tremendous help to all the candidates and the people who are working on the campaigns.

This week I made a trip to Harrison Valley in Potter County for Tioga / Potter Counties Farm Bureau picnic.  I got the chance to field some questions on issues that concern the farming communities in a rural part of the district.  Not surprisingly, the subject of natural gas drilling that is going on throughout the district also came up.

The weeks events also included a visit to New Bethlehem for the Clarion County Fair, to Pleasant Gap in Centre County for a parade and to Oil City in Venango County also for a parade.  The week concluded with Kelly and I attending Dan Surra’s “Night at the Races” annual fundraiser Saturday evening and on Sunday I attended the AFL-CIO regional trap shoot held at the Fox Township Sportsman’s Club in Elk County.

The coming week will close out July and we’ll be into August with 3 months to go until Election Day.  

Mark B. McCracken

Your Candidate For Congress

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This diary is cross-posted at McCracken’s campaign blog, PA’s Blue Fifth

Mark McCracken for Congress

ActBlue page

Tomorrow Saturday July 26 marks the beginning of the 100 Days to Victory campaign. I’m calling on anybody and everybody across the country to help Scott Harper in IL-13 by phonebanking for half an hour calling just 5 people from a list of names and numbers and a script we’ll send you via email or fax. This is an excellent opportunity for newbies to get their feet wet volunteering for a campaign and you don’t have to be anywhere near Illinois to participate. You don’t need any campaign experience to help. If you know how to use a telephone that’s good enough. Of course if you’re an experienced activist who wants to do more you can make as many calls as you want and we’ll also be canvassing and phonebanking from many locations across the district. If you’re close by campaign HQ in Naperville we’re meeting at 1pm for a group photograph. We’re gonna have with free pizza, so bring the kids and we’ll have a great time.  

So read on for details about why you should spend a little time tomorrow and links to how you can help.  

We’ll be identifying voters which means we’re simply asking them a few questions to discern their political leanings. There’s no persuasion involved, we’re not “selling” the candidate and most folks are more than happy to answer our questions.

Now why should you get involved in this race? Well first of all I met Scott at Yearly Kos last summer. He was looking to get involved in politics after a successful business and academic career and he figured there was no better place to start. I invited him to our local township Dem meeting where our leadership recruited him to run in the 13th. Scott is a smart dedicated Democrat with a lot of real world experience who will help President Obama end the occupation of Iraq and rebuild our country. You can look up more of his bio and positions here.

Harper outraised 10 year incumbent, and Bush favorite Judy Biggert in the second quarter. He’s also already outraised her four previous Dem challengers combined and beat her and her even more wingnuttery primary challenger (is wingnuttery a word? if not I just coined it, so there Colbert) together in the primary by 25,000 votes on Super Tuesday. CQ, a little behind the times imo has just uprated this seat from “safe repub” to “repub favored”. From what I’ve seen and heard canvassing and phonebanking since March it’s a toss up right now. With Obama and Durbin at the top of the ticket I think we’re have a better than even chance. The point is, this is no quixotic campaign, we’re doing what it takes to win this race, not just show.  

Two weeks ago on July 13th Harper’s campaign organized the biggest canvassing event Dems have ever seen in IL-13. In July no less. This was a tremendous effort, we put a lot into it, phonebanking for weeks on end to get volunteers to give up a Saturday in midsummer to come out and canvass with us.

The poor field manager Rich who we’ve been working like a sled dog finally got some time off afterward and spent a long weekend with his buds at the Maryland shore burning off a few brain cells and recharging his batteries. I’m happy to report he’s back at work, sending out emails and holding two phone conversations at once while trying to get the printer working with his toes. Well ok, maybe that’s an exaggeration but not much of one. Everybody at the HQ is working their butts off. And Rich hasn’t walked into a wall even once since he came back so that’s a real positive development. So why do are we doing this again so soon you may ask? Aren’t we running the risk of burning ourselves out before the playoffs start?

Well in case you haven’t heard the DCCC has announced a contest, the 100 Days to Victory Challenge, inspired I’d like to think by our success a couple weeks ago, calling on all Dem House challengers to see who can attract the most volunteers to their campaign for one day: tomorrow.

The winner gets a email blast to the 3 million people on DCCC chair Chris Van Hollen’s email list and a whole a lot of respect (not to mention name rec) from Democrats all across the country.

So here we go again, all hands of deck, we’re gearing up again. If you live in a safe Dem district or a red district that’s hopeless this is one race where you can make a real difference. Wherever you are, please sign up today. Scroll down to the bottom of the link below. If you give us your name, email address and zipcode and we’ll get back to you tomorrow with a script and five names to call. Like I said this shouldn’t take more than half an hour of your time and you’d be helping one of our best Dem House challengers with a great shot at turning a longstanding Repub district blue. Here’s the link.  

At Ryan for Kentucky, we believe that the playing field has been tilted against working families for far too long. My whole life, it seems that war has been waged on union workers and workers attempting to form new unions. I have witnessed this personally in a union fight. Although initially, 80% of the workers at our warehouse signed on to become union, the long process allowed the company to come in and “behind the scenes” peel off these votes. How? By turning worker against worker. Promising promotion of certain workers, and higher wages and more benefits if the union failed.

In the end, After workers being bribed and intimidated on the day of the union vote, it failed by one vote. Then, a month after the union vote, ou company announced it was shutting down our warehouse and moving elsewhere.

Yes, the playing field has long been tilted against workers in this country organizing new unions. The Bush years have only seen it grow worse. Our Representative, Exxon Ed Whitfield has been a constant enemy of workers having the right to organize for better lives.

He voted against the Employee Free Choice Act which would put an end to the problems I just described. Yes, to millionaires like Ed Whitfield, employees should not have the right to negotiate with corporations and companies that pull in billions of dollars a year for better wages and benefits.

But it goes much deeper than that. Exxon Ed Whitfield never met a free trade agreement he didn’t love. Forget the fact that American high-paying middle-class jobs that have been the backbone of this country since WWII are being shipped overseas by greedy corporations. Forget the fact that Free Trade has cost the American worker dearly, Exxon Eddie doesn’t even believe in helping those whose livelihoods were lost by the corporate sponsored government policies of greed, and profit:

Voted NO on assisting workers who lose jobs due to globalization.

H.R.3920: Trade and Globalization Act of 2007: Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to allow the filing for trade adjustment assistance (TAA) by adversely affected workers. Revises group eligibility requirements for TAA to cover: (1) a shift of production or services to abroad; or (2) imports of articles or services from abroad.

Proponents support voting YES because:

Rep. RANGEL: In recent years, trade policy has been a dividing force. This legislation develops a new trade policy that more adequately addresses the growing perception that trade is not working for American workers. The Trade and Globalization Assistance Act would expand training and benefits for workers while also helping to encourage investment in communities that have lost jobs to increased trade–particularly in our manufacturing sector. The bill is a comprehensive policy expanding opportunities for American workers, industries, and communities to prepare for and overcome the challenges created by expanded trade.

Reference: Trade and Globalization Assistance Act; Bill HR3920 ; vote number 2007-1025 on Oct 31, 2007

http://www.massscorecard.org/H…

Lets look back at all the bad deals Exxon Ed Whitfield has voted for to destroy the American middle-class, and preserve corporate profits at all costs. His old buddy Tom Delay, whom he Tried to bail out and voted with 91% of the time  co-sponsored this one:

Voted YES on implementing free trade agreement with Chile.

United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act: Vote to pass a bill that would put into effect a trade agreement between the US and Chile. The agreement would reduce tariffs and trade barriers between the US and Chile. The trade pact would decrease duties and tariffs on agricultural and textile products. It would also open markets for services. The trade pact would establish intellectual property safeguards and would call for enforcement of environmental and labor standards.

Reference: Bill sponsored by DeLay, R-TX; Bill HR 2738 ; vote number 2003-436 on Jul 24, 2003

And it just goes on and on:

Voted YES on implementing US-Singapore free trade agreement.

Vote to pass a bill that would put into effect a trade agreement between the United States and Singapore. The trade agreement would reduce tariffs and trade barriers between the United States and Singapore. The agreement would remove tariffs on goods and duties on textiles, and open markets for services The agreement would also establish intellectual property, environmental and labor standards.

Reference: US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement; Bill HR 2739 ; vote number 2003-432 on Jul 24, 2003

http://www.massscorecard.org/H…

Voted YES on implementing US-Australia Free Trade Agreement.

United States-Australia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act: implementing free trade with protections for the domestic textile and apparel industries.

Reference: Bill sponsored by Rep Tom DeLay [R, TX-22]; Bill H.R.4759 ; vote number 2004-375 on Jul 14, 2005

http://www.massscorecard.org/H…

Voted YES on implementing CAFTA, Central America Free Trade.

To implement the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement. A vote of YES would:

Progressively eliminate customs duties on all originating goods traded among the participating nations

Preserve U.S. duties on imports of sugar goods over a certain quota

Remove duties on textile and apparel goods traded among participating nations

Prohibit export subsidies for agricultural goods traded among participating nations

Provide for cooperation among participating nations on customs laws and import licensing procedures

Encourage each participating nation to adopt and enforce laws ensuring high levels of sanitation and environmental protection

Recommend that each participating nation uphold the International Labor Organization Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work

Urge each participating nation to obey various international agreements regarding intellectual property rights

Reference: CAFTA Implementation Bill; Bill HR 3045 ; vote number 2005-443 on Jul 28, 2005

Whitfield’s was thedeciding vote on that one.

Then we ended with this:

Voted YES on promoting free trade with Peru.

Approves the Agreement entered into with the government of Peru. Provides for the Agreement’s entry into force upon certain conditions being met on or after January 1, 2008.

Prescribes requirements for:

enforcement of textile and apparel rules of origin;

certain textile and apparel safeguard measures; and

enforcement of export laws governing trade of timber products from Peru.

http://www.massscorecard.org/H…

We need a leader in Washington who doesn’t scorn and ridicule American workers daily. We need a leader in Washington who believes that America should indeed have a middle-class:

It is not hard to figure out that outsourcing American jobs to third world countries is destroying our middle class.  We must stop rewarding companies who send our jobs oversees with tax cuts and begin rewarding companies who invest in our nations future.  

As a member of a staunch union family, and a former union member myself, I understand first hand the need for a living wage as well as benefits and training programs.  I will work tirelessly to fight for the rights of the working person.  For far too long, the citizens of Kentucky have been victimized by the million dollar boy’s club.  It is time for change!

http://www.ryanforkentucky.com…

New leadership brings promise to Kentucky, and American workers!!:

Old leadership brings about the same old complaints:

Please, help us win this race and bring a young, energetic, and most of all compassionate leader who isn’t afraid to fight for workers and Democratic values to Washington: