Democratic National Committee

Fantastic Victory For Florida And America: The Defeat Of Congressman Allen West, And The Election Of Patrick Murphy To Congress!

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Finally, two weeks after the election, the victory of Patrick Murphy over Congressman Allen West in the new 18th Congressional District of Florida has been accomplished!

West has refused to concede, despite Murphy’s 2,000 plus vote lead, but he finally gave up the fight today!

West’s loss, along with defeated Congressman Joe Walsh of Illinois, by Tammy Duckworth, are the two biggest Democratic victories in the House of Representatives against the Tea Party Republican mentality which elected both of them two years ago.

West was a literal nightmare, totally rude, obnoxious, inappropriate in his attacks on other members of Congress, including Debbie Wasserman Schultz, his colleague in South Florida, and head of the Democratic National Committee, and also disturbing to the extreme for his statements that most members of the Democratic Caucus were Socialists and Communists, leading this author to call him the “black Joseph McCarthy”!

West is very unstable, and seriously needs a psychiatric examination, particularly because of his abuse of an Iraqi prisoner of war in 2003, for which he was drummed out of the military, and forced into retirement. West has an anger problem, and he is a divisive figure, who has no asset worthy of being in public office ever again!

Meanwhile, young Patrick Murphy offers the opportunity for a talented accountant with an open mind, who really cares about all of the people in his district, and is certain to do a positive job in the House of Representatives. Florida and his 18th Congressional district have made a great judgment in giving Murphy the responsibility to speak for them in Washington, DC. He is certain NOT to disappoint!

Rumors About Nancy Pelosi Leaving As Democratic Minority Leader: Who Might Replace Her if She Left?

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There are rumors emanating from the US Capitol that House Democratic Minority Leader and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of California may decide to leave her position, and maybe even retire from Congress during the next two year term of the Congress.

Pelosi has been wonderful leader, and accomplished a lot during her four year Speakership, and would be missed if she left.

But assuming she does, who might replace her, and become the next potential Speaker of the House in two years, if the Democrats were to gain 17 seats, which is certainly possible?

House Minority Whip, Number Two in command, Steny Hoyer of Maryland, has been an excellent lieutenant, but always has wanted to be Speaker, but is also older like Pelosi, and might not be where the new Democrats in the party want to go.

Congressman Steve Israel, from Suffolk County, Long Island, New York,is a member of Congress for 12 years, and the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He is well liked and would have some major support.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Congresswoman from Broward County in South Florida for eight years, and the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is probably the favorite of the Obama White House with her boundless energy and assertive leadership.

What excellent choices, with this author’s preference being Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who it has been long rumored, eventually hopes to be Speaker of the House! He has met her, and is extremely impressed with her commitment and dedication to public service!

This new Congress, it is possible that her goal may start to bear fruit!

Florida Congressman Allen West Says Social Security Is A Modern Form Of Slavery!

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Florida Republican Congressman Allen West created a controversy over the weekend, when he compared Social Security and disability benefits to a modern form of slavery.

West said that Barack Obama and the Democrats were promoting dependency and a “plantation mentality” in promoting “welfare programs”.

The problem with what West said is that Social Security payments and disability benefit payments are NOT welfare, as they are contributed to by all those who work, and these payments go primarily to senior citizens, widows and orphans, and those who are disabled through no fault of their own.

This is just another example of the reckless behavior and rhetoric of a Congressman who presently represents a district with a large population of people who receive such benefits, and his new district in Northern Palm Beach County, and Martin and St Lucie Counties, also has a substantial population of such citizens.

So it would seem suicidal what West is saying, but if citizens are not informed, or simply vote out of lack of understanding of the issues that affect them daily, then Allen West could very well be elected to another term in his new district.

It is up to the Democrats and nominee Patrick Murphy to make a concerted campaign to inform the citizens of the new congressional district of the danger and threat that electing West will bring upon them.

West already is on the so called “hit list” of Democrats, and fellow Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, head of the Democratic National Committee, and regularly bitterly attacked by West, is committed to do what is possible to retire Allen West, which would be a great plus for the citizens of his district, Florida, and the nation at large!

40 Years Since The Watergate Scandal Erupted: Its Long Range Effects

Ronald 2 Comments

40 years ago today, the Watergate scandal erupted, as seven “burglars” were caught at the Watergate complex in Washington, DC, inside the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee.

The scandal lasted more than two years before President Richard Nixon was forced to resign, in the midst of an impeachment effort that had succeeded, and would have led to his removal from office had he not resigned.

The events of 40 years ago transformed the Presidency, the news media, the political parties, and Americans’ views of their government.

It has led to investigative media that is ready and willing to expose scandal and evil like never before.

It has led to such partisanship that no President can ever really have a true mandate anymore, and antagonism between the major political parties is at an all time high since the Civil War era.

Most Americans are skeptical of the value and virtues of government, a terrible and tragic event, considering the complex world we live in.

Richard Nixon’s reputation has risen quite a bit since his resignation, as many have realized how tragic his downfall was, as he had actually accomplished a great deal of good, mixed in with the evil events of his Presidency.

Disillusionment with many of his successors in the White House has also helped to make him look “better” in many people’s eyes, but the revelation of new transcripts of the Watergate tapes every year remind us just how dangerous and law breaking the 37th President of the United States actually was.

The need for mental health evaluations of Presidential candidates seem more essential now than ever, considering that there were manifestations of mental illness by Nixon, and instability in behavior by Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush in later times.

The Watergate scandal still fascinates us, as a turning point in American history, on the level of the Civil War and the Great Depression, in its long range impact on the nation.

With the Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, and the major exposer of the scandal, John Dean, still alive and kicking, Watergate in many ways is still current, but the question is whether the lessons of that scandal have been learned in a time when we are having millionaires and billionaires investing obscene amounts in campaign spending on the Presidential campaign, thanks to the disgraceful Citizens United case of the Supreme Court in 2010.

So in a sense, Watergate is the past, but also part of the present political situation, sadly!

Finally! Democratic National Committee Provides Support For Tom Barrett In Scott Walker Recall Election In Wisconsin!

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It has been a long haul to get the Democratic National Committee to recognize that they must provide funds and ground support to the massive effort to help Mayor Tom Barrett of Milwaukee unseat Governor Scott Walker in the recall election in Wisconsin on June 5.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the DNC Chair, announced such support yesterday, a crucial element in the upcoming Presidential election, as if this recall election is lost, it will be a major blow to the Obama re-election campaign.

It is not as if that loss, if it occurs, is a guarantor of trouble in November, but it would be a major setback for progressive forces, as Scott Walker represents the worst of the “Bully Governors” and the Tea Party Movement, which has been the major negative force since the midterm Congressional and state elections of 2010.

The labor movement, the role of education, the effect on women, the role of powerful special interests (including the Koch Brothers), and so many other strands of politics are tied together with the Wisconsin recall race, only the third time there has been a recall election in the history of the United States.

The other two times, in North Dakota in 1921, and in California in 2003, the cause for recall was far less serious than the case is in Wisconsin, but both efforts succeeded.

A victory by Walker would show the power of the wealthy special interests to corrupt our system of government and make life more comfortable for the “one percent” against the “99 percent”, and would set Wisconsin back to before the time of Governor Robert La Follette, Sr., who made “progressivism” a cause that would impact the state and the nation numerous times over the next century.

The battle for progressive reform, and to keep it strong, is a never ending battle, but it is good that the DNC has finally entered the fray!

Allen West Goes Rogue: Calls 80 Democratic House Members “Communists”! The Rise Of A Black Joseph McCarthy!

Ronald 3 Comments

Florida Congressman Allen West, who defeated Congressman Ron Klein in 2010, and went on a rampage against Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, head of the Democratic National Committee, insulting her in the most despicable terms, is running for a new term in a newly created Congressional district in Northern Palm Beach County, as well as Martin and St Lucie Counties further north.

Holding a town meeting, the former Army Lieutenant Colonel, forced out of the military for his inappropriate behavior against an Iraqi detainee in 2003, went off the deep end literally, accusing 80 members of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives of being “Communists”, bringing back the ugly reminder of Wisconsin Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy, who ran rampant from February 1950 to December 1954, accusing everyone under the sun of being a Communist or sympathetic toward Communism, promoting the Red Scare, and in so doing, undermining the Truman and Eisenhower Administrations for nearly five years, until he was finally censured for his misbehavior after nearly five years of demagoguery!

Allen West is a literal wingnut, a whacko, a mentally ill person who has had undiagnosed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and is behaving in a dangerous, aggressive manner, which requires complete denunciation by the House leadership of Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor, as well as GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney!

But will this happen? Of course NOT, and the conservative radio talk show hosts and Fox News Channel will take advantage of his irresponsibility to spread the conspiracy theory and try to connect it to Barack Obama as well!

The lunatic fringe of the party is backing Allen West as a possible Vice Presidential nominee, with Sarah Palin and Herman Cain endorsing West for VP. Is there a need to say anything after that statement, that these two leading examples of totally unqualified political leaders would endorse someone just as dangerous and reckless as they are?

Were Romney to pick West, which he will not do, then we would have to order men in white coats to take him forcibly to a mental hospital for observation and testing!

Romney is not that impractical and crazy, but a repudiation by Romney and a censure of West in the House of Representatives, and a chorus of criticism from party members in the US Senate should be seen as a question of character and legitimacy, if the Republican party is to retain ANY respect with the American people!

Allen West needs to be silenced by the voters of his new congressional district, who have the great alternative of Patrick Erin Murphy to represent them in the 113th Congress!

Everyone, no matter where one lives, needs to contribute to Murphy to save that district and the nation any more public attention paid to this lunatic, dangerous, unstable, reckless excuse for a Congressman! The defeat of Allen West needs to be on the front burner for the next seven months!

The Leading US House Race For 2012: Allen West Vs. Patrick Murphy In Florida

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Probably the most controversial race in 2012 for the House Of Representatives is also the second highest in raising of funds–the race in the new 18th Congressional District in northern Palm Beach County, Martin County, and St. Lucie County between Congressman Allen West (R) and his challenger Patrick Murphy (D).

West, one of two African American Republicans in the House, was elected in what is now the 22nd Congressional District in Palm Beach and Broward Counties, but has decided to compete in a district likely to be more favorable to his right wing conservative and confrontational views. West NEVER is diplomatic, as shown when he condemned Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the head of the Democratic National Committee, as well as the House member from the 20th Congressional District in Broward County and Miami-Dade County, in the strongest possible and insulting terms, and refused to apologize for his rude language, particularly toward a woman!

West served in the Iraq War, but was forced out of the military over his rough treatment of a detainee, and now spews forth his right wing extremism, and has no problem raising money, having gained a total at this time of $5.8 million, more than any House member except Speaker of the House John Boehner. Imagine, he has raised more than House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp of Michigan, and Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the leading figures in the House leadership outside of Speaker Boehner.

This race represents a major challenge for Democrat Patrick Murphy, who operates a company that cleans up oil spills, and has raised $1.42 million so far.

The 28 year old Murphy could be, if elected, the youngest member of the House, unless Ilya Sherman in the 10th Congressional District in Illinois is elected, who is slightly younger than Murphy.

Anyone who wants to see West removed from the House of Representatives should contribute to the Murphy campaign, in what will become the most expensive House race in the entire nation.

Democratic National Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Wikipedia And Republican Mischief

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Democratic National Chairwoman and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of South Florida has been victimized by Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, and Republicans out to do mischief.

Troublemakers inserted incorrect information about the DNC head, stating that disgraced former Broward County Commissioner Diana Wasserman-Rubin is her mother and that Richard Rubin, married to Wasserman-Rubin, in prison for tax evasion, is her stepfather.

The two women are not related, and Wasserman-Rubin is Catholic and Cuban born, while the DNC head is non Hispanic and Jewish.

Conservative bloggers seem to be willing to do anything to spread falsehoods about Democrats, as this is nothing new.

It is essential that Wikipedia take prompt action to rectify the matter, which is still stated as the author writes, in the Debbie Wasserman Schultz article on their site.

Congressman Allen West Should Be Censured For His Vitriolic Attack On Debbie Wasserman Schultz!

Ronald 1 Comment

South Florida has a very large number of senior citizens, who will be affected by the Republican attempt to gut Medicare and Social Security.

Congressman Allen West, one of the most right wing conservatives in Congress, has come out for such cuts, and his colleague, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who is also chair of the Democratic National Committee, criticized his action that will hurt his own constituents. She did not issue a personal attack on West, but when he heard what she had said on the floor of the House of Representatives, he went ballistic!

Already seen as a “loose cannon”, who was forced to leave the military in 2004 because of mistreatment of an Iraqi prisoner of war, West lashed into a bitter personal attack, saying Wasserman Schultz did not act like a lady, and he would not give her, therefore, appropriate respect ordinarily due a fellow member of the House!

West called his colleague “vile, unprofessional, and despicable”, and accused her of “heinous, characterless behavior” unbecoming a member of Congress!

What West needs to do, but will certainly not do, is look in the mirror, realize his temper tantrum was way overboard, and apologize to Wasserman Schultz and all women in America for his lunatic temper and lack of respect for women!

Why has West not learned to be civil, cordial, and congenial with those he does not agree with? Does he really think that hitting someone over the head symbolically with a hatchet is the way to solve disagreements?

West should be censured for his vitriolic attack, as unacceptable behavior! Wasserman Schultz criticized his policy views, while West did a character assassination, totally uncalled for!

However, no such censure will occur, and the best result will be the defeat of West in his congressional district by former West Palm Beach mayor Lois Frankel! This is certainly one of the most significant House races for 2012, even before yesterday’s events!

Obama And Democratic Fund Raising Far Outpaces Republicans In Presidential Race!

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President Obama’s 2012 campaign raised $86 million in the second quarter of 2011, far outpacing the Republicans who raised only about $35 million, less than the $38 million of the Democratic National Committee portion of Obama’s $86 million!

Mitt Romney gained about half of the $35 million, a total of $18 million, with everyone else in the GOP far behind, although Michele Bachmann has not yet released her totals for the second quarter.

The pace of fund raising far outdoes what George W. Bush did in 2004 and Obama himself in 2008, and it proves that it is likely that Obama will raise $1 billion for his campaign by the time it is over!

With such a large Democratic advantage in fund raising, it will be harder for Republicans to run a substantive campaign against Obama, so with all of the problems that Obama has to face, and the challenges he has daily, this is wonderful news!