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View Article  Iowans Know The Source of the Deficit
Iowans Know The Source of the Deficit

by Paul Deaton

"
It is easy to harp about the size of government and deficit spending. It is easy to say we are “taxed enough already.” What is harder is for congressmen and women to demonstrate the political will to take action that impacts everyone in the country in the pocketbook..."

When Paul O’Neill was appointed Treasury Secretary, some of us were hopeful that something positive would come out of the George W. Bush presidency, which seemed to be heading for mediocrity before September 11, 2001. O’Neill was CEO of Alcoa, and through conversations with friends and business associates who worked there and knew O’Neill, all indications were that it was a well managed company. If O’Neill could do for the country, what he had done at Alcoa, then there was hope.

In an often reported dialogue with Vice President Dick Cheney, O’Neill warned that the surpluses of the Clinton administration had dissipated and that growing budget deficits, that were expected to hit half a trillion dollars at the time, threatened the economy.  Cheney responded, “You know, Paul, Reagan proved deficits don’t matter. We won the midterms. This is our due.” It was a defining moment in the Bush-Cheney administration. O’Neill was fired soon after this discussion.

In Iowa, there are 15 challengers to the three incumbent Democrats in congress. They frame themselves as conservatives and some express anger at the spending that is going on in Washington. No one wants to burden our children and grandchildren with the debt that is mounting from the financial crisis about which O’Neill warned us. Part of me wonders where these folks have been during the last ten years. More importantly, what do they propose to do about it?

It is fair to ask these conservatives whether they will support President Obama’s plan. On February 18, President Obama signed an executive order creating a bipartisan national commission on fiscal responsibility and reform, saying we need to make “the tough choices necessary to solve our fiscal problems,” putting “everything on the table” for discussion. This isn’t rocket science. Reducing the federal deficit boils down some combination of improving the economy so there are more tax revenues, controlling spending and changing the tax structure so as to yield more revenue. Before Obama’s executive order, both houses of congress considered creating the commission, but could not find the votes. In the Senate, the vote was 53-46 in favor, but in the cynical 111th Congress, it takes 60 Senate votes to get anything done.

Whatever one thinks of the president’s commission, it will produce recommendations, hopefully by the end of 2010. The consideration then will be what Congress will do about the recommendations. Some in Congress are calling for an up or down vote on these recommendations and to this writer; having such a vote seems to be a viable course of action. If such a vote would fail, Congress needs try again and soon, as the issue is too important to go unaddressed.

On Saturday, a small group of us sat down with Congressman Loebsack in the 2nd District to provide feedback. I asked how Congress should address deficit spending. Loebsack framed up an answer along the lines of this post and he has come to understand the congressional dynamics that make this a complex and challenging issue.

As progressives we should not let conservative talk dominate the air waves. It is easy to harp about the size of government and deficit spending. It is easy to say we are “taxed enough already.” What is harder is for congressmen and women to demonstrate the political will to take action that impacts everyone in the country in the pocketbook, which is what the commission’s recommendations, or any other solution, seems certain to do.

Congressman Loebsack understands that there are no easy answers and that is something the conservatives seem reluctant to admit. We should not let them get away with natty sound bites and pabulum, but should bird dog them and call them out on their vapidity. Democrats will be the ones to resolve deficit spending and we shouldn't let up.


~Paul Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend editor of Blog for Iowa. He is also a member of Iowa Physicians for Social Responsibility and Veterans for Peace.
E-mail Paul Deaton
View Article  Iowa Democratic Congressmen See 15 Challengers File

Iowa Democratic Congressmen See 15 Challengers File


by Paul Deaton

"While the field of challengers makes assertions about patriotism and the framers’ intent in the constitution, our Democratic delegation strives to do right by us."

While we waited for the next vote on health care, the Iowa filing period for federal candidates closed and fifteen Republicans lined up to challenge Iowa’s Democratic Congressional delegation, Bruce Braley (1st District), Dave Loebsack (2nd District) and Leonard Boswell (3rd District), in the midterms. The incumbents will face a hard-won campaign and the anticipation is that progressives will support them with vigor. What else could we do, considering the alternative?

The challenger biographies on the web assert their strengths. Each man, and one woman, asserts their viability by distancing themselves from politics as usual whether Republican, Democratic or Washingtonian. It is difficult to characterize the field as a whole, and that seems to be the point. They appear to seek a return to the agrarian individualism that characterized the pre-industrial age, only with Twitter accounts.

These Republicans talk a lot about the founding fathers, patriotism and the constitution. It drives me crazy. My ancestors were named Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson in honor of famous Virginians, but weren’t famous themselves. Our family established itself in Virginia a hundred years before the American Revolution. It was unclear that there was going to be a country, even when seven Virginians signed the Declaration of Independence. We thought, like many did, that things could be worked out with King George. We were wrong about that. My family continues to assert that our relatives won the Revolutionary War in the Wilderness. It all seems pretty far fetched in 21st century Iowa.

The truth is that while the artifacts of a person’s life might make a great story, we have at best an inadequate view of what 17th and 18th century folks outside the landed gentry thought or intended. Each of us spins a story about what remains. The artifacts of history are mute in and of themselves.  

In the case of the constitution, we have been interpreting those words since they were written. Part of signing the constitution was the unwritten agreement to delay consideration of the slavery question for the first 20 years of the republic. Thank the Quakers for remembering and lobbying for abolition at the first congress in Philadelphia. I suspect there have been unwritten deals in the capitol throughout our history. It is part of who we are as a people.

What I know is that my family was not one of the seven Virginians and members of the landed gentry that signed the Declaration of Independence. We had other worries then and still do. When I consider the worries of middle class Americans and the harshness of society in the post Reagan era, I am thankful for Braley, Loebsack and Boswell. I feel they represent our voices.

While the field of challengers makes assertions about patriotism and the framers’ intent in the constitution, our Democratic delegation strives to do right by us, right here and right now. We sent them to Washington to bring change and they are. In the opinion of this writer, they have earned our support.

~Paul Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend editor of Blog for Iowa. He is also a member of Iowa Physicians for Social Responsibility and Veterans for Peace. E-mail Paul Deaton

View Article  IPP Report on Fixing Healthcare in Iowa
IPP Report on Fixing Healthcare in Iowa


Iowa Policy Project senior research consultant Colin Gordon has issued a  new report for the IPP,
“Prescriptions and Placebos: Fixing Health Care in Iowa.”

To view the report, see:
<http://www.iowafiscal.org/2006docs/061127-health-full-format.pdf>

To view the executive summary, see:
<http://www.iowafiscal.org/2006docs/061127-ifp-HC-XS.pdf>

To view the news release, see:
<http://www.iowafiscal.org/2006docs/061127-hc-release.pdf>

Below are links to a couple of the many media reports published or aired about Colin’s report:
WHO Radio: Health Care Rx <http://www.whoradio.com/pages/news/local/index.html?feed=121648&article=1533529>
Quad-City Times: Expanded access to health care urged <http://www.qctimes.net/articles/2006/11/28/news/state/doc456bc72f883e8374742544.txt>

In the Cedar Rapids Gazette, James Lynch reported that Gordon “recommended ... that Iowa lawmakers scrap the ‘piecemeal’ approach they’ve used in recent years if their goal is health care coverage that is affordable, accessible and maintains a high level of quality.” From his story:

   ‘‘Our health care financing system does not work, and it’s understandable that state legislators see a need to step in,’’ said Gordon, a senior research consultant for the Iowa Policy Project and co-author of the report — Prescriptions and Placebos: Fixing Health Care in Iowa — for the non-partisan Iowa Fiscal Partnership. ‘‘They must be careful, however, to take a long-term view and not miss the underlying problem of spiraling health care costs.’’

    Previous efforts have encouraged employer-based coverage through tax credits, small-employer purchasing pools, mandates for large employers and other ideas, said Gordon, a historian who wrote ‘‘Dead on Arrival: The Politics of Health Care in Twentieth-Century America.’’

    On their own, these proposals represent a fragmented approach to the problem that would do little to expand coverage or increase affordability, and could actually make things worse, he said.

    ‘‘I really think that trying to patch up employer-based insurance is like moving furniture into a burning house. It guarantees double-digit inflation and rising uninsurance into the future,’’ Gordon said.

We encourage your review of this new report as the Iowa General Assembly prepares to return to the Statehouse in January.

Best regards,
 
Mike Owen
Assistant Director
The Iowa Policy Project
(319) 338-0773 Iowa City
(319) 643-3628 West Branch
ipp@Lcom.net
View Article  People Party vs. Money Party: Who's Who Among the Democrats

People Party vs. Money Party: Who's Who Among the Democrats



By David Sirota, AlterNet

The fact that our nation's politics is divided not between Democrats and Republicans but between the People Party and the Money Party is obvious to anyone who looks at the political system honestly (which is to say, not most journalists or Washington political hacks).  Calls for "bipartisanship" and faux "centrism" that has nothing to do with the actual center of American public opinion are most often
moves to prevent the political debate from analyzing the People vs. Money divide that actually fuels our politics. We already have plenty of "bipartisanship" -- Republicans and a faction of Democrats who regularly join hands to screw over the vast majority of Americans.

Many people ask me who? Who are the leading members of both sides of the actual divide? The answer is that there is no official list because no one is forced to formally declare their allegiance to the People Party or the Money Party. But it is fairly obvious which lawmakers in the new majority have specifically defined themselves on economic justice issues.

Though this is by no means a comprehensive list, here are the ones to watch in the coming Congress:

People Party Leaders

Freshman Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jon Tester (D-MT) and Jim Webb (D-VA): This is the core group of economic populists who defined the larger populist trend in the 2006 election. Brown has a long record in the House as an economic justice champion, as has Sanders (who I worked for years ago). Tester (pictured above from an event he did here in Helena last night) made his campaign about cleaning up K Street corruption, and Webb has declared that his top issue is going to be addressing the taboo issue of economic inequality.

Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL): Dorgan has been one of the strongest voices against profiteering by the energy and pharmaceutical companies, and has recently written a book called "Take This Job and Ship It," which is one of the strongest declarations against lobbyist-written trade deals from any sitting Senator in recent memory. Similarly, Feingold has voted against every major lobbyist-written trade deal that has come through the Senate, even airing campaign ads on the issue well before that kind of message became more popular. Kennedy, as the incoming chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee is expected to continue his rabid support for the People Party on nearly every economic issue. And Durbin, now the number two Democrat in the Senate, has also had a solid record on trade, and is additionally talking about pushing public financing of elections -- the most effective way to cut off K Street's ability to manipulate Congress.

House Chairpeople George Miller (D-CA), David Obey (D-WI), John Conyers (D-MI), Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Henry Waxman (D-CA): Miller will now head the Education and Workforce Committee where he is expected to turn his longtime leadership on pension security, wage protection and union organizing rights into legislative action. Obey, who will head the Appropriations Committee (and who I worked for a few years back), will make sure that any budget submitted by the White House that slashes health care, education and labor law enforcement will be dead on arrival, and replaced with a real spending plan that protects people (Obey was the guy who famously authored amendments to slash tax cuts for millionaires in order to better fund these priorities). Conyers will head the Judiciary Committee, which oversees all sorts of regulatory affairs where his pro-consumer record will finally have a chance to shine. Slaughter will chair the powerful Rules Committee -- the panel that governs how the entire chamber operates. She has been an outspoken leader against media consolidation -- one of the toughest issues to champion because the broadcasting industry is so powerful. And finally Waxman will head the Government Reform Committee, where we will now have a chairman who is serious about rooting out the waste, fraud and corruption that has plagued the no-bid Iraq contracts given to President Bush's cronies.

Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Tim Ryan (D-OH), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) Nancy Boyda (D-KS), and Bruce Braley (D-IA): Ohio's trio of Kaptur, Ryan and Kucinich have been among the staunchest critics of lobbyist-written trade pacts and advocates for the middle-class agenda in the House. Freshmen Boyda and Braley both ran their campaigns almost exclusively on the trade issue. In Braley's case, the Wall Street Journal noted that he made opposition to the Bush administration's free-trade agenda a centerpiece of his campaign" urging "more focus on labor rights in national trade policy and talked of using economic sanctions to keep America competitive."

Money Party Leaders

Sen. Chuck Schumer and Reps. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) and Steny Hoyer (D-MD): All three of these men, now in leadership positions, have made very little effort to conceal that they answer to Big Money interests. Schumer, for instance, recently trumpeted a new report calling for post-Enron corporate reforms to be gutted. Emanuel was the architect of NAFTA who used the prospect of his being in the majority on the Ways and Means Committee to suck corporate cash out of Wall Street. Hoyer bragged on his website about starting his own K Street Project, and, as I documented in Hostile Takeover, one of his top legislative staffers serves simultaneously as an official for his corporate fundraising operation -- 'nuff said.

To read the rest of this article, click here:



 
View Article  Loebsack's Going to DC, and Other Dem Victories
Loebsack's Going to DC
(and other dem victories)


By Sam Garchik

Dave Loebsack ran a great, dignified campaign against a tough opponent, and did what no other challenger could do in 30 years. He beat Jim Leach. Way to go Dave. Enjoy DC.

Bruce Braley beat a tough opponent also, as did Leonard Boswell. Iowa now has three Democratic Congressmen. Times are good. Thanks also to Selden Spencer and Joyce Schulte, who ran good campaigns in tough areas.

We also have a new Democratic governor, a new Democratic Secretary of State, and a good candidate for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture in 4 years. O'Brien ran a good campaign about important issues, and should continue to work for the people in the state of Iowa. We need her.

On to the Iowa House. Andrew Wenthe, McKinley Bailey, and Eric Palmer beat two tough  GOP incumbents. As did Elesha Gayman, who, at 28, is, I think, Iowa's youngest ever female elected to the State House. She will work there with Tyler Olson, who graduated high school in 1994. The future of our party is in good hands. Meanwhile, Social Studies Teacher Art Staed takes over a former GOP seat, as did Doris Kelley. Mark Nolte and Sally Vitamvas both ran good campaigns, but came up short.

The State Senate also went well for Democrats. Rob Hogg, Bill Heckroth, and Stacci Appel all won seats previously held by Republicans, Becky Schmitz beat an incumbent in Southern Iowa.

More results are here, and more commentary will be forthcoming.
View Article  New Video On Loebsack
New Video On Loebsack
 
By Sam Garchik
 
Dave Bradley made this video, but more are available at youtube.
 
Also, I saw Dave's first TV ad. This race is looking tight.
 
 
Four more days. Keep up the good work.
View Article  Beware the Whalen Phonies

Actors in New Whalen Ad Are as Phony As Charges Leveled

By Jeff Giertz

 Waterloo, Iowa– Today the campaign of First District Democrat Bruce Braley released the following statement in response to another false attack ad from Bush-Republican CEO Mike Whalen.

 “Mike Whalen can’t find real Iowans to attack Bruce Braley, so he has to use actors,” Braley campaign spokesman Jeff Giertz said.  “It’s no surprise that a George Bush Republican would use these tried and true Washington tactics to attack a political opponent.

 “Now that these facts have come to light, can Mike Whalen be trusted to level with the people of Iowa?”

 Whalen’s new ad features “Ann,” a pregnant woman who cannot find a doctor because of Bruce Braley.  The ad also features “Dave,” a man who can’t find a job because of Bruce Braley.

 But “Ann” and “Dave” are both actors; footage used in the Whalen ad can be found at Getty Images’ online film database, http://creative.gettyimages.com.

 It seems like history is repeating itself.  In 2002, Republican US Senate candidate Greg Ganske was widely criticized after using an actress in an attack ad who falsely claimed to be an Iowan

 The Iowa City Press-Citizen called the Ganske ad “an intentional deception of Iowa voters.”  Columnist Rekha Basu called the Ganske ad “fraud.”  [Press Citizen, 9/20/02; Register, 9/15/02]

 The Whalen ad featuring actors can be viewed at the following link:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8XbsZnT7eE

 The stock footage of “Ann” from the Getty Images database can be viewed at:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMKMAdaY3Mg

 The stock footage of “Dave” from the Getty Images database can be viewed at:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POFiaCOdh3E

View Article  Braley Attacked by Enron Lobbyist

Braley Attacked by Enron Lobbyist


By Rapid Reponse

A well connected Enron lobbyist has entered the First District Congressional race funding negative campaign ads against Bruce Braley.  Sue Walden, a former lobbyist for Enron, is listed in IRS documents as the contact person for the 527 smear group, “Americans for Honesty in Issues”.    She was also a Bush Pioneer for 2000 and 2004 and a Bush Ranger for 2004. 
 
 
http://www.whitehouseforsale.org/contributorsandpaybacks/pioneer_search.cfm
 
Americans for Honesty on Issues (EIN: 134341094) is a 527 committee running attack ads against nine Democrat candidates in the 2006 mid-term elections, the New York Times reported
(http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/11/us/politics/11donate.html?ref=politics&pagewanted=print) October 11, 2006. It states that its purpose is "to engage in political issue communications in compliance with Federal and state laws."
 
Although the new political action committee incorporates the word "honesty" in its name, little honesty has been employed by the organization regarding information about itself.
 http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Americans_for_Honesty_on_Issues

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