Mitt Romney: Venn and Now

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Petitition to overturn Citizen United

Let's clean up our electoral process and stand up to the Supreme Court's Citizen United decision. We need to limit and not expand corporate domination of our politics. Here is a petitition link.

Nan Hayworth's Radical Right-Wing Agenda

Following today's MHPA meeting, it was decided that we should keep tabs on our various elected officials, starting with our soon to be Congressperson from the NY 19th district, Dr. Nan Hayworth, seen here with House GOP whip, Eric Cantor.

One question that came up at our meeting today was that of what Nan Hayworth stands for and what she will stand for once she is sworn in. Time will tell, of course, but in the meantime, we can hazard some educated guesses.

The website On the Issues gives us some indication, and it is, of course, some bad news for progressives, as well as for the citizens of the 19th district; in general, Dr. Hayworth looks to be positioning herself to represent a swing district while nonetheless taking a series of very radical right wing positions, including supporting the following statements and positions:

*Cap-and-trade has no impact on global temperatures
*Identify constitutionality in every new congressional bill
*Audit federal agencies, to reform or eliminate them
*Moratorium on all earmarks until budget is balanced
*Defund, repeal, & replace federal care with free market
*Taxpayer Protection Pledge: no new taxes
*Adopt a single-rate tax system
*Repeal tax hikes in capital gains and "death taxes"

In other words, an imbalanced political economy that benefits the economic elites!

The website Left of the Hudson has a series of links on Hayworth and her positions. One particular link that caught my attention raised the following concerns.

At last night's Congressional debate, Nan Hayworth refused to denounce the actions of exrteme Tea Party group, Tri-State Sons of Liberty, which notoriously brands Democrats as "socialists" and "communists" and brazenly flies the Confederate Flag at their rallies. She also refused the repudiate the Club for Growth, which is dedicated to destroying Social Security, pushes for a 23 percent National Sales Tax, which really means higher taxes for the poor and middle class and greatly reduced taxes for the rich, and refers to President Obama as "Comrade."

But Hayorth's no fool, she knows that in order to win this election, she needs to fool the Tea Party folks into thinking she's one of them while also working as a double agent for one of their objects of ire, the pro-TARP Wall Street interests that nearly destroyed our economy. This is a precarious tight-rope she's walking.

Clearly, progressives will need to keep up the pressure on Nan Hayworth so as to counter the far right wing proclivities that she has already clearly expressed.

We need to keep the Alliance going

Following Tuesday's election outcome



we might be seeing these two corrupt elitists running Congress and promising a much more regressive direction for the country. Let's keep the Mid Hudson Progressive Alliance, and other local, grass roots progressive organizations vibrant and active, for the sake of truth and democracy.

"No Compomise", promise the GOP

This article is in today's Daily Kos, in which Republicans let their followers just what's in store, should they win back Congress, i.e., much much more gridlock and ideological warfare.

Beacon Canvas on Sunday

The following message was posted on the MHPA Google page

This Sunday there will be a joint John Hall-Didi Barrett canvass in Beacon.

Canvassers will be meeting at 1pm at Zuzu's on Main Street.

Contact Adrian Culea, Field Organizer, NY-19, New York Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign, (845) 242-5391 if you have any questions.

Polling is showing that this race is statistically tied right now, no matter what the Hayworth campaign may claim.

Also, please everyone, note the following blog post reminder of Nan Hayworth's political extremism

Nan Hayworth is extreme indeed in her support of the "legislative roadmap" crafted by right-wing Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan. Ryan's plan calls for steep cuts in both Social Security, Medicare and other safety net programs, all in the name of reducing the federal debt.

In addition to cutting benefits, the plan calls for diverting individual Social Security contributions to private stock market accounts while, at the same time, leaving the federal government in the position of bailing out beneficiaries if the stock market declines. Ryan's plan also calls for abolishing Medicare for everyone currently below age 55 and replacing it with a voucher for purchasing private insurance. The catch of course is that the proposed voucher amount does not keep pace with increases in the cost of health care so would become increasingly inadequate over time, leaving seniors without access to needed care.

Interviews with the Tea Party

Once upon a time, these sorts of ranting, irrational characters were thought of as a political "lunatic fringe," but now, they have more or less taken over the political party that put one of their own on a national ticket (that, of course, would be a certain Alaskan governor). That they are as prominent as they are, right now, seems to reflect a leadership void in the Republican Party, a party which may possibly gain the House this Fall, but which will then be very unlikely or unwilling to govern; not when it is being dragged around by people such as these.

My thanks to Andrew for posting this link.

Donna Edwards Introduces Constitutional Amendment to Undo SCOTUS Ruling

I am hoping that the MHPA can help support passage of this amendment, so that corporations cannot outright buy and sell our democracy.

The Tea Party is taking its toll on the GOP

A highly recommended essay in the Daily Kos today which lays out the fact that a GOP sweep in the elections this year is hardly a done deal. Huffington Post also has a profile of Sharron Angle pointing to some inherent tensions between the establishment GOP and its loud activist faction.

The hardcore rightward drift of the GOP under the direction of Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and the rest of the Tea Party appears to be taking a very negative toll on the GOP. I would also lump in some of our own candidates in NY, like George Phillips, Carl Paladino, and Nan Hayworth in with the GOP's Tea Party faction. Let's defeat them all this November!

Let's make Election Day a National Holiday!

This is an essay I originally posted on Daily Kos back in September 2008. I still believe in this idea.

Given that California is currently circulating a new initiative petition that would make Election Day a state holiday, I would like to support continuing suggestions that Election Day be made a paid national holiday. Given both the low voting rates in this country and the desire of many who have to work on that day to instead volunteer their day toward the election, such as by serving as an election monitor in a swing state, the status quo is an impediment to democracy.A while back, Senator Debbie Stabenow proposed the national election holiday idea

In an effort to boost participation in the nation's elections, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) offered legislation that would make Election Day in November a national holiday.

Stabenow says her proposal is rooted in studies of voter participation in the world's major democracies and in a survey completed by the U.S. Census Bureau. The legislation also draws on the findings of a bipartisan commission headed by former presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. The commission was created to recommend election reforms after the 2000 election.

"Studies of the 21 most advanced democracies, going all the way back to 1945, show the United States rate of voter participation is one of the lowest in the world - and continues to fall," Stabenow says. "Between 1980 and 2000, voter participation in Australia, Italy, Germany, Denmark and Sweden was 80 percent or better, and participation in Israel, Great Britain and Canada was 70 percent or better. Over the same period, however, voter participation in the United States was just 50 percent."

Stabenow notes a survey done by the U.S. Census Bureau shortly after the 2000 elections that found respondents cited a schedule conflict with work or school as the number one reason for not voting.

"Declaring Election Day a national holiday would make it easier for millions of busy Americans to get to the polls," Stabenow says. "In addition, we would have more public buildings - especially schools - available as potential polling places, and we would have a larger pool of potential poll workers to staff those locations."

Studies suggest that countries that vote on non work days have voting rates about 24% higher than in the U.S.

Of course, critics will counter that businesses would lose a day of productivity. Of course, merchants certainly don't complain when holidays free up people for a day of shopping.

Perhaps, as some suggest, we can trade Columbus Day for a national Electtion Day holiday. After all, why is a discovery myth more important than the vitality of our democracy? Or, perhaps the national election day can be combined with Veterans Day. What a better way to honor veterans than to enhance the sacred act of voting.

Incidentally, here is the link to Stabenow's bill also co-sponsored by Senators Durbin, Kerry, Landrieu, and Levin.

John Hall for Congress

In 2006, the Mid Hudson Progressive Alliance endorsed and supported John Hall for Congress. This year, while we have not yet officially endorsed him, many of our members are active in helping toward his re-election. This year, given the shift in the political climate, he faces a tough fight.

If you want to get involved, here is how.