Give em Hell, Marcy

I think we should make my Congresswoman, Marcy Kaptur, an honorary lefty blogger.  Check out her shorter version of why the Bailout is Teh Suck!

Sounds Like Insider Trading To Me! Rep Kaptur
HT: Kossack Tunney

She ain't buying the charade.  Throwing out a Trillion Bucks without so much a real hearing before any real committees, with no time to analyze or consult with any non-crony experts on whether it will even work and what unintended consequences await.

Yes, that is the same dress as last time.  Reward good behavoir and help a lady out with a proper wardrobe.

The last time I lived in a District where my Representative was even more liberal than me was when I went to school in Dennis Kucinich's playground -- but no one beat Jim Trafficant for sheer wackyness where I grew up. Both of them made my other reps, Lou Stokes and Stephanie Tubbs-Jones, seem downright mainstream. Now Marcy, god love her, completes the cycle -- leading me to ever more DFH behavior. I've never had occasion to write one of them to stop being a pussy or angry that they were in the pocket of someone with a big fat checkbook. Invariably they've inspired me to remind my kids (and you) that some of the most dangerous enemies this nation has live right here, selling snake oil.

Ahh, screw it. I might as well admit right now I've been known to say "Go Blue!" on occasion, just to piss off my father-in-law; and actually have a Michigan cap buried in my closet under all the required Ohio State gear all Ohioans are issued at birth. Living in THE most liberal districts in Ohio sure has skewed my take on my fellow Buckeyes -- and I even spent a summer at OSU a hundred years ago taking classes, chasing girls and searching in vain for decent pot. (All the good stuff was in Athens, home of my beloved yet eternally hopeless Bobcats, the only blue county south of Columbus.)

The Netroots New Favorite Congressperson

Is mine. Marcy Kaptur lets Wall Street and the Administration have it right between the eyes.

Let's Play "WALLSTREET BAILOUT" The Rules Are... Rep Kapture

Kossack gsadamb's diary featuring this video was a hit, climbing to the top of the Rec List.  Here's his summation of Kaptur's demands, which can be summed up in her bill, H.R. 1452: Establishing the Select Committee on Financial Bailouts in which we let loose the hounds and frog march the perpetrators.

Wall Street and the Administration want to play the bailout game, and this is how they propose to do it:

1.) Rush the decision

2.) Disarm the public through fear

3.) Control the playing field (hide info from the public, hold private hearings, and private teleconferencing calls)

4.) Divert attention and keep people confused

5.) The goal is to privatize gains and socialize losses

She went on to rip Wall Street a new one:

You have perpetrated the greatest financial crimes ever on this
American Republic. You think you can get by with it because you are
extraordinarily wealthy, and the largest contributors to both
presidential and congressional campaigns in both major parties.

She proposed a new set of points for her game, "Wall Street Reckoning." The basic points of this game are:

America doesn't need to bail you out. It needs to secure real assets and property.

Federal regional reserve banks should have a new job to help renegotiate mortgages.

American people should get equity in any companies.

Major job creation to rebuild our infrastructure.

Regulate, we need a modern Glass-Steagall act.

Refinancing must return a major share of profits to a new social security and medicare lockbox.

She finished with this: "Real reform now or nothing."

It's a hit at DIGG TOO with almost 2800 diggs and 300 comments, more than at Daily Kos.

America, you need more like Ms. Kaptur. But you'll have to get your own, she's mine.  But that doesn't mean you can't reward good behavoir!

OH-05 Why Weirauch Rocks

My first question was, "Is she the real deal?"

The answer I got was a resounding, "Yes." Robin Weirauch, running for the Fifth Congressional District in Ohio is the real deal, someone who is as sick of the rubber-stamp, Bush enabling Congress as the rest of us.

She knows it's time to end, not extend the war in Iraq and start rebuilding our own infrastructure and boost our first defenders instead of pouring more money into the bottomless pit in Baghdad. From listening to her, she believes, as we all know, that real leaders in Congress can end this war. I get the impression that the current leadership in Congress won't get a free ride from her like so many Blue Dogs from red districts.

Running an internet friendly campaign, you can see her announcement as she threw her hat in the ring on YouTube.

We're told by her campaign manager, Ben Krompak:

With the passing of Rep. Paul Gillmor, there will be a special election (primary: November 6th, general: December 11th) to chose his successor.

Democrat Robin Weirauch ("why-rock") is a dynamic and progressive leader who can win in this usually Republican district.

I was fortunate enough to meet Ben this summer and found a kindred spirit. So when he says she's, "The real deal. Take it to the bank," it's a lock folks.

Seven of the 16 County Democratic Parties that make up the district have endorsed her, almost immediately upon entering the race -- including the biggest, Wood County, along with Crawford, Paulding, Williams, Defiance, Fulton, and Putnam Counties. For the lowdown on the Fifth District, check out this excellent diary at Swing State Project that breaks out all the numbers and trends -- which look very good for those of us looking for a Democratic pickup of a traditionally Republican seat.

Upon learning that he did not get the Wood County endorsement, Weirauch's only serious primary competition, Dr. Earl Campbell of Perrysburg dropped out. The other nominal Democratic contender refers to himself as "a very dark horse."

With a degree in business administration and a masters degree in public administration (you know, an advanced education in how to make government actually work, not just how to get elected), and eight years experience as the Assistant Director of the Center for Regional Development at BGSU providing economic assistance and community development research to 27 counties in Northern Ohio, she knows more than a thing or two about what the region's needs and how make effective use of our area's resources.

She has name recognition throughout the district, having been the Democratic challenger to an entrenched and well-funded republican twice before, and cutting the margin she lost by in half last time out. Politico.com would like to write off District 5 as an easy GOP victory before they sort through their five candidates -- their very well funded candidates. It seems the anti-tax fanatics at Club For Growth have taken an interest in the campaign and are throwing around a lot of cash on the GOP side.

Club for Growth ran ads against GOP Senator George Voinovich, indicating the former Ohio Governor was not conservative enough for them. (As If!) They desperately want to keep this District a bastion for Bush loyalists and are willing to pay the price to keep it sliding further to the left. This area that comprises the greater part of Northwestern Ohio voted overwhelmingly for Democratic Governor Ted Strickland and went for Sherrod Brown by 51%.

If Robin gets enough support, she definitely can win this thing, especially if the Party Elders in Washington take notice that she has a real shot. They will notice if we can help her get the ball rolling.

There's not a lot of time to gather our forces to combat the GOP contender, whichever one can prove he's more conservative than the others. To that end . . .

Fellow members of the Reality Based Community, I'd like to present my new Act Blue Page: Bloggers For Weirauch!

We have a real opportunity show the power of the Netroots in this race by contributing at this corner of the interwebs, specifically set aside for progressive bloggers to donate to a Democrat with the first decent chance to change this traditionally Red district a nice shade of Blue since the 1930's!

For the first time in half a century we have a real opportunity to end the lock business-as-usual interests of Northwestern Ohio have held over this important region with a dynamic and progressive leader -- someone with the experience and knowledge to improve this area and not just exploit it.

We have a once in a life-time opportunity to change the course of our future, sending someone who rejects the failed Republican Party policies that have led us to war, high unemployment, corruption, waste and destruction of our environment.

This is a race where your dollars can make the difference. Please make a contribution to this critical cause today.

Okay, that's the "ask" folks. She has a primary challenger who, frankly, does not look like a serious contender. What she faces in the General on December 11th though is a real war with some well connected players in the GOP machine.

Man the battlements folks. Summers over. It's campaign season and only nine weeks until election day. Contribute Today.

Let's. Make. History.

Iraq Funding and the Ohio Delegation

The Capitulation Bill is now history. Wisely, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama waited until their votes were not needed, and voted against it. But what about your congress critter.

I was glad to see my Congresswoman, Marcy Kaptur (D - 09) join Dennis Kucinich (D - 10) in refusing to renew Bush's blank check for his war without end. Nor was it a suprise to see Betty Sutton (D - 13) stay true to her principles after authoring a bill which would have begun withdrawing combat troops from Iraq within 90 days, with all of them gone within six months.

Tim Ryan (D - 17) is now officially forgiven (at least as far as I'm concerned) for Pork Chop-Gate because he refused to endorse the Iraq madness any longer.

However, Charles Wilson (D - 06) joins Zack Space (D - 18) on my list (the bad one) for cow-towing to the pressure of being a Democrat in a red district. Zack had already made my list for joining with Mean Jean Schmidt (R - 02) in backing the plan to recycle nuclear waste in Pinkton.

Zack, Charlie, a lot of real Democrats across Ohio fought for you guys. You got some serious problems if you think that catering to the conservatives will help you keep your seats. Get a clue, they hate you anyway. Now you pissed off the rest of us.

Good Luck in '08. You're on your own, at least for now.

Two notes of interest. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (D - 11) did not vote. (Okay, not so interesting.) What was priceless was watching our own Minority Leader, John Boehner (R - 08) break down and cry like a little Georgie Voinovich right there on the House floor.

Pathetic.

If you'd like to bust the chops of your Congress Critter, look under the flap.

Oh, and one more thing....
Screw You Sherrod Brown. Paul Hackett wouldn't have betrayed us like this.

Senator George Voinovich (R- OH)	202-224-3353	202-228-1382
Senator Sherrod Brown (D- OH)	202-224-2315	202-228-6321
Representative Steve Chabot (R - 01)	202-225-2216	202-225-3012
Representative Jean Schmidt (R - 02)	202-225-3164	202-225-1992
Representative Mike Turner (R - 03)	202-225-6465	202-225-6754
Representative Jim Jordan (R - 04)	202-225-2676	202-226-0577
Representative Paul E. Gillmor (R - 05)	202-225-6405	202-225-1985
Representative Charles Wilson (D - 06)	202-225-5705	202-225-5907
Representative David L. Hobson (R - 07)	202-225-4324	202-225-1984
Representative John A. Boehner (R - 08)	202-225-6205	202-225-0704
Representative Marcy Kaptur (D - 09)	202-225-4146	202-225-7711
Representative Dennis J. Kucinich (D - 10)	202-225-5871	202-225-5745
Representative Stephanie T. Jones (D - 11)	202-225-7032	202-225-1339
Representative Patrick J. Tiberi (R - 12)	202-225-5355	202-226-4523
Representative Betty Sutton (D - 13)	202-225-3401	202-225-2266
Representative Steve C. LaTourette (R - 14)	202-225-5731	202-225-3307
Representative Deborah Pryce (R - 15)	202-225-2015	202-225-3529
Representative Ralph Regula (R - 16)	202-225-3876	202-225-3059
Representative Tim Ryan (D - 17)	202-225-5261	202-225-3719
Representative Zack T. Space (D - 18)	202-225-6265	202-225-3394