The Real World Between Cynicism and Optimism

A couple weeks ago, I posted a piece suggesting that readers contact their congressional delegations to voice their opinions on the bail-out bill. First up in the comment section was Kansas City's Best Blogger and nonvoter Meesha, advising me with all his world-weary wisdom that "it will happen anyway".

Sure enough, it happened anyway.

So, was my call to action an exercise in futility? I don't think so, and neither do the millions of people who now will gain access to mental health coverage with their insurance. 24 million taxpayers will get relief from the Alternative Minimum Tax. A lot of changes were made to the bill, some of which were good, some of which were transparent gifts to special interests. The fact remains, though, that our calls got their attention, slowed down the train, and got us at least a more palatable bill.

Total victory? No. Total defeat? No, but dangerously close. Worth a few phone calls? Absolutely.

Call Congress Today - NO to Bail-Outs

I can remember a few years ago when the Bush Administration was begging for authority to act rashly, and the case to support the action was wrapped in secrecy and fear. Congress went along, and America has suffered because of our trust.

Now, the administration wants to launch the most expensive program EVER, without time for debate and without explaining its plans.

Does it make sense to pay higher than market prices for bad assets purchased by people who ought to know better? Is anyone else struck by the handwringing and lack of empathy from Republicans when we were talking about extending unemployment benefits, in contrast to the rush to compassion for the country club Republicans we're seeing now? Why do our schools need bake sales, when $700 billion was available for a compelling need like broke bankers? Why was this money unavailable for the uninsured?

It's bad policy. But it's going to happen if you don't pick up the phone and call Congress and tell them you don't want this to happen.

Here is a site that gives you the contact information for your elected representatives. I will be calling mine today - and, to make it even easier for you, here are the numbers for:

Kit Bond: (202) 224-5721
Claire McCaskill: (816) 421-1639
Emanuel Cleaver: (816) 842-4545

Do NOT assume that any of these individuals will vote the way you expect or hope they would on this matter. In fact, each of them has shown a tendency to favor banking interests over Missourians in the past. They need to hear from you today. Be polite, but be clear. We do not want to shower $700,000,000,000 of our tax dollars on an undisciplined financial services industry.

Irony, thy Name is Brownback

Senator Sam Brownback has complained that the Chinese Government is spying on the internet usage of Americans in China for the Olympics.

He proudly voted in favor of the American Government doing the same thing, and voted in favor of immunizing private companies that helped out.

Incredible.

McCaskill for Veep!

Rumors are plentiful that our local political leading lady, Senator Claire McCaskill, is on the proverbial short list for the Obama Vice President slot. Please, please, please let it be true!

The practical reasons are obvious. McCaskill could help Obama in Missouri - a purple state that could turn blue. She brings a blind loyalty to the Bush administration and its optional war that Obama lacks, and a willingness to support warrantless spying on Americans coupled with an abiding respect for law-breaking telecoms that is new ground for Obama. She could balance out Obama's out-dated support of free speech with an eagerness to use all the power at her disposal to squelch dissent and dictate orthodoxy.

In short, her selection as Veep would be a brilliant way for Obama to demonstrate to America that he supports mainstream Republican values, and will sell America out to the same corporate interests that are accustomed to owning the White House. In selecting McCaskill, Obama could assure a nervous America that change is a buzzword, not a goal.

But those are just the obvious reasons, and I know you expect deeper analysis from me.

Less obviously, but just as importantly, a Veep nomination would be an important step in creating a Lieberman for a new generation. Let's face it - Joe Lieberman is no spring chicken, and America needs to groom a national Democratic voice willing to stand up for Republican values. Just as Lieberman gained that national audience by running in the Vice Presidential slot of a far better person, McCaskill could become recognized as one of the faces of the Democratic Party by being the first tragic misstep of the Obama campaign.

Another less obvious reason for McCaskill to be Obama's veep choice would be her demonstrated willingness to tear down the Democratic Party to promote her own career. She, more than any other Democrat, is responsible for the horror that has been Matt Blunt's term as governor. By opting, against all good advice, to run against sitting Governor Bob Holden in the Democratic primary, she bloodied the eventual gubernatorial nominee and emptied his coffers, making him vulnerable to Matt Blunt. Claire McCaskill represents a "me first" approach to party loyalty that could pay off in ways we cannot even imagine today. Let your imagination run - Claire does. I like to think that she could be the first sitting Vice President to use her Senate seat to filibuster a Democratic bill.

Finally, and this is really why I would, in all sincerity, be thrilled to see McCaskill get the nod for the Vice Presidential slot, it would open up Claire McCaskill's seat for a real Democrat. In exchange for giving her eight years of state dinners and "B list" funerals, we would have an opportunity to run somebody great for her seat without the daunting and improbably prospect of winning both a primary and a general election. With Bond's rumored retirement upcoming, we could wind up with two Democrats from Missouri in the Senate.

McCaskill for Vice President!!

Why I Love Blue Girl

Kansas City is blessed with a bunch of great bloggers (many of whom came out for Viable Third last night), but nobody leaves me thinking "I wish I had written that!" more often than Blue Girl, who posts most regularly at Blue Girl, Red State.

Her most recent jealousy-inspiring post came on Thursday, when she dissected Claire "What Would Jim Talent Do?" McCaskill's most recent betrayal of America in a post entitled "McCaskill lets me down yet again".

I won't summarize it here - just go read it, and when you're there, add her site to your bookmarks. If you want to read more of my adulation of her, go read my blogger appreciation of her.

Thank You, Claire McCaskill

I've not been hesitant to criticize our junior Senator when she's voted as a Republican would. But I'm not going to bring up the past - Senator McCaskill stood up and acted like a Democrat yesterday. When the Republicans counted on her to buckle and give the telecoms immunity for their violation of citizens' privacy, she did the right thing.

Thank you, Senator McCaskill.

Welcome back to the Democratic Party.

Telecom Immunity - McCaskill Fooled Again

Remember when Claire "WWJTD?" McCaskill rushed along with the Senate Republicans to approve an extension for the NSA's spying? Remember how her excuse was that it was sooooo important that the NSA continue its spying on the bad guys that we had to do something, anything, quick, even if it meant allowing the NSA to spy on ordinary Americans?

Flash forward to the recent debate on retroactive immunity for the telecom companies that traded their customers' privacy for government contracts. McCaskill joined with those who threatened to vote Republican again (WWJTD?), forcing a real Democrat (Chris Dodd, God bless him) to threaten a fillibuster. The simplistic argument in favor of telecom immunity is that the companies should not be exposed to harm for patriotically going along with government requests.

Yesterday, we saw just how badly McCaskill had been fooled.

The Feds care so little about the service that they don't even pay their bills, an those "patriotic telecom companies" have been treating our over-protective spy agencies like credit-risky teenagers - dropping their services when they start falling behind on payments.

In at least one case, a wiretap used in a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act investigation "was halted due to untimely payment," the audit found. FISA wiretaps are used in the government's most sensitive and secretive criminal and intelligence investigations, and allow eavesdropping on suspected terrorists or spies.

It's gut check time for McCaskill. There's a lot riding on this retroactive telecom immunity issue, and, so far, she's on the wrong side of it. Did she spend all that time and all that money just so she could go to Washington and behave like Jim Talent? Did she really ask all of us who supported her campaign financially and with our volunteer hours to elect a stealth Republican?

Worse yet, did we support a fool? Or were we the fools?

Claire McCaskill - Bad to Worst?

Finally, George W. Bush has done something sooo far beyond the pale, sooo ridiculously irresponsible, sooo wrecklessly wrong-headed that even Kit Bond voted to over-ride his veto. It's the first time since Bush has been in office that Bond has stood up to one of Bush's vetoes.

Bush's veto was on a bill to help restore the Everglades. To help rebuild the levees in New Orleans. To protect Missourians from deadly, costly floods. The Senate voted 79-14 to over-ride this unacceptable veto. The vast majority of Republicans voted to rebuke Bush.

McCaskill was one of only 14 Senators to vote in favor of Bush.

Seriously. What is her problem? Not even Jim Talent would gone so far.

Coincidentally, I received an invitation to donate to her PAC this week. Yeah, right. Not even if she gives me one of her WWJTD (What Would Jim Talent Do?) bracelets.

McCaskill - Tool of the Right Wing

I've written about Claire McCaskill's abandonment of the people who elected her when the important issues arise. I suppose that, in the context of her blind support of Bush's war, her vote today to support a Senate Resolution condemning MoveOn's "General Betray Us" advertisement is hardly worth mentioning.

But, dammit, what in the hell is she thinking?

I understand the the Republicans like to attack the patriotism and human worth of anyone who dares to question their precious war. I understand that Republicans are offended when someone points out that Bush has hand-picked the lords of this war based upon partisan loyalty and sycophantry (sycophantocity? sycophanthood?) instead of merit.

But why would Claire McCaskill join them in telling America to shut up? Why would she join the Republicans in stifling dissent?

Personally, I think the MoveOn ad was poor judgment and poor taste. Not as bad as a Democratic Senator joining the Republicans to criticize Americans speaking their minds, though.

Has anyone checked McCaskill's wrist for a WWJTD bracelet, in honor of her mentor, Jim Talent?

I Guess We Got Fooled Again

Claire McCaskill has done it again. On Saturday, when faced with one of the biggest issues to define what kind of country we will be, Claire McCaskill joined hands with the Republicans and voted against those of us who elected her. She was one of 16 democrats who cashed in liberty at the pawn shop of political expediency. In return, she received nothing more than an illusion of security wrapped around the threat of a police state.

If you want to read a full-throated roar of disappointment in our supposedly democratic senator, go read this post by the much-loved Blue Girl, Red State blog. A hint at her perspective on the matter may be gleaned by the labels she uses for her post: betrayal, cowardice, FISA, McCaskill (Claire).

Sadly, it's the second time she has had an opportunity to stand up for America, and chosen, instead, to cave to the Bush Administration. Back in May, she was one of the Democratic sell-outs who voted to support Bush's escalation in Iraq. We've seen how that has worked out, haven't we?

Defenders of McCaskill point to her support on the little things, like the largely symbolic minimum wage increase. Well, yes, she's not a perfect clone of Jim Talent, but she can be counted to vote exactly as he would when the big issues come up to the table.

I remember being incredibly proud of Missouri when we tossed out Jim Talent and embraced what we thought would be change. I remember listening to Claire's promises of changed courses and standing up to the Bush Regime, and I fell for it hook, line and sinker. Now, we are stuck with Jim Talent in a skirt, and I don't have any hope that a real Democrat will be able to defeat her in a primary and then go on to win a general election.

If the election were held again today, knowing what I know, I honestly don't know that I would vote for McCaskill again. Talent was a once-in-a-lifetime example of charisma-starved weakness, and I think I would rather have him in office doing the Bush Regime's dirty work, rather than being stabbed in the back by someone who told us she was one of our own. And we would have the opportunity to elect a Democrat with principles in 2012.

Blog CCP Scores a Coup

I've been wanting to post something about the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), probably based on the superb column done by Paul Krugman showing that Bush is actually harming children to prevent government from demonstrating that it can help the situation.

Over at Blog CCP, a post on the subject is already up - posted by someone who's closer to the issue than I am, or Paul Krugman is. Missouri's Democratic Senator has posted on the site, providing an informed, inside perspective on how Republican partisanship may harm children.

That's pretty cool. A Senator publishing on a local blog. Blog CCP is distinguishing itself as the new gathering spot for political types.

Keith Olbermann Shares my Disgust

Take 8 minutes and go watch the video here. Keith Olbermann voices the sense of betrayal and disgust that I feel toward those who have buckled to Bush's irresponsible waste of blood and money in Iraq. We voted for a change, but we wasted our votes.

Missouri Democrats must accept the fact that one of our own betrayed us and our country on THE most important issue facing us. Claire McCaskill should be forced to attend every single funeral of every single soldier killed because of her gutlessness. She should be forced to change the dressings on the missing limbs her cowardice has caused.

She and Jim Talent can laugh about it over tea.

Claire McCaskill Gives Bush a Blank Check

Claire McCaskill brought shame upon Missouri Democrats by joining the Republicans and giving Bush a blank check to continue his wreckless and feckless quagmire in Iraq. Rather than insisting upon some accountability with our tax dollars. I'm still glad she beat Talent, but, today, she was his moral twin, voting in lockstep with Kit Bond. She should be ashamed of herself. I'm ashamed of her.