Chris Dodd is right and Hillary Clinton is wrong. Driving is a privilege and illegal aliens have no right to a license.
And if Democrats want to win '08, they had better start listening to the voters on illegal immigration. This isn't just a Republican issue - it is a working and middle class concern. Democrats are just as divided over the illegal immigration question as Republicans.
The elites in both parties want more illegal immigrants while the average citizen favors border and job security.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Hillary Clinton vs. Chris Dodd on licenses for illegals
Friday, October 26, 2007
The witch hunt against mainstream Democrat Dan Lipinski
The DFA-Moveonner left is targeting Congressman Dan Lipinski (D-IL) as a "Bush Dog" (a common slur against the Blue Dog Democratic Coalition even though Lipiniski has never been a member of that group) which is nothing less than absurd. It seems that some ideological wackos within the party have decided to attack Dan Lipinski and recruit a primary challenger because of his refusal to support an immediately cut off of funding for the war in Iraq and opposition to abortion on demand. Far out left bloggers have even labeled Lipinski as a "right-winger." Well, let's take a look at some of the progressive and/or humanitarian groups that have rated the Illinois Congressman over the past year or so. Here is Congressman Lipinski's report card which I obtained from a well informed and objective resource known as Project Vote Smart http://www.vote-smart.org/
100% AIDS Action Council
100% AFL-CIO
70% Americans for Democratic Action
88% Americans for the Arts
89% Association of University Women
100% Campaign for America's Future
100% Children's Defense Fund
100% Citizens for Tax Justice
100% Disabled American Veterans
92% League of Conservation Voters
89% NAACP
100% National Breast Cancer Coalition
100% National Education Association
100% National Farmer's Union
Yeah, Dan Lipinski really sounds like a radical right-winger ! If anything, Lipinski's voting record is moderate to liberal on the vast majority of issues.
There are some socially conservative leanings reflected in Lipinski's voting record. He has voted against the Americans for Democratic Action position 30% of the time suggesting the presence of an independent mind but only has 16% rating from the American Conservative Union. Lipinski got a 71% rating from the Federation for Immigration Reform which indicates that he is not owned by the cheap labor lobby but also got a 66% score from the National Council of La Raza. The socially conservative Family Research Council gave Lipinski a 62 percent rating, however, the gay-lesbian activist Human Rights Campaign Fund agreed with his voting record 40% of the time. Given Lipinski's pro-life stand, it is not surprising that he received a 100% rating from the National Right to Life Committee and a zero score from NARAL-Pro Choice America. And a strongly pro-life stand is not out of line with the views of the working class and heavily Catholic district that Dan Lipinski represents. After all, members of Congress should represent the values of their constituents.
The well-respected National Journal analyzed the voting record for Congressman Dan Lipinski and found that his voting record on economic and defense issues was more liberal than 71% of other members of Congress and more liberal on social issues than 58% of the members of Congress. See link http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/states/index.htm?state=il#vr I think this McCarthy-like witch hunt against Representative Lipinski shows just how radical the DFA and the Moveonners really are. You can have a 100% voting record from the AFL-CIO, the NEA and the Children's Defense Fund and maintain a voting record clearly to the left of most colleagues in the House and still be labeled as a "right-winger" and "Bush Dog." The anti-Lipinski crusade also casts light on the twisted priorities of the modern left. Supporting organized labor, fighting for the interests of children and working families isn't a priority anymore. To these extremists - the only important issues are immediate withdrawal from Iraq (we need to get out of Iraq but it would be irresponsible to cut off funding for our troops), absolute abortion rights, advancing secularism and gay marriage. The notion that a party must have a broad base and appeal to the center is lost on these fanatics.
I hope that the Democratic voters of the 3rd Illinois Congressional district will send a message that we need mainstream Democrats like Dan Lipinski in public office.
100% AIDS Action Council
100% AFL-CIO
70% Americans for Democratic Action
88% Americans for the Arts
89% Association of University Women
100% Campaign for America's Future
100% Children's Defense Fund
100% Citizens for Tax Justice
100% Disabled American Veterans
92% League of Conservation Voters
89% NAACP
100% National Breast Cancer Coalition
100% National Education Association
100% National Farmer's Union
Yeah, Dan Lipinski really sounds like a radical right-winger ! If anything, Lipinski's voting record is moderate to liberal on the vast majority of issues.
There are some socially conservative leanings reflected in Lipinski's voting record. He has voted against the Americans for Democratic Action position 30% of the time suggesting the presence of an independent mind but only has 16% rating from the American Conservative Union. Lipinski got a 71% rating from the Federation for Immigration Reform which indicates that he is not owned by the cheap labor lobby but also got a 66% score from the National Council of La Raza. The socially conservative Family Research Council gave Lipinski a 62 percent rating, however, the gay-lesbian activist Human Rights Campaign Fund agreed with his voting record 40% of the time. Given Lipinski's pro-life stand, it is not surprising that he received a 100% rating from the National Right to Life Committee and a zero score from NARAL-Pro Choice America. And a strongly pro-life stand is not out of line with the views of the working class and heavily Catholic district that Dan Lipinski represents. After all, members of Congress should represent the values of their constituents.
The well-respected National Journal analyzed the voting record for Congressman Dan Lipinski and found that his voting record on economic and defense issues was more liberal than 71% of other members of Congress and more liberal on social issues than 58% of the members of Congress. See link http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/states/index.htm?state=il#vr I think this McCarthy-like witch hunt against Representative Lipinski shows just how radical the DFA and the Moveonners really are. You can have a 100% voting record from the AFL-CIO, the NEA and the Children's Defense Fund and maintain a voting record clearly to the left of most colleagues in the House and still be labeled as a "right-winger" and "Bush Dog." The anti-Lipinski crusade also casts light on the twisted priorities of the modern left. Supporting organized labor, fighting for the interests of children and working families isn't a priority anymore. To these extremists - the only important issues are immediate withdrawal from Iraq (we need to get out of Iraq but it would be irresponsible to cut off funding for our troops), absolute abortion rights, advancing secularism and gay marriage. The notion that a party must have a broad base and appeal to the center is lost on these fanatics.
I hope that the Democratic voters of the 3rd Illinois Congressional district will send a message that we need mainstream Democrats like Dan Lipinski in public office.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Politico: 'Lou Dobbs' voters will decide '08
Christopher Gacek makes a strong case in Politico http://www.politico.com/
that populist "Lou Dobbs" voters could decide the 2008 elections. As a 'Lou Dobbs' Democrat, I agree. Both political parties will ignore the concerns of anxious middle class voters at their peril.
Gacek writes:
CNN anchor Lou Dobbs may be the most important person in the 2008 presidential election aside from the candidates themselves. The bundle of concerns that Dobbs and his audience have about globalization, trade, diminished American sovereignty and immigration will be ignored by politicians at their own peril. The elites of the Democratic and Republican parties don’t realize the deep political vein Dobbs has struck. In fact, they tend to be quite scornful of him.
Nevertheless, the presidential candidate who pursues and captures the “Lou Dobbs voter” will win the 2008 election. In 1980, Dobbs began his career at CNN, where he gained national prominence hosting “Moneyline.” Currently, his “Lou Dobbs Tonight” reviews the daily news while focusing on stories related to U.S. sovereignty, immigration and trade policy.
The program includes an ongoing, popular segment called “The War Against the Middle Class.” Dobbs is denounced by conservatives as a protectionist, but this is grossly inaccurate. Reciprocity is the key to Dobbs’ thinking on trade. That is, he believes the Congress should reject agreements that give other countries the right to charge higher tariffs than the United States can for the same or similar products.
Dobbs’ thunderous jeremiads focus on the nonreciprocal trade provisions that our trade negotiators routinely accept.
For example, on July 9, Dobbs reported that the Chinese-made Chery car will face a 2.5 percent tariff when entering America, while U.S. cars imported into China will be taxed at 25 percent. Dobbs is also highly critical of U.S. immigration policy. It isn’t just that the lawlessness of mass illegal alien migration offends him but that Washington and Wall Street elites are allowing immigration (and trade) policies to undermine America’s own political, economic and cultural institutions.
Dobbs is an American who prefers his own nation to multinational and supranational political institutions — he is not a “globalist,” and neither are American voters. The fact that the Beltway establishment’s full-court push for immigration amnesty was defeated twice this year by an alternative-media-led populist rebellion indicates the political power of these issues. It isn’t just about immigration.
Middle-class families are deeply concerned about the impact of globalization — i.e., nonreciprocal arrangements for open borders allowing people and goods into the U.S. — on their ability to survive economically. The politics of the Lou Dobbs voters are still fluid, because neither party has moved to gain their support. The Democrats are too busy kowtowing to immigration interest groups as they look to import future voting blocs, and the Republicans are too beholden to big business globalists, trade ideologues and open-border libertarians.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1007/6478.html
that populist "Lou Dobbs" voters could decide the 2008 elections. As a 'Lou Dobbs' Democrat, I agree. Both political parties will ignore the concerns of anxious middle class voters at their peril.
Gacek writes:
CNN anchor Lou Dobbs may be the most important person in the 2008 presidential election aside from the candidates themselves. The bundle of concerns that Dobbs and his audience have about globalization, trade, diminished American sovereignty and immigration will be ignored by politicians at their own peril. The elites of the Democratic and Republican parties don’t realize the deep political vein Dobbs has struck. In fact, they tend to be quite scornful of him.
Nevertheless, the presidential candidate who pursues and captures the “Lou Dobbs voter” will win the 2008 election. In 1980, Dobbs began his career at CNN, where he gained national prominence hosting “Moneyline.” Currently, his “Lou Dobbs Tonight” reviews the daily news while focusing on stories related to U.S. sovereignty, immigration and trade policy.
The program includes an ongoing, popular segment called “The War Against the Middle Class.” Dobbs is denounced by conservatives as a protectionist, but this is grossly inaccurate. Reciprocity is the key to Dobbs’ thinking on trade. That is, he believes the Congress should reject agreements that give other countries the right to charge higher tariffs than the United States can for the same or similar products.
Dobbs’ thunderous jeremiads focus on the nonreciprocal trade provisions that our trade negotiators routinely accept.
For example, on July 9, Dobbs reported that the Chinese-made Chery car will face a 2.5 percent tariff when entering America, while U.S. cars imported into China will be taxed at 25 percent. Dobbs is also highly critical of U.S. immigration policy. It isn’t just that the lawlessness of mass illegal alien migration offends him but that Washington and Wall Street elites are allowing immigration (and trade) policies to undermine America’s own political, economic and cultural institutions.
Dobbs is an American who prefers his own nation to multinational and supranational political institutions — he is not a “globalist,” and neither are American voters. The fact that the Beltway establishment’s full-court push for immigration amnesty was defeated twice this year by an alternative-media-led populist rebellion indicates the political power of these issues. It isn’t just about immigration.
Middle-class families are deeply concerned about the impact of globalization — i.e., nonreciprocal arrangements for open borders allowing people and goods into the U.S. — on their ability to survive economically. The politics of the Lou Dobbs voters are still fluid, because neither party has moved to gain their support. The Democrats are too busy kowtowing to immigration interest groups as they look to import future voting blocs, and the Republicans are too beholden to big business globalists, trade ideologues and open-border libertarians.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1007/6478.html
Pro-Life Democrat Tim Shipe seeks Florida House seat
TIM SHIPE: FIGHTING FOR FLORIDA'S FAMILIESPro-life Democratic activist Tim Shipe has announced his candidacy for the Florida State House of Representatives in District 31. Shipe is a Melbourne high school teacher and a strong proponent of respect for life, moral values and economic fairness for working families.
Shipe is running in the same Space Coast district that once launched the political career of now U.S. Senator Bill Nelson. A mainstream Democrat, Shipe will run a grassroots campaign focusing on issues of concern to middle class families like health care, affordable housing, property insurance and tax fairness.
For more information on Tim Shipe's campaign, check out his website at http://www.timshipe.com/
Friday, October 12, 2007
Dr. Patrick Moore explains how nuclear energy can slow global warming
Greenpeace founder Dr. Patrick Moore explains how nuclear power reduces CO2 emissions. Is Al Gore listening ?
Writing in a recent Boston Globe column, John Dyson and Matt Bennett put the issue in a nutshell:
"Global warming is positioned to be a hot issue in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, and candidates in both parties must face directly the one large-scale means of providing carbon-free electric power: nuclear energy."
"For Democrats, that means acknowledging that we need more nuclear power and that we must do something with the waste. Republicans must admit that we should become more like France."
Of course, proper security measures must be in place to assure to the safety of nuclear plants. Increased use of nuclear power does seem to have the potential to slow global warming and move us closer to energy independence.
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