Campaign 2010

Countdown to Congressional Elections


The most effective way to restrict democracy is to transfer decision-making from the public arena to unaccountable institutions: kings and princes, priestly castes, military juntas, party dictatorships, or modern corporations.
Noam Chomsky, M.I.T. emeritus Professor of Linguistics

The Rise of Corporate Freedom of Speech

(Surpassed 2008 total on August 18)

See Weekly Spending Totals

$2.9 Billion Spent in 08
on Congressional Race
See Major Contributors

Corporate money in politics is bad enough. Secret corporate money is intolerable.


Primary Election Results
(UPDATED: August 25, 2010)






"The Great 2010 Incumbent (Non-)Revolt"

Senate Primary’s
Incumbent Democrats
1 Loss; 6 Wins of 13
Incumbent Republicans
1 Loss; 9 Wins of 12

House Primary’s
Incumbent Democrats
2 Loss; 182 Wins of 245
Incumbent Republicans
2 Loss; 140 Wins of 158

General Election Candidates

Senate

House of Representatives

Visual Facts

Hover to Pause.
Click Image for Larger Size.

National Debt Clock

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WHEN Did You Become Fiscally Responsible?
BEFORE Obama or AFTER Obama??
January 20, 2009
$10,838,758,414,164.46 - ↑90%
Discretionary Spending at 48.6%

January 20, 2001
$5,719,124,940,098.04 - 36%
January 20, 1993
$4,192,107,025,882.17 - 62%
January 20, 1989
$2,601,104,000,000.00 - 189%
January 20, 1981
$909,041,000.000.00

Click Image for Full Size


Debt by President

Are You A Tea Party Hyprocrite??

(Click for Debt Details)

United States of Corporations

Thanks to the GOP's Supreme Court
(Click Flag for Full Size)
Corporate Bill of Rights

Quotes and Links

Hover to Pause
(Look for the Listings)

The Decade When the U.S. Lost Its Way

Where Have All the Neocons Gone?

From Neocons to Crazy-Cons

America Builds an Aristocracy

Supreme immodesty: Why the justices play politics

The Biggest Medicare Fraud Ever

Enough Right-Wing Propaganda

Tax Rate for Richest 400 Taxpayers Plummeted in Recent Decades, Even as Their Pre-Tax Incomes Skyrocketed

"The financial reform bill will determine whether Wall Street’s banks will serve the American economy or whether the American economy will continue to serve Wall Street's banks."

"While the economy doesn't function for most of us ordinary workers, it yields considerable reward for those at the top."

Republicans Are Locked in a Passionate Embrace with a Corpse and Won't Let Go

"The most important thing Republicans think is that if there are Americans who can't afford the insurance policies that private insurers are willing to offer, then that's their problem."

"It should tell you everything you need to know that, in lobbying to retain its bank supervisory powers, the Fed's allies include the big Wall Street banks."

"[Texas Republican Jeb] Hensarling told a Texas-size whopper — and then tried to claim Republican credit for Bill Clinton’s budget surpluses."

"The Supreme Court's 5-to-4 decision last week giving American corporations the right to unlimited political spending was an astonishing display of judicial arrogance, overreach and unjustified activism."

"It was wrong because nothing in the First Amendment dictates that corporations must be treated identically to people."

"They backed the truck up to Fort Knox in broad daylight. They emptied it out, we rescued them and they get $150 billion in bonuses."

"A huge, unregulated boom in which almost all the upside went directly into private hands, followed by a gigantic bust in which the losses were socialized."

So You Just Squandered Billions . . . Take Another Whack at It

Banks 'Too Big to Fail' Have Grown Even Bigger

Bankers' bonuses Beat Earnings as Industry Imploded

U.S. Rescue May Reach $23.7 Trillion

The Bank Bailouts — Corporate Welfarism

New Evidence Cheney Swayed Reaction to Leak - Valerie Plame

Once Again, The More You Watch Fox The Dumber You Are

"Over the past year, the Federal Reserve and the Treasury have injected trillions of dollars into frozen financial markets, snapping up unwanted bonds, extending guarantees to banks and slashing interest rates."

Building a Better Capitalism

The End of Supply Side Economics

The Great Wealth Transfer

The Richer

Who Rules America? Power, Politics, and Social Change

Proponents of Estate Tax Repeal Are Resurrecting Old Misconceptions

Income Gaps Between Very Rich and Everyone Else More Than Tripled In Last Three Decades

Ending Plutocracy: A 12-Step Program

Our Gilded Age

The Rich and the Rest of Us

GOP's "Small Government" Talk is Hollow


Distortions, Hypocrisy & More

"I'm not upset that you lied to me; I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you"
Friedrich Nietzsche
[Hover to Pause]

Today is

January 28, 2010

Fiscal Consciousness Vs. Partisanship And/Or Pork

January 28, 2010  

On Tuesday of this week the Senate voted on President Obama’s plan to create a bipartisan commission to tackle the budget. Unfortunately for Obama and the rest of the nation our do-nothing Senate decided once again to do nothing. The plan was voted down. Only 53 of the 100 members voted for it — 60 are required. This means 47 either voted for it or didn’t vote at all. Who are they?

As it turns out only one didn’t vote — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. No word yet as to why. That leaves 46 that voted against it — 22 Democrats, 23 Republicans and 1 Independent.

The bill was really an amendment attached to H. J. Res. 45: Increasing the statutory limit on the public debt, which is something that took place 5 times during the Bush II administration, resulting each time in every Republican voted for the increase. With them being for increasing the limit those 5 times, certainly the no-votes this time couldn’t possibly have been because we now have a Democrat President in office; that would be political hypocrisy, and we know that never happens. Therefore, the no-votes must have been because they don’t want a commission tackling the budget. Or maybe the no-vote was due to another attached amendment — one to commend the University of Alabama Crimson Tide for being unanimously declared the 2009 NCAA football bowl subdivision national champions. Ok, so I’m being a little sarcastic. But seriously, there could be another “valid” reason.

Included in the 2009 budget was $19.6 billion worth of personal Congressional “projects”. The 2009 “Pig Book” says there were $4.2 billion of “the most egregious and blatant examples of pork”. With the exception of Senator John McCain and a few others, every member of the Senate participated in feeding at the taxpayer hog trough. We don’t really know all their names or how much each one got as there was $7.8 billion worth submitted by 221 “anonymous” members. I guess they were just too embarrassed to attach their names. But most of the names we do know. And while the Democrats are just as guilty as the Republicans, the top three names on the list were Republicans —  Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., with $892 million; Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska with $469 million (retired Jan 2009, but after 2009 budget was set); and Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., with $465 million. Of the two remaining in the Senate, Cochran and Shelby, both voted against the bill.

If Obama gets his fiscal task force, no doubt one of the many things they’ll be looking at is pork and unnecessary spending by Congress. This will greatly hinder their two objectives: the ability to ensure reelection, which leads to the second reason, fattening their personal fortune. Without that, why even bother being in Congress?

To see which way your Senator voted, you can go here.

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