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

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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

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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

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(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

André Bauer’s Fifteen Minutes of Shame

Andre Bauer proved extremism doesn’t work. [...]

2010 Congressional General Election

August 28, 2010

The Old Man has put together a list of opponents for the upcoming 2010 General Elections to be held on November 2. Of course, all the Primaries haven’t been held yet, so a few names are missing. However, as those elections are held, the party winners’ names will be added.

During [...]

Coal Mine Companies Admit to Capitalizing on Supreme Court Ruling

Will voters vote to murder coal miners? [...]

Campaign Spending Kicks Into High Gear

CORRECTION: August 11, 2010

The correct total for the period stated below is not $100 million. The total should have been $17 million. Sorry for the “scarey” information.

August 9, 2010

Just a short post to mention the accelerating increase in campaign spending for the 2010 Congressional race. Over the past 3 days contributions [...]

Other Interesting Headlines – Week of July 26, 2010 – And Before

Note: Due to post format, links will open in a new window.

August 1, 2010

Well, well, well! Here we go again — opposition to the new health care bill is still dropping. Within 4 weeks of signing the new health care reform bill polls were showing the public was warming to it. Now a new poll is showing yet another increase in those who think the new laws will benefit the average commoner. Over the past month those who hold a favorable view has increased to 50 percent from 46 percent in April, with 14 percent saying they had no opinion. If you add to that a new analysis out this week that says 29.5 million women will benefit from the new bill, the “in-favor” group will probably go up. WOW! Who would’ve thought that once the lies died down and the truth started coming out, things wouldn’t look so horrible? However, Republicans are still solidly against it. But that’s not surprising. If Democrats suddenly found a way to solve all our problems overnight with no negative side effects, the Republicans would argue “now’s just not the time to do it”.

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Will Our Arrogance And Hatred Prevent The Defeat Of A Monster?

Why should our politicians be elected with secret money? [...]

What Vehicle To Political Victory – A Platform Or Assassination

Will the two major political parties tell us in writing what they intend to do if put in charge of Congress, or will they just try to point out to us what we already know – that neither of them are fit to govern? [...]

Other Interesting Headlines – Week of July 12, 2010

Note: Due to post format, links will open in a new window.

CORRECTION: The Old Man quoted Goldman Sachs earning $550 million in just three days, when in fact it takes about 2 weeks for Goldman to earn those kinds of profits. Sorry for the error.

July 17, 2010

There’s been much ado about the recent $550 million fine the Securities and Exchange Commission imposed on Goldman Sachs for lies and omissions about the ABACUS 2007-AC1 subprime mortgage derivatives. Goldman cost investors more than $1 billion while making a very tidy profit themselves, but not as much as the man who designed the derivatives package for Goldman. John Paulson made $1 billion off the scam. Goldman called the fine “a major victory” for them. And rightly so. First, everyone, including Goldman, was expecting a $1 billion fine (God bless the SEC). Second, the actual fine still leaves Goldman with profits from the scam. Third, $550 million is what Goldman makes in about three days. And finally Goldman got off without any fraud charges being filed against them. I have no doubt Lloyd Blankfein and his cronies had a huge Champaign party Wednesday night celebrating their biggest victory since they ripped off taxpayers in 2008. It’s great to have friends in high places.

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