Steve Harrison, Vito Fossella's main Democratic opponent, has issued a statement regarding Vito (or is that Vino?) Fossella's Drunk Driving Arrest:

Vito Fossella (aka "Bush's Lap Dog") always claims to be "indepentent." In fact I had some Fossella supporters actually get angry and nasty at me because I called Fossella a Republican (his actual registration). They were telling people (falsely) that he was an Indepentent. And yet this so-called "independent" keeps bringing none other than Dick Cheney to NYC to fundraise for him. Well, this time a protest is planned to tell the big Dick that NYC does not approve of the failed Bush/Cheney/Fossella policies that have ruined America. From a Press Release from the Steve Harrison campaign:

Progressive groups protest Dick Cheney/Koch Industries’ Vito Fossella fundraiser

Truth 13 and other progressive groups are organizing a protest Monday morning [April 21] outside a fundraiser for New York City’s only Republican House member, Vito Fossella, organized by Vice President Dick Cheney and polluters Koch Industries (pronounced Coke)..

The Boss weighs in on this year's presidential election. You think his timing, right before the Pennsylvania primary, is deliberate? Could his endorsement swing some of those blue collar votes? I bet lots of those laid off Rust Belt workers blasted Born to Run in their day.

(picture from Classic Rock Legends)

You just don't get more American than Bruce Springsteen. America's working class icon and true blue American legend is endorsing Barack Obama. Bruce's letter says it all:

LIke most of you, I've been following the campaign and I have now seen and heard enough to know where I stand. Senator Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest.

Albany is the site of one of this nation's most dysfunctional state legislatures. It is well known for getting nothing done. This is one thing that cannot be completely blamed on the Republicans because Democrats like Shelly Silver are just as do-nothing as the Republicans. Winning the State Senate, and thus getting rid of the worst obstructionist, Joe Bruno, is a critical part of reforming Albany...and one I focus on at our NY State Act Blue Site, helping defend Andrea Stewart-Cousins' seat and supporting Jimmy Dahroug and Jim Gennaro in their State Senate bids. But there is more to reforming Albany than just electing more Democrats. We also have to defeat those Democrats who have become part of Albany dysfunction.

As Steve Harrison wraps up most of the local endorsements for his run for Congress (in both Bay Ridge and Staten Island) we need to get busy fundraising for him. After all, this is the only Congressional seat in NYC filled by a Repub, a corrupt one at that...and it's about time to get rid of him. Steve is the man to do that.

Steve has also recently signed on to the "Responsible Plan for Iraq," aimed at ending our military occupation of Iraq while preserving regional stability.

Here's a Staten Island fundraiser for him:

House Party for Steve Harrison for Congress
Sun., Mar. 30, 2008; 4:00 to 6:30
Hosted by Dave Hernandez and Rich Greve
125 Roe Street, Staten Island, NY
Suggested Donation $50

And if you can't make it but still want to help, you can donate at the Daily Gotham Act Blue site.

I met Diane Benson, Congressional Candidate in Alaska, about a month ago and was very impressed. But only got to hear her speak as a candidate tonight. Again I was impressed. Diane is a genuine American who has worked hard all her life to get an education and to better the life of her son. Often she and her son have worked hard for our country and for their community. She has the confidence of someone who worked their way through school driving trucks while raising her son. She has the confidence of a woman who worked in the male dominated workers camp on the Alaskan pipeline. She has the confidence of someone who has had to work for everything, being given nothing easily. The contrast with the spoiled brat who inhabits the White House is about as striking as you can get.

Daily Kos has been highlighting a new coalition of Democratic challengers with the stated goal of ending the Iraq war in 2009:

What interests us locally in New York State is that two members of this coalition are from New York: Steve Harrison (NY-13) and Eric Massa (NY-29). Here's the press release from the Harrison campaign:

Steve Harrison joins other top-tier Democratic challengers to issue “Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq”
Harrison (NY-13 Staten Island/Southwest Brooklyn), Darcy Burner (WA-8), Donna Edwards (MD4), Eric Massa (NY-29) and 6 other candidates will unveil detailed strategy to end the war

I have volunteered to be on the Host Committee for a fundraiser for one of the most amazing women I have ever met: Diane Benson running for Congress in Alaska. And she has been outraising her Republican opponent! Yes, folks, we have a real shot at getting rid of yet another corrupt Bush/Abramoff Republican and replacing him with a true working class American patriot.

Diane Benson has made opposition to the Iraq Quagmire the central focus of her campaign, largely because her son lost his legs serving in Iraq, fighting for Bush's war based on lies. But she also is someone that appeals to Alaska voters because, unlike her primary opponents and the Republican incumbent, she has actually worked as a truck driver and as a commercial fisherman, so can speak for working class Alaskans.

I went to a fundraiser for Christine Jennings, candidate for Conrgess in Florida, in 2006 and was greatly impressed. An extremely capable and intelligent woman who founded her own highly successful bank.

Jennings probably won in 2006. But it was another failed Florida election and there is evidence that the vote was deliberately messed up to steal the election from her. Voting machines with KNOWN problems were deployed in districts that favored Jennings, leading to a loss of 18,000 votes in Dem leaning districts.

Christine Jennings is going for a rematch. And we can help her. This comes from Marjorie Gersten:

Come meet Florida's heroine, Christine Jennings, this Tuesday, March 11, at 8-9:30 AM. Ask your questions about the 2006 race she lost by 369 votes, where 18,000 votes mysteriously disappeared from Sarasota's electronic voting machines.

Democrats Steve Harrison and Councilman Dominic Recchia Jr., candidates for the 13th Congressional District (Bay Ridge-Staten Island), are scheduled to speak at a forum in Bay Ridge on Monday, March 10 at 8:30 p.m., sponsored by the Brooklyn Democrats for Change. The candidates' forum will be at the Knights of Columbus-Thomas Dogan Council, 8122 Fifth Ave. It's their first forum together in their primary election contest to unseat Republican Congressman Vito Fossella in the November General Election. For further information, call (718) 619-5110

This could be your chance to confront Dominic Recchia on his seeming support for permanent bases in Iraq and his endorsement of an unqualified, homophopbe for a Brooklyn judge, and confront Steve Harrison for his past support of a Republican candidate.

Are you better off than you were 8 years ago?

Unless you are CEO of Exxon/Mobil, Shell Oil or Halliburton, the answer is almost certainly a resounding "no!"

America is worse off than 8 years ago. We have the worst deficit in American history. We are experiencing inflation and stagnation. Prices are through the roof. Oil is at an all time high. Wheat is at an all time high. Don't know about you, but where I live even things like tomato sauce and cheese are sharply more expensive than I have ever seen them. In my neighborhood stores and restaurants close every day, hit by a double whammy of high real estate prices and sagging business. Hate crimes are up. Incomes are down. Job growth has been flat. Bankruptcies and defaults are becoming epidemic. Our infrastructure is failing.

America is worse off than it was 8 years ago. It is dramatically worse off.

Now I know some of our readers have been Nader supporters. But the evidence is mounting that Nader, once an environmental and consumer hero, has fallen to little more than a Republican dupe. I can't understand why anyone still listens to the guy.

In 2000 Nader made a collossal mistake that cost Gore the election. Part of that mistake was what seemed an inexplicable statement that Gore and Bush were equivalent. I knew this was bullshit just like I knew it was bullshit when Gore, Cheney and Powell claimed Hussein was tied with al-Qaeda. And events since then have proven Nader was as "mistaken" as Bush, Cheney and Powell. The question always was: was Nader mistaken or lying? Either way, Nader only won 3% of the vote in 2000, not enough to do him any good, but enough, in key swing states, to help deliver the election to Bush.

A diary over at Daily Kos alerted me to the existence of the Obamulka:

What more can I say?

As of last night, Joe Bruno doesn't really have a working majority any more. Aubertine just won the 48th State Senate seat, bringing the State Senate to a virtual tie between Dems and Repubs. We still have a long way to go to clear up Albany Constipation, but this is a big step in the right direction.

In November we will have some defense to worry about, both for the 48th and for Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who picked up a seat in 2006 and who is being targeted by some nasty Republican smear attacks. And we have to pick up at least one more seat (I'd like to see at least three more, just to make sure) to get a real Democratic majority. If we can do that, Joe Bruno will be pushed aside into insignificance and Albany will take one more step out of the dysfunction that Pataki, Shelly Silver and Joe Bruno had so perfected. Pataki's gone. Bruno is on notice. Even Silver has a challenge from Paul Newell. Reform moves forward, slowly, but surely.

Two new endorsements in the race to defeat abramoff buddy and Bush-Republican Vito Fossella:

This week the Democratic Organization of Richmond County (Staten Island's oldest Democratic organization) voted 22-3 to endorse Steve Harrison.

Last week the Staten Island Democratic Association voted 42-6 to endorse Steve Harrison for Congress.