Senator Warnock's First Speech On The Senate Floor

On Wednesday (3/17/21), Georgia's newly-elected Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock gave his "maiden" speech on the floor of the Senate. It was a great one!

Here (from Daily Kos) is what he had to say:

“Mr. President, I rise here today as a proud American and as one of the newest members of the Senate—in awe of the journey that has brought me to these hallowed halls with an abiding sense of reverence and gratitude for the faith and sacrifices of ancestors who paved the way. 

“I am a proud son of the great state of Georgia, born and raised in Savannah, a coastal city known for its cobble-stone streets and verdant town squares. Towering oak trees, centuries old and covered in gray Spanish moss, stretched from one side of the street to the other, bend and beckon the lover of history and horticulture to this city by the sea. I was educated at Morehouse College and I serve still in the pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church; both in Atlanta, the cradle of the civil rights movement. Like those oak trees, my roots go down deep and stretch wide in the soil of Waycross, Burke County and Screven County. In a word, I am Georgia. A living example and embodiment of its history and hope, the pain and the promise, the brutality and the possibility.

Mr. President, at the time of my birth, Georgia’s two senators were Richard B. Russell and Herman E. Talmadge, both arch segregationists and unabashed adversaries of the civil rights movement. After the Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board ruling outlawing school segregation, Talmadge warned that “blood will run in the streets of Atlanta”. Senator Talmadge’s father, Eugene Talmadge, former governor of our state, had famously declared, “The South loves the Negro in his place, but his place is at the back door.” When once asked how he and his supporters might keep Black people away from the polls, he picked up a scrap of paper and wrote a single word on it: “Pistols.”

“Yet, there is something in the American covenant—in its charter documents and its Jeffersonian ideals—that bends toward freedom. Led by a preacher and a patriot named King, Americans of all races stood up. History vindicated the movement that sought to push us closer to our ideals, to lengthen and strengthen the cords of our democracy, and I now hold the seat—the Senate seat—where Herman E. Talmadge sat.

“And that’s why I love America. I love America because we always have a path to make it better, to build a more perfect union. It is the place where a kid like me who grew up in public housing, the first college graduate in my family, can now serve as a United States Senator. I had an older father, he was born in 1917; serving in the Army during World War II, he was once asked to give up his seat to a young teenager while wearing his soldier’s uniform, they said “making the world safe for democracy.” But he was never bitter. By the time I came along, he had already seen the arc of change in our country. He maintained his faith in God, in his family and in the American promise, and he passed that faith on to his children.

“My mother grew up in Waycross, Georgia. You know where that is? It’s way ‘cross Georgia. Like a lot of Black teenagers in the 1950’s she spent her summers picking somebody else’s tobacco and somebody else’s cotton. But because this is America, the 82-year-old hands that used to pick somebody else’s cotton went to the polls in January and picked her youngest son to be a United States Senator. Ours is a land where possibility is born of democracy. A vote, a voice, a chance to help determine the direction of the country and one’s own destiny within it. Possibility born of democracy.

“That’s why this past November and January, my mom and other citizens of Georgia grabbed hold of that possibility and turned out in record numbers, 5 million in November, 4.4 million in January. Far more than ever in our state’s history. Turnout for a typical runoff doubled. And the people of Georgia sent the state’s first African American senator and first Jewish senator, my brother Jon Ossoff, to these hallowed halls.

“But then, what happened? Some politicians did not approve of the choice made by the majority of voters in a hard-fought election in which each side got the chance to make its case to the voters. And, rather than adjusting their agenda, rather than changing their message, they are busy trying to change the rules. We are witnessing right now a massive and unabashed assault on voting rights unlike anything we have seen since the Jim Crow era. This is Jim Crow in new clothes.

“Since the January election, some 250 voter suppression bills have been introduced by state legislatures all across the country—from Georgia to Arizona, from New Hampshire to Florida. Using the Big Lie of voter fraud as a pretext for voter suppression. The same Big Lie that led to a violent insurrection on this very Capitol — the day after my election. Within 24 hours, we elected Georgia’s first African-American and Jewish Senators, hours later the Capitol was assaulted. We see in just a few precious hours the tension very much alive in the soul of America. And the question before all of us at every moment is what will we do to push us in the right direction.

“So politicians driven by that big lie aim to severely limit, and in some cases, eliminate automatic and same-day voter registration, mail-in and absentee voting, and early voting and weekend voting. They want to make it easier to purge voters from the voting roll altogether. As a voting rights activist, I’ve seen up close just how draconian these measures can be. I hail from a state that purged 200,000 voters one Saturday night —in the middle of the night. We know what’s happening — some people don’t want some people to vote.

“I was honored on a few occasions to stand with our hero and my parishioner, John Lewis. I was his pastor but I’m clear he was my mentor. On more than one occasion we boarded buses together after Sunday Church services as part of our Souls To The Polls program, encouraging the Ebenezer Church family and communities of faith to participate in the democratic process. Now just a few months after Congressman Lewis’ death, there are those in the Georgia legislature, some who even dared to praise his name, that are now trying to get rid of Sunday Souls to the Polls, making it a crime for people who pray together to get on a bus together and vote together. I think that’s wrong. In fact, I think a vote is a kind of prayer about the world we desire for ourselves and our children. And our prayers are stronger when we pray together.

“To be sure, we have seen these kinds of voter suppression tactics before. They are a part of a long and shameful history in Georgia and throughout our nation. But refusing to be denied, Georgia citizens and citizens across our country braved the heat and the cold and the rain, some standing in line for 5 hours, 6 hours, 10 hours just to exercise their constitutional right to vote. Young people, old people, sick people, working people, already underpaid, forced to lose wages, to pay a kind of poll tax while standing in line to vote.

“And how did some politicians respond? Well, they are trying to make it a crime to give people water and a snack, as they wait in lines that are obviously being made longer by their draconian actions. Think about that. Think about that. They are the ones making the lines longer-- through these draconian actions. Then, they want to make it a crime to bring grandma some water as she is waiting in line they are making longer! Make no mistake. This is democracy in reverse. Rather than voters being able to pick the politicians, the politicians are trying to cherry pick their voters. I say this cannot stand.

“And so I rise, Mr. President, because that sacred and noble idea—one person, one vote—is being threatened right now. Politicians in my home state and all across America, in their craven lust for power, have launched a full-fledged assault on voting rights. They are focused on winning at any cost, even the cost of the democracy itself. I submit that it is the job of each citizen to stand up for the voting rights of every citizen. And it is the job of this body to do all that it can to defend the viability of our democracy.

“That’s why I am a proud co-sponsor of the For The People Act, which we introduced today. The For The People Act is a major step forward in the march toward our democratic ideals, making it easier, not harder, for eligible Americans to vote by instituting common-sense, pro-democracy reforms like:

• Establishing national automatic voter registration for every eligible citizen, and allowing all Americans to register to vote online and on Election Day;
• Requiring states to offer at least two weeks of early voting, including weekends, in federal elections—keeping Souls to the Polls programs alive;
• Prohibiting states from restricting a person’s ability to vote absentee or by mail;
• And preventing states from purging the voter rolls based solely on unreliable evidence like someone’s voting history, something we’ve seen in Georgia and other states in recent years.

“And It would end the dominance of big money in our politics, and ensure our public servants are there serving the public.

“Amidst these voter suppression laws and tactics, including partisan and racial gerrymandering, and in a system awash in dark money and the dominance of corporatist interests and politicians who do their bidding, the voices of the American people have been increasingly drowned out and crowded out and squeezed out of their own democracy. We must pass “For The People” so that people might have a voice. Your vote is your voice and your voice is your human dignity.

“But not only that, we must pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Voting rights used to be a bi-partisan issue. The last time the voting rights bill was re-authorized was 2006. George W. Bush was president and it passed its chamber 98-0. But then in 2013, the Supreme Court rejected the successful formula for supervision and pre-clearance, contained in the 1965 Voting Rights Act. They asked Congress to fix it. That was nearly 8 years ago, and the American people are still waiting. Stripped of protections, voters in states with a long history of voting discrimination and voters in many other states have been thrown to the winds.

We Americans have noisy and spirited debates about many things. And we should. That’s what it means to live in a free country. But access to the ballot ought to be nonpartisan. I submit that there should be 100 votes in this chamber for policies that will make it easier for Americans to make their voices heard in our democracy. Surely, there ought to be at least 60 people in this chamber who believe, as I do, that the four most powerful words uttered in a democracy are, ‘the people have spoken,’ therefore we must ensure that all the people can speak.

“But if not, we must still pass voting rights. The right to vote is preservative of all other rights. It is not just another issue alongside other issues. It is foundational. It is the reason why any of us has the privilege of standing here in the first place. It is about the covenant we have with one another as an American people. E Pluribus Unum, out of many one. It above all else must be protected.

“So let’s be clear, I’m not here today to spiral into the procedural argument regarding whether the filibuster in general has merits or has outlived its usefulness. I’m here to say that this issue is bigger than the filibuster. I stand before you saying that this issue—access to voting and preempting politicians’ efforts to restrict voting—is so fundamental to our democracy that it is too important to be held hostage by a Senate rule, especially one historically used to restrict the expansion of voting rights. It is a contradiction to say we must protect minority rights in the Senate while refusing to protect minority rights in the society. Colleagues, no Senate rule should overrule the integrity of the democracy and we must find a way to pass voting rights whether we get rid of the filibuster or not.

“And so as I close—and nobody believes a preacher when they as I close—as a man of faith, I believe that democracy is a political enactment of a spiritual idea. The sacred worth of all human beings, the notion that we all have within us, a spark of the divine, to participate in the shaping of our own destiny. Reinhold Niebuhr was right: ‘[Humanity’s] capacity for justice makes democracy possible; but [humanity’s] inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.’”

“John Lewis understood that and was beaten on a bridge defending it. Amelia Boynton, like so many women not mentioned nearly enough, was gassed on that same bridge. A white woman named Viola Luizzo was killed. Medgar Evers was murdered in his own driveway. Schwerner, Chaney and Goodman, two Jews and an African-American standing up for the sacred idea of democracy, also paid the ultimate price. And we in this body, would be stopped and stymied by partisan politics? Short-term political gain? Senate procedure? I say let’s get this done no matter what. I urge my colleagues to pass these two bills. Strengthen and lengthen the cords of our democracy, secure our credibility as the premier voice for freedom-loving people and democratic movements all over the world, and win the future for all of our children.

An Open Letter To The Senate From Former Senators

The following open letter to the current United States Senate is from 44 former senators (of both political parties). They are trying to appeal to the better nature of current senators to put the country and the Constitution first in these dangerous times.

They write:

Dear Senate colleagues,

As former members of the U.S. Senate, Democrats and Republicans, it is our shared view that we are entering a dangerous period, and we feel an obligation to speak up about serious challenges to the rule of law, the Constitution, our governing institutions and our national security.

We are on the eve of the conclusion of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation and the House’s commencement of investigations of the president and his administration. The likely convergence of these two events will occur at a time when simmering regional conflicts and global power confrontations continue to threaten our security, economy and geopolitical stability.

It is a time, like other critical junctures in our history, when our nation must engage at every level with strategic precision and the hand of both the president and the Senate.

We are at an inflection point in which the foundational principles of our democracy and our national security interests are at stake, and the rule of law and the ability of our institutions to function freely and independently must be upheld.

During our service in the Senate, at times we were allies and at other times opponents, but never enemies. We all took an oath swearing allegiance to the Constitution. Whatever united or divided us, we did not veer from our unwavering and shared commitment to placing our country, democracy and national interest above all else.

At other critical moments in our history, when constitutional crises have threatened our foundations, it has been the Senate that has stood in defense of our democracy. Today is once again such a time.

Regardless of party affiliation, ideological leanings or geography, as former members of this great body, we urge current and future senators to be steadfast and zealous guardians of our democracy by ensuring that partisanship or self-interest not replace national interest.

Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), Bill Bradley(D-N.J.), Richard Bryan (D-Nev.), Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.), Max Cleland (D-Ga.), William Cohen (R-Maine), Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Al D’Amato (R-N.Y.), John C. Danforth (R-Mo.), Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), Dennis DeConcini (D-Ariz.), Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), David Durenberger (R-Minn.), Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), Wyche Fowler (D-Ga.), Bob Graham (D-Fla.), Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Gary Hart (D-Colo.), Bennett Johnston (D-La.), Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.), John Kerry (D-Mass.), Paul Kirk (D-Mass.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), Larry Pressler (R-S.D.), David Pryor (D-Ark.), Don Riegle (D-Mich.), Chuck Robb (D-Va.), Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), Jim Sasser (D-Tenn.), Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), John W. Warner (R-Va.), Lowell Weicker (I-Conn.), Tim Wirth (D-Colo.)

Mississippi Whites Shame Their State And This Country

(Photo of Cindy Hyde-Smith is from 12up.com.)

Cindy Hyde-Smith is a racist, and that was obvious to Mississippi voters (and the nation).

Her remark about happily sitting on the front row of a public hanging made that clear (in a state with a long and sick history of lynching Blacks). She did later say she was sorry that people were offended by her remark, but never apologized for making the remark -- a dog whistle to racist voters that she was one of them.

She also had her picture taken wearing a Confederate cap, and called the Confederacy the brightest period in Mississippi's history.

And she attended a segregated private school, and sent her child to a segregated private school.

There is no doubt of her racist leanings. On Tuesday, a significant majority of whites in Mississippi elected her to represent them in the U.S. Senate.

I'm sure many of those who voted for her will deny they are racists. They are wrong. Actions speak louder that weak protestations. And anyone who votes for a candidate that is racist, is a racist.

The white voters in Mississippi made it clear that racism is alive and well in the United States. They should be ashamed of themselves.

Franken Resigns (But Republican Offenders Carry On)

Yesterday, Senator Al Franken (D-Minnesota) announced his intention to resign from the United States Senate. I still do not believe his "crimes" were as bad as those of Donald Trump, Roy Moore, or Blake Farenthold (all of which carry on). But while Republicans support the offenders in their party, Democrats in Congress had turned on Franken (just like they did on Conyers). I just hope the public recognizes the difference between the two parties. Republicans protect their sex offenders, while Democrats do not.

Here is the transcript of Senator Franken's resignation speech from MPR News:

A couple months ago I felt that we had entered an important moment in the history of this country. We were finally beginning to listen to women about the ways in which men's actions affect them. 

The moment was long overdue. 

I was excited for that conversation and hopeful that it would result in real change that made life better for women all across the country and in every part of our society. Then the conversation turned to me. 

Over the last few weeks, a number of women have come forward to talk about how they felt my actions had affected them. I was, I was shocked. I was upset.

But in responding to their claims I also wanted to be respectful of that broader conversation, because all women deserve to be heard and their experiences taken seriously. 

I think that was the right thing to do. I also think it gave some people the false impression that I was admitting to doing things that in fact I haven't done. 

Some of the allegations against me are simply not true. Others I remember very differently. 

I said at the outset that the ethics committee was the right venue for these allegations to be heard and investigated and evaluated on their merits. That I was prepared to cooperate fully and that I was confident in the outcome. 

You know an important part of the conversation we've been having last few months has been about how men abused their power and privilege to hurt women.

I am proud that during my time in the Senate I have used my power to be a champion of women and that I have earned a reputation as someone who respects the women I work alongside everyday. I know there's been a very different picture of me painted over the last few weeks, but I know who I really am. 

Serving in the United States Senate has been the great honor of my life. I know in my heart that nothing I have done as a senator — nothing — has brought dishonor on this institution, and I am confident that the ethics committee would agree.

Nevertheless, today I am announcing that in the coming weeks I will be resigning as a member of the United States Senate.

I of all people am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate with the full support of his party. 

But this decision is not about me. It's about the people of Minnesota.

It has become clear that I can't both pursue the ethics committee process and at the same time remain an effective senator for them. Let me be clear: I may be resigning my seat but I am not giving up my voice. 

I will continue to stand up for the things I believe in as a citizen and has an activist. But Minnesotans deserve a senator who can focus with all her energy on addressing the challenges they face every day. 

There is a big part of me that will always regret having to walk away from this job with so much work left to be done. But I have faith that the work will continue because I have faith in the people who have helped me do it. 

I have faith in the dedicated, funny, selfless, brilliant young men and women on my staff. They have so much more to contribute to our country, and I hope that as disappointed as they may feel today, everyone who has worked for me knows how much I admire and respect them. 

I have faith in my colleagues, especially my senior Senator Amy Klobuchar. I would not have been able to do this job without her guidance and wisdom. And I have faith, or at least hope, that members of this Senate will find the political courage necessary to keep asking the tough questions, hold this administration accountable and stand up for the truth. 

I have faith in the activists who organized to help me win my first campaign and who have kept on organizing to help fight for the people who needed us. Kids facing bullying. Seniors worried about the price of prescription drugs. Native Americans who have been overlooked for far too long. Working people who have been taken on the chin for a generation. Everyone in the middle class and everyone aspiring to join it. 

I have faith in the proud legacy of progressive advocacy that I have had the privilege to be a part of. I think I've probably repeated these words 10,000 times over the years: Paul Wellstone's famous quote, "The future belongs to those who are passionate and work hard." It's still true. It will always be true. 

And most of all I have faith in Minnesota. A big part of this job is going around the state and listening to what people need from Washington. But more often than not when I'm home I am blown away by how much Minnesota has to offer the entire country and the entire world. 

The people I've had the honor of representing are brilliant and creative and hard-working, and whoever holds this seat next will inherit the challenge I've enjoyed for the last eight and a half years: being as good as the people you serve.

This has been a tough few weeks for me, but I am a very, very lucky man. I have a beautiful healthy family that I love and that loves me very much. I'm going to be just fine. 

I'd just like to end with one last thing: I did not grow up wanting to be a politician. I came to this relatively late in life. 

I had to learn a lot on the fly. It wasn't easy and it wasn't always fun, and I'm not just talking about today. This is a hard thing to do with your life. There are a lot of long hours and late nights and hard lessons, and there is no guarantee that all your work and sacrifice will ever pay off. 

I won my first election by 312 votes. Could have easily gone the other way. And even when you win, progress is far from inevitable. 

Paul Wellstone spent his whole life working for mental health parity, and it didn't pass until six years after Paul died.

This year a lot of people who didn't grow up imagining that they'd ever get involved in politics have done just that. They've gone to their first protest march or made their first call to a member of Congress or maybe even taken the leap and put their names on a ballot for the first time. 

It can be such a rush to look around a room full people ready to fight alongside you, to feel that energy, to imagine that better things are possible. 

But you too will experience setbacks and defeats and disappointments. There will be days when you will wonder whether it's worth it.

What I want you to know is that even today, even on the worst day of my political life, I feel like it's all been worth it.

Politics, Paul Wellstone told us, is about the improvement of people's lives. I know that the work I've been able to do has improved people's lives. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

For a decade now, every time I would get tired or discouraged or frustrated, I would think about the people I was doing this for and it would get me back up on my feet. 

I know the same will be true for everyone who decides to pursue a politics that is about improving people's lives. And I hope you know that I will be fighting alongside you every step of the way.

The Most And Least Popular Senators In Their Home State

The Morning Consult Poll did a survey of every U.S. senator in their home state. The chart above shows the results. You can go to the Morning Consult website to see the sample size and margin of error for each state. The most popular Democrat is Bernie Sanders (83%), and the most popular Republican is Susan Collins (78%). The least popular Democrats are Bob Menendez and Gary Peters at 37%. The least popular Republicans are Mitch McConnell and Ron Johnson at 38%.

Some Good News For Democrats

The National Journal is reporting that people close to Russ Feingold (pictured) are saying he's going to run for the Senate again in Wisconsin. That's wonderful news, because he was one of the most progressive senators in Washington before he lost to Ron Johnson in the 2010 election.

2010 was the year that Republicans took the House, and several Senate seats. Sadly, too many Democrats and Independents stayed home in that off-year election, while unhappy Republicans flocked to the polls. But 2016 will be different. It's a presidential election year, and we can expect Democrats and Independents to turn out in much larger numbers -- especially if Hillary Clinton is at the top of the ticket.

Feingold is currently employed as a State Department Special Envoy to central Africa, but he is expected to resign that position soon. Both Democratic and Republican consultants in Wisconsin are expecting Feingold to run in 2016. One Republican strategist said, "If he didn't run, there would be greater surprise than if he did."

I hope he does run. He could then take his place beside Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders as the best senators in Washington.

Will "The Dude" Run For The U.S. Senate ?

(This photo of Jeff Bridges at the Berlin Film Festival is by Thore Siebrands.)

The Democrats have lost their candidate for U.S. Senate in Montana. The original candidate, incumbent John Walsh, has withdrawn from the race. He says he wants to focus on serving his Montana constituents, and withdrawing from the campaign will allow him to do that. The truth is that recent revelations that he plagiarized much of his dissertation to earn his Master's Degree at the Army War College have caused his numbers to plummet -- and it has become clear that he could not win in November.

That leaves Montana Democrats without a candidate, and they have until August 21st to choose someone to replace Walsh. That is the date that the ballot must be finalized, and if they don't choose a candidate before then, their candidate will not appear on the November ballot.

A former Livingston (Montana) resident, Lizabeth Pratt, has come up with an interesting idea. She has started a campaign to draft Academy Award winning actor Jeff Bridges as the Democratic candidate for senator. Pratt's petition is on Change.org, and as of Tuesday had garnered nearly 1200 signatures. It reads:

Encourage Jeff Bridges, Park County Resident, to run for the Montana U.S. Senate.

Jeff is a great person.  He has loved Montana and all it represents since he first set up residence in Park County four decades ago.  He has great name recognition!  Charisma!  Brains!  He's internationally reknowned, but he is also highly accessible.  We need The Dude to be Montana's next U.S. Senator!

Bridges has heard about the petition, and joked about it when appearing on the Howard Stern Show this week. But interestingly enough, he did not say it was out of the question. I doubt he will run though. This sounds like the same kind of pie-in-the-sky dream that some Texans had a couple of years ago when Tommie Lee Jones was encouraged to run for the Senate.

But personally, I wish Bridges would run. I think he could win, and would make a very good senator. He's smart, ethical, and cares about this country and its citizens. And he might even be able to reach across the aisle and talk common sense with some of the Republicans.

NOTE -- For those few of you who might not be familiar with my reference to Bridges as "The Dude", he played a character referred to that way in the popular movie "The Big Lebowski". The movie has a large cult following, and even spawned a faux religion called "Dudeism".

Merkley Leads Oregon Senate Race By Double-Digits

The Oregon primary is over and we now know who the candidates are for the general election in their U.S. Senate race. The Democrats have re-nominated incumbent Jeff Merkley, while the Republicans have nominated Monica Wehby. In the first poll taken after the primary, Merkley holds a 10 point lead over Wehby (47% to 37%).

This is good to see. Merkley has been a constant progressive voice and vote in the Senate for the past few years -- especially in fighting against the GOP's abuse of the filibuster rules. And if the Democrats are to hold their senate majority, they must hold this senate seat.

This information is from the Rasmussen Poll -- taken on May 21st and 22nd of 750 likely voters in Oregon, and has a margin of error of 4 points.

3 Texas Democratic Primary Candidates To Consider

Voting started on Tuesday for the party primaries in Texas, so I'm a little bit late with this post. But I thought I'd throw my two cents worth in anyway, and make some recommendations. Many of the statewide races only have one candidate, or the choice is an obvious one (like Wendy Davis for governor). I'm not going to say anything about those races.

But there are three statewide races that have more than one candidate -- U.S. Senator, Railroad Commissioner, and Agriculture Commissioner. I have definite opinions on the candidates I feel would make the best Democratic nominees for those offices. You may feel it is a bit presumptive for me to pick the best nominees, so I urge you to feel free to make your own choices known in the comments section (but remember that anonymous comments are not published). Here are my choices (with pictures from their Facebook pages):

U.S. SENATE -- Maxey Scherr
I know Wendy has endorsed someone else, but I really believe the best candidate in this race is Maxey. She is an unashamed progressive who supports equal rights for all citizens (including equal pay for women), and would vote to raise the minimum wage. She would also protect Social Security and Medicare, and work to make our education system the best in the world (as it used to be).

RAILROAD COMMISSIONER -- Steve Brown

In Texas, the Railroad Commission has nothing to do with trains or transportation. It is the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry. We need a candidate that can stand up to these powerful corporate interests, and do what is best for all the citizens of Texas. I think Steve Brown is that person. He is smart, honest, and competent -- and it doesn't hurt that he adds some ethnic diversity to the party's ticket.

AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER -- Kinky Friedman

Kinky is not a progressive, but he is not a conservative either. He is the very definition of a maverick who thinks for himself and would do what he thinks is best for the people of Texas. I believe he could also bring the ticket some new voters, especially Independents who might not vote otherwise. That's because he has a solid fan base that cuts across party lines -- people like me who have been fans for decades. Kinky likes to joke and is quick to toss out one-liners, but he loves this state and is a smart guy who would do a good job if elected.

I am one who believes each person should vote their conscience, so I would never tell you who to vote for in this primary. But I would appreciate it if you would consider these three candidates before stepping into the voters booth.

Wendy Disappoints - Supports Rich "Blue Dog" For Senate

 I was one of the early people to jump on the Wendy Davis for Governor bandwagon, and for the last couple of months I have made small donations to her campaign fund. I was enthusiastic about her candidacy, after she showed some grit and determination in supporting women's rights in the special session of the Texas legislature last summer by filibustering an onerous anti-woman bill to death (requiring the GOP to call a second special session, and change some rules, to get it passed).

But a lot of my enthusiasm has died. I will still support Wendy (top picture) and vote for her, because the alternative (Greg Abbott) is unthinkable. You may ask why my enthusiasm has been sharply tempered. It is because of an endorsement she made the other day.
Traditionally, candidates for a spot on the general election ballot do not either endorse or oppose candidates for other offices in their party's primary. They don't do this because it's not really their business (except when they are in the primary voting booth) who the party members choose for other offices -- and because it could irritate some of their own party to see the candidate oppose a candidate they like.

Evidently Wendy thinks she has the nomination for governor locked up, because she broke tradition and endorsed a candidate in the race for the U.S. Senate party nomination -- and to make matters even worse, it is not a progressive candidate. It is a rich conservative blue dog (worth about $50 million dollars) -- David Alameel (middle picture).

Why do I call him a blue dog? Because he is obviously conservative -- and may even be a right-wing conservative (having given donations to such ultra-right-wing Republicans as Rick Perry, David Dewhurst and John Cornyn).

In addition, he is not widely known in the state, and he doesn't have a good reputation as a campaigner. Voters outside the Dallas area have probably never heard of Alameel. And when he ran for U.S. Congress in the new Metroplex seat, he finished fourth out of five candidates -- even though he spent $4.5 million of his own money (far more than any of the other four candidates).

Since Alameel is not widely known, not a good campaigner, and not a progressive, I have to wonder -- why has Wendy broken tradition to endorse him? Could it be because he is filthy rich? Has her endorsement been bought with a sizable campaign donation? I don't know that for a fact, but this endorsement isn't passing the smell test for me.

As I said, I will still vote for Wendy to be the Democratic nominee. There really isn't any other viable nominee that would stand a chance in the general election. But the donation I was planning to send Wendy this month won't happen now. Instead, it will be going to the real progressive in the senate race -- El Paso attorney Maxey Scherr (bottom picture). And I urge other Texas progressives to do the same (at maxeyfortexas.com).

And Wendy, whether Alameel gave you a sizable donation or not, this was a bad move. I'm very disappointed.

NOTE -- Perry over at the progressive blog Brains and Eggs has also commented on Wendy's endorsement of Alameel.

Electoral Trouble For Senate Minority Leader

It is almost unthinkable that a politician holding the exalted position of party leader in the U.S. Senate, and who has been a fixture in the senate for some 28 years, might be in electoral trouble. But that seems to be the reality for Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), who is running for re-election in the 2014 election.

Last year, Democrats were lamenting their poor chances of unseating McConnell, and many were of the opinion that they needed a famous name. Actress Ashley Judd was touted as a possible candidate, but decided against running. But it now looks like the Democrats chances were a lot better than they had thought.

It seems that the people of Kentucky are not happy with the job performance of McConnell. In an April poll, his approval rating was 36% and his disapproval was 54%. And it really hasn't improved much in the last few months (in spite of the fact that he is already running commercials). A July poll showed his approval at 40% and disapproval at 51%. Even some in his own party are not happy, and it now looks like he will have an opponent in next year's GOP primary.

But even if he survives the GOP primary, his troubles are not over. A new Public Policy Polling survey (done between July 19th and 21st of 1,210 Kentucky voters -- with a 2.8 point margin of error) has him running second to his likely Democratic opponent, Alison Grimes. Grimes only has a one point lead (45% to 44%), and that is within the poll's margin of error, but it shows that the small lead McConnell had enjoyed has now disappeared -- and at least for now, the race is a dead heat.

A previous Public Policy Polling survey (done between April 5th and 7th of 1,052 Kentucky voters -- with a 3 point margin of error) had shown McConnell with a 4 point lead (45% to 41%) over Grimes.

It's still a little more than 15 months until the 2014 election, and a lot could change between now and then. And it won't be easy to defeat a sitting senator serving as his party's leader. But it's amazing to think that Democrats might actually have a chance to flip that senate seat.

Bernie Sanders On Climate Change

As regular readers of this blog will know, my favorite U.S. Senator is Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont). There are others that I admire, and some new ones that I have high hopes for (like Elizabeth Warren), but Bernie has proven through his years of service that he is a true progressive and always strives to do what is best for the people of this country.

Yesterday, I received the following missive from Senator Sanders regarding global climate change. I thought it was important enough to repost here. This is what Bernie had to say:

Unless we take bold action to reverse climate change, our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are going to look back on this period in history and ask a very simple question: Where were they? Why didn't the United States of America, the most powerful nation on earth, lead the international community in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and preventing the devastating damage that the scientific community was sure would come?

The issue that we are dealing with is not political. It has nothing to do with the squabbling we see in Washington every day. It has everything to do with physics. The leading scientists in the world who study climate change now tell us that their earlier projections were wrong. The crisis facing our planet is much worse than they had thought only a few years ago. 12 out of the last 15 years ranked as the warmest on record in the United States. Now, scientists say that our planet could be eight degrees Fahrenheit warmer or more by the end of this century if we take no decisive action to transform our energy system and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

What would that mean to planet earth? Sea levels would rise by three to six feet, which would flood cities like New Orleans, Boston and Miami and coastal communities all over the world. It would mean that every year we would see more and more extreme weather disturbances, like Hurricanes Irene and Sandy, costing taxpayers tens of billions of dollars every year and resulting in devastating blows to our economy and productive capabilities.

We would see the price of food go up because crops in the US and around the world would be affected by temperatures substantially greater than what we have today. It would mean greater threats of war and international instability because hungry and thirsty people would be fighting for limited resources. It would mean more disease and unnecessary deaths.

Legislation that I introduced (pdf) with the support of leading environmental organizations in the country can actually address the crisis and do what has to be done to protect the planet. Senator Barbara Boxer of California, chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, co-sponsored the bill that would reverse greenhouse gas emissions in a significant way. It also would help create millions of jobs as we transform our energy system away from fossil fuel and into energy efficiency and such sustainably energies as wind, solar, geothermal and biomass.

A major focus of this legislation is a price on carbon and methane emissions. This fee on the largest fossil-fuel polluters affects fewer than 3,000 entities nationwide but covers 85% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the US, according to the Congressional Research Service. The legislation ends fossil fuel subsidies. It also protects communities by requiring that drillers engaged in a new technology called fracking must comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act and disclose chemicals they use.

To help consumers, 60% of the carbon fee revenue will be rebated to every US resident. To level the playing field for US manufacturers and create incentives for international cooperation, there would be a border fee on imported fuels and products unless the nation they were shipped from had a similar carbon price.

To transform our energy system, the legislation would make the boldest ever investment in energy efficiency and sustainable energy. That includes weatherizing one million homes a year, as President Obama has advocated. It also means tripling the budget for advanced research and investing hundreds of billions through incentives and a public-private Sustainable Technologies Fund focusing on energy efficiency and clean transportation technology, as well as solar, wind, geothermal and biomass alternatives.

In our bill, we also provide funds to train workers for jobs in the sustainable energy economy and to help communities become resilient in the face of extreme weather. We accomplish all of this while paying down the debt by roughly $300 billion over ten years.

With President Obama's commitment in the state of the union address to reverse global warming, we have the opportunity now to make progress. The president must use his executive authority to cut down on power plant pollution and reject the dangerous Keystone XL project. But he must not give up on a comprehensive legislative solution, and neither should we.

We will never fully deal with this crisis until Congress passes strong legislation. Senator Boxer and I are going to fight as hard as we can to do that, and we will work to rally support from American families all across this country that care deeply about their children and grandchildren's future, and want to protect them from this planetary crisis.

Thank you for all that you do and for your efforts to combat climate change.

Sincerely,


Senator Bernie Sanders