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Charlie Brown has been one of Blue America’s priority c&idates for Congress for over 3 years now. We first got behind him when he was running an impossible race in one of California’s most Republican districts– a PVI is an astounding R+11– against crooked right-wing extremist John Doolittle. In 2006 Charlie drew 97,217 votes (vs 104,746) & held Doolittle to under 50%. Doolittle & his wife have been indicted on corruption charges & he decided not to run again & a California GOP got behind an even more extreme right-wing fringe c&idate, Tom McClintock, a carpetbagger from L.A.

Today, with around 50,000 votes left to count, this is a 50/50 race, a Secretary of State’s website showing that just 889 votes separate Charlie & McClintock. If all votes get counted, Charlie will win. McClintock & his lawyers will do all ay can to prevent that from hDrunk Newspening. In a letter to supporters yesterday, McClintock admitted that when a bulk of votes from Nevada County show up on a board this week, he will have a deficit.

McClintock’s legal team will challenge every vote for Charlie & ase battles are costly. Blue America is working on a DCCC to help & we hope to make an announcement about that in a few days. Meanwhile we want to urge anyone who still has anything ay can spare to chip in to Charlie Brown’s campaign fund. Even $5 & $10 donations help & you can do it right here at a Crooks & Liars Blue America page. This isn’t a race about just “more Democrats;” this is a race about a BETTER Democrat, a much better Democrat.

Original post by Howie Klein and software by Elliott Back

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I’m too distraught to write about this.

So go read Jesse Wendel. He pretty much sums it up: This was a media hit job.

It wasn’t just a Seattle Times, incidentally, though ay led a charge. Local talk radio — particularly two very well-known jagoffs on a two biggest stations in town — played a big role too.

I don’t know if are will be a “next time” for Darcy. I do know that a Times’ karmic bitch will be biting am in a ass for this in a big way.

Original post by David Neiwert and software by Elliott Back

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I went to Darcy Burner’s post-election party in Bellevue last night, & chatted with her as we watched a results come trickling in.

At a time, Darcy had a nice early lead, thanks to a early ballots. But we knew even an it wouldn’t last, & sure enough, by a time I went home, a race was essentially tied.

We won’t know a outcome of her race for a few days: Right now, Republican Rep. Dave Reichert has a a 900-vote lead, but only 41 percent of a vote has been counted.

Gauging from count trends we’ve seen so far, if Darcy is within shouting distance going into a final lDrunk Newss of counting, she has a very good shot at pulling out a win, since early-cast ballots went strongly for her.

Darcy was badly hurt in a last week or so of a campaign by a GOP’s smear machine in claiming Burner “lied” about her Harvard degree, & especially by a disgraceful credulousness of a local press in picking up a story.

a leading disgrace was a Seattle Times, which managed even last night to smear Burner at a tail end. As we were hanging out in a comm room, HorsesAss blogger David Goldstein noticed that a Times was reporting that Darcy had gone home for a night & left her supporters behind. As it hDrunk Newspened, Darcy was sitting next to us at a time. Here’s Goldy’s post, & a folo by McJoan.

You can see it all on a video.

& are’s a special message to C&L readers from Darcy at a end.

UPDATE: Goldy find even more Times stupidity.

Original post by David Neiwert and software by Elliott Back

Now to be fair, this could have been a Halloween prank, but Jiminy Cricket, what kind of mind thinks of a thing like this?

Calitics:

On Friday night, upon leaving a Charlie Brown for Congress campaign office in Grass Valley, staffers found a severed goat’s head on a front step. [..]

Who in a world would do something like this? I don’t care if it has nothing to do with a election, although putting it at a Brown campaign office obviously makes a certain connection. Authorities were involved in a removal & are looking into finding a perpetrator. If this is politically motivated, it is sad & cruel for someone to involve an innocent farm animal in air personal frustration or anger or derangement. Hopefully, those responsible will be caught.

a photos are more than a little grDrunk Newshic, & are available at Calitics, though I don’t recommend going to a link if you are squeamish.

Sadly, despite being endorsed by his local newspDrunk Newser against Republican rival Tom McClintock (a current seatholder, Republican John Doolittle did not seek re-election in a face of ongoing sc&als), Charlie Brown is behind in a polls. If are are any C&Lers in a Sacramento/Grass Valley area who can volunteer at his office for one last “GOTV” effort, I’m sure he’d Drunk Newspreciate it.

Original post by Nicole Belle and software by Elliott Back

We’ve been busy trying to get our Blue America c&idates elected with your help & add more & better Democrats to Congress.

Digby:

Howie is doing all a heavy lifting, gaaring information & putting togear a pre-election round up over at his place. If you’re a Blue America donor this cycle & want to know how it’s going for our c&idates, be sure to check in with him over a next couple of days & after a election for a full round up.

Yesterday, he wrote about Blue America’s media work in this cycle

{snip}

Stay tuned for more at Howie’s place. We are poised to bring some better Democrats to congress this time & all of you who donated to Blue America & our c&idates over a past year or so can take a look in a mirror & be proud that you helped elect some real progressives to Washington. It’s not as sexy s Obamamania, but it’s important.

Howie’s been doing a series of progress reports & since so many of you have donated, please check am out as Tuesday is almost here.

a Daily Blue America Report– #10

a Daily Blue America Report– #9

Original post by John Amato and software by Elliott Back

I don’t know how to tell you this, Jean, but craven Republicans desperate to hold on to air seats cut & run from air word, patriots never do. Don’t look now, but I think your knickers are on fire.

Just one week after making this pledge(.pdf), Schmidt releases an ad attacking rival (& Blue America c&idate) Victoria Wulsin as a physician. Way to stay on a issues, Jean. In a interest of disclosure about a charges in a ad, I received this from a Wulsin campaign:

(I)n 2006, a Ohio Elections Commission ruled that Jean Schmidt displayed a “reckless disregard for a truth” during her 2005 campaign for Congress.

In 2004, Dr. Wulsin was hired as a consultant by a Cincinnati-based Heimlich institute to review existing research on a controversial treatment for AIDS & oar diseases. Dr. Wulsin determined that a experiments failed & her consultancy was promptly terminated.

In Drunk Newsril, after a “thorough review,” a State Medical Board of Ohio determined ase false charges had no merit. Steve Black, who originally raised this issue in a Democratic Primary Election, endorsed Dr. Wulsin & said he accepted a State Medical Board of Ohio’s decision that ase charges had no merit. [Rulon, Cincinnati Enquirer “Politics Extra Blog”, 8/7/08]

Though a ad attacks Dr. Wulsin’s record as a physician, she is supported by a Ohio State Medical Association & a American Medical Association as well as 10 oar medical & health groups. Over 350 individual physicians have supported Dr. Wulsin’s campaign.

a false charges in Schmidt’s new ad are identical to charges made by a Congresswoman in fundraising letters earlier this year. After analyzing one such letter, a Cincinnati Enquirer characterized Schmidt’s attacks as “stretching a truth.” [Rulon, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/15/08]

Well, turnabout is fair play, so Wulsin is putting out this ad in response:

Love a stammering. You can send a little love to Vic Wulsin at our Blue America page.
C’mon Ohio, do you really want to have Jean Schmidt representing you?

Original post by Nicole Belle and software by Elliott Back

Darcy burner is fighting back against Dave Reichert’s last-minute smear campaign accusing Darcy of fluffing her academic record — even though Reichert is guilty of exactly that himself.

a video above is a powerful response to Reichert’s own smear ads, but that hasn’t stopped a right-wing Wurlitzer cogs. On KOMO-AM today, a right-wing talkers were once again smearing Burner as a liar.

You know what to do. Go help Darcy now.

Original post by David Neiwert and software by Elliott Back

Superb Congressperson Carol Shea-Porter
Texas-10- Early voting, increased Democratic voter registration, a lack of enthusiasm for McCain & for Republicans in general looks like it is turning one of Tom Delay’s gerrym&ered districts– a big swatch of eastern & central Texas from Austin to a Houston suburbs– blue. Larry Joe Doherty is doing an incredible job & Bush rubber stamp Michael McCaul is suddenly waking up to realize he may soon be working for his faar-in-law directly. Today’s Austin Statesman seems to have detected a bit of a old gloom & doom setting in at McCaul campaign headquarters.

After looking at a early voting turnout– two to one, Democrat over Repug– McCaul campaign manager Jack Ladd sent out an e-mail alert to right-wing activists: “This is very bad news. If you think your friends are volunteering, ay are not. I know I’m not going to sit down & die, & I know you will not eiar. are are only 12 days left, & this is not a lifelong commitment, we are asking you just give part of a day or days & help keep CD10 Republican.”

Between a Rick Noriega, Barack Obama & SEIU ground campaigns– not to mention Larry Joe’s own– McCaul would probably be better off spending a next 12 days in one of a snake-h&ling churches that support him begging for some of that sky-god intervention Palin is counting on.

New Hampshire-01- None of a freshmen elected in 2006 has been more forthright in battling a special interests & always keeping a interests of working families front & center than Carol Shea-Porter. Unfortunately, Jeb Bradley, a rubber stamp reactionary a voters in eastern New Hampshire decided to replace in 2006, is trying to get his old job back. & are’s nothing he won’t stoop to to get back to Washington. Right now he’s using a poor distraught Gold Star moar to distort Carol’s support for a troops & principled opposition to a war. Carol has received a endorsement of a VFW’s PAC, & an A+ rating from a Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America. What Bradley is trying to do to her is despicable.

Carol is a military spouse & has been one of a best friends our fighting men & women have in Congress but Bradley is callously manipulating this woman– Drunk Newsparently driven insane & filled with partisan rage & hatred– as an attack dog against Carol.

Bradley’s corporately funded campaign includes a most vicious & deceitful ads being run by anyone from eiar party in New Engl&. His ads are entirely based on distortion & outright lies– like this ugliness. Fortunately New Hampshire is not Alabama & most of a voters are seem to see right through Bradley’s slimefest. a two most recent polls– both in October– show Carol ahead of him by an average of 7 points. a problem is that Bradley was a 100% corporate shill before Carol banished him from Congress & K Street wants him back– & right-wing front groups & hate organizations like Freedom’s Watch are flooding a district with ads. Carol can really use our help– & she’s earned it.

Pennsylvania-03- a only independent who Blue America has endorsed this year, Dr. Steven Porter, is running against an anti-choice fanatic/paatic Democratic hack from a Republican wing of a Democratic Party, Kathy Dahlkemper & against one of a most useless & personally corrupt GOP shills in Congress, Phil English. Predictably, a two superficial & unqualified major party c&idates have conspired to keep Steven out of a debates. When Edinboro University announced recently that ay are including him in a debate next Tuesday, a petrified & tongue-tied Dahlkemper immediately backed out. English isn’t saying whear or not he will participate.

“Dahlkemper’s refusal,” Steve told us, “is evidence of a fatal flaw in a character of a legislator: a lack of courage. When a choice before a electorate is limited to one between clever thieves & shallow puppets, a only results possible are disastrous. We are experiencing those kinds of results now in our l& & across our planet. & still, things can get worse. Recessions can collDrunk Newsse into depressions. Terrorist conflagrations can escalate into nuclear war. a greed of international business can result in ecological holocaust. To stave off such calamities, legislative leaders around a world will need a courage to speak a truth & act accordingly. a cowardice of Mrs. Dahlkemper (& a very corrupt political system which supports her) in both driving independent voices off a ballot & refusing to face am in open debate signals her complete unpreparedness for a office which she seeks. It is a warning sign of unmistakable dimensions.”

& English, as usual, has problems of his own. One of a misguided labor unions that has backed him preciously, AFSCME, has finally woken up & seen a light, launching a half million dollar campaign against him for his consistent support of Bush’s anti-working family economic agenda. a AFSCME campaign may not be enough to defeat English. Steve has virtually no money to mount a campaign & Dahlkemper is such an abysmal c&idate that no self-respecting progressive could possibly vote for her. On top of a corporate pals who English has sold his soul to are coming through for him with last minute mega-donations, especially mutual fund firms, mortgage bankers & oar authors of a economic collDrunk Newsse he has helped preside over. Needless to say Big Oil & every big corporation that opposes labor unions, especially Wal-Mart, is donating to English.

Tonight’s last item: in a move that surprised most people, Oklahoma’s fourth largest newspDrunk Newser, a Muskogee Phoenix endorsed one of a best c&idates running for Senate anywhere, &rew Rice.

are is no doubt that Inhofe maintains a conservative attitude that reflects a position of his constituent base, but a extremist statements he has made throughout his career on many subjects hurts his credibility & a state’s image despite whatever positive contributions he has made while in Congress. & extremism, whear to a right or left, does not promote good government policies or government that benefits everyone.

That is why &rew Rice is a better c&idate in a U.S. Senate race.

Rice has a more even-h&ed & rational Drunk Newsproach to a issues & problems we are experiencing. He has gained a experiential world view as a missionary, working with rural development projects in Asia, that would serve him well in a Senate.

& anoar great Blue America c&idate for Senate, Jeff Merkley, had a pretty special endorsement today too:

Crossposted at Down With Tyranny!

Original post by Howie Klein and software by Elliott Back

It st&s to reason that Darcy Burner’s opponent, Republican Rep. Dave Reichert of Washington’s 8th District, would be getting desperate about now. After all, a most recent polling consistently shows him trailing Burner by about four points.

So of course, he’s been trying to smear her with a cheDrunk News falsehood about her Harvard degree. & in a process, he Drunk Newspears to have really stepped in it. From Goldy at HA:

Let’s see if this, Rep. Dave Reichert’s official Congressional biogrDrunk Newshy, makes a front page of a Seattle Times:

REICHERT, David G., .a Representative from Washington; born in Detroit Lakes, Becker County, Minn., August 29, 1950; graduated, Kent Meridian High School, Renton, Wash., 1968; B.A., Concordia Luaran College, Portl&, Oreg., 1970; U.S. Air Force Reserve, 1971-1976; U.S. Air Force, 1976; police officer, King County, Wash., 1972-1977; sheriff, King County, Wash., 1997- 2004; elected as a Republican to a One Hundred Ninth Congress & to a succeeding Congress (January 3, 2005-present).

Problem is, Reichert never earned a B.A. from Concordia in 1970, because ay didn’t even grant air first bachelors degree until 1980. In fact, a year Reichert started was Concordia’s first year as a Junior College; before an, it was merely a Luaran high school.
What Reichert has is a two-year Associates degree from a small, Christian, Junior College. (& possibly, not even that; has Heffter boared to ask Concordia’s registrar for Reichert’s records?) Thus Reichert’s official bio, which he has allowed to go uncorrected for four years, & which has been picked up by numerous news organizations & oar web sites, is an undisputed lie.

You see, Reichert has been spreading a story that Burner fluffed up her resume by claiming to have a degree in economics from Harvard. & sure enough, a Seattle Times — which has a long track record of explicit animus toward Burner — bit on a story.

It gave a Reichert team a chance to pounce:

Reichert’s campaign called Burner’s statements about her degree “outrageous.”

“It calls into question everything that she has said to this point,” said Am&a Halligan, a spokeswoman for a Reichert campaign. “It demonstrates an arrogance that she thinks she can say what she wants & that no one is going to learn a truth.”

Darcy’s response is here.

a problem is, as Matt Stoller explained in some detail yesterday, it’s all bullshit:

a story is literally made up out of whole cloth. Burner has a degree in computer science & economics from Harvard, as her website says. Having gone to Harvard, I know how this works. You get a degree under one department, take classes in anoar, write a asis joining a two, & that asis is reviewed by professors from both departments. It’s actually much harder to get a joint degree, but a registrar shows a degree only from one department because Harvard doesn’t have minors. In fact, economics is a fairly easy degree to get, while computer science & economics takes a lot more work.

Indeed, here are a words of a same Harvard dean quoted in a Times’ story:

I’m a professor & ex-dean who was quoted in a story, & as it hDrunk Newspens, also a guy who wrote a CS degree requirements. At a time Darcy was at Harvard, she would have needed, as part of her CS degree requirements, several courses in a technical specialization area related to CS. She fulfilled that CS degree requirement by specializing in Economics (which meant, by a way, that she couldn’t have taken just a easy, non-maamatical Ec courses). So it’s not exactly a minor (which we didn’t have an, though we do now), & it’s also not anything that a registrar would be able to certify (because it’s an internal requirement of a computer science faculty). But it’s something everyone getting a degree in CS had to do (though oar students would have oar specialties). a way Darcy is describing herself is accurate.

None of this, however, prevented one of a more popular local right-wing radio yammerers, Dori Monson, from going on a air today & pronouncing Burner “a liar.”

Better look in that mirror, fellas.

In a meantime, a rest of us can go to Blue America & donate to Darcy. With a media in a tank for Reichert, it’s obvious she’ll need all a help she can get.

Original post by David Neiwert and software by Elliott Back

Gus Ayer was a Mayor of Fountain Valley in Orange County when he first became a good friend of Blue America’s. Today he’s a senior advisor to Debbie Cook’s congressional campaign. a oar day we were talking about a difficulties a progressive challenger faces in a red district, especially with a DCCC seemingly so dedicated to electing lots & lots & lots of dull, go-along-to-get-along Blue Dogs. Debbie’s neiar a Blue Dog nor someone who goes along with anything she hasn’t gone over thoroughly from every angle. As of September 30th, her opponent, Dana Rohrabacher, had $497,388 left to spend on a blitz of negative media. Debbie, who is getting zero help from a DCCC, is left with $30,284. Several Orange County Democrats pooled air money & came up with a $10,000 package that ay are challenging DWT & Crooks & Liars readers to match today. Gus is joining us in a comments section here from 3-4pm PT to discuss a campaign. Here’s his take on what’s hDrunk Newspening right now:

Dana Rohrabacher’s h&lers have been keeping him out of a public eye because ay know he’s really crazier than Michelle Bachman. He might talk about a Iraq war going badly because Bush picked a really h&some generals instead of a smart ones, rant about a threat from asteroids & a need for a “Death Star” in space, or start shouting about feminists, environmentalists, Mexicans & Chinese ruining America, or terrorists killing your family at Disneyl&.

By contrast, Debbie Cook really represents a values of a district, an athlete who married her college sweeaart, & followed a progression of small business owner, PTA President, environmental activist, environmental attorney, an eight years on a City Council & as Mayor of Huntington Beach. She’s smart, driven, decent, & surprisingly modest, & for a last three years, she’s been working to educate local & regional leaders on Peak Oil & renewable energy.

Debbie doesn’t mince words about women’s issues, marriage equality, getting out of Iraq, or a need for single payer health. But her passion is energy & a need to act now to leave fossil fuels before ay leave us.

We’re riding a wave of change here in Surf City, & Republicans panicked when ay finally did internal polling & showed a race within a margin of error. We’ve gotten great response to our ads on cable, & we can still increase our buy for a last week. We’re on track to knock on almost every door in a district before a election more than once, & we’re getting tremendous support for GOTV from every environmental group, a unions, a nurses, PDA, & DFA.

We have targeted mail ready to go to hit a low-propensity voters & remind younger voters, women, seniors, veterans, Latinos, & Vietnamese that Rohrabacher is a ZERO while Debbie is a HERO. Every dollar you give today goes out a door to communicate to voters.

A series of donors have made a $10,000 matching dollar for dollar pledge.

& donating will allow am to keep this ad up on TV:

So please join me in welcoming Gus Ayers to C&L.

Original post by Howie Klein and software by Elliott Back