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LOUISVILLE /JEFFERSON COUNTY

DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER

Week of September 23, 2007

The link to this electronic newsletter is being e-mailed to 4,000+

Jefferson County Democrats 

We hope you will forward the link to your own e-mail list.

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CLICK HERE FOR CURRENT LIST OF EVENTS

Updated on a regular basis

The Louisville/Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee meets the 4th Wednesday of every month at 5:00 pm at Democratic Headquarters,            640 Barret Avenue .

 

Notice to our Readers &  2007 General Election Candidates:

This newsletter will carry in this space any Democratic candidates' notice of events or communications (250 words or less) to our readers that the candidate provides to the editor at rcrider@louisvilledem.com

Voter Registration Information

 

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EDITORIAL

It’s Time For A Governor Who Will Fight For Workers, Not Against Them  

We have spent the last four years trying to keep Kentucky from moving backwards – facing repeated attacks on working families. The Labor movement came together to defeat Gov. Fletcher’s attacks on workers by stopping his repeal of our prevailing wages in its tracks and preventing Kentucky from becoming a “right-to-work-for-less” state. Showing resolve and strength, thousands of workers stood their ground in front of the Capitol when the bills were up for a committee vote.  

Now we have the opportunity to elect someone who will move Kentucky forward so that we can promote a pro-worker agenda rather than work so hard to defend what we already have. This year, the whole country will be watching as we elect a governor who will strengthen Kentucky’s working families rather than erode our wages, rights and benefits.  

Steve Beshear and Dan Mongiardo will work with us to make Kentucky a better place to work and live. Beshear has pledged that “There will never be a right-to-work law passed” in Kentucky while he is Governor. Beshear and Mongiardo know that having a voice on the job is essential for workers to get the wages and benefits they deserve. They strongly support public employees’ right to bargain and will focus on creating good jobs with fair wages and benefits, not lowering our standard of living with minimum wage jobs. They have a plan to invest in new job training and education programs so that workers have the skills needed to get the high paying jobs created.  

Beshear and Mongiardo support Kentucky’s prevailing wage law because they know that it protects workers’ wages from being undercut. They also support an increase in the minimum wage. In the Kentucky Senate, Mongiardo co-sponsored an increase in the minimum wage and voted for one. As he said, “College tuition is going up, health care costs are going up, and gas prices are going up. The only thing going down is people's paychecks.”

We need a governor who will fight for working families, not attack them. Who you vote for is your decision. Remember to vote November 6th and vote for Steve Beshear and Dan Mongiardo for Governor and Lt. Governor to move Kentucky forward.

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Yarmuth to Receive “Outstanding New Member” Award

Other Award Honorees Include Former Presidents Clinton and Bush

At its annual Washington gala, the Committee for Education Funding (CEF), the nation’s largest nonprofit and nonpartisan education coalition, will honor Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3) with the “Outstanding New Member” award for 2007.

“During this 110^th Congress, first year Representative John Yarmuth clearly distinguished himself as an advocate for education funding and we are proud to recognize him,” said Ed Kealy, Executive Director of the CEF, which, with more than 100 member organizations, reflects the broad spectrum of the education community

Last week, Yarmuth served on the Conference Committee for the College Cost Reduction Act, crafting a bill that the President has vowed to sign in the coming weeks.  The legislation is the largest investment in higher education since the G.I. Bill.

The Congressman has also introduced several key education measures in his first eight months, including:

·       The Striving Readers Act, which the First Lady endorsed as a key way to promote teenage literacy.
·       Legislation to reauthorize and expand the Even Start family literacy program.
·       The Improving Classroom Learning and Student Performance Act to better asses student progress and prevent “teaching to the test.”

·       The Empowering Children with Autism through Education Act to guarantee a top notch education for students affected with autism. 

·       The College Student Success Act ensure that students succeed in college and graduate.
·       The Revolutionizing Education through Digital Investment Act, which will maximize the benefit of technology in education.

Yarmuth has a number of other education programs in the works and has been instrumental in the reform of No Child Left Behind and the Higher Education Act.

“CEF and its member organizations do an excellent job leading the way on the education issues facing this country, and I am honored to receive such a prestigious award,” Yarmuth said.  “We’ve got a lot of challenges ahead of us, and I look forward to continuing to do all that I can to ensure that every American child has access to a quality education.”

CEF is the umbrella organization representing more than 100 education groups, including the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, and the National Parent Teacher Association.

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Kentucky at War, Bob Moser 

Carol Trainer could hardly process what was happening. To her, a 60-year-old grandmother and Vietnam veteran, of all people. On Memorial Day, of all times. Arrested for protesting the war at, of all places, Abbey Road on the River, an annual five-day Beatles tribute that had adopted a fortieth-anniversary Summer of Love theme for 2007.

Forty years ago, when the Louisville native married Air Force officer Harold Trainer, Carol wouldn't have gone near anything associated with the Summer of Love. "I wasn't an activist; just the opposite, in fact." But since 2002, when the Trainers--he retired from twenty-three years in the Force, she from eleven years as a Northwest Airlines flight attendant--found that they couldn't keep quiet about the catastrophe that was poised to unfold in Iraq, they've been unlikely stalwarts in one of the country's feistiest grassroots antiwar movements. THE REST OF THE STORY!

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More Kentucky Shame: McConnell, Rogers Named Among "Top 22 Most Corrupt Members Of Congress"

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YDA's Fall National Conference
November 16-18, 2007 in Manchester, NH
Hosted by the New Hampshire Young Democrats + YDA

The Young Democrats of America is pleased to announce that our 2007 Fall National Conference will be held in Manchester, New Hampshire November 16-18.  Join YDA and other progressive allies as we demonstrate the power of the Young Voter Revolution to New Hampshire's first in the nation presidential primary voters!

Just weeks out from the nation?s first primary, we thought it was important to include a hands-on campaign experience for our members, while continuing to allow for business meetings, speakers, and general session.  To accommodate these changes, we had modified our traditional conference schedule.  Official business will start one hour earlier on Friday and will conclude two hours later on Sunday.

Register for the Manchester Conference Today
www.yda.org/manchester

The conference schedule is available on our website.  Check back regularly for updates as we confirm exciting speakers, add trainings, and finalize our campaign plan!

Conference Registration

In order to participate in this exciting Fall National Conference, you are required to register with YDA. Registrants will receive printed meeting materials and admission to meetings, trainings, a welcome reception and Saturday's keynote luncheon.

Take advantage of today's low early registration rate of $25.  The conference cost will go up to $35 on October 15th, and then to $45 for on-site registration.  Online registration closes on November 15th.  On-site registrants will not be guaranteed seats at the luncheon - so it is a good idea to register today!

Register for the Manchester Conference Today
www.yda.org/manchester

Hotel Reservations
The official conference hotel is the Radisson Hotel Manchester located at 700 Elm Street, Manchester, NH  03101. We secured a special room rate of $99 per night. Our block of hotel rooms sold out at the last conference in Omaha, so it is strongly recommended that you reserve your room in Manchester today.

To reserve by phone, call 603-206-4109 and say you are with Young Democrats of America.

To reserve online, go to www.radisson.com/manchesternh and enter group code YDA07.

See you in Manchester,

David Hardt
President, Young Democrats of America

Register for the Manchester Conference Today www.yda.org/manchester

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 DAILY GRILL      

"It's a little curious to me that people are proposing a change in strategy when in fact the current strategy appears now to be working." -- Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), 8/24/07, on Sen. John Warner's (R-VA) proposal to bring approximately 5,000 troops home from Iraq by Christmas

VERSUS

"I'm pleased that President Bush is listening to his commanders on the ground and with his announcement this evening that some troops will come home before the year's end." -- Cornyn,  9/14/07, on Bush's proposal to bring approximately 5,000 troops home from Iraq by Christmas

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"I've known Jim Jones for 30 years. It's not what he's saying." -- Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), 9/16/07, on whether retired Gen. James Jones said political reconciliation must occur before security progress in Iraq

VERSUS

"Political reconciliation is the key to ending sectarian violence in Iraq." -- Jones, 9/6/07, Report of the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq

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"I'm the decision maker." President Bush, 1/26/07, on his authority to make Iraq war policy

VERSUS

"People listen to Petraeus, not to me." -- President Bush, 9/19/07, on his authority to make Iraq war policy

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"You know, you need to talk to economists. I think I got a 'B' in Econ 101." -- President Bush, 9/20/07, on the possibility of an upcoming recession

VERSUS

"President Bush as an undergraduate at Yale did not in fact receive a grade of B in his economics course. Bush received a grade that would correspond with a C-." -- The Huffington Post, 9/20/07

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Quotes of the Day     

Maher: Isn’t a dirty trick on the American people when you send a military man out there to basically do a political sell-job?”

Hagel: It’s not only a dirty trick, but it’s dishonest, it’s hypocritical, it’s dangerous and irresponsible. The fact is this is not Petraeus’ policy, it’s the Bush’s policy. The military is — certainly very clear in the Constitution — is subservient to the elected public officials of this country.. but to put our military in a position that this administration has put them in is just wrong, and it’s dangerous.” SOURCE

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Beshear .criticized Fletcher for the ethical failings of his administration.

Fletcher fired back: “My ethics plan is not to bring the Gambino family and casinos to Kentucky.”

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Fletcher: "Think of what this state looked like before we got here?" He said he has moved Kentucky forward in a progressive way by getting rid of the "good 'ol boy network" in state government. 

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Recent Senate Votes 

 

Transportation/HUD Appropriations Act, FY2008 - Vote Passed (88-7, 5 Not Voting)

The Senate voted to provide $104.6 billion to fund programs at the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.

Sen. Mitch McConnell voted YES.

Sen. Jim Bunning voted YES

 

Recent House Votes 

No votes

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HUMOR    

"How many saw the president's speech last night? He pre-empted regular programming, which is nice, because viewers tuning in to see 'Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader' for once got to feel they actually were. Yeah, he offered really no new strategy that I saw, but, of course, a new slogan: 'Return on Success.' Sounds like a Dr. Phil book." --Bill Maher

"Of course this is all coming from General Petraeus -- Petraeus Maximus. He testified before Congress and, of course, he said the surge is working. Although he emphasized, not on a Jewish holiday. ... He said we want to draw down troops, 30,000 troops, by next May. Of course, we just sent in 30,000 troops. So you send in 30,000 and you take away 30,000 -- it's called Operation Bulimia." --Bill Maher

"Did you see Britney Spears at the Video Music Awards? I don't want to say that that performance was a disaster, but after the show, I saw Rudy Giuliani having his picture taken standing on her." --Bill Maher

"Oh, I kid Rudy with love, because he is on the attack against Hillary Clinton. Have you seen this? He accused her of spitting venom at General Petraeus, and he paid for a full-page ad in the New York Times. He must miss the days when he was the mayor of New York, and the New York Times would have to print his bulls**t for free." --Bill Maher

"Rudy Giuliani is attacking Hillary Clinton for refusing to attack MoveOn.org for attacking General Petraeus. And, listen to this, General Petraeus was once stationed in Egypt, the birthplace of Omar Sharif, who once did 'McKenna's Gold' with Eli Wallach, who was in 'Mystic River' with Kevin Bacon" --Bill Maher

"President Bush addressed the nation last night on this troop situation in Iraq. He said the best method, he believes, is a limited pullout. I don't know. Guys? Guys, that ever work for you? A limited pullout?" --Jay Leno

"Did you know last night's presidential speech was the first one broadcast in Hi-Def? And again, I don't think President Bush quite understands what that means. If fact, when they told him it was Hi-Def, he said, 'Oh great. Does that mean we don't need that lady with the sign language up in the corner anymore?" --Jay Leno

"Idaho Senator Larry Craig announced that he believes the United States is making progress in Iraq, thanks to the troop surge. And after he made the announcement, the guy in the next stall said, 'You want to keep it down, buddy?'" --Jay Leno

"In a speech yesterday, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said that if Republicans want to win, they have to become more like him. I think they're taking his advice, too, because today, Mitt Romney gave a speech with a dozen walnuts in his mouth." --Conan O'Brien

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IRAQ -- IRAQ INTERIOR MINISTRY BANS BLACKWATER AFTER FATAL CIVILIAN SHOOTING: Iraq's Interior Ministry has banned the American private security firm, Blackwater USA, from operating in Iraq after eight civilians were killed after Blackwater members guarding a State Department motorcade allegedly responded to gunshots with open fire. In 2003, the Bush administration awarded the firm a $21.3 million no-bid contract to provide security for then-Amb. Paul Bremer. In 2006, the company moved from solely providing private security details "to a more 'overt combat role,' essentially becoming an army for hire." Though dozens of Blackwater mercenaries have been killed or wounded in Iraq, notably the four guards who were killed in Fallujah in 2004, the Pentagon does not include these causalities in its official tally. Iraq's Interior Ministry has indicated it will investigate Sunday's incident and press charges against the individuals involved. It is unclear whether the Iraqi government has the authority to prosecute Blackwater employees. As the AP notes, "Unlike soldiers, they are not bound by the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Under a special provision secured by American-occupying forces, they are exempt from prosecution by Iraqis for crimes committed there."

ETHICS -- INVESTIGATION INTO ROVE'S CORRUPTION IN JEOPARDY DUE TO FUNDING: In April, the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) launched a six-member task force examining "the firing of at least one U.S. attorney, missing White House e-mails, and White House efforts to keep presidential appointees attuned to Republican political priorities." The probe -- the most "broad and high-profile inquiry" in the OSC's history -- focused on the activities of Karl Rove and White House political operations that allegedly violated the Hatch Act, which bars federal officials from partisan political activity while on the job. Scott Bloch, head of the OSC, began the investigation promising to "leave no stone unturned," but has now gone over budget. "Without a last-minute infusion of nearly $3 million, the special task force may be unable to pay its staff and buy the kind of technical assistance it needs." The office Bloch heads is actually "a White House office, and the House of Representatives apparently told Bloch to go ask for the extra money from the White House."

Watchdogs Gone Wild

The Inspector General Act of 1978 states Inspectors General (IG) are appointed within the federal government to "conduct, supervise, and coordinate audit and investigations" for "the purpose of preventing and detecting fraud and abuse." Yesterday, House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) wrote to State Department Inspector General (IG) Howard Krongard to highlight allegations from seven employees that the IG "has repeatedly interfered with on-going investigations to protect the State Department and the White House from political embarrassment." In an extensive letter, Waxman detailed how Krongard helped exonerate a contractor accused of labor trafficking in the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, interfered with incriminating investigations, and censored reports to avoid disclosure to Congress. Unfortunately, Krongard's case has become representative of the supposed "watchdogs" in the Bush administration. As Beth Daley of the Project on Government Oversight observed, "If they're breaking all the rules they're supposed to be enforcing, then obviously we've got a problem." Legislation offered by Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) is making its way through Congress to strengthen IG offices and protect against corruption.

RAMPANT WASTE AND DODGING ACCOUNTABILITY: Whistleblowers within the U.S. Postal Service in 2003 found that former IG Karla Corcoran presided over millions of dollars spent for "corporate retreats, thousands to make videos of employees dancing, building gingerbread houses, and other activities many employees found humiliating." In June, Commerce Department IG Johnnie Frazier resigned amidst "allegations ranging from fraud and abuse" to "egregious violations" of the federal law that protects whistle-blowers, demoting two employees who investigated his spending practices. Earlier this year, acting Environmental Protection Agency IG Bill Roderick was investigated by a congressional committee for allegedly launching a plan in June 2006 to cut 60 investigators and auditors from his staff and "give himself a $15,000 raise."  

ELECTORAL JUSTICE -- CONSERVATIVE FILIBUSTER BLOCKS DC VOTING RIGHTS BILL: Yesterday, a majority of senators voted to give Washington, DC residents a full member of Congress for the first time in its 206-year-history. Yet the 52-42 vote was not enough to overcome Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) filibuster. The bill, which was passed by the House on April 19, would also have granted a fourth representative to Utah. "It's time to end the injustice, the national embarrassment that citizens of this great capital city don't have voting representation in Congress," said Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), a co-sponsor of the bill, before yesterday's vote. The Senate's actions marked the first time the full chamber "had considered the D.C. voting rights issue since 1978, when it passed a constitutional amendment that would have given the city voting representatives in the House and Senate. The amendment died seven years later after getting approval from only 16 of the 38 states required for ratification." Ilir Zherka of DC vote, an organization that supports DC residents' right to representation, stated, "For the first time in 30 years, we secured the vote of a strong majority of Senators in favor of DC voting rights. We are outraged that a minority of Senators, led by Senators Mitch McConnell and Trent Lott, prevented the majority from voting on our bill."  

Yesterday, Rudy Giuliani was "on the trans-Atlantic campaign trail...bragging about his international credentials. 'I'm probably one of the four or five best known Americans in the world,' Giuliani told a small group of reporters at a posh London hotel as onlookers gathered in the lobby to gawk at actor Dustin Hoffman, who was on a separate visit."

Mary Matalin, a former Cheney aide, is working to pay the legal bills of her old co-worker, "Scooter" Libby, to whom the President granted clemency earlier this year. "Make no mistake, Scooter's battle is not yet over," Matalin wrote in a recent fundraising letter. He "still has hundreds of thousands of dollars in outstanding legal bills from his trial" that "need to be paid immediately."

CONGRESS -- GOP SENATOR PUTS SECRET HOLD ON BILL RESTORING PUBLIC ACCESS TO PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS:  In Nov. 2001, President Bush signed an "unprecedented" executive order that "would turn the 1978 Presidential Records Act on its head by allowing such materials to be kept secret 'in perpetuity.'" In March, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), along with Reps. Russell Platts (R-PA), Lacy Clay (D-MO), and Dan Burton (R-IN), introduced a bill that would "nullify Bush's 2001 order" and "restore public access to presidential records." The bill passed the House with a 333-93 vote and the Senate Government Affairs Committee agreed in June to move its version to the floor for a vote, but the bill was stalled when an anonymous Republican senator put a hold on it. "Suspicion for the hold initially focused on three senators -- Ted Stevens of Alaska, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, and George Voinovich of Ohio." But "aides to Sens. Stevens and Voinovich said Wednesday that their bosses are not blocking the bill. Coburn aides didn't respond to inquires." If Coburn is the Senator blocking the bill from coming to a vote, it wouldn't be the only bill that he is currently blocking. Last month, Coburn placed a hold on a suicide prevention bill for military veterans that was introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA). 

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NEED COMPUTER ASSISTANCE?? 

Democrat Activist Mike Bailey is now providing “Professional Computer Support.”  He can be contacted at 502-558-4026, or mikebailey2000@usa.net. 

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Think Fast        

The UK Sunday Telegraph reports that the Pentagon is "taking steps to place America on the path to war with Iran," developing a list of up to 2,000 bombing targets in that country.

Today in Iraq, "almost every archaeological site in southern Iraq is under the control of looters." Many archaeological workers trained under Saddam Hussein are now "using their knowledge to join the looters in digging through the ancient cities."

The newest tourist attraction in Minneapolis is the airport bathroom made famous by Sen. Larry Craig's (R-ID) arrest. "People have been going inside, taking pictures of the stall, taking pictures outside the bathroom door -- man, it's been crazy," said Royal Zino, who owns a shoeshine shop next to the bathroom.                             

The White House has "told nearly a dozen Cabinet secretaries to send letters to Capitol Hill" rejecting Congress's proposed new funds for their agencies. The "carefully scripted letters" warn lawmakers that their moves could harm "agency operations" and the "integrity of the budget process." Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) responded that he was "disappointed" in their "rhetoric."

Thirteen senior House members "have been served with subpoenas from defense attorneys representing Brent Wilkes, the former defense contractor charged with bribing imprisoned ex-Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-Calif.). None of the lawmakers will comply with the subpoena."

The Senate will vote today on a bill to provide the District of Columbia with voting rights. The legislation, which has passed the House, would give D.C. a full voting member of the U.S. House while also providing Utah an additional seat.

A day after Iraqi officials ordered Blackwater USA to leave the country, the government has announced that it will "review the status of all private security firms operating in the country."

Salon writes that Iraqis who seek redress for the deaths of the civilians at the hands of U.S. contractors in a criminal court are out of luck. Because of an order promulgated by the former Coalition Provisional Authority, "there appears to be almost no chance that the contractors involved would be, or could be, successfully prosecuted in any court in Iraq."

"Republicans reacted angrily yesterday" to Bush's pledge to veto increased funding for children's health insurance. "I'm disappointed by the president's comments," said Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA). "I'm very, very disappointed," echoed Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR).

89.6 million: The number of Americans under the age of 65 who "had no health insurance for some or all of 2006 and 2007, according to a study released Thursday by Families USA, an advocacy group for the uninsured. The number is "almost double the number of uninsured reported by the Census Bureau for 2006."

The appointment of Donald Rumsfeld as a "distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution is drawing fierce protests from faculty members and students at Stanford University." "Some 2,100 professors, staff members, students and alumni have signed" a petition protesting his appointment.

Rep. Peter King (R-NY), who recently said "there are too many mosques" in America, continues to advise former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign. Giuliani "chuckled" at the suggestion of dumping King. "I've known Pete for 41 years, so I'm not about to do that," he said.

The United States "corroborated" Israeli intelligence that formed the basis for Israel's decision to attack a site inside Syria on Sept. 6. While some reports indicate it was a suspected nuclear site, others report it was "missiles and/or weapons parts." Bush refused to make any comment on the matter yesterday.

Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey assured Senators yesterday "that he would limit contacts between the Justice Department and the White House to halt any political meddling with ongoing investigations." The Senate Judiciary Committee also approved a bill, introduced by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), which will limit communications between the Justice Department and the White House regarding ongoing investigations.

In the first comprehensive account of Sunday's shootout in Baghdad involving Blackwater contractors, the Iraqi Interior Ministry concluded the guards fired "an unprovoked barrage" on Iraqis in their cars in midday traffic. The report recommends that "the dozens of foreign security companies" in Iraq "should be replaced by Iraqi companies, and that a law that has given the companies immunity for years be scrapped."

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INTERESTING      

 

Why Don’t More Women Run for Public Office?, by James Parks  

Even though women make up the majority of all voters—54 percent in 2004—and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) is one of the leading contenders for president in 2008, the number of women in elected office is still very low.

In a new Point of View column on the AFL-CIO website, Jennifer Lawless, a political science professor at Brown University, says this gender gap will continue to deprive the public of some highly qualified candidates unless we act to change it.   

Lawless, author of It Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don’t Run for Office and a 2006 candidate for Congress from Rhode Island, shares her experiences as a woman candidate in a state with a poor history of electing women. She explores the issue of “political ambition, why men have it, and why women don’t.”

Click here to read the entire Point of View column.

While the number of women in Congress has grown by 800 percent since World War II, the United States ranks 82nd worldwide in the percentage of women in our national legislature. Only 16 percent of the members of the U.S. House and Senate are female. Women serve as governors in only nine states—Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan and Washington. And just 20 percent of big city mayors are female.

The “prospects for women’s full inclusion in our political system…are looking increasingly bleak,” Lawless says. A recent national study of college students found that men are nearly twice as likely as women to say they might be interested in running for office at some point in the future. Voter bias against women candidates also appears to be on the rise, she adds. Nearly one in every four Americans agrees that “most men are better suited emotionally for politics than are most women.”

Lawless says she has found three basic barriers women face in seeking elected office:

• Family roles. Female candidates face a “double bind” that men rarely need to reconcile. Unlike male office seekers, women usually have to answer for the conduct of their children and spouses. At the same time, in families where both adults are working, generally in high-level careers, women are much more likely than men to be responsible for the majority of household tasks and handle the majority of child care responsibilities, Lawless says.
• Perceptions of qualifications. According to Lawless’ research, 60 percent of men, but less than 40 percent of women with the exact same credentials and qualifications, think they’re qualified to run for office. Not only do these women think that they’re not qualified to run, but they also are more likely to let their doubts hold them back.
• Recruitment efforts. The large majority of women who are well-positioned to seek office are significantly less likely than men to report being asked to run

So how do we get more women to run for elected office? Lawless says:

We must think creatively about how to integrate family with politics, as well as be cognizant of the double bind that even highly successful, professional women face. We must identify and condemn the kind of sexist behavior that leads women to feel that they must be twice as good to get half as far in the political sphere.

But perhaps most easily, realistically, and concretely, we must recruit more women to run for office.

She says the political programs of the AFL-CIO and its affiliates work to increase the number of public officials concerned about working families and she points out that more than 3,000 union members hold elected office. For more on union members in elected office, click here and here.

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Supercapitalism Threatens Democracy’, by James Parks

Every day, we hear the mantra that where capitalism flourishes, democracy is sure to follow. But that is not necessarily the case, says former labor secretary Robert Reich, pointing to nondemocratic nations such as China and Singapore, which are moving full throttle toward capitalistic economies.

Rather, Reich argues, today’s highly competitive “supercapitalism” is endangering democracy by taking power out of the hands of ordinary citizens.

Reich says that over the past 30 years, global capitalism has developed into a turbocharged, Web-based system in which consumers and producers can access almost anything just about anywhere. But, he says, this intense competition generates negative social consequences:

There are social consequences that supercapitalism creates—whether it’s global warming, lower wages, unstable jobs or greater inequality—and we have to examine carefully who pays what cost. These results of supercapitalism require a response. We cannot depend on companies’ morality to change their ways.

Reich, a professor at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California-Berkeley and labor secretary during the Clinton administration, spoke to some 150 activists and scholars at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) last week as part of the Agenda for Shared Prosperity.  The initiative includes a network of more than 50 progressive U.S. economists, policy analysts and academics sponsored by EPI to address the growing gap between America’s promise and its problems. (See video.)

In his new book, Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy and Everyday Life, Reich says the hypercompetitive environment of the global economy has shifted power in the marketplace away from us as citizens to us as consumers and investors. To keep up in this economy, companies must work harder to consistently maintain low prices to satisfy consumers while increasing profits to satisfy investors. Many achieve these competing goals by paying lower wages and barring unions in the workplace, he says.

So we should not be surprised about the growing gap between the rich and everybody else, Reich says. While the top 5 percent of the population has gained tremendous wealth in the past decade, the median household income is less now than it was in 2000, which means the other 95 percent of us are losing ground. 

Meanwhile, the tools traditionally used to balance corporate power—fair taxation, well-funded public education, unions—have been weakened as supercapitalism has grown.  

As a result, ordinary citizens are less protected than ever, and a balance no longer exists between profits and low prices and what’s good for the country.

To restore that balance, Reich says, we need to “do the hard work of writing regulations that make capitalism work and save capitalism from itself,” such as:     

• Raising the top tax rate for the richest Americans and lowering it for the poor and middle class. The top rate today is only about one-sixth of what it was in the 1950s.
•  Decreasing corporate power over politics by reforming campaign finance laws to create blind trusts for candidates, which would allow people to contribute money, but without the candidates knowing who gave or how much was given.
• Allowing taxpayers to check off part of their taxes to support interest groups of their choice.

EPI launched the Agenda for Shared Prosperity network this year, with the goal to compile issue papers on topics such as trade, retirement security and job creation to foster discussion and propose solutions in advance of the 2008 congressional and presidential elections.

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	Lead-laced toys. Tainted snacks. Poisonous pet food. They're products made in China and sold at Wal-Mart… so dangerous they've been pulled off the shelves. This morning, amid rampant recalls of unsafe Chinese exports, WakeUpWalMart.com released a new report and a new ad exposing Wal-Mart's cozy relationship with China. Please watch the ad and send it to five friends: http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/feature/chinareport/ Seventy percent of Wal-Mart's goods come from China. Wal-Mart is China's #1 importer and sixth largest trading partner, surpassing even Germany and Britain. When huge retailers like Wal-Mart pressure Chinese suppliers to cut costs, they cut corners. And now we're paying the price. Please watch the ad and send it to five friends: http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/feature/chinareport/ There are two visions for America: Wal-Mart's America, where profits come before people, and our vision, where people come first. In Wal-Mart's America, wealthy corporations just want to make more money - at any cost. In our America, corporations embrace their responsibility to do right by their customers, their workers, and the American people. Thanks for all that you do, Jeremy, Katherine, Laura, Matt, Meghan, Nick, and Richie WakeUpWalMart.com

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VIDEOS    

Kentucky at War

Generation Chickenhawk: The Unauthorized College Republican Convention Tour

Countdown Special Comment: The President Of Hypocrisy

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