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Yesterday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that corporations can spend freely in federal elections. It’s a green light for a new stampede of special interest money in our politics, giving their lobbyists even more power in Washington. Now, every candidate who fights for change could face limitless attacks from corporate special interests like health insurance companies and Wall Street banks.

While the GOP is celebrating a victory for its special interest allies, President Obama is working with leaders in Congress to craft a forceful response that protects the voices of ordinary citizens. Please add your name right away to help show that the American people support strong, urgent action to prevent a corporate takeover of our democracy.

The Supreme Court decision overturned a 20-year precedent saying that corporations could not pay for campaign ads from their general treasuries. And it struck down a law saying corporations couldn’t buy “issue ads” — which only thinly veil support for or opposition to specific candidates — in the closing days of campaigns.The result? Corporations can unleash multi-million-dollar ad barrages against candidates who try to curb special interest power, or devote millions to propping up elected officials who back their schemes. With no limits on their spending, big oil, Wall Street banks, and health insurance companies will try to drown out the voices of everyday Americans — and Republicans seem ecstatic. While opponents of change in Congress are praising this victory for special interests, President Obama has tasked his administration and Congress with identifying a fix to preserve our democracy — and we need to show that the American people stand with him.Add your name today:

Yesterday, President Obama announced our proposed Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee on the country’s largest banks:

My commitment is to recover every single dime the American people are owed. And my determination to achieve this goal is only heightened when I see reports of massive profits and obscene bonuses at some of the very firms who owe their continued existence to the American people…We want our money back, and we’re going to get it.”

The fee would recover every penny loaned to Wall Street during the financial crisis and stop the reckless abuses and excesses that nearly caused the collapse of our financial system in the first place.

But the banking industry — among the most powerful lobbies in Washington — is already launching attacks to stop Congress from enacting the proposal.

Barack and I aren’t backing down. But to win, we’ll need the American people to add their voice right away.

Thankfully, OFA supporters are already signing on to a bold statement of support: “We want our money back — and we stand with President Obama to make sure we get it.”    The proposal is expected to recoup billions from the big banks, most of it from the ten largest. As the President said, “If these companies are in good enough shape to afford massive bonuses, they are surely in good enough shape to afford paying back every penny to taxpayers.”

There is much more work to do to reform the financial system and create a new era of accountability. But the Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee is a crucial step. And with the banks already working to tear it down, I hope that I can count on you to speak out to show that Americans stand with us as we take them on.

 Change isn’t easy, but it’s certainly worth fighting for. I’m glad you’re in this fight with us.

Thank you for making it possible,

Vice President Joe Biden

The current economic crisis has many dimensions (social and political).  Obviously the immediate impact of rising costs and shrinking budgets have changed the landscape of how we live.  Our quality of life has also been impacted by the current crisis.  Our local communities have always thrived on innovation; that innovation is now threatened by the crisis approach of many municipalities.  Clearly, in regards to economic cycles, we are in either “contraction or trough. “That process is not necessarily new to America, it a cycle that has borne out may times over the issue is a lack of contingent economic development planning and its restrictive nature on small businesses.

I have traveled across America to speak with many chambers of commerce (regional and minority) in an effort to provide effective business commentary. They have communicated that the economic crisis has threatened their vitality and many of their political leaders are non-responsive.  Often the leaders are communicating to them that government should not be involved in some of the areas that it is currently funding.  Many have been said to be using the economic crisis as a means to effectively shrink government’s future role.  This brings to the forefront a new issue of social and cultural accountability in business.  
 A fact that can not be ignored is that government has a role in shaping and guiding the framework of business activity.  Without a framework, business can not exist.  For example,  local municipalities have offices of economic development who plan for the future of a community and the economic impacts of new business ventures, construction projects, population growth, and housing.  They seek legislation and funding that is favorable to producing that economic development and attracting new businesses to the area.  What happens if they are wrong? Or fall short?  It creates a business environment that is forced to be lean. Read the rest of this entry »

Roosevelt’s  message to business was simple: you’re welcome to make money in America - in fact, we want you to - but you must understand that you are making money within our society, using the superstructure and the substructure of our democracy, and therefore you are answerable to our democracy. The economy exists to serve the members of our democracy, not the other way aound. If you want to play the game of business, you’re welcome to do so according to our new rules, which protect workers and consumers, provide for the creation of a middle class, and keep the goverment democratic.

Excerpted from “Screwed” by Thom Hartman

There’s been a lot of media coverage about organized mobs intimidating lawmakers, disrupting town halls, and silencing real discussion about the need for real health insurance reform.

The truth is, it’s a sham. These “grassroots protests” are being organized and largely paid for by Washington special interests and insurance companies who are desperate to block reform. They’re trying to use lies and fear to break the President and his agenda for change.

Health insurance reform is about our lives, our jobs, and our families — Don’t let distortions and intimidation get in the way. Expose these outrageous tactics, and we’re counting on you to help. Read these “5 facts about the anti-reform mobs,” then pass them along to your friends and family…

5 Facts About The Anti-reform Mobs Read the rest of this entry »

Republicans in Washington like senator DeMint have made it clear that they have no intention of fixing our health care system — only to block progress. A leading GOP political strategist, Bill Kristol, even urged his fellow Republicans to “resist the temptation” to be “constructive or, at least responsible,” and instead work only to kill health insurance reform.

They’re putting politics before people and doing everything they can to maintain the status quo. But unless there is action this year, more Americans will lose their coverage, more businesses will close their doors, and rising costs will continue to explode our nation’s deficit.

Congress is making the critical decisions on health insurance reform as we speak. Senator DeMint, his insurance-company allies, and every Republican blocking reform cannot stand in the way. We can’t cave in to blatant political games — the American people voted for change, and we’re not about to let legislators like DeMin stand in the way of making it become a reality.

Special interests and opponents of health care reform in Washington have made their priority clear: attack President Obama at any cost.

On Friday, GOP Senator Jim DeMint told a special-interest attack group that if they’re “able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him.” And just this morning, Republican Chairman Michael Steele backed up DeMint’s statement 100%. At the same time, the Republican National Committee is running deceptive ads to scare Americans away from the reform we need.

Their plan is simple: oppose health care reform as a political ploy to weaken the President and defeat his entire agenda of change. But if we follow the Republican “Party of No” and do nothing, we’ll not only ensure more of the same, but saddle our children and grandchildren with a growing burden of exploding costs and declining care that they may never overcome.

We can’t let this kind of slash and burn politics succeed. We can fight back by collecting as many signatures as possible backing the President’s principles for health care reform. A huge response will show Washington and the media that when Republicans try to “break” the President, Americans are ready to stand up for what’s right.

The President has consistently argued that health care reform must: reduce costs, guarantee choice — including the choice of a strong public insurance option — and ensure all Americans have quality, affordable health care. These principles are the key to keeping our country healthy — and protecting our families, businesses, and economy from costs that are spiraling out of control. It’s the change the American people voted for and so desperately need.

But special interests and Republican leaders are so concerned with scoring points that they seem to think health care reform is a political game. They are literally playing politics with our lives and livelihood, and it has to stop.

We know that they will not “break” President Obama or the movement that supports him. And if we work together, they will not stop us from enacting the real health care reform that Americans need and demand. Read the rest of this entry »

In the last week, two of our most senior generals with command of our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have said they oppose the use of torture or so-called “enhanced” interrogation techniques.  These same generals also confirm that the use of these techniques has damaged our international reputation while producing no actionable intelligence.

General David Petraeus – the figure lauded by conservatives and the person chosen by Bush and Cheney to sell the surge to Congress – said the following to Fox News in regards to criticisms of President Obama for taking “enhanced interrogation techniques” off the table:

Gen. Petraeus: “Well, actually what I would ask is, ‘Does that not take away from our enemies a tool which again have beaten us around the head and shoulders in the court of public opinion?’ When we have taken steps that have violated the Geneva Conventions we rightly have been criticized, so as we move forward I think it’s important to again live our values, to live the agreements that we have made in the international justice arena and to practice those.” Read the rest of this entry »

Today, I participated in Judiciary Committee hearings where Attorney General Eric Holder said definitively:  “If somebody was tortured to death, clearly a crime would have occurred.”

My confidence in our Justice Department and American justice system was redeemed today while watching and listening to Attorney General Holder. There is now no doubt we are on the proper road toward re-establishing a nation that protects our citizens and respects human rights.

As the New York Times reported yesterday, Lawrence Wilkerson, the former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, testified to Congress that more than 100 detainees died in U.S. custody in Iraq and Afghanistan.  CBS is reporting that “roughly a quarter of those deaths have been investigated as possible abuse by U.S. personnel.”

Contrary to the story told when the Abu Ghraib photos emerged, we now have sworn testimony to the House of Representatives and the Senate of a systematic and deliberate approval of abusive techniques.

Two weeks ago, my colleagues and I introduced HRes 383 – which would set up a Select Committee with subpoena power to investigate Bush Administration conduct and to issue detailed recommendations on how to reform our national security laws so what happened in recent years – never happens again.

I have called on Attorney General Holder to appoint a Special Prosecutor to commence an investigation into torture allegations.  This is a vital step toward reestablishing our national security firmly under the rule of law. Read the rest of this entry »

FOX commentator Sean Hannity passed his initial singing test and landed a spot later this year on the popular American Idol show.  This is in spite of being assigned the song “Coward of the County” by Idol producer and judge Simon Cowell.  “In light of his reneging on his pledge to be publicly waterboarded for charity we felt this song suited him better than any other,” Cowell explained, “and while I wish Sean the best I hope this is the last we hear of anyone from FOX for a while at least, if Anne Coulter came knocking on our door, what could we possibly do for her?  Transsexual related songs are few and far between.”