Congressman Cao Breaks from Republican Ranks Even Before Election

Polidoc interviewed Representative Cao (R-LA) on the day of his election last December and snatched a quick interview with him in this video. (this is a revised video from one posted earlier today)

Joseph Cao, Congressional Representative from Louisiana has an independent streak and won't buckle down to Republican Party rhetoric. As seen in this video on the day of his landmark election in December 2008, this lawyer hopes to represent his community even in areas that aren't considered Republican today.

On November 7, 2009, Cao, a lawyer and the first Vietnamese Representative in the history of the United States, demonstrated his willingness to break from the Republican Party rhetoric by voting for a landmark healthcare reform bill. While progressives suspect the bill will be a boon to the healthcare industry rather than the reform it had hoped, Cao's break sharpens points of difference between the teabagging Constitutionalist Party leaning Republicans from more moderate voices who might be willing to consider a different definition of conservative.

Cao, who ran as independent in a previous election, was the first Republican to win this district since Reconstruction. As the Representative of a majority black community, Cao had asked to join the Black Caucus but was denied.

Creative Sprint Inspires Insurers to Embrace Competition

Heather Graham embodies an energized and healthy government sponsored public health insurance option in a race with health care insurance company execs who seem to have forgotten the benefits of competition. It's a very hopeful and funny ad campaign for public option.

Pelosi Goes Back to the Matresses for Public Option

From THE HILL:

“I don't even want to talk about a trigger,” Pelosi said at her weekly press conference. She said the “attitude” of her fellow Democrats is that “a trigger is an excuse for not doing anything.”

read more

Don't Mess with Health Care Executives' American Dream

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

MoveOn.org Political Action brings us this bit of satirical political humor from Will Ferrell and friends.

Durbin Asserts Campaign Finance Reform the Cure for What Ails D.C.

A recent report from the Center for Public Integrity shows that the 25 largest originators of subprime mortgages also spent more than $370 million over the last ten years lobbying the legislators in Washington to ease up on regulation that would have restrained the risky investment behavior that has resulted in the meltdown. And now, at least 21 of the 25 ventures are backed or owned by banks now receiving bailout money.

Bill Moyers talks with Senator Dick Durbin who describes the influence of lobbyists on Washington in this video. Earlier this year, Durbin authored a bill in which it would become easier for people facing foreclosure to renegotiate their loans. After 12 Democrats crossed the aisle to vote against it earlier this month, the amendment to the bill failed. Durbin, himself a beneficiary of those mighty lobbying dollars, has since come out swinging.

On a local radio station, Durbin said:

The banks -- hard to believe in a time when we're facing a banking crisis that many of the banks created -- are still the most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill. And they frankly own the place.

Durbin also recently introduced a bi-partisan bill with Senator Arlen Specter to create a voluntary public financing system for members of both chambers of Congress. As he tells Bill Moyers on the JOURNAL: "I think that is a good move for our democracy, and it's one which we ought to acknowledge is at the heart of many of the issues we face."

Modeled after successful fair election bills of several states including Connecticut, Maine, Arizona, and North Carolina, the Fair Elections Now Act seeks to diminish corporate influence removing the need to go "dialing for dollars".

Senators Durbin and Spector introduce Fair Elections Now Act on March 3, 2009
in this video

transcript of Moyers-Durbin show

Grassroots Ad Takes Aim at Congressional Reps

The preamble to this direct activist message to Congress addresses Congressional Reps Ed Congressmen Edward Markey and Henry Waxman, holding them responsible for the tax money lost to coal companies in the stimulus package.
It goes on to say:

This is the Clean. Your recent congressional actions have been brought to our attention, and we are concerned about your leadership.

You have co-sponsored The Clean Energy Security Act. This bill is quickly becoming a giveaway to the coal and energy industry. It fails to stop global warming, fails to disentangle the US from unstable regions of the world, and fails to create an energy economy that enables sustainable and equitable economic prosperity...

The 2.5 minute piece hopes to persuade constituents to call their Congress people and urge them to close the wallet on the coal companies. How effective do you think it is?

Matt Reichel in Homestretch for Rahm Emmanuel's Seat

Congressional candidate Matt Reichel speaks up for peace during the run-up for election for the Illinois Special election to replace Rahm Emmanuel in this video produced by Polidoc correspondant, Kevin Gozstola.

IL Green Congressional Candidate Feels His Oats

Video by Kevin Gotzstola

Green Party Congressional Candidate Matt Reichel senses that his message has sway in Illinois and may turn the tide of the election discourse. This video, produced by reporter Kevin Gozstola catches Reichel right after the last of many candidate forums. During this forum, Democrats had first seating, followed by a second segment during which Republicans and Greens faced off.

For a little more on the 5th District election, continue to yesterday's article.

Final Candidate's Forum for IL 5th District Highlights Wholistic Differences

Article and Photo by Kevin Gosztola

On February 23, 2009, the 5th District of Illinois held its final candidate's forum which included more than 20 people vying for the Congressional seat vacated by Rahm Emanuel who took the post as President Obama's White House Chief of Staff early this year. This special election has been a circus, with Democrats, Greens and Republicans eagerly jockeying for the coveted office. And while Democrats presumed to battle between themselves, it was the "fringe candidates" who offered a breath of fresh air from the conventional wisdom.

Organizers separated the forum into two segments: the first featured only Democrats; the second included Republicans and Greens. Despite this segregation of parties, it proved suprisingly effective in highlighting the key issues and solutions that differentiate them from one another.

It was Green Party candidate Matt Reichel's response to a question on Section 8 housing during which the forum took a spontaneous turn. Reichel suggested that domestic issues could be solved once we end the wars and cut the military budget. This was the first time that the Middle East Wars had been brought up. The audience broke out in uproarious applause while the moderator struggled to regain control by asking Reichel to "answer the question."

Fellow Green Party candidate Deb Gordils seconded Reichel's answer and added that it was time that people suspend their loyalties to the Democratic Party and vote Green. She too was told by the moderator to "answer the question."

During the course of the forum, the independent Republican Jon Stewart (no relation to Comedy Central), had surprised listeners with his support for untraditional Republican solutions, including amnesty for illegals and single-payer health care. When he also agreed with Reichel and said you can take care of domestic problems by ending the killing of people, the crowd applauded loudly. Ironically, the moderator's efforts to gain control and stifle the enthusiasm only instigated further laughter.

Other Green candidates in attendance were Matt Fredrickson and Simon Ribeiro; other Republican candidates included Greg Bedell, Tom Hanson, and Daniel S. Kay.

Kevin Gosztola studies documentary filmmaking at Columbia College in Chicago and is a YP4 2009 Fellow. He is an At-Large Senator for the Student Government Association at Columbia College where he is working to create a Student Civic Collective and increase funding and resources for political and social student organizations on campus. He has also served as a researcher and Production Assistant on several documentaries during the course of the 2008 election, including Polidoc Productions' "Seriously Green."

Kent Mesplay Addresses the 2008 Green Party National Convention at the Presidential Candidate Forum

These are Kent Mesplay opening remarks at the 2008 Green Party National Convention, held in Chicago, July 11, 2008. Mesplay emphasizes the use of environmental policies and has coined the phrase, "Sustainability is Security" in an effort to redefine how people think of security.

Now that the Green Party nomination of McKinney has closed this one door, what will Mesplay be up to... Well, he'll be running for California Congress in 2010 for one.

Poverty, a Loaded Term, Requires Re-examination

The federal poverty standards do not reflect the realities of those living at middle class or poverty levels. The definition of middle class has become cloudy as more and more from the middle class find themselves just a paycheck away from a financial crisis. These are two excerpts from the site, http://www.youtube.com/user/spotlightonpoverty where you can find out more on the topic.



The current testing for poverty in the United States is woefully out-of-date, according to Casey Foundation President Douglas Nelson, who testified before Congress in mid-July. There is no accounting for the costs of childcare, transportation and more and these discrepancies fail to properly profile the risk in which children and youth of lower socio-economic groups are placed.

Cynthia McKinney Offers Opening Statement at Last of Candidate Forums

Cynthia McKinney @ Green Party Nat'l Convention Candidate Forum from Polidoc on Vimeo.

Cynthia McKinney, six-term Congresswoman and activist, makes her opening statement at the 2008 Green Party National Convention Presidential Candidate's Forum. The following day, she wrapped up the party's nomination and introduced hip-hop activist Rosa Clemente.

Nader Charges Citizens to Tackle Politics Head On, No Seatbelts Required

"How do you satire a satire?" Nader asks in this hour long video address (which starts about half way through the clip), before an applauding crowd at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on April 5. Suffering a little campaign fatigue but showing no intent to let up his opposition to this "Whitehouse marininated in oil" or this Congress, the orator eloquently rises and delivers his impassioned and concerned appeal for greater citizen participation in politics.

"Are we a serious people requiring our members of Congress, 535 members who put their shoes on every monring like we do, to stand tall for the major framework of law and justice in our country, the US Constitution?”

His begins with a call for the impeachment of President George W Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney; Nader has long called for their impeachment. However, he trains his eyes on the Democratic Congress and assails it for abdicating its responsibility to impeach “the most impeachable President.” He remarks, “There’s something deficient in the DNA character of the Democratic Party.”

He then talks about the media, whom he finds to be derelict, more fascinated with interpreting the latest gaff between candidates and manufacturing gossip than in pressing for greater depth.

He also has a word for lawyers, some 800,000 of whom he would like to see out there in droves defending the Constitution, but for one reason or another have excused themselves. “We give lawyers the privilege of monopolizing access to the courts, that privilege comes with a responsibility to defend the public interest, especially in such dire times.”

Finally, Nader calls upon individuals to awaken our civic mindedness and get involved. “Unless we develop the civic personality that gets us really upset to break with our routines, to connect with our neighbors and communities, to do what we didn't think we were capable of doing, to develop our civic talents, we will simply watch this country of ours continue to slide into the abyss under the domination of a two party duopoly that excludes competition and turns our government over to giant corporations. These giant corporations are now THE government.”

He likened the spirit of citizen watchdogs to that of birdwatchers. He hopes that we all turn an eye to our legislators and learn what they are doing and set high expectations on their conduct. If someone in one part of the country sees something, then a whole flock of activists can look at it. And if that bird should land on the Capitol Dome, the watchers will follow.

In conclusion, he quotes the philosopher Cicero, "Freedom is participation in power." As always, go forward.