That Topless Lady - She Had Something Up Her Sleeve

This morning, I received an email from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Barack Obama asking me to contribute to their fund.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that "The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

Dr. King was right, it does bend toward justice.

But it doesn't bend on its own. It bends because for over two hundred years, we have had the courage to put our hands on that arc and move it in the direction of opportunity, equality, and justice.

Our metaphor is already a little bent but let's move on, shall we?

This November, these efforts will culminate in a historic opportunity to bring back the America we dream of. When Democrats retake the Senate, we will show that we don't have to settle for the Republican agenda of fear and division anymore.

We don't have to settle for a Republican agenda that tells us we can find the money to give Paris Hilton more tax cuts, but we can't find enough to protect our ports or our railroads or our chemical plants or our borders.

Oh no, he didn't! That just wouldn't sound as scorny coming from Chuck Schumer.

We don't have to settle for the closed-door deals that give billions to the HMOs when we're told that we can't do a thing for the 45 million uninsured or the millions more who can't pay their medical bills.

And we don't have to settle for a Republican agenda that gives billions away to the oil companies and then tells us we can't invest in the renewable energy that will create jobs and lower gas prices and finally free us from our dependence on the oil wells of Saudi Arabia.

Oh, the opprobrium!

But if we are going to win, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the largest national organization supporting the election of Democrats to the US Senate, must raise $1 million dollars before June 30th and its FEC filing deadline to close the fundraising gap with the Republicans.

Never before have Senate Democrats been so united behind one singular goal.

To catch Karl Rove with Boy Scouts and a jug of KY?

To help us blow past our fundraising target, a group of Democratic Senators have agreed to match your donations dollar for dollar - meaning that your gift is instantly doubled. If you have ever thought of giving to the DSCC, now is the time.

Please make a secure online contribution of $50, $75 or more. Your donation will help the DSCC elect Democrats in Senate races across the country.

Yeah, you're blowing, all right. Have I mentioned my three jobs? My austere lifestyle? That I live simply and like it that way? The DSCC should try it sometime. It might make them more sympathetic to those people Congress sold down the river last year with the bankruptcy bill.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is already running television and radio ads smearing Democratic challenger Jon Tester - a farmer whose family goes back three generations in Montana - as too liberal for the state. They're singing from their same tired song book - gay marriage, flag burning, higher taxes. We can't let them do it this time - and we won't.

Dude! You're in office and you're not stopping them now.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is responding to the Montana attack ads, but this is just the first of many, many such ads to come in tight races all across the country. The DSCC must be ready to respond to Republican attacks wherever and whenever they occur. But it is not enough simply to respond. We need your help so that Democrats can define themselves before negative campaigning begins.

Well, I would care a lot more about this definition thing if Democrats cared less about getting it from consultants than from the people. In fact, since the Dems can't sell us all down the river fast enough they have a lot of fucking nerve asking for money and faith. TBogg's got more.

I would buy Obama's deference to leaders in the Democratic party if I felt that were any leaders in the Democratic party (Anyone? Anyone?) but he doesn't seem to want to fill the void and so we end up with a bland parsing pol who spends all of his time trying to not leave anything distinctive on his permanent record...and we already have an Evan Bayh. Personally I'm tired of Democrats who are obsessed with process and talking about how they need to get their message out. There comes a time to decide what you stand for...and then stand for it.

I don't have a horse in the 2008 Presidential election and I'll vote for any Democrat short of the Joe's (Lieberman and Biden), I only have one requirement for my candidate: someone who can win. And for that, and because both parties bases are pretty much set in stone, you need someone who can excite the mushy middle (also known as the "independents") and I don't think that you can get them off the couch them with more mush.

If you want to lead the party, then lead. Otherwise stop wasting my time and sucking the air out of the room...

I have invested time, money and energy into the Dems over the years and I am still waiting on returns. Note to fundraisers: show me results and I will come back to you. Show me no more anti-choice candidates. Show me solid voting records on gay rights. Show me that you support organized labor and the issues of the poor. Show me corporate interests aren't more important than the people's. Show me you understand and support the Constitution, including and especially the Bill of Rights. Show me the same courage you've demanded of our troops by bringing them home. Show me you can balance a checkbook.

Then you can ask for my help.