Monday, September 18, 2006
Saturday's Hawaii Senate Primary, and Why You Should Give A Who-Haaaa....
Did you support Ned Lamont against Lieberman?
It's a reverse of that primary, as Akaka needs your help to STAY in office. In this primary (on Sat., Sept 23), it's the incumbent, Dan Akaka, who voted against Bush's failed war in Iraq, who spoke out against Rumsfeld's failed leadership, and stands up for veterans. He's the ranking member of the Venterans Committee, by the way. All those Vets in Hawaii should want him to stick around.
Like Lieberman, Ed Case supports Bush's war and likes Rumsfeld. After his trip to Guantanamo, he didn't seem to understand what the fuss was all about. Oh, and he is supporting Lieberman in his General Election. You could call Ed Case the Doppelganger for Joe Lieberman, except Ed Case's more conservative. Part of his strategy is to appeal to Republicans, his real base, because Hawaii's primary is an open one. That means Republicans can ask for the Democratic primary ballot on Saturday and vote for their friend Ed Case. That scares me. I don't think CT voters could do that, right?
Do you believe Democrats have a responsibility to the regular person over big corporate interests?
Akaka has the backing of groups like labor, social workers, and Progressive Democrats of Hawaii. Basically, regular, rank-and-file Democrats. Also, he's received the endorsement of Asian American Action Fund, Peace Action, Senators Inouye, Feingold, Kerry, Obama, and Congressman Dennis Kucinich (who came in second in the Hawaii Presidential Primary). He's supported a number of measures for the little guy. Take that horrible new bankruptcy law that passed last year. Senator Akaka fought for the Democratic alternative to the bill that did become law, which would have given needed support to those who declare bankruptcy due to health care crises.
Ed Case, the cousin of Steve Case of AOL fame, is an active DLC'er. He has the backing of big business groups like the National Realtors Association and The American Restaurant Association. The Realtors spent over $600K in TV ads in July alone campaigning for Ed Case. He supported the DLC efforts for tougher individual bankruptcy laws. He maid it more difficult for folks to declare bankruptcy, and provided no breaks to people who suffer a health care crisis when unemployed and/or without health care. They declare bankruptcy because they are sick, but suffer the consequeces for a decade. It's simply not right.
Ed Case could have stood for the sort of changes Dan Akaka wanted, but he went with the DLC's efforts to leave no loopholes, supporting big credit card companies. Compare the crappy new law Ed Case wanted with corporate bankruptcy laws. Corporations have so many holes in it you could drive a truck through them, including allowing corporations to pass of their pensions, leaving retirees with smaller pensions than they'd planned for. This sends many seniors, including my own father, back to work to make up the difference just so they could live. Compare that to another family member who had to declare bankruptcy just because she got sick, and she'll have to suffer far longer than her illness lasted, thanks to 10 years of bad credit.
Do you oppose Bush's War?
Dan Akaka has strongly opposed Bush's failed war in Iraq, speaking eloquently about the sacrifices our troops have made. He was one of 13 brave Senators to call for a withdrawal of troops from Iraq by the end of the year.
Check this excerpt from his website:
Now, do you give a who-haa?
Akaka needs your help. Donate, blog, & tell your friends.
crossposted to my diaries at dailykos and mydd... I also posted a diary entry yesterday on dailykos that isn't here on my home blog...
It's a reverse of that primary, as Akaka needs your help to STAY in office. In this primary (on Sat., Sept 23), it's the incumbent, Dan Akaka, who voted against Bush's failed war in Iraq, who spoke out against Rumsfeld's failed leadership, and stands up for veterans. He's the ranking member of the Venterans Committee, by the way. All those Vets in Hawaii should want him to stick around.
Like Lieberman, Ed Case supports Bush's war and likes Rumsfeld. After his trip to Guantanamo, he didn't seem to understand what the fuss was all about. Oh, and he is supporting Lieberman in his General Election. You could call Ed Case the Doppelganger for Joe Lieberman, except Ed Case's more conservative. Part of his strategy is to appeal to Republicans, his real base, because Hawaii's primary is an open one. That means Republicans can ask for the Democratic primary ballot on Saturday and vote for their friend Ed Case. That scares me. I don't think CT voters could do that, right?
Do you believe Democrats have a responsibility to the regular person over big corporate interests?
Akaka has the backing of groups like labor, social workers, and Progressive Democrats of Hawaii. Basically, regular, rank-and-file Democrats. Also, he's received the endorsement of Asian American Action Fund, Peace Action, Senators Inouye, Feingold, Kerry, Obama, and Congressman Dennis Kucinich (who came in second in the Hawaii Presidential Primary). He's supported a number of measures for the little guy. Take that horrible new bankruptcy law that passed last year. Senator Akaka fought for the Democratic alternative to the bill that did become law, which would have given needed support to those who declare bankruptcy due to health care crises.
Ed Case, the cousin of Steve Case of AOL fame, is an active DLC'er. He has the backing of big business groups like the National Realtors Association and The American Restaurant Association. The Realtors spent over $600K in TV ads in July alone campaigning for Ed Case. He supported the DLC efforts for tougher individual bankruptcy laws. He maid it more difficult for folks to declare bankruptcy, and provided no breaks to people who suffer a health care crisis when unemployed and/or without health care. They declare bankruptcy because they are sick, but suffer the consequeces for a decade. It's simply not right.
Ed Case could have stood for the sort of changes Dan Akaka wanted, but he went with the DLC's efforts to leave no loopholes, supporting big credit card companies. Compare the crappy new law Ed Case wanted with corporate bankruptcy laws. Corporations have so many holes in it you could drive a truck through them, including allowing corporations to pass of their pensions, leaving retirees with smaller pensions than they'd planned for. This sends many seniors, including my own father, back to work to make up the difference just so they could live. Compare that to another family member who had to declare bankruptcy just because she got sick, and she'll have to suffer far longer than her illness lasted, thanks to 10 years of bad credit.
Do you oppose Bush's War?
Dan Akaka has strongly opposed Bush's failed war in Iraq, speaking eloquently about the sacrifices our troops have made. He was one of 13 brave Senators to call for a withdrawal of troops from Iraq by the end of the year.
Check this excerpt from his website:
In 2002, as chairman of the International Security Subcommittee, Senator Akaka held hearings on Iraq's purported weapons of mass destruction (WMD). He attended classified briefings, participated in Armed Services Committee hearings, and listened to outside experts. He concluded that Iraq's alleged WMD programs did not pose an immediate threat and, more significantly, that the President's post-war strategy would not work. He along with 22 other senators made the difficult and (at the time) unpopular decision to vote against waging a war against Iraq.
He cautioned that before the United States considered invading Iraq, the U.S. should (1) exhaust all means short of war to enforce United Nations resolutions concerning Iraq, (2) build an effective international coalition both to fight the war and to win the peace, and (3) ensure that Iraq did indeed have weapons of mass destruction.
Ed Case strongly supports President Bush, his war, Rumsfeld, the way things are going in Guantanamo, doesn't want the troops to be withdrawn, and has voted for Bush's war every chance he could.
Now, do you give a who-haa?
Akaka needs your help. Donate, blog, & tell your friends.
crossposted to my diaries at dailykos and mydd... I also posted a diary entry yesterday on dailykos that isn't here on my home blog...
