Flap Your Lips Friday
Posted by Michelle Moquin on September 28th, 2012
Good morning!
ALEC: The Scheme to Remake America, One State House at a Time
This week, we report on the most influential corporate-funded political force most Americans have never heard of — ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council. A national consortium of state politicians and powerful corporations, ALEC presents itself as a “nonpartisan public-private partnership”. But behind that mantra lies a vast network of corporate lobbying and political action aimed to increase corporate profits at public expense without public knowledge.
In state houses around the country, hundreds of pieces of boilerplate ALEC legislation are proposed or enacted that would, among other things, dilute collective bargaining rights, make it harder for some Americans to vote, and limit corporate liability for harm caused to consumers — each accomplished without the public ever knowing who’s behind it.
We explore ALEC’s self-serving machine at work, acting in a way one Wisconsin politician describes as “a corporate dating service for lonely legislators and corporate special interests.”
Here’s a preview:
By the way, join me for my first LIVE CHAT of 2012. You can set up a reminder for yourself and start submitting questions here. I look forward to it.
The United States of ALEC: Bill Moyers on the Secretive Corporate-Legislative Body Writing Our Laws
Democracy Now! premieres “The United States of ALEC,” a special report by legendary journalist Bill Moyers on how the secretive American Legislative Exchange Council has helped corporate America propose and even draft legislation for states across the country. ALEC brings together major U.S. corporations and right-wing legislators to craft and vote on “model” bills behind closed doors. It has come under increasing scrutiny for its role in promoting “stand your ground” gun laws, voter suppression bills, union-busting policies and other controversial legislation.
Although billing itself as a “nonpartisan public-private partnership,” ALEC is actually a national network of state politicians and powerful corporations principally concerned with increasing corporate profits without public scrutiny. Moyers’ special will air this weekend on Moyers & Company, but first airs on Democracy Now! today. “The United States of ALEC” is a collaboration between Okapi Productions, LLC and the Schumann Media Center. [includes rush transcript]
To read the transcript, click here.
******
Readers: Plan on pretty much everything I discuss or post to this blog, until the day of the election, is going to be about Politics, with maybe a few things thrown in as a breather. But really with the most important election of our lives less than 40 days away, what else is there to discuss? If you’re not into politics, now is the time to turn into a political animal, and get active.
It’s Friday…Blog me. Peace out.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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September 28th, 2012 at 10:41 am
Michelle, this is the exact right article at the exact right time. The Left needs to know that the Right is in a long term plot to steal this country one state at a time.
Doris
September 28th, 2012 at 11:08 am
Ym
You know how I feel. I too wish that I could be with you…holding you in my arms and spending the day there. When my love?
Yw
September 28th, 2012 at 12:18 pm
Americans Deserve More
September 28, 2012
Americans Deserve More
Since taking the majority, House Republicans have supported policies that protect millionaires at the expense of Medicare and the middle class.
Instead of taking action to create jobs, they have voted over 60 times against considering common-sense Democratic and bipartisan proposals to create or protect American jobs. Specifically, they voted:
19 times AGAINST considering critical “Make It In America” initiatives — many of which are bipartisan – such as strengthening U.S. innovation and leveling the playing field with China.
13 times AGAINST considering efforts to prevent or discourage the shipping of American jobs overseas and to crack down on offshore tax havens and in favor of pro-outsourcing measures;
19 times AGAINST considering efforts to ensure that tax cuts for the middle class and small businesses get enacted; and
13 times AGAINST other parts of President Obama’s American Jobs Act and considering proposals to rebuild America, like the bipartisan Senate job-creating highway and transit bill.
Democrats have proposed a different path. We are committed to reigniting the American Dream and rebuilding the pillars of America that have made our economy strong: small businesses, entrepreneurs, and an all-inclusive and thriving middle class.
Congresswoman Pelosi meets with Dr. Leslie Wong, President of San Francisco State University, and his wife, Phyllis Wong, to discuss the importance of ensuring college affordability to students of all backgrounds.
Celebrating the Patient’s Bill of Rights
The Affordable Care Act, passed by Democratic majorities in the House and Senate in 2010, is designed to put you, not the health insurance companies, back in charge of your health care. This week, we celebrated the two-year anniversary since the Patient’s Bill of Rights went into effect. This crucial part of the health reform law was created to stop the worst of insurance company abuses. Under the Patient’s Bill of Rights, children can no longer be denied coverage due to a pre-existing condition, health plans cannot put a lifetime limit on health coverage, and children can stay on their parent’s insurance until age 26. For more information about the Patient’s Bill of Rights, please visit http://www.healthcare.gov/law/features/rights/bill-of-rights
California Leads the Way
In America, we believe every vote counts, and every vote must be counted as cast. On Monday, Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill making it easier for Californians to participate in elections by allowing for same-day voter registration.
Already, voters in our state can register online thanks to Secretary of State Debra Bowen and Senator Leland Yee. As this new bill is implemented over the coming years, the process will be made easier and more streamlined.
This year’s election will be held on November 6, 2012. In order to cast your vote, register by October 22, 2012. For more information on how you can register online, by mail, or at your neighborhood library or post office, please visit the San Francisco Department of Elections.
Clarity for LGBT Families
Today, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that she would direct U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to issue written guidance to field offices codifying that LGBT family ties would be recognized in immigration cases.
The directive by Secretary Napolitano is welcome and will provide a measure of clarity and confidence to families dealing with separation in immigration cases. In August, I was pleased to join my colleagues Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA) and 81 additional Members of Congress calling on DHS to recognize, explicitly and in writing, the ties of a same-sex partner or spouse as a positive factor for discretionary relief in immigration enforcement deportation cases. To read our letter, please visit my website.
Please feel free to forward this information to your family and friends. To learn more about these efforts, to express your views, or to sign up for email updates, please visit my website. I am also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NancyPelosi.
best regards,
Member of Congress
September 28th, 2012 at 12:19 pm
Urge California Sens. Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer:
Reverse Pres. Obama’s Amnesty & Work Permits; California needs those jobs
With more Americans unemployed at any time since the Great Depression, President Obama is making it easier for illegal aliens to take American jobs. That’s right: With 20 million Americans having trouble finding work, President Obama’s bypassed Congress to unilaterally give amnesty and work permits to 2-3 million illegal aliens currently in the United States. It means more job competition and wage depression for working class and fewer jobs for returning veterans and recent graduates.
If that’s not bad enough, President Obama’s amnesty and work permit incentivizes more illegal aliens to quickly cross the border into this country in the hopes of qualifying for the next amnesty, too. And, of course, it means rewarding those who broke the law. It all adds up to a desperate move by the President to get votes in an election year, despite the cost to the American worker.
The good news is that our democracy has checks and balance. President Obama’s policy can be reversed if enough of us voice our concerns. Two of those check and balances are right here in California. They’re our Senators. Please send our Senators the message below right now. They can reverse President Obama’s amnesty and work permits for millions of illegal aliens. And save jobs for unemployed Americans, right here in California. This is a completely free service. There is no cost to you.
PRESS TO SEND THIS FREE FAX
Dear Senators Feinstein and Boxer,
As you know, our nation is experiencing its most trying economic times since the Great Depression. Twenty million Americans are having trouble finding jobs and putting food on the table, many right here in California. That’s why I was so confounded to recently hear that President Obama’s bypassed Congress to unilaterally award amnesty and work permits to 2-3 million illegal aliens.
His unprecedented abuse of executive privilege will make it harder for people right here in California to find jobs. Recent college grads can’t find jobs. Immigrants who settled here last year can’t find jobs. So, why would the President want to make it easier for people here illegally to take American jobs? Why would we reward lawbreakers and incentivize more illegal immigration? The answer is simple and predictable: It’s election year politics at its worst.
The United States gives new work permits to 1.5 million immigrants and other foreign workers each year–not including the illegal aliens. When our nation is trillions in debt and has a shortage of millions of jobs, there is simply no way to justify these numbers. Taxpayers end up subsidizing the Americans who lose their jobs because of immigration.
It has been said that during bad times, ‘we the people’ find out what kind of leaders we’ve elected. Here’s your chance to show us your leadership skills. Please, take immediate action to reverse President Obama’s amnesty and work permits for millions of illegal aliens. Unemployed Americans desperately need jobs, and they’re depending on you.
Sincerely,
.
PRESS TO SEND THIS FREE FAX
NumbersUSA, America’s largest-member immigration-reduction organization. We are non-profit and non-partisan.
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September 28th, 2012 at 12:23 pm
The polls be damned. The key to GOP victory will be suppressing the vote as much as possible to make sure that as many undesirable Obama voters get turned away at the ballot box.
September 28th, 2012 at 12:24 pm
Couldn’t agree more. And I agree with Ronnie Reagan…who said on MSNBC yesterday that he believes the GOP are paving their way to calling Obama’s win in November a fraud. Dollars to doughnuts, they will. And make a big stink, too.
September 28th, 2012 at 4:43 pm
Hi Misch, I hear ya, very important next month or so…I’m proud of you for having a worldwide audience but at the moment I wish there was a way to get you heard coast to coast, north, south, east and west right here in the US of A.
- ZL
September 28th, 2012 at 4:50 pm
Michelle, I live in Brooklyn and I hear you. That takes care of the West Coast. If I could get a little closer I would make a play for your heart.
Okay what Coast is next?
Chris
September 28th, 2012 at 5:08 pm
Michelle, I’m in California and I hear you. I am making my way to the Bay Area. I need my job here or I would just pack up and move to get next to you. That takes care of the East Coast.
Oh and speaking of Chris? How about that Chris Matthews. I like that white guy.
I believe Chris is correct, they Right is gearing up for the delegitimizing of Obama’s 2nd term because they couldn’t finish him off in his first term.
These whining crybabies make me laugh, they’re trying every dirty trick to get Mitt into the White House, and it’s not going so well for them.
All that money being spent on buying Mitt the White House isn’t working, so if he loses they’ll screech “VOTER FRAUD”, even when it’s the republicans that have been caught red handed down in Florida forging names on absentee ballots.
The RNC hired the firm for $3 million to get them vote. The firm is noted for registering dead people, and has a history of cheating on the registering of voters.
They are presently resting their hopes on voter suppression in key states and they have been perpetuating voter fraud.
Okay what Coast is next?
Joe
September 28th, 2012 at 5:18 pm
Barbara Boxer has asked the Justice Department to enforce the law against voter intimidation.
If a voter feels they are being intimidated they should report the person to the FBI.
So far the firm caught registering fake people in Republican districts has been caught in 7 other states. The most recent being Colorado.
Many republican control states have enacted laws that allow any person to challenge the right of a person while they are attempting to vote and the challenged person must produce two forms of I.D. to vote.
That is voter intimidation and the voter shoulder get the name of the challenger and report that person to the FBI.
Terri
September 28th, 2012 at 5:43 pm
Dick Morris is as out of touch with reality as any of the right wing ignorati. How can anyone go on the tube and claim that not only is Romney going to win but that he will carry Pennsylvania and Michigan?
September 28th, 2012 at 5:51 pm
Michelle, I live in New Orleans. I’m checking in for the North. I’m not gay but I would love to meet you on my next.
Oh, and that Todd Akin in Missouri has stated that businesses should have the right to pay women less. Yet, republican women in the state are lining up to vote for the creep.
It just goes to show that most southern white women are as ignorant as a adult person can get. That is why white men are running that state into the ground.
Marianne.
September 28th, 2012 at 5:51 pm
Chris Matthews slobbers his way through every session of Hardball. He can’t begin to be objective, possibly because he only knows what he believes based on viewer ratings.
September 28th, 2012 at 5:52 pm
At least when Chris is in a good mood we don’t hear the ‘racism’ word thrown around like so much confetti.
September 28th, 2012 at 5:53 pm
Chris, who worked in liberal icon Pat Moynihan’s office was an embarrassment during the Clinton years denigrating the entire Dem party. Then he became a toady for Bush’s foreign policy.
I think it was Keith, who made it okay to call out Shrub, that Chris felt ratings moving to Keith, increasing his power at MSNBC that opened Chris’ eyes.
With Rachel coming on board, followed by Ed, I think Chris realized after he’d decided not to run for office, if he didn’t get with the program of the liberal slant MSNBC retooled format, he would become less than an also ran.
His son Thomas is on HBO’s Newshour, which challenges the entire cable news apparatus to stop playing footsee with guests and start confronting them on their lies and making them support their outrageous statements, and stop worrying about ratings and being able to book guests.
I suspect watching the show, Chris sees what he’s supposed to be doing and to keep from looking like a lackey to his kid, has suddenly let his pair drop.
September 28th, 2012 at 5:56 pm
Drake, Sorry Chris is just telling it like it is. Michelle, I’m from North Dakota. That takes care of the South Zen Lill.
Haley
September 28th, 2012 at 5:57 pm
I live in a very red neighborhood in a very red county in a very blue state.
Every election in the 15 years i’ve lived here there is a virtual EXPLOSION of republican yard signs for every candidate on the ticket.
This year …1 romney sign and 2 dold …that’s the total of signs in the ENTIRE neighborhood ..THREE
even people in my neighborhood are ASHAMED to let anyone know they are republicans…..
obama 2012–don’t be complacent work for him
September 28th, 2012 at 5:59 pm
When Matthews is in a genuinely good mood it is depressing because I know Obama is winning. When Matthews acts like a raging lunatic it means obama is in trouble.
Now I need to pray other news stations besides Fox will report how obama let our four Americans just sit in Libya unprotected and be killed and instead of telling America the truth just lie to us about a video no one saw till obama drew attention to it.
September 28th, 2012 at 5:59 pm
I think the last hooker’s toes that Dick Morris sucked had LSD on them. No other way to explain his incoherence.
September 28th, 2012 at 6:02 pm
Apparently, Fhil Griffin has thrown up his hands and has stopped trying to keep Chris from drinking before the show.
September 28th, 2012 at 6:05 pm
Jame, Right. Since when have faux and repubs ever cared about dead Americans? Only if they think they can tie something to Obama.
September 28th, 2012 at 6:06 pm
What exactly should he have done for those 4 in Libya? Ordered them to stay safely in the Embassy and never go off the grounds?
September 28th, 2012 at 6:07 pm
Absolutely! Please spread the link below: and let “We the People” know what’s in store for America if Mitt is elected:
http://www.winningprogressive.org/grover-norquist
F&F!
September 28th, 2012 at 9:21 pm
Ann Coulter tries to tell Whoopi Goldberg how black people feel about things
Here’s a brief rundown: at 0:55 Ann Coulter tries to explain how the O.J. Simpson trial was apparently good for black people because it closed what she calls the “white guilt bank,” at 2:24 she asserts that liberals have never cared about black people, at 3:20 she basically rewrites America’s political history, and at 4:30 she says liberals are responsible for pushing racist voter fraud laws. Oh and prepare to cheer for Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar throughout, but especially at 1:13 when Whoopi gets fed up with Coulter’s insane assertions and asks her point-blank how much she actually knows “about being black.”
http://www.upworthy.com/ann-coulter-tries-to-tell-whoopi-goldberg-how-black-people-feel-about-things-it