When they talk about Freedom®, Senate Republicans must have a different meaning than the rest of us. It seems Freedom® to them means the ability of selected corporations to be free of the laws that govern the rest of us. It certainly doesn't mean the freedom of association as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution. To wit:

This week, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) slammed the brakes on a Senate bill reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), objecting to a change in the House version of the bill that fixes an inequity in labor law that makes it more difficult for truck drivers at Memphis-based Federal Express to unionize than drivers at other shipping companies. Fellow Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander (R) applauded Corker's effort, pledging to "use every right or privilege I have as a senator to make sure that in the end of the process, the legislation does not include the unfair provisions singling out FedEx that's in the House bill." The senators' effort to prevent what they call an "unfair" provision singling out FedEx labor workers is itself a contradiction because, as Jim Berard, a spokesman for House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) noted, the House language seeks to "treat people who have the same type of job equally under federal labor laws." FedEx has successfully lobbied for years to remain classified as an airline subject to Railway Labor Act (RLA), a law that is technically supposed to apply only to airlines and railroad companies and stipulates that workers can't form local unions. CEO Fred Smith -- "who raised more than $100,000 for 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain and was George W. Bush's fraternity brother" -- defends this exception, adding, "I don't intend to recognize any unions at Federal Express." The language that Corker objects to would bring FedEx under the National Labor Relations Act like other shipping companies, such as UPS. Corker announced Wednesday that he will release his hold on the bill after receiving assurances from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) that the FedEx provisions would not appear in the Senate bill. - CAP's Progress Report

It would seem that to their minds, the greatest threat to Freedom® is a group of workers standing together for their family's economic security and their rights as Americans. Canada is looking better all the time.

I'm going to fight for a public option until we get one. It really is that simple.

The American people want the choice of a public option. I'm going to stand up for what the majority of the American people want again and again and again and I'm going to keep doing it until we win.

Now is not the time to give up and accept less. With 40 Senators on the record in support of passing a public option by majority vote, we've proven that the majority of Senate Democrats are ready to get the job done. All it takes now is leadership. It only takes one senator to offer an amendment from the Senate floor to bring the inclusion of a public option to a vote this year.

So today, we're bringing back the bat.

Democrats in Washington think that if they pass healthcare reform by the end of March, they'll be done no matter what's in the bill. But they're wrong. If the bill doesn't include a public option, we're not going away and we will not forget. Send Washington a message that they understand.

CONTRIBUTE RIGHT NOW

We will prevail in this fight this year.

And if Democrats in Washington don't deliver, we will not stop because of their failure of leadership. We will not stop because Democrats in Washington say it's done. We will not wait 20 years -- 10 years -- we will not wait a single year -- because we will not stop until every American has the option to voluntarily buy into a program like Medicare.

Send Democrats in Washington a message: Get on board or get out of the way.

HIT THE BAT

We will not stop until we win and it's up to us to make sure Democrats in Washington get the message.

Thank you for everything you do.

-Howard

Governor Howard Dean, M.D.
Founder, Democracy for America

Send Washington a message they'll understand -- Contribute Now to Fuel the Fight

Well, former county commissioner Tom Ellis was installed as county treasurer yesterday. Do you suppose he'll be able to figure out a way to save the county from the interest swaps he sold the county as an investment attorney?

I hear you saying, "Huh? Interest swaps?" These are derivitive products cooked up by the geniuses on Wall Street to fatten their wallets. It invloves trading paying a fixed interest rate for a floating interest rate. Fixed rate payors will want to convert to floating rate if they believe that rates will go lower; conversely, floating rate payors believe that rates may move higher and therefore will want to convert to a fixed rate.

Confused? Me, too. I think it's enough to know that it's gambling that's inappropriate to engage in with public funds. And it's a gamble that has cost the county about $15 million over the last couple of years. This is in addition to the fees that the investment bankers and Tom Ellis charged to set the deals up.

There were a few naysayers at the Obama health care event at Arcadia today, recalling the usual shibboleths about abortion and death panels, but his welcome was overwhelmingly positive. The roar from the crowd at his introduction was literally deafening.

Please join us at Lee's in leafy Wyndmoor on Thursday, Mar 4 for a lively discussion of the issues and more:

Agenda:

- Welcome / Local DFA monthly meeting items
- Grab a beverage and snacks
- Celebration! Big Health Care Vote: At it's Winter meeting, the PA State Democratic Committee unanimously endorsed Single Payer!! Woo-hoo!!
- Bring your candidate petitions for signatures!

DFA Campaign academy in West Chester, March 20-21. Can you sponsor a youth attendee? Do you know of a future leader that would benefit from a scholarship to Campaign Academy?

- Then we'll finish up with a fast and furious discussion of National Healthcare Reform/Obama/"How's that hope-y change-y thing goin' fer ya?"

Please RSVP if you can online at:
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/events/33957-montcodfa-first-thursday-meetup

This is 13 minutes long but worth every second of your time. If you are not motivated to take action after viewing it, you must be a Republican. Or not human.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

1.  Announcements

->  MDfA-er Paul Gallagher is now unopposed in May's election for Chair of the Horsham Democratic Committee, basically guaranteeing that Paul will be the next Chair of the Horsham Dems! Congratulations, Paul! Paul will be a busy guy, since he's adding that to heading up the I.T. committee for the county Dems, keeping that voter database current, and pulling out important trends. UPDATE: After another candidate entered the competition at the last minue, Paul was not elected to the position of chair.

->  This year's election cycle is heating up, with candidates' fundraisers and house parties springing to life:

Rep. Larry Curry has been a stalwart at MontcoDFA Monthly Meetings and comes regularly to hear what you have to say about the issues of the day and to report on the activities of the legislature. How many other elected officials afford this kind of availability to and engagement with the voters?   Join Larry and friends for his campaign kickoff at the home of Susan and George Dorshimer in Jenkintown, Saturday, February 13th, From 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. The suggested contribution is $50 per couple. You can click to RSVP via email or call 215-885-4154. If you can't make it on Saturday,  you can mail your check, payable to “Friends of Lawrence Curry,” to 250 Wyncote Road, Jenkintown, PA 19046. Please help make sure Larry has the resources he needs this year by making a contribution today of any amount you can.

Montco Controller Diane Morgan will be up for re-election in 2011, but she's not waiting around for the Republicans to paint a target on her back. For some info on what Diane's been up to as the first Democratic Controller in 150 years, check out:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/articles/2009/02/09/news/srv0000004666293.txt  . Montco DFA Steering Committee members Kevin Shaw and Mary Clark have both joined the host committee for a house party fundraiser on Sunday, February 28th, from 2-4pm, at the home of Julie Slavet, 430 Vernon Road, Jenkintown. Special Guest: Rep. Allyson Schwartz. While the minimum suggested donation is $100, the campaign has made it clear that smaller donations are also welcome -- they know that their most valuable resource is their supporters' commitment to Diane's reelection. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Neil at (215) 881-9202 or email ndeegan@allysonschwartz.com .

2. Members Reports

Montco DFA's Social Media presence is coming along nicely under the guidance of Lee Nelson. Look for Montco DFA on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MontcoDFA. Facebook page is in the works.

The Progressive Summit was attended by MDfA-ers Kevin Shaw, Mark Painter and Steve Strahs. The Summit had a near capacity crowd of about 500, with huge numbers of simultaneous workshops and sessions. Kevin noted that there was a great deal of issue advocacy, but very little electoral activity -- a worry given the close odds on the Governor's race, and little sign of changing the Republican domination of the PA Senate and near-domination of the PA House. This year will determine which party gets to redraw all the voting districts in the state. The 2000 Republican gerrymandering underlying their domination of the state legislature, and the resulting worsening conditions of life for Pennsylvanians. Nonetheless, the Summit was an important opportunity for the underdog Hoeffel for Governor campaign to network with progressives from across the state. Steve said that overall, the Summit turned out better than he expected, with meaty information and great people.

3. Endorsements

We started off discussing our reasons and our criteria for endorsing candidates. Besides evaluating how well candidates' positions align with our own, we evaluated whether they had made or could make a real difference in the lives of regular Americans consistent with our values. Members noted that endorsements by local DFA groups like ours are one of the key factors in Burlington's decisions about the national DFA PAC donations of both money and publicity. Campaigns for endorsees can also use our endorsement in whatever ways they find helpful. And our endorsements can serve to help launch and develop new candidates, develop our group's relationship with our local Democrats, and help support and hold accountable our elected officials.

We then considered candidates who are running for office this year, starting with multi-candidate primary races. We endorsed the following:

PA Governor -- Joe Hoeffel    http://www.joehoeffel2010.com/

US Senator from PA -- Joe Sestak   http://joesestak.com

U.S. Rep, PA 13 -- Allyson Schwartz   http://www.allysonschwartz.com/

U.S. Rep, PA 6 -- Manan Trivedi    http://www.trivediforcongress.com/

PA 154 Rep -- Larry Curry    http://www.larrycurry.com/

PA 146 Rep --  Mark Painter -- Website not up yet, so a NOTE:  A Montco DFA-er and 4th-term Limerick Twp Tax Collector who first beat out the incumbent when Limerick's registration was 5 to 2 Republican in a township now strongly trending to blue in western Montco. Mark has a strong sense of policy, especially on PA tax policy, and would be a great addition to the PA House!

PA 151 Rep -- Rick Taylor   http://www.taylorforpa.org/

PA 172 Rep -- Tim Kearney    http://www.kearney2010.com

It was a good meeting, jam-packed! Hope to see you next 1st Thursday.

Mary

Background:

There is no single factor that undermines our democracy more than the influence of big money. Curbs should be put in place, not because our candidates and officials lack integrity, but because the race for campaign cash forces priorities and practices within our system of elections that collide with the very essence of democracy.

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has decided that free speech for corporations trumps legitimate constraints on corporate political spending in the interest of democratic governance,  the issue of fair elections and the role of big money has taken center stage.

• Candidates agree that far too much of their time is spent “dialing for dollars” to a select few rather than talking with a wide range of voters about their beliefs, hopes and needs.
• Endless competition for funds from special interests weakens the role of civic dialogue and corrodes effective governance.
• Pennsylvania is one of only five states that have no contribution limits, no public financing of elections and limited disclosure and filing requirements. Some have likened it to the “Wild West” of electioneering, a free-for-all for raising money that has eroded public confidence and left us with a legislative process that often seems impervious to the voices of average citizens.

The time for change is now. Let's make the political process in Pennsylvania truly accessible to citizens of average means who seek either to run for office themselves or make their voices heard in the corridors of power. Let’s begin with a petition to our legislators calling for an end to the pollution of the political process by financial interests.

Click here to sign The Election Reform Network's petition.

Discussing the ramifications of investigating CIA torture, Rove told Reuters:

Karl Rove, who was a top aide to former President George W. Bush, accused Obama of seeking to conduct "show trials" a day after the president left open the possibility of prosecuting officials who provided legal analysis of interrogation procedures.

Rove told Reuters: "If the Obama administration insists on criminalizing policy disagreements, how can they place any limits on who they prosecute?"

"Everyone in the interrogation process would have to be treated the same," he said, including the CIA agents, the physicians who monitored interrogation sessions, and the lawyers who researched and wrote the memos.

The chain could reach "to the leadership of the intelligence community to the legislators in both parties and the Bush administration officials who were briefed on these memos and agreed to them," he said. [Emphasis added. - Ed.]

"It is now clear that the Obama White House didn't think before it tried to appease the hard left of the Democratic Party," Rove said.

So be it, says I! Throw them all out and start fresh is rapidly becoming my new mantra.

By Steve Strahs, Election Reform Network -

Last week’s Board of Commissioners meeting was the scene of some bizarre political twists and turns as the three commissioners continued their jockeying over what could be a new and improved ethics ordinance authored by Democrat Joe Hoeffel.  While the proposal itself is pretty straightforward, like just about everything in county politics, the story behind it and what it means is not.

During the Fumo trial, Republican Comr. Bruce Castor, former Montco District Attorney, noted during the course of his testimony that he had had some conversations and used email at the DA’s office related to his bid for state attorney general back in 2003.  This was the springboard for Hoeffel’s proposal; he asserted that Castor’s casual admissions reflected a focus on politics at the courthouse (including county government), or the potential for it, at the expense of the people’s business. Hence the need for ethics reform.