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Thom Hartmann

How America Broke Up With The Democratic Party

Many grassroots Democrats separated from their party in the 1990s, and the 2020 election may be the last chance to save the marriage. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency and brought with him a Democratic Party sweep so complete that, with the exception of two brief two-year periods, Democrats controlled the House of Representatives from 1931 to 1995. FDR built the modern-day Democratic Party and launched it toward the 21st century. Today, the Democratic Party has two presidential nominees who carry the values and economic policies of FDR and LBJ, while embracing modern-day values of diversity and inclusion in ways neither party dared before this century. If the Democratic Party follows its base, and promotes progressive candidates and policies, it has a good chance of pulling America back from the brink of authoritarianism and oligarchy, and to restore our moral authority in the world. A return to big thinking and big goals like those of FDR and LBJ will put Democrats on a track to a second multigenerational governing majority.

House Votes On Impeachment

Trump faces House impeachment vote. CNN: "The House of Representatives is set to impeach an elected President accused of violating the nation's trust and his oath to preserve, protect and defend bedrock constitutional values. Donald Trump will be only the third president in 240 years to be impeached -- the ultimate trauma for the system of checks and balances, which will unleash fury that will boil for years. The 45th President will be charged by the House Democratic majority with two articles of impeachment, namely abusing his power and obstructing Congress in a scheme to lure Ukraine into interfering in the 2020 election. Trump raged into his day of historic shame unrepentant - after saying he takes 'zero' responsibility for impeachment - and feeling persecuted. 'Can you believe that I will be impeached today by the Radical Left, Do Nothing Democrats, AND I DID NOTHING WRONG! A terrible Thing. Read the Transcripts. This should never happen to another President again. Say a PRAYER!' Trump tweeted Wednesday morning."

Protests Nationwide Ahead Of Impeachment Vote

Hundreds of thousands take to streets in all 50 States with a simple message for Congress: 'Time to impeach and remove Trump'. Common Dreams: "Hours before the House votes on whether to impeach President Donald Trump, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Times Square Tuesday night chanting 'Tell me who's above the law? Nobody is above the law!' They weren't alone. Rallies sprang up from Oregon to Florida on the eve of the vote on two articles of impeachment against Trump, charging him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Democrats say Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals in exchange for security aid and that he obstructed a congressional investigation by refusing to allow key officials to testify. Trump has asserted that Democrats' attempt to impeach him is part of a larger effort to avenge the results of the 2016 election. Protesters in favor of his removal from office took to the streets by the thousands on Tuesday."

House Averts Government Shutdown

House approves spending measures to avert government shutdown. NYT: "The House took the first step on Tuesday to avert a government shutdown, giving overwhelming approval to legislation that would fund all federal agencies and programs through next fall just days before federal funding is set to lapse. A dozen must-pass bills were split into two packages in part to appease President Trump, who had vowed to never again sign a so-called omnibus package. But in essence, the pair of measures were just that: a giant potpourri of unrelated spending and policy measures stuffed full of priorities with enough appeal to each political party to ensure their passage through Congress and smooth their path to Mr. Trump’s desk, on the eve of a vote to impeach him. The House passed the measures less than 24 hours after lawmakers formally unveiled more than 2,000 pages of legislation, which cover the federal government for the current fiscal year. The Senate is expected to vote on both measures before the Friday deadline when funding expires."

Chao Delivers Sweetheart Deal To McConnell District

Chao’s team helped McConnell’s state win its largest DOT grant. Politico: "Kentucky’s largest transportation grant application under the Trump administration benefited from a process that the government’s top watchdog said lacked 'the assurance of fairness,' raising questions about whether the Department of Transportation is making decisions based on project merits or political considerations. The $67.4 million grant application for Boone County — a rapidly growing suburban district of political importance to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the husband of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao — was initially flagged by professional staff as incomplete. But after giving the state and local officials behind the application an extra opportunity to submit missing information, Chao chose it as one of 26 grant winners out of an initial pool of 258 applicants. The Government Accountability Office faulted the department for failing to document why the Boone County project and 41 other applicants received this extra chance to fill in holes in their submissions while 55 other incomplete applications fell out of the running. Moreover, emails obtained by POLITICO show that Boone County officials were in contact with Chao’s aide Todd Inman, a former McConnell campaign staffer known to offer extra guidance to Kentuckians with business before the secretary."