The latest to lose his seat is West Virginia representative Alan Mollohan, who has served for 28 years now. Anti-incumbent fever knocked him out, and may very well knock out Arlen Specter in about a week from now. Judging from the comments made by the winner in the WVA race, State Senator Mike Oliverio, Pelosi might watch her back, too:

On the campaign trail, Democratic nominee Mike Oliverio told voters that if they sent him to Washington he wouldn’t vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House.

And if this trend continues, Oliverio might not have to.

True that. And her losing the Speakers position could not happen to a more deserving person. She has been a disaster as Speaker, IMHO.

I tell you who else I would like to see get his pink slip is my representative James “The Clintons Are Racists” Clyburn. Not only did he stab the Clintons in the back repeatedly, but he just voted to give the House their pay raise, one of 14 to do so. I’m sorry, say, Whaaaa?? Our state is struggling mightily, as many are. Just today, our paper had an article discussing a possible property tax increase with decreased services because we have lost so much money in state funding. Our taxes went up last year, too, so we’re paying out more, getting less, and Clyburn wants a raise? Spare me.

And then there is this HUGE change that occurred Tuesday across the pond. PM Gordon Brown stepped down, and Conservative David Cameron stepped up. This ended 13 years of Labour as the ruling party in the UK.

Prime Minister Cameron had this to say about what type of government he would like to establish:

Well, that’s an intriguing start. Cameron has made the Opposition leader, Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister. And this was Clegg’s response at the same press conference:

What is this concept of “working together”? I am unfamiliar with that whole idea not having seen it in action of late. This will be interesting to see how all of this plays out in the UK. It would be refreshing if they are able to work as a coalition for the good of the country, and not just their respective parties. Time, as they say, will tell.

I think this says it all:

First up is Rep. Issa claiming there is a “credible allegation” that the White House committed a felony. The allegation stems from Democrat Rep. Joe Sestak:

I wonder if anything will come of it. If so, THIS should be quite the case to watch.

Next up is a story discovered by faithful reader, jbjd. Oh, this one will raise your hair, I think. Here’s a bit from the article, Self-Interested Veal Pen Outfits Step Up to Kill the Public Option:

Having suckered you into giving up your email address, fundraised heavily and built up their mailing lists by disingenuously flogging the public option, the veal pen turns around and shoots it in the back to save Michael Bennet’s ass. Yesterday SEIU and Progress Colorado showed up when David Sirota and 40-50 public option supporters delivered 34,000 petition signatures to Bennet’s office to protest AGAINST the public option.

David Herszenhorn of the New York Times states what’s happening very clearly, and debunks the “public option will get a vote later” lie:

[T]he Democrats said they had agreed among themselves to resist the temptation to make any amendments and would work to approve the bill without any changes that would require it to be sent back to the House for another vote. The public option, they said, could wait for another day, another vote, another fight — even though the parliamentary process playing out on the Senate floor gave them a rare chance to enact it with a simple majority, a chance unlikely to come around again soon.

But the bill is going to go back to the House for another vote as of this morning, so that excuse has melted. It now takes its place along side “60 voters,” “50 votes,” “the President supports the public option” and “I’ve only had two beers, officer” in the feeble excuse Hall of Fame. It was all bullshit anyway — as if bills aren’t routinely sent back and forth between houses all the time. It’s almost as good as Michael Bennet’s “it will kill the bill” — as if the health care bill wasn’t already signed into law by the President. Exactly how many people he thought would “die” by the delay of a “tax fix” is unknown. (See “Frosh Sen. Michael Bennet Won’t Offer Public Option Amendment, Still Seems Not To Understand How Legislative Process Works“)

Oh, you’re going to want to read the rest of it (click on the title above).

No Longer Banned In Beantown provided THIS link for our edification. It takes you to the lists of “Clients Lobbying For H.R. 3590.” That’s the healthcare bill. I’d grab a few aspirin before checking out this list. And if you want to check out each company ON that list, you better have a lot of time on your hands. Oh, yeah – it’s long.

Doc99, in light of the claims of intimidation, threats, and violence directed at both Democrats and Republicans following the Healthcare vote (that Obama – just bringing people together) provided this story, “Scott Brown Calls For End To Intimidation“. Here’s a bit of that piece:

In the Capitol moments ago, I happened to buttonhole Senator Scott Brown, darling of the national Tea Party movement, and he strongly condemned the threats and intimidation that health reform foes are directing at Dems who supported it.

“Any type of intimidation is completely unacceptable,” Brown told me. “That’s what makes America so good is that we can go to the ballot box. And that’s what I’d encourage people to do to vent their anger in a positive way, instead of doing things that are bad form.”

Brown sidestepped, however, when asked whether some of the rhetoric about reform coming from prominent GOP officials had helped create a climate fostering the intimidation, as Dems have been insisting. He also demurred when I asked whether Republican officials had done enough to quell the violence.

And Required Reading suggested this article is just that, required reading, “Repeal the Democrats; Republicans may not repeal the health-care bill, but they should repeal the Democrats.” Here’s a taste of this article:

All day Sunday and into the night, Republican House Members tilted at the Democratic Party’s mammoth health-care windmill. Amid the Stupaks and Neugebauers, Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan finally told the chamber the truth. This debate wasn’t just about doctors and insurance, he said. “This is ultimately about what kind of country we are going to be in the 21st century.”

Signing the bill into law Tuesday Mr. Obama also stepped away from his windmill to say something real: “Today we are affirming . . . a truth every generation is called to rediscover for itself, that we are not a nation that scales back its aspirations.”

Indisputably correct. The U.S. has produced generations of upward strivers and competitors. Since 1950 til now, 82 of 150 Nobel laureates in medicine have been from the U.S. With enactment of this law, the U.S. will throttle down. Rather than spend our energies this century competing straight up with rising Asia for economic primacy, we’ll work to pay for the fat but happy social-welfare state of the last century.

Or maybe not.

Required reading, indeed.

jbjd also provided the following link which has a very interesting discussion about Israel. Obviously, this is a timely discussion given the treatment of Benjamin Netanyahu (otherwise known as a “bum’s rush”) by Obama this week:

Finally, NLBIB also provided this awesome video for your musical entertainment:

It’s an Open Thread, friends.

Last May, my cartoon (reposted below) was about “David” (Joe Sestak) thinking of running against “Goliath” (Arlen Specter) for United States Senator from Pennsylvania. When long-time Republican Specter dumped the GOP because polls showed that he would not win a 6th term in 2010, he decided to run again anyway—as a Democrat.

Along comes Joe Sestak, a retired Navy Admiral, who currently represents Pennsylvania’s 7th district as a Democrat in the House. After weeks of reflection and traveling the state, Joe Sestak will take on the grisly, high-profile, Senator Specter. Either man would likely prevail over the right-wing conservative Republican contender.

Here is a run-down of Joe and what he faces.

In favor of Sestak:
1. Joe has paid his dues to the Democratic Party and should have a chance to be the Democratic candidate for the Senate.
2. The people of Pennsylvania should be able to choose who they want, not what the Washington Democratic Establishment dictates.
3. Joe has guts to stand up to the Establishment that is trying to dissuade him, and we need more people of courage in government.
4. Specter is self-serving. All polls show that he could not have won as a Republican this next time around. His primary concern is keeping his career going.
5. Is Specter really a Democrat? How can Democrats know for sure? Will he really compromise on issues important to Democrats?
6. Specter should retire (80 next birthday) and has health issues.

What Sestak has to worry about:

1. Back before Sestak decided to run, Specter received instant high level support from the President and later the Vice President and Governor of Pennsylvania.
2. Everyone in Pennsylvania knows who Specter is. Sestak will have to work extra hard to make up for his lower profile.

I am delighted, personally. I always liked Joe Sestak. I like his courage. Even if I don’t agree with all of his votes, I know he was true to himself and those who he represents. I’m tired of these big money politicians. Sestak strongly endorsed Hillary Clinton very early on, which also made him a favorite of mine. But, I have admired Specter’s sometimes moderate views, and I don’t think age should be an issue if someone can do the job.

I do hope that a mud slinging battle in the primaries will be avoided. Both men have had impressive careers. And if the two men could agree to stick to the issues and not get into the cannibalistic duel-to-the-death that we saw in California in 2006 when Phil Angelides and Steve Westly decided to blow each other up, it will be a very exciting and educational race for the whole country to watch. Otherwise the Democratic party could suffer more damage than it needs. (In California, Arnold Schwarzenegger retained the Governor’s mansion without breaking a sweat. He only had to replay the Democratic primary loser’s [Angelides’] TV ads!)

If you want to help Joe–and he is looking for any level of assistance–make your secure donation here.

Nor am I, after the events of this last year, one to tout party loyalty.

But I can’t help thinking that it is a huge plus for all Pennsylvanians to have more than one Democratic party choice. Representative Joe Sestak (D-PA), who is conducting an exploratory tour of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, has now officially announced he is running for Pennsylvania’s Senate seat. His opponent for the Democratic primary will be the current five term Senator from Pennsylvania, the former Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Democrat, Arlen Specter.

___________
From The Ed Show July 9:

__________

So what do you think?

Are these good Democrats?

And more importantly, are these good choices for Pennsylvania – and for our Nation?

Arlen Specter, you’re SEVENTY-NINE YEARS OLD. What in the hell business do you have switching parties and expecting anything, especially retaining your seniority?

What did Barack Obama and Joe Biden promise you? And you believed them? What a FOOL you are. Obama and Biden will screw with anybody to get that 60th vote. Even toss aside the Democrats’ best chance to win that Pennsylvania senate seat: Joe Sestak.

Here’s more Sestak — READY TO FIGHT:

UPDATE: Check out Politico’s “Meltdown: Specter stands alone.” How amusing:

Arlen Specter infuriated Senate Republicans when he bolted from their party last week. Now he’s alienated just about everybody in the Senate Democratic caucus, too.

Since declaring himself a Democrat last Tuesday, Specter has defied Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the White House on virtually everything that’s come down the pike: the budget, mortgage reform, the Al Franken-Norm Coleman race, even President Barack Obama’s appointment of Dawn Johnsen to head the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel.

All while quibbling over whether he said he’d be a “loyal Democrat” — and insisting that he had an “entitlement” to transfer his Senate seniority from one side of the aisle to the other.

The blowback came Tuesday night: On a voice vote, the Senate voted to strip Specter of his 29 years of seniority, effectively transforming him in a blink-and-you-missed-it-moment from one of the most senior senators in the body to a lowly freshman on most committees.

“There were concerns about his actions,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, which sets committee assignments. …

Check out more blog reactions to this story at Memeorandum.com.