The Grift That Keeps On Taking

It's time for us to embark on another archeological dig. Today, let's jump back to July 2010. Back then, Sharron Angle was running her outrageously delusional campaign for US Senate. And back then, she was relying on help from some rather shady friends.

One of her shady friends from that remarkable 2010 campaign was Sal Russo. And he had his crew of shady friends help him prop up Angle and their other endorsed candidates for that cycle. In July 2010, we warned everyone about them.

Russo runs a PR firm in Sacramento, and utilizes his right hand men (and women) in Tea Party Express. There's "grassroots coordinator" Joe Wierzbicki, the same guy who works at Russo's high priced Sacramento PR firm, the same guy who tried to help George Bush drum up support for the Iraq War, tried to swiftboat Barack Obama the same way John Kerry was swiftboated, and is now organizing his luxury coach buses to go across the country and spread lies about Democrats like Harry Reid.

And then there's Howard Kaloogian. He aligned with the radical right and corporate powers that be in the California Legislature. And in 2003, he teamed up with Russo's PR firm, Enron pollster Frank Luntz, talk radio "shock jock" Melanie Morgan, and Newt Gingrich to engineer the recall campaign that ousted California's duly elected Governor and replaced him with Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

And in 2006, Kaloogian himself ran for Congress in a special election in San Diego County. Russo joined him yet again, hoping that he'd slip in. But oops, one of Howard's lies about his "time in Iraq" caught up with him. [...]

[...T]hey lied about Bush's war in Iraq, they lied about what they actually saw there, they lied their way into the California Recall that saddled that state with "Arnold", and now they're lying about what their little "tea party" is really up to.

Oh, and now they're trying to dupe us into believe Harry Reid is some sort of "Satan Incarnate" and Sharrontology is our only way to salvation. But when we look behind the curtain, we have to notice the corporate fat cats funding the "Tea Party, Inc." gravy train supporting Sharrontology.

Back when Howard Kaloogian ran for a San Diego, California, based Congressional seat in 2006, he defended his vigorous support for extending the Iraq War by showing all the progress he witnessed firsthand there. The problem with his "firsthand" account was that it was a complete lie. You see, Howard Kaloogian's photos of a "peaceful Iraq" were actually photos of an Istanbul, Turkey, suburb.

And that's not all. Later in that 2006 campaign, Howard Kaloogian was caught falsifying his list of endorsements. Several Republicans came forward to announce they never actually endorsed Kaloogian. So there was also that.

However, not even that was enough to keep Sal Russo. Nope, they teamed up to start a slew of PACs, including the now notorious Tea Party Express.



Tea Party Express has come under scrutiny in recent months over just how much of the money it collects from donors ends up in the pockets of Sal Russo and his top lieutenants. But now, there's evidence showing that the "TEA" tinged gravy train doesn't stop at Tea Party Express.

When Howard Kaloogian wasn't trying to buy a seat in Congress with a phony "Iraq" photo, he was joined at the hip with Sal Russo at Move America Forward. Move America Forward was originally designed to promote continuing American involvement in the Iraq War. But in 2008, it shifted gears and became yet another anti-Obama PAC...

Except that it didn't want to be known as just another anti-Obama PAC. It wanted to be known for "supporting the troops". So Move America Forward started its own "charity" to "support" active duty military serving abroad. But now, we have a better sense of who Move America Forward's "charity" is actually supporting.



Surprise, surprise! Sal Russo, Howard Kaloogian, and the rest of the Move America Forward grifter crew were only using their charity to further enrich themselves. Oh, and of course, it didn't hurt that they successfully conned a whole lot of "TEA" flavored media pundits into endorsing the grift. (We're being charitable here, as this story would be even more disgusting if we were to discover all these pundits were also in on the grift.)

There's so much irony to be found throughout this story. However, we must end on this note. Senator Harry Reid (D) had been working tirelessly to pass a VA bill to help veterans access the health care they need. He's also worked with Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) to open a badly needed VA clinic in Pahrump. And Sal Russo dispatched his Tea Party Express tour buses to attack Senator Reid for "failing the troops"?

Ah, Sal Russo & his network of "TEA" tinted con artists. They're the grift that keeps on taking.

Does Sharrontology Hate Our Troops?

Yeah, this is just another ad. But in so many ways, it's so true. And not just of her, but of so many of her GOoPer pals. Look at what just happened.

A Republican-led filibuster on Tuesday blocked efforts to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military, shelving an Obama administration priority at least until after the November election.

The measure repealing the military policy banning gays from serving openly was part of the 2011 Defense authorization bill. Democrats tried to bring the bill up for consideration but failed to get the 60 votes necessary to overcome determined GOP-led opposition. Supporters voted 56-43 in favor of starting debate on the Defense bill, short of the 60 needed. [...]

The Defense bill includes a 1.4% pay raise for the troops as well as funding for the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), the Senate Democratic whip, also vowed to bring the Dream Act back for another vote.

Both political parties have used the authorization bill in years past to advance other legislative goals, so the failure of the military spending plan was seen as unusual. But the process had grown politicized, especially in the limited time remaining before Congress was to adjourn to campaign full time.

The "don't ask, don't tell" law, enacted in 1993, has been targeted by President Obama for repeal, and a federal judge in California this month declared it unconstitutional. Under the proposed legislation, repeal would take effect 60 days after completion of a Pentagon report on steps needed to ensure military readiness. The report is due in December. The House passed the repeal in the spring.

This bill includes funding for our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. It ensures that all our troops can serve openly and honestly. As I explained earlier, the Senate Republicans are endangering our country by injecting their partisan politics into this. And without a doubt, Sharron Angle would have supported these kinds of ridiculous games, as she had a history of doing this in the state legislature.

So just to spite LGBTQ Americans, Sharrontology would go along with Senate GOoP leadership to harm our country's national security by letting go of much needed soliders. And block cost of living pay raises for all our troops. And put VA funding to help our veterans at risk.

But hey, she has a history of supporting this. If you think that's bad, it just gets worse.



And yes, it's true. These are Angle's own words.

ANGLE: He's 87 years old and has Parkinson's and we have to pay more and more for his healthcare. I know he pays over 800 dollars a month in prescription drugs that we can't get through his VA nor through Medicare -- they just wont cover those things. And I know lots of seniors --

BECKER: Should they cover those things?

ANGLE: No, not if you're working towards a privatized system. And he can pay for them. That's my whole point. Even with the system we've got, it's broken, its not covering for every cost that he has. And if he were dependent upon that, he wouldn't be getting the healthcare he needs and that's why we need to fix the system.

Again, she actually said she wants to privatize the VA.



So does Sharrontology hate our troops? No, I won't go there.

However, yet again, we can not deny that Sharron Angle's dangerous radical right ideological extremism means she'll always put her laissez faire "ideas" over what's best for Nevadans. And yes, she doesn't even mind doing this to our active duty soldiers and our veterans.

Now contrast this to what Harry Reid has been doing.







Yet again, the choice can't be clearer. We have someone who puts his actions where his mouth is in terms of actually supporting the troops. And we have someone who just lies, contradicts, and puts her extreme ideology over real people's needs.

On This Veterans' Day, Let's Actually Show Our Support for the Troops

Let's bring them home.



Please show your support for our brave troops in Afghanistan by signing this petition urging President Obama to stop wasting their time as our country meddles in their internal affairs. There are better ways to fight terrorists and keep our country safe than getting involved in yet another military quagmire that only results in killing innocent civilians and angering the Muslim world. Let's actually show some respect to our veterans, and to our troops still courageously defending our freedom, by bringing our troops home from Afghanistan.

More Good Reid News Today: He's Asking Obama to Help Congress Repeal DADT

Again, it looks like our senior Senator is no slouch.

"As Congress considers future legislative action, we believe it would be helpful to hear your views on the policy," he writes. "Your leadership in this matter is greatly appreciated and needed at this time."

Reid, in the letters, also highlights the plight of two servicemen, one of whom he met when he was the keynote speaker at a recent Las Vegas Human Rights Campaign Gala Dinner. First Lieutenant Daniel Choi was a West Point grad, served in Iraq and was an Arab linguist. In April, he received a discharge letter from the Army after publicly revealing he was gay, Reid writes to Obama.

Lieutenant Colonel Victor Fehrenbach is headed for a "similar fate," Reid tells Obama. He was an 18-year Air Force vet who has flown numerous missions against Taliban and al-Qaida targets, "including the longest combat mission in his squadron's history." The government, Reid notes, has invested $25 million on his training.

He wrote both to President Obama and to Defense Secretary Bob Gates asking them to get The White House on board with taking action ASAP to repeal "Don't Ask Don't Tell", the military's ban on LGBT soliders serving our country openly and honestly. Let's hope his letters get some good attention, and that The White House will speak up soon and take action. The House currently has HR 1283 pending, so a good word from Obama can really help it move along.

And in the mean time, we can also help by speaking up ourselves. Let's keep asking Congress to get moving and pass HR 1283.