Week of January 25, 2006

Changing the landscape, all of a Sutton

Betty Sutton's candidacy puts Ohio on the map

According to political prognosticator Charlie Cook, "all political roads lead to Ohio in 2006" -- and EMILY's List is on that road, especially since attorney and former state legislator Betty Sutton declared her candidacy in congressional district 13, an open Democratic seat. EMILY's List announced its support of Sutton on Jan. 12.

Ohio has been promising political territory for Democrats lately, especially since Republican Gov. Bob Taft's ethical problems became public (Taft allegedly gave $50 million in state funds to a GOP fundraiser to invest in rare coins, and remains mired in an ethics probe for failing to report golf outings and other gifts).

But before Sutton can change the face of power in Washington, she must face off in a May 2 primary against two tough challengers. One is an ethically challenged shopping mall heiress who had to take an immunity deal before she would tell the truth in court about her father bribing public officials. But she's still willing to spend millions from her fortune on her campaign. The other is a former congressman who is looking for a way back to Washington.

The daughter of a library clerk and a boilermaker, Sutton represented parts of the 13th congressional district as a member of the Barberton City Council, the Summit County Council, and the Ohio legislature. Since leaving the House due to term limits, Sutton has advocated for working families as a union-side labor lawyer.

The times, they are a-changin

EMILY's List candidates fight to change culture of corruption

Pro-choice Democratic women candidates and congresswomen are proposing concrete changes that will eliminate the "culture of corruption" that Republicans have fostered in Washington, D.C. Here are just a few examples of how our women are speaking out, standing up, and launching plans to bring badly needed change to Congress:

  • Senate candidate Claire McCaskill, who has spent eight years rooting out wasteful spending as Missouri's auditor, last week outlined a tough 15-point plan to end "business as usual" in Congress. McCaskill's plan would completely ban members and their staffs from receiving gifts or travel paid for by lobbyists, impose a five-year waiting period on former members of Congress to lobby, and create an independent commission to investigate alleged ethics violations.
  • Nevada gubernatorial candidate Dina Titus is demanding full disclosure of campaign donations made through Limited Liability Corporations (LLC). In Nevada, LLCs are not required to disclose the names of individual owners when contributing to political campaigns -- an enormous loophole that abuses "the public's right to know who is giving money to whom," Titus said. Because individuals can contribute via several LLCs anonymously, they can also evade contribution limits. Titus releases the names of all her LLC donors and has called on her fellow candidates to do the same.
  • Francine Busby, who took on former Cong. Duke Cunningham (R-Calif.) well before his egregious criminal violations (bribery, fraud, and tax evasion) came to light, is winning back the trust of voters in her district with her proposed CLEAN House act (Change Legislative Ethics and Attitudes Now), which includes a provision to limit contact between members of Congress and anyone seeking government contracts. Blogger Scott Shields featured Busby's proposal on the popular Internet blog MyDD.com, saying that it "strikes right at the heart of the GOP's relationship with K Street lobbyists."
  • In Congress, Cong. Louise Slaughter joined Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Sen. Barack Obama to unveil the Democrats' Honest Leadership and Open Government Act. Elements of the Democratic proposal are named after major players in recent political scandals, including the "Jack Abramoff reform" to ban lobbyist gifts and travel; the "Ralph Reed reform" to increase transparency and accountability; and the "Tony Rudy reform" to close the revolving door between lobbyists and Congress.

Anti-choice Dominos CEO backs DeVos

Granholm focuses on Michigan schools

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm's likely challenger, right-wing billionaire Dick DeVos, announced that Domino's Pizza CEO David Brandon, a longtime anti-choice activist, will chair his campaign. Brandon's top priority will be using his Detroit connections to boost Republican turnout in the vote-rich area.

Signing Brandon on to his campaign is part of DeVos's plan to construct "the most mammoth political structure anyone has ever seen," DeVos's campaign manager told the AP. DeVos is the former head of Alticor, formerly known as Amway; the corporation's vast sales force, dubbed "the Amway Army," has aided right-wing candidates in past elections.

A generous donor to GOP causes, Brandon is former finance director of the Michigan state GOP who applied his fundraising prowess to the campaigns of former GOP Sen. Spencer Abraham, who lost his seat in 2000 to EMILY's List-backed Debbie Stabenow.

In accepting the position of chair, however, Brandon made one thing clear: "My full-time commitment is Domino's Pizza," he told the AP.

Granholm's full-time commitment is strengthening Michigan's economy -- and increasing the state's commitment to education, the linchpin of her economic revitalization plan. Granholm asked the state legislature on Jan. 17 to increase school funding $25 per student, which would add a total of $42 million to the state's public schools.

Paula Hollinger wins big with health care, fair voting, and stem cell legislation

Maryland state Sen. Paula Hollinger defeated Wal-Mart lobbyists and big-business representatives on Jan. 12 when the General Assembly passed a bill she co-sponsored requiring the world's largest retailer to pay more toward employee heath care.

Republican Gov. Bob Ehrlich had originally vetoed the bill but, displaying her trademark tenacity, Hollinger spoke out against his veto and helped to override it.

Hollinger also recently supported a bill on election reform that was met with a veto from the governor, but Hollinger fought back to help push it through the Senate.

"We are trying very, very hard to keep Maryland an exemplary state as far as voter confidence," she told the AP.

Rather than risk another override, Ehrlich proposed a compromise to Hollinger on a bill she co-sponsored to direct state funds towards embryonic stem cell research.