by Randy Shannon, Coordinator

Western PA PDA

April 18, 2012

Over the past three years we have watched the banks tighten their grip on the government.

Things have reached the point where the President cannot follow through on his commitments to the American people.

He has promised to prosecute the criminal wrong doings of the banks. Remember the S&L Scandal and Enron. The perpetrators of these crimes were prosecuted, fined, and jailed. But the biggest crime of the century that wrecked the economy has not even been investigated. The fraud is self-evident and admitted, yet the Attorney General has not initiated action.

At his State of the Union Address, President Obama invited NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman as his guest after Schneiderman agreed to the President’s package deal with the fraudulent banks. Schneiderman had held out against immunity for criminal acts and for a team in the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute criminal acts by the bankers.

As we see in the New York Daily News article below, the President’s State of the Union promise to the American people to bring justice to this scandal was empty rhetoric. Nothing has happened.

Continue reading Obama’s Mortgage Fraud Unit is a Fraud on the American Public →

April 18, 2012

by Randy Shannon, Coordinator

Western PA Progressive Democrats of America

The labor movement’s campaign to oust Democratic Congressman Jason Altmire in the new 12th Congressional District is an important push against the bankers’ foothold in the Democratic Party. United Steelworkers Union President Leo Gerard kicked off a one week labor campaign to mobilize union voters behind their endorsed candidate, Democratic Congressman Mark Critz, who succeeded John Murtha to represent the old 12th District.

Altmire is a former lobbyist for the health care industry and in his six years in Congress worked diligently to undermine the single payer movement, led the attack on the public option, and finally voted against the Affordable Care Act.

More importantly Altmire runs the Keystone Fund, which washes lobbyist money that is flowing into Democratic Congressional campaigns. This money flow to Democrats through Altmire’s Keystone Fund buys votes to prevent national healthcare, to hold back jobs programs to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, and to approve any and all military spending and bank bailouts.

Meanwhile the 1% is paying the lowest tax in modern history while scheming to liquidate Social Security. Altmire’s Blue Dog strategy helps depress the vote by demoralizing voters. Altmire and the Blue Dogs are helping the Republicans from inside the Democratic Party. A recent investigation showed that Altmire’s phone bank and fund raising campaign is being run by a Republican consultant firm in Washington, DC.

At the rally to mobilize the union vote in the April 24 Democratic primary, President Gerard aimed his remarks at Altmire. “He was a lobbyist.” Someone in the crowd shouted: “He still is” to nods all around.

Continue reading Democrats Must Fight for the 99% to Win in 2012 →