Follow the Money (Part II) Chamber of Commerce Sponsors Attack Ad in New Jersey 12th District

Congressman Rush Holt, Democrat, New Jersey 12th District

A most topical political attack ad has been seen by thousands in Central New Jersey.

The fine print at the bottom of the ad tells this part of the story...."The US Chamber (wwwuschamber.com paid for and is responsible for the content of this ad. Not authorized by any candidate or any candidate's committee."

According to this advertisement, Republican candidate for the New Jersey 12th District, venture capitalist Scott Sipprelle, had nothing to do with an attack ad on his Democratic opponent, incumbent Rush Holt.

This ad has been airing on TV stations the New Jersey 12th District, which gerrymanders through of parts of Somerset, Monmouth, Middlesex and Mercer counties in that wonderful world between the New York and Philadelphia megalopolises we call "Central Jersey". And it's my home district.

Below is the ad in question.



Alright.... neither Mr. Sipprelle, the Republican Party, nor agents of the candidate or the party had anything to do with this attack ad. It's from the Chamber of Commerce- they take full credit for it. Either click the link, or type in the web addie at the end of the video. It's from the Chamber, let there be no doubt.

I have three questions, not as a Democrat, or a self styled "citizen journalist" but as a voter in the New Jersey 12th District....are the charges that foreign multi-national corporations are dumping perhaps millions of dollars into the Chamber of Commerce to produce attack ads like this one true?

And one has to ask....what is the motivation for a foreign company to weigh in financially in American elections unless it is to gain some sort of influence?

And finally, should a candidate who'd benefit from such ads repudiate them, if it can be determined that these ads are even partially paid for by foreign corporations who may have their own motives to support the ads?

Mr. Colbert Goes To Congress

You've heard all about it, and here it is, complete from C-Span 3. Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert, in character as "Stephen Colbert", testifies before a US House of Representatives Committee on immigrant farm workers.

Below, from the text at C-SPAN.......

Witnesses spoke about the American agricultural sector's reliance on foreign, and often undocumented, workers to pick fruit and vegetables on America's farms. Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert appeared in character to testify. Mr. Colbert was part of a United Farm Workers campaign calling on unemployed Americans to take jobs in the agriculture sector. As part of the program he spent a day laboring at a vegetable farm in New York in August 2010.

To be honest, I've only seen a few excerpts of Stephens's testimony, and listened to the rage on the right, the laughter by some on the left, and the utter confusion by most members of the media.

I'm going to watch as much of this as I can, and post a comment or two later

In His Own Words; Why John Boehner Handed Out Tobacco Lobby Checks On the House Floor

Some may call it a distortion of the facts, but the man who did it has fessed up. We've all heard the story about the day in 1995 when the Republican leadership handed out checks from the tobacco lobby to members of Congress on the floor of the House of Representatives. And handing out checks was the then number four ranking Republican.

Today he is the House Minority Leader, and has designs on the Speakership should the Republicans take the House in November. What John Boehner (R-OH) did in 1995 was entirely against House rules, but it didn't stop him from passing out checks from Big Tobacco when a vote was considered to end tobacco subsidies.

To no one's surprise, the subsidy was saved.

In the video below Boehner admits he passed out checks on the House floor, and offers an explanation.

The Deepwater Horizon Disaster Day 38- Louisiana Congressman Charlie Melancon

Charlie Melancon represents Louisiana's 3rd District in the United States House of Representatives. As shown by the map, the Louisiana 3rd encompasses the areas being directly affected by the oil spewing forth from the Deepwater Horizon disaster; the fishing and shrimping has been destroyed, the wetlands have been fouled by the toxic goop, wildlife has been killed, and a legacy of life in the Delta might be at an end.

This morning Congressman Melancon spoke before a  House Energy Subcommittee  regarding the disaster that has struck his home and is destroying the lives of  the people of his district.. He became emotional...and let his heartbreak show.

Congressman Shadegg Uses Baby As "A Stage Prop"

OK...I'll just lay it out and call it as I see it; this was probably the worst and most offensive bit of political grandstanding this side of Joe Wilson...or Michelle Bachmann.

John Shadegg, an Arizona Republican, uses seven month old baby "Maddy" as a stage prop during the health care debate Saturday on the House floor.

With a little bit of luck, maybe Maddy pooped on Gramps.