Didn't you just love how Mitt Romney tried to make believe he supports women in the workplace? It wasn't even a good lie. In fact, it was a denigrating lie.

Diane Sweet wrote this earlier on C&L:

Guess what? Romney's answer isn't true, he never asked for such a study.From David Bernstein:
What actually happened was that in 2002 -- prior to the election, not even knowing yet whether it would be a Republican or Democratic administration -- a bipartisan group of women in Massachusetts formed MassGAP to address the problem of few women in senior leadership positions in state government. There were more than 40 organizations involved with the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus (also bipartisan) as the lead sponsor.They did the research and put together the binder full of women qualified for all the different cabinet positions, agency heads, and authorities and commissions. They presented this binder to Governor Romney when he was elected.

Mittens can sure come up with a lie right on the dime and right on time. You know he's a phony because his religion forbids women to have any meaningful role in it. Oh they can get jobs to help out if need be and cook, clean and have babies too....plenty of babies. But they cannot be part of delivering ordinances and sealing families together. HBO's Big Love had a great storyline in the final season. Barb Henrickson played wonderfully by Jeanne Tripplehorn felt women should be as important as men in the Mormon religion and tried looking for offshoot groups that supported women's rights in the LDS church. When her husband Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) found out about what she wanted he freaked out and threatened her to stop it this instant or he'd disown her. It may have been a dramatization, but the sentiment is the same.

Well, at Blue America you know we support the most independent and progressive women running for Congress. We would never think of needing someone else to make a binder full of eligible applicants for us to support.

Howie wrote this on Blue America's Facebook page:

During last night's debate, Mitt Romney refused to ever answer the key question about supporting equal pay for women doing equal work. He couldn't because most of his party-- including Paul Ryan, his choice for the GOP vice presidential slot-- voted against it. Only 3 House Republicans voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. 171 Republicans including Paul Ryan voted against equal pay for equal work. (Five wretched Blue Dogs voted with the Republicans and 4 were defeated in the Great Blue Dog Apocalypse the next year and the other, Dan Boren, is finally retiring.)

This year there are 5 outspoken, independent-minded progressive women who Blue America has endorsed for House seats: • Patsy Keever (NC-10)• Ann Kuster (NH-02)• Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01)• Aryanna Strader (PA-16)• Sue Thorn (WV-01)

All of their male opponents have been loud and persistent opponents of equality for women and all have voted against proposals for expanding women's health coverage. We really do need more women in Congress-- more progressive women in Congress. Remember, Michele Bachmann is a woman too, a woman who votes in lockstep with Todd Akin and Paul Ryan.

Please consider a contribution to Sue and our 4 other great progressive women congressional candidates on the Blue America page

Megyn Kelly said that CNN was 'pandering to women" all night. That's shocking for a women to say even from FOX on so many levels. Please support BA's incredible un-bindered women candidates so we can change the make up of Congress.

Please consider a contribution to Sue and our 4 other great progressive women congressional candidates on the Blue America page

Tuesday Blue America is officially endorsing our second California progressive for Congress, Jay Chen. He'll be here at 11am and we hope you'll have time to come by and meet him. There's a short video above and a few paragraphs below that might pique your interest-- hopefully enough to join the chat Tuesday and perhaps, if you can, to contribute to his campaign at our Blue America ActBlue page.

These days, when most California voters think about the Countrywide scandal, they probably think about the only congressman seeking reelection who was found to be taking personal bribes-- rather than just campaign contributions-- from Countrywide, Buck McKeon. But on the other side of Los Angeles County there's another longtime Republican incumbent, one who's kept his head down while amassing power, nearly as guilty as McKeon. We've talked about what a sleazebag Ed Royce is before. But since Tuesday is Jay Chen day, I thought today might be a good time to remind people what kind of character Royce is (beyond just all the racism and bigotry).

Royce has long been in the pocket of Wall Street bankers and has collected millions from the financial services and insurance industries he so passionately deregulates. Sitting on a number of financial committees, Royce has very effectively sold himself and his votes to the banks that have been driving this country into the ground. In fact, no California Representative has received more campaign contributions from the financial services industry than Royce ($4,209,456 since 1989 and already $794,605 this cycle alone), and bankers are getting what they paid for.

Royce, one of the few senior Republicans to actually officially join Bachmann's crazy Tea Party Caucus, was Sarah Palin’s choice for chairman of the House Financial Services committee. That was either despite or because of-- who knows-- the fact that, as a ranking member, he championed the deregulation and risk-taking (akin to unregulated casino gambling) that allowed bankers to plunge our country into a second Great Depression. He voted against regulating the subprime mortgage industry, voted against taxing the bonuses of TARP recipients, and he still opposes the Volcker rule despite J.P. Morgan’s $2 billion debacle.

But that’s not Royce’s biggest financial secret. A model of what banks have done to infect our congressional halls, Royce was the recipient of the largest amount of donations from Countrywide, receiving a whopping total of $37,500 since 1989. If you haven't been following the Buck McKeon scandal and the name Countrywide sounds familiar, it’s probably because it is-- Countrywide stirred up news outlets back in 2008 when a financial political loan scandal broke out that revealed the mortgage lender to be giving favorable mortgage rates to top politicians on both sides of the aisle.

Countrywide’s campaign contributions weren’t loans, but they were investments. Unfortunately, these “investments” didn’t work, and the failing financial group was purchased by Bank of America soon after.

So what? Though Royce must be upset to see one of his income streams blocked off, he is by no means receiving any less from other financial services and insurance companies. Having received $2,597,049 from banksters and Big Insurance CEOs, Royce has never hesitated to vote for the interests of lobbyists who have pumped immense sums into his career. The concept of "conflict or interest" never seems to cross his mind when it comes to voting for the bandits who have financed his cushy career and lifestyle.

What can we do about this? For your average citizen, stopping top banks from influencing our self-proclaimed leaders is a daunting-- if not impossible-- task. And that's why Blue America doesn't follow the diktats the DCCC tries to enforce on progressive groups and why we're focusing on electing leaders who are responsible and accountable for their actions, and who don’t vote based on the size of their wallets, and defeating Republican culprits like Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor, Buck McKeon and Ed Royce, who the DCCC always gives a free pass to reelection.

In the new 39th District, Democratic challenger and small businessman Jay Chen has begun a competitive race against a startlingly vulnerable Royce, who has been uprooted from his financial throne in Orange County and placed into a district that is now 30% Asian American and 30% Latino. Unlike Royce, Chen strives for financial accountability and will make sure that America doesn’t collapse even when big banks do.

[Cross-posted from Down With Tyranny]

Progressives have had a mixed year in terms of primaries. We had four big losses-- Norman Solomon in California, Ilya Sheyman in Illinois, Cecil Bothwell in North Carolina and Eric Griego in New Mexico-- and five big wins-- David Gill in Illinois, Patsy Keever in North Carolina, Matt Cartwright in Pennsylvania, Beto O'Rourke in Texas, and Nate Shinagawa in New York. Here's the schedule for the key primaries still unfolding that we're watching:

Darcy Burner (WA-1)- August 7
Syed Taj (MI-11)- August 7
Trevor Thomas (MI-3)- August 7
Chris Donovan (CT-5)- August 14
Nick Ruiz (FL-7)- August 14
Matt Heinz (AZ-2)- August 28
Raúl Grijalva (AZ-3)- August 28

The three primaries in Washington and Michigan are two weeks from yesterday! And all three look good, though none are in the bag. Darcy Burner's main opponent in a five-way race for a new district stretching from Seattle's technology-forward suburbs to the agricultural areas up towards the Canadian border, is a quintessential self-entitled one-percenter, Suzan DelBene. DelBene is the Mitt Romney of the Democratic congressional cycle-- a serial business failure in every way but one: she made lots of money for herself as she caused nothing but economic devastation around her. Everyone in America now knows that multimillionaire Mitt Romney is engulfed in a scandal because he didn't release his tax returns and refuses to disclose his assets and finances; multimillionaire Suzan DelBene similarly refused to file her 2011 financial disclosure despite the fact that federal law required it. If she's the nominee, the Republicans will have an easy time beating her because of that alone. Polling against the crazed GOP candidate has consistently shown that DelBene would lose to him and that only Darcy has a chance to keep the seat blue.

But DelBene and (especially) her husband are loaded and they're determined to buy the nomination. DelBene has put more of her own money into the race than any other Democrat anywhere in America... and is running over a million dollars in self-funded TV ads against Darcy right now. She's outspending the other 4 candidates combined 4 to 1! Because of her money she's the favorite of the Inside-the-Beltway corrupt Establishment and has been endorsed by the New Dems (basically, the Blue Dogs without the white KKK sheets). It must be driving her insane that Darcy has been ahead in every single public and private poll of the district's Democratic voters. The DCCC, slimy as always, has asked donors to keep out of the race -- in effect leaving DelBene and her self-funding with the overwhelming money advantage. Daily Kos' Orange to Blue PAC, Blue America, DFA and the PCCC have pitched in for Darcy.

Michigan also has its primary two weeks from tomorrow, and we have two hot races, although there are other important ones as well (including in MI-14 where two incumbents face off, progressive and underfunded Hansen Clarke vs right-of-center Gary Peters and in MI-13 where progressive icon John Conyers is battling to save his seat against 3 Democratic state legislators and a school board trustee). Michigan's 3rd district (Grand Rapids/Battle Creek) has a hot primary between a young and super-accomplished activist, Trevor Thomas, and a rich old hack, Steve Pestka, who, as a state legislator consistently voted with the Republicans against Choice and to defund Planned Parenthood. He doesn't even allow for an exception in his anti-Choice mania for women who have been raped or when there is incest involved! He's the worst of what the old-time Democratic Party is still trying to foist on voters. Although he has some corrupt institutional support, 74% of his money ($590,118) comes by way of writing checks to himself. He's heavily invested in Conoco Phillips, Exxon Mobil, Occidental Petroleum and Devon Energy which is currently planning a controversial fracking project in Michigan. Pestka has failing grades from the League of Conservation Voters. Trevor pointed out that it doesn't make sense to "say you're concerned about high gas prices, or tax loopholes, or our environment when you're personally holding investments in Exxon." Pestka's campaign stinks to high heaven and Amash would make mincemeat out of him in no time flat.

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If you ask Aryanna Strader who started the war on women, she'll point her finger right at Congressman Joe Pitts. If you ask her who will help end it, she'll tell you who: Aryanna Strader.

Aryanna is our newest Blue America candidate, and she's a powerhouse of ideas, energy, and passion. Set aside some time on Tuesday at 11am to meet the woman who will send Joe Pitts to his long-overdue retirement.

Memo to Joe Pitts: Don't worry. Aryanna will protect your Medicare and Social Security, too.

Here's an interview I did with Aryanna and my fellow MOMocrats on May 30th. Just that short chat with her left me excited and motivated to support her candidacy.

It won't be easy to fight all the corporate money backing Rep. Pitts. After all, the for-profit health care industry has a vested interest in keeping their warrior on women in his seat and women in the 19th century. But real working people know Aryanna is a down-to-earth, dedicated, passionate woman who will represent them instead of the tea party.

She's walked in their shoes and now she wants to walk those shoes right into Congress. Hope to see you Tuesday!

Who can forget Congressmen Joe Pitts and Bart Stupak ganging up to blackmail Democrats in 2009 and 2010, into removing all abortion provisions from the Affordable Care Act before Stupak was freed to vote yes on it? Aryanna Strader hasn't forgotten, and is challenging Pitts for his Congressional seat in Pennsylvania's newly redistricted and distinctly bluer 16th district.

Aryanna Strader is one of the most exciting candidates for Congress I've met. The youngest in a family of ten children, she served in the Middle East as an Army radio operator, started her own business, and still found time to get married, earn a Master's Degree and have two kids along the way. She's smart, passionate, an incredibly hard worker, and understands what it's like to scratch for every dime, all the time.

She learned at a very young age the meaning of hard work as she watched her mother labor as a waitress and her father who performed room maintenance and other odd jobs for local hotels.

Her family did their best while living well below the poverty line. With the assistance of local Churches, Food Stamps, and the National School Lunch Program, as well as receiving a public education – from Head Start through high school – Aryanna knew and appreciated the value of what her community provided.

Compare Aryanna to Joe Pitts, the man bought and paid for by corporate health care interests, a man who thinks selling Medicare to insurance companies and Social Security to Wall Street is absolutely wonderful.

In Aryanna's district, there is only one certainty: Joe Pitts is a dinosaur who should be consigned to history. Aryanna is the only Democrat challenging Pitts but she also has to fend off independent candidate John Murphy, who claims to have progressive values but has absolutely no problem characterizing Aryanna as "naive". Viva la patriarchy, Mr. Murphy. While he says he has similar values to Aryanna's, it's clear he doesn't have a lot of respect for women and that alone should disqualify him.

Aryanna Strader, at age 29, has already accumulated two lifetimes worth of milestones. If you know nothing else about her, know this: She knows how to set a goal and reach it. That's true of her life and it's true of her service.

Above all, Aryanna is a real fighter for women, and that alone makes her the perfect candidate to send Pitts packing.

I believe that all women should have the freedom to choose what is best for them and their families. We are witnessing new attacks on women’s reproductive freedoms, restrictions on care, and legislation forcing women to undergo procedures that would suggest that they “close their eyes”. The generations of women like my mom and those who came before me, fought for the freedom to choose and believed that these were settled matters. And now, unfortunately it is a fight that women of all ages must take up once again. I am prepared to lead that fight.

As a matter of family growth and financial security, we must also ensure that women in the workplace are on equal footing. During my service in the United States Army, I worked just as hard, pulled my own weight and went to war like all the other troops. And when I was promoted to an E4, I received an E4 pay; just like the male members of my unit. As a working mother of two, I will work as an advocate on behalf of women everywhere so they are treated fairly in their profession, and to set an example for my daughter, and my son.

Blue America is proud to endorse Aryanna and add her to our Blue America page. I know Aryanna will fight for working people in her district, and do everything she can to stop this insidious effort to shove women's rights back to the 19th century.

Help send Aryanna to Congress to undo some of the mess Joe Pitts has made.

One of the greatest difficulties for progressives these days is imagining how we can possibly win elections when the 1% has uncapped a fire hose full of money into our politics. It's a daunting prospect, to be sure. Their gusher of cash is so overwhelming that it's hard to see how average people can possibly compete. But that's why Blue America is so enthusiastic about progressive candidates around the country who are coming up with creative strategies and tactics to meet the challenge. Turns out that big money ads may be able to tear someone down but it still can't buy you love the way a one on one conversation can.

One of the most inventive progressive grassroots strategists in the country is Ken Aden of Arkansas' 3rd district. Ken is one of those rare politicians with both the common touch and a long term vision who has sat down and thought through how to wage his campaign on the ground, one on one. With a combination of high-tech micro-targeting savvy and a sophisticated field operation using dedicated volunteers to walk the district and meet every possible voter, this strategy shows how progressives can overcome the odds.

As you can see from the video above, Ken is a man with grassroots organizing experience, empathy and intelligence. And he knows his constituents as neighbors and friends.

Ken says:

Because a legitimate campaign effort has never been mounted by a Democrat running for Congress, voters have never had the opportunity to be introduced to a Democratic candidate who believes what they believe. Incumbent Steve Womack is a Tea Party Republican who believes Social Security and Medicare must be cut and changed. However, the residents of the district don’t feel the same way. In Benton County alone, more than $600 million in Social Security payments, Medicare funding, and Medicare prescription drug coverage was utilized by residents. Districtwide, that figure tops $1 billion dollars in combine Medicare and Social Security Payments. The people who depend upon these programs don’t want to see them cut, but they’ve never had a Democratic congressional campaign knock on their door and make them aware that there is an option other than a Republican.

Check out the reaction he gets on that subject:

"If you even think of cutting Medicare, if you even think of cutting Social Security, you're a criminal." Words progressive Democrats should live by.

Ken's making some waves, that's for sure. You may have read in the national news that his campaign manager came home a few weeks ago to find that someone had murdered his family cat and scrawled the word "liberal" on it. Aden is a former combat soldier and doesn't scare easily and neither does his campaign. In fact, it propelled them to double their efforts to get out and talk to the people and let them know who it is that's on their side when it comes to protecting their livelihoods, their economic security and their futures. (Hint: it isn't cowards who would kill a defenseless animal.)

Blue America endorsed Ken with great enthusiasm and we are spreading the good word about his grassroots strategic vision to progressive challengers across the country. We believe that this kind of creativity and energy can pay off. But he needs all the help we can give him to keep the campaign funded. He won't be able to match a corrupt Republican incumbent, not even close. But he has a good chance to win if he can put this plan into practice and defeat him with sharp grassroots tactics and hard work. Please donate here if you can.

And please welcome Ken to Crooks and Liars.

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On Tuesday Blue America will formally endorse Rep. Tammy Baldwin for the open Senate seat in Wisconsin. She joins Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren as candidates who meet our standards for what we expect from a U.S. Senator-- sorry Joe Manchin. Tuesday at 1pm (CST), 11 am here on the West Coast, Tammy will be joining us for a free form discussion of the campaign and the issues facing Wisconsin voters. When of the questions I asked her when we were still deciding whether or not to endorse in this race was about economic justice. "The gaggle of Republicans who would like to run against you," I pointed out, "seem to all be as eager as Paul Ryan to fundamentally change Medicare into an inadequate voucher program going forward and to privatize Social Security. I image this is going to be the crux of many debates once they finally manage to pick a candidate. Can you tell us how you differ from the Ryan/GOP approach on these two crucial issues?" This was the verbatim answer she gave us:

First, let me emphasize what you said: the Ryan Plan would fundamentally change Medicare as we know it for those 55 and younger.

I grew up under the care of my grandparents and in my adulthood, I was their caretaker. I know how important these programs are to our seniors, helping them cover everything from medication to groceries and rent.

For those in the workforce right now-- the middle class-- they’re under an incredible squeeze. They’re having to make tough decisions about how to spend their money and for us to pull the rug out from under them, to end that safety net, would be an immense wrong.

No matter the Republican nominee, I’ll be getting the word out about how important Medicare, Social Security, and other social safety nets are to keeping America strong. I’m happy to debate that with whomever emerges from the Republican primary foodfight.

The campaign announcement video up top puts that right into context. If you can, please consider making a contribution to Tammy's battle to hold a blue seat in Wisconsin for Democrats who have struggled there in recent elections. You'll find her campaign at the Blue America Senate ActBlue page.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka felt strongly enough that we need good progressives like Alan Grayson in Congress to fight for us that he filmed this video for him. Grayson himself has a strong connection to unions and labor in this country. We asked him if he had something to add and he sent us this:

My mother and my father were union members their whole working lives. When I was a very sick child, their union benefits meant that I could go to the hospital to get the treatments that I needed. And when they went out on strike – twice – the union made sure that I still could get those treatments. That’s something that a 10-year-old never forgets, even when he’s 53.

Richard Trumka is the President of the AFL-CIO, and the leader of the labor movement in America. He has contributed this video to our “money bomb” this weekend at CongressmanWithGuts.com. It fills me with pride to hear him say about me in this video, “every single time we needed help, he was there.” Because every single time my parents needed help, the union was there. If my father were alive today, that’s what he would say.

The eternal message of the labor movement is this: The People, united, will never be defeated.

This country could do with a whole lot more Graysons in Congress. Don't forget this is the man who is never afraid to stand for the 99%. If you want to help him get there, please participate in today's money bomb. Go to either Congressmanwithguts.com or his Blue America page.

Let's put Alan Grayson back in office.