As Time Magazine, Rolling Stone, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and local papers all over the country are now noticing, the stand that New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has taken against the Obama administration and five largest mortgage firms is building drama.

After CBS Marketwatch called the all-too-kind settlement being offered to the mortgage giants “another bank bailout“, the NY Daily News reported Schneiderman got a lift from New York’s Congressional delegation in the form of a letter sent to the Iowa Attorney General Tom Kelly. Kelly removed Schneiderman from the 50-state negotiating panel for objecting to a grant of blanket immunity from state fraud investigations and the NYS Dems did not appreciate this.

Kelly also shared some none-too-kind words about Schneiderman for “undermining” the work of the committee, which he wants to conclude expeditiously with a narrower settlement, focusing only on foreclosures and mortgage servicing practices. Kelly has been criticized in Iowa and elsewhere for serving the big banks who have contributed greatly towards his campaigns.

Schneiderman, elected to enforce the rule of law, wants to use this 50-state panel to immediately investigate the cause of the mortgage backed securities crisis that led the United States into the most debilitating economic tragedy in a lifetime. Attorney General Kelly, along with Obama’s HUD Secretary and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner are noticeably anxious to rush through a settlement that does nothing to confront the dangerous moral hazard of unregulated securitization or hold to account the crooks who designed them to be impossible to detangle, costing taxpayers billions.

Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi was not shy in suggesting Obama may want to cuddle up to these banks in time for election contributions, abandoning the “small individual donor” he prided himself on for the historic 2008 election he won as our economy was crumbling. Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc. and Ally Financial Inc. are the firms in question, but other toxic debt bundlers are also watching keenly.

The signatories to Jerrold Nadler’s letter included every Democratic Member of Congress in the state – Louise Slaughter, Charlie Rangel, Gary Ackerman, Maurice Hinchey, Eliot Engel, Carolyn Maloney, Carloyn McCarthy, Nita Lowey, Kathy Hochul, Yvette Clark, Nydia Velasquez, Joseph Crowley, José Serrano, Brian Higgins, Yvette Clarke, Bill Owens, Paul Tonko, Edolphus Townes and Steve Israel, Gregory Meeks and Tim Bishop.

This display of party unity begs the question – will Governor Cuomo weigh in on the issue as the grassroots are mobilizing? Last week, a petition was circulated by Citizen Action of New York (sign it here) and late word came today that a group including AIG, the FDIC, and various ripped-off banks, insurers and fund managers are joining Schneiderman and Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden in a lawsuit against Bank of America Corp., seeking to block any settlement and move the case to federal court.

If you have not yet written AG Schneiderman to support his investigation, click here. To complain to HUD Secretary Donovan, email to Secretary.Donovan <at> hud.gov or “tell your story” to the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau overseeing the negotiations. Email the White House here or send a message to Geithner at the US Treasury on Facebook here.

Well I’ve got a hammer
And I’ve got a bell
And I’ve got a song to sing
All over this land
It’s the hammer of justice
It’s the bell of freedom
It’s the song about love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land

Yesterday was a beautiful day and evening to rally for health care reform and for those who live in the Hudson Valley, there was no better place to have one than riverside in Nyack’s Memorial Park. More than 700 people attended the rally and we had many great speakers and musical acts. But when Pete Seeger showed up, it turned a great rally into a magical event.

Our rally, called “Health Care for All” was started by myself and a handful of concerned Rockland County residents who had a living-room discussion last month about having a small rally. A month later, this small rally grew into a full-fledged concert, with many great performers such as Tom Chapin, Emory Joseph, Michael Mark, and The Roues Brothers. And of course, Pete Seeger.

Yes, we expect to see the teabaggers there. Some of them had even promised to shout down “that unrepentant ’60s communist, Pete Seeger” when he arrived.

But the teabaggers were soon disarmed by the patriotism of our large audience. After a musical prelude, we began our program with a sing-a-long of “America, the Beautiful” and the singer who led us, Orangetown Councilwoman Nancy Low-Hogan, had the American flag waving next to her. Not a single “tea party” person sang with us, not a single one applauded at the end of this patriotic standard. In fact, most of them milled around and talked among themselves while the rest of us saluted our nation.

They may have been discussing among themselves what went wrong. They thought they were going to take the field, but they were quite clearly in the minority. There was about 30 of them standing in back and at the time we had well over 400 people enjoying the festivities and support universal health care. My wife and a few friends kindly engaged them. One teabagger told us he was only carrying a sign because his boss told him to and he was afraid of being fired. Some teabaggers didn’t even have a grasp of what they were protesting.

“I believe that health care has to be reformed, but I don’t want it to become the way of socialists ,” [Mary] McCabe said. “I don’t like the idea that we are going to end up with the Canadian or British system.”

McCabe said people should not confuse health insurance and health care, saying that although she didn’t have health insurance at this moment, she has health care because she could go to an emergency room if she needed medical attention.

I had the opportunity to speak on stage for five minutes as did seven other speakers, including Congressman Eliot Engel (D, NY-17). Congressman Engel and me don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye on many things (which we won’t get into now), but yesterday we were brothers in arms. I have to say that the Congressman, who preceded me on stage, gave one of the more rousing speeches I’ve heard a politician give in years. He won over many of the skeptical progressives in the audience and was rewarded to a standing ovation, which was well deserved.

I much prefer blogging to speaking, but I had the confidence to boom into the sound system:

Some one hundred years ago, a former President, a former Republican, a man with his face carved on a mountain, Teddy Roosevelt, formed the Progressive Party and ran, once again for the Presidency. High on his agenda was a “social and economic justice” plan which would have created a Social Security-like system and universal health care for Americans. Are we to believe that Roosevelt was a Marxist?

This and my other comments were directed a the teabaggers, but I’m not sure if I got across to any of them.

Pete Seeger was due to arrive at 6:50 p.m as he finished his last performance in the city at 6 pm. (Pete did a concert in the New York City in the morning, another in Beacon, NY in the early afternoon, and a set at EcoFest back in the city late in the afternoon, imagine that!) Time ticked by and there was no Pete Seeger. The teabaggers went home at 7 pm, almost in lockstep.

About 400 faithful people remained. One of the local bands took the stage again to keep the audience entertained as we waited. Some of us watched the moon rise over the Hudson River. Soon after dusk gave away to night many of us began to give up hope. Then a thin shadow appeared on the hill at the park. It was soon evident that this figure was carrying an old bango and a guitar strapped over his shoulders. A collective gasp and then applause went through the audience. Pete Seeger walked on stage.

Before he played his first note, it became dead silent, and we collectively held our breath. And then he started into a set that included “If I Had a Hammer,” “Goodnight, Irene,” and Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.” As my colleague Alan Levin put it in a letter to Seeger that he wrote today:

[It] was a transcendent experience for us all. You are, for many of us, a hero and an inspiration. That you continue to work so hard, as you did that day, to go so many extra miles in support of the people and causes that bring positive change to this world, moves us all to do more. I feel in my heart that the hundreds who waited to see you and sing with you will be braver in their commitment to continue the struggle. Certainly, I can say this is true for myself.

Alan is right, it was nothing short of spectacular. And when Pete told us from the park’s gazebo that he believed that “something good is going to happen, I know it,” we all knew that he was right. And then he said we’ve got to do more than just vote, we’ve got to act. And we agreed with him.

After a nice long set, Pete had everyone join him onstage and he signed autographs, talked with his fans, and ate pizza. And when it was time for him to go, we serenaded him with our own rendition of “This Land is Your Land.”

The beauty of this event was that so many people in our area were intimidated to come out and rally for health care reform because we felt threatened by the mob-like tactics of the teabaggers. It took Seeger, Chapin, et. al to drag us out into the open, but now that we all know we’re not alone, we feel so much more empowered. It was a magical night and I feel the momentum of this debate changing in my town.

Photo Courtesy of Brian Jennings, brianclayjennings@gmail.com

Engel told Politico: “Without that [public] option there will not be enough votes in the House to pass that bill.”

The Congressman, who represents parts of the Bronx, Westchester, and Rockland, also chastised Senate Democrats, particularly Montana Senator Max Baucus (D) for holding the legislative process hostage:

“The Senate needs to understand that they are one-half of the process, not the entire process,” said Engel. “This is not a matter of [Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max] Baucus or anybody else negotiating a bill, than coming to the House and saying, ‘take it or leave it.’ That’s not how it works.”

While Engel’s words are a strong warning to the Administration and Sen. Baucus, he is not among the 57 House members that sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week and 18 more that took a pledge stating that they would vote against any health care reform bill that didn’t include, at the minimum, a robust public option.

It is not clear whether the White House is shifting away from the public option, but the rhetoric has been softened as of late. President Obama said on Saturday that the public option is just a “sliver” of the overall package, followed by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius commenting that it wasn’t essential. However, administration spokespersons are now backtracking and saying that the alleged shift away from the public option is no shift at all and that President Obama still insists that the public option is the best way to provide needed competition with the insurance industry.

Along with Engel, representatives Nita Lowey (D, NY-18) and John Hall (D, NY-19), who also represent parts of Rockland, support the public option and according to Rockland Business Digest, all three will hold public forums on the health care plan. Spokespersons for Lowey and Engel say they plan to hold town halls sometime in late August, with times and venues to be announced. And although his staff did not confirmed it when talking with Rockland Progressive Democratic Caucus members, it is rumored that Hall will hold four town-hall style events across his widespread district.

This article is cross-posted at the Nyack News and Views Web site.

Lieberman, who is no relation to US Senator Joseph Lieberman, has raised a lot of eyebrows (to say the least) during his political career and continues to do so, even heckling President Barack Obama over his careful approach to the tense situation in Iran. Engel should be denouncing the rhetoric of Lieberman, instead he sought an audience with him.

Why should we be so concerned that our Congressman is reaching out to Israel? Because Avigdor Lieberman’s vicious attacks makes him seem like a Dead Sea equivalent of David Duke.

Still, you may say, that indicates no endorsement by the Congressman. Engel is unabashedly pro-Israel and that’s why many of his constituents like him. I too, appreciate the zeal with which Congressman Engel supports Israel, however I think the Congressman—along with two of my political heroes, Russ Feingold and Carl Levin—needed to take a strong stand against Lieberman’s hate speech and shun Lieberman when he visited this country, instead of seeking an audience with him.

If you’re not familiar with Lieberman’s rhetoric, it goes well beyond being pro-Israel, it easily crosses the line into being anti-Arabic and anti-Muslim. It’s threatening and alarming. Lieberman, who was convicted of assaulting and threatening a 12-year old boy in 2001 repeatedly acts in an aggressive manner when it comes to Israel’s neighbors, friendly or not, and those that disagree with him.

In 1998, he single-handedly risked Israeli-Egyptian peace by declaring that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak can “go to hell.” When Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Shimon Peres tried to calm tensions by apologizing to the Egyptians, Lieberman accused the two Israeli leaders of acting like “a battered wife” and said the Egyptian media that covered this controversy was akin to Nazi propagandists.

In 2003, Lieberman lashed out at Ariel Sharon’s agreement to give 350 Palestinian prisoners amnesty and espoused political genocide, stating that “it would be better to drown these prisoners in the Dead Sea if possible, since that’s the lowest point in the world.” He then quipped that, as Minister of Transport, he could supply buses to take the prisoners there.

In 2006, Lieberman called for the execution of Arabic members of the Knesset that met with members of Hamas. Lieberman said: ”World War II ended with the Nuremberg trials. The heads of the Nazi regime, along with their collaborators, were executed. I hope this will be the fate of the collaborators in the Knesset.”

In response to Lieberman’s statements, leaders of the Ta’al and Labor parties demanded that an investigation be initiated for violating an Israeli law against incitement and racism. While Lieberman was cleared of racism charges, such rhetoric makes me wonder if Lieberman is a racist at best and a fascist at worst. And I’m not alone, Labor minister Ophir Pines-Paz said that Lieberman was tainted “by racist declarations and declarations that harm the democratic character of Israel.”

Lieberman later made remarks in the Knesset in March 2008, shortly after the an attack on a Jerusalem yeshiva. He said: “Yesterday’s attack can not be disconnected from the Arab MKs incitement, which we hear daily in the Knesset.” Then he directed his comments to the Arab Members of Knesset and threatened them with this statement: “A new administration will be established and then we will take care of you.”

Lieberman has even raised the specter of a nuclear strike against Gaza. In January he made a veiled threat, saying Israel “must continue to fight Hamas just like the United States did with the Japanese in World War II. Then, too, the occupation of the country was unnecessary.” To many in the Israeli media, this quote is an allusion to the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

There are many more stories of corruption and belligerence by Lieberman, but I think the picture is well painted and is quite revealing and stark.

Lieberman’s statements and actions make me believe that US politicians should, out of principle, shun the Israeli Foreign Minister, perhaps pressuring the government to seek a less hostile person for this important role in the government. A man with such power and with such ideas is a menacing individual and cannot be treated in the manner that other friendly foreign dignitaries would be.

I understand that Engel’s purpose of meeting with Lieberman was to help Israel find some common ground with Palestine, and that’s what he believes he took home from this meeting.

Last year at this time, I sat in a room with Congressman Engel and insisted that we should be very careful of the friends that we make. I was especially concerned about Engel’s attendance at the Christians United for Israel Summit and his association with its leader, Pastor John Hagee, who has very strong anti-Catholic and even, some would say, anti-Semitic views.

Again, I applaud Congressman Engel for being a strong supporter of Israel, but I really think that the Congressman should be much more careful with picking his allies in this cause. Validating a hate monger like Avigdor Lieberman is not what our elected officials should be doing.

–

The news and diaries posted on the Rockland Progressive Dems site are the  individual opinions of the members of the Rockland Progressive Democratic Caucus. They appear on this Web site to provide a progressive forum for Rockland County residents. While the Executive Committee of the caucus may edit some of these posts for clarity, length, and accuracy, it does not necessarily endorse the contents of each post. All members of the Rockland County Democratic Caucus are invited to share their viewpoints and comment on those viewpoints on this site.

It has 106 cosponsors in the house. None of our local representatives is on that list!

More at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/24/AR2009062403282.html

and: http://citizen.typepad.com/eyesontrade/

–

The news and diaries posted on the Rockland Progressive Dems site are the  individual opinions of the members of the Rockland Progressive Democratic Caucus. They appear on this Web site to provide a progressive forum for Rockland County residents. While the Executive Committee of the caucus may edit some of these posts for clarity, length, and accuracy, it does not necessarily endorse the contents of each post. All members of the Rockland County Democratic Caucus are invited to share their viewpoints and comment on those viewpoints on this site.