Thanks to OrangeClouds115 for letting me use the VMD today to discuss a timely issue that can impact the OH-05 special election. An issue that has been overlooked so far in the OH-05 race that has massive potential to swing serious rural voters Robin’s way is the issue of factory farms (otherwise known as CAFOs—Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations). Rural America across the country is fighting for their  lives by battling these nightmares and OH-05 is ground zero in Ohio for many of these battles. I don’t think many urban Democrats understand just how emotional an issue this is for many folks. OH-05 is a majority rural district and the second most rural after OH-18 (Bob Ney’s old stomping grounds, now ably represented by Zach Space). Targeting trade agreements for outsourcing or manufacturing job loss is not nearly as resonant as in heavily industrial districts like Marcy Kaptur (who is next door) and Sherrod Brown’s old district.  

It should come as no surprise that Robin is on the right side of this issue while Bob Latta is firmly in the pockets of corporate agribusiness...

While the candidate wars go on endlessly and the front pagers hype upcoming races and elections, a CRITICAL vote today on the Peru Free Trade Agreement goes unnoticed.

I did a search for diaries to see if anyone else had done an alert, but did not see one. Apologies if I missed it.

Democrats keep wondering why working class, rural voters, farmers keep voting "against their economic interests" when they also vote for Bush's and corporate America's slimy trade deals. Despite the fact that many Democrats like Tester, Brown, Schuler, Boyda were elected in tough races BECAUSE of their populist trade stances.

David Bacon writes about the possible electoral consequences of the Dems capitulating on such a potent issue:

What a Free Trade Vote Means for Democrats

"Party strategists think Democrats can accept big contributions to support the Bush free trade program. They calculate that unions, workers, displaced immigrants and those hurt by the treaties have nowhere else to go in 2008. They're wrong. They could stay home - the Democrats certainly won't be giving them much reason to get out and vote."

David Sirota has it here:

Obama to vote FOR NAFTA Extension

"Obama said he would vote for a Peruvian trade agreement next week, in response to a question from a man in Londonderry, NH who called NAFTA and CAFTA a disaster for American workers. He said he supported the trade agreement with Peru because it contained the labor and environmental standards sought by groups like the AFL-CIO, despite the voter's protests to the contrary. He also affirmed his support for free trade."

Since Sirota only usually mentions labor and enviro standards as reasons to oppose FTAs and ignores agriculture (and how ironic for Obama to say you support this trade agreement that will devastate the Peruvian rainforests on the same day you announce a good plan to address CO2 emissions....), i will focus on what i believe will be the most devastating impact of this agreement: on Peruvian farmers who will now starve.

the labor and enviro reasons are all sound too, but the most profound effects will be on small scale Peruvian farmers, who constitute much of the population.

I have not had a chance to comment on the House Farm Bill, nor the upcoming Senate fight. I hope to in coming days. But I'd like to address now the concern over food prices, and how the role of ethanol and higher corn prices factors into it.

There has been lots of press as of late regarding higher food costs, with progressives jumping on the bandwagon of blaming ethanol and "rich farmers" profiting off rising commodity prices while us poor consumers get the shaft.

Bonddad had a diary yesterday where he blamed all food inflation on the price of wheat rising. Never mind that the price of wheat was in the toilet as recently as a year ago, and thus farmers had to be bailed out by taxpayer subsidies. And I didn't see my Wonderbread price go down.

Bonddad Diary on Food Costs

A week ago, I posted a diary that fell like a dud warning people not to support the Kind-Flake "reform" amendment to the Farm Bill and that while the House Farm Bill was bad, the so-called "Fairness" Amendment proposed by Kind-Flake would have completely deregulated and privatized our farm programs, devastating both farmers here and abroad.

Your Food Bill #3: Big Business Coopts the Left on Farm Bill

I discussed how big business and the likes of Club for Growth had co-opted progressive groups like Oxfam and ONE campaign to all be on the same side during the Farm Bill.

Today, I discover that these same groups will be hosting the "Global Poverty" session at YearlyKos. I had written in my first diary on this subject about how these "reformers" were targeting the progressive netroots. It is with deep disappointment that I see that these groups will be the ones to speak on behalf of the poor and the farmers around the world at YearlyKos. I hope Kossacks will read what I have to say, what the farmers i work with have to say, and treat skeptically the claims of who really speaks on behalf of the poor.

LIVE NOW on CSPAN is a debate on the rule to proceed with the Farm Bill. The GOP, both the hypocrites who love subsidies and the right wingers who hate them, are decrying the Democrats using a tax hike on foreign corporations not paying their fair share of taxes to be used to help pay for an increase in food stamps.

Dem Tax Provision Complicates Farm Bill

If you get an email from the likes of Oxfam or the ONE Campaign or other masquerading progressives telling you to support the "Fairness Amendment" to the Farm bill proposed by Kind-Flake, for the love of God, do NOT do it!

I was horrified when one of my progressive friends told me she got the Oxfam email and called her rep. When I told her she was basically signing onto a free trade corporate globalization agenda and the destruction of her beautiful rural area, she was very distraught for being misled. I said welcome to my world! I'm a Bono fan, a Christian with mainline sympathies and have worked with Oxfam before. Now I find myself opposing all of them and their misguided ideas on the Farm Bill.

Yesterday, I did an admittedly very long diary to try and explain some of the myths around farm subsidies and the Farm Bill. I did it to try and educate folks around here who may not know as much about how subsidies work and thus, buy into the myths that they are "corporate welfare" for farmers and we should just get rid of them and voila! by magic, our agriculture and food systems will right themselves. or that subsidies are the real evil in our system when they are NOT. i was very heartened by the response and interest in the subject and thank folks who took the time to read it.

Your Food Bill #1

Family farmers don't have many friends left. Betrayed by agribusiness, Farm Bureau, politicians in both parties owned by agribusiness and big commodity groups. This diary yesterday on Hillary Clinton's warm feelings towards changing USDA's name to the Dept of Rural Affairs only highlights what i feel is the out-of-touch and misguided views of some well-intentioned progressives.

Hillary wants to rename USDA

I am very deeply grateful to MissLaura, OrangeClouds115, Elfling, Natasha, Farmerchuck and others who have drawn attention to our broken food systems.

The netroots offers one of the rare beacons of hope for family farmers swimming against the current tide of corporate control and industrial agriculture that has given us e.coli spinach, dead pets, poisonous Chinese catfish, rGBH-milk, GMO crops, factory farms destroying rural America/farmers, along with obesity, and all the other ills so urgently and eloquently documented by Michael Pollan that even my non-farm bill obsessed friends have read:

Michael Pollan on the Farm Bill