With all due respect to the man, who proclaimed that "all politics is local," the Tipster got it wrong.

For more than a generation, American's have accepted Speaker O'Neill's folksy wisdom as a guiding principle. After all, it's local office impact that matters most, right?

Not quite. Because by jumping on the "all politics is local" bandwagon, progressives unwittingly buy into core Republican values: greed and selfishness. And in doing so, a game that is rigged from the outset to pit good people against one another. Thus corporate whores like Hayes, Taylor and Foxx spend their careers slopping at the trough of government spending to bring home the bacon.

'Looka what I'm doing fo' my distric'.'

As government-hating Republicans, they slam public spending every chance they get, all the while selling votes to fund some highway contractor so they can brag about how hard they're working for their constituents.

But there's a problem. "All politics is local" tells voters that the choice between the Lyin' Robin and Honest Larry only affects the 8th district. It says that what's good for that district is unrelated to what's good for America and for the rest of the world. Republicans win when we think that way.

I know it's hard to worry about the big picture when you don't have a job or insurance. I understand the importance of taking care of family and community first. And I also know that Republican policies make life more difficult in almost every way for regular people. Only the richest - the friends of Taylor Hayes Foxx, LLC - really benefit

"All politics is local" ignores the fundamental connections that bind us each to one another. It ignores the fact that what happens in one Congressional district can ricochet around the world, affecting what happens in Iraq and Afghanistan and China and North Korea and more.

Even though a Democrat said it, "all politics is local" is a death sentence for the common good.

UPDATE:

Will you join me in writing . . .

An open letter to North Carolians with Republican Congressmen

One month from today you have the opportunity to change the course of history. Using the most powerful tool in the world, your vote, you can restore America's integrity and honor.

The current Republican Congress has betrayed American values. They have sold out to moneyed interests, driving up stock prices and driving down wages. They have pushed through health policies that protect drug companies instead of senior citizens. They have created massive deficits. They want to stay the course in an insane war. They condone the practice of torture.

North Carolina's Republican members of Congress are part a big problem right now. They're not taking care of your district, because they can't take care of America. And if they stay in power, bad will turn to worse. You can see it coming.

The only way to change the course is for one house of Congress to be controlled by Democrats. When you walk into the voting booth on November 7th, please vote Democratic. You're the one who can make the change.

Thank you SO much.

Your neighbors

Let's write the right letter and get a million Democrats to sign it. I bet Jerry Meek will help.