Minutes ago, the FCC passed new rules — written by corporations — that will end Net Neutrality. For the first time in history, the U.S. government approved corporate censorship of the Internet, putting the future of online free speech at risk. Unbelievably, the person leading the charge was Obama appointee Julius Genachowski (known in some circles as Judas GenaComcast for his historic sellout and notorious industry-friendly attitude).

Today, Genachowski proposed rules that wouldn’t protect the Internet and net neutrality — most importantly, instead of stopping corporations like Comcast from discriminating when they try to block Netflix unless Comcast gets paid big time, the proposed rules would give control of the Internet over to big corporations.

In one swoop, Genachowski is poised to break Obama’s promise and give the Internet away to big corporations like Comcast, to block and discriminate and extort as they see fit.

If you’re leading the party in power — controlling both the House, the Senate, and the Presidency — and your country is facing the most serious economic crisis in a generation, you have two options. You can either fix the problems, or you can make clear to the American people why you can’t, and who’s stopping you.

Both options would have required bold action. President Obama, aided and abetted by conservatives in Congress, did neither. The electoral consequences are plain to see.

Press reports are circulating that the Democratic Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Henry Waxman from California, is preparing to introduce legislation that would — if press reports are to be believed — give the Internet over to corporate control and kill free speech online. Reportedly, the bill

Just minutes ago, bold progressive Ann McLane Kuster defeated Joe Lieberman’s presidential campaign co-chair Katrina Swett in tonight’s New Hampshire congressional primary (NH-02).

You can’t seem to turn around lately without someone asking us about the ‘enthusiasm gap.’ It looks like Democracy for America and Progressive Change Campaign Committee volunteers didn’t get that memo, because our ‘phonebombs’ for key challenger races across the country are going great. When bold progressive candidates stand up, our members will stand with them. The exciting news with our new virtual phone bank technology is that even if you live in a place where you don’t have a progressive Democrat to volunteer for, you can still talk to like minded voters and in key districts — and help bold progressives win.

Hey everyone, long time no speak! I’ve got something I’ve been working on at the Progressive Change Campaign Committee for you to check out.

I want you to meet Alan Simpson. He really (really!) wants to gut Social Security. And he’s in charge of a commission determining the future of Social Security [the so-called “debt commission”].

How did that happen? Well, President Obama appointed him to be in charge. Why did Obama do that? I have no idea.

Simpson has a lot of power over the future of Social Security, Medicare and the like. And he also says really crazy things. So today, we launched a new website: StuffAlanSimpsonSays.com

Hey everyone, long time no speak! I’ve got something I’ve been working on at the Progressive Change Campaign Committee for you to check out.

I want you to meet Alan Simpson. He really (really!) wants to gut Social Security. And he’s in charge of a commission determining the future of Social Security [the so-called “debt commission”].

How did that happen? Well, President Obama appointed him to be in charge. Why did Obama do that? I have no idea.

Simpson has a lot of power over the future of Social Security, Medicare and the like. And he also says really crazy things. So today, we launched a new website: StuffAlanSimpsonSays.com

The Seminal is a project near and dear to my heart. I started it with Lance Steagall, Alex Thurston and Vassar Oenbring while I was still in school, six years ago. It’s grown from a small underground printed newspaper about Chicago hip hop to a music promotion company to a nationally known political blog and now to a vibrant community in the Firedoglake universe. Over the year we’ve officially been part of Firedoglake, I’ve enjoyed writing here, reading what you have to say, and engaging in some great discussions along the way. Blogging is the foundation of my political activism, and so it’s with a heavy heart that I have to say farewell today.

Coming up this weekend on Food Sunday and Saturday Art: On Saturday Art, Mitchell Frye has work entitled "Texas Corral" Bill Egnor has the latest from his novel Jake Remington has "redhanded" masaccio writes about David Hockney’s American Collectors And Art Threat has a post on art and urban revitalization