DAN BOREN-- REPUBLICAN IN SEMI-DEMOCRATIC CLOTHING
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Yesterday Dem4evr posted a diary at Daily Kos about Oklahoma Congressman Dan Boren, appealing to progressives to mount a primary against the reactionary Democratic rep, Oklahoma's last. A quick blog search shows me that DWT has over a dozen mentions of Boren, although no stories on him. All the mentions concern his status as one of the 2 or 3 most reactionary Democrats in the House, someone as likely to vote with Republicans on substantive matters as with Democrats. The latest on DWT-- and the cause of Dem4evr's diary-- concerned how Boren was only one of two Democrats, along with Mississippi Republicrat Gene Taylor, to vote against a worker's right to join a union last week, a position so inherently un-American and vile that even 13 Republicans joined the House Democrats to beat back the Republican opposition.
As Dem4evr points out, there may be virtually no difference between the way Taylor and Boren come down on the issues-- they are, respectively, the #1 and #2 most reactionary Democrats in the House-- but that there is a significant difference in the nature of the districts that the two men represent. Taylor has been elected in a solid Republican seat. MS-04 has a +16 Republican rating on the Cook Partisan Voting Index. Taylor's constituents, while returning him to office with massive majorities (75% in 2002, 64% in 2004, 80% in 2006), gave Bush 65% in 2000 and then liked what they saw so much that they gave him 68% in 2004.
Boren's district (OK-02), the poor, mostly rural eastern third of Oklahoma (including Muskogee), is a traditional Democratic district that has been trending Republican in national elections. It is considered a competitive district that leans Republican, although Brad Henry carried every single county in the district when he ran for governor in 2002 and two years later Brad Carson carried every county in the district except two when he ran for Senate. Gore and Kerry did better in OK-02 than in any of Oklahoma's other congressional districts, with Bush getting 52% in 2000 and 59% in 2004. Boren was first elected in 2004 with 66% of the vote and in November he was re-elected with 73% against Republican wingnut Patrick Miller.
If the reactionary Taylor were successfully primaried by a moderate Democrat, a Republican would probably win the seat. On the other hand, if a moderate Democrat beat Boren in a primary, there's no reason to believe there wouldn't be a good chance for a moderate to replace a reactionary in OK-02. As Dem4evr says: "While this district has sadly shifted red in presidential elections, at the state and local level, Democrats still dominate. Furthermore, this is a hotbed for populism and congressman like Boren who votes against blue collared workers is not a good fit. On state question 695, which unfortunately brought the anti-union "right to work" laws to our state, the vast majority of Boren's district... voted against the state question.
Boren has been a disgrace to the Democratic Party and a disgrace to his family's good name in Democratic politics. His dad, David Boren, was a U.S. Senator and a Governor and is now president of the University of Oklahoma. When the egregiously unaccomplished dim son first tried to win the seat he was nearly beaten by an unknown and un-funded progressive, Kayln Free. Boren was supported by all the traditional Republican sources of campaign contributions and he still gets more financial support from Big Business than from Labor. He has a solidly pro-corporate, anti-worker voting record, just like the typical Republican he is in all but name. He's one of the most anti-environmental Democrats and he joined right-wingers to try to eliminate net neutrality.
The picture was done by Conium at PhotoTune.
Labels: Dan Boren, Oklahoma, reactionary Democrats, unions
posted by DownWithTyranny @ 12:47 PM
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6 Comments:
On the bus to the DC march we could watch movies. I brought some Docs. (The Power Of Nightmares, 3 or 4 Alex Jones docs, & Hacking Democracy to name a few) but the ppl on the bus would rather watch Idiocracy! We are doomed!
Well now! I certainly hope you out-of-state agitators manage to save the people of this congressional district from their own choices. We wouldn't want a 2/3 majority at election to Congress, increasing to an approximate 3/4 majority at Boren's first re-election, to determine who represents southeastern Oklahoma, would we? It's a good thing uber-Dems such as you so graciously give of yourselves to set things right amongst the assorted misfits and rubes living in the sticks who have shown the elect such as yourself that they are unfit to govern themselves without your benign 'management' of democracy.
Sarcasm aside, I fail to see the logic why you praise the father (former senator David Boren) and condemn the son Dan Boren - the two are politically indistinguishable, other than that David Doren is now almost two decades out of the fray and thus is no longer fun to attack. David Boren was about the bluest of Blue Dogs. As far as I could tell, he got out of the Senate when he saw that the radicalization of the national Democrat power structure would ensure that only Trotskyites and exhibitionist freaks had political upward mobility as Democrats. (Coincidentally, I write this on the day the only statesman amongst the Democrats vying for president in '08 - Richardson - folded his tent.) Too bad you Democrats ran one of your elder statesmen out of the business - he would have made a great president, far better than Bubba.
http://www.fec.gov/press/press2005/20050609candidate/hseopndisb.pdf
I wouldn't call $1.3 million in disbursements and unfunded campaign. She had the support of almost every indian tribe and was a poster girl for "emily's list".
The previous post was in reference to the comment that Kayln Free was unknown and un-funded. I forgot to show the quote.
Boren was funded by Oklahomans - Free was funded by out of state groups such as emily's list. Voters rejected the outsiders trying to buy our congressional seat.
Dan Boren is the typical Democrat that holds office in Oklahoma. They are conservative and vote and act like Republicans. My state is lost the majority of democrats here get a backbone and elect real and sane Democrats.
And regarding Dan's father, David Boren, no matter what he puts out to the public that he is "independent" he is nothing but a corporate wh*** who will do anything to get money that he says is for the University of Oklahoma.
If you think a liberal democrat has a chance in eastern Oklahoma You are insane. I have never seen anyone as unpopular as our current president or the rest of his flunkies in the democratic party, are here in eastern Oklahoma. There were always people who liked and stood up for the Clintons. I cant even find anyone who will admit to liking our current Ocupant of the white house. If Boren or any democrat associated them selves with him his polices or the wicked witch of the west Nancy pelosi or the Evil Little dwarf Harry Reid they would be fish food in the next election.
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