WHY ARE PRIMARIES MUY IMPORTANTE?

MoveOn is considering doing what Blue America and OpenLeft are already doing-- encouraging primaries against putative Democrats who get into office and vote against crucial Democratic values and principles. Like OpenLeft, MoveOn is especially focusing on Democrats who support the Bush-Cheney war agenda. (Blue America considers a number of factors, which is why, for example, Donna Edwards race against the corrupt reactionary Al Wynn is on our list of targets.)

According to an article in today's Congressional Quarterly MoveOn is polling its members to see how they feel about going after especially bad DINOs (Democrats in Name Only). MoveOn has already done very effective TV advertising in southwestern Washington state after Brian Baird started voting with Republicans on the war and spouting GOP talking points on television.

Baird could have plenty of company: 59 House Democrats voted in May against a bill that would have required President Bush to withdraw all troops from Iraq within six months. Meanwhile, 41 Democrats in the House and 16 in the Senate endorsed last month’s expansion of the administration’s authority to conduct warrantless surveillance of terrorism suspects-- a move that “capitulated to President Bush and politics of fear over wiretapping,” in MoveOn’s view.

If the membership were to approve the strategy, MoveOn would keep a close eye on how Democrats voted this fall on the next efforts to end the war, while gauging their vulnerability in a primary challenge.

Interestingly, one of the worst of the rogue Democrats, Dan Lipinski (IL-03), who is already being challenged by Blue America-backed Mark Pera, suddenly has 3 primary opponents. Although dissatisfaction with Lipinski is very strong in his mixed surburban/Chicago district-- primarily because he voted more frequently with the GOP than almost any other Democrat in a solidly blue district-- three opponents is likely to strengthen his chances at re-election.

Today's Daily Southtown, the district's primary newspaper, pointed out how Lipinski is still working with Republicans to prolong Bush's hated war in Iraq.

Lipinski advocates keeping troops in Iraq but slowly altering their mission to patrolling the country's borders and training military personnel.

Lipinski and U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-10th), of Highland Park, have joined forces on a House resolution demanding implementation of the Iraq Study Group Report, which was released in December.

...Yet Lipinski and Kirk, who acknowledge the Bush Administration made mistakes that undermined public support for the war, want people to believe their government now will tell the truth and make no more mistakes.

Having listened for more than an hour to Lipinski, Kirk and the two ambassadors detail the multiple and massive failings of the U.S. war in Iraq, I find it difficult to place continued faith in our ability to do the right thing.

Kirk said what most interests him is doing the right thing by our troops who continue to serve in Iraq.
I would agree.

And I think the right thing to do is to bring them home now.

Lipinksi and Kirk, a Democrat and a Republican, each has a disgraceful record on Iraq and each has earned his constituents' contempt and defeat at the polls. The Man most likely to hold Lipinski accountable is Mark Pera and he has quite a bit to say about the Lipinski-Kirk Axis. Mark, like most Americans, sees that the Bush-Lipinski-Kirk strategy for prolonging the war is far too little and far too late. He is adamant that the U.S. should start bringing our troops home in a safe and orderly fashion MUCH sooner than Lipinski and Bush are offering.

This was a war of choice not necessity. Now America is caught in a terrible quagmire, a situation brought upon us by a President who never listened and elected officials like Congressman Lipinski, who, for political reasons, blindly supported the President's misguided actions... It's troubling that legislators like Congressman Lipinski say they recognize the gross errors they've made yet still advocate for continuation of this war for another five years. How many of America's sons and daughters, mothers and fathers will make the ultimate sacrifice because of those in government and Congress who refuse to face reality.

We need a policy that specifically outlines troop withdrawal now, not in three or five years. The people there in Iraq want us out now. It is a false premise that we can correct the political situation. A historical perspective shows us the warring factions there are unlikely to ever reach an accord with each other. We are immersed in a civil war for which there is no military solution.

The authors of this national and international disaster, from Bush and Cheney down to Kirk and Lipinski need to go. They are not part of the solution; they are the problem. Please consider helping Mark Pera to get rid of one egregious Bush Dog.