More Blue Dog Huntin'

Yesterday we cheered the departure of reactionary Alabama shithead Parker Griffith as he crossed the well-trod path (for him) to the other side of the aisle permanently-- or at least until Alabama Republican primary voters put him out of his misery next year. For good measure, we threw in a hallelujah that Texas Blue Dog Jack McDonald had taken his million bucks and pulled out of the race against Mike McCaul. If there's one thing the House Democratic caucus does not need, it's Blue Dogs posing as Democrats.

So, although I'm currently in the wilds of Albania-- and only barely able to access an Internet installed for the Albanians by my friend Evil Jesus-- I was very happy when I got an e-mail from Marcy Winograd back in L.A. with the image of the two impediments to the progressive movement above. Marcy is prominently featured on the Blue America page dedicated exclusively to electing real Democrats to replace Blue Dogs, in her case, Jane Harman. Here was Marcy's message, in part:

Like so many of you, I’ve had enough of people like Joe Lieberman hijacking health care reform. Four years ago, it was the voters who put him back in office-- a decision I suspect many are regretting. 

Unfortunately, there’s more than one “Lieberman” in Congress. My Blue Dog opponent Jane Harman is the Lieberman of the House-- priding herself on her ties to war profiteers and Big Pharma-- all the while pretending to be a liberal...

Harman is the Lieberman of the House-- playing progressive when it suits her interests, but then turning her back on the people who need her during key votes. 

In her own words, from a previous election:

“I was flattered to be introduced in the last election as the best Republican in the Democratic primary.”

I can win this race.  In 2006, I ran a last-minute campaign against Harman, built mostly on grass-roots efforts-- and still took almost 38% of the vote... [W]e need to get the word out to primary voters that:

• Harman voted to protect the pharmaceutical industry at the expense of patients--  making it more difficult for breast cancer patients to buy affordable generics.

• Harman voted against the bill that would have permitted judges to reduce mortgage payments in bankruptcy courts.
 
• Harman voted to protect and bail out the big banks while supporting legislation that made it more difficult for consumers to declare bankruptcy.

• Harman applauded Bush's illegal wiretapping program; three years later she claimed she never supported it.

• Harman lobbied for the Iraq invasion and occupation while personally investing in military contractors.

On the Blue America Bad Dogs page you can donate directly to Marcy's campaign, and you can also donate to Blue America's independent efforts to go after Harman and other slimy Blue Dogs. Please consider helping.


UPDATE: Will Chris Carney Will The Next To Switch?

Blue America discovered early on how duplicitous and devoid of principles Chris Carney is. Aside from being a reflexive reactionary, the man has no sense of morals whatsoever. So it should surprise no one that he is discussing switching parties with John McCain.