Who's For Us-- Who's Against Us... The Battle Inside The Democratic Caucus Over Social Security

Yesterday it was with regret, but not surprise, when we recounted newly elected Democratic hack Janice Hahn's pathetic response to a simple question about protecting Social Security and Medicare. This would have once have been a softball question and an opportunity for a Democratic politician to assure seniors and working families that they're in good hands with the Democrats. Instead, Hahn-- who won her tough primary because she was heavily backed by self-serving but extremely short-sited unions-- used the opportunity to appeal to conservatives:

"Americans want us to get together and come up with common sense solutions... If compromises need to be made, I will certainly follow the lead of the President."

Not a good first impression. This will haunt her forever. Progressives have a very different approach. The biggest Democratic Party congressional caucus in the House is the Progressive Caucus, led by Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN). Here's the letter they sent to Nancy Pelosi this week:

We write in strong agreement with your unwavering defense of the Democratic programs that form the bedrock of America’s middle and working classes, and which are overwhelmingly popular.

On July 7, you made very clear that “We are not going to balance the budget on the backs of America’s seniors, women and people with disabilities” and that “we do not support cuts in benefits” for vital safety-net programs. We agree completely.

Especially in these tough economic times, we should not be cutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits that millions of our constituents paid into and depend on. Such benefit cuts should be off the table in current debt discussions.

Our Republican colleagues should be embarrassed by their insistence that unless Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits are cut, the nation will default on its debts. Middle-class families have sacrificed enough, and a deal that pushes the American Dream further out of reach, in order to pay for extending tax breaks for the rich and corporations, is simply unacceptable.

We are united as Democrats in saying that it’s time to stand up to the Republican hostage-taking. We will not be forced to vote for a “final agreement” that we do not agree to-- and that the American people do not agree to.

We stand united with you in insisting that benefit cuts for working families, our seniors, children, and people with disabilities must be off the table, and we stand united with you in fighting for millions of Americans who need Democrats to be firmly on their side.

Obama (and Hahn) are more than ready to “balance the budget on the backs of America’s seniors, women and people with disabilities” and "support cuts in benefits” for vital safety-net programs. It's what separates progressives from conservatives inside the Democratic Party and it's why it's so important to pay attention to primaries. Do you think Debra Bowen or Marcy Winograd would be talking about sacrificing seniors and vulnerable families to corporate avarice? And on the first day after election? It's why Blue America urged voters in CA-36 to turn out for Bowen and why we regretted Winograd's willingness to fall into the trap set for her by sleazy Hahn operative Joe Trippi to split the progressive vote and let Hahn slip in as the Democratic nominee so that the contest would be between a conservative and a reactionary rather than between a progressive and a conservative. There are races for Congress just like this shaping up all over America. Aside from our normal candidates page, we have a page dedicated to progressives facing conservative Democrats, Send the Democrats A Message. Right now, our candidates on that page, Wenona Baldenegro (D-AZ) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) are both proven progressives who are battling two former House members with egregiously right-wing records, respectively Ann Kirkpatrick and Ed Case, two of the worst Members of Congress in our lifetimes, each of whom made a habit of reflexively voting with the GOP at every opportunity.

That letter Grijalva and Ellison sent Pelosi already has over 60 co-signers, Members willing to stand up to the Conservative Consensus that has an iron grip on power Inside-the-Beltway and certainly includes not just the Republican Party and the Blue Dog caucus but even President Obama. Former Blue Dog and current chairman of the DCCC, Steve Israel (D-NY), who could normally be counted on to push the conservative consensus positions on anything and everything told members at a private meeting that entitlements cuts would be damaging politically to the party, and could even hurt candidate recruitment.

All Blue America-endorsed candidates back the letter and Blue America won't be endorsing any incumbents who don't sign on. Needless to say, Janice Hahn will have as much chance of earning Blue America support as Eric Cantor and John Boehner do. So far, the Members who have signed on to Grijalva's and Ellison's letter include:
Sam Farr (D-CA), Marcia Fudge (D-OH), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Pete Stark (D-CA), John Conyers (D-MI), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Jim McDermott (D-WA), Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Corrine Brown (D-FL), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Jose Serrano (D-NY), Charlie Rangel (D-NY), Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL), Barney Frank (D-MA), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Jim McGovern (D-MA), John Lewis (D-GA), David Wu (D-OR), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Donna Edwards (D-MD), Bob Filner (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Donald Payne (D-NJ), Pete DeFazio (D-OR), Steve Rothman (D-NJ), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Danny Davis (D-IL), Laura Richardson (D-CA), Tim Ryan (D-OH), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), John Tierney (D-MA), Lucille Royabal-Allard (D-CA), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Joe Baca (Blue Dog-CA), Andre Carson (D-IN), Elijah Cummings (D-MI), Mark Critz (D-PA), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), Betty Sutton (D-OH), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Henry Waxman (D-CA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Betty McCollum (D-MN), John Olver (D-MA), Chaka Fattah (D-PA) and Al Green (D-TX).

It will be interesting to see how many of them fold when the White House starts screaming and when they throw in a bone-- probably an unemployment extension. Meanwhile, none of the Democrats who have consistently voted more freuqnetly with Boehner and Cantor than with their own caucus, has signed on the protect Social Security and Medicare. Clearly, right-wing Democrats like Dan Boren (Blue Dog-OK), Jason Altmire (Blue Dog-PA), Mike Ross (Blue Dog-AR), Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX), Jim Matheson (Blue Dog-UT), John Barrow (Blue Dog-GA), Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN), Jim Costa (Blue Dog-CA), Joe Donnelly (Blue Dog-IN), Ben Chandler (Blue Dog-KY), Tim Holden (Blue Dog-PA), Mike McIntyre (Blue Dog-NC) and Heath Shuler (Blue Dog-NC)-- the bottom of the barrel-- may not support Obama on anything else, but will back him to the hilt if he sets out to fulfill the conservative dream of gutting Social Security and Medicare.