I Could Write A Book On The Depredations Of The DCCC... Let's Start With WV-01

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West Virginia's northern third is basically the first congressional district, the traditionally Democratic one that includes Wheeling, Parkersburg and Morgantown. In 2010 the DCCC was certain they could win there and spent $1,294,055 independently to defeat wealthy GOP right-winger David McKinley. They came close but... no banana. McKinley defeated state Senator Mike Oliverio 90,660 (50.4%) to 89,220 (49.6%); that close. So, of course Steve Israel tried-- and tried hard-- to recruit Oliverio to run again this time... and he nearly did, but pulled out when he decided Obama is too unpopular and he'd be better off running in 2014. Israel bought into the scenario. Before I tell you how that played out yesterday, let's go back to 2010 for a moment and listen to what Doug McKinney, chairman of the West Virginia Republican Party, had to say about the state Senator and Democratic congressional candidate: "Sen. Oliverio has always been a conservative guy. He votes with the Republicans on committees. We've joked for years he needs to come over to the party who thinks like he does."

That's only part of the story. You know what ALEC is, right? The Koch brothers' state level operation to undermine democracy and promote fascism across America. It's primarily a hard-core Republican organization but in West Virginia the chairman was... Steve Israel's favorite Democrat: Mike Oliverio. Oliverio is everything a Democrat shouldn't be-- anti-Choice, bigoted to the core, pro-Big Business and anti-working family... and steeped in the kind of corruption that makes Steve Israel's heart go pitter-patter.

So Israel, who "officially" left the right-wing Blue Dog caucus and New Dem Coalition when he decided to go for a Democratic Party leadership role, set about trying to make sure to leave a clear path for Oliverio in 2014. The problem was just some activist grandmother with a grassroots following, Sue Thorn. Needless to say, Israel directed the DCCC and its allies and affiliates to ignore her and he told big Democratic donors to not give her any money. But he didn't stop there. Even though the Democrats hold a heavy registration advantage in WV-01 and even though Thorn outpolled McKinley in the primary this year (49,203 to 36,107), Israel connived with the Blue Dog PAC, Center Forward, to run TV spots against Sue Thorn. Yeah... read that again. He the chairman of the DCCC, who Nancy Pelosi admiringly describes as reptilian, watched with glee as his close allies at the Blue Dog Research Forum (now called Center Forward) took out TV spots not just for reactionary, anti-Choice Democrats like Joe Donnelly, Mike McIntyre, Jim Matheson, Ben Chandler and John Barrow, but also for reactionary, anti-Choice Republican David McKinley. Ever hear of anything like that before? Is that why Pelosi called him "reptilian?" No, she thinks he's fabulous.

Or she did. I wonder what she thinks about the breathtaking incompetence so clearly demonstrated across the board last night. All his horrid Blue Dog recruits lost. And, tragically, he was the cause of so many progressives who had ZERO DCCC support losing as well. In WV-01 Sue was beaten out by McKinley-- one of the few things that went the way Israel planned it-- around 60 to 40%.