Not Jennifer Garrison Again! The DCCC Is Trying To Recruit Ohio's Sarah Palin To Run Against Bill Johnson

Steve and Jennifer-- a match made in hell

Clearly, the DCCC should be going after powerful Republican policy makers in vulnerable seats like Paul Ryan (where Obama scored 47%), John Mica (where Obama scored 47%), Ileana Ros Lehtinen (where Obama scored 53%), Peter King (where Obama scored 52%), Fred Upton (where Obama scored 49%), Mike Rogers (where Obama scored 48%), Buck McKeon (where Obama scored 48%), John Kline (where Obama scored 49%), and Darrell Issa (where Obama scored 46%). Instead Steve Israel is all about targeting pointless GOP backbenchers no one's ever heard of and wasting all the DCCC's resources on them even if they're in tough red districts. The Republicans above-- all powers for evil within Congress who Israel won't seriously pursue-- are in MUCH easier districts for Democrats than, say, ridiculous Republican nonentity Bill Johnson. His district has a PVI of R+8 and Romney beat Obama there 55-43%. But that's the kind of place Israel is trolling for conservative Democrats to shower money on. By way of comparison, here are the PVIs of districts who's Reps the DCCC hasn't-- so far-- been allowed to target because of Israel and Wasserman Schultz:

• Ryan- PVI-R+3
• Mica- PVI-R+4
• Ros-Lehtinen- PVI-R+2
• Peter King- PVI-R+1
• Upton- PVI-R+1
• Mike Rogers- PVI-R+2
• McKeon- PVI-R+3
• Kline- PVI-R+2
• Issa- PVI-R+4

A Midwest congressman with as much contempt for Steve Israel as I have alerted me to the fact that the DCCC has been trying to recruit former state Rep. Jennifer Garrison to run against Johnson, who won the seat against Blue Dog Charlie Wilson in the Great Blue Dog Apocalypse of 2010. Garrison, as we'll see in a moment, is far to the right of Wilson, who was defeated because the Democratic base couldn't bring themselves to vote for someone who had disappointed them by voting against the progressive agenda so consistently. His initial 135,628 votes (62%) in the 2006 midterms when he first won, shrunk down to a dismal 92,823 votes (45%) in the 2010 midterms-- while the GOP candidate grew from 82,848 (38%) in 2006 to Johnson's win in 2010 with 103,170 (50%). Last year the DCCC encouraged a rematch and Wilson was defeated by Johnson again-- 144,444 (47%) to 164,536 (53%). The DCCC, looking to restock the caucus with Blue Dogs, wasted just under $2.5 million on that race.

So what did the DCCC learn? Not to find a mainstream progressive Democrat to run against a colorless, dull Republican obstructionist-- but to find someone even further right-wing than Wilson (who died in April). Enter Jennifer Garrison, Ohio's Sarah Palin. Garrison can be best described as a vicious, homophobic, anti-union, anti-choice, pro-coal, anti-minimum wage, reactionary stooge. In other words, the perfect candidate for Ohio political boss, Chris Redfern, and DCCC chairman Steve Israel.

Garrison beat a Republican incumbent in 2004 to win a state house seat from Southeast Ohio, by ATTACKING HER GOP OPPONENT FOR BEING TOO PRO-GAY. Yes, you read that right. From the Gay People's Chronicle: Garrison already has a rocky relationship with the LGBT community. She won her House seat by gay-baiting her predecessor, Nancy Hollister, in 2004.

Earlier that year, Hollister was the only Republican to vote against the so-called “defense of marriage act.” It was considered a courageous vote.

Garrison sent out mailings that read, “If you believe marriage is between one man and one woman, there’s something you should know about Nancy Hollister.”

The other side of the card said, “DOMA was enacted precisely to protect Ohioans from having to accept ‘marriages’ or ‘unions’ entered into in other states. Despite the value of DOMA, Nancy Hollister voted against it. Jennifer Garrison believes marriage is between one man and one woman and will fight to protect our values.”

In 2006, as a member of the House Education Committee, Garrison helped to kill an amendment that would have required Ohio schools to protect students from bullying for their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The anti-bullying bill passed without the LGBT protections.

An attorney, Garrison opposed EHEA last year, saying it is wrong to single out classes of people for protection. This is a common talking point that anti-gays use against equality laws, and is legally flawed.

From the Akron Beacon Journal (November 11, 2004):

Garrison turned the Hollister vote [against the Ohio Defense of Marriage Act] into something seemingly sinister. She told the Parkersburg (W.Va.) newspapers that "the big difference between Nancy and I is the gay marriage issue. I am against it. She is for it."Garrison sent mailings into homes that read: "If you believe marriage is between one man and one woman, there is something you should know about Nancy Hollister." The mailing then all but declares that Hollister embraces gay marriage, concluding Garrison will "fight to protect our values." Karl Rove would be proud. Clearly, Garrison rode the wave of state Issue 1. She and her pals should be ashamed.

But not only content to have the LGBT community exist as second-class citizens, Jennifer Garrison also wants her own gender to subist that way. From a NARAL email yesterday:

Last week, Jennifer Garrison, a Democrat from Marietta, officially entered the race for Ohio’s Secretary of State. Jennifer Garrison currently serves in the Ohio House of Representatives and has a 0% rating from NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio.

Rep. Garrison showed just how extreme her anti-choice position is when she filled out the 2008 candidate questionnaire for Ohio Right to Life, saying she would:

• support legislation in Ohio to outlaw abortion (with only an exception to save a woman’s life),

• support legislation that would allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense emergency contraception, and

• support state funding for so-called “crisis pregnancy centers” that lie to women about the risks of abortion and never refer patients for abortion or birth control services.

Representative Garrison does not share our values.

She has also voted against the minimum wage, has counted coal interests as a top-ten funder and would like to protect the rights of criminals to get their hands on guns.

Ohio Progressives finally drove Garrison out of politics in 2010. We may have finally found a conservative Democratic woman who is actually too conservative even for EMILY's List, but Steve Israel wants to get her back in again. Why doesn't he go do something vaguely useful instead-- like finding someone to run against Darrell Issa?