We Need More Women In Congress-- But Good Ones, Not Women Who Are Even Worse Than Men

According to Pelosi, when women succeed, America succeeds

Yesterday I got an e-mail from an awful candidate running for an open House seat in northeast Iowa, Swati Dandekar. Blue America is backing the progressive running for that seat, Pat Murphy. The only previous mention of Swati here at DWT was in October when we warned readers that there's another horrible Democrat is the race, Swati Dandekar, who you may recall, sold out Iowa Democrats when she was a state senator by accepting an appointment from Republican Gov. Branstad to the Iowa Utility Board. Since Republicans held the Iowa State House and Governorship, Swati selfishly put the Senate-- which had a narrow 26-24 Democratic majority-- up for grabs. The special election cost Democrats close to a million dollars to keep the seat, desperately needed to keep Iowa from extreme right, one-party rule. Voters in the district hate her and its hard to believe she has the gumption to run in a Democratic primary.

Somehow that translated into an invitation to a fundraiser in Santa Monica this Saturday hosted primarily by Indian-Americans, Ria Banerjee, Shailesh Shetye and Ravi & Vandana Tilak. I bet they'll have good food. "I am running," wrote Swati, "because I bring a unique perspective to the race as a naturalized citizen who immigrated to the United States at 21 years old. I came to Iowa with nothing but my education and worked my way up. American’s deserve someone who will fight for policies that help them achieve the American Dream. We are going to win because I have out- raised our opponents 2 to 1 thus far and am on pace to have a strong 4th quarter. I have represented the Cedar Rapids area in both the State House and State Senate. Thirty percent of the vote in the Democratic primary will come from this area and I have been elected 5 times there. My candidacy has historic implications and with your help I will be the first Indian American Women elected to the Congress and the first women elected to Congress from Iowa!" I recognized the name of one of the hosts, Ravi Tilak, since he's been pumping cash into the campaign of another conservative Indian running against a progressive, Ro Khanna, the sleazy New Dem-type opposing Mike Honda in Silicon Valley.

Another Indian-American is running in Wisconsin's first congressional district, Amar Kaleka, a UFO conspiracy guy who says he's a Democrat and wants to take on Paul Ryan. Anyone who reads this blog already knows Rob Zerban is running a serious multi-cycle campaign to defeat Ryan. The UFO guy isn't helping; but he's certainly collecting plenty of money from other Indian-Americans. Last year Blue America endorsed and raised money for Syed Taj, a serious Indian-American progressive candidate in Michigan who ran for the seat crackpot extremist Kerry Bentivolio won. Dr. Taj would have won but anti-Muslim bigot Steve Israel undercut his campaign. We didn't endorse Taj because he's Muslim or because he's Indian. We endorsed him because he's a progressive with a solid, clear-headed vision for American governance and because we thought he would make an outstanding congressmember.

In her dotage, Nnacy Pelosi keeps repeat-tweeting something to the effect of "when women succeed, America succeeds." Pelosi knows that isn't any more true that when Indians succeed, America succeeds. Michele Bachmann is a woman. So are nightmarish reactionaries Diane Black (R-TN), Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Jackie Walorski (R-IN), Rennee Ellmers (R-NC). Even on the Democratic side, not all women are as wonderful as Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Judy Chu (D-CA)-- not to mention Barbara Lee (D-CA), Donna Edwards (D-MD), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Karen Bass (D-CA) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME). There are terrible women Democrats in Congress, especially Kyrsten Sinema (New Dem-AZ), Cheri Bustos (IL), and Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ). And conservative New Dem Terri Sewell (AL), who Pelosi singled out with Schakowsky and Chu, is no bargain either.

And the worst candidate the DCCC recruited so far this year: a woman, a very, very conservative woman backed by the NRA and Big Coal and with a record as an Ohio politician that earned her the nickname "the Sarah Palin of Ohio." Jennifer Garrison is a woman, but a woman who is anti-Choice, virulently homophobic, who voted against a bill to curb bullying, against a bill too end employment discrimination, and against a bill to raise the minimum wage. She's Steve Israel's idea of a great woman candidate but in this case if the woman succeeds, America loses.

This morning someone sent me a post from another blog about another awful woman running for Congress, Clinton relative Marjorie Margolies. An anti-Social Security conservative, she immediately drew the support of Steny Hoyer. Daylin Leach is a much better candidate and Blue America is backing him because of what he stands for, not because of his gender. In CA-31, the DCCC is behind an empty suit loser, Pete Agular (a male) and they've persuaded a lot of California congresswomen to back him. He'a dreadful candidate and would make a dreadful Member of Congress and there's a fantastic candidate running for the same seat, Eloise Reyes. The DCCC has been actively undermining her campaign. Blue America is not supporting Eloise because she's a woman; we're supporting her because she'll make the best Member of Congress. And we find ourselves with the most unlikely of allies, EMILY's List, notorious for backing awful women candidates against progressive males-- like they're doing in the Hawaii Senate race now, pushing outrageously corrupt New Dem Colleen Hanabusa against progressive incumbent Brian Schatz.

I think we need more women in Congress-- also more gays, more Indians, less millionaires… we need a more diverse membership in the House, but we back people for what's in their heads and their hearts (not because of immature identity politics). Pelosi's childish harping on women encouraged a manipulative sleaze ball like Steve Israel to recruit Jennifer Garrison-- but sure didn't prevent him from backing the far more conservative Aguilar against a progressive woman. Let's grow up, kids, and support candidates on what they stand for, not just because of their race, religion, gender, etc.

If this makes sense to you and you're in the mood for a contribution, you'll find Eloise Reyes, Daylin Leach and Pat Murphy all on this ActBlue page.