Is the DCCC Really A Homophobic Bastion Keeping Gays From Running For Congress?

Steve Israel (r) was recently found to be the least effective Member of Congress from NY-- but he's very effective in foiling  Democratic hopes to take back Congress

Obama won Iowa's 3rd Congressional District both times. He beat McCain 52-46% and 4 years later beat Romney 51-47%. Most of the voters live in Polk County (Des Moines), although the district stretches all across the southwestern part of the state to Council Bluffs and the Omaha suburbs. Although the GOP has a registration advantage (163,107 Republicans, 150,997 Democrats and 163,172 independents), the PVI is even. 

Last year, with the retirement of Republican Tom Latham (who had previously won the seat by beating reactionary Blue Dog Leonard Boswell after Iowa's loss of a congressional seat threw the two incumbents together), the open seat was won by Chuck Grassley chief of staff David Young, who beat Staci Appel 148,652 (52.9%) to 118,938 (42.3%). Appel was heavily supported by the DCCC and EMILY's List, both notorious money-wasters, and outspent Young $2,162,366 to $1,967,925.

Young isn't well-known in the district, where he's seen as a Beltway type and an outsider, but the Democrats don't have a candidate yet to seriously take him on. The geniuses at the DCCC have discouraged 5-term state Senator Matt McCoy (Des Moines), who wanted to run but pulled back yesterday, telling supporters that it was because of on-going DCCC negativity and homophobia.

Sen. Matt McCoy concedes there’s “healthy skepticism” about his ambitions for higher office because he’s gay, but plans to begin assessing a run for Congress as soon as this year’s session ends.

“I think if you’re ever going to do it, this would be where you would want to run,” said McCoy in an interview. “We’re going to as soon as the session ends. We’re going to do some analysis and some polling and try to determine just how people would feel about a candidate like me in a head to head.”

McCoy has pondered a run for Congress before but was thwarted when Rep. Leonard Boswell moved into central Iowa after the last reapportionment.

“At one time I was going to run and then Boswell moved here from southern Iowa, so I got out of the way,” said McCoy. “I think I’ve been biding my time very well. I would like to pursue this if it makes sense.”

McCoy conceded the heft of the Democratic political establishment would not start out the race in his corner.

“The Washington crowd, the DCCC crowd, I’m not their profile of a candidate,” said McCoy. “The young professionals in Washington who make up the DCCC would like to see a person run for Congress who has no political record, who can self-fund their campaign, who are wealthy or have access to wealth and have no voting record. That’s their perfect candidate.”

McCoy made it clear he comes nowhere near fitting that profile.

“A guy like me who has been bare-knuckle fighting in the legislature for 22 years, who is openly gay, who has been through the political scrapes in my life, that would not be their ideal candidate.”

McCoy argued that the attitude of the political professionals says more about the political class than about his own ambitions.

“That’s what’s wrong with Washington,” said McCoy. “It’s made up of this political ruling class. They’re all millionaires. Money in politics is absolutely disgusting.”

McCoy would be challenging first-term Rep. David Young should he decide to make the race, and he said there would be advantages to such a matchup.

“With respect to him, he’s in his first term,” said McCoy. “He hasn’t made huge mistakes, but he hasn’t made huge inroads either.”

McCoy conceded that attitudes are changing about his sexual orientation, but it remains an issue, even among Democrats.

“One of the things that I continually find in politics is despite our progress that we made with respect to gay rights, I find that many of my Democratic colleagues and friends are quick to dismiss me as a candidate for higher office because I am gay,” McCoy said. “It’s interesting because people who are supposedly progressive will say 'It’s really too bad that you’re not able to run for Congress, it’s really too bad that you’re not able to run for governor, it’s really too bad that you’re not able to run for the U.S. Senate because you’d never be accepted by Iowans.'”

McCoy said that attitude is disturbing.

“This comes from people who are supposedly progressive and liberal and people who are supposed to be about busting through glass ceilings,” said McCoy. “One of the things I continually find is that others’ expectations of gays and lesbians is that you’ll never move forward as a candidate for higher office.”

The DCCC is trying to recruit former Iowa Governor Chet Culver. On a national level, if you want to contribute to progressive candidates without dirtying yourself in DCCC crap, I don't think the DINOs at the DCCC are backing a single candidate on this list of endorsed progressives.