What Are We Going To Do About Democrats In Name Only?

When Collin Peterson voted against raising the minimum wage, along with 5 other far right Blue Dogs, the DCCC was screaming about Republicans voting against increasing the minimum wage. That was in March of 2013. Steve Israel and Nancy Pelosi were already raising massive amounts of money to help reelect the massively unpopular-- unpopular with Democrats at least-- Peterson and Georgia Blue Dog John Barrow. In the next election Barrow finally went down to an ignominious defeat, Democrats in his district just refusing to show up and vote for him again-- despite $2,382,846 in spending on his behalf by the DCCC and another $194,510 from Pelosi's House Majority PAC. Barrow was finally driven from Congress by Republican Richard Allen, 90,987 (54.8%) to 75,123 (45.2). Two years earlier, with President Obama on the ticket, 138,965 had cast ballots for Barrow and he won with 54%. Meanwhile, though, Pelosi and Israel managed to rescue Peterson from certain political oblivion with a $3,611,284 cash infusion from the DCCC and another $332,439 from the Pelosi-controlled House Majority PAC. Peterson's 2012 vote decreased from 197,540 (60%) to 130,536 (54.3%).

It couldn't have surprised House Democratic leaders when Peterson and his Blue Dog cronies voted against raising the minimum wage. That's what they do-- always cross the aisle to noisily vote against the party's top priorities. And just 2 months ago Peterson was the only Democrat to back the Republicans in their then-latest attempt to gut the Affordable Care Act and defund Planned Parenthood all in one vote. Again, the DCCC was screaming about Republicans trying to take away health care from people-- and asking for money. Money for what? Money to elect more Blue Dogs and New Dems who stand with the Republicans on crucial vote after crucial vote.

Today we see Chuck Schumer picking the 4th worst Democrat in the House, New Dem and so called "ex"-Republican Patrick Murphy, as his Florida Senate nominee to replace Rubio. Did he think that meant finding the Floridian most similar to Rubio? And we have Steve Israel and his sock-puppet, Ben Ray Luján, recruiting conservative Republicans they persuade to switch party registrations, albeit never their stands on issues.

So who could have possibly been surprised last week when Collin Peterson was, once again, the only Democrat to cast his ballot with the GOP to prevent a vote that would ban gun sales to suspected terrorists? Peterson, as devoted an NRA shill as any Republican, has taken $84,500 from the NRA and other gun groups and just this year-- which has seen one NRA-enabled gun massacre after another-- Peterson took another $2,000. Of course if someone thought that the latest DCCC campaign against Republicans aiding and abetting the NRA-- that meme up top came straight from Long Island's master-of-messaging, Steve Israel-- probably didn't know that Luján himself, the putative DCCC chairman this cycle, gobbled up the same $2,000 contribution from the merchants of death that Peterson did-- and that the DCCC is actively recruiting more NRA-shills to run for congressional seats all over the country.

Give back the blood money, chairman Luján

If you give even one dollar to the DCCC there is a 100% chance that at least some of your money is going to elect or reelect candidates who are anti-Choice, anti-LGBT, anti-environment, anti-health care, pro-Wall Street, pro-NRA, pro-war and who will get into Congress and vote with the Republicans on issues that mean a lot to you and to your family-- but are laughed at by the cynics at the DCCC.

May I suggest that instead of giving money to the DCCC or the DSCC or the DNC or any of their fake front groups like EndCitizensUnited, to give directly to progressive candidates with proven track records? This list has House and Senate candidates who are solid progressives and who you can contribute to directly. And this list has House incumbents with stellar congressional voting records who deserve support for their reelection battles. And this video... this video drives Steve Israel and Chuck Schumer up the wall: