Collin Peterson-- A Symptom Of Why The Democrats Will Never Win Back The House While Pelosi Is In Charge

Thursday the House had 13 roll call votes. As usual, an array of Blue Dogs and New Dems crossed the aisle to vote with the GOP on them. 10 of the 13 roll calls were concerned with passing a Department of the Interior appropriations bill. The Democrats who voted with the GOP on at least one were all the regular suspects: Brad Ashford (Blue Dog-NE), Sanford Bishop (Blue Dog-GA), Jim Cooper (Blue Dog-TN), Jim Costa (Blue Dog-CA), Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX), Kyrsten Sinema (Blue Dog-AZ), Tim Walz (MN), Jim Himes (New Dem-CT), Filemon Vela (Blue Dog-TX), Kurt Schrader (Blue Dog-OR), Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM), Cedric Richmond (New Dem-LA), Marc Veasy (TX), Ben Ray Luján (NM), Gene Green (TX), Al Green (TX), Eliot Engel (New Dem-NY), Norma Torres (New Dem-CA), and Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN). In fact, speaking of Peterson, he voted with the Republicans on all 13 of the roll calls,. He was the only Democrat who did. He often is. On one of the amendments, offered by Ruben Gallego, 33 Republicans joined the Democrats to pass it. Because of Peterson's default position to vote with the Republican leadership, the amendment failed 213-214-- one vote: Peterson's.

That's his thing-- voting with the Republicans... all the time and on everything. He's the best friend the NRA has left in the Democratic caucus and all the horrible accusations the Democrats make about the GOP and gun violence apply to Peterson as well. Last year Peterson was the only Democrat to cast his ballot with the GOP to prevent a vote that would ban gun sales to suspected terrorists. The same year, his career-long take from the NRA and other crazy right-wing gun groups reached $84,500, more than most Republicans get from them. And all the Democratic accusations against Republicans and their war against women apply to Peterson too. He votes with Wall Street against investors and consumers and with Big Pharma and Big Insurance against healthcare. There are virtually no core issues that find Peterson with the Democrats. He was one of only 6 Democrats-- all Blue Dogs, of course-- to have voted against raising the minimum wage gradually to a modest $10.10!

Now, Peterson represents a pretty backward, red district in rural western Minnesota. The PVI is R+6 and Obama lost to McCain 50-47% and to Romney 54-44%. It should be represented a Republican. The Democrats should recognize that and just move on. Instead, they waste millions of dollars bolstering Peterson-- a grotesquely corrupt tool of corporate agriculture-- starving progressive Democratic candidates in winnable blue districts. That's part of the Pelosi/Emanuel/Israel strategy that has led directly to the Republican dominance of the House of Representatives year after year after year.

A source close to Dan Kildee, who is running the DCCC's frontline incumbent protection project this cycle, told me that they will probably spend "3-4 million" dollars trying to get Peterson reelected again. Last cycle the DCCC spent $3,611,284 and the Pelosi-directed House Majority PAC sent another $332,439 keeping the worthless Peterson in office, while watching his 2012 vote decrease from 197,540 (60%) to 130,536 (54.3%). The big spending plans for the Frontline Program include one incumbent who generally votes with the Democrats, Rick Nolan, also of Minnesota, plus a pack of reactionaries who can almost always be counted on by Ryan and McCarthy to vote with the GOP-- Krysten Sinema (Blue Dog-AZ), Cheri Bustos (Blue Dog-IL), Brad Ashford (Blue Dog-NE), Sean Patrick Maloney (New Dem-NY), Scott Peters (New Dem-CA), Pete Aguilar (New Dem-CA), Ami Bera (New Dem-CA), Ann Kuster (New Dem-NH)and New Dem fellow travelers Julia Brownley (CA) and Raul Ruiz (CA). That's what the Republican-supporting garbage the DCCC will waste as much as $25-30 million dollars on while refusing to finance real progressive candidates coast to coast. If you know anyone who contributes to the DCCC, please share this information with them. And meanwhile, please consider contributing directly to progressives like the men and women you'll find by tapping on the thermometer: