What Standards Do We Hold Progressive Political Leaders To?

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The Progressive Punch Top Ten. Ro Khanna is #1. It's based on votes, just votes. Ro's a friend of mine and early Tuesday I started getting e-mails and tweets aimed at me for supporting him-- not from Republicans but from progressives. Uggghhh, what now? I soon saw that people were freaking out because Ro Khanna had endorsed Joe Crowley, the powerful and corrupt former New Dem head honcho who Pelosi has handpicked to take over from her and who is being primaried by Alexandria Ocasio, a progressive heroine.

Crowley sent out a press release boasting he had been endorsed by some of the top progressives in Congress-- Ro, Mark Pocan and Maxine Waters. Focus turned immediately on Ro. I don't know why; but I was getting comments like "He's dead to me now." Odd when it was Pocan who's the leader of the Progressive Caucus and who's been whipping for Crowley. Maybe it's because Ro is so much more active on social media-- and because he takes chances-- like already endorsing 14 Justice Democrats candidates, more than anyone else in Congress... by far.

If Crowley becomes speaker, he decides which legislation gets voted on and which legislation languishes in committee and dies. What could possibly be more important to a policy guy like Khanna? And he was misled, not really aware that Ocasio was a viable candidate when he endorsed Crowley, a jovial and friendly politician. Crowley has been trolling for progressive support in a big way. "Crowley," he told me, "this Congress has supported Medicare for all, Barbara Lee and my bill to legalize marijuana, and the Workplace democracy act. Mark Pocan will tell you that he has genuinely moved ideologically and works to build consensus for progressive ideas. This term I have enjoyed working with him, and even visited his district on the digital divide."

Long before Pocan was elected to Congress I started following Crowley, the worst Wall Street whore among House Democrats who led the New Dems and created a miserable record, as well as a record of intense corruption. Since first being handed his seat, he's taken $6,957,621 from the finance sector, more than any other House Democrat. Anyone want to guess why they have cultivated him so assiduously?

Aiming for a leadership role, he kind of quit the New Dems and started voting along with the mainstream Democrats. He always had an "F" from Progressive Punch. This year he has a gentleman's "C."

Yesterday Ro endorsed Alexandria, a pretty brave move. He's now the only member of Congress to have done so. This-- below Shane Goldmacher's tweet-- is what he told me Wednesday:

I should have researched Ocasio’s story. She is exactly the type of candidate we should be encouraging, and who deserves a fair chance. She doesn’t come from privilege. She’s working class. She’s Latina. She’s a millennial. Endorsing her is recognizing that the system is stacked against new entrants in politics, that we need more people with her courage to run. She reminds me of my 27 year old self when I took on Tom Lantos against the war in Iraq. I love her bold policies on a jobs guarantee and saying no to corporate money.

The challenge for progressives is how to acknowledge people who change and adopt our policies. We need a broad coalition to pass anything. And at the same time to support new bolder voices.

As a freshman member of Congress, I won’t always get the balance right. But I have tried to do my best consistent with my values and trying to be an effective champion for progressive ideas.