Blue Dog Scumbags Are On The Warpath Again-- Against Progressives

Although there are rumors that South Jersey machine boss George Norcross is toying wit the idea of replacing Jeff Van Drew with Patrick Kennedy as the Democratic nominee for the second district seat, so far Van Drew has no primary opponent, just a 3 Republicans trying to get to the right of him, no easy task. Van Drew currently is tied with 2 other Blue Dogs, Anthony Brindisi (NY) and Joe Cunningham (SC) for ProgressivePunch's worst crucial vote scores among House Democrats (20.93%). Independent Justin Amash and Republicans Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Thomas Massie (KY) and John Katko (NY) have all been voting more progressively than Van Drew.

Over the weekend, his pals at Fox News reported that Van Drew, the most anti-impeachment Democrat in Congress, was again warning Democrats that if they try to impeach Trump, they'll lose the House in 2020. Van Drew uses NRCC talking points to attack his own party: "You can't go into an election and say 'well, we've done a few things.' And also we're responsible for and spent a huge amount of time and a huge amount of money on a failed impeachment process... Impeachment is one of the most powerful and most important and something that shouldn't be used in any minor way because in a sense, you're disenfranchising the voters. You're saying this person, we're actually going to take this person out of office. Politically, that's not going to happen because whatever happens, it's gonna be a failed impeachment process."

No one wanted to comment on the record but I asked several of Van Drew's colleagues what they think about his remarks on Fox and they all pretty much said the same thing, basically predicting that he would probably leave the Democratic Party soon and become a Republican. One moderate member of Congress told me that the Democrats are better off without him anyway. "Whenever he goes over to Fox and starts talking, people get confused about what it means to be a Democrat... He'd be happier as a Republican and we'd be happier with him over there too. Talking to him is like going to see a dentist... The only person I know who wants to keep him in the party is Nancy."

Another Blue Dog on the switch parties watch list, Henry Cuellar, does have a primary this cycle-- and a really strong one. Another Fox Dem, Cuellar has been unable to stop whining about progressives primarying him trying to make it appear that he's being primaries by AOC, Ilhan, Rashida, Ayanna, "Socialism!!!" and the Justice Democrats rather than by Laredo attorney, Jessica Cisneros. It's a absurd narrative that Fox helps promulgate. Cuellar was on with Neil Cavuto last week, bad-mouthing Democrats. Notice how they somehow present the race as one between the heroic Cuellar-- long the GOP's favorite Blue Dog-- and... well, anyone but the never-mentioned Jessica Cisneros.

CAVUTO: You have been targeted by this group that includes Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley, to be primaried, that you have not done the party any service. What do you think of that?

CUELLAR: Well, certainly, I mean, it's this group called the Justice Democrats, I think, are not Democrats, quite honestly. They're socialists. And they-- they want to impose their vision to Texas. And we certainly know that, in Texas, our vision is very different from what this social-- what I call this Justice Democrats, which are really socialists-- they're not really Democrats.

CAVUTO: So, do you feel that they're unfairly targeting you? Are they going after other moderates? I mean, there's even some debate as to whether all four of them have a thing to get you thrown out because you're too moderate. How do you describe it?

CUELLAR: Well, I don't know if it's these four individuals. I do know it's this Justice-- what I call-- quote -- "Justice Democrats."

CAVUTO: Right.

CUELLAR: But I do know that they are going after different folks. For example, they're going after Juan Vargas. These are Justice Democrats. And the reason they're going after him is because he's-- he has a very strong pro-Israel voting record. And that's just-- just amazing that they're targeting him. They're going after Jim Costa also. They're going after Lacy Clay.

CAVUTO: Right.

CUELLAR: They're going after other folks. But, again, their vision is not the vision of most Americans.

CAVUTO: Now, up until this dustup over the president's tweets, Congressman, much of the attention was focused on this group's battle with Nancy Pelosi, as she had characterized them as really speaking for themselves and not the overall party or the 40 some-odd congressmen who-- Democrats-- who gained control of the House. Do you agree with that, that they're-- they're not really as powerful or as influential, certainly within the House, as they make themselves out to be?

CUELLAR: Well, certainly. If I was going to say, who's going to win a debate, it certainly would be Nancy Pelosi. She knows how to count votes, and that's what counts here in Congress. You got to be able to count votes to get the job done. Can you get to 218? And that's the key to having a successful legislative career here in D.C.

CAVUTO: Now, those four, I believe, to a woman, voted against the $4.6 billion emergency funding at the border that I believe you voted for.

And that is something that sticks in their craw, that that emboldens ICE and all these other agencies that will be dealing with these migrants there. And that's something they couldn't tolerate. Nancy Pelosi said that wasn't her cup of tea, the package itself, but it did get immediate help to these kids. Was that your position?

CUELLAR: It's interesting. If you look at, behind the scenes, what happened, when the House Appropriation members-- and I'm a part of that committee-- when we were talking to the Senate, when we were working on the Harvey disaster bill, we actually were working with them. For example, I was able to get that $30 million reimbursement for the nonprofits and the churches that are doing so much at the border. They're putting money out of their pocket.

So we were working with them. We got a lot of the language there. So when the bill came out, I looked at it, and that bill had a lot of things that we had looked at. When they say that there's no protocols or no rules and we gave the president a blank check, that is not correct, because there are protocols that Homeland has. There are protocols that ICE has. There's protocols that the Health and Human Services have.

There's language that my-- that I have added there to make sure that we have transparency and protection for the migrant-- the migrant kids. And, in fact, in the-- own appropriation bill, the Senate bill that came over, there's even additional language there for protection. So there was no blank checks-- blank check written to anybody. And that's why I supported that particular bill.

CAVUTO: Congressman, thank you very much. Good catching up with you.

CUELLAR: Thank you so much.

They forgot to congratulate each other for airing all the dishonest talking points of both the NRCC, of the Blue Dog coalition and of Cuellar's own campaign. Around the same time that Cavuto and Cuellar were 69-ing each other on Fox, Malaika Jabali was interviewing Jessica for In These Times. If you like what she has to say, particularly in comparison with what Cuellar had to say on Fox, please consider contributing to Jessica's campaign by clicking on the Blue America Primary A Blue Dog 2020 thermometer on the right. Remember, Cuellar is a Republican in every way but party registration. He's anti-Choice, opposes health care, opposes impeachment, opposes the Green New Deal and votes with the Republicans more than almost any Democrat in the House. Last session-- before he had a primary-- his Trump adhesion score was a startling 68.8%, by far the worst of any Democrat in Congress. What we know for sure is that if she beats him, she'll be the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. After speaking to her 2 week ago, I can tell you she is certainly all in on the progressive platform. This is the interview Jabali did for In The Times.

Malaika Jabali: What motivated you to run against Henry Cuellar in the primary?

Jessica Cisneros: It was a lot of things. People have been waiting for somebody to actually champion the true issues that they're interested in: Medicare for All, having a livable wage, and, especially in an area here where poverty is just so rampant along the border, free colleges and universities.

What stood out the most when I was interning with Rep. Cuellar was that, in addition to seeing him very silent on all these issues that affect south Texans, he knew that I was from the district and he never once asked me what I thought the district needed. If I’m there five days a week and he never really had a conversation like that, then how is he treating the people that are in the district and don’t have that access to him?

From the very beginning of our campaign, we started going out into the community. The first thing people expressed was that they were shocked that somebody running for Congress was asking them what they think the problems and solutions are. For the past 14 years, it hasn't been like that.

Also, in my experience as an immigration attorney, I saw firsthand the policies coming from Washington. You could put your best effort into a case and the judge would still tell you, “I want to help your client, but I just can't because the laws aren't there.”

So if the laws aren’t there, then I'm going to go to Congress and change them.

MJ: Texas is often depicted as conservative oil country. What indications have you gotten from people in South Texas that they are ready for this change?

JC: I think that depiction is just a myth being perpetuated by people like Cuellar who benefit from it. People here in South Texas haven't had an option to vote for somebody else other than Cuellar. He was elected when I was 11 years old, back in 2004. Cuellar hasn't been primaried since 2006. This area of Texas is very blue. Hillary Clinton wiped the floor with Trump here. Beto O’Rourke won against Ted Cruz with a very significant margin.

We have somebody that calls himself a Democrat, but he's voting with Trump nearly 70 percent of the time. It’s unacceptable to have someone like that represent us. And not only is he turning his back on our values, but he's actually fundraising for Republicans. He's taking money from GEO Group and other private prisons, the Koch brothers, and the NRA. People here know that, and they're very excited that they have somebody that's actually going to champion their values.

MJ: One of the arguments Cuellar has made is that oil production has actually been helpful, and funded public education for the district. How do you counter arguments that say, for instance, a policy like the Green New Deal, which would effectively eliminate the fossil fuel industry, would lead to adverse economic effects for everyday Americans in the 28th district?

JC: All of that is stemming from the fact that Cuellar is taking money from these oil corporations. That's why he has to defend them. So he's trying to figure out ways of tying those things to the community so he can represent the interests of Exxon Mobil and Chevron. When he takes money from these corporations, they’re going to expect a return on their investment. That's why it was so important for us from the very beginning of our campaign to not take any money from corporate PACs, because we don't want to be sellouts.

We don't want to be tied to the interests of corporations like he is. I want my commitment to be to the people here in South Texas.

MJ: You mentioned Cuellar’s support from GEO Group, which invests in private prisons. Do you think that these types of private prisons should exist in the United States?

JC: Of course not. I can tell you firsthand the abuses that I've seen in detention centers. I am an immigration attorney, and I focus specifically on helping detained immigrants. During my pro bono projects in law school, there was one semester where we focused on trying to bring to light their abuses. We’re talking about women being issued previously used underwear and getting sick from that, we're talking about people having to walk through wastewater, because pipes burst and the private prison wasn't doing anything about that. We're talking about sexual harassment and sexual abuse.

We cannot have institutions like these in our country. We can't condone their human rights abuses. It's just unacceptable. We have a person like Cuellar who is also GEO Group’s favorite Congressman, because he took $123,000 from GEO Group itself throughout his time in Congress. We can't trust people like that to be leading the way on immigration.

It's extremely alarming, and extremely unfortunate, that he's the one that's been taking all this money, because we're situated on the border, and people are going to be looking to us to be able to provide solutions, because we see the problems firsthand here. For him to be taking this money, any of his votes or proposals will be to benefit GEO Group and CoreCivic [which owns and manages private prisons and detention centers].

MJ: Some Democrats running for president have embraced the language of Medicare for All but are actually arguing for a more watered down plan, like a public option. Do you think a public option is enough right now?

JC: Medicare for All is definitely one of the policy proposals that we’re running on. It’s desperately needed here on the border, because Texas has the highest rate of uninsured people in the United States.

I believe that healthcare should be a human right, and I have personal experience with this. I lost one of my aunts because she was uninsured, and she had stomach cancer, and she had no way to get treatment. As soon as we started talking to constituents about Medicare for All, and I told them my story, I found that they all know somebody that went through the same thing.

On the second day that we launched our campaign, we went into a community and one woman told me that she needed a mammogram. It was, like, $70. She couldn't afford it, and so she had to choose between fixing the air conditioning at her home or getting the mammogram done. Here in south Texas, it gets really, really hot around this time of year. We're talking about 110 degrees during the day, and for her to have to make that choice, it’s ridiculous to say that we cannot afford universal healthcare here.

MJ: What do you think about the fact that some members of the DCCC are criticizing campaigns like yours that are challenging longtime centrist Democrats?

JC: For us to be able to run these campaigns is a feature of our democracy. Especially in this race, where we have somebody that’s fundraising for Republicans, somebody that is taking money from corporations and groups that usually fund Republicans, we have to be able to primary these people.

Just because you're a Democrat doesn't mean you're actually upholding Democratic values. And for the DCCC to discourage primaries, that's a disservice to not only Democrats here in South Texas, but Democrats everywhere. Because if we aren't able to do that, then Henry Cuellar can take people in South Texas for granted. That's been the number one complaint about him along the campaign trail. People feel ignored. And that's not right.

And A Little Good News: Bustos' DCCC Is Being Dismantled-- Bustos Agreed To Get Psychiatric Help To Keep Her Own Job

Yesterday 6 of Bustos' top staffers were pushed out of the DCCC but Bustos refuses to leave. Gone are Bustos' former congressional chief of staff, DCCC executive director Allison Jaslow and Jaslow's deputy Nick Pancrazio; communications director Jared Smith and one of his top aides, Melissa Miller; political director Molly Ritner; and Van Ornelas, the DCCC’s director of diversity. Politico reported last night that Bustos was forced to eat shit. She "held a tense call with staffers on Saturday before deciding to fly back and address the committee in person on Monday. On the call, Bustos 'briefly' apologized for offending people by describing her husband and children as being of 'Mexican descent' and announced she will undergo diversity and inclusion training in the coming weeks, according to multiple sources." But what about Taylor Coleman, the one this whole nightmare started over? She's still part of Bustos' crumbling team? Talk about bad judgment! 4of the most conservative freshmen in Congress actually voted to make Bustos Speaker! Which geniuses? Joe Cunningham (Blue Dog-SC), Mikie Sherrill (Blue Dog-NJ), Abigail Spanberger (Blue Dog-VA) and Jared Golden (ME).