Courage In Politics Is Rare-- And Sorely Needed

Birds of a feather... Lipinski and Bustos

In 2018, it was shocking when incumbents in Congress, led by Jan Schakowsky in the House and Bernie in the Senate came out and endorsed progressive Democratic reformer Marie Newman in a Chicagoland primary that pitted her against longtime incumbent, reactionary Dan Lipinski, an anti-Choice, anti-gay, anti-immigrant, anti-healthcare Republican-lite Blue Dog. As if that wasn't shocking enough for the House Dems, Ro Khanna then endorsed AOC over Pelosi's anointed heir, corrupt New Dem Joe Crowley. Those two races are what caused Pelosi and Cheri Bustos to come up with the rule blackballing any vendors or consultants who work for any insurgent candidates against incumbents, no matter how bad the incumbent or how good the insurgent.

In Congress, only the worst hypocrites, like Bustos and Pelosi, back Lipinski

After sitting it out in 2018, Elizabeth Warren decided to jump in. She endorsed both Jennifer Cisneros, the progressive running against vile Blue Dog incumbent Henry Cuellar in south Texas and Marie Newman in the IL-03 race. "I say it a lot: We need big, structural change in our economy, our government, and our democracy," she wrote in a fundraising e-mail for Marie yesterday. "We’re only going to get that done with leaders who will fight for it. I’m endorsing Marie Newman for a lot of reasons, but first among them is the fight she brings to the table-- and I want to see people like her in Congress." Sounding more and more like Bernie, she wrote that "it’ll take a grassroots movement to get it done. This race is going to be a tough battle. But Marie is running a smart campaign that’s rooted in the principles and values of her district. Even with the corporate money flowing in to fund her opponent, Marie has pledged not to take a dime from corporate PACs or federal lobbyists-- that’s exactly the kind of principled fighter we need in Congress right now. If we’re going to stop Republicans from rigging the rules for billionaires and wealthy corporations, we need strong Democrats like Marie Newman fighting like hell for working people."

Probably didn't go over well with Pelosi or Bustos-- or any of the establishment Dems in the House. Warren hasn't weighed in in any of the Senate races, where there's a similar problem. Gross party boss, Chuck Schumer, went one further than Bustos and decreed that not only are incumbents off limits, but that anyone he picks to be the Democratic candidate is also off limits. I'd love to see Warren take him on. She won't of course.

The race with the most contrast between a grassroots progressive and a Schumer-backed conservative is in Colorado, where former House Speaker Andrew Romanoff is running on the Green New Deal, Medicare-for-All and a progressive platform against former Governor Frackenlooper who's running on a Wall Street butt-kissing platform that uses Republican talking points against Democrats and emphasizes his visceral hatred of progressives.

Yesterday, Romanoff wrote-- referencing Gardner overly and Frackenlooper... let's say, more implicitly, "What’s a big oil company to do? Say you’ve been polluting the planet for a long time. You conceal the evidence and bribe any politician who might stand in the way. Your loyalty lies mostly with the GOP, but you pay off both sides to cover your bets. It’s a winning strategy-- except for the rest of us. I’m running to combat the climate crisis, but it’s an uphill fight. The fossil fuel industry bankrolls not only Cory Gardner’s campaign-- he’s the industry’s biggest beneficiary-- but also the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which opposes progressive candidates like me. As Colorado’s next senator, I’ll lead the fight for a Green New Deal-- our last, best chance to head off a climate catastrophe. And unlike Cory Gardner and even some Democrats, I’ve signed the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge... Most Coloradans want to know whether you’re willing to stand up to the special interests-- and even your own party-- when you get to Washington. I’m doing that right now, by running a grassroots, people-powered, PAC-free campaign."

He can use some help from a brave Senate Democrat who isn't afraid of Schumer. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Warren supporters and Bernie supporters can stand up for a progressive by clicking on the 2020 Blue America Senate thermometer on the right and contributing to Andrew's campaign. Take it from me, McConnell isn' the only problem progressives have to fight against in the U.S. Senate. Sure, MoscowMitch is the worst, but Schumer is an authoritarian asshole who is a danger to democracy himself. As bad as McConnell? No, of course not. But that bar is WAY too low with which to examine slime like Chuck Schumer (not to mention his colleagues Cheri Bustos, Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, Rahm Emanuel and the rest of the congressional leadership). It's time to replace these corrupt leaders with anti-corruption leaders like Jeff Merkley in the Senate and Ted Lieu and Pramila Jayapal in the House. I wonder how long it's going to take before we're looking for AOC to take up the reins of congressional leadership. I hope all DWT readers live to see that. Suggestion: substitute stevia for sugar whenever you can.

And here's an advance copy of a petition that Betsy Sweet, the progressive, grassroots candidate in the Maine Senate race, is putting out today:

An open letter to Democratic leadership:

How many times?

How many times are you going to interfere with primary races by picking a winner before the people do?

How many times are you going to back middle-of-the-road candidates in hopes that they’ll somehow manufacture enthusiasm out of caution?

And how many more times will Democrats be disappointed on election night, because you misunderstood the word "electable?"

Here’s what makes a candidate “electable”: not party bosses, not remote politicians in Washington, not big-dollar donors – voters. Voters vote for them.

That’s it. (Really, it’s not that complicated.)

I’ve been talking to Democrats all over this state for the last couple years, and I can promise you this: Mainers have had enough of the national party force-feeding candidates.

We’ve had enough of candidates so afraid to upset the rich and powerful that they won’t even take a stand.

Mainers are ready for progressive leaders who won’t hesitate to say what we believe, even if it means stepping on some donor’s thousand-dollar shoes.

At a time when people are choosing between putting food on the table and going to the doctor; when people are worried about their jobs vanishing in an abstract trade war; when the weather itself is attacking us, no one needs more poll-tested, corporate-friendly incremental ideas.

And no one wants DC party elites telling them how to vote.

So-- and I can’t believe I even have to say this, but-- the national Democratic leadership needs to respect the democratic process in Maine.

Schumer hates Democrats-- and he's always wrong