War Pigs Belong In The GOP

Hard to recognize the War Pig in the picture above? Trump? Mike Pompeo? Tom Cotton? Lindsey Graham? Miss McConnell? Kevin McCarthy? Could be any of them. Also could be Status Quo Joe, Mayo Pete or any of the 8 Democratic war mongers who voted with Trump against the War Powers Resolution Thursday. Don't forget the names:

• Anthony Brindisi (Blue Dog-NY)
• Josh Gottheimer (Blue Dog-NJ)
• Max Rose (Blue Dog-NY)
• Kendra Horn (Blue Dog-OK)
• Ben McAdams (Blue Dog-UT)
• Stephanie Murphy (Blue Dog-FL)
• Joe Cunningham (Blue Dog-SC)
• Elaine Luria (New Dem-VA)

No Bernie supporters there, that's for sure. In fact... that looks like a slate of Status Quo Joe backers, doesn't it? I don't wonder why either. Yesterday Ally Mutnick and Sarah Ferris wrote for Politico that "A slate of endangered House Democrats is coalescing behind Joe Biden for president as the Iowa caucuses approach-- a surge of support triggered by fears that Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren at the top of the ticket would cost them their seats. More than a dozen swing-seat freshmen have taken part in at least one private call session with Biden, Amy Klobuchar or Pete Buttigieg in recent weeks. A handful have already gravitated toward the former vice president, and more are expected to follow before Democrats start voting on Feb. 3, according to interviews with 15 lawmakers, aides and campaign strategists."

Rot gut New York right-winger Anthony Brindisi, a chair of the Blue Dog caucus and a proud war-monger, told Politico, "I’m looking at all the moderates in the race. If we’re going to campaign on issues like Medicare for All and free college for everybody, we’re not going to have a winning message in 2020." Brindisi and the other members from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party are whining that claim they "have studied internal polling showing Biden outperforming other Democratic contenders in head-to-heads with Trump in their respective districts."




Conservative New Dem Cedric Richmond is one of the whiners, although he is in no jeopardy whatsoever, just someone who hates progressives and progressive ideas. Richmond's super blue Louisiana district (PVI is D+25) would vote for a pile of shit-- which they do in terms of their congressman-- rather than a Republican. Obama won the district with 75.8% in 2012 and Hillary did nearly as well in 2016. Carefully gerrymandered to pack as many African-Americans into one seat as possible, LA-02 is just 28% white and takes in most of the New Orleans metro before meandering west and then north to include the African-American neighborhoods of Baton Rouge. Republicans don't bother running candidates against him and he's considered a congressman-for-life, even though he's an avatar of a status quo that has served his constituents very poorly. Co-chair in charge of black voters for the Status Quo Joe campaign, he said that "The wrong person at the top of the ticket-- and I’m not saying who that is-- there would be down-ballot carnage all across the country, and I think that people are starting to recognize it."

Biden has 33 current members of the House backing him, most of whom are conservatives, primarily Blue Dogs and New Dems. Elaine Luria (New Dem-VA) is a conservative Biden backer who voted for endless war last week. Almost all of his supporters have "F" rated voting records from ProgressivePunch. One, Conor Lamb (PA), endorsed him last week, saying he's "definitely concerned that someone’s who more on the fringes would have a hard time winning our state themselves, and I want a Democratic candidate to win Pennsylvania and win the presidency."

Another extremely right-wing (for a Democrat) freshman is Ben McAdams (Blue Dog-UT). Now that Van Drew has left the party for the GOP, McAdams is among the half dozen worst House Dems, all with far worse voting records than Independent-- former Republican-- Justin Amash this cycle:

• Justin Amash (I-MI)- 55.36%
• Ben McAdams (Blue Dog-UT)- 32.14%
• Abigail Spanberger (Blue Dog-VA)- 30.36%
• Kendra Horn (Blue Dog-OK)- 28.57
• Josh Gottheimer (Blue Dog-NJ)- 28.57
• Joe Cunningham (Blue Dog-SC)- 25.0%
• Anthony Brindisi (Blue Dog-NY)- 23.21, widely considered the most likely Dem to follow Van Drew into the GOP

McAdams told Politico that if Bernie or Elizabeth Warren wins the nomination he would distance himself from them. "My ideas are different than theirs," he said. "So as long as people understand that I’m going to be independent of any candidate and really be true to my district, I think that’s most important." But he isn't true to his district, not at all. There are 4 counties or parts of counties that make up his district (UT-04). Salt Lake County has 5 times the number of voters than the other 3 combined. Here's how they voted in the 2016 Democratic caucuses, when Bernie was up against the status quo conservative Democrat McAdams backed:

• Salt Lake- Bernie 78.8%
• Utah- 85.3%
• Sanpete- Bernie 84.9%
• Juab- Bernie 77.5%

Yeah, so, so much for this lying sack of excrement being true to his district. His district wants change and Biden is the no-change candidate. They voted so overwhelmingly for Bernie because Bernie is the change candidate. McAdams is a liar, trying to justify being so outrageously out of step with Democrats in his district.

Progressives have long fought back the notion that a Democratic nominee must pick up support from independents and even Republicans in order to beat Trump.

They argue that robust voter turnout-- turning out the kinds of numbers that Sanders and Warren have seen at events across the country-- will be key to winning back states like Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Klobuchar's congressional allies, like freshman Rep. Dean Phillips (New Dem-MN), argue the opposite.

“I tell people all the time, enjoy reading your national polls, but care about six of them," Phillips said, arguing that the race would instead come down to a few battleground states mainly in the Midwest. "That’s what this next election is about."

“We’re no longer a country that is really fighting for their respective bases," said Phillips, who organized the call with Klobuchar and his colleagues this week. "It’s fighting for the diminishing number of people who really do vote on both sides of the aisle."

Let's see Dean explain how Klobuchar, whose entire case is that the Midwest is clamoring for her-- is immediately eliminated in the first round of Iowa caucus voting. You need 15% to proceed too round two. According to the Real Car Politics polling average for Iowa, Klobuchar is at 5.7%, behind poll average leaders Bernie (21.3%), Mayo Pete (21.0%), Status Quo Joe (17.7%) and Elizabeth (17.0%). The brand new Iowa Poll from the Des Moines Register also shows Klobuchar with virtually no chance of emerging from the caucuses with any delegates-- and that the likely Iowa caucus-goers want progressive candidates, not status quo establishment shills:

• Bernie- 20% (up 5 points)
• Elizabeth- 17% (up 1 point)
• Mayo Pete- 16% (down 9 points)
• Status Quo Joe- 15% (stasis)
• Klobuchar- 6% (stasis)
• Yang- 5% (up 2 points)