Can Unions Make Right-Wing Democrats Who Voted With The GOP Against The Working Class Pay A Penalty?

A few weeks ago, we looked at the vote in the House for the PRO Act-- Protecting the Right To Organze (H.R. 2474)-- which passed 224-194. There were seven anti-union Democrats who voted against the bill:

• Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX)
• Joe Cunningham (Blue Dog-SC)
• Kendra Horn (Blue Dog-OK)
• Ben McAdams (Blue Dog-UT)
• Lucy McBath (New Dem-GA)
• Stephanie Murphy (Blue Dog-FL)
• Kurt Schrader (Blue Dog-OR)

Last Thursday, the Communications Workers of America sent a letter to DCCC chair Cheri Bustos urging the committee to end campaign support for the 7 incumbents who voted with the Republicans and against unions.

The union says that these Democratic members voted against strengthening workers’ rights, a fundamental principle of the Democratic Party, and therefore should not receive campaign support from the DCCC moving forward.

The seven Democratic House Members who voted against the PRO Act are: Rep. Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Rep. Joe Cunningham (SC-01), Rep. Kendra Horn (OK-05), Rep. Ben McAdams (UT-04), Rep. Lucy McBath (GA-06), Rep. Stephanie Murphy (FL-07), and Rep. Kurt Schrader (OR-05). The letter comes after CWA members last week protested outside the offices of Reps. Cuellar, Murphy, and McBath to hold the Members accountable for voting against the PRO Act.

“I urge you to deny DCCC services to the seven Members of the House of Representatives who caucus with House Democrats and betrayed working people and America’s Labor Movement by voting against the final passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act,” wrote CWA President Chris Shelton in a letter to DCCC Chair Cheri Bustos.

The U.S. House of Representatives last week voted in support of the PRO Act, a historic piece of legislation that would make it easier for workers to join a union, protect strikes and other bargaining activities, and weaken “right-to-work” laws. The legislation passed after tireless work of CWA members and a broad coalition of labor, civil rights, environmental, religious immigrant rights, and women's groups, who fought to ensure that the voices of working people would finally be heard.

“The PRO Act is a continuation of the long history of the Democratic Party’s policies to strengthen workers’ voices in the U.S. economy and create a level playing field and an engine for millions of workers to reach the middle class and, therefore, a stable and comfortable life,'' added Shelton. “Those who voted against the PRO Act have betrayed this fundamental principle of the Democratic Party. And due to those votes, it is impossible for CWA to urge our members to support any of these seven candidates. They must be denied the support of the Democratic Party for refusing to stand with working Americans.”

The letter outlines how the Democratic Party has long recognized that the ability for workers to organize, join a union, and bargain for their fair share has been critical to building a strong and vibrant middle class. However, corporate special interests are trying to exert their influence and push their anti-worker agenda in the Democratic Party-- with the latest example being the Democratic members who voted against the PRO Act. CWA has vowed to defend against these efforts, and hold Democratic members accountable for putting the interests of corporations ahead of the interests of working people.

Bustos is reported to have crumpled up the letter from the 700,000 member union and thrown it in the trash can, cursing and spitting. The DCCC is heavily supporting Kendra Horn, Joe Cunningham, Henry Cuellar, Ben McAdams and Lucy McBath and has said they will step in if Kurt Schrader or Stephanie Murphy look like they win up in jeopardy.

Our old friend, Tom Guild, an Oklahoma City progressive so busy trying to get Bernie over the hump that he hasn't even had time to officially announce his own campaign for the seat held by anti-union Blue Dog Kendra Horn, one of the conservative fake-Democrats who voted against the PRO-Act. When I asked him why he had decided to run again, he told me that Horn's vote against the PRO-Act was one of the top reasons. "I’m very disappointed that Ms. Horn voted against the PRO-Act. Her vote is an unpardonable sin and damages the rights of working people. To achieve a healthy economy and further economic justice, workers must be able to effectively organize, join unions, and bargain for their fair share of the fruits of their labor and hard won economic gains. That will build and sustain a strong and vibrant middle class. It is tragic when conservatives cripple workers’ rights, and much worse when members of the Democratic Party collaborate with powerful corporate interests and strengthen their anti-worker agenda. Americans should hold members, especially Democratic members of Congress, accountable at the polls for crippling the interests of working people. The DCCC should not support these anti-worker congresspersons by giving them aid and comfort and funding their campaigns. Enough is enough. A key question in 2020 is whose side are you on. The Democratic Party should stand unapologetically in solidarity with working people to lighten their load, and make it easier for workers to join unions, engage in strikes and pursue other essential bargaining activities. To do otherwise betrays the better part of a century of standing beside and supporting America’s beleaguered workers."

In the South Texas district where progressive Jessica Cisneros is battling DCCC Blue Dog Henry Cuellar, likely to be the next Jeff Van Drew, the labor movement has backed Cisneros and the Chamber of Commerce and the Koch brothers have backed Cuellar. The Kochs are funneling money to his campaign their their front groups and PACs. Their outright endorsement of Cuellar marks the first time they’ve ever openly backed a Democrat in a federal race. They've now launched a massive sewer money campaign on TV to destroy Cisneros, largely to repay Cuellar for his anti-union vote. So we have the Koch Brothers and Cheri Bustos' DCCC marching hand in hand into hell. "Congressman Cuellar siding with his big corporate donors over working people in our district once again shows why he’s Trump’s favorite Democrat," said Cisneros. "Workers deserve the right to negotiate for proper pay, good working conditions, and benefits they deserve. I’m proud to have the support of workers in our district and local unions, who have our back because they know we have theirs."

Mark Gamba, the progressive mayor of Milwaukie, Oregon is taking on one of the most virulently anti-union Democrats in Congress, Blue Dog Kurt Schrader. "You have to ask yourself," said Mark, "what the DCCC stands for? What's important to them? Is it the lives, and livelihood of working class people? Obviously not. Is it a healthy economy (which can only come from a strong middle class)? Obviously not. Is it holding bad employers responsible for their actions? Obviously not. This bill only begins to claw back some of the rights workers used to have. Rights that have been slowly worn away by the republicans and the corporatist, millionaire, Democrats-in-name-only that support the Republicans. If someone like Schrader doesn't support the working people, and therefore the middle class, what is he doing in the Democratic Party?  People in our district call him "traitor Schrader" because he votes with Republicans on so many critical issues. He talks about representing a purple district and reaching across the aisle. But this bill doesn't benefit working people on the Republican side either. It only benefits the giant corporations that line his pockets and in turn those of the DCCC. Which then answers my original question. The DCCC doesn't stand for anything. But it will bend over for a fat corporate check. Just like traitor Schrader will.  I would have voted for the PRO-Act. I would have co-sponsored the PRO-Act. I would have used political capital and twisted arms for the PRO-Act because I believe in protecting the rights of workers and in making the middle class. and therefor our economy, the strongest it can be."

If you'd like to help Mark and Jessica replace their anti-union/anti-worker opponents... that's what the thermometer is for. Just click and contribute what you can to their campaigns. (Tom will take a few minutes out of campaigning for Bernie to file his candidate papers with the FEC... soon. We'll let you know when he has his ActBlue page up and ready for contributions.)

Cheri Bustos, Koch brothers ally against working families

Turning Texas Bluer-- For Real

Sane people don't think of the Green New Deal as "Fools Gold"

As you may recall, Mike Siegel fought a tireless grassroots battle in the gerrymandered 10th Texas congressional district, which goes from northern Austin through the city's northern suburbs, across Bastrop, Lee, Fayette, Colorado, Washington, Austin and Waller counties all the way into the exurbs (Tomball, Bridgeland and Cypress) northwest of Houston. The DCCC braintrust declared the district unwinnable and ignored the race entirely, even going so far as to urge local organizations to not contribute to Mike and help them in other districts instead. So, with no help from the DCCC at all, Mike held the incumbent Trump puppet-- architect of the family separation policy-- down to a 51.1% win. Two years earlier, Trump won the district by 11 points.

Mike decided to finished what he had begun, building of the grassroots energy of 2018 to defeat Michael McCaul in 2020. The DCCC decided he is too progressive for the district and has been surreptitiously supporting a Republican-voting elite EMILY's List creation named Shannon Hutcheson who is running a DCCC-approved GOP-lite campaign. That helped Mike win every single local endorsement in the race, most recently, the Harris County and Austin Tejano Democrats, the representation of the old guard in the Mexican-American community.

This people power has enabled Siegel's campaign to knock 34,000 doors to date and identify a huge number of likely supporters before the upcoming March 3 primary.

Recently, though, another wealthy non-grassroots candidate with virtually no chance to win, Pritesh Gandhi, has come out very negatively against Hutcheson, his SuperPAC allies at 314 Action spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on mailers like these two, hammering home a message by a candidate who doesn't have an inspiring positive message of his own:

As far as I can tell, the piece has had an impact in a district that hasn't seen negative campaigning like this since before the 2003 Texas gerrymander. Seems to have the combined effect of turning some voters away from Gandhi (for going negative), and turning some away from Hutcheson. The mailer was sent only to women Democratic voters. Gandhi is not only attacking Shannon but also attacking Siegel-- but for progressive policies. After originally claiming he supports progressive healthcare solutions, Gandhi (like his favorite presidential candidate, Mayo Pete) has now explicitly disavowed Medicare-for-All. He recently referred to both the Green New Deal and Medicare-for-All-- major planks in Mike Siegel's platform-- as "fools' gold" and "pipe dreams." Strangely, he considers FDR-- whose New Deal was referred to by conservative Democrats as "fools' gold and a "pipe dream"-- his favorite president.

Blue America has a page exclusively devoted to helping turn Texas blue. You can contribute to our progressive candidates by clicking on the thermometer above. Another one of the candidates on that page, as a matter of fact, has a spectacular new video I hope you'll watch. This shows who Jessica Cisneros is much better than I've ever seen before. Like Mike Siegel, she's what me need in Congress if we want to get serious about fundamental change in our country.

Can Congress Save America? Not This One, Hopefully The One We Elect In November

Today is Presidents' Day... but we'll forgo taking about that until we have a legitimate president in the White House again and, instead, say a few words about the legislative branch of government that was created with the power to check a possible tyrant in the White House. Political parties were not taken into account by the framers of the Constitution, particularly not one as supine and cowardly as today's GOP working hand in hand with a would be tyrant to undermine that constitution.

A substantial number of people would likely agree that the biggest problem facing mankind right how is the Climate Crisis. The GOP's response has largely been to deny there's anything to worry about-- let alone do anything about. Conservative Democrats generally agree with them to some extent, playing ostrich and hoping the problem will just go away or that when the full force of the problem becomes manifest, they'll be dead and gone anyway. Right now there are only 98 members of Congress co-sponsoring the Green New Deal resolution, all of them Democrats, a dozen of them freshmen.

Last cycle saw the election of 87 new members of the House and 9 new senators. All 9 of the senators have accrued voting records that have been graded "F" by Progressive Punch. Almost all of the House freshmen have also been graded "F"-- that includes all the Republicans (no exceptions) and 40 DCCC Democrats. These are the Democratic freshmen-- listed from best to worst in terms of the ProgressivePunch scorecard:

• Andy Levin (D-MI)- 100 A
• Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)- 100 A
• AOC (D-NY)- 98.33 A
• Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)- 98.33 A
• Chuy Garcia (D-IL)- 96.67 A
• Joe Neguse (D-CO)- 96.67 A
• Ilhan Omar (D-MN)- 95.00 A
• Veronica Escobar (New Dem-TX)- 93.33 A
• Sylvia Garcia (D-TX)- 91.67 A
• Tori Trahan (New Dem-MA)- 91.67 A

• Debra Haaland (D-NM)- 90.0 B
• Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA)- 89.23 B
• Madeleine Dean (New Dem-PA)- 88.33 B
• Jahana Hayes (D-CT)- 84.75 B

• Donna Shalala (New Dem-FL)- 85.00 C
• Mike Levin (D-CA)- 81.67 C
• Chris Pappas (New Dem-NH)- 78.33 C

• Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (New Dem-FL)- 81.67 D
• Greg Stanton (New Dem-AZ)- 81.67 D
• Sean Casten (New Dem-IL)- 78.33 D

• David Trone (New Dem-MD)- 78.33 F
• Jennifer Wexton (New Dem-VA)- 76.67 F
• Steven Horsford (New Dem-NV)- 75.49 F
• Joe Morelle (New Dem-NY)- 75.38 F
• Tom Malinowski (New Dem-NJ)- 73.33 F
• Dean Phillips (New Dem-MN)- 73.33 F
• Gil Cisneros (New Dem-CA)- 70.00 F
• Jason Crow (New Dem-CO)- 70.00 F
• Lizzie Fletcher (New Dem-TX)- 70.00 F
• Kim Schrier (New Dem-WA)- 70.00 F
• Haley Stevens (New Dem-MI)- 70.00 F
• Susan Wild (New Dem-PA)- 69.84 F
• Lauren Underwood (D-IL)- 68.97 F
• Harley Rouda (New Dem-CA)- 68.33 F
• Collin Allred (New Dem-TX)- 67.80 F
• Ed Case (Blue Dog-HI)- 67.12 F
• TJ Cox (D-CA)- 66.67 F
• Sharice Davids (New Dem-KS)- 66.67 F
• Josh Harder (New Dem-CA)- 64.41 F
• Susie Lee (New Dem-NV)- 63.33 F
• Lucy McBath (New Dem-GA)- 63.33 F
• Katie Porter (D-CA)- 63.33 F
• Antonio Delgado (New Dem-NY)- 61.67 F
• Chrissy Houlahan (Blue Dog-PA)- 61.67 F
• Andy Kim (D-NJ)- 60.00 F
• Max Rose (Blue Dog-NY)- 58.33 F
• Ann Kirkpatrick (New Dem-AZ)- 53.64 F
• Mikie Sherrill (Blue Dog-NJ)- 50.00 F
• Angie Craig (New Dem-MN)- 48.33 F
• Abby Frankenauer (D-IA)- 46.67 F
• Xochitl Torres Small (Blue Dog-NM)- 46.67 F
• Elaine Luria (New Dem-VA)- 45.76 F
• Elissa Slotkin (New Dem-MI)- 45.00 F
• Cindy Axne (New Dem-IA)- 40.00 F
• Jared Golden (D-ME)- 35.00 F
• Ben McAdams (Blue Dog-UT)- 31.67 F
• Abigail Spanberger (Blue Dog-VA)- 30.00 F
• Kendra Horn (Blue Dog-OK)- 28.33 F
• Joe Cunningham (Blue Dog-SC)- 23.33 F
• Anthony Brindisi (Blue Dog-NY)- 21.67 F

"Progressive policies are popular." That was how AOC began an e-mail to her supporters over the weekend.

"The corporate media and naysayers," she continued, "might try to convince us that we should compromise our values, but the facts just don’t lie. In Iowa, 92% of caucus-goers said that they support the Green New Deal-- our plan to transform our energy infrastructure, reach net-zero emissions, and create millions of union-wage jobs for communities that have been left behind. But as we speak, many in the Democratic Party still refuse to believe it’s possible to rise to the occasion of the climate crisis... The Green New Deal was introduced just over one year ago. In that time, with the help of organizations like the Sunrise Movement, we’ve built an incredible consensus in the Democratic Party. But the Green New Deal isn’t just popular with Democrats. Huge margins of independents and even Republicans support it, because Americans from all walks of life understand the necessity of saving our planet. We can’t let fear goad us into inaction."

But fear is what has largely kept almost all the corporate-friendly freshmen the DCCC selected and elected last cycle from getting behind AOC's resolution. In her words, "Passing a Green New Deal is not just a plan to save our planet-- but a chance for us to come together, to improve the lives of millions, and to ensure a better quality of life for our children. Let’s get to work."

Yes, let's get to work replacing members who do not recognize that the Climate Crisis must be a national priority, with challengers who are ready to devote their professional careers to enacting the Green New Deal. Alexander Kaufman wrote that "Sunrise Movement is pulling back from the presidential contest and redirecting its efforts toward a trio of March 3 congressional primaries in Texas, hoping a victory in the oil and gas industry’s mecca will add momentum to the two-year-old Green New Deal movement... [I]n the coming weeks, Sunrise Movement is sending its army of canvassers to knock on doors in support of [Heidi] Sloan, Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar’s left-wing challenger Jessica Cisneros and Mike Siegel, the progressive Green New Dealer running against two other Democrats in the race to take on Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX). The group plans to direct its nearly 350 local chapters across the country to make phone calls for the three candidates. 'For us, Texas is both the frontlines of the climate crisis and the extreme energy fossil-fuel industry,' Sunrise Movement’s political director Evan Weber told HuffPost by phone Thursday morning. 'If we can show that running boldly on the Green New Deal without moderating or hedging is a path to victory for Democrats, we think it can transform the entire conversation in this nation.'" I spoke to Jessica Cisneros about how she was endorsed both by the AFL-CIO and by the Sunrise Movement. "We know that a just transition to renewable energy," she told me, "will provide our first opportunity in decades to truly invest in the working people of our district. Coming from a border district in Texas, we have an obligation to be a voice for workers during the transition, one that brings thousands of good-paying union jobs to our communities and ensures a sustainable future for generations to come."

Like Jessica, Eva Putzova is also running against a reactionary Blue Dog-- Tom O'Halleran. "My opponent, the incumbent congressman," she told me, "opposes the Green New Deal, or any bold climate action for that matter. Yet large areas of my state consist of Native American reservations that have been poisoned by the fossil fuel industry-- namely coal and uranium extraction-- for decades. There is a burning need for renewable energy production on the reservation. Solar, wind, conservation and light rail transportation systems would rejuvenate the economy of the reservation and produce thousands of good paying union jobs. This is what is envisioned in the Green New Deal that my opponent refuses to support. We need to elect representatives with the political will to fight the fossil fuel industry and invest in the green infrastructure we so sorely need. I will be that representative."

The Climate Crisis and how it impacts the farmers and rural communities of Iowa was part of the impetus that led to J.D. Scholten running for Congress against Climate Change-denier Steve King. "The climate crisis," J.D. told us, "is already ravaging our communities and economy in Iowa. Farmers are losing profit, crops, equipment, and their homes and fields from record-breaking floods, droughts, and temperature changes and southwest Iowa has climate refugees who have lost everything from devastating floods. We don't need more scientific evidence, more studies, or delaying tactics-- we need action. We need to bring rural America including our farmers to the table to enact solutions that will avert this crisis, create jobs, update our infrastructure, and ensure the health and well-being of our people."

"CA-16 has the least breathable air in America, and this is not by accident," said Kim Williams the reformer and insurgent running for a seat occupied by reactionary Blue Dog, Jim Costa. "Our corporate-backed incumbent rides atop a rigged system using right-leaning media, plants in environmental groups, and Exxon dollars to push out a message that he’s climate friendly. He’s not. He’s a millionaire farmer who has directly profited from his own policy decisions. He placates the worst polluters in the Valley and America knowing that his own constituents will see their lives cut short. But his days are numbered. Voters in the Valley are waking up to alternatives and demanding a Green New Deal. They understand that he is both 'bought' and 'bossed' by giant corporations and that he will never deliver the change our residents so desperately deserve. This primary is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver the fundamental change we need. We all know Bernie is the champion who will fight for us in the White House and I’m committed to fighting alongside him in Congress. Because we’ll need more than him to bring thousands of worker-protected, green jobs to the Valley to solve our air and water crisis. We’re going to need a progressive wave of representatives to send the Green New Deal to President Sander’s desk."

Will County Board member Rachel Ventura, the progressive Democrat running for the Chicagoland seat occupied by New Dem multimillionaire and incrementalist Bill Foster has an excellent chance at replacing someone who does nothing but stand in the way of progress. "Winning this seat as a Green New Deal Democrat against a scientist who is taking fossil fuel money and supporting carbon capture and enhanced oil recovery," she said, "is going to send a strong message that other Illinois Democrats will notice. I am actively campaigning on the GND. I envision using healthy tax incentives or direct rebates for people to make their homes more energy efficient with weatherization and gut rehabs, incentives to buy EV’s or hybrid vehicles and incentives to use wind or solar when it makes sense geographically. The same tax levers could be used for businesses and municipalities who want to make their automobile fleets electric or improve the efficiency of the building envelope, or HVAC system. We can push municipalities to build large-scale, public power projects using wind, solar and hydro technology where it makes sense. We need to upgrade commercial and residential building codes to achieve the highest levels of energy efficiency. The focus is to reward people and businesses who make carbon-free decisions, and move to publicly owned over corporate owned utilities."

She also noted that the 11th congressional district "is home to two oil refineries and a converted coal plant that has left coal ash pollution leaching into our water.  Additionally, the district encompasses the second and third largest cities (Aurora and Joliet) in Illinois that are home to high poverty rates and dominantly minority communities. These people work in low wage, temp agencies with few workers’ rights. Most of them work at the warehouses in CenterPoint, the largest inland port in the world. The Green New Deal would put people in the 11th CD to work retrofitting homes for energy efficiency, and installing solar panels and wind turbines. These jobs would pay union wages and reduce our carbon footprint. The Green New Deal isn't just a solution to the climate crisis but also a solution to fixing our economy. Nancy Pelosi has replaced the Green New Deal with another framework piece of legislation called the 100% clean economy bill. This bill allows the fossil fuel industry to continue to generate carbon as long as they find a way to capture the carbon through carbon sinks or other means. This makes absolutely no sense when the rest of the industrialized world is making huge technological advances in renewable energy and energy efficiency advances. I want to see America be a leader in these technological advances, not keep pumping out carbon with unproven carbon capture devices. My opponent is supporting both the 100% Clean Economy Bill and the Use it Act. This is a danger to our generation and for those to come."

Robin Wilt is also taking on a do-nothing New Dem, Joe Morelle. She told us that "As the mother of three, ensuring that our future generations inherit a habitable world is of utmost importance. We need bold political leadership that will not settle for ineffective and inequitable solutions to the climate crisis that fail to meet the urgency of the threat posed. I support the Green New Deal because it centers the needs of frontline and marginalized communities that have been historically most impacted by polluters and are currently most vulnerable to the impact of the climate crisis. We must address everyone’s basic needs for clean air, water and soil in order to build a broad coalition for fighting climate change. While my opponent has sat on his hands, refusing to meet the demands of the planetary crisis and failing to support the Green New Deal; by contrast, I have led on a local basis, supporting the implementation of Community Choice Aggregation in our town, in order to pool our community’s purchasing power to allow for sourcing our energy from 100% renewable resources at lower prices. When in Congress, I will not only immediately sponsor the Green New Deal and the Green New Deal for Public Housing Act, I will ensure that we price carbon at its source, remove subsidies for fossil fuel companies, restore the authority of the EPA, bring clean water to Flint MI, ban fracking, stop the TPP, and implement the measures and principles articulated by Paul Hawken in ‘Drawdown’, in order to create a just and livable world, with the promise of improved human health, security, prosperity, and well-being."





Mark Gamba, mayor of Milwaukie, Oregon, is another stalwart progressive largely motivated by the Climate Crisis. His opponent is treacherous Blue Dog Kurt Schrader. Gamba declared a Climate State of Emergency, making Milwaukie the first city in Oregon to do so. "There is no question it’s an emergency," he told me. "The Antarctic was 65 degrees last week. That’s an all-time record high temperature. Last summer the Arctic was on fire! The Amazon Basin is on fire! Australia is on fire and billions of animals have perished, potentially driving some species to extinction. Parts of the Midwest were underwater for months. Houston has had three 500 Year floods, three years in a row! Eastern Oregon is flooding-- that would be the dry half of the state. How is this not an emergency? We are facing the greatest existential crisis our species has ever faced. But the federal government, who has known about this for 35 years has not only failed to declare an emergency, it has not done a damn thing, because most of Congress and the con man in the White House are sold out to the fossil fuel industry."

He noted that states like Oregon are trying to do the right thing and that a lot of cities like Milwaukie are doing everything they can to fight climate change. "But the Oil Barons and the timber barons fear a different kind of existential crisis-- one that will alter their ability to amass vast fortunes. And so, they will spend millions lying to loggers, lying to farmers, lying to politicians lying anyone that will listen, telling them that their lives will get worse if we address climate change the way we need to. We need to engage the climate crisis, with the ferocious intensity and all out investment that we engaged in WWII. In the process we need to make sure that we leave no one behind. As a matter of fact we need to use the catalyst of this crisis to lift everyone who is suffering-- out of poverty. To Create millions of family wage jobs, union jobs, jobs with good benefits to do all the things we need to do, to stop Climate Chaos over the next 10 years. We know how to do this, we have all the tools we need, we just need politicians with the backbone to stand up to the billionaires and let them know that the time has come for them to pay up for the damage they have been doing to our planet for decades."

He concluded by reminding us that "our young people are counting on us. The young people from the Sunrise movement have been kicking ass all over this country. Young people are not going to put up with our incremental, profits first, suicide cult. They want to live in the beautiful world we all got to enjoy, and they can. We can do this, we can heal our home and heal our people. It is time to elect a new president and a new Congress, one that is made up of members that are not taking millions from the fossil fuel industry. People like my opponent, Kurt Schrader are not only taking money from all sectors of the fossil fuel industry but he takes money from the Kochs! We can’t have “Democrats” whose actions are as bad as the climate denying Republicans. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for humanity and the effort must be led by the country that has done most of the damage-- the United States of America. It is why I’m running for congress to be a relentless fighter for our future, for the very lives of our children and grandchildren."

You Expect Republicans To Oppose Pro-Union Legislation... But I Want To Introduce You To 7 Anti-Working Class Democrats

On Thursday night, the House passed Bobby Scott's PRO Act-- Protecting the Right To Organze (H.R. 2474). There were only 5 Republicans-- all in swing districts-- who voted with the Democrats to pass this. There were, however, 7 anti-working class Democrats who crossed the aisle in the other direction, Blue Dogs from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party. (It passed 224-194.) These were the so-called Democrats who opposed it:

• Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX)
• Joe Cunningham (Blue Dog-SC)
• Kendra Horn (Blue Dog-OK)
• Ben McAdams (Blue Dog-UT)
• Lucy McBath (New Dem-GA)
• Stephanie Murphy (Blue Dog-FL)
• Kurt Schrader (Blue Dog-OR)

The state of organized labor is so fucked up and the unions are so in thrall to the Democratic Party establishment that I would bet good money that most of these candidates will be endorsed by unions, regardless of their votes being a direct attack on unions. Right after the vote, Jim Hoffa, president of the Teamsters issued this statement:

In approving the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, the House agreed to restore fairness to the economy at a time when income inequality has stifled the ability of far too many hardworking Americans to earn a decent wage that allows them to support their families.

The PRO Act will strengthen the NLRA so that workers seeking to organize a union and negotiate higher wages and better benefits will be protected. Workers deserve a safe workplace, the ability to stand together and negotiate better working conditions, and to live a middle-class lifestyle.

"Lawmakers have realized what happens when workers are abandoned by their elected officials. The misclassification of workers is on the rise and too many working Americans are falling through the cracks. The Teamsters have witnessed such behavior firsthand as XPO workers across the country try to organize with this union. I'm glad to see a majority of the House are standing with workers by allowing them to join together to negotiate on the job.

So far this cycle, the Teamsters Union has given the DNC 120,000 and the DCCC $105,000. Four of the anti-union members are getting immense financial support from the DCCC-- Cuellar, McBath, Cunningham and Horn. The Teamsters Union has already given substantial amounts to some of the anti-union members-- $10,000 to Horn and $5,000 each to McAdams and Cunningham, as well as $3,500 to West Virginia Republican David McKinley, $2,500 to Long Island Republican Peter King, $2,000 to Illinois Republican Rodney Davis, $1,000 to Omaha Republican Donald Bacon. All 4 Republicans voted against the PRO-Act.

One good thing the Teamsters Union did do though was to write a $5,000 check to Jennifer Cisneros, the progressive Democrat opposing Cuellar in south Texas. She lit into Cuellar for voting against workers, pointing out that he sided "with his big corporate donors over working people in our district once again showing why he’s Trump’s favorite Democrat. Workers deserve the right to negotiate for proper pay, good working conditions, and benefits they deserve. I’m proud to have the support of workers in our district and local unions, who have our back because they know we have theirs." Her campaign let votes know that "Cuellar's vote comes just days after the staunchly anti-labor, pro-Republican U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced a $200,000 ad buy" to support Cuellar primary race. Cuellar was also denied the endorsement of the Texas AFL-CIO last week, which opted to back Cisneros instead. Cuellar's campaign is being financed by anti-union corporate PACs from companies like Amazon, Exxon, Koch Industries, Core Civic, and Raytheon, with less than 1% coming from small-dollar donations.

"Being anti-union is the same as being anti-middle class," Mark Gamba told us, "so it’s no surprise that millionaire Kurt Schrader was one of the few Democrats to vote against the PRO Act yesterday." Gamba is the progressive, pro-worker mayor of Milwaukie, Oregon and he's challenging Schrader for the 5th district congressional seat. "Over the last four decades, neo-liberals like Kurt have worked to whittle down the power of the unions, because they know that if the unions are strong, the middle class is strong and they will be forced to share their amassed power. The PRO Act is simply a long overdue course correction in union law that would hold bad employers accountable for dishonest behavior and allow working folks a fair shot at organizing. This law is more important than ever with the growing gig economy. If we hope to reverse the decades long stagnation in wages, we must support our unions. Schrader’s vote is a clear signal that he neither represents the union-dense 5th district people, nor does he have any intention of working for the benefit of the shrinking middle-class."

Conservatives Tend To Fear Debating Their Progressive Opponents

Yesterday, Marie Newman alerted the media in her district about how her opponent, Blue Dog Dan Lipinski is dodging debates again (Press release is above.) Her statement speaks for itself and will help Chicagoland voters understand what a coward-of-his-convictions Lipinski really is. I decided to ask a few of the other Blue America-endorsed candidates if they're facing the same problem with their Republican or DCCC-backed incumbents.

South Texas progressive Jessica Cisneros, whose inspiring campaign has been covered nationally and locally and has been endorsed by Bernie, AOC, Ayanna Pressley and Elizabeth Warren, as well as almost every progressive organization in the country. This morning her campaign spokesperson, told me that they have challenged Cuellar to debates over and over but that Cuellar-- a Lipinski crony and a reactionary whose policies don't mesh with his very progressive district-- has refused every single time. "Last month his campaign told us they won’t debate Jessica because she's 'not a serious candidate'." I'm not sure what "not a serious candidate" means. Is it that she's a woman? She's raised over a million dollars. Remember when Joe Crowley didn't consider AOC a serious candidate either? Or did you forget who he was already?





Last cycle Steve King was too scared to debate J.D. Scholten and never did. Scholten nearly beat him-- in a heavily Republican district-- and is challenging him against this year. King has given vague promises to debate this time... but hasn't yet. Similarly, another far right fanatic, Missouri closet case Jason Smith, ducked debating Kathy Ellis, last cycle and is unlikely  to man-up and debate her this cycle; he certainly hasn't so far.

Riverside County progressive Democrat Liam O'Mara is taking on corporate whore Ken Calvert (R). This morning, O'Mara told me that the League of Women Voters has talked about trying to host a debate and draw him in... I've asked Calvert directly and was greeted with silence. I will keep pressing Calvert, and plan later to do one without him when he continues to refuse. One idea is to place a cardboard cutout of him on the stage and have someone read comments he has made publically on the subject of the question."

It's worth mentioning that Trump has already indicated that he won't be debating his Democratic opponent, particularly not a coherent, policy-oriented one like Bernie or Elizabeth.

Is The DCCC Blacklist Backfiring?

The Republican wing of the Democratic Party

A reminder: As soon as Blue Dog/New Dem Cheri Bustos grabbed the DCCC chair for herself, she instituted an aggressive new policy aimed at progressives challenging Blue Dogs and New Dems (like herself). She officially declared that any campaign consultants, vendors, polling firms, strategists or operatives who worked for a campaign running against an incumbent would be blacklisted by the DCCC. (It's worth noting that several dozen current members of Congress, including some who demanded the action from Bustos-- like Henry Cuellar-- were originally elected by challenging incumbents.)

Bustos immediately went on the offensive against Marie Newman's campaign in a Chicagoland district occupied by anti-Choice, anti-gay, anti-healthcare, anti-immigrant Blue Dog Dan Lipinski, one of the worst Democrats in Congress. Marie nearly beat him in 2018 when close to a million in very right wing sewer money-- including from the Murdoch family-- flooded into the district in a smear campaign orchestrated by Mark Penn and his wife Nancy Jacobson of No Labels. Perfect Cheri Bustos allies!

This cycle presidential candidates Bernie (who also endorsed her in 2018), Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand and Jay Inslee have endorsed Marie-- as have Ro Khanna and AOC. Last week Marie told Elle readers that when AOC won her seat in 2018, "I sent her a Twitter message saying, 'You know, machines can be broken.' She said, 'Thank you, I hope so.' And that’s truly what I believe, that the Chicago machine can be broken and rebuilt. The most important thing in life is to learn from the past. I’m not afraid of hard work. It’s in my DNA.

Guess which side the Cheri Bustos' DCCC is on!

Last week, Natalie Shure, reporting for In These Times asked "why would voters in such a diehard Democratic district choose a candidate like Lipinski to begin with? The answer is simple: they didn’t. In 1975, William Lipinski, Dan’s father, was appointed Committeeman for the Democratic Party of his ward, a position he retained even after being elected to Congress in 1982. After serving 11 terms, the elder Lipinski won his primary in 2004 before abruptly announcing his retirement, leaving the appointment of a successor up to himself, in his capacity as the Democratic Committeeman. Dan was handed the seat by his father, which led him to move back to Illinois from Tennessee. It was a classic machine coronation, or as Newman put it, 'as slimy as it comes.'"

Newman-- like all the Democratic candidates the DCCC is working against-- supports the Green New Deal and Medicare-for-All, both of which Bustos and the DCCC work overtime to de-rail, counseling their approved candidates against both in no uncertain terms. Please consider contributing to the progressives running for those policies by clicking on the 2020 congressional thermometer on the right.

I checked in with some of the other candidates who are vigorously backing Medicare-for-All and the Green New Deal and who have been under attack by the DCCC. Mark Gamba, the progressive mayor of Milwaukie, is running for an Oregon congressional seat held by reactionary Blue Dog Kurt Schrader, a friend of Bustos'. Mark told me he had been gearing up his campaign for about 4 months when the DCCC struck. "I had good conversations with consultants, fundraising and compliance firms... Nothing had been inked but I felt comfortable setting a date for my announcement. Within days of the DCCC edict, every single one of those dried up. That edict did exactly what the DCCC hoped for; it cost my campaign months to pull together a team of people who were unconcerned about what the DCCC thinks. The astonishing thing in my case is that Schrader is not popular with the Democrats; he voted against Pelosi, voted against the $15 minimum wage and takes Koch money.

It boils down to this: he’s a cash cow. It’s all about the money. He’s willing to take money from literally anyone, he said so himself when challenged at a local town hall about some of his donors. The problems we face in America have been caused by the Republicans and the Democrats like Kurt Schrader:  We are the only industrialized nation on earth that does not have universal health care. We spend more on our military industrial complex than the next 10 largest militaries in the world combined-- six of which are our allies. We have more of our citizens incarcerated than any other country on earth. Our infrastructure is crumbling, our schools are underfunded, more and more people are homeless every day and we have not done a damn thing about the greatest existential crisis that humankind has ever faced-- Climate change. By their decision, the DCCC has aided and abetted Congress people who are so interested in the corporate cash, they will never be part of the solution.

We are going to win anyway; we have over a 1,000 people signed up to volunteer and small (non-corporate) donations are coming in from all over the country. Democracy is still alive and well in spite of the best efforts of the DCCC."

Jessica Cisneros, the progressive attorney running in South Texas for a seat held by Trump's-Dem Henry Cuellar said the DCCC, for all their bluster, was only been a minor inconvenience. She told me that when she was "in the process of hiring consultants, we kept running into people who would tell us 'hey, we are rooting for you, but we signed the DCCC pledge so we can't work with you.' That meant we had fewer options to choose from, but in the end it didn't prevent us from building out an incredibly talented team."

The DCCC boycott of reform candidates has led to a new data base of progressive vendors willing to work on primaries despite the DCCC’s ban. They tend to be younger, more progressive and there are more women and people of color-- groups that have had a tough time breaking into the DCCC old boys network of tired hacks anyway.

Waleed Shahid, Communications Director at Justice Democrats: "They kind of shot themselves in the foot. You had new, compelling candidates getting more people involved who want primary challenges like AOC and Ayanna, and then they come out with a policy that’s basically like 'No more AOCs or Ayannas.' It really galvanized progressives.”

Do you see the DCCC trying to make a case for Lipinski or their other corrupt conservative incumbents to the public? Nope, only among wealthy conservative donors and slimy lobbyists, Bustos' base. She even had to cancel her own public fundraiser with Lipinski because she was getting so much pushback from the Democratic base who are unhappy about his Republican policy positions. "Young Democrats of America at over 70 colleges even called for a boycott in donations over the “blacklist” policy.

CANCELED!

Dr. Michael Owens is on the other side of the country, in a suburban district southwest of Atlanta where the incumbent, Blue Dog David Scott literally raises money for Republican candidates! "When we launched our campaign," Michael told me, "we were getting a lot of interest from several of the big Democratic consulting firms and top consultants across the country that wanted to be part of this very critical race for Georgia's 13th District. Georgia is a critical battleground state and progressives are leading the way. As I'm a proven progressive party and grassroots leader, my campaign was generating lots of interests. But once the DCCC made it clear that they were going to aggressively enforce the policy, the calls from those consultants ceased and a few we were in discussions with stopped returning our calls. The DCCC's stated goal is to 'support Democratic House candidates every step of the way to fortify and expand our new Democratic Majority.' I'm a Democratic House candidate and I don't feel supported by this policy and I don't understand how it will help us win a larger majority in the House. In fact, it will do quite the opposite. I'm fully supportive of the DCCC effort in flipping seats. However, this policy isn't necessary, especially in solid blue districts. The DCCC should promote democracy and not stifle it. As it relates to Democratic primary elections like mine, the voters of the district should to decide who their next congressperson is, not the DCCC."

Brianna Wu isn't running for a seat held by a Blue Dog. Her conservative congressman in a Boston area district is a New Dem, just as bad. "When you think about corporate Democrats fighting progress, " she said, "Stephen Lynch is the first person that should come to mind. Lynch voted against Obamacare and for the Iraq war. Lynch thinks we have 100 years to address climate change. Amazingly, Lynch has introduced bills that remove LGBT from hate crime protections. If Alabama can elect a Democrat to the Senate, Massachusetts can elect a real Democrats to the House."

Several of these conservative incumbents have been so frightened by their own constituents that they've signed on as co-sponsors to legislation they have never backed. It's almost comical to watch.

Shaniyat Chowdhury is also up against a New Dem-- this one named Congress' most corrupt member-- Gregory Meeks, in southeast Queens. Shan is no fan of the DCCC. "The DCCC’s only priority is to protect Democratic incumbents who are able to funnel millions in dark money into the party. It’s quid pro quo at the most corrupt level in our political system. While I identify as a Democrat, I think our values need to reflect a working class agenda. The Democratic establishment has no problem protecting incumbents who are corrupt, hidden Republicans. For example, my primary opponent Gregory Meeks, is one of the most corrupt members of Congress. He rakes in millions of dollars from the finance industry and has no trouble voting with Republicans to deregulate the big banks that prey on working families. On top of that, he uses campaign money to showboat his luxurious lifestyle. Just last week, my team and I were canvassing on the busy streets off Jamaica Ave. Meeks happened to stand right behind us and we handed him our literature before he walked back to his fancy Lexus, which he claims on his campaign expenses. As we continued to canvass, we found out he was on his way to a high-dollar fundraiser that many of his corporate and real estate executive donors were attending. This is the type of machine we need out of our politics. It’s the machine that we need to beat so we can represent the working class."

CA-16 is a Central Valley district where the incumbent is an out-of-touch conservative Blue Dog, Jim Costa. Kim Williams is the alternative progressive reformer. "Last weekend we all participated in the state pre-endorsement process. The California Democratic Party requires at least 50% of the vote plus one to go on to the convention, and if the incumbent earns 80% of the vote, its an automatic endorsement. To participate, candidates must court votes from 80 delegates in the district. And for CA-16, those delegates included the incumbent, another establishment candidate, some of their campaign staff, their close friends and their family members. The list was so pre-cooked, I almost did not even bother to apply. But I’m glad I did because in spite of the tiny and close knit network that shaped this pivotal election, I was able to garner four votes and block anyone from moving forward. The state party will not issue an endorsement, and no candidate will be able to claim the backing of an entire state party based on a few dozen votes from friends. It was a small but important victory that will open the door to a more rigorous public debate and an opportunity to garner party backing based on an actual majority of votes."  

Are You More An FDR Democrat Or A Ronald Reagan Democrat?

Yesterday, The Hill ran one of it's never-ending condemnations of Democratic Party "purity" politics. Purity politics... it sound yucky, right> What what it really is all about is a contest between candidates who believe in the values and principles of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt (purists) and the candidates running as Democrats who are more in-tune with Ronald Reagan. Is this about "purity?"





The Democratic establishment-- dripping with corruption nearly as badly as the Republican establishment-- is "rallying behind their incumbents after a small band of liberal lawmakers endorsed a primary challenge to Rep. Daniel Lipinski (Blue Dog-IL) in a deep blue Chicagoland district. Lipinski’s critics say the eight-term Blue Dog is simply too conservative to represent the party, citing his opposition to abortion and his vote against ObamaCare. They’re endorsing Marie Newman, a liberal businesswoman who also challenged Lipinski in the 2018 midterms-- a hard-fought contest that Lipinski eked out by just over 2,000 votes." Eked out with a last minute million dollar smear campaign against Newman engineered by Nancy Jacobson's and Mark Penn's No Label and Problem Solvers front organizations and paid for by Republicans and corporate Democrats.

Other corrupt incumbents, though, are more concerned with their own hides than with any issues or values. Scott Wong wrote that "the attacks on a sitting colleague have unsettled a number of Democrats now rushing to Lipinski’s defense." These lawmakers, including some prominent progressives [not really; he's mis-reporting], want Democrats to avoid divisive internal fights heading into the 2020 elections, when they have bigger fish to fry with President Trump on the ballot and the direction of the country at stake." Pelosi and racist insensitive DCCC Blue Dog Cheri Bustos are leading the anti-progressive jihad against Newman and at least a dozen other progressives seeking to replace conservatives from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party. Click the 2020 primary thermometer on the right to see a list of the challengers to the worst of the Blue Dog and New Dem garbage.

Wong used crooked St Louis Democrat Lacy Clay as an example of an upstanding progressive who opposes primaries-- without mentioning that Clay is a crook or that he's fighting for his political life... in a primary. ProgressivePunch rates his voting record a "B," which isn't terrible. There are 69 Democrats in the House with better voting records-- and none of them are whining about primaries.

How about we get Wong to push some establishment talking points now? How about the stupidest one of all, that conservative Democrats-- who he obediently calls "moderates" and "centrists"-- put the Democrats back in power in the House. That's patently false. Trump and grassroots energy against Trump is what put the Democrats in the majority-- a majority they're afraid to use because of the damage they think they'll inflict on the right-wing freshmen. Conservative ideology did nothing to help Democrats take back the House but it will do plenty in making them lose the majority in 2022 when Trump is just a bad memory.

The pushback against Lipinski’s critics highlights the broader ideological tensions within the sprawling Democratic Caucus, which has seen a liberal insurgence in the Trump era but owes its House majority to centrist lawmakers who flipped Republican seats last year in conservative-leaning districts-- tensions being fueled by the emergence of similar clashes among the Democratic presidential hopefuls on the primary trail.

One Democratic operative told me this morning that it's foolish of Wong and other establishment journalists to refer the Lipinski-Newman fight as "a purity test." He said, "It isn't a purity fight, it's a fight over the values of the party-- a fight that involves Democrats and Republicans-who-call-themselves-Democrats... you know-- DINOs." Wong says Democratic leaders are "caught in the middle," but he's wrong. Hoyer and Bustos are the chief villains here and they've dragged Pelosi down into their sewer. Hoyer and Bustos have never and will never energize the liberal base-- only elite donors. Hoyer: "We want to see the party as unified as possible. We think it's very important to keep the majority, obviously, not just because we want to be in the majority, but because the values that the parties reflect [are] very, very disparate-- as disparate as I've seen it in my entire career." Like anti-choice, anti-LGBTQ, anti-immigrant, anti-healthcare, anti-consumer protection and anti-regulation, pro-gun, pro-corporate greed, pro-Big Money in politics? That isn't the Democratic Party Democrats want anything to do with-- only Lipinski and enablers of his like Hoyer and Bustos. Wong wrote that "a handful of liberal hardliners"-- note the negative framing, which comes right out of Hoyer's office and the DCCC-- "have a decidedly different view, urging Democrats to embrace a progressive identity on issues like abortion rights and LGBT equality." How about this: if the Democrats give up Choice and equality they'd never win another election for anything anywhere-- and that includes even conservatives like Lipinski!

In a tweet this week that raised eyebrows in the Democratic Caucus, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), a CPC leader, called out fellow liberals who have declined to line up behind Newman.

Khanna, who got his political start as a campaign volunteer for former President Obama’s first Illinois state Senate race in 1996 and later served in the Obama administration, doubled down on his stance in an interview with The Hill later in the week.

“Progressives have to stand for certain basic values: reproductive choice, LGBT equality, the rights for Dreamers. These things should not be places where we compromise,” Khanna told The Hill.

“And when you have someone like Dan Lipinski, who was a thorn in the side of Barack Obama, who opposed with all his passion President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, who has opposed reproductive rights, who has opposed LGBT equality, who has opposed the rights of Dreamers,” Khanna continued, “then you have to take a stand and say that person doesn’t represent Democratic values. That person doesn’t respect the most iconic president, Barack Obama, in our party. He doesn’t deserve to be there. I don’t understand why that is so difficult.”

The only other members to endorse Newman are progressive freshmen Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Lauren Underwood (D-IL).

“We can’t afford deep blue seats fighting against healthcare & equal rights," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Tuesday in endorsing Newman.

Lipinski fired back on Friday, warning that Democrats risk handing the White House back to Trump if the infighting continues.

“Illinois’ Third Congressional District is not the Bay Area and it’s not the Bronx,” he said in an email. “The endorsement of Marie Newman by Rep. Khanna and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez make clear that this primary is a choice between mainstream Dan Lipinski and extreme Marie Newman. My constituents want mainstream, not extreme.”

...Rep. Jesús Garcia (D-IL), a liberal freshman who replaced the retired Gutiérrez, said he’s “not in a hurry” to jump into the race-- and suggested he won’t do so.

“I serve with him on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and at least three subcommittees,” Garcia said of Lipinski, “so I really haven't given that much thought.”

Illinois Democratic boss, House speaker Mike Madigan has made sure of that, even more so than Pelosi and Bustos. Anyone waiting for Garcia to live up to his primary promises of being a liberal firebrand is going to be waiting a very, very long time.

"Democratic lawmakers of all stripes," wrote Wong, "have lined up behind efforts to keep their colleagues in place. Take establishment hack Robin Kelly, another "B" Democrat in a deep blue district (PVI is D+29 where Trump didn't even hit 20% of the vote) 'I know Marie and like Marie, but there’s also something to the fact that [Lipinski’s] a current member and that mutual respect. I don’t agree with all of his stances, but you know how you respect the office, like we say about the president?'" Sad.

Beyond Impure (Blue Dog-TX)

Yesterday, Huff Po's Alexander Kaufman reported that the Sunrise Movement jumped into the fray against another wretched DINO-- corrupt Blue Dog Henry Cuellar-- by endorsing Jessica Cisneros, a "26-year-old immigration attorney mounting a progressive primary challenge against a conservative Democrat whose reelection campaign is heavily funded by the oil industry." Cuellar is very much like Lipinski, except further to the right and more aggressive about supporting the Republican agenda.

Varshini Prakash, Sunrise Movement’s executive director: "Henry Cuellar represents all that’s wrong with Washington. Even though he calls himself a Democrat, he rakes in campaign contributions from fossil fuel CEOs and Wall Street and joins with Trump to do their bidding in Congress. Young people like Jessica Cisneros have seen the impacts of these failed policies for our entire lives."

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