A Self-Serving Democratic Establishment Still Has Its Fingers On The Levers Of Power-- And Will Continue Disadvantaging Progressives

Kara Eastman (Democrat) and Brad Ashford ("ex"-GOP Blue Dog)

Alixandria Lapp, a poster child for the DC Dem's revolving door problem worked for New Dem Adam Smith (WA) from 1997-2005 and then went to work for the DCCC. In 2007 she became executive director of the New Dems, the Republican wing of the Democratic Party. A year later she was working as a lobbyist for Parven, Pomper & Schuyler and after that as a lobbyist for Akin, Gump. In 2011 she went to work running Pelosi's House Majority PAC, where she still works, triple-dipping her time away, now extremely wealthy.

Yesterday she tweeted a batch of private PPP surveys, that mostly tested voters' reactions to aspects of the Trump/Ryan tax proposal but also testing a generic Democrat against a Republican incumbent in each district-- except one. Last night we looked into the primary in Omaha (NE-02), where a progressive woman, Kara Eastman, is facing off against a party-switching opportunist, Blue Dog Brad Ashford. Ashford has been endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business, organziations that normally back Republicans and Democrats willing to sell out to Big Business.

During the 2016 cycle, Lapp spent $47,470,121 on House races. Most of it had as much impact as it would if she flushed it down the toilet. Million dollar TV campaigns against Michigan's John Bergman ($1,309,400), Colorado's Mike Coffman ($1,734,087), Virginia's Barbara Comstock ($1,909,690), Florida's Carlos Curbelo ($1,482,032), California's Jeff Denham ($1,011,635), Pennsylvania's Brian Fitzpatrick ($2,266,961), Texas' Will Hurd ($1,641,510), Maine's Bruce Poliquin ($1,863,263), California's David Valadao ($1,745,038), New York's Claudia Tenney ($2,084,879), and Colorado's Scott Tipton ($1,430,111) were ineffective and all failed. Lapp managed to help elect 4 ghastly Blue Dog turds: Brad Schneider in Illinois ($1,100,394), Charlie Crist in Florida ($1,567,917), Jacky Rosen in Nevada ($2,124,182) and Josh Gottheimer in New Jersey ($2,366,09), all of whom have earned F's from ProgressivePunch and all of whom keep voting with the GOP against progressive proposals and with the Republicans on Ryan's agenda.

Last year, Lapp spent $741,041 of the House Majority PAC's money in a futile bid to save Ashford's miserable career. (The DCCC spent $2,688,673 in the same race, almost entirely wasted on pointless, uninspiring TV ads that media buyers get a hefty percentage cut of, absolute and dysfunctional corruption.) Ashford lost 141,066 (48.9%) to 137,602 (47.7%), making him the only Democratic incumbent to lose his seat. He lost because he's a Republican masquerading as a Democrat and Democratic voters saw him spend 2 years voting with Ryan and refused to vote for him again.he helped drag Hillary down to defeat in the district-- Trump beat her by 2 points-- and establishment Democrats in DC decided to run him again this year. Brilliant! They are so brilliant. No wonder Pelosi allows the trip-dipping-- salary, a percentage of what she brings in and a percentage of the pointless media buys. The Blue Dogs and New Dems have endorsed him and the DCCC-- professing neutrality, of course-- are doing everything they can to destroy Kara Eastman's campaign while pushing Ashford the Blue Dog/Republican loser. They do it in big ways-- telling institutional donors to not give Eastman money-- and in small ways, like Lapp-dog having PPP poll for Ashford, not for a generic Democrat. From the PPP memo Lapp sent around yesterday:

In Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, Republican incumbent Congressman Don Bacon has an approval rating of 40%, and 48% of voters say they disapprove of the job he is doing. President Trump has an approval rating of 42% and a disapproval rating of 54% in Bacon’s district, while 8% of voters say they approve of the job Congress is doing and 85% say they disapprove. Speaker Paul Ryan is also unpopular with 28% of voters saying they approve of the job he is doing and a majority (62%) responding that they disapprove. These percentages, along with a hypothetical matchup between Bacon (40%) and Democrat Brad Ashford (49%), indicate that Bacon is quite vulnerable in his upcoming re-election. Also, the new tax plan is not popular in his district, and a plurality (48%) of voters indicated they would be less likely to vote for Bacon if he voted in favor of the Republican tax plan.

As long as we're here, let's take a look at some of the other flippable districts they polled, starting with California, where they singled out CA-25 (Santa Clarita, Simi Valley and the Antelope Valley). The district's 2015 PVI of R+3 is now 3 points bluer at dead even. Last time Hillary won the district 50.3% to Trump's 43.6%. But the DCCC ran such a weak uninspiring carpetbagger, Bryan Caforio, that the numbers flipped and he lost to weak incumbent Steve Knight 138,766 (53.1%) to 122,406 (36.9%). Lapp's House Majority PAC wasted $242,487 on Caforio-- the DCCC wasted another $3,164,363. And, Caforio is running again, of course, hoping to take advantage of the anti-Trump wave, as he did, unsuccessfully, last cycle. This time he's likely to lose the primary to a much stronger Democrat, progressive Katie Hill, who has what it takes to beat Knight.

In California’s 25th Congressional District, Republican incumbent Congressman Steve Knight has an approval rating of 33%, and 50% disapprove of his job performance. President Trump has an approval rating of 40% and a disapproval rating of 58% in his district, while 9% of voters say they approve of the job Congress is doing and 84% say they disapprove. Speaker Paul Ryan is also unpopular with 23% of voters saying they approve of the job he is doing and a majority (66%) responding that they disapprove. These percentages, along with a hypothetical matchup between Knight (38%) and a “Democratic opponent” (50%), indicate that Knight is quite vulnerable in his upcoming re-election. The new tax plan is not popular in his district, and a majority of voters (51%) indicated they would be less likely to vote for Knight if he voted in favor of the Republican tax plan.

The DCCC has never recognized CA-48 as an opportunity before. But Hillary won the district (narrowly) and Dana Rohrabacher, the crackpot incumbent, is all tied up in Putin-Gate and a major embarrassment to the district. Democrats are coming out of the woodwork to run against him-- 7 at last count. One, Omar Siddiqui from CA-39, doesn't want to run in his home district because he loves the racist, right-wing Republican, Ed Royce, who represents it. Siddiqui is the self-proclaimed "Reagan Democrat" in the race, a self-funder with no traction. The DCCC is pumping up two New Dems, Hans Keirstead and Harley Rouda and studiously ignoring the progressive woman in the race, Laura Oatman, the same way they're ignoring Kara Eastman in Omaha.

In California’s 48th Congressional District, Republican incumbent Congressman Dana Rohrabacher has an approval rating of 36%, and 51% say they do not approve of the job he is doing. President Trump has an approval rating of 44% and a disapproval rating of 54% in Rohrabacher’s district, while 9% of voters say they approve of the job Congress is doing and 86% reported that they do not approve. Speaker Paul Ryan is also unpopular with 28% of voters saying they approve of the job he is doing and a majority (63%) responding that they disapprove. These percentages, along with a hypothetical matchup between Rohrabacher (41%) and a “Democratic opponent” (51%), indicate that Rohrabacher is quite vulnerable in his upcoming re-election. The new tax plan is not popular in his district, and a plurality of voters (46%) indicated they would be less likely to vote for Rohrabacher if he voted in favor of the Republican tax plan.

There are several more interesting races they polled in Michigan, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Minnesota and Florida but let me skip right to the two in Texas, one in Houston and one in Dallas, both districts that went for Clinton over Trump and both with multiple candidates, good, bad and ugly. The best candidate in the Houston district is award-winning cancer doctor Jason Westin and the best one in the Dallas district is Obama's former undersecretary of Agriculture, Lillian Salerno.

TX-07

In Texas’ 7th Congressional District, Republican incumbent Congressman John Culberson has an approval rating of 31%, and 55% of voters say they disapprove of the job he is doing. President Trump has an approval rating of 37% and a disapproval rating of 59% in Culberson’s district, while 12% of voters say they approve of the job Congress is doing and 83% say they disapprove. Speaker Paul Ryan is also unpopular with 29% of voters saying they approve of the job he is doing and a majority (65%) responding that they disapprove. These percentages, along with a hypothetical matchup between Culberson (39%) and a “Democratic opponent” (49%), indicate that Culberson is quite vulnerable in his upcoming re-election. The new tax plan is not popular in his district, and a majority (53%) of voters indicated they would be less likely to vote for Culberson if he voted in favor of the Republican tax plan.

TX-32

In Texas’ 32nd Congressional District, Republican incumbent Congressman Pete Sessions has an approval rating of 36%, and 52% of voters say they disapprove of the job he is doing. President Trump has an approval rating of 39% and a disapproval rating of 58% in Sessions’ district, while 6% of voters say they approve of the job Congress is doing and 85% say they disapprove. Speaker Paul Ryan is also unpopular with 27% of voters saying they approve of the job he is doing and a majority (66%) responding that they disapprove. These percentages, along with a hypothetical matchup between Sessions and a “Democratic opponent,” where Sessions has 43% of the vote and his Democratic opponent has 48%, indicate that Sessions is quite vulnerable in his upcoming re-election. The new tax plan is not popular in his district, and a majority (51%) of voters indicated they would be less likely to vote for Sessions if he voted in favor of the Republican tax plan.

John Fetterman isn't running for Congress. He launched a campaign for Pennsylvania Lt. Governor yesterday. But the DCCC and DSCC should be looking for candidates like him, not like Gil Cisneros and not like Kyrsten Sinema. Watch this incredibly effective launch video for a future national political leader:

THE REALLY IMPORTANT RACES THIS WINTER-- JOHN LAESCH, DONNA EDWARDS, VIC WULSIN, RANDI SCHEURER, MARK PERA...

When you think "change," is THIS what pops into your head?

All eyes that aren't focused on the looming recession and the war without end the Bush Regime's policies are leaving us, are focused on the presidential primaries and caucuses that will determine who will replace him one year from now. It's unlikely that any of the pathetic pygmies running to personify a third George Bush term can beat any of the Democrats seeking their party's nomination. In fact, the lead GOP contender-- McCain this week-- is thoroughly reviled by a great many Republicans, not because his voting record isn't far right enough-- it is-- but because they consider him an asshole and a phony-- he is-- and because he opposed torture and supported Bush's pro-corporate immigration policies. Among the Democrats, Hillary is no longer seen quite as inevitable as she was viewed before her third place finish in Iowa and close call in New Hampshire. But between Romney's and Giuliani's implosions, Huckabee's inability to catch on beyond the narrow confines of the evangelical crusade tents and the Chuck Norris fan club, and Frederick of Hollywood's long, long snooze, next November I expect her to beat McCain. OK, can we move on to something else now?

That something else, to me at least, are the races for the seats in the Senate and House. After the debacle of the current pathetic and anemic Democratic-lead Congress, it has become as clear as day that it isn't, after all, more Democrats that is needed. It's better Democrats. And that takes us back to the primaries. Three states have crucial ones coming up this winter, coming up real fast in fact: Illinois and Maryland on February 5 (Super Tuesday, presidentially speaking) and Ohio, one month later on March 4th. Illinois' and Maryland's primaries are expected to far exceed normal turnout for a congressional primary because of enthusiasm for the presidential candidates on the same day, especially in Illinois where Obama and Hillary have rabid support. Each of the three states has at least one race pitting a better Democrat against a status quo reactionary Insider.

And in Illinois there are actually 4 such races! DWT and Blue America have taken a position on 3 of them, the most of any state. We are urging this community to support John Laesch (IL-14), Mark Pera (IL-03) and Randi Scheurer (IL-08). All three are extremely difficult races. Randi and Mark seek to oust entrenched Republican-lite (actually not all that lite) Melissa Bean and Dan Lipinski, each of whom has abandoned basic Democratic Party values time and again to vote with the worst reactionaries in Congress to rubber stamp the toxic Bush agenda, internationally and domestically. Voting for Lipinski and Bean is like voting for a Republican. Just as tough is John Laesch's race against an Insider-backed millionaire, Blue Dog Bill Foster for the seat long-occupied by resigning disgraced crook Denny Hastert. Laesch came closer to knocking him off last year than anyone else in his congressional history and, in the process, has built a viable progressive machine in northern Illinois. Now he has to face a big-spending Rahm Emanuel hack and opportunist. I can't think of a more important race in the entire country on February 5.

But there is one of equal importance-- the only high visibility primary in the state of Maryland. Last year Donna Edwards seemed to have beaten corrupt, corporate stooge Al Wynn in MD-04-- until some last minute voting boxes were suddenly found, all full of Al Wynn ballots. He managed to keep his seat. Donna is way better known in the district now-- and so is Wynn. The Insider Establishment, lead by Bush collaborators Steny Hoyer and Nancy Pelosi-- with Emanuel pulling their strings from behind the curtain as always-- is desperate to keep their boy Wynn in office. But Donna has put together an energized coalition of labor, environmentalists, reformers, women, anti-war activists, and supporters from the grassroots and netroots. Of all the races February 5 this is probably our best shot at a victory.

Any of these progressives getting into Congress will send a shock wave, a much-needed shock wave, through the party establishment and a message that the Democratic Party is a people's party, not a vehicle for special interests and careerists. On top of that, both Laesch and Edwards, especially, promise to be genuine progressive leaders and actual agents of change (unlike, say Huckabee, Flip Flop, Obama, Hillary... even Bush.)

Bush said Friday he doesn’t take it personally when Democratic and Republican presidential candidates embrace change as a major campaign theme.

“Oh, listen, if you're running for office, you can't run for office and not say, ‘I'm an agent of change,’" Bush told NBC News’ David Gregory. “That's just American politics. If I were running for office at this point I'd be saying, ‘Vote for me, I'm-- I'm gonna be an agent of change.’"

Yes, well he's talking about Obama and McCain and Hillary and Romney-- but if he thinks Donna Edwards and John Laesch are in that category, he's in for a big, big surprise. Both will be more than just good, solid progressive votes in Congress-- votes for the people and against the special interests. Each is an idea person and each is a tough and persistent fighter. I fully expect Laesch to whip the near moribund Progressive Caucus into shape and make it a real force in Congress, a counterweight to the Insider power elite represented by Emanuel and Hoyer.

And then there's Ohio one month later. The most crucial race is in the legendary second CD, an uber-Republican district represented by far right crazy-woman Mean Jean Schmidt. Dr. Victoria Wulsin nearly beat her in 2006 and she's poised to finish the job this year. But the Republican establishment has a trick up it's sleave-- a lifelong millionaire Republican, Steve Black, claims he is now a Democrat and wants to run against Mean Jean. Black has hired Emanuel DC hack John Lapp (an ex-DCCC Rove type slash and burn expert in the most vicious and vile kinds of negative campaigning). So far Lapp's main contribution to Black's campaign is a ridiculous and almost lurid ad claiming Doctor Wulsin isn't a doctor-- and this is based on his sexist overlooking of the fact that she got her medical license under her maiden name before she was married. Look at the ad; it's the reason a wealthy Republican shill thinks Democrats in OH-02 should nominate him to be their candidate. Hopefully Democrats in southwest Ohio will tell Black and Lapp where to go.

The other congressional primaries in Ohio are in the third CD to take on incumbent Michael Turner and the Democrats running are David Esrati, Jane Mitakides, and Charles W. Sanders.; the seventh CD (Dave Hobson's old seat) where Bill Conner, Sharen Neuhardt, Jack Null, Thomas Scrivens, David Woolever, and Richard Wyderski are the Democrats running; the tenth CD where disgruntled Democrats Joe Cimperman, Thomas O’Grady, Rosemary Palmer, and Barbara Ferris are challenging incumbent Democrat Dennis Kucinich; the 12th CD, where Democrats sense Pat Tiberi may be vulnerable and the race has drawn 4 hopefuls: Aaron Dagres, Marc Fagin, Russ Goodwin, and David Robinson; a similar situation in the 14th, where Steve LaTourette actually is vulnerable and will have to face either Bill O’Neill, Dale Blanchard, or John Greene; the 16th CD-- open because of the departure of Ralph Regula-- where both the DC and local Democratic establishments are firmly behind John Boccieri but where a last minute entry by Mary Cirelli throws a spanner into their plans; and a quixotic primary in OH-18 where reactionary freshman Zack Space is being challenged by Mike Pitrone.

The Blue America endorsed candidates, John Laesch, Randi Scheurer, Mark Pera, Donna Edwards, and Vic Wulsin can all use some help. If you have some spare money you want to put towards a better America, it will do a lot more good on any of these races than throwing it into the huge pots being collected by Clinton and Obama. You can donate at the link at the beginning of this paragraph and keep in mind, even $5 and $10 donations add up and help fight the well-heeled candidates bought and paid for by the special interests whose main interests are to screw the rest of us.

VIC WULSIN BATTLING TWO SLEAZY REPUBLICANS IN OHIO-- MEAN JEAN SCHMIDT AND STEVE BLACK

It was odd seeing the vitriolic, misleading, Rove-like attacks made against progressive Democrat Vic Wulsin by a rich Republican claiming he is now a Democrat, Steve Black, and running against her in the Democratic primary. Vic was endorsed by Blue America last year-- and re-endorsed this year-- and came within a small handful of votes of beating Mean Jean Schmidt in the second most Republican district in Ohio (51-49%).

We've covered Black's opportunistic attempt to secure the Democratic line for a Republican (himself), more than once, already. But what we didn't know at the time is that one of Rahm Emanuel's closest and most disreputable colleagues, ex-DCCC hack John Lapp, is behind the anti-Wulsin smears. Black couldn't use Rove so he got someone just as vicious and unscrupulous. Last we heard from Lapp he was trying to torpedo Jerry McNerney on behalf a Rahm Emanuel-Ellen Tauscher shill. It didn't work; the shill was laughed out of the district and McNerney went on to rid the U.S. Congress of Dirty Dick Pombo. Lapp is playing a similar role in Ohio with Black.

The desperate Black campaign-- polling in the single digits-- is trying to claim Vic isn't really a doctor and they have an absurd video up on YouTube with an elaborate search for her license. Probably a 14 year old could have suggested they look under her maiden name since she wasn't married when she got her license. A vote for Steve Black in March is a vote to make sure there are two Republicans running against each other in November: Mean Jean Schmidt and Steve Black.

Black can count on plenty of money from other wealthy Republicans embarrassed by Schmidt's drift into anti-American neo-fascism. Working men and women have been endorsing Vic in droves. Progressives are stepping up to the plate for Vic and if you'd like to help out, our Blue America page is accepting contributions for her campaign. So far 367 from our community have donated over $11,000. Don't be shy about stepping in and joining us. It's good for Ohio and good for America.