The Most Strategic Midterm Race: Elder Challenges Hoyer

-by Sam Husseini

Especially with Brett Kavanaugh's accession to the Supreme Court, many are understandably absorbed with the importance of trying to end the Republican majorities in Congress for the midterm elections.

But simply always backing Democrats will likely propel the party further toward the establishment corporate right. If voters are just going to get behind a Democratic candidate no matter what, there's no incentive for them to be progressive in any sense.

Some may point to some new left-leaning candidates coming out of the Democratic Party. But even the most optimistic assessment of these candidates much acknowledge they are far outnumbered by establishment Democratic Party incumbents.

And there's a reason for that: Establishment apparatchiks in the Democratic Party go around the country kneecapping candidates who might, maybe, have some actual progressive tendencies.

Exhibit A is Steny Hoyer, the Democratic Whip in the House of Representatives who was caught on a secret audio recording doing exactly that earlier this year.

Now, noted activist and author Pat Elder is challenging Hoyer. If people of whatever stripe-- Democratic, Green, independent, whatever-- want to challenge the Democratic Party establishment, then strongly backing Elder's campaign is perhaps the shrewdest move they can make right now.

Earlier this year, Lee Fang of The Intercept reported, based on secretly taped audio, how Hoyer works "to crush competitive primaries and steer political resources, money, and other support to hand-picked candidates in key races across the country."



Michael Moore in his cathartic new movie, 11/9 smartly went beyond the obvious jabs at Trump and featured the audio of Hoyer strongarming a would be progressive Democratic congressman.

The local Calvert Recorder notes that Elder adeptly has focused on Hoyer’s top donors, "which include Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, health insurance providers such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield and MedStar Health, pharmaceutical manufacturers like Bayer AG, and Exelon, the owner of the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant."

The Recorder notes: "For his part, Hoyer said he agrees; there is too much money in politics. 'Elder is right. We need to get a handle on it,' Hoyer said, adding that he uses his donations to 'try to help' other Democratic candidates vying for seats in Congress.”

Which we know is quite backwards. Job One for Hoyer is to raise corporate cash to knock off progressive Democrats as early as possible, including those who might be serious about getting money out of politics.

Levi Tillemann a former official with the Obama administration’s Energy Department, who secretly recorded Hoyer when he was mounting a run in Colorado, said of Hoyer's work with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee: “They squash progressive candidates. They destroy the diversity of ideas in their caucus. They keep ideas like ‘Medicare for All,’ free community college, or impeaching Donald Trump from having a significant role in the national conversation. The issues that resonate most with voters are not the issues that the DCCC is telling candidates to focus on.”

And Elder retorts: "Hoyer's comment is deeply ironic to me. Rep. Hoyer is one of the chief benefactors of the current financial free-for-all in the American electoral process. He is a cash cow, a legal money launderer. Although Rep. Hoyer has been positioning himself as a crusader for transparency, he is only suggesting cosmetic fixes, as he has done all along. ... The deep irony stems from my work with Common Cause in Washington as an intern in 1972. Its founder, John Gardner, told me to follow the money to understand an inherently dysfunctional and corrupt American political process. I was only 16, but I took it to heart." [See attached portrait of House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer by Sarah Darley made up of logos of his top funders.]

And forcing Hoyer to talk about money in politics is likely the lesser of Elder's effects on Hoyer already. Last year, some bemoaned Hoyer effectively backing the Saudi assault on Yemen. After getting the run around from his staff, a group of dedicated peace activists-- including Kathy Kelly and Richard Ochs-- held a protest in Hoyer's office. Elder was there that day. Several of them got arrested. Ochs is now helping run Elder's campaign. Now Hoyer at least rhetorically is backing congressional moves to end critical U.S. government support for the Saudi assault on Yemen.

Elder's challenge to Hoyer not only pushes back against corporate domination, but also tangibly for peace and against militarism around the world, from Korea to Israel to Nicaragua.

And when I say challenge, I mean virtually alone. You see, in the race for Maryland's 5th congressional district, where I live as well, the Republican (William A. Devine III) and Libertarian (Jacob Pulcher) can hardly be said to be running. They haven't even filled out their candidate profiles as requested by the Baltimore Sun. Elder of course has, as has Hoyer.

This provides a serious opening. If Elder can get into double digits, or if he pulls off a total miracle, then it cuts Hoyer down to size and can help provide an opening for progressives to challenge him and the corporate military dominance he represents. And it provides a model for other Green and other campaigns.

Elder's running a grassroots campaign, very effectively wielding his information-laden website and emails lists, going door-to-door, getting yard signs out there, going to community events and leafleting at metro stations.

I first remember meeting Elder because of his longtime activism against militarism with DAWN-- DC Antiwar Network. He now lives in St. Mary's City and is director of the National Coalition to Protect Student Privacy, an organization that confronts militarism in schools that he runs out of his living room-- and has gotten laws passed on the issue. He’s the author of Military Recruiting in the United States. And he's a practical guy, he started a real estate title abstract firm, built houses, taught at the Islamic Education Center. For just a sampling of his activism, check out his appearance earlier this year on Democracy Now: Inside the U.S. Military Recruitment Program That Trained Nikolas Cruz to Be 'A Very Good Shot'."

When, as part of his activism, Elder was the target of government spying, the Washington Post ran a piece about it, but they've been mum about his congressional run. (Meanwhile, the media watch group FAIR notes The Post has trashed the Sanders-aligned Democrat Ben Jealous in the Maryland governor's race.)

Steny Hoyer is the Democratic Party Whip in the House. As such, he ensures Democrats in Congress stay in their corporate-military cages. If allegedly progressive Democrats don't back a serious challenge to him, it's a sign they actually love those cages.

Rather, it's past time for people to take the reins themselves and to drive the money changers out of the temple of our democracy.

What Happened Last Night? Alexandria's Earthquake-- And The DCCC Stinks Up The Room Again

NY-14 voters knew exactly what they were voting for

On Wednesday mornings after elections, I like giving a recap of the important things that happened, at least important to progressives. I was all set to start with the way Jason Crow and he's sleazeball allies-- we're looking at you, Steny-- stole the CO-06 election from Levi Tillemann. We'll get to that soon. First we should just say a few words about the biggest political upset since Señor Trumpanzee was declared the winner of the 2016 election. Or, in congressional terms, since Eric Cantor went down to some crackpot teabagger. 28 year old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did exactly what she told me she would do several months ago... she defeated the #4 member of the House Democratic leadership, and most corrupt Democrat in Congress, Joe Crowley. She did it by working and working and working and working smart and working hard. Crowley, who's taken more bribes from Wall Street than any other House Democrat-- $7,148,700-- spent-- as of June 6th-- $3,354,370 to her $300,709. And outside independent spending... minimal. as you can see below, the Sierra Club spending $10 on Crowley and Blue America spending $11,000 on Alexandria. (Thanks all the small donors who chipped in here.)

Anyway, Alexandria beat him 15,897 (57.5%) to 11,761 (42.5%)-- a big win, especially considering EMILY's List absolutely refused to endorse her. Everyone is Congress who got involved, including big women's champion Kirsten Gillibrand, endorsed him and only Ro Khanna backed her (although it was a dual endorsement). No one from the establishment took her seriously. Now they have to learn how to pronounce her name. Randy Bryce was delighted and speaking for fellow grassroots progressives said, "Tonight was yet another example of the Beltway getting it wrong-- regular, working people are on a mission. We’re on a mission to stand for our values and win the monumental battles at hand. Alexandria proved people wrong and I’m excited to serve with her and unite in defying the odds." This is a great day for for NY-14, a great day for progressives, a great day for Alexandria's team (including the Justice Democrats), a great day for the Democratic Party, a great day for America, a miserable day for Mark Pocan.

Also in New York, the DCCC lost another one. Up in the Syracuse area (NY-24), all the local Democrats were firmly behind Dana Balter when suddenly, the DCCC-- ignoring the local Democratic Party, as they always do-- parachuted their own candidate into the race, Juanita Perez Williams. The locals were furious. The final score:

The DCCC should fight Republicans-- and first learn how to-- and stop fighting their own party's grassroots and progressives. Syracuse voters slapped them hard across the snout, just the way voters in Omaha, Nebraska and Lexington, Kentucky did recently.

Yesterday's big DCCC win was NRA ally and right-wing Blue Dog Anthony Brindisi in NY-22 (Utica, Rome, Oneida, Cortland, Binghamton), who ran unopposed and will now face Claudia Tenney in the DCCC's favorite kind of race-- forcing voters to pick between the lesser of two evils.



As long as we're on bad news, let's move on to Colorado, where one of the DCCC's worst candidates of the cycle, payday lender attorney Jason Crow, or one of his allies, sent out the robocall above. Sounds like Bernie, right? It isn't. Our Revolution endorsed Levi Tillemann, against the reactionary corporate shill Crow and Bernie didn't get involved. But every Democrat in the suburban Denver district got that illegal call yesterday. Notice there is no "paid for by" at the end of the ad. This is sickening and exactly what you can expect from Crow if he beats Mike Coffman, a moderate Republican incumbent who might be the lesser evil of these two. I know I'd never vote for Crow. He beat Tillemann 49,101 (66.1%) to 25,237 (33.9%) in a district that Bernie won in 2016.

Socially progressive Jared Polis, a Boulder-based congressman, had a big win in a 4-person race for governor. Will he be the first openly LGBT man ever elected to a governorship?

• Jared Polis- 264,464 (44.7%)
• Cary Kennedy- 145,908 (24.7%)
• Mike Johnston- 137,617 (23.3%)
• Donna Lynne- 43,010 (7.3%)

He'll face conservative Trumpist Walker Stapleton in November. The other gubernatorial race we were watching was in Maryland, where Berniecrat Ben Jealous came out on top in an 9-person Democratic race.

The only other race we were watching was the Oklahoma City congressional contest which goes to an August 28 primary runoff between garden variety Democrat Kendra Horn and progressive Tom Guild.

And there was one Republican race we were paying attention to-- NY-11 (Staten Island and part of southern Brooklyn). Mafia thug Michael "Mikey Suits" Grimm lost his come-back attempt to mainstream Republican incumbent Dan Donovan 12,774 (63.9%) to 7,219 (36.1%). We'll probably never hear from Grimm again, unless he's arrested for... judging by his past, it could be anything. Donovan will face wretched Blue Dog Max Rose in November, another lesser of two evils contest.

Not All Democrats Are The Same

Five months from now it will be too late. The primaries will be over and the new House of Representatives chosen. I feel certain that the Democratic wave will have swept Republican Trump enablers across the country out of office. The fellow at the blackboard up top is Trump rubber stamp and Wall Street puppet Bruce Poliquin (R-ME). He will face off against a fighting progressive-- Jared Golden, who has proven his leadership skills on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan and as the majority whip of the Maine House of Representatives. Jared is a blue collar union guy and he's facing off against Poliquin because Maine voters chose him as their nominee instead of an elite careerist with nothing much to say beyond the regular DC consultant palaver the DCCC spits out. The Democratic Party and the United States need as many Jared Goldens as we can get, not Republican-lite fake Democrats. Democratic voters in Omaha, Nebraska, in Pennsylvania Dutch country, in Lexington, Kentucky, and in California's 45th district in the heart of Orange County picked 4 progressive women, reformers, who the DCCC either ignored or were hostile to.

Tomorrow there are pivotal primaries in New York, Colorado, Maryland and Oklahoma that pits progressive reformer against the Old Guard, DCCC status quo conservatives. What a difference it would make to wake up tomorrow morning to find out that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a fiery 28 year old Latina and Berniecrat from the Bronx has taken down Joe Crowley, the most corrupt Democrat in Congress! Nor is NY-14 the only crucial battleground in New York today. On Long Island, an effective and proven leader for progressive causes, DuWayne Gregory is up against someone with many empty promises and no accomplishments for the right to face Trumpy-The-Clown enabler Peter King. Upstate there's a better candidate, Dana Balter, running in Syracuse than, Juanita Perez Williams, the DCCC pick. The best candidate to beat Faso in November is Jeff Beals.



In Colorado, we have we have crucial congressional primaries for Congress in Denver (Saira Rao) and the Denver suburbs (Levi Tillermann) and for a state legislative seat (Emily Sirota). The full-blown progressive in Oklahoma City running for the nomination to face reactionary Steve Russell, is Tom Guild. And in Maryland the most progressive Democrat for governor is Ben Jealous.

Chose wisely today. It makes a real difference. Last week, in the middle of most frenzied part of her campaign, Alexandria Ocasio flew down to Tornillo, Texas, to, in her words, "protest the barbaric practices of this administration at a joint-action event outside of the first ICE detention center... sitting on the sidelines as ICE continues to terrorize people across the country and tear families apart just wasn’t an option."

Yesterday she sent a note to her supporters noting that "every part of our campaign is in overdrive. We’re spending everything we have to send out canvassers to talk to voters, help national volunteers make calls, and put out ads to help people get to their polling booths."

But we can’t get complacent-- because Crowley’s fighting us with an massive corporate war chest. He's buying TV ads, sending dozens of letters to his steadfast supporters, and trying to drown out our progressive message.

In these critical last 48 hours, it’s more important than ever to take a real look at what’s fueling these machines.

Joe Crowley has raised $1.1 million this cycle from 250 corporate PAC donations alone-- not even counting his donations from party elites.

In contrast, our campaign has received exactly zero dollars and zero cents from any corporations or corporate PACs.

We don’t need corporate money-- our progressive message that fights for social, economic and racial justice has encouraged over 10,000 unique donors to contribute to the cause.

...I know it might feel like donating this late in the game won’t help as much-- but it’s more important than ever. This is our last chance to make sure that we can convince first time voters to come out and vote.

Every cycle, 3% of the voters in this district choose the path for the rest of us. That’s a broken democracy, and it’s time we fixed it.

Levi Tillemann's last minute message to his supporters was also inspirational. "Washington power brokers," he wrote, "are running scared-- and going to extraordinary lengths to try to blunt our momentum! Last weekend, This American Life announced it was running a piece on DCCC interference in Congressional primaries. We were interviewed extensively for that piece. Well, the insiders cried foul and put extraordinary pressure on This American Life to write us out. In response, This American Life delayed its air date (to eliminate its impact on primaries), changed the episode’s name, and rewrote the content. Think about that: It’s kind of INCREDIBLE! It’s also OK, because we’re going to win."

All of today's independent-minded progressive candidates are in the same predicament. They have to keep funding their get-out-the-vote operations. It's worth helping them; it makes the difference between winning and... a weak and ineffective Congress. If you'd rather give to upcoming races, like for Kaniela Ing in Hawaii or Randy Bryce in Wisconsin, or if you want to send contributions for folks who already won their primaries and are already battling Republicans (like Jared Golden, Kara Eastman, Katie Porter and Jess King), all of these candidates are on the same Blue America 2018 congressional elections page on the right. Please take your pick and consider contributing what you can. Remember, there's no such thing as a contribution that too small. Now's the time to make a real difference when we have an opportunity to decide which kind of Democrats run in the general election in November.

Tuesday Is The Big Day In Colorado Between Progressive Levi Tillermann And The DC Bosses' Candidate

With all the excitement over Alexandria Ocasio's shot at beating Joe Crowley on Tuesday another crucial race that hasn't gotten the kind of traction it deserves is the contest in the Denver suburbs (CO-06), a district that wraps around the city on three sides, from Littleton in the south west, across through Centennial, up through Aurora in the east and then across Brighton in the north. The PVI is a swingy D+2. Obama beat McCain and Romney and Hillary beat Trump 50.2% to 41.3%. So why is a unaccomplished Republican, Mike Coffman, still in office? Have you ever heard of the DCCC, the GOP's most potent weapon?

And the DCCC is at it again. They found a really worthless New Dem, Jason Crow, who they're trying to pass off as an attorney who fights for working families. Actually he fights for pay day lenders who are screwing working families. But what's a word or two difference. The tragedy here is that the DCCC, by blatantly backing the conservative hack in the race, has been blatantly undercutting the grassroots progressive, Levi Tillemann.

After Hoyer's stunt, Blue America got in touch with Adgreetz, one of the most innovative digital ad agencies in the world, to see if we could help even-out the playing field a little. They haven't worked in the political world but among their current and past clients are Amazon, Google, BMW, Anheuser-Busch, Quaker, Pepsi, Kraft, Disney, HBO, the Wall Street Journal, Acura, NBC, Universal Pictures, ABC, Intel and Toyota.

They specialize in very targeted, personalized communications. This one is a video they developed with Levi and have been getting out to likely Democratic primary voters in the district-- in this instance to "someone" named Eric.

This similarly personalized GIF was sent via e-mail to all the likely Democratic primary voters in the district; again to "Eric."

The company CEO, Eric Frankel, told the company's clients that "the Levi for Colorado personalized messages are a prime example of the positive ways in which data-driven technology can be used in our ever-changing world. This upcoming midterm election is a very important one for the country, and finding smart and innovative ways to cut through the noise of disinformation is paramount... The personalized messaging content was tailored to recipients by name, contribution history and location.

Tillemann said that he has been "blown away by the power of the platform and how easy it was for us to build videos that were specifically targeted to each voter. We're looking forward to collaborating with them in the general election."

On Wednesday the local Fox affiliate in Denver spotlighted the primary race, Crow, playing the identity politics game-- "I'm a veteran," focusing on me, me, me-- while Tillermann tried talking about what he hopes to achieve for the residents of the district: "I'm the only progressive running in the 6th congressional district."

Tillemann has positioned himself as the most progressive in the race vowing to impeach Trump and vote out Nancy Pelosi as Democratic Leader.

"I'm the only candidate who is fighting to impeach Donald Trump," Tillemann said.

Crow for his part believes the Mueller probe into Trump should be protected but isn't ready to commit to an impeachment vote.

Crow believes a challenger to Pelosi should emerge but wouldn't rule out voting for her.

"I would like to see healthy competition, I got to win my race first," Crow said.

On the issues the candidates can appear similar but on health care Crow is for a federal public option to improve health care costs while Tillemann supports Medicare for all.

If you want a status quo, establishment candidate who uses words to hide meanings, Crow is your guy. On the other hand if you prefer a straight-talking agent of change who is addressing many of the same issues Bernie addressed in 2016, Tillemann is the candidate to vote for on Tuesday.

No More Net Neutrality-- But The Impact Won't Be Felt Until AFTER November To Protect Republicans

But will the issue persuade voters to defeat the GOP?

In 2005 the FCC had a Republican chair, Kathleen Abernathy, a Republican, but not a Trumpist crackpot like Ajit Pai, the current chair. Abernathy's FCC adopted the principles of net neutrality "to preserve and promote the vibrant and open character of the Internet as the telecommunications marketplace enters the broadband age." 18 years later and the Trumpist Republican Party is no longer remotely interested in preserving and promoting the vibrant and open character of the Internet. They're interested in seeing what they can squeeze out of the Internet service providers in bribes.

Between 2005 and 2012, five attempts to pass bills in Congress containing net neutrality provisions failed. Proponents claimed that these bills would preserve the open Internet that consumer groups sought, and to prohibit Internet service providers from using various variable pricing models based upon the user's quality of service level, described as tiered service in the industry and as price discrimination arising from abuse of "local monopolies enshrined in law" by some economists. Opponents claimed that these bills would have benefited industry lobbyists instead of consumers due to the potential of regulatory capture with policies that protect incumbent interests and that the bills were a transparent attempt to establish US government control over the Internet.

Pai's anti-net neutrality agenda went into effect yesterday, despite the fact that recent polling shows that 83% of voters support keeping the rules on net neutrality, including 75% of Republican voters, 89% of Democratic voters, and 86% of independent voters.

The last time there was serious consideration in the House in was Ed Markey's 2009 Internet Freedom Preservation Act (H.R. 3458). Boehner had it buried in Fred Upton's Energy and Commerce Committee so that it would never have to be voted on, and so Republican congressmembers would never be forced to vote against something the GOP base overwhelmingly supported, not to mention 86% of independents.

Last month the Senate voted, 52-47, Susan Collins (ME), John Kennedy (LA) and Lisa Murkowski (AK) voting with every Democrat, to overturn the FCC’s Restoring Internet Freedom Order, which which went into effect yesterday, taking net neutrality rules off the books.

To make it work in the House-- where Paul Ryan opposes net neutrality-- a majority on the House would have to sign a discharge petition. meaning every Democrat (already a stretch in the House) plus 22 Republicans. And then it would have to be signed by Trumpanzee! Mike Doyle (D-PA) is leading the charge. Some of the worst and most corrupt Blue Dogs are dragging their feet, including many of the hardcore members of the Republican wing of the Democratic Party: Henry Cuellar (TX), Filemon Vela (TX), Jim Costa (CA) Kyrsten Sinema (AZ), bribe taking machine Josh Gottheimer (NJ), Tom Halleran (AZ) and Stephanie Murphy (FL). And, of course, no Republican signed on either.

Chuck Schumer, who personally recruited Blue Dog chairman Kyrsten Sinema, who refused to sign the discharge position and votes with the GOP most of the time, is seeking to profit politically from the disaster: "It's now as clear as day to every American that-- with the exception of three Republicans in the Senate-- their Republican representatives in the Congress chose to protect special interests and the biggest corporates over middle-class families, average consumers, entrepreneurs and anyone who relies on the free and open internet. Every Republican who opposed this vote will own any and all of the damaging consequences of the FCC's horribly misguided decision."

Yesterday Levi Tillemann sent this message to residents in suburban Denver where he's sunning for the seat (CO-06) occupied by GOP-tool Mike Coffman. "Today is a sad day for all Americans who care passionately about a free Internet. The Internet was the result of government investments in risky, cutting edge R&D-- investments that the private sector never would have touched. Well, Donald Trump's FCC Chairman Ajit Pai just gave away the internet to special interests by ending 'net neutrality.' Net neutrality protects equal access to the Internet for all Americans-- not just those who can pay extra. When I go to Congress I’ll fight to roll back Ajit Pai’s disastrous policy. Help us fight for the future of the free internet by contributing today. (In case you're interested, here's a speech I gave at a rally for net neutrality from few months back.)"

We asked Mike DeVito, the progressive Democrat running for the Staten Island seat Dan Donovan is currently holding, how this plays out in his district. This is what he told us:

In areas of NY-11 (Staten Island and South Brooklyn), Charter/Spectrum is the only ISP game in town. That's the corporation that is trying to starve 1,800 IBEW Local 3 Union workers to death.  Our brothers and sisters walked out because of unfair labor practices, and have been out on strike for 441 days as of today.  But a huge aspect of the labor practices for which they walked out were about the company's lies to customers about Internet speeds and equipment capacity.

People want what they pay for and what they are promised. Net Neutrality is designed to protect people from deceptive practices like these.

It is no surprise that the sitting GOP Congressman in this district takes money from Charter/Spectrum. But when a Democrat also works against Net Neutrality, it's critical to hold him accountable. The Blue Dog Democrat who is my opponent in this race has an agreement with Joe Crowley and has taken money from the Joe PAC which also includes union busting Charter/Spectrum money.

The Blue Dog PAC which gives money to the establishment Democrat in this race is also funded by the NCTA-- the Internet and Television Association, which is a trade group for telecom companies that promote anti-regulation, oppose net neutrality and used an Alec-written bill to lobby against municipal broadband.

As a progressive, I believe we need to move swiftly to municipal broadband. We live in an age where it is impossible to participate in society without regular, reliable access to the internet. Having to pay for access to vital information directly affects the economic stability and mobility of everyone who cannot afford it, perpetuating cycles of struggle and poverty.

Of course these huge conglomerates are not going to simply relinquish control, and there is only one way to take them out. That's to vote them out. Vote out anyone who can be confirmed to have taken a dime from a corporation, and put a stop to the election of any candidate who does likewise before they rise to make consequential decisions for the rest of us.

It is time to stop the hypocrisy and obstruction of progress. It's time to be better, and demand better.

The Most Hated President Ever? Also The Most Loved

Chances are, if you're a DWT reader, you're a Trump hater through and through. Unless you're a Republican. Rank-and file Republicans love Trump-- they really do. A recent poll shows that if Romney runs against Trump in 2020, the Republican primary would yield Trump 75% of the vote... and Romney just 1%. Sit down and take a deep breath. Señor T "commands the second highest 'own party' approval rating of any president at the 500 day mark since World War II, behind only President George W. Bush, after 9/11." He makes it "respectable" to be a racist, which-- let's face it-- has a lot more to do with why anyone, pre-Trump, ever wanted to admit about joining the GOP. Feh... right?

I guess they never really liked anything the GOP stood for anyway-- except the racism and bigotry-- and now Trump is throwing it all way... except the racism and bigotry. Jonathan Swan: "Trump’s hijacking of the formerly conservative GOP is complete-- an astonishing accomplishment. The majority party in America is fully defined by his policies, his popularity with the base, his facts-be-damned mentality, his ability to control and quiet virtually all Republican elected officials.

Everything changed:

• Trump has wiped out a large portion of Obama’s legacy. He’s exited the Paris climate deal; signed major tax cuts, especially for corporations; confirmed an ultra-conservative Supreme Court justice and record numbers of circuit court judges; deregulated like crazy; exited the Iran deal; exited the TPP trade deal; repealed the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate; and moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing it as Israel’s capital.
• New hardline immigration enforcement is in place, including separating children from parents of illegal immigrants. An extraordinary percentage of Trump’s senior staff has quit or been fired.
• Only one campaign original remains on Trump’s staff: social media director Dan Scavino.
• A national security adviser who began with bombastic high hopes of enforcing a new hard line against radical Islam-- Mike Flynn-- is now at personal peril in the Mueller investigation.
• Trump no longer talks about wiping out the national debt by ending “waste, fraud and abuse.”
• Trump no longer talks about shutting down federal agencies.

Nothing changed:

• Family survives despite many premature obituaries about Jared and Ivanka (Javanka).
• Trump still watches a ton of TV, views everything through a media lens, and obsesses over negative coverage.
• Trump still views foreign negotiations as zero-sum games with a clear winner and loser. The scorecard is the bilateral trade deficit; Trump’s hardline instincts on trade and immigration are unchanged from the campaign trail.
• There’s no trillion-dollar infrastructure package.
• Mexico hasn’t paid for the wall-- and Congress has only given Trump a pittance so far.
• The national debt has climbed ever higher under Trump’s stewardship.
• Trump still lies, exaggerates, distorts and responds to paper cuts by butchering his enemies.
• Vice President Pence remains-- and nobody I’ve spoken to has ever seen him criticize or debate the president in any meaningful way.
• Trump has the same media diet: heavy on Lou Dobbs, Sean Hannity and Fox & Friends (with a sprinkling of hate-watch channel-surfing to CNN and MSNBC), and the same core diet of print newspapers, led by his hometown New York Times and New York Post.

So... is it actually possible the GOP will retain control of Congress after November? I don't think so, but everyone I know is worried about it. Something called the CBS News Battleground Tracker claims the House is a toss-up. Forget the 40-some-odd seats in state legislatures that have flipped since Trump occupied the Oval Office... they have polls. The tracker predicts 219 Democrats to 216 Republicans-- a one seat majority if the election were held today. But the margin of error is 9 seats, so... way too close to call. It still predicts a twenty-odd gain for the Dems, less than half of what I've been predicting.

The pointless Democratic Party that stands for mostly nothing at all-- a tent too big to be meaningful-- is lucky people don't like Trump and the GOP, because barely half of Democratic Party supporters in swing districts say they are voting for the Democrats because they are for the Democrats. 49% of them are just against Trump and the Republicans. The Democrats are exactly what they've been trying try to be for over a decade-- the lesser of two evils. And identity politics voters prefer Democrats, of course (like the gender gap)

Republican supporters actually like what the GOP stands for-- shhhhh... that racism and bigotry we talked about above.

While Democrats may be poised to make gains, more than half of voters don't think either party in Congress has been trying to address the things they care about. Partisans think their own party is trying at least some to address their concerns, but few partisans think they are doing a lot on that. Right now, the GOP has a slight edge with independents, some of whom like the president's policies-- but not the way he handles himself personally. About a quarter of them aren't sure who'll they vote for.

Overall, voters in these competitive districts want to hear a lot from congressional candidates on health care, jobs and wages, and immigration.

Democrats and Republicans have different priorities. Most Republicans want to hear a lot about immigration, followed by jobs and wages, and health care. Nearly two-thirds of Republicans say the arrival of new immigrants has changed the area where they live, and most say it's for the worse.

For Democrats, they want candidates to focus on health care a lot, as well as income inequality, education and teacher salaries, and jobs. They are more likely than Republicans to say unemployment and the availability of good jobs is a problem where they live.

Alan Grayson made a good point: "Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does politics. When you don’t say much of anything about what you will do if you are elected, then the other side does it for you. That’s why the GOP is telling everyone who will listen that the only thing that the Democrats will do if they win the election is to raise taxes 'on you, on me, and on that fellow behind the tree.'" We need this guy back in Congress... badly.

Levi Tillemann, the progressive candidate running against Trump rubber stamp Mike Coffman in the Denver suburbs, has to get through a DCCC conservaDem, Jason Crow, before he can get to Coffman. Crow is a typical nothing candidate, a New Dem who would go to Washington and be a careerist waste of a seat. Tillemann is looking for real reform-- and that means reform of the Democratic Party. This morning he put it like this: "Today Democrats in Washington seem to lack all conviction while Trump’s cronies are full of passionate intensity. Democrats need to fight for something-- we need to fight for justice and opportunity. We can’t sell out workers, families, and marginalized communities to corporate donors and Wall Street. I say enough is enough. It’s time for change."

Professional Republican operatives are still very worried, of course. Charlie Black, a veteran GOP consultant told the NY Times yesterday that Trumpanzee "is like a suicide bomber: He could still blow himself up the day before the election and ruin everything." Let's hope. since there's more of a chance of that happening than there is of Pelosi and her leadership team supporting popular and effective congressional candidates or even putting forward and propagating a meaningful platform for Democratic candidates to run on.

Despite Trump's Clown Show, Progress Can Be Made... IS Being Made

While the Trump Regime keeps trying to entertain the public with Trump as the ringmaster of the circus, there are actually real things happening, most of them terrible. Yes, everyone will now be talking about what happens if Trump pardons himself, discussions about Trump's mishandling of, say, trade may b e overlooked. As the Washington Post put it Sunday, Trump is blundering into unraveling "70 years of pain­staking effort that the United States has led to build an inter­national system of trade based on mutually accepted rules and principles" that was meticulously built up beginning "in 1947 from the ashes of World War II." Does Trump, an ignorant baboon, imagine he knows better than Truman, Eisenhower, JFK, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, the other Bush and Obama? I'm sure he does. "[P]residents of both parties have pushed this system as a way to strengthen alliances and promote the expansion of democracy and prosperity in Europe and Asia," all things Trump doesn't care about and Putin opposes. "[W]with Trump’s decision last week to enact aluminum and steel tariffs against U.S. allies in Europe and North America, he is subverting previously agreed-­upon trade pacts. The result is a brewing trade war with Canada, Mexico and Europe, which are expressing shock and bitter frustration while enacting tariffs of their own on a bevy of American products." But-- look what Giuliani just said-- and that crazy Michael Cohen... OMG, did he you hear what Jim Jordan told Alex Wagner!

And there's good stuff happening that the Regime would rather no one notice or think about too. Last week, for example, James Hohmann went to great efforts to explain why Virginia's Medicaid expansion-- the 33rd state to do so-- is more important that what Giuliani was babbling about in the latest twists and turns regarding Putin-Gate. The expansion, he wrote, is even more than the beauty of 400,000 low-income citizens now having access to government health insurance. "It’s another nail in the coffin for efforts to repeal Obamacare and a fresh reminder of how difficult it is to scale back any entitlement once it’s created. Many Republicans, in purple and red states alike, concluded that Congress is unlikely to get rid of the law, so they’ve become less willing to take political heat for leaving billions in federal money on the table. Years of obstruction in the commonwealth gave way because key Republicans from rural areas couldn’t bear to deny coverage for their constituents any longer, moderates wanted to cut a deal and, most of all, Democrats made massive gains in November’s off-year elections."

Hohmann explained how this all came together despite Señor Trumpanzee stepping up "efforts to undermine the law, from repealing the individual mandate to watering down requirements for what needs to be covered in 'association health plans' [and how] the administration’s willingness to let states impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients has paradoxically given a rationale for Republicans to flip-flop on an issue where they had dug in their heels."

Likely to follow Virginia-- making the number of states with it 37:

• Mainers voted to "expand Medicaid by ballot initiative last fall, but Republican Gov. Paul LePage has blocked funding for its implementation and continues to fight the will of the voters in court. But he’s term limited and deeply unpopular, and it seems more likely than not that his successor will open the door for 70,000 poor Mainers to get insurance."

• "Utah will vote on a referendum in November to further expand Medicaid to an additional 150,000 residents. The measure officially qualified for the ballot on Tuesday."

• "Enough signatures have been submitted to qualify a ballot measure in Idaho. They’re now being reviewed by elections officials to make sure they meet that state’s strict requirements."

• "Nebraska’s governor opposes Medicaid expansion, but there is a grass-roots campaign underway to get enough signatures to put the measure on the November ballot. Organizers say they’re on track to get what they need before the deadline."

Expanding Medicaid in Virginia wasn’t easy. Big things never are. Four Senate Republicans defected to allow the measure to pass 23 to 17 in a special session. Then the House of Delegates, which passed its own version of expansion earlier in the year, approved the Senate’s measure 67 to 31.

There were 10 hours of procedural moves in the Virginia capitol on Wednesday. Police had to separate protesters who got into a shouting match. Former senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), of all people, even held a news conference to speak out against expansion. The majority leader of the state Senate tried a last-ditch parliamentary gambit to pigeonhole expansion during a Finance Committee hearing on Tuesday. But that was nothing compared to the five years of steadfast GOP obstruction.

“Opposition in the House crumbled after Democrats nearly won control of the chamber in November, amid a blue wave widely viewed as a rebuke to Trump,” Laura Vozzella and Gregory S. Schneider report from Richmond. “A chastened House Speaker M. Kirkland Cox (R-Colonial Heights), seeking to rebrand Republicans as results-oriented pragmatists, came out in favor of expansion if work requirements, co-pays and other conservative strings were attached. In February, 19 of the 51 Republicans in the House joined Democrats to pass a budget bill that expanded Medicaid, apparently concluding that they have more to fear from energized Democrats and independents than from potential primary challengers on the right.”

Easing their evolution was Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam’s assumption of the governorship in January: “The former state senator and lieutenant governor, a soft-spoken pediatrician and former Army doctor once wooed by Republicans, has close friends on both sides of the aisle. His predecessor, Terry McAuliffe (D), tried to expand Medicaid for four years but did not enjoy the same respect and trust from Republicans in Richmond.”

Virginia’s bill requires that most adult recipients who don’t qualify for disability either work or volunteer as a condition of receiving Medicaid. Cox, the Republican speaker, said the Trump administration’s openness to work requirements “was probably the biggest key” in garnering Republican support.

Rural conservatives also provided critical support. One of the four Republican senators who supported expansion, Ben Chafin, is a cattle farmer from a rural district where health care is hard to find. “I came to the conclusion that ‘no’ just wasn’t the answer anymore, that doing nothing about the medical conditions, the state of health care in my district, just wasn’t the answer any longer,” he told my colleagues.

The first Republican in the House of Delegates to explicitly endorse expansion was Del. Terry G. Kilgore, the chairman of the powerful House Commerce and Labor Committee.He broke the dam of GOP opposition when he announced in mid-February that the struggling swath of coal country he represents in southwest Virginia would get a desperately needed “hand up” if the uninsured could access Medicaid. “For my district, for my part of the state, it’s the right thing to do,” Kilgore said. Others from poor parts of the state quickly followed his lead.

These GOP defectors have experienced few repercussions back home. Americans for Prosperity, a political arm of the network led by the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers, ran ads attacking several of the 19 GOP delegates who voted for expansion in hopes that they would change their minds when the issue came up again in the special session. It showed that the anti-expansion effort was more bark than bite.

In Kilgore’s district, which went heavily for Trump, AFP radio ads broadcast his office phone number and urged people to call. “No calls, no comments,” Kilgore told Vozzella back in March. “I’ve been to Republican mass meetings. I’ve been out and about, ballgames, this and that. What I’ve heard people say is, ‘Hey, what you said made sense. We don’t mind helping people if they’re helping themselves.’”

The milder than expected blowback for those who walked the plank emboldened additional Republicans to break ranks. (To be sure, some of these incumbents might wind up drawing primary challengers in low-turnout 2019 elections.)

Another pivotal moment came in early April when state Sen. Frank Wagner (R-Virginia Beach), who unsuccessfully sought the GOP gubernatorial nomination last year and has served a quarter century in the legislature, announced that he had changed his mind. He said he could support Medicaid expansion on two conditions: that recipients not suddenly lose coverage if their earnings rise and that new tax credits be created to help middle-income people who already have insurance but are struggling to pay soaring premiums. Wagner played a key role negotiating the final deal.

“This is not just about helping this group of people,” Wagner said yesterday. “This is about getting out there and helping to bend the cost of health care for every Virginian... It is the number one issue on our voters’ minds. By golly, it ought to be the number one issue on the General Assembly’s mind.

”Some Virginia GOP strategists have been eager to take the Medicaid issue off the table. The most recent credible survey is from Christopher Newport University in January and February, which found that 58 percent of registered Virginia voters supported the expansion while 38 percent opposed it. The survey provided detailed arguments for and against the idea, which can lead to different results than a simple support-oppose question.

That poll corroborated a Quinnipiac University poll in April 2017, which found a similar 59 percent of registered Virginia voters saying a Medicaid an expansion is a “good idea” while 30 percent said it was a “bad idea.” Support was similar, 57 percent, when respondents were told the federal government will cover 90 percent of the costs while the state would cover just 10 percent.

Democrats believe they can play offense on health care in 2018 for the first time. Republicans used Obamacare to their advantage in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016. But the law has become more popular as the GOP tried to repeal it, and the fear of losing coverage might galvanize lower-propensity voters to turn out in the midterms.

More than half of all ads run by Democratic House candidates since the start of this year have mentioned health care (53.3 percent), according to data from Kantar Media. That’s more than any other issue, including anti-Trump messages (which have appeared in 43 percent of Democratic commercials).

But the war is not over. “Some conservative activists unable to surrender their long-held dream of repealing Obamacare are poised to release a long-shot plan next month to resurrect their failed effort, despite massive political odds against such a measure ever becoming law anytime soon,” Paige Winfield Cunningham wrote Tuesday in The Health 202. “But these conservatives are right about one thing: Republicans don’t have a coherent health-care message this election cycle. And they need one. The plan isn’t likely to garner much-- if any-- attention from GOP House and Senate leaders, who after last year’s repeal-and-replace debacle resigned themselves to the impossibility of fully ditching the law as they’d promised for so long. Now, health care is one of the last policy issues Republicans want to discuss at this point in the midterm election season, although most of them won’t admit it.”

A wild card, as always, is Trump. He said yesterday that he’s not giving up on his efforts to eviscerate Obama’s signature domestic achievement. During a signing ceremony for right-to-try legislation at the White House yesterday, he said he’ll make a health-care related announcement in the next two to four weeks. “We’ll get rid of the individual mandate. Without that, we couldn’t be doing what we’re doing in a few weeks,” he said. “We’re going to have great, inexpensive, but really good health care... We’re going to have two plans coming out. For the most part, we will have gotten rid of a majority of Obamacare.” As the crowd applauded, Trump added: “[We] could have had it done a little bit easier, but somebody decided not to vote for it, so it’s one of those things.”

There are scores of Democratic congressional candidates running on Medicare-For-All. The DCCC is undermining many of them but many of them are winning the nominations despite the DCCC, the way, for example, Kara Eastman did in Omaha two weeks ago. This is what Kara has to say about healthcare on her campaign website:

It’s time for our country to acknowledge that quality healthcare and access to health insurance is an American right. Families deserve to be able to get the medical treatment and medications they need, when they need them, without breaking the bank.

We must ensure that no mother ever weighs the costs before taking her children to the emergency room when they are in the need of immediate care. No father should ever forgo life-saving medication because he is afraid of being unable to pay the medical bills. No family should ever need to claim bankruptcy because they had the audacity to live after an accident or illness.

Our country should move toward the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act. We need to force big business and the pharmaceutical industry to offer more competitive prices.

The DCCC and establishment candidates may fight for the status quo ante but the horse is out of the barn and, with the exception of Biden-- easily the most corporate of all the serious Democratic potential presidential nominees-- they are all adopting Bernie's single payer ideas. And not just Kara, but congressional candidates all over the country are distinguishing themselves from DCCC candidates the way Levi Tillemann did when he said yesterday that "Over the last decade, the Democratic establishment’s reach for the center has lost us over 1,000 legislative seats nationally. Voters are looking for people who will fight for them. That’s why I’m fighting for Medicare for All, free college for middle-class Americans, a $15/hour minimum wage, and impeaching Trump and its why I’ve rejected all corporate and PAC money. It’s time to give voters a clear choice between a bought-and-paid-for rubber stamp like Coffman and a true progressive who will fight for them."

Primaries-- Tuesday And Beyond

On Tuesday there are primaries in California, Iowa, New Jersey, South Dakota, Alabama, Mississippi, Montana and New Mexico. Three weeks later-- on June 26--there are congressional primaries in Colorado, New York, Oklahoma (and Utah). If you live in any of the states that vote Tuesday, please be sure to get to the polls-- and drag a friend-- or two friends-- with you. Blue America has a special page for California congressional candidates we've endorsed. Kevin de León is the progressive running for the U.S. Senate. And these are 7 candidate for the House who California can contribute to the effort to pass a progressive agenda and put a check on Trump.

• Doug Applegate (CA-49)
• Katie Porter (CA-45)
• Sam Jammal (CA-39)
• Ammar Campa-Najja (CA-50)
• Ricardo Jose Franco (CA-22)
• Wendy Reed (CA-23)
• Marge Doyle (CA-08)

But let's focus on the most important June 26 campaigns in Colorado, New York and Oklahoma, where our candidates are Levi Tillemann in the Denver suburbs and Saira Rao in Denver itself, DuWayne Gregory on Long Island and Alexandria Ocasio in a district in Queens and the Bronx and Tom Guild in the metro Oklahoma City district.

What does it mean to be a progressive candidate in these races? Let's look at how Alexandria defined it in her just released video. Besides helping save the country from Trump and helping save the country, NY-14 and the Democratic Party from Joe Crowley, Alexandria emphasizes that "It's time we acknowledge that not all Democrats are the same. That a Democrat who takes corporate money, profits off foreclosure, doesn't live here, doesn't send his kids to our schools, doesn't drink our water or breathe our air cannot possibly represent us. What the Bronx and Queens needs is Medicare-for-all, tuition-free public college, a federal jobs guarantee, and criminal justice reform. We can do it now."

Does "late money" for the June 26 campaigns do any good? I asked three of our candidates. DuWayne has been elected and reelected over and over to be Chief Executive of the Suffolk County legislature. He told us that "During this phase of the campaign voter contact is critical. We have over one hundred volunteers going out speaking with voters. We can use these funds to pay for supplies our canvassers need like pens, clip boards, campaign leaflets, or to buy a tank of gas. Also, with additional funds the campaign can purchase a last minute cable spot to get our message costs $50,000. To send an additional mailing costs $14,850. It is expensive to finance a political campaign and your contribution will help us meet the critical tasks that have to get done in order to win."

"We have knocked nearly 13,000 doors," said Tom Guild. "We have participated in 16 parades. We have spoken at numerous events. We have put up hundreds of yard signs. We have done a mailer to the district. We have billboards up throughout Oklahoma's 5th CD. We have started display advertising in key publications. We have done online advertising. We need financial support to do one final mailing, buy crucial paid media on TV and radio, and to support our GOTV efforts. Your support can make a crucial difference and put us over the top to win the June 26 primary. That will put me in a position to make a YUUUUGE difference for you, our state, and our nation and to pursue and implement our shared progressive agenda to move our country forward by providing quality affordable health care, repairing our crumbling infrastructure, fixing our corrupt campaign finance system, protecting our environment, providing quality public education for our children, expanding Social Security, and adopting Medicare for All. I’m all in! Are you?"

Levi Tillemann is the candidate the DCCC is trying to undermine so they can get their corrupt conservative candidate, Jason Crow, into the race against Mike Coffman in the suburbs around Denver. This morning, Levi told me that "We can’t beat Republicans by being Republicans. We won't beat them by being more pro-business and anti-worker, or having more photos holding guns, or sacrificing the rights of women, immigrants, or the LGBTQ+ community. Over the last decade, the Democratic establishment’s reach for the center has lost us over 1,000 legislative seats nationally. Voters are looking for people who will fight for them. That’s why I’m fighting for Medicare for All, free college for middle-class Americans, a $15/hour minimum wage, and impeaching Trump and its why I’ve rejected all corporate and PAC money. It’s time to give voters a clear choice between a bought-and-paid-for rubber stamp like Coffman and a true progressive who will fight for them."

Democratic Candidates Are Advocating A Progressive Agenda And Are Happy To Make The Election A Referendum On Trump

GOP candidates rallying behind Trump read an ABC News headline yesterday. Some are, of course... and some aren't. The line that interested me most, though, was "Republicans appear far more comfortable touting Trump’s leadership than Democrats do arguing against it." Again, some are and some aren't-- on both ends of that statement. More than a few Republicans are leaving Congress altogether rather than even attempt defending Trump, a compulsive liar-- on any level. As for Democrats not feeling comfortable arguing against Trump's leadership... what sort of Democrats are we talking about? I asked some of the savviest Democrats I know about their posture towards Trump.

Alan Grayson is running on his record when he was in Congress, as he works to take back his Orlando area House seat, held my a centrist Democrat with no record at all. Grayson was able to pass more legislation than any other member of Congress and he hopes to continue doing that when he's back in Congress... that and impeaching Trump. "Republicans," he told me, "started campaigning against Obama from the day that he was elected, with no basis whatsoever. As I said once on the Floor of the House, if Obama had a BLT sandwich, the Republicans would try to ban bacon. More recently, however, mysterious forces pushed the most unpopular presidential candidate in the history of polling across the finish line, with 54% of Americans voting against him even before we saw how miserable he is as President. Yet somehow, certain Democrats think that we should lay off him. Those are the Democrats who never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity."

 Jamie Raskin (D-MD) has the highest ProgressivePunch score in Congress-- yes, he's #1, he's #1-- and he's the organizer of Democracy Summer, a program educating high school and college students on the dynamics of political change and deploying them to swing districts. "Our people," he told me today, "are sick of Donald Trump and the depraved corruption of this administration. From Virginia to New Jersey to Alabama to western Pennsylvania to Colorado, we’re winning elections across America because we’re focused on restoring government to the people. But there’s no popular demand for wallowing in Trump’s crimes against the common good. Our people want hope for progressive renewal and strategies for practical change to take America back from the abyss."

Saira Rao is running for the Denver seat occupied by middle of the road Democrat Diana DeGette. They have very different approaches. DeGette is basically a centrist looking out for her own career. Rao wants to make Denver-- and the country-- better. "Why," she asked, "isn't white supremacy an impeachable offense? We have a President who calls Nazis and members of the KKK 'very fine people,' countries with people of color 'shitholes' and undocumented immigrants 'animals.' Hitler used that word to describe Jewish people.  Democrats in Congress continue to tweet about Trump but when it came down to it, they voted to table the vote on impeachment. If more brown and black people were in Congress, we'd move to impeach him. White supremacy is life and death for us." It doesn't sound to me that with Jamie or Saira is having a tough time questioning Trump's leadership.

Before Levi Tillemann (CO-06) takes on Trump-adverse Republican, Mike Coffman, he has to beat a corrupt right-wing Democrat. Levi is sticking to running on his own progressive agenda. He told us today that as he's "spoken to thousands of voters around Colorado, it's clear that people want accountability in Washington, and that means impeaching Trump. He is unfit to be president and voters know it. Voters know that I'm fighting for universal healthcare, getting corporate influence out of politics, and protecting kids from guns, and along with that, they know that I'm fighting to impeach Trump."

Yes, people can walk and chew gum at the same time. Paul Clements (MI-06) is working to get through a gaggle of conservative Democrats before facing Trump rubber stamp Fred Upton, like Tillemann, he's fighting for progressive issues and holding Trump accountable: "Trump," he told me without flinching, "is the greatest threat to American democracy in my lifetime. He seems to think the separation of powers does not apply to him, that our judges and law enforcement officials should promote his political and personal agendas. His racism, lies, disrespect, and encouragement of violence undermine the civic friendship that democracy depends on. His economic policies continue our slide into oligarchy. His foreign policy supports authoritarians. His environmental policies threaten our common future. In world-historical terms this is a moment when we face an urgent call for real democratic leadership.

Of course, right wing extremists who are counting on the GOP base to turn out and not thinking about independent voters to get them over the finish line are adhering to Trump in a big way. But more Republicans are worried about Trump's toxicity with independents. If you're some crackpot in a crackpot district like Matt Gaetz (FL), Paul Gosar (AZ), Hal Rogers (KY), Doug Collins (GA), Phil Roe (TN), Liz Cheney (WY), Michael Conaway (TX) or Rob Aderholt (AZ) you can be reelected without one independent voter-- and without one person with a 3-digit IQ.

Trump's visit Tuesday to Nashville highlights the unmistakable trend: There is virtually no room between Trump and the Senate candidates hoping to maintain his Republican majority this year. And Republicans appear far more comfortable touting Trump’s leadership than Democrats do arguing against it.

Trump claimed that his sway drove Sen. Bob Corker from running for another term in Tennessee, and kept him out when he flirted with returning after all.

In his place is Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who faces only nominal opposition in August’s GOP primary. She is set to join nominees who have already emerged out of states including Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, by winning fights that centered on who the most staunch Trump loyalist would be.

It’s also telling that while Trump is primed to attack the likely Democratic candidate in Tennessee, Phil Bredesen, Bredesen is already on TV promising to "separate the message from the messenger."

"Look, I’m not running against Donald Trump," Bredesen said in a recent campaign ad.

Interesting race there in Tennessee. Bredesen has always run Republican-lite campaigns and his ability to be elected and re-elected governor of the deep red state has a lot to do with his innate conservatism and his ability to appeal to independents and moderate Republicans. He's consistently been running ahead of Blackburn in all polls because voters see her as an extremist and him as more mainstream. Progressives who vote for him will be voting against Trump in a referendum and for Bredesen as the lesser of two evils.

Katie Porter (CA-45), on the other hand, is running hard for an Orange County seat occupied by a total Trump rubber stamp, Mimi Walters. This morning she told us that she's "running to stand up to Trump's reckless and hateful agenda. Senators Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren have endorsed our campaign because they know that in Congress, I will hold Donald Trump and powerful special interests accountable, fight for Medicare for All, for common sense gun reform, and always protect a woman’s right to choose."

Sam Jammal (CA-39) works his disdain for Trump into the reasons that impelled him to run. "We are," he told me, "running a campaign focused on our values and the middle class-- two things Trump stands against. The 39th district is a diverse community that is welcoming. This is why the Fullerton City Council rejected attempts to join the sanctuary city lawsuit. We also have a lot of families who are working hard to get by. Trump's tax reform bill is an attack on these families. 80% of our homeowners will be hit by the lower mortgage interest deductions. Thousands of individuals have pre-existing conditions and are at risk of Trump taking away their health care. And the new $1.5 trillion deficit we now face thanks to Trump's tax reform means our schools have less money for educating our students and making sure our schools are safe places to learn. There is no neutrality in Trump's direct attacks on California families. We have to stand up and push back against not only his division, but the very real attacks on our economy."

Let's close this out with a few words-- and some excellent advise for candidates-- from the West Coast Regional Vice Chair of the DCCC, Congressman Ted Lieu. "Congressional Republicans," he told us, "are stuck between a Trump and a hard place. As they prepare to go before voters later this year, many Republicans find themselves in the unenviable position of having to defend the constant barrage of insanity that comes from the White House. Some will lean into Trump in the hopes that his popularity with a certain segment of the Republican base will save them (though there aren't really any great examples of his popularity transferring to other candidates). Others will try to walk the tightrope of finding common ground when possible and creating distance when Trump goes off the rails, and some will reject him altogether. None of those are great options when you are running a tough reelection campaign. In a world where many prominent conservatives (Bill Kristol, Mitt Romney, George Will, Jeff Flake, John McCain, Charlie Dent to name a few) have been critical of the President, all Democrats should feel free to point out the harm Trump has caused and will continue to cause to our great nation. In addition, the first rule of elections is you have to energize your base. If you don't do that, it becomes very difficult to win."