Blue Dogs vs Progressives-- Tomorrow Is Primary Day In Florida's 12th Congressional District

Gee (I thought) I wish I had a crystal ball to tell me how the primary in Florida's 12th CD would turn out tomorrow before I write this post. But I don't, so I'm going to plow ahead anyway. I'm not certain of this, but I believe tomorrow's election is the first time a Democratic primary for an open seat finds the Blue Dog caucus and the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) lined up formally backing different candidates. The Blue Dogs are backing Lori Edwards, a reactionary who gives every indication of being a habitual aisle crosser if she were ever to make it into Congress. John Boehner must have his fingers crossed that if Edwards wins the primary, he's guaranteed a vote for the conservative agenda regardless of what happens in November. The Congressional Progressive Caucus has endorsed, Doug Tudor, last cycle's Democratic challenger, a stalwart and intrepid defender of the legitimate aspirations of ordinary working American families. Edwards' legislative vision is to back the Wall Street and Big Business blue print for America, i.e., the Law of the Jungle; Tudor's is to fight for small business and for the kinds of folks who can't afford to hire their own lobbyists.

It's nothing new for Blue Dogs to aggressively push their like-minded candidates, load them up with early cash and then use that demonstration of "fundraising prowess" to give the DCCC the excuse it needs to endorse them over a progressive. That's exactly what happened in this case. Edwards' biggest single contribution, $10,000, was from the Blue Dog PAC. The Blue Dog PAC gave $10,000 contributions this year to the following non-incumbent conservative corporate shills:

Ed Case (HI)
Chad Causey (AR)
Lori Edwards (FL)
Roy Herron (TN)
Stephene Moore (KS)

Edwards got an identical $10,000 contribution from the PAC of her Blue Dog sponsor Allen Boyd (The Harvest PAC). Keep in mind that Boyd was the only Democrat to sign on as a cosponsor to Bush's scheme to privatize Social Security. If Edwards is elected he won't be alone next time it comes up. Not only did she get more money from the Harvest PAC this year-- the most anyone else was given was less than half that-- and those were $4,000 pops to the 5 Democrats who voted most frequently against the Democratic agenda: Bobby Bright (Blue Dog-AL), Travis Childers (Blue Dog-MS), Frank Kratovil (Blue Dog-MD), Walt Minnick (Blue Dog-ID), and Glenn Nye (Blue Dog-VA).

The other Blue Dog with a PAC who gave big to Edwards was Mike Ross' Advance Arkansas PAC ($5,000), and then $5,000 slams came in from two Democratic leaders who are most interested in electing pliable, corrupt members like themselves-- Hoyer's AmeriPAC and Debbie Wasserman Schultz's notoriously sleazy Democrats Win Seats PAC.

In all, Edwards has raised $345,977 as of August 4, far less than the DCCC tells progressives they need to raise to get their endorsement and financial backing. And that's far less than half what the GOP candidate, Dennis Ross, raised ($810,875). Doug Tudor, whose donors have been told not to back him by Hoyer, Wasserman Schultz and other slimy DCCC operatives, took in $49,895. If he wins tomorrow, it will be because Edwards spent her money on useless DC consultants and he's managed to mobilize one of the most effective grassroots operations in Florida outside of Alan Grayson's. And because he stands for the kind of populism that Democratic primary voters are looking for.

So what about the Congressional Progressive Caucus? Oh, yeah... I almost forgot. It's the biggest Democratic caucus in Congress-- and it has the most powerful membership list. But it hasn't taken on the Blue Dogs in the electoral game. Members of the CPC have been over one hundred times more likely to donate to a Blue Dog-backed candidate than to donate to a progressive challenger! With CPC endorsements for Doug Tudor-- and 5 other strong progressives, Justin Coussoule (D-OH), David Segal (D-RI), Bill Hedrick (D-CA), Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH), and Beth Krom (D-CA)-- it looks like the CPC is sticking its toe into the world of practical politics. Here's the statement that went to the media about Doug Tudor's race:

Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC endorses Doug Tudor for Congress

Washington, DC – Doug Tudor has won the endorsement of the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC for his election to Congress as Representative of Florida’s Twelfth Congressional District.

“I am extremely honored to accept the Congressional Progressive CaucusPAC’s endorsement and support,” said Tudor. “The Congressional Progressive Caucus has been at the forefront of the fight to ensure that the United States Congress represents all of the people of our country, building a more just and humane society. I will work hard in Congress to promote economic justice for all Americans, protect the Constitutional rights of all, promote peace and security, and ensure that our children and grandchildren inherit a world as beautiful as the one we now share.”

“The Congressional Progressive Caucus will be proud to have you as a member,” said Congressman Raul Grijalva, Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-chair.

The CPC is very different from the Blue Dogs. The Blue Dogs are best known for fighting on the side of the Republicans against Obama's agenda, often using their clout to water down the most progressive, worker/consumer/family-friendly parts of legislation as its being drafted. Their biggest "achievement" in the last year was destroying the public option and ruining the serious efforts at Wall Street reform. When reactionaries were looking for votes against women's Choice, they knew they could find them among Blue Dogs. Every single Democrat crossing the aisle to vote against Hate Crimes legislation was a Blue Dog. They may claim to be "fiscal conservatives" but they back Bush's catastrophic tax cuts for millionaires, unpaid-for-wars and subsidies for corporations, especially for corporations willing to line Blue Dog pockets. The CPC is the dynamic force behind every reform effort in Congress. The Blue Dogs largely line up with the Republicans to oppose them. It's what Polk and Hillsborough County Democrats should try to keep in mind when they go to vote tomorrow.

What Is The Takeaway From Artur Davis' Thorough Thrashing In The Alabama Democratic Primary Last Night?

Wrong for the Democratic Party, Wrong for America, Fox "Democrats," Artur & Lori

Last night it wasn't only conservative corporate hacks like former-Blue Dog-turned-Republican Parker Griffith (who was slaughtered in the GOP primary, not even making it to a runoff against some nutcase teabagger) and Palin-backed Angela McGlowan (who came in a distant third in the GOP primary in Mississippi) who had terrible nights. Artur Davis has always been thought of as a Democrat with a bright future, until last night. He spent the last year and a half moving profoundly right: He went from a moderate 70.82 ProgressivePunch lifetime voting score to a dismal and reactionary 31.58 since Obama became President and, more importantly, since he started campaigning to be governor of Alabama. His vote against the health care reform bill was probably the last straw for his congressional constituents, who gave Ron Sparks majorities in 10 of the 12 counties that make up AL-07, Davis' own congressional district! Statewide, Sparks took 199,190 votes (62.4%) to Davis' 119,908 votes (37.6%). Davis' strategy-- one long encouraged by Rahm Emanuel and the DCCC (see Ken's perceptive stinky cheese story from yesterday)-- to move to the political right backfired... very badly. It's a losing strategy; when conservatives vote, they tend to prefer to vote for real conservatives, not Democrats playing the role.

Will the Democrats learn anything from Davis' disaster last night? Not. A. Chance. And especially not know-it-all powermongers like Emanuel and his female doppelganger Debbie Wasserman Schultz. They will continue hunting out reactionary candidates who apologize for being Democrats and, when they can slip into office, vote with the GOP.

A perfect example-- among so many-- is reactionary Blue Dog Lori Edwards, being fiercely pushed on Democrats by Wasserman Schultz. Although they're attempting to gussie her up as a moderate, Edwards is the only non-incumbent so far this year to be endorsed by and financed by the conservative Blue Dog caucus. Wasserman Schultz and her anti-Social Security ally Allen Boyd are hammering lobbyists and fellow Democrats-- including politically naive progressives-- to donate to Edwards. And why? So there will be another anti-government, anti-healthcare, anti-working family Democrat to cross the aisle and vote with Boehner at every opportunity?

The irony here is that the far more electable Democrat, 2008 Democratic candidate Doug Tudor, is also in the race. He isn't a self-funder-- a cardinal sin among party insiders-- and he wasn't an ass-kisser when he had the temerity to ask Wasserman Schultz for help back then. Last night, as Artur Davis' strategy of abandoning the same kinds of values and principles that faux Democrats (and DCCC faves) like Ed Case and Tim Mahoney have abandoned was blowing up in his face, we reached Doug Tudor and asked him about why party insiders always seem to be pushing anti-working family Democrats like Edwards and Davis in primaries.

“Lori," he told us, "may call herself ‘centrist’ or whatever other deceptive term she wants, but the truth is she is a conservative. Having never before run in a Democratic primary-- with the exception of the 2000 Congressional race in which she quit-- Lori showed her true colors early in this race when she actively sought the Blue Dog endorsement. Every Democratic and Independent voter who worked for and voted for change and hope in 2008 will do well to remember it is Blue Dog conservative Democrats who are blocking the President’s attempts to reform healthcare, to reform the financial sector, and blocking his attempts to extend programs which directly benefit working people and middle class families. Lori can join her conservative friends in decrying government, but she certainly shouldn’t be so callous to the many benefits government brings to the countless FL-12 residents who were hurt by the conservative economic policies to which she ascribes.

"As for me, I’ll stand with the many progressives throughout America’s history who have fought the battles that needed to be fought. It wasn’t popular to stand with unions, to end the Hoover-era giveaways to Wall Street and industrial robber barons, to provide a security net for our seniors, to integrate the Armed Forces, to integrate our schools and public places, to ensure the voting rights of all Americans, to provide health care to our elderly, and to expand that coverage to nearly all Americans. It wasn’t popular, but progressives like Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Jack Kennedy and Barack Obama, as well as Dr. King, Robert Kennedy and countless American freedom fighters the country owes such a debt of gratitude to, fought the good fight and won. These are the names and the spirits I want to be associated with… not the names of John Barrow, Jane Harman, and Gene Taylor.

"As freshman Alabama Blue Dog Parker Griffith proved when he switched parties after being in office less than one year, conservative Blue Dog Democrats are just a press conference away from being conservative Republicans. There is a party for people with Lori Edwards’ political leanings, and it is the Republican Party." 

If you can, please help Doug and other real Democrats like Claudia, Marcy and Regina defeat Blue Dog reactionaries in their primary races, all of which are coming up quickly.

If Arizona Wins The Craziest State Award This Week, Is Florida A Big Stinky Number Two?

GOP split likely to turn FL-12 blue

One of the several significant upsides to Charlie Crist's bailing on the teabagger-dominated Republican primary is that it's going to devastate Florida Republicans in down-ticket races.

One unintended consequence of Crist’s decision is the impact not having Crist and Rubio driving turnout in the Primary will have on down-ballot races, including partisan races, such as state legislative primaries and county commission races, and on non-partisan races where party affiliation may not be listed, but still remains a factor.

Take a look at some of the races in Tampa Bay, now that we know Crist and Rubio won’t be pumping tens of millions in Get-Out-The-Vote operations in July and August, that will have enormous impact in the GOP primaries for Florida State House Districts 45, 47, 57 and 60 and Florida Senate District 10 and 12.

Weren’t moderate Republican candidates like Kathryn Starkey (H-45) and Irene Guy (H-47) looking for Crist to turn out the support of moderate Republicans?

Wasn’t Paul Phillps (S-10) looking for a surge from conservative voters over “liberal” Rhonda Storms?
Regardless of who would have won, there is no doubt having Crist and Rubio on the ballot would have increased turnout.  How they would have impacted turnout is still debatable; not having Crist on the ballot in August takes away a major reason for moderate Republicans to head to the polls, just as not having Rubio on the ballot takes millions of dollars out of the GOTV plan to turn out the most conservative voters.

The real impact of not having Crist and Rubio on the ballot in August (and now having at least a nominal Democratic primary for the US Senate) will be felt in the non-partisan school board and judicial races that will be decided.

Although it wasn't Ted Nugent Ginny Brown-Waite endorsed yesterday, she did wait for the very last second to announce that she wouldn't be running for re-election. It has, after all, been all down hill for the poor imbecile ever since Congress rejected her brilliant idea of getting even with France for not invading Iraq by digging up the bodies of all the American servicemen and women who died in France during World War I and II and shipping them back to America. When she prematurely announced she was going to retire a couple months ago, the Florida GOP shut her up so they could position Richard Nugent as the only candidate in the race. It's an old trick both parties-- especially in uber-corrupt states like Florida-- use to undermine any semblance of democracy. With only an hour to file, no one-- from either party (although there's a good Democratic candidate, Jim Piccillo, already running)-- but the selected GOP candidate could get into the race. That's how Florida got stuck with Kendrick Meek as a congressman, except it was he and his congresswoman mother who pulled the stunt. It's a really repulsive tactic, one that would come naturally to Republicans but should be eschewed by Democrats.

But that was hardly the only surprise as the state's close of filing came and went yesterday. In fact, the other news, is... GREAT news. No surprise on the Democratic side, which pits a reactionary Blue Dog, Lori Edwards, backed by the Inside-the-Beltway lobbyists and Sugar Lobby crook and DCCC power-monger Debbie Wasserman Schultz, against the grassroots progressive, Doug Tudor. (Please contribute what you can to Doug's campaign.) The interesting news comes on the Republican side.

Polk County Commissioner Randy Wilkinson made it a three-party race Friday for the U.S. House of Representatives District 12 seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Bartow.


Wilkinson, elected to the commission as a Republican, is running for Congress as a member of the Tea Party. On his campaign documents, the Bartow resident said he is a member of that party and not a registered member of any other party.

He had been assumed to be running in the Republican primary against shady corporate shyster and former State Representative Dennis Ross and another fringe right sociopath, John W. Lindsey Jr. By running as a Tea Party candidate, he almost surely guarantees that Doug Tudor will win the general election. I called Doug yesterday and he felt the same way I did about it. He told us, in pretty excited terms, that he couldn't have hoped for a better Filing Day outcome:

“With today’s federal filing deadline, the field is set in Florida’s 12th Congressional district. It is one progressive-- me-- running against four conservatives. Randy Wilkinson’s surprise filing as a TEA Party candidate ensuring a three-way general election, TeamTudor has never had a more clear path to victory in November. We know we can beat Blue Dog Lori Edwards, due to our superior grassroots and activist organization. Once Randy splits the radical right vote with big-insurance lawyer Dennis Ross in November, we will elect a Progressive and representative democracy will be returned to FL-12.”

FL-12 now moves up the rank to one of the best opportunities for a red seat turning blue. Again, please help make sure it's actually BLUE by helping Doug win his primary against a corporately-owned Blue Dog who has the same positions as the Republicans... though just on the important things. You can contribute to Doug's campaign here at the Blue America '10 page. And, in fact, every person who donates at least $25 in the next 24 hours will have his or her name put into a hat, from which one winner will be drawn. Winner? Winner? What's the prize? Ah... glad you asked. Remember, before I became a blogger I was the president of Reprise Records and one of our awesomest artists was Neil Young. The "winner" gets a rare, numbered VERY limited edition full color Neil Young print that has never been offered for sale. If you know a Neil Young fan, this is the ultimate gift.

Whose Side Is Steny Hoyer Really On-- People Or Corporations?

Good news: Steny Hoyer likes dogs.
Bad news: He loves Blue Dogs.

Tomorrow morning Majority Leader Steny Hoyer will be working hard to help elect an extremely conservative Democrat, Lori Edwards-- the only non-incumbent endorsed by the Blue Dog caucus-- to an open seat in Florida's 12th CD. Doug Tudor is the grassroots Democrat who ran in 2008, did well and is running again. Doug would align himself with the working family interests the Democratic Party traditionally stands for. Edwards is, at best, a "business Democrat" who could reasonably be expected to vote with her chief sponsor, Allen Boyd, against things like Social Security and healthcare reform.

At 8:30 am Hoyer and Edwards will be slobbering down sausage, bacon, ham and eggs and collecting checks from corrupt businessmen at the Tampa offices of one of the largest and most disreputable lobbying firms in America, Holland and Knight (at 100 North Tampa Street). Hoyer is trying to squeeze $2,400 contributions from the attendees, all of whom will be looking for future "favors" from the sleazy Hoyer and, on the off chance she wins the primary and the general election, from the hapless Blue Dog.

Meanwhile Holland and Knight's PAC has been handing out bribes contributions to try to influence votes that impact its clients. Among the conservatives on this year's Holland and Knight gravy train, where Hoyer and his Blue Dog will be feted tomorrow, are Jason Altmire (Blue Dog-PA, $2,000), John Barrow (Blue Dog-GA, $2,000), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN, $2,000), Dan Boren (Blue Dog-OK, $2,000), Vern Buchanan (R-FL, $5,000), Congress' most corrupt Republican, Ken Calvert (R-CA, $500, a cheap date), Eric Cantor (R-VA, $3,500), Phil Gingrey (R-GA, $3,000), Parker Griffith (Blue Dog/R- AL, $1,000), Baron Hill (Blue Dog-IN, $1,000), Steny Hoyer (D-MD, $3,500), Darrell Issa (R-Toyota, $1,000), Jack Kingston (R-GA, $3,000), Jim Matheson (Blue Dog-UT, $3,500), Glenn Nye (Blue Dog-VA, $2,000), Mike Pence (R-IN, $1,000), Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN, $1,000), Paul Ryan (R-WI, $1,500), Mean Jean Schmidt (R-OH, $1,000), and (bad investment) Bart Stupak (RIP, $2,500).

Lori Edwards would have no chance fighting it out in a primary against Tudor on her own. He pulverized her so badly in the one debate she agreed to that she's turned down all other invitations to debate, regardless of which Democrat clubs or nonpartisan organizations have invited her. All she's got are corporate shills like Hoyer and Debbie Wasserman Schultz shaking down lobbyists for her. Blue America has endorsed Doug Tudor, and we're raising money for him on our PAC's main page. Please consider helping to balance the lobbyists that Hoyer brings in tomorrow morning by making a contribution to Doug. Even $5 and $10 contributions will help him get his message out.

I asked Doug what his take is on the Hoyer breakfast tomorrow, and he was his good old unflappable self:

Lori won’t face the voters or her fellow Democrats, because she is too busy sucking up to Washington insiders and corporate lobbyists. She’s Washington’s choice, but I am working everyday to be the people’s choice. It’s interesting to see her attend an event at 8:30 on a Monday, when she is supposed to be at work in the job to which she was elected in 2008 and now wants to abandon two years early.

There's another perspective on this too. I asked Andrew Gall, the Maryland Democrat who is running a primary challenge to Hoyer, what he thinks of Hoyer helping Blue Dogs and conservative Democrats-- mostly incumbents-- around the country. He had an interesting way of looking at it:

Hoyer's travels around the country in support of corporatist and unnecessarily conservative congressional candidates harms our country and is indicative of how Hoyer operates. Primaries are arguably the best feature of American democracy. They allow outsiders to challenge incumbents, thereby providing voters the opportunity to hold their elected officials accountable for poor actions without having to compromise their values or principles by voting for a Republican. As Hillary's challenge to Obama demonstrated, primaries don't hurt candidates, they make them stronger and more prepared for a general election. Yet, Majority Leader Hoyer travels the country in an attempt to stamp out these flames of democracy.

He does this for the same reason he voted for the Iraq War. He does this for the same reason he retroactively granted immunity to telecoms for illegally spying on American citizens. He does this for the same reason he does everything these days. He does it for political expedience. He doesn't have the gall to stand up for good policy because he is too concerned with politics. He is constantly looking to advance himself politically instead of consistently looking to advance the the interests of Americans and American democracy.

Moreover, Hoyer's success in prolonging the careers of corporate Democrats points to a bigger problem-- the role of money in politics today. Incumbents have built in advantages with high name recognition, easy access to press, and the ability to travel their district, hold events promoting themselves, and send direct mail to voters all on the tax-payer dime. These advantages are exacerbated by our system of privately funded elections. Hoyer is successful in re-electing these corporate Democrats because he is able to raise so much money. He is able to raise so much money because he is able to secure votes for his funders. As long as we have a system that requires candidates to raise tremendous sums from private interests, we will continue to see Majority Leader Hoyer travel the country in support of Democrats that will vote for these private interests. That is why I am running to end Hoyer's corporate complicity and to enact a system of robust public financing of elections.

Blue America Welcomes Doug Tudor (FL-12)

In 2008 Doug Tudor was the Democratic nominee in an impossible race against an entrenched, powerful incumbent, multimillionaire Adam "Howdy Doody Nimrod" Putnam. An outspoken grassroots progressive, Doug ran without the backing of the DCCC and with the animus of nasty Florida powerbroker Debbie Wasserman Schultz. And yet... Doug did as well against Putnam as any of the losing Democratic candidates-- other than Joe Garcia-- that the DCCC and Wasserman Schultz did back. Conservative Democrat Christine Jennings got boatloads of DCCC-inspired cash and wound up with 37% of the vote. Conservative Democratic incumbent Tim Mahoney, a Rahm and Debbie special, raised over $3 million and barely managed to break 40%. And although the netroots had to force Wasserman Schultz' hand, she eventually backed Annette Taddeo and Raul Martinez-- with hundreds of thousand of dollars-- and each got 42% of the vote on election day. Doug-- with nothing but grassroots support-- and a budget of $109,851 (against Putnam's eye-popping $2,054,571) wound up with 43%. Imagine if he had had Democratic Party support! (As Chris Bowers reported yesterday, the DCCC spent over $14 million on Blue Dogs and other conservatives who vote against Democratic initiatives as a matter of course.)

Well, with Putnam leaving Congress in the hopes of plaguing Florida consumers on the way to a gubernatorial run in the future, the DCCC did decide to pump some money into FL-12, but instead of helping Doug, they got railroaded into backing Blue Dog Allen Boyd's handpicked corporate shill-- and fellow Blue Dog-- Lori Edwards. Lori is the only non-incumbent Blue Dog that caucus has backed so far this cycle. They gave her a lot of money and introduced her to all the worst and most corrupt corporate lobbyists who buy votes from congressmembers with no ethics and then claimed they had to endorse her because she has so much money and Doug doesn't. (She's taken in an unimpressive $176,451 so far and has virtually no backing on the ground.)

Today Doug is being officially endorsed by Blue America and he will join us for a live blog session at Crooks and Liars at 2pm (11am, PT). Last week, after his first debate with Lori Edwards, I made a case for his candidacy here but today we get to hear directly from Doug why he deserves support from the progressive community.

Doug's military record is a real inspiration, even for an old peacenik like myself, and I urge you to look it over carefully to help you gage what kind of a man we're talking about. But what has brought him to Blue America's attention is where he stands on the issues that are most important to us. Like I said, he's happy to answer questions on all the issues we're concerned with. Here are some direct quotes Doug has given me in interviews over time:

On the Economy: “During the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the federal government has to take the lead. Now is not the time to limit spending nor is it the time to talk about reducing the debt created by 30 years of Reaganomics.”
 
“The Federal Reserve needs to be audited, and the Congress needs to fully assume its role as the overseer of the Executive Branch’s regulatory functions.”
 
“I support reinstating Glass–Steagall provisions which prohibit banks from owning other financial companies.”
 
On Iraq: “It’s way past time to declare victory and come home. Like most things the Bush Administration did, the mantra of “We’ll stand down when they stand up” is absolutely backward. The Iraqi government will stand up once we stand down. Bring the troops home now.”
 
On Afghanistan: “We need to remove our forces and use counter-terrorism tactics instead of counter-insurgency. Only the Afghan government can successfully prosecute a counter-insurgency campaign.”
 
On Energy Policy: “People need to understand that America’s reliance on fossil fuels is a national security issue, where countries hostile to America can control our ability to determine our own future. Renewable and clean energy will allow us to control our own destiny, as well as creating innumerable jobs and supporting industries.” 

“I support Cap and Trade, and I am not afraid to call it Cap and Tax. I believe we need to Cap (limit) carbon emissions and Tax (fine) polluters. If someone pollutes by littering we fine them. Why shouldn’t we do the same with industry and other major polluters?”
 
On Equality: “I support marriage equality and the Employee Nondiscrimination Act. I would advocate to rescind and vote to rescind Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act.” 

I constantly hear well-meaning Democrats whining how they agree with progressive issues but can't tell anyone because the voters in their district are so reactionary. FL-12 has a PVI of R+5 and in the last three cycles Bush won by 55% (2000) and 58% (2004) and McCain edged out Obama 50-49%. Putnam's last 3 re-elections saw him rack up 65% (2004), 69% (2006) and 57% (against Putnam in 2008). That doesn't cause Doug to back away from presenting himself as an unabashed defender of working families and their interests, any more than it caused Alan Grayson or Dave Loebsack to go "Republican-lite." Doug Tudor is no John Barrow or Parker Griffith; he's a real progressive/populist Democrat. In fact, speaking about party-jumping Griffith the other day, Doug told me that "Blue Dogs like Lori Edwards are just a press conference away from being Republicans... The change you worked so hard for in 2008 is not being blocked by Republicans. It is being blocked by Blue Dogs who are in bed with the Republicans.” 

Doug is a state leader of Operation Free, an organization of veterans who have been emphasizing the relationship between unsustainable energy and environmental policies and unjustifiable wars. Take a look (and, if you can, make a difference):

A Case For Doug Tudor, Progressive Florida Democrat

A couple days ago I mentioned that DCCC Stalinist Debbie Wasserman Schultz, plus anti-Social Security fanatic Allen Boyd (Blue Dog-FL), had forced the DCCC's professional staff to add reactionary Blue Dog and corporate shill Lori Edwards to the Red to Blue program, tainting and devaluing it for everyone else in the eyes of progressives and grassroots Democrats.

I asked Doug Tudor, the grassroots Democrat running for the seat, who had been forewarned that the DCCC was about to pull this, for a reaction: "Washington politicians and corporate lobbyists are trying to determine who will be the Democratic nominee in FL-12. Despite the hard work and the great showing of our grassroots campaign in 2008, the DCCC didn't contact me and didn't take my calls. They didn't consult the Chairs of the three Democratic Executive Committees which cover FL-12. Basically, they didn't consult the people or the people's representatives. We will prove them wrong in the August primary."

I think Doug felt far worse when his pals at the local AFL-CIO bowed to pressure from Wasserman Schultz and endorsed Edwards. "I respect my brothers and sisters in labor, but I know they made the wrong decision. Lori has aligned herself with the Blue Dogs in Congress, and those Blue Dogs do not support labor. Lori's substandard record in the Florida House in the 1990s also shows that she does not support labor. I understand they were under pressure from the DCCC and the national and state AFL-CIO, but I had expected them to live up to union standards-- leadership from the bottom up. Regardless, I want my friends in labor to know-- though you didn't support me, I will always support you!

"Under Adam Putnam, we have had ten years of conservative non-representation. We cannot allow Washington and corporate lobbyists to force us to endure another FL-12 conservative in the U.S. House."

Tomorrow Doug-- along with 4 other progressive challengers, Billy Kennedy (D-NC), Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH), Natalie Mosher (D-MI) and Bill Hedrick (D-CA)-- will get a nice boost from Congressman Jerry Nadler, chairman of the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Rep. Nadler will be kicking off a week-long netroots fundraising effort on behalf of all five challengers with Blue America. He'll be live blogging at Crooks and Liars tomorrow at 11am (PT), explaining the importance of his State Secrets Act. Doug is a big proponent of Nadler's bill and was especially pleased to be selected by the congressman for this kind of support.

"Congressman Nadler continues to show extraordinary political courage with his introduction of The State Secret Protection Act of 2009 (HR 984). He does so in a political climate where any questioning of the federal government, especially in regards to national security, places the questioner in a position of being publicly declared a terrorist sympathizer. It is my belief that, while the government may very well have valid reasons for keeping some matters private, the more sunlight shed upon the government and its decisions and actions, the more likely we the people will have faith in the decision-making process of the government.
 
"I have spent my entire adult life in the U.S. military, and I held code-word Top Secret clearances for over a decade. I fully understand the delicate nature of some information. Given the opportunity to join Representative Nadler in the House, I would gladly co-sponsor, advocate for, and vote for this important piece of legislation."

Please consider making a contribution to Doug's campaign at the page Blue America uses to Send Democrats A Message They'll Understand.

Yesterday Doug and Lori debated for the first time. They met at the South Shore Democratic Club in Ruskin (Hillsborough). Each gave a stump speech and then stood and answered questions from the (mostly elderly) audience. Lori was furtive, vague, noncommittal and downright dishonest. When she was asked about whether she supported a public option, she in turn asked a couple of people in the crowd what they thought the public option is, a tried and true conservative tactic to avoid taking a stand. On three very basic straight forward questions-- education, prison reform, and marriage equality-- her response was that these were state issues, not federal issues. On three others she didn't seem able to follow the questioner, confusing health care reform with campaign finance reform, stating she hadn’t studied legalization of marijuana (although everyone in Polk County knows her husband is a hippie burnout and a stoner), and saying the federal government had very little to do with K-12 education. And three times, she replied, kind of dismissively, that whatever we might want to happen, it just wasn’t going to happen politically.

As part of Doug's opening speech he reminded the audience that he is "a candidate of conviction, not a candidate of convenience. I didn’t get into this race just because it is an open seat.” She doesn't appear to like being challenged and after Doug did it directly a few times, bringing up her very conservative record, her tightness with the Chamber of Commerce and her startling similarities to Adam Putnam, she threw a mini-tantrum and stomped out of the meeting in a huff. The DCCC is betting on the wrong horse and they expect grassroots Democrats to underwrite it. Instead, let me ask you again, to consider supporting real progressives and real Democrats at Blue America's Sending Democrats A Message page.

Teamsters Local Endorses Democrat Doug Tudor While DCCC Pushes Reactionary Blue Dog

I don't recall if the figure was 90% or 95% or 99% but when I spoke to one of the top dogs over at the DCCC last month, he assured me-- using one of those numbers-- that the DCCC no longer pushes reactionary candidates over progressives in seriously contested races for open seats. This week they announced their list of 26 races to watch in 2010 (+ 9 "emerging races," where their candidates haven't raised enough money yet to make it onto the real list). Among the 26 they acknowledge 4 primaries, Kirk's open seat in IL-10, LA-02 (Cao), MN-06 (Bachmann), and PA-06 (Gerlach). They even acknowledge a primary between Dr. Maureen Hackett and Jim Meffert in the race against wingnut Erik Paulsen (MN-03), one of their "emerging" races.

None of these races pits a Blue Dog against a progressive. The one race on their list that does-- a primary between progressive Doug Tudor and the only non-incumbent endorsed by the Blue Dogs so far this year, Lori Edwards-- to replace retiring Republican Adam "Howdy Doody Nimrod" Putnam, they come down on the side of the arch-reactionary Edwards. Rahm Emanuel may have moved on but his sleazy tactics and hackish allies remain behind stinking up the place.

Yesterday, as the DCCC signaled their preference for an anti-healthcare, anti-financial reform shill, President Ken Wood announces that Teamsters Local 79 has unanimously endorsed Democrat Doug Tudor in the race. The DCCC never seems to learn in Florida. They pushed Suzanne Kosmas in 2008 against a progressive and she managed to win-- barely-- only to go on to accrue the worst voting record-- worst meaning her marked tendency to vote with the GOP on substantive bills-- of any member of the Florida delegation, worse even than Edwards' chief sponsor, reactionary Blue Dog Allen Boyd (best known as the only Democrat willing to join George Bush's attempt to destroy Social Security). His ProgressivePunch score is 43.75 and Kosmas' is 38.46. Edwards is to the right of both of them. In 2006 Emanuel recruited a registered Republican millionaire, conservative Tim Mahoney-- pushing a progressive, anti-war union member Dave Lutrin out of the primary. (Mahoney went on to vote with the GOP on substantive issues and then get involved in a Republican-type sex scandal and lose the seat).

This race has a simple dynamic. A progressive Democrat with grassroots support is being pushed out by reactionary Blue Dogs-- Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair Lynn Woolsey hasn't shown up to campaign for Edwards yet but who knows what will happen after she finishes making her mischief in CA-36 for Jane Harman?-- because Blue Dog members of Congress are shoveling money into the race while progressive members sit on their hands. Then they whine and rend their clothes when no one takes them seriously. Please donate to Doug's campaign at the Blue America Bad Dogs page. Leave it to the Insiders like the D-Trip and next thing you know we'll be losing races in... I don't know... Massachusetts!

Our System Is Broken Because Of How It Is Funded-- Meet Florida Blue Dog Lori Edwards

Doug Tudor & lobbyist candidate, Blue Dog-endorsed Lori Edwards

So far this election season, the Blue Dog caucus, which has provided the bulk of the "no" votes that have destroyed Democratic unity in Congress and allowed the Republican minority to slow down and water down virtually ALL of President Obama's domestic agenda, has endorsed exactly one challenger: Lori Edwards, a cautious and very conservative Polk County, Florida elections supervisor. Last night an angry Polk County Democratic activist sent me a copy of an invitation to Edwards' first DC fund-raiser. It's being hosted by lobbyists, the Eris Group, at their New Jersey Avenue townhouse and Lori is being presented by two of K Street's worst Democratic shills in Congress, Blue Dog Allen Boyd and the DCCC's controversial and duplicitous candidate recruitment leader, Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

The grassroots progressive candidate in the race for the FL-12 seat is Navy veteran and 2008 Democratic candidate Doug Tudor. With no support whatsoever from the DCCC, he managed to do as well against one of Florida's most powerful Republican politicians, Adam "Howdy Doody" Putnam, as the losing DCCC-backed candidates did in their races. When he approached Wasserman Schultz, then head of the DCCC Red to Blue program, for help, upon meeting her at Yearly Kos in Denver, she responded to his explanation that he hadn't developed strong corporate fundraising ties because he spent his life in military service and is a working class guy, she responded angrily and said "Don't pull that populist stuff with me." Next Thursday she is helping the Blue Dogs introduce their candidate against Tudor to a bunch of check-writing lobbyists who represent Morgan Stanley and Countrywide.

The other host is Allen Boyd, an unscrupulous reactionary from Tallahassee, the only Democrat in the House to vote for H.R. 440-- which, because of his vote Bush got to call "The Bipartisan Retirement Security Act," an attempt to eviscerate and destroy Social Security. Not even one other filthy, mangy Blue Dog would follow Boy'd lead on this. He knows very well that in Lori Edwards he'll have a real soul mate in Congress though. Boyd also voted for Bush's bank bailout in 2008 and against Obama's Stimulus Plan in 2009. Predictably, he also voted against the healthcare reform bill last month. He's eager to get another like-minded fake Democrat into the caucus. In fact, if she were in Congress last month, voting alongside Boyd, the healthcare reform act would have never passed.

It always amazes me how the hypocrites at the DCCC send out urgent letters soliciting donations from grassroots Democrats to save the president's policies from the deprecations of reactionary Republicans one day and then throw fundraisers-- with lobbyists-- for the very Democrats who enable the minority Republicans to get away with wrecking the president's policies! If you can't make it to the Lori Edwards lobbyist bash a week from tonight, please consider donating whatever you can afford to the Doug Tudor campaign today.

Party Time Inside The Beltway One Week From Today-- Bring Your Own Alpo

Or, you might want a different kind of candidate from one who isn't even in Congress yet and already selling her ass to K Street whores who represent Countrywide Mortgage and Morgan Stanley. How about making a donation today to the grassroots candidate for the seat, Doug Tudor? You can do it here.

By the way, if you can't quite remember who Allen Boyd (Blue Dog-FL) is, please recall that when George W. Bush wanted to push his bill to kill Social Security as "bipartisan" he only managed to find one "Democrat" to co-sponsor it. That's Boyd, the fella bringing Lori Edwards around Washington to meet all the lobbyists. Boyd is on the Budget Committee and on the Appropriations Committee. He's taken in $1,048,609 from the financial sector-- but not because they're buying his votes; only because he's so handsome and debonair.

The Fine Art of Primaries-- Doug Tudor, A Quintessential "Better Democrat"

I only trust one of these Florida Democrats to actually breath fire when the chips are down

Yesterday my friend Chris Bowers did a provocative post at OpenLeft, Keeping Better Democrats, in which he posits that the netroots should put more concentration on working to protect endangered progressives in the 2010 cycle. His premise is solid.

Good Democrats in either swing or Republican leaning districts who I would like to protect include Representatives Tom Perriello, Eric Massa (yeah, I know I have ragged on him before), Alan Grayson, and Senator Russ Feingold. Even Democrats like Representatives Brad Miller, Phil Hare, Raul Grijalva, Betty Sutton, Chellie Pingree and Senator Barbara Boxer might face some trouble.  It seems to me that keeping these members of Congress around is a more prudent allocation of resources than taking a chance on candidates who, even if they are lucky enough to take away open and / or blue seats from Republicans, might not end up being all that great once they are in Congress.  We know who the better Democrats already are--isn't it better to keep them than to take chances on new ones?

I sent him a note cheering him on and making a couple of additions to his calculations. For one thing I felt the need to point out that the DCCC is also putting their main focus into incumbent retention (led by Debbie Wasserman Schultz). If history is prologue, we will be able to count on her to pour resources into quasi-Democrats in red districts, people like Parker Griffith (who has already promised that he will vote against Nancy Pelosi as Speaker next year) and other Democrats who have LITERALLY voted more frequently with the Republicans on key issues than with the Democrats, like (from bad to worse, Griffith being tied with Boren as the second worst of all)-- Baron Hill (IN), Kathleen Dahlkemper (PA), Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ), Bill Foster (IL), Chris Carney (PA), Mike McIntyre (NC), Heath Shuler (NC), John Barrow (GA), Jim Matheson (UT), Mike Ross (AR), Bobby Bright (AL), Frank Kratovil (MD), Joe Donnelly (IN), Glenn Nye (VA), Travis Childers (MS), Charlie Melancon (LA), Jason Altmire (PA), Harry Mitchell (AZ), Walt Minnick (ID), Jim Marshall (GA), Dan Boren (OK), Parker Griffith (AL), and Gene Taylor (MS).

The problem with primarying bad Democrats, alas, is that there aren't progressives or even genuine moderates, up the food chain in many of these Republican-tilting districts. Where there are local Democrats in the legislature they are often as bad or worse than the congressman we'd like to primary. Last year we thought we found the ideal situation-- Regina Thomas, a sterling state legislator who had never lost an election-- and in a solid Democratic district represented by a reprehensible Blue Dog (John Barrow). The Democratic primary turn out is very labor oriented and very African-American. The unions backed Barrow and Obama cut radio spots for him that just buried Thomas. Barrow has returned the kindness by opposing labor and Obama on almost everything.

This year I've been looking at open seats. There are lots of Republicans and Democrats leaving the congressional seats, often to run for higher office. My favorite race so far is in Polk County, Florida, where Howdy Doody Adam Putnam is giving up his seat to run for State Agriculture and Consumer Commissioner, a gateway to higher office. The progressive candidate who ran last year-- and did as well, with ZERO institutional support, as the DCCC Florida candidates who lost-- is Doug Tudor and he's running again. This blog has endorsed him. The Blue Dogs have rallied-- big time-- for a quasi-Democrat who's as reactionary as you can be and reasonably call yourself a Democrat, Lori Edwards. The Blue Dogs have endorsed her, are collecting money for her, and are getting their colleagues on board. This week Congressman Fire-breathing Liberal endorsed her as well. Wasserman Schultz is jumping all over everyone to get behind Edwards-- a sure vote against the Democratic agenda. She has one of those Rahm Emanuel websites that doesn't include any policy positions. Florida progressives have already expressed dismay that Wexler would get behind her.

It disturbs me greatly to hear that you have endorsed Lori Edwards, a Blue Dog DINO, for Florida CD-12. I am a Progressive Democrat who looked to you for leadership in this most dysfunctional of states, and to see that you have gone against your own beliefs to support someone who has gone on record as opposing the Healthcare overhaul and the public option confounds me to no end. It calls into questions whether you really believe in the Progressive values you say that you do.

I called Doug Tudor and he told me he's "amazed."

How in the world the House’s only self-proclaimed “Fire Breathing Liberal” can tout a Blue Dog is beyond me. With a firm Democratic majority in both chambers, the Blue Dogs are the only reason we will get a watered-down version of a public option on healthcare. I fully support a single-payer plan, but a robust, strong public option has to be the absolute baseline for any bill worthy of consideration to come before this Congress. I trust Mr. Wexler will rethink his friendship-based, email endorsement of Lori Edwards, as it is the same as endorsing the presumed Republican nominee in Florida’s 12th District. There is no light between those two candidates. With FL-12 having some of Florida’s highest unemployment rates, high school dropout rates, and home foreclosure rates, we need a bold progressive voice that will stand up for working families. We absolutely, positively do not need an echo of failed Reaganomics and corporate profits offered by the conservatives-- both Republican and Democratic. 
 
Working on the personal staff of three Commanders, U.S. Central Command, I learned that “no man is a hero to his valet.” Today, I learned the same thing about a fighting progressive in relationship to a fire-breathing liberal.
 
Last year, we progressives astounded the world by not going with the politically safe, status quo candidate for President. Mr. Wexler, as someone who has always been on the front lines of progressive leadership, should have learned that lesson also. He, if anybody, should be pushing the healthcare legislation from the left. I look forward to personally making that argument to him, but I hope your readers will help remind him that sometimes-- preferably most of the time-- you have to take a chance on the underdog in order to truly effect ‘change.’”

I called Wexler's office this morning and they said his press assistant would get back to me. She never did. Like Adam Putnam and the Republican hoping to follow him-- but unlike Doug Tudor-- Lori Edwards opposes meaningful health care reform. Looking at the report the House Energy and Commerce Committee published for FL-12, it is clear that Lori Edwards has no idea how beneficial the bill she's against would be for the people she's seeking to represent.

America’s Affordable Health Choices Act would provide significant benefits in the 12th Congressional District of Florida: up to 15,700 small businesses could receive tax credits to provide coverage to their employees; 13,300 seniors would avoid the donut hole in Medicare Part D; 1,500 families could escape bankruptcy each year due to unaffordable health care costs; health care providers would receive payment for $101 million in uncompensated care each year; and 109,000 uninsured individuals would gain access to high-quality, affordable health insurance. Congressman Adam H. Putnam represents the district.

• Help for small businesses. Under the legislation, small businesses with 25 employees or less and average wages of less than $40,000 qualify for tax credits of up to 50% of the costs of providing health insurance. There are up to 15,700 small businesses in the district that could qualify for these credits.

• Help for seniors with drug costs in the Part D donut hole. Each year, 13,300 seniors in the district hit the donut hole and are forced to pay their full drug costs, despite having Part D drug coverage. The legislation would provide them with immediate relief, cutting brand name drug costs in the donut hole by 50%, and ultimately eliminate the donut hole.

• Health care and financial security. There were 1,500 health care-related bankruptcies in the district in 2008, caused primarily by the health care costs not covered by insurance. The bill provides health insurance for almost every American and caps annual out-of-pocket costs at $10,000 per year, ensuring that no citizen will have to face financial ruin because of high health care costs.

• Relieving the burden of uncompensated care for hospitals and health care providers. In 2008, health care providers in the district provided $101 million worth of uncompensated care, care that was provided to individuals who lacked insurance coverage and were unable to pay their bills. Under the legislation, these costs of uncompensated care would be virtually eliminated.

• Coverage of the uninsured. There are 132,000 uninsured individuals in the district, 17% of the district. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that nationwide, 97% of all Americans will have insurance coverage when the bill takes effect. If this benchmark is reached in the district, 109,000 people who currently do not have health insurance will receive coverage.

• No deficit spending. The cost of health care reform under the legislation is fully paid for: half through making the Medicare and Medicaid program more efficient and half through a surtax on the income of the wealthiest individuals. This surtax would affect only 2,310 households in the district. The surtax would not affect 99.3% of taxpayers in the district.

Let me offer you two ways to fight the Blue Dogs. First-- contribute to Doug Tudor's campaign. Second-- contribute to the new Bad Dogs page. The DNC is running this spot against Republican opponents of health care. They could just as well run it against Blue Dog "Democrats" like Lori Edwards while they're at it:

Blue Dogs Behaving Badly-- Again

Yesterday the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted to approve the Health Affordable Choices Act. Every single Democrat on the committee, even right-wing corporate shill Kay Hagan of North Carolina, voted for it and, predictably, every single Republican member voted against it-- from the drooling extremists and anti-family fanatics like Richard Burr (R-NC), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) to more mainstream conservatives like Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Judd Gregg (R-NH) and John McCain (R-AZ). One of the most determined progressives on the committee, Jeff Merkley (D-OR), explained the bill at DailyKos yesterday.

This bill will help rein in the runaway health care costs that are bankrupting families and businesses.  It will give Americans the peace of mind of knowing that they are no longer one pink slip away from losing coverage.  It will make it illegal for insurance companies to charge people more or turn them away just because they’re sick or older.  Combined with the work that is being done by the Senate Finance Committee, 97 percent of Americans will have coverage. People who like their current coverage will be able to keep it, and everyone will have more choices and access to affordable coverage, no matter their lot in life.  And importantly, it includes a robust public option.  This bill represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix our broken health care system.

The fact, though, that a reactionary like Hagan was forced to vote for it, doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of Democrats making common cause with obstructionist Republicans to derail it-- or at least water it down and make it ineffective. In the Senate corrupt reactionary Democrats on the Finance Committee like Max Baucus, Tom Carper, Kent Conrad and Blanche Lincoln are working with the Republicans to carry out the demands of their Insurance Industry paymasters to weaken the bill to the point of making it untenable.

And in the House, of course, we have the always treacherous, always disingenuous Blue Dogs, many of whom are southerners who will, by nature, oppose anything and everything that could possibly help Black families or immigrant families. Although Blue Dogs ostensibly stand for fiscal discipline, in reality, many-- if not most-- of the Blue Dogs just use that as an excuse for their own reactionary and racist politics. The only Democrats, for example, to cross the aisle and vote with the Republicans against Hate Crimes legislation last April were a gaggle of sleazy, bigoted Blue Dogs. Similarly, it is primarily the Blue Dogs in the House who are screaming that they will oppose any bill that includes a public option or in any way forces the Insurance Industry CEOs who shower them with so much money to compete with an alternative that is based on delivering health care instead if denying it. These are the 51 Blue Dogs in the House. There aren't a dozen worth a collective bucket of spit:

• Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD), Co-chair for Administration
• Rep. Baron Hill (IN), Co-chair for Policy
• Rep. Charlie Melancon (LA), Co-chair for Communications
• Rep. Heath Shuler (NC), Whip
 
• Rep. Jason Altmire (PA)
• Rep. Mike Arcuri (NY)
• Rep. Joe Baca (CA)
• Rep. John Barrow (GA)
• Rep. Marion Berry (AR)
• Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA)
• Rep. Dan Boren (OK)
• Rep. Leonard Boswell (IA)
• Rep. Allen Boyd (FL)
• Rep. Bobby Bright (AL)
• Rep. Dennis Cardoza (CA)
• Rep. Chris Carney (PA)
• Rep. Ben Chandler (KY)
• Rep. Travis Childers (MS)
• Rep. Jim Cooper (TN)
• Rep. Jim Costa (CA)
• Rep. Henry Cuellar (TX)
• Rep. Lincoln Davis (TN)
• Rep. Joe Donnelly (IN)
• Rep. Brad Ellsworth (IN)
• Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (AZ)
• Rep. Bart Gordon (TN)
• Rep. Parker Griffith (AL)
• Rep. Jane Harman (CA)
• Rep. Tim Holden (PA)
• Rep. Frank Kratovil, Jr. (MD)
• Rep. Mike McIntyre (NC)
• Rep. Jim Marshall (GA)
• Rep. Jim Matheson (UT)
• Rep. Mike Michaud (ME)
• Rep. Walt Minnick (ID)
• Rep. Harry Mitchell (AZ)
• Rep. Dennis Moore (KS)
• Rep. Patrick Murphy (PA)
• Rep. Glenn Nye (VA)
• Rep. Collin Peterson (MN)
• Rep. Earl Pomeroy (ND)
• Rep. Mike Ross (AR)
• Rep. John Salazar (CO)
• Rep. Loretta Sanchez (CA)
• Rep. Adam Schiff (CA)
• Rep. David Scott (GA)
• Rep. Zack Space (OH)
• Rep. John Tanner (TN)
• Rep. Gene Taylor (MS)
• Rep. Mike Thompson (CA)
• Rep. Charles Wilson (OH)

And speaking of this trash, it's worth noting that the Blue Dogs are already reaching out to conservative candidates, particularly in the South, in an attempt to enhance their power within the Democratic caucus. Although progressive Navy vet Doug Tudor astounded the political establishment last year by doing so well-- with only grassroots support-- against GOP leader Adam Putnam, the Blue Dogs are trying to maneuver the DCCC into supporting a reactionary, anti-family fake Democrat, Lori Edwards, against Tudor. Edwards, like the worst of the Blue Dogs, opposes the public option and the Blue Dogs, with corporate shill Allen Boyd in the lead, have endorsed her.

"We know a little bit about Lori's record; we know that she will be a great fit with the Blue Dogs," said Boyd, who was in a similar group with Edwards when both served in the legislature. "She understnds how the government economic model works."

Edwards, who faces Doug Tudor in the Democratic primary, in a conference the endorsement will help voters unfamiliar record understand that "I am a conserv and moderate Democrat." Asked about President Obama health care reform proposal, Edwards indeed sounded like she'll fit right in with the Blue Dogs, saying it should be "deficit-neutral" and focus on "small business protection."

DWT has endorsed Tudor and we urge everyone who can to consider making a donation to Doug's campaign and sending a message to the DCCC that we want real Democrats in Congress, not Blue Dog hacks serving the interests of corporate CEOs.

One Blue Dog, Patrick Murphy (PA), who has been supportive of a great deal of progressive legislation, including health care reform and, most recently, ending Don't Ask Don't Tell, is now a chair of the DCCC’s Red to Blue program. Yesterday he endorsed progressive Democrat Doug Pike for the seat being vacated by conservative Republican Jim Gerlach in the suburbs south of Philly. Although I wasn't too happy to read that the DCCC seems to be involving itself in a primary again, at least it's to the detriment of Blue Dog-oriented state Senator Andy Dinniman. It will be interesting to see if the DCCC persists in butting into local primaries this year. We don't even like it when they do it against a conservative like Dinniman but when they do it to support Republicans-disguised-as-Democrats like Lori Edwards, it means real trouble.

Ask almost any Democrat in the House who's the biggest scumbag in the party caucus and Dan Boren (Blue Dog-OK) will usually beat out even slimy neo-Confederate shit-eaters like Jim Marshall (Blue Dog-GA), Heath Shuler (Blue Dog-NC) and Gene Taylor (Blue Dog-MS), all of whom vote with the Republicans on substantive matters at least as much as they vote with Democrats. Yesterday, Boren became the first so-called Democrat to go on a full frontal attack against President Obama.

Ten feet from the desk, in the main hallway of Boren's new Durant headquarters, the congressman beams from a portrait, his arm draped around President George W. Bush. A photo with the current president is nowhere to be found.

“Barack Obama is very unpopular,” said Boren, who represents Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District. “He got 34 percent of the vote statewide, and less in our district. If he were to run for re-election today, I bet it would be even worse.”

...“It would be a lot nicer if we had someone who was in the middle,” he said. “Bill Clinton won our district. A lot of people don’t remember that, but he, in 1996, carried this district. I think if you have someone who governs from the middle, who’s pragmatic, who works with both parties. President Obama talks a lot about bipartisanship. If you look at some of the legislation, he may have one or two Republicans.”

Next time you get solicited by the DCCC to donate please think about this brief piece in today's Hill:

Centrist Democrats are threatening to oppose their party’s healthcare legislation unless House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) accepts changes that make the bill more to their liking.

Seven Blue Dogs on the House Energy and Commerce Committee have banded together to draft amendments that they’ll co-sponsor in the committee markup, which starts Thursday. Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.), the Blue Dogs’ point man on healthcare, says if those changes aren’t accepted, they’ll vote down the bill.

“We cannot support the current bill,” Ross said. “Last time I checked, it took seven Democrats to stop a bill in Energy and Commerce.”

And remember, when you donate money to the DCCC you are contributing money to anti-family extremists, reactionaries and racists like Dan Boren, no matter what you think your money is going towards. Money donated through Blue America goes only to progressive candidates who you pick yourself-- like Doug Tudor and Jennifer Brunner.