How Have All Those Freshman Members We Elected In November Been Voting?

The worst new senator (AZ) and worst new House member (NJ)

First the good news: Although there haven't really been enough controversial votes yet to definitively analyze the voting records of the congressional freshman class, there are mostly pretty good signs. With every day that passes, records are beginning to become somewhat clearer, at least at the extremes. According to ProgressivePunch, 38 freshman House members are tied for the #1 spot-- with 100% perfect scores. There are obvious perfect voters like AOC (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Joe Neguse (D-CO), the Levin Boys (Mike from California and Andy from Michigan), Debra Haaland (D-NM) and Chuy Garcia (D-IL) but even some of the reactionary candidates have been voting exactly the way the Democrats who entrusted them with high office would have wanted them to vote-- crap candidates who will likely soon start disappointing, like Jason Crow (New Dem-CO) and Susie Lee (New Dem-NV), for example. For now... 100%.

But some Democrats have already started slipping over to the Dark Side and finding their comfort zones on the other side of the aisle. Further down the list of freshmen, there are 10 tied for 144th most progressive: Cindy Axne (D-IA), Abby Finkenauer (D-IA), Chrissy Houlahan (New Dem-PA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Elaine Luria (New Dem-VA), Katie Porter (D-CA), Harley Rouda (New Dem-CA), Mikie Sherrill (Blue Dog-NJ), Elissa Slotkin (New Dem-MI) and Abigail Spanberger (Blue Dog-VA). Republicans are already starting to look at some of these freshman as obvious targets for 2020 since they are already beginning to show signs of disappointing the Democratic base. For example, in Orange County-- CA-48, the coastal district Rouda won from Dana Rohrabacher last year, 157,837 (53.8%) to 136,899 (46.4%)-- Republican businessman James Bradley, who was the top finishing GOP candidate in last year's U.S. Senate race, declared against Rouda, whose congressional office is said to be in utter turmoil and disarray, last week.

Right-of-center freshmen like Blue Dog Mikey Sherrill, are going to need all the help they can get if they keep voting against progressive bills and refuse to back popular progressive initiatives like Medicare-For-All and the Green New Deal. History has taught us that Democrats like her will wind up without support from a crucial sector of the electorate: committed progressive activists. In NJ-11, former governor Chris Christie has already started pushing his wife to run against Sherrill. It's a very swingy red-leaning district (R+3) and the only thing Sherrill will be able to count on for reelection is suburban revulsion at Trump at the top of the ticket. The Christies have lived in the district for 25 years and are very popular there.

And those ten aren't even the worst problem-children-- not by a loingshot. Tied as the 202nd most progressive (which is not at all progressive) are 7 freshmen who keep finding themselves voting with the GOP an awful lot:

• Anthony Brindisi (Blue Dog-NY)
• Sharice Davids (New Dem-KS)
• Antonio Delgado (D-NY)
• Jared Golden (D-ME)
• Kendra Horn (Blue Dog-OK)
• Max Rose (Blue Dog-NY)
• Xochitl Torres Small (Blue Dog-NM)

Now we're in real stinky garbage territory. Those 7 above will all have tough reelection battles, if not primaries. Xochitl Torres Small already has two declared GOP opponents... as her support from progressives activists evaporates. And that brings us to the 3 worst freshmen Democrats-- tied for the 231st "most progressive" and already with voting records better than only 2 sewer lane Democrats, Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX) and Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN). Tied for the worst freshmen of all and just begging to be one termers:

• Joe Cunningham (Blue Dog-SC)
• Ben McAdams (Blue Dog-UT)
• Jeff Van Drew (Blue Dog-NJ)

The DCCC announced their 2020 frontline program yesterday-- 44 Democratic incumbents, mostly shitty freshmen, who are in trouble for reelection. The only non-freshmen on the list are a couple of truly crap Blue Dogs-- Tom O'Halleran (AZ) and Josh Gottheimer (NJ)-- and a progressive, Matt Cartwright (PA) in a Republican-leaning seat. O'Halleran's biggest political problem is a primary from progressive Democrat, Eva Putzova. As for the freshman members, most of them are Republican-lite types who can count on Trump-hatred to get them over the hump next year, although most of them are likely to be defeated in 2022 after Pelosi leads the Democratic Party into disappointing everyone on everything important... But at least she passed her own top priority: Pay-Go. Which of the freshmen on the list deserve some support? So far I'd say Mike Levin (CA)... but I'm holding out some hope that Katie Porter (CA), Jahana Hayes (CT), Jared Golden (ME), Andy Kim (NJ) and Kim Schrier (WA) are on their way to proving themselves worthwhile members of Congress. The rest have already proven themselves the contrary. Most of the good freshmen are not on the DCCC Frontline list of course.

Over in the Senate, there are are 4 freshmen tied as the 47th most progressive-- two Democrats and two Republicans. The Republicans are Josh Hawley (MO) and Martha McSally (AZ). The Democrats are the only freshmen in the class, both of whom had very right-wing voting records in the House-- Jacky Rosen (NV) and the worst of the worst, the Democrat who applauded the loudest and most often and with the greatest enthusiasm for Trump Tuesday night, Kyrsten Sinema. All four are rated "F," of course. The four pictured below have nothing to do with these four from the Senate-- and do I mean nothing!

Hey, but while we're all here, this is a list of all the House Democratic freshmen and the committees they were assigned to. You might find it useful moving forward... or not, but I'll be using it s a reference for the next couple of years.

Colin Allred (New Dem, TX)

• Foreign Affairs
• Transportation and Infrastructure
• Veterans' Affairs

Cindy Axne (New Dem-IA)

• Agriculture
• Financial Services

Anthony Brindisi (Blue Dog-NY)

• Agriculture
• Veterans' Affairs

Ed Case (Blue Dog-HI)

• Appropriations
• Natural Resources

Sean Casten (New Dem-IL)

• Foreign Affairs
• Science

Gil Cisneros (D-CA)

• Veterans' Affairs
• Armed Services

T.J. Cox (D-CA)

• Agriculture
• Natural Resources

Angie Craig (New Dem-MN)

• Agriculture
• Transportation and Infrastructure

Jason Crow (New Dem-CO)

• Armed Services
• Small Business

Joe Cunningham (Blue Dog-SC)

• Natural Resources
• Veterans' Affairs

Sharice Davids (New Dem-KS)

• Small Business
• Transportation and Infrastructure

Madeleine Dean (New Dem-PA)

• Financial Services
• Judiciary

Antonio Delgado (D-NY)

• Agriculture
• Small Business
• Transportation and Infrastructure

Veronica Escobar (New Dem-TX)

• Armed Services
• Judiciary

Abby Finkenauer (D-IA)

• Small Business
• Transportation and Infrastructure

Lizzie Fletcher (New Dem-TX)

• Science
• Transportation and Infrastructure

Chuy Garcia (D-IL)

• Financial Services
• Transportation and Infrastructure

Sylvia Garcia (D-TX)

• Financial Services
• Judiciary

Jared Golden (D-ME)

• Armed Services
• Small Business

Debra Haaland (D-NM)

• Armed Services
• Natural Resources

Josh Harder (New Dem-CA)

• Agriculture
• Education and Labor

Jahana Hayes (D-CT)

• Agriculture
• Education and Labor

Katie Hill (New Dem-CT)

• Armed Services
• Oversight
• Science

Kendra Horn (Blue Dog-OK)

• Armed Services
• Science

Stephen Horsford (New Dem-NV)

• Budget
• Ways and Means
• Natural Resources

Chrissy Houlahan (New Dem-PA)

• Armed Services
• Small Business
• Foreign Affairs

Andy Kim (D-NJ)

• Armed Services
• Small Business

Ann Kirkpatrick (New Dem-AZ)

• Agriculture
• Appropriations

Susie Lee (New Dem-NV)

• Education and Labor
• Veterans' Affairs

Andy Levin (D-MI)

• Education and Labor
• Foreign Affairs
• Veterans' Affairs

Mike Levin (D-CA)

• Natural Resources

Elaine Luria (New Dem-VA)

• Armed Services
• Veterans' Affairs

Tom Malinowski (New Dem-NJ)

• Veterans' Affairs
• Transportation and Infrastructure

Ben McAdams (Blue Dog-UT)

• Financial Services
• Science

Lucy McBath (New Dem-GA)

• Education and Labor
• Judiciary

Joseph Morelle (D-NY)

• Budget
• Education and Labor
• Rules

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (New Dem-FL)

• Judiciary
• Transportation and Infrastructure

Joe Neguse (D-CO)

• Judiciary
• Natural Resources

AOC (D-NY)

• Financial Services
• Oversight

Ilhan Omar (D-MN)

• Budget
• Education and Labor
• Foreign Affairs

Chris Pappas (New Dem-NH)

• Veterans' Affairs
• Transportation and Infrastructure

Dean Phillips (New Dem-MN)

• Financial Services
• Foreign Affairs

Katie Porter (D-CA)

• Financial Services

Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)

• Financial Services
• Oversight

The worst Democratic members of Congress-- posing proudly

Max Rose (Blue Dog-NY)

• Veterans' Affairs
• Homeland Security

Harley Rouda (New Dem-CA)

• Oversight
• Transportation and Infrastructure

Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA)

• Judiciary
• Rules

Kim Schrier (New Dem-WA)

• Agriculture
• Education and Labor

Donna Shalala (D-FL)

• Education and Labor
• Rules

Mikie Sherrill (Blue Dog-NJ)

• Armed Services
• Space

Elissa Slotkin (New Dem-MI)

• Armed Services
• Homeland Security

Abigail Spanberger (Blue Dog-VA)

• Agriculture
• Foreign Affairs

Greg Stanton (New Dem-AZ)

• Judiciary
• Transportation and Infrastructure

Haley Stevens (New Dem-MI)

• Education and Labor
• Science

Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)

• Financial Services
• Oversight

Xochitl Torres Small (Blue Dog-NM)

• Armed Services
• Homeland Security

Lori Trahan (D-MA)

• Armed Services
• Education and Labor

David Trone (D-MD)

• Foreign Affairs
• Education and Labor

Lauren Underwood (D-IL)

• Veterans' Affairs
• Education and Labor
• Homeland Security

Jeff Van Drew (Blue Dog-NJ)

• Agriculture
• Natural Resources

Jennifer Wexton (New Dem-VA)

• Financial Services
• Science

Susan Wild (New Dem-PA)

• Foreign Affairs
• Education and Labor

Congress Has A Lot More To Do Than Just Investigate Trump

David Cicilline (D-RI) is now the chair of the Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law. There's not doubt we can count on him doing a much better-- and very different-- job than the one former chair Tom Marino was doing. In fact, with nightmare Republican extremist like Matt Gaetz (FL), Ken Buck (CO), Darrell Issa (CA), John Ratcliffe (TX) and Doug Collins (GA), nothing worthwhile has come out of that subcommittee for a long longtime. Welcome to a new day. This week, Barry Lynn, head of the Open Markets Institute wrote that "over the last year, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Joe Simons has been strongly criticized for his failure to enforce the agency's 2011 consent decree on Facebook but has largely skirted scrutiny of his unwillingness to address the ongoing merger frenzy in any meaningful way. Department of Justice Antitrust Division chief Makan Delrahim, meanwhile, has largely escaped the public spotlight, with the notable exception of his agency’s poorly thought-out case to block AT&T’s merger with Time Warner. The new Democratic majority in Congress means this is now likely to change." 

The new Chairman of the House Antitrust Subcommittee is likely to be Congressman David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat and member of the Democratic House leadership. Cicilline is an aggressive anti-monopolist and has a track record of skepticism towards tech platforms. He has written legislation allowing newspapers to bargain collectively over advertising revenues with large online ad companies and has pledged to author new legislation expanding antitrust authority against dominant platforms.

Cicilline is also willing to act. Last month, he questioned Google CEO Sundar Pichai on the search giant’s plans to launch a Chinese product. He said Facebook executives “will always put their massive profits ahead of the interests of their customers” and noted that “it is long past time for us to take action.” In 2017, ;Cicilline ;called for hearings on the Amazon-Whole Foods merger. With his new authority, Cicilline can now bring pressure on both agencies to actually do the jobs they were hired to do. Delrahim’s failure to take on corporate concentration has been especially striking. Early on, Delrahim pledged to be a strong enforcer, portraying himself as a traditional pro-competition conservative. Delrahim attacked the idea f complex deals designed to let mergers go in exchange for conditions that require the agency to monitor a corporation’s post-deal behavior. Instead, ;he advocated preventing mergers outright, and took an especially strong stance against vertical integration, like in the tie-up between AT&T and Time Warner. Delrahim even called for jail time for employers engaging in wage-fixing against employees.

But in recent months, the Antitrust Division seems to have closed up shop even before the government shutdown took effect. Delrahim’s team conditionally cleared the drug store giant CVS to acquire insurancance company Aetna, despite innumerable conflicts of interest such a vertical deal creates, incurring the wrath of a generally pro-monopoly Judge Richard Leon. The DOJ also intervened in favor of Apple in the Supreme Court case Apple v. Pepper, which asks whether iPhone users can sue Apple for abusing its monopoly over the sale of apps. Delrahim has also not followed through on pledges to file criminal charges against wage-fixers. Perhaps most disturbingly, the DOJ has moved to restrict the rights of state enforcers and private plaintiffs to bring cases against instances of monopolization.

The libertarian anti-enforcement bent of the DOJ’s political team was made clear in recent comments by Deputy Assistant Attorney General Andrew Finch, who argued in a December speech at a Capitol Forum conference that “consumers often benefit from concentration” and that antitrust laws “are concerned with competition, not concentration.” He called suggestions to break up or regulate tech platforms “drastic” and warned that any such actions would reduce entrepreneurial activity.

Simons and Delrahim came into their offices with strong words for would-be monopolists. In 2019, Simons and Delrahim can expect at least one congressional committee chairman to demand answers on why this has not happened.

And it isn't just Cicilline's subcommittee where this kind of important work is going to be done. There are high expectations now that Maxine Waters has replaced Jeb Hensarling as head of the House Financial Services Committee. The committee that is charged with congressional oversight of, among other things, Wall Street has been captured by Wall Street. Every Republican and all the New Dems and Blue Dogs on the committee are there specifically to set themselves up as bribe-taking machines. Wall Street pumps immense amounts of money into the members of one of Congress' most popular committees and have gotten to write their own legislation in return. Nice deal. Of the members still on the committee, these are the criminal who have taken $2 million or more from the Finance Sector:

• Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)- $6,327,421
• Jim Himes (New Dem-CT)- $6,279,357
• Steve Stivers (R-OH)- $5,598,776
• Patrick McHenry (R-NC)- $5,586,542
• Ed Perlmutter (New Dem-CO)- $4,111,253
• Brad Sherman (D-CA)- $3,823,403
• Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO)- $3,772,203
• ean Duffy (R-WI)- $3,679,647
• Gregory Meeks (New Dem-NY)- $3,661,288
• Andy Barr (R-KY)- $3,568,176
• David Scott (Blue Dog-GA)- $3,260,344
• Charlie Crist (Blue Dog-FL)- $3,165,972
• Peter King (R-NY)- $3,092,721
• Ann Wagner (R-MO)- $3,041,599
• Josh Gottheimer (Blue Dog-NJ)- $2,967,427
• Bill Huizenga (R-MI)- $2,801,450
• Bill Foster (New Dem-IL)- $2,780,919
• Frank Lucas (R-OK)- $2,483,427
• Roger Williams (R-TX)- $2,408,711
• French Hill (R-AR)- $2,386,049
• Nydia Velázquez (D-NY)- $2,380,936
• Gwen Moore (D-WI)- $2,184,850
• Lee Zeldin (R-NY)- $2,152,130
• Stephen Lynch (D-MA)- $2,084,356

Yesterday in a post about committees at The Intercept by David Dayen, Ryan Grim and Aida Chávez, an assertion was made that "Democrats have struggled to find many members to serve on Financial Services, leading to speculation that the party would actually shrink the size of the committee. Alternatively, that quandary could result in progressives being added as a last resort." That would be a drastic change over past years, when members would practically murder each other to get onto the biggest honeypot committee in Congress.

Dayen and his team further reported that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Katie Porter (D-CA) are being assigned to the committee, and that Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) may be as well. "The imminent Financial Services Committee announcement," they wrote, "would take some sting out of several disappointments for the Congressional Progressive Caucus’s high-profile rising stars, who on Wednesday were largely shut out of new assignments to three critical committees where they sought expanded representation."

The Progressive Caucus had cut a deal with Pelosi for increased representation on the so-called money committees that handle most domestic legislation. They sought membership on the Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, Appropriations, and Financial Services committees equal to their roughly 40 percent membership in the Democratic caucus.

...The Progressive Caucus’s demand for 40 percent representation was stymied by the composition of the caucus itself. There are no real barriers to membership and the caucus rarely whips its members for votes, meaning that members who want to wear a progressive badge without altering their legislative record can do so. Some members of the Progressive Caucus are even also affiliated with its centrist counterpoint, the New Democrat Coalition

Pelosi and House leadership made skillful use of those progressive/New Dem hybrids in making the committee assignments, which may be cynical from a leadership perspective, but was only possible as a result of the Progressive Caucus’s less-than-stringent membership rules-- rules that are within their own control.

And adding CPC members who are not genuine progressives to positions of power on committees could actually be a net loss, argued some operatives. Indeed, it sets up a dynamic in which weak legislation could earn the imprimatur of an influential CPC member, which makes it more difficult for the CPC itself to oppose.

...Instead of pushing for proportional representation for a disorganized, amorphous caucus, the CPC should have first organized itself, then pursued power, argued Waleed Shahid, spokesperson for Justice Democrats, which backed Ocasio-Cortez and other freshmen whose bids for the committees were rebuffed. “Numbers won’t mean much if being progressive means nothing. If everyone has their own definition and now has increased personal power through a seat on an executive committee, accountability to the progressive movement will be more difficult,” Shahid told The Intercept.

The move by Pelosi, to tap CPC members who are also in the New Dems, should have been anticipated, he argued. “Pelosi played by the CPC’s rules and appointed some of the least committed progressives to executive committees, including five CPC members who are also members of the centrist, corporate-friendly New Democratic caucus. Nearly all of the CPC members appointed to executive committees still receive corporate PAC donations,” he said.

“Instead of racing for numbers, the CPC should consider demanding stricter membership criteria-- such as rejecting corporate PAC money, co-sponsoring priority legislation, and willingness to engage in bloc voting-- otherwise progressive ideas risk being significantly watered down,” he said.

Zachery Warmbrodt also mentioned Ocasio-Cortez's likely assignment to House Financial Services and also referred to it as "a victory for progressives fighting to curb Wall Street's clout in Washington and inside the Democratic Party itself." I'm, a little wary that Pelosi is going to put that kind of power into the hands of genuine-- rather than Pocan-manufactured-- progressives. Something doesn't smell right here. Warmbrodt wrote that the assignment "would pit the 29-year-old New Yorker not only against banks that make up a major local industry but also potentially against business-friendly [outside the Beltway, that means stinking of corruption and in need of a long prison sentence, but "business-friendly" sounds more genteel] Democrats who have backed financial deregulation. Some moderate [again-- corrupt conservatives are described as "moderate" in Politico] Democrats have privately raised concerns that they’ll be targeted by the former bartender-turned-progressive icon, whose willingness to challenge her party’s establishment propelled her to Congress and the national spotlight... Ocasio-Cortez, who identifies as a democratic socialist, has criticized Democrats for supporting deregulation. She has also shunned corporate campaign donations-- traditionally a big draw for lawmakers to join the Financial Services Committee. 'This is why I am running for Congress," Ocasio-Cortez said after the House passed a sweeping set of banking rollbacks in June 2017. 'Because we cannot stand idly as big banks gut every last protection working families have left.'" The corrupt sack of runny shit who she defeated, Joe Crowley, was a big-time bankster-buddy who served on the House Ways and Means Committee and was happy to be the proud recipient of $7,446,114 in bribes from the Finance Sector, $1,276,890 last year alone.

With a single tweet, Ocasio-Cortez could frustrate efforts by moderate Democrats to cut deregulatory deals with Republicans, said Jeff Hauser, who tracks corporate influence as executive director of the Revolving Door Project.

"When industry lobbyists or their shills in Congress throw shade at a new member, it probably reflects a genuine fear that the newcomers will become a force for fixing a broken system," said Porter McConnell, campaign director of the Take On Wall Street coalition.

Lobbyists privately expressed mixed views on the prospect of her joining the committee. Some see her as a potential threat when it comes to Democrats working out legislation with Republicans. But others say she will be one among dozens on the committee and that it will be difficult for a low-ranking member to make noise.

For Waters, who is touting a committee agenda focused on consumer protection and housing, having an outspoken Democrat to her left could be a new kind of test, in addition to the tensions she has faced with more centrist members who have been more willing to work with Republicans. ["Centrist" at Politico means right-of-center but not fascist.]

But Waters has praised the fighting spirit of incoming lawmakers, and her own agenda could be bolstered by recruiting like-minded members. In addition to Ocasio-Cortez, the committee is expected to take on other new progressive members including possibly Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), a protégé of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

"You're going to see a new kind of approach in the hearings that we have," Waters said in a recent MSNBC interview. "They're going to come right out with it. They won't be ashamed. They won't be afraid. They really believe in what they're doing. I think that's good for the institution."

..."Who knows," said [Rep. Lacy Clay, a real sleaze bag on the committee]. "She may deal with some issues over this first term and her supporters may start referring to her as a sellout."

Apparently he thinks everyone is just like he is. AOC isn't-- and neither is Katie Porter.

Committee Assignments Announced... Pelosi Finally Unveiled

That's part of a press release Pelosi's office sent me Wednesday evening. It also has the new appointees for Ways and Means:

• Congressman Don Beyer of Virginia
• Congressman Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania
• Congressman Dwight Evans of Pennsylvania
• Congressman Steven Horsford of Nevada
• Congressman Dan Kildee of Michigan
• Congresswoman Gwen Moore of Wisconsin
• Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy of Florida
• Congressman Jimmy Panetta of California
• Congressman Brad Schneider of Illinois
• Congressman Tom Suozzi of New York

The Congressional Progressive Caucus made a deal with Pelosi. One crucial component was that she would guarantee the CPC 40% of the seats on crucial committees like the 3 above. Last week I mentioned that there was a potential problem with the deal. Not everyone in the Congressional Progressive Caucus is actually progressive. CPC co-chair, Mark Pocan, has made membership a farce by selling ($5,000 annual dues) them to "moderate" congressmembers who need cover-- protection from progressive activists-- back in home. I immediately guessed that Pelosi would appoint all the rubbish in the caucus to the committees and say, "see I upheld my end of the bargain." There are at least 13 members of the CPC who are also New Dems (Wall Street shills-- and unless you want to define "progressive" as, basically, being pro-choice, not racist and not homophobic these are not progressives.

There are 26 members named to these 3 key committees. The only freshmen were former members Ed Case, one of the most conservative members of Congress, Ann Kirkpatrick, another right-of-center member, and Steven Horsford, a garden variety Democrat. Let's start by showing each member's ProgressivePunch score. The bolded named are CPC members:

Cheri Bustos (Blue Dog, just switched to New Dem-IL)- F
Ed Case (Blue Dog-HI)- F
Charlie Crist (Blue Dog-FL)- F
Lois Frankel (FL)- C
Ann Kirkpatrick (New Dem-AZ)- F
Brenda Lawrence (New Dem-MI)- B
Norma Torres (New Dem-CA)- F
Bonnie Watson-Coleman (NJ)- A

Nanette Barragán (CA)- B
Lisa Blunt Rochester (New Dem-DE)- F
Robin Kelly (IL)- B
Ann Kuster (New Dem-NH)- F
Donald McEachin (New Dem-VA)- D
Tom O’Halleran (Blue Dog-AZ)- F
Darren Soto (New Dem-FL)- F
Marc Veasey (New Dem-TX)- F

Don Beyer (New Dem-VA)- D
Brendan Boyle (New Dem-PA)- F
Dwight Evans (PA)- B
Steven Horsford (NV)- F
Dan Kildee (MI)- A
Gwen Moore (WI)- A
Stephanie Murphy (Blue Dog-FL)- F
Jimmy Panetta (CA)- F
Brad Schneider (Blue Dog-IL)- F
Tom Suozzi (New Dem-NY)- F

Just over a month ago, in a post called The Battle For Plum Committee Positions Begins-- Alexandria Ocasio v Tom Suozzi, we mentioned that progressives Ro Khanna and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were trying to get appointed to the House Ways and Means Committee, "whose jurisdiction over taxes and revenue puts most of the economy within its mandate." By tradition, one seat is guaranteed to New York and in the last Congress that was Joe Crowley's. Although Ocasio-Cortez defeated Crowley, the committee seat went to the far more conservative Long Islander, Tom Suozzi. As Ryan From wrote for The Intercept, "Any major piece of legislation-- whether it’s Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, or free public college-- would involve some level of revenue, putting it squarely in the domain of Ways and Means, which makes it a key spot for a legislator looking to have an impact. Ocasio-Cortez is routinely asked how she plans to pay for her aggressive economic agenda, and the first answer begins with securing a spot on the House’s key tax-writing committee."

Traditionally, the seat is sought after for its fundraising potential, as every industry in the country is concerned with federal tax policy, meaning that members of the committee are more likely to get their fundraising calls returned. That makes the decision of who to give the seat to a tricky one for incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has the final say on committee assignments. Placing a lawmaker who refuses corporate PAC contributions on the Ways and Means Committee could be seen by some elements of the party as leaving money on the table.

But giving it to the other New York applicant presents its own problems. Ocasio-Cortez is competing with Rep. Tom Suozzi, who represents the North Shore of Long Island, a district not far from Ocasio-Cortez’s Bronx and Queens-- but a world away in terms of wealth and privilege. He would no doubt make efficient fundraising use of the seat, but he also took part in a recent assault on Pelosi’s power as speaker.

The contrast between how Ocasio-Cortez and Suozzi have approached the incoming Congress has been stark. Ocasio-Cortez began by joining a sit-in at Pelosi’s office to demand an empowered select committee to focus on legislating a Green New Deal. It was a risky move, but one that ended with Pelosi and Ocasio-Cortez praising one another, and the issue of climate change was elevated on the agenda. Ocasio-Cortez then threw her support behind an embattled Pelosi for speaker of the House.

Pelosi’s bid for speakership was threatened by the so-called Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of lawmakers funded by the dark-money group No Labels, which threatened to withhold voting for Pelosi unless she agreed to a suite of rule changes that would largely empower Republicans. Suozzi was one of the nine signatories on that letter. Pelosi ultimately ceded to some of their demands.

Suozzi is a vice chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, as well as a member of the New Democrat Coalition, a bloc of Wall Street-friendly Democrats that dramatically expanded its membership with the 2018 elections.

...Ocasio-Cortez’s decision to go after a spot on the Ways and Means Committee is part of a broader strategy to grow progressive power in the coming Congress. It began with Congressional Progressive Caucus leaders Mark Pocan of Wisconsin and Pramila Jayapal of Washington state extracting a major concession from Pelosi, that in exchange for CPC votes, she would give the caucus proportional representation-- which amounts to 40 percent-- on the most powerful committees, which includes Ways and Means.

So... long story short: this is the worst I ever saw Pelosi screw progressives-- not Pocan's transactional definition, but actual progressives... in her entire congressional tenure. Anyone who ever doubted which side she's on can now set those doubts to rest for all time. Let me a dd a caveat; the deal, apparently, was that 40% of the entire membership of each committee would be from the CPC. So, technically, the deal wasn't broken. But that still, for example, leaves the Appropriations Committee with 11 actual economic progressives,  13 anti-progressives and 6 floating in the middle. The committee can easily be swayed in whatever they want to do by arch bankster-buddies Debbie Wasserman Schultz ($2,485,907), Henry Cuellar ($1,499,463), Ann Kirkpatrick ($1,615,753), Norma Torres ($177,560), Cheri Bustos ($1,097,471), Pete Aguilar ($965,965), Mike Quigley ($1,019,844), Sanford Bishop ($1,223,847), Ed Case ($539,917), Charlie Crist ($3,165,972) and Pete Visclosky ($704,795). I might add that committee chair, Nita Lowey has taken $5,244,643 from the Finance Sector.

Pelosi Upping The Democrats' Game At The House Judiciary Committee For The Age Of Trump

Last week, we predicted that Pelosi would appoint the biggest Wall Street shill among the new freshmen, Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), to the biggest fount of congressional corruption, the House Financial Services Committee. The Finance Sector and the Wall Street banksters financed Gottheimer's election and they expect him to return the favor going forward. Yesterday, Pelosi, gave Wall Street and Gottheimer what they wanted. Placing a corrupt scumbag on the committee, along with two other freshmen sleaze bags, Charlie Crist (FL) and Vicente Gonzalez (TX).

One watch dog type, not there for the bribes-- Ruben Kihuen (D-NV)-- was put on the committee to help the few honest members-- Maxine Waters, Keith Ellison, Mike Capuano-- hold the banksters accountable and keep an eye on the crooked Democrats who are part of that committee's sewer (Jim Himes, Kyrsten Sinema, Denny Heck, Terri Sewell, John Delaney, Gregory Meeks, William Lacy Clay, David Scott...).

But there was one committee, where it was apparent Pelosi thought long and hard about making appointments, the huge potential Age of Trump battleground-- House Judiciary. Senior members, John Conyers and Jerry Nadler, already do an amazing job there but Pelosi decided to send her best reinforcements to the committee that is likely to be the tip of the spear in the battle to protect Americans from Trump (and Sessions). Before she even got to the freshmen, she appointed Ted Lieu (D-CA), the best possible selection, to the committee. Lieu, in a statement to the press pointed out why this assignment is so crucial. "As a former prosecutor, one of only a handful of immigrants serving in Congress, and the only Democrat with a computer science degree, I hope I can bring a unique perspective to the committee charged with overseeing our nation’s administration of law and justice.  The Judiciary Committee was my first choice because of the numerous critical issues over which the Committee has jurisdiction, such as immigration, civil liberties, criminal justice reform, privacy, and encryption. The Judiciary Committee takes on exceptional importance given the prior statements of Trump-- who lost the popular vote-- in which he advocated for a Muslim-American registry as well as the deportation of millions of people, which would include children, high school, and college students who are undocumented. I will fight like hell on the Judiciary Committee to stop all unconstitutional, discriminatory and stupid ideas by our next President."

Ted is one of the few members of Congress to go to the secret room without any recording devises (including no pens or pencils) to read the classified intelligence report on Russian hacking. Here's the statement he issued this morning:

I have now read the highly classified intelligence report on Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent U.S. Elections.  I analyzed the report from my perspective as a computer science major and as a Member of the National Security Subcommittee of the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee.

Here is my reaction: there is clear and convincing evidence to support the conclusions of the intelligence community as set forth in the unclassified version of the report.  Russian hacking of Americans and American political organizations during the 2016 U.S. presidential election was multifaceted and brazen, with the goals of undermining faith in the U.S. democratic process and harming Secretary Clinton's electability.  Putin and the Russian government developed a clear preference for Trump.

I believe Trump is actively misleading Americans when he says the Russians did not attempt to help his election chances and denigrate Secretary Clinton’s electability.  Cyber espionage against American political organizations and cyber intrusions into our electoral boards are not partisan issues, they are American issues.  I call on every Member of Congress who has been briefed on or read the classified report to tell Trump that he needs to tell the truth to the American people.  At stake is not just our national security, but the very fabric of our democracy.

Good Pelosi! The two freshmen she put on the committee were two of the best elected in 2016, especially for this assignment, Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD).

Pramila told her constituents in Seattle why this appointment makes so much sense. "I couldn’t be prouder to be appointed to the House Judiciary Committee. I look forward to bringing my passion and experience to immigration reform, real criminal justice reform, women’s reproductive rights, voting rights, and civil liberties. After 9/11, I led the fight against the Bush administration and civil liberties abuses of Arabs and Muslims, successfully suing the administration and stopping the deportations of over 4,000 Muslims across our country. I’m proud to have led efforts for some of the most progressive immigration policies in the nation, including pushing for comprehensive and humane immigration reform, passing the DREAM Act, promoting citizenship and preserving drivers’ licenses for all. I have also been a leader on voting rights, shepherding the largest voter registration drive in Washington state and registering over 23,000 New Americans to vote, as well as leading the push in the State Senate for the Washington Voting Rights Act and Automatic Voter Registration. In the 115th Congress, I pledge to fight for our progressive values, and block the Trump administration’s plans to deport vulnerable undocumented immigrants, create a Muslim registry and violate our civil rights and civil liberties."



As for Jamie Raskin, we first became aware of him as a counsel for People for the American Way. This is his forte. He's written several books on constitutional law, including best-seller, Overruling Democracy: The Supreme Court versus the American People (2003), which is about Bush v. Gore, conservative judicial activism and the Court’s assault on democratic rights, and We the Students: Supreme Court Decisions for and About America’s Students (2015). "In 1981," he told Maryland voters yesterday, "as a college junior, I interned for Congressman John Conyers on the Judiciary Committee and found there not only a lifelong mentor, but a passion for constitutional law and a profound appreciation for the Judiciary Committee and the role that it plays in defending the rights and freedoms of the people. In 2017, with such profound disrespect for constitutional values being displayed by the incoming administration, the work of the Judiciary Committee is of surpassing and urgent importance.  In this Committee, we will take a stand for civil rights and voting rights, civil liberties and reproductive freedom, the rights of citizens and the rights of immigrants, criminal justice reform and access to justice for all. I am grateful to Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, Ranking Member John Conyers, and above all my constituents for making this appointment possible."

Note: when Blue America endorses men and women like Pramila, Jamie and Ted, it isn't random. We put a lot of effort into it. And we're glad when they live up... as these three are already doing in a big way.

UPDATE: New Dems Make Their Move To Sell-Out

A member of Congress who asked me not to identify him sent me a copy of the letter Jim Himes, on behalf of the New Dems, sent Paul Ryan, offering to work with him in a way that allows him to bypass Pelosi. "It's appalling," he wrote. "They want to meet as a New Dem caucus to negotiate with Ryan on changing Obamacare. We should, as a caucus, speak with one voice and not let the Republicans divide and conquer. Only Nancy Pelosi should be dealing with Ryan on behalf of the House Democrats. The New Dems are really undercutting our caucus and potentially selling out. Any chance you can do something on this and circulate it in progressive circles? The only shot we have of resisting is to stay unified."

Here's the letter from Himes to Ryan,which was similar to a letter Tim Kaine and other right-of-center Senate Dems sent to McConnell last week:

Dear Speaker Ryan,

As Members with a demonstrated commitment to working across the aisle to improve the Affordable Care Act (ACA), we write to express our strong opposition to plans to repeal the law. Repealing the law will have immediate effects that will lead to higher costs, less access, and lower quality care for Americans across the country. Access to lifesaving health care is not a partisan issue, and any changes to the Affordable Care Act should reflect this shared value of ours through a commitment to bipartisan dialogue.

Repealing the ACA threatens to interrupt care, price millions of Americans out of their health insurance, and have far-reaching consequences that will destabilize markets for all Americans, regardless of how they access health care coverage. Not only will this jeopardize access to health care for those who need it most, the anticipated burden of uncompensated care costs will cripple health care providers’ ability to meet the needs of their communities.

Instead of repealing, we are open to working with you to make constructive improvements to the Affordable Care Act that reduce health care costs for families and seniors, invest in prevention, increase choices for consumers, streamline regulations, reduce burdens for small businesses, and encourage participation by the young and healthy. We believe there are productive changes that can be made to improve the Affordable Care Act without compromising the critical protections our constituents depend on. We can’t go back to a time when preexisting conditions made a person uninsurable, when women were charged more for insurance than men, and when seniors had to pay out of pocket for prescription drugs because of the "donut hole."

We hope that you will take these factors into consideration and work with Members from both parties to responsibly work towards the goal of high quality, affordable health coverage for every American.

So, Wondering Which Committees The Democratic Freshman Were Assigned?

First off, no freshmen were put on the top plum committees, Appropriations or Ways & Means. Nor did any freshmen get slots on Education & Workforce, Energy & Commerce or Rules. Here are the assignments that have been announced:

Agriculture

Suzanne DelBene (New Dem-WA)
Gloria McLeod (CA)
Filemon Vela (New Dem-TX)
Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM)
Ann Kuster (NH)
Rick Nolan (MN)
Pete Gallego (Blue Dog-TX)
Bill Eynart (IL)
Juan Vargas (New Dem-CA)
Cheri Bustos (IL)
Sean Patrick Maloney (New Dem-NY)

There are two Democratic vacancies left on this committee, which has traditionally, under Collin Peterson, been one of the most important sources of bribes for Blue Dogs.

Armed Services

Carol Shea-Porter (NH)
Dan Maffei (New Dem-NY)
Derek Kilmer (New Dem-WA)
Tammy Ducksworth (IL)
Joaquin Castro (New Dem-TX)
Scott Peters (New Dem- CA)
Bill Eynart (IL)
Pete Gallego (Blue Dog-TX)
Marc Veasey (TX)

Budget

Hakeem Jeffries (NY)
Mark Pocan (WI)
Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM)
Jared Huffman (CA)
Tony Cardenas (CA)

Financial Services

Bill Foster (New Dem-IL)
Dan Kildee (MI)
Patrick Murphy (New Dem-FL)
John Delaney (New Dem-MD)
Kyrsten Sinema (AZ)
Joyce Beatty (OH)
Denny Heck (New Dem-WA)

Foreign Affairs

Alan Grayson (FL)
Juan Vargas (New Dem-CA)
Brad Schneider (New Dem-IL)
Joe Kennedy (MA)
Ami Bera (New Dem-CA)
Alan Lowenthal (CA)
Grace Meng (NY)
Lois Frankel (FL)
Tulsi Gabbard (HI)
Joaquin Castro (New Dem-TX)

Homeland Security

Donald Payne, Jr. (NJ)
Beto O'Rourke (TX)
Tulsi Gabbard (HI)
Filemon Vela (New Dem-TX)
Steven Horsford (NV)
Eric Swalwell (CA)

Judiciary

Suzanne DelBene (New Dem-WA)
Joe Garcia (New Dem-FL)
Hakeem Jeffries (NY)

Oversight & Government Reform

Matt Cartwright (PA)
Mark Pocan (WI)
Tammy Duckworth (IL)

Natural Resources

Tony Cardenas (CA)
Steven Horsford (NV)
Jared Huffman (CA)
Raul Ruiz (CA)
Carol Shea-Porter (NH)
Alan Lowenthal (CA)
Joe Garcia (New Dem-FL)
Matt Cartwright (PA)

Science, Space & Technology

Eric Swalwell (CA)
Dan Maffei (New Dem-NY)
Alan Grayson (FL)
Joe Kennedy (MA)
Scott Peters (New Dem-CA)
Derek Kilmer (New Dem-WA)
Ami Bera (New Dem-CA)
Elizabeth Esty (New Dem-CT)
Mark Veasey (CA)
Julia Brownley (CA)
Mark Takano (CA)

There's one Democratic vacancy on this committee, which is already almost entirely made up of freshmen.

Transportation & Infrastructure

Rick Nolan (MN)
Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ)
Dina Titus (NV)
Sean Patrick Maloney (New Dem-NY)
Elizabeth Esty (New Dem-CT)
Lois Frankel (FL)
Cheri Bustos (IL)

Small Business

Donald Payne, Jr. (NJ)
Grace Meng (NY)
Brad Schneider (New Dem-IL)

Veteran's Affairs

Mark Takano (CA)
Julia Brownley (CA)
Dina Titus (NV)
Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ)
Raul Ruiz (CA)
Gloria McLeod (CA)
Ann Kuster (NH)
Beto O'Rourke (TX)