Have you ever thought about donating to the DCCC? Some of the tens of millions of dollars that comes in and goes out of there actually goes to help good candidates like Darcy Burner and Martin Heinrich get elected. But very little. It’s got a bit better since 2006 when it was run by pro-war fanatic Rahm Emanuel and being against the war was almost the kiss of death. Now the D-Trip is run, at least ostensibly, by a progressive, Chris Van Hollen. Still, the bulk of the money they take in goes to help elect reactionary nominal Democrats from deep in the bowels of the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.
Sunday’s NY Times celebrates how the "diversity" of having anti-choice activists running is putting more seats into play. Into play for what? Democrats, Inc? Who gives a damn about that except Insiders? Most people who vote for Democrats are doing so because they believe in what the party is supposed to stand for. But the Rahm Emanuel Democratic Party is standing on its head and has more in common– much more– with the Republican Party insiders than with its own grassroots.
Did you give a donation to the DCCC this year? If you did you contributed towards the ending of a woman’s right to choice. No hyperbole; that’s a fact. The DCCC has spent around $1.5 million on electing Bobby Bright an anti-choice fanatic and Alabama reactionary.
In fact, Mr. Bright is one of a dozen anti-abortion Democratic challengers the party has recruited to run for the House this year and has aggressively supported with millions of dollars and other resources in culturally conservative districts long unfriendly to the party.
That is the highest number of anti-abortion candidates the party has fielded in recent memory to run either for open seats or against Republican challengers, according to party strategists and a leading anti-abortion organization… The Democratic effort to seek out candidates like Mr. Bright has not been without tensions, given the party’s reliance on abortion rights groups for fundraising and get-out-the-vote efforts. And there is the fundamental reality that the Democratic Party’s platform explicitly embraces abortion rights.
Kelli Conlin, the president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health, called the recruitment strategy misguided, saying that surveys conducted by her organization showed that even some Republicans express support for abortion rights when her group described the consequences of outlawing the procedure.
“The movement to recruit anti-choice candidates ignores the larger reality that this is a pro-choice nation,” she said.
Van Hollen lamely describes the support for these anti-choice hacks as "taking the wedge issues off the table." For real Democrats, that wedge issue is part of what makes the Democratic Party, as corrupt and pathetic as it is, preferable to the Republicans. If the DCCC won’t stand up for women’s rights what will they stand up for? Where do they draw the line? They’re pushing 12 anti-choice activists this year but they don’t advertise them to the general public. The Times also mentions Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-03) and Jim Esch (NE-02).
I’m looking at the 3 hotly contested races in Alabama. The Democrats are represented by two reactionaries who are anti-choice, Bright and Parker Griffith, each of whom they will have spent around $2 million on by election day. There is also a grassroots moderate running, Josh Segall, who is pro-choice. They haven’t spent a nickel on his race. Every dime they get they shovel into the anti-choice races.
The DCCC is active in 3 Louisiana races– on behalf of right-wing incumbent Don Cazayoux and two reactionary challengers, Paul Carmouche and Don Cravins. All three are running on platforms that include denying women the right to choice. The DCCC is spending another couple of million on them.
In southwest Ohio the DCCC has lavished a million and a half dollars on anti-choice, right-of-center Steve Driehaus and nothing at all on pro-choice progressive Vic Wulsin, both in Cincinnati.
Although Chris Carney has collected immense sums of money from the corporations he has been supporting, including the Insurance Industry and Big Oil, the DCCC has spent $500,000 to protect his right-wing, anti-choice, anti-gay ass. He has voted more frequently with the Republicans on substantive matters than he has with Democrats and has one of the worst voting records of any Democratic member of Congress. That seems like a requirement to get funding from the DCCC. Just south of his district is a progressive, pro-choice woman, Sam Bennett, who the DCCC has given… nothing at all.
Anti-choice Democratic incumbents include right-wing and corporate Dems Jason Altmire (PA), Marion Berry (AR), Dan Boren (OK), Chris Carney (PA), Don Cazayoux (LA), Travis Childers (MS), Henry Cuellar (TX), Lincoln Davis (TN), Joe Donnelly (IN), Brad Ellsworth (IN), Tim Holden (PA), Dan Lipinski (IL), Jim Marshall (GA), Mike McIntyre (NC), Charlie Melancon (LA), Jack Murtha (PA), Solomon Ortiz (TX), Collin Peterson (MN), Ike Skelton (MO), Heath Shuler (NC), Bart Stupak (MI). Gene Taylor (MS), and Charlie Wilson (OH).
And the anti-choice fanatics who are serious candidates this year:
Ronnie Musgrove (MS- Senate)
Bobby Bright (AL-02)
Parker Griffith (AL-05)
Mike Montagano (IN-03)
David Boswell (KY-02)
Bill O’Neill (OH-14)
Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-03)
If you want to support real Democrats, the kind who are committed to fighting for progressive ideals and values– including women’s right to choice– please think about the candidates at the Blue America ActBlue page. It’s your choice.
crossposted at downwithtyranny
Related posts:
- Early Morning Swim: Rachel Interviews NWHF President Who Fears More Anti-Choice Violence
- Anti-Choice Men: The Go-To Source for Abortion Opinion
- I Wonder What Bart Stupak’s Donors Think About Financing Anti-Abortion Activists?
- GRITtv Live: After the Tiller Murder, How Will Media, Activists Respond?
- Chamber of Commerce’s “Buy an Economist” Health Care Strategy Identical to its Anti-Employee Free Choice Campaign
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Hey, Howie! Now to read. I’ll let them know you’re here.
No Only Blue America
When asked I reply- I give directly to the Candidates I support, thank you very much and don’t call again.
Nobody votes Dem because they are anti-choice they anti-choice people vote GOP does the Times have any polling to back up their statement or is the Judy Miller school of Journalism still the rule at the Times?
How are the antichoice candidates doing in the polls?
Haven’t given to the DCCC in years and I delight in telling them when they call that I won’t give until we have some real leadership and some real democrats to give to.
My bold When will they get a Spine?
http://www.uncannyxmen.net/db/…..fldAuto=33
No. You’ve trained us well. *G*
Thanks Howie.
digg
Yeah and we have the polling to prove it. But if we compromise what we believe in we look weak and lose votes which is what Rahm is great at.
The DCCC wants to win elections by becoming Rs.
Well, at least it makes the Blue America “sales pitch” that much easier. As usual, notice how almost all the Dem anti-choice reactionaries are male.
Anyone who has been or still is sending money to Obama might want to consider stopping and sending the rest to Blue America candidates. Few extra thousand will make no difference to big O, but would make a massive difference to some of the BA candidates. One week left to make this a historic landslide!
(still can’t get over the thought of Alan Grayson running around Capitol Hill knocking some heads.)
By the way, Ronnie Musgrove in Mississippi is VERY conservative – anti-abortion and pro-gun. I know him and I don’t like him at all.
Why can’t such candidates say that they oppose abortion except in cases of rape, incest or the medical necessity of saving the life of the mother or another unborn fetus in multiple birth cases? (This leaves a gaping hole WRT pre-natal defects – serious or otherwise).
The DCCC should NOT support any pro-life candidates under any circumstances. Surely some redneck candidates could be found who support these most restricted positions which allow for legal abortion.
It often seems that mainstream Democrats wish they could surrender this issue and be done with it.
Hell no I didn’t donate to the DCCC. The only place I donate is Blue America.
Ah, the Political Class …
Quick, somebody!!!
Tell me about how ‘ours’ are the ‘lesser weevils’, ‘they’ don’t appear to be very different from the ‘greater weevils’ …
Actually, the Dems have no more claim on perpetual power than the thugs … or even any perpetual ‘right’ to exist as a political party, especially if their ‘interests’ are destructive of decency, compassion and socirety itself.
Geez, in a democracy, have the ‘people’ any ‘interests’ in seeing such a ’system’ of ‘representative democracy’ evolve into to something better, like say … ‘participatory democracy’?
Who wants to tell me that is ‘impossible’ or ‘undesireable’?
Van Hollen always seemed like the real deal. Wonder what kind of pressure he’s getting, or maybe he’s simply one of Them Dems?
Exactly. The new Republican Party will be called the Democratic Party.
OT: Looks like Chicago has found the Hudson nephew…sadly.
NOW not only endorses Obama, rips Palin.
He seemed like a nice guy but maybe he is not the one really calling the shots?
Morning, Howie. Glad you cross-posted.
If someone from the DCCC is reading here, this is one of the reasons I will never ever respond to the tsunami of mail and email I get from you folks, except to ask that you take me off the list (which you never do).
It’s not just choice. It’s choice stupidity that bothers me. Like dumping $3 million into Tammy Duckworth in 2006 while ignoring good candidates in, for example, Iowa, where Jim Leach was defeated by Dave Loebsack with no help from you, and Selden Spencer was never able to get on the air against Tom Latham for lack of maybe $30,000.
Or chasing the $750k from the netroots with another million that Tinklenberg will have a hard time spending intelligently in a short time, while ignoring good candidates in, for example, Iowa, where you finally announced you would give money to Becky Greenwald against Tom Latham, (and have not provided yet, with 8 days to go), and where all you have given Rob Hubler is a pat on the ass and good luck. Hubler, btw, is running against Steve King, who makes Michelle Bachmann look good by virtue of being just like her but unattractive besides. All it would take to help Hubler is maybe $50k in airtime, but no, we’re going to risk being stuck with a Rethug who recently said this instead:
Don’t call me and I won’t call you.
Alot of republics are voting for Obama. Makes me wonder what the expectation will be from them.
Having lived in Fun-gomery, AL, since 1993, I can tell you Bobby Bright has done okay as mayor.
Yes, it’s sad; tragic; a betrayal; choose your adjective; that he’s anti-choice. Unfortunately, the alternative is letting Jay Love (R) and the most-negative campaign in years win.
Bright took some heat for putting out some blue “I’m a Bright Republican” signs. But that’s settled down, and the consensus seems to be that it’s helped him. Last polling I saw shows a tight race, which explains why both national parties or their organizations are dumping in big bucks (sending in Mitt Romney, etc.).
Remember, this is still the South where the past isn’t dead, it ain’t even past.
And as you indicate, you’ll be able to tell when this happens when they stop referring to the “Democrat” party and go back to the “Democratic” party.
Dya think?
OT
Hedge funds raising money for redemptions also are being blamed. There’s no easy way to gauge when the unwinding will be over; Jason Trennert of Strategas thinks a marked slowing in the dollar’s advance could provide a clue. Many funds have a Nov. 15 notification deadline for year-end redemption requests, Goldman Sachs points out; once the date is passed, money could flow back in to the market.
http://online.barrons.com/arti…..ws_barrons
If there IS a stock market after 11/15.
Do you have any ideas where someone like Bright would vote in the House differently from a Republican?
Goldman Sachs has its finger on the pulse and its thumb in the pie.
OT
The head of U.S. Northern Command is blathering on cspan2, courtesy of that well known liberal (not) think tank, Brookings.
Goldman’s got its whole face in the pie.
I think it’s part and parcel of the party’s abandonment of basic Democratic economic principles that started many years ago. The Dems became entrenched and came to reflect the views and interests of their funders, the corporations. Faced with the choice of two economically conservative parties, “socially conservative” Dems no longer had any reason not to indulge their prejudices and became “Reagan Democrats.”
The problem and solution are clear – bring the working (middle) class back with economic policies that favor them instead of playing the rethug game of appealing to the baser instincts.
answer: hell to the naw!
I know better (thank goodness) but I’m thrilled that you have posted this. I have some email and linking to do
Is that moose grease on his head?
He’d better not go any farther center or right. Especially if we get the Senate.
Geez, the military has such a set of cliches that substitute for thought that it’s amazing that they can ever hit anything, including civilians, with all their fancy weapons.
Spit-shine?
People have to consider carefully who they’re voting for and not just vote the straight ticket. In some cases, the non-Democratic candidate may be more moderate if not outright progressive than the Democratic.
Rahm is a bane to the party, to be sure.
Are you listening to that pogram?
Just re-read the post:
Kind of shocking to see how many anti-choice Dems there are when you list them all together like that. And there’s Bob Casey in the Senate off the top of my head, and I assume some others in the Senate?
In some cases, an Independent is better than the Democrat. IMHO, voting for any Republican under the circumstances is not good.
I don’t know perhaps we are over-reacting. Maybe the DCCC’s intentions are to elect more Democrats like Tim Mahoney.
My rule: Never donate to an organization with the consecutive, identical consonates. Any orgainization with letters like _XXX are hiding something.
Twolf1’s Oxdown post is up on the front page: “Amazon.com Files Obama Mask As A Terrorist Costume”
I have been deluged by mailings and phone calls from DCCC. I walk past the trash can in the garage when bringing in the mail and that stuff joins the rethug mailings and doesn’t make it in. I have told the phone solicitors that I am not supporting Rahm or Debbie Wasserman Schultz etc. but those people making the calls are just working for some call center and don’t understand anything.
Point taken, Hugh.
Recent debate between Love and Bright highlights a bit on their positions:
http://www.montgomeryadvertise…../810230312
Main (admitted) difference between them is that Bright supports disengagement from Iraq.
Love’s ads are right out of the GOP playbook (”I’m a Christian conservative; he’s a DC Pelosi liberal, WRONG FOR AMERICA, will raise your taxes, etc.”). We’re getting a new anti-Bright mailer each and every day.
It is Ironic that congressional Democrats seem so scared of opening themselves up to Republican attacks. . . yet they open themselves up all the time to the most effective one of all: that Democrats care more about getting into power than standing by their principles.
Democrats have been widely branded on the Right as a party without principles. This is the greatest flaw many Republicans see in Democrats. Yet, idiots like Rham Emmanuel act like it is some kind of profound wisdom to compromise principles as a political tactic. It’s insanity. Then, when Republicans screw up so badly that voters rebel and vote Democrat, Emmanuel pats himself on the back and says: “See it worked!”
I swear, if this were the 60’s the DCCC would be funding anti civil rights candidates with the excuse that their votes will help “get things done.”
Now you’ve poked a real hornets nest, and rightfully so. THANK YOU HOWIE!!
Both Emanuel, with the help of Hoyer and Schumer, with the help of Reid, in their respective committees can almost single handedly claim victory for fu**ing over the party for this last decade -until Dean came along.
That “do nothing Congress” label came about because they filled the Democrat side with dozens of little whining pu**ies like Joe Lieberman, who show no loyalty to their constituents, their party or their country. First and foremost to them are the donors who put them their- the same ones who banged on Pelosis door demanding a quid pro quo for Hillary, the same ones demanding the re-installation of Joe Lieberman- an Independent – over the real ‘D’ candidate -the Patriot Acts, the stripped out Iran provison, the stripped out troop withdrawal provision, the war vote the BK Act, on and on I could go.
And it was those same 4 who installed the infamous “red state fear” bullsh** -until Obama came along. Schumer and Emanuel used that fearmongering to force votes on legislation many didn’t want to support.
To get to the point – the two campaign committes have long pushed issues that essentially destroyed the Left -the real Democratic party, in an effort to keep this muddled middle installed -the “centrists” -as key to any progress in either chamber of Congress.
Emanuel leaves, but the clique of centrists elect Hoyer and Reid.
And Van Hollen? He was helped into Congress only recently by Hoyer and Emanuel. Emanuel and Hoyer installed him as their new DCCC chairman.
I want you all to remember this as you guide to “How Things Really Work in Congress”: The Israeli/Lebanon war went on for over 30 days without the US intervening, unlike the Russian/Georgian conflict where we dived in within a few days. The world screamed at the US to get involved and stop the dis-proportionate response used by Israel -over 3 MILLION cluster bombs were dropped over every inch of Lebanon. Only 1 member of Congress spoke out – it was Chuck Hagel (R).
Behind the scenes, a newly elected Congressman named Chris Van Hollen sent a letter, with Pelosi’s help, to Sec. Rice, urging her to intervene.
Within a few weeks Van Hollen was given an all expense paid tour of Israel by A*I*P*A*C*, came back, and held a very public press conference. In that conference he apologized to Israel for inferring they had done anything wrong in the war.
Not long after Van Hollen is named Chairman of the DCCC.
all should telly0umasters are the donors
The Senate leader, Harry Reid, is anti-choice. Imagine the GOPs having a tax-raiser for a leader — it’s absurd. Choice is a fundamental Democratic party value, so why did our Democratic Senators choose an anti-choice Nevadan as their leader?