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Jim Cooper is out of step with his district. Barack Obama won 56% of the vote in 2008 to John McCain’s 43%, so the typical Blue Dog trumpet that their corporatist-friendly vote is necessary to hold office in a heavily Republican district just doesn’t apply.
He thus meets Accountability Now’s criteria for a primary challenge. We’re launching a blog today, Cooper Uncovered, which will chronicle Cooper’s exploits on a daily basis. It will explore how Cooper’s activities are at odds with the interests of his Nashville district:
- Fifteen years after playing a leading role in defeating President Clinton’s health care legislation, he is still working against the interests of his constituents on health care.
- He defends the for-profit insurance companies who have bankrolled his campaigns.
- He voted against providing a college education to our brave troops returning from Iraq, all while supporting blank checks for the war in Iraq under President George W. Bush.
- And he even voted against President Obama’s economic recovery bill and has bragged about his power to work with Republicans against Democrats in Congress.
From the Accountability Now press release:
According to a Research 2000 poll from August 24, 2009, Cooper’s approval rating has sunk to below 50 percent (47% favorable, 41% unfavorable). Even more telling, was that just 36% of likely voters stated they would vote to re-elect Congressman Cooper.
Ranking high among Nashville voters concerns was Cooper’s perceived obstruction of the “public option” during the recent congressional debate on health care. According to the poll conducted in August, 80 percent of Democratic voters and 64 percent of independents support a public option. 77 percent of Democratic voters and 60 percent of independent voters disapprove of Congressman Cooper’s actions on the health care issue.
"Cooper has spent so many years in Congress without being accountable, that he’s forgotten how to represent his constituents," said Markos Moulitsas, owner of Daily Kos and the commissioner of the poll.. "He has a choice ahead of him — continue representing the interests of his insurance company buddies, or those of the people who elect him."
Cooper, who has collected more than $1 million dollars from health care special interests and related political action committees, has come under fire in recent weeks for failing to represent Democrats in the 5th Congressional District.
Accountability Now has been working actively in Tennessee’s 5th district to recruit candidates to run against Cooper in a Democratic primary next year. Communicating with Nashville voters about his activities on Capitol Hill, exploring his political history and highlighting the coverage of local Tennessee blogs will be the focus of Cooper Uncovered.
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awesome. i will make a point of getting this out EVERYWHERE.
Sucks to be Jim Cooper.
Sock it to him sock it to him sock it to him!
Cancel Cooper in Congress. Vote for a Congressman who Represents People not Corporations. Elect _______ for Tennessee (blank yet to be filled)
You bet your bippy
DA DA DA, da da DA!
*Falls over on tricycle*
Let’s get those Blew Dogs out of office. (I thought of that term the other morning when I couldn’t sleep because I’m quite sure these guys would blow a dog if a lobbyist told them to.)
Thanks Jane ,keep on exposing these people for the frauds they are.
Guys like Cooper aren’t Democrats they are just corporate shills
Wonderful news, Jane. Although we weren’t successful in unseating him because ours is a woefully gerrymandered R +15 district, I helped with a blog against our Gooper Congressman last fall. Feel free to browse the old posts there for ideas. One thing that worked really well was combing Cliff’s website for photos he posted. My best find was him “dressed up” in expedition gear to visit Gitmo and flashing a Lynndie England thumbs up as he got off the boat. Gosh, he pulled that photo off his site after I posted it with an exposure of his support of torture. Maybe Cooper has some little gems just waiting to be uncovered…
This is great! I’ll make a small donation later today.
Good mornign and hello.
Newbie question:with Baucus delaying debate on Rockefeller and Schumer PO amendments till Tues., beyond continued lobbying of my Senator Cantwell-how do I(we) best take advantage of the 72 hours before?
Thanks to all for the inspiration and information.
Awesome Jane.
I know Senate races are a bigger nut to crack (and fewer of them) but is there any Accountability Now plan to start ridding the D party of folks like Baucus? I guess you’ve got the Ross/Lincoln ads running…anything else?
Who’d have thought that 60 Ds would still leave us implementing policies an R would love?
Yep! Accountability Now Executive Director has been in Nashville all week talking to people. A lot of interest from people who now think Cooper is beatable.
Have been drilling down into the numbers. He is beatable.
This is cool, I was waiting to see what Accountability Now would do, now I know and I’ll be glad to give more money to this effort when it’s available.
Hey Jimbo: Payback’s a bitch…
Some blasts from the past:
Me: Jim Cooper Seems to Care Only About Jim Cooper’s Clout
Jane: Jim Cooper Catches #rahmflu, Loves Him Some European Banks
Gregg: Jim Cooper, Avowed Supporter of Public Option, to Move to Stall Progress Toward Healthcare Reform
Phasers Locked On! Photon Torpedos Ready! Fuck’em Up!
It’s about fucking time. His “representation” of my interests has been lacking for quite a while. Kick the bum out. I will gladly help the campaign of anyone who goes against him in a primary.
Have your local friends call Cantwell’s office and put pressure on her. In addition to calling her DC office, hit the local offices too — in person, if possible.
Emailed “letters to the editor” of the local papers are a good idea as well. Three keys to getting a LTE published: Keep it short, keep it focused, and make it memorable.
Fixed it for ya.
*sniff* *sniff* Is that a whiff of revolution I smell in the air? Smells goooooood.
In the “real” spirit of the Boston Tea Party!
Would love to see Cooper beaten. I find him particularly smarmy. Sounds like a good chance to get him out.
Now, Jane, you’re likely annoying poor Rahm. Perhaps you’ll earn one of his four letter phone calls. He ASKED you not to do this.
Boxturtle (Please tape it and share if you’re so fortunate)
I assume Rahm in supporting candidates who can win in red districts is now worried about Blue Dogs in Blue Districts getting a Primary challenge and not owing him anything what do you want to bet if our people win that Rahm will turn off the Dem Campaign cash?
That and tell the GOP to spend heavy to keep us out. Still 36% of likely voters the voters most likely to turn out in a low turn out election is the best Cooper can get?
Below 50% is the number that says incumbents are in trouble. Also with Healthcare, the Economy and 2 wars being fought I do not see how the next election will be a low turnout election.
Baucus isn’t up in 2010 so it’s a ways away. But there are others who are a bit closer to an accountability moment, I’d say.
We found out pretty early that going into a district and announcing your intentions before you knew the lay of the land was not the best idea. But we’ve been quietly working for months on a variety of fronts and you’ll be seeing more soon.
Bring cameras!
A-yep. A lot of the people we most need to reach are those folks who don’t read blogs but read and write to the LTTE pages in local papers. These folks are typically the most engaged politically, though not necessarily the most genuinely informed politically.
It would really suck to be Jim Cooper if our elected representatives had the balls and put some teeth into the revolving door of rep/lobbyist.
As it is, he’ll lose seat of some power and influence with a moderate income to one of lobbyist with moderate power and influence and HUGE income.
Bastards
wait and see whether Accountability Now will support (I) and 3rd Party challengers, or whether their values and principles stop at the Party’s edge.
AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…
Citizen Hamsher and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:
Now THAT’s what I’m talkin’ about, Sister Jane…target the fascist fellow travelers in blue districts especially in the South and border states. The longer the health care debate goes on the stronger the progressives get and the more exposed and marginalized are the corporatist stooges. Obama needs to get a strong public option thru the reconcilliation process, focus on EFCA and financial re-regulation and pound what is left of the southern-fried fascists in 2010. The longer this healthcare debate draws out the better it looks for Obama and Democrats.
The danger of the above is, of course, that we are rapidly approaching 1963-like conditions…if you remember, the corporate fascists who had taken control of the Democratic Party by 1950, needed to get a Southern oil sheik in the White House and get troops committed in asia…then comes November 1963 and the rest, as they say. is history. We are even more vulnerable today because the permanent structure of governance , the security state, is invulnerable to political change and the Generals have the President by the balls with troops in the field.
So keep the pressure on where it belongs, Citizen Jane “Addams” Hamsher, and we will hold your back until our money runs out.
KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION, THIS IS A WAR WE CAN WIN!!
Some Pollsters are thinking the party in power almost always loses seats in the next election. Which is normally true but why? My theory is that the party in power supporters get lazy and don’t vote while the people out of power are more motivated to vote.
The problem is that with a bad economy (people trust Dems more on this issue), Healthcare and 2 wars people who want healthcare and an end to the wars will be motivated to vote when they otherwise might be to lazy to vote.
I want the pollsters to show me a single issue that a majority of voters care about that we are not on the right side of.
I want the pollsters to show me a single issue or issues that the GOP has that can persuade a majority of voters to switch.
I want the pollsters to explain how the next election will be a low turnout election? The Left is still energized we can swing the burbs.
I expect African American turnout to be very high also. Motivating Moderates and Hispanics will be key then.
Masaccio has a fresh post up on the front page: “Is There Any Consumer Protection Issue Blue Dogs Support?”
Citizen ThingsComeUndone:
You are absofuckinlutely correct Citizen but what we must do is keep the heat on and keep our President alive until 2010.
oh yuk, on his home page he’s got a guitar to show his country cred.
what. a. douchenozzle.
A bad economy that stays at its present level of bad and still being in Iraq and Afghanistan will kill us Nixon got elected on Peace with Honor? (or was it Victory?).
A smart GOPer if the wars are not ended will run against a Dem on this if a possible GOP Presidential Candidate runs against the war…well smart GOPers make me nervous.
However Rove, Newt the GOP idea men are to wedded to war so I don’t think we should worry.
Agreed and we will there is no doubt of that from what I see. What the pollsters are seeing when they say Dems will lose seats I suspect is the view from the bottom of a shot glass:)
If anything remotely resembling the Baucus bill becomes law of the land, I’d bet my last dollar the Rethugs will make huge gains in 2010, in fact I’d even be willing to wager a bit that they’d take back the house.
I know if that’s the case, if anything resembling that bill becomes law, I’m not as inclined to work for, give to, or maybe even vote for any fucking Democrat.
Jury is still out on 2010.
You have some very good points, but I think an area where we liberals tend to drop the ball is in realizing that not everyone votes on issues. Not everyone votes in a totally logical manner.
There was a time when we liberals managed to get our issues and our message to resonate with the populace, but we haven’t been as successful with that lately.
There was a time when the teabaggers would have been on our side along with the rational, informed voters. If we want to really take our country back we need to find a way to reach the irrational and ill-informed as well as the usuals.
Having a bunch of Blew Dogs doesn’t make our job any easier, but we really have to frame these issues in very simple and emotional ways.
True if we mess up healthcare we are in trouble.
Thanks-all over all of that. Delivered a lemon even to Maria as per MoveOn this week.
I guess I had hoped beyond donations here et al., and stalking my own reps, there might be something effective against the BlueDogs on Finance.
Thanks for the reply.
We do need to appeal to emotion based Lizard brain voters more however I do not think we can get the 20%ers.
We can demoralize them and then they will stay home on election day.
The Prospect of losing big or just not having enough red meat issues to keep the Crazy going fullsteam until the next election is a problem for them I mean the Birther issue? Death Panels the GOP is hitting the bottom of the barrel on the Crazy and turning off Moderate voters.
Any ideas on how to emotionally connect with voters?
In my fantasy world that I dream of sometimes, NO health care bill gets done this year. And next year the Democratic Party turns back to its “Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party” and signs a Pledge For 2010, Improved and Expanded Medicare for All.
Now THAT would motivate the base to levels unseen, and I believe lead to maintaining, and possibly even expanding, the numbers in Congress. And would also lead to real, no-bullshit, universal, single payer health care for all Americans.
OK, so it’s a fantasy world. Tis better than the real one, IMO. *G*
Rahm, can you get me off the hook, for old times sake ?
can’t do it Jim
slick
GIBSON is in nashville. They moved there from Kalamazoo Mich. in 1975, to get out from paying union workers.
LOL love it. except Rahm is with Badzino.
I live in his District. Many email and phone calls about paying $420.00 a month with a $2,500.00 Deductible for 80 % with Blue Bend over the Cross you will need the Shield i cannot continue to do and asking him to support single payer insurance to no avail. Then ask him to just support the Democrats so we can move forward nothing. Last email said if i had wanted a Republican in office i would have voted for one. The Democrats have to find someone to run against him if he doesn’t git in line and dance with the people who brought you to the party.
Got to love those accountability moments.
Speaking of accountability, the Lincoln/Ross Act Like Democrats campaign has hit its goal.
He acts like this because he wants to run for Senator one day.
you can bet obama will throw his full support behind cooper. guaranteed. yeah, obama is THAT guy.
I strongly support FDL and the ActBlue ad to tell Arkansas Democratic Sen Blanche Lincoln and Rep Mike Ross to stop doing the bidding of the insurance industry. I gave money to help run the ad and wrote letters to both Sen Lincoln and Rep Ross. (In fact, I’d happily share the letter I faxed to Rep Ross today with anyone who might be interested in faxing him a letter too!)
But, Jane, I’m not sure I get this new call to oppose Tennessee Rep Jim Cooper. I just read “Cooper’s Most Frequently Asked Questions on Health Reform” at his website. It looks like he supports in principle a public option along the lines of Sen Schumer’s proposal, but has concerns about it not being deficit neutral.
Based on the way President Obama has described the way a public option would be run and paid for, I don’t agree with Rep Cooper’s concern and I think he’s missing the point about why a public option is necessary to get costs down and to make insurance companies treat their customers more fairly. But I think his concern is legitimate. I understand why he would be supporting a different bill for now as a result of his current concerns. And I think his voice can be constructive in producing a good bill.
Sorry Jane and all FDLers. I just don’t see in Rep Cooper a sellout who is doing the bidding of the worst elements of the health care industry. And I don’t think that the criterion you have cited as meeting Accountability Now’s criteria for a primary challenge to oppose Rep Cooper (i.e. that President Obama won 56% of Cooper’s district) is enough of a reason to start recruiting candidates to run against him in a Democratic primary next year. If you start calling out any Democrat who has a sincere difference of opinion based on nothing more than what percentage of his or her constituents voted for President Obama, you will marginalize FDL far too much to make a serious impact in the future.
I’m just not with you on this one yet.
I’m happy to say that I contributed!! When will that ad start running? Also, I’d like to thank Rachel Maddow of MSNBC for informing me about FDL and about this campaign to tell Lincoln and Ross to ACT LIKE DEMOCRATS!
I’ve read more about Rep Cooper, his views, his record, his district, and his ties to companies that have bankrolled his campaigns.
CONGRESSMAN JIM COOPER DEFINITELY SHOULD FACE A REAL PRIMARY CHALLENGE NEXT YEAR!