Establishment Democrats in Minneapolis have an Our Revolution problem

Progressives all over the country are mobilized.
They've beaten establishment candidates in Birmingham, Alabama and Jackson, Mississippi, and may soon do the same in Atlanta, Georgia and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This in no way means that the Democratic establishment will just roll over, and what happened in Minneapolis the other day is proof.

that first vote was counted and announced, with the results as follows: State Rep. Ray Dehn got 32.44 percent of the 1,253 voting delegates, Council Member Jacob Frey 27.83 percent, Hodges 24.19 percent and former Hennepin Theater Trust leader Tom Hoch 10.6 percent.
...
But that second ballot never happened. After another 90 minutes of hanging around, some backroom deal-making and a brief-but-still-somewhat-bitter debate, the convention was adjourned without an endorsement for mayor.
That came after operatives for Hodges, Frey and Hoch agreed to support the adjournment vote over the objections of Dehn. While he said he doubted he would have gotten to the 60 percent endorsement threshold, Dehn said he thought his share of the delegates would have grown in subsequent votes. That he was denied that opportunity played into his message — that he's the outsider taking on a party establishment frightened by the incursion of new activists.

Betsy Hodges is the incumbent and establishment candidate who has the endorsements of the SEIU, Senator Al Franken and David Wheeler, president of the Minneapolis Board of Estimate and Taxation.
State Rep. Raymond Dehn, the guy who was leading, has the endorsement of just Our Revolution. Do you think that endorsement matters?
Hell ya!

In the race to get the endorsement for the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, 19 candidates were vying for three at-large spots and six district seats, a group that included five incumbents (although one was leaving a district seat to run for an at-large one). By the time voting was completed, all but one of the candidates endorsed by Our Revolution were endorsed.

In a related note, DINO Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. announced today that she'll be running for re-election eventhough half of Democratic voters want her to leave.

Feinstein has bucked the left wing of her party on occasion, including during the state's recent push to enact single-payer health care, and she is almost certain to face a primary challenge. On social media, allies of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., were quick to express their hunger for a fight.

In an amusing side-note, who do you think Markos is endorsing?

An even bigger threat might come from more established Democrats, like state Senate President Kevin de Leon, who has been openly considering a run for months...
Markos Moulitsas, the founder of the liberal Daily Kos blog, which is based in the Bay Area, said he wants to work with de Leon to "beat the most pro-Trump Blue-state Dem in the country!"

What a coinkidink? Markos wants to replace one establishment candidate with another.

Share
up
0 users have voted.

Comments

He is against Feinstein because she is "pro-Trump" whatever that means (just a quick check on repealing Obamacare she voted against Trump). He is not against her for being a corporate shill who opposes any sort of single payer health system, etc. Was she not good at messaging against Trump? Not sure the Hillary supporters on TOP will appreciate this.

up
0 users have voted.

@MrWebster
DiFi is so odious that even markos can't stomach her. Don't read anythhing into it.

up
0 users have voted.

On to Biden since 1973

@doh1304 More likely: he's just trying to split up Feinstein's opponents. Standard establishment ploy. When an incumbent is getting primaried, muddy the field with a dozen "opponents".

up
0 users have voted.

@nosleep4u Naw. If he was really for Feinstein, an incumbent always prefers votes to them rather than to splitting their opponents.

Do the math. Say Markos could influence 5% of the vote.

Is Feinstein better off with that 5% voting for her, or for splitting her opponents?

up
0 users have voted.

@Craig234
were able to flip 5 million votes at least with just a few Facebook ads. Just ask Abuela Muerte.

up
0 users have voted.

On to Biden since 1973

@Craig234

Anybody who thinks Kos has or permits an independent thought ought to buy some swampland. I'm sure Trump, Kos, and the Democrats have plenty to sell.

up
0 users have voted.

"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Not Henry Kissinger's picture

@nosleep4u

rides his stalking horse:

Shakespeare had Markos pegged:

up
0 users have voted.

The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?

@doh1304 The "wise people" on Dailykos have their lederhosen in a twist because some people don't like Queen Feinstein: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/10/11/1705920/-The-Democratic-Intr...

The diary is good. But the comments bring out the long knives. Good for a pie fight though. (And Democrats wonder why they keep losing.)

up
0 users have voted.
detroitmechworks's picture

By becoming a "Maverick" again, it seems.

Course, being against a murderer isn't exactly moral courage. If he had been around in the late seventies, I'm sure he would have been all about "Standing up for the poor woman who is trying to keep Harvey Milk's Legacy alive"...

Feinstein will play victim now. She always does.

up
0 users have voted.

I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

SnappleBC's picture

@detroitmechworks

Largely because he chose to ban me from his site and there is no avenue for unbanning short of me going begging. How would I do that exactly since my stances have not changed? So I am now and will forever be an outside to the DKOS community which means his voice, from my standpoint, represents nothing more than "the voice of those who didn't want to hear my voice".

Not to mention the fact that his entire site has stood proudly for oligarchy so any sudden conversions on his part will be automatically suspect.

up
0 users have voted.

A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard

snoopydawg's picture

@SnappleBC

and swore up and down that they never joined this site weren't unbanned. A few people got banned for no reason and one begged for days on the help desk to let her know what she did wrong and to please, please, please let me come back.
She admitted that she had only looked at this site, but found us too looney. Plus she never joined any of the Reddit sites that were created after the ides of March.
No one from the help desk would address the bannings. One person was a long time member of DK and I looked at his comment history and didn't see any reason why he was banned.

up
0 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

thanatokephaloides's picture

@snoopydawg

Even the people who did beg markos to let them back on the site and swore up and down that they never joined this site weren't unbanned. A few people got banned for no reason and one begged for days on the help desk to let her know what she did wrong and to please, please, please let me come back.
She admitted that she had only looked at this site, but found us too looney. Plus she never joined any of the Reddit sites that were created after the ides of March.
No one from the help desk would address the bannings. One person was a long time member of DK and I looked at his comment history and didn't see any reason why he was banned.

Crispy Crackly Crunchy Cthulhu on a Crutch!! Folks are now being banned over there just for reading here?

That hell-hole (and it's now officially one!) has gone off the fucking cliff!

I'm glad I'm not there any more!

Diablo

up
0 users have voted.

"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

@thanatokephaloides

Folks are now being banned over there just for reading here?

up
0 users have voted.
SnappleBC's picture

@thanatokephaloides

Let's not go #RussiaGate on this.

Nobody knows my that person was banned... or eat least she didn't and I couldn't see anything either. I sincerely doubt it was because she read here. But really, why does anyone get banned there? The only reason I know of is that they are not sufficiently obedient to their masters.

up
0 users have voted.

A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard

@thanatokephaloides Like Mike Malloy says about living in Georgia: "Why do I live here? Are you kidding? I get a three ring circus every day!"

Actually, DailyKos has some great front page writers. The clique-ish commenters, on the other hand, make it junior high school.

up
0 users have voted.

@SancheLlewellyn

I left before the Ides of March. Bet I read the front page maybe 10 times all the while I was there. Laura and Dworkin were the worst. When Kos turned into an errand boy for the party after the Bill Clinton lunch in Harlem in 2006, the place became useless. To enforce it, he created gangs. The place sucks. I deleted 99% of my stuff, logged out, left and only go back when I am asked to. I don't need an abusive babysitter.

up
0 users have voted.

"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

@dkmich But then I might claim that two wrongs do in fact make a right. Sockpuppets are against the rules, and so are zombies . . . but what about zombie sockpuppets?

By Laura, do you mean Laura Clawson? She writes some good articles. So does Kelly Macias, and a couple others whose names escape me. On the other hand, the rec list on some days . . . yikes.

up
0 users have voted.
WaterLily's picture

@snoopydawg

one begged for days on the help desk to let her know what she did wrong and to please, please, please let me come back.

Classic abusive relationship right there ...

up
0 users have voted.

@snoopydawg

When all they've got is a ban-hammer, everybody looks to get nailed?

up
0 users have voted.

Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

gulfgal98's picture

@snoopydawg she was a high profile Bernie supporter. It seems as though a number of them who made it past the election were suddenly banned for no other reason than to make them a symbolic cleansing of little Markos' site. We welcomed her here, but apparently we were too far out for her. I bear no ill will toward her for that. This site may not be for everyone, but anyone is welcome to join us as long as they are respectful of everyone else here.

The problem I see here is that it was obvious Markos sold his site and his soul to the establishment. He was always very much establishment, but he allowed for those of us to the left to post there until the March 15 proclamation. What Markos does not realize is that many of us saw that he had sold out and once you have sold your soul, it is impossible to get it back.

No matter how much back peddling Markos tries to do, he no longer has credibility. It is the same with Cenk who sold out. Yeah, the money is nice, but it is not worth much if you soiled your name to get it.

up
0 users have voted.

Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

Meteor Man's picture

From Down With Tyranny:

When Meet the Press host Chuck Todd asked her about her poor polling, she replied, "There are polls and then there are polls. I'm ready for a good fight. I've got things to fight for. I'm in a position where I can be effective, and hopefully that means something to California."

Her most likely challenger is state Senate President Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles), an unabashed and extremely effective progressive and someone widely seen as part of the future of California politics. There is no political leader in the state more feared and hated by the extreme right than de León and they attack him endlessly, a good indication of what an outstanding champion he will make for working families. Feinstein is rounding up all the corrupt establishment "moderate" Dems she can find to back her and many are willing to tarnish themselves by supporting a nearly dead horse.

http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2017/10/is-california-ready-to-final...

up
0 users have voted.

"They'll say we're disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war." Howard Zinn

@Meteor Man If that's the case, I'm strongly for Leon. I think Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom who is running for Governor is also a very interesting person.

up
0 users have voted.

@Craig234
When Newsome was a rookie member of the SF board of supervisors he was given a flunkie job by Willie Brown, heading a bogus "taxi task force" which essentially gave the taxi companies their wish list (in return for a ton of money) All he asked was for the companies to give in on a minor issue, just to make it look like it wasn't a total ripoff. The companies reneged on their end of the deal and laughed in his face. I don't think he ever forgot.
Later he ran for mayor on a screw the homeless platform, but after the election he essentially did nothing special to screw the homeless. (though little if anything to help)
Lastly, he sponsored a gun control ballot proposition. I'm cynical about the gun issue all the way, but it read to me like a Feinstein style bill - annoy the hell out of people who would never vote for you anyway, but accomplish nothing.

up
0 users have voted.

On to Biden since 1973

@doh1304 @doh1304

For those who are unaware: San Francisco's "Sit-Lie" law makes it illegal to sleep or SIT on a city sidewalk between the hours of 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM. Granted, the statute is only really enforced in the Haight but it still strikes me as incredibly odious that the nation's "progressive" capital is attempting to regulate and punish a basic requirement of animal existence.

I mean, really: what kind of government makes it illegal to SIT?

up
0 users have voted.

@SnakeBehindMe
It is actually a very class conscious city.

up
0 users have voted.

On to Biden since 1973

WoodsDweller's picture

@Meteor Man
I don't know anything about this guy beyond what you just wrote here, so I don't know if he's any good. I'm reminded of Obama being quoted as saying that Ellison as head of the DNC would "turn the party over to the liberals" so they had to have Perez. Maybe the party hacks convinced Feinstein to run one more time to fend off the horrors of a progressive Senator.
I just looked him up, he's 50. He could be in the Senate for six terms. That's enough to give corporate Democrats nightmares.

up
0 users have voted.

"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." -- Albert Bartlett
"A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change." -- Caitlin Johnstone

Creosote.'s picture

@WoodsDweller

in his background, which must function something like earnest money to insure his covering up for them as well.

up
0 users have voted.

@WoodsDweller For those who are unaware: San Francisco's "Sit-Lie" lie makes it illegal to sleep or SIT on a city sidewalk between the hours of 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM. Granted, the statute is only really enforced in the Haight but it still strikes me as incredibly odious that the nation's "progressive" capital is attempting to regulate and punish a basic requirement of animal existence.

I mean, really: what kind of government makes it illegal to SIT?

up
0 users have voted.

@SnakeBehindMe . . . you certainly can't sully their sidewalks.

up
0 users have voted.
Bollox Ref's picture

Despite just about all of the DFL Establishment (aside from Ellison) being firmly in HRC's corner.

Establishment Dems here live in their own little twilight world....... kinda like DKos.

(Edited)

up
0 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.