DSCC is even worse than DCCC

Submitted by gjohnsit on Fri, 08/30/2019 - 1:40pm

The DCCC came under fire for implementing a blacklist for any organization that assisted any left-wing challenger to an incumbent corporate Democrat. This caused a lot of anger and backlash on the left.
The DSCC saw this and thought "We can do one better."

Before the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee endorsed former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper in a 2020 Senate race, it pressured consultants from at least five firms not to work with a leading progressive in the race, the candidate told The Intercept.
Andrew Romanoff, who is one of more than a dozen candidates vying for Republican Sen. Cory Gardner’s seat, told The Intercept that multiple consultants turned down jobs with his campaign citing pressure from the DSCC.

“They’ve made it clear to a number of the firms and individuals we tried to hire that they wouldn’t get any business in Washington or with the DSCC if they worked with me,” Romanoff said. “It’s been a well-orchestrated operation to blackball ragtag grassroots teams.”

At least five firms and 25 prospective staff turned down working with his campaign, said Romanoff, who has raised more than $1 million in individual contributions so far. “I spoke to the firms, my campaign manager spoke to the staff prospects,” he said. “Pretty much everyone who checked in with the DSCC got the same warning: Helping us would cost them.”

Shameless, but not surprising.

I support a #GreenNewDeal & #MedicareForAll. Those priorities don’t sit well with the party bosses & powerbrokers in Washington—but I’m not running to represent them.

I’m running to represent the people of Colorado. They deserve a fair shot too. https://t.co/oeitawXHA9

— Andrew Romanoff (@Romanoff2020) August 29, 2019

Just to be clear, there is no incumbent Democrat in this race.
The DSCC is simply blacklisting progressive groups - period. It doesn't stop at consultants.

Individuals connected to a handful of campaigns across the country said they’ve heard about interventions by national Democrats, either in the form of the DSCC pressuring consultants not to work with progressive candidates, or Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer telling people not to run for office in the first place.
“First they came for the House candidates; now they’re gonna come for the Senate candidates,” said Heather Brewer, who is managing the Senate campaign of New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a progressive who was snubbed by the DSCC, which made an early endorsement of Ben Ray Luján, a member of House Democratic leadership. “It’s not rocket science to see where this is heading.

Getting back to Hickenlooper, the Democratic establishment has rushed to endorse him despite a half dozen women were already running for the seat.
The DSCC has also picked winners before the primaries in other important races.

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Comments

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 08/30/2019 - 1:59pm

Democracy in this country is dead

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I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by gjohnsit on Fri, 08/30/2019 - 2:14pm

It's not dead yet

@Socialprogressive
grassroots resistance

In 2017, nearly two-thirds of the over 1,000 candidates the Working Families Party endorsed won their elections, including Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and Jackson, Mississippi, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba. Just last year, the party helped install 457 candidates in local and statewide offices, out of the 820 candidates it endorsed across 38 states. The electoral successes the party shared in 2018’s blue wave have continued into 2019: Over the course of five months, their chosen candidates were elected into more than 50 offices at local and municipal levels, including on city councils and school boards, in nine states.
The organization in some ways serves as a complement to at least a wing of the Democratic Party: by focusing on nonpartisan positions in local politics, the group has been able to install progressive officials on city councils and school boards, while also helping increase voter turnout for both partisan and nonpartisan elections. As Bob Brady’s reaction to Kendra Brooks demonstrates, however, Democrats don’t always see it that way.

“We should be seen as a welcoming force to build the Democratic Party toward 2020,” Brooks, a small business owner and mother of five, said in an interview last month. “It doesn’t have to be ‘either or,’” she continued. “It should be ‘this and.’ Like, yes, the Democratic Party is the largest party here in Philadelphia. And why can’t we have a strong independent base as well? So we, together — Democrats and independents — can have a stronger base toward 2020.”

The WFP is known for running independent progressive candidates that challenge corporate-friendly Democratic politics. Their vision is to not only win races but organize around local and municipal elections, building capacity for the left to make gains beyond Election Day. Their policy priorities include expanding workers’ rights, opposing right-to-work laws, raising the minimum wage, reforming drug scheduling and misdemeanor sentencing, and establishing paid family medical leave.

Submitted by Wally on Fri, 08/30/2019 - 2:25pm

Don't be such a baby

@gjohnsit

Resistance is futile. Obey your Borg masters.

Take the cudgel like a good boy:

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdf5EXo6I68]

#1 grassroots resistance In 2017, nearly two-thirds of the over 1,000 candidates the Working Families Party endorsed won their elections, including Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and Jackson, Mississippi, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba. Just last year, the party helped install 457 candidates in local and statewide offices, out of the 820 candidates it endorsed across 38 states. The electoral successes the party shared in 2018’s blue wave have continued into 2019: Over the course of five months, their chosen candidates were elected into more than 50 offices at local and municipal levels, including on city councils and school boards, in nine states. The organization in some ways serves as a complement to at least a wing of the Democratic Party: by focusing on nonpartisan positions in local politics, the group has been able to install progressive officials on city councils and school boards, while also helping increase voter turnout for both partisan and nonpartisan elections. As Bob Brady’s reaction to Kendra Brooks demonstrates, however, Democrats don’t always see it that way. “We should be seen as a welcoming force to build the Democratic Party toward 2020,” Brooks, a small business owner and mother of five, said in an interview last month. “It doesn’t have to be ‘either or,’” she continued. “It should be ‘this and.’ Like, yes, the Democratic Party is the largest party here in Philadelphia. And why can’t we have a strong independent base as well? So we, together — Democrats and independents — can have a stronger base toward 2020.” The WFP is known for running independent progressive candidates that challenge corporate-friendly Democratic politics. Their vision is to not only win races but organize around local and municipal elections, building capacity for the left to make gains beyond Election Day. Their policy priorities include expanding workers’ rights, opposing right-to-work laws, raising the minimum wage, reforming drug scheduling and misdemeanor sentencing, and establishing paid family medical leave.

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 08/30/2019 - 2:44pm

That's very encouraging.

@gjohnsit
Lets hope the growth of the WFP continues in 2020.

#1 grassroots resistance In 2017, nearly two-thirds of the over 1,000 candidates the Working Families Party endorsed won their elections, including Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and Jackson, Mississippi, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba. Just last year, the party helped install 457 candidates in local and statewide offices, out of the 820 candidates it endorsed across 38 states. The electoral successes the party shared in 2018’s blue wave have continued into 2019: Over the course of five months, their chosen candidates were elected into more than 50 offices at local and municipal levels, including on city councils and school boards, in nine states. The organization in some ways serves as a complement to at least a wing of the Democratic Party: by focusing on nonpartisan positions in local politics, the group has been able to install progressive officials on city councils and school boards, while also helping increase voter turnout for both partisan and nonpartisan elections. As Bob Brady’s reaction to Kendra Brooks demonstrates, however, Democrats don’t always see it that way. “We should be seen as a welcoming force to build the Democratic Party toward 2020,” Brooks, a small business owner and mother of five, said in an interview last month. “It doesn’t have to be ‘either or,’” she continued. “It should be ‘this and.’ Like, yes, the Democratic Party is the largest party here in Philadelphia. And why can’t we have a strong independent base as well? So we, together — Democrats and independents — can have a stronger base toward 2020.” The WFP is known for running independent progressive candidates that challenge corporate-friendly Democratic politics. Their vision is to not only win races but organize around local and municipal elections, building capacity for the left to make gains beyond Election Day. Their policy priorities include expanding workers’ rights, opposing right-to-work laws, raising the minimum wage, reforming drug scheduling and misdemeanor sentencing, and establishing paid family medical leave.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by Azazello on Fri, 08/30/2019 - 2:20pm

The "Democratic" Party is Corrupt.

This may, or may not, be the case with your State, County or Local branches, but it is certainly the case for the National Party and any organization whose initials begin with "D" and end with "C".
From Jacobin: The DNC Doesn’t Want a Climate Debate for a Reason

The DNC has banned the Democratic presidential candidates from taking part in any debate on the most urgent issue of our time: climate change. The party’s fealty to plutocratic donors and centrist has-been politicians has never been more apparent.
.......................
While tech money is important, the biggest donors to the DNC in the 2020 cycle are overwhelmingly financial companies, whether hedge funds, private equity, or more traditional investment management. Obviously, most of these firms want to be able to continue to invest in fossil fuels as well as in companies looting the Amazon. Such companies are run by — and depend on the continued existence of — the very rich, our planet’s biggest liability. (Not only do they create immense pollution through private jets and multiple homes, the rich also support such lifestyles through immensely planet-ravaging investments.) The finance class does not want to hear plain talk about solutions to climate change; in many cases, they are getting rich from destroying the planet and do not wish to stop doing this. That’s probably why DNC head Tom Perez called the idea of a climate debate “dangerous.”

P.S. - Common Dreams stole your headline.

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We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.

Submitted by Cassiodorus on Fri, 08/30/2019 - 2:41pm

They are, to put it briefly --

@Azazello collaborationists.

One place to start looking for a historical analogy for the Democrats would be the Vichy regime in France between 1940 and 1942. The Vichy French were collaborators, agreeing on their own to (for instance) send France's Jews to Auschwitz to be exterminated. The difference, of course, is that France was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1940, whereas the Democratic Party leadership appears to have decided to steer the entire party into collaboration with the Republican Party on its very own, without any invasion or anything of that sort.

Of course, the Vichy regime collapsed after the Allies took over the French colonies in North Africa in 1942, and from 1942 to 1944 the whole of France was ruled directly from Berlin. The Democrats, on the other hand, have yet to feel the sort of pressure that would make them reveal their true colors and switch parties. On the other hand, there was a close call under Obama:

Have Democrats lost 900 seats in state legislatures since Obama has been president?

Yep, that's what they did. Good ole' Debbie Wasserman-Schultz bundled up the party contributions and sent them off to Obama and to the second Clinton, leaving downticket races in the states high and dry. By the end of 2016 there were six states with Democratic Party trifectas (Democratic governors ruling Democratic legislatures) and 26 states with Republican trifectas, even though in membership terms the Republican Party was still a minority party.

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“When there's no fight over programme, the election becomes a casting exercise. Trump's win is the unstoppable consequence of this situation.” - Jean-Luc Melanchon

Submitted by gjohnsit on Fri, 08/30/2019 - 3:36pm

I mostly agree

@Cassiodorus

The Democrats, on the other hand, have yet to feel the sort of pressure that would make them reveal their true colors and switch parties.

But since the 2016 rigged primary they've been exposing themselves more and more.
Remember this from 2018?

Our Revolution, the progressive group formed after Bernie Sanders’s presidential run in 2016, just endorsed a Democrat who found herself the subject of a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee attack ahead of Tuesday’s Texas primary...
The DCCC took a square shot at Moser last week, publishing an opposition research memo on its website against Moser.

Now add in the blacklisting and the picture is almost complete.

Submitted by HenryAWallace on Sat, 08/31/2019 - 12:21pm

The Democratic Party was invaded in the same way that

@Cassiodorus

Ancient Greece invaded Troy, with the Clintons playing the part of the Trojan Horse.

Submitted by Creosote. on Sat, 08/31/2019 - 4:54am

The symptoms look like gangrene

@Azazello
with all physicians locked out

Submitted by MrWebster on Fri, 08/30/2019 - 3:39pm

Seems like a great opportunity

For progressive consultants to fill the void. Or for a group of progressive to market themselves as working for progressives only.

Submitted by entrepreneur on Fri, 08/30/2019 - 5:54pm

Exactly right. You beat me to it. It's an opportunity for some

@MrWebster
underdog to kick some spineless ass-kissing snivelling coward consultant ass.

Submitted by on the cusp on Fri, 08/30/2019 - 6:07pm

Let's suppose I was committed to making a career as a

political consultant.
And I get hired by some leftie.
And I do my job.
I would never, ever get hired by an establishment Democrat.
EVER.
This is just an insidious, capitalistic freeze out of democracy. Lefties need to starve. We Democrats of Correct (Right) Thinking make that happen every day, all day long.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by UntimelyRippd on Sat, 08/31/2019 - 10:36am

How I hate these people.

—

The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.

Submitted by Anja Geitz on Sat, 08/31/2019 - 11:05am

We all hate these people

@UntimelyRippd

But watching this unfold after 2016, I can't say I'm surprised. Of course they were going to sabotage progressive candidates. The means may be news, but not the motivation.

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

Submitted by UntimelyRippd on Sat, 08/31/2019 - 11:35am

I've posted this before, but here it is again:

@Anja Geitz
John Nichols details in a series of articles how
how the Dem Establishment undermined a popular progressive Lt. Governor and
delivered Wisconsin into the brutal, corrupt, corporatist, cronyist hands of Scott Walker and his gang of criminals and seditious usurpers of democracy.
It is interesting that among other things, Lawton got caught in the crossfire of the internecine Clinton Wing vs Obama Wing partywide self-immolation -- having been an HRC backer in 2008, she was non grata with Team Obama. Thus BHO's only meaningful "contribution" to the Dem midterm effort in Wisconsin was to anoint the charmless middle-aged white male mayor of the largest city in the state -- guaranteed to be a loser everywhere else, and unable even to turn out the African American vote in his own damned city.

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Submitted by HenryAWallace on Sat, 08/31/2019 - 12:14pm

More than one way to keep a leftist out of elected office.

Some do it with vinegar, some with honey, or, at least, a feint at honey:

Job offer from the Obama Administration

On September 27, 2009, Michael Riley of the Denver Post reported that Romanoff was offered a position in the Obama Administration in exchange for not running for U.S. Senate against Michael Bennet.[21] According to Riley, Jim Messina, deputy Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama, made a phone call to Romanoff offering him various positions in the Obama Administration, including one at the United States Agency for International Development. Romanoff turned down the offer.[22]

Romanoff issued a statement on June 2, 2010, in which he confirmed that Messina had contacted him on September 11, 2009 and told him that President Obama was going to support Bennet in the Democratic primary. Romanoff told Messina that he would be running anyway and Romanoff states, as reported by the Washington Post, that Messina "suggested three positions that might be available to me were I not pursuing the Senate race. He added that he could not guarantee my appointment to any of these positions." White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton told the Post that "Mr. Romanoff was recommended to the White House from Democrats in Colorado for a position in the administration. There were some initial conversations with him, but no job was ever offered." Messina sent Romanoff job descriptions for three positions: an administrator for the Latin America and Caribbean Bureau within USAID, the chief of the Office of Democracy and Governance within USAID, and the director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.[23][24]

On June 10, 2010, KDVR reported that Bennet said he had known about the White House's offer to Romanoff.[25]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Romanoff

( Before entering politics, Romanoff had taught in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.)

"Democratic" Party? I think not.

Good on Romanoff for not taking the bait.

BTW, every time I google "Andrew Romanoff," the first hit is "John Walsh for Colorado," which is sponsored. wtf

Submitted by TB mare on Sat, 08/31/2019 - 1:13pm

My god. I thought I couldn’t hate Obama more.

@HenryAWallace Now I find out I was wrong. What a slick prick he was/is.

Some do it with vinegar, some with honey, or, at least, a feint at honey: Job offer from the Obama Administration On September 27, 2009, Michael Riley of the Denver Post reported that Romanoff was offered a position in the Obama Administration in exchange for not running for U.S. Senate against Michael Bennet.[21] According to Riley, Jim Messina, deputy Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama, made a phone call to Romanoff offering him various positions in the Obama Administration, including one at the United States Agency for International Development. Romanoff turned down the offer.[22] Romanoff issued a statement on June 2, 2010, in which he confirmed that Messina had contacted him on September 11, 2009 and told him that President Obama was going to support Bennet in the Democratic primary. Romanoff told Messina that he would be running anyway and Romanoff states, as reported by the Washington Post, that Messina "suggested three positions that might be available to me were I not pursuing the Senate race. He added that he could not guarantee my appointment to any of these positions." White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton told the Post that "Mr. Romanoff was recommended to the White House from Democrats in Colorado for a position in the administration. There were some initial conversations with him, but no job was ever offered." Messina sent Romanoff job descriptions for three positions: an administrator for the Latin America and Caribbean Bureau within USAID, the chief of the Office of Democracy and Governance within USAID, and the director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.[23][24] On June 10, 2010, KDVR reported that Bennet said he had known about the White House's offer to Romanoff.[25] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Romanoff ( Before entering politics, Romanoff had taught in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.) "Democratic" Party? I think not. Good on Romanoff for not taking the bait. BTW, every time I google "Andrew Romanoff," the first hit is "John Walsh for Colorado," which is sponsored. wtf

Submitted by HenryAWallace on Sun, 09/01/2019 - 8:02am

There are only two things about which I quote Palin.

@TB mare

I somehow doubt that either was original with her, but I can't prove anything, so I'll give her the attribution:

One is "How's that hopey changey thing working out for you?"

(Could hardly be worse, but thanks for asking, Sarah.)

The other is WTF, as in the video below.

BTW, ever since I read that government had to spend a bundle changing the name of the Work Incentive Program for welfare parents, I've known to check acronyms before putting anything out there or naming organizations. (Rejected a great name for a new political party because the acronym was unfortunate: Great American Party.)

Apparently, though, none of the highly-paid geniuses in the White House or among Obama's independent contractor political advisors knew to do that. Beggars the imagination, that does. After all, it's not as though the SOTU gets gone over with a fine tooth comb, or gets a lot of media coverage or anything./s

Anyway, enjoy the WTF video (even though it's Sarah Palin's zinger):

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6JWZGIvqGc]

Submitted by ban nock on Sat, 08/31/2019 - 10:29pm

The Dems badly want in win in CO

We still aren't a very strong blue state despite recent elections. Not sure Romanoff was up to the task, wouldn't be at all happy with Hickenlooper as a senator, he's like everything they accuse Democratic senators from CO of being, but in his case it's true. Romanoff should have taken the job offer.

The top of the Democratic Party hasn't learned much from 16, and there aren't that many great candidates coming up through the ranks.

Submitted by HenryAWallace on Sun, 09/01/2019 - 8:10am

Not up to the task, or not able to unrig all the rigging?

@ban nock

BTW, I don't know if you read my post or the wiki article from which I quoted carefully: Whether or not any actual job offer was made is controversial. At least, according to the Obama administration.

Bribing someone not to run against your boy? Not nice and maybe illegal. So they fudged. However, both Romanoff and Obama's guy referred to it as an "offer." So, once again, we have shady Obama slithering around, relying on exact wording, etc.