How do we get Democrats to stop voting for war and stop voting to make legal, illegal surveillance? How do we get them to start holding the Bush administration accountable for their crimes and incompetence?
First we identified the Democrats that voted for both the no-strings attached Iraq War supplemental bill and the Protect America Act. These Democrats are now classified as ‘Bush Dogs’. Not all of them belong to the Blue Dog coalition, but they all screwed us on the two most important votes of the year.
They are poised to screw us again. We would like to run primaries against all of these wayward Democrats but, as you will see below the fold, we don’t have many candidates lined up.
If you have or can gain any extra information about these politicians, let me know. Might they retire? Is there anyone willing and capable that you know of that might be persuaded to make a primary run? Have I missed a declared candidate?
In the meantime, it is pretty clear that we are not going to be able to challenge too many of these Democrats. So, we need to focus on persuading these men (all but two of them are men) to stand up for our country, for our rights, and for our military. Write letters.
Bold indicates that the district is more Democratic than the national average.
AL-05: Bud Cramer: ran unopposed in 2006. No known challengers.
AR-02: Vic Snyder: won 60%-40%. No known challengers.
AR-04: Mike Ross: won 75-25%. No known challengers.
CA-20: Jim Costa: ran unopposed. No known challengers. PVI: D +4.6
CO-03: John Salazar won 62%-37%. No known challengers.
FL-02: Allen Boyd: ran unopposed. No known challengers.
GA-08: Jim Marshall: won 51%-49%. No known challengers.
GA-12: John Barrow: won 50%-50%. No known challengers.
IA-03: Leonard Boswell won 52%-47%. Challenger: Ed Fallon (rumor), PVI: D +1.4
IL-03: Dan Lipinski: won 77%-23%. Challengers: Mark Pera, Jerry Bennett. PVI: D +10.3
IL-08: Melissa Bean: won 51%-44%. Challengers: Randi Scheurer, Ken Arnold
IN-02: Joe Donnelly: won 54%-46%. No known challenger.IN-08: Brad Ellsworth: won 61%-39%. No known challenger.
IN-09: Baron Hill: won 50%-45%. No known challenger.
KY-06: Ben Chandler: won 85%-15% (only Libertarian opp.) No known challengers.
LA-03: Charlie Melancon: won 55%-40%. Challenger: O.J. Breech. (3% in ’06)
MN-01: Tim Walz: won 53%-47%. No known challenger.
MN-07: Collin Peterson: won 70%-30%. No known challenger.
MS-04: Gene Taylor: won 80%-20%. No known challenger.NC-02: Bob Etheridge: won 67%-33%. No known challenger.
NC-07: Mike McIntyre: won 73%-27%. No known challenger.
NC-11: Heath Schuler: won 54%-46%. No known challenger.ND-AL: Earl Pomeroy: won 66%-34%. No known challenger.
OH-06: Charlie Wilson: won 62%-38%. No known challenger. PVI: D +0.4
OH-18: Zack Space: won 62%-38%. No known challenger.
OK-02: Dan Boren: won 73%-27%. No known challenger.
PA-04: Jason Altmire: won 52%-48%. No known challenger.PA-10: Chris Carney: won 53%-47%. No known challenger.
SD-AL: Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin: won 69%-29%. No known challenger.
TN-04: Lincoln Davis: won 66%-34%. No known challenger.
TN-05: Jim Cooper: won 69%-28%. No known challenger. PVI: D +6.2
TN-06: Bart Gordon: won 67%-31%. No known challenger.
TN-08: John Tanner: won 73%-27%. No known challenger. PVI: D +0.1TX-17: Chet Edwards: won 58%-40%. No known challenger.
TX-22: Nick Lampson: won 52%-42% (write-in campaign). No known challenger.
TX-23: Ciro Rodriguez: won 54%-46%. Challengers: Lukin Gilliland, Albert Uresti
TX-28: Henry Cuellar: ran unopposed in 2006. Frank Enriquez challenged in primary.UT-02: Jim Matheson: won 59%-37%. No known challenger.
WA-03: Brian Baird: won 63%-37%. No known challenger.
what do we do?? everything!!!! Letters, e-mails, local ads , contact ndc and demand that not a single cent go to these traitors. confrontations in their home districts and in DC!
What else– come on.Join in!!!!!
in your proposal… these people are no longer responsive to their constituents… they have taken a page from the bush/rove manual and are simply ignoring the wishes of anyone other than those from whom they derive their power and money, those who put them in office and who can either keep them there or remove them, and that’s NOT the voters… they no longer even feel the need to pay lip service to voters, and those who still do are only engaging in a charade to keep us believing just a little while longer that what we do can make a difference… we’re way past the point where continuing to work through our system has a chance of saving our constitutionally-founded republic… i don’t know what it’s going to take, but i am damn sure that, no matter what happens with the 2008 election, not a single thing will change, any more than it did this past november…
listen, if what you are saying is that, in essence there is nothing to be done- then what you are really saying is that the USA no longer is a democracy, or anything worth saving!
Well, I ain;t ready to buy that.Sure the bastards are ripping apart the constitution but we ain’t done yet.
I do know this- if we believe that its over, then it is over. So, grab you whatever, pick em up and start doing things. Individually and as part of a group.
That will be a start.
Or do you enjoy the prospect of being stopped from time to time to have your “ID” card checked and have mail opened? More?
When pitching the idea to progressive candidates for lean Dem Districts, we have to sell them on the idea that they will receive national support and that they will be National Heroes to the progressive movement like Ned Lamont is.
From what you have up there, targeet #1 in Il-03 is already more than covered which is a good thing. I think that CA-20 is probably the only other that we absolutely have to run someone. We should not overly dilute our efforts.
we could really send a message to Harold Ford by going after those two Dem seats in Tenn.
I’d LOVE to see Jim Cooper gone! It would be possible to defeat him if we had someone who would actually run.
I live in Cooper’s district & would be willing to help any Real Democrat who ran against him
Cooper can be defeated.
I used to live in John Tanner’s district. He was hand-picked for that seat by the man who had the seat before him, Ed Jones.
Ed Jones had the seat from 69-88 & John Tanner has had it since. It will be Tanner’s seat until he dies or retires. I hate to say this, but it’s true.
We have two difficulties here. The complete failure of the Democrats to do what they were supposed to do after the election has served the purpose of turning people completely away from political activism in favor of searching for survivalist compounds. I could say “ratings down” for dailykos, the premier dem netroots provider. This confirms my deliberate destruction of America memes. Both sides are wholly owned of course by globalist corporate interests.
The only candidate we currently see not owned is Ron Paul, even though his interests do not totally reflect the complete agenda of the anti-Illuminati crowd.
In reference to “Challenging the Bush Dogs” the power of the Pavlovian Dog conditioning of MSM propaganda media in the US has this situation totally in lock down goosestepping Nazified unison, so I don’t hold much hope there.
I’m told the current minimum wage in China is .65 per hour and that tells me how fucked my children are. And all of this stuff is fully endorsed and supported by taxpayers.
Finally, in the middle of walking the Lab, it hit me…you are using the same logic that Pelosi is in declining to support impeachment. It’s the journey that counts, even if there is little chance (at this point in time) of reaching the finish line.
In the process of a primary challenge the “Bush Dogs” must defend their positions to their Democratic constituents. They will, undoubtably, find that there is far less support for their positions than there was two years ago. This in itself is worth my donation.
Unfortunately my district isn’t on the list. But I believe it is essential to find an eloquent, intelligent contender in every one of these districts to demand debates and public forums for the conversation, even if there is little chance of upsetting the incumbent.
Etheridge and McIntyre, the Congressmen from Fort Bragg live in the illusion that what they are doing is supporting the troops. And they are too scared to lead opinion in their own district. Some primary opposition would be helpful against these veteran Congressmen. Of course, the problem is recruiting strong primary candidates who will challenge Etheridge and McIntyre on their votes.
Shuler is a stopgap Democrat whose major asset was the fact that he had the name recognition to beat Charles Taylor. Taylor’s indecision about a rematch (will he or won’t he?) is dividing the Republicans in Shuler’s district. Best to stay with Shuler, give him grief but stay with him, and beginning to resolidify this seat as a Democratic seat.