Given that Rep. Ellen Tauscher is intent on breaking the hearts of any progressives that put their faith in Barack Obama, I can’t think of any single politician more deserving of Accountability Now. In other words, the number one priority of Accountability Now should be to identify a progressive who is willing to run against Tauscher in a primary and to fund that challenger to the hilt. Then we can see whose heart gets broken.
Tauscher, a former Wall Street investment banker, said she hasn’t met with a banking lobbyist in months. But she makes no apologies for her relationships with the business sector, which she notes employs her constituents. New Democrats’ ability to work with industry to find a middle ground on major issues is important now, she argued, given the wave of crises that has shaken the public’s confidence.
“Those that are advocating for purity in ideology or as a test for who’s a good Democrat are going to have their heart broken. They’re also not going to get anything done,” Tauscher said.
Ellen Tauscher is not a good Democrat. She also doesn’t know when to keep her mouth shut.
If Obama fails, the story isn’t going to be about how the Republicans sidetracked his agenda. The real story will be about how he got sabotaged by the corporate Democrats.
and eagleeye wins the blue ribbon for accurate predication.
tauscher’s needed her leash tugged in the past. I think this time the worthless blue dog needs a rolled up newspaper across the nose.
I agree 100%: she needs a primary. this time not just a threat but a real PRIMARY that sends the useless cur home.
No offense BooMan, but why the hell are we worrying about Ellen Tauscher?
Getting rid of Ellen Tauscher is pointless if bad Democrats in the Senate like Evan Bayh and Ben Nelson can force a filibuster or procedural vote and can still kill a bill despite getting 58 or 59 votes to let it pass…or worse, water down a bill so much in exchange for 60 votes that it’s meaningless legislation.
It’s not Tauscher that’s the problem. It’s Bayh’s Backbenchers that need to be primaried. If we can’t do that, then we’re wasting our time.
It doesn’t matter how much of a majority in the House we have if Bayh is Senate vote number 59 and the bill gets filibustered. We could have 435 solid progressives in the House. Evan Bayh would still kill any bill they would write.
I know getting rid of Bayh right now is next to impossible. Things may be better after 2010. I don’t know. I know Reid has no real power, and it’s like herding cats, and every Senator is their own person, and yadda yadda.
Fact remains unless somebody’s willing to go around the filibuster and make 50 votes plus Joe Biden equal passing legislation, then realistic health care reform, EFCA, and the budget are all going to be neutered to the point of status quo ante.
Dumping Tauscher is secondary to getting rid of the Sensible Centrist Bad Democrats in the Senate.
we can walk and chew gum at the same time – Primary Ellen Tauscher and work on Bayh. Posing it as an either/or simply paralyzes.
It’s not an either/or situation. You’re right that we need to get rid of a lot of dead weight in both chambers.
But it makes a lot more sense to concentrate on the Senate right now, does it not?
and where one is located. most of us aren’t in either of their districts/ states. depends where we’re near, how much time and money one has. I just don’t like the arguments to close off activities or options especially as early as March 2009.
We’ve known about these bad Democrats long before March 2009.
a campaign within weekend transportation range in order to leaflet, go door to door, etc. I do the telephoning and contributing $ – what I can afford – but I like a chance to do the door to door. For that reason i’m not in favor of setting up either or this early. Yes, we’ve known about them, but last year top priority was electing Obama.
tap them for an admin post.
will help Barack’s agenda. Any success ASAP is going to translate into votes next year.
it makes sense to work on whoever needs work. It makes sense to clean house entirely.
if I see a cockroach in my kitchen, I don’t just crush the on bug: I get one of those foggers and get rid of the entire colony. One need not deal with each individual cockroach in congress: we need to go after as many as possible, as efficiently as possible.
tauscher needs to be neutralized; so does bayh; so do MANY “representatives” who aren’t doing that much representing. but one at a time won’t do the trick…
I’m game – at least conceptually – but what would be our practical DCon? How do we remove a sitting Democratic senator?
I think one part of the equation is missing, Booman. Primarying Tauscher, or any of the Senate moran “centrists” is moot unless the people Accountability Now (or anyone else who becomes a favorite of the netroots) select actually can put a ground game into action to take the relevant seat away from the incumbent. Being a netroots favorite and harnessing their donor power is fine, but these people need to win elections.
I think that’s the biggest stumbling block so far. I’ve seen many candidates come and go through Left Blogistan, but very, very few of them turn the netroots power into results.
Tauscher, a former Wall Street investment banker, said she hasn’t met with a banking lobbyist in months. But she makes no apologies for her relationships with the business sector, which she notes employs her constituents.
She doesn’t need to. She has a former lobbyist as a CoS. The business sector employs everyone, Tauscher. It’s not an excuse to let them get away with all sorts of illegal and unethical behavior. And someone needs to call up Birch Bayh and ask him to please lean on his son.