Democratic (Party) Direction

lots of chatter about this today

NEW: @DCCC makes moves to block primary challenges against Dem incumbents.

Per new hiring standards DCCC won't contract with or recommend to House campaign any political firm that works against a sitting member. That's a stark financial deterrent

More: https://t.co/NPmXyQyef8

— Ally Mutnick (@allymutnick) March 22, 2019

This is perfect: A political party, which calls itself the Democratic Party (in the 19th C. it was even referred to as "the Democracy") leverages the power of markets and firms to stop citizens from running against sitting members of Congress. Who call themselves "Democrats." https://t.co/XZrVub9z66

— corey robin (@CoreyRobin) March 22, 2019

Democratic (Party) Direction doesn't seem to be driven by the DCCC much these days

I predict that trend will continue after this

It's certainly one way of concentrating expertise in running primary campaigns against incumbents in a few firms.

Some incumbents need to go. Due to gerrymandering, they're mostly (all?) in safe districts, where the winner of the primary wins the general. Honestly, I can see shunning firms that work against incumbents in 2018 pickups. These new reps in suburbia have little of the advantages of incumbancy, and need to save powder for the general. But urban districts? Often that's were some of the worst Dem reps have clung on.

have Pelosi and/or Schumer spoken up to defend Omar from this latest round of attacks yet?

doesn't seem like it. they definitely should

Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "I haven't had the opportunity to speak with [Rep. Ilhan Omar] to see the nature of her comment and, as is my custom with my colleagues, I call them in before I call them out so I'll look forward to hearing from her." pic.twitter.com/ZJcgtXzMUG

— The Hill (@thehill) April 12, 2019

That’s pathetic but that clip isn’t post-trump’s tweet, is it? Everything else I’m seeing on Twitter is giving the impression Pelosi hasn’t made a response to the latest retweeted video

I'm guessing it's pre tweet, post Post cover.

Ilhan Omar is a leader with strength and courage. She won't back down to Trump's racism and hate, and neither will we. The disgusting and dangerous attacks against her must end.

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) April 13, 2019

good for him

Warren has spoken out as well.

Warrens tweet was even better because she called out anyone in dem leadership unwilling to publicly stand behind Omar

for posterity

The President is inciting violence against a sitting Congresswoman—and an entire group of Americans based on their religion. It's disgusting. It's shameful. And any elected leader who refuses to condemn it shares responsibility for it.

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) April 13, 2019

Its unrealistic for Schumer or Biden to defend Ilhan, come on now

Pelosi. well, she got her magazine cover - though it was kind of surprising she did that I thought!

"realism" sucks

https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/03/all-about-pete

Don't know this site, so I don't know if ILX is suspicious of Current Affairs (educate me) but this definitely makes me more skeptical about Pete Buttigieg

this article was discussed at some length in the 2020 Dem primary thread

For all the talk we hear from Pelosi, Hoyer, Schumer and the rest of Democratic leadership about the importance of party “unity,” they never seem to think it’s important to unify behind members who are progressive and/or not DCCC frontliners.

— Every Billionaire Is A Policy Failure (@DanRiffle) April 13, 2019

Tlaib has had enough

They put us in photos when they want to show our party is diverse. However, when we ask to be at the table, or speak up about issues that impact who we are, what we fight for & why we ran in the first place, we are ignored. To truly honor our diversity is to never silence us. https://t.co/7T1OlwS1YG

— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) April 13, 2019

"They put us in photos when they want to show our party is diverse. However, when we ask to be at the table, or speak up about issues that impact who we are, what we fight for & why we ran in the first place, we are ignored"

the genius of Nanc

Nancy Pelosi: "By and large whatever orientation they came to Congress with, they know we have to hold the center. We have to go down the mainstream."

60 Minutes: "You have these wings. @AOC and her group on one side..."

Pelosi: "That's like five people." pic.twitter.com/yxVQDiUxgu

— Waleed Shahid (@_waleedshahid) April 14, 2019

awful

surfin' the mainstream straight into the apocalypse

gurl, damn that's some epic shade more tea plz beyonce.gif

Jayapal for speaker ASAP por favor

democratic (party) grim resignation thread

Rise of the Hickenloopers

it is literally never necessary to look at who posts the tweets on any of these threads

that's nice

(and you know what that means in the South)

hey it's in a tweet i guess she didnt really say it

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/05/coming-generation-war/588670/

sorry 4 niall content

When about 40% of the resources are monopolized by the top 1%, then the remaining people fight over the scraps. Let's change the first term of that equation.

The Koch Brothers are considering spending tons of money to defend Democratic incumbents from progressive primary challengers.https://t.co/xhRcn9Wp0v

— Waleed Shahid (@_waleedshahid) June 10, 2019

i'm sure they'll throw in Stop Bernie dough if needed

more of this plz

Long-time New York Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel has drawn a primary challenger in his 2020 reelection bid who is supported by a key group that backed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in her upset win.

Middle school principal and former teacher Jamaal Bowman launched his progressive campaign on Tuesday to represent New York’s 16th congressional district, pitting himself against Engel, who has served 16 terms.

Bowman’s platform shows support for Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, increased investment in public schools, free college and reforms to the criminal justice system, according to his video.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/449019-justice-democrats-announces-primary-challenger-for-engel

my parents live in engel's district and, uh, good luck bowman

people should run opposition even when there is no hope of winning in that election cycle.

I’m rooting for Bowman, and hopefully he’ll pull off an upset, but I have realistic expectations

"Why yes -- I *too* support neoliberalism and militarism! Corporations are our friends! Our Wise Leaders always have our best interests at heart! Family Guy is not a ripoff of The Simpsons!" https://t.co/6LqvfA2kNK

— Dennis Perrin (@DennisThePerrin) July 13, 2019

"see dennis perrin's other tweets" links to a morbs page somewhere in the ilx multiverse

There should be a thread for Dennis Perrin tweets. iirc

I'd ask (the Americans) if we are all on the same side

Trump wants to make AOC, Pressley, Tlaib and Omar the faces of the Democratic Party. The Democrats, whose current faces of the party are Schumer, Pelosi, Hoyer and Biden, should say, thank you very much, Mr. President, for doing what we should've done ourselves.

— Jeffrey St. Clair (@JSCCounterPunch) July 19, 2019

won't argue with that one, other than that I could definitely not pick Steny Hoyer out of a lineup of miserable white congressmen

Dems commissioning and then leaking that uneducated-whites-only polling to Axios to smear the Squad was some truly despicable shit, even before Trump used the polling to bash them.

as Perrin says, bad cop-bad cop

I believe it was Mark Russell who once rhymed "anyhoo" with "Steny who?"

This is good:

https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2019/12/19/no-more-nice-democrats/

Thats a very good piece!