by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the political arm of the Democratic Party in Congress, moved this past week to thwart candidates who have the temerity to run against sitting Democratic members. In a shameless show of brute force, the DCCC, headed by centrist Rep. Cheri Bustos of Illinois and over-lorded by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, announced that it would no longer do business with political strategists and vendors who work for congressional candidates who are seeking to unseat current House members.
This was seen as a particular affront to progressive candidates who are trying to advance into Congress - and a distasteful attempt by those in power to maintain their power.
It is also being interpreted by some as an attempt by Speaker Pelosi to limit the number of sudden stars - like Representatives Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Ilhan Omar - with whom she must contend for the attention of other members - and for control of the political talking points and the overall agenda.
New people bring fresh ideas, and fresh ideas are not apparently what the leadership of the Democratic majority in Congress wants their party to be about.
Not only is the DCCC trying to gag independent campaign strategists and vendors, it has also reversed an Obama-era ban on donations from federal lobbyists. Corporate lobbyists are now bundling checks from corporate interests for the DCCC, and Democratic members of Congress are once more beholden to the likes of hospitals, insurance companies, and oil, gas, and coal interests. At a time when many members are openly talking about single-payer healthcare and the Green New Deal, corporate money is once again gushing into the equation in an attempt to quash the will of the people.
Good work, Rep. Bustos! Looking good, Speaker Pelosi! Keep pulling on those brakes with all of your might and once again you may just be successful in keeping Congress from actually being productive.
Oh, and Speaker Pelosi, when you asked "Who will pay for that?" in an attempt to tamp down support for single-payer health care, I would respectfully ask who pays for the wars in the Middle East that have been going on for more than a generation? Who pays for Congressional junkets? And who pays for Donald Trump's weekly golf outings? If we are going to have deficit spending, as we have had for decades now, let's at least use it to benefit the general population - for a change.
Instead of trying to derail new candidates for office and stop the spread of bold ideas, Democrats in the House should be concerned with developing principles and priorities. Congress, like America itself, will become stronger with new members and an openness to "radical" ideas for a better future.
Embrace the future - don't try to bury it!
(This former donor to the DCCC will no longer support it. But, of course, with its new influx of corporate money, the DCCC no longer needs the money or views of individual Americans. We are not who they work for.)
Citizen Journalist
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the political arm of the Democratic Party in Congress, moved this past week to thwart candidates who have the temerity to run against sitting Democratic members. In a shameless show of brute force, the DCCC, headed by centrist Rep. Cheri Bustos of Illinois and over-lorded by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, announced that it would no longer do business with political strategists and vendors who work for congressional candidates who are seeking to unseat current House members.
This was seen as a particular affront to progressive candidates who are trying to advance into Congress - and a distasteful attempt by those in power to maintain their power.
It is also being interpreted by some as an attempt by Speaker Pelosi to limit the number of sudden stars - like Representatives Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Ilhan Omar - with whom she must contend for the attention of other members - and for control of the political talking points and the overall agenda.
New people bring fresh ideas, and fresh ideas are not apparently what the leadership of the Democratic majority in Congress wants their party to be about.
Not only is the DCCC trying to gag independent campaign strategists and vendors, it has also reversed an Obama-era ban on donations from federal lobbyists. Corporate lobbyists are now bundling checks from corporate interests for the DCCC, and Democratic members of Congress are once more beholden to the likes of hospitals, insurance companies, and oil, gas, and coal interests. At a time when many members are openly talking about single-payer healthcare and the Green New Deal, corporate money is once again gushing into the equation in an attempt to quash the will of the people.
Good work, Rep. Bustos! Looking good, Speaker Pelosi! Keep pulling on those brakes with all of your might and once again you may just be successful in keeping Congress from actually being productive.
Oh, and Speaker Pelosi, when you asked "Who will pay for that?" in an attempt to tamp down support for single-payer health care, I would respectfully ask who pays for the wars in the Middle East that have been going on for more than a generation? Who pays for Congressional junkets? And who pays for Donald Trump's weekly golf outings? If we are going to have deficit spending, as we have had for decades now, let's at least use it to benefit the general population - for a change.
Instead of trying to derail new candidates for office and stop the spread of bold ideas, Democrats in the House should be concerned with developing principles and priorities. Congress, like America itself, will become stronger with new members and an openness to "radical" ideas for a better future.
Embrace the future - don't try to bury it!
(This former donor to the DCCC will no longer support it. But, of course, with its new influx of corporate money, the DCCC no longer needs the money or views of individual Americans. We are not who they work for.)
1 comment:
This is too bad, too bad for my first term Democratic, Kick Boxing, Lesbian, Ivy League educated Lawyer Representative Sharice Davids. Too bad for her because I will no longer be able to donate to her campaign or purchase the campaign paraphernalia she offers.
If they won't do business with the people doing business with those non-incumbent candidates I support, I won't do business with them.
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