Democratic activists channel anger into Arkansas Senate race

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Washington Post

Democratic activists channel anger into Arkansas Senate race
By Perry Bacon Jr.
Sunday, March 7, 2010

Democratic activists flooding money into a primary challenge against sitting Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) say the race isn't simply about defeating the incumbent. It is also about rebuking a Democratic-controlled Congress that they say isn't pursuing an aggressive, populist agenda.

After Arkansas Lt. Gov. Bill Halter announced Monday that he would challenge Lincoln, liberal donors from groups such as MoveOn.org poured more than $1 million into his campaign, an unusually high sum for the first two days of campaigning. Liberals blasted Lincoln with anti-Washington rhetoric that sounded more like the conservative tea party movement. The groups are particularly critical of her opposition to the public option, as it is known, in the health-care bill and her support in 2008 for a Wall Street bailout.

The primary contest illustrates the challenge Democrats face in trying to please activists who worked hard to elect President Obama and congressional Democrats and now want to see results. They also want to lure independent voters who helped the party win the 2006 and 2008 elections but now express wariness about the Democratic agenda.

"As Bill Halter says, Washington is broken. It's really remarkable when you have a strong Democratic majority in both the House and the Senate and a Democratic president and still not get a lot of things passed," said Charles Chamberlain, political director for the activist group Democracy for America, which has encouraged its members to donate to Halter. "Some of that blame rests on Republicans, but the Democratic Party is not standing up to lead."



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/06/AR2010030602239.html

[David Zephyr]

1. Hallelujah!

Her last resort of attacking "trade unions" was the last straw.

I love the Primary Process.

[No Elephants]

16. The PCC and Moveon acted well BEFORE the primary process, recruiting him to run. A

bunch of donations and messages from the netroots convinced him.

This is exactly the kind of thing I've been trying to peddle eery time a DUer posts about not voting anymore.

It's soooo much better than not voting, which is interpreted to justify going even further right, ala the Scott Brown election.

Yes, we can!

[w4rma]

19. Agreed. (nt)

[curiousdemo]

30. She's going back to the chicken farm...

Even if she win the primary, and loses the general election doesn't matter anyway. She's a DINO. :kick: But she's going down...HARD!

[tpsbmam]

2. Maybe, just maybe if Halter defeats Lincoln with the help

of the progressives who were instrumental in putting all of these Dems in office in 2006 & 2008, the incumbents will start to get a clue. Hey, anything is possible.


Edited: oh yeah, K&R

[No Elephants]

17. I think our donations will make a difference,even if he loses, but I hope he wins.

[GentryDixon]

3. I kicked in a donation thru Act Blue.

I hope it makes a difference.

[CLANG]

11. It makes a huge difference

If people can just afford $5 it adds up. Thank you for doing that. I will be doing the same!

[eagertolearn]

13. I really like this way of letting everyone know how we really feel about what is going on!

Okay I thought I was going to sneak by and miss this one donation but now I'm going over to Act Blue. please everyone do this too. One candidate at a time lets get real democrats in!

[butterfly77]

4. K&R!

:dem: :kick: :kick: :kick:

[midnight]

5. Time to get off their own hands, and get moving to help the

working class and the poor.

[UTUSN]

6. If she loses the primary, is she capable of pulling a Joementum ("Independent")? n/t

[rhett o rick]

7. If she does, it would be interesting to see who Rambo supports. nt

[No Elephants]

34. Trick is, you try destroy the challenger in the primary. Republicans will not

fight incumbent Blue Dogs very hard in the general election because those Purple Snakes are almost more useful to them than an actual Republican would be, unless that Republican would be THE decisive vote, ala Scott Brown.

So, come general election campaign time, both parties just kind of back off discreetly. Neither would overtly campaign for the Independent. Then again, they don't need to. The work was done in the primary. Democrats damaged the Democrat and left the challenger to twist in the wind. Republicans win whether their candidate wins, or the Blue Dog wins or the Democrat damaged by prominent Democrats wins. Only the Democrats who backed the challenger in the primary lose (which is yet another way the Republicans win)

[rhett o rick]

40. Lieberman got a lot of Democratic support when he was an Independent. nt

[pattmarty]

29. Arkansas is a "red" state, unlike Connecticut. She (if she wins) will........

......have a well funded Republican opponent. There are already 3 or 4 Republicans at least talking about running in the primary. My Rep (Marion Berry) is retiring also, hopefully we can keep the seat Dem.

[Metta]

8. Any Obama fans want to explain his backing Blanche Lincoln?

Just asking.

[Jefferson23]

9. Obama supported Lieberman over Lamont back in the day too.

[Metta]

15. True. I wonder if he's reflecting on how well that turned out.

He's dragging down the country by listening to bad advice.

[curiousdemo]

32. I agree with your assessment.....but...

Lieberman will get his in two years. :kick: Muhammad Ali had a saying, "If the left one doesn't get you, the right one will" The left one was 2006 and the right one will be 2012.

[Metta]

38. From your lips to God's ears. Liebeman's karma is so rotten.

... betraying the Constitution, his oath and the people.

[Mithreal]

25. You never forget your first Senate mentor. He just couldn't quit him.

[eridani]

14. Protocol. No sitting president or incumbent congresscritter

--will ever go after a colleague that they have to work with on a daily basis.

[pundaint]

24. Right Obama breaks precedent to be non-assertive, except when precedent calls for non-assertiveness.

That's what we want in a leader!

[eridani]

27. Give me an example of an instance where a president of either party

--endorsed a primary challenger of his own party to someone in Congress or in state government.

[Jim Lane]

33. FDR did so in some races in 1938, without much success

From of Franklin D. Roosevelt:

Determined to overcome the opposition of conservative Democrats in Congress (mostly from the South), Roosevelt involved himself in the 1938 Democratic primaries, actively campaigning for challengers who were more supportive of New Deal reform. His targets denounced Roosevelt for trying to take over the Democratic party and used the argument that they were independent to win reelection. Roosevelt failed badly, managing to defeat only one target, a conservative Democrat from New York City.

I have a vague feeling that there might have been one or two more recent examples. If your general point is that it's very unusual, however, then you're certainly correct.

[eridani]

39. That was quite a long time ago

--and even FDR seemed to have learned that it would have been best to stay above the fray.

[No Elephants]

35. The policy of both major Parties is to support their respective incumbent, come hell or high water.

It's the mutual job retention program. If the incumbent is enough of a Purple Snake, even the Republicans may covertly support him or her, ala Lieberman.

Look at Haestert and Foley. Haestert knew about Foley before Foley ran for re-election. In fact, IIRC, Republicans encouraged Foley to run for re-election bc Foley was popular in his district (and incumbents almost always have an edge, anyway.

Bunning is a rare exception--as he is the first to point out. He says, probably correctly, that Republicans walking away from him is practically a violation of the RNC bylaws.

[yurbud]

10. we have to put the fear of god into those corrupt DLC bastards

[gratuitous]

12. "Anger" is it?

What was the dominant emotion for the Scott Brown candidacy? Oh yeah, they were all "patriotic" and stuff.

[No Elephants]

36. I noted the "anger" lie as well. Trust the right to both (a) conflate Democrats with liberals and

(b) attribute something negative to either Democrats or liberals (or both) at every opportunity.

[western mass]

18. WP gives its usual right-wing spin

"rebuking a Democratic-controlled Congress that they say isn't pursuing an aggressive, populist agenda."

Not quite. Try: rebuking a Democratic-controlled Congress that's pursuing an aggressive, corporatist agenda.

[mistertrickster]

20. The Democratic Party is not standing up to lead. YES. This is why everybody at DU

should also be active in Democracy for America.

[SlingBlade]

21. Ya Listening Rahm ya Rat Bastard, We'er coming for ya !

[Oldenuff]

22. Excellent!

This needs to spread across the US like a brush fire!

Primary all incumbents.

[pundaint]

23. Clinton likes Lincoln, Obama likes Lincoln let's hope they both campaign for her.

[Suji to Seoul]

26. Primary her ass out of the race and GET REAL DEMOCRATS, DAMMIT

No more triangulating, DLC DINO Republican Lite moles!!!

[depakid]

28. Activist or no- the woman's simply proven herself to be a person of poor character

on anyone's radar.

[DisgustedInMN]

31. Hey...

... are you worthless pieces of trash over at the DLC taking notes and making a HUGE course correction? You sure as fuck better be, 'cuz if you don't, Blance Lincoln won't be the only one with a "D" behind her name being shown the exit with a boot.

[No Elephants]

37. LOL, What drivel. I did not donate to Halter out of anger. I donated out of enthusiasm.

I donated to Halter because I "hope" that he will be better for the country than Lincoln has been. Same reason I donated to Franken, not Coleman, Obama Biden, not McCain Palin, the DNC, not the RNC.

I don't think the DNC or any DLC type is going to be seeing much of my money again real soon, though, but they won't miss it, what with all the money they get from corporate donors and really wealthy individuals.