Dear ,
Bart Stupak is retiring. He doesn't care for the way he's being treated by his allies on the right. Apparently he had never noticed how they treat people who cross them. And while nobody should have to deal with death threats, it's more than a little ironic that someone who adamantly opposed the Freedom to Access Clinic Entrances Act would end up being driven from office by the anti-abortion crowd. Perhaps he can now develop empathy for what it must be like to be a desperate teen-aged girl facing a raging mob -- red-faced zealots calling you a murderer and pushing gory pictures in your face -- as you try to walk into a clinic.
It shouldn't happen to any woman, ever.
The word is that the Democratic Party machine is searching madly for the right man to run in Stupak's place. One of the locals on their 'short list' might even be pro-choice, although that doesn't appear to be any kind of major consideration. If history is any guide, the DCCC will try to recruit the most right-wing, anti-choice Blue Dog they can find. Connie Saltonstall is too much of a real Democrat, one who cares about Democratic principles and values, for them.
But Connie Saltonstall is already in the race, and she wasn't groomed by Party handlers or conjured from a political formula. She's just a Michigan Democrat who was so offended that Stupak held health care reform hostage -- in order to stage yet another assault on women's constitutional rights -- that she decided she had to take the nomination away from him. Connie is backed by the National Organization for Women, NARAL and Planned Parenthood -- and pro-choice men and women throughout the country, including us.
The purveyors of conventional wisdom insist that a common sense, pro-choice progressive can't win in this district and therefore they shouldn't even try. Blue America disagrees. We think we have to support an honest person like Connie Saltonstall, someone who's willing to stand up for her beliefs and do one of the hardest things anyone can do -- challenge an incumbent of her own party for the nomination.
The DCCC is trying to do to her exactly what they're trying to do to another Blue America candidate, Doug Tudor, in Florida. This morning Steny Hoyer is hosting a breakfast in Tampa for a reactionary Blue Dog at the offices of one of the biggest lobbying firms in America, Holland and Knight, in the hope of driving Doug out of the race. It won't work. And we're sticking with him, the same way we're sticking with Connie.
Connie's not leaving this race. And we'll continue to back her, with your help. If you agree with us that the Democratic Party needs to replace conservatives like Bart Stupak and Adam Putnam with stalwart pro-choice progressive leaders, please consider donating to Connie Saltonstall's campaign and to Doug Tudor's campaign. It isn't a coincidence that they're both on the same page.
http://www.actblue.com/page/blueamerica10Thanks for all you do,
digby, John, Howie and the Blue America team