When Kirsten Gillibrand first ran for Congress, I used to talk with her frequently. She had me fooled that she was a progressive and Blue America helped her raise money and even got Rickie Lee Jones and the Squirrel Nut Zippers to help us make an ad for her campaign. Once she got into Congress she joined the Blue Dog Coalition, started voting with the Republicans, exhibited ZERO backbone, became a poster child for the NRA and an outspoken campaigner against immigrants rights. Blecchhhhh. And then Hillary Clinton picked her as her replacement for the Senate when she abandoned her seat to become Secretary of State. Gillibrand dumped her Blue Dog outfit and reinvented herself as a Wall Street-loving liberal. No one-- NO ONE-- knows what the hell she really is other than a political opportunist.A couple weeks ago she endorsed solid progressive Chicago congressional candidate Marie Newman against sleazy Blue Dog Dan Lipinski. But was that because Newman is a progressive and Lipinksi is a right-wing Democrat? Or was it for something less ideological-- that Newman is a woman and Lipinski is a man?One of the worst of the Blue Dogs, Oregon conservative Kurt Schrader, came to Lipinski's defense and denounced Gillibrand. "It’s bullshit," snarled Schrader about Gillibrand's endorsement. "She used to be a Blue Dog, and then miraculously turns around? C’mon, man."
To Schrader, the endorsement smacked of political opportunism-- especially given that Gillibrand, while a representative of a moderate upstate New York district, was once a Blue Dog herself.
Meanwhile, this week, a quartet of progressive organizations-- NARAL, MoveOn, DFA and the PCCC-- jointly announced that they will help Newman defeat Lipinski. (Note: Lipinski is virulently homophobic and consistently votes with the GOP against LGBT equality, prompting a centrist gay group, HRC, which has no interest in progressivism, to also announce they would help defeat the Chicagoland congressman.)
Lipinski, who won his seat after his father stepped down in 2004, has made no secret of his anti-choice views, though they break from the Democratic Party’s plank on abortion rights. He co-chairs the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus and sits on the federal advisory board of anti-choice group Democrats for Life of America.“For too long, Dan Lipinski has ignored the needs of working families across Illinois, by pushing his fringe ideological agenda at the expense of women and families across the state,” Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said in a Tuesday statement. “Congressman Lipinski is way out of step with his constituents and with Democratic party principles when it comes to women’s rights, LGBT equality, and the basic freedoms that Americans hold dear.”Charles Chamberlain, executive director of Democracy for America, said in a statement that his organization was supporting Newman “because Illinois voters deserve a Democratic congressional delegation that is as unflinchingly committed to fighting for abortion rights and LGBT equality as they are to standing up to any other racial and economic injustice.”Lipinski is one of only two Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives to sign on to a GOP-backed measure this year to restrict abortion beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy, based on the false claim that a fetus can feel pain at this point in a pregnancy. He has co-sponsored other anti-choice measures such as a permanent ban on federal abortion funding, voted to defund Planned Parenthood, and has questioned evidence-based guidelines for medication abortion.Newman in April announced her intent to challenge Lipinski. Already, Lipinski’s views on reproductive health care have been a contentious issue in the primary race.Her campaign platform includes calls to expand access to health care through “Healthcare-For-All solutions” and criticizes Lipinski’s opposition to reproductive rights. “Consistent with the Roe v. Wade decision, I believe that reproductive decisions belong with women and her right to choose, not with government or politicians,” her campaign site says, noting that Lipinski “has voted consistently to defund Planned Parenthood and eliminate a woman’s right to choose.”Lipinski’s district is rated as “Solid Democrat” by the Inside Elections with Nathan Gonzales/Roll Call ratings, meaning the seat is likely to remain in the hands of Democrats no matter who wins the March 20 primary in 2018.
How horrible is Lipinski? Back in April, Lipinski endorsed and campaigned for grotesquely corrupt Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar in his re-election bid after Claar endorsed and started fundraising for Trump. With Lipinski's help the Trump candidate won 6,425 to 6,274 against an actual Democrat, Will County Board member Jackie Traynere.When Blue America endorsed Marie 7 months ago, she explained in a guest post why she's running and what her priorities will be in Congress.
First, we must fight to protect and extend health care for all Americans. I believe the best way to do that is through phased-in approach to include some of the key proposals out there currently such as the Medicare for All initiative, introduced by Congressman Conyers and Senator Sanders. Until we have a President and Congress that will pass such a measure, we must fight to protect the Affordable Care Act from repeal. This includes retaining the elements of that law focused on women’s healthcare and reproductive rights, protecting Planned Parenthood and the millions of women it serves, and requiring insurance companies to cover those with pre-existing conditions.Not only is my opponent the only Democrat from Illinois to vote against establishing the Affordable Care Act; he has voted repeatedly with the Republican majority to defund Planned Parenthood. This is an unacceptable assault on the rights and health needs of millions of women across our country.Second, we need to put the needs and concerns of small businesses ahead of the big corporations who use their campaign money and lobbyists to turn the tax code to their advantage. It is our small businesses that create most of the new jobs in our country and that make up the majority of the businesses in the 3rd Congressional District.In any restructuring of our tax code, we need to close the loopholes and special privileges that enable the wealthiest corporations to avoid their fair share of the tax burden and use some of those resources to help small businesses and entrepreneurs. We must also reverse the Citizens United decision, which has given a handful of right-wing billionaires a hugely disproportionate role in our elections and government. I believe every person’s voice and vote should matter the same.My opponent takes three-quarters of his campaign money from Washington PACs and lobbyists, which is why he’s ignored the needs of small businesses without that kind of political clout. As a Member of Congress, I’ll reverse those misguided priorities and focus on promoting small business growth.Third, too many students in our country are leaving college with huge debt but without employable skills. We should encourage the development of high school and college curriculums that actually lead to real jobs. For example, creating more cost-effective entry to community colleges and to create one and two year certifications with designated paths to well-paying jobs that will promote both job and community growth. This should apply to federally supported job retraining and career redirection programs, as well-- many of which could be administered through our community college system.Finally, I’m eager to fight against discrimination due to race, religion, gender or sexuality-- because respect, appreciation and equal rights are American values that we hold dear. My opponent has voted consistently against gay marriage and has sponsored legislation that would enable businesses to discriminate against the LGBTQI community on “religious” grounds. And he shares Donald Trump’s aggression toward immigrants-- even though first- and second-generation immigrant families make up much of the 3rd District. We must rededicate ourselves to the basic, American principles of welcoming refugees and promoting a welcome environment for all.I am excited by the grassroots energy and commitment of thousands of people across the 3rd District who believe with all their heart that it’s time to take a stand for our values and our future. I know that defeating an incumbent whose family has held this seat for 30 years is a very difficult assignment. But I also know the power of everyday people when they join together in a common cause because I’ve been a part of it many times before.
