Alan Grayson, currently on a fact-finding mission to Israel, didn't seem all that fazed by the DSCC decision to interfere in the Florida Democratic primary by endorsing lifelong Republican Patrick Murphy for the open U.S. Senate seat. "Florida Democratic voters," he told us soon after DSCC chair Jon Tester's sad sack announcement, "choose our party nominee, not out-of-touch party bosses sipping cognac in a smoke-filled room in Washington, DC." And the Florida Democratic Progressive Caucus was just as dismissive of Tester and Schumer. The Caucus' president, Susan Smith:
"Progressives are the heart and soul of the Democratic Party in Florida and across the nation. We are the volunteers who stuff envelopes, knock on doors, and provide the grassroots energy that powers successful Democratic campaigns.The idea that a senator from Montana and Wall Street Democrats know better than rank-and-file Florida Democrats is both patronizing and unsurprising. Then again, no one knows better than Jon Tester that DSCC support doesn't mean a whole lot."Florida Democrats are looking to support a progressive candidate who will lead on big, bold economic populist ideas, not another politician who will do Wall Street's bidding in Washington."I wish the DSCC would take a page from the Democratic National Committee's playbook. Last week when Bernie Sanders announced he was joining Hillary Clinton in running for president, the DNC wisely welcomed him to the race because they recognize that spirited primary debates are good for our party and our country."
Well... Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid and John Tester aren't quite that wise. As we explained last month, Tester as the new DSCC chair has joined the cabal of sold-out corporate whores and Wall Street shills who have imbibed the Kool-Aid of failure. Yesterday, Tester announced that the DSCC had endorsed Patrick Murphy-- barely even a Democrat at all, and one of the half dozen House Dems most likely to vote with the GOP on any crucial roll call-- over progressive icon Alan Grayson. In 2006, when Tester was first running for the Montana Senate seat, Schumer was head of the DSCC and he detested Tester's populism and recruited and backed state Auditor John Morrison. Montana voters told Schumer and Morrison to go take a hike-- giving Tester a 61-35% primary victory and then a narrower win in the general election.What did Schumer learn from his very public defeat? To fight even harder to undermine grassroots progressive and populist candidates. What did Tester learn? To switch sides and sell out to the Establishment and morph into an ugly combination of John Morrison and Chuck Schumer. And now we need Florida Democratic voters to tell Tester, Schumer and Reid that they are capable of nominating their own candidates without some slimy careerists from DC trying to decide who will be on the ticket in Florida.In the video up top, the Schumer-Tester candidate talks about his willingness to balance the budget on the backs of seniors-- Florida seniors-- by cutting Social Security and Medicare benefits. That's why Wall Street loves him so much. A member of the House Financial Services Committee, Murphy has a widespread reputation in Congress as a low-life who solicits bribes from banksters in return for shady votes on his committee. Last cycle, for example, the finance sector gave out bribes of over a million dollars to 17 individual Members of the House. Of the crooked 17, 13 are Republicans-- from John Boehner ($3,289,421) and Tom Cotton ($2,557,139) to Paul Ryan ($1,629,456) and Scott Garrett ($1,171,579). The 4 Democrats in the "most-bribed" category are all anti-worker New Dem sell-outs:
• Gary Peters (New Dem-MI)- $1,412,687• Joe Crowley (New Dem-NY)- $1,184,858• Jim Himes (New Dem-CT)- $1,144,988• Patrick Murphy (New Dem-FL)- $1,127,650
Tester, yesterday: “Patrick Murphy is one of our party’s most promising rising stars, and his track record of fighting for Florida’s working families, seniors, and the environment make him the strongest candidate to win the Florida Senate race and flip this seat. During his time in the House, Patrick has stepped up to protect the Florida Everglades, voted down extreme proposals that would harm Medicare, voted to protect Social Security and fought to ensure that working families are given a fair chance to get ahead. I am confident that Patrick will continue working hard for all Floridians following his successful election to the Senate and we are proud to support his campaign."Tester is spinning and lying-- blatantly so. And in a way that will have to be recalled when he himself is next up for reelection in Montana. Murphy's track record of fighting for the environment? Really? Only 28 of the most corrupted conservative Democrats crossed the aisle to vote with the GOP to ram through the Keystone XL Pipeline. Was Murphy fighting for the environment as one of those 28? Among the Florida Democrats, it was only Murphy and Blue Dog Gwen Graham who went down that dark path.What is wrong with Tester, Schumer and Reid? Why are they lying to Democratic voters? Why do they want a weak, pointless sleaze bucket like Murphy in the Senate? On Capitol Hill, the rumor is that Wall Street, which had been threatening to cut off funding to Democrats because of Elizabeth Warren's fight for the middle class, has demanded some mindless shills to help "balance" out populists like Warren, Bernie Sanders, Brian Schatz, Jeff Merkley and Sherrod Brown. Murphy is certainly on the other side on all important issues. Imagine Team Warren-Sanders-Schatz-Merkley-Brown augmented, instead, by Alan Grayson! In fact, do more than imagine it. Go here and be part of making it happen! (Bonus: And Donna Edwards!)There can never be too much sleaze in the Senate for Chuck "Lizard Man" Schumer
