Jennifer Garrison-- does she look sort of like Erin Zeigler?Steve Israel, an ex-p.r. flack (and Blue Dog), who Steny Hoyer forced Nancy Pelosi to appoint DCCC Chairman, got an idea. One of Israel's Long Island neighbors, a constituent and on the board of the synagogue Israel attended, wrote this on his blog a few months ago:
LGBT activists in Ohio were shocked when they heard Steve Israel was recruiting virulent homophobe Jennifer Garrison to run for Congress. Israel is now pressuring pro-equality Democrats in Congress-- including gay members-- to contribute money to Garrison's campaign. She isn't a garden variety anti-gay politician. She built her entire political career on intense homophobia.
According to Pelosi, when women succeed, America succeedsYesterday I got an e-mail from an awful candidate running for an open House seat in northeast Iowa, Swati Dandekar. Blue America is backing the progressive running for that seat, Pat Murphy.
I don't suppose Lizard Man conferred with Elizabeth Warren before he offered a free pass to reelection to Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown. But the reptilian Schumer was boasting to Isaac Chotiner for an interview in the New Republic that that is exactly what he did in 2012.
Malcolm and JenniferMy grandfather was a Socialist. He told me to always be wary of anyone from the Democratic Party. Funny because Malcolm X and he had similar views of the Democrats back them. Mal: "We won't organize any black man to be a Democrat or a Republican because both of them have sold us out. Both of them have sold us out; both parties have sold us out.
The Democratic Party prides itself on being a big tent so the answer is both yes and no. Mainstream FDR progressives are very serious about equality-- like the Pennsylvania state Senator, DaylinLeach, in the video above. Confused conservatives who, for whatever reason, stumbled into the wrong party are not. When I was growing up, my grandfather, a dedicated Socialist, told me to never trust the Democrats.
It's not fair to just blame DCCC Chairman Steve Israel for Jennifer Garrison. The "Sarah Palin of Ohio" is also being heavily backed by Israel's patron, Steny Hoyer. Hoyer was in Columbus yesterday, headlining a fundraiser for the anti-Choice, anti-gay, anti-labor conserva-Dem.
As you probably noticed, progressives have been up in arms because Steve Israel and the DCCC have recruited Jennifer Garrison, "the Sarah Palin of Ohio," to run for Congress… as a Democrat. Most of the complaints have come from women's groups over Garrison's fanatic anti-Choice history and from LGBT groups because of her similarly fanatic history as an anti-gay crusader. Having been in the state legislature she has a long and sordid record on these, as well as environmental and ethical issues.
Sunday we looked at North Carolina Republican congressional candidate Jason Thigpen's switch from the GOP to the Democratic Party. Monday evening Jason went on air with Lawrence O'Donnell to talk about his oddessey (above).When I spoke with him over the weekend, Jason seemed to me to be a very independent-minded, thoughtful, progressive-oriented citizen with a keen understanding of a Constitution he takes very seriously.
Yesterday we looked at the lead-up to last night's historic Senate vote for ENDA. The anti-gay filibuster was shut down 61-30, every Democrat plus 7 Republicans voting for equality.
