Rep Carol Shea-Porter (D) and Dan Innis (R)So far this year, Blue America has only backed two incumbents on a special page designed for true-blue progressives who need electoral help this cycle. Each of them is an independent-minded and stalwart fighter for equality and for a shining progressive vision of America.
by Ken"It's the middle of winter," writes Boston Globe columnist Joan Vennochi ("Don't dismiss Scott Brown's chance in N.H."). "Scott Brown has his shirt off, and it can only mean one thing. He’s running for US Senate in New Hampshire."
If you come to DWT on any kind of a regular basis, you probably know I'm not a big Obama fan. In fact, voted for Jill Stein in 2012. But one area where President Obama has managed to move the ball forward, in the face of unrelenting and concerted Republican opposition, has been in regard to LGBT equality. Who would have thought back in 2008 we would come so far!
All too often "bipartisan" has come to mean Democrats being led down the path to slaughter by transpartisan conservatives. It's not just Republicans who are screwing working families… it's also the Republican wing of the Democratic Party-- the Blue Dogs, New Dems and their fellow travelers, like Steny Hoyer and Steve Israel.
I spent New Year's Eve watching undisturbed wildlife on the Galapagos Islands. It was truly awe-inspiring. The animals are so unafraid of humans that they are almost oblivious to our presence. One newborn baby sea lion mistook one of our party for its mother and tried to get close. We were all briefed in advance, of course, not to touch any animals. In the case of a baby sea lion it could be life and death.
Before she was elected last year, Ann Kuster presented herself as a fighter for working families and for a progressive vision of America. When she got to Congress, she joined the Progressive Caucus and there was no reason to believe she would behave any differently than she promised New Hampshire voters. She fell in with the DCCC crowd and started voting more and more conservatively.
Yesterday Reid Wilson made the point at the Washington Post that there appears to be a Republican wave building that could increase the GOP majority in the House and win them control of the Senate. Obama's popularity is sinking, the Obamacare website is making the entire healthcare reform agenda look like a mess, and the huge Democratic advantage in the generic congressional polling numbers of last month have turned into a bizarre preference for the GOP.
Many progressives fear that conservative Democrats are working with Boehner, McConnell and the Republicans to undermine the inviolability of Social Security-- the Third Rail aspect-- by including Chained CPI in a so-called "Grand Bargain" which would see the GOP give a tiny bit on taxes-- raising taxes on the rich slightly which could be easily lowered as soon as they regain power-- in return for forever decoupling Social Security from the Third Rail.
Anne Kuster ran for Congress twice-- both times as a grassroots progressive and both times with super-prioritized support from progressive organizations both in New Hampshire and nationally, despite having worked as a Big Pharma lobbyist. In 2010, she lost her first race, 48-47% against conservative incumbent Charlie Bass. Two years later, in the 2012 rematch, and with President Obama's coattails in play, Kuster beat Bass 50-46%.
New Hampshire has two House districts. The first district, represented by Carol Shea-Porter, is most of the eastern part of the state, including Manchester, Portsmouth and Dover. The second district, represented by Anne Kuster, encompasses the western and northern parts of the state from Nashua and Concord to Keene and Dixville Notch. NH-02 is strongly Democratic with a PVI of D+3. Obama beat McCain there 56-43% and beat Romney 54-44%. Last year Kuster beat the Republican incumbent, mainstream conservative Charlie Bass 168,954 (50%) to 151,858 (45%).
