Elizabeth Warren endorsed Katie Porter, who is very much NOT a New DemLast week, we looked at the Blue Dogs' first list of 2018 endorsed candidates. These will be the worst of the worst-- and yesterday the New Dems, who, with the Blue Dogs make up most of the Republican wing of the Democratic Party, released their own list. There are a few candidates on both lists. The Blue Dog list is here. Snd these are the New Dems:
• CA-45- Dave Min, a former Chuck Schumer staffer who keeps telling me he's a progressive• CA-48- Hans Keirstead, a DCCC recruit and Harley Rouda, who wanted to run as a progressive but must have changed his mind• KS-02- Blue Dog Paul Davis• MI-08- Elissa Slotkin• MN-02- Angie Craig• NE-02- Blue Dog Brad Ashford who boasts a Republican voting record from his one term in Congress• NJ-11- Mikie Sherrill• NY-22- Blue Dog Anthony Brindisi• TX-06- Jana Lynne Sanchez• TX-23- Blue Dog Jay Hulings• VA-05- Blue Dog Roger Huffstetler
The bolded districts are the ones that Bernie won in the 2016 primaries.Chrissy Houlahan, who’s running for Ryan Costello PA-06 seat in suburban Philly, was already on the New Dem list. The New Dems gave them each $1,000 plus "guidance about messaging and strategy," strategy which will be about how to pretend to voters that you're a real Democrat. The PAC is advising candidates how to handle questions about policy issues such as single-payer health insurance. 'The districts like mine-- what we talk about is pragmatism,' said Scott Peters, a very reactionary multimillionaire whop basically always votes against the interests of working families. He is absolutely "not in favor of the current 'Medicare for all' legislation in the House." He boasted to the press that his San Diego district will never vote for Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren. He's wrong. The New Dems admit that they are coordinating with the DCCC this cycle.
NewDemPAC reviewed the websites and press releases of candidates being vetted for the list. Candidates also had to participate in brief interviews.
Reviewing the websites? Most of their websites have no issues on them, a New Dem/DCCC strategy for tricking voters into supporting Republican-lite candidates. The other day, a progressive friend told me he wanted to make a very substantial contribution to Elissa Slotkin's campaign and asked me to check her out and advise him. I read what I could find and looked over her website and-- even before the New Dem info came out yesterday-- I was able to advise him against contributing to her. This is the note I sent him:
I don't know her. It's a tough district but not impossible in a wave year. Last year the PVI was R+2 and this year it's worse: R+4, although still winnable in a wave year. So, if she were a good candidate, it wouldn't be a waste.One of the first things I always check out with a candidate is the issues page on their website. The DCCC tells their candidates to avoid putting up issues pages (because the DCCC is afraid of the progressive issues Democratic primary voters like and assumes general election voters oppose them, which is why the DCCC has been on a losing terrible streak for a decade). Elissa has no issues page. If you want me to talk with her and put her through the Blue America vetting process I'd be happy to; just introduce us. But from what I can see, it looks like she's just an identity-candidate (female military veteran, the DCCC's favorite flavor this year).So far she hasn't raised the $5,000 that would trigger an FEC report and her GOP opponent has $400,000 in his war-chest. And there seems to be another Democratic woman in the race as well. I smell another DCCC garbage candidate but I'll call around and see what I can find.
I didn't have to call around. The New Dems endorsements came out.This is what Elizabeth Warren had to say about Katie Porter, one of the progressive candidates for the CA-45 seat: "I trust Katie to fight for working families. I’m fighting for Katie, and I hope you will, too. Katie lives in Orange County, California-- in a district that Hillary Clinton won by five points last November. The Republican Congresswoman who holds that seat has voted with Donald Trump 97.8% of the time this year-- including votes to repeal health care for millions of Americans, defund Planned Parenthood, and gut the rules on Wall Street. Sending Katie to Congress in this winnable district would put us one seat closer to taking back the House in 2018. And Katie will give us another powerful voice in Washington who will stand up to the big banks and powerful corporations and fight for women, students, seniors, immigrants, and working people in her district and all across this country. I’ve seen Katie’s commitment and grit up close and personal. I’ve seen her determination to tell the story of a rigged game. And I’ve seen her put it all on the line to fight for what she believes in. Katie has been my partner in these fights for years-- and she’ll make a terrific partner in Congress."The other progressive running for the CA-45 seat that Trump rubber stamp Mimi Walters holds, Kia Hamadanchi, has had enough experience in DC to know what the corrupt, Wall Street-owned New Dems are all about. This morning he said, "To be honest I don't know why any real progressive would want to pursue their endorsement. They reached out to us but we decided that it was not worth a response from us. I believe that Democrats need to fight for things like single payer or debt free college and that we shouldn't be afraid to stand for what believe in. We don't need to try and be Republican-lite or take large sums of money from Wall Street or Big Pharma. We lost the 2016 election because people no longer believed that Democrats stood for the interests of working people anymore. If we are really serious about taking back the House in 2018 that perception has to change and we don't get there by trying to be more like the Republican Party."Rick Treviño is the progressive running in TX-23 on issues directly relating to working families-- not exactly the cup of tea the Blue Dogs or New Dems are remotely interested in. Hulings is perfect for them and would be another terrible choice for South Texas. And Treviño wasn't interested in a New Dem endorsement. "Without any debate or time amongst the constituents of TX 23rd district, the D.C. establishment has picked their candidate. I find it interesting that candidates running to represent the good people of TX 23 are courting the people of Washington and not the people of the district. I have visited 15 cities and driven close to 1500 miles in the last two weeks. I've seen areas without paved roads or schools. I've seen health clinics on the verge of shutting down due to a lack of funding. The people of TX 23rd are sick and tired of D.C. insiders and lobbyists hand picking their representatives. You won't find D.C. in my campaign, you'll only find the good people TX 23rd."David Keith is widely considered the most talented young campaign manager in America. Randy Bryce was savvy enough to hire him to manage his campaign and Keith took up residence in beautiful-- if sometimes chilly-- Racine for a year and a half. He told us he and Bryce had no interest in Blue Dog or New Dem endorsements and that they're feeling a sense of solidarity to be the Congressional Progressive Caucus' first-- and at this point, only-- 2018 endorsed candidate. "Randy Bryce understands that running for a swing seat does not mean-- as is too often misunderstood in today's politics-- settling for a corporate agenda in exchange for campaign contributions. He understands that you don't win a swing seat by showing off your large number of firearms in exchange for a passing NRA grade, but rather, you run on an authentic message that crystalizes a working family agenda. When working families unite, as they did for Bernie Sanders and Barack Obama, you win more votes than the Republicans. That's our plan. It's the right plan for Wisconsin and it's the way we win."Remember: New Dems & Blue Dogs are on the wrong side of this battle
