Credit when due. Criticism when appropriate. Today, credit to Markos:
Pelosi may think it’s a waste of time for us to try and hold our elected officials accountable, but that doesn’t mean we have to listen. They want us to write a check, cast a vote for them, and then shut the f’ up. But we certainly won’t. . . . We’ve got an incredible candidate challenging Wynn in the primary, the impressive Donna Edwards (yeah, I’m smitten). And since the entire Democratic Machine is now arrayed against her, it’ll be up to us to prove that people-power can overcome the morally compromised leadership.
Don’t be smitten though. Pols are pols. Also credit to Chris Bowers:
If there is one line about activism that angers me more than any other, it is the complaint that progressives who target other Democrats are wasting their time and resources doing so. In a much discussed quote this morning, Nancy Pelosi offered up a variation on that line . . . Many writers have commented on this article today, making this anything but a groundbreaking blog post. . . . Intra-party presidential nomination fights are one of the biggest sectors of the entire political industry. If leading Democrats want to talk about circular firing squads or a misuse of resources by targeting other Democrats, they should talk about the presidential primary first. Even expensive, well-funded primary challenges to sitting House or Senate Democrats would cost less than 5% of the money that is being used in the nomination campaign.
. . . In this circumstance, it seems to be that Pelosi simply doesn’t like the people hanging around her home. In other, more common circumstances, it means that someone simply favors the incumbent in a primary, or opposes the issue position being advocated.
Good post.
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One wonders if Bowers now recognizes that this is why supporting the “roadblock Republicans” strategy of ending the war in Iraq never made much sense.
which is why the pols don’t like primary challenges. It’s mostly about name recognition, as proven by sons and daughters or spouses winning seats.
I mean it’s crazy enough that Sonny Bono went to Congress but his widow!??!??
Getting bad Democrats re-elected doesn’t really deal with “we don’t have the votes” though. One might think that having the votes is not a high priority here.
I enjoy the feeling of being smitten. Sure, makes it a little more difficult to stay focused and think straight, but sometimes life needs a little spicing up, if you know what I mean…
Just look at all the bloglove for Al. Many here are definitely smitten, to say the least. That may not be clear-headed politics, but it can have a great effect on a campaign.
OK, enough rambling.
You called this post ‘Carrots and Sticks’. Where’s the stick? I wanna see someone smacked with a stick…
(I’m still livid about the whole Frost scenario, but this helps a little.)
Cheers.
But I am always struck by how much more willing kos is to “bash Dems” than some of the folks there.
It was very nice to see that on the FP today.
Thath I think there IS a downside to criticizing the Dems…..it makes them circle the wagons.
But considering the altenative, S’ing TFU…I don’t consider it harmful enough to NOT criticize them.
open link from here.
So when do we start to ACTIVELY SUPPORT Cindy Sheehan so we can boot Pelosi’s worthless ass out of Congress? Or am I just asking for YET ANOTHER SHIT STORM? Where’s old OPOL?
but I don’t quite fathom what Bowers is saying? I personally think that the DCCC has no desire to challenge incumbents and that is because they don’t want issue voters either in the Presidential or Congressional primaries. Why did they all support Joe? And if it’s just the base WTF do they think their ratings are about?
…the conceit that Markos presents is that there is a “morally compromised leadership”, implying that there is and can be at length a morally uncompromised leadership.
As I attempt to make clear at length, it isn’t that they have compromised morals – they have morals that do not apply to us. And it is a fact of their circumstance. There is not and will not be some grand moral Speaker of the House in our eyes. The purpose is at odds with ours and always will be.
They are not and have never truly been our representatives; the proper way to view them is as management. They are the board of directors, and we are the laborers and shareholders. Which doesn’t mean that we cannot influence them, but it means we need to rethink how we do so. Electing a better board doesn’t do anything to alter the fact that the interests and cares of the board are not ours.
no hand-wringing, but becoming more focused to force politicans to be responsive
maybe Pelosi’s statement and lackluster Dems pushed us up and out of our malaise rather than down and out
so i’m feeling good about this development
and i’ll take a carrott stick, thanks to the other A, armando
hi guys! and hey Stranger (just like saying that)
After building a machine, refine and fuel the machine that elects Donna Edwards against Pelosi’s self perceived power and then Democrats will finally feel that flex and finally hear the base or fear the base? These people really need to get the hell out of the beltway at least on week nights. They watched Bush blow up his base and now they think it’s their fricken turn to have a fireworks display………how boring…..it isn’t even original!