Yesterday I wrote a diary about the standards that the netroots should consider before getting behind a candidate. It was a rough sketch that included grassroots organization, money, whether or not supporting the candidate could hurt our credibility, and a few other factors. Comments were mostly positive; one commenter thought I left out je ne sais quoi, but I'm quite sure that a real grassroots organization doesn't develop without it.
Nevertheless, I made a mistake; a sin of omission. In this current climate, we have to make sure that our candidates have courage. Courage fights for us. Courage stands up for the Constitution and working Americans. Courage wins.
These days, courage is more than standing up to the Bush Administration (that was courage four years ago). Courage isn't pandering, or presenting a plan. Courage has its own je ne sais quoi, and today I'm happy to endorse a few candidates who have impressed me by having the courage we desperately need in these dark times. I am open to your suggestions as well.
Rep. Pete Stark (CA-13)
Travis Bickle beat me to the punch with his "Ten Reasons to Love Pete Stark." Travis mentions, in addition to Stark's recent stand for children, his status as the only "nontheistic" member of Congress, and his persistent battle against the current Bush Administration. But what you may not know about is how Stark stood up to the first Bush Administration's HHS Secretary. While you may disagree with Stark's lack of tact when he chastised the Secretary for his support of George H. W. Bush Administration policies that were "bankrupt and damaging to minority members," it was during a battle that Stark fought for national health insurance. Sending him money probably won't matter in his safe seat, but you can send Pelosi and Reid a message.
Jim Neal (NC-Sen)
I’m a fighter. I am committed and will survive the mudslinging which comes in an election year when the GOP is vulnerable, scared, without substance and rudderless. I ain’t afraid of the briar patch, and I am running this race to win. -Jim Neal
Jim Neal came out of the gates locked and loaded. Nevertheless, talk is cheap, and while it took a great deal of courage to jump into a hard race against Elizabeth Dole (especially since Jim announced while a primary still looked probable), some people have been wondering if Jim is has the courage to take strong stands. He took a stand and showed courage today while he was liveblogging on BlueNC:
"[Gay?] I am indeed. No secret and no big deal to me-- I wouldn't be running if I didn't think otherwise."
I was impressed with Jim the first time I met him, even though I was supporting another potential candidate at the time. Now, I'm even more convinced that his campaign is going to be positive and uplifting for North Carolina. He's going to be an even better Senator, and in addition to being right on the issues, I know he's not going to be afraid to stand up for what is right. As of right now, the primary field is clear, and I'm supporting Jim Neal's bid for Senate
Al Franken (MN-Sen)
Back in April, I was tremendously impressed by Al Franken's defense of liberal values on Larry King (and so was Daily Kos, since the diary sat on the Recommended list for a day). He defended Keith Ellison, our first Muslim Congressman, from the callow attacks of Glenn Beck. He defended universal health care, and his own courageous record of speaking the truth. In American politics, speaking truth to power is hard, but speaking truth to the entire country is harder. Al has spoken the truth to the American people for years, and has never been afraid to voice his heartfelt opinion. I'm honored to have Al in our corner.
Sen. Joe Biden (POTUS)
We've all heard the recent news, that the Senator is standing up against a terrible FISA bill. While Dodd is getting a lot of props (and rightfully so), I've been impressed by Joe Biden's courage for a long time. He marched in Wilmington with civil rights group, and he fought a tough, uphill, upset battle when he first ran for Senate as a 29-year-old. And then he had to face the death of his wife and his daughter in between winning his election and joining the Senate. He was sworn in at the hospital bedside of his two sons (who survived the accident) after an introspective search for meaning, during which he strongly considered giving up his seat. He then risked isolation from the good-ol'-boy politics of the Senate by commuting home almost every day to take care of his young children. For twenty years, he raised a family and rarely spent more than one night at a time in Washington. Many Senators do what is easy; Biden did what was right.
However, what's often forgotten is how Joe Biden stood up to Bush back in 2002. Back when everyone who disagreed with Bush was fair game, Joe objected to the Hastert Iraq War Resolution, did not vote for it in committee, and drafted the Biden-Lugar Resolution. Biden-Lugar would have forced diplomacy on the Bush administration. It could have prevented Bush's unlimited war in the Middle East. Biden had to face the fallout when the resolution was opposed by both Democrats and Republicans. Though all of our Presidential candidates who were in the Senate at the time ultimately made the wrong decision, Biden was the first candidate to stand up to Bush's Iraq plans in the Senate. That took courage.
Larry Kissell (NC-08)
I'd like to think I helped write the book on Kissell here at Daily Kos, but the truth is that we all came out because of his courage. He's not the fake mill worker or coal miner's daughter that some politicians claim to be - he's the real deal. He's a man who hasn't been afraid to be progressive, even when he was running against a DCCC moderate in the primary. He made it to the general election on sheer grit and great campaign ideas, and he had the courage to put himself into debt to win his race. He had the courage to run a positive, uplifting campaign. His courage defied the doubters and brought him within 330 votes in 2006. And after fighting for the votes to be counted, he had the courage to get right back off the mat and keep fighting. What more can I say?
That's my list. It inspired me to create an ActBlue list of Courage Candidates, which I hope you'll visit.
In closing, I'd like to state why I think courage is essential for people-powered candidates. Yesterday, I wrote that
Grassroots support is something that should happen naturally, and while it's a hard thing to measure, it's usually pretty easy to see whether or not the grassroots support is there. We should keep using this yardstick.
I still believe that, but I think it's time to up the ante. You may disagree with my precise choices (or suggest others), but I hope the message is clear - we need the Democratic Congress to be the Courage Congress. I think it's an issue that deserves more play as we look toward finding the netroots heroes for 2008. I think our candidates should demonstrate a work ethic, grow the grassroots, be frugal with their money, and be surrounded by a good staff - but I'm against being an ATM for blue dogs. We need to support credible candidates and maintain our influence, but they need to have courage. We can't give money to everyone, and we should expect people to candidates to build their own organizations, but courage should be our lighthouse on rocky shores. Courage wins.