You know, for the last few decades a strange thing seems to happen. Democrats run for office, but in many cases they seem to be just a little bit ashamed of being Democrats, and a little to timid to stand up for the values of the party of Jefferson, Jackson, Wilson, Roosevelt, and Kennedy. This disgusting phenomenon has become known as "centrism" and manisfested itself most disgustingly in the organization known as the DLC.
Well, it seems some good news is emerging from the last election and a lot of the gutless Bluedogs who want to call themselves Democrats without fighting for Democratic principles can learn a lot from the courage being shown by the new blood in our party, our Freshman class of 2008. No issue manifests this more than the Employee Free Choice Act.
From the Politico:
Rep. Betsy Markey (D-Colo.) represents a conservative-minded district where organized labor doesn’t have a noticeable footprint. She’s ranked among the more vulnerable freshman Democrats, and there’s no shortage of Republicans who are eager to challenge her in 2010.
At first glance, that would seem to make the Employee Free Choice Act political poison for her. Instead, she’s a co-sponsor of the controversial card check legislation.
Indeed, Markey is one of a surprisingly large number of Democratic freshmen sitting in competitive seats who have signed on as EFCA co-sponsors and challenged the conventional wisdom that at-risk, first-term members should avoid high-profile positions on tough votes.
http://www.politico.com/...
Luckily, the courage shown by Ms. Markey is the norm, not the exception in this Freshman class:
Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D-Fla.), who represents an Orlando-area district that GOP presidential nominee John McCain carried in 2008, also invoked her business credentials in explaining her vote.
"I am a former small-business owner who understands the needs of employers, and I support the Employee Free Choice Act because it is about basic fairness," she said.
The list of Democratic freshmen co-sponsoring EFCA suggests that few fear serious retribution at the polls — 16 of them won with only 55 percent of the vote or less in 2008. And of the 15 Democratic freshmen listed by the Cook Political Report as most vulnerable, nine are co-sponsors of the legislation.
What is really comical is how some of the old guard marvel at Democrats that actually show some backbone:
"There are a number of vulnerable members who want to listen to all sides of the debate, but they have no reason to co-sponsor it now. If I was advising a freshman Democrat with a low unionization rate in their district, I’d tell them to vote for it when the vote comes but not to co-sponsor it," said one pro-EFCA senior Democratic strategist who requested anonymity to speak candidly. "A Democrat from a swing district who is willing to put themselves on the line early for this is certainly showing a great deal of courage."
Yes, to the old guard showing a little courage is something that is just unfathomable. Lets all be so glad that a new generation of Democrats are stepping foward that actually believe that some Democratic principles are worth fighting for, no matter the cost.
Unfortunately, the cowardly lion wing of our party is still alive and well, and need to look to these rising stars of our party and grow a set:
That doesn’t mean Democrats aren’t worried about card check politics, as evidenced by those in swing districts who have backed away from their previous support. In 2007, EFCA had near-unanimous support within the Democratic conference, with 233 co-sponsors. This year, with more Democrats in the House, the total is down to 222.
All told, 22 House Democrats who sponsored the legislation in 2007 have decided not to co-sponsor this year’s version of the bill — a sign that, with the legislation not even guaranteed to come to a vote in the House, many moderates are trying to avoid taking a position for as long as possible.
Many of those drop-offs are junior members with centrist records who represent districts where business exercises much more muscle than labor and where supporting labor’s agenda could prove politically costly.
Democratic Reps. Chris Carney of Pennsylvania, Baron Hill of Indiana and Harry Mitchell and Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona co-sponsored the 2007 version of the legislation but have since withdrawn their support.
So what can we, as Democrats do?? Well, I think we should show real Democrats with a backbone that if they support us, we WILL support them. Lets give Ms. Markey and Ms. Kosmas some love, because they are what our party has desperately needed for a long time. Democrats that care more about the principles of our party than they do about their own re-election, and Democrats that will show some guts to fight for what is right. I found ActBlue pages for both these ladies with backbones, so lets pony up and let them know that we definately approve of the spirit and courage they are bringing to our party:
http://www.actblue.com/...
http://www.actblue.com/...
You can help me in the comments. Since I am feeling sort of lazy tonight, do you know of another Freshman who is showing enough guts to stand up for our values?? Lets find the other nine and show them some love to.
As for 22 who have shown the same cowardice demonstrated far too often in our party during my lifetime, lets not give them one penney for their re-election campaigns. Since they support the Chamber of Commerce over the American middle-class, let the COC support their campaigns!!