There are reports that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee will be getting involved in Ohio's Senate primary on behalf of Lee Fisher. Here's why this is a bad idea, and what I'm calling on all of you TRUE progressives to do.
First, the DSCC should not be getting involved in a primary. Their goal is to get candidates elected to the Senate, and by using their resources in a primary, they are wasting resources that could be better used in the general election. This is especially true when you realize that the candidate that they're wasting these resources on, Lee Fisher, is not a very popular figure in the state of Ohio. He's lost the last two elections in which he was the sole name on the ballot: in 1994 he lost for Attorney General and in 1998 he lost when he ran for Governor.
Second, the candidate that the DSCC is supporting is not a progressive and would further the status quo. Jennifer Brunner, Fisher's opponent, supports marriage equality. She opposes the death penalty. While Fisher's been holding fancy fundraisers in DC, Brunner's been touring green technology manufacturing plants. It's not like Jennifer's not a viable candidate, either: she holds elected office and has been polling consistently with Fisher. The only difference between them is money. Fisher is a better fundraiser, and I'm aware that that is an important aspect of politics. But it's a bullshit reason to get involved on behalf of a candidate who's barely progressive. If he's such a prolific fundraiser that you need to get involved on his behalf, shouldn't he have enough money to throw some ads on the television?
So what I'm asking you to do is this: email info@dscc.org. Tell them that you will NOT under any circumstances be donating to them this campaign cycle if they throw their money at the Ohio Senate primary. Don't pussyfoot around about it, let them know that this decision will hurt them financially. The DSCC can't be afraid to elect progressives, so send a quick email on behalf of progressives everywhere. Next time, it could be YOUR state who's primary they meddle in, YOUR progressive candidate they try to thwart. So fire up your email, Kossacks, I know you've got it in you.