We're (almost) all frustrated, I think. We fought in 2006 and 2008 to install Democrats in control of the House and Senate, then the White House, and yet the policies have not changed as rapidly or progressively as we would have liked. And this year, this site has focused much more on policy than elections, and the diaries you post reflects that.
Still, I hope you've noticed that some of our electoral efforts have mattered. Electing new progressive voices like Sens. Sherrod Brown and Al Franken or Reps. Alan Grayson, Donna Edwards and Jared Polis does make a difference in terms of emphasis, ideas and outcomes. Good leaders change the conversation, and every two years, we have a chance to add more progressive voices to Washington, folks with real leadership skills who can make a difference in DC.
This site believes Dr. Manan Trivedi is one of those candidates.
Let me tell you where we are with eleven days to go before the primary. As I suggested in our endorsement post, Doug Pike's weirdness on abortion is troubling. And now, leaders are noticing:
Former NARAL President Kate Michelman is endorsing Manan Trivedi in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania’s 6th congressional district, citing concerns over opponent Doug Pike’s "disturbing" comments about women in the 1980s.
Pike – who has expressed support for abortion rights during the campaign – wrote in a 1988 Philadelphia Inquirer article that the abortion rate should "turn the stomachs" of Roe v. Wade supporters, and in 1990 backed the reelection of a Pennsylvania state rep. he himself described as a "zealous opponent of abortion."
... Michelman said she was astonished by the "values and philosophy that undergird [Pike’s] views," pointing to two articles he wrote in the 1980s for the Orlando Sentinel.
In 1987, Pike wrote that "[t]he best looking women ... tend not to identify with have-nots," and asked: "Why are women who look like models virtually incapable of developing the compassionate liberalism of, say, stubby Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland?"
And in another 1987 piece about the then-rumored affair between Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Gary Hart and Donna Rice, Pike wrote, "[i]f a woman handicapped by blond hair came to my home, I too would want her to wait way past sunset and sneak out the back entrance."
The National Organization for Women PAC has also weighed in:
Manan Trivedi has demonstrated to us that he will stand up for the full equality of girls and women. We are looking forward to joining forces with him in that pursuit.
And the fundraising is going well for Trivedi. Because of the impending primary, the candidates had to filed with the FEC yesterday for their sums raised from April 1 through April 28. Here's your totals:
Trivedi: $41,478.50
Pike: $9,381.00
In the month before the election, less than $10,000 raised? That's Martha Coakley-level complacency not only compared to Trivedi but to other regional Dems who face no primary challenges -- Bryan Lentz, in neighboring PA-07, also raised over $40,000 in April, for instance.
Indeed, were it not for Pike's personal wealth, this would not be a race at all. Trivedi has built a people-powered, grassroots progressive campaign which has earned the support of women's groups, labor organizations, county parties, gay and lesbian organizations and, as of April 27, newborn Sonia Kalpana Trivedi.
Trivedi will bring energy and honor to the fight against Jim Gerlach. The primary is in a week and a half. He needs your help right now.
Trivedi for Congress
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