This is a followup to my earlier diary, "Targetting Dems In 2010", which featured three different sorts of a spreadsheet of Democrats who voted for the Stupak Amendment. In this diary, I want to clarify my proposed overall approach, discuss some options within that framework, and encourage discussion of some particular points that need to be further clarified.
First, The Overall Approach:
(1) My intention here is to develop a methodology for supporting a plurality of strategies for building progressive power and getting rid of bad Democrats. While different people may feel strongly about different aspects of strategy (for example, "don't target Dems in GOP districts, because you can't expect better"), I think it's important to realize that it's impossible to expect everyone to agree on strategy. So we should support a plurality of strategies, looking for the best targets for each strategy.
(2) My use of spreadsheets is heuristic, not determinative. It's mean to guide our decisionmaking toward the best targets and away from the less promising ones, so that we can better focus our resources. But it's meant to assist us in reasoning consistently, and making reality-based decisions as much as possible. It's not meant to do our thinking for us, or to rule out the role of passion or of intangibles. It's a tool, nothing more, nothing less.
(3) I am not wedded to restricting ourselves to those who voted for the Stupak Amendment. It simply represented a very good pool of portential targets to start with. Another such pool would be all those who voted against the final bill (though I certainly do not support targetting progressives like Dennis Kucinich for voting against it becauseit was too weak.)
Second, Additional Factors To Consider:
(1) Add a category to identify leadership positions, such as committee or subcommittee chair.
(2) Add a category to indicate length of tenure.
(3) Add a catetgory to identify those who may be running for higher office.
(4) Add a category for those who seat is likely to be redistricted in 2012.
(5) Add categories for specific issue area Progressive Punch scores.
(6) Add a free-form note column for noting particularly eggregious actions.
(7) Add free-form note columns for recording on-the-ground attitudes and perceptions.
(8) Add columns with the filing date, primary date, and filing date for a general election challenge.
Comments are welcome regarding other factors we should track.
Third, Potential Options--With Rationales:
(1) Focus on those who won with a very small margin, as these are easiest to defeat with an independent progressive candidate in the general election, should a primary effort fall short.
(2) Focus on those in Dem districts, as a successful primary will almost certainly be elected in the general election.
(3) Focus on those with leadership positions, as this will strike at the organization heart of the conservadems.
(4) Focus on those recently elected (such as last 2 cycles), as these will be more easy to defeat.
Comments are welcome regarding other rationales--they need not be single-factor rationales such as those above.
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