Progressive Caucus Co-Chair actively helping Blue Dog defeat Progressive challenger

by: Chris Bowers

Fri Jan 08, 2010 at 13:35


Marcy Winograd is one of the very few serious, viable, progressive challengers to a Blue Dog in Congress.  In the California 36th congressional district, Winograd, who has spent a lifetime as an activist for progressive causes, is taking on Blue Dog Jane Harman.

Naturally, this means that Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Lynne Woolsey is holding a meet and greet fundraiser in support of Jane Harman's re-election.  From an invitation I received over Facebook last night:

Please join Congresswoman Jane Harman in welcoming Congresswoman Lynne Woolsey Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for a special evening of conversation and hors d'oeuvres with Lynne and Jane in support of Jane's re-election to Congress!

Danny's Venice
23 Windward Avenue
Venice, CA 90291
Saturday, January 16, 2010
4:00pm to 6:00pm

A cash bar and discounted parking will be available (two lots: one next to Danny's or on Speedway just south of Windward)

For more information, please contact Marc Saltzberg at XXXXXXXX or Email: [email protected]

Please join us at this extraordinary event, a fund raiser for Congresswoman Harman in an historic Venice location.

To ensure everyone has an opportunity to attend, Democratic Club members can attend for as little as $36. Not a Dem Club member? You can still attend with a small donation of $50!

Aarrgghhh!!  Come on Progressive Caucus!!  A little help?  Even Progressive Caucus leaders are supporting Blue Dogs in primaries against prospective Progressives?  Do the Progs even want to have more influence in Congress?

This is not even to mention that Jane Harman is the third wealthiest member of Congress, with a net worth of $112 million.  She doesn't need any additional funding for her re-election campaign--she could self-fund another 20 re-election efforts.  What she needs is progressive credibility to cover up her Blue Dog membership and past endorsements from Republicans.  In that regard, Progressive Caucus Co-chair Lynne Woolsey is happy to deliver.

If you live in the Los Angeles area, I would strongly suggest that you attend the above meet and greet.  Show up and challenge Representative Woolsey for undermining attempts replace Blue Dogs with Progressives.  She should be working to increase Progressive power in Congress, not limit it.  And why should we be working to support the Progressive Caucus if the Progressive Caucus leadership actively undermining our efforts to strengthen the caucus?

No matter where you live, please sign up for Marcy Winograd's newsletter.

Update: I'm feeling this video right about now:

Chris Bowers :: Progressive Caucus Co-Chair actively helping Blue Dog defeat Progressive challenger

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Progressive Caucus Co-Chair actively helping Blue Dog defeat Progressive challenger | 29 comments
Has anyone called her office? ... (4.00 / 1)
I know Howie(over at DownWithTyranny) has put up her office numbers so people can call and demand an explanation
Email the (4.00 / 1)
American Progressive Caucus Policy Foundation--Woolsey is on their board of directors.
[ Parent ]
Harman will be a tough nut to crack (4.00 / 3)
She is backed by the powerful AIPAC, who is sure to provide deep resources since she has gone out of her way lobbying the DOJ to reduce espionage charges against two of their officials.

Yes (4.00 / 5)
And in Marcy Winograd -- a Jew who's not merely liberal but liberal on the IP conflict (she co=founded LA Jews for Peace) -- there could hardly be a more striking contrast. Listen to her:

We were brainwashed, indoctrinated, fooled. Zionism is not the way. You can't steal people's land, erect a country on the basis of religious or cultural superiority and ever think you will be at peace. Zionism hijacked us, robbed us of our humanity, and conned us into thinking Israel equaled Judaism. This Zionist dream is not sustainable -- not without Jewish-only bypass roads or ever-expanding settlements in the West Bank or racist laws that prohibit Arabs in Israel from marrying Arabs from the West Bank.

Not without imprisoning Gaza.

Humanism, not Zionism, is the path to peace.


http://www.lajewsforpeace.org/...

Not the words of the sort of pol normally permitted into the Club.

I'd love to see her win.


[ Parent ]
On Down with Tyranny now (4.00 / 1)
While DWT has the invitation here, you have the money ask! Ed Schultz had Lynne on for Q&A; not too long ago. She seemed entirely flustered, and could barely find words to close out her comments. The MSNBC archive doesn't have a search feature that I could find - because I really wanted to share that segment. Here's a 3.38 minute YouTube of her Petaluma Town Hall, which may work as a substitute.
Woolsey don't take kindly to them "reactionary Democrats". (0.00 / 0)
In another piece on DWT from 2007, Woolsey notes how Harmon and other "reactionary Dems" straightened up and started acting like 'real Democrats' when they were faced with a strong primary challenger.
In fact, she then encouraged Dems to go after other Dems.

But, as with those siding with Lieberman she likely sides with Harmon now solely for financial gains by the DCCC donors.

(http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2007/09/lynn-woolsey-takes-real-leadership.html

Nationalism is not the same thing as terrorism, and an adversary is not the same thing as an enemy.

[ Parent ]
And if you show up (4.00 / 2)
Take a Flipcam and send us the video.


Me on Facebook
Me on Twitter
Does Jane Harman strike you (0.00 / 0)
as someone wrestling with the incredible challenges facing this planet?
Contact info (4.00 / 1)
Just an aside, away from your point - that may be Marc's individual cell phone number, or his home phone. I'd recommend blocking out the number.  
Unless (0.00 / 0)
Unless you're seriously intending for people to go. In that case, go nuts.
[ Parent ]
thank you for pointing that out (0.00 / 0)
That was a mistake on my part. Redacted.
[ Parent ]
Awesome (4.00 / 2)
Thanks Chris, I appreciate it.

As an aside, Marcy was an English teacher at my local, Los Angeles middle school when I attended back in the 90's. I was not in her class, but she was very nice. Always thought highly of her.

[ Parent ]
I DO live in Los Angeles ... (4.00 / 5)
...and I think I'll pop in at that fund-raiser.
Is this realistic? (0.00 / 0)
All other things being equal; can an elected Democrat NOT support another Democrat running for re-election?  I don't think it is realistic to expect the Progressive Caucus to start opposing other Democrats for re-election.

I am not trying to be contrary and I do not oppose Winograd. This is an honest puzzle to me -- maybe a more experienced contributor here can run down some details.

What does Ms. Woolsey risk by openly supporting a challenger? What does the Progressive caucus risk? What can happen (or not happen) to them?  

Progressives are another issue-- I support Winograd, and I expect that most people here support her campaign, too. I just think we need to be realistic when we ask sitting Democrats to oppose other sitting Democrats. As activists; we should plan to be on our own in this campaign.  

You don't have to appear at a campaign event (4.00 / 2)
That level of support, certainly, is far from required.

And no, they don't have to support incumbents. There is no law. They just all do it anyway. Or almost all of them, anyway.

[ Parent ]
Maybe Harman promised to help Woolsey with something (0.00 / 0)
in exchange for this fundraiser.

Whatever it is, it better be good, since I'm assuming that Woolsey is rooting for Winograd.

[ Parent ]
Wait a minute ... (0.00 / 0)
Chris, I know there is no law.  However, there ARE political consequences. I'm sure you know that ... especially in the House of Representatives, and especially in the Democratic Caucus. I am asking for a simple, objective, reasonably detailed discussion of those consequences. -- from precisely someone like YOU.  

I don't think the Lieberman incident is valid. It happened in his home state; not the Senate. Senators who backed Lamont were noticed, were questioned, and experienced some blowback when Lieberman won.

I think it is foolish for us, as progressives, to demand that elected progressives take serious political risks for us that we ourselves haven't thought through. We need to help the people who support us, to shoulder the risks they undertake when they DO support us.  What does Woolsey (and other progressives) risk when they refuse to support a fellow House Democrat for re-election?  Do you know?

I hate taking this position in this thread and on this website. I am NOT a moderate masquerading as a progressive. I just think we need to act a lot smarter than we usually do. I am not convinced that Woolsey's odious support for  Harman is something that Progressives have thought through.  We need to be smart; not just angry.

sc


[ Parent ]
You point to alleged vague consequences (0.00 / 0)
but complain that those who doubt those consequences haven't fully thought out or explain their position. Why don't you offer some explanation of why you think there are consequences?

The issue isn't simply whether incumbents support other incumbents. The issue is whether progressives use their own progressive credibility to go beyond the support they give to all other incumbents to help a specific non-progressive. Is Woolsey doing this for everyone else in the caucus?  Do you think that the Blue Dogs are going to line up to support marginal progressives?  Why would there be political consequences in this case but not all those others?

Politics is the art of the possible, but that means you have to think about changing what is possible, not that you have to accept it in perpetuity.

[ Parent ]
Woolsey is co-chair of the Progressive Caucus...this is unseemly (3.00 / 4)
Now, if she resigns as co-chair, then fair enough. But for an alleged leader of an allegedly progressive caucus to do a fund raiser for a right-wing extremist, corporate tool and plaything of AIPAC is just offensive and counter to the goals of the caucus she leads. For her to use her position as caucus co-chair to raise money from progressives is simply ridiculous and bereft of common sense.

And to think we often wonder why this caucus has no spine. Well, this is one piece of the puzzle that is now out in the open. Woolsey taints herself and the CPC by extension by doing this and should resign as co-chair, so someone who isn't horribly compromised can take her place.

"You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete." -- Buckminster Fuller

[ Parent ]
Some Democrats did support Lamont over Lieberman in the primary (0.00 / 0)
so yeah, they can...they don't usually.

What does Ms. Woolsey risk by openly supporting a challenger? What does the Progressive caucus risk? What can happen (or not happen) to them?

Three words; Joe Lieberman's revenge  

[ Parent ]
Using her title/position in the endorsement (4.00 / 3)
Not to downplay the idiotic strategery of this move, but what's truly offensive and IMO an abuse of her position is Woolsey using her title/position as Co-chair of the Progressive Caucus in the endorsement. The clear implication is that the Progressive Caucus supports Harman. Maybe some calls to Grijalva and other caucus members are in order too. Woolsey has demonstrated repeatedly that she's unfit to hold her position.

Self-refuting Christine O'Donnell is proof monkeys are still evolving into humans
This just shows that the Progressive Caucus is a joke (4.00 / 4)
This is something we should have known all along - the Progressive Caucus is a fraud.  The loyalty of one member is always to another not to a cause or belief system.  Sadly its just as true in the House as it is in the Senate.  We've seen this before - remember how the Dems in the Senate stabbed Ned Lamont in the back to protect Joe Lieberman?  Same thing here.

Lynne Woolsey should be forced to resign her position as Progressive Caucus Co-Chair immediately.

Between this and their cave on the "robust" public option (4.00 / 1)
I'm ready to throw in the towel.
[ Parent ]
Don't do that! (4.00 / 2)
Now's the time to make life for folks like Lynn Woolsey hell not give up on folks like Marcy Winograd.  All that has happened is that we now know Woolsey's true colors.

May the multiple plagues of whatever fall on the traitor Woolsey's head!    

Now's the time to look around and take stock of who you can trust and who you can't.  Don't know where you live but get yourself involved in the party and give the establishment Dems hell.  Challenge them at public meetings - call them out for selling out to the Banks and Corporate America.  Make them hate the sight of you but make them know they need you and folks like you to win.  

[ Parent ]
I think it'd be more helpful for those plagues to fall on Harman (0.00 / 0)
not Woolsey.  Let's not forget who we're fighting here.  Woolsey might be stupid for having come out to support Harman but Harman is the one who's actually bad on the issues (where Woolsey is not).
[ Parent ]
Excuse me - who's holding the fundraiser for Harman? (0.00 / 0)
The name of that person is Lynne Woolsey who claims to be a progressive!  She's a liar and a fraud and needs to be called on it.

Sure Jane Hartman is a tool of the Defense Department and the Defense Contractors but she's being who she is a tool.  Its Lynne Woolsey who is the fraud.

[ Parent ]
Sorry, I'm not beign strong enough - (0.00 / 0)
Woolsey need to loose her seat -

We don't need cowards and liars as leaders.

[ Parent ]
I think you're missing out on the good that Woolsey and others have done (0.00 / 0)
If it wasn't for her and the CPC, we might not even have a PO to bargain with in the House bill.

I fully understand the desire to get rid of ConservaDems.  I don't understand at all this burning desire to get rid of people who have been on our side on all the issues.  Unless you can come up with a replacement that would be even more liberal and more effective, I say we hang on to the seemingly few liberals we have in Congress.

[ Parent ]
Has anyone been polling this race? (4.00 / 2)
I'm probably being super paranoid but I'm worried that this race will go ignored and Winograd will lose (again).
Progressive Caucus Co-Chair actively helping Blue Dog defeat Progressive challenger | 29 comments




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