Give voters in both parties some credit: they feel like they are being treated badly by politicians, and they are pushing back hard. The results in November probably won't be good for Democrats, because Democrats are running things and people tend to vote their pocketbook, but this anti-establishment thing can have some very good effects in it for progressives, too. Yesterday's results were for the most part an example of that.
On the Democratic side of things, there was only one big disappointment for progressives yesterday, and that was Steve Lynch winning his primary against Mac D'Alesandro. Lynch is a pro-war, anti-health care reform, anti-choice Democrat who was running against a strong progressive SEIU organizer. Mac got in late, was dramatically underfunded, and the old machine is still strong in Democratic politics in Boston, so this one was always a long shot, but it would have been great to have won that race. The good news, though, is very, very good:
In the NH seat left open by Paul Hodes running for Senate, strong progressive Ann Kuster shocked the Democratic establishment by beating Joe Lieberman's Presidential campaign co-chair Katrina Swett. Swett is part of one of NH's most powerful Democratic establishment families, and Kuster's win shocked a lot of people. Backed by MoveOn, DFA, PCCC and Blue America, along with many other progressive bloggers and NH's progressive activist community, if she can win her race she will be another strong voice for progressive values in Congress.
Carolyn Maloney utterly crushed the candidate of, by, and for Wall Street, winning her race 81-19 in an anti-incumbent year. Carolyn was a true champion on the credit card regulation bill last year and the financial reform fight this time around, and the big dogs on Wall Street decided they didn't like having such an independent-minded reformer in their back yard, so they recruited Reshma Saujani, a hedge fund lawyer known and trusted by the Street, to take Carolyn on. I guess the message about Carolyn beating up on Wall St too much didn't play so well, even in Wall Street's backyard.
Eric Schneiderman narrowly beat the more establishment (and conservative) Democrat, and former Republican, Kathleen Rice in the NY Attorney General race. This is one of the most important elected positions in the country, as the AG has a great deal of power over who and how to prosecute on Wall Street. If he wins the general election, he will be an aggressive prosecutor of the financial malfeasance perpetrated on us by the biggest banks.
As for the rest of the good news for Democrats, let me turn to the Republican side. Again, give voters some credit: Republican primary electorates have come to be dominated by angry voters just as mad at their own establishment as they are at Democrats, and they are letting their inner dogs howl. As a result, we now have a Delaware Senate seat that has gone from being very uphill for the Democrats to very unlikely for the Republicans in the blink of an eye. And in NH, where the conventional wisdom had AG Kelly Ayotte sweeping to a primary victory and then easily fending off Hodes, the primary there has left a complicated, likely recount election that might not be settled for weeks to come- and whoever comes out of that mess will be damaged and financially depleted.
Given how bad the political climate is, starting out the year, the establishment pols on both sides had assumed DE, NH, NV, CO, KY, and AK would all probably be in the Republican column on election day in November. As of today, Democrats have even or better odds in all those states. Even in FL, where the odds are still against Kendrick Meek, a Republican civil war has given us a chance where we had none. The tide is still against us, but some Republican ships are crashing against the shore, and as a result, Democrats are still alive. As I said last week, this idea of a narrative about Republican extremism is building strength fast, and may be giving us a key to beating them. What we have to remember, though, is that Republican primary voters are not the only ones feeling anti-establishment. Democrats had better seize the populist moment, expose the opposition's insanity but also paint themselves as progressive outsiders determined to clean up corruption in Washington, and fight for the other 98% of us who aren't Wall Street bankers and insurance company execs.
When I was at Netroots Nation on Thursday, I pointed out why a majority in the House of members with D's next to their names isn't as valuable as a majority populated by Better Democrats:
We currently hold a 37-vote-margin in the House. Yet 34 Democrats voted against the health care reform and 19 voted against financial reform. It doesn't take a genius to see that it barely matters what happens in November when that many Democrats are voting with - and voting like - Republicans.
That's why you were there for Donna Edwards when she took on Al Wynn. That's why you were there for Bill Halter when he took on Blanche Lincoln. And that's why you should be with me as I take on Stephen Lynch.
As a reminder, my opponent in the Democratic primary, incumbent Stephen Lynch, voted for the Iraq War and its continued funding, for the Patriot Act and its reauthorization, and against health care reform, and has voted to restrict a woman's right to choose.
The differences between my values and Stephen Lynch's values couldn't be clearer. Ilyse Hogue, Director of Political Advocacy and Communications for MoveOn.org, highlighted as much when she sat down with Amy Goodman for an episode of Democracy Now! taped on location at Netroots Nation:
Amy Goodman (52:33): Ilyse Hogue, what about other primaries that are taking place?
Ilyse Hogue (52:37): Well, I think Bill Halter was the precursor. What we saw was him embodying a very strong feeling that our members have, and we think is sweeping across the country, which is he was taking on Wall Street. But Blanche Lincoln was also showing a friendliness towards the HMO's during the health care fight. And, what we're seeing is the base - our members - saying, 'Enough with Democrats who think that they're more accountable to corporate powers in this country than they are to us.
So we're seeing that same thing play out with Stephen Lynch and Mac D'Alessandro in Massachusetts-09. That primary is September 14th. What's interesting about that is that that is largely believed to be a safe Democratic seat, so the primary is actually the election. And Stephen Lynch, who is the incumbent, voted against the health care bill even though, at the end of the day, most of the Democratic base thought it would provide some relief. He did not do it as a champion for the public option. He was not there for the public option fight.
Mac D'Alessandro has come in and he's said, 'You know what? If we really want this democracy to be owned by the people and work for the people, we've got to do things. We've got to overturn Citizens United. We've got to actually get public financing. We've got to get lobbyists out of D.C.' And, I think that most Americans are looking for action on specific legislation like financial regulations, but they're also looking for people who are going to challenge the system because the system is not working for most Americans.
The kind of grassroots campaign that I'm running is built upon reaching out to voters directly, on the phones and at the doors. With the help of enthusiastic supporters across the 9th district, we have built a grassroots army that has generated strong momentum.
Just today, it was announced that we finished in second place in Democracy for America's Grassroots All-Stars contest, a competition that began with ninety candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives from across the country. I was the top finishing candidate among those still in a primary campaign, and I was the only candidate among the top five finalists not from the state of California.
I am running against an entrenched incumbent who has a million dollar warchest lined with contributions from big corporations and special interests. But, if there's one thing I've heard over and over again from voters as I've gone door to door across the district, it's that the voters want someone who stands up to big corporations, not someone who is funded by them.
That's why I need your support and the support of the netroots. Like Ilyse Hogue said, this is a blue district, so we have an opportunity to focus on electing the best Democrat we can. I urge you to support my campaign so that Massachusetts' 9th can be represented by a Better Democrat.
We all know the statistics. Over 4,400 American service men and women killed. Over $730 Billion spent. Longer than American involvement in World War II, longer than the Civil War, longer than the American Revolution, catching up to Vietnam.
We all know what a terrible cost the War in Iraq has levied on us. This is a war that my opponent in the Democratic primary, incumbent Stephen Lynch, not only voted for, but also voted to fund at least eleven times.
Still, as frequently as we've heard the dizzying and disheartening statistics, we sometimes lose sight of the direct impact this war has had on our communities. While we spend some $13 billion per month on the Iraq War, many of our cities and towns face crippling budget shortfalls as we climb out of this ongoing recession.
To make it clear to the families of Massachusetts' 9th Congressional district, I have offered a breakdown of the costs, using an interactive map. If you visit the map on my website, you can see what the per capita financial cost to each city and town has been - as well as what that money would have bought in teachers, police, and firefighters over these past seven years.
Iraq certainly isn't the only issue where my opponent and I disagree, or where he has cast a profoundly bad vote. Stephen Lynch voted for the Patriot Act and its reauthorization, while I believe that it represents an infringement on the civil liberties of law-abiding Americans. Lynch voted for the Stupak Amendment to the health care reform bill, while I am staunchly pro-choice and see the Stupak Amendment as the most profound attack on a woman's right to choose since the Hyde Amendment of the 1980's. Stephen Lynch also voted against the health care reform bill, while I support it because it provides tens of millions of Americans with access to health care, allows children to remain on parents' health care plans until the age of twenty-six, and ends some of the worst abuses of health insurance companies, like "pre-existing conditions" restrictions on children.
There is a clear pattern that, while Stephen Lynch may vote with us Democrats more often than not, the votes where Lynch diverges from us Democrats are among the votes that most shape the path on which our country will head. If you no longer want to face the cost of a bad vote - if you want to elect a Better Democrat - I urge you to get involved and support my campaign.
Shortly before Congress voted on health care reform, I posted here highlighting Bill Halter's challenge to Blanche Lincoln part of a pattern of primary challenges in Democratic primaries this year.
Now, the pattern shows signs of turning into a progressive wave, with Joe Sestak's win in the Pennsylvania US Senate primary, the results that day in Kentucky, and leading to the runoff between Halter and Lincoln coming up this Tuesday.
On of the most notorious yes-to-no vote switchers on health care was Massachusetts' Stephen Lynch. Although the woman who was publically mulling a run against him at the time decided against it, it was clear that there would be a challenger, and there is: Mac D'Alessandro.
Barely a third of likely Democratic primary voters in his district say that Steve Lynch deserves re-election, according to April poll numbers obtained by the Boston Phoenix.
Lynch, a relatively conservative Democrat, has been criticized by some liberals for voting against the final health care reform bill earlier this year. In the past, he has also received criticism for his positions on social issues like abortion, and for his vote to authorize the war in Iraq.
However, he has never had difficulty winning re-election. This year, he is being challenged in the primary by Mac D'Alessandro, northeast political director for the Service Employee International Union (SEIU).
I recently met Mac, and my latent frustration with Stephen Lync quickly gave way to a real excitement that this man may go to Congress. I believe he could be one of the best members of Congress we'll have.
If you haven't already, please join Mac's Facebook group and please, please, please contribute to Mac through ActBlue!
The big news this past week out of MA-09 is that progressive challenger Mac D'Alessandro will make the Democratic primary ballot against anti-choice, anti-health care reform ConservaDem incumbent Stephen Lynch. He submitted 5,000 signatures to city and town clerks offices by the May 4 deadline. As long as at least 2,000 are certified valid (should be no problem with 5,000 submitted), Mac submits the 2,000+ certified valid signatures to the Secretary of State by June 1 and he'll give voters a choice against ConservaDem Lynch.
Mac took to YouTube to thank his grassroots supporters for their help making the signature drive a big success:
Progressive Democrats across the country have reason to be active in this race. There were 34 House Democrats who ultimately opposed health care reform; and Lynch's vote was among the most perplexing:
Then there are the real head scratchers. Reps. Michael Arcuri (D-NY) and Stephen Lynch (D-MA) famously abandoned the reform push late in the game, after having voted for the House bill. Lynch, in particular, went on a very public crusade of opposition to the bill from the left, and cast his vote despite pleas from President Obama and AFL-CIO head Richard Trumka that he vote with the party.
Of the 34 anti-health care reform Dems, some are running for other office (Senate or Gov), some are retiring, but most are running for re-election. Best I can tell though, few if any have serious primary challengers. MA-09 will provide progressive Democrats nationally with an opportunity to send a message to a ConservaDem who abandoned one of the Democratic Party's central pillars - expanding access to health care and moving toward truly making quality health care a right instead of a privilege.
That appears to be why Mac's campaign has found itself on MoveOn.org's radar screen as a viable primary challenger worthy of progressive support:
In the wake of Rep. Stephen Lynch's vote against health care reform, many progressives have expressed frustration with him-and now he's facing a serious primary challenge.
Mac D'Alessandro is the New England Political Director for the progressive Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and he's pledging to "be on the side of consumers and workers, and not on the side of health insurance companies and big banks."
So get in the game! Now that Mac has demonstrated grassroots strength through the impressively successful signature drive, he has to raise money - and ConservaDem Stephen Lynch starts off with a $1.3 million campaign war chest. So, please, please, please head over to Mac's ActBlue page and contribute as generously as you can!
Mac D'Alessandro of Milton, Massachusetts, has spent his career fighting on behalf of working families. For the past nine years, Mac has worked for the Service Employees International Union, most recently as New England Political Director. Prior to working for the SEIU, Mac worked for Greater Boston Legal Services, directing legislative efforts to help families combat poverty. Mac earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Human Ecology and Environmental Policy from Rutgers University and his Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School. Mac, 40, is married to Jennie Mulqueen, an early childhood arts educator, and is the proud father of five-year-old Sophie and three-year-old Atticus.
SEIU's New England regional political director Mac D'Alessandro has taken the primary plunge against incumbent Stephen Lynch. (Lynch, for you Progressive Punch score followers, gets a lousy 2 rating, coming from Massachusetts, and has a lifetime progressive score on "Crucial Votes" of 81.87, which drops to 71.95 when focusing on 2009-2010.)
D'Alessandro promises to be a progressive alternative to Lynch. D'Alessandro's Facebook group, started this week, is up to almost 900 members. I'd encourage you to join. And he just got on ActBlue. You can help replace ConservaDem Stephen Lynch with a real progressive by making a contribution to Mac D'Alessandro today.
Greetings, Blue Mass Group! My name is Mac D'Alessandro. I'm the New England Political Director for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU); and, as of this week, I am a candidate for United States Congress from Massachusetts' 9th district. I am a progressive Democrat, and I'm running for Congress because I believe that the working families in our communities deserve a Congressman who will fight for them and who will actually be a leader on key issues that matter to them - from reforming our health care system (and building on the recently-passed reforms) to holding Wall Street accountable to investing in job creation for our communities to protecting our civil rights and ensuring equal protection under the law.
I have spent my career fighting for working families. I've been with the SEIU for nine years. Prior to that, I worked for Greater Boston Legal Services, directing legislative efforts to help families combat poverty. I live in Milton with my wife Jennie, our children Sophie and Atticus, and our cat Nile. Like most families throughout the district and across Massachusetts, my wife and I sit at our kitchen table on a regular basis, going over our bills and the family budget, paying for today while trying to save for tomorrow. We see too often that the well-being of Fortune 500 companies are put in front of the good fortune of working families like ours. That is why I'm running. The 9th district deserves more than just another representative; the district deserves someone who will champion our Democratic ideals in the U.S. House of Representatives as we fight to balance the playing field for working families like ours.
There were 34 House Democrats who opposed health care reform. Lynch was the only one from Massachusetts. And, of those from the 34 who are running for re-election, I still don't see a lot of primary challenges. Supporting Mac D'Alessandro's campaign can send a message nationally to Democrats wavering on other issues (like Wall Street reform). Mac very much represents what it means to be a "Better Democrat." Please spread the word, join the Facebook group, and contribute any amount you can.
