Who Are The Expendables?
by digby
We get lectured all the time by Democratic strategists and politicians, among others, who tell us that we shouldn’t take on Blue Dogs, that every seat is important, that the Party is a big tent that must contain different views and that we shouldn’t ever be rude to other Democrats who are just following their principles and their constituents.
Apparently, that only applies to liberals. Blue Dogs are allowed to attack other Democrats for being insufficiently bigoted and still get rewarded with millions of dollars from the Party’s donors.
As we pointed out over the weekend, despite Pelosi’s efforts to tamp it down, the Blue Dogs are going on the warpath against progressive Democrats, using Henry Waxman’s interview with The Hill as an excuse. One thing we can always be sure of inside the Democratic Caucus– well, two, actually: Blue Dogs will always put self-preservation above the party’s principles, and the DCCC will do whatever it can to help them get re-elected.
Giffords is emblematic of the tragic turn the House Democratic Party has taken. Over the weekend she launched a $350,000 ad buy in the Tucson media market that slams the principled stand Grijalva took against SB1070– throwing him directly under the bus in order to make herself look sufficiently xenophobic for the bloodthirsty Know Nothing mobs. As you can see in the ad, she makes a solemn vow to fight “these groups” who have protested this unjust law by boycotting the state. “These groups” include Latinos, liberals, and citizens across the country who know an injustice when they see one. She’s directly targeting Grijalva, Arizona’s most progressive leader and the Congressman who most consistently stands up for those who are hurt by the right wing’s agenda.
Howie’s sources have told him that many people in the Party tried to dissuade Gifford from doing this but she was backed up by the DCCC.
There’s a reason for it though, which Howie alluded to in that excerpt. Grijalva is the head of the Progressive Caucus, which is making strides to becoming an effective voting bloc in the House. Lots of people want to strangle this piece of progressive infrastructure before it starts seriously interfering with their simple collection of large sums from America’s owners. Allowing Giffords to make a low blow against Grijalva is about much more than just Arizona politics.
And, even if it weren’t, Grijalva has a tough race too. Evidently, he’s expendable. Howie concludes with this:
Raúl needs help fighting back, and Blue America is asking supporters to donate to the OneAmerica page so he has the funds necessary to defend himself.
Minutes before publishing time I reached Raúl in Tucson and I was surprised to find him in such a determined mood. “I kind of feel like a character in the movie The Expendables, he told me. “In an effort to maintain their presence in Congress, Blue Dogs are throwing progressives under the bus. I find it disheartening and, quite frankly, I am embarrassed as a Democrat. In their effort to be Republicans, Blue Dogs often paint progressives as expendable. They’re going to find out that we definitely are not.”
Keep in mind that Grijalva is not just a progressive leader, he’s one of the most visible Hispanic leaders in the Democratic party. The DC functionaries my think he’s expendable, but they should think long and hard about whether or not they want to take his constituency for granted by backing Blue Dogs who are hostile to immigrants. It’s about as short sighted as it gets.
You can donate to Grijalva here
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