Schumer & Reid Support Patrick Murphy over Alan Grayson for U.S. Senate
by Gaius Publius
Ex-Republican (now “Democrat”) Patrick Murphy is, like Alan Grayson, a member of the House from Florida. Murphy has indicated he wants to run for Marco Rubio’s Senate seat, and Grayson is looking at it seriously as well. (You can support the Draft Grayson campaign here.)
So, who in this “Warren wing” moment is the DSCC’s preferred candidate? Murphy. Even Harry Reid, who I was assured is “more progressive than anyone realizes,” is on board with Murphy over Grayson. So much for Harry Reid; he’s opposed to TPP (or so I hear), but he clearly has his limits — the other thing I’ve been told about Harry Reid.
Chuck Schumer … is using every bit of pressure he can bring to bear to force Alan Grayson out of the race for the open Senate seat in Florida. Schumer and Reid– and therefore the embarrassing Tester– are firmly behind the candidate Wall Street is demanding, Patrick Murphy (who has played ball with them from his position on the House Financial Services Committee and who they say can help balance Elizabeth Warren’s and Sherrod Brown’s anti-bankster sentiments).
Does Harry Reid think Elizabeth Warren’s anti-banking sentiments need balancing? Apparently so.
More about Schumer and Murphy from the same piece:
But just as Schumer was wrong when he recruited Morrison in 2006, he’s even more wrong for having recruited Murphy today. Murphy is an entirely unaccomplished lightweight who was a Republican for his entire life and gave maximum contributions to Charlie Crist (when he was still a Republican) and to Mitt Romney. Worse, Murphy has publicly talked about compromising away the benefits of seniors who depend on Social Security and Medicare. Schumer doesn’t want to be Minority Leader; he wants to be Majority Leader. Recruiting someone who goes on CNN and talks about cutting Social Security– in Florida– isn’t likely to advance that goal.
What does Schumer have against Alan Grayson? Much, apparently:
Schumer has been running around like a chicken without a head trying to get prominent Democrats to get Grayson to back off. He’s even claimed he can get Elizabeth Warren to call Grayson and urge him to not run, despite the fact that Murphy has opposed every one of her initiatives to rein in Wall Street. We’ll let you know if that happens… meanwhile, you can signal Grayson you’re not in the Schumer camp– right here.
Schumer must be very eager to give away the rest of the store to Wall Street, something Grayson would join Warren and Brown in opposing. There’s more in Klein’s piece, including a stunning bit of irony (or hypocrisy) regarding new DSCC Chair Jon Tester’s role in this. For more on the despicable Patrick Murphy, start here.
It’s clearly important to put people like Alan Grayson into the Senate. I also think it’s necessary to remove people like Chuck Schumer (and once-“progressive” Jon Tester) from ever holding office again as a Democrat.
But one mission at a time. Want to tell Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid and Jon Tester to pound privatizing neo-liberal sand? Support Alan Grayson for the U.S. Senate. That will send a message.
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