Reply #43: One of the problems with that is the regionality of

[MineralMan]

the electorate. Every Congressional race is a local one, and local regions often have their own quirks. In fact, we have enough Congressional districts that can swing on a few percentage points to shift control from one party to the other. In those districts, neither a strong left Democrat nor a strong right republican can get elected. Only a centrist with a bias on a couple of issues can win. That's the system we have, and that's the system we live with.

Here in my Congressional District, We have Betty McCollum, who is a strong progressive. She has no problem getting elected here, in this inner city district. In Minneapolis, we have Keith Ellison, our only Muslim congressmember. He wins easily. On the other hand, the district next to mine is Michele Bachmann's district. I can walk to that district in ten minutes from my front door. There, neither of those two Democrats would have a prayer. The Democrat, Tarryl Clark, who is running against Bachmann is not a strong progressive at all. She's a middle-of-the-road centrist. She has a chance to defeat Bachmann. Should progressives not support her? Should they ignore that race? She'll vote on the Democratic side on most issues, but will probably disappoint progressives on others. But, nobody more liberal than her could possibly win in that district. That's guaranteed.

So, there's the problem. We can help get Tarryl Clark elected or we can blow that district off. Now, we might lose. But we have a solid chance to win the district for the Democratic Party. A solid chance. Whether we do or not is going to depend, largely, on how many people turn out to help get every last Democrat in the district to the polls, and on convincing some percentage of moderate Republicans to vote for Clark. If we succeed, we get a centrist Democrat into the House and get rid of a right-wing loudmouth.

What do you think a strong progressive in Minnesota should do? That's the question being faced in swing districts all across the country. What people decide will dictate what happens. You make a choice and you deal with the results. I'd rather lose while trying than lose because I didn't try. That's the bottom line in 2010.