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EV_Ares Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-12-07 07:38 PM
Original message
Democratic House Officials Attack of Anti War Candidates
Edited on Wed Sep-12-07 07:40 PM by EV_Ares
By Matt Renner, t r u t h o u t | Report

According to an article by Matt Renner Democratic House Officials Recruited Wealthy Conservatives, grass-roots supported progressive Democratic Party activists are being forced out of the campaign by scum in the top leadership of the Party.
More below.

He writes that in 2006, congressman, Rahm Emanuel, then head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, organized support against anti-war activists Christine Cegelis, who was running in the primary. Instead he organized a pro-war vet Tammy Duckworth, to run against her and rammed through a shift of party resources to Duckworth. Duckworth was beaten in the general election by a right-wing Republican, former State Senator Peter Roskam.
Renner writes that Emanuel is a supporter of Hillary Clinton, and has been supported by Nancy Pelosi but opposed by Howard Dean (so far unsuccessfully.

The article is worth reading. It talks about other races as well. We should keep and eye out for this kind of tactics by the Blue Dog Dems.

This letter sent from then DCCC Head Rahm Emanuel to Democratic House hopeful Jan Schneider underscores a DCCC policy of remaining "neutral" in primary races. Schneider soon came to doubt the letter's sincerity.

It was the day after Christmas 2005 and Christine Cegelis sat alone at her dining room table, trying to figure out how to tell her campaign volunteers that she was going to drop out of the 2006 Democratic primary.

The next evening she was to meet with friends and colleagues who had organized around her candidacy for the House of Representatives in the 6th District of Illinois. Her volunteers had walked block after block of the suburban district and spent hours making phone calls to solicit donations and promote the campaign. Many of these people had been at Cegelis's side during her 2004 campaign and witnessed the fruits of their labor when long-time Republican Representative Henry Hyde decided to retire instead of facing Cegelis again in 2006. This was their shot to have a national impact.

But pressure coming from the national Democratic Party was too great. The Democrats had found a challenger for Cegelis, an Iraq veteran named Tammy Duckworth. Contributions were pouring into the opposing campaign and Duckworth was shuttled into the national media spotlight. Cegelis began receiving calls from Democratic members of Congress informing her that they were planning to support Duckworth.

Some of Cegelis's own paid campaign staff implored her to drop out; and she had every reason to listen. She had only $40,000 in the bank, her campaign manager had given up on the campaign and given her office staff two weeks' paid vacation without Cegelis' permission, and her media coordinator had recently quit. Rumor had it that Illinois Senator Barack Obama was going to star in television commercials for Duckworth - star power the Cegelis campaign could never match.

The next day when she sat down in her campaign office with her twelve closest volunteers, Cegelis prepared herself to admit defeat. She laid out the worst-case scenario: The Democratic Party was willing to spend millions of dollars to defeat her in the primary. If she did manage to beat Duckworth, the party would not help her in the general election, leaving the campaign on its own to face a Republican candidate who was hand picked by the national Republican Party.

Instead of agreeing to quit, every one of her volunteers looked her in the eye and said, "We are here to fight."

(the rest of the article @ the following link)

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/090607J.shtml

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LisaM Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-12-07 07:41 PM
Response to Original message
1. Tammy Duckworth was pro war?
I don't remember that she was.
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rinsd Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-13-07 12:15 PM
Response to Reply #1
6. Tammy Duckworth was not pro-war. She was one of the Fightin Dems.
That article relies heavily on Cegelis campaign manager.
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Me. Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-12-07 07:48 PM
Response to Original message
2. The Fix
In 2006 we were desperate to turn Congress into dem territory. We gave turns of cash and worked hard to get dems elected. People like Rahm knew that and played us. Many of the dems, Heath Schuler for example, were pigs in a poke.

This time out we need to be smarter with our money. None to D triple C groups. Give to the candidates of your choice directly. Work for those you believe in and trust.
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fed-up Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-12-07 11:38 PM
Response to Original message
3. if we voters are to understand what has happened to OUR party this must be read/spread nt
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bvar22 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-13-07 11:58 AM
Response to Original message
4. Its not just the "anti-war" issue.
The DLC is using Democratic Party money and infrastructure to maintain the corporate strangle hold over the Party.

The DCCC under Rham (Big Money) Emmanuel (DLC) has been interfering with Democratic Primaries and using Democratic Money to target Progressive Grassroots candidates.

I witnessed this in Minnesota. The DCCC actually contacted donors to the grassroots Progressive and threatened them with economic retaliation if they continued to support a candidate not approved by Rham. They were then asked to match their contribution with one to Rham's candidate who had the Corporate seal of approval.


Please read this thread from the Minnesota Forum, Sept. 2005.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

If you Work for a Living, do NOT send donations to the DCCC. Rham Emmanuel will use this money AGAINST your interests.


K&R


"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans. I want us to compete for that great mass of voters that want a party that will stand up for working Americans, family farmers, and people who haven't felt the benefits of the economic upturn."---Paul Wellstone
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robinlynne Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-13-07 08:03 PM
Response to Reply #4
10. agreed. and why is Rahm still in power in our party?
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sampsonblk Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-13-07 12:11 PM
Response to Original message
5. Yep. We know the score. Our party needs to be fixed.
But all things considered, the Dem party is the best vehicle to get to where most of us want to go. But there are some glaring problems. Namely, some of the worst, weakest (and if I may say, dumbest) political strategies ever used in real life. Add to that, our party is second-rate compared to the GOP. The leaders we have elected just plain don't have any courage and will not take even the slightest risk on our behalf.

But we still can't give up on the idea that this party offers the best hope for the country's future. Getting a majority was not the answer we had hoped for. We also need to get our party back. I propose getting the party back before even considering worrying about the majority issue again.
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Vincardog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-13-07 01:05 PM
Response to Reply #5
7. Getting the party back will dictate the majority issues. My Democratic party will put people first
It will demand:
1 Open transparent verifiable elections. No more BBV.
2 Every person should have Single Payer Health CARE.
If the insurance companies can't compete Fuck them.
3 Every worker will earn a living wage.
4 Every citizen shall be afforded a Free Quality Public education.
5 Federal elections shall be publicly funded.
6 Corporations shall have no "Personal Rights".
7 The environmental impacts of every activity shall be the responsibility of the person/corporation benefiting from that activity.

What would you add/delete or change in order?
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sampsonblk Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-13-07 04:09 PM
Response to Reply #7
8. I am fine with your list
I would add in some principles.

1. Bill of Rights is not optional
2. Federal spending should be only what's necessary
3. Equal rights for every citizen
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Vincardog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-13-07 04:32 PM
Response to Reply #8
9. Fine also add Personnel Medical matters are not to be interfered with by the state,
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robinlynne Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-13-07 08:05 PM
Response to Reply #7
11. The United States shall become a neutral country, and not interfere in
the interests of any other nation, unless attacked.
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robinlynne Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-13-07 08:06 PM
Response to Reply #7
12. separation of church and state.
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