Dems, Unions, Allies Pushing Back For Reform in Ads, Town Halls, Attacks on Blue Dogs

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/4743/dems_unions_allies_pushing_back_for_reform_in_ads_town_halls_attacks_on_blu/

Friday
August 14 2:33 am

While the “astro-turf” generated anger targeting health reform continued to grab headlines, Democrats and progressives are pushing back on several fronts. Their counter-punching includes everything from massive ad buys to pro-reform viral emails to aggressive PR about productive Congressional Town Hall meetings that featured strong liberal turnouts.

The President is pressing a new PR offensive in Town Halls scheduled for Montana and Colorado Friday and Saturday, as the White House and Democrats are urging supporters to turn out in large numbers. Groups including Health Care for America Now are posting event calendars online and contacting thousands of activists as part of their plan to step up support for Obama’s reform goals.

On top of all that, a top union leader, the presumptive incoming AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka, and former DNC chair Gov. Howard Dean both took the toughest stances yet by influential progressive leaders against Blue Dog Democrats who are thwarting what liberals see as meaningful health reform.

A new political factor now enters the health care debate: a re-assertion of political clout by the progressives who helped elect Obama president. As reported on Daily Kos, and cited widely by pro-labor activists, Trumka went to address the Sheet Metal Workers International Association (SMWIA), the first union to suspend all donations to Democrats until both the Employee Free Choice Act and a health care package with a public option passes Congress. While Trumka didn’t go that far, he sent unmistakable signals that unions won’t be offering a blank check to Democrats regardless of their political positions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld2jCLgoLS8&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.inthesetimes.com%2Fworking%2Fentry%2F4743%2Fdems_unions_allies_pushing_back_for_reform_in_ads_town_halls_attacks_on_blu%2F&feature=player_embedded

As the Daily Kos diarist, a SMWIA staffer, reported:

In very plain and frank language, Trumka warns the conservative Democrats who have wavered on labor and health care reform about the consequences of what working people will do when they are stabbed in the back after working so hard for these Democrats during election time:
“And then there’s that other group: those fair weather friends who can’t seem to decide which side they’re on. I’m talking about politicians who love to have our help come election time, but, always seem to forget us after the votes are counted.”

In case anyone wonders who Trumka is talking about, he makes it pretty clear:
“You know who I mean. They’ve been in the news a lot lately. They’re the ones who say that they’re all for health care reform – so long as it doesn’t offend the insurance industry and the drug companies. They’re the same people who’re saying that the way to pay for it isn’t to tax the rich; it’s to tax our health care benefits!”

And in case those politicians think working people will just shrug their shoulders and give them handfuls of more campaign cash and volunteers, Trumka iterates:
“We need to send them a special message: it’s that you may have forgotten what the labor movement did to get you elected; but, by God, we never will! And if you stab us in the back on health care this year don’t you dare ask us for our support next year!”

FULL story and more video at link.

[vadawg]

1. my problem with gunning for the blue dogs is that they tend to represent more conservative areas

so by threatening not to support them you run the risk of getting a repub next time who will not support the dems in any way rather than the 20%, 40% or whatever the blue dog does, if this happens enough over the whole country then you lose the house. Not sure how you can fix this but a lot of these districts are no way going to elect anyone from the left of the political spectrum but tend towards the middle...

[Dr Fate]

2. The problem is the Blue Dogs are not in the middle- but to Obama's right.

Obama is not to the left of the political spectrum, but somewhere near the center.

You cant be a "centrist" if you are to the right of a centrist like Obama. You cant be "centrist" if you supported Bush's far right economic & FP agenda either. No, that makes you a conservative with a "D" behind your name, not a centrist.

We dont have to elect DEMS to the left in these places, just good moderates who will stand behind the president.

I'm all for nominating some REAL Pro-Obama centrists to replace Pro-Bush, Joe Lieberman type conservative DEMS.

[Skidmore]

3. Perhaps they should have run as Rs then.

As long as Democratic Party campaign funds got them into office, they owe the national constitutency of the party something.

[vadawg]

4. no they owe their constituents more than they owe the party no matter what party id they have

the whole point being that a lot of the country that is currently dem is way more conservative than DU, you want to run far left, even left leaning guys and you will not win a lot of these seats, its a fact that a lot of dems are slightly right of centre in a lot of issues and running way to the left is not going to attract them. If a politician comes from a district where his constituents are right of centre then dosent it make sense that hes going to be right of centre on issues..

[MidwestRick]

5. But they were recruited...

...for the most part to run against Republicans. If there is an issue with Blue Dogs in the Congress, the leaders who recruited them for those races should have their feet held to the fire as well.