CT Blue

In the past I’ve noted the fact that there exists a host of griftersthat prey on suckers on the right. A lot of these grifters are of the unofficial sort; direct mailers that claim to be raising money for a cause or candidate, when in fact most, if not all, of the money goes to the grifters.

We don’t have similar grifters on the left, but that is not to say that we don’t get grifted. (I will not swear that “grifted” is a word) But we can be forgiven, for the grift is from those we have every right to trust. The worst grifters of them all work for the DCCC.

The DCCC is doing pretty well in fundraising these days, drumming up contributions from energized progressives, who it then proceeds to stab in the back.

In defense of the folks who are sending their hard earned money to the DCCC, they have every right to believe that the DCCC is on their side, and they are encouraged in that belief by the endless emails the DCCC sends out, claiming to support progressives and, well – – , you know, actual Democrats.

Some Democrats are beginning to take notice. In Syracuse, the DCCC has attempted to force a candidate, Perez Williams, on the locals, and they don’t like it:

Last week, Perez Williams entered the race. She told The Citizen Thursday night that it was her decision to run for Congress and believes she is the best candidate to challenge U.S. Rep. John Katko, a two-term Republican.

The statement from members of central New York progressive groups doesn’t mention Perez Williams. But they do question why the DCCC would intervene, especially this late in the process.

“Right now, they are paying people to pass petitions to get their handpicked candidate on the ballot,” the activists wrote. “The DCCC is imposing its priorities and decisions on local residents. Instead of fostering a collaborative relationship with grassroots organizations, they are using their funds to erase our work.”

It’s not just the activist types. The four county Democratic chairs have also spoken out against the DCCC’s interference in the race. It goes without saying, by the way, that the DCCC’s chosen candidate is significantly to the right of the candidate chosen by the locals. The DCCC has no problem with anti-abortion, pro-NRA candidates, but it’s totally allergic to candidates that support Medicare for All.

If we take either or both houses, our chances for future success will depend on our ability to show the people that we can deliver stuff that they want if we are given the chance. If we pass progressive legislation, most of which is very popular, we will get credit for trying, even if Trump vetoes everything, or we can’t get it through a Senate still in Republican hands. But we will inspire nothing if, as has been the case, the tail of right wing Democrats continues to wag the dog of the majority of the caucus. Give the Republicans their due: they demand and get fealty from the near-not-insane members of their caucus. The Democrats are precisely the opposite. They bow and scrape before the Blue Dogs and New Dems, and, this year, have gone out of their way to recruit more of them. As a result, assuming we don’t totally blow it, and we do take the House, we’ll demonstrate to the people of this nation that we are nothing more than the party of not Trump, and we have nothing of substance to offer them, thereby dampening enthusiasm in 2020. I suppose we can expect nothing else, since the Democrats have an aversion to winning big (or at all) in years ending in zero, because then they might be able to prevent the Republicans gerrymandering them out of existence.