CT Blue

So, this happened, either today or yesterday;

Jack “Ass” Kingston, former Republican congressman and current lobbyist, is one of the more disgusting TV yakkers. And on CNN’s New Day this morning, he reminded us why.

Alisyn Camerota introduced this segment on the student gun control effort by asking him about a tweet Kingston made.

…

“I would say to you very plainly that organized groups that are out there like George Soros are always ready to take the charge and it’s kind of like instant rally, instant protest and –”

via Crooks and Liars.

Now, this is total bullshit of course. But I want to direct your attention to the reference to George Soros, the billionaire who, according to Fox and the Republicans, is heading up a conspiracy designed to deliver America into the hands of the left. While it’s true that Soros is on our side on most issues, there is precious little evidence that he is engaged in any kind of concerted campaign to take over the United States government. But that doesn’t matter. He is a convenient whipping boy and he gets the base riled up. It works, so Kingston doesn’t even care if he is called out by his interviewer, because he has given the folks who Republicans count on the red meat they want. You know, the stuff they like to hear that keeps them distracted from the fact that the people they vote for are systematically impoverishing them. Demonizing named people works, even when there is no factual basis for the demonization.

There is something for the Democrats to learn here, though they never will.

There are a number of right wing billionaires who have truly dedicated themselves to destroying what used to be the American way of life. They have real names too. We can start with the Koch Brothers, who own a good chunk of the state legislatures in this country, besides a good deal of Congress, and then give a nod to Pete Peterson, who has dedicated his life to destroying Social Security. Let’s not forget the Mercers, the money behind Steve Bannon. When was the last time you heard a Democrat take aim at any of these people? It has probably happened, sometime and somewhere. To the extent Democrats go on the attack, they may refer to nameless “billionaires”, but they rarely if ever name names. In the case of the Koch Brothers, the Mercers, Peterson, et al, the Democrats would have the facts on their side. They’d be doing the country a favor by throwing a little sunlight on the relentless campaign of these people to turn this country into an oligarchy. But, were they to do that, they’d risk winning the election in November, and that’s a chance they don’t want to take.

Joe Manchin, probably the most right wing Democratic Senator, has clearly gone off the rails:

The U.S. Senate should be a polite membership club rather than a contentious governmental body whose balance of power shapes the lives of millions of human beings, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) argued Tuesday.

Manchin went to the floor to beg his colleagues to sign a bizarre pledge of mutual loyalty to one another. “Washington will be dysfunctional until we all draw a line of truce and say we’re here for the same reason, we take the same oath,” he said. “If you’re willing to serve, you’re my comrade and I’m willing to work with you.”

He decried the endless fundraising that fills politicians’ nights and the vitriolic politicking that crowds their days, before taking out a pen and signing a formal pledge of his own design. “I’m pledging to the people of West Virginia and to the American people that I will not campaign against a sitting colleague,” he said.

Manchin’s document calls for the 100 stinking-rich members of the most prestigious, least prolific legislative body in the developed world to down tools. Pledge signers would give their word to never campaign against another sitting senator, raise money for their opponents, and “not use or endorse social media campaigns that attack them.”

One bizarre element of this is that it is simply unbelievable that at this point Manchin could believe that he can trust any Republican who signs his pledge to keep his or her word, given recent history.

But lets set that particular quibble aside.

There is a backstory here, and it’s one that helps explain why the Democrats have been, and will continue to be, losers. It’s not likely that any Democrats will sign Manchin’s pledge, but they will continue, as they have in the past, to attempt to appease him.

In the Democratic Party, the most right wing members get constant deference. Witness, as one small example, the DCCC’s invitation to the Blue Dogs to please recommend some more DINO candidates for seats that should be in play in November. It’s a bit different with the Republicans. I remember when I first started blogging, passing on a report about our “moderate” Republican Congressman, Rob Simmons. He was kept on a tight leash, permitted to go off the reservation only when it was absolutely clear it would make no difference. The leaders called the shots, and “moderates” like Simmons did what they were told. The called it “catch and release”; that’s right, they even had a name for it.

Simmons position in Congress was analogous to Manchin’s and to many of the Blue Dogs. He was in a relatively left leaning district in which he had to appear to be at least “moderate”. Manchin is in a right leaning state in which he has to appear to have no brains. If this suggestion about the pledge is any indication, then he doesn’t have to work hard at that appearance. But the fact is that unlike Simmons, he’s not on a leash, he’s calling the shots, as do the Blue Dogs. This spells trouble for the Democratic Party, both in the short and long term.

If the Democrats are going to be an effective alternative to the Republicans they need to be more than Republican-lite. That just doesn’t sell. They have to play the long game, as the Republicans have done. If Manchin or his fellow Blue Dogs don’t want to be team players, then the Democrats should be prepared to cut them loose. If they want to wander off the reservation, they should do so only with the express permission of leadership; permission that should be seldom granted. We have to be prepared to lose a few of them either by election loss or conversion to their true colors if we want to build a solid governing majority. In the short term, accomodating the Blue Dogs means dampening the ardor of the base in November, which may turn the “blue wave” into a “blue dribble”. In the long term, it means giving up on any chance of getting a working progressive majority in either House.

I’m already convinced that the Democrats are all in for November. They think they can lose big if they just try, and that’s exactly what they’re doing. They can’t stop themselves from assuming a defensive crouch, and their constant deference to the Blue Dogs simply compounds the problem.