Crossposted at DemocraticDiva.com
Borrowing a page from Atrios, I’m going to just put this out there for Reps. Ron Barber of AZ CD2 and Kyrsten Sinema of CD9. (Please click on image to enlarge)
Note the complete lack of overlap between those two groups of people. I’m honestly mystified by their votes. There’s nothing here to even impress dimwitted centrist pundits. My first guess is that their offices have so many angry constituents calling about various right wing conspiracy theories that they’ve overestimated their importance in the district. But another (equally misguided )possibility is that they think that voting for this makes it “safe” to vote against crazy Benghazi bills. OH WAIT NEVER MIND THEY BOTH VOTED FOR THE GODDAMN BENGHAZI BILL. (Jesus.) Or they could simply be doing it to piss liberals off so they can point at how pissed off liberals are so as to look “moderate”. In any case, I eagerly await their explanations. I’m sure they will be doozies.
The problem with the Arizona Democratic Party is that party members are much more liberal than our Congressional delegation (except for Grijalva). The largest caucus in the ADP is the Progressive Caucus. In separate resolutions, the caucus (and later the full ADP state committee) endorsed legalization of marijuana and the Robin Hood Tax and also condemned the Citizens United, corporate personhood, the Trans Pacific Partnership, and the Keystone XL Pipeline. In addition, the Progressive Caucus passed a resolution supporting drivers’ licenses for DREAMers.
This was a stupid vote. The supporters of stirring the Benghazi pot once more wouldn’t vote for Barber under any circumstances. Why cater to their nuttiness? It’s is not the first time I’ve been disappointed by Barber’s vote. No more contributions to his campaign although I will — reluctantly — vote for him.
I feel exactly the same way as Thomas O’Neill. Barber gets my vote, but that’s it. I so wish that democrats would quit being Republican lite.
As much as you might not be happy with these representatives (and I’m not happy either) if you don’t support them, with your money, as well as your votes, then you increase the likelihood that the Republicans, and the Koch brothers, will grab those seats and hold them. Half-ass support is just as damaging as no support. Tell these reps what you want them to do, tell them what you like or don’t like, but do not withhold your support either via your checkbook or via the ballot box. At some point in the future these seats will go to more progressive people, but that cannot happen now. Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good!
Believe me I do tell them – they don’t care about my vote, they want the votes of Republicans.
“Half-ass support is just as damaging as no support.”
“Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good!”
And so it begins. Liberals are being set up to take the blame if Sinema and Barber lose. Never mind that if they do lose it will be because the moderates they so assiduously woo bail on them (this has been proven time and time again with exit polls), the blame will still be put on liberals because hippies gotta be punched and we always have to shift to the right no matter what.
“Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good!”
What is “the good” to which you refer? How far in the direction of bad can a rep move before he/she is no longer good? Are you saying anything less bad than the opponent is good?
Moving on, I’m guessing Thomas doesn’t have unlimited funds. If I’m correct, why should he support these folks financially, when there are other candidates elsewhere who will fight for principles he believes in? If the contribution of his last available dollar either would swing AZ02 or some seat in Missouri where there is a really good progressive running, why should Thomas use that last dollar to put Barber back in office and cause a really good progressive to lose?
My disappointment with Barber, and AZ Dems in general, has made me realize they don’t deserve my support.
I still vote for them, because they are better than the alternative – which seems to be what they rely on.
But I don’t donate or contribute, either to the party or to any candidate other than Grijalva.