Democrats trying to unseat each other III

[lpetrich]

But some on the Left expect things to get worse before they get better.

“I haven’t heard of an actual strategy to combat AIPAC money deciding races. If I’m being totally honest, I haven’t seen a cohesive or significant left strategy in quite some time,” said Tim Black, an independent media figure with progressive leanings who hosts a popular YouTube show.

and

“I think the Democratic ticket would rather lose the election than defy Israel,” said the left-wing voice, who is in touch with prominent leaders in the movement. “I would love to be wrong about that.”

“In the short term, voters looking for decency and morality on this issue will be very frustrated,” the source said, calling it “a runaway freight train.”

“Both the populist left and right are getting more furious about our Israel policy every passing day,” the source said. “There will be a huge uprising next year, if this conflict continues, no matter who is president. And if Israel starts this giant war in the Middle East and we back them, there will be the largest protests this country has ever seen.”

Largest? Maybe the largest since the Vietnam War, which had huge protests.

Cori Bush herself: “AIPAC, I’m coming to tear your kingdom down.” Which got a lot of criticism, like from White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre: “This kind of rhetoric is inflammatory and divisive and incredibly unhelpful. We’re going to continue to condemn any type of political rhetoric in that way, in that vein.”

 

[lpetrich]

AIPAC is not involving itself in Ilhan Omar's primary, tomorrow as I write this, in MN-05.

“Zionists for Don Samuels” Raising Big Money to Oust Ilhan Omar

In AIPAC’s absence, a Samuels campaign staffer and pro-Israel super PAC donors strategize to oust another Squad member.

Members of a WhatsApp group founded by wealthy pro-Israel donors coordinated to infuse last-minute cash into Don Samuels’s primary race against Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.

The members of the group — which included a consultant who at the time was working for the Samuels campaign as well as far-flung political donors — discussed raising six-figure sums for a political action committee, strategies for campaign phone banks, and an effort to marshal Republican voters to boost Samuels in Tuesday’s open primary.

Six figures? Not quite the eight figures of AIPAC. So why did AIPAC skip on that race? AIPAC skipped on Summer Lee's one in PA-12, letting her win a solid victory.

Whereas pro-Israel groups in Bush and Bowman’s races ran ads about issues other than Israel itself, the Samuels campaign has focused on Omar’s calls for a ceasefire, her denouncing the war in Gaza as a genocide, and allegations of antisemitism against the incumbent for her stances on Israel.

I must give them credit for campaigning on these issues, rather than trying to hide them as AIPAC did. AIPAC's strategy likely got many votes from Israel-critical voters.

DS is running again against IO, and as of June 30, he is behind in fundraising, $535,000 vs. IO's $1.6 million. But after CB was defeated, DS got another $100,000 in the next 24 hours.

DS's campaigners, however, have stayed in touch with AIPAC.

“The campaign is in regular and will continue to be in regular communication with AIPAC,” he wrote on July 24. “Several members of my campaign staff, myself included, have intimate relationships with active and Former executive member of AIPAC.”

 

[lpetrich]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on X: "TODAY! Let’s hit the phones for @IlhanMN! " / X
noting
Team AOC on X: "
@IlhanMN's primary election is TUESDAY!
Join @AOC for a virtual phonebank at 8 pm ET tomorrow and let’s get her across the finish line!
Register here: (link)" / X

Minnesota 5th District : U.S. House : 2024 Polls | FiveThirtyEight
IO vs. DS: Feb. 20-27 +19, Jul 17-21 +27

I'm not seeing the premonitions of defeat that I saw in JB's and CB's primaries. But she beat DS by only 2.1% back in 22, and as the old saying goes, it isn't over until it's over.

 

[Derec]

AIPAC is not involving itself in Ilhan Omar's primary, tomorrow as I write this, in MN-05.

“Zionists for Don Samuels” Raising Big Money to Oust Ilhan Omar

Dare we dream? Alas, I believe she is too well entrenched in her D+30 district.

 

[Derec]

But she beat DS by only 2.1% back in 22, and as the old saying goes, it isn't over until it's over.

Go Don!

 

[Derec]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on why she thinks Tim Walz is the right VP pick - YouTube - nice interview.

Which is why I am not Walz-pilled.
Kamala has shown an unwillingness to step up to the left-wing fringe of the Democratic Party.

 

[Derec]

Jamaal Bowman allies buzz about possible Ritchie Torres challenge

Ugh. Can he just stay gone, please. He wants to mount a comeback like Cynthia McKinney did back in the day. Except she did not district shop.

 

[lpetrich]

I'm happy to report this election news.

First,
Team AOC on X: " @ilhan's primary election is TODAY!
Let's get out the vote, CD5! Polls are open until 8PM, and voters can find their polling location here: (link)" / X
Team Ilhan on X: "GOOD MORNING CD5! Polls are now open. Make your voice heard today and cast your ballot for @IlhanMN!
Find your polling place here: (links)" / X

The main story:
Minnesota 5th Congressional District Primary Election Results 2024 - The New York Times

It took some time to count the votes, and at 21:20 CDT, those in Anoka County were counted:

Ilhan Omar 50.8%, Don Samuels 47.6%, Nate Schluter 0.9%, other 0.6%

Since this county is rather suburban, it made me optimistic about the results in the more urban parts of Minneapolis. These parts are in Hennepin County, and at 21:39 CDT, those votes were counted also:

Ilhan Omar 56.2%, Don Samuels 42.9%, Nate Schluter 0.5%, other 0.4%

 

[lpetrich]

Also today, Bernie Sanders won an uncontested primary for Vermont Senator. He's 82 years old, and I'm surprised that he insists on staying on.

Last week, Rashida Tlaib won an uncontested primary for her House district in Michigan.

I'll now look at how well Ilhan Omar did previously. She won this primary by a margin of 13 points.

Minnesota 5th District : U.S. House : 2024 Polls | FiveThirtyEight

• Jul 17-21: IO 60% DS 33% -- 27%
• Feb 20-27: IO 49% DS 30% -- 19%

From Ilhan Omar - Ballotpedia previous years:

• 2024: IO 56.2%, DS 42.9%, NS 0.5%, others 0.4% -- 13.3%
• 2022: IO 50.3%, DS 48.2%, NS 0.6%, others 0.5%, 0.4% -- 2.1%
• 2020: IO 58.2%, others 38.5%, 1.5%, 1.1%, 0.7% -- 19.7%
• 2018: IO 48.2% others 30.4%, 13.0%, 3.7%, 2.8%, 1.8% -- 17.8%

Dalia al-Aqidi, an Iraqi immigrant, ran as a Republican in 2020, getting only 4.7% in the primary and placing third. She's trying again this year, and she's unchallenged by her fellow Republicans. So it'll be IO vs. DA this November - two female Muslim MENA immigrants. MENA = Middle East & North Africa.

 

[lpetrich]

Jamaal Bowman allies buzz about possible Ritchie Torres challenge

Ugh. Can he just stay gone, please. He wants to mount a comeback like Cynthia McKinney did back in the day. Except she did not district shop.

I'm not familiar with Cynthia McKinney.

But as carpetbagging goes, this is not nearly as much as what Mondaire Jones did in 2022 or what Lauren Boebert did this year. The two districts are neighbors.

 

[lpetrich]

Jeremy Slevin on X: "In the past 24 hours, ..." / X

In the past 24 hours, @IlhanMN’s Democratic primary opponent has:

- Appeared on Fox News for an exclusive interview
- Had volunteers make calls encouraging Republicans to vote for him
- Been caught Illegally coordinating with a Super PAC

Not good!

On Fox News, Minnesota Democrat challenging Rep. Ilhan Omar sees fundraising surge after Cori Bush defeat | Fox News Video

Minnesota has open primaries, where people can vote in other parties' primaries. I personally think that that is a dumb idea, and that they should have nonpartisan primaries with the general elections being top-four or top-five IRV elections. Top-two leads to things like what happened in the California Senate primary, where Adam Schiff supported Steve Garvey as his opponent rather than run against Katie Porter, his most likely opponent otherwise.

Don Samuels on X: "My opponent, Rep. Ilhan Omar, is being dishonest and fear-mongering ..." / X

My opponent, Rep. Ilhan Omar, is being dishonest and fear-mongering by telling people I'm a Republican and that AIPAC is coming to unseat her.

Well, in her 6-year tenure, only two bills she's written and sponsored have become law - both renamed post offices. She can't run on her achievements, so she has to use fear to win.

But here's the truth: I'm a Democrat (always have been), and AIPAC has not endorsed me nor spent money on this race.

Pro-Israel groups not funneling money into campaign of Rep. Ilhan Omar's Democratic challenger

This is exactly the reason why I'm running against Rep. Omar in the primary election tomorrow - because I am so sick of the dishonest and divisive politics that are stalling progress and tearing this country apart. Tomorrow is our opportunity for change.

A response:
Connor McNutt on X: "Says the lying candidate ..." / X

Says the lying candidate who was on Fox News this morning.

Your campaign is *actively* courting Republicans. Here’s audio of your volunteers urging Republicans to vote in the Dem Primary

Not a surprise, Don is a Republican attempting to masquerade as a Democrat.

 

[Harry Bosch]

Jeremy Slevin on X: "In the past 24 hours, ..." / X

In the past 24 hours, @IlhanMN’s Democratic primary opponent has:

- Appeared on Fox News for an exclusive interview
- Had volunteers make calls encouraging Republicans to vote for him
- Been caught Illegally coordinating with a Super PAC

Not good!

On Fox News, Minnesota Democrat challenging Rep. Ilhan Omar sees fundraising surge after Cori Bush defeat | Fox News Video

Minnesota has open primaries, where people can vote in other parties' primaries. I personally think that that is a dumb idea, and that they should have nonpartisan primaries with the general elections being top-four or top-five IRV elections. Top-two leads to things like what happened in the California Senate primary, where Adam Schiff supported Steve Garvey as his opponent rather than run against Katie Porter, his most likely opponent otherwise.

Don Samuels on X: "My opponent, Rep. Ilhan Omar, is being dishonest and fear-mongering ..." / X

My opponent, Rep. Ilhan Omar, is being dishonest and fear-mongering by telling people I'm a Republican and that AIPAC is coming to unseat her.

Well, in her 6-year tenure, only two bills she's written and sponsored have become law - both renamed post offices. She can't run on her achievements, so she has to use fear to win.

But here's the truth: I'm a Democrat (always have been), and AIPAC has not endorsed me nor spent money on this race.

Pro-Israel groups not funneling money into campaign of Rep. Ilhan Omar's Democratic challenger

This is exactly the reason why I'm running against Rep. Omar in the primary election tomorrow - because I am so sick of the dishonest and divisive politics that are stalling progress and tearing this country apart. Tomorrow is our opportunity for change.

A response:
Connor McNutt on X: "Says the lying candidate ..." / X

Says the lying candidate who was on Fox News this morning.

Your campaign is *actively* courting Republicans. Here’s audio of your volunteers urging Republicans to vote in the Dem Primary

Not a surprise, Don is a Republican attempting to masquerade as a Democrat.

Well, Omar's voting record doesn't look great. She also missed the infrastructure bill. There must have been a party that day or something!

 

[southernhybrid]

Jamaal Bowman allies buzz about possible Ritchie Torres challenge

Ugh. Can he just stay gone, please. He wants to mount a comeback like Cynthia McKinney did back in the day. Except she did not district shop.

I'm not familiar with Cynthia McKinney.

But as carpetbagging goes, this is not nearly as much as what Mondaire Jones did in 2022 or what Lauren Boebert did this year. The two districts are neighbors.

Cynthia McKinney was batshit crazy. I was relieves when she lost.

I like AOC because she seems to have matured and is willing to compromise, which to me is extremely important regardless of which side of the aisle you're on. The other squad members who lost their primaries are no great loss to Congress imo. I do agree that Citizens United is awful, but I seriously doubt it's going away anytime soon. It's sad that raising money is so important when it comes to our elections.

It's also sad that candidates are permitted to tell lies about their opponents, especially vicious totally unsubstantiated lies.

 

[southernhybrid]

Wrong thread....sorry.

 

[lpetrich]

Well, Omar's voting record doesn't look great. She also missed the infrastructure bill. There must have been a party that day or something!

That keeps getting brought up. Let's look at the full record rather than letting oneself be outraged over one little thing.

H.R.3684 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

Motion to Recommit (last-minute obstruction)
Roll Call 207 | Bill Number: H. R. 3684 - Jul 01, 2021, 10:34 AM | 117th Congress, 1st Session
Every Democrat voted against it.

Roll Call 208 | Bill Number: H. R. 3684 - Jul 01, 2021, 11:05 AM | 117th Congress, 1st Session
Every Democrat voted for it.

Roll Call 369 | Bill Number: H. R. 3684 - Nov 05, 2021, 11:24 PM | 117th Congress, 1st Session
Every Democrat voted for it except Jamaal Bowman NY, Cori Bush MO, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez NY, Ilhan Omar MN, Ayanna Pressley MA, Rashida Tlaib MI.

To table a motion to reconsider
Roll Call 370 | Bill Number: H. R. 3684 - Nov 05, 2021, 11:50 PM | 117th Congress, 1st Session
Every Democrat voted for it.

H.R.5376 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

Motion to Recommit (last-minute obstruction)
Roll Call 384 | Bill Number: H. R. 5376 - Nov 19, 2021, 09:08 AM | 117th Congress, 1st Session
Every Democrat voted against it.

Roll Call 385 | Bill Number: H. R. 5376 - Nov 19, 2021, 09:44 AM | 117th Congress, 1st Session
Every Democrat voted for it except Jared Golden ME.

To table a motion to reconsider
Roll Call 386 | Bill Number: H. R. 5376 - Nov 19, 2021, 10:17 AM | 117th Congress, 1st Session
Every Democrat voted for it.

Roll Call 420 | Bill Number: H. R. 5376 - Aug 12, 2022, 05:38 PM | 117th Congress, 2nd Session
Every Democrat voted for it.

That bill's earlier name: Build Back Better Act - Ballotpedia

So if JB, CB, AOC, IO, AP, and RT didn't like that bill, they would have voted against it and a related bill every time. But they voted for those bills 3 out of 4 times, and supported those bills in all 4 procedural votes.

 

[Harry Bosch]

Well, Omar's voting record doesn't look great. She also missed the infrastructure bill. There must have been a party that day or something!

That keeps getting brought up. Let's look at the full record rather than letting oneself be outraged over one little thing.

H.R.3684 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

Motion to Recommit (last-minute obstruction)
Roll Call 207 | Bill Number: H. R. 3684 - Jul 01, 2021, 10:34 AM | 117th Congress, 1st Session
Every Democrat voted against it.

Roll Call 208 | Bill Number: H. R. 3684 - Jul 01, 2021, 11:05 AM | 117th Congress, 1st Session
Every Democrat voted for it.

Roll Call 369 | Bill Number: H. R. 3684 - Nov 05, 2021, 11:24 PM | 117th Congress, 1st Session
Every Democrat voted for it except Jamaal Bowman NY, Cori Bush MO, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez NY, Ilhan Omar MN, Ayanna Pressley MA, Rashida Tlaib MI.

To table a motion to reconsider
Roll Call 370 | Bill Number: H. R. 3684 - Nov 05, 2021, 11:50 PM | 117th Congress, 1st Session
Every Democrat voted for it.

H.R.5376 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

Motion to Recommit (last-minute obstruction)
Roll Call 384 | Bill Number: H. R. 5376 - Nov 19, 2021, 09:08 AM | 117th Congress, 1st Session
Every Democrat voted against it.

Roll Call 385 | Bill Number: H. R. 5376 - Nov 19, 2021, 09:44 AM | 117th Congress, 1st Session
Every Democrat voted for it except Jared Golden ME.

To table a motion to reconsider
Roll Call 386 | Bill Number: H. R. 5376 - Nov 19, 2021, 10:17 AM | 117th Congress, 1st Session
Every Democrat voted for it.

Roll Call 420 | Bill Number: H. R. 5376 - Aug 12, 2022, 05:38 PM | 117th Congress, 2nd Session
Every Democrat voted for it.

That bill's earlier name: Build Back Better Act - Ballotpedia

So if JB, CB, AOC, IO, AP, and RT didn't like that bill, they would have voted against it and a related bill every time. But they voted for those bills 3 out of 4 times, and supported those bills in all 4 procedural votes.

Fair enough. Would you agree with me though that if someone didn’t vote for the final bill for whatever reason, they can’t take credit for it’s accomplishments?

 

[lpetrich]

Catching up.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown resigns from office | News 4 Buffalo - Oct 15, 2024 / 10:34 AM EDT

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown officially resigned on Tuesday, after he accepted a new position as CEO and president of Western Regional Off-Track Betting. The full press conference can be viewed at the bottom of this page.

Brown announced his resignation late last month, saying the timing was right and that he looked forward to serving multiple New York counties with OTB. He served Buffalo for over 18 years, which makes him the longest-serving mayor of the city. He was also the city’s first African-American mayor.

Back in 2021, India Walton primaried him, but he then ran as a write-in candidate in the general election, supported by Republican businessmen and the like who spent a lot of money on his sore-loser candidacy. He won. But his most recent career move likely confirms what IW and her supporters thought about him.

The next mayoral election in Buffalo is this year.

 

[lpetrich]

Summer Lee and Delia Ramirez on the Squad, AIPAC, and Paying Rent in DC | Teen Vogue - September 4, 2024

"Reps. Lee and Ramirez are navigating an institution that wasn't built for people like them."

Very interesting interview with these two women.

Their winning in 2022 gave rise to a problem, one also faced by AOC and Maxwell Frost.

Now, they were facing a crisis familiar to millions of Americans across the country: how to pay rent. "We were both silently in our heads doing the math of how much an apartment costs," Lee, 36, tells Teen Vogue, recalling orientation. "We weren't [prepared] for the fact that we've had to leave our jobs. We were going to have to furnish a house…move our stuff in, and we're going to have to pay rent in DC (one of the most expensive cities) and our hometowns."

The two ended up becoming housemates in a 3-bedroom house in walking distance from their Congressional offices.

Then they got into the big money that has gone into defeating candidates like them.

However, Lee notes that candidates from working-class backgrounds vying to represent working-class communities simply can't withstand the kind of “dark money” spending that occurred in Bowman’s race. "A district like mine would not be able to sustain raising $20 million for me every two years like that," explains Lee. "And the people who are most likely to be impacted are the people who are the least likely to have historic traditional access to money, the people who are not from the country club class, right? Jamaal Bowman was a school principal. I came from a working-class Black neighborhood. I was an organizer. Cori Bush was a nurse, an activist, an organizer."

The article then mentioned that money is a major barrier to entry to running for office; one needs a LOT of money to run a campaign.

Ramirez, who has yet to face the same torrent of outside spending in her race, says the point of going after Bowman was to send a clear warning to progressives to shut up and stand down, especially on calls for a ceasefire. Unfortunately, she says that for some of her colleagues, it's worked. "I asked a colleague about a recent vote two weeks ago, like why would you vote inconsistent with how you [typically] vote and their response was, Did you see what happened to Jamaal?" Ramirez recounts. "This is the reality of what's happening. It's a sickening effect of big, unaccountable dark money in our democratic elections and it has devastating effects on [our] communities, especially communities of color."

 

[lpetrich]

The article got into how DR's husband is an undocumented immigrant, one who had trouble getting legal status. DR tried pressing then-President Joe Biden on that, and he indeed issued an executive order on a clearer path to citizenship for people in mixed-status marriages. But some Republicans sued to stop it, and a Federal judge paused the problem. So that unfortunate gentleman is still in citizenship limbo.

A freshman congresswoman speaking plainly and out of turn in front of the head of her party isn’t how things are done in Washington, says Ramirez. But she knew she had to take the opportunity when she had it to push Biden. "Our people have no time to wait," she says. "They're tired of waiting."

Finally,

Seated in Lee's office in the Cannon building on Capitol Hill, the two congresswomen trade jokes and observations about their colleagues, laughter echoing through the room. The pair speak in the casual lockstep of roommates who've stayed up until the early hours debating everything from television shows to politics.

...
"We are creating a home for liberated Black and brown folks," says Lee. "We're creating a home for liberated, marginalized folks who are like, you know what, electoral politics might not be our God, but it is a weapon."

A means to an end, even if not an end in itself.

 

[lpetrich]

Progressive Group Launches House Recruitment Drive to Defeat Corporate Dems | Common Dreams - Jan 14, 2025 - Justice Democrats.

The JD's did not recruit any candidates for 2024, wanting to play defense instead for Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush.

Justice Democrats currently serving in the House of Representatives are: Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar (Texas) and Reps. Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.), Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), Ro Khanna (Calif.), Summer Lee (Pa.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), Delia Ramirez (Ill.), and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.).

To Be the Party of the Working Class, We Need More Working Class Leaders in Congress - January 14, 2025 - "Justice Democrats launches 5th cycle of candidate recruitment in open seats and blue districts"

“To be the party of the working class, we need more working class leaders in power,” said Alexandra Rojas, Executive Director of Justice Democrats. “Leaders like the elected Justice Democrats in Congress have shown us another way of doing politics is possible and represent the promise of uniting our fractured nation into a multiracial democracy where everyone thrives and no one is left behind.

“It’s time to end the era of career politicians and the corrupt campaign finance laws that keep them in power. Our mission is clear: we must usher in a new generation in the Democratic Party, led for and by the working class, to take on billionaires and corporate power. The Democratic Party can only win back working class voters with real, working class leaders and Justice Democrats is proud to continue to recruit them to run for Congress.”

Then noting that the 119th Congress is one of the oldest and least working-class Congresses ever.

The average age of a House member this Congress is over 57, nearly one in three are 65 and over (including Jamaal Bowman’s replacement), while only one in six people in the United States are 65 or older. In fact, House members are twice as likely to be over 70 than they are to have student loan debt—while a quarter of all US adults under 40 have student loan debt. Last Congress ended with fewer than 2% of members of Congress coming from working class backgrounds, this Congress will be even smaller.