"They Work for Us"....coalition of labor, trial lawyers, liberal groups to be watchdog for Democrats

[madfloridian]

A new group has been formed to remind Democrats to be..well..Democrats.

New Coalition Aims to Keep Dems in Check

WASHINGTON -- Looking to instill discipline among Democrats, a coalition of labor, trial lawyers and liberal groups is launching lobbying and campaign organizations this week to keep Democratic lawmakers from straying on populist issues.

Democrats who don't hew to this agenda could find themselves facing well-funded primary opponents _ an aggressive strategy to counter moderate and conservative blocs within the party.

The groups have organized as two entities _ a lobbying wing called They Work For Us and a campaign arm called Working for Us PAC.

"Our PAC will encourage Democrats to act like Democrats _ and if they don't _ they better get out of the way," Steve Rosenthal, one of the coalition's main organizers, wrote in a memorandum describing the organization.

There is a post by Daily Kos about this, and Markos points out the first three targets of the coalition.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/1/22/12741/7531

They Work For Us is led by Steve Rosenthal, former labor organizer and head of ACT. Its members include SEIU, the United Steelworkers, MoveOn, the American Association for Justice (formerly the American Trial Lawyers Association), and this little ol' website (I'm on the board).

The first three targets? Three Democrats we already know and love -- Ellen Tauscher, Al Wynn, and Henry Cuellar.

This is a potent alliance, and one that will have real muscle as we look to target not "conservative" Democrats, but Democrats who are out of step with their districts (a key and important distinction). This is no lame-brained Club for Growth clone -- an operation obsessed with ideological purity without regard to electoral realities.

Here is a link to the PAC called Working for us.

http://workingforuspac.org/content/home/

[northernsoul]

1. more power to 'em!

And I'm not even wearing my big, bad trial lawyer hat when I say that. I only break that one out for special occasions.

[The2ndWheel]

2. So lots of money from lobbyists will still rule

Yeah, for the good guys this time.

Still....

[Vidar]

3. I wish them well. It's a great idea.

[depakid]

4. "if they don't _ they better get out of the way..."

and I think we know which ones better get on board- or out of the way.

[madfloridian]

5. The bankruptcy bill was a big reason for this coalition....

http://workingforuspac.org/pages/about/

"About Us
Despite the Democratic majorities, it's going to be difficult to enact the agenda of economic populism supported by the voters in November 2006. We expect strong opposition from the Bush Administration and corporate lobbyists. But another big problem will be the Democrats who ignore the message sent to them by their constituents and vote to undermine the progressive economic agenda.

Rest assured, some will. Last year, 73 Democratic House members voted for the bankruptcy reform bill - which favored credit card companies and banking interests over consumers. There is no excuse for that behavior. There is especially no excuse for those Members who have strong Democratic districts, but still vote against the interests of their working-class constituents - those are the worst offenders.

Until now these Democrats (in name only) have been able to stray because they knew there were no consequences for their actions. (1) There was no organized effort to alert their constituents about how they were voting; (2) They knew they would be "the lesser of two evils" for progressives when they ran in November -- frequently against ultra-right Republicans; (3) They rarely faced viable third-party challengers; and (4) They knew that regardless of how they voted, they would get the support of the Democratic Party and its allies in the end. As self-defeating as it may seem and despite their vows to retaliate against these rogue Democrats for taking a powder on yet another key vote, progressive organizations would frequently forgive and forget and end up endorsing the offenders. It's happened time after time.

Those days are over.

And Republicans better watch out too..."

[depakid]

6. My congress critter voted for it

and guess what, he didn't get my vote last time... and I told him why right to his face one day. He also was the deciding vote on the Medicare scam.

I would support anyone who ran in the primary against him next time around.

[seemunkee]

7. Al Wynn

Good keep an eye on him. He's my rep and I held my nose to vote for him in the general after voting against him in the primary.

[madfloridian]

9. Looks like they won't target those in extremely conservative areas.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/22/AR2007012200467.html

"Outside pressure on Democrats is a sensitive issue within the party caucus. Democrats acknowledge the need for party discipline, but also recognize the different blocs that make up the party. Voters last November elected new Democrats from liberal, moderate and conservative districts. These Democrats won in a variety of regions and often defy tidy ideological descriptions.

"Instilling party discipline in our party is simply harder than in the Republican Party," said Simon Rosenberg, head of the New Democrat Network. "We are a more diverse party than they are."

Rosenthal said his coalition won't target Democrats with moderate or conservative constituencies. As an example, he cited Heath Shuler, a former NFL quarterback who won a previously Republican seat in North Carolina. He ran as an opponent of abortion and gun control. But he voiced opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement, a Clinton presidency pact long decried by organized labor."

[madfloridian]

8. Kick because it disappeared too fast, and it is important.

:kick: