Why I'm working hard to support Democratic candidates in 2010.

[MineralMan]

I live in Minnesota, so that's going to be the focus of this OP. DUers living in other states have their own stories to tell, I'm sure. This November, we're going to have an important election, where all of our house members and many state offices go up for election. Here are some examples of why I'm strongly supporting the Democratic candidates for all of the offices I vote on, with details. I'm even working hard in a congressional race that's not in my district.

Governor

In the Governor's race in Minnesota, we have Tom Emmer, the Republican candidate. He's a bona fide teabagger, who supports things like cutting restaurant server's baseline salary to about $2.25/hr. He said that many servers earn over $100,000 per year, so they don't need minimum wage.

We have an Independence Party candidate, too, who will draw votes from both parties, if the Jesse Ventura election says anything at all. His main deal is his support for riverboat gambling as the thing that will rescue the state from it's huge deficit. He loves riverboat gambling.

Then, we have three Democratic candidates. I don't know which one will end up as the candidate after the primary election. None are what you'd call left wing liberals. They're all pretty moderate, politically. Any of the three will be a far better choice than the Republican or IP candidates. I'll be carrying the primary winner's brochures around with me as I walk my local precinct and will recommend a vote for the winning candidate.

Congress - 4th District

Betty McCollum is the serving Democrat in this seat. She is a shoo-in for the position and is very popular in the district. I'll carry her literature, too, and recommend that she be re-elected. She's a pretty liberal Democrat.

Her opponent? Who cares. Not a chance.

Congress - 6th District

Here's where I'm working the hardest. Tarryl Clark, a middle-of-the road Democrat, is running in this conservative district against Crazy-Eyes Michelle Bachmann. It looks like, based on preliminary evidence, there is a fair to middling chance for Clark to win and unseat the nutcase. I'll be working very hard here, and will be walking precincts in this district, which neighbors mine.

67th MN State Senate District

Wow! The current office holder suddenly decided to pull out of the election, after the caucus system had already endorsed her. That announcement led to a number of people declaring their candidacy and the choice will be difficult in the primary. About half of the candidates are Hmong, as is the current office-holder. I'm studying to see which one I'll vote for in the primary. Whoever wins, though, will get my full support in the fall campaign.

But They're All Centrists!!11!!

Now, here's the deal: None of the Democratic, or more-properly DFL, candidates are nearly as liberal as I'd like. In fact, they're downright centrists. So, why am I supporting them so strongly? Because the alternative is so horrible. Michele Bachmann? Tom Emmer? I don't think so. Third party? Nope. I'm not going to give my vote away to the Republicans. I'm not only voting for, but actively working for, these candidates. I want desperately for them to win. I want to see the 6th district out of the hands of the teabaggers, along with the Governor's office.

I could just go vote, I suppose, but that's not enough. I'm going to work as hard as I possibly can to get these middle-of-the-road Democrats elected, because the alternative is unthinkable. Some would say that I'm not pure enough. Some would say that the candidates aren't True Progressives™. Screw that! I'm not paying attention to anything but defeating Republicans.

I encourage all DUers to get out and work for the Democratic candidates in their own states and districts. Give of your time and block the Republicans from winning, wherever you are.

[liberal N proud]

1. A centrist Democrat is better than any republican.

PERIOD!

[MineralMan]

3. +10

[dflprincess]

9. Today's centrist Democrats used to be called Republicans

and I don't quite get with the DFL candidates for governor why you would lump Dayton in with Kelliher & Entenza. Mark is not a centrist he's the only one of the three who has always belonged to the Democratic wing of the party and, on some issues, the Farmer Labor wing of the DFL.

[MineralMan]

11. I guess it depends where you put the centerline.

I class Mark Dayton as a centrist. Just because I support Democrats always in elections does not mean I'm not far to the left of them. My centerline is way left.

[MineralMan]

27. So did Abraham Lincoln. Definitions change over time.

[w8liftinglady]

2. so am I-Governor of Texas...Bill White

we have GOT to get rid of "Good-Hair"

[MineralMan]

4. Good for you, and good luck with your efforts!

[w8liftinglady]

5. thanks...we are almost 50-50 right now.maybe Texans ARE waking up!

[MineralMan]

6. I'll keep my fingers crossed. If we could win the Texas Gov.

seat, that would be huge!

[w8liftinglady]

16. Texas economies have improved under Democrats

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Richards

[AnArmyVeteran]

13. Rick Perry is just another corrupt Bible thumping dolt

[Lone_Star_Dem]

18. Same here.

I realize in some regions a Democratic candidate more to the left would be viable. That's not a possibility here. This is a case of choosing a candidate I know isn't perfect, but is better than the seated Republican by miles.

[MineralMan]

20. Exactly it. Texas would not elect a leftist Democrat. Not a chance.

They're sure as hell elect a rightist Republican, though, so any Democrat makes a better choice. We always have to deal with the political realities in every state and every district. Sometimes, we can't get exactly what we want. But, if we try, sometimes...

[Lone_Star_Dem]

24. Every step forward is a step in the right direction

In regions held in a stranglehold by Republicans that means a centrist Democrat. From there things can begin to evolve, but there has to be a break through point. Changing the mindset of the majority of voters takes hard work, time and patience.

[MineralMan]

26. You're absolutely right. It can be a long, slow, hard slog though

the swamp before you reach dry land. That's what my 45 years of activism has taught me. Rewards are way down the road, most of the time. I take the Civil Rights movement as my favorite example. Since 1965, when I stood and listened to MLK speak in Birmingham to 2008, when a black man was elected as President was a long slow slog, for sure.

[DevonRex]

7. So I'm in the right place after all. Thank you.

Oh yeah, and so am I. :thumbsup:

[MineralMan]

8. Yup. This is Democratic Underground.

I'm very sure I'm not alone in my plans to work hard for Democratic candidates in my state...or any state. Thanks!

[blondeatlast]

10. I live in Arizona--need I say more? Well, okay, I will...

Our governor is a pandering, clueless political opportunist with Palinesque aspirations. Our county attorney licks the feet of Sheriff Joe Arpaio; the most vile excuse for a law enforcement officer since Bull Connor.

Our legislature is the source of the vile SB 1070--that's one of the few times they showed any spine, even if it was the wrong kind; generally, they do little to nothing (hence our budget problems) and let crap voter initiatives do the work. Then there are John McCain and JD Hayworth--do I really need to explicate?

The Democrats have an outstanding candidate for governor--an incredibly effective ex-Phoenix mayor, now an outstanding state AG (Terry Goddard) who cares about his state. We have a promising Senate candidate too in Rodney Glassman.

I'm fucking tired of being a laughing stock (comparisons to Alabama sting--but are somewhat deserved).

That's why the Dems get my support this year.

[MineralMan]

12. Thank you! I hope AZ begins to turn around in 2010. I'll be

watching.

[blondeatlast]

14. Sadly, I think SB 1070's popularity has the Dems a little timid.

As wrong as it is, it is wildly popular--on the other hand, if it energizes the Hispanic/Latino vote as it should--and those groups are incredibly good at GOTV--it could bite some candidates in the ass.

It's gonna be a hella ride.

[MineralMan]

15. Well, grab the rope tightly and hang on!

[JuniperLea]

17. K&R!

I hope this becomes a loud and proud mantra!

"Give of your time and block the Republicans from winning, wherever you are."

The simplest, truest, most fundamental, sensible, logical thing I've read here in a while.

[MineralMan]

19. Thanks! It's exactly how I feel, and how I've felt

all my adult life. I'll never understand not supporting Democratic candidates, and letting Republicans win for lack of support for Democrats. My personal political philosophy is far to the left of most Democrats, but the Republicans are so far to the right on every position that any Democrat is better than any Republican in almost all cases.

Is it the lesser of two evils? Well...yes. So is taking chemotherapy for cancer. And Republicans are a cancer on our society.

[dgibby]

33. What would you suggest SC dems do about Alvin Greene?

We have a real problem here. Greene vs DeMint. Not good.

[MineralMan]

35. Yes, that is a real problem. How did Greene win the Primary,

anyhow? Was there no suitable candidate, or did Democrats just let the primary pass? It seems very unlikely to me that Alvin Greene has a prayer of getting elected. Would the other candidate have had a chance against Dimwit? If so, then I'm afraid the blame for Alvin Greene falls on the shoulders of Democrats who sat out the primary. If there is no chance for a Democrat to be elected, I don't suppose it matters all that much, anyhow.

I don't know SC politics at all. I've only been in the state once, and got ripped off of all my worldly goods, so it's not a state I have much affection for, I'm afraid.

[dgibby]

36. How he won is THE $64,000 dollar question.

Even after several investigations, nobody is sure how he pulled it off. We did have a viable candidate in Victor Rawl, but I seriously doubt anyone could unseat DeMint. He could ax murder his grandma, and they'd still vote for him here. It's depressing.

Sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience. I had my car broken into and my purse ripped off when I was in Calif. Believe me, I never made that mistake again!

[southernyankeebelle]

21. I did my duty and went to early vote here in Tn. I didn't vote for my

democrat representative because its like voting for a republican. So I did something I never did before and voted for Micky Mouse instead. I figured why bother voting for this conservative democrat. I already told him I wasn't voting for him. You know I already no the republican is going to win anyway.

[MineralMan]

22. So, who is the Democrat you didn't vote for?

What district are you in in TN?

Mickey Mouse is not available, you know.

[mod mom]

23. when my state coupled w nationals worked to undermine a strong progressive...

I have elected to spend my time/$ on progressive causes instead of corporate candidates.

If we work to support this behavior the cycle continues. There are many environmental/social justice issues much more deserving of efforts and from what I hear from my activist friends I am not alone. We did much of the legwork in '04-08, now it's time to see if those corporations will GOTV.

The difference may be that we had a smear campaign targeting a well known/liked progressive instituted by a Democratic the day before an election.

[MineralMan]

25. It is only in the long haul that we succeed.

I do not know the circumstances you describe, I'm afraid. There are many setbacks as the years pass, and many successes. I remain steadfast in hope of more successes than setbacks. Sometimes I lose. Sometimes I win. That's pretty much a universal story, I think.

[mod mom]

30. When you have a party that thwarts progressive change, then working for them only enables them:

If the corporate dems continue their strangle hold on who the party candidates are, then it's almost impossible in this 2 party system to run candidates, especially if rovian tactics are used against them. In our case, Jennifer brunner (former Judge, current SOS who successfully turned around an election system so tarnished under Ken Blackwell that she received the Kennedy center medal of courage for her outstanding achievement and yet before the citizens of Ohio were allowed to vote her campaign was undermined by the DSCC who only listed her Democratic opponent Lee Fisher as a candidate & when the ODP was about to endorse prior to the primary, it took a campaign of 74,000 to stop. All corporate $ was directed to Fisher and then on the eve of the election this smear:


The smear of progressive candidate for OH Senator, Jennifer Brunner on the eve of the primary (w/o time to respond):

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/election/brunner-says-she-wont-campaign-for-fisher-if-she-loses-tuesday-683022.html


HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

"Jennifer has said all along that she is a Democrat and
will continue to be a good Democrat but she has never
endorsed in a race or publicly supported or campaigned for
any candidate – including President Obama - since she became
Ohio’s chief elections official. She has no plans to change
that."

-snip

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=285582&mesg_id=286072


and here she reiterated it again early on during a debate with Lee Fisher:



Fisher asked Brunner whether she would endorse him if he wins the May 4 primary. Fisher has already pledged to support her if she wins the chance to face Republican Rob Portman in November.

Brunner said she could not endorse any politician because she will remain the state's chief elections officer through the general election.

-snip

http://www.cleveland.com/naymik/index.ssf/2010/04/secretary_of_state_jennifer_br_2.html

[MineralMan]

31. Individual races are individual races. I didn't follow that one,

so I just don't have enough information to make a judgment about it. I have never based my support of Democratic candidates on any race except the one they're in. Nor do I base my opinion of the party on individual situations, since I rarely know all the factors involved, except in my own area.

My personal political philosophy is always far to the left of most Democratic candidates, but it's even farther away from the politics of every Republican I have ever seen. I could never be elected to any office, because I'm far too leftist.

That does not mean that I will only vote for leftist Democrats, though. I see politics as a long-term thing. I'm about moving things at whatever speed is actually possible. I do not have any misconceptions about progress. It is, and has been, slow throughout my adult life. I can see no mechanism that might speed it up.

So, I vote for Democrats, rather than Republicans. I do not vote for third party leftists because it's a waste of my time and my vote. I encourage people to vote for Democrats because even the worst democrat will vote for some measures that are worthwhile. The Republican will not. It is that simple. And the person who doesn't get elected doesn't have any power at all to change things.

I really like most of Dennis Kucinich's positions. Not all of them, but most of them. He's doing a good job right where he is, and has no chance of moving up in the political system that exists. I'm not about futile gestures. I've never been about that.

So, I work to get Democrats elected. That's hard enough, in many cases. I work hard at it. I'm pretty good at it, on the local, precinct level. I will continue to do that. What you do is your own decision.

[LWolf]

28. Somebody asked me yesterday

what I was doing to help elect dems in 2010, and I replied, talking about my Senator's and Congressman's re-election campaigns, and some other good, non-neo-liberal dems across the nation I'd like to support, and I completely forgot that we're electing another governor, as well. :blush:


I'm not completely comfortable with the candidate we nominated; he's got some centrist positions that raise my hackles. I will vote for him if I have to, to make sure we don't turn the state over to a republican.

Meanwhile, I'll be letting him know that, while I wish to support him, his position on education endangers that support.

[MineralMan]

29. Very sensible to let him know how you feel.

Truly.

[leftstreet]

32. 'Middle of the road' candidates get 'middle of the road' support

That's what generally happens, within both parties, election cycle after election cycle...

[MineralMan]

34. Yes, that's the meme. It's also a handy excuse for not working

to get people elected. Sorry, but I don't make excuses. I work. Better a middle-of-the-road Democrat than a freaking teabagger, every time.

[EstimatedProphet]

37. Good on ya, man.

The reality is that we end up with 2 choices. These days, one choice is guaranteed to be psychopathically crazy. Without a viable third party, this is the way it is going to remain, and pretending the situation is different doesn't make it so.

[Scurrilous]

38. Kick

:kick: