QOTD

Matt Stoller:

Hoyer had signs up outside, and he loves the Maryland flag, though it made him look a bit like the Congressman from Medieval Times.

Get that man a writing job!

The context of this is the Donna Edwards-Al Wynn race in MD-04, which we can win. I know Mark Pera got trounced last night, and it turns out that John Laesch narrowly lost to Bill Foster, although provisional and overseas ballots could change that. But Donna Edwards, who came close last time, is the best opportunity for a progressive to beat an incumbent Bush Dog Democrat.

Delaware To Obama, New York To Clinton

Advantage Clinton on that one, but Delaware was seen as a Clinton state and Obama came back to win. He's up in Connecticut too. The big one is New Jersey; it would be an upset AND it's delegate-rich.

...Great news from IL-14; apparently John Laesch is winning in a rout in the primary! Laesch is a real-deal progressive running against a centrist named Bill Foster. I met both at Yearly Kos, actually, and they both seemed fine, but Laesch had a great platform.

...More great news - the Kansas caucuses are through the roof for the Dems! I've heard the same about the New Mexico primaries. Turnout is the story of this primary season.

...OK, it's not all good news. Mark Pera is getting crushed in his primary race against Bush Dog Dan Lipinski. It's hard to unseat an incumbent. They have lots of built-in advantages.

...Alabama goes to Obama, New Jersey to Clinton. It looks like the exit polls floating around were way too optimistic for Obama. So far, Clinton has 6 states, Obama 4, but delegates are the key, and I think Obama is doing pretty well on that front.

...I didn't realize Kansas had been called for Obama. Not surprising, with Sebelius' support and the high turnout. So far we've got:

Hillary Clinton

New York
Tennessee
Oklahoma
New Jersey
Massachusetts
Arkansas

Barack Obama
Delaware
Georgia
Illinois
Alabama
Kansas

Again, delegates are the key, and Chuck Todd on MSNBC said the delegates looked good for Obama in Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee and Oklahoma.

The Opportunity Of The February Primaries

It's actually in two Democratic primaries against incumbents, in Illinois and Maryland. I've been talking a lot about them, but that's because it's the area in which the progressive movement has the most ability to succeed and really change direction in Washington.

In IL-03, removing Dan Lipinski and replacing him with progressive Mark Pera is quite important.

But how do you send a signal when the other side is even worse? You take out some of the worst of your own party in the primaries. Dan Lipinski came to his office through an act of fraud when the elder Lipinski withdrew and made sure there’d be no competition by sticking a plant on the Republican side of the ballot. He remains in that seat with the blessing of the supposedly tough on corruption Chicago Tribune that dismisses the rank corruption that got him in office and has kept him in office as a number of interlocking State and Federal PACs and Campaign Committees throw money around to keep control of the 23rd Ward and the 3rd Congressional District. Federal employees work for these State PACs and Campaign committees while earning a good living on the tax payer dime. State PACs run by a registered lobbyist.

Oh, and he’s horrible on gay rights, immigrant rights, contraception and abortion, and civil rights.

And he’s in a safe Democratic seat where the primary will determine the ultimate victor. He’s the perfect target: corrupt and conservative.

Mark Pera, on the other hand, got in a race that looked nearly impossible and is oh so close to pulling it off. Help him do it.

Here's Mark Pera on breaking the special interest vice grip.



Donate here.

In MD-04, Donna Edwards is a real deal progressive with excellent policy credentials going against blowhard Al Wynn, who's base appears to be telecom and energy lobbyists. He's now whining that his opponent is doing too well with fundraising, a clear tactic to muddy the waters and create controversy where none exists in a desperate attempt to hold onto power.

The campaign manager for Rep. Albert R. Wynn has filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission alleging fundraising improprieties by Donna Edwards, his chief rival in next month's Democratic primary.

The Wynn campaign gave reporters copies of a 34-count complaint today alleging illegal collaboration between Edwards and several of the organizations supporting her in the Fourth District contest.

"There seems to be a vast, dare I say, left-wing conspiracy designed to circumvent campaign finance laws," Wynn told reporters during a conference call. "Within this scheme, her supporters are coordinating efforts to exceed fundraising limits and engaging in illegal campaign activities." [...]

An attorney with the independent Campaign Legal Center in Washington who was asked by The Sun to review the complaint said it didn't appear to contain any facts that would constitute illegal collaboration.

"Interestingly, and unlike most complaints filed with the Federal Election Commission, there's not a single provision of federal campaign finance law directly cited in the complaint," attorney Paul Ryan said. "Several of the allegations, in my view, make clear the complainant doesn't really have a clear understanding of what constitutes coordination under federal law."

You can help Donna Edwards here.

This is the opportunity. This is where we must focus our energies.

IL-03: DFA Canvassing For Mark Pera

Having come close to giving up on the Presidentials in terms of leadership, thoughts turn to the more important primaries, like Mark Pera's battle against Bush Dog Dan Lipinski. DFA is stepping in:

Democracy for America, our nation's largest progressive political action organization, will hold a rally in support of Mark Pera's campaign in Illinois' 3rd Congressional District. The rally, scheduled for Sunday, January 27 at 1:00 PM at Connie's Pizza, 2373 S. Archer Chicago, IL 60609, will be followed by door-to-door canvassing and phone banking by local DFA members.

DFA Chair Jim Dean and Mark Pera will be on-hand to address the crowd before going out to knock on doors and speak to voters and residents in the district.

"Mark Pera offers true, progressive Democratic leadership," Jim Dean, Chair of Democracy for America, said. "We are proud to support his campaign and we are excited to be in the district to speak with his constituents."

You can contribute to Mark Pera at Blue Majority.

Read also Sun-Times columnist Carol Marin on the Lipinski machine (he was handed the seat by his daddy).

More And Better Democrats

Two very big Congressional primaries on the Democratic side are happening in the next few weeks, and the progressive movement should arguably be more concerned with them than the Presidential primary. The leverage that progressives can have in setting the national agenda is directly tied to their ability to punish those wayward Democrats who undermine core values and principles through their votes and their behavior.

In MD-04, Rep. Al Wynn is holding one corporate fundraiser after another in an effort to keep his seat against grassroots progressive Donna Edwards. The latest includes practically every telecom and cable interest in America, at a time when they're all trying to get amnesty for breaking the law and spying on American citizens. Earlier he held one for energy lobbyists. Wynn's constituency is clearly the kind of powerful interests that have attempted to buy government over the last couple decades. Donna Edwards represents a step back from the brink.

In IL-03, Mark Pera is challenging Bush Dog Dan Lipinski, and Pera schooled Lipinski in a recent debate.

Speaking on the issue of energy and the environment, Pera said he would never have voted for the 2005 Bush energy bills, which gave big oil and energy companies $22 billion in tax breaks and allowed for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

In the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary Lipinski said he voted against drilling in ANWR and has resisted pressure from the Bush Administration to pass legislation that included tax breaks for big oil.

Pera said Lipinski had misrepresented his record to the voting public.

"I can't believe what I am hearing," Pera said. "Congressman Lipinski voted to open up [ANWR] for drilling. Congressman Lipinski voted for $8 billion in tax cuts for big oil. Now that he has a challenger like me, he's having an election year conversion."

Lipinski later admitted to voting twice in 2005 for the Bush energy bill (HR 6) in 2005, calling both votes a "tough choice."

The Pera-Lipinski primary is February 5. The Wynn-Edwards race is February 12. Both are crucial to the furthering of the progressive movement. You can donate to both of them at Blue America.