Justice Democrats Helped Make Ocasio-Cortez. They're Already Eyeing Their Next Targets

[brooklynite]

New York Times

WASHINGTON — Less than a month into the 116th Congress, Sean McElwee, the liberal co-founder of Data for Progress, rattled off a list of sitting Democratic House members who should face a primary from the left, his exposition punctuated with dismissive expletives.

There was Representative Stephen F. Lynch of Massachusetts, a moderate, perennial primary target who voted against the Affordable Care Act in 2010; Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas, who raised money for a Republican House incumbent last year as a popular Democratic challenger was closing in; Representative Daniel Lipinski, an old-school Chicago-area politician who has voted against gay marriage and tried to sink Obamacare; and Representative Eliot L. Engel of New York, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who has clashed with one of the highest-profile liberal freshmen, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.

Mr. McElwee, a pollster and political adviser, has floated all of those names to Justice Democrats, a small grass-roots organization that burst onto the political scene last year after coordinating Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s stunning primary defeat of Joseph Crowley of New York, the No. 4 Democrat in the House at the time.

“These are a lot of ideological contests for the soul of the Democratic Party,” Mr. McElwee said.

I trust he won't be coming to me for assistance; we have bigger targets to focus on.

[Tiggeroshii]

1. without justice dems

there would be no green new deal

[irisblue]

2. Do you think a Green Deal with happen with Republicans?

[Tiggeroshii]

4. irrelevant

since tgere would be no discission about it without jds in the first place

[irisblue]

5. That is supposed to be a convincing reason?

There are things I like and respect about the Justice Dems, but this is not one of them.

Burning down the world in the obverse of Bannon & Brietbart worlds is not going to work.

I disagee with your statement.

[Tiggeroshii]

7. eh

Last edited Sun Feb 24, 2019, 05:31 PM - Edit history (1)

i fail to see how anything they`ve done constitutes "burning down the world."

[irisblue]

8. So help me understand your points....

[Tiggeroshii]

15. the world is already literally burning down.

Take Malibu for example.


There has been no effort or proposal by a nominee as concerted and expansive as the green new deal. in my view and many peoples` view, that is the only alternative to keep the world from burning.

[Hortensis]

41. You know that, but it seems you don't know who our

firemen are. Seriously. Maybe go read about who all the most dedicated environmental activist groups are working with in government?

Many climate, environment, energy, fresh water activists have run for congress over the past decade and more and won. They're there, and they're not nothing, Tiggeroshii. Now that the public has finally become aware and thus empowering action, what they need is control of the house and senate to do what has to be done.

[radius777]

6. False. Hillary ran on a Green economy in 2016,

made transforming America into the next "Green superpower" a centerpiece of her campaign.

[Tiggeroshii]

16. not close to as expanisive ajd concerted/comprehensive as what the justice dmocats have

proposed

[Cha]

3. justice democrats edited the DiFi Vid..

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[Horizens]

10. Nothing Burger

AOC'S call for a green new deal is as substantive as a beauty contestants desire for world peace.

It is the king of Nothing Burgers.

[Tiggeroshii]

19. Have you read it?

Because the vast majority of potential nomInees seem to disagree with you. They just wont commit to going the full monty with this "nothing burger."

[Horizens]

20. Have I Read it?

If I hadn't first read it, I wouldn't have commented about it. Any potential nominee who lends ny credence to AOC's nothing burger won't be getting my primary vote.

Feinstein's resolution far more detailed than AOC’s nothing burger Green Deal. AOC's proposal is as substantive as a beauty contestants desire for world peace.

Have you read Feinstein's resolution?

[NurseJackie]

24. Excellent analogy!

Thank you.

[Tiggeroshii]

27. Glad you are making the best decision you see fit.

I have read it, and I would like to know specifically what you think makes it a "nothing burger?"

[yardwork]

22. Nonsense. Hillary's platform was a Green New Deal.

[comradebillyboy]

34. The difference being Hillary had a plan to actually do it.

[yardwork]

37. And the experience needed to get it done.

It's easy to yell at Democratic leaders. It's not so easy to herd all the Congress cats - especially the fascist Republicans - and achieve a goal.

[comradebillyboy]

38. 2016 was a tragedy for America.

[Tom Rinaldo]

9. I remember quite a few posts being made here hoping Stephen F. Lynch got primaried

for his organizing efforts to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming Speaker of the House. Personally I'm not thrilled with Lipinski, and if he were my Rep. I likely would be trying to help a Democratic primary opponent get elected in his place.

From the looks of this list (and no I am not an expert on all of these districts so I may well be wrong) it seems unlikely Democrats have to swing to the right in order to beat out a Republican in the General. I have more tolerance for someone like Joe Manchin than I do for Daniel Lipinski.

[Eugene]

14. Lynch has been primaried from the left before.

He has beaten back primary challengers for is opposition to the ACA and his support for the Iraq War. As long as conservative South Boston is part of his district, he is unassailable.

[doompatrol39]

11. Wow. "Justice Dems" now being used as an insult around here it seems?

Last I checked justice was something we were all supposed to fight for.

I guess not. Who knew.

[DFW]

13. You can call yourself anything you want.

Republicans call themselves "conservative," "fiscally responsible" and the Party of "family values."

How much of THAT do you swallow?

[nini]

25. oh please

So because they use the word justice in their name that proves they are doing just things?

LOLOL.

[Blue Owl]

29. The devil's greatest trick

is always deception, you know..

[brush]

32. Come off it. The so-called Justice Democrats target other Dems, not repugs.

Did that ever occur to you?

[KG]

12. I lulz'd

[theophilus]

17. Well, they seem to want most of the things I do. Time will tell.....

Either the folks will vote for them and their ideas or they won't. They certainly seem to stir up emotion. Not always a bad thing. Time for action and pretty radical change I guess. Might just do some more sweeping with this new broom. Republicans are looking pretty bad as the new climate destroys many things. Rich folks dreams are melting and the grill is being lit. Repent thou one percent......

[ibegurpard]

18. Looks like they're trying to primary very marginal Democrats

In very winnable districts. Good for them.

[DinahMoeHum]

30. Excuse me, but Eliot Engel is no "marginal Democrat". . .

. . .and it is not a winnable district for a challenger any time soon.

He's held in highest regard by most Democrats in the district; and he crushed his primary opponent last June, because there was really no compelling reason to reject him.

And, I'm sorry, chastising Rep. Ilhan Omar over statements/tweets that were considered anti-semitic by nearly everybody is not a compelling reason to remove him from office.



(Disclaimer: I live in NY CD-16, represented by Engel)

[Tipperary]

21. Coming to you?

Seriously? “Me “ as in your other half, you mean, right? Why do you never give your wife any credit?

[SixString]

28. +1

[dalton99a]

23. Always look for the Justice label

If you're not supporting Justice Democrats, then you're supporting injustice

[shanny]

36. lol

Their sole requirement is that their candidates refuse corporate money. As Obama did.

What a horror.

[MrsCoffee]

39. Why do you keep posting that baloney?

It says right on their website that they will primary any incumbent that doesn’t support their ENTIRE PLATFORM.

An full spectrum of political issues.

You’ve been posting misinformation repeatedly.

[shanny]

40. Oh I don't know.

Seems to me their platform is very similar to ours and endorses overwhelmingly popular positions--more boldly--but the biggest difference is an insistence on grassroots/no corporate cash.

Worthy goals. Clearly, ymmv

[MrsCoffee]

43. Words mean things.

They’ve got fifty topics or so listed on their platform, but you just keep on spinning that there is only one thing they base supporting and primarying candidates on (they specifically state on their website that they will primary incumbents who don’t support their ENTIRE platform). And this ridiculousness that they are the only “Democrats” interested in getting rid of corporate cash is just that. Ridiculous.

I have no idea where you got this and why you keep spreading it.

[shanny]

44. Yes, they do.

And I don't see a SINGLE ITEM that some Democrats, in or out of office, would not agree with. Their platform is a difference in degree, not in kind.

And of course we all know that platforms are aspirational documents, do we not? We know that they represent the best we can hope for, and work toward? We all also know that politics is about compromise. Tell me, what kind of negotiator uses what he or she would be willing to accept as an opening position? If you don't know the answer to that, I'll tell you: a bad one.

The fact that we are facing the biggest crisis in the history of the human race--catastrophic climate change--raises the stakes into the endangered troposphere. Add in anti-democratic forces worldwide and skyrocketing inequality and corruption and you have the perfect recipe for Armageddon. We have to address climate change, we have to do it soon, and all praise to those on the left--in or out of the Democratic Party as you* define it--who are pushing the limits of "acceptable" solutions and discourse. We need them. We ALL need them.

* btw, the 2016 D platform was the most progressive in history; the next one is likely to be even more so and I am willing to bet money that some JD policies will be included. Parties evolve, over time; I'm sorry if that makes some uncomfortable.

[ehrnst]

46. I think this goal diverges from the Democratic Party Platform:

Dismantling the Party...

It’s time to rebuild the Democratic Party from scratch to be a party that fights for a clear progressive vision.

https://now.justicedemocrats.com/form/endorsement

Clearly.

[democratisphere]

26. This is the kind of sh't that allows redumbliCONS to win elections.

[brush]

31. Bigger targets is right, like repugs.

[WordsMatter]

33. Getting more progressive/FDR Dem candidates/office holders is a good thing!

The Times article shows where a Dem House member help to raise money for a freeking republican.

Seems like a great idea.

[shanny]

35. Thank goodness rich people don't get to decide.

[jalan48]

42. Great, we need more AOCs.

[melman]

45. Yes we do