Democratic schism on display in Ohio special

[LetMyPeopleVote]

Link to tweet

The battle for the soul of the Democratic Party is now centered on the streets of Cleveland in a special election that’s poised to signal its future ideological direction.

A once sleepy primary between a stalwart Bernie Sanders ally, former state senator Nina Turner, and Cuyahoga County Councilwoman Shontel Brown has suddenly turned into an all-out civil war between the party establishment and the progressive left. Numerous national party figures, from Hillary Clinton to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to the mother of the HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge (whose resignation opened up the seat), have made endorsements in the runup to the August 3 primary that will all but determine the next member of Congress in the Northeast Ohio district....

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, who endorsed Brown last week, plans to campaign in Cleveland the weekend before the August 3 special election, according to Brown’s campaign manager—a sign of confidence that Brown has the momentum. Clyburn’s strategy is reminiscent of his bet on Biden’s struggling presidential campaign before South Carolina, where a coalition of pragmatic African-Americans and white moderates gave him a commanding victory that propelled him to the nomination.,,,,

Most significantly for the race, the district has a sizable Jewish community around Cleveland, which is mobilized for the low-turnout primary because of Turner’s history of antagonism towards Israel. Democratic Majority for Israel, an organization that backs Democratic pro-Israel candidates, has invested heavily in the race for Shontel Brown, blanketing the local airwaves with ads attacking Turner for her past criticism of both Biden and Hillary Clinton. (One DMFI ad quotes Turner’s comment in the Atlantic in 2020, when she said that choosing between Biden and Trump was like have a bowl of s**t in front of you, and all you’ve got to do is eat half of it instead of the whole thing. It’s still s**t.”)

This will be a fun race to watch

[comradebillyboy]

1. A contested primary for an open seat is not a "Democratic schism"...

[Atticus]

2. This. nt

[abqtommy]

3. +100 Ya got that right.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. There is a conflict between the Just Us Democrats and the rest of the party

The Just Us Democrats want to destroy and remake the Democratic Party. This race is a contest between the Just Us Democrats and the more establishment wing of the party. I was a Clinton delegate to the 2016 national convention and I saw this schism up close

[Kahuna]

10. This nt

[sheshe2]

29. Yep.

The Peoples Party.

[brooklynite]

7. This is not just a "contested Primary"

The amount of cash and the caliber of the people endorsing in an absolutely safe Democratic seat, and the political leaning of Nina Turner has made this race a schism be establishment Democrats and left-wing progressives.

[jrthin]

9. Thank you!

[PatrickforB]

4. Indeed, interesting race to watch.

On the Israel front, it seems to me that being against Israel's current apartheid approach to its Palestinian citizens is NOT tantamount to being anti-Israel.

As to Turner's comment on Biden and Trump, she is clearly a devotee of South Park's satirical Giant Douche and Turd Sandwich episode. And she was wrong. Biden is proving a transformative president, and has been doing a really good job since he took office. Turner's comment was a bit over the top. Quite a bit.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

6. This makes me smile

Link to tweet

[Cha]

21. This is a wonderful endorsement! Rt TY!

[The Magistrate]

8. There's No 'Democratic Schism' Here, Sir --- Turner's Not A Democrat

I notice how they are setting up to blame her impending failure on 'da jooos'....

[LetMyPeopleVote]

11. At the 2016 national convention Jewish caucus meeting, I was called a bad Jew

There was a sanders supporter wearing a large cross on the outside of his sanders shirt yelling at the attendees and telling us that we were bad Jews for supporting Hillary Clinton. It was both sad and funny

[comradebillyboy]

12. Exactly so...

[we can do it]

15. I agree, tired of her bashing Biden.

[we can do it]

16. I agree, tired of her bashing Biden.

[Behind the Aegis]

17. Correct on both points.

It is just outright sad how often this occurs in that segment of the party.

[Rustyeye77]

26. "Turner's history of antagonism towards Israel." ?

I'm shocked...just shocked.

[George II]

36. A number of those who endorsed her have been antagonistic toward Israel. In fact one of them....

....has outright lied about Israel a number of times in recent months.

[11 Bravo]

20. This can not be repeated too often, Sir.

Nina Turner is NOT a Democrat!

[Cha]

22. Exactly.

[George II]

27. In light of recent revelations, you have a point there, sir:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215641974

[lapucelle]

28. Former Superdelegate-Sen. Nina Turner is on the advisory board of an anti-Democratic Party party?

[George II]

31. Yes. And apparently according to the People's Party and her the only reason she's running....

....as a Democrat is because she couldn't run as a candidate of the People's Party. See the video further down in this thread.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

46. It is not clear that Turner will caucus with Democrats

Link to tweet

[LetMyPeopleVote]

13. The CBC is also being attacked

Link to tweet

[Caliman73]

18. Wow. Sammon's analysis is absolutely fucking stupid.

The CBC is supposed to be purely identity based? Have you seen that they will not allow a Black Republican to join the caucus? They are Black Democrats, who collectively, by majority in their own caucus, chose to support one Black Democratic candidate over another Black Democratic candidate.

This has nothing to do with progressive v. "establishment". If anything, they are making that choice based on the fact that one of those candidates has repeatedly disrespected the Party and the President, going as far as to call him a "shit sandwich".

Individuals and organizations have every right to support whoever they want without their "credibility" being questioned by a white boy.

[sheshe2]

32. Read the twitter thread the other night.

Sammon, a white man got one hell of a beating.

Well desearved.

[Caliman73]

39. Stay in your lane, to be sure...

I love the response from the Black church community. They didn't really attack Turner, but they said it correctly. Talk about your message, don't talk shit about your opponent. Only people with no real message revert to talking shit about their opponent.

[sheshe2]

40. Stay in your lane was awesome.

I also loved one Reverend's response...loose quote here
You don't have to speak every word that comes into your mind.

[George II]

41. I think it was "not everything in your mind should come out of your mouth"! I think....

....I'm going to become a Baptist.

[sheshe2]

42. If I were religious...

I would too.

[betsuni]

34. +1

[George II]

37. What's amazing is that on Twitter a few days ago I was criticized for NOT backing....

....a WOC because I didn't support Turner. The fact that I was supporting Shontel Brown meant nothing to them.

It's as though Brown is a white man to them.

[betsuni]

38. I'm beginning to wonder.

Like they literally see an elderly conservative white man because they're convinced both parties are the same, when the rest of us see someone completely different. This should be studied, it's really weird.

[Cha]

23. Is this idiot going to attack the Cleveland

Clergy, too.. for supporting Shontel Brown?

[comradebillyboy]

14. Nina Turner warms up the crowd for Jill Stein in 2016.

Link to tweet

?s=20

[Rustyeye77]

19. Uhhhh...Is that Jill Stein??

I couldnt tell.

[comradebillyboy]

24. That surely was Jill Stein ...

[LetMyPeopleVote]

25. Here is more on this split

Link to tweet

[betsuni]

33. NYT sounds like Justice Democrats BS!

The diabolically powerful elderly corporate Democratic establishment is throwing kitchen sinks, will do anything to stop the poor young righteous grassroots progressive because they are TERRIFIED of progress. Blah blah blah blah.

[George II]

30. I can't remember when I last saw so much national attention on a Congressional primary before....

The writer is correct, the Cleveland area has the largest Jewish community in the state of Ohio, and with the negative comments toward Israel by Turner and some of her endorsers, that's not going to sit well. And Jewish Americans vote as a bloc, and virtually always in favor of the most pro-Israel candidate.

That and the fact that the District is 52% Black, with James Clyburn and many of the Cleveland Black clergy endorsing Shontel Brown, is probably the reason why Brown has tightened the race (although the one poll that had Turner way ahead was an in-house poll paid for by Turner's campaign itself).

Clyburn sent out a fundraising email today on behalf of Brown. In it he pointed out that Shontel Brown is being outspent 3-1 due to huge amounts of "dark money" flowing into the campaign.

It interesting that today it was revealed, by Nick Brana of the People's Party, that they're hoping Nina Turner would shift her affiliation to their party if she wins the primary as a Democrat.

As he put it, when asked why she wasn't on the ballot as a People's Party candidate, "We don't have the ballot line yet....but what we want her to do, is we want her, you know, and we shared this with her, um, is we want her to get into office..."

Here's the video:

[Cha]

35. KR.. More Exposure.. TY, LMPV!

[LetMyPeopleVote]

43. Washington Post-The Trailer: How a Democratic primary in Ohio became a Biden loyalty test

This is a good analysis of this race There are reasons to worry about Nina Turner being able to work with the Biden administration and this district needs support from the POTUS. This race has become a contest between two factions of the party and it will be interesting to see which faction prevails https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/07/20/trailer-how-democratic-primary-ohio-became-biden-loyalty-test/

In its final days, the Democratic primary in Ohio's 11th Congressional District has become what the “mover and shaker” predicted: a battle between Turner and a candidate who's defined herself against Turner. Shontel Brown, a 45-year old Cuyahoga County Council member and the chair of the local Democratic Party, has accused Turner of undermining President Biden during the 2020 campaign. Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) and the Congressional Black Caucus PAC have endorsed Brown, as has Hillary Clinton, and nearly half a million dollars of PAC money has lashed Turner over the ways she advocated for Sanders.

Brown's closing pitch is blunt. In a “legacy seat” (her words, invoking the city's history of powerful Black representation) that badly needs federal resources, a Democrat who goes along with Biden will deliver more than a Democrat constantly trying to push him to the left. Republican primaries, like the one in the neighboring 16th Congressional District, have become contests of loyalty to the party's last president. Turner's opponents are testing whether Democratic primary voters can be moved in the same way, by what their candidates said about Joe Biden.....

Turner had led protests against Clinton at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Cleveland, even stopping by an event with Green Party candidate Jill Stein. Last year, she compared the Trump-Biden choice to picking between a full or half-bowl of human excrement, language she's left behind in this campaign. In power, Sanders has avoided attacking Democrats and focused on getting his priorities into spending bills. Turner suggested she was ready to do the same, warning in an op-ed last year that “the next Trump might be far more dangerous than the one we just defeated” if Democrats did not gave tangible benefits, fast, to working-class people........

Early and mail voting has been thin so far, with both candidates planning to bring in surrogates to drive it up: Clyburn for Brown, Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) for Turner. Voters were not always tuned into the dispute, though a few were — and the vast majority of Democratic primary voters here had rejected Sanders twice. While waiting for Brown and Turner to arrive at a Black women's forum on Saturday, Cynthia Brown, 60, said she had ruled Turner out completely, because she hadn't worked to stop Trump in 2016.

“She's done things that have hurt the Democratic Party,” said Brown. “She's right that she has the most experience. Unfortunately, she said what she said and did what she did. You do it, you've got to own it.” Across the room, Wanda Benford, also 60, said she'd voted for Clinton and Biden but thought Turner had the “energy and integrity” to make the district matter in Congress.

It will be interesting to see if the progressive wing can turnout the vote or if the more establishment wing will be more successful

[Chili]

44. I just finished watching the NBA finals...

(yay Bucks!)

... on ABC. I rarely watch local stations - Browns games, that's about it. So tonight I saw why the black clergy, local mayors, council members, and businessmen held that press conference calling her out. I saw 3 of the ugly nasty Turner ads for the first time - these don't play on MSNBC, no sir. They were effing offensive. "Shontel Brown is going after black women." WTF! And that crap the conference members disputed - the $7,000, the boyfriend thing, the $2mil Brown "took" (really?). I see exactly why they got so pissed and made it a big deal to speak out, and I'm glad they did. She is trash and acts like it.

And I'm very glad to hear that Clyburn will be coming here to campaign for Brown (forgot who else), but sickened to hear that AOC will be here for Turner. Disappointed in her inability to see how destructive this woman is - or doesn't care.

[NurseJackie]

45. The latter.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

47. It's Nina Turner Against the Democratic Establishment in Ohio 11

This will be an interesting contest. The author is clearly a big fan of Sanders and thinks that Sanders will help Turner.

Link to tweet

But Turner knew things were about to get tough in her race to replace Representative Marcia Fudge, appointed as secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), a super PAC known for going negative against candidates perceived as insufficiently loyal to the powerful US ally —Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Ilhan Omar have been two of its targets—had endorsed Brown and was ready to drop a bundle of money, in advertising and mailers, behind her candidacy. The Brown campaign had already gone a bit nasty, with an ad highlighting Turner’s criticism of President Joe Biden last year and promising that Brown was the candidate for Ohio 11 who would work “with Joe Biden.” (Biden won the district with 80 percent of the vote.)....

She wasn’t hiding it; how could she? But Turner clearly hoped reminding people that she’d twice been a Barack Obama delegate to the Democratic National Convention, in 2008 and 2012, would matter more than that she’d led protests against nominee Hillary Clinton at the 2016 convention.

It hasn’t entirely worked. Not only has she faced DMFI attacks, but in June Hillary Clinton herself endorsed Brown, who was scarcely known outside of Cleveland before this race. In July Brown won the endorsement of South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn, No. 3 in House Democratic leadership. Then came backing from the official Congressional Black Caucus PAC.....

Still, earlier this week, a group of Black ministers who’ve endorsed Brown held a press conference to push back on those claims. “Not everything that’s in your head ought to come out of your mouth,” the Rev. Dr. Marvin McMickle chided Turner. It got a lot of Twitter play.....

Turner and I were unable to connect for this article by my deadline; I’d have liked to ask if she regretted her Clyburn conversation with Killer Mike. But I venture she’d have said no. That’s what she said when I asked if she’d take back her comment likening voting for Biden to eating “half” a bowl of excrement—better than eating a full bowl of Trump, but still not ideal. She took issue with the fact that I was “centering” Biden. What someone else might view as sensible political message-tailoring, Turner often sees as “silencing..” Where she sees political foes “punishing” her for telling her truth, others see predictable consequences.

If Sanders has become an elder statesman of the Party then Turner should win. It will be interesting to see what happens in this race

[LetMyPeopleVote]

48. The Democratic Establishment Is Going All Out To Beat Nina Turner

I am not a fan of the Just Us Democrats and Nina Turner. I am glad that the party is going to take a strong stand when the Just Us Democrats target a real democrat. We are seeing this conflict in the OH 11

Link to tweet

Moderate Democratic groups, donors and even some Republicans are flooding Ohio’s 11th Congressional District with millions of dollars in a bid to elect Shontel Brown and defeat progressive favorite Nina Turner in Tuesday’s special primary election.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), along with Democratic Reps. Joyce Beatty (Ohio), Gregory Meeks (N.Y.) and Bennie Thompson (Miss.), are headlining a get-out-the-vote event for Brown this weekend as well. ....

The goal of Brown’s establishment allies, however, is not merely to stop Turner. By defeating Turner, a staunch ally of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and critic of Democratic Party leaders, these moderates also hope to send a shot across the bow to the nascent activist left ― a signal that they are ramping up efforts to limit the left’s influence in Congress.

“Establishment Dems have largely slept through a lot of primary challenges or a lot of these races where the Justice Democrats have played,” said a moderate Democratic strategist uninvolved in the race, who asked for anonymity for professional reasons. “They’re not going to do that anymore.” ....

But as her critics have grown more willing to remind voters, she is also someone who publicly entertained an offer to serve as Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein’s running mate in 2016, and who, in 2020, likened the choice between President Donald Trump and Biden to deciding between a “bowl of shit” and “half” of that bowl.....

“People who vote in the Democratic primary tend to be voters who are proud to be Democrats and prioritize Democratic unity,” said Cass, a partner at Slingshot Strategies in Manhattan. “If your words can be twisted and painted in a way that makes it look like you are antithetical to that ― which Nina Turner is not, but people she has pissed off perceive that to be the case ― I don’t think Democratic voters like that.”

I get the Just US Democrats emails and you can see that the Just Us Democrats are desperate to raise more money to stick it to corporate democrats. I find these emails to be very funny