I truly don't understand some progressive, who want to throw bluedogs out of the party

[La Lioness Priyanka]

yet, wanted Tim Ryan selected for leadership over Nancy Pelosi.

Tim Ryan was anti choice till last year and was rated A by the NRA

http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/22/politics/who-is-tim-ryan/

Pelosi on the other hand is far more liberal.

Keep in mind, I supported the more progressive candidate (pelosi), while i still understand that some districts cannot vote in someone as progressives as Pelosi, those districts will vote in people more akin to Ryan. I am ok with that.

What i don't get is the ire against more conservative members, yet the championing of Tim Ryan.

[PatsFan87]

1. As a progressive Bernie supporter who voted for Hillary in the general election...

I think we need to take optics into account. Obama isn't going to be in office anymore. The Clintons will be away from politics as well. So who are the Republicans going to tie Democratic house and senate candidates to? Nancy Pelosi, a wealthy, establishment figure representing a wealthy, liberal San Francisco district. The attack ads in rural, middle America districts practically write themselves. Would these Democratic house candidates get attacked by Republicans trying to compare them to Tim Ryan, an Ohio representative- representing a struggling area- who took on the establishment? Doubtful. Republicans don't win because they're on the right side of policy. They win because they're smarter with their attacks and they know how to play the game. Democrats don't have many efficient attack dogs, they fold too easily, and they don't know how to play the game. We won't find our way back if we can't take back the house (and we have been hemorrhaging seats the last handful of years.) Time to reflect and change.

[realmirage]

11. There's truth to your post

But many will want to stick with a losing playbook

[Justice]

2. Totally agree. Maybe because Pelosi is a woman?

[forjusticethunders]

3. Same reason why Shaun King thinks Booker is an "alternative"

That would have created greater contrast between Trump and the Dem.

Yes, Corey Booker, he of school vouchers and vulture capitalism.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

4. when shaun king talks about race he is interesting

rest of the time, he reminds me of the 'gore = bush' types of 2000

[forjusticethunders]

5. yeah pretty much

You gotta compartmentalize him. Or get him to stop talking electoral politics...

[JHan]

10. Yep. But I still like him lots..

He still has a good track record on many issues, like criminal justice reform but he can easily get the "neo-liberal" label going by some purist progressive standards... and yet Shaun would support him.

Who says any of this was supposed to make sense though ....

[La Lioness Priyanka]

12. you talking about booker? I like Corey a lot too.

i think everyone has some negatives, and people need to stop hoping that a fairy princess will rescue them.

[JHan]

13. Yep Corey....

"people need to stop hoping that a fairy princess will rescue them."

Gosh yes.

[forjusticethunders]

15. Everyone prioritizes different issues though

Booker isn't the kind of guy that would embrace MMT, for example. He's great on many, many other issues though but he's an *actual* neoliberal/economic centrist and supports charters (which I think are deeply problematic to say the least), and those are issues I'd love to push him to the left on. Not that I wouldn't support him as a nominee though.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

16. perfectly reasonable position

[etherealtruth]

6. I am inclined to beleive these are the same people that touted Tulsi Gabbard as a progressive hero

... despite her voting record.

Gabbard and Ryan are both conservative (by democratic standards) ... yet for whatever reason they are deemed "OK" by many of the purgers.

In Ryan's case, like you, I understand that some districts are NOT going to vote for truly progressive Democrats.

I can recall Northern Michigan was represented by Bart Stupak (a conservative dem/ personally anti-choice), when he decided not to run (to the glee of many progressives) he was replaced by a far, far, right tea-bagging nut job. Some areas are simplt not going to vote for a progressive

[La Lioness Priyanka]

7. omg dont even get me started on gabbard

[etherealtruth]

8. beleive me ... I know :-(

[emulatorloo]

9. Gabbard is automatically deemed 'progressive'

Because she endorsed Senator Sanders.

Doesn't matter what her record or positions are. That's what the litmus test for some.

She essentially became a blank slate for us to project "progressive" values on.

Pelosi, the life long liberal/progressive is 'bad' because she is old (fresh blood argument) and from SAN Francisco, so allegedly Middle Americans hate her. No matter that the last part is a Republican talking point. Our Ryan supporters were quite happy to embrace it.

Ryan also benefits from the blank slate effect. We can project progressive values on him because we don't know much about him. Being anti-Pelosi made him automatically "progressive" to some.

[Ken Burch]

14. As it happened, there wasn't much support for dumping Pelosi

Most people outside of the House Democratic Caucus hadn't heard of Tim Ryan, and his challenge was backed mainly by Upper Midwest Dems, many of whom were centrists rather than progressive.

This wasn't a huge grassroots thing.

[geek tragedy]

17. I think a lot of people are reconsidering the antagonism felt towards Blue Dogs now that we see

that the alternative is psychopathic Randians and Trumpers running the government.

The Ryan vs Pelosi think is somewhat parallel to the Trump vs Clinton thing--people may recognize that the senior candidate has superior expertise and qualifications, but feel like things need to change and that staying the same is the one thing we can't afford to do.



Not a perfect parallel obviously, but Pelosi has become the symbol of the Democratic Party's gerontocracy much like Clinton became a symbol for the party's reliance on the urban professional class.

[JI7]

18. Remember when people wanted Jim Webb to run for President ?

this was around the time of his senate election and how he was a fighter and all that shit unlike the democrats in office now.

[JI7]

19. i knew about his position on abortion but i didn't know about the NRA thing. because it looks like

he has switched on that issue also.

looks like he has some plans for higher office. we already saw it with him trying to replace Pelosi .

I bet he runs for president in 2020 .

[Lil Missy]

20. Seems to me it would better sense to throw out the left fringe-ers.

There are significantly more votes to gain from the center than there are on the far left.

[Willie Pep]

21. We cannot have a 50-state strategy without being a Big Tent.

For example, I don't see 100% progressive candidates winning in many red states. They will likely have to be more moderate on certain issues.

I am a bit biased here since I am a Catholic, pro-life Democrat so I am an example of somebody who does not fit the progressive bill completely. I accept that the national party may never be perfect in my eyes but I do think that there is room to work with people within the party on issues where we have common ground.