A story about Rahm, the Democratic establishment and John Kerry

[ProSense]

In February 2006, the DCCC sent out a survey and one of the questions was who do you view as Party leaders. Missing from the list was John Kerry, the former Democratic nominee. A lot of Kerry supporters, including me, wrote in John Kerry and wrote blunt letters to Rahm. This is one of the reasons I can't stand Rahm. I've always viewed him as too centrist, of the Clinton mold.

Here are the results (from a post in DU's Kerry forum):

DCCC Survey Results
2006 Democratic Survey Results
In February 2006, we sent you a survey because we wanted to know more about the people who make up our community here and what issues and concerns that are most important to you. Read the results below.

1. What should be the most important priority for Democrats in Congress right now?
Terrorism 4.82%
New Jobs 4.41%
Affordable Health Care 25.73%
Better Schools 2.91%
Fixing the Culture of Corruption in the Republican Congress 17.10%
Exposing GOP mistruths and distortions 23.14%

2. I am most concerned about:
Rising Home Heating and Gas Prices 12.95%
Healthcare Costs 48.30%
College Savings 1.96%
Retirement Savings 8.69%

3. Millions of Americans are struggling to understand the new Republican Medicare bill. What is your biggest concern about this bill?
It keeps re-importation from Canada illegal 3.93%
It locks seniors into plans that may change 6.45%
It prevents Medicare from bargaining for lower prices 37.80%
It's just too confusing 29.55%

4. How would you rate the current state of the American economy?
Excellent 0.47%
Good 5.36%
Fair 38.33%
Poor 55.84%

5. The mission of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is to:
Recruit candidates to run for Congress 15.08%
Pay for field organizers to go door to door 2.84%
Raise money to put in the tightest races across the country 23.96%
To help win five House seats 32.88%

6. Which would you be most likely to do to bring about a Democratic majority to the House of Representatives? You can select more than one.
Sign a petition 21.20%
Write a letter to the editor 7.41%
Give money 11.77%
Forward messages to your friends and family 11.55%
Go door to door 2.22%
Host a house Party 13.44%
Help out on Election Day 2.27%
Make phone calls 4.37%
Register people to vote 11.16%
Drive people to vote 7.20%

7. Do you think Democrats in Congress are fighting against the misguided policies of the Bush Administration?
Yes 19.51%
No 21.50%
Maybe 59.00%

8. Where would you like to see your dollars go to in a political campaign?
Door Signs 0.80%
Television and radio ads 58.22%
Field Staff to knock on doors 19.78%
Direct Mail pieces 5.29%

9. What issues do you want to hear from Democrats about?
Healthcare 26.82%
War in Iraq 26.19%
Education 5.72%
Environment 8.50%

10. Which Democrats do you view as Party leaders? Mark all that apply:
Gov. Howard Dean 14.16%
Sen. Harry Reid 9.21%
Rep. Nancy Pelosi 13.27%
Sen. Barack Obama 15.92%
Former Vice President Al Gore 12.70%
Rep. Rahm Emanuel 2.95%
Sen. Hillary Clinton 12.86%
James Carville 5.84%
* Sen. John Kerry received a substantial number of write-in votes giving him 11.23%

11 Have you visited the DCCC website?
Yes 66.72%
No 33.28%

12. Have you ever taken action from the homepage?
Yes 50.50%
No 49.50%

Note, even though Kerry was missing from the list, he achieved a significant percentage, on write-in! Imagine if he had been on the list.

The original link is no longer active: http://www.dccc.org/get_involved/dccc_survey_results_02102006/#10

Still, in past elections (including Obama's), Kerry has been one of the strongest supporters of Democrats and Democratic organizations.

Kerry, Clark and Gore lead the pack for '06 work/$$

DCCC keeping score
By Josephine Hearn

Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) is tracking how helpful Democratic presidential hopefuls are to candidates endorsed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), he told his colleagues at a recent political dinner.

The effort is similar to a system he has set up to track how much his fellow House Democrats help the party committee, both financially and in such non-quantifiable items as mentoring and travel.

Topping the list now is Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who donated $500,000 to the DCCC and has helped in numerous individual campaigns. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) described Kerry’s efforts as “phenomenal.”

Other standouts include retired Gen. Wesley Clark and former Vice President Al Gore. Clark held fundraisers with Kentucky Democratic candidate Mike Weaver and California Democrat Steve Filson. He also sent out an e-mail singing the praises of candidate Eric Massa. Gore raised over $200,000 for the DCCC, which Emanuel chairs.

Now, I really can't stand Rahm Emanuel, but I could never see that despise leading me to parrtner with the RW to try to destroy him.

[Atticus]

1. I've been signed on for about 30-40 minutes and this is---what?---at least the third post on this

same topic.

None have been well-received.

What is your purpose in attacking those who challenge Mr. Emanuel even when so doing temporarily allies them with some really disgusting neo-cons?

It's clear that you think such people are only "so-called" progressives. Repeating that in serial posts adds nothing to your argument.

[ProSense]

2. "What is your purpose in attacking those who challenge Mr. Emanuel" What?

You seem awfully eager to hide behind that bogus strawman to defend Hamsher's moronic alignment with Grover Norquist.

[Atticus]

3. And, you are awfully eager to avoid answering any questions---AGAIN. nt

[Armstead]

10. And YOU seem awfully eager to keep the focus on Hamsher as a club against bill critics

Yes everything who wants a better health care bill thinks we should ally with Grover.

:eyes:

[ShortnFiery]

4. Very insightful. Yet they keep on plugging away.

It's like death and taxes ... the God Bless Everything relating to The Obama Administration threads are THAT predictable. :shrug:

[ProSense]

5. "the God Bless Everything relating to The Obama Administration "

As opposed to the so-called progressives for Norquist?

Anyone jumping on that bandwagon is a moron.

[Atticus]

6. "Progressives for Norquist"? You KNOW such animals don't exist, yet you label fellow liberals with

that oxymoronic term.

Are you happy with what that makes you?

As I think I've made clear in other posts, I do NOT think what Hamsher did was wise. I believe gross over-reactions like yours were predictable and anything which further divides us should be avoided, if possible.

But, give the "pariah" schtick a rest, will you?

[MH1]

7. Well Jane Hamsher calls herself progressive, and she is siding with Norquist

in trying to take down the Obama administration.

And don't give me some shit that it's about "challenging Rahm". I'm just not ready to believe you are that fucking stupid. There is no way, if Hamsher and Norquist get their way, that their action doesn't hamstring Obama and help turn Congress and the Presidency back to the republicans.

Never mind supporting the lie that the economic near-depression we are experiencing was somehow due to giving poor people a better opportunity for home-ownership. I think legitimizing that bullshit pisses me off at Hamsher almost as much as all the other stuff.

[Atticus]

9. I'm really not here to defend Hamsher. I have said that she has been foolish.

But, is it actually more than hyper-ventilation that she is "trying to take down the Obama administration"?

I absolutely agree that Norquist is a total waste of skin, and I do understand that many here loathe Hamsher. I simply don't see any justification for equating them.

I am certainly willing to be educated on this issue, but, so far, too much has been assumed and too little has been substantiated.

Thanks for your response and thank you for not being ready to believe that I am "that fucking stupid".

[MH1]

8. Thanks for that reminder. The DCCC is so clueless sometimes.

I'm no fan of Rahm's either but don't think he's any more of a crook than most politicians.