Should every Democratic member of ''Gang of Six'' be primaried?

[yurbud]

Every time one of these bipartisan Senate ''gangs'' is put together, the American people get mugged.

I'm ambivalent about primarying Obama, but not about cancerous corporate Democrats. Sure they can sometimes win in conservative areas where a progressive might not, but they sully the Democratic brand by not standing up to defend past very successful progressive policies (let alone moving the ball forward) that they do far more damage to the party on the national stage than help by winning their conservative state or district.


Everyone of these corporate bootlicks who betray the people who elected them should be primaried, and replaced

[RC]

1. If Conrad runs again, he will not have anyone of any substance running against him from either party

That is not how North Dakota works.

[yurbud]

3. In North Dakota, if you had two people running, there'd be no one left to vote

[uppityperson]

4. You sound illiterate about ND though you seem to jest. Here is some info to peruse...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/2011-03-16-north-dakota-census_N.htm
North Dakota, the state with the nation's lowest unemployment rate, capped a decade of economic prosperity with dramatic population growth in its biggest cities.

Fargo added nearly 15,000 residents to hit a record population of 105,549, the Census Bureau reported Wednesday. Its fast-growing neighbor of West Fargo added an additional 11,000 residents to reach a population of 25,830.
(clip)
Fargo's growth is especially striking considering North Dakota's population is only 672,591, the nation's third smallest. The state's total population grew 4.7% from 2000 to 2010, below the national average of 9.7%, but robust for a region that has suffered for decades from a depopulation of the Great Plains.
(clip)
The superstar of North Dakota is its economy. The state's unemployment rate hasn't touched 5% since 1987. The state's per capita income rose over the decade from 38th in the nation to 17th, the biggest advance of any state.

[yurbud]

5. I jest. If it wasn't so damn cold, I'd move there.

[uppityperson]

7. Dew point 88 today. 134 F heat index. Yah, just wait for winter, then you'll see...

http://www.startribune.com/blogs/125847178
88 dew point at Moorhead yesterday, setting a new all-time Minnesota state record for the highest dew point on record.
134 F. heat index at Moorhead yesterday, setting a new record for the hottet heat index ever reported in Minnesota.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1535227&mesg_id=1535227.html

[RC]

8. Cold? With a heat index of 118° in Fargo yesterday?

Besides it is usually a dry cold in the winter. You can go around with your jacket unzipped when it is -20°. Although you might want to think about zipping up at least half way when the sun goes down. Maybe put your hands in your pockets too.

[Odin2005]

11. COLD? the heat index here was 134F here on Tuesday!

:rofl:

[Selatius]

13. It appears there's an oil boom fueling some of the growth economically and in terms of population.

That, and manufacturing growth in the area of farm/construction equipment.

[uppityperson]

15. A lot of computer stuff going on there also. Building and working on software, and medicare billing

all happening. If I hadn't grown up in Fargo I might be tempted to go work there.

[The Magistrate]

14. In Other Words, Ma'am, About One Ninth Of the Population Of My County

More votes were cast for our winning County President last year than have been cast for Mr. Conrad in his entire political career. Why he should have a greater voice in national affairs than my county president quite escapes me....

[uppityperson]

17. Maybe because he's a federal senator and your county president is county person?

I don't know that county presidents or commissioners have much say in national affairs.

[The Magistrate]

19. My County President Represents Many More People than He Does, Ma'am

One of the great problems of our government structure is the ludicrous over-weighting of rural votes. It is a good part of what is making obvious mockery of the common belief we are a democratic polity.

[uppityperson]

20. You object to different layers of gvt? City, county, state, federal based on geography vs

population. And you seem to object to having federally 2 senators/state, would rather have simply Reps based on population? That is interesting.

[The Magistrate]

21. The Senate, Ma'am, is Profoundly Anti-Democratic

It tilts power towards towards the most sparsely populated and politically retrograde areas of our country, and gives an effective veto power over the majority of people in the real centers of the national life. Look at the mischief done in Washington, and at the balking of measures not only a majority of Democrats but a majority of the populace support, and you will see always the sickly pug-marks of mediocrities from wide, empty spaces, who could not manage to get elected to a county commission or state legislature in a populous state, but who can rise to the top of a tiny pool, and then dig in like ticks to national office and the perquisites of seniority. A vote for senator in a state with 600,000 odd persons has twenty times the weight of a vote for senator in a state with twelve millions of residents; each of those six hundred thousands have twenty times the influence of each of those twelve millions in the nation's political life; that is not only wrong, it is the very reverse of democracy, it makes aristocrats of those six hundred thousands, and peasants of those twelve millions.

[Odin2005]

10. FAIL

[jtown1123]

16. Conrad is retiring so he doesn't give two shits about screwing his constituents

[JI7]

2. hahahha

[mmonk]

6. Ask Rahm.

He will give you a colorful answer from his office in Chicago.

[yurbud]

9. Rahm should take a dip in Lake Michigan

[Odin2005]

12. Abso-fucking-lutely!!!

[Hand_With_Eyes]

18. Primary every idiot who signed that 'won't raise the debt ceiling' pledge.

[Jim Lane]

22. Why I said "Disagree"

Much as these Blue Dogs infuriate me, we have to pick our spots. There are plenty of districts where (a) the Blue Dog is so personally popular that a progressive challenger would have no chance of winning a primary, and/or (b) the district is so conservative that a progressive who won the primary would get stomped by the Republican in November.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of other districts where a good progressive candidate will be in a close race (in the primary and/or in the general).

Time and money that go into the hopeless challenges won't be available to be deployed where they might actually affect the outcome.

As for this stuff about "branding" -- that has no relevance outside political message boards. Only an insignificant number of voters would be influenced, in choosing between candidates A and B in their district, by knowing that candidate X in another district was nominally a Democrat but had a right-wing voting record.

[rucky]

23. I've always wanted to be in a three-way...

but getting teabagged by the Third Way is not how I imagined it.

[sendero]

24. I agree.

....but NOBODY has "sullied the Democratic brand" more than Obama himself.

I realize that finding a viable challenger is next to impossible, but I just wanted to mention that.

And I think the repercussions of his actions will leave lasting damage to the party.