General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDid You Know: Anyone Opposing Chelsea Manning's Senate Bid Has An Old Straight White Man Fetish?
According to Glenn Greenwald this is absolutely the case because:
. . . Democrats [have] so quickly decided to back a white, straight male politician steeped in privilege, while devoting themselves to opposing a candidate who would make history by becoming the first trans woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate, in the process inspiring trans youth around the world and helping to erode the stigma that has made them so vulnerable to discrimination and violence?
Theyve decided to do this presumably because they find Cardins centrist ideology and politics more appealing than Mannings more radical politics, and believe that this trumps what could be the historic value of Mannings candidacy. Theyve apparently decided to prioritize their own centrist ideology over the important gender, sexual orientation and trans equality progress that Mannings victory would ensure.
Greenwald also states that Cardins career has been unremarkable with few accomplishments. But far worse: hes a . . . vile centrist!
Ben Cardins unremarkable career can be found in his official Senate bio here:
https://www.cardin.senate.gov/about
I find his advocacy for the Chesapeake Bay Project particularly irritating. I mean who needs clean water or National parks?
And here:
"He led the fight for the Patients' Bill of Rights and, because of his efforts, the law ensures that individuals in private health insurance plans have the right to choose their primary care provider, women have direct access to an ob/gyn, and patients with medical emergencies are guaranteed coverage for necessary ER visits."
Horrific!
But just take a gander where Cardin ranks according to Govtrack:
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/benjamin_cardin/400064
The tracking graph is based on voting history and where in the leadership pack an individual falls. Curiously, Cardin is at the top of the leadership graph. Really! The grotesque nerve of the man wheedling his way to Ranking Member of the Foreign Relations Committee, he Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works or the Committee on Finance, yada, yada.
Then, unlike some Senators I could mention, he was a primary sponsor of 18 bills that were actually enacted, as in:
S.1221 Countering Russian Influence in Europe and Eurasia Act of 2017
S.284 Global Magnitsky Human Rights Acountability Act
S.599 Improving Access to Emergency Psychiatric Care
A glance at the graph indicates that Cardins overall voting history puts him in the same category as Leahy, Wyden and Booker. Should we primary these senators as well? How about Kaine, Coons or Duckworth because these members are to the right of Cardin?
His voting record has afforded him a 100% by the Human Rights Campaign, 100% by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and 92% by the League of Conservation Voters.
He must be stopped!!
This is why I rarely pull up Greenwalds columns anymore.
Btw, when I mused about who exactly was backing/advocating Ms Mannings primary bid?
I think I found my answer.
https://theintercept.com/2018/01/15/centrist-dems-launch-smear-campaign-against-young-trans-woman-all-to-keep-an-old-straight-white-man-in-power/
lunasun
(21,646 posts)From sea to shining sea....who is promoting this? I also had the same questions about Stein 2016
And more often than not, the attacks on our leadership members.
Curious, no?
Eliot Rosewater
(31,109 posts)primary dems is a no no, therefore you can count on certain people doing it.
Wounded Bear
(58,648 posts)Need to be vigilant, and GOTV this fall, big time.
peggysue2
(10,828 posts)Vigilant is the word!
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)Greenwald knows Senator Cardin, no friend of Putin's, will become chairman of the senate Foreign Affairs Committee in 2018, and Greenwald's working to prevent that.
rogue emissary
(3,148 posts)Living in NOVA, I'd love to have Cardin represent me. Not that I dislike Kaine or Warner.
peggysue2
(10,828 posts)I think we share a general mistrust of all things Greenwald at this point.
The fall from grace for a lot of these people has been stunning. Assange, anyone?
PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,853 posts)Other than she's filed to run.
But it strikes me as incredibly naive that she's running for the Senate against a popular Democratic incumbent. If she's serious about a political career, she should start with something that's at least somewhat winnable. I have no idea what the political landscape is exactly where she lives, but running for the state legislature would be a better start. If she is living in a district (house or senate) that she could realistically run for.
My guess is that she has had zero connection to actual on the ground politics, probably doesn't even know what a precinct chair is, has never attended any kind of meeting of local Democrats.
I'm also willing to predict that her campaign, such as it is, won't even last through the primary.
And it's possible to see Chelsea Manning as utterly unqualified at this point to be a United States Senator and not be someone who hates transgender people. Or women.
peggysue2
(10,828 posts)Poindexter. wrote:
"And it's possible to see Chelsea Manning as utterly unqualified at this point to be a United States Senator and not be someone who hates transgender people. Or women."
Of course, someone can or certainly should be able to view those two things at the same time without being deemed sexist or anti-trans.
I think there's an element out there throwing things against the wall to see what sticks and/or divides the Democratic Party before the November elections.
This is just one of them.
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)I stopped reading or having anything to do with that russian stooge long ago.
janterry
(4,429 posts)She has close to zero chance of winning. The best strategy, imo, is to just support Ben Cardin.
We need his name front and center at all times. That other person? Naw.
marble falls
(57,081 posts)Proud Liberal Dem
(24,412 posts)but CM choosing this upcoming election and this particular seat to fight for doesn't make any sense to me. Why doesn't she find a Republican seat at the federal, state, or local level to start with? It's so weird how progressive activists always seem to target current Democratic officeholders moreso than Republican-held seats. Why is that?
Initech
(100,068 posts)And is authoring a huge document on Russian interference in western elections. Call it a hunch, but I think this is a bad deal and could potentially be dangerous. I support Ms. Manning, but I think she is doing this for all the wrong reasons.
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,412 posts)She has previous ties to Assange/Wikileaks, which is never a good sign.
bdtrppr6
(796 posts)need representation and acceptance. I don't know that Chelsea Manning is the best rep for that group or any other actually. Just cause she's trans and running doesn't mean she knows what she's doing. If she can put out platforms and plans, maybe.
Working to get Cardin out is a mistake for the party in general.
IluvPitties
(3,181 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)We lost those famous 3 states by less than the number of declared Democrats/progressive independents who went to Jill Stein alone. Then there were the others who also, persuaded by the Greenwald-type agitators to reject Democrats, voted Trump, libertarian, or not at all.
Anything but Democrats because, as the Greenwalds pushed, pushed, pushed, our candidates were just too corrupt to support and people needed to better, moral choices.
Same propaganda being pushed right here, right now on DU for the midterms.
R B Garr
(16,950 posts)done in the name of critiquing. Agitators is s good name for it.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)become embedded, comfortably familiar members of on-line communities over time, then start spreading their insidious poisons.
R B Garr
(16,950 posts)can believe the propaganda, and it cant be effectively called out because of so-called unity, so the undermining continues.
brooklynite
(94,529 posts)mcar
(42,309 posts)And scolded us "vagina voters" for supporting her just cause she's female?
Also interesting that the pro-Manning camp was, just a week ago, anti-Oprah bc she didn't have political experience.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)where people are bringing them from, and of course many are launched from anti-Democratic propaganda nodes and spread far and wide by Republican agents, Koch agents, white supremacists, Russians, Greenwalds, and of course deluded dupes as well as MIs.
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)He is catering all aspects of his writings to the Bro's. To the point he is even dumbing down his verbiage.
When a snake-oil salesman meets for-profit media.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(107,957 posts)If any
struggle4progress
(118,282 posts)A few years back, he was pushing for a coalition between progressives and Paulites to support Gary Johnson for President
The basic strategy he and his ilk use -- bad-mouthing other people -- may have helped libertarians in 2016, when they pulled nearly 4.5 million votes (or over 3% of voters) for Johnson
He seems to have been arguing more recently that Russia didn't really interfere in the 2016 election, so right-wingers currently adore him
Poor Manning may not be a libertarian ideologue like GG, and evidently has even less political insight than GG, but the two do share a craving for attention
RhodeIslandOne
(5,042 posts)Stinky The Clown
(67,798 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Last edited Tue Jan 16, 2018, 06:40 PM - Edit history (1)
and I'll just leave this classic here:
Hillary is banal, corrupted, drained of vibrancy and passion. I mean, shes been around forever, the Clinton circle. Shes a fucking hawk and like a neocon, practically. Shes surrounded by all these sleazy money types who are just corrupting everything everywhere. But shes going to be the first female president, and women in America are going to be completely invested in her candidacy. Opposition to her is going to be depicted as misogynistic, like opposition to Obama has been depicted as racist. Its going to be this completely symbolic messaging thats going to overshadow the fact that shell do nothing but continue everything in pursuit of her own power. Theyll probably have a gay person after Hillary whos just going to do the same thing."
http://www.mediaite.com/online/greenwald-bashes-neocon-hillary-clinton-shes-a-fcking-hawk/
peggysue2
(10,828 posts)I actually missed this piece. Can't say I'm sorry about that either.
This garbage is exactly why The Trumpster is sitting in the WH, pretending to be King. Hope GG and his BFs are happy. Because they certainly aren't/weren't wise. But then, Greenwald had other pressing matters--wondering if or a movie was going to be made about him and Snowden. Yeah, that James Bond is so-o-o dumb. We all share his anxiety, I'm sure.
Ugh!
Cha
(297,196 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Skinner-Earl-Elad owe you a gold Breitling or something, don't they?
Cha
(297,196 posts)Squinch
(50,949 posts)While insisting he's not a troll.
peggysue2
(10,828 posts)recall that exchange. And many others. Curious how it's always the Democratic leadership that's targeted, must be removed, off with their heads, yada, yada, yada.
Seems as if there are plenty of GOP seats to challenge, no??
Strange that. Good thing I'm not the suspicious type.
Beartracks
(12,809 posts)... try to split the Dem vote by cynically ensuring solid, dependable Democrats are challenged by "history-making" candidacies that Dems are "supposed" to vote for so as to not appear hypocritical or less than progressive. Or at the least, ensuring coverage of such candidacies from people like Greenwald, to keep the shitpot stirred.
Me, if choosing between Dems, I go by issue positions, track record, and leadership qualities. It's just a bonus if it's a history-making candidate.
You know what would really make history? Dems winning back a Congressional chamber or two!
==========
peggysue2
(10,828 posts)exactly the kind of history I'm interested in at the moment. First regain power. Then we set the table.
LiberalFighter
(50,912 posts)peggysue2
(10,828 posts)Cha
(297,196 posts)peggysue2
(10,828 posts)You're oh so right!
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Chelsea Manning Made An Appearance At A Pro-Trump Gala
https://www.buzzfeed.com/charliewarzel/chelsea-manning-goes-to-a-pro-trump-gala?utm_term=.wv9MZoXbag#.ogNv5GLl9e
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)McCamy Taylor
(19,240 posts)MineralMan
(146,288 posts)That is all...