Progressives target Jim Cooper for primary challenge

[JoeOtterbein]

Politico

Justice Democrats endorse foe to veteran Tennessee congressman.

By HOLLY OTTERBEIN

04/05/2021 07:00 AM EDT

Justice Democrats, the left-wing group that recruited Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to run for Congress, has its eyes set on ousting another Democratic incumbent.

The organization will announce Monday that it is backing Democrat Odessa Kelly in her campaign against Tennessee Rep. Jim Cooper — a Blue Dog Coalition member who has long frustrated liberals. It is the first primary challenge unveiled by Justice Democrats for the 2022 cycle.

“As someone who has spent her life as a public servant and a community organizer, Odessa Kelly is exactly the kind of Democrat we need in Congress,” said Justice Democrats executive director Alexandra Rojas in a statement. “Our grassroots movement has shocked the nation in two cycles and we are prepared to do it again. It’s time to usher in a new generation of progressive leadership into the Democratic Party.”

Cooper has been disliked by progressives for years, including at a time when the left was less muscular than it is today. In 2013, Daily Kos floated the idea of challenging Cooper and ripped him for voting against nearly $51 billion in Hurricane Sandy aid.

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more at link

[Lars39]

1. Uphill battle trying to get anyone progressive in Dickson County TN.

That area is now very conservative, with very conservative churches. Dickson County voted Democratic for the most part until the 2000 presidential elections, which was also the year they ditched the lever machines.

[bottomofthehill]

2. Thank god the Justice Democrats are trying to take out Democrats instead of Republicans

In a closely divided House where the Leadership needs every vote, this should be helpful. How about this for a thought. Try to flip a seat someplace, anyplace. Justice Democrats will help to deliver the Republican Majority in 22

[JoeOtterbein]

19. The article refers to the primary election. nt

[bottomofthehill]

21. Exactly, trying to take a Democrat out in a primary

Instead of trying to take out a Republican. Always a good strategy in an already tight House that will have further problems due to redistricting.

[Budi]

3. Ummm. Ocasio Cortez wasn't recruited, she was an original founder of JD.

Just a correction for the writer of this article to note.

[AZProgressive]

11. Cenk Uyger and Kyle Kulinski are the original founders of JD

They resigned almost immediately because of past public comments.

It is interesting Kyle Kulinski is railing against AOC these days.

Link to tweet

[Budi]

29. Her history with Cenk & Kyle & Chakrabarti are a bit skivvy considering all 3 are from..

...a variety of Wall Street, Harvard, Republican/Federalist Party(cenk) ,wealthy trustfunders & all well suited to drive a social media messaging project & payment collection system to go with it.
AOC has her beginnings with them early on, actually in Tennessee where the original filing address was listed.

Her relationship with Saikat Chakrabarti is even sketchier.

"After high school and Harvard, Chakrabarti worked on Wall Street and in the Silicon Valley, founding a web design tool and working at companies such as Stripe, a payment processor."

I find the sudden emergence, led by 3 rather sketchy, well connected & wealthy men of tech & finance backgrounds being suddenly in need of a societal revolution as much as profit margin.

They never were who they claimed to be, is my entire take after digging below the surface of the image presented.

If they set out with a "change the world" experiment, well you know, they can screw up their lives but the cost to those innocents & to this country, casualties of the games of some sketchy trustfund, Wall Street, Harvard grads, in it for "Money & Media" is beyond forgiveness for anyone who was in on their high stakes game.

At this point it doesn't matter if they each splinter off from the group.
The damage has been done & they all walk away far wealthier than they began & no apologies for the chaos they leave behind.


Why would they be cutting loose the biggest star?
Why put a distance between her & the sketchy tech & finance social media gurus at this point. Especially since she claims to may want to run for a more challenging position?

It makes no sense why this sudden turn against her
I mean, she just endorsed JD's favorite shitstirer, Nina Turner.

What's up with the turn against her?
Where would JDems be without her.

[George II]

33. Someone recently came up with this tweet (now deleted) from Kyle Kulinski.

[mcar]

4. Tell me again why these people aren't running against Republicans?

[JohnSJ]

5. +++

[JoeOtterbein]

20. Primary elections are first.

We take on the GOP in the general elections.

[MineralMan]

6. More Foolishness!

Tennessee will not elect a progressive to Congress. It simply will not.

What a waste of time!

Justice Democrats should be supporting Democrats who can win, not long-shots. Either that, or focus on races where progressive has an actual chance.

[JoeOtterbein]

18. Would you feel the same about another, more conservative, Dem who runs against...

...Cooper?

The safe choice, may not be the best choice. If it is, should we just oppose any such primary challenges all together to be sure we win in the end?

[Tanuki]

24. Sorry, but Jim Cooper is my congressman and you can butt out.

Not interested in debating this. I am more interested in keeping a Democratic majority in the House than someone's ideological purity pout.

[betsuni]

28. +1

[George II]

7. Have they "targeted" a single REPUBLICAN since they were founded? And....

Justice Democrats "has its eyes set on ousting another Democratic incumbent." Any chance of ever setting their eyes on ousting any REPUBLICAN incumbents?

Cooper will most likely survive this challenge, but it could damage him enough to give this seat to the republicans.

[JoeOtterbein]

17. In the general elections.

Primary elections are first. The article is about primary elections.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

8. I am on the Just Us Dem mailing list

These emails are really sad but amusing.

[2 Meow Momma]

9. I live in Tennessee. This state is getting redder and more right wing.

A progressive with no name recognition won’t win here right now.

Not right now!

[George II]

31. Exactly. But they sure can divide and damage Democrats. Cooper has been serving his constituents...

....the way they WANT to be served. Hopefully he isn't too damaged by a divisive primary and will still win election in November 2022.

BTW, it's April 2021, what's up with primary challenges this far in advance?

[Me.]

10. Silence Can Often Be Golden

[JoeOtterbein]

12. Don't even try to find more progressive leaders and...

...just give up?

I just don't get it, and will never do it myself.

Never stop trying to progress. In the end, it's the only thing we can do without just plain giving up.

[Me.]

15. What THe Heck Are You talking About

[JoeOtterbein]

16. The "silence" thing.

What are you talking about?

[Me.]

30. My Objection Is To Constant Divisive Politico Articles

[George II]

32. I don't understand this driving need to "find more progressive leaders" to replace experienced and..

...accomplished Democratic representatives.

[LanternWaste]

34. Great. More 'comfy-back-slapping' stuff...

[ibegurpard]

13. That district is pretty solidly Democratic

Not saying I support this effort but it's not a marginal district like some.

[JoeOtterbein]

14. Thanks!

Facts are best!

[ibegurpard]

22. I mean it's not AOC's district

Or the one centered on Memphis but it's still pretty solidly D. Nashville plus another more rural county.
https://ballotpedia.org/Tennessee%27s_5th_Congressional_District

[bottomofthehill]

23. Not really that solid, it's still a plus D single digits

And that is before redistricting tinkers around the edges making it more difficult to hold.

[ibegurpard]

25. Yeah pretty solid

And if redistricting splits Nashville into several other districts Cooper wouldn't hold it either. See redistricting history in Utah for example.

[bottomofthehill]

26. Not an expert on TN politics, although I did spend an Easter years ago

With Dick Foulton and his wife Sandra when Congressman Bill Natcher passed away. It was an interesting weekend and I learned a ton. It was a long time ago and things have changed a LOT since then, but it was an education just the same

[ibegurpard]

27. Neither am I

But I AM pretty knowledgable about redistricting and political demographics.