Jennifer Rubin: What happened to Katie Porter? A lesson for Democrats.

[Celerity]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/03/11/katie-porter-loser-lessons/

https://archive.is/x01fb



Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) entered the House in 2018 as one of the impressive Democratic women elected in a wave of anger and shock over the election of now-four-times-indicted former president Donald Trump. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) continues to shine as a foreign policy guru; Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), also known for her national security expertise, is the favorite for her state’s open Senate seat. And Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) has become an all-around moderate star and leading candidate for governor in 2025. But Porter gave up her House seat, lost badly in her Senate primary, cried “rigged” and is going home with the reputation of a sore loser. What happened?

Starting with the sorry ending, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), revered among Democrats for leading the first Trump impeachment, ran a near-perfect Senate campaign. Embracing the mantle of anti-Trump pugilist, he stuck to his center-left positions. He slammed the unqualified right-winger and former Dodger Steve Garvey as too conservative in the nonpartisan “jungle primary.” Schiff will be the overwhelming favorite in November to trounce Garvey. On election night, Porter bitterly denounced her Democratic rival. “We had the establishment running scared — withstanding 3 to 1 in TV spending and an onslaught of billionaires spending millions to rig this election,” she said. That smacked of election denial, an absolute no-no in a party that believes in the sanctity of elections. Withering criticism poured down on her. She retorted, “‘Rigged’ means manipulated by dishonest means.” She claimed she had been referring to “dark money”:

Link to tweet

Democrats viewed her as doubling down, refusing to apologize for her tantrum. Her holier-than-thou promise not to accept dark money had not resonated during the campaign; now she smeared a legal and widely used fundraising tool that Democrats cannot renounce until they reverse Citizens United v. FEC and enact real campaign finance reform. Moreover, she was still fighting the primary, not rallying to her party. Fairly or not, her exit will likely define her career as much as her whiteboard, which she skillfully wielded against witnesses from banks, Big Pharma and other hapless victims. But, in the end, the whiteboard was not enough — and therein Democrats can find several lessons.

First, Democrats, unlike their MAGA opponents, believe government is there to get things done. Public service is not performance art for them. Viral moments must serve larger goals that are usually achieved by the hard work of dealmaking, compromising and collaborating. Though Porter shined in YouTube clips, her output could not compare with many of her 2018 classmates. The latter became experts in certain topics and associated with important policies (e.g., national security, gun reform). The difference between Porter and her mentor, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who also wins kudos for sharp questioning, was striking. Porter was not known for “reaching across the aisle” to get things done. By contrast, Warren features this prominently on her website:

snip

[Mike Nelson]

1. I remember...

... her initial success. She was a STAR! Even better, she had a great set of ideas to contribute. I was not impressed with her "shake things up" campaign and the "rigged" aftermath. I hope she takes a break and returns to team Democrats!

[senseandsensibility]

23. Absolutely

No hard feelings here. We still need her on our team. And I'm a Schiff voter.

[Hope22]

2. My heart goes out to Katie.

Year after year in Ohio we see great candidates get clobbered by vast amounts of money spent by people from out of state. It is no surprise to me that this happened to Katie. While I had all respect for her coming into this race I feel like she made a bad decision to enter this race. She and Adam both lost my respect with their actions. This photo breaks my heart. Lift your head up, drop the book title and get ready to get back in the fight. We need you. Your family needs you to stand up! Women need you back in the fight.

[NanaCat]

18. Why would Schiff lose your respect?

He wasn't the one making unfounded and egregious attacks against other Democrats.

That was Porter.

It's insulting to his voters to say he deserves blame for how he ran his campaign, when he ran it better and more scrupulously than Porter did.

[Hope22]

24. Don't get me wrong Schiff is amazing in his committee work and impeachment skills.

Last edited Wed Mar 13, 2024, 06:51 PM - Edit history (1)

I can’t give you links to his comments. But I heard a few of his responses on Last Word MSNBC. I guess I expected the Dems would not eat each other alive but I was wrong. He was part of it. He will make a great Senator I hope we can pull it off. I hope Katie can heal and get back in the game. We need her. The book was a poor photo op that will leave a sting.

[brooklynite]

38. That "vast amount of out of State money" was from Democrats

I didn’t contribute because I don’t engage in safe D seats, but I get dozens of direct requests each month.

[SoFlaBro]

3. That performative shit is bullshit. Back the performance with some fucking output. Motherfuck a viral moment.

[Basic LA]

4. We lost an important house seat.

That was bad enough, but she'll be backing off her "rigged" comment for a long time. I think she meant the way her opponent spent millions on ads bolstering the Republican in the race as a way to edge Porter out. While many saw this as perhaps underhanded, "rigged" was too strong.

[NanaCat]

19. It's not in the least underhanded

It's smart politics to go after the other party's candidate. It's not promoting them. It's going after a likely opponent.

I'd like to know what fairy-tale land some people live in where it's ever a bad idea to go after a GQPer? Is water wet in your world?

[Basic LA]

22. While confirming water's wetness

We were talking about Porter's reaction. She watched her Democratic opponent spend millions elevating the Republican candidate's profile in order to avoid facing her in the election, a Republican by the way who spent zero dollars on TV-ads for himself. Porter quite naturally took umbrage.
So why the ferocity? Do you seethe with hatred for her?

[paleotn]

30. Politics is not for the faint of heart. It's a rough business. Has been since the founding of the Republic.

Dems rarely go to the lengths Republicans are known for, but I've seen some raucous primaries over the years. The 2008 Dem presidential primary was bloody. Ted Kennedy primarying president Carter in 1980. As the old saying goes, if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.

[Basic LA]

32. Can't argue with that!

[Earth-shine]

5. Maybe she could get a an appointment to a high position when Biden wins reelection.

I hear there may be an opening for an AG.

[Happy Hoosier]

9. She now has a history of shivving fellow Democrats...

And not just any Democrat, but one that lead the effort against Trump.

She has a long redemption arc ahead of her IMO.

[DinahMoeHum]

29. IIRC, she also has problems retaining staff. . .

. . .too many people have either been fired by her or simply quit because they can't work with her.

[baklava]

41. Porter is not a team player . . .

. . . so I doubt Biden would want her on board, picking fights with fellow Dems.

[Earth-shine]

42. Says the person who is new to DU and five days behind.

Does the AG need to be a team player, or someone who is competent and potentially aggressive?

[Celerity]

43. this may be a wild guess, but you seem to not like Porter

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=profile&uid=351727

[Johonny]

6. Plenty of positions for her to run again

She's not dead

[NanaCat]

20. She is unless she does some heavy lifting

To atone for the rigging accusations.

Especially in the aftermath of J6, Democrats will not be forgiving about that anytime soon.

[usonian]

7. In an open primary, it was effectively 2 dems vs one repub vying for two ballot slots.

If 2 dems won, it was going to be a family feud for the senate seat.

[MagickMuffin]

8. Actually 3 Democrats were seeking that seat

Barbara Lee was also running for the Senate seat.

[Bucky]

10. It's okay to run for higher office a lose. It's okay to take a loss badly. She'll be remembered for her record.

But that said, Barbara Lee's running for the senate at 73 was a vanity project. She's also leaving behind a strong legacy in Congress. But this was a capstone to her career. I think Katie's gonna continue to contribute to the good cause. This editorial is just ridiculous.

[Hope22]

11. It was obvious that two would be losers.

Seeing Katie sitting there like that is really disheartening. If I were her coach we would have had words. That being said my friend just said he hopes Katie sends him the book when she’s done with it!🤣

[usonian]

12. That's why I said "effectively"

The esteemed Barbara Lee didn’t have a chance, IMO.

[betsuni]

13. A lesson for "progressives": "government is there to get things done."

Your record of getting things done, "dealmaking, compromising and collaborating" is the JOB, not replacing the Democratic Party with anti-establishment populists dreaming of class revolution (Our Revolution/Justice Democrats/Democratic Socialists of America -- use them to get elected if you must, then dump them), or national recognition and activism representing a minority of Americans (who are just going to be mad at you anyway for failing purity tests that keep changing).

When I said Porter should follow in the footsteps of Elizabeth Warren, I was scolded. People should really pay attention. Look at who gets things done. Warren makes sure her plans work (not just slogans) and doesn't demonize the Democratic Party as a rigging corrupt establishment out to get her. Follow Warren, follow Fetterman, the Democratic Party is not the enemy. This is not hard.

[stopdiggin]

14. +100. good article. good follow up statment. -(nt)-

[Nixie]

16. Exactly right. Katie Porter totally miscalculated voters.

That's why I think there was a cynical attempt to manipulate our California primary which started with trying to force Feinstein out of office. Porter bought into something over just voter turnout which is contributing to her bitterness.

Porter is having a hard time accepting that California voters wanted a distinguished, accomplished politician as Senator, not a sophomoric brawl over fabricated corruption.

[Tarheel_Dem]

36. Excellent!

[stopdiggin]

15. the 'sore loser' thing sticks

with is unfortunate, because I always thought Porter had loads to offer. But - when you have turned Adam Schiff into 'the enemy' - that's really illustrative of both a 'perspective' and an animus that is hard to get behind. Would a gracious 'congrats' have been so hard?

Wish she would have stuck with the House seat - which would have been good for another 10 years.

[Duncan Grant]

17. I'll take 100 Katie Porters over 1 Jennifer Rubin, any day.

Anyone who can rub two brain cells together (and practice empathy) understands this moment clearly. If you’ve followed Porter, you’ll understand she’s being consistent in her critique of contemporary politics.

Rubin isn’t going to align herself against powerful intere$t$, who are quite happy with the $tatu$ quo. If she did, she’d loose her position, her access, and influence. Rubin isn’t a progressive or liberal (do the math).

So, of all the important political dysfunction and corruption in the United States, Rubin takes aim at Katie Porter. That should tell you something important.

[NanaCat]

21. Doesn't change that Rubin is right in this article

You can disagree with her positions on a range of issues, and many of us do, but in this case, she is absolutely correct about how Porter torched her own political career trying to win an office she wasn't ready for.

It's an ad hominem to dismiss her assertions in this article over other things she's said or done elsewhere or in the past. You have to judge her arguments on the evidence supporting this argument, and she has the receipts this time.

[Duncan Grant]

25. Rubin offers an opinion. She writes opinion pieces.

To characterize Porter as anything other than an ally to democrats and progressives is a distortion of her career and political principles. That old saying about opinions definitely comes to mind.

Porter has talked about corporate money and its influence on politics from day one. I see nothing inconsistent with her assessment of the realities of getting into the room where it happens.

I don’t want to be accused of rearguing the primary, so I won’t. I’m happy with Schiff, I simply prefer a candidate like Porter. I disagree with Rubin’s opinion, I think some systemic critical thinking is essential — and that includes a close look at the purposes of punditry.

[Tarheel_Dem]

37. I share Jennifer's opinion. Talking a lot is fine. Viral sound bytes may excite your fan base. But keeping your....

head down, and actually getting things done is much harder. I was hoping Katie would learn from this loss, but with the "rigged" comments, she obviously didn't.

[betsuni]

39. +1

[RandySF]

26. Ambition and disappointment.

Give her time and space to process the loss.

[appmanga]

27. I put my money where my mouth is...

...by donating to Rep. Porter although it was a hard choice because she, Schiff, and Barbara Lee have been terrific House members. I'm disappointed she lost, but more disappointed in her reaction. As the old saying goes "Politics ain't beanbag". The very smart Adam Schiff ran a very smart campaign and used a tactic I don't care for, but it definitely has left him with the type of opponent any Democrat would want. I understand her being pained by this type of politics prevailing, and I feel folks like me encouraged her after such a brief time in the House.

I hope she can find her way to pulling back on these types of ridiculous and uncalled for comments. The people have spoken and the better thing to do is be gracious and accepting.

[JohnSJ]

28. Only 10% of people who voted were under 35 years old, and because of that Porter's online

popularity failed to translate into votes.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-12/tiktok-s-role-in-2024-election-previewed-by-katie-porter

Regardless, unless ALL Democratic demographics come out in large numbers to vote, it will be a very precarious election.

[Raven123]

31. I hope she ends up in Joe's Cabinet next year

Bright, informed, excellent communicator. Bring that white board.

She made a strategic mistake running for Senate. California had an embarrassment of riches with their candidates. I too am disappointed in Schiff’s tactics. It’s politics. She will have to move on.

[NYC2ATL]

33. Are we to take our directives and instruction from the Right now?

Is that it?

[rickford66]

34. Why did three great representatives run against each other ?

Guaranteeing three seats to defend instead of one.

[OnDoutside]

35. It's really sad how Porter misjudged even running

in this race. Rubin is right, but hopefully she can learn the hard lessons and make a comeback in the future.

[Renew Deal]

40. She hasn't handled it well but she also should have known she was a big underdog.

And she’s not going to get a lot of sympathy when the winner is a Democratic hero.