Top progressives, DCCC reach ceasefire over 'blacklist'

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

Top liberals have reached a détente with the House Democratic campaign arm in a dispute over a policy that inhibits primary challengers to incumbents — a move intended to unify Democrats in this year’s battle to protect their majority and defeat President Donald Trump.

Some of the House’s most influential progressives, including Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), said they will contribute tens of thousands of dollars to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, despite a contentious new rule that blacklists campaign consultants who work for candidates taking on sitting Democratic members.

The decision by the co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus represents a thawing of monthslong tensions with DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos (Ill.), who had fiercely defended the policy over bitter objections from high-profile Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.).

The group — Bustos and about two dozen progressive Democrats — sat down privately last week to discuss the 2020 cycle, during which she thanked liberals in the room who have agreed to pay their dues, according to people familiar with the meeting.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/22/dccc-dues-congress-progressive-caucus-101796

[empedocles]

1. Needed step. Does isolate AOC a bit, as the personal agenda BS type.

[Lonestarblue]

2. I will vote for and support any Democratic candidate.

BUT, I do not agree with the DCCC policy on blacklisting, so I have made no contributions to them since this policy was announced. There are some Democrats who need to be primaried, like Dan Lipinski in Illinois, though I understand the urge to not rock the boat right now when we need to win every election. My contributions now go directly to Democratic candidates.

[murielm99]

3. This has been an unofficial policy for years.

It was made official only recently. I approve. Groups like Our Revolution and Justice Democrats are harming our party. We have worked hard to keep seats in areas trump won. These noisy upstarts, often not Democrats at all, will damage the gains we made with the blue wave. I think the blacklist is good policy.

[KPN]

4. Funny -- as a registered life long 69 year old Democrat, and son of life

long loyal Democrats, I have for decades felt that the neoliberals and so-called “centrists” were harming and harmed our party. On the economic front, the record speaks for itself. Some of these “noisy upstarts” you claim are “often not Democrats at all” include seniors and children of seniors/people like me. I know this because I know many of them.

And regarding those “often not Democrats at all”, some if not most of those are either children of Democrats or former Democrats themselves who have been alienated by the economic record and attitudes like the one you just articulated. I know this because I know some of them.

These people are not my enemy, and they are not our party’s enemy; not in my view and never will be.

[LiberalLovinLug]

6. Well said!

[appalachiablue]

9. +1

[liskddksil]

5. Dan Lipinski who signed on to a letter asking the Supreme Court to overturn Roe V. Wade

has no business being in Congress in a safe Dem seat. Policies like the black-list that make it harder for his primary challenger, Marie Newman, to run the campaign she needs, have no place in the Democratic party.

[murielm99]

7. Our party needs to do what is best

for the largest number of candidates. If that means being ruthless, so be it. We need to be ruthless to fight what is happening to our country right now. Where would we be without our majority in the house?

I don't like Lipinski either. I will put up with him for the good of the party.

Our democracy is on the line. Screw purity.

[burrowowl]

8. Kick