[Peace-discuss] Stand up to the beltway democrats

[Paul Patton]

*Stand Up to the Beltway Democrats *
  *by Jonathan Tasini *


If you are one of those Democrats like me who is completely fed up with the
inside-the-Beltway party hacks who continue to lose elections because they
have no spine and no vision, listen closely to a little something you can do
this week to rap the knuckles of the Democratic Party machine.

Two years ago, Christine Cegelis took 44 percent from Henry Hyde, the arch
conservative congressman and Congressional father of the anti-choice
movement, in the suburban Chicago-area 6th District in Illinois. Her race
pushed Hyde to announce he would retire. Cegelis, supported by a broad
grass-roots network, decided immediately to run for the seat in 2006.

Rather than line up behind a candidate who was poised to capture the
district, the Beltway Democrats recruited a primary opponent to take on
Cegelis. Why? Because Cegelis is precisely the kind of progressive candidate
the Beltway Democrats are afraid of: she is a progressive, anti-war,
pro-choice, pro-renewable energy, pro-universal health care and opposes
NAFTA-like trade deals. She's called for a quick and safe withdrawal of
troops.

The Beltway Democrats tapped Tammy Duckworth, *a person who has never lived
in the district*. Her central asset: she is a member of the Army Reserves
who lost both her legs in Iraq. She isn't even running against the war--she
is simply a symbol of patriotism. While her personal story is moving, she is
also precisely the kind of candidate that the Beltway Democrats
love--centrist and pro-business.

Indeed, the Beltway Democrats have pulled out all the stops to raise money
for Duckworth: two emails from John Kerry, an e-mail and fundraiser courtesy
of Hillary Clinton, an appeal from Nancy Pelosi. And Rahm Emanuel, the head
of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (and an advocate of
so-called "free trade"), has crossed the line, mobilizing the official party
machine into the primary fight on behalf of Duckworth.

Duckworth's recruitment is a sign of a party driven by spin, political
calculation and fear, not strength or vision. The Beltway Democrats, who
relieve themselves in their pants every time Republicans question their
patriotism, have decided that a winning political strategy rests on rolling
out a large pool of candidates who are military veterans. Veterans or any
new face in politics is great--but not if their candidacies are created to
prove that Democrats care about the country and its security, even if we
have no idea where the candidates stand on other issues or have no
connection to the communities they seek to represent.

Arrayed on Cegelis' side are, among others, Progressive Democrats of
America, Democracy for America and the machinists union (which represents
tens of thousands of United employees who have been screwed by the very
pro-business policies promoted by the Beltway Democrats). At a recent rally
in the district, 150 activists packed a hall, ready to hit the streets and
go door-to-door to talk to voters.

As Molly Ivins writes in the recent issue of The Progressive, "Mah fellow
progressives, now is the time for all good men and women to come to the aid
of the party. I don't know about you, but I have had it with the D.C.
Democrats, had it with the DLC Democrats, had it with every calculating,
equivocating, triangulating, straddling, hair-splitting son of a bitch up
there, and that includes Hillary Rodham Clinton."

That is precisely what this race is about. With a week left, a little help
for Cegelis from every person thirsting for a vibrant party will go a long
way to answering the question: will the progressive movement stand up to the
Beltway Democrats who will continue to lose elections because they have no
vision for our country?

* Jonathan Tasini is running for the Democratic nomination for the U.S.
Senate in New York <http://www.tasinifornewyork.org/>. For the past 25
years, Jonathan has been a union leader and organizer, a social activist,
and a commentator and writer on work, labor and the economy. *

(c) 2006 HuffingtonPost.com, LLC
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