Booman Tribune ~ A Progressive Community

You Win a Blue Dog!!

by BooMan
Fri Jan 23rd, 2009 at 10:39:25 AM EST

Can you say 'Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York'? Good, because now you'll have to. Governor Paterson selected the upstate, gun-loving Blue Dog Clinton protégé, and will formally announce her DLC-ass at a noon press conference.

To be fair, Gillibrand isn't all that bad. I'm not much interested in federal gun control, so her 'A' rating from the NRA doesn't bother me much. She's more free trade than I am and less committed to protecting civil liberties than I would like. But her voting record is fairly moderate (she clocks in at 167 on the lifetime Progressive Punch chart). In comparison, Carolyn McCarthy (who has promised to run against Gillibrand in the 2010 primary because of gun control issues), has a lifetime score of 192. Just because someone is part of the Blue Dog caucus doesn't mean that they vote like a southern Blue Dog. Gillibrand is going to vote a lot like Clinton did and a lot like Schumer does. And that's not all the bad.

The problem is not that Gillibrand is terrible but that we just lost an excellent chance to expand the progressive caucus in the Senate. We've been doing well lately with Bernie Sanders and Sherrod Brown two years ago and Tom Udall, Jeff Merkley, and Al Franken this time around. We could have benefited greatly from either Caroline Kennedy or Jerry Nadler. I'll never fully understand why the progressive blogosphere went apeshit about the possibility of another Senator Kennedy. Mainly I think certain people were trying to be holier than thou without thinking things through.

So, no liberal senator for you!! Get that? You take the Clintonista and you like it!!

You Win a Blue Dog!! | 14 comments (14 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: You Win a Blue Dog!! (none / 0)

My worries are that her conservative record will carry over to her Senate voting, and that she turns into the Democratic version of Olympia Snowe, jumping over to the other side of the aisle at times.

Granted, she was infinitely better than John Sweeney, and a Blue Dog was the only way a Democrat could win that district.

If she's going to be a Senator, that's one thing. If she's going to be a Blue Dog playing at being a Senator, she could be a problem, to the point of splitting the vote in 2010 in the primary against McCarthy and then handing the seat over to whichever Republican is running for it.

Worst case scenario, of course. But plausible.

However I 100% agree with you that in the balance of things, Kennedy would have been a better progressive voice.

More at Zandar vs. The Stupid.

by Zandar1 on Fri Jan 23rd, 2009 at 10:47:35 AM EST

Re: You Win a Blue Dog!! (none / 0)

I'm really disappointed. Kennedy would have been a star of the party and a potential successor in 8 years.

Why not nominate Louise Slaughter?

I don't follow her too closely, but she's got the right background if you ask me and has come out strong on ethics and the rule of law when it counted. I've found it strange that she wasn't in the mix. She must not go to the right parties.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Slaughter#Early_political_career

Declaring the bottom is the only way back up..

by anarchronarchist (mincers (-at-) hotmail (-dot-) com) on Fri Jan 23rd, 2009 at 11:01:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You Win a Blue Dog!! (none / 0)

Several other people would have been better candidates, but Paterson is trying to pull in the upstate vote for his own pockets, going on the theory that Gillibrand can win over NY Republicans.

Which is sadly incorrect. NY Republicans now know they can win this seat, both NY-20 and the Senate seat.

More at Zandar vs. The Stupid.

by Zandar1 on Fri Jan 23rd, 2009 at 12:14:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You Win a Blue Dog!! (none / 0)

She is from Rochester, which is so upstate it's practically Michigan, but I guess not the right part of upstate?

Declaring the bottom is the only way back up..

by anarchronarchist (mincers (-at-) hotmail (-dot-) com) on Fri Jan 23rd, 2009 at 12:43:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You Win a Blue Dog!! (none / 1)

She seems surprisingly moderate for someone who represents a Red District. It is her lower percentage on equal justice and individual rights that give me the most pause. She doesn't seem to have a record on reproductive rights?

Expect her to tilt more toward the left in anticipation of the primary challenges. The real question is where she'd end up if she survived the primary challenge (and election) and felt free to vote as she pleased for six years.

I don't think any of this will bother the parts of the blogosphere who were against Kennedy. These are the same people who pushed Webb on us as the great progressive. This is a "win" for them and they will tout it as a win.

by maryb2004 on Fri Jan 23rd, 2009 at 11:00:12 AM EST

Re: You Win a Blue Dog!! (none / 1)

Agreed. My guess is she'll be an alright senator, given that she was pretty moderate as a red-district congresscritter.

But, still, pretty amusing to see a Blue Dog appointed after Kos, Sirota, and all the other Village Elders were going all Bastille Day on Kennedy.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to you country.

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Fri Jan 23rd, 2009 at 12:16:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You Win a Blue Dog!! (4.00 / 2)

More amusing to see them spin it as a victory.

Ah the blogosphere A-Listers. I love them on days that I'm bored and want to amuse myself. :)

by maryb2004 on Fri Jan 23rd, 2009 at 12:26:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You Win a Blue Dog!! (none / 1)

It's hilarious: "This is win-win; she'll either tack left, or we can primary her in 2 years", when the big argument was that they didn't want to have to work so hard to beat Kennedy in a primary challenge 2 years from now.

Ah, the wankery of it all...

"Little people are very stuff-intensive."

by CabinGirl on Fri Jan 23rd, 2009 at 12:36:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You Win a Blue Dog!! (none / 1)

I know. It is laugh-out-loud funny.

by maryb2004 on Fri Jan 23rd, 2009 at 12:41:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You Win a Blue Dog!! (none / 1)

Don't get me wrong: I like Kos, especially because I think he's usually got a pretty sharp eye for decent candidates.

But this is truly precious. :)

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to you country.

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Fri Jan 23rd, 2009 at 01:04:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You Win a Blue Dog!! (none / 0)

While certain idiots went on a bizarre tear about political dynasties, I have to agree that Caroline Kennedy didn't seem like she'd be intelligent enough (about policy) to be a senator based on the media coverage. What good if they are more progressive advocates if they are buffoons? Kucinich comes to mind but at least Kucinich knows how to legislate. I'm not saying Caroline Kennedy is a fool, but she did not make a very favorable impression.

by MNPundit on Fri Jan 23rd, 2009 at 11:25:02 AM EST

Re: You Win a Blue Dog!! (none / 0)

More than half of her newspaper interview wasn't even about policy, it was 'so exactly when did you decide you wanted to be Senator? no, exactly when? no, exactly WHEN?' The rest of the media coverage was along the same lines.

When the media works hand in hand with people from across the political spectrum to take down a progressive, there is nothing that can stop them.

by liberaljournal on Fri Jan 23rd, 2009 at 12:06:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

moulitsas (none / 0)

To me, this is a win-win situation. There are two alternatives:
1. Gillibrand was voting her districts, and will now tack hard to the left as she represents a much more liberal New York, or
2. She gets primaried and a more progressive Democrats -- one chosen by the voters! -- gets in. Heck, it could even be Caroline Kennedy, assuming she isn't afraid to face real voters!
Gillibrand is an accomplished politician who won in a brutally difficult House seat. But what made her successful in that district won't make her successful statewide. So she either adapts, or she dies. And in the end, it'll be the voters making that call.

Via great orange satan, who also points out that gillibrand just came out in favor of gay marriage, a position she never espoused before.

I stayed out of the NY sen fight, because i'm not really in favor of nepotism or appointments, and prefer special elections. the voters will have their say in a year.

John Mccain Called his wife WHAT??

by brendan on Fri Jan 23rd, 2009 at 12:53:09 PM EST

Re: moulitsas (none / 0)

Via great orange satan, who also points out that gillibrand just came out in favor of gay marriage, a position she never espoused before.

Makes you wonder where else she's going to flop over. Even if the policy she's flipping on is a good one, as is in this case, so sudden a break like this is cause for concern.

And I love the title of this thread.

Recommended by Hideo Kojima

by robertdsc on Fri Jan 23rd, 2009 at 06:27:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

You Win a Blue Dog!! | 14 comments (14 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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