All Kinds of Primaries

It's worth recalling that the presidential primary isn't the only primary on the calendar this year. Maryland voters will, for example, seen be choosing between business Democrat incumbent Al Wynn and his challenger, Donna Edwards, backed by a "vast left-wing conspiracy" of progressive allies.

These sorts of challenges are, in my view, extraordinarily important. Having a left-wing challenger beat just one incumbent Democrat would have an enormous exemplary effect on the others.

Comments

If you can, please toss $50 Donna's way. Go to firedoglake, click on the BlueAmerica tab, and scroll down. She'll make a great representative and it will be a joy to be rid of Al Wynn.

Posted by Bloix | January 30, 2008 2:02 PM

I'm from Steny Hoyer's district, next door to Wynn's. I would trade Hoyer for Donna Edwards in a New York minute, but I don't like knowing that Wynn represents even a little corner of beautiful Prince George's County. This is a guy who voted to repeal the estate tax, an act which is disgraceful enough but when you represent the only suburban majority black count in the whole USofA ,it is simply unspeakable. His latest tactic is just lowdown and ignorant. Go Donna.

Posted by Peter in P G | January 30, 2008 2:12 PM

We have another contest here in Indiana's 9th worth watching. Gretchen Clearwater is challenging the odious Bush Dog Baron Hill (the man voted against SCHIP for god sake) in IN-9:

http://www.clearwaterforcongress.com/

She came within 1000 votes of knocking him out of the contest in 2006.

Posted by DanF | January 30, 2008 2:15 PM

You're absolutely right, of course. What's become increasingly worrisome is that many of us no longer feel like we are progressive allies. A vigorous primary fight is one thing; the furious and bitter partisanship within the netroots has been something of a whole other, ugly character.

It's worth thinking about the damage being done to what we've always spoken of as our shared goals.

Posted by Klio | January 30, 2008 2:24 PM

Peter in P.G. - I'm also in Hoyer's district, only down in Calvert County. I share every last one of your sentiments about Hoyer, Wynn, and Donna Edwards.

And I tossed $50 her way this morning, on top of the money I contributed last year.

Posted by low-tech cyclist | January 30, 2008 2:34 PM

Sorry to rain on everyone's parade, but as a resident of MD04, I can tell you that Donna Edwards is crazy. Astonishingly, breathtakingly crazy. She will not be great representative. She will be a frightening, terrible representative.

Al Wynn is pretty awful though. Perhaps both of them will lose.

Posted by Philip | January 30, 2008 2:39 PM

Philip,

Anything, even an anecdotal smidgen, to support your contention that Edwards is a wacko? That's not the sense that I get, but then again I'm not familiar with her beyond the Web.

Posted by Bragan | January 30, 2008 2:44 PM

The problem is that Wynn won't be pushed out until the citizens of PG County decide that it's time for him to go, no matter how much money Firedoglake and the other "netroots" organizers push Donna Edwards' way. He "debated" her extremely ineffectively on WAMU's Politics Hour last Friday, at one point trying to claim she was just as tied to corporate interests as he was because she hadn't publicly denounced her employer, the Arca Foundation, for owning a portfolio that included Haliburton shares.

The one time he actually scored some points, however, was in pointing out the fact that something like 80% of her money is coming from outside the district right now, and she responded with vague platitudes about the breadth of her support. There's no question that people all over the country have an interest in elections like this, but I do think the funding imbalance is genuinely going to hurt her.

Posted by Nate | January 30, 2008 2:46 PM

the furious and bitter partisanship within the netroots has been something of a whole other, ugly character. I certainly hope no one gets the idea that Steny Hoyer let alone Al Wynn is part of any netroots dispute. Wynn is a snake in the grass. In Wirespeak he is Clay Davis. No one remotely progressive could possibly think that Al Wynn is worth supporting.

Posted by Peter in P G | January 30, 2008 2:48 PM

1. The phrase "Vast left-wing conspiracy" was clearly intended ironically. All you young punks should like it, unless you prefer misrepresenting people and gettign indignant about stuff for no reason other than to make other people feel bad. Wait, this is a blog! Of course that's what's happening!
2. As far as Wynn goes he would be a special type of irritating "sensible centrist" (if that kind of thing irritates you) because his district is so solidly Democratic.

Posted by Moral Panicker | January 30, 2008 2:51 PM

I'm actually in the process of moving to the 4th district this week, from the colonial protectorate of DC. Looks like I'll be just in time to vote for Donna Edwards in this primary. Hey, it'll be fun to actually PARTICIPATE in democracy instead of just reading about it!

Posted by Jake H. | January 30, 2008 2:59 PM

Al Wynn is not a sensible centrist; he is not even a "sensible centrist." He is a lousy, lousy Congressman who can't even be bothered to have his office return phone calls to constituents who aren't named "Verizon."

He is a bum. He is about to be thrown out.

Posted by LaFollette Progressive | January 30, 2008 3:02 PM

"Vast left-wing conspiracy" was clearly intended ironically. The words are a direct quote from Al Wynn who is incapable of intentional irony, not that he isn't capable of the "gee I'm too stupid to understand this is ironic" kind of irony. For anyone interested in Donna Edward's sanity, you can judge for yourself here

Posted by Peter in P G | January 30, 2008 3:09 PM

Peter nails it--for anyone who doesn't have the time to listen the NPR podcast he links to, it shows Donna Edwards as passionate, informed, and clearly on the right side of the issues, IMHO.

Posted by vorkosigan1 | January 30, 2008 3:13 PM

DanF: "She came within 1000 votes of knocking him out of the contest in 2006."

What?? CQ's Politics in America 2008 gives the 2006 Democratic primary results in the Indiana 9th District as:

Baron Hill 53,883 79.2%
Gretchen Clearwater 9,415 13.8%
Lendall B. Terry 2,501 3.7% John "Cosmo" Hockersmith 2,267 3.3%

I am all for challenging Blue Dogs in safe Democratic districts like the Maryland 4th, but the Indiana 9th went for Bush in 2004 by 59-41. I doubt very much that a non-incumbent Democrat could carry it this year.

Posted by David T | January 30, 2008 3:19 PM

Wynn's money comes from out of district as well. The difference is that his money is from corporate PACs - telcoms, nukes, Wal-Mart. Edwards' money is almost all individual contributions. And Wynn is more conservative than some actual Republicans. But Pelosi loves him. It really is time to show the leadership that Democrats want their representatives to be Democrats.

See, e.g., http://www.freestatepolitics.us/showDiary.do?diaryId=1003

"Wynn ... voted to have the 10 Commandments installed in Federal Court buildings and sided with Tom Delay on the infamous Terri Schiavo vote. He is against net-neutrality, he supported amendments weakening the Shay-Meehan bill to remove soft money from politics, he voted to go to war with Iraq, he voted to repeal the estate tax... and he supported the 2005 Bankruptcy Bill... He is one of the most conservative members of the entire Congressional Black Caucus...

Posted by Bloix | January 30, 2008 4:56 PM

Having a left-wing challenger beat just one incumbent Democrat would have an enormous exemplary effect on the others.

Didn't we have that last time, and it didn't ultimately work?

Posted by Aaron S. Veenstra | January 30, 2008 8:39 PM

Al Wynn probably sealed the victory with his crucial endorsement of Barack Obama. Prince George's County is pro-Obama. Obama is gaining a lot of momentum to be president. Obama's people will be backing Wynn. That was definately a smart move by Wynn.

Posted by arnlstw | February 5, 2008 3:41 PM