Dem Civil War: Majority Imploding as Left Wing Jumps Ship

Dem Civil War: Majority Imploding as Left Wing Jumps Ship

As Democrats Continue to Lose Independents, Their Base Opens Fire As Well

LEADING LIBERAL VOICES QUESTION OBAMA’S AFGHANISTAN DECISION

Left-Wing Icon Michael Moore Attacks President Obama’s Afghanistan Strategy: “Filmmaker Michael Moore is adding his name to a growing list of liberals increasingly disappointed by President Obama’s policy choices.  Moore is questioning the president’s decision to send more troops to Afghanistan.” (Bret Baier, “Add Michael Moore to Obama’s List of Critics,” FOX News, 11/30/09)

• “He writes in an open letter on his Web site michaelmoore.com: ‘Do you really want to be the new ‘war president’? With just one speech… you will turn a multitude of young people who were the backbone of your campaign into disillusioned cynics….You will teach them what they’ve always heard is true — that all politicians are alike.’” (Bret Baier, “Add Michael Moore to Obama’s List of Critics,” FOX News, 11/30/09)

MoveOn.Org Responds to Troop Increase with Organized Protest: “MoveOn.org, which broke its tradition of not intervening in the Democratic primary process to endorse Obama over Clinton during the campaign, has urged members to send messages to the White House voicing their opposition to the troop increase.” (“Anti-War Left Protests Obama’s Afghanistan War Strategy,” FOX News, 11/30/09)

DEMS SPLIT OVER PUBLIC OPTION

Former DNC Chair Dean Calls Dem Bill “Worthless” Without Public Option: “Some liberal Democrats are still insisting that the ‘public option’ is a make-or-break issue for the health care legislation. And that includes some without a vote in Congress, like Howard Dean.” (“Tea With Mr. Dean and the Public Option,” The New York Times, 12/01/09)

• “Dr. Dean, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and governor of Vermont, is founder of Democracy for America, a liberal political action committee that has been lobbying against the insurance industry and for the ‘public option’ — a government-run insurance program that would compete with private insurers.” (“Tea With Mr. Dean and the Public Option,” The New York Times, 12/01/09)

• DEAN: “If we don’t have that choice…this bill is worthless, it costs a lot of money and it should be defeated.” (“Tea With Mr. Dean and the Public Option,” The New York Times, 12/01/09)

House Progressives Continue To Fight Any Bills Without Public Option: “As a conference with the Senate looms, Grijalva is again rallying liberals to fight any proposals for a ‘trigger’ for the public option, calling it a ‘back-door attempt to kill the public option and confuse voters.’” (Steven T. Dennis, “Grijalva: Enforcer for House Progressives,” Roll Call, 11/16/09)

• “‘A public option trigger cannot pass the House and will be fought by united voices around the country until it is defeated,’ he warned last week.” (Steven T. Dennis, “Grijalva: Enforcer for House Progressives,” Roll Call, 11/16/09)

Dems Lash Out At Fellow Dems: “Democrat lashed out at Democrat on Tuesday, interrupting, snubbing and dissing each other before splintering over the issue of … a public health care option?” (Joseph Curl, “Dems feud over health’s public option,” Washington Times, 09/30/09)

• “After months building up to the moment when the one-time core of President Obama’s health care agenda would take center stage on Capitol Hill, Senate Democrats quickly devolved into petty intraparty bickering – not quietly, in private, but right there in the capacious Room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building.” (Joseph Curl, “Dems feud over health’s public option,” Washington Times, 09/30/09)

DAILY KOS VS. DCCC

Daily Kos To Liberals: Don’t Donate To DCCC: “In addition to the ten who voted against final passage, and additional four voted for the Stupak-Pitts coathanger amendment: Snyder, Hill, Driehaus, and Space.  So of that list of the 18 most endangered Democrats, the only ones who didn’t cast a shitty vote Saturday night were Grayson, Kilroy, Shea-Porter, and Periello.” (Markos Moulitsas, “Ditch the DCCC,” Daily Kos, 11/09/09)

• “And that’s just the 18 most endangered, expand out to other competitive races, and it gets uglier. This is where the bulk of the DCCC’s money is going to go — supporting Democrats who didn’t just vote against the party’s most important piece of legislation in decades, but also threatened to vote against it if the legislation didn’t get in the way of a patient and her doctor (along with obviously hypocritical Republicans) on a LEGAL procedure.” (Markos Moulitsas, “Ditch the DCCC,” Daily Kos, 11/09/09)

• “So here’s the bottom line — skip any donations to the DCCC. Their first priority is incumbent retention, and they’re (necessarily) issue agnostic. They’ll be dumping millions into defending these seats. Instead, give to those elected officials who best reflect your values.” (Markos Moulitsas, “Ditch the DCCC,” Daily Kos, 11/09/09)

SHELL GAME: DEMS’ EMPTY ABORTION AMENDMENT SPARKS FURY WITHIN THEIR OWN RANKS

Dems Included Pro-Abortion Provisions In Healthcare Bill To Gain Support Of Wavering Members: “House leaders have won the backing of the nation’s Catholic bishops for a last-minute abortion compromise, a critical boost that could give the health reform bill enough momentum – and enough votes – for passage as early as Saturday.” (Patrick O’Connor , “Abortion bitter pill may get bill to 218,” Politico, 11/07/09)

o    “In the end, the Rules Committee decided to give Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak a floor vote on his amendment to prohibit private insurers from using federal funds to pay for abortion or allowing companies that participate in the exchange from offering coverage through those plans. Given the strength of the anti-abortion vote in the House, the amendment should pass when it comes to the floor and will therefore become part of the broader bill.” (Patrick O’Connor, “Abortion bitter pill may get bill to 218,” Politico, 11/07/09)

Now, House Democrat Leaders Admit Stupak Amendment Will Be Stripped In Final Version: “The health bill approved by the House will likely see its abortion amendment stripped, the House’s third-ranking Democrat stressed Tuesday.  House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said he believes that the amendment restricting federal funding for abortion will eventually be removed during conference with the Senate’s bill.” (Michael O’Brien, “Clyburn Believes Abortion Amendment Will Be Removed,” The Hill, 11/10/09)

• MAJORITY WHIP JIM CLYBURN: “‘I think that’s what’s gonna happen…..‘That’s certainly why I voted for it,’ Clyburn explained. ‘I agree that the language approved by the House is unacceptable. We were doing what was necessary to do to put the bill on the floor in about 12 hours.” (Michael O’Brien, “Clyburn Believes Abortion Amendment Will Be Removed,” The Hill, 11/10/09)

o    “Clyburn said that he and many other House Democrats supported the amendment to pass the legislation in the House, with the expectation that it would eventually be removed.  House liberals have openly threatened to kill a final health bill if it contains restrictions on abortion like those included in the House’s legislation, though it’s not clear how removing the provision would affect centrist Democrats’ vote on final passage.” (Michael O’Brien, “Clyburn Believes Abortion Amendment Will Be Removed,” The Hill, 11/10/09)

• REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL): “I am confident that when it comes back from the conference committee that that language won’t be there.  And I think we’re all going to be working very hard, particularly the pro-choice members, to make sure that’s the case.” (Michael O’Brien, “Senior Democrat is ‘confident’ that Stupak amendment will be stripped,” The Hill, 11/09/09)

Key House Progressive Attacked Catholic Bishops For Supporting Stupak Amendment: “I expect political hardball on any legislation as important as the health care bill.   I just didn’t expect it from the United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).  Who elected them to Congress?” (Rep. Lynn Woolsey, “IRS Should Look At Bishops,” Politico, 11/09/09)

• “The role the bishops played in the pushing the Stupak amendment, which unfairly restricts access for low-income women to insurance coverage for abortions, was more than mere advocacy….And this political effort was subsidized by taxpayers, since the Council enjoys tax-exempt status….The IRS is less restrictive about church involvement in efforts to influence legislation than it is about involvement in campaigns and elections.  Given the political behavior of USCCB in this case, maybe it shouldn’t be.” (Rep. Lynn Woolsey, “IRS Should Look At Bishops,” Politico, 11/09/09)

FLASHBACK: OBAMA’S CAMPAIGN ARM ATTACKS FELLOW DEMS WITH TV ADS

Obama Campaign Operation Targeting Dem Senators With TV Ads: “A wing of the DNC announced this week that it would launch a new television ad to press Democratic senators from Arkansas, Indiana, Florida, Louisiana, North Dakota, Nebraska and Ohio. The ad, funded by … a wing of the DNC that was formed from the grass-roots operation of Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, urges senators to back an overhaul of the nation’s healthcare system.” (Alexander Bolton, “Reid Calls DNC Healthcare Ads ‘Waste Of Money,'” The Hill, 7/16/09)

Obama Doesn’t Want Progressive Groups Targeting Democrats: “A White House official who was in the lunch tells POLITICO: ‘The President discussed how the current tone and culture in Washington made it more difficult than it has been in the past to work in a bipartisan fashion. In particular, he singled out Republican Senators who are trying to work in a bipartisan fashion even in the context of a vocal minority in their party who doubt that the President was born in the US. In this context about the less productive tone of the debate in Washington, he said he didn’t like to see “left wing groups attack fellow Democrats.”’” (Amie Parnes, “Obama Waves Off Liberals,” Politico’s “44” Blog, 8/4/09)

But That Doesn’t Apply To Obama’s Own Political Machine: “I’m told by a senior Hill Dem, by the way, that he was only referring to outside groups — not his own political apparatus, Organizing for America, which ran some mild ads aimed at congressional Dems.” (Jonathan Martin, Obama Voices Disapproval Of Dem-On-Dem Ads,” Politico’s “Ben Smith” Blog, 8/4/09)

OTHER PROGRESSIVE GROUPS HAVE ATTACKED THEIR DEMOCRAT ALLIES

AFL-CIO Targets 50 “High Priority Districts”: “In a memo sent out on Thursday, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney outlined the blueprint for how the union conglomerate would step up recess activities on health care reform and other topics pertinent to the labor community… The AFL-CIO is planning to target 50 ‘high priority districts,’ in addition to organizing telephone town hall gatherings.” (Sam Stein, “Unions To Take On Conservative Health Care Town Halls,” The Huffington Post, 8/6/09)

HCAN Spends $2.5 Million To Pressure Lawmakers in August: “In addition to the AFL-CIO’s spending plans, Health Care for America Now, a coalition of labor unions and liberal advocacy groups is planning to spend $2.5 million in August to pressure lawmakers on healthcare reform alone… ‘There will be a huge amount of grassroots organizing at the local level combined with selected paid advertising,’ said Kirsh, who said the coalition generated 50,000 calls to the House on one day last week.” (Alexander Bolton, “Unions Budget Up To $15 Million For August Campaign,” The Hill, 8/1/09)

MoveOn.org Is Attacking Democrats: “On the left, MoveOn.org is on the radio, airing ads in the districts of three other conservative Blue Dogs who voted against the Energy and Commerce reform measure — Reps. John Barrow (Ga.),  Jim Matheson (Utah) and Charlie Melancon (La.). The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is also using radio, running ‘drive-time’ spots that accuse seven GOP lawmakers of “siding with insurance companies” against reform.” (Ben Pershing, “Groups Take Health-Reform Debate To Airwaves,” The Washington Post, 8/5/09)

Coalition Including Families USA And SEIU Running Ads To Pressure Democrats: “Healthy Economy Now is an ‘odd bedfellows’ coalition — increasingly common on the health care scene. Its members are the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), AARP, the American Medical Association, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, Business Roundtable, Families USA and the Service Employees International Union. This is the third ad the coalition has released in an ad buy that has totaled more than $12 million… The goal of the ads is to press the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, who have been snarling about the cost of a health care overhaul and other issues, to support the House bill. The ad urges people to call congressmen who have expressed reservations to ask them to support the legislation.” (Andrew Villegas, “Ad Audit: If,” Kaiser Health News, 7/21/09)

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