Thread: Liberal Democrats Turn on One of Party's 'Blue Dogs'

Liberal Democrats Turn on One of Party's 'Blue Dogs'
Carney Is Opposed For Backing Bush On Surveillance Bill

By BRAD HAYNES
August 18, 2008; Page A5



FACTORYVILLE, Pa. -- In 2006, liberal and centrist Democrats put aside longstanding differences to support candidates across the political spectrum in pursuit of the party's first congressional majority in 12 years. Now, as Democrats have grown confident about expanding that majority, old fissures are re-emerging as some left-leaning activists once again emphasize loyalty to their ideas over loyalty to the party.

One of the first big battlegrounds is in northeastern Pennsylvania, where liberal bloggers who boosted Rep. Chris Carney's 2006 upset win over a four-term Republican incumbent have this year turned against the freshman Democrat, actively campaigning for his defeat in November. Upset by Mr. Carney's advocacy of President George W. Bush's domestic-surveillance legislation, his former supporters have attacked him with television, radio and newspaper ads as he faces a tough re-election fight against millionaire Republican Chris Hackett.

The narrator in one commercial blames the congressman for approving "the same un-American spying powers they have in Russia and Communist China." A series of full-page newspaper ads accused him of having "sold out the Constitution for tens of thousands in campaign contributions."

Mr. Carney is the most vulnerable target so far this year for online activists unified under the political action committee Blue America. But the organizers behind the attack call it a "template" for punishing the most "right-wing" Democrats in future elections and have raised half a million dollars for efforts of its kind.

Mr. Carney's liberal detractors haven't endorsed his Republican challenger but say they wouldn't be bothered if the seat turned Republican once again.

"Our goal is to attach a real price to the type of things Chris Carney is doing. If that means he ends up losing, then so be it," said Glenn Greenwald, a columnist at Salon magazine and one of the organizers behind the effort. "I would rather see a smaller majority but fewer Blue Dogs than a big majority with the Blue Dogs in charge."

The Blue Dogs are a coalition of more fiscally and socially conservative Democrats who trace their roots to the party's historical stronghold in the South. Mr. Carney is a member of the caucus, whose ranks have grown in recent years as Democrats have picked up seats in conservative bastions, making their 47 votes -- out of 236 Democrats -- a crucial swing bloc in the House.

But even as the newest round of self-proclaimed conservative Democrats works to expand the majority and the Blue Dogs' role within it this November, they face party members openly calling for their defeat.

"We're not just Democrats, we're progressives. We're not about getting the leadership of the Democratic party more power," explains online activist Howie Klein of Blue America, which has raised more than $1 million since he co-founded it in 2005. "Blue America is about better Democrats, not more Democrats."

In northwestern Pennsylvania, where two-time Democratic challenger Steven Porter has launched an independent progressive bid against Republican Rep. Phil English, Blue America has endorsed Mr. Porter rather than the Democratic nominee, Kathy Dahlkemper. Mr. Klein has praised the third-party run and helped Mr. Porter raise money despite Democratic concerns that a divided liberal vote will hurt the odds of a party pickup in a tight race.

In 2006, Mr. Carney "portrayed himself as a progressive to us," says Mr. Klein, who now calls him a "master triangulator."

Meanwhile, just as Blue America has rebuked Mr. Carney, he has backed away from the party's liberal wing. "If the extremes on both sides are attacking me, I'm probably where I need to be," he said, while shooting skeet at a campaign event in his sprawling rural district.

The first Democrat to represent his conservative-leaning district since 1961, the freshman representative has distanced himself from the 2006 support of liberal groups such as Blue America, MoveOn and the Brady gun-control campaign. Instead, he is courting prominent local Republican leaders and proudly pointing out that half of his staff is Republican.

"He doesn't ask anybody about party affiliation," said supporter Eric Grimes, who has served on his county's Republican committee and voted for Ron Paul in the presidential primary this year. Wearing a "Sportsmen for Carney" hat, Mr. Grimes gestured toward the congressman and the dozens of National Rifle Association members gathered at the range, wearing the same orange hats. "He's one of us."

A lieutenant commander in the Navy Reserve with rural roots and a big family, Mr. Carney has put his conservative supporters at ease and is at home in his tiny town outside of Scranton, where he taught political science. "Between me, my wife Jen and our five kids, we make up about 10% of the population," he said.

With his politics, too, Mr. Carney has blended with his surroundings. The first two positions he emphasizes on his campaign Web site are a defense of Second Amendment gun rights and a crackdown on illegal immigration. Mr. Carney rejects amnesty for unregistered aliens and supports English as the official national language.

When Mr. Carney joined 20 Blue Dogs this spring in pushing House leadership to approve domestic-surveillance legislation that protected telecommunications companies from prosecution, Blue America formed a fund to "get even" with Democrats like him. Mr. Carney said his firsthand experience with military intelligence convinced him of the importance of the domestic spying program.

Of the $350,000 Blue America has raised, nearly $100,000 went into ads against Mr. Carney in May. Mr. Greenwald expects to spend at least $100,000 more in September and October, when the advertising will have maximum effect. This month, through a related group, Accountability Now, Mr. Greenwald and another blogger raised an additional $150,000 for the cause.

Blue America has also spent $30,000 on robocalls and ads against Majority Leader Steny Hoyer this year to try to "soften him up" for a 2010 challenger in his Maryland district. The group has spent thousands against Democratic Rep. John Barrow in Georgia as well but curtailed spending when internal polls showed Mr. Barrow was "not vulnerable enough."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1219022 ... lenews_wsj

I may be wrong, but I'm fairly certain that Carney in NO WAY supports anything that ALIPAC stands for.

I am going to look into this further, but I'm willing to bet that the website noted in this article is just plain lying.

Interesting. However, its the freshman blue dogs that got Nancy her Speaker position and Rahm Emanuel knows it.

The labels really don't mean all that much.

Isn't Loretta Sanchez of CA in the BD group as well?

Vote for the person, not the party (nor the affiliation).

The "Progessive" Democrats have, no doubt, found a gold mine in regularly hounding corporations and foundations for contributions. I'm sure they are armed with every guilt provoking tactic they can think of. Without money from those big sources these groups would have wilted long ago. But this is how they can continue this attack against moderate Dems.

Originally Posted by PhredE

The labels really don't mean all that much.

Isn't Loretta Sanchez of CA in the BD group as well?

Vote for the person, not the party (nor the affiliation).

There is no way she's blue dog. Neither is Thompson in the first district.