OG-18

If It Wasn't For You Meddling Kids…

by: Chris Bowers

Wed Aug 22, 2007 at 18:28

Over the past two days, at Open Left we have received some interesting responses to two our of latest efforts, Blue Majority's Endorsement of Al Franken (conducted in concert with Dailykos, MyDD and Swing State Project), and the Bush Dog campaign formally initiated this morning by Matt. Most of the response has been overwhelmingly positive, as 118 people have donated to Al Franken so far, and as numerous activists, blogs and organizations sign on to the Bush Dog campaign. There has, however, been some dissent online, centering around the idea that Matt and I are outsiders "meddling" in other people's affairs. One Ohio blogger writes (emphasis in original):

I wasn't around the blogs during last years primary mess but I'm still learning to hate the national blogs. Matt Stoller, Chris Bowers, and the other members of Open Left have decided to launch a campaign against the following Democratic members of the House of Representatives that they've dubbed the "Bush Dogs", a play on the Blue Dogs.(…)

As you can see the list includes two Ohio Rep.'s, Zack Space and Charlie Wilson.

Now it's one thing for people who know the district to complain, it's another for someone that knows absolutely nothing to start meddling around. Sure Space and Wilson haven't always voted the way we've wanted but have they looked at their districts?

And a Minnesota blogger writes:

Christ but I am pissed. We're half a year from the caucuses and out-of-staters from our own movement butt in and tell us who to support? How could this have possibly passed any sane netivist's radar? How is this one iota different than the DSCC fucking with last year's primary?

Chris Bowers invited me into his BlogAds group, and I have always thought well of him. I never dreamed that he or one of his groups would barge into Minnesota and screw with our process. Never.(…)

No more. I just decided to endorse Mike Ciresi. And if Chris Bowers' Blue Majority/Act Blue wants to butt into any other primary races between qualified progressives anywhere else in the country, I'll be endorsing the other candidate in those races as well even though I feel strongly that outsiders shouldn't butt into primaries unless one or more of the candidates really bite.

Considering the comments to the later post in particular, these are not the only two bloggers upset with an out of state activist like me "meddling" in elections and with Democratic members of the US House elsewhere in the country. Even apart from me, these are complaints that I see pop up in many elections concerning many groups. Since I see these complaints often, and since I do not think they are very well founded, I would like to take some time to address all of these issues raised here as clearly and concisely as I can:

There's More... :: (53 Comments, 921 words in story)

Donate to Open Left







QUICK HITS

blog advertising is good for you


blog advertising is good for you
SEARCH

   

Advanced Search