We Don’t Give A Rat’s Ass What You Think

There are a few reasons I was run off of Daily Kos but the principal one is that I didn’t instantly toe the Institutional Democratic Party line.

Labor seeks revenge on free-trade Dems
By Adam Behsudi, Politico
02/27/16 07:58 AM EST

Labor’s fight against the White House’ free-trade agenda is moving into the trenches in tight Democratic races, with many of the 28 moderates who supported “fast-track” trade promotion legislation now targeted for that and their likely support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

California Rep. Scott Peters estimates his reelection campaign is likely to see a $200,000 to $300,000 drop in labor donations — about a seventh of his total contributions so far — and fewer ground volunteers knocking on doors unless he changes his trade stance.
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Labor’s reprisals could also be decisive in the reelection bids of California Rep. Ami Bera and New York Rep. Kathleen Rice. The White House, meanwhile, has rushed to rescue those on labor’s hit list. With approval of the trade pact at the top of Obama’s final year’s agenda, the administration has given targeted lawmakers early endorsements, raised campaign funds and deployed Cabinet officials to praise members in their districts.
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But it could be they won’t have to voice their positions.

Republican leaders, who are complaining about the deal’s provisions on pharmaceutical protections, financial data rules and other language, indicate a vote might not happen before Nov. 4, with Ryan now saying the support just isn’t there among GOP members.

There’s a chance a vote could get delayed until the next administration and the next Congress, but that hasn’t prompted labor groups to ease off their threats or strategizing over which districts to hit hardest should Congress move forward.

“So they want to put it after the election because they think we’ll forget,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said. “Well, we’re not going to forget, and we’re not going to let the American worker forget, and we think they’ll have a tough time explaining their vote to workers who have lost jobs.”

Meanwhile, the White House and trade-friendly lawmakers hope to grow support for the TPP among the two dozen Democrats who were on the fence about fast track but ultimately voted against it, including Denny Heck and Adam Smith of Washington, John Carney of Delaware, Joaquín Castro of Texas, Ed Perlmutter of Colorado and Seth Moulton of Massachusetts.
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Sacramento’s Bera became labor’s whipping boy over his support for the fast-track bill. Union groups aired an $84,000 television ad campaign in his district slamming him for his vote and also took more unorthodox measures, such as placing classified ads in the Sacramento Bee and on Craigslist seeking “a congressman w/ backbone to represent working families.”

The two-term congressman, who won reelection by 1 percentage point last election, faces another competitive race this year — this time against Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, a Republican who opposes the TPP.

While Bera has not announced his position on the trade deal, he failed to secure the backing of his local Democratic club because of the backlash from local labor groups, which has forced him to go hat in hand to his party’s state convention this weekend to seek an endorsement.

“Labor had his back and supported him from the very beginning,” said Robert Longer, vice president of the Communications Workers of America’s local chapter, adding that union groups delivered many of the 1,400 votes that put the congressman over the top in the last election. “We’re not going to work against him, but we’re certainly not working for him. … He needs us more than we need him.”

Of course I also called them out for playing favorites which I may explain in greater detail later and said Denise Oliver Valez is a rapist apologist, which she is. I think my greatest sin was offering to buy out Markos who is nothing but a corporatist whore. I wouldn’t give him a nickle for that site today.