A Big Win
Posted by
Kevin
No, not Obama, Donna Edwards:
U.S. Rep. Albert R. Wynn (D) conceded a short time ago after losing to Prince George’s County lawyer Donna F. Edwards.
Wynn, who had served in the 4th District for eight terms, had been targeted by an aggressive advertisement campaign, funded in part with hundreds of thousands of dollars from national labor groups and liberal organizations. The effort apparently convinced voters that Wynn had fallen out of step with his overwhelmingly Democratic district during his 15 years in Congress.
Wynn was a horrible Democrat. He voted for the war in in Iraq, for Cheney’s horrible 2005 energy bill, for the horrible bankruptcy bill, for drilling in Alaskan preserves and for repealing the estate tax. And he just got primaried out of his seat. This is an important win, becasue it shows that incumbents can be beaten, that if they stray too far form what it means to be a Democrat, they can be removed from office. Combined with insurgents wins in New Hampshire and the Montana and Virginia Senate races, this acts as a reminder to every Democrat that voting like a Democrat matters and not doing so can have consequences. Even long-term incumbants are not safe. This is how you make better Democrats: make them afraid of losing their seats.
No, no, no, this can never work! The only way to get this kind of change is to develop a strong third-party!
*ducks*
Seriously, though, I just hope we don’t have a repeat of Lamont/Lieberman. If Edwards doesn’t win the seat in the general, it would lessen the impact of her having knocked off Wynn.
Comment 2/13/2008
[…] Both Progressive Nashville and Lean Left are excited by the results in a Maryland Democratic Congressional Primary in which Donna Edwards unseated incumbent Albert Wynn: Wynn was a horrible Democrat. He voted for the war in in Iraq, for Cheney’s horrible 2005 energy bill, for the horrible bankruptcy bill, for drilling in Alaskan preserves and for repealing the estate tax. And he just got primaried out of his seat. This is an important win, becasue it shows that incumbents can be beaten, that if they stray too far form what it means to be a Democrat, they can be removed from office. Combined with insurgents wins in New Hampshire and the Montana and Virginia Senate races, this acts as a reminder to every Democrat that voting like a Democrat matters and not doing so can have consequences. Even long-term incumbants are not safe. This is how you make better Democrats: make them afraid of losing their seats. Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. […]
Pingback 2/13/2008
[…] • Lean Left: Big win: This is an important win, because it shows that incumbents can be beaten, that if they stray too far form what it means to be a Democrat, they can be removed from office. Plus: How Clinton’s Actions On FISA Undermine Her Campaign […]
Pingback 2/17/2008
[…] • Lean Left: Big win: This is an important win, because it shows that incumbents can be beaten, that if they stray too far form what it means to be a Democrat, they can be removed from office. Plus: How Clinton’s Actions On FISA Undermine Her Campaign […]
Pingback 2/17/2008
[…] • Lean Left: Big win: This is an important win, because it shows that incumbents can be beaten, that if they stray too far form what it means to be a Democrat, they can be removed from office. Plus: How Clinton’s Actions On FISA Undermine Her Campaign […]
Pingback 2/18/2008