( – promoted by Colorado Pols)
For those who haven’t caught it, Howie Klein wrote a piece (http://downwithtyran…) about a “candidate training” organized by AFSCME, the DCCC, Christine Pelosi and New House PAC also attended by Nancy Pelosi & Chris Van Hollen. Apparently the organizers didn’t invite every Dem candidate and it’s now being portrayed by some as a battle between the “Establishment” and the “NetRoots”
Joan Fitz-Gerald was invited, Jared and Will, not. One AFSCME rep explained to Howie Klein that “Joan has already been endorsed by AFSCME and has regularly stood with and been a great advocate for working families. That doesn’t mean that Polis isn’t but she’s been there with us.”
That doesn’t seem to be an acceptable explanation to CD2 Candidate Polis who has now penned his own diary on Kos (http://www.dailykos….)
A few questions this raises for me:
Why is a gathering that seems to have DCCC backing getting involved in a primary where the strength of the candidate or their ability to take on a Republican is irrelevant? Was this as simple as the explanation from the AFSCME rep given Joan’s close ties to labor?
Does it help or hurt Jared to be antoginistic with the “establishment”? No, he doesn’t need their money or support and this undoubtedly wins him points with many in the “NetRoots,” but if elected, he’ll need to work with those same “Establishment” Dems to get things accomplished for his constituents.
With talk of the “BlogFather” being on the Polis team now and the expectation that after the previous gaffes, Wanda has all communications under her control, is this blogging by Jared part of the campaign’s strategy or Jared doing things on his own?
The NetRoots vs Establishment: There’s been a lot of talk from “Progressives” about not needing to answer to the Establishment, most infamously a MoveOn blast saying “Now it’s our Party: we bought it, we own it.” Can a candidate supported by the NetRoots defeat one backed by the Establishment? Might CD2 be a place where they could? Is it in the best interests of the constituents to have a Congressional Rep who has the NetRoots backing but is at odds with the leadership?
