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by: jpolis

10/24/07 @ 12:10:26 PM MDT


(I am reluctant to frontpage a candidate post in a primary race, but this story might have national implications. I'll try to be even handed with the spotlight if an opponent responds. - promoted by TakeBackTheHouse)

If you haven't read it yet, Howie Klein wrote about how my insider-backed primary opponent was invited to participate in a strategy conference with the Democratic establishment, while I was shunned.

Neither I nor the other non-establishment Democratic candidate running here in CO's Second Congressional district were invited or even knew about this semi-official training which was apparently sanctioned by our party's DC leadership; My candidacy is not a long-shot, I don't need the establishment's support; our campaign leads in money raised and cash on hand over the opposition so far, thanks to the netroots support of over 600 ActBlue donors so far and well over 1,000 donors overall.

I'm fine running against the way Democrats in DC have been operating. As I talk to Democratic voters across my district, I find that they are increasingly fed-up with the way Washington DC Democrats keep giving in to Republicans.

jpolis :: Semi-official DCCC event only invites "establishment" Democrats
Whether it's making it harder for working families to emerge from bankruptcy, ending the war in Iraq, leaving gender identity out of ENDA, or letting telcos off the hook for illegal surveillance, the Democratic establishment risks increasingly estranging itself from where our voters are, and more importantly where our values are.

You would never know that Democrats held strong values if you look at what comes out of the insular DC insiders. We are the party of values; let's start living them and celebrate dissent and diversity.

Jared Polis
Candidate for US Congress
Colorado, Second Congressional District
www.polisforcongress.com

See my similar cross-posting on Dailykos

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wow (4.00 / 1)
This is no way to treat a person who has given so much to the Democratic party, a person who is largely credited with changing this state from a solid red state to blue.
Not to mention that Fitz_gerlad and Polis are running neck and neck at this point.
What is the DCCC thinking?

It's no way to treat and candidate who steps up to run (4.00 / 1)
The DCCC should refuse to participate unless it is open to all three candidates. We're supposed to be supporting the idea of a democracy!

[ Parent ]
Make that - treat "any" candidate (0.00 / 0)


[ Parent ]
the DCCC (4.00 / 1)
guaranteed Jay Fawcett would lose down here. (Yeah, it was an uphill fight, and he might have lost no matter what, but their late to the dance, non-strategy guaranteed it).

Maybe they'll do the same for Joan.


I agree somewhat with that statement (0.00 / 0)
but it was the campaigns own fault. They announced that Fawcett was running over a year before the election, and he never went door to door in the District. Atleast he should have walked through the community around the Air Force Academy and around Fort Carson.  He should have recieved the military vote atleast and didn't. 

It may have also been some what smart to put up Fawcett for Congress signs during the Republican Primary. People vote for names they know, how does the campaign achieve that...by putting up the signs earlier. Not a week before the election.


[ Parent ]
Winter (4.00 / 1)
The D-trip recruited and then ignored Bill Winter, leaving him with months of trying to convince the media that he was viable instead of being someone to point to show he was.

They could have gotten the ball rolling and given Tancredo his first real race. Instead, they handed Tancredo a national stage for his screeds.

All in all they handle tactics miserably, but Howie's story looks even larger. It makes me question their strategy as well.


What Else is New? (4.00 / 1)
Democrats can be bad as Republicans when it comes to someone who's speaking the truth.

Believe me, I know.

Skyler McKinley
Colorado State Director
Mike Gravel for President 2008
smckinley@gravel2008.us


and you wonder why (4.00 / 2)
more and more of us are taking over the party from the ground up.  We're sick of the same old shit and this is just one more example.

Let's keep Crashing (4.00 / 3)
the Gate!  I am sorry, but not surprised, to see this happen.  What else to expect from the Rahm/Steny/Nancy wing of the Democratic Party?  I admire Jared for having the guts to take a clear, principled progressive stand on issue after issue--regardless of how the DLC or the DCCC will take it.  We (the netroots) need to recruit more candidates like Jared to run at every level, and vigorously primary the insiders whenever we can.

The Party is rotten at the top.  The Democrat-controlled Congress is in a furious competition with Bush for the "lantern rouge."  What we may be seeing is the last gasp of the K Street Elites in their desperate attempt to maintain a stranglehold on the Democratic Party.  At least, that's what I'm telling myself to keep from getting too despondent.

Casey Mulligan


[ Parent ]
AFSMCE has endorsed JFG (0.00 / 0)
The Colorado chapter, that is.  That is probably why she was invited in the first place.  It may have morphed from something not-DCCC into something that was due to the speakers involved.

Pelosi (and any other elected official) has a right to endorse and help whoever she wants in this race.  The netroots clearly favor specific people as well.  If organizations whose sole job is elect Democrats are neutral, it is fair.  The "establishment" has a right to try to influence primaries just like the netroots does.


[ Parent ]
Who Paid? (0.00 / 0)
Was this just Nancy's choice?
Did any of the speakers travel on the DCCC dime, or work on the clock?

If so, then donations from people were used for purposes other than what I suspect the donors intended.


[ Parent ]
Odd but overblown. (4.00 / 1)
The DCCC's job should be mostly after the primaries are over. 

In the pre-primary period, its only legitimate job is to recruit candidates, either in districts where there is no candidate running, or where the only candidates running are clearly too weak to win a seat that the right candidate could win.

CO-2 doesn't fit that model. 

Now, to be clear, Fitz-Gerald did nothing wrong by attending. 

A review of Klein's post likewise reveals that senior union officials suggested Fitz-Gerald, and it is hardly off base for them to be recommending a candidate whom they have endorsed for a good training and networking opportunity.

The fault here lies squarely with the DCCC itself, which has been going great guns raising money this cycle, but has been less than smart in its other decision making.The DCCC leadership should take some heat for their lack of good sense in putting together a guest list.  But, this is hardly an indictment of the DC leadership of the Democratic Party.


I think (4.00 / 1)
it's just an example of an endemic problem, a hard to kill cancer, within the establishment of the party.  If you read Howie Klein's piece it's clear this was a failure on the part of several folks.  If someone like me is careful about how this site looks like it leans in CO-02, shouldn't those far higher up the food chain be even more cautious when you're talking about a three way primary?

[ Parent ]
This is how Salazars are created. (4.00 / 2)
Cement candidate loyalty to the folks in the smoke-filled room (http://www.rockymoun...). The Business Party advances its agenda and Progressives get suckered yet again. The only fact you need to know is that Steve Farber backed Bob Beauprez and still got an invitation to Ritter's inaugural ball at the Brown Palace.

There is no elite, so take your place in the driver's seat.

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Past Elections

2008 Elections
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2006 Election
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- CD 2: Mark Udall
- CD 3: John Salazar
- CD 4: Angie Paccione
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- CD 6: Bill Winter
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Governor:
    - Bill Ritter
Treasurer:
    - Cary Kennedy
CU Regent-at-large
    - Steve Ludwig
Legislature:
    - Colorado State Sentate
    - Colorado State House

State Board of Education:
- CD 2: Evie Hudak
- CD 4: Bob Schaffer
- CD 7: Karen Middleton


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