There’s a diary on the recommended list right now attacking our first black President for a speech he’s about to give to a healthcare company because of the speaking fee associated with it. It seems that the diarist does not want President Barack Obama to earn any money or any Democrats to go before companies to share our ideas for the future with them. It seems that the only thing they want a litmus test on is no speaking fee from companies, no donations from companies friendly to our interests such as on gay rights, women’s rights, civil rights, and taking these donations to fight on the field given to us by Citizens United.
I am sick of the far left stamping their feet and wanting it all. You know what happens when people want it all, they start revolutions instead of understanding the actual situation we are in right now, and people tend to die in revolutions.
Because the far left didn’t like a woman being paid for her speeches, they don’t like a black man being paid for his speeches, we are stuck in this situation right now. They want to grow an army of Ralph Naders to run against progressive Democrats in office, and if they don’t win, they plan to run Independents against these very same Democrats in office. It is a war of attrition.
It is a war on a litmus test that handicaps our progressive Democrats from competing in a world increasingly shaped by the Kochs, the Mercers, and all those on the far-right salivating to roll back decades of progress. They only want Democrats to take small donations which are a finite resource across ALL 400 congressional races.
They somehow think that 400 congressional races, some cheap, and many expensive in large TV markets, should be limited to small donations and exclude large donations.
What’s going to happen when a Democrat stuck on small donations refuses a large donation, and then boom! The Mercers and the Kochs flood the market with online trolling campaigns, negative TV ads, and they have billions of dark money behind them.
The Democrat loses. It’s how Teachout lost. It’s how Canova lost. It’s how many Bernie-style candidates lost. This naivety on the use of money to WIN a congressional race isn't lost on me, or many people here on Dailykos.
They want Democrats fighting with no arms and feet when it comes to raising money. Great, so you feel proud and pure that your candidate raised $1 million through small donations. And when that candidate can’t raise any more for field operations, and the state party only has limited resources to give to that candidate, still not enough.
And the same candidate eschews dark money. Gets swallowed up by a blitz of money from the GOP.
That candidate loses. Hello, new Republican representative!
The REPUBLICANS want our Democratic incumbents and candidates to be roasted alive on this purity test. It’s the best way for them to win an election by playing on the naivety of socialists and Bernie supporters.