A tale of two anti-incumbancies.
One that breaks a little our way. A little.
By Moe Lane Posted in 2008 | Hey | they won one! | We did too. — Comments (16) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
The actual news that came out of yesterday in Maryland - I don't think anybody was actually surprised at the Presidential primary results, on either side - involved a couple of CDs:
Incumbents Gilchrest, Wynn ousted
State Sen. Harris wins in 1st District; Democratic activist Edwards prevails in 4thDemocratic activist Donna Edwards defeated longtime incumbent Rep. Albert R. Wynn, and state Sen. Andy Harris also upset Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest, in a pair of fiercely contested races that drew national attention.
Edwards, running a populist, anti-war campaign that drew support from national liberal groups, capitalized on a surge of voter turnout in the 4th District to unseat the Prince George's congressman, whom she accused of being too moderate for his district. The race was a rematch of the 2006 primary election, when Wynn held on to his seat by a few thousand votes.
The Harris-Gilchrest race played out along similar lines, with the state senator accusing the nine-term incumbent of being too liberal for the conservative 1st District, which comprises the Eastern Shore and parts of Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Harford counties.
The rest of the story is readable enough - you'll grin at a newspaper actually identifying a progressive group as progressive, for a change* - but that's the meat of it. What it all means is another story entirely.
Read on.
First off, congratulations to soon-to-be-Rep. Donna Edwards - it is merely a hand, madam; you will not be infected with neo-conservatism by shaking it - and soon-to-be-Rep. Andy Harris. Nice job on both your parts: it's not easy to successfully challenge an incumbent in the primary, so well done. Get used to being paired together, by the way: we're not used to two successful challenges in the same State, so the media will probably talk about both of you at the same time for a while.
Heh. Edwards & Harris. Ed Harris... oh, never mind.
Second, to the netroots: congratulations, and thanks! The congratulations are for being able to successfully replace a popular moderate Democrat with a more progressive one, in a seat that is almost assuredly going to stay Democrat after November. The thanks are for exactly the same thing; you've also replaced an experienced, moderate Democrat with a reputation for reaching out across the aisle with an inexperienced, partisan Democrat who probably won't (for a few years at least). We were scratching our heads over whether or not Wynn losing his seat was a bad thing anyway; nice to have that resolved for us.
Besides, we're ahead on points. Losing Gilchrest is going to be worse for the antiwar movement than keeping Wynn would have been: the latter was toeing their line, however reluctantly, while the former was cheerfully crossing it. And now he's gone, and he'll be replaced with a Reaganite who understands the need for strong national security, and the folks over in agitprop have lost a convenient "responsible Republican" to play spin games with.
Mind you, optimal probably would have been to keep Wynn and lose Gilchrest, but we'll take this, thanks.
Moe
*Not to mention one that's still carrying a torch for John Edwards, whose conventionally progressive campaign went precisely nowhere, and stayed there, but that's a different issue.
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A tale of two anti-incumbancies. 16 Comments (0 topical, 16 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
The GOP stayed out of this and let the voters choose. It could be a positive sign here.
"I believe we must adjourn this meeting to some other place." - The last recorded words of Adam Smith.
The only time there is cause for interference is if the other party decides to muck about with ours.
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
I'm a big believer that we should primary just a few of the very worst offenders each election cycle - if not over-used, it's a useful tactic for reminding incumbents not to end up at the bottom of everyone's list at once. Let's hope Harris can hold the seat.
"No compromise with the main purpose, no peace till victory, no pact with unrepentant wrong." - Winston Churchill
Even if Toomey and Laffey had both gone down like the Edmund Fitzgerald and the Andrea Dora respectively, the GOP would have a much happier conservative base if the NRSC had let them RINO-Hunt and then supported whoever won a fair and open primary.
"I believe we must adjourn this meeting to some other place." - The last recorded words of Adam Smith.
While Specter is right on only a few things, Chafee was wrong on everything. There's no way Steve Laffey would have done worse than Chafee in 2006. I hope he returns to run again for something in RI.
“.....women and minorities hardest hit”
A Congress where there are big genuine differences on policy? Heavens!
Gilchrest was endorsed by Newt Gingrich, who did a fund raiser for him, and President Bush. The NRCC tried to sandbag Harris but was unable to do so.
"A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition." -- Rudyard Kipling
it is merely a hand, madam; you will not be infected with neo-conservatism by shaking it
Fortunately I can read Redstate safely as I have called "blackout" on right-wing cooties.
I think this is pretty good all around, as I'm on the record being pro-accountability and anti-incumbents assuming they're safe forever whatever happens and entitled to their seats by fiat.
Doubt there's time for Gilchrest to organize a run as the "Independent Republican" or "Maryland for Wayne" or whatever candidate...
he could have pulled this off. He could have done something like what Conservative Republicans tried with Rockefeller in New York State. But a liberal Republican, in a blue state, is offering the voters his services in carrying coals to Newcastle.
"I believe we must adjourn this meeting to some other place." - The last recorded words of Adam Smith.
...with a little Alan Moore mixed in.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
“.....women and minorities hardest hit”
I did write an analysis of the new numbers (it's up on the front page), but that's not what I think that you meant.
Personally, at this point it's sort of a wash: we're more likely to beat Obama, but Clinton gives us back more House seats. Only sort of, because I don't really want Obama to have to learn on the job about the realities of national security, particularly since my wife works somewhere that might as well have a big INSERT DIRTY BOMB HERE sign painted on the roof.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
Two entrenched incumbents who really did not represent their respective constituencies took it in the teeth last night.
"Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the government when it deserves it." --- Mark Twain.
Gilchrest's defeat is the first bit of good political news I have heard in weeks.
...a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right...
---Thomas Paine---