This Washington
Why Do the Democrats Eat Their Own?
We'll have much more on this later, but quickly, I wanted to bring up an under-the-radar theme that's emerged in this year's election.
While we're hearing so much about the how the Tea Party has splintered the GOP, the real infighting I've noticed in covering the races this year is the infighting on the Democratic side. (And if anything, I'm seeing a reverse Tea Party effect—that is, Clint Didier's temper tantrums actually help, not hurt, Dino Rossi.)
After we uncovered the cynical? brilliant? weird? play by Democratic consultant Moxie Media to fund ads from both the left and the right to take out a Democratic incumbent—state Sen. Jean Berkey, (D-38, Everett)—and put their progressive favorite Nick Harper through the primary, our attenae are picking up a brewing war on the D side.
A few signs: Inconsolable and righteous lefty, quitting-in-a-huff state Rep. Brendan Williams starts his own PAC to rasie money for liberals; the Washington State Labor Council (which spent thousands on independent expenditures to take out Berkey and elect Harper) is spending money against Democrats; moderate Democrats have started their own PAC , the Roadkill PAC to elect moderates.
It's a war out there—on the Democratic side, and raises the question of why Democrats are raising money to fight each other rather than fortifying their ranks against the GOP. Rather than kicking in thousands to say, liberal Democrat Joe Fitzgibbon, instead of endangered Democratic incumbent state Sen. Eric Oemig (D-45, Eastside Seattle Suburbs).
Exhibit A and B in the intramural squabble may be the state house rep race between Laurie Jinkins (possibly the first out lesbian in the state house) and Jake Fey (a hero to environmentalists) in the 27th Legislative District (Tacoma) and the battle between Joe Fitzgibbon and Mike Heavey in the 34th (W. Seattle, Burien, Maury, and Vashon).
Another crosscurrent in this family fued is education reform. Indeed, in the Jinkins race, the Stand for Children PAC—an ed reform group that's fighting the teachers union—has already spent over $8,000 on Jinkins.
While we're hearing so much about the how the Tea Party has splintered the GOP, the real infighting I've noticed in covering the races this year is the infighting on the Democratic side. (And if anything, I'm seeing a reverse Tea Party effect—that is, Clint Didier's temper tantrums actually help, not hurt, Dino Rossi.)
After we uncovered the cynical? brilliant? weird? play by Democratic consultant Moxie Media to fund ads from both the left and the right to take out a Democratic incumbent—state Sen. Jean Berkey, (D-38, Everett)—and put their progressive favorite Nick Harper through the primary, our attenae are picking up a brewing war on the D side.
A few signs: Inconsolable and righteous lefty, quitting-in-a-huff state Rep. Brendan Williams starts his own PAC to rasie money for liberals; the Washington State Labor Council (which spent thousands on independent expenditures to take out Berkey and elect Harper) is spending money against Democrats; moderate Democrats have started their own PAC , the Roadkill PAC to elect moderates.
It's a war out there—on the Democratic side, and raises the question of why Democrats are raising money to fight each other rather than fortifying their ranks against the GOP. Rather than kicking in thousands to say, liberal Democrat Joe Fitzgibbon, instead of endangered Democratic incumbent state Sen. Eric Oemig (D-45, Eastside Seattle Suburbs).
Exhibit A and B in the intramural squabble may be the state house rep race between Laurie Jinkins (possibly the first out lesbian in the state house) and Jake Fey (a hero to environmentalists) in the 27th Legislative District (Tacoma) and the battle between Joe Fitzgibbon and Mike Heavey in the 34th (W. Seattle, Burien, Maury, and Vashon).
Another crosscurrent in this family fued is education reform. Indeed, in the Jinkins race, the Stand for Children PAC—an ed reform group that's fighting the teachers union—has already spent over $8,000 on Jinkins.
