Two weeks ago, I posted a diary on DailyKos, MyDD, Open Left, and the Swing State Project announcing the creation of the ActBlue page Protecting Our Asses. The goals of this page are as follows:
1. To reinforce vulnerable and potentially vulnerable incumbent members of Congress with cash.
2. To reward good, progressive behavior from these incumbents.
3. To diminish or replace the need for these incumbents to seek fundraising dollars from less progressive sources such as corporate PACs and “moderate”/conservative groups.
4. To send the message that the Netroots will have your back if you have ours.
This page grows out of a couple of observations I’ve made. The first is that the Netroots seems almost exclusively oppositional in its campaign focus. The candidates supported the most tend to be either general election challengers to Republicans or primary challengers to disappointing Democrats. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with supporting Darcy Burner or Larry Kissell or Ned Lamont. However, I would like to see Democrats retain seats as well. A multi-term progressive is more able to act than a freshman progressive. This is where goal number one comes in.
The second observation is that many candidates previous supported by the Netroots have been at various times disappointing. Perhaps this is because such candidates feel they need to drift toward the center to be re-elected. Maybe they feel that they can take the Netroots for granted. Maybe even they feel abandoned by the Netroots and cast their lots with the DLC, etc. This is where the other three goals come into play.
However, some incumbents stay true to their progressive ideals, despite district dynamics and potentially tough races. Their courage and resolve should not cost them their jobs. Such a thing would send a devasting message: Progressivism still equals defeat.
The first candidate added to Protecting Our Asses was Carol Shea-Porter. Today, I’m announcing the addition of Steve Kagen. Kagen is a freshman Democrat representing the Eight District of Wisconsin. Kagen won by two points in 2006. His race is currently rated as “Leans Democrat” by CQ, Cook, Sabato, and Rothenberg. The PVI for this district is a troubling R+4. So, there is a possibility that Kagen, should he be re-elected this year, will continue to face spirited challenges in the near future.
Despite his competitive race and Republican-leaning district, Kagen is a progressive, loyal Democrat. Kagen enjoys a 93.27 rating from Progressive Punch, which includes perfect scores on the environment, housing, government checks on corporate power, and labor rights, plus either A’s or high B’s on aid to the less privileged, education and the arts, fair taxation, healthcare, human rights and civil liberties, war and peace, and equal justice. Kagen has voted the right way on FISA, Iraq, the surge, S-CHIP, the minimum wage, and prescription drug price negotiations, just to name a few.
Please reward Steven Kagen (and Carol-Shea Porter) for their progressive stances. We need to keep them in Congress.