The New York Times gets it right on Arkansas - FDL

[WillyT]

The New York Times gets it right on Arkansas
By: Jason Rosenbaum Friday June 11, 2010 9:00 am

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The entire short editorial is worth a read (Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/opinion/11fri2.html ), but here’s an excerpt:

They may not have won, but discontented Democrats sent an important message to the Obama administration on Tuesday by mounting an unexpectedly strong primary challenge to Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas. For the White House to minimize the efforts of unions and others who helped support that challenge suggests a tone-deafness to the growing restlessness in the Democratic Party.

After Mrs. Lincoln narrowly defeated Lt. Gov. Bill Halter in the primary runoff, a senior White House official told Politico.com that organized labor had just wasted $10 million in its “pointless” support of Mr. Halter, money that could have been better spent against Republicans in the November general election. David Axelrod, the president’s senior adviser, told The Washington Post that “good progressive candidates around the country” could have benefited from that money.

Within the cocoon of the White House, that sort of pragmatism may make sense, but the unions had every right to spend their money as they saw fit, and the White House should be paying attention to the signals that were sent, not to the ones they wish they had heard.

Labor certainly doesn’t owe the Democratic party its money or support – that political power is the White House’s to earn. Same goes with voters.

As Glenn Greenwald notes, the White House can’t have it both ways. They can’t tell us that we need 60 votes in the Senate and therefore need to compromise, and then go ahead and support someone like Blanche Lincoln, who has by far a worse chance of keeping the seat blue in November. This isn’t about "electability" or "pragmatism." The White House and Congress can be a force for good, and they’ve passed some impressive things so far, but if we’re going to get what we need done we’re going to have to be independent, especially in primaries, and we’re going to have to push. It looks like organized labor, like the rest of us, sees that dynamic and is willing to do something about it.

The White House and the Democratic base don’t need to be enemies, but the way the White House reacts to honest, grassroots attempts to build political power suggests animosity is where we’re headed. Let’s hope, for their sake, the White House hears the signals we’re sending.

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Link: http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/54132

:kick:

[Robb]

1. Hm. FWIW, I thought they did, too.

Although now that FDL is saying it, the position bears re-examination.

[laughingliberal]

2. K & R nt

[dkf]

3. Now I understand the power of incumbancy.

It is enforced by the party bigwigs who need to keep people in who are owed and who they owe much too. I am convinced more than ever that those in power now can't fix what needs to be fixed. They are mostly interested in keeping the status quo. Obama has joined this group. He isn't of much use anymore.

[patrice]

4. That's the way it looks from where I sit. nt

[Coyote_Bandit]

5. delete