RK ARCHIVE - Kick out the Bush-Democrats in Maryland -- MD/VA cooperation

Now it's time to ask for help in Maryland for our progressive causes. Prince George's County needs help defeating our own conservatives. Though the area is extremely Democratic in terms of partisan politics, we have entrenched DINOs who consistently side with conservatives and big-money special interests when it counts. I'm talking here about Congressman Al Wynn in Maryland's 4th Congressional district.

He is our own Joe Libercrat, he votes with Republican on closely divided votes, voted for the war, and has done little outside of porkbarrel politics to improve the district. He voted for Dick Cheney's energy bill, the 2005 bankruptcy bill, and to drill in ANWR.

Please join the group below and consider crossing the Potomac to help elect leaders who will champion the cause of working families, who will favor longterm sustainable solutions for our environment and energy needs, who will stand up to end the war, and will fight for better education and stronger communities.

We have a great candidate in Donna Edwards, she came so close to beating Wynn in 2006 that there will be another close race for the primary this time around.

http://umd.facebook....
We support community activist Donna Edwards in her bid to unseat Maryland's 4th district Congressman Al Wynn.

Wynn is a Bush-Democrat. He represents one of the bluest districts in the country, so he is never worried about a Republican opponent. However, when Republicans and big money interests need his vote, he's always there to take their side when it counts.

He voted for going to war in Iraq, Dick Cheney's energy bill, the bankruptcy bill of 2005, to repeal the estate tax, against the endangered species act, for drilling in Alaska's national reserves, and for many other radical right wing legislative efforts.

He is a living legacy of the dirty machine politics that have dominated Prince George's County for too long. On August 16, 2006; at a debate at PG Community College, Wynn staff members physically assaulted Edwards volunteers. Wynn also refuses to debate Edwards, thinking he can win elections just by raising millions and blanketing the airwaves with deceptive advertisements.

Donna Edwards will bring real change to Congress. In the 2006 Washington Post endorsement of Edwards, they wrote, "Tough, articulate and knowledgeable, she is one of the smartest and most impressive newcomers in Maryland politics...She has championed a higher minimum wage, campaign finance reform and an array of environmental issues, and she fought for legislation to curtail domestic violence."

Edwards ran against Wynn in 2006, coming up short by just 2,725 votes. This time, Edwards is running again with just as much enthusiasm and far more support from progressive activists and organizations. As students, we must do more than simply demand better representation-- we must go out and create the change we desire.

ORGANIZE with fellow community members, students, working families, your neighbors, everyone!!!

contact lhfang@gmail.com if you would like to meet other supporters, create grassroots strategies for getting out the vote, and to help in informing voters on Mr. Wynn's dangerous record.

Comments

c'mon people (lhfang - 11/14/2007 2:42:11 PM)

visiting a member's website tells you little, it will tell you what his communications director wants you to hear and you'll get to see the congressmen in photo ops cutting ribons and smiling with kids.

let's be honest here- we're a party about principles, not a party about affiliations. if a democrat undermines the people of this country and the people of his district, he no longer should be so privileged to carry the torch of our party. i've worked unpaid for long hours since i was 16 to get democrats elected over republicans. all over maryland and like i said above, i've traveled to VA for 3 of your elections so far. don't try this blind partisan game, we're better than sheep. examine wynn's record and have a serious discussion about his merits. don't just protect him because he's a democrat.

Project Vote Smart on Wynn (Lowell - 11/11/2007 8:37:10 PM)

Abortion rights: 100%
ACLU: 91%
AFL-CIO: 86%
Alliance for Retired Americans: 90%
American Immigration Lawyers Association (pro-immigrant): 100%
Americans United for Separation of Church and State: 58%
American Wind Energy Association: 100%
Children's Defense Fund: 80%
Conservative rating (John Birch Society): 25%
Disabled Veterans: 100%
League of Conservation Voters: 92%
Liberal rating: 85% from Americans for Democratic Action; 71% from National Journal
NETWORK -- National Catholic Social Justice Lobby: 100%
NRA: F rating
Secular Coalition for America: 70%

Fairly liberal but definitely not down the line. Also, see "On the Issues" for more.
*Voted YES on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines. (Jan 2007)
*Voted NO on Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage. (Jul 2006)
*Voted NO on making the PATRIOT Act permanent. (Dec 2005)
*Voted YES on keeping moratorium on drilling for oil offshore. (Jun 2006)
*Voted YES on passage of the Bush Administration national energy policy. (Jun 2004)
*Voted YES on starting implementation of Kyoto Protocol. (Jun 2000)
*Voted YES on deauthorizing "critical habitat" for endangered species. (Sep 2005)
*Voted NO on implementing CAFTA, Central America Free Trade. (Jul 2005)
*Voted YES on allowing reimportation of prescription drugs. (Jul 2003)
*Voted NO on allowing electronic surveillance without a warrant. (Sep 2006)
*Voted NO on building a fence along the Mexican border. (Sep 2006)
*Voted YES on restricting employer interference in union organizing. (Mar 2007)
*Voted NO on Tax cut package of $958 B over 10 years. (May 2001)
*Voted YES on eliminating the Estate Tax ("death tax"). (Apr 2001)
*Voted NO on establishing "network neutrality" (non-tiered Internet). (Jun 2006)

I agree with him on a lot, strongly disagree with him on the estate tax, net neutrality, the Bush energy policy, and deauthorizing "critical habitat" for endangered species.

In sum, it's a mixed bag on Albert Wynn. Donna Edwards seems very impressive based on

Here's the deal...I like Donna Edwards a lot (Lowell - 11/12/2007 10:30:39 AM)

and I'll probably support her, but calling Al Wynn a "Bush Democrat" bothers me. Is every Democrat who isn't 100% pure liberal a "Bush Democrat?" Are Tim Kaine, Jim Webb and Mark Warner "Bush Democrats?" I simply don't buy that line of reasoning.

he sure is a bush democrat-- where it counts. (lhfang - 11/12/2007 3:04:08 PM)

I don't think like that. A lot of Democrats must take nuanced stances on issues depending on their constituencies and of course their personal beliefs.

However, if you look at Wynn's record and you look at his district- they simply do not align. He is closer to Bush than to the working family in Temple Hills, Olney, and most places in the 4th.

I think it's deceptive to look simply at ratings. They do not accurate convey how Wynn has worked alongside Republicans to get reactionary legislation passed. Sure he will vote with Democrats when they have huge majorities or on issues like Social Security- most Democrats do no matter their district. However on pivotal votes, where Wynn's vote was most needed, he sided with big business and right wingers. He supported going to war, repealing the estate tax, Dick Cheney's energy bill, against the endangered species act, and for drilling in ANWR. Those aren't the Prince George's and Montgomery County values I'm familiar with.

We would be so lucky to have people like Tim Kaine, Webb and Mark Warner in Maryland. I think given the dynamics of the district, Wynn is far to the right and deserves the title of Bush Democrat.

Al Wynn voted for the bankruptcy bill (teacherken - 11/12/2007 10:26:56 PM)

and until he almost lost to Donna last cycle he really took his district for granted. He has been a lot more proactive this time.

On the plus side, he supports Kucinich on impeachment, and has run a college fair in his district for more than a decade.

On the other hand, many progressive organizations and environmental organizations are now endorsing Donna.

Perhaps more relevant to this site is that Donna's campaign is being managed by Adrienne Christian, formerly Deputy Campaign Manager for Jim Webb.

The only possibility of change in this district is in the Democratic primary.

Oh, and the District now includes a chunk of Montgomery County, including Silver Spring. that is not particularly friendly to Wynn.

Peace.

Good point about Adrienne Christian (Lowell - 11/12/2007 10:50:49 PM)

Any friend of hers is a friend of mine. With that, I say, Go Donna! :)

Kucinich on impeachment (Gordie - 11/14/2007 8:10:38 AM)

"On the plus side, he supports Kucinich on impeachment".

THIS IS A DEAD ISSUE and SUPPORTING DENNIS JUST MAKES HIM LOOK MORE DEMOCRAT.

People like Wynn/Bush can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time.

btw (lhfang - 11/14/2007 12:04:29 PM)

teacherken,

you were my religion teacher at ERHS-- and i think you teach my little brother daniel now in AP US Government...

also, i would take that impeachment support with a grain of salt. wynn's staff members regularly go to all the big corporate PAC meetings, and are plenty friendly with Republicans all over the hill. if you've met them before, you probably already understand. wynn's record makes him one of the most conservative members of the CBC, he's just trying to project a different imagine now b/c he's about to lose his seat. projecting an imagine does not equal improvement.

Donna Edwards: Good. Al Wynn: Bad (Andrea Chamblee - 11/14/2007 5:39:45 PM)

Donna Edwards is an exciting, intelligent candidate. She has potential to be a real asset to the party nationwide and will be a great investment. She only lost the last race by the smallest margin, and there were quite a few stories documenting suspicious problems with voting machines in her areas of strength that certainly made it possible for Wynn to squeak by under a cloud. Wynn is as big a crook as Duke Cunningham, and the party needs to clean house to take the moral high ground against the crooked Republicans.

This doesn't mean we can't also try to kick the Repulicans, especially Roscoe Bartlett, to the curb.