PubliColaTV: Congressman Rick Larsen

I wish Paul Akers had decided to run against Congressman Larsen rather than Senator Patty Murray. Akers’ personal $400,000 contribution, combined with his experience and personality would have created a successful campaign. Akers is from Bellingham, in the second Congressional district. He can run in two years if John Koster loses.

Sadly, Mr. Larsen is toast this November as the Tea Bag Express lands in Washington. Thats too bad as Koster is a dangerous, right wing crank that makes Palin look like a Rhodes Scholar by comparison.

Again Larsen simply dismisses the Progressives in his district who voted against him by a margin of 1 in 5. In a year when he comes in 2nd to the Republican challenger, you would think he might even acknowledge that he has real issues with the Progressive voters but not Rick. He is convinced he has us by the short hairs and will simply march on with or without us.

Good luck with that strategy.

Chad, I want to know what’s so fucking “progressive” about enabling John Koster’s election. This discussion will continue until you answer that question.

Larsen’s strategy appears to paint his progressive base as just as extremist as the tea partiers. Note he talks about trying to appeal to the middle. The problem with that calculus is that Larsen’s mealy mouthed campaign rhetoric is turning off anyone paying attention. Ramsey at the Times went off the rails when he found out about Larsen trying to court the tea partiers, and the next day skewering them. Welcome to Larsen’s same strategy with progressives. We’re tired of supporting a politician who says one thing to our faces, and then votes and speaks against us every chance he gets.

It’s progressive to vote against war funding. Iraqi and Afghani women and children were murdered because of his war funding votes.

What difference does it make if Koster wins? Progressives aren’t winning either way. We need to punish them so they remember which side their bread is buttered on. Having a “D” next to their name isn’t enough.

The whole District loses if Koster wins, not just “progressives.” But you know that. You’re just jerking my chain.

Screw “the district”. I want my country back! War mongers like Larsen will never give it to me.

Smart man.

Teach’em a lesson. Fuck Larsen.

There are 10 votes in the middle for every one of yours, assuming you’re serious, which I don’t.

Progressives who don’t vote for Larsen will be eating their words when John Boehner is Speaker of the House because we didn’t have Larsen’s vote for Pelosi. House Leadership is the most important vote a Representative takes, and Larsen was on our side and might well be replaced by someone who isn’t. The weakest, lamest, most bloodthirsty Dem is better than any Republican because that Democrat is a vote for a Democrat for Speaker.

Jakespeed totally ripped off one of my favorite talking points for electing conservative Democrats. Sure, I tend to disagree with them on just about every issue, but they vote for Democrats to run the show.

The fact, though, is that Rick isn’t a Blue Dog by any stretch of the imagination. The only thing – I repeat, only thing – that so-called “progressives” have shown me they disagree with him on is his votes for the war funding. I suppose Jay Inslee isn’t a real progressive, having only recently started voting against funding for troops in harms way.

Yes, the Iraq war was a dumb idea. And yes, Rick Larsen voted against the resolution that may or may not have allowed that war to happen.

But invading countries is like a department store – you break it, you buy it. We are now winding down the Iraq war in as responsible a way as possible. We could have just cut off the funding, and exited, and let all shit break out, but that would be irresponsible.

But let’s look at some other progressive issues. Repealing DADT? Rick supports. Pro-choice? That’s Rick. Bush tax cuts for the wealthy? Not Rick’s thing. Health Insurance Reform? Rick’s quote (supporting his “yes” position): “We have the facts, they have Glen Beck.” Financial Services Reform? Rick was a supporter.

Rick, while pragmatic, is obviously pretty damned progressive, in a center district. His opponent supports getting rid of the Department of Education, is anti-choice, supported the Iraq war from the beginning, supports repealing health insurance and financial services reform, and is a true Tea Party Republican.

Hell, while in the State Senate, Rick’s opponent didn’t want to see the tobacco settlement go towards health care and tobacco cessation and prevention programs (as it was intended). He supported rolling it into the general fun, a one time deposit, and then cutting taxes, a long-term fuck up.

So, “Progressives”, keep fighting and railing against Rick. And if you win, good job. You will have given this District to the GOP, will have unseated a solid Democrat, a workhorse Democrat, and replaced him with a right-wing nut job who was ineffective in the State Legislature, is ineffective on the County Council, and is so extreme, even with a GOP controlled Congress, would be ineffective in D.C.

zbigreddogz brings up a good point.

The Party folks seem to know the chess game twelve moves ahead, or so they think. Give them a knight, so we can take their knight, so we can sacrifice a rook, so we can take their queen…
And the other side is just as good.

But “Screw “the district”. I want my country back!” says it better.

This has become the cry of both liberals and conservatives.
Cool! Start a movement; eat a prune.

Disappointed that you didn’t ask about Net Neutrality.

Remember Jack Metcalf.

Larsen is a “dip shit” cutout of the same cloth as Pelosi…he voted with her 97% of the time (look at his voting record)…I’ve given him the name “Son-of-Pelosi”…he doesn’t represent the constituents of the 2d District and really never has…his votes for Obamacare, Stimulus, Bail outs, Cap and Trade, and higher taxes shows he is in no way a “conservative Democrat”, which is an oxymoron in itself…Remember in November…throw the bum out!