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PITTSBURGH — There is a battle going on here within the Allegheny County Democratic Committee, a formidable force of centrist, conservative, and liberal Democrats whose backgrounds range from union halls in the city to the businessmen and women who have spread out into the leafy suburbs that hug the city limits.
A key figure in the battle is committeewoman Heather Kass, who is running for the state House. Several years ago, Kass's social media posts criticized Obamacare and the distribution of free Narcan for addicts — and insinuated support for President Trump.
Fortunately for Kass, she received 49 votes from the committee to secure its endorsement. Her opponent, liberal activist Jess Benham, received just 19.
That’s when things got interesting. Darrin Kelly, an influential local labor leader, issued a statement blasting Kass’s previous statements. The party hierarchy followed that up by saying her social media history was disqualifying.
The fight soon unraveled in many different directions and tested a party that has comfortably come together and built a force that helped keep a Democrat as the chief executive officer for five consecutive terms and the majority of the county council seats.
Now, accusations of disloyalty and closet Trumpism are being tossed around by the liberal wing of the party. The factions that once worked together well enough to enjoy a healthy coalition are splintering.
Party Chairwoman Eileen Kelly held a press conference defending the endorsement process and encouraging forgiveness of Kass’s past social media posts. But in response, local elected Democrats demanded her resignation, including two of the county’s congressmen, Rep. Mike Doyle and Rep. Conor Lamb.
There's a reason why people listen when @Darrinkellypgh speaks. He tells it like it is.
I agree. It's time for the Chairwoman to step aside. https://t.co/v1Dr9z730f
— Conor Lamb (@ConorLambPA) February 21, 2020Two things are worth watching: The chairwoman is probably going nowhere, and the April 28 Democratic primaries in Pennsylvania are going to be a spectacle. This county isn’t the only one in the commonwealth with fractures within the party. Roughly 250 miles due east along the Lincoln Highway, Lancaster County is also experiencing some serious turmoil within its party ranks.
Unlike Allegheny, Lancaster is considered a red county. Yet despite giving Trump a majority of its votes in 2016, Democrats (under Chairwoman JoAnn Hertz) fought and flipped traditionally Republican-held suburbs in the 2017 and 2019 local elections.
As thanks, Hertz was given the choice of either facing public criticisms from within the party ranks or resigning.
Forced out, Hertz was replaced in a committee election by Diane Topakian, a retired Service Employees International Union political organizer who is from the most liberal side of the party.
Places such as Allegheny and Lancaster counties have made strides in elections with Democratic candidates who ran and won as centrists. Once they are elected, however, local party apparatuses start to demand more fidelity to liberalism, and the national party stresses it in messaging. But these are the kinds of places where any gains that were made since Trump was elected may start to fall apart.
The ideological balance in this country remains firmly center-right. Yearlong 2019 Gallup poll numbers based on combined data from 21 of its telephone surveys show 37% of the country, on average, identifies as conservative, 35% as moderate, and 24% as liberal.
It also found that Republicans tend to be less fractured. They have their differences, but in the end, they conform around conservatism.
Democrats are more fractured. Survey results strikingly reflected what happened in Allegheny and Lancaster counties. As Gallup said, "Even though liberalism has been on the rise among Democrats, it is not yet the clear majority position, perhaps leading to the strong intraparty clashes." This has been seen at the local level in Allegheny and Lancaster counties, as well as the national level, in Democratic Party presidential debates.
A Democratic presidential candidate is not going to win or lose based on how fractured his or her party is. That will depend on how well the candidate can coalesce the party and motivate people to show up for him or her.
What is happening in Allegheny and Lancaster counties and countless other counties across the country shouldn’t surprise anyone. It has been reflected in every single Democratic debate of this presidential cycle.
This didn’t start yesterday, last week, or in reaction to Trump or Hillary Clinton. This party has been trying to shed its centrist members since the presidential campaign of Al Gore, and it tipped the scales with President Barack Obama — who waited until his second term to dismantle the New Deal coalition in favor of the ascendant coalition of young people, minorities, women, and just enough white, working-class voters.
Clinton failed to include the working class in her coalition and lost. If these smaller county parties mimic that in 2020, and if the Democratic National Committee and its presidential nominee follow suit, Democrats will struggle locally and nationally. The result will be fewer locally elected Democrats, a slim-to-none congressional majority, and four more years of Trump.
What I find interesting is, how this echoes the 2016 election. Democrats around the country told the party that "We want this" or "We want that". But, the party rejected all of that, and tried to ramrod Hillary into office.
Same thing here - toe the party line, or you're out.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/centrists-flirt-with-democrats-and-the-party-rebuffs-them
(Score: 0, Troll) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday March 01 2020, @08:49PM (15 children)
Progressive Democrats aren't even slightly liberal. They're currently less liberal than rank and file Republicans, who are only liberal on the 2A or when it benefits them. They are at this moment literally closer to Stalin than to hippies from the 60s.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Azuma Hazuki on Monday March 02 2020, @12:27AM (14 children)
Yeah, 'cause Stalin was all about that prison reform, equitable working conditions, healthcare for everyone, gay/lesbian marriage, trans* rights, and environmental stewardship. Totally. That's Stalin through and through. Just like Sanders. Or the leadership of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and all the other happiest countries on planet Earth. Totally Stalin right there.
Jesus fucking Christ, Uzzard. You're so far out in left field you're chewing on the bleachers. Get a clue. Buy a vowel. Making fun of you for your illiterate, amoral, self-serving sociopathic horseshit is not repression. You're free to say whatever you want, but you're not free to get away with it without a well-deserved Internet conga-line of mockery.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Monday March 02 2020, @02:38AM
[animated gif needed]
(Score: 2, Troll) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday March 02 2020, @03:57AM (12 children)
Stalin was an authoritarian; he couldn't go five minutes without feeling the need to force people to think, speak, and behave as he felt the need to make them. Progressives can go like seven minutes.
Liberals, yeah, it's kinda in the name there, are about liberty. And no matter how many times you want to lie to yourself that you're creating liberty by taking liberties away, you know deep down that you're full of shit.
So, yeah, progressives are not even slightly liberal, even if you're looking at them while drunk and in a bad light. They're start to finish authoritarian fuckwads.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 02 2020, @04:31AM
Uhhh, Comrade - is that a supersized drink? We'll see you in Reeducation Camp tomorrow morning, at 5:00AM sharp. Officers, take him away.
Bloomerberg, Authoritarian in Chief
(Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Monday March 02 2020, @07:39PM (6 children)
Authoritarianism has exactly zero to do with left vs right. https://www.politicalcompass.org/uselection2020 [politicalcompass.org]
I took the test, and while I am most certainly a progressive lefty, I am very solidly Libertarian (as in opposite of Authoritarian). https://www.politicalcompass.org/analysis2?ec=-7.13&soc=-5.33 [politicalcompass.org]
I am a proponent of the saying "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need". I want government that efficiently helps those who truly need help without bankrupting the more fortunate in the process.
I am a proponent of people being able to do anything they choose; as long as no one else is harmed in the process (being offended is not being harmed).
Yes, there are plenty of "authoritarian fuckwads" out there. Left/Right is not a prerequisite.
Answer now is don't give in; aim for a new tomorrow.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday March 03 2020, @01:52PM (5 children)
See, there's two problems with that. First, politicalcompass is not an authority on political terminology and does not get to redefine liberalism as not being left. Second, if you intend to compel "good" behavior and illegalize "bad" behavior, you are in no way whatsoever a libertarian; you are in fact an authoritarian who doesn't want to believe that of himself.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by cmdrklarg on Tuesday March 03 2020, @03:39PM (4 children)
It doesn't say liberalism isn't left.
You do point out something I don't like about the compass, is that the opposite of authoritarian is libertarian, which makes it easy to confuse with the big "L" Libertarian Party.
Yes, I want to illegalize "bad" behavior, such as murder, rape, stealing, etc. Those are well defined as "causing harm", and those are things we as a civilization don't want, yes?
I also want to have people able to own a gun, smoke some MJ, have sex with whoever you can find that is willing, etc. Do whatever you want! Just don't infringe on another's freedom in the process!
Answer now is don't give in; aim for a new tomorrow.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday March 04 2020, @02:35PM (3 children)
See, I have issue with politicalcompass's breakdown and, really, with most other folks' as well. Liberal = left = "yay liberty" = the exact opposite of authoritarian. Which flavor of authoritarian isn't really meaningful to me as an axis but it's what most people want to differentiate their team by, so it makes these discussions somewhat difficult. Back in the day, the hippies were on the right track, even if they were so stoned they were doing 15mph and weaving between lanes quite a bit. Progressives today though are every bit as authoritarian as the absolute worst of conservatives; neither one of them are actual leftists but it confuses people when you try to explain this to them.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Wednesday March 04 2020, @03:53PM (2 children)
Yep, I see where you're coming from. They use left-right / liberal-conservative as an indicator of fiscal policy, and authoritarian / libertarian for social policy. It's interesting to see that the vast majority of our 2020 POTUS candidates are authoritarian right, including the Democrats. I suppose you could say that the ones I like best are damned close to dead center.
You are correct, we really don't have any actual Left politicians, just right-leaning and extreme right.
Answer now is don't give in; aim for a new tomorrow.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday March 05 2020, @03:59PM (1 child)
Man, it's the same single axis to me. They're either about controlling folks or about leaving them the fuck alone. But I wasn't saying the Dems were on the right of the compass, I was saying they're anti-liberty on both axes. They're in fact more anti-liberty on both axes than the Reps right now. That ain't an endorsement of the Reps though. Fuck the lesser evil too.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Thursday March 05 2020, @08:22PM
Yep, way more politicians that are authoritarian than not. Even Bernie is just slightly under the line. Not one is even close to my libertarian left position.
Count me in on leaving people the fuck alone!
Answer now is don't give in; aim for a new tomorrow.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Tuesday March 03 2020, @03:35AM (3 children)
You don't know what words mean, do you? Go look at the post the AC below you wrote.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday March 03 2020, @01:53PM (2 children)
And you don't think before you post or you wouldn't have said that.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 03 2020, @07:19PM
Never knew I needed my own Conga, Amazon direct baby. Let's get The Moldy Blowhard's bongo-filled theme music rolling!
(Score: 1, Flamebait) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday March 04 2020, @03:21AM
Emotional reactivity again. "No u" again. Projection again. Fuck off, Buzztard. By now even random ACs can see you're full of shit and are calling you out on it.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...