Democratic Underground - The Real Fighting Dems

this was posted by Jerry McNerney, a progressive demcocrat running against Richard Pombo for congress, at dailykos:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/1/6/19230/04038

The Real Fighting Dems
by McNerneyforCongress
Fri Jan 06, 2006 at 05:23:00 PM PDT
Cross-posted at MyDD

We have heard a lot about Fighting Dems from the DCCC this year. I think their use of the term "Fighting Dem" is misguided. They are trying to portray their 2006 slate as Fighting Dems because of their status as veterans.

Don't get me wrong, I respect the service of these veterans. My son, Mike, currently serves as an officer in the armed forces and I am damn proud of his service to this country. Furthermore, I am committed to supporting the men and women currently serving and our veterans at home. I know personally how dedicated these folks are to their country.

But Rahm Emanuel's main selection criterion seems to be military experience in general. In my opinion, that simply isn't enough grounds to back a candidate.

In fact, I have another interpretation of what it means to be a Fighting Dem. The real fighters are those who stand and fight for Democratic principles. Who are not afraid to fight for what's right. Who don't take on Republican talking points and use them against other Democrats.

And we have candidates like this already running that the DCCC could have supported, or at least not actively worked against. 2004 Democratic congressional candidates like me and Christine Cegelis--who stood up and fought in districts the shortsighted folks at the DCCC thought were unwinnable--are the true Fighting Dems.

In my 2004 race as a primary write-in candidate, I got on the November ballot to fight for what's right. To fight against Congressman Richard Pombo, a politician whose actions represent everything that is wrong in Washington. Even with no official national Democratic support and a campaign driven by committed local Democratic activists, I achieved the highest vote total ever against Pombo.

In 2006, I am still proud to have the support of both the local Democratic activist community and organized labor, as they share my commitment to restoring American's future.

This time, though, I have a primary race against a DCCC/DLC-backed candidate who is a veteran and who is under the misguided impression that in order to beat Pombo, one simply needs to raise more money than him. Make no mistake, I will raise the money to be competitive with Pombo. But to beat a long-term incumbent, I also know I need to reach out personally to the voters.

So I'm reaching out to you today to ask you to support the real Fighting Dems--to stand with me and fight for true Democratic ideals. I encourage you to go to my website and read my blog. I will be updating it weekly and also plan to live blog periodically.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/1/6/19230/04038

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