We could have had two for one, but for the DCCC

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-cobble/if-you-want-a-friend-in-w_b_17880.html

Despite Cegelis' role in helping Hyde-the-impeachment-man decide to give up, Hillary Clinton did a quarter-million-dollar fundraiser for Cegelis' opponent. John Kerry, who had so much trouble deciding whether he was for or against the Iraq War, was so sure he knew what was best for IL-6 that he did 2 mass email fundraising solicitations for her opponent, raising a couple hundred thousand. Obama did TV ads. Rahm conducted the orchestra. 11 very attractive mailings were sent out to regular primary voters. A couple Daleys chipped in a few dollars more. I could go on, and on, because essentially the entire Democratic Establishment--and even quite a few progressive groups that should have known better--helped stomp on Cegelis.

The Big Boys raised and spent close to a million bucks to intervene in a primary against a principled progressive woman. With all that, they only managed to eke out a win by a whopping 1,100 votes last Tuesday.

Which means that with $50K more, so that she could have run some last-minute radio ads, Cegelis could have won.

Which means the Big Boys could have then given her half of that million, to run against the Tom DeLay aide this fall. And since her successful opponent doesn't even live in the district, they could have given her opponent the other half-a-million they raised to run in any of 3 GOP-held Congressional Districts in that same immediate area, one of which (IL-10) was carried by both Gore & Kerry, and another of which is held by Denny Hastert, the #3 man in the impeachment succession and the front man for the Republican mob; or in 2 more districts which are only one CD over from her house. In all 5 of these districts Bush was held at 55% or below in both 2000 and 2004, the same ballpark as in IL-6 (where Bush took 53% both years).

In other words, we could be running Cegelis in IL-6--with adequate funding--and her doesn't-live-in-the-district opponent could run in any nearby district--also with adequate funding.

Wouldn't that be better for the whole "team" trying to take back the House?

And yes, Cegelis supporters will be backing Duckworth anyway--

http://blog.pdamerica.org/?p=582

Here is the deal. The final numbers, as we have them today, give Duckworth 42.83% of the vote, compared to 40.43% of the vote for Cegelis. Percentages, however, cannot tell the whole story. Tammy Duckworth won by just over 1,000 votes. There are 512 precincts in the 6th District. Essentially, the Duckworth margin of victory was around 2 votes per precinct.

It is going to be important, going forward, to tell the story of what happened out here in the Illinois 6th. The final outcome was not what we desired, but the fact that we took on the party machine and fought them down to the wire, while being outspent across the board by an opponent that brought virtually the entire Democratic Party establishment to bear against us, speaks volumes.

We must begin building this kind of effective base in every congressional district. Tomorrow, I will be going on the road again to do exactly that, and to help build more chapters for PDA. With this type of infrastructure, and with the game plan laid down out here in the 6th, we will take on the DCCC, the DLC and the Republicans, and build the progressive majority in congress we all desire.

As far as the future of the 6th District goes, the ultimate goal must continue to be snatching another House seat away from the GOP. We must do this for one simple reason: a Democratic majority in the House will see John Conyers, Jr. sitting in the chairman’s seat of the Judiciary Committee. George W. Bush and his friends can contemplate few scenarios more terrifying than this one. It is worth all our efforts to achieve it.

I immediately discard any "liberal" op-ed that includes Rove, rightwing spin.

?

That was the first thing I thought. This shit gets really, really old. :eyes:

You should be proud....

But as long as money is the dominate factor in politics, you have to be able to raise the money needed... or get people to raise the money for you...

They obviously did polling for the fall and felt Duckworth was a better candidate...

It's politics...

Pure and simple...

And that's the game we all have to play...

Like it or not...

sad words those.

This race was a turning point, it is signaling huge dissatisfaction with TPTB.

They are ignoring the fact that we are upset. They simply do not care. None of the congressional party leaders took a moment to congratulate Christine on a well-run race. They ignored her as surely as if she were not there. Dean called her to commend her on the race, but no one else.

There is something that was so wrong about this cold type of interference....the type that acted as if she were non-existent...something happened that is going to happen again and again and it changed things in a perceptible way in this party.

I will vote Democratic in November, nationally and locally and state. But many will feel it is the last time the vote will be given loyally. They will use November as an excuse to change the party chair, so we will vote Democratic this time.

The arrogance shown to the grassroots over this race will linger in memories. You don't treat good people that way.

after having stated so effectively (here and in other posts) how sick and broken the current system is, and it is, you say you'll still vote Democrat so I have to ask. Why? I mean, that's what they're counting on, isn't it? For all of us to shut up and vote. But if we don't ever make a stand we will continue to let the party bosses determine race outcomes -- whether it be by voting machines or by power brokering for whatever candidate serves their purpose. We bitch and complain about how so many of our "leaders" won't challenge this evil, corrupt administration and the elimination of our very democracy but we are guilty of exactly the same thing if we continue to blindly vote "D" without regard to the principles (or lack thereof) of the candidate. It's idiotic. So, again, I have to ask, why?

I ran a race against an incumbent reublican... We were civil to each other...

But he never called me to say I ran a good race...

I don't know...

She lost, she should be happy she gave it a good shot....

What do you really expect....

It's big time politics...

Would someone calling make it better....

Like kissing a booboo....

So why didn't we?

3 miles from the boundary of District 6. That's her home. Maybe you didn't know the carpet-bagger thing was bullshit all along, but now you do. Big fat lie. That's a primary for you, but I expect people to put primary games away when the primary is over. It's time for you to learn the facts and decide whether you're going to sabatoge Tammy Duckworth or help her get elected.

We could have gotten both districts for the price of one.

That ball Game is over....

Not with DCCC at all. Not if they are going to piss a million away to knock off a solid candidate whom they could have supported in addition to Duckworth, who would have probably done well in IL-10.

Isn't that the latest DLC slogan?

Or is it, "Together, with our corporate overlords, America can do better."

I can't remember.

:shrug:

From 2003. He said "we can do better" all the time, several times per speech.

A veteran raising money for a veteran.

The HORROR!

Spending a million to defeat a grassroots candidate, when $500K each could have gotten them both in, in two different districts? Stupid.

She is not a carpet-bagger. She didn't break any law. The election is over. Cegelis lost. Quit lying about Tammy Duckworth and get a friggin' life.

Good god.

No one has yet come up with a good answer to "Why not IL-10 for Duckworth?"

The vitriol never stops from them. They say they seek change and involvement from the grassroots, but only selected grassroots need apply. Everyone else is wrong, there is no discussion and that's that. It's sad. They could be a force to bring the various factions in the Democratic Party together, but instead they are one more force that seeks to divide people.

. . .whether its Howard Dean or Christine Cegelis its just sick. I admit neither one were my primary candidates in their respective races but I would have been more than happy to support either one had they secured the nomination, HOWEVER in the debates leading up to their primaries I have been treated as some type of traitor, DINO, DLC hack, DCCC whore and DSCC pimp its sickening.

I have much repsect for Deaniacs, the PDA and DFA for their grass roots organization and ability to get people involved however I resent the way they treat those who prefer other candidates.

For my support of Duckworth I was constantly accused of being on someone's payroll, of bashing Cegelis (when all I did was cited her campaign/finance management problems, which Will Pitt later acknowledged in an article, and my belief that a moderate had a better chance of winning in the 6th CD of Illinois), et al. An argument can be made that Rahm's actions were divisive, however the same applies to the PDA and DFA when it comes to the treatment of those of us who do not see eye to eye with them. There is a double standard.

everyone is the enemy bullshit.

that it is as easy for Rahm Emmanuel and the 'big boys' to raise money for an unsuccessful Congressional candidate from 2004 as it is to raise money for a veteran who lost both of her legs in Iraq.

--thus getting two decent candidates for the price of one.

I have yet to see any evidence to convince me.

"Which means that with $50K more, so that she could have run some last-minute radio ads, Cegelis could have won."
Tell us again, how much dough did Cegrelis piss away on nothing at all during 2005 (when there was no election)?

Why in fact, it was THREE QUARTERS of her total fundraising.

"We must begin building this kind of effective base in every congressional district."
Yeah, because what we really need as a party are unprincipled fanatics who support serial losers without question....

candidate in from the ether and tell the voters that the local candidate was not winnable. I am sick to death of this DINO control over the party and I don't wish any of them any luck.

Since there are apparently so many moderate Dems, according to the responses to the op, then let's see what they can do without the Progressives. Ooops, they don't care...most of them are wolves in sheep's clothing anyway.
I'm willing to bet that that jackass Al From is still in the background pulling GOP strings in the DLC. tHEY MAKE ME WANT TO PUKE.