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Politics

When left isn't left enough, they rally troops

Advocacy groups raise cash, demand action.

By WES ALLISON, Times Staff Writer
Published October 28, 2007

WASHINGTON - A day after the House joined the Senate in condemning MoveOn.org for besmirching the top U.S. commander in Iraq, the liberal behemoth sent an e-mail to its 3.3-million members.

"When the only thing our elected representatives can agree on is to silence the war critics, it is time to get louder," the message read. It announced a new project to redouble efforts to lobby Congress. "We'll make it impossible for them to ignore you."

Many congressional Democrats thought MoveOn's full-page ad in the New York Times - "Gen. Petraeus or Gen. Betray Us?" - lacked taste as well as tact. Worse, it changed the subject, allowing conservatives to focus on the ad rather than Petraeus' September report on the prospects in Iraq.

MoveOn's decision then to attack Congress, many felt, showed a callousness toward the difficult position the ad created for many Democrats, a case of pique trumping productivity.

It also marked one more sign of the tension - and, in some cases, outright battle - between liberal antiwar groups and the Democratic-led Congress over Iraq.

Frustrated with the Democrats' inability to stop the war since they took control of Congress in January, some liberal groups are trying to recruit candidates to challenge sitting Democrats in the House who don't vote in lockstep with them on the war.

MoveOn, which raised millions for last year's congressional elections, has suggested it may throw its considerable weight into those efforts, and already has run ads blasting Democrats - including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland - for their positions on the war.

Even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a longtime antiwar advocate and crusader for liberal causes, has found herself the target of protests in Washington and outside her home in San Francisco.

The tactics have irked Democratic members of Congress who don't have the votes, particularly in the Senate, to stop the war. They say attacking Democrats is counterproductive, particularly since they generally side with liberal groups.

'A foolish strategy'

"I think it's a foolish strategy. It's the very same strategy that got us George W. Bush, because the guy who just won the Nobel Prize wasn't 'green enough,'" said Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash.

In 2000, liberal support for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader helped spoil Democrat Al Gore's campaign, particularly in Florida. Some Democrats fear the left could play spoiler again in 2008.

Liberal groups and bloggers attacked Baird last summer after he visited Iraq and suggested President Bush's decision to send more than 20,000 more U.S. troops was providing the stability needed for the Iraqis to create a functioning government.

MoveOn blasted him with radio ads in his district, and he was heckled at town hall meetings.

"It's, 'If you're not with us on a thousand different issues, then you're no good to us and we'll throw you overboard,'" Baird said. "That's a dangerous way to live your life."

Yet even some congressional Democrats seem bent on deepening the fissure. A senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, who wants to cut off funding for the war, cheers that approach. "I tell them to keep pushing," Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia said.

Last month, Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., co-founder of the 75-member Out of Iraq Caucus, suggested in a speech that antiwar advocates should recruit candidates to challenge sitting Democrats who aren't aggressive about ending the war.

If the Democrats lose Congress because of it, she said, then that's the price of their inaction.

Meanwhile, the Progressive Democrats of America, whose board includes Woolsey, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers and other House members, has endorsed the challenger to a moderate House Democrat, Rep. Albert Wynn of Maryland.

Executive director Tim Carpenter said the Progressive Democrats are considering other challenges as well.

"We're going to look for candidates who challenge those Democrats who support the war ... and continue supporting those members of Congress who have been voting the correct way," said Carpenter, whose group counts 110,000 members and local chapters nationwide.

An e-mail is sent

Frustration with congressional Democrats and talk of primary challenges often dominate liberal Web sites like the Daily Kos and Democrats.com. MoveOn sent its members an e-mail last month asking their interest in challenging Democrats who "side with the president on Iraq."

"We've all heard it from the Democratic leadership over and over again: 'We don't have the votes,'" the e-mail said. "One reason is that there are a set of weak Democrats who side with the president - especially on Iraq. They're too scared to fight for what's right and what they were elected to fight for."

For Democrats, war with MoveOn is a worrisome prospect. Aside from raising $27-million to push Democratic issues in the 2006 election, the group's political arm gave nearly $800,000 to Democratic candidates.

A single e-mail to MoveOn members about an upcoming vote can force congressional offices to double the interns assigned to the phones.

MoveOn officials would not comment for this story. Democratic leaders in Congress say they've tried to explain that they're promoting liberal interests far more than the Republican-led Congress did, from environmental protection to health care to funding for college education. To continue that, they need a sustainable majority, and that requires room for moderates, even on the war, they say.

"If you run primaries against people in my position, what you're going to end up with is a candidate who has depleted resources and a divided party," said freshman Rep. Jason Altimire, D-Pa., who won in a Republican district and is now targeted for refusing to block funding for the war. "You risk losing the majority because you're trying to make a point."

A war protest

But activists like Elizabeth Barger, 71, who joined a war protest that stopped traffic outside the Capitol one day last week, say the Democrats are failing on the issue that matters most.

"Some of the new people turned away from what they said they'd do," said Barger, a farmer from Summertown, Tenn.

"There's something about this city that makes them think it's safe to ignore the populace."

On Thursday, a handful of protesters picketed the Aventura office of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Westin, a reliable liberal and antiwar advocate. Her crime? Failing to push impeachment for Vice President Dick Cheney and voting for a defense bill last summer.

"Instead of targeting Democrats who are on their side, they should be targeting Republican members in marginal districts they can replace with Democrats," Wasserman Schultz said.

Her critics, however, say hitting Democrats seems to be working. In August, 70 House members signed a so-called Peace Pledge saying they'll support no war funding bill except for one that would bring the troops home.

Last week, the number neared 90.

Times researcher Angie Drobnic Holan contributed to this report. Wes Allison can be reached at allison@sptimes.com or 202 463-0577.

Fast Facts:

The most active advocates

Unhappy antiwar advocates increasingly are targeting Democratic members of Congress for failing to do more to end the war in Iraq. Here's a look at some of the groups active on Capitol Hill.

MoveOn.org

The group was founded by software entrepreneurs Wes Boyd and Joan Blades in 1998 to urge Congress to censure President Bill Clinton for his relations with a former intern, then "move on."

The group now boasts 3.3-million members on its mailing list and has become a major player in liberal politics. MoveOn raised $27-million for the 2006 election, which it used mostly to promote Democratic-aligned issues. Its political action committee also gave nearly $800,000 to Democratic candidates for the House and Senate, according to Open Secrets, which tracks political donations.

Web site: www.moveon.org

Progressive Democrats of America

A liberal group that seeks largely to work within the Democratic Party, it counts 110,000 members and 136 chapters nationwide. Its leaders plan to challenge Democratic members of Congress who aren't aggressively against the war. The group has endorsed one serious challenger, Donna Edwards, who is running against a sitting Democrat, Rep. Al Wynn of Maryland. Its board includes several Democratic members of Congress.

Web site: www.pdamerica.org

Americans Against Escalation IN IRAQ

This association of groups includes MoveOn, the Service Employees International Union, the Center for American Progress and Americans United for Change. It was created to oppose President Bush's plan to send more than 20,000 more U.S. troops to Iraq earlier this year. The coalition remains active in coordinating the antiwar activities of member groups.

Web site: www.noiraqescalation.org

[Last modified October 27, 2007, 21:59:23]