August 23, 2007

BLOGGERS VS BELTWAY: Dog Tags

Open Left is "officially starting up" their campaign against 'Bush Dogs' (defined as Dems who voted for both the FISA bill and the Iraq supplemental ... although Rep. Brian Barid (D-WA), who voted against FISA and the '02 authorization of the war is also targeted for his post-Iraq visit heresy on the efficacy of the surge).

Open Left's Matt Stoller asks readers for their help in "Step One: Creating a Public Record." From Stoller: "Would you profile one of these Bush Dogs? What we need is a brief profile of the member, their voting record, their personality, and the district and its politics. Is there a primary challenge? Is the member well-suited for his or her district? Did the member do something to mitigate this criticism? Remember, this is not an attack, it's a profile so we can get to know these people and eventually persuade them to do the right thing. It doesn't have to be comprehensive or long, just enough to get a sense of who this person is and how they do their politics."

Bowers later responds to local criticism of their national efforts: "There has, however, been some dissent online, centering around the idea that Matt and I are outsiders "meddling" in other people's affairs. ... I would like to take some time to address all of these issues raised here as clearly and concisely as I can ... All Americans are impacted by all federal votes. ... Ending the conservative governing majority in Washington, and replacing it with a progressive governing majority, requires national activism and a national movement. As such, I endorse the national, progressive, people-powered movement, since I believe it is our best chance to succeed in that aim."

Posted by Conn Carroll at August 23, 2007 12:52 PM