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Well here’s a new position for Pollitics Today. I actually have to defend myself, though not specifically a piece that was on this blog.
I’m a frequent reader of The Daily Banter, a site that Bob Cesca writes for. Cesca has kind of been an idol to me in some regards. He’s a Democrat that went to the same exact college as I did and I agree with him on a wide array of topics. I don’t know exactly what I want to do in life; but Cesca made me actually want to get into political writing because hey, he was a Golden Bear and he did it!
Unfortunately, Bob Cesca mentioned an article by me but it wasn’t in the light I envisioned it. Instead, I got tossed up in the whole David Sirota, Glenn Greenwald, etc. crowd because I didn’t intend on voting for Cory Booker. Specifically, I was mentioned as someone from the DailyKos which was just a copy/paste job from the original here.
So I feel the need to defend myself because well, I’m not some hyper-FARLEFTLIBRULSIROTANSASNOWDENNNN type that I’ve been incorrectly lumped as.
I’ve explained numerous times that I couldn’t vote for Cory Booker. All ten frequent readers here know that I had some differences with the guy. But as the campaign trekked on, I grew to like some parts of Cory Booker. I like how he made poverty the central theme of his campaign and I truly believe that will be his calling in the Senate. Like it or not, Booker lived in Newark. He has a different experience than most Senators who have pretty much legislated their whole life (or were just some rich businessmen swept into office).
However, I considered campaign finance reform to be a big deal. I also am someone that leans to believe into the thought that environmental issues are pretty important as well. Some of my “attacks”, if they can be called that, on Booker might have been misguided a touch. It was early June after all, and things change.
I don’t regret what I wrote but I do disavow comparing him to Joe Lieberman. Booker has national ambitions, I think that is clear, I think its safe to assume he will be a mainstream Democrat. Remember, Joe Lieberman was a HAWK on national security issues (no evidence of that from Booker) and he dedicated his final term to screwing over the party that voted him out. Booker won’t do that.
Did I get too into it sometimes? Well at one point, Mr. Booker was vague about his vision; he cleared things up but I felt like I should ask him his beliefs on some issues. Was I a bit too much? Probably. But oh well, can’t erase it.
I grew to like Rush Holt. I could care less about Edward Snowden. I could care less about the NSA and FISA though I agree some tinkers could be made, but I just never saw it as a big deal. That’s why its never been covered here. Therefore, I voted for Rush Holt.
Cesca goes on to label me as a member of the far left that were burning effigies of Booker which is kind of off-base. I also do not represent DailyKos. I am literally some dude who cross-posts his blogs on there from time to time, most of them in my Taking Back The House series in which I promote the candidacies of various Democrats running for office. I do that knowing that most of the ones I promoted will not be the progressive candidates I imagine. I also post my series over there and if Mr. Cesca would’ve just taken 30 seconds to click on my name and see my posts, maybe he’d not call me a hard-liner, purity, anti-Booker/anti-you type person. But I understand, time is money.
But I don’t represent dKos as I’m not a front pager, Markos Moulitsas or a featured blogger. There’s hundreds of users that posts blogs daily; I’m pretty sure not all of them are representative of the site as there are wide array of users there.
But I stated numerous times that I have no qualms voting for Mr. Booker in a general election. The Democratic Party is a big tent and to expect 51+ Elizabeth Warrens or 218+ Alan Graysons is a fantasy. But sometimes, you shouldn’t worry about picking the candidate you find as most progressive.
Mr. Cesca laughs off the candidacy of Holt because in one poll, he edged out Lonegan by 1% point. Considering the low-name recognition of Holt, it wasn’t a shock but to suggest that it would’ve stayed that way is hilarious and pretty poorly reviewed. New Jersey is a tremendously blue state and Steve Lonegan is horrifically right wing. Lonegan is a guy who primaried Chris Christie back in 2009 and is our version of Christine O’Donnell.
Oh by the way, O’Donnell was at one point beating Chris Coons by one point in July polling of Delaware back in 2010. We know how that turned out.
But most pundits have little interest in learning how polling works and let’s face it, Democrats would vote for Democrats no matter what. Pallone voters, Holt voters and Oliver voters will vote for Booker. Just like Booker voters would’ve voted for the other candidates. I wonder what Mr. Cesca would’ve said if Booker voters stayed home if Pallone or Holt won. I guess they’d be EMOBOOKERS or something.
But Mr. Cesca has a fair point. I’m obviously a little upset so I personally have a slant and this is far from my best writing. But Mr. Cesca asks what gratification Holt voters got. Well, I voted for the guy I liked. Nothing more, nothing less. If we judge people off voting for losing candidates, then I guess we all have gotten nothing out of a vote before. I’m going to vote for Barbara Buono this November. Will it be successful? Unlikely, but I’ll do it anyway.
I knew Holt wouldn’t win, but I supported him nonetheless. I fantasized about a real scientist debating a climate change denier like James Inhofe and fell in love with the idea. I also fell in love with Sarah Michelle Gellar back in 4th grade.
That turned out about as successful. But do I regret it? No. I wasn’t some hipster, anti-Booker voter. I just liked another candidate better. One that would’ve won too because if Holt could’ve somehow beaten Booker; he’d make mince meat out of Lonegan, a far less talented campaigner.
