...there's a revolution happening in the Democratic Party. The grassroots and the rank and file - the little people, in short - are in full revolt against The Way Things Are, as Hillary Clinton's campaign can attest. Last night, in the Fourth District of Maryland, a genuine people-powered, grassroots candidate, Donna Edwards, shellacked eight-term incumbent Congressman Al Wynn. In what was billed as the Potomac Primary, Barack Obama wiped out - such was the scale of the revolt - the establishment's anointed choice for the nomination, Hillary Clinton, to the point where her continued viability in the race is coming under question on the front page of the New York Times.
This rebellion is being driven by several factors, one of which is the astonishing campaign of Barack Obama. Another is simple sick-and-tiredness of Things As They Are; it's a national moment of Network, a collective "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore". An apathetic electorate is becoming aware of itself, and discovering that it has power.
Nowhere beyond the Washington Beltway is such a Great Awakening more desperately needed than in the toothache of a disgrace that is the government of the State of New York. This is an opportunity.
Chris Bowers at Open Left writes of the Maryland victory for Donna Edwards:
With every precinct coming in with at least a 10% improvement for Edwards over 2006, let me reiterate this point: the new primary voters who are coming out for Barack Obama are also going to result in the first progressive displacement of a centrist, corporate, congressional Democrat via a primary in years. This it it. This is what we have been working for and building for. This is our emerging majority.
Primaries are a healthy thing, and we could use more of them. Here are some to watch:
Silver versus Newell: At the root of New York's dysfunction is the system of three men in a room. One of those men is Sheldon Silver. He has a primary challenger, Paul Newell.
Towns versus Powell: Congressman Ed Towns is long past his glory days - about a decade, perhaps two. He's being challenged by hip-hop impresario Kevin Powell, who's not an entirely appealing choice, but new brooms sweep better, as they say. Alternatively, his son Darrel is an heir in the wings, and he's smart and ready.
Connor versus Squadron: It's a sign of changing times that someone as god-damn smart as Daniel Squadron is even interested in running for state office. Watch this race.
Harrison versus Recchia: In the primary for the 13th Congressional District, machine hack Dominic Recchia, a creature of the Lopez machine, is running against Steve Harrison, another people-powered candidate who actually ran against incumbent embarrassment Vito Fossella before it became a chic race. A victory for Recchia is a victory for the Brooklyn machine, the same machine that endorsed noted bigot Noach Dear. A win for Harrison is a win for people-powered politics.
Rumor has it that there are primary challenges in the works for Clarke, Dilan, and others. More and better Democrats, please.
