by Emily Spangler, Progress Women

Mary Burke, Wisconsin

Mary Burke caught Progress Women’s eye right away: Burke has served as the popular bicycle company Trek’s vice president until 2004, has worked with the homeless, and has helped the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County. According to EMILY’s List, as Wisconsin’s commerce secretary, Mary helped create thousands of new jobs, promoted minority and women entrepreneurs, and has kept Wisconsinites safe by giving safety and building inspectors authority to shut down dangerous facilities across the state. Why should Wisconsin elect Mary Burke? Here’s a few reasons as to why:  Walker signed some of the country’s most radical anti-choice bills, including mandatory ultrasounds, a statewide, 19-week ban on abortions, and new restrictions that reduce the number of Wisconsin clinics providing any abortions to two. Wisconsin is ready for a major change, so let’s make history and elect Mary Burke as the Badger State’s first woman governor.

Eloise Gomez Reyes, California

Eloise Gomez Reyes is an attorney, community activist, and put herself through the University of Southern California and Loyola Law School, she has no problem with working hard. She also became the first Latina to open her own office in the Inland Empire – helping clients with everything from pensions and insurance to disability and Social Security and she helped found the Inland Empire Community Health Center and served as a Legal Aid volunteer for more than 25 years. Gomez Reyes is passionate about helping underserved families and fighting for the voiceless in her community. Her opponent is Congressman Gary Miller, a Congressman who touts his title of being California’s “most conservative member”. Gomez Reyes is the type of person we need in Congress. She will fight for those who need their voices to be heard, and will work hard to do so. Check out her website here!

Amanda Renteria, California

As a mom, a former high school teacher, and small business owner, Amanda Renteria wants to bring a unique voice to Washington to represent California’s 21st Congressional District. Renteria was the first-ever latina Senate chief of staff (Debbie Stabenow) and graduated with honors from Stanford University – the first Mexican-American from her small hometown to ever have been accepted. Running against Tea Party Congressman David Valadao will be quite the task, but with our support and help, we can help her win a top take-back district in 2014! Donate to Amanda Renteria here!

Martha Robertson, New York

Martha Robertson is a former teacher who became the first woman and the first Democrat from her district to be elected to the Tompkins County Legislature, where she forged a reputation for consensus-building and compromise in the interest of the county’s neighborhoods, small businesses and green spaces. Robertson has put an emphasis on education and the economy in her race. She is committed to giving back and serving her community. Let’s help her get elected.  Check out her website here.

This article is crossposted with permission of Progress Women, a Missouri-based site promoting progressive politics, feminism and empowering women to get involved.

Featured image credit: Womeninpoliticsmedia.com

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We are properly focused on the short-term concerns about Republican obstinance in Congress. One way or another, we will get beyond this. The result may be as small as the United States being slightly damaged or as large as our planet sustaining a major economic blow. At this point, the right wing Republicans either don’t understand what is happening or they simply don’t care.

But what comes next after this particular episode of obstinance is over? Chances are that until the 2014 mid-term elections, President Obama will remain staunch in support of reason and logic. We need him to do that. And chances also are that the Republicans will declare victory and continue to make a mockery of democracy.

There are few times in American history where the people will have as clear a choice for their representatives in Congress as 2014. The Tea Party will be there on the ballots, both in primaries and general election. Members of the Tea Party give every indication that they are unwilling to compromise. In all likelihood, only a few of them will run as lions cloaked in sheep’s clothing. It doesn’t seem to be in their nature to “trim their sails” and pretend that they are moderates while campaigning and then as radical rights when they govern. Most of them will run as the right-wing zealots that they are. Some incumbent Tea Party members will lose to more moderate Republicans in the primaries. And those who make it to the general election are more likely to be threatened by their Democratic opponents.

The dynamics are more complicated than that. We tend to see our present political party alignment as Tea Party Republicans to the right; moderate Republicans to the center; and all Democrats as a united front against those in the Tea Party. Differences that exist in the Democratic Party are largely obscured by the unity that the Tea Party created among Democrats. But truth be told, there are at least two strong factions in the Democratic Party: (1) moderates who support the general agendas of labor, minorities, environmental reformers, etc. and (2) progressives who want to tackle the really difficult issues such as campaign finance reform, real gun control, economic redistribution, Medicare for all, etc.

Conventional wisdom would be that the best way for the Democrats to defeat the Republicans in 2014 would be to find engaging, reasonable candidates whose politics are really “Republican Lite.” At times this political animal has been referred to as “Blue Dog Democrats.” Some, perhaps most of the Democrats currently in Congress are of this ilk. They support major entitlement programs but are rather leery of new federal spending to jump start the economy. They support environmental regulation, unless it has a negative impact on their own district or their contributors. They want to reduce the budget and they hesitate to raise taxes. Fortunately, they do realize that generally the more money that the government spends the healthier (in many ways) the American people will be. Because they are about as close to the Republican philosophy as any Democrat can be, they are considered the least threatening kind of Democrat to Republicans who may be able to step away from their party, at least for the time being.

However, a somewhat different and possibly more lucrative approach for Democrats to take would be to run real progressives against the Republicans. Why progressives? First, they have an enthusiasm for their agenda that might be the equal of  Tea Party fervor. Second, there is a bit of a libertarian strain that runs through both groups. Tea Partiers want to be left alone from those who would control their guns or impose safety regulations on their business. Progressives oppose the government imposing their reproductive choices or limiting basic human rights to a few of the “more privileged.” Progressive candidates will give the Democrats needed energy and they will excite much of their base.

A strategy of running progressives in the 2014 elections and seeing how well they do against Republican candidates compared to “Republican lite” Democrats would tell us a lot about what the future of the Democratic Party should be.

Wherever that might be, following the 2014 elections, Democrats will have a much better idea as to the political philosophy they most want to follow. Also, at that time, progressives need to work more at the grass roots to show the wisdom of their philosophy.

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