Carper and Coons, Craven to the Core
Ever since SCOTUS pulled its gangland-style execution of Roe, Josh Marshall over at Talking Points Memo has been stumping for Democrats to make the issue the centerpiece of the midterm elections.
Obviously this makes a great deal of sense, and so just as obviously the people who run the Democratic Party will have to be dragged kicking and screaming into doing it. Marshall’s solution has been to query every Democratic senator on what he calls “Roe and Replace.” Here’s how he explains it:
We need to win two more Senate seats and hold the House, and then we will reform the filibuster to pass abortion protections.
That can’t happen until the 48 other Democrats are on the record promising to vote for the filibuster carveout if that situation emerges. The high likelihood that all of them will get on board at that later date, as indicated by their support of filibuster reform to pass voting rights legislation this January, is not enough to make that election promise. It creates room for doubt, leading to despair — a world where constituents and journalists start questioning how many more Democratic senators are needed, really. Three? Four? It becomes too steep of a climb.
I’m guessing you know where this is going. So far, 31 Democratic senators have taken Marshall’s pledge, while another 10 have said they support both Roe and filibuster reform without specifically linking the two. Manchin and Sinema both opposed, while Marshall calculates that two more, Angus King of Maine and Mark Warner of Virginia, are likely holdouts.
That leaves six senators who haven’t made clear their willingness to waive the filibuster for an abortion-rights vote. Naturally, Tom Carper and Chris Coons are among the six.
To be fair, they aren’t the only blue-state senators waffling — neither Cory Booker nor crooked Bob Menendez of New Jersey has committed either — and Marshall makes clear that all will eventually climb on board.
But, as usual, if you’re looking for bold leadership, find where Delaware’s senators are, then look in the opposite direction.
We’re gonna need to talk about Carper’s Senate seat. Sooner rather than later.
Word on the street is that the shambling drool bib is planning to run again.
WDEL online is using an old photo of Carper for current stories:
https://www.wdel.com/news/carper-touts-inflation-reduction-act-in-senate-floor-remarks/article_437639b4-1685-11ed-81d1-6ba7520ad3e9.html
Not that anyone asked me, but his opponent should be someone young and high-energy, to heighten the contrast. Avoid the issues and harp on his age.
Absolutely. I’ve got someone in mind, assuming that neither LBR nor Sarah McBride run. A GOOD someone…
I would love for it to be someone who has already won an election. If LBR mustered the guts to do it, I’d happily recant all the bad shit I ever said about her.
No way LBR tries to take down her mentor in a primary.
Sarah is as far left as you can go and still be part of the Delaware Way family in which she grew up. Not saying she’ll sit back and wait her turn, but don’t think she’s inclined to push out an incumbent.
Interested in seeing who ElSom nominates.
Campaign plan: Find an opponent then birddog TC, find a wall he is in front of, roll camera, Trip him backwards.
It’s over:)
Here’s the link to Josh Marshall’s scorecard. I’ll insert it into the post as well.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/which-senate-democrats-are-blocking-the-path-to-abortion-rights
arrgh. It does point out that they are likely supporters of the bill but that neither has made a statement.
Carper did at least state he would vote to bypass filibuster for voting rights which I don’t think Coons has yet done.
Love the lead on this but i beg to differ a little. It should have been “Carper and Coons, Craven & CORPORATE to the Core. Excelent post and gets to the seriousness of what you are all about “Political Accountability”. I love that DE Liberal corrospondents fight back against some of the 3 faced Democratic Leadership. So very hopeful on changing the politcal environment. You guys never waver on anything. I say you chaps must have stones that fit in a wheel-barrell and you take it on National, State and local. Real amazing. DE Corrospondents, the 8th Wonder of the WORLD. Happy Hunting.
I agree with you, but I couldn’t find any corporate angle to standing up for abortion rights. And I can’t come up with a reason they won’t come out forcefully for them in public other than their innate timidity*.
Here’s how unpopular the GOP position is: Every congressional district in Kansas, even the ones that went for Trump 2-1 over Biden, voted against the abortion ban in the state’s plebiscite. The reddest district rejected it 53-47. How many votes could the Gentlemen’s Cs possibly lose in Delaware by sounding like warriors instead of wimps?
*The one exception: Coons is a hardcore Zionist and makes it clear every time he speaks about Israel. He’s not Jewish, so I assume that stance was purchased, or maybe it’s simple fear of AIPAC, which would track with his fear of just about everything else.