Pressley wins! And how Dems screw up abortion politics
One of the most immovable myths in Washington is the one about the politics of abortion. Polls consistently show that the American people, even those souls living in red states, overwhelmingly support abortion rights and oppose the effort to criminalize it. It’s not even close. Yet Democratic leadership in Washington treats it like it’s a difficult political question. (It is, for many, a difficult personal decision, but that’s not what we’re talking about.)
Across the country, there has been approximately zero grassroots energy behind the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, and that’s despite more than $30 million spent by conservative groups trying to gin up that energy. Aida Chavez has a great story on this dog that isn’t barking.
She references this video, which I promise is worth watching to the end (it’s about 30 seconds).
I interviewed Rebecca Wood, one of the activists arrested this morning, to hear what it was like to get dragged out of the hearing. Late tonight, protesters occupied Sen. Charles Schumer’s office, demanding he do more to stop the nomination.
Massachusetts primaries: Ayanna Pressley wins!
Mike Capuano is a progressive Democrat with a long history in the House, particularly well respected on the left for his dovish approach to foreign policy. But two key policy differences shaped this race, and Democrats who don’t want to suffer his fate should pay attention to both: He took corporate PAC money, and he was unwilling to call for the abolition of ICE, a lawless immigration agency that is becoming a moral issue for some Democratic primary voters. Pressley beat him by a substantial margin.
Pressley will be the fourth Justice Democrat in the House, and her win also counts as a win for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who stood by her after winning her own primary.
Both Richie Neal and Stephen Lynch faced primary challenges as well, but they both easily survived them.
And Nancy Pelosi is standing by her promise to handcuff the Democratic agenda if Democrats retake the House next year. Pelosi is one of my favorite politicians from the last decade, and it’s painful to watch this unfold. Story by Dave Dayen.