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Another One Bites the Dust (An Incubent Dem That Is)

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flyangler

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Another "shocker" in Massachusetts as a very progressive woman of color knocks off a progressive 20-year incumbent. The irony is that:

 

"while Crowley was viewed as absent and not sufficiently progressive enough for the district's changing demographics, there was little policy daylight between Pressley and Capuano."

 

The white, male incumbent did not differ too much from the challenger on positions. So what was the difference? Why this "not even close" result? 

 

Ayanna Pressley Ousts 20-Year Incumbent Michael Capuano in Massachusetts Primary Shocker

She is the second progressive woman of color to defeat a long-term male white incumbent this cycle.

09.04.18 9:30 PM ET

Another major upset of a Democratic congressman took place in Massachusetts on Tuesday night. And it wasn't even close. 

 

Ayanna Pressley, the 44-year-old Boston City Councilor, triumphed over 20-year incumbent Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA) by a double-digit margin. It was the primary season’s second stunning ousting of a long-term lawmaker by a female progressive challenger and another indicator that the liberal base is hungering for something new in their representation.

 

Massachusetts’ 7th District, the only majority-minority district in the liberal state, once sent President John F. Kennedy to Congress and was viewed prior to Tuesday’s contest as the kind of area that was ripe for a shakeup. Coupled with Pressley’s compelling candidacy, a late primary the day after Labor Day, and district lines that were redrawn in 2011, Capuano was clearly vulnerable.  

 

Just over an hour after polls closed at 8, there was chatter among those at Capuano's victory party that the congressman was preparing to concede. Minutes later he did so, long before the race had been officially called

 

“I’m sorry it didn’t work out, but this is life, and this is OK," Capuano saidaround 9:15. "America’s going to be OK. Ayanna Pressley is going to be a good congresswoman, and I will tell you that Massachusetts will be well served.”

 

Pressley, and at least one aide, erupted into tears upon learning that she had pulled off the upset. 

 

Pressley, the first woman of color elected to the city council, who often shared stories of her difficult upbringing on the trail, became the perfect avatar for change in the district, which includes most of Boston and parts of Cambridge and Somerville. 

 

Her campaign was defined in part by a slogan that appeared on the walls of the operation’s headquarters: “The people closest to the pain should be closest to the power, driving and informing the policy making.” 

 

While Pressley and Capuano did not disagree on much substantive policy—the Democratic congressman from Massachusetts is one of the House’s most staunch progressives—she characterized herself as someone who would be more of an activist leader, extending her work on behalf of the district beyond just supporting liberal legislation. 

 

“There’s the vote on the floor of Congress, but then there’s the work and the impact here,” Pressley told The Daily Beast in July. 

Where they did disagree, however, was on funding President Donald Trump’s long-promised wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, which Capuano said he could support if it was tucked into a broader immigration reform package. Pressley claimed she wouldn’t compromise on the issue. She also challenged Capuano on his vote for a so-called “Blue Lives Matter” bill which would impose harsher penalties for crimes against members of law enforcement. Additionally, in a recent debate, Capuano said that he supported the message of NFL players who have chosen to kneel in protest against police brutality but questioned the tactics. Pressley has said that she supports both the action and the message. 

 

Like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who defeated entrenched incumbent Joe Crowley in New York’s 14th Congressional District in June, Pressley advocated for Medicare for All and the abolition of the Immigration and Customs and Enforcement Agency and refused any corporate PAC money. But unlike Ocasio-Cortez, whose rise from bartender to Democratic nominee and near-certain member of Congress was swift, Pressley had been viewed as a future political star in Massachusetts for quite some time. And while Crowley was viewed as absent and not sufficiently progressive enough for the district's changing demographics, there was little policy daylight between Pressley and Capuano.

 

 

Edited by tomkaz

“No nation in history has survived once its borders were destroyed, once its citizenship was rendered no different from mere residence, and once its neighbors with impunity undermined its sovereignty.”

- Victor Davis Hanson 

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27 mins ago, The Dude said:

Not much of a difference. Capuano is super liberal. 

So is she a super-duper liberal

 :shrug:

“No nation in history has survived once its borders were destroyed, once its citizenship was rendered no different from mere residence, and once its neighbors with impunity undermined its sovereignty.”

- Victor Davis Hanson 

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27 mins ago, tomkaz said:

So is she a super-duper liberal

 :shrug:

Its not true, pay no attention.

He was old time union thug left wing.

 

 

Bill Clinton era.

Gangster level corrupt.  The plus to a guy like Capuano is you can work with him-as long as he gets something for himself.  One hand scratches the other type.  That was Cliton's way.

 

This latest bunch are flat out socialist ideologues.  You can hear it in their speeches.  They are ready to mow you down if you dont pledge fealty.  Do you think Mike Capuano would consider fining or jailing a man for calling a tranny "he"?  Of course not.

 

 

This is a party split.  I dont think the Dems of Kansas or Nebraska or Tennessee are going to tolerate these (ive beeen waiting to use this term now that McCain is room temp) Whacko Birds running around the USA.

We may well see "dont piss the moderates off, or they will run to the Republican Party".

“My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.”

 

Ayn Rand

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9 mins ago, jkrock said:

Capuano was " a vestige of Boston's white ethnic political machine.”*

 

The socialists are purging the white men.

 

Kennedy wouldn't stand a chance today

 

*CBS news

It starts with Politics....and quickly becomes a look into the future of America.  

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