Bloggers heat up race for Dan Lipinski's Congressional seat
 

By Gail Mansfield

Bloggers Chris Bowers and Matt Stoller of OpenLeft nicknamed them “Bush Dogs,” a twist on the established “Blue Dog” label for conservative Democrats. As that moniker has spread across the progressive blogosphere, so has grassroots activism for replacing Democrats perceived as far too conservative for their districts.

            More than a dozen Democratic primary challengers nationwide are tapping into widespread frustration with Democratic incumbents who vote with President George Bush and the Republican Party on many important issues. In Illinois, incumbent Dan Lipinski (IL-3) faces a strong challenge from Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Mark Pera, who characterizes himself as hailing from the “Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.”

 

Divided on issues

            Pera and Lipinski differ sharply on several issues, most notably U.S. involvement in Iraq. Pera supports an immediate start to troop withdrawal, all troops out of Iraq within a year, and a cap on war funding. Lipinski, whom spokesperson Matthew Mayer calls “an outspoken critic of the Iraq War who has worked day and night to support our troops while voting for legislation that would bring our troops home,” has voted several times for Iraq War funding bills and resolutions opposing withdrawal timelines. On the other hand, he voted for a House resolution and war supplemental bill that require U.S. troops to begin deploying from Iraq.

            Pera also has criticized Lipinski for voting in favor of the Protect America 2007 Act, which removed judicial oversight from the National Security Agency domestic wiretapping program and handed supervision to the attorney general and national director of intelligence. “It is shocking to see such blind trust from ‘Democrats’ like Lipinski, who willy-nilly throw away Congress’s own power in deference to a president who has routinely demonstrated to the American people and to Congress that he cannot be trusted,” Pera said in a statement after the bill passed.

            Pera listed several other points of disagreement between the two candidates: “I support embryonic stem cell research, I am solidly pro-choice, I would never vote to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil refiners and oil companies, I would never have voted to allow Congress to intervene in the Terri Schiavo matter…need more?” Pera said.

 

Netroots back Pera

            Pera has received solid support from Democratic, liberal, and progressive bloggers and online political activists who criticize Lipinski for bucking Democrats to vote with Bush on critical issues. “The netroots have helped us tremendously in getting our message out and in fundraising,” Pera said. “But our strategy is multipronged; it’s not just the netroots but…people within the district and across the region…This race is not only about the differences between Lipinski and I, but…about a new direction for Democrats in Cook County.”

            Pera is a favorite at ActBlue, an online clearinghouse for contributions to Democratic candidates. At OpenLeft, Bowers and Stoller also are supporting Pera, calling Lipinski, whose district leans solidly Democratic by more than ten points, one of the three “most egregious offenders” in their list of nearly 40 Bush Dogs.

            Markos Moulitsas, founder of the immensely popular DailyKos blog, has written, “If you like Democrats who vote against stem cell research, against all matters of choice, for making the PATRIOT Act permanent, for the FISA bill, against gays, against immigrants (especially if they represent a heavily Latino district) and for George Bush's permanent war, then you'll love IL-03 incumbent Dan Lipinski….lucky for us, we have a capable and top-tier challenger in…Mark Pera.”

 

How blue is the 3rd?

            Lipinski supporters insist the 3rd District is a conservative district composed of Reagan Democrats. Pera called that characterization ten to 15 years out of date, as “75% of the Democrats in this district describe themselves as moderate to liberal.”

            “Not only is he a conservative Democrat, he’s the most conservative one in a heavily Democratic district,” commented Larry Handlin, who writes the ArchPundit blog. “Why would a member of Congress from Chicago vote like one in Mississippi?”

            This past fall, Pera’s campaign conducted a survey that concluded 81% of 3rd District voters believe Lipinski is “on the wrong track” and only 35% think he should be reelected. The survey also showed that large majorities were less likely to vote for Lipinski once they learned his positions and voting record on abortion, energy, and ANWR drilling and that 76% favor a cap on war funding and pullout of troops from Iraq beginning immediately, with all troops out within a year.

            Asked to comment on Pera’s national support and whether Lipinski’s conservatism exceeds his constituents’, Mayer replied, “Because of Congressman Lipinski’s commitment to working families, bringing our troops home, and protecting our environment, he enjoys the support of at least 40 officials from the 3rd Congressional District…people who live and breathe within the district. Congressman Lipinski is running a positive campaign that’s focused on people and issues…a grassroots campaign that’s based on voter-to-voter contact.”

Pera disputed the implication that his own support is all from non-constituents. Pera spokesperson Pat Corcoran said Pera’s third-quarter 2007 contributions, which outstripped Lipinski’s, break down to about one-third from inside the district, one-third from the city and state, and one-third from outside the state. “During the same time period, Lipinski brought in just one contribution from an address inside the district, and fully 66% of his money came from special interests or lobbyists,” Corcoran added.  

 

Charges of nepotism dog Lipinski

            Besides being disparaged for his voting record, Lipinski faces lingering resentment about the way he came into office as well as criticism for potential conflicts of interest.

            Bloggers supporting Pera are quick to point out that, before being elected to Congress in 2004, Lipinski was a political science professor at a Tennessee university who had not lived in Illinois for many years. His father, William Lipinski, represented the 3rd Congressional District but dropped out of the race after winning the primary, clearing the way for his son to run in his place—a move that many called political foul play even by Chicago Machine standards.

            Local media recently covered the younger Lipinski’s use of government workers—including 41 members of the “clout list” that emerged during the criminal trial of former Daley patronage chief Robert Sorich—to circulate petitions making him eligible for the primary ballot. Asking government employees to circulate political petitions is not illegal, but Lipinski’s choice to do so in the wake of the hired truck scandal is raising eyebrows.

            “Nepotism got Dan Lipinski into office...and now, faced with a strong primary challenge from Mark Pera, Lipinski is relying on an old-fashioned patronage system to get him on the ballot,” wrote MissLaura, a blogger at DailyKos.

            “You'll be really excited for Lipinski if you love nepotism and carpetbagging,” Moulitsas said.

            Mayer declined to comment on the two Lipinskis’ professional connections or the use of government employees to circulate petitions for Dan Lipinski.

            Said Pera, “It’s part of the insider business-as-usual model that people are rejecting, both in Cook County and in this congressional district.”

            Jim Capparelli, an attorney and U.S. Army Reserve officer, and Palos Hills Mayor Jerry Bennett also are in the Democratic race. See full coverage in the Feb. 1 Gazette.