Rate a Pressley vs. Moulton Senate primary

[Meatball Ron]

Yeah as a Massachusetts voter, I would reiterate the fact that JK3 is running now, even though it means challenging someone he's never had any qualms with, because he's scared of having to run against Pressley next time a Senate seat opens up (whether that is Markey's retirement in '26, Warren's ascendance to VP or Cabinet - whatever). Pressley is extremely formidable (she beat a very popular, very progressive Congressman after all - Capuano was no Joe Crowley) and should not be lumped in with Omar/Tlaib or even AOC, really. She would absolutely obliterate Moulton.

[Meatball Ron]

Pressley won off of blatant race baiting.

You have...never been to Massachusetts, I'm guessing? And didn't pay attention to this race when it was happening? I agree Pressley's message against Capuano (also very progressive) was not overly ideological, but it was nothing close to 'race-baiting.' Get outta here with that misinformation nonsense. Or show me one single shred of real evidence that she did anything of the sort?

[Meatball Ron]

Pressley won off of blatant race baiting.

You have...never been to Massachusetts, I'm guessing? And didn't pay attention to this race when it was happening? I agree Pressley's message against Capuano (also very progressive) was not overly ideological, but it was nothing close to 'race-baiting.' Get outta here with that misinformation nonsense. Or show me one single shred of real evidence that she did anything of the sort?

MA born grandparents, MA born mother, several MA family members, visited several times. Unclear on the relevance either way, but all right. Now, on the actual subject? I don't know what else you can call running against an incumbent whom you yourself acknowledge little ideological difference between and campaigning simply on your race and gender.

"Pressley acknowledged there was little daylight between her and Capuano on policy, though she differentiated herself on the fate of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and by not accepting corporate PAC money. But most of all, Pressley offered voters a different style of leadership, leaning heavily on her experiences as a black woman, casting her candidacy as a vote for change in a “fight for the soul of the Democratic Party.”

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/04/massachusetts-primary-capuano-pressley-807064

"A different type of race is taking shape in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts’s 7th Congressional District, a seat comprised of downtown Boston and surrounding suburbs. Though media outlets across the country have labeled the Pressley challenge in Massachusetts as the “next Ocasio-Cortez,” the race differs from other progressive challenges to entrenched Democrats: Pressley’s policy positions are frequently indistinguishable from her opponent."

“Congressman Mike Capuano has been a fine, progressive member of Congress, but having an experienced progressive like Ayanna Pressley on the ballot is an unmissable opportunity for Massachusetts to both ensure a leading woman of color represents its only majority-minority district and add the voice of just one person of color to New England’s currently all-white congressional delegation,” said Jim Dean, chair for Democracy for America, in a statement. Jonathan Cohn, co-chair of Progressive Massachusetts, explained that his group also endorsed Pressley over Capuano because of the “need for more diverse representation in Congress and the need for more activist leadership from Democrats in Congress.”

https://theintercept.com/2018/08/18/mike-capuano-ayanna-pressley-massachusetts-primary/

Now, before you say, "Oh, that wasn't REALLY race baiting" I'm just going to translate that into the Republican equivalent and get your reaction.

“Senator Tim Scott has been a fine, conservative member of Congress, but having an experienced patriotic conservative like [Insert White Person Here] on the ballot is an unmissable opportunity for South Carolina to elect a White American to Congress,” said Jim Dean, chair for Freedom for America, in a statement. Jonathan Roberts, co-chair of Heritage South Carolina, explained that his group also endorsed [White Person] over Scott because of the “need for more Caucasian-American and Southern Heritage oriented members of Congress."

Those are all news articles highlighting the importance of Pressley's race. "Jim Dean" is not Ayanna. I was asking you for a single shred of evidence that AYANNA or her official campaign apparatus engaged in any 'race-baiting.' As far as I can tell, Ayanna ran on a vague notion of fresh leadership / new generation / etc.

Also, even had the quotes you shared came from Ayanna: emphasizing that diversity in Congress = good and that representation matters, so there might be some upside to a POC representing a majority-minority district is not anywhere close to "race-baiting." The reversal you suggested DOESN'T WORK because Congress is mostly white, so to say we need more whites in Congress is racist.

[Meatball Ron]

Pressley won off of blatant race baiting.

You have...never been to Massachusetts, I'm guessing? And didn't pay attention to this race when it was happening? I agree Pressley's message against Capuano (also very progressive) was not overly ideological, but it was nothing close to 'race-baiting.' Get outta here with that misinformation nonsense. Or show me one single shred of real evidence that she did anything of the sort?

MA born grandparents, MA born mother, several MA family members, visited several times. Unclear on the relevance either way, but all right. Now, on the actual subject? I don't know what else you can call running against an incumbent whom you yourself acknowledge little ideological difference between and campaigning simply on your race and gender.

"Pressley acknowledged there was little daylight between her and Capuano on policy, though she differentiated herself on the fate of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and by not accepting corporate PAC money. But most of all, Pressley offered voters a different style of leadership, leaning heavily on her experiences as a black woman, casting her candidacy as a vote for change in a “fight for the soul of the Democratic Party.”

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/04/massachusetts-primary-capuano-pressley-807064

"A different type of race is taking shape in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts’s 7th Congressional District, a seat comprised of downtown Boston and surrounding suburbs. Though media outlets across the country have labeled the Pressley challenge in Massachusetts as the “next Ocasio-Cortez,” the race differs from other progressive challenges to entrenched Democrats: Pressley’s policy positions are frequently indistinguishable from her opponent."

“Congressman Mike Capuano has been a fine, progressive member of Congress, but having an experienced progressive like Ayanna Pressley on the ballot is an unmissable opportunity for Massachusetts to both ensure a leading woman of color represents its only majority-minority district and add the voice of just one person of color to New England’s currently all-white congressional delegation,” said Jim Dean, chair for Democracy for America, in a statement. Jonathan Cohn, co-chair of Progressive Massachusetts, explained that his group also endorsed Pressley over Capuano because of the “need for more diverse representation in Congress and the need for more activist leadership from Democrats in Congress.”

https://theintercept.com/2018/08/18/mike-capuano-ayanna-pressley-massachusetts-primary/

Now, before you say, "Oh, that wasn't REALLY race baiting" I'm just going to translate that into the Republican equivalent and get your reaction.

“Senator Tim Scott has been a fine, conservative member of Congress, but having an experienced patriotic conservative like [Insert White Person Here] on the ballot is an unmissable opportunity for South Carolina to elect a White American to Congress,” said Jim Dean, chair for Freedom for America, in a statement. Jonathan Roberts, co-chair of Heritage South Carolina, explained that his group also endorsed [White Person] over Scott because of the “need for more Caucasian-American and Southern Heritage oriented members of Congress."

Those are all news articles highlighting the importance of Pressley's race. "Jim Dean" is not Ayanna. I was asking you for a single shred of evidence that AYANNA or her official campaign apparatus engaged in any 'race-baiting.' As far as I can tell, Ayanna ran on a vague notion of fresh leadership / new generation / etc.

Also, even had the quotes you shared came from Ayanna: emphasizing that diversity in Congress = good and that representation matters, so there might be some upside to a POC representing a majority-minority district is not anywhere close to "race-baiting." The reversal you suggested DOESN'T WORK because Congress is mostly white, so to say we need more whites in Congress is racist.

Black people are very well represented in the house already. 53 members of the house are black. There are 435 people in the house. 11.7% of house members are black, almost exactly the same as the US population as a whole.

If we want to talk about underrepresentation, Women are the better group to point to.

Also, do we judge people solely on the basis of their race now? Tim Scott may be black and I white, or Marsha Blackburn a religious Christian and I a Jew, but that doesn't mean they can't represent me just fine and it's racist and bigoted to think otherwise, just as it is to say that Michael Capuano can't represent urban Boston, not on the basis of his ideas or views, but on the color of his skin. Or, to provide yet another example, remember when those Tarrant County Republicans tried to get that Muslim party official fired because of his religion? Was that ok, because he was brown and most Tarrant County Republicans are white, so they should only elect white people to lead them?

Good lord, nobody is saying any of those things - just that representation and diversity are important. And that even if that had been Ayanna's message - which it wasn't - that is not the same thing as "race-baiting."

[Meatball Ron]

Lean Moulton. Many here and elsewhere underestimate what a large segment of the MA Democratic Party is conservative (or at least Bidenesque) whites.

This does explain why Senator Stephen Lynch is a lock for re-election.