Monday, September 28, 2009
Accountability Now Dude Appears on Liberadio: 'Cooper's Our No. 1 Target'
Posted by Jeff Woods on Mon, Sep 28, 2009 at 7:58 AM
"Jim Cooper's really the No. 1 target we have in the country right now," declared Ben Tribbett, the director of this PAC formed a few months ago by liberal blogs and labor unions to mess with the minds of conservative Democratic congressmen.
Tribbett pointed to a Daily Kos poll purporting to show Cooper's ignoring the wishes of his constituents on health care reform and is vulnerable to a reelection challenge from the left. He says Cooper's got real problems with organized labor and blacks.
All of which may be true, and we applaud Accountability Now for its democratic spunk. But this whole thing is laughable. These liberal dreamers will never find a serious Democrat who's crazy enough to challenge Cooper.
Tribbett is in Nashville to recruit someone, and he starts tap dancing when he's asked how that's going.
"The reception has been really fantastic right now," he says. "There's just so many people who are interested in a primary challenge. ... We're looking at strong potential candidates who can win."Pressed on this issue, he also said:
"I'm pretty confident there's serious challenger who's interested. There's actually a couple. What they're waiting for is more data to see what happens. We'll probably do additional polling that will go into more detail of exactly who is upset with Jim Cooper and why."
There's a reason no one's stepping forward to accept this little chore. It's because they all know it's foolish. They would lose, and that would kill whatever pathetic political career they might hope to enjoy.
Also see Aunt B ... Mark Brown ... Southern Beale ... Kleinheider ... Ilissa Gold.
Comments (14)
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One envisions the Lefty versions of Frank Costanza reading Daily Kos rants about Cooper and chanting:
Accountability Now!! Accountability Now!! Accountability Now!!
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Jeff, with all due respect, you don't know what the hell you're talking about.
You are trapped in the Conventional Wisdom bubble and don't know what Democratic activists - yes, those people who actually make the calls, knock the doors, and attend the fundraisers - think of Jim Cooper. They are the only ones that count in a low-turnout Democratic primary, not the big money donors and muckety-mucks at the City Club - those people can't (and don't) deliver votes.
Cooper can be beaten by someone who has name recognition and a well-funded grassroots campaign, and you seem to be basing your whole argument on some vague notion of "inevitability" instead of looking at the electorate and their mood towards Jim Cooper.
Should a legitimate challenger arise, Democrats will become even more annoyed with Cooper than they are now once they start getting mail and seeing commercials about what he has been doing to undermine the President, healthcare, and a progressive agenda.
If we do get a good primary opponent for Cooper, you will see a campaign against him like you've never seen in Tennessee before. Trust me on that one.
Jeff Woods, why are you such a shill for Jim Cooper? Is the Nashville Scene now all about Belle Meade Democrats?
Cooper isn't going to be easy to knock off, but it certainly isn't out of the question. Most incumbents, when they lose, lose in primaries. I'd only give coop a 65% chance at best, which is low for an incumbent.
What Spaz is saying is exactly what Lloyd Braun tells George always happens with Accountability Now!!
Which makes Spaz into Frank or Kramer. Works for me.
Accountability Now!! Accountability Now!! Accountability Now!! Love it.
Reality people! Regardless if one likes Jim Cooper or not, saying he only has a 65% chance is being overly optimistic. Cooper isn't likely to lose, regardless of how fired up the Netroots base is. The base that Nashville Democrats rely on is too diverse. And I agree with Woods. If he is to be beaten, who do you propose? I can see a guy like Bill Purcell possibly doing well, but he's not going to run against Cooper. So unless Al Gore announces his intention to run against Cooper, forget about it. And I'm saying all of this as a supporter of the public option.
I do agree that if Cooper ever loses, it will be in the primary. He's not losing to a Republican.
"a low turnout Democratic primary" next August ? Not likely. Spaz is forgetting the Governor's race, which not only will trigger large turnouts in both primaries but will soak up campaign contributions from those "grassroots" Democrats. Woods is right.
On the other hand, Jeff, why are you taking Tribbett seriously? I presume this is about trying to influence Cooper's votes on healthcare, not about actually finding someone to run against him.
You are trapped in the Conventional Wisdom bubble and don't know what Democratic activists - yes, those people who actually make the calls, knock the doors, and attend the fundraisers - think of Jim Cooper.
Would these be the same people who've helped Cooper retain his seat for the last umpteen cycles?
They are the only ones that count in a low-turnout Democratic primary, not the big money donors and muckety-mucks at the City Club - those people can't (and don't) deliver votes.
Um, are years in which there's a gubernatorial primary (such as, oh, 2010) typically low-turnout?
I'm not taking him seriously, Henry. But he is trying to find somebody to run against Cooper.
I think what Henry meant was that this campaign is more about trying to make Cooper more liberal on healthcare rather than actually beating him in a primary. Obviously, Tribbett needs to find a credible opponent to accomplish even that end, which I think would be worthwhile.
As usual spaz gives us the drooling moron view. In her bizzaro world the very people that have elected Jim Cooper to Congress don't count and the burned out moonbeams that supported Chris Lugo actually win elections. What a dipstick.
Is it just me, or have there suddenly been more pro-Cooper posts in the Scene? Seems like Cooper is a little scared actually, or else his minions and shills wouldn't be out here writing comments on how he can never win.
There are a number of possible candidates. There are young metro council members who are savvy. TV personalities who show up on Bob Mueller and Channel 50+ could run. A winning coalition of black voters + east side liberals of all racial backgrounds could give Cooper a run for his money with the right candidate. Many Republicans in Nashville often vote in the Dem. primary as the competition on the GOP side is meaningless in Nashville, but in 2010 they'll be voting in the GOP primary for gov. It will mean a more liberal electorate than normal in the Dem. primary.
Seems like Cooper is protesting too much? And it isn't just the netroots that is mad. It is the Nashroots that is unhappy with his leadership. His district isn't the same as it was 10 years ago. It is much more diverse and more liberal than in the past.
I am no minion of Cooper but I have the God-given common sense to know that Don and Spaz are truly delusional if they think anyone with or without name recognition will primary Cooper and be anything but a 2010 footnote on the state election website. Cooper will outraise, outwork and outsmart you at every turn. We like him and intend to keep him. His constituent services are great and while I don't agree with him sometimes, I always think he has looked at an issue from all sides thoughtfully and carefully before making a decision that does not involve his own self-interest. Thanks for reminding to reach out and see if he needs some help now organizing for 2010.
It took Cooper's office 3 weeks to get back to me on a basic question about health care. 5th district Dem. activist, what part of town do you live in? I have a hunch he helps out certain sides of town (west end) more than others. I don't live there.
And Cooper isn't always thoughtful. On health care, he has not been thoughtful.
He is a perfectly fine person, but a poor member of Congress.
It is pretty obvious that Cooper's staff and minions, and maybe even Cooper himself are getting nervous about disrest and unhappiness with him in the district. The uptick in pro-Cooper posts in the Scene and on other blogs is laughable. I certainly hope my tax dollars aren't being used so his staffers can post on the Scene's comments section.
