Progressives Question Progressive Caucus
Jane Hamsher, founder of FireDogLake.com, has called upon Woolsey to resign as co-chair of the Progressive Caucus. Hamsher’s protest against Woolsey follows Lynn Woolsey’s endorsement of health care reform without any public option. The Progressive Caucus had pledged its support for a public option for health care.
Grassroots discomfort with the Progressive Caucus has been building for quite some time, as some members of the caucus have built up a rather unprogressive voting record in the 111th Congress.
IrregularTimes.com, for example, expressed strong concern when Progressive Caucus members joined an effort to sneak through a reform-free extension of the Patriot Act at the end of February. There were 24 members of the Progressive Caucus who voted to block efforts at reform of the Patriot Act. Seeing these U.S. Representatives defending such an anti-progressive legislative maneuver, it’s easy to wonder why they’re members of the Progressive Caucus, or what it means for the Progressive Caucus to exist at all.
The fact that even the Progressive Caucus is failing to meet the expectations of the progressive base that the Democratic Party depends upon suggests that the Democratic control of the House and Senate are likely to be in serious jeopardy this November.
