Legal Commentary

Jim Cooper And His Local Bloggers

By Big Tent Democrat

I found this exchange from Nashville bloggers defending Blue Dog Jim Cooper quite funny:

It’s really amazing how much effort national progressives are putting into going after Jim Cooper. . . . A political operative, the city’s feminist conscience in the blogosphere and a former Music City Democrat have all picked a side — against the national interlopers. Is Coop the most progressive congressman Nashville could produce? Certainly not. But is that enough a reason to turn him out?

If you are a progressive it is. But what is funny to me is the language - "outside interlopers?" (And this blog really seems clueless. Lost Cause anyone?) You would think someone in the South would have a little more tact with their language (think "outside agitators" during the 60s.) In any event, the "city's feminist conscience" (though note the walkback here) seems not to exactly have her finger on the pulse of Cooper's district:

So, the national folks can just decide they don’t like how things are going here and swoop in and pretend to be voicing the will of some silent majority of Nashville voters who don’t think Cooper is liberal enough?

(Emphasis supplied.) Funny how this local blogger has no idea that Cooper's district was polled and it turns out the Music City's feminist conscience does not speak for Cooper's constituents:

Research 2000 poll of the Tennessee 5th Congressional District for Daily Kos. 8/17-19. Likely voters. MoE 4% (no trend lines)

Favorable Unfavorable

Jim Cooper 47 41
Barack Obama 66 25
Phil Bredesen 58 29

This is a Democratic district. Obama won it easily 56-43. Even John Kerry won it in 2004. Yet Blue Dog kingpin Jim Cooper thinks being a pain in Obama's ass is smart politics.

The funny part about the complaining about "interlopers" is these people have self appointed themselves the voice of Jim Cooper's district. We saw a lot of this during the Lieberman run in 2006. Here's the thing (always been the thing for me), let the people decide.

If Cooper is as popular as these "local experts" think, then he'll win without breaking a sweat. If he isn't, then maybe he is doing something wrong. What are these "local experts" afraid of?

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on September 28, 2009 (boomark / email).