Vulnerable Dems look to Bean

What Jim does not mention is that Melissa Bean is one of the most detested Dems in Congress. She has zero Netroots support. A quick check on OpenSecrets shows just how much she depends on PAC money. Her voting record shows that she votes with Bush more than her Party. She has an active candidate running against her in the Primary.

The only reason she won last November was that the Repubs. ran a complete wingnut against her.

So, lest any Democratic Rep. or candidate read this 'concern troll' piece and think about following Bean's example, rest assured you will be the recipient of a Primary challenge.

Bean won with 50 percent of the vote. While the Republican was not a "wingnut," he was not the best candidate either. I look forward to her defeat in 2008, when her run as an accidental congresswoman comes to an end. Phil Crane should have retired by 2004. If he had the district would still be Republican.

I do expect to read a lot more about Democrat Bean in the DNC's local PR firms: the Trib and the Swamp.

Ron Klein's quote is telling: "She works very hard. She really dogs issues, prepares herself well, understands how her district thinks about it and then makes a good judgment." Sounds like a recipe for Good Representative In Congress.

Good grief...she is for all practical purposes a Republican but with unsurprisingly robotic response, John D and Bruce bash her because she has a (D) after her name? What IS really important to you two? I sure can't seem to figure it out.

Let me clarify: Bean is a 'Bush Dog Democrat'.

It is not a compliment. Google it.

Ahhh, I love it when the Loony Left attack Democrats. Anyone to the right of Far Loony Left is bad.

Melissa Bean is OK, she is perhaps acceptable as a Democrat, but more liberal on some issues than I like. I would just rather have a true blue Republican instead.

Bean's voting record is terrible. Her opponent will have my vote if there is a challenger in the primary.

If the Democrats want to keep their majority, it probably wouldn't be wise to begin running more Ned Lamont-like campaigns against Democrats now holding seats, and that goes double for Democrats in districts that have traditionally leaned GOP. You might succeed in knocking out the "Bush Dogs" in the primary, but you will lose the general election. I know the mood of the electorate doesn't favor Republicans right now, but to wipe out Democrat incumbents because they're not lockstep with the Netroots seems like a sure ticket to having the seat go to a "Repug."

The reason the dems took Congress wasn't because of running folks that the Daily Kooks like, but it was to find moderate dems, with military backgrounds preferably, and run them against in moderate districts.

My hat is off to Rahm and Chucky for their political savvy in this. They pulled it off in '06.

It's all these Daily Kooks that think they now have control of the party. I just hope the kooks keep talking and keep talking louder - America will run back to the Republicans if they show the first sign of cleaning up their corruption and spending habits.

Melissa Bean is 100% pro-environment, 100% pro-choice, and voted for a phased withdrawal from Iraq (the bill that passed but was vetoed by Bush). Oh, yeah, and she voted for Nancy Pelosi for Speaker! So don't tell me she's a Republican in disguise. She's not as liberal as I am, but neither is the district. Do you really think a liberal could win a district that was represented by Phil Crane for 30 years? As the article shows, this is the only way Democrats can win (and keep) swing districts. We owe a debt to Melissa Bean and other moderates; they're the reason Democrats took the House and Senate last year.

I've looked at Bean's profile on opensecrets.com and most of her money came from individual donors, not PAC's.

I am so sick of these green party losers posing as Democrats. You can't change anything if you can't win elections, and you can't win elections if you only nominate Cindy Sheehan's and only talk about the stinkin' war.

Chris Shays should have been defeated this last cycle, but he wasn't cuz his opponent linked every single issue to the Iraq War. Just support getting out within a year like most people do, quit screaming about impeachment (he's gone in a year and has been the best thing for getting people to consider voting Democrat again), and vote for a moderate so we can shift the country to the left like Reagen shifted it to the right.