Markos Moulitsas the influential founder of the lefty website DailyKos used to love Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester. Starting back in December 2004 when Moulitsas first praised Tester then a farmer-turned-state-legislator as a Democrat who naturally speaks the language of rural America the DailyKos has portrayed Tester as the cutting edge of a movement by which once deep-red western states would become swing states and then perhaps permanently blue.
In June 2006 Moulitsas was rhapsodic when Tester won the Democratic primary to challenge then-Sen. Conrad Burns. What a great night Moulitsas wrote. Not only did the best Democrat win but so did Conrad Burns worst nightmare. Say hello to the next Senator from the great state of Montana. Electing Tester and other favored progressives would create a whole new ballgame in Washington DC Moulitsas added. Lets do everything we can to make it happen.
Moulitsas certainly did his part promoting the Tester campaign -- This is the future face of the Democratic Party he swooned -- and contributing $1500 to Tester in October 2006. When Tester defeated Burns part of a Democratic wave that took over the Senate and House that year Moulitsas was ecstatic.
Now thats all a bitter memory. On Capitol Hill Democrats have been using the lame-duck session to try to ram through some key unfinished parts of their agenda. Among them is the DREAM Act immigration bill a favorite of Moulitsas. On Friday Jon Tester once the darling of DailyKos announced that he would vote against it.
Moulitsas reaction was swift and furious. Jon Tester to vote against DREAM Moulitsas tweeted Friday night. Good luck getting re-elected a--hole. Moulitsas began re-tweeting negative comments about Tester -- one said Sen. Testers active misrepresentation of DREAM act isnt just burning his bridges its going at them with a blowtorch. And then Moulitsas added his own final remark: Anyone who votes to punish innocent kids is a de facto a--hole.
On Saturday morning Tester did indeed oppose the DREAM Act and it went down in a procedural vote in the Senate. Of course a single vote isnt the only cause of the breach; just a couple of days before Tester voted to extend all the Bush tax cuts. But theres no doubt the love affair is over. When Tester runs for re-election in 2012 hell have to do it without some of his most passionate supporters from 2006.
UPDATE: After Saturdays vote Moulitsas published an angry statement on Tester vowing that the DREAM issue will be political death for the man he once supported:
There are Democrats I expect to be a--holes. I never thought Jon Tester would be among them.
Anybody who votes to punish innocent kids is an a--hole. Plain and simple. And while I expect it from Democrats like Ben Nelson and C-Street denizen Mark Pryor I honestly thought Jon Tester was different. I was wrong. I am now embarrassed that I worked so hard to help get him elected in 2006. I feel personally betrayed.
Not only will I do absolutely nothing to help his reelection bid but I will take every opportunity I get to remind people that he is so morally bankrupt that hell try to score political points off the backs of innocent kids who want to go to college or serve their country in the military.
To me he is the Blanche Lincoln of 2012 -- the Democrat I will most be happy to see go down in defeat. And he will. Nothing guarantees a Republican victory more than trying to pretend to be one of them.
Markos Moulitsas the influential founder of the lefty website DailyKos used to love Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester. Starting back in December 2004 when Moulitsas first praised Tester then a farmer-turned-state-legislator as a Democrat who naturally speaks the language of rural America the DailyKos has portrayed Tester as the cutting edge of a movement by which once deep-red western states would become swing states and then perhaps permanently blue.
In June 2006 Moulitsas was rhapsodic when Tester won the Democratic primary to challenge then-Sen. Conrad Burns. What a great night Moulitsas wrote. Not only did the best Democrat win but so did Conrad Burns worst nightmare. Say hello to the next Senator from the great state of Montana. Electing Tester and other favored progressives would create a whole new ballgame in Washington DC Moulitsas added. Lets do everything we can to make it happen.
Moulitsas certainly did his part promoting the Tester campaign -- This is the future face of the Democratic Party he swooned -- and contributing $1500 to Tester in October 2006. When Tester defeated Burns part of a Democratic wave that took over the Senate and House that year Moulitsas was ecstatic.
Now thats all a bitter memory. On Capitol Hill Democrats have been using the lame-duck session to try to ram through some key unfinished parts of their agenda. Among them is the DREAM Act immigration bill a favorite of Moulitsas. On Friday Jon Tester once the darling of DailyKos announced that he would vote against it.
Moulitsas reaction was swift and furious. Jon Tester to vote against DREAM Moulitsas tweeted Friday night. Good luck getting re-elected a--hole. Moulitsas began re-tweeting negative comments about Tester -- one said Sen. Testers active misrepresentation of DREAM act isnt just burning his bridges its going at them with a blowtorch. And then Moulitsas added his own final remark: Anyone who votes to punish innocent kids is a de facto a--hole.
On Saturday morning Tester did indeed oppose the DREAM Act and it went down in a procedural vote in the Senate. Of course a single vote isnt the only cause of the breach; just a couple of days before Tester voted to extend all the Bush tax cuts. But theres no doubt the love affair is over. When Tester runs for re-election in 2012 hell have to do it without some of his most passionate supporters from 2006.
UPDATE: After Saturdays vote Moulitsas published an angry statement on Tester vowing that the DREAM issue will be political death for the man he once supported:
There are Democrats I expect to be a--holes. I never thought Jon Tester would be among them.
Anybody who votes to punish innocent kids is an a--hole. Plain and simple. And while I expect it from Democrats like Ben Nelson and C-Street denizen Mark Pryor I honestly thought Jon Tester was different. I was wrong. I am now embarrassed that I worked so hard to help get him elected in 2006. I feel personally betrayed.
Not only will I do absolutely nothing to help his reelection bid but I will take every opportunity I get to remind people that he is so morally bankrupt that hell try to score political points off the backs of innocent kids who want to go to college or serve their country in the military.
To me he is the Blanche Lincoln of 2012 -- the Democrat I will most be happy to see go down in defeat. And he will. Nothing guarantees a Republican victory more than trying to pretend to be one of them.
