Senate Democrats attempted to reassure riled up progressive pundits today that conservaDems might indeed pay a price next January when the caucus decides who will – and won’t – keep their leadership positions.
TPMDC and other news outlets are in attendance at the Progressive Media Summit on Capitol Hill, hosted by the Senate Democrats. Some here, including John Aravosis and MSNBC’s Ed Schultz, are treating it as a forum to tell the Senators what they are doing wrong.
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) told the group he understands frustration that some Democrats “don’t have the backbone we wish they had.” After the Democrats were asked why the leadership doesn’t strip Sen. Blanche Lincoln of her Agriculture Committee chairmanship, Brown chimed in and said that might be coming next year.
An attendee stood up in the back of the room and said there should be consequences for Democrats who don’t support the caucus on procedural measures.
“That’s so unfair,” Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) complained from the podium. Brown piped up: “There’s next year.”
Brown, one of the most progressive members of the Senate, told the crowd that when the Senate reorganizes in January after the midterm elections, the caucus will need to elect committee chairs.
“I’m not predicting who or any will be defeated but they are certainly going to get a message. That’s one of the things we’ve talked to Harry Reid about,” Brown said, not mentioning Lincoln (D-AR).
Brown said the caucus would go through each chairman and ask for a yes or no on keeping the leadership post, using as an example, should Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) retain his chairmanship of Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
“Yes, for him of course. For some others it may not be,” Brown said. “We all understand the frustration because we all have it.”
Schultz complained that Democratic leadership avoids the Sunday shows while the Republicans dominate. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said that Democrats forget “Rush Limbaugh was campaigning 365 days a year.”
Stabenow complained that some members don’t go on television because they “feel like they are going to get beat up.”
“Many people in our caucus feel like they are beat up on both sides,” she said. “That doesn’t help us.”
Late Update: Brown spokeswoman Meghan Dubyak issues a clarifying statement: “Senator Brown has been a supporter of caucus election of committee chairs and has made that point on numerous occasions. He did not make this point to imply that any Senator, including Senator Lincoln, should be stripped of his or her leadership role, as his quoted words make clear.”
Ed. note: This post has been edited from the original.
