* Not sure really if this is news since we don’t even know if Sen. Warren will be in the race by next March…
Sen. Elizabeth Warren endorsed two House Democratic primary challengers Monday, backing two women taking on sitting lawmakers.
The Massachusetts Democrat is endorsing Marie Newman, who is taking on Rep. Dan Lipinski in Illinois’ 3rd District and immigration lawyer Jessica Cisneros, who is challenging Rep. Henry Cuellar in Texas’ 28th District, Justice Democrats announced in a news release. […]
“At a time when women’s reproductive rights are under attack daily from Republican lawmakers across America, Illinoisans deserve a leader with an unwavering commitment to fighting for women’s access to reproductive health care,” Warren said. “Marie Newman is that leader.”
* I was more interested in Lipinski’s response…
Lipinski, who fended off a Newman in a close primary race in 2018, opposes abortion rights and was the only Democrat in the Illinois congressional delegation to vote against President Obama’s signature health care law, because it required organizations to provide employees with contraception even if that clashed with a religious group’s beliefs.
“Warren has moved from independent fact-based thinking to ideological orthodoxy,” Lipinski said in response to the endorsement. “My opponent has always been an ideologue. She has never focused on how she might serve the people of IL3, but has only parroted the talking points of radicals who would take away everyone’s private health care, eliminate Medicare, and raise the taxes of hard working middle-class families by tens of thousands of dollars.”
Lipinski only won by 2.2 percentage points in 2018, and I kinda doubt that district has gotten more conservative. But we’ll see if Republicans cross over for him. That appears to be his goal here.
- 47th Ward - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 4:05 pm:
===That appears to be his goal here.===
That’s also why he’ll keep drawing primary challenges until he retires.
- Roman - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 4:12 pm:
It was interesting that he kept a relatively low profile after being present and the Garlic Fest mass shooting in Northern California this summer. That gave him a golden opportunity to speak out against gun violence and raise his profile with left-leaning primary voters, but he chose not to jump into the debate. Looks like he not only wants to draw pro-lifers to crossover into the Dem primary next year — he’s hoping for some NRA-types too.
- Grandson of Man - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 4:12 pm:
“parroted the talking points of radicals who would take away everyone’s private health care, eliminate Medicare”
Real radical and rare in the world, that universal health insurance. Rahmbo may have recently said something like this also, that “Medicare for All” would take away health insurance from 150,000,000 Americans (saw a video clip of him talking about biking around Lake Michigan and talking with locals).
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 4:16 pm:
How could someone who is against abortion be against the Affordable Care Act requiring birth control? Birth control is the best way to reduce abortions.
- Nick Name - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 4:34 pm:
===“My opponent…. has only parroted the talking points of radicals who would take away everyone’s private health care…===
You mean private health care plans with annual deductibles so high, people never meet the deductible and always pay out-of-pocket, despite paying hundreds per month in premiums?
===eliminate Medicare===
On her website, Newman supports Medicare for all. How does that square with “eliminate Medicare”? Show your work.
- Steve - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 4:39 pm:
- Nick Name -
It might shock you but many people get their health insurance at work … and like it.
- Anon III - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 4:45 pm:
Nick 4:34 pm: === annual deductibles so high, people never meet the deductible and always pay out-of-pocket, despite ===
High deductable means lowest premium. Private health insurance does not insure good heath, it is insurance against Bankruptcy.
- Powdered Whig - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 4:57 pm:
=== You mean private health care plans with annual deductibles so high, people never meet the deductible and always pay out-of-pocket, despite paying hundreds per month in premiums? ===
What he is saying is that Warren and Newman are talking about Medicare for all - which means that those with private insurance (and like their insurance coverage) would have to relinquish their private coverage because they will be mandated to have the same coverage as everyone else.
- DIstant watcher - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 5:11 pm:
@ Anon III: In a rational world, maybe, but a lot of health insurance policies are just terrible for everybody. https://armandalegshow.com/4-why-you-and-i-will-likely-pick-the-wrong-health-insurance-plan/
- DIstant watcher - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 5:13 pm:
@ Powdered Whig: It’s not true that Medicare for All means that everyone will “be mandated to have the same coverage.” Within Medicare, there are multiple coverage options. It remains to be seen what coverage options exactly supporters of Medicare for All mean to offer.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 6:05 pm:
It could be helpful for Lipinski with no GOP primary for president or the seat itself.
I guess Lipinski is hoping for one more run at this?
2.2% is far too close for a sitting Congress Critter.
The party has moved away from Lipinski-types?
Seems so
- DarkHorse - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 6:30 pm:
C’mon, Rich. It’s news, Warren will be the Dem nominee. Bet you a deep dish pizza.
- Blue Dogs are Blind, Deaf, and Dumb - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 6:47 pm:
Dan Lipinski and Rahm Emanuel are full of baloney to claim anyone in support of M4A is advocating for people to take away health insurance because they leave out the part of providing people Medicare which is health insurance.
@Steve - It might shock you that employers could pay employees better and compete better in the global economy if they did not have to pay for their employees’ heath insurance premiums.
@Nick - Half of all medical bankruptcies involve people WITH private health insurance.
- Last Bull Moose - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 6:47 pm:
The problem with Medicare for all or any approach that quickly pumps a lot of money into healthcare is that the number of doctors and nurses cannot expand quickly. When Medicare first started much of the additional cash was turned into higher Prut.
A smarter approach is to work to expand services through funding people to go into healthcare.
- Lake Effect - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 7:33 pm:
Lots of Arabs w Darwish in the 3rd district are bashing Warren on Facebook now. She is probably the favorite for the nomination but this doesn’t help her net votes in Illinois. Tactical error by Warren.
- Concerned Observer - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 8:05 pm:
I don’t have the answer here but…are we sure he didn’t win last time *because* Republicans crossed over?
The GOP candidate was a literal Nazi. I could certainly see GOPers pulling the Dem ballot just so they didn’t ‘have to’ vote for him. Maybe not. Just a theory.
- West Side the Best Side - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 9:35 pm:
The person Rep. Lipinski said never focused on serving the people of the 3d District is not Sen. Warren, but “my opponent.” That would be Ms. Newman.
- Telly - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 9:49 pm:
To the post:
This is a good number-crunching exercise for Scott Kennedy. As Willy points out, there’s really nothing happening on the GOP side of the primary, so I think Lipinski can get lots of conservative to pull Dem ballots, particularly right-to-lifers. The question is how many. I’m guessing he needs at least 10 or 15 thousand of them. The presidential primary will crank up turn-out way above 2016 levels and those voters will lean left, so Newman will get the lion’s share of them.
- Lincoln Lad - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 9:58 pm:
Lipinski is vulnerable, but not likely to Newman. Needed a better candidate to unseat him…
- Candy Dogood - Monday, Sep 9, 19 @ 11:46 pm:
===but many people get their health insurance at work … and like it.===
People like smoking and vaping. Liking something doesn’t mean it’s the best thing for you.
Referring to Senator Warren as a radical is an interesting sort of scorched earth approach to his own potential supporters.
- Stark - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 8:35 am:
If Lipinksi wants Republican votes so bad I can think of a great way to let those voters know he’s interested in garnering their support, a party switch.
- Southwest Sider - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 8:43 am:
I am in this district. Lipinski is very vulnerable and a mediocre candidate. But most of his vulnerability comes down to one issue: His pro-life stance. The district reflects a stronger preference for abortion rights. The party has moved left, but IL 3rd is slightly more conservative and blue collar. Marie Newman is even less of a fit than Lipinski.
- Telly - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 8:57 am:
@Southwest Sider has a point. It’s a moderate Democratic district and neither Lipinski or Newman is a moderate Democrat.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 9:22 am:
===It’s a vulnerable seat===
It’s NOT a vulnerable seat, it’s vulnerable to a primary, it’s not in play for a flip.
The last election Raunerites allowed a national socialist be the nominee.