Time to support a good Democrat who's running against a bad Democrat

Good Dem: Ciro Rodriguez
Bad Dem: Henry Cuellar

Former Democratic congressman Ciro Rodriguez lost his seat when Delay redistricted Texas. He lost to Democrat-in-name-only Henry Cuellar, a man rumored to be getting ready to switch his party affiliation to Republican. When Cuellar came to DC, the Dems didn't trust him, and even the uber-conservative Blue Dog Democrats (and we loathe them) wouldn't touch the guy because they thought he was a secret Republican. That's how bad this guy is.

How does the local paper describe Cuellar?

"a man who calls himself pro-gun, pro-free trade, anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage"

Well, this year, Ciro Rodriguez wants his seat back, and the Netroots wants to help him. Markos at DailyKos has been leading the charge, asking folks to donate to Ciro's campaign, and I'm happy to give any help I can, and urge you to do the same. The primary is in March, and there is no Republican challenger at this point, so whoever wins the primary will get the seat.

A few facts:

Which Democratic member of Congress chose to sit on the Republican side during the State of the Union and got this cute (read: gross) little face rub from George Bush the other night?



ANSWER: Sell-out Henry Cuellar (D-TX 28)!!! (The Bush photo, and Markos' efforts, are already creating a buzz.)

From the Dallas Morning News:

For the speech Tuesday, Mr. Cuellar positioned himself along the president's route and grabbed a seat on the Republican side of the aisle. Custom dictates that the Democrats stay to the speaker's right and Republicans to the left, making it easier to gauge party-line splits on applause lines.

"Doesn't really matter," the congressman said. "It's the U.S. Congress side. I didn't see any sign that says Democratic or Republican."

Then there's Ciro Rodriguez:

- Voted against a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
- Voted against legislation prohibiting courts from reviewing provisions of the DOMA (HR 3313), i.e., he voted against an amendment that was meant to help keep DOMA alive.
- Voted against banning adoptions by gay parents in DC.
- Voted against ending preferential treatment by race in college admissions.
- Voted for funding and stricter sentencing for hate crimes (including those based on sexual orientation)
- Sponsored a constitutional amendment for equal rights by gender.
- Rated 79% by the ACLU, indicating a pro-civil rights voting record.

Markos is asking folks help contribute to Ciro's campaign via this link. Markos is right, this Ciro Rodriguez is a good man, and certainly better than some Joe Lieberman clone - hell, Cuellar sounds more like a Rick Santorum clone. Why do we need another Dem who is not only going to vote against us, but is probably going to switch parties anyway?