This is What We Mean By Better Democrats

Tough primary race in Maryland's 4th today:

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - One of the most watched races in Maryland outside the presidential primary is in the Fourth Congressional District, where Democratic U.S. Rep. Albert Wynn is trying to fend off another challenge from Donna Edwards.

After losing by just 3 percentage points in 2006, Edwards is back, hoping to achieve the rare feat of unseating an incumbent in a primary election. The eight-term incumbent defeated Edwards by a little more than 2,000 votes out of more than 82,000 voters, News4's Tracee Wilkins reported.

If Wynn loses, he would be the first incumbent to fall this primary season, though only one other state, Illinois, has included congressional races with its presidential primary elections so far.

We need to see more of these "Democrats" like Wynn either driven from the party or forced to reform their ways. I've seen video of his "supporters" assaulting people and this constitutes the best case against Wynn, as told by the Baltimore Sun:

To put it bluntly, Mr. Wynn, an eight-term congressman, is an embarrassment to his Prince George's County-based district, the state and the Democratic Party. And his past - his machine-style bossism, dirty politics and political bullying - is catching up with him.

In 2006, he sent out a flier implying he had won endorsements from some unions that hadn't endorsed him.

That same year, two of his supporters physically harassed one of Ms. Edwards' campaign volunteers.

This cycle, he filmed a political ad fashioned to look like a news reporter had caught him randomly on the street for an interview, when in fact the ad was staged by his campaign.

And then last week, Mr. Wynn, who is a lawyer, filed a completely bogus Federal Election Commission complaint that charges Ms. Edwards with violating election law. As The Sun has reported, the complaint is so slapdash that it doesn't even bother to cite specific election law provisions.

All of these electoral shenanigans are designed to mask Mr. Wynn's real problem: his voting record, which reflects contempt for voters in his district and the opinions of many Marylanders.

He voted in October 2002 for President Bush's Iraq war resolution. In 2004, Mr. Wynn voted for Vice President Dick Cheney's energy proposal, even though every other member of Maryland's House delegation, including both Republicans, voted nay.

He has accepted more than $200,000 in campaign contributions from banks and lending institutions, and, not surprisingly, voted in 2005 for a Bush administration-backed bankruptcy "reform" bill with punitive provisions for working-class borrowers.

So, yes. The rallying cry is always "better Democrats, please." Nobody around here is blind, you know.

UPDATE I - PALE RIDER

Unbelievable--good government seems to be making a comeback:

U.S. House - District 4 - Dem Primary
Maryland - 68 of 173 Precincts Reporting - 39%
Name Party Votes Vote %
Edwards , Donna Dem 19,810 59%
Wynn , Al (i) Dem 12,161 36%

Let's hope this holds...Wynn's defeat would be huge for Congressional politics.

UPDATE II - PALE RIDER

Victory for the progressive movement--Wynn goes down in flaming defeat. Hoyer and Pelosi get a wake-up call.