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The 2006 Challenge
Until 2006, Wynn had enjoyed seven terms in office with no serious challenge to his unbridled drinking at the trough of corporate donors and lobbyists and voting consistent with big business and frequently in step with the GOP agenda without accountability. In 2006, with no campaign manager, limited financing and a late entry in to the race, Donna Edwards gave Wynn the political scare of his life. Losing narrowly by a few percentage points, Edwards came within 2,725 votes of unseating the incumbent.
A Candidate Who Comes from the Grassroots
Edwards comes from the progressive grassroots community. Raised in a military family with five siblings, she put herself through law school and thereafter devoted herself to using law in the public interest, spurred by her community activism and quest for social justice. As co-founder and first executive director for the National Network to End Domestic Violence, Edwards worked to pass the Violence against Women Act of 1994, which funds shelter and services for victims of domestic violence and their children - a target for the Bush Administration's social-spending machete.
Working with Public Citizen and then as the executive director for the Center for a New Democracy, Edwards has fought for lobbying reform and for clean elections. As the executive director of the Arca Foundation since 2000, Edwards has administered grants to grassroots organizations to support campaigns to guarantee "living wage" for all workers, the independence of the federal judiciary, a ban on the death penalty, protection of Social Security, and the protection of workers rights and human rights globally. In the area of health-care advocacy, she created a successful national effort to force pharmaceutical companies to open markets for generic anti-arthritic medications, and in 2003, in her own community, she started a grassroots campaign against a multi-billion dollar development plan in order to improve the quality of life in existing neighborhoods, to protect the natural environment, and to bring quality services and jobs to the area.
Since the close race in 2006, Wynn has affected a “born again” progressive persona in the 110th Congress. Having supported the war before the election, he now opposes it and has joined the “Out of Iraq” Caucus. Previously pushing forward legislation to benefit pharmaceutical companies and to create health-care plans which ultimately benefit insurance companies, not patients, Wynn signed on to Rep. John Conyers' HR 676 for an expanded and improved Medicare for All alternative. Edwards' responds to this shift:
"For too long, we've had Democrats who go along with Republicans, who are now saying, 'well, maybe my judgment wasn't so good'…. Maryland's Fourth District deserves a congresswoman with the judgment to get it right the first time." Now that Wynn has tested the waters of the 110th Congress and found a temperature which sustains more progressive positions, he now boasts about supporting legislation to effectively undo the legislative policy he had supported in the previous Congress. On issues of economic, consumer justice, net neutrality and privatization of the Internet, and the environment, it's clear that his allegiances have not shifted. We just need to follow the money….
Just Follow the Money
Reports of Wynn's stream of campaign money reveal that he has received contributions from right-wing donors including Walmart, AT&T, the US Chamber of Commerce, Sallie Mae, the Nuclear Energy Institute, the National Restaurant Association, First Edison, Bellsouth, Raytheon, Northrup Grumman, Bechtel, and NFIB, as well as a host of conservative Democratic insiders. Though he is keeping a public profile as a new co-sponsor of HR 676, Rep. John Conyers' bill for national non-profit, privately provided, publicly funded health care, Wynn has taken a significant contribution from Billy Tauzin, the former Republican Congressman featured in Michael Moore's SiCKO, who introduced the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit bill and then accepted a two-million-dollar job lobbying for big Pharma.
Then there are the pro-corporate positions Wynn continues to defend even in this cycle. Since 2001, according to the Congressional Budget Office own report, the Bush tax cuts have shifted federal taxes from the wealthiest Americans to middle class families. Yet Wynn still defends his vote to permanently repeal the estate tax, which has benefited the wealthiest Americans at a cost to the government of billions of dollars. And Wynn continues to defend his support of the 2005 Bankruptcy Bill, which has had devastating repercussions for district homeowners. While facilitating the ability of corporations and lenders to declare bankruptcy (thereby avoiding back pay and owed benefits to workers ) and to restructure their own loans, the bankruptcy law makes declaring bankruptcy more difficult for consumers and debt renegotiation in bankruptcy court virtually impossible for beleaguered homeowners.. This law has already taken a dramatic toll on district homeowners, with Maryland's foreclosure ranking jumping from 40t
h in the nation last year to 18th this past June, and the Fourth District's Prince George's County now has the highest percentage of homes in foreclosure in the state.
In contrast, Donna Edwards has received the endorsement of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Maryland State Council, 1199 SEIU Health Care Workers East, SEIU Locals 500 and 32BJ, as well as the 40,000-member United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 400, based on her commitment “to protect working families with federal assistance to enable homeowners to secure affordable loans with fair terms against such nefarious legislation” and to fight for real universal health care.
On environmental issues, while Wynn effuses concern for global warming, he has been a recipient of oil and gas industry support and in turn has voted to give billions in tax breaks to those industries. Wynn has also voted to increase exceptions to the Clean Air Act for big polluters. In contrast, Edwards has pledged to take the $20 billion in tax breaks which have been given to oil and gas companies with Wynn's acquiescence and invest that money in developing alternative source of energy. In addition, Wynn has close ties to the nuclear energy lobby.
Donna Edwards recently received endorsement from the Sierra Club, whose Maryland chapter awarded her, in October, its 2007 Conservationist of the Year Award for her years advocating on transportation and land-use issues in southern Prince Georges County. The League of Conservation Voters has also endorsed Edwards, having given Wynn a 77% rating for his voting record in 2006 (although Wynn fallaciously announced he had a much higher rating). Edwards also received the Capital Region Visionary award from the Coalition for Smarter Growth, for her work to promote mass transit, preserve open spaces, protect endangered and threatened species and habitats, and improve air and water quality in Prince George's County's Oxenhill community
Edwards Champions Net Neutrality
Having received significant contributions from the telecommunications industry, which opposes a free internet and net neutrality, Wynn supported a bill which would create a telecommunications toll road for consumers to access the internet. Edwards supports legislation which guarantees Internet freedom known as network neutrality to ensure equal access for all to the Internet as a forum for public information. Edwards states that “websites, such as those from local businesses and non-profits, should not have to pay a tax to large cable or phone companies in order to ensure they receive reasonable service. There shouldn't be toll lanes for online communications that would impose additional charges for different levels of access.”
Donna Edwards is a vibrant and empathetic communicator, and her message of commitment to bringing the Progressive Agenda to Congress distinguishes her candidacy and resonates with PDA MD04 members.
“When my son was young, I was told that he wouldn't achieve. I didn't accept 'no' from the system, and today he is a successful sophomore at Drew University. As your member of Congress, I won't accept 'no' when it comes to getting our troops safely out of Iraq, providing universal health care for all, or improving our public education."
Donna is endorsed by the following other organizations:
Emily's List, Progressive Neighbors, Clean Water Action, SEIU, UFW Local 400, Progressive Maryland, League of Conservation Voters, National Organization for Women (NOW), Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now! (ACORN) PAC, Friends of the Earth Action PAC and Democracy for America, Democracy for Montgomery County, Progressive Cheverly Women's Campaign Forum and ColorofChange.org.
Review Donna's reponses to the PDA endorsement questionnaire.
Read this article on The Nation about why Donna should become the next member of Congress from Maryland's 4th congressional district.