The Blackroots' Edwards Victory

Donna Edwards' victory over Congressman Al Wynn in this week's Maryland primary is not only a triumph for progressives and prominent bloggers. It is also the most successful web-powered challenge to the Congressional Black Caucus in the history of the "Blackroots," a less hyped but increasingly effective network of bloggers, activists and groups that are using online and traditional activism to advance a new type of open, transparent and progressive politics.

One of the largest Blackroots organizations is ColorofChange, led by James Rucker, a 36-year-old former MoveOn official who helped stymie the proposed Fox News Democratic Presidential Debate last year. His group does not typically issue endorsements, favoring a focus on activism campaigns, but it made the first endorsement in its history to back Edwards. "We believe she embodies the accountability that citizens should come to expect from their elected representative," explained ColorofChange's Mervyn Marcano, who touted her positions on mortgage oversight, education and healthcare. "CBC incumbents should take notice of a Black electorate that is increasingly diverse and engaged. They no longer have a free pass. It's a new day for Black leadership in Washington and we're proud to have supported Donna throughout her campaign," he told The Nation.

Across the country, over 7,000 netroots activists donated $400,000 to Edwards via ActBlue, spurred by a diverse range of blogs, while labor, environmental and women's groups spent nearly $1 million backing her candidacy. Wynn tried to make the national support a campaign issue, blasting a "vast left wing conspiracy," a complaint that Edwards and bloggers' used to raise even more money and interest in her campaign. As an incumbent, Wynn was backed by the CBC and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who held a late fundraiser to boost his campaign.

Professor and blogger Spencer Overton analyzed the rise of the Blackroots in a prescient post last May:

While the "grassroots" are romanticized, in the past couple of decades Black politics has been hierarchical and limited by orthodoxy that constrains debate. An MLK/Malcolm model has defined the leadership styles and political philosophy of Black elected officials, non-elected figures like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, organizations like the NAACP, and neo-Black Nationalist commentators and figures. Those not with the program essentially had the option of becoming Black Republicans. Older Black folks often complain about complacent black youth who don't vote, march, or otherwise live up to their model. Black blogs offer not only an opportunity to break from old orthodoxy, but to do so in a way that is flatter, and allows for more engagement through comments from readers (which are often more provocative than the posts)....

He cited the successful Fox News campaign as a "significant development" that fit into a larger effort to advance wired collaboration and force "transparency [to] hold Black elected officials more accountable." During the Fox fight in April, Afro-Netizen blogger Chris Rabb questioned how the CBC could cut deals and take contributions from Fox while neglecting its own constituency:

Do these [CBC] folks know what the "netroots" is? Do they think it's just made up of by young, white college-educated geeks far removed from their own congressional districts? Do they know that the vast majority of Black voters who elected them are accounted for in the much larger population of African Americans who regularly access the Internet, approximately 20 million strong? Will they come to understand that the Black netroots community is presently a slumbering giant who, it seems, only the likes of a Fox News Channel can begin to awaken?

Need we remind any indifferent CBC member that incumbency is a privilege, not a right, as the November elections should have made quite clear to all -- but especially to the arrogant, out-of-step and complacent? (emphasis added)

The voters just gave the CBC that reminder.

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Notes: For more discussion on how the netroots are changing progressive politics, come to Left Out in The Open, a March 5 panel in New York City sponsored by The Nation.

Katrina vanden Heuvel on why Donna Edwards is a New Kind of Democrat.

Photos: OpenLeft blogger Matt Stoller with Edwards Campaign Manager Adrienne Christian and the volunteer director. Credit: Matt Stoller.

Comments (11)

1. Sorry, Mr Melber, don't QUITE give this one to the "netroots" or "blackroots" or "The Internet is the new powerhouse, dude" Theory.....

   Wynn was a stodgy, ol' "Senator Claghorn" style politician of the 60s and 70s "urban leader" mold. He'd never faced any serious primary competition and running against him as a Republican was a suicide mission for any Maryland white bread Country Clubber.

   All it took was a little organizing (OFF the 'Net, in the streets, as well as on), a "perfect storm" of politics, and an attractive young ("Obama"ish could we say) candidate to knock him off.

   Seriously think you give all this "netroots" "high tech" stuff a bit too much credit...like ol' Air Force guys who thought you could win a war from the air, and learned that you actually have to have "boots on the ground".

   Posted by Mask at 02/14/2008 @ 1:14pm

2. Well, it does depend on how one wants to win in the air I would think. Lets not ever forget Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Apart from that, I'm sure the political win was a coordinated effort 'on the ground' as well as in the sky, so to speak... For example I've read that Barack has put most of his campaign (from the sky) money to 'on the ground' organization and it's paying off very well as all can see.

   Posted by hsuBfools at 02/14/2008 @ 1:31pm

3. Posted by HSUBFOOLS 02/14/2008 @ 1:31pm

   Agree. Everything I've read says that his "ground game" will be the model for every Presidential run to follow. Sure, the Internet has its part (I think Mr Melber a bit to techno-philic), but he (Obama) set up offices in Idaho A YEAR AGO.

   That's IDAHO, Larry Craig, never voted for a Dem in decades Idaho...and what happened? Obama won it easily, even among the Blue Dogs in Boise (who you'd think would tend to Her Nibs).

   Posted by Mask at 02/14/2008 @ 1:55pm

4. Need we remind any indifferent CBC member that incumbency is a privilege, not a right, as the November elections should have made quite clear to all -- but especially to the arrogant, out-of-step and complacent?

   The CBC and all so-called black leaders are having their power diminished by direct grassroots appeal to black voters. This includes "boots on the ground" AND Netroots.

   Hillary, in particular, has failed to appreciate this dynamic, and she thinks all she needs to do to get the black vote is pay off some CBC member, reverend or other black leader. There were reports that she paid as much as $1,000,000 per reverend in South Carolina, which was a terrible return on her investment if you look at the results.

   Hillary's "black problem" is not Barack's skin color, it is Barack's ability to connect directly with the black voter and her inability to do the same.

   Posted by Metteyya at 02/14/2008 @ 3:06pm

5. Leftwing extremists politics are becoming the most hilarious examples of extreme HYPOCRISY witnessed this new century!

   The RICH secular regressives who must surely hate themselves for being rich (unless they are liars also) are pouring millions into not just a national presidential race, ...

   Posted by RIO BRAVO 02/14/2008 @ 3:37pm

   OR perhaps they ARE telling the truth and HAVE scruples, morals, ethics, respect for the law, and KNOW what is the correct thing to do-- apart from being rewarded for hard work-- reward good intentions and hard work in kind.

   New cons always think it's everyone else that is as secretly guilty as they are, and can only have bad intent, for some bizarre reason...

   Posted by hsuBfools at 02/14/2008 @ 3:54pm

6. Posted by RIO BRAVO 02/14/2008 @ 3:37pm

   You know that all sounds very nightmarish and dystopian (look it up).

   What if it doesn't happen?

   Posted by Mask at 02/14/2008 @ 3:57pm

7. BTW, guys...

   finally found that video of RIO BRAVO! [youtube.com]

   Posted by Mask at 02/14/2008 @ 4:00pm

8. Wynn was a stodgy, ol' "Senator Claghorn" style politician of the 60s and 70s "urban leader" mold. He'd never faced any serious primary competition and running against him as a Republican was a suicide mission for any Maryland white bread Country Clubber.

   All it took was a little organizing (OFF the 'Net, in the streets, as well as on), a "perfect storm" of politics, and an attractive young ("Obama"ish could we say) candidate to knock him off.

   Posted by MASK 02/14/2008 @ 1:14pm | ignore this person

   I'm not exactly sure what your description of Wynn means - although it sounds a lot more like a Charlie Rangel to me, you know, someone who actually was elected during the 60's and 70's, as opposed to graduating from college in 1973 like Wynn did - but from what I had read of Wynn previously and what I just found on him on the web, he seems to fit the bill of the new-style, openly corporate-friendly, moderate-to-conservative Black Democrat exemplified by the young Harold Ford of Tennessee and the older ex-Congressman Rev. Floyd Flake of New York. Also see former Black Panther Bobby Rush of Chicago.

   And you consistently underestimate how hard it is to win elections and especially unseat incumbents in the American electoral system, even with a political "perfect storm." There's a reason why the re-election rate is usually 90% plus.

   Posted by cka2nd at 02/14/2008 @ 5:31pm

9. Seriously think you give all this "netroots" "high tech" stuff a bit too much credit...like ol' Air Force guys who thought you could win a war from the air, and learned that you actually have to have "boots on the ground".

   Posted by MASK 02/14/2008 @ 1:14pm

   The proof of this would have been had she lost. With the ensuing claims of an ignorant, racist electorate who's too busy shopping at Wally World and watching American Idol, not any lack of influence by the netroots.

   Posted by Sliver at 02/14/2008 @ 7:54pm

10. Posted by CKA2ND 02/14/2008 @ 5:31pm

    Fine, CKA..."the Revolution is coming and Donna Edwards is leading the way".

    Let's wait and see, huh? Care to bet?

    Posted by Mask at 02/14/2008 @ 10:26pm

11. Posted by SLIVER 02/14/2008 @ 7:54pm

    Considering BOTH candidates were African-American...hard to make a "racist" case.

    Posted by Mask at 02/14/2008 @ 10:27pm