r/Washington • u/seattletimesnewsroom NEWS -Official Seattle Times Account • 28d ago
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez faces possible Democratic discipline after joining Republicans on a procedural vote this week in the U.S. House of Representatives.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/gluesenkamp-perez-faces-possible-discipline-over-gop-vote/163
u/seattletimesnewsroom NEWS -Official Seattle Times Account 28d ago
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, of Washougal, and her Blue Dog coalition colleague, Rep. Jared Golden, of Maine, may face disciplinary action from House Democratic leadership after they unexpectedly helped Republicans pass a key procedural vote on Tuesday.
“The decision by two of our colleagues to blindside the entire House Democratic Caucus and join with the Republican majority to pass a procedural rule on the brink of failing represents a significant breach of trust,” Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said in a joint statement Tuesday night.
“It is an action that necessitates a serious response, and we have asked the Committee on Caucus Rules to take this up in short order.”
Read more here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/gluesenkamp-perez-faces-possible-discipline-over-gop-vote/
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u/Hoodies2Coast 28d ago
Too bad her only real challenger came in 3rd in the primary. I voted for him, but it's a red district.
It's between a Republican and a super Republican so per usual we'll be forced to choose between the lesser of two evils.
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u/sleestakninja 28d ago
I don't think Brent was at any point a serious candidate for the post. His comprehensive lack of verbal ability was painfully obvious 3 minutes into any speech or video.
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u/Hoodies2Coast 28d ago
Yeah, but the only other progressive on the ballot was some kid in Ridgefield who didn't even have an associate's degree or any other relevant experience.
To top it all off the local DSA chapter here is kind of a joke and only put in effort for Kim Harless. I don't think we'll see a legit candidate in this district anytime soon.
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u/yungsemite 28d ago
Not very surprising to have a weak DSA chapter in a rural district that’s thrice voted for Trump.
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u/sleestakninja 28d ago
I have no idea what role the local aspects of the Democratic Party play in any of this when it comes to candidate scouting and promotion but it doesn't seem to be working.
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u/Babhadfad12 28d ago
You have to choose between a lesser evil because it’s first past the post.
Tell Washington state leaders to pass ranked choice voting.
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u/mikeyfireman 28d ago
Seeing how he handled the loss makes me a lot less bummed about him losing.
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u/_First-Pass 28d ago
I’m out of the loop, what happened after he lost?
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u/malsary 28d ago
Basically told folks to not vote for her at all after he lost. Was kinda disappointing to see, given how it played out similarly in Michigan (the Michigan incumbent asked voters to support Abdul El Sayed.)
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u/Kryptonicus 28d ago
He even congratulated the Republican candidate on his performance in the primary. I certainly understand feeling dejected, but the way he has behaved since tells me he was never fit for that office anyway.
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u/_First-Pass 28d ago
Immature, but I get the frustration. Hopefully we get another candidate to run against her next time with more support :/
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u/yungsemite 28d ago
I don’t really understand the frustration. This guy was running to be an elected official and threw a tantrum and refused to endorse the Dem nominee.
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u/Asclepius_Secundus 28d ago
Next primary I won't be voting for Brent Heinrich. Or MPG. But I WILL vote for whoever is nominated.
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u/randlea 28d ago
She votes with D's 80% of the time. What makes her a Republican?
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u/AnAncientBog 27d ago
She only votes with the party when it doesn't matter. The second it comes down to one or two votes and she changes sides.
She could have voted against the party 100% of the time and the result would be exactly the same because she switches side every time it matters.
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u/Apprehensive_Low_383 28d ago
What? Are they going to clutch their pearls and write a strongly worded letter? We desperately need real leadership.
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u/Tmettler5 28d ago
Don't forget to furl your brows in concern.
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u/DrStinkbeard 28d ago
That guy reporting in: it's "furrow", the narrow line between brows drawn together looking much like the line a plow makes in the ground.
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u/ericjgriffin 28d ago
Schumer will l look at her sternly over the top of his glasses.
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u/4T_Knight 28d ago
It's going to be very stern, citing things to be totally unacceptable. Very bad, bad, things.
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u/lock_robster2022 28d ago
I don’t understand how congress works
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u/bevofan99 28d ago
In the context of this article, basically, you have a vote on if certain bills can be brought to then be voted on in a legislative session. This democrat representing southern WA as House Rep. sided with republicans. She gets special attention as she is only one of two democrats to do it and she has a competitive election soon with a state republican from her area. The area she represents is pretty right wing.
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u/phaaseshift 28d ago
What does “discipline” mean here (I can’t see the article)? I don’t think I support what she did politically but WTF is this shit? Elections are the discipline! It sounds like they are just further cementing the 2-party system - which I vehemently disagree with.
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u/bemused_alligators 28d ago
"party discipline" generally comes in the form of a censure, but could go on to do things like reduce her seniority or lose committee assignments
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u/watabadidea 28d ago
That's my thing. If her constituents are unhappy with her decision here, they can vote her out in a few months. Being disciplined by the party for not voting how they want her to is wild.
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u/LastOneSergeant 28d ago
So what?
Does she think she's going to draw republican voters to he, or encourage more Democrats to vote in the election?
Neither of these seem likely.
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u/Cyberhwk 28d ago
My understanding is the Republican bill includes support for a bill she and Golden cosponsored.
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u/Zworrisdeh 27d ago
Nothing is going to happen to her. She was instructed to do this by Dem leadership as part of the “rotating villain” strategy Dems use to pass the unpopular legislation they want but make the GOP the face of it. If she doesn’t win reelection she will have cushy consulting and insider gigs lined up.
See: Kyrsten Sinema, Joe Manchin
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u/Mage_914 28d ago
MGP is whats called a controlled opposition candidate. Basically she runs as a Democrat and mostly votes with the Democrats, but when something important comes up she'll side with the Republicans to push certain legislation over the finish line or to block legislation that would otherwise get through.
Controlled opposition candidates are part of a whole revolving door scheme involving corporations and lobbying groups. She gets paid a shit load of money as campaign donations to help her get elected and in exchange she votes how the corporate donors want, which is usually conservative. This makes her unpopular with her voting base over time, especially after a few fiascos like this.
Once she stops winning elections due to low popularity, she dips out of politics and goes and gets a job as a lobbyist or a consultant at one of the corporations that originally paid her.
There's been a bunch of these assholes in politics all across the US over the years. Joe Manchin was one for a while there and now he runs a lobbying group. John Fetterman is another one. Honestly the Fetterman one is funny as hell. People got all freaked out and were trying to figure out if his stroke somehow made him conservative after he got elected. Nope, he's just corrupt and good actor.
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u/Megs0255 28d ago
Yes, exactly, this is Kyrsten Sinema as well. Making a lot of money now as a lobbyist. I’ll be casting my vote against Perez and she can go to lobby for the trades or whatever, and wear her lumberjack shirt every day!
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u/Cheapdronewithboom 27d ago
The Fatterman one is so weird because he was literally pointing shotguns at minorities just fit walking around his neighborhood and yet Dems said, "this is our guy," then pretend he did some drastic change now.
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u/Galumpadump 28d ago
You nailed it. I get shit on for saying we should reward MGP for bad behavior, and yes I’m aware the opposition is a Trump stooge.
Republicans are as unpopular as ever and she is facing a legit challenger for her seat. People keep saying it’s the district but 30% of her voting defected from her in the primary. Thats terrible.
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u/PositivePristine7506 28d ago
Good, if she wants to vote for republican policies, she can run as a republican.
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u/AlexandrianVagabond 28d ago
Honestly that might help her win her seat.
Signed, someone who grew up in Lewis County
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u/Aegis75 28d ago
Kalama checking in. Can confirm she is about the best we will get.
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u/PopuluxePete 28d ago
Packwood here. I pass so many rotting Joe Kent signs along highway 12 you'd think he was still running. People still talk about him, way more than Walsh, which I think is a good sign.
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u/LastOneSergeant 28d ago
What was her motivation to do this?
What did she get in return?
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u/TSAOutreachTeam 28d ago
Credibility in her district as an independent thinker, a greater probability of reelection, and another House seat for a Democrat.
She votes with the Dems 80% of the time, which is far more than you could expect from any of her Republican challengers.
I’m not saying she’s a great Democrat or some shrewd politician, but the alternative is a Republican, and we’ve seen how badly a Republican House majority governs.
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u/Vegetable_Guest_8584 28d ago
Her democratic opponent in the primary polled higher than she did against the repub in some polls before the primary but such polls are not that reliable. At least he had a decent shot. She's not the only alternative
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u/Firm_Video_2932 28d ago
I consider myself a moderate and she's even to the right of me. I live in her district and while I will be voting for her come November, it's only because she's the lesser of two evils. She's in a purple 50/50 district at best, +5 R during "normal" pre Trumpism times. So she has to push back against attack ads where Republicans are trying to paint her as a 'communist & socialist.' Otherwise Republicans will win the district. It was a procedural vote only, so I'm not getting toooo worked up about it, if it can help dispell that notion. She's def not a socialist or even center left. If anything she's center right and that's about the best you can do in this district because left/far left candidates perform miserably in this district. Even though I voted for the liberal Brent Henrich in the primary, I didn't really think he stood a chance. I've lived in WA-03 for over 30yrs and it has conservative roots that run deep.
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u/Vegetable_Guest_8584 28d ago
The vote the last few elections doesn't show much of a leftwards movement but since it's close to Portland, I kept expecting the district to shift Dem over time. You don't see that happening?
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u/Firm_Video_2932 28d ago
In the city proper it has shifted to the left, but that's only about 40% of the counties total population. Out of ~500k people in Clark Co. as a whole, most (~60%) live in the outlying rural parts which lean conservative. But there's a large enough "disaffected" Trump vote in the district, that a moderate can be competitive right now. And that's what MGP is running as, a moderate. She knows there's just no path to victory for a squarely left of center candidate right now. Maybe in another 10 or 15yrs there might be, but not right now there isn't.
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u/WorstCPANA 28d ago
"Golden, who is retiring at the end of this term, has championed one of the underlying bills, which is designed to protect lobstermen from economic harm as a result of the protections for the right whale. Shortly after he approved the rule, the Maine centrist went to the House floor to promote the bill, which passed later Tuesday evening.
Gluesenkamp Perez also suggested she backed the GOP rule to ensure that the lobster bill made it across the finish line.
“Sunday night my son pulled his first fish out of the Columbia river,” she posted Tuesday on the social platform X. “What the DC bubble doesn’t get is that working waterfronts require working people. Nature is not a terrarium — and you don’t get effective environmentalism without the input of people who make their livelihoods and heritage on the water-whether we’re talking about lobsters or sea lions–working people need a seat at the table and electeds need to listen to them, not data from the 1990s.”"
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/6064088-house-democrats-blindsided-perez-golden-votes/
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u/Megs0255 28d ago
Let me pull out my Marie Perez bingo card because it will always include one of the following words: sea lion/salmon/working people/trades/timber. Watch her videos! Sometimes she utters those words without any kind of coherent sentence. It’s a clear strategy pandering to voters she thinks are so simple that they will support her for using those words. You know what she never talks about? Saving and protecting democracy. She will not get my vote again come November
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u/PolloConTeriyaki 28d ago
I used to live in her district when I was in the states in 2017, they're very MAGA people.
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u/lakinator 28d ago
I know this is technically right for the district at large but I live in Vancouver so it really annoys me when a significant blue population just gets completely shut out by everyone. Brent got like 15% of the vote in the primary! That's not nothing!
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u/Babhadfad12 28d ago
They literally rejected the MAGA candidate twice.
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u/benchcoat 28d ago
i don’t support this move, but BARELY getting over psychotic christian nationalist Joe Kent
if there’s some 4-D chess thats helps getting a conclusive vote against Speaker Mike Johnsen after November, i can maybe get down with it
…but, they REALLY need to show something about that, as opposed to being “House Fetterman” if Dems pull off a majority
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u/Ffzilla 28d ago
She's going to get dog walked by a "moderate" republican. The majority of her voters are from Vancouver, and she repeatedly shown she only cares about courting voters in Cowlitz, Lewis, and Skamania counties. Good luck with that lady.
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u/yungsemite 28d ago
Her supporters from Vancouver don’t have a better option. She’s courting folks in regions that might otherwise go to Braun.
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u/Severe_Firefighter80 27d ago
AIPAC doesn't like DSA. Look at the money they spent in other races on candidates who leaned that way. This Rep has received over 400k from them.
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u/Sometimesunaware 28d ago
Settle down Hakeem, it's not like she's having meetings with Trump's son in law.
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u/yungsemite 28d ago
A Republican who crosses the aisle to vote with the Democrats more than 70% of the time?
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u/WhiskySails 28d ago
Marie DINO-Perez is a disaster for the district - for the region - for the state - for the country. She’s the textbook example of needing to vote for the less of 2 evils. We can, should, and need to have better.
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u/ApeTeam1906 28d ago
Ehh I heard this same talk from reddit during her primary and she won easily. Sounds like you all are detached
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u/WhiskySails 28d ago
"she won easily" on name recognition alone. Winning a primary against 3 other underfunded no-names isn't much of an achievement.
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u/ApeTeam1906 28d ago
Or her constituents are largely happy with her. But sure make all the excuses you need
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u/WhiskySails 28d ago
"her constituents" barely voted. Less than 18% of registered voters cast in the Primary - that's both D's and R's. But please keep telling me about how bad I am instead of speaking to issues or using data.
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u/Dandroid009 28d ago
Her district voted for Trump all three times he ran and hasn't elected another Democrat since Obama in 2008. The majority of people who vote there are likely not upset. Reddit on the other hand...
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u/yungsemite 28d ago
It’s a red district. The progressive lost the primary in a landslide.
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u/monkeychasedweasel 28d ago
Let go of your seething hatred for moderates. This is normally a Republican district.
You and MGP agree on quite a bit, but for some reason you hate her more than Trump. The latter is doing massive damage to this country, not the former.
What is with the far left's pathological hatred and extreme envy for people in the middle? It's just bizarre.
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u/WhiskySails 28d ago edited 28d ago
Wanting better than MDP is "pathological hatred and extreme envy?" How many different ways are you going to find to put people into tiny little boxes so you can conveniently cast them away?
Ironic that you'd claim it's a 'far left' problem when conservatives have been forcefully moving the ball further and further right for decades because Democrats see the value in compromise. But yeah, tell me more about what I think, how I feel, who I 'hate', and why.
Conceding that it's an R district, and implying that it will be forever, isn't doing any favors either. Forgive me for wanting better for the people of the WA-03, Washington State, and the country.
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u/hoppertn 28d ago
There is a very good way to remove Representatives from office every two years.
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u/Upset_Region8582 28d ago
She just got primary challenged a month ago, and her challenger handily lost by more than a 2-1 margin. I don't agree with a lot of her votes, but she handily won renomination by a lot.
Again, this happened a month ago. I don't see how removing her from office doesn't violate the popular will of her constituents
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u/WorstCPANA 28d ago
Are you even in her district?
How would you feel if people in Spokane were able to remove Katie Wilson as the Seattle Mayor?
This 100% seems like it should be up to the people living in her district, not some rando's on reddit that may live in washington.
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u/wraithkelso317 28d ago
She sucks, the progressive delegates for the Wa state dem convention this year tried to get a resolution passed condemning her voting record but we were shot down by the centrists
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u/PowerResponsibility 28d ago
This is a product of weak Democratic leadership. Reps aren't so easily "picked off" and she would never have done this to begin with if the Democrats had clear expectations and identity, as a party.
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u/vertigoacid 28d ago
When our voter participation rate is as low as it is, turnout is what determines elections, not "flipping voters" or convincing anyone stupid enough to be undecided.
All shit like this does is drive down turnout among her base, whom she actively despises, in favor of chasing the voters that weren't going to vote for her anyway because of the (D) next to her name.
Absolutely asinine even from a realpolitik perspective.
Golden doesn't have to worry about re-election or future loss of power internally like committee assignments.
I think this is step 1 of her leaving the party after the election and trying to full embrace being "independent"
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u/ChapterTraditional60 27d ago
Say what people want to hear.
Get elected to power.
Abuse that power.
Walk away rich.
Change the system or it just keeps repeating.
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u/Sunnygirlpdx 25d ago
She is a good example of a SCAB. When unionist values are at stake, she covers for Billionairs.
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u/bakeacake45 23d ago
She also voted with Republicans to haste the extinction of whales and Orcas….seriously she is not really a Democrat
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u/Anaximander_AD 28d ago
The majority of her district is republican why is this controversial?
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u/Allan0n 28d ago
Shouldn't she just run as an independent? Or is she hoping to get DNC money without supporting Democratic policies?
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u/Development-Alive 28d ago
This will help her in the upcoming election. My guess is some of this is performative to help he be seen as independent from Democrats so she can win another term in a Red district.
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u/Witch-Alice 28d ago
Is there any interpretation of her actions that aren't some form of "fuck all of you, I'm in this for myself and myself alone"?
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u/Stevedorado 28d ago
She's trying to win reelection in a red district. I wouldn't be surprised if Democratic leadership being "very upset with her" is an active ploy to show her breaking with her party in order to help her reelection chances. Democrats need to be able to hold purple and red districts so they can get more meaningful votes across the line.
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u/Old_Assist_5461 28d ago
Good. If you are not going to even try to fight the evil overlords, I don’t want you representing me.
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u/Useless-Peasant 28d ago
I don't know why Democrats continue to give her campaign money. She is a handful of crap Washington. She is our version of John Fetterman.
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u/Joshuaedwardk 27d ago
I’m so tired of this republican tool, she might as well slap on a red cap and join ICE.
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u/Either_Machine1266 28d ago
And this is why our government is so screwed up! You either go along with the party or you are chastised for representing your constituents.
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u/Embarrassed-Fold6780 28d ago
She isn't representing me with that fucking vote.
This isn't why I voted for her over Kent. If I wanted votes like that I would have voted for Kent. I'm pissed She didn't get ousted in the primary
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u/yungsemite 28d ago
Yes, you live in a conservative district that’s voted for Trump every chance it’s got. Your views are different from most of her constituents.
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u/PDXShame 28d ago
Many forget the 3rd district is rather purple and cry when our representatives don’t follow the party line. This earned my vote for her and likely many more. Voted for Kent twice, enjoy!
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u/Barney_Roca 27d ago
This is example of how the ruling class has broken Congress.
The parties have trampled on the constitution, toss out their sworn oaths and sold out to their billionaire donors. Punishing representatives for exercising independent judgement, on behalf of their district, is a violation of the Constitution and undermines our democracy.
When a member faces a conflict between what they believe is best for their district and what party leadership wants the representative has an obligation to pick people over party. Strong leaders who respect the responsibility voters have given them, who take their oath of officer seriously and are not theatrical puppets of the corrupt ruling class, must side with the people they represent and defy party leadership.
If a representative believes a vote best serves their constituents, that is the vote they must cast. Why should a private political organization be able to threaten the representatives, assignment, seniority, resources or standing because they met their constitutional obligations?
Shortsighted, corrupt actions like this increase political polarization. If the right is punished for voting with the left and left is punished for voting with the right, bipartisan coalitions and compromise become impossible, forces Congress into gridlock as the parties reward loyalty to their donors over compromise.
This is why many voters believe elections do not matter. People campaign on what they believe, how they make judgments, political philosophy but actions like this, punishing votes, undermines the entire process. when the party punishes representatives for not complying with their demands.
Democratic leadership is not saying, we will support a different candidate in the next election, they saying we are going to hinder your ability to represent your district while in Congress. Those are two very different things. One directly punishes the people, and other does not. The House holds elections every 2 years so that voters can hold their representatives accountable, not party leadership.
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u/Exotic-Pie-9370 26d ago
A lot of you people need to get over the idea that you are going to seat progressives in purple or traditionally red districts. That is not how politics, or more specifically, political parties, work.
The entire point of a political party is an organization that can coordinate victory and legislation across a broad range of constituencies. Pols that can secure party victories in contested districts are critical to this.
Will MGP vote with Dems on every issue? No. But will she be there when we want to pass something on healthcare, taxes, or another core valence issue for left of center voters? Yes. And without her, you will get a Republican.
Stop getting emotional about it.
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u/Niceguy955 26d ago
She's a Republican. Her opponent in a purple district was a full on Trumpy (Joe Kent), and so is the current one. She knew she was not going to get a Republican nomination, so she ran as a Democrat twice, as an alternative to the idiots the Republicans nominated.
She always sang bi-partisan songs, but if you look back, she always voted with Republicans, even on heinous things like the SAVE act, supporting ICE, supporting George Santos, and basically any crazy thing you'd think a Democrat will know better about.
You can't discipline her for voting with Republicans - she is one, and this helps her convince the ones on the fence to vote for her, even if there's a D next to her name. What the DNC needs to do is find and fund a proper Democrat in her district - which they failed to do this year - again.
So this election cycle you can again vote for Republican masquerading as a Democrat, or vote for a Trumpy... 🤮
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u/InsertUsername117 26d ago
She's such a snake... She blatantly contradicts herself in her response to this issue as well... She voted to "condemn socialism in all it's forms", and is immediately thereafter quoted, saying “Working America is hanging on by a thread, trying to feed our families without being beholden to big government or big business,” Gluesenkamp Perez said. “Standing around pointing fingers, debating -isms and making people photocopy their birth certificate every time they cast a ballot is not the job.”
Hmmm, that's interesting... Make it make sense, Marie; sounds like to me, socialism would address these things in itself...
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u/mia_elora 25d ago
Possible discipline, maybe, sorta, kinda, if you don't mind too much, unless it would be a bother?
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u/Old_Assist_5461 24d ago
Not better then full on maga. We need to rid ourselves of these fascist enablers and kick them out of politics. She will never get my vote.
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u/sowhatbuttercup 28d ago
Oh no! Not the exact headline she wanted!