Do The Teamsters Get To Decide Who’s A Good Democrat?

Welcome to Radio Free America, Aaron Kleinman’s take on stories that matter in state politics but aren't getting enough attention.

I love using a contested primary to vote out Democratic incumbents who don’t share my values. For example, next month I’ll be filling the circle for former City Comptroller Brad Lander over Rep. Dan Goldman in my congressional race. That’s because Goldman supports the crypto industry, and I think a private money supply controlled by wealthy, connected insiders is inimical to the government’s social contract with the governed. When you have clear values, it’s easy to make a call like that.

But not every challenge to a Democratic incumbent is aligned with my values, even when it’s ostensibly from the left. Take another June primary. This one is in Nevada, where incumbent Assemblyman Howard Watts is facing a challenge from Miguel Dávila, who has an array of unions backing his bid. Those unions say that Watts has been captured by Big Tech, which is normally a huge red flag. But that argument doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

Because Watts has a good track record of standing up to Big Tech. He’s leading the investigation into Elon Musk’s environmental and labor violations surrounding the tunnel he built in Las Vegas, which at the very least makes him a better Democrat than Rahm Emanuel (a low bar, I know). Watts was also rightly dubious of a proposed blockchain innovation zone in rural Nevada. “Proposed blockchain innovation zone in rural Nevada” is a flag so red that it may be off the visible spectrum and Watts sure seemed like he realized it.

That’s not enough for some unions though!  Even though Watts has had support from them in the past and the firefighters and teachers unions are backing him in his re-election campaign. The dispute came from clashes he’s had with the Teamsters around craft beer and self-driving trucks.

My values are in favor of craft beer; you can check me out on Untappd to see just how deeply held these values are. Helping craft brewers thrive in an increasingly competitive market isn’t just good for triple-IPA drinkers, but for anyone who appreciates their breweries as third places where you can take your kids and play cornhole. I’m a little dubious on self-driving trucks, but Watts seems like he was trying to get the bill to a place where it could pass the Assembly and isn’t just a shill for industry. It’s certainly not enough to vote against an effective lawmaker who’s willing to take it to Elon Musk.

And let’s take a step back and look at who’s leading this charge against Watts. The Teamsters! The union whose pension Joe Biden bailed out only for them to turn around to have their director speak at the Republican National Convention and make no endorsement in the 2024 election. They’re ingrates! Why are progressive groups taking cues from people who can’t be counted on to vote against Republicans in the general election?

In fact, other unions have explicitly said that they’re standing united with the Teamsters, which can make sense for solidarity purposes but does not endear you to the primary electorate. Others are donating to Davila because he supports a corporate tax giveaway that they think could get them more jobs, and a progressive group endorsed Davila on the vague grounds of thinking he’ll be more visible in the district (Watts is, of course, required to be in Carson City, a 7-hour drive away, when the Legislature is in session). Again, none of this sounds like a good reason to get rid of him.

So as primaries come up around the country I encourage you to dig a little deeper into candidates’ records and not just go off what the dreaded groups have to say. Because you should vote for candidates whose views are in line with your values, not the Teamsters’.

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The Internet’s foremost rememberer of guys, David Roth, got a bit political with this one but the replies setting ballplayers’ names to random songs is incredibly my jam. Some of my favorites are:
-Desi Relaford and Byung-Hyun Kim (to Is She Really Going Out With Him)

Ahh, I could do this all day. And the contours of a pretty good AM Gold box set are taking shape.

Agustin Fernandez Mallo is a physicist and you can tell in his writing. It’s incredibly precise, as if each word were measured down to the nanometer. And thanks to that precision he pulls off The Things We’ve Seen, which contains three interlocking tales about the leadup to the 2016 dual cataclysms of Brexit and Trump’s first victory. Written in 2017, it has aged incredibly well, as the world it predicted continues to round into shape.

Thanks to everyone who told me that I don’t have to put anything when the tip screen comes up at the hardware store. Sometimes that’s all you need to assuage your liberal guilt.

Anyway, for this week let’s have another contest. What other ballplayers’ names can you put to songs to create an unstoppable earwig? Send me an email or put one in the comments!

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