In the latest striking example of how the Democratic Party resorts to cronyism (and perhaps corruption) to ensure that its favored candidates beat back progressive challengers in local races, a candidate for Colorado’s 6th Congressional District has leaked a recording of a conversation with Minority Leader Steny Hoyer to The Intercept which published it overnight. In it, Hoyer can be heard essentially lecturing the candidate about why he should step aside and let the Democratic Party bosses – who of course have a better idea about which candidate will prevail over a popular Republican in the general election – continue pulling the strings.

The candidate, Levi Tillemann, is hardly a party outsider. Tillemann had grandparents on both sides of his family who were elected Democratic representatives, and his family is essentially Democratic Party royalty.

Still, the party’s campaign arm – the notorious Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (better known as the DCCC, or D-trip) – refused to provide Tillemann with access to party campaign data or any of the other resources he requested.

Despite Tillemann’s work as an advisor for Obama’s Department of Energy, and his enthusiastic progressive base, the freeze-out he experienced at the hands of the D-trip just goes to show how the Democratic Party will always back the candidate who can pass the infamous “rolodex test” – where the candidate must go through their rolodex and demonstrate that they could raise at least $250,000 to run the campaign. – READ MORE