But last week, in a stopover in Sacramento, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, suggested that any investment by the Democrats’ political committee in the Brown campaign will be limited. “This is a homegrown race for Charlie Brown,” Pelosi said. “It’s about him, his relationship to the district, and, if anything, he will be contributing to his success more than any of us will be contributing to him.”
These are seats that Democrats have a chance to literally steal from the Republicans, but where is the help. Local Democratic Congresspeople have failed to endorse Brown or McNerney who is running against Pombo, or Durston who is running against Dan Lungren. Where is the local Democratic support from local state legislators like Lois Wolk and Mike Machado?
Unfortunately this is not limited merely to the Sacramento area. Democratic Bloggers across the country have had to literally shame safe incumbent Democrats into giving money.
As reported in this morning’s Hotline put out by the National Journal:
In yet another sign of their growing influence, Dem bloggers are shaming unopposed House Dems into donating a combined $26M to Dem candidates. (Bloggers have also nudged cash-heavy WH’08 Dems like Bayh, who has $11.3M in the bank).
With Dems “increasingly convinced that House control is within their grasp,” party activists are “publicly excoriating politicians in safe districts who have hefty campaign balances” (Zeleny, New York Times, 10/24).
In a posting last week, MyDD.com managing ed Chris Bowers identified 69 Dem incumbents “without serious opposition,” whose combined campaign treasuries total “roughly” $50M. In his post, Bowers “suggested that these lawmakers donate as much as 30% of their cash” to the DCCC, or “directly to challengers” in races that “had not been considered vulnerable until recently.”
According to Bowers, the transfer of campaign funds from safe incumbents to newly-viable challengers “could be the difference between a landslide election that changes politics in America for more than a decade to come, and an election where control of the House is determined on a knife’s edge.”
Bowers also posted a list of the Dem incumbents, and “asked his readers to contact them.” The list includes Reps. Edward Markey (MA), who has $2.3M; Robert “Bud” Cramer (AL), who has $1.6M; Adam Schiff (CA), who has $1.4M; and Jesse Jackson Jr. (IL), who has $1.3M, according to MyDD calculations. Rep. Martin Meehan (MA) “easily topped the list” with $4.9M CoH.
On 10/20, Bowers’ effort “received a boost” when MoveOn.org’s PAC also “asked its members to contact the safe incumbents.” MoveOn.org PAC Exec. Dir. Eli Pariser: “We just don’t want to see anyone hoarding at a time when there is a need for the greater good” (Brownstein, Los Angeles Times, 10/24).
If Democratic activists wish to retake the House and Senate, they need to put pressure on Democrats with money and safe seats to give it to people like Brown, Durston, and McNerney. People should call up the campaign offices of Dianne Feinstein who is unchallenged largely and sitting on 16 million dollars, Mike Thompson, Mike Machado, Dorris Matsui, Lois Wolk and others to give money to Democrats so that Democrats can re-take the House.
—Doug Paul Davis reporting
In the Los Angeles Times article cited above, here’s a response from the Meehan staff:
“In comments posted on the MyDD website, several activists have reported making calls to various Democratic House members. But Sandra Salstrom, the press secretary for Meehan, said the office had not received a single call. Nor, she added, was Meehan planning to transfer any of his bankroll to other campaigns.
Salstrom said her boss believed that to do so would be unfair to donors who contributed to his campaign.”
Come on, unfair to donors who contributed to his campaign? Give me a break. Those donors are hoping that Meehan uses his discretion to determine what’s in his best interest and the best interest for the party. This is exactly the type of attitude that absolutely sickens me.
In the Los Angeles Times article cited above, here’s a response from the Meehan staff:
“In comments posted on the MyDD website, several activists have reported making calls to various Democratic House members. But Sandra Salstrom, the press secretary for Meehan, said the office had not received a single call. Nor, she added, was Meehan planning to transfer any of his bankroll to other campaigns.
Salstrom said her boss believed that to do so would be unfair to donors who contributed to his campaign.”
Come on, unfair to donors who contributed to his campaign? Give me a break. Those donors are hoping that Meehan uses his discretion to determine what’s in his best interest and the best interest for the party. This is exactly the type of attitude that absolutely sickens me.
In the Los Angeles Times article cited above, here’s a response from the Meehan staff:
“In comments posted on the MyDD website, several activists have reported making calls to various Democratic House members. But Sandra Salstrom, the press secretary for Meehan, said the office had not received a single call. Nor, she added, was Meehan planning to transfer any of his bankroll to other campaigns.
Salstrom said her boss believed that to do so would be unfair to donors who contributed to his campaign.”
Come on, unfair to donors who contributed to his campaign? Give me a break. Those donors are hoping that Meehan uses his discretion to determine what’s in his best interest and the best interest for the party. This is exactly the type of attitude that absolutely sickens me.
In the Los Angeles Times article cited above, here’s a response from the Meehan staff:
“In comments posted on the MyDD website, several activists have reported making calls to various Democratic House members. But Sandra Salstrom, the press secretary for Meehan, said the office had not received a single call. Nor, she added, was Meehan planning to transfer any of his bankroll to other campaigns.
Salstrom said her boss believed that to do so would be unfair to donors who contributed to his campaign.”
Come on, unfair to donors who contributed to his campaign? Give me a break. Those donors are hoping that Meehan uses his discretion to determine what’s in his best interest and the best interest for the party. This is exactly the type of attitude that absolutely sickens me.