I don’t have the highest opinion of the national committees (DCCC, DSCC, etc.), but they do one thing well: carpet bomb competitive districts with simplistic mass-produced ads in the six weeks before an election. Normally, that may not accomplish much, but this year, I think it will in many districts. Why? The tax bill raises taxes for many people in suburban New York, California, New Jersey, and even Texas, because of the cap on the SALT deduction. It’s pretty fucking easy to run a lot of ads telling upper middle-class people that their Republican representative just raised their taxes.
A lot of you have brought up raising money for candidates in some of these very districts. I think it makes more sense to just give the money to the DCCC and let them take it from there, since they will surely spend most of their money on these districts.
So let’s raise some money for the DCCC. I’ll tell you upfront I’m giving them $50 a month myself.
Raoul
I dunno, Doug. I’m quite generous with candidates.
But I had to unsubscribe from the DCCC emails last cycle. They were a horseshit mix of “give now or you’re blowing it for everyone” shaming, or flashing 1990s chatroom fonts saying $3! $3! Give 3 bucks!
I can of course just block all their emails. But it has left me with a great distaste for the DCCC. And that translates to me being suspicious of the whole DCCC apparatus/execution (maybe wrongly, and I’m open to persuasion (links please)).
RandomMonster
Modern Lovers!
Doug!
@Raoul:
I hear you. But I think they’re the right people for the job this fall.
tobie
I do give regularly to the party organs because I can’t keep track of all congressional races myself and I still believe (however naively) that they’re in a better position to identify vulnerable Dem incumbents and possible pick-up opportunities. I hope they share whatever resources and info they have with local organizations for GOTV efforts, registration drives, etc. On that note, though, I just gave to the DCCC last night, and I don’t have the funds to make an additional contribution today. Thanks for putting up the link to the ActBlue page for Beto O’Rourke today!
Yutsano
Are we talking the trees of Khosrau here? Nothing like planting your corpses torso side down so their legs stick up.
Doug!
@tobie:
Thanks for having already donated!
karensky
@Raoul: Ditto
WaterGirl
@Doug!: I wish I had your faith in them, but I don’t. I won’t give to the DCCC. I don’t trust that they make good choices about how to spend their money and which candidates to support.
I would much rather donate to specific candidates. so I am skipping this one.
Another Scott
@WaterGirl: Understandable, but Democrats can’t win without sufficient resources.
Check out the DCCC’s Red to Blue effort. They have seemed to do a decent job there in the past, IIRC.
Yeah, the DCCC and DSCC e-mails can be over the top. I ignore them, myself, and donate when I can (and not otherwise).
However, the two of them often have triple-match events near the end of the month. Refusing to donate then (if you’re able) is just leaving money on the table, IMHO.
Cheers,
Scott.
Wileybud
The DCCC (& DSCC) don’t deserve a penny. They have a long history of running Republican Lite candidates who cross the aisle too often to vote with the Republicans, latest example being the FISA bill. Their candidate criteria is mainly self funding ex-Republicans who are more in it for themselves than advancing Democratic policies. On top of that they meddle in primaries along with intentionally sabotaging popular progressive candidates. The result over many past cycles is Republican Iite candidates win general elections and then vote too often with the Republicans, often to the nation’s detriment. They may last the next election until Democratic voter wise up & stay home.
I am in no way affiliated with Howie Klein’s blog (downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/) but find it’s a good resource.
Another Scott
@Wileybud: The purpose of politics is to win elections so that you can have your team in the leadership so that at least some of your preferred policies can be enacted.
If Lefty McLeftish can’t beat Republican Lite, then maybe Lefty McLeftish isn’t a good fit for the district at this particular time?
Purity kills.
Cheers,
Scott.
tobie
Wow. I guess I’m in the minority here. I don’t love the DCCC but I also can’t keep track of 435 races, and there is the issue of economy of scale. DCCC pays for ad producers, data analysts and the like that few campaigns can afford on their own. In this sense a $25 contribution to them goes farther than a contribution to a single campaign.I also didn’t like how everyone was beating up on the party last year and while it’s by no means perfect, it’s also the only counterweight to the Republicans. No party, no resistance in Congress, as far as I can tell. Anyhoo…that’s my thinking.
tobie
@Wileybud:
I’d say the latest example is the push for Net Neutrality in the Senate thanks to the consolidated effort of the Democrats. Collins has signed on, and if they get one more Republican, regulating the net as a utility will become law.
Only a party, a coalition can do this!
Adria McDowell
@Another Scott: Now you shush with all that “making sense” talk. ;-)
MomSense
I give to my state Democratic Party so we can keep running local candidates.
ruemara
@Wileybud: pssht.
I donate monthly through Act Blue. But I’ve had to unsubscribe because I was literally getting 6 emails a day.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Wileybud: Bernie-fly pie and Roseann DeMoro dowdy!
Catherine D.
And if the DCCC had gotten off its ass in 2012, Nate Shinagawa might have beaten the slug Tom Reed. Never forget, never forgive.
WaterGirl
@Another Scott: Thanks for the reminder on Red to Blue. I have given to that in the past, and I feel that is money well spent. Maybe Doug could put up a thermometer at match time. :-)
Wileybud
It’s not a matter of purity, it’s a matter of responding to what the public wants. Net Neutrality, living wage, clamping down on Wall Street, getting rid of the FICA cap, raising taxes on those who can most afford it; the list goes on and on. On the other hand, if you insist on spending money on an organization that pushes candidates who don’t embrace what the public wants and knows how to lose, then have at it!
Another Scott
@Wileybud: Policy polling is meaningless as far as predicting who is going to win an election.
Opinion polls don’t vote.
Cheers,
Scott.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Wileybud: Yup, that’s why Russ Feingold won so big and Rob Portman was cast into oblivion by the good rust belt WWC of Ohio. Cause people are well-informed and have strong opinions about Net Neutrality and FICA caps!
Renie McCarthy
I no longer give to the national groups cuz of their bombardment of requests and selection of candidates. I do agree we must help out this year. I’m in NY2CD where we believe we have a chance at getting rid of Peter “I hate Muslims” KIng. We have a great grassroots candidate, Liuba Grechen Shirley and we have been rounding up volunteers and fundraising since last year. Another candidate has just announced today,,,a party guy who ran and lost against King in the past. I’m sure you can guess who the money will go to.
If you are so inclined, please donate to Liuba, she has a website she’s also on FB, Twitter. Please take a moment to check out her positions. If you go to her website, be aware there is an automatic video with sound. Thanks.
Chyron HR
@Wileybud:
They embraced what you wanted.
You squealed “WHICH HILLARYYYYYYYYYYYYY?” and stayed home anyway.
Mnemosyne
@Wileybud:
Shorter Wileybud: I’m good with white supremacists running everything.
Wileybud
Scott – True. However, those are policies that more voters would turn out for if the messaging was better.
Jim – Russ is undeservedly gone and that’s probably due to Wisconsin elections being a bit shady. How can you trust a state’s elections when an unpopular governor survives a recall & is re-elected? Or a State Supreme Court Justice (David Prosser) who physically chokes a female colleague he disagrees with? Both won elections due to a bag of ballots suddenly being “discovered” by the County Clerk that just happened to swing those elections? Rob Portman deserved to be cast into oblivion but survived when Chuck Schumer interfered in the Ohio Senate primary by aggressively annoiting/pushing Conservadem Ted Strickland over P. G. Sittenfeld who was a more democratic choice. Schumer also interfered in Florida & Pennsylvania losing all three states. If Schumer hadn’t interfered he would probably be Senate Majority Leader today.
The main problem with Beltway Democratic Establishment is that when it comes to primaries, they put fingers on the scale for their preferred candidates rather than letting Democratic voters in each state decide who they want to represent them. But to quote a long gone blogger “I don’t get cable so what do I know?”
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Wileybud: we need a thousand Bernies so we never lose another race! an army of Bernies!
BERRRRRRRNEEEEEEEE
Wileybud
Mnomosyne. How on earth did you arrive at that conclusion? Before you indulge in such wild-eyed accusations I suggest you call someone and ask them for help. If no one is (understandably) willing to help then do yourself a favor by sticking your head in a bucket water three times and bring it out twice.
Chryon, you have no idea who I am or who I supported in 2016. For the record I supported Bernie and gave the same level of support to HIllary when she won the primary. I’m on a diet so please stop putting words in my mouth.
Seriously, are gratuitous attacks for disagreeing the norm around here?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Wileybud, you are clearly a keen thinker and astute observer of politics. Could you explain how Nina Turner lost a statewide election in Ohio by 25 points to a far right Republican? How did Chuck Schumer and the Wall St Dem Establishment do it? Was it because Nina had not yet been reborn in the Light of Our Lord, Bernie!? Blessed be His Name!
Wileybud
Jim, I’m not familiar with that race so I can’t answer your question. I would guess a very low turnout. Give voters solid reasons to turn out and they will.
I do not understand why you’re trying to paint me as a Berniecrat as I’ve made clear who I supported in the primary and general election. My impression of Berniecrats is those are people who will burn the place down if they don’t get their way which does not bode well for the Democratic Party.