Can you believe we're just 23 days away from the general election? Presumably, in less than a month, all the hullabaloo will be over for another two years, and mid-terms, in comparison to Presidential years, are much tamer, by far. There's still a little more than three weeks to go for election 2012 however, and we've so much ground to cover together. In that spirit...Allons-y!!
Back before the first Presidential debate, Mittens and Company were facing a bit of an economic crisis. It seems his businessmen buddies were suffering a crisis of faith in the candidate and were starting to back away from their financial pledges. A strong showing in the first debate garnered Team Romney 12 million in on-line donations and it seems to have slowed the hemorrhage for the time being. A strong performance in the next debate (on foreign policy, an obvious Romney weakness) for the President and Mitt could see the winds of fortune turn on him again.
The reason, is obvious. Business guys don't like throwing good money after bad. A campaign contribution is an investment after all, and if Mittens isn't elected, there is no return on their investment what-so-ever. So the money guys are starting to throw that precious seed money a little further down the ticket. The main reason anyone was tossing any money toward the Presidential race, when the Republicans have such a weak contender is the lure of a strong, socially conservative, pro-business Supreme Court. With two Justices likely to retire in the next four years, the investment is a long term one. In the short term, it is certainly appealing for the Republicans to maintain control of the House, and gain control (or at least ground) in the Senate. If Obama is granted his second term, it will be crucial to effectively block the progressives and their plans for the country. A successful second term for Obama makes a Republican Presidency in 2016 an even harder battle to win, especially in light of the hard right turn that the Tea Party has forced on the GOP.
So now we look down the ticket, passed the Presidential race to some of the lesser known local races for the House and Senate. The Dems have made some real enemies in conservative circles, and the Super Pacs are pouring money into the effort to defeat people like Sherrod Brown in Ohio and Claire McCaskill in Missouri. Both of these races have received national attention. So we're going to turn our sights to some lesser known lights in the political sky.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has a plan in place for the House of Representatives, Red to Blue, which focuses on campaigns in districts that are in play and possible to convert. These democratic campaigns are receiving financial, communications, grassroots and strategic support from the Democratic Party. Emerging races are states that are deemed likely to swing red and therefore, while the Dem's page makes it easy to contribute to their campaigns through ActBlue, they are not being offered the same national support. We're going to focus on both Red to Blue and Emerging Races. Send a little financial love if you can, as these races are vitally important both on the national level, and especially locally, where people in red districts are seeing their own best interests cast aside by their representatives who are chasing corporate sponsorship through PAC money.
Check out the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's website for the Red to Blue initiative at http://dccc.org/pages/redtoblue
Be sure to check out the blog tomorrow when we'll meet our first two candidates!!
** Disclaimer** This blog is in no way affiliated with the DCCC or it's Red to Blue initiative. The content is purely my own opinion and is not endorsed by the Democratic Party or its affiliates. You should also know that the opinions expressed in this blog are always based in fact and thoroughly researched. I don't take this stuff lightly. It's meaningful, and every effort is made to back up assertions with the most recent information available.
This hemmoraging has been slowed true, but now that foreign policy is going to be on center stage I believe that combined with VP Bidens awesome performance Thursday the down ticket people are going to suffer at the local level.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of our local race, congressman Tom Reed is in a close race with Nate Shinagawa. Rep Reed is getting funding from the "Big boys" and Nate is doing a grass roots movement to acquire his funding, thus not having to "owe" any but his constituants.
Anyone who believes that this money being poured into these campaigns have "no strings" is a liar or a fool. If you are reading this blog you are no fool.
** Note-I am an unpaid volunteer for Nate's campaign.** That's one of the things I love about Nate Shinagawa, the bulk of his funding comes from constituents in the district. When we send him to Washington, he works for us. Tom Reed is neck deep with Super Pac money and with large corporate donations. Those guys are going to want a return on their investment. If Reed returns to Congress, he works for them--not for us.
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