People may recall that Politico published a story several days ago cataloging what appears to be a somewhat alarming trend: to wit, videos showing ostensible ‘tracking’ of Republican candidates by individuals. I say ostensible because the way that the videos come across are as rather obsessive stalking of said candidates. For example: while it is understood that a candidate will be followed around, casing a | Read More »
Promoted from diaries. Opposition research is the grist of stark contrasts, fine tuned messages, and yes, even negative campaign tactics. And usually it is a closely guarded secret. An opponent’s record matters in a race, and a good campaign will accumulate as much information as possible about an opponent and strategically time the release of that information to maximize their position and weaken their opponent. | Read More »
I’m not joking about either. Ohio Rep. Jim Renacci (R) told Politico that a neighbor had caught somebody doing precisely that, and I’m pretty sure Politico believes him: they have collected some really, really creepy videos (including one targeting Renacci) of what is apparently an organized effort to sit outside candidate/legislator houses and businesses and… film them. In many cases, going for a 360 degree | Read More »
I say “threatened” because if the NY state legislature doesn’t come to a deal by Wednesday, this is the map that is very likely going to be the one to get used: …and there’s going to be several Members of Congress who will be very unhappy if that happens. Including Steve Israel of the DCCC.
This particular hypocrisy on the part of the Democratic party is almost… pure in its brazenness, really. It goes like so: the Democrats have put together a program called ‘Majority Makers’ where Democrats with good fundraising ability who are expected to win their elections are being tapped to spread some of that raised money around to candidates who aren’t doing so well. This in itself | Read More »
Yeah… I think that somehow DCCC chair Steve Israel didn’t think this one all the way through when he came out in support for the Occupy Wall Street ‘movement.’ Steve Israel Stands With Them. Note that I am utterly unsympathetic to the argument that the OWS movement is merely not being utterly hostile to any random anti-Semites stopping by. Personally, I take the position that | Read More »
Ach, forgive me: in DCCC chair Steve Israel’s mind former Democratic Congressmen who are now the aforementioned dirty, dirty lobbyists are really just poor souls who have to eat and pay the bills. They’re also the only hint of a glimpse of a hope that the man has at putting up something like a competitive roster of candidates in 2012, too. See, here’s the underlying | Read More »
Back in the day, it was pretty strongly alleged that the Democratic party unceremoniously threatened Rep. Steve Israel in order to keep him from running against appointed Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in her primary this year. Strenuously denied at the time, of course – remember, this was before the Sestak and Romanoff scandals erupted – but plausible, very plausible. Both the threats (loss of donor money, | Read More »
“You delivered him to us in 1992. We thought that you might want him back: as you can see, we made a few improvements.” Come on, guys, it’s a joke. Where’s your sense of humor, Democrats? What’s that? You put it up as collateral to fund your last-minute ad buys? Ah. (via @lash3) Moe Lane (crosspost) PS: No, it’d be kind of silly and childish | Read More »
Reportedly, the DCCC has acquired a $17 million dollar line of credit for the November elections. Leaving aside the hilarity of the committee suddenly feeling the need to put in for emergency funds – remember when they were going to crush us with their existing money? How is that going, anyway – here’s a thought to cheer up people’s weekends: if they have the money, | Read More »
The six House Democrats in question would be “Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Gene Taylor of Mississippi, Pete DeFazio of Oregon, Mike McIntyre of North Carolina and Jim Marshall and John Barrow of Georgia:” those are the six House Democrats who have gotten endorsements from a group called ALIPAC (Americans for Legal Immigration PAC), which is fairly obviously a group that heavily favors a stronger line | Read More »
The DCCC confirmed to Politico that WI-08′s Steve Kagen had his ad buys canceled; the usual face-saving excuses were made, but the two-term Congressman is a dead man walking (with some help from Reid Ribble). Also, it looks like AR-02′s Joyce Elliott has been likewise abandoned: I don’t think that that one’s really hit the radar yet, probably because it was an open seat and | Read More »
Via Hotline, here are the latest races where the DCCC has begun the euthanasia process: AZ-08. The incumbent is Gabrielle Giffords, facing Jesse Kelly. The DCCC has cut one week’s worth of ad buys, claiming that Giffords doesn’t need its help. Cook rates this race as Leans Democratic; polling is very sparse, but shows a tie. CO-04. The incumbent is Betsy Markey (yes, the one | Read More »
Via Jim Geraghty, reports are in that the following three districts have been abandoned by the DCCC. Well, technically, all that’s happening is one week’s worth of ad purchases have been canceled by the DCCC. Then again, there’s only four weeks left – and it’s not like any of them are considered safe retentions at this point: IN-08. Open seat: the old incumbent is Brad | Read More »
The DCCC is cutting Hill loose; while it’s being – nervously – categorized as being merely an internal dispute, the practical end result is that the section of the DCCC that can do unlimited funding (independent expenditures) has canceled critical ad time while the section of the DCCC that cannot (coordinated) will be offering, at best, a token 87K. Hill, of course, is the super-genius | Read More »
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