The last time-- the 41st time-- the House voted to defund Obamacare, every single Republican voted yes, making each one a potential target for an "engaged" DCCC. There was a slight glitch. The Republicans are calling it a "bipartisan vote." Why? Because 5 reactionary Blue Dog Democrats voted to defund Obamacare as well-- John Barrow (GA), Collin Peterson (MN), Mike McIntyre (NC), Jim Matheson (UT) and Dan Lipinski (IL).Worse still, three of them-- Barrow, McIntyre and Matheson-- are dependent on the DCCC for their reelection efforts. Last year the DCCC spent over $4 million of these three characters who almost always vote with the GOP on crucial roll calls. They spent $1,080,748 on Barrow, $2,005,888 on McIntyre and $1,269,713 on Matheson. This year the DCCC is expected to spend over $6 million on these three worthless hacks. (Keep that in mind the next time the DCCC asks you for a contribution. All three are also anti-Choice and homophobic.)But none of that stopped the DCCC from launching an annoying robocall campaign against a selected batch of Republicans who voted exactly the same way as Barrow, Peterson, McIntyre, Matheson and Lipinski. Here's one of their robocalls, meant to benefit a wealthy conservative Mystery Meat candidate Steve Israel persuaded to call herself a "Democrat" and run against Rigell, Suzanne Patrick:
“Hi, I’m calling on behalf of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee with a Voter Information Alert. Republicans in Congress are threatening to shut down the government unless they can eliminate your rights and consumer protections under the Affordable Care Act. You heard that right: take away healthcare or shut down the government. That’s the choice. It’s appalling.“And if Congressman Scott Rigell doesn’t make it stop, seniors’ Social Security checks would be up in the air and our military families couldn’t count on getting paid. It would have a devastating impact on families around the country.“And what does this mean for you? It means Republicans are trying to take away your right to health insurance-- even if you have a preexisting condition-- and let the insurance companies start charging outrageous rates again. And if they can’t get it done, they are going to close the doors of our government.“Press 1 to connect with Congressman Rigell and tell him to stop the nonsense and focus on common sense solutions that protect our health care and grow our economy.”
But these ads aren't really meant to get the 27 Republicans to change their minds. If Steve Israel wanted to change anyone's mind, maybe he would tell Barrow, McIntyre and Matheson to start voting like Democrats or risk losing the millions of dollars in DCCC funding they need for their campaigns. And if Israel wanted to change anyone's mind he would go after more vulnerable Republican pals of his like Ileana Ros Lehtinen (R-FL) and Fred Upton (R-MI). Ros Lehtinen's Miami-Dade district went for Obama 53-47% last year. But Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Israel won't let a Democrat run against her. Last year Wasserman Schultz was complicit in electoral fraud by running a cardboard candidate, Manny Yevancey, whose only job was to make sure no actual Democrat would campaign against Wasserman Schultz' close crony and mentor. Yevancey raised no money and never campaigned at all, giving Ros-Lehtinen a free ride to reelection while Obama swept up her district. Israel and Wasserman Schultz hope to replicate that success again next year.As for Michigan, Israel crony Fred Upton (head of the Energy and Commerce Committee, who was called the planet's #1 enemy by the L.A. Times) is the most vulnerable GOP incumbent in the state. His district has a winnable PVI of R+1 and Obama beat McCain 53-45% in 2008 and barely lost to hometown boy Mitt Romney, 49-50%. Any sane DCCC chairman would make that his number #1 priority, at least in the state of Michigan, but instead Israel is trying to help conservative Democrats in much less winnable districts. There was no robocall bought against Upton, of course. (That would have helped grassroots progressive Paul Clements, who Israel is determined to sabotage.) Instead the DCCC bought ads against Tim Walberg (R+3), Dan Benishek (R+5) and Kerry Bentivolio (R+4). The race he cares about is for MI-01, which pits hapless backbencher Benishek against Israel's recruit, Jerry Cannon, the former commander of the Guantánamo Bay gulag. It's a far redder district than Upton's. Obama only took 45% of the district last year. Cannon doesn't have nearly as much of a shot to win there as Clements would have against Upton... if the DCCC would help Clements instead of work against him.
The calls-- paid for by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee-- target U.S. Reps. Dan Benishek, R-Crystal Falls; Kerry Bentivolio, R-Milford; and Tim Walberg, R-Tipton. The ad accuses them of insisting that the Affordable Care Act be defunded, even if it means no deal is reached to fund government beyond Sept. 30.The script says such a shutdown would have “a devastating impact on families around the country.”The three Michigan Republicans are among those who signed onto a letter to House Speaker John Boehner last month calling on him to move legislation that defunds the health care bill, even though it raises the likelihood of a showdown with Democrats and President Barack Obama that could lead to a government shutdown.The letter did not make specific mention of shutting down the government, though. As recently as today, Bentivolio had signed on as a cosponsor of legislation that, on its face, would fund government through the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, though it would defund the health care law.Even if it passes the Republican-led House, the legislation would almost certainly stall in the Democratic-led Senate, still leaving the two chambers to agree on a spending plan by the end of the month."
This is the full list of the targets of Israel's poutrage. The candidates in bold lettering are already facing Israeli recruits:Dan Benishek (MI-01)Kerry Bentivolio (MI-11)Mike Coffman (CO-06)Rodney Davis (IL-13)Jeff Denham (CA-10)Sean Duffy (WI-07)Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08)Scott Garrett (NJ-05)Chris Gibson (NY-19)Michael Grimm (NY-11)Joe Heck (NV-03)David Joyce (OH-14)John Kline (MN-02)Tom Latham (IA-03)Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02)David McKinley (WV-01)Gary Miller (CA-31)Erik Paulsen (MN-03)Steve Pearce (NM-02)Tom Reed (NY-23)Scott Rigell (VA-02)Jon Runyan (NJ-03)Steve Southerland (FL-02)Lee Terry (NE-02)David Valadao (CA-21)Tim Walberg (MI-07)Kevin Yoder (KS-03)