Yesterday we looked at the lead-up to last night's historic Senate vote for ENDA. The anti-gay filibuster was shut down 61-30, every Democrat plus 7 Republicans voting for equality.
Last week DCCC staffers were eager to push out a story by Shira Center and Emily Cahn in Roll Call, House Democrats Pull Pages From The Rahm Playbook.
There are only 9 congressional districts with PVIs of zero. They are neither R+1 nor D+1. They are true 50/50 swing districts. Every single one of them is fiercely contested every election cycle… except one. Obama won all these districts in 2008 and, with one exception (IL-13), he won all of them last year. The 9 districts have 3 GOP incumbents and 6 Democratic incumbents. The DCCC has targeted the 3 Republicans and the NRCC has targeted 5 of the 6 Democrats.
Sometimes I get confused between the national committees-- the DCCC, DSCC, DNC, RNC, NRSC and NRCC-- and the Beltway pundits that service them, particularly Cook and Rothenberg. Rothenberg's column for Roll Call Monday was a riot. I especially laugh when he and Cook defer to the DCCC and call their ridiculous side-show races "top tier" which fools no one (except, apparently Nancy Pelosi) as the money is flittered away on absurd candidates in absurd races.
I've been very excited about how the MoveOn/PPP polls show all those Republican committee chairs who Steve Israel tries to give free reelection passes to are vulnerable because of their support for shutting down the government. Israel only knows how to go up against hapless backbenchers and leaves the evil-doers alone. Opponents to Republican policymakers like Buck McKeon, Paul Ryan, Darrell Issa, Fred Upton, Mike Rogers, etc get no support from the DCCC.
I always flirt with death I could kill, but I don't care about it I can face your threats Stand up tall and scream and shout about it I think I'm on another world with you I'm on another planet with you You always get under my skin I don't find it irritating You always play to win I don't need rehabilitating Another girl, another planet Another girl, another planet Space travels in my blood And there ain't nothing I can do about it Long journeys wear me out Oh God we won't live without it Another girl is loving you now Another planet, forever holding you down Another planet
So what's left after the Republican shutdown of the U.S. government? A slowdown in economic growth, $150 billion in lost GDP, 900,000 lost jobs and a $24 billion bill to American taxpayers first and foremost. But now Ted Cruz has a million of more names and email addresses on his potential donor list (his phony-baloney petition to repeal the Affordable Care Act).
In 1994, the Republican slime machine went after the wrong Foley-- purposefullyTom Foley, age 84, died Friday at his Washington, DC home. He was elected to Congress in 1965, succeeded John Brademas as Majority Whip in 1981, then Jim Wright as Majority Leader in 1987 and then Wright in 1989 as Speaker of the House. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Heather, who was at his bedside when he died. Wife, you ask? Don't be stunned.
Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal was celebrating a shady, little know right-wing ideologue and GOP operative for the glory the Republicans have heaped on themselves in recent weeks with the government shut down and impending default debacle.
No one's afraidFor the Democrats to take back the House and put an end to fanatic Tea Party excesses, the DCCC has to wrest at least 25 seats away from GOP incumbents (or win in open red districts). That's because it's likely that several Blue Dogs and New Dems who have disappointed their constituents-- particularly Mike McIntyre (NC), Jim Matheson (UT), Scott Peters (CA), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) and John Barrow (GA)-- will lose reelection efforts.
