Contributing to progressives (0.00 / 0)

Even though there are some long shots in this list, I'd like to contribute to any of these candidates who has a track record of being solidly progressive.

It is much more satisfying to contribute to a progressive with a chance of winning, than to contribute to a more conservative democrat just because they are in a very close race. I'm always looking for information in the blogs to make that distinction.

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by: Mark Wallace @ Sat May 17, 2008 at 11:57:13 AM CDT

Progressives (0.00 / 0)

Dan Seals in IL-10, Larry Kissell in NC-08, Sam Bennett in PA-15, Perriello in VA-05, and Darcy Burner in WA-08.  

I'd appreciate input on this question myself.  I think all or most have signed on to the Responsible Plan for ending the war.

John McCain--He's not who you think he is.

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by: Mimikatz @ Sat May 17, 2008 at 14:15:21 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Also (0.00 / 0)

Eric Massa in NY-25; Charlie Brown in CA-04 (other thread); and Vic Wulsin in 0H-02 are the three that we absolutely must get across the line this cycle in addition to Darcy, Donna (done!), and Dan Maffei, in terms of rewarding and backing strong progressives in marginal or uphill districts. Dan Seals and Larry Kissell are also part of that group. Parochially for me here in Virginia, Judy Feder is a mainstream progressive, and this might be her last chance in the district.

Sam and Tom are potential rising stars if we can get them elected, and both, along with Darcy, Eric, and Donna, were amongst the initial 10 candidates that spearheaded the Responsible Plan.  

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by: Ron @ Sat May 17, 2008 at 15:00:14 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Statewide GOTV (0.00 / 0)

One thing to keep in mind is the added impact of intensive GOTV efforts, particularly in contested states, such as Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Florida.  That's nine seats from the list above.  My bet is that we win at least 2/3rds of all such seats--which would be 6 of 9 at this point.

Add Missouri, North Carolina and Nevada to the battleground category, as seems almost certain, and we have 12 House seats, with a projected pickup of 8.  If we split the rest, we pick up 12 of 20.

"Senate passes expanded GI bill despite Bush, McCain opposition"

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by: Paul Rosenberg @ Sat May 17, 2008 at 12:16:41 PM CDT

Thanks Again For Your Work (0.00 / 0)

I've been looking for something like this so I can figure out where to donate.

Darcy Burner is definitely getting my money, given that I live in Seattle. So is Begich, the Alaska senate candidate who is going to put Ted Stevens out of our misery, and Berokwitz, who could unseat Young. (Here is a letter I wrote to the Anchorage Daily News about the sad state of Republican corruption up there.)

Beyond those three, though, I've been in a quandary. Your lists will definitely help. By the way, if the Democrats pick up only 20 House seats I'll be disappointed. Thirty seats is about the minimum required to make me think that there's anything terribly extraordinary going on.

Come on, they won Hastert's seat and stomped on the whack-job in Mississippi-01 by, what, 8 points? I might not dream as big as Rosenberg, but if our side can't pick up at least 30 in the House and get damn close (or maybe better than close) to 60 in the Senate, then someone's got some 'splainin' to do.

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by: C-Pluckhahn @ Sat May 17, 2008 at 19:58:50 PM CDT

An Idea For A Followup (0.00 / 0)

This is for much later, but as time goes by it would be great if you could monitor the campaigns on your list to give people an idea of which ones are most in need of money.

It would also be interesting, as a long-term project, for someone to write about which campaigns are best at using resources. I mean, look at Hillary Clinton. From what I read, those people really pissed it away. I'm not sure about Obama.

I'm not real interested in making contributions that wind up buying new Jaguars for same same, rotating team of what, five or six political consultants who for the last 25 years have built the ineffectual mess that we have now.

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by: C-Pluckhahn @ Sat May 17, 2008 at 20:10:35 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Consider Anne Barth in WV-02 (4.00 / 1)

She's shaping up to be a fantastic candidate. For example, in her first 10 weeks in the campaign she raised almost as money as the incumbent did in all of 08Q1. As a pro-choice female she matches up really well against ineffective Bush-McCain Republican Capito.

This is a great chance to unseat the most senior Republican politician in the state. In addition to turning a House seat Red to Blue, it'll have a future effect of solidifying future Democratic odds to retain Byrd and Rockefeller Senate seats as Dem. seats (Capito is most viable candidates for Republicans if there's an open seat).

You can find a lot of information about Barth at West Virginia Blue. Since Barth handily won her primary earlier this week, our front page has turned into a total Barth-fest. :-)

I need to make sure all those stories are properly tagged, eventually they'll all show up on our Anne Barth tag, too.

Action links: Anne Barth for Congress :: Volunteer :: Donate ::

They call me Clem, Clem Guttata. Come visit wild, wonderful West Virginia Blue

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by: WVaBlue @ Sat May 17, 2008 at 20:49:25 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

WA-08: Darcy Burner vs. Dave Reichert - Toss Up (0.00 / 0)

It should be noted that CQ now rates the WA-08 race between Darcy Burner and Dave Reichert as "No Clear Favorite".

On The Road To 2008: Commentary on issues as we countdown to the next opportunity to change the direction of America

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by: Daniel K @ Sat May 17, 2008 at 20:49:37 PM CDT

More About Campaign Organizations (0.00 / 0)

Someone with knowledge in the subject ought to consider writing about campaigns. How they work, how they're organized, what that whole "industry" looks like.

My gut feel is that a lot of wheels get reinvented all the time, and that there is hence a lot of inefficiency and waste. It would be interesting, from a donor's point of view, and I think from a campaign operative's point of view, and a potential candidate's point of view, to have someone open the hood and talk about how the engine works.

I realize that such a treatise could wind up becoming a means of score-settling. I'm sure there is quite a bit of incestuous back-biting in that business. Yet, this is true of all kinds of businesses, yet people still manage to explain them at a nuts-and-bolts (not a novelistic) level.

Maybe this stuff already exists and I don't know about it?

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by: C-Pluckhahn @ Sun May 18, 2008 at 13:45:43 PM CDT

Florida district 6 race should be mentioned! (0.00 / 0)

 I find amazing Tim Cuhna who is running against Cliff Stearns was not mention in this article. After years of neglect, in Florida district 6 we finally have a great candidate who could possibly beat Stearns. For almost 20 years, Stearns has been one of the most right wing extremists in congress, often voting against the values of his own party. Stearns even voted against expanding the GI bill, but he could soon be kicked of congress.
Many in district 6 are excited to finally have a strong candidate to oppose him; Tim Cuhna has proven an energetic candidate that has moved many University of Florida's students (the University is located in the middle of the district). Cuhna is making an organized effort to kick Stearns out of congress, and giving hope to many Floridians that had lost it. Consequently, I believe it's important this race be brought out in your third installment of top targets for congress. A victory here, would mean kicking out one of the most extremists in congress, and bringing central Florida back into the Blue.  

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by: carolusmagnus @ Sun May 18, 2008 at 21:57:23 PM CDT

Repblican CDs Going Down in Flames (0.00 / 0)

Mimikatz, Thanks so much for posting again on the Congressional Races for 2008.  Here's a few more races that you haven't highlighted yet that the Democrats should shoot for in 2008:

NY-3  is a D+2 district, where Republican Representative Peter King has won by declining margins over the last three elections and is teatering on the fence.  Here's his declinging margin of victory over the last three elections:

2002: 45 points
2004:   26 points
2006: 12 points

There's no reason that Repubican Congressmen should breath air so close to NYC, especially when Vito Fosella (R) NY-13, the last Repubican in NYC, is on this way out.  

Then there's CA-50.  Ah yes, this District had the distinct pleasure of seeing it's former Repubican representative, Duke Cunningham, convicted of taking bribes from DMZ, Inc., a defense contrator that went bankrupt soon after scandal broke.  DMX, Inc. has been tied to Virgil Goode, VA-5, who has been dubed the Richard Pombo of 2008.

Francine Busby lost CA-50 in two close races against the Republican incumbent that replaced Duke Cunningham, who's now in jail for taking bribes from the owner of DMX, Inc.  The owner of DMX, Inc., Mitchell Wade, is also in jail.  Yes, that's the same Mitchell Wade, who illegally contributed to Virgil Goode's campaign fund.  

That's right, convicted briber, Mitchell Wade took money out of his bank account, gave it to several other people, who then wrote checks to Virgil Goode's campaign fund far in excess of federal campaign limits.  Duke Cunniham was convicted of bribery for accepting money from Mitchell Wade.  Kathleen Harris took money fron Wade as well.  She wasn't convicted in 2006, but she was defeated.  Virgi Good, he's still in Congress.  MimiKatz already included this race in her earlier post.  

Nick Leibham (D) is running in CA-50 and had raised over $314, 000 as of March 31, 2008.  He hopes to beat Republican Brian Bilbray.  

Then there is VA-2, where the Republican Thelma Drake barely held on to this seat by 2 points in 2006.  This CD is technicaly a long shot becuase it has a PVI of R+6, but Drake's 2 point victory in came when gas still sold for under $3.00 a gallon.  Ah yes, the good old days.  

The Democrats are going to win a ton of seats in 2008.  

Saxby Chambliss, worse than disgraceful; he's reprehensible.  

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by: gunnar @ Sun May 18, 2008 at 23:37:53 PM CDT