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Posted on 10/14/2014 1:47:51 PM PDT by Second Amendment First
Three weeks out from an election that could give Republicans an historic majority, House Democrats are resorting to the painful strategy of retreat.
Faced with a perilous midterm environment and a sudden gush of Republican cash, Democrats are shifting cash from blue-chip recruits to prop up teetering incumbents. The goal is to minimize losses and keep Republicans from their most dominant hold on the House since Harry Truman’s presidency — potentially expelling Democrats from the speaker’s chair for years to come.
In recent days, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has scrapped spending on behalf of two prominent candidates in districts the party had high hopes of snatching from the GOP: Colorado Democrat Andrew Romanoff, a former state House speaker once seen as the party’s best 2014 prospect; and Virginia Democrat John Foust, who is trying to defeat Republican Barbara Comstock, a hard-nosed former operative who played a key role in the investigations of President Bill Clinton in the 1990s.
The money that had been planned in those districts, where airing TV ads is costly, is being shifted to shore up incumbents and keep once-safe seats in the party’s column. Conservative outside groups in recent days have invested millions of dollars in races, erasing what had been a sizable Democratic financial advantage.
Democratic strategists say they’re trying to determine how much damage they might incur on election night. On Monday, the DCCC announced a $600,000 investment to save a suddenly endangered northeastern Iowa district that President Barack Obama won by 14 percentage points. It was an unmistakable sign of how much the political terrain has shifted against Democrats since the 2012 election.
Other similar moves could be on the way.
“Making these decisions is the hardest part of this job, but the amount of outside Republican money raining down on our incumbents means that we need to fine-tune our reservations,” New York Rep. Steve Israel, the DCCC chairman, wrote in an email. “It hurts to scale back any ad buy, but especially when you have strong candidates like Foust and Romanoff who are polling well, have momentum and could win their races.”
Democrats are now almost exclusively playing defense. Of the 28 districts seen as most seriously in contention, all but seven are held by Democrats. Republicans are virtually assured to expand their current 17-seat majority; strategists have pegged GOP gains at six to eight seats. But if Republicans can reach their goal of netting 11 seats, they will have their largest majority since 1949.
The good news for Democrats is that, at least for now, there’s no indication that Republicans are poised for a double-digit gain. Of the 18 Democratic incumbents in the most challenging races, pollsters from both parties say, there isn’t one who appears certain to lose. While 2014 is shaping up to be a good year for Republicans, they add, it does not yet resemble the wave-like environment of 1994 and 2010 for Republicans, or 2006 and 2008 for Democrats.
Republicans are hopeful that a late push from deep-pocked conservative groups could yield bigger gains. Over the final three weeks of the campaign, GOP-aligned outside organizations have reserved more than $22 million worth of commercial air time in competitive districts across the county, nearly double the investment from third-party Democratic groups.
During the final stretch of the election, few Democrats will be targeted with more cash from GOP-friendly outfits than Rep. Ami Bera, a California Democrat who was first elected two years ago. Conservative groups will spend nearly $3 million against Bera, far outpacing their liberal counterparts.
In that race and others, conservative groups are coordinating their efforts to avoid overlap. On Tuesday, American Action Network began airing a TV commercial attacking Bera for his past support of Obamacare. That ad will run through Oct. 20, and the next day Congressional Leadership Fund, a group with close ties to House Speaker John Boehner, will begin a commercial buy in the district that will go on for a week. Finally, the baton will be passed to the Karl Rove-founded American Crossroads, which will air ads for the final week leading up to Election Day.
(Also on POLITICO: Clinton jabs media's modern mindset)
The outside help has helped House Republicans close a financial gap that has dogged them all year. The DCCC out-raised its GOP counterpart, the National Republican Congressional Committee, by $33 million. But now the DCCC finds itself spread thin and forced to compensate for the conservative group barrage. The money once meant for Foust, for example, has been reallocated to Bera.
“Their donors’ willingness to spend whatever it takes is forcing us to play defense and makes it very difficult for us to take advantage of all the offensive opportunities that exist out there in the country,” said Ali Lapp, executive director of House Majority PAC, a prominent Democratic organization that invests in House races.
Democrats say they are short-changed in part because they spent heavily early in hopes of defining Republican candidates before the heart of the political season, when the TV airwaves would become crowded with commercials. Some Republicans argue that was a mistake, giving them an opportunity to dominate during the final three weeks of the election when many voters are just starting to pay attention.
In a midterm election where the fight for the Senate has taken the spotlight, strategists with the conservative groups say it suddenly makes sense to pour money into House races. Senate contests are already saturated with TV ads, so the money is likely to have a bigger impact on a House race.
At the very least, the conservative strategists say, they’ve caught Democrats off guard and given Republicans momentum in the homestretch.
On Tuesday, Brian Walsh, the president of American Action Network and a prominent GOP strategist, posted an article to his Facebook page highlighted his group’s latest TV purchase. He concluded with a quote from Ulysses Grant.
“In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten, then he who continues the attack wins.”
shoulda thought of this before yinz voted for Obamacare, eh?
Great Movie. Just watched again it a couple of days ago.
Low budget John Carpenter Movie, but worth it.
They filmed it across from the Building where I used to work in Los Angeles.
It was based on a short story, “eight o’clock in the morning”.
With the Media, Government and Crony Capitalist’s we have today, it was very prophetic.
Great Movie. Just watched IT AGAIN a couple of days ago.
Oops...
Sweet The Senate
Awesome video to watch and pass on. Sound up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3KHKb2MQ24&feature=youtu.be
If they don't force obama to veto all kinds of reforms and repeal of obamacare the pendulum will swing right back to the Rats in 2016 and hillary will win easily.
If they do force obama to veto numerous bills they have to call him a liar when he misrepresents the bills and call hillary a liar when she says she will sign them. Do I think Bohener and McConell will do this, NO. Maybe they will prove me wrong.
I couldn’t even tell you the name of the democrat running in my district.
My ideal outcome is the Senate goes Republican without McConnell. Had the democrats ran an actual moderate, the seat would be an easy win for them.
I can also understand why folks want Cochran to lose too.
In my opinion if the military and every agency within the executive branch along with judges appointed during this illegal presidency are not purged the pilfering of the treasury will continue. The outlay’s of money to green and donors to campaigns is beyond conflict of interest....MASS jailing’s are needed along with confiscation of any gains with outrageous interest , the same way we lowly citizens are treated. Beyond that chase down anyone complicit obama/sotoreo ...another realistic action would be to dissolve all federal employee unions...scorched government is the only logical way to get any sense of a federal republic and give back the power to states. I am all over the place and could write a small book with the hope I have for the fantastic nation I am fortunate enough to reside..keep your flag flying and powder dry.
Good one.
There used to be a joke doing the cycle about going to hell.
One individual wound up there.
He was introduced to three rooms with different settings.
Each had a pool of rotten eggs (substitute at will).
In room one the eggs were 2 feet deep. There people were standing on their heads.
In room two the eggs were 3.5 feet deep. There people were standing on their heads.
In room three the eggs were deep enough to come up to his chin, but at least the people were standing on their feet.
When asked which room the guy wanted to go into, he picked three. At least his head would be above the rotten eggs.
He had been standing in there 12 minutes when the voice came over the loudspeaker, “Okay, break’s over, back on your heads.”
Who knows how the new Congress will shake things up for good or evil.
Run the RAT scum right out to sea!!!!
They are making a lot of painful moves and difficult decisions. So far, however, no democrat has been forced to resort to the desperate measure of actually respecting the Constitution.
Let me try and explain it for you. After being a lifelong Pub. (I contributed to the party, candidates, worked in the local office and worked as an election judge) I walked away and vowed to never vote for a GOPe "moderate" again after the GOPe voted to exempt themselves and their staffs from obamacare, but let it be imposed on me and my family. No more holding my nose and voting for the lesser of 2 evils.
I will vote for conservatives. I will give contributions to conservatives. I will work to help get conservatives elected. I will not support the GOPe or any of their candidates.
The demonic party has been a cancer on America since the days of Woodrow Wilson.
...or being (of all things) HONEST.
I hate RINO’s as much as anyone, but I HATE DEMOCRATS as much as I HATE COMMUNISTS and JIHADISTS. Democrats are the Party of Financial Slavery and Treason, selling the Public Treasury to the highest Bidder, which comes cheaply at the price of a Vote.
For good or for bad we have a Two Party System in place. I would prefer to influence the Republican Party while they are in Power than to continue to be a victim of Democrat Policies.
With Republicans in Power we at least have a voice, not a loud voice but a voice nonetheless. Under Democrats, we are considered less than Vermin. I’ll take Door Number One Alex.
Look at the strides the Liberals / Democrats / Commies / Progressives have achieved in just six years under Obama.
Cutting one’s Nose off to spite one’s Face isn’t working.
Just my $.02, your mileage my vary. Not looking to start a flame war here. It is what it is, period.
Love seeing the pain on Politico’s face as they sh*t bricks.
Not trying to change your mind or start a Food fight. We just look at the same situation a little differently.
When you don’t Vote for the Lesser of Two Evils, you get Evil on Steroids. It only changes for the worse. Obama proves that point each and every day.
He is the only POTUS that I have actually HATED with a passion. Carter and Billy Boy were annoying, but Obama is an entirely different Animal, along with the Sycophants that put him in Power.
As for me, any Republican with a Pulse is better than any Democrat, period. Opinions differ, so be it.
Again, just my $.02, your mileage may vary.
Agree.
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