The Dems’ new midterm challenge: Replicate Ossoff's success (June 16 Article)

McClatchyDC ^ | June 18, 2017 4:27 PM | Alex Roarty

[keat]

MARIETTA, Ga. —

Democrats have discovered something unexpected in Jon Ossoff, the 30-year-old first-time candidate from Georgia: a model for winning back the House majority.

Now they just need to try and replicate it — over the possible objections of the party’s liberal base.

If Ossoff wins Tuesday’s special election in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, he’ll have done so because he harnessed the unbridled enthusiasm of the progressive left while carefully avoiding its most polarizing positions.

The fresh-faced House candidate has raised nearly $25 million, much of it from small-dollar liberal donors, even as he resisted progressive priorities, such as single-payer health care.

It’s an ideal combination in this wealthy Atlanta suburb, the kind of onetime Republican stronghold that Trump has made competitive and some Democrats see as their best chance to make big gains during the midterm elections.

But mimicking Ossosff’s approach might not be so easy. Already, Democrats are eyeing a constellation of primaries in key battlegrounds next year, races that could force the eventual nominees to adopt positions and rhetoric that leave them more vulnerable in a general election.

At least in districts like Georgia's 6th, the dynamic could complicate the party’s path to victory in competitive races.

"There will be many primaries this cycle because Democrats are energized by opposition to Trump and sense opportunity in his bad poll numbers," said Ian Russell, a former political director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "Candidates will have to carefully calibrate their messaging to make sure they are able to win the primary without alienating general-election voters."

Russell emphasized that it’s still too early in the election cycle to know for sure if the primaries will make life difficult for the party.

[keat]

Ouch, I saw this in our local paper a few days back and had to dig it up.

Fresh-faced, small dollar donors, lol.

[Col Frank Slade]

Agree. Follow the Ossoff model.

[Enterprise]

LOL!!! Rosie O’Donnell is hardly fresh faced.

[battle_cry_of_freedom]

Once again, the silent minority of common sense routes the outrageous, obnoxiously loud marxist globalist minority!

[2banana]

Doh!!!!!!

And lies.

Maybe they should try something new...

+++

he’ll have done so because he harnessed the unbridled enthusiasm of the progressive left while carefully avoiding its most polarizing positions.

[lee martell]

The biggest lesson is that out of state donors can strongly influence local elections. I thought there were more restrictions on allowing this to happen. Maybe there aren’t.
This method will be used again. The Dems are becoming desperate. The GOP should not rest too comfortably on it’s laurels. This election should not have been so close in a formerly bright red district. Take nothing for granted.

[pgkdan]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Yes democrats, please do this! Run ‘fresh faced’ pajama boys all over the country in 2018! Please, please, pretty please.

[Red Badger]

[MNJohnnie]

yes please do. Please pump millions of dollars more into solid red GOP districts.

[Grampa Dave]

LS, this might be the best laugh of a great day.

Thanks to Keat for posting this for us dumb deploreables!:)

[battle_cry_of_freedom]

Once again, the silent majority of common sense routes the outrageous, obnoxiously loud marxist globalist minority! sorry had to edit!

[commish]

I agree. Copy everything Ossoff did. Keep piling up those Moral Victories Dems. We support you fully in that endeavor.

[Red Badger]

[Political Junkie Too]

Democrats have been replicating the "Ossoff Model" for decades: Get Republicans to dilute their vote by running too many candidates, letting the Democrat candidate eke out a plurality.

-PJ

[jmaroneps37]

Go away silly Democrat controlled media your empty headedness is embarrassing you and all of sillyDemocratkind.

[cgbg]

The MSM loves to call us Neanderthals.

I guess that makes them poop throwing monkeys. :-)

[Vince Ferrer]

The best part of this is how much money was wasted. This is also the reason why it is so important to cut off the government money supply to progressives, so that they have to spend their own money. This is something only President Trump is doing. Every other republican president and congressman would run against democrats while never attacking their money sources, and then being surprised when democrats come back. By 2020 they will have to pick their battles by what

[LostPassword]

The model appears to be:

1) Lie your oss off
2) Hope nobody notices you are Pelosi’s puppet

He accomplished the first but voters were too smart for the second.

[samtheman]

Back to the drawing board!

[Redmen4ever]

Maybe I missed it. Did any of you see where the article discusses calling Republicans racists, play-acting stabbing the President to death, talking about bombing the White House, shooting Congressmen, and engaging in conspiracy theory? Are these some of the things the Democrats want to replicate in the mid-term elections, so they can motivate the base and get all those small donations rolling in?