In Unusual Move, NRCC Pushes Policy
House Min. Leader John Boehner's office is organizing an unusual marriage of politics and policy as House GOPers pull out all the stops to defeat health care legislation this week.
In an unusual move, the NRCC will send last-minute robo-calls into districts held by fence-sitting Dems, aiming to pressure them into voting against health care legislation this weekend. Calls will go to voters in 68 districts targeted under the NRCC's "Code Red" program.
What makes it an unconventional arrangement is that many members the call targets are not top GOP targets. The calls will target Reps. Dan Boren (D-OK), Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), Collin Peterson (D-MN) and Gene Taylor (D-MS), among others -- none of whom are facing competitive races this year.
The NRCC is also running calls in districts held by Reps. Artur Davis (D-AL), Brian Baird (D-WA), John Tanner (D-TN), Bart Gordon (D-TN), Charlie Melancon (D-LA) and Marion Berry (D-AR). Baird, Tanner, Gordon and Berry are retiring after this year. Davis and Melancon are running for other offices.
Though the robo-calls aren't likely to be very expensive, they do indicate that the NRCC is spending money for a specific legislative goal, rather than a political goal. The scripts into Baird's district, for example, do not mention Denny Heck or Craig Pridemore, the leading Dem contenders to replace Baird. And Davis's district gave Pres. Obama a 3-1 margin, meaning even in very favorable climes the GOP would have little chance of winning the seat.
"This entire campaign has one goal, and that's to defeat this bill," said NRCC spokesman Paul Lindsay. GOPers "want to send one last warning to these members to defeat this bill."
The Code Red project may not have moved many votes -- Dems gained another backer for health care reform Friday morning when Rep. John Boccieri (D-OH) said he would flip his previous "no" vote for a "yes" -- but it has helped the NRCC. Traffic to the website is up 300 times after Rush Limbaugh touted the program, and top party leaders, including ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin, ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney, ex-Speaker Newt Gingrich and MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty, have promoted it to their own followers.
GOPers have threatened to hang the health care vote around Dems' necks this Nov. The party is planning to launch several TV ads aimed at members who vote in favor of the bill, though those ads will generate more earned media than paid; early ad buys indicate the GOP is only purchasing small amounts of cable airtime.
The final round of calls urge listeners to call their members of Congress and tell them to vote no, citing cuts to Medicare and increased taxes. The scripts suggest votes could happen at any moment, though House Dem leaders have signaled the vote will actually take place sometime after 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Hm Hm... it sure does give a perspective to the stuff...