Actions speak louder than words. That's why Democratic control of the House is looking more tenuous by the day. As the party begins to build its firewall to prevent a GOP takeover, top strategists are working to salvage seats that few considered Republican pickup opportunities just a few months ago.
The majority party is slowly starting to open its checkbook, spending millions of dollars on hard-hitting advertisements and mail campaigns aimed at undermining Republicans around the country. But the districts in which it is advertising were once considered safe, indicating that it is Republicans who have had the most success in putting seats in play.
This week, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee began running ads in seats held by Reps. Bill Delahunt (Mass.), Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Phil Hare (Ill.), Bill Foster (Ill.), Leonard Boswell (Iowa), Sanford Bishop (Ga.), and John Salazar (Colo.). In each district, Democrats won re-election by significant, if not overwhelming, margins in 2008. Now, Democrats view every one of those seats as endangered.
The districts represent a broad cross-section of the country, from Foster's suburban Chicago seat to Delahunt's tony Cape Cod district, from Salazar's Western Slope to Boswell's mix of urban Des Moines and rural farmland. President Obama won six of those seven districts with more than 54 percent of the vote (Obama took 48 percent of the vote in Salazar's district, narrowly losing to John McCain).
Those races have drawn attention from Republicans and their outside allies as well. Republicans and third-party groups have already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars against Donnelly, Foster, and Salazar. On Wednesday, the National Republican Congressional Committee said it would add Bishop, Hare, and Salazar to its already packed target list. Bishop, Boswell, and Delahunt have, so far, been spared -- and yet Democrats still feel compelled to defend them with TV spots.
Democrats are endeavoring, in essence, to find the edge of the Republican wave and begin fighting back. By defending members who are least at risk, the theory goes, they can put those races away early, leaving them free to concentrate their fire on Republican candidates more likely to win Democratic seats.
A senior Democratic official familiar with the party's spending habits described the playing field as akin to a bull's-eye: Democrats work at the margins to shrink the bull's-eye, defending candidates who are easily saved before moving on to more vulnerable members, erecting a firewall against the advancing Republican storm.
"Our strategy is to win, and that's what we're doing. Reading anything else into it is not accurate. We're confident Democrats will hold the majority," said Jennifer Crider, the DCCC's communications director.
But what's telling is how far out on the margins Democrats feel compelled to begin. Republicans need to net 39 seats to win back a House majority. On both Democratic and Republican target lists, members like Hare, Bishop, Foster, and Salazar fall well below the 39th most competitive seat.
Meanwhile, much more vulnerable Democrats, who face much better-funded Republican challengers, are seeing their ad buys cut, a clear sign that Democrats believe spending money on their behalf is a waste of resources. Earlier this week, Democrats cut ad buys in districts held by Reps. Betsy Markey (Colo.), Harry Teague (N.M.), Chet Edwards (Texas), and Suzanne Kosmas (Fla.), and in open seats being vacated by Reps. Brad Ellsworth (Ind.) and Dennis Moore (Kan.).
Those six seats are among the most likely to flip to Republican control. The new head-to-head battleground for the parties is in districts like Arizona-05, home of Democrat Harry Mitchell. Earlier this week, the NRCC purchased $146,000 in airtime aimed at knocking Mitchell off his perch. On Wednesday, Democrats filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission showing they had purchased $248,000 in ads on Mitchell's behalf. A popular former mayor of Tempe, Mitchell won his seat in 2006 and 2008 by fighting against an aggressive series of Republican assaults.
In Colorado, Republicans now consider Salazar a bigger priority than Markey. Markey's race is already in the bag, the GOP believes; Salazar's could determine who wields the majority. As the GOP keeps broadening its range, the Democrats' choice of where to focus their defense could determine just how large either side's majority actually becomes.
So if the Republicans take the Majority in the House, will this person, confident that the Democratic Party will keep the majority, resign?
Perhaps not that confident.
Uh, Democrats? - What if rather contracting in from the edge of the bull's eye, the size of the target simply expands more?! This week the DCCC is defending Boswell and Bishop - maybe next week it's the Murphys of NY and CT, Yarmuth of KY, and Michaud of ME?...
Friday should tell whether the Democrats have any shot at keeping the House and/or the Senate. If unemployment is up (Gallup says it's over 10%) the Democrats are toast.
You hear the liberal spin that "Democrats see the polls tightening, and they feel more optimistic," and then you read this, which puts the lie to the DNC crapfest. Who are you going to believe - the DNC or your lying eyes?
Don - why is it that liberals always demand the most extreme consequences for those they disagree with?
People who think the government needs to cut its spending rather than asking for more in taxes are told they shouldnt be allowed to use public roads, libraries, or the post office (even though the taxes they are already paying now are how those things can exist).
The left's approach is "give us more or we will take it all". The natural end of such thinking has been played out in various unfortunate countries around the world and Americans are voting accordingly.
The GOP will take the House by a 45-55 margin, but Reid Wilson has a tendency to exaggerate. Donnelly is near 50% according to a poll released yesterday. Initially Boswell was in serious trouble..but then a GOP poll put him at 51% last month. Others are seriously endangered though I have not seen any polling on Delahunt's seat.
GOP taking over the house = more tax breaks for the rich, more unemployment, social security cut, and more lobbyists, and more corruption.
GOP = rich man's party and leave the middle class behind.
RNC circulates study that shows Dem tax plan is better for poor than GOP one:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/10/rnc_circulates_study_that_show.html?wprss=plum-line
I am the middle class being shafted by the Democrats. Please save your whining about Republicans killing the middle class for people stupid enough to believe. I am an owner in a small business and we put a hiring freeze on and we are contemplating lay-offs without renewed tax breaks. That is reality.
demonrants b going down
Hotline...socially useless like always. You guys are modern day astrologers.
Boswell is more than likely gone. Given the weakness at the top of the Democratic ticket, Gov. Chet Culver (trailing by double digits), the Iowa Congressional delegation will be almost completely Republican, with Sen. Tom Harkin the exception. That will translate to Republican control of the General Assembly as well. I wouldn't count on Iowa being a pro-gay marriage state in 4 years.
The races that Pubs should focus on should be on high turnout races where the Pubs actually work hard to get out as many working class Reagan Dems, Indies, Pubs, Libertarians and Teas to drop the Dem Firewall. And Pubs should stop shooting their wounded and support every Pub just in case there will actually be even more surprises on Nov. 2. Remember, that winning state legislative races as well as guv races for the Pubs because of re-districting ala Census for 2012. And Dems cheat. Remember that. They always cheat and Pubs better have lawyers, poll watchers to realize that. Having just viewed 3 liberal sites,Kos,HuffPost, and Firedog,I realize as never before that liberals are insane. LOL
Instead of all of the above, what the Democrats
should be doing right now is acting like they
are Americans! Yes, if they would act like
they loved this country and their people they'd
have a better chance.
Right now we have a woman that lost her
husband to a MURDERING BUNCH ON A LAKE OFF
THE AMERICAN STATE OF TEXAS! Our president,
BARACK OBAMA HAS HAD NOTHING TO SAY! HE HAS
DONE NOTHING! Except he has allowed his party
members to allude to the idea that maybe she
killed her own husband!
YOU HAVE HAD A FEW DAYS NOW OBAMA - - what
do you intend to do? Talk politics, play some
hoops, or spend the next few days on the
golf course?
The limit of the GOP wave has to be 70 seats. Course if that is true than that means the GOP basically can turn a 39 seat deficit into a 31 seat edge. Not bad for a dying party, eh?
Clearly, the Left is now just playing blind man's whack-a-mole.
And I don't think they're hitting many moles.
100 seat flips is now within the R's reach, and this story just confirms it. The D's will likely give them 10 of those seats just out of pure stupidity.
Even the firewall is on fire! There are no safe seats for the Dems this year.
There is a clear difference in parties.
Democrats are the party of food stamps and the
Republicans are the party of paychecks.
Today Pelosi said the best way to create jobs was with food stamps and unemployment insurance. I guess that is what Pelosi expects the people to live off of daily under the Democrats.
You know the Dems are in trouble when Barney Frank has to actually get out, actively campaign and bring in Billy Clinton to stump for him. He usually wins by big majorities and is now finding he has to use his war chest on his campaign rather than weaker Dems. Pelosi is also on the campaign trail, though I dont expect her to lose her race, only her military jet, gavel and speakers podium. Very telling.
Tx Dude Guy, which are you? I'm betting #3.
The Democratic Party is nothing more than a coalition of the following special interest groups:
1. Socialists/communists
2. Environmental fascists
3. Gay marriage, and otherwise homosexual activists organizations
4. Black nationalists
5. Open Borders, America has no sovereignty types
6. Union thugs
7. Government workers who add nothing TO, but drain billions of dollars FROM the economy.
8. System gamers
9. Welfare recipients
10. Convicted felons seeking the ability to vote again
11. Ambulance chasing trial lawyers
12. Activist judges who seek to re-write both common law and the Constitution.
13. Far left wing media outlets such as the Washington Post and New York Times.
14. Abortion rights activists.
15. College kids old enough to vote, but illiterate of the issues.
Funny how Bush's "tax cuts for the rich" are now being called Obama's "middle class tax relief"
Watch how everyone falls over themselves to extend these before they expire. And why? Simple economics.
On what logic is the idea of "paying" for tax cuts based? Assuming the result of lower taxes is less revenue, then spending should be reduced accordingly. However, experience and data show that tax cuts actually expand the economy resulting in MORE revenue. The problem has never been on the revenue side, it is on the spending side.
These same people have stolen all of the excess revenues from SS and spent it as well. Stealing from the old, sick, and disabled, knowing that those extra revenues would be needed in the future to make SS solvent when SS can no longer function as a purely "pay as you go" system.
Anyone from either party that will not honestly discuss these issues must go. All the rest is marketing and demagoguery. It's "the Sting" and we are the mark.
Many have broken the code.
Wow, no pro-Democrat posts?
I am pro-Democrat.
That is why I am encouraging them to apply for that two years of unemployment they have set up (probably for themselves in forethought of their own future) during these last two years.
Then when that runs out you can try and run again.
(keeping in mind the word "try" really means "fail". Just ask Yoda).
"Turn out the lights. The party's over. It's time for all good things to end."
Wilie Nelson
Priceless and true.....
Tx Dude Guy, which are you?
The Democratic Party is nothing more than a coalition of the following special interest groups:
1. Socialists/communists
2. Environmental fascists
3. Gay marriage, and otherwise homosexual activists organizations
4. Black nationalists
5. Open Borders, America has no sovereignty types
6. Union thugs
7. Government workers who add nothing TO, but drain billions of dollars FROM the economy.
8. System gamers
9. Welfare recipients
10. Convicted felons seeking the ability to vote again
11. Ambulance chasing trial lawyers
12. Activist judges who seek to re-write both common law and the Constitution.
13. Far left wing media outlets such as the Washington Post and New York Times.
14. Abortion rights activists.
15. College kids old enough to vote, but illiterate of the issues.
tpaine | October 8, 2010 1:20 AM
So how has the middle class fared under this administration and since Nancy and Harry took over.
More unemployed, deeper in debt, more food stamps, longer unemployments, less jobs.
It's time to put the Adults back in charge.
Tax cut for the rich means:
More Employment, as these folks grow and expand business and hiring.
More Tax Revenue for Timmy to take care of.
Less Deficit.
Less Borrowing.
Leaving Taxes as they are for the rich mean:
They won't layoff as many folks to cover their income drop.
Revenue will not drop to the US Treasury (see Marylands results, and NY's)
Recovery may begin to poke it's head out from the covers, unless the congress continues with stupid ideas.
Remember -
Bart Stupak, no taxpayer funded abortions.
Candidate / President Obama, Like your Dr. you can keep him/her. Like your Health Care you can keep it.
Nancy, Obamacare will reduce the deficit.
Get real folks, the piper is warming up.
A vote for any Democrat in Nov is a vote for 95,000 lost jobs and 9.6% UNEMPLOYMENT and higher for the next generation. A vote for any Democrat is a vote for massive wateful corrupt spending and debt like we've ever seen. A vote for any Democrat is a vote for arrogance and Contempt for average working Americans. In Nov we need to end the decline of our nation and restore balance to our government by firing every Democrat on the ballot!
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