Dems in a Pickle
It's an unenviable situation, and the cognitive dissonance is on full display at Politico:
Indiana Rep. Joe Donnelly, a second-term congressman from South Bend, is airing a new TV ad in his South Bend-area district pointing out that he voted against “Nancy Pelosi’s energy tax on Hoosier families.”
“The Donnelly ad is who he is,” said Parker. “He’s independent.”
It’s a spot that is strikingly similar to one Pennsylvania Rep. Jason Altmire is running, which features supporters praising the second-term Democrat for “stand[ing] up” to Obama and Pelosi.
[...] “Hopefully, we can rally the base and turn people out,” said Jamie Franks, chair of the Mississippi Democratic Party, who predicted his party will retain control of the House.
How to turn out the base by running like the wind from the President and the Speaker? Easy:
“We want to elevate John Boehner,” said a senior Democratic aide involved in party strategy. “We want him and his ideas to be in the forefront.”
Maybe easy's the wrong word for it.
- Comment (16)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (2)
Comments :
Jun '10
Re: Dems in a Pickle
Occam's razor for all Democrat candidates attempting to "distance themselves:"
Isn't it true (sir or madam) that the first vote that you will cast in the 112th Congress will be to elect Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House?
Jul '10
Re: Dems in a Pickle
It does not bode well for a national party when individual members are putting down their leaders to garner support in their home districts, but it does lend strength to the notion that all politics are local. The media and the Left were trying to convince everyone this idea was dead when they pointed the finger at supposed widespread national opposition to Bush's policies when the Democrats took control of Congress in 2006.
May '10
Re: Dems in a Pickle
That scary villain, John Boehner. Yikes, talk about desperate.
Trying to come up with the stages of political grief. Blaming poor messaging, calling the voters idiots, etc. Not sure where pinning your hopes on scaring people with John Boehner fits into that.
But it's very much in evidence among lib Facebook pals. They're on the calling voters idiots (manipulated sheep, by Fox News, in the main) phase. Possibly the memo hasn't filtered through on the spookiness of John Boehner.
May '10
Re: Dems in a Pickle
Pilgrim: Occam's razor for all Democrat candidates attempting to "distance themselves:"
Isn't it true (sir or madam) that the first vote that you will cast in the 112th Congress will be to elect Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House? · Aug 26 at 6:09am
Bingo. My family lives in the Missouri district represented by Ike Skelton, a Scoop Jackson style Democrat (or at least as close as you get these days) and by all accounts of which I'm aware, a generally honorable man. He may be getting his stiffest challenge this year since his election in 1976 (I believe) and he is trying to tack to the right of his leadership, to no one's surprise. I keep telling them that this is the one question he should be forced to answer.
May '10
Re: Dems in a Pickle
I dunno, Humzah, they turned out to be right in 2006. I think the Democrats are certainly hoping that all politics is local. But sometimes it isn't; sometimes you get a national wave.
There is a tide in the affairs of men...
May '10
Re: Dems in a Pickle
All politics is local... except when it isn't. Congressional races become local when the issue is what Congress has done for you. It's nationalized when the issue is what Congress has done to you. Between high unemployment, health care and unsustainable debt, this is a "done to you" type of year.
May '10
Re: Dems in a Pickle
My late entry for Line of the Week.
May '10
Re: Dems in a Pickle
Local, shmocal. That could work if they voted against the Prez. But very few did. So trying to pretend they didn't doesn't work. They voted with him because he got them to sob with him "if you don't vote for it, this will destroy my Presidency". Which is disgusting. Me, me, me is all very well on Facebook. When you're deciding the fate of the greatest nation on Earth, it's just creepy.
Re: Dems in a Pickle
Actually, running against Boehner isn't such a bad strategy, given the other bad options available to the Dems this year. But first, of course, they've got to tell voters who he is, then demonize him, which is tough sledding ten weeks before an election. It's easier to demonize people voters know already, like Gingrich and Cheney.
On the other hand, the next best strategy for them is to demonize....Pelosi and Obama, which they seem to be doing. People know who they are, and people don't like them. So it's an easier sell. But this must be the first time in history that a party ever went negative....on itself.
Jul '10
Re: Dems in a Pickle
Rob Long: Actually, running against Boehner isn't such a bad strategy, given the other bad options available to the Dems this year. But first, of course, they've got to tell voters who he is, then demonize him, which is tough sledding ten weeks before an election. It's easier to demonize people voters know already, like Gingrich and Cheney.
On the other hand, the next best strategy for them is to demonize....Pelosi and Obama, which they seem to be doing. People know who they are, and people don't like them. So it's an easier sell. But this must be the first time in history that a party ever went negative....on itself. · Aug 26 at 9:54am
Boehner is such a flannel-mouthed cipher that it's nearly impossible to demonize him by saying he stands for much of anything.
Dems' best bet would be something along the lines of, "Do you trust a guy with an orange tan?"
May '10
Re: Dems in a Pickle
The true sign of desperation will come when they start campaigning against Tom DeLay because he stunk up the Dancing with the Stars ballroom. (As a side note, DeLay was better than Tucker Carlson.)
May '10
Re: Dems in a Pickle
It will look like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpOUctySD68
May '10
Re: Dems in a Pickle
Trace, that YouTube stuff is base red meat. Internet videos tend to preach to the choir. Traditional :30 broadcast ads still make the most impact because they reach audiences that are not predisposed to the message.
And that video you linked to is meant to convey that Boehner must be stopped because he would stop Obama. But if that's exactly what the voters want at this point it's counterproductive.
May '10
Re: Dems in a Pickle
Rob Long: Actually, running against Boehner isn't such a bad strategy, given the other bad options available to the Dems this year. But first, of course, they've got to tell voters who he is, then demonize him, which is tough sledding ten weeks before an election. It's easier to demonize people voters know already, like Gingrich and Cheney.
On the other hand, the next best strategy for them is to demonize....Pelosi and Obama, which they seem to be doing. People know who they are, and people don't like them. So it's an easier sell. But this must be the first time in history that a party ever went negative....on itself. · Aug 26 at 9:54am
Only weapon to hand. Use it. But sort of sad when the best weapon you got is a stalk of wet celery.
We need an historian to weigh in whether this is the only time a party has gone negative against their leaders. Surely it's been done. Ooooh, thought of recent example. Australia.
Edited on Aug 26, 2010 at 10:59amRe: Dems in a Pickle
What's supposed to happen, of course, is that local realities cause representatives to pull the national party in the direction of those realities. Would the Democratic leadership ever respond in that way? Not that the Republican track record is as strong as many conservatives might like. But the GOP has at least proven itself better able to refresh the party tree with new blood.
May '10
Re: Dems in a Pickle
In a parliamentary democracy it happens all the time. All of the Anglo democracies have had switched party leaders in midstream. Think John Major, Gordon Brown.