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'17 Specials & '18 Midterms Thread

There's a saying goes something like "Give a man a fish" or something like that. You can look it up.
 
Yeah, it's crazy. Dem spending is less crazy because Lamb lives in a new suburban district that leans to the right, so the name recognition can help in his next election (whether or not he wins.) Saccone's new district is in Pittsburgh. (Although since most of the spending seems to be anti-Lamb, they may argue they are already attacking him for the November election.)

Lamb must be running a side campaign in his new district for the next election, because we are now in the petition-signing period for the primary, which is two months away.
 
avalon said:
Yeah, it's crazy. Dem spending is less crazy because Lamb lives in a new suburban district that leans to the right, so the name recognition can help in his next election (whether or not he wins.) Saccone's new district is in Pittsburgh. (Although since most of the spending seems to be anti-Lamb, they may argue they are already attacking him for the November election.)

Lamb must be running a side campaign in his new district for the next election, because we are now in the petition-signing period for the primary, which is two months away.
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I'm not sure he has to because winning now would obviously help him in the primary. I imagine most reps are always running side campaigns anyway.
 
Dems hold 10 point lead on generic midterm ballot: poll

Forty-eight percent of respondents in a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday said they wanted the Democrats to retake the House, while only 38 percent said they wanted Republicans to stay in the majority.

A plurality of voters in the poll also wanted Democrats to win back the Senate, with 49 preferring a Democratic majority compared to 39 percent who wanted Republicans to maintain their majority.

Independents are also broadly in favor of Democratic victories in 2018, with 46 to 35 percent supporting the party taking the Senate, and 45 to 33 in favor of Democratic control of the House.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaig...midterms-ballot?amp&__twitter_impression=true
 
That’s pretty weak considering Dems would need a similar margin to overcome gerrymandering and take the House.
 
The GOP has several internal polls telling them that Rick Saccone (R) is now a slight underdog to Conor Lamb (D) in next week's election in PA-18 to replace the departed Rep. Tim Murphy. Further, Saccone is viewed favorably by only 47% of voters in the district, which is lower than the sinking Trump (50%), and speaks to a rather serious lack of enthusiasm that could hurt on Election Day. All of this is despite the fact that the RNC has dumped millions into the race to try to save Saccone.
Members of the red team are still hopeful that Saccone can pull it out. After all, PA-18 is an R +11 district that Trump won by 20 points. But just in case, party insiders are making sure to say an awful lot on the record about what a lousy candidate Saccone really is. They observe, for example, that he's kind of a schlub with little charisma, that he has no understanding of social media and produces embarrassing, cheesy campaign videos, that he has no knowledge of how to fundraise, and has hired hacks to work on his campaign. There is some merit to most of these critiques, but they certainly wouldn't be shared openly if the GOP wasn't trying desperately to manage expectations.
This weekend, Trump is expected to travel to Pennsylvania to campaign for Saccone. It will be interesting to see if the President actually follows through, however. He doesn't really need one more Republican in the House, and he certainly doesn't need the black eye of another failed endorsement (see Moore, Roy; Strange, Luther; et al.) Plus, there's golf to be played. (Z)
 
House Party at Vice had this about how Saccone was selected to run:

OK, get ready for some House of Cards shit. As you’re probably aware, Republican Rick Saccone and Democrat Conor Lamb are competing in a special election two weeks from now for the unfinished term of Representative Tim Murphy under the old lines. Saccone has a slim lead even though it’s a heavily GOP district and his campaign has left many Republicans uninspired.

So, say Saccone wins. Does he become the favorite for the new 14th District, which is even more Republican than the current 18th? Not really. For starters, he lives outside its borders in the heavily Democratic Pittsburgh-based seat. And he’s only the Republican nominee because he won an insider-dominated convention where State Senator Kim Ward threw her delegates to him over her rival Guy Reschenthaler, who would’ve been a stronger general election candidate. Anyway, guess whose home is inside the new 14th while Saccone’s and Reschenthaler’s isn’t? That’s right, State Senator Kim Ward! I suspect she’d be the favorite for the GOP nomination here regardless of who wins the special election.
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Guy Reschenthaler's wiki
 
i think people seem to forget that the Parties are not government institutions let alone having the goal of representing or expressing the general population's interests
 
ImTheCaptain said:
i think people seem to forget that the Parties are not government institutions let alone having the goal of representing or expressing the general population's interests
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Thanks for the insight.

https://www.democrats.org/party-platform#preamble

Preamble

In 2016, Democrats meet in Philadelphia with the same basic belief that animated the Continental Congress when they gathered here 240 years ago: Out of many, we are one.

Under President Obama’s leadership, and thanks to the hard work and determination of the American people, we have come a long way from the Great Recession and the Republican policies that triggered it. American businesses have now added 14.8 million jobs since private-sector job growth turned positive in early 2010. Twenty million people have gained health insurance coverage. The American auto industry just had its best year ever. And we are getting more of our energy from the sun and wind, and importing less oil from overseas.

But too many Americans have been left out and left behind. They are working longer hours with less security. Wages have barely budged and the racial wealth gap remains wide, while the cost of everything from childcare to a college education has continued to rise. And for too many families, the dream of homeownership is out of reach. As working people struggle, the top one percent accrues more wealth and more power. Republicans in Congress have chosen gridlock and dysfunction over trying to find solutions to the real challenges we face. It’s no wonder that so many feel like the system is rigged against them.

Democrats believe that cooperation is better than conflict, unity is better than division, empowerment is better than resentment, and bridges are better than walls.

It’s a simple but powerful idea: we are stronger together.

Democrats believe we are stronger when we have an economy that works for everyone—an economy that grows incomes for working people, creates good-paying jobs, and puts a middle-class life within reach for more Americans. Democrats believe we can spur more sustainable economic growth, which will create good-paying jobs and raise wages. And we can have more economic fairness, so the rewards are shared broadly, not just with those at the top. We need an economy that prioritizes long-term investment over short-term profit-seeking, rewards the common interest over self-interest, and promotes innovation and entrepreneurship.

We believe that today’s extreme level of income and wealth inequality—where the majority of the economic gains go to the top one percent and the richest 20 people in our country own more wealth than the bottom 150 million—makes our economy weaker, our communities poorer, and our politics poisonous.

And we know that our nation’s long struggle with race is far from over. More than half a century after Rosa Parks sat and Dr. King marched and John Lewis bled, more than half a century after César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, and Larry Itliong organized, race still plays a significant role in determining who gets ahead in America and who gets left behind. We must face that reality and we must fix it.

We believe a good education is a basic right of all Americans, no matter what zip code they live in. We will end the school-to-prison pipeline and build a cradle-to-college pipeline instead, where every child can live up to his or her God-given potential.

We believe in helping Americans balance work and family without fear of punishment or penalty. We believe in at last guaranteeing equal pay for women. And as the party that created Social Security, we believe in protecting every American’s right to retire with dignity.

We firmly believe that the greed, recklessness, and illegal behavior on Wall Street must be brought to an end. Wall Street must never again be allowed to threaten families and businesses on Main Street.

Democrats believe we are stronger when we protect citizens’ right to vote, while stopping corporations’ outsized influence in elections. We will fight to end the broken campaign finance system, overturn the disastrous Citizens Uniteddecision, restore the full power of the Voting Rights Act, and return control of our elections to the American people.

Democrats believe that climate change poses a real and urgent threat to our economy, our national security, and our children’s health and futures, and that Americans deserve the jobs and security that come from becoming the clean energy superpower of the 21st century.

Democrats believe we are stronger and safer when America brings the world together and leads with principle and purpose. We believe we should strengthen our alliances, not weaken them. We believe in the power of development and diplomacy. We believe our military should be the best-trained, best-equipped fighting force in the world, and that we must do everything we can to honor and support our veterans. And we know that only the United States can mobilize common action on a truly global scale, to take on the challenges that transcend borders, from international terrorism to climate change to health pandemics.

Above all, Democrats are the party of inclusion. We know that diversity is not our problem—it is our promise. As Democrats, we respect differences of perspective and belief, and pledge to work together to move this country forward, even when we disagree. With this platform, we do not merely seek common ground—we strive to reach higher ground.

We are proud of our heritage as a nation of immigrants. We know that today’s immigrants are tomorrow’s teachers, doctors, lawyers, government leaders, soldiers, entrepreneurs, activists, PTA members, and pillars of our communities.

We believe in protecting civil liberties and guaranteeing civil rights and voting rights, women’s rights and workers’ rights, LGBT rights, and rights for people with disabilities. We believe America is still, as Robert Kennedy said, “a great country, an unselfish country, and a compassionate country.”

These principles stand in sharp contrast to the Republicans, who have nominated as the standard-bearer for their party and their candidate for President a man who seeks to appeal to Americans’ basest differences, rather than our better natures.

The stakes have been high in previous elections. But in 2016, the stakes can be measured in human lives—in the number of immigrants who would be torn from their homes; in the number of faithful and peaceful Muslims who would be barred from even visiting our shores; in the number of allies alienated and dictators courted; in the number of Americans who would lose access to health care and see their rights ripped away.

This election is about more than Democrats and Republicans. It is about who we are as a nation, and who we will be in the future.

Two hundred and forty years ago, in Philadelphia, we started a revolution of ideas and of action that continues to this day. Since then, our union has been tested many times, through bondage and civil war, segregation and depression, two world wars and the threat of nuclear annihilation. Generations of Americans fought and marched and organized to widen the circle of opportunity and dignity—and we are fighting still.

Despite what some say, America is and has always been great—but not because it has been perfect. What makes America great is our unerring belief that we can make it better. We can and we will build a more just economy, a more equal society, and a more perfect union—because we are stronger together.
 
pff, shall we start to post other corporate Mission Statements? get real

the object is to win the war. full stop.
 
man, if i worked for Blackwater i'd just buy the DCCC and thwart all of MDMH's candidates. why?

 
ImTheCaptain said:
pff, shall we start to post other corporate Mission Statements? get real

the object is to win the war. full stop.
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No need to belabor the point, i'm well aware of how empty and shallow political gamesmanship is between the two parties. I'm also aware that as similar as the parties feel to me, a cis white dude, I know that only the Democratic party makes any effort to protect and further the civil rights of minorities. No reasonable liberal should completely disavow the Democratic party while minorities are dependent upon it's success.
 
Jesus Christ. ITC, you better come get your people before these petty centrist dipshits make every progressive famous

https://theintercept.com/2018/03/07/illinois-democratic-party-michael-madigan-mailers/


THE ILLINOIS DEMOCRATIC machine has unleashed a wave of attacks on fellow Democrats in local races, with state party chair Michael Madigan funding mailers knocking several progressive candidates as Donald Trump stooges and foot soldiers in the tea party.

...Madigan’s campaign committee has spent nearly $19,000 on mailers attacking two Our Revolution-backed candidates in State Central Democratic Committee elections, Elizabeth Lindquist and Art Bardsley. The postcards say Lindquist and Bardsley are Trump supporters and “members of a group supported by Tea Party activists.” The group referenced by the mailers is Represent.Us, which advocates for politicians on all sides of the political spectrum who support an end to gerrymandering, open primaries, transparency in campaign financing, and rooting out corruption from politics.


Another mailer sent by Madigan’s committee claimed Lindquist and Bardsley would “bring a Tea Party agenda to our community,” and claimed that they support “slashing Medicare and Medicaid, repealing Obamacare, privatizing Social Security, and dangerous anti-environment policies.” Lindquist has publicly opposed cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, and vocally supported Medicare for All, a Bernie Sanders proposal for single-payer health insurance. Bardsley’s platform includespushing for alternative and renewable energies, preserving natural lands, and tuition-free public education.

“I’ve been an FDR-style Democrat my entire adult life, I’m 67 and current second vice-chair for the Winnebago County Democratic Party and never have I been called a ‘fake’ Democrat until the ‘leader’ of my state party attempted to smear me as such by spending at least $16K on not one, but two full-color, front-and-back, full-page flyers accusing me of being everything I have stood against for as long as I can remember,” Bardsley said in an interview. “Madigan knows if I’m elected that I will cast a vote against him for party chairman.”

Madigan’s committee also sent out mailers in the race for Illinois’ 5th District, favoring incumbent Cynthia Santos over Melissa Lindberg, the chair of Democracy For America’s Chapter in Northside Chicago. The mailers portray Santos as a candidate who stands up to Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, who, in fact, appointed Santos to the State Pollution Control Board in 2016. Santos served as an elected commissioner of Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago since 1996, before leaving the position to serve in Rauner’s administration, and was first elected to the State Central Committee in 2000.

“I believe the Democratic Party is at a junction: either it changes or it dies,” Lindberg told The Intercept in an interview. “I think ‘Friends of Michael J. Madigan’ is sending out mailers in support of Cynthia Santos because otherwise the voters of the 5th District would have no idea who she is — and she has been an elected official since 1996.”"
 
myDeaconmyhand said:
Jesus Christ. ITC, you better come get your people before these petty centrist dipshits make every progressive famous

https://theintercept.com/2018/03/07/illinois-democratic-party-michael-madigan-mailers/


THE ILLINOIS DEMOCRATIC machine has unleashed a wave of attacks on fellow Democrats in local races, with state party chair Michael Madigan funding mailers knocking several progressive candidates as Donald Trump stooges and foot soldiers in the tea party.

...Madigan’s campaign committee has spent nearly $19,000 on mailers attacking two Our Revolution-backed candidates in State Central Democratic Committee elections, Elizabeth Lindquist and Art Bardsley. The postcards say Lindquist and Bardsley are Trump supporters and “members of a group supported by Tea Party activists.” The group referenced by the mailers is Represent.Us, which advocates for politicians on all sides of the political spectrum who support an end to gerrymandering, open primaries, transparency in campaign financing, and rooting out corruption from politics.


Another mailer sent by Madigan’s committee claimed Lindquist and Bardsley would “bring a Tea Party agenda to our community,” and claimed that they support “slashing Medicare and Medicaid, repealing Obamacare, privatizing Social Security, and dangerous anti-environment policies.” Lindquist has publicly opposed cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, and vocally supported Medicare for All, a Bernie Sanders proposal for single-payer health insurance. Bardsley’s platform includespushing for alternative and renewable energies, preserving natural lands, and tuition-free public education.

“I’ve been an FDR-style Democrat my entire adult life, I’m 67 and current second vice-chair for the Winnebago County Democratic Party and never have I been called a ‘fake’ Democrat until the ‘leader’ of my state party attempted to smear me as such by spending at least $16K on not one, but two full-color, front-and-back, full-page flyers accusing me of being everything I have stood against for as long as I can remember,” Bardsley said in an interview. “Madigan knows if I’m elected that I will cast a vote against him for party chairman.”

Madigan’s committee also sent out mailers in the race for Illinois’ 5th District, favoring incumbent Cynthia Santos over Melissa Lindberg, the chair of Democracy For America’s Chapter in Northside Chicago. The mailers portray Santos as a candidate who stands up to Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, who, in fact, appointed Santos to the State Pollution Control Board in 2016. Santos served as an elected commissioner of Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago since 1996, before leaving the position to serve in Rauner’s administration, and was first elected to the State Central Committee in 2000.

“I believe the Democratic Party is at a junction: either it changes or it dies,” Lindberg told The Intercept in an interview. “I think ‘Friends of Michael J. Madigan’ is sending out mailers in support of Cynthia Santos because otherwise the voters of the 5th District would have no idea who she is — and she has been an elected official since 1996.”"
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Why do you always insist on waging war against centrists? You sound like the far right House GOP clowns who regularly attack John McCain and other RINOs because they don't happen to abide by their ideological purity tests.

You need a coalition of various people to actually get shit done in politics/government.
 
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