The NY Times reports that the DNC has less money now, than at about the same time four years ago. "In a disclosure report filed Saturday, the D.N.C. said it had $3.25 million in the bank, compared with $9.71 million heading into the presidential race four years ago."
The good news is, Republicans are down even more, compared to four years ago. Democratic candidates are kicking major right wing butt, fundraising-wise.
But the DNC-- they're hurting. That's not surprising.
It's no wonder. Pelosi and Reid are such dismal leaders. If they had the guts to cut the funding for the war back in the spring, the DNC's coffers would be overflowing.
If Pelosi put impeachment back on the table, the blogosphere would be filling the DNC's bank accounts.
The DNC has less money because the Dems are blowing the majority power they have in congress.
Every person I know has decided to tell callers seeking funds for the DNC to pound sand until they either bring the troops home or start impeachment proceedings on Cheney. They must be fully accustomed to the negative response. When they called me and I started to say why I wouldn't contribute, the DNC hung up on me.
The sad thing is, right now, local dems running in races for municipal, township and county positions could really use the help of the DNC right now. The DNC's failure to raise funds is a devastating blow to the potential use it could be put NOW.
Firmly thrashing local republicans could and would discourage the strongest candidates from even bothering to run. That would make it a lot easier to win next year, if the right was stuck with weaker candidates. But the DNC's failure to raise money, because of the congressional candidates failure to get done the important stuff, has left the local candidates without any of the help they should be receiving.
Even this late in the game, any dems in congress with money in their warchests, particularly senators who are not running next year, should be giving money to candidates in districts where Republicans have not nailed down a candidate yet.
This strategic opportunity is probably, at this point lost.
There is one thing the Democrats and their financial backers, or moveon, with its funds could be doing, using national TV advertising.
The right wing third party attack ad funders and developers are stuck in a rut. People are wise to them now. The same old nasty attack ads, the grainy pictures the old guy with the deep voice, they can't be as potent as they were.
The DNC or third party ad funders could be sending a message to voters who are seeing the usual nasty, deceptive right wing attack ads, telling the voters
"remember those nasty attack ads before, how they supported the guys who are keeping us at war, supported the candidates who kept health care from children, who kept stem cell research from moving forward. When you see attack ads coming from the right wing, you know the kind of people who run those ads. Do you really want to let yourself be deceived by them again?"
I believe a series of ads along these lines could be very effective in neutralizing the usual ads the right wingers will be running-- not for everyone, but for maybe ten or twenty percent of the electorate. That would be plenty.
Of course, if the invertebrate democrats actually ended the war and started impeachment hearings against Cheney, the results would be even stronger.
We'll have to wait and see if they ever happen.
