Will Democrats Give Up on the House?

Politico’s Morning Score speculated today that the Democrats may give up on the House of Representatives and focus their resources on trying to hold the Senate:

THE BIG PICTURE-FORGET ABOUT THE HOUSE, SAVE THE SENATE: POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt: “With only so much money to go around in an election year that is tilting the GOP’s way, Democrats need to concentrate resources on preserving the chamber they have now. Losing the Senate, they know, could doom whatever hopes Barack Obama has of salvaging the final years of his presidency.”

Well, maybe. But ironically, the House is where the Dems’ fundraising is most successful:

The shift comes as House Democrats are raking in big money for the midterms, outperforming both Senate Democrats and their House GOP counterparts. Buoyed by the tea party-led government shutdown and an energetic push from Pelosi, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee brought in more than $70 million through the end of November, compared with $48 million for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Despite being in the minority, the DCCC has outraised the National Republican Congressional Committee by $15 million. And House Majority PAC, a leading Democratic outside group that invests in congressional races, raised $7.5 million in 2013, nearly double the amount it took in during the first year of the 2012 election cycle.

How is the House minority accomplishing such extraordinary fundraising? With the lowbrow, fact-free appeals to the base that we have highlighted many times. The DCCC bombards its faithful with nearly daily emails, all of which exhibit a tone that is deemed appealing to young and low-information voters. (I’m not sure whether one person writes all of these emails, or whether there are several authors who have mastered the same voice, sort of like Franklin W. Dixon.) The DCCC’s emails construct cliffhanging dramas. For example, this one came out on Tuesday:

From: Democratic Headquarters [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2014 9:28 AM
To: Hinderaker, John H.
Subject: doomed

That is, the Democrats–a/k/a the good guys–are doomed if you don’t contribute.

John —

There are only 12 hours until the State of the Union — so we’ll be blunt:

If Boehner’s Republican House holds on to power this year, you can kiss any major legislative progress from President Obama’s second term goodbye.

And to be honest, our campaign to win a Democratic House is facing a tough challenge right now. We have to close the books on the first deadline of the 2014 election year THIS WEEK. If we get crushed by Republican outside groups, our campaign to defeat Boehner’s Republican House is doomed from the start.

John — Your grassroots support in 2013 was nothing short of incredible.

Actually, I didn’t give them anything in 2013.

Will you stand with us before this week’s first FEC deadline of the 2014 election year?

Donate $3 or more today and your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar >>

Last cycle, Republican outside groups associated with the Koch brothers raised over $400 million for attacks on President Obama and Democrats nationwide.

Our average online donation may be $20 — but trust us, those gifts add up quick when you’ve got supporters all across the country stepping up and chipping in.

In DemocratWorld, the GOP is funded more or less exclusively by the Koch brothers–mythic, Goldstein-like figures–while the Democrats depend on small contributions and grassroots support. Of course, those small contributions are “matched dollar-for-dollar”–by poor people, no doubt.

So if you want to see President Obama backed up by a Democratic House for the final two years of his term, we could really use your support:

http://dccc.org/2014-Kickoff-Deadline

Thanks

Democratic Headquarters

The situation is dire! It got worse the next day, Wednesday, as described in an email titled “plummet.” A focus group apparently told the Democrats it is best not to capitalize:

From: Democratic Headquarters [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2014 6:25 PM
To: Hinderaker, John H.
Subject: plummet

John —
You can make or break a Democratic Majority

This close to a fundraising deadline, we usually send you emails about how we’re “so close” to reaching our goal. This is not one of those emails.

Yesterday, two of John Boehner’s lackeys piled $1 million each into Republican coffers dedicated to buying House seats in 2014.

Lackeys! Next thing you know, they’ll be running dogs of capitalism.

We are seriously lagging behind.

BS: As Politico reports, the DCCC has outraised its Republican counterpart by $15 million.

This is the first fundraising deadline of the election year and our goal has just skyrocketed. If we get crushed, our odds for kicking the Tea Party out of Washington will plummet. We can’t afford to fall behind this early.

Right now, we need 21,065 supporters to step up to the plate to keep pace. What you do now could make or break a Democratic majority in 2014.

Will you help us get there?

Click here to give $3 and your gift will be TRIPLE MATCHED >>

Thanks,

Democratic Headquarters

That’s how the story always goes: the Democrats are about to be crushed by “outside groups,” i.e., rich Republicans. They can be saved only if YOU pitch in a few bucks. Enough people always heed the call so that victory is snatched from the jaws of defeat. When tomorrow night’s deadline arrives, sure enough: the Democrats will have outraised the Republicans once again. So the DCCC’s contributors will feel that they are not only on the side of virtue, they are part of a winning team.

I, personally, would be embarrassed to be associated with a party that uses such low-class methods, but the Democrats don’t embarrass easily. And they raise lots and lots of money.

So, will the Democrats give up on the House? Not likely, as long as the rivers of money continue to flow.