Nation: MoveOn.org Wants Safe Democrats to Pony Up
MoveOn.org, the liberal online organization, is calling on 70 incumbent House Democrats to give up 30 percent of their campaign treasuries to help the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee push Democratic candidates across the finish line on Election Day.
In an e-mail to supporters sent out today, MoveOn leaders note that the 70 incumbents face relatively minor challenges and are sitting on huge campaign surpluses — at a time when the DCCC is contemplating going into debt to run independent expenditure campaigns in districts that only recently became competitive.
A dozen of the Members that MoveOn lists have $1 million or more in cash on hand. Collectively, the 70 are sitting on more than $50 million.
Calling the incumbents’ unwillingness to do their share to help the party “an outrage,” the MoveOn mailing urges its members to call their Representatives and ask them to help the DCCC.
“We need to send a clear signal to safe House Democrats: Keeping 100% of excess funds gets them nothing if Democrats have 0% of power in Washington,” MoveOn writes. “Plus, as ordinary Americans go above and beyond the call of duty to help win back Congress, we need our Democratic politicians in the trenches with us.”
MoveOn has promised to publicly praise the incumbents who comply with the request.
Josh Kurtz
DCCC’s Obama Appeal Couldn’t Be Better Timed
The timing may be pure serendipity for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
But the committee on Monday issued its first fundraising solicitation from Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) — just one day after the freshman lawmaker conceded on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he is entertaining the notion of running for president in 2008.
Obama’s e-mail fundraising appeal makes no mention of his own ambitions. But it does urge Democrats to ante up in the face of attack ads paid for by the National Republican Congressional Committee, noting that the NRCC has laid out “a staggering amount of money for our candidates to compete against.”
Obama said Democratic House Members will match any contributions that result from his appeal.
Voters, he wrote, “want to believe again. And they are starting to pay attention to this election and see through the spin. And, when the American people pay attention, Democrats win.”
J.K.
Project Vote Smart Says Candidates Fear Survey
Project Vote Smart, the nonprofit, nonpartisan group whose mission is to educate voters before each Election Day, reports that there has been a steady decline in the desire of candidates to reveal their views on key issues.
Richard Kimball, president of Project Vote Smart, said during a news conference Monday at the National Press Club that in 2006, only 48 percent of political candidates were willing to publicize their views in the election-year survey his organization administers called the National Political Awareness Test. That’s down from 72 percent when the questionnaire first was distributed to candidates 10 years ago.
Kimball said campaign consultants and party leaders often advise candidates not to answer the NPAT because the information then could be used against them in opposition research. He said candidates also worry that sharing their stances on key issues with a nonpartisan group like Project Vote Smart could reduce their ability to control their campaign message.
“All we’re looking for is evidence of a candidate’s willingness to respond to public inquiry,” Kimball said.
With so few candidates eager to answer the group’s questionnaire, Project Vote Smart, which is headquartered in Philipsburg, Mont., has created the Voter’s Self Defense System, an online resource for voters to access. It’s a database containing biographical information, campaign finance records, interest group ratings, issues positions, voting records and public statements for every presidential, Congressional, gubernatorial and state legislative candidate.
The information is available for free on www.vote-smart.org.
When asked whether the low level of cooperation hampered Project Vote Smart’s ability to educate voters about the candidates, Kimball replied, “We don’t need their cooperation to get the goods on them.”
Rebecca Plevin
Push for Wage Vote Hits the Blogosphere
The AFL-CIO and the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now have partnered on a video blog aimed at raising the minimum wage, which launched Monday.
The site, Seven Days At Minimum Wage, will feature profiles of seven people who earn salaries at or near the hourly $5.15 minimum wage. Each of the profiles is hosted by comedian Roseanne Barr.
“Roseanne Barr donated her time and her face and her voice to this project,” said Sarah Massey, spokeswoman for the National Minimum Wage Campaign of ACORN and the AFL-CIO.
Massey said the site encourages voters to approve six state ballot initiatives to raise the wage on Nov. 7 and to build pressure on the next Congress to approve a federal minimum-wage increase. The states considering an increase are Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Nevada and Ohio. Congress considered a federal wage increase this year, but the measure failed.
“It’s economic justice meets YouTube and the blogosphere,” Massey said of the site.
On the site’s final profile day, Oct. 29, Barbara Ehrenreich, author of “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America,” will host a live blog chat, Massey said.
In a related development, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) held a telephone conference call with reporters on Monday to reiterate their support for the minimum wage initiatives.
Kate Ackley
NEVADA
Ex-Staffer Accuses Porter Of Improper Cash Calls
A former staffer has accused Rep. Jon Porter (R) of making numerous fundraising calls in his Capitol Hill and district offices, the Las Vegas Sun reported on Sunday.
But Porter’s chief of staff questioned the legitimacy of the story and said it was being driven by a disgruntled ex-employee.
“The accusations being printed by your paper are completely false and baseless,” Mike Hesse said in an e-mail to the newspaper. “They rely solely on the claims of one former, disgruntled staffer who is lying. I believe that unbiased observers will question the legitimacy of the story and its sole source.”
But the revelation cannot be welcome news for Porter in his battle with Tessa Hafen (D), a former top aide to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). Polls have shown the race to be close, and Republicans in general seem to be struggling in several Nevada races where they initially were thought to have an advantage.
J.K.
Ex-Rep. Schroeder Pens Appeal for Jill Derby
The longest-serving woman in the history of Congress — and one of the few to represent a Rocky Mountain state on Capitol Hill — has penned a fundraising letter for another woman seeking to represent a different Mountain state in the House.
Former Rep. Pat Schroeder (D-Colo.) on Monday sent out an e-mail appeal on behalf of Jill Derby (D), the member of the Nevada Board of Regents who is seeking to replace Rep. Jim Gibbons (R).
Although the 2nd district is solidly Republican, the race between Derby and Nevada Secretary of State Dean Heller (R) is believed to be close.
In her letter, Schroeder described Derby as a leader with a strong vision but a common touch who can reach average voters.
“Jill is a devoted public servant, a champion of public education, and a leader who has spent her professional life focused on the critical issues facing Nevada’s public education system,” Schroeder wrote.
J.K.
NEW JERSEY
Latest Menendez TV Ad Links Kean to President
With two weeks to go before Election Day, Sen. Bob Menendez (D) has begun unloading his war chest in his closely fought battle with state Sen. Tom Kean Jr. (R), unveiling a new television ad that is running on New York and Philadelphia broadcast stations.
The 30-second spot highlights Menendez pro-abortion rights, anti-Iraq War credentials, and reiterates his vow to protect Social Security from privatization. He reminds voters that Kean supports the war and speculates that the Republican, despite his support for abortion rights, would vote to confirm anti-abortion rights judges nominated by President Bush.
The ad, publicized on Monday, also insinuates that Kean supports privatizing Social Security, citing his vote on the floor of the state Senate opposing a resolution urging Congress against such a move.
Meanwhile, Kean is set today to join his father, popular former Gov. Tom Kean (R), at a late morning news conference in Mount Holly. Also Monday, Kean put out a news release hitting Menendez’s record on taxes.
David M. Drucker
Two Influential Papers Back Ferguson’s Foe
Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D) earned endorsements on Sunday from two of the region’s largest newspapers.
Stender, who is trying to knock off Rep. Mike Ferguson (R) in The Garden State’s 7th district, was endorsed in editorials penned by The New York Times and The Star-Ledger of Newark.
The papers cited Ferguson’s close ties to various Bush administration policies — tax cuts, an unwillingness to federally fund stem-cell research and his stance on the Iraq War — as the primary reasons to oust him on Election Day.
Stender consistently has trailed Ferguson in polls, however, with the average of two partisan polls taken two weeks ago showing Ferguson with an 8.5-point cushion.
Tom Gottlieb
PENNSYLVANIA
English’s Challenger Files Defamation Suit
Steve Porter, the Democratic challenger to Rep. Phil English (R), is suing English for defamation, The Associated Press reported Saturday.
Porter, an educator, is seeking a rematch with English after losing by 20 points in 2004.
Porter said recent TV ads by English’s campaign distort the challenger’s record on “sterilization, prostitution, and drugs.” Porter self-published a book in 1991 that argued the case for voluntary government sterilization of certain individuals, such as mental patients and alcoholics.
English’s ads mention Porter’s views expressed in that book on legalizing prostitution and drugs, but does not mention the sterilization. Porter has said that the views were hypothetical and meant to prompt academic discussions.
Brad Moore, English’s campaign manager, dismissed the suit outright.
“This is completely without merit and another frivolous lawsuit,” he told The Herald newspaper in Sharon.
Moore said all of the campaigns’ ads are vetted by lawyers before airing. A writ of summons was filed last Friday, but it contained no details of the suit. A formal complaint is expected in the next 30 days.
Porter faces an uphill battle in court, as defamation and libel suits against a public figure historically are difficult to win unless malicious intent can be proved.
Susan Davis
GOP Mailer Blames Carney for Iraq War
The Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania sent a mailer to voters in the 10th district this month accusing Democratic candidate Chris Carney of helping start the Iraq War, The New York Sun reported.
Carney, a former Navy lieutenant and Pentagon intelligence analyst, is challenging Rep. Don Sherwood (R) for the seat. The mailer warns voters that “Chris Carney failed our nation once ... Don’t give Chris Carney a chance to FAIL us again.”
Carney worked in the Pentagon before the Iraq War in a shop known as the Policy Counterterrorism Evaluation Group that worked on intelligence that is now disputed, such as Iraq’s ties to al-Qaida. Carney told the Sun he stands by his work.
“Some of the party disagrees with me on this, but I know what I saw,” he said.
Carney also told the paper that Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, has promised the candidate a seat on the spending panel if he can oust Sherwood.
“If I win I am sure I will get a seat on Appropriations,” he said.
S.D.
NEW YORK
Vets Group Forms to Defeat Vet Candidate
A group of veterans in New York’s 29th district have formed a committee to help freshman Rep. Randy Kuhl (R) beat opponent Eric Massa (D), a former Navy officer who has touted his military experience throughout the campaign.
In a news release, veterans who served in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts said Kuhl’s work on Capitol Hill inspired them to form the “Veterans for Kuhl” committee. Many praised Kuhl for his work in preserving the Canandaigua VA Medical Center, a leading institution in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.
“The fight to save the Canandaigua VA is far from over, and we need Congressman Kuhl because he knows the issues and has the contacts to continue the effort,” said Korean War veteran Ralph Calabrese.
Massa, who spent 24 years in the Navy, has championed veterans’ rights as part of his platform, earning the endorsement of his ex-boss, retired Gen. Wesley Clark and former Sen. Max Cleland (D-Ga.).
And Massa has gotten some additional support: His campaign announced last week that it had reached the $1 million fundraising mark.
Elizabeth Brotherton
NORTH CAROLINA
Ex-Gov. Hunt Wants to Defeat Hayes Again
Former North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt (D) is scheduled to join Democratic challenger Larry Kissell on the campaign trail today in the Tar Heel State’s 8th district.
Kissell, a teacher and former textile worker, is attempting to unseat four-term incumbent Rep. Robin Hayes (R). Hunt himself has defeated Hayes — then the state House Majority Whip, the Republican unsuccessfully challenged Hunt in 1996 for the state’s top office.
The Democrats will appear together today at the Cumberland County Democratic Headquarters before canvassing nearby Fayetteville neighborhoods.
Jennifer Yachnin
MINNESOTA
Ellison Heads Home for Conyers Fundraiser
State Rep. Keith Ellison (D), who is bidding to become the first Muslim ever to serve in Congress, traveled to his hometown of Detroit on Sunday to raise money for his campaign to replace retiring Rep. Martin Sabo (D).
Sabo held a fundraiser with family and friends and then traveled to another that was hosted by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), the dean of the House’s black Members.
“Growing up, I remember John Conyers and as a force in Michigan and national politics,” Ellison said in a statement. “He is a true role model, and I am tremendously excited to serve with him in Congress.”
Although his campaign has hit some rough patches, Ellison still is the overwhelming favorite in his liberal Minneapolis-based district. He faces management consultant Alan Fine (R) and Independence Party candidate Tammy Lee, who is a former aide to Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.).
J.K.
