Nation: MoveOn.org Wants Safe Democrats to Pony Up

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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.