Tauscher: Use It Or Lose It

Chris Bowers over at MyDD started a campaign last weekend to raise money for Democratic Congressional candidates called Use It Or Lose It. Clearly, Democrats across the nation are facing electoral opportunities that we may not see again for a long time. Bowers noticed something interesting. Even though the Democratic Party is competitive in 60-70 Congressional races nationwide and even though the DCCC and the DNC are apparently contemplating going massively into debt to capitalize on this circumstance, there is a big pile of money that remains untapped.

Over the past three days, we fired some warning shots across the bow of ultra-safe House Democrats who are hoarding campaign cash despite having either no Republican challenger, or token Republican challengers. By our count, this comes to over $50,000,000 we could use to extend the playing field outside of our top twenty-five targets. Today, with the help of MoveOn.org and several other blogs, the campaign moves into high gear.

Here is what we want: the 70 ultra-safe Democrats on our list to give 30% of their September 30th cash on hand directly to Democratic challengers, or directly to the DCCC. We then want them to post a statement on their websites, or issue a press release, explaining why they feel said donations are so important this year. In return, they will receive a much better chance of a Democratic House majority, and the adoring love of the netroots. If they do not give this money, it will become more difficult to achieve a House majority, and they might also face some recurring questions about why they did not give when our candidates needed it the most, and when our target list was deeper than it has been in a generation. If they don't give and we don't win a majority then, well, that will really look bad in the future.

Bowers has spearheaded a national campaign to press these 70 Democrats to give serious financial support to their party. He notes that Republican Congressional members do this as a matter of course — they out-donate Democratic Congressional members by almost 3-1. Now, MoveOn.org quickly joined in on this plan, and netroots activists across the country have been contacting their local representatives for the last several days requesting that they demonstrate some Democratic solidarity and support their Party’s Congressional candidates. Here are tips from Bowers on how to handle your local Congresscritter:

Call the ultra-safe Democrats in your state on this list. When you call, you will be told that these Democrats have already given money to Democratic challengers and party committees. Don't be daunted: Here are several ways to respond:

• Tell them that you know they have already given this cycle, but our target list hasn't been this deep--60-70 Republicans seats!--in over twenty years, and it needs to be fully funded, so they need to give more.


• Tell them the grassroots have never given this much before, and safe Democratic incumbents need to do the same.


• Tell them the DCCC and the DNC are taking out loans of more than $10 million in order to fund seats that have not been competitive in a decade.


• Tell them the time to buy new media is running out, and with every passing day, media buys will become more expensive for our candidates.

Remember, you won't be alone when you call. Thousands are joining you around the nation. Call ultra-safe Democratic House incumbents in your state today. Tell them you will sing their praises far and wide when they give 30%. Tell them we have to use this money, or we could lose these elections. It really is that simple.

The reason why I bring this up now is that Ellen Tauscher (CA-10) just happens to be on that list. With a campaign treasury that holds over $225,000 and a Republican challenger who has raised less than $10,000, Tauscher is cruising to an effortless re-election. According to Bowers’ formula, Tauscher should be donating $68,500 to Democratic candidates across the country, as well as the DCCC. You can give her a call locally at (925) 945-8515 or in DC at (202) 225-1880 and ask her to step up to the plate to support her party.

OR you can take it one step further.

Ellen Tauscher will be appearing this Sunday evening at a dinner/reception in San Ramon honoring Jerry McNerney in his race against Richard Pombo in CA-11. The reception will start at 6:00 p.m., with dinner at 7:00. The location is 9430 Fircrest Lane, San Ramon. Cost is $50. You should RSVP by Friday, October 27, at (925) 556-7077 or by email at rsvp@jerrymcnerney.org.

So go to this event, get some good food, meet some nice people, go to bed that night knowing that you’ve given your support to an excellent cause, and while you’re there, see if you can convince Tauscher to spend some of her cash for the good of her country.

I mean, we all know that there’s a lot history with Tauscher in the CA-11 race. And I think it’s great that she’s finally come on board and is fully supporting McNerney. But there is a large group of active and committed grassroots Democrats who live in Ellen Tauscher’s district; they have worked tirelessly on behalf of Jerry McNerney; they have held fundraisers; they have given until it hurts. And I believe they have every right to expect the same from their Representative.

Tags: CA-11, Jerry McNerney, Ellen Tauscher, MyDD, MoveOn, Use It Or Lose It, Richard Pombo