We Challenge The DCCC To Take On Paul Ryan-- For Real This Time

The DCCC loves using Republican cartoonish arch-villains as whipping boys. They're always sending out press releases and even putting together ads attacking the worst GOP figures, particularly Cantor, Boehner and Ryan. But they don't actually do anything about defeating any of them at the polls. The DCCC so discouraged Boehner's last opponent, Justin Coussoule, and were so disinterested in finding an opponent for him this year that Boehner can deploy the entire $12,944,563 he's raised this far in the cycle-- an amount that could easily double-- against Democrats nationally, without having to worry about a Democratic candidate back in Ohio (where only 28% of voters approval of the way he's doing his job) rousing voters against him. The DC Democrats have spent a dozen years allowing Paul Ryan the same "courtesy," never once-- yes, not one time, seriously challenging him.

And this year, when Ryan finally does have a serious opponent, Rob Zerban, what does the DCCC do? Kick back and issue press releases about how awful Paul Ryan's Medicare-killing plans are-- to the media everywhere in America. But take on Ryan directly? Or even help Zerban go after Ryan? Don't be silly. Ryan gets his cash and power from the same corporate criminals who have funded the sleazy careers of Steve Israel, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Joseph Crowley, Steny Hoyer and the other corruptionists running the DC Democrats. Ryan's a protected species.

Last cycle they did absolutely nothing to go after Ryan, Boehner or Cantor-- NOTHING. Zilch! Zippo! Instead they put millions of dollars of contributions into ineffective, lame ads like the one below to protect Blue Dogs who vote half the time with the GOP anyway. Not a single nickel or even a courtesy call to the Democrats running against Boehner or Ryan, but tens of millions on garbage like this:



And this year... here they go again. Ryan and his plan want to take away your Medicare-- apparently everywhere but Racine, Kenosha, Janesville and the southern Milwaukee suburbs. For the last two weeks, the DCCC has urged candidates to found Ryan's anti-Medicare budget. That's fine. But do they do anything for Rob Zerban? Not that I've seen. And when I speak to DCCC-connected major donors, they tell me Steve Israel discourages them from donating to Zerban's campaign.

Last week dozens of Democratic candidates all over the country sent out DCCC-written e-mails like this:

Medicare, along with Social Security and Medicaid, are the foundation of the middle class. I was outraged when I heard that Republicans like Paul Ryan were suggesting ending Medicare as we know it, and I'm sure you were too. Now Republicans are starting to revive those plans, but our Republican opponents haven't let the public know whether they support this vital program.

Tell [insert Republican candidate's name here] in the [insert district number here] CD to oppose the Ryan plan to destroy Medicare as we know it. [Turn this into a hot link to the fundraising page.]

The Republicans need to hear from us how important Medicare is and that it is more important to [insert state here] families than tax breaks for millionaires or subsidies to Big Oil. So I've written a letter to the Republican running to represent the [insert district number again] CD, asking them to stand with the families and seniors of [insert state again] and oppose the Ryan plan to decimate Medicare. And I'd love for you to sign it as well.

[another link to capture names of potential donors:] Click here to sign the letter and let the Republicans know that we stand with [insert state again]'s families in supporting Medicare.

If they hear from enough of us, they'll know that destroying Medicare isn't just wrong, isn't just bad policy, but is also incredibly unpopular. My campaign will deliver the letter, with all of our signatures, to our Republican opponent - Can you help us meet our goal of delivering 2,500 signatures?

Together, we will tell the Republicans, "I support the 48 million seniors who rely on Medicare. Please publicly oppose the Ryan plan to end the Medicare program as we know it."

Very nice! I challenge the DCCC to help Rob Zerban actually beat Paul Ryan and put an end to the gravest threat facing the American middle class. If the DCCC writes a check to Zerban's campaign this week for $5,000, Blue America will match it, dollar for dollar. Come on, big shots. What about you, Israel? Crowley? Wasserman Schultz? Let's see a DCCC check for Rob Zerban's campaign to actually put an end to Ryan's career instead of all the bullshit sending petitions to Republicans so they have something to laugh about.

And what can you do? You can contribute directly to Rob Zerban here at the Stop Paul Ryan ActBlue page. No phony baloney petitions there, just a place for concerned Americans to actually try to do something to stop Ryan before his financiers on Wall Street make him president and doom us all.

Zerban, in marking the one-year anniversary of Ryan’s “Path to Peril” budget, signed a “Protect Medicare Now” pledge to show his support for preserving Medicare -- and challenged Ryan to do the same. “Medicare," said Zerban, "is a trust with our seniors that cannot and should not be broken. Through his despicable budget last year-- that he has already announced he will repeat again this year-- Paul Ryan is keeping his promises to his corporate donors, Washington lobbyists and Wall Street, but breaking his promises to the seniors of Wisconsin. We can no longer afford Paul Ryan’s out-of-touch, divisive ‘Path to Peril.’”

The DCCC is wasting their time and resources again this year bolstering reactionary Blue Dogs like Mike McIntyre (NC), Tim Holden (PA), John Barrow (GA), Jim Matheson (UT) Ben Chandler (KY), Nick Lampson (TX), Clark Hall (AR). Rob Wallace (OK), and Leonard Bembry (FL). Here's the video Rob made for us when Blue America formally endorsed him last month: