DCCC Still Refusing To Go Up Against Vulnerble Republicans In Michigan-- Wasting Time Trying To Take Out Benishek Again... This Time WIth The Former Head Of Guantánamo

The DCCC has recruited a candidate to run in Michigan's first congressional district. Who knows where ex-Kalkaska County Sheriff (1987) and retired Army Major General, commander of the Joint Detention Operations Group at Guantánamo Bay gulag, Jerry Cannon, stands on any issues? He has a protypical DCCC-style website with absolutely no information about any policies or political stands. He doesn't even indicate he's a Democrat. There's been plenty of coverage of the recruitment in Michigan but none of the newspaper articles indicates where he stands on a single issue, just that he wants to fight for the middle class, which is what every single politician on both sides of the aisle claims, no matter how untrue that is. Cannon will be running against Republican sophomore Ben Benishek in MI-01, the upper peninsular district that was formerly represented by conservative Democrat and anti-Choice fanatic, Bart Stupak. Republicans are accusing him of being "a liberal," but there's no reason that I can find to believe he is. He could be-- or he could be a conservative. I suppose it may dawn on some enterprising Michigan journalist to find out at some point.

As far as I can tell, Cannon is one of only two candidates the DCCC recruited to run against any of the right-wing Republican incumbents in Michigan so far this year-- the other being Pam Byrnes in MI-07 (Tim Walberg's district)-- although it doesn't make all that much sense that MI-01 is the district they should have singled out. There are several better opportunities they're ignoring. MI-01 has a daunting PVI: R+5. Obama did win there in 2008 (50-48%) but was defeated handily by Romney last year 54-45%. These are the Michigan districts held by Republicans and ignored by the DCCC that look as good or better as pick up opportunities:

MI-03- Justin Amash R+4- again, Obama beat McCain and lost to Romney

MI-04- Dave Camp R+5- Obama over McCain by 1 point; Romney beat Obama 53-45%

MI-06- Fred Upton R+1- Obama beat McCain by 8 points and lost to Romney by just 1

MI-08- Mike Rogers R+2- Obama beat McCain by 6 points and lost to Romney by 3

MI-11- Kerry Bentivolio R+4- Obama over McCain by 2 points and Romney over Obama by 5.

Benishek is an inconsequential backbencher of absolutely zero importance. Fine that the DCCC and their House Majority PAC unsuccessfully wasted $1,282,979 last year trying to replace him with reactionary Blue Dog Gary McDowell. But they ignored House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Rogers, House Energy Committee Chairman Fred Upton and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, three of the most senior policy makers in Republicanville... and really bad policies, I might add.

So far there has been no discernible DCCC recruitment activity against any of these chairmen, despite the bluer nature of their districts than Benishek's. Amash, Camp, Upton, Bentivolio and perhaps Camp are all facing primaries though. The grassroots progressive running against Upton, Paul Clements, has gotten no encouragement, let alone substantive help, from the DCCC. Upton, like Rogers and Camp, are friends of Steve Israel's and he has forbidden the DCCC to take them on this year-- as he did last year.

If you'd like to do the DCCC's job for them, you can help Paul Clements beat Fred Upton here.