Why Did Pelosi Pick Ben Ray Luján? No One Seems Sure

by Anonymous Operative

Pelosi has lost some of her mental facilities with old age-- as we all do. It's inevitable... and often everyone recognizes it except the person gradually becoming less focussed. When I used to ask Members if they could detect her losing it, they would either flat out deny it or get very defensive. These days, even her allies and admirers cop to it, albeit never on the record, of course.

Rewarding her abysmally failed, two cycle DCCC chairman, Steve Israel, with a manufactured leadership post-- as though rewarding him for a job well done-- was shocking enough. But then replacing him with a nice guy/novice who immediately signaled he doesn't intend to change a thing at the dysfunctional committee, riven with systemic corruption and stinking to the high heavens from failure, was more discouraging news for congressional Democrats eager to move off the dime and win back the majority.

Luján is not a bad choice, but he's an odd choice.

Other than Pelosi, no one knew that Luján was even under consideration. The discussion was about the three DCCC deputy co-chairs, the grassroots' choice, Donna Edwards (D-MD), Wall Street's choice, Jim Himes (D-CT) and Jared Polis (D-CO). (Edwards didn't have that title, but she functioned as such.) Reporters speculated that Joe Kennedy III (D-MA)and Joaquin Castro (D-TX) were in the mix, but neither one ever applied for the job, and Kennedy specifically told Pelosi that he wasn't interested. Lois Frankel (D-FL) tried to barge in and take it, but no one other than Lois thought that she was a serious contender and people were openly snickering at her clumsy attempts to plant stories in the press about her qualifications for the job. There was a sense that Pelosi wasn't happy with choosing among Edwards, Himes and Polis, but it was quite a leap from that dissatisfaction to Luján. All three of the deputy co-chairs reputedly worked hard, so by rejecting all of them, she has deterred both them and others from putting in the same kind of effort, although she did give Edwards a significant consolation prize as the new co-chair of the House Democrats' Steering and Policy Committee.

Luján is a solid liberal on most issues. He is a particularly strong supporter of renewable energy. He supported the public option in healthcare reform, and he opposed the troop buildup in Afghanistan. He is a little weak on civil liberties, having co-sponsored SOPA, a GOP bill to criminalize internet copyright issues.

Luján has never worked in the private sector, and he has no management experience. The DCCC's internal budget is around $25 million per year, so I am concerned that he may not manage that operation effectively. There is no indication that Luján would have any interest in dealing with the "revolving door" issue at the DCCC, going after high-ranking Republicans in weak districts, or addressing any of the other structural problems at the DCCC. Luján doesn't make waves. This is a time in DCCC history that waves are exactly what is desperately needed. Instead Luján announced he is keeping the failed, incompetent but well-like Executive Director, Kelly Ward, in place for the next cycle.

The past several DCCC Chairs have emphasized fundraising. Luján hasn't been bad at that, but he hasn't been good, either. He raised around $1 million for his campaign, which is on the low side these days. He complained to the Congressional Progressive Caucus at the beginning of the year that he was quitting the group because he couldn't raise the dues. I'm hearing he was unable to raise the amount he had promised the DCCC for the cycle and he didn't raise much for other House Democratic candidates in contested races, the way ambitious politicians like Polis and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz did.

Keep in mind, though, that the DCCC outraised the NRCC in 2013-14 by $41 million. Outside groups, including the Koch Brothers, went GOP by $60 million to $17 million, so in terms of money, it was a draw.

The DCCC spent $67 million on TV ads in 39 races. They DCCC went against the NRCC in 22 of those races. In those 22 races, the NRCC outspent the DCCC by $6 million, but the DCCC bought cheaper time, so the DCCC ended up with more "points." Whatever the problem was this year for Democrats, it certainly wasn't money.

My own sense is that Luján is an "identity politics" choice, which is something that Pelosi does often. She wants the Hispanic vote. Luján is Hispanic. Therefore, she chose Luján. She wants the youth vote. Luján is relatively young. Therefore, she chose Luján.

The DCCC is well set-up for failure far into the future. Going forward, the Republicans have plenty to fear, but not from the DCCC-- and not from Nancy Pelosi.