THE SUNDAY NIGHT TAKE A WHACK AT THE DCCC SPECIAL-- MEET FLORIDA EX-CANDIDATE DAVE BRUDERLY

Last cycle one of our early endorsements went to Rick Penberthy, a school teacher and progressive military vet who wanted to take on rubber stamp Republican kook Ginny Brown-Waite. Rick kept telling me that we should also get behind another Fighting Dem, Dave Bruderly, running in FL-06 against far right extremist Cliff Stearns. Dave wound up making significant headway against Stearns-- better than he had done in 2002 or 2004-- but this year he is supporting Tim Cunha's attempt to dislodge Stearns. This morning at candidates' forum, November Victory, Dave wrote up another example of DCCC failure to reach out and assist grassroots campaigns-- or to even respond to candidates who reach out to  them. He thinks it's time for drastic action.

What we are seeing at the DCCC is a failure of old guard leadership made possible by poor management and lack of courage-- again.

Last Wednesday I tried one more time to discuss FL-06 with the DCCC and a strategy to help our new FL-06 candidate, Tim Cunha. I was in DC last Wednesday on business. I called the DCCC to set up a meeting. I spent a very frustrating hour on the phone with Chad Horrell, DCCC Field Director for the Southeast. He could not respond to my comments, questions and recommendations; in other words he was powerless to help.

He referred me to Bret Wask, Political Director. I left voice mail messages with Mr. Wask that had not been returned as of today Sunday. I gave up.

I concur with Amy Little-- by taking the “safe” pathway dictated by an inflexible and non-responsive “Top Down” management philosophy and ignoring the grassroots progressive Democratic movement, the conservative Democratic leadership and the “professionals” at the DCCC have alienated much of their base; they have sowed the seeds of their own destruction.

They do not have a responsive management structure that is even capable of making good business decisions. In other words, the DCCC represents failed top down strategy of “politics as usual."

Unlike successful business people, however, the DCCC does not seem to understand fundamental CORE business concepts-- STRATEGIC PLANNING, EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS and TEAM BUILDING.

The Democratic leadership lost touch in 1994 when Gingrich out maneuvered them by becoming an advocate of change; the Dems didn't only lost lose power just in Congress but also in many states. These states  went "red" because unhappy Democrats and unaffiliated voters saw the management failures and defected en masse to the Republican Party.

A similar situation exists today, except that the split seems to be between conservatives and progressives-- of both major parties.

Republican Governor Charlie Crist of Florida beat Democrat Jim Davis because Crist reinvented himself as a progressive populist on powerful social issues; issues that should have been winning Democratic issues; namely human rights, environmental protection and the interrelationships among economic development, jobs, energy, climate and national security. Jim Davis didn’t have a chance because Charlie Crist created a general perception that there was no significant difference between the candidates or parties on these critical social issues.

A few other Republican governors have recognized that most persuadable voters are hard working fiscal conservatives who have a conscience and are compassionate and reasonable, if not progressive, on social issues.

More importantly, Gov. Crist is now acting to consolidate his base of support by implementing Progressive policies on environment, energy and climate protection.

Why doesn’t the DCCC recognize the reality that persuadable voters are disgusted with “politics as usual” as practiced by the national leadership of both major political parties?

Persuadable voters are embracing progressive positions on human rights, energy, health care, environment, national security and economics.

New Republican leaders like Gov. Crist [and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin] know this and are moving very quickly to take away the Democratic advantage on these issues.

The series of fiascos that has marked the Bush years has given the DCCC the opportunity to defeat every Republican U.S. representative who has been rubberstamping Bush mistakes for the past six years. But instead of working smart to win these seats the DCCC, just like Bush, continues to follow a failed “top down” strategy of “politics as usual” that panders to polls and special interest money rather than biting the bullet, standing up for core American values and beliefs and doing what is in the best interest of the American people and the Nation.

Unfortunately, the DCCC professionals have been brainwashed to think like business people who only look at the short-term situation; apparently the DCCC does not have the capability to adapt to a rapidly changing business environment.

Unlike successful business people, however, the DCCC does not understand three CORE business concepts – STRATEGIC PLANNING, COMMUNICATIONS and investments in PEOPLE and TEAM BUILDING.

The world is changing very quickly and is becoming much more progressive; unfortunately the old guard running the Democratic leadership show still doesn’t get it.

Many Republicans will lose in spite of the DCCC tactics because the average voter is finally starting to understand that the old Republican agenda is too extreme and inflexible; these voters recognize that old guard Republican positions on so many issues is just plain wrong.

But unless the Democratic leadership starts listening to and empowering grassroots leaders and candidates, these wins will turn into losses.

I’ve been watching Sam Adams on HBO... we need a revolution

Progressives need to shake up the DCCC so that they either start investing in candidates and grassroots, not polls, bank account balances and Cook ratings, or they loose us.

At this stage of the game it is time to play hardball. The only action the DCCC might pay attention to would be a massive defection to a political party that has progressive leadership.

At the moment I'm starting to think that the new progressive leaders in the Republican Party have decided to do what is right for the Nation rather than continue to make the same mistakes made by their old guard party hacks.

Rather than bolt to third parties perhaps progressive Democratic should start playing hardball. Perhaps we should start talking about becoming progressive Republicans...?

How would the Democratic leadership and DCCC professional staff respond to a revolution?

Um... imperiously? With disdain? I guess they'd just ignore it until it was too late and then they'd respond with panic and they'd all turn into a hreat big hydra-headed Hillary Clinton, spewing poison in every direction.

A SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN MANAGER GIVES US THE INSIDE SCOOP ON THE DCCC

There are some fine dedicated people who work at the DCCC and who believe in the same progressive values we do. There are others who could switch to the NRCC at a moment's notice and nothing whatsoever would change for them except their phone number. Washington is one hell of a screwed up place.

When I started blogging, one of the first things I noticed is that our side actually had someone every bit as rotten and loathsome as Tom DeLay, the rottenest and most loathsome person in politics. On our side, Satan went by the name Rahm Emanuel. He was rewarded for shoving NAFTA, as a Clinton operative, down congressional Democrats' throats with a Chicago congressional seat that is the closest thing to a rotten borough in America. Unless this is the first time you've been on DWT you've probably heard Ken or I railing against him in the past. Today, however, it's someone else's turn.

A couple of years ago I met Amy Little when she was managing the insurgent grassroots campaign of John Hall in upstate New York. Like Jerry McNerney's grassroots campaign in California, Hall wasn't the candidate preferred by the Inside the Beltway establishment. He was against the war and he was too independent minded. Emanuel likes right-of-center hacks who can be depended on to do as they're told (by him). There were dozens of races in every part of the country where Emanuel Party insiders chased grassroots, anti-war progressives out of their primaries to make room for Republican-lite shills, many of whom ultimately lost to Republicans and some of whom are now in Congress voting, quite frequently, with Republicans (though only on crucial and substantive matters). A few days ago, Amy addressed the following to November Victory, an ongoing Internet chat session/list serve for Democratic candidates and their staffers.

When I was Campaign Manager in '06 for the upset victory of Congressman Hall, we were in a 6 way primary and DCCC was working behind the scenes for our top primary opponent. It sucked. We heard rumors that they were telling donors not to give to us, even a few of Halls music friends were cut-off at the pass. Many of the top Dem givers and activist organizations had been told to support our opponent. I was on the phone with DCCC often; they kept wanting me to share my campaign plans with them. Of course I didn't, that would have helped our opponent.

Later we slammed everyone in the primary getting more than double the DCCC choice. I was in DC the next day pounding the pavement. The attitude of DCCC changed of course. However, it wasn't until only 2 weeks out when they came through with an endorsement and some money! I was glad to get it but also very glad that we had won this campaign without them!  (By the way, our state party is NOT like the DCCC.)

The DCCC is not the same every cycle, but some things remain the same. Understandably they  should be more aligned with the Dean 50 state strategy. However, you can also understand that they are gambling their efforts and resources-- just like every election is a gamble, and if they don't target they won't be able to get their desk staff into the field (dangerous), or their money concentrated enough to have an impact. 

What has angered me most in the past is their back-door support, when they say they are not "involved" in primaries. To make it worse, those have often been Republican-Lite candidates because they think they are more electable. Even worse has been their disregard for the activist base Democrats in the field. It's plain stupid strategy. Also flawed in their strategy is the method of designing campaigns around the middle voters, whitewashing the candidate and whitewashing the issues, and stifling Democrats from being truly Progressive (or however you want to describe Democratic values of social and economic justice, peace and respect for humanity and the planet). In many districts, if Dems don't act like Dems should (progressive and back-boned on those issues), their moderate Republican challengers will take their votes.

In my experience you have to do it yourself, take what you can, keep asking for more, but make sure you don't let them think they can run your campaign (make decisions for you or hold you hostage to their strategy). In the end they will respect you for it because you will have run a smart campaign and done it from in the district. Most important you are more likely to have an elected official who is accountable to the voters.

(Please note: Not all DCCC staff or leaders are alike. Also, not all political consultants are nasty or use the same strategy)

Amy Little
Political Advisor
Strategic Consulting

Rahm, now Democratic House Caucus chair, has moved on to bigger and better things, although he still has a major say over what goes on at the DCCC. The new chair, Chris Van Hollen, unlike Emanuel, won a congressional seat by beating the favored Insider Democrat and then taking on and beating a Republican incumbent. In terms of a voting record he is marginally more progressive than Emanuel. He appears less of a corporate shill-- a traditional Republican stance-- and more of a traditional Democrat who looks to serve the interests of working and middle class families. And yet the complaints from candidates just keep on coming. A couple days ago we heard from a grassroots candidate in northwest Texas, Roger Waun, who like Amy, gave me permission to air his DCCC story. I hear these kinds of complaints from candidates constantly; most candidates specifically ask me to keep them to myself or to at least not implicate them or their campaigns. Democracy has to start somewhere.