Ed Rendell is targeting the 'Treason Caucus' in Congress -- including Scott Perry and Jeff Van Drew

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer

Former Gov. Ed Rendell sounds eager to throw political punches at the “Treason Caucus” — his first jab at the 147 Republicans in the U.S. House who objected in January to the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential victory. Rendell is now chair of an advisory committee for Never Again, a super PAC that bills itself as “dedicated to holding the most dangerous Republicans in Congress accountable.”

At the top of Rendell’s list of targets: Rep. Scott Perry of south-central Pennsylvania and Rep. Jeff Van Drew of South Jersey. That pair sound ready to punch right back. Rendell’s mission: Raise money to drive Democratic voter turnout and sway independents and Republicans who rejected former President Donald Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election and were repulsed by the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection that followed.

He knows most of those 147 Republicans hold districts where Democratic opponents stand little chance. Rendell figures to be a player in five to 20 races around the country. “If we can pick off five or six of these incumbents that could mean the difference between keeping the House and losing the House,” Rendell said. “My efforts will be to give them occasional political wisdom, but mostly what I do in my sleep — raise money.”

Rendell has heard the strategic debate among Democrats, with some pushing for 2022 to follow the 2018 midterm election playbook by focusing on economic and health-care policies — rather than making it a referendum on Trump. The party can do both, Rendell said, suggesting — without naming names — that some of the 147 may have criminal liability for helping foment the insurrection. “They’re the worst people,” Rendell said of the 147. “They’re all bad people. They’re liars. They think nothing of our Constitution.”

Read more: https://www.inquirer.com/politics/clout/ed-rendell-never-again-super-pac-20210910.html

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Good. Identifying the "Treason Caucus®" members and going after those seats should be a major part of the strategy. Make them run away from the leader of an attempted coup. The GOP did similar going after Democrats who supported the Affordable Care Act in 2010 and effectively convinced them to run away from Obama.

Our effort can also include attacking those GOPers who are against infrastructure improvements and attempts at bringing an end to the pandemic.

And in the case of Van Drew - he ran as a Democrat and barely squeaked in, and then with much fanfare, switched parties to become a loon GOPer, so he should be number one on the attack list.

I agree that we can "do both" - promote the current Democratic party platform that is thankfully being blasted through by President Biden and our leadership in Congress AND go after the craven insurrectionist supporters.

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Never a Rendell fan but his incremental efforts are welcome and appreciated

We must bring every asset to the fight, every angle, every nuance. Just like 2020.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. Definitely agree.

It will take all angles to emerge from 2022 intact.

Technically, despite the common precedent of a first mid-term having the party in power lose many seats, the GOP should be on the defensive, given what happened 1/6 and their continued promotion of "The Big Lie®" as well as engaging in every scheme they can find to extend the pandemic, and kill people off so they can "own the libs".

If anything, the hardest to manage is the "bothsides" media who will falsely try to "balance the playing field" by legitimizing outrageous and dangerous behavior by one side while seeking to ignore, dismiss, mischaracterize, or minimize efforts to actually solve the problems that Americans agree are problems, attempted by the other side.

[empedocles]

8. 'Treason'. Like the concept. Hope it seeps in a lot of places.

[LymphocyteLover]

11. Yep. SO glad to hear he's going against the treasonous GOP big time

[riversedge]

3. I think we can do both also. Good to see someone focusing on this issue.

[PCIntern]

4. I know Eddie well enough that I know

That in theory he can do a great job with this. It depends upon which Ed Rendell we get: The guy who fought hard for Democrats, or the guy who told Al Gore after the recount began in Florida in 2000 to just give up. Now that wouldn’t be so important except for the fact that he was head of the Democratic national committee at the time.

At the time I said can you imagine a Republican saying that on the Brinkley show with literally millions of watchers? Not ever. Not a prayer ever.

This man sees himself as a discount Bill Clinton, and I’m not referring to the political acumen or charisma. I have never been in his presence that he did not touch a random woman at the waist or below. Yuck.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. I take Rendell

like I take Carville - both cut out of the same cloth made from raw materials harvested in different parts of the country (the irony being that Al Gore used to be one of them).

[mopinko]

13. oh good. just who we need on our team.

[bucolic_frolic]

18. In the years post Election 2000 we called him

Caver-in-Chief

[mgardener]

5. Hope he helps NY21

Home of Elise Stefanik.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. I feel for anyone in there

[Champp]

9. Dems need to run against the whole damn Republican-Russian cabal

The G.O.P. has lost its way and is mired in lies, grift, and treason. Anyone who runs as a Republican, must lose because they are a Republican, and thus voters are exposed to the facts about their complicit soul corruption for being involved in any way with the Republicans and their dark-ops Russian komrades.

[BlueSky3]

12. I like the idea of Rendell's pac

but worry about his ability to make it work. We might do better to support Emerge America, which seems to be doing a good job of helping Democratic women candidates win elections.

[BumRushDaShow]

15. "Emerge America, which seems to be doing a good job of helping Democratic women candidates win"

There are already dozens of organizations that are "helping Democratic women candidates win". Hell, "Emily's List" has been around over 35 years doing that and over a century ago, the League of Women Voters" promoted women's suffrage, getting people registered to vote, and currently support many of the policies and ideas from the Democratic party platform.

I keep getting dozens of emails from various "grassroots" organizations who are engaged in helping Democrats, so it's not like there is a dearth of groups approaching this election from that angle. Indivisible has recently become a "clearing house" of sorts, to connect people with all sorts of organizations around the country associated with themselves and their partners, and they spearheaded the "modern" movement for going back to "old school" techniques - literally teaching people "how to run for office" (and what was needed to get on a ballot, etc).

As noted earlier - "We can do BOTH".

And per his own remarks, he's not really going to be "active" in its functioning outside of being a mouthpiece for it and the fundraising part since he knows all the bigwigs with the big cash. The DNC already has its own fundraising arms for Congress and Rendell's group provides a more targeted approach by focusing on the "why" for certain seats.

[BlueSky3]

19. Yes,

I contributed to Emily’s list for years. I soured on them when they didn’t back Hillary Clinton, but that’s another story. However, Emerge America has something the other organizations seem to lack. They have training programs to help candidates prepare a campaign and run. Their success record impresses me.

If you contribute or get on their mailing list, you can see their results and decide for yourself.

[JT45242]

14. this will help -- candidates on point (dems help you) & PAC on attack (the bad guys are traitors

This is how PACS can operate without illegally coordinating with campaigns.
They publicly say what their issue is -- "the treason caucus" and ignoring the constitution to support the Big Lie.

Then the campaign can spend all their time, money, resources on point for policies that sell in that district.

The dual thrust should keep likely treason causcus voters away as they may become disenchanted with their candidate and likely convince moderates and independents that 'enough is enough' and these traitors have to go. Meanwhile the deocratic core voters get energized by things like universal day care, expansion of health care, infrastructure, and undoing the tax breaks for the megawealthy.

It should work -- let's hope the voter suppression laws don't invalidate elections.

[BumRushDaShow]

16. Exactly and spot on!

This is how "The Lincoln Project" and "Meidas Touch" operated for the 2020 election - they were the "attack dogs". That then allowed the grassroots and party-backed candidate organizations to focus on messaging about the party's policy initiatives.

[FakeNoose]

17. Maybe Rendell can team up with The Lincoln Project?

Let's combine resources and get the job done!

[Mysterian]

20. Go get 'em, Ed!

He's a fighter.

[ck4829]

21. K&R