Is it worth donating to Dems in very red districts and states?

[LAS14]

Last edited Fri Feb 3, 2017, 03:44 PM - Edit history (1)

Obama called on Dems to establish a presence in every part of the country. I like that. We shouldn't cede anything. There's a web site where you can donate money that will be distributed equally to races where there's a Democratic presence. I like the idea of supporting hopeless candidates in red districts, so that they get media coverage and find other Dems and maybe next time, or next, next time get somewhere. Of course donations to this site will result in miniscule money for each candidate. I'm only giving $10/month. Do you think this is worth it?

https://www.wired.com/2017/01/now-can-save-democratic-party-low-low-price-4-68-month/

Editing post to highlight the website mentioned in the article above.
https://contribute.itstarts.today//2018

[AJT]

1. Yes, it's well worth it

I live in Wisconsin and rural dems get pretty much no funds. There are people willing to run, but don't have the resources. We have to run people so we can chip away at GOP control. Things won't chage if we don't run dems. The GOP candidates are backed by both the GOP and the likes of Americans for Prosperity. We are working hard here to find ways of reaching rural Americans.

[Brother Buzz]

2. Start looking for a ripe district

Maybe you can us DCCC's target list to find a ripe district to help flip

DCCC Targets- Round One:

 AL-02 – Martha Roby
 AR-02 – French Hill
 AZ-02 – Martha McSally
 CA-10 – Jeff Denham
 CA-21 – David Valadao
 CA-25 – Steve Knight
 CA-39 – Ed Royce
 CA-45 – Mimi Walters
 CA-48 – Dana Rohrabacher
 CA-49 – Darrell Issa
 CO-03 – Scott Tipton
 CO-06 – Mike Coffman
 FL-18 – Brian Mast
 FL-25 – Mario Diaz-Balart
 FL-26 – Carlos Curbelo
 FL-27 – Illeana Ros-Lehtinen
 GA-06 – Tom Price
 IA-01 – Rod Blum
 IA-03 – David Young
 IL-06 – Peter Roskam
 IL-13 – Rodney Davis
 IL-14 – Randy Hultgren
 KS-02 – Lynn Jenkins
 KS-03 – Kevin Yoder
 KY-06 – Andy Barr
 ME-02 – Bruce Poliquin
 MI-07 – Tim Walberg
 MI-08 – Mike Bishop
 MI-11 – Dave Trott
 MN-02 – Jason Lewis
 MN-03 – Erik Paulsen
 NC-08 – Richard Hudson
 NC-09 – Robert Pittenger
 NC-13 – Ted Budd
 NE-02 – Don Bacon
 NJ-02 – Frank LoBiondo
 NJ-03 – Tom MacArthur
 NJ-07 – Leonard Lance
 NJ-11 – Rodney Frelinghuysen
 NY-01 – Lee Zeldin
 NY-11 – Dan Donovan
 NY-19 – John Faso
 NY-22 – Claudia Tenney
 NY-24 – John Katko
 NY-27 – Chris Collins
 OH-01 – Steve Chabot
 OH-07 – Bob Gibbs
 PA-06 - Ryan Costello
 PA-07 – Pat Meehan
 PA-08 – Brian Fitzpatrick
 PA-16 – Lloyd Smucker
 TX-07 – John Culberson
 TX-23 – Will Hurd
 TX-32 – Pete Sessions
 VA-02 – Scott Taylor
 VA-10 – Barbara Comstock
 WA-03 – Jaime Herrera Beutler
 WA-08 – David Reichert
 WV-02 – Ale

http://action.dccc.org/pdf/dccc-on-offense.pdf

[Calista241]

24. Unfortunately Tom Price's district in GA is not flipping.

I live here and there's just no way. 2/3 of the district voted to leave the city of Atlanta and start the city of Sandy Springs. They did this so they could avoid Atlanta taxes and they could rezone property to make black people move back to Atlanta.

[mythology]

3. We should

It will mean electing Democrats with a wider array of positions, but we need to be able to win at more levels than we have been.

I think we should focus on local level elections first. Winning one of the two Alabama Senate seats would be hard, but winning at the city or county level is both a more cost effective approach, and it helps provide us with a bench for higher level offices.

[pinboy3niner]

4. Check out Swing Left, a new group targeting swing districts. LINK:

https://swingleft.org/

[logosoco]

5. As a blue voter in a red state...

the only thing I can offer the Dem. candidates is my vote! I can't even afford $10 a month.

[NewJeffCT]

26. If you don't have the money

there are other ways you can help out - volunteering for a town or county Democratic office, write a letter to the editor in your local newspaper, help out a local candidate by putting up signs or making phone calls on their behalf, etc.

[logosoco]

32. yeah I am working on small ways that I can help!

I have become about 75% more active online since November and am getting in the hang of calling my reps! I am not working because of physical limitations but I can use a phone and the computer.
I just feel guilty sometimes because money talks in today's political climate!

[NewJeffCT]

37. yes, money plays a huge role

but no doubt that all the calls, letters, emails, faxes, etc have helped influence our representatives.

[nikibatts]

40. You can print of hand make flyers with facts to dispute the RW's popular talking points and

hand the out at the super market or other places...or just leave some in well-traveled public places.

[MuseRider]

6. YES!

In the last 21 years I have had a Democratic Representative only 2 of those years and those were the years that Howard Dean used the 50 state strategy. Our Democrats here in Kansas are making some big steps and inroads but it has been very very hard. I have friends involved and they just never stop working on it.

I know my state is not alone in this, too many years of a very rich Republican party (compared the the Dems) with gerrymandering and residents like the Koch brothers. It is tough out there.

[NewJeffCT]

27. Yes, I heard about the good news from Kansas

that was great because it's one of the reddest states out there.

[MuseRider]

39. I think that we will have

3 jobs open to send to Washington and our Governorship.

[Willie Pep]

7. Yes we need to step up our game in red states.

Even if we lose elections just putting up a fight gets our name and platform out there. We need to get rid of this "bicoastal elite" meme that is really hurting us in much of the country. Plus, it is important to develop new politicians. I think we need more prominent Democrats from red states.

[Blue_true]

13. Even though those Democrats will be bluedogs

If they adhere to core Democratic Party principles, we need them. I think it is harder to be a Democrat in a deep red state than it is to be one in a blue state (not that I don't respect and love blue state Democrats).

[Willie Pep]

14. That is true.

Democrats in red states may have to be more conservative on social issues or things like gun control to win. I admit that as a pro-life Democrat that is not so bad for me but I can see how more staunchly liberal Democrats might dislike having these types of Democrats in office.

The way I see it, though, the Republicans have become so radical that even Blue Dog Democrats would be preferable to most Republicans these days.

[NCjack]

38. The most important vote a Blue Dog DEM will make is the first

vote of every Congress: the vote for Speaker of the House. If the DEMs win that, our life will be a lot easier than if the GOP wins that vote. So, IMO, everyone should send campaign money to Blue Dogs.

[Jersey Devil]

8. It was worth it in NJ-5, flipped from longtime wingnut Scott Garrett to Dem Scott Gottheimer

Garrett had what was thought of as a "safe" Repub congressional district but was so far to the right that voters couldn't take it anymore. There are probably lots of them who fit the same mold.

[BigBoss]

9. Yup

Im also in NJ 11 its going to be tough to voted Rodney F out.

[Trekologer]

25. We're going to be doing our darndest to dump Lance from NJ7

Lance's staff is already feeling the pressure.

[NurseJackie]

10. Depends on if the candidate if viable or if the conditions were right. Otherwise ...

... to do so blindly and without analyzing the situation or being realistic about things, it would just be a waste of money that could have made a bigger difference elsewhere.

But, I suppose it may also depend on what the donor's actual goal is. Do they want to make a real difference? Do they want to make smart choices about which battles are winnable and worth the investment? Or do they want to feel good about having taken a stand?

Everyone's priorities will differ.

[Blue_true]

15. If we can keep trimming republican margins in red districts

While holding cities and suburbs, we will start winning state wide races like US senator and President.

[NurseJackie]

21. Success will be greater with a smart & focused approach rather than just casting money in the wind

... or funding candidates that have absolutely no chance of winning.

Democrats need to be smart, not emotional if we want to win more elections. Unfortunately, many Democrats support candidates for vain reasons rather than strategic ones, and as a result, we end up losing elections.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-in-world/201106/why-perfect-is-the-enemy-good

Why Perfect Is The Enemy Of Good
Why obsession with perfection can paralyze

As long as I can remember, I've been burdened with a desire for perfection in all my creative endeavors. No new sentence can be written until the previous one is just right. No garment painted can be abandoned until its texture seems utterly real, as if touching it wouldn't yield the sensation of oil paint but of velvet, silk, or cotton. But my dogged pursuit of this verisimilitude has often proven itself to be the greatest obstacle to my achieving it.

We lose perspective on the quality of our creations the moment we create them. And the more we pore back over them in pursuit of a fresh perspective, the farther it moves away from us. Combine this with the need for perfection and the result is often paralysis.

The irony, of course, is that while "perfect" may exist as a concept that impels us to keep trying to better our work, any judgment that we've achieved it in any particular instance remains entirely subjective and therefore by definition imperfect. This almost certainly explains why we can judge something perfect one minute and then hopelessly flawed the next without making a single change.

[meadowlander]

20. I think it's also about building an infrastructure for resistance everywhere.

Even if the race isn't winnable, it's worth building up human capital in every district.

It doesn't take that many people camped outside a congressman's office day after day to make his "safe" red seat feel not so safe anymore.

That's what the tea party has been doing. They make a lot of noise and put a lot of direct pressure on representatives and their influence is massively disproportionate to their actual numbers. Think about what we could accomplish when we actually do have the numbers.

[NurseJackie]

22. Everyone has different priorities. Some are more realistic that others...

... and some are more idealistic than others. I tend to be more realistic and I'm willing to accept the imperfect as long as we're moving forward. I vote and donate strategically with realistic expectations, rather than emotionally. Other people have a different view and respond in a manner that reflects what's important to them. Unfortunately, for those individuals that I view as being more emotional than logical, they seem to have a poor track record when it comes to actual electoral success, and in the past, have abandoned perfectly good candidates because they weren't the "perfect" candidate. I think the same thing can be observed in the manner in which donations are made to "perfect" candidates that have absolutely NO chance of winning ... but with a little forethought, compromise and strategy, a perfectly "good" candidate could have been pushed over the top and toppled a dreadful and horrid candidate. It's been going on for generations. I hope that we can avoid making these same mistakes going forward.

[meadowlander]

23. There's nothing unrealistic about a 50 state strategy.

That's what got us the Senate and House in 2008.

And I'm not talking about just winning seats. I'm talking about building up the party from the grassroots. "Perfect" candidates have nothing to do it. We need asses on seats in local government everywhere and you don't get that if you don't bother running anyone or you don't support candidates you don't think have a chance because they are in a red district.

The only way they ever will have a chance is by getting support and by building up the party machine in those districts.

[NurseJackie]

35. It's important to put the resources and cash where it will do the most good. Why "waste" time ...

... and resources on the battles (election) that are totally unwinnable ... while neglecting the ones that COULD HAVE BEEN WON (except for the fact that they didn't have the funds because people were too busy throwing their money and time away on hopeless causes)?

As I said, everyone has different priorities and they're going to donate their time and money as they see fit. Some do it for strategic reasons, others do it for pride and vanity, others have pie-in-the-sky justifications. I'm not saying that such pursuits aren't noble... after all, I can see how (for example) having a Animal Control Board who are all liberal is all well and good. But when the Republican governor (who barely won) cuts funding, it really won't matter much will it?

[pinboy3niner]

30. This is why we have groups targeting vulnerable seats

There are a whole slew of Dem progressive orgs that have already identified red seats that are the most vulnerable to swinging left. There is no need to reinvent the wheel when we can just hook up with a group that has already done the analysis and targeted the districts we have the best chance of winning.

[NurseJackie]

36. Strategy is important. Being able to analize and make smart decisions ...

... and attack them where they are the weakest and most vulnerable is our best STRATEGY.

[crazycatlady]

11. NJ and VA have their entire statehouses up this year

Last cycle VA left several races uncontested. That party might be worth donating to.

[Blue_true]

16. Don't those states also have the Governor's Chair

Up this year also?

[crazycatlady]

17. Yep

NJ is a surefire Dem pickup (Christie Kreme is termed out) and VA is up for grabs.

[yeoman6987]

28. Virginia has a democratic governor now so if they get a good candidate it should stay

[Blue_true]

12. Yes, and to the Democratic Committes there if you can.

Our goal should be to drive down republican margins in red districts, while maintaining our advantage in cities and suburbs - in statewide races, that DOES make a difference - this is a point that I think Obama understood and Hillary did not.

[crazycatlady]

18. Many districts have their own Democratic Committee

You might have to dig but it will read something like State X District Democratic Committee. FB is a good place to start to see if they have one (and ask on their page if they're taking donations).

[LAS14]

34. Thanks for the heads up. I realized the web site wasn't immediately obvious.

Editing post to highlight the website mentioned in the article above.
https://contribute.itstarts.today//2018

[eleny]

19. Yes, absolutely. If not now, then when?

I sent a contribution to the Dem running for the Senate seat from Louisiana. Okay, he lost. But why? I think it's because Dems didn't put their full throated support behind him.

Even if he got very close it would have been a signal to Dems around the country that they should run for office no matter the state. We'll be behind them all the way.

Now I worry about my state, Colorado. I figure that Rs will be putting a lot into the governor's race and also to protect Cory Gardner (R) from losing his Senate seat. We should be pouring support into Colorado or we can lose it. We already have an R for a Secy of State who tried to pull voter suppression in Denver. Thank goodness he was stopped cold.

[NewJeffCT]

29. If Republicans can control the governorship in Massachusetts

for a vast majority of the pats 25 years, Democrats can do a lot better in red states. (William Weld, 91-97, Paul Cellucci 97-01, Jane Swift 2001-3, Mitt Romney, 2003-7, all Republicans... then Democrat Deval Patrick for 2007-2015, followed by another Republican in Charlie Baker)

[Orsino]

31. Gotta GOTV.

Money is probably the way, in districts where you can't volunteer.

[LAS14]

33. Check out this web site.

Editing post to highlight the website mentioned in the article above.
https://contribute.itstarts.today//2018

[E.A.B.]

41. One point

One thing we have to remember is that while we can never predict the future, it seems safe to bet that the 2018 midterms will be unlike any other we've ever seen.

My sense is that it's best to contest as many seats as possible unless the only Democrat who is running really has no hope (e.g., no experience, doing it for personal reasons, not really tied to the party or interested in winning, very solid opponent). But we are living in interesting times and I expect to be proven wrong more often than usual over the next couple of years.

[Earthican]

42. Yes

I live in a red district, and we need to fight them everywhere. Do not concede anything.

[Worktodo]

43. Democrats lose 100% of the races they don't run

That's a fact. Candidates are leaders, they gain experience, and get the message out for others up-ticket. Not running a candidate and expecting to win-- it's like not training for a marathon and expecting to cross the finish line. Great ideas need great execution, and great execution requires practice.

[E.A.B.]

44. Good point

If nothing else, running candidates even if they can't win builds experience: people learn how to organize phone banks, run campaign software, etc.

What is red, blue or purple is, in the long-term, perpetually in flux. When I arrived in California, there were red and blue areas, but then Pete Wilson alienated Latinos decisively and the weight of the state went blue with only really San Diego and Orange County red urban areas. But San Diego at least is slowly shifting blue.