More Signs of Trouble for House Democrats
TO: INTERESTED PARTIES
FROM: ANDREA BOZEK, NRCC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
DATE: MARCH 5, 2013
SUBJECT: MORE SIGNS OF TROUBLE FOR HOUSE DEMOCRATS
House Democrats started the year bragging about President Obama’s support for their effort to take back the majority, yet today the DCCC was forced to release a list of 26 vulnerable Democrat incumbents they are not even sure will return to Congress. In short: Democrats are having trouble simply defending the seats they already have.
Moreover, the list doesn’t even include two of the most vulnerable Democrats in the country – Nick Rahall (WV-03. R+14) and Collin Peterson (MN-07. R+6) – raising doubts over whether the two will even run for another term. Underscoring the difficultly that Democrats face, the DCCC is admitting they have to spend resources protecting incumbents that are in districts Obama won in 2012. A total of 19 out of these 26 Democrats are in districts Obama carried.
In response, the NRCC is on offense and capitalizing on these missteps. Today, the committee is targeting these 26 vulnerable Democrats with rapid response digital ads in their districts – letting voters know that even Democrats aren’t confident these members will be reelected. And just yesterday, we launched another aggressive digital campaign targeting 20 Democrat incumbents on Obama’s sequester with online banner ads.
This all comes on the heels of conflicting reports over whether President Obama is really all-in for House Democrats in 2014.
It’s clear what’s happening: Obama’s never-ending campaign and pre-occupation with winning the House rather than focusing on the job at hand, is creating a public backlash. First there was the OFA pay to play scheme. Now, polling showing Americans would prefer the president do some work, rather than fly around the country campaigning.
And Democrats are now panicked – these aren’t the headlines they wanted…
3/5/2013: WALL STREET JOURNAL EDITORIAL: Obama’s Pelosi II Strategy. “The next time you hear Mr. Obama, House Democrats or one of their media acolytes talk about GOP ‘obstructionism,’ refer them to the Washington Post article that shows what they really intend for the current Congress. Bipartisan failure is their strategy.”
3/5/2013: POLITICO: Democrats launching plan for 2014 at-risk members. “The group of Democrats spans the party’s most vulnerable incumbents, with many residing in districts that narrowly favor one party or the other. Of the 26 incumbents in Frontline, 13 are in districts that favor Republicans, and 17 won in 2012 by less than 5 percentage points. Twenty-five are among the 34 Democrats The Cook Political Report has projected as the most at risk of losing in 2014. The vast majority of those in Frontline — 19 — are freshmen, a group of less established members that is traditionally among the most vulnerable in any election year.”
3/4/2013: MSNBC: Tom Brokaw Pounds Obama For Spending ‘Entirely Too Much Time’ Campaigning, Not Negotiating With GOP.
3/4/2013: POLITICO: Obama job approval tumbles. “His disapproval rating also jumped to its highest level since November, hitting 46 percent over the weekend, up from 40 percent a week earlier.”
3/3/2013: CNN: Electing House Dems ‘not a focus’ of Obama’s for now.
3/3/2013: WOLF BLITZER: “The President’s now obsessed with 2014, getting a Democratic majority not only in the Senate which he had but in the House of Representatives.”
3/2/2013: WASHINGTON POST: Stymied by a GOP House, Obama looks ahead to 2014 to cement his legacy. “Obama, fresh off his November reelection, began almost at once executing plans to win back the House in 2014, which he and his advisers believe will be crucial to the outcome of his second term and to his legacy as president… Obama has committed to eight fundraisers for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee this year, compared with just two events in 2009… After delivering his election victory speech in November, Obama walked off the Chicago stage and made two phone calls related to his political plans — one to Israel and one to Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), the last Democratic House speaker.”
2/7/2013: WASHINGTON TIMES: President Obama vows to make Nancy Pelosi speaker of the House again