278122056_f82cfe2a20.jpgWhy is the DCCC getting involved in Democratic primary races?

Howie Klein:

Today a story in Roll Call shows the DCCC up to their old Rahmish tricks again in Michigan, subtly attempting to tilt a hotly contested local race in favor of their Insider candidate. Blue America members in Michigan have asked us to stay out of the primary between Nancy Skinner and Gary Peters. One of them is likely to beat rubber stamp Republican incumbent Joe Knollenberg next year. But first the residents of this suburban Detroit district have to choose their candidate. They have two good choices. Last year, in the best a Democrat has ever done against Knollenberg– and with no help from the DCCC– Nancy Skinner held him down to 52%. Nancy spent $400,000 and Knollenberg spent $3,105,161. Imagine if Rahm Emanuel would have directed some of the millions he wasted on reactionary Blue Dogs like Tammy Duckworth (IL), Christine Jennings (FL), John Cranley (OH) and Ken Lucas (KY) and used just a fraction of it to help Skinner! We would have had another vote for SCHIP and for ending the war, one of them a policy Emanuel even supports.

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But here’s where it got hairy; here’s where the DCCC monkeys around.

According to this survey, portions of which were obtained by Roll Call, Knollenberg’s lead over his likely challenger, state Lottery Commissioner Gary Peters (D), was at 7 points– 42 percent to 35 percent– a 5-point drop from the advantage the incumbent held in April.

Knollenberg’s 7-point lead turned into a 7-point deficit after respondents were read both a push question characterizing his position on SCHIP, and the Democratic and Republican arguments for and against the program.

What makes Gary Peters the “likely challenger?” It sounds very much to me that Van Hollen is attempting to do exactly what Emanuel tried to do in CA-11 last year when he parachuted in an Ellen Tauscher Blue Dog (Steve Filson) to challenge anti-war grassroots Jerry McNerney. California voters told Emanuel and the DCCC to go to hell and, while many of Emanuel’s horrible candidates lost around the country– while others, like Heath Shuler, the 3 creeps in Indiana and Tim Mahoney routinely vote for Bush’s agenda– McNerney is now an anti-war congressman. Grassroots activists in Michigan tell me Skinner has at least a 50-50 chance to come out of this on top.

One Nancy Skinner advocate in the district just voiced the same kind of frustration with Van Hollen that so many people have felt about Emanuel. “It would have been nice if they had polled Joe against both Gary and Nancy, but they’ve obviously picked their guy and are not staying out of it like they should be — and as they promised. Maybe they’re afraid they’d find out that Nancy actually has more support and name recognition around the district. Joe was even leading Gary in this poll until they threw SCHIP into the question. I would have loved to see where Nancy would have polled with and without SCHIP.”

It’s not a race we’re going to get involved in, but it isn’t the DCCC’s job to get involved in this race any more than it is the Al Wynn/Donna Edwards race.

Maybe the DCCC should focus on cleaning up their Frontline list?  When you give money to the DCCC, that’s where your money goes, and by any measure it’s one of the most regressive, anti-choice, anti-gay, pro-war, pro-corporate candidate lists around.

(photo by wasabicube)

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