DCCC Drops A Half-Million To Save Weiner Seat

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: National Journal

Democrats are showing the clearest sign yet of concern ahead of next Tuesday's special election in New York's 9th District - the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is going up on air with an expensive television buy in the campaign's closing days.
According to buy information obtained by Hotline On Call, the DCCC has made a $483,500 TV ad buy in the district, starting tomorrow through Monday. The broadcast TV buy will not air on September 11, the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The Democratic super PAC House Majority PAC has also bought advertising time in the district as well.

The fight to succeed disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner has turned into a neck and neck race in the Brooklyn and Queens district. Democratic Assemblyman David Weprin went up on air yesterday with a $270,000 buy on New York City broadcast television, as polls have shown Republican Bob Turner closing in, despite the district's 133,000 Democratic voter registration edge.

Read more: http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2011/09/dccc-drops-a-ha.php

[sabrina 1]

1. They should not have forced Weiner out, his constituents

did not want him to resign. And many are very angry about it, from people I know in the NY. They were warned that they could lost the seat as a result. Even Republicans were not calling for his resignation, having been caught so many times now in far worse, even illegal, sexual activities, they are finally backing away from using it against Democrats.

This was all done by the Dem. Leadership. They are so successful at shooting themselves in the foot, as they did in 2010 also.

I hope people set aside their anger at Dems, and go out and elect the Dem. Many people said that Weiner should run as an Independent. Take a lesson from Liebermann, and if he had, I think he would have won his seat back.

Since he has been gone, the mission of silencing him on Clarence Thomas has been accomplished. What I don't understand is why Democrats should have cared about that. And everyone knows, that was the real reason he was targeted.

[Autumn]

2. The Democratic leadership wanted him gone.

They didn't shoot themselves in the foot. IMO They got just what they wanted. Clarence Thomas is safe and a progressive voice was silenced.

[Freddie Stubbs]

5. Yes, the Democratic leadership was keen to protect Clarence Thomas

I'll bet they even tricked Weiner into tweeting a picture of his Weiner just to get rid of him.

[Autumn]

6. Heard anything about Thomas's sleezy acts lately?

There's your fucking answer, minus the snark.

Edited to add. I see people here who say it's the Democrats in the Senate and Congress who need to be out there on TV going on the attack against pukes, because the Prez has to be above it. Anthony was always doing that, he was a pit bull till "our" party leaders got rid of him.

[sabrina 1]

11. Yes he was. I wonder what happened to that bill he had just

helped sponsor in Congress, requiring SC justices to recuse themselves from cases in which they have a conflict of interest? Up to the campaign against him, it was getting a lot of attention. Had such a law been in place, we might not have gotten the Citizens United ruling.

But Thomas appears to be off the hook now with Weiner out of the picture. Republicans don't have to do anything these days about situations like this, they can count on Dems doing the work for them, it seems. But when one of theirs is caught in a sexual 'scandal', they stand by them, and I have not seen Nancy Pelosi or Debbie Wassermann take to the airwaves to demand their resignations, they way they did with Weiner.

[sufrommich]

3. So why didn't Weiner run as an independent? nt

[Freddie Stubbs]

4. Republicans didn't want him to resign because he was a continuing embarrassment to Democrats

[sabrina 1]

7. He was not an embarrassment to Democrats.

The public, in most polls, basically didn't care. And did not want him to resign, as far as Dems were concerned. Except for the usual elements who worry more about what Republicans think and have no idea how to fight bullies.

And in his own district, which is what mattered, he was supported by a majority of his constituents, who, maybe because they are NYers, don't believe that a guy engaging in a little Cyber Sex, is more egregious than a SC Justice sitting on the highest court in the land while holding radical views, committing crimes on his tax forms, and being bought an paid for by special interests.

The only people who seemed to be having apoplexy over this minor nonsense was Andrew Breitbart good friend of Clarence Thomas, and the, as usual, scared rabbits that make up the Dem Leadership today.

No wonder people are cheering for Union leaders who are taking the fight directly to those who are destroying this country, rather than to good Democrats like Weiner. So sick of the hypocrisy and puritanical nonsense used as a pretext to get rid of 'troublesome' people who are standing up for the American people.

[sufrommich]

9. Weiner was not forced to resign. He should have stuck it

out in my opinion, but he didn't, he made the choice, no one else.

[sabrina 1]

10. He was pressured by the Dem Leadership to resign. When

the Leaders of the Party took to the airwaves on a holiday weekend to pressure him to resign, which THEY did not have to do, he was left with little choice. Clarence Thomas thanks them as did Breitbart, for their assistance.

[Arctic Dave]

18. Exactly. One of the few things Obama didn't have a problem with injecting himself into.

Now they have to piss away half a million dollars on a seat that was already Democratic, I guess not the right type of Democrat though.

[sabrina 1]

22. Obama never has a problem slamming Democrats.

But he has a real problem going after Republicans.

That was so obvious in a recent interview he did with Wolf Blitzer. He was talking about the debt ceiling debacle and told Wolf that there are 'some folks in DC who will not compromise' and how that was the reason for the near default of the US. Blitzer asked him 'you said 'some folks' do you mean Repubicans'? But Obama still couldn't get the word out. He continued to use the words 'some folks' which could have lead anyone not following what happened to believe that 'both parties' were responsible.

Blitzer was unable to get him to say that it was Republicans. He just can't do it. But has no problem talking about 'members of my own party'. This is truly a problem at this point.

[24601]

17. Sticking it out was part of he problem....n/t

[stuffmatters]

15. IThis seat will be losi if tonight Obama supports Mediucare age raise & Soc Sec Cola

I definitely agree that Weiner's resignation silenced the most vocal critic of Thomas. Lately not even a whisper challenging his ethics or impartiality or describing his crimes. It's not just that he sits (or plans to) on decisions that benefit his former employers and his household income (Monsanto, Citizen's United, Upcoming Healthcare) There are serious grounds for criminal charges against him, from the serial fraud of omitting his wife's income (and household prejudice) on his federal statements to his insider informing on Citizen's United to his wife, her setting up her Liberty Central in advance of the decision, and his investments in her "company." And that curiously complimentary piece on Thomas in THE NEW YORKER of all places...that's really the only attn Thomas has received since Weiner left.


I just got an email from Schummer, as probably many DUers did also, requesting I donate to this Democratic Congressman's race in what is going to be a close election. I wrote back the following reply:

If Obama tonight (in his 2nd speech) announces his support for raising the Medicare age or for
the Soc Sec COLA, this Democratic candidate is unelectable and a waste of my money to support.

Al Franken also emailed for money today. I told him the same thing. "as much as I like you, Al"...

It might not be the most "mature" approach, but after Obama's senseless, ozone "people killing"
repeal and imminent Tar Sands approval, this has been an especially hard month to stomach
the Third Way perversion of our Party.

[LadyHawkAZ]

8. ...which would have been totally unnecessary with

Weiner still in it.

[stlsaxman]

12. DCCC coulda saved half-a-million and a congressional district if they just stuck by him.

[Badsam]

14. Yes!

[Fuddnik]

13. I'll have to double my donations from 2010.

What's two times nothing?

On edit: I quit giving to the DCCC and DSCC after the '06 elections. I do give to individual candidates, such as Kucinich and Grayson separately.

[Cool Logic]

16. To save a job that pays $170,000/yr...

[Arctic Dave]

19. So what has the Democratic Party done now that Weiner isn't in the headlines?

Remember, that is why he had to go because he was taking all the attention from the "important" things.

If it looks like bullshit and smells like bullshit I wouldn't advise tasting it.

[lbrtbell]

20. Weiner should have kept his weiner under wraps

Then we wouldn't be having the conversation.

Let's keep the blame where it belongs.

[sabrina 1]

21. Weiner is free to put his weiner wherever he wants, he's a grown

man and we are Democrats, not moralistic, judgemental, hypocritical Republicans who stick their religious fundamental noses in the business of their political opponents' personal sex lives.

When did this happen to the Democratic Party? When did WE become so moralistic and judge-mental?

Sometimes I'm not sure which party I belong to anymore! :eyes:

The blame belongs with the fear-filled Democratic leadership who jump every time the moronic Andrew Breitbart goes after a Democrat. They don't even wait to find out if there is a reason to jump. Breitbart cracks his miserable little whip, and 'boom' gone is Van Jones, ACORN, Shirely Sherrod and Weiner. That man is all powerful, in the Democratic Party.

I wish I belonged to a party that has some guts that didn't cave to twerps like Breitbart. It's embarrassing at this point.

I don't care where people 'put their weiners' so long as they are consenting adults. I DO care that we are always on the run from the finger-pointing of the likes of Andrew Breitbart and his minions. It's disgusting.

Bullies need to be confronted. But the Dem Leadership apparently believes that if you keep giving the bully your lunch, they will go away. Despite having done so over and over again and still being bullied by Breitbart.

I so want to see some real strength in this party. It's so debilitating to be led by people who are so frightened that you just know we are never going to win, even the small battles, like this. We will always desert our best fighters when Breitbart comes knocking on the door.