This is in response to a diary by David Nir, recommending Cheri Beasley for NC Senate.
I’m by no means a political pro, though I have counseled a candidate or two. I have, however, been helping Democratic candidates in one way or another for a long time. One thing that took me the longest to learn is how to use my donations most wisely. My basic principles:
- I want to reserve fratricide for politicians that deserve it and who won’t be replaced by Republicans, people like Henry Cuellar, who represents a Democratic district and votes for Republicans. Until a candidate emerges who stands a chance of defeating Joe Manchin—who is corrupt (the Intercept obtained a recording of him arranging cash for votes for a Republican colleague—might as well spend it elsewhere.
- I don’t want to strengthen the hand of the corporate Democrats. We could have had real campaign finance reform in 1993 and in 2009, but politicians for whom politics is a career don’t want it and have allowed the Republican-controlled Supreme Court to create a horribly corrupt campaign finance system.
- I want to elect Democrats, even when I disagree with their policies. I understand that every district is different. You may agree more with Elaine Luria than with AOC or vice-versa, but each one is pretty popular in their district. Despite massive unfavorable press, in her district AOC has won by 50-plus point margins. Part of that is that she delivers practical help. During Covid, she and her staff did wellness checks and provided groceries, a fact you would never, ever know by reading the national press. Maybe career Democrats could learn from her? Every district is different, but every district had people suffer from Covid and the recession.
So here’s my donation advice. Before deciding to make a donation, people should check four things:
1) Is this a serious candidate? OpenSecrets has figures on how much candidates have raised or had on hand. Beasley leads every candidate, and the Republican race has a significant split.
2) Who are the candidates in the race? This is most important in states which did significant reapportionment this year. Phil Arballo, for example, is no longer the challenger in Devin Nunes old district (formerly 22, now 21). He’s in a much more liberal area, CA-13. Opensecrets has no useful fundraising information for Devin Nunes’ old district because the 1Q reports aren’t in. Eric Garcia—newly sure that he is a Democrat-- is probably the main contender in the old CA-21, now CA-22, represented by Republican David Valladao [Added: David Jarman tells me that Rudy Salas has been endorsed by the California Dems] It gets dizzying to follow these changes if you don’t live in-district. Ballotpedia has the most up-to-date information of any source I have found.
3) Are there other serious candidates, and if so, are you sure that you want to help tilt a primary in a state you aren’t resident in and don’t really understand? ActBlue is really, really good about allowing you to donate to the primary winner rather than to a particular candidate.
4) Does that candidate have important endorsements? That’s important because candidates don’t need just money, they need man- and woman-power. The candidate websites often have some information. I also look at three progressive groups who were really important in winning the Georgia Senate seats that have given Democrats nominal control of the Senate: Indivisibles (founded by former House staff aides) , Our Revolution (Bernie’s people), and Democracy for America (founded by Howard Dean). You can see Cheri Beasley’s endorsements here.
Some final points. Be careful about the scams that are out there. There are scam candidates and scam organizations. If they mail bomb you or don’t include an unsubscribe link, they probably don’t deserve your money.
I never, ever give to Washington PACs/Leadership committees because they are used to influence elected representatives. Elected representatives need to vote the way their district wants them to, not because they need money! And—unlike groups like Indivisibles—much of the Washington/leadership PAC money flows from corporations and the very wealthy. You can see who Chuck Shumer’s big donors are here. I’m sure all the donors are fine, upstanding people, but this amounts to buying influence.
Bottom line: Democracy is a wonderful, beautiful leap of faith in which we accept that by combining the ideas of everyone—even rat-bastard Republicans, commie pinkos, and corporate bosses—we make better decisions as a nation than when some people are frozen out. It’s like brain cells: the more we use, the better we think. We can see in the Russian invasion of Ukraine—and so many other historical examples—what happens when one “genius” is put in charge.
So, I make it a point to listen to right-wingers, at least those not deep into QAnon or some other completely delusional cult, if only to learn how to counter their arguments. They force me to read.
And sometimes (not often) they have a point. It’s important to acknowledge when that happens, if only to keep ourselves honest. Inside the Democratic Party, we have a heightened duty to listen and not disparage one another. We fight with far less money than the Republicans have. So let’s not waste it on senseless quarrels.