Here's some news. This ain't something I
ever would have predicted. Not in a million years.
Democracy for America and the DCCC have joined forces to create the Campaign for a New Majority Committee and are hosting a joint fundraiser in Seattle on August 31 honoring Nancy Pelosi and Howard Dean.
The link referring to this new joint fundraising committee is simply an RSVP page for the August 31 event, so I'm not clear whether this is a limited committee set up for just this event or whether DFA and the DCCC plan to do a series of joint events around the country using this joint committee. (Details on the August 31 event after the jump.)
In a way, this relationship seems naturally symbiotic. The DCCC seems to target incumbents and only the most "winnable" races. DFA supports a variety of candidates and takes more risk in supporting long shots, keeping an eye on the long term goal of stregthening the party from the ground up. DFA can fill in gaps where the DCCC fears to tread and builds the "farm team" that, ideally, will later earn DCCC support.
Still, the relationship is surprising to me, knowing the players involved. If the joint committee goes beyond this one event, I am delighted and enthusiastic about it for two reasons. One, it is another sign that the DCCC is willing to take risks and build new alliances that are focused on strengthening the party base. Two, it demonstrates a growing maturity for DFA and is a major sign that DFA is being taken seriously by the party and inside the Beltway.
Discussion of questions and concerns after the jump.
I first heard about this in the comments section of a completely unrelated thread at BFA. The post read:
The $100 Revolution Returns to Seattle!
Save the date!
Please join
Congressman Brian Baird,
Congressman Norm Dicks,
Congressman Jay Inslee,
Congressman Rick Larsen,
Congressman Jim McDermott,
and Congressman Adam Smith
for a reception honoring
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
and Governor Howard Dean
Tuesday, August 31
Bell Harbor International Conference Center
Pier 66
Seattle, WA
5:30pm - VIP Reception & Photo Line for Hosts
6:00pm - 8:00pm
General Reception
Host $1000 (contribute or raise), includes private VIP reception
Guest $100
Proceeds go to the Campaign for a New Majority, a joint fundraising committee between Democracy for America and The DCCC.
RSVP, via the Web at:
http://blog.dccc.org/newmajority/
(If you have questions, you can contact Selene Hofer-Shall at (802)651-3200 ext. 130)
Contributions and gifts to Campaign for a New Majority Committee are not deductible for federal income tax purposes.
Paid for by Campaign for a New Majority Committee, a joint fundraising committee authorized by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and
Democracy for America, 430 South Capital St. SE Washington, DC, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Contributions to Campaign for a New Majority Committee will be allocated as follows:
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Inc. 75%
Democracy for America 25%
Any contributor may designate his or her contribution for a particular participant. The allocation formula above may change if any contributor makes a contribution that, when allocated, would exceed the amount that the contributor may lawfully give to any participant.
First of all, the news above may not be a big deal for the DCCC, but I consider it a really big deal to DFA. I assume that the post above came from an email that was sent to DFA email list members in the Seattle area, and I'm surprised that DFA did not make a wider announcement about the joint committee and the event.
Secondly, the term "Campaign for a New Majority Committee" raises a lot of questions for me.
As you may know, the DCCC has been promoting its "Campaign for a New Majority" for weeks now, most notably through the Majority Makers contest. With the help of BFA and DailyKos friends, I raised nearly $6,000 for the Campaign for a New Majority and signed up 79 new "members" of the Campaign for a New Majority in the contest.
I assume, however, that this is separate from the Campaign for a New Majority joint fundraising committee between DFA and DCCC, even though they share the same name. After all, donors on that page are donating to the DCCC, not the Campaign for a New Majority Committee. Nevertheless, the use of the same term is quite confusing.
So does anyone else have information on this joint committee? If you are a Dean supporter or follow the development of DFA, do you consider this a significant development? If you are a current skeptic of the DCCC, does this make you feel any differently about the organization?