Ted Kennedy, the DSCC, and My Two Cents

Remember the old Joe Cocker song, "The Letter"?  

Give me a ticket for an aeroplane
I ain't got time to take no fast train
Oh ,the lonely days are gone
I'll be right home
My baby she wrote me a letter

I've given them an update in honor of the DSCC:

Give me some money for my campaign
Ain't got time to listen to you people complain
Minority days be gone
We'll be movin' on
Ted Kennedy wrote me a letter

I don't care how much money I got to send,
I won't vote for Joe Lieberman again
Ned Lamont's the man
Don't you understand?
Ted Kennedy wrote me a letter

Well he wrote me a letter
Said Chuck Schumer couldn't do it without me, no more
I said "Listen to me mister, what the hell did you pick Bob Casey for?"
Anyway

Give me some money for my campaign
Ain't got time to listen to you people complain
We want to be in power
The Repubs final hour
Ted Kennedy wrote me a letter

Ted Kennedy wrote me a letter....

Why the update, you ask?
Earlier this week, I got a letter from Teddy Kennedy...asking me for money for the folks at the DSCC.  You know, the people who anointed Bob Casey to run for Senate against Rick Santorum.  Anyway, Ted sent me a lovely 2-page letter, asking me if I've had enough (you betcha, Ted!) and telling me which senate races are looking good.  

Since it has a postage paid envelope, I am going to write dear ol' Ted a letter, and tell him just how much I appreciate what Chuck Schumer and the DSCC have done for me here in PA.  And since he's asked for a donation, I thought I'd tape 2 pennies to my letter, since all I really want to give him is my two cents.  And then I can thank him for the nice window sticker that says "Had Enough? Vote Democrat in 06.", and let him know that I already sent my PA senate campaign donation to Chuck Pennacchio, and that if I feel a need to donate in the future, I'll just send money to my candidate directly, seeing as I can't trust the DSCC to allow me a range of candidates to choose from in the primary elections.

Better luck next time, right, Ted?

Then it occurred to me that we're all going to be getting letters like this from Ted (and from his pal Rahm Emanuel at the DCCC) in the coming months, and we should start a Two Cents Campaign.  Here's what to do:

1. When the letter comes, take the donation form and tape 2 pennies to it.

2. Write a letter giving them your `Two cents worth', and explain why you won't give them money, but will instead donate to the candidates of your choice directly.

3. Now for the fun part:  take your letter and the form with the 2 pennies, and stick it in that lovely postage-paid envelope they so thoughtfully provided, and stick it in the mailbox - it won't even cost you a stamp!

So, who's with me?

•  Also

  available in green.

  by CabinGirl on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 03:42:50 PM PDT

  •  I like

    you 2-cents campaign idea.  I hope Chuck Schumer and Rahm Emanuel like it too.

    by BooMan23 on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 03:49:08 PM PDT

  •  Oooh New bookmark Thanks n/t

    by JugOPunch on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 05:20:24 PM PDT

  •  Choosing Bob Casey was a superb decision.

    The race would still be competitive if someone else had been the nominee.

    Now the DSCC isn't going to have to spend much money there, and they can focus on getting Sherrod Brown (if you forgett the Hackett debacle, Sherrod Brown is freakin' awesome), Claire McCaskill, Jon Tester, Sheldon Whitehouse, Jim Pederson, Harold Ford, and Jim Webb elected.

    by DemocraticLuntz on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 06:00:28 PM PDT

    •  Hackett debacle

      You mean back-stabing?????????????

      by chenico on Mon Jul 17, 2006 at 08:54:25 AM PDT

•  i'll always think of 'the letter' as

  a "box tops" song. carry on.

  by rasbobbo on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 03:53:00 PM PDT

  •  You beat me by 48 seconds !! n/t

    by TokenCanadian on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 03:54:39 PM PDT

•  I prefer the term 'tuppence'

  And remember the song best by The Box Tops.

  http://www.secondhandsongs.com/...

  That said, I'd do this in a heartbeat.

  by TokenCanadian on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 03:53:48 PM PDT

  •  I'm not surprised.

    Anyone who'd do this type of bullshit has no respect for campaign finance laws (which prohibit foreigners like yourself from messing with our elections).

    by DemocraticLuntz on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 06:03:12 PM PDT

    •  I'm not a foreigner ...

      I'm Canadian !!!

      http://home7.swipnet.se/...

      by TokenCanadian on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 07:28:18 PM PDT

      •  I suppose in terms of NAFTA, that's true. n/t

        by DemocraticLuntz on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 08:22:37 PM PDT

•  come on

  why don't you send money to candidates directly who have won their primaries? This is ridiculous. Send money to Tester or Webb or some other candidate and tell the DSCC you're taking them out of the loop.

  This is a little too petulant for me, thank you. Pennachio is now a done deal. This is unproductive.

  by Buffalo Girl on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 04:00:55 PM PDT

  •  If I get a letter,

    I'll tell them I'm sending my contribution to the DNC and if Howard will let them have the money it's OK with me.  I agree to contributing directly to Tester and Webb; and don't forget Nick Lampson down in Texas running for Tom Delay's seat.

    by lobo charlie on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 04:12:16 PM PDT

    •  Whether or not Nick wins at this point

      probably has more to do with whether or not the Republicans win their appeal (to replace DeLay on the ballot) than how much more cash he raises (he has over 2 million on hand).

      by DemocraticLuntz on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 06:01:48 PM PDT

  •  I think that's what she did

    at least that's what I read in the diary.

    by Militarytracy on Mon Jul 17, 2006 at 09:49:02 AM PDT

•  I don't think Ted Kennedy is to blame here

  I think it's safe to say Ted Kennedy is pissed at Casey for his support of Alito.

  by jfern on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 04:04:28 PM PDT

•  Save your best tricks

  For our real enemies, the Republicans.

  by Sam Wise Gingy on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 04:11:03 PM PDT

  •  Pun Intended??

    by chenico on Mon Jul 17, 2006 at 08:57:47 AM PDT

•  I'm happy to tell them I'm not happy with

  their treatment of primary challengers such as Lamont and others.  And I'll happily tell them that if they continue I'll make my donations directly.

  But I wont take money away from them by using their form to send them that response.  I used email which costs them nothing and still gets the point across.

  by mvr on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 04:11:41 PM PDT

  •  If they read it.

    They will, however, open the letter with hopes of finding a check in it.

    by gmb on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 04:56:29 PM PDT

    •  FWIW, if you think the envelope has more chance

      of being read, you can put a stamp on it and sent it. I just don't like doing something that takes money away from them to send them that message.

      by mvr on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 09:24:14 PM PDT

•  It was the Boxtops

  Joe Cocker covered the Boxtops song of 1966/1967 their biggest hit.

  Now this campaign of doing a protest of "two cents" to those who never took you seriously before is kind of poetic justice. Especially in the Lieberman / Lamont race.

  Imagine if you give a contribution and Lieberman actually wins that primary? Then he gets the money...
  Better off waiting with "two cents'" until after the  8th of August.   Even better....

  Better off giving directly to Webb,Tester and those who really can use the help.

  making the DSCC or DCCC spend money to cope with a symbolic protest is rather....shooting self in the foot.

  Best is to donate directly to the Dems of your choice and let the protest get fleshed out by a progressive win in certain races rather than twitting those two (Schumer and Emanuel). Remember that money gets bled away from the campaigns, even if it costs  the committees 52 cents to mail "two cents".  The Democratic Party is not the enemy.  It isn't that simple or obvious.

  by Pete Rock on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 04:11:58 PM PDT

  •  But she does donate to the dems of her choice

    it says so in the diary

    by Militarytracy on Mon Jul 17, 2006 at 09:51:02 AM PDT

•  what

  a dull and humorless lot of commenters.

  by BooMan23 on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 04:22:58 PM PDT

  •  Fuck you very much

    If I want your opinion, I'd go to your site. I don't and I don't.

    Get it?

    by Coldblue Steele on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 05:57:49 PM PDT

    •  Thought

      this was a Democrat blog...big tent in all. Do we have to ask your fucking permission now to post here? By the way who the hell are you????????

      by chenico on Mon Jul 17, 2006 at 09:00:31 AM PDT

    •  I can relate to having a few bad days

      and using a few bad words.  I have a hard time though drumming up that much hostility for Booman.  I venture to say he is even NICE.

      by Militarytracy on Mon Jul 17, 2006 at 09:54:44 AM PDT

•  This is really stupid

  Sending back two pennies is going to cost the DCCC a ton of money and hurt other candidates in other races. That you are really thinking of this smacks of pure and utter immaturity.

  You're not going to influence anyone by acting like that. Instead you're just going to annoy the people that you're trying to influence and make it less likely that they will take seriously.

  Chuck Pennachio didn't win the primary. Get over it. More than 80% of PA Democrats chose Bob Casey in a primary over Alan Sandals and Chuck Pennachio. For Casey to have won by such a solid margin he had to gotten the support of pro-choice women and those against the war.

  Schumer picked the right candidate. Pennachio and Sandals didn't have the chance. There was a primary. Your candidate didn't win. Take it up with the 80% PA Democrats who chose Casey, not Schumer. As much as you hate to realize it, not every Democrat in PA is obsessed with abortion or even pro-choice. Pennachio would have been a loser.

  Your actions aren't constructive. If anything they are destructive. But see you are the type of liberal I see here and on other blogs that throws tantrums and sabatoges Democrats who can actually win election. When your fringe left candidates lose primaries or fail to capture the spotlight of ordinary registered Democrats, you take your ball and go home. Then you try to undermine said Democrat to "send a message".

  Why don't you go form "Democrats for Santorum then?" Honestly, if Casey is so horrible, that you want to "send a message", then why don't you do that? Or, even better, why don't you sign the petition for the Green candidate running so that you can "send your message" and brag to the rest us that you helped Rick Santorum win another turn? Then you can indulge that martyrdom complex that liberals like you have by claiming that you acheived a "moral victory" by losing and that the Democratic Party won't "take the far left for granted any more".

  Do I sound harsh? Perhaps, but frankly you have two choices. You can either be part of the problem--or part of the solution. Evidently you are choosing to be part of the problem. And thus do whatever you are going to do. But don't expect to be taken seriously. Engaging in childish and immature behavior isn't going to convince the much-maligned "establishment" to take you seriously.

  If you honest want candidates like Chuck to be viable for statewide office in the Commonwealth of PA, then maybe you could volunteer at the local level. Maybe, in 2008, Chuck could run for office in Bucks County, maybe for State House or State Senate. Lord knows that there are tons of offices held by Republicans there. Then, if he establishes a strong track record of effective leadership, he might be taken seriously for a statewide office run.

  Casey was the only real viable Democratic candidate running. There was no one else to beat Santorum. Is this the most perfect solution? Probably not. I don't necessarily agree with Casey's views on abortion, but I'm not going to cut my nose to spite my face either. I'd rather have someone who supports 60-80% of my views than someone who represents only 0-20% of my vies. Then again, for people like you, you'd rather have Santorum because you can't stand to compromise. You'd rather be self-righteous and self-serving.

  Grow up. That's my final advice to you.

  by jiacinto on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 04:27:52 PM PDT

  •  moron

    rather have Santorum?  

    no, rather have a Democratic opponent to Santorum.  No more money to Schumer until he allows primaries seems like a reasonable approach.  

    by BooMan23 on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 04:31:02 PM PDT

    •  I'm not a moron

      Your candidate didn't win. Deal with it. Again, Chuck didn't even come close to winning. If Casey were so "horrible" to much of the "base", then why were Chuck Pennachio and Alan Sandals unable to even poll more than 15% of the vote?If there was so much "discontent" to Casey beyond the fringe leftists in places like Philadelphia, then why didn't Chuck fare better?

      Again Casey must have been enough of a "Democrat" to get more than 80% of those who turned out for the primary. PA Democrats spoke. They didn't pick Chuck.

      You're just bitter that your candidate didn't win--and that people rejected him. It wasn't even close. Again your candidate didn't win.Why is that Schumer and the DSCC's fault?

      Take it up with the voters who turned out for the Democratic Primary. They didn't support Chuck. They were the ones who made the final decision, and it wasn't Chuck Pennachio.  

      Schumer made the right choice there. Pennachio wasn't even viable. Now if he had been a Congressman or had a compelling background, it would have been a different story. But there was no way that the DSCC was going to allow the PA race to be lost because the militant left was pushing an unelectable candidate like Chuck.

      by jiacinto on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 04:44:36 PM PDT

      •  moron

        why were we stuck with Chuck and Alan as the only alternatives?  That's the issue.  

        And it wasn't any better that the took out Hackett for Brown.  I vastly prefer Brown.  But he should have won the primary against Hackett.  

        by BooMan23 on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 04:49:35 PM PDT

        •  Well

          I agree with you about the Hackett/Brown primary. The DSCC handled that one horribly. But in regard to PA I think they did the right thing. And the choices weren't limited to Chuck and Alan. Other candidates could have run. They just chose not to.

          by jiacinto on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 06:59:50 PM PDT

          •  for me

            it's the same principle.  Except I have no first hand knowledge that Brown actually asked them to dump Hackett.  Casey made it a condition of running.  

            And Schumer is on the record boasting that he had eliminated primaries and saved money.  

            I want the people to pick the their candidates, and I want those candidates free to use their own managers and consultants.

            Talk to some of the PA congressional candidates about how they've been bullied into accepting Emanuel's chosen staff in order to get money.

            If you want to go along with it fine.  I don't.  

            by BooMan23 on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 07:34:16 PM PDT

            •  Well

              I'm not going to defend every decision made by Schumer or Emmanuel. Some of the decisions, as with Hackett, were wrong. I also didn't like how they acted in IL-6.

              But again the jobs of the DCCC and the DSCC are not to appease the more militant party activists. They are there to support the candidates most capable of winning. How they handled Hackett was atrocious. How they handled Cegelis/Duckworth was also atrocious. I will concede that much.

              In PA, though, I think Schumer did the right thing. Again there were no other candidates besides maybe Barbara Hafer. The rest were not going to be competetive.

              And ultiamtely no one was prevented from running. Schumer didn't magically change the law to prevent people from filing.

              Finally the people did have a "choice" and were able to "pick" their candidate. They just decided not to support Chuck Pennachio. With a 4-1 margin it was clear that the vast majority of PA Democrats wanted Casey. And for him to have gotten more than 80% of the vote he had to have had the support of pro-choice women and anti-war voters. So, if there was so much "discontent", Pennachio and Sandals would have fared much better.

              As for Emanuel demanding that campaings employ his staff to get money, I can see this both ways. Money is a limited resource. Emanuel may be stipulating for that so that he can ensure that campaigns receiving DCCC funding have competent staff. He doesn't want to throw away bad money. I can see the bad in that too.

              It cuts both ways. That's what I think.

              by jiacinto on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 09:20:11 PM PDT

              •  Who is a militant party activist?

                by Militarytracy on Mon Jul 17, 2006 at 09:56:43 AM PDT

•  Ted Kennedy

  Has done more in his life for this Country then some cabindolt with a diary.

  Why will Democrats never win.  Idiots like cabindolt.

  by skeeters on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 04:46:04 PM PDT

  •  IMO,

    should be 1 term.  

    But, then you have to consider the source (i.e cabindolt).  Children are easily amused.

    by Street Kid on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 06:36:12 PM PDT

  •  Skeeters

    Calling Cabingirl a dolt is completely unfounded.  I dare you to come up with lyrics for a protest song to "The Letter".  Come on, she is a great song writer and that just doesn't add up to "dolt".

    by Militarytracy on Mon Jul 17, 2006 at 10:03:22 AM PDT

•  Sorry

  Ted Kennedy is my Senator in Massachusetts, and I'm proud to have him, thanks.  

  Not interested in your two-cents campaign.  

  by lightiris on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 05:00:35 PM PDT

•  I love ACT BLUE! n/t

  by JugOPunch on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 05:18:44 PM PDT

•  Agree with your frustration

    but doing that is foolish. There are plenty of other ways to send a message to the DSCC. Support Ned Lamont, for one. Two, don't send them money, period. Donate to individuals, to the DNC, to MoveOn, or whomever you like. The DSCC gets not a cent from me, but nor am I going to waste their postage and time by sending them two pennies.  
    My criticism of the DSCC is there for anyone to see. I despise how it's being run. But I'm not going to punish Democrats who have the support of the DSCC simply b/c I think their leader is an arrogant, pathetic schmuck of a man (sorry New Yorkers, that is Schumer to a T). Send your criticism, make your phone calls, get active in your community and send money directly to candidates or other organizations. Two pennies will save no time, cost money, and most importantly, will convince no one to change their tactics.

  by usmeagle69 on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 06:01:23 PM PDT