So... Elections are a long way off, and I feel kind of silly getting caught up in them so early - but, well, as EMILY says, Early Money Is Like Yeast - and I really want us to pick up a strong majority in the House next year - and a more liberal one. Like Atrios says, more and better Democrats, please!
So let's get cracking. September, a fundraising letter from Larry Grant reminds me, is the end of the third quarter, and candidates like to show good returns at the end of a quarter (or maybe it's just another good excuse to ask for money - what do I know?). To run the campaigns, to win the races, they certainly do need the money, and we've got a little to spare, haven't we? Big expensive holidays are a few months away, those Chicago bills are all paid... Let's raise some money for candidates in September.
Here's the deal. Just as I did in '06, for the month of September, every day I'll add a new candidate to my new ActBlue page and make a contribution. I'll announce it here in my diary and make the pitch. If there's one matching contribution, the next day I will double my contribution to the candidate; if there are ten matching contributions, I'll triple it. So we're kind of mutally leveraging one another's contributions: I show you I'm serious with my contribution, you reinforce that with yours - and good candidates get a better shot at getting into office.
I've got a few candidates in mind, naturally, but I welcome suggestions and research. I'm interested in races that are:
- winnable - that's what it's about, isn't it?
- competitive - I don't want to waste my money on shoo-ins
- cheap - we've got relatively small amounts of money to give; let's try to deliver it to candidates for whom relatively small amounts will help
- high-leverage - where we can force the Republicans to spend $5 or $10 for every $1 of ours, we're doing good
I want candidates who are
- liberal (or progressive, if you prefer)
- outspoken
- smart
I want opponents who are corrupt and hypocritical - no problem there!
These aren't hard and fast litmus-test rules, just guidelines I'm going to try to adhere to as best I can. I don't want to be wasting my money, or yours!
So that my final matching contribution can be in time for the end-of-quarter deadline, I'll list the last candidate on the 29th - so I'll start the series off on August 31. That's Friday. Please watch this space; please send me your suggestions for candidates, and please contribute if you can. Thanks for your attention. Let's make this a September to remember!