See if you think this is nuts:
Eric Massa -- a retired Navy Commander who served with Wes Clark -- felt so strongly that invading Iraq was insane that he gave up his job as a Professional Staff Member on the Armed Services Committee.
Appalled by what Bush & Co. are doing to this Country, he goes home to Corning, NY, and decides to run for Congress.
Eric Massa is in luck: The one-term Republican he's running against, Randy Kuhl, barely squeaked by in '04. Better yet, even the Republicans seem to realize Kuhl is a hack. And Kuhl, brilliant strategist that he is, is still a vocal Bush fan, recently inviting Bush to the district even though residents think Bush is a moron according to local opinion polls (perhaps this is because Kuhl has nothing to run on otherwise -- all he's done the past two years is slavishly voted for everything Bush and DeLay wanted).
But Eric Massa runs into a big problem: He doesn't have rich friends. He's a former Navy officer, not a high-priced lawyer or a rich businessman.
This is where the national Democrats rush to the rescue, right? They shovel as much money as they can to Eric Massa because he can easily beat this turkey Kohl, right? BECAUSE WE DO NEED TO WIN THOSE 15 SEATS, RIGHT?
Nope, wrong.
Only candidates that raise a lot of money on their own get the bucks. If you have lots of rich friends and business acquaintances that can help you raise *$500,000, you get more money. If you don't, then tough toenails.
So what if this is a very winnable seat? We are the Democratic Party, after all, the Party determined to lose under all circumstances. The Party that, though it claims to be determined to help the middle class, has no freaking idea what it actually means to be middle class. The Party that is so inept at campaign strategy that even I -- a lifelong Democrat -- am starting to wonder if I really want them in control of the government.
Okay, I really didn't mean that last statement (mainly because Bush and the Republicans are so horrendous in comparison).
Here's a link to Eric Massa's diary of earlier today so you can read his take on this (he's much more gracious and accepting of this than me).
[http://www.dailykos.com/...]
I sent Massa $100 and am going to hit up some friends and relatives for more. Any of you have rich friends that can help out? Rich or not, know anybody that can spare $25 or $50 for this guy?
P.S. If anybody knows the people who "run" the Party, please tell them that money-raising ability should not be the ONLY criteria for funding decisions. Otherwise we're going to have to put a sign out front of DNC headquaretrs saying "ONLY RICH CANDIDATES NEED APPLY".
P.P.S Also tell them that $500,000 is a lot of money for real people.