There are 178 Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, but according to the National Republican Congressional Committee only nine of those seats are vulnerable. And once again, one of those vulnerable seats belongs to our very own Rep. Dave Reichert.
That’s quite an accomplishment for Reichert, in a district that has never voted for a Democrat, and that under Jennifer Dunn’s tenure was a consistent cash cow for the NRCC, rather than the bottomless GOP money pit it’s proven in recent years. That’s just gotta be an irritant to NRCC retention chair Mike Rodgers, who is counting on his incumbents to be financially independent as Republicans go on the offensive in 2010.
“Our goal is not just to get every one of them to win… but to get everyone one of them to win with no help from the NRCC,” he said.
Fat chance there, at least when it comes to Reichert.
It is still unclear how much of the electoral mood this year is anti-Democratic, or more generically, anti-incumbent. But if it’s the latter, and the NRCC leaves Reichert to his own devices — and bank account — I wouldn’t rule out a surprise this November.
Republicans won’t be able to compete with Democratic money in ’10.
That’s quite a damning statement: “…to win with no help from the NRCC,….”
It’s pretty much a confession that nationally, resources are so limited that they will have to choose their battles carefully. Instead of the Democrat’s “50 State Strategy”, they are going to be betting their entire pots on only a few selected races. They might think the best they can do is scare a handful of incumbent Democrats to move far enough to the right to create a bi-partison filibuster.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with expecting an incumbent Congressman to have a sufficiently strong base to finance their own election. A three-term Congressman like Reichert is expected to not only fund his own re-election campaign, but to aid in fund-raising for his Republican colleagues who are seeking to challenge seats held by Democrats. He is supposed to leverage his own popularity and endorsement power into milage which supports the party as a whole.
But Reichert? Not so much. I can just hear the groans around the table at the NRCC whenever his name comes up. He’s like one of the younger sons in a well-to-do family who constantly needs bailing out, and keeps coming back for more. You set him up in a job in the family business and you expect him to contribute, but he’s more of a drain than an advantage.
I know the House and Senate races are funded seperately, but lets be honest – it’s all coming out of the same pockets in D.C. (big whale contributors, lobbyists, “independent expenditure” groups, corporations, etc.).
So if the NRCC is telling Reichert and other incumbent house members not to expect any support from the national party, then how much value is there in the promises given to Rossi in order to get him to challenge Murray?
Maybe that’s why he’s still selling real estate in the middle of a Senate campaign.
Nine vulnerable seats? I want some of what they’re smoking! The NRCC is flat broke and being attacked from the left and the right. They’ve got more than nine seats to lose.
I’ve heard that Reichert had damaged his rotater cuff in a bench press misshap and has put on 30 lbs. since then. People say he looks like Matlock — but with slightly sharper features.
They are weighing his options as the avuncular candidate against a younger more ‘smart alecky’ opponent.
Can the sheriff who didn’t catch the Green River killer pull it off?
Only time will tell.
Goldy farts: ‘NRCC: Reichert one of only nine vulnerable Republicans’
LOL.
Well, better sick Ditzy Darcy Burnout on him then, it worked out so well the first two times. :)
You may be a bit hopeful goldy, but one can hope.
I think there is going to have to be a bit of a swing over the summer for dems to to have a great election season. Like it or not, Reichert still has a base. We should respect that base and come up with an electable candidate, and a plan to get them elected. If this is happening already, I sure ain’t hearing about it. Sorry to say it, but let’s be real on Darcy, she isn’t electable in that district. She can help to get another person elected, or she can help Sheriff Dave win another term.
Yeah, the lack of outside money makes it interesting, but, to paraphrase a great line, let’s not start ******* each others ***** quite yet, gentlemen.
Law and order repugs refuse to pay for their own security, try to pawn the bill off on others – shocking
http://slog.thestranger.com/sl.....ew-seattle
6. Mark1
It sure did. The NRCC poured millions into his campaigns in 2006 and 2008 to eke out low-single-digit wins, while Democrats across the nation pounded the GOP and won large majorities in Congress. I’d say it all turned out very well indeed.
@9
That is an interesting, and unique way of interpreting(read: spinning) the failure of Ditzy Darci twice in a row.
Odd that the nine “vulnerable” seats doesn’t seem to include Joe “YOU LIE!” Wilson of South Carolina. Especially since he could end up being indicted for election fraud for his involvement in the Alvin Greene scandal. See James Clyburn’s take on the affair.
Elephant Dung, indeed.
@11
got any proof other than clyburn’s sour grapes?
It’s a shame the Dem’s don’t have a progressive, or even a democratic challenger this year. If DelBene gets her way, she’d be happy to replace my American hard-working ass with a cheaper H1B Visa holder. No thanks…