Post a Comment On: Internal Monologue

The Republicans are apparently having a hard time recruiting people to run for Congress:
A recruiting surge anticipated by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) in recent weeks has yet to take shape as promised. The NRCC said in late September that it would have challengers emerge in five specific top-targeted districts within a few weeks, but so far only one of those races has a nationally recruited challenger officially in the race.They are also having some major financial problems. Jonathan Singer of MyDD:Compounding the NRCC's relative recruitment problems, of course, are the committee's fundraising woes. As of the end of September the NRCC trailed its Democratic counterpart, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, $28,334,264.70 to $1,598,505.61 in cash-on-hand -- and $25,351,765.09 to negative $2,251,494.39 when debts and obligations are taken into account. That's right -- the Democrats have more than a $27.6 million advantage in terms of actual money in the bank at this juncture, an advantage that will mean that they will be able to play in many, many more districts than will the Republicans. Money and recruitment might not be everything in politics, but they are extremely important, nonetheless. And while those two factors may not be sufficient for a party to succeed in an election, they're probably necessary -- meaning that unless the Republicans rights their course, and fast, they're going to have no shot whatsoever at reclaiming one or both Houses of Congress next fall.Maybe the Republicans should stop choosing such crappy leaders and pursuing such stupid, immoral policies and engaging in such blatant political hackery and trampling on our Constitution and sullying our nation's honor with torture and arbitrary imprisonment and having our customs agents act like assholes.

There's one Republican Congressperson who doesn't seem to have trouble raising money: Ron Paul. $4.2 million online in one day! All for a guy the pundits have written off as having no chance of winning, and whom the Republican establishment can't stand. I disagree with a lot of Ron Paul's stances: he's anti-choice, thinks we should go back on the gold standard, wants to withdraw from the UN, and opposes the assault weapons ban. But he's right about wanting to withdraw from Iraq and ending prohibition for drugs. Maybe the Republican establishment should look at the success and excitement he's generating and get themselves out of the ideological rut they've channeled themselves into.