I’ve already lost count of the number of breathless emails from Ed Markey urging that if I don’t send him a few bucks STAT, the Koch brothers are going to have their way with our Senate delegation. Here’s today’s missive:
From: Ed Markey <info@edmarkey.com>
Subject: What the Kochs want
Date: May 20, 2014 4:02:42 PM EDT
To: blue@vps28478.inmotionhosting.com
Reply-To: info@edmarkey.orgDear Friend,
What do the Kochs want? That’s simple — they want a Senate that will do their bidding.
Which means they want to see devoted Democrats that fight against Koch-backed interests — Democrats like ME — defeated in November.
But that won’t happen as long as grassroots supporters like you fight beside me. We only have a little more than one week left to reach $20,000. Can you give $5 or more to help? …
The Koch brothers’ special interest group Americans for Prosperity plans on spending $125 million to buy the 2014 elections. And Friend, some of that spending will likely make its way to Massachusetts.
I’m working to pass a plan to counteract the damaging effects of climate change on our Earth. I’m fighting for stricter gun safety laws and against big powerful interests like the NRA. I’m standing up to protect Medicare, not turn it into a voucher system.
I am against everything the Koch brothers stand for — and that puts me right at the top of their enemies list.
I don’t care if the Kochs like me or not. Because I know I have you fighting with me.
Help us hit our May goal of $20,000 before the month ends. Give $5 or more right now to fight against the Kochs.
Thank you for your support.
Ed
Now, just hold on a sec. Yes, the Koch brothers are probably going to spend a lot of money on the 2014 elections, and yes, they are probably going to spend it supporting candidates with whom Ed Markey disagrees on many issues.
But I frankly cannot imagine that it is at all “likely” that any of the Koch money will be spend on the Mass. Senate race this year. And Markey may indeed be high on the list of people that the Kochs don’t like … but I doubt he’s very high at all on their money list this cycle.
Why? Two words: Brian Herr. Who? You know, the guy who lives in Hopkinton and who’s on the Board of Selectmen. He wanted to run against Jim McGovern in 2010, but lost in the primary to Marty Lamb (who in turn got slaughtered in the general), and so of course the logical next step is to run for Senate against an incumbent. Last we heard, Herr was thousands of signatures short to even make the ballot, though he later claimed on Facebook that he has cleared 10,000 (no official word yet from Galvin’s office – the certification deadline isn’t for another couple weeks). I’m not aware of anyone who gives Herr, assuming he even makes the ballot, a serious chance at unseating Markey (the three big national handicappers, Rothenberg, Cook, and Sabato, as well as 538 and everyone else I could find, all rate the race “Safe D”).
Anyway, if I were Ed, I wouldn’t be too worried about the Koch brothers busting down Mr. Herr’s door to shovel money at him. So I’d appreciate it, Ed, if you’d stop emailing me with scary stories about how the Kochs will get me if I don’t send you a few dollars. When they start running ads against you, then let’s talk. ‘Til then, take it down a notch, willya?
Yeah, they’re over the top. That being said, how does Markey raise enough $ to keep this a safe seat? By sending out hair-on-fire emails.
And I would say it’s hard to overestimate the effect the Koch bros have on American politics. These two dudes spend an immense amount of money bringing their internal family Daddy-drama to the American political stage. If pro-Obamacare ads weren’t being outspent 15-1 by the Koch’s anti-Obamacare ads, what would the approval ratings be? What would the Dems chances of holding on to the Senate be?
So if those same emails were sent on behalf of the DSCC or DCCC, they’d be 110% justified. The Koch bros really are all that.
Markey is engaging in classic Chicken Little behavior. I am ignoring his appeals now, because I basically know that what he’s saying is not true. That sets a bad precedent for the future, IMHO, and it also weakens appeals sent out by people who really are Koch targets this year.
I have no problem with Markey, or other Dems, raising money off the Koch brothers – but in the current circumstances, he should be raising it for people who really need it (“send money to my good friend Mark Udall,” etc.), not to pad his campaign account that he’s probably barely going to need this fall. I mean, we don’t even know if he has an opponent yet!!
I agree with this: “if those same emails were sent on behalf of the DSCC or DCCC, they’d be 110% justified.” But I think there’s a big difference between that and raising money for yourself. Political donations are close to zero-sum for a lot of donors: if I give Markey $5,000, that’s $5,000 that I am not going to give to someone else who probably needs it more, because my budget for political donations is limited.
I stopped giving to both organizations when the “Democratic” legislators they put in place paralyzed the Democratic agenda — especially in 2008 and during the fight for the ACA. Since then, I give ONLY to individual (Democratic) candidates.
Mr. Markey’s letter is no worse than all the similar Chicken-Little emails I get from EVERY activist organization or political campaign. I can’t remember the last time I got an email from MoveOn that was anything but a money request.
Welcome to the post-CU world.
Markey’s letter is worse because it pretends there is a direct threat to him, when in fact, as far as we know based on available evidence, no such threat exists. That’s not the case for many other candidates.
And sadly, there seems to be little real enthusiasm from Democratic elected officials to create a truly post-CU world that either undoes or mitigates against that terrible decision. And it is because we are focused on short term tactical victories that we keep getting blindsided by the right.
You gotta respect a group that, after getting creamed in the Electoral College, creamed by the biggest popular vote landslide since Papa Bush beat the Duke, having both houses and the WH solidly in the hands of their opposition, and seeing a historic first black President get the highest honeymoon polls ever recorded, says to one another ‘we can retake the Congress in 2010, and make him a one term President in 2012’. They failed to do the latter, but honestly, while they didn’t succeed in chopping off his head they definitely chopped off his balls.
I don’t see anyone with that kind of long term vision on our side, outside of a few visionaries on the margins like Tom Frank, Guy Texieria, and the folks at the American Prospect. The rest of the time the party does look like a chicken with it’s head cut off-lurching from one policy failure to the next and running away from the signature policy success of the party in the last 45 years. Addicted to Wall Street money, addicted to paper tiger majorities composed of the likes of Mark Pryor, and addicted to coronations of Clinton’s and Kennedy’s. Just take a look at India and tell me the DNC doesn’t look like the INC.
DSCC/DCCC are incumbent protection funds first and foremost. There are some incumbents I don’t want to protect, so I don’t donate there.
I’m getting tired of the neverending urgence. Perhaps before I die I will vote in what isn’t labeled one of the most important elections in our country’s history.
The boy who cried wolf was eaten by a wolf.
He leads all Senators with about $16 million in the bank, and may not have an opponent on the ballot, so I tend to side with David on this one.
You’re completely right, the Koch brothers are awful and their disproportionate influence is chilling. Mary Landrieu, or the DSCC, might be completely justified in sending these emails. But Markey’s invoking a bogeyman not likely to spend a dime on his race. It’s problematic when you treat your best supporters like they’re fools.
It used to be Karl Rove, now it’s the Kochs.
It’s also every month now, when it used to be every quarter.
But they couldn’t find the urgency to vote on guns last year (that was pre-Markey). There’s never any rush, on anything, except money. I try not to think too much about it, it just infuriates me.
It’s also self-defeating. If you act like evil will follow if you lose, you raise the expectations for the good you will deliver if you win.
It is also defeating when we have Tom Steyer pumping $100 million of his own into this fight, since it undermines public finance. We truly are living in a plutocracy if the political whims of millionaires on both sides of the aisle are driving the debate instead of the actual grassroots passions and positions the actual voters want to be debated.
This isn’t a Broderism-Tom Steyer is a well intentioned person and in the short term we will need him on our side, and the Koch’s are in a whole other ballgame when it comes to bullying and dirty politics. Any libertarian goodwill they should get for their social liberalism is undermined by their all out assault against climate science, the right to organize, a sensible foreign policy, and campaign finance regulation. Not to mention they end up thwarting gun safety, choice, and gay marriage nationally by backing the arch conservatives they do in these nationalized races. They also routinely lie, and have even dirtied up local elections.
That said, Ed shouldn’t horde his money like Meehan used to do but do what his colleague Liz Warren is doing and give his money to vulnerable incumbents, plucky challengers, and go on a nationwide tour spreading awareness about the causes he holds dear. He could really be a national voice for climate security* the same way Liz Warren has been for the middle class and taming the wild west our financial system has become.
And we really need to start playing the long game like the GOP. We should be willing to lose a race here or there to ensure our party produces nominees that actually reflect the liberal priorities the vast majority of Democrats actually hold. We should be willing to toss aside corrupt dinosaurs like Rangel, and we need to end our addiction to quick and easy Wall Street money that has corroded the Obama administration and enabled the next generation of corporate Democrats like Booker and Rahm to set the agenda.
this one breathlessly proclaiming that “Republicans in Massachusetts have rallied around a candidate for the U.S. Senate.” They have? Who, Brian Herr? What does he mean, “rallied around a candidate”? And if they did, does anyone actually care? Come on Ed, give it a rest.