I shudder to think of Jeff Erdmann or Leah Phifer getting elected, showing up to do the job in DC, and be given their individual quota for the DCCC. Especially in light of the fiscal help, so far, DCCC has given each (can you say "zippo?").
It is a very sick system, and given that, John Oliver does it up well. The entire segment is only twenty minutes long, all worth watching.
Past posts here have focused upon the DCCC tie-in to local Congressional campaigns; the "money rules" perspective that dominates the DCCC worldview. Sick. If a candidate cannot meet some DCCC expectation of independent money raising, the DCCC will bail out on the candidacy.
Perhaps more to post later, but it is such a depressing thing that you have to wonder why campaign reform has not been enacted, given how demeaning it is to those having to phone the patrons of the purse-strings.
____________UPDATE____________
More on the DCCC, and what is wrong and not being fixed among Washington, DC, Democratic Party politics. The grassroots has a mighty big rock to push up a mighty long and steep hill; but there is no other alternative beyond total unconditional surrender.
Feel the Bern.
_________FURTHER UPDATE________
Issue One, online, here and here (full report downloadable). Why worry about Russian oligarchs perverting our politics? We've already sold the package to homegrown oligarchs for them to pervert, so that the Russians have massive leaps and bounds to meet, merely to catch up.
More links of tears; here, here and here. Which translates to having to work bottom up. The local legislature seats, city and county offices; and would term limits help or hurt? On the other side of things, the primary challenge to Nancy Pelosi is of major import.
Stephen Jaffee campaign website:
https://jaffe4congress.com/
Issues page:
https://jaffe4congress.com/issues/
It is difficult to disagree with any one of them.
What is the biggest shame of the Democratic Party? That is a difficult one, picking a time and an issue set. My candidate:
The eight years of the Clinton Administration were divided into four Congresses, each lasting two years. The Democrats controlled the first one, and Republicans controlled the other three, though with their majority in the House diminishing with each election. The 104th Congress (the second under Clinton) was the first time Republicans controlled both houses of Congress since the 1950s.
In 1993 and 1994 (the 103rd Congress), the House of Representatives was about 60% Democratic and 40% Republican and the Senate was 57 Democrats and 43 Republicans. Congress was clearly controlled by the Democrats.
In 1995 and 1996 (104th Congress), Republicans pulled into the lead 53 to 47 in the Senate, and 54% to 46% in the House. Republicans clearly controlled Congress.
Both houses and the White House. That's when single payer was passed, card check for the unions, Wall Street held in check, all that good stuff, right?
Wrong. There was no progress to the point where Newt Gingrich could prosper. They were that damned bad! Bill Clinton.
Obama never had the chance to fail progressives and labor that badly.