Tweet
Democrats across the country have been receiving emails recently from Chris Van Hollen (the DCCC Chairman), James Carville, and Paul Begala that amount to an attempt to trick us into donating money to the DCCC in exchange for a chance to win a dinner and photo with the President.
They apparently think that President Obama’s charm is more important to us than having a government that really represents the American people.
The following letter, sent via the DCCC’s contact page, is my response their emails:
Dear Congressman Chris Van Hollen, DCCC Chairman,
I think that you have the base of the Democratic Party confused with the lemmings who are the base of the Republican Party.
Do you seriously believe that it is appropriate to send out emails to people who want very much to support the Democratic Party and ask for contributions in order to win a chance to attend your upcoming dinner with President Obama and even get our picture taken with him?
I have received similar messages from James Carville and Paul Begala and have to ask myself if you people are joking.
Do you seriously think we want you to dangle the President at us like a shiny object?
On the front page of the DCCC’s website, you have a picture of Glenn Beck – elevating him to the status of a serious person – and try to convince your constituents in the Democratic Party that the Republicans need to be held accountable for trying to deny families quality, affordable health care.
Really, you think that we should hold Republicans accountable?
You write in an email, “As President Obama says, now is when we have to work harder than ever to make sure we get it done.”
We don’t see him working harder. And what’s he trying to get done?
Congressman, we don’t want a chance to get our picture taken with the President.
We want the President, the one we elected, and the huge majorities of Democrats that we sent to Congress to work harder to ensure that the bill that goes to the Senate floor includes a public health insurance option like the one that appears in the Kennedy-Dodd HELP Committee bill.
We want the President to publicly shame the Blue Dogs – the five Senators who think they can overturn the will of 52 members of the Senate.
We want the President to push immoral Congressmen like Mike Ross out of the way so you can get it done.
I have never been anything but a moderate Democrat for the last twenty years, my entire adult life, but in the last couple of months I have joined Firedoglake and contributed to progressive groups that will make sure that President Obama faces a Republican-run Congress come 2010 if he sells us out.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Brc
Ps- By the way, please tell Congresswoman Bean that Lipman, her communications director, is doing a lousy job of answering a simple question regarding numerous reports that she wants to minimize the fullest possible consumer protection in the financial services industry by means of a proposed amendment to Rep. Frank’s bill that creates a Consumer Financial Protection Agency.
(That’s right, sir. It took the base of the Republican Party six years to begin to see that the Bush Administration and the Republican Congress weren’t really interested in working for their interests, while it has taken less than six months for the base of the Democratic Party to see that the Obama Administration and the Democratic Congress are going to throw away once-in-a-generation opportunities to bring real change on behalf of all Americans. Unless we see change, we’ll be showing you all the exit very, very soon.)
13 Comments
The only upside of all this is the money we’re saving by guiltlessly deleting these silly emails. I wouldn’t go so far as to give it to Republicans, though. Better to blow it on booze.
I have previously suggested that we do send the DCCC a check. But make the amount one dollar or one cent whatever. That will attract more notice and you can write an anti-war message on the check. Or write a pro national health care message.
When I get phone calls for donations, I now tell them, any money I get will be used to “primary” specific blue doggies or Haggis Spector.
But I would enjoy a pleasant dinner with the President. Maybe not so pleasant for the President putting up with me.
Last email I recd from DCCC was about 2 weeks ago-from Jimmy boy and I unsubscribed. When asked for reason I stated-so I never recieve another email from Carville……
I did that too.
I’m from one of the 21 states that Carville threw under the bus for a Clinton White House. I wish he’d slither back under his mistress’ rock (and take Bob Shrum with him) and stay there.
All they ever ask is to donate.
We donated, voted, and have supported them and we get ask for more, while getting nothing in return.
That’s like stuffing money up a dead hores butt rather than betting on it, because there is no chance of winning as in placing a bet on it.
Yeah, I’ve been getting those emails, too. I like the idea of sending $0.01. So have just written the DNC a check for that amount. It’s going along with a response to stand with President Obama on health reform in a postage-paid envelope that will cost the DNC first-class postage minus 1 cent.
Right now I’m more pissed by the administration’s contortions to withhold the rest of the torture photos. So my check calls for their release.
Knoxville, your point is excellent about the Democratic base’s swifter realization that our elected federal officials have sold us out.
Thank you for reminding me that I have to make a contribution to the ACLU to thank them for their work to get the torture memos released.
I think I’ll take your and Frank’s advice @2 and send the DCCC a check for $.01 in one of their postage-paid envelopes with a few choice thoughts written on the check.
Tell them you got the idea from Daily Kos.
And that you figured it out while in your pjs.
These folks really are pitiful. I’ve sent responses to the DNC, DCCC and DSCC after their pleas. How stupid do they think we are? Actually, i don’t think I hear from the DSCC much any more, but I haven’t unsubscribed, just so i can write nasty notes & $.01 checks.
I simply say, “Well I’ve done my part over the last 30 years. I’ve donated time and money. Now it is my turn to get something. I want a national health care plan, a universal plan based on one of the grown up wealthy countries plans. Not one dime until I get my due.”
I too have kept my subscription so I can repeat my message over and over. But I like the $.01 idea.
I rarely open any of the emails I receive from the DCCC, the DSCC or the DNC, and when they call to solicit for contributions I tell them I’m giving directly to candidates whose policies represent me and that until they quit recruiting and supporting DLC candidates like Bayh, Bacchus, Landrieu, and Nelson in the Senate and the Yellow Dogs in Congress they can quit hitting me up for $$$.
In this I am like the Republicans; when I pay for a politician he/she had better vote for MY Special Interests.
Great letter, Knoxville. I unsubscribed from DSCC and DCCC when Schumer backed Mukasey for AG. I had a bit of fun calling Schumer out on the DSCC blog about that one at the time.
I just received an email from Speaker Nancy Pelosi announcing that tonight’s the deadline to contribute to the DCCC and win a chance to meet the President and get my picture taken with him. (Oh, boy!)
I sent her a message via http://www.speaker.gov/contact/ to show her the above letter.
Dear Speaker Pelosi,
While I would like to meet you at this dinner to thank you for your efforts to achieve real health care reform with a public health insurance option, I cannot support this effort of the DCCC to use President Obama’s charm as a way to raise money while he is doing nothing publicly to shame Blue Dog Senators and to push Conservadem Congressmen out of the way so that we can have real change for ourselves and for generations of Americans to come.
I would like you to see the following letter, which I sent to DCCC Chairperson Chris Van Hollen on Saturday, 17 Oct 2009:
[letter above attached.]