RNC Faltering, Might Lose Coordinating Power as Well

[babylonsister]

With RNC Faltering, Funders Look Elsewhere
Lagging in Fundraising, the Republican National Committee Might Lose Coordinating Power as Well
By Jesse Zwick 8/2/10 12:00 AM



The traditional fundraising bulwark for the GOP, the Republican National Committee is having a bad year, to say the least. Chairman Michael Steele has managed to get himself noticed for almost everything except his fundraising prowess, from his questioning of the U.S. commitment in Afghanistan to his promising an “off the hook” rebranding effort to make the GOP more appealing in “hip-hop settings.” Steele’s gaffes and antics led Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the minority whip, to publicly advise him to “focus on the traditional role of the party chair, which is to raise the resources necessary and deliver the election” earlier this month.

Then, just when the embarrassing reports seemed to be dying down, The Washington Times reported that the RNC failed to disclose more than $7 million in debt to the Federal Election Commission. That prompted the RNC’s own treasurer, Randy Pullen, to accuse Steele and his chief of staff, Michael Leavitt, of trying to conceal the information from him. The RNC denied Pullen’s charges, but the damage had already been done. Many conservative donors already believe the RNC is becoming less and less helpful to candidates and less and less relevant to the party itself. Now, many worry that the committee might actually hurt the party’s chances of accomplishing its biggest goal this campaign season: taking back the House in November.

snip//

But comparing the RNC’s 2010 finances with any year since 2002, the problems become clear. In May, CNN noted that the RNC’s $12.5 million was less than a third of the amount it had on hand at the same time of either the 2002 ($47 million) or the 2006 ($44.6 million) midterm election cycle. The circumstances have all but ruled out the RNC’s chances of substantially helping out the National Republican Congressional Committee, which is itself getting outfundraised by its Democratic counterpart by a ratio of nearly 2 to 1.

more...

http://washingtonindependent.com/93296/with-rnc-faltering-funders-look-elsewhere

[spanone]

1. shhh don't tell the media. they just know that the thugs are going to steamroll the dems in nov.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. you betcha! Listening to MSGOP this mourning,

I got the idea that Obama was about to be impeached.

[Submariner]

2. $7 million in debt to the Federal Election Commission

No problemo. That's why the RNC had their right-wingnut activist judges on the SCOTUS make it legal for companies to contribute whatever they want to the repukes. The RNC is so incompetent that they need the SCOTUS in order to survive financially.

[KharmaTrain]

4. They Live By Their Press Clippings...

So much of this "rushpublican wave" we're supposed to expect this Fall has been generated by the corporate media and their right wing puppetmasters. While polls have shown Democrats down this year, it hasn't shown much of a rise for the GOOP...and that party continues to implode on itself. The teabaggers are destroying the party...driving away moderates and money, squandering millions on challenges this year that will only leave wounds going into November.

The RNC has turned into a joke...Mikey knows he can't be fired or the racists will be exposed for being racists...shame shame. They're funneling money other ways and thanks to Citizens United they can go direct now, but without a coordinated GOTV effort things could turn out a lot different than the pundits and the GOOP operatives promise.

[babylonsister]

7. You should hear the 'corp media' right now.

Interviewing Cantor, who is ineptly trying to spin what Stockman wrote this weekend. I can't even listen; he's bending himself into pretzels.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=433&topic_id=395170
Reagan OMB director David Stockman blames Bush and Republicans for economic "apocalyse"


:hi:

Also, big biz will help finance them, so no problems! Guess who's getting the bulk of the fundraising?


Corporate campaign fundraising picks up speed

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-politics-money-20100802,0,3132080.story

[Libby2]

5. You ever wonder is Steele might be an Obama

supporter? LOL

[zipplewrath]

6. National committees becoming irrelevant

We could be seening the beginning of the end for the national committees as major coordinating vehicles. I suspect in some sense parties will always be here. But look at some trends on both sides of the aisle. You've got both Lieberman and Crist running as independents, with a fair amount of success. The numbers of people registering as "independents" is increasing by large amounts. Billionaires are frequently running for office with their own money, and little if any support from their party structures. Congressional leaders are fairly unable to enforce any kind of "discipline" on their members, with various "caucus" groups having more organizational clout. The conservative democrats and Blue Dogs practically ran healthcare reform on the hill, with the cooperation of the White House. The White House has maintained OFA as a distinct entity, under but outside of the regular party organization. DSCC and the DCCC both have as much to do with who runs in primaries as does the national or state parties. Florida's democratic party basically told the national party to stick it last go round and ran their primary "early". Move On and other liberal groups are doing more fundraising for individual candidates, without the coordination or cooperation of the party or the other congressional democratic committies. On the GOP side you have Rove and company wanting to circumvent the national party as well with their own seperate fundraising organization. None of this suggests that the national parties have any real clout within the system at all, and are quickly becoming just the "traffic cop" to keep the primaries running.

[Scurrilous]

8. K & R

:thumbsup:

[gratuitous]

9. Just replace the RNC with the Chamber of Commerce PAC

It'll at least have the redeeming quality of being slightly more honest advertising. The RNC will probably remain just as a shell to dupe the gullible, but the true political power for the GOP in a post-Citizens United world will reside in a mish-mosh of unaccountable corporate PACs rewarding its pawns under the table while seeking to control the narrative to maintain their financial advantages, both real and perceived.

[alfredo]

10. Let's keep the crazier ones out front (Bachmann, Bohner, Palin)

[Festivito]

11. No problem, Rove' money from a few top elite will get them our wealth without the RNC.

And, the press will dutifully not mention that when talking about the RNC stuff.

[DFW]

12. The RNC has been essentially replaced anyway. Financially, they have outlived their usefulness

Now that corporations and PACs can pour unlimited funds into elections, no one needs the RNC.
Rove and friends can bypass them, and pretend Steele doesn't even exist.

Indeed, when does Tim Kaine get asked on TV for his opinion on anything? It's always Howard Dean,
the last relevant Party chairman this country had, who ever gets asked to appear.