Democrats Between Iraq and a Hard Place

The Washington Post ran an article by Thomas Edsall today suggesting that the concentration on Iraq is hurting the Dems in ways beyond, and deeper than, simply driving their issues into the background. It is doing that, but it is

also damaging two crucial campaign operations — fundraising and voter turnout — among key liberal constituencies disillusioned over the party’s failure to challenge President Bush more forcefully on his bellicose posture toward Baghdad.

The damage to Dem fundraising is especially telling.

One Democratic strategist familiar with the situation said, “Democratic donors want the leadership to fight harder on Iraq. Instead, people see Democrats are not raising questions.”…

“The Democratic donor base is inclined to oppose the president’s actions in Iraq, and if the party is not doing that, it causes some problems.”

Some Dems have harshly criticized the Republicans for “playing politics” with the Iraq issue, but the increased difficulties the Dems’ perceived passivity toward the administration’s Iraq policy has caused their fundraising among Hollywood and other rich donors suggests the question whether any of the relatively large number of House Democrats who voted against he war resolution today did so to make it easier to raise money for their campaigns.

According to an article in Roll Call today, the Dem straits have become so dire that their chances depend on the members dipping more deeply into their own pockets. One did, in a big way.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) cut a $500,000 check to the DCCC Wednesday and implored Members to do likewise, telling them that victory was in jeopardy unless they responded with a major infusion of cash in the next few weeks….

“This was meltdown 101,” [one] participant said, while speculating that Members in the room may have heard the first cries from a sinking ship. “This was the Democrats’ attempt to take back the House beginning to unravel.”

Lowey wasn’t the only one to pony up. Civil Rights icon John Lewis gave $100,000; Steny Hoyer pledged $50,000; Robert Menendez gave $50,000. Would-be Speaker Gephardt has given $368,000 so far. Lowey had previously given $200,000, and is expected to give another $50,000, making her total contribution this year to her party about three quarters of a million dollars.

With many of the Dem fat cats staying away from party coffers in droves, the Dem members may have no one left to turn to but themselves. As Roll Call reported,

One top leadership aide put it bluntly: “It’s in the Members’ hands. If they want to be in the majority, they’ve got to give money. If they don’t, we won’t get there.”