California Democrats sound desperate. Their midterm election emails capture the mood
California Democrats are in a distressed state. They’re frightened about next year’s midterms and bewildered by the latest Republican shenanigans. The mood is glum, occasionally bordering on despondent.
How do I know such things? Because they tell me so in emails that arrive just about every day, sometimes in bunches. I never asked to be on the email lists of any Democratic congressmen and rarely, if ever, open their electronic missives. They usually go straight to the trash. Still, they keep coming.
My first email pal was Congressman Josh Harder, whose messages started landing in my inbox shortly after the Democrat won reelection last November. At first I was confused. Harder represents the 10th Congressional District of Stanislaus County, which doesn’t really touch The Fresno Bee’s coverage area.
Perhaps Harder’s staff mistakenly thought I worked for our sister paper in Modesto? Hmm. Out of curiosity, I opened one of the emails. The recognition was instant. Ohhh … he wants me to send him money.
Now there’s a laugh, considering I haven’t contributed a dime to a political candidate in my entire life. (No ethical journalist does.) I’m not even registered to vote as a Democrat. Since 1996, the year California switched to open primaries, I’ve been No Party Preference or Decline to State, as independent voters used to be called.
None of that matters to Harder, whose emails show up day after day. Most of the time they’re addressed to me from Josh himself and occasionally from “Team Harder” or “Harder for Congress.” Before long, they were joined by correspondences from two fellow House Democrats from more distant regions of California: Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff.
I have yet to receive any fundraising emails from Jim Costa, the longtime Democratic congressman from Fresno. (His staff knows better.) Nor, come to think of it, from my House representative: Republican Devin Nunes. (Thank goodness.)
The emails from Harder, Swalwell and Schiff inevitably contain subject lines that are meant to startle Democratic-leaning voters and entice them into contributing to their campaigns.
It’s a fairly obvious tactic. Here are a few favorites:
● Republicans ON TRACK to take back the House?
● Democrats like Josh face “significant headwinds”
● Marek: the recall is reaching dangerous territory
● I can’t believe what just happened!
Sounding desperate for campaign cash
These guys don’t let any opportunities slip by. A couple weeks ago, when Swalwell and a member of Republican nutjob Marjorie Taylor Greene’s staff yelled at each other on the House floor over masks, an email describing the “verbal assault” arrived within hours.
There must be some evidence these email pitches work, because otherwise they make these guys sound desperate. Recent emails from Harder, all in the last week, contain the subject lines “getting a little worried,” “worried,” “Help me give my team a break!” and “new attack ads over Memorial Day weekend?” Followed by this plea Saturday morning: “maybe someone will open this.” Sorry, nope.
Harder really needs to cheer up — and be reminded that he won by 11% over Republican challenger Ted Howze last November in a district that has nearly 20,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans. Do a halfway decent job, and voters will stay loyal.
What these Democratic politicians don’t seem to realize is that voters don’t need them to underscore all the horrible things some Republicans are doing and saying. They see and hear with their own eyes and ears.
Take last week’s Fresno City Council vote to fly the Pride flag next month at City Hall. The Fresno County GOP responded by calling the decision “an attack against Christians, Jews, Muslims and other faiths” and LGBTQ policies “a major setback for women’s rights.”
California Democrats have it pretty easy
Regrettably, the statement’s authors neglect to mention which faith leaders or women’s rights experts they consulted before drafting such a bizarre and twisted rant. One that perfectly illustrates why the Fresno County electorate dipped from 47% registered Republican voters in 2004 to below 33% last November. Turns out intolerance and hypocrisy (don’t act like Republicans are a LGBTQ-free zone, along with all their friends and family members) aren’t popular campaign platforms.
California Democrats such as Harder, Swalwell and Schiff actually have it pretty easy. Unlike Georgia, Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania, Republicans in California don’t have anywhere near enough political sway to restrict voting rights under the guise of “election integrity.”
Thank goodness for that.
Fundraising is a political necessity; I get that. But rather than use Republican attack ads and unfavorable polls to scare up campaign contributions, Democrats should flex their legislative clout. Instead of whining about Mitch McConnell’s antics, be just as ruthless as the Senate minority leader. Pass a national voter rights bill, immigration reform and a ban on assault rifles. Expand the Supreme Court. And make no apologies for any of it.
Yes, I could always end my one-way relationship with these Democrats by hitting “unsubscribe” at the bottom. But where’s the fun in that? Much better to make light of their moping before sending their emails to the trash bin.
Chin up, guys.
