For reasons that are known only to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and the National Security Agency, I routinely get fundraising emails addressed to Gayle. This latest pitch comes from Barbra Streisand via Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the former Speaker of the House who did such a bang-up job that she and the Democratic majority were sent packing after just four years in the driver's seat.
Over the past few months, but especially over the few weeks, the amount of DCCC spam I've—I mean Gayle—has been getting is through the roof. I don't know if that's a sign of brilliant persistence or flop-sweat desperation.
Most indications are that voters have largely tuned out the midterms but that GOP candidates have an "enthusiasm edge" among the few of us not paralyzed by Ebola hysteria who still plan on voting. That's despite Democratic orgs such as the DCCC and its Senate counterpart handily outraising Republicans.
Or maybe it's because of letters such as the one signed by Babs below. If the Dems are raising beaucoup bucks via such efforts, they're obviously doing something right. Then again, it's hard to quantify the costs of emails sent to the wrong targets (such as me-as-Gayle). Do such misfires actually cause non-committed people to actively turn against the sender and her cause? Maybe.
Then again, it might just be the Dems are struggling only because of the generally awful performance by President Obama across a wide array of issues. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is also terrible. None of that takes away from the intense unlikeability of congressional Republicans, but it does heavily mitigate the GOP's negatives.
Here's La Streisand's case for supporting Democrats in two weeks:
From: Barbra Streisand
Dear Gayle
Have you seen Congress lately? It's a mess. And it's only going to get worse if people like Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers continue to treat corporations better than people.
That's why I wanted to make sure you saw President Obama's call-to-action. Just this week in Texas, voting rights were dismantled, essentially blocking minorities and many students and seniors from voting.
Whether you know it or not, in the past 6-years we have seen huge progress under President Obama. Unemployment is at the lowest level since before President Obama took office, before the Great Recession started. The deficit is rapidly dropping and is just 2.8% of GDP -- the lowest since 2007.
And thank God for President Obama's Affordable Care Act, which has helped millions of people around the country gain access to health care.
Additionally, he has championed equal pay for women while Republicans try to take away long-term unemployment insurance and kill a minimum wage increase.
