Now that the 4th quarter campaign finance reports are in and digested, I guess it’s time to take a look at my favorite Texas congressional race: The Fighting 22nd. CD 22, that is.
Amazingly, the financial juggernaut that was the Lampson campaign in 2006, where there was always talk of “that 3 million dollars” is a mere shadow of its previous greatness.
While still posting totals that exceed his GOP rivals, Nick Lampson’s 4th quarter intake was an abysmal $130,937.50, placing him in the rankings as 2nd to last.
Besting Lampson’s intake twice over was Shelley Sekula Gibbs’ whopping $263,059.80. Pete Olson, who was the reputed “it’ll be me and her in the runoff” man, he who had the DC connections, the organization, and the machine in place, came in third at $204,837.50 – still ahead of the incumbent, but woefully behind dark horse (at least in this area) former Pasadena mayor John Manlove who pulled in a respectable $228,610.00. Surprisingly, given his much self-vaunted conservative appeal and the only “experienced candidate”, Bob Talton, while beating Lampson, posted a $167,450.00 total, 4th from the top. Even Jim “Reverend Jim” Squier beat Nick Lampson’s total by over 30 large, posting a respectable $152,549.00. Pulling up dead last in the money raising category is Dean Hrbacek at a paltry $100,592.00.
Oh well, money isn’t everything, hey Dean? Not when he has an entire blog that is subliminally dedicated to his candidacy.
Oh, the other guys? Bazzy, Dunbar, Klock and Rowley? No FEC filings. Nada.
So is this news? That all but one of his GOP challengers have beat Lampson in the fundraising game? Well I guess it’s news when you want to make it news, but really, what does it matter what Nick raised last quarter? He’s running unopposed in March. His challengers are raising money to spend against EACH OTHER until March. And then, only one of them will emerge to run in November. Now I call THAT half a million plus dollars in well-spent GOP money. Good job, guys.
No, Lampson has another timetable to deal with, and assuming that the average CD 22 GOP voter is as cracked as I suspect they are, he will be facing Shelley Sekula Gibbs in his first ever head-to-head campaign with her. It is then that we will expect to see an influx of funds from the national party and out-of-state sources as Democrats circle the wagons to protect swing districts from Karl Rove’s “Hit List Campaign”. Watch for the lukewarm funding that SSG gets from the RNCC at that time. Long-term memory is nonexistent in CD 22, but there are still those in DC that remember Shelley’s glorious weeks serving out Tom DeLay’s term during the lame duck session of 2006.
I think they’re still shuddering over that.
Still, Nick Lampson will need to look in-district for some local monetary support. I know there are some individuals and organizations that are wildly enthusiastic about having Nick as their Democratic congressman. There, Nick will find a replenished well in which to lower his dipper. Not so among others from the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, who range between dismayed and shocked at some of his floor votes. This is not who we meant to send to congress, they cried.
The obvious reply? OK, so who else are you going to vote for?
Good point. Point well taken as a matter of fact. But the fact is, a vote for Nick, in my specific case, is a single event that takes care of each and every Democrat on the ballot as I am a straight-ticket Democratic Party voter. It’s nearly effortless. It’s more effort to get out of my car than to vote for every Democrat on the ballot. The effort lies in getting that old check book out. Who should I send this check to? Who, who, who? The guy who voted away my FISA rights?
Yeah, right.
Amazingly, the financial juggernaut that was the Lampson campaign in 2006, where there was always talk of “that 3 million dollars” is a mere shadow of its previous greatness.
While still posting totals that exceed his GOP rivals, Nick Lampson’s 4th quarter intake was an abysmal $130,937.50, placing him in the rankings as 2nd to last.
Besting Lampson’s intake twice over was Shelley Sekula Gibbs’ whopping $263,059.80. Pete Olson, who was the reputed “it’ll be me and her in the runoff” man, he who had the DC connections, the organization, and the machine in place, came in third at $204,837.50 – still ahead of the incumbent, but woefully behind dark horse (at least in this area) former Pasadena mayor John Manlove who pulled in a respectable $228,610.00. Surprisingly, given his much self-vaunted conservative appeal and the only “experienced candidate”, Bob Talton, while beating Lampson, posted a $167,450.00 total, 4th from the top. Even Jim “Reverend Jim” Squier beat Nick Lampson’s total by over 30 large, posting a respectable $152,549.00. Pulling up dead last in the money raising category is Dean Hrbacek at a paltry $100,592.00.
Oh well, money isn’t everything, hey Dean? Not when he has an entire blog that is subliminally dedicated to his candidacy.
Oh, the other guys? Bazzy, Dunbar, Klock and Rowley? No FEC filings. Nada.
So is this news? That all but one of his GOP challengers have beat Lampson in the fundraising game? Well I guess it’s news when you want to make it news, but really, what does it matter what Nick raised last quarter? He’s running unopposed in March. His challengers are raising money to spend against EACH OTHER until March. And then, only one of them will emerge to run in November. Now I call THAT half a million plus dollars in well-spent GOP money. Good job, guys.
No, Lampson has another timetable to deal with, and assuming that the average CD 22 GOP voter is as cracked as I suspect they are, he will be facing Shelley Sekula Gibbs in his first ever head-to-head campaign with her. It is then that we will expect to see an influx of funds from the national party and out-of-state sources as Democrats circle the wagons to protect swing districts from Karl Rove’s “Hit List Campaign”. Watch for the lukewarm funding that SSG gets from the RNCC at that time. Long-term memory is nonexistent in CD 22, but there are still those in DC that remember Shelley’s glorious weeks serving out Tom DeLay’s term during the lame duck session of 2006.
I think they’re still shuddering over that.
Still, Nick Lampson will need to look in-district for some local monetary support. I know there are some individuals and organizations that are wildly enthusiastic about having Nick as their Democratic congressman. There, Nick will find a replenished well in which to lower his dipper. Not so among others from the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, who range between dismayed and shocked at some of his floor votes. This is not who we meant to send to congress, they cried.
The obvious reply? OK, so who else are you going to vote for?
Good point. Point well taken as a matter of fact. But the fact is, a vote for Nick, in my specific case, is a single event that takes care of each and every Democrat on the ballot as I am a straight-ticket Democratic Party voter. It’s nearly effortless. It’s more effort to get out of my car than to vote for every Democrat on the ballot. The effort lies in getting that old check book out. Who should I send this check to? Who, who, who? The guy who voted away my FISA rights?
Yeah, right.
5 comments:
Lampson will get PLENTY of National funding for the General because he's NOT a Progressive--Rahm Emanuel HATES Progressives and thinks Attila The Hun was a dangerous Progressive.
You can vote the straight Donkeycrat ticket and STILL vote for the Libertarian Party candidate in the one statewide race with no Democrat on the ballot. This gives the Libertarian Party ballot access in 2010 by letting them reach the 5% vote threshhold. They can only do this in a two-candidate race.
You DON't say! Do you mean that I can vote a straight Democratic ticket and even then go and vote for a Libertarian if he is unopposed by a Democrat?
Well how about that?
Now, the question is, why would I want to do an idiotic thing like that?
Hal,
You do that because 1) it's the only way to say NO! to the Republican candidate. 2) about 2% of Texas voters ARE Libertarians and you want to let them keep a ballot line of their own instead of voting Republican--not to mention giving disaffected Republican "Conservatives" a vent for their anger against their own party (a win-win situation). 3) the Texas Democratic Party WANTS you to, or else they would have run candidates in all statewide races like they did in 2002 to kick the Green Party off the ballot. So it is the Texas Democratic Party who are the idiots, not me. 4) it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
"Galveston mayor John Manlove"
Pasadena citizen's only wish.
Not sure what happened to Lampson's fund raising 4th quarter except I am still looking in vain for anything that a Republican would not put in his franked letters from Washington.
Hello, environment anyone?
Watch him sweat as he tries to answer who he supports, Obama or Clinton in a mixed forum.
Gary - absolutely right, my mistake, Pasadena, not Galveston. That happens when you are quickly trying to write the post up before the polls close on the East Coast on Super Tuesday. Besides, all those cities down there on the coast sort of run together . . .
Libertarian Anon: 1)No, the other way you say No to a Republican is not to cast a vote in their race. It's called an undervote. Otherwise what you see are a bunch of misplaced votes for a person that nobody wants to see win, but they want to "make a statement", 2) no, the way I see it Libertarians are with Democrats 50%of the time, and with Republicans the other half. Let them make their choice like 98% of us do. 3)oh please, the TDP WANTS me to vote for a Libertarian? And this is because they don't deign to run candidates against Republicans everywhere? What Democratic Party are you talking about? The one I know has little control over who runs where - they're just glad someone is running when they do, 4) don't know about that, having done the one but not having ever done the other (since I dismissed Ayn Rand as a whack job when I was a high school junior) I cannot compare the two.
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