WASHINGTON: Nothing rallies US grassroots donors quite like a political affront, and Democrats facing a wave of Republican threats are cashing in on the negativity at the height of the 2014 election cycle.
Democratic campaign organizers in Washington have seized on major political assaults by Republicans — including a demand for President Barack Obama’s impeachment by Tea Party heroine Sarah Palin — to sweep millions of dollars into their coffers and sign up thousands of new likely voters.
Despite Obama’s approval rating being in the cellar, and the odds of Republicans taking back the Senate in an off-year election reaching 50-50, the Democratic Party has been the beneficiary of a flood of campaign funds not seen since Republicans were blamed for shutting down the government in October.
“Republican overreach continues to be a huge motivating factor for our grassroots,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spokesman Josh Schwerin said. The efforts kicked into high gear shortly after House Speaker John Boehner announced late last month that he was filing a lawsuit against Obama for abusing his executive authority.
Days later, a controversial decision by the US Supreme Court allowed employers on religious grounds to opt out of the health care law’s mandate to provide contraception coverage. Since Boehner’s announcement, the DCCC alone has raised over $3m online, from 157,000 donors, nearly a quarter of them first-time givers.
Their best fundraising day of the year came June 30, the day of the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision, when over $800,000 poured in. Other Democratic groups cashed in too, including the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
The verdict could be good news for Democrats as they court single female voters. Most young women vote Democratic, and polls show a majority of young women care deeply about contraception coverage.
Then there is the issue many mainstream Republicans are wincing over: Palin’s call for Obama’s impeachment. Boehner quickly said he would “disagree” with an effort to impeach the president.
But Democrats see money in Palin’s announcement. About $400,000 has been raised by the DCCC since Tuesday, when the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee called for Obama to go.
AFP
