DCCC Targets Michael McCaul Launches Grassroots Offensive, "Health Care ER"

by: Matt Glazer

Thu Aug 06, 2009 at 10:29 AM CDT

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), chaired by Congressman Chris Van Hollen, announced automated and live calls will be starting today against Representative Michael McCaul as part of its month-long major advertising and grassroots offensive in support of President Obama's health insurance reform plan.

"Time and again, Republicans including Representative McCaul protect a broken system of skyrocketing costs, insurance companies making health care decisions, and record-setting insurance company profits instead of working with President Obama to bring real health insurance reform for middle class families," said Jon Vogel, DCCC Executive Director. "This August we are going district-by-district to hold Republicans accountable for trying to obstruct health insurance reform through their scare tactics and just-say-no protection of big insurance companies at the expense of affordable health care."

Unlike the chaos and shouting matches the Republican Party is building, the Democratic Party is organizing a series of educational meetings and reaching out to inform people about the true impact insurance reform will have on them.

According the the DCCC the outreach activities going on in Mike McCaul's district may include:

Radio ads in eight (8) Republican Members' districts
Volunteer live calls, automated calls to 25 targeted Republican Members
Volunteer live calls to talk radio stations in targeted Republican Members' districts
Three (3) million e-mails
Letter writing drives in Republican Members' districts
Letter to the editor drives in Republican Members' districts
On-line petition campaigns
Fact checking Republicans' lies about health insurance reform
Tele-town halls in specific Republican Members' districts

An automated call has already started in Mike McCaul's district. The message highlights McCaul's position and our current health care crisis.

This call is paid for by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, 202-741-1350. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
I have an important message about your health care. Insurance companies are posting record profits while health bills skyrocket. Now they are lining up to stop health care reforms and protect profits. Congressman Michael McCaul took almost fifty thousand dollars from the insurance industry and now he's trying to block reform... like reducing costs by forcing insurance companies to compete and preventing them from denying you coverage. Call Congressman McCaul today. Ask him to stop standing up for insurance companies and start standing up for us.

In stark contrast, the Party of No is busing in people from across the state to silence constituents and prevent a dialogue on issues. Simply, one party is working to provide solutions to real problems. The other "just says no."

Tags: Mike McCaul, Jack McDonald, TX-10, health care, (All Tags)

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DCCC Targets Michael McCaul Launches Grassroots Offensive, "Health Care ER" | 4 comments

Gene Green of Houston held a town hall (0.00 / 0)

and he was able to keep the audience at bay. It was awesome. They could not disrupt him or prevent others from asking questions. When one woman shouted out "How many people are against socialized medicine?" everyone raised their hand. Gene Green shot back "How many people are on Medicare?" Quite a few raised their hand. Another woman shouted out "How many here do not have health care insurance?" Only one or very few (it was hard to tell by the video clip) raised their hand.

Some of those in attendance did not live in Mr. Green's district. They were merely there to disrupt and prevent folks in the district from having a conversation with their elected representative.

A video clip of Keith Olbermann's Countdown is below. Green's town hall follows the first segment.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30...

by: Libby Shaw @ Thu Aug 06, 2009 at 11:01:47 AM CDT

by: you @ soon

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Really, really good news (0.00 / 0)

After being ignored for the next two elections after the mid-census redistricting, TX 10 is finally being given some attention by the DCCC. It's a ripe District, because McCaul is such a lousy campaigner. He's been carried by the Republican label ever since he won the primary in '04. He doesn't do grass roots. Most of his positions are actually against those of most of the people voting for him. A succesful Dem will be able to:
1) Get local media attention to press releases hi-lighting his lousy votes.
2) Do grassroots campaigning in places that have never seen McCaul (he only does big-wig Republican events).
3) Pinpoint targeted voters in the District that are persuadable with messages to which they will respond.
4) Mobilize the DCCC in the many ways that they are able to effectively intervene in the campaign (this is more than just ads in the District).

Fortunately, we have a Candidate that could do all of these things in Jack McDonald. I've been very general in the above-mentioned things, but much more specific in my discussions with him about my experience as the Dem in the '06 election.

by: Ted Ankrum @ Thu Aug 06, 2009 at 11:04:43 AM CDT

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slightly off topic, and (0.00 / 0)

this is kind of a pet peeve of mine, but is anybody else sick of robo-calls? I have a hard time believing that they're effective. At a time when everyone's sick of pop-up ads and other intrusive forms of automated ads, I find it hard to believe that yet another robo-call is likely to sway anyone to a point of view, and may in fact have the opposite effect.

I freely admit this antipathy may be due to my being a precinct chair who's received every damn robo-call ever made, but just because they're relatively inexpensive doesn't mean they should be on every campaign's list of things to do.

/end rant.

by: davew @ Thu Aug 06, 2009 at 15:08:15 PM CDT

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Yes (0.00 / 0)

I found they were a waste of money, and actually were counterproductive. This was in 2006. I'm sure it's even worse, now. There are a lot of "Campaign Consultants" out there and a candidate has to figure out which are like the "investment advisors" making money on commissions, and which actually add value.

by: Ted Ankrum @ Fri Aug 07, 2009 at 11:45:03 AM CDT

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