The Experiment
by digby
Grayson is running in 2010 in much the same way he won in 2008, with a counterintuitive Southern strategy. Rather than running as a tepid, timid Blue Dog Democrat, Grayson spends lots of money — some of it his own — and is not afraid to go negative: He derides Webster as “Taliban Dan.”
Most critically, Grayson mobilizes and energizes his diverse base: African Americans, Latinos, Jews, gay men and lesbians, union members, pro-choice activists and younger “‘Daily Show’ Democrats,” who, like him, do not hesitate to criticize their party’s leadership for insufficient fervor and a promiscuous eagerness to compromise. Their enthusiasm and their commitment, Grayson says, can make up for their smaller numbers in the otherwise moderately conservative district. If he manages to win despite the expected GOP wave — regardless of his margin — the lesson for Democrats will be clear.
“If Grayson wins,” said Aubrey Jewett, associate professor of political science at the University of Central Florida, “and especially if many other congressional Democrats lose, the lesson for the Democratic Party will be clear: A winning strategy for Democrats in swing districts involves energetically advocating progressive positions rather than muddling policy differences for the moderate voters.”
[…]
Despite the sense that this is going to be a Republican year and that Grayson is ideologically out of sync with the 8th District, local experts are not willing to count him out. Thanks to his personal funds and to contributions from his enthusiastic base, Grayson enjoys a large campaign cash advantage over Webster. On September 6, at a Labor Day rally sponsored by the AFL-CIO, he said that his latest internal poll had him up 40–27, though FiveThirtyEight, a widely read blog that tracks congressional races, rates the contest a toss-up.
“Candidates such as Grayson do not need to appease the more moderate party establishment,” said Terri Susan Fine, associate director of the University of Central Florida’s Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government. “Independents and weakly affiliated Republicans, more concerned with issues and less with partisanship, may join with other Democrats to re-elect Grayson.”
The Citizen’s United plutocrats along with the Republican party are throwing a lot of money this race, so his so-called cash advantage isn’t all that. We need to keep helping him.
But his “counterintuitive” (for beltway strategists) experiment is the one to watch for progressives. He’s done virtually everything we’ve asked of him, her’s been an outspoken leader, he’s pushed through difficult legislation, all as a freshman. If he can survive this coming slaughter, it’s a big lesson for other Democrats.
.