Did Carney Seriously Think About Switching?

Or did he play this to get attention for being someone the Repubs view as amenable to them, as someone who they think they agree with on a lot of issues, and therefore Carney gets attention as being a guy not easily pigeonholed as a liberal Democrat or someone too beholden to the Democratic party?

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by: Dana Houle @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 02:00:36 AM UTC

That's my take, pesonally

If he shot the offer down in a grand fashion, he would have alienated parts of his constituency. Now he can turn around and say how much he's flattered that the Republicans thought so highly of him as to want him in their caucus. It's a plus for him.

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by: James L. @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 02:02:13 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

The guy is a politician, plain and simple

he played this off beautifully.

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by: Andrew @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 10:46:49 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

yes, I agree

his statement was well-crafted.

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by: desmoinesdem @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 12:40:15 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

That sounds right

If he really has no intention of going anywhere, this is probably good politics for him--assuming he doesn't piss off the Democratic base in his district too much.  

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by: andgarden @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 02:04:14 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

In PA-10

I think the Democratic activist base, as such, would be fairly limited in impact.

Male, 23, DC-At Large

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by: JFM110 @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 02:06:59 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Forget activists

There are more than a few union Dems in Lackawanna County. The Republicans scooped out Scranton in 2002, but they couldn't get all of them.  

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by: andgarden @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 02:10:33 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Fair enough

I keep forgetting that there's still a good chunk of Lackawanna County in PA-10.

Still, I don't think this entreaty really puts those votes at risk.

Male, 23, DC-At Large

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by: JFM110 @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 02:19:54 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

This seems like it was a clever ploy after all

Now Carney gets to claim that he's so effective and bipartisan that he is courted by even Republicans.

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by: gs @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 02:01:22 AM UTC

John McCain, no less!

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by: James L. @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 02:03:02 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Good news for John McCain!

.

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by: tommypaine @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 02:30:04 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Echoing some other sentiments but

It looks like Carney played the Republicans, and McCain gets some egg on his face over this.

God, with Griffith getting teabagged, I'd like to know what the Republicans think they can offer party-changers right now anyways.

Politics and Other Random Topics

24, Male, Democrat, NM-01, Chairman of the Atheist Caucus, and Majority Leader of the "Going to Hell" caucus!

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by: DGM @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 02:21:48 AM UTC

I doubt Carney "played" the Republicans......

It sounds more to me like the GOP tried to run a scare tactic against the House Democrats.  Josh Marshall at TPM aptly points out that if you're serious about landing a party switcher, you keep it under wraps until the deal is done and ready to be announced.  But the GOP didn't do that, instead they threw out a token effort and then made sure it got into the news.  I think Josh is right that this stems from the Parker Griffith story having muted impact in the news because of the combination of Christmas muting public interest in politics and the Senate health care bill monopolozing whatever political attention exists.  You really have to be a junkie's junkie to have Parker Griffith on your mind right now.  So the Rethugs tried to gin up a little more attention with this little move.

Ultimately it's a bush league tactic, akin to Redskins coach Jim Zorn's all-time stupid trick play this past weekend.  The stunt still doesn't break through the clutter for Republicans, and it makes them look weaker for having failed to "lure" Carney, while also making them look weird since Carney voted for both the stimulus and health care and also supports the public option.  And it ends up helping Carney's reelection and undermining the GOP in its effort to knock him off.

43, male, Indian-American, Democrat, VA-10

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by: DCCyclone @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 17:22:57 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Nice analysis

Seems to me they have moved on from the "retirement" strategy since it backfired when most of their target list came out and said they are running. So they go with the "turncoat" strategy instead and within 24 hours the two most likely switchers say no way. Maybe they should concentrate on looking inward and doing something about their own problems. Hopefully they fail at that too.  

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by: conspiracy @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 18:21:01 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Good point

For all these presumptions of the Democrats losing a bajillion seats, it sure doesn't seem like the Republicans are playing well enough to pull it off.

Politics and Other Random Topics

24, Male, Democrat, NM-01, Chairman of the Atheist Caucus, and Majority Leader of the "Going to Hell" caucus!

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by: DGM @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 20:50:14 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Basically every thread I've been going into the comments about, lately

has had to do with AL-05 and the shenanigans there.

So I must be a junkie's junkie when it comes to elections...

party: Democratic, ideology: moderate, district: CT-01

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by: Glenn Magus Harvey @ Fri Dec 25, 2009 at 02:39:30 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Glenn, everyone here is a junkie's junkie......

Back in October did you ever try to work "Bill Owens" or "DeDe Scozzafava" into a conversation in real life (i.e., offline)?

I did once, with fellow lawyers in my office who follow politics, and they just looked at me funny before one of them said, "Man, you're really deep in the weeds to know who is running in some special election in New York!"

And most people on this site in particular are waaaaaay beyond the average DailyKos participant in knowledge of candidates and elections.  We're really the ultimate campaign geeks here!

43, male, Indian-American, Democrat, VA-10

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by: DCCyclone @ Fri Dec 25, 2009 at 05:30:06 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Mmmmm, me likey!

My blog
Twitter
Scribd
28, New Democrat, Female, TX-03 (hometown CA-26)

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by: californianintexas @ Fri Dec 25, 2009 at 06:41:37 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I mention interesting election news tidbits as conversation points, lol

I actually try to make "normal people" more interested in these things, but trying to make them accessible to them.

party: Democratic, ideology: moderate, district: CT-01

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by: Glenn Magus Harvey @ Fri Dec 25, 2009 at 20:56:21 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Yup, it's basically us and the US Election Atlas forum guys

I don't think the right has an equivalent site.  

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by: andgarden @ Sat Dec 26, 2009 at 02:10:45 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I think all this come from republicans

I think they try destabilize Carney and any dems lose confiance in Carney.

Carney is one of the few democrats what support the public option and the stimulous coming from a R+8 district.

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by: abgin @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 02:35:28 AM UTC

Good Point

Props to him for being a 2nd termer in a solid R district who votes more liberally than many in less Repub districts.  

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by: Dana Houle @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 02:52:35 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Now I wonder

if they made McCain do this just so that he would look like an idiot as well.

party: Democratic, ideology: moderate, district: CT-01

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by: Glenn Magus Harvey @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 07:03:36 AM UTC

I view McCain as the go to guy

for negotiating with Dems, it's the reputation and voting record he's built.

BUT, it is extremely hard to view him in such light after his presidential run.  Sarah freaking Palin?  Come on!

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by: Andrew @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 10:54:48 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

And he has shifted way to the right since

This is not the McCain of the early part of the decade. Indeed there is clear correlation - he is a bitter and twisted old man who can't handle defeat thus making him a pain in the ass to both Bush and Obama.

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by: conspiracy @ Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 16:14:32 PM UTC

[ Parent ]