Cowed Old Party?

If I haven’t paid much attention to the House races this year, it’s because there doesn’t look to be a whole lot of movement there. But I did learn of a race yesterday where the NRCC could spend a little bit of money to get some real traction for a promising young candidate, Chris Day.

NY17 has been represented by the thoroughly unpleasant Democrat Nita Lowey, a 20 year incumbent. But thanks to redistricting, her district is no longer her district — many of the old neighborhoods are gone, and new ones with unfamiliar constituents have been added. She has refused to release her tax records, (Day’s are here), and has also declined several offers by Day to debate — reportedly blaming her staff. There might also be a question of simple competence, or at least her devotion to her district, as she failed to secure funds to continue to the project to replace the Tappan Zee Bridge. If anybody should have pull at the EPA, it’s a 20-year Democrat incumbent.

Day on the other hand is an expert in finance and an Army vet.

I’ve been told the NRCC hasn’t even bothered to cough up the money to canvass the reformed 17th district, so they don’t have the slightest idea who the voters are or how to appeal to them, but Day seems to be trying his best all on his own.

This is how a cowed party behaves — sticking to places where it knows it can win, avoiding fights on unfamiliar terrain, and preferring meek ignorance to taking the battle to the other side.

With barely six weeks to go, I don’t know if it’s too late for Day or not. But if you’re looking for a candidate to send a direct donation to, and bypass the NRCC completely, you could do worse.