3:08 p.m. | Updated Democrats are targeting 50 Republican House members with a new round of automated phone calls, Web videos and mass e-mails into their districts that seek to link the lawmakers to unpopular cuts included in their party’s budget proposals, Democratic officials told The Caucus.
The phone calls and messages, many of which are being aimed at Republicans in districts that President Obama won in 2008, are tailored to specifically mention local programs that would end if Republicans get their way in the budget fight on Capitol Hill.
“Did you hear what Representative Frank Wolf and Speaker John Boehner did?” says one phone message. “They pushed a partisan budget plan that will cost Northern Virginia jobs — especially those of federal workers. Eight-hundred thousand total jobs would be lost because of the Boehner-Wolf budget.”
In another automated phone call running in Arizona’s first district, an announcer says: “Representative Paul Gosar voted for a partisan plan to cut funding for local police by 26 percent. If Paul Gosar has his way, more cops will be out of a job and our streets will be less safe — threatening our communities.”
The warning from Democrats about the potential impact of Republican cuts is a preview of the kind of battles that are likely to emerge next year, as the presidential election heats up and lawmakers gear up for another contest of their own.
Republicans have argued that their constituents are eager for cuts in government programs and will reward politicians who follow through on their promise to reduce the nation’s debt. But even some Republicans have resisted calls for deeper cuts coming from Tea Party conservatives.
Democrats are counting on anger from voters who are find themselves surprised by cuts in programs and services that affect them.
“We have to cut spending and reduce the deficit, but House Republicans are making the wrong choices by asking middle-class families to shoulder all of the sacrifice while not asking big oil companies making record profits to sacrifice anything,” said Jesse Ferguson, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which is producing the calls and messages.
Democrats in the House lost more than 60 seats — and the majority — in the midterm elections last year. But strategists for the party note that because they started with such a large majority, Democrats only need to pick up 25 seats to regain control. The 50 targeted members are among the most likely to switch again, they said.
UPDATE: Responding to the Democrats’ call and e-mail campaign, Joanna Burgos, the deputy communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, told the Caucus: “The more the Democrats push their big-government, big-spending policies that have destroyed jobs, the more out-of-touch and negligent they seem. In the meantime, Republicans are putting the brakes on the Democrats’ recklessness, just like their constituents asked them to do, by lifting the burden of debt on middle class families and creating an environment where businesses can create jobs again.”
Here’s the full list of members receiving phone calls and e-mails in their districts this week.
Rick Crawford (AR-01)^
Tim Griffin (AR-02)^
Paul Gosar (AZ-01)*
Dave Schweikert (AZ-05)
Dan Lungren (CA-03)^
Mary Bono Mack (CA-45)^
Scottt Tipton (CO-03)*
Cory Gardner (CO-04)
John Mica
(FL-07)
Daniel Webster (FL-08)
Bill Young (FL-10)*
Vern Buchanan (FL-13)
Allen West (FL-22)
David Rivera (FL-25)*
Peter Roskam (IL-06)
Joe Walsh (IL-08)*
Adam Kinzinger (IL-11)
Judy
Biggert (IL-13)*
Randy Hultgren (IL-14)
Bobby Schilling (IL-17)
Dan Benishek (MI-01)
Tim Walberg (MI-07)
Mike Rogers (MI-08)
Thad McCotter (MI-11)*
Renee Ellmers (NC-02)
Dean Heller
(NV-02)
Joe Heck (NV-03)
Michael Grimm (NY-13)
Chris Gibson (NY-20)
Richard Hanna (NY-24)
Steve Chabot (OH-01)*
Pat Tiberi (OH-12)
Jim Renacci (OH-16)
Mike Kelly (PA-03)
Jim Gerlach
(PA-06)
Pat Meehan (PA-07)
Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08)*
Tom Marino (PA-10)
Lou Barletta (PA-11)
Charlie Dent (PA-15)
Quico Canseco (TX-23) *
Blake Farenthold (TX-27)
Scott Rigell (VA-02)
Frank Wolf (VA-10)*
J. Herrera Beutler (WA-03)
Dave Reichert (WA-08)*
Paul Ryan (WI-01)*
Sean Duffy (WI-07)
Reid Ribble (WI-08)
David McKinley (WV-01)*
*Web ads also running
^districts not receiving automated phone calls