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Saturday, July 19, 2008

"Get the Heck Out of My Race"

Congresswoman Nancy Boyda has done exactly what anyone who has spent any time looking at this race expected her to do- she's now said publicly she doesn't want the DCCC to spent any money in the Kansas 2nd on her behalf.

Rep. Nancy Boyda says she wants the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and other third-party organizations making independent expenditures to political campaigns to keep out of the 2nd Congressional District race in Kansas.

"I am asking the DCCC to get the heck out of my race," she said Friday.

Christian "I'm a twit" Morgan from the KS GOP has taken credit for Boyda's statement, which is beyond arrogant, and, in the end, shows how disconnected he really is from reality in his own backyard. Boyda, who already declined to participate in the DCCC's Frontline fundraising programs for freshmen has made it very, very clear she doesn't want the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to get in the middle of her race for Congress.

As to the always- present discussion of "Well, of course she says she doesn't want it, but, really, of course she's telling them to go ahead behind the scenes," Boyda & Washburn political science professor Bob Beatty do a good job breaking that argument into tiny little pieces:

Boyda said she hasn't had any contact with the DCCC in regard to her campaign and to do so would be in violation of election laws.

"I certainly haven't accepted any money," she said.

Bob Beatty, associate professor of political science at Washburn University, said Boyda and other candidates targeted by the DCCC and other third parties are in a tough spot.

"There's nothing she can do about it. She can't even call and say, 'I don't want it,' " Beatty said, explaining any involvement with third-party independent expenditures would be illegal.

Even though a candidate disavows a third party's actions or asks the group not to be involved in his or her race through a public statement, that doesn't mean the group will comply, Beatty said.

"(Morgan's) argument is very simple when, with most things in life, it's much more nuanced," he said.

Ah, poor Christian. Too thick to actually get the nuances of election law. Perhaps that's why the GOP is doing so poorly in Kansas...how did Jim Barnett fair, Chris?

Our guess? Boyda's request of the DCCC will arrive to deaf ears- they're going to spend their money where ever they please, and in districts in which they think it's going to do the most good- regardless of what the individual candidates say. It happens on both sides- after all, John McCain has asked the GOP to take certain commercials down that attack Michelle Obama, but he's been ignored. Look for the DCCC to ignore Boyda, too.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

For those voters really serious about this issue (unsolicited, political party ads/support) the answer, perhaps, is for all of us to not contribute any funding to the organized party, only to the candidates we choose to support. This is simply another way to vote early.

Anonymous said...

This would be fine if she wasn't so eager to take Frontline leadership money. That's the same thing...party involvement in her race. Can't have your cake and eat it too.

Anonymous said...

boyda didn't take frontline leadership money- she wasn't part of the frontline program.

This blog is not affiliated in any way with the Kansas Democratic Party, the Democratic National Committee, Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, the Office of Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, or the campaign to re-elected Congresswoman Nancy Boyda. All commentary herein not directly attributed must be considered the opinion of the authors of this blog and not of any other individual, including Congresswoman Nancy Boyda.