#dontgo Must Continue Through August

Earlier today, I was priviliged to talk to a few dozen bloggers on a conference call put together by Eric Odom, one of the masterminds behind #dontgo. While Eric was asking me a question, a thought struck me. August has actually been somewhat of a critical month in the last few elections, and #dontgo could make it again this time.

It was on August 11, 2006 that George Allen, cruising to re-election, made the Macaca gaffe. Initially, Allen didn't take too big a hit in the polls -- but after issuing what must have been a dozen different apologies and enduring three consecutive weeks of Washington Post hit jobs, Jim Webb was made competitive -- and the Senate was lost.

As Jim Geraghty can sing chapter and verse on, August is the month John Kerry lost the Presidency in 2004. It was one gaffe right after the other. After SBVT / snubbing the Marine at Wendy's / Teresa's "four more years of hell" comment / "more sensitive war on terror" / saying he still would have voted to give Bush the authority to go to war, Kerry was badly weakened going into the GOP convention, paving the way for a big Bush bounce that never fully receded.

August is also the month Al Gore leapt back into contention in the 2000 election, and he went on to win the popular vote.

August could be that month for House Democrats if #dontgo keeps going. As with George Allen and John Kerry, it will take more than one or two news cycles to inflict the needed damage, but a series of high-profile maneuvers to keep this 70-30 issue in the headlines.

Let's get McCain on the House floor. Let's get all the House challengers to an event on the Capitol steps. Let's make a strategic calendar every day from now until Labor Day.

It's my belief that while massive losses in the Senate are a foregone conclusion because of the map, House Republicans's stock is undervalued. The Democrat-controlled (but Republican occupied) Congress has a 9% approval rating. The Dems won seats they should not have in 2006. 1992 was also a change year, and yet Republicans then managed to pick up 10 seats.

#dontgo is positioned to be the event that at last restores Republicans to where they should be in the House. Don't lift the boot from Nancy and Steny's neck. Let's keep this going.