Dem
51
GOP
49
You just read an item about a win turning into a loss. Now, how about an item about a loss turning into a win? Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) was censured about a month ago, of course, because he had the temerity to suggest that there might be connections between Donald Trump's campaign and the Russian government. A congressional censure is, by its nature, a high-profile slap on the wrist. But at least they used to be for truly serious misbehavior. The Schiff censure made a mockery of the maneuver.
That said, Schiff knows an opportunity when he sees one, and he's been fundraising like a maniac off of the incident. As it turns out, he's been doing so with great success. Q2 fundraising numbers are due in the next week, and the Representative pulled in over $8 million. This is being described as a "record" fundraising quarter, though no outlet using that term is specifying what the record is. It's certainly not for U.S. Senate fundraising in a single quarter; that record is well into the 8 figures, and may be into the 9 figures. It must be for something like Q2 fundraising by a non-incumbent in the year prior to the election.
In any event, whatever the actual "record" is, Schiff's haul surely has his rivals, namely Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee (both D-CA), looking on with envy. Not only is $8 million a lot of money, but most of it came from California, and 98% came from "small" donations ($200 or less), with an average donation of $34. Them's Bernie Sanders numbers and, as we have pointed out many times, folks who have donated just a little bit of money can be hit up again and again because they are not at (or close to) the $3,300 per campaign contribution limit imposed by federal law.
Meanwhile, House Republicans never think about the consequences of their red-meat-throwing actions, but maybe they should. They are determined to impeach some member of the Biden administration before next year's elections. Maybe Biden himself, maybe AG Merrick Garland, maybe DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. If the Republicans, and in particular the Freedom Caucusers, do it, they will undoubtedly gin up their bases a bit. But the evidence, dating back to at least the Bill Clinton impeachment, suggests that sham impeachments (and sham censures) gin up the other side's base even more. (Z)