Battling Power of Incumbency, and Feeling Left to Fight Alone

[Bozita]

This really pisses me off. Marcinkowski is exactly the type of candidate capable of upending an entrenched Bushite.

This article appears above the fold on the frontpage of today's NYT. The photo is likewise above the fold.



http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/07/us/politics/07longshot.html?_r=1&ref=politics&oref=slogin

October 7, 2006

Battling Power of Incumbency, and Feeling Left to Fight Alone
By MARK LEIBOVICH

BRIGHTON, Mich. — Implausible pursuits can be humbling. Jim Marcinkowski, a Democrat, discovers this every day in his bid to dislodge Representative Mike Rogers, a three-term Republican, from the United States Congress.

-snip-

Mr. Marcinkowski, a crisply groomed former C.I.A. operations officer, could represent a tougher-than-usual test for Mr. Rogers, who was re-elected by a margin of 37 percentage points in 2002 and 24 percentage points in 2004. A former Republican, Mr. Marcinkowski has a tough-guy résumé — Navy, C.I.A., teamster — and the silvery-haired presence of a Famous Guy you would swear you had seen before, maybe on television.

He drew national attention in 2003 and 2005 when he testified before Congress about his friend and former C.I.A. classmate Valerie Wilson. The story of Ms. Wilson, the agent whose identity was leaked by Bush administration officials, sealed Mr. Marcinkowski’s divorce from the Republicans. He had been active in the party from the time he organized the Michigan State University campus for Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign in 1980 but had gradually become disenchanted, particularly during the George W. Bush years.

His story — former C.I.A. officer, disaffected Republican — had great appeal to Democratic bigwigs seeking Congressional candidates. He talked to Representatives Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader; Steny Hoyer, the Democratic whip; and Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. All urged him to run, especially Mr. Emanuel, who called several times, and even shipped him a thank-you cheesecake after he had agreed to run.

-snip-

more...

[rodeodance]

1. and says the media ignors him

And money, organization, experience, knowledge of the district, and everything else that make incumbency such a near-invincible force in Congressional elections. It is easy to overlook this in an environment that many predict will be hostile to sitting members of Congress, especially Republicans. But 98 percent of incumbents have been re-elected in House contests since 1998, and even when Republicans took control of Congress in 1994 in a seismic realignment, 91 percent of incumbents still won.

Mr. Marcinkowski, 51, personifies the thankless underdog. He is a probable loser (some say surefire) who is unknown to most voters in this district northwest of Detroit and irrelevant to the national party officials who recruited him — and, in his telling, then abandoned him — as they focused on 50 or so “battleground” contests. The news media ignore him, too. When told Mr. Marcinkowski was a candidate, Chuck Todd, editor of Hotline, the online political tip-sheet, asked whether he was “that guy who played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons in the 1980’s.” (No, that was Steve Bartkowski.)

Jim Marcinkowski is the deputy city attorney for Royal Oak, Mich. He has three teenage children whom he used to see after work, and a Hobie Cat sailboat he used to float around on, on weekends.

[Toots]

4. 91 percent of incumbents still won.

I don't believe that figure can be possible. Democrats lost fifty four seats in '94 there are only 435 total seats.

[Oak2004]

2. Can we at DU send the guy a few bucks?

I don't have much to spare (fixed income), but I can find $5-$10 at least to send to his campaign. He should not be abandoned.

[Habibi]

3. Here's his web site

http://www.vote-jim.com/