Roll Call covers the after-action report by Chris VanHollen (D-MD), Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). VanHollen gets credit for the 24-seat gain (so far) Democrats achieved in the 2008 election. He’s quick to point out that despite the impressive Democratic gains, it seems like Barack Obama’s coattails had little to do with it:
Reading between the lines, VanHollen has reason to be worried about his success. The current Democratic majority rests on dozens of Members of Congress who will still need to craft “separate and distinct” identities from the national Democratic party. With 81 of the 256 House Democrats now residing in districts won by George Bush in 2004, Democrat leaders will need to be highly attentive to the views of their moderate minority when they debate things like the automaker bailout, tax increases, immigration, urban aid, and other dicey issues. VanHollen was concerned enough about the challenge going forward that he tried to escape the DCCC job for the coming cycle, knowing that he is almost certain to lose seats in 2010. Of course, defending a strong majority is a nice challenge to face; Congressional Republicans would trade in a heartbeat. On another note, VanHollen’s presentation again reminds Republicans of the importance of competing for all 435 House seats. Every credible candidate helps conservatives in the next election — whether a given candidate wins or not. If nothing else, it turns previously safe races into ones where the opposition is forced to spend money better used elsewhere. And when the political winds eventually blow your way, it seems that one party winds up with lots of near misses, while the other enjoys surprise wins.
