[Crossposted from soapblox.net/chicago]

This afternoon, I participated in the DNC's 50 state canvass.  The canvass was in Edgewater, with the Edgewater/Rogers Park DFA group, impeccably organized by Sandra Verthein.  To be honest, it was the first canvass I've been to in a couple years that was run by somebody else, and it sure was pleasant and relaxing not to have to triple-check that I had all the clipboards with me before leaving the house, not to have to feel nervous about whether anyone would show up as I drove there in the light drizzle.

As I approached the cafe we were meeting in, I couldn't help but wonder whether this was really necessary, whether I really needed to be tromping around in the rain, not even on behalf of any particular candidate, less than one week after the beginning of my self-imposed pre-wedding political vacation.  But then...

In a diary I wrote a few weeks ago, I linked to an article in CQ Politics about 8 House Republicans who were seeking re-election in violation of pledges not to do so.

I then pointed out that we're now 12 years past 2004, when the Republicans all signed the Contract with America, whose 10th plank was the Citizen Legislature Act, a proposed Constitutional amendment limiting all Congressional service to, you guessed it, 12 years.

As will surprise nobody, these weak Republicans have jettisoned this principle now that it's become inconvenient.  Most of them are running for re-election.  In the last diary, I asked you to help me find references to explicit pledges they made that they are now breaking.

[I initially intended this to be a comment in Demeric's diary but unfortunately I let that ship sail.]

Last week, Taegan Goddard linked to an article in CQ Politics about eight House members who are breaking personal pledges not to seek an additional term.

All are Republicans, and all entered office vowing to make good on their firm belief in term limits.  Now that the chips are down, they're all too weak to come through.  When you're as weak as these people are, it doesn't matter what you believe: you only ever do what's convenient.

More below, with an action item...

[Crossposted from Soapblox/Chicago.]

One last thing crosses my mind regarding Tuesday's IL-6 election (then I'm done with it! promise!).  Duckworth's tepid numbers suggest to me that she wasn't yet able to build a strong base of core supporters.  That's fine, of course, since she's only had a couple months so far, and whatever she did worked well enough for the primary.  But I think it certainly means that the media strategy will have to change slightly, with the goal of building such a base.  This will be interesting to watch.

That observation, along with Matt's post about how 2006 is a base election, have me thinking about what exactly is this mystical base...

As someone who has spent a lot of time thinking about the Cegelis-Duckworth race these past few months, I was pretty shocked by the (closeness of the) result, and struggled all of yesterday with the question of how to interpret it and what to say.  I think I'll just stick with a personal narrative.