I got an email from Nancy Pelosi yesterday. "Dear Robert," she began, "I know we’re all completely shocked and revolted by the January 6th attacks." (This is news?)

"But, Robert," she continued, "I need you to understand how much worse it’s about to get: Because people like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers you watched ransack our Capitol—they’re now running for office all across our country."

And then the Speaker asked me to "rush $15 because the fate of our democracy hangs in the balance."

This was, of course, a fundraising pitch, and a clumsy one at that. It turns out to be from Pelosi's PAC. I get these from "Pelosi" at the rate of about three a week. I even got one during Pelosi's trip to Taiwan. It began, "Robert, this is the most important ask I have ever made of you." (Half of these pitches say something similar.) "Trump just vowed to run for President again if Republicans unseat our House Majority." (Stop the presses.)

Many commentators and countless ordinary voters express exasperation and bewilderment at the Democrats’ inept "messaging." There are many elements of this problem, but one is surely the tendency of fundraising pitches to make Democrats look like dopes.

In Pelosi’s case, the language is dreadful and the pitch hysterical. It’s hard to believe Pelosi authorizes these messages. She just authorizes the PAC and they hire people to write copy who should do something else for a living. This kind of drivel also cheapens the brand—both Pelosi’s personal brand and the Democrats’ brand.

Yesterday, I also got an email from Laura Kelly, the Democratic governor of Kansas, expressing pride in her state’s vote to uphold abortion rights. Kelly is running for re-election this year. "The dark money groups who tried to buy the August 2nd vote are now refocusing their efforts on my election," she wrote. "As the most vulnerable governor on the ballot this year, I’m asking for your help to make sure they can’t take us back in time."

This pitch was at least more artfully done and consistent with broad Democratic messaging. Except it didn’t really come from Laura Kelly. It came from a PAC in Virginia, which sends similar fundraising appeals on behalf of other Democratic candidates all over the country, some good, some lame.

The PAC is called Common Good Virginia, and it was created in 2014 by Terry McAuliffe.
Former Gov. McAuliffe is no longer active in electoral politics, having lost a dismal re-election campaign in 2021. But does anyone ever shut down a PAC?

I have no idea what the split is between Common Good Virginia and the candidates in whose names it raises money. Disclosures reveal that the PAC has received about $14.5 million since 2014, of which about $3 million went to its own staff and consultants.

The messaging problem is real. Biden is not great at it, and despite pleas of commentators, there is no central committee of Democrats to coordinate message. The opportunistic proliferation of PACs only makes the problem worse. Maybe there could at least be some kind of Democrats’ summit conference to set some ground rules, and a little self-discipline on the part of leaders like Pelosi who should know better.