I always mean to exhort you guys to donate money early in the cycle to good, if longshot, candidates. Money donated early has a multiplier effect; candidates, slightly tautologically, have to demonstrate fundraising prowess in order to convince donors that they're worth giving money to. So early donations spur later donations. It's the theory behind EMILY's list (Early Money Is Like Yeast -- it helps raise the dough), and it's quite correct. Plus, since this site is moving over to the American Prospect, I really won't be able to push you to donate to candidates any more.
So: Since the quarter ends on September 30th, which is this weekend, here's my pitch: Donate to Dan Grant. I've met Grant a couple of times now and have come away continually impressed. His background is in the foreign service, and he's spent time reconstructing civil society in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. It's a background which would not only be good for his votes, but good for the Democratic Caucus, which desperately needs credible foreign policy voices whose personal expertise will enable them to stiffen spines in Congress and convince their colleagues that all national defense thinking needn't be outsourced to DC's permanent foreign policy establishment.
Grant's race, in an oddly gerrymandered district that includes Austin, Texas, is a longshot, but a winnable one. And Grant's a more interesting -- and useful -- candidate than most. If his race picks up buzz, it will focus national attention on a credible Democrat just back from Iraq whose able to loudly argue that Republicans have been deeply incompetent in conducting American foreign policy. So if you're looking for a race to pump some early cash into, Grant's a good choice.
