Democrats are having a banner recruiting year and it could cost them

[brooklynite]

Alex Seitz-Wald:

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. — It didn't take long for Democrats in this moneyed stretch of Southern California beach towns to go from schadenfreude-fueled joy to self-loathing panic.

Last month, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., tormentor of the Obama White House, archvillain to liberals everywhere and perhaps the single most endangered Republican in Congress, read the writing on the wall and announced he would not stand for re-election.

Democrats cheered. Then they looked at the mess on their half of the ballot and, as one party official put it, switched from champagne to vodka.

"We got rid of Issa, that's the good news. But that's also the bad news because everyone and their mother is running on our side," said Ellen Montanari, who organizes weekly protests outside Issa's office and founded a group dedicated to flipping the district.

My database show 28 competitive House seats in which 3 or more Democrats (in some cases as many as six) viable candidates in the Primary. That's a lot of money getting burned early that will needed in the General Election.

[Blue_Adept]

1. THERE'S TOO MUCH DEMOCRACY!

No, seriously, I get the financial element of it all.

But I'll take that to have an engaged citizenship.

[NewJeffCT]

2. better to have too many

than nobody at all

[gratuitous]

7. Except . . .

California has what's called a jungle primary, where all the candidates are on the primary ballot. 28 Democratic candidates for one seat can have their percentages swamped by two Republican candidates, and the general election becomes a contest between those two Republicans because none of the 28 Democrats could crack double figures. If the district is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, the Republican voters will go for their candidate, leaving 50% of the remaining vote to be portioned out among 28 candidates.

[NCTraveler]

3. Love all of the excitement and entrants on our side.

Additional money will not be burned. It is money intended for the primaries by actual supporters. The two cannot be linked like this in a very important primary process.

Money spend should equal message being heard. Solid.

[wasupaloopa]

4. I take this as another one of those Dems are in trouble OPs

None of which are really valid but someone has to do it.

Dems curb your enthusiasm!

[phylny]

5. I'm with you.

Let's keep our eyes forward and our arms locked together as we proceed.

[Drunken Irishman]

6. Democrats are having a banner recruiting year - is this is good news for John McCain?