In my continuing search for behind-the-scenes intelligence about what the Dark Side is thinking and doing, I turned up this list of Club for Growth approved incumbent legislators:

http://www.humanevents.com/sarticle.php? id=16354

It's a Top Ten list of `sound,' small-government, anti-tax, anti-"welfare"
Republicans. For the most part, not surprising names.  John Shaddegg (AZ-03) is on it. Sue Myrick (NC-09) is on it. A group of dim, low-profile Republicans from red-safe districts form the bulk: Trent Franks (AZ-02), Joe Hensarling (TX-05), Ed Royce (CA-40). Guys like that. All white guys, except for Myrick. Non-entities, most of them not on our radar at all. They all made either 100 or 99 on some metric of economic-theory Neanderthalness, to get on this list, and in most cases, it's the only distinction they can claim. Jeff Flake, AZ-05, got the gold star, #1 at the head of the class. And lo, Abou ben Adhem's name led all the rest. He's the only one who's been able to market leadership in this insidious and yet boring field of endeavor into some sort of a national profile.

Barry Welsh's opponent, Mike Pence, IN-06 ranks #3. They call him a "rising star". That's Club for Growth-speak for ruthless, ideological puppet-prodding opportunist, I guess. In terms of the harm they plot against America, Mike Pence is probably the most dangerous man on this list.   Bless Barry Welsh for taking him on!

The surprise, for me, was to find that the list includes Steve Chabot, OH-01. I had no idea Steve Chabot was conservative enough to get on any Top Ten lists compiled by the Club for Growth.

I have to confess OH-01 has barely been on my radar. I saw a blip on the screen when favorable poll numbers and fund-raising numbers caused the DCCC to boost Cranley onto the Red to Blue list:

http://www.dccc.org/red2blue/

I had noticed that Cranley is regarded as an up-and-coming future star of the party by DemBench:

http://www.dembench.org/states/ohio.php

But I hadn't been thinking of Chabot as representing the extreme right wing. Evidently I was mistaken. Indeed, Human events (you know, the publishers of the Godless Skank) comments,

He's in an evenly split district (Bush got 51% against Kerry in 2004) but that hasn't weakened his exceptionally strong conservative voting record.

As is my custom, once I'd drawn a bead on Steve Chabot, I cross-checked him in the FEC filings of Exxon/Mobil's PAC. And just like always, there he is, with his hand out for a handout, like virtually all the other creepy Republican incumbents I look up. It gets monotonous. In Chabot's case, $6,500 in the last 3 cycles.

Well, live and learn. Add OH-01 to the list of districts that are not only winnable, but important. Chabot's the only one of these 10 whose seat is in serious contention. Let's focus on it, a little.

There are a number of ActBlue pages that are supporting John Cranley. I picked the one hosted by MyDD netizen Lucas O'Connor:

http://www.actblue.com/page/withthelidof f?refcode=topclub

because he has an exceptionally well-selected slate.

And if you want to support Barry Welsh in his challenge to Mike Pence, there are a lot of pages where you can do that. Here's one:

http://www.actblue.com/page/06act-local- think-global?refcode=topclub

Off to bed. I may cross-post this to the big orange blog, in the morning.