Friday Senate Trivia Open Thread

by: Senate Guru

Fri Aug 15, 2008 at 13:15 PM EDT

Thursday Night Briefs

by: Senate Guru

Thu Aug 14, 2008 at 23:51 PM EDT

• Upcoming targets on the Expand the Map! ActBlue page:

  *Jim Martin is

  only $21 away

  from the $500 mark

  *Jim Slattery is

  only 1 contribution away

  from the 20-contribution mark

  *Scott Kleeb is

  only $11 away

  from the $2,000 mark

  Send a cool twenty-five bucks their way today!  Pretty, pretty please.

• Happy birthday, Social Security! I think Social Security is great, even if John W. McCain wants to decimate Social Security.
• Colorado: Two new CO-Sen polls.  A Rocky Mountain News/CBS4 poll sees Democratic Congressman Mark Udall leading Backwards Bob Schaffer 44-38.  And a new Rasmussen Reports poll puts the race at 47-41 for Udall (50-42 with leaners).  Along with the PPP poll earlier this week calling it 47-41 for Udall, it seems that Udall has a pretty reliable six-point lead at present.
• Minnesota: New Rasmussen Reports poll: Rasmussen delivers another statistical dead heat as Smilin’ Norm Coleman and Al Franken are tied at 45-45, with a statistically insignificant 49-46 lead for Coleman when leaners are included.  It will be informative to see what impact the latest developments on Coleman’s ApartmentGate scandal will have on the polls.  (Heck, Smilin’ Norm didn’t even sign his lease with his Republican operative landlord that he “rented” from for a year until after media investigations began!)
• Virginia: New Rasmussen Reports poll: Popular Democratic former Governor and soon-to-be Democratic National Convention keynote speaker Mark Warner continues to crush unpopular Republican former Gov. Jim Gilmore, 59-33.  It’s 61-35 with leaners.  Meanwhile, another good sign for Warner and Barack Obama: about two-thirds of Virginia’s newly registered voters are under the age of 35.
• New Jersey: A hilarious new poll from the far-right-wing Club for Growth shows Newt-Gingrich-bootlick Dick Zimmer with a lead (albeit statistically insignificant) over Senator Frank Lautenberg, 36-35.  Let’s hope these numbers sway the NRSC from their decision to give up on NJ-Sen and to not waste millions of dollars in the Garden State.
• Texas: Bush-rubber-stamp John Cornyn talks a lot but does absolutely nothing about gas prices.  Meanwhile, a new University of Texas poll of TX-Sen sees the race just over the double-digit-deficit mark as State Representative and Lieutenant Colonel Rick Noriega trails Cornyn by 13, 44-31.  Elsewhere, Cornyn opened his mouth and inane drivel regarding health care spewed out:
  

  U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, representing the state with the highest share of population without health insurance, said Tuesday that Texas is a national model for improving access to health care because it limited lawsuits against doctors.

  John Cornyn says that the state with the highest rate of uninsured is the model for the nation.  In short, John Cornyn wants you to not have health insurance.

• Idaho: In a fundraising letter from Newt Gingrich on behalf of the campaign of Jim Risch, Gingrich says the following:
  

  The U.S. Senate race in Idaho has become a national priority for the Republican Party as the backstop race we must win to stop the Democrats from controlling 60 votes in the U.S. Senate and eliminating the power of the filibuster.

  Gingrich is right that the path to 60 seats may very well run through Idaho, and it’s telling to see how worried Republicans are about the very close ID-Sen race.  Counter Gingrich’s appeal with a contribution to former Congressman Larry LaRocco via the Expand the Map! ActBlue page.

• Alaska: Indicted Ted Stevens’ lawyers argue that indicting Ted Stevens is actually unconstitutional.  In unrelated news, indicted Ted Stevens’ lawyers have been slated to appear on The Gong Show.
• Maine: Collins Watch offers further thoughts and observations about Republican Susan Collins’ classless gossiping about John Edwards’ personal life.  CW’s Contrapositive astutely notes that Collins claims to be big on civility and working with Democrats, but that her actions (y’know, Susan, those things that aren’t just words) betray that she is patently disinterested in anything resembling civil discourse.
  

  Oregon: For someone running so hard away from the Bush-Cheney Republican Party, Republican Gordon Smith sure spends a lot of time with George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Louisiana: Senator Mary Landrieu has souped up her campaign website.  Check it out.  In other news, recent-Republican John Neely Kennedy continues to use the Bush Family credit card to fund his campaign.  Oh, and Confused Politician JNK wants to cut social security – see video at right. American Airlines is charging soldiers baggage fees even when they’re traveling to a war zone.  Unbelievable.

Early Thursday Morning Round-Up

by: Senate Guru

Thu Aug 14, 2008 at 01:54 AM EDT

• Condolences go out to the family and friends of Arkansas Democratic Party Chairman Bill Gwatney, who was senselessly murdered Wednesday.
• More chatter from WaPo’s Cillizza about the prospects of 60.
• North Carolina: The DSCC has released a new TV ad against Bush-rubber-stamp Elizabeth Dole. The ad mocks the “age card,” declaring effectiveness and independence (from George W. Bush in particular) to be far more important, noting that Dole fails on both counts:The DSCC plans on taking it to Dole big-time, having reserved $7.3 million in North Carolina airtime.  Awesome. (HT: SSP)  This bodes very well for State Senator Kay Hagan.
• South Dakota: The title of this CQ Politics article, “Will Sympathy Vote Re-Elect Sen. Johnson?” is remarkably crass and wildly ignorant to the accomplishments and record on which Senator Tim Johnson will earn re-election, accomplishments that are touted by the Republican Mayor of South Dakota’s largest city.
• Oregon & New Hampshire: The SEIU is putting $500,000 in Oregon and $600,000 in New Hampshire into the below ads critiquing the failed records of Republicans Gordon Smith and John Sununu, noting their stooge-hood for Big Pharma and HMOs:
  
• Oregon: Republican Gordon Smith continues his mad dash away from his Republican Party as he renounced his Honorary Co-Chairman status with John W. McCain’s Presidential campaign.  The reason Republican Gordon Smith cites?  He’s focused on his re-election campaign.  What that has to do with something not remotely time-consuming or effortful (it is literally just lending his name to the list on John W. McCain’s website), who knows?  It’s just another example of Republican Gordon Smith willing to do or say anything to mislead Oregonians.
• Mississippi: The website exposing the questionable ethics of Senate appointee Roger Wicker, The Real Wicker, has been further beefed up.  New items include the apparently inappropriate funding of an Asian resort trip and Wicker’s effort to cover up the Jack Abramoff scandal.
• Maine: Republican Susan Collins says that she tries “not to judge people’s personal lives” and then says of John Edwards with a fiendish grin on her face “Don’t you think he is the father of the child?”  Collins admits that her staff is “appalled” that she is discussing this.  I would imagine that many others are appalled, too.  ”The hypocrisy of it!” Susan Collins exclaims.  Of course, Collins knows a little something about hypocrisy.  Susan Collins seems far less taken aback by the marital infidelities of her preferred candidate for President, John W. McCain.  If Susan Collins has the slightest shred of integrity, she hides it very well.
• Minnesota: Smilin’ Norm Coleman’s ApartmentGate scandal is only about to get worse.  It appears that, in addition to enjoying well-below-market rent (when Coleman bothered to pay rent), Coleman also rarely, if ever, paid utilities.  Media questions have gone unanswered, and Coleman’s campaign manager is now saying that Coleman had an agreement with his landlord (who is also a Republican operative) that Coleman would pay his utilities for the year at the end of the year.  A likely story that will continue to unfold.  In other news, the substance-free distractions that Smilin’ Norm Coleman presents to Minnesotans as campaign ads have been quantifiably deemed to be failures.
• New Jersey: It seems that the NRSC is officially giving up on any hope of NJ-Sen:
  

  A new Quinnipiac University poll shows Republican Dick Zimmer within seven points of the four-term incumbent, Democrat Frank Lautenberg (48%-41%), but it seems that the National Republican Senatorial Committee has already written off the former three-term Congressman. In an interview with Dow Jones Newswire, Rebecca Fisher, a spokeswoman for the NRSC, said that Louisiana’s Mary Landrieu is their priority and “admitted the party had no other hopes of unseating an incumbent Democrat.”

  As Kos points out, this is unfortunate, as it would have been terrific to watch the NRSC waste millions in the Garden State.

• Colorado: An independent media examination of ads criticizing the record of Backwards Bob Schaffer finds absolutely nothing untruthful about them.  Schaffer’s record really is just that bad.
• Kansas: Bush-cover-up-artist Pat Roberts is the latest Republican Senator to announce that he will skip the Republican National Convention, perhaps fearing any association with the sinking ship that is the national GOP.  I guess Roberts has no desire in going to a “funeral.”  In other news, despite Roberts’ myriad misleading attack ads against former Congressman Jim Slattery, Rasmussen Reports has seen Roberts’ lead over Slattery shrink from 27 points to 19 points, 55-36.  It’s still an uphill climb, in large part thanks to Roberts’ barrage of misleading negative attack ads, but the numbers are moving in the correct direction.
• Tennessee: Wes Clark is fighting for the 2008 Senate candidacy of former TN-Dems Chair Bob Tuke.  You can help the fight with a contribution to Tuke via the Expand the Map! ActBlue page.
• Virginia: Popular Democratic former Governor Mark Warner will deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention.  This may raise Governor Warner’s profile just high enough to give him a real shot at winning his 2008 Senate race.
• Television chef Julia Child was a spy who helped take down the Nazis.  Who would’ve thought?

August Cattle Call

by: Senate Guru

Mon Aug 11, 2008 at 12:30 PM EDT

• Larry LaRocco: 2 contributions from the 100-contribution mark
• Scott Kleeb: 2 contributions from the 50-contribution mark
• Kay Hagan: 1 contribution from the 50-contribution mark
• Jim Slattery: 1 contribution from the 20-contribution mark
• Jim Martin: 2 contributions from the 20-contribution mark
• Bob Tuke: 8 contributions from the 10-contribution mark (brand new!)

Early Wednesday Morning Tidbits

by: Senate Guru

Wed Aug 13, 2008 at 00:56 AM EDT

• Press secretaries are the articulate, evocative staffers in a Senate office.  So what does one Republican Senate press secretary say is the reason that so many Senate Republicans and GOP Senate candidates are avoiding the Republican National Convention like the plague?
  

  Nobody likes a funeral.

  The biggest event of nearly-72-year-old John W. McCain’s life has been described by a Republican Senate press secretary as “a funeral.”  Hey, he said it; I didn’t.

• Georgia: New Mellman Group poll (for the DSCC – note: partisan poll): Mellman sees the 2008 Senate race to be a six-point race!  Shameless Saxby Chambliss 42, Democratic nominee Jim Martin 36.  Sure, it’s a partisan poll, but, damn, a six-point race.  Can’t wait for the next poll from Rasmussen, which has seen Chambliss’ lead over Martin shrink from 21 points to 16 to 13 to 11 over the last few months.  Help Martin with a contribution via the Expand the Map! ActBlue page.
• North Carolina: New Survey USA poll: SUSA sees a five-point race, Bush-rubber-stamp Elizabeth Dole 46, State Senator Kay Hagan 41.  And Hagan’s first TV ad, a terrific piece on her record, just went up, so expect the race to tighten further.  Help Hagan with a contribution via the Expand the Map! ActBlue page.
• New Jersey: New Quinnipiac University poll: Senator Frank Lautenberg leads Newt-Gingrich-bootlick Dick Zimmer 48-41.
• Kentucky: Screwy new Survey USA poll: Back in June, SUSA saw a statistical dead heat between Mitch McConnell and Bruce Lunsford, 50-46.  But, in SUSA’s latest KY-Sen poll, they see a 52-40 lead for McConnell.  What gives?  Here’s the entire reason for the jump in McConnell’s lead.  Voter registration in Kentucky is 57% Democrat, 36% Republican, 7% Other.  For June’s poll, SUSA’s breakdown was 57% Dem, 33% GOP, 9% Other, very close to the actual partisan breakdown among the electorate.  For the recent poll, though, the breakdown was 50% Dem, 39% GOP, 9% Other, basically an artificial 13% pro-GOP swing.  Had the partisan breakdown in the poll been held constant to the June poll, the results would have been nearly identical.  Just goes to show that sometimes you have to dig a little deeper than the toplines to get to the true meaning of a poll.
• South Dakota: The Republican Mayor of South Dakota’s largest city, Sioux Falls, is the star of the latest campaign ad from Democratic Senator Tim Johnson.  Mayor Dave Munson gushes over the work Senator Johnson has done for Sioux Falls.
• Minnesota: In their YouTube debate, Smilin’ Norm Coleman offered only platitudes while Al Franken provided thoughtful answers.  Definitely check out their answers on the Employee Free Choice Act to watch Coleman weasel about and flat-out lie about the EFCA’s impact.
• Nebraska: Here’s the new ad from 2008 Democratic Senate nominee Scott Kleeb:Help Kleeb keep the ad on the air with a contribution via the Expand the Map! ActBlue page.
• New Mexico: Far-right-wing Republican Steve Pearce’s policies hurt the middle class, plain and simple.
  

  Alaska: Walter Hickel, the 89-year-old former Alaska Governor who appointed then-not-yet-indicted Ted Stevens to the U.S. Senate back in 1968, has declared of the now-indicted Stevens, “His time is over.”  Man, no one wants Stevens around anymore.  Also, for your entertainment, at right is The Ted Stevens Song.  Priceless. Colorado: Coming to Colorado to aid Backwards Bob Schaffer: Swift Boat Veterans for Truth money! Louisiana: It looks like recent-Republican John Neely Kennedy’s campaign is still distributing the Democrat for Senate stickers JNK used in his 2004 Senate race distant third place campaign.  Oh, that is not a joke, by the way.  They’re that incompetent.

• Montana: Get psyched for Bob Kelleher and the Parliament Funkadelic.
• Nevada: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is already very shrewdly preparing for his 2010 re-election bid.
• California: Could Senator Dianne Feinstein be considering a 2010 Gubernatorial bid?
• Texas: Hopefully, the many Republicans drooling over Kay Bailey Hutchison’s Senate seat will hurt TX-GOP unity.
• John W. McCain’s favorite song is Dancing Queen by ABBA. Does that seem out-of-whack to you?

Early Tuesday Morning Rundown

by: Senate Guru

Tue Aug 12, 2008 at 02:36 AM EDT

• Hand NRSC Chair John Ensign a hankie to cry into:
  

  “I’m not sure I could have picked a tougher cycle to be chairman of the NRSC,” Ensign said last week. …Ensign said both parties struggled to recruit candidates for this year’s Senate races. He said he was particularly disappointed in Montana, where he couldn’t sway Rep. Dennis Rehberg to run for the Senate.

  In his pitch to Rehberg and other potential candidates, Ensign said he touted the resources of the committee. Sometimes, he went straight to the heart.

  “This is America, and it’s worth fighting for,” Ensign said he told potential candidates. “I appealed to their patriotism. That’s why I ran. You want people who are running for the right reason.”

  I guess John Ensign believes that Denny Rehberg isn’t patriotic and doesn’t think that America is worth fighting for.  John Ensign must think very poorly of Denny Rehberg.

• Virginia: New Survey USA poll: Popular Democratic former Governor Mark Warner leads unpopular Republican former Gov. Jim Gilmore 58-34.  Nail-biter?  Nah.  In other news, Monday was the two-year anniversary of the notorious Macaca incident courtesy of a no doubt well-meaning George Allen, though Fox News would rather forget.
• Iowa: New Rasmussen Reports poll: Senator Tom Harkin has a miniscule 58-34 lead over Republican Christopher Reed, 60-36 when leaners are included.  Hang tight and sweat it out, Senator Harkin.
• Colorado: New Public Policy Polling poll: Democratic Congressman Mark Udall leads Backwards Bob Schaffer 47-41.  Also, in hypothetical 2010 Senate match-ups, PPP sees Democratic Senator Ken Salazar leading Republican Tom Tancredo by 12 (49-37) and Mike Coffman by 8 (46-38).
• Oregon: New Rasmussen Reports poll: OR-Sen continues to be a single-digit race as Republican Gordon Smith leads Democratic Speaker Jeff Merkley 47-39, 50-44 when leaners are included.  To bring this race back into neck-and-neck status, Speaker Merkley probably just needs to remind voters that Barack Obama and John Kerry do not support Gordon Smith, despite Republican Smith’s best efforts to suggest to voters otherwise.  Elsewhere, Speaker Merkley enjoys the adamant and active support of progressive leaders in the blogosphere.  And Republican Gordon Smith continues to take heat in the media for his misplaced priorities:
  

  LOSER: Sen. Gordon Smith’s latest campaign ad. It berates his Democratic challenger, House Speaker Jeff Merkley, for a $34 million upgrade of the Oregon Capitol. Memo to Smith: Those renovations and new furnishings had bipartisan support from legislators. P.S. The Oregon Legislature manages to balance its budget, unlike Congress.

  Several media outlets are calling out Smith for his misplaced priorities.  But all Smith can do is grasp at straws and try to pretend he’s not a Republican.  Which he is.

• North Carolina: State Senator Kay Hagan hits the TV airwaves with an outstanding bio spot, her first ad of the general election:
• Louisiana: Hey, this is interesting – recent-Republican John Neely Kennedy is apparently paranoid or just making stuff up:
  

  Last Friday, John Kennedy’s Senate campaign in Louisiana accused Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) of directing the DSCC to reserve ad time on her behalf this week for attacks against Kennedy.It used news of the pending ad buy to accuse Landrieu of directing “her vast army of Washington lobbyists and partisan special interests to fund the most negative campaign in Louisiana’s history.”

  Only problem is, the Democratic campaign committee swears that it hasn’t bought or reserved any ad time – and even said it will support Kennedy if his campaign can offer any proof of the buy.

  Perhaps JNK’s camp is trying to pre-emptively distract the media from the fact that an ethics complaint has been filed against JNK for using his state Treasurer office and employees for political campaign purposes against Senator Mary Landrieu.

  Oklahoma: Veterans agree that Jim Inhofe does not support our troops or our veterans – see the video at right. Minnesota: Al Franken declares that we should use the $7.1 billion appropriated for Iraq reconstruction instead for domestic infrastructure improvement.  With Minnesota still needing urgent, high-profile infrastructure repairs, I wonder if Norm Coleman will concur and call for an end to the Iraq War or if he’ll continue to vote to deprive Minnesotans of much needed funds. Alaska: Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich reported raising over $400,000 in the five weeks between July 1 and August 6; and, though current law requires only donations of $200 and up be reported to the FEC, Begich is listing every single contribution to his campaign.  It will be a unique delight to watch indicted Ted Stevens’ contribution stream dry up.

• New Mexico: Retiring Republican Pete Domenici has, at long last, endorsed far-right-wing Republican Steve Pearce in his 2008 Senate bid against Democratic Congressman Tom Udall.  This is hardly a boost for the badly-lagging Pearce.  Rather, it’s just a reminder that even the Republican Domenici, who endorsed Pearce’s primary opponent Heather Wilson over Pearce, isn’t all that excited about Pearce either, or Domenici’s endorsement wouldn’t have come a long two months after the primary.
• It turns out that John W. McCain’s #1 foreign policy advisor is Wikipedia.

Sunday Items

by: Senate Guru

Sun Aug 10, 2008 at 15:42 PM EDT

• To congratulate former Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman and Marine veteran Bob Tuke on securing the 2008 Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, Senate Guru has added him to the Expand the Map! ActBlue page.  This rounds out the page at a cool dozen candidates, twelve states where we can truly expand the map.  I think this is where the page will stand for the remainder of the cycle.  Please send ten bucks to Tuke today if you can!
• Sven takes a look at Democratic Senators’ giving to the DSCC and 2008 Democratic Senatorial candidates so far this cycle.  Some people that could afford to be a lot more generous after just eyeballing the list: Evan Bayh, Dick Durbin (even though he’s up for re-election this year), Russ Feingold, Tom Harkin (even though he’s up this year), John Kerry (even though he’s up this year), Carl Levin (even though he’s up this year), Barbara Mikulski, Mark Pryor (even though he’s up this year), and Jack Reed (even though he’s up this year).  Now, with the Senators up for re-election this year (Durbin, Harkin, Kerry, Levin, Pryor, and Reed), they can’t send the DSCC vast sums of cash this early because it sends a signal to their own contributors that they don’t need the money – always a bad signal to send.  So I totally understand if these half dozen Senators wait until October to cut six-figure checks to the DSCC.  Mikulski and Feingold don’t have enormous bankrolls currently, but both could afford to send the DSCC another $100,000 without missing it.The big offender, in my opinion (as I’ve noted in the past), is Evan Bayh.  A $10.6 million bankroll; another more-than-$500K in his PAC.  Yet $0 to the DSCC from his campaign account, $0 to the DSCC from his PAC, and only $12K to other candidates.  Maybe he’s saving it all up for use as a potential running mate selection.  We’ll know for sure by the end of the month.  All other things held equal, though, Bayh could ship the DSCC a cool million bucks without missing it.  We’ll be keeping a close eye on Bayh’s bankroll.
• Louisiana: Recent-Republican John Neely Kennedy is both trying to goad Senator Mary Landrieu into debating more while ducking debates at the same time!  JNK truly is One Confused Politician.
• Michigan: New Rasmussen Reports poll: Senator Carl Levin 56, Republican Jack Hoogendyk 36.  With leaners, Levin 57, Hoogendyk 39.  Nice.
• Maine: More pro-Susan Collins astroturf from Maine Republican Party insiders courtesy of the atrocious Maine print media.
• Texas: Bush-rubber-stamp John Cornyn is perfectly happy with a $79 billion budget surplus in Iraq while American taxpayers spend billions on Iraq reconstruction and head towards record budget deficits under George W. Bush.  Meanwhile, The Austin American-Statesman reflects on the broken promises and hypocrisies of Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison (emphasis added by me):
  

  When she first ran for the U.S. Senate in 1993, Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas said senators should serve only two terms. She’s now serving her third.She said lobbyists for foreign countries should not give money to candidates, but she has, on occasion, taken their donations.

  And she said there shouldn’t be a revolving door between government and lobbying jobs, but three years ago she hired a chief of staff who was a lobbyist the previous year. Soon after he left Hutchison’s payroll in 2007, his lobbying career resumed.

  Hutchison laid out an aggressive agenda for reform during her first Senate race, but 15 years later, her record on enacting those reforms is mixed. In some cases, she has contributed to practices she once said should end.

  Shame on the Austin American-Statesman for unfairly holding a Republican elected official to account for things that the Republican “promised” and “said out loud” while campaigning, but failed to deliver on while in office!  Shame!

• Minnesota: Owatonna, Minnesota, is a city of just under 25,000 people.  Smilin’ Norm Coleman and Al Franken visited the city on consecutive days.  Coleman had 50 people show up.  Franken had 100 people show up. Now, I’m not a mathematician, but it seems like Franken’s campaign enjoys about double the amount of interest and enthusiasm of Coleman’s campaign.
• Alaska: Democrat Mark Begich and Republican Vic Vickers were busy recently campaigning at a big State Fair in Fairbanks.  You’d think that indicted Ted Stevens would show up to campaign, since his Fall schedule will be busy with other commitments, but no.
• Oregon: Quick announcement: Republican Gordon Smith is, in fact, a very partisan Republican.  Furthermore, he is a dolt.
• Idaho: Former Congressman Larry LaRocco blogged at The Hill’s Congress Blog, discussing how competitive ID-Sen is, Republican Jim Risch’s brewing scandal, and, of all topics, liveblogging.
• Kansas: KS-Sen is growingly on everyone’s radar screen.  In fact, former Congressman Jim Slattery now has former Vice President Al Gore going to bat for him!

Early Saturday Morning Round-Up

by: Senate Guru

Sat Aug 09, 2008 at 00:34 AM EDT

• Upcoming targets on the Expand the Map! ActBlue page:

  *Larry LaRocco is

  only 3 contributions away

  from the 100-contribution mark

  *Kay Hagan is

  only 2 contributions away

  from the 50-contribution mark

  *Scott Kleeb is

  only $41 away

  from the $2,000 mark

  Help them out!  Send them each ten bucks today!

• Texas: On the issue of immigration, it’s Rick Noriega’s experience versus John Cornyn’s hot air.  State Representative and Lieutenant Colonel Rick Noriega has actually overseen border security, while John Cornyn offers only vague and empty rhetoric.  Meanwhile, the secret of John Cornyn’s political success thus far has been that Cornyn is a dull-as-hell empty suit:
  

  When Cornyn spoke at the Republican state convention on June 13, for instance, the excitement level-even among the 5,000 ardent Republicans assembled in a downtown Houston convention center-resembled a chamber music recital more than a rock concert. They offered Cornyn polite applause, but nothing near the standing ovations for the state’s senior senator, Kay Bailey Hutchison, or for former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.

  That reception is an accurate reflection of Cornyn’s lousy approval rating.  The most recent Research 2000 poll (from May) has TX-Sen as 4-point race and the most recent Rasmussen poll (from July) says it’s only a 10-point race.  Help tighten this race further with a contribution to Rick Noriega via the Expand the Map! ActBlue page today.

• Mississippi: Former Governor Ronnie Musgrove is continuing to tighten his clear and concise message on the campaign trail.  Meanwhile, ethically questionable Roger Wicker betrays what a dope he is:I have long believed that the requisite “and I approved this message” that begins or ends a campaign ad ultimately is nothing more than boilerplate.  It’s supposed to enhance the credibility of campaign ads, by putting the candidate’s own integrity on the line by means of his or her approval of the message.  But Wicker demonstrates that he has given his campaign free rein to spew any dishonest or misleading sludge they may want to hurl at Ronnie Musgrove on any given day.  Wicker evidences that he has no credibility and no integrity.
• Colorado: Both Congressman Mark Udall and Republican Bob Schaffer oppose a state ballot initiative that would ban abortion by codifying that “personhood” begins at embryonic fertilization.  While the anti-choice crowd probably wasn’t planning on voting for Udall anyway, this could be big trouble for Schaffer with this voting bloc, who should be squarely in Schaffer’s base but is already mad at Schaffer over his turning a blind eye to forced abortions while on his Jack-Abramoff-sponsored trip to the Northern Mariana Islands.  Don’t be surprised if a lot of religious and social conservatives in Colorado leave the U.S. Senate ballot line blank in November.
• Kansas: While Bush-cover-up-artist Pat Roberts supported the notorious Bridge to Nowhere, fiscal conservatives in Kansas have a real champion in deficit hawk Jim Slattery.
  

  Georgia: The DSCC has put together an ad spotlighting that Shameless Saxby Chambliss is beholden to Big Oil, at right. Louisiana: This is absolutely hilarious. Alaska: The Alaska primary is a long two-and-a-half weeks away – plenty of time for Republican Senate candidates like Dave Cuddy to receive a great deal of positive press speculating on his chances against the freshly-indicted Ted Stevens. Kentucky: Sit down before I shock you, but Mitch McConnell is both a bold-faced liar and a coward unwilling to answer questions from the media.

• South Dakota: Senator Tim Johnson has released a statement saying that, while his time back in the U.S. Senate since his brain hemorrhage and rehabilitation has evidenced his successful representation and advocacy on behalf of South Dakotans, his speech has “not yet reached a point in my rehab where my participation in a debate would accurately reflect my capabilities.”  As such, he is declining invitations to the traditional campaign debates.  And Republican Joel Dykstra is wasting no time in calling Johnson out over it.  Not that Dykstra’s poll numbers have anywhere to go but up, but Dykstra’s grandstanding could cause a backlash against what little support he has, given Johnson’s successes since returning to the Senate.
• New Mexico: On far-right-wing Republican Steve Pearce’s own website, the vast majority of poll respondents prefer Barack Obama to John McCain.  Of course, many Democrats must have visited Pearce’s site to skew the poll.  But, note that, as of last look, John McCain had less than thirty votes.  This poll has run all week long, and less than thirty John McCain supporters (read: less than thirty Republicans) visited the site and voted in the poll.  Could it be that more Senate Guru readers visit this blog in an hour than Republicans visit Steve Pearce’s website in a week?  Is that a tumbleweed I see drifting across Pearce’s homepage?

Friday Senate Trivia Open Thread

by: Senate Guru

Fri Aug 08, 2008 at 14:15 PM EDT

New Ads in the 2008 Senate Races

by: Senate Guru

Fri Aug 08, 2008 at 12:45 PM EDT

Early Friday Morning Tidbits

by: Senate Guru

Fri Aug 08, 2008 at 01:12 AM EDT

• Upcoming targets on the Expand the Map! ActBlue page:

  *Larry LaRocco is

  only 3 contributions away

  from the 100-contribution mark

  *Kay Hagan is

  only 2 contributions away

  from the 50-contribution mark

  *Scott Kleeb is

  only $41 away

  from the $2,000 mark

  Help them out!  Send them each ten bucks today!

• DSCC Chairman Senator Chuck Schumer talks Republican obstructionism on The Daily Show earlier this week.
• Southern voters prefer Democrats rather than Republicans to control Congress by a 44-40 margin.
• Tennessee: Congratulations to former Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman and Marine veteran Bob Tuke on his resounding victory in the 2008 Senate primary.  Unseating Lamar Alexander will be an uphill battle, to be sure, but I know that Tuke is ready for a vigorous campaign.
• Massachusetts: New Rasmussen Reports poll: Senator John Kerry is barely squeaking by his Republican opponent, Jeff Beatty, by a 56-29 margin, 59-32 when leaners are included.
• Maine: I don’t even know what to say here.  Susan Collins is simply one of the most hypocritical, dishonest frauds in the history of politics.  She is truly devoid of integrity.
• Minnesota: An independent media review declares that it is “accurate” to call Smilin’ Norm Coleman a Bush-rubber-stamp.
• Colorado: Wow, it turns out that those who attack Democratic Congressman Mark Udall are, in reality, big fat liars.
• Alaska: Well, that’s a relief.  Ted Stevens might have been indicted for a felony, but at least it’s not an extreme felony (or, even worse, a Poochie the Dog double extreme felony).
• New Mexico: Far-right-wing Republican Steve Pearce opposes, um, hippies, I guess.  You’d think that, with Pearce well on his way to getting obliterated by Democratic Congressman Tom Udall, he’d want to maintain some modicum of decorum and run something resembling a dignified campaign.  S’pose not.
• New Hampshire: Is Sprintin’ John Sununu really just Ted Stevens Jr.?
• Oklahoma: Jim Inhofe apparently hates our troops.
• This is right on. (HT: DWT)

Exclusive Interview with 2008 Senate Nominee and Former Congressman Jim Slattery of Kansas

by: Senate Guru

Thu Aug 07, 2008 at 12:15 PM EDT

JIM SLATTERY: Well, I happen to believe that the people of Kansas this year are really looking for change, and they want to fundamentally change what’s going on in Washington for a lot of reasons.  The long story short is that the people of Kansas are fiscally conservative and they’re very upset that we are now running the largest deficit in our nation’s history.  They’re upset that, in 2001, we had $250 billion surpluses and we were talking about paying off the national debt; and, today, we have added $3 trillion to our national debt since 2001, and they are surprised to learn that Senator Roberts voted for that.  They’re also surprised to learn that Senator Roberts voted for the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska that Senator McCain railed against.  As somebody who has paid a lot of taxes, I take that personal, and I deeply resent the federal government wasting my tax dollars as they have been doing.And, a lot of Kansans are very worried about the War in Iraq, and they’re beginning to sort through it all.  They’re upset that we went into this war based on faulty, inaccurate intelligence data and very naive assumptions.  Many of them are surprised to learn that Senator Roberts was Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee during the lead up to the War in Iraq.  His committee was responsible for getting this intelligence data right, and it was wrong.  So, those two issues are powerful in this election; and, in addition to that, Senator Roberts has voted against requiring automakers to improve fuel efficiency in our vehicles, year after year, up ’til this election year.  I believe that, had that legislation been passed, we would be in a far different situation today, with regard to the import of oil from the OPEC countries.

In addition to that, Senator Roberts also opposes the bipartisan legislation to empower Medicare to buy drugs from the drugmakers in volume at discount prices.  So those are some of the issues that upset Kansans and some fo the reasons why they want change.  This year, we’re going to offer them that change.

[Much more below the fold.]

Big Wednesday Night Rundown

by: Senate Guru

Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 23:53 PM EDT

• Big thanks to State Senator Andrew Rice, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate from Oklahoma in 2008, for taking the time to liveblog with the Senate Guru community this afternoon.  If you couldn’t join us, but would like to show your support for Rice’s campaign to oust Jim “In Denial” Inhofe, consider a contribution to him via the Expand the Map! ActBlue page.
• Speaking of the Expand the Map! ActBlue page, Scott Kleeb is only $41 away from the $2,000 mark, and Larry LaRocco is only 3 contributions away from the 100 contribution mark.  Consider throwing a twenty dollar bill their way.  Pretty please!
• That vulnerable Republican Senators are ditching the Republican National Convention is not escaping the notice of some in the traditional media.
• Registered voters prefer that Democrats rather than Republicans control Congress by a whopping 53-35 margin.
• The internet strategists and communications analysts at The Bivings Group rank the five best websites by U.S. Senate candidates, four of which belong to Democrats (Mark Warner in fifth, Rick Noriega in fourth, Al Franken in second, and Scott Kleeb in first).
• Stephen Colbert says:
  

  Democrats are poised to pick up as many as thirty seats in the House in November and could win a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

  Don’t get cocky, but, if Stephen said it…

• New Jersey: New Rasmussen Reports poll: Senator Frank Lautenberg continues to enjoy a double-digit lead over Newt-Gingrich-bootlick Dick Zimmer, 51-33.  When leaners are included, it’s 53-38.
• Oregon: New Survey USA poll: Democratic Speaker Jeff Merkley continues to hold Republican Gordon Smith under 50% as Smith leads in this poll 49-37; but, as SSP’s James L. points out, the poll is frought with red flags.  For one, despite a 43-33 Democratic advantage in voter registration, Survey USA’s sample is 41% Democratic, 37% Republican.  Second, Republican Gordon Smith’s 53-29 lead among voters age 18-34 just seems like quite an aberration.  It is worth noting that Republican Smith’s mentions of John Kerry and Barack Obama in his TV ads has fuzzied up the perception of his Party affiliation, no doubt contributing to about a quarter of Democrats supporting him in the poll.  Oregonians need loud and frequent reminders that Gordon Smith is a Republican.
• Alabama: New Rasmussen Reports poll: Things continue to look tough for State Senator Vivian Figures as she trails Jeff Sessions 58-31.
• Colorado: Backwards Bob Schaffer is everywhere and nowhere on immigration reform.  Meanwhile, the National Education Association is putting on $400,000 worth of ads in support of Democratic Congressman Mark Udall.  Very nice.
• Mississippi: Ethically questionable Roger Wicker and his partisan surrogates don’t let the facts get in the way of their dishonest attacks on former Governor Ronnie Musgrove.
• Idaho: The ID-Dems have filed a complaint against Republican Jim Risch with the Federal Elections Commission noting that Risch’s campaign headquarters is housed in the same building as his law firm and that Risch’s recent FEC filing fails to disclose any arrangement the campaign may have with the law firm regarding rent or other resources.  If these questions have easy answers, then Risch’s campaign should have no problem explaining away any questions.  But if Risch’s campaign is saving money by inappropriately using or under-paying for space from Risch’s law firm, well, then we have a major violation.  In other news, former Congressman Larry LaRocco is working with the Lewiston Fire Department in his 32nd job on his Working for the Senate grassroots outreach effort.
• Alaska: SSP moves AK-Sen from “Tossup” to “Lean Democratic.” I wouldn’t be surprised if Ted Stevens lawyers felt the same way.
• Minnesota: If Farm Fest is any indication, Smilin’ Norm Coleman will get his clock cleaned by Al Franken in their eventual 2008 Senate debates.
• Maine: Whoop-de-whoop.  Republican “environmentalists” endorse Susan Collins for re-election.  Get psyched!  They even tout her high rating from the League of Conservation Voters in 2007, while completely disregarding her lousy 63.5% rating average between 1999 and 2006.  If this nonsense sways a single undecided Maine voter, I may become inconsolable.
• Wyoming: The Democrats campaigning to take on Senate-appointee John Barrasso, former State Senator Keith Goodenough and attorney Nick Carter, recently held a primary debate that focused largely on energy policy.
• Florida: Public Policy Polling finds that former Senator Bob Graham would crush Republican Mel Martinez 51-31 if Graham wanted to come out of retirement.  Last month, PPP found Martinez vulnerable to challenges from CFO Alex Sink or Congressman Robert Wexler.
• Just for funsies, DKos diarist jaf49 replies to the NRSC’s issues survey.

Live Blog with State Sen. Andrew Rice [OK-Sen]

by: Andrew for Oklahoma

Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 14:06 PM EDT

I love being a state senator.  I love having direct contact with my constituents and being able to take their concerns straight to the state capitol.  In my job, I’ve been able to reassure people in my district that government can be a force for good in people’s lives.

When I was approached about running for U.S. Senate last year, I was initially reluctant.  Like many Oklahomans, I was wary about the Washington establishment.  But then I began to ask myself why Washington couldn’t be a little more like my state senate district, where the needs and concerns of voters are taken directly to the seat of government.

Many of the fights I’ve been leading in the Oklahoma legislature are fights that need to be taken to Washington.  I’ve fought to expand health insurance coverage for children to close the gap between those who qualify for Medicaid and those who can afford private insurance.  My second TV ad, which you can see here, talks about my fight to hold insurance companies to their word in covering patients who enroll in potentially life-saving clinical trials.

I’ve fought to honor our veterans and our troops by battling hunger, homelessness, and shortfalls in benefits for those who have given so much to serve our country.  I’ve fought for common-sense solutions to our energy problems that will grow our economy while developing clean, renewable energy alternatives that will make us both energy independent and environmentally responsible.

My opponent, Jim Inhofe, has ignored the needs of Oklahomans on all of these issues, instead pursuing his own ideological agenda and putting the needs of corporate lobbyists ahead of his constituents.  He talks about how he doesn’t change – but the problem is that while he hasn’t changed, the world has.  He’s out of touch with Oklahoma and with the new realities that have made his worldview a relic from the past.  For the future of Oklahoma, Jim Inhofe needs to retire.

More details about my campaign and our issues are on my website, www.andrewforoklahoma.com, and I’m happy to take your questions.

Early Wednesday Morning Briefs

by: Senate Guru

Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 00:53 AM EDT

• Reminder: Oklahoma State Senator and 2008 Democratic Senate nominee Andrew Rice will liveblog here at Senate Guru today at 2pm Eastern, 1pm Central, Noon Mountain, 11am Pacific.
• Georgia: With a strong 60-40 showing in the Democratic primary run-off, the 2008 Democratic Senate nomination goes to Jim Martin.  Martin starts the race down only 11 points against Spineless Saxby Chambliss.  And the DSCC is paying close attention.  Expect this race to increase in profile as the election season proceeds.  And see Senate Guru’s 8 reasons why Chambliss is beatable this year.
• Kansas: In a primary election landslide, former Congressman Jim Slattery officially secured the 2008 Democratic nomination for Senate.  Senate Guru first profiled Slattery almost a year ago.
• Help red-state Democrats Jim Martin and Jim Slattery increase their post-primary bankrolls with a contribution via the Expand the Map! ActBlue page so that they are better equipped to take down Shameless Saxby Chambliss and Bush-cover-up-artist Pat Roberts, respectively.
  

  Mississippi: Ethically questionable Roger Wicker has taken over $1.6 million in non-labor union special interest PAC money.  Former Governor Ronnie Musgrove has taken a whopping $27,800 in similar contributions.  It’s clear that Wicker is bought and paid for by Big Business. (HT: Cotton Mouth)  To drive the point home, the DSCC has released a new ad highlighting Wicker’s support for the insurance companies that contributed big bucks to his campaign, at the expense of Mississippi’s seniors and military families, at right. Louisiana: Recent-Republican John Neely Kennedy is One Confused Politician. Nebraska: Kleeb defeats Johanns!

• New Hampshire: VECO Corporation, the corrupt company that did, um, business with indicted Ted Stevens, apparently has a big crush on Sprintin’ John Sununu.
• Oregon: Continuing his effort to hide his Party label from Oregonians, Republican Gordon Smith now says he won’t show his face at the Republican National Convention.  I’m not surprised.
• Colorado: Not content to sink his 2008 Senate bid due to his own trail of scandal after scandal, Backwards Bob Schaffer now has his son creating scandal and embarrassment.
• Pennsylvania: In a hypothetical 2010 Senate match-up between Arlen Specter and MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, a new Quinnipiac University poll finds Specter only up by 5 points, 41-36.
• The Next Cheney.com, disturbingly informative.

Huge Early Tuesday Morning Rundown

by: Senate Guru

Tue Aug 05, 2008 at 02:05 AM EDT

• Two more sources that are not exactly considered bastions of liberalism, the New York Post and David Broder, are hyping Democrats’ expected gains in the Senate in 2008.
• Georgia: The 2008 Democratic Senate primary run-off occurs today between real Democrat Jim Martin and Bush-supporter Vernon Jones.  Go Jim Martin! In other news, Libertarian Allen Buckley seeks the opportunity to join in any GA-Sen debates.  I hope he is included.  Especially given Bob Barr’s Presidential campaign, Georgia Libertarians should be out in full force.
• Oklahoma: New Sooner poll: Since the last Sooner poll, Jim “In Denial” Inhofe has dropped 8 points and State Senator Andrew Rice has climbed 11 points, to bring the race to 52-30.  It is noted that this poll was taken before Rice went up with his first TV ad.  (Rice has also since released a second TV ad, below.)  SSP also notes that Rice has brought on some top-tier Democratic strategists, indicating that the DSCC is taking OK-Sen very seriously.  Learn more about the race when Rice liveblogs here at Senate Guru this Wednesday, August 6, at 2pm Eastern, 1pm Central, Noon Mountain, 11am Pacific.
  

  Rice’s first ad

  Rice’s second ad

• Alaska: Indicted Ted Stevens has filed to move his trial from Washington D.C. to Alaska.  His reason: it will crimp his campaigning:
  

  If Judge Emmet G. Sullivan refuses his request, Stevens will likely be stuck in Washington and not able to campaign in Alaska in October.”This factor weighs heavily in favor of transfer,” Stevens’s court filings say, citing the Senate’s Sept. 26 target adjournment date.

  Since Stevens’ goal is obviously to facilitate his campaigning, wouldn’t changing the trial venue count as altering legal proceedings for political purposes?  The Department of Justice will rule on the transfer motion by next Monday.  In other news, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich is touting the kick-off of his 50+ member Republicans for Begich group.

• Idaho: Former Congressman Larry LaRocco has released his first TV ad.Elsewhere, Republican Jim Risch’s campaign manager (who is also his son) has some choice words for the progressive blogosphere:
  

  “(Risch) draws a very distinct line between legitimate media and the bloggers that are left-wing hatemongers,” Jason Risch wrote. “The blogging done by legitimate media sources are not in the same category as the left-wing hatemongers. He considers the legitimate media, legitimate – regardless of the medium used to convey news.”

  Left-wing hatemonger Senate Guru says:

  Jim Risch is a debate-ducking coward and his campaign manager son is a big ol’ meanie.

  Take that, Risch family!  Speaking of Risch’s debate-ducking, more Idaho news outlets are highlighting Risch’s cowardice.  Coverage like this will only further tighten the already-tight ID-Sen race.

• Tennessee: Former TN-Dems Chair Bob Tuke completes the sweep and earns the endorsment of the newspapers from each of Tennessee’s four largest cities: the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the Knoxville News Sentinel, the Nashville City Paper, and the Chattanooga Times.
• Louisiana: Gambit Weekly puts a spotlight on the dishonesty and absurdity of the political attacks recent-Republican John Neely Kennedy is lobbing at Senator Mary Landrieu.  In related news, a document from the Landrieu campaign lists six pages of baseless political attacks levied against Senator Landrieu by John Neely Kennedy and his supporters, and the Landrieu camp refutes every single one of them (in PDF).
• Mississippi: Kudos to The Clarion-Ledger’s Sid Salter for getting it:
  

  In Wicker, the Republicans have a candidate who isn’t particularly comfortable in the role of candidate.Even with a packed house under the Founder’s Square pavilion with most of the seats taken by people bused in for the purpose of providing a pro-Wicker background, Wicker isn’t the most charismatic candidate. …

  Even outnumbered and facing hecklers, Musgrove stood in there pitching and stayed on message. He even turned the old Ronald Reagan (“Are you better off than you were four years ago?”) question around on Wicker and did so with success.

  Musgrove is a better retail politician than is Wicker. That’s not a knock on Wicker, it’s simply a fact. Musgrove is a people person. Wicker is more reserved.

  I’ll take the charismatic retail politician with the strong message over the empty suit any day of the week.  Great job showing up the ethically questionable Roger Wicker, former Governor Ronnie Musgrove.

• Kansas: Former Congressman Jim Slattery has crossed the million-dollar-raised mark in just twenty weeks.
• Colorado: It’s hilarious how the biggest obstacle to Backwards Bob Schaffer’s 2008 Senate campaign is the campaign manager, Dick Wadhams, and his rapidly eroding grip on good sense.
• Kentucky: Stories like this get me psyched at the prospect of Bruce Lunsford debating Obstructionist-in-Chief Mitch McConnell.
• Nebraska: In case you’re studying for the SATs, here’s an analogy: Scott Kleeb:Mike Johanns::regular people:big business.
• North Carolina: In recognition of Bush-rubber-stamp Elizabeth Dole’s support of George W. Bush 92% of the time, and us being 92 days from Election Day, a new effort will offer the “92 Ways Dole is Wrong for North Carolina.”
• New Hampshire: A new website, Sununu Dirty Tricks, promises to expose “John Sununu’s special interest attack machines.”
• Arizona: In a hypothetical match-up by Public Policy Polling, in a potential 2010 Senate race, John McCain only leads Governor Janet Napolitano by single digits, 50-43.  While not as glowing a result as the BRC poll from a year ago showing Napolitano leading McCain by a double-digit 47-36 margin, it’s still not a bad start, especially given that McCain has probably gotten a boost given the relentless media coverage.
• The answer to the Friday Senate Trivia Open Thread question, “Who was the very first Democratic Leader in the Senate?” is Oscar Underwood.

Weekend Tidbits

by: Senate Guru

Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 00:30 AM EDT

• At the end of the weekend, were you pleasantly surprised to find a leftover crumpled-up twenty dollar bill remaining in your pants pocket?  Put it to good use by contributing to a terrific Democratic candidate for Senate via the Expand the Map! ActBlue page.
• Georgia: With the Democratic run-off election on Tuesday between real Democrat Jim Martin and Bush-supporter Vernon Jones to determine who will face Shameless Saxby Chambliss, Martin has received a potentially game-changing endorsement: Reverend Joseph Lowery.  Who is Reverend Lowery?
  

  Martin picked up a key endorsement Wednesday from civil rights leader Joseph Lowery, who with the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and later headed the organization for 20 years.

  The support of one of the pre-eminent civil rights leaders will be particularly helpful to Martin as he works to earn the support of black voters in Georgia who might have been leaning toward Vernon Jones.  And Lowery has been quite vocal in supporting Martin and questioning Jones’ record and actions.

• Minnesota: Bush-Coleman 2008! Because Norm Coleman would vote the way George W. Bush wants him to, even if George W. wasn’t in office.
• New Hampshire: In a New York Times profile of NH-Sen, statistical reasoning is offered to back up Democrats’ optimism:
  

  Since the first Sununu-Shaheen contest in 2002, New Hampshire Republicans have lost an 11-point edge among registered voters. Each party now has 31 percent of the electorate, with 38 percent undeclared. In the state’s presidential primaries this year, 62 percent of independents who voted chose a Democrat.

  Since Sununu only won his race by 4 points in a banner Republican year, losing an 11-point registered voter edge is politically disastrous.

  New Mexico: Patriot Majority West asks far-right-wing Republican Steve Pearce why he sides with George W. Bush in giving Big Oil billions of dollars in tax breaks and in blocking development of renewable energy, in a new ad at right. Oregon: Someone should ask Republican Gordon Smith why he gave Ted Stevens $10,000 three weeks after it became public that Stevens was under investigation by the FBI. Nebraska: Scott Kleeb‘s first ads of the general election will run in several Nebraska markets during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Virginia: Jim Gilmore 2008: Feel the excitement!

• Texas: Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison hasn’t even resigned her Senate seat to run for Governor of Texas, but the Republican primary to replace her in a special election is already getting crowded as Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones joins state sen. Florence Shapiro.  Expect the race to get even more crowded as 2010 nears.
• Delaware’s 2006 Republican nominee for Senate against Democratic Senator Tom Carper, Jan Ting, is backing Barack Obama for President and has been booted from his role with the DE-GOP over it.

Friday Night Round-Up

by: Senate Guru

Fri Aug 01, 2008 at 23:34 PM EDT

• Senate Republicans are so obstructionist that they voted against the troops.  Senate Republicans filibustered the FY09 Defense Authorization Bill which would have included: “a 3.9 percent across-the-board pay raise for military personnel; major funding increases for research into traumatic brain injury treatment and troop suicide prevention efforts; $26 billion for the Defense Health Program, and $500 million for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.”  Among those Republicans voting against the troops are: Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ted Stevens (R-AK), John Sununu (R-NH), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).
• Alaska: New Ivan Moore Research poll: Some before and after polling for you.  Before the indictment: Mark Begich 51, Ted Stevens 43.  After the indictment: Begich 56, Stevens, 35.  Gotta like that.  Even better, Stevens still maintains a healthy lead in the GOP primary poll over Dave Cuddy, 59-19.  Elsewhere, Republican former Lt. Gov. Loren Leman, who had been rumored last year to be contemplating a primary challenge to Stevens, is now intimating publicly that he would consider being Stevens’ stand-in if Stevens withdrew from the race after winning the primary.
• Texas: New Rasmussen Reports poll: State Representative and Lieutenant Colonel Rick Noriega isn’t losing sight of Bush-rubber-stamp John Cornyn as he only trails by 10 points, 47-37.  With leaners, it’s 50-39.
  

  North Carolina: New Research 2000 poll: We still see a single digit race as State Senator Kay Hagan only trails Bush-rubber-stamp Elizabeth Dole by 8 points, 50-42.  I hope that these numbers further tighten as the DSCC releases a new ad in the Tar Heel State questioning Dole’s effectiveness, at right. New Mexico: Meet the Press started its Senate Debate series in 2002, continued it in 2004, and it flourished in 2006.  One of the many things I wondered in the days following Tim Russert’s passing was whether MTP would continue the Senate Debate series.  It appears that they will as the 2008 New Mexico Senate race will reportedly get the MTP Senate Debate series treatment.  No date is scheduled; but, when it is, if possible, I will liveblog the Meet the Press debate for New Mexico, and for all other Senate debates on MTP, time-permitting.  (I still miss Tim.)

• Georgia: Looking for more evidence that Spineless Saxby Chambliss is a corporate stooge?  Well, this is your lucky day.  An executive at Imperial Sugar Co. who had been warning the company’s bigwigs that conditions were in bad shape and primed for an accident, right up until a refinery accident near Savannah that killed 13 workers in February, spoke at a Senate hearing.  Well, enter Chambliss, who tries to pin the blame on the very executive who was trying to warn the company.  Never mind that Chambliss “works closely with the sugar industry.”  Never mind that fellow Georgia Republican Senator Johnny Isakson has “full faith” in the executive’s recount of his attempts to warn the company.  Never mind, and this is the real kicker, that Chambliss’ son Bo (yes, Bo) is a lobbyist (yes, a lobbyist) for an outfit with corporate ties to Imperial Sugar Co.  Who on earth actually respects Saxby Chambliss?
• Oregon: Remember how Republican Gordon Smith is doing everything he can to convince Oregonians that he’s not really a Republican, including mentioning John Kerry in his latest campaign ad?  Well, it’s a far cry from what Republican Gordon Smith said about John Kerry during the 2004 Presidential race:
  

  “I’ve often said it’s not John Kerry’s fault that he looks French, but it is his fault that he wants to pursue policies that have us act like the French,” Republican Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon said Thursday.”He advocates all kinds of additional socialism at home, appeasement abroad, and what that means is weakness for the future,” Smith told reporters on a conference call organized by Bush’s reelection campaign.

  Since Republican Gordon Smith is “often” into name calling, I have a few for Republican Gordon Smith: he is a dishonest coward who is absolutely devoid of conviction.  As long as Democratic Speaker Jeff Merkley holds his own in the Senate debates, I really believe that he is just one big joint appearance with Barack Obama in late October away from securing an Election Day victory.  As such, I’m especially thrilled that the DSCC is continuing to pummel Republican Gordon Smith:

• Colorado: There is not one single passage in the entire attack ad against Congressman Mark Udall that is considered a true fact when reviewed.
• Kentucky: Media Czech at B&P is absolutely right: 2008 Democratic Senate nominee Bruce Lunsford needs to get much more aggressive in proactively criticizing Mitch McConnell’s atrocious record.
• Minnesota: Here’s a quick compare and contrast between Norm Coleman’s fantasy world versus the real world, as told through the eyes of bowlers:
  

  Norm Coleman’s fake bowlers

  What actual bowlers in MN have to say

• Illinois: Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. says that he “wouldn’t say no if asked” by Governor Rod Blagojevich to fill a Senate vacancy when, er, if Barack Obama ascends to the Presidency.
• House Republicans are basically being instructed by the National Republican Congressional Committee to declare their disappointment in their fellow Republicans as a way to con voters.  Given the number of Senate Republicans sprinting from the GOP brand, as illustrated by the number of Republican Senators and Senate candidates avoiding the Republican National Convention like the plague, how long will it be before the National Republican Senatorial Committee instructs their members likewise?
• Because Democratic victories would make it easier for American workers to unionize (the horror!), Wal-Mart is taking pre-emptive measures to undermine unionizing in their stores.  Think Progress has further background on the situation.

Friday Senate Trivia Open Thread

by: Senate Guru

Fri Aug 01, 2008 at 12:00 PM EDT

Thursday Night Items

by: Senate Guru

Thu Jul 31, 2008 at 22:43 PM EDT

• On the Expand the Map! ActBlue page, Scott Kleeb is only a mere $61 away from the $2,000 mark.  Help him over this hump?
• Fresh on the heels of Exxon Mobil scoring the biggest quarterly profit by an American company ever while regular folks contend with $4 per gallon gas, the DSCC has launched Bought By Big Oil.com, highlighting how a number of Republican Senators and Republican Senate candidates have campaign coffers overflowing with Big Oil bucks.  The DSCC put out a release for the new site, also noting some interesting stats including the fact that, since 1989, Republican Senators have taken over $22.4 million in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry.
• Kentucky: Two new, but similar polls on KY-Sen.  First, a new Research 2000 poll sees Obstructionist-in-Chief Mitch McConnell under 50%, leading 2008 Democratic Senate nominee Bruce Lunsford 49-38.  Second, a new Rasmussen Reports poll sees McConnell leading Lunsford 50-38, which moves to 52-42 when “leaners” are included.  McConnell clearly has the edge, but he’s still dangling from the 50% mark.  Lunsford needs to get aggressive on McConnell’s atrocious record early and often.
• Alaska: Don’t expect GOP Lt. Gov. and current House candidate Sean Parnell to stand in for Ted Stevens either should Stevens back out of the race after possibly securing the Republican nomination.
• Minnesota: Smilin’ Norm Coleman said that he’s getting rid of the contributions that he received from Ted Stevens’ PAC.  It turns out that he’s only ridding himself of the Stevens contributions he received this cycle.  Coleman is saying that contributions from previous cycles have been spent already and are long gone.  Only problem: in January 2006, he ridded himself of contributions from Jack Abramoff given during the previous election cycle.  So, basically, he’s created a double-standard; now that he’s amid a tough re-election bid, previous cycle’s ill-gotten contributions all of a sudden don’t count.  The linked story from TPM also notes that Coleman’s Chief of Staff happens to be married to Ted Stevens’ Chief of Staff – small world!  This is the second staffer of Coleman’s to have ethically questionable marital ties.  A month ago, a National Journal investigation that led to ApartmentGate found that another one of his staffers was the wife of a Republican operative renting an apartment to Coleman at apparently well-below the market rate, suggesting an inappropriate or unethical relationship.
• Oregon: Further speaking of Ted Stevens, while Republican Gordon Smith is, like Coleman, dumping recent contributions from Stevens’ PAC, the Republican Smith is keeping the Stevens contributions that ended up right in Republican Gordon Smith’s own wallet.  In other news, as the next step in Republican Gordon Smith’s effort to confuse Oregonians into thinking that he isn’t a Republican, Republican Smith has released a new ad in which he not only attempts to reiterate ties to Barack Obama, but also tries to suggest ties to John Kerry – in short, what Atrios said.
• Kansas: Former Congressman Jim Slattery has put up a new website breaking down the myths versus the facts regarding the record of Bush-cover-up-artist Pat Roberts.  An enlightening read.

Thursday Briefs

by: Senate Guru

Thu Jul 31, 2008 at 16:12 PM EDT

• In my last post, I noted that the NRSC was sitting on over $120,000 in contributions courtesy of Ted Stevens.  Holy cow, did I undershoot the mark.  It would be more accurate to say that the NRSC is sitting on around $725,000 in Ted Stevens money since 2000!  Republican Senators are dumping Stevens contributions left and right.  Meanwhile, the NRSC has almost three-quarters of a million bucks in their coffers courtesy of the indicted Ted Stevens and they seem to be sitting tight.
• Republicans want to dare Democrats to keep the Senate from recessing?  I say we take up that dare.  They need to be back in their states campaigning more than Democrats do.
• Senate Republicans are such haphazard obstructionists that they may block troop funding legislation!
• MyDD is tracking which Republican Senators and Senate candidates are going to or avoiding the Republican National Convention.  Oh, that toxic GOP brand!
• Idaho: In one of the most exciting polls I’ve seen to date, new Research 2000 poll numbers show ID-Sen to be a ten-point race!  Former Congressman Larry LaRocco is a stone’s throw from debate-ducking Jim Risch, at 42-32, with conservative rancher Rex Rammell scoring 5 points (and Rammell isn’t the only right-of-center non-GOP choice with Libertarian Kent Marmon and independent Pro-Life on the ballot).  The poll even sees LaRocco winning among independents, 38-35.  ID-Sen deserves a lot more attention than it has been getting from the media (including the netroots), and I hope this poll will help it garner some of that overdue attention.  Back in May, I listed a dozen reasons why we can expect LaRocco to run very competitively with Risch.  Help LaRocco keep the momentum going with a contribution via the Expand the Map! ActBlue page.
• Alaska: Rasmussen Reports releases the first post-indictment polling numbers and they’re good news for Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich.  Begich leads Ted Stevens 50-37, Begich’s first double-digit lead of the race.  Begich also leads Republican David Cuddy 50-35 and Republican Vic Vickers 55-22.  Also, Stevens’ approve-disapprove is 50-47 against Begich’s 63-32.  Meanwhile, Stevens had his arraignment this afternoon, and he pled not guilty, of course.  Stevens’ lawyer also made a motion to shift the trial from Washington DC to Alaska.  If I were the judge, I would deny the motion.  Even if only slightly, having people fly into Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in order to attend or cover the trial could negatively impact impartiality.  Further, the trial will begin in late September and will likely eat up much of Stevens’ October.
• Louisiana: Oh.  My.  God.  Recent-Republican John Neely Kennedy is apparently plagiarizing his statements on energy policy off of Wikipedia!  Too funny.
• North Carolina: BlueNC raises even more questions about the legitimacy of Elizabeth Dole’s sketchy North Carolina residency status.  (Hint: Dole has lived in the Watergate since 1975.  It is, by any reasonable definition, her primary residence.)
• Minnesota: Smilin’ Norm Coleman has a lousy record on veterans issues.
• Oregon: Oregon’s third largest political Party, the 22,000-member Independent Party of Oregon, has decided to support Speaker Jeff Merkley‘s campaign.  Meanwhile, here’s the latest wonderfully accurate reminder from the DSCC to Oregon voters that Republican Gordon Smith = George W. Bush:

Early Thursday Morning Rundown

by: Senate Guru

Thu Jul 31, 2008 at 00:32 AM EDT

• NRSC Chair John Ensign says that, despite a massive fundraising gap, he wants the NRSC to match the DSCC dollar-for-dollar in independent expenditure TV ads and that he expects Republican Senators to contribute to the NRSC to help make up the difference.  Is he insane?  Perhaps.  As kos points out, when you subtract out vulnerable GOP Senators in 2008, potentially vulnerable GOP Senators in 2010, GOP Senate retirees and potential retirees, GOP Senators with other political aspirations, other scandal-ridden GOP Senators, and lousy fundraising GOP Senators, you don’t have that many Republican Senators left to help contribute to the NRSC.  Tough break, Ensign.
• Republicans’ plan for getting American workers to vote for Republicans for Senate in 2008: lie about American workers.
• Stu Rothenberg has updated his 2008 Senate rating from his May list.  The only rating shifts were: moving Stevens (R-AK) from “Narrow Advantage for Incumbent Party” to “Toss-Up;” and moving Wicker (R-MS) from “Clear Advantage for Incumbent Party” to “Narrow Advantage for Incumbent Party.”  Rothenberg sees every Democrat except for Senator Mary Landrieu as “Currently Safe.”
• Alaska First, we have a new Rasmussen Reports poll taken before the Ted Stevens indictment, showing Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich with a solid 50-41 lead over the Republican scandal magnet.  Again, that’s before the indictment.  We’ll see in the coming weeks how strongly the indictment impacts the polls.  Second, it was announced that Stevens would be arraigned Thursday (today) afternoon.  Third, while Stevens attempted to go about Senate business as usual, he was operating with the conspicuous lack of endorsement from NRSC Chair John Ensign, who noted, “There’s a primary.”  And we get headlines like “GOP mum over whether party will urge Stevens to step down.”  Fourth, one of Stevens’ primary opponents, attorney Vic Vickers, is now saying that he’ll put $750,000 of his own money into the primary race.And then there’s the situation with contributions to other Republicans from Stevens’ PAC.  Many Republican Senators are ditching the radioactive cash.  Other Republican Senators are keeping their dirty money.  Then there’s Norm Coleman of Minnesota, who seems unsure of what to do.  Originally, Coleman said that he’d keep the tainted cash, declaring that Stevens should be presumed innocent until proven guilty (and that despite Coleman being one of the first Senators to toss away campaign contributions from Larry Craig and call for Craig’s resignation following his scandal).  But then Al Franken quickly put out a radio ad calling attention to Coleman’s ties to not only Stevens but also to Stevens’ corrupt corporate cronies.  Finally, Coleman, tail between his legs, ceded his belief that Stevens should be presumed innocent and he got rid of the Stevens money.  (Keep in mind, Coleman isn’t surrendering all of the tainted money – just some of it.)I be interested to know if the DSCC will publicly call on the NRSC to return the $29,950 Stevens’ PAC gave the NRSC in the 2008 cycle, or the $30,616 Stevens’ PAC gave the NRSC in the 2006 cycle, or the $30,666 Stevens’ PAC gave the NRSC in the 2004 cycle, or the $30,000 Stevens’ PAC gave the NRSC in the 2002 cycle.  I mean, the NRSC is holding onto over $120,000 of Stevens’ dirty money from just the last few cycles.  Just saying.
• Mississippi: New Rasmussen Reports poll: New numbers see a narrow lead for ethically questionable Roger Wicker over former Governor Ronnie Musgrove, 48-42.  There is one major flaw in this poll that likely favors Wicker.  As a special election, Party affiliation will not appear on the ballot, but the poll question includes Party ID.  A more accurate poll would not include Party ID when comparing Wicker and Musgrove.
• Michigan: New Public Policy Polling poll: By a 54-35 lead, Senator Carl Levin continues his strong lead over Republican Jack Hoogendyk.
• Oklahoma: With the primary campaign over and the general election campaign upon Oklahoma, Andrew Rice has challenged Jim Inhofe to a series of debates.  We’ll see if Inhofe steps forward or runs and hides.  You can personally ask Rice about this or other issues when he liveblogs at Senate Guru next Wednesday.
• Nebraska: New Rasmussen Reports poll: Tough numbers out of the Cornhusker State see Mike Johanns with a sizable lead over Scott Kleeb, 56-31.  I think NNN’s Kyle Michaelis is correct when he says, “It’s not enough to run against the status quo.  Kleeb has got to start running against Mike Johanns.”
• Virginia: I really don’t know why unpopular Republican former Gov. Jim Gilmore even bothers to get out of bed in the morning.  As part of his “Working Families Tour,” Gilmore visited a region of Virginia that was economically hurt by a textile plant going under while Gilmore was Governor.  Oh, and Gilmore opposed legislation providing economic relief for the laid off workers.  And then he returns to the region to say he’ll fight for workers.  Gilmore must think Virginians are stupid.
• South Dakota: Regarding the new campaign slogan of the Republican opponent of Senator Tim Johnson: best case scenario, the Republican is an insensitive dope; worst case scenario, the Republican is trying to exploit Senator Johnson’s brain hemorrhage for political gain.
• Kentucky: The Bluegrass State’s print media continues to tear Mitch McConnell apart for, to cut to the chase, being a deceitful crybaby.

Andrew Rice to Hold Liveblog Session on Senate Guru Next Wednesday

by: Senate Guru

Wed Jul 30, 2008 at 14:18 PM EDT

Senate Guru hopes you can join us for what should be an enlightening and entertaining liveblog with Andrew Rice.

Early Wednesday Morning Briefs

by: Senate Guru

Wed Jul 30, 2008 at 00:34 AM EDT

• Alaska: Ted Stevens had a big day.  Read the Guru’s recap of the indictment announcement and the Guru’s recap of the immediate aftermath for a comprehensive round-up.  Since the immediate aftermath post, it has also broken that Gov. Sarah Palin has no interest in leaving the Governor’s office for the Senate seat should Stevens not be the candidate in November.
• Oklahoma: The Sooner State had its primary election on Tuesday and the results are in.  As expected, Jim “In Denial” Inhofe will square off against State Senator Andrew Rice.  While Inhofe and Rice earned about the same number of votes (116,349 and 113,780, respectively), turnout for Democrats (190,753) was far higher than turnout for Republicans (138,221), despite Inhofe being amid a four-way primary.  It is certainly a sign for optimism in OK-Sen.
• North Carolina: New Public Policy Polling poll: Another survey showing the battle between Bush-rubber-stamp Elizabeth Dole and State Senator Kay Hagan to be a single-digit affair as Dole only leads 49-40, with Libertarian Christopher Cole getting 4 points.
• Oregon: The DSCC has reserved about $850,000 in cable TV advertising time between Labor Day and Election to support the 2008 Senate campaign of Speaker Jeff Merkley against Republican Gordon Smith.  Nearly a million bucks of “Gordon Smith = George W. Bush” should be able to cancel out at least two million bucks worth of Republican Gordon Smith trying to fudge his record.
• Texas: John Cornyn is turning to Karl Rove for campaign cash.  ’Nuff said.
• Georgia: Vernon Jones won’t commit to supporting the eventual Democratic nominee for Senate in 2008.  Just another reason to support Jim Martin in the run-off.
• New Mexico: Far-right-wing Republican Steve Pearce says:
  

  “At a time when we’re facing $4 gasoline, I think that you need people who’ve been in the energy industry to tell us what to do.”

  Yeah, freaks me out, too.