Soulless GOP: The following sentence is not an exaggeration: Tuesday afternoon of this week, thirty Republicans voted in favor of rape, including North Carolina's Richard Burr, South Carolina's Jim DeMint, Nevada's John Ensign, Georgia's Johnny Isakson, Arizona's John McCain, and Louisiana's David Vitter. The backstory: in 2005, a woman working for a Halliburton subsidiary in Iraq was gang-raped by co-workers. The victim of this horrendous act had no recourse in U.S. courts as her contract stipulated that such an incident could only be heard in private arbitration. In response, U.S. Senator Al Franken offered an amendment to the 2010 Defense Appropriations bill that would withhold defense contracts from companies if they restrict employees from being able to take such cases to court. Ten Republicans joined the Democrats in voting in favor of this ridiculously commonsense amendment. Thirty Republicans, however, voted in favor of rape. Disgusting.
Missouri: Democratic pollster Momentum Analysis released new numbers showing Democratic Secretary of State Robin Carnahan narrowly leading friend-of-all-corporate-lobbyists Roy Blunt by a 48-45 margin, a statistical dead heat. The poll put Secretary Carnahan's favorable-unfavorable at 51-28, compared with a weaker 44-33 for Blunt. You can help Robin Carnahan keep Roy Blunt from conniving his way into the title of U.S. Senator by making a contribution to Secretary Carnahan's 2010 Senate campaign via the Expand the Map! ActBlue page.
Iowa: Speculation has zoomed squarely in on former gubernatorial nominee Roxanne Conlin as the mystery Democrat who will give increasingly unpopular Republican Chuck Grassley the "race of his life":
It's becoming clear that Roxanne Conlin will run against him, a possibility first reported here six weeks ago. She's smart, she's glib, she's rich, she's experienced. She has long bemoaned the fact that Iowa has never sent a woman to Washington - which will add zest to her quest. ...
If Conlin runs - she's said to be clearing the desks and the decks in her lucrative law practice for a late-October announcement - she'll get enormous support from outside the state. She was the first female president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, she founded the Iowa Women's Political Caucus, and she has fought in the civil-rights trenches. She has given tons of money to other candidates - more than $200,000 to federal candidates in the last five election cycles, and that doesn't count giving from her husband, real-estate businessman James. She also did a stint as chair of the Democratic Party in Iowa, and in 2004 and 2008 she chaired the Iowa presidential campaign of fellow trial lawyer John Edwards. Trial lawyers, women, candidates in her debt all will rush to support her.
If Conlin does run, and if she does win the nomination (don't forget that two Democratic former state legislators - Tom Fiegen and Bob Krause - are still running), she will no doubt have the connections and finances to assemble a strongly competitive campaign. But, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, I look forward to hearing from her (again, if, in fact, she will be a candidate) what it is she is campaigning for, what her message will be. That said, if she can send Grassley packing, I'd welcome her to the race.
Nevada: Every once in a long while, CNN's resident curmudgeon Jack Cafferty achieves eloquence. Read his takedown of "arrogant elected scumbag" John Ensign. Las Vegas Sun scribe Jon Ralston adds his take, saying of Ensign's character and actions, "If it weren't true, it would be hard to believe anyone who isn't a villainous caricature in a novel could act this way."
Wisconsin: Before tax-dodging Republican businessman Terrence Wall gets into the race against Democratic Senator Russ Feingold, he might want to remember that the NRSC and other national Republicans have a history of leaving Wisconsin Republicans high and dry.
Louisiana: Even the right-leaning Rasmussen Reports gives Hookerlover David Vitter only a ten-point lead over Democratic Congressman Charlie Melancon. Even worse for Vitter is that Democratic Congressman Melancon holds Vitter under 50%. Even worse still for Vitter is that Republican Louisiana Secretary of State Jay Dardenne outperforms Vitter against the Democrat, which could help fire up a new round of speculation as to whether Vitter will face a serious Republican primary challenge. Want to help Democratic Congressman Charlie Melancon bounce Hookerloving Hypocrite David Vitter from the U.S. Senate? Send his campaign a few bucks via the Expand the Map! ActBlue page.
Florida: Former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre is about to announce that he will join the 2010 Senate race, facing Congressman Kendrick Meek in the Democratic primary. The 74-year-old Ferre says that his campaign will "look to Florida's future." One Miami columnist calls the impending Ferre candidacy "driven by shameless vanity." I suppose we shall see.
Health care reform: The Nebraska Democratic Party is squarely behind a strong public health care option. So where's ConservaDem Ben Nelson? |
