Archive for October, 2006
Oct 31, 2006 at 3:34 PM by Political Chase
Campaigning in California yesterday, John Kerry was criticizing President Bush and fumbled when he made the following remarks.
I can’t overstress the importance of a great education. Do you know where you end up if you don’t study, if you aren’t smart, if you’re intellectually lazy? You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq.
What Kerry meant to say:
I can’t overstress the importance of a great education. Do you know where you end up if you don’t study, if you aren’t smart, if you’re intellectually lazy? You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just Ask President Bush.
As expected, George Bush, on the campaign trail, exploited and exaggerated Kerry’s gaffe.
The men and women who serve in our all-volunteer Armed Forces are plenty smart and are serving because they are patriots — and Senator Kerry owes them an apology.
“…are plenty smart.” A linguist George Bush is not.
Kerry made an unfortunate mistake. However, the guy is not that stupid, as some are, to purposefully in public denigrate American troops. And, by all means, George Bush is the last person who should be criticizing others about their choice of words. Add Cheney to that list…just ask the Senator from Vermont.
Oct 31, 2006 at 2:46 PM by Political Chase
According to the Huffington Post, the As indicated below, the man assaulted by Sen. George Allen’s (R-VA) staff today is Mike Stark, a law student at the University of Virginia. Stark is also a former Marine. Stark has indicated he will press charges against George Allen and his staffers.
Following is a copy of a letter Stark posted on the Internet site for Charlottesville TV station WVIR.
My name is Mike Stark. I am a law student at the University of Virginia, a marine, and a citizen journalist. Earlier today at a public event, I was attempting to ask Senator Allen a question about his sealed divorce record and his arrest in the 1970s, both of which are in the public domain. His people assaulted me, put me in a headlock, and wrestled me to the ground. Video footage is available here, from an NBC affiliate.
I demand that Senator Allen fire the staffers who beat up a constituent attempting to use his constitutional right to petition his government. I also want to know why Senator Allen would want his staffers to assault someone asking questions about matters of public record in the heat of a political campaign. Why are his divorce records sealed? Why was he arrested in the 1970s? And why did his campaign batter me when I asked him about these questions.
George Allen defends his support of the Iraq war by saying that our troops are defending the ideals America stands for. Indeed, he says our troops are defending our very freedom. What kind of country is it when a Senator’s constituent is assaulted for asking difficult and uncomfortable questions? What freedoms do we have left? Maybe we need to bring the troops home so that they can fight for freedom at George Allen’s campaign events. Demanding accountability should not be an offense worthy of assault.
I will be pressing charges against George Allen and his surrogates later today. George Allen, at any time, could have stopped the fray. All he had to do was say, “This is not how my campaign is run. Take your hands off that man.” He could have ignored my questions. Instead he and his thugs chose violence. I spent four years in the Marine Corps. I’ll be damned if I’ll let my country be taken from me by thugs that are afraid of taking responsibility for themselves.
It just isn’t the America I know and love. Somebody needs to take a stand against those that would bully and intimidate their fellow citizens. That stand begins right here, right now.
W. Michael Stark
Additionally, Greg Sargent at TPM Cafe conducted a brief telephone interview with Stark.
I am obviously behind on this hot potato. I understand the incident was covered on NBC’s Nightly News. Fortunately I Tivo’d the broadcast. If NBC’s broadcast has something substantial, I will post an update.
Late update: NBC Nightly News did not have a segment tonight about this incident.
Oct 31, 2006 at 2:14 PM by Political Chase
BREAKNG: George Allen’s staffers attacked a man at an Allen campaign rally in Charlottesville today.
The quality of the video is not the best - the voices are not in synch.
Oct 31, 2006 at 12:32 PM by Political Chase
With one week to go before the elections, the Democrats and the Republicans are rolling out the dough to support their respective final strategies. It is hard to deny the evidence that the Democrats are already a step ahead and have additional opportunities to seize before Election Day. Money always makes a difference and as the Dems put money into play in traditional red zones, it may be the deciding factor whether the Republicans can maintain control of Congress.
With all of the tactical and strategic movements by both parties, it is important to remember that control of the House has never changed without the Senate changing also, which makes for interesting prognostication.
Notable expectations for the coming days:
Both Parties
The Republicans know that six to 10 seats in the House are gone. They recognize that two to three dozen campaigns are close.
The Democrats are all over Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia – these are make-or-break states for Democratic control of the Senate.
Overall, between October 1 and October 18, the DSCC out spent the NRSC $22.46 million to $6.75 million. The Republican National Committee closed the gap with funding in Missouri, Tennessee and Virginia alone.
Rhode Island
The DSCC recently put an ad buy of $930,000 in Rhode Island. The GOP views this as evidence that Sen. Lincoln Chaffee (R) still has a chance against Sheldon Whitehouse (D), the former state Attorney General. At this stage, no party will make that type of investment unless a threat is perceived.
Montana
The NRSC put $300,000 in Sen. Conrad Burns’ (R) pocket over the weekend notwithstanding the fact that Burns has consistently trailed Jon Tester (D).
Kansas and Kentucky
The DCCC bought unplanned ads in districts where Reps. Jim Ryun (R-KA) and Ron Lewis (R-KY) are incumbents. According to recent polls Ryun’s opponent Nancy Boyda (D) is closer than previously perceived. Boyda’s district is a heavy red zone, which is a positive indicator for the Dems. The Republicans are probably sending in the calvary in response to the change.
Republicans in General
Idaho, Colorado, and Nevada have historically been deemed red states, but the GOP has had to pour unexpected money into these states in an attempt to remain competitive.
The nefarious activities of former Rep. Tom Delay (R) in Texas and Rep. Mark Foley (R) in Florida have caused the Republicans to pour substantial resources into previously safe red zones. In Texas, in spite of DeLay’s history and still being on the ballot (but not eligible), the Republican write-in candidate, Shelley Sekula-Gibbs is in a dead heat with the Democratic challenger.
In Summary
The Republicans have a steep uphill run to maintain full control, but the GOP has been accustomed to sitting on their derrieres in jail or awaiting trial; therefore, the uphill climb is probably insurmountable. Notwithstanding those challenges, Karl Rove is still alive and will stop at nothing to salvage his reputation. Expect the unexpected from Rove.
The Democrats have every reason to be optimistic, but must remain focused and have no mistakes in the final days. Furthermore, they have to shut down President Bush’s bully pulpit. GWB will be extremely visible and spewing venom to audiences that will capitalize on and believe every word he says. Minimizing the President’s fear mongering and revising history is paramount.
Oct 31, 2006 at 10:22 AM by Political Chase
As in the past, George Bush recently said, “We’re winning.” Today, Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki ordered the US military to remove the blockade of Sadr City.
U.S. forces ended a five-day-old military blockade of Baghdad’s impoverished Sadr City section Tuesday, meeting a deadline set by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki amid tensions between U.S. and Iraqi officials and pressure from the anti-American cleric whose militia controls the sprawling Shiite slum.
Maliki ordered that the security cordon be lifted hours after cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called for a civil disobedience campaign in Sadr City to protest the blockade, which the U.S. military launched Wednesday in an effort to find an abducted U.S. soldier and capture a purported Iraqi death squad leader.
Is this US victory? Is it a victory for Maliki? What a mess.
Oct 31, 2006 at 9:57 AM by Political Chase
An understatement indeed. From John Tierney of The New York Times.
Where in the Bible does it say that the virtuous outnumber the wicked? When you define wickedness the way Republicans do, the numbers are daunting.
Oct 31, 2006 at 9:38 AM by Political Chase
Some people have no boundaries.
Katherine Harris, who is trying to become a U.S. senator, says she is writing a tell-all about the many people who have wronged her. This includes, but is not necessarily limited to: the Republican leaders who didn’t want her to run, the press that has covered her troubled campaign, and the many staffers who have quit her employ, whom she accuses of colluding with her opponent.
Read the rest….
Oct 31, 2006 at 9:01 AM by Political Chase
From Roll Call:
New Democratic polls released Monday showed that Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D) led Republican Bob Corker by 5 points in Tennessee and that in Virginia, Democrat Jim Webb led Sen. George Allen (R) by 4 points.
The poll results for Ford are substantially different than my earlier post, however one could easily argue the Ford-favorable poll is a Democratic poll. However, their results for Webb and Allen are the same.
Oct 31, 2006 at 8:29 AM by Political Chase
In the unlikely event the Republicans retain a majority in the House, the AP suggests that Speaker Dennis Hastert will be replaced, most likely, by Majority Leader John Boehner (OH).
This does not make sense. Boehner is not the janitor – as Majority Leader he has responsibility and accountability. Boehner has repeatedly stated that he informed the Speaker of Foley’s misdeeds and that he (Boehner) believed the Speaker had handled the situation. Assuming the Speaker knew, obviously the Speaker did not respond and as Majority Leader Boehner could not simply play Pontius Pilate and wash his hands. Doing so makes Boehner complicit.
If Foley’s infractions were minor (no pun intended), then the necessity of Boehner’s intervention lessen. A mere, “I told you so†in this matter does not absolve Boehner and clearly demonstrates he does not possess the integrity incumbent of the Speaker of the House.
Oct 31, 2006 at 6:45 AM by Political Chase
Here are some key polls. A week to go before the election and a few seem to be breaking away.
Virginia – It looks like Webb may cross the finish line. George Allen and the RNC slamming Jim Webb’s literary talents has back fired on them.
New Jersey – Go figure. While the polls disagree, something tells me Kean has a better chance than predicted. I think his family background may carry more weight, but one could argue that element is already indirectly reflected in the polls. In other words, his numbers may be much worse if family name was absent. Bottom line – I would not consider NJ a win for the Dems yet.
Missouri – This may be in 2006 like Ohio was in 2004 and Florida in 2000.
Tennessee – I find this hard to believe. Most pundits I have heard say Corker is toast. Tennessee is Deep South, so playing the racial card in the sleazy ad may have just worked.
VA, NJ, MO, TN – The Democrats must win at least one of these states to overtake the Senate.
CT-04 (Research 2000) Oct. 30
Farrell (D) 47%, Shays (R) 43%
IL-06 (Daily Herald) Oct. 30
Roskam (R) 46%, Duckworth (D) 42%
MD-Sen (Rasmussen) Oct. 30
Cardin (D) 49%, Steele (R) 42%
MO-Sen (CNN) Oct. 31
Talent (R) 49%, McCaskill (D) 49%
NJ-Sen (CNN) Oct. 31
Menendez (D) 51%, Kean (R) 44%
NJ-Sen (Quinnipiac) Oct. 31
Menendez (D) 49%, Kean (R) 44%
NJ-Sen (Strategic Vision-R) Oct. 30
Menendez (D) 43%, Kean (R) 42%
TN-Sen (CNN) Oct. 31
Corker (R) 52%, Ford (D) 44%
VA-Sen (CNN) Oct. 30
Webb (D) 50%, Allen (R) 46%
Source: TPM Media
Oct 30, 2006 at 5:50 PM by Political Chase
Tony Snow and GWB are scheduled to appear at a fundraiser tonight for Sen. Jim Talent (R) in St. Louis.
Interesting. The Press Secretary campaigning? Seems like an ethics consideration to me. Well, I guess not, Snow does stumping (versus journalism) everyday from the White House press briefing room.
And by the way, guess which MSM news organization announced the story first. The Hill and Roll Call (via e-news) announced it first, but FOX was the first major news organization to release Snow’s appearance.
Oct 30, 2006 at 3:39 PM by Political Chase
Cheney blaming democracy for the deteriorating situation in Iraq and that never-ceasing fear mongering.
“Whether it’s al Qaeda or the other elements that are active in Iraq, they are betting on the proposition they can break the will of the American people,” Cheney told Fox News. “…They’re very sensitive to the fact that we’ve got an election scheduled.”
Cheney said America’s enemies in Iraq possessed the Internet savvy to monitor U.S. developments, helping them to time attacks aimed in part at influencing the elections. But he cited no evidence to back the theory. [Emphasis added.]
“There isn’t anything that’s on the Internet that’s not accessible to them. They’re on it all the time. They’re very sophisticated users of it,” he told Fox’s “Your World with Neil Cavuto” program.
Yeah, I bet they’re on the “Internets” all the time using “The Google” to look at the ranch.
Oct 30, 2006 at 3:04 PM by Political Chase
The Republicans revved up the sleazy ads in Tennessee and Virginia, but the GOP candidates went down in the polls. In Tennesse the RNC and former Chatanooga Mayor Bob Corker (R) went over the top with racism and sexual overtones. In Virginia, Sen. George “Macaca” Allen (R)twisted Jim Webb’s scholarly praised writings into Harlequin Romance novels.
Tennessee
General Election Matchup Fav/Unfav Now
Now 10/14 9/21 Ford 52%/40%
Ford 48% 46% 48% Corker 45 /44
Corker 43 45 41
Other/undec 9 9 11
Margin of Error: +/– 4.1%
Virginia
General Election Matchup
All W/Leaners
Webb 43% 47%
Allen 38 43
Other/undec 19 10
Margin of Error: +/– 3.5%
If you can’t say something nice…
Oct 30, 2006 at 12:34 PM by Political Chase
Roll Call’s [sub. req.] brief background on Hunter:
Hunter was first elected to the House in 1980 on Ronald Reagan’s coattails. He has defined his tenure in Congress as an expert on national security and a strong supporter of the Pentagon. Hunter is also known for his vocal positions against illegal immigration, and was one of the earliest supporters of a border fence along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Rather innocuous.
Enlightenment from Josh Marshall:
Possible slogans: I managed to avoid getting indicted in the Cunningham probe. I can keep the country out of trouble too.
I hear Bob Ney may be making a few swings through New Hampshire too.
With Bob Ney being a household name, I’m sure you get the picture.
Oct 30, 2006 at 12:23 PM by Political Chase
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) launched his 2008 presidential bid this afternoon.
Who? I am not familiar this person.
