Month: November 2006

Drew Pritt, a Democrat who became the first openly gay candidate to run statewide in Arkansas, says a progressive Democrat challenging Pryor in 2008 would be the best thing to happen for Arkansas Democrats, and he said he might as well be the one to do it.

“Senator Pryor should know better,” said Pritt. “However, he has voted too often with George W. Bush and against the people. Now Senator Pryor says he wants to be bipartisan and work for progress. Senator Pryor needs to remember the Democratic Party is the party of progress and the people of Arkansas want a Senator who is progressive and partisan in that regards.”

Pritt says Pryor should follow more of the example his own father, as well as Senator Dale Bumpers, set while serving in the U.S. Senate. He says the results of the November 7th Election show that the Democratic Party returned to its roots of fighting for progressive causes and nominating progressive candidates.

“The voters all across this country are tired of chameleon politics,” said Pritt. “If you are a Democrat, then stand up, speak out, and fight for
values that made the Democratic Party strong in this country. We are the party of less government, because we fight for an individuals right to choose, not a government. We are the fiscally responsible party because we fight for pay as you go, not deficit spending. We are the party of patriotism, because any neighborhood bully can pick a fight, especially with a weaker opponent. The true statesmen are the ones who fight and secure the peace, but also work daily to maintain peace. We also are the party of Main Street, USA and we need a U.S. Senator who fights for Main Street, Arkansas.”

Pritt says he differs with Pryor’s record of voting on a number of issues. In particular, as a U.S. Senator, Pritt says his support of a woman’s right to choose will be unequivocal. He supports a phased withdraw from Iraq in a year and supports turning over the policing and beefing up of the country to the members of the Arab League. Also, he will be a huge proponent of improving and expanding Amtrak service across the country. Also, Pritt says he will not be any proponent of “working with” a Republican opposition that supports judicial nominees who are anti-choice, anti-working families, and anti-civil liberties.

He says he recognizes he faces a strong challenge with formidable odds in challenging Pryor. However, Pritt says he is a true Democrat and the voters will know without a doubt he will be a Democrat when voting in the Senate. He also says his previous experience in running for Lt. Governor will serve him well the second time around.

“This time I have to raise money to be competitive,” said Pritt. “The grassroots campaigning will help but the simple fact is I need to raise money to send a message and be successful.”

He also said he believes Governor Mike Huckabee will eventually end up running for the U.S. Senate in 2008 as the Republican nominee. Should
Pritt defeat Pryor in a major upset in the primary, Pritt says this is a general election matchup he’d relish.

“I helped lead the effort to defeat one of Mike Huckabee’s hair-brained schemes before with the Road Bond,” said Pritt. “I would love the chance
to face him one-on-one in a General Election matchup and compare the Democratic Party’s values and records with that of Governor Huckabee and the Arkansas Republican Party.”

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(The game is afoot. Can we snatch another Texas seat in time for Christmas? Ciro would have faced a very difficult task mobilizing voters with his limited campaign and financial infrastructure, so the DCCC entering the fray is a very welcome development here. Stay tuned. – promoted by James L.)

The DCCC is on the ground in TX-23. They have made amazing progress in getting Democrat Ciro Rodriguez to let them bring the game on for this short election period seeing as he’s low on cash and institutional support. In other terms, Ciro has actually been on the phone doing call time which in itself is short of a miracle, just to put it in perspective.

Meghan Gaffney as some will remember from Paul Hackett’s race in OH-02 is there now as well as Adrian Saenz, the DCCC’s National Field Director (who if I’m not mistaken is from San Antonio as it is).

There is a poll in the field right now to determine where things stand on that front.

The election date cannot be set earlier than this Friday from what we’ve been told, though there is an expectation that Gov. Perry will do so then. There is an open state house seat in Texas which also has to have an election date set – a dead Republican incumbent beat her Democratic opponent on Nov 7th creating a vacancy which forces an open special election in HD-29 near Houston. That race is discussed in this post.

Tim Tagaris is on the ground in Louisiana with the Karen Carter campaign, and over at MyDD, he lays out exactly why this race matters:

For starters, there’s the corruption.  If we are ever going to convince the American people we truly want to “drain the swamp” and clean out the House, we need to prove we are willing to clean out our own house first.  As the Blue Majority fundraising page notes, “send a message that the Democratic Party doesn’t tolerate corruption on either side of the aisle.”  Coming out of the Republican culture of corruption, it’s time to take away the primary GOP talking point on the issue of ethics reform.

…

There’s Katrina — the storm and the flood.  Unfortunately, one of the problems up on the Hill is “Katrina fatigue.”  Having been down here for a few days now, I can assure you the people of the 2nd Congressional District do not share a similar affliction.  They need help, and Congressman Jefferson is really in no place to deliver it.  He was stripped of his committee assignments by the Democratic Caucus, and continues to place his quest to retain personal political power above the needs of his constituents.

And this isn’t just an anti-Jefferson movement:

Karen Carter has also taken some courageous stances on “social issues.”  She is pro-gay marriage, choice and stem-cell research.  These are not easy positions to take in the deep South.  Indeed, her opponents (primary, run-off, and future) are hammering her, primarily through a network of churches, for those positions.  In the face of that pounding, she refuses to run from her convictions.

Carter’s philosophical position is exactly mine:

“I believe in treating people as I would like to be treated.”

If only a few more politicians felt this way. At least, though, we can make sure Carter joins the 110th Congress. I know everyone is strapped from the campaign season, but if you have any spare coin, please toss some Karen’s way over at Blue Majority.

An update on the FL-13 recount situation:

Citing statistical and eyewitness evidence of significant machine malfunctions sufficient to call into doubt the result of the election for Florida Congressional District 13, the Christine Jennings campaign today officially contested the election in Circuit Court. The complaint specifically requests the judge to order a new election “to ensure that the will of the people of the Thirteenth District is respected, and to restore the confidence of the electorate, which has been badly fractured by this machine-induced debacle.”

As Georgia noted, there is some possible precedent in Florida law for a new election. Of course, a new election is the only way the absurdly high undervote in this race can be rectified. One thing is for sure: This legal battle should be extremely interesting.

Separately, I received an e-mail from the People for the American Way saying that they (or at least, Florida voters who have their support) will also be suing to demand a revote. It’s not clear at this time how this suit might complement Jennings’, though perhaps the cases might get combined.

Regardless, please consider contributing to the FL-13 recount fund on the Blue Majority page. If there’s one thing I don’t need to tell you, it’s that court cases get very expensive very quickly, so Jennings will need all the help she can get.

We, the grassroots, asked for a full slate of races for the 2006 cycle. In their enthusiasm a bunch of candidates jumped into races all over the US without the preparation that normally would precede such an effort.

Right now the average Congressional Race costs around $800,000 and our people raised, most of them….the real Grassrooters, a tiny fraction of that amount.

They fought hard. In some cases they came close even on the tiniest of budgets. Most of the candidates that came into the War….and that’s what a campaign is…a War…lost. Remember we only picked up 28 seats with a couple still in contest.

A bunch of these candidates ended their campaigns in debt. Some of them more serious than others. Since I had one candidate in the race I know his numbers and they aren’t pretty. I know two more than are more modest.

But the point is that these people came into the Field because we asked them to do just that…they came to the War and fought for our ideals and theirs.

Now I suggest we need to help them with their campaign debt. Many intend to make a run next time and it’s really hard to get your feet on the ground when you are still making payments on your previous campaign.

We can’t rely on PAC’s or Move On or anyone but ourselves.

I propose that the candidates with debt let me know that reality and then we can build an ActBlue page for the entire list. Like the Peace Team, a person could make a donation to the entire list which is divided evenly or directly to one or more individually.

But I think we owe it to these brave souls to at least try to help them retire this debt.

I would value communication from candidates at this address and thoughts from all on the idea.

(A solid synopsis of an opportunity lost – promoted by James L.)

VA-02 was a target seat this year for a Democratic Party takeover of the House. Freshman Thelma Drake (R-Norfolk) seemed ripe to topple. After Iraq War Veteran David Ashe (D), who lost to Drake in ’04 55-45%, dropped out of the race to pave the way for Virginia Beach Commissioner of Revenue Phil Kellam (D), things were looking pretty good. Kellam, member of a well known Virginia Beach Democratic political family, was the only Citywide elected Democratic Official, this city accounts for approximately 71% of the District’s population. Drake hails from the smaller though Democratic leaning Norfolk. Virginia Beach is historically Republican at both the National & Local level, though Gov. Tim Kaine (D) narrowly carried the city in 2005 and carried the district by 3.02%, former Gov. Mark Warner came within 0.15% of carrying the District in 2001. Besides the City of Viginia Beach, the District includes 23 (+ 2 AT/CV) Precincts in the City of Norfolk, 12(+2 A/T) precincts in the City of Hampton  and the Eastern Shore Counties of Accomack & Northampton.  (More after the flip.)

In my quest to discover why Kellam was unable to unseat Drake in a District I had called home for almost two decades, I did a little research and located two websites: Not Larry Sabato and Vivian J. Paige of Norfolk.
The links will lead you to not only their analysis of what happened here but blog comments from those even closer to the ground or with a differing perspective.
My personal take was re-affirmed on the following points:
1. The Kellam Political dynasty is not a reliably powerful entity and is unknown to many of the transient voters in the Distict, read: of little impact.
2. Kellam avoided debates with Drake after his initial and only debate with Drake in mid-June. His performance in that debate was perceived as “unsteady” by the press.
3. Grassroots/Ground Support was too light.
4. Kellam failed to clearly delineate himself as much different from Drake politically & ideologically. Granted in this conservative leaning-Military heavy District that might seem like a good thing but I don’t think it worked to Kellam’s advantage in the type of Wave year we just saw.
5. Momentum damage from disclosures about Kellam’s past.
6. Failure to secure major newspaper endorsement in the District and failure to dent the potenially vulnerable Drake in the press.
7. Lack of coordination with VA Dem Party major leaders for campaign support.
8. The RNC Robocalls against both Kellam & Webb.

Take a look at these links and the information contained within and see what you think.

A look back at the 2nd Congressional District
http://notlarrysabat…

Kellam: the turning pointhttp://vivianpaige.w…

Thanks to both those sites and the Commentators for dissemination of this information.
Election Results VA-02
2004 Pres
Kerry-D  101,576 41.53% 
Bush-R 141,097 57.69%
2005 Gov
Kilgore-R 64,955 46.79% 
Kaine-D 69,153 49.81%

2006 Sen
Allen-R 89,145 51.04% 
Webb-D 83,268 47.67%

2006 VA-02
Drake-R 88,777  51.27%
  Kellam-D  83,901  48.45%

Congressional District Map Link:
http://en.wikipedia….

One election is over, the next one is coming ever closer with one Presidential hopeful (or wannabe) announcing after another.

You may say it’s way too premature to discuss a possible Democratic cabinet with more than two years to go. But hey: we have a tough and largely successful election behind us. Let’s just have a little fun for now.

If you enjoy this kinda stuff then follow be below the fold.

The following is my dream cabinet for 2009. While it is a “dream” in so many senses of the word there are a few tough choices and compromises involved. I first had to decide who I wanted to win and who could win the Presidency. Some of the cabinet choices are related to that, most are not. My choice for President is in no way a judgment about other candidates. You will find a couple of other contenders as members of my dream cabinet. If you see another person winning the Presidency write a comment and tell us how that would impact some cabinet choices.

You will also notice something else. Since this is a dream cabinet, it is a cabinet of diversity, one reflecting the current make-up of the United States. There are 22 people listed below. President, VP, 15 Cabinet Secretaries plus 5 people with Cabinet rank. Of these half are women. You say this is impossible? Just remember that relatively conservative and Catholic Spain has a center-left government with half the cabinet being women. I also considered ethnic diversity. There a 4 African Americans, 3 Hispanic Americans, 2 Italian Americans and 1 Asian American and 1 Armenian American.

Here’s my 2009 dream cabinet:

President – Barack Obama

Yeah, I think he will run, and yeah, I think he can win the primary (because he’ll go with momentum out of Nevada and South Carolina) and with the right campaign and the right choice for VP (see below) he can win the general election. I think my choices below could be a little more realistic with a President Obama since I doubt that he would stuff his cabinet with a bunch of white men. Wikipedia

Vice President – Anthony Zinni

General Zinni, that is. Yeah, he might not be the most liberal candidate out there but he could balance out the ticket very well. Obama will need a strong VP but one without any personal ambitions. I would have liked a woman on the ticket but unfortunately I seriously doubt the voters are ready for a ticket without any white men on it. Zinni’s position on the Iraq war is in sync with Obama’s – they were both against it. Zinni retired in 2000. This year he got behind VA Senate candidate Jim Webb. Zinni’s also from Virginia and with him on the ticket we can hold those voters concerned about Obama’s inexperience (especially in foreign affairs) and have a couple of states in play like Virgnia. Wikipedia

Sec. of Agriculture – Patty Judge

Judge has been Secretary of Agriculture of Iowa since 1998. This year she ran as Chet Culver’s running mate and will take office as Lt.Gov in January. Wikipedia

Sec. of Commerce – Charlene Barshefsky

Barshefsky was the United States Trade Representative in Clinton’s second term. Wikipedia

Sec. of Defense – Jack Reed

Someone with a certain amount of respect needs to clean up the mess created by Rummy & Co in Iraq and elsewhere. This is a tough and unthankful job. I think Senator Reed (Rhode Island) can do it. He’s on the Senate Armed Services Committee and was a Captain when he left the Army. He attended the US Military Academy at West Point. Wikipedia

Sec. of Education – Anna Eshoo

Eshoo is an Armenian American. Born in Connecticut she serves California’s 14th District (Silicon Valley) in Congress since 1993. She’s a strong supporter of the Gay Rights movement. In Congress she co-sponsored the “College Opportunity for All Act” and the “10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act” and led the development of the Democrat’s Innovation Agenda in which education plays a central role. Wikipedia

Sec. of Energy – Hilda Solis

Solis is a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and has been the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on the Environment and Hazardous Materials. She represents California’s 32nd District since 2001. Previously she served in the CA Assembly and Senate and in the White House Office of Hispanic Affairs and the OMB. Wikipedia

Sec. of Health & Human Services – John Kitzhaber

Dr. John Kitzhaber, MD, served as Governor of Oregon from 1995-2003. During his term in office (and previously as President of the Oregon Senate) health care issues were always on the top of his list. He was instrumental in creating the Oregon Health Plan. After leaving office he has kept on working to find solutions to achieve affordable health care for all. Wikipedia

Sec. of Homeland Security – Carolyn Maloney

Maloney represents New York’s 14th District in Congress since 1993. Representing parts of New York City she has been involved in Homeland Security issues ever since the attacks of September 11, 2001. She is chair of the Democratic Task Force on Homeland Security. Wikipedia

Sec. of Housing and Urban Development – Shirley Franklin

Shirley Franklin is the mayor of Atlanta and was the first black woman to be elected mayor of a major Southern city in 2001. Shirley has been listed as one of the five best mayors in America by Time Magazine. Wikipedia

Sec. of the Interior – Tony Knowles

Tony Knowles career as an elected official is probably over after losing the Governor’s race this year and the Senate race two years ago. Nevertheless, I believe him to be a good choice to head the Dep. of the Interior which is traditionally run by politicians from western states. Wikipedia

Sec. of Labor – John Edwards

John Edwards would probably make a good President. That said, should he not win the nomination, I seriously doubt he’d want to be the running mate again. He has made labor issues an integral part of his campaign and could be a real asset in anyone’s cabinet as Labor Secretary. Wikipedia

Sec. of State – Bill Richardson

Governor Richardson has previously been Secretary of Energy and Ambassador at the UN in the Clinton Administration. Should he not wind up on the ticket he would make an excellent Secretary of State. He would also be the first Hispanic American in this position. Wikipedia

Sec. of Transportation – Gary Locke

Locke was Gov of Washington from 1997-2005 and was the first Chinese American Governor in the US. As so many Governors he could serve in several positions, Sec. of Transportation being one of them. Wikipedia

Sec. of the Treasury – Bill Bradley

The former Presidential candidate is a sentimental favourite of mine. His wife Ernestine Schland would have been one awesome First Lady. The former Senator cares deeply about tax reform. Whether or not his proposals would be a good solution is debatable. Nevertheless, someone needs to clean up after the Bush administration. Wikipedia

Sec. of Veteran Affairs – Max Cleland

Who else, really? Wikipedia

Attorney General – Patricia Madrid

Madrid is the current Attorney General of New Mexico. She chose to run for Congress this year and unfortunately lost against Heather Wilson. Should she run and lose again in 08 or chose not to run, she would make a great choice to head the Justice Dept. Wikipedia

Other cabinet level positions:

Head of the EPA – Tammy Baldwin

The Environmental Protection Agency is more important than ever. Someone who’s knowledgable and passionate about environmental issues like Tammy Baldwin would be a terrific choice. As a member of the House Energy and Commerce committee she strongly opposes drilling in ANWR. Wikipedia

Ambassador to the UN – Susan Rice

Susan Rice was Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under Madeleine Albright. She would be the first African American Woman in this job. Wikipedia

US Trade Rep – Ronnie Musgrove

Musgrove was Governor of Mississippi from 2000-2004. During that time he managed to get Nissan to build a plant in his state. He’d probably be a good trade rep for the entire United States as well. Wikipedia

Head of the OMB – Rosa DeLauro

DeLauro represents Connecticut’s 3rd CD since 1991. She has attended the London School of Economics and is a member of the House Appropriations and Budget Committees. Wikipedia

WH Chief of Staff – Donna Brazile

No, a black President doesn’t necessarily need a black Chief of Staff. That said any Democratic President could use a CoS of the caliber of Donna Brazile. She was Al Gore’s campaign manager in 2000 and might have become his Chief of Staff then. It’s likely that she will play a major role in the 2008 Democratic presidential campaign, no matter who the nominee is. Wikipedia

This is it. What are your thoughts? Who would you like to see in what position? Comment away.

cross posted from Turn Tahoe Blue

Atrios flags an AP report wherein presidential aspirant and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee complains about John McCain’s campaign finance reforms. Bottom line is that senators can transfer unlimited amounts of campaign cash to their presidential warchests, but governors can’t do the same. It’s crap, and it’s one of the many reasons I oppose much of our current campaign finance regime. But that’s not why I’m penning this post.

Rather, what I want to know is why Mike Huckabee’s presidential chances are taken any more seriously than Felix Macaca’s at this point. Just take a look at this:

2006 Ark. Gov. Results (Open Seat)

Mike Beebe (D): 55
Asa Hutchinson (R): 41

Hutchinson, the Republican candidate who sought to succeed Huckabee, got utterly pounded. And yeah, 2006 may have been a good Democratic year, but several Republicans in much bluer states hung on: Arnie in CA, Pawlenty in MN, and Carcieri in RI just to name a few. Sure, those guys were incumbents, but Arkansas went to Bush by ten points in 2004 – Rhode Island went to Kerry by twenty. Consequently, I consider Hutchinson’s loss to be one hell of a shellacking.

Now can you imagine if Tim Kaine (VA) or Chet Culver (IA) had gone down to defeat like this? Mark Warner and Tom Vilsack would have been laughed off the presidential wannabe stage. Indeed, the victories of their successors were crucial to both Vilsack and Warner, as it keept their future ambitions alive.

So could someone please tell me why Huckabee isn’t a joke? At least George Pataki and Mitt Romney can offer lame reasons for their own failures (northeastern open seats should never be easy for the GOP to defend). But what’s Huckabee’s excuse? He’s got none. I know Arkansas has traditionally been more hospitable to Dems than other Southern states, but right now it’s got three of four Dem Congressmen, two Dem Senators, Dems in control of the entire state legislature, a Dem Governor, and Dems elected to every other statewide office. This guy has clearly done jack to build his own state party.

My only answer for now is that the Gang of 500 must love him. I won’t bother to speculate as to why that might be (though feel free), but in a just world with a thoughtful, critical media, Mike Huckabee would rate no higher than Screaming Lord Sutch.

(Bumped – promoted by DavidNYC)

Alright, let’s keep the ball rolling. And don’t forget to help fill out the 2008 Race Tracker wiki.

P.S. Please welcome Left in the West to the SoapBlox network. As I’m sure you know, L/W was the place for MT-Sen coverage in 2006 and I’m sure it’ll be a hopping place for more of the same in 2007 & 2008. Now, with user diaries, it can only get better.

P.P.S. Please don’t forget the Blue Majority ActBlue page. We’ve just added netroots hero Larry Kissell’s recount fund to the list.