Month: April 2007

After giving up his seat on the House Appropriations Committee yesterday, Congressman John Doolittle today had the audacity to compare himself to the Duke lacrosse players during a press conference:

I have been an effective representative for the region and shall continue to be one despite this situation. Finally I will just say that if there is anything we should have learned from the Duke lacrosse case, it is that the destruction of the reputations of innocent people can occur when the government, the press and the public jump to unfounded conclusions. I ask everyone to withhold judgment until the all facts are known and the truth can prevail.

It’s really time that this disgrace of a Congressman leaves not only the Appropriations Committee but Congress itself. However, Doolittle stated he will not resign and will run for re-election:

First I would like you to know I have no intention of resigning from Congress and I have every intention of running for reelection again. Over past last two days the support I have received from colleagues in the House and elected officials from my district has been overwhelming.

Well, you can actually do something about forcing Doolittle out of Congress. You can support Charlie Brown in his attempt to succeed Doolittle. In the last election Brown gathered 46% of the vote compared to Doolittle’s 49% in a heavily Republican district.

Help Charlie Brown by contrubiting to his campaign and by voting for him at the DFA Grassroots All-Star contest.

Read the entire transcript of the press conference here. You’ll notice that Doolittle declines to answer most questions. And here’s the audio.

Cross posted from Turn Tahoe Blue

From The Oregonian:

Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., said in an interview today that he has decided not to challenge Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore.

DeFazio had been the top choice of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, after a DSCC-commissioned poll showed him ahead of Smith. But the 11-term Congressman chairs a powerful House Transportation subcommittee responsible for doling out hundreds of billions of dollars of highway funding.

[…]

“I just did not feel that becoming a junior member of the Senate was going to allow me to serve as well and as effectively, particularly in the short term, as my current position,” DeFazio said.

“This was not an easy decision,” DeFazio said. “You don’t get a poll that shows you’re ahead of an incumbent senator and generous offers of support from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and just blow it off. It was a long and serious deliberation on my part.”

With the only Democratic names in the race being businessman Ty Pettit and attorney Steve Novick, all eyes now turn to 3rd District Rep. Earl Blumenauer.  Sources tell me that Blumenauer will likely pursue the nomination, but we’ll have to wait and see.

(Hat-tip to hubbird.)

Race Tracker: OR-Sen

Earlier today, A former CEO of Qwest was found guilty of illegal stock trading.  He was convicted for illegally selling 52 million dollars in stock.

The conviction comes on 19 counts of insider trading.

This story has a great recap of the whole history of the story.

Why does this matter for Elizabeth Dole?  After all Joseph Nacchio gave to candidates of a few different ideologies.

He gave money to a few Democrats and a few Republicans.  But, there is a tiny little detail.

Since 1994 Mr Nacchio gave 10 contributions totaling $7,500 to various sources.

But, there is a tiny little detail.  Four of those eleven contributions were to Elizabeth Dole.  These contributions total $4,000.  That number doesnt include the extra $1000 that Qwest’s PAC gave to Dole in 2006.  It also does not include the $1000 that the wife of Mr Nacchio gave to Dole in 2001.

Although the media might try to spend it, it is very obvious that a convicted criminal has supported her more than any other candidate.  Of the 7500 dollars that he has given to politicians, he gave Elizabeth Dole 4 times more than any other candidate.

Now, I wont try to figure out why a CEO of a Colorado company that reports his address as being in either CO or NJ (depending on the day apparently).

What I will question is, Is Senator Dole proud of accepting money from modern day robber barons?

In 2002 Dole accepted $1000 from both Mr and Mrs Kenneth Lay  She also took $1028 from the Enron PAC during the 2002 cycle.

Abramoff could only be bothered to give $1000 to Dole.  Money she claims is being given to charity.

However, in 2006, while head of the NRSC, she refused to give the almost $400,000 from Abramoff and his associates to charity.

However, I did an extensive search of the FEC report filed by Elizabeth Dole in the first quarter of 2006.  I found nothing.  Not a single donation to any charity.  Just normal campaign amounts.

Today I am asking that she donate every penny received from this convicted felon to charity.  Additionally, we demand that some actual proof be given that the money from both Abramoff and Nacchio was indeed sent to charity.

We will not allow her to hide behind the facade of these donations being from 5 years ago.  The simple fact is that a criminal is a criminal.  We will not accept money from criminals to influence our Senator.

Give it back Senator Dole.  Give it Back.

(From the diaries. – promoted by James L.)

Numbers courtesy of The Washington Post and the Senate 2008 Guru.

January ’07
DSCC: $2.2 million
NRSC: $0.9 million

February ’07
DSCC: $2.7 million
NRSC: $2.4 million

March ’07
DSCC: $8.8 million
NRSC: $3.7 million

Q1 Take
DSCC: $13.7 million
NRSC: $ 7.0 million

Cash-on-hand at end of March ’07
DSCC: $9.50 million ($6 million debt)
NRSC: $3.45 million ($0 debt)

Observations:
1) DSCC had a better March than the NRSC had for its entire Q1
2) DSCC’s cash-on-hand advantage is larger than the debt difference (so let’s pay off some of that debt and get it out of the way!)
3) Who has the momentum is clear.

I didn’t expect to be writing any diaries about the Massachusetts Senate Race, but I have been suspecting for some time that John Kerry might be wearing out his welcome. And now, according to a Suffolk University Poll, it appears to be just the case.

Senator John Kerry, who recently left the door open to a Presidential bid in 2008, could have problems staying in the US Senate.  When voters were asked whether Kerry should run for another six-year term in 2008 or if it is time to give someone else a chance, just 37% indicated that he should seek re-election while 56% said that it was time to give someone else a chance. Among political parties: 76% of Republicans, 62% of Independents, and 39% of registered Democrats said that it was time to give someone else a chance.

“This poll is showing us the early warning signs of a political storm for John Kerry,” said Paleologos.  “He may best be served by coming home to Massachusetts and taking care of business.”

Personally, I don’t think that coming home will be enough because Kerry has had a tough time before, and I’m not talking about 2006. Even before his legendary race against William Weld, he ran into a touch one six years earlier against James Rappaport who was, for a while, able to paint Kerry as a do-nothing Dukakis clone. Kerry fought his way partially helped by the fact that it was a Democratic year (and an excellent debate). What he has going for him heading into 2008 is a limp Republican Party with no one put against him. However, Massachusetts has never warmed to him the way they have with Ted Kennedy. If the Republicans somehow find someone al a Weld, he could be in serious trouble. It may be time for him to stand down.

(From the diaries. – promoted by James L.)

Not to say I told you so, or anything, but it looks like Jon Bruning’s running.

The Lincoln Journal Star has more:

The plot not only thickened in the 2008 Senate race Wednesday night, it threatened to spin out of control.

Attorney General Jon Bruning is ready to enter the 2008 Republican primary whether Sen. Chuck Hagel seeks re-election or not. Bruning confirmed his intentions in a statement released Thursday morning.

Hagel’s recent vote supporting a timeline for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and his recent criticism of President Bush provide “significant reasons” to enter the Senate race, the attorney general said.
“Senator Hagel voted with the Democratic leadership against President Bush on the most important issue facing our country,” Bruning said.

“His comments (in a recent Esquire magazine article) made it clear that he thinks impeachment of the president is an option,” the attorney general said.

“These are drastic and dramatic shifts away from the Republican Party, our president and the people of Nebraska.”

Bruning, 37, was elected as Nebraska’s Attorney General in 2002, and reelected (unopposed) in 2006. His website is still not Firefox-friendly. Bruning announced on March 15, shortly after Hagel’s non-announcement, that he was forming an exploratory committee to run for Chuck Hagel’s United States Senate seat… but only if Hagel did not run. Now, due to Hagel’s vote on the Iraq supplemental and a significant dissatisfaction among Republican voters in Nebraska – the exact factors that I predicted would land Hagel in Joe Lieberman’s position from 2006 – Bruning has decided that he’s not going to wait for Hagel.

I certainly didn’t expect this to happen so soon. But now that it has, we’ve got to fight this one. Chuck Hagel may have the establishment behind him, but he’s pissed off a lot of Republicans – and now they have someone to unite behind. He’ll be running as George Bush’s puppet – a perfect target for any Democratic candidate, yes, even in Nebraska. We need to make sure that our nominee is prepared for this. Bruning is not to be taken lightly, but he can be beaten.

Among the other rumors in that article…

Bob Kerrey is not running for Senate. There’s been a poll going around (one of my friends got it last week), that’s asked a lot of questions about Kerrey, but you all remember the ugliness right before his exit from the Senate, and let’s not forget that he’s lived in New York for the past six years. We have better candidates than Bob Kerrey.

Mike Fahey’s laying the groundwork for a reelection run in 2009, ramping up his fundraising. This shouldn’t be any cause for concern, it’s been generally assumed that he’s going to run for reelection should he not run for Senate, and he’s not going to make that decision until later this year.

Stay tuned with us here in Nebraska for any more developments.

In every cycle, the DSCC has a handful of targets that it aggressively focuses on, along with any Democratic Senators that might be deemed vulnerable.  However, there are also those races that escape the DSCC’s radar for a little while (or a long while) and are vehemently trumpeted by the netroots and grassroots.  My question is, in those cases of netroots and grassroots joining hands and backing a candidate, how effective do these efforts tend to be?  Or are there not enough examples, due to the young lifespan of the netroots, to really know for sure? 

We all point out (correctly, I might add, as many have praised these efforts, including DSCC Chair Schumer) that Jon Tester and Jim Webb were greatly benefited by the efforts of the netroots/grassroots – “people powered”-candidates, if you will.  So, if 2006 was a starting point, can these types of efforts be effectively spread out to several states?  How early do they need to begin and what tools are most useful in persuading a potential candidate to make the jump?  Or are draft movements even the best way to go about getting an attractive candidate in?  Also, in presidential years it seems that the most well-known possibilities in red states are very cautious about jumping in, so these movements seem to focus on less conventional nominees, am I correct in that observation?  I will run down what I believe to the DSCC’s current top priorities, races that have heir apparents upon the retirement of an incumbent, and then 7 races that I believe would benefit from a candidate in the mold of Senators Tester and Webb.

It seems that the DSCC has five definite targets, at this point in the cycle, although each race has different dynamics going on.

COLORADO – Mark Udall, who seems well on his way to a cleared primary.

MAINE – Tom Allen, is expected to announce shortly and will also have no serious opposition.

NEW HAMPSHIRE – Steve Marchand and Katrina Swett are already announced candidates but could defer if the DSCC is successful in getting Jeanne Shaheen to run.  Either way, this will remain a top pick-up opportunity.

MINNESOTA – Al Franken and Mike Ciresi are in, however, there remains the possibility of an announcement being made by a state legislator.

OREGON – Speaking of draft movements, a very well-known one is underway to convince Pete DeFazio to make the jump.  In the meantime, Steve Novick has announced and, if DeFazio declines, Earl Blumenauer will be the next to be courted by the DSCC.

Those five races seem to be DSCC targets and will probably remain among their top priorities throughout the cycle.

Then there are these next four seats that could possibly become open and, in that event, likely gain heavy attention from the DSCC.

VIRGINIA – Mark Warner has been making waves about getting in and John Warner has been making waves about getting out.

NEW MEXICO – Richardson will either be on the ticket or Sec. of State, Udall or Chavez seem to only jump if it’s indeed open, Homans seems intent on going after Wilson, but Madrid might make the jump.

NEBRASKA – If Hagel is out, Fahey seems to be in.  If Fahey declines, then expect a netroots-driven draft movement to get Scott Kleeb to run.

MISSISSIPPI – It seems a little less likely that Cochran will retire, but Mike Moore goes in if he does.

That leaves what I believe to be a group of seven states that have incumbents that might be more vulnerable than pundits seem to believe and are also ripe for “people powered”-candidates in the mold of a Tester or a Webb. In fact, many of these states already have draft movements underway.  In the other four, I’m seeking information on whether a draft movement would even work in those states and, if so, what potential candidates (but still realistic) would be able to knock off the incumbent.

1)  NORTH CAROLINA – Brad Miller.  A draft movement has been going on for months (led by blue south, I believe) and seems to be gaining much traction.  Miller has recently stated having serious interest in the race.

2)  ALABAMA – Ron Sparks.  Sparks was mentioned in Schumer’s advice thread at dKos and has been the center of much attention since.  He also has shown interest and will make an announcement,  regarding his decision, soon.

3)  TEXAS – Rick Noriega.  Also a subject of netroots support.  The Texas House is currently in session, so, understandably, no announcement is expected until after May, from any Texas legislators.

Then there are the four states that a populist candidate could make it a competitive election.

4)  OKLAHOMA – The big names (Henry, Edmondson, Boren) have been contacted and declined, for various reasons.  State Senator Andrew Rice would be a great prospect for a draft movement.  Are there any indications he’s open to it?

5)  TENNESSE – Bredesen either thinks he’s on someone’s VP list, or doesn’t want to leave his office open to the GOP Senate Pres.  If Ford doesn’t jump in, would there be any chance of persuading Nashville mayor Bill Purcell to get in?  Are there any other Tennessee Dems that have been under the radar, but would be great for this race?

6)  KENTUCKY – Any progress on the U.S. Senate race will probably have to wait until the gubernatorial primary is over.  Who do Kentuckians want to see in this race?  Is Owen really the assumed nominee?

7)  GEORGIA – After Saxby’s distasteful 02 campaign, it would seem that this race would be getting more attention.  Anyone heard of attorney Jim Butler’s plans?

Others:
IDAHO – Larry LaRocco is our nominee, whether Craig is the nominee or not.

ALASKA – I wish Mark Begich could be persuaded to make this race, even if just for the added benefits of higher name ID for the 2010 race against Lisa Murkowski.

WYOMING, KANSAS, and SOUTH CAROLINA – No clue on any of these three.  Trauner might go for a House rematch, Sebelius won’t go for it, and I have no real knowledge about SC politics, so there’s that, lol.

So, what say you?  Are the seven races I identified actual possibilities?  Are there potential candidates that have been showing any level of interest, not just being mentioned as pipe dreams?  I know that we should all be backing our candidates, even if they are already going to have the full-backing of the DSCC, but it seems that if the more “longshot” of races were the ones that the grassroots and netroots spent most of their attention on, that would benefit all involved and expand our playing field.

I know I haven’t said anything that hasn’t already been touched upon, but I am just really interested in how candidates are drafted into the tougher races and how much success such efforts are met with.

(Also, this is my first diary, so pardon the length and lack of proper editing skills, lol.)

Here’s what the House committees will report in their first quarter fundraising filings, according to this Roll Call article (2003 1Q numbers in parens for comparison):

Committee	1Q 2007 (2003)	Cash-on-Hand	Debt
DCCC	$19m ($7.4m)	$9.8m	$4.9m
NRCC	$15.8m ($22.9m)	$2.5m	$7.9m

Lookout, Republicans. With less cash-on-hand, more debt, and fundraising down 31% over the same period four years ago, the GOP’s long-vaunted fundraising dominance is coming to an end. Without the ability to swamp their Democratic opponents with huge media buys like in years past, House Republicans could be seriously imperiled, yet again.

Cross posted from Helluva Heller

After being hit on his Iraq stance by the ad of Americans United for Change, Dean Heller went on Bill Manders radio talk-show last night. That in itself is to be expected. However what is not to be expected is that a conservative talk show host and a sitting Congressman care about some little blogger from Germany. But apparently they do.

Listen to this clip (this is the second part of their talk).

Here’s the transcript:

Bill Manders: “What do you know about this guy named Sven Stromann?”

Dean Heller: “Uh… Some guy from Germany.”

Bill Manders: “Well, actually he’s an exchange student in Nevada.”

Dean Heller: “Yea, I think he was at one time…”

Bill Manders: “And he’s got a, I guess they’ve got a website. They’re attacking you,  they want to defeat you in 2008..”

Dean Heller: “Yes they do…”

Funny, ain’t it, how Mr. Manders and Congressman Heller have not only noticed a blog barely three days old but are worried enough about Heller’s re-election to give it credence by mentioning me. Also, Mr. Manders, this is a one person effort. No need for invoking the “they’ve got a website” notion there.

Further highlights from the two parts of this interview: Heller claims that Lisa Mascaro misquoted him in the Las Vegas Sun article. Manders very worried that Heller might change his stance on Iraq, especially his support for the surge. Most hilarious thing, though, is that Heller clearly used information from this blog concerning the automated phone calls made by VoteVets. I’m not surprised, though, as Helluva Heller receives most of its hits from the server of the House of Representatives according to my site statistics (click on “Visitor Paths” on the sidebar and then scroll down).

All in all, you can only come away from this talk show segment with the feeling that Heller’s not all that certain about his re-election prospects. Funny thing, that.

Here are the links to listen to this segment in full:

Clip 1
Clip 2

Thanks to JWH over at No Gibbons for the tip and the clips.

Read more about Heller in yesterday’s diary.

New Mexico Dems have been waiting for someone to step up to the plate to take on Sen. Pete Domenici.  Tom Udall’s name has been bandied about, as has Rick Homans.  But a blast from the recent past may beat them all to the punch — Patricia Madrid.

According to an inside source, the former New Mexico Attorney General is considering a run against Sen. Pete Domenici.  In her last run for office, she fell to Rep. Heather Wilson by less than 900 votes.

So why would Madrid be considering a run for Senate?  There are actually some very real reasons why it would be worthwhile. 

Read the reasons under the fold.  Crossposted at New Mexico FBIHOP, MyDD and Daily Kos.

For one, Madrid is an established personality in New Mexico.  She won a statewide election — twice — for Attorney General, and narrowly lost a tough election to Wilson.  I’m guessing that nearly everyone in New Mexico knows Madrid.

For another, she has a large donor base.  She raised $3.3 million for last November’s race.  She proved she can raise the money. I’m sure the DSCC would pitch in a large amount of money to any credible candidate who was willing to take on the 74-year old senior Senator.  And his warchest, $540,000, isn’t exactly an unbeatable number.  Tom Udall has more in his warchest without raising money so far this year.

Obviously, from her run in November, Madrid wants to be in Washington.  And she does need a job… Perhaps a job in the US Senate, goes the thinking.

But the number one reason Madrid may be considering a run is that she, and many, feels Domenici is vulnerable.  With the recent Iglesias scandal and a number of other things (is his age getting to him?  That hawkish position on Iraq isn’t looking so good right now, etc.), he is no longer the unbeatable legend he once was.

Madrid even weighed in on political interference into court-goings on back in March. Madrid alleged Domenici and Wilson also have involved themselves in the probe of the state treasurer scandal. So she has been paying attention, and she knows Domenici is vulnerable.

There are still those who believe that Domenici is as unbeatable as he was two years ago.  I believe his reputation has been damaged, and there isn’t any sign of the current US Attorney scandal going away.  And also for those who believe Domenici is unbeatable, you just have to say three words.  George Allen; macaca. 

I’m not saying Domenici has any racist remarks ready to come from his lips.  What I am saying is that one moment, George Allen was the unbeatable incumbent, a frontrunner for the Republican Presidential nomination.  The next moment, he was embroiled in a fight for his political career with Jim Webb; a fight that he ultimately lost.

Or if you want another example, how about Conrad Burns (who is actually three years younger than Domenici).  Again in a YouTube moment, Burns  was caught resting his eyes, cementing the image of an over-the-hill Senator, too old to serve.  Of course, Burns also insulted firefighters and referred to taxicab terrorists.

I’ll say it once again, because it is that important — Domenici has the big ol’ scandal target on his back.  When you get that scandal target on your back, people start looking closer into things they might have let go before.

Considering all of this, it’s surprising Madrid is the only one rumored to be expressing real interest in taking on our senior Senator.