Month: August 2008

Last Updated: November 2, 2008 at 10:00 PM

Key:

• AANSPAC: American Association of Neurological Surgeons PAC
• AAOS: American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons PAC
• AFRA: Alliance for Retired Americans Political Action Fund
• AFSCME: American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
• AGCAPAC: Associated General Contractors of America PAC
• AHAPAC: American Hospital Association
• AMAPAC: American Medical Association PAC
• ASAPAC: America Society of Anesthesiologists PAC
• BAPAC: Blue America PAC
• CFG: Club for Growth
• CSII: Common Sense Issues, Inc.
• CULAC: Credit Union National Association PAC
• DCCC: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
• DWAF: Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund
• EFPAC: Eagle Forum PAC
• EMILY: EMILY’s List
• Grigsby: Leonard Lane Grigsby
• HSLF: Humane Society Legislative Fund
• IDDP: Idaho Democratic Party
• IDRP: Idaho Republican Party
• LCV: League of Conservation Voters
• LFR: Let Freedom Ring
• Minutemen: Minutemen PAC
• MIRP: Michigan Republican Party
• NARPAC: National Association of Realtors PAC
• NEDSCC: Nebraska Democratic State Central Committee
• NEMPAC: National Emergency Medicine PAC
• NRA: National Rifle Assocation
• NRCC: National Republican Congressional Committee
• NRLPAC: National Right to Life PAC
• NERP: Nebraska Republican Party
• NWFAF: National Wildlife Federation Action Fund
• OB-GYNS: OB-GYNS for Women’s Health PAC
• OPHTHPAC: American Academy of Ophthalmology PAC
• OHRP: Ohio Republican Party
• PP: Planned Parenthood
• RCCNM: Republican Campaign Committee of New Mexico
• RMSP: Republican Main Street Partnership
• MNRP: Minnesota Republican Party
• Safari: Safari Club
• SEIU: Service Employees International Union
• TAPAC: Team America PAC
• TISBPAC: Trust in Small Business PAC
• TNDP: Tennessee Democratic Party
• VFW: Veterans of Foreign Wars PAC
• WFP: New York State Committee of the Working Families Party

Where do you even begin with shit like this?

“If ever there was an election with consequences, this presidential election is a case in point,” Schock said while speaking at the fair’s Director’s Lawn at the Republican Day rally.

“The last time we had this level of socialism being proposed and inexperience at the helm was Jimmy Carter,” said Schock (who was born four months after Democrat Carter left office in 1981).

Words fail.

(H/T: Progress Illinois)

(Proudly cross-posted at Clintonistas for Obama)

Sometimes, I still feel disappointed about this election. Sometimes, I keep asking myself “Where’s Hillary?” Sometimes, I become frightened at the thought of Democrats losing. Sometimes, I still wish I could see Hillary back on the campaign trail again.

Sometimes, I wonder what the hell I’m doing now. But you know what? I just can’t keep looking back. I can’t let Hillary down now.

After all that I did for Hillary, how can say no to her now? That’s what keeps me going. That’s what continues to prod me forward. That’s what keeps me pushing for Democrats.

Hillary has done so much for us. She proved to me that no one can hold us back. She taught us that yes, we can pursue our dreams. She showed us that with hard work and true grit, we can accomplish anything.

So why am I freaking out over a couple of lousy polls for Barack Obama? Why am I allowing the Rethuglican hacks to scare me into submission again? Why must I worry myself into complete depression when John McBush still can’t build up a lead? While this latest rough patch has taught me not to become to complacent in “likely victory”, there’s also no reason for me to commit suicide over this.

After all, Hillary keeps fighting for us… Even when all the pundits & DC insiders count her out. And if she can keep working for a Democratic victory this fall, so can I. If she can continue fighting, so can I.

There’s far too much at stake for us to lose. We desperately need a Democrat in the White House to right Bush’s wrongs. Oh yes, and we need a Democratic Congress to help President Obama do that.

When I was in Nevada this past January campaigning for Hillary, I had the time of my life. One of my best memories from that trip was seeing Hillary in person for the first time at a campaign event in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson. I was amazed by her intelligence, her wit, her beauty, and her grace. But you know who also amazed me? I also remember seeing a state senator by the name of Dina Titus impress me with her breadth of knowledge on Nevada issues along with her warm, soulful personality. I was excited when I later found out that Dina Titus is now running for Congress, and I couldn’t help but to make sure I was of help to her.

When I was starring to become depressed about the state of the Presidetial Race in May, I found a new cause to enthusiastically jump into. Like Hillary, Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook is another strong woman who doesn’t stop fighting when the going gets tough. I’ve been able to witness her commitment to environmental justice here in Orange County, CA, and we’ll all be well served to have people like Debbie serve us in Congress. I’m sure that would make Hillary smile.

So this is why I keep fighting. This is why I keep working so damn hard for Democrats. I want to see more people like Hillary take office and fight for us. If she won’t ever give up on us, let’s not give up on her and the causes she believes in.

Let’s not give up now. Let’s keep fighting. We can stay strong. If Hillary can do it, so can we. 🙂

If the GOP’s chances of winning the open seat of retiring Democratic Rep. Darlene Hooley took a big hit with the nomination of scandal-chased Republican businessman Mike Erickson (who was last seen harassing voters at county fairs), it looks like the dream is continuing to unravel further and further by the day.

In the diaries, skywaker9 picks up the scoop from the Oregonian: In his campaign materials, Erickson has been boasting of a heroic “humanitarian trip” that he took to Cuba in 2004, which he describes in detail:

Four years ago I was given an opportunity to make a humanitarian trip to Cuba, providing medical supplies and equipment to the disabled and Cuba’s impoverished. The Cuban American Alliance Education Fund was looking for donors to help raise money and deliver supplies and equipment to Cuba’s less fortunate. I was able to purchase badly needed medical supplies and equipment from the US and bring them to Cuba’s disabled and poverty stricken communities.

The trip also provided me the opportunity to see firsthand just how horrific Castro’s stronghold on the nation had oppressed and mistreated people. The living conditions and healthcare were horrible.

The only problem? A copy of Erickson’s itinerary, obtained by the Oregonian, suggests that the “humanitarian” aspect of the trip was merely a cover for a lavish vacation that centered on luxury hotels, sunny beaches, mojitos, and something called “Comandante Fidel Castro’s Annual Gala Cigar Dinner and Auction”. A sampling of the activities on his agenda during the seven-day trip included:

A tour of the Partagas cigar factory and a special reception with the company’s president

Rides in “vintage automobiles”

Dinner at the exclusive “Club Havana”

Dove shooting

A classy evening out “at the cock fights”

What’s more, the itinerary also indicates that the company sponsoring the trip (“Safari Clubs International”) was willing to provide travelers who could not obtain a humanitarian license to visit Cuba with forged papers indicating that they spent their time in Mexico instead. There’s no telling if Erickson himself was provided with this special treatment, but perhaps the Oregonian’s forthcoming article will shed more light on his totally excellent Cuban adventure.

Mike Erickson, you’ve just been nailed.

UPDATE: The full, damning exposé is available here. The best part? Erickson sputtering in his defense: “If that’s not a humanitarian trip, I don’t know what is!” Yes, because no humanitarian trip is complete without a wild and crazy night out at “a Ricky Ricardo-style nightclub with showgirls.”

The TV market split for the MO-9 primaries

Democratic Primary

Columbia (25K): 54/26 Baker

Hannibal (11.8K): Bode 39, Gaw 32, Baker 26

St. Louis (11K): 44/37 Baker

Kirksville (3133): 49/36 Gaw

Overall, Columbia carried the day for Baker while the strong showing in St. Louis helped increase her margin to 44/31. Bode’s showing in his home market was his only highlight. 4583 of his 6565 votes came from the Hannibal market.

Now, to the Republican primary, under the fold

Columbia (26K): Luetkemeyer 47, Moore 29, Onder 14

St. Louis (21.58K): Onder 46, Luetkemeyer 30

Kirksville (3330): Luetkemeyer 38, Onder 35

Hannibal (3303): Luetkemeyer 46, Onder 32

Basically Luetkemeyer pulled in the Columbia market, and pulled in enough of the rest of the district to hold back Bob Onder’s giant burlap bags of money.

The Hulshof/Steelman primary helped to lead to a 52/48 split. A reverse of 2006 when more voters voted for Duane Burghard than Kenny Hulshof in the uncontested primaries.

The total votes for primary candidates by market

Columbia (51K): 51/49 Republican

St. Louis (32.7K): 66/34 Republican

Hannibal (15K): 78/22 Democratic

Kirksville (6478): 51/48 Republican

Total: 51/48 Republican

(A big thanks to the Hannibal market for keeping it close)

Back in 2006, Hannibal and STL had the exact same percentages. Kirksville voted 65/35 Democratic, and Columbia voted 55/45 Democratic. The shifts is due to people voting for Hulshof in the Republican primary.

So basically the two nominees (Baker and Luetkemeyer) have some things they need to do to win in November.

Baker needs to

a) win a convincing majority in Boone County (which makes up at least half the votes in the Columbia media market). Luetkemeyer would be a favorite for the Columbia market south of the Missouri.

b) make a strong showing in the Hannibal area (which she did well in back in August)

c) Do pretty well in a market that Luetkemeyer did not win: St. Louis. STL gave Burghard 37% in 2006, so Baker can concievably build on her August showing to deal with an opponent who didn’t win the STL market in the primary

Luetkemeyer needs to

a) Hold on to as much of Boone County and Northeast Missouri as possible. He will probably not come close to the 57% that Hulshof won in Boone back in 2006. But he’s from the South End of the district (Miller County)

b) Do well in the traditionally Republican areas of the STL market in MO-9 (Warren, The St. Charles sliver in the district).

The impact of television markets is a bit more obvious in primaries. But this race should be one to watch and it should be interesting to see if we start off even, or if one candidate has a slight lead in the first polls.

There are many reasons to support Heather Ryan. Heather is a wife, veteran, and citizen of our district who has been active in politics for quite some time. She is educated, compassionate and smart. She represents the ideals Democrats espouse quite nicely. Most of all, she is not afraid to fight the Republicans for what we all believe in.

Besides all the good that Heather Ryan would bring to the Congress however, there are many other reasons to support Heather Ryan in this race. Not only can we expand our Congressional majorities by taking back a traditionally Democratic seat that has been in Republican hands since the failed “Contract with America” in 1994, but we have the votes of her opponent, Exxon Ed Whitfield, who has constantly opposed any kind of sane Progress in this country since 1994. There are so many bad things this man has done, I can’t list them all in 50 diaries, but want to show you all some of what we are fighting against.

First, just this year Exxon Ed Whitfield voted against equal pay and opportunity for women everywhere in this country:

Unequal Pay Bill

HR 1338: To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex, and for other purposes.

Representative Edward Whitfield voted NO

http://www.votesmart.org/issue…

Of course, with Heather Ryan hitting him hard on the campaign trail, one can understand his disconnection with women right now.

Much harder to understand is his disconnection with Children:

HR 3963: To amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to extend and improve the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and for other purposes.

Representative Edward Whitfield voted NO

http://www.votesmart.org/issue…

I think it speaks for itself when a Congressman can support every failed policy of a failed President, but votes against American children, all while claiming to run on “Christian values”.

He also has problems with allowing fair elections in our country:

HR 5803: To direct the Election Assistance Commission to establish a program to make grants to participating States and units of local government which will administer the regularly scheduled general election for Federal office held in November 2008 for carrying out a program to make backup paper ballots available in the case of the failure of a voting system or voting equipment in the election or some other emergency situation, and for other purposes.

Representative Edward Whitfield voted NO

http://www.votesmart.org/issue…

He also has a problem with Congress operating under the same ethics we all do:

H Res 1031: Providing for the adoption of the resolution (H. Res. 895) establishing within the House of Representatives an Office of Congressional Ethics, and for other purposes.

Representative Edward Whitfield voted NO

http://www.votesmart.org/issue…

Yes, there are many reasons to support Heather Ryan. Our campaign is gaining steam as we move towards the opening of our campaign headquarters on Thursday. Help up keep our momentum going here:

Even if you can’t donate, you can help us greatly. Heather is in the running to win a $5000 contribution from Russ Feingold’s Progressive Patriots fund. Please go here and vote for Heather, she is on the far left on the bottom row:

http://www.progressivepatriots…

Help fellow grassroots Democrats, and help our Democracy at the same time!!  

I had been hearing rumors from friends who work for the Oregonian that a major story was about to break concerning Mike Erickson.  I do not know if this story is it but it’s a fun one anyways.  Simply put, Mike Erickson claimed that he had taken a trip to Cuba in 2004 as an attempt to work with humanitarian organizations.  Instead, it appears that instead he used it as an excuse to have a good time, smoke a lot of Cuban cigars and have some fun cock fighting.

Major h/t to the Oregonian for this story: http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2008/08/mike_ericksons_trip_to_cuba.html#comments

Cross-Posted from Loaded Orygun: http://www.loadedorygun.net/sh…

According to the Oregonian:

Mike Erickson, Republican candidate for the U.S. House, made a six-day visit to Cuba in 2004 that he described as a “humanitarian trip” to help disabled Cubans oppressed by Fidel Castro. But the visit was actually a vacation that included marlin fishing, nightclub visits and Cuban cigars.

, Link is above in the intro.

In a letter released to the Press, Erickson claims that he undertook this trip as a means to bring needed medical supplies to impoverished Cubans and that he observed first hand “just how horrific Castro’s stronghold on the nation had oppressed and mistreated people.”

Link to the letter here: http://blog.oregonlive.com/politics_impact/2008/08/IMAGE0001.pdf

His itinerary tells a far different story, however.  Instead of a humanitarian mission, it appears Erickson went down to Cuba to attend a cigar convention and have a good time living the life of luxury.  In fact, the itinerary seems to indicate that the company which sponsored his trip even provided some in his group (if not Erickson himself) with papers showing they never actually visited Cuba but Mexico.  I don’t know enough about the embargo to know whether this is any sort of problem but it sounds wrong at least.

Link to the itinerary here: http://blog.oregonlive.com/politics_impact/2008/08/IMAGE0002.pdf

What’s Next:

This is yet another blow to Erickson’s fast-fading chance to win this once thought to be tossup seat in Oregon.  I don’t know this will force Erickson out of the race but he has until August 26 if he wishes to do so, at which point the Republicans can name a replacement.

Let me know what you think.

The DCCC’s IE shop is really kicking into gear, leaving the tight-budgeted NRCC in the dust. Here’s a round-up of the DCCC’s most recent independent expenditures, as compiled by SSP:

• OH-15: $1,350 on phonebanking and $15,700 on direct mail in support of Mary Jo Kilroy
• TX-22: $24,400 on direct mail in support of Nick Lampson
• IL-11: $20,450 on direct mail in support of Debbie Halvorson
• NJ-07: $13,100 on direct mail in support of Linda Stender
• OH-16: $12,500 on direct mail in support of John Boccieri
• PA-11: $80,000 on a media buy in support of Paul Kanjorski
• VA-11: $1,240 on phonebanking in support of Gerry Connolly
• AK-AL: $18,100 on direct mail against Don Young and Sean Parnell

I’ve seen a lot of people on Team Blue dismiss Lou Barletta’s chances in PA-11, but the fact that the DCCC feels nervous enough to continue to bail out Kanjorski’s ass (spending $260K to date) is a disturbing sign.

Olympic races, that is.