Swing State Project

I hope each of you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is also a time to think of those in need. Please consider volunteering for a charity, visiting a hospital, nursing home, or shut-in, or donating to a charity.

Some worthy charities I support are on ActGive which also lists many thousands of other charities around the country.

http://www.justgive….

Rob
http://robwire.com

BRIDGE HOUSE CORPORATION
Bridge House is a non profit, inpatient alcohol and drug rehabilitation program.

COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY
Supplemental food for poverty level people.

FRONTLINE FOUNDATION
Ray Castellani’s Frontline Foundation has given out over 860,000 meals on the desperate streets on Skid Row in Los Angeles.

GATEWAY RESCUE MISSION INC
Gateway Rescue Mission has been in the downtown area of Jackson, Mississippi since 1948. We reach the whole man by trying to relieve his or her physical misery. A hot meal, a shower, clean clothes and shelter prepares the ground for the planting of the seed of life.

Memphis Union Mission
Ministers to the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of hurting, homeless men, women and children

I think there’s no question that local & regional blogs played an important role in many races this year – and I think this trend is only going to grow. And in many cases, these local blogs didn’t just have an impact on the online community, but they also drove crucial offline coverage as well.

Some good examples would include the folks at Blue Jersey, who busted a staffer for Republican Tom Kean for posing as a concern troll; the trio of NH blue bloggers (Blue Granite, NH-02 Progressive, and Yankee Doodler) who also nailed a concern troll who was Charlie Bass’s no. 2 staffer; and the Virginia bloggers (principally Raising Kaine) who played a big role in getting Jim Webb to toss his hat into the ring.

There are many other great sites I could point to as well (Take19, the Idaho bloggers, the North Carolina bloggers), but I’m just one guy and there are only so many blogs I’m familiar with. So I’d like to ask all of you: What are some of your favorite local blogs, whether they cover a particular state, city, region or Congressional district? Please post links in comments. Even if some of your favorites are blogs I’ve already mentioned, I’d love to know why you like them as well.

And, of course, have a great Thanksgiving!

http://www.chicagotr…

The Tribune is reporting that Gov. Blagojevich has named Tammy Duckworth as his new head of the Department of Veteran’s Affairs.  Looks to me like a perfect job for her until she can unseat Roskam in ’08.

The election date has been set for Tuesday December 12th for the District 23 Congressional Runoff between Democrat Ciro Rodriguez and Republican Rep. Henry Bonilla. Early Voting is set to run for just one week from December 4-8. It is the earliest day possible that it could have been called with the intent of giving the advantage to Henry Bonilla.

That’s 3 weeks folks- 2 weeks until people start voting. As soon as ciro.onlinephonebanking.com is up and running, that will be the best way you can help us win in this tight electoral frame. Thousands of people making GOTV calls through this innovative new Texas tool can make a huge impact, especially if you cannot donate or come to the district. Otherwise, you can still donate to Ciro online or sign up to volunteer online.

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….