Sharron Angle: Press should 'ask the questions we want to answer'

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Lack of money hurting RNC's efforts to elect Republicans in the fall

Sad.

But comparing the RNC's 2010 finances with any year since 2002, the problems become clear. In May, CNN noted that the RNC's $12.5 million was less than a third of the amount it had on hand at the same time of either the 2002 ($47 million) or the 2006 ($44.6 million) midterm election cycle. The circumstances have all but ruled out the RNC's chances of substantially helping out the National Republican Congressional Committee, which is itself getting outfundraised by its Democratic counterpart by a ratio of nearly 2 to 1.

In addition to simply having less cash, concerns have also been raised about the RNC's ability to perform its traditional coordinating role: creating "victory centers" to support field operations and to synchronize voter identification and outreach programs for House, Senate and gubernatorial races in each state. "It's always helpful [for the RNC to coordinate]. You don't duplicate an organizational effort, or a fundraising effort, if you're on the same page," observes Republican political consultant Stuart Spencer.

"There are things the national committee does: managing voter lists and managing turnout programs, for instance," says David Norcross, a member of the Executive Committee of the Republican National Committee. He does not think the committee is so strapped for cash that it will neglect these functions. But he allows that the RNC's lack of funds might hurt its ability to provide ample support to state and local party organizations across the country. "Am I disappointed? Yes. Up in arms? No," he says.

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Putting marijuana on the ballot could energize Democrats to vote

A bit odd. And what a surprise, the story is coming from Ryan Grim ;-)

Putting the question of marijuana legalization on state ballots in 2012 may be one of the most effective ways for a dispirited Democratic Party to get reluctant voters out to the polls. The wild card in the coming midterms and in 2012 will be the "surge" voters -- people who were driven to the polls in 2008 through a once-in-a-generation mix of shame at the outgoing administration and hope in a new, barrier-breaking candidate. Democrats are investing millions in figuring out how to get those voters out, and the marijuana issue is getting increasing attention from political operatives.

A survey making the rounds among strategists, which has yet to be made public, indicates that pot could be just the enticement many of these voters need: Surge voters, single women under 40 and Hispanics all told America Votes pollsters that if a legalization measure were on the Colorado ballot, they'd be more likely to come out to vote. Forty-five percent of surge voters and 47 percent of single women said they'd be more interested in voting if the question was on the ballot. Most of these were energetic, with 36 and 30 percent, respectively, saying they'd be "much more interested" in coming out to vote. Roughly half said it would make no difference. For Latinos, 32 percent said they'd be "much more interested" in voting and another 12 percent said they'd be somewhat more attracted to the idea of trudging to the polls.

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Dems have cash advantage for fall elections, is it enough?

From Cillizza at the Post:

In 23 out of the 30 Democratic-controlled House seats rated as tossups this fall by nonpartisan congressional handicapper Charlie Cook, the party's candidate carried a cash-on-hand edge as of the end of June. In fully one-third of those districts, the cash advantage was $900,000 or more.

The largest cash margins were enjoyed by Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Tex.), with roughly $1.7 million more on hand than Republican Bill Flores, and Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.), who had a $1.5 million edge over state Sen. Robert Hurt. (Worth noting: Flores and Hurt had to battle through primaries, which drained their accounts.)

Of the seven seats in which Republican candidates ended June with more cash on hand than their Democratic opponents, no incumbent is running. (The two exceptions are in Ohio, where freshman Reps. Mary Jo Kilroy and Steve Driehaus are in deep trouble.)

If you follow the former scenario, the Democrats' money edge in more than two-thirds of its most competitive seats should allow the targeted incumbents to define themselves and, more important, their opponents, in a sustained way -- traditionally a recipe for campaign success.

But if the mood of voters is such that they want change no matter what, money can become -- dare we say it! -- immaterial in some of these races. Simply being the candidate who isn't the incumbent could be all it takes.

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NY Times: 'Industries Find Surging Profits in Deeper Cuts'

I can't say it any better than the NY Times headline writer — Industries find surging profits in deeper cuts. The article itself, from Sunday's Business section, is a great read, if painful. There's too much in it to clip cleanly, but the opening captures one of the main points. (By the way, the end of this post contains an action suggestion; the goal isn't depression, but information and motivation.)

And now the article. It seems Harley-Davidson, that staple of American symbology, as a tale to tell (my emphasis):

By most measures, Harley-Davidson has been having a rough ride.

Motorcycle sales are falling in 2010, as they have for each of the last three years. The company does not expect a turnaround anytime soon.

But despite that drought, Harley’s profits are rising — soaring, in fact. Last week, Harley reported a $71 million profit in the second quarter, more than triple what it earned a year ago.

This seeming contradiction — falling sales and rising profits — is one reason the mood on Wall Street is so much more buoyant than in households, where pessimism runs deep and joblessness shows few signs of easing.

Many companies are focusing on cost-cutting to keep profits growing, but the benefits are mostly going to shareholders instead of the broader economy, as management conserves cash rather than bolstering hiring and production. Harley, for example, has announced plans to cut 1,400 to 1,600 more jobs by the end of next year. That is on top of 2,000 job cuts last year — more than a fifth of its work force.

The article goes on to talk about management "leveraging its position" to make workers more productive. (Care to work there? You too can be "leveraged.") And because it's the business page, there's a handy link so you can add Harley-Davidson to your portfolio. America at work.

The whole piece is good, with lots of corporate examples.

But I'd like to close with the graph that goes with the article, a two-parter:



On the left, look first at GDP (light gray). Now Employee Compensation (dark gray). Now Profit (black). Now look at the last three dots on the graph. The amount of GDP that I didn't go to Employee Compensation — was added to Corporate Profit, almost one-for-one.

Now look on the right. That's corporate cash. Remember what we said about deflations — that cash was king and things were its footstool? The corps are sitting on a mound of cash, waiting for the price of what cash buys to fall to the floor. Wanna bet that wages are one of the things they're watching to fall?

The types who run these companies may be predatory and unpatriotic, but they're not stupid.

One way to fight this, by the way, is to organize the unemployed as a political force. They are both potent, large (unfortunately) and highly motivated — very much like draft-age students during the Anti-War Movement. If you're considering action, consider this.

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CREW corrupt candidates update: Jeff Greene

We talked here about the CREW 2010 Crooked Candidates site. They've just added another, Democrat Jeff Greene — and he's, yep, a Floridian. (Is it the water?)

Jeff Greene (U.S. Senate, Florida): Mr. Greene is a business man and a Los Angeles real estate mogul.

While self-financing his Senate campaign, Mr. Greene appears to be skirting Federal Election Commission regulations by not giving complete information regarding vendors used by his campaign. Mr. Green is financing his campaign, in part, through a series of in-kind contributions, but the campaign has not revealed the names of the vendors providing services. . . .

In 2005, a multimillion dollar yacht owned by Mr. Greene dropped anchor on an environmentally sensitive coral reef off the coast of Belize causing major damage. . . . Mr. Greene also has been criticized for amassing his wealth through credit default swaps and subprime mortgages. In fact, Mr. Greene was likely the first individual to trade credit default swaps. . . . Finally, Mr. Greene paid Democratic National Committee member Jon Ausman $4,000 for political consulting and strategy six days before Mr. Ausman endorsed Mr. Greene for Senate.

Busted up a coral reef with a yacht anchor? Sheesh. And I think that Ausman guy got seriously taken — $4000 looks like pin money to me.

Click through to read about Ron Howard's dealings with Greene. Again, sheesh.

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How to lose an 11 point lead in seven weeks?

We love Sharron Angle:

Throughout Angle's primary campaign, the conservative candidate touted a wide range of controversial views as she took to the campaign trail to sell her candidacy.

From expressing her desire to "phase out" social security to appearing to advocate for an armed insurrection if "Congress keeps going the way it is," Angle didn't fail to raise eyebrows in communicating her positions.

The Tea Party-backed hopeful has made visible efforts to soften the language she uses to communicate her views since securing the Republican nomination; however, her statements have nevertheless been well-documented.

Here are a few examples of stances Angle has taken that have led her to face criticism and scrutiny:

- Calling the BP oil spill an "accident" and suggesting to "deregulate" the oil industry

- Offering advice to victims of rape considering abortion: 'Lemons can be made into lemonade.'

- Advancing abortion-causes-breast-cancer myth

- Expressing a desire to abolish Social Security

- Raising the possibility of an armed insurrection

Yeah, armed insurrection against the government was my personal fav. Read More......

Geithner: We want to expire tax cuts on the highest 2–3%

Back to taxes for a minute. Here's Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner on Meet the Press, July 25 (my emphasis):

I'll say what the president believes, and I believe this, is the right thing for the country, the fair thing, the responsible thing for the country now is to make sure we leave in place and preserve tax cuts that go to more than 95 percent of working Americans and complement those with a set of incentives for businesses to expand and hire. To make that possible, and to do that responsibly, I think it is fair and good policy to allow those tax cuts that only go to 2 to 3 percent of the highest earners in the country to expire as scheduled. The country can withstand that. The economy can withstand that. I think it's good policy.

So the Treasury Secretary is using high-profile MTP to push expiring the top end of the deadly Bush tax cuts. Three points:

• This is a very promising first step, since Geithner says explicitly he speaks for the president.
  
  
• The Bush tax cuts expire on December 31, 2010.
  
  
• There's an election in November, prior to the expiration, and Dems are already promising not to be "bad" (read, "effective") during the lame-duck Congress.

If you want to keep your party in power through 2016, Mr. President — keep your word. Please. Your credibility is already razor-thin, and Occam's Switchblade is watching.

GP

(A note to commenters on the earlier version of this post — thanks!) Read More......

Tom Perriello fights back

A political note. Remember Tom Perriello, the Virginia House Dem from a conservative district who went from even to down 23% in his current race?

I called that race a potential harbinger of what mixed-district Dems in 2010 are up against -- the Dems who took Rahm's deal to (1) vote Yes on a health care bill that was deeply unpopular in their districts, then (2) offset it with a Yes on Stupak.

How unpopular was health care in Perriello's district? He's the guy whose brother's propane gas line was cut by tea baggers back in March, according to MSNBC. They thought they were cutting the congressman's gas.

Well, all of a sudden it's Tom Perriello week; it seems he's everywhere. Here he is on Rachel Maddow sounding very progressive:



Looks like he's doubling down in his fight against Robert Hurt — by veering to the left. Most refreshing.

For example, according to this report of Day 3 at Netroots Nation, he's talking the talk. (I especially like that he's in favor of those killer VoteVets ads — more on that later.)

He's raising money like a madman, running left as hard as he can, and cannon-balling the media. Act Blue has a page for him. If you think he's the real deal, go for it.

(For me, I've done my best to figure him out at the core, and I just can't get data that makes me sure. In my nightmares, I see Heath Schuler's face — and Jon Tester just voted to keep the filibuster. But still, we have to start somewhere, and Perriello is showing fight and then some. If you have more on his positions, feel free to add them to the comments.)

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Reid improving in Nevada Senate race

Apparently the fat lady - or in this case, the crazy lady - has not sung. Interesting, this comes from Rasmussen, a GOP pollster.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has edged ahead of his Republican opponent Sharron Angle in his bid for reelection in Nevada. Both candidates are seen to hold extreme views by large segments of the population.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Nevada finds Reid with 45% of the vote, while Angle earns 43% support. Seven percent (7%) favor some other candidate, and four percent (4%) are undecided.

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Dems tie Republicans to Tea Party: 'They are one and the same'

Heck of a change from last summer when Democrats were running scared from these morons disrupting health care reform rallies. From Hotline:

As part of its initiative, the DNC is launching a website accusing Republicans of supporting a legislative blueprint in line with the Tea Party movement that includes repeal of the health care law and Wall Street reform, extending tax breaks, privatization of Social Security and the elimination of the Department of Education and the Department of Energy.

"The Tea Party is now an institutionalized part of the Republican party. They are one and the same," a DNC operative said, previewing Kaine's speech. "The positions espoused by the Tea Party is the governing platform of the Republican party. And as voters make their choice this fall it's important to understand what the Republican-Tea Party wants to do if elected."

Here's the DNC's web ad laying out the Republican Tea Party agenda:
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Dems bending over backwards to assure Republicans they won't pass legislation during lame duck session

Of course, it's entirely legal to pass legislation during the lame duck session. It's not like Congess ceases to exist between the elections and the swearing in of a new Congress. But, Democrats being Democrats, all the Republicans have to do is say "boo!" and they back away as quickly as they can. Really quite pathetic.

From The Hill:

The head of House Democrats’ campaign committee tried Tuesday to tamp down speculation that the party would try to push through major legislation during a lame-duck session of Congress this fall.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), the assistant to the Speaker and chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), said “no one should think there’s some secret plan for after the election on big issues.”

“There’s no secret or overt plan to do something like that,” he told MSNBC.

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Missouri Teabaggers: We have NOT endorsed Roy Blunt. And, they're angry at Bachmann.

Woah. There's a major intra-GOP cat fight underway in Missouri.

Seems Michelle Bachmann, founder of the House Teabagger Caucus, is going to be campaigning this weekend for GOP Senate candidate Roy Blunt. His primary is next Tuesday, August 3rd. Joe the Plumber did an ad for Blunt's right-wing opponent, Chuck Purgason, this week.

Well, the Missouri teabaggers are NOT happy. Not at all. They're not for Blunt and want everyone, including Bachmann, to know it. Sean at FiredUp Missouri has the details:

KMBC's Micheal Mahoney: "More that two dozen Missouri TEA parties say a bid by US Senate candidate to capitalize on their movement has 'shocked' them...'Roy Blunt voted for TARP and Cash for Clunkers. For Michele Bachmann to come to Missouri and give the impression that all the Missouri Tea Parties support Roy Blunt is an abomination of everything we have been standing up for,' said Jedidiah Smith, a Tea Party leader in Franklin County, Missouri."

And, here's that Teabagger press release.
teapartypr Read More......

Maine's teabagger/GOP candidate for Governor caught lying. Will now only give written answers to media

Maine's Republican Party has its own version of Sharron Angle. He's the GOP candidate for Governor: Paul LePage. After a rough week, in which he basically spewed out a series of lies and personal attacks, LePage said he's not talking to the media anymore, via the Kennebec Journal:

"How do we keep this above board, how do we keep this straight?" Hale asked.

"Well, from now on, what I am going to do is, I'm not going to make any comments to reporters unless it's in writing," LePage said.

Hale asked, "Really?"

"Yeah," LePage said. "Because they won't report what you say, they just report the spin that they want to put on it."

Huh? See, part of the problem is that when LePage opens his mouth, he inserts his foot. For example:

On Tuesday, Democratic officials once again called on LePage to apologize for statements over the weekend in which he said that the Democrats’ 2010 campaign manager, Arden Manning, had suggested LePage was not fit to be governor because he is Catholic and of French Canadian descent.

Manning has denounced the accusation as “a lie, plain and simple.” And on Tuesday, the Maine Democratic Party insinuated that LePage’s statements could land him in legal hot water — even while citing the controversy in an appeal for campaign donations.

I believe Manning. LePage just flat out lied. That's disturbing on several levels. But, it's not unusual. He's made some bizarre statements in the past.

LePage thinks creationism should be taught in public schools. Seriously. In a televised debate of the GOP gubernatorial candidates on May 27th 2010, Maine Public Broadcasting Network’s each of the candidates was asked: “Do you believe in creationism, and do you think it should be taught in Maine public schools?” LePage's answer: “I would say intelligence, uh, the more education you have the more knowledge you have the better person you are and I believe yes and yes.”

Maine has a strong legacy of environmental leadership. But, even in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico disaster, LePage supports offshore drilling. In that same candidate's debate On May 27 on Maine Public Broadcasting Network, LePage was asked if he would support drilling off the coast of Maine. He answered “Yes.” Two of Maine's premiere industries are tourism and lobsters. Offshore drilling would do a number on both.

The Democratic candidate is Libby Mitchell (LePage trashed Libby about her age over the weekend, too.) There are also a couple of independents in the race.

So, when you wonder why Collins and Snowe aren't being the moderates they purport to be, keep in mind that their stand-bearer in Maine is a teabagger. Collins has already endorsed LePage. I'm sure Snowe will. Read More......

GOPers Vitter and Blunt sponsor bills to protect BP by limiting liability

You'd think that the Senator from Louisiana would want to hold BP accountable. Not David Vitter. He wants to pass legislation to protect BP by limiting the company's liability by basing liability on BP's profits (and, as we reported earlier, BP had a $17 billion loss in the last quarter.)

Via Sam Stein:

Instead, the GOP has rallied around a counter-proposal, authored by Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) that would cap an oil company's liability at an amount equal to its profits of the last four quarters. If the company had not made a profit in the past four quarters, it would be liable for $150 million (or twice the current cap).

To be sure, BP still has a chance to turn around its profit margin during the next three quarters. But in terms of net earnings, it is now operating out of a $17 billion hole. If Vitter's version of economic liability legislation were the law of the land, there would be open concern about the damage payments that Gulf residents would end up recouping. As a Democratic operative working on the issue notes:

When Vitter introduced the bill, we pointed out that one of the co-owners of the Deepwater Horizon rig, Andarko, had not made a profit in the last year. But with this news today, if BP doesn't overcome this quarter's losses, next year they could be responsible for a disaster as bad as or worse than the one in the Gulf and they would only be liable for $150 million if Vitter's bill were law.

UPDATE: An astute reader points out that another Senate candidate, Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO), has sponsored legislation similar to Vitter's in the House.

Vitter and Blunt are two of the GOP's top Senate candidates this year. Protecting BP is a top priority.

And, we're all well aware of Vitter's shady past with prostitutes. Turns out Blunt is a Party Boy -- a big time DC Party Boy. Read More......

Senate GOPers block vote on campaign finance reform

First, a win for corporate interests in the Supreme Court with the Citizens United decision. Now, a follow-up victory in the U.S. Senate.

The Senate Republicans, voting as a bloc, just sustained their filibuster of campaign finance reform. The vote was 57 - 41. All the Democrats present, even Ben Nelson, voted to end the filibuster. (Reid voted no for procedural reasons.) Remember when John McCain used to be an advocate for campaign finance reform, before he flipped on that issue like every other? What a fraud. And, Maine has a Clean Elections law, which passed as a citizen initiative back in 1996. So, this should have been an easy vote for Snowe and Collins, but they must show fealty to Mitch McConnell and the GOP funders, not Mainers.

During the floor debate, Chuck Schumer, who is the sponsor of the DISCLOSE Act, said:

This is a sad day for our democracy. Not only does the Supreme Court give those special interests a huge advantage, but this body says they should do it all in secret without any disclosure. That, my colleagues, transcends this election, transcends Democrat or Republican. It eats at the very fabric of our democracy. It makes our people feel powerless and angry.

It is another sad day for our democracy. And, while Schumer thinks this might transcend Democrat or Republican, the GOPers sure benefit from it. Read More......

In NH, Palin's endorsement of GOPer could swing Senate race to Democrat Paul Hodes

Many in the traditional media and the political punditry are agog over Sarah Palin. They monitor and deconstruct her tweets and Facebook postings, trying to determine how she'll shape the nation. But, Palin doesn't cast the same spell over real voters -- outside of the hard core of the hard core Republicans. Look at PPP's latest numbers from New Hampshire:

Kelly Ayotte's seen her appeal to moderate voters crumble in the wake of her endorsement by Sarah Palin and her lead over Paul Hodes has shrunk to its lowest level of any public polling in 2010- she has a 45-42 advantage over him, down from 47-40 in an April PPP poll.

While Palin's endorsement may help with the extreme GOPers (and the Villagers), it's not so helpful with the moderates:

Most of the movement both in feelings about Ayotte and in the horse race has come with moderate voters. Moderates make up the largest bloc of the New Hampshire electorate at 47%, and Hodes' lead with them has expanded from just 8 points at 47-39 in April to now 21 points at 51-30. Ayotte's favorability with them has gone from +5 at 32/27 to -19 at 27/46.

The Palin endorsement may well be playing a role in this. 51% of voters in the state say they're less likely to back a Palin endorsed candidate to only 26% who say that support would make them more inclined to vote for someone. Among moderates that widens to 65% who say a Palin endorsement would turn them off to 14% who it would make more supportive.

So, Ayotte could win the GOP primary because of Palin's endorsement, but lose the general election because of Palin's endorsement. I'll take that.

I met Paul Hodes at Netroots Nation -- and I was impressed. He's not your run-of-the-mill Senate candidate. He's got a varied background: a lawyer and a musician. And, he supports marriage equality. His website is here. Read More......

Jeb Bush's Rand Paul Fundraiser Awkwardly Takes Place On Anniversary Of Disability Act

Aw-kward.

When former Florida Governor Jeb Bush hosts a fundraiser on behalf of Senate candidate Rand Paul on Monday it will symbolize, in more ways than one, the uncomfortable union of opposite poles of Republican ideology. Bush's brand of pragmatic conservatism stands in contrast to Paul's Tea Party temperament. The Kentucky Republican, likewise, often touts his independence from the GOP, citing the antiquated Republicanism of the Bush clan as an example.

And so it seems almost appropriate that the two would team up, of all days, on the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Then there is Paul. The Tea Party candidate caused a stir the day after winning the Republican primary when he wavered on saying whether he would have supported landmark civil rights legislation had he been in office at the time. Tucked away in that same interview was a similar question about ADA. Did the legislation go too far, asked NPR's Robert Siegel.

"I think a lot of things could be handled locally," Paul said. "For example, I think that we should try to do everything we can to allow for people with disabilities and handicaps... I think if you have a two-story office and you hire someone who's handicapped, it might be reasonable to let him have an office on the first floor rather than the government saying you have to have a $100,000 elevator. And I think when you get to solutions like that, the more local the better, and the more common sense the decisions are, rather than having a federal government make those decisions."

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GOP worried that Angle isn't doing so well against Harry Reid

Well, she is a bit nutty. From CQ Politics:

Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated with Sharron Angle and her lackluster campaign to unseat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), fearing she is jeopardizing what they had long viewed as a sure pickup and costing them a chance to reclaim the majority.

Senate Republicans quietly acknowledge that Angle’s controversial views on some issues remain a political liability. But the former Nevada Assemblywoman’s larger problems are a progression of unforced errors stemming from a lack of campaign experience and an amateurish staff incapable of offering her the necessary guidance. However, Angle has proved to be adept at fundraising, corralling $2.6 million in the second quarter.

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Judy Woodruff looks at why there's a lack of enthusiasm among Dems.

This is definitely worth watching. Excellent analysis featuring Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Kerry Eleveld from The Advocate. The video is here, too.

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