After conceding, then unconceding, then conceding, then unconceding, Hoffman now concedes.
After conceding, then unconceding, then conceding, then unconceding, Hoffman now concedes.
On Nov. 16, ThinkProgress reported that failed Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman told Glenn Beck that he was unconceding the NY-23 special election, even though the winner, Democrat Bill Owens, was already in office. Shortly thereafter, however, Hoffman’s spokesman said that they weren’t unconceding the race. But then on Nov. 19, Hoffman posted a statement on his website, this time making clear that he was actually unconceding the race, citing concerns about voter fraud at the hands of ACORN and labor unions. Today, Hoffman has put out another statement, this time saying that he is conceding:
Yesterday, the remaining ballots were counted in the 23rd Congressional District special election. The results re-affirm the fact that Bill Owens won.
Since, the morning of November 4th, many of my supporters have asked me to challenge the outcome of this race. Their concerns centered on the veracity of the new voting machines used, for the first time, in the majority of the eleven counties that make up the Congressional District. Over the past three weeks, we nearly cut Bill Owens’ lead in half. Sadly, that is not enough.
- Comments
- 73
Dobbs Embarks On His Political Career, Claims He’s Reaching Out To Latino Groups To ‘Bridge’ Differences
Dobbs Embarks On His Political Career, Claims He’s Reaching Out To Latino Groups To ‘Bridge’ Differences
Since Lou Dobbs left CNN, he has been mulling a run for office — possibly even for president. Yesterday in an interview with WTOP radio, Dobbs said that part of his strategy to transition from being a media figure is to reach out to all the Latino organizations he alienated while at CNN:
DOBBS: And for the first time, I’m actually listening to some people about politics. I don’t think I’ve got the nature for it, but we’ve got to do something in this country, and I think that being public arena means you’ve got to part of the solution. By the way, I’m reaching out right now to Latino groups, to the Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable — all of the groups with whom I’ve been in an ongoing debate, to try to bridge some of these conflicts and try to create solutions. And I think we’re well on our way to doing that.
Listen here:
ThinkProgress spoke with Lisa Navarrete, vice president at the National Council of La Raza, the nation’s largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States. Navarrette said that Dobbs had not yet reached out to the group at all.
Dobbs did recently do an interview with Telemundo, in which he said that he was one of the Latino community’s “greatest friends.” However, he also falsely denied ever saying that undocumented immigrants are bringing leprosy to the United States, instead attacking the interviewer for even bringing up the subject. If he wants to start to “bridge” the differences with the Latino community, maybe he should start by not only apologizing for portraying undocumented immigrants as carriers of diseases, but also as criminals and invaders intent on conquering the United States for Mexico, as well as for promoting dangerous nativist conspiracy theories.
Transcript: More »
A Dobbs run would immediately activate Hispanic voters who are predominately Democratic party supporters. In 2008, Hispanics went for Obama 67 to 31 percent. Next time around, they'll be a much larger chunk of the electorate -- Hispanics are one of the fastest growing populations in the country -- and, if Dobbs runs, not only will they be weighing all of the issues that are important to all voters, they'll also be facing a candidate whose careless smears of illegal immigrants and embrace of Minutemen groups have made him a symbol of xenophobia. If that doesn't boost turn-out among that community on election day, I don't know what will.
RNC Hires ‘Father Of The Modern Attack Ad’ To Run Communications Shop
RNC Hires ‘Father Of The Modern Attack Ad’ To Run Communications Shop
Yesterday, a senior aide to Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, Trevor Francis, resigned from his position as communications director. “Trevor’s talents will be missed at the RNC,” said Steele in a statement. “We have accomplished a great deal in the year he was here. He worked tirelessly, as did the whole team, on the victories in Virginia and his home state of New Jersey.”
But Politico’s Jonathan Martin reports that Francis’ abrupt departure was not by choice, quoting two Republican strategists who say that Francis was “pushed out” because Steele “didn’t feel he was getting enough credit for the GOP’s electoral success earlier this month.” Steele apparently attributes this to a communications failure by Francis.
Francis is being replaced by Alex Castellanos, a CNN contributor who fashions himself as the “father of the modern attack ad.” Castellanos is no stranger to the RNC, having received four payments totaling $434,336 from them for media work since July. Castellanos has also been a key player in the effort to stop health care reform:
– His political consulting firm, National Media, was the ad buyer for the insurance industry group America’s Health Insurance Plan’s (AHIP) recent ad blitz attacking Democratic health reform plans.
– In July, he wrote a memo for the GOP leadership on how to kill health reform that emphasized the use of buzzwords to characterize Democratic plans — like “risky” and “experiment” — but most importantly defined the ultimate goal: “If we slow this sausage-making process down, we can defeat it.”
– He has repeatedly used his pundit perch on CNN to attack President Obama’s health care reform effort, calling it “a big gamble” and an “expensive trillion-dollar experiment.”
Before the health care debate, Castellanos was best known as the creator of the racially-charged “Hands” advertisement, which ran on behalf of former Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC). In May 2008, Castellanos defended sexism during the 2008 campaign by saying that sometimes it’s “accurate” to describe a woman as a “bitch.”
Lou Dobbs On Whether He’s Thought About Running For President: ‘Yes Is The Answer’
Lou Dobbs On Whether He’s Thought About Running For President: ‘Yes Is The Answer’
Last week, rumors spread that former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs might challenge Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) in 2012. But in an interview on Fred Thompson’s radio show today, Dobbs said that he is actually considering a run for the White House:
THOMPSON: Lou, one way to have a voice — you’ve already had a big one, but another way to have a voice is in public service. Have you given any thought to perhaps running for president?
DOBBS: I’m talking — yes is the answer. And I’m going to be talking some more with some folks who want me to listen to them in the next few weeks. You know, I, so I just don’t even what to tell you in terms of where I’m leaning because right now I’m fortunate to have a number of wonderful options. I do know this, I’m going to have the best advice. I may make a terrible decision, but I’m going to have great advice.
Listen here:
In 2008, Dobbs was rumored to be considering a shot at becoming the governor of New Jersey. When Dobbs announced he was leaving CNN, he said that “some leaders in media, politics, and business have been urging me to go beyond the role here at CNN and to engage in constructive problem-solving.”
Dobbs gave no indication of what, if any, party affiliation he would campaign under. A self-described “independent populist,” Dobbs would likely run as an Independent candidate. “I think something on the order of an independent movement will come if these two parties fail the American people again,” he said in 2007.
There are already multiple Draft Dobbs for President websites, although the “Lou Dobbs 2012″ site will soon be shutting down due to a lack of funds.
Foxx: Republicans ‘Passed Civil Rights Bills Back In The 60s Without Very Much Help’ From Democrats
Foxx: Republicans ‘Passed Civil Rights Bills Back In The 60s Without Very Much Help’ From Democrats
During a debate on the House floor today over designating 21 miles of the Molalla River as “wild and scenic,” Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), who opposes the legislation, tried to claim a progressive environmental record for her party. “Actually, the GOP has been the leader in starting good environmental programs in this country,” said Foxx.
Foxx then extended her claims of the GOP’s progressive history to the issue of civil rights. “Just as we were the people who passed the civil rights bills back in the ’60s without very much help from our colleagues across the aisle,” said Fox. “They love to engage in revisionist history.” When Foxx finally yielded her time on the floor, Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA) passionately rebuked her:
CARDOZA: Today, what I’m hearing on the floor really takes the cake. The gentlelady from North Carolina, in her statement just now, indicated that the Republican GOP had passed the Civil Rights Act legislation with almost no help from the Democrats. I can’t believe my ears. It was the Kennedy and Johnson administration where we passed that Great Society legislation. It was over the objections of people like Jesse Helms from the gentlewoman’s state that we passed that civil rights legislation. John Lewis…
FOXX: Would, would the gentleman yield?
CARDOZA: No, I will not yield. John Lewis, a member of this House, was beaten on the Edmund Pettus bridge to get that civil rights legislation passed. Tell John Lewis that he wasn’t part of getting that legislation passed.
When she was given a chance to respond, Foxx could only say that Jesse Helms wasn’t elected to the Senate until 1972. Watch it:
Foxx’s claim that Republicans were the real engine behind the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a common notion among conservatives. But as Cardoza points out, it was President Lyndon Johnson who “choreographed passage of this historic measure in 1964.” In fact, the Republican presidential candidate in 1964, Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-AZ), voted against the legislation.
To support the claim that Republicans were actually the architects of civil rights, conservatives often point out that a “higher percentage of Republicans than Democrats supported the civil-rights bill.” But this ignores the “distinct split between Northern and Southern politicians” on the issue. When this is taken into account, the facts show that “in both the North and the South, Democrats supported the 1964 Civil Rights Act at a higher rate than the Republicans.”
Dick Cheney shoots down his daughter Liz’s hope that he’ll run for president in 2012: ‘No chance.’
Dick Cheney shoots down his daughter Liz’s hope that he’ll run for president in 2012: ‘No chance.’
During a discussion of President Obama’s bow before Japanese Emperor Akihito on Fox News Sunday this past weekend — after host Chris Wallace aired a videotape of Vice President Cheney choosing not to bow before the Emperor in Feb. 2007 — Liz Cheney quipped, “you could also look at the comparison and think, Cheney 2012.” On Fox News yesterday, Cheney further explained her promotion of her dad, saying, “I have to tell you, he’s my candidate. But I have yet to get him on board with the concept.” In Texas yesterday to endorse Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) in the Texas governor’s race, the former vice president adamantly rejected the idea:
When she took the stage, Hutchison noted a Sunday cable show in which daughter Liz Cheney suggested her father might be a good presidential candidate in four years.
“I wasn’t sure when I saw Liz Cheney on TV Sunday, I thought this might be the start of Cheney 2012,” Hutchison said.
A member of the crowd shouted, “We need you, Dick.”
Cheney shook his head.
“No chance,” he said.
Watch it (Via Jason Embry):
Hoffman un-unconcedes the NY-23 special election.
Hoffman un-unconcedes the NY-23 special election.
Yesterday, ThinkProgress reported that Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman had rescinded his concession to Democrat Bill Owens in the special congressional election in New York’s 23rd district. Hoffman went on Glenn Beck’s radio show and said he was feeling “hopeful” about the fact that Owens’ lead over him was narrowing with the counting of the district’s absentee ballots. “[I]f I knew this information at the election night, I would not have conceded,” said Hoffman. When Beck asked, “So are you un-conceding?” Hoffman replied, “If that’s possible, yes.” However, today Hoffman’s spokesman told the Syracuse Post-Standard that he is un-unconceding:
Hoffman is not “un-conceding” the race, contrary to what he said Monday when pressed by Glenn Beck on his national talk radio show.
“What really matters is the count that is taking place today,” Rob Ryan, Hoffman’s spokesman told The Post-Standard. “When we see the direction that is taking, we will make the decision.”
Ryan added, “There has been no formal action to contest the vote, and depending on how the absentee count turns out we will decide how to proceed.”
As Gawker’s Alex Pareene wrote yesterday, it looks like upstate New York may have its own Norm Coleman.
Sarah Palin Lies To Oprah
Sarah Palin Lies To Oprah
On the afternoon of Oct. 2, 2008 — the day of the vice presidential debate last year — Politico’s Jonathan Martin broke the news that Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) presidential campaign was “pulling out of Michigan.” The next day, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin told Fox News’ Carl Cameron that she disagreed with the decision. “I fired a quick e-mail and said, oh, come on. Do we have to call it there?” said Palin. “I want to get back to Michigan and I want to try.”
But in her interview with Oprah Winfrey, which aired yesterday, Palin claimed that she only “went rogue” on the Michigan message because she “didn’t know we pulled out of Michigan”:
WINFREY: Didn’t several times they say to you when actually you mentioned, when you were talking about pulling out of Michigan and you said I wished we’d stayed in Michigan. Weren’t you told then, Sarah just stay on script?
PALIN: Right, told after wards and that, that was always puzzling to me because if I were to respond to a reporter’s questions very candidly, honestly, for instance, they say, “what do you think about the campaign pulling out of Michigan” and I think, “darn I wish we weren’t. Every vote matters, I can’t wait to get back to Michigan” and then told afterwards that, “oh, you screwed up. You went rogue on us Sarah, you’re not supposed to be.” And my reminder to the campaign was, I didn’t know we pulled out of Michigan. My entire VP team, we didn’t know that we had pulled out. I’m sorry, I apologize, but speaking candidly to a reporter.
Watch it:
Clearly, if Palin told Cameron that she had sent an e-mail to the McCain high command disagreeing with the move, she knew that the decision had been made. Additionally, in their reported book on Sarah Palin, former Fox News embed Shushannah Walshe and CBS News digital journalist Scott Conroy reveal that Palin knew she had made a mistake in her interview with Cameron:
The e-mail that Palin sent was, in fact, essentially how she described it to Cameron. She wrote to her traveling staff and top McCain advisers, “If there’s any time, Todd and I would love a quick return to Michigan-we’d tour the plants, etc. . . . If it does McC any good. I know you have a plan, but I hate to see us leave Michigan. We’ll do whatever we had [sic] to do there to give it a 2nd effort.”
A senior aide replied, “Michigan is out of reach unless something drastic happens. We must win oh and hopefully pa.”
Palin replied that she “got it,” but her subsequent interview with Cameron had shown that she hadn’t. She acknowledged as much in a post-interview e-mail to senior staff, writing, “Oops-I mentioned something about that to Carl Cameron and it’s now recorded that I’d love to give Michigan the ol’ college try.” Later in the day, she tried once more. “It’s a cheap 4hr drive from WI. I’ll pay for the gas,” she wrote.
This isn’t the first claim that Palin has made in her book and during her promotional tour that has been contradicted by campaign e-mails. In her book, Palin wrote that “from the beginning” she liked the idea of appearing on Saturday Night Live. But in an e-mail thread from the campaign that was provided to the Huffington Post, Palin said she was “not thrilled” about the idea of going on the show because “these folks are whack.”
In an interview with Walshe and Conroy, The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder noted that their book chronicles “fairly persuasively, a large number of what seem to be fairly egregious distortions” by Palin. “Sarah Palin is quick to cast aside people who cross her in even minor ways, and her unwillingness to tolerate much dissent often leads to an infallibility syndrome,” replied the authors, who later added that she has a “tendency to wildly exaggerate the truth.”
We kicked the next morning off with a lot of prep for the day's events, including an on-camera interview atop the hotel with Fox News reporter Carl Cameron, with the St. Louis Gateway Arch framed in the shot behind me. Among his other questions, he asked what I thought of the campaign pulling out of Michigan.
"Yes, I read that this morning," I answered, then said I wished we weren't pulling out of Michigan -- that evvery single person and every single vote mattered, and I sure didn't want anyone to give up anywhere. No harm giving a little shout-out to the Great Lakes State, I though. No one had mentioned to the VP staff or me that the campaign was even considering pulling out of Michigan, much less that we already had. So when I was asked about it, I was caught a bit off guard, but I answered truthfully about having read about it in the newspaper. We moved on to the next question and wrapped up the interview. No big deal.
But we soon heard that back at headquarters, it was a big deal.The word came hurtling down that I had been "off script" with Cameron. Of course, it's pretty easy to issue candid, off-script messages when there is no script to begin with. It wasn't the end of the world, though, and I hoped headquarters would forgive me and move on.
They didn't. One or more McCain senior staffers would later anonymously tell reporters that I was "going rogue."
Conservatives register Tea Party as an official third party in Florida.
Conservatives register Tea Party as an official third party in Florida.
After hard-line conservatives and tea party activists forced moderate Republican Dede Scozzafava to drop out of the race in New York’s 23rd congressional district, they announced that Florida Gov. Charlie Crist would likely be their next target in the GOP civil war. Politico’s Ben Smith reports that some Florida Republicans recently registered an official “Tea Party” to challenge both Republicans and Democrats:
“The current system has become mired in the sludge of special interest money that seeks to control the leadership of both parties. It’s time for real change,” says Orlando lawyer Frederic O’Neal, the new party’s chairman, who couldn’t be reached immediately by phone, in a press release.
A spokeswoman for the Florida Secretary of State, Jennifer Davis, said the party had registered in August.
O’Neal compared his party’s role to that of the Conservative Party in New York’s 23rd District. Florida, however, lacks the “fusion” rules that has allowed third parties in New York to amass influence by offering their ballot line to acceptable major-party candidates.
On Saturday, Dan Semenza, a Lake County Republican Party executive committee member, told the Daily Commercial that the registration of the third party organization meant “that the Tea Party has considerable strength.”
Steele Agrees That GOP Should Cease To Exist In New Jersey If Corzine Wins
Steele Agrees That GOP Should Cease To Exist In New Jersey If Corzine Wins
During an interview on MSNBC this morning, RNC Chairman Michael Steele oddly agreed that if the Republican Party cannot pull out a victory against incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine in the upcoming New Jersey gubernatorial race, it should just give up and cease to exist.
“If Chris Christie doesn’t win under these circumstances in New Jersey, should the Republican Party just fold in that state?” NBC’s Chuck Todd asked, getting a laugh out of Steele. Todd likened the Republicans to a Charlie Brown character. “It’s like Lucy and the football — Lucy is about to pull the football away again.”
Steele accepted the premise. “You’re absolutely right, Chuck,” Steele said, countering with his own pop culture metaphor:
Have you seen those commercials the NFL is running with the referee who is tripping up the players and getting into the game? Well, I’m that referee getting into the game. And we’re doing everything we can to keep that football in place for Chris Christie to kick that extra point, if you will.
Of course, referees are supposed to be unbiased observers who have authority to enforce the rules of a contest — hardly the proper analogy for the head of a political party wading into a political race to help his favored candidate.
Moreover, Steele’s more appropriate role as a “referee” in another political race is sure to anger the right-wing base of his party. When asked who he was supporting in the New York 23rd congressional race, Steele sided against the tea party activists’ favored candidate, Doug Hoffman. “I support the Republican nominee, as a Republican Party chairman,” Steele said. “And that’s the way to go, right?” Watch it:
National Republican leaders don’t agree that endorsing Republican candidate DeDe Scozzafava is “the way to go.” In supporting Hoffman, Sarah Palin said her endorsement would be a message to party leaders of “no more politics as usual.” Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) said that “we cannot send more politicians to Washington who wear the Republican jersey on the campaign trail but then vote like Democrats in Congress.”
Steele and former Speaker Newt Gingrich are increasingly standing alone in their support of the Republican candidate. Roll Call reports that on Tuesday, “former National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.), Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) spurned the leadership by endorsing Doug Hoffman’s third-party campaign in the New York special election, following the lead of Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.).”
Lieberman jokes about running in 2012 as a Republican.
Lieberman jokes about running in 2012 as a Republican.
This morning, Politico reported on how some Democratic senators are already preparing for their reelection efforts in 2012, “boosting their campaign coffers, raising millions for an election that is still 37 months away.” In an interview, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) joked that he could potentially run as a Republican:
Several Senate Democrats up in 2012 have already joined the million-dollar club, including Kent Conrad of North Dakota, Bill Nelson of Florida, Dianne Feinstein of California and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, as well as independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who caucuses with Senate Democrats. Several more are expected to surpass the million-dollar mark when the latest round of campaign finance reports is released Oct. 15.
Lieberman, who had $1.4 million through June 30, said he was unsure whether he would run in 2012 as a Democrat or an independent.
“Or a Republican,” Lieberman jokingly added. “I have all sorts of options.”
Some Democrats might not find Lieberman’s joke very funny. After Lieberman bucked his party and supported Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) for president — even delivering a speech at the Republican National Convention — some of his Senate colleagues wanted him to be punished, with some suggesting that he should lose his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Instead, they let him off with slap on the wrist.
Rep. Lynn Jenkins says the GOP needs a ‘great white hope’ to thwart President Obama.
Rep. Lynn Jenkins says the GOP needs a ‘great white hope’ to thwart President Obama.
At a town hall forum last week, Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) offered encouragement to conservative activists by saying there were some “really sharp” young Republicans in the House. “Republicans are struggling right now to find the great white hope,” said Jenkins. “I suggest to any of you who are concerned about that, who are Republican, there are some great young Republican minds in Washington.” Jenkins proceeded to name three GOP members of Congress who are all white — Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI). Watch it:
A Jenkins spokeswoman told the Topeka Capitol-Journal yesterday that “the congresswoman wanted to apologize for her word choice and to emphasize she had no intention of expressing herself in an offensive manner.” “There may be some misunderstanding there when she talked about the great white hope,” said spokeswoman Mary Geiger. “What she meant by it is they have a bright future. They’re bright lights within the party.”
Loyal Bushie Nicolle Wallace calls Tom Ridge a ‘wussy.’
Loyal Bushie Nicolle Wallace calls Tom Ridge a ‘wussy.’
This morning on Fox News, the pundit roundtable discussed new charges leveled by former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge that politics played a role in the issuance of terror alerts in the Bush administration. Nicolle Wallace, who served as the Communications Director for the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign and later served as the White House communications director, complained that Ridge was making a “wussy” allegation:
We were having a very political discussion [in the 2004 campaign] about terrorism. … But that is quite different from what he very, I think in a kind wussy way, alleges. I mean, this is not a very precise attack. This is — he pondered and wondered if perhaps politics went into it. You know, it’s very fishy to me.
Tad Devine, a senior strategist on the 2004 John Kerry presidential campaign, responded, “I don’t think he’s wussy to expose this. I think he’s shown a lot of courage, and I’m glad he did it.” Watch it:
Wallace’s criticism echoes that of former Bush speechwriter David Frum. “That is the most tentative possible way of advancing an accusation,” Frum said of Ridge’s accusation. Last week, a spokesman for John Ashcroft said, “Now would be a good time for Mr. Ridge to use his emergency duct tape.”
Jeb Bush: ‘I don’t know’ if Obama is a socialist.
Jeb Bush: ‘I don’t know’ if Obama is a socialist.
When asked by Tucker Carlson in an interview for Esquire magazine if he considered President Obama a socialist, former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL) said, “I don’t know. Define socialism for me.” But then, after calling Obama a “collectivist” — a common synonym for socialist or communist — Bush said the he believed the word “‘socialism’ was a pejorative, and ‘didn’t help’ the GOP make its case.” Bush said further that he didn’t think that Obama would have been elected had he “been honest with Americans about his agenda”:
Bush would not answer the question of whether he agreed with the assessment of some congressional Republicans that the president is a socialist. “I don’t know. Define socialism for me,” he told Esquire magazine. “It’s a word… I believe he’s a collectivist. He believes that through collective action, through government, you can solve more problems.” He added that he believed the word “socialism” was a pejorative, and “didn’t help” the GOP make its case. [...]
“….He made it appear like McCain was going to raise taxes, which was unfair, but there was no response back. When there was an ideological component, it was generally centrist or even center-right. Had he said what he was going to do as a candidate, (Obama) would have lost.”
Bush’s response appears to follow the lead of other prominent Republicans, like his brother former President Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). In May, the former president declared that “the verdict is out” on whether Obama’s a socialist. And while RNC Chairman Michael Steele has refrained from labeling Obama a socialist, he — like Jeb — said that he viewed Obama as a “collectivist.”
House Democratic Fundraising Committee To Attack Patriotism Of GOP Members Over July 4 Weekend
House Democratic Fundraising Committee To Attack Patriotism Of GOP Members Over July 4 Weekend
Last week, Congress passed the “$106 billion military supplemental to fund the U.S. military’s efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.” In the House, 170 Republicans and 32 Democrats voted against final passage of the supplemental citing various reasons, including opposition to a measure from the Senate version of the bill which would make a new line of credit available to the IMF at a cost of $5 billion. (CAPAF Senior Fellow Nina Hachigian explained the need for the IMF measure.)
Now, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) plans to run ads on the July 4 holiday criticizing several vulnerable Republican members for their votes against the supplemental last week. As Glenn Thrush reports, “A series of 60-second radio ads will run during drive time from July 1 through July 8, according to a script provided to POLITICO — and they have the support-our-troops ring of GOP spots.” Thrush provides the script:
Around here, we recognize Independence Day with parades … and picnics … maybe a few fireworks. But July Fourth is about more than that.
It’s about remembering those who fought for our freedoms. And those still fighting today. Congressman Lee Terry used to understand that.
When George Bush asked, Congressman Terry voted to fully fund our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, last year he said, quote, “We must give our military every resource it needs.”
Seems like Congressman Terry is playing politics now … Last month Congressman Terry voted AGAINST funding for those same troops. It’s true: vote No. 348 – you can look it up.
Versions of the ads are reportedly going to be run against seven Republican members: Reps. Ken Calvert (R-CA), Charlie Dent (R-PA), Jim Gerlach (R-PA), Dan Lungren (R-CA), Mike McCaul (R-TX), Lee Terry (R-NE) and Joe Wilson (R-SC). The DCCC insists that it is simply pointing out that “[w]hen George Bush was president, Republicans were quick to criticize anyone who voted against the supplemental bills that fund the troops as against the troops. But now that Republicans are trying to score political points, they have flip flopped on troop funding.”
This, however, is not really the case. On May 14, when the House voted on its version of the supplemental — which did not include the IMF funding and a number of other changes to which many Republicans ultimately objected — 168 Republicans voted in favor of the bill. In fact, every single member whom the DCCC is targeting with its patriotism-themed ads voted for initial passage of the war funding.
Steve Benen writes, “As a substantive, policy matter, lawmakers can have completely legitimate reasons for voting against military spending measures, and opposition to these expenditures does not make one an unpatriotic terrorist sympathizer.”
On multiple occasions, ThinkProgress has criticized Republicans and conservatives for questioning the patriotism of those who were critical of the Bush administration’s policies — it’s not any more acceptable when Democrats question Republicans’ patriotism in a similar fashion.
Liz Cheney doesn’t rule out run for office, but says she doesn’t plan to ‘right now.’
Liz Cheney doesn’t rule out run for office, but says she doesn’t plan to ‘right now.’
On Friday, Washington Whispers’ Paul Bedard reported that some conservatives want Liz Cheney to run for office, believing that “she’s a chip off the block!” ThinkProgress noted yesterday that Republican political guru Karl Rove has said that “she might” run at some point. Asked about the rampant speculation on Fox News today, Cheney didn’t rule out an eventual run for office, simply saying, “it’s not something I’m focused on right now.” Watch it:
After the interview ended, hosts Trace Gallagher and Martha MacCallum said it sounded like Cheney was open to running. “But I think that was ‘I’ll consider it,’” said Gallagher. “I would say it’s not ruled out at all, said MacCallum.
Washington Post profiles TP founder Judd Legum’s campaign for Maryland state legislature.
Washington Post profiles TP founder Judd Legum’s campaign for Maryland state legislature.
An article in today’s Washington Post highlights former presidential campaign staffers who are now launching their own bids for public office, including ThinkProgress founder Judd Legum:
Judd Legum, 30, a blogger-turned-opposition-researcher, has announced that he will run for the House of Delegates representing his native Annapolis area. [...]
Legum founded the ThinkProgress blog at the Center for American Progress before joining Clinton’s campaign. After Clinton lost the nomination, he said, he took a break from the hyperactive pace of Washington politics. But the wonk in him quickly took over, and he immersed himself in local issues. He started a Maryland politics blog, Legum’s New Line, and announced his candidacy more than a year out.
The long hours and intense pressure of campaigning nationally “made me want to at least try another kind of politics,” Legum said. “There is something valuable about being in the political process at this level. It’s not sexy, but it’s important. That’s part of what persuaded me to get involved.”
McCotter: House GOP needs to be an ‘entrepreneurial insurgency.’
McCotter: House GOP needs to be an ‘entrepreneurial insurgency.’
In February, Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) argued that the Republican Party needed to be come an “insurgency” to counter Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, and added that the Taliban can serve as “a model.” In an interview with Roll Call about the GOP’s latest re-branding effort, House Republican Policy Committee Chairman Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) echoed Sessions, saying that the House GOP needed to act as an “entrepreneurial insurgency”:
Instead of potentially diluting their message by outsourcing its development to outside players, McCotter said, House Members should focus on engaging the Democratic majority as an “entrepreneurial insurgency” and continue to build their strength from within the Conference.
“We should be focusing on doing the little things right and building on them,” McCotter told Roll Call. “We have to do it every single day in the House.”
He added, “I hope [the new group] augments it but I worry that it may overwhelm it.”
Roll Call notes that McCotter is “the only member of the House leadership team who declined to participate in the National Council for a New America,” the GOP re-branding group launched by Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) last week.
Specter: ‘I Did Not Say I Am A Loyal Democrat’
Specter: ‘I Did Not Say I Am A Loyal Democrat’
Shortly after news leaked that Sen. Arlen Specter would be switching from the Republican to the Democratic Party, media reports quoted Specter telling President Obama he would be a “loyal Democrat” who would support his agenda:
At 10:32am, President Barack Obama reached Specter and told him “you have my full support” and “thrilled to have you.”
Specter told the president, “I’m a loyal Democrat. I support your agenda.”
Specter immediately exhibited his loyalty by restating his opposition to Dawn Johnsen, Obama’s nominee to head the Office of Legal Counsel, and by joining every Republican in Congress in voting against the president’s budget.
Today on Meet The Press, host David Gregory asked Specter if he would be supporting Obama’s health care plan given reports of his loyalty to Obama’s agenda. “No,” Specter said, adding that he never said he would be a “loyal Democrat”:
GREGORY: It was reported this week that when you met with the president, you said, “I will be a loyal democrat. I support your agenda.” Let me test that on probably one of the most important areas of his agenda, and that’s health care. Would you support health care reform that puts up a government run public plan to compete with a private plan issued by a private insurance company?
SPECTER: No. And you misquote me, David. I did not say I would be a loyal Democrat. I did not say that. And last week, after I said I was changing parties, I voted against the budget because the budget has a way to pass health care with 51 votes, which undermines a basic Senate institution to require 60 votes to impose closure on key issues. …I did not say I am a loyal Democrat.
Watch it:
Trying to clarify Specter’s position on Obama’s health care reform, Gregory then asked, “You would not support a public plan?” “That’s what I said and that’s what I meant,” Specter replied.
Blunt: “Just because we’re in a situation now where we vote no doesn’t mean we are the ‘party of no.’”
Blunt: “Just because we’re in a situation now where we vote no doesn’t mean we are the ‘party of no.’”
Yesterday, Republican leaders announced their latest effort to re-brand the party, the National Council for a New America, which will feature input from conservative luminaries like Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). Discussing the need for the new group with CQ, former House Minority Whip Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO), complained about the party being branded as the “party of no,” claiming that just because they consistently vote no on President Obama’s agenda it “doesn’t mean we are the ‘party of no’“:
In addition, they say, they are having trouble breaking through to Americans with a popular Democratic president, Barack Obama , in the White House and the binary choice of yes-or-no votes on Democratic-written legislation.
“Just because we’re in a situation now where we vote no doesn’t mean we are the ‘party of no’ or have no ideas,” said former House Republican Whip Roy Blunt , who is running for Senate in Missouri and signed the letter. “This adds another way of getting those ideas out there.”
Blunt is claiming that they are being forced to vote no, but other Republican leaders have previously argued that consistently voting no is part of an obstructionist strategy. “What transpired . . . and will give us a shot in the arm going forward is that we are standing up on principle and just saying no,” said current House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA). NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX) told House Republicans during a retreat that they needed “to get over the idea that they’re participating in legislation and ought to start thinking of themselves as ‘an insurgency’ instead.”
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll