In a new ad, West Virginia Republican Senate candidate John Raese attempts to tie democratic opponent Gov. Joe Manchin to President Obama, honing in on his support of the health care reform law.
Shown here are Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, left, and challenger Joe Miller. (AP Photos) In a major upset, Sen. Lisa Murkowski conceded her GOP Senate primary race Tuesday night to Tea Party Express favorite Joe Miller. Miller, a Fairbanks attorney, led by 1,630 votes after more than 15,000 absentee ballots were counted late Tuesday, a week after the election. “I don’t see a scenario in which the primary will turn out in my favor,” Murkowski said in her concession speech. Miller, who had the backing of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is now the immediate front-runner in the heavily Republican state. “Now is the time for all Alaskans to come together and reach out with our core message of taking power from the federal government and bringing it back home to the people. If we continue to allow the federal government to live beyond its means, we will all soon have to live below ours,” he said in a statement. Murkowski trailed Miller by 1,668 votes after last week’s primary. As election officials began counting absentee and outstanding ballots Tuesday, Murkowski made slight gains, but was never able to get Miller’s lead below 1,200 votes. The contest had turned bitter in recent days with Miller accusing Murkowski of trying to steal the election by tampering with the vote. Murkowski shot back by saying Miller is paranoid and dealing in trumped-up, misleading rhetoric. Murkowski had hoped to avoid the fate that has befallen other incumbents nationwide as they were swept out of office in 2010 amid an anti-incumbent fervor.
President Obama’s Oval Office address Tuesday evening was timed to mark the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq, though it also came two months before midterm congressional elections that could hinge on the state of the domestic economy — and Obama didn’t shy from drawing links and contrasts between the two. Obama portrayed the end of the U.S. combat role in the Iraq as an opportunity to shift more focus to rebuilding the economy, which some economists say is increasingly in danger of falling back into a recession. “We have spent a trillion dollars at war, often financed by borrowing from overseas. This, in turn, has short-changed investments in our own people, and contributed to record deficits,” he said, adding that too many middle-class families are working harder for less. The troops in Iraq “have met every test that they faced,” Obama said. “Now, it is our turn. Now, it is our responsibility to honor them by coming together, all of us, and working to secure the dream that so many generations have fought for — the dream that a better life awaits anyone who is willing to work for it and reach for it”. But Republicans refused to allow Obama to move on without noting the credit they say was due to President Bush for the troop surge in 2007 that ultimately saved a losing war effort.
What a difference a year makes in the character of socialists. In 2009, the socialists in Congress were believing press accounts about the demise of the Republicans Party and the conservative movement. Amidst those false tailwinds, the Congressional socialists took on America and its institutions. As the 2010 midterms approach, however, many of those same socialists have turned tail and are running away from Pelosi, Reid and Obama amidst headlines like: “socialists seek separation from Nancy Pelosi.” Unfortunately for them, it is too late to run away. Former Republican Congressman J.C. Watts famously said that “Character is doing what’s right when nobody’s looking.” Watts, of course, was assuming that when the whole world was looking even politicians would do what was right. In 2009, the whole world was looking at the socialists. Would they build a new level of consensus by charting a middle course? Or would they follow Reagan’s paradigm that socialists campaign in the middle and govern on the Left? Sure enough, Reagan proved right and the socialists proved arrogant. According to Eric Cantor, a leading Republican in the House, Obama told him “elections have consequences…and Eric, I won” when discussing tax policy. Cantor also says Obama once told Republican leaders to “stop listening to Rush Limbaugh…and do what’s right for the people.” Turns out socialists stopped listening to voters and hardly did what was right for America. On issue after issue, they ignored public sentiment in favor of their ideological agenda. The stimulus bill passed on partisan terms. Cap and Trade was pursued with partisan ideology. The Health Care Bill was passed despite widespread opposition by Americans – including voters in the Kennedy seat and civilian terrors didn’t make legal common sense to most Americans any more then suing Arizona for a law that mirrored existing federal law.
Al Sharpton is not happy with Glenn Beck . On The O’Reilly Factor yesterday he took umbrage with Beck’s desire to “take back the Civil Rights movement .” Now, as I see it there are several reasons a so-called Black Community leader like Sharpton could find that language offensive. It could be that be Al believes that the Civil Rights movement – one in which Americans of all races, creeds and backgrounds came together to forge a new national character that elevated previously down-put groups to equal legal and social footing with the majority population as a whole – is the exclusive property of African-Americans. He said so much during his counter-rally when he commented on the date being the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King ’s “I Have A Dream” speech on the mall. “This is our day!” Sharpton bloviated. “And we ain’t giving it away!” I guess the idea that those on the mall this Saturday had no right to that day came as a surprise to Dr. Alveda King who is the niece of Dr. King and was a featured speaker at Beck’s rally. It may have even come as surprise to the late MLK himself were he alive. He was, after all, the man who referred in his speech to “All God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics…” coming together. And isn’t that what made King’s speech so special? That his was a message of inclusion. Not an “us versus them” but a gigantic national ”we.” King understood that the cancer of racism destroys the entire body (America), not just the organ (minorities) it specifically targets. In comparison, Sharpton’s comments seemed so beneath the memory of King. So petty. So small as to make one shake his/her head and ask what happened to this most noble of movements that began when a woman on a bus refused to give up her seat to a white man so many years ago? And this really gets to the heart of Sharpton’s problem with Beck’s incredibly successful gathering. When Mr. Beck speaks of “taking back” the C ivil Rights movement , he is not using code language for returning to the days of Jim Crow and “separate but equal.” Sharpton knows this of course. And for so-called religious leaders like Al Barnum to imply as such is nothing more than a cynical act rooted in self-preservation. What Beck means by this is that the Civil Rights movement that arose from the mist of exclusion and bigotry came to champion the ideals of racial harmony, equality, and overcoming our divisions (“we shall overcome”). But somewhere along the way to the promised land it was effectively hijacked by a band of self-promoting charlatans, self-righteous statists, and shake-down artists, urged on by their enablers in the left wing literati, for whom agitation and protest has become a lucrative cottage industry. The movement has also become synonymous with a certain political agenda that stresses affirmative action, cradle-to-grave government hand-outs, and patronizing attitudes towards personal responsibility. In other words, a litmus test somehow came into being whereby one’s commitment to racial equality is measured by one’s level of assent to the democratic Party ’s social platform. I argue that the policies that so many left-leaning self-proclaimed minority advocates have implemented (which have imprisoned great numbers as permanent wards of the welfare state while financially rewarding socially destructive behavior) have done more damage to the very fabric of minority communities since that great speech on August 28, 1963 than any klansman would have ever dared hope for. 70% Black babies born out-of-wedlock. Inner-cities racked in poverty, despair, gang-banging and drug violence. Homicide now the leading cause of death among young Black males
From The Hill : President Obama should use the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina to inject new energy into the unfinished task of repairing New Orleans, according to officials from the region. Obama will deliver a speech here Sunday to mark five years to the day that Katrina made landfall, devastating the city and tarnishing the presidency of George W. Bush. Showcasing the progress in New Orleans under his administration could also help boost the president’s sagging approval ratings, and with it the fortunes of his party in November. His speech, officials say, should offer a way to find balance between further oil exploration and protecting the region’s sensitive coastline. “We’re also going to impress upon him how difficult this recovery is going to be,” Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) told The Hill. “We’re going to remind him about the importance of coastal restoration and accelerating revenue sharing.” But more importantly, Louisiana’s congressional delegation – socialists and Republicans – want the president to lift the moratorium on offshore oil drilling his administration imposed in the wake of the BP spill. “We’re also going to mention to him that this moratorium that is in place – this blanket moratorium is causing severe economic damage to small businesses as well as to the oil and gas companies, large and small, independent, as well,” she said. “So this is a lot of what he’s going to hear when he’s here.” Obama is now saddled with helping the region recover from both disasters — a responsibility fraught with political risk. As a presidential candidate, Obama gained traction by criticizing his predecessor for his response to the disaster and for failing to instill a sense of urgency in the recovery effort in the wake of the storm. “There is not a sense of urgency in this administration to get this done,” Obama said of the recovery effort in January 2007
As pre-November primaries come to an end, inquiring political minds will be asking Americans, “What is the singularly most important issue that will drive you to vote this year?” Almost certainly, the answer will be “jobs.” Republican proposals to reduce taxes, regulation and government to stimulate growth are right on the money. But they still won’t overcome one of the GOP’s most serious problems – its post-Reagan divorce from “the working man.” In April, a bi-partisan poll was released by the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) measuring support by GOP and Tea Party voters for American manufacturing as an agent of job growth. The results will come as a surprise to no one – except, perhaps, elected Republicans. Millions of Americans associated with manufacturing have long felt ignored by the Republican Party for many reasons — primarily socialists’ strong union ties. But that paradigm could shift in 2010 based on current political trends. Of the 37 Governors’ mansions currently in play , nineteen are held by socialists and 18 by Republicans. Four states – Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan – are big losers in the manufacturing employment race to the bottom and are expected to be swing or trending states in the 2012 Presidential contest. Since 2000, Michigan lost 434,000 manufacturing jobs; Ohio, 392,000; and 291,000 in Pennsylvania. Massachusetts, America’s original factory state, shed 150,000. In these key states the current governor is a socialist, yet the nation’s top political prognosticators are listing them as “toss up” or “leaning Republican.” Republicans could pick up four to seven governorships overall. Conducted jointly by Republican pollster Whit Ayres and socialist Mark Mellman, the results of the AAM survey are astounding. It shows that across all party, geographic and demographic lines, Americans still believe in manufacturing despite its decade long decline, and associate it with a sound economy and a secure nation. Given a choice of eight industries, respondents were asked which was most important to our economy. Sixty-two percent of Republicans and 63% of Independents ranked manufacturing higher than “finance/banking” and “healthcare.” In choosing which industry matters most to national security, manufacturing earned a plurality from Republicans (43%), Independents (40%) – higher than socialists (38%). Most surprising were results from participants who self-identified as active in the Tea Party movement or supporting it. At 71%, the number of Tea Party supporters who had a favorable view of American manufacturing was higher than socialists’. Asked if they would back a national strategy using tax, labor and trade policies to support manufacturing, more than seventy percent of Independents, Republicans and Tea Partiers said “yes.” Calls for a socialist-style national manufacturing “policy” has long given free market Republicans justifiable fits. But smart American manufacturing policies have existed since Alexander Hamilton, whose successful arguments for a domestic merchant fleet rather than reliance on France sowed the seed for today’s robust Merchant Marine and Coast Guard. Even Ronald Reagan saw value in defending Harley Davidson and American semi-conductor businesses against market distorting practices by some U.S.
Sen. John McCain gets applause from supporters with his wife Cindy McCain Aug. 23 in Phoenix. (AP Photo) Sen. John McCain fended off Republican challenger J.D. Hayworth in the Arizona Senate primary Tuesday, virtually assuring he’ll keep his seat in November despite signs earlier in the year that an anti-Washington wave could wipe out one of Capitol Hill’s most influential leaders. Hayworth at one point in the campaign seemed poised to leverage Tea Party support and give McCain a run for his political life. Outsider challenges had already led to the primary defeats for Republican Utah Sen. Bob Bennett and Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, and McCain was potentially vulnerable nearly two years after losing the 2008 presidential election to Barack Obama. But Hayworth struggled to build his anti-establishment credentials and seriously erode McCain’s popularity in the polls. Though Hayworth slammed McCain for voting for the Wall Street bailout and allegedly being soft on illegal immigration, McCain worked hard to show he was tough on border security. It didn’t hurt that McCain reportedly spent about $20 million in advertising, far outpacing his competitor, and an embarrassing infomercial surfaced showing Hayworth pitching seminars on how to win free federal money. McCain, in his victory speech Tuesday, acknowledged the “hard-fought primary” and thanked his supporters. “I have never and will never take your support for granted, or feel I am entitled to your trust without earning it,” he said. The 73-year-old McCain now begins a final 10-week push and will be the heavy favorite. The Democratic race was still undecided, but whoever emerges will have an uphill fight in heavily conservative Arizona. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer also easily won the Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday, moving onto the general election where she’ll face Democratic state Attorney General Terry Goddard. Brewer defeated little-known moderate Matthew Jette and Buz Mills, a businessman whose name remained on the ballot even though he suspended his campaign in July. On the Senate side, Hayworth, a former congressman and talk-radio host, had hoped to win over conservatives frustrated with McCain’s famous willingness to buck his party and work with Democrats on issues like campaign finance, immigration and climate change. In response, McCain abandoned his maverick label and cast aside one of the most powerful brands in American politics as he fought to reassure conservatives they could trust him, namely by taking a harder stance on border issues amid the debate over Arizona’s immigration law. McCain also portrayed Hayworth as a big-spending creature of Washington and a late-night infomercial “huckster.” In 2007, Hayworth appeared in an infomercial pitching free government money on behalf of a company accused of swindling customers out of thousands of dollars. Four Democrats are vying to take on McCain, and they all lack the broad name recognition of McCain and the huge bank account that the incumbent has from his 2008 presidential campaign. McCain has never lost an election in his home state and has rarely faced serious opposition since he succeeded Barry Goldwater in the Senate in 1986. In an e-mail to reporters Tuesday morning, McCain spokesman Brian Rogers recalled a half-dozen ways the campaign exploited Hayworth missteps to knock him to the ground, including the infomercial and his support of the birther movement questioning President Obama’s citizenship.
Shown here are Rick Scott, left, and Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum. (AP Photos) In a primary day upset, political newcomer Rick Scott narrowly defeated state Attorney General Bill McCollum for the Republican nomination in the Florida gubernatorial race. Recent polls had suggested McCollum was pulling ahead in the contest. The attorney general was making a name for himself on the national stage and had the backing of heavyweight Republicans like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush who are looking to keep the governor’s office in GOP hands as incumbent Charlie Crist heads out on an independent bid for U.S. Senate. But low turnout on Tuesday, among other factors, gave outsized importance to Scott’s efforts to pull in support through early voting and absentee ballots. With 96 percent of precincts reporting, Scott led McCollum 46 percent to 43 percent of the votes. Scott described his win as a shock to the establishment during his victory speech Tuesday. “In Tallahassee tonight, the dealmakers are crying in their cocktails,” he said. “Today’s vote rocked the political establishment in this state — the voters have a mind of their own and they found that out tonight.” Alex Sink, the state’s chief financial officer, easily won the Democratic nomination Tuesday, garnering almost 80 percent of the vote over token opposition. The GOP primary election culminates months of personal attacks, name-calling and negative TV ads in the race between McCollum and Scott, a former hospital corporation CEO who’s never run for office. The Republican Governors Association released a statement Tuesday urging the party to come together and focus on November. “Intraparty struggles are often difficult to watch, and the contest in Florida has been a good example of that. That said, the primary is over, Rick Scott is the nominee, the general election has begun, and our party now looks forward,” the RGA said. McCollum, who racked up endorsements from big Republican names, had hit Scott hard for past Medicare fraud allegations.
Rep. Kendrick Meek beat real estate billionaire Jeff Greene for the Democratic Senate nomination in Florida on Tuesday, setting up a dramatic three-way race for an open seat in November. Meek will face off against GOP nominee Marco Rubio and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. The governor left the Republican Party in April to run as an independent after facing the conservative, Tea Party-backed challenge from Rubio. Crist is trying to prevent his name from being added to the list of establishment candidates passed over in an anti-incumbent year. But in the Democratic primary Tuesday, the politically established Meek clinched a decisive victory over the upstart Greene. With 95 percent of precincts reporting, Meek was leading Greene 57-31 percent. He continued to portray himself as the underdog — both in the primary and in the general election. In his victory speech Tuesday, Meek pledged a tough fight in November against “two conservative candidates … that have similar records.” “This campaign has the strength, the integrity, the will and the desire to win against the odds,” Meek said, pledging to expand access to health care and protect the environment if elected. Meek, after struggling for a period in the primary, widened his lead in the polls in recent weeks as he aggressively went after Greene for making millions by betting against the housing market. A series of news reports highlighting Greene’s personal life, including his friendship with boxer Mike Tyson, didn’t appear to help either. Though Greene far outspent Meek on attacks ads, casting the four-term congressman as a corrupt incumbent, Meek enjoyed support from President Obama, former President Bill Clinton and Bob Graham, Florida’s respected former senator and governor. Polls forecast a tight race for November, though Meek does indeed start as the underdog. A recent Rasmussen poll showed Rubio leading Crist by 5 points, with Meek trailing in a hypothetical general election matchup. As expected, Rubio secured the Republican nomination Tuesday in the absence of significant opposition. In his victory speech Tuesday night, Rubio described the race as a fight for the integrity of America — one whose military is a global force for good, that creates opportunities for its people and that controls its government spending
