Blind-item hints of more outings to come; Foley-gate; new polls; and was the N Korean N-bomb a dud?
October 10th, 2006
WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE.CONGRESS: CULTURE OF CORRUPTION UPDATE.
We all know disgraced Congressman Bob Ney (R-OH) entered into a plea deal last month with the federal prosecutors whereby he admitted accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars of unlawful gifts and trips from convicted felon lobbyist Jack Abramoff in exchange for official actions. He also hastily quit his race for re-election. But, has anyone noticed this crook has yet to resign his seat. Yup, he's still finishing out his term of office. That line of reasoning next points to Congressman Bill Jefferson (D-LA). So, what's taking so long for the feds to indict Jefferson on the looming bribery charges. It's been over a year since the FBI search warrant uncovered nearly $100,000 of cash hidden in Jefferson's home freezer. Or -- let's get back to the Abramoff scandal -- I thought we'd see the indictment of at least one other top Abramoff confederate like Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT) or Congressman John Doolittle (R-CA). The criminal charges against resigned House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) remain pending -- and he looks like a possible fed target for more charges in the Abramoff probe. Finally, there is the whole cesspool of the Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) House Page sex scandal and the lengthy failed Hastert-Shimkus-Kolbe-Reynolds cover-up of the sexually predatory conduct. Speaking of the Foley matter, several of the Dem and gay political blogs are publishing not-so-veiled references to imminent pre-election "outings" of closeted Republicans in Congress. The rumor mill has it that 1-3 House members (including a very senior House member) and one Rocky Mountain region Senator will be outed between now and Election Day. Another persistent rumor coming from inside the Beltway is that another Congressman -- this one being a straight Republican -- will be named for engaging in actions similar to Foley, but involving female pages. Also, I understand from direct conversations a newspaper reporter is "close" to having detailed info and names to out a prominent Southern GOP candidate for Governor -- but the reporter is unsure whether or not he'll be able to line everything up to get it all verified and printed before the end of this month. It looks to be a very bumpy final month for a bunch of politicos!
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 10.11.06
BY THE NUMBERS: US SENATE RACES.
FLORIDA: US Senator Bill Nelson (D) - 55%, Congresswoman Kathryn Harris (R) - 37%. (WFLA-TV/SurveyUSA).
OHIO: US Senator Mike DeWine (R) - 42%, Congressman Sherrod Brown (D) - 42%. (University of Akron).
RHODE ISLAND: Former Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse (D) - 40%, US Senator Lincoln Chafee (R) - 37%. (Rhode Island College).
TENNESSEE: Former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker (R) - 48%, Congressman Harold Ford Jr. (D) - 46%. (WBIR-TV/SurveyUSA).
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 10.11.06
BY THE NUMBERS: GOVERNOR RACES.
ALABAMA: Governor Bob Riley (R) - 54%, Lieutenant Governor Lucy Baxley (D) - 36%. (Rasmussen Reports).
FLORIDA: Attorney General Charlie Crist (R) - 54%, Congressman Jim Davis (D) - 41%. (WFLA-TV/SurveyUSA).
FLORIDA: Crist (R) - 53%, Davis (D) - 43%. (Quinnipiac University).
OHIO: Congressman Ted Strickland (D) - 47%, Secretary of State Ken Blackwell (R) - 34%. (University of Akron).
TENNESSEE: Governor Phil Bredesen (D) - 63%, State Senator Jim Bryson (R) - 32%. (WBIR-TV/SurveyUSA).
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 10.11.06
BY THE NUMBERS: US HOUSE RACES.
COLORADO - CD-4: Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave (R) - 46%, State Representative Angie Paccione (D) - 36%, Reagan Administration EPA official Eric Eidsness (Reform) - 7%. (Denver Post/Mason-Dixon).
COLORADO - CD-5: State Senator Doug Lamborn (R) - 37%, retired USAF officer Jay Fawcett (D) - 37%. (Denver Post/Mason-Dixon).
COLORADO - CD-7: Former State Senator Ed Perlmutter (D) - 45%, State Higher Education Commission Rick O'Donnell (R) - 39%, Others - 5%. (Denver Post/Mason-Dixon).
KENTUCKY - CD-4: Congressman Geoff Davis (R) - 47%, former Congressman Ken Lucas (D) - 44%, financial consultant Brian Houillion (Libertarian) - 6%. (WHAS-TV/SurveyUSA).
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 10.11.06
FREE SPEECH ZONE.
It's starting to look like the much-hyped North Korea N-bomb underground test was a failure. Most reports indicate now it was either a dud that failed to properly detonate, was a very tiny device, or the North Koreans simply detonated a huge amount of conventional explosives in the test to simulate the seismic effects of detonating a very small device in order to save face with the world media after years of boasting.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 10.11.06
SEND A PIN = GET A FREE PLUG HERE.
Here's my open offer for every campaign (and campaign supporter): send me a button or pin from the Governor, US Senate, Congressional, Statewide Office, etc., campaign you are involved in -- feel free to add a sticker and brochure -- and I'll place a link to official campaign site here on our homepage in a daily "thank you" note. My address: Ron Gunzburger, 409 NE 17 Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301.
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