HAGEL TALKS OF INDY RUN WITH BLOOMBERG; SCHMIDT GETS PRIMARIED; DCCC RECRUITS.
May 13th, 2007
MONDAY NEWS UPDATE.HAGEL TALKS OF INDY RUN WITH BLOOMBERG; SCHMIDT GETS PRIMARIED; DCCC RECRUITS.
HAGEL-BLOOMBERG: Rumors of a looming NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg-US Senator Chuck Hagel ticket -- in either order -- have been swirling for a few months. The two men were also spotted having a private dinner together at a restaurant a week ago. Now, just days after Bloomberg relaunched his old campaign site for no apparent reason except to keep the rumors swirling, Hagel further stoked the fire. Appearing on CBS's Meet the Press, Hagel said he'll make a decision on running for President or Vice President as an Independent by "late summer." He acknowledged running on a ticket with the billionaire publishing mogul Bloomberg is a real possibility. "We didn't make any deals. But I think Mayor Bloomberg is the kind of individual who should seriously think about [running as an Independent for President]. It's a great country to think about -- a New York boy and a Nebraska boy -- to be teamed up leading this nation," said Hagel. He explained he is a lifelong Republican, but that the party "of Eisenhower, of Goldwater, of Reagan" was "hijacked by a group of single-minded almost isolationists, insulationists, power-projectors." He added: "This country is in trouble. The world is in trouble. And we need some new, fresh, independent ideas to lead this country forward." With Hagel's frequent use of the word "independent," it's pretty safe to predict he won't be seeking reelection next year -- at least not as a Republican. Bloomberg and Hagel are both Iraq War opponents, but on first blush they appear to have little else in common beyond their maverick reputations. Bloomberg is pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, pro-medical marijuana, pro-gun control. Hagel holds generally opposite views, and has one of the most conservative voting records in the US Senate. However, if he no longer plans to run again in conservative Nebraska, Hagel may be planning to rapidly shift to a more centrist agenda.
MISSOURI: The DCCC scored a major recruiting victory this weekend as former two-term Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes told the Kansas City Star she will challenge Congressman Sam Graves (R) next year. The CD-6 seat is viewed as a swing seat, but with a Republican lean. In an unusual move -- previously reported by The Hotline -- GOP State House Speaker Rod Jetton arranged last month to give Barnes an "Outstanding Missourian Award" at the State Capitol when he heard she was considering a run against Graves. Jetton and other Missouri Republicans are reportedly annoyed with Graves and his campaign consultant for "meddling" in Missouri Republican Party internal matters.
OHIO: Controversially outspoken Congresswoman Jean Schmidt (R) looks to be in for yet another rough election cycle. In the 2005 special election, she narrowly won a crowded GOP primary and then survived to win an unexpectedly close general election. In 2006, she faced a Republican primary rematch from former Congressman Bob McEwen and then a surprisingly competitive general election against physician Victoria Wulsin (D). Well, Wulsin is already running again -- but Schmidt also looks likely to yet again face a significant GOP primary challenge. Former Hamilton County Commissioner Phil Heimlich (R) officially announced his candidacy last week, saying he's already raised over $120,000 for the race. Heimlich "is unemployed and unpopular and he wants to run. Well, we welcome him to the race," said Schmidt's spokesman. Fiscal conservative Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST) group co-founder and State Representative Tom Brinkman says he's also interested in running. Brinkman says he'd like the anti-Schmidt Republicans to unite behind a single challenger, and expressed disappointment that Heimlich is trying to grab an advantage in that informal selection process. Now -- here is where it gets really interesting: The Hill reports others considering GOP primary runs against Schmidt include former Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, Hamilton County Prosecutor Jim Deters and former Abu Ghraib Prison Hospital Chief of Surgery Brad Wenstrup. Blackwell was the GOP nominee for Governor last year, while Deters was formerly State Treasurer. Schmidt's spokesman said the best thing for the incumbent would be a multiple primary challengers who split the anti-Schmidt vote. Still, Schmidt could be facing the toughest fight of her career in 2008.
MINNESOTA: Dems hoped to recruit Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D) into the race next year against US Senator Norm Coleman (R) , but they can now forget about it. McCollum just endorsed wealthy trial attorney Mike Ciresi (D) for the seat. Humorist, author and former radio talk show host Al Franken (D) and State Representative Joe Atkins (D) are also announced candidates.
TOMMY THOMPSON: Former Wisconsin Tommy Thompson (R) continues to give new excuses for why he said two weeks ago in the first GOP Presidential debate that he supported the right of businesses to fire an employee simply for being gay. Within a day, Thompson explained he misspoke because he does not support allowing businesses to fire someone for that reason. The next day, Thompson explained he gave that original answer because his hearing aid wasn't working well and he had trouble hearing the question. That seemed to strain belief, as Thompson's answer appeared to be directly responsive to the question. Now, according to the AP, Thompson is offering another goofy reason why was distracted and gave an answer that misstated his own views: "I could not wait until the debate got off so I could go to the bathroom." This is one of those instances where the excuses are doing more damage than the original comments, because they're making Thompson look old and foolish.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 05.14.07 | Permalink | postCount('051407a');
FREE SPEECH ZONE.
Your daily open thread.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 05.14.07 | Permalink | postCount('051407b');
WANNA TRADE?
I'm interested in building up my collection of Canadian campaign buttons. If you've got Canadian political buttons to trade (both federal and provincial), I'm interesting in swapping with you (and will also trade your Canadian buttons for some of my great US pins). Please drop me a note! Also interested in buying Canadian pins, if you're not interested in trading.
WEEKEND OPEN THREAD.
FREE SPEECH ZONE.
We now can name all eleven GOP Members of Congress who met with President Bush in private on Tuesday to demand he make changes to his Iraq War policy. The "Gang of Eleven" members: Mark Kirk (R-IL), Charlie Dent (R-PA), Tom Davis (R-VA), Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO), Todd Platts (R-PA), Mike Castle (R-DE), Jim Ramstad (R-MN), Jim Walsh (R-NY), Jim Gerlach (R-PA), Ray LaHood (R-IL) and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH). The group brought polling data and personal worries to the meeting to tell the President his Iraq War policies could doom the Republicans -- and the eleven legislators themselves -- to significant electoral defeats in 2008.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 05.12.07 | Permalink | postCount('051207a');
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