Archive for March, 2007
Continue Reading March 30th, 2007
FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE.
FLORIDA MOVING FORWARD; IA PREZ POLLS; LA, NH & AL SEN UPDATES.
FLORIDA: Two developments on the 2008 Presidential primary. First: Governor Charlie Crist (R) and State GOP Chair Jim Greer both endorsed the rapidly advancing bipartisan bill in the Florida Legislature that would move the state’s primary date to the “Tuesday following the New Hampshire primary.” Based on the current NH primary date, Florida’s primary would be January 29 — and would move further forward if NH advances their primary date. Both Crist and Greer said they were unconcerned that the RNC promises to eliminate half of the state’s delegates for making the move — including eliminating all of the super-delegate spots which traditionally are reserved from prominent party leaders and elected officials. Even though Greer said he will likely lose his delegate seat because of his stance, it is “the right thing to do” for the state. The DNC has vowed to do likewise to Florida Dems. With the Crist and Greer endorsements, Florida appears certain to buck the “official” DNC/RNC approved schedule and jump a week ahead of the massive Febuary 5 mega-primary day. “It’s the smartest move I’ve seen this cycle. They are the only one that has figured out if they go first, they could be the megastate to tip all megastates, and Florida could decide the nomination,” said respected political scientist Larry Sabato to the AP. That said, here are numbers from the new Insider Advantage/Florida Chamber of Commerce poll of Democratic voters in the Sunshine State: Hillary Clinton - 26%, John Edwards - 15%, Barack Obama - 14%, Al Gore - 14%, Bill Richardson - 7%, Joe Biden - 2%, and all others at less than 1%.
IOWA: New numbers from a Zogby telephone poll of likely Iowa GOP caucus participants shows Rudy Giuliani moving further ahead in the state. The numbers: Giuliani - 25%, John McCain - 19%, Mitt Romney - 11%, Fred Thompson - 7%, Tommy Thompson - 5%, Sam Brownback - 3%, Mike Huckabee - 2%, and Chuck Hagel and Tom Tancredo tied with 1% apiece. Oddly, Zogby excluded Newt Gingrich from the poll — even though he placed third in the January poll. Also out is a new American Research Group poll. On the GOP side, Giuliani and McCain are tied with 29% each, followed by Fred Thompson at 12%, Romney at 10%, Gingrich at 7%, and everyone else at 1% or less. On the Dem side, these are the ARG numbers: Clinton - 34%, Edwards - 33%, Obama - 16%, and all others at 2% or less.
LOUISIANA: It looks like former State Elections Commissioner Suzie Terrell (R) — to the surprise of most — is readying for a rematch run against US Senator Mary Landrieu (D) next year. Landrieu defeated Terrell is a very competitive contest in the 2002 run-off. In 2003, Terrell was the unsuccessful GOP candidate for Attorney General. Congressman Charles Boustany (R) recently announced he would not run against Landrieu. Congressman Richard Baker (R) is still considering the race.
ALABAMA: Democratic political blogs have recently been touting State Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks (D) as a candidate next year against US Senator Jeff Sessions (R). Dem activists view the popular Sparks, who won re-election last year by a solid 16-point margin, as the party’s strongest possible candidate. Sparks told the Troy Messenger that he is aware of the buzz and is not ruling the race out. “We’re not taking out any possibilities. The people of Alabama know my record … and what I stand for versus the people in office now,” said Sparks. He said he plans to meet with his political advisors and make a decision in a “few weeks or months.”
NEW HAMPSHIRE: A new American Research Group poll shows US Senator John Sununu (R) could be in big trouble if former Governor Jeanne Shaheen (D) decides to seek a rematch next year. The numbers: Shaheen - 44%, Sununu - 34%. Shaheen has yet to make any decision on the race. As for the Presidential race, here are the ARG Dem numbers: Clinton - 37%, Obama - 23%, Edwards - 20%, and all others far behind. The GOP numbers: McCain - 23%, Giuliani - 19%, Romney - 17%, Gingrich - 11%, Fred Thompson - 10%, and all others at 2% or less.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 03.30.07 | Permalink | postCount(’033007a’);
Continue Reading March 28th, 2007
THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE.
DOBSON SLAMS FRED THOMPSON (TWICE), LOVES NEWT; SAN FRAN BANS PLASTIC BAGS.
P2008 - GOP: Influential Religious Right leader James Dobson — leader of the Focus on the Family organization — fired a serious shot at the potential White House candidacy of actor and former US Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN). “Everyone knows he’s conservative and has come out strongly for the things that the pro-family movement stands for [but] I don’t think he’s a Christian — at least that’s my impression,” said Dobson in an interview with US News & World Report. A spokesman for Thompson quickly responded that “Thompson is indeed a Christian. He was baptized into the Church of Christ.” In a follow-up with Dobson, a Focus on the Family spokesman said Dobson stood by his earlier comments, explaining Dobson knows Thompson sees himself as a Christian but that Dobson “has never known Thompson to be a committed Christian.” Although Dobson recently met with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, he appears to be strongly leaning towards former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s likely bid. Dobson told the magazine that Gingrich is the “brightest guy out there” and “the most articulate politician on the scene today.” He also reaffirmed his comments of last year that “many evangelicals would find it difficult to support Romney because of his Mormonism” — although added “I’m not saying that’s the correct view or my view.” No surprise, but Dobson also is not a fan of John McCain or Rudy Giuliani. Surprisingly — despite Senator Sam Brownback’s frequent courting of the evangelical community and former Governor Mike Huckabee’s background as an evangelical minister — neither man merited even a single mention from Dobson in the article.
“I JUST WANT TO SAY ONE WORD TO YOU: PLASTICS”: San Francisco is the first city in North America to ban the use of plastic one-time-use grocery bags, a move that city leaders hope will spread nationwide. The law, adopted Tuesday, prohibits grocery stores and drugstores from using non-recyclable and non-biodegradable plastic bags made from petroleum products. Supermarkets have six months to comply, while drugstores have up to a year. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi said city residents use up to 200 million plastic bags each year — bags which take a roughly a thousand years to biodegrade in a landfill.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 03.29.07 | Permalink | postCount(’032907a’);
FREE SPEECH ZONE.
The daily open thread.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 03.29.07 | Permalink | postCount(’032907B’);
Continue Reading March 27th, 2007
WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE.
DEMS BRIEFLY WIN IRAQ SENATE VOTE; NEW IOWA NUMBERS; TAYLOR-SHULER REMATCH?
IRAQ: The US Senate voted 50-48 in favor of a Democratic plan to fund US troops in Iraq with $124 billion more, but require that the US withdrawal begins within 120 days and be completed by March 2008. “Now it’s time for us to make it clear to the Iraqis it is their country. It is their war. It is their future,” said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL). Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made no attempt at using any procedural tools to block the vote, explaining they were confident President Bush would veto the “surrender date” plan and Democrats had nowhere near enough votes to override the veto. US Senators Chuck Hagel and Gordon Smith were the only Republicans to vote in favor of the bill. “he American people are demanding that we develop a bipartisan consensus for an honorable and responsible exit strategy from Iraq,” explained Hagel. Senator Mark Pryor and Joe Lieberman were the only two Dems who voted against the bill. Shortly after the vote, the White House confirmed President Bush will veto the bill. The House previously approved an Iraq withdrawal bill.
IOWA: Three new independent polls of likely Iowa Democratic caucus-goers show a competitive race brewing in the first-in-the-nation contest state. A new Zogby telephone poll posted these numbers: John Edwards - 27%, Hillary Clinton - 25%, Barack Obama - 23%, Joe Biden and Bill Richardson had 3% apiece, and all others were at 1% or less. Edwards’ numbers are unchanged since the January poll, but Clinton is up 9-points and Obama is up 6-points since then. The University of Iowa conduced two separate polls of like caucus voters, one before and one after Edwards’ announcement of his wife’s health condition. The pre-announcement numbers: Edwards - 30%, Clinton - 24%, Obama - 22%. After the announcement: Edwards - 36%, Clinton - 24%, Obama - 14%.
NORTH CAROLINA: While the NRCC appears to be searching for a new candidate to challenge freshman Congressman Heath Shuler (D) next year, there appears to be a problem. All of the names being floated say they will defer to defeated former Congressman Charles Taylor (R) if he decided to make a comeback run, according to the Hendersonville Times-News. Taylor was defeated in a tough race after suffering a series of scathing news stories in the Wall Street Journal and various local newspapers which linked him to various alleged corruption scandals. Taylor is interested in regaining his seat, but appears to be in no rush to make any decision.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 03.28.07 | Permalink | postCount(’032807a’);
FREE SPEECH ZONE.
The daily open thread.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 03.28.07 | Permalink | postCount(’032807b’);
WANNA TRADE?
I’m interested in building up my collection of Canadian campaign buttons. If you’ve got Canadian political buttons to trade, I’m interesting in swapping with you for some great US pins. Please drop me a note!
TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE.
GOP HAS UPHILL CLIMB FOR SEN IN ‘08; TAKING THE FIFTH; EX-OMB DIRECTOR INDICTED.
US SENATE - 2008: NRSC Chair John Ensign (R-NV) painted a dismal picture for Republicans in an interview Monday with the Washington Times. Ensign “acknowledged that his party faces a steep, uphill climb in next year’s Senate elections when 21 Republican seats will be up for grabs, compared with 12 for the Democrats … [and] singled out five Republican seats that are in danger in Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Oregon and New Hampshire, compared with two vulnerable Democratic incumbents in South Dakota and Louisiana and long-shot possibilities in Iowa and Montana.”
GONZALES: Monica Goodling — a top aide to Attorney General Al Gonzales — issued a statement that she will refuse to testify before the US Senate Committee investigating the politically-related firing of eight US Attorneys. Goodling is invoking her fifth amendment right against self-incrimination in refusing to testify.
REAGAN ADMINISTRATION: Former Congressman David Stockman (R-MI), who served as the US Budget Director in the Reagan Administration, was indicted Monday on fraud, conspiracy and other felony charges on Monday. Federal prosecutors allege he organized the scheme to hide the dire financial condition of Collins & Aikman Corporation in a bid to deceive investors when he was CEO of the now-bankrupt auto parts maker. “The government’s case amounts to a crimeless prosecution that I intend to vigorously challenge because I did nothing wrong,” said Stockman, in a statement posted on his lawyer’s website. Stockman said he did his best to save the company. Three other former executives with indicted along with Stockman. Four corporate executives who participated in the scheme already pled guilty in related cases and are cooperating with the Feds. Stockman was a leading advocate of “Reaganomics” and supply-side economics in the 1980s.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 03.27.07 | Permalink | postCount(’032707a’);
FREE SPEECH ZONE.
The daily open thread.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 03.27.07 | Permalink | postCount(’032707b’);
MONDAY NEWS UPDATE.
GOP MONEY SPIN; HILLARY SCORES BIG ENDORSEMENTS; GONZALES TWISTING IN THE WIND.
P2008 - REPUBLICANS: US Senator John McCain and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney both spent the weeking playing the “lowering expectations” game. In his spin, McCain announced Saturday he expects his campaign will fall short of their fundraising goal for 1Q-2007 and will be behind Romney’s expected $30 million fundraising haul. Romney’s campaign quickly spun back, telling The Hotline that McCain was trying to downplay expectations, that Romney raised around $20 million in this quarter, and that “McCain will be in first” in fundraising.
P2008 - DEMOCRATS: Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, who ended his White House bid earlier this year, will endorse US Senator Hillary Clinton for President. The AP reports Vilsack and his popular wife will both make their announcements on stage with Clinton on Monday. Clinton also scored a major coup in New Hampshire, winning the endorsement of top political operative Bill Shaheen. Shaheen — husband of former Governor Jeanne Shaheen — will co-chair the Clinton campaign in NH. He played the same role in the primary for Gore 2000 and Kerry 2004. Jeanne Shaheen has not yet made any endorsement, as she is weighing a possible run next year against US Senator John Sununu (R).
GONZALES: More Republicans expressed serious reservations about Attorney General Al Gonzales remaining in his post in the wake of his having made false or misleading statements to Congress about the politically-related firing of eight US Attorneys. Had Gonzales simply said the firings were politically-related from the outset — which is not unlawful — it probably would have been a 1-2 day news story. Instead, he continues to twist in the wind. US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said on CBS’s Face the Nation that “The Attorney General has been wounded because of his performance, not because of politics … He has said some things that don’t add up.” US Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) said on ABC’s This Week said that “you cannot have the nation’s chief law enforcement officer with a cloud hanging over his credibility.” US Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), the senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee, told NBC’s Meet the Press that he needs to learn more. “I’m not going to make a judgment based on newspaper stories. If we find out he’s not been candid and truthful, that’s a very compelling reason for him not to stay on. Let’s go eyeball to eyeball with the man and see what his integrity is,” said Specter. US Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) said he still had confidence in Gonzales, but even he offered some criticisms during an appearance on CNN. “The Justice Department has bungled this attorney thing. There’s no question about it. There’s no excuse for it,” said Hatch.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 03.26.07 | Permalink | postCount(’032607a’);
FREE SPEECH ZONE.
The daily open thread.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 03.26.07 | Permalink | postCount(’032607b’);
Continue Reading March 26th, 2007
As reported on the Constitution Party website….
Montana Ban on U.N. flag moves forward
by Gwen Florio
Tribune Capitol Bureau
HELENA — It would be illegal to fly the United Nations flag on state government property under a bill that received preliminary approval Friday from the House of Representatives, which deadlocked on the …
Continue Reading March 26th, 2007
The Minnesota CP held a special state-wide meeting on Saturday. A proposal for Minnesota to disaffiliate from the national Constitution Party was brought forward by former CP Senatorial candidate Ben Powers. And was soundly rejected by the Party, prompting Mr. Powers to leave the CPMN in a resignation that was …
Continue Reading March 22nd, 2007
Libertarian officials and activists met in Orlando over the weekend to discuss the future of the party. At the meeting, Executive Director Shane Cory stressed the need for running capable candidates in winnable races to build the party from the ground up.
From the Washington Times…
Libertarian Party leaders gave a …
Continue Reading March 22nd, 2007
I recently interviewed Charlie Klein, the new chairman of one of the Veterans Party of America.
http://www.veteranspartyofamerica.com/
I left his original spelling and grammar unedited. Charlie asked me to emphasize that these are his answers and do not necessarily reflect the views of all members.
——————————————————————-
TPW: Tell me a little bit …
Continue Reading March 22nd, 2007
In 2004 Michael Peroutka and Chuck Baldwin were, respectively, the presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the Constitution Party. In his most recent column, Chuck Baldwin writes:
Congressman Ron Paul of Texas embodies everything the CEP is looking for. Beyond that, if he should miraculously win the nomination, he would, no …
Continue Reading March 22nd, 2007
Go talk to your child, or if you do not have kids a child that you know, and tell them that from now on they can only use two crayons: blue and red.
Inevitably the child will ask why. The child will tell you that he or she has a full …
Continue Reading March 22nd, 2007
Another of the late Mr. Shearer’s reprints, from February of last year.
This is also for Chris Fluharty, the current Vice Chair of the Missouri Constitution Party, who was kicked out of The American View discussion forums recently when he defended the Constitution Party.
Chris also had his posts removed so …
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