mark begich

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11/18/08--17:35: Alaska Update. Begich Wins (AP Calls It) (chan 1396519)

I am suspecting that this will be the last update.

Begich, Mark DEM 150728 47.76%
Stevens, Ted REP 147004 46.58%

The lead is clearly out of the margin of 0.5%, in fact it's over 1% now, so internet tubes Ted is toast. He can pay for a recount, but you don't make up a 1.18% gap in a recount. It ain't happening.




11/18/08--18:04: Begich hands Stevens an 85th B-day gift--retirement! (chan 1396519)




John Vezina and Meg Simonian with the Begich Campaign, alongside Randy Reudrich,
Republican Party leader, waiting for the questioned ballot count




I left the Division of Elections over an hour ago and there were just small pockets of ballots to count.  It looks like they finished as they posted the totals on the website and he has a lead of 3724 votes!






11/18/08--18:11: AP Calls It For Begich (chan 1396519)

Looks like Mark Begich will be setting up a new office in DC after all.....MSNBC is reporting the race in Alaska has been called for Mark Begich.

WASHINGTON - Convicted Sen. Ted Stevens lost his re-election bid to Democrat Mark Begich after the last large batch of votes was counted Tuesday.

The longest-serving Republican in the history of the Senate trailed Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich by 3,724 votes after Tuesday's count.

That's an insurmountable lead with only about 2,500 overseas ballots left to be counted.

Per Lawrence O'Donnell and Dan Abrams on MSNBC, the vote difference is great enough Stevens would have to pay for a recount if he wanted one. And with a 3,724 vote lead, a recount is unlikely.

Welcome, Senator Begich!




11/18/08--18:25: Getting to 59 (chan 1396519)

Mark Begich is waiting for Ted Stevens to pick up a phone. And no matter who he calls-- Begich to concede, or Mr. Moneybags to pay for a recount-- Mark Begich is going to be another new Senator on our side of the aisle.
In other news, the Fracas by the Lake-as (where's Don King when y'need him?) is certified and headed for a recount, meaning...we almost certainly won't know anything until long after December 2nd.

Which means you can focus your attentions, energies, monies and blogsies in Georgia where it will do the most good. Jim Martin is in a dogfight down there, and he needs your help to beat the guy who unfairly sullied Max Cleland's good name in 2002. Barack Obama needs Jim Martin, sure, but Georgians-- especially Georgian children and college students and those hoping to retire soon-- need Jim even more. If you're wondering why I highlight those groups, check out the guy who's held that seat for six years.




11/18/08--18:45: Countdown with Keith Olbermann - Nov. 18, 2008 (chan 1396519)

Let's begin tonight by wishing a happy birthday to convicted felon Alaska Senator "Tubes" Stevens. I bet he's wishing for a cake with a file to saw through them bars at the GreyBar Hotel! I baked up this bag of goodies just for him & left them on his doorstep, but I think I may have let it cook for too long. What do y'all think?



On a much more somber note, 30 years ago today were the deaths of 900 members of Jim Jones' "People's Temple" in Guyana. Jim Jones was actually born in Indiana & was a preacher for awhile in Indianapolis before moving out west to begin the "People's Temple." Thoughts of strength & compassion to the victims, their families, survivors, & to anyone who has memories of that horrible day.






11/19/08--07:44: Alaskans...and other Americans breathe a sigh of relief! (chan 1396519)

I just could not fathom the thought of Sarah Palin in the US Senate, or anyone she would appoint for that matter.  to the people of Alaska I say:  Bravo!




11/19/08--13:36: AK-Sen: Hulk Smashed! (chan 1396519)

Kiss the longest continuously serving Republican in Senate history goodbye:

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens has conceded defeat to Democratic challenger Mark Begich in the Alaska Senate race.

Stevens' statement follows:

"Given the number of ballots that remain to be counted, it is apparent the election has been decided and Mayor Begich has been elected," Stevens said in a statement. "My family and I wish to thank the thousands of Alaskans who stood by us and who supported my re-election. It was a tough fight that would not have been possible without the help of so many Alaskans – people who I am honored to call my friends. I will always remember their thoughts, prayers, and encouragement."

...

"I wish Mayor Begich and his family well. My staff and I stand willing to help him prepare for his new position."

Congratulations to Senator-elect Mark Begich of Alaska, the first Alaska Democrat to serve in either House of Congress since Mike Gravel's final term ended in 1981.

Senator Stevens, unfortunately, ends a long and legendary career in public service in defeat and disgrace. He is the first Alaska senator to be defeated in a general election (Ernest Gruening and Mike Gravel lost in primaries). He is also the first to seek reelection to the Senate under the cloud of seven felony convictions.

(There is also discussion in wmtriallawyer's recommended diary).




11/20/08--12:18: Mark Begich's Father Congressman Nick Begich (chan 1396519)

Maybe everyone knows this, but I just learned that Senator-elect Mark Begich's father was Nick Begich, the Alaskan Congressman whose airplane disappeared over the Gulf of Alaska on October 16, 1972.




12/11/08--16:38: Electing Younger, Better Democrats to Congress (chan 1396519)

One aspect of American politics I've paid attention to is the stark reverse agism that has resulted in the average age of a federal politician to be the average starting age for retirement for regular Americans (early 60s).  If I had a pile of cash to spend on politics, I would invest in not just engaging Americans of my own generation in the political process, but encouraging younger people to run for office and to challenge the establishment in both parties, as well.

We need a "rising generation" of politicians under 40.  (Ok, for Senators I'll let that be 50, seeing just how many senators are older than 75 right now.)




12/15/08--12:49: Energy Smart Candidates:  A 2008 recap and 2009 look-ahead (chan 1396519)

Eight months ago, the Vote Energy Smart, not Energy Dumb! effort began.  

The opportunity is before us to bring focus to [energy and global warming] across campaigns, across the United States, and make Energy/Global Warming a winning issue come November and a higher priority for serious Congressional and Administration action come January 2009.

The Energy Smart Act Blue page worked on the philosophy of supporting underdog challengers, who were not "expected" to win when added to the page.  And, most importantly:

The challenger understands energy / environmental issues and will bring a radically different perspective to the Hill compared to the incumbent.

Join below the fold for a recap of the 2008 candidates and the Energy Smart list and a look forward to 2009.




01/08/09--20:44: stop trashing Alaska because of Palin! (chan 1396519)

Really, just quit it.
 
I came unhinged again at a couple people in brownsox's post about Bob Poe announcement he's seeking the AK democratic 2010 gubernatorial nomination.  The comments that bugged me were the "Can we ask Alaska to secede?" and "What's wrong with the people there?" regular kneejerk reactions to Palin's latest loony malapropisms.

more below.




03/12/09--16:25: Begich testifies against Senate gubernatorial appointments (chan 1396519)

One of this year's biggest political lessons learned was that the gubernatorial appointment system for vacated Senate seats was a disaster, rife with corruption, cronyism, and rank political opportunism. A few years ago, we saw nepotism in action in Alaska, and Alaskan voters responded by passing a referendum requiring special elections to fill any such vacancies in the future. Now Sen. Russ Feingold is pushing a Constitutional Amendment that would require that standard applied nationwide.

In hearings today, newly minted Senator Mark Begich of Alaska tied painful family history to the issue.

In October 1972, the Alaska Democrat’s father, Rep. Nick Begich, was declared missing along with House Majority Leader Hale Boggs, D-La., when their plane disappeared on its way to Juneau. It wasn’t until two months later that Nick Begich was declared deceased — and that was after he had been re-elected.

"Throughout this ordeal, Alaskans were officially without representation in the House of Representatives," Begich noted at a bicameral hearing of the House and Senate Judiciary committees. "But my recollection — and my review of news reports from that era — show no outcry for the appointment of a new congressman. Alaskans then, like Alaskans now, feel strongly that their elected representatives in the federal government should be exactly that — elected."

A Senate seat is too valuable to entrust to the whims of a governor. House vacancies are filled by special election, there's no reason that the more important Senate seats should be filled by less democratic measures.

Interestingly, the only appointed senator to attend the hearing was Delaware's Ted Kaufman, who incidentally also happens to be the only "caretaker" senator appointed of the bunch. Kaufman will be stepping down in 2010 to give the voters of Delaware final say in who should fill the seat in an open-seat election (the fairest possible). His take?

"I think this is a good idea"




04/02/09--17:56: Breaking News: Palin attempts Time Travel (Update) (chan 1396519)

With the Justice Department dropping its indictments against Former Senator Stevens, Alaskan republicans, led by Governor Sarah Palin, are demanding for Senator Begich to resign. Huh?

State Republican Party Chairman Randy Ruedrich said Begich should step down to allow for a special election so Alaskans could vote without the "improper influence of the corrupt Department of Justice."

While sane reality based people call this consequences.  




04/02/09--20:03: If I didn't hate Alaska GOP enough (chan 1396519)

From the Anchorage Daily News:

The head of the Alaska Republican Party today called on Sen. Mark Begich to step down from the U.S. Senate, saying that the state's voters would have re-elected former Sen. Ted Stevens had they known the U.S Department of Justice would abandon its prosecution of him.

Excuse me? What?? So you want a Senator to step down because of a dropped investigation of his rival? Unbelievable! But then again this is Alaska:

The party chairman, Randy Ruedrich, said that the only reason Begich won his race was because "a few thousand Alaskans thought that Senator Stevens was guilty of seven felonies."

He added that he thought Begich should step down "so Alaskans may have the chance to vote for a senator without the improper influence of the corrupt Department of Justice."




04/02/09--20:47: "Begich, Resign!" (chan 1396519)

Now that Obama's DOJ has moved to dismiss all charges against former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens because of gross prosecutorial misconduct, Republicans see an opportunity. An opportunity to pick up another Senate seat, that is.

The head of the Alaska Republican Party today called on Sen. Mark Begich to step down from the U.S. Senate, saying that the state's voters would have re-elected former Sen. Ted Stevens had they known the U.S Department of Justice would abandon its prosecution of him. Anchorage Daily News 2 Apr




04/03/09--05:45: Begich to Alaska GOP: I'm not resigning (chan 1396519)

No surprise here--except that the response came this soon.  Mark Begich told his state's Republican Party that he isn't going anywhere--at least not until 2015.

Begich fired back Thursday, saying that although he believed it was clear there was misconduct during the senator's trial, he stepped into the race "long before Senator Stevens' legal troubles began, because Alaskans were looking for a change and a senator as independent as Alaska.

"Today, with our country in a severe recession, it's more important than ever that we have a senator focused on fixing our economy so Alaskans have the jobs they need to support their families," he said. "That is my job in the Senate, and I'm honored to serve Alaskans for the next six years."

Amen.  And looking at the polling trends as well as election night, I really don't see where the Repubs have an argument that Stevens would have won if not for the case against him.




04/03/09--09:50: Republicans Hate Democracy, Episode 532 (chan 1396519)

Why do we even bother holding elections anymore?

The Alaska Republican Party is calling on Democratic Sen. Mark Begich to resign his first-term post as senator, one day after Attorney General Eric Holder cleared former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens of felony charges Wednesday.

"The Alaska Republican Party...believes that current Senator Mark Begich should resign his position to allow for a new, special election, so Alaskans may have the chance to vote for a senator without the improper influence of the corrupt Department of Justice," the Alaska Republican Party's Web site states.

We had an election. There were no irregularities with the election. Mark Begich won.

Nobody disputes any of this.

The entire investigation into Ted Stevens' lawbreaking was conducted by a Republican Justice Department. And naturally enough, the Bush DOJ managed to screw up the investigation. Given that virtually everything the Bushies touched turned to suck, this is no surprise to anyone.

Yet somehow, this is all grounds for overturning a perfectly legitimate election. Because the Republican lost, ya see! And that's no fair!

After all, Republicans should be rewarded for Republican screwups!

Heck, why stop here? Why not ask President Obama to resign? We all know he would have been slaughtered if Stevens hadn't been under indictment! It's a center-right country, after all!

You know, Kay Hagan should resign too! If this BS investigation into Stevens hadn't sullied the good name of senile Republicans everywhere, Elizabeth Dole would have thrashed her!

You know, what would really be fair to Stevens is to give him his seat back, and have Mark Begich do time in prison on Stevens' behalf.

Needless to say, the pretty Alaskan face of Republican suckitude thinks this is a swell idea, also:

WASHINGTON — Gov. Sarah Palin and the head of the Alaska Republican Party said Thursday that Sen. Mark Begich should give his Senate seat up to a special election now that prosecutors have abandoned their case against Ted Stevens. "Alaskans deserve to have a fair election not tainted by some announcement that one of the candidates was convicted fairly of seven felonies, when in fact it wasn't a fair conviction," Palin said in a Thursday interview with the Daily News.

The governor said she does not want to "split hairs" on whether Begich should resign or not but agrees with the Republican Party's call for a special election.

It's not surprising that Palin thinks that this particular Republican screwup should be rewarded; she's a pretty egregious Republican screwup herself.

It is a bit, how you say, hypocritical, given that homegirl herself was one of the Republican wolves calling for Stevens' head back when it was fashionable to do so.

"After being found guilty on seven felony counts, I had hoped Senator Stevens would take the opportunity to do the statesman-like thing and erase the cloud that is covering his Senate seat," Palin said in a written statement. "He has not done so. Alaskans are grateful for his decades of public service but the time has come for him to step aside."

But gosh darn it, you can't expect poor naive Sarah to have any consistency in her positions, also!

She and the rest of the clowns in that disgraced political party can keep on howling at the moon all they like, though. Mark Begich isn't going anywhere. And Republican attempts to overturn a perfectly fair and legitimate election only illustrates once again their utter contempt for the democratic process and the American citizenry.

And as long as they feel like whining, John Cole has a pretty good response:

Gary Condit called. He said to SUCK. ON. THIS.




04/03/09--18:47: Countdown with Keith Olbermann - Apr. 3, 2009 (chan 1396519)



Even though it's Friday, I gotta admit to feeling a little cranky today for many reasons but especially for this.

http://www.senate.gov/...

Just when I thought I couldn't be more angered and/or embarrassed by my "Dem" Senator, he actually f*ckin' votes "no" on President Obama's budget. And, the sick thing is that unless someone comes along with a whole lot of name recognition, campaign coin, & time to introduce themselves to my fair state, Evan Bayh will more - than - likely retain his Senate seat.

*&^%$#@! OK...I need something to make me feel better.




04/04/09--16:13: Ted Stevens For Governor (chan 1396519)

Alaska Republicans are tearing each other apart.   It's the type of entertainment that you can only find in a state over-run by corruption and stupidity in the style of Sarah Palin. Governor Palin, with all of her infinite wisdom, has called for the resignation of duly elected Senator Mark Begich, now that Ted Stevens has had all Federal charges withdrawn. Never mind that former Senator Stevens has not been exonerated in any way, shape or form. Sister Sarah just felt as though she needed to add her two cents, maybe as a ruse to take attention off of herself and her family troubles which have taken on a new life in the media, thanks to her daughter and the boy who fathered her illegitimate child.




04/10/09--12:01: More GOP Hypocrisy? (chan 1396519)

By Tyler from Eyesonobama.com:

It seems like FOX News is posting a dozen new stories a day about the coming Tax Day Tea Party. But if these little shindigs really are in the same spirit of "no taxation without representation," why don't they hold a tea party in Minnesota, where the GOP has blocked the state's rightful Senator from taking his seat?




07/05/09--06:46: Begich and Murkowski broadsided by Palin announcement (chan 1396519)

Based on what we know so far, both of Alaska's Senators never saw Sarah Palin's resignation announcement coming.

Mark Begich, for instance, said through his spokeswoman that Palin "gave no indication" she was even considering leaving office when they met for 45 minutes on Wednesday.  If the timeline is accurate, that was only hours before Palin called in Sean Parnell and told him she was turning the reins over to him on Wednesday night.  

Lisa Murkowski was blindsided by this as well.  HuffPo reports that Palin promised only a few months ago to help raise money for Murkowski's reelection bid.  Not exactly the act of someone who's simply fed up with politics.  Murkowski, for her part, is royally pissed, firing off a terse statement:

I am deeply disappointed that the Governor has decided to abandon the State and her constituents before her term has concluded.




07/15/09--07:00: Hate to call out our own...but this is the problem (chan 1396519)

I know... prostitution money and lobbying is part of the Business Model for Washington, DC.  This is a fact of life... I guess.

The argument is that if the other side is doing it and we decide not to, we are the fools.  We are asking to lose.  We will be outgunned, out spent, out campaigned.

But didn't Obama turn away this kind of crap?  Didn't Dean start to wean the DNC off this kind of crap?  Didn't we all agree with this a GREAT THING?  Wasn't this being called the heralding of a new era of people powered politics?

Here's the invite I received this morning:




07/20/09--12:24: 44 Senators Support A Public Option (chan 1396519)

The public option does not currently have enough support to pass the Senate. Stand With Dr Dean.com says the public option "would allow anyone and everyone to choose a healthcare plan provided by the government like Medicare is today."

If my math is correct there are 44 for a public option, 41 against and 15 undecided Senators. We need 7 of the undecided votes to pass health care reform through the reconciliation process. If that fails we will probably need all of the undecideds and one more.

Why are Senators against it? Are they in the pocket of the insurance lobby? I think it's more complicated than that, more below the fold.

UPDATE: TPM is reporting Reid + Udall are both for a public option now. Changed title from 39 to 41.

UPDATE 2: OpenLeft is reporting Byron Dorgan supports a public option.




07/21/09--11:13: 45 Senators Support The Public Option? (chan 1396519)

Sam Stein at the Huffington Post is reporting that

President Barack Obama on Monday called on like-minded bloggers to help his administration keep the heat on lawmakers to pass health care reform.

"It is important just to keep the pressure on members of Congress because what happens is there is a default position of inertia here in Washington," the president said during an invitation-only conference call. "And pushing against that, making sure that people feel that the desperation that ordinary families are feeling all across the country, every single day, when they are worrying about whether they can pay their premiums or not... People have to feel that in a visceral way. And you guys can help deliver that better than just about anybody."

Lets keep up the good work! We have 44 Senators on record supporting the public option (or do we have 45? Lincoln on board?). 15 remain undecided and we need at least 6 more committed to voting for a public option.




07/23/09--10:57: We Don't Have The Public Option Votes Yet Anyway (chan 1396519)

Michael Steele says,

STEELE: You got 60 votes in the Senate... If you want health care, get the votes. Do it!

Wrong. We've got 44-45 votes for a public option and 14 or 15 undecided Senators. And one of our supporters just made this tweetment

Claire McCaskill: I support the pubic option on healthcare reform, but must make sure private market can compete. Working on that in the Senate.

Dear Senator, no one will vote for this thing if you call it the pubic option. Save a letter elsewhere. She must have gotten heat for that so she came back with

Claire McCaskill: Big mistake, tweetng when dead tired,one more time spelled right....I support public option,as long as private can compete. Now sleep.

As long as private competes? How lame of a system are we going to get if it's watered down so the deadbeat behemoths of medicine can catch up to it? Or is she talking about private insurance reforms to go along with a public insurance option? That sounds good.

Lets get those votes.




07/24/09--10:38: We Don't Need (R) Votes for Public Option (chan 1396519)

Yes, Senators Inhofe and Demint are predicting that if they can block healthcare reform they will be rewarded with triumphant gains and a return to power in 2010. Isn't that cute?

Well maybe they have a point, according to the most recent Research 2000 poll, Congressional Republicans have an 11% approval rating. If they can block healthcare those numbers could skyrocket to .. 14.. 15%!

The Republican party as a whole just brought their favorability ratings from 19% to 20%. Notice the pattern here? If this trend continues they'll have 100% approval ratings in just 80 short weeks.

But here's a little secret for Sen uh tors Inhofe and Demint, we don't need no stinking Republican votes to pass healthcare. Although we already have one, Olympia Snowe is supporting a public option. As are 43 or 44 Democratic Senators. To go along with those we need at least six of these undecided Dems to support a public option as well Baucus, Bayh, Begich, Bennet, Byrd, Carper, Conrad, Feinstein, Lincoln, Nelson (FL), Nelson (NE), Pryor, Tester, Warner and Wyden.

Below the fold are their positions and contact numbers.




07/29/09--19:08: 44 Senators Support A Public Option (chan 1396519)

Maybe 45, if you count Blanche Lincoln's latest statements. That's at least five short of the fifty votes we'd need to pass reform with a public option. All the Republicans except for Olympia Snowe are against a public insurance option. 15 Senators are unwilling to commit to vote for or against a public option. Many would like to see the final bill. I have no clue what will happen when the Senate HELP committee meets with the Finance committee to turn two incompatible bills into one. Baucus' finance committee doesn't have an employer mandate or a public insurance option, the HELP bill does. Much more on this by Nate Silver at five thirty eight dot com.

this particular permutation on health care reform looks an awful lot like the incomplete draft of the HELP Committee's bill that the CBO scored last month, which also lacked an employer mandate and a public option but contained an individual mandate. That bill, the CBO estimated, would cost about $1.0 trillion -- but would only cover a net of about 16 million people. In contrast, the revised version of the HELP Committee's bill, which did include both a public option and an employer mandate, would cost about the same amount but cover a net of 37 million people.




08/01/09--14:40: Democrats Caving To The NRA? (chan 1396519)

Well, that didn't take long. A week after the National Rifle Association (NRA) decided to rally around a coke dealer and threaten Senators with a blackmark on their NRA scorecard if they vote to confirm Sonia Sotomayor, we have a couple of wavering Democrats.

Noting Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s record on the Second Amendment, Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) told Roll Call that that he is "undecided" on her nomination to the Supreme Court (although he added that he is "leaning toward voting in favor"). Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) expressed similar uncertainty:

"I accept her judicial philosophy of fidelity to the law," Nelson said during a telephone conference call from Washington.

Nelson said he also believes Sotomayor is committed to supporting settled judicial precedent.

But, he said, he needs to "convince myself she won’t be an activist" on the court.

"I need an opportunity to review a few things," the Democratic senator said.

Begich earns a small eye roll for his comment, but Nelson? Make up your mind, dude. If you accept her judicial philosophy of fidelity to the law, why do you need to convince yourself she won't be an activist?

It's a sad day when Democrats need to take gut-check lessons from NRA favorite Lamar Alexander (R-TN), who announced his support for Sotomayor. Perhaps these two piles of jello should take a moment to consider what Mark Warner (D-VA) had to say about the NRA threat:

I’m very disappointed. [NRA seems] to be going beyond their Second Amendment issues, particularly when I think the judge’s positions on those issues are still fairly open. I trust in her judgment and temperament. I think the NRA at some point has gone beyond its mission, and are perhaps allowing themselves to get hijacked by those who are in the extreme.

Now if only Begich, and Warner could stop allowing themselves to be hijacked.

And on a comical sidenote, yesteday Max "excuse me sir, may I have another" Baucus (D-MT), the chief capitulator on health care reform:

... twice told The Hill he is undecided on next week’s floor vote on Sotomayor.

"I have no idea," Baucus said. "I haven’t paid any attention and I haven’t announced ... I’ve been so busy with healthcare. It’s under consideration. I’ll certainly know when I vote, but right now I can’t tell you."

And today Baucus released a statement saying:

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land, and the pinnacle of the judicial branch of our government. Being confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice is a tremendous honor with enormous responsibility. I have long said that to be a Supreme Court Justice a person must meet three main criteria: personal integrity, professional competence, and a view of important issues that is within the mainstream of contemporary judicial thought. After personally meeting Judge Sotomayor, thoroughly analyzing her judicial record, and reviewing her nomination hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Judge Sotomayor unquestionably meets each of these criteria. Thus, I am proud to support her nomination and will vote to confirm her as a Justice to the United States Supreme Court.

What a difference a day makes, eh?




09/01/09--17:36: Senator Begich comes out in support of Public Option! (with Action & Poll) (chan 1396519)

Senator Begich has been on the maybe list for whether or not he supports PO for some time now.  Very recently, though, he has shown that he supports reform with a public option on Shannyn Moore's Anchorage radio show.  I found this all out from the famed mudflats blog ( http://www.themudflats.net/ ), a liberal Alaskan blog.

You can find my source article here: http://www.themudflats.net/...

We will get at least 50 senators on the record in favor of reform, I can see it as a high likelihood at this point.

My diary continues after the fold:




09/03/09--05:53: Sen. Begich and Warner say they want a PO! Get them to confirm it and give them some love here (chan 1396519)

Big News!

    In the last 2 days it looks like Dems are starting to realize where there bread is buttered. News out of Alaska has the talented reporter Shannyn Moore getting Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) on air publically stating he supports a public option.

    AND, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) has been moved from the maybe to the yes column at openleft.com, in support of a Public Option.

    This is GREAT NEWS, as it pushes the number of Senators who support a PO to 47 if you count in the inevitable replacement for the late, great Senator Ted Kennedy.

    But saying so isn't enough, we want the staff of these two Senators to confirm this, and when they do we want to give them some love. So we're putting the Hammer aside today and picking up the phones to confirm this and spread some love.

    Join me below the fold for more info and some hot Public Option action.




09/09/09--11:08: Reality check: Blaming the Pres. doesn't change the Senate math (chan 1396519)

I interrupt our daily assessment of President Obama's "manhood" to bring you some real live information about where the public option stands in the Senate.

Now I realize, no matter what, many of you will remain convinced that President Obama can use his Vulcan powers to sway all these Senators, and that's fine.

But if we are going to fight, let's fight over the facts.




09/09/09--15:57: Whipping The Senate For A Public Insurance Option (chan 1396519)

We've lost two votes since I posted 44 Senators Support a Public Option. Senator Edward M. Kennedy passed away and Senator Olympia Snowe has been much more firm in her opposition to the Public Insurance Option. I probably shouldn't have included her anyway.

We've gained two votes in my own Senator Dianne Feinstein and Colorado's Michael Bennett.

Virginia's Senator Mark Warner may be our 3rd addition. Chris Bowers from OpenLeft is keeping the best Senate Whip Count right now. I'm gonna steal share some more insight from him below the fold.




10/04/09--15:20: What's NOT For Dinner: Salmon, or any other Arctic fish. (chan 1396519)

The latest in a continual stream of bad scientific news about climate is a shocker: within 10 years, the Arctic sea will be so corrosive that it will dissolve the shells of mollusks, mussels, and other shellfish, causing major disruption to the Arctic food web -- including herring, salmon, and baleen whales.

Oh, my tricksy title made you think you'd find recipes?  You can find those too -- enjoy while you can!

Grilled Alaskan King Salmon with Lime-Butter Sauce:
Lime-Butter sauce:
1 large garlic clove, chopped fine
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 C (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Mix all together.  While waiting for grill to heat up, sprinkle:
4 pieces Alaskan king salmon, about 1/4 lb each
with lime zest and a dash of olive oil.  Grill salmon just until done and pour lime-butter sauce over salmon just before serving.  

Grilled corn on the cob makes a great side dish.
(Adapted from Gourmet magazine; photo credit Gourmet.)




03/04/10--11:39: We Are Nowhere Close To a Public Option (chan 1396519)

There are daily excited diaries telling us about the new additions to the reconciliation letter. Today's big news Maria Cantwell signed on. I'm all for positivity but this is growing to be absurd. Here is the only list that matters. With 41 Republicans you must not lose 10 Democrats.

Mark Begich
Mark Pryor
Blanche Lincoln
Joe Lieberman
Tom Carper
Bill Nelson
Evan Bayh
Mary Landrieu
Claire Mccaskill
Jon Tester
Max Baucus
Ben Nelson
Kay Hagan
Byron Dorgan
Kent Conrad
Mark Warner
Jim Webb

You gotta have 7 from this list and hold all the rest. Do you think that's likely or even possible? We know 6 of them are for sure nos. That leaves the 7 Public Option heroes as Begich, Baucus, McCaskill, Tester, Hagan, Dorgan and Webb?

The other conversation that none of these cheery diaries are having.
What public option would we be getting?




03/04/10--14:23: Kerry, Frankin & Sixteen Senators Scold Medical Gay Discrimination Policy. (chan 1396519)

    Eighteen Senators take on the FDA in a policy that openly discriminates against gay men in the medical system who simply want to help with the health care needs of others.




03/11/10--00:22: scam or obligation?  tone deaf in anchorage (chan 1396519)

The current mayor of Anchorage, Alaska Dan Sullivan is the son of former mayor George Sullivan [1922-2009] who was mayor from 1967 to 1981.  When the elder Sullivan left office in Jan. 1982, an unusual agreement was suggested by the Anchorage Assembly [city council] to continue the former mayor's life insurance coverage, apparently as a tribute to his accomplishments.

Last month, three months after George Sullivan's death the Assembly authorized a payout of $193,000 to his family.

The details of the story are tantalizing, agonizing, mind-numbing, even precious.  




06/17/10--16:04: I'm going to work in Washington DC! (chan 1396519)

On Monday, April 26, I wrote a diary about the fact that as a 99er, my unemployment had completely been exhausted.

After the news yesterday that 12 Democrats had voted against cloture on the unemployment/jobs/medicare/state aid package which is trying to make its way through Congress, I thought of a new strategy for finding work, which I implemented today.

Follow me to Washington, DC.




08/04/10--07:12: Begich honors C-17 crew killed in plane crash (chan 1396519)

On Monday, Sen. Mark Begich wanted to be in Alaska, attending the funeral of four airmen killed in a C-17 cargo plane crash in Anchorage last week. But leadership needed him in DC for the Medicaid and education funding bill, which they ended up not bringing to a vote because of a scoring issue.

So Begich paid tribute in floor speech.

“Every Alaskan has been touched by this loss,” Begich said. “It is a terrible tragedy for our state, where we consider Alaska’s military installations extensions of our communities. Service members are part of our extended Alaskan family.”

The senator gave a brief biography of each airman.

“Maj. Aaron Malone was a C-17 pilot on leave from Alaska Airlines, his place of employment, to help stand up the 249th Airlift Squadron in Alaska. Alaska was Major Malone’s home state. In 2008, he transferred to the Alaska National Guard. As a highly regarded airman, he became a C-17 instructor pilot. He proudly served his country for more than 12 years in the Air National Guard. During his time of service, Major Malone flew the F-16 in defense of our airspace after 9/11, deployed to the Korean Peninsula, and flew missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom,” Begich said.

“Maj. Michael Freyholtz was a member of the Alaska Air National Guard since 2007, when he left active duty. During his time of service, he flew more than 600 hours of combat service in support of Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He was recognized for his distinction as a pilot; he was awarded the Air Medal for his service. Originally from Minnesota, Major Freyholtz was the first non-Alaskan pilot to help stand up the 249th Airlift Squadron. A C-17 pilot since obtaining his wings from the Air Force in 2000 and a superior airman, he most recently flew with the Air Force Thunderbirds.”

“According to his loved ones, Capt. Jeffery Hill cherished being a part of Alaska’s 3rd Wing, to which he was assigned in 2007. With his humor and positive attitude, he was an inspiration to his fellow airmen in the 517th Airlift Squadron as the Operations Flight commander and instructor in the tactical airlift mission. He encouraged his fellow airmen to stay fit. He was a mentor to his fellow comrades. A fitness buff and an outdoorsman, Captain Hill took advantage of all Alaska had to offer – hunting, fishing, camping and hiking,” Begich said.

“With over 28 years in the Armed Forces, Senior Master Sergeant Thomas Cicardo was handpicked to be part of the initial personnel to stand up the 249th Airlift Squadron. He was a highly decorated combat veteran with more than 30 awards and decorations. His hometown was Anchorage, and he contributed greatly to the state of Alaska with his service. Sergeant Cicardo was a home-grown hero. During the 11 years he spent in Search and Rescue, he is credited with saving more than 66 lives in Alaska. Helping to stand up the 249th Airlift Squadron, Senior Master Sergeant Cicardo formulated training and evaluation functions in the squadron. Due to his efforts, the squadron received an outstanding rating during the last inspection.”

“Every Alaskan is deeply saddened by the loss of these airmen. They are sons, fathers, and brothers. Let us pay tribute to their selfless service and sacrifice to our nation and Alaska. Their service to our country, and service in Alaska as Arctic Warriors, will always be remembered,” Begich concluded.

The Senator did the right thing for the economy and for the whole country by committing to passage of the state aid package, at the risk of hurting his own position in Alaska. That deserves our thanks.




08/26/10--09:16: AK-Sen: Republicans wait, Dem McAdams moves full steam ahead (chan 1396519)

The state elections division in Alaska has a schedule for counting absentee ballots, and it's a stretched out one, kind of like the state. The first count of absentees not received by election day will be Aug. 31, the next Sept. 3, and the final one on Sept. 8. Getting ballots, which only had to be postmarked by Tuesday, in from overseas and from remote parts of the state takes a while. As of now, Miller has a lead of 1,668 votes over Murkowski. She'd have to get about 60% of the absentee vote to pull this out. Or run as a third party candidate, which apparently is under consideration.

Which leaves the way clear for Sitka Mayor Scott McAdams, the Dem nominee, to ramp up his campaign. That's a little harder to do without knowing precisely who his opponent is, but it looks like he's betting on it being Miller.

He invited people who supported Murkowski to consider joining his campaign. It's a rejection of Miller's tea party-tinged message, McAdams said.

"I believe we are the moderate, rational, practical campaign, not the campaign of extreme measures and 19th century ideology," McAdams said. "Not only do they say no to progress in the form of things like developing Alaska through congressionally vetted appropriations, but they also say no to social progress. ... The Tea Party has been clear in rejecting the Department of Education, the Department of Energy and other great progress our society has made."

The likely upset on the Republican side came as such a shock to national Dems and the traditional media, who hadn't paid any attention to Alaska that they immediately began talking about whether they should get a higher profile Dem in the race. Sen. Mark Begich seemed to put that speculation to rest by giving McAdams his full support.

...McAdams has the full support of Democrat Mark Begich, who two years ago pulled off his own successful upset of a Republican senator, Ted Stevens. Begich on Wednesday had this to say of McAdams: "I like what I see."

"Welcome to Alaskan politics, anything can happen, everything's viable," Begich said. "It doesn't take a lot of money, but it takes someone who is committed and hard working and can run a campaign. So I tell people and I've been telling people that this race shouldn't be discounted out and has potential."

....

Begich wouldn't say who he had been speaking to at the national level to encourage their support of a Democratic Senate candidate in Alaska. But he did say that since his 2008 win, "they realized that we actually knew what we were talking about up here."

"I'm just talking to who whoever wants to listen," Begich said. "If they believe in Alaska's future, I'm happy to tell them what I think."

This race is starting to bring reminders of Montana in 2006. Over at Swing State, James L. (in a very good overview piece) links to this post at Mudflats that fills in some gaps.

Scott McAdams, little known to Alaskans outside the southeast pan-handle, is a popular small town mayor. He runs the city of Sitka and has balanced budgets, focused on education, served on the school board, and has even figured out how to sell water to India. He was a deckhand on a commercial fishing boat all over the state, and is all the kinds of things that Sarah Palin said she was, before the media began to shine a flashlight in all the dark corners. He’s a “real Alaskan” in the style of the politicians of old, before oil was discovered and turned a libertarian blue state reddish.

I say redd-ish because despite the meme that Alaska is ruby red, and that it’s full of a bunch of Palin-style conservatives, Alaska is actually very... plum-colored. Democrats have an equal number in the state senate, and in November stand a good chance of getting a decisive majority in both the senate and the house. It has one Democratic Senator and one Republican Senator. Before Frank Murkowski and Sarah Palin, Alaska had a two-term Democratic governor. The Anchorage Assembly has a progressive majority. It’s a complicated state.

McAdams who unlike Miller, is a fiscally conservative moderate Democrat, has executive experience, was born and raised in Alaska, and has worked with his hands in the fishing industry, suddenly finds himself with an incredible opportunity. One could even say that attorney and Yale Law grad Joe Miller who was born and raised “Outside” is kind of “elite,” while McAdams is all about Alaska, and “real people.”

Alaska, politically, is a lot like Montana--"plum-colored." Being "real Montana" was one of the things that put Jon Tester into the U.S. Senate. People were actually talking about the fact that incumbent Conrad Burns, who'd been in the state for decades, was actually from Missouri. Being "real Alaska" will be a strong advantage for McAdams against Miller.




08/27/10--07:40: Why didn’t anyone tell me that Sen. Murkowski was a climate champion? (chan 1396519)

Tuesday’s Republican primary in Alaska may still be undecided, (currently incumbent Senator Lisa Murkowski trails her tea-party challenger Joe Miller by approximately 2,000 votes) but that hasn’t stopped anti-environment pundits from speculatingthat if Murkowski loses, it will be because of her support for climate legislation. Now I follow the climate debate pretty closely, (even if it wasn’t my job, as a political junkie I’d follow it nonetheless) and I just don’t remember Murkowski being a climate champion. That isn’t to say she’s another James Inhofe in the Senate, but being open to negotiations on climate legislation does not make her the zealous supporter her opponent portraysher to be.




09/07/10--13:32: AK-Sen: Begich tells TPM McAdams can win (chan 1396519)

"People always underestimate Alaska," says Sen. Mark Begich.

Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) didn't need to be asked -- when it was clear Joe Miller would be the Republican Senate nominee, he picked up the phone and started raising money for Scott McAdams. While Democratic staffers are heading to Alaska, the national party hasn't paid McAdams much attention -- yet....

When Begich jumped into the race to unseat a longtime senator in 2008, the line from national Democrats was, "Alaska? Good luck with that," Begich told TPM in an interview. In fact, all signs pointed to him losing on election night two years ago. "The establishment always says it's a state that can't be won, and when I lost election night we were written off," Begich said. But after all the votes were counted, Begich was the next senator from Alaska....

"McAdams is authentic and as a former mayor, well, with all due respect to my friends in the Senate, we don't need any more lawyers in the Senate," Begich said. Miller is a lawyer who has never held public office.

McAdams definitely has work to do to get his campaign fully up to steam after his opponent's surprise primary win over incumbent Lisa Murkowski. He had a rough interview with RealClearPolitics in which he was hesitant to jump in to some policy issues.

On the other hand, you've got Joe Miller who should maybe be showing a bit of hesitation before spouting off his extreme positions: that Obama is leading America into socialism, that all power has to be returned to the states, that Social Security should be abolished, just for starting positions. Makes McAdams' reticence to spout off uninformed policy positions look downright professional.




12/19/10--10:30: ISP and the Fourteen "Centrists" Declare War ... on Us ... (chan 1396519)

Is this an open declaration of class warfare?

Digby sounds the warning: a fair number of "centrist" Democrats – probably including the Incredible Shrinking President — seem willing, even eager, to join up with Republicans in cutting Social Security benefits and raising the retirement age. As she says, this is idiotic even in narrow political terms: in the very next election, Republicans will run ads in which they pose as the defenders of Social Security, while Democrats are the meanies who want to take away your retirement.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/...




04/04/11--05:01: The Care, Feeding, and Reproduction of the American Election, part 4 (chan 1396519)

Two comments, seven tips, and five recs last time! That brings a bonus segment from the Congress section (because I wrote it after last Friday), followed by half of the Interesting Individuals:

Congress is led by several individuals in both chambers, though only the positions of Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, and President of the Senate pro tempore are mandated by the Constitution, the second which is simply another title applied to the Vice President, and that office is rarely used. The party leaders and whips were established in 1899 in the House; previously the chair of the powerful Ways and Means Committee had directed the floor, but with the House much larger than it had been previously, the incoming Speaker David Henderson of Iowa labeled Sereno Payne of New York the new majority leader, to help guide the House as Henderson became more of a national figure. In the Senate, the office of Minority Leader was instated in 1920, with Democrat Charles Underwood of Alabama holding the post; Republicans copied the practice a few years later, with Charles Curtis of Kansas being the first formal Majority Leader, though Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts had performed the same duties before him.

The President of the Senate pro tempore is on paper a role similar to, but more limited than, the speakership; in practice, it has faded in and out of importance, as well as up and down the list of presidential succession. At the moment, the president pro tem is a purely ceremonial position, assigned to the most senior (not oldest, though they are often the same) member of the majority; since 2001, when the most senior member of the minority has served as president pro tem previously, there is a president pro tem emeritus, with no official duties but more staff, and an advisory role to the actual leadership. With the exception of the president and president pro tem, leadership in the Senate largely goes to whomever wants it and can muster up support: Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell were both first elected in the nineties, which puts them only in the top twenty ranks of Senate seniority. House leadership tends to rely more on previous service: Pelosi and Boehner both served as minority leaders before they assumed the Speakership, and Cantor and McCarthy also held posts in the leadership before they moved up when Republicans gained the majority in 2011. Reid and McConnell both served as whips before becoming leaders, but their predecessors, Daschle and Frist, did not, and McConnell's successor as whip, Jon Kyl of Arizona, is retiring, so it's very unlikely that he'll become leader. In both houses, the actual presiding officer of floor debates, except when passing particularly significant bills, will be a junior member of the chamber, so that everyone learns parliamentary procedure, which is what governs every bit of Congressional proceedings.




04/20/11--07:44: At 9:49 PM a year ago (chan 1396519)

April 20 became another day of infamy in the history of the United States. The Oil Spill Commission report outlines the timeline of events as follows. The Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, leased by BP, began to experience pressure control problems shortly after 9 PM. A blowout was reported 40 minutes later, with the first of several explosions taking place at 9:49. The rig was reported engulfed in flames by 9:56. Survivors reported that the blowout came after several weeks of mishaps and malfunctions on the rig.

There were 126 crew members on the rig at the time of the explosion and fire. After the rig was evacuated, 11 crew members were reported missing and their bodies were never recovered. Another 19 crew members were injured, some seriously. There were reports that Transocean, the owner of the rig, pressured survivors of the accident to sign waivers before they were reunited with family members.

The Deepwater Horizon sank on April 22 at 10:21 AM. Attempts to shut off the flow from the damaged well on the ocean floor failed.

The US Coast Guard reported that no oil was leaking from well on April 23, but admitted the next day that oil was leaking. The official estimate of the leak was 1000 barrels a day based on estimates provided by BP.






04/21/11--06:00: DK Elections Daily Digest: 4/21 (chan 1396519)



Senate:

• IN-Sen: Chris "Count" Chocola, head of the Club for Growth and himself a Hoosier, says his organization may step in to help oust apostate Sen. Dick Lugar. The CFG has already talked to Treasurer Richard Mourdock, and if they get involved, they could make up for his lackluster fundraising so far.

• MA-Sen: Remember when ThinkProgress busted Scott Brown for sucking up to David Koch for donations while he was publicly saying he wasn't even thinking about 2012? His pitch worked, I guess: Koch Industries coughed up a $2,500 donation to Brown's campaign last quarter.

In other MA-Sen news, why does Barney Frank keep doing this? On Monday, he repeated his remarks that he thinks Newton Mayor Setti Warren shouldn't run for Senate, this time to local blog Newton TAB. I honestly think this is a bit embarrassing for Frank, and makes him look like a jackass. It's an admission that his private suggestions to Warren haven't been well-received, and that he's had to take to the press to accomplish what he apparently doesn't have the power to do on his own. It's ugly, and what's more, I don't even see the percentage in it. Why does Frank care so much whether Warren runs? Really, just enough.

• MN-Sen: Former state Sen. and unsuccessful 2010 SoS candidate Dan Severson says he might seek the Republican nod to challenge Amy Klobuchar, who so far has drawn no opponents. Severson says he'll decide by May. Also, attorney Chris Barden, another unsuccessful statewide candidate last year (he ran for AG), says he may attempt a Senate race, too.

• MO-Sen: It's getting' mighty crowded in here… well, maybe. Wealthy businessman John Brunner (who can at least partially self-fund) says he might join the GOP field to take on Sen. Claire McCaskill. Reps. Todd Akin and Blaine Leutekemeyer are also still weighing bids, while former Treasurer Sarah Steelman and teabagger fave Ed Martin are already in the race.

• VA-Sen: Teabagger Jamie Radtke raised just $55K in Q1 and has only $47K on hand. I'm betting that if George Allen does wind up dealing with a serious speed bump on his way to the GOP nomination, it's going to take the form of Del. Bob Marshall, not Radtke. Still a big if.

• VT-Sen, VT-AL: Sen. Bernie Sanders raised $770K in Q1 (not bad for the 49th-largest state in the nation) and has over a million in the bank. The Burlington Free Press pegs an uptick in donations to Sanders after his now-famous eight-hour speech on the Senate floor in which he blasted tax cuts for the wealthy. Meanwhile, Rep. Peter Welch now has a million on hand.

Gubernatorial:

• NJ-Gov, NJ-Sen: Chris Christie's starting to smell like a plate of scungilli left out in the sun after a July picnic. His job approval has dropped to 47-46, according to Quinnipiac, from 52-40 just a couple of months ago. Sen. Bob Menendez isn't doing so hot either, 42-40, but those sorts of numbers are nothing new for him (and are actually better than what he was getting last year). In news of more immediate importance, Dems improved to 47-39 on the generic legislative ballot, up from 43-41. (Thanks to andgarden for spotting that question, tucked away at the very end of the poll.) Also fun: Q asked respondents for an unprompted, open-ended one-word description of Christie. The number one response, by far? "Bully," with 140 mentions.

House:

• AL-05: This is just odd. Freshman Republican Mo Brooks cancelled a town hall and replaced it with one-on-one meetings with constituents—by appointment only. What makes this extra-weird is that these meetings are scheduled to take place across the state line in… Tennessee. Reminds me of this infamous incident from the classic MS-01 special back in 2008.

• IA-04: Some great number-crunching from G-squared: The new 4th CD went for Terry Branstad 59-37 in 2010, 50-48 for GOP gubernatorial candidate Jim Nussle in 2006, and 49-48 for Tom Vilsack in 2002. I'll go one further and tell you that Vilsack lost the new 4th in 1998, 47-52. Greg also says that Rep. Steve King currently represents 47% of new CD.

• IL-03: Politico has a profile of John Atkinson, the Democratic businessman who may challenge Rep. Dan Lipinski from the left. Atkinson, who has already raised a boatload, hasn't formally declared yet (and may be waiting on redistricting), but a main theme for him is Lipinski's vote against healthcare reform.

• NY-13: Ex-Rep. Mike McMahon, recently speaking to the Bay Ridge Democratic Club, definitely sounds like he's leaning toward a comeback. The linked piece from the Brooklyn Eagle contains McMahon's ruminations on why he lost last year, but I'm not sure I understand what he thinks the reasons are. On the one hand, he says "[t]here was a drop-off in progressive voters." On the other hand, he cited a memo from Third Way (ugh, but what do you expect) which polled Obama "switchers" and "dropouts." The memo claims that "[s]witchers were eager to vote in this election, whereas droppers didn’t come out for a multitude of reasons, none of them being they were upset with Democrats."

What this misses out on, of course, is that Democratic organizations who were pissed with McMahon's vote against healthcare reform were less inclined to bust their asses for him and drag apathetic voters to the polls on his behalf—something members and officials of the Bay Ridge club made plain to him. (The article says some attendees used "harsher language," so since this is Brooklyn we're talking about, enjoy a moment or two imagining what this sounded like.) I'm not sure what McMahon thinks the solution is for next year, if he runs again, but it doesn't sound like he's ready to take back his anti-HCR vote. I think he'd be wise to do so.

• RI-01: Former Republican state Rep. John Loughlin, who lost by six points to now-Rep. David Cicilline last year, says he's considering a rematch, but first he's serving another tour of duty in Iraq. I wonder if Cicilline's self-inflicted wounds regarding the financial woes of Providence (the city of which he used to be mayor) will make him vulnerable—if not next year (which of course is a presidential year), then at some point in the near future… or in a primary.

• TX-Sen: This is just weird. Ashwin Madia (who you may remember as the Dem candidate in MN-03 back in 2008) is also chair of the progressive veterans group VoteVets. His organization put out a statement the other day in which he said it was "encouraging" to see Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez considering the Texas Senate race as a Dem. It's strange, as Adam Serwer points out, because Sanchez had a very suspect record on torture during his tenure as US commander in Iraq, while VoteVets has been very critical of torture. Another spokesman for the group hurried to say that VoteVets was not issuing a formal statement of endorsement, just an attaboy for a fellow servicemember.

Other Races:

• WI Recall: Republicans say they will file recall petitions against three Democrats today: Dave Hansen, Jim Holperin, and Robert Wirch. Meanwhile, Greg Sargent says that Dems will file petitions against a fifth Republican, Alberta Darling, also today.

• WI Sup. Ct.: Yesterday, JoAnne Kloppenburg asked for a recount, which will come at state expense since the final margin of 7,316 votes was less than 0.5%. I'm pretty surprised at the decision, since overturning that kind of result seems almost inconceivable.

Grab Bag:

• Alaska (PDF): Dave Dittman, a pollster and former aide to the late Sen. Ted Stevens, tested Alaskans' feelings about local pols last month. Sen. Mark Begich, up for re-election in 2014, has a 57-33 job approval rating, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski is at 71-27 and Rep. Don Young is at 63-32. Joe Miller, who says he might run against Young next year or against Begich next cycle, has a hilariously awful favorability rating of 18-73. (FWIW, Sarah Palin is at 36-61.) Note that the poll had oddly long field dates: March 3 through March 17.

• Demographics: Aaron Blake has another good piece looking at the changing demographics of majority-black districts.

• House Majority PAC: The new Dem "super PAC" is out with its first-ever media buy (which they claim is "substantial"—you better be telling the truth), hitting ten GOP freshmen who voted for Paul Ryan's budget plan with radio ad. You can listen to a sample spot against Sean Duffy here. Click the first link for the other nine names.

• DCCC: Speaking of ad buys, props to Dave Catanese for busting what turned out to be a comically bullshit media "blitz" by the DCCC. I groused about this one yesterday, complaining that the size of the buy was sure to be "quite small," but I had no idea that it would be this comically small: The total purchase was just $6,000 across twenty-five districts, with just $40 (yes, $40!) spent against Larry Buchson in IN-08. Of course, it was the NRCC which provided this info to Catanese, which I'm not sure is such a smart move, since they play this stupid game, too. But my bigger concern is whether local reporters who wrote about these ads will be insulted by the joke dollar values and ignore the D-Trip in the future. I sure as hell would.

Redistricting Roundup:

• Colorado: After instantly descending into a whole bunch of acrimony (mostly, it seemed to me, from the GOP side) after the first batch of maps were produced, both parties agreed to go back to the drawing board and start with a clean slate. Republicans sound a lot more excited about the prospect than Dems, but we'll see if this actually produces any kind of agreement… or if a stalemate eventually leads to court-drawn maps.

• Pennsylvania: No surprise here: The Republican majority on the PA Supreme Court picked a Republican superior court judge to serve as a tiebreaker on the panel which will re-draw Pennsylvania's state legislative maps. This is a direct consequence of a shameful loss of an open Dem-held seat on the court in 2009.

• Texas: A new plan for the Texas state House passed a House committee yesterday. The map increases the number of Latino districts from 28 to 30, but Democrats seem convinced that there are serious VRA issues with it.




05/02/11--03:56: Now for something completely different (with Action items) (chan 1396519)

The tests never stop coming for the Obama Administration.

Shell Oil is ready to bring glorious prosperity to American shores just like BP did just over one year ago. And right now there is still a chance that Obama might give them the green light.

http://www.nytimes.com/...

Whatever the administration decides, it will anger somebody. “If the Obama administration approves drilling in the Arctic, it will demonstrate that they have learned nothing from the gulf spill”

And more than that. It would show that reducing our need for oil is not priority #1 as it should be.

We cannot drill our way out of this problem. Drilling IS the problem.




06/26/11--23:22: I had a long chat with Senator Begich today... (chan 1396519)

...at our union picnic. We talked for about 15 minutes about a variety of subjects: Civil rights, Gitmo, health care, the drug war. He had some very interesting things to say I've not heard elsewhere. The most interesting was about Gitmo. And some good news for working people who need help and don't qualify for Medicaid. Follow below.




09/14/11--10:23: Senate Democrats + House Blue Dogs to dismantle Obama jobs plan on behalf of Republican colleagues (chan 1396519)

In a determined effort to convince the base that losing their Senate majority would be no big deal, Senate Democrats are already trying to dismantle the jobs program, and using Republican talking points to do it.

They've got Austerity Fever, and the only cure is a recession cowbell.




10/06/11--01:43: NYT’s Editors, Yves Smith, et al: It’s Time For Democrats To Take A Good Look In The Mirror (chan 1396519)

(6:10PM E.S.T./BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: See bottom of this post for more info.)

So, I’m looking over Thursday’s online edition of the NY Times over the past couple of hours and I checkout the editorial, linked and excerpted below, and I think to myself: Well this is just another example of shameful behavior from within our own Party, and from the usual suspects.

Then again, the truth is the far better solutions to our country’s economic/jobless problems are there--whether it’s another veiled corporatocratic bailout for the rich, obfuscated this time as an Infrastructure Bank, or Democrats in thrall to the status quo behaving badly, playing games with the President’s jobs bill. But those on Wall Street and in D.C. insist on getting their vig, no matter what the cost, as they turn their backs on what’s best for Main Street; and many within our government, without respect to party affiliation, are complicit!

As Yves Smith reminds us, further down, below, this Third Way/DLC, center-right embrace of the corporatocracy is just un-freakin’-acceptable! And, it presents itself as a very big problem for Democrats—whether we want to admit it or not--as we head into 2012, IMHO.




02/10/12--05:00: Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest: Another Republican-on-Republican battle brewing in Florida (chan 1396519)



Want the scoop on hot races around the country? Get the digest emailed to you each weekday morning. Sign up here.

Leading Off:

• FL-07, FL-06: So GOP Rep. John Mica confirmed what had been a whole bunch of rather fragmentary reports and announced that he would indeed seek re-election in the redrawn 7th CD, setting up an incumbent-vs.-incumbent battle in the Republican primary with freshman Sandy Adams, who represents the old 24th. And it's already juicy: Adams is claiming that last month, Mica told her "not to worry" because he'd run in the 6th. Mica obviously disputes Adams' version of events, claiming he only told Adams that they "both could win in either district." Ya gotta wonder if Adams, who has a lot less cash-on-hand and a lot less seniority, will budge, though our redistribution analysis suggests that Mica actually represents a lot more of the 6th than she does, while she represents more of the 7th. (So why is Mica doing this? His home is in the new 7th.) But if Adams sticks with her plans, this ought to be fun!