IA: Grassley and Christian conservatives at odds (desmoinesdem)
Five-term Iowa senator Chuck Grassley is out of favor with some of the Christian conservatives who gained more power at the Iowa GOP's July 12 state convention. Bleeding Heartland examines news reports about Grassley not receiving a slot as a voting delegate to the GOP's national convention. Although Grassley's staff downplayed the significance of that decision, many observers think evangelicals snubbed the senator because he has been investigating the activities of six tax-exempt "television-based ministries." Grassley's Senate seat is safe for him as long as he wants it (Democrats failed to even field a candidate against him in 2004), but if he ever gets fed up enough to retire, this becomes a prime pickup opportunity for Democrats in 2010. Possible Democratic contenders for an open seat include Governor Tom Vilsack and current Governor Chet Culver, whose father John Culver held the seat before Grassley rode Ronald Reagan's coattails in 1980.
Posted at 07/23/2008 08:45:37 AM EST - #
Richardson tells McCain to stop whining (fbihop)
In response to the ridiculous story about McCain's op-ed being rejected by the New York Times, NM Gov. Richardson has some advice for the GOP candidate: stop whining.
Insert your own Phill Gramm joke here.
Posted at 07/23/2008 02:31:45 AM EST - #
OR-SEN: New DSCC/IE ad in Oregon (karichisholm)
This ad started airing last night in Oregon.
Posted at 07/22/2008 05:56:48 PM EST - #
NM Dems GET the netroots; GOP not so much (fbihop)
See the difference and read just yet another reason why I can enthusiastically support the New Mexico Dems in November this year.
Posted at 07/22/2008 04:57:07 PM EST - #
Louisiana House 2Q Fundraising #'s (DailyKingFish)
The Daily Kingfish has put together the fundraising numbers of the candidates for US House from Louisiana. The first post looks at LA-01, LA-02 and LA-03. The second post looks at LA-04, LA-05, LA-06 and LA-07.
Posted at 07/22/2008 04:52:56 PM EST - #
OR-SEN: Merkley's Netroots Nation video (karichisholm)
Featuring a bunch of your favorite MyDD folks, the Jeff Merkley for Oregon campaign has just posted a video of Jeff's visit to Netroots Nation.
Jeff has also posted his notes and reflections about Netroots Nation over at DailyKos.
Posted at 07/22/2008 04:47:25 PM EST - #
AK-Sen: New Begich Ad (Matt Browner Hamlin)
Posted at 07/22/2008 03:15:31 PM EST - #
Not a Bad Cover for Obama in Colorado (Jonathan Singer)
Posted at 07/22/2008 03:07:56 PM EST - #
Chris Matthews: Open Up Your Hearts (Jonathan Singer)
Posted at 07/22/2008 12:47:28 PM EST - #
GOP Veepstakes ... Is It Jindal? (DailyKingFish)
Conservative columnists are tittering over the news that Senator McCain is visiting New Orleans this week ... leading to speculation that it just might be Governor Jindal as the GOP VP pick.
Posted at 07/22/2008 11:55:56 AM EST - #
KY-3: Yarmuth(D) up 10 points on Northup(R) (MediaCzech)
John Yarmuth, progressive Dem from KY's 3rd Dist., continues his double-digit lead over challenger Anne Northup in the SUSA poll out yesterday.
In predictably humorous form, the right-wing KY blogs celebrated this fact.
Posted at 07/22/2008 11:23:27 AM EST - #
CO-04: Marilyn Musgrave's Waterloo? (em dash)
Colorado Independent posted an interesting analysis on voter trends and the possibility of some daylight opening up for the Dems in Weld County, the make-or-break area in this heavily Republican district currently represented by ultra-conservative Marilyn Musgrave.
Posted at 07/22/2008 11:21:36 AM EST - #
MN-Sen: Chalk one up for Franken (MN Campaign Report)
The latest round in the air wars between Al Franken and Norm Coleman in Minnesota's Senate race has to be seen as a win for Franken.
Read all about it.
Posted at 07/22/2008 08:54:40 AM EST - #
Paul Begala: Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) Called Him a Soviet Spy! (lowkell)
Believe it or not, this is not a joke. Besides the bizarre, Soviet spy story, Begala had some fascinating observations about the Obama campaign.
Posted at 07/22/2008 07:40:35 AM EST - #
101 reasons to vote against John McCain (desmoinesdem)
I don't have satellite radio, but a Bleeding Heartland user informed me that The Bill Press Show on Sirius 146 is doing a countdown of 101 reasons to vote against John McCain. They give a new reason every morning at 7:25 am (central daylight time). The list of reasons 63 through 101 can be found here. The page is updated daily.
Posted at 07/22/2008 07:08:09 AM EST - #
Swing State Project Publishes New Race Ratings (DavidNYC)
The Swing State Project has published new race ratings for the House and Senate. Lots of changes, almost all in favor of the Democrats.
Posted at 07/22/2008 01:21:16 AM EST - #
Senator Clinton Slams Bush Administration over Women's Reproductive Health (Taylor Marsh)
Clinton joined with Patty Murray to fight this outrage from the Republicans. More on RH Reality Check.
Just another reason we all need to unite to elect Barack Obama and beat John McCain.Posted at 07/21/2008 06:17:33 PM EST - #
GA-Sen: Why Jim Martin Can Beat Saxby Chambliss (Senate Guru)
Senate Guru has endorsed Jim Martin in Georgia's 2008 Senate race. Martin would be the superior nominee to his opponent in the August 5 run-off, Vernon Jones. As the endorsement lays out, Jim Martin has the superior profile, the superior experience, the superior polling, the superior fundraising, and the superior integrity. Further, Senate Guru lists eight reasons why Saxby Chambliss is quite beatable in 2008. Additionally, Senate Guru has added Martin to the Expand the Map! ActBlue page.
Posted at 07/21/2008 09:11:25 AM EST - #
NV-2, NV-3: Nevada Bloggers Unite to Support Jill Derby and Dina Titus (Sven at My Silver State)
Nevada Bloggers today announce the creation of a joined fundraising page for congressional candidates Jill Derby and Dina Titus. Help us turn Nevada blue!
Posted at 07/21/2008 09:01:51 AM EST - #
Does your representative get the link between transportation and global warming? (desmoinesdem)
Following up on my post about transportation and global warming, I want to let activists know that 40 House Democrats and one House Republican signed a letter to Nancy Pelosi urging Congress to address transportation issues in forthcoming legislation on climate change. Bleeding Heartland has the text of that letter and the list of House members who signed, along with the districts they represent. If your representative didn't sign, you may want to contact his or her office to let the relevant staffer know that you want Congress to address transportation policy as part of any greenhouse gas reduction bill. If your representative signed, contact the office anyway to say you appreciate the commitment to a fresh approach on transportation.
Posted at 07/21/2008 12:00:27 AM EST - #
Blogger Has Guest Column In State Paper (cottonmouthblog)
I got a guest column in the largest paper in Mississippi which you can check out here. Here's how the article ended:
John Wesley Leek is a student at the University of Southern Mississippi and writes for the Cotton Mouth blog.Maybe I'm geeking out, but I thought it was pretty cool they included that at the end.
Posted at 07/20/2008 05:24:21 PM EST - #
Jim Gilmore Praises Bush, Calls SCHIP "Welfare" (lowkell)
Earlier today, Mark Warner debated Jim "No Car Tax" Gilmore. Among other things, Gilmore praised Dubya as having "stood on principle" and called SCHIP "welfare." Is conservatism morally bankrupt or what?
Posted at 07/19/2008 02:28:35 PM EST - #
MyDD Blog Talk Radio -- Live from Netroots Nation (Jonathan Singer)
Listen Live at 2:45 PM Eastern/11:45 AM Pacific.
Posted at 07/19/2008 11:45:29 AM EST - #
NYT Kinda Confirms Al Gore Special Guest at #NN08 (Adam Conner)
NYT confirms Al Gore is special Netroots Nation guest following Speaker Pelosi. Well, kind of confirms, "The Caucus learned that the guest was Mr. Gore from a person with knowledge of the plan and now others who have confirmed it are sending it out on Twitter."
Posted at 07/19/2008 11:04:52 AM EST - #
Nate Wilcox Interviewed on Netroots Nation, Netroots Rising (lowkell)
Earlier today, my co-author and friend Nate Wilcox was interviewed by Austin ABC affiliate KVUE about our book, Netroots Rising. Great job, Nate!
Posted at 07/18/2008 10:21:12 PM EST - #
Comprehensive Q2 & CoH Numbers for Senate Candidates (Senate Guru)
Senate Guru has posted Q2 hauls and end-of-June cash-on-hand fundraising numbers for the 2008 Senate candidates and offered points of analysis. In Q2, Democratic incumbents and candidates for Senate raised about $6.5 million more than Republican incumbents and candidates for Senate.
Posted at 07/18/2008 12:05:48 PM EST - #
IA-05: Steve King embarrasses Iowans again (desmoinesdem)
Dana Milbank reported on Wednesday that Representative Steve King (R, IA-05) used one parliamentary trick after another to disrupt the House Judiciary Committee's attempts to question Douglas Feith this week. Bleeding Heartland reflects on King's pattern of embarrassing behavior and why Democrat Rob Hubler has a shot in King's Republican-leaning district.
Posted at 07/18/2008 08:05:11 AM EST - #
MS-Sen: Musgrove Comes Out In Favor Of Net Neutrality (cottonmouthblog)
A Cotton Mouth Exclusive “In such a short time, the internet has developed into a key tool for our free society. It has driven economic development, enabled innovation, stimulated political discussion and provided new forums for the exercise of our First Amendment right of free speech. Net Neutrality is vital to keeping the internet free and open, and protecting access to its information for all Mississippians and Americans.” -Governor Ronnie Musgrove Drop him some change at Cotton Mouth.
Posted at 07/17/2008 08:45:03 PM EST - #
Rasmussen: Obama Up in Nevada (Sven at My Silver State)
Today's Rasmussen poll shows Obama leading McCain in Nevada for the first time since March.
Posted at 07/17/2008 06:20:44 PM EST - #
Livebloggin McCain in Kansas City (clarkent)
Michael Bersin at Show Me Progress is liveblogging (w/pics!) McCain's appearance in Kansas City. Go here.
Posted at 07/17/2008 12:52:17 PM EST - #
DFA Night School featuring Lakoff convenes today (desmoinesdem)
Democracy for America is holding a special "Live from Netroots Nation" session of its famous "Night School" training program today, July 17, at 5:30 pm eastern time. Professor George Lakoff will be the special guest, "highlighting specific thinking points from his new book 'The Political Mind' and teaching the framing progressives need to know to win." If you're not in Austin, you can click here to sign up for tonight's session of the Night School.
Posted at 07/17/2008 09:14:41 AM EST - #
CA-46, CA-50: Cook, Leibham Outraise Incumbents (dday)
Noted at Calitics. Good news, especially for Debbie Cook, as Dana Rohrabacher looks thoroughly disinterested in retaining his seat. Also, we're going to try and pull off a California Caucus at Netroots Nation, scheduled for Thursday at 3:00. Details here.
Posted at 07/16/2008 04:04:31 PM EST - #
SD: Tim Johnson Leads Big in Polls, $$$ (lowkell)
Today has been a great day for Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD), both on the polling and 2nd quarter FEC report fronts. We can never take anything for granted, of course, but this one's looking good for the "blue team."
Posted at 07/16/2008 03:17:46 PM EST - #
MyDD Caucus at Netroots Nation (Jonathan Singer)
A late addition to the mix, so not in the program, but come on by:
Room 17A
Thursday July 17
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Come on by, meet your fellow MyDDers, and have a refreshing time.
Posted at 07/16/2008 03:07:40 PM EST - #
NV-2, NV-3: Democrats Outraise Republican Incumbents in Q2 (Sven at My Silver State)
Nevada keeps trending blue: Jill Derby and Dina Titus were 2 out of 16 Democrats nationwide to outraise the Republican incumbents in Q2.
Posted at 07/16/2008 03:07:08 PM EST - #
Live chat with Obama state campaign director 10 AM MDT (em dash)
Join the Colorado Independent on Wednesday, July 16 at 10:00 a.m. MDT (Noon EDT) for a live 30-minute Q&A with Ray Rivera, Colorado director for Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Rivera will field your questions on Colorado's growing importance in this year's presidential election and the campaign's strategy for winning the West. Register a user name and add your questions to the conversation in a new thread that will post at 10 a.m. sharp.
Posted at 07/16/2008 11:40:15 AM EST - #
Planned Parenthood's "Simple Question" (Jonathan Singer)
Posted at 07/16/2008 07:28:03 AM EST - #
Massive 2Q House Fundraising Roundup (HellofaSandwich)
Once again, the Swing State Project brings you the most comprehensive 2Q House fundraising round-up that you'll find anywhere.
Posted at 07/16/2008 03:51:26 AM EST - #
NARAL activists barred entry to McCain event (fbihop)
Posted at 07/15/2008 08:35:04 PM EST - #
VIDEO: Bee Slammed For Bush Fundraiser (Brandon English DCCC)
Despite inviting Bush to town for a fundraiser, Republican candidate Tim Bee (AZ-08) is trying to keep his distance from Mr. 19%. Here's how he describes himself in his latest TV ad:
Bee even claimed, "The President is coming to support me. I’m not hosting an event to support the President."
Right.
Posted at 07/15/2008 04:53:49 PM EST - #
LA-07: Lord Boustany (R) Shows His Colors (DailyKingFish)
This guy is unbelievable ... not only does he spend time with 30 lobbyists at his home, he attempts to buy a title of English nobility back in the day, AND he apparently only gets earmarks for wealthy donors.
Posted at 07/15/2008 04:02:19 PM EST - #
CA-04: Brown raises $357K in Q2 (dday)
And because his opponent, California's Alan Keyes, Tom McClintock, was in both a tough primary fight and has kept campaign accounts open for 2010 statewide races in case he loses, Charlie Brown has a 6:1 cash on hand advantage. Story here.
Posted at 07/15/2008 03:09:37 PM EST - #
NM-01: GOP Candidate Sued by NM Sports Legend (fbihop)
Darren White, the Republican candidate for the First Congressional District, is being sued by Indy racing legend Al Unser Sr. And yes, the Unser name is huge in New Mexico
Posted at 07/15/2008 03:00:38 PM EST - #
MN-Sen: Norm Coleman's record on transportation (MN Campaign Report)
To be fair, I report both sides of the story. Norm voted FOR an amendment to increase the obligation limitation for the Highway Trust Fund by $1 billion to repair aging bridges. (SENATE ROLL CALL VOTE 329) Of course, right after the I-35W bridge collapse, you'd hope he would finally start taking our safety more seriously than he did in 2003. The bottom line: Norm "W" Coleman has consistently voted against funding for transportation infrastructure.Read the whole entry -- latest in a darned good and well-researched series.
Posted at 07/15/2008 02:52:04 PM EST - #
Bipartisan House caucus to push for new transportation priorities (desmoinesdem)
They're not netroots heroes, but Ellen Tauscher (D, CA-10) and Tom Petri (R, WI-06) are forming a "Metropolitan Mobility Caucus" to push for worthwhile changes to federal transportation policies in the next highway bill. Bleeding Heartland has the "Dear Colleague" letter Tauscher and Petri are circulating, along with other links about the transportation system we need and an assessment of the presidential candidate who was best on transportation issues.
Posted at 07/15/2008 02:13:25 PM EST - #
Bronx DA Serves Criminal Subpoena On NY Blog (lipris)
An anonymous poster on a NY blog began criticizing the Bronx DA. The DA then had a grand jury issue a criminal subpoena to the admins seeking the IP addresses of that poster and others. The suubpoena threatened the admins with prosecution for revealing its existence under the guise of protecting an actual criminal investigation, though no such investigation appears to have ever existed.
Posted at 07/15/2008 08:21:58 AM EST - #
Obama Staffers Move In To Mississippi (cottonmouthblog)
Two Obama staffers arrived today in the capital city of Jackson to set up an Obama campaign office.
Posted at 07/14/2008 09:45:03 PM EST - #
Anti-Union Groups Advertising In Mississippi (cottonmouthblog)
The anti-union group Union Facts has two ads up. One broadly attacks union membership and another specifically targets card check. Cotton Mouth's response here.
Posted at 07/14/2008 09:43:38 PM EST - #
NE-Sen: Scott Kleeb Back On The Radar After Fundraising Victory (Skylewalker)
Tough polling numbers had some political observers already looking past Nebraska's 2008 Senate race, but netroots hero Scott Kleeb has pulled off a shocking fundraising victory over presumed Republican frontrunner Mike Johanns.
Early reports show Kleeb edging past Johanns for the quarter with almost $700,000 raised, winning some much-needed momentum and sending the message loud and clear that no one's conceding Nebraska's Senate seat to the former Bush cabinet member.
More on New Nebraska Network.
Posted at 07/14/2008 09:14:34 PM EST - #
OR-SEN: Merkley outraises Smith; grassroots & online money soars (karichisholm)
In the U.S. Senate race in Oregon, Jeff Merkley raised over $1.42 million in Q2, outpacing incumbent Gordon Smith's $1.35 million.
Factoids: Merkley raised over $420,000 online in Q2. Over 70% of Merkley's donations in Q2 were under $100. Merkley has now received donations from all 50 states, and 34 of Oregon's 36 counties (including 164 different towns in Oregon.)
More at BlueOregon. [Full disclosure: My firm built Jeff Merkley's website, but I speak only for myself.]
Posted at 07/14/2008 07:56:35 PM EST - #
