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| BLOG ARCHIVE: JANUARY 16-31, 2007. RE-RUNS;
KY FILINGS; OBAMA'S PLAN; BIDEN ANNOUNCES (AGAIN); FL TO SCRAP
TOUCHSCREENS. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. NH
NUMBERS; FRANKEN '08; MOORE, SCHILLING RESIST DRAFT; THE P2008
"OTHER GUYS." FREE
SPEECH ZONE. HUCKABEE
IN; JOE ASSERTS INDEPENDENCE; CHARLIE IN CHARGE. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. NEW
GORE BUZZ; EX-SEN CANDIDATES FIND NEW JOBS; TRACKIN' TESTER. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. KERRY
OUT; HOGWASH; DeLAY WEIGHS IN; MINIMUM WAGE HIKE HELD HOSTAGE
IN SENATE. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. EDWARDS,
GIULIANI LEAD IN IOWA; MI CD-7 UPDATE; GAY MARRIAGE BAN AMENDMENT
DEAD. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. MORE
ANTI-SURGE SENS; KY GOV NEWS; POLITICAL STORM; OBAMA ATTACK DEBUNKED. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. HILL
AND BILL JUMP IN; NATIONAL POLLS; HAGEL DODGES INDY Q; SAM FINISHED
EXPLORING. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. KY
GOV UPDATE; JINDAL LOOKS STRONG IN LA; FLORIDA PUSHES BACK. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. OBAMA
FILES; TANCREDO PASSES ... AND FILES; HRC-JRE FIGHT CONTINUES;
KEATING OUT. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. ALLARD
TO RETIRE; GORE STILL NOT RUNNING; OBAMA TO FILE PREZ EXPLORE
COMMITTEE. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. |
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all
considering comeback races for 2008, National Journal's Hotline
is out with an interesting stat. Of the "nearly 200"
rematch attempts run since 1998, only 10 were successful (and
six of those ten were in 2006) ... Statewide candidate filing
closed Tuesday in Kentucky. Embattled Governor Ernie Fletcher
(R) will face a very tough primary challenge from former Congresswoman
Anne Northup (R) and one other. On the Democratic side, seven
candidates filed -- including five major contenders: former Lieutenant
Governors Steve Beshear and Steve Henry, State Treasurer Jonathan
Miller, State House Speaker Jody Richards, and wealthy businessman
Bruce Lunsford. Attorney General Greg Stumbo filed as the Lieutenant
Governor candidate on Lunsford's ticket, former Secretary of State
John Y. Brown III is Richards' runningmate, '04 US Senate nominee
Dan Mongiardo is running with Beshear, and State House Minority
Leader Jeff Hoover is on Northup's ticket. 
against
the minimum wage increase. After threatening to table the wage
increase entirely and move on to floor debate on the Iraq War
if the delay tactics didn't end, GOP Senators caved. By a 87-10
vote, Senators invoked cloture and ended the filibuster ... US
Senator Barack Obama (D) announced his 
likely
New Hampshire Republican primary voters. The numbers: Rudy Giuliani
- 33%, John McCain - 32%, Mitt Romney - 21%, Others - 11%. On
the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton held a solid lead with 40%,
followed by Barack Obama at 25%, John Edwards at 23% and other
Dems with a combined total of 9% ... Liberal radio talk show host,
comic and author Al Franken (D-MN) announced on his Air America
show that he will give up his daily radio show in a few weeks
to explore a run next year against US Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN).
Congresswoman Betty McCollum and former State Senator Dean Johnson
are also mentioned as possible Dem candidates against Coleman
in 2008 ... Candidate filing for the 2007 statewide races in Kentucky
closes on Tuesday ... Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI) denied any
interest in running this year against Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett
(D), despite a buzz from those urging her to run. "She is
proud of Mayor Barrett and the job he is doing for the city of
Milwaukee ... The Congresswoman is delighted where she is right
now. She's in the majority. She'll have more power to serve the
interests of her district and bring more resources back to Milwaukee,"
said Moore's spokesperson ... Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling
(R) shot down any interest in running against US Senator John
Kerry in 2008. Instead, he's seeking a contract extension through
the 2008 season ... Who are Karl Krueger (D), Hugh Cort (R), Millie
Howard (R), Sal Mohamed (D), Michael Smith (R), and Dan Francis
(D)? They are among the many little-known but announced Presidential
hopefuls who have already filed with the FEC to run in 2008. You
can find all of them on our 
US
Senator Joe Lieberman (Ind.Dem-CT) said he may not support the
Dem nominee for President in 2008. "I'm going to do what
most independents and a lot of Democrats and Republicans in America
do, which is to take a look at all the candidates and then in
the end, regardless of party, decide who I think will be best
for the future of our country. So I'm open to supporting a Democrat,
Republican or even an Independent, if there's a strong one ...
I am genuinely an independent. I agree more often than not with
Democrats on domestic policy. I agree more often than not with
Republicans on foreign and defense policy," he explained
... In Florida, Governor 
Charlie
Crist (R) was able this weekend to wrest control of the Florida
Republican Party away from Jeb Bush loyalists and into the hands
of his close allies. Crist ran little-known Oviedo City Commissioner
Jim Greer for state chair -- against two-term incumbent State
Chair Carole Jean Jordan, a Bush loyalist -- and won by a 102-89
vote. "Change is good," said Crist. Since taking office
a few weeks ago, Crist has replaced many conservative Bush loyalists
with GOP centrists more aligned with Crist's outlook. One of those
replaced was Allan Bense, the immediate past Florida House Speaker
and a close Bush ally. The Miami Herald reported Crist's
demand for storm insurance reform and state-mandated lower insurance
rates "forced [GOP legislative leaders] to become more consumer-friendly
and turn away from the business interests favored by" Bush.
"Jeb Bush is probably not a happy camper right now. Charlie
Crist led us to a place where none of us wanted to go
... but we're in a [insurance] crisis situation,"
said State Representative David Rivera (R). A leading State House
Democrat -- who helped push Crist's insurance package to passage
in last week's special session -- told Politics1 that "Charlie
is the best Democratic Governor we've had since LeRoy Collins."
Al
Gore will eventually jump into the 2008 White House race. "He's
going to run, and he's going to be formidable. If he didn't run,
I'd be shocked," he told Rolling Stone ...
The Illinois Green Party is now an officially recognized party
in the eyes of the state officials, meaning the party now has
automatic ballot status for all races in the state. They owe this
new status to the 2006 gubernatorial candidacy of attorney Rich
Whitney, who finished with 10% ... Former Maryland Lieutenant
Governor and '06 US Senate nominee Michael Steele (R) is the new
head of GOPAC, the Republican PAC the gained prominence under
Newt Gingrich's leadership in the 1980s. Also, former Congressman
and '06 US Senate nominee Harold Ford Jr. (D-TN) was officially
named the new leader of the DLC ... US Senator Jon Tester (D-MT)
has kept an unusual promise he made on the campaign trail. As
promised, Tester posts his complete daily schedules into an online
archive on his Senate website so constituents will know of everyone
he meets with. The schedule even has his personal information
like dinners with the family and workout time in the Senate gym.
He even listed a hallway "hello" he had with a group
of beer industry lobbyists. Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
also posts her daily schedule on her government website, but unlike
Tester she does not archive past days.
make
a second run for President in 2008. "I've concluded this
is not the time for me to mount a Presidential campaign, but to
put my energy into working with the majority of the Senate ...
[to] change the policy in Iraq that threatens all that I have
fought for since I came home from Vietnam," said Kerry. Although
he was sitting on millions in cash left unspent from the 2004
race, recent polls were not kind to Kerry. He lagged in the single
digits and his awkward joke -- seen as anti-soldier -- on the
eve the 2006 elections seemed to seal his fate. Instead, Kerry
plans to seek re-election in 
2008.
With no significant opposition likely, Kerry is a safe bet to
win another term ... In an appearance on CNN, Vice President Dick
Cheney dismissed as "hogwash" the suggestion that Bush
Administration blunders and failures in Iraq have caused Congressional
Republicans to question the White House's credibility ... Former
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) was rather critical of
former Speaker Denny Hastert (R-IL) for endorsing Mitt Romney
for President this week. "I'm a little surprised that Hastert
endorsed this early. It's not usually what Denny does -- he's
usually very methodical and thinks through," said DeLay to
The Hill. Part of DeLay's annoyance seems to be his distrust
of Romney as a phony conservative. "Both [Huckabee] and Brownback
are fiscal and cultural conservatives and they believe it down
to the depths of their souls," he explained ... Senate Republicans
are filibustering to block the Democratic bill to raise the minimum
wage. The bill passed by a solid margin with bipartisan support
in the House. The Republicans are holding the bill hostage in
exchange for getting a tax cut for businesses. Dems attempted
to invoke cloture to end the filibuster, but fell six votes short
on the first try Wednesday.
former
US Senator John Edwards leads the field with 25%, followed by
US Senator Barack Obama at 17%, former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack
at 15%, US Senator Hillary Clinton at 12%, US Senator Joe Biden
at 4% and the rest even further behind. On the GOP side, former
NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani was first with 25%, US Senator John McCain
had 21%, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was third with 13%,
former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney had 8%, US Senator Chuck
Hagel had 7%, and all the others were at 2% or less apiece. When
Republicans were asked if President Bush is "a conservative
Republican in the mode of Ronald Reagan," only 11% agreed
... Former Vice President Al Gore said he was "thrilled"
with the two Oscar nominations announced Tuesday for his Inconvenient
Truth documentary on global warming ... According to the Detroit
News, social conservative freshman Congressman Tim Walberg
(R) may face a rematch in 2008 from the man he ousted in last
year's primary. Former Congressman Joe Schwarz (R) promises to
make a decision on the race within six months. "Tim Walberg
will be an ineffective back bench-bencher," one close Schwarz
political associate told the newspaper. It would be the third
contest between the two men, as Schwartz 
defeated
Walberg for the open seat in 2004. National Journal's Hotline,
meanwhile, reports there is also a lot of buzz in Michigan that
Schwarz may make the rematch run in '08 as a Democrat ... Primary
sponsors US Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO) and Congresswoman Marilyn
Musgrave (R-CO) told reporters this week they are giving up on
their attempts to revive a proposed constitutional amendment to
ban gay marriage. "If we thought there was a decent chance
to bring it to the floor for debate, I would, but with the new
Congress, I'm not sure we will ever have that opportunity,"
Allard told the Pueblo Colorado Chieftain. Musgrave's spokesperson
said she does not even intend to reintroduce the amendment. It
was voted down in 2004 and 2006 in politically motivated congressional
floor votes planned by the Republican Leadership to occur in the
lead-up to Election Day.
Monday
saying US Senators Arlen Spector (R-PA) and John Sununu (R-NH)
were opposed to Bush's troop "surge" plans for Iraq
... In Kentucky, US Senator Jim Bunning (R) endorsed former Congresswoman
Anne Northup on Monday in her primary challenge to Governor Ernie
Fletcher (R). Also, former Lieutenant Governor Steve Henry (D)
and State House Speaker Jody Richards (D) will both announce gubernatorial
candidacies this week. Richards' runningmate will be former Secretary
of State John Y. Brown III ... Speaking in New York over the weekend,
former FEMA Director Michael Brown said the White House played
"disgusting" partisan politics in the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina in 2005. Brown said he recommended the President federalize
all 90,000 square miles along the Gulf Coast impacted by the hurricane.
In response, Brown explained, "certain people in the White
House were thinking, 'We had to federalize Louisiana because she's
a white, female Democratic governor, and we have a chance to rub
her nose in it. We can't do it to [Mississippi Governor] Haley
[Barbour] because Haley's a white male Republican Governor, and
we can't do a thing to him. So we're just gonna federalize Louisiana.'"
A White House spokesman was quick to respond: "It is unfortunate
that Mike Brown is still hurling false statements about the events
surrounding
Hurricane Katrina." Governor Blanco had a different reaction:
"Karl Rove was playing politics while our people were dying.
The federal effort was delayed, and now the public knows why"
... CNN reported Monday that the conservative Insight Magazine
article which claimed US Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) was educated
in Indonesia at a radical Muslim madrassa school was false.
Fox News and others also repeated the false allegation from the
Insight story. Rather than rely on second-hand info, CNN
sent a reporter to find the school and former classmates. Obama
briefly lived in Indonesia as a child and attended the school
in 1969-71. It turns out the school Obama attended was a regular
"mixed" public school not involving any religious teachings.
Insight -- which says it is sticking with their report
-- attributed the original allegations to an "unnamed source
... connected to Senator Clinton." The Clinton campaign denied
any involvement. CNN noted the school was not even a Wahhabi Muslim
school, as the students were Muslim, Christian, Buddhist and Confucian
and the teacher's wear traditional Western-style clothes. Obama's
campaign said the Insight article was "appallingly irresponsible."
said
"I'm in it to win" and vows to make history as our first
female President. She describes her campaign as "a conversation
about the future of our country." Her dominance is easy felt
in the Dem field, as most of the other candidates frequently describe
themselves as the one who will emerge as the "viable alternative"
to Clinton. She also launched her new 
Richardson.
He also immediately launched his new 
Senate
race. Hickenlooper's decision essentially clears the primary field
for Congressman Mark Udall (D). Meanwhile, US Senator Wayne Allard
(R) said Tuesday he will not endorse any candidate for the GOP
nomination until after the Republican primary ... Former US Senator
John Edwards (D), speaking Sunday in Harlem at a MLK Day event,
attacked unnamed Democratic members of Congress for lacking the
courage to forcefully oppose the Iraq War and the proposed escallation.
A spokesperson for US Senator Hillary Clinton (D) -- believing
the shot was aimed at her -- complained that Edwards "has
unfortunately chosen to open his campaign with political attacks
on Democrats who are fighting the Bush administration's Iraq policy."
Edwards fired back again: "I stand behind it. We should not
be escalating this war. And I hope that member of Congress will
have the good conscience and the good sense to show strength."
Clinton, unlike Edwards, has failed to repudiate her earlier support
for the war or take a strong stance 
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