Democracy and Elections

Covering election theft, voting rights, money and politics, and political reform.

Porn Star Stormy Daniels Is One Step Closer to Taking on Conservative Blowhard David Vitter
Posted by Isaac Fitzgerald, AlterNet on May 22, 2009 at 11:48 AM.

As Max Blumenthal reported back in February, porn star Stormy Daniels of has been considering a run against Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter in 2010. Despite Vitter's tendency to herald conservative "values," the Senator drew some unwanted national attention in 2007 when his phone number was found in the records of a notorious D.C. madam. Daniels, urged on by fans, went on a listening tour earlier this month and spoke with MSNBC about her plans:

Well, yesterday brought us one step closer to one heck of an interesting primary in Louisiana. Stormy Daniels sent out the following press release, announcing the formation of an official exploratory committee:   

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Democrats Make Massive Gains as GOP Deteriorates
Posted by Thomas B. Edsall, Huffington Post on May 21, 2009 at 12:56 PM.

In seven short years, the American electorate has radically changed, as voters' priorities have shifted to the economy and away from such wedge issues as abortion and gay rights, as well as away from the threat of terrorism and from the war in Iraq, according to a comprehensive survey released Thursday morning by the Pew Research Center.

From 2002 to 2009, voters' partisan identification has moved from virtual parity -- 43 percent Republican and 43 percent Democratic at the height of George W. Bush's popularity in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 -- to a massive Democratic advantage today of 53 to 36, a 17 percentage point split, by far the largest difference in the past two decades.

The Pew survey is a testament to the miscalculations of the Bush administration and of the Republican leadership in Congress. The two were handed an extraordinary opportunity to build on an outpouring of public support in the wake of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Instead, those chances to revive a Republican majority were squandered on a mismanaged invasion of Iraq and dissipated by ill-advised culture war offensives, as well as by disclosure of corrupt lobbying and spending scandals in Congress under Republican rule.

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Pressure Mounts on Minnesota Governor to Seat Al Franken
Posted by Sam Stein, Huffington Post on May 20, 2009 at 8:28 AM.

DNC Chairman Tim Kaine penned a letter to Tim Pawlenty on Tuesday, asking the Minnesota Governor to persuade Norm Coleman to concede and, short of that, sign the certification of Al Franken's election once the state's Supreme Court makes its final ruling.

The letter is the latest in a growing effort to ramp up the pressure on the governor - and Republican Party as a whole - to seat Franken, as the Minnesota Senate race drags on more than six months since the actual election. In his note, Kaine claims it is "all but indisputable" that Franken won the election and urges Pawlenty to "use [his] influence to bring this process to an end by asking Norm Coleman to allow his neighbors and yours, their full representation in Congress."

"However," Kaine adds, "if Mr. Coleman refuses to concede and this case is heard and decided by the Minnesota State Supreme Court, I urge you to commit to signing an election certificate for the rightful winner as soon as the Court issues a ruling in this case. To allow this to process to continue into the federal courts for no other reason than to deny for as long as possible the seating of another Democratic Senator would make what has been a bad situation for Minnesotans even worse. I urge you to do everything within your power and influence to bring this process to an end."

The political demands for Pawlenty to intervene in Minnesota's lengthy recount process have, indeed, been mounting. As Kaine notes in his letter, two-thirds of Minnesotans now "believe it's time for [Coleman] to concede." The governor himself, meanwhile, is facing new polls showing that 55 percent of his constituents disapprove of his job performance. And while officials inside the state generally believe these numbers to be a bit overstated, the highest Democrats in Minnesota are in agreement that if the Supreme Court declines Coleman's appeal in the next few weeks, Pawlenty is in a tight bind.

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GOP Civil War: Gov. Charlie Crist Furthers the Republican Divide
Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly on May 13, 2009 at 3:23 PM.

When Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) announced yesterday that he's running for the Senate next year, the Republican Party started feeling pretty good for a change. Crist, who enters the race as a favorite, gives the GOP a fairly good chance at keeping a key Senate seat, and sends a larger signal about relative moderates still feeling welcome in the party.

The party's activist base, however, has a far different take.

Uh oh -- the conservative backlash against the national GOP for its endorsement of moderate, stimulus-supporting Governor Charlie Crist in the GOP primary continues apace.

Top right wing blogger Erick Erickson of RedState.com is now calling for conservatives to stop giving money to the NRSC over the endorsement of Crist, who is running against conservative former House Speaker Mark Rubio.

Erickson denounced the NRSC's decision to endorse Crist as "wholly unacceptable," adding: "If the NRSC thinks this is smart, we must not waste our time or energy with them. Join me in pledging no money, no help, no aid, and no support for the NRSC's efforts in the 2010 election cycle."

In an apparent reference to rumors surrounding the Florida governor's personal life, Erickson later tweeted that NRSC support for Crist "will blow up in their face big time when the salacious stuff comes out."

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Stephen Colbert Slams the GOP's Lackluster Attempts at Change
Posted by Alex Leo, Huffington Post on May 13, 2009 at 11:02 AM.

In the last election the GOP lost seven governorships, both houses of Congress and the White House. It's pretty clear they need to take a hard look at their core values and leadership, right? WRONG. "The GOP needs to make painful, soul-searching, superficial changes to their image without altering anything inside," according to Stephen Colbert. Something tells us Michael "Off The Hook" Steele would agree.

Last night, Colbert gave the GOP a plethora of valuable advice on strategies that are sure to win over the American public like changing their name to Twitter, or making their logo the cockroach instead of the elephant. Frankly, none of these suggestions sound any more ludicrous than letting Joe the Plumber speak for you.

[View the video after the flip]

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Is Dick Cheney Running for President in 2012?
Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly on May 12, 2009 at 2:03 PM.

What's that line? How can we miss you if you won't go away?

Just a few days ago, Dick Cheney explained his belief that it's time for some of the older establishment Republican voices to exit the stage. "I think periodically we have to go through one these sessions. It helps clear away some of the underbrush," the former vice president said, adding, "Some of the older folks who've been around a long time -- like yours truly -- need to move on and make room for that young talent that's coming along."

Two days later, he appeared on "Face the Nation." Next week, he's delivering a speech on national security at a Washington think tank.

Amid claims that the interrogation methods amount to torture and that those who approved them should be prosecuted or censured, it is clear that we know surprisingly little about the scope and efficacy of the Bush administration's national security policy. Many questions linger: What type of information did enhanced interrogation methods yield? Were lives saved as a result? Could that intelligence have been effectively collected by other means? How effective was the terrorist surveillance program in detecting the threat of al Qaeda and its operatives in the post-9/11 period? Will inhibiting these procedures cost more American lives?

On May 21, former vice president Dick Cheney will speak at AEI to address these critical issues and provide a blueprint for keeping America safe in the future.

It's all part of his plan to "move on and make room for that young talent that's coming along."

I'm not trying to start any rumors, but Cheney is certainly acting like a guy who plans to run for something. He's doing lots of media interviews, cultivating his connection with Limbaugh, attacking the president, lying about Democratic ideas, and giving at least one speech at a major conservative think tank about his vision for the future.

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Arlen Specter Would Have a Real Uphill Battle In a Democratic Primary
Posted by David Sirota, Open Left on May 7, 2009 at 4:12 PM.

DailyKos's new Research 2000 poll shows that 63 percent of Pennsylvania Democratic primary voters either definitely will vote against Arlen Specter in the Democratic primary, will consider voting against him, or don't know how they will vote. Those are incredibly weak numbers for a sitting senator. Indeed, you know they're weak when you consider that if you saw those kinds of primary numbers for a regular ol' senator who hadn't switched parties, and that senator had major candidates (including a sitting House member) considering a primary, the entire political Establishment would be calling that senator a political dead man walking.

Of course, most of the political Establishment in Washington, D.C. is saying the opposite - that Specter is basically unbeatable, even as major candidates like Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) and Joe Torsella are threatening a primary. As this poll shows, that pro-Specter wishful thinking is just that: wishful thinking.

Between Pennsylvania and Colorado, we could (and I stress could) have two major Democratic senate primaries on our hands that break down along ideological lines, that would be valuable movement-building vehicles, and that would help change the obstructionist dynamic in the U.S. Senate. It's pretty exciting.

Jon Stewart Investigates the 'Lost Party': Republicans
Posted by Alex Leo on May 6, 2009 at 8:41 AM.

They've been out of office for three months and already they're collapsing in on themselves like a hollowed-out wedding cake. Arlen Specter defected, President Obama's approval ratings are through the roof and everyone's wearing blue this season. Yes, Republicans have tried everything from an "off the hook" public relations offensive to handing the party over to a child, and are still losing ground to the Democrats.

Jon Stewart premiered a new segment last night that chronicles the Republican's woes and the possible solutions called "The Lost Party." Last night we watched as leaders of the GOP ate "local ethnic food in casual attire" proving their allegiance to the common man. Unfortunately, this make-over came with no new ideas.

Is Sarah Palin Violating Ethics Rules (Again)?
Posted by Amanda Terkel, Think Progress on May 4, 2009 at 10:42 AM.

There is currently a ballot initiative trying to gain support in Alaska that would bypass the state legislature and “forbid a girl under 18 from getting an abortion unless the doctor informed at least one of her parents beforehand.” The organizers’ goal is for Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell to certify the ballot language as legal, collect signatures, and get the initiative on the ballot for the August 2010 primary elections. Gov. Sarah Palin (R) has now come out and said that she plans to be the first in line to offer her signature:

“I got a preliminary opinion from Law (Department) just giving me a heads up that critics would certainly file an ethics charge against me if I were to sponsor an initiative. So though I maintain I have First Amendment rights just as any other citizen does, I won’t flirt with the notion of giving critics more ammunition to keep filing wasteful ethics charges against me, but instead I’ll volunteer to be the first signature,” Palin said.[...]

“I acknowledge the ‘new normal’ we’re dealing with today will no doubt see someone filing a charge against me anyway, for exercising my First Amendment rights as a citizen, but I will not hesitate to speak up in support of Alaska’s daughters,” she wrote.

State law says that a governor cannot spend money or “provide anything of value” to influence the outcome of a ballot measure unless the Legislature has appropriated money for that purpose.

Alaska election regulators are already investigating whether “Palin violated the law last summer when she said in response to a question at a state press conference that she would vote no on a controversial ballot measure to tighten limits on water pollution discharges from mines.”

'The Republican Party Is in Very Deep Trouble Right Now'
Posted by Melissa McEwan, Shakesville on May 4, 2009 at 3:54 AM.

Quote of the day:

"The Republican Party is in very deep trouble right now."—Former Republican Representative (and current Libertarian Party member) Bob Barr, in an interview with CNN yesterday. Barr also said "it's hard to 'overestimate the damage' that's been inflicted on the Republican Party—not only with this week's defection of Sen. Arlen Specter, but also the 'lack of any coherent philosophy, vision or leadership'."

GOP Begins Laying Out Campaign Against Obama's Court Pick
Posted by Sam Stein, Huffington Post on May 3, 2009 at 11:42 PM.

The framework of the forthcoming battle over Barack Obama's Supreme Court pick began to materialize on Sunday, as a range of Republican officials sent out trial-balloon criticisms of a pick that is likely weeks away from being announced.

Talk of a filibuster was not directly addressed or, for that matter, ruled out. Republicans on the talk show circuit repeatedly noted that Obama himself had voted against cloture on the nomination of Samuel Alito in late January 2006.

"Well, I'm not a payback type of guy," Sen. Richard Shelby declared during an appearance on CNN. "I think you have to keep moving. On the other hand, a lot of us were aware of then Senator Obama's votes against Alito and I believe against Roberts. But I think Obama has -- President Obama has got some strong cards to deal. I hope he makes a great choice for the court."

Generally, however, Republicans tried to duck discussion of holding up a Supreme Court nominee in committee or Senate - in the process, spurring speculation that they would do just that.

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Sen. Arlen Specter, the New Worst Democrat
Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly on May 3, 2009 at 12:14 PM.

When Sen. Arlen Specter announced that he's switching parties, there were press reports indicating that he told President Obama, "I'm a loyal Democrat. I support your agenda."

On "Meet the Press" this morning, David Gregory asked about health care, with this quote in mind. Specter's response was important.

GREGORY: It was reported this week that when you met with the president, you said, "I will be a loyal democrat. I support your agenda." Let me test that on probably one of the most important areas of his agenda, and that's health care. Would you support health care reform that puts up a government run public plan to compete with a private plan issued by a private insurance company?

SPECTER: No. And you misquote me, David. I did not say I would be a loyal Democrat. I did not say that. And last week, after I said I was changing parties, I voted against the budget because the budget has a way to pass health care with 51 votes, which undermines a basic Senate institution to require 60 votes to impose closure on key issues.... I did not say I am a loyal Democrat.

It's quite a start for Specter's career in Democratic politics, isn't it? In the four whole days he's been a Democrat, Specter has voted against the Democratic budget, rejected a Democratic measure to help prevent mortgage foreclosures and preserve home values, announced his opposition to the president's OLC nominee, and this morning rejected a key centerpiece of the Democratic health care plan.

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In Their Own Words: Why Dem Senators Screwed Homeowners
Posted by Ryan Grim, Huffington Post on May 1, 2009 at 12:50 PM.

Only 45 Senate Democrats voted Thursday to oppose the banking industry and pass legislation aimed at stemming foreclosures. The bill would have allowed bankruptcy judges to allow homeowners who met strict conditions to renegotiate mortgages -- a process known as cramdown. It would have only applied to mortgages entered into before 2009.

Earlier in the week, the measure's lead proponent, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), concluded that banks "frankly own the place."

Of course, the 11 Democrats who voted "no" have a more charitable view of their own motivations. So we asked them what their reasoning was. In their own words, here is how (those we could find) explained their vote:

Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.): "A number of things. I thought the 31 percent is an arbitrary number. I think there are a whole lot of folks, are likely folks, out there who have little debt outside their home who could -- I just thought it was an arbitrary number and I didn't like the way it was constructed."

Dorgan is referring to the percentage of a person's income that a judge could determine should be dedicated to paying the monthly mortgage. The figure is roughly in line with what financial analysts agree is appropriate.

Is Durbin right? Do banks own the Senate?

"I don't know who he's speaking about," said Dorgan. "He worked on this for a long, long time. And I wish they would have found a way to reach an agreement that would have allowed the legislation to get through...I don't know the context of which he said that."

Is the bill totally finished? "I don't know. I think I wish they had found some middle ground by which they could have moved a piece of legislation. They didn't do that. And you know, this legislation went well beyond subprime, as you know."

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Steele Takes GOP Talking Points Off the Table
Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly on April 30, 2009 at 10:02 AM.

One of the more common concerns voiced by conservatives, especially at the recent "Tea Parties," relates to bailouts. Republicans on the Hill have tried to pick up on this, and distance the party from the practice.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele decided to step on his party's message quite a bit this morning.

Michael Steele says the GOP would be "disingenuous" if it blamed Democrats for poor economic performance, since Republicans started the bailout process in the first place.

"Look, we can't go back out and start pointing fingers at Democrats and saying, 'Look how bad they're performing, look at what they're doing with the economy,' when we jumpstarted this thing," Steele said on MSNBC's Morning Joe. "We were the ones that put the $700 billion on the table and said, 'All right, let's start nationalizing the banking system.'"

Added Steele, "So now, for us to stand back and go, 'Oh, that's a bad thing to do' is disingenuous."

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Limbaugh to Specter: Take McCain and His Daughter With You
Posted by Sam Stein, Huffington Post on April 29, 2009 at 4:27 AM.

Reaction from top GOP officials to the defection of Sen. Arlen Specter has been decidedly mixed. The less orthodox are interpreting the news as a validation of their biggest concerns, while the dyed-in-the-wool types wave 'good riddance.'

Acid-tongued conservatives have long viewed Specter as an Independent or even a Democrat in GOP clothing. And so when the Pennsylvania Republican announced that the R after his name would be changed to a D, the response was to celebrate the purge of moderation.

"A lot of people said, well Specter, take McCain with you, and his daughter. Take McCain and his daughter with you," talk show host Rush Limbaugh declared during the early hour of his Tuesday program.

"Let's be honest," read a statement from RNC Chairman Michael Steele. "Senator Specter didn't leave the GOP based on principles of any kind. He left to further his personal political interests because he knew that he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record."

The 'screw Specter' mentality seems expected for a party that, already on its heels, now likely faces filibuster-proof minority status in the Senate. But the more open-minded within the GOP see the reactions of Steele and Limbaugh as reflective of why Specter left the party in the first place.

"This is a sad day for the GOP," Michael Smerconish, a longtime conservative radio host in Philadelphia, told the Huffington Post. "He is what the party needed to be. They need to cultivate more Specters instead of deriding him as a RINO [Republican In Name Only].... The fact that Michael Steele is deriding him for his left wing record is just the same type of bullshit of playing to the base."

Pointing to a Washington Post poll that showed only 21 percent of voters identify themselves as Republicans, Smerconish concluded: "I think the number is down to 20 percent."

Meanwhile Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, one of the few remaining moderate Republicans in the Senate, told the Huffington Post Tuesday that Specter's abandonment of the GOP is "devastating," both "personally and I think for the party."

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