Category Archives: Politics

Political Circus: McCain vs. Seacrest

Posted on November 5, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

Washington (CNN) — Politics is serious business — but not all of the time. From the halls of Congress to the campaign trail, there’s always something that gets a laugh. Here are some of the things you might have missed.

Fightin’ words

Radio host/jack-of-all-trades Ryan Seacrest lashed out on his website at Meghan McCain after she criticized President Obama’s decision to appear on Seacrest’s show before Tuesday’s election.

Seacrest fought back on his nationally syndicated radio show. “She thinks ["On Air with Ryan Seacrest"] is just lowbrow,” he said. “I just want to be clear — it is the lowbrow show she wanted to be on twice to come promote her stuff.”

As he says on “American Idol” — Seacrest out.

Like a scene from ‘Gone with the Wind’

From Friday’s White House pool report from political website The Daily Caller: “At 9:48 POTUS and FLOTUS exited the south Portico and boarded Marine One. POTUS wore no coat over his suit, but FLOTUS wore a fashionable tan or light brown coat. POTUS put his hand on FLOTUS’ back as they walked and looked over at her, appearing to say something. And with that, the first couple was off for southeast Asia.” (The abbreviations stand for “president of the United States” and “first lady of the United States.”)

Watch where you put that hatchet

Former Delaware Senate rivals Chris Coons and Christine O’Donnell took part Thursday in a time-honored tradition in the state by burying the hatchet — literally, The Delaware News Journal reports.

Time to make the coffee

The New York Daily News reports on former President George W. Bush’s daily ritual since leaving the White House, saying his “internal alarm clock” makes him wake up before 5 a.m. And he’s taken on a more domestic role by making coffee for his wife, Laura. When outside, it’s all adventure: “He hits dirt-bike trails around Dallas regularly.”

First chef of New York?

New York governor-elect Andrew Cuomo’s girlfriend — cooking sensation Sandra Lee — won’t be taking on the title of first lady or any official duties, the Daily News reports. Cuomo’s staff says Lee “would never expect any taxpayer dollar to support the contributions she makes nor would she want to burden the state in any way.”

Notable quotable

“Tuesday night, voters completely rejected the efforts of a charismatic African-American. … Rick Fox is off ‘Dancing with the Stars.’” — NBC’s Jay Leno

The picture you need to see

From Getty Images: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton receives a Hongi (Maori greeting) during a welcome ceremony at New Zealand’s Parliament on Thursday.

Headline of the day

From Reuters:“Putin to Bush: My dog bigger than yours”

Late-night laughs

David Letterman: “[Sarah Palin] says she wants limited government. … Does she mean fewer elected officials? Or few elected officials who will resign in the middle of their term? I think limited government will be perfect for her limited abilities.”

Jon Stewart mocking the White House press corps: “Uh, Mr. President, Tom Patterson, UPI. Do you suck? Quick follow-up: do you suck so bad you don’t even know how sucky you are? I would like your answer in the form of ‘you suck.’”

Jimmy Fallon: “In his new book, George W. Bush says he considered dropping Dick Cheney from the 2004 ticket because he wanted to demonstrate he was in charge — not Cheney. But then Cheney nixed the idea, so it went back to normal. He didn’t do it.”

Political Circus: McCain vs. Seacrest

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Tagged clinton, cnn, coffee, congress, dallas, news, Politics, tan, Video, white house

Murkowski’s fate: High stakes ‘spelling bee’

Posted on November 4, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

(CNN) — An unyielding and exuberant Sen. Lisa Murkowski thanked her supporters on election night as she appeared headed to a once-improbable victory in Alaska’s Senate contest.

Just two months ago, the incumbent Republican conceded her party’s primary to little-known Tea Party-backed Joe Miller. Shortly after, Murkowski dove into the middle of Republican infighting by launching a write-in bid to retain her seat.

Party leaders criticized her decision. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who endorsed Miller, called Murkowski’s revived campaign “a futile effort on her part.” The last U.S. senator to win on a write-in campaign was Strom Thurmond in 1954.

“They said it couldn’t be done,” Murkowski told CNN as the results came in late Tuesday. “We looked at that, and we said if it can be done anywhere, it can be done in Alaska, and let’s prove the rest of the country wrong.”

Aware of the intricacies of a write-in win, Murkowski cautioned that “we’re not done yet. There’s still a lot out more there; we know that.”

Alaska counts write-in ballots

Ballot count to determine Alaska race

Cold victory walk an Alaskan tradition

Murkowski: We are not done yet

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The votes for write-in candidates outnumbered those for both Miller and Scott McAdams, the Democratic candidate.

But the outcome of the general election might not be known for days because officials need to determine which write-in votes actually went to Murkowski.

She was one of 161 people who filed the paperwork necessary to qualify as a write-in candidate, according to the Alaska Division of Elections.

As of Wednesday night, with 78 percent of precincts reporting, the write-in candidates were leading the pack with 41 percent of the vote. Miller had 34 percent, and McAdams trailed with 24 percent.

CNN has projected that the Democratic candidate will finish in third place but has not yet called the race for Murkowski or Miller.

Despite Murkowski’s excitement, Miller’s campaign remained optimistic Wednesday, saying, “This campaign is not over!”

“Previous write-in campaigns in Alaska have demonstrated that as much as 5 [percent] to 6 percent of returned ballots have not met the standard to be counted as a valid vote,” the campaign said in a statement.

“Candidates who mount a write-in campaign opt for an uphill battle. At this point, without a single write-in ballot counted, Lisa Murkowski has no claim on a victory.”

Another fellow Alaskan running as a write-in is Lisa M. Lackey, whose presence on the ballot may complicate things for Murkowski.

Under state law, for a write-in vote to be valid, the name written on the ballot must match the name as it is listed on the write-in candidate’s declaration of candidacy. In Murkowski’s case, the law requires her supporters to write “Lisa Murkowski” or “Murkowski” for the vote to be counted.

However, in the event a voter misspells or abbreviates a candidate’s name, such as “Lisa M.” instead of “Lisa Murkowski,” the Division of Elections would determine the voter’s intent “on a case-by-case basis,” according to division director Gail Fenumiai.

With two potential “Lisa M’s” as write-in candidates, determining the intent of a voter who writes in “Lisa M.” on his or her ballot would be much more difficult.

Matt Felling, an anchor for KTVA-TV in Anchorage, said the race could prove to be the “highest stakes spelling bee in American political history.”

“Now we are going to find out how many people can put nine letters together that somewhat resemble Murkowski,” he told CNN.

Miller’s campaign blasted the Division of Elections’ standards as “extraordinarily ambiguous.”

On election nights, the Division of Elections tabulates the total number of write-in votes cast — not a breakdown by candidate.

The Division of Elections only calculates the number of write-in votes for specific candidates if the total number of write-in votes cast is more than the number of votes received for any candidate, or if the total number of write-in votes comes in a close second to the top vote-getter.

Before the Division of Elections can start tabulating the write-in votes for specific candidates, all of the ballots cast have to be counted, including absentee ballots, early votes and questioned ballots.

The lieutenant governor’s office and the Division of Elections plan to count all absentee ballots next Tuesday and move on to the hand count of the write-in votes the following day. The count of the write-in ballots is expected to take about three days.

The count was moved up from the original date of November 18 to provide election results in “a timely manner,” according to Renee Limoge, spokeswoman for Alaska Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell.

Miller told CNN he would challenge the decision to count the votes earlier than planned. He also said that as of Wednesday, he had not heard from the national GOP, which backed his candidacy.

Murkowski said she intends to caucus with the Republicans should she return to the Senate.

“I’m not my party’s nominee, but I am a Republican,” she said.

With a victory, Murkowski would avenge her August primary loss to Miller in the latest chapter of a feud with his main backers and her long-standing tension with Palin.

Murkowski was first appointed to her post by her father, then-Gov. Frank Murkowski in 2002. Palin defeated him in the 2006 GOP gubernatorial primary.

CNN’s Drew Griffin, Jason Hanna and Robert Yoon contributed to this report.

Murkowski’s fate: High stakes ‘spelling bee’

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A long, nasty campaign comes to an end

Posted on November 1, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

Washington (CNN) — No more robocalls interrupting dinner or angry campaign ads at every TV break — the most expensive mid-term elections in history finally take place Tuesday, when voters decide who goes to Congress and governors’ offices.

Polls indicate a dissatisfied electorate may clean house — literally — by tossing out the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives and possibly doing the same in the Senate.

With all predictions, including those of Democrats, signaling Republican gains, the election is considered a referendum on both the Democratic-controlled Congress and President Barack Obama’s first two years in office.

Losses by the governing party are common in the first mid-term election it faces, but the shift Tuesday could rival or match historic levels dating back decades.

Unemployment of 9.6 percent amid a slow recovery from economic recession has been the dominant issue, with Republicans accusing Obama and Democrats of pushing through expensive policies that have expanded government without solving the problem.

Obama has led Democrats in defending his record, saying steps such as the economic stimulus bill and auto industry bailout were necessary to prevent a depression, while health care reform and Wall Street reform will lay the foundation for sustainable future growth.

As voting day approached, voter anger appeared to tune out the Democratic arguments. Conservative groups and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce funded attack ads that skewered increased spending under Obama and the health care reform bill he championed, while labor unions and traditional Democratic donors backed messaging that warned a GOP victory would bring back Republican deregulation and policies that caused the recession.

The long and bitter campaign season will cost more than $3.5 billion to be the most expensive non-presidential vote ever, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Republicans need to win an additional 39 seats to claim the House majority, and 10 more Senate seats to overtake Democrats there.

With around 100 of the 435 House seats at stake considered “in play,” or competitive, the anti-Democratic mood is predicted to result in big Republican gains.

Video: Does Tea Party help or hurt GOP?

Video: Van Hollen: Pundits will be proven wrong

Video: GOP targets Democrats in New York

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On the Senate side, where 37 of the 100 seats are being contested, the majority will be decided by key races in Nevada, Washington and a few other states where Democratic incumbents face strong challenges.

A new national poll released Monday showed the number of Americans who say things are going badly in the country, at 75 percent, is higher than it has been on the eve of any mid-term election since the question was first asked in the mid-1970s.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey also indicates that the economy remains, by far, the top issue on the minds of Americans, more than all other major issues combined, including terrorism, health care, illegal immigrants and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In addition, the rise of the conservative Tea Party movement has added a new element to the election cycle, roiling Republican races by boosting little-known and inexperienced candidates to victory over mainstream figures in primaries across the country.

Tuesday’s vote will show how many of the so-called Tea Party candidates can win in a general election, but no matter the final tally, the result is expected to shift the Republican agenda to the right.

That means little chance of compromise or bipartisan approaches on major issues, observers warn.

Ron Bonjean, a Republican strategist who worked for the last Republican House speaker, Dennis Hastert, put it bluntly: “It’s been a hostile atmosphere, but it will be hostile on nitroglycerin.”

Ohio Republican Rep. John Boehner will be the new House speaker if the GOP wins control of the chamber. He already has signaled little appetite to negotiate with the White House or congressional Democrats, saying last week that “this is not a time for compromise.”

Boehner and other conservatives say the top priorities must be spending cuts to try to balance the budget and job creation to spur the economy. However, they also advocate extending Bush-era tax cuts for everyone at a cost of $4 trillion over the next decade.

In the Senate, legislative gridlock is likely if Republicans strengthen their current minority of 41 seats. Obama and Democrats accuse Senate Republicans of using obstruction tactics as a political tool, showing the distrust and animosity that already exists.

Democrats are also wary of a recent comment by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who told the National Journal, “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.”

The first test of a new relationship will come in mid-November when Congress convenes a post-election lame-duck session to try to clear unfinished legislation before the newly elected Congress convenes in January. Among other issues, lawmakers must decide whether and how to extend Bush-era tax cuts.

Voters on Tuesday also will decide governors’ races in 37 of the 50 states, with the outcome potentially having an influence on redistricting based on the results of the 2010 census.

Every 10 years, the states redraw House district lines to reflect population shifts. Some states gain more House seats due to population growth, while others lose seats due to declines.

In most cases, state legislatures draw the lines and governors have the power to approve or veto that map. Governors also can influence whether any loss or gain of seats in their state involves districts represented by Republicans or Democrats.

The list of states that will gain or lose seats is released in December. However, Election Data Services issued estimates based on preliminary census figures that indicated Texas will gain four seats, Florida will gain two, and Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah and Washington will each gain one, while Ohio and New York will lose two seats, and Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey and Pennsylvania will each lose one.

CNN’s Ted Barrett, Deirdre Walsh, Paul Steinhauser and Jessica Yellin contributed to this report.

A long, nasty campaign comes to an end

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Campaign Circus: Hating Sarah Palin is genetic?

Posted on October 30, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

Washington (CNN) — As Election Day gets closer, the rhetoric gets more intense, interesting and, shall we say, passionate. Here are some things you might have missed.

Blame it on biology

Researchers at the University of California and Harvard University say there’s a genetic reason why some people just can’t stand former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

Between a Reid and a hard place

The New York Times reports that Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer — the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate — is finding himself in an “excruciatingly delicate position” as he works to keep Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in office, while at the same time, weighing his own political ambitions.

After all, if Reid loses to Republican Sharron Angle and Democrats keep control of the Senate, Schumer is widely believed to be next in line.

Let the knives do the voting

AOL News wanted to find out if champion knife-thrower David Adamovich, known as “The Great Throwdini,” could predict upcoming election races by throwing knives at candidates’ names on a spinning wheel. Adamovich, a self-identified conservative, made some interesting picks.

Dog-gone it, they don’t like me

Republicans, still upset at comedian Al Franken’s stunning win to Norm Coleman in Minnesota’s Senate race, are vowing to never let that happen again.

The Republican National Committee’s No More Frankens site asks for donations in order to “stand together in 2010, to ensure that there will be No More Frankens.”

Clowning around

Christine O’Donnell, the Tea Party-backed candidate for a Delaware Senate seat, has faced national scrutiny for campaign gaffes and controversial statements since jumping into the race. But she has taken it in stride and fought back hard each time. Perhaps she learned how to perform under pressure from her father, Daniel O’Donnell, an actor who once played Bozo the Clown.

Oh, Carl

Carl Paladino, the headline-grabbing Republican gubernatorial candidate in New York, is under fire for calling New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand “Schumer’s little girl” — a reference to her close friendship with the state’s senior senator, Chuck Schumer.

Waiting ’til the last minute

Rep. Michele Bachmann isn’t quite sure that Minority Leader John Boehner would make a great Speaker of the House if Republicans take back control after Election Day.

In a radio interview, the Minnesota Republican said she’d have to weigh all the candidates before her and would vote for Boehner if he were the only candidate running.

Photo of the day: What’s in my drink?

Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink seems a little unsure of taking a sip of her cafecito at a campaign stop at the Cuban Versailles restaurant Friday in Miami, Florida. Perhaps she got a text message warning her about it? Just joking. Check out the Getty Images photo.

Don’t mess with Biden’s hair

Comedian Jimmy Fallon took a cheap shot at Vice President Joe Biden’s hair last night, joking:

“During a campaign stop in New York this week Joe Biden said to a volunteer, ‘if I had your hair, I would have been president.’ In response the guy was like, ‘if I had your hair I wouldn’t bring up the subject of hair.’”

CNN’s Kristi Keck contributed to this report.

Campaign Circus: Hating Sarah Palin is genetic?

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Meek story shows Dems’ Senate fears

Posted on October 29, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

Washington (CNN) — The point that many people seem to be missing in the Florida Senate saga is that this whole mess actually has very little to do with Rep. Kendrick Meek or the Sunshine State — it’s all about a much broader fear among senior Democrats that they may be about to lose control of the chamber.

There are some fascinating inside details I’ve been able to piece together about how and why this Meek story exploded into the public.

In the words of one senior Democratic Party official, the Meek story came to a head because former President Bill Clinton “flew into a purple rage” about the Democratic candidate breaking a private pledge to him to get out of the Senate race and endorse independent candidate Charlie Crist.

But a source close to Clinton said he “never saw anything close” to rage from the former president, who is at peace with how this wound up.

“He always believed this was Meek’s decision,’ said the source close to Clinton.

As for the Obama adminstiration’s role in this, I’m told by senior Democratic officials that while White House aides were in the loop on the Clinton-Meek talks, they were not driving the conversation and were not lobbying Meek to go.

Video: Meek: I’m not dropping out

Video: Clinton sets record straight

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I’m also told that senior officials deliberately kept President Obama out of the loop on these behind-the-scenes conversations because they did not want to get him personally tainted by the Meek story. That came no doubt in part because they didn’t want it to blow up in his face like the botched attempt to get Joe Sestak out of the Democratic primary in the Pennsylvania Senate race so many months ago. (Clinton was the intermediary then, too).

But all the jockeying and horse-trading is really just a sideshow. The real story is how bad the broader electoral map has gotten for Democrats heading into the final weekend of this midterm election: Top Democratic officials privately say they believe they are going to lose the House, but as they survey the country they are getting increasingly worried they will also lose the Senate.

These Democratic officials tell me they’ve reviewed private polling numbers that suggest Sen. Patty Murray of Washington has a razor-thin lead of about two points over Republican Dino Rossi despite all kinds of help from the president and first lady Michelle Obama, among others.

They’re also deeply worried about whether Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada can beat Republican Sharron Angle, so suddenly the “firewall” out West to keep control of the Senate might be more like a crumbling brick wall.

These Democratic officials also say in private that they think Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin is likely to lose to Republican Ron Johnson and they’re worried enough about Obama’s old Senate seat that the president is heading home to Chicago, Illinois, on Saturday night for a rescue mission to again help Democratic candidate Alexi Giannoulias in his battle with Republican Mark Kirk.

Thanks to that awful landscape, Democratic officials made the brutal political calculation to try to toss Meek aside, because if Crist somehow beats Republican Marco Rubio in the three-way battle, he has indicated he will align himself with Democrats. A Crist victory would offset a potential loss in another state like Nevada or Wisconsin to help keep the Senate in the party’s hands.

“It’s got nothing to do with Florida,” one senior Democratic Party official told me about the story that’s rocked the state. “Except that if Kendrick was at 25 percent [in the polls] there may have been some sense that he was driving African-American votes that [Democratic gubernatorial candidate] Alex Sink couldn’t get on her own.”

Instead, Meek is stuck at 15 percent in the latest Quinnipiac University poll, a distant third place behind Rubio (42 percent) and Crist (35 percent). My sources say that given that grim political reality, several top Democrats have been privately encouraging Meek to step aside for the good of the party and Clinton was brought in as the “closer” to help seal the deal.

For several days over the last week or so, Clinton believed he had persuaded Meek to throw his support to Crist. I’m told that one of many scenarios had Crist and Meek joining up this past Tuesday at an event in Florida, but there was also another more dramatic scenario: The two candidates would shock the political world by getting together shortly after last Sunday morning’s CNN debate among the three candidates moderated by Candy Crowley.

But two people close to Meek persuaded him to reconsider: his wife and Rep. Alcee Hastings of Florida, both of whom made the case that he would upset his supporters, especially African-American voters who had already turned out in early voting, and jeopardize his career long-term.

At one point, Democratic officials say Meek went into “radio silence” mode, infuriating Clinton and others as they waited to see if the congressman would follow through on his private promise to get out of the race. When Meek finally emerged to tell party officials that he was staying in, Clinton was unhappy.

Shortly thereafter, the story was leaked to Politico, causing some chaos. The leak sent the message to the Democratic base that the party hierarchy does not believe that Meek can win, so the rank and file might prefer to vote for Crist instead of throwing their vote on Meek.

Top Republicans are laughing at this strategy and the broader Democratic claim that the Florida seat is still winnable for Crist. One said, “I think a fair question for the White House is this: What does it tell your Democratic base to see that senior party officials are willing to throw an incumbent African-American Democrat congressman under the bus in place of a former Republican who campaigned against the health care bill and on a pro-life platform?”

In fact, I asked top Democratic officials if it’s really worth it to try to push Meek out, even though the whole plan has now been exposed and it appears the congressman will not budge. The consensus was yes, it’s worth it simply because holding on to the Senate is the Democrat’s sole chance of keeping some power on Capitol Hill.

One senior official was particularly blunt in saying the goal among top Democrats now is to get Meek’s numbers even lower than 15 percent in the polls, perhaps even below 10 percent, in the hopes that he goes so low that Crist gets a surge of support and pulls out a comeback victory. But is this really worth the risk of dropping one of your own Democrats down below 10 percent?

“Who cares if Charlie Crist wins and he caucuses with Democrats?” this Democratic official said bluntly, adding that this strategy is critical “especially if we don’t hold on out West” in some of the other Senate battles.

In other words, time to tighten the seat belts. Tuesday might be even bumpier than expected.

Meek story shows Dems’ Senate fears

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Campaign circus: 12 months of GOP hunks

Posted on October 27, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

Washington (CNN) — As Election Day gets closer, the rhetoric gets more intense, interesting and, shall we say, passionate. Here are some things you might have missed.

It’s certainly not the FDNY calendar

Vanity Fair magazine has unveiled “Red Meat,” its official 2010-11 Republican Beefcake Calendar — House Minority Leader John Boehner in a Speedo-style bathing suit is a must see.

Whoopsie

The White House recently sent out a press release with a glaring error. The press shop misspelled first lady Michelle Obama’s name. On Wednesday, they sent a corrected press release to reporters.

This isn’t amateur night at The Apollo

California Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman was booed by an audience Tuesday night at a debate when she declined to end negative ads. Her opponent, Democrat Jerry Brown, accepted the challenge.

Here’s Johnny

“Daily Show” host Jon Stewart lambasted Republicans on his show Tuesday night for saying Washington is broken and needs “change,” without laying out specifics on how they will fix it.

He was especially tough on Sen. John McCain — using sound bytes of the Arizona Republican saying that the system is broken. “John McCain has always worked here and always will and he is the caretaker from ‘The Shining,’ ” said Stewart.

Move over, Zagat Guide

Former President Clinton, perhaps the most sought-after campaigner this year, is also the most sought-after diner. Restaurants around the world are using his visits to attract customers — and it’s working. A tip here: You might want to call ahead for the “Clinton Table” at the Bukhara restaurant in New Delhi, India.

A scary day for Democrats

“Tonight Show” host Jay Leno used Halloween to take a shot at Democrats, saying: “Of course this Sunday is Halloween — the scariest day of the year. Unless you’re Democrat and that’s next Tuesday that would be the scariest day of the year.”

I want a best friend

The New York Post reports that White House senior adviser David Axelrod is in the market for a dog and has been “begging his wife for a dog” since coming to Washington. The only problem? His wife, according to the paper, says he has to wait until he moves back home to Illinois.

Picture of the day: Her very own ‘Mini-Me’

Former first lady Laura Bush has something to cheer about in this picture from Getty Images: She received her bobble-head doll during California first lady Maria Shriver’s annual Women’s Conference on Tuesday.

Campaign circus: 12 months of GOP hunks

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Tagged democrats, election, images, picture, Politics, white, white house, women

Campaign Circus: Obama vs. his cousin in 2012?

Posted on October 26, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

Washington (CNN) — As Election Day gets closer, the rhetoric gets more intense, interesting and, shall we say, passionate. Here are some things you might have missed.

Obama’s cousin to take him on in 2012?

Don Cordell, an 83-year-old retired engineer from California, plans to run against President Obama in 2012. Cordell told AOL News that he is a distant cousin to 22 presidents — including George W. Bush, Obama and George Washington, to name a few.

Harry Reid the default option?

Nevadan Joyce Ferrara told CNN affiliate KVVU that when she went to vote, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s name was already selected. An election official claims there is no fraud.

‘He had me at hope and change’

The College Republican National Committee, in a new video entitled “Break Up,” says it wants to put an end to its relationship with President Obama. Wait — they’ve liked him this whole time?

Scooping the poop

Obama cut out of a fundraiser in Rhode Island on Monday night, according to the Provindence Journal, saying that he couldn’t stay for dinner because he had to “go home to tuck in the girls and walk the dog and scoop the poop.”

Say what?

Sean Bielat, the Republican taking on openly gay Democratic Rep. Barney Frank in Massachusetts, is under fire for telling the Boston Herald that gays and lesbians don’t have the right to serve in the military, just as short people don’t.

Picture of the day: He’s not having any of it

A police officer assigned to President Obama’s Moving America Forward rally at the University of Southern California appears to be having a bad day in a Getty Images photo of the rally.

Campaign Valley of the Dolls

Two well-publicized candidates — one known for her unique name (Krystal Ball) and the other for his Rent Is Too Damn High party (Jimmy McMillan) — have received a special honor, according to POLITICO.com: getting their own action figures made.

Reid staffer gone amid fake marriage revelation

A staffer for Reid no longer works for the senator, amid reports the staffer orchestrated a sham marriage in order to provide a Lebanese man with American citizenship, a spokesman for Reid said.

Campaign Circus: Obama vs. his cousin in 2012?

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Gay candidate a front-runner in House race

Posted on October 26, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

Washington (CNN) — In a year when Democrats are widely considered politically handicapped, openly gay House candidate David Cicilline has bucked the trend in his race to represent Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District.

Cicilline, the mayor of Providence, is up by double digits in the polls, holds a fundraising advantage against his competitor, Republican John Loughlin II, and has received a slew of endorsements.

And he has the help from the Democratic big guns. On Monday, President Obama stumped in the state for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, lending support for Cicilline, among others.

If elected, Cicilline, 49, would be one of four openly gay members of Congress — joining the ranks of Democratic Reps. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Jared Polis of Colorado (assuming they win their re-election bids).

Robin Brand, deputy executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, said her nonpartisan political action committee decided to endorse the mayor mainly because of his leadership track record.

Video: Democrat goes off on Obama

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“He had been a successful state legislator, successful mayor and really came out of the starting gate as the front-runner in this race,” Brand said. “He is a really strong campaigner.”

But he still has work to do, according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

The report deems the district “Lean Democrat.” It previously changed its ranking in September from “Likely Democrat” to “Lean Democrat” after Cicilline was forced to acknowledge that the city had “improperly given him pay raises as mayor between 2006 and 2009.”

It’s a point that Loughlin was able to capitalize on.

“David Cicilline illegally collected more than $20,000 in salary that he was not entitled to — and he only gave it back because he got caught,” Loughlin said at a press conference last week. “If we can’t trust him to watch our money in city hall, how can we trust him to watch our money in Washington?”

Elections outside your state can affect you

Posted on October 25, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

(CNN) — When Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland of Ohio hits the campaign trail before Election Day, you might want to listen, because the outcome his re-election bid could have a direct impact on you — even if you don’t live in his state.

The number crunchers at Election Data Services estimate that next year, Ohio is going to lose two seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. It’s up to the Ohio state government — including the governor — to decide which House members will go: Democrats or Republicans.

Imagine if, 10 days from now, the Republicans win control of the House, but by only a one-seat majority. Republican John Boehner becomes speaker.

But if a Democrat holds the governor’s mansion in Ohio, he could insist that when his state loses two seats, both must be in districts held by Republicans. That means just through redistricting in Ohio alone, the Democrats could take back control of the House.

That would affect your life, because everything from education policy to health care and taxes goes through the House, and which party is in control makes a big difference. The balance of power could hinge on who gets elected governor in states far from yours.

The scenario painted above is highly unlikely — in part because Republicans will probably retain control of the Ohio state Senate, and they would force a compromise with their governor.

Expected changes

States gaining seats
Texas +4
Florida +2
Arizona +1
Georgia +1
Nevada +1
South Carolina +1
Utah +1
Washington state +1

States losing seats
Ohio -2
New York -2
Illinois -1
Iowa -1
Louisiana -1
Massachusetts -1
Michigan -1
Missouri -1
New Jersey -1
Pennsylvania -1

Source: Election Data Services

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But there’s more to this chess game. Ohio isn’t the only state that stands to lose seats, and other states will win seats. Texas, for example, is poised to gain four seats. Republicans control the legislature in Austin, and there’s a tight race for the governor’s office.

Florida stands to gain two seats through redistricting. Republicans control the legislature in Tallahassee, and there’s a close contest in the gubernatorial race.

New York is likely to lose one seat. Democrats control both state houses, and a Democrat is poised to win the governor’s mansion.

In all, 18 states will gain or lose representation in the House of Representatives, totaling a change of 24 seats.

In most states, it’s all up to the legislature, and the governor vetoes or approves the map. Some states have a different process to try to minimize political games, but that’s hard.

“If one party has complete control of the process, they will tilt the table to their favor, so their state will be more likely to elect Democrats or Republicans for entire decade,” until redistricting begins again, explains George Mason University professor Michael McDonald, an expert on the process.

Imagine another scenario: On Election Day, Democrats eke out a win and retain control of the House by five seats. But Democrats lose governors and state legislative races across the country. Once redistricting happens next year, those elected state officials could wipe out the Democrats’ majority by adding seats Republicans will control and eliminating seats Democrats are certain to control. Democrats in Congress would lose their majority because of politicians elected in a state you’ve never even visited.

Sound unfair? The redistricting process is required by the U.S. Constitution to ensure that every member of the House has an equal population district. It’s the main reason we conduct a Census every 10 years, so we can rebalance districts based on where people are living. These new district lines last for 10 years, until the next census.

When a state has to change even one seat, all the districts in the entire state stand to be redrawn. Remember, every district has to have population of equal size. That means the whole deck is reshuffled.

There are clever ways to draw districts to ensure that one party or another is all but certain to win there.

“A long time ago, people figured out you could do more than rebalance populations so politicians can manipulate the boundaries to their favor,” McDonald said, adding that manipulation for political gain is ingrained into our politics. “This is what’s called gerrymandering. So the party that controls a state can tilt the balance of power in Washington, D.C.”

The origin of “gerrymandering”

The list of states that will gain or lose seats is released in December. But Election Data Services crunched the preliminary census numbers and estimates that the following states will see changes.

Texas will gain four seats, Florida will gain two, and Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah and Washington will each gain one.

Ohio and New York will lose two seats, and Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey and Pennsylvania will each lose one.

Elections outside your state can affect you

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Campaign Circus: Ben Stein calls Miller a ‘clown’

Posted on October 25, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

(CNN) — As Election Day gets closer, the rhetoric gets more intense, interesting and, shall we say, passionate. Here are some things you might have missed.

Miller? Miller? Miller?

Ben Stein — famous for his role in the ’80s movie classic “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and his political/economic commentary — took to the pages of the Alaska Dispatch to blast Tea Party-backed Republican Senate candidate Joe Miller, calling him a “dangerous, stupid clown.”

Tell us how you really feel

Frank Caprio, the Democrat running to become Rhode Island’s next governor, did not hold back his anger when it was reported that President Obama would not endorse him. He said in a radio interview, “He can take his endorsement and really shove it as far as I’m concerned.”

Obama needs “correction”

Gov. Joe Manchin, the Democrat running for West Virginia’s Senate seat, issued a stern warning for the president when asked whether he should be re-elected, saying “Things have got to change.”

The magic of Photoshop

A new television ad is under fire for a photo of Rep. Mark Schauer, D-Michigan, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The problem? Schauer’s campaign says his rival, Republican Tim Walberg, Photoshopped two people out of the photo making it appear as though the Democrat and Pelosi were arm-in-arm.

Photo of the day: Harry Reid’s dance moves

If Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid fails to win re-election, he may have a backup plan: as a contestant on ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars.”

“Big Pimpin” for Obama in 2012

The New York Post reports that Obama’s strategists are eyeing rapper Jay-Z to campaign for the president as 2012 approaches. The targeted demographic: the youth and minority vote.

The Boss opens his wallet

Bruce Springsteen has decided to jump into the 2010 race by donating $2,400 to a fellow rocker taking the political plunge: John Hall, a former member of the band Orleans.

You know you’ve made it when …

“Saturday Night Live” parodies you. The latest person to feel the love is New York gubernatorial candidate Jimmy McMillan, running for the “Rent Is Too Damn High” party. Actor Keenan Thompson gets two gloves up from critics.

Campaign Circus: Ben Stein calls Miller a ‘clown’

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Elections outside your state can affect you

Campaign Circus: Ben Stein calls Miller a ‘clown’

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