Lugar-Mourdock Debate: Four Things To Watch:
Sen. Richard Lugar and Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock will debate for the first and only time this evening in Indianapolis. Here are the four most important things to watch:
Lugar's residency problem: This has been the dominant topic of discussion in the race during the last two months. Lugar can't seem to shake the local media's coverage of it, even as he has sought and received legal cover from the appropriate state agencies. Even Lugar allies privately acknowledge they wish his team had handled it better.
For those who have not been following it: Lugar is registered to vote from the address of an Indiana home he sold in 1977. He lives in northern Virginia.
Lugar's residency is not a slated topic of discussion, but could still be weaved into the conversation.
"This year's debate will be focusing on critical topics -- jobs and the economy, international affairs and other pressing domestic issues of the day," said Indiana Debate Commission President Max Jones. "Voters will be able to ask their questions directly, but we will also offer videotape options and questions submitted via Facebook."
How well Lugar diffuses the issue will be huge when it comes up. If it dominates tomorrow's local paper headlines, he will have failed to turn the page once again.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Cicilline's mea culpa
Cicilline's mea culpa:
Rhode Island Democratic Rep. David Cicilline, lagging badly in polls, is offering a public apology of sorts.
Cicillne,a former Providence mayor, acknowledged in an interview with a local TV station that he had not been straightforward about explaining his management of the city's finances before leaving for Congress.
"I should have been much clearer the challenge the city faces,” Cicilline said. “I should have been much louder in the consequences of the state cuts and to the extent anything I did contributed to the challenge the city faces, I'm sorry for that and I accept full responsibility for it.”
“I understand now why people feel I misled them and I understand why people feel betrayed and it’s important for me to address that,” Cicilline added.
For Cicilline, a freshman congressman, the mea culpa marks a shift. The Democrat had previously sought to deflect criticism over his mayoral tenure.
Whether his new approach helps him politically - he's facing the prospect of a tough primary and general election - is an unanswered question.
But Cicilline's apology reminds us a bit of another congressional mea culpa - from former Florida GOP Rep. Tom Feeney, when he was running for reelection in 2008 and was trying to fend off questions about his relationship with Jack Abramoff. Feeney went on to lose the race decisively.
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Rhode Island Democratic Rep. David Cicilline, lagging badly in polls, is offering a public apology of sorts.
Cicillne,a former Providence mayor, acknowledged in an interview with a local TV station that he had not been straightforward about explaining his management of the city's finances before leaving for Congress.
"I should have been much clearer the challenge the city faces,” Cicilline said. “I should have been much louder in the consequences of the state cuts and to the extent anything I did contributed to the challenge the city faces, I'm sorry for that and I accept full responsibility for it.”
“I understand now why people feel I misled them and I understand why people feel betrayed and it’s important for me to address that,” Cicilline added.
For Cicilline, a freshman congressman, the mea culpa marks a shift. The Democrat had previously sought to deflect criticism over his mayoral tenure.
Whether his new approach helps him politically - he's facing the prospect of a tough primary and general election - is an unanswered question.
But Cicilline's apology reminds us a bit of another congressional mea culpa - from former Florida GOP Rep. Tom Feeney, when he was running for reelection in 2008 and was trying to fend off questions about his relationship with Jack Abramoff. Feeney went on to lose the race decisively.
Continue reading post...
Tommy Thompson Loves the 90's
Tommy Thompson Loves the 90's:
Tommy Thompson served as governor of Wisconsin throughout the 1990s. Sometimes, his Senate campaign does too good a job reminding voters that it's been a while since the Republican has been in office.
Thompson's campaign touted seven endorsements in a release on Wednesday morning. All of them are from other former governors. All also began their governorships in the 1990s.
The list includes names like John Engler of Michigan, Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania, Mike Leavitt of Utah, and Bill Graves of Kansas.
Several of the endorsements come from figures who also served in the Bush or Reagan administrations and the connections will grant Thompson access to a wider financial pool, which should boost his fundraising.
Thompson also sought to use the new round of support to brandish his history of fighting for Wisconsin rights against the federal government.
Tommy Thompson served as governor of Wisconsin throughout the 1990s. Sometimes, his Senate campaign does too good a job reminding voters that it's been a while since the Republican has been in office.
Thompson's campaign touted seven endorsements in a release on Wednesday morning. All of them are from other former governors. All also began their governorships in the 1990s.
The list includes names like John Engler of Michigan, Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania, Mike Leavitt of Utah, and Bill Graves of Kansas.
Several of the endorsements come from figures who also served in the Bush or Reagan administrations and the connections will grant Thompson access to a wider financial pool, which should boost his fundraising.
Thompson also sought to use the new round of support to brandish his history of fighting for Wisconsin rights against the federal government.
Bill Nelson Raises $1.6 Million
Bill Nelson Raises $1.6 Million:
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., raised $1.6 million during the first three months of 2012, his campaign announced on Wednesday. Nelson has over $9.5 million on hand.
The Democrat's war chest is imposing compared to his Republican competition. Rep. Connie Mack, the Republican frontrunner, announced last week that he raised just over $1 million dollars in the first quarter and has over $1.3 million in the bank.
Mack's Republican opponent, former Sen. George LeMieux, has not yet released his first quarter numbers.
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., raised $1.6 million during the first three months of 2012, his campaign announced on Wednesday. Nelson has over $9.5 million on hand.
The Democrat's war chest is imposing compared to his Republican competition. Rep. Connie Mack, the Republican frontrunner, announced last week that he raised just over $1 million dollars in the first quarter and has over $1.3 million in the bank.
Mack's Republican opponent, former Sen. George LeMieux, has not yet released his first quarter numbers.
Lugar camp mocks Mourdock's 'Confederate tie', hair dye
Lugar camp mocks Mourdock's 'Confederate tie', hair dye:
INDIANAPOLIS -- A top aide to Sen. Dick Lugar is charging that a necktie GOP rival Richard Mourdock frequently sports on the campaign trail carries Confederate symbolism.
In an email to supporters pushing back against an anti-Lugar television advertisement by the National Rifle Association, Lugar political director David Willkie points out that the elk shown in the spot weren't found in the Hoosier State and goes on to take issue with Mourdock's neckwear.
"That's not an Indiana elk... (if so, it would be one of the first wild ones since the Civil War when guys sported Confederate neckties like Richard Mourdock's)," wrote Willkie.
Asked if the line was meant as a throw-away barb or a serious charge, Willkie doubled down on his assertion.
"Whether or not this exact tie is from the Ben Silver Store in Charleston, SC or someplace else, a historian would see that this tie is a take off on the Confederate Battle flag," Willkie said. "Some say that it is not exactly the thing to wear in Indiana, Lincoln's boyhood home and where the popular Indiana National Guard sees its origins directly in the Union Army."
During an interview here, Mourdock, the state treasurer running in the May primary, denied the tie in question (pictured above) includes any Confederate messaging or advocacy and dismissed the allegation as increasing signs of desperation from the Lugar camp.
"I do not own a Confederate necktie. I own two ties that are red with a blue stripe with white stars. I bought them at the Republican state convention," he said. "I don't even know how to respond. I am stunned. If you're running for class president you do something like that. I don't have anything that has a Confederate symbol on it, anything like that. That's lunacy."
In his email responding to a follow-up about the tie, Willkie also lobbed another ostensibly petty charge.
"PS, We also hear that Mourdock dyes his hair," Willkie wrote in an email. "But you be the judge. . . lol."
Mourdock and Lugar face off in their only Senate debate Wednesday evening at 7 p.m.
Continue reading post...
INDIANAPOLIS -- A top aide to Sen. Dick Lugar is charging that a necktie GOP rival Richard Mourdock frequently sports on the campaign trail carries Confederate symbolism.
In an email to supporters pushing back against an anti-Lugar television advertisement by the National Rifle Association, Lugar political director David Willkie points out that the elk shown in the spot weren't found in the Hoosier State and goes on to take issue with Mourdock's neckwear.
"That's not an Indiana elk... (if so, it would be one of the first wild ones since the Civil War when guys sported Confederate neckties like Richard Mourdock's)," wrote Willkie.
Asked if the line was meant as a throw-away barb or a serious charge, Willkie doubled down on his assertion.
"Whether or not this exact tie is from the Ben Silver Store in Charleston, SC or someplace else, a historian would see that this tie is a take off on the Confederate Battle flag," Willkie said. "Some say that it is not exactly the thing to wear in Indiana, Lincoln's boyhood home and where the popular Indiana National Guard sees its origins directly in the Union Army."
During an interview here, Mourdock, the state treasurer running in the May primary, denied the tie in question (pictured above) includes any Confederate messaging or advocacy and dismissed the allegation as increasing signs of desperation from the Lugar camp.
"I do not own a Confederate necktie. I own two ties that are red with a blue stripe with white stars. I bought them at the Republican state convention," he said. "I don't even know how to respond. I am stunned. If you're running for class president you do something like that. I don't have anything that has a Confederate symbol on it, anything like that. That's lunacy."
In his email responding to a follow-up about the tie, Willkie also lobbed another ostensibly petty charge.
"PS, We also hear that Mourdock dyes his hair," Willkie wrote in an email. "But you be the judge. . . lol."
Mourdock and Lugar face off in their only Senate debate Wednesday evening at 7 p.m.
Continue reading post...
Dewhurst Raises $1.66 Million
Dewhurst Raises $1.66 Million:
Texas Lt. Governor David Dewhurst raised $1.66 million during the first quarter of the year, his campaign told Hotline on Call on Wednesday. Dewhurst's impressive haul should increase his already considerable financial advantage in the race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.
The total does not include any personal contributions from Dewhurst, who has previously poured $2 million of his own money into his campaign. The campaign said it has not tallied its cash on hand sum.
Dewhurst's third straight impressive fundraising quarter shines the spotlight on former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and, especially, former state Solicitor Gen. Ted Cruz, neither of whom have released their first quarter numbers yet. Unlike Dewhurst and Leppert, Cruz does not have the ability to partially self-fund his bid.
Dewhurst is the frontrunner to capture the GOP nomination.
Texas Lt. Governor David Dewhurst raised $1.66 million during the first quarter of the year, his campaign told Hotline on Call on Wednesday. Dewhurst's impressive haul should increase his already considerable financial advantage in the race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.
The total does not include any personal contributions from Dewhurst, who has previously poured $2 million of his own money into his campaign. The campaign said it has not tallied its cash on hand sum.
Dewhurst's third straight impressive fundraising quarter shines the spotlight on former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and, especially, former state Solicitor Gen. Ted Cruz, neither of whom have released their first quarter numbers yet. Unlike Dewhurst and Leppert, Cruz does not have the ability to partially self-fund his bid.
Dewhurst is the frontrunner to capture the GOP nomination.
Allen West: 78-81 Congressional Democrats Are Communists
Allen West: 78-81 Congressional Democrats Are Communists:
The tea party wave has subsided a bit, but Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., continues to make his own waves in his new 18th District. At a town hall meeting in Jensen Beach on April 10, West fielded a question from an attendee who asked, "What percentage of the American legislature do you think are card-carrying Marxists or International Socialists?"
Snickers filled the hall, but West said, "No, that's a good question. I believe there's about 78 to 81 members of the Democrat Party that are members of the Communist Party."
West walks a fine line with comments like this. They infuriate the left and make swing voters uncomfortable, and he is running in a swing seat. Florida's 18th District gave 51 percent of its 2008 vote to President Obama, though it narrowly supported George W. Bush in 2004. But West's inflammatory remarks are also the fuel for his highly successful nationwide fundraising operation, which allows him to be a competitive candidate in a moderate district.
The tea party wave has subsided a bit, but Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., continues to make his own waves in his new 18th District. At a town hall meeting in Jensen Beach on April 10, West fielded a question from an attendee who asked, "What percentage of the American legislature do you think are card-carrying Marxists or International Socialists?"
Snickers filled the hall, but West said, "No, that's a good question. I believe there's about 78 to 81 members of the Democrat Party that are members of the Communist Party."
West walks a fine line with comments like this. They infuriate the left and make swing voters uncomfortable, and he is running in a swing seat. Florida's 18th District gave 51 percent of its 2008 vote to President Obama, though it narrowly supported George W. Bush in 2004. But West's inflammatory remarks are also the fuel for his highly successful nationwide fundraising operation, which allows him to be a competitive candidate in a moderate district.
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