DSCC

Keith Olbermann Highlights "Demon Sheep" and DSCC Petition

MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann highlighted Carly Fiorina's widely-panned "Demon Sheep" petition on his show Friday...and promoted the DSCC petition requesting that Ms. Fiorina continued making MORE web videos.

Speaking of which, have you signed the petition yet?

The Retread-Recruiting Republican Caucus

How do we bring real change to Washington? If you subscribe to twisted Republican logic, it’s by recruiting the same people who have been Washington GOP insiders for decades (and helped guide us into economic collapse during the Bush administration).

We’ve now got former Senator-turned-lobbyist Dan Coats to go along with former House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, Bush lieutenant Rob Portman, career Washington politician Mark Kirk, and 40-year professional politician Michael Castle.

They seem to be taking the “Party of No New Ideas” label a bit too seriously.

Reactions to Chris Coons Entering Senate Race

The DSCC welcomes New Castle County Executive Chris Coons to the U.S. Senate race in Delaware.

Mr. Coons’ candidacy has already met with heavy praise from several corners. Vice President Joe Biden, Democrat of Delaware:

Vice President Joe Biden predicted Tuesday that New Castle County Executive Chris Coons will "surprise the devil out of" election watchers in the contest for Biden's old Senate seat in Delaware.

DSCC chairman Robert Menendez:

Chris Coons has an impressive record of shaking-up government, cutting wasteful spending, and working with local businesses to create jobs. With Chris's entrance into the race, Delawareans will face a choice between a proven reformer who has created an engine of economic growth and a longtime Washington insider who has voted with the special interests.

Heck, even Republicans find him impressive:

A senior Delaware Republican told Morning Score that Coons should be an energetic, well financed candidate, and indicated that the GOP plans to spotlight Coons’s record on fiscal issues in New Castle County.

DSCC RELEASES “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH” – NEW WEBVIDEO BRINGS TO LIGHT MARK KIRK’S LONGSTANDING HABIT OF CATERING TO SPECIAL INTERESTS

Deirdre Murphy, DSCC

DC Insider Kirk’s First Event Of General Election Was With Former DC Mega Lobbyist Haley Barbour

Kirk Takes Thousands Of Dollars From Special Interests, Then Turns Right Around And Votes For Them In Congress

“Enough Is Enough” Found HERE
http://www.dscc.org/afford

Today, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee released “Enough is Enough,” a new web video bringing to light Congressman Mark Kirk’s longstanding habit of catering to the special interests. Though two-faced Congressman Kirk says he will fight for those who can’t afford a lobbyist, the truth is that Kirk stands with DC insiders and the special interests, holding his first campaign event of the general election with DC mega lobbyist Haley Barbour. While Barbour lobbies for big energy and big insurance companies, Kirk takes thousands of dollars in donations from the same special interests and votes to give them tax breaks and against reigning in abuses practices. The DSCC is urging Illinois residents to call Congressman Kirk and tell him that they have had enough with him and his DC insider habit of catering to the special interests.

“The fact that Congressman Kirk brought in his BFF, mega lobbyist Haley Barbour to kick-off his general election campaign says all you need to know about candidate Kirk,” said DSCC National Press Secretary Deirdre Murphy. “Kirk and Barbour are both DC insiders, who advocated tirelessly for the failed policies that drove our country into recession, and now they show no sign of backing down from playing the same old Washington games. The people of Illinois are tired of Kirk’s habit of palling around with lobbyists and taking thousands from special interests, and it’s why his political career will come to a close this November.”

Two-faced Congressman Mark Kirk and former mega lobbyist Haley Barbour are both entrenched Washington insiders who have consistently put Wall Street over Main Street. Barbour’s insider resume includes a stint as the Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Chairman of the Republican Governor’s Association, Governor of Mississippi, and a big time, mega lobbyist in DC. Barbour and his lobbying firm have accepted millions of dollars from a diverse range of clients such as big tobacco, the health care industry, and energy companies. The disastrous policies advocated by Republican establishment figures such as Kirk and Barbour created our economic crisis in the first place. Now, instead of working to move the country forward, they both want to take the country back.

UH-OH: LOBBYIST DAN COATS’ CLIENT LIST INCLUDES OIL COMPANY THAT PARTNERS WITH VENEZUELAN DICTATOR HUGO CHAVEZ

Deirdre Murphy, DSCC

Coats Lobbied For Harvest Natural Resources, Which Does Business With Tyrannical Socialist Regime In Venezuela

Coat’s Lobbying Firm Paid Nearly Half a Million Dollars By Harvest Natural Resources

Today, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is seizing on a new report that Dan Coats, a Virginian lobbyist and likely Senate candidate from Indiana, lobbied for an oil company partnered with dictator Hugo Chavez of Venezuela for three years, from 2005 to 2008. Coats’ lobbying firm, King & Spaulding, has been paid $470,000 for their efforts on behalf of Harvest Natural Resources, an oil and gas company which does business with the corrupt Chavez regime in Venezuela.

In fact, when Coats began working for Harvest, the company’s sole income source came from Venezuela. Over half of Harvest’s profits went to fund Chavez’s corrupt dictatorship, with the Venezuelan state owning 60% of the company. Venezuela is headed by socialist dictator Hugo Chavez, an enemy to the United States and its allies.

“Today’s report detailing Dan Coats’ lobbying activity with a company that does business with a corrupt dictatorship is a bombshell,” said Deirdre Murphy, DSCC National Press Secretary. “It’s bad enough that Coats was making bank off of a big oil company, but it’s egregious that he would lobby for an oil company that partners with Hugo Chavez. Now that he’s mulling a move back to Indiana to run for office, today’s news should make all Hoosiers question who else Coats lobbies for in Washington, DC.”

Numerous news outlets are reporting Coats is likely to run for the United States Senate from Indiana. Coats is a federally registered lobbyist whose client lists include banks, private equity firms, oil and petroleum companies and defense contractors. Coats, a Washington DC insider who lined his own pockets as taxpayers spent $700 billion bailing out Wall Street banks, has not voted in Indiana in the past ten years and currently resides in Falls Church, Virginia.

Coats Lobbied for Company In Business With Venezuelan Government. From 2005 until 2008, Coats lobbied for on behalf of Harvest Natural Resources for oil and gas issues in Venezuela. [Lobbying Disclosure Act Database]

Harvest Has Principal Operations in Venezuela and Russia. According to a press release, “Harvest Natural Resources, Inc. headquartered in Houston, Texas, is an independent oil and gas exploration and development company with principal operations in Venezuela and an office in Russia.” [Harvest Natural Resources release, 3/1/06]

When Coats Began Working For Harvest, Company’s Sole Income Source Was From Venezuela. In 2005, when Coats began lobbying for the company, Harvest’s oil fields in Venezuela were the company’s only source of income. [AP, 8/12/05]

Coats Firm Has Been Paid Nearly Half a Million Dollars in Fees. King & Spalding, Coat’s Firm, has been paid $470,000 for their efforts on behalf of Harvest. [Lobbying Disclosure Act Database]

Venezuelan Government Owns a Controlling Stake in Harvest’s Operations in the Country. In September 2007, Harvest Natural Resources signed a contract with a unit of a Venezuelan state oil company to convert its operations in that country to a new structure under which Venezuela would take a controlling stake. [Reuters, 9/12/07]

· Harvest Owns 32% Of Company; Venezuelan State Owns 60% of Company. Harvest owns a 32% equity interest in Petrodelta, S.A., an incorporated joint venture between the Venezuelan state-owned Corporación Venezolana del Petroleo S.A. (“CVP”) (60%), Harvest (32%) and Oil & Gas Technology Consultants (Netherlands) Coöperatie U.A. (“OGTC”), a controlled affiliate of Venezolana de Inversiones y Construcciones Clerico, C.A. (“Vinccler”) (8%). [harvestnr.com; Reuters, 9/12/07]

Harvest: Conversion to State-Owned Enterprise “Plays to Our… Strengths.” On Harvest website, the company says that the takeover by the state of their oil enterprises made their business more substantial and plays to the company’s strengths. The website reads, “With conversion, our business in Venezuela is more substantial and should play to our technical and operational strengths.” [harvestnr.com]

Harvest Would Pay 50-60 Percent of Profits – in Taxes Alone – to Fund Chavez’s Socialist Regime. In 2008, Venezuela moved Tuesday to take a greater cut of windfall oil profits, approving a 50 percent tax on foreign oil companies when crude tops $70US a barrel. The tax rate would rise to 60 percent when the average monthly price for benchmark Brent crude exceeds $100US, according to the bill approved by Venezuela's National Assembly. [Courier-Post, 4/16/08]

INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW: WHO DID VIRGINIAN LOBBYIST DAN COATS VOTE FOR IN 2000-2009 RACES?

Deirdre Murphy, DSCC

Options Include Commonwealth Pols: Jerry Kilgore, George Allen, Jim Gilmore, Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, Jim Webb

As A Registered Voter in Virginia, Coats Can’t Even Sign His Own Petition to Run For Senate In Indiana

As registered lobbyist Dan Coats weighs a run for the United States Senate from Indiana, new information shows that Coats has not been a registered voter in Indiana for at least a decade. POLITICO is reporting that Coats, a resident of Falls Church, Virginia, voted in the Virginia primary and general elections of 2000, the 2002 and 2004 general elections, the primary and general elections of 2005, and in general elections in 2006, 2007, and 2008. As a registered Virginian voter and taxpayer, Coats cannot sign his own petition to run for Senate in Indiana.

“Being a Virginian and registered lobbyist is bad enough for Dan Coats. But right now Coats cannot even sign his own petition to run for Senate in Indiana,” said Deirdre Murphy, DSCC National Press Secretary. “Now that he is weighing running for office in Indiana, Hoosiers should question if a man who lobbies for special interests in DC and votes in Virginia, is the right person to represent them in the Senate.”

Numerous news outlets are reporting Coats is likely to run for the United States Senate from Indiana. Coats is a federally registered lobbyist whose client lists include banks, private equity firms, and defense contractors. Coats, a Washington DC insider who lined his own pockets as taxpayers spent $700 billion bailing out Wall Street banks, has not voted in Indiana in the past ten years.

Coats Would Be Unable to Sign His Own Nomination Petition. In order to sign the petition to nominate a candidate, that individual must be a duly qualified registered voter in Indiana. According to Politico, Coats is registered to vote in Virginia, not Indiana. [Indiana Petition Of Nomination For Federal, State, State Legislature Or Local Office; Politico, 2/03/10]

Politico: Coats registered to vote in Virginia, not Indiana
Ben Smith
February 3, 2010
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0210/Coats_registered_to_vote_in_Virginia_not_Indiana.html?showall

Former Senator Dan Coats, who will challenge Evan Bayh for his old seat from Indiana, has resided and voted in Virginia for at least a decade, according to public records.

Coats, who resigned from the Senate in 1999, voted in the Virginia primary and general elections in 2000, according to data from the Virginia Secretary of State, provided by a Democratic source.

He voted in Virginia again in the 2002 and 2004 general elections, while he was serving as U.S. Ambassador to Germany; in the primary and general elections in 2005; and in general elections in 2006, 2007, and 2008. Data from the most recent election wasn't immediately available.

Coats residence, according to state election authorities, is in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Falls Chuch.

Coats decision to shift his registration and his residence away from his home state as soon as he left the Senate isn't unusual for retiring politicians who don't plan to return to elective office, but it adds ammunition to Democrats' charge that the former Senator, now a lobbyist, has gone Washington.

DSCC CHAIRMAN ROBERT MENENDEZ STATEMENT ON CHRIS COON’S ENTRY INTO THE DELAWARE SENATE RACE

Eric Schultz, DSCC

U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, released the following statement upon Chris Coon’s entry into the Delaware Senate race:

“Chris Coons has an impressive record of shaking-up government, cutting wasteful spending, and working with local businesses to create jobs. With Chris's entrance into the race, Delawareans will face a choice between a proven reformer who has created an engine of economic growth and a longtime Washington insider who has voted with the special interests. This will be a race about who is positioned to lead Delaware into the future, and given his accomplishments, Chris Coons is well-positioned as an outsider to make that argument.”

VITTER ECONOMICS: TALK A LOT ABOUT RUNAWAY SPENDING IN WASHINGTON, BUT THEN TRY TO BLOCK FISCAL DISCIPLINE MEASURE THAT WOULD REIGN IN FEDERAL SPENDING

Deirdre Murphy, DSCC

Vitter Supported Sky-High Deficit Spending Under George Bush – Now Votes Against Fiscal Discipline

On the same day that he got taken to task by the Baton Rouge Advocate, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee today called out Senator David Vitter for supporting the failed economic policies of the past as Louisiana families continue struggling with the economic crisis. Late last week, Vitter joined with his Republican Senate colleagues in rejecting a measure to bring fiscal discipline to Washington by voting against PAYGO (Pay-As-You-Go), a commonsense fiscal restraint measure, which simply states that the federal government – just like Louisiana families – can spend only as much money as it has. In fact, Vitter doesn’t seem to care much about fiscal discipline at all, seeing that he voted for the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest one percent of Americans.

“This vote just goes to show that David Vitter has spent far too much time in Washington. Louisianans are facing tough economic times because of eight years of failed policies in Washington, yet all Vitter wants to do is bring these policies back to life,” said Deirdre Murphy, DSCC National Press Secretary. “By voting against bringing fiscal discipline back to Washington, David Vitter proved he’d rather support the problems of the past than the solutions that will move us forward.”

Vitter’s record on the economy is not one to be proud of. Vitter rubberstamped the disastrous policies put into place by former President George W. Bush that protected Wall Street, cut taxes for wealthiest Americans, and exploded the federal deficit. And now he continues to stand in the way of commonsense efforts to jumpstart job creation. The people of Louisiana can thank Vitter for thousands of lost jobs, tax credits for corporations that move their jobs overseas, and a huge trade imbalance.

Vitter Opposed Adopting Pay-Go Rules, Requiring Offsets to New Spending. Last Thursday, Vitter voted against adopting statutory pay-go rules. 60 Democratic senators voted to adopt the pay-go measure (short for "pay-as-you-go"), which would require that new spending measures be offset in the budget by other funds. President Barack Obama urged senators to move forward with the new rule in his State of the Union address on Wednesday night. "When the vote comes tomorrow, the Senate should restore the pay-as-you-go law that was a big reason for why we had record surpluses in the 1990s," he said. [The Hill, 1/28/10; Vote 12, 1/28/10]

Baton Rouge Advocate Editorial: Our Views: Speed bump on spending
February 3, 2010
http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/83413057.html

First the bad news, $14.294 trillion worth.

That’s the federal debt ceiling, the amount of debt the U.S. government is authorized to incur. The debts that every man, woman and child in the United States will one day have to pay off.

Now the good news: Maybe it’s not much right now, but Democrats in the U.S. Senate approved one significant step toward curbing the debt in the future.

It’s called “pay as you go” budgeting, or pay-go for short. If the government wants to spend more on one program, it has to find off-setting cuts in another, or raise the revenue to pay for it.

Not the same thing as cutting up the credit card in the government’s wallet. But when one at least has to look in the wallet for cash, there’s an automatic level of restraint that is built into the process.

We have long supported pay-go rules, and believe those rules were in part responsible for the budget surpluses that developed in the Clinton years.

The rule went by the wayside after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and subsequent war spending. Maybe that was a reasonable enough decision in the short-term, but over the years the bloated budget deficits under President George W. Bush helped to give the country a debt load that is the envy of free-spending European socialists.

Sadly, some Republicans have long opposed pay-go, even as they trumpet their devotion to balanced budgets; no Republican senator backed pay-go this year, including Louisiana’s U.S. Sen. David Vitter. That vote makes the perfect the enemy of the good.

The argument is that pay-go doesn’t forbid tax increases. True, but it’s difficult to pass taxes, too.

Pay-go doesn’t cut spending, but it is a helpful speed bump.

For that reason, it is not always popular with Democratic liberals, but conservative Democrats in the House — the “Blue Dogs,” including U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville — insisted that it be part of the deal for raising the debt ceiling.

Melancon is challenging Vitter this fall, and we suspect we’ll hear more about this on the campaign trail. In the category of who’s really more conservative, a vote against pay-go rules puts the incumbent on the wrong side of the debate about the federal debt.

DEMINT ECONOMICS: TALK A LOT ABOUT RUNAWAY SPENDING IN WASHINGTON, BUT THEN TRY TO BLOCK FISCAL DISCIPLINE MEASURE THAT WOULD REIGN IN FEDERAL SPENDING

Deirdre Murphy, DSCC

DeMint Supported Sky-High Deficit Spending Under George Bush – Now Votes Against Fiscal Discipline

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee today called out Senator Jim DeMint for supporting the failed economic policies of the past as South Carolina families continue struggling with the economic crisis. Late last week, DeMint joined with his Republican Senate colleagues in rejecting a measure to bring fiscal discipline to Washington by voting against PAYGO (Pay-As-You-Go), a commonsense fiscal restraint measure, which simply states that the federal government – just like South Carolina families – can spend only as much money as it has. In fact, DeMint doesn’t seem to care much about fiscal discipline at all, seeing that he voted for the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest one percent of Americans.

“This vote just goes to show that Jim DeMint has spent far too much time in Washington. South Carolinians are facing tough economic times because of eight years of failed policies in Washington, yet all DeMint wants to do is bring these policies back to life,” said Deirdre Murphy, DSCC National Press Secretary. “By voting against bringing fiscal discipline back to Washington, Jim DeMint proved he’d rather support the problems of the past than the solutions that will move us forward.”

DeMint’s record on the economy is not one to be proud of. DeMint rubberstamped the disastrous policies put into place by former President George W. Bush that protected Wall Street, cut taxes for wealthiest Americans, and exploded the federal deficit. And now he continues to stand in the way of commonsense efforts to jumpstart job creation. The people of South Carolina can thank DeMint for thousands of lost jobs, tax credits for corporations that move their jobs overseas, and a huge trade imbalance.

DeMint Opposed Adopting Pay-Go Rules, Requiring Offsets to New Spending. Last Thursday, DeMint voted against adopting statutory pay-go rules. 60 Democratic senators voted to adopt the pay-go measure (short for "pay-as-you-go"), which would require that new spending measures be offset in the budget by other funds. President Barack Obama urged senators to move forward with the new rule in his State of the Union address on Wednesday night. "When the vote comes tomorrow, the Senate should restore the pay-as-you-go law that was a big reason for why we had record surpluses in the 1990s," he said. [The Hill, 1/28/10; Vote 12, 1/28/10]

CHUCK PURGASON IS ON RECORD SUPPORTING A LIFETIME TAX ON MISSOURIANS – WILL CONGRESSMAN ROY BLUNT SIGN ON AS WELL?

Deirdre Murphy, DSCC

Blunt’s GOP Primary Opponent Purgason Is Sponsoring Constitutional Amendment To Enact Lifetime Tax on Missourians

Will Blunt Finally Let Republican Primary Voters Know Where He Stands On Increasing Taxes?

Today, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is asking Congressman Roy Blunt to follow his Republican primary opponent’s lead and take a stand on the lifetime tax on Missouri families, also known as the "fair tax". Missouri state Senator Chuck Purgason is the current sponsor of a constitutional amendment to repeal the Missouri state income tax on persons and corporations and replace it with a “fair tax.” The “fair tax” would replace the money generated from the income tax by placing a higher sales tax on all goods and services in the state. The Missouri Budget Project estimates that the average middle-income family with two young children could pay an additional $2,439 a year under the plan. [Post Dispatch, 1/12/10] Similar legislation is proposed every year on the federal level, H.R. 25.

“Congressman Roy Blunt’s primary opponent Chuck Purgason has taken a stand on the lifetime tax, so when will he?,” said DSCC National Press Secretary Deirdre Murphy. “Missouri voters have a right to know if Congressman Blunt supports the lifetime tax, which will end taxes for corporations that ship jobs overseas, while at the same time leading to higher grocery and prescription drug prices for Missouri families. Chuck Purgason thinks this is a good plan, does Roy Blunt?.”

If Purgason’s constitutional amendment succeeds, Missourians would see taxes increased on a wide range of goods and services including prescription drugs, funerals, doctor’s visits, and private K-12 schooling. Personal income taxes as well as corporate income taxes would be abolished. This would lead to the elimination of corporate taxes even for companies that ship jobs overseas.

Blunt Primary Challenger Purgason Sponsoring a Constitutional Amendment to Replace Income Tax With Higher Sales Tax. Chuck Purgason is sponsoring a constitutional amendment to repeal its income tax and replaces the money with a higher sales tax on all goods and services (SJR29). Under the Senate proposal, which would have to be approved by state voters, both the personal income tax and the corporate income tax would be eliminated. The sales tax would be applied to a greatly broadened base — for example, doctor’s visits, private K-12 schooling, prescription drugs and funerals. [Post-Dispatch, 1/28/10]

DSCC STATEMENT REGARDING REPORTS THAT DAN COATS IS WEIGHING A SENATE BID IN INDIANA

Eric Schultz, DSCC

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Communications Director Eric Schultz released the following statement regarding reports that Dan Coats is weighing a Senate bid in Indiana:

“Dan Coats is a federally registered lobbyist whose client lists include banks, private equity firms, and defense contractors. Coats is a Washington DC insider who lined his own pockets as taxpayers spent $700 billion bailing out Wall Street banks. Indianans won't ignore Dan Coats’ decade as a lobbyist working the system to gain special favors for the banking industry at the time of financial collapse and at the expense of working Americans.”

Dan Coats is Currently a Federally Registered Lobbyist. Dan Coats is currently a federally registered lobbyists, whose clients include banks, private equity firms, and defense contractors. [Lobbying Disclosure Act Database]

Coats Lobbied for Bank of America Just As Bank Took $15 Billion in Bailout Funds. According to filings, Coats lobbied for Bank of America in October 2008, just as the bank was receiving $15 billion in bailout funds. Coats firm was compensated $120,000 in the period just before the Wall Street bailouts. [Lobbying Report, 10/20/08]

Senator-Turned-Lobbyist Dan Coats To Make Comeback?

In true GOP fashion, the Republicans have decided that their standard-bearer in Indiana should be a guy who retired from the Senate because he preferred fighting for big banks over serving the people, and is now trying to buy back into the game.

Former Sen. Dan Coats, the GOP’s purported recruit in Indiana, was in fact lobbying for Bank of America just as they took $15 billion of taxpayer bailout money in 2008.

Now that big banks have had their payday, however, Coats thinks he can travel back through the revolving door to the Senate (as fellow Republican Senate candidates Rob Portman, Marco Rubio and Jane Norton are doing). True, he left Indiana ten years ago, but that’s just a formality, right?

Coats Votes (in Virginia)

DSCC Rant

We’ve heard of outsourcing, but this is ridiculous.

Indiana Republicans desperately want to beat Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh. One problem: They couldn’t find anyone willing to challenge Bayh, who’s sitting on a $13 million war chest and the kind of moderate record Hoosiers appreciate.

Enter former senator and current high-powered bank lobbyist Dan Coats. Of Virginia.

That’s right. The Republican savior of the 2010 Senate elections is none other than Indiana’s former senator, who now lives in Virginia. And votes in Virginia. Since 2000. Heck, he couldn’t even sign his own nominating petition to run for the Senate, given that he’s not a registered Indiana voter.

If you’re looking for an example of someone who’s “gone Washington,” Coats most certainly fits the bill. If you’re looking for someone who will fight for the rights of powerful banks, Coats is your guy. But if you’re looking for someone who can best represent Indiana’s voters, you’d best look elsewhere.

CONGRESSMAN MARK KIRK TO KICK-OFF GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN WITH FELLOW WASHINGTON INSIDER AND MEGA LOBBYIST HALEY BARBOUR

Deirdre Murphy, DSCC

Kirk’s First Move After Winning Primary Is To Stand Shoulder To Shoulder With Embodiment Of GOP Establishment And Special Interests

Republican “Unity” Event To Feature Same Players That Got Country Into Economic Mess In First Place

Today, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is on the offensive against Republican Senate nominee Mark Kirk for kicking off his general election campaign with fellow Washington insider and Mexico lobbyist Haley Barbour. The Republican “Unity” event comes less than 24 hours after Congressman Kirk won the Republican nomination. Now, instead of reaching out to voters he will need to win over in November, Kirk has decided to make a statement about his candidacy by instead, standing shoulder to shoulder with Barbour, who is the embodiment of the GOP establishment and of special interests, having served as Chairman of the RNC and a mega lobbyist in DC.

“Congressman Mark Kirk made a bold statement today about his general election campaign by holding his first post-primary event with a politician whose resume as a Washington insider rivals his own,” said DSCC National Press Secretary Deirdre Murphy. “Instead of reaching out to independent voters, Kirk has decided to kick-off his campaign by standing shoulder to shoulder with fellow Washington insider and establishment Republican Haley Barbour. As if they needed a reminder, this event just shows that Illinois voters will face a stark contrast this November between a candidate who wants to take the state forward and one who wants to take the state backwards.”

Two-faced Congressman Mark Kirk and mega lobbyist Haley Barbour are both entrenched Washington insiders who have consistently put Wall Street over Main Street. Barbour’s insider resume includes a stint as the Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Chairman of the Republican Governor’s Association, Governor of Mississippi, and a big time, mega lobbyist in DC. Barbour and his lobbying firm have accepted millions of dollars from a diverse range of clients such as big tobacco, the health care industry, and energy companies. The disastrous policies advocated by Republican establishment figures such as Kirk and Barbour created our economic crisis in the first place. Now, instead of working to move the country forward, they both want to take the country back.

The Government of Mexico Hired Barbour’s Firm to Work on NAFTA Implementation. According to documents filed in 2001 with the Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, Haley Barbour’s firm was contracted by the Embassy of Mexico. The documents indicate that the “political activities that Barbour Griffith & Rogers Inc. (Registrant) will engage in on behalf of the Government of Mexico (Foreign Principal) include seeking continued implementation of the NAFTA trade agreement.” The release goes on to describe Haley Barbour’s critical role on the Barbour Griffith and Rogers team. The firm’s fee for their service was $35,000 a month – for at least three months. [DOJ Registration Statement, filed 10/02/01]

Since 1999, Barbour’s Lobbying Firm Earned $6.8 Million For His Lobbying Work On Behalf Of The Health Care Industry. Between 1999 and 2003, Haley Barbour was listed as a lobbyist on behalf of several companies and trade organizations involved in the health care industry. For Barbour’s work, his lobbying firm, Barbour Griffith & Rogers Inc., earned $6.8 million. According to the Senate Office of Public Records, Haley Barbour lobbied on behalf of Bristol Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Kindred Healthcare, UnitedHealth Group and other organizations. [Lobbyist Disclosure Database, Senate Office of Public Records, accessed 9/23/09]

Barbour Led GOP Governors “In A Coordinated Attack On Sen. Max Baucus’ (D-Mont.) Healthcare Reform Legislation.” “A group of Republican governors are working together in a coordinated attack on Sen. Max Baucus’s (D-Mont.) healthcare reform legislation, according to GOP sources and documents obtained by The Hill. At least 14 of the nation’s 22 Republican governors have sent, or will soon send, letters to their respective congressional delegations claiming the Democrats’ healthcare bills would bankrupt their states…Barbour, chairman of the Republican Governors Association (RGA), was the first to pen a ‘letter of concern’ to lawmakers from his state. And it provided a template for others to follow…‘The current proposals, both in the House and Senate, will expand the Medicaid program at additional costs paid not by the federal government, but passed down to the states,’ Barbour wrote earlier this month…Though Barbour coordinated the letter-writing effort among the governors, it is part of a larger initiative launched by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) earlier this year to increase the outreach among state heads and congressional leaders. Sources say Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is also playing a leading role on this issue.” [The Hill, 9/28/09]

Since 1999, Barbour’s Lobbying Firm Earned $2.36 Million For His Lobbying Work On Behalf Of The Tobacco Industry. Between 1999 and 2004, Haley Barbour was listed as a lobbyist on behalf of several tobacco companies. For Barbour’s work, his lobbying firm, Barbour Griffith & Rogers Inc., earned $2.36 million. According to the Senate Office of Public Records, Haley Barbour lobbied on behalf of Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corporation, Lorillard Tobacco Company, Philip Morris Companies, RJR Nabisco and U.S. Tobacco. [Lobbyist Disclosure Database, Senate Office of Public Records, accessed 9/23/09]

Barbour Lobbied for Several Tobacco Interests. Bush Exploratory Committee member Haley Barbour and his DC-based lobbying firm, Barbour Griffith & Rogers, currently represent several tobacco interests. The tobacco interests currently represented by Barbour include: Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corp.; Lorillard Tobacco Co.; Phillip Morris Cos., Inc; RJR Nabisco Holdings Co.; and U.S. Tobacco. [Washington Representatives, 1999; www.georgewbush.com/committee/members.html]

Barbour Pushed GOP Congress to Include $50 Billion Tax Break for Big Tobacco, And the Tobacco Industry Gave the RNC $7.4 Million. While lobbying for several tobacco interests, Barbour pushed GOP leaders in Congress to include in legislation a $50 billion tax break for tobacco companies. In 1997, House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Majority Leader Trent Lott insisted on the inclusion of a provision in the massive balanced budget and tax-cut bill that would have given tobacco companies a $50 billion tax break -- in the form of credit against the sum they had pledged to settle anti-tobacco litigation. Former RNC Chair -- and now $50,000-a-month tobacco lobbyist -- Haley Barbour approached Gingrich and Lott about inserting the provision. Kenneth Kies – the Joint Committee on Taxation staff director -- confirmed that the tobacco industry actually wrote the provision. “The industry wrote it and submitted it, and we just used their language,” he said. Republicans received over $2 million from the tobacco industry in 1997. After a public firestorm, Congress voted to repeal the provision. From 1993 1996, tobacco companies gave at least $7,443,974 to Republican Party campaign committees. In the first half of 1997, tobacco interests gave the GOP $1.6 million. [LA Times, 5/24/97; AP, 8/9/96; Wall Street Journal, 7/30/97; Washington Post, 8/13/97; 8/17/97; 8/22/97; USA Today, 8/29/97; Time, 9/29/97; New York Times, 12/15/97]

Since 1999, Barbour’s Lobbying Firm Earned $2.96 Million For His Lobbying Work On Behalf Of Energy Companies And Trade Groups. Between 1999 and 2003, Haley Barbour was listed as a lobbyist on behalf of several companies and trade organizations involved in the energy industry. For Barbour’s work, his lobbying firm, Barbour Griffith & Rogers Inc., earned $2.96 million. According to the Senate Office of Public Records, Haley Barbour lobbied on behalf of the Edison Electric Institute, the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council, the Oxygenated Fuels Association, and Southern Company Services, Inc. [Lobbyist Disclosure Database, Senate Office of Public Records, accessed 9/23/09]

DSCC CHAIRMAN ROBERT MENENDEZ STATEMENT ON ILLINOIS PRIMARY RESULTS

Eric Schultz, DSCC

U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, released the following statement on the results of the Illinois primary election:

“Congratulations to Alexi Giannoulias on today’s hard-fought victory. Each of the Democrats waged spirited, aggressive campaigns - the same approach it will take to keep this seat blue. I look forward to doing whatever I can to help the State Treasurer transition into the general election and of course win in November. We know that in this environment, Democrats cannot take anything for granted, and that is why Alexi’s campaign is already working hard to frame the race. Voters in Illinois will face a stark choice in this election: moving forward with a candidate who has a record of saving Illinois jobs, or moving backwards with a Washington insider who wants to return to the failed policies that created the economic mess we now face."

Those Who Know Fiorina Best...

Those who know Carly Fiorina best are lining up behind her Democratic opponent, incumbent Senator Barbara Boxer.

The PAC for Fiorina’s former company Hewlett-Packard (she was ousted as HP CEO in 2006, when she was given $21 million to go away) has made the maximum donation of $10,000 to Senator Boxer’s campaign, despite the fact that Fiorina is considered the front-runner to oppose Sen. Boxer in November.

Boxer has received the maximum $10,000 from Hewlett-Packard's political action committee toward her re-election, including $3,000 in the last quarter of 2009, her campaign reported today. HP's PAC gives to congressional candidates "who share HP's public policy views," using donations from employees rather than corporate funds, according to HP's Web site.

Apparently Hewlett-Packard employees want to make sure Carly Fiorina doesn’t bring the same kind of disastrous leadership to the Senate which she once brought to HP.

Orlando Sentinel Smacks Down Charlie Crist

The Orlando Sentinel has a scathing article on Florida Governor Charlie Crist, now running for Senate in an attempt to evade blame for the state's budget crisis.

...More than three years after entering office, he has accomplished nothing other than being liked.

OK, that's not too good...but what else does the Sentinel have to say?

He would leave the state bare of reserves...He is creating one huge mess for the governor who will follow him.

Hm, that's pretty bad. But they save the best for last:

Politicians of both parties are desperate for an adult to be in charge...The governor of Florida has become irrelevant when it comes to governing Florida. He has gone from lame duck to Daffy Duck.

Ouch!

One Word: Ouch

DSCC Rant

The past couple of days haven’t been kind to Republican Senate candidate Mark Kirk of Illinois.

First, he gets called out by premier climate-change denier Sen. James Inhofe for his 180-degree pivot on cap-and-trade legislation. In case you’ve forgotten, Kirk voted for it as a United States Representative. Bad move if you have an “R” after your name. In an effort to limit the damage, Kirk now says he’d vote against it as senator.

In an editorial in the conservative journal “Human Events,” Inhofe called Kirk a “Janus,” that two-faced Roman god of flip-floppery. Ouch.

Being called names by a sitting U.S. senator of your own political party is bad. University of Illinois-Springfield political scientist Kent Redfield made things worse. In a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article, he suggested that Kirk is a political chameleon.

“Whatever the real Kirk is, I have no idea,” Redfield said. “But the way he’ll have to present himself to win (in November) is a moderate problem-solver.”

Double ouch.

Rove: N.C. won't be easy victory

Raleigh News and Observer:

Rob Christensen

RALEIGH Karl Rove, former President George W. Bush's chief political strategist, was in Raleigh on Thursday night to attend a fundraiser for Sen. Richard Burr.

Rove, who now is an analyst for Fox News and other news outlets, sat down with The News & Observer to talk about politics before the event.

Q: Many people think there will be a major Republican victory in November. How do you see it? I think that is accurate. How big is dependent upon the quality of the candidates, the quality of the campaigns and whether Republicans understand they can't merely surf a wave of dissatisfaction with President Obama and congressional Democrats to victory. Instead, they have to offer up a positive agenda of their own. This is why Richard Burr is so important.

Q: What should that positive agenda include? It should address the dramatic increase in spending and the dramatic increase in the deficit. It also has to address the kitchen-table issues that people talk about at home that affect their lives: jobs, the economy, health care, access of their children to college, how to pay for college, quality of life, the environment. People take a look at what they have been offered by the Obama administration and congressional Democrats and have reacted very negatively, and that's fine. Republicans made a good case against what the Democrats are proposing. But in order to make the sale, Republicans have to offer an agenda of their own. That gets me back to Richard Burr, because that is his mind-set. He has been a person who has been focused on: Let's take our conservative principles and apply them to the problems that people see in their lives and deal with them.

Q: What should be the Republican alternative be on health care? Well, Burr has actually written a pretty good bill.... It basically says the following: Let's make health insurance completely portable so that people can take it with them from job to job. Let's create a tax credit for people who make too much to fall into Medicaid, who don't have coverage from their employer, and who are young, and who may have made a decision to self-insure, and it helps them to get coverage. (Rove also discussed at length the plan's provisions that would allow people to buy health insurance across state lines and would allow states to create exchanges to pool risks.)

Q: How would you rate President Obama's State of the Union address? I thought it had a check-the-box quality to it. It was stay-the-course on health care, jobs, economy. He had rhetorical flourishes that were contradictory. We are going to double exports, and we are going to do that by improving our trading relationships with South Korea, Columbia and Panama, three countries with which we have draft free-trade agreements but which he won't call them up for a vote. He said we are going to have a freeze on spending, but we are not going to do it for a year.

Q: This state has traditionally been pretty much of a red state when it comes to federal races and tends to vote Democratic in local races. I'm not certain, having looked at how Jesse Helms got re-elected, that it is particularly strong [Republican]. Those are pretty close victories. Same with Lauch Faircloth. This is a very competitive state. It may have tended in presidential races to be Republican. But it has had a rich and strong tradition at the state level and in Senate races for 30 years.

Q: What do you make of Senator Burr's prospects? I feel pretty good about them.... This is a competitive state. It is an independent-minded state. This is why you have had two Republican senators and a Democratic senator, and another time a Republican governor and a Democratic senator and Republican senator. The state is known for splitting its ticket. You have to go out and work to get the vote. This is going to be a difficult thing for Richard because, on the one hand, he's a very hard-working senator. I used to be in meetings with him on the arcane items in Medicare, and this guy knew more than the guys in CMS who actually ran Medicare. He takes his job seriously and does his homework.

Democrat Sees Opportunity in Arizona Senate Race

CQ Politics:

Emily Cadei

The Arizona Senate may not be on national Democrats’ target list, but state Democrats think the impending GOP primary showdown between Sen. John McCain and former Rep. J.D. Hayworth could give them an opening.

Likely candidate Rodney Glassman, a member of the Tuscon City Council and Air Force JAG Reserve Officer, sent around an e-mail to supporters Thursday declaring that “the war between John McCain and J.D. Hayworth is on,” and recalling the 1976 Senate race when “two Arizona Republican political heavyweights ... attacked each other so fiercely in scorched-Earth primary campaigns that a political newcomer from Tucson was able to win a long-shot campaign.”

Glassman clearly hopes history will repeat itself. He is currently exploring the race and is fundraising, but is capping donations at $20 as a show of support for local clean election efforts.

Glassman is also capable of self-funding, said Democratic state party Chairman Don Bivens. There would be “no financial advantage for either side” should Glassman run against McCain, Bivens predicted.

Hayworth is expected to announce his intentions soon and prospects for a flareup of long-simmering tensions within the state’s GOP faithful is a possibility, not to mention what could be a fierce political contest.

On Thursday, Hayworth launched a series of robocalls aimed at GOP voters. Part of the script reads, “If you share my opinion that John McCain has admirably served our country but that 28 years in Washington is just too long, then I want you to know that I will soon be announcing my candidacy for the United States Senate. Arizona’s Republicans deserve a choice and an alternative to Sen. McCain’s moderate record on taxes, social issues, the border and bailing out the banks.”

McCain’s campaign began running radio ads last week in Arizona dubbing Hayworth “one of the biggest spenders in Congress.”

Arizona Republicans, however, aren’t too worried about the general election contest, even if the primary gets ugly. One prominent Republican lobbyist and fundraiser, Kevin DeMenna, told CQ-Roll Call he had “no concerns” about the possibility of a Democratic takeover. “That’s not where we’re headed,” he said.

The filing deadline in Arizona is May 26; the primary is Aug. 24.

CQ Politics rates the general election contest Safe Republican.

To follow all the 2010 Senate races, check out our election map.

Murray's Seat In Play According To GOP Poll

National Journal:

Steven Shepard and Quinn McCord

In what is becoming a familiar refrain for Dems, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) could be facing a tough re-election fight, according to a new poll released today by a GOP survey firm.

The poll, conducted by OR-based Moore Information (R), shows Murray trailing two-time GOV nominee Dino Rossi (R) in a hypothetical matchup. Rossi, Moore Information pollsters Bob Moore and Hans Kaiser note, is the state's best-known GOPer, though he has not been mentioned as a potential candidate against Murray. Rossi has lost two close elections to Gov. Chris Gregiore (D); he notably declined to run in '06 against Sen. Maria Cantwell (D) to challenge a second time Gregoire in '08.

Moore Information surveyed 500 WA registered voters on Jan. 23 and 24, with a margin of error of +/- 4.4%.

General Election Matchup

Rossi 45%

Murray 43

Rossi's performance in the survey against Murray, the Senate's 4th-ranking Dem, could indicate that Murray is vulnerable in this environment. (Indeed, Moore said that the goal of the poll was to see how vulnerable she is.) But that Rossi was tested also underscores the dearth of top-tier challengers to pit against Murray.

Alfalfa farmer/ex-Redskins tight end Clint Didier (R) and motivational speaker/author Chris Widener (R) are the cream of a weak GOP crop right now. AG Rob McKenna (R) and Rep. Dave Reichert (R) would be near the top of the party's wish-list, but neither has shown any inclination of entering the race, though a Reichert spokesperson refused to rule out the possibility in an interview last week with the AP.

Still, WA SEN and GOV races have been something of a graveyard for even top-tier GOP candidates. In addition to Rossi's two losses to Gregoire, then-Reps. Linda Smith (R) and George Nethercutt (R) lost to Murray by double-digits in '98 and '04, and the self-funding Mike McGavick (R) couldn't even break 40% against Cantwell in '06. But if GOPers can win in NJ and MA these days, the GOP SEN nomination in WA might not be as worthless this year as it has been in the past.

GOP Senate candidate Norton goes on the record: ‘I’ve not been a lobbyist’

Colorado Independent:

John Tomasic

Dems jump on ‘bogus claim’ as more Tea Party pandering

In an interview with a Colorado Springs radio talk show host Tuesday, Former lieutenant governor and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Jane Norton said she has never worked as a lobbyist. She was responding to callers looking to feel out her conservative credentials.

“On the lobbyist thing, I’ve not been a lobbyist,” she said.

It was the kind of clear if undeveloped answer campaign observers have been seeking for months. Indeed, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which has been doggedly monitoring Norton appearances this winter, sent out a release Thursday mocking Norton’s assertion as a “bogus claim” and arguing that the candidate was running from her work as a lobbyist to “curry favor from the far-right anti-establishment Tea Party crowd or because she doesn’t want Coloradans to know the real reason she is opposing health care reform.”

Asked Thursday whether the campaign was standing by the claim, Norton spokesman Nate Strauch emailed a statement to the Colorado Independent that will fail to satisfy skeptics.

“During Mrs. Norton’s tenure at [Medical Group Management Association], she worked to monitor healthcare reform proposals across the nation on behalf of the organization’s members. She has never been a registered lobbyist.”

The matter of registration

Interest in Norton’s work history is fueled partly by her murky communications on the issue and partly due to the context of her candidacy.

Norton announced her campaign in September, in the immediate aftermath of the fractious August health reform town halls, where industry lobbyists and front groups worked hard to steer debate. In the months since, concerns over the power of special interests in the lawmaking process have only grown. As cable news has come to point out, 2009 was a banner year in spending for special interests. The Center for Responsive Politics reported that, one way or another, $3.2 billion washed through lawmakers coffers over the past twelve months.

Upon news of a likely Norton candidacy, liberal advocacy group ProgressNow raised questions on the years she spent at MGMA navigating the intersection where the government and the health industry meet.

“We call on Jane Norton to immediately come clean on her work history in ‘Government Relations’ for the for-profit health care industry,” founder and CEO Michael Huttner was quoted to say in a release the week Norton announced her candidacy. “We also question why Norton did not register as a lobbyist when she was head of ‘Government Relations’ for a for-profit health industry lobbying organization. We want to know the full extent of Norton’s lobbying and whether she failed to comply with the law.”

As the campaign now says, Norton has never been a registered lobbyist.

But as the Colorado Independent reported in September, from 1994 to 1999, Norton headed the lobbying department of Englewood-based MGMA, “the principle voice for the medical practice association.” Norton was the executive director of the Office of State Government Relations and the Office of Strategic Relationships.

Directly after her tenure at MGMA, Norton was appointed by Gov. Bill Owens to head the state’s Department of Public Health and Environment, a position in which she oversaw multiple state “planning groups” that engineered health coverage across Colorado, this time being paid by tax payers to work as the “principle voice” for health-care consumers.

MGMA confirmed to the Colorado Independent at the time that Norton headed the association’s lobbying department. “Yes, this is the lobbying arm of the organization,” a spokesperson at the Department of Government Affairs said. Human Resources staffer Jenny Morales said that the group Norton headed used to be called the Office of Strategic Relationships and is now simply called the Department of Government Affairs. “Ms. Norton held a number of positions at MGMA. One of which was Director of Government Policy in 1994. When she left the Association, her job title was Executive Director Strategic Relations.”

Family ties plus

In the talk-radio interview Tuesday, Norton laughed at the notion raised by a caller that her husband was a lobbyist. He is not. But her sister, Judy Black, is a lobbyist, and Norton’s ties to national big-money lobbyists are well reported.

Judy Black’s clients include companies in the finance, health care and oil and gas industries. Norton’s brother-in-law, Charlie Black, worked for tobacco, oil, and drug companies for decades, moving back and forth between leadership positions at lobbying firms and Republican political campaigns and organizations. Judy Black was national co-chair of the 2008 fundraising group “Women for McCain.” Charlie left the firm BKSH & Associates the same year to work as senior adviser for the McCain campaign.

Norton’s third quarter campaign finance disclosure forms listed eleven top national lobbyists among her donors, notable not least for the fact that some of them have been the source of ethics scandals and the targets of investigation.

The list included Alex Castellanos, for example, a CNN contributor who was exposed last year as an anti-reform pitchman, paid by the Republican Party and the insurance industry to mouth analysis and opinions in line with industry wishes.

Norton donor Rick Davis was a lobbyist for telecommunications companies COMSAT and SBC Communication as well as John McCain’s campaign manager in 2000. He was called out by the Center for Public Integrity at the time, for a conflict of interest when it was discovered that McCain, as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, was helping decide the legality of mergers on the part of COMSAT and SBC.

The interview

Norton called into KVU’s Richard Randall show January 26 and spoke for about ten minutes. She enters the clip below at 36:45. She answers the question on whether she has ever been a lobbyist at 48:10.

download file

Other highlights from the interview:

“As I understand it,” she said, Gov. Ritter appointed Michael Bennet to the Senate to create a “Ted Kennedy kind of dynasty” because Bennet is “young and will be there forever.”

She estimated the campaign would spend $8 million to $10 million dollars before Election Day.

She said she differs from her primary opponents Ken Buck and Tom Wiens because she’s “not a guy” and “not an Ivy League lawyer” and because of her experience, primarily her work in Ronald Reagan’s Department of Health and Human Services. “To have the health care background is very very important.”

She said she is receiving major endorsements from Colorado politicians like Josh Penry, Bill Owens and Hank Brown because she’s a true conservative. “I am pro-life,” she explained. “As lieutenant governor, I defunded Planned Parenthood.”

She explained her vote in favor of the Colorado Referendum C tax increases, referencing the state’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. “Referendum C was TABOR in action. I was part of an administration that cut taxes 43 times…. But when revenues fell by 17 percent and we instituted across the board spending cuts, froze capital expenditures– all the things the governor knew would be important to get our budget on track and balanced, he decided to go to a vote of the people, and that’s the beauty of Ref C: It allows you to do that. So the people spoke on that… I’m a strong supporter of TABOR… unlike what’s happening with Gov. Ritter in circumventing the people’s will.”

On “the lobbyist thing,” she said, “I’ve not been a lobbyist nor is my husband a lobbyist. He is a lawyer, like many of the guys in this race, but he’s not running.”

Republicans Wage a Smackdown for Dodd's Senate Seat

Fox News:

Jake Gibson

In the race for the U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut left open by Democrat Chris Dodd's decision to retire rather than face a costly and likely defeat, the Republican nomination fight may look more like a professional wrestling match.

In the race for the U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut left open by Democrat Chris Dodd's decision to retire rather than face a costly and likely defeat, the Republican nomination fight may look more like a professional wrestling match.

In one corner is former Republican Rep. Rob Simmons, whose campaign raised $631,000 in the final three months of last year, according to fundraising numbers released to Fox News Thursday.

In the other corner of the GOP ring is Linda McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, whose campaign raised only $6,676 in the same time period -- a fraction of what Simmons' campaign raked in.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll showed Simmons leading McMahon by 10 points.

"With the support of over 12,000 donors contributing a record-breaking total of $2.3 million in just nine months, Rob Simmons' fundraising success is unparalleled for a Republican Senate candidate in Connecticut, and is similar to other leading Senate candidates in the region such as New Hampshire's Kelly Ayotte," said Simmons campaign manager Jim Barnett.

But McMahon plans a political pile driver with her personal pocketbook.

McMahon campaign officials confirm reports that McMahon is willing to spend up to $50 million of her own money.

"She's prepared to spend what it takes to win," one campaign official said.

McMahon has already spent $5 million dollars of her own money since formally announcing her run in September. But despite pouring $3 million into media advertising -- mostly television ads -- she's still trailing Simmons by 10 percentage points, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll.

In the poll, released January 14, Simmons has 37 percent of the vote compared to McMahon's 27 percent.

"Having lived a life of service and sacrifice on behalf of America, Rob does not have tens of millions of dollars of his own money to spend on a political campaign, but his fundraising success and his big primary lead in all independent polling despite millions of dollars in uncontested advertising spending by his opponent demonstrates that he will have all the money he needs to fight and win the Republican nomination," Barnett said.

The winner of this brawl gets the treat of taking on Democrat Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut's attorney general for nearly 20 years and widely considered the most popular politician in the state.

In the same Quinnipiac poll, Bumenthal was leading both candidates by nearly 40 percentage points.

Still, in the wake of Scott Brown's shocking victory in Massachusetts this month, Republican insiders are hopeful, calling Blumenthal "a career politician who hasn't had a tough race on his hands in a very long time and who also has never created a job in his life"

Former President Bill Clinton endorses Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in her likely fight vs. Harold Ford

New York Daily News:

Michael Saul, David Saltonstall and Celeste Katz

Bubba's for Gilly.

Former President Bill Clinton endorsed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Thursday - a possible indication that the seat's former occupant, Hillary Clinton, approves too.

"President Clinton thinks she's doing a good job and he supports her," aide Matt McKenna said.

Bill Clinton's entrance would make him the newest big-name Democrat to throw his weight behind Gillibrand, who faces a possible primary from ex-Tennessee congressman Harold Ford.

It would also be "consistent with [Hillary Clinton's] role as a member of the Obama administration, which has strongly endorsed Sen. Gillibrand's candidacy," said Baruch College's David Birdsell. But she can't endorse a candidate as Secretary of State.

An aide said Gillibrand - who heartily backed Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential bid - "greatly appreciates President Clinton's support for her agenda fighting for core Democratic values."

The ex-commander in chief is focused on the Haiti crisis and hasn't yet scheduled any events with Gillibrand. But the Clinton seal of approval could still be a powerful tool for Gillibrand if Ford jumps into the race.

The endorsement is a bit of a blow for Ford, who like Clinton, once led the clubby Democratic Leadership Council.

The ex-President has long been a fan of the 39-year-old Ford, once calling him "the walking, living embodiment [of] where America ought to go in the 21st century."

Ford, for his part, suggested yesterday that Gillibrand may be going a little crackers.

After Ford dubbed Gillibrand a "parakeet" this week for parroting the Democratic Party line, she mockingly said on Twitter that if Ford were at the State of the Union address, he'd be sitting on the Republican side.

Ford, who toured a Westchester hospital and a Bronx pharmacy yesterday, said he hadn't seen Gillibrand's tweet, but "would imagine that some of the political pressure and things are probably getting to her and her team."

The blazing rhetoric - which is being lobbed before Ford has even declared he's a candidate - had state Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs calling for a ceasefire on NY1 News.

"I don't like the name-calling. I don't think it's helpful," he said.

Paul Raises $650,000 In 3 Months

AP:

Frankfort, Kentucky - Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul has reported collecting just over $650,000 in campaign contributions during the final three months of last year.

The son of former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul reported Thursday that he has raised nearly $1.8 million for the entire campaign. The campaign-finance report showed that he had $1.3 million on hand at the end of 2009.

University of Kentucky political scientist Stephen Voss calls it an impressive fundraising performance.

Paul, a Bowling Green eye surgeon, is part of a crowded field of candidates seeking the Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Jim Bunning. Six Republicans and five Democrats have entered the race.

Ken Buck campaign ad stirs up supporters and speculation

Colorado Independent

Colorado Independent: Ken Buck campaign ad stirs up supporters and speculation John Tomasic

The U.S. Senate campaign for Weld County D.A. Ken Buck reportedly knew nothing of the ad before it aired and even now isn’t sure where the ad is running. “I heard it’s playing on the networks. I think I found that out from the [Denver] Post,” Spokesperson Owen Loftus told the Colorado Independent. “It was made by that 527, so we had no contact before it ran, and we can’t have any contact with them now.”

Loftus said the appearance of the ad was a pleasant surprise in that it dovetailed with a tour Buck has taken around the state recently. “I think it has helped getting Ken’s name out.” The ad might have helped fuel the bump in contributions the campaign has seen in the last couple of weeks, said Loftus.

It has definitely fueled speculation that powerful forces are lining up behind Buck to defeat GOP frontrunner Jane Norton.

The organization behind the ad, Campaign For Liberty, told TPM that the ad is not a strict candidate endorsement, which would violate the law. The ad is intended instead to promote the libertarian/conservative group’s candidate issues surveys. “We want every candidate to answer our surveys. So as soon as another candidate answers our survey, we’ll probably do another ad stating that,” said spokesperson Gary Howard.

At conservative website Rocky Mountain Right, speculation is that the ad may have come out of a national strategizing conference call hosted in November by the Senate Conservatives Fund, founded by RedState’s Erick Erickson and Sen. Jim DeMint. The main point was to decide which U.S. Senate primaries were the most important ones to watch. “The Colorado race was near the top of the list,” writes the RMR blogger.

Soon the Buck campaign was encouraging supporters to send messages to the fund making the case for Buck. Is the Senate Conservatives Fund behind the new Buck ad?

That’s not the only theory. In the comments thread of a Colorado Independent story this week, a Norton supporter offered a preview of the kind of whispering attacks that Buck might come under as his grassroots candidacy builds steam. The commenter suggests the ad was the work of wealthy Colorado gay-rights activist Tim Gill who, the theory goes, is supporting Buck because last year Buck chose to prosecute the murder of transgender Greeley resident Angie Zapata as a hate crime. The prosecution was a victory for the Zapata family and the gay community that rallied around the trial.

Compared to the speculation it’s generating, the campaign ad itself is pretty vanilla. It features a montage of photos running behind a low-tone voiceover that hits on predictably vague strongly worded talking points:

“Career politicians are stealing our liberty and bankrupting our country.”

“[Buck’s] a tough prosecutor who will take on the D.C. insiders.”

California gets $2.3 billion for high-speed rail line

Contra Costa Times:

Rick Orlov

California will get more than $2.3 billion in federal stimulus money to help build an 800-mile-long, high-speed rail line tying Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay area to Los Angeles and San Diego.

The grants announced by the Obama administration would fund the largest public works project in California history, with construction likely to start with a stretch from Los Angeles to Anaheim.

"I will say this about California, as typical, has been way ahead of the curve," Transportation Secretary Raymond LaHood said during a Thursday morning conference call. "The people there have been working and planning for high-speed rail for more than a decade, and they are willing to put up their own taxpayer dollars."

In November 2008, California voters approved Proposition 1A, a $9.95 billion bond measure to build a north-south rail line. Trains traveling up to 220 mph could make the San Francisco-to-Los Angeles trip in about 2-1/2 hours.

"This is something I proposed when I ran for governor in 1990," said U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who with colleague Barbara Boxer was also on the conference call. "Now, in 2010, it is happening."

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has accused the administration of not investing enough in California, led a chorus of local officials praising the award.

"Today's announcement is fantastic news for job creation in California," where the unemployment rate is 12.4 percent, Schwarzenegger said. "By showing leadership and including high-speed rail funding in the Recovery Act, the Obama administration is strongly supporting California's high-speed rail project."

Schwarzenegger said the project will create an estimated 600,000 jobs.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa echoed the governor's comments about the project's economic benefits.

"High-speed rail will bring jobs to California when we need them most, building a sustainable state-of-the-art transit network," Villaraigosa said. "With 14 percent unemployment in L.A., we're ready to get people to work. This funding couldn't have come at a better time."

The federal money will be used in a dollar-to-dollar match with the state to build the first part of the system from Anaheim to Los Angeles.

LaHood said he expects the rail project to draw private investors to the Golden State.

"I had a meeting recently with 30 manufacturers from around the world to persuade them there is money here," LaHood said. "There will be development opportunities. We expect to see developments along the route and around the train stations that are being built."

Boxer said the money is coming as the state goes through tough times.

"This announcement will lift us all," Boxer said. "It will be a model for the country."

Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle, who chairs the California High Speed Rail Authority, said the money will help the entire state, by moving the project closer to reality.

"A California high-speed rail system truly gives each of us this opportunity to change the future of California for our children and grandchildren," Pringle said.

While California's allocation is short of the $4.7 billion for which it had applied, the grant was the largest awarded for any single project.

President Barack Obama was in Florida to announce the grants for the rail projects, including one there between Tampa and Orlando.

"Through the Recovery Act, we are making the largest investment in infrastructure since the Interstate Highway System was created," Obama said. "That investment is how we can break ground across this country.

"There's no reason why Europe or China should have the fastest trains when we can build them right here in America."

White House: Obama to stump for Bennet in Colorado next month

AP:

DENVER (AP) — The White House has confirmed that President Barack Obama will visit Colorado in February to attend an event with U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet.

White House spokesman Adam Abrams said Thursday that the details are still being worked out.

Craig Hughes, Bennet's campaign manager, says Obama will be in Colorado to campaign for the senator, who is running for election. A date hasn't been set.

Bennet was appointed by fellow Democrat Gov. Bill Ritter to the Senate last year to complete Ken Salazar's term. Obama appointed Salazar as Interior secretary.

Bennet faces former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff in the primary. Former Colorado Lt. Gov. Jane Norton and Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck are among at least a half dozen Republican candidates.

Vitter Blocking The President’s US Attorney Appointment: The Plot Thickens

The controversy around David Vitter’s attempt to block President Obama’s appointee as US Attorney in Shreveport, LA has increased in the wake of the much publicized arrest of four men trying to break into Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office.

Bringing the charges against the four men was Jim Letten, the U.S. attorney in New Orleans and a holdover Bush Administration appointee. One of four arrested Monday in the alleged plot was Robert Flanagan, the son of Bill Flanagan, a career prosecutor who is the acting U.S. attorney in Shreveport, La.

A week ago, President Barack Obama nominated Stephanie Finley for the U.S. attorney's post in Shreveport.

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., is blocking Senate action on Finley's nomination and Obama's other nominees for federal justice system posts in Louisiana until he hears from the White House whether Obama will let Letten keep his job, Vitter's office said Wednesday.

Given the serious nature of the allegations and the connections of the accused to the Western District US Attorney’s office, why does David Vitter continue to obstruct the appointment of critical law enforcement officers?

And what is it about Jim Letten that is so important to Vitter that it necessitates blocking those key appointments?

Connecticut Smackdown!

DSCC Rant

We haven’t seen a brawl this heated since the last time we watched pro wrestling.

Ever since Democratic Attorney General Richard Blumenthal jumped into the race to represent Connecticut in the United States Senate, the Republican candidates have been savaging each other. In one corner, we have former World Wrestling Entertainment executive Linda McMahon. In the other corner, we have former Congressman Rob Simmons.

Simmons says McMahon ignored the health of her wrestlers in the pursuit of bigger profits. SLAM! McMahon hits back that Simmons is a career politician. BAM! Simmons offers this uppercut: McMahon is a RINO – Republican in name only – POW! And McMahon gives Simmons a rhetorical knee to the groin in suggesting that Simmons is most comfortable “living off the government payroll.” YOW!

Meanwhile, Democrats are sitting back and enjoying the smackdown. Pass the popcorn.

While Ayotte Backs Citizens United, Her Hometown Paper Slams It

On the heels of Kelly Ayotte’s ill-advised public support of the Supreme Court’s much-publicized support in Citizens United v. FEC, the Nashua Telegraph (Ayotte’s hometown paper), excoriates the decision.

For the majority, the ruling hinged on whether campaign spending was a form of free speech. Ultimately, Justices Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy, John Roberts, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas decided the answer to that question was yes.

We don’t share that sentiment. We do not believe our Founding Fathers had corporations or unions doling out millions of dollars to influence federal elections in mind when they were crafting the First Amendment.

Rather, we wholeheartedly agree with Justice John Paul Stevens, who wrote in his dissenting opinion that the court’s ruling “threatens to undermine the integrity of elected institutions across the Nation.”

Ayotte’s support of the Court’s decision in Citizens United places her well outside the mainstream of New Hampshire and of the country, and her own hometown paper reinforces this.

Senator Menendez Speaks On Citizens United v. FEC

Senator Robert Menendez speaks on CNN's State of the Nation about the Supreme Court's misguided ruling in Citizens United v. FEC.

You can sign the DSCC's petition against Citizens United here.

Kelly Ayotte Backing Misguided Supreme Court Decision In Citizens United

Showing the same lack of legal aplomb as a Senate candidate which she showed as New Hampshire’s attorney general, Republican Kelly Ayotte came out in support of the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC…a decision which will effectively enable corporations to make unlimited independent expenditures in direct support of chosen political candidates.

As DSCC Chairman Robert Menendez said last week in a statement, the decision creates a serious risk that citizens’ voices in the political process will be drowned out by corporate interests…a possibility with which Kelly Ayotte seems perfectly happy.

Democrat Paul Hodes, however, sees the danger ahead:

“The upcoming election in New Hampshire should be decided by the people of the Granite State, not special interests with unlimited cash,’’ Hodes said. “Washington is broken – and this will only make business as usual worse.’’

As Kelly Ayotte applauds the increased influence of corporate interests in American politics, Paul Hodes is well aware of the danger posed to the voters of New Hampshire.

Grand Old (Tea) Party?

DSCC Rant

Is the angry, irrational mob known as the “Tea Party” one and the same as the Republican Party?

After a summer of yelling about “socialism” and “death panels” at town hall meetings, they have mobilized behind a number of Republican Senate candidates. We saw how energized they were in Massachusetts. If more of these candidates are elected in November, it will become harder and harder to make any progress in Washington.

We’ve read the tea leaves. Here’s our take on who’s riding the tea party bandwagon:

Florida: Gov. Charlie Crist for Senate? The Republican establishment rejoiced! But can he even get the Republican nomination? Enter Marco Rubio. The former Republican House speaker and all-around right-winger has gone from virtually unknown to tied with Crist in the polls to the cover of the New York Times Magazine. “The First Senator from the Tea Party?” the headline reads. This race keeps getting more and more interesting.

Connecticut: Facing a number of well-funded primary opponents, Rob Simmons saw the writing on the wall. He knew he had to do something to appeal to the tea partiers. So he – what else? – attached a tea bag to the U.S. Constitution he carries in his pocket. Effective immunization, or pathetic pandering? Only the tea partiers know for sure.

Colorado: A series of events have proven that Jane Norton is just the type of candidate to rally Republicans’ tea party base. First, Norton spoke in favor of shutting down the Department of Education – an idea that hasn’t been in vogue since Newt Gingrich was skittering around the halls of the U.S. Capitol. Then, during a meet-and-greet event, Norton failed to correct a woman who called President Obama a Muslim multiple times and in a way to make it sound sinister. Instead, Norton praised their “passion” and said Glenn Beck’s 9/12 groups and the tea party movement are the strength of the Republican Party. If all that wasn’t enough, Norton most recently gave a speech in which she said President Obama is more interested in protecting the rights of terrorists than in keeping Americans safe. One lump, or two?

Kentucky: Rand Paul, son of Ron, is giving the “establishment” Republican candidate, Trey Grayson, a run for his money in Kentucky. All the tea party passion is with Paul. One poll that has Paul leading Grayson by 19 points said that “Paul is having a particularly good amount of success with folks who think that the Republican Party in Washington has become too liberal.” One word: Wow.

GOP Wants Repeal of Health Reform

DSCC Rant

Republicans – with a strong push from their tea party buddies – would like to offer this reason to elect them in 2010: Vote for us, and we’ll take away your health care.

On December 24, the Senate passed health care reform that would provide coverage to 30 million more people, end the practice of denying coverage for people with “pre-existing conditions,” put strong new limits on insurance companies, reduce the deficit and shore up Medicare. Sounds good, right? Not to Republicans. They are vowing to repeal the bill as soon as they’re in office.

One Republican who’s already on board is Pennsylvania Senate candidate Pat Toomey.

“We have to repeal very substantial parts of it, and that’s not going to be easy,” he told Politico. So which benefits will he take away from Pennsylvanians? We await his answer.

Jane Norton, R-Tea Bag

DSCC Rant

If you had any question about who Jane Norton of Colorado represents, we have your answer, times three.

Norton, who's running for the Republican nomination to take on Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet, has made her tea party ideology increasingly clear over the past few weeks. First, she called for eliminating the Department of Education, a position so right wing, mainstream Republicans stopped talking about it years ago. Sen. Bennet, for the record, was lauded for his leadership and reform-mindedness during his tenure as Superintendent of the Denver public schools.

Just in case that pandering was insufficient, Norton struck again during a December meet-and-greet event. Norton sat silently by as a woman repeatedly, mistakenly and in a way to make it seem sinister called President Obama a Muslim. Rather than correcting the woman, Norton noted the woman's passion and praised the tea party movement and its patron saint, Glenn Beck.

If you think that's about as fringy as it gets, you underestimate Jane Norton.

During a Monday meeting with the Jefferson County Men's Club, Norton responded to a question about local control of criminal matters by telling the audience that President Obama cares more about protecting the rights of terrorists than protecting the American people. You read that right.

One thing's for certain: Jane Norton does not fit Colorado to a T.

GOP Uses Attempted Attack to Raise $$

DSCC Rant

Even we didn’t think the Republicans would sink this low. First, a man tries to light a bomb on an American plane on Christmas Day. Then, the national party uses the incident to raise money.

The email, sent on Dec. 30, blamed President Obama and Democrats for being soft on terror and for “jamming a healthcare bill down the throats of the American people.” The solution? A Republican majority. "Now more than ever we need a check in the Senate to stop the radical Obama agenda down [sic] until we elect a Republican President in 2012," the fundraising letter said.

Note to the GOP: Not everything is about politics.

The GOP terrorism fundraising email failed to mention that one of the party’s own senators, Jim DeMint of South Carolina, is blocking President Obama’s choice to head the Transportation Security Administration, the government agency tasked with keeping our airlines safe. Erroll Southers, a counterterrorism expert and former FBI agent, has garnered the support of two bipartisan Senate committees, but DeMint won’t budge. Evidently, blocking President Obama is a more important goal than is keeping Americans safe.

Democratic Senate challenger Chad McGowan called DeMint out.

"Jim DeMint is putting his partisan agenda ahead of our safety,” McGowan said. "This is not the time to have nobody in charge of America’s air security. Terrorists don’t care if we’re Republicans or Democrats – they only care that we’re Americans. Senator DeMint needs to understand that."

DeMint: Republican Party Teas Off

DSCC Rant

Yep. The tea partiers have officially taken over the Republican Party. But don't take our word for it. Here's what Sen. Jim DeMint, the South Carolina Republican and nation's top teatotaler, told the National Review last Thursday:

"We need to stop looking at the tea parties as separate from the Republican Party," he said. "If we do that, we can stand up and create the biggest tent of all."

A very angry, irrationally antigovernment tent. No camping for us, thank you very much.

The tea partiers made their first mark on the electoral scene when their passion helped defeat the Republican candidate in the New York 23rd special election in November. Too liberal, they said. Now they have their eyes on several Senate contests, and Republican candidates are pleading for the tea partiers' support. One particularly amusing pander: Connecticut Senate candidate Rob Simmons, who previously tried to tout moderate credentials, has been driving around the state with a tea bag dangling from his rear-view mirror and carrying a copy of the constitution with a tea bag attached to it.

It's not surprising that Republicans have welcomed the coup. A recent Rasmussen poll showed that if an unnamed Democrat, Republican and "Tea Party" candidate were on a congressional ballot, the "Tea Party" candidate would earn more votes than the Republican.

DeMint Wishes He Had "Lie"d

DSCC Rant

Remember when Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., embarrassed himself, his party -- maybe even his species -- by shouting "You lie!" at President Obama during a joint session of Congress?

Wilson apologized – sort of – but any shame was short-lived as Wilson quickly became the newest hero of the tea-party crowd and raked in more than $1 million in campaign donations within days.

It seems that someone across the dome is a wee bit jealous. According to Politico:

"When I heard this 'you lie' comment, the President turned and looked at me and I said, 'Oh no, they think it’s me,'" Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina recently said. “But a couple days later, after he raised a few million dollars off of it, I was thinking ‘why didn’t I say that?'"

Wow. It kind of makes you wonder where DeMint draws the line. Is any boorish behavior fair game if it raises campaign cash? South Carolinians would love to know.

UPDATE: Mark Kirk, R-Trout Stream

DSCC Rant

We knew it wouldn’t take too long for that old flipper, Senate candidate Mark Kirk, to go all floppy on us again.

After voting last month to allow prisoners being held at Guantanamo Bay to be brought to the U.S. mainland, Kirk then decided the move was just too dangerous. In a letter to the Obama administration, he said that if prisoners ended up in a maximum-security facility in Illinois, “our state and the Chicago metropolitan area will become ground zero for jihadist terrorist plots, recruitment and radicalization."

Chicago newspapers promptly called him out on his scare-mongering, suggesting that he should “give us a break.”

Now, it appears Kirk might be rethinking his position. Again. The Chicago Tribune reported that Kirk now wants a “dispassionate” discussion of the issue. Because flinging around terms like “ground zero” and “jihadist terrorist plots” is a true sign of thoughtful moderation.

Flip-flop.

Hall of Shame: John Ensign and Sue Lowden

Nevadans deserve better than John Ensign – and Sue Lowden. The two of them ought to be consigned to the dustbin of history – and the DSCC’s Hall of Shame.

Hall of Shame: Roy Blunt (Repeat Offender)

What will Missouri Congressman and Senate hopeful Roy Blunt do to fix America’s broken health care system? Absolutely nothing.

Hall of Shame: Richard Burr

North Carolina Republican Richard Burr offered his solution to the economic crisis– “withdraw all money from the bank”.

Hall of Shame: Norm Coleman

Now with even his own lawyers saying he'll lose, Norm Coleman is shamefully and spitefully refusing to admit defeat

Hall of Shame: David Vitter

It seems that Louisiana Republican David Vitter just can’t stop embarrassing himself or the people of his home state.

Hall of Shame: Roy Blunt

As more and more Americans are worrying about their homes, their health care, and their next paycheck, Missouri Republican Roy Blunt remains as clueless as he is shameless.

Hall of Shame: Saxby Chambliss

On Saxby Chambliss’ watch, hundreds of thousands of Georgia’s kids were left without access to health care, and Chambliss actually tried to stop the Senate from sending help.

Hall of Shame: Gordon Smith

There he goes again. For continuing his attempts to trick Oregonians into forgetting his record as a party-line Republican, we award Gordon Smith a place in our Hall of Shame.

Hall of Shame: Norm Coleman

For having the poor judgment and lack of shame to fly to the Bahamas and live in a cheap apartment, all while wearing clothes someone else paid for, Coleman gets another place in the Hall of Shame.

Hall of Shame: Mitch McConnell

We’re awarding McConnell an unprecedented fourth spot in our Hall of Shame for his disgusting decision to rip a World War II veteran’s comments out of context and twist them into a false political attack.