Guess Who's Running For Governor!

This past Sunday, Scott Lively announced that he will be running for governor of Massachusetts. Given who Lively is, this may not actually be news worthy, but it is hilarious. Lively’s claim to fame is inspiring Uganda’s “Kill the Gays” bill, a bill that would make it legal for that country to literally execute people for being gay. Lively’s involvement in Uganda has resulted in him facing a court challenge for crimes against humanity. He is an ardent conservative who is very vocally anti-gay, anti-abortion, and pro-gun, yet he is running to lead one of the country’s most liberal states. For some reason Lively thinks that the people of Massachusetts need him.

According to a press release from Lively, "The people of this state need a candidate who can clearly and unapologetically articulate Biblical values without fear or compromise. They need a candidate who will tell the simple truth that abortion is murder, and homosexuality is condemned by God (but that Jesus forgives and heals those who repent)." 

Let us compare this with what recently happened here in my home state: Virginia. Here, we had a very conservative Republican - Ken Cuccinelli - running on many of the same policy positions as Lively. As extreme as Cuccinelli was in those policies, he was not as extreme as Lively, nor is Virginia the liberal bastion that Massachusetts is. Cuccinelli still managed to lose. I have no idea how Lively thinks himself to be a viable candidate in Massachusetts of all places.

We’re living in a time when most people are more concerned about economic issues and health care while simultaneously, the tide on social issues - particularly those related to sexual orientation - is shifting demonstrably away from the conservative positions that Lively espouses so strongly. We have seen in the last few years that what were once winning issues for conservatives are now liabilities that have cost them numerous electoral contests. That is a lesson that Lively has yet to learn, though he is shaping up to be the latest political casualty of the right’s inability to learn lessons from past elections. He will just have to learn the hard way that he and those like him are no longer in touch with mainstream America.

Also, he thinks the Nazis were gay. Gubernatorial material indeed…

Sen. Cruz Thinks Obama Might Defund Obamacare

The key remarks mentioned in the title are just after 4:45, but I recommend watching the whole clip.

Will the Tea Party Sit Out 2014?

From Naples News: 

But as many tea party stars seek re-election next year and Rubio considers a 2016 presidential run, conservative activists are finding themselves at a crossroads. Many of their standard-bearers have embraced more moderate positions on bedrock issues such as immigration and health care, broadening their appeal in swing states but dampening grass-roots passion. 

"They keep sticking their finger in the eyes of the guys who got them elected," said Ralph King, a co-founder of the Cleveland Tea Party Patriots. "A lot of people are feeling betrayed." 

The tea party is a loosely knit web of activists, and some are hoping to rekindle the fire with 2014 primary challenges to wayward Republicans. But many more say they plan to sit out high-profile races in some important swing states next year, a move that GOP leaders fear could imperil the re-election prospects of former tea party luminaries, including the governors of Florida and Ohio...

The midterm elections are a long ways away and a lot can happen between now and then. Personally, I believe it far more likely that some of the "establishment" Republicans will see primary challenges from their right. Two prominent Republican senators, minority leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, already have primary opponents lining up against them (though regardless of whi wins those primaries, the seats will likely stay in GOP hands). Should these farther right candidates win their primary races enmasse, this could pose a problem for the GOP as a whole. While it could help them to keep the House, it may cost them the Senate just as it did in the 2010 midterm elections. The Tea Party has clearly not learned that lesson from four years ago.

Mitch McConnell's Primary Problem

From Huffington Post: 

It looks like things are about to get pretty interesting for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in his 2014 re-election bid. Kentucky businessman Matt Bevin has decided to offer himself up as a primary challenger in the Bluegrass State, and it looks like McConnell is about to get a pretty undiluted taste of what's been making House Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) life a "living hell" lately. 

Yesterday, the National Review's Katrina Trinko reported that Bevin -- then "on the cusp" of announcing his run -- had been the target of much cajoling, and later, threats, from the McConnell camp:

“Mitch McConnell’s people reached out to Matt for several months through all different avenues trying to convince him not to run,” the adviser close to Bevin tells National Review Online. “They can pretend like they’re not afraid, they can call him a nuisance, but they were desperate not to have him. Because they are scared.”

“First they tried to threaten him,” the source added, “and then they tried to dangle shiny political prizes.”

McConnell, through campaign manager Jesse Benton, issued the standard denials, telling Trinko that no one from his camp had ever said anything to Bevin. He went on to allege that if anyone had cautioned Bevin against a run, it was "people from Matt's life" who were "desperately trying to prevent Matt from making a serious mistake." The McConnell campaign, Benton told Trinko, had a wealth of opposition material to use on Bevin. 

It was this sort of scenario that cost the Republican Party control of the Senate in the 2010 midterm elections. the GOP could have picked up another couple of seats, perhaps even that of Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), were it not for some really far right and "not ready for primetime" candidates in nevada, Deleware, Connecticut, and elsewhere. The "establishment" Republican faced a primary challenge from a farther right candidate, the farther right candidate won the primary only to be defeated by a Democrat. It appears that the party (or at least the Tea Party sect thereof) has not learned from recent mistakes. Having said all of that, it is unlikely for the Democrats to win this particular Senate seat in conservative Kentucky. the potential candidate with the greatest shot was actor Ashley judd, but she decided months ago not to run. Regardless of that however, the details of this story paints McConnell in an even more unflattering light, compounding other recent goings-on he has had challenging his leadership. These are not good times to be Senator Mitch McConnell.

Will Wyoming Unleash Another Cheney on America?

Cenk pretty much said it all explicitly, but I just want to point out that the last couple of quotes a mentioned from Liz Cheney make it clear that she would not be going to the Senate in an effort to solve America's problems, she would instead be going specifically to be a road block to obstruct the other side. It is already crystal clear that she would not in any way be a productive member of Congress. There are already too many people like that in Washington and another one is not necessary. Wyoming should do America a favour and not unleash this woman on the rest of us.

Fleischer: Bachmann Was "Not My Cup Of Tea"

Mark Warner Looks Good For Re-Election

From Public Policy Polling: 

Mark Warner continues to be by far and away Virginia's most popular politician, and doesn't look like he would face much trouble for reelection regardless of who the Republicans put up next year. 

53% of Virginians approve of the job Warner is doing to only 27% who disapprove. He's at 58/25 with independents, and has 26% crossover approval from Republicans. He would have an 11 point lead in a hypothetical match up with Bob McDonnell, 50/39. He would also lead Eric Cantor by 19 points at 53/34 and Bill Bolling by 21 points at 54/33. Cantor continues to be unpopular statewide, with only 26% of voters rating him favorably to 40% who have a negative opinion.

Of course this election is a year and a half away which is a political eternity, but this is certainly good news for Virginia. 

Tweet of the Day: May 29, 2013 (Farewell Michele)

Michele Bachmann Not Running For Re-Election

From Yahoo News: 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, a conservative firebrand and a favorite of tea party Republicans, said Wednesday she will not run for another term in the U.S. House. 

Bachmann, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination last year, announced her decision in a video on her website. 

"My decision was not influenced by any concerns about my being re-elected," Bachmann said. She narrowly won a fourth term in 2012 over Democrat Jim Graves, a hotel chain founder who is running again in 2014. 

Bachmann also said, "This decision was not impacted in any way by the recent inquiries into the activities of my former presidential campaign." In January, a former Bachmann aide filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, claiming Bachmann made improper payments to an Iowa state senator who was the state chairman of her 2012 presidential run. The aide, Peter Waldron, also accused Bachmann of other FEC violations.

Democrats Break With Obama on Social Security

From Huffington Post: 

...In his most recent budget proposal, Obama included a measure to reduce the cost-of-living adjustment related to senior and veterans benefits as a compromise offer to Republicans. He had already put so-called chained CPI on the table during both debt ceiling and fiscal cliff negotiations with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), and defended his move this time by emphasizing it was a reform "championed by Republicans leaders in Congress" that would only be made in exchange for new tax revenues... 

...Democratic Sens. Kay Hagan (N.C.), Mark Begich (Alaska) and Mark Pryor (Ark.), all running in states won by Republican Mitt Romney in 2012, have publicly opposed the president's effort, going so far as to co-sponsor a Senate resolution against chained CPI last week. Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), running in bluer states, also co-sponsored the resolution. 

"Adequate annual Cost of Living Adjustments are critical for the millions of Americans who rely on these benefits to make ends meet," Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who introduced the resolution, said in a statement. "The truth is that the way we currently calculate COLAs is already inadequate to keep up with rising medical costs. The Chained CPI would take us even further in the wrong direction by directly cutting benefits for millions of Americans. This resolution expresses our steadfast opposition to doing so..."

The Bachmann Saga: An Ethical Dilemma

From Salon:

With a special investigator soon to be appointed by the chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court, the ethics cloud hovering over Rep. Michele Bachmann could quickly become a major problem for the Tea Party hero, experts tell Salon. 

“This is very serious,” said Craig Holman, a government ethics lobbyist at liberal-leaning watchdog group Public Citizen. “It’s not Watergate, or at least not yet, but these are a series of allegations that are each serious on their own, and when you put them all together, this could be a career ender for Michele Bachmann.” 

Ken Boehm, chairman of the conservative-leaning National Legal and Policy Center, told Salon that we should wait to see what investigators find — indeed, no wrongdoing has been reported so far — though he acknowledged the escalating scrutiny could be a major headache for the congresswoman down the line. 

The Iowa investigation, looking into whether the campaign improperly paid a state senator, is just one of at least three different probes examining a range of allegations related to Bachmann’s failed presidential campaign, including charges that she improperly used campaign funds to promote her book, that her campaign “launder[ed]” money, and that one of her staffers stole an email list from a home-school organization...

Stephen Colbert's Sister To Run For Congress

From Huffington Post:

Elizabeth Colbert-Busch, sister of comedian Stephen Colbert, will run for Congress in South Carolina, St. Andrews Patch confirmed on Friday.

Colbert-Busch's entry into the race could make for interesting programming on her younger brother's show. Unlike the character Colbert plays on TV, Colbert-Busch is a Democrat, and she'll be seeking to turn a long-red First Congressional District -- previously represented by now-GOP Sen. Tim Scott -- blue. But her entrance into the race will add to the intrigue of an already compelling contest that will feature disgraced ex-South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford duking it out with at least five other Republican candidates for the nomination.

Sanford notoriously disappeared from the state in 2009 in a scandal that eventually forced him to admit that he was having an extramarital affair with an Argentinian woman. He finished his term, but his wife, Jenny Sanford, eventually divorced him, and earlier this month declined to run for the seat. Her ex-husband reportedly announced plans to wed his former mistress last year.

This looks like it will be one of the most interesting congressional races.

Governor Rick Scott Sinking in Florida

From the Huffington Post:

Most Florida voters, including Republicans, would like to see Gov. Rick Scott (R) challenged in 2014, according to a poll released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University.

More than half of voters said Scott didn't deserve a second term, and 55 percent, including 53 percent of Republicans, wanted another candidate to challenge the governor in a primary. Scott's approval ratings, though improved from 2011, were also underwater.

Voters were more likely than not to say they liked Scott as a person, but just a third said they approved of most of his policies.

"Gov. Rick Scott's ratings with voters are just plain awful. The numbers cannot be sugar-coated," Quinnipiac's assistant director of polling, Peter A. Brown, said, noting that the only silver lining for the GOP was the chance of finding a more electable nominee. "When voters in a politician's own party want him to be challenged in a primary by another candidate, it's difficult to see it as anything but outright rejection."

Tweet of the Day: December 6, 2012

For those who have forgotten, Mark Sanford is the former GOP governor of South Carolina who campaigned on family values, then proceeded to cheat on his wife (and the mother of his three sons) with an Argentine (I think that's where she was from) reporter and wrote her letters calling her the love of his life. having said that, if he runs and so much as thinks of mentioning family values or the sanctity of marriage, someone needs to punch him in the face (not really, but you take my meaning).

A Letter to Ohio Sec. of State Jon Husted

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