The DSCC is pounding Liddy Dole with ads, and they are working fabulously.
Kay Hagan (D): 42 (40)As I've said one billion times, don't hold your breath waiting for Lizzy to start airing ads here in KY, as he sold Lunsford on. I'd LOVE to be proven wrong, but I still don't see it happening.
Elizabeth Dole (R-inc): 39 (49)
Chris Cole (L): 5 (4)
Undecided: 13 (7)
(MoE: ±3.3%)
Pining for 60 Senate seats?
Well, yesterday a poll came out showing Elizabeth Dole not with her previous double-digit lead, but a dead even tie, 40-40 with Kay Hagan.
Anomaly? Nope. Today, another poll is out showing 6 points being shaved off of her lead, at 44-41.
Dig it.
(Oh, and Al Franken's up one point on Norm Coleman in a poll today. Woot.)
The Messenger-Inquirer on Fancy Farm:
Republicans dressed as Middle Eastern sheiks and Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez paraded through the crowd clutching dollar bills and thanking Lunsford for opposing expanded drilling on the outer continental shelf.
It appears that KY Lefties like me aren't the only nuts that have it in for Chuck "Lizzy" Schumer. Check out Ted "The Internet is not a Truck" Stevens (AK-Sen) completely flip his lid complaining about Schumer, coming about one inch away from calling him a dirty Jew.
We'll miss you Ted, you ole crazy bastard.
Want some good news? I'll give you some good news.
That slim majority that we have in the Senate? Which is constantly filibustered by Mitch McConnell and undermined by the likes of Holy Joe Lieberman?
It's soon to be a thing of the past. Get ready for the huge Democratic majority, coming in 2009.
Let's do a quick recap:
Virginia- Mark Warner is currently stomping in this race to replace the retiring John Warner. Democratic pickup.
New Mexico- Another easy pickup for the Democrats in and open seat, as Udall is winning by roughly 20 points in every poll. Democratic pickup.
New Hampshire- John Sununu is on the way out, with Sheheen up 10 points consistently in the polls. Democratic pickup.
Colorado- Udall up 6 points in the latest Rasmussen poll, in this soon to be Blue state come November. Democratic pickup.
Alaska- Ted "internet tubes" Stevens is a goner this year, with Begich up several points in the 2 May polls on the race. Goodbye, Ted. Democratic pickup.
North Carolina- This state has the potential to turn Carolina Blue, as May polls showed a split decision between Liddy Dole and Dem challenger Kay Hagan. With Obama strong in North Carolina, we may finally send another Dole out to pasture. Strong possibility of a big upset and another Dem pickup.
Texas- Another chance of a big shocker, as Democratic challenger Rick Noriega was only a few points behind incumbent John Cornyn in May polling. With the coming November Democratic wave, look for Cornyn to get swept up in the tide. Another possible Dem Pickup.
Oregon- Republican incumbent Gordon Smith is unpopular, well below 50% in polling and only a couple points behind challenger Jeff Merkley. With Obama dominating Oregon, you can go ahead and mark this one down for the Democrats. Another pickup.
Minnesota- Polling shows Al Franken only 7 points behind Republican incumbent Norm Coleman, who struggles to get above 50%. Minnesota is another state where Obama's coming route should lift all Democrats downticket, so don't count this one out at all. Possible pickup.
Mississippi- Mississippi? Mississippi? Are you kidding? Nope. The latest poll shows Musgrave only 4 points behind Wicker. 4 points! Another race that could go our way in a Democratic wave election.
Maine- Allen trails Collins by only 10 in the latest poll. It's a longshot, but who knows? Allen is very popular, but so is Collins.
Kentucky- Another longshot. Can Bruce's millions batter McConnell to pieces? McConnell has a lot of weaknesses, and Lunsford should have a lot of ammo. A longshot, but not impossible, by any means. The #1 reason it is possible? Kentuckians just don't like McConnell. Despite his millions spent on positive advertising for himself over the past 6 months, he approval rating hasn't budged, remaining under 50%. Keep the faith.
So we have 4 definite pickups, 6 possible pickups, and 2 longshot pick ups. If we have a wave election and sweep the Republicans out, do you know what the best part is? We can tell Joe LIEberman to Fug Off. Don't let the door hit you on the ass, Holy Joe. (and pleeease, let me be the guy to tell him that.)
And win or lose, poor Mitch McConnell. His victory would leave him completely powerless in the Senate, not even able to filibuster the expansion of health care to poor children or proper troop rotation or any other sensible legislation to put our country on the right direction.
Regardless of his fate, this video below should bring belly laughter for many years to come.
Some more wonderful proof that this will be a fun Fall:
New Mexico- Senate 5/12 (11/16)
Tom Udall (D): 60 (54)
Steve Pearce (R): 36 (40)
Tom Udall (D): 61 (56)
Heather Wilson (R): 35 (41)
New Mexico is going to go from purple to New York Blue...
As I mentioned this morning, the Republican Party has now lost 3 consecutive special elections this Spring in heavy Republican districts.
Just a sign of things to come.
Want some more evidence? Check out these numbers from red red red red Alaska (via Swing State Project):
Alaska- Congress at-large
Ethan Berkowitz (D): 50 (49)
Don Young (R-inc): 40 (42)
Alaska- Senate
Mark Begich (D): 48 (47)
Ted Stevens (R-inc): 43 (41)
Oh dear!!! The tubes must be clogged! This can't happen in Alaska, can it?!?
It sure can.
This is shaping up as a bad year for Republicans. Bad, bad, bad.
The North Carolina Senate race in play? Really?!?
Rasmussen 5/8 (4/10)
Dole(R)- 47 (52)
Hagen(D)- 48 (39)
With all that extra cash to spend on close races, the DSCC orchestrating the candidacy of bazillionaire patsy Bruce Lunsford in KY may turn out to be less idiotic than I originally thought (though still dumb).
I'd love to ride unicorns in Candy Land through the gum drop mountains amongst the cotton candy trees, but I'm resigned to the fact that that won't be happening.
And I'll repeat myself: I have yet to see someone give a detailed argument for why Greg Fischer would be a better match-up against McConnell than Bruce Lunsford. Not just showing Bruce's flaws, but why Fischer has a better chance against Mitch.
Bob Schaffer, Republican candidate for Senate this year in Colorado, I heart you:
Schaffer, lobbyist strategies meshed
The Coloradan's acts align with an Abramoff plot; he denies any link.
In early 1998, now-jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff sent a secret memo to a textile tycoon on the Northern Mariana Islands, an American protectorate whose garment factories had been heavily criticized for squalid working conditions and abusive labor practices.
The lobbying plan focused on using congressional oversight hearings to change the subject from factory conditions to political shenanigans by the Clinton administration. Abramoff's lobbying team would prepare questions and "factual backup" for friendly lawmakers. Trips to the island for congressmen and staff would be a key tool to "build permanent friends," the memo said.
The linchpin would be an attack on the Interior Department's Office of Insular Affairs (OIA), which was the
lead agency pushing for reform.
Twenty months later, Republicans on the House Resources Committee, including Rep. Bob Schaffer, R-Colo., turned what was supposed to be an oversight hearing into an attack on OIA officials, suggesting that federal employees were paying workers to protest and providing them signs, cars and other resources.
Schaffer was one of the key players in the hearing, grilling a young worker who had been called before the committee to talk about the desperate conditions faced by some laborers, suggesting instead that he was agitating in exchange for money and came to Washington to seek political asylum.
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