From The Roots

"Ouch, Folks, This Is Not Too Good"

They said it. We didn't. 

If anger were money, Sen. Harry Reid's opponents would be wealthy indeed. But it isn't, and they're not.

Fundraising appeals sent out by a group that launched a supposedly major anti-Reid campaign last month reveal that the Our Country Deserves Better PAC is struggling financially.

"Ouch folks, this is not too good" was the subject line on an e-mail sent Wednesday. It said only 75 people had chipped in less than $2,800 to the latest push for the "Defeat Harry Reid" campaign against the Senate majority leader from Nevada.

Reid's opponents: full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

What is impressive, however, is that Reid's supporters have marshaled a list of Republican endorsers in his home state of Nevada, including some of the state's biggest GOP power players. Seems that even Nevada Republicans appreciate the influence, wisdom and expertise Leader Reid brings to his state as the senior Senator.

The list of Republicans who have signed on to endorse Reid includes high-profile Nevada business owners, the Republican mayor of Reno, and Nevada first lady Dawn Gibbons, a former state legislator and one-time Congressional candidate...

Sparks Mayor Geno Martini and long-time GOP operative Sig Rogich are serving as the group’s co-chairmen.

“I am proud to set partisanship aside and do what is vital for our state during these extraordinarily difficult times,” Rogich said in a news release. “From preserving Lake Tahoe to fighting to protect our gaming and tourist industry from those who would want a greater Federal role in our largest industry, Harry Reid has been tireless.

With the opposition struggling even to raise money against Leader Reid, with a dearth of credible Republican candidates in the field, and with some of the state's leading Republicans lining up to support Reid, this alleged "major anti-Reid campaign" appears so far to be nothing more than simple bluster. 

 

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12:30 AM Jun 10, 2009 - 0 comments permalink

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Sorry, Charlie

If you're an occasional Governor who generally can't be bothered to hang out in your office and do your job, these are not exactly the kind of reviews you want to be getting when you do in fact actually sign a bill into law.

They are, however, exactly the kind of reviews you can hope to get when you gut growth management in Florida, a state already crippled by urban sprawl and excessive development.

Gov. Charlie Crist's political radar went haywire last week when he decided to become the governor who killed growth management in Florida.

Not a great lede, but it certainly gets worse for the Governor.

Usually, what Crist lacks in public policy smarts is offset by good manners and astute political calculations. ...

But the governor's political instincts failed him last week when he signed into law a bill that guts growth management and sets this state back decades. Judging from letters to the editor and political blogs, it's not just environmental groups and local governments that are appalled. More than a few Republican voters aren't happy with Crist, either.

And no wonder.

This bill will enable developers in urban areas to add housing developments without having to expand roads. This is a drastic rewriting of a 25-year-old law, and one likely to lead to horrendous traffic gridlock.

In fact, even Crist's growth management czar (yes, he has such a czar), Tom Pelham, opposed this particular bill.

So aside from feeling pressure from the realtors' lobby, what was Crist thinking? We can't say, and the St. Petersburg Times says it doesn't matter:

The bottom line is the damage is done. The developers win, Floridians lose and Crist is a terrible disappointment even to many of his supporters.

Gee, you finally get the governor back in his office to do some work, and look what happens!

 

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05:00 PM Jun 08, 2009 - 0 comments permalink

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He's Not In His Office, We Can't Find Him Anywhere

Times are tough these days for the good people of Florida. They're facing 9% unemployment, the second-highest foreclosure rate in the nation, they are 48th in the nation (out of 50, obviously) in economic growth, and they've got a governor who just wants to talk about basketball:

The U.S. Senate candidate would rather talk sports than policy and that was evident during a Monday afternoon press event at a Home Depot in Tallahassee to urge Floridians to prepare for hurricane season.

That unemployment problem is just going to get worse with the news that GM's bankruptcy will force their Jacksonville plant to close. Charlie, however, is sunny as always, armed with an impressive series of non-response responses to the GM issue:

“I talked to some auto dealers about it, the pretty direct impact that it has, and Chrysler dealers too. Obviously that’s a difficult situation but you know, what we have to support is free enterprise and those that do well," he said. We'll note that the government will be taking virtual control of GM in the deal and that a parts distribution warehouse in Jacksonville will be closed. "And fortunately things are going well in our housing market and I’m glad about that.”

With that non sequitur, Crist got into his GMC SUV and returned to the Capitol.

"So, erm, yeah, GM, job losses are a problem. But, you know what, we, uh, have to support free enterprise. And those that do well. Also. And oh, yeah, the housing market is doing just swimmingly! If you discount the foreclosure problem, of course."

Gosh, Sarah Palin would be so proud of Charlie today.

It is good to hear that Crist was actually headed back to the Capitol, as he's almost never there: the governor has missed 62 weekdays and counting from his office. Oh, to get three full months away from the job without anybody noticing!

All this has no doubt frustrated many of the fine folks of Florida, who have enough trouble just keeping track of the Governor's location. Fortunately for the fine folks, the DSCC has provided the solution!

Dial 1-800-403-2195 for Charlie Crist's Scheduling Hotline, where you can receive the latest updates on Governor Crist's whereabouts. Is he on a yacht cruise with well-heeled Republican donors? Is he attending a basketball game with Jimmy Fallon? Is he taking a day on the beach to maintain his perfect tan?

The Scheduling Hotline will be glad to let you know as soon as we locate the Governor!

 

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12:30 PM Jun 03, 2009 - 0 comments permalink

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Minnesota Supreme Court Appeal Day

We'll be liveblogging!

9:51: MN live coverage begins in 10 minutes. Currently the courtoom is empty, but The Uptake is doing a lot of cool zooming shots.

10:04: Coleman attorney Joe Friedberg: We're making due-process and equal-protection claims. Admits the due-process claim came only recently. "You changed the rules after the game was played". Ha ha ha.

10:08: Justice Anderson: "Why is this offer of proof not inadequate?" Ouch.

10:14: Not an auspicious start for Friedberg. The justices seem very impatient and unimpressed.

10:17: From The Uptake on Twitter: @theuptake Q) How would voters have acted differently if diff standards were in place? A) That's not the issue #mncontest

10:24: Justice Anderson: "As loud as you speak on this issue, there's language here you just can't overcome".

10:25: Marc Elias is on for Team Franken. He is one handsome devil.

10:32: Team Franken lays down numbers, coldly and efficiently. There are fewer disputed ballots where voter wasn't registered than the margin between the two candidates. \

10:39: Franken team: Coleman's people had not identified all the ballots they had proof fo runtil the end of the trial.

10:49: "Throwing sand in the gears of the election". Perfect summary of Team Coleman strategy. Well played, Marc Elias.

10:53: One advantage Marc Elias has over Joe Friedberg: he sounds calmer.

10:54: The judges like "every ballot tells a story". Rod Stewart is proud. Joe Friedberg HATES it, calls it "the biggest non-sequitur in the history of Anglo-American jurisprudence. Good to know this is a hyperbole-free courtroom!

10:56: Friedberg basically concedes Elias point - it's entirely possible that ballot which look illegal might actually be legal, we don't know, no one knows.

10:58: Classic Friedberg line: "We extrapolate in life". Unclear why this is relevant to election law.

11:00: Friedberg: We've no evidence of fraud or favoritism. That won't help his case.

11:13: Coleman now interviewing. It's really cute to hear him try to defend the "we only want to count ballots from Coleman-friendly precincts" strategy. Really, really cute.

11:17: Friedberg says "The Good  Republican Counties followed election rules, the Evil Liberals didn't, and that's why we're losing".

Final word from Coleman: the press asks "Will you appeal?"

Coleman response, basically: "if we lose".

 

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10:10 AM Jun 01, 2009 - 0 comments permalink

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Weak Tea From Rob Portman

CongressDaily reports that Rob Portman is "defining himself before Democrats get a chance". Unfortunately for Portman, he's doing the Democratic Party's work for them. Trying to spin what must be exceptionally bad internal polling, Portman offers this defense:

Portman represented the Cincinnati-area 2nd District in the House for 12 years and never received less than 70 percent of the vote, and he said polling there shows him leading all potential challengers, including Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Democratic Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher.

Wow! He's ahead in his old Congressional district! Where John McCain got 59% of the vote! Look out, it's the Portman tidal wave!

This is rather the political equivalent of someone admitting he has no friends, but arguing he must be a great guy because his mother says he is.

He also has a weak defense of his role in sinking the Bush economy:

"I'm asking to be hired to be a legislator, and so the appropriate comparison is what did I do as a legislator," he countered. "I did spend 15 months as the budget director in 2007; I don't know that that makes me the architect of the Bush economic policies. It's kind of absurd to think of that."

While in Congress, Portman voted with former President Bush 95% of the time, and was one of Bush's top lieutenants in the House. He served as vice-chair of the Budget Committee during this time, personally holding the purse strings to the federal budget. He was rewarded for his spear-carrying with the job of US Trade Representative and subsequently national budget director.

No one had a greater role in crafting the collapsed Bush economy, from a greater number of critical positions, than Rob Portman did.

 

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04:30 PM May 27, 2009 - 0 comments permalink

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