Today's the big day here in Florida. While I am not a registered republican and cannot vote in the closed primary, I'm happy today is primary day because that means that hopefully tomorrow the attack ads will stop. The Romney campaign has decided to run a scorched earth campaign against Newt Gingrich, and it ain't pretty. For every Gingrich ad there are three Romney attack ads. I have to say, I'm liking candidate Romney less and less as the campaign drags on. I have no problem with attack ads, but I do require that they at least be truthful. Romney's are not.
Showing posts with label primary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label primary. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
ARE WE GETTING THROUGH YET?
The national Republican party just doesn't get it. Even after all these months, they still don't understand what conservatives want - I'm talking to you, Messrs. Rove and Cornyn. When Tea Partiers say they are tired of both parties, they mean it. They are tired of the reckless, untargeted spending, the pork, the expansion of government and the wholesale repudiation of the Constitution, and that was not just under the guidance of the democrats. Bush was hated for his spending and expansion, too - was vilified for it, actually, and the democrats came into power in 2006 because of it. The Tea Partiers aren't just looking at the past two years and dems were not the only ones in their sights, and the Delaware senate primary was proof of that.
Yesterday, Christine O'Donnell won the republican primary against incumbent Mike Castle. This was a come from behind victory, in a hotly contested race. She was heavily endorsed by the Tea Party Express and Sarah Palin, but had a much smaller war chest and some personal baggage, and yet still she won. Establishment republicans are bemoaning her win, saying the seat is all but gone. Democrats are cheering for their good fortune. The National Republican Senate Committe, chaired by Sen. Cornyn, came out last night after the race was called for O'Donnell and flatly stated that they would not be funding her race in the general election.
Talk about sour grapes. They feel O'Donnell doesn't have a snowball's chance, so they want to cut their losses and reroute the money to a race with better prospects. Mike Castle refused to throw his support in with O'Donnell - a petty bit of churlishness - and the Delaware GOP still haven't taken down their attack website.
Fortunately for Ms. O'Donnell, the NRSCwas shamed into are seeing the error of their ways and made a max contribution today of $42,000. Cornyn, in a deft move, then turned the potentially damaging funding and support issue back on the democrats, calling on them to fund their own longshot races. Quite the politician.
As wonderfully unifying as it is that the NRSC is making nice-nice with O'Donnell and ponying up some cash, she doesn't seem to really need them right now. Her website has been so inundated that it has been crashing all day. There are reports that her money bomb bagged a whopping $750,000 today.
It will be an interesting race to follow. It is understandable that the RNC would support their own incumbent during the primary, but their petulant reaction to the loss is not. They should take their cues from Bill Clinton. Never thought I'd say that. Speaking of Mr. Clinton, he had a moment of insight that the republicans should also take to heart. He was referring to Bush when he said:
Actually, a progressive, but why split hairs?
It is true that O'Donnell's chances are slim, but the desire for fiscal restraint is a powerful force these days, and should not be discounted. As Ms. O'Donnell herself said, the experts said she didn't have a chance of winning the primary against the oh-so-popular and much loved Mike Castle, either. And perhaps, if he hadn't voted for cap and trade, she might not have won. But the cap and trade vote was what did him in. It branded him a RINO and, with a few exceptions like John McCain (amazing how his pre-primary "no amnesty whatsoever" has phased into post-primary "resolving their issues..."), RINO's are becoming an endangered species politically speaking.
The republicans should take note and learn from this. Are they being "held hostage" by the "right-wing radicals" that allegedly are the tea parties? Well, if demanding a return to their fiscally conservative roots is being held hostage, then yes, they are. Does it mean a return to ultra-conservative policies across the board, as democrats keep warning? Not so much. Most tea partiers are only concerned with fiscal policies. Since the the early 1990's, the republican party has tacked to the center-left, buying into the theory that bringing home pork and expanding government was the way to keep getting elected. The needs of the country were secondary to the party and the individual politician, and the Constitution was an inconvenient piece of paper that restricted their plans. Establishment pols are being tossed because they are the problem, and the problem is on both sides of the aisle.
Never underestimate an electorate scorned and taxed to within an inch of their lives. Establishment politicians have forgotten that they are public servants. The tea party is simply reminding them. They would be wise to take heed. Even Chris Matthews has gotten the memo:
Yesterday, Christine O'Donnell won the republican primary against incumbent Mike Castle. This was a come from behind victory, in a hotly contested race. She was heavily endorsed by the Tea Party Express and Sarah Palin, but had a much smaller war chest and some personal baggage, and yet still she won. Establishment republicans are bemoaning her win, saying the seat is all but gone. Democrats are cheering for their good fortune. The National Republican Senate Committe, chaired by Sen. Cornyn, came out last night after the race was called for O'Donnell and flatly stated that they would not be funding her race in the general election.
Talk about sour grapes. They feel O'Donnell doesn't have a snowball's chance, so they want to cut their losses and reroute the money to a race with better prospects. Mike Castle refused to throw his support in with O'Donnell - a petty bit of churlishness - and the Delaware GOP still haven't taken down their attack website.
Fortunately for Ms. O'Donnell, the NRSC
As wonderfully unifying as it is that the NRSC is making nice-nice with O'Donnell and ponying up some cash, she doesn't seem to really need them right now. Her website has been so inundated that it has been crashing all day. There are reports that her money bomb bagged a whopping $750,000 today.
It will be an interesting race to follow. It is understandable that the RNC would support their own incumbent during the primary, but their petulant reaction to the loss is not. They should take their cues from Bill Clinton. Never thought I'd say that. Speaking of Mr. Clinton, he had a moment of insight that the republicans should also take to heart. He was referring to Bush when he said:
"A lot of their candidates today, they make him look like a liberal,"
Actually, a progressive, but why split hairs?
It is true that O'Donnell's chances are slim, but the desire for fiscal restraint is a powerful force these days, and should not be discounted. As Ms. O'Donnell herself said, the experts said she didn't have a chance of winning the primary against the oh-so-popular and much loved Mike Castle, either. And perhaps, if he hadn't voted for cap and trade, she might not have won. But the cap and trade vote was what did him in. It branded him a RINO and, with a few exceptions like John McCain (amazing how his pre-primary "no amnesty whatsoever" has phased into post-primary "resolving their issues..."), RINO's are becoming an endangered species politically speaking.
The republicans should take note and learn from this. Are they being "held hostage" by the "right-wing radicals" that allegedly are the tea parties? Well, if demanding a return to their fiscally conservative roots is being held hostage, then yes, they are. Does it mean a return to ultra-conservative policies across the board, as democrats keep warning? Not so much. Most tea partiers are only concerned with fiscal policies. Since the the early 1990's, the republican party has tacked to the center-left, buying into the theory that bringing home pork and expanding government was the way to keep getting elected. The needs of the country were secondary to the party and the individual politician, and the Constitution was an inconvenient piece of paper that restricted their plans. Establishment pols are being tossed because they are the problem, and the problem is on both sides of the aisle.
Never underestimate an electorate scorned and taxed to within an inch of their lives. Establishment politicians have forgotten that they are public servants. The tea party is simply reminding them. They would be wise to take heed. Even Chris Matthews has gotten the memo:
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
PRIMARY DAY! Updated
Today is primary day here in Florida. There are two races that are particularly interesting, at least from where I sit in Central Florida, and one that I simply can't wait to be over. The first is the Senate democrat primary pitting Rep. Kendrick Meek v. Jeff Greene. The second is to determine which republican will be running against Rep. Alan Grayson in CD 8. It's a pretty wide field (here's a rundown on where they stand on the issues), but the two front-runners seem to be Daniel Webster and Todd Long - at least, if the number of yard signs is any indicator.
As an unaffiliated voter, I am not eligible to vote in the primaries so I'm playing the waiting game, hoping the primary voters make good choices. The district 8 primary is more important to me than the senate primary right now, simply because we need someone strong to go against Grayson because Grayson most definitely must go. Of the seven challengers, two seem to be leading the pack. Todd Long came close to defeating Ric Keller in the '08 primary, so he has recent name recognition, and Daniel Webster has been in local and state politics for decades. Both seem pretty strong, Strong enough to beat Grayson? God, I hope so.
Which brings us to the Senate primary. The democrat primary outcome is of the utmost importance to both Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio. If Meek wins, Rubio will, at least accoording to polling so far, win the general election. Crist has been peeling off democrats from Meek in preliminary polling, making Meek a weak candidate, but he's not attracting enough democrats to put himself over the top, thus splitting the democrat vote and handing Rubio the win in the three-way race.
Jeff Greene seems to be damaged goods at this point, because of the stories that have been making the rounds about the wild parties on his yacht. While there are plenty of allegations but no proof of drug use or any other illegal activities, the stories are rather unsenatorial (as are the racy pictures), and the references to the 145ft yacht and the ultra-rich celebrity lifestyle of billionaire Greene strikes a discordant tone in these tough times. If Greene wins the primary, Crist will attract many democrats who are underwhelmed by Greene, which would push Crist over the finish line ahead of Rubio.
There is scuttlebutt that even if Meek wins, democrat groups, including the DSCC, will support Crist, as he seems to have a better shot of winning than Meek and has indicated that, as an independent, he would caucus with the democrats. Personally, I think it is highly unlikely that the DNC would back Crist over Meek (at least out in the open). First, Crist is unreliable, as his jump from republican to independent solely to save his political hide illustrates, and second (and more importantly), Meek is an african-american democrat congressman running for a seat in the Senate - a Senate that will be seeing it's only black member, Roland Burris, leaving office in January. If the DNC were to throw their support behind Crist instead of Meek, they run the risk of bad blood with the Congressional Black Caucus and potentially alienate the black community in the vital swing state that is Florida.
If, however, Jeff Greene should happen to win the primary (a slim chance, as he's down 10 points in the polls), definitely expect the DNC to back Crist. There has already been a national democrat-run fundraiser for him - perhaps a little bet-hedging? It will be interesting to see what happens if Meek wins. Dilemma, dilemma!
Finally, there is the McCollum/Scott faceoff. This has been a hotly contested primary, with attack ads airing ad nauseum. The winner will face democrat Alex Sink for the governor's mansion. This race in particular has been attack-oriented and there has been so much mud slung that many Floridians are feeling a little dirty from it all. McCollum is the front-runner, but Scott is fighting to the finish. With a little luck, the general election will be more civil. There has been so much finger-pointing and lesser-of-two-evils style campaigning that it would be nice to actually hear what the various candidates would like to accomplish if they win, instead of merely demonizing their opponents. The McCollum/Scott matchup was particularly virulent. Frankly, with all of the attacks, neither one of them are very appealing right now. Hopefully, once the winner is announced, we will learn what he stands for - that would be a refreshing change.
Remember the days when attack ads were the last ditch effort at the end of the campaign? Ah, the good old days. Where once that tactic was called "going negative" it is now simply called "campaigning". Instead of lists of pros and cons for each candidate, we are inundated with lists of cons only. Which is actually rather fitting, considering how ethically challenged recent politicians have been. A list of "cons" indeed - it's known as a ballot.
Happy Voting!
UPDATE: The results are in - Kendrick Meek and Daniel Webster are moving on to the next round. As of this writing, Rick Scott is ahead with 47% of the vote, with 54% of precincts reporting. The race should be called in his favor soon. The players are now set, so let the games begin!
As an unaffiliated voter, I am not eligible to vote in the primaries so I'm playing the waiting game, hoping the primary voters make good choices. The district 8 primary is more important to me than the senate primary right now, simply because we need someone strong to go against Grayson because Grayson most definitely must go. Of the seven challengers, two seem to be leading the pack. Todd Long came close to defeating Ric Keller in the '08 primary, so he has recent name recognition, and Daniel Webster has been in local and state politics for decades. Both seem pretty strong, Strong enough to beat Grayson? God, I hope so.
Which brings us to the Senate primary. The democrat primary outcome is of the utmost importance to both Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio. If Meek wins, Rubio will, at least accoording to polling so far, win the general election. Crist has been peeling off democrats from Meek in preliminary polling, making Meek a weak candidate, but he's not attracting enough democrats to put himself over the top, thus splitting the democrat vote and handing Rubio the win in the three-way race.
Jeff Greene seems to be damaged goods at this point, because of the stories that have been making the rounds about the wild parties on his yacht. While there are plenty of allegations but no proof of drug use or any other illegal activities, the stories are rather unsenatorial (as are the racy pictures), and the references to the 145ft yacht and the ultra-rich celebrity lifestyle of billionaire Greene strikes a discordant tone in these tough times. If Greene wins the primary, Crist will attract many democrats who are underwhelmed by Greene, which would push Crist over the finish line ahead of Rubio.
There is scuttlebutt that even if Meek wins, democrat groups, including the DSCC, will support Crist, as he seems to have a better shot of winning than Meek and has indicated that, as an independent, he would caucus with the democrats. Personally, I think it is highly unlikely that the DNC would back Crist over Meek (at least out in the open). First, Crist is unreliable, as his jump from republican to independent solely to save his political hide illustrates, and second (and more importantly), Meek is an african-american democrat congressman running for a seat in the Senate - a Senate that will be seeing it's only black member, Roland Burris, leaving office in January. If the DNC were to throw their support behind Crist instead of Meek, they run the risk of bad blood with the Congressional Black Caucus and potentially alienate the black community in the vital swing state that is Florida.
If, however, Jeff Greene should happen to win the primary (a slim chance, as he's down 10 points in the polls), definitely expect the DNC to back Crist. There has already been a national democrat-run fundraiser for him - perhaps a little bet-hedging? It will be interesting to see what happens if Meek wins. Dilemma, dilemma!
Finally, there is the McCollum/Scott faceoff. This has been a hotly contested primary, with attack ads airing ad nauseum. The winner will face democrat Alex Sink for the governor's mansion. This race in particular has been attack-oriented and there has been so much mud slung that many Floridians are feeling a little dirty from it all. McCollum is the front-runner, but Scott is fighting to the finish. With a little luck, the general election will be more civil. There has been so much finger-pointing and lesser-of-two-evils style campaigning that it would be nice to actually hear what the various candidates would like to accomplish if they win, instead of merely demonizing their opponents. The McCollum/Scott matchup was particularly virulent. Frankly, with all of the attacks, neither one of them are very appealing right now. Hopefully, once the winner is announced, we will learn what he stands for - that would be a refreshing change.
Remember the days when attack ads were the last ditch effort at the end of the campaign? Ah, the good old days. Where once that tactic was called "going negative" it is now simply called "campaigning". Instead of lists of pros and cons for each candidate, we are inundated with lists of cons only. Which is actually rather fitting, considering how ethically challenged recent politicians have been. A list of "cons" indeed - it's known as a ballot.
Happy Voting!
UPDATE: The results are in - Kendrick Meek and Daniel Webster are moving on to the next round. As of this writing, Rick Scott is ahead with 47% of the vote, with 54% of precincts reporting. The race should be called in his favor soon. The players are now set, so let the games begin!
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