KCCI/Research 2000 poll: Edwards, Clinton, Obama, Richardson

Judging from the low number of undecideds, they pushed leaners too hard, but for what it's worth, here is the latest KCCI Iowa poll conducted by Research 2000, conducted July 23-July 25:

Edwards 27

Clinton 22

Obama 16

Richardson 11

Biden 3

Kucinich 2

Dodd 2

Gravel 1 

Undecided 16

It's good news for Edwards that there was no “Bubba bump” for Hillary–on the contrary, she was down 6 points compared to the last Research 2000 Iowa poll in May. Not good news for Obama at all. But the movement is not far outside the 4 percent margin of error for this poll. I still believe that around half of Iowa Democrats are undecided.

On the Republican side:

Romney 25 

F. Thompson 14

Giuliani 13

McCain 10

Gingrich 6

Huckabee 2

T. Thompson 2

Tancredo 2

Brownback 2

Hunter 1

Paul 1

Undecided 22 

How depressed would you be if you were Tommy Thompson, Huckabee, Brownback or Tancredo? Clearly the GOP base is unhappy with the crop of frontrunners, yet these second-tier conservative candidates can't get any kind of traction, despite spending lots of time in Iowa.

I don't know what is going to happen on the GOP side. It looks like everyone is unelectable to me, but someone is going to emerge from the primaries. Please, let it be Gingrich! 

Who has the best and worst bumper stickers?

Over at MyDD, Todd Beeton put up a thread linking to a Newsweek story about the brand messaging of major presidential candidates, based on their bumper stickers.

Click the link to the Newsweek story and scroll down to see a designer's expert analysis. He liked Hillary's branding, thought Obama's design looked good, and considered Edwards' use of a green trail off a star “crazy and daring.”

I had to go look at my own bumper sticker; not being a visual person, I hadn't even noticed there was any green on the Edwards sticker.

On the Republican side, he thought McCain had the worst logo and didn't like the militaristic star. Rudy's logo looks like “a brick wall,” and Mitt Romney's sticker looks like it belongs to “someone who's not going to win.” 

I also encourage you to read the comments below Beeton's post, because several MyDD readers had interesting things to say. For instance, Hillary's bumper sticker is apparently too tall to fit on old-fashioned chrome bumpers–only would work on newer vehicles. 

Several commenters also agreed with me that while McCain's logo may not be great, Romney's is by far the worst. McCain at least has good branding if he wants to appeal to the veterans' vote, which is important in GOP primaries.

What do you think about these and other bumper stickers? Have you seen many lately? Driving around town, I've just seen a few Edwards and Obama stickers, plus one Hillary sticker and one for Ron Paul.

What did you think of the debate?

I wasn't able to watch because of the kids–will try to catch it later.

Who did well, who missed opportunities, who stole the show?

UPDATE: If you missed the debate, check out the great liveblog  over at Iowa Independent.

I haven't found all of the candidate-submitted videos in one place. I liked the Edwards “hair” video–the music and the visuals make it quite memorable.

Marshalltown Union Leader Arrested on Immigration Charges

Earlier this month, 4 more people from Swift and Co. were arrested on immigration charges, including Braulio Pereyra-Gabino, who is vice president of Local 1149 of the food and commercial workers union.

“This is the first time a union employee has been charged in an immigration case,” Cashen said. “We're concerned and we're anxious to get all the information to make sure he's not being held accountable for things that are not his responsibility. We don't hire. We're not required to check immigration status.”

The Des Moines Register had a special editorial yesterday on Pereyra-Gabino's arrest.

Union representatives or citizens have no duty to report someone they suspect isn't legally in the United States, according to immigration attorney Lori Chesser of Des Moines.

“Union officials typically do not hire workers, so they don't have the employer-employee relationship that requires them to ask, 'Are you legal or not?' ” Chesser said.

To the contrary, unions believe they are bound by law to represent all workers in the Marshalltown Swift plant.

“As elected representatives of the workers at Swift and elsewhere, we are legally responsible to represent those workers,” Cashen said. “We can't discriminate. We can't pass judgment on who we will or won't represent.”

It would be interesting to ask all of those presidential candidates that are visiting Iowa about this case.

After having 1,200 workers nationwide arrested on immigration charges last December, Swift and Co. has yet to be fined or charged with anything.

Originally posted at Century of the Common Iowan

Continue Reading...

The Republican Party is in worse shape than I'd realized

My dad was a Rockefeller Republican. He was disappointed by the turn the party took in the 1980s and 1990s, and though he died before George W. Bush was selected president, I've always felt that he would have definitively made the break from the GOP during this decade.

At the same time, I've felt that the number of disenchanted Rockefeller Republicans (liberal on social issues and supportive of things like progressive taxation and the estate tax) is not big enough to cost the GOP much in the electoral arena.

Tonight I ran into a former colleague of my father's, whom I hadn't seen in a long time. It was an eye-opening conversation to me; the circle of Republicans who are disgusted by their party's standard-bearers is broader than I had realized.

More after the jump. 

Continue Reading...

50-State Blog Network Weekly Roundup

Which bookstore will you be visiting at midnight tonight? Would you be surprised to learn that only one presidential candidate has played the Harry Potter card so far?

Either way, here are some updates from around the 50-State Blog Network, brought to you this week from Minnesota Campaign Report‘s Joe Bodell.

Alabama
Left in Alabama
A decidedly non-establishment challenger emerges in Alabama’s First congressional district. Ben Lodmell may be shaking things up a bit in Alabama Democratic Party circles.
Arizona
AZNetroots

A chilling future-imperfect scenario on terrorism. Ugh.
California
Calitics

Yet another contact will be testifying against John Doolittle(R-Roseville) in what can only be described as a ticking clock until his indictment.

Colorado
SquareState
Colorado’s congressional representatives fight back against President Bush’s threatened veto of SCHIP reauthorization. What’s SCHIP? “State Children’s Health Insurance Program”. Kick the kids while they’re down, right Mr. President?
Connecticut
My Left Nutmeg
Thank you Ed Koch, who helped give us six more years of Joementum…at least you’re being reasonable enough to admit that your support for continued American presence in Iraq was wrong-headed.
Delaware
Delaware Liberal
Delaware Liberal’s Jason Scott formally challenges Cong. Mike Castle (R-DE) to a debate on his Iraq policies.
Florida
FLA Politics
Christine Jennings, would-be Congresswoman but for 18,000 Diebolded undervotes in Sarasota County in 2006, is coming back for another run in 2008. Go Jennings!
Georgia
Tondee’s Tavern

State Senator John Douglas gets pulled over by a off-duty cop for erratic driving. After being let go with no ticket, Douglas threatens the city he will hold up grant funding opportunities and local legislation next session. Our favorite (R) punching bag.

Hawaii
Poinography!
Dueling op-eds from state legislators on veto overrides — an interesting read.
Idaho
43rd State Blues
That repeated whacking noise is 43rd State Blues’ shoe against Sen. Larry Craig’s noggin on oil, energy, Iraq, and…well, everything.
Illinois
PrairieStateBlue
Illinois activists are looking at Congressional seats in 2008. In IL-6, Operation : Turn DuPage Blue is gaining increased prominance after Tammy Duckworth opted not to challenge Peter Roskam for a second time. In IL-10, Dan Seals was named a “Future Leader” at YearlyKos, but don’t forget he has a primary challenger.
Indiana
Blue Indiana
Republican Governor + Trickle-down Reagan-style economics = bad economic markers for Indiana. Pretty simple, actually.
Iowa
Bleeding Heartland
I’ll have to work on getting Amy Klobuchar to guest-post on MNCR, but until then, I’ll be in awe of Bleeding Heartland and Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin’s post on the recent all-night Iraq debate.
Louisiana
Daily Kingfish
Republican scion Bobby Jindal has retained a political consultant with a reputation for working on losing campaigns. Sort of. Read about it.
Maine
Turn Maine Blue
It’s from earlier in the week, but Sen. Susan Collins and Joe Lieberman wrote an op-ed in the Boston Globe together. Mainers — please, please, please remember that Sen. Collins hanging out and working with Joe Lieberman in no way makes her a bipartisan get-things-done sort of Senator. Quite the contrary. Also at Turn Maine Blue, Tom Allen is guestblogging in his effort to unseat Collins.
Maryland
Free State Politics
Free State Politics has encouraging news for progressives in potential replacements for departing DINO P.J. Hogan from his Maryland State Sen. seat
Massachusetts
BlueMassGroup
A historical note on liberty, government overreach, and a really enormous ball of cheese. Also, a look at fundraising in the 5th CD race, with some interesting developments therein.
Michigan
Michigan Liberal

I am shocked — SHOCKED!!! — to hear word of a Republican official seeking to suppress voter turnout and disenfranchise voters. If you can’t win with fair rules, just change the rules, right?

Congrats to Michigan Liberal’s founder, Matt Ferguson, on the birth of his brand new twins. Good luck Matt; you’ll need it.

Minnesota
Minnesota Campaign Report
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) can always be counted on for a good legal complaint against political actors who are being naughty. In this case, it’s the Republican Party of Minnesota getting slapped for playing fast and easy with their retirement fund contributions and other financial shenanigans.
Mississippi
Cottonmouth Blog
Cottonmouth Blog picks up on the NRA getting involved in the Lieutenant Governor’s race. “Effective grassroots organization”, huh?
Missouri
Fired Up! Missouri
A Republican Governor misusing state government for political ends? Oh get out! I mean….oh, forget it. Incredulity just doesn’t go far enough to cover the things these people think they can get away with.
Montana
Left in the West
The continuing shift toward strong protection of civil liberties and a hands-off governmental approach to social issues continues in Montana, courtesy of Matt Singer and Forward Montana. The media are starting to pay attention, too.
Nebraska
New Nebraska
Nebraska’s state government still finds itself beholden to the big Telecom companies, who staunchly refuse to build large-scale, affordable high-speed Internet access in the state — and they’re preventing the government from doing it instead.
Nevada
My Silver State
Welcome My Silver State aboard 50-State Cruise Lines! They have some coverage of presidential candidates’ exploits across the state:

Q2 Donations to Bill Richardson, staffing expenditures, and heavy web traffic for Barack Obama.

New Hampshire
Blue Hampshire
Republican Sen. John Sununu is in big trouble in 2008. Big. Trouble.
New Jersey
Blue Jersey
2006 was a bittersweet victory for many Democrats around the country. For as much good as Rahm Emanuel did as head of the DCCC, there were some cases where just a little bit of support could have given him even more victories (instead of tilting at windmills in Tammy Duckworth’s unsuccessful run). Hopefully this means there’s more progress to be made, and a bigger majority to be built, in 2008.
New Mexico
New Mexico FBIHOP

Heather Wilson and The Albany Project
Details on a campaign finance deal reached recently in Albany — and TAR says it’s pretty good.
New York
Daily Gotham
Great fundraising numbers coming out of NYC-area State Senate races
North Carolina
Blue NC
Is Sen. Liddy Dole about to break from President Bush on Iraq? If the people of North Carolina have anything to say about it, she might want to consider doing so.
North Dakota
North Decoder
Ouch — the Center for Public Integrity says for its laws regarding financial disclosures for its Governor.
Ohio
As Ohio Goes
As Ohio Goes keeps a close eye on the statements of Sen. Voinovich and just how serious he is about criticizing President Bush‘s conduct of the Iraq occupation.
Ohio
Buckeye State Blog
Buckeye State Blog provides first-hand coverage of John Edward’s vist to the poorest city in America (Edwards in Cleveland’s Mt. Pleasant). Also, read It’s With Sadness I Announce I’m Leaving BSB.
Oklahoma
blue oklahoma
Oklahoma has a new state poet laureate — read all about him. Very interesting stuff!
Oregon
Loaded Orygun
With a recent move to SoapBlox, Loaded Orygun is up and running, highlighting a DSCC poll showing House Speaker Jeff Merkley within six points of Sen. Gordon Smith. Smith is one of the “moderates,” along with Minnesota’s own Norm Coleman, who are going to be heavily targeted for removal in 2008.
Pennsylvania
Keystone Politics
Keystone Politics finds a bombshell in the midst of U.S. Attorney investigations in Penn.: “Wecht charges prompt inquiry”.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island’s Future
Mark Democrat Jack Reed down on the list of U.S. Senators who are going to be safe as can be in 2008. Here’s to hoping that if no serious Republican opposition appears, Senator Reed will contribute generously to Democratic challengers around the country to help build his caucus’s majority
South Dakota
Clean Cut Kid
Who do state officials work for? Themselves, or the people who elected them? Clean Cut Kid takes on Governor Mike Rounds on exactly that topic.
Tennessee
Knox Views
It’s apolitical, but ospreys are really, really, really cool birds, and this is a great shot of one with its catch. In more political events, Knox Views goes after Mitt Romney for his approach to sex education and child molesters.
Texas
Burnt Orange Report
In large states like Texas, where there are lots of colleges and universities, young voters actually can make a big difference in terms of elections, outreach, and activism. Details on YDA’s activities in Texas here.
Texas
Texas Kaos
Do Texas Republicans just not care about public education? Seems that way
Utah
Wasatch Watcher
A great photo gallery from a recent visit by Bill Richardson.
Vermont
Green Mountain Daily
Brattleboro, VT passes an ordinance banning public nudity from some areas of town. You really can’t make this stuff up: “Don’t people have a Constitutional right not to be offended?” … Ah yes, the ethereal and seldom-mentioned 0th Amendment, which read “The right not to be offended by anything, anytime, anywhere, anyhow, shall not be abridged. By naked people. Ever.”
Virginia
Raising Kaine
Raising Kaine highlight a one prominent flip-flop over the Virginia Transportation Plan in “Jeannemarie Then…and Now”.
Washington
WashBlog
State Rep Rodney Tom announces a run for U.S. Congress in the 8th district, where Darcy Burner lost a close race to Dave Reichert in 2006.
West Virginia
West Virginia Blue
West Virginia Blue notes that even as the West Virginia State GOP is facing an uphill battle (even Republicans don’t trust the WV GOP), incumbent Republican Shelley Moore Capito (WV-02) is enjoying an “Incumbency protection racket: Capito shakes down carpenter’s union”
Wisconsin
Uppity Wisconsin
President Bush’s approval rating is 19% in Wisconsin, with 73% disapproval. That is not a good place to be, generally (cue theme to 1980s cartoon “Captain Obvious”).

Continue Reading...

Blogosphere Day 2007: Support Act Blue and Democratic Infrastructure

Blogosphereday

Happy Blogosphere Day!

Blogosphere Day started three years ago today after Rep. Jim Greenwood announced that he would not be returning to Congress and the netroots started raising money for the Democratic candidate in PA-08, Ginny Schrader.  You can find Mr. Liberal’s recounting of the original post that started it all here on Daily Kos.

In 2005, the netroots rallied behind OH-02 candidate Paul Hackett as he competed in a special election.

In 2006, the netroots rallied behind Ned Lamont in the Connecticut Senate primary.  Lamont won the primary, but unfortunately lost the general election to Cryin’ Joe Lieberman.

All of the fundraising the netroots did was done online, via the Democratic fundraising clearinghouse known as Act Blue.

So, let’s help Act Blue!

While the previous candidates of choice for Blogosphere Day donations haven’t achieved lots of success, we’ve seen the liberal activist online rally behind causes and candidates in a way that hasn’t really ever been done online.  And Act Blue has been the focal point of that effort on the past three blogosphere days.  Today is our chance to support Act Blue and help them raise money to expand and improve their services, and as a way to say thank you for their years of support and work for Democratic candidates.

To get just an idea of what the netroots are doing on this blogosphere day in support of Act Blue, check out these posts:

Today is a day about supporting Democratic infrastructure and a way to build it through fundraising and organizing at the local, state, and national level.  In the past three years, ActBlue has sent $25 million to 1700 Democratic candidates, from over 200,000 contributors, and helped channel the rising tide of grassroots energy and commitment to retake Congress in 2006.

ActBlue is on the road to raising $100 million this election cycle. But that won’t happen if we wait to support their work.  It’s a 16-month journey to November 2008, and if we wait until we only have a year, or six months left left, we won’t reach our destination.  Please support ActBlue today.

Iowa’s Democratic infrastructure can be helped via fundraising on Act Blue as well and Common Iowan has already set up a page for Iowa bloggers as well.  Senator Tom Harkin’s campaign will be doing their fundraising online solely through Act Blue.  So, Act Blue is helping us.  Let’s help them.

As of 1:30 PM Central Time 169 contributors have given $8,715.  Let’s get it to 200 contributors and $10,000 by 3 PM.  We can do it with your help!

Saw my first Ron Paul yard sign today

It's ridiculously early for yard signs–I don't think any of the Democrats are handing them out yet. So I was surprised to see a “Ron Paul–Hope for America” yard sign today in a fairly Democratic neighborhood on the west side of Des Moines.

If you know Des Moines, the house is just off Polk Blvd, close to the Waveland Cafe. I don't know the precinct number, but if memory serves, this was an area where Kucinich was viable in 2004.

Anyone else seen any yard signs up yet?

Senate GOP Blocks Levin-Reed Amendment Vote

The final vote was 52 in favor of cloture and 47 opposed (Reid switched to “No” at the end so that he could bring a motion to reconsider at a later date–a procedural move).  Dems picked up one new Republican waverer in the form of Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.

Greg Sargent’s got the best write-up of the GOP blockage here.  As he says:

What this means in a nutshell is this: While a majority of the U.S. Senate favors withdrawal from Iraq, the Senate can’t vote on a measure that would accomplish this — because the GOP Senate leadership won’t allow it.

Repeat that line to everyone you know.  Senate Republicans are blocking a true change of course in Iraq.

And in response, Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid has pulled the Defense Authorization bill and it appears that he won’t bring it back to the floor until he can be guaranteed an up-or-down vote on the Levin-Reed Amendment and three others that will be offered (Warner-Lugar, Salazar ISG, and Landrieu).  Talk about playing hardball.

Continue Reading...

New Richardson Ad Calls On Congress to "Stand Up"

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson’s campaign went on the air in Iowa with a new TV ad calling for an end to the war in Iraq and calling on Congress to “stand up” to President Bush.

As I type, the US Senate is currently voting on cloture for the Levin-Reed Amendment.  On this cloture petition, 18 Senators had signed their names.  Now a vote is taking place.  Bill Richardson  is right.

He’s calling for all US troops out of Iraq and he wants it done now.  It is a vigilant position and one that may even be politically dangerous for him to some degree, but it is the right one.  The American people want this war ended and Bill Richardson will do that.  He may not be the only candidate, but he’s the first to say it so bluntly and forcefully in an ad.

Up All Night

(Sen. Harkin gives us the low-down from the Capitol. Leave your comments and his campaign will try to get to them as soon as possible--if you haven't noticed, they're a bit busy up there. - promoted by Chris Woods)

Earlier tonight, I stood on the floor of the Senate to show my support for our men and women in uniform by trying to bring them home.

As you know, the Senate held a rare all-night session because Republicans are filibustering our efforts to get an up or down vote on re-deploying our troops out of Iraq.

It’s that simple.

In an extraordinary display of fealty to President Bush and his failed Iraq policy, Republicans are literally refusing to allow a vote on an amendment to bring home our soldiers and reduce the U.S. involvement in Iraq.

The American people deserve to know where every Senator stands on the most important issue facing Congress. We must not allow Republicans to block an up or down vote with procedural semantics.

I wanted to make sure my colleagues knew where Iowans stand on the issue. So earlier tonight, while on the floor, I read some letters that I have received from Iowans, including Iowa soldiers and their families.

I hope that this one sleepless night in the U.S. Senate will awaken Republicans to the reality that their loyalty belongs not to the President, but to the American people.

Continue Reading...

Contact Senator Grassley and Tell Him to Allow a Vote on Levin-Reed!

The Democratic National Committee has put together an action page on their site asking for Democrats to help fight against Republican obstruction on a straight up-or-down vote on the Levin-Reed redeployment amendment.  Check it out here.  According to the DNC’s Internet Outreach guy, Kombiz Lavasany, the responses won’t only go out in email form but as a fax into Senate offices as well.

If you’re from Iowa make sure to go send a letter/fax to Sen. Grassley and ask him to stand with Sen. Harkin and move for a straight up-or-down vote on the Levin-Reed Amendment–and tell him to support it, too!

Caucus Reporting for the Big Blogs

Mike Lux posted this earlier over at Open Left:

If you are living in Iowa, please send me your thoughts and stories regarding the state of play as things move forward to

openleft at gmail dot com

I’d love to hear your on-the-ground perspective.

The caucus reports from those on the ground is going to be a new feature at Open Left and he’s looking for activists, writers, and anyone else to send him their thoughts.  That means you.  Drop him a line every once in a while, and tell him what you think its like on the ground here in Iowa.

And while you’re at, leave your thoughts in diaries here as well.  Bleeding Heartland only grows when you post your own thoughts, leave comments, and invite your friends to take part in our community.

Continue Reading...

Let's Debate All Night Long

I haven’t decided if I plan on staying up all night long to watch the Senate debate on the Reed-Levin Amendment but if I do, I’ll be on the lookout for Tom Harkin.  As I reported this morning on Iowa Independent, Harkin is supporting Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid’s move to keep the Senate open all night to make the Republicans publicly display the filibuster they’re putting forward on the Reed-Levin legislation.

But I’m glad to see Senate Democrats standing up and truly playing hardball with obstructionist Republicans.  I value the filibuster–it is a worthwhile political tool in the Senate for the minority–but when threats of filibusters are used time and time again to stymie meaningful legislation (that could just as easily be (or will be) vetoed by President Bush) then it is time for Democrats to make sure that the American public get a chance to really see what Republicans are doing and saying.  Democrats never took the filibuster option this far on Iraq legislation or anything other that judicial nominations when we were the minority in the two most recent congressional sessions.  Maybe that’s because we were being naive or something, but we didn’t.  Clearly, we weren’t prepared for Republicans to do it us and now it is time that we respond in a way that proves our leadership.  We’re on the side of the American people and they should be allowed to see us fighting for them while Republicans protect the President, not the troops in Iraq.

Before we get too far into the debate (which is already happening currently on C-SPAN 2), let’s take a look at what exactly the Reed-Levin Amendment to the Defense Authorization bill does.  From Spencer Ackerman over at TPM Election Central:

How It Would Work: Again similar to a measure pushed by Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), the chairman of the armed services committee, in the spring. Joined by Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) this time, the Levin amendment would start troop withdrawals from 120 days after passage, to be completed by April 1, 2008. In the interim, troops in Iraq would have their mission shift to training Iraq troops, fighting al-Qaeda, and protecting themselves from attack.

Likelihood of Passage: It’s not a certainty for inclusion as an amendment. Harry Reid successfully shepherded the measure’s predecessor through the supplemental, where it inevitably met President Bush’s veto pen. Both men will probably do the same thing again.

Political Purpose: The big enchilada: getting out of Iraq by a date certain. Many Senate Dems clearly think that the public has coalesced around withdrawal, and even in defeat, they’ll get the opportunity to distinguish themselves from Bush and the GOP going into 2008 while hanging the war around their opponent’s necks as an albatross.”

This is where Sen. Tom Harkin’s call for bloggers to put the Republican defectors feet to the fire on the issue of Iraq and to put the pressure on those who are abandoning the troops in Iraq to give President Bush political cover:

“Now more than ever we need the progressive blogosphere to do what they do best—to rally around those that support a change of course in  Iraq and to call out those who would rather follow the orders of Karl Rove and Dick Cheney than the voice of the American people.”

Democrats are prepared to debate all night with the Republicans who say they’re ready to filibuster.  Those of us activists and bloggers out there who support the Democrats, let’s make sure we show it.  As my colleague and friend Lynda Waddington reported, there will be a counter-filibuster sponsored by MoveOn and Iraq Summer here in Des Moines tonight; if you can make it, please do.

Oh, and I finally heard a Democrat use “up or down vote” language today on the floor of the Senate.  Thank you Majority Whip Dick Durbin.

Continue Reading...

Is Clinton Genuinely Reaching Out To Bloggers On Iraq?

Earlier today Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign actively solicited bloggers to join in on a conference call hosted by their blogger, Peter Daou, in announcing a “special endorsement.”  The campaign didn’t release any more information about the endorsement and it was a pretty cryptic move, yet I still decided to join in on the call along with several other major bloggers from across the progressive blogosphere.

So, at 12:30 PM Central time I got on the call to find out that the special endorsement was coming from former Ambassador Joe Wilson, the husband of outed CIA operative Valerie Plame.  And by 12:53 PM I broke the news on Iowa Independent that Amb. Wilson had chosen to endorse Clinton.

Multiple blogs picked up the news and reported the news, as they should have because it was a substantial endorsement.  But the traditional or mainstream media didn’t pick up the story at all.

Greg Sargent of TPM’s Election Central posted these thoughts about the call:

“A few quick points about this. The Hillary campaign, which rolled out the Wilson news on a conference call with liberal bloggers, clearly hopes the Wilson endorsement serves at least the partial goal of winning over liberal activists and netroots types who might still be unhappy with Hillary for all the reasons you’ve heard repeatedly by now. Wilson carries great cache among such folks, who were energized by his speaking out against the administration and everything else that happened as a result of his protracted fight with the White House.”

Taylor Marsh wrote:

“The ’08 selection season is not over by a long shot and I am staying neutral in the primary. But the endorsement of Clinton by Joseph Wilson is a big step for her campaign. That Clinton offered the scoop to a group of bloggers shows just how far she’s come and how far she’s willing to engage a community, which on the whole is very critical of her on all fronts. She’s also accepted the invitation to YearlyKos, which I’m looking forward to very much. Clinton is illustrating her ability to engage on all fronts, even where she knows she’ll take heat. The strength of Clinton’s candidacy continues to expand.”

The campaign seemed like they were genuinely reaching out to the netroots constituency, giving them a big story, and were going to let them break the news.

However, the blogs didn’t get credit with breaking the news.  The Clinton campaign didn’t direct the traditional or mainstream media to blogposts about the endorsement and then elaborate and what was reported by citizen journalists.  Instead, they waited until later in the afternoon and put out a release from the campaign.  Their campaign didn’t even post the announcement on their blog until two hours after the conference call occurred and didn’t link to any other bloggers’ reactions (of which their was plenty).

The Des Moines Register first reported their story on the endorsement at 6:15 PM this evening, a full 5 hours after the news was broken at Iowa Independent, on their own blog.

Now, I admit, I’m probably a little pissy and being a bit selfish.  Both because I broke the story on Iowa Independent and because I’m a blogger who has been harsh on Clinton in the past.  Multiple other blogs around the country, even ones more than important than Bleeding Heartland, have been critical of Clinton (even unfairly so) so when I got today’s invitation to the call I was hopeful that it would be genuine interaction with a constituency or interest group that hadn’t been on her side for a long time.  Particularly on the issue of Iraq, she’s had to fight for respect on the blogs.

Other campaigns have been great about highlighting how the netroots help in breaking and spreading news about the campaigns, and even engage them like the traditional media (see Chris Dodd’s, John Edwards’ and Bill Richardson’s campaigns as an example).  Heck, Bill Richardson’s campaign sends out a weekly “Richardson Round-Up” in Iowa that highlights what the media–both traditional and new–have been saying about the candidate in the past week.

Instead, the Clinton campaign let the blogs break the news and then let it fester amongst themselves.  Then gave the traditional media a heads-up a few hours later and even let Wilson do some one-on-one interviews over the phone.

Maybe I’m just jealous.  But it sure seems like if you’re going to reach out, make it count and put some force into it.  Don’t do it half-assed.

Continue Reading...

House Fundraising

(For your reading pleasure. I'd like to promote a reader diary to the front page at least once a day, so consider that an incentive to attract some comments and allies here on BH. - promoted by Chris Woods)

If you haven't checked out the FEC report on the House races, you should.  There's some pretty interesting factoids in there.

All in all, Dems had some big fundraising. 

I'll break it down for you race by race:

IA-01: Bruce Braley had a solid 2nd quarter as an incumbent.  He raised $95,694 – $61,500 of which was from PACs.  Coming in second in 1st district fundraising was Mike Whalen, who raised $18,217.   According to the Web site, big Mike is still $434,000 in debt.  YIKES!  How many times do you have to eat at the Machineshed to make that up?   Looks like Bruce is all on his own.

IA-02: Rep. Dave Loebsack had a big quarter, raising almost $140,000 – $91,950 from PACs. Nobody else is even trying to fundraise here.

IA-03: Rep. Leonard Boswell had a MONSTEROUS quarter, raising $490,023 – $371,820 from PACs.  Wow.  That's a big pull.  The DCCC must've lit a fire under him.  His opponent from last cycle, Jeff Lamberti, raised $22,000, leaving him still buried under $125,000 in debt.  The Boz is strong, and this political climate can only help.

IA-04 & IA-05: For some reason, their numbers aren't posted yet.  Anybody know more about this?

Washington Post: Rural Support for the Iraq War Declines

The Washington Post has a story about the decline of support in rural areas of the Iraq War. The story looks at Tipton, Iowa that has had 2 soldiers die in combat in Iraq and has quotes from Rep. Bruce Braley.

It is “the intensity and passion” of the desire for an end to the war that strike Braley as new.

“There's more unity in the opposition now,” said Braley, whose district adjoins Tipton. “It was always easier to find optimists about the chances of success in Iraq two years ago. You don't now find people talking that way, even the most ardent supporters of the president's policy.”

Originally posted at Century of the Common Iowan.

50-State Blog Network Weekly Roundup

This week’s Roundup was compiled by EricV at PrairieStateBlue. Permission is granted to cross-post at your blog.


Happy Friday the 13th! Looks like it wasn’t a lucky one for ethically

challenged Republicans. Between the prostitution scandals and the

increasingly obvious failure of the Iraq war to accomplish anything

Republicans are being hit hard across the states. Remember that all

politics is local and support your local state blogs!

Alabama
Left

in Alabama

Barack Obama visited Alabama on Monday. Here’s href=”http://www.leftinalabama.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=211″>a local

perspective on the event.

Arizona
href=”http://www.aznetroots.com”>AZNetroots
Turnover

in the state Democratic party has Arizona wondering.

California
Calitics
Healthcare reform href=”http://www.calitics.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3249″>seems to be

moving in California, with legislation that might even have a

chance of a signature of the governator.

Colorado
href=”http://www.squarestate.net”>SquareState
Does Sen. Ken Salazar href=”http://www.squarestate.net/showDiary.do?diaryId=4117″>fear his

own shadow? His positions, or lack thereof, on Iraq seem to

suggest so.

Connecticut
My

Left Nutmeg

Remember “moderate” Chris Shays? Well he’s looking for href=”http://www.myleftnutmeg.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=7485″>more

war. In the meantime, the state’s GOP keeps href=”http://www.myleftnutmeg.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=7474″>blaming

others for their failures. Whatever happened to the party of

personal responsibility?

Delaware
href=”http://delawareliberal.wordpress.com”>Delaware Liberal
Sen. Joe Biden is href=”http://delawareliberal.wordpress.com/2007/07/11/joe-biden-rebukes-mike-castle-and-centerists-republicans-for-their-lack-of-spine”>criticizing

centrist Republicans for not standing up to their parties

extremists. Then one of Delaware’s own href=”http://delawareliberal.wordpress.com/2007/07/13/mike-castle-reasserts-his-support-for-bush”>shows

his full support for President Bush and his war.

Florida
FLA

Politics

Another Republican href=”http://www.flapolitics.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1955″>caught

soliciting prostitutes? Look for the how to guide on href=”http://www.flapolitics.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1949″>building

Florida’s progressive community.

Georgia
href=”http://www.tondeestavern.com”>Tondee’s Tavern
Georgia gives a big “WTF?” to statements of BushCo’s href=”http://www.tondeestavern.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=478″>stopping

terrorists attacks in Georgia. Oh and in a twist to our theme,

Georgia’s Republican was caught href=”http://www.tondeestavern.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=476″>soliciting

sex from a male undercover cop.

Hawaii
Poinography!
Republican

ethical problems in Hawaii too. Surprised? I thought not.

Idaho
43rd

State Blues

Idaho’s conservative blogosphere tries to defend the surge, but

43rd State Blues href=”http://www.43rdstateblues.com/?q=node/3416″>will have none of

it. Oh yeah, and their Republican soliciting prostitutes href=”http://www.43rdstateblues.com/?q=node/3419″>went after a male

undercover police officer too.

Illinois
href=”http://www.prairiestateblue.com”>PrairieStateBlue
Ray LaHood (R) href=”http://www.prairiestateblue.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3185″>says

no to Bradley University and is staying put. Mark Kirk (R) won’t

say

anything at all to Iraq war vets. He’s headed towards a href=”http://www.prairiestateblue.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3183″>big

challenge.

Indiana
Blue

Indiana

Gov. Mitch Daniels problems aren’t related to prostitutes, href=”http://www.blueindiana.net/showDiary.do?diaryId=771″>they’re

budgetary.

Iowa
href=”/”>Bleeding Heartland
Sen. Tom Harkin is href=”/showDiary.do?diaryId=410″>posting

at Bleeding Heartland. He’s looking for Republicans to stand up to

the President and party leadership on Iraq.

Louisiana
href=”http://www.dailykingfish.com”>Daily Kingfish
Louisiana is rightfully abuzz over the revelation that Sen. David

Vitter has

been frequenting prostitutes (and now href=”http://www.dailykingfish.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=129″>the

Republican response), but they haven’t forgotten about State Rep.

Jim Tucker (R) and href=”http://www.dailykingfish.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=126″>his

ethics problems either.

Maine
Turn Maine

Blue

While Sen. Collins href=”http://turnmaineblue.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=334″>flip-flops on

Iraq, her challenger Tom Allen href=”http://turnmaineblue.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=338″>remains

steadfast in opposition.

Maryland
Free

State Politics

Free State Politics href=”http://www.freestatepolitics.us/showDiary.do;jsessionid=6773CB2B055EB0FEE57DCED71B4AFC86?diaryId=403%20″>catches

the Baltimore examiner in right-wing health news coverage.

Massachusetts
href=”http://www.bluemassgroup.com”>BlueMassGroup
While former Governor Mitt Romney href=”http://www.bluemassgroup.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=7897″>is

embarrassed about being a Republican, current Governor Deval

Patrick is

busy bringing reality-based decisions to Beacon Hill.

Michigan
href=”http://www.michiganliberal.com”>Michigan Liberal
Republican Rep. Joe Knollenberg shows that href=”http://www.michiganliberal.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=9416″>he can

run from Iraq questions too. Meanwhile, the State legislature has

prolonged

their vacation.

Minnesota
href=”http://www.mncampaignreport.com”>Minnesota Campaign

Report

Second quarter fundraising numbers are coming in. In Minnesota,

their taking

a look.

Mississippi
href=”http://www.cottonmouthblog.com”>Cottonmouth Blog
The effects

of Katrina linger on for the Mississippi coast, don’t let it be

forgotten.

Missouri
href=”http://www.firedupmissouri.com”>Fired Up! Missouri
How much does it cost to bribe, er… encourage, Gov. Matt Blunt?

Now, you too can

find out.

Montana
Left

in the West

How bad is it becoming for Republican’s in Montana? Well, a state

Senator says href=”http://www.leftinthewest.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=732″>he might

vote for Democrat Max Baucus for Senate and the GOP doesn’t really

push back.

Nebraska
New

Nebraska

The Nebraska governor’s office href=”http://newnebraska.net/2007/07/why-is-dave-heineman-so-scared-of-s-e-x.html”>wants

nothing to do with sex. Nothing. Of any kind. And this time they

mean it.

New Hampshire
href=”http://www.bluehampshire.com”>Blue Hampshire
Senators Gregg and Sununu href=”http://www.bluehampshire.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1381″>can’t

seem to make up their mind on Iraq.

New Jersey
Blue

Jersey

Tomorrow Jim Dean, chair of DFA, href=”http://www.bluejersey.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=5168″>talks with

Blue Jersey Radio. Maybe they’ll mention how their Republican

congressmen rolled

over to President Bush on Iraq.

New Mexico
New Mexico

FBIHOP

Heather Wilson has href=”http://nmfbihop.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=307″>not just one,

but two

challengers lining up to get a chance at her seat.

New York
href=”http://www.thealbanyproject.com”>the albany project
New York firefighters are href=”http://www.thealbanyproject.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1009″>talking

about the real Rudy Giuliani. It should come as no surprise that

he isn’t the same person he plays on TV.

New York
Daily

Gotham

And about that Rudy and the Firefighters spat… href=”http://www.dailygotham.com/blog/bouldin/republican_knifefight”>Fred

Thompson’s all over it.

North Carolina
Blue NC
A recent href=”http://bluenc.com/ppp-survey%3A-elizabeth-dole-vs.-grier-martin”>PPP

Poll shows State Representative Grier Martin with a fair chance of

retiring Senator Elizabeth Dole if he were to challenge her in the

2008 elections. BlueNC community members have been busy with href=”http://bluenc.com/urgent%3A-action-needed-on-voter-owned-elections-bill”>several

action href=”http://bluenc.com/call-burr-and-dole”>plans and are

celebrating the passage of href=”http://bluenc.com/call-a-young-democrat-today#comment-60652″>Same

Day Voter Registration legislation that was championed by the

Young Dems of North Carolina.

North Dakota
href=”http://www.northdecoder.com”>North Decoder
Republican’s href=”http://www.northdecoder.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=1″>aren’t

the party of small government, not even in North Dakota.

Ohio
As Ohio Goes
Read a book

review of the behind-the-scenes look into Rep-now-Sen. Sherrod

Brown’s campaign run Connie Schultz’s new book, “… and His Lovely

Wife: A Memoir from the Woman Beside the Man”

Ohio
href=”http://www.buckeyestateblog.com”>Buckeye State Blog
Buckeye State Blog has a week full of top notch posts… this one

stands out for the images, href=”http://www.buckeyestateblog.com/breaking_the_ohio_gops_dc_madam_connection_prostitutes%20″>Breaking:

The Ohio GOP’s DC Madam Connection. Prostitutes!

Oklahoma
blue

oklahoma

Republican Tom Coburn href=”http://www.blueoklahoma.org/showDiary.do?diaryId=145″>doesn’t

care about family values.

Oregon
href=”http://loadedorygun.blogspot.com”>Loaded Orygun
Loaded Orygun is href=”http://loadedorygun.blogspot.com/2007/07/coming-sunday-loadedorygunnet.html”>becoming

a community blog (SoapBlox) on Sunday. That’s all the better for

encouraging programs like href=”http://loadedorygun.blogspot.com/2007/07/oregonians-for-relationship-equality.html”>Oregonians

for Relationship Equality.

Pennsylvania
Keystone

Politics

Keystone Politics covers some far weightier issues this week, but

this

may be the lamest excuse ever for being caught in questionable

circumstances.

Rhode Island
Rhode

Island’s Future

Rhode Island’s Democratic activists href=”http://rifuture.org/blog/2007/07/11/the-rhode-island-lineup-for-08″>are

lining up behind Presidential candidates.

South Dakota
href=”http://www.cleancutkid.com”>Clean Cut Kid
Is open government

coming to South Dakota? It remains to be seen.

Tennessee
Knox

Views

The evolution of the South href=”http://www.knoxviews.com/node/5045″>is coming to Eastern

Tennesee.

Texas
href=”http://www.burntorangereport.com”>Burnt Orange Report
The death

of the Republican party in Texas? Burnt Orange Report takes stock

of how extremists have created electoral turmoil for the Republicans

of Texas.

Texas
Texas Kaos
Rick Noriega is announcing the href=”http://www.texaskaos.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3578″>beginning of

his bid to unseat John Cornyn.

Utah
Wasatch

Watcher

Salt Lake City is looking for a new major and href=”http://www.wasatchwatcher.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=235″>Keith

Christensen is being considered.

Vermont
href=”http://www.greenmountaindaily.com”>Green Mountain Daily
Democrats href=”http://www.greenmountaindaily.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1404″>failed

to override the Republican governor’s veto of their energy bill.

Here’s

the next step.

Virginia
href=”http://www.raisingkaine.com”>Raising Kaine
Raising Kaine speculates how Virginia might looks with a different

Senator in “How

About a Trade? Webb For McConnell

Washington
WashBlog
Efforts to href=”http://www.washblog.com/story/2007/7/12/91422/0755″>stop

electronic voting in Washington state continue.

West Virginia
West

Virginia Blue

When West Virginia Blue isn’t busy href=”http://www.wvablue.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=680″>calling out

biased newspaper coverage they’re busy noting how href=”%20http://www.wvablue.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=697″>ineffective

the advocates for vulnerable Republican Rep. Shelley Moore

Capito’s (WV-02) are.

Wisconsin
Uppity

Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Assembly’s GOP href=”http://www.uppitywis.org/assembly-gops-self-destructive-budget”>revealed

their idea of a state budget. Surprise, surprise, it looks awfully

cynical and partisan.

Continue Reading...

The Time is Now: Stand Up to Republicans on Iraq

(Please welcome Senator Tom Harkin to Bleeding Heartland. Leave him some comments and let him know that you'll help him out. - promoted by Chris Woods)

As many in the progressive blogosphere are already  aware, the Senate has been debating the National Defense Authorization Act,  which will set military policy for the coming fiscal year.  My Democratic  colleagues and I – as well as a few but growing number of Republicans – are  determined to take this opportunity to demand fairer treatment of our troops and  force President Bush to listen to the will of the American people and change  course in the war in Iraq.

Yesterday, the first amendment to the defense bill was  authored by Senator Jim Webb of Virginia.  Senator Webb’s troop-protection  amendment would have required that active-duty troops receive as much time at  home – recuperating and retraining – as they spend in combat, while giving the  president the authority to waive these requirements if additional troops are  needed in an emergency.

I was proud to co-sponsor Senator Webb’s legislation  because I felt that it was time to bring the systematic abuse of our  re-deploying troops to an end. It is simply unacceptable that our troops are  being deprived of the time that they need to recover from combat, complete  additional training, and spend precious time with their families. Senator Webb’s  bill would have gone a long way toward restoring our military’s readiness by  giving our brave and courageous service men and women an established amount of  time between deployments to protect their mental and physical well-being while  providing some stability and predictability for their families.

Continue Reading...
Page 1 Page 580 Page 581 Page 582 Page 583 Page 584 Page 1,272