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SSP Daily Digest: 3/26 (Morning Edition)

by: DavidNYC

Fri Mar 26, 2010 at 8:16 AM EDT


  • GA-Sen: Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson was released from the hospital after being treated for a bacterial infection and dehydration. Sounds like he's okay, but he'll be out of commission for at least a week.

  • MI-Gov, MI-09: Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard is batting down rumors that he may switch races from Michigan's gubernatorial race to a run against Democratic frosh Rep. Gary Peters. The NRCC apparently denies that they're wooing Bouchard, and his campaign manager adds: "Mike is committed to running for governor. He's not considering that congressional seat or any other race." (JL)

  • GA-12: In yesterday's digest, we mentioned the increasing heat that Dem Rep. John Barrow was facing from back home over his vote against healthcare reform. It looks like some of that discontent may spill over into the form of a legitimate primary challenge. (No, ex-state Sen. Regina Thomas, lover of hats, does not qualify as a serious threat.) Current state Sen. Lester Jackson, who lobbied Barrow heavily on the HCR vote, says that he finds the prospect of a primary challenge against Barrow to be "appealing", and state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond is another name being batted around by Georgia Democrats eager to give this out-of-whack incumbent the boot. (JL)

  • MD-01: Businessman Rob Fisher, a "cyber-security firm" owner, has announced that he'll take on state Sen. Andy Harris in the GOP primary to face Dem Rep. Frank Kratovil. (JL)

  • PA-06: Doug Pike has asked J Street, a liberal pro-Israel group, to remove his name from their list of endorsees and also says he'll return $6,000 the group raised for him.

  • WA-08: GOP Rep. Dave Reichert is in the hospital for treatment of a chronic subdural hematoma. His office says the procedure was successful and that he'll be discharged in a few days. Jwaalk has more here.

  • VA-05: Terry McAuliffe just did a solid for a fellow Virginian: He sent out an email blast soliciting funds for Rep. Tom Perriello, specifically citing his pro-healthcare vote (and the fact that he's now in Sarah Palin's "crosshairs"). I'm told that T-Mac's list contains over 75K names, which is pretty monster.

  • Census: The good news: Several lawmakers are planning ahead - way ahead - to ensure that the 2020 Census isn't plagued by the problems that have affected the 2010 Census. The bad news: Tom Coburn is involved. WTF?

  • Healthcare: The hullabaloo over the winger AG lawsuits against the healthcare reform bill just gets dumber and dumber. Wisconsin's Republican attorney general, J.B. Van Hollen, apparently had to seek permission from the governor to file suit against the bill - and got smacked down hard by Dem Jim Doyle. On the flipside, moron Gov. Jim Gibbons of Nevada is berating his Democratic AG, Catherine Cortez Masto, for not jumping into the fray. Gibbons has been demanding an analysis of the constitutionality of the new law from Masto, sneering that it's a task worthy of a "second-year law school" student. No shit, Jimbo - the answer is "shut up."

  • White House: Again, not news - WH Press Sec'y Bob Gibbs said that the White House will treat all Dems equally in terms of helping them this fall, whether they voted in favor of healthcare reform or against it. No kidding. What else is the president's political team supposed to say?
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    SSP Daily Digest: 3/26 (Morning Edition) | 71 comments
    Hawaii Special Election
    The candidate list for the HI-01 free-for-all special election was released. It doesn't look like there are any serious candidates aside from the Case/Hanabusa/Djou triad, but the bad news for Djou is there are four other Republicans who filed, which may drain precious votes from him.
    Well, there are 3 Democrats
    in addition to Case and Hanabusa as well
    [ Parent ]
    Many more Dem votes to play with
    Especially if Case wins some Republicans too.
    [ Parent ]
    Does Hanubasa live outside the district?
    Note that the address listed in the link is outside the boundaries of HI-01, and her state Senate district is centered around Wai'anae, which is also outside HI-01.

    However, it's all on Oahu, so I'm guessing that living just outside the district is not a big deal. Since Ed Case previously represented HI-02, I'm wondering about his residency too.

    But if I'm wrong about the importance of residency, that leaves Djou as the only major candidate from inside the district.

    [ Parent ]
    Yes; she ran for the open HI-02 seat in 2006, but lost by a few hundred votes to Hirono
    Residency doesn't seem to be much of an issue in Hawaii -- remember, Patsy Mink held each of the House seats at different times.
    [ Parent ]
    Pike
    What a piece of crap.  I didn't have a dog in that race, but now I'm all for Privedi.
    Trivedi
    About whom I've written here.  Yes, Pike folded like tissue paper upon receiving any pressure.
    [ Parent ]
    factoid quibble: Van Hollen
    needed the go-ahead from any of the Governor, or a vote in either (Democratic controlled) chamber of the Legislature.  
    Michael Thurmond lives in Athens
    So I don't see him as a serious challenge to Barrow unfortunately. Lester Jackson is probably the best bet to challenge Barrow.
    Athens is in the 10th
    BTW
    [ Parent ]
    At this point, I'm not sure Thurmond himself knows what he's going to do.
    Lt. Governor?  He'll be running against a formidable Republican incumbent and a primary against the House Minority Leader's wife.

    U.S. Senate?  He'll be up against a Republican incumbent with a shitload of money

    GA-12?  He'll be a carpetbagger and running against a guy with a shitload of money (earned from his whoring for big insurance)

    I'm starting to think he'll just run for re-election for Labor Commissioner, creating a black Democrat versus black Republican general election.

    Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.

    [ Parent ]
    Blah
    "GA-12?  He'll be a carpetbagger and running against a guy with a shitload of money (earned from his whoring for big insurance)"

    It's obvious that you have some deep resentment towards Barrow for representing his constituents.

    Are you recruiting a liberal to challenge Marshall or Bishop?

    David Scott is not exactly the most liberal Democrat out there, and, he's one of those evil Blue Dogs.......  

    [ Parent ]
    Whatever
    After voting for Obama by a ten point margin, Barrow's consituents really wanted someone to vote against EVERY major proposal he and the Democratic leadership offers.  Give me a fucking break.

    Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.
    [ Parent ]
    Give me the same break
    Forget about Obama's performance in 2008 - especially in districts like that. Most likely it was a one-time fluke )with population so incensed about idiot Bush that it was ready to go for any potential "savoir"). Even more - in near black-majority district for black "savoir". To make any other conclusions out of this very peculiar situation is not errr.. very wise.
    [ Parent ]
    Yes, let's continue to find ways to discount our on strengths.
    That's really helpful.

    Like I said, this district has conistently voted for liberal, pro-choice, pro-gay rights, pro-environment candidates.  Obama or no Obama.  It's voting behavior is like that of Minnesota.  

    And going back to Obama, EVERY election is blip.  The candidates change.  The issues change.  The electorate changes to extent.  So, why are we just discounting Obama's win?  Other than to find an excuse to keep a Republican in Democrats' clothing.

    Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.

    [ Parent ]
    See
    That's what gets me about your rants against Conservative Democrats like Barrow. You live in Georgia, and although we disagree quiet often, I do think you're fairly knowledgeable on Georgia politics, yet you constantly throw out the typical "DINO" remarks. Just when you start to somewhat make a decent argument, you tend to revert to the "DINO" mess and it really ruins things because of the type of Democrats in Georgia.

    There's not polling out there that I know of (if there is let me know), but considering the history of our state, our Democrats, in general, are typically more conservative than most. Are there liberal Democrats in our state, of course, though I'd say they are much fewer than the norm.

    (I do remember seeing a list somewhere of state legislatures and how their caucuses tend to vote or something, and Georgia Democrats seemed more to the right than most.(

    You do not see (or do not normally see) those of us to the right of you throwing profanities left and right and screaming at the top of our lungs to primary anyone to the left of us. Why not? Because in many areas, purity is a terrible idea.

    I'll say it again, if Thomas beats Barrow, that seat flips.

    Do you seriously think Thomas would have beat Burns? If so, I'd suggest maybe studying up on the district a bit more.

    I'm not "discounting" Obama's victory, though I think Obama helped to bring out a ton of voters who might not normally show up. It's similar to GA-02, and if you think GA-02 is a liberal district, then you're very wrong.

    Your calls to primary, and your attacks against Barrow make about as much sense as me calling for a primary against Lewis or Johnson.

    [ Parent ]
    Personally
    I'm more on your side of this but I do think you have to understand where people are coming from. The Democrats may be the big-tent party but the vast majority of it, whether it be voters, activists, members, elected officials whatever, are on the center-left of the political spectrum. So it seems to me to be a bit much to compare a primary from the left to the kind from the right you are suggesting.  
    [ Parent ]
    So...
    How do you reconcile your doom and gloom prediction that the seat flips without Barrow or that the choice is between a ConDem and Republican with the fact that it voted for Gore, Obama, Martin (including in the runoff) and Cleland and Barnes (at the height of flagger controversy, Bush's popularity, and 9-11/Iraq mania)?  

    And Georgia Democrats are not anymore conservative than Democrats elsewhere.  Liberals made up 47% of the 2008 Democratic Presidential primary electorate.  Conservatives made up 11%.  There was a greater proportion of conservatives in the Democratic Primary in California than there was in Georgia.  And that was with California having a slightly smaller rate of Republican crossovers.

    Oregon was the same way.  So was Ohio.  And Florida. And Arizona.  And Wisconsin

    The liberal proportion of the Democratic primary electorate in Georgia was five points above that of North Carolina, six points above Ohio, one point above Wisconsin only one point below Illinois, only two points below Arizona,  

    Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.

    [ Parent ]
    Well, i am tired with your obsession with Obama. Really tired
    1. 2008 Democratic primary electorate was NOT too representative of typical Georgia primaty electorate exactly because of Obama candidacy. In 2010 and, probably, any year except 2012, it's composition will be substantionaly different because of the less enthusiasm on part of Blacks

    2. But in fact - i barely care about primary electorate, because primary isn't everything. The election you MUST win to get elected is General election. And if you win primary, but can't win general - you are generally worthless. Liberal can win primary in GA-12 under some circumstances, but almost never - General, Even less likely - hold district year after year reliably (including the above mentioned non-presidential years)

    3. Cleland and Barnes are typical centrists, not liberals, and  - with extremely high name recognition. In addition - both were incumbents and both ran some years ago when greater percentage of rural whites still voted for Democratic candidares. Now more then 80% (and most likely - at least 85) of GA-12 whites voted McCain in 2008

    4. I speak about 2010 elections only, with very bad for Democrats general election climate, a lot of seats to worry about and defend, and very few possibilities for improvement. I don't have neither time nor desire for foolisjness like intentional "punishment" of congressmen becaise their don't vote the way i like - the Democrats, IMHO, can't afford it this year, It's absolutely not 2006 or 2008.

    Is it enough? Let's end this fruitless "discussion"

    [ Parent ]
    Yes, let's end it.
    Because I'm tired of your lectures against Democrats holding Democratic politicians accountable,

    your constant attempts to discount an electoral pattern to suit your needs,

    your ridiculously false equivalences (e.g. GA-12 is like GA-08 or MS-04; bringing up Gore/Cleland/Barnes' victories is like bringing up Roosevelt's victories),

    your phoney "pragmatism" that says Democrats/progressives should cower and think our ideas are unsellable and think the only way to "win" is to mindlessly support people who vote against us,

    and your assertions without backing (other than your aforementioned attempts to discount an electoral pattern) that anyone to the left of Barrow can't win in this district.

    So, how about this?  You don't respond to my posts.  I won't respond to yours.  Because I will continue to advocate the primarying of ConDems.

    Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.

    [ Parent ]
    Accepted,
    Because i don't see anything useful in your posts. I could write abiut your posts much harsher words - even harsher then you wrote about my: absolute absence of logic, a lot of petulant wishful thinking, false "facts" perverted the way you like, and even general politicxal illiteracy. That's only the few of my "reactions" to your childish posts. There are many other along the same lines.

    Well, you may advocate whatever you want, i have the right to advocate my. I am absolutely not interested in "discussions" with you, because it's not discussions - it's waste of time. But i am 99.9% sure that it will be me, who will have the last laugh evening July 20th))))

    [ Parent ]
    If you continue to repeat a lie
    - it doesn't becomes a truth. I give candidate's names and percentages they get, you - nothing, but platitudes. Obama's campaign was absolutely unique - simply by the fact that he was first black candidate for President supported by major party AS WELL AS by rare hatred for his predecessor. I can name dozensz of districts won or near won by Obama in 2008 which will never give similar percentage to Democratic candidates in near future and which are hopeless for Democrats in 2010. So, please stop this idiocy and whining. Let's talk about that again in July (after primary) - it will be interested to see how you will interpret it's results. I remember situation 2 years ago when after peimary (76-24 Barrow) i teased  liberals with simple question:"So what? What did YOU get?"
    [ Parent ]
    -
    Won by Al Gore.

    Won by Max Cleland.

    Likely won by Roy Barnes (didn't run the numbers but compared to Cleland, he underperformed in some of the smaller counties but overperformed in Augusta, Savannah, and some of the other small counties)

    Won by Jim Martin (in the runoff, too).

    Won by Barack Obama.  

    Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.

    [ Parent ]
    So what?
    How big was Maryin's win in runoff? And that's the only thing that happened recently. I don't care about Obama's victory in November  2008 (and simultaneous Martin win in November) under very special and almost non-repeatable circumstances. Cleland, Barnes and Gore - too long ago - you could give an argument like "it voted for Roosevelt with 90% of vote", and, being true, this argument would be useless because it would have nothing with present day reality

    Much more convincing argument for ME: Barrow won against ultraconservative Republican Burns by 52-48 in 2004 (with rather high Black turnout) AND 50.3 - 49.7 in 2006, when turnout (just as it will be in 2010) substantially lower. And i don't even say that republicans are substantially more energized then Democrats (and, especially, Independents, who gave critical support to Obama in 2008, but don't want to do that again) now. In such situation i will take Barrow easily. If that would be reliable district like GA-04, 05 or 13 - another matter. But not here, and not in GA-02. As one person here said - do you plan to primaty Marshall too? Or may be Gene Taylor?)))

    [ Parent ]
    Of course not.
    Comparing GA-12 with GA-08 or MS-04 is apples and oranges, as the latter 2 are far more Republican. (In fact, I think Taylor is the only Democrat elected from the area of MS-04 by now.) Looking back to 2004, Bush won over 60% of the vote in those two compared to GA-12 going narrowly for Kerry. Of course primarying Taylor and Marshall would be counterproductive.

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    [ Parent ]
    That was an irony.
    I know it's quite well. Nevertheless i will state again that GA-12 is not alwsys Democratic and, surely, not especially liberal. Of all seats, in which Democraic congressmen voted against HCR, i see exactly 2 (two) ripe for primary challenge - Lipinski (but it's too late this year) and Lynch. All other will more likely elect ultraconservative Republican then "progressive Democrat" (in most cases - MUCH more likely), so, according to my main criteria ("play safe first, all other - only if this condition is satisfied") they are not good candidates for primary challenges
    [ Parent ]
    What is the makeup of the GA-12 electorate
    what was it in '08

    and

    what will it be in '10?

    [ Parent ]
    Nominally
    50% White, 44% Black. But in presidential year (especially, by obvious reason, in 2008) Blacks vote very actively, while in non-presidential - (2006, when Barrow won extremaly narrow victory by getting 50% against very conservative Republican, is example) - much less so. So this district is quite capable of giving good percentage of vote to republican candidate (Bush won it over Kerry in 2004 despite rather heavy Black vote for Kerry, albeit narrowly), so vast majority of whites votes Republican. In addition, as in many rural southern districts, "Black" is NOT identical to "liberal". Yes, traditionaly rural Southern Blacks vote heavily Democratic, but they are not SO liberal in general as their counterparts in NYC or even Atlanta.
    [ Parent ]
    True
    You make a good point that is often overlooked about blacks in the South, especially in the heavily black rural areas. These voters are not liberal. Southern blacks vote heavily Democratic, but you bring up social issues like gay marriage, and sometimes abortion, and you'll see just how wrong it is to assume these voters are liberal.

    It's like with Barrow. The healthcare vote has angered the black community, but I have no doubt that the majority of blacks in the district would approve of Barrow's social conservatism.

    A liberal Democrat cannot get elected everywhere, nor can a Conservative Democrat. I'm not sure why that's so difficult to understand.

    [ Parent ]
    How many AA voters
    Base their vote on social issues? Not many. If they did, I agree, Democrats would get nowhere near 90% of them.
    [ Parent ]
    Good Point
    I think whites tend to focus more on social issues than blacks.

    Thomas did not get beat by such a huge margin in 2008 simply because Barrow backed Obama.

    The voters of that district know Barrow's a Conservative Democrat. I just find it hard to believe that Barrow's Obama endorsement alone could account for such a lopsided defeat for Thomas in 2008.

    She's a former State Rep and State Senator, so she was no stranger when she ran the first time.  She was not a back bencher in the State Senate, I remember hearing her name many times in the news.

    It's just frustrating to think that those some of my fellow Georgians would love nothing more than to lose a perfectly safe seat in the name of ideological purity. We're not exactly a strong party anymore in the state.

    I am confident though that the citizens of GA-12 are wise enough not to make that mistake.

    [ Parent ]
    Are the people considering challenging Barrow liberals?
    To the left of a conservadem =/= liberal.  
    [ Parent ]
    Well
    Thomas is a liberal. I seem to remember her actually mentioning gay marriage and abortion strongly at one point in 2008.

    I'm considering her as the only primary opponent now. Jackson's said nothing to indicate to me that he's running.

    It's possible Jackson could jump in, but considering Barrow's made some in the black community mad with the HCR vote, I doubt those who want Barrow out will want to split the vote. I don't see Thomas stepping down for Jackson to jump in.

    Crazier things have happened though.

    [ Parent ]
    GA-12
    I think it's just wishful thinking. The article from yesterday says

    "Jackson, a Savannah Democrat who also urged Barrow to vote for the bill, said he has no plans to run - or to support Barrow or Thomas."

    If the basis of Jackson running is his "never say never" type of response, well, I think almost any politician could fit on any list for any race.

    I really wish people would actually take time to study the district before making some of the statements I've seen. Which, hey, it's becoming more and more obvious that some on here would prefer a Republican holding a seat than a Conservative Democrat. It's truly mind-boggling. I could just imagine the uproar if Conservative Democrats started pissing and moaning that would occur if Conservative Democrats started calling for a primary against some liberal Democrats.

    Ah well, purity ftw.

    [ Parent ]
    That's good!
    I have nothing against liberal Democrats in liberal districts, but this district is not one of them (and don't throw PVI numbers in my face!!!))). This district is quite ready to elect moderate-conservative Democrat like Barrow, but it would elect (and reelect) conservative Republican with much greater probability then liberal Democrat (who could be elected in very good year, but who couldn't be reliably reelected). Period.
    [ Parent ]
    Damn right purity for the win.
    This district voted for Obama by a nine point margin.  It consistently votes for pro-choice, pro-environment, pro-gay rights, liberal candidates at the top of the ticket.  

    Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.
    [ Parent ]
    Lie
    It voted for Bush in 2004. And voted rather cpnservative in number of statreide races. Once again - forget about Obama and 2008 - it will not be repeated soon
    [ Parent ]
    "statewide"

    [ Parent ]
    It went 50-49 for Bush, which was *less* than the 51-48 the rest of the country did
    And while I'm usually the type to be lenient for incumbents in potentially tough districts, it's a bit crazy to assume that a district goes from having a Democratic tilt (albeit a slight one) in a presidential year to being uber-conservative in any given mid-term, even if turnout among AAs is somewhat lower during mid-terms.

    Politics and Other Random Topics

    24, Male, Democrat, NM-01, Chairman of the Atheist Caucus, and Majority Leader of the "Going to Hell" caucus!

    [ Parent ]
    Crazy?
    Then look at 2006 results in this district. Nothing more required.
    [ Parent ]
    It's also the case that he did *worse* than Marshall
    In a much more Republican district. It could just be the case that Barrow isn't a very skilled politician or that the Republicans managed to get a really good candidate. That Barrow did that poorly doesn't really tell us much more than that.

    Politics and Other Random Topics

    24, Male, Democrat, NM-01, Chairman of the Atheist Caucus, and Majority Leader of the "Going to Hell" caucus!

    [ Parent ]
    yeah seriously
    Does the GOP have another "Burns" quality candidate running?  Using 2006 as the bench mark for ultra-conservatives is kind of dumb, Burns was the former incumbent.
    [ Parent ]
    Burns wasn't "especially skilled"
    Yes, he was former incumbent, but he got elected first of all (in somewhat different district) solely because Democrats nominated absolutely flawed candidate in 2002. So, he was a sort of "accidental former congressman", and still got such high percentages. It's easy to calculate that at least 85% of district whites voted for Mccain in 2008, and only very heavy (and early, because McCain won the district among those who voted at Election day), i.e. - superb organization - swung this district to Obama. In 2010 Obama will not be on ballot, black turnout will be substantially lower of astronomically high 2008 numbers, general environment is much worse, so i would be extremaly unwilling to risk this year even with minimally strong Republican candidate. In 2012 - may be, but who knows how this (and other) district will look like after redistricting
    [ Parent ]
    I don't mind conservative Democrats
    in hostile districts as long as they don't require the DCCC spend boatloads of money that we could spend trying to elect more progressive Democrats elsewhere (a few districts in California come to mind, especially since even all 7 Blue Dogs from the state voted for HCR).

    After seeing that recent AL-02 poll, I am completely cool with Bright even if he votes against the party on major legislation because as long as he is holding that district, it will force the Republicans to divert money into trying to beat incumbents like Bright. But for any that require boatloads of DCCC money election after election and still vote against the party on every major piece of legislation, there I think it's best we cut our losses. As long as Barrow doesn't need a lot of DCCC help, I'll go along with leaving him alone.

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    [ Parent ]
    PA-06: Correction please! J-Street is NOT pro-Israel!
    A little truth in advertising please. If J-Street is so pro Israel why have so many Arab and Muslim Americans and Iranian advocacy organizations so much money to then.

    The reality is that on many important issues J-Street is advocating AGAINST the interest of Israel. That's why so many in Israel and the Jewish community feel J Street is a wolf in sheeps clothing.

    So please don't insult us by referring to it as a pro-Israel group. It is NOT and good for Doug Pike for distancing himself from them and taking a PRO-Israel stance!

    Fight global warming & help disaster relief efforts by raising money for Music for Relief when you search the web! Click here for more info:
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    It's not anti-Israel
    It's pro-negotiated settlement, whereas AIPAC is pro-enforced settlement (or anti-settlement at the fringes).

    It's not like that's an extremist position in the Jewish community - the numbers favouring a more nuanced US position on Israel go up every year, including amongst Jews. For that matter, plenty of Israelis take a much less hardline approach to negotiations than the AIPAC line.

    J Street is not anti-Israel. It's for a different vision of Israel. You can argue about whether or not it's the right vision, but from their point of view they are very definitely pro-Israel.

    [ Parent ]
    That's like saying....
    That's like saying the Eagle Forum is a pro-women's group because they have a different vision of women's rights.

    While the intentions of J Street might have been good when it was started, the fact is it has been taken over and co-opted my many people who have a distinct anti-Israel agenda.

    That's why they are silent about Iran's attempt to aquire nuclear weapons. That is why they seem to jump on the critize Israel bandwagon every chance they get.

    The point is if Doug Pike wants to position himself as being pro-Israel distancing himself from J Street is the right way to do it.

    Fight global warming & help disaster relief efforts by raising money for Music for Relief when you search the web! Click here for more info:
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    [ Parent ]
    Keep Lying.
    JStreet's page on Iran:
    J Street believes that an Iran with nuclear weapons, especially one that continues to support terrorist groups, would present a major threat to Israel and American interests, and a challenge to peace and stability in the Middle East. The United States therefore shares a clear interest with Israel and the international community in ensuring that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapons capability.

    We believe that any serious and realistic attempt to halt Iran's nuclear ambitions demands a comprehensive and multilateral approach, rooted in active diplomatic engagement with Iran and the international community. J Street commends President Obama for his efforts in 2009 to engage Iran diplomatically and for the offer made in October by the international community to supply Iran's civilian need for further enrichment of the uranium in its possession. We believe that the offer should be accepted as a basis for progress by the Iranian government. The President's approach has strengthened the resolve of the community of nations which will be important in moving forward with multilateral action.

    Unfortunately, Tehran's initial response to this new international solidarity was to reject the proposals of the international community and announce provocative expansions of its uranium enrichment program. Iran cannot be allowed to defy the will of the international community on the nuclear issue. The time has therefore come for the United States and its international partners to ready new multilateral sanctions on the Government of Iran as a means of gaining leverage alongside the diplomatic track. We urge the United States to pursue this through the United Nations and to create as broad-based a consensus in the international community as possible.
    ...


    [ Parent ]
    Yes it's J Street's page.
    Yes, we all know it is a wolf in sheeps clothing. The very fact that J Street needs a page on their website defending them against so called "myths" shows what they really are.

    They are about as pro-Israel as the Jews for Jesus.

    Fight global warming & help disaster relief efforts by raising money for Music for Relief when you search the web! Click here for more info:
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    [ Parent ]
    Man
    If there is anything likely to make me tune out it is discussion of Israel. It never ends well.
    [ Parent ]
    I wonder if American politics is developing in that direction
    with the way we're being polarized, it feels like similar levels of virtol are rolling off our tongues.  
    [ Parent ]
    It's true what they say....
    It's true what they say never talk about religion or politics in mixed company. So my apologies to all for getting my dander in a twirl.

    So to steer things back to elections (which is what we should be talking about here) I think this probably helps Pike with Jewish voters who had doubts about his stance on Israel.

    That was the point I should have made from the start.

    Fight global warming & help disaster relief efforts by raising money for Music for Relief when you search the web! Click here for more info:
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    [ Parent ]
    That is good advice
    And one that everyone here should follow. We aren't going to permit an overheated derail on this subject. If you haven't already, please move on.
    [ Parent ]
    Exactly!
    The very fact that J Street needs a page on their website defending them against so called "myths" shows what they really are.

    That's exactly why we all know that every "myth" spread about Barack Obama during the 2008 election was true-- if it wasn't true, why would Obama have needed to put a page on his website defending himself? Obviously, a Muslim Kenyan-Indonesian Communist Nazi wolf in sheep's clothing.

    I don't have a side in this one-- my understanding of Israel policy and the players involved is limited. But that's a pretty pathetic argument there. Sometimes legitimate groups really are the victims of misinformation.

    [ Parent ]
    Exactly
    It's basically because AIPAC doesn't want there to be any kind of hub for progressive, pro-peace, pro-two-state activism around Israel.

    [I'm done with this discussion.]

    [ Parent ]
    If that were the case ...
    ... then Pike would be an idiot for accepting the endorsement in the first place.

    But it's not.  J Street is a mainstream Jewish organization which supports a two-state solution, and your claims as to its funding are demonstrably false.

    [ Parent ]
    Sad
    It makes me sad to hear people smear J Street the way the comments above did -- it makes me think that the prospects for peace are very, very remote.

    [And I'm not going to say anything more about this topic.]

    [ Parent ]
    Comment deleted
    A user chose to ignore our earlier directive not to continue to derail this discussion. That comment has been deleted, and future off-topic derails will not be tolerated.
    [ Parent ]
    Lester Jackson and Regina Thomas
    A little factoid.  Jackson was Thomas' successor in the State Senate.  I wonder if they may do a switcheroo: he primaries Barrow, she gets her old seat back.

    Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.
    Dear Jim Gibbons:
    It's constitutional.  The lawsuit is a waste of money and nothing more than political grandstanding by members of your party.

    Sincerely,

    A Second-Year Law Student

    28, Male, MI-09 (home), MD-07 (school)

    Dem caucus on reconciliation bill
    A little off topic, but I'm amazed at how well the caucus held up during recon.  Only nelson (duh) Blanche and Pryor voted against the final bill.  Nelson's nelson, lincoln's trying to win and pryor doesn't want to end up like lincoln in 2014.  hats off to those who voted, but i wonder if it'll hurt some sens like tester, mcCaskill or webb come 2012, or begich in 2014?

    Top ten signs you're an SSPer #1: your favorite song is "Panic At Tedisco" and no one understands what you mean.
    I think Begich will be a one-termer pretty much regardless
    Unless he's really raking in the dough for the start by then, but he probably wont be only after 6 years.
    [ Parent ]
    NY-Gov: Lazio trouncing Levy, performs 8 points better against Cuomo
    There needs to be a huge swing for
    Levy to even make the ballot.  I don't get why he's bothering.
    [ Parent ]
    Coburn
    Any Oklahoma resident who is eligible better file to run against Coburn.  He ought to at least answer to the voters for his insanity on a host of issues.  What if we find out that Coburn  was more directly involved in the Ensign scandal than previously thought.    

    Please donate to amcharities.org to help build more after school centers in the Miami area.  

    23, Democrat, IA-2

    HI-GOV - Rasmussen says beat down city
    for Democrats over Republican Duke Aiona.

    Abercrombie 54, Aiona 31
    Hannemann 50, Aiona 29

    http://www.rasmussenreports.co...

    34, WM, Democrat, FL-11

    Not surprising
    Democrats have 2 very well-known (though as far as i know - disliking each other) candidates, while Republicans - a man who was in "deep shadow" of Governor Lingle. I respect Lingle, but who can say much about Aiona? In addition - he is more conservative then Lingle.
    [ Parent ]
    Me Likey :-D


    26, Male, Democrat, TX-26
    [ Parent ]
    Wow
    "77% of voters in Hawaii approve of the job he is doing as president, while only 23% disapprove. Those numbers include 47% who Strongly Approve of the president's job performance and only 19% who Strongly Disapprove."

    Still January 2009 in Hawaii!

    [ Parent ]
    Enthusiasm gap development
    If this trend is confirmed by other polling and continues, it could be highly significant:


    Three weeks ago, 40 percent of Democrats were likely or definitely going to vote, compared to 51 percent of Republicans -- an 11 point "intensity gap". Two weeks ago, as the battle for health care reform heated up, and GOP obstructionism came in full view, the numbers were 45 percent for Democrats, 56 percent for Republicans -- both sides equally riled up.

    This week, the numbers are 55 percent for Democrats, 62 percent for Republicans. While both sides saw big spikes in their numbers, Democrats were particularly energized, with that intensity gap narrowing from 11 points to a far more manageable seven.[...]

    I think a lot of us predicted that actual passage of a health care bill would make Democratic voters somewhat more enthusiastic. This seems to be confirmation of that prediction. But I still say that the most important thing would be an improved economic situation and outlook for more people.

    "I'm not a member of any organized political party, I'm a Democrat!"
    --  Will Rogers  

    Jobs
    Let the GOP whine about "Obamacare" while Dems talk about the issue the vast majority of Americans care most about. Positive numbers on employment next week would certainly be another shot in the arm.
    [ Parent ]
    SSP Daily Digest: 3/26 (Morning Edition) | 71 comments

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