Category: Elections

Your Crack Is Showing

Oh boy, prepare yourselves for the latest edition from Peter Schiff’s Not Ready For Prime Time File. In a blog post on TakiMag.com, Schiff lays out some of his key policy views that we’d likely see if he runs for Senate, namely opposing regulating greenhouse emissions to curb global warming and providing healthcare for all Americans. On healthcare he writes:

On the other hand, no one carries home maintenance insurance to pay for a clogged drain or broken garage door. If insurance paid for the plumber visit every time a toilet overflowed, we would now have a plumbing crisis, and Congress would be looking to reign in runaway plumbing bills with “national plumbing insurance.”

That’s right, Schiff just compared national healthcare reform to plumbing. Or to be more specific, the ability to receive treatment for life threatening illnesses to a backed up septic system. Because, you know, they’re about the same on the Grand Scale of Glibertarian Importance.

Seriously, I’m reaching a point where I hope Schiff runs for Senate in Connecticut just for the comic relief he’ll bring to an otherwise tense race.

More Schiff Failing

I don’t have any real fondness for Stu Rothenberg. I think he leans very right and tends to favor Conventional Wisdom over actual analysis. But sometimes he does well and this write-up on his interview with Republican Peter Schiff is just devastating. There’s really too much that’s worth noting, but the whole piece stands out as a rebuttal to Schiff’s anti-voting, anti-civics, anti-accountability views on government.

Schiff is the first candidate I’ve ever interviewed who proudly says he can’t recall the last time he voted. “I’ve never seen a real reason to vote,” he says without hesitation, adding that he registered to vote only recently in Connecticut. Apparently, he’s never heard of the concept of civic duty or considered the meaning of 200 years of American history.

Not surprisingly, he is also the first candidate I’ve ever interviewed who brags that he can raise most of his money out of state and can win by bringing supporters from around the country into Connecticut to campaign for him. (That certainly worked for former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean in the Iowa Democratic caucuses, didn’t it?)

Finally, Schiff is the only major party hopeful I’ve ever interviewed who said there is no difference — absolutely no difference — between Republicans and Democrats, between President Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Rothenberg just doesn’t buy that Connecticut voters, especially Connecticut Republicans, will find his Ron Paul brand of militant libertarianism appealing. This is a big hurdle for Schiff to overcome, but he will have an army of non-nutmeg Paulites to stand by him and send their donations into Connecticut.

He’s well-dressed and articulate. He’s also adept at talking about the nation’s economic programs, and he has logged a good deal of time on cable’s business programming. But being an entertaining guest on CNBC doesn’t automatically translate to being a serious candidate for the U.S. Senate.

If and when Schiff focuses on what he’d do to get the American economy out of the ditch, he’ll scare the living daylights out of state voters, who are more concerned with their jobs and government services than with Austrian economics. Simply put, a majority of Connecticut Republicans are not ready for the second coming of Ron Paul.

If all of that isn’t hard-hitting enough, Rothenberg’s closing is simply brutal:

For a man who supposedly makes decisions on the basis of data and analysis, Schiff seemed to lack any empirical evidence that he could win a Senate race, let alone a primary. Maybe that’s because he’d really rather appear on the Daily Show or spout off in national publications than do what is necessary to win a Senate seat.

Of course, it’s worth noting that Schiff has been the subject of an online Paulite draft movement and is now promoting that effort (and his new book) in the national and DC press. I haven’t seen or heard a single report of Schiff traveling Connecticut to talk to voters about the issues they care about or how he will serve Connecticut if he has the privilege to be elected to serve in the US Senate.

Rothenberg’s piece is just the latest entry into the quickly-growing queue of reports about Schiff the Non-Voter and how he just isn’t going to be a viable candidate for Connecticut’s Senate seat this cycle.

Peter Schiff, Savvy Motivator

Peter Schiff, a venture capitalist and top Ron Paul economic adviser, has been making waves about running as a Republican for the Connecticut Senate seat currently occupied by Chris Dodd. Schiff is something of a Paulite internet sensation. His YouTube videos have received millions of views and he’s already the subject of a long-running online draft campaign (on a volunteer built site with many of the technological hallmarks of the Ron Paul presidential campaign). Schiff’s candidacy would likely receive massive small-dollar support from Ron Paul fans nationwide who would apparently seek to turn the Connecticut Senate seat into some sort of libertarian paradise. All of this makes Schiff look like a very threatening candidate, both to Republican favorites like former Congressman Rob Simmons and state senator Sam Caligiuri, and to Democrat Chris Dodd. That is, until Schiff starts opening his mouth.

In subsequent mainstream press stories yesterday, Schiff uttered bone-chillingly stupid comments that will surely turn off both the Republican Party’s primary voters and voters in the general election. First, in Roll Call, Schiff talked about his proud history of…not voting.

In an interview with Roll Call, Schiff said he was new to politics and only recently registered as a Republican in Weston.

“I don’t know when the last time I voted was,” Schiff said. “You can’t blame me for any of the politicians. I didn’t vote for them.”

This just isn’t how it works. Failing to vote doesn’t keep a citizen from being responsible for the consequences of elections, it makes them culpable. Not participating in elections is not something to be proud of at a time when Schiff has individually and publicly expressed such displeasure with the governance of officials whose elections he failed to do anything about. Rather, if Schiff the Non-Voter has a problem with politicians, he is to blame by embracing political passivism and do-nothingism.

Schiff the Non-Voter later echoed similar sentiments to NRSC Chair John Cornyn, according to Politics Magazine.

“I’ve barely ever voted for anybody running for office. Living in Connecticut, even if I go to the polls and vote for a Republican, a Republican’s not going to win. Even if he could win, in the grand scheme of things he’s not going to make a difference.”

Actually, according to Roll Call Peter Schiff is a registered voter in Weston, Connecticut. According to Wikipedia, Schiff lives in Darien. Both Weston and Darien in Connecticut’s 4th Congressional District, which until this Congressional term was held by Republican Christopher Shays. Shays served in office from 1987 to 2009, so Schiff would have had ample opportunity to cast a winning vote for a Republican in that time frame. Additionally, Darien is one of Connecticut’s most heavily Republican towns and Weston currently has a Republican First Selectman. Connecticut has also had Republican governors uninterrupted for the last fourteen years.

While Schiff was refusing to vote for winning Republican candidates in Connecticut, he was also bashing the Republican Party in Connecticut on whole:

“How are they going to energize anybody?” asks Peter Schiff, a Connecticut-based stock broker. “If a regular Republican runs in Connecticut, why is anybody anywhere else going to give a damn? I don’t even know why anyone in Connecticut would care. What’s he going to change?”

Obviously this is a strong play by Schiff to win Republican votes by insulting voters choices for leadership (as well as the voters’ gall for choosing to vote at all, an idea clearly offensive to Schiff).

To recap, Schiff has failed to vote, even for long-time winning Republican candidates, because he mistakenly thinks Republicans can’t get elected and no one cares about those who do.  He thinks not voting is a virtue in that it excludes him from culpability for the consequences of actions officials have taken while governin, even though this runs counter to middle school level civics education. Between a lack of knowledge of how citizenry is supposed to work and a lack of elementary knowledge of Connecticut’s recent political history, Peter Schiff looks like an uneducated, arrogant crank who is not ready to be a viable candidate for Senate in Connecticut. The strong support he receives from Ron Paulites from outside of Connecticut may make him a financial force to be reckoned with in the Republican primary, but I can’t see how Connecticut voters will appreciate being treated like a bunch of rubes as Schiff exposes his ignorance about the state to them while asking for their vote.

CT Senate Vacancy Bill

Today’s Hartford Courant editorializes in favor of the recently passed bill by the state senate that would require that there be special elections – and not appointments by the Governor – to fill Senate vacancies. This would be a great step forward for democracy in Connecticut and the legislation is a model that would surely be useful for other states. This year alone we’ve seen appointments fill vacancies in Illinois, New York, Delaware, and Colorado. Not having elected officials be replaced in an election is fundamentally flawed, as it introduces power politics to what should be the decision of the citizenry.

What makes this legislation especially important is that it realigns the political dynamic in Connecticut. Currently Jodi Rell is the state’s Republican governor, but there are huge Democratic majorities in the state senate and assembly, as well as a full Democratic House delegation, Democrat Chris Dodd and Connecticut for Lieberman Joh Lieberman (who now caucuses with Democrats). Lieberman has been talked of as a possible person who President Obama might consider for nomination to an ambassadorship or cabinet level position. While I wouldn’t necessarily like Lieberman in the cabinet, I’d be all in favor of him serving as ambassador to Israel or something similar.

In an email, quoted with permission, Charles Monaco (aka tparty of My Left Nutmeg) gives the rundown of what will likely happen to this legislation:

Rell will veto it, but if the override vote goes the same way as the original vote did, the senate vacancy bill has the votes for an override. And then perhaps Obama can appoint Lieberman Ambassador to Get The Fuck Out of the Senate.

I hear the Department of Complete Fucking Political Irrelevancy is a great place to work too.

Heh, indeedy.

…Adding, the numbers in the CT Senate are not certain for a veto override. The bill passed 21-12, but three Democrats missed the vote. It would depend on how those senators vote.

Attacking Dodd From the Right

TParty at My Left Nutmeg has a great post on the newly-announced challenge to Senator Chris Dodd from a Democrat named Merrick Alpert, a former Enron and PG&E employee, who is running against Dodd from the right and without any stated agenda besides personal attacks.TParty writes:

Unfortunately, from all initial appearances, Merrick Alpert’s just-announced campaign for Senate falls clearly in the second category [of damaging primaries driven by attacks and personal ambition]. He is already attacking Senator Dodd using right-wing talking points, and is poised to continue running at Senator Dodd from the right.

It seems Alpert has been looking for a chance to run and try to move the Connecticut Democratic party to the right for at least a half-decade now. As far back as February 2004, the Greenwich Time reported on his travels across the state attempting to “create a potent voting bloc” that he – in his own words – hoped would become a “centrist, pro-jobs, pro-business coalition.”  Alpert was at that point a resident of Greenwich and member of the Greenwich DTC (there is apparently some election law of which I am unaware that requires all primary challengers in Connecticut to have lived in Greenwich).

His seemingly-complete website and introductory video are both almost completely bereft of any policy distinctions with Dodd – or really any mention of any issues at all (the word “economy” does not appear there anywhere as far as I can tell). Instead, his campaign has emerged as a full-bore ad hominem assault, attacking Dodd both overtly and obliquely – but always in pitch-perfect right-wing consultant-speak: for being part of a “culture of corruption”, for not telling the “truth” about the AIG bonuses, for moving to Iowa during his presidential run, and apparently – while emotionally describing watching his mother reading the losses on her 401(k) statement and blaming Chris Dodd for letting it happen – even for allowing the entire economic crisis.

If you wanted to, you wouldn’t have to go far to find the many ironies: an ex-Enron employee attacking someone for being part of a “culture of corruption”, a recent resident of Florida attacking someone for not being around Connecticut enough, a big donor who maxed out to Dodd as recently as 2006 and who has been looking to run for something big for half a decade suddenly – by his own account – dropping that support and realizing the error of his ways the very day Dodd stepped in it on CNN and it was clear he was headed for a free-fall in the polls.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that Alpert’s mentor in Connecticut politics, John Pelto, doesn’t even approve of what he’s doing and how he’s doing it. Pelto says:

“I’m surprised, even a bit stunned, that my former intern Merrick Albert is interested in running against Chris Dodd, let alone that he believes he is prepared to serve as Connecticut’s United States Senator.

“I’ve known Merrick for more than 20 years.  He worked as my legislative intern when he was a student at Trinity College and later helped with various political campaigns.  Always eager and ambitious, everyone who has ever worked with Merrick knows that he’s always wanted to run for political office.  Hopefully, he’ll reconsider this strange decision and focus instead on getting his political career underway by running for a position that he is more qualified for like state representative or state senator.”

Alpert is making his formal announcement today, but it’s hard to look at this as anything other than a self-serving campaign that will only serve to solidify the narratives the CT GOP and Rob Simmons are trying to tell Connecticut voters. Alpert may not want Dodd to represent Connecticut in the Senate any more, but he had better recognize that he won’t be in the Senate come 2011 either. He can only serve as a catalyst that will accelerate the chances of Simmons to defeat Dodd. This is not a good thing.

Update:

Rick Green of the Hartford Courant puts it well: “Somewhere, Glenn Beck and Rob Simmons are smiling.”

Green Union Pressure Politics

This strikes me as the straightforward solution to the dilly-dallying of conservative Arkansas senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor on issues affecting working Americans. Arkansas has a  uniquely strong Green Party, bred as a byproduct of the Republican and Democratic Party machines divvying up political districts to avoid competitive elections. While there may not be a deep bench for labor to look to in Arkansas to primary Lincoln or Pryor, there is the Green Party.

Blanche Lincoln is up for reelection in 2010 and has been one of the most problematic senators in the Democratic caucus when it comes to the Employee Free Choice Act. To say that she is owned, in part or in full, by Wal-Mart would begin to get at the problems that arise when working Americans and Arkansans lobby her to support Free Choice. However there is little avenue for pressuring Senate Democrats, other than at the ballot box. While labor is having an easy time of exerting leftward pressure on Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania because of the deep pro-labor, liberal Democratic bench, there isn’t a similarly large bench in Arkansas. As a result, if labor is going to try to move Blanche Lincoln back to the side of working Americans by exerting political pressure, it will have to be by threatening to — and if necessary carrying out the threat to — put major resources by a Green Party candidate to run for Senate in the general election against Blanche Lincoln.

Lincoln is the archetype of how the labor movement has been undercut by Senate Democrats this year. If pols like Lincoln know that they will not face any consequences when they stab working Americans in the back, they will never change their behavior. Since Dems like Lincoln only understand threats to their tenure in office, the natural course for pressure for unions to pursue is a political challenge. In the case of Arkansas, it seems that the Green Party would offer the best possible opportunity to run a meaningful challenge to Lincoln on behalf of working Americans.

Disgraceful

I’ve been involved in politics professionally or as a blogger or as a dedicated follower for most of my life. I had a strong interest in middle school and high school, when I read the New York Times cover to cover every day. I even remember being a depressed six year-old after Michael Dukakis lost to George HW Bush. But in all my time following politics as a professional and as an amateur, this is probably the most craven and despicable thing I’ve ever seen. Senator Arlen Specter has set up a campaign fundraising site hiding as a cancer research fund.

The story was first flagged by Senate Guru and is now being covered by Brian Beutler at Talking Points Memo. Beutler writes:

He’s touting–and raising money from–a website called specterforthecure.com, which he describes as “a bold new initiative to reform our government’s medical research efforts, cut red tape and unstrangle the hope for accelerated cures.”

But the money he’s raising isn’t funding research grants, or advocacy, or treatment for patients who can’t afford it. It’s funding the Senate re-election campaign of one Arlen Specter.

Looking at the site, there’s no question its intent is to have visitors think they are going to contribute to a charitable fund that will help further cancer research.  Only on the donation page does it become clear, albeit buried in five paragraphs of introductory text, that the contribution isn’t for researching cancer, but prolonging Arlen Specter’s political career.

This is the craven act of a monster. It’s abusive, disrespectful, and dishonest. It’s self-indulgent, self-centered, and presumptuous. I may not like Specter’s politics nor feel inclined to welcome him with open arms into the Democratic Party, but this makes me despise him as a person in a way that I’ve previously reserved for only our country’s worst war-mongers and chickenhawks. Simply disgusting.

Big Fundraising Lead for Dodd

Some welcome news for Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd — he’s blowing his competitors out of the water in fundraising. Here’s the breakdown from the Courant:

Chris Dodd:

Dodd raised about $1.05 million in the first quarter of 2009, leaving him with a cash balance of nearly $1.4 million, according to a fundraising report he filed Wednesday with the Federal Elections Commission.

Sam Caligiuri:

Caligiuri reported collecting about $45,000 over the first quarter, mostly from individuals. After expenses, Caligiuri reported a balance of about $36,000.

Rob Simmons:

An aide said the Simmons campaign only recently opened a bank account and had no meaningful fundraising to report.

Also, there’s this key point for where Dodd’s money does not come from:

Notably, Dodd’s first-quarter fundraising report for the 2010 U.S. Senate election reflects no AIG contributions. …

Dodd returned $12,500 in contributions from political action committees or employees associated with firms benefiting from federal bailout money. He gave $1,000 that he received from an executive receiving an AIG bonus to a Mystic homeless shelter. Dodd also donated $2,500 that he received from convicted investment swindler Bernard Madoff to the Elie Wiesel Foundation.

Dodd had a much better quarter than I would have expected and this puts him on good footing to weather the serious challenge he has coming. It also shows that the Republicans challenging him are not yet able to turn their big media profiles into campaign contributions.

Her Uppance May Come

Via Todd Beeton, there’s a nice follow-up twist on the calls from some Alaska Republicans for Senator Mark Begich to resign so Ted Stevens can have a special election. Congressman Don Young thinks the seat is Begich’s to keep and there’s no recourse for him to be removed now. But Young suggests that his long-time colleague should close out his career with a run for Governor:

“Personally I’d like to see him run for governor, and that’s my personal feeling,” Young told the Alaska Public Radio Network on Thursday. “So, we’ll see what happens down the line. He probably won’t, but I think that would be a great way to cap off a great career as being the governor of the state of Alaska.”

The back story is that this statement from Young is about Sarah Palin getting her come uppance.  Palin came to power in Alaska riding a wave of reformist criticism of Alaska’s old guard Republican elected officials. Last cycle she targeted Young’s seat by having her Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell primary Young. Palin was strongly behind Parnell and obviously Young took it personally. Don Young, despite being surrounded by clouds of scandal of his own, beat Parnell by 304 votes in the GOP primary last August.

Stevens and Palin have had a rocky relationship of their own. This press conference from July, in which Palin dodges endorsing Stevens and Stevens points out that they don’t really like each other, is a classic. Arjun Jaikumar points out that Palin called on Stevens to resign his Senate seat following being convicted of seven federal felony corruption charges. So there’s no love lost between Palin and Stevens — but her call for Begich to resign is probably a lame effort to repair her bad relationship with Stevens.

Frankly, I think if Stevens does run for Governor (which I don’t think he’ll do), he could give Palin a tough race. There will undoubtedly be a lot of sympathy for Uncle Ted, while Palin wears out her welcome with national campaign stops on the state clock.

DSCC Hits Simmons

Rob Simmons was an unpopular, Bush-loving congressman when he was ousted from office in 2006. Dodd’s numbers may not be great right now, but it’s fair to say that people have not given Simmons’s negatives the same degree of attention as they have of Dodd. This sort of ad will remind Connecticut voters that Simmons is a George W. Bush Republican and that he has not changed since he was booted from office.