Archive: November 14, 2005
Florida House Speaker Allan Bense (R) "is back on the political radar screen as a potential primary foe for Republican Katherine Harris,î according to the
Sarasota Herald-Tribune. After ì
rejecting overtures fromî Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) and Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), Bense has ìrekindled speculation that he may still be interested.î
ìFirst, Bense put out a press release stating his support of the nomination of Samuel Alito Jr. for the U.S. Supreme Court, something he didn't do for either of the two previous court nominations. Then last week, Bense refused to tell Tallahassee reporters that he definitely won't run when asked about the race.î
Former West Virginia University basketball coach Gale Catlett (R) has decided he will not challenge Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) in 2006, reports the
Wheeling Intelligencer. The Republicans are still without a candidate, even though the filing deadline is in January.
"Americans' views of President Bush and his trustworthiness have hit new lows, a downturn that could make it more difficult for him to push his legislative agenda and to boost Republican candidates in next year's congressional elections," according to a new
USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll.
"Fewer than one in 10 adults say they would prefer a congressional candidate who is a Republican and who agrees with Bush on most major issues," according to the poll. "Even among Republicans, seven of 10 are most likely to back a candidate who has at least some disagreements with the president."
"Bush's job approval rating sank to a record low 37%. The poll finds growing criticism of the president, unease about the nation's direction and opposition to the Iraq war."
New
strategy memo from James Carville and Stan Greenberg: "The growing desire for change and anger with Washington and the disengagement from the Republicans and Bush have put the country at the edge of a political upheaval. The change mood has consequences, as Democrats win every argument by significant margins in the races for House and Senate. But the voters are ready for more change than that -- enough to change control of the Congress -- if the Democrats use every controversy to separate themselves from the Washington mess and define the choice, themselves and their policies. The voters are closing down on the Republicans and are desperate for an alternative."
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) leads Carole Keeton Strayhorn, 61% to 26%, in the race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, according to a new
Texas Weekly poll. On the Democratic side, former Rep. Chris Bell leads Felix Alvarado, 28% to 15% with 57% undecided.
ìWith a year left before the next election,î Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) ìappears poised for a stroll to a sixth six-year term,î reports the
AP. Democratic party leaders in the state say, after former Rep. Tim Roemer (D-IN)
turned down a bid in July, ìthey've heard of no one thinking seriously about challenging Lugar.î
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) will face relative Julian Hatch in the 2006 election, the
AP reports. On Friday, the Green Party announced that Hatch, a disabled war veteran, would be the partyís candidate for Senate.
New York state GOP leaders are announcing their support for former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld (R) in an attempt to block a possible bid by billionaire Tom Golisano, according to the
New York Daily News. ìThe Republican State Committee's vice chairmen are expected to line up behind Weld next Monday.î
Earlier:
New York GOP Divided
"If President Bush shakes up his White House staff to combat second-term setbacks, he may turn to trusted Texas confidante Donald Evans as his new chief of staff," the
Houston Chronicle reports.
"White House officials remain mum about any Bush plans for staffing changes amid political difficulties... But the rumor mill is churning out speculation that Andrew Card, the White House chief of staff, would move over to the Treasury Department, replacing Treasury Secretary John Snow."
The Maryland capital has been abuzz with speculation that Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) may choose Democrat Wayne Curry for his running mate, reports the
Maryland Gazette. The rumors, however, aren't sitting well with some Republican party-members.
"By picking Curry or another Democrat, Ehrlich would run the risk of a backlash from his base, similar to the one that helped doom the 2002 Townsend campaign." Democratic-nominee Kathleen Kennedy Townsend chose Charles Larson, "an unknown white former Republican, as her running mate -- a move that mystified and angered Democrats."
"I have trouble remembering from one day to the next what 'blue' and 'red' mean. They used to call us Democrats 'reds' because they thought we were too liberal, too pink. Iím glad the Republicans have assumed that label now."
-- Former Sen. George McGovern (D-SD), in an interview with
Jonathan Singer, on "red" vs. "blue" states.
Doug Forrester, in a postelection interview with the
Newark Star-Ledger, "laid the blame for his loss in the governor's race last week directly at the feet of President Bush. He said the public's growing disaffection with Bush, especially after Hurricane Katrina, made it impossible for his campaign to overcome the built-in advantage Democrats have in a blue state like New Jersey."
In fact, Forrester said that "given the collapse in public opinion about Bush and the Republicans nationally, a state like New Jersey is ripe for almost complete domination by the Democrats."
However, a
Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers poll released over the weekend found that President Bush was just one of several factors that led to Forrester's loss. The negative ad that Forrester ran in the last week quoting Corzine's his ex-wife also cost him votes.
In a 1985 appplication to work for Attorney General Ed Meese, Judge Samuel Alito noted "the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion," the
Washington Times reports.
Wrote Alito: "I personally believe very strongly in this legal position."
"The document, which is likely to inflame liberals who oppose Judge Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court, is among many that the White House will release today from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library."
Despite a huge victory in the New York City mayoral race last week, New York's Republican Party "is beset by ideological divisions, personal rivalries and individual agendas that are undermining any semblance of party unity as the 2006 elections approach, according to party officials who say the problems stem largely from the power vacuum resulting from" Gov. George Pataki's (R) decision not to seek re-election, the
New York Times reports.
"One consequence is that Republicans are deeply at odds about their political lineup for the coming year."
The DNC under Howard Dean "is losing the fundraising race against Republicans by nearly 2 to 1, a slow start that is stirring concern among strategists who worry that a cash shortage could hinder the party's competitiveness in next year's midterm elections," the
Washington Post reports.
One House Democratic leadership aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preserve relations with Dean's operation, put it more bluntly: "There is plenty of time, but the red flashing sirens should be going off there."
Dean responded on
Meet the Press: "We just broke the record with six weeks to go for fund-raising during the off year, and we didn't even have the ability to raise soft money to do it. We have paid operatives in 38 out of 50 states. We will be in 50 states by the end of the year. We just won two really important gubernatorial elections and managed to deep-six all of Governor Schwarzenegger's initiatives in California. I'd say we're having a pretty good year."
