March 24, 2006
2008: Tancredo Considering Senate Run
In rare 2008 Senate news, Rep. Tom Tancredo (R) announced that he will run the Senate if Sen. Wayne Allard. From the Denver Post:
In the Channel 12 interview, Tancredo says Gov. Bill Owens might also be interested in the Senate seat."And you'd run against him?" Harber asked.
"Yeah," Tancredo replied.
Asked about a possible Senate bid, Owens spokesman Dan Hopkins said the governor would "cross that bridge when he comes to it. He has not speculated on what he would be doing."
Tancredo vs. Owens would be "an even-money proposition" in a primary, Duffy said. She added that if Tancredo won, he'd face a tough challenge from Udall in the general election because Tancredo is largely seen as "a one-issue candidate."
A little over a year ago, I wrote about Rep. Mark Udall's interest in running for the seat as well.
Posted by Max at 08:23 PM | Comments (2)
March 02, 2006
Random Trivia: Leahy Casts 12,000th Vote
From The Hill:
Sen. Patrick Leahy officially joined an exclusive club within the world’s most exclusive club yesterday as he became only the 12th senator to cast 12,000 roll call votes.The Vermont Democrat’s historic vote came on a motion to invoke cloture on S. 2271, the Patriot Act. He joined the minority in a 69-30 vote that overrode a threatened filibuster.
Leahy joins an elite circle that includes six other sitting senators who have cast 12,000 votes or more. That circle is led by Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), who has voted more than 17,000 times, the most ever. The others are Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), more than 14,000, and Joseph Biden and Pete Domenici, just over 12,000.
Posted by Max at 03:11 PM
October 25, 2005
New SUSA Approval Ratings
Survey USA has released its October approval ratings for every Senator. The leat popular? Rick Santorum, with 45% approval, 48% disapproval.
Posted by Max at 11:42 PM | Comments (22) | TrackBack
September 04, 2005
This Is Why We Need a Democratic Majority
Chief Justice William Rehnquist has died. Bush now has his second opportunity to appoint a conservaive justice to the Supreme Court, and with a Republican majority in the Senate, he will have little trouble getting his nominees confirmed, despite strong opposition from the left. If another Justice dies or retires before we either retake the presidency of the Senate, we'll have some major problems. If we had a majority in the Senate right now, we would be able to force the appointment of a moderate, instead of an arch-conservative, to the court. We all need to hope/pray that none of the liberal justices dies or retires before Democrats control eithe the presidency or the Senate, and work as hard as we can in the next 14 months to elect a Democratic majority in the Senate.
Posted by Max at 12:26 AM | TrackBack
April 18, 2005
Time Magazine Interviews Barbara Boxer
From Time:
WHAT CONCERNS YOU MOST ABOUT JOHN BOLTON AS AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.?
Making him U.N. ambassador would be like putting Phyllis Schlafly in charge of a Planned Parenthood clinic. It's just not a match. His attitude toward the U.N.--he's despised it all his life. It makes no sense.
...
DO YOU THINK CONDOLEEZZA RICE HAS FORGIVEN YOU FOR YOUR TOUGH QUESTIONS DURING HER CONFIRMATION HEARINGS?She never said the questions were over the line. Let me just put it this way: I don't think she's forgiven me, and I don't forgive her. I can't forgive someone who didn't tell the facts to the America people, and I'm sure she can't forgive me for disagreeing with her. So you just move on.
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HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT ANTONIN SCALIA OR CLARENCE THOMAS BECOMING CHIEF JUSTICE IF WILLIAM REHNQUIST DECIDES TO RESIGN?I have a candidate in mind that I would love to see, and that's Sandra Day O'Connor. I think she would be the perfect choice, a very healing choice for the country. I think those others would be very polarizing and not good for the country.
Posted by Max at 11:59 PM | TrackBack
March 24, 2005
Salazar to Run for Colorado Governor?
Newly elected Colorado Senator Ken Salazar declined to rule out a run for Colorado governor in 2006. If he runs and is elected, he would be able to appoint another Democrat to take his place in the Senate.
From the Rocky Mountain News:
U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar jostled the Colorado governor's race from halfway around the world Tuesday, saying he would not rule out a candidacy in 2006. ... "I love what I'm doing as a U.S. senator, and you know I expect that I will continue on as a U.S. senator," said Salazar, who took office less than three months ago."But I also don't want to say never to a possibility that I will change my mind between now and 2006. I love the state of Colorado, and I think there are things I could do as governor in Colorado; but I also am very much enjoying serving the people in the state in my current position."
He quickly added: "I have no immediate plans to run for governor."
With Governor Bill Owens (R) retiring due to term limits, and with new Democratic majorities in the state House and Senate, Colorado is going to be one of the biggest races of 2006. If Salazar has a decent chance, I would like to see him run, because it would allow us to capture the Governorship without risking the Senate seat. Also, Salazar has not been as liberal in the Senate as I had hoped, including voting for Gonzales, and if he became Governor, he could appoint a more liberal replacement. However, there is a significant problem with a Salazar candidacy:
"It would be awkward," Duffy added. "There's a point where you look too ambitious, and that all your moves are very, very political. . . . If you run for governor less than two years later, I think the voters are going to have some questions about what your intentions are."
Either way, this race won't affect our efforts towards a Democratic majority in the Senate, but considerng the recent Democratic surge in the Mountain States, it will be an interesting race to watch.
Posted by Max at 12:01 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 04, 2005
CO: Udall to Run (In 2008)
Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) announced today that he will run for the Senate seat currently held by Wayne Allard (R) in 2008 rather than run for governor in 2006. Udall was considered the front runner for the democratic gubernatorial nomination, and his decision not to run has opened up the field. Udall plans on running for re-election to the House in 2006. For now, he is the first person to declare for 2008. For more about the Colorado governor's race, see the Denver Post.
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Posted by Max at 06:16 PM
March 03, 2005
Boxer To Keep Claws Out During Second Bush Term
This is a real headline form yesterday's Washington Times, about Barbara Boxer's recent emergence as a favorite Senator for Democrats after her aggressive questioning in Condoleezza Rice during her Secretary of State confirmation hearings. While the article is overall critical, some highlights:
To her detractors, Barbara Boxer, the diminutive Democratic senator from California, is an unladylike, publicity-seeking pit bull.Clearly, they like her a lot.
...
A senator who challenged election results in Ohio that clinched victory for President Bush and grilled Condoleezza Rice during her confirmation hearings, Mrs. Boxer intends to continue her role as the hellcat from the Left Coast.
The senator says the recent publicity stemming from her full-boil partisan positions has been more than welcome and raised her national profile -- with hopes of assuming Democratic stalwart Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's mantle as party pooh-bah.Why we love her, and they hate her:
"My own reaction was that I was really surprised by how much notice [the confirmation hearings] got," she says in a telephone interview. "I've been doing this forever. It got so much attention."
...
The senator defends her tough comments and personal criticisms of Miss Rice, saying, "I showed the utmost respect for her by holding her accountable. I think it was a very respectful thing to do."
Fox News host Bill O'Reilly called her "a nut" on the air, and House Minority Leader Tom DeLay, Texas Republican, referred to her as the leader of the "X Files-wing" of the Democratic Party.After Boxer received the roses on Valentine's Day, she personally wrote a Diary Entry on Daily Kos thanking the netroots for their support. Its hard to find a better advocate in the Senate than a woman who will stand up for what we believe, challenge the administration, and work to personally connect with the netroots.
Nonetheless, a band of supporters is touting her for president, selling "Barbara Boxer '08" underwear on the Internet. They delivered 4,500 roses to her Capitol Hill office on Valentine's Day.
For a woman who has never been considered a "Washington player" and hasn't sponsored legislation that has made her a household name, Mrs. Boxer is the star of her own rough-and-tumble reality show.
Expect more fireworks from Mrs. Boxer in the coming months, as political issues heat up -- especially the prospect of the Bush administration's having the chance to nominate not one, but two Supreme Court justices.
Privately, top Democrats were surprised when immediately after her grilling of Miss Rice, the senator seized the moment to begin a Democratic fund-raising drive. In a letter asking for donations to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Mrs. Boxer wrote, "The Republicans were expecting the Senate to confirm Miss Rice with little debate and questioning from the Foreign Relations Committee. They didn't count on me to ask the tough questions."
The Republican Party immediately criticized her for it, calling it "self-aggrandizing fund-raising letters proudly bragging about their obstructionism."
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Posted by Max at 09:28 AM
February 16, 2005
Specter has Cancer
Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) announced on Tuesday that he has Hodgkin’s disease, according to The Hill.
“I have beaten a brain tumor, bypass heart disease surgery and many tough political opponents; and I’m going to beat this, too” Specter said. “I have a lot more work to do for Pennsylvania and America.”
I hope Arlen has a quick and successful recovery. He is supposed to start chemotherapy in the coming weeks. While Specter may be a Republican, I respect him for his moderate views, and appreciate his work as chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
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Posted by Max at 11:52 PM