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A bad night for Republicans?

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If Dino Rossi was waiting for yesterday’s long anticipated primaries to augur Republican prospects this cycle, I wouldn’t expect him to jump into the U.S. Senate race anytime soon.

NRSC chair John Cornyn has promised Rossi his full support, but that didn’t work out so well for Kentucky Attorney General Trey Grayson, who got trounced in his Republican senate primary against teabagger candidate Rand Paul. Nobody’s suggesting that Clint Didier or Sean Salazar have much of a chance of clawing past him in our state’s top-two primary, but I wonder if Rossi is up for a spirited challenge from the right, especially when he obviously can’t count on the NRSC to cover his flank?

Meanwhile, if there is a Big Red Wave on the horizon, you sure wouldn’t know it from PA-12, where Democrat Mark Critz beat Republican Tim Burns 53%-45% in a special election to fill the seat of the late Rep. John Murtha. PA-12 is a classic swing district — the only congressional district in the nation to go for Kerry in 2004 and McCain in 2008 — the type Republicans need to easily take away from Dems this November if they’re to produce the big gains they’re promising. Didn’t happen.

And as bad a night as it was for Republicans, it was also pretty good for progressives, with the more progressive Democrat winning senate primaries in Kentucky and Pennsylvania, two states where voters will now have a stark left/right contrast come November, and where arguably, the stronger Democrat was left standing. And in Arkansas, incumbent Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln now faces a June 8th runoff against progressive Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, a race I’d wager Halter stands the better chance of winning.

All in all, I found last night’s election results almost as satisfying as the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens.

Comments

  2. 2

    Connecticut Democrat Blumenthal who “saw action in Viet Nam” (on the TV screen)is just a notch below Patty Murray who saw all the good that bin Laden was doing in “building roads and hospitals”. Like when he wasn’t ordering beheadings.

    Goldy: which Democrat is worse? A liar like Blumenthal or an incompetent like Murray?

  3. 3

    Out of morbid curiosity, I turned on CNN to check out some results. One of the talking clowns (the one with the mustache) was effusing that the real story behind the Kentucky race was how energized the R’s were and how laggard the D turnout was. Nobody objected to his blather, or even attempted to correct him.

    “WTF?”, I say to myself. “Have I fallen down a rabbit hole into a parallel universe?” (I also say to myself).

    Here are the numbers:

    KY-SEN (R) Votes
    Grayson 35%
    124,710
    Paul 59%
    206,812
    99% reporting

    KY-SEN (D) Votes
    Conway 44%
    228,531
    Mongiardo 43%
    224,989
    99% reporting

    That’s about a 26% higher turnout for the D’s. Hullo?…can someone let me out of here, please?

  4. 4

    @2, Blumenthal’s double digit lead has disappeared overnight. That means honest people are abandoning him for his lying. How many times did you vote for the lying, AWOL shrub? And how often do you still support & defend his failures?

  5. 5

    @3: All true. But history says the R wins in the general despite much higher D turnout in primaries.

    I’d love to see an analysis of why. DSCC would too, I bet.

    OTOH, Rand should be easier to beat than usual. Pollster.com has the race essentially tied (Conway v. Paul) with Rasmussen removed.

  6. 6

    @3: All true. But history says Rs win generals in KY despite much higher D turnout in primaries.

    Would love to see analysis why. The DSCC would too I bet.

  7. 7

    @4: According to who, Rasmussen? See Kos’s telling takedown on the FP (data leave no room for doubt). Rasmussen is not a pollster, it’s part of the wingnut narrative machine.

  8. 8

    @7, It’s on TPM, right here but you’re right about it being a Rasmussen poll. And I did see Kos’ takedown which, of course, everyone who isn’t a troll already knew.

    Still, support for Blumenthal will have to fade. That doesn’t mean he won’t win.

  10. 10

    Zotc says “Rs win generals in KY”. While it is true that KY has 2 Republican senators, Ds still hold more state offices which is how we have a Democratic primary with the AG facing the Lieut. Gov.
    KY was for a very long time a Yellow Dog D state” and D party ID is still high.

  11. 11

    @10: Understand. My best friend is from Kentucky (he was a D leg staffer there in the 80s, early 90s).

    I have been focused on the Senate history after noting the turnout numbers last night. Should have been more specific.

  12. 12

    @2

    Mr. Blumenthal’s past characterization of his war experience “diminishes the service of all who served and sacrificed, most especially those whose names are inscribed on the Vietnam Wall,” said Richard DiFederico, the commander of the Connecticut Department of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. “Mr. Blumenthal was considered one of the best friends a veteran could have in Connecticut. It is a true shame that he let a false claim of Vietnam service change that.”

    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05.....f=nyregion

    There are few sins less forgivable in American politics than claiming unearned military valor. Richard Blumenthal, the attorney general of Connecticut, may consider his false claim to have served in Vietnam to be “a few misplaced words,” as he put it on Tuesday, but, in fact, this deception seems to have been part of a larger pattern of misleading voters.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05.....d4.html?hp

  13. 13

    I am glad Dems got the win in PA-12. Rush Limbaugh recently said that to win in PA-12 the Democrats were going to have to “come up with a bunch of candidates who can make themselves sound like like me” to run. I guess not so much.

  14. 14

    That’s seven straight House special elections in a row won by Democrats. If you count Scott Brown in MA we’re 7-1.

  15. 15

    Blumenthal will be fine. Lindsey Graham spent years telling the world he was a Gulf War vet when all he did was process paperwork in SC stateside during that time.

    Blumenthal will scrub his releases, get a lot better about say “Vietnam-era” and he’ll be OK.

    Just the fact that all of the trolls are locked and loaded on this tells you that they think it won’t be a big enough deal.

  18. 18

    My point is that these numbers should be considered in relation to the “it’s 1994 all over again” Republican/Teaflogger meme.

  19. 19

    @15:

    You’re giving the trolls way too much credit. They’re just repeating what’s bouncing around in their comfy little echo chamber. Few of the trolls here have ever had an original thought.

    I was concerned when I 1st heard, but I read thru the facts and watched his newser yesterday. This is a bump.

    But you’re right at a macro level: if the trolls’ evil masters really thought this had legs, they’d be quiet and let Blumenthal self-destruct.

    No legs (maybe some damage), means lots of noise, hence the trolls.

  20. 20

    7. Zotz spews:

    @4: According to who, Rasmussen? See Kos’s telling takedown on the FP (data leave no room for doubt). Rasmussen is not a pollster, it’s part of the wingnut narrative machine.

    But they just happen to be the most accurate poll for the past decade.
    Can you be an alleged Wingnut conspiracy pawn…and the most accurate?
    I tend to judge polls based on past results and hope Progressives take Rasmussen seriously to rally the troops…or they will get clobbered

  22. 22

    Thanks to PA for putting a pretty good Republican in the 12th:

    Critz won by distancing himself from Democratic leaders in Washington and running against Obama’s health care plan. He boasted in an ad that he would have voted against it had he been in Congress. … Critz won by running away from Obama’s signature achievement

    That’s from Slate.

    Also heard that Critz is against abortion and is, like goldy’s daughter, for guns.

    Speaking of guns, where’s Killa Rabbit? A day without Roger is a day without sunshine.

  23. 23

    The Caucus of Trolls hasn’t even bothered to credit the so-called “liberal” New York Times for their hit on Blumenthal, or how they gave a pass to the same transgressions that Lindsey Graham made in South Carolina, as Daddy Love brought up.

    At this point in 2006, the CW was that the R’s would maintain their hold on Congress, and the D’s won the House in November. In 2008, the Senate was going to remain in Republican hands, but it changed hands after all in November. 2010, you know the CW, big R win, but it’s going to look like 1964. The R’s are going for undiluted crazy, and that will scare off the middle like nobody’s business. I can’t wait for this election, maybe the Democrats will remember what they stand for come January.

  25. 25

    re 2: Would that the NY Times had shown the same alacrity with GWB’s military record and the lying Swiftboat asswipes.

    If the head of the Swiftboaters and Kerry had each been given an automatic weaopon and stuck in the middle of the jungle, I have no doubt which of them would walk out with the other’s head.

    And ultimately, isn’t that what it all about? That is — talking softly and carrying a big stick. Not like GWB — who talked tough and carried a toothpick.

  27. 27

    25 ztnec

    Yeah, sure you are.

    Anyway, there’s a bigger story here than Linda McMahon’s oppo dump to the NYT would lead you to believe. The AP actually did a little basic research on this:

    The crisis erupted when The New York Times reported that Blumenthal had repeatedly distorted his military service. The story included quotations and a video of Blumenthal saying at a 2008 event that he had “served in Vietnam.” The newspaper also said Blumenthal intimated more than once that he was a victim of the abuse heaped on Vietnam veterans upon their return home.

    A longer version of the video posted by a Republican opponent also shows Blumenthal at the beginning of his speech correctly characterizing his service by saying that he “served in the military, during the Vietnam era.”

    Blumenthal concedes that he misspoke at one point in that event. But, there’s no available evidence that Blumenthal repeated that false claim anywhere else. If Blumenthal were trying to deliberately deceive the public, he wouldn’t have told the truth and accurately characterized his service in the exact same speech in which he apparently misspoke.

    Conclusion: meaningless kerfuffle amplified by the GOP Noise Machine.

  28. 28

    @26…”at one point”??? WTF, he has been telling the same lie for years! Where the fuck have you been?

  31. 31

    @26

    And once again the Righties claim of malfeasance goes down in flames…

    My claims that it’s time for baby boomers to had over the keys to the car, to spend more time on the gold course and need to STUF about ‘Nam and the 60’s, however, still stands.

  33. 33

    blumenthal: ” I misspoke on those occasions”

    plural….been telling the same lie for years..

    wake up and get with the times mark no-centz.

    clueless.

  34. 34

    blumenthal states that he was unaware he was “mispeaking” until someone brought it up.

    LMFAO…..nice! in other words, he wants us to believe he didnt realize he was lying until someone called him on it.

    HJAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHHA…fucking OWNED.

    say goodnight blumenthal, you are DONE.

  35. 35

    @26 If Blumenthal were trying to deliberately deceive the public, he wouldn’t have told the truth and accurately characterized his service in the exact same speech

    You’re definitely one of HA’s chosen, Daddy, with this reasoning. So this at the beginning of the speech:

    “[I] served in the military, during the Vietnam era”

    is the clarfication that this subsequent statement:

    “We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam”

    wasn’t really a deception? What a dope. Of course, in 2003 in another speech he said this:

    “When we returned, we saw nothing like this”

    and as the Times poined out there were numerous newspaper profiles of him stating he had served in Vietnam that he never bothered to correct. I wonder where they got that impression? Let’s put that space between your ears to good use, eh?

    Just the fact that all of the trolls are locked and loaded on this tells you that they think it won’t be a big enough deal

    Well, as I recall, in your last big prediction you informed the HA faithful – a shrinking group, incidentally – that the public option would be in the final health care plan.

    It’s no wonder you’re stuck at Microsoft writing technical manuals for products that don’t work.

  36. 36

    @29: Waiting for Dr. Dre (aka total fool) to produce the “other evidence” of years of lying.

    I guess we will keep waiting…’cause that fool has yet to produce any factual evidence on anything.

  37. 37

    It’s no wonder you’re stuck at Microsoft writing technical manuals for products that don’t work.

    daddy lover pwn3d….

  39. 39

    @37- since you’re on such intimate terms with the google, and you’re not adverse to using your keyboard to tell us what fools we are, why don’t you show us his lies “for years”? No, all you can do is wave your hands, say “Google”, and be an abusive ass. Doesn’t get the job done, troll.

  40. 40

    @37- ha ha, overlooked your citation of CNN, a wing of the so called liberal media. I guess their transformation to tea party friendly has paid dividends on blogs, if not in ratings.

  41. 41

    34. jon

    So this at the beginning of the speech:

    “[I] served in the military, during the Vietnam era”

    is the clarification that this subsequent statement:

    “We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam”

    wasn’t really a deception?</blockquote>

    You should spend a little time crafting, because that sentence just (a) doesn’t make sense and (b) mistates my point. My point is that if he were intending to deceive he wouldn’t have led with the statement that he serverd in “the Vietnam era.” And, in fact, that makes it pretty certain that at worst he made a minor, inconsequential, and honest mistake during the course of this speech.

    Of course, in 2003 in another speech he said this:

    “When we returned, we saw nothing like this”

    Cite?

    and as the Times poined out there were numerous newspaper profiles of him stating he had served in Vietnam that he never bothered to correct.

    So he’s responsible for everything anyone posts about him anywhere? Bullshit. Let’s keep it to his direct statements, please.

    I wonder where they got that impression? Let’s put that space between your ears to good use, eh?

    Argument ad hominem rears its predictable and ugly head.

    It’s no wonder you’re stuck at Microsoft writing technical manuals for products that don’t work.

    Hmmm, so you don’t know what I do. That’s good. I’ll continue to expect ignorance and argument ad hominem from you.

  42. 42

    @40 that sentence just (a) doesn’t make sense and (b) mistates my point.

    Which sums up exactly why you’re a dope, Daddy.

  44. 44

    I served during the Viet Nam era but was not in Viet Nam. I don’t think I could “misspeak” about knowing the difference between being in a fucking war and not being in one.

  46. 46

    re 31: Name an iconic American figure (e.g., Mountain Man, Deerslayer, Revolutionary, etc…) that any of the generations following the babyboomers has given this country??

    The Hippy (both hated and loved) is just such a figure. So, when the truth is found to be lies…..

    I think the Xer’s and on are pablum. Obama, by the by, is a tail end ‘boomer — so kiss my grits, slacker.

  47. 47

    @46

    I’m a tail end boomer! Boomers gave us nothing but self adsorption, pretending that debit was wealth, pretending that meaning to do something was the same as actually doing it.

  49. 49

    @47:

    I’m an early-mid boomer (’52, 3 weeks after Ike was elected) and I don’t believe any of those things!

    Speak for yourself, damned tail-end boomer, lol!

    Seriously, if anything, I think we were too idealistic. All that peace and love shit killed us. We should have put away the bad guys while we had the chance. Then we grew up and a lot of us (not me) voted for Reagan. We own the shit we’re in now.

    But I also think we are responsible for the 1st black president, the 1st woman speaker, and a lot of other 1sts.

    Beware of the 35-45 y/os. They think Reagan and his ism are the natural order of things.

    The kids are allright, though. My daughter and her cohort are serious, focused people and very, very progressive.

  50. 50

    This piece from the Hartford (Connecticut) Courant destroys the NYT Blumenthal article definitively:

    I think it may be appropriate for the New York Times public editor to look at the paper’s initial Blumenthal bombshell story.

    The whole article, as I have written before, seemed like weak journalism with very little meat on its bones. There was one “smoking gun” — the Norwalk clip. The rest of the story relied heavily on implication and suggestion and the vague claim that the idea of Blumenthal’s service in Vietnam was a widely accepted part of his “public biography.”

    Here are a few developments…

    [Snip]

    4.The Times did not merely claim that Blumenthal was trafficking in falsehoods. The original story said that Blumenthal has been so consistently misleading that the idea of his service in Vietnam had become a widely accepted part of his public persona.

    So I asked reporters, anchors and columnists to tell me (a) whether they could remember Blumenthal ever claiming to have served in Vietnam and (b) whether they had been under the impression for whatever reason, that Blumenthal had served in Vietnam. Here are the answers so far.

    Mark Pazniokas of the Connecticut Mirror, who may have covered Blumenthal more often than anybody else, referred me to his quote in an NPR national story: “Every time he talked about his military record, he was quite clear that he had been a military reservist and never came close to suggesting he was in Vietnam.”

    Greg Hladky of the Hartford Advocate, formerly of the New Haven Register and Bridgeport Post, right up there with Paz in Blumenthal coverage: “Never personally heard [Blumenthal] say he was in Vietnam. I knew he had been the the Marine Corps Reserve, talked about that briefly during interview for a profile I did recently, and he never mentioned being in Nam.”

    Daniela Altimari of the Courant: “I have not been covering Blumenthal for very long, but I do know that last month, when I asked his campaign about his military service, they said very clearly that he served during the Vietnam era but did not serve in a combat arena.”

    Duby McDowell, former WFSB political reporter: “I have always been under the impression that he was in the marine reserves.”

    {And many more.}

    Here: http://blogs.courant.com/colin.....entha.html

  51. 51

    Did someone say Daddy Love was one of the HA “chosen”? He chooses to be a fool…

    On a few occasions, I have misspoken about my service and I regret that. And I take full responsibility

    Richard Blumenthal with Puddy bolding…

    So Daddy Love what constitutes a “few occasions”?

    Your bud Blumenthal received at least five military deferments that enabled him to stay out of the war between 1965 and 1970. Hmmm… Puddy remembers the HA Libtardos going wild over Dick Cheney getting deferments!

  52. 52

    Daddy Love @ 27

    Kerfluffles are surprisingly easy. I was misquoted.

    My first response was “Did I really say that?” So I listened to the interview again. Phew! I said what I thought I said.

    My second response was “I thought I was clear, but maybe I wasn’t clear enough”. So I had someone else listen to the interview. No, they thought I was being clear.

    In short, only when my words were taken out of context could it be construed that I said the exact opposite of what I actually said. (We see that often enough here, so it’s not a big shocker.)

    That kind of experience is a wake up call. I tried to be a lot more careful after that.

    And people wonder why politicians speak so carefully. We pretty much force them to.

  53. 53

    51 Pud

    Yes, we had something to say about a man who said that he had “better things to do” than serve his country (and Cheney notably did NOT serve six years in the Marine Corps reserve as Blumenthal did) and who subsequently started a miserable, unnecessary war of choice that has killed 5K Americans and 100K Iraqis.

  55. 55

    @53, 54

    I think pud/jon pretty much got the Blum story right. And while I doubt you’re actually a dope like jon claims, you’re definitely not one of HA’s sharper knives.

    And that probably explains why you write tech manuals for a living (though your writing skills could use some polishing up).

  56. 56

    @54: Looks like our Michael’s evil twin Michael @55 is here.

    Goldy, it’s not good that we don’t really know who we’re talking to…

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