I imagine “Turd Blossom,” George Bush’s nickname for Karl Rove, refers to Rove’s ability to take a pile of shit and make something out of it. In any case, watch where you step today, because Turd Blossom is coming to town. He will be here to raise money for freshman Rep. Dave Reichert of Washington’s 8th congressional district .
Of 435 House races potentially up for grabs this November, the race between Darcy Burner and Dave Reichert has attracted an extraordinary amount of attention. Just a few months ago, Karl Rove sent George W. Bush to raise money for Reichert. The plan may have backfired a bit , as Reichert raised less money, and Burner more money, than expected.
Now, Karl Rove, himself, has taken on the task of turning Reichert’s turd of a campaign into a blossom.
By almost all measures, Reichert is in big trouble. In an ordinary year, an incumbent with widespread name recognition and a good head of hair would be pretty safe. Reichert should particularly be safe against a political newcomer. But this year isn’t an ordinary year. This year there is the smell of voter dissatisfaction in the air.
The dissatisfaction is coming from three places: (1) a general dissatisfaction with incumbents, (2) a specific backlash against Bush Republicans, and (3) from candidates with the scent of corruption and Abramoff about them. Unfortunately for Reichert, all three are at work against him: he is a Bush Republican incumbent with a little bit of the stench of corruption and Abramoff after taking money from convicted former Congressman Duke Cunningham and the newest member of the Convict’s Club, Bob Ney.
And it doesn’t help that Richert is rather inarticulate, slow off the mark, and politically naive, running against an exceptionally bright and energetic Darcy Burner.
Reichert’s tenuous position is clear from the two most recent public polls, the first showing Reichert ahead and the second showing Burner ahead. The race is now rated a toss-up by the New York Times; and both CQ Politics and the Cook Political Report have upgraded the race from Republican to a more precarious leans Republican.
The most remarkable sign of Darcy Burner’s momentum in this race is that she has out-fundraised Reichert for the last three quarters!
These things just shouldn’t happen—not in an ordinary year.
The big question now is whether the net effect of Karl Rove’s visit will be to help or hurt Reichert. It is telling that the event is a private affair for some 100 wealthy donors and was not publicly announced. The Washington State Republican’s chief political clairvoyant Chris Vance (you know, the guy who could tell us just how the election contest would turn out) sees no problems for Reichert:
“In my view, there are no pitfalls (to a Rove visit) because the voters out there who have very strong feelings about this one way or the other have already made up their minds,” said Chris Vance, a former state Republican Party chairman and now a public affairs consultant with the Gallatin Group.
“Having Karl Rove here will not change anybody’s mind. But it will raise a bunch of money,” Vance said.
The trouble with Vance’s theory is that that when Bush came to raise money for Reichert, Burner also got a big fundraising boost. Naturally, when Rove’s fundraiser became public, the Darcy Burner campaign responded with a special fundraising drive focused on the visit.
I think an even bigger problem is that this visit will highlight and solidify the relationship between Reichert and the Bush administration. Who in their right mind can now believe that a reelected Reichert would vote against the administration’s interests when both Bush and Rove personally flew in to save his bacon? If Reichert had some semblance of independence during his current term (based on a couple of non-critical and pre-authorized votes), he loses it entirely by his new obligations to Bush and Rove. Indeed, in this political climate, and this particular congressional district, Karl Rove may leave more damage than can be fixed by the money he brings in.
I mean, if you try growing flowers on a turd, the wrong environment will leave you with just a stinking pile of shit.
(Send a message that Washington State will not support candidates beholden to the failures and incompetence of the Bush administration. Give something to Darcy Burner today. Remember, the number of donors is an important measure of success, so even if you can only afford five bucks, your donation strengthens the message considerably.)
As mentioned on another thread, I think it is evidence that they’ve given up on both Mr. Reichart and Mr. McGavick. No votes will change here, and the money Ms. Burner will raise in response is likely to be spent right here.
Still, if we could just get the Vice President to come and campaign for Mr. Reichart and Mr. McGavick. It would (my opinion) be worth putting a few extra dollars in the national Republican party coffers in order to completely sew up the races here.
Maybe we could even get Mr. Cheney to campaign for Ms McMorris. Doubtful, as I don’t think they’ve quite given up on that race yet.
And don’t forget about Ted Stevens. Get him here to help raise even more money for the Democrats.
Just one picture of Reichert with Rove! This I pray.
We’re going to have a Victory Party after the Democrats take back the House this fall.
Does anyone know Reichert’s home phone number? I want to call Dave and offer him a job as a security guard since he’s going to be unemployed.
Sorry, JCH, you can’t come it’s only for honest people and exressly excludes anyone who’s lied about their militry service.
Maybe you and MTR can cry on each others shoulders.
Homo’s.
Correction at 4, since I know JCH will jump all over it because he has nothing else and no ideas like all conservatives, but I meant to type “expressly.”
I just used the Act Blue page and donated. I know you dead beat, no good, hard drinking, government draining liberals have some pot money stashed away. Reach in and send Darcy $5, $10 or $20.
Perhaps our conservative friends have seen the light and want to contribute too.
GBS @ 4:
Nice post. Funny.
My Left Foot @ 7 thanks.
But, uhhhhh, you post @ 6.
WOW! dig into our “pot” funds?!?! You know you’re asking a hefty sacrafice don’t you? $20 bucks, man that’s have way to a 1/4 ounce.
OK, but only for the greater cause. You know it’s mid September don’t you??? That means the “harvest” is just coming in. We bette win, that’s all I can say.
I just donated $25 to MADD in honor of Mike McGavick, criminal drunk.
You know Darcy wouldn’t have any money, if HA didn’t exist. She needs to go to one of your drinkfests and give all of you a big hug!
GBS…….you are as ignorant as ever.
“Sorry, JCH, you can’t come it’s only for honest people and exressly excludes anyone who’s lied about their militry service.
Maybe you and MTR can cry on each others shoulders.
Homo’s. ”
* what a CLASSIC comment from you. not only can’t you even spell….but you then go on to call people “homos”.
and gee whiz i thought you guys were NEVER bigoted or homophobic, right?
WRONG-O.
Christmasghost @ 11:
Ah, satire and humor escape yet another RightWingNutJob.
ChristmasGhost, have you ever read the posts from the two mentioned WingNuts? Homosexuals, Muslims, Blacks, Jews and Mexicans are their favorite targets. One of those writers (if you can call him that) pretty much lives his sexual fantasies out right here in regard to the content of his posts.
We are tolerant as a group, diversity is a great thing. Goldy censors no one, at least to my knowledge. So take your self-righteous bullshit and shove it up your ass. When you are done, maybe the other two fools would like you to join them for a threesome. Arrogant bastard!!!!
And here I thought he was trying to say “Homo don’t play dat.”
The right wing is intellectually incapable of appreciating satire. Which is one reason it drives them crazy.
Bush wants a permission slip from the Pakistani government to hunt down Osama bin Laden.
Bush today:
“They were asking me about — somebody report — well, you know, your special forces here. Pakistan — if he is in Pakistan, which this person thought he might be who was asking me the question — Pakistan’s a sovereign nation. In order for us to send thousands of troops into a sovereign nation, we’ve got to be invited by the government of Pakistan.”
A goddamn permission slip!
Carl Grossman, I noticed your picture of “Mrs. Grossman” was NOT wearing a wedding ring. Carl…………….Carl…………………..Carl………………….ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ChristmasGhost, “One of those writers (if you can call him that) pretty much lives his sexual fantasies out right here in regard to the content of his posts.”
Commentby My Left Foot [……………………………………………………………………………..Carl, It wasn’t JCH who posted a picture of his “wife” [ex wedding ring!!] Perhaps she left it at the Embassy Suites room 401 booked under the name of “Jerome Butts”!!!!]
Correction at 4, since I know JCH will jump all over it because he has nothing else and no ideas like all conservatives, but I meant to type “expressly.”
Commentby GBS […………Paranoid much, GBS? Back from “Pateya” Beach?????]
There will be a protest at the corner of NE 8th and Bellevue Way to honor Rove’s visit. Show up. Be a body.
Karl Rove Is A Traitor, and should recieve a TRAITOR’S WELCOME!!!
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate candidate Bob Casey Jr. used a speech at Catholic University yesterday to place himself among the growing number of Democrats seeking to loosen the Republican Party’s grip on religious voters. Decrying a climate of “fear” and division in the nation, Casey called for a renewed commitment to the “common good” and for political leadership that demands shared sacrifice in order to achieve it.
“Casey called for a renewed commitment to the “common good” and for political leadership that demands shared sacrifice in order to achieve it. ”
Ho Chi Minh, Mao Tse Tung, Kim Jong-Il, Lenin and PIAPS couldn’t have written it any better. Oh yeah, PIAPS said almost the same thing,
“We’re goin to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.” ~~Hillary Clinton, June 2004.
Democrat parasite socialist scumbags.
Man the right wing nutjobs must be crying into their beer tonight. The news for republicans is just about as bad as it can get. When the Dems take control of the House after November’s election, will these right wing traitors, cowards and crooks just do the right thing and off themselves? Let’s hope so.
Related to 21: Sooner or later the Catholics are going to realize how far they’ve allowed themselves to be led down the garden path by cozing up to the dominionists over abortion. Except maybe Santorum. He seems pathetically eager to repeat all the mistakes of a millenium ago.
ArtFart, Do you know Mrs. Grossman? Would you like to?
JCH at far too many, for far to long,
That post is written by something that is so stupid, if I took its tiny brain and rolled it down the edge of a razor blade, it would be like a lone car going down a six lane highway. You should offer your posting style to hospital operating theatres as a highly-effective alternative to unconsciousness-inducing medications.
It seems your fingers not only did your typing, but did your thinking too. Have you considered suing your brain for non-support? If ignorance were a disability, you’d get the full pension. Reading your post makes blindness a wonderful thing to look forward to. As Abba Eban so aptly said: “His ignorance is encyclopedic.”
What possessed you to think that you were capable of being entertaining or interesting to read? There’s nothing wrong with you that couldn’t be cured with a little Prozac and a polo mallet, or, better yet, suicide. Maybe you wouldn’t come across as such a jellyfish-sucking mental midget if you didn’t have an intellect rivaled only by the Village Idiot’s stupider brother; if your weren’t so fat that the elephants throw you peanuts at your local Zoo, or if you didn’t have a face so ugly that your mom had to get well-and-truly drunk before she could breast feed you. Nah, of course you would.
In conclusion, sit down and shut up before trip over your own tongue and hurt yourself.
Sincerely,
Teresa
Hmmmmmmmmm…….Then I guess oral sex tonight is out of the question?
Carl Grossman, I noticed your picture of “Mrs. Grossman” was NOT wearing a wedding ring. Carl…………….Carl…………………..Carl………………….ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JCH at 26 and 27,
Thank you! We’re all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view, you ridiculous little carnival freak. Rumor has it that you are almost incomprehensible in person (as revealed by your desperate urge to babble nonsensically on message boards.) No doubt, this rumor is true.
Teresa
Unlike you, John, I can go on all night. (wink)
“I can go on all night. (wink)”
Commentby Mrs Left Foot [……..That’s what Jerome tells us!!!]
Just like you to repost half a quote, John (29) here, try again. “Unlike you, John, I can go all night”. Jerome and I are just friends, he was not cheating on you. John, he really loves you. Stop denying him over something that is just not ture.
JCH,the wheel is turning but the hamster is definitely dead. Sadly, you are not yet aware of this fact.
Teresa
“Jerome and I are just friends” [Teresa] Mrs. Grossman, Of course you are!!! Now, tonight, show Carl that you care! Call him “Jerome” when her comes in from behind! ROTFLMAO!!
Carl Grossman, I noticed your picture of “Mrs. Grossman” was NOT wearing a wedding ring. Carl…………….Carl…………………..Carl………………….ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Teresa, I have a few friends here who would loved to see a picture of Mr. and Mrs. Grossman together. Just a nice family snapshot will do with the two of you both wearing wedding rings!! [ROTFLMAO!!!]
34
Keep wanting. You will just have to keep wondering if it is me. I am not going to further encourage your masturbatory fantasy.
Don’t you realize that there are enough people to hate in the world already without you working so hard to give us another? Wait, who am I talking to? John hates everyone.
Teresa
Teresa, Do you “permit” Carl to lead, or are you the typical “JAP”?
“Carl, Are you done yet? I’m watching the Home Shopping Channel!” [Teresa]
“Carl, I want a bigger diamond! I want a bigger house! I want a vacation! I want…….I want……….I want……..” [Hey, Terrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaazzzzzzzzzzaaaaaaaaaa, May Carl come out and play?]
JCH,
I am sure Carl would love to play with you. However he is Los Angeles watching his Dodgers play the Padres this weekend. He will be here on and off, I am sure.
You don’t like playing with me, John? You always have so much to say and suddenly you want Carl. Unrequited love is painful, is it not, Johnny boy?
The ring is fine, the house is fine and as you have been told we will be in Hawaii November 9-14, perhaps you can drop by the condo and have dinner with us. You know, put your hiney where your mouth is.
I would not blame you for refusing, after the butt kicking you are getting here tonight. From, GASP!, a woman.
Kisses,
Teresa