How Kid Rock Can Win Michigan's 2018 Senate Seat

After Donald Trump's 2016 election victory, anything is possible ... And let's not forget former D-List TV comedian Al Franken is already in the US Senate.
How Kid Rock Can Win Michigan’s 2018 Senate Seat: Kid Rock starts out with an advantage in the Detroit area that no other Republican has ever enjoyed. He is a matchup nightmare for Debbie Stabenow.

Democratic prospects for 2012 continue to dim

The election of Barack Obama may have been the best thing that could happen for the Republican Party. Obama's disastrous presidency has revived the GOP, giving it a majority in the House and bringing it closer to a majority in the Senate following the 2010 midterms electi0ns.

And prospects for 2012 keep getting better as Obama continues to stop from one landmine to another.

From Gallup:

Gallup's analysis of party affiliation in the U.S. states shows a marked decline in the number of solidly Democratic states from 2008 (30) to 2010 (14). The number of politically competitive states increased over the same period, from 10 to 18, with more limited growth in the number of leaning or solidly Republican states.

Read more at the link below:

Number of Solidly Democratic States Cut in Half From '08 to '10

WSJ: Republicans Could Take Back Senate

Republican control of the House after the November midterm elections is a given, but can the GOP win back the Senate, too?

Taking back both chambers of Congress would be a dramatic repudiation of Obama's failed policies.

From a Wall Street Journal analysis of the November Congressional races:

Leaders of both parties have believed for months that Republicans could win the House, where every lawmaker faces re-election. But a change of party control in the Senate, where only a third of the members are running and Republicans must capture 10 seats, seemed out of the question.
Battle for the Senate

That's no longer the case. The emergence of competitive Republican candidates in Wisconsin, Washington and California—Democratic-leaning states where polls now show tight races—bring the number of seats that Republicans could seize from the Democrats to 11.

Democrats now control the Senate 59-41 — after the death of Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who was replaced by Republican Sen. Scott Brown — including two independents who usually vote with them. That means Republicans need 10 seats to take a 51-49 advantage.

Republicans would have to win virtually every competitive race to retake the Senate, without losing any seats of their own — clearly an uphill climb. The trouble for Democrats is that many trends are against them. Surveys show that Republicans are more motivated than Democrats to go to the polls, and that voters are looking for new leadership in Congress.

"I think there is definitely a chance" of losing the Senate, said Democratic strategist Gary Nordlinger, a Washington-based media consultant. "I wouldn't call it a probability, but there is certainly a chance."

Read the full story by Naftali Bendavid at the newspaper's Web site.

Specter Out! Obama losing streak continues!

The Associated Press has called the Democratic Party primary in Pennsylvania for U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak over incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter.

This was the most watched race in the country on Tuesday as voters continued to punish incumbents for the many failures of Washington.

It also marks another humiliating defeat for President Obama, who endorsed Specter.

Obama-supported candidates in Virginia, New Jersey, Massachusetts and now Pennsylvania have been rejected by voters.

From the wire service:

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter has been defeated in a Pennsylvania primary in his bid for a sixth term after taking the risky step of switching to the Democratic Party.

Voters Tuesday picked U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak as the party's nominee and rejected the 80-year-old Specter in his first Democratic campaign.

With 65 percent of precincts reporting, Sestak received 339,402 votes, nearly 53 percent. Specter received 304,179 votes, about 47 percent.

The vote also was a defeat for President Barack Obama, who supported Specter when he abandoned the Republican Party last year.

The moderate Specter cast his switch as a decision of principle after inflaming the GOP by voting for Obama's economic stimulus bill. But many Democratic voters questioned his motives.

Sestak faces Republican Pat Toomey in the fall election.

Tea Party flexes muscle: Rand Paul wins Ky. Senate primary

The Associated Press is reporting that Rand Paul, the son of Texas Congressman Ron Paul, defeated establishment candidate Trey Grayson in the Republican primary for the open U.S. Senate held by Republican Sen. Jim Bunning.

From the wire service:

Rand Paul on Tuesday gave the tea party its first victory in a statewide election — one that could embolden the fledgling political movement in other states.

With 31 percent of precincts reporting, Paul was leading with 65,702 votes, or 59 percent, to Grayson's 40,767 votes or 37 percent.

Paul, a 47-year-old Bowling Green eye surgeon, had never before run for office and turned to the Internet fundraising model used by his father to pay for his campaign. Grayson stayed competitive drawing heavy financial support from traditional GOP donors inside Kentucky.

The Kentucky election was being watched around the country, especially after tea party activists helped to defeat three-term Sen. Bob Bennett in Utah and forced Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to abandon the GOP to make an independent run for the Senate.

Great moments in opportunism

From POLITICO:

The Washington think tank industry has launched a thousand blue-ribbon commissions and furrowed-brow panels to brood over the public's loss of trust in government and its leaders. Why are people so cynical?

Last week, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist raised his hand with the answer.

It turns out that one big reason people assume that politicians are slippery opportunists whose words can't be trusted is that many of them are slippery opportunists whose words can't be trusted.

Read the full article at the link below:

Great moments in opportunism - James Hohmann and John F. Harris - POLITICO.com

A.B.I. - Anyone But Incumbents

A terrific letter to the editor originally published in The Mercury by a Berks County resident who offers sound advice: When in doubt, vote the incumbent out.

Sound advice to voters: Select anyone but incumbents

Now is the time to test your resolve! With the upcoming elections, politicians will know if you are serious about change or are one of their zombies.

In today's political arena it is hard to tell the difference between the two parties. Even Arlen Specter can not decide if he is a Democrat or a Republican. To him there appears no difference.

With one party represented by an elephant that never forgets, and the other by a stubborn jackass, neither seems to be able to hear our voices. They are so alike maybe both parties should adopt the same symbol "Garfield" (the fat cat).

It seems that this deafness is found in all levels of elected representatives, from the local school boards to the White House. They all seem to think they were elected to find a new way to tax you. Here is an idea, tax the goods shipped into this country by any company that left and went to China or Mexico.

With the health care bill for example, you can bet that most have no idea what is in the bill that they voted for. How can costs be cut without tort reform or cross state line purchase of health insurance? How does a law stating that the government cannot ask for discounts on prescriptions save money?

This bill was passed with deals and promises much like what Gov. Blagojevich is accused of doing.

With congress having an approval rating of less than 30 percent it should indicate 70 percent or more are looking for a new direction. When you enter the voting booth this year, just keep in mind three simple letters, A.B.I. (anyone but incumbents).

BILL EVENS
New Berlinville

Watchdog group releases 'Worst Governors' list

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a non-profit legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable for their actions, has released a report on the nation's "most incompetent and unethical governors."

CREW's Worst Governors report provides in-depth analyses of "11 elected officials who have pushed their states' best interests aside in favor of their supporters, families, political parties and bank accounts," according to a CREW press release.

CREW also launched a Web site, www.WorstGovernors.org, which offers concise summaries of each governor's offenses and links to their full profiles and exhibits.

I just have one question: Why isn't Ed Rendell's name on the list of the 11 worst governors in the U.S.?

Here is CREW's list of the 11 worst governors in alphabetical order:

-- Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS);
-- Gov. Donald Carcieri (R-RI);
-- Gov. Jim Gibbons (R-NV);
-- Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA);
-- Gov. David Paterson (D-NY);
-- Gov. Sonny Perdue (R-GA);
-- Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX);
-- Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM);
-- Gov. Mike Rounds (R-SD);
-- Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC); and
-- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA)

More from CREW:

CREW's report also includes the Worst Governors Index, a Harper's Index-style compendium of statistics from the report.

Highlights include Gov. Perdue's $2,400 private plane ride to a NASCAR race 30 miles away, Gov. Gibbons' 867 state-billed text messages sent to his "alleged" mistress over six weeks in 2007, and Gov. Perry's minimum 17 former aides-turned-lobbyists.

CREW's executive director, Melanie Sloan, said today, "From Gov. Jindal's hundreds of campaign-contributing state appointees to Gov. Paterson's efforts to pressure a domestic violence victim to stay silent - CREW's Worst Governors report leaves you wondering if these really are the people best equipped to handle the complicated problems faced across the nation."

Sloan continued, "There has been a great deal of focus on the ethics of Congress over the past few years, but CREW's report shows that state governments are not immune to ethics problems. Too often -- whether in Washington, D.C. or in South Dakota -- our country's political leaders are more focused on what's best for the favored few, rather than on improving the lives of Americans."

Click here to visit WorstGovernors.org

Click here to read CREW's full 40-page Worst Governors report in PDF Format

Click here to read CREW's Worst Governors Index in PDF Format

For more information about CREW, visit www.citizensforethics.org

Election 2012: Barack Obama 42%, Ron Paul 41%

Even Ron Paul could take out one-term president Barack Obama, according to a new poll.

From Rasmussen Reports:

Pit maverick Republican Congressman Ron Paul against President Obama in a hypothetical 2012 election match-up, and the race is – virtually dead even.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of likely voters finds Obama with 42% support and Paul with 41% of the vote. Eleven percent (11%) prefer some other candidate, and six percent (6%) are undecided.

Ask the Political Class, though, and it's a blowout. While 58% of Mainstream voters favor Paul, 95% of the Political Class vote for Obama.

But Republican voters also have decidedly mixed feelings about Paul, who has been an outspoken critic of the party establishment.

Read the full poll results at Rasmussen Reports.

Anti-Washington fervor continues

Hey, Arlen Specter, did you see what happened in Texas, where Sen. Kay Hutchison, a longtime Washington insider, was trounced in the GOP primary for governor?

Voters across the nation are rejecting Washington at the polls every chance they get.

From POLITICO:

DRIFTWOOD, Texas – Gov. Rick Perry's 21-point thrashing of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in Tuesday's GOP gubernatorial primary offers the most vivid illustration yet of the potency of an anti-Washington message in an already volatile political environment.

Perry, who will now run for his third full term against former Houston Mayor Bill White, lashed Hutchison as an earmark-and-bailout-loving Beltway creature while railing against a Democratic president he portrayed as a socialist bent on trampling states’ rights.

Read the full story below:

Rick Perry wins big; 2012 run? - Jonathan Martin - POLITICO.com

Money, Money, Money

From POLITICO:

The nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics estimates that candidates, political parties and interest groups will spend more than $3.7 billion on this fall’s midterm elections.

The estimate is based on a center analysis that found spending on federal midterm congressional elections typically increases every four years from 31 percent to 35 percent.

By that model, $3.7 billion is actually a conservative figure – as it is a 30 percent increase in spending from the 2006 congressional elections.

The estimate does not include likely spending by unions, corporations and other interests groups following a recent Supreme Court campaign finance ruling, lifting the ban on independent expenditures from outside groups.

Study: Midterms will cost $3.7 billion - Andy Barr - POLITICO.com

Talking Politics with Tony Phyrillas - No. 4

'Fed up with government? Get 300 signatures and get on ballot for change'

Can you do a better job than your current state legislator or representative in Congress? Well, here's your chance. Starting today, you can circulate nominating petitions to get on the May primary ballot.

From an editorial in today's edition of The Pottstown Mercury:

Fed up with government?

Tired of state lawmakers failing to enact property tax reform or fix the problems ailing Pennsylvania?

Concerned that public servants are corrupted by petty politics?

Have some ideas on how to fix things?

Here's your chance.

Today begins this year's election cycle. This is the first day to begin circulating petitions to get on the primary ballot in the spring on the way to taking office next January.

It just takes some money for a filing fee and some time to collect names on a nominating petition.

Of course there's more to gaining or holding public office, but the point is that the opportunity is available to just about anyone, so there is no real excuse to spend another year as a backseat legislator.

In Pennsylvania, every one of the 203 seats in the state House of Representatives is up for grabs, as are 25 of the 50 state Senate seats.

Voters in Pennsylvania will also be electing a U.S. senator and congressmen in every district in the state.

The signature requirements and filing fees vary, depending on the office being sought. Information on the requirements are available on the Department of State Web site, www.dos.state.pa.us

Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site.

Everyone says nice things after a person dies

The death of powerful Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha brought all sorts of reaction from political figures in Pennsylvania and across the nation. Here's a sampling:

"Jack was a devoted husband, a loving father and a steadfast advocate for the people of Pennsylvania for nearly 40 years. His passion for service was born during his decorated career in the United States Marine Corps, and he went on to earn the distinction of being the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress. Jack's tough-as-nails reputation carried over to Congress, where he became a respected voice on issues of national security. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife of nearly 55 years, Joyce, their three children, and the entire Murtha family." — President Barack Obama.

"He was a public servant in every sense of the word and his passing is a great loss to all of Pennsylvania," said Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa.

"He was a good friend to me and my family for years. He was one of the first people to say to my father (the late Gov. Robert P. Casey) after he'd lost three times that he'd support him the fourth time for governor, and believed in him when a lot of folks didn't." — Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.

"Jack Murtha didn't just worry about his district. He worried about all of Pennsylvania and in some ways he worried about the entire country. He was really the congressman for the entire state of Pennsylvania. Sort of a super, uber-congressman," said Gov. Ed Rendell, D-Pa.

"(Murtha) served his country as a Marine in Vietnam and in Congress for more than three decades. He worked hard for western Pennsylvania and he consistently guarded the interests of our men and women in uniform," — House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

"Today, our nation has lost a decorated veteran and the House of Representatives has lost one of its own. I was saddened to hear of John Murtha's passing, and my thoughts and prayers are with his friends and loved ones," — Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio.

"He's bigger than life in so many ways. ... He's a strong and powerful political titan, yet he's very human and very soft-spoken. He wasn't a table-banger in any sense of the word," — Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney.

"While the congressman and I often differed when it came to politics, he always had my deepest respect. The thoughts and prayers of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania go out to Jack’s family," — Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason.

"Jack served his country in uniform and in Congress for many years, and his service will long be remembered and appreciated by the people of Pennsylvania." — U.S. Senate candidate Pat Toomey

"John Murtha may have represented Western Pennsylvania, but he was the voice of hard-working Democrats across the Commonwealth. Representative Murtha's service to his country and the strength of his convictions made him a powerful force to be reckoned with on Capitol Hill. His career took him from Parris Island to Vietnam, from Harrisburg to Washington, D.C. He was a leader until the end, fighting for American values and middle class ideals. He stood up for veterans and stood firm in his beliefs, not caring as much about political expediency as what he thought to be in the best interest of his constituents and his country. I am deeply saddened by the passing of Congressman Murtha and extend my deepest condolences to his family." — Pa. Sen. Democratic Leader Robert Mellow.

Bill O'Reilly: The Far Left, Down For The Count

The signs of the Apocalypse are everywhere for the far left. A Republican wins Ted Kennedy's Senate seat. Air America goes off the air. Gitmo is still open. Obamacare is on life-support. Democrats are about lose control of both houses of Congress. Mainstream media ratings are in the tank.

From Bill O'Reilly's latest column on the demise of the far left:

Just look at the polls, where 20% of Americans describe themselves as liberal. So you figure the far left is less than half of that. In addition, radical left-wing media outlets life MSNBC and Air America are failing. Yeah, Al Franken won in Minnesota, but that's was an anomaly. Today, he'd lose big.

If President Obama wants to avoid the fate of Jimmy Carter, he must move quickly to the center. He must be a tougher guy on terrorism, rethink the health care deal so Americans can understand it, and stimulate the economy by targeted tax cuts, not massive government spending.

With his power waning quickly, Mr. Obama has no time to lose.

Read the full column at BillOReilly.com

Richard Viguerie: Brown Victory Signals Conservative Comeback

Richard A. Viguerie, chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, believes the results of the special election in Massachusetts will signal "early retirement" and widespread defeat of incumbents in the 2010 Congressional elections.

From Viguerie:

"Americans are furious, angry, and frightened at the political establishment's massive expansion of government in the last 10 years. No big-government incumbent should feel safe in the 2010 primaries. And as Massachusetts voters showed, that applies in the bluest of blue states.

"There is more concern, even anger, at the grassroots level than I have seen in my almost 50 years of marketing to Americans, and Americans are not a naturally angry people.

"Principled conservative political candidates and organizations are receiving stronger financial support than at any time in the last 50 years.

"Effective and principled conservative candidates and organizations are being well-funded this year.

"The Massachusetts Senate vote will also encourage many more principled conservatives to become candidates and challenge incumbents. Massachusetts voters sent a message that will encourage conservatives to challenge Republicans in Name Only (RINO).

"The upcoming primaries will see more big-government incumbents, Republican and Democratic, defeated than at any time in American history.

"Because incumbents can see this coming Armageddon, there will be an historic number of office holders, especially Democrats, in the next months announcing that they are not running for reelection -- in order "to spend more time with their family."

"Americans will gladly be saying to them, "Have fun with the kids."

Voters to Obama: Can You Hear Us Now?

If tone-deaf Barack Obama didn't get the message from Virginia and New Jersey voters in November, he got it tonight in Massachusetts.

Who says there's no such thing as a recall election?

Voters in Massachusetts -- the most Democratic state in the country -- changed their mind about Barack Obama by electing a Republican to the U.S. Senate seat held by the Kennedys for a half-century.

Stick a fork in Obamacare. It's done. Say goodbye to Democratic majorities in the House and Senate.

Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have retreated to secret underground locations. Howard Dean could be heard screaming all the way from Vermont.

Voters took the Democrats to the woodshed Tuesday for a good old-fashioned whooping over uncontrolled spending and a health-care bill most Americans don't want or need.

Massachusetts Miracle

Obama's risky bet on Massachusetts Senate race

If Massachusetts Democrats are counting on a last-minute campaign stop by Barack Obama to seal a win for Martha Coakley, maybe they should ask Jon Corzine and Creigh Deeds how well Obama's visit went over with voters of New Jersey and Virginia, respectively.

Both Corzine and Deeds were defeated last November by underdog Republican candidates despite endorsement and numerous campaign visits by Obama.

A loss by the Democrat in Tuesday's special election for the U.S. Senate seat held by Ted Kennedy since 1963 would send Democratic Party officials jumping out of tall buildings.

President Obama makes risky bet on Massachusetts Senate race - Ben Smith and Josh Kraushaar - POLITICO.com

The Top 10 weirdest moments of 2009

It started with Obama getting sworn in twice as president so you knew something wasn't quite right with 2009.

POLITICO recaps 10 of the weirdest moments of 2009 involving Sarah Palin, Michael Jackson, Mark Sanford and the White House Beer Summit.

The Top 10 weirdest moments of 2009 - Alexander Burns - POLITICO.com