Category: FEATURED

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ARTICLES FEATURED

2014 Senate Map Shifts in GOP’s Favor

Larry Sabato Senate Map

 

2014 Senate Map Shifts in GOP’s Favor

Next year’s Senate landscape has long been regarded as treacherous terrain for Democrats.  In 2008, Barack Obama’s blue wave swept many Democrats into office, including more than a few from red and purple states.  That year’s Senate class will soon be up for re-election in a non-presidential year — which means a smaller, more informed, more Republican electorate, and no help at the top of the ticket.  As Dan reported over the weekend, Democrats’ top recruit to run for Max Baucus’ soon-to-be-vacant seat (former Gov. Brian Schweitzer) has begged off.  Instead, the party will likely nominate either a failed 2010 Congressional candidate, or the president of an organization devoted to abortion.  This development has many political handicappers sliding the Montana race into the “leans GOP” column, alongside two other contests for open seats in red states.  Republicans are favored to win in West Virginia, where Sen. Jay Rockefeller is retiring, as well as South Dakota, where Tim Johnson is stepping down.

If they carry the day in those three races, Republicans would be halfway home to securing a Senate majority.

(Editor’s Note: this map was prepared before Montana’s Dem. Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s decision against running for Senate from that state.)

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Taken from: www.townhall.com | Jul 15, 2013 | Guy Benson

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ARTICLES FEATURED

There Already are TWO STATES: Israel AND Gaza

john-kerry-benjamin-netanyahu-shaking-hands

There Already are TWO STATES:  Israel AND Gaza

Secretary of State Kerry is, once again, attempting to gin up yet another Middle East peace process to replace the one the Palestinian Authority (PA) violated by declaring their “statehood” at the U.N. A few months ago, before a U.S. House committee, he sadly intoned, “I believe the window for a two-state solution is shutting. I think we have some period of time – a year to year-and-a-half to two years, or it’s over.” More recently, Kerry was invited by fellow travelers in Israel to a meeting in Jerusalem with a Knesset caucus favoring a “two-state solution.”

There is one major problem with this diplomatic speak, though – how can there be a “two-state solution” when there already is a second state in the Israel/Palestine area? It is called Gaza, and it is ruled by the Islamist terror group Hamas….

The Palestinians now have their “second state.” So, Secretary Kerry et al., let’s stop talking about a “two-state solution” to the Palestinian Arab-Israeli conflict. What we really should be discussing is whether the Palestinians really deserve yet another (third) state. In other words, is there a “three-state solution” to the Arab-Israeli hostilities?

The answer to that question is, by the way, a clear no.

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by Adam Turner, June 17, 2013, from EMET (www.emetonline.org)

Adam Turner serves as staff counsel to the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET). He is a former counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee where he focused on national security law.

 

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FEATURED

Hagel Through Committee on Party Line Vote

Hagel Through Committee on Party Line Vote

The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) voted along party lines Tuesday to send the nomination of Chuck Hagel to be the next secretary of defense secretary to the floor of the Senate, paving the way for a potential showdown over the embattled nominee.

The contentious 14 to 11 party line vote in SASC immediately spurred accusations that Senate Democrats had forced the vote despite growing Republican concern over Hagel’s lack of financial transparency. Sen. David Vitter (R., La.) was not present during the vote.

Republican critics allege that Democrats flouted normal procedure by refusing to permit senators enough time to fully vet Hagel, who has come under scrutiny for failing to disclose financial entanglements he may have had with foreign governments, including Turkey, Iran, and Kazakhstan, among others.

“I’m really concerned about process,” Vitter said during remarks before the committee prior to the vote. “This committee vote and this nomination is being rushed. We’re being asked to vote and required to vote before all reasonable request for information has been received.”

Vitter said that he has outstanding concerns about Hagel’s financial records and copies of speeches he has made over the last five years.

Other GOP lawmakers reiterated their concerns about Hagel during their remarks.

“His performance before this committee was the worst of any nominee I’ve seen for office,” said Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) “I cannot vote to report out Sen. Hagel’s nomination favorably.”

McCain criticized Hagel’s “unfocused” performance before the committee last month.

Sen. Lindsay Graham (R., S.C.) said that Hagel is too far outside of the mainstream to be assume such a sensitive government posting.

“At the end of the day it’s … a series of votes and statements that paint an unusually disturbing picture,” Graham said. “He’s in a league of his own guys. There’s nobody with this series of votes and this series of statements.”

“There’s an edge about him that makes some of us very unnerved,” Graham said. “There are very few people who have been this wrong about so many different things.”

Sources close to the committee condemned the way SASC Chairman Carl Levin (D., Mich.) handled the nomination.

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ELECTIONS FEATURED

Congressional Primaries in FL and WI.

Notable results and highlights from yesterday’s Congressional Primaries.

Florida:

—   As expected, Rep. Connie Mack won the GOP Senate Primary handily, but former 7-term Space Coast Congressman Dave Weldon made an impressive showing considering that he entered the race only two months ago.

—     In the Orlando area, 10-term Member John Mica defeated popular Freshman Sandy Adams in one of the country’s most watched incumbent-vs.-incumbent races resulting from the re-apportionment of districts. Using his substantial campaign war chest (raised in large part as a result of his being the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee), Congressman Mica was masterful in re-positioning his image from the “entrenched insider” and “big spender” to that of a fiscal conservative, thereby neutralizing Rep. Adams strong suit. Surprisingly, none of the SuperPACs that had made their mark in this type of race against long-serving incumbents entered the race, which essentially sealed Rep. Adams’ political fate.

See http://atr.rollcall.com/florida-john-mica-beats-sandy-adams/

—     In an absolute shocker to all those who know him, the well-liked and conservative-credentialed 12-term Congressman Cliff Stearns – Ocala area –  was narrowly defeated (with a 1.2% margin) by political novice and Tea Party-backed veterinarian Ted Yoho. Stearns was well-funded and endorsed by fellow House members including VP nominee Paul Ryan, Rep. Michelle Bachmann, and Rep. Allen West. Among several lessons learned in this race, having a huge campaign war chest does not assure victory.

See story at http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2012-08-14/story/shocker-us-house-3-ted-yoho-upsets-12-term-incumbent-cliff-stearns

—  In the SW Miami-Florida Keys area (new District 26), “J-Street Joe” Garcia won a four-way Democratic primary and will once again face off against our good friend, Rep. David Rivera. The latter defeated Garcia by 9 points in 2010, while Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (now representing a different district) beat Garcia by six points in the challenging 2008 elections. We coined Garcia’s nickname because he was the ONLY Florida Congressional candidate who was endorsed by the nefarious, anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian JStreet Organization and PAC in 2010. Sources report that the Democratic Party is not overly enthused about this race, and will not plow any resources into unseating Congressman Rivera.

See http://atr.rollcall.com/florida-david-rivera-to-face-joe-garcia-again/

—    Also as expected, Karen Harrington decisively won a heated Primary, and will return to take on DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz in District 23. In 2010, Ms. Harrington – a local business owner – garnered an impressive 39% of the vote against the powerful and well-funded Wasserman Schultz.

Wisconsin

In Wisconsin’s highly-publicized and closely-watched GOP Senate Primary, former Governor Tommy Thompson narrowly defeated two tea-party-backed opponents with 34% of the vote. Conservative businessman Eric Hovde and former Congressman Mark Neumann. Hovde received 31 and 23 percent, respectively. A fourth opponent, state Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, came in fourth with 12 percent. Hovde contributed $4.85 million of his own money to his campaign, according to the Federal Election Commission. Neumann had the support of the conservative Club for Growth and tea party kingmaker Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.). The establishment favorite in the race, Thompson is widely considered the GOP’s best chance to beat uber-Progressive JStreet-backed Democratic Rep. Tammy Baldwin in November’s general election for the seat being vacated by Sen. Herb Kohl (D). Thompson served as governor of the Badger State from 1987 to 2001 and then as secretary of Health and Human Services under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. (See http://atr.rollcall.com/wisconsin-tommy-thompson-wins-gop-senate-primary/)

Please note that some of the results may not yet be official.

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ELECTIONS FEATURED

A stunner in Texas Senate Race.

A stunner in Texas Senate Race – Conservative “Darling” Ted Cruz wins!

We have done it with other, special primary candidates. Now we did it with Ted Cruz.

The “we” is American Principles PAC.

The “it” means supporting what appear to be long shot candidates long before they take the lead.

We first met Ted at a Miami Beach event in March 2011. We were with him again in Miami in Dec. 2011. Then in March 2012, he joined a group of 50+ at a Shabbat Dinner during CPAC. He stayed the entire time, with no $ involved.

Ted barely survived the primary two months ago. Had his opponent, wealthy self-funding Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, gotten a few more percentage points, Ted would have been DONE and OUT!!!

As was (now Sen.) Marco Rubio’s meteoric ascent in the polls during his 2010 campaign, so was this a remarkable victory.

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