Tuesday’s political round-up

November 28, 2006

Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:

* In one of the handful of undecided House races, Rep. Deborah Pryce (R) was named the winner in Ohio’s 15th congressional district yesterday after provisional ballots were included in the overall total. However, Pryce ended up with a 1,054-vote lead over Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy, which was small enough to spark an automatic recount. The final results should be available by Dec. 8.

* The conventional wisdom in Virginia is that Sen. John Warner (R) is, at a minimum, considering retirement at the end of his fifth term in 2008, but the senator is apparently edging closer to seeking re-election. At last night’s Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce annual dinner said his “experience working with the CIA and the armed services” might be needed in the coming years. “I’m going to think about what my future holds and about whether to try and run again,” Warner said.

* Speaking of possible retirements, rumor has it that Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) is also mulling retirement in 2008. Adding to the speculation is that Allard, who would be considered a top Dem target, has only raised $119,000 in his campaign coffers, whereas incumbents often have at least 10 times that amount two years before an election. Moreover, Allard pledged to serve only two terms, and hasn’t said if he’ll stick to the pledge or not. Whether Allard runs or not, Rep. Mark Udall (D) has said he plans to run and will make a formal announcement sometime next year. Udall has $1.2 million in the bank.

* Outgoing Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.), who was defeated this year after a series of scandals and alleged ethics violations, is reportedly already plotting his comeback. Pombo, who represented California’s generally-Republican 11th district, apparently believes Rep.-elect Jerry McNerney (D) will be vulnerable in 2008.

* Al Gore hasn’t entirely ruled out another presidential campaign, and if he does run, it looks like he can count at least on one high-profile supporter: former President Jimmy Carter. In an interview with Charlie Rose, Carter said, “I think Al Gore is the best qualified to be president. And I agree with him on the environment and his critique of the Iraqi war. I don’t agree with him on everything. He would be my preference, yes. I think he would do well in the South. And I think a lot of Democrats know he was elected in 2000 and should have been president. I wouldn’t say it would be a sympathy vote, but his credentials are good.”

[Warner (R-VA)] said his “experience working with the CIA and the armed services” might be needed in the coming years.”

What he means is he’s the only one keeping Byrd from moving the CIA into West Virginia and keeping the Navy and other military facilities in Virginia.

Of course, why he should care if he leaves…

  • Allard retiring for the Republicans next cycle could turn out like Mark Dayton retiring for the Dems this time–a very vulnerable incumbent replaced by a stronger successor candidate. I hope he stays, runs, and gets his punk ass kicked. I was astonished that we couldn’t take him out in 2002.

  • Carter is right. Gore is the best qualified to be president, far above and beyond any of the other hopefuls. I think the voters would see him as Clinton 2 (in a good way). The global warming issue is Gore’s more than anyone else’s, and that issue is not going away anytime soon. It should be, in fact, the highest priority we have, after election reform (which if left unaddressed could ruin everything else).

    Carter was on NPR yesterday, saying the kinds of things that will get a politician killed politically in “the land of the free”. He said Israel has violated most of the agreements they signed in the Camp David accord, and that a minority in Israel (the settlers) were basically hijacking the whole country (sound familiar?). Their continuing incursion into Palestine is of course the biggest root of the problem in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. I’m sure The Lobby is not pleased.

    Carter has a new book out “Palestine Peace Not Apartheid”, which sounds like a good one:

    http://www.amazon.com/Palestine-Peace-Apartheid-Jimmy-Carter/dp/0743285026

  • As the most circumspect of all the former Presidents, when Jimmy Carter opens his mouth, he’s got plenty to say and I’m all for it. President Carter should be high on the list of Democratic elder statesmen, higher than Bill Clinton, in my opinion.

    Why is that Carter as the actual first born-again Christian to hold the office of US President never had any trouble separating his religion from the duties of his office whereas the present dumbass squatting in the Oval Office claims he’s been “chosen by God” and distributes my tax dollars to tax-exempt creeps like Dobson?

  • #2 – Steve M.

    Another thought, why not ignore the South in the short term? Yes, continue the 50-state strategy but put more resources in the Midwest and Southwest. Someone from the Midwest may not win the South, but may win anyway.

    # – RacerX

    Good point on Isr%$#. (

  • See? Even the Carpetbagger censored my remark on Israel …!

    Another good book: Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South (Hardcover)

  • “Best qualified”? Like that means anything?

    It’s all about who campaigns well, has a good effective message and delivers it in a likeable, optimistic way.

    It’s about talent, not “qualifications.” (I wish it were otherwise).

    Al Gore does not have much of this talent, unless you believe that all Americans like intellectuals making rational policy arguments in Presidential campaigns.

  • Al Gore might be the man “Most Qualified to be President” to ever walk the earth, but that doesn’t mean he’d win. In a vacuum, I’d certainly want us to put forth the most qualified candidate—electibility be damned—but I don’t want President McCain (or any other repub).

  • Don’t forget Al Gore won in 2000. I’d love to see him try again if they fix the voting machine problem. If the machines are not fixed to include a verifiable paper trail, no one wins.

  • If Al Gore wakes up tomorrow and decides he wants to run for President I think the best thing the Democratic party could possibily do is say “Go for it Al”. Then lock Donna Brazil up somewhere far far away (James Carville too).

    Not only would I far rather have Al as President than any Republican’t currently running or thought to be running including (especially) McCain, I think he would crush any Republican’t currently running or thought to be running.

  • Pombo, who would be the perfect example of the stereotype of the California Central Valley Okie moron, were he not Portuguese, should seriously look at how McNerney defeated him. There are only going to be more McNerney voters moving into the district in the next two years (whether McNerney had been elected or not). But then, watching an ignorant jumped-up piece of trailer trash with pretensions of membership in the human race go around thinking of himself as the legend in his own mind he is, has a certain entertainment value, so let the game begin. The guy’s a walking, talking Toby Keith song.

  • I think he would do well in the South. — Jimmy Carter

    Jimmy, I think you’re being a tad naive.
    (Not that HRC or Obama or Kerry would do much better.)
    — Steve M., @2

    I don’t know… Yes, he did loose in his home state of Tenn in ’00, but a lot of things have changed since (if not, necessarily, in Tennessee itself )…

    There’s quite a bit of backlash against “idiots at helm”, b/c of the Chimprule (vide the election of Jim Webb in VA — his campaign was actually *helped* by Allen’s attack on him as a writer).

    The South is changing. And it’ll turn blue faster, if it’s given a leg up on the economic ladder (almost enough for me to excuse Byrd, for all I *abhore* the congressional pork).

    Gore himself has changed; he seems to have ditched his “handlers” and allowed himself to be more “natural”; he’s a much more appealing version of the man than he used to be. The danger of global warming — his main “cause” — is now questioned only by the fringe and, in another 2 yrs, may not be questioned at all. If he adds some other “hot buttons” to his platform, he shoud be hot-to-trot. And I have no doubt he’d be able to do that — he’s extremely intelligent, even if he seems low key.

    I also think he’d be excellent outside the South. For those who think that US can (and should) do without the South, that would be a plus, with whatever he gains from the South being a cherry on top. And, as several people have pointed out, he *did* win the popular vote in ’00, even before all those changes. And despite having LIEberman as the running mate — a mistake I’d hope he would not repeat.

    I think Gore’s biggest problem would be the Clintons. In ’00, he could have counted, automatically, on Big Dog’s support but was ill-advised (IMO) to shun it. It can’t have made for a cordial relationship. And, in’08, Hillary is gonna run. Whatever the relationship between them is now, Bill “owes her” for the public humiliation of the Lewinsky affair, so he’d support her even if he and Gore were still best buddies. And I think Bill’s support is likely to count more with the public that Jimmy’s support (too bad… I agree with Timpanist, @5, that Carter was a “rare creature” and got an undeserved short shrift from the public)

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