Incumbent Republican Senator Ted Stevens was found guilty today on seven charges for the illegal gifts he received from for home renovations from Veco Corp.
Stevens is allegedly to face up to 5 years in prison. However, it is expected that the Senator will most likely serve very little to no time in prison under federal sentencing guidelines.
Although Stevens is still permitted to campaign against Democratic challenger Mark Begich to preserve his seat, Stevens is facing a very brutal climb in a very short time as election day is just over a week away.
Stevens will still be able to serve on the Senate should he beat Begich on November 4th.
The Democratic Party is jumping at this opportunity to push their filibuster-proof majority in Congress. Look for a hike in campaign funds and ad campaigns over the next few days from Begich aiming to capitalize on his rival's unfortunate circumstances.
Tom Udall (D) took his campaign to Valencia County last Wednesday and made the pursuit of alternative energy the priority of his campaign for the the Senate seat.
And, while most voters across the nation are concentrating on the economic crisis, Udall proposes clean, alternative energy initiatives as an integral component of regaining our national economic stability.
"We need to reinvest in solar and wind energy in New Mexico. If we concentrate on that, we can grow jobs right here."
Among Udall's own proposals to these ends are his work alongside New Mexico State University to develop a biofuel from algae.
Udall's most poignant moment in the stump speech that may carry more weight in his opposition to Republican candidate Steve Pearce is his opposition to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act.
"The bailout took care of Wall Street. But it didn't take care of Main Street...I've applied one simple rule (while serving in New Mexico). Do what's right for New Mexico and do what's right for our country."
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin and Republican challenger Steve Sauerberg met tonight for the first (and only) full-length debate of the Illinois Senate race.
The most heated exchange occurred when Sauerberg criticized Durbin of putting the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan in danger by questioning the torture procedures in Guantanamo.
Durbin responded, ""I don't know where the bottom is anymore in your campaign. Why don't you debate the issues? Common decency still works."
To which Sauerberg said, "It does still work, and you should have shown it in your remarks about our troops."
Yet, despite the political hooks and jabs, the two offered stark contrasts in their positions on the bailout with Durbin calling for "more to minimize future busts in the financial system" (according to the Chicago Tribune) and Sauerberg "calling for tax cuts and minimal government regulation."
Durbin's most effective move was to criticize Sauerberg's health care proposals of being too "risky" by suggesting we get rid of the Medicare and Medicaid systems and seek out a "new approach" similar to the government aid involved in buying a new car.
At a fundraiser in Goldsboro last week, Republican Senator Elizabeth Dole defended herself against Hagan's attacks that she has spent too little time in North Carolina and too much time in Washington.
She emphasized the amount of time and ground she's covered in her campaign: "The campaign's going well. I've been in all of the 100 counties at least twice. And it's good because you have a chance to hear what's on people's minds -- their concerns."
She then went on to proclaim that she is "very proud of being a North Carolinian" and that her "roots are deep, deep in this state."
The specifics of her defense in Goldsboro in particular were her efforts in the process of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process, which added nearly 300 new airmen to the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
Dole closed her statements by aiming forward as she detailed a plan to reform guest worker programs that will work for the N.C. farmers and leaving the issue of 12 to 20 million illegal immigrants as a second priority to nurturing the North Carolina economy.
""We're not going to be able to round up and deport 20 million people," she said. "You have to go part by part, and it will resolve itself."
It is only a matter of time before politics turn dirty and Kay Hagan (D) has recently found herself victim of a smear tactic in the form of a pamphlet released by the North Carolina Republican State Executive Committee.
The ad carries pictures of Kay Hagan in the company of Godless Americans PAC with a story that reads:
""Liberal Kay Hagan flew to Boston to pocket campaign cash from leaders of the Godless Americans PAC. What is Godless Americans PAC? Godless Americans Political Action Committee is a left-wing organization based in Washington, D.C., dedicated to 'Mobilizing America's nonbelievers for political activism.' They actively support political candidates who are Atheists and who also support their liberal agenda to remove 'under God' from the Pledge of Allegiance and force the Boy Scouts to accept atheists and homosexuals as troop leaders. Their goal is to remove any reference to God in the public arena, including eliminating the Christmas holiday.
"Kay Hagan & the Godless Americans PAC. Liberal Kay Hagan flew to Boston to pocket campaign cash from leaders of the Godless Americans PAC, Wendy Kaminer and Woody Kaplan. They held a private fundraiser for Kay Hagan at their home in Boston, Massachusetts on September 15th. In North Carolina, Kay Hagan says she shares our values. But, behind our backs she's the guest of honor at a fundraiser hosted by the most vile, radical liberals in America."
"We can't trust Kay Hagan to defend our North Carolina values."
The truth behind the story is that Hagan did in fact attend a fundraiser held by Wendy Kaminer and Woody Kaplan but she does not necessarily support the mission of Godless Americans PAC as the article suggests.
She is an elder at a Presbyterian church; annually celebrates Christmas with her family "at a home for severely handicapped people" (newsobserver.com); and her son is an Eagle Scout.
The prosecution rests today in the case against Republican Sen. Ted Stevens' financial dealings with Veco Corp. after three weeks of testimonies from the Veco workers associated with the Senator, the most integral of which was former chief Bill Allen.
Allen's testimony stated that the controversial renovations to Stevens' cabin were made "to make room for visiting grandchildren" (according to the report in the Washington Post.)
He mentioned that the Senator would occasionally request invoices for the project but that he "ignored the requests because he liked him too much and the senator never ended up paying VECO."
The defense is set to present their case after the request to acquit Stevens before the case goes before a jury is heard by U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan. The defense has scheduled Sen. Daniel Inouye (D) and former Secretary of State Colin Powell as witnesses.
Democrat Jeff Merkley received the support of Basic Rights Oregon, a gay rights advocacy group.
The endorsement makes sure to not overlook Republican Sen. Gordon Smith's efforts on behalf of gay rights but noted that the hate-crimes bill resultant from the hate crimes and murder committed against Matthew Shepard (which Smith supported) failed to pass.
The final straw, however, came with Smith's support for Measure 36, which held the ban against same-sex marriage and sent a mixed message to the gay and lesbian voters in the state of Oregon.
According to BRO director Jeana Frazzini, "There is only one thing that fair-minded Oregonians can count on from Gordon Smith, and that is that every six years, he will roll out a hate crimes advertisement in the Portland media
market in an effort to look like a moderate. But most national and local gay organizations know the truth about Gordon Smith, and that's why they decline to endorse him.''
In contrast to Smith, Merkley has effectively passed both an anti-discriminatory bill and an approval of domestic unions in the state.
Republican Senator Gordon Smith has included a piece written by a Democratic voter in The Hillsboro Argus highlighting his support and legislative efforts on behalf of the homeless and senior citizens.
The article cites Gordon's establishment of the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Foundation after the tragic death of son, which contributes funds to Safe Haven, a homeless youth shelter in Hillsboro.
Additionally, the article mentions Smith's cooperation with fellow legislator Ron Wyden in pushing major proposals for Medicare. For example, Smith (a member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging) and Wyden both objected to the proposed cuts to Medicare and have argued against the unfair sales practices of Medicare Advantage plans.
Two of the more recent poll results are showing Shaheen's lead over Republican Sen. John Sununu holding fast if not increasing.
A poll conducted for the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St. Anselm College by Abt SRBI in New York City has Shaheen leading 49 percent to Sununu's 35 percent.
The latest Rasmussen results have her up 50 percent to 45 percent.
The stability and/or increase of support behind Shaheen illustrates the mounting problems Republicans are having gaining voter support subsequent to the market fallouts of the past few weeks.
At a business forum held this week, Republican Senator John Sununu and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen took issue with each other's positions on the $700 billion bailout of the financial markets.
The criticism of both candidates was the lack of leadership exhibited by the other. Jeanne Shaheen pointed out that Sununu spent the days leading up to, the day before, and the morning of the final Senate vote on the bailout campaigning in New Hampshire.
She said, "If I had been in the United States Senate, I would've stayed in Washington and I would've worked on that bill and done everything I could to get it right."
Sununu's critique of Shaheen aimed at her inability to decide for or against the bailout. He defended his own decision against her argument by offering an explanation for his support of the bailout:
"Those provisions were added through hard work and leadership in a bipartisan way. Is it a perfect bill? No. But it is necessary. And to simply say, 'I wish Congress had kept working on it to get it right, but then not really have any suggestions for how to improve it other than vaguely referring to taxpayer protection, that isn't leadership."
Sununu went on to detail his continued support for the partial privatization of Social Security despite the economic crisis:
"I think allowing workers the option of taking some of their Social Security taxes into an IRA or 401k plan - with oversight, with regulation - in the long-term is better for them because they know they control those resources, they know they'll be there for them when they retire."
In his latest press release, Democratic Senate candidate Rick Noriega allows Cornyn's own record in relation to President George W. Bush to point out the Republican Senator's inconsistency and hopefully sway undecided voters who may be frustrated by Cornyn's obvious political pandering.
The release includes a Cornyn quote from his 2002 Senate campaign:
"Texans want a senator who is willing and proud to work with our great president, George W. Bush."
This quote is then set alongside a more recent Cornyn quote to the Editorial Board of the Dallas Morning News:
"I have a lot of friends in the Bush administration. The problem is they've been pretty tone deaf trying to explain what they're doing. ... A lot of people have tuned them out."
Personally, I think the quotes carry little effect in accomplishing what Noriega seems to be wanting them to, but when coupled with Cornyn's voting record they make a clear point of the Republican's faults.
An Associated Press article on MSNBC's website today reports that Barack Obama has already spent $3.3 million in television advertisements with a projected total of $90 million in campaign advertising to be spent by November 4th.
The dollar amounts are also buttressed by Obama's 11 percent point lead over McCain in the Gallup polls ("the largest advantage since the organization began testing voter opinions in their matchup early in the summer" the report claims.)
Yet, I think the most persuasive argument in support of Obama's advantage is the fact that his ad campaign has been predominantly positive as only a mere "34 percent of his ads attacked McCain directly."
The McCain/Palin campaign, on the other hand, seems to be scraping for negative attacks against Obama and nearly all of McCain's television spots have focused on Obama. The GOP's resort to personal attacks on Obama's personal life, his past affiliations (see the Bill Ayers issue), and campaign finances wreak of desperation and (I think) will ultimately prove detrimental to the McCain/Palin ticket as the more they try to pin the tail on Obama the less they are able to effectively address the economic crisis, which is going to be the deciding issue for American voters in this election.
Obviously, the economic crisis is playing into the hands of Democratic candidates across the nation as Republicans seem to be incapable of separating themselves from the disastrous fiscal idiocy of the last eight years and McCain is no exception.
Whether or not the situation we're currently in actually is the Bush administration's fault or not is not the issue, in the collective voting conscience across America it is. Perhaps it'd be more beneficial to McCain and Palin to redirect their attack-dog-tactics towards the Bush Administration rather than Obama. The problem lies in the obvious risk in such a move, Palin's utter incapability of making such a turn, and the bottomless ocean of fresh material it'd give Democrats to use against the Republican ticket.
The math for Obama, from this perspective, is much, much better than even the polls or dollar numbers can show.
Sen. John Cornyn (R) announced last Friday that his campaign had raised up to $1.9 million in the third quarter of 2008 and has a total of $7.2 million ready in the account to carry his campaign through the last month of the race.
Cornyn's campaign manager, Rob Jesmer, described the deeper meaning that lies behind the financial contributions:
"Fundraising is about more than dollars and cents and the ability to run television ads. It is also a measure of enthusiasm and support for a candidate. Sen. Cornyn considers himself very fortunate to have a lot of both, especially from Texans."
Both Cornyn and his Democratic challenger, Rick Noriega, reported substantial financial gains in this last quarter, yet the Republican holds a much heavier purse at this point over Noriega's campaign account just over $2 million.
Despite the near disappearance of his lead in the polls and despite the obstacles that the economic crisis has posed to his and any other incumbent Senator in the nation, Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell is aggressively responding to his rival's, Democrat Bruce Lunsford, attempts to play the market meltdown to his favor.
In retaliation to the Democrat's negative ads claiming McConnell received campaign contributions from big corporations and Wall Street firms and criticizing his vote in support of the bailout, Mitch McConnell defended his vote arguing that the bailout "isn't about a bailout of Wall Street, it's a buy-in, so can turn our economy around."
He then turned the issue on Lunsford via his campaign manager, Justin Brasell, "It is the height of arrogance for someone who has made a fortune playing the Wall Street game to now say that he does not like the system. Worse yet is that Bruce can’t even offer an opinion about how we should work to help Kentucky’s families navigate these difficult times.”
Lunsford has yet to say how he would have voted with regards to the bailout.
Let me not get ahead of myself here and forget to mention the much-needed shock treatment that the Sarah Palin Vice President nomination alongside John McCain has given to the recently slumping campaign of Republican Ted Stevens.
The same Rasmussen poll above shows Palin with a 62 percent approval rating (not great but not bad) and an steady decrease the farther removed the race becomes from her speech at the RNC.
However, the boost she gave to the Republican base offers a little (time will tell just how much) momentum to the Stevens race and can hopefully provide enough fuel to carry the small lead in the polls all the way to November.
(At the least, maybe it diverted some attention away from his trial proceedings in D.C.)
The latest Rasmussen Report shows the Alaska Senate race neck-to-neck as Democrat Mark Begich has pulled within one point behind incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Stevens.
The polls show the race at 49 percent to 48 percent in favor of Stevens who (as you know) is facing seriously challenges to his campaign as he undergoes investigations in court in Washington, D.C.
The most inspiring fact, however, for Begich's people is the Rasmussen's results claiming "Begich currently leads his opponent 56% to 39% among unaffiliated voters in Alaska. The race is identical between men and women, with 49% going for Stevens and 48% who favor Begich."
The importance of the "unaffiliated vote" or the "independent vote" or the "undeclared vote" cannot and should not be underestimated in this year's election and with the economic crisis working in favor of Democratic candidates as of late, the math for Begich is looking very good for the month of October.
Allen added another feather to his campaign hat this week as the Planned Parenthood of Northern New England stated their endorsement of the Democratic senate hopeful outside the federal courthouse in Portland, Maine this morning.
The endorsement deserves to be recognized as the organization has previously backed Sen. Collins (who runs a pro-choice platform) in her previous races.
The turning point came with Collins' approval of Samuel Alito's appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Allen reiterated the contradiction in the Republican Senator's stance by adding, ""His record [on women's issues]...was predictable." He then stood alongside the director of public affairs, Chris Quint, personally to accept the organization's support.
Democratic challenger to the Senate seat of incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, Tom Allen, is gaining momentum heading into the last month before the election as the 25 percent point deficit from August has been ratcheted down to just an 8 percent points.
Monday's polls showed Collins at 49 percent ( the first time in a while that she has dipped below 50 percent) and Allen at 41 percent.
Allen said in response to the numbers, "She's under 50 percent. In August, we were 25 points down. Do the math. We're moving very, very fast. We are speaking much more clearly and forcefully to the needs people have in Maine, the fears they have, the hopes they have right now, than she is...That's why we're moving so fast."
The main issue, of course, is the economic crisis and both the candidates voted in support of the bailout plan. Allen added that at the top of his priorities, if elected, is health care (and his plan is relatively identical to the "keep it if you like it/we'll guarantee you coverage if you can't afford it" proposals of Barack Obama.)
Against criticism that he lacks the experience that Collins has, Allen responded, "I will be a senator in the majority. The majority is more important than seniority. We're going to have a Democratic majority for some time to come."
U.S> Senator Susan Collins (R) and her Democratic rival Tom Allen faced off on Tuesday in a debate that saw the $700 billion bailout that took effect Monday gain traction as the most urgent topic of discussion.
Collins aimed her blame for the market fallout on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. She claimed that both the Bush and the Clinton administrations had warned Congress about the lending practices of the mortgage giants and then she turned her harshest critique at the current Democratic majority on Capital Hill.
"The Democrats in Congress said no. I think that is the root of this problem" she said.
Yet she quickly went on to note that there are many guilty parties in the situation, saying, "The list goes on and on but at the heart, it is Freddie and Fannie."
Allen disagreed. "The heart of the problem was the subprime mortgage business itself. The White House didn't want more regulation. They wanted less regulation. They were hoping that Fannie and Freddie would ultimately be privatized. Just think of where that would have taken us."
Yet despite the nuanced divergence between the Republican incumbent and Democratic hopeful, the debate between Susan Collins and Tom Allen held before an audience of 200 people at Jeff's Catering showed the opponents agreeing on many issues such as health care, an east-west highway in Maine, more federal funding for disease research and the cost of housing, as well as a devotion to push comprehensive energy legislation if elected.
In Collins' favor, however, is her reputation for butting against her own party while Allen has a fairly straight forward Democratic voting record.
Bob Lord continues to make his aggressive attack against the record of Republican John Shadegg. This time his offensive comes in the form of a television spot claiming that Shadegg pocketed significant pay raises while his legislative efforts stood against offering bonuses to American troops.
Lord states in the ad, ""We have a moral obligation. This business of voting against our troops is a betrayal."
Shadegg's campaign responded by pointing out the ad as invalid; that the Republican's support for reconstruction funds in the troops' efforts were beneficial to the soldiers as well as the Iraqi people; and that Lord's inappropriate exploitation of our troops to boost his platform was low-blow politics.
In his defense, Lord called on the veteran testimony of Cole Hickman (who served in Iraq) and Harry Beans (who served in Vietnam) who claimed that Shadegg had not offered any legislative support to war veterans.
Scott Kleeb has seen a notable upswing in the polling numbers as his deficit to Mike Johanns turn from 25 percent points to 14 percent points. The Rasmussen Report has the Nebraska Senate race at 52 percent to 38 percent Johanns lead heading into the last 3 weeks before the election.
A key factor in the polls that demands to be noted also is the lead that Kleeb has among independent voters at 43 percent to Johanns' 35 percent.
"We've made tremendous gains with independents. “What happened this week not only in terms of the financial crisis, but in issue after issue, demonstrates what I’ve been suggesting...We can do better than this," he said.
At a forum held at the Mary Riepma-Ross Media Arts Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Republican senate candidate Mike Johanns further explained his stance and record on ethanol production.
As former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Johanns noted that ethanol had been "very profitable in a 24-month period" but that the situation has changed.
He referenced the possible stagnation of ethanol demand on the national level and expressed caution in placing unwarranted expectations on ethanol as a legitimate alternative resources simply based on the fact that it is a new option.
Yet, Johanns' objective angle was balanced with an agreement with both Democratic candidate Scott Kleeb and Green Party candidate Steve Larrick that ethanol should be the first recourse in our efforts to research and develop alternative energy and create an energy-independent nation.
He promised to push for measures that will promote ethanol-fueled automobiles and implementing its production into a long-term energy policy.
"We are an oil-dependent country. This is just a part of the puzzle, a piece of the puzzle, to lessen our dependence on foreign oil."
Democrat Scott Kleeb is currently attempting to make an issue out of Mike Johanns (R) part as Nebraska governor in a legislative effort to close the state psychiatric hospitals.
Kleeb claims that the Republican "eliminated funding for those needing mental health care and didn't make sure the displaced patients had someplace to go" according to an article in the Associated Press.
Johanns, himself, vehemently denies the allegations, saying such a move would be "cruel beyond cruel."
The claim is based on a reform measure passed in 2004 and supported by Johanns that aimed to replace the mental hospitals with community-based services.
While Johanns boasts that the reform helped to free up funds to cover more patients and offer more medical services, Kleeb notes that some of the patients in those hospitals are now in prison and the state has been sued "because of human rights violations."
Republican candidate for the New Jersey U.S. Senate seat, Dick Zimmer, took his attack against Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg to the train station named after the Senator and criticized Lautenberg for wasteful, indulgent spending of federal and state funds on such projects.
Zimmer claimed that the Senator had essentially wasted up to $1.4 billion on the station that should have been invested in the New Jersey infrastructure and "legitimate mass transit expenditures."
Zimmer continued to deride the project that, he argued, "takes the cake because here we're only getting 61 cents back from our tax dollar and this is the way he spends our 61 cents - on a vanity project that is a huge empty building constructed at great cost when we have crying needs in this state and New Jerseyans are having trouble making ends meet."
