But Pelosi had little trouble repelling the challenge from Shuler, one of the relatively-conservative Blue Dog Democrats who saw their numbers decimated in the midterms. The vote was 150 for Pelosi to 43 for Shuler.She led the party out of the wilderness but under her leadership, she led them right back in. Heaven forbid any of these clueless Dems stop to ponder the possibility that passing massive pieces of unpopular legislation was really the problem.
In a sign of Pelosi's strength, Democrats voted 129-68 to proceed to a vote today over objections from those who sought a delay in order to have more time to mount a viable challenge to Pelosi.
In making his case to the Democratic caucus today, Shuler said the Democratic Party needs to be a "big tent" party. He argued that it can't take back the majority without a change in direction, according to a Democratic aide who was in the room. Utah's Jim Matheson, a Blue Dog who argues "it's time to shake things up" in the wake of the midterm losses, nominated Shuler.
Pelosi has argued that she should remain in the leadership in part because she knows how to lead Democrats out of the political wilderness, having done so four years ago. She also argues that she is the most effective fundraiser for members of the caucus. She blames the party's losses on the country's lingering economic troubles and high unemployment rate, not her leadership.
But one of the staffers was described as a "counselor" to help with the emotional aspect of the loss — and a section in the packet each staffer was given dealt with the stages of grief (for instance, Stage One being anger, and so on).Pelosi didn't bother with the grief counselors since her continued presence (Oh happy day) is sure to guarantee their dearly-departed colleagues will be back in just two years. So, Ding Dong, why not have a party to honor all those amazing accomplishments of the 111th Congress? Maybe I should have titled this one from the "you can't make this stuff up" files.
"It was like it was about death," the staffer said. "It was bizarre." The staffer did say the portions about the benefits and résumé writing were instructive.
The teams weren't sent by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office. Two people have suggested it may have been the Clerk's Office or Human Resources.
Our model now estimates that the Republicans have a 72 percent chance of taking over the House, up from 67 percent last week. Moreover, they have nearly even odds of a achieving a net gain of 50 seats; their average gain in a typical simulation run was between 47 and 48 seats. However, the playing field remains very broad and considerably larger are possible, as are considerably smaller ones.The playing field is broad indeed. Silver is tracking 80 House seats deemed "in-play" while Cook Political is tracking 127 and Real Clear Politics tracks 137. Still there is evidence that districts no one is tracking are in-play as well:
Add Rep. Raul Grijalva to the growing list of Democratic worries this election season.At this point it is safe to say there is no safe Democratic seat this election. This is not to say I believe we will win every election but Democrats, despite their noted campaign warchests, are finding they must stretch those dollars to defend an increasingly expanded battlefield. They are putting out fires they never imagined. There will be some surprises November 2nd, that's really the only safe bet you can make this election.
Party operatives say there's increasing concern that the Arizona Democrat's reelection bid could turn into a "sleeper" race for Republicans after Grijalva — responding to enactment of a tough new immigration law — called for an economic boycott of his own state amid a housing crisis and record unemployment.
Four Democratic sources from different parts of the country said that there is new attention to a race that was long considered in the bag.
And a recent poll, obtained by POLITICO, found that Grijalva and Republican challenger Ruth McClung, a real-life rocket scientist, were in a dead heat, even though Washington prognosticators have declared the deep-blue seat safely Democratic.
Ms. Pelosi shook her head. “Let’s talk about ‘Make It in America,’ ” she said, the party’s theme of the week.Good luck with that "Make it in America" strategy. Too bad she didn't focus on that instead of that lunatic health care law. No word on when she is getting around to drain that swamp either.
Or let’s not. A 10-minute news conference was dominated by questions like, “Are you still as rosy in your assessment that you’re going to hold on to the House and that you’re still going to be speaker?”
“I feel that we will be in the majority and that I will be speaker of the House,” she replied. “But it’s not about me, it’s about the middle class.”
Next question: “Do you even think about not keeping the House?”
“No, never.”
With Democratic candidates falling behind in Nevada and West Virginia, all eyes are turning to Washington State, where control for the Senate could well be decided on November 2. Patty Murray is presently clinging to a 0.5 percent lead in the RCP Average - but even that understates the precariousness of her situation.In the words of the immortal Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:
Shortly after Labor Day, Murray went up on the air, and went negative on her opponent, Dino Rossi. She jumped out to a substantial lead. But that lead was largely a result of driving Rossi's numbers downward.
Rossi is now counterpunching, and the race has closed. Every poll since mid-May has been within the error margin, and three straight samples - two from Rasmussen and one from the Republican firm of Fabrizio, McLaughlin & Associates - have now showed her trailing Rossi.
To have these kind of results, when McClung reported a mere $16,000 cash on hand in early August — incredible!
Go give Ruth McClung $20 — do it now — but then come back while I tell you what this one poll, in one deep-blue district, means for the larger picture Nov. 2.
we got Congressmen and Senators running for re-election right now whose political careers are about to be ended because they supported a president and a Democratic Party leadership that told them to do so. They trusted they would be politically protected, that the American people would agree with the agenda. Well guess what? That hasn’t happened. Good people, good Democrats, are being tossed aside like so much trash – and this White House DOES NOT GIVE A DAMN. In my eyes that is absolutely unforgivable. You just don’t do that to your own people. And some of these politicians are talking. They are – but for the most part the media is ignoring them because they don’t want to hurt the administration. To that I say enough! Do your damn job. Report what is going on within the Democratic Party. We need to clean up this mess, and it starts by getting the truth out there. That is my motivation.What a surprise the media would ignore news that would almost surely destroy the Obama presidency or what's left of it. Still, the source believes the coming deluge of revelations from those who feel betrayed by this president will be so loud the media will no longer be able to ignore it. I wouldn't bet on that but I guess time will tell.
No. Obama is not up to the job of being president. He simply doesn’t seem to care about the work involved. You want to know what? Obama is lazy. He really is. And it is getting worse and worse. Would another four years of Obama be the best thing for America? No it would not. What this country needs is a president who is focused on the job more than on themselves. Obama is not that individual. I actually hope he doesn’t run again. Looking back, as much fun as the campaign in 2008 was, Hillary Clinton should have been the nominee. Hillary was ready to be president. Obama was not ready. He had never lost a campaign. Everything was handed to him. He doesn’t really understand the idea of work – real, hard, get your heart and soul into it work. And frankly, that is very disappointing to a whole lot of us…There are many revelations in the three-part series that not only confirm perceptions many on the right formed about Barack Obama during the election but also the naivete of those who blindly supported his election and subsequently walked the plank for his agenda. As indignant as those who sacrificed their careers in service of Barack Obama may feel, they willingly believed he possessed some powerful magic to protect them. They willingly believed he had the power to transform the hated health care bill into a popular accomplishment the public would suddenly adore. Perhaps they naively believed Obama would continue convincing the public the bill would make their lives better but honestly what was left to be said that wasn't said in the many months leading up to its passage? Where is their accountability for votes that only those who were as out-of-touch as Obama could cast with anything remotely resembling a clear conscience?
Here is what I get from the First Lady. She is very much the Chicago ideologue. Nancy Pelosi is the far left of the Democrat Party, right? Well, Michelle Obama might be to the left of Nancy Pelosi. She really doesn’t care for how things work in the country and she wants to see it all changed. I can respect that, though I would guess she is far too liberal even for me – and I consider myself a liberal Democrat.This is not terribly surprising in and of itself but it does hint why Obama may find himself incapable of heading to the center if he is handed a huge loss this November. Obama is surrounded with those who believe as he does they know better than the American people what they want and need. They believe in their prescriptions and are unlikely to give them up. Instead Obama seems to believe his policies would be working brilliantly were it not for the banks and businesses conspiring against him. Those who might paint a clearer picture of reality for Obama appear to be headed for the door though there is no indication they would successfully change Obama's mind were he to start listening:
Hopefully without sounding disrespectful, I would tell the President to pull his head out of his ass. To man up, grow up, and start to pay attention to what the American people want and need. That is a big-big flaw with this president. He comes at it from the position of thinking he knows what we need because we don’t have the ability to know for ourselves. And he doesn’t respect any opinion that is different from his own. He just doesn’t care to know any other side to any given issue. I really believe it’s a maturity thing. I think our president needs to grow up. I hate to put it that way, but there it is. President Obama – grow up.While I can't vouch for the credibility of the source in the series, the series is an interesting read. If nothing else it is consistent with depictions of Obama as the lazy President of Harvard Law Review and lazy senior lecturer at the University of Chicago. Time will tell whether he is correct there is deep rancor among those who will pay the heavy price for their uncritical acceptance of Obama the healer of planets and oceans. The insider suggests that "the door will be kicked open" when we hear news involving Pelosi. This seems rather cryptic given all that has been said under the cover of anonymity. Nevertheless, I believe we will start to see more and more desperate Democrats denying allegiance to Nancy Pelosi prior to the election. What they say after the election is likely to fill many books. I can't wait.
Sadly, this White House Insider, try as he or she may, still seems mired in this “reification.” Not only does he (let’s assume a “he” for grammatical convenience) suffer from excessive CIS – Clinton Idolatry Syndrome – he is still apparently more concerned for the health of the Democratic Party than he is for the health of our nation.
Otherwise, why hide behind this cloak of anonymity?
If you really want to make a difference, White House Insider, tell us who you are. I know – it’s difficult. There are job considerations, friendships, etc. and we are all cowards. It’s normal human behavior. But “man up” or “woman up” or whatever and take the plunge. It’s not so bad. I can attest to it. Almost a decade ago I came out quite publicly in disagreement with my former views – in Hollywood of all places – and I’m still here. (Well, sort of.)
They no longer believe the jobs and housing markets will recover – or that anything resembling the White House’s promise of a “recovery summer” is under way. They are even more concerned by indications that House Democrats once considered safe – such as Rep. Betty Sutton, who occupies an Ohio seat that President Barack Obama won with 57 percent of the vote in 2008 – are in real trouble.Of course this is all off the record so they can speak candidly, don't ya know? Democrats are only brave when they are taking a long walk on a short plank for Obama's health care agenda. Now they are gnashing teeth because the "Recovery Summer" they hoped would assuage the voters they infuriated vote after vote has turned out to be as big a bust as their stimulus plan. Too bad they weren't able to pull off a little economic hocus pocus to keep us all blissfully at bay. Styrofoam columns and soaring speeches can not dress up failed economic policy.
In two close races, endangered Democrats are even running ads touting how they oppose their leadership.
“Democrats kept thinking: ‘We’re going to get better. We’re going to get well before the election,’” said one of Washington’s best-connected Democrats. “But as of this week, you now have people saying that Republicans are going to win the House. And now it’s starting to look like the Senate is going to be a lot closer than people thought.”
A Democratic pollster working on several key races said, “The reality is that [the House majority] is probably gone.” His data shows the Democrats’ problems are only getting worse. “It’s spreading,” the pollster said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called them her “majority makers” – the moderate to conservative Democrats in right-leaning districts whose election in 2006 made her Speaker.Jake Tapper has a whole slew of Democratic incumbents' ads denying the Obama/Pelosi/ Reid triumvirate with passion:
And now many of them – and other Democrats in competitive districts -- are fighting for their political lives in a harsh environment and have found it necessary to distance themselves from their leaders and Democratic policies.
Rep. Jason Altmire, D-Penn., is up on the air in Western Pennsylvania heralding his opposition to the Democrats’ health care reform bill and the Wall Street bailout.That is quite a different picture of Altmire than the one we saw in March when Politico featured his membership in the Drama Queen Caucus:
“ I like that Jason Altmire is not afraid to stand up to the president,” a man in the commercial says.
“And Nancy Pelosi,” adds a woman.
There was a picture of Altmire talking on the phone in his office splashed across the front page of The Washington Post on Thursday, above a story that began by recounting how many times this month he had been personally wooed by Obama (two meetings and one phone call from Air Force One).
Cracked a reporter from the freshman’s hometown Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “The photo shows him on the phone in his office — tossup whether it’s with President Obama or yet another reporter.”
We're currently experiencing one of those periods of uncertainty. One interpretation of recent results is that the momentum in this critical midterm election has shifted and the Republican wave has subsided. Another interpretation is that it's too soon to tell whether much has changed at all...Oops, sorry Charlie it looks like Republicans are back on top again:
Registered voters favor Republicans by 48% and Democrats by 43% in Gallup's generic congressional ballot for the week of July 26 through Aug. 1. This follows two weeks when the numbers were nearly reversed.Never fear, hope springs eternal as PPP offers this sunny scenario:
While the five-percentage-point edge for Republicans is not statistically significant, it represents a return to the prevailing 2010 pattern, seen since mid-March, whereby Republicans were tied or held a slight advantage over Democrats in most Gallup Daily tracking weekly averages. If sustained through Election Day, this competitive positioning for the Republicans among registered voters would point to major seat gains for that party in November given the usual Republican advantage in turnout.
If you look at the trends in the actual races though things are getting sunnier for the Democrats. In June and July PPP polled eight Senate match ups that we had a previous poll to compare to- in all eight the Democratic candidate improved his/her position, by an average of 4.25 points.PPP explains the sudden shift back to the "It's always sunny scenario," with the usual litany of Democratic talking points. You have heard them all before, Republicans have crazy candidates, yada, yada, yada:
And then of course there are the races with flawed Republican candidates: Charlie Melancon and Alexi Giannoulias have seen improvement as David Vitter and Mark Kirk have had to deal with character issues and Jack Conway has seen his standing rise as Kentuckians have had to consider whether Rand Paul is an extremist.I would be careful pointing to Alexi Giannoulias when discussing flawed candidates if I were on the left. Of course if I were on the left I might be looking to distance myself from Tony Rezko's ATM machine. What say you Barack? As for David Vitter, Democrats have a long way to go before they take a victory lap in that race. Of course in the long run trends do matter in polls but what PPP offers here is as substantive as Charlie Cook's analysis of the Gallup poll.
First, Republicans simply can't put enough seats in play to win the House. Second, the Tea Party has become a massive liability nationally in multiple unappreciated ways.Make no mistake, much of this memo is sheer unadulterated garbage intended to calm fears and keep the cash flowing to the massive Democratic war chests.
This memo has Nancy Pelosi – who we all know is a math whiz – written all over it. She took great exception to Robert Gibbs saying a week or so ago it was possible that the Democrats may lose the House in November. This is her wacky reasoning to a tee.Though the first part of the memo seems to be discredited on the left and the right, the argument the tea party is a massive liability enjoys no such agreement. Both Silver and Matthew Sheffield make the point that on a "macro view" the tea party has successfully rebranded conservative ideas. Silver, however, takes some heart in the notion the tea party may be costing Republicans "a few opportunities where inexperienced and/or wacky candidates are nominated," citing Sharron Angle and Rand Paul as examples. Perhaps this inspired Sheffield to caution tea party backed candidates to be careful when discussing ideas that are not widely understood by the general electorate. With or without the tea party, Democrats have little else to offer in the way of substantive debate. They certainly can't run on their accomplishments. This leaves the "we may be incompetent but they're crazy," strategy as their only viable path to avoid complete annihilation in November.
Today a lot more Democratic incumbents seem to be trailing Republican challengers in polls. Jim Geraghty of National Review Online has compiled a list of 13 Democratic incumbents trailing in polls released over the past seven weeks.
Some of these poll numbers are mind-boggling. Tom Perriello, a 727-vote winner in Virginia 5 in 2008, has been running two weeks of humorous ads showing what a hard worker he is. A poll shows him trailing Republican state Sen. Robert Hurt 58 to 35 percent.
In industrial Ohio 13, which Barack Obama carried 57 to 42, a poll shows incumbent Betty Sutton trailing free-spending Republican Tom Ganley 44 to 31 percent.
As Geraghty notes, we haven't seen polls released by many other Democrats on Republican target lists. Most are conducting polls; many have reason to release favorable results if they're available. This looks like a case where the absence of evidence is evidence of absence.
Sestak, speaking at the Pennsylvania Press Club, was asked whether he believes Speaker of the House Pelosi is a liberal or a pragmatist. Sestak describes himself as the latter.Really Congressman Sestak? Really??
He said he didn't know, but also said he never looks at her voting record.
The subject is especially sensitive for Sestak, who recently lost a battle with Pennsylvania television stations to pull a commercial that says he "gives it 100 percent to Nancy Pelosi." Sestak argued that he hasn't voted with Pelosi every single time (it's about 97 percent ), but the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which paid for the ad, won the argument that on the big issues of the day — health care, energy, economic stimulus — Sestak has voted with Pelosi.Make no mistake, Congressman Sestak stands up against his party if and when it suits his career plans. The rest of the time he can be found voting arm-in-arm with the Obama/Pelosi agenda. Perhaps he is hoping that Pennsylvanians are too busy clinging bitterly to their guns and bibles to notice .
High-profile political figures, such as Pelosi and President Barack Obama, who are linked to so-called liberal policies, are not viewed favorably in many areas of Pennsylvania. For Sestak, his general election rhetoric has been explaining that why his votes with them on most issues is a matter of personal principle, not staunch ideology.
"I will stand up against my party's interest whenever it doesn't help Pennsylvanians," he said.
Here is what will happen in November. Democrats will keep control of the House. Period.Well who doesn't want that special invitation to join her conference call? That this week's hissy fit is tied to a giant grassroots fundraising effort calls into question the well-publicized hysteria over Gibb's seemingly obvious statement of fact. Of course there are enough seats in play for Democrats to lose the House. The question was whether the Democrats' disillusioned base truly understood the stakes. They do now, don't they? I guess we will see whether or not the base is as unenthusiastic as we've been told repeatedly they are.
While some Washington pundits are claiming that Republicans have the momentum, I remain more confident in our chances for victory as long as we have our secret weapon -- you.
Next Sunday, July 25th, marks 100 days from the fall elections. I have set a goal of raising $1 Million in grassroots contributions to send a powerful message to the media and to the world that we will keep control of the House and we will continue America's New Direction!
Please stand with me to send an overwhelming message of grassroots strength. If you contribute today, you will receive a special invitation to join me on our National Campaign Kickoff Conference Call.
Each week, TBF participants are strongly encouraged (but not required) to rally behind the deserving conservative Republican who wins the poll...to provide that candidate with a substantial money bomb.I will link the winner of this week's Ten Buck Friday poll tomorrow after the winner is announced. Let's make sure Speaker Pelosi is relieved of her duties in November and elect strong conservative candidates in the process.
You'll notice there's no middleman in this process. Your money goes exactly where you want it to go. Contributors send their investment directly to the candidates.
Participants put the words "Ten Buck Fridays" in the online donation form so that recipients know what's happening and so that donation totals can be determined. As Lilac Sunday has noted, the "occupation" line on the online donation form is a handy place to indicate that you're a Ten Buck Fridays participant.
TBF participants are unified by the desire to support conservatives who need an extra boost, and we're sending a powerful message of encouragement to those who share our cherished values. As we shout together, our voices will be heard.
"I'm not going to leave," Pelosi said to the audience of several hundred leaders of the progressive movement. "I'm going to deliver my speech. . . . I am going to make my speech over your voices."I don't know who they think would do more for their cause than Pelosi. This group seems to be under the impression there will be money left to care for them in nursing homes though they prefer a community-assisted living program. I am not familiar with the legislation these activists support but it is clear that the left will not be happy unless Obama/Pelosi take the country way over the left-wing cliff:
The protesters, wearing orange shirts and chanting "Our homes, not nursing homes," did not let up until Pelosi finished her address and left the stage with security guards. The protesters said they were members of ADAPT, an activist group that advocates for disability rights and is fighting for passage of the Community Choice Act. The bill was introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) in 2009 but has not advanced out of the Finance Committee. In the House, a similar measure remains in the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
The act would allow those who are eligible for care in a nursing home to instead receive similar care in their own homes through community-assisted living.
Many of the protesters were in wheelchairs or otherwise disabled, and they held up banners. One protester shouted at Pelosi: "We supported Obama. We supported you. We supported the campaign . . . But we don't want to be taken from our homes."
The left has a message for Barack Obama: Shape up, or we’re shipping out.Let's hope they are serious and carry through on that last threat.
A high-profile conclave of progressives, which served as a platform for supporting Obama in years past, opened in Washington on Monday amid growing disenchantment with the president over the Gulf oil spill, health care, jobs, immigration and political deal cutting.
Liberal activists warned that Obama can no longer count on a progressive base that was supposed to protect Democrats from a mass wipeout in the midterms in 2010 and propel him to reelection in 2012.
"The Word. Isn’t it a beautiful word when you think of it? It just covers everything. The Word.Hate to break it to you Nancy, but I think how you measure up may have a little something to do with the policies you promoted that were driven by the abortion industry. Cafeteria Catholics like Pelosi fill the Word with whatever they want but that doesn't mean any of that measures up. Heaven only knows what Pelosi would pass into law in the name of her devotion to the liberal ideology she worships. Frankly that thought makes me shudder:
“Fill it in with anything you want. But, of course, we know it means: ‘The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us.’ And that’s the great mystery of our faith. He will come again. He will come again. So, we have to make sure we’re prepared to answer in this life, or otherwise, as to how we have measured up.”
Pelosi, who was very close with Murtha, said Republicans once again tried to nationalize an election by way of an “anti-Obama, anti-Pelosi” message.“It didn’t work,” Pelosi said, calling the strategy Republicans have employed regularly in recent years “predictable.”Asked about House Minority Leader John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) recent claim that there are 100 House seats in play, Pelosi responded, “Let him think that.”She said there are “more than 200” House Democrats who will be reelected “easily,” but cautioned that she never underestimates her opponents.Pelosi is clearly happy and relieved that former Murtha aide Mark Critz will replace his old boss. Throughout The Hill’s interview, Pelosi laughed, cracked some jokes and even teased her questioners.
We'll just see about that Madame Speaker. I hope Pelosi's prediction is hung over the desks in every GOP campaign office in the country.
“I’m kind of anti-incumbent myself, as a matter of fact, depending on who you’re talking about.”She proudly notes how much time she invests in protecting the House Democratic Caucus, whether it’s legislating or fundraising or making the case that voters should trust Democrats far more than Republicans.Fear motivates the Speaker — specifically, the fear of reverting to minority status.While acknowledging that Republicans are hungry to return to power in the nation’s capital, Pelosi said, “We certainly were [hungry in the minority.] I remember it well.”Despite some predictions of a huge GOP wave this fall, Pelosi says it’s not going to happen: “One thing I know for sure is that Democrats will retain their majority in the House of Representatives.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is so unpopular in some places that she often avoids public appearances. During a recent House recess, she hopscotched across the country, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars at closed-door fundraisers, turning up in public only at the White House and in her hometown of San Francisco.Pelosi has risen above the caricature of a liberal with impeccable fashion taste? Alrighty then. Moving along, if we're honest there really is no dispute Pelosi is effective as Speaker if that means passing enormously unpopular legislation against the will of the people. Pelosi is on a par of her own in that regard. The test will be if she maintains her majority which the article maintains is and has been her primary goal.
But under the Capitol dome, Pelosi is a towering figure, perhaps even a historic one. Capped by her central role in passing the landmark health-care bill in March, the California Democrat, 70, has transformed herself from the caricature of a millionaire liberal with impeccable fashion taste into a speaker on par with the revered Sam Rayburn, according to historians, pollsters and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
They now portray Pelosi as almost a co-president to Obama, particularly in the run-up to the Pennsylvania and Hawaii elections this month.Recent polls in Hawaii and Pennsylvania seem to prove the Republicans on the right side of the equation. While Democrats in Obama's home district seem intent on fighting over who will be the more devoted to voting according to Pelosi's wishes, the Republican Charles Djou has gained a nice lead over both Democratic candidates. It would be hard to argue this seat is a true bellwether for the fall midterm elections but a win is a win. Pennsylvania, however, is a bellwether according to Charlie Cook much to his apparent dismay:
"If Republicans win these two races, America will have two more congressmen standing up to the jobs-killing Pelosi-Obama agenda," House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) wrote in an e-mail to conservatives Wednesday. A similar appeal by the Republican National Committee -- the group that pictured the House speaker in a fiery blaze -- collected more than $1.5 million in the week after the health-care vote.
This month could provide important clues about whether the Republican storm is still gathering force.Perhaps the most effective Speaker in recent history - according to the Post anyway - should take heed a storm is coming her way. Women in similar circumstances haven't been able to withstand the crushing blow.
On May 18, Pennsylvania will hold a special election in its 12th Congressional District to fill the House seat of the late John Murtha. This is the only congressional district in the nation that went for Republican John McCain in 2008 after backing Democrat John Kerry in 2004.
It is a swing seat long held by Murtha for his party, but this part of the Keystone State is showing signs of going Republican. A Democratic loss would underscore the narrative that Democrats are in serious trouble heading toward November.
The majority of voters (52%) would prefer a Republican congressman who will be a check and balance to Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress over a Democratic congressman who will help Obama and the Democrats pass their agenda (40%). Nine in ten Republicans (90%), six in ten Independents (60%) and even a third of Democrats (32%) prefer a Republican congressman. Three in four voters (75%) agree that if Washington isn’t going to listen to people like them, they will send a message on Election Day by voting against the people in power in Washington. Agreement with this sentiment transcends party lines as the majority of Republicans (96%), Democrats (64%) and Independents (80%) agrees that they will send a message to Washington with their vote. Similarly, 71% of voters agree that if the policies and changes being forced on them from Washington are not stopped, their children and grandchildren will not enjoy the same freedoms and opportunities that previous generations of Americans have enjoyed.Hotline on Call notes the GOP plans on running ads highlighting the Democratic candidates' connections with Pelosi and Obama. It's probably a safe bet Obama won't be making a campaign stop in Pennsylvania for this election. What a shame.
At her weekly press conference, Pelosi said Democrats don't reward bankers for the money they pour into campaign coffers.I am guessing Pelosi thought better of admitting Wall Street has been plying Dems with money in recent years. Pelosi's decides to walk that part back a bit though it doesn't play as "smoothly" on video as it does in print. The crux of her message is all that money buys Wall Street "nothing." Perhaps Wall Street should reconsider filling the Democratic coffers if their money gives them no influence. Surely the Wall Street types don't believe that, however, why else would they continue to line Democratic pockets?
"They don't get anything, because the fact is, the Democrats are leading the way...in regulatory reform," she said.
Financial firms have been giving more money to Democrats than Republicans in recent year--not unexpected, since Demcorats are in the majority--but Pelosi said her party isn't beholden to its contributors.
"It doesn't matter" that Wall Street has given more to Democrats, she said. "What matters is what the policy is that we put forth here. And our policy, regardless of contribution, is to rein in Wall Street."
