2010 US Presidential Election

[disputed]

townhall.com, Wednesday November 2nd

Republican Big Guns Hit Trail in South Carolina, as poll gives Maxwell slight edge

A number of high profile Republicans hit the campaign trail in South Carolina over the past few days and expectations are that a number more will make visits over the coming weekend.

Florida Governor James Ritchie and his father former Presidential candidate Rob Ritchie joined Republican candidate Brad Maxwell on the stump at stops at Clemson University, Easley and Greenville over the weekend. Maxwell also found support from North Carolina Governor Andrew Wu, and former Presidential candidate Ray Sullivan.

Maxwell expects a further boost after an announcement that President Walken would visit the state on Saturday and that Secretary of State Arnold Vinick would make his first active campaigning stop since joining the Santos administration in 2006.

The Republican Party were boosted by a PPP poll this morning suggesting that Maxwell has a small lead, 47%-44% and are hoping that the boost from an appearance by Walken and Vinick will push him over the edge.

Meanwhile Democratic candidate Nate Singer issues an apology over claims made by an associated group that the father of Maxwell’s late wife mismanaged the finances of a fund set up in her name. Singer told reporters that the claims were “totally unfounded” and “that he wanted no part of them”, the former White House Chief of Staff also confirmed that he had called Maxwell to ensure him that his campaign had no part in story.

 

[Marky Bunny]

Great to have Disputed back.
Good stuff as always

 

[disputed]

thehill.com, Wednesday November 2nd

Garrison Likely To Announce Senate Run after Lundgren Withdraws

Ohio Republicans seem convinced that they have finally secured their number 1 recruit for the open Senate being vacated by Democratic Senator August Adair. Rumours have been rife for sometime over whether Dylan Garrison would run, but sources close the Secretary of State say that Saturday’s shock announcement by State House Speaker Landon Lundgren that he was withdrawing from the race was a precursor to Garrison’s entry.

38 year old Garrison, who is the nephew of Senator Morgan Mitchell and Congressman Robert Mitchell, opens the seat up as a huge pick up opportunity for the GOP. By some distance the most popular politician in the state, Garrison will likely raise a ton of money and is an exceptionally effective campaigner – many suspected that he was considering waiting to make a run at the Governor’s mansion, but that seems to have been dropped as part of an agreement with Lundgren.

The race in the state remains in a state of flux, with Congressman Justin Willis remaining the only declared candidate, but theoretical polls give Garrison a 53%-40% lead over Willis. Some Democrats are still hopeful of convincing Josie Bail of running. Bail refused to deny that she would run when asked at the weekend.

 

[Marky Bunny]

NBS.COM

Wednesday November 2nd 2011

1986 Presidential Election-25 years on

NBS is pleased to announce the showing of a special programme this coming Friday night at 9.pm (est) "1986 Presidential Election-25 years on".
The 2 hour special will look at the background to the historic election, including the July 1985 crises, and the call of the "special election" which changed the nations electoral cycle.

There are interviews with many of the key players, Colt Merchant (Furman's campaign manager), Jim Holner (Furmans running-mate) in a interview done before his death in 2009, and President DW Newman himself. There are also contributions from Alabama Senator Cody Riley, Vermont Senator Matt Skinner and many others.

 

[disputed]

theviewfromthehill.com, Wednesday November 2nd

Walken: A One Term President?

With news of a fall in unemployment and a continuing high approval rating (62% in today’s daily Gallup poll), the signs are that President Glen Walken should be riding high and that his staff and backers should be lining up long term leases in DC, and settling in for an 8 year ride in the White House. So why won’t the rumour that he is considering serving just one term die?

Rumours started to circulate in the run up to Walken’s election last year, with a number of prominent conservative commentators suggesting that many of the leading figures in the campaign were suggesting that the candidate get round concerns about his long term health by declaring he’d serve only one term – these were crushed by the campaign who said they expected the former Speaker to seek re-election should he win the Presidency.

The whisperings have continued throughout what has been a very eventful first year. Walken has successfully ended two wars and reached bi-partisan agreement to pass many of the legislative targets he had in his campaign. The overriding feeling most people surveyed have of Walken is that he is able to united both parties towards their end goal. So why are their suggestions that the President may not be interested in seeking re-election?

Firstly, there is the way he got to the Presidency. For those who don’t remember he famously declared he wasn’t running before changing his mind – largely at the urging of the family of his late mentor Jim Hoehner. Walken had made little secret of the fact he didn’t really want to be President.

Secondly, he continues to face opposition from the far right of his own party – there are rumours of a number of candidates considering challenging the President in a Primary – should Florida Senator Seth Randall make a run, there are serious doubts over whether he would have the stomach for a bitter Primary battle.

Finally, there is the question of his health. Walken’s weight has long been a problem, and he’s had to keep a strict regime since being elected to keep it manageable – it’s been suggested that this level of discipline is wearing on the 62 year old President and that he may find a four year drive to make all the tough decisions (see reform, entitlement) as a more satisfying legacy.

Of course this remains pure speculation. Chief of Staff Evan Drake laughed off the question on Meet The Press in March, but don’t be surprised if the chattering grows stronger after next years mid-terms – at the very least until Walken makes a definitive statement.

 

[AbetterAmerica15]

John Hoynes For Governor

 

[Westbrook 49]

Major Surprise as Kay Endorses Chang.

Former Congressman Paul Chang received a major surprise today, as at a major rally in Portland, which was attended by all of the major Democratic figures in Oregon, his long-time rival and primary opponent Steven Kay appeared to endorse him.

The rally started with a rousing speech from Congressman Arthur Carney, the senior Representative from the Beaver State, and a widely respected figure across the state's spectrum. It was followed with energetic speeches from Senator Robert Greys, Congressman Will Bailey and outgoing Governor Harris Ryan. Senator Ricky Rafferty, and Chang's other primary foes, Paula Redford & Cliff Connell, were also present.

Chang believed that the rally was over, when Ryan asked for a pause, in which he invited a "special guest" onto the stage. Kay then proceeded onto the stage, after which he received both boos and cheers.

Kay's speech was as follows:
"It's well known that the Congressman and I have disagreed, on a great many things, sometimes passionately. But I've always respected him. And though I wish it was the other way around, I'm here to endorse Paul Chang for the office of Governor of the great state of Oregon. It's clear that John Heffinger is a creature of the past, and we need to look to the future, Paul Chang will be a leader in that future."
Kay then crossed the stage, and shook hands with Chang.

Chang currently polls even with his fellow former Congressman John Heffinger in the Governor's race.

 

[disputed]

sacramentobee.com, Thursday November 3rd

BREAKING NEWS: California Recall Election Set for February 7th

The California legislature has announced that the recall election of Governor Kevin Clarkson will take place on Tuesday February 7th next year setting the stage for one of the most intriguing political battles of the 21st century.

With California’s public finances in turmoil, a long running campaign to recall the Governor announced in August that they had acquired the number of signatures needed to launch a recall election and have been pushing the largely Democratic legislature to approve a vote ever since.

The election will take the format of an initial vote of Yes or No to recall the Governor and a secondary vote on who would replace him. It’s believed a number of candidates will announce their candidacy over the next few days for what is likely to be a fierce battle.

Polls suggest the recall may well be successful with 58% currently said to approve of the recall. The same polls however are dramatically split on who should succeed Clarkson if he loses – rumours that former Senator Justine Avery is being tapped by the DNC to run have been denied by sources close to Avery.

For most of the last year former Senate candidate Richard Lassiter was presumed to be the Republican consensus choice, but continuing stumbles on the campaign trail and his gaffe prone mother have opened the door for Congresswoman Kristin Vasquez – who many in the GOP are pushing as the candidate who can unite the party and attract independents or Riley Church who is increasingly hinting at getting involved.

A lot may depend on the wild card that is Tom Falkner. The billionaire who was a long term donor to Democrats backed Arnie Vinick in 2006 and has openly described himself as an independent ever since. If, and it’s a big if, he follows through on his talk of running the race will be anyones.

 

[disputed]

townhall.com, Thursday November 3rd

Mississippi Democrat Waves The White Flag Before Any Votes Are Counted

With Katie Hodder-Shaw leading by huge distances in most polls many Democrats have long since given up hope of winning the Magnolia State next Tuesday but it still came as surprise when their candidate, State Senator David Ellerby seemingly admitted defeat with four days left till election day.

Ellerby told a small rally in Hattiesburg that he “appreciated their support” and that they should “keep fighting” but added “we’re going to get lose but we’ve still got to turn out our vote.” After a few moments of silence, Ellerby’s campaign manager Stock Worthers hastily called an end to the event.

The State Senator’s spokesman later said that Ellerby had “not given up, but was being realistic that he faced an up hill battle.” It’s been an open secret that Ellerby’s team have been hugely frustrated that they have been unable to make a dent in the race in spite of series of errors and gaffes by his opponent.

Ms. Hodder-Shaw had to apologise after telling voters that it was her dream to be Governor of Missouri, she lost two campaign managers after both were linked to a local betting scandal and she has shown little of her father’s flair on the trail. Still a Quinipac poll this morning gave her a 42 point lead.

 

[Marky Bunny]

25 Years tommorrow, the 1986 Presidential took place. He is a re-post of the review of that historic election campaign.

United States presidential election, 1986​

The United States presidential election of 1986 was a contest between the Democratic national ticket of Alabama Governor D.Wire Newman and Massachusetts Senator Roland Pierce and the Republican national ticket of Texas Senator Joseph Furman and Illinois Governor Jim Hohner.
On Tuesday November 4th 1986, Newman won a narrow victory in both the electoral and popular vote.
Background
Following the stroke of President Reagan in July 1985, it was clear that he would never be able to return to full duties, and under the 25th Amendment Vice- President George P.Bush became the nations first Acting President. Many from both Parties began to support a grassroots campaign for a “special election” to be held in November 1986. Senate Majority Leader Joe Furman backed the election and following a ruling by the Supreme Court on Monday November 18th 1985 and then a vote of Congress two days later it was agreed for a “special election” to be held on November 4th 1986.Agreement by both the Republican and Democratic parties, and under the strict guidelines proposed by the Supreme Court and Congress.
Republican Nomination
On Thursday December 12th 1985 Senate Majority Leader Joseph Furman declared his candidacy, after standing down as the Head of RNC election committee. The only other challenger was the Governor of Illinois Jim Hohner. Two men had looked at running where Georgia Senator Max Lobell, Pennsylvanian Congressman Arthur Brooks but both decided against it. Brooks said later it was a decisison he regretted.
Furman looked on course for an easy victory on the way to the nomination. On Monday February 10th 1986 he won the Iowa Caucus with 68.3% to Hohner’s 31.7%. Eight Days later Hohner gave a better performance gaining 47.9% to Furman’s 52.1% in New Hampshire.
Furman won further victories in South Carolina, and Michigan, although Hohner won Nevada, and his native Illinois to keep the race alive.
Then on Saturday March 15th California Governor Owen Lassiter announced he was entering the race. His campaign caught fire and won and impressive string on victories in North Carolina, Florida, and Ohio. Hohner dropped out of the race but refused to endorse either Furman or Lassiter.
Furman bounced back to win his home state of Texas, and from there the two candidates engaged in an increasingly bitter nip-and-tuck contest for delegates. By the time the Republican Convention opened in July 1986 the race for the nomination was still too close to call.
Furman defeated Lassiter by a narrow margin on the first ballot at the 1986 Republican National Convention in New Orleans, and chose Governor Jim Hohner of Illinois as his running mate.
Democratic Nomination
The surprise winner of the 1986 Democratic presidential nomination was DW Newman, the Governor of Alabama. When the primaries began Newman was relatively unknown at a national level, and many political pundits regarded Governor Peter Hamlinn of Florida, Mike Schafford, Governor of Pennsylvania and a former Senator,and Martin Dale, Senator from New Jersey as the clear favorites for the nomination. However, in the wake of the Reagan affair, Newman believed that his status as a Washington "outsider", and his record as a moderate reformer of a southern state could give him an advantage over his better-known "establishment" rivals. Newman built a formidable grassroots organization in the early states primaries and to eliminate his better-known rivals one-by-one. By early June 1986 he had captured more than enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination. At the 1986 Democratic National Convention Newman easily won the nomination on the first ballot; he then chose Massachusetts Senator Roland Pierce as his running mate.
General Election
Fall campaign
Coming out of the conventions Newman held an average eight point lead in most of the polls, but going into September Furman had started to reduce it, before the campaign was hit by a string of disasters.
The first was when campaign Manager Jimmy Holbuck resigned over the direction of the Furman campaign, and the fact that Furman was trying to micro-manage the entire campaign himself.
On Sunday September 21st the two candidates meet in a highly moderated TV debate, the result was a lacklustre draw. But the main event of the campaign came two days later when Furman was caught on a microphone as he left an event in Louisville, Kentucky describing his opponent as a “tall freak” in reference to his height of 6’7. Newman hit back by listing his freakish behaviour including “his wife, Children and house” which brought up questions in regards to Furmans bachelorhood and his modest house in Texas.
The race started to become a bitter and negative one, with questions regarding Furmans age, and that after the Reagan affair could the country risk another aged Commander-in-chief, whilst Furman saying in the dangerous world with the changes in the Soviet Union, America couldn't’t risk a President who “needed training wheels”.
After these bitter attacks, Furman refused to appear in the two scheduled TV debates for October, although the vice-presidential candidates of Hohner and Pierce did debate on Sunday October 12th at the Munro Hotel in Washington DC. Again like main debate three weeks before, the result was conceded a draw.
Following these exchanges, and despite the mood from Furman that he had no chance of winning, he left much of the campaign to Hohner and new Campaign Manager Colt Merchant. Many where turned off by Newman’s attacks on Furman, and despite the many errors and mistakes, the gap in the polls started to close, and by Election Day on November 4th the race was judged a dead heat
Results
The election turned out to be one of the closest in American history in both terms of the Electoral College and the popular vote. With the exceptions of Florida, Georgia and Alabama, Furman carried the rest of the Southern states and also secured wins in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. Newman balanced Furman by sweeping the Pacific Coast states of Washington, Oregon, and California, and carried Hawaii, as well. He also won Iowa and the bellwether sate of Missouri. Furman won three north-eastern states, Maine, New Hampshire and by just 1,329 votes Vermont.
By early morning Wednesday November 5th 1986 , Newman had won a total of 249 electoral votes, while Furman was just nine behind on 240. Just two states remained in play, Illinois with 24 electoral votes and Pennsylvania with 25 electoral votes, Newman needed to carry only one of the two states, but Furman needed both.
At 3.25 am EST, NBC called Illinois for Furman by a margin of 1.36%, some 62,758 votes. Furman now lead in the Electoral College by 264 to 240, just six votes of the magic 270 with just one state left Pennsylvania. The joy in the Furman camp did not last long, when at 3.53 NBC , followed two minutes later by CBS called Pennsylvania for Newman,Newman carried the state by 1.42%, 63,923 votes and was declared the winner and President elect of the United States.
In a surprise move, Furman flew to Alabama from Texas to concede the race in person, and helped to reconcile the two men after the bitter election campaign.
Election Stats
· The electoral vote was the closest since 1916; Newman took 20 states along with DC 274 electoral votes, while Furman won 30 states and 264 electoral votes.
· Newman won the popular vote by just 315,170 votes, a mere 0.34% making it the closest election in terms of the popular vote since Kennedy’s win over Nixon in 1960, when the margin was 0. 01%.
· The 30 states Furman won are and remain the most states ever carried by a losing candidate. Ford in 1976, Eisenhower in 1998 and Vinick in 2006 all carried 27 states.
· Furman also became the first candidate since Nixon in 1960 to win the state of Ohio and lose the election. Eisenhower and Vinick would also achieve the same feat in 1998 and 2006.
·Also, this was the first time since 1964 that the following states voted Democratic, California, Connecticut,Iowa, New Jersey, and Oregon.
·This was also the first time a Democrat won the White House without winning the states of Texas and South Carolina. Josiah Bartlet would go onto win twice without Texas in 1998 and 2002.
·Newman is one of only six Democrats to gain a majority of the popular vote since the Civil War, with the others being Samuel Tilden, Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, and Josiah Bartlet.

Results and Map

DW Newman Roland Piearce Dem 46,053,991 50.17% 274
Joseph Furman Jim HohnerRep 45,738,821 49.83% 264

Note that this site uses the original 1976 NBC Colour scheme of Blue for Republicans and Red for Democrats.

Images from the campaign

Joseph Furman watching the results coming in on Television at his home in Texas on Election night.

DW Newman at a eve of election rally in Birmingham Alabama.

Republican vice-presidential candidate Jim Hohner being interviewed by NBC at the RNC in New Orleans after his nomination.

Democratic vice-presidential candidate Roland Pierce lands in Missouri on Saturday November 1st 1986, the last Saturday before election day

 

[Prometheus_2300]

politico.com

AAEO at Conference Committee

The American Alternative Energy Omnibus has had a bumpy ride through Congress. The bill has increasingly become a hot button issue for three lobbying groups, and almost causing splits amongst the Republicans in the Senate. This was further exacerbated by the House Democrats pushing their version of the bill through. Now the bill is in the conference committee, provided that it can survive it could be on the President's desk in two weeks.

The Bill has made it this far due to 4 people of note. Senator Sam Seaborn (D-CA), who originally introduced the bill with Senator Armstrong. Senator Michael Swain (R-RI) picked up the slack after Armstrong caved into the mining lobby. Secretary of Energy Xavier Bertrand, who has willingly sat through almost 23 hours in total of questions from both the House and Senate, and has said that "the AAEO is our best hope for an energy independent future." Also the White House's point person on this legislation, Deputy Secretary of Energy Alexis P. Howard who was chosen by White House Chief of Staff Evan Drake to see this through.

Seaborn and Swain are working the conference committee hard to get this proposal through and onto the President's desk as soon as possible, but are encountering stiff resistance from Senator's Shallick and Wheeler

 

[Prometheus_2300]

BBC International

Syrian Presidental Guard move into Golan Heights

Breaking an unspoken rule in regards to the Accord of 1997, the Syrian Presidental Guard have moved into what once was a declared DMZ. The Israeli Foreign Minister, has condemned the news as a "blatant exploitation and a violation of the trust between the two nations". In response the Isreali Armed Forces have moved to an elevated state of alert in the northern part of the country.

 

[Westbrook 49]

BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS

President and Secretary of State Warn Against "Syrian Aggression."

President GlenAllen Walken and Secretary of State Arnold Vinick, in a joint Press Conference from the White House Press Room, warned against Syria making a move into the Golan Heights, which is informally regarded as Israeli territory.

Walken called the move by Syria "the act of an exceedingly deranged rogue state, and a clear attempt to intimidate Israel in a time of peace." Walken also warned that "Syrian aggression will not be taken lightly," though stopped short of saying that the United States would intervene militarily.

Vinick called for Syria "to remove their tanks with all due speed, and return to their own borders." He also called on the international community and the United Nations to "intercede and foster an atmosphere of peaceful cooperation in order to resolve this situation."

Aside from moving tanks of the Presidential Guards into the Golan Heights, Syria has made no further moves. Israel has raised their security status in response, and has strongly warned Syria against any further incursions.

 

[Westbrook 49]

washingtonpost.com, Friday, November 4th, 2011.

Mannix Destroys Marshall
by Dave Dernazza.

That's as simple as it is folks. An utter destruction.

A few notes. The Mix had travel plans, with Oregon, South Carolina, and last night, Kentucky, on the agenda, to see three of the best races in the country. There are times when you have to be there, and last night was one of them. Mannix appears to be the Democrat's best chance to flip a State House, and Marshall could be a test case as to the effectiveness of the moderates within the GOP. It was a must see.

As you know, Governor Marshall's debating skills are......not the best, to be gentle. With a teleprompter and prepared speech, Marshall's pretty good-Her speech to the Republican Convention in 2006 proved that-and she's decent with town halls. Marshall's greatest power has always lain in her personal capabilities-She's great with personal meetings and crowds, and has a strong empathy and charisma. But put someone on stage with her, and for some reason, she falls apart. Well, that changed last Saturday, when Marshall actually handled herself well, and Mannix was unprepared for that. Mannix actually answered questions a bit better, but the simple fact that Marshall was able to stand on her own two feet impressed a lot of people. You could chalk it up to low expectations, but Marshall has apparently been undergoing regular Debate Camps, and it showed.

But last week's debate was moderated, with timed responses. This debate? Vinick-Santos, which looked like it would favor Mannix. And it did.

The night started off bad for Marshall, and got worse. First and foremost, she looked uncomfortable up on the stage. In comparison, Mannix was cool and collected. One member of the press compared it to "Mannix being in a friendly courtroom, while Marshall was on the stand," and he was right.

The first question was on raising the state's taxes, which looked like it would be an easy question for Marshall. Her response, which seems inevitable to end on YouTube being remixed? "Um, well, taxes are really bad, and we shouldn't raise them, at all, or, um, if it's really unnecessary." It would be bad enough to give that answer, but Marshall delivered it as if it were a question. You could almost see the facepalming being done by Marshall's advisors. Mannix's answer? "Well, taxes, despite the Republican Party's current stance of them being a sin, or as the Governor put it 'bad,' they are necessary. A necessary evil, but necessary. The state is currently low-ranked in terms of the national average, and I don't see a lot of need to change that. I will say though that if I'm elected, if I have to raise taxes, I will do my damn-darnedest, sorry, to make sure that the people of Kentucky who can't afford it, will be not be affected."
While it wasn't the best answer, compared to Marshall's, it was nearly a masterpiece. Mannix connected with the crowd, and his remarks on a necessary evil, as well as his ill-advised curse and apology, made the crowd laugh and enjoy him. Marshall, meanwhile, seemed just weak.

It continued throughout the night-On every subject, Mannix looked like the Governor, and Marshall looked scared. Mannix had a rebuttal to everything Marshall said, and went after her on health care, the state's debt and credit rating, and infrastructure. Though Marshall tried to fight back, and scored a few points, she truly made last week's performance look like a fluke, rather than the start of something that could indicate a change in performance.

Perhaps the best moment of the night came on an education question, where Marshall started to look good. The question was, "As Governor, would you sign BR 121, which would change the bargaining structure of state employees, including firefighters, police officers and teachers?" Marshall looked good when she said, "Yes, unquestionably. For far too long, these unionized cartels have dictated to the state, rather than the other way around. They need to understand that they need to pay their fair share, and shoulder some of the burden." For a moment, it was glorious-Marshall looked confident, sounded it, gave a strong answer, though a bit canned. All good.
Mannix tore that argument apart like a piece of meat. "First of all, cartels? No Governor, only criminals are in cartels, and the decent people in unions are not on the whole criminals. You're asking brave firemen, who run into burning buildings, to shoulder more of the burden? Our brave cops, who work long unforgiving hours to keep us safe, you're going to sign a bill hurting them, because that's what this awful bill will do. You're going to stop teachers, who already are dealing with cutbacks and are underpaid, to stop negotiating for better pay? Because that's what you'll be doing if that bill is signed into law Governor, and more you will be harming the state. I'm going to assure the people that if I'm elected Governor, I will never sign such a bill, you have my solemn oath on that."
So much for Marshall's moment. The debate was effectively won there, and I couldn't help but wonder if this was the last blow for Marshall's administration.

After-action polling of the audience at the debate seemed to give Mannix a clear victory, and I expect that the polls will reflect that by bumping him up. Marshall still has a pretty good chance, especially if her old mentor, Hawk Fuller, would show up. But I think that Marshall's continued pro-choice stance has damaged her more among the conservative wing of the party than anyone has realized. Republican-affiliated religious groups, which would normally turn out for their candidates, have not been active for Marshall, and there's a distinct chilliness emerging from them. While it's not impossible for Marshall to come back, in fact it's highly possible that she could, Mannix has the edge right now.

Well, I'm done for tonight. I'll be catching the early bird to Charleston tomorrow morning, Saturday's a rest day, and then it's out to Oregon on Sunday.

 

[KahukuMan10]

politico.com

Sacho to run in recall

After a few months of speculation, Governor John Brennan drew a tough cookie in his recall election fight that is due in the coming months. Senator Paula Sacho, who is also the ranking democrat on the senate budget committee, has decided to enter the fray, effectively clearing the field of all other potential candidates. Brennan's unpopularity in the state began when he attempted to pass a long coveted party prize in taking the public unions ability to collectively bargain away, which drew strong backlash, and it gave him his first big defeat. Now he's dealing with corruption charges that came about in August of this year.

Brennan was successful last year in taking down incumbent governor Ruth Hutchins, as he focused on cutting state spending, reducing it's debt levels, and fixing Lancing's notorious corruption levels. However, with himself now enveloped in a corruption scandal, and Sacho hitting him on balancing the state's budget on the backs of the working and middle classes, he's seeing his numbers plummet. Sacho has a record of being a fiscal hawk, which makes her position on the budget committee natural. She said that she has "a lifetime of experience in helping balance checkbooks and budgets," referring to her experience as an accountant and then state treasurer and that "she would do so fairly."

Brennan spokesperson Sasha Daniels said, "The governor has been an underdog his entire life. From winning a swing congressional district, to defeating an incumbent last year, John Brennan has never backed down from a challenge. He was dealt a blow earlier this year in his budget plan and plan to curtain the union influence eroding our state capital. He will stand up to their drive against fiscal sanity, and come back stronger than ever."

 

[disputed]

bbc.co.uk, Friday November 4th

Lassiter Confirms Run For Governor As Nickelson Speculation Intensifies

Richard Lassiter, the son of former President Owen Lassiter, has confirmed that he is running for Governor in California.

Current Governor Kevin Clarkson faces an unprecedented recall election in February and with polls suggesting that the incumbent faces an uphill battle to survive a number of candidates are circling the race. Lassiter, who ran unsuccessfully for the Senate last year is a divisive figure even amongst conservatives – and senior California Republicans were last night said to be searching for an alternative to Lassiter.

In another intriguing development actress Nicole Nickelson refused to rule out running. During an interview with E network Nickelson, a long time prominent liberal who has appeared in over 100 films, said that “the state is in a terrible mess, but the Republican solutions would be a tragedy – so if we don’t find a suitable candidate then I’d certainly think about it.

 

[KahukuMan10]

Sights across America

Senator Andrew Thorn at a hearing of the senate banking, housing, and urban affairs committee

Senator Jeff Heston at this years' CPAC

Governor Andrew Cordy during his time as a detective with the Chicago police department

Nate Bradshaw hugging ex-girlfriend and current first lady of Washington Emma Boone. They grew up in high school together in Southern California, and dated during high school. Governor Sean Boone is on the far left.

Senator Eric Bennett supporting the 2006 democratic ticket in North Carolina, Stephen McCain and Judy Palin.

 

[Marky Bunny]

BBC.CO.UK/News

Friday November 4th 2011

Foreign Secretary Morgan demands Syrian forces pull back from the Golan Heights

British Foreign Secretray William Morgan called on the Syrians to "pull back" after its forces moved into DMZ in the Golan Heights yesterday.

Two Armouered units of the elite Syrian Presidential Guard moved into the zone at two points, around Hadar in the north and Kodna in the centre. It is understood that UN peacekeepers where un-harmed at the two points of the incursion. No fighting has taken place, and the Syrian forces have made no move towards the Israeli disengagement line, which as been in place since 1973.

"This action by the Syrians in un-provoked, and un-warrented. It will not stop the peace process" William Morgan told the House of Commons this morning. The Shadow Foreign Secretary Andrea Benn supported Morgans comments saying that the "Labour Party supported the Governments comments and that the Syrians should withdraw back to their agreed dissengagment line.

 

[Westbrook 49]

cnn.com, Friday, November 4th, 2011.

Bail Turns Down Senate Run.

Congresswoman Josie Bail, the Chairwoman of the House Democratic Caucus and a former Governor of Ohio, announced today that she would not be running for the open Senate seat in 2012.

In a press conference in her Ohio office, Bail put an end to months of rumors and speculation by stating: "I have come to the conclusion that my role as a Congresswoman and Chair of the House Democrats is more important at this time. I therefore will not be a candidate for the Senate seat in 2012."

Bail's preemptive exit leaves fellow Congressman Justin Willis as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.
Bail mentioned Willis in her speech, saying that he was "a talented and intelligent man with a great chance at being a Senator," but stopped short of giving him her full endorsement.

 

[Westbrook 49]

washingtonpost.com, Saturday, November 5th, 2011.

Singer Hammers Maxwell, Maxwell Fires Back.
by Dave Dernazza.

Jet lag has caught up with me, and so this will be a relatively short posting. I'll have something more detailed up later today.

To be concise, Nate Singer won this debate. Close, but still a win. Brad Maxwell gave a good show, but neither man did well enough (Or bad enough) to land the knockout blow.

Singer continued with his message of "moving South Carolina forward" and continued to attack Maxwell on his lack of policy, something which people are starting to note. While Singer has white papers for everything, and has laid out several plans on his website, Maxwell has been quite quiet in terms of what he will actually do if elected. Singer made sure to attack Maxwell at every turn, and did a good job of appearing determined, but not overly aggressive.

Maxwell, meanwhile, continued to keep on his near-robotic routine message: Nate Singer is a career politician, and can't be trusted. It's almost Zen how much Maxwell repeats that. He also continued his drumbeat of social conservatism, stating that he was the man to "restore integrity to the Governor's Mansion, and God to our political system."

Both men got in good lines. Singer's best was when Maxwell was asked what his plans were for the state's debt issues. Maxwell's answer was bland and noncommittal, but Singer jumped on that question for a dunk: "Because he doesn't have an answer, he doesn't have a plan. Brad Maxwell's plan seems to be that if he's diffuse enough, beats the drum to say that I'm a bad guy enough, says the right things, and looks good, he'll coast into the Governor's Mansion. A lot of Republicans across the nation are saying that Democrats aren't worthy of running their states, but they aren't saying why. I've got a plan for moving South Carolina forward, I have a vision of where I want my state to go. All Mr. Maxwell has is empty words."

Maxwell would not take that lying down, as only a few short minutes later, he struck back. "Nate Singer says he has a plan, well, he was saying that when he was Chief of Staff to Matt Santos-And look how well that turned out. This is a man who has spent most of his career in Washington, and now that he's been turned out of that town by a real President, he's come crawling back, trying to sell this fantasy of a plan! We don't need plans Mr. Singer, we need a moral leader in the Governor's Mansion, and that, quite frankly, is not you."

The nastiness evident in those exchanges was clear. To see the normally calm, buddy-buddy Maxwell go even more on the offensive, well, that shows how serious this is getting.

I say that Singer won, simply because he did have fairly detailed answers on his plans for the state, though with a State Legislature firmly in Republican control, if Singer were elected, it would remain uncertain of how much he would be able to execute those plans. Maxwell, meanwhile, held himself well, and will be able to keep this race close.

Well, that's it for now. I'm off to bed, and will post a more detailed account later. Then, it's off to Oregon on Sunday.