Something Went Wrong Yesterday     Permalink

Something apparently went wrong with yesterday's posting although the headlines were tweeted correctly (the build script that generates most of the site dynamically and sends it to the servers also does the tweeting) so it did run completely. Hmmm and sorry. Here it is again.

NRSC Again Supporting Miller     Permalink

The on-again, off-again relationship between NRSC chairman John Cornyn and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is off again. If this story makes you dizzy, here is the chronology:

1. Before the primary, the NRSC supported Murkowski.
2. After Joe Miller won the primary, the NRSC supported him.
3. When Miller began tanking, the NRSC dropped Miller, tacitly supporting Murkowski.
4. Now that a recount is likely, the NRSC is helping Miller again.

Chairman Cornyn clearly is a man of principles, the most important of which is that having an (R) after your name is better than having a (D) after your name. Nothing else really matters.

What's gotten into Cornyn now that Murkowski has probably won? Usually the party committees don't like to get involved in primaries for fear of betting on the wrong horse. But now that Murkowski is the likely winner, helping her opponent seems very strange. If she is ultimately reseated, she is not going to have a lot of loyalty to a Republican Party that is trying very hard to get rid of her. No doubt the Democrats will try to woo her into becoming a female Lieberman (i.e., an independent who caucuses with them). This attempt is probably not going to succeed--unless Cornyn continues to anger her by helping Miller. Murkowski is not taking any chances, however. She has formed her own legal defense fund and is raising money for the upcoming recount and court battles.

Most likely, Cornyn realizes all of this but is scared witless of the tea party. This would explain why the NRSC is raising money for Miller--not that they really want him to win, but they don't want to anger the tea party candidates who did win, including Rand Paul (R-KY), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Pat Toomey (R-PA), or their supporters. By making a pro-forma effort to support Miller (while secretly preferring Murkowski), he hopes to keep everybody more-or-less happy.

Recount Puts Altschuler Ahead of Bishop     Permalink

A recount in NY-01 has put challenger Randy Altschuler (R) ahead of Rep. Tim Bishop (D) for the time being. Bishop led by 3,500 votes initially, but now Altschuler is ahead by 392. However, the almost 10,000 absentee ballots have not yet been counted.

Vice-Presidential Dance Has Already Started     Permalink

In case anyone missed it, the 2012 presidential election began last Wednesday, but somewhat surprisingly, the race to be the Vice-Presidental nominee has already started. Politico has a story about potential Republican Veeps, featuring senator-elect Marco Rubio (R-FL) and governors-elect (if that is the correct term) John Kasich (R-OH) and Susana Martinez (R-NM). Rubio and Kasich have the advantage of being from big vote-rich states and Martinez is a woman, so any of them could help the presidential nominee. Also, Rubio and Martinez are Latinos, which might attract some votes that would otherwise have gone to the Democrats.

On the minus side, while all Rubio has to do is make the odd speech in the Senate talking about making tough choices, Kasich and Martinez actually have to make tough choices. In particular, they have to submit (balanced) budgets, which in hard times means laying people off. If they don't do a good job in the next two years, they will quickly fall out of favor.

Also, nobody on the Republican side has forgotten what a disaster Sarah Palin was in 2008. She gave interviews and made comments that clearly indicated she wasn't ready for prime time, and certainly not as the backup for a 74-year-old President who has had multiple bouts with a deadly form of cancer. In 2012, despite all the excitement about these new faces, the Republicans would probably be better served with an experienced vice presidential candidate who is indisputably up to the job.

Is Dogcatcher an Elective Office?     Permalink

A common political slur is to claim your opponent couldn't get elected "dogcatcher." It's always true, no matter who the opponent is, because "animal-control officer" (the real name of the job) is nowhere an elective office. Animal-control officers are always appointed. Furthermore, the implication that any nitwit could do the work is not true at all. Catching and euthanizing wild dogs and other animals that do not want to be caught requires specialized training in safety, procedures, and equipment. So what is the lowest-ranking elected office? Probably it is member of the town council of a small town, but saying" My opponent couldn't get elected alderman" doesn't seem as effective a slur.

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