The Washington Monthly

November 27, 2009

FRIDAY'S CAMPAIGN ROUND-UP.... Today's installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn't generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers.

* James Bopp Jr. is defending his "purity test" for Republican candidates seeking RNC support in the 2010 elections. He called it an "effective way to regain trust with conservative voters that has been undermined" by G.O.P. financial support for "liberal Republican ticket-switchers."

* Now that Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman appears to be done conceding and unconceding, he's made it clear that he will seek a re-match in New York's 23rd next year.

* Another poll shows Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard (D) looking very strong against incumbent Gov. Jan Brewer (R) in a hypothetical match-up, 47% to 28%.

* After his surprisingly strong showing in the city's recent mayoral race, New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. (D) is weighing a variety of possible races next year, including a possible primary campaign against appointed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

* Nevada's gubernatorial race remains rather unpredictable at this point. If Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman runs as an independent, a Nevada News Bureau poll shows Bush-appointed federal judge Brian Sandoval (R) leading a three-way contest.

* "Draft Dick Cheney 2012" got to work today. Good luck with that.

* A right-wing group called Tea Party Nation will host the "First National Tea Party Convention" in Nashville in early February. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) will be a featured speaker, and Sarah Palin will serve as keynote speaker.

* Palin has raised the notion of running on a national ticket with Glenn Beck. The Fox News personality suggested he wouldn't be interested, because the half-term governor would always be "yapping" from "the kitchen."

—Steve Benen 12:00 PM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (14)

Comments

Looks like the Republican 'purity test' could deprive them of one of their most promising oppotunities to pick up a Senate seat next year. I understand Delaware Congressmen (and former governor) Mike Castle gets a failing grade.

Posted by: dcsusie on November 27, 2009 at 12:18 PM | PERMALINK

Shouldn't that be "Draft Draft-Dodger Dick Cheney 2012?" Or "Serve Chicken Hawk Dick Cheney 2012?"

Posted by: slappy magoo on November 27, 2009 at 12:42 PM | PERMALINK

Draft Dick Cheney? I'm sure they could use some chicken-hawk flavored cannon fodder over there in Afghanistan. I'm good with that.

Posted by: Peter G on November 27, 2009 at 12:43 PM | PERMALINK

Does this mean Hoffman may actually move to the NY 23rd?

Posted by: artsmith on November 27, 2009 at 1:02 PM | PERMALINK

Palin will back out of being keynoter about 2 days before the Tea Party Convention. (She'll be yapping in the kitchen at Beck.)

Posted by: SocraticGadfly on November 27, 2009 at 1:17 PM | PERMALINK

Palin has raised the notion of running on a national ticket with Glenn Beck. The Fox News personality suggested he wouldn't be interested, because the half-term governor would always be "yapping" from "the kitchen."

What are the odds that Palin will complain about the sexism of this remark the same way she went ballistic over the Newsweek cover? I say it's at least 100 to 1 against.

Posted by: Mnemosyne on November 27, 2009 at 1:19 PM | PERMALINK

Sarah Palin -- the "Etch-a-Sketch" candidate, where any position can be erased with a simple shake of the machine. I wouldn't count on her showing up for anything, teagaggers!

Posted by: Ed Drone on November 27, 2009 at 1:48 PM | PERMALINK

Draft Cheney 2012 is the brainchild of Christopher Barron, founder of GOProud, the far-right alternative to the Log Cabin Republicans. I can't see too many Dick lovers hopping on that bandwagon.

Posted by: Roger Ailes on November 27, 2009 at 2:10 PM | PERMALINK

Two six years old playing house...

But Glenn, just think how good the kissing would be....

Posted by: Cantankerous liberal on November 27, 2009 at 2:17 PM | PERMALINK

they will never be able to draft cheney. he has more experience evading drafts then any person alive.

Posted by: con brio on November 27, 2009 at 2:25 PM | PERMALINK

If Bill Thompson thinks his 'surprising showing' had anything to do with him, he's gonna have reality comin' along side his head pretty damn fast. He ran a wretched, in fact, an almost invisible, campaign (I think I saw one commercial and one flyer from him here in Brooklyn), and almost his entire vote was anti-Bloomberg, not pro-Thompson. Union support helped him a little, and maybe a small racial component, but mostly it was the fact that any NY Mayor makes a lot of enemies after 8 years -- even one as (comparatively) good as Bloomberg has been. there was resentment of Bloomberg's getting rid of term limits to run again (mostly from Democrats who had previously -- and rightly -- opposed term limits) and the 'down-ballot' candidates, particularly "Big Bill" de Blassio (for Public Advocate) ran strong campaigns.

But I'd bet if you asked twenty New Yorkers on the street who ran against Bloomberg, maybe two would even remember the guy's name. At best, "That black guy, used to be Comptroller or something."

Posted by: Prup (aka Jim Benton) on November 27, 2009 at 2:27 PM | PERMALINK

God damn Dick Cheney's shit-filled soul to hell.

Posted by: neill on November 27, 2009 at 3:59 PM | PERMALINK

I heard someone compare Palin and the Tea Partiers with Perot. Not even close. The Tea Party is basically laser-focused stupidity and bigotry. Try as you might, you won't find anything of substance there. They don't even understand that which they hate. Perot ad a real populist point; I am still not sure the world of NAFTA was a good thing. If anything, Palin is the anti-Perot, hoping to build sweatshops cheaply in a minimum wage-free America.

Posted by: Sparko on November 27, 2009 at 4:50 PM | PERMALINK

"Draft Dick Cheney 2012"

Are his cardiologists up to the job?

Posted by: bob h on November 28, 2009 at 7:00 AM | PERMALINK