Good morning folks, In his “Against the Grain” National Journal column, Josh Kraushaar compares Harry Reid’s summer to that of National’s outfielder Bryce Harper (for non-baseball nerds, speculation swirled late last week that the once slugging young outfielder would be sent to the minor leagues after a disastrous season). Let’s be honest, while Harper is likely to heat up this fall, Harry Reid’s prolonged slump might cost Democrats their Senate Majority. Kraushaar writes, “For all the internal Republican Party divisions, the GOP’s party committees and allied outside groups have overcome their biggest challenge entering the year. They’ve successfully navigated incumbents and favored Senate candidates through difficult primaries, avoiding the specter of terminally weak candidates emerging in battleground races. The same can’t be said for Democrats, who frittered away opportunities in South Dakota and Montana because of internal conflicts and botched maneuvering. Meanwhile, Democratic attempts to intervene in Republican Senate primaries haven’t worked, depriving several Democrats of the chance to run against weak challengers. Reid’s fingerprints are over all those moves, with his majority on the line.” A list of major errors Reid has made this cycle: In Montana, Reid helped engineer Max Baucus’s appointment to become U.S. ambassador to China so John Walsh could boost his stature in the Senate. To put it mildly, that backfired. In South Dakota, the contentious, fractured relationship between Tom Daschle and Harry Reid came back to haunt Democrats. Reid tried and failed to convince former Daschle aide Rick Weiland to drop out of the race, failed, and proceeded to criticize his own party’s candidate even after he locked up the nomination. In North Carolina, Reid’s Super PAC, Majority PAC, tried to meddle in the Republican primary, spending $2.5 million to viciously and falsely attack Thom Tillis. Tillis immediately called out Harry Reid, the Majority PAC attack failed, and Tillis won the primary outright – an outcome that the DSCC insisted throughout 2013 would be impossible. Tillis now leads embattled Kay Hagan, and just yesterday WFAE in Charlotte reported that, “it doesn’t take much to sense that this is more a lean-GOP race for the U.S. Senate than rather a coin toss.” In Alaska, Reid’s Majority PAC established a front group called “Put Alaska First” so that it could “secretly” funnel millions into the state. Thus far, close to $5 million of Reid’s money has made its way into the state. National Journal reports the entire purpose of the money is, “attacking GOP Senate front-runner Dan Sullivan in hopes of wounding him, but he remains favored to win the GOP primary later this month.” In Washington D.C., Reid committed his biggest blunder of all in his disastrous management of the Senate floor. Voters are sick and tired of dysfunction in Washington and at the center of it lies Harry Reid’s incompetent management of the Senate. Reid, who refuses to allow amendments or actual debate in the Senate, is the main contributor of gridlock and endless partisanship in Washington. Democratic Senators are desperately trying to separate themselves from an increasingly unpopular President Obama. Their problem? Over the last five years, Reid has used the Senate floor for one single purpose: Implementation of the Obama agenda. NOTHING else comes up for a vote. As a result, The Marks (Begich, Pryor, Udall, Warner), Kay Hagan, and Mary Landrieu have nothing to run on beyond the Obama agenda. By all accounts, Republicans are well positioned to win a Senate majority in November. It’s very possible that Republicans can net more than ten seats and add four new women into our caucus. When that happens, we’ll be sure to remember to thank Harry Reid. Seize the day, Brad Dayspring @BDayspring Brook Hougesen @Brook_H 2014 BATTLEGROUND SONAR (COLORADO) NEW NRSC SPANISH AD: “Hurting Families” “For working families in Colorado, each time it’s harder to make ends meet for food, gasoline, and to give our kids the opportunities they deserve,” a narrator says in the ad. “Sen. Mark Udall isn’t helping us. His energy policies hurt jobs that pay well and that we need. He voted against the Keystone pipeline. That’s a vote against jobs and Colorado families.” Rep. Cory Gardner visits Granby Library on campaign trail AFP New Ad: “Unaffordable – Mark Udall’s ObamaCare Record” Steyer in Aspen: 2014 focus is on turning out climate change voters (MINNESOTA) McFadden Wins Minn. GOP Senate Primary, Minnesota Now The Sleeper Race of 2014 Businessman Mike McFadden has won Minnesota’s Republican Senate primary and will take on Sen. Al Franken in November. McFadden defeated retiring state Rep. Jim Abeler and several lesser-known candidates in Tuesday’s primary. A political newcomer, McFadden was the front-runner after he was endorsed at the party convention in April. He argued he was the only candidate who could raise enough money to beat Franken. He criticized the first-term senator as being too close to Obama and for his support of the president’s health care overhaul. NRSC Chairman Moran Congratulates McFadden on Primary Victory McFadden To Franken: Your Time Of Supporting President Obama’s Agenda Is About To Come To An End (LOUISIANA) Sen. Mary Landrieu’s campaign flight was charged to taxpayers CNN has learned that the vulnerable Louisiana Democrat used government money to charter a private plane to travel to a campaign fundraiser, in violation of federal law. Landrieu spent more than $3,200 in taxpayer money to fly 400 miles round trip from New Orleans to Lake Charles, Louisiana, where she attended a $40-per person fundraising lunch with hundreds of women, according to Senate records and Landrieu campaign information. It is illegal to spend government money campaigning. BRUTAL LOCAL COVERAGE: WVLA (Baton Rouge): Landrieu “In Trouble With The Law” After Billing Taxpayers For Campaign Travel WWL (New Orleans): Landrieu Used Public Money For Campaign Travel KATC (Lafayette): Landrieu Used Taxpayer Money To Travel To Fundraiser KNOE (Monroe): Landrieu Violated Federal Law To Travel To Fundraiser WBRZ (Baton Rouge): Landrieu’s “Political Oops” For Using Taxpayer Money For Campaign Travel Cassidy Campaign Calls on Senator Landrieu to Explain, Apologize for Reportedly Illegal Travel Expenditures (KENTUCKY) McConnell to campaign in western Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell will have campaign stops in five western Kentucky counties on Wednesday. The Senate minority leader will hold events in Ohio, Muhlenberg, Hopkins, Henderson and Union counties. The stops in Muhlenberg and Hopkins counties will feature fellow Republican Sen. Rand Paul. McConnell has represented Kentucky for nearly 30 years in the U.S. Senate. But he is facing the toughest re-election campaign of his career against Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes. Libertarian candidate David Patterson is also on the ballot. McConnell pushing for passage of bill to speed rape investigations (MICHIGAN) Gary Peters Backed Obamacare Loopholes for Illegal Immigrants Michigan Democrat Gary Peters assured voters that illegal immigrants would not be eligible for Obamacare, but later supported the loophole that is now allowing young illegal immigrants to enroll in the program. Peters told members of the National Council of Jewish Women that illegal immigrants would be excluded from government-sponsored insurance coverage as the public debated Affordable Care Act, according to the Detroit Free Press. The congressman’s public statements, however, differ from his voting record on illegal immigration and healthcare. (IOWA) New Ernst ad stresses her service as soldier With less than three months now before the November election, the barrage of campaign advertising for Iowa’s U.S Senate race continues, but this week it’s the two candidates rather than outside groups using Iowa’s broadcast space, trying to influence voters. This morning Republican Joni Ernst releases a biographical ad, focused on her two decades of service in the Iowa National Guard. NEW Ernst Ad: Service In Iowa Senate Race, Joni Ernst Appeals to the Farmers FLASHBACK: Braley Badgers Witness Over Advanced Degrees (MONTANA) Facing long odds, Democrats look to appoint Montana’s Senate successor A pair of state lawmakers and a bank-regulator-turned-rancher are set to square off Saturday in a special nominating convention to replace embattled U.S. Sen. John Walsh (D-Mont.) as the party’s nominee this November. The convention comes after Walsh dropped his bid last week to retain the seat after allegations that he had plagiarized parts of a 2007 paper he submitted for an advanced degree at the U.S. Army War College. Democrats have an uphill climb to retain of control of the seat held by longtime Sen. Max Baucus before he was tapped to become the U.S. ambassador to China. Daines hits ‘fringe environmentalists’ in ad POLLING BRIEF Associated Press Unofficial Minnesota Primary Results: Republican Senate race 4,103 of 4,106 precincts reporting (99.9%) Mike McFadden - 71.7% Jim Abeler - 14.8% David Carlson - 9.1% Patrick Munro - 2.8% Ole Savior - 1.6% ON THE TWITTERS @jimmyfallon - After spending yesterday at the beach, Obama said, “This has been fun, but I should really get back…to the golf course.” #fallonmono @EliStokols - Asked how the fundraising (goal of raising $50mil) is going, Steyer was vague but pledged “we’ll have the money we need” in 2014 #COpolitics @frates - Why did @MaryLandrieu’s Senate office pay $3,200 to charter a plane to a campaign event? My latest scoop: cnn/2014/08/12/pol… @davecatanese - . @LauraChapin The Hagan, Udall & Pryor campaigns are run by men, their pollsters are men and so are their spokespeople. @BillCassidy - Senator Landrieu’s disregard and abuse of taxpayer money is unacceptable and, reportedly, illegal. cnn/2014/08/12/politics/sen-mary-landrieu-campaign-finance/ #LASEN @AP_Politics - M
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 21:04:14 +0000