Bucking GOP establishment in Colorado Senate race

Bucking GOP establishment in Colorado Senate race
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. — In a dingy, wood-paneled restaurant with a $9 pizza buffet, Ken Buck is waging the latest fight with a Republican Party establishment that favors Candidates with shinier political pedigrees. A group of retirees has gathered to hear Buck, a prosecutor who had little name recognition until he became a hero to Conservatives by targeting Illegal Immigrants in northeast Colorado's Weld County. For the past year, the indefatigable Buck has pitched a hard-right...

Bucking GOP establishment in Colorado Senate race
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - In a dingy, wood-paneled restaurant with a $9 pizza buffet, Ken Buck is waging the latest fight with a Republican Party establishment that favors Candidates with shinier political pedigrees. A group of retirees has gathered to hear Buck, a prosecutor who had little name recognition until he became a hero to Conservatives by targeting Illegal Immigrants in northeast Colorado's Weld County. For the past year, the indefatigable Buck has pitched a hard-right...

Elena Kagan skates through Senate panel questioning, with one embarrassing slip
Reporting from Washington — After completing two days of Testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee that was alert, thoughtful, and punctuated with flashes of wit, Elena Kagan now seems almost certain to become the nation's 112th Justice on the Supreme Court. But one minor slip — on a question about, of all things, fruits and vegetables — has given Republicans at least one chance to benefit politically from the Hearings. As she demonstrated in the two days of Testimony...

Conservatives use Pelosi as face of liberalism in campaign ads
Beware! Nancy Pelosi is a colossal tax-dollar-engorged monster who ravages small towns and must be brought down by Republican ray guns. Or at least that is what a cartoon version of the House Speaker looked like in "Attack of the 50-Foot Pelosi," a Television ad that a conservative group called Right Change aired in Pennsylvania last month. A new Web site by the National ~#~1~#~ Congressional Committee portrays her as a malevolent puppet master, yanking the strings of 10...

Chris Matthews on Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani
On October 4, MSNBC host Chris Matthews professed his neutrality in the presidential race. "I'm pretty independent, in terms of the two parties," he said. "I have been just as tough on Bill Clinton and Hillary and Rudy and the whole bunch of them." In order to ascertain whether this claim is true, Media Matters for America examined every evaluative remark Matthews made on MSNBC's Hardball during the months of September, October, and November about either Hillary Clinton or Rudy Giuliani,...

Clinton Backs Romanoff, Irks Obama
Former president Bill Clinton is wading into a Democratic Primary — against the wishes of the Obama Administration. Today in Colorado, Clinton endorsed Andrew Romanoff, the former speaker of the state House. Romanoff is challenging Sen. Michael Bennet, an Obama ally, in a heated Democratic Primary. This is the first time that Clinton has actively campaigned against an Obama-backed Candidate. Usually, he is a team player: Earlier this year, he helped out Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D., Ark.)...

In speech, Obama to argue for immigration overhaul
Washington — President Barack Obama hopes to rally new momentum behind the push for an Immigration overhaul by explaining why he thinks a comprehensive approach is the only way to fix what he and others say is a system badly in need of repair. Obama was laying out his rationale in a Speech Thursday, his first as president on the issue. Obama wasn't expected to announce any new proposals or policy changes. But feeling pressure from a range of supporters, he was aiming to jump-start the...

In speech, Obama to argue for immigration overhaul
Washington (AP) - President Barack Obama hopes to rally new momentum behind the push for an Immigration overhaul by explaining why he thinks a comprehensive approach is the only way to fix what he and others say is a system badly in need of repair. Obama was laying out his rationale in a Speech Thursday, his first as president on the issue. Obama wasn't expected to announce any new proposals or policy changes. But feeling pressure from a range of supporters, he was aiming to jump-start the...

Kentucky Senate: Paul 49%, Conway 41%
Just after his big Republican Primary win last month, Rand Paul led his Democratic opponent Jack Conway by 25 points  in Kentucky's U.S. Senate race. Now Paul's lead is down to just eight points. The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey finds the GOP nominee with support from 49% of the state's Voters while Conway earns 41% of the vote. Four percent (4%) prefer some other Candidate, and six percent (6%) are Undecided. Almost all Candidates receive a bounce following a...

SPIN METER: What happened to the Kagan standard?
Washington (AP) - Elena Kagan declined to discuss her passions, demurred when asked anything that might tip her hand on the Supreme Court and invoked her right to remain inscrutable even on cases buried in the past. In short, Kagan did her best to ensure her High Court nomination Hearing was just the kind of benign event she criticized years ago for lacking "seriousness and substance." Her dodges over two days of questioning prompted chuckles in the Senate Judiciary Committee as members,...

SPIN METER: What happened to the Kagan standard?
Washington — Elena Kagan declined to discuss her passions, demurred when asked anything that might tip her hand on the Supreme Court and invoked her right to remain inscrutable even on cases buried in the past. In short, Kagan did her best to ensure her High Court nomination Hearing was just the kind of benign event she criticized years ago for lacking "seriousness and substance." Her dodges over two days of questioning prompted chuckles in the Senate Judiciary Committee as members,...

Bill Clinton backing Romanoff in Colorado Senate race
Bill Clinton endorsed former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff's (D) Colorado Senate candidacy, a move that puts him squarely at odds with the White House, which is backing appointed Sen. Michael Bennet (D). "Andrew brings to this race both an extraordinary record of public service and an extraordinary capacity to lead," Clinton wrote in a letter distributed today. "I believe that those assets, as well as his deep commitment to Colorado, give him the best chance to hold this seat in...

Crossroads hauls in $8.5M in June
A New political group conceived by Veteran GOP operatives Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie and launched to much fanfare earlier this year had its first big Fundraising month in June, raising millions and also spawning a New partner outfit. American Crossroads, a conservative group created in March to air ads boosting Republicans, combined with a newer offshoot called American Crossroads GPS to pull in nearly $8.5 million in June, according to American Crossroads president Steven Law. “For us...

Independent agent
Maggie Haberman and I report : Bill Clinton's stunning Endorsement of an underdog insurgent running against the White House's handpicked Candidate in the Colorado senatorial Primary should be proof that whatever the public perception may be of a united front between President Barack Obama and the former president, Clinton remains very much his own man - and his own political force. Clinton's emailed Endorsement of Andrew Romanoff went a long way toward undoing the impression Clinton had given...

Poll: GOP's Buck, Dem Bennet lead in Senate race
Denver—A poll shows Republican Ken Buck and Democrat Michael Bennet with substantial leads in their Primary races for a Senate seat from Colorado. The Denver Post-KUSA TV poll released Sunday shows Buck, the Weld County DA, with 53 percent of the vote among Republicans to 37 percent for former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton. The poll shows Bennet, the Incumbent, with 53 percent and Andrew Romanoff with 36 percent among Democrats. Romanoff is a former state House Speaker. The telephone poll of...

Loophole keeps party primaries closed
Tallahassee -- Voters in a Little Havana-based district will have two choices for State Senator in November ballot: the winner of the Republican Primary and a blank line for a write-in Candidate's name. It's the same case in a Tampa Bay Senate district and in 10 House races across Florida. In both Senate races, only about two-fifths of all eligible Voters will choose the person to represent the entire district in the Legislature. ``This is yet another rule that protects politicians from the...

Chamber Backs Norton in Colorado
The United States Chamber of Commerce is backing Jane Norton for Senate in Colorado, an establishment Endorsement for a Republican Candidate trying to fend off an opponent that seems to have more conservative Grassroots appeal. In a statement released today, Bill Miller, the Chamber's political director, said Ms. Norton "has a record of standing up for the people of Colorado in these challenging economic times." "On issues ranging from competition in the Health Care industry, to...

Bill Clinton Breaks With Obama on Colo. Senate Endorsement
By Stephanie Simon In a break with his party's leaders, former President Bill Clinton has endorsed a former Colorado legislator who is pursuing an uphill battle to unseat Incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet in the Democratic Primary. Clinton on Tuesday sent out a fund-raising pitch endorsing Andrew Romanoff , the former speaker of the Colorado House. President Barack Obama and other Democratic leaders have thrown their weight behind Bennet, a novice politician who was appointed to his seat...

Six Senators to watch in Kagan confirmation
1. With a sedate day one of Elena Kagan's Supreme Court Confirmation behind us, today is expected to be a bit more lively as the question and answer phase begins. Here's six Senators on the Judiciary Committee to keep an eye on during today's proceedings: * Orrin Hatch : The Utah Republican voted to confirm Kagan as Solicitor General in 2009. But, he has also watched his Beehive State colleague Bob Bennett swept out of office last month by Conservatives unhappy with some votes they deemed...

Donald Craig Mitchell: Alaska Governor Girl's Revenge
For those of us who had a ringside seat in Alaska from which to watch it happen, Sarah Palin's take-no-prisoners rise from small Town mayor to Tabloid celebrity who moves through the hard-right circles in which she now travels like the rock star she has become has been wonderful fun. But Sarah belongs to America now and for the past year-and-a-half Alaskans have seen hardly hide nor hair of the woman. But over the next two months we may be seeing more of her because three weeks ago Sarah...

CO-Sen: President v. President in the Dem primary
In the first primary to split the current administration and the former Democratic administration, Bill Clinton makes an Endorsement . Former President Bill Clinton endorsed Democratic Grassroots underdog Senate hopeful Andrew Romanoff Tuesday, calling Colorado a better place because of his leadership in the state House. In a letter that surprised politicos nationwide, Clinton outlined Romanoff’s state legislative accomplishments, including putting together an Economic Recovery plan and...

Drudge falsely claims Biden compared GOP to Nazis
Drudge: Biden statement that Dems "will be hit with a GOP blitzkrieg" was a Nazi comparison Biden warned of "GOP blitzkrieg" in Fundraising email. The New York Daily News reported on June 30 that in a Fundraising email sent by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Biden stated, "As things heat up, you can expect House Democrats will be hit with a GOP blitzkrieg of vicious Swift-Boat-style Attack Ads, Karl Rove-inspired knockout tactics, thinly veiled attempts at character...

ACLU issues travel warnings to Arizona
Phoenix — The nation's top Civil Liberties group on Wednesday issued travel alerts for Arizona, saying the state's new Law cracking down on Illegal Immigrants could lead to Racial Profiling and warrantless arrests. American Civil Liberties Union affiliates in Arizona, New Mexico and 26 other states put out the warnings in advance of the Fourth of July weekend. The Arizona chapter has received reports that Law Enforcement officers are already targeting some people even though the Law...

Bill Clinton backs Democratic Senate challenger
Denver (AP) - Former President Bill Clinton gave a challenger to Colorado's new Democratic senator a huge boost Tuesday when he parted ways with President Barack Obama and endorsed Andrew Romanoff for the job. Romanoff, a former state lawmaker, is challenging Sen. Michael Bennet, who was appointed to the seat last year. Obama backs Bennet, a former Denver schools superintendent who advised Obama on education during the Presidential Campaign. But Clinton said in an e-mail Tuesday to Democrats...

Clinton endorses Sen. Bennet's opponent
Source: The Hill Former President Bill Clinton broke with the White House Tuesday and endorsed Sen. Michael Bennet's (D-Colo.) Primary challenger. Clinton sent out a Fundraising appeal for former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D), who's challenging Bennet in the Aug. 10th Primary. "We need Andrew's leadership in Washington -- especially now, when so many Americans are losing so much," the former president wrote in his pitch to Romanoff's supporters. "'It is not enough,' as Andrew put it...