Someone got their wires crossed at the DSCC this afternoon.
Earlier today, we posted a story about Vice President Joe Biden cracking a joke at the expense of Connecticut Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal. It's not the kind of story Democrats would normally be thrilled about — in fact, it's just the opposite. But for some reason the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) posted the story on their website.
The link has now been taken down, but you can see a screenshot below. We've asked the DSCC for comment and will update this post when we hear back.
Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday took an unexpected dig at Connecticut Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal (D) for misstating his military service record.
While speaking at a barbecue for wounded soldiers, he commented about veterans coming home from the Vietnam War. Biden, who has a penchant for being loquacious, veered into the Connecticut Senate race.
"I didn't serve in Vietnam. I don't want to make a Blumenthal mistake here," he said according to a pool report. "Our attorney general from Connecticut, God love him."
Later he said "I have a bad habit of saying exactly what I think."
Blumenthal became the brunt of Republican criticism after The New York Times reported he misstated his service record during the Vietnam War on several occasions.
The attorney general, who is the front-runner in the race, said he served in Vietnam and gave the impression he returned from the war and was spit upon with fellow veterans.
After receiving several deferments, Blumenthal finally enlisted in the Marine Reserves and served in Washington, D.C.
The candidate has apologized for his comments and Democrats have stood beside him, saying the criticism against him is simply his opponents blowing matters out of proportion.
Washington State Republican Dino Rossi announced his Senate candidacy Wednesday in a video posted on a new website.
"Are you angry about the trillion dollar budget deficits, the wasteful stimulus packages and the bailouts for Wall Street?" he asks in the video. Rossi then talks about "job-killing taxes and regulations" and a "partisan, ill-conceived healthcare bill." If elected, he promises to "replac[e] the Pelosi-Reid healthcare bill."
Noting his experience in the state Senate, Ross says, "I bring a set of skills and experiences that are valuable during this time of crisis."
He doesn't mention his Democratic opponent, Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), by name but rather says he's running against "an establishment that stands for the politics as usual that got us into this mess."
The video was due to be posted at 7 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, but didn't show up until later in the morning. In the meantime, Rossi's website remained focused on his real estate business, Coast Equity Partners.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee issued a memo questioning Rossi's "ethical conduct" to coincide with his announcement.
President Barack Obama flew across the country Tuesday to help an old colleague he'd once bonded with in a "foxhole."
"On every fight that needed to be fought, Barbara [Boxer] was there, standing right there next to me, and sometimes we were in a foxhole together and shots were being fired," Obama said at an evening fundraising reception in San Francisco.
"That's just a figure of speech," he added. "I don't want the Secret Service getting excited."
Ahead of the visit, Boxer called Obama and said, "I need some help," according to the president. She's expected to face a tough reelection fight against either former Rep. Tom Campbell (R-Calif.) or former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina (R).
"When it comes to Barbara Boxer, I'm a lot like many of you, which is if she calls and she says, 'I need some help,' then we’re going to give her some help, because she has helped millions of Californians and millions of Americans all across the country," Obama said, according to a White House transcript.
But with oil still spilling in the Gulf of Mexico, the final venue for the evening's three fundraisers was notable.
After two events at the Fairmont Hotel, which were expected to raise at least $1.7 million for Boxer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Obama went to an exclusive VIP dinner at the mansion of wealthy oil heir Gordon Getty and his wife, Ann, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Gordon is the son of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty. The event at his home required a $35,200 donation per couple.
Obama, who has been criticized for not taking a tougher approach with BP, will make a second trip to the Gulf region on Friday.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday gave some
advice to his state's GOP Senate candidate, Rand Paul: Avoid the
national media spotlight.
Paul had a rough week after he won the GOP nomination over Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson Tuesday night.
"My
advice to him would be to speak to the people who are going to be
actually voting in this election," McConnell said on CNN. "I think he's
said quite enough for the time being in terms of national press
coverage."
McConnell — who endorsed Grayson late in the primary — officially announced his support for Paul last week, but offered
tough advice to lower his profile.
The libertarian-minded Paul on
Wednesday questioned the legality of the portions of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which
ended sanctioned racial discrimination. On Thursday, he said President Barack Obama's criticism of oil giant BP, which is
responsible for the massive Gulf oil spill, "sounds really
un-American." Amid the fallout on Friday, Paul became only the third
guest ever to cancel an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press."
On "Meet the Press," National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) said it was right for Paul to nix his spot and spend the weekend talking to voters.
Paul is the son of libertarian Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), who ran for
president in 2008, attracting a small base of loyal supporters. His
son, an eye doctor, helped campaign for him.
The top Senate
Republican said he spoke to Paul about his view of the Civil
Rights Act. McConnell would not disclose exactly what he told the political
newcomer but he did offer a glimpse.
"I was here in the summer of
'63, when Martin Luther King gave his "I Have A Dream Speech." I
observed it," he said. "I was here as a summer intern in the office of
a Republican senator from Kentucky who helped break the filibuster
against the civil rights bill. I think it was one of the major
accomplishments of that generation. And it's something that we're all
proud of and is accepted policy in our government — in our country,
throughout our country, certainly, in 2010."
Washington State Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) knows how to run against Republican Dino Rossi.
So when she was asked at a press conference Tuesday for advice for Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), she made a quick suggestion: compare their records.
"What's he been doing since 2004? Where's he been? Talk about what she's done, talk about what he's done,” said Gregoire, who bested Rossi in gubernatorial contests in 2004 and 2008. "What has he done? He runs on 'I wrote a budget once.'"
Gregoire also defended the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's early release of opposition research against Rossi, which she called "due diligence."
"I don't think it's any less fair than him holding … 12 candidates at bay. What has been the issue that has taken him so long to make up his mind?" she said, according to the Spokane Spokesman-Review.
Rossi is expected to announce his entrance into the race on Wednesday.
The two-term governor said she wasn't concerned about her fellow Democrat. "I'm not worried for Patty because Patty's never taken anything for granted in a race."
Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) is reasserting credit for her tough derivatives amendment, which passed the Senate as part of the financial reform package last week.
Labor unions said it was their support of Lt. Gov. Bill Halter's (D) primary challenge that spurred Lincoln to shepherd the provision through the legislative process. But a new TV ad from Lincoln's campaign highlights her leadership on "Wall Street reform."
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) seized on his primary rival’s shaky historical knowledge this week. On Monday, his camp released a video of former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) saying the United States didn't declare war on Nazi Germany during the Second World War, but rather, it was vice versa.
Hayworth's incorrect statement has now made its way into a vintage-looking Web video the McCain camp released Tuesday. With the primary still months away, however, this is unlikely to linger as an issue.
Republican Dino Rossi will announce Wednesday he plans to challenge Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), according to media reports.
A Washington State GOP source confirmed that a Wednesday announcement seems "likely."
Rossi ran for governor and lost twice to Gov. Christine Gregoire (D), falling short in his intial bid by 133 votes in 2004. He lost in 2008 by a more significant, 200,000-vote margin.
In April, Rossi told The Hill he regarded Washington, D.C., as a "snake pit."
"We have four children between nine and 19, so it's not a casual decision," he said. "I do have to say that I've been to Washington D.C., six times, and I'm not eager to head back into that snake pit. But I also see the flip-side of that, about what kind of a country we’re leaving to our kids."
Rossi has trailed closely behind Murray in some recent public polls and is perceived by Democrats to be a significant threat. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has spent recent weeks combing through his business records looking for ammunition.
Minnesota-based Republican consultant Pat Shortridge has signed on to become Rossi's campaign manager, according to reports.
Meanwhile, Murray has been busy preparing for a possible challenge. She raised some $1 million in the first quarter of 2010 and ended the month of March with $5.9 million in the bank, according to her Federal Election Commission filing.
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