Campaign

Seven Senate races are now not only within the margin of error but within one to two points or tied — in Illinois, Washington state, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, California, Nevada and Colorado. House races are tightening as well. And now there is news that early voting shows Democrats are not glued to the couch throwing food at the television set, unenthusiastic or unwilling to vote. They are actually turning out. The Associated Press said the early Democratic turnout gives the party "the edge in many states and big counties." 
 
Republicans are inches from huge victories, and they know they can't blow it. But just in time for Election Day, the controversial figures on the GOP team are making headlines.

Across America, every evening as families gather for dinner or around the television to watch “American Idol” or catch up on the day’s events, they are bombarded with political ads, automatic phone calls, direct mail pieces and other political paraphernalia aimed at influencing how they will vote come Nov. 2.
 
With more “seats” in play than ever before and control of Congress up for grabs, this political season is among the most contentious and controversial election years in history. Read more...

Sharron Angle, the professional political candidate and extremist in Nevada, who has spent much of the last decade running for office as a career politician, has reached a new low with her insults toward Hispanic voters.

Angle's recent comments about what Hispanics look like were strange and bizarre, but they were not even the worst of Angle's insults, in this case toward Hispanics.

What is with the GOP Senate candidates this year? Do they not understand, or have they ever even read, the U.S. Constitution?

Most of them robotically follow the Tea Party playbook on messaging — using the same talking points across the country. You could be with Sharron Angle at a militia confab in northern Nevada or with Tom Tancredo at a mock-border rally in Colorado, and you’ll hear the same exact talking points spouted from their angry lips: “Take back the government,” “Reduce spending on programs for illegals,” “Abolish the Department of Education,” “Show me the birth certificate!” and my personal favorite, “Get back to the ideals of our Founding Fathers and protect the Constitution!”

You know the Democrats are in trouble when Steny Hoyer hits the airwaves in his campaign to retain his seat in Congress. Hoyer, whose seat was generously drawn for him by Maryland Senate President Mike Miller, usually uses his campaign largesse to benefit his Democratic Party colleagues with little thought of himself.

That changed due to an aggressive campaign by first-time candidate Charles Lollar, who is making inroads into previous Hoyer strongholds in Charles, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s counties.

On Sunday morning, California GOP Senate hopeful Carly Fiorina joined Chris Wallace, host of “Fox News Sunday,” for what should have been a friendly interview. Instead, it was a train wreck.

Wallace started his questioning by explaining that an extension of all the George W. Bush-era tax cuts would increase the federal debt by $4 trillion over the next decade. He then pressed Fiorina to explain what specific areas of the federal budget she would cut in order to close the budget gap. Over and over, she repeated her desire to balance the budget, but she failed to detail any cuts. Instead, she emphasized closing the budget gap by addressing the “waste, inefficiency and fraud” in Washington.

When they send their best people after you — Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin and David Letterman — and it turns out they’re all stand-up comics, the age has turned. Even Lady Gaga can’t help. Or that guy who sells Chevy trucks at NFL games who they want to be senator. Get it? Because he drives a truck. Like Scott Brown. So in that regard it is not the most important thing that conservatives win every race in November — against Barney Frank, Barbara Boxer — but engage long-term the turning ahead. Because this is not a typical political turning. This is different.

By all accounts, Sharron Angle beat Harry Reid like a scalded dog last night in their first debate. Coming after news that Angle raised close to $15 million for her campaign in the last election, her improbable campaign is looking more and more like a winner.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that the face of the GOP has changed dramatically since Sarah Palin ran as John McCain’s running mate. The stars of the party are no longer conservative, bespectacled, balding white guys. The stars of the party have distinctly more feminine features.

Watching Harry Reid and Sharron Angle debate for an hour, what became most clear is that as Reid ticked off the things he has done for Nevadans, Angle responded that senators should not be doing things for the folks back home.

While Reid fought for thousands of jobs at City Center and Harrah’s and a long list of other projects, Angle says it is not the job of the senator to fight for jobs. This is incredible.