Help Jim Martin Win In Georgia!

The December 2nd run-off for the US Senate seat in Georgia is coming down to the wire. Democrat Jim Martin is in a tight race to unseat incumbent Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss. The outcome of this race is critical to the Democrats' hopes of winning sixty seats in the Senate. 

ElectBlue urges all of our readers to pitch in and help Martin win. No matter where you live, you can make phone calls to Georgia voters by clicking here and signing up to help. You can also make a financial contribution to the Martin campaign by clicking here.

Let's help Jim Martin win!

President-Elect Obama's Weekly Radio/YouTube Address

President-elect Obama delivers his weekly radio/YouTube address to the nation today (Thanksgiving Day) rather than in the usual Saturday morning time slot:

Happy Thanksgiving From ElectBlue!

We at ElectBlue hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Exactly the right tone for this holiday season is struck by the President-elect and his family as they volunteered earlier today at a Chicago food bank for the less fortunate.

Now that is leadership we can believe in!

Gallup: Confidence in President-elect Obama Remains Sky High

Three weeks out from the election, in the midst of the worst economic crisis in eighty years and with a transition team working at warp speed, President-elect Obama maintains an extraordinary level of support from the American people. 

In spite of unprecedented media coverage of the transition and the fastest-paced naming of important staff and cabinet members in history, the President-elect enjoys wide-ranging support from nearly two-thirds of Americans. 

The latest Gallup poll shows that 65% of those surveyed indicated confidence that Obama will be a good or great President. Only 28% of those questioned expressed a lack of confidence in the President-elect's ability to do a good job. 

These numbers, a three-day rolling average ending yesterday, are unchanged from the day after his election.

2010: US Senate Races

CLICK HERE FOR UPDATED 2010 US SENATE RACE PROJECTIONS

706 days until the 2010 election. Who's ready for some polling data?

For those who just can't wait, here's a list of the 34 Class III Senators who are up for reelection in 2010 (2004 vote % to the right). There will also be one special election in Delaware where Tim Kaufman has opened the door for Beau Biden by indicating that he will not run in '10. Delaware Governor, Ruth Minner, appointed Kaufman (Joe Biden's replacement) as the nation's newest Senator yesterday.

Democrats will have the upper hand once again in 2010 and already have a few Republicans in their crosshairs. Martinez (FL), Vitter (LA) and Bunning (KY) all look vulnerable (especially Martinez). Kansas, believe it or not, could also become a target for Democrats if Governor Kathleen Sebelius runs for that open seat.

ElectBlue will continue to monitor these races and update you as information becomes available..even if it is only 2008.

REPUBLICANS (19)
Bennett, Robert F. (R-UT) - 69%
Bond, Christopher S. (R-MO) - 56%
Brownback, Sam (R-KS) - 69% (retiring) 
Bunning, Jim (R-KY) - 51% (expect many contenders during the  Democratic primary)
Burr, Richard (R-NC) - 52% (following Dole's footsteps?)
Coburn, Tom (R-OK) - 53%
Crapo, Mike (R-ID) - 99%
DeMint, Jim (R-SC) - 54%
Grassley, Chuck (R-IA) - 70% (Grassley is 77 years old. Retiring? Vilsack? He's not in running for Ag. Sec.)
Gregg, Judd (R-NH) - 66%
Isakson, Johnny (R-GA) - 58%

Martinez, Mel (R-FL) - 50% (A Bushy  with very low approval numbers)

**Martinez update 12/2/08 - *Won't run in 2010* *Jeb Bush considering?*

McCain, John (R-AZ) - 77% (appears safe now with Gov. Napolitano out of the mix)
Murkowski, Lisa (R-AK) - 49% (safe for GOP, even if convicted of multiple felonies)
Shelby, Richard C. (R-AL) - 68%
Specter, Arlen (R-PA) - 53% (retiring? Chris Matthews?)
Thune, John (R-SD) - 51%
Vitter, David (R-LA) - 51% (good strategy - female opponent ?)
Voinovich, George V. (R-OH) - 64% (Mike DeWine?)

DEMOCRATS (16)

Bayh, Evan (D-IN) - 62%

Boxer, Barbara (D-CA) - 58% (vs. Schwarzenegger?)
Dodd, Christopher J. (D-CT) -66%
Dorgan, Byron L. (D-ND)
Feingold, Russell D. (D-WI)
Inouye, Daniel K. (D-HI) - 76% (will be 86 in 2010. Gov Linda Lingle?)

Kaufman, Tim (D-DE) - appointed 2008 (special election to fill rest of term)
Leahy, Patrick J. (D-VT)
Lincoln, Blanche L. (D-AR) - 56%
Mikulski, Barbara A. (D-MD) - 65%
Murray, Patty (D-WA)
? Barack Obama's replacement ? (D-IL) - 70%
Reid, Harry (D-NV)
Salazar, Ken (D-CO) - 51%
Schumer, Charles E. (D-NY)
Wyden, Ron (D-OR)

Status of Forces: A Mutually Agreed To Agreement

Only a few days after President Bush admitted making a mistake in 2003 by claiming "Mission Accomplished," White House Press Secretary, Dana Perino, cited the approval of a new security agreement between the US and Iraq as a reason to celebrate.

"This is a mutually agreed to agreement (sic). And that is one of the things that is different about an arbitrary date for withdrawal, when you want -- when you say you're going to leave, win or lose. We believe that the conditions are such now that we are able to celebrate the victory that we've had so far, and establish both a strategic framework agreement, which is a much broader document and talks about all sorts of cooperation that we'll have with Iraq from here on out -- from trade and health care and exchanges on science, and a real strong bilateral agreement that you would hope we would have with any of our allies."

Is this the English translation?  The mutually agreed to agreement?  This as opposed to the unilaterally unagreed to agreement or the agreed to non-agreement? But are we surprised? These are the same people who brought us the Iraq War (WMD and links to al-Qaeda).

The proposed Status of Forces Agreement is not a done deal yet.  The Iraqi Parliament will vote on the agreement next week on whether or not to set a firm deadline for American troop withdraw by December 2011 as well as place restrictions on the US military and their location within the country. A U.N. resolution which expires on December 31st would make it illegal for American soldiers to occupy Iraq unless the Parliament ratifies the deal.

Not everyone is happy about the proposal however. Thousands of Moqtada al-Sadr followers rallied in the streets of Baghdad yesterday protesting the new agreement, calling it a "surrender to American interests." Some were seen holding signs that read, "No, no to the agreement of humiliation." The protesters also stomped and burned an effigy of President Bush in Firdos Square(top picture below), the same location where American soldiers toppled the statue of Saddam Hussein five years ago (bottom picture).

So much for celebrating the victory, right? Not that Bush would take advice from anyone, but maybe he should have listened to Petraeus when he said this back in September. 

President-Elect Obama's Weekly Address

Here you go. President-elect Obama's weekly radio/YouTube address.

Details of Gore Effort on Behalf of GA's Jim Martin

As we reported earlier this week, former Vice-President Al Gore will appear in Atlanta on Sunday, November 23rd, to boost the US Senate campaign of Democrat Jim Martin.  Gore will host a fundraiser at Atlanta's Mason-Murer Fine Arts Auditorium from 7pm to 9pm Sunday evening. 

Martin is facing incumbent Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss in a run-off election on December 2nd. Early voting for this election is already under way. Voter turnout, always important, is seen by most observers as particularly critical in this run-off. 

The run-off election for the US Senate seat was mandated by Georgia law when neither candidate got more than 50% of the votes in the general election on November 4th.

Israeli President: Obama Gives Peace A Chance

In an interview today with The Times of London, Israeli President - and former Prime Minister - Shimon Peres says that the election of Barack Obama brings a "chance" of diplomatic dialogue between the Jewish state and its arch-enemy Iran. Peres believes that moving Iran away from its implacable hostility to Israel is critical to eventually securing an overall settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Although the office of Israeli President is largely ceremonial, Mr. Peres is one of Israel's most senior statesmen and is widely respected across the country's broad ideological spectrum. His views on foreign policy issues in particular carry a lot of weight in Israel and around the world. Mr. Peres won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994.

Peres indicated that he believes the President-elect can bring the vehemently anti-Israeli government of Iranian mullahs to the negotiating table provided that Mr. Obama can garner sufficient support from the broader international community. A key factor in getting Iran into productive and meaningful talks about the future of the Middle East, according to Peres, will the "new politial climate" created by Barack Obama's election to the US Presidency. Economic issues, particularly the falling price of oil, will also provide more incentive for Iran to get serious about assuming a more responsible role in international relations. 

"If there will be a united policy on Iran and there is a new [lower] price for oil then Iran will have to come to terms with a proportionate reality of our times," said President Peres.

From your lips to God's ears, Mr. President!

Hillary Clinton: "Keep Going"

It's been more than two months already since Hillary spoke these words at the convention. Allow me to reminisce this unforgettable moment.

Cymru Am Byth: Wales Forever!

Metro Nashville Councilman Eric Crafton, Mr. English-Only himself, would most likely not be happy with this bit of news from the European Union. Today, Welsh became the twenty-second tongue to be recognized by the EU as one of its co-official, or minority, languages. 

Such recognition confers mostly symbolic status on the ancient language while enabling some business and governmental transactions to be legally conducted in Welsh. The Welsh language is part of the larger family of Celtic tongues which includes Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic and Breton. It has a rich literary and historic tradition, including a strong association with the legendary tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Welsh is currently the mother tongue of more than 600,000 people, most of them living in the British principality of Wales. I guess the 'English-only' advocates in Wales have failed completely as the entire area has been under English rule since the Middle Ages. Mr. Crafton's peculiarly monolithic notion of cultural and linguistic exclusion just never took hold in Merry Olde England. A good thing, that.

Several million Americans, many of them in the South, can trace at least some Welsh ancestry in their backgrounds. Interestingly, the most common surname in the US, Jones, is of Welsh origin. Six hundred thousand people, by the way, is slightly more than the current population of Davidson County. 

h/t: Agence France-Presse 

Losing Their Minds - Republican Anti-Intellectualism

A brilliant piece today in The Economist points out one glaring reason why Republicans were kicked to the curb in 2008.  

"There are any number of reasons for the Republican Party’s defeat on November 4th. But high on the list is the fact that the party lost the battle for brains. Barack Obama won college graduates by two points, a group that George Bush won by six points four years ago. He won voters with postgraduate degrees by 18 points. And he won voters with a household income of more than $200,000—many of whom will get thumped by his tax increases—by six points. John McCain did best among uneducated voters in Appalachia and the South."

Of course, it's difficult to have this discussion without pointing out McCain's choice for VP and her credentials.

"Mr McCain, once the chattering classes’ favourite Republican, refused to grapple with the intricacies of the financial meltdown, preferring instead to look for cartoonish villains. And in a desperate attempt to serve boob bait to Bubba, he appointed Sarah Palin to his ticket, a woman who took five years to get a degree in journalism, and who was apparently unaware of some of the most rudimentary facts about international politics."

What follows here reminds me of what Christine Todd Whitman wrote a few days ago when she openly admitted that her party is being held hostage by a group of "social fundamentalists." The Economist piece goes on to say:

"Why is this happening? One reason is that conservative brawn has lost patience with brains of all kinds, conservative or liberal. Many conservatives—particularly lower-income ones—are consumed with elemental fury about everything from immigration to liberal do-gooders. They take their opinions from talk-radio hosts such as Rush Limbaugh and the deeply unsubtle Sean Hannity. And they regard Mrs Palin’s apparent ignorance not as a problem but as a badge of honour."

Moderate, pro-intelligent Republicans have a fight on their hands. I'm afraid they're going to lose the battle against a highly enthused, zealous (sometimes paranoid) group of nuts to their far right. They don't give up easy (and they're buying up all the guns).  The fight is on in the Republican party. It's the traditionalists who believe the party will win elections in the future by taking a step to the right versus reformers, like Todd Whitman, urging the party to "end its self-imposed captivity to social fundamentalists."

The crash of the GOP wasn't hard to predict after eight years Bush incompetence, fueled by GOP control for most of Bush's term. Republicans obviously need CHANGE they can believe in too; although I doubt they will stand up to the neo-cons who've been driving the party. I stand by my words from October.

"Republicans need change they can believe in too. They won't find it anytime soon with leaders like John McCain and George Bush who have made a smoldering ruin of the Grand Old Party. Until new leadership emerges and rejects the lunatics who can be heard every day on the radio and television, they will continue to marginalize themselves out of major party politics."

No Harmony in Music City

On the heels of their most crushing election defeat since Reconstruction, you'd think that the (few) Tennessee Democrats remaining in elective office would try to make nice -- at least to each other, at least in public. 

Think again. 

Both Sean Braisted and The Nashville Scene's Jeff Woods are reporting that Democratic Governor Phil Bredesen is letting it be known that he doesn't trust TN State Representative Gary Odom (D-Nashville). Odom is fighting to retain a key leadership position (which will now be Minority Leader) of the Volunteer State's House Democratic caucus. Bredesen is seen as a supporter of soon-to-be-former Houser Speaker Jimmy Naifeh (D-Covington) for the Minority Leader job since Naifeh will lose his Speaker of the House position when the GOP takes control in January.

News of this discord came to light in a story by the Associated Press, citing emails from the governor's office expressing "trust issues" with Odom. Sending an email to the AP was a sure-fire way to keep the dispute out of the public eye - not!  Bredesen and Odom apparently have long standing bad blood between them, dating back to the days when both served in Nashville's Metro Government.

Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way, but having a public food fight between Tennessee's Democratic Governor and a top-ranking Democrat in the state legislature just doesn't seem like a good plan.

Update (Nov.21): According to The Nashville Tennessean, State Rep. Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley) will challenge Odom for the Minority Leader post. Fitzhugh appears to have the support of Gov. Bredesen. Rep. Naifeh's plans, if any, for a leadership position in the new TN House are unclear at this point.

h/t: PostPolitics

What the GOP is Selling, Americans Aren't Buying

A brand new poll from Gallup indicates that public approval of the Republican Party is at an all-time low. Worse yet, Americans now give the GOP the highest disapproval rating since Gallup began measuring that number over fifteen years ago.

When asked if they have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of the Republican Party, only 34% indicated their approval while a stunning 61% of those surveyed said they disapprove of the GOP.

These numbers represent a significant deterioration in the party's position from a similar survey conducted as recently as mid-October.  That poll found that the Republicans' approval rating was 40% and its disapproval mark was 53%. Bad, meet worse. 

The survey, released today, was conducted November 13-16. The numbers present a daunting challenge for Republican leaders trying to figure out how to recover and rebuild from their huge losses in the general election less than three weeks ago. 

Clearly, it won't be an easy task.

Gallup: Overwhelming Majority of Americans Support Madame Secretary

According to a newly-released Gallup Poll, an overwhelming majority of Americans like the idea of Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) becoming the next Secretary of State. 

In the survey conducted on November 18th, some 57% of those questioned indicated they favor the idea of Clinton serving as President-elect Obama's top diplomat. 

Only 30% said they opposed the notion of the junior Senator from New York being in charge of the State Department.

Looks like Hillary has a big green light from the American people!