(NV-Sen) Sharron Angle's Downfall: REPUBLICANS

by: atdleft

Thu Sep 02, 2010 at 4:32 PM EDT

Not that long ago, the Nevada Republican Party truly was a "big tent", one that could fit the more traditional "libertarian conservatives" that once dominated, pragmatic conservatives, moderates, and others. But these days, it seems to be dominated by "Tea Party, Inc." and the radical religious right. And no one better demonstrates this better than Sharron Angle and her ascendancy in the Nevada GOP.

Perhaps this is why we're seeing more and more "Republicans for Reid" speaking out?

NV-Sen: Reid Scores GOP Endorsements, Launches First Anti-Angle Ad

by: DavidNYC

Sun Jun 13, 2010 at 11:01 PM EDT

The other boldface name newly in Reid's corner belongs to Dawn Gibbons, the estranged and soon-to-be-ex-wife of lame-duck Gov. Jim Gibbons. Dawn Gibbons, you may recall, came in third against Angle in the NV-02 GOP primary in 2006, and describes her as a tough campaigner. (Angle lost to now-Rep. Dean Heller by fewer than 500 votes.) But Gibbons says she thinks Reid is better on the economy. (She also declined to endorse Brian Sandoval, the man who beat her husband in the gubernatorial race.)

While we're on the subject of Reid's good fortune, a piece in the WSJ suggests he might be able to win this year with less than 50%. That's because there are multiple independent candidates, at least two third-party candidates, and Nevada's famous "none of these candidates" option on the ballot. Interestingly, Todd Palin-like, Angle was once a member of one of these third parties, the Independent American Party, which, according to the WSJ, "opposes gun control, illegal immigration, abortion, gay rights and 'global government'." There's probably a treasure trove of dirt on these nutters.

Meanwhile, Reid has a new ad up absolutely lacerating Angle for wanting to do away with Medicare and Social Security. And I think it even uses a clip from that gonzo Sue Lowden ad attacking Angle for her "massages-for-cons" proposal. (Relatedly, Angle surfaced in a 2007 video touting this Scientology-backed program.) No word, as per usual, on the size of the buy, though the AP says it's "airing statewide." See it for yourself:

For her part, Angle just hired Scott Brown's web consultants, hoping to recreate his sui generis success in Massachusetts - but I know I don't need to list the myriad ways in which Angle and Brown are nothing alike. She's also jetting off to Manhattan to parlay with the "Monday Meeting," a right-wing cabal of NYC plutocrats, modeled after Grover Norquist's DC-based Wednesday meetings. While I'm sure the cultural differences will be extreme, as long as Angle sticks to her plan to abolish the 16th amendment, she'll get along fine with this gang of banksters.

SSP Daily Digest: 6/4

by: Crisitunity

Thu Jun 04, 2009 at 2:45 PM EDT

• MN-Sen: Sources close to Norm Coleman are suggesting he won't appeal at the federal level if he loses his case with the Minnesota Supreme Court. Republicans still publicly say they'll try to stop any Dem efforts to seat Al Franken until Coleman has conceded or exhausted his appeals. John Cornyn has sent some mixed signals, though, saying it's "entirely" Coleman's decision whether to keep fighting and that he's "amazed that Sen. Coleman's been willing to persevere as long as he has."

• NV-Sen: Wondering why the GOP is having a hard time attracting a challenger to supposedly-vulnerable Harry Reid? Maybe it's because of his deep levels of support among much of the state's Republican establishment. The Reid camp released a list of 60 GOP endorsers, including, most prominently, soon-to-be-ex-First Lady (and former NV-02 candidate) Dawn Gibbons, Reno mayor Bob Cashell, and, in a move guaranteed to nail down the key 18-29 demographic, Wayne Newton.

• NH-Sen: Could it be that the NRSC could actually be stuck running Ovide Lamontagne against Rep. Paul Hodes? Just the very fact that the NRSC is talking to Lamontagne (a businessman whose one claim to fame is losing the 1996 governor's race to Jeanne Shaheen) with an apparently straight face should be a red flag that their top-tier possibilities (ex-Sen. John Sununu, ex-Rep. Charlie Bass) aren't looking likely.

• NY-Sen-B: Joe Biden reportedly had a sit-down earlier this week with Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who may or may not be running in the Senate primary against Kirsten Gillibrand. Presumably the meeting would contain some of the same content as Barack Obama's now-famous phone call to Rep. Steve Israel.

• OH-Sen: If a candidate falls in the woods with no one around, does he make a sound? State Rep. Tyrone Yates has been exploring the Senate race for several months, and apparently found nothing that would help him overcome Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and SoS Jennifer Brunner, as he bowed out of the race.

• NJ-Gov: Rasmussen has the first post-primary poll of the New Jersey governor's race. Chris Christie may have gotten a bit of a brief unity bounce in the wake of his primary victory, as he's up to a 51-38 edge over Jon Corzine now, as opposed to 47-38 last month. There's one spot of 'good' news, as it were, for Corzine: his approval rating is back up to 42%.

• AZ-08: Construction company executive and ex-Marine Jesse Kelly seems to be the establishment GOP's choice to go against Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in 2010. He announced endorsements from three House members: Trent Franks, Duncan Hunter, and Frank Wolf. (Not quite clear how endorsements from Hunter and Wolf help him in Arizona, though.)

• KS-01: State Senator Jim Barnett got into the race for the seat being vacated by Rep. Jerry Moran, who's running for Senate. Barnett may quickly become front-runner, based on his name recognition from being the 2006 GOP gubernatorial candidate (where he lost the state as a whole to Kathleen Sebelius, but won the dark-red 1st). He's up against a more conservative state Senator Tim Huelskamp, and Sam Brownback's former chief of staff, Rob Wasinger. The primary is the whole shooting match in this R+23 district.

• KY-01: After the purchase of "whitfieldforsenate.com" got people's attention yesterday, Rep. Ed Whitfield had to tamp that down, confirming that he's running for re-election in his R+15 House seat.

• MN-06: Even if this goes nowhere, it's great to have a GOPer doing our framing for us... attorney Chris Johnston is publicly mulling a primary challenge to (his words, on his website) "'anti-American' hurling, malaprop-spouting, 'they took me out of context'" Rep. Michele Bachmann. He confirms that he and Bachmann share "strong conservative beliefs;" he just thinks the 6th would prefer someone "who thinks before they speak."

• NH-02: Attorney Ann McLane Kuster is launching an exploratory committee to run for the open seat left behind by Rep. Paul Hodes. St. Rep. John DeJoie is already in the primary field, and they may soon be joined by Katrina Swett.

• NY-03: Dems are scoping out potential candidates in Long Island's NY-03 (which fell to R+4 in the wake of 2008), thinking that even if Rep. Peter King doesn't vacate to run for Senate he's still vulnerable. The biggest fish would be Nassau Co. Exec Tom Suozzi, who seems to have bigger fish to fry (reportedly AG if Andrew Cuomo vacates). The next-biggest fish would Nassau Co. DA Kathleen Rice. Smaller fish listed include Isobel Coleman of the Council of Foreign Relations, and minor league baseball team owner Frank Boulton.

• NH-Legislature: It took a rewrite of a couple sentences that Gov. John Lynch didn't like, but after a few weeks of back-and-forth New Hampshire finally enacted gay marriage. Both chambers passed the amended bill yesterday (clearing the House 198-176) and Lynch signed it into law on the same day.