Political Fiction Courtesy of the AP
I didn’t know that the AP had changed from a news organization into a fiction-writing company but that’s about the only explanation I can think of after reading these articles. Check out this worthless bit of ‘reporting’:
It wasn’t too long ago that Democratic leader Harry Reid mused aloud how it would take a miracle for his party to gain a 50-50 tie in the Senate, much less wrest control from Republicans this fall. No one is claiming divine intervention in the days since. Yet eight months before midterm elections, Republican incumbents in Pennsylvania, Montana, Rhode Island, Ohio and Missouri face difficult races for re-election in a noticeably more challenging political environment for the GOP.
And the early polls show a competitive campaign in Tennessee, where Majority Leader Bill Frist is retiring. “We’re feeling pretty good. If they did a snapshot today, the Senate would be 50-50,” said New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, campaign committee chairman for the Democrats.
There isn’t a serious political analyst not named Dick Morris that would buy this type of nonsense. Their quoting Schumer about how the Senate would be 50-50 if the election were held today is laughable. Eight months is several eternities in politics. If that isn’t bad enough, the fact that 5 GOP incumbents face difficult races is one thing. It isn’t like Democrats have a serious shot at sweeping those races. And hinting that Harold Ford stands a chance of winning in Tennessee is laughable these days. It wouldn’t have been laughable three years ago, before Ford became a vigorous supporter of ultra-lefty John Kerry.
Further, that’s only half the battle. Democrats retiring in Minnesota and Maryland give Republicans a strong shot at winning those seats. Mark Kennedy, who is my representative until January, has (a) lots of money in his campaign warchest and (b) is running against a lefty who’s an underperforming campaigner in Amy Klobuchar and (c) is a strong, aggressive campaigner who connects with his audiences.
Maryland will be one of the three most-watched races this year, along with the Ohio and Pennsylvania governors races. Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele is likely to face Benjamin Cardin. I’m predicting that this race is fraught with danger for Cardin. Democrats know that they made a major mistake in 2002, when Kathleen Kennedy-Townsend chose a white male for her running mate instead of an African-American candidate. This time, it appears that Democrats will pick Cardin instead of former NAACP national chairman Kweisi Mfume. Mfume is a former representative in the U.S. House and chairman of the CBC, too.
Another, less publicized thing is that Ken Mehlman’s been making frequent visits to Maryland, talking with African-Americans in a variety of settings. I’ll guarantee that minorities are noticing the difference.
Here’s more AP nonsense:
These are tough times for the Illinois Republican Party. Their former leader is on trial on corruption charges. The biggest name in the party decided not to run for governor. The people who did run are slinging mud and calling each other names like “moron.” And whoever wins the nomination for governor in Tuesday’s primary gets the pleasure of challenging an incumbent with a huge campaign fund in a Democrat-leaning state. “It’s wonderful, if you’re into abuse,” said Maureen Murphy, a member of the GOP State Central Committee.
Pretty bleak, huh? Don’t form that opinion just yet.
There is a primary on the Democratic side, too, but Blagojevich has a huge lead over challenger Edwin Eisendrath, a former Chicago alderman who has run a disorganized campaign. Still, Blagojevich could be vulnerable. Polls show that less than half the voters approve of his job performance. Prosecutors are looking closely at his administration. He has a record of giving jobs and contracts to political supporters.
That’s only half his troubles. It’s odd that the AP wouldn’t include the fact that Blagojevich has a 37% JA rating. I don’t care how Democratic leaning this state is, 37% says all isn’t well in Democratland. They might still win it but it isn’t the cakewalk that they tried portraying at the top of the article.
Cross-post at LetFreedomRing
March 18th, 2006 at 2:21 am
Want to put some money on it?
March 18th, 2006 at 9:16 am
House GOP Leader Well Traveled
House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (Ohio), who rose to power in the wake of a congressional lobb
March 18th, 2006 at 7:00 pm
For a prevericator like Reid, I wouldn’t trust anything he ever said. For Schumer, if his mouth is moving he sounds like the idiot he is.
As far a a “miracle” goes, the donkeys wouldn’t admit to any miracle, any time, because that would be admitting there is a power higher than the guvmint.
Personally, I think the donkeys will pick up one in the Senate, and maybe, just maybe three in the House (but more likely two). They are swilling their kool-aide again and acting like drunken sailors in a casino with their predictions.