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13 Nov 2010 11:42

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Politics: Heath Shuler: Terrible quarterback, but Pelosi’s worst nightmare?

  • At this point, no one has come forward, no one in leadership for a long time. It will be very tough. It is probably a race we can’t win. But we need a moderate voice in the Democratic Party.
  • Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Heath Shuler • Suggesting he might challenge Nancy Pelosi for the House leadership. Shuler, known as much for being conservative on social issues as he is for his mediocre NFL career, has been one of Pelosi’s strongest critics in the wake of her planned run for House Minority Leader. Shuler would be an interesting wrench in the whole House Leadership mess, and we bet he’d get a bunch of support simply because he offers a clear alternative to Pelosi, who’s not exactly popular right now. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Nov 2010 22:29

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Culture, Politics, U.S.: Republicans like happier television than Democrats

  • The big shows with mass appeal tend to have above-average scores…with higher concentrations of Republicans. [Democrats] seem to like shows about damaged people.
  • John Fetto, of Experian Simmons • Regarding the TV-watching habits of Democrats and Republicans. The media research company did a study on which shows are favored by which partisans. GOPers enjoyed shows like “American Idol,” “Modern Family” and “The Mentalist.” Democrats? “Mad Men,” “Dexter,” and “90120.” source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Nov 2010 20:15

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Politics: Awkward: Steny Hoyer chooses to fight James Clyburn for his job

  • awkward Despite much controversy over her reign, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decides that she wants to be House Minority Leader – pushing Steny Hoyer out of his job.
  • awkwarder Hoyer decides, rather than battle Pelosi, he’ll run for House Minority Whip – against James Clyburn, who’s probably the most powerful black member of the House. source
  • » Why this is kind of pathetic: If Hoyer really wanted to make some waves, he could’ve taken on Pelosi. Instead, he’s pushing for the second-ranked position. Both men will remain Democratic leaders, yeah, but if Pelosi is so unpopular among so many people, why not try for her job? You might just win. (On a side note, we have no opinion on the Pelosi thing.)
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

05 Nov 2010 21:32

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Politics: Nancy Pelosi’s next House move, in historical perspective

  • 1998 Newt Gingrich steps down from his House leadership role after a particularly rough midterm; his party was still in the majority
  • 2006 Dennis Hastert leaves his House leadership role after his party lost the majority; he later left the House entirely without much fuss
  • 2010 Nancy Pelosi defies the logic set by previous House speakers and announces that she plans to run for House Minority Leader (oh boy) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Nov 2010 10:27

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U.S.: The season’s saddest-but-most-uplifting election

Democrat Jenny Oropeza died only two weeks before the election, but was still able to pull out her California State Senate victory on Tuesday. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Nov 2010 21:13

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Politics: Five Democratic Senate victories – or probable victories

  • yesOur boy Richard Blumenthal won in Connecticut, meaning there will be no wrestling in the chamber.
  • yes In West Virginia, Joe Manchin was able to parlay his popularity in the state into a Senate seat of his own.
  • no In Pennsylvania, Arlen Specter slayer Joe Sestak lost to his GOP counterpart, Pat Toomey.
  • no In Illinois, Democrat Alexi Giannoulias fell to Mark Kirk in the race for Obama’s old seat. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Nov 2010 09:57

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Politics: Ed Rendell on Obama: “expectations were unreasonably high”

  • I think expectations were unreasonably high for Barack Obama. He took over the presidency, Harry, facing the worst set of problems not of his own making that any American president has faced in the last 50 years.
  • Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell • Explaining (on “The Early Show” with Harry Smith and Maggie Rodriguez) the big problem Democrats have faced over the last two years. They have a president who has actually done stuff but the American people are either unaware or misinformed about what it is he did. (See: The Obama tax cuts nobody felt.) “We’ve got to learn to explain and communicate what we’ve done and what we want to do a lot more clearly and a lot better than we have,” Rendell said. While it’s too early to say whether or not Rendell’s assessment means big losses tonight (let the polls speak for themselves, kids), it’s one of the more honest assessments of the communication problems the Democrats have had recently. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

01 Nov 2010 11:08

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Politics: Haley Barbour: GOP isn’t winning elections; Dems are losing them

  • We have to understand they’re not saying ‘Hey, we love you Republicans,’ but, ‘We’re not satisfied with this and will give you guys a chance.’
  • Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour • Explaining his reasoning of why the GOP will probably win big tomorrow: They’ll win in spite of themselves. The divisions this country has fostered over the last two years totally hint at it, and it’s something that GOP-leaning pollster Scott Rasmussen agrees with Barbour on: This election is a referendum on the Democrats, not a show of support to the Republicans. They have to earn it. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Oct 2010 11:33

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Politics: “Front groups” push negative ads on BOTH sides – not just GOP

  • lame Republican-leaning “front groups” have been pushing negative ads into campaigns across the country with little oversight. Democrats have loudly complained.
  • lamer Problem is, Democratic “front groups” also exist, and have been pushing negative ads into campaigns, too – most notably against Sharron Angle. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Oct 2010 20:28

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Politics: Charlie Crist officially burns bridges with GOP

  • YES Crist will caucus with Democrats if elected source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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