archived: 15 - 21 Jan, 2006 Back Next
WINNING THE US SENATE
The 2006 mid-term elections will feature 33 US Senate races. Eighteen seats are currently held by Democrats and fifteen by Republicans. In reality, approximately one-third of the races will be competitive.
The issue is whether Democrats can pick up the six seats they need to regain majority control in the Senate. It will be a tall order.
The National Committee for an Effective Congress published a short, four page review, of fourteen Senate races that are or could be competitive. Seven are Republican seats, six of which Democrats must win. There are seven Democratic seats, which the Party must hold. The brief overview, published in August, 2005, provides a quick, factual assessment. Click on the icon below to read the report:
TWO FACTS EVERY DEMOCRAT SHOULD KNOW
First, in response to Bush’s specific authorization of warrantless spying on Americans, the Republicans counter that Clinton authorized warrantless searches too. Not true:
Former President Clinton said Thursday that he never ordered wiretaps of American citizens without obtaining a court order, as President Bush has acknowledged he has done.
Clinton, in an interview broadcast Thursday on the ABC News program ''Nightline,'' said his administration either received court approval before authorizing a wiretap or went to court within three days after to get permission, as required by law.
''We either went there and asked for the approval or, if there was an emergency and we had to do it beforehand, then we filed within three days afterward and gave them a chance to second guess it,'' Clinton told ABC.
Second, Republicans are circulating the “fact” that Democrats took money from Abramoff. Not true as Howard Dean noted in an interview (video clip) with Wolf Blitzer:
BLITZER: Should Democrats who took money from Jack Abramoff, who's now pleaded guilty to bribery charges among other charges, a Republican lobbyist in Washington — should the Democrats who took money from him give that money to charity or give it back?
DEAN: There are no Democrats who took money from Jack Abramoff. Not one. Not one single Democrat. Every person named in this scandal is a Republican, every person under investigation is a Republican, [and] every person indicted is a Republican. This is a Republican finance scandal. There is no evidence that Jack Abramoff ever gave any Democrat any money, and we've looked through all those FEC reports to make sure that's true.
BLITZER: [Stammering] But through various Abramoff-related organizations, and outfits, a bunch of Democrats did take money that presumably originated with Jack Abramoff.
DEAN: That's not true either. There's no evidence for that either, there's no evidence...
BLITZER: What about Senator, what about, what about, what about Senator Byron Dorgan?
DEAN: Senator Byron Dorgan and some others took money from Indian tribes. They're not agents of Jack Abramoff. There's no evidence that I've seen that Jack Abramoff directed any contributions to Democrats. I know the Republican National Committee would like to get the Democrats involved in this. They're scared. They should be scared. They haven't told the truth, and they have misled the American people, and now it appears they're stealing from Indian tribes. The Democrats are not involved in this.
BLITZER: [Long pause, apparently getting direction in his earpiece] [Sigh] Unfortunately, we, uh, Mr. Chairman, we've got to leave it right there.
To paraphrase Harry Truman, just give them the facts and they will think it is hell.
DEMOCRATS OPEN THE 2006 CAMPAIGN
Sen. Durbin, in the Democrats weekly national radio address, issued the opening salvo in the 2006 mid-term elections. Issue number one on the Democratic Party agenda appears to be the culture of corruption in Washington.
These are excerpts from Sen. Durbin’s address:
America deserves honest leadership in Washington to replace the current Republican-dominated government . . . .
The concentrated power of the
current GOP-controlled Congress and executive branch has produced "a culture of
corruption that is preventing government from dealing with the real needs of our
nation," Durbin said.
In his broadcast, Durbin made several references to civil rights leader Martin
Luther King, Jr., who was slain in 1968 and would have turned 77 on Sunday.
Durbin said that in his last book, King wrote: "'There is nothing wrong with
power. The problem is that, in America, the power is unequally divided.'"
That's true in Washington today, Durbin said.
"Powerful corporate special interests control the agenda and people who don't
have paid lobbyists really don't have much of a voice," he said. "To these power
players, the challenges facing America are not problems to solve, but
opportunities to exploit."
Those challenges include the lack of affordable health insurance, dwindling
pension plans and rising energy costs, Durbin said.
Honest leadership will help all Americans, and the Democratic Party will
introduce a reform package that includes increasing government accountability
and enforcing ethics rules, Durbin said. "As Dr. King reminded us, America has
no second- or third-class citizens," he said. "We should all have an equal voice
and an equal chance to succeed."
Well stated! TPJ KUDOS.
Last Update: 03/23/2006