Which bookstore will you be visiting at midnight tonight?
Would you be surprised to learn that only one presidential candidate
has played the Harry Potter card so far?
Either way, here are some updates from around the 50-State Blog
Network, brought to you this week from Minnesota Campaign Report's Joe Bodell. Alabama
Left in Alabama A decidedly non-establishment challenger
emerges in Alabama's First congressional district. Ben Lodmell may be
shaking things up a bit in Alabama Democratic Party circles. Arizona
AZNetroots A chilling future-imperfect scenario on terrorism. Ugh. California
Calitics
SquareState Colorado's congressional representatives fight back against President Bush's threatened veto
of SCHIP reauthorization. What's SCHIP? "State Children's Health
Insurance Program". Kick the kids while they're down, right Mr.
President?
My Left Nutmeg Thank you Ed Koch, who helped give us six more years of Joementum...at least you're being reasonable enough to admit that your support for continued American presence in Iraq was wrong-headed. Delaware
Delaware Liberal Delaware Liberal's Jason Scott formally challenges Cong. Mike Castle (R-DE) to a debate on his Iraq policies. Florida
FLA Politics Christine Jennings, would-be Congresswoman but for 18,000 Diebolded undervotes in Sarasota County in 2006, is coming back for another run in 2008. Go Jennings! Georgia
Tondee's Tavern State Senator John Douglas gets pulled over by a off-duty cop for
erratic driving. After being let go with no ticket, Douglas threatens
the city he will hold up grant funding opportunities and local
legislation next session. Our favorite (R) punching bag. Hawaii
Poinography! Dueling op-eds from state legislators on veto overrides -- an interesting read. Idaho
43rd State Blues That repeated whacking noise is 43rd State Blues' shoe against Sen. Larry Craig's noggin on oil, energy, Iraq, and...well, everything. Illinois
PrairieStateBlue Illinois activists are looking at Congressional seats in 2008. In IL-6, Operation : Turn DuPage Blue
is gaining increased prominance after Tammy Duckworth opted not to
challenge Peter Roskam for a second time. In IL-10, Dan Seals was named
a "Future Leader" at YearlyKos, but don't forget he has a primary challenger. Indiana
Blue Indiana Republican Governor + Trickle-down Reagan-style economics = bad economic markers for Indiana. Pretty simple, actually. Iowa
Bleeding Heartland I'll have to work on getting Amy Klobuchar to guest-post on MNCR,
but until then, I'll be in awe of Bleeding Heartland and Iowa Sen. Tom
Harkin's post on the recent all-night Iraq debate. Louisiana
Daily Kingfish Republican scion Bobby Jindal has retained a political consultant with a reputation for working on losing campaigns. Sort of. Read about it. Maine
Turn Maine Blue It's from earlier in the week, but Sen. Susan Collins and Joe Lieberman wrote an op-ed in the Boston Globe together. Mainers -- please, please, please remember that Sen. Collins hanging out and working with Joe Lieberman in no way makes her a bipartisan get-things-done sort of Senator. Quite the contrary. Also at Turn Maine Blue, Tom Allen is guestblogging in his effort to unseat Collins. Maryland
Free State Politics Free State Politics has encouraging news for progressives in potential replacements for departing DINO P.J. Hogan from his Maryland State Sen. seat Massachusetts
BlueMassGroup A historical note on liberty, government overreach, and a really enormous ball of cheese. Also, a look at fundraising in the 5th CD race, with some interesting developments therein. Michigan
Michigan Liberal I am shocked -- SHOCKED!!! -- to hear word of a Republican official seeking to suppress voter turnout and disenfranchise voters. If you can't win with fair rules, just change the rules, right?
Minnesota Campaign Report Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) can
always be counted on for a good legal complaint against political
actors who are being naughty. In this case, it's the Republican Party of Minnesota getting slapped for playing fast and easy with their retirement fund contributions and other financial shenanigans. Mississippi
Cottonmouth Blog Cottonmouth Blog picks up on the NRA getting involved in the Lieutenant Governor's race. "Effective grassroots organization", huh? Missouri
Fired Up! Missouri A Republican Governor misusing state government for political ends?
Oh get out! I mean....oh, forget it. Incredulity just doesn't go far
enough to cover the things these people think they can get away with. Montana
Left in the West The continuing shift toward strong protection of civil liberties
and a hands-off governmental approach to social issues continues in
Montana, courtesy of Matt Singer and Forward Montana. The media are starting to pay attention, too. Nebraska
New Nebraska Nebraska's state government still finds itself beholden to the big
Telecom companies, who staunchly refuse to build large-scale,
affordable high-speed Internet access in the state -- and they're preventing the government from doing it instead. Nevada
My Silver State Welcome My Silver State aboard 50-State Cruise Lines! They have
some coverage of presidential candidates' exploits across the state: Q2 Donations to Bill Richardson, staffing expenditures, and heavy web traffic for Barack Obama. New Hampshire
Blue Hampshire Republican Sen. John Sununu is in big trouble in 2008. Big. Trouble. New Jersey
Blue Jersey 2006 was a bittersweet victory for many Democrats around the
country. For as much good as Rahm Emanuel did as head of the DCCC, there were some cases where just a little bit of support could have given him even more victories
(instead of tilting at windmills in Tammy Duckworth's unsuccessful
run). Hopefully this means there's more progress to be made, and a
bigger majority to be built, in 2008. New Mexico
New Mexico FBIHOP Heather Wilson and her odd silence in the face of questions on her stance on Iraq and the US Attorney scandal.
Of course, if I were an endangered incumbent who's neck-deep in such a
horrific scandal, I wouldn't want to discuss it either. New York
The Albany Project Details on a campaign finance deal reached recently in Albany -- and TAR says it's pretty good. New York
Daily Gotham Great fundraising numbers coming out of NYC-area State Senate races North Carolina
Blue NC Is Sen. Liddy Dole about to break from President Bush on Iraq? ,a xhref="http://bluenc.com/could-dole-be-ready-to-break-from-bush-on-iraq%3F">If
the people of North Carolina have anything to say about it, she might
want to consider doing so. North Dakota
North Decoder Ouch -- the Center for Public Integrity says for its laws regarding financial disclosures for its Governor. Ohio
As Ohio Goes As Ohio Goes keeps a close eye on the statements of Sen. Voinovich and just how serious he is about criticizing President Bush's conduct of the Iraq occupation. Ohio
Buckeye State Blog Buckeye State Blog provides first-hand coverage of John Edward's vist to the poorest city in America (Edwards in Cleveland's Mt. Pleasant). Also, read It's With Sadness I Announce I'm Leaving BSB. Oklahoma
blue oklahoma Oklahoma has a new state poet laureate -- read all about him. Very interesting stuff! Oregon
Loaded Orygun With a recent move to SoapBlox, Loaded Orygun is up and running, highlighting a DSCC poll showing House Speaker Jeff Merkley within six points of Sen. Gordon Smith.
Smith is one of the "moderates," along with Minnesota's own Norm
Coleman, who are going to be heavily targeted for removal in 2008. Pennsylvania
Keystone Politics Keystone Politics finds a bombshell in the midst of U.S. Attorney investigations in Penn.: "Wecht charges prompt inquiry". Rhode Island
Rhode Island's Future Mark Democrat Jack Reed down on the list of U.S. Senators ,a xhref="http://rifuture.org/blog/2007/07/19/ri-sen-2008-sen-reed-in-command/">w…
are going to be safe as can be in 2008. Here's to hoping that if no
serious Republican opposition appears, Senator Reed will contribute
generously to Democratic challengers around the country to help build
his caucus's majority South Dakota
Clean Cut Kid Who do state officials work for? Themselves, or the people who elected them? Clean Cut Kid takes on Governor Mike Rounds on exactly that topic. Tennessee
Knox Views It's apolitical, but ospreys are really, really, really cool birds, and this is a great shot of one with its catch. In more political events, Knox Views goes after Mitt Romney for his approach to sex education and child molesters. Texas
Burnt Orange Report In large states like Texas, where there are lots of colleges and
universities, young voters actually can make a big difference in terms
of elections, outreach, and activism. Details on YDA's activities in Texas here. Texas
Texas Kaos Do Texas Republicans just not care about public education? Seems that way Utah
Wasatch Watcher A great photo gallery from a recent visit by Bill Richardson. Vermont
Green Mountain Daily Brattleboro, VT passes an ordinance banning public nudity from some areas of town.
You really can't make this stuff up: "Don't people have a
Constitutional right not to be offended?" ... Ah yes, the ethereal and
seldom-mentioned 0th Amendment, which read "The right not to be
offended by anything, anytime, anywhere, anyhow, shall not be abridged.
By naked people. Ever." Virginia
Raising Kaine Raising Kaine highlight a one prominent flip-flop over the Virginia Transportation Plan in "Jeannemarie Then...and Now". Washington
WashBlog State Rep Rodney Tom announces a run for U.S. Congress in the 8th district, where Darcy Burner lost a close race to Dave Reichert in 2006. West Virginia
West Virginia Blue West Virginia Blue notes that even as the West Virginia State GOP is facing an uphill battle (even Republicans don't trust the WV GOP), incumbent Republican Shelley Moore Capito (WV-02) is enjoying an "Incumbency protection racket: Capito shakes down carpenter's union" Wisconsin
Uppity Wisconsin President Bush's approval rating is 19% in Wisconsin, with 73% disapproval. That is not a good place to be, generally (cue theme to 1980s cartoon "Captain Obvious").
Would you be surprised to learn that only one presidential candidate
has played the Harry Potter card so far?
Either way, here are some updates from around the 50-State Blog
Network, brought to you this week from Minnesota Campaign Report's Joe Bodell. Alabama
Left in Alabama A decidedly non-establishment challenger
emerges in Alabama's First congressional district. Ben Lodmell may be
shaking things up a bit in Alabama Democratic Party circles. Arizona
AZNetroots A chilling future-imperfect scenario on terrorism. Ugh. California
Calitics
Yet another contact will be testifying against John Doolittle(R-Roseville) in what can only be described as a ticking clock until his indictment.
ColoradoSquareState Colorado's congressional representatives fight back against President Bush's threatened veto
of SCHIP reauthorization. What's SCHIP? "State Children's Health
Insurance Program". Kick the kids while they're down, right Mr.
President?
Keep reading after the break -- there's plenty more to come!
Joe Bodell :: 50-State Blog Roundup, 7/20/2007 ConnecticutMy Left Nutmeg Thank you Ed Koch, who helped give us six more years of Joementum...at least you're being reasonable enough to admit that your support for continued American presence in Iraq was wrong-headed. Delaware
Delaware Liberal Delaware Liberal's Jason Scott formally challenges Cong. Mike Castle (R-DE) to a debate on his Iraq policies. Florida
FLA Politics Christine Jennings, would-be Congresswoman but for 18,000 Diebolded undervotes in Sarasota County in 2006, is coming back for another run in 2008. Go Jennings! Georgia
Tondee's Tavern State Senator John Douglas gets pulled over by a off-duty cop for
erratic driving. After being let go with no ticket, Douglas threatens
the city he will hold up grant funding opportunities and local
legislation next session. Our favorite (R) punching bag. Hawaii
Poinography! Dueling op-eds from state legislators on veto overrides -- an interesting read. Idaho
43rd State Blues That repeated whacking noise is 43rd State Blues' shoe against Sen. Larry Craig's noggin on oil, energy, Iraq, and...well, everything. Illinois
PrairieStateBlue Illinois activists are looking at Congressional seats in 2008. In IL-6, Operation : Turn DuPage Blue
is gaining increased prominance after Tammy Duckworth opted not to
challenge Peter Roskam for a second time. In IL-10, Dan Seals was named
a "Future Leader" at YearlyKos, but don't forget he has a primary challenger. Indiana
Blue Indiana Republican Governor + Trickle-down Reagan-style economics = bad economic markers for Indiana. Pretty simple, actually. Iowa
Bleeding Heartland I'll have to work on getting Amy Klobuchar to guest-post on MNCR,
but until then, I'll be in awe of Bleeding Heartland and Iowa Sen. Tom
Harkin's post on the recent all-night Iraq debate. Louisiana
Daily Kingfish Republican scion Bobby Jindal has retained a political consultant with a reputation for working on losing campaigns. Sort of. Read about it. Maine
Turn Maine Blue It's from earlier in the week, but Sen. Susan Collins and Joe Lieberman wrote an op-ed in the Boston Globe together. Mainers -- please, please, please remember that Sen. Collins hanging out and working with Joe Lieberman in no way makes her a bipartisan get-things-done sort of Senator. Quite the contrary. Also at Turn Maine Blue, Tom Allen is guestblogging in his effort to unseat Collins. Maryland
Free State Politics Free State Politics has encouraging news for progressives in potential replacements for departing DINO P.J. Hogan from his Maryland State Sen. seat Massachusetts
BlueMassGroup A historical note on liberty, government overreach, and a really enormous ball of cheese. Also, a look at fundraising in the 5th CD race, with some interesting developments therein. Michigan
Michigan Liberal I am shocked -- SHOCKED!!! -- to hear word of a Republican official seeking to suppress voter turnout and disenfranchise voters. If you can't win with fair rules, just change the rules, right?
Congrats to Michigan Liberal's founder, Matt Ferguson, on the birth of his brand new twins. Good luck Matt; you'll need it.
MinnesotaMinnesota Campaign Report Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) can
always be counted on for a good legal complaint against political
actors who are being naughty. In this case, it's the Republican Party of Minnesota getting slapped for playing fast and easy with their retirement fund contributions and other financial shenanigans. Mississippi
Cottonmouth Blog Cottonmouth Blog picks up on the NRA getting involved in the Lieutenant Governor's race. "Effective grassroots organization", huh? Missouri
Fired Up! Missouri A Republican Governor misusing state government for political ends?
Oh get out! I mean....oh, forget it. Incredulity just doesn't go far
enough to cover the things these people think they can get away with. Montana
Left in the West The continuing shift toward strong protection of civil liberties
and a hands-off governmental approach to social issues continues in
Montana, courtesy of Matt Singer and Forward Montana. The media are starting to pay attention, too. Nebraska
New Nebraska Nebraska's state government still finds itself beholden to the big
Telecom companies, who staunchly refuse to build large-scale,
affordable high-speed Internet access in the state -- and they're preventing the government from doing it instead. Nevada
My Silver State Welcome My Silver State aboard 50-State Cruise Lines! They have
some coverage of presidential candidates' exploits across the state: Q2 Donations to Bill Richardson, staffing expenditures, and heavy web traffic for Barack Obama. New Hampshire
Blue Hampshire Republican Sen. John Sununu is in big trouble in 2008. Big. Trouble. New Jersey
Blue Jersey 2006 was a bittersweet victory for many Democrats around the
country. For as much good as Rahm Emanuel did as head of the DCCC, there were some cases where just a little bit of support could have given him even more victories
(instead of tilting at windmills in Tammy Duckworth's unsuccessful
run). Hopefully this means there's more progress to be made, and a
bigger majority to be built, in 2008. New Mexico
New Mexico FBIHOP Heather Wilson and her odd silence in the face of questions on her stance on Iraq and the US Attorney scandal.
Of course, if I were an endangered incumbent who's neck-deep in such a
horrific scandal, I wouldn't want to discuss it either. New York
The Albany Project Details on a campaign finance deal reached recently in Albany -- and TAR says it's pretty good. New York
Daily Gotham Great fundraising numbers coming out of NYC-area State Senate races North Carolina
Blue NC Is Sen. Liddy Dole about to break from President Bush on Iraq? ,a xhref="http://bluenc.com/could-dole-be-ready-to-break-from-bush-on-iraq%3F">If
the people of North Carolina have anything to say about it, she might
want to consider doing so. North Dakota
North Decoder Ouch -- the Center for Public Integrity says for its laws regarding financial disclosures for its Governor. Ohio
As Ohio Goes As Ohio Goes keeps a close eye on the statements of Sen. Voinovich and just how serious he is about criticizing President Bush's conduct of the Iraq occupation. Ohio
Buckeye State Blog Buckeye State Blog provides first-hand coverage of John Edward's vist to the poorest city in America (Edwards in Cleveland's Mt. Pleasant). Also, read It's With Sadness I Announce I'm Leaving BSB. Oklahoma
blue oklahoma Oklahoma has a new state poet laureate -- read all about him. Very interesting stuff! Oregon
Loaded Orygun With a recent move to SoapBlox, Loaded Orygun is up and running, highlighting a DSCC poll showing House Speaker Jeff Merkley within six points of Sen. Gordon Smith.
Smith is one of the "moderates," along with Minnesota's own Norm
Coleman, who are going to be heavily targeted for removal in 2008. Pennsylvania
Keystone Politics Keystone Politics finds a bombshell in the midst of U.S. Attorney investigations in Penn.: "Wecht charges prompt inquiry". Rhode Island
Rhode Island's Future Mark Democrat Jack Reed down on the list of U.S. Senators ,a xhref="http://rifuture.org/blog/2007/07/19/ri-sen-2008-sen-reed-in-command/">w…
are going to be safe as can be in 2008. Here's to hoping that if no
serious Republican opposition appears, Senator Reed will contribute
generously to Democratic challengers around the country to help build
his caucus's majority South Dakota
Clean Cut Kid Who do state officials work for? Themselves, or the people who elected them? Clean Cut Kid takes on Governor Mike Rounds on exactly that topic. Tennessee
Knox Views It's apolitical, but ospreys are really, really, really cool birds, and this is a great shot of one with its catch. In more political events, Knox Views goes after Mitt Romney for his approach to sex education and child molesters. Texas
Burnt Orange Report In large states like Texas, where there are lots of colleges and
universities, young voters actually can make a big difference in terms
of elections, outreach, and activism. Details on YDA's activities in Texas here. Texas
Texas Kaos Do Texas Republicans just not care about public education? Seems that way Utah
Wasatch Watcher A great photo gallery from a recent visit by Bill Richardson. Vermont
Green Mountain Daily Brattleboro, VT passes an ordinance banning public nudity from some areas of town.
You really can't make this stuff up: "Don't people have a
Constitutional right not to be offended?" ... Ah yes, the ethereal and
seldom-mentioned 0th Amendment, which read "The right not to be
offended by anything, anytime, anywhere, anyhow, shall not be abridged.
By naked people. Ever." Virginia
Raising Kaine Raising Kaine highlight a one prominent flip-flop over the Virginia Transportation Plan in "Jeannemarie Then...and Now". Washington
WashBlog State Rep Rodney Tom announces a run for U.S. Congress in the 8th district, where Darcy Burner lost a close race to Dave Reichert in 2006. West Virginia
West Virginia Blue West Virginia Blue notes that even as the West Virginia State GOP is facing an uphill battle (even Republicans don't trust the WV GOP), incumbent Republican Shelley Moore Capito (WV-02) is enjoying an "Incumbency protection racket: Capito shakes down carpenter's union" Wisconsin
Uppity Wisconsin President Bush's approval rating is 19% in Wisconsin, with 73% disapproval. That is not a good place to be, generally (cue theme to 1980s cartoon "Captain Obvious").