Lamont Vs. Lieberman Tonight

Everybody should tune into the Lieberman-Lamont debate tonight at 7 EST on MSNBC or CSPAN. This is Ned Lamonts best chance to convince Connecticut voters, as well as Democratic contributors and supporters nationwide, that Joe Lieberman doesn't belong in the Democratic Party.

Lamont Gets Place on Ballot

33% of the delegates at the Connecticut Democratic Convention endorsed Ned Lamont, giving the underdog liberal a place on the primary ballot in August.

Although Lieberman is still the heavy favorite, Political Wire points out that the primary will be on the national radar as the first example of what is expected to be a national referendum on some of the key policies of the Bush administration. It will be an ominous message for Republicans if Lieberman doesn't win in a landslide.

Lamont's chances have increased given his influence on the web.

Specter Flips

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) said good riddance to Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), after Feingold threatened to walk out of the judiciary committee that Specter chairs in response to the Federal Marriage Amendment that had been passed by a vote of 10-8.

This vote is a transparent attempt by the GOP to appeal to its base in what should be a tough race this year.

Brown Pulls Ahead of DeWine

Rep. Sherrod Brown pulled ahead of Sen. Mike Dewine in a recent Rusmussen Reports Poll on the Ohio senate race. Nevertheless, Dewine is still considered the slight favorite, according to Congressional Quarterly, which classifies Ohio as "Leans Republican."

Sherrod Brown, the guy advertised on this page for no apparent reason, is a liberal Democrat with strong ties to labor interests. He is hoping to benefit from the anti-business sentiment in Ohio's rustbelt, as well as the general unpopularity of the GOP in the state, where the governor has an approval rating south of 20.

Paul Hackett, Democrats Hope in Ohio

Paul Hackett, the Iraq war veteran who was allegedly pushed out of the senate race by top Democrats, might make a run against his old foe, Congresswoman Jean Schmidt, in the race for the 2nd congressional seat in Ohio.

Schmidt, who made controversial remarks in regards to John Murtha's proposal to withdrawal troops from Iraq, is considered a vulnerable incumbent. She won a special election against Hackett last August by a slim margin, in what is widely considered a solidly Republican district.

Wot??

Rupert Murdoch will host a fundraiser for Sen. Hillary Clinton.

If Murdoch is really willing to make this kind of public support for a Democrat, then he is either trying to rebut the assumption that he and everything he does benefits the Republicans. Or, Clinton offered him something really good in return.

Karl Rove

Via Political Wire:

"I am convinced that Karl Rove will, in fact, be indicted. ... First of all, you don't put somebody in front of a grand jury at the end of an investigation, or for the fifth time, ... unless you feel that's your only chance of avoiding indictment. So, in other words, the burden starts with Karl Rove to stop the charges. Secondly, it's now been 13 days since Rove testified. After testifying for three and a half hours, prosecutors refused to give him any indication that he was clear. ... And then the third issue is... Karl Rove was identified as Official A. ... We've looked through the records of Patrick Fitzgerald ... and in every single investigation, whenever Fitzgerald has identified somebody as Official A, that person eventually gets indicted themselves."

That would be too good to be true for Democrats. If Rove is in fact indicted, could Bush's approval rating possibly fall below the 30% mark?

Keep Florida Blue

Governor Jeb Bush seems more concerned about his reputation as a shot caller than his allegiance to the Republican Party. The governor gave this quote in response to questions about Representative Katherine Harris's (R-FL) senate bid:

"I don't think she can win."

That makes Jeb the most recent to join the chorus of naysayers that has left the woman whose tactics as Florida secretary of state made it possible for George W. Bush to be in the White House today. The Democrats can count Florida safe in 2006.

It was the Pills

Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), the son of Sen. Ted Kennedy, attributed his recent car crash to prescription pain killers. He has checked into rehab in order to fight an addiction to the medication.

The congressman reported that he did not have any memory of getting out of bed, crashing his car, or being cited for driving infractions.

How to Lose a House Seat

If breathalizers were installed in all congressional cars, my guess is that the retention rate for incumbents would be much lower. Alcohol, a cherished tradition on Capitol Hill (according to the biography of Lyndon Johnson), might play a role in pushing Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) into a more competitive race than a Democratic incumbent in Rhode Island could possibly imagine. That is probably not very competitive at all.

The congressman admitted to crashing into a road barrier two blocks away from the Capitol early yesterday. Although he did not admit to being drunk, police report that Kennedy was staggering out of his car, and, more absurdly, claiming that he was late for a vote. It was 3 AM.

Taking votes at 3 AM would certainly be a work ethic upgrade for an organization that generally works three days a week.