#rsrh The Politico is sue-happy again.

They are going after the guy who owns The College Politico again – this time, they’ve added an allegation that he’s ‘squatted’ the domain for nefarious extortionist purposes. I wonder, though, if Politico’s realized that now the Media Research Center is peripherally involved in the whole thing, thanks to The College Politico getting hired by NewsBusters.  They might have reconsidered, if they did; a large part of Politico’s business model depends on the Right more or less tolerating the website’s antics in exchange for what is honestly some very good real-time election results coverage.  A knock-down, drag-out fight with MRC over a domain name might change that…

Jan Schakowsky (D, IL-09) saves Shorebank after all.

Back in May it was reported that the failing, yet politically-connected Shorebank in Illinois was to be bailed out.  The bank actually closed last Friday, but was resurrected yesterday and turned into a new bank – one that will of course have no obvious relationship to Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), who lobbied very strenuously to save Shorebank… even though it’s not based in her district.  It is, however, the bank that Schakowsky’s convicted felon husband Robert Creamer used to partially extricate himself from the consequences of his fraud scheme; the bank provided critical assistance to Creamer that allowed him to avoid default – which would have beneficial effects on his sentencing a decade later*.  There is a strong whiff of this transaction being part of a quid pro quo – with the latter half being paid off, well, right about now.

If you’re wondering why Jan Schakowsky can get away with having her and her husband being  tied up in a dirty bank deal without censure by the House of Representatives, while Rep. Maxine Waters is currently facing ethics charges for her and her husband’s involvement with OneUnited, the answer’s easy: Schakowsky is white, and is thus simply fundamentally real to Democratic leadership in a way that no African-American Member of Congress could hope to be to them.  It should not be a surprise that House ethics investigations are being allowed to continue only against those legislators whose seats are considered locked-in by the Democrats anyway.

Yes, let me clear: I’m explicitly calling the House Democratic leadership a bunch of racists.  They are, you know.  And it’s never more obvious than when you consider the things that they don’t do, when they don’t have to.

Moe Lane

PS: Joel Pollak is the GOP candidate for IL-09, and he’s been all over this topic.  I’ve met him: he’s a good guy.  Check him out.

Continue reading Jan Schakowsky (D, IL-09) saves Shorebank after all.

Meet Ed Martin (R CAND, MO-03).

Ed is running against Russ “Yes, he really does look like that” Carnahan, who is mostly known (publicly) for his last name and (privately) for his growing disinterest in keeping the job. I’m not being cute, here: I’ve heard from several different Missouri political types that Russ Carnahan doesn’t even really want to be a Congressman anymore… which is kind of fortuitous, because Ed Martin doesn’t want Russ Carnahan to be a Congressman anymore, either. Ed and I spoke this morning:

Ed’s site is here.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

#rsrh I dunno how Geraghty’s…

…breaking it all down; but by my rule-of-thumb his current groupings of vulnerable House seats work out to about net GOP +53 or so.  To give you a contrast: RCP’s numbers are telling me net GOP +42, Cook’s is net GOP +30, & Rothenburg’s net GOP +28.  Which tells me that my rule-of-thumb isn’t working, except in the broadest sense of confirming that the Democrats are having a lousy election cycle.

Moe Lane

PS: I expect things are going to get worse for the Democrats – and so is everybody else in this business.  Whether they admit it in public, or not.  So start getting ready for some Maximum Fun Time…

DOOM declared in CT by… Journal Inquirer.

I don’t pretend to be familiar with Connecticut newspapers, but judging from this article the J-I must be a Democratic-leaning one: there’s a palpable sense of angry disbelief that… that… that Linda McMahon could possibly be wrecking Dick Blumenthal’s smooth ascension to Countrywide Dodd’s Senate seat.  I mean, the author’s saying stuff about Blumenthal that I might hesitate to write, given that he’s – for now – still leading outside the margin of error:

Blumenthal is an even weaker candidate… gives an impression of total obsequiousness as a candidate… A politician who has no respect for himself… A politician who runs away from his party, his president, and his own record…  caught in an embarrassing fairy tale about his combat service in Vietnam… this performance was an award winner for political malpractice and tone-deafness…some sort of independent… The man is so afraid of losing that he is headed for a self-fulfilling prophecy par excellence…  Democrats in Washington and Chicago, calculating ways to hold the Senate should send their money to Delaware or Pennsylvania or Colorado… Unless Blumenthal gets a guts transplant, this race is gone; this candidate is hopeless, doomed, toast.

Bolding mine.  I never thought that I would see a Democrat in Connecticut say that about a Democratic candidate for Senate in 2010 not named Dodd.  At least, not before Labor Day. Continue reading DOOM declared in CT by… Journal Inquirer.

#rsrh Compare to CARTER? Pshaw.

The Weekly Standard is now officially Fighting Dirty with regard to President Obama:

As Barack Obama sees his ratings descend toward the high 30s, he is increasingly described as the second coming of James Earl Carter Jr., whose presidency, gone but hardly forgotten, lives on in masochists’ minds. The comparison is unkind and not quite on target: This is less Carter II than the lost presidency of Michael Dukakis, which seemed a sure thing at this date 22 years ago, and from which we were saved by the elder George Bush.

…and honestly, Noemie Emery makes her case: my only caveat with it is that at least Michael Dukakis had some executive branch experience to point to before he ran for President.  In other words…

Indeed, the mind reels.

Moe Lane Continue reading #rsrh Compare to CARTER? Pshaw.

Moonbeam Brown protested at Code Pink shindig.

This report of a lie-in by pro-victory in Iraq protesters at a fundraiser held for Jerry Brown by notorious terrorist sympathizer Jodie Evans highlights a very, very serious set of questions involving not only Brown’s associations, but also his own motivations. The fact that Brown is attempting to get Code Pink’s money like this leads to various questions:

  • Jodie Evans once reportedly told a Gold Star Mother that her son deserved to die in Iraq. Does Jerry Brown agree with her?
  • Evans was a long-time supporter of genocidal mass murderer Saddam Hussein; as recently as the summer of 2008 she was nostalgic for a regime that routinely murdered, raped, and ethnically cleansed its internal enemies.  Is Jerry Brown likewise nostalgic for the days of pogroms and acts of ecocide against the Marsh Arabs?
  • Evans sat on the advisory board of International Occupation Watch, a group that conspired to convince US soldiers to desert.  Jerry Brown: pro- or anti-desertion? Excuse me: “conscientious objection.”
  • Jodie Evans’ Code Pink planned and brought off “protests” designed to attack critically wounded, recovering soldiers and their families.  What method does Jerry Brown use to keep from throwing his drink in Jodie Evans’ face?  Does he need one?
  • In 2009, Evans  helped provide material aid to Hamas in Gaza.  Are some of Jerry Brown’s best friends Jews?
  • As is exhaustively noted here, Jodie Evans and Jerry Brown have had a long, long shared political history.  Where does Jerry Brown differ from her?  Specific examples, please: we already know that he likes her money.

Continue reading Moonbeam Brown protested at Code Pink shindig.