james moran – Moe Lane

VA-08: 44/41 Moran/Berry (Caveats).

[UPDATE] Welcome, Campaign Spot readers.

Said caveats are: Internal poll, D+16 district, and Moran’s still ahead by three. But a 44/41 Moran/Berry split at this stage is still noteworthy: add five points to Moran’s total and he still polls under 50% – which means that he’s vulnerable. I don’t mind seeing a 40/38 split on ‘try somebody new’/’keep Moran,’ either.

Post-Massachusetts, it’s no longer reasonable to assume that anybody on the Democratic side is too safe to be defeated: so keep an eye on this race. I’ve mentioned Matthew Berry before: if I was in his district I’d probably be supporting him in the primary right now, not least because he’s been engaging the new social media (which is a pretentious way of saying ‘he’s actively working to get support’). And I can’t [expletive deleted] stand Jim [expletive deleted] Moran. Watching that particular corrupt, anti-Semitic suckweasel go down in flames on Election Night would be a better present than a pony, and I’ve always wanted a pony.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

Anti-corruption groups want PMA probe.

This will do. For a start. Via Geraghty:

Watchdog Groups Join Calls for PMA Probe

House Democratic leaders face new pressure from four watchdog groups usually allied with them to open an investigation into the ties between three powerful Democrats and the now-defunct lobbying firm The PMA Group.

Democracy 21, Common Cause, Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG on Thursday called on the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to probe the relationship PMA had with Democratic Reps. John P. Murtha of Pennsylvania, Peter J. Visclosky of Indiana and James P. Moran of Virginia. The lawmakers secured lucrative earmarks for defense contractors represented by The PMA Group and received political donations from family members of the lobbying firm’s founder.

As the article notes – and has been noted in the past – this issue has been brought up numerous times by Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), and Speaker Pelosi and the rest of her crew keep squashing it. It’s going to be harder to do that going forward, if groups like US PIRG are going to be pushing the issue. Of course, it’s entirely possible that what the normally Democratic-allied groups are doing here is trying to create a firebreak; get a few of the absolute worst cases tossed overboard and claim it’s a housecleaning.

I hope not – I like to think the best of people, for as long as I can – but even if it is a cynical ploy I’d still favor running with it. After all, there’s no guarantee that said cynical ploy would work.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

Rep. Jim Moran’s (D, VA) brother sudden recipient of defense largesse.

In a stunning coincidence*, there seems to be a certain correlation between the contributions of the Virginian Moran Boys:

Moran Campaign Contributors Have Business Before Brother

More than a dozen defense contractors with business before U.S. Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.), a member of the powerful House Appropriations defense subcommittee, have donated thousands of dollars to Moran’s younger brother Brian, a candidate for governor of Virginia.

Brian Moran filed a campaign finance report this week that shows he collected $80,000 during the first three months of 2009 from 18 contractors that have been longtime backers of the congressman. Seven of the firms are awaiting approval of Moran-backed earmarks totaling $14.5 million.

The claim, of course, is that there’s all sorts of separation between Rep. Jim Moran and Brian Moran – the fact that one is a powerful defense pork appropriator has no connection whatsoever to the generous contributions made to the other. And the fact that the one is finding his campaign contributions drying up in the wake of the PMA raid and closure should not in any way, shape, or form be seen as an indication that any sort of money flow is attempting to find another channel. It’d be silly to think otherwise. Continue reading Rep. Jim Moran’s (D, VA) brother sudden recipient of defense largesse.