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    links for 2010-09-21

    • The San Joaquin Valley, often considered one of California's political backwaters, is shaping up to be a key battleground in the state's hotly contested U.S. Senate race.

      Republican challenger Carly Fiorina has made the valley a focus of her campaign to unseat Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer. She has made 22 trips here since she announced her candidacy last November, even though the region holds only about a tenth of the state's population. By comparison, she has made 34 trips to Los Angeles County, where more than a quarter of Californians live.

      The reason: With voter polls showing the two candidates neck-and-neck, the slimmest margin gained anywhere in the state could tip the scales in November. And Ms. Fiorina's strategists are counting on the San Joaquin Valley—which has a large number of conservative-leaning voters—to give her that edge in a heavily Democratic state.
      ++++++
      The same way Pet Wilson beat Jerry Brown in 1982 for the US Senate

    • A new Fox News poll in Delaware shows Chris Coons (D) leading Christine O'Donnell (R) in the U.S. Senate race among likely voters, 54% to 39%.

      Interesting: If Rep. Mike Castle (R) had won the Republican nomination, he would lead Coons by the same margin, 48% to 33%.
      +++++++
      Tough race for the GOP

    • Boxer's vulnerabilities aren't so different from those of other entrenched incumbents nationwide — economic angst and growing mistrust in government have racked the electorate, and the junior Senator from California has seen her job approval fall into the low 40s over the last year. "People are looking for a reason to abandon Boxer," says Larry Gerston, a political science professor at San Jose State. Some of them are finding that reason in Fiorina, who has been relentless in her critique of Democrats' record on the economy, rattling off grim statistic after grim statistic in a recent debate. But after emerging from a competitive primary that pushed candidates to the right, the Republican hasn't reached far beyond her base. "Fiorina has not crawled to the center," Gerston says, and the TIME survey showed her trailing Boxer among younger voters, women and independents.
      ++++++
      Read it all
    • With one-in-seven Americans living in poverty, with unemployment at record levels, with an unprecedented national deficit, with foreclosures up and businesses down you’d think the Obama Administration and Democratic National Committee (DNC) would be focusing on the economy…
      You’d be wrong.

      Instead, the Community Organizer In Chief and the radical left is focusing its energy on stalking and harassing top conservatives and tea party patriots.

      On Saturday, September 18th, Glenn Beck and Andrew Breitbart headlined an event entitled “Right Nation 2010,” held just outside of Chicago, Illinois. When Andrew Breitbart, a speaker at the event, arrived at the Sears Centre west of Chicago, he was met by an angry mob of radical protesters who were “praying” for an “end to hate” while also hurling insults and homophobic slurs toward the targets of their enmity. One of the prayer leaders at the event and the lead organizer, C.J. Hawking, is also a noted socialist from the Chicago area.
      ++++
      Read it

    • Fresh off big primary wins in Delaware and Alaska, national "tea party" groups are redirecting the energy of the movement toward the November midterm elections, raising millions of dollars, expanding their advocacy into dozens of congressional races and building voter turnout operations nationwide.
      Leaders of the Atlanta-based Tea Party Patriots said they will announce a seven-figure donation Tuesday, from a yet-unnamed person, that the organization will pour into local tea party groups and get-out-the-vote efforts in some of the most competitive congressional races.

      FreedomWorks, which is headquartered in Washington and endorsed 25 House and Senate candidates during the primary season, said it will expand that list to more than 80. The Tea Party Express, based in Sacramento, is planning its largest national bus tour at the end of October to get conservatives to the polls.
      ++++++
      Tea Party movement has been building since February 2009 – MSM just figured it out.

      (tags: Tea_Parties)
    • A new Twitter security flaw has been widely exploited on thousands of Twitter accounts, redirecting users to third-party websites without their consent.

      The bug is particularly nasty because it works on mouseover only, meaning pop-ups and third-party websites can open even if you just move your mouse over the offending link.

      The flaw uses a JavaScript function called onMouseOver which creates an event when the mouse is passed over a chunk of text. We’ve seen the flaw being abused to launch simple pop-up windows, redirect users elsewhere (including porn sites), and we’ve also seen it used in combination with blocks of color, covering the true “intention” of the tweet.

      For now, the best course of action is using only third-party apps such as TweetDeck to access Twitter, as the bug only seems to affect Twitter’s web interface. Also, if your Twitter account contains a message abusing the flaw, you can delete it using a third-party app.
      +++++++
      @Flap uses TweetDeck

      (tags: Twitter)
  • Barbara Boxer,  Carly Fiorina

    CA-Sen Poll Watch: Barbara Boxer 47% Vs. Carly Fiorina 43%

    Pollster Interactive poll average chart: Boxer 47.4% Vs. Fiorina 45.3%


    In the second California U.S. Senate poll released today, this race continues to be within the margin of error and is essentially a dead heat.

    47% Boxer (D)
    43% Fiorina (R)

    Favorable / Unfavorable

    Barbara Boxer: 48 / 49
    Carly Fiorina: 47 / 44

    9/20/10; 750 likely voters, 4% margin of error
    Mode: Automated phone

    Again, since Barbara Boxer has had a television media blitz the past week or so, one would expect some movement for her. But, there has been little, if any, especially if you consider the Fox News poll released this morning.

    Carly Fiorina will begin her paid television campaign soon.

  • Barack Obama,  Bob Woodward

    Just In Time for the November Elections – Bob Woodward Writes Obama Book

    Uh Oh.

    Some of the critical players in President Obama’s national security team doubt his strategy in Afghanistan will succeed and have spent much of the last 20 months quarreling with one another over policy, personalities and turf, according to a new book.

    The book, “Obama’s Wars,” by the journalist Bob Woodward, depicts an administration deeply torn over the war in Afghanistan even as the president agreed to triple troop levels there amid suspicion that he was being boxed in by the military. Mr. Obama’s top White House adviser on Afghanistan and his special envoy for the region are described as believing the strategy will not work.

    The president concluded from the start that “I have two years with the public on this” and pressed advisers for ways to avoid a big escalation, the book says. “I want an exit strategy,” he implored at one meeting. Privately, he told Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to push his alternative strategy opposing a big troop buildup in meetings, and while Mr. Obama ultimately rejected it, he set a withdrawal timetable because, “I can’t lose the whole Democratic Party.”

    Read it all.

    This cannot be good for the beleaguered President and the Democratic Party going into the November Midterm Congressional elections.

  • Barack Obama

    Obama Video: Mexicans Were Here Long Before America Was Even An Idea

    President Barack Obama speaking to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on September 15, 2010. In the closing remarks of his speech, Obama recites part of the Declaration of Independence, and leaves out “by their Creator.” He recited “endowed with certain inalienable rights….” The Declaration of Independence gives credit to God as the Creator who has “endowed” all men with “certain inalienable rights…..”

    Somebody give the President a history lesson, please.

    “Long before America was even an idea, this land of plenty was home to many peoples. The British and French, the Dutch and Spanish, to Mexicans, to countless Indian tribes. We all shared the same land.”

    Mexico declared its independence on September 16, 1810. It was recognized on September 27, 1821.

    The United States of America declared its independence in 1776.

    Wow!

  • Barbara Boxer,  Carly Fiorina

    CA-Sen Poll Watch: Barbara Boxer 47% Vs. Carly Fiorina 46%

    Republican Nominee Carly Fiorina and California Democrat Senator Barbara Boxer

    The race is essentially a dead heat in this latest Fox News poll. The margin of error is 3 points.

    But Whitman’s fellow former tech CEO and Republican, Carly Fiorina, seems unaffected. She and incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer remain essentially tied. Fiorina gained 2 points to finish at 46 percent. Boxer bubbled up one point to finish at 47 percent.

    While Boxer’s 41 percent approval rating may explain why she is having so much trouble getting elected to a fourth term, her performance may have something to do with slack support for Obama and his agenda.

    Obama’s California job approval rating slid 3 points to 45 percent. The percentage of voters who think Obama’s policies have hurt the state’s economy rose 2 points to 37 percent. Only 25 percent believe Obama’s policies have helped the state economically.

    Boxer has been “on air” for about a week and Fiorina has yet to launch any paid television ads. Again, I look for Fiorina to pull away once her media starts and linking Boxer to failed Obama policies may very well be one of the ads.

  • Dream Act,  Harry Reid

    Showdown in the Senate: Stop the DREAM ACT – Harry Reid Schedules Senate Vote for Today 2:15 PM

    From yesterday – Melt the Phones, Fellow Patriots

    Melt the Phones, Patriots

    Thanks to Michelle Malkin for posting this list of Senators who will vote tomorrow, Tuesday, at 2 PM (EDT) on the Dream Act, an illegal alien amnesty ploy.

    DEMOCRATS ON THE FENCE WHO ARE GOOD PROSPECTS TO VOTE AGAINST THE DREAM ACT

    Sen. Pryor of Arkansas 202-224-2353     501-324-6336    

    Sen. Landrieu of Louisiana 202-224-5824   225-389-0395

    Sen. Stabenow of Michigan 202-224-4822  313-961-4330     

    Sen. McCaskill of Missouri 202-224-6154  314-367-1364    

    Sen. Baucus of Montana 202-224-2651    406-657-6790     

    Sen. Tester of Montana 202-224-2644     406-449-5401     

    Sen. Conrad of North Dakota 202-224-2043  701-258-4648     

    Sen. Dorgan of North Dakota 202-224-2551   701-239-5389    

    REPUBLICANS ON THE FENCE WHO ARE GOOD PROSPECTS TO VOTE AGAINST THE DREAM ACT

    Sen. LeMeiux of Florida 202-224-3041  904-398-8586     

    Sen. Collins of Maine 202-224-2523    207-945-0417    

    Sen. Snowe of Maine 202-224-5344    207-874-0883     

    Sen. Brown of Massachusetts 202-224-4543   617-565-3170     

    Sen. Gregg of New Hampshire 202-224-3324   603-225-7115     

    Sen. Hutchison of Texas 202-224-5922   214-361-3500     

    There are other Senators to call but we need the above Senators to vote against this cynical ploy by Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of placing this bill as an amendment to a Defense Appropriation bill. Send a message – this Dream Act is a form of illegal alien amnesty and deserves an up or down vote on its own merits.

    Melt the phones, patriots.

  • Barbara Boxer,  Dianne Feinstein

    CA-Sen: Why Don’t You Pay for Your Own Political Junkets Senator Boxer?

    I mean, after all, you are a RICH MILLIONAIRE and California’s other U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein pays her own way.

    Since 2000, Sen. Barbara Boxer, California Democrat, has taken 18 trips, sponsored by outside organizations, at a value of $97,975.

    Naturally, if you want to learn about the Islamic world, you go to… Paris, France. With your spouse. For a week. At a cost of $12,272, as Boxer did in 2008.

    If you want to become more familiar with the impact on U.S. policy on Latin America, clearly, you go to…. the Punta Mita beach resort in Mexico. With your spouse. Three times, in 2006, 2005 and 2002, at a cost of roughly $6,000 per trip.

    If you want to learn more about U.S.-Russia-European relations, you go to… Dublin, Ireland for five days, at a cost of more than $6,000, as she did in 2005. (I salute her taste.) Or perhaps you go to London, at a cost of $8,260, as she did in 2002.

    The Aspen Institute was most often underwriting the cost of Boxer’s trips; in addition to the destinations above, the group covered the costs of Boxer’s trips to the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, the outdoor sports resort town of Banff, Alberta, and Barcelona, Spain.

    I won’t begrudge a lawmaker for attending an AIPAC conference; but I’ll bet an initiation to one in Hawaii must be more tempting than the usual annual meeting in Washington. Boxer found the time for that one in 2000.

    And lest one think, ‘oh, every senator does this,’… some don’t. In 2005, the California press started to notice the wide disparity between the travel expenses of Boxer and the state’s other senator, Democrat Dianne Feinstein: “Ms. Boxer’s 14 privately funded trips averaged out to nearly $5,300 apiece. In sharp contrast, Ms. Feinstein averaged about $292 per trip.”

    Feinstein’s spokesman, Howard Gantman, gently put it that his boss “does prefer to pay her own way.”

    Taking a vacation is OK, Senator. But, what kind of influence are you selling by taking these outside donations for obvious junkets.

    Geeeezzzzz

  • Christine O'Donnell,  Day By Day,  Karl Rove

    Day By Day September 21, 2010 – Civil

    Day By Day by Chris Muir

    American voters, whether they be in Delaware  or in other states, do not like national political pundits telling them what to do. Suffice to say the verdict on Christine O’Donnell will be decided at the polls in November.

    Karl Rove has had his say and O’Donnell promptly raised over $2 Million.

    Now, talk about coordination of message.

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