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Representative William Jefferson Watch: Jefferson Wins 9th Term in Congress
Congressman William Jefferson D-New Orleans, left with his wife Andrea Jefferson shakes hands at his victory party in New Orleans Saturday, Dec. 9, 2006. Jefferson defeated democratic State Representative Karen Carter for re-election.
UPI: Rep. William Jefferson wins 9th term
Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., who gained notoriety after the FBI found $90,000 in his freezer, was elected Saturday to a ninth term in Congress.
Jefferson defeated Democratic state Rep. Karen Carter in a runoff — even though Carter had secured all the major endorsements and had a better funded campaign, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported.
Jefferson secured a majority of the votes in black neighborhoods in New Orleans and also won in Jefferson Parish, where Sheriff Harry Lee campaigned against him.
What a JOKE!
Flap can hardly wait for the indictment and trial.
Karen Carter should keep her campaign posters handy. She will be running again soon.
Louisiana has a non-partisan system in which the two top candidates in the general election face each other in a runoff if no one wins more than 50 percent of the vote.
Jefferson won 30 percent of the vote in the first election, more than any of the dozen or so candidates seeking to unseat him. Most political observers speculated that the anti-Jefferson forces would unite behind Carter, giving her an easy win.
The congressman remains the target of a federal investigation for allegedly taking payoffs. Alleged co-conspirators have pleaded guilty, and Jefferson has said he expects to be indicted.
Stay tuned…….
Graphic courtesy of Flip
Previous:Representative William Jefferson Watch: Tale of Friendship, Ambition and Betrayal
Representative William Jefferson Watch: Appeals Court Rules Jefferson Has 2 Days to Review Documents
Representative William Jefferson Watch: FBI Raid on Jefferson’s House Office Legal
Representative William Jefferson Watch: “Trying to Protect Their Ownâ€
Representative William Jefferson Watch: Jefferson Refuses to Quit Ways and Means Committee
Representative William Jefferson Watch: GOP Challenges FBI Raid of Jefferson’s Office
Representative William Jefferson Watch: “There are Two Sides to Every Storyâ€
Representative William Jefferson Watch: FBI has BRIBES on Tape
Technorati Tags: WilliamJefferson
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Mark Foley Sex Scandal Watch: Foley Was “A Ticking Time Bomb”
AP: Foley panel: GOP left pages vulnerable
Republican lawmakers and aides left male pages vulnerable to Rep. Mark Foley (news, bio, voting record)’s improper sexual advances even though the first concerns surfaced more than a decade ago, the ethics committee said Friday in its report into an election-year scandal that convulsed the House.
The committee said one witness testified he warned the head of the page board, Illinois Rep. John Shimkus (news, bio, voting record), a year ago that Foley was a “ticking time bomb” who had been confronted repeatedly.
The GOP Leaders knew and they did nothing to protect the male pages.
The Democrats knew and they played politics with the knowledge:
If Republicans were criticized for failing to confront Foley more aggressively, Democrats also figured in the investigation.
The committee said that one aide, Matt Miller, had possession of suggestive computer messages written by Foley, and passed them along to reporters as well as a communications aide at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert should have RESIGNED and he may have saved GOP sets in the November election.
But, as the report acknowledges – POLITICS AS USUAL
And the GOP paid the price…..
Chairman of the House Ethics Committee Doc Hastings (R-WA) (R) and ranking committee member Howard Berman (D-CA) speak about their committee’s report into the Mark Foley scandal on Capitol Hill in Washington December 8, 2006.
Previous:
Mark Foley Sex Scandal Watch: Three More Pages Accuse Foley
Mark Foley Sex Scandal Watch: AOL Instant Message Exchanges of Jordan Edmund Are a
PRANKSpeaker of the House Dennis Hastert Watch: Hastert on the Laura Ingraham Show
Mark Foley Sex Scandal Watch: Identity of Page Who Accused Mark Foley Exposed
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert Watch: Congressional Aide Kirk Fordham – Alerted Hastert’s Office Three Years Ago About Mark FoleyMichael Ramirez on the Congressman Mark Foley Sex FLAP
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert Watch: President Bush – DONâ€T RESIGN, Mr. Speaker
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert Watch: RESIGN, Mr. Speaker
Technorati Tags: MarkFoley, DennisHastert, JohnShimkus, JohnBoehner, KirkFordham
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Michael Ramirez on Election 2006’s GOP DEBACLE
And will the Iraq War go the way of Vietnam?
Technorati Tags: MichaelRamirez, Election2006, GOP, GOPDebacle
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Michael Ramirez on Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s Resignation
The Hill: GOP furious about timing of Rumsfeld resignation
President Bush is VERY SMALL doing this to Donald Rumsfeld as a direct result of election 2006. Where has the President been the past year?
If the President wishes to change Iraq War policy – change it.
But, don’t throw your friends overboard.
Flap predicts the President has accelerated his LAMEDUCK status with conservatives and will have little power to direct future GOP policy.
Put a fork in George W. Bush – HE’S DONE!
Technorati Tags: MichaelRamirez, DonaldRumsfeld, GeorgeWBush
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Senator Joe Lieberman Watch: Liberman’s Victory – A “Declaration of Independence From Partisanship.â€
Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT) celebrates his victory in Hartford, November 7, 2006.
The Day: Lieberman’s Independence May Not Include Democratic Party
Sen. Joe Lieberman’s press conference Wednes-day at the Goodwin Hotel had been billed as a chance for the senator to elaborate on what he’d proclaimed the night before — that his re-election as an independent would send him back to Washington shorn of his obligations to parties and political concerns.
But if the press conference was any indication, the nature of Lieberman’s new role is a work in progress.
On the one hand, the senator, repeating a line from his victory speech Tuesday night, pronounced his win a “declaration of independence from partisanship.â€
Moments later, however, he was assuring reporters that he was still a member in good standing of the Senate Democrats, still in line to retain the perks that partisan affiliation provide, such as his position as ranking member and potential chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
The Senate Democrat Leadership will give Lieberman whatever he wants. If not…….The GOP takes back control of the United States Senate.
Joe has Harry Reid et. al. by the short hairs……
As the NUTROOTS crowd goes wild……..
Stay tuned…..Joe has not had the last laugh yet.
Previous:
Senator Joe Lieberman Watch: Final JOEMENTUM
Senator Joe Lieberman Watch: Landrieu stumps for Lieberman
Senator Joe Lieberman Watch: Latest Quinnipiac University Poll Lieberman Leads 52-35
Senator Joe Lieberman Watch: First Debate – Lieberman Accuses Lamont of “Finger-Pointingâ€
Senator Joe Lieberman Watch: No Man’s Land?
Senator Joe Lieberman Watch: Lieberman Defends Civil Rights Record
Senator Joe Lieberman Watch: Richie Rich and the Two Anti-Semites
Technorati Tags: JoeLieberman, NedLamont
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Michael Ramirez on Election 2006
U.N. Celebrates Republican Loss?
The Jihadists and their United Nations appeasers………..
Technorati Tags: MichaelRamirez, Election2006, UnitedNations
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Election 2006 Watch: James Webb Beats George Allen – Democrats Take Control of the United States Senate
AP: Democrats Take Control of the Senate
Democrats wrested control of the Senate from Republicans Wednesday with an upset victory in Virginia, giving the party complete domination of Capitol Hill for the first time since 1994.
Jim Webb’s squeaker win over incumbent Sen. George Allen gave Democrats their 51st seat in the Senate, an astonishing turnabout at the hands of voters unhappy with Republican scandal and unabated violence in Iraq. Allen was the sixth Republican incumbent senator defeated in Tuesday’s elections.
The Senate breakdown will be 49-49-2 with the two independents voting with the Democrats.
Just as Flap predicted – A DEBACLE
The Senate had teetered at 50 Democrats, 49 Republicans for most of Wednesday, with Virginia hanging in the balance. Webb’s victory ended Republican hopes of eking out a 50-50 split, with Vice President Dick Cheney wielding tie-breaking authority.
The Associated Press contacted election officials in all 134 localities where voting occurred, obtaining updated numbers Wednesday. About half the localities said they had completed their postelection canvassing and nearly all had counted outstanding absentees. Most were expected to be finished by Friday.
The new AP count showed Webb with 1,172,538 votes and Allen with 1,165,302, a difference of 7,236. Virginia has had two statewide vote recounts in modern history, but both resulted in vote changes of no more than a few hundred votes.
An adviser to Allen, speaking on condition of anonymity because his boss had not formally decided to end the campaign, said the senator wanted to wait until most of canvassing was completed before announcing his decision, possibly as early as Thursday evening.
The adviser said that Allen was disinclined to request a recount if the final vote spread was similar to that of election night.
The victory puts Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., in line to become Senate majority leader. He has led the Democrats since Tom Daschle, D-S.D., was defeated two years ago.
The Macaca Flap killed George Allen and the GOP’s control of the United States Senate.
This Democrat Party majority may not be so easy to defend in 2008 – where the attention now goes.
The Dems up for re-election in ’08 include Max Baucus in Montana, Tim Johnson in South Dakota, Mary Landrieu in Louisiana, Mark Pryor in Arkansas, Tom Harkin in Iowa, and Jay Rockefeller in West Virginia. (Other “safe” Democrats include Slow Joe Biden, Dick Durbin, Carl Levin, John Kerry, Frank Lautenber, and Rhode Island’s Jack Reed.) Baucus, Johnson, Landrieu, Pryor, Harkin and Rockefeller all must have begun worrying about the burden they will have to carry in ’08. The first order of business for the GOP will be recruitment of great challengers for these races.
Time to get busy and recruit some good candidates.
Any bets that James Webb will be Hillary’s vice presidential running mate in 2008?
Stay tuned….
Technorati Tags: JamesWebb, GeorgeAllen, GOP, Democrats, UnitedStatesSenate
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Election 2006 Watch: John Tester Wins Montana Senate Seat
Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., walks out of the Billings Hotel and Convention Center in Billings, Mont., Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2006. Incumbent Sen. Burns was locked in the fight of his political life early Wednesday, trailing Democrat Jon Tester by fewer than 2,000 votes as the GOP tried to hang on to control of the Senate.
AP: Democrat wins Montana seat, ties Senate
Republican Sen. Conrad Burns lost his job in a squeaker of a race Wednesday, thrust from office due to his own gaffes, his ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and a determined campaign by Democrat Jon Tester, a farmer.
Tester’s win gave Democrats at least half the U.S. Senate, but the party still needed a victory in a tight Virginia race to gain control.
Burns, 71, first elected in 1988 as a folksy, backslapping outsider, has been under siege because of his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and because of his own gaffes — including an incident in which he cursed at firefighters.
With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Tester had 198,032 votes, or 49.1 percent, to Burns’ 194,904 votes, or 48.3 percent.
Put a fork in Conrad Burns – He’s done!
Also put a fork in the GOP’s chances to hold control of the United States Senate. There will be a recount in Virigina but it will be a long shot at best.
Senate breakdown will be 49-49-2 with the two independents voting with the Democrats.
Just as Flap predicted – A DEBACLE
Stay tuned…….
Previous:
Election 2006 Watch: THE ARRIVING GOP DEBACLE – Senate
United States House 2006 Election Watch: Rush Limbaugh and the Coming GOP DEBACLE
Michael Ramirez on the Coming GOP Debacle
United States House 2006 Election Watch: SEA OF BLUE
Election 2006 Watch: The Coming Republican DEBACLE
Technorati Tags: Election2006, GOP, Democrats
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Election 2006 Watch: GOP Loses Control of House But Senate Continues Contested
House Democratic Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., fires up fellow Democrats at an election night rally at the Hyatt Regency Hotel near the Capitol in Washington Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006. She is joined, left to right, by Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, and Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Fla.
U.S. House: GOP Loses Control by how much will be the issue.
U.S. Senate: Continues in play. Virginia, Montana, Missouri and Tennessee are contested.
The Maryland Senate race is NOT over and the Washington Post has retracted its projection.
Maryland Election results are here.
Watch along with Flap at the links above.
Stay tuned……..
Update:
Riehl World calls if for Allen but Flap feels it is premature. This race will be recounted and will determine control of the Senate.
Update 12:07 AM EST
Looks like a recount in Virginia with Montana and Missouri going blue. If Virginia goes to Webb then Democrats win control of the U.S. Senate – as per Flap’s prediction.
The GOP will lose between 20 and 25 seats in the House and control.
THE GOP DEBACLE HAS ARRIVED!Â
Previous:
Election 2006 Watch: THE ARRIVING GOP DEBACLE – House
Election 2006 Watch: THE ARRIVING GOP DEBACLE – SenateÂ
Technorati Tags: Election2006, GOP, Democrats
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Election 2006 Watch: THE ARRIVING GOP DEBACLE – House
Election Projection has final United States House Election 2006 Projections:
Current: 232 GOP, 202 DEM, 1 IND
Projected: 208 GOP, 227 DEM, 0 IND
DEM +25, GOP -24, IND -1Election Projection is forecasting a net loss of 25 House seats and loss of GOP control of the House. While this is a pessimistic account, I do not forsee any other likely scenario. Here is Election Projections summary of the race:
Summary of Contested House Races
State Major Candidates Projected Result Arizona – CD 1 Rick Renzi (R)-inc vs Ellen Simon (D) Weak GOP Hold Arizona – CD 5 J.D. Hayworth (R)-inc vs Harry Mitchell (D) Weak DEM Gain Arizona – CD 8 OPEN: R. Graf (R) vs G. Giffords (D) Mod DEM Gain California – CD 11 Richard Pombo (R)-inc vs Jerry McNerny (D) Weak GOP Hold Colorado – CD 4 M. Musgrave (R)-inc vs A. Paccione (D) Weak GOP Hold Colorado – CD 7 OPEN: O’Donnell (R) vs Perlmutter (D) Weak DEM Gain Conn – CD 2 Rob Simmons (R)-inc vs Joe Courtney (D) Weak DEM Gain Conn – CD 4 Chris Shays (R)-inc vs Diane Farrell (D) Weak GOP Hold Conn – CD 5 Nancy Johnson (R)-inc vs Chris Murphy (D) Weak DEM Gain Florida – CD 13 OPEN: V. Buchanan (R) vs C. Jennings (D) Weak DEM Gain Florida – CD 16 OPEN: J. Negron (R) vs T. Mahoney (D) Weak DEM Gain Florida – CD 22 Clay Shaw (R)-inc vs Ron Klein (D) Weak DEM Gain Georgia – CD 8 Jim Marshall (D)-inc vs “Mac” Collins (R) Weak DEM Hold Georgia – CD 12 John Barrow (D)-inc vs Max Burns (R) Weak DEM Hold Idaho – CD 1 Sali (R)-inc vs Grant (D) Weak GOP Hold Illinois – CD 6 OPEN: P. Roskam(R)-inc vs T. Duckworth(D) Weak GOP Hold Illinois – CD 8 M. Bean (D)-inc vs D. McSweeney (R) Weak DEM Hold Indiana – CD 2 Chris Chocola (R)-inc vs Joseph Donnelly (D) Weak DEM Gain Indiana – CD 8 John Hostettler (R)-inc vs Brad Ellsworth (D) Mod DEM Gain Indiana – CD 9 Michael Sodrel (R)-inc vs Baron Hill (D) Weak GOP Hold Iowa – CD 1 OPEN: Mike Whalen (R) vs Bruce Braley (D) Mod DEM Gain Kentucky – CD 3 Anne Northup (R)-inc vs John Yarmuth (D) Weak GOP Hold Kentucky – CD 4 Geoff Davis (R)-inc vs Ken Lucas (D) Weak GOP Hold Minnesota – CD 1 Gil Gutknecht, Jr. (R) vs Tim Walz (D) Weak GOP Hold Minnesota – CD 6 OPEN: M. Bachmann (R) vs P. Wetterling (D) Weak GOP Hold Nevada – CD 3 Jon Porter (R) vs Tessa Hafen (D) Porter +4.8 New Hamp – CD 2 Charles Bass (R)-inc vs Paul Hodes (D) Weak DEM Gain New Mexico – CD 1 Heather Wilson (R)-inc vs Patricia Madrid (D) Weak DEM Gain New York – CD 19 Sue Kelly (R)-inc vs John Hall (D) Weak GOP Hold New York – CD 20 John Sweeney (R)-inc vs Kirsten Gillibrand (D) Weak DEM Gain New York – CD 24 OPEN: R. Meier (R) vs M. Arcuri (D) Weak DEM Gain New York – CD 25 James Walsh (R)-inc vs Dan Maffei (D) Weak GOP Hold New York – CD 26 Thomas Reynolds (R)-inc vs Jack Davis (D) Weak GOP Hold New York – CD 29 Randy Kuhl (R)-inc vs Eric Massa (D) Weak GOP Hold N. Carolina – CD 8 Robin Hayes (R)-inc vs Larry Kissell (D) Weak GOP Hold N. Carolina – CD 11 Charles Taylor (R)-inc vs Heath Shuler (D) Weak DEM Gain Ohio – CD 1 Steve Chabot (R)-inc vs John Cranley (D) Weak DEM Gain Ohio – CD 2 Jean Schmidt (R)-inc vs Wuslin (D) Weak GOP Hold Ohio – CD 15 Deborah Pryce (R)-inc vs Mary Jo Kilroy (D) Weak DEM Gain Ohio – CD 18 OPEN: Joy Padgett (R) vs Zack Space (D) Weak DEM Gain Penn – CD 4 Melissa Hart (R)-inc vs Jason Altmire (D) Weak GOP Hold Penn – CD 6 Jim Gerlach (R)-inc vs Lois Murphy (D) Weak DEM Gain Penn – CD 7 Curt Weldon (R)-inc vs Joseph Sestak (D) Weak DEM Gain Penn – CD 8 M. Fitzpatrick (R)-inc vs P. Murphy (D) Weak GOP Hold Penn – CD 10 Don Sherwood (R)-inc vs Chris Carney (D) Weak DEM Gain Texas – CD 22 OPEN: Sekula-Gibbs (R-WI) vs Lampson (D) Weak DEM Gain Vermont – CD 1 OPEN: P. Welch (D) vs M. Rainville (R) Mod DEM Gain Virginia CD-2 Thelma Drake (R)-inc vs Philip Kellam (D) Weak GOP Hold Washington – CD 8 Dan Reichert (R)-inc vs Darcy Burner (D) Weak GOP Hold Wisconsin – CD 8 OPEN: John Gard (R) vs Steve Kagen (D) Weak DEM Gain Wyoming – CD 1 Barbara Cubin (R)-inc vs Gary Trauner (D) Weak GOP Hold BOLD – party turnover
Race ratings: - “Weak” – less than 5%
- “Mod” – 5% to 15%
- “Strong” – greater than 15%
For projected margins of victory, click here The Real Clear Politics House Summary chart is here.
Current House (232 R, 202 D, 1 I): Democrats Need to Pick Up 15 Seats For ControlRepublican SeatsLeans Dem (13)Toss Up (14)Leans GOP (21)Leans GOP (0)Toss Up (2)Leans Dem (4)
The GOP House Debacle has arrived. Robert Novak has a conservative loss of 18 seats for the GOP. His analysis is here.
The next Speaker of the House will be Nancy Pelosi (D-California).
For election night coverage NZ Bear at Truth Laid Bear has set up an election tracker page here.
Previous:
Election 2006 Watch: THE ARRIVING GOP DEBACLE – Senate
United States House 2006 Election Watch: Rush Limbaugh and the Coming GOP DEBACLE
Michael Ramirez on the Coming GOP Debacle
United States House 2006 Election Watch: SEA OF BLUE
Election 2006 Watch: The Coming Republican DEBACLE
Technorati Tags: Election2006, GOP, Democrats
