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Last night saw some very interesting results in primaries throughout the country. With only one real important exception in Blanche Lincoln (D) AR, it was a clear message that incumbents were unpopular. Another interesting result is the fact that the big primary winners were female and conservative. I am also intrigued with the effect of Sarah Palin’s effect in the campaigns of those she supported.
Now I will admit that both Whitman and Fiorina are California Republicans, and are not necessarily as conservative as others are in the GOP. However, Fiorina along with candidates like Sharon Angle, Nikki Haley are all Tea Party favorites that Sarah Palin supported and who have won their primaries. In the case of Carly Fiorina she won over another Tea Party favorite supported by South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint.
There is no doubt in my mind that this election season is a referendum on the Obama Administration as well as both houses of Congress. Figures such as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, (D) NV and Senator Barbara Boxer (D) CA will certainly have their hands full with Palin backed Angle and Fiorina. In addition to these contending opponents, incumbent Democrats will also have to explain their unpopular support of Obama and his agendas.
While the Tea Party may be a very vocal as well as a very visible political force they are by no means organized. There is no real main arm of the Tea Party, but a loose knit coalition of Tea Party’s around the country. They often see things pretty much the same way, but not always, which will sometimes create divisions within the movement. California primary Fiorina versus DeVore or more accurately Palin versus DeMint is a prime example.
It appears to me that Sarah Palin is certainly a driving force, in both the Republican Party and the Tea Party movement and wields tremendous star power amongst the blue collar conservatives. The fact that she is also willing to go against the GOP base and Tea Party candidates she does not support has not appeared to damage her credibility within either group. There is definitely evidence that you have a better than even chance of winning at least within your own party if Sarah Palin picks you to support.
Another Tea Party and Palin backed candidate Terry Branstad won the GOP Party nomination yesterday for the Governors race in Iowa against incumbent Democrat Chet Culver in November and is a race to watch. It is said that Iowa is one of the states that sets the tone for election politics so we will see if they see eye to eye with Sarah Palin on Terry Branstad.
I will tell you before I go that I am not a Republican but an NPA (No Party Affiliation), I am also a fiscal conservative as well as a social conservative with one or two exceptions. I do like Sarah Palin and agree with her political views 99.998% of the time. I will definitely support her candidates with one exception and that is Senator John McCain (R) AZ.
I hope you all have a great day and I will see you all again soon my friends. From Simple Man Politics CIAO4NOW!!!!!
Welcome back to Simple Man Politics for yet another hump day post. The man of the hour today who may be bestowed his hump honor eventually but not today is the RNC (Republican National Committee) Chairman Michael Steele. I have been considering doing a piece on this man for some time but other topics have taken precedence till now.
Former Lt Governor of Maryland Michael Steele (R-MD) now chairs the RNC and has the almost impossible and unenviable task of reviving and rejuvenating the Republican Party. He must not only ensure greater success of the party’s wins in at least the next two election cycles, but he must get his party’s base expanded, energized, and actively into the fight to regain GOP dominance in D.C. as well.
To say the least Mr. Steele faces some opposition to these goals and not just from the Democratic Party. He faces critics and opposition from within his own party also. Since his appointment to the RNC Chairmanship he has been blasted by Rush Limbaugh, and had ideological differences with former VP Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and Newt Gingrich just to name a couple of his detractors.
In addition to these troubles he has had trouble with the RNC board who have attempted to place limitations or regulations on what he can and can’t do as Chairman including funding, which has caused him to say at one point that if they want a figurehead as the Chairman they picked the wrong man. As if all of this isn’t enough for the man to deal with he is now taking heat from within the RNC for hiring friends, which every Chairman before him has done.
Michael Steele also laid out his game plan Tuesday 05/19/09 for bringing back the GOP strong. He says that regardless of Barack Obamas immense popularity with the public that the Republican Party will attack the President and his policies head on. He says that even with a revamped Republican Party there will still be clear differences between Democrats and Republicans politically and ideologically.
He cites this stance as a comeback of the two party system and said that the GOP has turned the corner predicting a Republican resurgence and that the comeback has begun and it is not in Washington. He also stated that this comeback is underway with the rebirth of the American dream and the change came to the party in a teabag referring to the Tea Parties of last month. All of this however seems to fly in the face of the fact that less people now identify themselves as Republicans when compared to the 2000 through 2004 election cycles.
I personally hope that Michael Steele is successful in his endeavor to reconstitute the Republican Party, but until a consensus is reached within the leadership of the Grand Old Party and the figure out how to present a new streamlined fresh image of the party to the base and potential members this is all just rhetoric. Unfortunately this may also be how Steele gets humped and by no one and nothing else but his own party the GOP. I do wish him all the luck in the world and I hope he is careful about bending over to pick anything up right now.
That is all I have to write about for now, but I am sure I will come up with something very interesting for all of you to read tomorrow. I also hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday and I will be back again tomorrow CIAO4NOW!!!!!
Here’s a HUMP DAY post for you my friends and it’s about Senator Arlen Specter (R-RINO = Republican In Name Only) who is trying to hump the Republican Party by joining the Democratic Party. However this does not come as to big of a surprise to me because he sides with the Democratic Party on most issues.
Arlen Specters move to switch parties is obviously an attempt to hold on to his Pennsylvania Senate seat because he doesn’t believe that he could win in a Republican primary election against another candidate from his own party.
He realized his seat wasn’t safe after he voted against card check and didn’t get the recognition he wanted. I guess he didn’t realize that supporting President Obama’s stimulus package and budget was that unpopular within the Republican Party.
It is also not that much of a surprise to me that the Democratic Party will welcome Arlen Specter to their ranks. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) has been trying to recruit Specter for more than five years as have other high ranking Democrat Party members such as Vice President Joe Biden.
The Dem’s want Specter more than ever now considering they hold 58 seats in the Senate and almost have a filibuster proof majority. Arlen Specters membership into the Democratic Party would give them 59 seats with Minnesota still undecided and Joe Biden’s vote would be their 60th vote allowing the Democrats to possibly avoid a filibuster.
Considering the fact that I am not Republican or Democrat I can personally say that I really don’t care if Arlen Specter jumps parties or not. Yes it will be a big loss to the GOP, but I think that the GOP is better of without him. Let’s face it the Republicans could never count on his vote anyway because they never knew where he would fall on one side of an issue or another.
As far as Arlen Specters political career is concerned I don’t really believe that he has one past the 2010 mid-term elections even as a Democrat. Both houses of congress have piss poor approval ratings particularly on the Democrat sides of both congressional houses and those ratings continue to slide down further. Even a poll taken today showed Obama’s approval ratings at an all time low.
The last thing I have to say about Arlen Specters jump to the Democratic Party and his mid-term election for his Senate seat next year is it’s a good thing because now a true conservative Republican Pat Toomey will win the GOP primary vote and go on to defeat Specter or any Democratic nominee in the general election.
That is the way I see this situation playing out let me know what you think. Have a wonderful Wednesday my friends and I will see you all tomorrow CIAO4NOW!!!!!