2010 United States Senate - NH

This is a good sign for Republicans. The GOP has had some success getting good candidates to run for House seats but this is a strong candidate to try and hold a Republican seat in the Senate. It's unlikely that Ayotte would give up a top spot as Attorney General if she wasn't confident she could raise enough money to win. ~ptm~

Story from the AP:
July 7, 2009
NH AG Kelly Ayotte resigns to explore Senate race

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte is resigning to explore a campaign for U.S. Senate.

Ayotte submitted her letter of resignation to Gov. John Lynch, effective Friday, July 17.

In a statement Tuesday, Ayotte says many people have urged her to run. She said she made her decision after discussing the matter with her husband, Joe.

Ayotte, a Republican and the state's first female attorney general, has served for five years under two governors.

Ayotte joined the state Department of Justice in 1998. She was appointed head of the criminal bureau in 2000 and earned renown in that post for negotiating guilty pleas with a pair of teens accused of murdering two Dartmouth College professors.

Last year she oversaw the prosecution of Michael Addison on charges of killing Manchester Police Officer Michael Briggs.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Link to Story

2010 United States Senate - FL

Given that it is another slow sports day, we'll keep looking into the 2010 elections by examining the Republican primary in Florida.

This primary is a good example of whether or not the party can look ahead to the future or will continue to be stuck in the past.

The two candidates are Governor Charlie Crist and State Representative Marco Rubio.

Crist is the typical McCain-esque Republican. Always interested in compromise, not especially principled when it comes to conservatism. He belongs in the Lindsey Graham, McCain, Tom Ridge, Colin Powell, RINO wing of the party. The Cuban-American Rubio, on the other hand was a consistent conservative during his time as Florida House Speaker, championing free market principles and low taxes to encourage expansion.

The Republican party desperately needs some new faces and people who are actually committed to conservative ideals. Rubio could fill both roles, educating the public about conservatism as he has done his whole career while simultaneously showing that the party isn't just for old white guys like Crist.

Also, Crist supported the Obama stimulus abomination, in case you needed any other reason to look somewhere else.

Rubio unfortunately lacks the party support and name recognition that Crist has, so it's a long shot but not impossible. Give him a look.

marcorubio.com

100 Innovative Ideas for Florida's Future

2010 United States Senate - AK

Since Alaska governor Sarah Palin announced her resignation, the media has been actively engaged in its usual cycle of cynical judgmentalism and insane speculation.

Most of the cynical judgments being cast about are that Palin ins somehow weak and stupid for quitting her job now. The inference being that she couldn't handle the pressure and collapsed and destroyed her political career.

The speculation runs a wide range of topics from her starting her 2012 campaign now to her being completely out of politics. As usual these speculations are based on nearly nothing. The one thing that should be easy to ascertain is that she isn't retiring. Her statement clearly states a political future of some kind. Andrea Mitchell may just have to go back and do some fact checking before breaking another story.

While her future may lie in a presidential run or some sort of fundraising/PAC capacity, I hope that she splits the difference and turns her eye to the United States Senate.

A Presidential run may be too difficult at this point to be considered viable. The media has an unreasonable hatred for her as do all Democrats and many elitest Republicans. That can be difficult to overcome. In Alaska though, shes still popular and should be able to generate some favorable press, locally if not nationally.

The timing of her resignation fits as well. Lisa Murkowski is up for reelection in 2010 and if Palin wanted to challenge her, now is the time to start.

Murkowski is the type of Senator that Palin would love to take out from an ideological standpoint as well. Murkowski isn't quite as far to the left as Snowe, Collins and the late Spector but she is close. This would be a good opportunity to clean up a little dead wood from the party while it's in a downward trend. Palin is used to this fight, she eliminated Murkowski's father in the race for governor.

While not the Presidency, a spot in the Senate still carries quite a bit of power with it. You have immediate access to the media, lobbyists, etc. No more draining flights from Alaska. In addition, Palin would be far more famous and influential than a typical newcomer given her name recognition and the weakness of the current Republican crop. She would be short on seniority but tall on influence.

Congressional experience would also put her in a prime spot for future Presidential elections or on the short list for high level Presidential appointments (State, Defense, etc.). This whole saga could turn out to be a win-win for everyone.

Oops, I mean everyone but Lisa Murkowski.

2010 United States Senate - CO

Newest campaign video for Ryan Frazier, a Colorado Republican hoping to unseat Michael Bennett.



www.frazierforcolorado.com

July 4th Miracle

Today, we celebrate our Independence with beer, steak and fireworks.

But this year, I'll be celebrating something special in addition to freedom.

Chien-Ming Wang's ERA dropped into single digits for the year.

Wang started this morning against Toronto and gave up 4 in 5.1 innings which, while not exactly a great performance, dropped his ERA to 9.86.

Much like the would be Americans punking the Brits all those years ago, Wang's milestone proves that underdgogs do win and miracles can happen in land of the free and home of the brave.

God bless this great land!

The Fuse Is Lit

Two of the NBA's most history laden teams are now engaging in some dubious behavior.

The Los Angeles Lakers have decided to sign The Motor City Madman Ron Artest (sorry Ted) and the Boston Celtics are actively pursuing career cancer Rasheed Wallace.

It's hard to believe these teams in particular would take a chance on these two wackjobs.

The Laker just won a title by surrounding Kobe with easy going, no ego types who constantly defer to him. Even Pau Gasol deffered to Kobe and he was the key to the whole run. If the Lakers needed any peices it was another outside shooter, not a defense minded, offensively challenged three. Especially now that they've lost Trevor Ariza. Now we all know Artest likes to go after Kobe, which should make Kobe happy dealing with that every day in practice, but Artest is mostly a moody, high energy type of guy. He is going to destroy everything about the laid-back Lamar Odom. C'mon, Odom said he never wanted to live anywhere but the beach. We all know that means "I smoke tons of herb." I don't think he can handle Hurricane Artest, who is due for a massive eruption. If he doesn't point it at Odom (no way it's Kobe or Gasol) I'd start keeping an eye on super-soft, lazy center Andrew Bynum or Sasha Vujacic.

The Celtics are just as baffling. They also recently won a championship with players like James Posey, Glen Davis, Leon Powe and Brian Scalabrine supporting the big three. Posey is gone and, once again, Ariza would have been a perfect addition but they are going after Sheed, who hasn't helped anybody in a really long time and is prone to bouts of quitting when not being used properly. How long until Doc Rivers screws up the rotation and pisses everybody off? Over/Under at 15.5 games. In addition, do you really want Sheed influencing Rajon Rondo? Rondo is already so hard to live with that they were trying to trade him after his triple-double playoffs. Now you want Sheed whispering sweet nothings in his ear? Crazy. Latly, how long exactly until hyper competitive Kevin Garnnett gets into it with freuently tanking Sheed. That pairing could just go nuclear.

It never ceases to amaze how teams sign names and talent without realizing that they can't chnage either one of these guys.

The one positive from a fans perspective is the possibility of Man-Ram and Artest being in the same city. I hope these two hook, become soulmates and hit the clubs every night. You think Plax shooting himself was the height of late night athlete comedy? These two could re-write the record books.

A Near Intelligent Moment

Arizona is quickly rising on my list of places I need to live at some point.

The State is on the cusp of passing legislation that will allow people with concealed weapons permits to carry firearms into establishments that serve alcohol.

You heard right friend, guns and booze, side-by-side as God intended. Dive bars? No longer scary. Sports bars? Let's see that arrogant Red Sox fab run his yap so freely now. Strip clubs? . . . . . hmmm. Well, no legislation is perfect.

This seems too good to be true! Has Arizona really become the last bastion of individual liberty in the country? Before I excite myself to the point of twin tubs on a cliff, let's give the situation a quick once over:

In Arizona, you can still go to a bar and -

1. Drink poison. Delicious poison.
2. Listen to loud aggressive music.
3. Try and have sex with strangers.
4. Chaw.
5. Eat the worst food on Earth. Seriously, Ethiopians wouldn't eat that crap.
6. Bring your cannon in case things get ugly or you're trying to impress somebody (see item 3.).

Awesome!! Hmmm, somethings missing . . . . . . The list feels incomplete.

Oh, that's right. YOU STILL CAN'T SMOKE in a bar in Arizona.

Heart disease, deafness, syphilis, alcoholism, lip cancer and getting shot are all acceptable risks to the good people of Arizona but apparently firing up a heater within 20 feet of the door and some little prick might faint while his old lady gets in your face about "killing" her with second hand smoke. I suggest you hold your stogie in one hand and your gun in the other and see what scares her most.

Oh, we were so close to a reasonable State. I thought that surely a State that allows people to engage in behavior that can actually hurt themselves and others must certainly have gotten past pseudo-science, liberal myths that can't hurt anybody, right?

Alas, second hand smoke has reared its ugly head yet again to scare the ignorant and/or weak into ruining a nearly free slice of life.

Maybe one day people will realize that all smoking does is potentially kill the smoker quicker. Maybe one day people will realize that that's none of their damn business. Hopefully it'll happen soon.

Until then, I commend thee Arizona, despite your hypocritical stance on smoke, you've still managed to fight back against the tyranny of those people who can't mind their own business. You've reversed a national tide of group think and collective mediocrity in favor of individualism.

As I watch things explode all over the place this 4th of July, I will think of Arizona and smile, content with the knowledge that there are still places in this country that get what the holiday is all about.

Almost, anyway.