The news from last night’s elections was almost universally good for Democrats (and, therefore, the president), yet, the cable news programs are tripping over themselves to tell you otherwise. There should be no question, even if the polls weren’t decisive about it, that Joe Sestak and Bill Halter will be stronger general election candidates than Arlen Specter and Blanche Lincoln. Halter still needs to win a run-off election against Lincoln in three weeks, but he’s in good shape considering that 55% of Arkansas Democrats just voted against Lincoln. The Republicans still have a good chance to pick up the Arkansas seat, but it is no longer guaranteed. In Pennsylvania, the GOP’s odds just got very long, as Pat Toomey is way too far to the right to win against a fresh face.
The Democrats also won their seventh straight competitive Special Election in Pennsylvania’s 12 District, where Mark Critz retained John Murtha’s seat. As you’ve probably already learned from watching teevee, Murtha’s district was the only one in the entire country to vote for Kerry in 2004 and then McCain in 2008. Some polls showed that Obama only has a 35% approval rate in the district (where he is most famous for his low bowling score). The election wasn’t even close, which has to be discouraging to Republicans who think they are going to ride some kind of wave into the midterms.
The Democrats also lucked out in the Sixth District, where their well-funded but somnambulant candidate, Doug Pike, went down to defeat against the much more compelling and energized Manan Trivedi. The Sixth District is probably the most Democratic district still held by a Republican. And the incumbent, Jim Gerlach, has a bit of a Specter problem after having announced his retirement to run for governor only to drop out and run for reelection. He, too, only cares about saving one job, and it ain’t yours.
The Democrats also caught a break in Kentucky when the lunatic Rand Paul won the Republican primary and immediately began talking nonsense in his acceptance speech. The Democrats were smart enough to elect Jack Conway, who was not only the more progressive option, but the stronger general election candidate. Our prospects for picking up crazy Jim Bunning’s seat just went up substantially.
It’s hard to find any good news for Republicans from last night’s results. I suppose that they can be grateful that their Arkansas nominee, John Boozman, avoided a run-off. Maybe they’re happy that former NBA schlub Chris Dudley won the gubernatorial nomination in Oregon. Just don’t ask him to make a free throw or convert a lay-up. He’s an expert at fouling, however.
The Democrats got the nominees they needed, even if the Establishment might have pretended otherwise. The Republicans rolled the dice on some deranged candidates. Where the house needed cleaning, the Democratic voters did so preemptively. I couldn’t be more pleased. Everything went perfectly, right down the line.
TPM headline:
“Worried Rendell To TPMDC: Pa. Senate Race A ‘Tossup'”
Is he being a spoiler? Concern troll? What’s up with him?
He needs to get with the program….
Rendell is a terminal off-message jackass.
Biggest asshole of all: TJ Rooney. I really don’t get him at all. He should be replaced: how does that happen, does anyone know?
“The chairman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party issued a stern warning to members of his party this week, declaring that nominating Rep. Joe Sestak over Sen. Arlen Specter could have “cataclysmic” consequences for the party’s ability to hold the Senate seat this fall.
As polls show Sestak, a second-term House member from the Philadelphia suburbs, cutting Specter’s advantage to single digits, Chairman T.J. Rooney told POLITICO in an interview that “if we want to keep this seat in Democratic hands, the only person capable of delivering that victory is Arlen Specter.”
“I can’t say, honest and true, if the shoe’s on the other foot, that we’ll have the same race in November,” Rooney said. “The results could be cataclysmic.”
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/36863.html#ixzz0oOEzaEJp
I haven’t seen a quote from him yet this morning. Hopefully he’ll submit his resignation.
I agree it was a good night for Democrats, but not necessarily so for mr. Obama, whose chosen candidate in PA when down like a sack of potatoes, and whose chosen candidate in AR failed to stave off a runoff.
in PA especially, it was a good night for democracy, period. the establishment tried to deny democratic voters a choice of candidates, and it blew up in their face.
But don’t think the national party has learned anything: i called up the DNC this morning to give them the views of an ordinary pennsylvanian, and why their strategy went so awry. They didn’t want to hear it (and no I wasn’t yelling or being mean).
What did the DNC’er say?
But the point is that it was actually a fantastic day for Obama because it was a fantastic day for his party. There really can’t be any confusion about the matter, and the WH isn’t confused about it.
that’s true. it was a really good day if you weren’t an establishment dem (and even if you were, in the case of Murtha’s district)
Obama and the Democratic Party got what they needed from Specter’s switch to the Democrats and they held up their end of the deal by backing Specter in the primary. I doubt the DNC is all that heartbroken by Sestak’s win, however, and is mainly keeping up appearances by registering disappointment that Specter lost. It isn’t as if the Democratic establishment isn’t going to back Sestak in the general, and Specter isn’t going to pull a Lieberman either.
This, exactly.
Brendan, I can see your point. However, I think Booman’s larger point holds too.
The DNC (or RNC), the President, other Washington incumbents will almost always back another incumbent in a party primary. It is what it is.
When the challenger (Sestak in PA) wins the primary, the question becomes not what happened in the primary, but what happens in the general campaign ahead. Will the DNC and Obama support Sestak? Will Sestak let bygones be bygones and work with Obama and the DNC and the DSCC?
I’d like to hear from Pennsylvanians what you all think the most likely scenario is going forward. From a distance, I’d think that since Specter’s been a Democrat for less than a year, it would be pretty easy for Dems to unite behind Sestak.
When your opponent is Pat Toomey there is zero problem with the party uniting. Sestak has some major advantages in this race. As you can see from last night’s returns, he is strong in the west and in rural areas because of his military service. He’s from the Philly suburbs and will dominate there. And his one weakness is the the city itself, which he’ll win with nearly 90% of the vote.
“Congratulations to Joe Sestak on winning a hard-fought primary. Both Arlen Specter and Joe Sestak deserve credit for waging thoughtful, spirited campaigns. I have tremendous respect for Arlen, who has been a loyal member of the Democratic caucus. With his support, Democrats passed landmark health care reform, a jobs package, and of course the Economic Recovery Act, which saved the nation from an economic abyss.
“Joe Sestak has a compelling life story, and a powerful message of change. He knows what is wrong with Washington, and if elected to the Senate will shake up how business is done in the Capitol.
“This November, Pennsylvania voters will face a choice between a Democrat who is focused on creating jobs and the needs of the middle class, and an extreme right-winger who made his profits trading derivatives on Wall Street. After working on Wall Street, Pat Toomey went to Congress where he racked up an extremist voting record that would make Rick Santorum look moderate. If elected, Pat Toomey would do even more to protect the big banks, Wall Street, the oil companies and the insurance companies – all at the expense of Pennsylvania’s middle class.”
Not much doubt about where the DSCC stands in this race.
There’s no reason to call Specter Obama’s chosen candidate. Obama did what the head of the party is supposed to do — support the incumbents and honor the ugly strategic deals he made. It will be a good night for Obama if these results strengthen the left side of the party, which they will do, now or later. The old DNC argument just ain’t working anymore, and everybody now knows it.
I don’t think it had much to do with Obama at all. It was about people not liking what Specter did.
It appears that Rendell is being a sore loser. Of course, his prediction of Sestak’s defeat rival the predictions of Dick Morris.
I glad to see the back of Arlen, but I’m gonna ask the same thing I asked last night.
The BIG QUESTION is:
How will Arlen vote for the remainder of his term? Dude seems like the type of hold a grudge, but who will he hold a grudge against?
It will be weird. Arlen is a chameleon, but now he has to show his spots.
Well, he’s got a grudge against the GOP for sure, and against Sestak and the libs who backed him for sure, but if he’s at all rational he has no grudge against Obama and the party establishment, who kept their promises. Since it’s hard to believe his rightwing former life was based on principle, it will be interesting to see where he goes from here.
If I were him I’d resign. Any talk of that?
Can anyone explain why Dodd watered down the derivatives bill on the day of the primary and not the day after?
Not watered down, made sane. It was obviously to protect Lincoln’s ass.
Not according to TPM or Salon, among others.
I thought it was an excellent night, and was very happy watching election ‘ punditry’, because they couldn’t spin it any other way.
LMAO at GOP deranged candidates.
Yep. Now, Paul has to answer serious questions, and we just need to get his answers on video and cut commercials from them.
I thought I heard a snip from Paul saying that global warming is just a worldwide plot to destroy capitalism. Surely I misheard, even from him?
wonder what he thinks that underwater plume in the Gulf of Mex is?