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Illinois Circular Firing Squad Team–Daniels

ArchPundit September 24, 2002 0 Comment

Illinois Circular Firing Squad Team–Daniels and cash

Rich Miller has the scoop on Lee Daniels’ money problems for the HRCC. The implications are very serious for the Illinois Circular Firing Squad Team. That money is used for a wide variety of functions including GOTV and GOTV is going to be the key to keeping Topinka and Birkett with a chance.

One should remember the Devine campaign a few years ago. He was well behind the incumbent and ended up winning through efforts of the coordinated campaign. On a statewide basis, a repeat for Dart is entirely possible and it would make the difference for Lisa Madigan.

I think at this point the polls for the Illinois race are going to have to be reexamined. This kind of debacle often leads to very low turnout for the Party facing multiple problems. Roesser made the point in his last column as well.

MONEY TROUBLES (excerpt) The House Republican Campaign Committee is meeting Thursday to talk about the budget for this fall’s electoral contests. This will not be a pleasant meeting.

Contributions have slowed to a trickle since the feds started poking around House GOP Leader Lee Daniels’ operation. And for the past few months, some of Daniels’ own members, even a few in hot races, are eschewing all funds from the HRCC and raising their own cash, which is diverting money that would have gone to Daniels’ fund. Some of Daniels’ members are also upset with him for refusing to supplement the HRCC account with money from his Friends of Lee Daniels fund, and that is leading to plenty of back-room sniping.

Rumors started flying this week when Daniels and the HRCC canceled a fundraiser scheduled for next month in Chicago. Insiders insist the fundraising event was never a major priority, but other Republicans believe Daniels couldn’t sell enough tickets to make it worthwhile. As Capitol Fax told you several days ago, Daniels has angrily lashed out at some lobbyists who have refused to contribute money. But since everyone figures he’s a goner after this term, he can’t strike much fear into anyone’s heart these days.

Word is the HRCC fall budget could be slashed in a major way, which would mean Daniels could have to bail out of some races that he might have a legit shot at if he had the dough.

The Times has a good

ArchPundit September 23, 2002 0 Comment

The Times has a good article on nuclear proliferation that points out our abysmal spending on it. Just remember kids, the President had to be shamed into even that amount by Gephardt, Lugar and Nunn. File under: The adults are back in charge.

What is Sullivan reading? His

ArchPundit September 23, 2002 0 Comment

What is Sullivan reading? His recent post on Dubya and the Young is near delusional. He tries to claim the young are backing the GOP in huge numbers. There is a 7 point difference for those in their 20s, but that isn’t a huge difference. More importantly, he misses that the genders are mirror images of each other and as much support as there is for the GOP amongst men, the Dems pick up the same percentages from women.

Here is the breakout.

This article is a good

ArchPundit September 23, 2002 0 Comment

This article is a good example of why most in the US have oversimplified the Israeli-Palestinean conflict. Israel is a special friend of the United States, as it should be. Our friends can make mistakes and they have repeatedly done so. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t support them and guarantee the continued existence of the Israeli state with our military. We also have a responsibility to call them out when they do wrong.

The major problem with our policy combined with Sharon is that it gives extremists every incentive to continue bombing. Extremists don’t want a land for peace deal–the want the destruction of Israel. Hamas and others see the way to the destruction of Israel starting with no peace and constant war. By refusing to negotiate when Hamas or other extremist Palestinean attacks, Sharon has created a situation where extremists get exactly what they want. Isn’t that rewarding terrorism?

Via Tapped is another example

ArchPundit September 23, 2002 0 Comment

Via Tapped is another example of the politicization of science under this administration.

The statistics division isn’t perfect, but it is damn good. If this is related to 2nd Amendment concerns, as I suspect it is despite any claims made by the administration, this is ugly.

Ummm.can Harvard get its acceptance

ArchPundit September 23, 2002 0 Comment

Ummm.can Harvard get its acceptance letter back.

Ryan needs to get a

ArchPundit September 23, 2002 0 Comment

Ryan needs to get a clue. While the entire system has problems and Devine and Daley should be taken to task, Ryan’s abuses in the Cruz case are horrific. In general, I see Ryan as a not-to bad guy, but that case was a travesty of justice and it was his fault.

I love the Chicago Tribune,

ArchPundit September 23, 2002 0 Comment

I love the Chicago Tribune, but this vendetta against the Madigans is a bit much. Birkett isn’t any cleaner and the more reasonable media outlets have covered his problems with taking money from lawyers in DuPage that regularly do business with him.

Vader encourages the circular firing

ArchPundit September 23, 2002 0 Comment

Vader encourages the circular firing squad with this tidbit:

Privatized Social Security?

The party leadership’s advice to Republican House candidates to avoid the issue of Social Security privatization has angered conservative theoreticians who fear a long delay in changing the system.

Rep. Tom Davis, the House Republican campaign chairman, has called on the party’s candidates to stay away from the issue, and especially the word ”privatize.” Steven Moore, chairman of the supply-side Club for Growth, said in a memo to Davis, ”Republicans must run ON the issue of creating Social Security private investment account options, not AWAY from it.”

A footnote: The latest Republican candidate to avoid the issue is Elizabeth Dole, who forced the withdrawal of a Democratic ad putting her on record for private accounts. Dole enjoys a big lead over former Clinton chief of staff Erskine Bowles for the open Senate seat in North Carolina.

Darth Vader suggest Harbour could

ArchPundit September 23, 2002 0 Comment

Darth Vader suggest Harbour could run for Mississippi. Let me remind everyone of one of the funniest Congressional Hearings ever:

SEN. FRED THOMPSON: But when you?re sitting on a boat in the Hong Kong harbor, talking to a gentleman, who?s a citizen of Taiwan, I mean, that does raise certain other potential implications in terms of appearances, but it?s an appearance business that we?re both in, isn?t it?