Whatever the polls may currently say about Elizabeth Dole's lead over Kay Hagan, it doesn't seem to matter to the DSCC. According to The Politico, they are about to bring the house down around Dole's head.

I need to warn you all, without tooting my own horn TOO much, that I was on a roll tonight if I do say so my own darn self - absolutely on a roll! Maybe, even a ciabatta or a baguette! Hee...Hee...! :)

Friends of Olbermann, not to get real preachy for real long, but I know we're all excited Keith's back, but let's keep the "excitement" to PG - 13 levels, OK? You know I love great discussion and great fun and the occasional "beefcake" comment - not that I'd EVER make one ;) - but there's other places to get all gushy - mushy about Keith. There's important issues to discuss, and I dare say the future of our country's at stake here. As I often say, I endeavor to entertain but also to educate. I won't claim "executive privilege" or nothin'!

So, on that note, let's Countdown for Wednesday, July 16, 2008!

Today Elizabeth introduced an ammendment to an AIDS relief bill that would rename it after Jesse Freaking Helms. This is my rant.

Via Atrios:

Out of all the people to try to honor in an Act dedicated to fighting AIDS, Elizabeth Dole spits in the face of LGBTs by proposing the now-dead Jesse Helms be added to the "Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008."

Joe Jervis reminds us of some of Helms' greatest hits:

Jesse Helms, the man who in 1987 described AIDS prevention literature as "so obscene, so revolting, I may throw up."

Jesse Helms, the man who in 1988 vigorously opposed the Kennedy-Hatch AIDS research bill, saying, "There is not one single case of AIDS in this country that cannot be traced in origin to sodomy."

Jesse Helms, the man who in 1995 said (in opposition to refunding the Ryan White Act) that the government should spend less on people with AIDS because they got sick due to their "deliberate, disgusting, revolting conduct."

Jesse Helms, the man who in 2002 announced that he'd changed his mind about AIDS funding for Africa, but not for American gays, because homosexuality "is the primary cause of the doubling and redoubling of AIDS cases in the United States."

From Atomic Gay Wonk:

Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) yesterday introduced an amendment that would have added the name of Jesse Helms to the title of the HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria bill that is before the Senate. Helms, who died eleven days ago, was the nation's most vociferous foe of federal funding for HIV/AIDS programs from the epidemic's beginning until he left the Senate.

The name of the Act proposed in S. 2731 is "Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008".

In the North Carolina and Oregon Democratic US Senate primaries this year, two great progressive candidates ran for the nomination: Jim Neal (NC) and Steve Novick (OR).  The DSCC, who is not supposed to pick sides in a primary, appears to have secretly funded their preferred candidates anyway (Kay Hagan (NC) and Jeff Merkley (OR)).

If the DSCC leaders personally had a preference, that’s fine.  BUT IT IS NOT OK TO FUNNEL MONEY TO ONE CANDIDATE OVER ANOTHER IN A DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY!!!!  That's unfairly taking sides and deliberately influencing an election, and that is not what the Democratic Party is about.

June Update
Senate gains looking solid. Dems have a lot of work to do to go from solid gains of 4-5 seats to huge gains of 7-9 seats.

Current Senate: 49 Dems, 1 Socialist, 1 Lieberman, 49 GOP.

I know, I know...it's not likely, but a brother can dream can't he?

Following up on my post from yesterday and incorporating some of the suggestions/corrections from the comments made there, let's take a look at our best case scenario in the November Senate elections.

Right now, we're at 49 Ds, 49 Rs and 2 I's.  When the smoke clears on election night in November we'll be at 62 Ds, 37 Rs and 1 I.
Here's how it's going to happen....

Several polls taken right over the weeks after the North Carolina primary show that the race for the senate has reached the top tier. now is as good a time as any to help me raise the maximum single donation for Kay Hagan on my Turn Carolina Blue page.

Here’s how the Dems can win a filibuster-proof 60 seat majority in the U.S. Senate.  It’s not going to be easy, but it can happen.

Right now, there are 49 Republicans, 49 Democrats and 2 Independents (Sanders-VT & Lieberman-CT) who both caucus with the Dems.

In November of 2008, there will be 33 Senate seats up for election AND one special election - to replace the retired Trent Lott-MS.  For the Dems to achieve a 60 seat super-majority they will need to win 9 seats that are now held by a Republican.  Here are the 9 seats that are in reach:

The News and Observer in Raleigh NC reports that the state's race for president is getting tighter, in part due to the presence of a Libertarian candidate on the ballot.

This is an early sign that Bob Barr's candidacy for president may be enough of an influence in enough states to swing close races from McCain to Obama.

Here's the whole story:

http://www.newsobserver.com/...

How's this for craven hypocrisy; the party that brought you "Call Me, Harold" in 2006, is now begging for Democrats to keep national money out of Senate races.

Leading the way, of course, is the very selfsame Senator who chaired the NRSC in 2006, when that odious RNC ad ran.

One of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole's top campaign advisors says he has asked the state and national Republican parties, as well as the National Republican Senatorial Committee, to steer clear of advertising in North Carolina's U.S. Senate race.

And he's calling on Jerry Meek, chairman of the N.C. Democratic Party, to do likewise with his Democratic counterparts.

"You can agree to not run advertising targeting Senator Dole during the 2008 election cycle as well as encourage your Senate nominee and national parties to abstain from third party advertisements," Mark Stephens, Dole's chief campaign strategist, said in a letter today to Meek.

So, let me get this straight; former NRSC chairwoman Elizabeth Dole, whose very job description put her in charge of steering national money to Senate races around the country in 2006, and running NRSC ads in those states...the same Elizabeth Dole who spent millions of NRSC dollars attacking Jon Tester, Jim Webb, Sheldon Whitehouse and Sherrod Brown...is now asking that the national parties stay out of her race?

Where does she get the gall?

Is it because the DSCC's been a fundraising juggernaut this cycle? Because the cash-strapped NRSC would be bringing a knife to a political gun fight for these candidates?

Nah. It's got to be in the name of civility, of course.

Strange, but when I think of Senate races, national party ads, and civility, my mind goes to this:

Dole isn't alone, naturally. Maine's Susan Collins has asked for the same:

"One of the biggest sources of negative ads are the national parties. We [Susan Collins' campaign] would make Congressman Allen this offer - if he will tell the Democratic Party not to run any television or radio ads in this campaign, we would make the same demand of the Republican Party. An arrangement such as that would be a huge step toward ensuring that the campaigns control the tone and the content of the television ads in this campaign."

As Senate Guru notes, Collins had no problem taking national money in her 2002 race. Neither did Dole, when she faced Erskine Bowles. Of course, the NRSC was positively flush back in those halcyon days.

From the Guru (props to him for picking up this story):

The only, I repeat - only, reason that Dole and Collins made these politically theatrical comments to their Democratic challengers is that the DSCC has $20 million more than the NRSC to spend on their candidates.

And, you know, it's just not fair that anybody has more money to play with than Republicans! They're supposed to be the rich ones!

Hilarious.

And pathetic.

Race tracker wiki: NC-Sen ME-Sen

It's only May and Elizabeth Dole must already feel the heat as Kay Hagan's campaign is drawing national praise and attention. The Charlotte News and Observor is reporting that Liddy has "reassigned" (read: fired) her campaign manager.

After simmering in the shadows of some of the bigger races for the year, the senate race in North Carolina is gaining national attention and Kay Hagan is gaining widespread praise as a candidate, premiering on Chris Cilliza's tope ten senate races.

[Originally posted at Senate Guru.]

You read that right.  The Senate Guru is going on strike for Kay Hagan!  Currently, on the Expand the Map! ActBlue page, Hagan is at $50 raised.  Well, the Guru will not write another post until Hagan has crossed the $300 mark.  That's right!  The Guru is on strike until the community contributes another $250 to Hagan.

(More below the fold.)

Few people in politics had a worse year in 2006 than Liddy Dole.  The chair of the Republican's Senate campaign committee, by the end of the campaign she had pretty much been bypassed by the Bush team, who tried to save vulnerable Republicans by running the operation through the RNC.  It didn't work.  Other than current DLC Chair Harold Ford, who ran against the Democratic party but wouldn't run against the war, every Democrat in a close race beat their Republican opponent.  Dole's tenure at the NRSC was an unmitigated disaster.  

Well, 2008 may be an even worse year for her, as she could very well lose her Senate seat to Democrat Kay Hagan:

Rasmussen
May 8, 2008  500 Respondents +/-4.5%

On primary night I liveblogged from Southern Rail in Carrboro, where U.S. Senate candidate Jim Neal held his after-party.

It was a festive atmosphere, even as results came in that made it pretty clear state Senator Kay Hagan would cross the finish line with a lot of distance between her and Jim, and she will face the useless, ineffective Elizabeth Dole in November.

Congratulations to North Carolina State Senator Kay Hagan, who handily won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate today.

State Sen. Kay Hagan (D) locked up her party’s nomination for a chance at Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R) this fall. With about half of the precincts reporting, Hagan had 61 percent to 19 percent for her closest competitor, investment adviser Jim Neal (D).

Dole is favored to win a second term, but some Democrats believe Hagan is a sleeper candidate who can make the race very close.

Hagan now heads into the general election trailing Dole by seven points in polling, holding the incumbent under 50% re-elect, and having shown strong fundraising ability. North Carolina currently stands as one of the most promising second-tier Senate races in the country.

Meanwhile, in Indiana, the Democratic primary for Governor couldn't be closer. Democrats Jim Schellinger and Jill Long Thompson are deadlocked at 50%, with Schellinger leading by just 600 votes out of over 1.1 million cast, and with 263 precincts (out of 5280) yet to report.

Hopefully, we'll know by tomorrow. Whoever wins should have a terrific race against Indiana's current governor, famed Bush crony Mitch Daniels.

Update: With only 16 precincts left, Jill Long Thompson is up by 5,000 votes. She will almost certainly be the nominee. Congratulations to the former Congresswoman, and may she beat hell out of Mitch Daniels in the fall.

Race tracker wiki: NC-Sen IN-Gov