Murtha’s Seat Ours to Lose
09 Feb
Posted by MacRanger as Election 2010, Election 2012, News, democrats
“Democrats are mourning the personal loss of their colleague Rep. John Murtha, but his death today at age 77 is doubly troubling for the party that will have to defend his seat in an upcoming special election.
Immediately following the news of his death, election analysts rated the race as competitive for the GOP.
While Murtha has held the seat since 1974 with few re-election scares, the Johnstown-area district outside of Pittsburgh has right-leaning roots, and a special election contest will be targeted by House Republicans. With Murtha’s death, Democrats now control the House by a 256-178 margin.
In the 2008 presidential campaign, Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) won the district by a narrow 1,000 vote margin against President Barack Obama. It was the only district in the nation, however, that voted Democratic in the 2004 presidential race that was carried by McCain four years later.
Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell must set a date for a special election within the next ten days, according to state law. A likely date is May 18, when the state’s primary elections will take place.
The House Democratic campaign operation is in better shape financially to wage a costly special election battle against their Republican counterparts, with a five-to-one cash on hand advantage.
But first they will have to find the kind of centrist Democrat who can compete in a district with conservative leanings. While Murtha was closely allied with liberal lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, he did not share their progressive leanings. He was known for championing defense spending and was socially conservative on matters including abortion.”
The fallout, Charlie Cook:
“Today, western Pennsylvanians mourn the passing of one of their most influential representatives to Congress ever. But once constituents come to terms with the loss of Democratic Rep. John Murtha and his towering seniority, their attention will turn to a special election to choose their first new House member since 1974. That February, the special election that brought Murtha to Congress was an early sign of President Nixon’s weakness. Now, this seat becomes the 50th Democratic seat in the “Lean” or “Toss Up” columns.”
Ride the wave!
Technorati Tags:
John Murtha, Elections, Midterm Elections
What do you know, Global COOLING, has shut up George Soro’s Think Progress, if only for a day (sigh). Keep the blizzards coming!
Let me be the first, well, not the first to say that Meghan McCain doesn’t matter. She simply doesn’t. No more than John McCain matters when it comes to the resurgence of conservatism in America which is at the heart of the Tea Party Movement. The reason why? This kind of idiocy.
“Meghan McCain also decried the divisiveness and partisanship in American politics and the growing populist rage that has powered the Tea Party movement.
“Maya Angelou says we have more in common than we do apart,” she said. “We need to use this message in politics more.”
Meghan McCain added, “This rhetoric will continue to turn off young voters and anybody that says different is smoking something. Period.”
The only “period” going on here is, ….
McCain is so cluelessly out of touch – much like her dad – with what is going on with the Tea Party Movement. If the grab and tax of the Obama administration isn’t bothering her that’s even more telling of why she’s not a factor in where this country is heading. Quite Frankly there will be plenty of room on Obama’s bus when he’s shoved out of town in 2012, she might as well catch a ride. But more to the point, she’s speaking out of her nether regions when she says that the Tea Party “turns off” the young people.
There are hundreds and possibly thousands of young people involved in the movement. In fact here in South Florida there are many young people involved in this movement, as there are across the country.
My advice? STFU, hang out with Michelle and do an spot on the View, and go away.
Technorati Tags:
Meghan McCain, GOP, Tea Party Movement, News, Politics
By Summer, I’m predicting south of 40. As it is now?
“Independent voters see Pres. Obama in a negative light by a nearly 2-1 margin, according to a new Marist College survey, while almost half of voters say he has failed to meet their expectations.
The poll, conducted Feb. 1-3, showed just 44% of registered voters approving of Obama’s job as president. 47% disapprove. But among indie voters, Obama’s approval rating sits at a terrible 29%, while his disapproval rating is at 57%.
Obama’s 44% job approval rating is the lowest he has scored in any non-internet poll since moving into the WH, according to a review of data compiled by Pollster.com.And while GOPers strive to avoid attacking Obama personally, for fear of offending voters who see him in a favorable light personally, even that aura of invincibility is wearing off. Independent voters view Obama negatively, too, by a 39% favorable to 52% unfavorable margin. All registered voters still see Obama favorably by a 50%-44% margin, but that’s down 5 points in just 2 months.
Voters are disappointed in what they got with Obama’s first year. The poll shows 47% believe Obama has failed to meet their expectations — including a quarter of Dems, 65% of GOPers and 53% of indie voters — while just 42% say he has met their expectations. 38% say Obama’s policies are moving the country in the wrong direction, while 37% say they’re making the country better.
Meanwhile, members of Congress should brace for a difficult election year. 42% of registered voters said they would back their current member of Congress, while 44% said they would support someone else — a drop of 9 points in support of the incumbent in just 2 months.
The Marist College poll surveyed 910 registered voters for a margin of error of +/- 3.2%.
Wow…just wow!
Having never had much to say about this clown, I won’t start now just because he’s dead, so here’s the clip.
“The 77-year-old Democrat underwent scheduled laparoscopic surgery to remove his gallbladder at Bethesda Naval Hospital last Thursday but then, after his release, sought care at the Virginia Hospital Center over the weekend.
The congressman’s spokesman declined to say Tuesday what led him to be hospitalized again. But responding to questions Wednesday, he said that Murtha was in stable condition. Two persons said it appeared Murtha’s intestine had been cut inadvertently during the gall bladder removal.”
Opps! Well in any case his seat might be a grab for us in a special election.
