|
This belongs to you. Take it back...
Karl Rove 
Tue May 24, 2011 at 22:52:15 PM EDT
|
|
In the end, it wasn't even particularly close. The GOP just lost a R+6 district even though Karl Rove dumped a ton of Crossroads money into it to protect a wealthy self-funding candidate. The Dems even seemingly did all they could to lose this one early on. They gave the GOP and Corwin a full month's head start. Even then, state and local Dems seemed not to care much one way or the other by rather conspicuously staying out of the fray. Hell, even Cuomo didn't jump in until last weekend. It seems it was our Junior Senator Kirsten Gillibrand who really was the first to take up the cause, back when no one else seemed likely to do so. Fortunately, many other big name Dems followed her lead.
It's really hard to overstate just how huge this win is. Given the partisan makeup of the district, the fact that just a few cycles ago, it was held by the head of the NRCC, the fact that the GOP candidate had tons of her own money to spend, the fact that the local Dems seemingly couldn't get their shit together enough to even pick a candidate - it's all pretty amazing when you think about it.
I guess the fist big tell was when Rove's Crossroads corporate money group decided they needed to get involved in a major way. That showed some desperation. They knew that this was indeed becoming a referendum on the Ryan plan to end Medicare as we know it, much like the NY-20 special election to replace Gillibrand had become a referendum on the stimulus (we won that one) and how the NY-23 special election became a referendum on Health Care Reform (we won that one too.)
But all Rove's horses and Rove's men couldn't pull Corwin's ass out of the Ryan Plan fire. And now the GOP owns the Ryan plan, whether they like it or not. Congrats, assholes!
Hochul's win tonight - or, more importantly, the GOP's loss in a race that was theirs for the taking all along - should send major shivers down the spines of Republicans nationwide. This was their race to lose and they lost it, handily. There's just no other way to put it.
And they (and we) have the Ryan plan to thank for it. Seems folks don't much like congressman with Cadillac health insurance screwing with, much less essentially abolishing, the healthcare security that Americans have come to count on their later years.
And that, friends, is how the GOP came to lose yet another special election in New York that should have been, on paper, a cakewalk. They're 0-3 in that department in the last few years.
That's kind of awesome.
|
|
Discuss
:: (22
Comments)
|
|
Tue May 10, 2011 at 13:01:40 PM EDT
|
|
I guess that PPP/DailyKos poll showing a lead outside the MoE for Democrat Kathy Hochul really put the fear of God into some Corporate Con hearts yesterday. Today we learn that Karl Rove's American Crossroads is dropping a whopping $650K in TV ads touting heiress Jane Corwin between now and the election, a scant two weeks away. That's a shit ton of money in that market over 14 days.
Crossroads Carpet Bombs NY 26
Amid fresh concerns over the tightening special election in New York's 26th District, American Crossroads has purchased $650,000 worth of television time on behalf of Republican Jane Corwin, according to three Democratic sources tracking ad buys in the district.
The ads will begin running Wednesday and last through the day of the special election, May 24. An American Crossroads official confirmed the ad buy.
The conservative advocacy group, which spent more than $70 million on independent expenditures in last year's midterms, had been weighing involving itself in the race, as Corwin has lost ground to Democrat Kathy Hochul and a third-party candidate running under the Tea Party label, Jack Davis.
Yeah, they are sweating this one bigtime, folks. There's now way that Rove and his moneymen ever thought a month ago that they would have to spend this kind of cash to protect NY-26.
On the web:
Kathy Hochul for Congress
VOLUNTEER!
Kathy Hochul on ActBlue
twitter: @KathyHochul
|
|
Discuss
:: (4
Comments)
|
|
Mon Feb 01, 2010 at 14:11:01 PM EST
|
Karl Rove was talking to the Memphis Daily News about Rove's book and current political news. When asked about Harold Ford Jr. (right after Rove called healthcare "part of a more toxic, larger stew the Democrats have created") Rove had nothing but glowing things to say about the crypto-Republican from Tennessee turned erstwhile "Democratic" candidate and Wall Street baron:
"He's a guy with a lot of intelligence and a lot of drive and ambition, and (incumbent Democratic New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is) a weak candidate. We'll see how it plays out. He's an aggressive campaigner.
He's had a few missteps here at the beginning, but ... (Ford) is an articulate, attractive candidate who can sway crowds.
As if that weren't bad enough, he goes on to repeat the same talking points Ford has been using about New York embracing "candidates who've moved in from elsewhere" like Clinton and Robert F. Kennedy.
My takeaway from this is two things: one, like the Lieberman situation in Connecticut, the Republicans realize they have no chance with one of their own, so intend to tacitly back the most conservative Democrat available to them. And two, that if Karl Rove is endorsing a Democrat in order to try and get rid of her, Senator Gillibrand certainly must be doing a lot of things right.
|
|
Discuss
:: (6
Comments)
|
|
Wed Jul 30, 2008 at 12:38:43 PM EDT
|
To borrow a term from John Dean at Netroots Nation, congressional Democrats just showed some spine. The Hill has the story on the House Judiciary Committee holding Karl Rove in contempt.
The House Judiciary Committee has voted to hold former White House adviser Karl Rove in contempt of Congress for ignoring a subpoena requesting his testimony.
The 20-to-14 vote went down party lines.
Rove's testimony is sought in the committee's investigation of the politicization of the Department of Justice, specifically the prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman (D).
In a memo to the committee, summarizing Rove's refusal to testify, chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) wrote, "Mr. Rove has refused even to appear before the committee and assert whatever privileges that he believes may apply to his testimony, relying on excessively broad and legally insufficient claims of 'absolute immunity' - never recognized by any court - in declining to appear."
Send Karl Rove To Jail worked. In fact, Send Karl Rove To Jail explains to us what this contempt resolution means.
The decision by the HJC to hold Karl Rove in contempt is a recommendation to the full House, who can now vote to adopt the recommendation with a contempt resolution by a simple majority vote. Should they pass a contempt resolution, the Sergeant-at-Arms for the chamber would be ordered to arrest Karl Rove and bring him to the floor of the House to answer to the charges and to be issued punishment. The case would then be referred to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, who would in turn refer it to a grand jury. If convicted, Rove could face between one month and one year in jail.
Now let's see if the whole Congress has a spine. I would hope they do, but we will wait and see.
In the mean time, contact your representative and tell them to support this contempt resolution when it comes to the floor.
|
|
Discuss
:: (0
Comments)
|
|
Mon Jul 21, 2008 at 14:31:19 PM EDT
|
|
This panel was one of the more interesting panels of the weekend and actually has more than one connection with The Next President and the Law panel I attended Friday morning. Sam Seder sat down with former Alabama governor Don Siegelman, who ended up being a victim of his own successes thanks to one man: Karl Rove.
If you aren't familiar with the Siegelman case, you should know who Don Siegelman is first. His profile is an impressive one, which includes a distinction that only he holds. He is the only person in Alabama's history to hold the top four statewide elected offices: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and Secretary of State. He also left a mark on Alabama. The current Republican governor touts the production of automobiles in Alabama, yet it was Siegelman who made it possible for car manufacturers to come to Alabama. Thanks to Siegelman, Hyundai and Honda are now making cars in Alabama and Mercedes expanded on their operations there. Siegelman also fought for tax reform to make corporations pay their share of taxes (something we should do here in New York), better education, tort reform, among many other initiatives and actions.
 But Karl Rove didn't like all that. The Republicans didn't like all that. In 2002, Siegelman ran for reelection as governor and the Associated Press declared him the winner, according to his website. However, one county said that they had a "computer glitch" and that gave the Republican - current Alabama governor Bob Riley - the win. Siegelman decided against a recount, considering the state's attorney general was a Republican too. The Wikipedia entry on the 2002 gubernatorial election in Alabama sets up the stage fairly well using 25 sources of information, many of which are news articles regarding that election.
As it turned out, that was the least of Siegelman's worries. (Siegelman, pictured at left.)
Siegelman has plenty of support. Last year, 44 attorneys general submitted a letter to the House Judiciary Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee calling on both committees to investigate the circumstances surrounding the investigation, prosecution, sentencing and detention of Don Siegelman, the former Governor of Alabama. A petition of support was also sent with names of Democratic and Republican attorneys general.
Earlier this year, CBS' 60 Minutes did a story on Siegelman's prosecution. You can watch the video of the story on Siegelman below.
More on this below the fold.
|
|
There's More...
:: (3
Comments, 217 words in story)
|
|
Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 10:00:57 AM EDT
|
|
Every year, the University at Buffalo has a Distinguished Speakers Series that features a select number of speakers every year who are important people, ranging from politicians to authors. Al Gore and Michael Moore have been past speakers, along with Tom Brokaw, Jimmy Carter, Colin Powell and many others.
The list of speakers won't be finalized until the end of July for the rest of the series, but one date is already set and was leaked to the press: John Edwards will be taking the same stage with Karl Rove in late September to have a debate centered on the issues being talked about on the presidential campaign trail.
Bob McCarthy of The Buffalo News wrote about this today:
GOP strategist Karl Rove and former Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards will debate the issues of the presidential campaign Sept. 26 as part of the university's Distinguished Speakers Series, The Buffalo News has learned.
...
Matching up such well-known political figures as Edwards and Rove will make the event all the more interesting, he added. Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina, is a household name because of his bids for the presidency in 2004 and this year's contest, as well as his role as Sen. John F. Kerry's vice presidential running mate in 2004.
Rove, often dubbed "Bush's brain" from his days as President Bush's chief political adviser, has become even more visible since leaving the White House as an analyst for Fox News and a frequent contributor to the op-ed pages of the Wall Street Journal.
Neither Rove nor Edwards was available Thursday for comment.
The 8 p. m. debate would lead off the lecture series, which has featured such major figures as former Vice President Al Gore and the late Tim Russert of NBC News.
I attended two Distinguished Speakers Series events last year: Ishmael Beah, author of A Long Way Gone, and Steven Levitt, author of Freakonomics.
When we attended those events last fall, you were given a card to vote for the speakers you would like to see as part of the series for 2008-09. Karl Rove was on there (I didn't vote for him). I don't remember seeing John Edwards' name on the list, but I will certainly enjoy this debate.
If you are in the area, I recommend you attend at least one event that is part of the Distinguished Speakers Series. It is one of the best ways to see high-profile people come to Western New York.
|
|
Discuss
:: (1
Comments)
|
|
Tue Dec 11, 2007 at 14:27:29 PM EST
|
Our friends over at Rochester Turning found the big news: Karl Rove will be helping to raise money for New York State Republicans.
A reader forwarded an invite he received from someone close to Rudy Giuliani to a $5,000-a-head fundraiser tomorrow morning at The Union League hosted by state GOP Chairman Joe Mondello and featuring former top Bush White House political advsior Karl Rove.
The event purports to be to benefit the New York Victory Fund, a federal campaign committee that will ostensibly help all Republican candidates in 2008 via GOTV and other organizing efforts that are, by law, not supposed to be a collaborative effort between the party and the various GOP hopefuls.
But the reality is that all GOP boats in New York rise and fall on Rudy next year, and so the bulk of the cash will undoubtedly go toward assisting the former mayor (assuming he does, in fact, make it to Feb. 5), as he battles for the state's 31 electoral college votes.
More on the flip.
|
|
There's More...
:: (1
Comments, 165 words in story)
|
|
Mon Aug 13, 2007 at 07:11:16 AM EDT
|
|
The man who seemingly has driven the Republican party bus over a cliff is taking his ball and going home to Texas.
Karl Rove to Resign At the End of August
Karl Rove, President Bush's longtime political adviser, is resigning as White House deputy chief of staff effective Aug. 31, and returning to Texas, he said in an interview with Paul Gigot, editor of The Wall Street Journal's editorial page.
Mr. Rove, who has held a senior post in the White House since President Bush took office in January 2001, told Mr. Gigot he first floated the idea of leaving a year ago. But he delayed his departure as, first, Democrats took Congress, and then as the White House tackled debates on immigration and Iraq, he said. He said he decided to leave after White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten told senior aides that if they stayed past Labor Day they would be obliged to remain through the end of the president's term in January 2009.
"I just think it's time," Mr. Rove said in the interview. "There's always something that can keep you here, and as much as I'd like to be here, I've got to do this for the sake of my family." Mr. Rove and his wife have a home in Ingram, Texas, and a son who attends college in nearby San Antonio.
It's always about "spending more time with my family", isn't it? Regardless, "Turd Blossom" is still spinning furiously on the way out the door.
Mr. Rove also said he expects the president's approval rating to rise again, and that conditions in Iraq will improve as the U.S. military surge continues. He said he expects Democrats to be divided this fall in the battle over warrantless wiretapping, while the budget battle -- and a series of presidential vetoes -- should help Republicans gain an edge on spending restraint and taxes.
Whatever, Karl. Now would you raise your right hand and repeat this oath...
|
|
Discuss
:: (3
Comments)
|
|
Thu Mar 29, 2007 at 07:26:04 AM EDT
|
|
Which New Yorkers made Karl Rove's list of endangered Republican incumbents and top 20 "House Targets?" TPM Cafe has the goods:
"Priority Defense"
Jim Gerlach, Pennsylvania
Vern Buchanan, Florida
Robin Hayes, North Carolina
Heather Wilson, New Mexico
Marilyn Musgrave, Colorado
Peter Roskam, Illinois
Chris Shays, Connecticut
Jean Schmidt, Ohio
Thelma Drake, Virginia
Barbara Cubin, Wyoming (Note: Rove also says that Cubin might not seek re-election.)
John Doolittle, California
Jon Porter, Nevada
Jim Walsh, New York
Deborah Pryce, Ohio
Randy Kuhl, New York
Mike Ferguson, New Jersey
Joe Knollenberg, Michigan
"2008 House Targets: Top 20"
Nick Lampson, Texas
Tim Mahoney, Florida
Jerry McNerney, California
Zack Space, Ohio
Baron Hill, Indiana
Chris Carney, Pennsylvania
Patrick Murphy, Pennsylvania
Nancy Boyda, Kansas
Joe Sestak, Pennsylvania
Brad Ellsworth, Indiana
Heath Shuler, North Carolina
Ciro Rodriguez, Texas
Steve Kagen, Wisconsin
Jim Marshall, Georgia
Joe Donnelly, Indiana
John Barrow, Georgia
Jason Altmire, Pennsylvania
John Hall, New York
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York
Stephanie Herseth, South Dakota
My prediction: We hold both our own and take one or both of theirs.
|
|
Discuss
:: (13
Comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
