Friday, March 11, 2005
My Two Favorite Targets For 2006...
With no changes likely in the North Carolina congressional delegation next year, and no Senate races to follow, I'm forced to look elsewhere for fresh GOP meat...
#1 Rick Santorum (R-VA): The sex-obsessed Santorum, whose ideology lines up more with red states like Utah and Oklahoma than a blue state like Pennsylvania (even though he technically lives in Virginia), is the Democrats' main target next year.
He's the 3rd highest ranking GOP'er in the Senate and an outside pick at making a run at the White House in 2008.
Too bad for him, by January of 2007, he'll be out of a job altogether.
Enter Bob Casey, Jr., who is already out-polling Santorum in every head-to-head poll that's come out.
Casey's a great Democrat with the kind of name recognition that most politicians would kill for. Yes, he's anti-choice, but so is Santorum, and in politics you can't let the perfect get in the way of the great...
#2 Tom DeLay (R-$$$): Whereas Santorum is obsessed with the high hard one, DeLay (that's a French name, by the way) is obsessed with cold hard cash. So obsessed, in fact, that he's been smacked by the House Ethics committee numerous times for fund-raising violations in his home state of Texas.
Most recently, DeLay is in deep shit for accepting an all-expense paid trip to South Korea from a registered lobbyist. DeLay, not surprisingly is pleading ignorance...
For all his ethical boo-boos, DeLay is still very powerful and popular within the GOP. However, that popularity is beginning to wane in his home district. So much so, that his margin of victory in last year's House race was the lowest it's ever been.
Richard Morrison is the man charged with taking down the Bugman.
I spoke with Richard last year after I made a contribution to his campaign. He called me personally to thank me for my donation.
Morrison is already revving up the grassroots for next year's assault on DeLay. In a fantastic diary entry at DailyKos, he lays out why people thought he was crazy to make a run at DeLay last year, and why he can succeed next year:
DeLay received his lowest percentage win ever with 55%. He had won his previous elections with 63%, 60%, 65%, 68%, 74%, 69%, 71%, 67%, 72%, and 65% of the vote.
He had to campaign in the district for the first time since 1986.
The "Club for Growth" spent almost $1 million on commercials to protect him.
DeLay spent $3 million. After the election he had less than $100,000 in the bank.
Fort Bend County only gave him 52% of the vote and increased its Democratic turnout by a net 19,000 votes.
We forced DeLay to capitulate on Teacher's social security benefits.
We forced him to stand up for the citizens of Clear Lake and oppose a hazardous rail line that would have endangered their children's lives.
We forced him to debate me in Clear Lake.
Bob and Richard, see you in 2006!!!
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