We stage a come back in the Northeast then we’re set for a huge sweep:

…green Republican shoots are emerging from the spring muck. The most conspicuous one involves the falling fortunes of embattled Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd, up for re-election next year. A new poll has the once seemingly invincible Democrat tied with former Congressman Rep. Rob Simmons, a Republican from eastern Connecticut.

Contrary to myth, New England is not firmly sewn in the Democratic bag. Three of the states — Connecticut, Vermont and Rhode Island — have Republican governors. Meanwhile, independents make up huge voting blocs throughout the region.

In Connecticut, 45 percent of registered voters are independents. Only 34 percent are Democrats, and the remaining 21 percent Republican.

True, a Democrat took away Simmons’ House seat in 2006. But the three-term rep lost it by only 83 votes and in a dismal year for Republicans nationally. In recent elections, two other Connecticut House Republicans, Nancy Johnson and the aforementioned Shays, were defeated but not trounced.

“All those Republicans lost because of George W. Bush,” Kenneth Dautrich, an adviser to Republican Gov. Jodi Rel, told me. “He’s gone.”

Like a ticking time bomb, 2010 approaches for the Democrats.

Geesh:

Gov. Paterson’s job performance ratings have crashed thorough the floor, with less than one in five New Yorkers saying he’s doing well, a new poll shows.

Just 19% of those polled gave him a positive rating, while 78% turned thumbs down, the Siena College poll found. That’s down from 51% positive and 45% negative in the same poll just two months ago.

How bad have things gone for a governor?

New York’s first black governor trails Attorney General Andrew Cuomo 55-22% among black voters in a potential 2010 primary.

If Patterson doesn’t read the writing on the wall, watch for the Democrat Powers That Be to try and force him out – Patterson on the ticket means an almost-certain GOP victory in the 2010 gubernatorial contest.

Its getting rather dicey out there for Democrats – polls show the GOP pulling even with Democrats in the “generic” Congressional ballot, independents swinging GOP, Patterson, Dodd and other Democrats in deep electoral trouble. Democrats better pray that Obama’s program works, because if things aren’t a lot better by September of next year, Democrats will be blown out at the polls.

As an aside: Obama’s program won’t work.

It really, really is getting time for a revolution:

In yet another amazing case of tax chutzpah: California congressman Pete Stark has improperly claimed a Maryland lakefront home (assessed at $1.7 million) as his primary residence in order to qualify for a special real estate tax break:

A senior member of the House’s tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, Stark said he was unaware that he might not be eligible for the tax break. Asked whether it was questionable for him to receive it, he said, “I guess it is.”

To qualify, a property must be the owner’s principal residence: He or she must live there at least six months of the year, use the address for voter registration and driver’s license purposes, and file Maryland income taxes. Stark is registered to vote at his wife’s parents’ address in San Lorenzo and has a California driver’s license…

…Earlier this month, Congressmen Eliot Engel, a lifelong resident of the Bronx, was outed for claiming the Maryland real estate tax break on his Maryland home (formerly owned by ABC’s Ted Koppel and Wonder Woman Lynda Carter) assessed at $938,000.

Both are Democrats, naturally – but, more importantly, here is the evidence that our leaders are entirely disconnected from us and no matter how much they say they care about Joe and Jane Average, what they are really all about is increasing their own power and wealth. Both Stark and Engel should be immediately expelled from the House as our Constitution requires a Representative to be a resident of the district he represents…anyone want to take bets on whether or not Queen Nancy I will move for said expulsion?

Unfortunately, changing this is going to be entirely upon conservatism – our liberals simply will not admit that they have a problem, and if they do concede the point they are very unlikely to understand that the reason hatred is whipped up over people like Governor Palin is because the ruling elite perceives such people as a threat. Palin is one of us, and she wouldn’t put up with the sort of nonsense going on in DC…Jindal, also, is one of us. There are some Democrats on our side – the eleven who voted in the House against the Spendulus are Democrats who understand that the people’s business isn’t bailing out failed banks or providing payoffs for corrupt special interests of whatever party. And we must nor forget that some GOPers are very much part of the problem (Senator Specter, we’re looking your way…).

A little revolution, now and then, really is a good thing – and what we need is a top to bottom reform of government; a re-affirmation of core, Constitutional principles; a new birth of freedom in America…and we’re only going to get this if we cut like a scythe through the current ruling class at election time.

Read it, and be warned:

“But you don’t understand,” the Colombian said. “We’ve seen this before.”

“He’s right, my good friend,” the Cuban said. “We Latin Americans know the pattern. Believe me we do.”

The American tried to shrug off the Latin Americans’ warning. To his consternation, he found that he couldn’t. Peron, Fidel, now Chavez, they insisted. The emergence of misrule, corruption and economic stagnation in Latin American nations follows a particular sequence or progression. Now the sequence was unfolding in the United States.

“It starts with a cult of personality,” the Cuban explained. “One man declares himself the jefe, the caudillo, the big leader.”

Do keep in mind that the man who accepts his party’s nomination in front of 80,000 people has a problem with megalomania. Add in servile followers and a fawning media, and we can have lots of problems…unless we nip this in the bud in November of 2010.

…then we’d better just close up shop:

So Chris Dodd admitted he misled CNN, telling them on Tuesday he had nothing to do with the loophole that mysteriously found its way into legislation and paved the way for AIG’s bonuses to be paid. The following day, Dodd confessed to CNN’s Dana Bash that he in fact wrote the loophole, though he said he did it at the behest of the administration and with the knowledge that he would lose the amendment altogether if he did not comply…

…Stepping back for a second, Chris Dodd is already in a bit of trouble in his reelection bid, based on recent polling. Obviously, this further complicates matters. Dodd is now directly associated with two of the most distasteful aspects of the current financial meltdown: getting a sweetheart mortgage from the CEO of a company that was a major player in the subprime mess, and now authoring the loophole that allowed AIG to pay $165 million in bonuses after already taking scores of billions of bailout dollars , all at taxpayer expense.

“Vulnerable” doesn’t even begin to describe Dodd at this point – all we need is a credible challenger and a reasonable message, and we should bury Dodd under a landslide, and make this a pivot point for some large gains in 2010. Democrats are getting heavily tarred with the brush of political corruption, and if we add what will likely be a poor economy (at best) in 2010, a good GOP campaign should allow us to get within striking distance of a House majority and chip down the Democrats Senate majority to the 55 or 54 range.

The defeats in 2006 and 2008 seem to be turning into a blessing in disguise – by forcing out the corrupt elements of the GOP and greatly weakening the RINOs, we are becoming a stronger party more able to effectively present a credible alternative to Democrat corruption and incompetence. We’ll still have to fight very hard as the Democrats and their MSM allies will pull out all the stops, but if we do fight hard, I believe that 2010 will signal the revival of a conservative, GOP favored by the people to govern the country for quite a long time.

Please, do, Senator:

Sen. Arlen Specter said Tuesday that he will not run for reelection in 2010 as a Democrat, but might run as an Independent.

The Pennsylvania Republican has been under tremendous pressure from the GOP base since being one of just three Republicans to vote for the Democratic-led stimulus package last month…

…Specter said he is open to the possibility of running as an Independent with the understanding that he would caucus with Republicans, just as Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) did with Democrats in 2006.
Though he left that option on the table, he suggested it would be a last resort.

Senator Specter is a fine man and from what I understand a very nice guy – but he’s not a Republican. Not even close. He’s a Democrat who did a bit of political calculus and figured that he’d have a better chance winning election way back when as a Republican. But we of the GOP just don’t need him in our party – much better to have him as an Independent we can work with from time to time. And, of course, there is just that chance that a more solid GOP could slip through with the Democrat and Specter splitting the mush-minded semi-liberal vote, especially in 2010 when things are likely to be very favorable to the GOP, unless Obama’s plan to spend us into prosperity works.

A bit of a lesson here, boys and girls: the reason we have political parties is so that on some basic, crucial issues there is a clear choice for the American people. While a GOPer and a Democrat can both be in favor of, say, increasing funding to the National Park Service, when it comes down to whether or not we should increase spending, per se, it is good for the GOP to be known as the watchdog of the Treasury and the taxpayer as opposed to the Democrats being tagged as the party of taxing and spending. But we’re not going to get anywhere on this if people like Specter, wearing the GOP label, continually cut us off at the knees when the chips are down. In the long run, it will be better for the GOP even if it gets a little smaller if by so doing it becomes a more cohesive entity able to battle for clearly defined ideals. Winning isn’t worth it if all we’re doing is getting into office – we want office for a purpose.

Our purpose, as GOPers, is to reform America – to restore those constitutional provisions which have been eroded by decades of liberal usurpation; to put America on a sound financial footing where we live within our means and only tax as necessary for the basic functions of government; to ensure that the American military is second to none; to stand firm with all people who are free or who aspire to be so; to work for a public square which is decent and home to all Americans, not the plaything of the most depraved. There is in this much room for difference – a pro-choice and a pro-life Republican will both agree that Roe is a legal abomination, while they will differ in whether or not a law should be passed to make abortion legal or illegal. A libertarian GOPer and a social conservative GOPer will disagree on what level of regulation should be placed on the availability of pornography, but both will agree that local standards must dictate such availability in each particular community. On and on it goes – room in the tent for a diversity of opinion, but agreement on core principles. And fighting for such will remain impossible if there remain in senior GOP ranks people who agree with the liberal worldview of Statism, licentiousness and group rights over individual liberties.

I hope that Specter does decide to go Independent – he’ll be in his proper element, and we’ll have a better chance of advancing our cause.

From Rasmussen:

The botched Caroline Kennedy-for-Senate affair? Proposing a slew of unpopular new taxes? These issues and more have prompted a 26-point dive in New York Governor David Paterson’s approval ratings over the last two months.

Thirty-nine percent (39%) of New York voters now approve of Paterson’s performance as governor, including just seven percent (7%) who Strongly Approve, according to a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of voters in the state.

Fifty-nine percent (59%) disapprove of the job the Democratic governor is doing, with 30% who Strongly Disapprove. Only one percent (1%) don’t have an opinion.

Patterson is up for re-election in 2010, and that starts to look dicey. On the whole, I perceive a general drop in overall support for Democrats – not, at this point, enough to change the balance of power, but with the GOP starting to look good in Virginia, New Jersey, New York and many other places which went Democrat in 2008, we can see that unless things start to perk up for the nation, Democrats might be in for a very long 2010.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sitting Senator poll this low:

Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) is drawing digits in a primary with two other candidates, according to a new poll.

The Zogby poll, conducted for the Independent Insurasingle nce Agents of Illinois, suggests the question of whether or not Burris seeks a full term in the Senate in 2010 is largely inconsequential, because he stands almost no chance of winning it.

The poll matched him with two statewide officeholders – Treasurer Alex Giannoulias and Comptroller Dan Hynes. Giannoulias led Hynes narrowly, 28-27, with Burris at just 5 percent.

Giannoulias is the only Democrat officially in the race. Former Commerce Secretary William Daley (D) is also looking closely at it, as is Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.).

Democrats bad nightmare: a long primary fight between Burris and other Democrats repeatedly bringing up Blagojevich and the general corruption of Illinios, led by Democrats.

Democrats worst nightmare: a long primary fight where Burris emerges as the Democrat nominee, thus leading to Democrat meltdown in November of 2010.

As for me – as a GOPer I fully support Senator Burris’ clinging to office like old chewing gum on the bottom of a chair and fighting as hard as he can for the Democratic nomination. If Burris/Blagojevich causes Democrats in Illinois to crash and burn, it will be simply justice being done to that corrupt gang which has afflicted Illinois for far too long.

Interesting analysis from Real Clear Politics, with good and bad news for GOPers and Democrats. Well worth reading.

If he seeks re-election next year and manages to secure the GOP nomination, the Democrat will win:

A new statewide poll shows 53 percent of Pennsylvanians — and 66 percent of Republicans — want someone to replace Sen. Arlen Specter.

Asked whether they think Specter, a Philadelphia Republican, has done his job well enough to win re-election or whether they’d prefer a “new person” in that job, registered voters by a 53-38 percent margin said it’s time to give someone else a chance, according to the poll by Susquehanna Polling and Research. Eight percent were undecided.

The numbers might reflect Specter’s vote as one of three Republican senators who enabled passage of President Obama’s $787 billion federal stimulus package, said James Lee, president of Harrisburg-based Susquehanna polling. But they reflect long-standing dissatisfaction among Republican conservatives with Specter’s record, he said.

It is almost certain that Specter will draw a GOP challenger on the right – and, heck, such challenger may be more “center” than “right” and still gain a lot of conservative base support for the primary. The GOP rank and file is tired of these Republicans who always manage to justify cutting the GOP off at the knees when it really matters. Its not worth having whatever number of GOPers we have in the Senate if on the crucial issues they are going to side with the liberal Democrats – better fewer GOPers committed to GOP ideals than more GOPers willing to chuck it all in the toilet in return for dinner party invitations and glowing editorials in the New York Times.

The best thing for the GOP is for Specter to lose a primary fight – even if our candidate is subsequently defeated, a defeat of Specter in the primary will be a signal to all week kneed GOPers that there is a price to be paid for giving Democrats “bi-partisan” cover for their liberal agenda. We are not the party of liberalism – we are the party of conservatism. When push comes to shove – and a trillion dollars is about to be wasted – it is time for all GOPers to adhere rigidly to conservative principle. Specter doesn’t understand thing, and thus Specter Must Go.

From Pajamas Media:

Is the GOP dead? Well, that’s what you would conclude from pundits on MSNBC or writing for the New York Times, but not if you have been following grassroots and online activists burning up blogs and conference calls since the November election. The newly elected GOP chairman, Michael Steele, has given fellow Republicans a challenge: it is time to beat the Democrats in the online world.

Since taking the helm of the Republican National Committee at the end of January, Chairman Steele has been popping up in new and old media taking issue with the stimulus bill and the Obama administration’s tax troubled appointees. But behind the scenes he has been partnering with Saul Anuzis, former Michigan GOP chair and former opponent in the race for RNC chairman, to invigorate the GOP online activists.

Last Friday, the RNC held the GOP Tech Summit at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington, D.C., which brought together bloggers, politicos, and activists to discuss ideas ranging from social networking to online fundraising. The forum was also broadcast online so that those who were interested from all over the country could view and submit their comments. Attendees even got a surprise visit from Chairman Steele and Newt Gingrich. Followers of the discussion were then given action items and deadlines on proposals to be given to Chairman Steele. GOP Tech Summit on the RNC website has now over 2,000 ongoing contributors who are busy discussing lessons learned and strategy.

One thing I did immediately note upon signing up at SarahPAC is that she’s clearly going to do the Obama thing as regards New Media – and that, in and of itself, delighted me. We can beat these clowns on the left, and at their own game. And doing so would be oh, so sweet.

As for me, I’ve been rumbling from the get-go in the Obama Error – even in my congratulatory post, I fired me first warning shots. And now, its just more and more fun as Obama exhibits the reasons why we opposed him – from his manifest inexperience to his socialistic policies, Obama is being all we expected, and I’ve never seen the conservative base this fired up.

The “Tea Party” spreads:

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter was greeted with jeers at a press conference in Cranberry Township.

Conservatives are fuming after Specter cast the deciding vote that led to the passage of President Barack Obama’s stimulus plan.

Specter, 79, acknowledges his run for re-election will be tough.

He says he’s not completely happy with Obama’s plans but he points out that he was able to cut the price tag by over $100 billion and he says he was able to increase the amount of tax cuts.

Even so, Specter acknowledges the Republican Party’s conservative wing will attempt to unseat him in next year’s primary race.

Yeah, no kidding. S. M. G. Specter Must Go!

I’m sick of having to carry around people like Specter – they take our money, take our votes and then when we really need them, they invariably jump to the other side. Did any of us ever really doubt that Specter would do something like this? Do any of us doubt that he’ll do it again? I’m sure Senator Specter is a nice guy and there are areas of agreement between him and the larger GOP, but it is when Democrats are planning on blowing through a trillion dollars of pork that we really need the GOP to stick together.

Specter should become the 60th Democrat, or become an Independent; he shouldn’t even seek the GOP nomination for Senator. Better to have an Independent or moderate Democrat we can work with from time to time than an alleged GOP Senator always available to throw us over when the chips are down. For Specter to use the alleged $100 billion he trimmed from the spendulus to garner GOP support is an outrage – if we’re wasting a trillion, telling us that we’ll now “only” waste $900 billion doesn’t really help matters. Either you think the spendulus is what is needed, and thus vote for it in total, or you think its a crock of feces, and you vote against it entirely.

I’ll be sending donations to any conservative – or even moderate GOPer who will stick by us when really necessary – rather than support Specter. And I hope the RNC and the NRSCC are reading things properly here – if there is a primary challenger, stay out of it this time and allow the GOP voters to decide who gets the GOP nomination.

Getting Dodd out of the Senate, in and of itself, would be the shining triumph of 2010:

Is Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) really in trouble?

At first glance, it’s hard to believe. Since his first election to the House in 1974, he’s won every campaign by double digits. He crushed his last two Senate opponents by landslide 2-to-1 ratios.

But reports about an alleged special mortgage deal from Countrywide Financial and criticism of his tenure as chairman of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee appear to have dented his popularity, as reflected in a new Quinnipiac poll that suggests the five-term Democrat is highly vulnerable heading into his reelection next year.

A 51 percent majority of Connecticut voters said they “definitely” or “probably” won’t be voting for him, with only 42 percent saying they’d likely support him.

Connecticut, New York, Illinois, Delaware – four enormously safe Democrat seats which now have to be defended in 2010, the first mid-term of a Democrat Presidency. Yeah, Dodd is in trouble – though, of course, the GOP will have to come up with a good candidate. Can’t beat even a creep like Dodd without someone who appeals to the people of Connecticut.

There is a Dump Chris Dodd website, for anyone interested in getting him out of the Senate.

Keep fighting, House GOP, keep fighting:

Are Republicans winning the public relations battle over spending in the $800-billion-plus economic stimulus package? Democrats and Republicans are nearly even in this week’s edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone surveys found that the Democrats’ lead is down to just one percentage point. Forty percent (40%) of voters said they would vote for their district’s Democratic candidate while 39% said they would choose the Republican (see crosstabs).

This marks the lowest level of support for the Democrats in tracking history and is the closest the two parties have been on the generic ballot.

The thing about the “generic ballot” is that it always tends to over-state Democrat support. Generally, if the GOP is sitting three or four points back in the “generic ballot”, then GOPers are doing well…to be one point back means that if the election were held today, the GOP would utterly crush the Democrats.

Trouble is, the election isn’t until a year from November…

On the other hand, after more than a year of Obamunism, we might have the GOP up by ten in the generic ballot…

What this shows is that when we fight on conservative principle, we win – people want to vote for something, and right now the GOP is once again becoming the watchdog of the people in Washington, DC. The only thing which could harm us now (other than the impossible: ie, Obamunism working) is a failure on our part to keep fighting. Tooth and nail, toe to toe – lets have at them with gusto and give them not a moment’s rest. They are corrupt, they are dishonest, and they are destroying our nation – the harder we fight them, the better things will be.

Pay Democrats to keep speaking in favor of the Obama-Pelosi-Reid Are-You-Sure-We-Spent-Every-Penny “Stimulus” bill…here is Pelosi and here is someone from Americans United for Change (which I think is a sorta street beggers union, but I might be wrong) defending this dog of a pork bill. For the GOP, its just a matter of Tivo’ing it and then starting to rebroadcast it in September of 2010.

Mark Hemmingway over at NRO has a rundown of the potential race between newly appointed Senator Gillibrand and possible GOP challenger, Rep. Peter King.

As noted in the article, a race between Any GOPer and Caroline Kennedy would be a race GOPers would pay to be allowed to run in – nothing more fun than taking on the clueless scion of a worthless, ultra-liberal political family long shorn of its glamor. But a race against Gillibrand, who has a conservative reputation, has a different dyanmic – if Gillibrand’s conservatism is more than just the result of not being as kook lefty as most New York Democrats.

The American Conservative Union gives King a moderately conservative 76 lifetime rating – which means as a Senator he will routinely annoy the GOP base outside of New York, but that he fits well with the politics of New York State. The ACU, on the other hand, gives Gillibrand a lifetime rating of 8. No, I didn’t forget a number – 8, as in e-i-g-h-t.

Now, there’s not much to go on so far – Gillibrand has only one House term under her belt, so she’s a stealth candidate with allegedly conservative credentials clearly picked with an eye towards the likely mid-term dynamic of 2010 which will have at least an anti-Democrat tinge to it (and a possible anti-Democrat wave) which would make most NY Democrats sure losers in a race against a moderately conservative GOPer.

I figure with Caroline we would have had a 90% chance of taking the seat – but with Gillibrand as the Democrat empty suit, I rate our chances at 60/40 against. But still well worth the effort.

Which means she might be a Democrat we can learn to love…until 2010, when Rudy sends her back home:

Gov. Paterson, defying the liberal wing of his Democratic Party, has chosen little-known, NRA-backed, upstate Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as New York’s junior senator, it was learned last night.

The surprising – and, for many Democrats shocking – decision to pick the conservative Gillibrand, 42, from Hudson in Columbia County, was disclosed by the governor in calls to party officials and some members of the state’s congressional delegation, many of whom said they were unhappy with the selection, sources said.

It is clever politics, of course – she’s an attractive, young mother with some conservative inclinations which will be useful in the Democrats’ attempt to hold the seat in 2010. She’s sort of a Democrat Sarah Palin, with her NRA support and such. Cynical political gamesmanship aside, it is useful to get into the Democrat caucus some people of common sense, which this lady seems to have.

Still, we’ll have to beat her – nice, semi-conservative Democrat Senator still provides power for nasty, uber-liberal Democrat majority in the Senate. Better to have Giuliani in there.

With only one drawback, we haven’t got an actual candidate to run against him, yet:

A conservative organization is set to launch an all-out effort aimed at beating Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in 2010.

The American Future Fund Political Action is planning a two-year long offensive against the Democratic leader, who is already a top target of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. The organization, stocked with former Mitt Romney presidential campaign operatives, is set to launch its effort this week with a Web -centered fund-raising drive.

Tim Albrecht, an organization spokesman, declined to say how much money the organization was planning to spend against Reid. In the 2008 election cycle, American Future Fund spent about $10 million targeting Democratic Senate candidates across the country

Albrecht said a fund-raising drive would start up this week with the launch of a Web site called “Watchin’ Reid.” The site intends to “shine the spotlight on [Reid’s] actions and motivate Republicans across the country.”

Even as Republicans talk up their effort to knock off no viable Republican candidates have stepped forward to run. Nevada Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki had announced his interest in a bid, but last fall he came under indictment for his management of a student loan program. Former Rep. Jon Porter, a moderate Republican from suburban Las Vegas, has also been mentioned as a potential candidate, but he lost his congressional seat in the November election.

“Certainly, we’re looking to be the most high-profile effort aimed at unseating [Reid],” Albrecht said.

American Future Fund launched in early 2008. It is staffed by a long line of former operatives from Romney’s failed presidential campaign, including Larry McCarthy, Ed Tobin, and Ben Ginsberg.

The indictment against Krolicki looks bogus, but its also not something amenable to easy resolution…and even if resolved entirely in Krolicki’s favor, it still taints him. Right now, the Nevada GOP’s bench is rather thin – but Harry Reid is the most beatable Democrat in the nation for 2010. He’s terribly unpopular out here and entirely identified with the political system which has now seized up in budget crisis and is talking about cutting teacher pay and raising taxes. The giant may be slain…

Once more, into the breech – or did anyone really think this issue was going away?

Supporters of homosexual “marriage” and groups committed to defending the true meaning of marriage, are set to square off for a fight in Maine this year. Senator Dennis S. Damon, D-Trenton, announced at a press conference this afternoon that he is submitting legislation that would redefine marriage in the state.

The senator said that his bill would codify civil marriage as the legally recognized union of two people, regardless of sex, and ensure that the state recognizes same-sex “marriages” from other states. He also said that the bill would protect the right of religious institutions to define their own religious doctrine and teachings about marriage, according to the Bangor Daily News. However, it is unclear if this means that religious institutions would be protected from discrimination lawsuits if they refuse to perform same-sex “weddings.”

Damon is supported by members of the Maine Freedom to Marry Coalition, which is made up of various homosexualist groups.

The defense of true marriage is being spearheaded by the Maine Marriage Alliance and aided by the Catholic Diocese of Portland and the Maine Family Policy Council. These groups have announced that House Republican Josh Tardy will submit a bill to augment the state law, the Defense of Marriage Act, restricting marriage to one man and one woman, by making it a constitutional amendment.

A bit of kudos to Senator Damon – unlike most supporters of liberal causes, he’s willing to come out of the leftist closet (as it were) and engage in actual political debate. But we do have to fight this, and at the start of the Obama Error, nothing will prove more crucial than these opening skirmishes. Its not that any one of them will assure victory or defeat, but the side which can claim the most victories in 2009 will be the side going in to 2010 energized and spoiling for a fight, and that will mean a lot not just in Congress, but in the State legislators which will redraw the Congressional districts after the 2010 census.

Very much is at stake over the next two years – Obama and his Democrats will try to cement an enduring Democratic majority as FDR did in the 1930’s; our task is to first thwart this, and then start building our party and movement into a force which will govern America for the 50 years necessary to undo the damage liberalism has done to our society. So, get ready for the fight – and remember, no matter what, we win (its cool being a Believer, huh?).

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Harry Reid is the worst Senate Majority Leader the United States has ever had – and here’s a toast to his defeat in 2010:

The Roland Burris circus took a ludicrous turn today as Harry Reid and Senate Democrats threw the fate of the former Illinois attorney general, who was appointed by disgraced Governor Rod Blagojevich to fill the unexpired term of President-elect Barack Obama last week, back to Illinois and the office of Secretary of State Jesse White.

It was White who refused to sign off on Burris, rejecting the paperwork on the appointment while making it clear he would not certify any candidate appointed by a governor who tried to to sell the Senate seat to the highest bidder…

…when Mr. Burris dramatically tried to take his seat in the Senate, he was rebuffed by Secretary of the Senate Nancy Erikson, who told him that his paperwork was out of order, lacking as it did both White’s signature and the Great Seal of Illinois. This set up the dramatic meeting today between Burris and Reid to try and find a way out of this political quagmire, which was making the Democrats look ridiculous for having made a big show of denying Burris his seat only to retreat when the legal and political winds began to blow against them.

Reid, citing a 120-year-old Senate rule that required the signatures of both the governor and secretary of state on any appointment, lobbed the ball back into Jesse White’s court — a play that made the wizened old pol (and one of the most powerful Democrats in Illinois) get his back up and charge “Foul!”

“What the senate did to Roland Burris yesterday…they played a little bit of a game with him,” he [White] said.

The host asked him if he thought Reid had made him a “fall guy.”

“You’re absolutely correct,” he said. “It’s ugly.”

“I think the world of Roland Burris,” he said. “We’re the best of friends.”

“Roland Burris is going to be seated,” he predicted, saying he hopes Burris becomes the next senator from Illinois.

In effect, White is saying “No, thank you” to Harry Reid and telling him to fix his own darn messes.

What are we to make of this? Well, when one considers how Democrats act it must be kept in mind that the sole motivator for Democratic leaders is power – gaining and retaining it. Democrats are already looking at an almost sure loss of the Illinois governorship in 2010 and by extension a loss of Obama’s Senate seat. Blago has dragged the Democrat brand in Illinois down and while it might appear here and there that the Democrats of Illinois are still healthy, the lesson of what happened to the GOP in Ohio – where a corrupt GOP governor hung on like used chewing gum to the bottom of a desk – when a party is saddled with an unpopular governor. It works like acid – and it just makes everything fall apart in slow motion. Having Blago’s pick in Obama’s seat makes it very hard for Democrats to see a way to victory – and a loss of power is something Democrats just can’t abide.

And so when the Blago mess first arose, Democrats moved to break all ties with the governor – including making bold statements about not seating anyone Blago picked for Senator. Problem is, the case against Blago looks anything but airtight (sure, I think he’s guilty – I’ve been watching him for a while – but having a guilty politician and convicting a guilty politician are two different things), there is no legal basis for denying Blago’s appointment his seat and – worst of all, for Democrats – is that by appointing a well-regarded black man, Blago expertly played the race card and now Reid and the rest of the Democrats are squirming. Desperate to get off the hook, they are now trying to toss the matter back to the Illinois SecState, hoping that he’ll allow them to dodge the bullet by affixing his signature to Burris’ appointment, thus giving Reid the ability to say that he had no choice in the matter.

The best thing about this – for GOPers, that is – is the fact that there is no way out of this for the Democrats. Any way they turn, it all works out against them. Accept Burris, reject Burris and the GOP gains the advantage – and we gain this advantage for the simple reason that Democrats have so badly screwed up our politics by their politics of personal destruction that they are now hoist upon their own moist, incredibly disgusting petard. It is Democrats who invented the race card; it is Democrats who first started dealing that card from the bottom of the deck; it is Democrats who used guilt by association to go after GOPers; it is Democrats who set the standard that the mere appearance of impropriety is grounds for punishment.

For a long time, Democrats have gotten away with directing this only at GOPers – with the willing and enthusiastic help of the MSM, we’ve been playing a double game where GOPers have to be saints while Democrats could get away with being sinners. But now the game has changed – Democrats won the whole ball of wax. A scandal in the GOP just won’t carry much weight any more – who cares if some obscure, GOP backbencher gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar? People will care, however, if a Democrat governor is trying to sell a Senate seat – and they’ll especially care if The One, our great hope-n-change, is involved.

It still is a long, hard road back to power for us – but the Democrats are doing all they can to help us out.