Obama Steals Football from Children in NFL PSA

November 20, 2009 – 5:40 pm

Well, not really, but that’s how it seems. In a new PSA set to air during the Thanksgiving football games, we see Drew Brees throwing a football with children running in the frame. It seems that one of the kids is about to catch the ball, when suddenly (well, actually in extreme slow-mo), President Obama appears (mom jeans and all) and grabs the ball out of mid-air.

You can view it for yourself below.

The spot is meant to encourage volunteerism (and that is absolutely a noble goal), but with it’s ultra-exagerated slow-motion, it really just comes off as cheesy and ripe for parody. In fact, the Weekly Standard, already has a wonderfully mocking video posted.

What really concerns me about this though, is there no instance, no moment, no day on the calendar which Obama feels he cannot inject himself? Do I really have to endure “Hope and Change” at my dinner table on Thanksgiving? Does he ever think he has reached over-exposure or is that not even possible in the Obama universe?

By Brad Jackson | Posted in Blogs, Politics, The Whip | Tags: , , | Comments (Comments)

Hoffman ‘Unconcedes’ in NY-23, but Chances of Winning are Still Long

November 17, 2009 – 10:44 am

Conservative Doug Hoffman, appearing on Glenn Beck’s radio show yesterday, announced that he was ‘unconceding’ upon hearing the news that the election has tightened by more than 2,000 votes after recanvassing. On Election Night, Hoffman lost to Democrat Bill Owens by 5,335 votes, but the recanvassing has narrowed that margin to 3,026 votes, with 10,000 absentee ballots still outstanding.

Hoffman acknowledged that he would not have conceded on Election Night had he known the vote was this close. In order for him to overtake Owens, Hoffman needs to garner more than 65% of the absentee ballots, a tall order. Even Hoffman admitted it was a “long shot” when he spoke to Beck.

Owens was sworn in on November 6th, just in time for him to be a part of the healthcare reform circus in the House. Should Hoffman pull off the miracle upset, Owens would be removed from office.

By Brad Jackson | Posted in Blogs, Politics, The Whip | Tags: , , , , | Comments (Comments)

Former RNC CFO May Be Source of Abortion Policy Leak

November 13, 2009 – 4:46 pm

Multiple sources who formerly worked at the Republican National Committee believe Jay Banning, longtime Chief Financial Officer and head of Human Resources at the RNC, may be both the man responsible for the national party’s insurance policy covering elective abortions and the source for the leaked story about its existence.

Banning, who is openly gay, is described by many as a pro-choice liberal who clashed with social conservatives on staff. He served as Director of Administration and CFO of the RNC since 1983, and his duties covered the negotiations with Cigna, the insurance provider for the party organization. He was in charge of Human Resources in 1991 when the policy was first put in place.

Banning was fired by Michael Steele after 33 years of work at the RNC in May, but reportedly still functions as an on-call adviser for the current leadership as the result of a “secret pact” signed between Steele and his foes within party leadership in May.

Our sources indicate Banning was both the person likeliest to know that the Cigna policy covered elective abortions (other Republican groups using Cigna, such as the NRCC, did not choose that option) and someone with an axe to grind both with Steele, social conservatives, and the national party. There is no indication, according to Politico, which originally broke the story, that anyone ever used the RNC policy to obtain an abortion.

Steele was quick to say that he was working to change the policy.

“Money from our loyal donors should not be used for this purpose,” Chairman Michael Steele said in a statement. “I don’t know why this policy existed in the past, but it will not exist under my administration. Consider this issue settled.”

Banning did not respond to requests for comment from the New Ledger.

By Brad Jackson | Posted in Blogs, Politics, The Whip | Tags: , , , | Comments (Comments)

Club for Growth Backs Rubio in Florida

November 9, 2009 – 1:29 pm

In the wake of last Tuesday’s election that may have seen the beginning of a GOP comeback, fueled (at least in part) by an energized conservative base, one of the next battles is gaining focus with a key endorsement today. Florida’s US Senate race to replace Republican Senator Mel Martinez who stepped down early is shaping up to be an extension of the battle between establishment GOP forces in Washington and the grassroots members of their party. Those grassroots Republicans in Florida were angered by the quick backing of moderate Governor Charlie Christ in over conservative rock star Marco Rubio, the state’s former House Speaker. Today, the conservative group, Club for Growth has officially endorsed Rubio over Crist in what is sure to be the fiercest intra-party skirmish of all the 2010 Senate races.

The Club’s endorsement is not a little one, as the organization managed to drive more than $400,000 to Conservative Doug Hoffman in his close loss in NY-23 last Tuesday. That was a race short on prep time where the group had little more than a several weeks to make an impact, here in Florida they’ll have a little more than eight months. Although the Club’s backing of Rubio is not really a surprise it is a great momentum bump for the conservative candidate who raised more than $1,000,000 between July 1st and September 30th for his primary challenge with Crist.

Look for the Club for Growth to throw some serious cash behind Rubio in the coming months for grassroots outreach, mail pieces, and most importantly - advertising.

In a race as high profile as the Rubio-Crist fight, the amount of money the Club will be able to raise is sure to be amplified significantly. By way of comparison, the Club raised former Rep. Pat Toomey (R) more than $1 million for his near-miss primary challenge to then Republican Sen. Arlen Specter in 2004. The Club helped raised in excess of $1 million for the candidacies of Sens. Jim Demint (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) that same year and, according to those close to the Club, it has grown far larger and better organized in the ensuing years.

In a state such as Florida with multiple high-priced media markets, funding for TV and radio ads is key to a winning campaign. The Club will probably focus its ad buys on drawing attention to Crist’s breaks from the Florida GOP, most famously, his embrace of Barack Obama and his stimulus program. The White House said just recently (much to Crist’s dismay) that the Florida Governor has been “very supportive” of the President’s efforts. Be ready for that to be splashed all over the TV and radio.

With the close race in NY-23 last week, conservative activist efforts will be trained on several key 2010 races, and this battle between Rubio and Crist is sure to be one of them. The Club’s backing is only going to fuel the conservative fire among activists looking to show the national GOP that they cannot forget the wishes of the grassroots when working to get candidates elected to represent them in Washington.

By Brad Jackson | Posted in Blogs, Politics, The Whip | Tags: , , , , , | Comments (Comments)

Erickson: GOP Can’t Win Without Conservatives

November 4, 2009 – 12:37 am

RedState’s Erick Erickson makes two interesting points about the loss of Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman in NY-23 and how it’s actually a win for conservatives across the country.

First, the GOP now must recognize it will either lose without conservatives or will win with conservatives. In 2008, many conservatives sat home instead of voting for John McCain. Now, in NY-23, conservatives rallied and destroyed the Republican candidate the establishment chose.

I have said all along that the goal of activists must be to defeat Scozzafava. Doug Hoffman winning would just be gravy. A Hoffman win is not in the cards, but we did exactly what we set out to do — crush the establishment backed GOP candidate.

…

Secondly, and just as importantly, there has all of a sudden been a huge movement among some activists to go the third party route. We see in NY-23 that this is not possible as third parties are not viable.

Third parties lack funding and ability for a host of reasons. Conservatives are going to have to work from within the GOP. The GOP had better pay attention.

The only blemish on the Republican record tonight in the three major races is sure to shake up the GOP in Washington. As Erick points out, the GOP is nothing without it’s conservative members and grassroots activists around the country will use this loss as a rallying cry to ensure that the party leadership does not forget their largest voting contingent with next year’s key mid-term election just around the corner.

The next target for conservatives in the GOP: Florida’s 2010 U.S. Senate race between Washington establishment favorite Governor Charlie Christ and conservative grassroots rock star Marco Rubio. As they say on Iron Chef: “Let the battle begin!”

By Brad Jackson | Posted in Blogs, The Whip | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Comments (Comments)

Obama Political Capital Damaged by Key Losses Tonight

November 3, 2009 – 11:45 pm

Despite what the White House and Congressional Democrats will say tomorrow, tonight’s two loses for Democrats in New Jersey and Virginia are a blow to the Obamamania that Democrats have clutched onto tighter than a 5-year-old grips his teaddy-bear. The whole-hearted embracing of Obama by Jon Corzine and Creigh Deeds, including non-stop appearances, TV, radio and print ads featuring the “Hope and Change” mantra of 2008, were not enough to win the day.

The one and only Dan McLaughlin put it thusly:

Obama tried to help Deeds and Corzine, and was unable to do so. He can help nobody but himself. And that fact alone is hugely significant.

Obama had no coattails tonight. None.

The excitement of last year, the euphoria of Obama’s election that drove many young people and independents to passionately vote for Democrats did not continue as Americans had their first chance to vote on the policies and practices of the philosophy they elected last November. Today, Americans rejected Obama the politician even if they still like Obama the man, as indicated in some exit polls.

This may be a blow for 2010, that’s yet to be seen, but one effect that is sure to reverberate through Washington tomorrow is Obama’s loss of political capital. “Blue Dogs” in the Democratic party, especially those from swing districts across the country, saw tonight that Obama’s endorsement cannot help them win and may even help them lose. That will be a blow to liberal efforts in Congress in the health care and cap-and-trade debates, as many of the Democrat fence sitters may start to side with the GOP, running away from drastic Obama-backed policies that could come back to haunt them in next year’s elections.

By Brad Jackson | Posted in Blogs, The Whip | Tags: , , , , , , , | Comments (Comments)

GOP Sweeps Governor Races

November 3, 2009 – 10:47 pm

It’s a good night so far for the Republican party. Bob McDonnell won tonight with a margin in the neighborhood of 20 points over Democrat Creigh Deeds, more than a 20 point swing in GOP vs Dem votes from Obama’s 2008 race just a year ago. That’s a big victory for republicans anyway you slice it.

Now comes word that New Jersey’s next Governor will also be a Republican. Chris Christie is going to win, probably by about 5 points giving the GOP two key victories over Democrats in what many are seeing as a referendum on the liberal agenda of President Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats.

One important race is left this evening, the NY-23 battle between Conservative Doug Hoffman and Democrat Bill Owens. At this point Hoffman is down 4% with just over half of the vote in, however, there are at several cities where voting machine problems will delay the reporting of results until at least tomorrow morning. If the GOP goes three for three tonight, it could be a bad omen for Democrats in next year’s mid-term election.

By Brad Jackson | Posted in Blogs, The Whip | Tags: , , , , | Comments (Comments)

Exits: Independents Supporting GOP in New Jersey and Virginia

November 3, 2009 – 10:18 pm

CNN exit polls estimate that Republican Chris Christie pulled in a majority of independent voters in New Jersey in today’s gubernatorial election.

In New Jersey, Republican Chris Christie took 58 percent of the independent vote while incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine, a Democrat, got only 31 percent . Independent candidate Chris Daggett got just 9 percent of the independent vote. Independents made up 28 percent of the voters in New Jersey race.

New Jersey is still too close to call, but these numbers are good for Christie. And if he carries the trend started by Republican Bob McDonnell tonight, the GOP could pick up their second big win of the evening. McDonnell got an estimated 65% of independents in his 20 point blowout in Virginia.

Something to keep in mind, independents supported Obama over McCain in 2008 and were key to his victory, however, since then the President’s approval rating among the politically unaffiliated has plummeted. It looks like those votes may be moving back to the GOP. If those numbers hold in Republican races across the country in next year’s mid-term elections, it could be bad news for Congressional Democrats and the President’s liberal agenda.

By Brad Jackson | Posted in Blogs, The Whip | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Comments (Comments)

Voting Machine Glitches Reported in NY-23

November 3, 2009 – 10:04 pm

The Watertown Daily Times is reporting that there broken election machines in St. Lawrence County may delay election results in four cities: Louisville, Waddington, Rossie and Clare.

St. Lawrence County Board of Elections Deputy Commissioner Thomas Nichols said the new election machines had scanner malfunctions in some communities earlier today.

Results from these counties may not be available until tomorrow.

By Brad Jackson | Posted in Blogs, The Whip | Tags: , , | Comments (Comments)

Tonight’s Exit Polls May be Bad News for Dems in 2010

November 3, 2009 – 9:14 pm

ABC News has an analysis of the exit polling from tonight’s elections and think it may predict some bad news for Democrats in 2010. The main issue of concern - the economy. A whopping 90% of New Jersey voters said they were worried about the direction our our nation’s economy. That number went down only slightly to 85% in Virginia.

In Virginia, voters who expressed the highest levels of economic concern supported McDonnell by a very wide margin, 73-26 percent. Moreover, 46 percent called the economy the single top issue in their vote, far and away No.1, and those economy voters favored McDonnell over Deeds by a 10-point margin in preliminary results.

This support for McDonnell led to his early victory and a sweep for the GOP of all the top statewide elected offices in the Commonwealth tonight. We’ll see in the coming hours how this effects the outcome of New Jersey’s election. For 2010, if this astronomically high worry about the economy (and our current 10%+ unemployment rate) continues, it cannot be good news for the Democrats (and maybe some incumbent Congressional Republicans) in 2010. As Bill Clinton’s once famous Democrat consultant James Carville once said, “It’s the economy stupid.”

By Brad Jackson | Posted in Blogs, The Whip | Tags: , , , , , , | Comments (Comments)
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