the plight of the red state Democrats
The conventional wisdom has it that Kavanaugh is a loser for the Republicans in the US House, and — because of the sheer non democratic nature of the Senate and the terrain it’s being battled on — perhaps a winner for the US Senate.
And so goes a calculus in nationalizing the election and letting the House go (with a perhaps stipulation that a wave of “shy Tories” under-represented in the polls because it’s perhaps socially unacceptable in their circles to back Trump – Kavanaugh), because the Senate nation 2018 is in Trump Land.
What we have in terms of candidate stance break-down. Beto O’Rourke (Texas) and Phil Bredesen (Tennessee) are left clearing up lost “double bind vaguely hypocritical” aspersions and scandals, even as O’Rourke’s political positioning has him opposing Kavanaugh as a matter of course and Bredesen would probably just like to insist “I’m not going to be in a position of voting on this judge.”
The review from the Oct. 10, 1991 edition of the paper was written under the byline Robert O’Rourke and offers a sharp critique of the musical “The Will Rogers Follies.”
O’Rourke criticized the “perma-smile actresses whose only qualifications seem to be their phenomenally large breasts and tight buttocks.”
He wrote that the entire performance was “one of the most glaring examples of the sickening excesses and moral degradations of our culture.”
O’Rourke said the show was “produced and directed in such a showy, glitzy, and ultimately, tacky manner, that one cannot help feeling disgusted throughout the show.”
This begs the question: how was O’Rourke supposed to suggest that the actresses were talent-less and the show was selling up their sex appeal?
Jon Tester (Montana) and Claire McCaskill (Missouri) are no votes, but largely citing other matters —
“I have concerns that Judge Kavanaugh defended the Patriot Act instead of Montanans’ privacy,” Tester said in a statement. “I have concerns about his support for more dark money in politics. I have concerns about who he believes is in charge of making personal health decisions. And I have deep concerns about the allegations of sexual assault against Judge Kavanaugh.”
Citing “dark money” in politics as the main reason for her opposition, McCaskill released a lengthy statement through her office Wednesday evening.
The great comedy on Claire McCaskill is that competing polls showing the neck and neck race moving in two directions are being cited by liberal news / commentary sources and conservative news / commentary sources to posit their narrative.
Joe Donelly (Indiana) and Heidi Heitkamp (North Dakota) stuck himself in a bind for trying to get behind a “we need an FBI investigation that is being stone-walled” position. It appears Heitkamp is sinking — already a tad sank anyways — and we’ll wait to see if Donelly hangs about.
Joe Manchin (West Virginia) probably sums up how he’ll sell what I imagine will end up being a no vote…
To those who might not give him their support based on how he votes during Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, Manchin offered an apology.
“I’m sorry you’re a one-issue voter,†he said.
As it were, Heitkamp and Manchin in particular will be changing the topic to other matters quickly — Manchin in particular probably has been given something of an out from President Trump in that he can now proclaim the greatness of his NAFTA 2.0 “USMCA” deal, and tie himself with Trump on that traditionally Democratic issue (though not on the presidential level) that won him Manchin’s constituency (if over to neighboring states).
And it is comical that Trump made his latest “outrageous” statements in Mississippi where… can you consider that senate race an actual competitive race?
One last note — evidently the Russians are sending out massive propaganda in Utah against Senate candidate Mitt Romney. Comedy. It should cost the candidate ten points so he’ll win by 40 instead of 50.