state

With Democrat Jerry Brown finally declaring his candidacy for California governor today and billionaire Meg Whitman’s super-rich Republican rival Steve Poizner starting his own TV ad campaign against her, this seems a good time to talk about a big new negative theme about the rather tarnished Golden State. Is California America’s first “failed state?” That’s what a lot of people are saying.

As teabaggers sniff around for any hint of ideological deviancy from Republican candidates, there’s no doubt that they should keep a close eye on Republican Gov. John Hoeven of North Dakota, now running for Senate. In 1996, while running North Dakota’s socialist bank (the only state-owned bank in the nation), Hoeven kicked around the idea of running for governor. Needing to choose a party to run under, Hoeven decided that his values were best represented by the Democratic Party.

In forming his administration, President Obama abandoned the movement that had begun during his campaign for deal-making and a pragmatism that hasn’t worked. That movement is still possible and needed now. Here is look at what is required, and how a version of it is forming in California. We begin with this week’s triple whammy. Freedom vs. The Public Option Which would you prefer, consumer choice or freedom? Extended coverage or freedom? Bending the cost curve or freedom?

This is one of those absurdly busy days in the campaign world. Thus, it stands to reason that the Wrap is only slightly shorter than “War and Peace” tonight. So, without further hesitation, let’s launch into it. GA-Gov: Barnes Looking Competitive In His Comeback Bid Kudos to Rasmussen Reports (yes, you heard right…) for being the first pollster to actually venture past the gubernatorial primaries in the Peach State and poll the general election. The verdict: former Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes makes it a race .

By Sarah Laskow, Media Consortium Blogger Climate change legislation is off the table for now, but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is still working to regulate greenhouse gasses. The organization is up against strong opposition from Republicans and some Democrats. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is heading the charge, with the assistance of Bush-era EPA officials, now lobbyists with clients in the energy industry. The EPA and the Clean Air Act In April 2009, the EPA found that carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gasses pose a hazard to public health.

In the year ahead, national campaign coverage will be focused almost entirely on the Congressional midterm elections. With Republicans poised to win a substantial number of seats in the House, and at least a few in the Senate, much of what happens in November will dictate the extent to which Obama will be able to push the rest of his legislative agenda through the final two years of his first term. But with regard to the long term sustainability of Democratic majorities on the hill, the race that matters most in November isn’t one for Congress at all.

Or…as I suppose we should call it tonight, the Political Wrap-Up. Seeing as how there is no new polling tonight (save for a mildly ridiculous Rasmussen poll claiming Ben Nelson would lose by 30 points in he ran for re-election), we will stick to the campaign news. And, surprisingly, there actually is some news from the campaign trail today…. CA-19: In a slight surprise, the GOP lost an incumbent in the final days of 2009, as Class of ‘94 Congressman George Radanovich announced his retirement this morning.

Cross-posted with TomDispatch.com . For Isaac Francisco Solnit, born December 17, 2009 It’s clear now that, from her immoveable titanium bangs to her chaotic approximation of human speech, Sarah Palin is a Terminator cyborg sent from the future to destroy something — but what? It could be the Republican Party she’ll ravage by herding the fundamentalists and extremists into a place where sane fiscal conservatives and swing voters can’t follow.

It’s tough getting up to the front of the line of those wanting to call Sarah Palin for the truckload of lies spewed in Going Rogue . Even John McCain has gotten into the act by charging Palin with fabricating a $50,000 bill she claimed she got stuck with for her “vetting” and by praising the two aides targeted by Palin, Steve Schmidt and Nicolle Wallace. Up in Alaska, the line is just as contentious.

One of the Republican Party’s most respected and relied-upon consultants has serious reservations about two the party’s biggest names. Alex Castellanos, a conservative media strategist and regular presence on CNN, raised questions of Sarah Palin’s viability for office and took major swipes at Florida Senate candidate Charlie Crist during an appearance at Bloomberg News’ Washington Summit Thursday. The harshest lines were saved for Crist, who Castellanos said was not really a Republican.