DSCC Road to Victory: Mary Landrieu

As all attention is focused on the Presidential Race, it's important to keep in mind that in November, many Senate and Congressional seats will be up for the taking.  But more important than gaining seats in Congress, is keeping those seats which Democrats currently occupy.  

Now, with that being said, the general consensus is that Mary Landrieu's (D-Louisiana) Senate seat is the most vulnerable, and I, from being on the ground here in New Orleans, agree.  Still, she has had a very impressive first quarter in regards to fundraising and has racked up many high profile endorsements, from both Democrats and Republicans.  

What's important to remember, on a personal note for me, is how hard Sen. Landrieu has fought for the people of Louisiana, especially after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  The following video, from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), highlights just that:

The Morning Dose---4/5

Today's Morning Dose is from Quinnipiac University, taking a look at the key general election swing states of Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania:

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...In general election match ups of the three largest and most important swing states in the Electoral College, the survey finds:

-Florida: Clinton 44 percent - McCain 42 percent; McCain beats Obama 46-37

-Ohio: Clinton beats McCain 48 - 39 percent; Obama gets 43 percent to McCain's 42%

-Pennsylvania: Clinton tops McCain 48 - 40 percent; Obama leads McCain 43 -39 percent

"When it comes to November, Sen. Hillary Clinton's strength is a big edge over Sen. Barack Obama among white voters, who have not given a majority of their votes to a Democratic presidential nominee since Lyndon Johnson in 1964," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute." 

More than a third of voters in the three states think Obama's race is an advantage, more than twice the number who think it is a disadvantage. By contrast, roughly a quarter of voters say Clinton's gender is an advantage, and about the same number think it is a disadvantage. 

"Former Democratic vice presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro's assertion that Obama's race has helped his candidacy finds some support among the electorate," said Brown. 

"At least for now, Sen. Clinton's argument that she is the better general election candidate in these key battleground states appears to have some validity," said Brown. "In this survey, her strength among white voters is why she runs better against Sen. McCain than does Sen. Obama. 

"Roughly one in five Democrats in the three states say they will vote for McCain against Obama, but less than 10 percent say they would vote for McCain over Clinton. Among white Democrats, 23 percent defect to McCain in a matchup with Obama, but only 11 percent defect when Clinton is the Democratic candidate." Pennsylvania...

"Her strength is her clear advantage among white voters - blue collar whites, less educated whites, economically hurting whites, that group known famously as Reagan Democrats in the Keystone State."...

"The economic concerns of voters make Ohio a tougher challenge for McCain than has traditionally been the case for Republicans, who have never won the White House without carrying Ohio," Brown said. "But Obama's weakness among white men is an indication that he has not yet closed the sale among the lunch bucket brigade."... 

"The difference between Clinton and Obama in Florida is the white vote," said Brown. "She gets 38 percent to 50 percent for McCain, but Obama loses to the Arizona senator 54 - 27 among white voters. If Obama does get the nomination, how he fares with whites will be crucial to his chances." ...

The Inadequacy Of Being A Conservative

Senator McCain, the Republican nominee for President, is now attempting to reintroduce his and his family's military service on the campaign trail, attempting to show that he is better qualified to be President versus whomever the Democrats nominate.  Conservatives, like McCain and Bush, like to think they are tougher than their opponents on national security and protecting America.  They feel inadequate, so they try to work on the fears of the people and cry wolf.  Any American who desires to be President should have the wisdom and character to keep fear out of the campaign. 

 

The tragic event of 9-11 befell the U.S. while the conservatives were talking tough, and after seven years we still have not won the war on terror; bin Laden is still free to plot more attacks, all while George Bush, a conservative, is Commander-in-Chief. That should be a stalk reminder that trying to talk tough does not get the job done.  Most people who served in the military on active duty do not feel they have to exploit their service by trying to act tough, rather they use that experience to come up with sensible solutions to present to the American people.  

 

Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy were all combat veterans and served their country during the Cold War, but did not campaign on their service record; did not campaign on fear; nor were they critical of their opponents ability to protect our country during a crisis.  They spoke to all the issues facing the country, because they knew we faced more problems that did not require military solutions than those that did.  Today, some of our leaders and hope-to-be-leaders focus on military action above all else, and try to create an atmosphere of fear for society to live in.  In contrast, those three Presidents tried to educate the people that the only thing we had to fear was fear itself.

 

The country today has many major problems that need sound policies to deal with, and that are not involved with military solutions or tax breaks for the wealthy.  Conservatives do not have policies; they only have an ideology that calls for a military or tax solution.  The nation's current problems have not been addressed or solved because of this ideology for the past 8 years, or in the Reagan-Bush 41 administrations for that matter.  Conservatives are now scrambling around to patchwork the economy and the financial mess we have---a mess we have because of their lack of policy.

 

Senator McCain is silent when it comes to the debt that the last three conservative Republican presidents piled on our country and its people, for which we are paying for today.  He continues to go along with the fail policies regarding Iraq and Afghanistan.  He has now abandoned his past policy, and lines up with George Bush for more tax cuts for the wealthy.  The bottom line: Senator McCain and his tough military talk will not be an asset in over coming the Conservative's inadequate feelings, or getting himself elected President.