Coming Soon on Jumping in Pools

With the 2010 elections in full-politics mode, Jumping in Pools is going all out. We will be writing articles about the most interesting elections taking place this year. We will be contacting candidates personally. And we plan to contact every single Republican candidate running for Senate (that we can).

Mr. K, Matthew, and I are putting together some great articles. Expect big things in the coming months!

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Ensign Turns Out to be a Slimeball

Now, I know all of the arguments about infidelity and politics. I know that it happens all the time. I stood against the impeachment of President Clinton, but it didn't make his actions any better. For all of the hand-wringing Republicans who railed against the former President for an affair, the list of those having their own seems to be growing.

Gingrich, Vitter, and now Ensign. Not to say the Dems are any better, but at least they seem to do it with a big smile on their face.

I'm not calling on Ensign to resign, but I'm asking that he please not show his ratty face in the 2012 primaries. I know that he shares my party and some of my policy views, but if I have to hear another 'pro-family' politician explain why they slept with an intern, staffer, or hooker, I think I'm going to vomit.

Now we hear word that Ensign has resigned his leadership post in the Senate. That's a good start. I know that power is sexy, but you ever see a picture of the guy? Who's going to cheat on their husband with him?


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Burris Needs to Quit

We here at Jumping in Pools had a firm stand that Roland Burris should not have gotten the Illinois Senate seat given to him by corrupt and shamed former Governor Rod Blagojevich. Despite the fact that Burris was named in corrupt circumstances, he was still allowed in the Senate.

President Obama made a public stand against seating Burris. Then when it appeared that such a stand could be unpopular, he backed down quickly. Other Democrats, fearing the loss of votes (and not credibility) soon dropped their opposition to Burris.

Now it turns out that Senator Burris may have been as corrupt as Blagojevich himself. He has admitted to lying and is now just another crooked politician.

Senator Burris must resign within two weeks. There is no excuse for his lies and corruption. He has shown the United States the worst of our politicians. He has shown us the results of putting popularity in front of integrity. He is a shame to our country and needs to do the honorable thing and resign.

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McCain: This is a Joke

John Sidney McCain, perhaps the best candidate to run for the Presidency in 20 years, is blasting the attempts to force a stimulus package through the Congress. McCain has been at the forefront of bipartisanship, even if it means pissing off his own party and donor base. However, on this one, he's not playing ball with what he considers a gag:

McCain also discussed the stimulus package negotiations, which he described as the antithesis of bipartisanship, and mocked the notion that "change" had come to Washington with the recent election.

McCain, like usual, is exactly right. He realizes that much of the talk during the 2008 Campaign was simple sloganeering, and that using the stimulus as a wedge issue is not only not a change, but is detrimental to our political process.

By using this as his first major test, President Obama has set the tone for the next year: play ball or play by yourself. While Nancy Pelosi may be pushing this harder, the President is not taking any pains to push for a bipartisan bill.

If the Democrats do wind up reaching sixty seats in the Senate, forget about all of the lofty talk of bipartisanship. There will be one party in control, and just one party which matters. Then we'll see if change is just a slogan.

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SATIRE: Daschle "Innocent" of Tax Fraud

Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle has been on the hot seat over the last week. Picked by President Obama as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services, the former Senator has been grilled over allegations of not paying taxes. Daschle, however, insists he is innocent.

"I sent the money I owed to the IRS with the prostitute that I hired for three years." Daschle told a Senate subcommittee on Monday.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you, but half of my income was off the tax rolls, as I was selling cocaine."

Unfortunately for Daschle, Senate Republicans were not buying it. Texas Senator John Cornyn demanded that Daschle stop sidestepping the issue. "You are, uh, I say you are attempting to tell us that you're some sort of boy scout, but the real issue is that you can't pay, I say, you can't pay your taxes."

Daschle still attempted to defend himself. "Listen, to my former colleagues, I have proof that I am innocent. During 2004, I was too busy giving cigarettes to children to have been avoiding taxes. I spoke about it during that 2003 film I starred in, "Porkbarrel Sphincter," a poor attempt at Congressional pornography.

"I guess you might be right." said Maine Senator Olympia Snowe. "Tax evasion is a very minor crime for politicians."

Daschle was confirmed, 96-0. Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky was reportedly not able to vote. His office released a statement saying that this was due to "getting hammered."

For those who like this satire, buy my book, The Real History of World War II.

Franken Still Hasn't Won

Despite Al Franken's supposed lead over Senator Norm Coleman, the fight isn't over yet. This Senate seat battle has been marked by votes "appearing" and accusations of double-counting. We're pulling for Coleman, even Joe C.

The panel also rejected Franken's attempt to limit any court review to verifying math and other technicalities of the recount and canvass, clearing the way for the judges to consider Coleman claims that some votes in Democratic areas were counted twice, that some absentee ballots from GOP areas were wrongly rejected and that there were other irregularities.

The panel noted that the Minnesota Supreme Court had ruled that while those claims shouldn't be decided during the recount, they "would be properly heard in an election contest" in court.

Coleman lawyer Ben Ginsberg called the panel's decision "a stinging defeat for Al Franken. It underscores that the Coleman contest will proceed, that there will be a trial."

It appeared that Franken pulled out all of the stops in order to win the seat. These included shady performances and all the lawyering a man can buy. But the best candidate may just win, after all.

Paterson's Choice of Gillibrand a Poor One

Governor Paterson of New York, who I personally like, has made a poor choice of the next Senator from our state. Instead of choosing Attorney General Andrew Cuomo or Assemblyman Pete Lopez, he chose Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand.

Gillibrand is a shrill, partisan hack who's only advantage is from being from Upstate. She worked hard for the tobacco industry, helping them stay on track selling cigarettes. Gillibrand has a poor record in Congress and is divisive. Her complete lack of sense on foreign policy is another strike against her.

What a poor choice. What a poor Senator.

Time to get back into campaign mode.

Well, just a few miles eastward, in the 20th congressional district, they will be having an special election to fill the seat vacated by Congressman/Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, this district is very Republican district and I believe I have found the perfect candidate :
Senator Elizabeth Little of Queensbury.

She is a top rated NRA member.
She is a top rated pro-life Conservative.
Pro-business.
And highly rated by the Conservative party of New York.

And she has announced her interest in running for the seat.

I will do all that I can to assist whomever the Republican is in this upcoming election, I will be hoping and advocating it will be Elizabeth Little.

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Special election time?

Well, the front-runner for the Junior Senator from New York, Caroline Kennedy, the flamboyant in-experienced Liberal that she is, announced that she is dropping out of the race to become the next Senator due to personal problems/issues within the family. Meaning the race for New York's next Senator is wide open, so I propose instead of Paterson appointing someone, and 21 months later we have the special election, then 2 years after that we have another election, why not plan a special election in May of this year, so both the GOP and Democrats vote for their candidate, and avoid another election next year?

I doubt they will do this. But lets see what happens.


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Hillary, Good Luck

Hillary Clinton, the former Senator from New York, was confirmed as the new Secretary of State of the United States. This comes as the United States is facing myriad problems and opportunities. Hillary has the opportunity to reach out to American allies and forge a new direction of peace. She also has the opportunity to craft a policy towards Iran that prevents them from getting nuclear weapons.

It is my hope that Mrs. Clinton uses her knowledge of foreign policy to help guide the Obama Administration to a better future. This is especially pertinent, because the President is not knowledgeable on foreign affairs.

Good luck, Hillary, America's future rests on your shoulders.

Burris Wins Battle for Senate Seat

Roland Burris, who was appointed by disgraced (and now impeached) Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, has been cleared to serve in the United States Senate. This takes place after Democratic leaders refused to pave the way for him.

We've written a little about this ourselves and have a split opinion.
However, there is not a split opinion in the Senate.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, under investigation for allegations that include seeking to trade Obama's Senate seat for personal favors, surprised Senate Democrats over the holiday break when he appointed Burris to succeed Obama in the Senate.

Senate Democrats, who had worried that any appointee would be tainted by Blagojevich, have been grappling with how to proceed ever since. They rejected Burris last week only to reverse course a day later after Obama himself privately weighed in and senators fretted that the situation was diverting their focus.

Indeed.

Oh Snap-- Pawlenty to Franken: Thanks But No Thanks

Minnesota's Governor has flatly refused to sign off on Al Franken's Senate Seat. The Governor and the Secretary of State are not signing the certification for Franken to take office.

While this will not stop the comedian, it will likely delay his taking office. This may be enough time for challenger Norm Coleman to launch an appeal. Franken was behind by about 200 votes and after some votes 'mysteriously' appeared, he is ahead of Coleman by 225.

Coleman is suing over the result, claiming there were irregularities on Election Day and during the recount.

Minnesota law prevents officials from issuing an election certificate until legal matters are resolved. But Franken's legal team argues that federal election law entitles Franken to receive the certificate before the lawsuit is settled.

"The people of Minnesota are down a senator in the U.S. Senate. This is an opportunity for Governor Pawlenty and Secretary Ritchie to ensure the interests of all Minnesotans are represented in Washington," Franken lawyer Marc Elias told reporters in a conference call. He didn't rule out a lawsuit.

As per the Constitution

all a man needs to be is 30 years old, a United States citizen, a citizen of the state and the country for a number of years, to be appointed be a legal Governor and he is a Senator. This is the case of Roland Burris, as Conservatives including myself at first felt - this man should not be allowed into the United States Senate, then it donned on me : according to a Supreme Court ruling & the United States Constitution - Roland Burris is a legal United States Senator.

I suspect corruption.

But I also suspect both Blago & Burris will get an un-welcomed 2010 election cycle.

We need to follow the Constitution, no matter how hard it might be some times.

This is what devines the right from the wrong. Supporting the Constitution even when the appointment smells of dead fish, instead of disgracing in based on ego.

Constitution - seat Roland Burris - that is good enough for me. Until 2010, then I hope the Illinois GOP destroys him.


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Dems Likely to Back Burris

One by one the top Democrats fell in line opposing Rod Blagojevich's appointee to the United States Senate. After mocking the Republicans for a 'culture of corruption,' the Democratic Party would take a stand.

Obama
Reid
Durbin

Then something happened.... Racial undertones were used comparing the Democratic leadership to segregationists.... then they started to back off. Rod Blagojevich may have been impeached, but his choice for Senate will live on, or so it would appear.

And that brings us to now, which Roland Burris poised to become the junior Senator from the state of Illinois.

Surprising? Talk about doubletalk:

"I started off obviously skeptical, as all of the Democratic members did," Durbin, D-Ill., said on "Face the Nation" on CBS. "But as time has gone on and we've looked closely, we want to be fair to Roland Burris. If he has the proper certification and papers, then we're going to take one look at the process and move forward from there."

Corruption rewarded, even before the next Congress opens.

Burris Aided Blago.... Suprising?

Illinois Senate Appointee Roland Burris apparently aided Governor Rod Blagojevich's election bid in 2006-- in sneaky circumstances.

Just days after Gov. Rod Blagojevich accepted his party's nod for re-election in 2006, a letter arrived at state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka's office seeking thousands of pages of documents Blagojevich could use as ammunition against her in their upcoming campaign.

The letter was signed by Roland Burris.

It was one of several requests Burris made to the treasurer's office in 2006, a campaign practice known as opposition research in which candidates use public documents to question their opponents' records.

This really can't be too surprising, but it still seems underhanded. Burris helps the Governor, then gets picked for Senate. And didn't just help the governor, but used a legal but dirty trick to gain favor (or just to help him).

Indeed.

Burris Attempt Underhanded

With the resignation of President-Elect Obama from the Senate, we all know that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich attempted to sell his seat for favors. And after he was cornered by the Feds, he not only denied it, but also attempted to hold onto his fleeting power.

And now his Senate appointee, Roland Burris stained with the immense corruption of Chicago politics represented by the Governor, is attempting to enter the United States Senate. President-Elect Obama has already signalled that this should not occur. Good for him. The Senate Democrats appear to also be blocking his entry.

But, of course, things will probably get more messy. If the impeachment of Blagojevich is delayed, then Burris entering the Senate may also be. If Burris is not certified by the Illinois Secretary of State, then he will be unable to legally serve. If this happens, then one of 100 Senators will be missing. In cases of tight votes, this could serve to make things more contentious.

In addition, how much longer can this stalemate go on? If Blagojevich is not impeached, then will a Senator be seated? Will there be no junior Senator from Illinois until 2011? Also, will the race card be used as stating that the Democrats are attempting to block a black Senator from taking office-- especially when there are no black Senators.

Politics appears amess, even for Washington.

Peter King for Senate

With Hillary leaving the Senate and a replacement soon to be named, there is always the question of who will be running in 2010. With Caroline Kennedy likely to be named, there is already opposition for the seat.

Republican Peter King from Long Island has placed his hat in the ring. King is very strong on national security and is a bright, responsive politician. New York would be lucky to have him as our Senator.

"Obviously it would be a challenge to run against Caroline Kennedy. She has the name identification and for all I know she's a wonderful person. But this is not an anti-Kennedy campaign," he said. "Nothing in life is easy. If anything, that makes the adrenaline pump a little harder."

Good for Pete King. I think I might just vote for him.

How Much Did Palin Actually Help Chambliss?

As just about everyone in the United States knows by now, Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) won his Senate race, defeating the Democrats' hope for a 60-seat filibuster-proof supermajority. And one of the repeated themes of the analysis is the Chambliss won so easily thanks to the help of one Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska. Chambliss himself said :

"Sarah Palin came in on the last day, did a fly-around and, man, she was dynamite. We packed the houses everywhere we went. And it really did allow us to peak and get our base fired up," Chambliss said.

"I mean, I can't overstate the impact she had down here," he continued. "When she walks in a room, folks just explode. And they really did pack the house everywhere we went. She's a dynamic lady, a great administrator, and I think she's got a great future in the Republican Party."

But it doesn't seem like she was the make-or-break. Obviously she helped Chambliss get out the Conservative Christian base, but something about the numbers doesn't show a massive surge. Chambliss won last night's race by a hearty 14%. However, on November 4, he only led by three.

Now, Georgia is one of the redder states in the Union, so did Palin really push him over the top? Instead, it looks like it wasn't the person who was there, but it was the person who wasn't there that made a difference. It appears that since Obama wasn't on the ballot, many Democrats didn't see the purpose in going out to vote:

Martin appeared to suffer mightily from a lack of African-American turnout, which dropped from 30 percent of early votes four weeks ago to around 20 percent in the runoff.

For Republicans and strategists that think that the GOP can take the Congress back anytime soon cannot underestimate the celebrity and gravity of the President-Elect. He can push people out to vote that wouldn't do so anyway, and can even rope in some Independents and Republicans to boot. He was probably good for 8% of the difference on November 4. The Democrats have a strong down-ticket leader now. College kids and the like are less likely to pay attention to other officeseekers, just as long as they have the valuable "D" next to their name.

So is Sarah Palin the savior of the GOP? Obviously she got at least some of the vote out for Senator Chambliss. However, she was insignificant compared to President-Elect Obama.

RIP, Franken's Senate Hopes

It appears that Al Franken's hopes of becoming the next Senator from Minnesota are falling dramatically. Despite the fact that the vote count was moving his way, Franken's deficit has grown as the recount continues.

And now it appears that Franken's last ditch efforts to add votes into the wider pool has failed. Without more ballots to count, and the recount at 88%, the chances of a legitimate Franken comeback appear slim.

Still, the Democrats are calling foul, even though it appeared that earlier, votes were just "appearing" for Franken:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., termed the Canvassing Board's decision "cause for great concern" and called on Minnesota officials to "ensure that no voter is disenfranchised."

So hopefully Norm Coleman can sleep a little easier.

So Has the Right Wing Conspiracy Ended?

So, now that Barack Obama has won the White House and the Dems almost have sixty seats in the Senate, does that mean that the vast, right-wing conspiracy has finally ended?

It was about a decade ago that Hillary Clinton said that phrase on the Today show, so let's look at all of the things that should disappear due to the Obama victory:

1. No more 9/11 Truth stupidity
2. No more 'No WMD' stupidity
3. Any more impeachment talk?
4. Wait, I thought Bush was going to name himself President for Life?
5. Cheney's not ruling anymore (I guess)
6. Troops out now-- oh, Obama's not doing that?
7. Just the rest of your run-of-the mill slabber, as Father McQuarters would say.