New Job for Dole?
How about Ambassador to Mongolia? Today Allan Bense and David Brandon announced that they will not challenge Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), respectively. These are just the latest in a long series of recruiting failures for NRSC Chair Elizabeth Dole. So far, Dole has blown the recruitment of Rep. Candice Miller and Jane Abraham (MI), Dino Rossi (WA) and former-Rep. Jennifer Dunn, and Rep. Heather Wilson and Rep. Steve Pearce (NM). Gov. Tommy Thompson (WI), Rudy Giuliani (NY), and Rep. Shelley Moore-Capito (WV) seem to be busts as well. To be sure, not all of these are good conservatives and not all are the best candidates, but if she wanted the job, she should have been able to deliver at least a few of them.
At present, Senators Bingaman (NM), Byrd (WI), Cantwell (WA), Kohl (WI), Nelson (FL), Nelson (NE), and Stabenow (MI) are without strong opposition. Gov. John Hoeven (ND) has not yet said whether he will challenge Sen. Conrad. While Allen’s record wasn’t perfect last year - he missed opportunities in Arkansas, Nevada, and North Dakota - he successfully recruited strong candidates in seven other states. Thus far, only two strong challengers have emerged, Rep. Mark Kennedy (MN) and Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (MD). Of those, at least one - Kennedy - was going to run with or without recruitment.
The heads of the two campaign committees have two jobs. One is raising money, something that isn’t easy when your base has said in one voice that it will not contribute a dime until every judicial nominee receives a vote. The other is to make sure that the Party has strong candidates is as many races as possible. Sen. Dole has been a miserable failure both in terms of ensuring that the base is satisfyied and will continue to contribute, and even moreso as a recruitor. Here’s hoping the Administration can find a job for her a few thousand miles away so that we can revert to the better choice, Sen. Norm Coleman (MN) to pick up the pieces.
August 4th, 2005 at 3:06 pm
You are wrong on a whole host of these things.
Rossi was never going to run, and virtually everybody in the state knew it. He wants to run for Governor in ‘08 and he doesn’t want to leave the state. It’s hardly Dole’s fault. Safeco CEO and Former Slade Gorton Chief of Staff Mike McGavick is a good candidate and will give Cantwell a run for her money at the very least. Former US Attorney and GOP Bigshot Diane Tebelius might run as well. Either would present a credible challenge.
‘Recruiting’ wasshisname in Florida would have been a waste of time anyway. He had no hope of beating Harris in the primary. I recognize that Harris probably isn’t the strongest candidate we could hope for, but the doom and gloom surrounding her from some in the GOP is downright stupid. She’s not a lost cause at all.
Moore-Capito is hardly a no-go. I’d say she’s actually pretty likely to run. I can’t imagine why the NRSCC is running ads in WV if they don’t think they have a candidate. If she doesn’t end up running, you are 100% right, and it’s extra stupid that they are running ads, but wait and see on this one.
Domino’s CEO guy in Michigain, IMHO, is strictly worse then Butler. A vanilla, white guy CEO Republican will not beat a vanilla woman Democrat in a D leaning state. Butler has proven he can win D votes in large numbers, and is not bland or uninteresting, and will shake the race up. He may well lose, but he may win. What I do know, is that he changes the dynamics of the race, which is neccessary to win this without a high profile candidate. I agree that Miller or Engler would have made a better candidate, but Engler is probably out for good, and Miller just has too many other options (aka, run against the more vulnerable Granholm, or wait for ‘08 Open Senate Race). I wouldn’t be surprised to see Butler pull the upset. I would be VERY surprised to see the CEO guy do it.
I probably would have voted for Coleman too, but don’t beat up on Dole for things that aren’t her fault and that wouldn’t be benifitial anyway. I remember this time 2 years ago, all we heard was people complaining that Harry Reid or Bryon Dorgan didn’t have strong competetors and beating up on Allen. You never bat 1000, and it’s stupid to expect it. ‘04 turned out pretty good though, methinks.
August 4th, 2005 at 9:22 pm
Rossi left the door ajar for a while. Yes, though, he’d have been a tough sell for anyone. McGavick can’t get it done. It’s a bad sign when your base responds like this: http://www.soundpolitics.com/archives/004794.html and http://thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Campaign/072105.html.
As to Bense, Martinez had name recognition problems too: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-12-09-martinez-resigns-hud_x.htm. With White House backing, he’d have been a much stronger candidate than Harris. I was slightly more optimistic about Harris before she began making stupid, unproven allegations about the media: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0508040181aug04,1,4608158.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed.
As for Capito, the GOP is running ads in hopes of intimidating Byrd out of the race. It might be worth a shot, but Capito won’t risk her House seat to make a dangerous run when a Senate seat could come open two years later.
In Michigan, Butler can’t raise the money. He finished the second quarter with less than half a million in the bank. That won’t cut it against one of the most prolific fundraisers in the Senate. Face it. Dole’s a bust.
August 5th, 2005 at 5:13 pm
Editor’s column Should ‘citizen journalists’ make cash from their snaps?
Pete Clifton, editor of the BBC News website, takes some flak for not paying for citizen journalism, and gets worryingly excited about great aunt Sylvia.
If you want, visit my Free Xbox360 site.
August 5th, 2005 at 5:32 pm
good post… thanks.
Lila
my site: gifted and talented child