Sorry -- no longer can verify Allen/Webb tied.

[beachmom]

[Mass]

1. Considering that this is a GOP polling firm, this is really good news.

[WildEyedLiberal]

2. In a sane world Webb would be up by 40

But, take what we can get I guess.

Are there really that many racist mouthbreathers in VA?

[fedupinBushcountry]

3. Sadly, yes

Today I had to go to the Treasurer's office to pay my late property taxes ( I am a procrastinator), and I saw the most beautiful thing. This little white girl and little black boy, probably about age 4, and the little girl went up to the little boy and started up a conversation, next thing they found two chairs and crawled up on them and just enjoyed each others company. It was one of those moments.

We are not born to hate we are taught to hate. Have you seen any of the clips of that Jesus Camp? How can parents do that to their children, it really makes me sick.

[rockymountaindem]

4. That other thread said that Mason-Dixon asked for a retraction

and that they hadn't released a poll. Do you think this was just a leak, or is this whole thing some kind of smoke and mirrors? That said, I hope this poll is correct, because an incumbant being that far below 50% this close to Nov. 7th would be pretty damn bad for the Repubs.

[beachmom]

5. Actually the poll hasn't been released

Not Larry Sabato just jumped the gun.

Diarist insists it's accurate, but there is a possibility those numbers aren't correct.

[fedupinBushcountry]

6. Beachmom

Did you hear the latest on Kellam? I hears on the radio that he had been arrested for an altercation with a woman after a traffic accident in 1978, he was never charged, but as you can see they are digging deep to swifboat both Webb and Kellam. Kellam was suppose to have a press conference on it, I know he said it happened and it was after a car accident and he was never charged. I have a feeling it is going to get really ugly.

[beachmom]

7. Here is the article:

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=111831&ran=245190

The RW blogger who broke the story caught some flack. He claims he didn't get the info from the campaign, but it was the Drake campaign that went down to NC to get the scoop.

To be fair, it is not swiftboating if it's true. And this did happen. I think Kellam reacted well so far, and hopefully the press conference will defuse it even more. This will be a test for his integrity and political skills if he can convince people that this was a small transgression of his youth that he regrets, but that he has grown as a person since then. I first read it last night, and sounded AWFUL (like it was rape or something) but now with the details it seemed not as big.

This will suck if it sinks the race, because I really think he would serve us well (for a blue dog Dem, that is).

[beachmom]

8. RW blogger made half apology

for "wording of headline" which was "inaccurate".

http://www.bearingdrift.com/2006/09/rtd-judge-threw-out-kellam-case.html#links

Look, this guy is a Republican, and therefore an idiot, but he's just some guy from Chesapeake (who even went against the intial, anyway, Bush torture bill). I checked out his blog a couple of weeks ago -- it was not as bad as Freeperville, although some commenters were hideous. Anyway, my point is, somebody e-mails him this stuff, and he posts it, and now he's in BIG TROUBLE. He made it for himself, yet you get the feeling that he is SUCH an amateur, and doesn't know what he's doing. Drake campaign DEFINITELY distancing themselves from him . . .

Kellam called the entry "libelous", which means the blogger could end up with legal action. I haven't quite wrapped my mind around the whole incident yet.

Kellam is very smart hoisting the attack right back on Drake, but it's actually ending up on a guy in pajamas in the basement.

[karynnj]

9. 1978!

Why is the President not responsible for anything before he was 40 and it's getting so Democrats may be blamed for things at any age?

[beachmom]

10. You're right. Phil should just say he found Jesus after the incident n/t

[ProSense]

11. It was a complete affront to have

Allen presiding over the Torture Bill vote. Repigs!

[MBS]

12. here's the McClatchy MSNBC poll

See
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/columnists/steven_thomma/15642144.htm

[beachmom]

13. Yep, just found msnbc -- it is indeed 43-43

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15065908

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!

[MBS]

14. Martin Luther King

-Martin Luther King: "The arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice." (at least if we can do something about those Diebold machines)

[whometense]

15. this one's for you, beachmom!

[beachmom]

16. Ha, ha! can they do that every time, so that I don't have to see

that racist's face!

[karynnj]

20. I bet the Democrats would prefer this Felix in their committees

[karynnj]

17. It looks like there is the start of a nasty counterattack

by Allen. My local paper, a Gannett paper, has an anti-Webb op-ed entitled, "Media slow to question Webb's stance on issues". Link: http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061001/OPINION03/610010319/1096/OPINION

I have seen earlier pieces by this guy out of San Diego, his comment that he never thought he would be defending Allen is strange - he always has seemed on the right to me.

(They also have one of their own columnists suggesting that Menendez may have to be replaced (possibly by Codey, who was the acting governor when McGreevey left.)

This is going to be a very nasty season everywhere.

[beachmom]

18. Yep. They have NOTHING to run on, so they're going

for the dirt, innuendo, and outright smears.

That's happening in my district. Our little local blog is being deluged by viral rightwingers going on and on about Phil Kellam's assault charge from 28 years ago. I would respond, and 2 hours later, there would be MORE of their crap. It's beginning to turn into a full time job. These rw bloggers are not so different from us, as far as they live in the community, have normal lives, etc. And yet by working for the GOP, they become these rabid attack dogs devoid of any decency. It's really quite discouraging to see this happening to fellow Americans . . .

[karynnj]

19. I was glad I had seen the Patriot Group stuff backing Webb you posted

The fact that they are going nationwide on this is awful. It's desgusting that this is coming in within an op-ed, so there is no counter. The Menedez garbage is filthy here - Lautenberg did a great job countering them in Morris County. (In addition, Lautenberg spoke of how Kean's father spoke against a Republican who said Lautenberg wanted to go to the Senate to make "money on the side". He contrasted the son's use of lies from a convicted person to slime Menendez.)

[sandnsea]

21. Oh man

I guess Webb really said that. It's not in the same category as Macaca - but it sure does go to show how deep racial denial goes. I can't defend those remarks.

What's up with Menendez? I hadn't heard any replacement story.

[beachmom]

22. I don't know. Before he said that he spoke about slavery, that

African Americans were the only people in America ever to be enslaved. In that context, his latter remark made sense. He later said that poor people should also be included in affirmative action. In light of the decline in meritocracy, that might not be a bad idea. It also stops the resentment against minorities if poor white people are given help to make up for their poverty, poor schools, etc.

Jim Webb sometimes looks at things differently, and God knows I haven't forgotten what he said about JK in '04. But the thing I've noticed about him is that he's honest. Sometimes that gets him in trouble, but voters might find that refreshing from such a slick (or maybe not so slick, lately) lying politician like Allen.

[sandnsea]

23. Many people have that position

I also know that it's particularly popular among young white males. For me, it doesn't make it true. Affirmative Action has a distinct purpose and that is to create a level playing field for those who have traditionally been excluded from even competing. That includes all races, as well as women. It is not just a reparation for slavery. Even if it were, it isn' true that only blacks were enslaved in this country anyway. Indians most certainly were, probably other races too. So there's no historic or social basis for that claim.

There also isn't an income basis, although a lot of poor white guys try to pretend there is. They have every bit as much opportunity to go get an education as anybody else. Student grants and loans are income based. There's also allocations for students whose parents didn't graduate, students from low-income rural areas, students from designated zones where economies have tanked, etc. These young guys don't like school, not the classroom or the time necessary for a degree. They want jobs in a short period of time, preferably doing some sort of physical activity. Unfortunately, those jobs either don't exist or don't pay well anymore, because those same white guys have also bought into the notion that the unions are out to screw them. Has nothing to do with racial preference or any reverse discrimination.

I know Senator Kerry got in a bit of trouble trying to address the white male whine on affirmative action, he took the 'mend it, don't end it' approach. Webb doesn't appear to have even done that, but is jumping full on into the right wing spin on it. Racism doesn't exist, move along, find those bootstraps. It probably plays well to a lot of people across the country, I just personally can't defend it.

[ProSense]

24. Jim Webb vs. George Felix Allen

Man who made a few statements that can be nitpicked forever vs. racist asshole!

That is all!

[sandnsea]

26. The voting choice is clear

I just don't personally agree with Webb's view of affirmative action. My personal view is that it stems from racism, although not overt like Allen. The denial that whites have an advantage in this society is a sort of racism all its own and I think causes as much trouble now as the really hideous stuff 50 years ago. I don't see how someone like Webb can look at someone like Allen and not understand we have a long way to go on race and affirmative action will be important until we stop having these macaca moments.

[karynnj]

25. It seems to be the Republicans spreading the story

The first I saw it was in some posts here, referring to posts in other NJ blogs. THe NYT had an article Blue NJ found the IP address from 3 new posters saying such things (posing as Democrats) traced back to Kean's office. (Not illegal, but slimey.) I assume that REAL Democrats worrying about the seat have repeated it - so I am NOT saying only trolls did this.

It is clearly trying to equate Menendez to Torrecelli, who had major problems. The first charges were from long long ago - and were more than refuted by the prosecutors. Menendez even helped them, at great risk to himself, get proof.

The next charge was really stupid - Menendez owned a building and rented space to a non-profit. Menendez got funding in the House bill for it, but they had gotten similar funding in years before Menendez was in office and a formula (not Menendez) determined the result. Additionally the rent was market rate. I seriously can't see a problem here - Menedez also had verbal approval from the House ethics committee. Chris Christie, a Republican hotshot DA has announced an investigation on this. Christie is thought to be a likely Republican challanger in 2008 for Lautenberg's seat.

The charge this weekend is complicated the charge came from a convicted criminal who was guilty of fraudulent medical bills. I don't understand it. The background is they have called Menendez a Hudson County boss - and are demonizing the poor, urban multi ethnic county. (Oddly, it was weird that in an early debate Kean made a point that his town (very affluent Westfield) was better run than Menendez's)

Additionally 2 Democrats in the NJ Senate or Assembly were just charged with corruption. On top of it, in a fit of selfishness, Jim McGreevey is everywhere in the papers and magazines with his book. He was NOT forced to resign because he was gay. He had to resign because he was corrupt and because he tried to make his lover the head of Homeland security in NJ.

Lautenberg discounted these charges - but someone needs to really blast them out of the water.

[sandnsea]

27. That sounds nasty

The worst thing our Repub has said is that our governor is giving away driver's licenses to immigrants and wants to take away our tax kicker. (That's actually pretty bad here) I've never seen one of those corruption scandal mudslinging campaigns like you guys have back east. It's kind of wild. Looks like it's still even so maybe he will get through this pretty soon.

[karynnj]

28. It got nastier yesterday and today

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=167x3681

Kean looking for people with gruges ----- this sounds like SBVT