Roadblock Blog

TurnMaineBlue.com points out that in her response to the first question in last weeks debate, Susan Collins lied about Tom Allen's efforts in 2005 and 2007 to head-off our present financial crisis through greater regulation.   H.R. 1461, the Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2005 and H.R. 1427 , the Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2007 each passed the house with Allen's support, but died in committee in the Senate.

Smith ad calls furniture (made by Oregon prisoners) extravagant
Gordon Smith's (R-Gordon Smith) latest ad seeks to cast Jeff Merkley as an effete hypocrite over the Oregon State Capitol renovation project. Of course, the charge is not only false, it is itself hypocritical. Smith's own state director Kerry Tymchuk is on record as calling the project "thoughtful," "innovative" and "realistic."

Young children of Coleman's (R-MN) landlord volunteer for ad attacking Al Franken
Okay, the three little kids that the ad shows and names (but we won't) probably didn't volunteer. Their dad, Republican operative Jeff Larson, Coleman's landlord who doesn't ask Norm to pay utilities or to pay in legal tender, or to pay at all, offered them up to help Coleman defend himself against Franken and what is clearly a violation of Senate ethics. What kind of father does that? If Coleman gets re-elected he'll be even more beholding to Larson.

Strategery in NJ
SenateGuru has a great angle on a Club for Growth poll showing Dick Zimmer with a one point lead over Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ). Guru crosses his/her fingers that it will convince the otherwise hopeless NRSC reverse it's decision to burn resources in the Garden State.

Dole 92?
Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) isn't that old, at least not by Senate standards. She is an ineffectual toady as this new DSCC ad explains.

Call to armor
While she wasn't up for re-election when VoteVets.org ran this powerful ad in 2006, Susan Collins (R-ME) should still have to answer for her vote on Senator Landrieu's (D-LA) amendment to provide better protection for American forces.

That would be a no-no
Republican Senate candidate, John Neely Kennedy, is being accused by a Louisiana teacher of using his State Treasurer's Office and employees for his campaign.

I heard she swears like a sailor, too
Susan Collins (R-Maine) is losing credibility, now that she has publicly gossiped about a former Senate colleague, John Edwards, and claimed that he is the father of a child outside his marriage. For someone who prides herself on decorum, this sure is low.

Can anyone say "breach of ethics"
Turns out Norm Coleman (R-Minnesota) didn't sign a lease on his Washington, D.C. apartment until after the story broke that he was paying less than fair-market value and he has yet to pay for any of the utilities. Senate rules say the maximum gift a Senator can receive is $50.

Put it in reverse
Gordon Smith (R-Gordon Smith) is once again throwing John McCain under the bus in order to distance himself from his party. Smith is resigning as chair of McCain's Oregon campaign.

Maybe it's chronological
Seems Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is suffering from temporal confusion. In a speech he said that this is the most important election ever, because it is about the future, whereas previous elections aren't important because they are in the past. However, Johnny-boy, it is by looking at the past that we learn from our mistakes.

Today we learned that Senator Pat Roberts is skipping the Republican National Convention. That makes five politically vulnerable Republican Senators and one Republican nominee for Senate that have declared that they will not attend the convention. Three retiring GOP Senators have also announced that they will not attend.  RNCC Chair Tom Cole has told congressional candidates to avoid the convention and to run against the Republican Party. This got us to wondering what kind of excuses the Republican Convention Host Committee CEO (and Norm Coleman landlord) Jeff Larson was receiving, so we sent an intern over to the Larson/Coleman residence to go through the trash.

Cornyn's Health Care Plan: Don't Get Sick
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) believes that the national health care system should be modeled off the "superior" Texas health care system, ranked 48th in terms of care and efficiency and with 25% of citizens uninsured.

You'll go far in this business, kid
The man who first appointed Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) to office, former Alaska Governor Walter Hickel, thinks it is time for Stevens to leave office.

All previously conservative things in moderation
It isn't just abortion that Bob Schaffer, Republican running for Senate in Colorado, is changing his postion on. The man who ran as "The real Republican, the real conservative" in 1996 has suddenly found himself quite moderate on the issues in this election.

MIA
Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) will not be attending the Republican National Convention. This makes him the sixth Republican in a Senate race this year who will not attend.

From the same government that claims drilling in the arctic won't upset Caribou
Gordon Smith (R-Gordon Smith) is supporting a Bush proposal to change the way endangered species are classified. The new method would remove the scientific consensus surrounding a species' addition to the list and instead have government organizations decide whether a project will interfere with an endangered plant or animal's welfare.

Would you like some syrup with your waffle?
Colorado Republican Senate candidate, Bob Schaffer, is changing his position on abortion. Seems he feels it's time to alienate the Christian Right and try to embrace more moderate voters.

Elizabeth D'Oil
A non-profit called Americans for Prosperity is now running ads thanking Elizabeth Dole (R-North Carolina) for her proposals to drill more oil domestically. Not only does the group falsely claim to be "grassroots," but it also erroneously believes that drilling more will lower gas prices significantly. At least, that is what the group claims to believe.

Um...What were we talking about again?
Gordon Smith (R-Gordon Smith) has put so much time and effort recently into badmouthing his opponent, Jeff Merkley, that he seems to have forgotten to bring up any of the issues facing voters today.

Am I my nephew's keeper?
Remember the recent McCain ad calling Barack Obama "The One." It has caused an uproar as many believe it to be comparing Obama to the anti-Christ. Turns out it was created by James Inhofe's (R-Oklahoma) nephew.

In my state them's fightin' words
Shameless Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia) has taken off the kid gloves. He recently labeled his Democratic opponent, Jim Martin, as a "liberal backed by liberals." Ouch, that really stings.