Roadblock Blog

Roadblock Roundup for August 15

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.