Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Another week's notes

Harry Reid, delete your account:

Only reason Nevada even IS an early state is because guys from New Mexico and Arizona were both running in 2008.

Yes, we are still first, though the Johnson County Democrats BBQ this Saturday is not the cattle call that it's been in recent years. In 2007 it was a five candidate event. In 2003 we had three candidates, and one of them, John Kerry, brought along his pal Ted Kennedy.

But this year, it looks like Bernie Sanders is the lone candidate. Team Hillary is sending ex-Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm - who is reportedly quite dynamic, but still not a candidate. The candidate is scheduled to speak to African American group the Alabama Democratic Conference Saturday.

Martin O'Malley staff confirmed yesterday that he will be in New Hampshire this weekend; a surrogate is yet to be announced. And it's next to impossible to find an Iowa contact for teams Webb or Chaffee.

In any case, doors open at 3, Sanders is scheduled at 3:30, and schmoozing with the locals is always fun. Plus there's a silent auction, and a genuine interview-worn beret is on the block.

Part of the problem for local Dems is that after scheduling their event around football and County Fairgrounds availability, they got stepped on by the state party's Jefferson-Jackson dinner. (The last one ever, as the name is being changed next year.) All five candidates will be at that, and Iowa cattle calls back to back weekends just weren't going to happen.

Hillary is binging Katy Perry (definitely more A-list than Granholm) in for a pre-rally, but whoever brings Perry the Platypus gets my endorsement. Rick Perry of course is out and Joe Perry is probably just as mad as Steven Tyler about Trump using Aerosmith as rally music.

The Republicans are also stopping by the People's Republic. Rand Paul was in town last night - I'm still trying to sell the media on my theory that Sanders is what's killed the Paul campaign. And Jindal, Santorum and Huckabee are in town for a pro-Israel event tonight.


That, of course, conflicts with the Democratic debate, and since we've waited long enough I'm going to be watching that.  Expectation: Bernie and Hillary will almost seem to be in different debates and will bend over backwards to avoid attacking or even acknowledging each other.  So who makes the Hillary attack? Chaffee, who is only running so that he can be in debates and specifically make an Iraq war attack.

Dennis Hastert is contemplating a plea deal officially over banking fraud but unofficially over molesting his students decades ago. His punishment may be having to become Speaker of the House again. One key difference between American legislative politics and a  parliamentary system: We just had the the Vote Of No Confidence, but we don't get the new election to follow.

The Gazette just did its city election endorsement which I half agree with. Their praise for some of the candidates they didn't endorse was interesting, but more interesting was their lack of mention for one incumbent. Shorter version: Anyone But Michelle Payne. Factoid: Rockne Cole got more votes losing in 2013 than Payne or Rick Dobyns got winning in 2011.

And my own endorsement: Cheap Trick has been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, giving me an excuse to re-up this. All right Tokyo!
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