PA-SEN: Santorum Slams Paper, Slams Paper

Slam! Say it to yourself – “slam.” You could even say it twice quickly – slamslam. It is a good word, slam. And seldom has it been more appropriate than in the case of Senator Rick “Slammy Slam Slam” Santorum (R).

This past Sunday, the Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania offered a long feature entitled Tightening races boost state GOP's confidence. In it the paper reports on, among other things, Santorum’s “rocky relations with the press,” apparently including his rocky relations with the Patriot-News itself. At one point Santorum refused to talk when a Patriot-News reporter approached with a question about Iran, complaining about what he called biased coverage. And then… “‘I have to raise tens of millions of dollars because of the junk you feed the people of Pennsylvania,’ he said. He then used an expletive to describe the coverage and slammed down a newspaper.”

Outstanding. According to the Midterm Roundup’s calculations that is a successful execution of the incredibly rare Verbal/Physical Double Slam. Kathryn Jean Lopez applauds Santorum for fighting back, but the Midterm Roundup must offer far more pronounced and quantitative kudos than just that. Factoring in points for style, verve, and the use of an expletive (the Roundup has it on good authority that the expletive in question was “funkybuttlovin”), the Roundup awards Santorum an 11.2 out of 10, the highest score for a Double Slam exercise since 1840, when Representatives Kenneth Rayner (Whig-NC) and William Montgomery (D-NC) scored a 16.8 for breaking canes over each other’s heads.

MA, WA: Primaries Today!

Check out Monday morning’s Roundup for the full preview. Never the type to shy away from competition, the Midterm Roundup also offers you an alternative Primary Preview by CQ’s Greg Giroux, writing over at Political Wire. Of course, you’ll have to decide for yourself which of the 2 previews is the vastly superior one (no ties allowed), but the Roundup might just make the objective observation that Giroux completely ignores WA-SEN Democratic primary candidates Michael Goodspaceguy Nelson and Mike the Mover.

MD-SEN: With Primaries Done, Steele Gets Deadly Serious

OK, fun time is over. A new ad from Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele (R) shows just how intense this race has become: “Soon your TV will be jammed with negative ads from the Washington crowd. Grainy pictures and spooky music saying 'Steele hates puppies.' And worse. For the record, I love puppies.” For the record, the Midterm Roundup loves puppies too.

Hotline comments on the ad: “To those who don't know Steele or have a vague impression that he's a Republican and the state's lieutenant governor, it's potentially memorable.” But it also notes Dems’ reaction: “The Michael Steele you see on TV wants you to believe he'll change Washington by ending lobbyist gifts. But the real Michael Steele accepted gifts from lobbyists and has created a team of lobbyists dedicated to funneling special interest money to his campaign.”

And here’s WaPo’s take on it: “In his latest TV commercial, Maryland senatorial candidate Michael Steele looks and sounds like a man running for talk show host. Seated informally on a big letter ‘S,’ jazzy music playing in the background, Steele takes a bold stand on . . . puppies.” The Post also notes that the word “Republican” is nowhere to be found in the ad. And just for everyone’s full edification, here’s a picture of… a Republican puppy.

Plus, for more on Steele, The Fix wondered on Monday, Can the GOP Win With Steele?

MD-04: Remember? No Winner Actually Declared Yet

The Roundup almost forgot about this one, but there is still no declared winner from last Tuesday’s 4^th district Democratic primary between Representative Al Wynn (D) and challenger Donna Edwards (D). The Hill reported that because of the closeness of the vote and problems with voting machines, the provisional ballots used in some precincts could take up to a week to count. According to current numbers Wynn leads Edwards by about 3,000 votes, but Edwards has said she will file a lawsuit over concerns about the security of voting machines. The 4^th district primary was just one of a handful of Maryland’s races that were disrupted last Tuesday by voting irregularities, and members of the Montgomery County Council met Monday with the county's top elections officials to discuss the problems and potential solutions. Stay tuned.

CT-SEN: Lieberman to Get Help from… a Republican

Okay, so it’s New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, not exactly the reddest of Republicans. AP reports: “Republican New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will host a fundraiser for Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., at the mayor's Manhattan town house, Lieberman's campaign announced Sunday night.” The fundraiser will be held November 1 and will be co-chaired by another New York Republican, former Senator Alfonse D'Amato, and former Democratic New York Mayor Ed Koch.

Meanwhile Connecticut Local Politics blog (which wins the Midterm Roundup’s Dave Matthews Band Award for Most Inspired Name for a Blog, Local or National) has a note on the ballot placements for Connecticut’s Senate candidates. And the winner is… Alan Schlesinger (R)!!! Schlesinger faced some very stiff challenges from Ned Lamont (D) and Timothy Knibbs (Concerned Citizens), who finished 2^nd and 3^rd respectively. In the end Schlesinger’s combination of sheer animal magnetism and incredibly good and correct positions on virtually every major issue of the day carried him to the victory. Joe Lieberman (I), the contest’s early frontrunner, had a surprisingly disappointing showing, coming in 5^th.

Plus, the Hartford Courant reports that Schlesinger achieved one of the biggest coups of his campaign simply by getting the chance to appear in the same room as Ned Lamont during a campaign forum at a synagogue Sunday. Hey, getting that first forum is always the toughest.

VA-SEN: Let’s Play Two!

Following their face-off on Sunday’s Meet the Press, Senator George Allen (R) and challenger Jim Webb (D) had at it again on Monday, this time at a hotel in northern Virginia. WaPo reports, This Time, Focus Is Domestic Issues, as the candidates sparred over health care, the economy, transportation and stem cell research. But Iraq remained in the debate mix, as the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. Wash Times reports on the proceedings with Allen calls Webb a one-note. WaPo’s Dana Milbank takes a look at yet another question that came up in the debate, whether Allen’s Tunisian-born mother has Jewish blood. The Virginian-Pilot has more on the religion question, and so does Sixers, including a link to a video of the question and Allen’s outraged response. And Hotline’s Jonathan Martin notes how vulnerable Allen looked in the debate, but also how Webb still just can’t seem to put together the right string of punches to knock Allen out. Plus, for a thoroughly objective take on things, there’s a live blog of the debate direct from George Allen’s website.

MT-SEN: This Seems About Right

AP reports: “Montana Sen. Conrad Burns, a Republican in a tight re-election race, flew on a private plane chartered by Vonage Holdings Corp. just days after he pushed legislation that the company has advocated for more than a year.”

AZ-08: Black Sheep Republican Primary Winner Suddenly Mr. Popular

Remember how desperate the national GOP was to prevent conservative former Representative Randy Graf (R) from winning Arizona’s 8^th district Republican primary? The NRCC even went to the extraordinary and controversial lengths of buying and running ads prior to the September 12 primary on behalf of the more moderate and presumably more November-primed candidate, state Representative Steve Huffman (R). To no avail however, as Graf took the nomination by a 42%-37% count. Retiring 11-term incumbent Representative Jim Kolbe (R), who weathered a bruising and highly negative primary challenge from Graf in 2004, immediately refused to endorse the new nominee.

But it appears the not-so-subtle GOP support for anyone-but-Graf during the run up to the primary has shifted now that he’s the nominee, as Graf announced this past weekend after returning from Washington that he has the full financial and moral support from national-level Republicans. No reason to doubt him either, after all he is the nominee and this has become a must-win seat in 2006. Kolbe still won’t back him though, and apparently his primary opponent Steve Huffman is a bit loath to rush to his support as well. The Daily Star reports, “Graf said he hopes things don't get overly negative.” That’s reassuring.

IA-03: Economic Freedom Fund Droppin’ Bombs on Iowa

Paul Kiel over at TPMmuckraker reports: “The Economic Freedom Fund has made its biggest buy of the campaign so far: $444,500 in television ads in Iowa's 3rd District.” If you’re wondering what exactly the Economic Freedom Fund is, TPMm wrote all about it last week. It’s a new conservative 527 group bankrolled by Bob Perry, a millionaire homebuilder from Houston, Texas, who was also the single largest donor ($4.45 million) to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth during the 2004 presidential election. The group’s been very active, dropping nearly $1 million on negative TV ads and robo calls against Democratic incumbents like Representatives Alan Mollohan (D-WV) and Jim Marshall (D-GA); and former Representative Baron Hill (D), Rep. Mike Sodrel’s (R) challenger in Indiana’s 9^th district. The latest purchase targets Representative Leonard Boswell (D), who’s trying to fend off a challenge from state Senate President Jeff Lamberti (R).

TN-SEN: The Year of Our Ford

The Plank highlights a Nashville Post blog entry that seems to offer Democrats some serious hope regarding Representative Harold Ford, Jr.’s (D) chances of taking the Senate seat left open by retiring Senator Bill Frist (R). “The Tennessee Republican Party and its coordinated campaign effort, ‘Tennessee Victory 2006,’ have received harsh criticism this week from their counterparts in Washington at the Republican National Committee (RNC),” the Post’s Ken Whitehouse reports. While Ford runs provocative and (by the Roundup’s estimation) probably effective ads across the state, the biggest news coming out of the Bob Corker campaign lately is that Corker will be testifying and providing documents in response to a subpoena, just weeks before Election Day.

CA-04: Sacramento Bee Endorses Doolittle Challenger

Not for nothin’: The Sacramento Bee, the newspaper with the widest circulation in California’s 4^th district, says, “[Representative John] Doolittle [(R)] has a legacy of money and influence-peddling that has left the nation with unbalanced budgets, ballooning earmarks and a mess in Iraq. [Challenger Charlie] Brown [(D)] has a lifelong commitment to public service. The choice is clear. Elect Charlie Brown.”

NC-11: AP Exposes Charles Taylor to the Light of Day… Eventually

Some things just don’t change. Like Representative Charles Taylor (R-NC) being a corrupt sleaze ball. Even the conservative folks at RedState acknowledge as much.

The AP has the latest profile of Taylor and a specific strain of his muckiness – his political and business connections with Russia. It’s a light-hearted little piece with an innocuous headline (“Congressman Develops Ties With Russia”) and a soft lede about singing karaoke with Russian college students, whom Taylor helps bring to North Carolina as part of a yearlong exchange program that’s partially funded with federal money. The piece goes on to chronicle Taylor’s past interest in Russia in highly unexceptional fashion, and by the 7^th paragraph, which notes Taylor’s 2003 purchase of the Russian Bank of Ivanovo, the average AP news peruser would most likely trail off and stop reading.

It isn’t until the 12^th paragraph that the AP decides to remark upon the fact that one of last year’s participants in the exchange program, Svetlana Morozova, “told The Associated Press that she had a summer work-study internship at the Bank of Ivanovo after she returned to Russia.” Then we have: “In a statement, Taylor's office said that was a mistake because institute policy bars employment of participants in ‘any business venture with which Congressman Taylor is associated.’ The bank has since ended its participation in the work-study program, Taylor's office said.” Only at this point does the article launch into the ethical questions surrounding Charles Taylor.

Deep into the second half of the piece, we learn that Taylor’s Russian connections, as well as past ethics questions, have in fact been made into a key campaign issue by midterm election challenger Heath Shuler (D). Not that said election is coming up soon, or is in any way otherwise noteworthy, what with an 8-term incumbent receiving the challenge of his life from a 1^st-time candidate. By paragraph 17: “Taylor declined through a spokeswoman to respond to questions about why he does not go to greater lengths to separate his business and political activity.” The article devolves rapidly from there such that the 25^th and final paragraph of the piece in fact reads nothing other than: “Abramoff has pleaded guilty to a series of charges in what officials said was a conspiracy to corrupt public officials.” A pretty far cry from singing karaoke, but you’d probably have to know who Charles Taylor actually was to stick around until the bitter end.

NY-20: Sweeney Also Still Corrupt

In other corrupt-politicians-who-just-won’t-change news, The Hill reports: “Two New York Democratic assemblymen concluded that Rep. John Sweeney (R-N.Y.) unduly influenced the invitation process to the annual Congressional Winter Challenge, an event organized by the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORA) and the New York Power Authority. The report concluded that the Winter Challenge, which is held to attract federal funds, has been ‘subject to undue influence and the personal political goals of outsiders [namely, Sweeney] and must be substantially reformed.’” Sweeney invited a cadre of lobbyists to the 2004 event, many of whom were “active supporters of, and contributors to, Sweeney, and others were personally and/or politically close to the congressman,” according to the report. Roll Call has more with Report Blasts Sweeney’s Role in Ski Trips (sub. req.). Will any of this matter in Sweeney’s fight to fend off challenger Kirsten Gillibrand (D)? Perhaps THIS may provide the answer! Or perhaps not.

IYI (If You’re Interested)

CA-GOV: Dan Walters: A Schwarzenegger landslide? Angelides is running out of time (SacBee, with an eeeeeeerily similar headline to Election Central’s CA-GOV: L.A. Times: Clock Ticking For Angelides)

CT-04: Chris Shays is fired up, feels campaign heat (The Hill)

LA-02: Carter Says District Needs ‘Effective Representation’ (CQ)

MI-SEN: Mich. Senate update (Sixers)

MN-SEN: How Close is Minnesota? (Steven Schier writing for Political Wire)

OH-03: Special Primary May Have Boosted Democrats’ Chances (CQ)

OH-SEN: What Can Sherrod Brown Do for the Democrats? (The Nation)

VA-SEN: As Fall Approaches, Va. Race Gauges Influence of Bush, Iraq (WaPo)

WA-SEN: Cantwell polls higher as she adjusts war view (The Hill), and Critics of War Spare Senator in Close Race (NYT)

NATIONWIDE: Ros-Lehtinen lends a hand to vulnerable GOP incumbents (The Hill, reporting that several GOP fundraising groups are attempting to imitate the success of former Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s Retain Our Majority Program (ROMP). “Offshoots include: Challengers Helping Our Majority (CHOMP), Sophomores Retaining Our Majority (SHROMP) and Freshmen Retaining Our Majority (FROMP). The latest has a distinctly feminine Latin flavor: Ladies Action to Retain Our Majority Program Again, or LA ROMPA.” Wait, seriously?)

NATIONWIDE: Corruption That Shook Capitol Isn't Rattling Elections (WaPo, writing that the Abramoff case isn’t affecting Republican incumbents the way Democrats had hoped, specifically noting the case of Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT). TPMmuckraker’s Paul Kiel took particular exception with this, remarking that as a matter of fact, “Burns, an 18-year veteran of the Senate, is in a fight for his political life largely because of the Abramoff scandal.” And then a Rasmussen poll came out later that morning (after the WaPo piece came out) clearly belying WaPo’s assertion. The Midterm Roundup would like to personally console WaPo – this totally reminds the Roundup of that time it wondered aloud if Ned Lamont was “dead,” only to have 2 polls (Rasmussen, ARG) come out later that morning showing the race tied and effectively making the Roundup look like a complete idiot. Ergo, using simple and obvious logic, the Midterm Roundup and the Washington Post are, really, equally reliable and respected news sources.)

CORRECTIONS/WEAK EXCUSES: In retrospect the Midterm Roundup realizes it may have been a bit flippant or unexacting in its treatment of Sunday’s Meet the Press debate between Senator George Allen (R-VA) and challenger Jim Webb (D), as subsequent comments and specifically this seem to suggest (even Kathryn Jean Lopez couldn’t find it in herself to declare an Allen victory after deeming it necessary to tell everyone prior to the debate, “I am hoping today's debate goes well for Senator Allen.”). The Roundup takes full responsibility for the short shrift it gave to Webb, but at the same time blames it entirely on the noted grogginess/boogeriness of its eyes and on its anticipation of the impending Giants-Eagles game, which anticipation clearly had a discombobulating and enfeebling effect on its mental faculties. It will try to combat and neutralize this effect in the future, but as a sort of preemptive blanket insurance policy the Roundup suggests that you go ahead and completely disregard anything it writes on Sundays for at least the next 14 weeks… oh, except for the week after next – Giants bye week.