Birmingham Blues

I’ve had my doubts about John McCain’s character ever since he kissed up to George W. Bush after the nastiness that was the 2000 South Carolina primary. Yeah, politics, strange bedfellows — I get that. But I could not cozy up to someone who allowed his campaign staff to go after my child. Not. Ever.

Now McCain is campaigning for Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), who faces a runoff against challenger Jim Martin. In 2002, Chambliss ran against incumbent Sen. Max Cleland, a triple amputee Vietnam War veteran, and had the unmitigated gall to question his patriotism. Unfortunately, the smear job worked, and Chambliss won the race. Here’s what John McCain said about Chambliss’ sleazy tactics at the time:

“I’d never seen anything like that ad,” McCain told CNN in 2003. “Putting pictures of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden next to the picture of a man who left three limbs on the battlefield — it’s worse than disgraceful. It’s reprehensible.”

Yet McCain was in Georgia yesterday campaigning for Chambliss, a man who avoided military service (those bad knees haven’t slowed him down on the golf course, though), against Martin, a fellow Vietnam vet. He’s supporting Chambliss, who told his white base, “The other folks are voting,” and also said about black turnout for early voting, “There has always been a rush to the polls by African-Americans early…It has also got our side energized, they see what is happening.”

I’d call that reprehensible.

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Georgia’s Senate runoff is scheduled for December 2. Click here to contribute to Jim Martin’s campaign. If you want to contribute to Chambliss, you’re at the wrong blog.

Oh please, oh please, oh please! Del sent me word this morning that Anchorage mayor Mark Begich has opened a small lead over convicted felon Ted Stevens as Alaska continues to count votes in the Senate race. If this holds, not only will the reasonable citizens of Alaska avoid the shame of sending Ted back to Washington to be booted out by his colleagues, but Sarah Palin will be forced to take notice that God has slammed the political door. Again.

With 99% of the votes counted, convicted felon Ted Stevens (R-AK) appears to have won re-election to the US Senate.  I wish I could say I’m surprised.

Del asks in a comment below if this means Palin v. Begich in a special election.  Well, of course the Senate will have to boot Stevens first.  Or he’ll have to resign.  Mitch McConnell was talking big last week about a forcible removal, but that was back when he was in a tight re-election fight. Now that he’s pulled out a squeaker*, and no longer has to distance himself from the Republican party, he may change his tune.

Wheeler, you’re an attorney.  If Stevens goes to the Big House, can he still keep his Senate seat?  I almost think I’d prefer that to Sen. Palin.

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* Yes, I do consider 53-47 to be a squeaker when you’re the incumbent Minority Leader and your state went 58-41 for McCain.

Do you hear the people sing?
Say, do you hear the distant drums?
It is the future that they bring
When tomorrow comes!

Only one day to go.  If you live in a state with early voting and you just haven’t made it to the polls yet, go today.  That way you can sit back, relax, and watch the rest of us stand in line tomorrow.

Today’s going to be crazy for me till at least mid-afternoon, so I’ll likely miss the last-minute blitz of nasty attack ads coming from desperate Republicans.

No great loss.

Don’t forget to VOTE!

After all, I live in the heart of McCain country.  Perhaps I should have denied the little lions, bumblebees, and ghosts their treats unless they could prove their parents will go against the Republican grain and vote for Obama.

Shirley Nagel, of Grosse Pointe MI, was a step ahead of me last night.  She posted a sign saying children of Obama supporters would be turned away without any candy.  I don’t know how she could tell, but apparently being a Republican gives one magical powers.

Fox 2 News says a sign posted outside Nagel’s house, about 12 miles west of Detroit, served notice to all trick-or-treaters. It read: “No handouts for Obama supporters, liars, tricksters or kids of supporters.”

Gee, how mature.  One hopes that karma doesn’t turn around to bite Ms. Nagel on the ass the next time she needs the help of her neighbors.  She might find similar signs outside their houses.

H/T, Dear Husband

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Delusional) wasn’t convicted of seven felony charges after all. Just ask him:

“I have not been convicted of anything yet,” he said, a reference to the fact that a conviction does not formally take place until a judge enters final judgment upon sentencing. The guilty verdicts, he said, were “a temporary situation,” an incremental setback until a judge throws them out or Mr. Stevens wins on appeal.

Well, okay, technically we have to wait for sentencing. But I’d say that’s some pretty serious word parsing from a man who’s desperate to hang on to his Senate seat.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, the RealClearPolitics average of recent polls show Stevens’ opponent, Anchorage mayor Mark Begich, up by more than 10%.

Ouch!  Reality bites.

I posted below about the Alaska Republican Party’s continued support for Ted Stevens’ re-election bid.  Party leaders hope he’ll keep the seat Republican so they’ll have time to find a candidate for a special election if he resigns.  Or gets the boot or goes to the Big House — not that they mention those last two.

Turns out Stevens isn’t getting the love from Republicans on the national stage.

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The New York Times reports that the Alaska GOP is still pushing to re-elect Sen. Ted Stevens.

The [Alaska Republican] party is pushing for the re-election of Senator Ted Stevens, who was convicted on Monday of seven felony counts but continues his campaign for a seventh full term, in the hope that his re-election will allow Republicans to hold onto his seat even if Mr. Stevens eventually resigns.

Under that chain of events, a special election would be held later to replace Mr. Stevens, giving the party the chance to find a new candidate and keep the seat out of Democratic hands.

“That’s the reality,” said McHugh Pierre, a party spokesman. “Unfortunately, the situation’s the situation.”

Okay, I get it.  It’s all politics.  Holding the seat for Republicans is more important than distancing the party from a convicted felon.  Wouldn’t it be nice if the Alaska party would, instead, take its lumps and come back with a less corrupt candidate next time?  I thought Republicans were supposed to be “tough on crime”.

(Just in case you’re wondering, I don’t think the Dems should support the re-election of William Jefferson either.)

My neighbors are worried about long lines at the polls this year. They’re both in their late 80s and suffer chronic health problems. So today I set off for the courthouse with their absentee ballot request forms. Even though his Republican vote was sure to cancel out her vote for Obama, I figured I was doing the right thing. I stopped at the library for a couple of books, treated myself to a tasty wrap at Serda’s, and ambled over to the courthouse.

Where I was startled to see a very long line.

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Alaska Senator Ted Stevens (R) was found guilty of seven counts of corruption today.

Stevens, 84, was convicted of all the charges he faced of lying about free home renovations and other gifts from a wealthy oil contractor. Jurors began deliberating last week.

I wonder if this will hurt his re-election chances.  After all, I(usually)OKIYAR.