What's So Bad About a Political Civil War

All we're hearing today is how Christine O'Donnell's election is yet another example of the Tea Party eating its own and subverting electable candidates in favor of fringe candidates. By so doing, the movement is snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

This is curious. After, whether you're a Democrat, Republican, or Independent, one thing is certain. You are unhappy with D.C. politicians. You're unhappy with the status quo. You're unhappy with the establishment.

So, what does the Tea Party movement do? It challenges all that. More often than not it wins. Isn't that a good thing? Isn't the Republican Party doing exactly what the voters are demanding and purging itself of the political class that caused the cynicism. In the process, we've seen voter turnout boom, excitement increase, and fresh faces have shown up.

Furthermore, it's created a well needed debate over the future of the party. Meanwhile, facing an unprecedented electoral disaster, what has the Democratic party done? It's reelected, almost entirely, the exact same folks. Even the man facing a series of ethics violations, Charlie Rangel, got nominated.

So, the voters are disgusted with career politicians, the status quo, and the establishment. The Republicans have responded by a full out war over all this in the primaries and the Democrats have done nothing. Yet, if you read some so called smart people, it's the Republicans with the problems.

Republicans in Delaware faced a very simple choice in Tuesday's primary: Did they want to win Joe Biden's old Senate seat in November, or did they want to lose it?

They went with the latter option, and if that really surprises you, then you haven't been paying close enough attention to Republican Party politics in the age of Obama.

The 2008 election, the second straight election in which it suffered a crippling national defeat, left the Republican Party drained of its hangers-on -- less ideological voters who had, in the past, broadly agreed with the party's philosophy, even if they dissented on individual issues. What was left was an angry, restive base that resented (and even feared) Barack Obama and that believed the GOP had lost power because it hadn't been conservative enough. This base quickly found a catchy name -- the Tea Party movement -- and dedicated itself to cleansing from the GOP's ranks politicians who reminded them of the party's pre-2008 spirit.

So, Republicans use the primaries to respond to all the concerns of the voters and the Democrats do nothing, and it's the Republicans that have the problems.

O'Donnell Talks the Talk...

Last night's big winner Christine O'Donnell certainly says all the right to endear herself to most conservatives. The question will be would she really be the fiscal conservative that she claims if elected.

That's a question that remains murky. O'Donnell has several income tax issues, a student loan issue, and mortgage issue. It doesn't appear as though O'Donnell is fiscally conservative with her own money. So, how can she be trusted with other people's money.

That's a question most of her ardent supporters not only won't answer but likely don't ask of themselves. Her main supporters at Tea Party Express are fond of calling her a true conservative.

On Tuesday night, Conservative Republican Christine O'Donnell won the nomination for U.S. Senate fair and square in the Republican Primary.

How did the Tea Party Express determine that O'Donnell is the conservative? It's certainly not from her voting record? After all, she has none. It's certainly not from her deeds. After all, her personal financial issues raise those questions. So, the only determination that she's a conservative is what she's said.

In that case, she's been determined by some in the conservative movement to be a conservative because she says what they want to hear. That's a huge problem. If all it takes to be considered a conservative is saying the right thing then anyone can jump in. It also means the vetting process leaves a lot to be desired.

I'm not saying that O'Donnell is not a conservative. My problem is just how easily some will swallow her conservativism without asking any questions of her. Sean Hannity is a cheerleader and not much else. Her scandals are nothing more than background noise.

Telling someone what they want to hear is what sales people do. It can be done by anyone. The inability to think critically is what zombies and sycophants do. Dismissing all of O'Donnell's problems because she talks like a conservative creates a situation where anyone can con their way into the movement.

Another Giannoulias Headache

The Senate race in Illinois is devolving and it continues to be a contest of which candidate will have fewer scandal. Alexi Giannoulias took a step back in that race today.

By February 2006, businessman and political fixer Tony Rezko was already politically radioactive, caught up in a federal investigation that would see him criminally charged by the end of that year.

News reports had linked Rezko, a key adviser and campaign fund-raiser for then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich, to shady deals involving state pension funds -- among the crimes that ultimately would send him to prison.

This particular story is dubious. The loan was made to a company that Tony Rezko had a stake in. It was made after news had come out that Rezko was involved in scandal, but it was also made after Giannoulias stopped running day to day operations at the bank.

It is, however, more evidence of just how much of an insider Giannoulias is and how connected he is to other insiders in Illinois and that doesn't help at all.

With Future Bleak: Obama Looks to the Past

If you've been following along recently, you know that the administration is attempting to frame November of 2010, not as a referendum of their own policies but as a choice.

"We already tried the other side’s ideas. We already know where their theories led us. And now we have a choice as a nation,” Obama said. “We can return to the failed economic policies of the past, or we can keep building a stronger future. We can go backward, or we can keep moving forward. I don’t know about you, but I want to move forward."

President Obama has even taken to using his ditch metaphor again.

Republicans Drove the Car into the Ditch and Now They Want the Keys Back and, When They Get Them, Next Time They'll Drive it Off a Cliff!

It's a sign of his panic and desperation that this is happening. By November, the president will have been in office for nearly two years and he hopes the voters will choose Democrats because they hated Republican policies until 2008.

With deficits at astronomical levels, unemployment hovering at 10%, and the economy barely growing after a very deep recession, I'd want to talk about anything but my own performance as well. Still, does President Obama really think that the Democrats can win by running against the Republican record of 2008. If that were true, Republicans, following 1928, would have never won.

No one doubts that Republican performance circa 2008 was awful but that's much of the reason he was elected. He promised better days and things have only gotten worse. Now, he wants to run against the past. I guess that's all he has left.

Obama at Mercy of Events not Rhetoric

President Obama was on the attack again yesterday.

Comparing congressional Republicans to dangerous teenage drivers and binge-spending drunken sailors, President Obama held no metaphor back as he hit the campaign trail for the first of two stops in pivotal mid-term Senate races.

While raising money for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Robin Carnahan in Kansas City Thursday, Obama tried out some new rhetoric, framing the fall midterm elections by blaming the GOP for the sluggish economy, and urging voters not to give Republicans another chance.

"This is a choice between the policies that got us into this mess in the first place and the policies that are getting us out of this mess, and the other side is banking on people not having a good memory," said Mr. Obama. "They're trying to bamboozle you."

This has become wonderful political theater. Obama now takes every opportunity to slam Congressman Joe Barton and thus he reminds voters that Barton showed sympathy for BP. He's also recently slammed Minority Leader John Boehner for comparing the financial crisis to an ant.

None of it makes any difference. From 2005 until the election of November of 2006, George W. Bush was in the same position. He was entirely at the mercy of events in Iraq. Rhetoric back and forth was entirely unimportant. Instead, the situation continued to deteriorate and he paid for it at the polls.

Obama will face a similar dynamic. Everything comes down entirely to what the economy looks like. So, all the political theater will only be just that. Ultimately, with only a few months left, everything comes down to raw numbers: the unemployment rate, GDP growth, etc. All of those point to an economy that is still sputtering and as long as that is occurring Obama and the Democrats will take responsibility and be punished. No speech, attack, or creative alliteration will make any difference. As long as it looks as though the economy is not creating enough jobs Obama is at the mercy of the economy.

Gerard Beloin to Run for US Congress

I've featured several stories on Gerard Beloin. He's recently announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire in the Republican Party. That will be a race for the seat left open by the retirement of Judd Gregg. Beloin will likely be a longshot but he's also the perfect candidate to have a spring board of support with the endorsement of a Tea Party group. Here's Beloin's story again.

Is There Anything Real About Mark Kirk

First, we learned that Congressman Kirk claimed to have one a military award he never won. Then, we learned that he claimed to be deployed in Afghanistan when he was really in Afghanistan training on weekends. Now, we learn he's been inflating his record as a teacher.

New questions are emerging about a candidate's record in the race for the U.S. Senate.

First Mark Kirk was questioned about the accuracy of his military record. Now there are questions about what Kirk says about his teaching career.

Did Mark Kirk misremember, exaggerate or lie when he talked about a teaching job he held 29 years ago? Did he really believe that some of the pre-schoolers he taught might bring a gun to class? It is the latest episode in a sometimes unbelievable US Senate campaign.

While he has never claimed to have been an accredited teacher, Congressman Kirk's campaign often mentions their candidate's brief experiences in the classroom: He taught the 1982-83 academic year at a private high school in London and earlier in 1981, the campaign says, at a church run nursery school in Ithaca, New York.

What's really amazing about all this is that Kirk has won five elections to the U.S. Congress. None of his opponents, and he usually won handily, ever figured this out. It appears that Mark Kirk can't seem to keep things straight about his own history and that doesn't give one a good feeling about how he'll speak about the issues of the day.

It once seemed impossible that Alexi Giannoulias could win. He's the ultimate insider in a year when that is not a good place to be. Furthermore, all his so called accomplishments are now seen as liabilities. It appeared as though the failure of his family bank would be the major story. Now, the story is Mark Kirk's inability to tell the truth.

It should be noted that LeAlan Jones is the Green Party candidate for Senate from Illinois. He once polled at 14%. He's had no scandals that we know of.

Is Etheridge in Trouble

Now that this video has gone viral, the next question is Congressman Etheridge in trouble. Real Clear Politics has a great break down. The positive in Etheridge's favor include his significant fundraising advantage. He has about a million dollars in the bank while his opponent only has about $5000.

On the other hand, Etheridge has made a name for himself over the last decade by being a centrist, which alligns with the District. Meanwhile, he voted for the stimulus, Obamacare, and cap and trade. Obamacare polls at about 37% in his district.

So, the wild card is this. His opponent is Renee Ellmers, a political unknown. She's a nurse and President of the local chamber of commerce. She's become a short term conservative talk radio star as conservatives have seized on this video. Will this give her a significant fundraising boost?

If over the next month, Ellmers raises enough funds to stand a fighting chance, this race becomes one to watch. If the fundraising remains quite skewed, this video won't end Etheridge's career.

Obama To Ask for More Stimulus

Saying that the economy is in a fragile state, President Obama will ask the Congress for $80 billion in more stimulus funds.

President Barack Obama and his aides are stepping up a push for further government spending to boost the economy as signs grow of the recovery's fragility.

The White House is calling for Congress to urgently pass measures to extend jobless benefits, aid cash-strapped states and provide targeted tax breaks to encourage research and development by businesses.

There's a few things of interest here. First, the president is claiming that teachers and cops will be laid off without this stimulus. That's been the M.O. of the president every time he's asked for money. In fact, the first action of Governor Quinn in Illinois was to hike the income tax and he made a similar argument. In Cook County, the President Todd Stroger said that without his massive sales tax hike there would be serious cuts to Cook County Hospital. It seems that whenever a politician wants to spend money or raise taxes they trot out teachers, cops, and doctors to justify.

Second, wasn't this what the original stimulus was for? If $787 billion wasn't going to keep cops, teachers, and hospitals working, how can an extra $80 billion do the job? In fact, estimates put the unspent portion of the stimulus between $300 and $450 billion and another $200 billion in TARP. So, why is it necessary for there to be a new stimulus?

Third, and more importantly, this will test the clout of President Obama. Already, there are high ranking Democrats that are pouring cold water on the idea. Here's what Steny Hoyer said about it on ABC's this week.

I have asked the White House to look at the package we already passed. I personally believe if we have dollars not yet expended in the recovery act we could apply to this immediate need.

Hoyer said the country is suffering from "spending fatigue". Hoyer understands that the deficit will be a major issue in the fall and more spending will continue to paint the Democrats as out of control. Obama has called this package "critical" and so if his own party doesn't support him, that will be an indication that his clout is seriously waning.

How Did Alvin Greene Happen

This is the story of the day.

Alvin Greene is the proverbial enigma wrapped in a riddle surrounded by mystery.

He's also the new Democratic candidate for Senate in South Carolina.

Greene admits he had no campaign headquarters, no party support, no contributions, no job, no computer and no cell phone.

Yet, somehow, he managed to pull off the most unlikely of victories, and -- unless state Democratic Party officials have their way -- will face incumbent Republican Sen. Jim DeMint in November.

This story is of course reminiscent of Scott Lee Cohen in Illinois. Cohen came out of nowhere to win the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor in Illinois. The very next day after his victory the media vetted him. Only then did the media find out that he had a criminal history and other things in his past. It was remarkable on two levels. The media totally ignorned Cohen and his past all throughout the campaign. Then, it took no more than 24 hours for the truth to come out once they stopped ignoring them.

Here we have the same thing. Greene had little money, no website, and didn't really run any advertisements. So, the media ignored him. As soon as he won, the media did its vetting. Once he was vetted, we found out he was unemployed, with a criminal record, and appears not to necessarily have all his faculties.

The job of the media in elections is the vet the candidates before the election. All of this came out immediately as soon as the media started to pay attention. So, any enterprising reporter could have figured this out long ago.

We have two disturbing similarities here. In both cases, we had 1) a race the media didn't care about and 2) a candidate the media didn't take seriously. As such, all of this was missed. That's a huge problem. The media is deciding which races and candidates are important. That's not their job. Their job is to vet all the candidates.

Alvin Greene was running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. It's simply inexcusable that all of this didn't come out until now. The Democratic party is trying to distance itself.

Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) is suggesting that the circumstances of Alvin Greene's victory in the South Carolina Democratic Senate primary Tuesday are suspicious and should be investigated by the U.S. Attorney's office.

The world of politics was caught off guard by Greene's victory -- and was further shocked yesterday when news surfaced that the unknown, 32-year-old, unemployed veteran faces pending felony charges.

Questions immediately arose about the legitimacy of Greene's candidacy. While Greene insists he is the real deal, Clyburn, a high-ranking Democrat from South Carolina, is still skeptical.

Plant or not, Greene's history was a matter of public record. This wasn't hidden. The fact is that whoever is the nominee for the Democrats in South Carolina would be a sacrificial lamb for Jim Demint. That's why neither the Democrats nor the media took much interest in this guy.

This kind of lack of attention can no longer go on.

Last Night's Primary

All right, everyone knows all the results from last night. Blanche Lincoln was the big winner in Arkansas as she held off Bill Halter by four points. Both and either are getting crushed by John Boozman however. Sharron Angle won the Republican primary in Nevada. Angle is for repealing the income tax, which some Democrats think is a liability. We'll see. The Republicans will have to former female CEO's representing them in California in Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman.

The most important thing, however, is that Danny Tarkanian lost. Now, no one will have to hear a talking head remind us that he's the son of the former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian. That was an interesting tid bit the first FIFTY TIMES. For the last few months, it's become annoying.

The Cubs once had Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot starting a short stop and 2nd base respectively. It just so happened that Fontenot and Theriot played together since grade school including being the double play combination on the national champion LSU Tiger team. That was also an interesting tidbit THE FIRST FIFTY TIMES. Now, I cringe every time they are in the same shot together. That's how I felt every time there was a feature on Danny Tarkanian. When will the analyst point out that he's the son of the former UNLV coach as though we've never heard that before?

Prop 14 in California

The state of California is desperate, and the voters are ready for any reform. Sometimes, it's just for the sake of reform. That may explain proposition 14. Proposition 14 will create one universal primary for all parties. So, no matter which party you are affiliated you can vote for any of the candidates from any of the parties. Then, the two with the most votes will move out of the primary and into the general election.

The logic behind this system is that primaries cause extreme candidates. By opening the primaries up to everyone you moderate the winner. There are of course problems. First, it renders all third parties completely hopeless. None of their candidates will ever sniff a general election. So, the Free and Equal Campaign, the advocacy group for ballot access, has come out vociferously against the proposition. Here's how Christina Tobin, of the Free and Equal Campaign, described the opposition.

There is no evidence that this type of system helps the polarization problem, it’s almost like the Pro Prop 14 crowd is trying to convince Californians the world is flat.

The newspapers in California have generally come out in favor of the proposition.

In recent days, the debate over Proposition 14, which would abolish California's partisan primaries for most offices and replace them with a system similar to Los Angeles' process for electing its leaders, has turned into a debate over whether it would hurt the viability of third parties. On Saturday, Green Party supporters argued that the measure would go so far as to "destroy" the smaller parties. On Monday, a coalition of opponents raised the level of hyperbole with the bold claim that it would "end democracy in California." It wouldn't. Proposition 14 would allow voters to select their favorite candidate in a primary, just as they do today. The top two finishers would then advance to a general election. The winner would get the office. That's hardly revolutionary. The only difference from today's system is that the primary would include all candidates from all parties, and that the top two finishers in that contest could both be Democrats or Republicans — or Greens, for that matter. In the end, to win the office, a candidate still needs to win the support of a majority of voters.

On the other hand, OC Register columnist Steve Greenhut makes this point against the proposition.

Critics point to Washington state and Louisiana, which have tried this specific type of open primary system. Neither state has seen a reduction in partisanship. So it might not even work as planned. But even if it does create more moderates – more people like Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado – how would that help the state? These types of politicians have been the ones least likely to stand up for principle. Most disturbing, the top-two system would destroy third parties in California, which would no longer be likely to field candidates in the general election. This could reduce debate just as the state needs a livelier political discussion.

Governor Schwarzenneger and the California Chamber of Commerce have come out in favor of the proposition while Ralph Nader is one of the biggest names against the proposition.

Paul in Danger

There's now two surprising polls today. First, AG Blumenthal pulled out ahead into a lead he'd seen before the revelation that he misrepresented his Vietnam record and now there's a new poll that shows the Kentucky race is tightening.

In the second poll taken since the Kentucky primaries and the first since Republican Rand Paul talked openly about his reservations with certain aspects of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Paul leads Democrat Jack Conway by 3 points, according to the DailyKos/Research2000 survey (May 24-26, 600 LV, MoE +/- 4%).

Paul 44
Conway 41
Und 15

People should be dubious of this poll for a number of reasons. First, it's commissioned by the Daily Kos. That's not exactly a bastion of objective polling. Second, here are the internals. 80% of Republicans were voting for Paul. 76% of Democrats were voting for Conway and Paul beat Conway by 43-31 among independents. Now, Kentucky is Republican heavy state. So, getting more of his own party and winning solidly among independents, we're supposed to believe that Paul is only up by 3%. That's misleading but it does appear as though the race has tightened.

Rumors of Blumenthal's Demise Greatly Exaggerated?

A new poll in Connecticut has Dick Blumenthal up by 25 points.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal still holds a commanding lead in the Senate race, despite more than a week of bad press regarding past misstatements of his military record. Blumenthal, the presumed Democratic nominee, leads Republican Linda McMahon by 25 points, a new Quinnipiac survey finds (May 24-25, 1159 RV, MoE +/- 2.9%).

Polls had the race within a couple points late last week and so this is quite a turn around. This race looks like it will be very interesting.

Rossi Makes it Official

The Republicans will have a formidable challenger to Patty Murray as Dino Rossi made it official.

Dino Rossi will in fact make a bid for Senate in Washington state, several media outlets are reporting. Rossi has long been rumored to be considering a run and will reportedly make his intentions known publicly as soon as Wednesday.

Rossi is looking to defeat Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, who's represented Washington for three terms and is currently a member of Senate leadership. He's already signed up a senior strategist from Marco Rubio's campaign in Florida and a veteran of Mike McGavick's challenge to Washington's other Democratic senator, Maria Cantwell, in 2006.

Rossi is within a few points in most polls of Murray and the most recent has him down by four. He was a near winner for Governor a couple years back and he presents the Republicans' best hope to regain that seat in November.

Blumenthal Apologizes

Connecticut AG and Senatorial candidate Richard Blumenthal apologized for mischaracterizing his Vietnam record and is putting it behind him.

Richard Blumenthal went from Senate shoe-in to political punch line after the New York Times reported on his past misstatements of his Vietnam-era service. But in the span of the week, his campaign now argues that he has successfully navigated through the immediate crisis to the point where Democrats can feel confident again that the party will hold his seat come November.

To bolster that argument, the Connecticut attorney general's campaign released results of an internal poll showing that he maintained a substantial advantage over one of his potential general election foes, WWE executive Linda McMahon. The Greenberg Quinlan Rosner survey, conducted May 19-20, found Blumenthal leading 55-40. A Rasmussen poll released last week found the same matchup much tighter.

One poll had Linda McMahon within three points. This has definitely hurt Blumenthal and it's not going away. This is difficult to explain and admitting a lie would end his career. Blumenthal will deal with this for the rest of the campaign and at this point, he'd have to be considered an underdog in the race.

It's worth noting that FNS anchor Neil Cavuto is among Blumenthal's chief defenders.

Just remember that the next time someone says that FNS is in the pocket of the Republicans.

Djou Wins in Hawaii

Charles Djou won the special election in Hawaii last night.

For the first time since, May, 2008, House Republicans have won a special election.

Republican Charles Djou topped Democrats Colleen Hanabusa and former Rep. Ed Case (D-HI) to succeed retired Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) in Congress. Before Djou’s victory, Democrats had won 11 consecutive special elections. The stretch included a win last Tuesday by Rep. Mark Critz (D-PA) to succeed the late-Rep. Jack Murtha (D-PA). Many political handicappers expected Republican Tim Burns to win that contest and viewed the race as a barometer for how the political winds may blow this fall.

Djou secured 39.5 percent of the vote. Meantime, the two Democratic candidates, Hanabusa and Case combined to score nearly 60 percent of the vote. But that splintered the Democratic impact and allowed Djou to squeak through.

This was no surprise. The national Democrats had pulled out of this race at the beginning of the month. Furthermore, there were two Democrats running against one Republican and so the dynamic in this race was unique. The next special election will be in Eric Massa's old seat in New York state.

WV Points to Signs of Danger for Incumbents

A 28 year veteran of the House named Alan Mollohan got beat in his party's primary yesterday in West Virginia.

Democratic primary voters in West Virginia showed 28-year congressional veteran Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va., the door on Tuesday night.

It came after delegates to the Utah Republican convention ousted Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, from serving a fourth term in Washington over the weekend.

But the Mollohan loss could signal trouble for Democrats.

Democratic state Sen. Mike Oliverio toppled Mollohan. Oliverio’s victory made Mollohan the first House casualty in what has already been a turbulent midterm election year.

This comes less then a week after Republican voters did the same to Robert Bennett in their primary. One thing is clear and that is that all incumbents are in trouble. John McCain is facing a stiff primary challenge of his own and in the next month Blanche Lincoln and Arlen Specter may also lose.

The last time we had this sort of a tsunami for incumbents was 1994 and we followed that up with welfare reform, capital gains tax cuts, and several balanced budgets and so this may be just what the country needs.

Brown Quits, Cameron the PM

The news is breaking.

Gordon Brown announced Tuesday he is resigning effective immediately as Britain's prime minister, opening the path for the conservative leader to take up residence in 10 Downing Street.

An official departure requires the prime minister to submit his resignation in person to Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace, turning over the proverbial keys to the castle. The queen arrived at the palace on Tuesday afternoon.

"I have informed the queen's private secretary that it's my intention to tender my resignation to the queen," Brown told reporters in a statement to the press before he got into a car to travel to the queen.

Now if you think things are screwy domestically, try and govern in Britain. The Conservatives won the election last week however they really didn't win. They only won when they reached out better to the Liberal Democrats than did Brown's Labour Party. Meanwhile, the only party that really won was the Liberal Democrats which were going to be part of the ruling coalition no matter what.

Congressman Hare in the Crosshairs

By now most have seen this video.



In it,Representative Phil Hare, when asked how Obamacare is Constitutional, says,

I don't worry about the Constitution

This video eventually went viral. It sparked so much outrage that Hare put out a video of his own in response.



Now, Hare is in the cross hairs. That comment, in and of itself, has put that seat into play. In fact, Hare believes the questioner was a plant from his opponent.

What was supposed to be a routine stop at the Quincy Senior Center on Thursday to discuss health care, has turned into a war of words between Congressman Phil Hare and his opponent.

Republican Bobby Schilling attacked Hare Friday on the Congressman's comments to questions about the constitutionality of the new health care law. Hare criticized his opponent for politicizing the event.

Click here for a link to see the video that's stirred the controversy and you can read the dueling press releases issued by both campaigns below.

Hare's district, the 17th in Illinois, is in the central and Western part of Illinois. It includes towns like Quincy, Springfield, and MaComb. It's not overwhelmingly liberal and also the definition of a gerrymandered district.

With these comments, Hare has become a target for the Tea Parties. In a similar way, Bart Stupak became a target as soon as he capitulated.

Now, there's defeat Bart Stupak literature all over the internet. Here's just one example.

We have to make sure that every politician knows that if they betray "We the People" and our Constitution that they themselves will be "Stupaked" and defeated for their act of betrayal.

That is why it's so important that we defeat Bart Stupak - the man who provided the Democrats a bloc of nearly 12 Democrat voters for the awful government-run healthcare bill.

We now have JUST 8 DAYS until we launch our TV and radio ad campaign to "Defeat Bart SStupak" and bring the Tea Party Express buses to his district to rally thousands to defeat his re-election campaign.

So help us teach Bart Stupak and ALL of these politicians a lesson.

You can bet similar correspondences will be made about Hare. Hare is already in some trouble.

A poll of registered voters in Illinois' 17th Congressional District shows about 40 percent of those surveyed would vote to re-elect Congressman Phil Hare (D-Rock Island) if the election were held today.

Now, the Tea Parties have him in their sights.