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Few watched the SOTU
Thu Feb 02, 2006 at 06:27:16 PM PDT
So we have, what 300 million people in this country? And few cared enough about this president to give him an hour.
Bush's address clocked about 8.2 million viewers on Fox, according to Nielsen stats.
That beats NBC's 8 million, ABC's and CBS's 7.7 million each, Fox News Channel's 6.5 million, CNN's 2.2 million and MSNBC's 707,000 viewers, according to the stats.
About 33 million, or just over 10 percent of the country, though those are averages and Nielsen claims 41.699 million watched at some point or another. And good thing for averages, because people tuned out:
Though Bush clocked his biggest numbers on the Fox broadcast network, that's not to say he did such a hot job retaining the "Idol" audience. In its final half-hour, Tuesday's episode -- set in Las Vegas and featuring auditions of the above-mentioned Idol wannabes -- the singing competition logged 33 million viewers.
In his first half-hour of speechifying, Bush averaged about 9.5 million viewers on Fox. That's a lousy 29 percent retention rate, which would get him canceled faster than he could say "Emily's Reasons Why Not" if he were a TV series.
But, thankfully, he's not. And, by 9:30 p.m., which is how long it took another 3 million Fox viewers to realize the president wasn't just another bad audition for "American Idol," that network's contribution to the SOTU audience had plunged to 6.9 million viewers.
TX-28: More on Cuellar
Thu Feb 02, 2006 at 04:28:56 PM PDT
Almost 250 people have contributed, to the tune of over $11K, in just over four hours (netroots and Atrios). Pretty amazing, so it seemed like a good time to provide more information on what is shaping up to be the next big contest for us.
And there's a ton of good info showing up in the threads of the previous posts on the race. So without further ado...
Henry Cuellar, the incumbent "Democrat", is very, very conservative. We know he has the Club for Growth endorsement. But did you know the Blue Dog Dems didn't want him in their caucus? For those of you who don't know, the Blue Dogs are so far to the party's right flank that they make the DLC look like Dennis Kucinich by comparison. Yet, despite asking to be in the caucus, he's not a member. Not to mention he arrived in DC with a ton of baggage:
In Washington, Democrats say they will monitor Cuellar's votes before deciding how warmly to embrace a man who calls himself pro-gun, pro-free trade, anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage. Several House Democrats, hearing rumors that Cuellar might switch parties, took the unusual step of asking him to confirm his party loyalty.
We also know that Cuellar endorsed Bush in 2000. But did you know that he travelled the country campaigning for Bush? From the October 27, 2000 edition of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
Madison -- Two Texas Democratic state legislators picked Thursday, the day Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore campaigned outside Wisconsin's Capitol, to come to Madison to endorse Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush.
Democratic state Reps. Robert Junell and Henry Cuellar, both leaders of their party in the Texas House of Representatives, said their endorsement of the Republican governor resulted from his willingness to work with members of both parties to solve Texas problems. They also said they were angry that national Democratic leaders have unfairly criticized Texas under Bush.
And we know the guy is a backstabber:
When the new Congress returns to work Thursday for President Bush's inauguration, Cuellar's toughest audience will be the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Rodriguez was chairman of the Democratic group, and many members worked hard on his behalf in last year's primary.
Rep. Solomon Ortiz, dean of the Texas Democrats in Congress, said many caucus members took Cuellar's challenge as a betrayal. Cuellar and Rodriguez were friends who served together in the Texas House, and Rodriguez raised money and campaigned for Cuellar in his 2002 race against Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-San Antonio.
"That's the reason why a lot of members feel uneasy about Cuellar. Congressman Rodriguez brought him around, introduced him to all the members of the Hispanic caucus -- he took him everywhere," said Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi.
Cuellar's entire political existence appears to be designed to provide Bush with "bipartisan" cover, from his days in the Texas House to the past two years in the US House.
If Bush wants bipartisan support, he needs to earn it the real way -- through negotiation and compromise, not by flipping a switch with Henry Cuellar, his mole inside the Democratic caucus.
Contribute. And the election is March 5. If any of you live near the district or can get to it, consider volunteering.
Update: Ciro will be on Majority Report Radio tonight at about 8:20 p.m. ET.
Update II: Approaching $18K raised by 6:15 p.m.
Boehner: A breath of stale (smoky) air
Thu Feb 02, 2006 at 03:24:19 PM PDT
DHinMI writes:
[T]he new ethically pure, reformist, anti-corruption Congressional Republicans will be led by a Republican from Ohio. Boehner is a member of a male-only country club with a $75,000 initiation fee. Maybe that cleaned out his bank account, which is why he had to take almost $14,000 in free trips from the lobbyist-connected Ripon Society. He also has a history as a bag man for the tobacco lobby during his days as a capo for Newt Gingrich, even going so far as to disburse checks from tobacco lobbyists to Republican members on the floor of the United States Congress.
Huh, what's that last line all about?
In 1995, Boehner handed out campaign checks from the tobacco industry to members on the House floor at a time when lawmakers were considering eliminating a tobacco subsidy.
At least one Republican understood ahead of time the trouble Boehner meant for his caucus:
Representative Chris Shays, a Connecticut Republican, said he believes that Boehner is even closer to lobbyists than Blunt. "The problem John faces is that he's so close to K Street; that's the challenge he's got," said Shays, who's backing Blunt.
So keep an eye out on stories that pretend Boehner's election means some sort of "cleaning house". They got a corrupt Ohioan, part of the corrupt Ohio Republican Party, to head the corrupt Republican caucus in the House.
For the GOP, it's all par for the course.
TX-28: Is this really a *Democratic* primary?
Thu Feb 02, 2006 at 02:01:49 PM PDT
Atrios digs this up from the Google cache:
Cuellar was one of several Texas Democrats to support Bush over Al Gore in 2000.
Cuellar later was appointed secretary of state by Gov. Rick Perry before being elected to Congress as a Democrat.
And this from the Club for Growth endorsement, delivered by Pat Toomey of all people:
"By voting for CAFTA, to repeal the Death Tax, to prevent huge tax increases, and for supporting school choice, Congressman Cuellar has become one of the House's most pro-economic growth Democrats," said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. "The House of Representatives would be better off with more Democrats - and even some more Republicans - who demonstrate Rep. Cuellar's commitment to their constituents' prosperity through economic freedom. It is particularly noteworthy that Rep. Cuellar cast these votes for a stronger economy despite intense pressure not to by some in his party."
This may be billed as a Democratic primary, but in this solidly Democratic Latino-majority district, Republicans needed a Republican in sheep's clothing like Cuellar to have a chance of winning.
Remember, Republicans didn't bother fielding a candidate in this race. Let's take away their stealth vote in this Democratic district.
If you can volunteer for Ciro's campaign, that's the best anyone could do. But if you can't, this helps too. (That's the netroots-wide ActBlue page for Ciro. Atrios, has his own ActBlue page here.)
Update: Damn, between the netroots and Atrios ActBlue pages, we've raised over $6K in just two hours or so. And here's the dirty little secret -- few people actually participate. Those $6K came from just 121 contributors (including me). Hackett and his $400K raised during his House special election came from just 4,500 or so contributors.
If even 1 percent of the netroots gave to these sorts of efforts, the numbers would be staggering. And while most don't have the money/are students/underemployed or jobless, etc -- 1 percent isn't an unrealistic number to shoot for. Especially when we're talking a target contribution average of $25-50.
But it has been an impossible target for all but the biggest races (Dean in the primary and Kerry in the general). This isn't a complaint. It is what it is. But it just goes to show that we really do have the power -- it doesn't take that many to have an effect.
Um, how is Boehner "far more change" for corrupt House GOP?
Thu Feb 02, 2006 at 01:02:07 PM PDT
Get ready for the GOP spin, how Boehner signals some sort of clean break from the past:
The victory for Mr. Boehner signaled that many House Republicans are uneasy about the lobbying scandals that threaten to tar some of their party colleagues and wanted far more change than Mr. Blunt seemed to promise.
The reality is that Boehner was THE K-Street candidate:
Boehner can rely on K Street Cabinet
By Jonathan E. Kaplan
Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), a likely candidate for a position in the House Republican leadership if former Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) does not return, has assembled a loyal and effective network of lobbyists.
Boehner formed his alliances on K Street when he served as chairman of the GOP conference from 1995 to 1998, when his portfolio included working with lobbyists on K Street.
"He was a policy traffic cop for the business community," one of Boehner's allies said. "When [former Rep. J.C.] Watts [Okla.] won [the election for conference chairman], DeLay, in the whip position, vacuumed in the policy and business outreach. He added staff and translated business outreach into votes, which is something [Missouri Rep.] Roy [Blunt] is doing now."
Many GOP sources say Boehner would receive strong support from his so-called K Street Cabinet if he decides to run for another leadership post. He is considered a strong contender to become majority leader or speaker if DeLay, who is under indictment on charges of conspiracy and money laundering in Texas, does not return to his post or if Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) retires in 2008.
Boehner wasn't change. If the House GOP caucus wanted change, they would've gone with John Shadegg who was, by relative House GOP standards, clean. Instead they went with someone who could continue to deliver the goods from and to the K-Street cabal.
Midday open thread
Thu Feb 02, 2006 at 12:23:54 PM PDT
House GOP conducts elections like Florida 2000
Thu Feb 02, 2006 at 11:30:36 AM PDT
Is this funny or scary?
House Republicans are taking a mulligan on the first ballot for Majority Leader. The first count showed more votes cast than Republicans present at the Conference meeting.
Update: Ha ha! Blunt has been saying for weeks that he had the necessary votes locked up. Ooops. I guess he was lying. John Boehner wins.
Update II: And who is Boehner?
Boehner can rely on K Street Cabinet
By Jonathan E. Kaplan
Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), a likely candidate for a position in the House Republican leadership if former Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) does not return, has assembled a loyal and effective network of lobbyists.
Boehner formed his alliances on K Street when he served as chairman of the GOP conference from 1995 to 1998, when his portfolio included working with lobbyists on K Street.
“He was a policy traffic cop for the business community,” one of Boehner’s allies said. “When [former Rep. J.C.] Watts [Okla.] won [the election for conference chairman], DeLay, in the whip position, vacuumed in the policy and business outreach. He added staff and translated business outreach into votes, which is something [Missouri Rep.] Roy [Blunt] is doing now.”
Many GOP sources say Boehner would receive strong support from his so-called K Street Cabinet if he decides to run for another leadership post. He is considered a strong contender to become majority leader or speaker if DeLay, who is under indictment on charges of conspiracy and money laundering in Texas, does not return to his post or if Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) retires in 2008.
Will Boehner pull a Santorum and pretend he didn't even know there was a "K Street" on the DC map?
Regardless, we welcome DeLay-lite as our new House overlords. I'm just glad they didn't pick one of the three or four Republicans in the House who are still unsullied by the Culture of Corruption.
CO-Gov: Earning the right to wear that uniform
Thu Feb 02, 2006 at 11:16:49 AM PDT
Look at Rep. Bob Beauprez, who is running for governor in Colorado, strut around in military garb. Don't he look pretty?
But here's the reality of the situation:
The Selective Service Classification History for Robert Louis Beauprez indicates that he requested and received three different student deferments.
The records also indicate that Beauprez came up for the draft based on his lottery drawing for 1970 of #160.
Yet on August 6, 1970 the records indicate that Beauprez was "excused" because of a "physical reason."
"Mr. Beauprez appears to want it both ways: he publicly parades in a military-issued uniform, and yet the records show he never served," stated retired Staff Sergeant Michael D. Collins, a veteran who served in Vietnam with the 1st Air Calvary Division.
"While Beauprez claims he's for veterans, he has the worst voting record on veterans' issues of any of the Colorado members of Congress," noted Collins.
Par for the course for the vast majority of the Republican Party. They love to wrap themselves up in the flag and pretend they support the troops, but the reality is just about always the exact opposite. There's a reason that veterans are flocking into politics as Democrats (55 and counting) to rid Congress of the Republicans who are working at cross-purposes to the best interests of our nation's men and women in uniform.
Like Beauprez, most Republicans turned their backs on American when America needed them most. They refused to wear the uniform when it actually meant something more than cheap political theater.
-----
On the subject of Democrats who wore the uniform when it mattered, the Band of Brothers will be gathering in DC February 8th. DavidNYC has ways you DC-based people can get involved:
If you're anywhere in the DC area, and you're as outraged as I am about the attacks on Col. Murtha, the lack of body armor for our troops, cuts in veterans benefits, and the simple fact that the Bush presidency has made us less safe, less strong, and less secure, then join us on the steps of the US Capitol (west lawn) at 10am on Wednesday, February 8th.
Wait, it gets better: The keynote speaker for the event at the Capitol is none other than former Sen. Max Cleland, a true American hero in every sense of the word, and a man who knows a thing or two about campaigning as a veteran. There will be lots of cameras and lots of reporters, so it's crucial that we show our support. If you're free, come on by. And if you work in the area, take an early coffee break. It'll be well worth your while.
But if you can't join us in the morning (and even if you can), you have a second chance to meet all these veterans at a fundraiser at the Frederick Douglass House (320 A Street NE), from 6-8pm, also on Feb. 8th. This will be a lot more fun than your ordinary campaign fundraiser, where if you're lucky you get to talk to the candidate for 90 seconds. There will be dozens of candidates here to meet-n-greet, and all of them have interesting stories to tell.
To purchase tickets, go to the Band of Brothers ActBlue page.
I wanted to be there soooo bad, but my schedule didn't allow it. Hopefully some of you will have more flexible schedules.
Yo GOP, about that "energy independence" thing...
Thu Feb 02, 2006 at 10:06:53 AM PDT
Pajamas Media finally got an ad, and it's no surprise that it's from the Republican Party. But it's the content of the ad that's actually quite funny.
.
You just saw the president deliver A BOLD REFORM AGENDA [...]
Reducing our dependence on foreign oil.
We'll skip the "bold reform agenda" part, since there's nothing bold about calling for a presidential commission on anything. Destroying social security? That was bold. This Tuesday we saw the politically castrated version of Bush.
But you've got to love a Republican Party bragging about Bush's plan to "reduce our dependence on foreign oil" since, well, Bush really didn't mean it.
Administration backs off Bush's vow to reduce Mideast oil imports
By Kevin G. Hall
Knight Ridder Newspapers
WASHINGTON - One day after President Bush vowed to reduce America's dependence on Middle East oil by cutting imports from there 75 percent by 2025, his energy secretary and national economic adviser said Wednesday that the president didn't mean it literally.
And then there are those obstructionist. The Saudis and the rest of the Republican Party.
In Washington, Prince Turki, the Saudi ambassador, said he was puzzled by Mr. Bush's words in the speech. He said he wanted to know if reducing American dependence on foreign oil also applied to other suppliers to the United States. "Is that a declaration that the U.S. is going to work to be independent of Canadian oil, Mexican oil and Venezuelan oil?" he asked, adding, "I see no threat from America from receiving its oil from the Middle East."
On Capitol Hill, Republicans praised the president's overall goals, but sounded notes of caution, with representatives of oil-producing states leading the way. Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, said he was enthusiastic about nuclear power but questioned whether the government should be subsidizing alternative fuels like ethanol.
"It loses some of its shine when it becomes another government support program for an alternative fuel, which seems to be the pattern here in Washington," Mr. Cornyn said.
Representative Joe L. Barton of Texas, the chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, even seemed to contradict the president's alarms about high energy prices. "America runs on energy that is both abundant and available at prices we can afford to pay," Mr. Barton said in a statement.
And there's administration policy itself, which complete contradicts Bush's words:
The Energy Department will begin laying off researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the next week or two because of cuts to its budget.
A veteran researcher said the staff had been told that the cuts would be concentrated among researchers in wind and biomass, which includes ethanol. Those are two of the technologies that Mr. Bush cited on Tuesday night as holding the promise to replace part of the nation's oil imports.
So, while the Republican Party tries to fundraise off its rubes based on the president's BOLD plan to reduce our energy dependence on the Middle East, he is contradicted in words -- by his own administration, in deeds -- by his own budget, and by his allies -- the rest of the Republican Party and the Saudis.
Hilarious.
Still, I wonder why that ad omitted Bush's BOLD plan to put Manimal behind bars.
TX-28: Cuellar sat on Republican side of aisle at SOTU
Thu Feb 02, 2006 at 09:33:44 AM PDT
Lieberman wishes he'd thought of this:
For the speech Tuesday, Mr. Cuellar positioned himself along the president's route and grabbed a seat on the Republican side of the aisle. Custom dictates that the Democrats stay to the speaker's right and Republicans to the left, making it easier to gauge party-line splits on applause lines.
"Doesn't really matter," the congressman said. "It's the U.S. Congress side. I didn't see any sign that says Democratic or Republican."
Ahem: Ciro Rodiguez. Remember, whoever wins this primary wins the seat. There are no Republicans registered to contest the seat.
Update: Use this ActBlue page for contributions if you decide to give.
Democrats To Grill Bush Officials On Spying
Thu Feb 02, 2006 at 08:05:06 AM PDT
While Gonzales will be sitting in the hot seat on February 6th, today's Senate Intelligence Committee hearing will give us a preview of how Democrats will confront the domestic spying scandal.
John Negroponte, Director of National Intelligence, was previously scheduled to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee to report on a worldwide threat assessment. As Newsweek reports, Democrats will seize the oppportunity to grill him and other top intelligence officials about Bush's illegal spying program.
National Intelligence Director John Negroponte and his principal deputy, Gen. Michael Hayden, are scheduled to appear with several other top intelligence officials at what was supposed to be a routine Senate Intelligence Committee hearing to discuss the intelligence community's assessment of current threats to the United States, including terrorist attacks and nuclear proliferation. However, congressional sources say Democrats on the Senate committee plan to use the hearing to grill officials about alleged NSA domestic surveillance. They are particularly interested in questioning Hayden, who before joining Negroponte's office, served as NSA director. The controversial NSA monitoring program was launched under his command.
The hearing is playing live now on C-SPAN. You can watch it online here.
Update [2006-2-2 10:12:29 by georgia10]:: Just as a side note. Gonzales will be appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. This is the Senate Intelligence Committee, whose ranking members were "briefed" on the domestic spying program.
Open Thread
Thu Feb 02, 2006 at 07:29:01 AM PDT
It's that time of the day.
