In the
March 26, 2006 edition of Parade Magazine a reader asks:
Q. Pat Robertson, host of The 700 Club, just published Miracles Can Be Yours Today. What miracle does he pray for?
--S. Hensley, Los Angeles, Calif.
Robertson's answer is hardly surprising:
A. "I have prayed that somehow, thanks to the goodness of the Lord, we would have a change in the composition of the Supreme Court," Robertson, 76, tells us. "We've had two new justices already, and I'm sure one more is coming. That's miracle enough for me."
Media Matters for America documents Robertson's prior comments on emptying the Supreme Court of its more rational members:
Robertson said that God told him: "I will remove judges from the Supreme Court quickly, and their successors will refuse to sanction the attacks on religious faith."
What does this have to do with Democrat
Jim Pederson who is running for Senate in Arizona? It is the Senate that votes on Supreme Court nominees and the religious extremists in the Republican party have long had the Supreme Court in their laser scope. This strategy of changing the laws of the land, in particular, those relating to abortion, prayer in school, vouchers for religious schools, and gay rights, by changing the Supreme Court has led to the nomination and approval of the most out of touch, extreme, and unqualified justices to our highest court.
We are fortunate that this year we have enough quality candidates to change control of the Senate and create an atmosphere where Democrats will not be afraid to stop these kind of nominees.
Jim Pederson is the former chair of the Arizona State Democratic Party. He is given credit with rebuilding the state party and helping elect Democrat Janet Napolitano Governor of Arizona. He has poured millions of dollars of his own money into accomplishing these feats and has pledged to use his own money to help his Senate race against incumbent Republican Kyl. According to the December 31, 2005 FEC reports, Pederson has raised $1.5 million and has $1 million cash on had. That number includes no money from the candidate. According to this article, Pederson will put at least $800,000 into his campaign. Pederson will have the money to take on Kyl but one thing he needs from us is $5, or $3, or even $1. These small contributions are a way for the candidate to show that they have broad support and when a candidate is prepared to spend their own money to help Democrats retake the Senate the least we can do is make sure the candidate knows we appreciate it.
The Democratic strategy this year is very clear and the Arizona Democratic Party has started its ads to help Pederson by pointing out Kyl's closeness with Bush. In a sign of the times, Republicans have actually called it mudslinging. The last thing Republican candidates want is to be associated with Bush whose approval rating in Arizona is at 44% according to the 3/15 Survey USA poll. Even being close to Arizona's other Senator John McCain may become a problem if McCain keeps doing things like this, Union Leaders Boo McCain on Immigration:
McCain responded by saying immigrants were taking jobs nobody else wanted. He offered anybody in the crowd $50 an hour to pick lettuce in Arizona.
Shouts of protest rose from the crowd, with some accepting McCain's job offer.
"I'll take it!" one man shouted.
McCain insisted none of them would do such menial labor for a complete season. "You can't do it, my friends."
Pederson can expect to be helped by Democratic Governor Napolitano who is running for re-election. According to Survey USA's March poll, she has an approval rating of 58%.
Kyl may be particularly vulnerable to an attack campaign given events like this, Kyl Defends Giving Lobbyist Exclusive Access To GOP Senators Hours Before Key Vote On Asbestos Legislation:
Although Jon Kyl says he will work actively on lobbying reform, his actions tell a different story. Just hours before a key vote on the asbestos bill, a former GOP Senator-turned lobbyist whose clients stand to save billions of dollars from the bill, was given exclusive access to Republican Senators at a Kyl-led event. Kyl vigorously defended giving this lobbyist access.
This diary contains information on some of Kyl's votes, The Schumer Seven, Part I and this one Ammo, Ammo, Ammo outlines Kyl's very controversial votes and points out that in 1994 Kyl belived that Senators should only serve two terms and yet here he is running for his third.
The latest Zogby poll shows Pederson at 42% and Kyl at 47% while Rasmussen's March poll has Pederson at 33% and Kyl at 56%. Survey USA shows Kyl with only 45% approval and a 36% disapproval rating placing him at 94 out of 100 Senators ranked by approval. With Rasmussen giving Kyl a 64% favorable rating I find the Rasmussen poll somewhat suspicious although the Zogby poll is one of their new internet polls which are somewhat unproven. An aggressive campaign against Kyl should help turn these numbers around in the next seven months.
These diaries by smokeymonkey, AZ-Sen: Jim Pederson and Bush's Budget Bad for Arizona
discuss Pederson's issues and campaign.
Come November, Democrats need a net six seats to gain control of the Senate. When the campaign season started, Republicans might have believed they could: beat incumbent Democrats in FL, MI, WV, & NE; imperil the Democratic incumbent in WA; take open Democratic seats in MD, MN, and NJ; even tie Hillary down in NY so she couldn't help other candidates; easily defend their incumbents using national security as an issue. Now that we are in the fourth month of 06, it is becoming clear to Republican strategists that they will probably lose control of the House and are now talking about the possibility of losing the Senate as well. Republican hopes in MI, NE & WV have disappeared and the only hope they have in FL is that Jeb Bush will decide to run. WA only remains a hope for them because Democratic Senator Cantwell seems oddly unable to come to a position on Iraq that satisfies the people that elected her to represent them in the Senate, however, her Republican opponent seems almost non-existent. The open Democratic seats are well defended and will not, in the end, go to the Republicans in a Democratic year as Independents will break strongly towards the party not controlling the Presidency and Congress. Hillary will not be tied down in New York and may begin helping other Democratic candidates as she may be running for President in 08. Democrats are threatening the open Republican seat in TN. Republicans now find they must defend their incumbents in PA, OH, MT, MO, & RI against strong Democratic challenges. Finally, there are three more states, AZ, NV, and VA where Democrats have stepped forward and Republican incumbents look weak and have a good chance of being unseated in The Democratic Perfect Storm. In effect, Republicans will be forced to spend tens of millions just to defend their incumbents and open seat while at the same time they will have to start giving up on winning Democratic open seats and beating Democratic incumbents. This will allow the Democrats to focus resources on those nine Repulbican Senate seats and increase the chances that we will get the six we need.
Some Arizona Blogs:
AZ Congress Watch
Rum, Romanism and Rebellion
Previous Diaries on The 2006 Democratic Perfect Storm:
2006 The Democratic Perfect Storm is Here Featuring Jim Webb for Senate - VA
2006 The Democratic Perfect Storm is Here Featuring Jack Carter the Next Senator from Nevada
2006 The Democratic Perfect Storm - Real Life Lessons
2006 Democratic Perfect Storm - Is it the Perfect Storm (it is) and what Democrats can do about it.
2006 The Coming Democratic Perfect Storm -Part 1 Reviewing 1994 Elections
Take Back the Senate in 2006 - With Poll