Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,732
Great, so Democrats make some good headway in the recent elections and Joe Manchin decided not to run again in a highly red state, threatening to give the Senate over to the Republicans, and also is considering running as a third party candidate next year threatening to nix Biden's chances for re-election. Coincidental timing? I doubt it.
I've heard of "You can't win for losing", now is it "You can't win for winning"?
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Dean Phillips district borders the district I live in. I really liked him when he first ran for the seat he currently holds.
I don't necessarily disagree with him that the party should open the process up (both in general and because in this case they have a candidate that's floundering). But he's become such a petulant whiner and he's drifting into some dangerous rhetoric. After saying we need to defeat Trump to save the republic, he asked the difference between the party not opening it up and "Iran’s tactics to guarantee the outcome of elections." Uh, because a party is not a government, Dean. And if he's going to say the Dem party is just like Iran, then the logical conclusion is not to vote for it either. Hope he enjoys Trump's second term.
1995 Milwaukee 1998 Alpine, Alpine 2003 Albany, Boston, Boston, Boston 2004 Boston, Boston 2006 Hartford, St. Paul (Petty), St. Paul (Petty) 2011 Alpine, Alpine 2013 Wrigley 2014 St. Paul 2016 Fenway, Fenway, Wrigley, Wrigley 2018 Missoula, Wrigley, Wrigley 2021 Asbury Park 2022 St Louis 2023 Austin, Austin
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
Fetterman backs Andy Kim as Democrats scramble to keep Menendez's Senate seat in New Jersey
By MIKE CATALINI
19 Jan 2024
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. John Fetterman has backed Rep. Andy Kim in the congressman's bid to win a contested primary for New Jersey's Senate seat, as Democrats jockey to push indicted Sen. Bob Menendez out of office.
Fetterman was an early proponent of calling for Menendez's ouster from Congress after federal prosecutors charged Menendez, his wife and business associates with taking bribes in cash and gold bars in exchange for helping the government of Egypt — and, in a later indictment, Qatar as well.
Menendez and the other defendants have pleaded not guilty, and the senator has vowed to fight the charges. Unlike the first time he was indicted — charges that ultimately led to a hung jury in 2017 — Menendez has lost support within the Democratic Party in his home state, where his influence was once virtually unassailable.
Fetterman called Kim, a three-term congressman from southern New Jersey's 3rd District, a man of integrity and “deep honor." Without mentioning Menendez by name, Fetterman drew an implied contrast with him.
“I feel very secure knowing that he has no gold bars underneath his mattress and won’t ever be accused of being a foreign agent for Egypt or Qatar,” he said.
It's unclear the extent to which endorsements will resonate with voters, but they can help campaigns with fundraising, generate a sense of momentum or inevitability and project strength.
Fetterman's endorsement comes amid a pitched internal struggle among New Jersey Democrats who have called for Menendez's ouster and are competing to succeed him.
Menendez hasn't said if he'll run again and has so far withstood calls for his resignation.
The June primary is shaping up as a battle, so far, between Kim and the state's first lady, Tammy Murphy. Other Democrats are also campaigning in the race, though Murphy and Kim have gone tit-for-tat with a number of high-profile endorsements, and each has raised millions so far.
Murphy unveiled the backing this week of officials in the Democratic stronghold of Atlantic City as well as the state trooper's union. She's already received backing from influential county party chairmen whose support is key to how the ballot is drafted, with preferred candidates getting favorable placement.
Fetterman's backing on Thursday seemed to come in response.
“To have someone who is a sitting senator, who knows the job, knows the role of a legislator at this moment, and also just understands the crazy, chaotic moment that we live in right now, that’s something that stands out, and I’m glad to have his support,” Kim said in an emailed statement.
Murphy's campaign said in an emailed statement that she's traveling the state to earn support from voters. She will “stand up for key Democratic values in DC,” said campaign spokesperson Alexandra Altman.
Fetterman joins fellow Pennsylvanian Gov. Josh Shapiro in wading into the race. Shapiro has raised money for Murphy, according to her campaign.
Also seeking or considering a run on the Democratic side are long-time civil rights organizer Lawrence Hamm and labor leader Patricia Campos-Medina.
“This race for U.S. Senate is very contentious now,” Hamm said, referring to Murphy and Kim. “We know at least two of these candidates are expected to spend millions.”
The GOP primary is also still shaping up. Mendham Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner, a declared candidate, said through a spokesperson on Friday that the Democratic Party “enabled” corruption by supporting Menendez for years.
Keeping New Jersey's Senate seat in Democratic hands is crucial for the party, which has narrow control of the chamber heading into this fall's election. New Jersey hasn't elected a Republican to the Senate since 1972.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
Democrat Tom Suozzi wins New York race to succeed George Santos in Congress
By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE
15 mins ago
Democrat Tom Suozzi won a special election for a U.S. House seat in New York on Tuesday, coming out on top in a politically mixed suburban district in a victory that could lift his party’s hopes heading into a fiercely contested presidential election later this year.
Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip to take the seat that was left vacant when George Santos, also a Republican, was expelled from Congress. The victory marks a return to Washington for Suozzi, who represented the district for three terms before giving it up to run, unsuccessfully, for governor.
It’s unclear how long his next stint on Capitol Hill will last, as a redistricting process unfolds that could reshape the district. But for now the result narrows the already slim Republican majority in the House. And it provides Democrats a much-needed win in New York City’s Long Island suburbs, where the GOP showed surprising strength in recent elections.
Suozzi stressed his campaign trail theme of bipartisan cooperation in a victory speech that was briefly interrupted by protestors criticizing his support of Israel.
“There are divisions in our country where people can’t even talk to each other. All they can do is yell and scream at each other,” he said, acknowledging the demonstrators. “That’s not the answer to the problems we face in our country. The answer is to try and bring people together to try and find common ground.”
“The way to make our country a better place is to try and find common ground. It is not easy to do. It is hard to do,” Suozzi told supporters at his election night party in Woodbury.
Suozzi’s win will likely reassure Democrats that they can perform well in suburban communities across the nation, which will be critical to the party’s efforts to retake control of the U.S. House and reelect President Joe Biden.
Still, forecasting for November could be complicated given that turnout, already expected to be low given the abbreviated race, was potentially hampered by a storm that dumped several inches of snow on the district on election day. Both campaigns offered voters free rides to the polls as plows cleared wet slush from the roads.
In the short term, the result could be a factor in ultratight votes in the House, where Republicans hold just a 219-212 majority. In an example of how important one seat can be, House Republicans voted Tuesday night to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by a single vote, punishing the Biden administration over its border policies.
At a polling place on Long Island earlier in the day, 59-year-old Eliezer Sarrias said he cast a ballot for Suozzi because the former congressman appeared more able to work with the opposing party to reach agreements and end congressional gridlock.
“The constituents elect our officials to perform a certain job, and we’ve really had a very stagnant congressional year,” Sarrias said after voting at a middle school in Levittown. “Even with the migrants now, we had bipartisan deal in Congress and suddenly it evaporated, like, why? Do we really need to wait for another president to come, or aren’t the issues that are pressing to everyone important at the moment?”
On the campaign trail, Suozzi, a political centrist, leaned into some of the same issues that Republicans have used to bash Democrats, calling for tougher U.S. border policies and a rollback of New York laws that made it tougher for judges to detain criminal suspects awaiting trial.
The unusual midwinter election became necessary after Santos was ousted by his colleagues in December, partway through his first term.
Santos won office in what had been a reliably Democratic district partly by falsely portraying himself as an American success story — a son of working class immigrants who made himself into a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker. But many elements of Santos’ life story were later exposed as fabrications, and he was indicted on multiple charges including allegations he stole money from Republican donors. He has pleaded not guilty.
With no time for a primary before the special election, Democrats nominated Suozzi, a political centrist well known to voters in the district.
Republican leaders turned to Pilip, a relatively unknown candidate with a unique personal backstory. Born in Ethiopia, she migrated to Israel as part of Operation Solomon and served in Israel's defense forces before eventually moving to the U.S. and winning a seat in Nassau County’s legislature in 2021.
Pilip conceded the race and said she congratulated Suozzi in a phone call Tuesday night.
“Yes we lost, but it doesn’t mean we are going to end here,” Pilip told supporters at her election watch party.
Biden’s campaign manager was quick to link the victory to the upcoming presidential race: “Donald Trump lost again tonight. When Republicans run on Trump’s extreme agenda – even in a Republican-held seat — voters reject them,” Julie Chavez Rodriguez said.
Trump responded to the result in a post on his social media site Truth Social, calling Pilip a “very foolish woman” who was “running in a race where she didn’t endorse me and tried to ‘straddle the fence,’ when she would have easily WON if she understood anything about MODERN DAY politics in America.”
The short campaign was dominated by issues — abortion, immigration and crime — that are expected to shape crucial suburban races nationwide in this year’s battle for control of Congress.
Despite being an international migrant once herself, Pilip hammered Suozzi over an influx of asylum-seekers into New York City, accusing Democrats and Biden of failing to secure the U.S. southern border.
In response, Suozzi spent much of the campaign talking about the need to strengthen border policy, pointing out times when he bucked his own party on the issue while in Congress. In the final stretch, Suozzi said he would support a temporary closure of the border to slow the number of arrivals, similar to comments that Biden has made.
Suozzi counterattacked Pilip on abortion, saying she couldn’t be trusted to protect abortion rights in places like New York where it remains legal.
Pilip said she is personally against abortion but wouldn’t force her beliefs others and would oppose any attempt by Congress to impose a nationwide ban. She has also said mifepristone, an abortion medication, should be available nationally.
Both candidates expressed unwavering support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas, even appearing side-by-side in an unusual joint event intended to convey solidarity.
Democrats and Republicans will get a chance to fight over the congressional seat again in November’s general election, though the battleground may look different.
That’s because the state’s congressional districts are set to be redrawn again in the next few months because of a court order. Democrats, who dominate state government, are widely expected to try to craft more favorable lines for their candidates.
New York is expected to play an outsize role in determining control of Congress this year, with competitive races in multiple contests in the suburban and exurban rings around New York City.
___
AP reporter Philip Marcelo in Levittown contributed.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Democrat Tom Suozzi wins New York race to succeed George Santos in Congress
By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE
15 mins ago
Democrat Tom Suozzi won a special election for a U.S. House seat in New York on Tuesday, coming out on top in a politically mixed suburban district in a victory that could lift his party’s hopes heading into a fiercely contested presidential election later this year.
Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip to take the seat that was left vacant when George Santos, also a Republican, was expelled from Congress. The victory marks a return to Washington for Suozzi, who represented the district for three terms before giving it up to run, unsuccessfully, for governor.
It’s unclear how long his next stint on Capitol Hill will last, as a redistricting process unfolds that could reshape the district. But for now the result narrows the already slim Republican majority in the House. And it provides Democrats a much-needed win in New York City’s Long Island suburbs, where the GOP showed surprising strength in recent elections.
Suozzi stressed his campaign trail theme of bipartisan cooperation in a victory speech that was briefly interrupted by protestors criticizing his support of Israel.
“There are divisions in our country where people can’t even talk to each other. All they can do is yell and scream at each other,” he said, acknowledging the demonstrators. “That’s not the answer to the problems we face in our country. The answer is to try and bring people together to try and find common ground.”
“The way to make our country a better place is to try and find common ground. It is not easy to do. It is hard to do,” Suozzi told supporters at his election night party in Woodbury.
Suozzi’s win will likely reassure Democrats that they can perform well in suburban communities across the nation, which will be critical to the party’s efforts to retake control of the U.S. House and reelect President Joe Biden.
Still, forecasting for November could be complicated given that turnout, already expected to be low given the abbreviated race, was potentially hampered by a storm that dumped several inches of snow on the district on election day. Both campaigns offered voters free rides to the polls as plows cleared wet slush from the roads.
In the short term, the result could be a factor in ultratight votes in the House, where Republicans hold just a 219-212 majority. In an example of how important one seat can be, House Republicans voted Tuesday night to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by a single vote, punishing the Biden administration over its border policies.
At a polling place on Long Island earlier in the day, 59-year-old Eliezer Sarrias said he cast a ballot for Suozzi because the former congressman appeared more able to work with the opposing party to reach agreements and end congressional gridlock.
“The constituents elect our officials to perform a certain job, and we’ve really had a very stagnant congressional year,” Sarrias said after voting at a middle school in Levittown. “Even with the migrants now, we had bipartisan deal in Congress and suddenly it evaporated, like, why? Do we really need to wait for another president to come, or aren’t the issues that are pressing to everyone important at the moment?”
On the campaign trail, Suozzi, a political centrist, leaned into some of the same issues that Republicans have used to bash Democrats, calling for tougher U.S. border policies and a rollback of New York laws that made it tougher for judges to detain criminal suspects awaiting trial.
The unusual midwinter election became necessary after Santos was ousted by his colleagues in December, partway through his first term.
Santos won office in what had been a reliably Democratic district partly by falsely portraying himself as an American success story — a son of working class immigrants who made himself into a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker. But many elements of Santos’ life story were later exposed as fabrications, and he was indicted on multiple charges including allegations he stole money from Republican donors. He has pleaded not guilty.
With no time for a primary before the special election, Democrats nominated Suozzi, a political centrist well known to voters in the district.
Republican leaders turned to Pilip, a relatively unknown candidate with a unique personal backstory. Born in Ethiopia, she migrated to Israel as part of Operation Solomon and served in Israel's defense forces before eventually moving to the U.S. and winning a seat in Nassau County’s legislature in 2021.
Pilip conceded the race and said she congratulated Suozzi in a phone call Tuesday night.
“Yes we lost, but it doesn’t mean we are going to end here,” Pilip told supporters at her election watch party.
Biden’s campaign manager was quick to link the victory to the upcoming presidential race: “Donald Trump lost again tonight. When Republicans run on Trump’s extreme agenda – even in a Republican-held seat — voters reject them,” Julie Chavez Rodriguez said.
Trump responded to the result in a post on his social media site Truth Social, calling Pilip a “very foolish woman” who was “running in a race where she didn’t endorse me and tried to ‘straddle the fence,’ when she would have easily WON if she understood anything about MODERN DAY politics in America.”
The short campaign was dominated by issues — abortion, immigration and crime — that are expected to shape crucial suburban races nationwide in this year’s battle for control of Congress.
Despite being an international migrant once herself, Pilip hammered Suozzi over an influx of asylum-seekers into New York City, accusing Democrats and Biden of failing to secure the U.S. southern border.
In response, Suozzi spent much of the campaign talking about the need to strengthen border policy, pointing out times when he bucked his own party on the issue while in Congress. In the final stretch, Suozzi said he would support a temporary closure of the border to slow the number of arrivals, similar to comments that Biden has made.
Suozzi counterattacked Pilip on abortion, saying she couldn’t be trusted to protect abortion rights in places like New York where it remains legal.
Pilip said she is personally against abortion but wouldn’t force her beliefs others and would oppose any attempt by Congress to impose a nationwide ban. She has also said mifepristone, an abortion medication, should be available nationally.
Both candidates expressed unwavering support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas, even appearing side-by-side in an unusual joint event intended to convey solidarity.
Democrats and Republicans will get a chance to fight over the congressional seat again in November’s general election, though the battleground may look different.
That’s because the state’s congressional districts are set to be redrawn again in the next few months because of a court order. Democrats, who dominate state government, are widely expected to try to craft more favorable lines for their candidates.
New York is expected to play an outsize role in determining control of Congress this year, with competitive races in multiple contests in the suburban and exurban rings around New York City.
___
AP reporter Philip Marcelo in Levittown contributed.
I live in this district and was not surprised he won. Suozzi is a well known quantity on Long Island and in Queens. Even if I considered voting for his opponent, there was not much evidence to why I should. Virtually none of her ads had her talking and in the rare instance she did talk, it sounded pre-programmed or something that took five takes to get correct.
Reading 2004
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016 Fenway 2, 2018 MSG 2022 St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
Andy Kim, NJ Rep who was seen cleaning Congress after Jan 6 will become NJ next Senator replacing that criminal Menendez....
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82
By SUSAN HAIGH
Yesterday
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in the disputed 2000 election and who almost became Republican John McCain's running mate eight years later, has died, according to a statement issued by his family.
Lieberman died in New York City on Wednesday due to complications from a fall, the statement said. He was 82.
The Democrat-turned-independent was never shy about veering from the party line.
Lieberman's independent streak and especially his needling of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential contest rankled many Democrats, the party he aligned with in the Senate. Yet his support for gay rights, civil rights, abortion rights and environmental causes at times won him the praise of many liberals over the years.
“In an era of political carbon copies, Joe Lieberman was a singularity. One of one," said Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat. "He fought and won for what he believed was right and for the state he adored.”
The group on Wednesday called Lieberman's unexpected death a “profound loss,” describing him as “a singular figure in American political life who always put his country before party.”
Lieberman came tantalizingly close to winning the vice presidency in the contentious 2000 presidential contest that was decided by a 537-vote margin victory for George W. Bush in Florida after a drawn-out recount, legal challenges and a Supreme Court decision. He was the first Jewish candidate on a major party’s presidential ticket and would have been the first Jewish vice president.
Gore said in a statement Wednesday night that he was profoundly saddened by the death of his one-time running mate. He called Lieberman “a truly gifted leader, whose affable personality and strong will made him a force to be reckoned with" and said his dedication to equality and fairness started at a young age, noting Lieberman traveled to the South to join the civil rights movement in the 1960s.
“It was an honor to stand side-by-side with him on the campaign trail,” Gore said.
Lieberman sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 but dropped out after a weak showing in the early primaries. Four years later, he was an independent who was nearly chosen to be McCain’s running mate. He and McCain were close pals who shared hawkish views on military and national security matters.
McCain was leaning strongly toward choosing Lieberman for the ticket as the 2008 GOP convention neared, but he chose Sarah Palin at the last minute after “ferocious” blowback from conservatives over Lieberman’s liberal record, according to Steve Schmidt, who managed McCain’s campaign.
Lieberman generated controversy in 1998 when he scolded President Bill Clinton, his friend of many years, for “disgraceful behavior” in an explosive speech on the Senate floor during the height of the scandal over his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. Yet Lieberman later voted against the impeachment of Clinton.
While he had a tortured relationship with Democrats, Lieberman defended his partisan switches as a matter of conscience, saying he always had the best interests of Connecticut voters at heart. Critics accused him of pursuing narrow self-interest and political expediency.
In announcing his retirement from the Senate in 2013, Lieberman acknowledged that he did “not always fit comfortably into conventional political boxes” and felt his first responsibility was to serve his constituents, state and country, not his political party.
During his final Senate speech, Lieberman urged Congress to look beyond party lines and partisan rancor to break Washington gridlock.
“It requires reaching across the aisle and finding partners from the opposite party,” said Lieberman. “That is what is desperately needed in Washington now.”
Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, who served as Senate Democratic leader, once said that while he didn’t always agree with the independent-minded Lieberman, he respected him.
“Regardless of our differences, I have never doubted Joe Lieberman’s principles or his patriotism,” Reid said. “And I respect his independent streak, as it stems from strong convictions.”
Privately, some Democrats were often less charitable about Lieberman’s forays across party lines, which they saw as disloyal. He bolted his party and turned independent after a 2006 Senate primary loss in Connecticut.
Lieberman’s strong support of the Iraq War had hurt his statewide popularity. Democrats rejected Lieberman and handed the 2006 primary to a political newcomer and an antiwar candidate, Ned Lamont, who is now serving a second term as Connecticut governor. Citing his Senate experience, congressional clout and support for the state's defense industry, Lieberman went on to win reelection to a fourth term as an independent.
Many of his Democratic allies and longtime friends, including former Sen. Chris Dodd, had supported Lamont in that election. Lieberman was candid about what he considered a betrayal by old pals such as Dodd, but the two men later reconciled.
In a statement issued Wednesday expressing condolences, Lamont said he and Lieberman eventually became friends after their grueling and contentious race.
“While the senator and I had our political differences, he was a man of integrity and conviction, so our debate about the Iraq War was serious,” Lamont said in a statement. “I believe we agreed to disagree from a position of principle."
“When the race was over, we stayed in touch as friends in the best traditions of American democracy. He will be missed," he added.
After his rebound reelection in 2006, Lieberman decided to caucus with Democrats in the Senate, who let him head a committee in return because they needed his vote to help keep control of the closely divided chamber. But it wasn’t long until Lieberman was showing his independent streak and ruffling his Democratic caucus colleagues.
He was an enthusiastic backer of McCain in the 2008 presidential contest, and his speech at the 2008 GOP presidential nominating convention criticizing Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, struck a deep nerve.
Lieberman cast Obama as a political show horse, a lightweight with a thin record of accomplishment in the Senate despite his soaring eloquence as a speaker.
“In the Senate, during the 3 1/2 years that Sen. Obama has been a member, he has not reached across party lines to ... accomplish anything significant, nor has he been willing to take on powerful interest groups in the Democratic Party to get something done,” Lieberman said at the convention.
“Eloquence is no substitute for a record,” he said.
Lieberman campaigned heartily across the country for McCain. Many Democrats considered it a betrayal of Obama and his former party colleagues.
“Joe Lieberman has said things that are totally irresponsible when it comes to Barack Obama,” House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California said in a radio interview during the 2008 race. In a message posted Wednesday on X, Pelosi called Lieberman a “leader of integrity and patriotism” while acknowledging they often disagreed on politics.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Lieberman's death was “devastatingly sad” and speculated that McCain, who died in 2018, was “giving him an earful about how screwed up things are.”
After the election, there was speculation Senate Democrats might strip Lieberman of his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee as payback. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chair of the Judiciary Committee, was among those who said Lieberman should lose his chairmanship. Leahy branded Lieberman’s attacks on Obama as “beyond the pale.”
But at Obama’s urging, Senate Democrats decided not to punish Lieberman for supporting McCain and the GOP ticket. Obama was eager to strike a bipartisan tone for his presidency and giving Lieberman a pass helped reinforce that message. On Wednesday, Obama acknowledged they “didn't always see eye-to-eye,” but noted Lieberman had an “extraordinary career in public service.”
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent and staunch liberal, called Lieberman's convention comments a “slap in the face” for millions of Americans who backed Obama.
Connecticut Democrats considered censuring Lieberman. Longtime friend Nick Balletto, former chairman of the state party, acknowledged many were unhappy with Lieberman and noted that the discontent overshadowed everything he had done for the state. Before the U.S. Senate, Lieberman served in the state Senate and as Connecticut Attorney General.
“He was the most genuine, honest, straightforward politician you’d probably ever meet. What you saw is what you got,” said Balletto. “His issues were the issues of the people. ... He didn’t move because it was where the wind wanted to be today. He stayed strong in what he believed in his heart and his mind.”
Lieberman was known in the Senate for his hawkish foreign policy views, his pro-defense bent and his strong support for environmental causes.
Five weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, he became one of the first politicians to call for the ouster of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and later voted in favor of the military invasion of Iraq. His vocal support for the war would later help doom his candidacy in the 2006 Connecticut Democratic primary.
Lieberman tended to vote with Democrats on most issues and was a longtime supporter of abortion rights, a stance that would have proved problematic with conservatives had McCain chosen him as his running mate in 2008.
He played a key role in the legislation that created the Department of Homeland Security.
Lieberman grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, where his father ran a liquor store. Lieberman graduated from Yale University and Yale Law School in New Haven. As Connecticut’s attorney general from 1983 to 1988, he was a strong consumer and environmental advocate. Lieberman vaulted into the Senate by defeating moderate Republican incumbent Lowell Weicker in 1988.
After leaving the Senate in 2013, Lieberman joined a New York City law firm. His funeral will be held Friday at Congregation Agudath Sholom in his hometown of Stamford. An additional memorial service will be announced at a later date.
Lieberman and his wife, Hadassah, have four children.
___
Former Associated Press writer Andrew Miga contributed to this report.
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Should be more chatter about the D win in the Alabama House race. The winner lost the last cycle, creating a 33 point swing. She ran on pro-choice and IVF. Even more interesting, the internal polling of her competitor had him ahead by several points, and then he gets smoked. This goes into the point that I've been making that the there is a polling problem right now. I'm not sure if R's are being oversampled or D's are not responding. But time after time, we are seeing the D's outperform the polling.
Should be more chatter about the D win in the Alabama House race. The winner lost the last cycle, creating a 33 point swing. She ran on pro-choice and IVF. Even more interesting, the internal polling of her competitor had him ahead by several points, and then he gets smoked. This goes into the point that I've been making that the there is a polling problem right now. I'm not sure if R's are being oversampled or D's are not responding. But time after time, we are seeing the D's outperform the polling.
I wouldn’t read too much into it. It was a special election for a state house seat in Alabama. Hardly a harbinger of the national mood. Any dem in an elected office is good. Maybe repubs didn’t turn out because of the guy she replaced and it’ll be re-run in November?
Should be more chatter about the D win in the Alabama House race. The winner lost the last cycle, creating a 33 point swing. She ran on pro-choice and IVF. Even more interesting, the internal polling of her competitor had him ahead by several points, and then he gets smoked. This goes into the point that I've been making that the there is a polling problem right now. I'm not sure if R's are being oversampled or D's are not responding. But time after time, we are seeing the D's outperform the polling.
I wouldn’t read too much into it. It was a special election for a state house seat in Alabama. Hardly a harbinger of the national mood. Any dem in an elected office is good. Maybe repubs didn’t turn out because of the guy she replaced and it’ll be re-run in November?
It's the pattern that continues, even in deep red Alabama. That pattern is 1. D's winning elections in either R or split districts and 2. Polling understating D support.
You can't ignore the pattern and it's been happening since Roe overturned.
Should be more chatter about the D win in the Alabama House race. The winner lost the last cycle, creating a 33 point swing. She ran on pro-choice and IVF. Even more interesting, the internal polling of her competitor had him ahead by several points, and then he gets smoked. This goes into the point that I've been making that the there is a polling problem right now. I'm not sure if R's are being oversampled or D's are not responding. But time after time, we are seeing the D's outperform the polling.
That's quite a big swing. I bet there'll be plenty of chatter from the "Rigged!" crowd.
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mickeyrat
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Sen. Bob Menendez decides not to delay May trial with appeal of judge's ruling
By LARRY NEUMEISTER
59 mins ago
NEW YORK (AP) — New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez will not appeal a judge’s ruling on Constitutional grounds that would have delayed his May trial, his lawyers said Thursday.
The Democrat’s lawyers notified the Manhattan federal judge who will preside over the May 6 trial in a letter that the senator’s decision was “principally motivated by his desire to proceed to trial and establish his innocence without further delay.”
He has pleaded not guilty to corruption charges filed after investigators discovered gold bars and cash at his New Jersey home.
Prosecutors say the gold and cash resulted from bribes that he and his wife received in exchange for favors Menendez carried out for three New Jersey businessmen.
Earlier this month, Judge Sidney H. Stein ruled that multiple warrants used to conduct 2022 searches of the Democrat’s email accounts and his home were properly sought and carried out.
The warrants had been contested by Menendez under provisions of the Constitution that would have allowed an appeal to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals prior to a trial if the senator chose to go that route.
The senator’s lawyers had claimed the warrants were “riddled with material misrepresentation and omissions that deceived the authorizing magistrate judge.”
Stein said any omissions in the warrants were not intentional or material for searches of his home in June 2022 that resulted in the discovery of over $100,000 worth of gold bars and more than $480,000 in cash. Prosecutors said much of the gold and cash was hidden in closets, clothing and a safe.
Menendez, 70, said the cash found in the house was personal savings he had put away for emergencies. After his fall arrest, Menendez was forced to relinquish his chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but said he would not resign from Congress.
Besides Menendez, his wife, Nadine, and two businessmen also have pleaded not guilty to charges. A third businessman facing charges has pled guilty in a cooperation deal with prosecutors that calls for him to testify at trial.
According to an indictment, Menendez and his wife accepted gold bars and cash from a real estate developer in return for the senator using his clout to get that businessman a multimillion-dollar deal with a Qatari investment fund.
Menendez also was charged with helping another New Jersey business associate get a lucrative deal with the government of Egypt.
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Should be more chatter about the D win in the Alabama House race. The winner lost the last cycle, creating a 33 point swing. She ran on pro-choice and IVF. Even more interesting, the internal polling of her competitor had him ahead by several points, and then he gets smoked. This goes into the point that I've been making that the there is a polling problem right now. I'm not sure if R's are being oversampled or D's are not responding. But time after time, we are seeing the D's outperform the polling.
1. they usually call landlines at dinner time. 2. these calls take over 30 minutes. i know because i always used to get these polling calls. more republicans have landlines than democrats. 3. i think people who are angry are more willing to talk on the phone to a stranger about politics for 30 minutes. they can vent to the caller and air their grievances. i think maga are more inclined to do this sort of thing. i mean, who, after a long day of work, really wants to come home and take a 30 minute survey call and talk about politics with a stranger? not most people i know.
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.- Hemingway
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1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
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2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
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"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
8 I think.
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I don't necessarily disagree with him that the party should open the process up (both in general and because in this case they have a candidate that's floundering). But he's become such a petulant whiner and he's drifting into some dangerous rhetoric. After saying we need to defeat Trump to save the republic, he asked the difference between the party not opening it up and "Iran’s tactics to guarantee the outcome of elections." Uh, because a party is not a government, Dean. And if he's going to say the Dem party is just like Iran, then the logical conclusion is not to vote for it either. Hope he enjoys Trump's second term.
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TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. John Fetterman has backed Rep. Andy Kim in the congressman's bid to win a contested primary for New Jersey's Senate seat, as Democrats jockey to push indicted Sen. Bob Menendez out of office.
Fetterman was an early proponent of calling for Menendez's ouster from Congress after federal prosecutors charged Menendez, his wife and business associates with taking bribes in cash and gold bars in exchange for helping the government of Egypt — and, in a later indictment, Qatar as well.
Menendez and the other defendants have pleaded not guilty, and the senator has vowed to fight the charges. Unlike the first time he was indicted — charges that ultimately led to a hung jury in 2017 — Menendez has lost support within the Democratic Party in his home state, where his influence was once virtually unassailable.
Fetterman called Kim, a three-term congressman from southern New Jersey's 3rd District, a man of integrity and “deep honor." Without mentioning Menendez by name, Fetterman drew an implied contrast with him.
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“I feel very secure knowing that he has no gold bars underneath his mattress and won’t ever be accused of being a foreign agent for Egypt or Qatar,” he said.
It's unclear the extent to which endorsements will resonate with voters, but they can help campaigns with fundraising, generate a sense of momentum or inevitability and project strength.
Fetterman's endorsement comes amid a pitched internal struggle among New Jersey Democrats who have called for Menendez's ouster and are competing to succeed him.
Menendez hasn't said if he'll run again and has so far withstood calls for his resignation.
The June primary is shaping up as a battle, so far, between Kim and the state's first lady, Tammy Murphy. Other Democrats are also campaigning in the race, though Murphy and Kim have gone tit-for-tat with a number of high-profile endorsements, and each has raised millions so far.
Murphy unveiled the backing this week of officials in the Democratic stronghold of Atlantic City as well as the state trooper's union. She's already received backing from influential county party chairmen whose support is key to how the ballot is drafted, with preferred candidates getting favorable placement.
Fetterman's backing on Thursday seemed to come in response.
“To have someone who is a sitting senator, who knows the job, knows the role of a legislator at this moment, and also just understands the crazy, chaotic moment that we live in right now, that’s something that stands out, and I’m glad to have his support,” Kim said in an emailed statement.
Murphy's campaign said in an emailed statement that she's traveling the state to earn support from voters. She will “stand up for key Democratic values in DC,” said campaign spokesperson Alexandra Altman.
Fetterman joins fellow Pennsylvanian Gov. Josh Shapiro in wading into the race. Shapiro has raised money for Murphy, according to her campaign.
Also seeking or considering a run on the Democratic side are long-time civil rights organizer Lawrence Hamm and labor leader Patricia Campos-Medina.
“This race for U.S. Senate is very contentious now,” Hamm said, referring to Murphy and Kim. “We know at least two of these candidates are expected to spend millions.”
The GOP primary is also still shaping up. Mendham Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner, a declared candidate, said through a spokesperson on Friday that the Democratic Party “enabled” corruption by supporting Menendez for years.
Keeping New Jersey's Senate seat in Democratic hands is crucial for the party, which has narrow control of the chamber heading into this fall's election. New Jersey hasn't elected a Republican to the Senate since 1972.
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Democrat Tom Suozzi won a special election for a U.S. House seat in New York on Tuesday, coming out on top in a politically mixed suburban district in a victory that could lift his party’s hopes heading into a fiercely contested presidential election later this year.
Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip to take the seat that was left vacant when George Santos, also a Republican, was expelled from Congress. The victory marks a return to Washington for Suozzi, who represented the district for three terms before giving it up to run, unsuccessfully, for governor.
It’s unclear how long his next stint on Capitol Hill will last, as a redistricting process unfolds that could reshape the district. But for now the result narrows the already slim Republican majority in the House. And it provides Democrats a much-needed win in New York City’s Long Island suburbs, where the GOP showed surprising strength in recent elections.
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Suozzi stressed his campaign trail theme of bipartisan cooperation in a victory speech that was briefly interrupted by protestors criticizing his support of Israel.
“There are divisions in our country where people can’t even talk to each other. All they can do is yell and scream at each other,” he said, acknowledging the demonstrators. “That’s not the answer to the problems we face in our country. The answer is to try and bring people together to try and find common ground.”
“The way to make our country a better place is to try and find common ground. It is not easy to do. It is hard to do,” Suozzi told supporters at his election night party in Woodbury.
Suozzi’s win will likely reassure Democrats that they can perform well in suburban communities across the nation, which will be critical to the party’s efforts to retake control of the U.S. House and reelect President Joe Biden.
Still, forecasting for November could be complicated given that turnout, already expected to be low given the abbreviated race, was potentially hampered by a storm that dumped several inches of snow on the district on election day. Both campaigns offered voters free rides to the polls as plows cleared wet slush from the roads.
In the short term, the result could be a factor in ultratight votes in the House, where Republicans hold just a 219-212 majority. In an example of how important one seat can be, House Republicans voted Tuesday night to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by a single vote, punishing the Biden administration over its border policies.
At a polling place on Long Island earlier in the day, 59-year-old Eliezer Sarrias said he cast a ballot for Suozzi because the former congressman appeared more able to work with the opposing party to reach agreements and end congressional gridlock.
“The constituents elect our officials to perform a certain job, and we’ve really had a very stagnant congressional year,” Sarrias said after voting at a middle school in Levittown. “Even with the migrants now, we had bipartisan deal in Congress and suddenly it evaporated, like, why? Do we really need to wait for another president to come, or aren’t the issues that are pressing to everyone important at the moment?”
On the campaign trail, Suozzi, a political centrist, leaned into some of the same issues that Republicans have used to bash Democrats, calling for tougher U.S. border policies and a rollback of New York laws that made it tougher for judges to detain criminal suspects awaiting trial.
The unusual midwinter election became necessary after Santos was ousted by his colleagues in December, partway through his first term.
Santos won office in what had been a reliably Democratic district partly by falsely portraying himself as an American success story — a son of working class immigrants who made himself into a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker. But many elements of Santos’ life story were later exposed as fabrications, and he was indicted on multiple charges including allegations he stole money from Republican donors. He has pleaded not guilty.
With no time for a primary before the special election, Democrats nominated Suozzi, a political centrist well known to voters in the district.
Republican leaders turned to Pilip, a relatively unknown candidate with a unique personal backstory. Born in Ethiopia, she migrated to Israel as part of Operation Solomon and served in Israel's defense forces before eventually moving to the U.S. and winning a seat in Nassau County’s legislature in 2021.
Pilip conceded the race and said she congratulated Suozzi in a phone call Tuesday night.
“Yes we lost, but it doesn’t mean we are going to end here,” Pilip told supporters at her election watch party.
Biden’s campaign manager was quick to link the victory to the upcoming presidential race: “Donald Trump lost again tonight. When Republicans run on Trump’s extreme agenda – even in a Republican-held seat — voters reject them,” Julie Chavez Rodriguez said.
Trump responded to the result in a post on his social media site Truth Social, calling Pilip a “very foolish woman” who was “running in a race where she didn’t endorse me and tried to ‘straddle the fence,’ when she would have easily WON if she understood anything about MODERN DAY politics in America.”
The short campaign was dominated by issues — abortion, immigration and crime — that are expected to shape crucial suburban races nationwide in this year’s battle for control of Congress.
Despite being an international migrant once herself, Pilip hammered Suozzi over an influx of asylum-seekers into New York City, accusing Democrats and Biden of failing to secure the U.S. southern border.
In response, Suozzi spent much of the campaign talking about the need to strengthen border policy, pointing out times when he bucked his own party on the issue while in Congress. In the final stretch, Suozzi said he would support a temporary closure of the border to slow the number of arrivals, similar to comments that Biden has made.
Suozzi counterattacked Pilip on abortion, saying she couldn’t be trusted to protect abortion rights in places like New York where it remains legal.
Pilip said she is personally against abortion but wouldn’t force her beliefs others and would oppose any attempt by Congress to impose a nationwide ban. She has also said mifepristone, an abortion medication, should be available nationally.
Both candidates expressed unwavering support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas, even appearing side-by-side in an unusual joint event intended to convey solidarity.
Democrats and Republicans will get a chance to fight over the congressional seat again in November’s general election, though the battleground may look different.
That’s because the state’s congressional districts are set to be redrawn again in the next few months because of a court order. Democrats, who dominate state government, are widely expected to try to craft more favorable lines for their candidates.
New York is expected to play an outsize role in determining control of Congress this year, with competitive races in multiple contests in the suburban and exurban rings around New York City.
___
AP reporter Philip Marcelo in Levittown contributed.
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Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in the disputed 2000 election and who almost became Republican John McCain's running mate eight years later, has died, according to a statement issued by his family.
Lieberman died in New York City on Wednesday due to complications from a fall, the statement said. He was 82.
The Democrat-turned-independent was never shy about veering from the party line.
Lieberman's independent streak and especially his needling of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential contest rankled many Democrats, the party he aligned with in the Senate. Yet his support for gay rights, civil rights, abortion rights and environmental causes at times won him the praise of many liberals over the years.
“In an era of political carbon copies, Joe Lieberman was a singularity. One of one," said Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat. "He fought and won for what he believed was right and for the state he adored.”
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Over the last decade, Lieberman helped lead No Labels, a centrist third-party movement that has said it will offer as-yet-unnamed candidates for president and vice president this year. Some groups aligned with Democrats oppose the effort, fearing it will help presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump win the White House.
The group on Wednesday called Lieberman's unexpected death a “profound loss,” describing him as “a singular figure in American political life who always put his country before party.”
Lieberman came tantalizingly close to winning the vice presidency in the contentious 2000 presidential contest that was decided by a 537-vote margin victory for George W. Bush in Florida after a drawn-out recount, legal challenges and a Supreme Court decision. He was the first Jewish candidate on a major party’s presidential ticket and would have been the first Jewish vice president.
Gore said in a statement Wednesday night that he was profoundly saddened by the death of his one-time running mate. He called Lieberman “a truly gifted leader, whose affable personality and strong will made him a force to be reckoned with" and said his dedication to equality and fairness started at a young age, noting Lieberman traveled to the South to join the civil rights movement in the 1960s.
“It was an honor to stand side-by-side with him on the campaign trail,” Gore said.
Lieberman sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 but dropped out after a weak showing in the early primaries. Four years later, he was an independent who was nearly chosen to be McCain’s running mate. He and McCain were close pals who shared hawkish views on military and national security matters.
McCain was leaning strongly toward choosing Lieberman for the ticket as the 2008 GOP convention neared, but he chose Sarah Palin at the last minute after “ferocious” blowback from conservatives over Lieberman’s liberal record, according to Steve Schmidt, who managed McCain’s campaign.
Lieberman generated controversy in 1998 when he scolded President Bill Clinton, his friend of many years, for “disgraceful behavior” in an explosive speech on the Senate floor during the height of the scandal over his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. Yet Lieberman later voted against the impeachment of Clinton.
While he had a tortured relationship with Democrats, Lieberman defended his partisan switches as a matter of conscience, saying he always had the best interests of Connecticut voters at heart. Critics accused him of pursuing narrow self-interest and political expediency.
In announcing his retirement from the Senate in 2013, Lieberman acknowledged that he did “not always fit comfortably into conventional political boxes” and felt his first responsibility was to serve his constituents, state and country, not his political party.
During his final Senate speech, Lieberman urged Congress to look beyond party lines and partisan rancor to break Washington gridlock.
“It requires reaching across the aisle and finding partners from the opposite party,” said Lieberman. “That is what is desperately needed in Washington now.”
Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, who served as Senate Democratic leader, once said that while he didn’t always agree with the independent-minded Lieberman, he respected him.
“Regardless of our differences, I have never doubted Joe Lieberman’s principles or his patriotism,” Reid said. “And I respect his independent streak, as it stems from strong convictions.”
Privately, some Democrats were often less charitable about Lieberman’s forays across party lines, which they saw as disloyal. He bolted his party and turned independent after a 2006 Senate primary loss in Connecticut.
Lieberman’s strong support of the Iraq War had hurt his statewide popularity. Democrats rejected Lieberman and handed the 2006 primary to a political newcomer and an antiwar candidate, Ned Lamont, who is now serving a second term as Connecticut governor. Citing his Senate experience, congressional clout and support for the state's defense industry, Lieberman went on to win reelection to a fourth term as an independent.
Many of his Democratic allies and longtime friends, including former Sen. Chris Dodd, had supported Lamont in that election. Lieberman was candid about what he considered a betrayal by old pals such as Dodd, but the two men later reconciled.
In a statement issued Wednesday expressing condolences, Lamont said he and Lieberman eventually became friends after their grueling and contentious race.
“While the senator and I had our political differences, he was a man of integrity and conviction, so our debate about the Iraq War was serious,” Lamont said in a statement. “I believe we agreed to disagree from a position of principle."
“When the race was over, we stayed in touch as friends in the best traditions of American democracy. He will be missed," he added.
After his rebound reelection in 2006, Lieberman decided to caucus with Democrats in the Senate, who let him head a committee in return because they needed his vote to help keep control of the closely divided chamber. But it wasn’t long until Lieberman was showing his independent streak and ruffling his Democratic caucus colleagues.
He was an enthusiastic backer of McCain in the 2008 presidential contest, and his speech at the 2008 GOP presidential nominating convention criticizing Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, struck a deep nerve.
Lieberman cast Obama as a political show horse, a lightweight with a thin record of accomplishment in the Senate despite his soaring eloquence as a speaker.
“In the Senate, during the 3 1/2 years that Sen. Obama has been a member, he has not reached across party lines to ... accomplish anything significant, nor has he been willing to take on powerful interest groups in the Democratic Party to get something done,” Lieberman said at the convention.
“Eloquence is no substitute for a record,” he said.
Lieberman campaigned heartily across the country for McCain. Many Democrats considered it a betrayal of Obama and his former party colleagues.
“Joe Lieberman has said things that are totally irresponsible when it comes to Barack Obama,” House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California said in a radio interview during the 2008 race. In a message posted Wednesday on X, Pelosi called Lieberman a “leader of integrity and patriotism” while acknowledging they often disagreed on politics.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Lieberman's death was “devastatingly sad” and speculated that McCain, who died in 2018, was “giving him an earful about how screwed up things are.”
After the election, there was speculation Senate Democrats might strip Lieberman of his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee as payback. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chair of the Judiciary Committee, was among those who said Lieberman should lose his chairmanship. Leahy branded Lieberman’s attacks on Obama as “beyond the pale.”
But at Obama’s urging, Senate Democrats decided not to punish Lieberman for supporting McCain and the GOP ticket. Obama was eager to strike a bipartisan tone for his presidency and giving Lieberman a pass helped reinforce that message. On Wednesday, Obama acknowledged they “didn't always see eye-to-eye,” but noted Lieberman had an “extraordinary career in public service.”
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent and staunch liberal, called Lieberman's convention comments a “slap in the face” for millions of Americans who backed Obama.
Connecticut Democrats considered censuring Lieberman. Longtime friend Nick Balletto, former chairman of the state party, acknowledged many were unhappy with Lieberman and noted that the discontent overshadowed everything he had done for the state. Before the U.S. Senate, Lieberman served in the state Senate and as Connecticut Attorney General.
“He was the most genuine, honest, straightforward politician you’d probably ever meet. What you saw is what you got,” said Balletto. “His issues were the issues of the people. ... He didn’t move because it was where the wind wanted to be today. He stayed strong in what he believed in his heart and his mind.”
Lieberman was known in the Senate for his hawkish foreign policy views, his pro-defense bent and his strong support for environmental causes.
Five weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, he became one of the first politicians to call for the ouster of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and later voted in favor of the military invasion of Iraq. His vocal support for the war would later help doom his candidacy in the 2006 Connecticut Democratic primary.
Lieberman tended to vote with Democrats on most issues and was a longtime supporter of abortion rights, a stance that would have proved problematic with conservatives had McCain chosen him as his running mate in 2008.
He played a key role in the legislation that created the Department of Homeland Security.
Lieberman grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, where his father ran a liquor store. Lieberman graduated from Yale University and Yale Law School in New Haven. As Connecticut’s attorney general from 1983 to 1988, he was a strong consumer and environmental advocate. Lieberman vaulted into the Senate by defeating moderate Republican incumbent Lowell Weicker in 1988.
After leaving the Senate in 2013, Lieberman joined a New York City law firm. His funeral will be held Friday at Congregation Agudath Sholom in his hometown of Stamford. An additional memorial service will be announced at a later date.
Lieberman and his wife, Hadassah, have four children.
___
Former Associated Press writer Andrew Miga contributed to this report.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
https://www.newsweek.com/marilyn-lands-achieves-stunning-swing-democrats-alabama-1883920
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
You can't ignore the pattern and it's been happening since Roe overturned.
2013 Wrigley 2014 St. Paul 2016 Fenway, Fenway, Wrigley, Wrigley 2018 Missoula, Wrigley, Wrigley 2021 Asbury Park 2022 St Louis 2023 Austin, Austin
NEW YORK (AP) — New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez will not appeal a judge’s ruling on Constitutional grounds that would have delayed his May trial, his lawyers said Thursday.
The Democrat’s lawyers notified the Manhattan federal judge who will preside over the May 6 trial in a letter that the senator’s decision was “principally motivated by his desire to proceed to trial and establish his innocence without further delay.”
He has pleaded not guilty to corruption charges filed after investigators discovered gold bars and cash at his New Jersey home.
Prosecutors say the gold and cash resulted from bribes that he and his wife received in exchange for favors Menendez carried out for three New Jersey businessmen.
Earlier this month, Judge Sidney H. Stein ruled that multiple warrants used to conduct 2022 searches of the Democrat’s email accounts and his home were properly sought and carried out.
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The warrants had been contested by Menendez under provisions of the Constitution that would have allowed an appeal to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals prior to a trial if the senator chose to go that route.
The senator’s lawyers had claimed the warrants were “riddled with material misrepresentation and omissions that deceived the authorizing magistrate judge.”
Stein said any omissions in the warrants were not intentional or material for searches of his home in June 2022 that resulted in the discovery of over $100,000 worth of gold bars and more than $480,000 in cash. Prosecutors said much of the gold and cash was hidden in closets, clothing and a safe.
Menendez, 70, said the cash found in the house was personal savings he had put away for emergencies. After his fall arrest, Menendez was forced to relinquish his chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but said he would not resign from Congress.
Besides Menendez, his wife, Nadine, and two businessmen also have pleaded not guilty to charges. A third businessman facing charges has pled guilty in a cooperation deal with prosecutors that calls for him to testify at trial.
According to an indictment, Menendez and his wife accepted gold bars and cash from a real estate developer in return for the senator using his clout to get that businessman a multimillion-dollar deal with a Qatari investment fund.
Menendez also was charged with helping another New Jersey business associate get a lucrative deal with the government of Egypt.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
1. they usually call landlines at dinner time.
2. these calls take over 30 minutes. i know because i always used to get these polling calls. more republicans have landlines than democrats.
3. i think people who are angry are more willing to talk on the phone to a stranger about politics for 30 minutes. they can vent to the caller and air their grievances. i think maga are more inclined to do this sort of thing. i mean, who, after a long day of work, really wants to come home and take a 30 minute survey call and talk about politics with a stranger? not most people i know.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."