Senator Bob Menendez sat down for an interview with POLITICO recently, and here's that video. Menendez ran the Senate's 2010 campaign strategy, a year we lost 6 seats. Part of what he talks about here is the rise of corporate spending on the right, post Citizens United, particularly the fueling of tea party candidates by the Koch brothers. Overall, Menendez says he tracked $70 million in corporate spending against Senate Democrats. He calls it "a corruption of our election system," that absent a constitutional solution, should require greater disclosure and transparency in spending.
Menendez also has strong advice for 2012 candidates, to seize the debate over gas prices, the budget and federal spending, offering a well-framed debate that resonates with most Americans simplistic cries of things like "Drill, baby, drill." That's a particularly attractive piece of advice as we approach the 1-year anniversary of BP's Deepwater Horizon explosion and the massive oil spill that dirtied the Gulf of Mexico. Menendez is against allowing an expansion of offshore drilling - both our senators are - and has an idea how Democrats can respond legislatively to the BP oil spill disaster. "Use it or lose it," Menendez says: legislation that would essentially penalize companies that do not produce on drilling leases they have already been granted.
For a while there, it was beginning to look like DSCC had bed bugs. Bob Menendez, facing his own 2012 re-election (not to mention a Tea Party who wants his hide) is ready to step down from his 2-year stint as the Dems' campaign chief for the Senate.
Harry Reid offered the job to Washington State's Patty Murray (who turned it down). So did Virginia's Mark Warner, and Colorado's Michael Bennet. NY's Chuck Schumer (who ran DSCC from 2005-09) took himself out of the running. But Murray changed her mind; it was announced today she'll chair DSCC. Big job. This cycle, 21 Dem incumbents are up, and both independents who caucus with the Dems, Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman (one worth saving, one not). Only 9 Republicans are up for re-election.
One of Murray's top priorities will be making sure her predecessor Bob Menendez makes it through his "first" re-election to the Senate. Menendez was appointed by Gov. Corzine to fill his own Senate seat when Corzine became governor. He took office in January, 2006, and defeated Tom Kean, Jr. later that same year to keep his seat. But this is the first time Menendez has a longer Senate record to run against. As the man who presided over Dems keeping control of the Senate, he's got a big, red GOP target on his back. Then there's the Tea Party people, enraged by a Latino with power, and vowing to take their (ridiculous) constitution-bending case to recall him all the way to the Supreme Court. Unlikely, that they'll get there. Unknown, the effect of 2 years of their ignorant, racially-motivated bashing.
Between then and now, a year of redistricting and legislative races. A year of most Democrats focusing more on the state's troubles and its overblown helium balloon of a governor. Menendez will ramp up same time Obama will; in the Garden State, their fortunes loosely tied. It's early yet, but Menendez may have some work to do.
And, if it isn't fresh in your mind, Murray just came off her own re-election nail-biter, victorious only after a 3-day vote count. Menendez helped her get re-elected. We'll see in two years if her efforts for him pay off.
Senator Menendez appeared this morning on Meet the Press with David Gregory in his role as DSCC chairman. They were joined by his counterpart at the RSCC and the heads of the RCCC and DCCC to talk about the upcoming 2010 election.
Following his appearance, this is what the Senator had to say via tweet:
On Meet the Press, my Republican colleagues couldn't name a single difference than what they did under the Bush economic agenda. More debtless than a minute ago via UberTwitterSen. Robert Menendez SenatorMenendez
Senator Menendez appeared on Morning Joe earlier today to talk with the panel about a variety of issues. He started talking about his plan to end tax breaks for oil companies, then moved on to the push back from Wall Street before talking about the housing problems and Sarah Palin. You can see the segment here:
As head of the DSCC, Senator Menendez has weighed in over the controversy surrounding Alvin Greene in South Carolina, the candidate who won the US Senate Primary to face Jim DeMint in the General:
"This is clearly not in our whole universe of the electoral map, where we have focused our attention before Alvin Greene," he said. "We have other great races to pursue, and you know, obviously we attribute our resources, and our time and attention, to where we best think we can achieve both pickups, and of course, re-elect our incumbents."
"Based upon all of the allegations -- if the allegations are true, I'd like to see another Democrat replace him unquestionably," he added. "But if you ask me, 'Is it where we are going to spend a lot of time and attention of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee?' -- you know, I don't have unlimited resources."
Keith Olbermann last night called it the "Immaculate Election." You can see the full interview with the Senator below:
South Carolina Democrats rejected a protest of last weeks vote, though allegations and questions still abound. The Senator certainly has his hands full this cycle in a very tough climate. As you can see, the last thing he wants to do is get involved spending time and resources on this fight in South Carolina.
Rand Paul was supposed to be a guest on Meet the Press today with Joe Sestak, John Cornyn and Bob Menendez. Paul bailed after the really really bad week he had, but Menendez appeared and here's the show where they talked about the races in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Connecticut among other topics. Toward the end of the segment, they also got into the immigration debate and the Arizona law:
"I think that, first of all, Attorney General Blumenthal has been an incredible advocate for veterans," Menendez told reporters. "I believe he's having an event today where veterans are standing with him and saying, you know, 'Dick Blumenthal has stood by our side.'"
Menendez continued: "He's corrected the record in the past, and I think, you know, his actions as it relates to standing up for veterans over a long period of time speaks volumes [about] both where his heart and his actions are. And so I'm sure those veterans who will be standing up for him today will make the case for him, and I'm sure he will continue to stay in the Senate race, and we will continue to support him."
He can spin it however he wants and say the NY Times wasn't fair in their story, but this is going to be tough to overcome and the video will surely end up in negative ads on rotation. Parsing Menendez's words, if Blumenthal were to say drop out of the race, then the DSCC wouldn't have to abandon their support. No matter who the Democrat is on the ballot, the Senator said this will be a race focused on the contrast with the opponent:
"The reality is that we have not gotten to a full vetting of, you know, the Republican candidate," Menendez said. "There's plenty to talk about in that respect. I think [Blumenthal's] record of standing up for Connecticut citizens, standing up for them as a consumer advocate, standing up for the veterans in that state, standing up against big companies that have tried to rip off the citizens of Connecticut ... when the other side of the equation is viewed, I think voters will have a clear choice."
The Democrats have until May 25 to replace Blumenthal if it appears he is too damaged. This is clearly a self inflicted wound and it remains to be seen whether Blumenthal can recover. Democrats thought they dodged a bullet when Dodd, whose numbers were suffering, chose not to seek re-election. Now it looks like the next one in line could be damaged goods as well. It's not like the issue will go away in the race as one of the Republicans running in the primary Rob Simmons is a Vietnam Veteran himself. He has already called on Blumenthal to apologize "to those whose heroism he has undeservedly capitalized on for his personal political purposes" and that's only the beginning. What do you think should happen?
While Republicans try to say there is no downside to the tactics they utilized in the healthcare debate, Senator Menendez and the Democrats believe that when people see the talk doesn't measure up, there will be consequences:
"When this bill goes into effect, and none of the things Republicans warned about begin to happen - none of the death panels, none of the government takeover, none of the socialism - Republicans will have no credibility," Mr. Menendez said.
They may not have any credibility, but that doesn't seem like it will stop them from jumping up and down like their hair is on fire trying to repeal the bill. Even if they could actually pass legislation to repeal healthcare, wouldn't the President just veto it? And what kind of message and strategy is running on bringing back pre-existing conditions?
Et tu, Rob Portman? Ye of sensibility and rectitude? Ye of maturity and political resolve? Despite inquires from the Cincinnati Enquirer and Plain Dealer, Portman's campaign won't directly answer the question of whether the candidate believes that President Obama is a citizen. (Obama is.) So now, we're up to five Republican Senate candidates -- major ones, not including J.D. Hayworth in Arizona for the moment -- who have flirted with Birtherism.
Several of these candidates have later corrected their initial hesitation, but it is precisely that initial hesitation that contains so much information about what Republican candidates fear right now. No doubt that Portman and Marco Rubio know that Birtherism is bullshit. The gap between their private beliefs and how they articulate them publicly is fairly wide. I'm not a fan of stories that begin with X "refuses to denounce" Y -- I usually skip them. I make an exception here because the accusation is so reckless, so tied to race and culture, and so stupid that those who try to Wink at the Birthers are adding potency to a poison that everyone is forced to gulp.
Poison. You don't normally see our mainstream media using terms like this. It is dangerous poison.
As the days of Republicans obstructing legislation in the Senate continue to pass, momentum has built to change the rules of the filibuster. Talking Points memo has a story up talking about how Harry Reid is suggesting it's time to make a change and our Senator had this take:
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) added in his remarks that Democrats need to "crystallize" obstruction and showcase incidents like the Bunning blockade to highlight the real effects parliamentary tactics have on voters.
At the very least if they don't change the rules, they should make Republicans actually stand up and filibuster. Not play the games that they are. And Democrats need to clearly spell out what is going like the Senator says, because they can't continue to lose the messaging battle and expect to win at the ballot box. I would hope Senator Menendez, in his role leading the DSCC can push other members to make sure they are highlighting the obstruction on a more regular basis until permanent changes are made.
Senator Bob Menendez appeared on MSNBC the other day with Savannah Guthrie and Chuck Todd for the Morning Rundown show. When asked about what his members will say to the argument that using reconciliation for healthcare is an end run, which it's not but the media continues to perpetuate, he said:
Look, no matter how hard we tried, no matter how hard the President tried, the Republicans just weren't serious about solving the problems of millions of Americans that get denied health insurance because they have a pre-existing condition, of tens of millions of Americans that have no insurance whatsoever, and all the rest of us who have insurance and the price keeps going up, even though we get denied more and more when we make a claim with insurance companies.
You can see the segment here:On the campaign side, Menendez talked about how the DSCC will be supporting Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas in the primary, who now has a challenge from a Progressive candidate. He said they always support incumbents, but don't broadcast their strategy of what they will do to help out. Lincoln turned around and started attacking the public option, voiced her opposition to cap and trade and painted Washington as children in her latest ad. While Washington may be acting like Children, Lincoln is one of the people throwing dirt in the sandbox.
The Washington Post had an extensive story yesterday about Senator Menendez and his role leading the DSCC. The story went into looking at the Massachusetts debacle and found an anonymous White House official ready to air some dirty laundry:
One senior administration official, who was granted anonymity to speak frankly about the White House's grievances, acknowledged that there was plenty of blame to go around, especially in the failure to notice how intensely Republican voters were motivated. But the official also argued that Menendez bore a larger burden because it was his job to protect the seat.
"I don't understand how they could have missed how fundamentally unsound the candidate was," said the administration official. "They shouldn't have been surprised by it."
The anonymous source continued saying that his predecessor would never have allowed it to happen:
"Chuck Schumer would have been a rabid dog if he had one race in America and he wouldn't have rested, even if he had a 40-point lead," said the official, who argued the committee needed an A-team on the ground sooner. "They chose not to do that because it was a comfortable lead and they wanted to save their resources for what they thought were going to be really tough races."
But of course once the dirt was shoveled on Menendez, the official on the record comment completely contradicted the anonymous comments:
"That's not a view I share," said David Axelrod, White House senior adviser, adding that there was plenty of blame to go around. "I don't think any one institution or person bears a preponderance of responsibility for that. They have a very good staff over there, they do a very good job. This is not a case where you can say this was their fault."
While I agree with Axelrod that everyone shares blame, he's pretty much trying to close the gate after the horses have gotten out at this point. For his part, Menendez said the anonymous comments weren't helpful:
"Finger-pointing here is not only irresponsible, it risks misreading the political environment right now."
The bottom line is the DSCC is charged with paying attention to make sure that just this situation doesn't occur. Coakley shouldn't have been able to go dark for weeks after the primary and when they went off the reservation, the campaign should have been reigned back in. They can say Coakley wasn't the best candidate or who they would have wanted, but you have the candidate you have at that point. They tried to get more involved but at that point it was to late. Massachusetts needs to serve as a wake up call and an opportunity to be better prepared for the difficult road ahead. It's going to be a tough climate out there, but turning the attacks inward isn't going to make that job any easier. They all should have seen this coming and they all should work together to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Senator Bob Menendez appeared on the Rachel Maddow show last night to discuss the State of the Union and the state of play going forward. Rachel started asking him about a memo regarding driving a wedge between the tea party movement and Republican party.
He said it's a question of whose side you are on. He talked about the GOP sitting on their hands over the bank fee, contributions in elections and regulatory reform. He said they don't stand with the average citizen. Rachel questioned about Blue Dog defections sapping the strength of the argument, but Menendez said that he suspects these are issues that the Blue Dogs will have to be on board with. I'd say that remains to be seen. Menendez says this election needs to be a contrast. You need to define yourself, define your opponent and give the voters a choice. He then talked about strategies for both the primary and general. You can see for yourself:
While the decision of Byron Dorgan to not seek re-election to his Senate seat complicates things for Senator Menendez in his role leading the DSCC, Roll Call says it may put him in line for bigger and better things in the Democratic Leadership. The retirement creates an opening for the head of the Democratic Policy Committee and the Senator seems to be on the short list:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will appoint Dorgan's successor. As a result, lawmakers will not campaign among colleagues for the gavel but instead make quiet entreaties to their leader.
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) is considered a likely candidate. During his career in the House, Menendez headed the Democratic Caucus. Reid appointed Menendez to the Finance Committee in January 2009, a move colleagues interpreted as a reward for his agreement to lead the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) this cycle.
One Democratic aide said the likelihood of Menendez landing the job depends on whether Reid promised him special consideration, in addition to the Finance appointment, in return for running the DSCC. The aide said Menendez's claim would also hinge on his track record as campaign chief, a job that got a little harder with the retirements of Dorgan and Sen. Chris Dodd (Conn.), as well as tough challenges in Arkansas, Pennsylvania and Nevada.
It appears that if Menendez can help the party hold their own in the 2010 Senate contests, he could be in line for bigger and better things within the leadership of the Senate Democrats. He may want to pay attention to Massachusetts before he gets to the November races because that special election appears to be much closer than many would prefer or expect.
The news this week that North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan and Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd will not run again for re-election only complicates things for Senator Menendez in his role leading the DSCC. The Dodd news could actually prove to make the seat more secure for Democrats, but the Dorgan seat will be an uphill climb to hold. Here's what the Senator had to say about things yesterday:
DSCC chair Robert Menendez, the chief of Dem efforts to hold the Senate, acknowledged that the party faces a "challenge" next year, and declined to predict whether Dems would hold their super-majority.
But Menendez pushed back hard on the emerging media meme that the Dem retirements spell doom for the party, arguing that the GOP is defending six open Senate seats. Menendez also refused to concede that Byron Dorgan's Senate seat is a certain pickup for the GOP, as many argue, vowing a vigorous contest for it, though he conceded that Rep Earl Pomeroy, the most sought after Dem candidate, wasn't running.
Along with the Dorgan and Dodd seats for the Democrats, the Senator had more to say about the prospects for the GOP maintaining their seats:
"I would say the optics of having six Republican open seats is more significant," Menendez insisted, when asked to comment on the Dems' chances in the wake of the news about the retirements. "They have to run the table to be even at the end of the day,"
He added five of the races in those states - Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Kansas - are "very competitive," and vowed that Dems would benefit from the "bloody" GOP primaries underway in them.
They do have to run the table, but the climate may be a difficult one for Democrats to compete in. Follow me below the fold because there is plenty more to look at.
The DSCC has all but written her [Brunner] off, however, and the establishment has turned to [Democrat Lee] Fisher. In fact, Brunner said when she spoke with DSCC Chair Bob Menendez in Sept., he first told her that he "didn't want to see a Democratic candidate at the end of the primary with zero dollars," and he followed up that his organization would go into the state to work against a candidate perceived as "being negative in the primary or not raising enough money."
Brunner said she responded: "If you do that, the women of Ohio will never forgive you." Menendez, she said, retorted: "I know you're not scared of me, and I'm not scared of you."
I'm glad there's a primary and that Ohio Democrats will have a chance to choose the best candidate. Brunner has done a lot of good work and if many activists think she'd be a better candidate I take that seriously. That said, I don't really sympathize with Brunner here. First of all, I don't see how making these complaints public is going to help her. Furthermore, Cleveland's Plain Dealer wonders why she's talking to the National Journal instead of an Ohio outlet. It seems like she is showing bad judgment as she finds herself losing, threatening the DSCC and complaining in the press. Second, I can hardly expect Bob Menendez of New Jersey to think money isn't important. How am I supposed to be shocked and outraged?
Still, it would be nice someday to hear that Menendez, Rahm Emmanuel, or anyone in the DC power structure threatened conservative Democrats even once. It's all seems awfully one-sided, and so they shouldn't act so surprised the liberals on-line are in full revolt.
Just in case Senator Bob Menendez missed it, here's a poll from Public Policy Polling that he should show to his colleague, Senator Olympia Snowe.
Asked how they would vote in a primary contest between Snowe and a more conservative challenger, just 31% of likely Republican voters say they would pick Snowe while 59% say they would go for the conservative alternative...
Snowe's overall popularity is still decent, with 51% of voters approving of her to 36% disapproving. That owes to a 60% approval rating with Democrats and a 51% mark with independents.
I think asking her to join the Democratic caucus would be just what both sides in Maine want. How about it, Mr. DSCC Chair?
Politico had a story yesterday talking about how the NRSC will be trying to score political points against Democats up for re-election during the healthare debate:
The NRSC already has its eyes on Democrats up in 2012 - and plans to bombard Democrats who sit on the Finance Committee with attacks on their votes on controversial amendments during the Committee deliberations beginning Tuesday. Its top 2012 targets on the Committee: Nelson and Conrad, as well as Democratic Sens. Maria Cantwell of Washington and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan.
That news didn't sit well with Senator Menendez:
Menendez accused the Republicans of playing politics, and he's surely one who would know, given that he chairs the NRSC's counterpart, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
"...Senate Republicans have absolutely zero interest in reforming health care," Menendez said through the DSCC. "If Republicans think the health care crisis is just a game or political opportunity, they clearly have not learned the lessons of the past two elections."
NRSC spokesman Brian Walsh responds: "When you consider that the DSCC has issued literally dozens of press releases and fundraising appeals attacking Republicans on health care in recent weeks, these remarks are ironic and unfortunate to say the least."
Didn't this whole story start with the fact that the Republicans were going to try to play politics with the process of legislating and governing in committee? But of course to the NRSC it's only the Democrats playing politics. For New Jersey, whether it's on the politics of the DSCC or the policy of the Finance Committee, Senator Menendez finds himself in the middle of everything.
Politico had a story yesterday talking about how the NRSC will be trying to score political points against Democats up for re-election during the healthare debate:
The NRSC already has its eyes on Democrats up in 2012 - and plans to bombard Democrats who sit on the Finance Committee with attacks on their votes on controversial amendments during the Committee deliberations beginning Tuesday. Its top 2012 targets on the Committee: Nelson and Conrad, as well as Democratic Sens. Maria Cantwell of Washington and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan.
That news didn't sit well with Senator Menendez:
Menendez accused the Republicans of playing politics, and he's surely one who would know, given that he chairs the NRSC's counterpart, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
"...Senate Republicans have absolutely zero interest in reforming health care," Menendez said through the DSCC. "If Republicans think the health care crisis is just a game or political opportunity, they clearly have not learned the lessons of the past two elections."
NRSC spokesman Brian Walsh responds: "When you consider that the DSCC has issued literally dozens of press releases and fundraising appeals attacking Republicans on health care in recent weeks, these remarks are ironic and unfortunate to say the least."
Didn't this whole story start with the fact that the Republicans were going to try to play politics with the process of legislating and governing in committee? But of course to the NRSC it's only the Democrats playing politics. For New Jersey, whether it's on the politics of the DSCC or the policy of the Finance Committee, Senator Menendez finds himself in the middle of everything.
Update by Hopeful: The call has been moved to 4pm Tuesday, Sept. 8
From an email sent out yesterday by the DSCC:
The 2010 Senate races are really heating up now.
From Democratic Rep. Charlie Melancon jumping into the Louisiana race against Sen. David Vitter, to upcoming special elections, the map is constantly changing. Keeping up-to-date on the latest political machinations is crucial as we make plans to defeat the "Party of No" and expand our Senate majority. President Obama's change agenda depends on it.
That's why we at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee wanted to let you know about a unique opportunity to hear from DSCC Chairman Robert Menendez. Senator Menendez will be holding a conference call at 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, and we want you to take part.
During the call, you'll get the inside scoop on the state of the races, key DSCC initiatives and our strategy for winning next November. It's the kind of information we all need to know as we gear up to bring down the forces of obstruction in the U.S. Senate.
I hope you will join Chairman Menendez on Thursday, and thanks for your support of the DSCC. We couldn't do it without you.
With the seats in New York, Illinois and Florida, coupled with the situation in Massachusetts and the Vitter seat in Louisiana, there will be plenty to cover. If you want to know what's going on from the point of view of the DSCC, this call is probably for you.
