U.S. Senate

From the NYTimes:

Mr. Stevens, 84, was indicted on seven counts of falsely reporting income. The charges are related to renovations on his home and to gifts he has received. They arise from an investigation that has been under way for more than a year, in connection with the senator’s relationship with a businessman who oversaw the home-remodeling project.

…

Republicans on Capitol Hill were already jittery over a lobbying and influence-peddling scandal related to the lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is now in prison. Mr. Stevens’s troubles are not linked to that affair. Instead, they stem from his ties to an oil executive whose company won millions of dollars in federal contracts with the help of Mr. Stevens, whose home in Alaska was almost doubled in size in the renovation project.

Just what the GOP needed, a reminder of how corrupt they are.  This will hurt the Republicans far beyond Alaska.  As if people needed another reason not to vote Republican this year…

With Ted Stevens under indictment, things look good for Mark Begich.  Kos has some information on how the race will be affected:

Update IIIby kos:

Adam B has found the relevant statute:

AS 15.25.110. Filling Vacancies By Party Petition.

If a candidate of a political party nominated at the primary election dies, withdraws, resigns, becomes disqualified from holding the office for which the candidate is nominated, or is certified as being incapacitated in the manner prescribed by this section after the primary election and 48 days or more before the general election, the vacancy may be filled by party petition. The central committee of any political party or any party district committee may certify as being incapacitated any candidate nominated by their respective party by presenting to the director a sworn statement made by a panel of three licensed physicians, not more than two of whom may be of the same political party, that the candidate is physically or mentally incapacitated to an extent that would in the panel’s judgment prevent the candidate from active service during the term of office if elected. The director shall place the name of the person nominated by party petition on the general election ballot. The name of a candidate disqualified under this section may not appear on the general election ballot.

In other words, the party can replace Stevens if he withdraws within 48 days of the general election. That would be sometime mid-September. Only problem for the GOP — they’ve got no one clean in the state. The Palin abuse-of-power scandal looms even larger today.

Update IV: The 48-days date is September 17. Now looking into whether Stevens can be replaced by his party without his consent. It seems that would be hard to impossible, but much depends on what state law and GOP party bylaws say. Note that no replacement can happen before the primary since there isn’t a nominee. In theory, one of Stevens’ primary opponents might win, but the anti-Stevens vote is split among 2-3 candidates, and none of them are high profile.

Obviously if Stevens stays in this race moves to Strong Democratic.  Even with a Stevens withdrawal though I think Begich is highly likely to win this race now.  Alaska is not a big state, and it seems pretty much every Republican there is tied to one scandal or another these days.

Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) has been indicted:

Sen. Ted Stevens from Alaska, the longest serving U.S. Republican senator ever, was indicted on seven counts related to his holding of public office, a federal law enforcement official said on Tuesday.

The U.S. Justice Department has scheduled a news conference for 1:20 p.m. to make an announcement “regarding a significant criminal matter.” The official said the news conference would announce the criminal charges against Stevens that have been returned by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C.

Plenty more on this to come.

Posted By: Nick

 
Ben Smith posts that former Senator Max Cleland was uninvited from a July 8th Obama event in Atlanta because he is a registered lobbyist.  Cleland is registered to lobby for a company that makes products to help soldiers recover from injuries; he never actually even lobbied for them though; he registered, but never did any work.  But the Obama Campaign’s anti-lobbyist crusade knows no bounds, and Cleland was asked not to come to the event.

Cleland, for those who don’t know, is a war hero.  He served in Vietnam where he lost both legs and an arm.  He served in the U.S. Senate but was defeated in his 2002 reelection bid when his opponent ran ads comparing him to Osama bin Laden.  Since then he has campaigned for fellow democrats, and has continued to speak out on the severe lack of treatment that our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are recieving.

I personally met Cleland when I worked for a congressional campaign in 2006.  Of all the Senators, Governors, Congressman (etc.) that I’ve met, Cleland was by far the most genuine.  Despite being a low level staffer on my very first campaign, Cleland took the time to chat with me, ask about how things were going with our field program, and offer some advice and encouragement.  This is a man that all Americans should be proud of.

But Barack Obama couldn’t share a stage with him.  He couldn’t let Cleland speak in support of his campaign.  He couldn’t have this “lobbyist” at an event with him.

Barack Obama should be ashamed.

Posted By: Nick

 
John McCain makes $169,000 a year as a United States Senator.  He’s also married to a very wealthy woman.  You’d think he’d be pretty comfortable with that life, and wouldn’t need any additional income.

But you’d be wrong.  You see, McCain also collects just over $23,000 a year in Social Security benefits.  Is he entitled to that money?  Of course he is.  But as someone who complains that Social Security is broken, and going to run out of money, and as someone who does not need that $23,000, you’d think he might just not accept it.

But wait!  There’s more.  Don’t forget that John McCain was a POW in the Vietnam War (if you do forget, I’m sure he’ll remind you).  Injuries sustained during his five year imprisonment make him eligible for 100% veterans disability pay.  That amounts to an additional $58,000 a year… oh and he doesn’t have to pay taxes on it either.

The problems concerning veterans these days are well documented.  With so many returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan needing care that they are not recieving (largely due to lack of funds), doesn’t John McCain think there might be a better use for that $58,000 than to line his pockets?  A man with as much money as he has surely doesn’t need that money.  So why does he still accept it?

John McCain is completely within his rights to take both the Social Security payments and the Veterans Disability benefits, but shouldn’t we expect something more of someone who would be President?

Posted By: Nick

 
So I’m watching Jesse Ventura on Larry King Live.  After whining about the Democrats and Republicans, Ventura says that no, he will not run for U.S. Senate.  He then continues to complain about how both parties are really the same thing.  He says he won’t vote for Al Franken or Norm Coleman and then says he also won’t vote for Barack Obama or John McCain.  He has no choice, no one to vote for in these races.

Jesse Ventura is an idiot.  If the two parties are SO bad and SO similar that there are no other options, then why doesn’t he run?  He could be the other option.  He won a statewide election in Minnesota before.  He offered an alternative and people took him up on that offer.  His chances might not look that great this year, but if his concern really is that the two parties are no good, then he should run.  Sure, he may not want to, but if he really cared about his country, he would step up to the plate.

So Jesse Ventura has now joined the ranks of that wonderfully ignorant segment of the population that actually believes that the Democrats and the Republican are one and the same.  These people hate the parties so much (and are never shy to tell you all about that hatred), but never go out and do anything to make a change.

Posted By: Nick

 
Jesse Ventura has been hinting that he might run for U.S. Senate in Minnesota (against Senator Norm Coleman [R] and Comedian Al Franken [D]), and has apparently made his decision. He will announce his decision tonight on Larry King Live.  I find it unlikely that he could ever win that race, given the experience Minnesotans had with him as governer.  But I don’t think he factors his ability to win into the equation.

If he runs, it’ll be an incredibly entertaining race I’m sure.  Main question right now is, does this hurt or help Al Franken (who has been running being Senator Norm Coleman in the polls)?