12/20: Why HuffPo?

What do incoming the following Dems have in common: Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid (NV), Reps. Jane Harman (CA), Ellen Tauscher (CA), John Murtha (PA), Dennis Kucinich (OH), and Major Owens (NY) all have in common? They all used The Huffington Post as their blogging venue of choice to engage the lefty blogosphere. Now a quick perusal of the list demonstrates that simply showing up at HuffPo in no way guarantees a softening of netroots antagonism for an elected Dem, and Murtha's hero status does not stem from his blogging either. So why has Arianna's wildly successful blogging venture developed into a favorite Dem blogging outlet?

GOP FIELD: Bushless

Building off an APstory quoting a Columbia, SC, pastor describing state religous conservatives as "really up for grabs," The Corner's Jonathan Martin rehashes his own earlier analysis on SC without ex-SC Gov. Carroll Campbell (R):

Without Campbell, there is no unified political operation ready to get behind a favored Republican. John McCain can't be taken out if there is a) no George W. Bush to do the taking out and b) no ready apparatus to crush the insurgency. Whether there will be one of the former - a consensus establishment candidate with backing from both the country club donor wing and evangelical activist wing of the party - is an open question. But nothing resembling the latter exists today within the South Carolina Republican party, say observers there.

Marin updates: "Now "a)" increasingly appears to be MA Gov. Mitt Romney. Nobody else, besides McCain, is right now working the money guys and grassroots down there like Team Mitt. But, as evidenced by the presence of at least two deep-pocketed South Carolinians in attendance tonight at former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani's kick-off shindig and the lingering unease in social conservative ranks about their options, McCain still benefits from there being no singular Bush figure in the race."

BROWNBACK: We Think They Meant 'She'

Not all righty bloggers are critical of Sam Brownback's hold on MI state judge Janet Neff. The MI Cooler writes: "Urge Brownback to Keep up the Fight! Brownback has done a great job for conservatives by holding up liberal Judge Neff from the Federal bench. Please email Brownback at info@brownback.com and urge him to continue to hold up the Neff nomination. He officiated a gay marriage in Massachusetts."

GIULIANI: Everybody Loves Rudy

Real Clear PoliticsTom Bevan argues the conventional wisdom displayed in a 12/19 WaPo article on potential problems Rudy Giuliani might face with conservative primary voters "may turn out to be wrong." Bevan reasons: "even if you set aside the obvious baggage Giuliani carries on social issues and with respect to his personal life, the Mayor takes all the same positions as [John] McCain on those key issues which McCain is constantly vilified by the conservative base. For example, Rudy is very much in favor of comprehensive immigration reform, and he publicly supported McCain-Feingold in 2000 when he was flirting with a Senate run against Hillary."

Bevan then explains why conservative voters are willing to overlook Giuliani's ideological shortcomings: "The answer to that question may turn out to be as simple as this: Rudy is just more likeable. Likeability with base voters is important, and intangible. McCain doesn't have it. Rudy does."

IA's Krusty Konservative posts the text of an email sent by Team Giuliani marking the launch of JoinRudy2008 including: "As part of the website's launch, we are trying to reach out to friends online and across the "blogosphere." It is important to us that the web community knows that we intend to be an active and contributing presence to the intellectual debate and discussion that occurs on the web. As an indication of our seriousness in this effort, we thought we'd tell you about the new site ahead of time (no hat tip required, although certainly appreciated). In the coming weeks and months, we will continue to reach out to you and appreciate any advice and ideas you have to offer."

The Right Angle's Robert Bluey compares: "In sharp contrast to Sen. John McCain's chic black-and-white website, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani went live today with a colorful, information-packed site for his exploratory committee ... While McCain opted to minimize the content available on his site, ExploreMcCain.com, Giuliani isn't holding back. He providers readers with a detailed biography -- broken down by the "Early Years," "The Crime Fighter," "Mayor of New York" and "Business Leader."

KEATING: Singing In The Rainey

The Corner's Jonathan Martin reports SC developer/Bush Pioneer John Rainey is hosting a lunch 12/21 for ex-OK Gov. Frank Keating. Martin expounds: "Rainey is one of the most politically powerful money men in the state and serves (or has served) on a number of top boards and commissions. He is being heavily wooed by other Republican candidates and would certainly be a signigicant 'get' for a candidate just out of the box like Keating."

MCCAIN: 'Cause Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

RedState's Streiff is taking Richard Cohen's 12/19 op-ed as a sure sign the "Romance" is over between John McCain and the MSM. Streiff writes: "So long as Senator McCain was dissing the Republican base, making life difficult for the administration, and giving great interview he was "maverick John McCain" and a hero to all. Now that McCain looks like he's within a red-faced meltdown of the Republican nomination for president in 2008 all that is changing."

The Right Angle's Matt Lewis argues this development can only help McCain in the GOP primary: "McCain has learned the lessons of 2000. This time around, he knows that he must do two important things: 1. Appeal more to conservatives, and 2. Woo Bush donors and operatives. ... Once again, John McCain proves to be a master at manipulating the media. By criticizing him, they are playing into his hands."

Back at The Corner Martin credits Team McCain for their quick courting of Palmetto Family Council official Oran Smith after Smith publicly expressed doubts about MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R).

ROMNEY: Send In The Clowns

Following the Boston Globe's lead RedState 's Mark Kilmer calls Mitt Romney a "clown" for his response to the Globe's revelations that Romney "hire[d] illegal lawn mowers." Kilmer explains he hasn't "seen the specifics" of Romney's immigration policy but does add: "I can't comment on the logistics, but it seems that Romney blames the lack of federal regulation and red tape for his illegal hirings, The solution he proposes seems to be the registration of all legally employed people in this country. (Perhaps with numbers tattooed to their ankles?) Quite a database."

GORE: And The Winner Is ...

The Huffington Post's Bob Cesca awards Al Gore his "Voice of Reality" award for Gore's elevation of global warming "to a position close -- close -- to where it should be on our collective national roster of vital issues." Past winners include Richard Clarke in '04 and Keith Olbermann in '05.

OBAMA: Add Bobby Kennedy To The List Of Obama Comparisons

The Plank's Eve Fairbanks posts video of Draft Obama's first tv ad running in DC and NH now and possibly in HI while Barack Obama is there for Christmas.

Fairbanks critiques: "I don't think this is a great spot from a technical point of view -- the text is distracting, the photo montages retro, and the whole thing smacks of a weirdly un-American hero worship -- but, at the same time, it's hard to see how others can compete with the audio, taken from Obama's famous '04 Democratic Convention speech. ... For better or worse, Obama channels Bobby Kennedy."

RICHARDSON: Movin' On Up

MyDD's Jonathan Singer sings the praises of Bill Richardson under the header, "Richardson Staking Out Position as Candidate with Foreign Policy Cred." Singer explains that Richardson is not "limiting his campaign to his domestic and political successes as Governor" but is also setting "himself apart from other candidates by stressing his views on foreign policy, highlighting his service as UN Ambassador." Singer concludes: "With these moves, Richardson can help position himself as a candidate with a firm grasp of both foreign and domestic policy and perhaps move up from a lower tier to a higher one."

DCCC: Holla' If You Love Van Hollen

The big boys of the netroots are universally pleased with the selection of Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) to head the DCCC. DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas calls it "an excellent pick," but also adds: "Welcoming message to Chris: "Stay the heck out of contested primaries." Other lefty reax include:

• MyDD's Chris Bowers: "I have done some real quick background, and the most interesting bit I have found is that while, like Rahm [Emanuel], he came in 2002, he was significantly outspent in his contested Democratic primary by Mark Kennedy Shriver ... That is a good sign for the way Van Hollen will act during primary campaigns. ... We seem to be moving forward quite well. I can't imagine Van Hollen upsetting netroots activists the same way as Rahm.
• Firedoglake's Pachacutec: "Unlike Emanuel, Van Hollen did not get his start as a machine politician opposed to a grassroots progressive through a campaign marred by criminal corruption. Van Hollen was, in fact, the local progressive who beat out a better known and better financed Democrat in a 2002 primary. We look forward to the possibility of communicating and collaborating with the DCCC under Mr. Van Hollen for the next campaign cycle."
• Blue America's Howie Klein: "I'm very excited about this. ... I don't know a lot about Van Hollen but he's got to be a lot better than Emanuel. I'd love to see the DCCC, the grassroots and the netroots working together for a common purpose: electing more Democrats to the House (rather than furthering the personal careers of a couple of power-mongers).

In a not-unrelated MyDD item, Democraticavenger has a list of the "50 most likely Republican Seats to flip to Democratic." The top 10 include: 1. Tim Walberg (MI 07), 2. Charlie Dent (PA 15), 3. Jon Porter (NV 03), 4. Ric Keller (FL 08), 5. Dave Reichert (WA 08), 6. Marilyn Musgrave (CO 04), 7. Rick Renzi (AZ 01), 8. John Doolittle (CA 04), 9. Mike Ferguson (NJ 07), 10. Robin Hayes (NC 08).

IRAQ: Surge Protector

Incoming Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) took to The Huffington Post 12/19 assuring the blogosphere he doesn't "believe that more troops is the answer for Iraq." Reid then outlines his position on the war:

• 1. I believe we should start redeploying troops in 4 to 6 months (The Levin-Reed Plan) and complete the withdrawal of combat forces by the first quarter of 2008. (As laid out by the Iraq Study Group)
• 2. The President must understand that there can only be a political solution in Iraq, and he must end our nation's open-ended military commitment to that country.
• 3. These priorities need to be coupled with a renewed diplomatic effort and regional strategy.

MyDD's Chris Bowers responds: "It was ridiculous in the first place to think that Reid supported troop escalation in Iraq, considering that he voted for a timeline thirteen months ago. Even if it wasn't ridiculous, we shouldn't have been parsing his words. Rather,we should have been focusing on his proposed oversight measures and legislative policy proposals, and critiquing those."

Atrios agrees: "More seriously, I think something we all need to come to terms with is the fact that the Democrats actually have power now. ... Messaging is still important, and they still shouldn't screw it up. But it isn't the only power they have now, and it isn't the most important power they have. So, yes, they should speak smarter when they go on the Sunday shows. But the sky isn't falling when they don't."

IRAQ II: They Need A Plan For Their Plan

The Washington Monthly's Kevin Drum puts the Blogometer ashame ably synthesizing the state of Iraq opinion at TAPPED:

• Ackerman: If Democrats press too hard on withdrawal from Iraq, the end result will probably be a rerun of the Vietnam myth: we could have won in Iraq, but feckless liberals snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and precipitated a national humiliation. "Over the next fifteen years, this becomes accepted wisdom. A younger generation of liberals, tired of being bludgeoned with the charge, more or less accepts it themselves. Another Republican gets elected, and sets to work combating Iraq Fatigue. We get another war."
• Farley: Word. Things might turn out a little better this time since Iraq is a purely Republican war, but maybe not. After all, "Millions of moderate to conservative Americans who had come to support a withdrawal from Vietnam by 1972 found it very easy to convince themselves, by 1980, that the war had been a noble struggle undermined by the malfeasance of counter-culture activists and Congressional Democrats."
• Lemieux: Bollocks. "The problem is, the blame-the-war's-opponents narrative will be trotted out and may hold no matter what the Democrats do." Besides, Congress isn't going to defund the war anyway, so this is all just a round of wankerism.

Drum concludes with his own thoughts: "The question here isn't so much about withdrawal, which I believe Ackerman, Farley, and Lemieux all support, but about how to handle withdrawal politically in order to minimize damage to the Democratic Party. My read is that Ackerman says we should be concerned about this, Farley agrees but thinks there are ways to handle it, and Lemieux says it doesn't matter because Republicans are going to smear us no matter what we do. It's on this issue that I'm in a quandary."

BLOGGERS VS. THE BOTTOM LINE: Fly Like An Eagle

RedState's Directors informed readers 12/20 that they had been purchased by Eagle Publishing, Inc., the owners of Human Events, Regnery Publishing, and the Conservative Book Club. RedState assures readers: "While RedState will continue to take steps to improve the site, there are no plans for significant changes. RedState will remain a unique property within the Eagle family. ... Erick Erickson will continue to be the Editor of the site, and all the writers you've come to appreciate will still be here.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: No Crackpots Here

The Corner's Mark Krikorian offers evidence to show "immigration hawks" aren't exaggerating about "supporters of amnesty" really wanting "open borders." Krikorian links to an Wall Street Journal op-ed by UC Davis Law School Dean Kevin Johnson and quotes from the piece: "The borders of the United States should be open with no numerical limits on the number of immigrants who can enter the country in any given year." Krikorian adds:

Note that this guy, leftist though he is, is not some fringy crackpot - he's a dean at the UC Davis law school, one of the top immigration law professors in the country, and a board member of MALDEF. In fact, his op-ed is an example of how the open-borders crowd has gotten bolder - i.e., more candid - as the Bush-Kennedy-McCain amnesty/guestworker approach has gained ground; Johnson submitted a brief essay for a paper I published a few years back on various writers' ideal immigration policies, and it was much more circumspect than this new piece.

More evidence? The nation's top Hispanic groups called yesterday for a halt to immigration enforcement until Congress has a chance to send an amnesty bill for President Bush's signature.

LEST WE FORGET: The Miserable Wretch That Is The Blogometer

Deadspin points us to Every Day Should Be Saturday's fabulous rundown of the season's first bowl game including:

• Name: The San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
• Motto: "You'll watch it because it's on, you miserable wretches."
• Location: San Diego, the city that discarded it's old motto "America's Finest City" in a shame spiral it had after a long night of drinking. Famous for being damn near perfect in every way but not at all smug about it like those eco-friendly, coffee-drinking, holier-than-thou-vegan a--holes in San Francisco and Seattle.
• What to watch for: A methodical TCU attack hogs the ball, scores on long, heart-rending drives. A gimpy Wolfe has run his legs dead after a 1,900 yard season, and goes nowhere against TCU's superbly coached defense. NIU's backup Dan Nicholson earns a miserable postgame bender by getting sacked a few times, throwing a few picks, and trying to hurl the Huskies back into the game singlehandedly in what could be an excruciating third quarter to watch.

EDSBS concludes: "Which you will, you desperate sick person, you, since it's been sixteen days or so since football-related content last lashed your eyeballs. Damn you, sweet Poinsettia Bowl!!! Your poisonous leaves still taste sweet to our starved tongue! This might actually reveal the sick logic behind the name, after all: it's bad, it'll make you sick (allegedly!), but when starving you'll down it like Doritos.