2/4: Bayh Vs. Coats?

Yesterday we noted that conservative bloggers such as Hugh Hewitt and Jennifer Rubin were excited about reports that ex-Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN) is considering challenging Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN). However, not every righty blogger is enthusiastic about Coats' candidacy. RedState editor Erick Erickson complains: "If the best the Republican Party of Indiana can do is retread old horses who put themselves out to the pasture to begin with, we're screwed." Meanwhile, Jim Geraghty reports that his readers have had a "mixed" response to Coats' announcement. While we expect the rightroots to enthusiastically back Coats should he become the GOP nominee, it appears that some of them are still disappointed that conservative stalwart Mike Pence isn't running. Meanwhile, liberal bloggers may not be fans of Bayh, but that isn't stopping them from attacking Coats.

What else is happening in the blogosphere?

• Conservative bloggers (Allahpundit, Yousefzadeh, Driscoll) and liberal bloggers (McIntyre, Bowers, Lemos, Klein) are ridiculing CA SEN candidate Carly Fiorina's (R) new web ad, which portrays her rival Tom Campbell (R) as a demonic sheep with glowing red eyes.
• Liberal bloggers (Baumann, Dayen) are criticizing Senate Banking Cmte Chair Chris Dodd (D-CT) for suggesting that Obama's proposed banking regulations are too ambitious. digby suspects that Dodd has ulterior motives: "One hates to be cynical about this, but Dodd is leaving. And he's going to need a job."
• Liberal bloggers (Zasloff, Whitney) are chastising the Senate Dem leadership for not doing more to confirm Obama's nominee for NLRB chair, Craig Becker. Meanwhile, conservative blogger Philip Klein is pleased that Sen.-elect Scott Brown (R-MA) will soon be seated so that he can help block Becker's nomination.
• Ex-Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) explains to RedState readers why he is challenging Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).

IN SEN: Not Everyone Is Crazy For Coats

While some conservative bloggers are excited that Coats is thinking about challenging Bayh, Erickson isn't enthusiastic about Coats' candidacy: "If the best the Republican Party of Indiana can do is retread old horses who put themselves out to the pasture to begin with, we're screwed. It was, after all, Dan Coats who left the Senate and Evan Bayh who won his seat. Had Coats stayed, this wouldn't have happened. The last image most conservatives have of Dan Coats is him standing next to Harriet Myers swearing she was one of us. Don't get me wrong -- he's a good guy. But if we are going to run people against Evan Bayh, how about we not run the guy who gave up his seat to Bayh in the first place? Dan Coats, a good man and a good former Senator, is a recruiting failure by the GOP. I'd gladly support Coats as the nominee. But if the best we can do is pull old politicians out of the pasture, we're in trouble."

Meanwhile, liberal bloggers may not be fans of Bayh, but they've already begun attacking Coats:

• Daily Kos' Jed Lewison: "So this is a guy who's involved with 'The Family,' helped pick [ex-AK Gov.] Sarah Palin [as GOP VP candidate], lobbied against health care, and tried to put Harriet Miers on the Supreme Court. In other words, he's emblematic of Republican mediocrity."
• The Washington Monthly's Steve Benen: "I think it's fair to say Coats faces an uphill climb, and not just because Bayh is a relatively popular incumbent with a whole lot of money in the campaign coffers. First, Coats, after returning from Germany, became a corporate lobbyist in D.C., representing, among other clients, Bank of America. Given that neither banks nor lobbyists are held in especially high regard right now, Coats represents a tough-sell to Hoosiers. Second, Coats represented Indiana in Congress for many years, but he doesn't live or own a home in the state. He's not even registered to vote in Indiana, and at present, couldn't even vote for himself. In fact, Coats lives inside the beltway -- as many corporate lobbyists do -- and has voted in Virginia since 2000. [...] Let's also not forget that Coats' congressional career wasn't exactly sterling. He is perhaps best known for criticizing President [Bill] Clinton for his efforts to kill Osama bin Laden in 1998."

IL SEN: Kirk Up By 12?

Several bloggers are discussing Rep. Mark Kirk's (R-IL) internal poll showing him leading Treas. Alexi Giannoulias (D) 47-35%:

• Liberal blogger Chris Bowers: "Now, because this is an internal poll, and was conducted on only one night, many people will be prone to doubt it. However, this is the first poll to be released since the banking scandal around Giannoulias broke, making it entirely possible that the campaign has changed dramtically. Further, Charles Franklin has previous noted that internal polls favor the candidate who purchased them by an average of 5%. Even with that deviation in mind, it would not be surprising in the slightest that Giannoulias has taken a huge hit with the general voting population as a result of the scandal. While we should wait for more polls to draw any conclusions, this seems to suggest the worst fears of those who thought Giannoulias became a severely damaged candidate from the banking scandal were warranted. Now, Illinois is up from grabs, threatening to become a second Massachusetts."
• Conservative blogger Allahpundit: "I'm leery of the fact that the poll finds a 49/42 spread on the question of whom the respondents voted for in 2008; the actual spread between Obama and [John] McCain was 25 points, not seven. But (a) some of the respondents are probably feeling buyer's remorse over Captain Hopenchange and lying about their actual vote, (b) Democratic turnout is much heavier when Obama's at the top of the ticket than when his loser cronies have to run on their own (see, e.g., Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts), (c) Peter Fitzgerald, Obama's predecessor, was a Republican so it's by no means impossible to see a seat in Illinois go red, and of course (d) barring an astounding economic turnaround, the climate will be conservative in November anyway. [...] So ... yeah, this is doable. Doable by 12 points? Eh. By one point? Why not?"

Meanwhile, RedState's Leon H. Wolf addresses Kirk's conservative critics: "There are a couple of points to be made about this race and how it turned out. First, Kirk's win was not the result of some nefarious party or NRSC conspiracy to suppress conservative candidates. Mark Kirk simply was the best representative for GOP primary voters in Illinois, in the considered opinion of those voters. [...] Second, although Kirk can cast some pretty terrible votes, my impression of him is that he has a pretty good set of instincts and is far more loyal to the party than many current sitting GOP Senators. I think -- although I am not sure -- that a pretty significant part of his less-than-perfect voting pattern is due to electioneering. I believe that, at least 4 years out of 6, Mark Kirk will be a pretty good Senator. If not good, far better than many people are expecting, at least, especially for someone who will occupy a seat in Illinois. Giannoulias, on the other hand, is a crook, and a liberal one at that, and moreover is a close and longstanding ally of both Obama and [ex-Gov. Rod] Blagojevich. He will be a horrible, graft-grabbing Senator 6 years out of every 6 he is in office. Even though I can't personally support him, it's facially obvious to me that Kirk winning would be the clear best result in this race, and anyone who tries to tell you there's 'no difference' between Kirk and Giannoulias needs a reality check."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: In Defense Of GOP Obstructionism

The New Republic's Jonathan Chait:

"...First, a great deal of Republican opposition stems from simple ideological disagreement. Some of that ideological disagreement is couched in disingenuous language -- i.e., Republicans claim to favor covering the uninsured but oppose any plausible mechanism to achieve it -- but it is ideological disagreement at root. You can't fault a party for obstructing ideas they disagree with. You can fault the ideology that causes the party to disagree, but not the obstructionism that is the natural product of that disagreement. [...] Second, Republicans have opposed some policies they previously favored and, indeed, crusaded for, such as a national debt commission. It's rather galling, and the reply by liberals and even some non-liberals (see this Fred Hiatt op-ed) has been indignant. But it's important to keep in mind the larger point, which is that the system rewards such behavior. If you're in the minority, your surest path to regaining power is for the majority to fail. As long as that's the case, we won't be able to count on some code of chivalry forcing the minority party to act against its interests.

Ezra Klein has put this in the most succinct way: 'The government can function if the minority party has either the incentive to make the majority fail or the power to make the majority fail. It cannot function if it has both.' Pondering the motives of the minority is, ultimately, a distraction."

LEST WE FORGET: And You Thought Your Day Was Bad...

From FMyLife.com:

• Today, my colleague rushed off to the hospital for the birth of his first son. Having met his wife at the Christmas party a couple of years ago, I called to congratulate her. Shame I didn't realize it was his mistress having the baby. Guess who broke the news to the wife? FML.
• Today, I was taking the final exam for one of my classes. The teacher came over to my desk, grabbed my test and ripped it in half. Then he grabbed my hand and read the note I had written on it to remind myself to pay rent. FML.
• Today, whilst at my boyfriend's family get together, his cousin got really drunk and decided to ask my boyfriend when he was planning on proposing to me, loud enough for everyone to hear. An awkward silence was followed by my boyfriend's mother, who clearly said "hopefully never." FML.
• Today, a milkbone commerical came on TV. At the end of the commercial, they whistle and throw a milkbone across the screen, prompting my 100 lb German Shepherd to leap off the couch and pummel my brand new plasma screen TV. FML.
• Today, both of my grandparents died in a car accident. My Mom and Dad thought it would make me feel better to know they were not my real grandparents, because I'm adopted. FML.
• Today, while stepping out of the shower, I slipped and cut my head. I went to the hospital, got 8 stitches and was tested for head trauma. After hours of ignoring my calls and texts, my girlfriend finally responded, very angrily. Why? Today is her birthday, and I "selfishly made it about me." FML.