3/1: Bad News For Blanche

For the past several months, Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas has been urging AR LG Bill Halter (D) to launch a primary bid against Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR). Today, Moulitsas got his wish. Liberal bloggers are delighted that "a true progressive will be facing off against Lincoln," and they're making an aggressive fundraising push for Halter. Moulitsas tells his readers: "We're about to see an unprecedented progressive alliance, with labor, the netroots, and key issue groups aligned against not just Lincoln, but against the entire corrupt Beltway system she now symbolizes." It seems like conservative bloggers have had all the energy when it comes to backing candidates this cycle, so it's noteworthy to see liberal bloggers finally getting excited about someone.

What else is happening in the blogosphere?

• It's only 2010, but RedState editor Erick Erickson has already announced his choice for the WH'12 race: IN Gov. Mitch Daniels (R). Meanwhile, Erickson continues to push hard for three of his favorite '10 candidates: IN SEN candidate Marlin Stutzman (R), NV SEN candidate Danny Tarkanian (R), and SC GOV candidate Nikki Haley (R).
• Liberal bloggers (Yglesias, Morrill, Coates, Eli, Aravosis) are blasting Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) for claiming that "far more of the African American community is being devastated by the policies of today than were being devastated by policies of slavery."
• Liberal bloggers (BooMan, digby, Sudbay, Dayen) are blasting Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) for filibustering a bill that extends unemployment benefits, and they're accusing Bunning's GOP colleagues of tacitly supporting his actions. On the other hand, conservative bloggers are calling it "Jim Bunning's finest hour in the Senate."

AR SEN: Go, Bill, Go!

Liberal bloggers are delighted that Halter is challenging Lincoln:

• Daily Kos' SusanG: "Rumors have been swirling about the candidacy for months, and it's a relief to have it official -- a true progressive will be facing off against Lincoln."
• Moulitsas: "You want to send a message that we're done with hypocritical corporatist Democrats like Lincoln, and that we're going to now focus on taking them out in primaries? Let's take out Lincoln. Not only is it smart on the ideological front, it's smart on the political side. Lincoln is doomed in November. No incumbent polling in the 30s this far out has much of a chance of survival, and Lincoln's approach of Republican-lite is doing little to improve her chances in this anti-incumbent atmosphere. Replacing a corrupt, entrenched DC insider with a populist outsider is our only chance to hold the seat."
• Firedoglake's Jane Hamsher: "Blanche Lincoln stands for everything that's wrong with both parties: her primary loyalty is to her DC cohorts and her corporate donors, and she thinks it's her job to pick the taxpayer pocket on their behalf. We are delighted that our efforts to draft Bill Halter and organize institutional support for his campaign led to his decision to enter the race. We look forward to working with the groups in Accountability Now and the people of Arkansas to support him in this race and to see him sworn in as the next Senator from Arkansas."

Conservative blogger Jim Geraghty doesn't see the purpose of Halter's bid: "[I]t's not clear how much this would improve the outlook for Democrats; a threat to beat someone in a primary is not all that menacing to a candidate who already looks like toast in the general election. Beyond that, it's not clear how much room there is to Lincoln's left among Arkansas Democrats. Yes, Lincoln's approval is only at 51 percent among self-identified liberals, according to Public Policy Polling, but it's lower among moderates (38 percent) and conservatives (10 percent). Comparatively speaking, it's the liberals who like her. And even if Halter beats her, in general election match-ups, he performs even worse than Lincoln does, no matter who the Republican nominee is. When 63 percent of Arkansas voters disapprove of Congressional Democrats in general, their nominee will be in trouble, no matter who it is."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Thinking Beyond November

Think Progress' Matthew Yglesias:

"Arkansas Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter is going to mount a primary challenge to Blanche Lincoln, bringing her re-election prospects from 'bleak' to 'bleaker.' The conventional take on this seems to be that Halter getting in the race raises the prospects that she'll back health reform. I suppose that seems right to [me], but it's also worth considering the fact that at a certain point your political situation starts to look so bad that your thinking is dominated not by your re-election campaign but by your post-Senatorial job prospects. A moderate Democratic Senator from Arkansas might put together one kind of voting record if she's looking for a private sector career and a slot on the Wal-Mart Board of Directors, and she might put a different one together if she's looking for an executive branch appointment.

The particulars of Lincoln's case aside, given that there are a whole bunch of incumbents (especially in the House) who are very likely to lose their seats in November no matter what they do on health care, it would be well-worth the White House's time to invest a little energy in exploring who might enjoy a stint as ambassador to the Bahamas or some such."

LEST WE FORGET: In Which Case, Perhaps He'll Opt For The Self-Stimulus Package...

From Overheard in New York:

Obama condom vendor: Obama condoms! A health care plan we can all afford!
Gloomy college kid: Not me...
Obama condom vendor: Obama condoms! A health care plan we can all afford unless you don't have sex, like this guy!