3/2: Bill Vs. Blanche

The netroots are positively buzzing about AR LG Bill Halter's (D) decision to challenge Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR). Yesterday Firedoglake founder Jane Hamsher described Halter's candidacy as "Ned Lamont No. 2," and based on the reaction that it's gotten from the netroots so far, this may not be an exaggeration. The influential liberal blog Daily Kos has gone all in on Halter's candidacy, with no fewer than nine front-page posts about Halter in the 24 hours since he announced his bid. Meanwhile, MoveOn.org has already raised $670K for Halter, while the online fundraising site ActBlue has raised another $135K. Lefty bloggers are clearly thrilled about the opportunity to take out Lincoln, whom they perceive as both ideologically awful and politically doomed. Meanwhile, conservative bloggers are also happy about Halter's candidacy, as they believe that it "makes a GOP pickup in Arkansas almost a certainty."

What else is happening in the blogosphere?

• Liberal bloggers (Moulitsas, Black, Attaturk, Zasloff, Willis, Cruickshank) are mocking the idea of contrarian blogger Mickey Kaus (D) challenging Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) in the primary. Conservative bloggers (Lopez, Goldberg, Reynolds) are excited about Kaus's potential candidacy, prompting Matthew Yglesias to snark: "With the valuable Glenn Reynolds and Jonah Goldberg endorsements in hand, Mickey Kaus' bid for a Democratic Party primary win is looking more solid than ever."
• Liberal bloggers (Black, Kurtz, Empsall, Bink, Sudbay) are ridiculing ex-Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. (D-TN) now that he's announced that he won't challenge Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). Moulitsas snipes: "He never would've come close to victory. He was a joke from Day One, and his role over the coming months, had he run, would've been that of comic relief." Conservative blogger Reynolds thinks it's "sad to see [Ford] give in to the racist response his candidacy promoted."
• Liberal bloggers (Waldman, Benen, Willis, Fernholz, Bowers, Sudbay) are pouring criticism on Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) for filibustering a bill that extends unemployment benefits. Lefty bloggers (Waldman, digby) are also criticizing Senate GOP Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) for defending Bunning's behavior on the grounds that "continuing to pay people unemployment compensation is a disincentive for them to seek new work." Conservative bloggers are praising Bunning.
• RedState editor Erick Erickson endorses Rand Paul (R) in the KY GOP SEN primary. Erickson writes: "Rand Paul transcends GOP politics and picks up libertarians as well. He is not his father and I will not heap my issues with his father on his head."

AR SEN: We're In If He's In

Most liberal bloggers are delighted that Halter is challenging Lincoln:

• Atrios: "I don't know anything about Bill Halter, but this seems to be a primary which is right on the merits (Lincoln is a bad Dem) and on the political calculus (Lincoln would probably lose her election)."
• Balloon Juice's John Cole: "This strikes me as good news. [...Let's] see if we can't knock her off."
• BooMan: "I think we'll be better off either way. Lincoln will be a stronger candidate for having won a competitive primary, and Halter will be a fresh face with a lot of momentum if he can upset her. If Lincoln loses the primary it will definitely put other Democrats in the South on notice about what is expected of them."
• MyDD's Jonathan Singer: "[T]his news may actually be good for the Democrats. Both First Read and Political Wire note this morning that as a result of Halter stepping into the Democratic primary, Lincoln's vote becomes significantly more reliable for the Democrats (assuming she wants another term in the Senate) as she has to look over her left shoulder, not just her right. In a Senate where every single vote counts, this could be the difference between passing healthcare reform and not."
• digby: "Lt.Governor Bill Halter is taking up the challenge and is going to run against Conservadem Senator Blanche Lincoln in the Democratic primary. Everyone's been hoping for it for quite a while, what with Lincoln looking like a sure loser against the Republican anyway, while voting almost exactly like one. Why not offer a difference and see what happens?"

Howie Klein: "I spoke with Halter a few months ago and he said he had no intention of running. I feel certain he didn't. But as Lincoln's approval in the state collapsed, he has come to realize that he is the only chance the Democrats have to hold onto the seat. He will run a populist campaign against Big Business and for ordinary working families. He should be able to defeat Lincoln among a Democratic electorate that now sees right through her, although the corrupt and reactionary party establishment in Little Rock will stick with the Blanche Lincoln suicide train."

Moulitsas: "This is just day one of what will be an intense two-month effort leading to the mid-May primary. Expect a full rollout on [Halter's] policy proposals, as well as the engagement of many our movement's biggest hitters. But Arkansas is a small state, where retail politics is critical. Halter is a master of retail, and the more the netroots contributes, the more time he can spend talking to voters and local media. Lincoln will be lavishly funded by her corporate benefactors. It's up to us to counter that nefarious money, and empower Halter to speak for the little guy, not the the Harold Fords of the world."

Nate Silver is one of the few liberal bloggers who isn't a fan of Halter's decision to challenge Lincoln: "[T]his is not a terribly good place for an ideological primary challenge. There's not much room to Lincoln's left in Arkansas period, especially not in a cycle such as this one. She has voted with her caucus reasonably often -- more so than someone like [NE Sen.] Ben Nelson or [IN Sen.] Evan Bayh. And the challenger, Bill Halter, is quite unlikely to win the general election. The thing about this particular primary challenge, however, is that while the upside might be limited, the same is true of the downside because Lincoln is so unlikely to retain her seat anyway. Halter is clearly a smart (he's a Rhodes Scholar) and likable candidate and I can see why people would want to take a chance on him. But at best, this is perhaps the right challenge for the wrong reasons -- and at worst, it's a misdirection of resources that could be better spent elsewhere."

AR SEN II: Thanks A Lot, Netroots!

Conservative bloggers think Halter's primary bid will help the GOP capture the seat:

• Hot Air's Ed Morrissey: "The challenge from the Left to Lincoln will force her to tack back to the progressive wing during the primary -- a move that will seal her fate in the general election, assuming she gets that far. A win by Halter will allow Arkansas Republicans to paint Democrats as radical statists who haven't listened at all to their constituents for the last year. Either way, Halter's candidacy makes a GOP pickup in Arkansas almost a certainty."
• RedState's Leon H. Wolf: "Halter's very presence in the Democratic Primary will effectively force both candidates to tack left for the Democratic primary vote. This will force debates and television coverage of both candidates espousing liberal positions. It is the ideal situation for the GOP (which does not figure to sit out this race, as it did in 2004). Further, I suspect that Halter may win. He's got higher favorables now, but we'll see if that holds once Arkansas voters understand that he's challenging Blanche Lincoln from the left. [...] All around, this is great news for the GOP and I'm glad MoveOn.org and the rest of the netroots have provoked it."
• Townhall's Jillian Bandes: "...Halter served in the [Bill] Clinton administration as deputy and acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration -- i.e., you shouldn't write him off -- but he's polling behind [Lincoln], and probably won't have a serious chance of winning. The only thing Halter will be good for is siphoning off support from a candidate who already lacked it."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Cheney 2012?

The New Republic's Jonathan Chait:

"One casino has betting odds of various figures winning the 2012 presidential election. [Sec/State] Hillary Clinton seems strangely high at 10-1 -- that line might be bait for those who still attribute supernatural powers to the Clintons. [Ex-AK Gov.] Sarah Palin is also 10-1, which I find plausible but uncomfortably high for a potentially cataclysmic event.

[Ex-VP] Dick Cheney is very low, at 150-1, below [TX Rep.] Ron Paul (50-1), [ex-NC Sen.] John Edwards (65-1) and even the Constitutionally ineligible [CA Gov.] Arnold Schwarzenegger (100-1.)"

LEST WE FORGET: The Best Part Is, She Means An Ice Cream Sundae

From Overheard in New York:

Girl, loudly in silent computer lab: Is Sunday one word or two?
Friend, avoiding glares from students around the lab: One?
Girl, showing friend Word document with "sun day" written in it: It doesn't say that I'm spelling it wrong!

-- Computer Lab, Columbia University