Great News from Arkansas

The newest poll in the Arkansas Senate Race has great news for Bill Halter. The Research 2000/Daily Kos poll shows him with leading Blanche Lincoln, 47% to 44%. This is the second poll since the primary on May 18 that shows Bill Halter ahead of Blanche Lincoln and he just keeps picking up momentum.

Also in this poll was good news for the general election. The poll shows that Bill Halter is the only viable Democrat for November. He is doing almost twice as well as Blanche Lincoln is against John Boozman. The race for this seat won't be an easy one, but if Blanche Lincoln wins on June 8 it will be much harder for Democrats to keep this seat.

Click here for more information on the poll.

A Grassroots Victory in Arkansas

Wow! What a great night for progressive grassroots politics. Bill Halter showed the country that grassroots politics means more than any type of corporate or special interest support. He held an incumbent US Senator to under 50% of the vote and he did it thanks to grassroots activists. We’re thrilled to keep working with Bill Halter as we head toward the runoff election on June 8 and another win for the progressive grassroots.

West Coast senators move to bar new Pacific drilling

WASHINGTON — Senators from California, Oregon and Washington united Thursday behind a plan to ban new offshore drilling along the Pacific Coast in response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Their push, which joins a similar House effort with the backing of 20 Democrats, could gain traction in Congress as public outrage grows about the April 20 explosion on an offshore drilling rig near Louisiana that left 11 workers dead and unleashed an oil spill that threatens the Gulf Coast.

The Pacific Coast senators were unified to “make sure that there will never be offshore oil and gas drilling off the West Coast of our nation,” said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. “We know this can happen again,” Boxer said, while gesturing to a poster-size photo of boats spraying water on the flame-engulfed Deepwater Horizon rig.

Boxer's bill would bar the federal government from issuing any leases for exploration, development or production of oil or natural gas in any area off the West Coast.

The measure would apply only to new leases in federal waters. It would not bar oil companies from expanding drilling on current leases and it would not apply to drilling decisions within state waters, which typically extend three miles out from the shore.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., linked the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico to the 1969 blowout of a well near Santa Barbara, which triggered a nationwide backlash against offshore drilling. That was “a seminal moment for us,” Feinstein said. And now, “the BP disaster has shown that . . . By JENNIFER A. DLOUHY

President Barack Obama announced plans in March to expand offshore drilling in new areas of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, as well as the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Although he specifically ruled out new federal drilling leases off the Pacific Coast and in some areas near Alaska, nothing in federal law limits exploration in the region.

That's because Congress allowed a decades-old statutory moratorium on new drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific shores to expire in 2008, amid soaring oil prices. A statutory ban on drilling near the Florida Gulf Coast is set to expire in 2022.

Right now, the only safeguard is Obama's assurance that new federal drilling will be barred in the Pacific, Boxer said. “There is no permanent protection,” she said.

The West Coast lawmakers — including Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. — said they would try to advance the legislation as part of any energy bill that moves through the Senate. One prime candidate: a climate change and energy measure that was unveiled Wednesday.

But that climate measure would only give states the power to bar drilling 75 miles off their shores — farther than the typical three-mile barrier, but still far less than the unlimited, permanent ban the West Coast senators seek.

Any change to the climate change bill's offshore drilling proposals threatens to undermine the entire measure, which already faces long odds in the Senate.

Drilling advocates in Congress have warned that any move to shut off offshore production could jeopardize the U.S. economy and heighten the nation's reliance on foreign sources of oil.

“We do not want to have people have to import more and more foreign oil,” said Rep. Joe Barton, R-Ennis. “Whether we like it or not, the only real place to find significant additional oil deposits in meaningful quantities is in the outer continental shelf.”

Nationwide, support for offshore drilling still remains strong, despite the Gulf spill. Six in 10 Americans back expanded ocean drilling, according to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released Wednesday.

Source.

AR-Sen: Runoff bound

Research 2000 for Daily Kos. 5/10-12. Likely voters. MoE 4% (4/26-28 results)

Democratic primary, likely Democratic voters, MoE 5%

Blanche Lincoln (D) 46 (43)
Bill Halter (D) 37 (35)
D.C. Morrison 6 (7)
Undecided 11 (15)

Seems like much treading water compared to two weeks ago, both candidates have inched up. Lincoln will desperately try to capture enough of that undecided vote to get her above 50 percent and avoid the runoff. I'll call it right now -- she won't get to 50. I suspect she'll be around 44-45 percent.

Now remember that the Chamber of Commerce and Americans for Job Security have been spending millions in sleazy ads, while Lincoln herself has been hurling everything up against the wall, hoping something would stick. On the other side, labor unions have been pummeling Lincoln. And yet...

Favorable/Unfavorable among likely Democratic primary voters

Blanche Lincoln 61/35 (59/33)
Bill Halter 65/17 (66/14)

Halter still has the edge on favorabilities -- his trump card in the primary (and runoff). But beyond that, look a the trend lines. Primary voters are completely ignoring all the mud on the airwaves. The millions spent are having ZERO impact on the primary. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this.

Harkin Education Bill

Subject: Fighting for our children's future

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May 13, 2010 There is no denying that times are hard. While the economy is starting to slightly improve, a full recovery isn't in the near future. But let me be clear; economic hardship is no reason to punish our children by cutting vital education funding. When we do that, we risk our country's future! Across America, tens of thousands of teachers are facing imminent layoffs because of devastating cuts to state funding. If we don't act now these layoffs will result in larger class sizes, programs being cut from schools, and a drastic decline in the quality of education that our children receive. A quality education for our children is vital to rebuilding and reinvigorating our economy. Recognizing the danger of losing tens of thousands of trained teachers, 21st Century Democrats Co-founder SenatorTom Harkin (D-IA) has introduced a bill entitled "Keep Our Educators Working Act" (S. 3206). When announcing the bill, Senator Harkin said, "This country is about to face a massive wave of layoffs in our schools and institutions of higher learning that could weaken our economic recovery and cause serious damage to our education system. This bill is an investment in our kids, in our economy and in our future." This bill is quickly approaching a key vote in the Appropriations Committee, and teachers across the country need your help now. We need to send a message that we support our teachers and want the Senate to pass Senator Harkin's bill. Contact your Senators today, and tell them to support the "Keep Our Educators Working Act" S.3206. Our teachers and our children need your help now. To learn more about this bill, click here. Click Here to contact your Senators! Donate now and help us keep fighting for our children's future. Sincerely, Jim Scheibel, Chair P.S. - Click here to forward this to a friend and ask them to help protect our children's education. Contact Information Phone: 202-626-5620 Website: 21st Century Democrats Paid for by 21st Century Democrats 1731 Connecticut Avenue, NW, 2nd Floor Washington, D.C. 20009 (202) 626-5620 http://21stcenturydems.org/ Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Lincoln, Halter, gear up for Arkansas runoff

Less than a week before their Senate primary, Sen. Blanche Lincoln and Lt. Gov. Bill Halter are preparing for their acrimonious contest to head into overtime.

With recent polls showing Lincoln with less than the 50 percent of the vote needed to avoid a runoff as a relatively unknown conservative candidate has gained his support at her expense, Arkansas observers say a second election on June 8 between the two top finishers is increasingly likely.

“Certainly, a runoff election remains a distinct possibility,” acknowledged Lincoln campaign manager Steve Patterson in a memo. “The fact that Senator Lincoln has withstood two months of negative attacks from well-funded outside groups and still remains in a strong position is a testament to her toughness and popularity among Arkansas voters,” he added.

Meanwhile, Halter’s campaign is raising expectations for Lincoln, who held a 12-point lead over Halter in a Mason-Dixon survey released last week.

“It’s a huge defeat for Sen. Lincoln if she ends up in a runoff. It means more than half of Arkansas primary voters decided against a sitting U.S. Senator, which means they are clearly ready for a change,” said Halter spokeswoman Laura Chapin.

D.C. Morrison, who is running as a conservative alternative opposed to the Democratic health care overhaul and supportive of the FAIR tax, may be gaining more traction than expected because of the nasty over-the-airwaves back-and-forth between Lincoln and Halter.

The Lincoln campaign estimates that outside labor groups like AFSCME, SEIU and the Communication Workers of America, have spent nearly $3.7 million dollars on ads targeting the second term senator. The liberal group Bold Progressives blasted an e-mail to activists Wednesday asking them to add another $125,000 to that total to help fund Halter’s get-out-the-vote operation.

Meanwhile, the Halter campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission this week asking the Virginia-based group Americans for Job Security reveal who is funding its hard-hitting ad that features Indians thanking the candidate for “outsourcing jobs” to their country.

“I suspect there’s a small but potentially crucial percentage of Democratic primary voters who have been turned off by the two top contenders,” said Paul Berry, a longtime Little Rock lobbyist who is supporting Lincoln. “The campaign ads have been so negative, it will not surprise me if there is a runoff. It’s the third candidate who has improved.”

Alan Hughes, the president of the state’s AFL-CIO, agreed that the little known Morrison could play a critical role in Tuesday’s outcome.

“With Morrison in right now, I think he’s going to take enough from her that yeah, we’ll keep her under 50 percent. I can’t see not having a runoff with three candidates in,” Hughes said.

One state official, who did not want to be identified prognosticating, said the bottom line is that “Lincoln’s campaign is hoping to eke out 50 percent and Halter’s campaign is praying for a runoff.”

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article misidentified the group that emailed activists Wednesday on behalf of Halter.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37164.html#ixzz0npBJb51R

Former Bernie Sanders Chief of Staff Jeff Weaver Endorses Dunne for Governor

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION – Jeff Weaver, former Chief of Staff in Senator Bernie Sanders’ House and Senate offices and Sanders’ former campaign manager, endorsed Matt Dunne for Governor today.

Weaver released the following statement endorsing Dunne:

“For some 20 years I stood beside Bernie Sanders, including as his House and Senate Chief of Staff and as his 2006 Campaign Manager. With the support of people like you, we brought Bernie’s powerful and effective voice to the U.S. Senate, and it has made a huge difference for people in Vermont and across the nation.

“Now I’m supporting Matt Dunne’s run for Vermont Governor.

“Matt Dunne has the energy and ideas to move Vermont into a new era. He’s not afraid to take on those who want government to work for the people at the top instead of working families, family farmers, the small business community, seniors and women. Matt has the executive leadership necessary to take charge on day one to help revitalize Vermont’s economy and bring jobs back to our state.

“But being right on the issues, or having the right management style isn’t enough. The question is: Who has the real world experience needed to help our state take advantage of the opportunities of the 21st century?

“It’s Matt Dunne.

“If Bernie Sanders taught me one thing in my 20 years by his side, it’s this: Change will only come when Vermonters standing together elect candidates with vision, candidates committed to the well-being of ordinary Vermonters, candidates who are willing to truly fight on our behalf. I believe Matt Dunne will bring those qualities to Vermont as Governor.”

Dunne continues to attract endorsements and support from people with broad political backgrounds.

“Bernie Sanders has been a long-time advocate for working people in Vermont and I think Jeff Weaver’s endorsement shows Matt Dunne can be a champion for working Vermonters in Montpelier,” Kevin O’Holleran, campaign manager for the Matt Dunne campaign, said.

“Matt is capable of building coalitions in order to get things done. The high-profile endorsements he has received over the past several weeks – Bill McKibben, Hirem Allen and now Jeff Weaver – show Matt can bring all different types of people together to win this November and lead Vermont into a new era as Governor,” O’Holleran said.

Dunne thanked Weaver for his support and his service to the state of Vermont.

“Jeff worked tirelessly for many years as a public servant and I thank him for his all he has done for Vermont with Senator Sanders. His endorsement gives this campaign another boost of momentum and I think him for his strong support,” Dunne said.