Junior Senator, John Cornyn is having a tough time as the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).
According to Washington Post's "The Fix", Cornyn has decided he would rather spend donor money to help former Senator Norm Coleman pay legal bills than compete in elections.
NRSC Aids Coleman Recount Effort: The National Republican Senatorial Committee has committed $750,000 to former Minnesota senator Norm Coleman to help cover the vast legal expenses incurred during the former incumbent's lengthy challenge to the election results of his race against Democrat Al Franken. Sources familiar with the move said it should not be read as a down payment for a prolonged Coleman legal battle at the federal level if he loses his ongoing challenge before the Minnesota Supreme Court but rather a good faith effort to keep him from going into massive debt.
The financial numbers flying around this legal process are dizzying -- but I look at it this way. The more the NRSC is spending on keeping Coleman's challenge going, the less they're going to have to spend on protecting their vulnerable seats in 2010 -- of which there are going to be several.
Cornyn and other Republican leaders began urging donors to give directly to Coleman almost a week ago, and have thrown in $750,000 of the NRSC's money too more legal challenges. That is an impressive waste of money for a person who is no longer elected and is not on the ballot for at least 6 years. Let the people of Minnesota have both of their Senators... Senator.
There is some good news for Big John. Soon, Cornyn will become the Senior Senator from Texas. Cornyn has shown he is having a difficult time managing the NRSC and it's spending, and without an election, Cornyn has seen his numbers dwindle to 40 GOP Senators. Perhaps this is the best news Cornyn will get this year (or next). The worst part for Cornyn is, his good news comes with losing one more Republican Senator.
Before you or someone you know gives their hard earned dollars to former Senator Coleman, you need to know why his "campaign" needs the money. It's not about partisan control like Senator Richard Burr or others would like you to believe.
Former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) - who continues to contest election results that appear to have Democrat Al Franken winning the Senate seat by a whisker - is asking the Federal Election Commission for permission to use campaign funds for legal fees related to allegations that a supporter funneled payoffs through Coleman's wife.
Coleman's year-end campaign filings showed he had already spent close to $300,000 in legal fees, and his legal team has since expanded to include several of the Gopher State's best-known criminal defense attorneys.
Just prior to last year's election, Paul McKim alleged that longtime Coleman friend and supporter Nasser Kazeminy funneled a $75,000 payment to Coleman through Deep Marine Technology, a company primarily owned by Kazeminy. McKim is the former CEO of the company.
McKim alleged that at Kazeminy's direction, the company made payments to an insurance broker in Minneapolis that employed Coleman's wife, Laurie, despite the fact that the insurance company never provided any services to Deep Marine. McKim alleged that the only purpose of the payment was to provide cash assistance to the Colemans.
A second suit among shareholders in Delaware contains essentially the same allegations.
The Roll Call article highlight's the continued ridiculousness of the Republican brand. This isn't a total surprise. It's not completely uncommon for a formerly elected Senator facing legal question to ask others to help pay for his court fight. What is truly odd about this situation is 11 Republican leaders are joining Coleman's campaign to encourage American's to donate to Coleman's failed U.S. Senate campaign in order to assist a legal fight.
The list of advocates includes Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, House Republican John Boehner, RNC Chairman Michael Steele, and our very own Junior Senator John Cornyn as head of the NRSC.
As the Washington Independent points out, "if your donating to Norm Coleman, you might see your dollars sucked into a defense fund for a lawsuit that has a bit less to do with control of the Senate than the former senator's challenges of the results of the 2008 election."
Best case scenario, these 11 Republicans are being hypocrites by asking every vote to be counted in Minnesota while we inch closer to voter suppression legislation in Texas. Worst case scenario, they are misrepresenting the fact and helping raise money for Coleman to pay legal bills unrelated to the November election.
Today John Cornyn and the NRSC endorsed Flordia Governor Charlie Crist in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. One wonders why a campaign committee openly endorses someone when its party might choose another candidate. True, Senator Cornyn is just worried about the GOP's 2010 election chances, but it seems that there are conservatives who like the other candidate and have made their disappointment in John Cornyn known.
We have a primary shaping up in Florida between Charlie Crist, a pro-stimulus, pro-amnesty, Arlen Specter style "Republican" and Marco Rubio, a young, Hispanic, anti-amnesty conservative who was the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives for the 2007 and 2008 legislative sessions.
Admittedly Crist, who's the current governor, is the heavy favorite -- but, that wasn't enough for John Cornyn at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. In a repeat of the sort of stupidity that the GOP engaged in back in 2004 in Pennsylvania (Specter vs. Toomey), Cornyn and the NRSC are actually endorsing a guy who will end up voting against the GOP half the time if he gets in the Senate -- over a credible conservative candidate.
If I told you what I really think about that, it would mostly involve a long series of F-bombs and John Cornyn's name. So, rather than go that way, let me just say this.
I would encourage you not to give the National Republican Senatorial Committee one thin dime of your money unless John Cornyn resigns. If they send you a letter asking for money or call you asking for money, let them know that they're not getting anything from you unless John Cornyn is gone and they stop interfering in Republican primary races.
Now, Right Wing News has shown disappointment in John Cornyn before, but I think this is the straw that broke the camel's back for them.
And it makes sense. Until today, John Cornyn's tenure as NRSC Chairman has shown a Senator in touch with the hardcore conservative views. And I won't use the words to describe Mr. Crist that this conservative website did, but Charlie Crist is not quite the hardcore conservative.
So, this should raise questions for Mr. Cornyn's Texan constituents, too. Where does he stand on representing us? Is he a hardcore conservative, or is he something else? John Cornyn should be straight with us, but he's not doing that here.
Some Republicans also said a liberal nominee would pose risks for Senate Democrats representing conservative states.
"It puts a lot of pressure on Democrats in red states, particularly those running for re-election in 2010, if it is someone who is dramatically outside of the mainstream," said Mr. Cornyn, who, as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has a deep interest in the politics of the nomination.
Cornyn's sentiment is predicated on the notion that the Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee is deeply concerned with making sure that Democratic Senators get re-elected. Since any extremely competent, intelligent, accomplished, not-crazy-radical-drooling-over-their-gavel Supreme Court nominee that President Obama would see fit to pick should be confirmed - with only the most partisan of Republicans opposing any nominee no matter what ($100 says Hookerlover David Vitter votes nay - and I'm giving odds!) - Cornyn's trying reverse psychology to frighten President Obama into choosing a more centrist jurist than needbe. Because President Obama is sooooo frightened of Big, Bad John Cornyn.
Remember, the Republican Party wants people to believe they are the big tent party.
When John Cornyn finally released his response to Arlen Specter feeling like the Republican party no longer represented his ideals or the beliefs of the state of Pennsylvania, Cornyn decided not to take the high road.
U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), issued the following statement today regarding U.S. Senator Arlen Specter's (R-PA) decision to switch political parties in the face of a seemingly insurmountable bid for re-election next year:
"Senator Specter's decision today represents the height of political self-preservation. While this presents a short-term disappointment, voters next year will have a clear choice to cast their ballots for a potentially unbridled Democrat super-majority versus the system of checks-and-balances that Americans deserve."
The basis of John Cornyn's entire statement is the Republican brand is so tainted that Specter had no choice but to switch parties. I can't disagree with the premise of the statement and find it telling this switch happened under John Cornyn's watch over the Republican's in the Senate.
The other striking part of Cornyn's very very short statement is the fact that it basically calls voters stupid.
Cornyn alludes to the fact that Specter moving to the Democratic party and the election of Al Franken means Democrats will have a filibuster proof majority in the Senate. Rather than arguing for the direct need for more Senate Republicans, Cornyn speaks directly to voters and tells them they have destroyed the system of checks and balances.
Senator, really?
The Republican brand has been destroyed because of the failed leadership of George Bush. In addition, the current Republican mouth pieces aren't helping. Karl Rove, Rush Limbaugh, Grover Norquist, and Tom DeLay haven't received a single vote. They are accountable to nobody but the people that line their pockets. Arlen Specter is accountable to an electorate, and he believes the Republican Party has let his constituents down.
Coryn's statement shows a fundamental lack of understanding about what is going on nationally. Until they fix this problem, the Republican brand will continue to be broken.
And P.S. Senator, Arlen Specter is a Democrat now. You can stop referring to him as (R-PA), that's simply untrue now and your party is the reason why.
What is the base of the Republican Party in a general election? It's around 39% statewide.
That's the total percent of the vote Rick Perry received in 2006 in his re-election. Given 4 options, only 39% would go with Governor Perry.
Clearly Rick Perry is more out of touch than the original numbers indicate.
Rasmussen has released a poll that shows Rick Perry's call to secede from the United States of America are hugely unpopular. Only 18% of those polled would vote to secede if the election to secede were held today.
Thirty-one percent (31%) of Texas voters say that their state has the right to secede from the United States and form an independent country.
However, the latest Rasmussen Reports poll in the state finds that if the matter was put to a vote, it wouldn't even be close. Three-fourths (75%) of Lone Star State voters would opt to remain in the United States. Only 18% would vote to secede, and seven percent (7%) are not sure what they'd choose.
At the most basic levels, the Reasmussen poll indicates all of the teabaggers who hollered and shouted for joy during Perry's repeated call for secession represent an extreme minority of the state at 18%. It further shows just how out of touch the organizers of this Republican press stunt really are.
With 31% of Texans saying Texas has a right to seceded and only 18% actually wanting to secede, Perry has clearly hung his re-election hopes squarely on the far right. Will this anti-American sentiment work? Sadly, it's too early to tell. However, Texans do support our country and I would be interested in seeing some polling numbers to see how people feel about the Federal Recovery and Re-investment Act and how they feel about Barack Obama. It's clear Perry does not have his finger on the pulse of the average Texans, so let's see who does.
As many of us have learned in the past few months, John Cornyn takes his job as Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee much more importantly than his job as our state's junior U.S. Senator.
And Sen. Cornyn sure does have a way with words.
After telling Politico that it could take "years" to seat Al Franken (or Norm Coleman), Cornyn threatened that it would be "World War III" if Senate Democrats tried to seat Franken.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said, "Whatever the state Supreme Court decides, as I understand it, the law requires it to be ceritified."
Even Ben Ginsberg, the Republican lawyer who argued in favor of George W. Bush in the fall of 2000, conceded that at best it was an "open question" whether Coleman would have a legitimate case once the state court decided.
Others have said it is unclear what would happen.
But John Cornyn, who has to be just about the most partisan man in Washington, disagrees. He is determined to keep Franken out of the Senate as long as possible, denying representation to millions.
If only John Cornyn showed such determination when working on legislation to help Texans. Sadly, his priorities are clear: NRSC work comes before Senate work.
Update: The "World War III" remark is getting Cornyn a lot of press. From the front page of StarTribune.com:
Remember this? Poor John Cornyn, can you imagine if this happened instead?
PageOneKentucky: Rumor has it that Jim Bunning is so spitting mad that he's telling people he'll just resign and let Steve (Beshear) appoint someone.
How bout them apples?
And can you even IMAGINE?
Ha!
UPDATE: Spoke with one of Bunning's staffers and they don't deny it. WTF. Granted, it only means he probably said it. But was it in frustration or was he serious?
If you've ever wondered why or how John Cornyn has managed to earn negative approval ratings without seeming to do anything wrong, this story is just another example of how that happens.
Elevated to the position of chairman of the National Republican Senate Committee, John Cornyn is now charged with trying not to make his minority party even more irrelevant than it already is in the upper chamber. Over in Kentucky, he has to deal with a cantankerous Senator that (ideally) should get the hint and retire lest he become a top tier target for the DSCC to defeat. While Sen. Mitch McConnell was slightly vulnerable last fall, Sen. Jim Bunning is much less popular and a weak incumbent that many in the GOP had figured would retire quietly into the night (he nearly 80 years old).
Well, Sen. Bunning doesn't want to retire and didn't take kindly to rumors that Sen. Cornyn and others were working behind the scenes to pressure him to do so, going to far as to float the possibility of a primary. As the local papers in KY are reporting, it's not exactly a love affair right now.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, confirmed to The Washington Post Monday that Kentucky Senate President David Williams had met with officials at the committee last week. Cornyn called it "a courtesy visit." ed. note: that is the potential primary challenger
"Just to clear up any potential confusion, the NRSC supports Sen. Bunning," Cornyn said.
Asked if he was happy with Cornyn's comments, Bunning said today: "I don't believe anything John Cornyn says. I've had miscommunications with John Cornyn from, I guess, the first week of this current session of the Senate. He either doesn't understand English or he doesn't understand direct: 'I'm going to run,' which I said to him in the cloakroom of our chamber."
Bunning also said that if a candidate was recruited by the committee to run against him in a primary, he would file a lawsuit.
"I would have a suit against the NRSC if they did that," he warned.
I guess this is the silver lining in John Cornyn getting re-elected. We get to be entertained with the hilarity of watching him preside over an incompetent minority caucus. Yes, John Cornyn, You're Doing it Wrong! but don't let us stop you. (Explained.)
The Senate had a major procedural vote on President Obama's economic stimulus bill late this afternoon. A bipartisan supermajority overcame a Republican filibuster by a vote of 61-36. What may have been most interesting in the vote, however, was this:
Not Voting - 2 Cornyn (R-TX) Gregg (R-NH)
We know that Judd Gregg abstained from voting as he awaits confirmation as Commerce Secretary. But where was John Cornyn? Why would Cornyn skip out on arguably the most critical vote of the year thus far? For the prospect of cold, hard cash:
Glenn Thrush says the question from the Senate floor this evening was "where was Cornyn," as the Texas Republican was the only senator to miss the crucial cloture vote on the stimulus package.
The answer: He was at a New York gathering of prominent media conservatives and Wall Street Republican donors called the Monday Meeting, held at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Midtown Manhattan.
Though not a fundraiser, the meeting is a hub of conservative money and buzz, a good place for Cornyn to tap into resources in his role as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
John Cornyn blew off the most important vote of the year to rub elbows with rich New Yorkers who might cut him a check. Those are the priorities of NRSC Chair John Cornyn. So when the NRSC baselessly attacks Democrats for anything they do, any positions they take, any public comments they make, note that NRSC Chair Cornyn doesn't even have the professional courtesy to show up to vote for something as hugely critical as the economic stimulus.
