Blue Mass Group

The National Republican Senatorial Committee wasted no time opening its first salvo against former Virginia Governor and now US Senate candidate Mark Warner, launching its “Don’t Mark Warner” website right on the heels of Warner’s own informal announcement made early this morning. The GOP, obviously frightened by the real prospect of losing Virginia’s other Senate seat, is looking to bloody up Warner well in advance of next year’s general election.

According to a recent Rasmussen poll, the Republicans have their work cut out for them. Mark Warner is still hugely popular in Virginia, having left office with sky-high approval ratings and a list of popular accomplishments. The poll indicates that Warner’s favorability rating far surpass the two most likely GOP candidates, moderate US Rep. Tom Davis and right-wing Jim Gilmore.

Governor Warner, who initially considered seeking the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2008, is viewed favorably by 68% of the state’s voters and unfavorably by 28%.

Governor Gilmore, who recently dropped his long-shot bid for the Republican Presidential nomination, is viewed favorably by 49% and unfavorably by 42%.

Davis, as a Congressman, is less well known. Forty-three percent (43%) offer a positive assessment of Davis, 35% have a negative opinion, and 22% don’t know enough to have an opinion one way or the other.

Our differently-winged friend EaBo helpfully pointed to this op-ed by Jim Ogonowski, in which he makes crystal clear his reasons for opposing the expansion of kids' health care under SCHIP: SCHIP was originally intended to help poor children. Instead Congress worked to expand another big-government program that actually harms those working class children and families it was supposed to help. We all support helping poor children and families, but government seems unable to help those who need us. When I helped organize the largest airlift of aid in New Hampshire National Guard history to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, I saw firsthand how big government programs like FEMA don't work for the American people. Kids shouldn't get health care because of … FEMA. Gah? But wait! There's more – What bothers me the most is the benefits SCHIP gives to illegal immigrants. My great-grandmother emigrated from Poland in 1904; widowed and with four children. She settled in the Merrimack Valley and had very little. America should continue to be the beacon of hope for the world and welcome immigrants. But they must come here legally. I do not support amnesty for illegal immigrants. Laws like the SCHIP bill send the [...]

Remember those nice people who went out to gather signatures to vote on your right to marry?

According to the Boston Globe, their leader was just named as Executive Director of the state’s Republican party.

I couldn’t believe it either when I first heard that Boehner said this (HT: My Silver State).  Wolf Blitzer actually laid it out pretty clearly: he asked Boehner about the $2-3 billion a week, and the “blood, the Americans who are killed every month.”  Boehner’s response: that’s “a small price.”  By the way, do Boehner’s two daughters serve in the military?

And when you watch the video, it becomes quite clear that this was not an offhand, ill-considered remark.  This is not a “gotcha” for someone who just misspoke.  This is exactly what he meant to say.

(Transcript on the flip.)

So here’s a question for Jim Ogonowski: if elected, will you support the leadership of John Boehner, who considers well over 3,000 dead American soldiers and billions upon billions of dollars to be a “small price” for whatever will emerge from Iraq some day?

… again, on NewsNight with Braude, along with Republican political consultant Rob Gray. We talked Iraq; the presidential address tonight; the timing of the assassination of Sheik Sattar Abu Reesha; the presidential race generally; Norman Hsu (briefly); Fred Thompson (briefly, mercifully), etc. You can catch the video here.

The state GOP has named Robert Willington as the party's new Executive Director.  According to the Boston Globe –    ”Willington graduated from Salem State College where he studied political science. His political experience includes working for various politicians' campaigns and managing the VoteOnMarriage.org campaign to gather 170,000 signatures for a ballot question that would have banned gay marriage”.  (Shakes head sadly)

It is important to note that the latest news on the MCAS scores do not make any mention of drop out rates.  Having worked as a teacher in the Springfield public schools for a few years, I noticed a real desperation in their efforts to raise scores, and extensive use of policies, such as long term suspensions, that increase the dropout rate. (I've even heard rumors that Springfield wants to make Calculus mandatory for graduation.)  One of my principals, (I had 4 in 3 years) seemed to believe that if students that are disruptive and unmotivated drop out, the benefits to the schools will be substantial.  However, there are a number of problems with this theory. First, the students who are alienated by the harsh policies, such as long term suspensions, are often good students.  I can think of many examples, one of which was documented in my local paper.  Second, irreparable damage is done to the student and the community when a young person is forced out of school. Third, both teachers and students loose heart when they see others hurt by their institution.   

Left-wing photoblogger has the story here .   LA Times has it, too .   Could be an interesting Rohrschach for recalcitrant BMGers on charter public schools, those who've argued that Clintons, Gore, Obama, Kerry et al are traitors for their charter support.   1. Teacher Power. Majority of teachers at a big high school in Watts just voted to cut ties with their union (the UTLA) and the district.   Their school will turn into 10 small charter schools, run by a group called Green Dot.   2. Conservative coup?  Nope.   a. The teachers will actually join a new union — organized under the SEIU (janitors et al).   b. Green Dot, a nonprofit (like almost every charter school), is nonprofit.  Head guy is former union head himself, did MTV Rock the Vote, longtime Dem stalwart — Steve Barr.  Backed by Gates Foundation (left leaning) and Eli Broad (one of nation's largest Dem givers ).  c. School board — all Dems — vote for it, 5-2.   (Disclosure: I work at a charter school, which makes me a tool of the evil conspiracy).   So…. What say you, reality-based community?   Finally a charter you can get behind 100%, not only good for inner-city kids, but also gets the union checkmark?   [...]

I am not so fond of Barack Obama, but whoever is running his Internet campaign is brilliant. Asking an open question like this will give the 1365 people who already answered it, many more who will, and way many more who just read it, like I did, a feeling they are personal friends with him – and this is what the candidate needs. I couldn't find Ron Paul, Hillary, Kucinich, Gravel or Romney on LinkedIn at all. To be fair, Rudy Giuliani is there, but doesn't seem to be doing much.

Today, former Virginia Governor Mark Warner informally announced his candidacy for the US Senate in 2008, to replace outgoing GOP Senator John Warner (no relation). Video of the announcement can be seen by clicking here. A formal announcement will follow in the coming weeks. As the Washington Post reported today, Gov. Warner, who bowed out of the presidential race last October, is effectively taking himself out of consideration as a potential VP pick next year. Warner’s candidacy has the potential to be the fourth state-wide Democratic win in once-solidly red Virginia since 2001. Warner won the governor’s race in 2001, Tim Kaine (Warner’s LG) was elected governor in 2005, and Jim Webb beat George Allen for the Senate seat in 2006. A Warner win would, of course, bolster the Democratic ranks in the upper chamber of Congress.