Space Jobs

So the House today made it so we get one more shuttle launch. I hope Suzanne Kosmas uses this to her advantage, but that's about all I can say.

Per the UPI Science News section, the House voted 304-118 to save the shuttle program for at least a little bit longer. This was a popular measure on both sides of the article, and shows how Democrats like Kosmas can save jobs in their district, even when the president doesn't include that in his budget. I'm happy Sen. Bill Nelson was visiting the House today making sure this got through. These are elected officials and they have constituents on the Space Coast, so this is what they are supposed to do.

But I can't help but wonder if we shouldn't just rip the band-aid off here. The Shuttle program is a dying program. I frankly find the popularity of this among conservatives a bit baffling. This is really an antiquated program, and a classic case of government continuing to fund something just because it is too painful to stop funding it.

I've noted before that those Republicans who dog stimulus spending on roads, which get used by millions every single day, are fairly hypocritical voting for millions to be spent sending people in aging cans into orbit. Like so much in government, our leaders seem unwilling to spend what it takes to reach loftier goals, but too reliant on pork to cut the losses and call it a day.

What we really need to do is find a way to reach further into the stars. I tend to think that can best be accomplished offering incentives to private space carrier providers, but it doesn't seem right now as if anyone is ready to put a Virgin Galactic ship on the pad as soon as the last shuttle lands.

I think the short-term possibilities in space tourism could be wonderful for the Space Coast economy. I think the long-term benefits on genuine intergalactic exploration are so great they can be ignored forever. But the vote today just hops NASA back on the same hamster wheel that has been spinning since the 1980s. Rather than waiting for the next Columbia disaster, I'd like to move on to the next step instead of keeping the shuttles on life support.

The Kosmas Plan. The Grayson Plan

Central Florida this year may offer the best example of campaign experimentation for Democrats in this entire campaign cycle as Suzanne Kosmas and Alan Grayson take starkly different approaches to re-election strategies. If one of these incumbents fall in November and the other remains standing, it will set the tone for years on how campaigns in swing districts are waged.

Kosmas is playing the ultimate moderate. She supports the Bush tax cuts, piddled around on Obamacare and has disappointed liberals with a Progressive rating which makes Allen Boyd look like a leftist. She is trying to be what many, including myself, believe is a dying out creature: the Southern conservative Democrat.

Grayson, meanwhile, is the ultimate fighting Democrat. He calls out social conservatism for being outside the mainstream, assaults right-wing health care policy, and fills his coffers with national donations as a result. This is the campaign most of us in the blogosphere have wanted from Democrats. It is what we hoped Howard Dean would do, and after that campaign imploded, what we wished so badly John Kerry had done.

But the "conventional wisdom" has always been, when the going gets tough, run to the center. Never mind that in any sport known to man, the most successful plays normally come from running up the sides.

Right now, Congress is breaking session, and infighting between the conservative Democrats like Kosmas and the liberals like Grayson has resulted in no vote being taken on the tax cuts, either those that benefit the rich, whom Kosmas is apparently quite worried about, or those that affect the rest of us.

There isn't enough polling being done on either of these seats, despite being the most watched Congressional races in the state. Kosmas and Grayson both have released internals which show themselves leading. But Sunshine State just released a poll that shows Grayson behind Dan Webster by 7 points. The NRCC says Kosmas is behind Sandy Adams by 10.

Obviously, everything is still in the air, and the next five weeks are go-time for both incumbents.

I want both freshmen to win re-election, of course. Kosmas is far from my favorite Democrat, but she's better than Rapey McNovotes. But given the choice, I would rather see Grayson re-elected and Kosmas go down than vice versa. While I was hard on the Grayson ad yesterday, I do kind of hope the name Taliban Dan sticks. More importantly, though, I want a declaration that sticking to one's principles and fighting for a liberal cause is not political foolishness, and that a progressive agenda has its place in mainstream America, not just liberal strongholds.

It's still a real possibility both of them could lose, which would suck, but at least would leave no room people to blame being liberal for Grayson's downfall. More important than any candidate is the right for a progressive agenda to be treated with equal respect in the marketplace of ideas, especially when right-wing fanaticism is so often given a pass.

Hey Alan, I'd Rather They Look Crazy

Alan Grayson has sparked a big argument over semantics with an ad which really could have done a lot of good. The issue at hand is an excerpt from a speech by Republican challenger Dan Webster to religious men about the role of genders in marriage, and a quote a film editor just found a little too precious.

"She should submit to me. That's in the Bible."

Of course, as local media have already noted, he said a little more. A full excerpt via the Orlando Sentinel:

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Find a verse. I have a verse for my wife; I have verses for my wife. Don't pick the ones that say, um, she should submit to me. That's in the Bible, but pick the ones that you're supposed to do. So instead, love your wife, even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, as opposed to wives submit yourself to your own husband. She can pray that if she wants to, but don't you pray it.

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So what's the difference. Not all that much, really, except the Grayson ad makes it seem like Webster wanted men to go enforce this scripture, and Webster was actually telling them it was up to women to consciously submit to their husbands, and that men should worry about their own action. Either way, I consider a little weird and antiquated.

But I wish Grayson wasn't going this route. It's patronizing and distracting. And it does as much to energize the defensive right as to fire up the left.

The frustrating thing is that Grayson nails Webster on some legitimate public policy positions which fall outside mainstream philosophy. Remember when I noted pro-life groups are touting some 63 House candidates who oppose abortion even in cases of rape or when it saves a mother's life? Webster is now on that list.

The problem is, none of that is getting discussed because of Submit-gate. You have Markos Moulitsas, who is particularly protective of the American Taliban brand, defending Grayson. But Adam Serwer is tearing up the advertisement at the Washington Post. All of this is turning the conversation to Grayson's campaign tactics and away from the fact Dan Webster is kinda nuts.

I always figured Webster would be the toughest person for Grayson to face in the general election, and that is because Webster is the opposite of Grayson in every way. Grayson is known for being willing to fight hard on the floor of Congress. Webster was known for running the state House in a way that allowed Dems a voice on legislation even though Republicans held significant majorities. If Grayson is the king of righteous anger, Webster is the master of calm demeanor. When Webster was considering resigning from the state Senate a few years ago to seek higher office, a bipartisan group of legislators devoted time on the Senate floor to ask Webster not to leave because he was too well-liked within Tallahassee. He makes a difficult target for Grayson's blowtorch tactics.

But as it happens, Grayson is right on the issues, and Webster is right of Attila the Hun. He was the one who sponsored a bill in 2008 requiring women to get ultrasounds before abortions, a bill which a few years later would get passed and sent to Gov. Crist's desk. He pushed for elimination of the intangibles tax under Jeb Bush, just one of the many tax give-aways to the rich which Democrats need to exploit this year in order to energize the middle class.

This is what the voters in Florida's 8th need to learn about Webster. They know he is a nice guy, and spending campaign money convincing them otherwise is just a waste. People need to realize the reckless, right-wing social and fiscal policies that leave this nation economically wasted and far too far from free were promoted in large part by Webster.

Focus on that in the future, Alan. Please don't submit us to more of this worthless praddle.

Et Tu, Wexler?

Watching the way this Senate race has played out since Charlie Crist took his Republican clothes off and started trumping down the streets in his naked independence, it has frustrated me to no end how many otherwise sensible liberals have nodded, applauded and cheered that the Emperor had beautiful new liberal credentials.

Now, fire-breathing liberal Robert Wexler has jumped in. This makes me very angry. But it's just the latest in a long list of backers that includes Charlie Whitehead and a number of other high- and low-level Democrats. And the governor is touting his support from the left pretty loudly.

To be honest, I am starting to wonder if Crist really is trying to win this anymore. Since taking a hard tack to the left, he has done nothing but bleed Republican support to the advantage of Marco Rubio while splitting Democrats with Kendrick Meek.

I worry, in my most cynical moments, that Kos is right about Rubio getting a free pass and this race tilting totally in the wrong direction. I don't want to kid myself into thinking this would have been a cakewalk if Crist died quietly in the GOP primary and there had ended up being a genuine Meek-Rubio battle in November, but I certainly think things might be easier is Crist wasn't chipping at the left full-time right now.

But people like Wexler fuel the myth that Crist is the only thing standing between Marco Rubio and the Senate. A united left would stop Rubio, and do it more forcefully than squishy Charlie ever could. That is why the Wexler endorsement hurts so much. This man literally wrote the book on standing up for liberal values, and has now thrown his weight behind a guy whose politics shift with the sands. How can someone who stood up to Bush rhetoric even at the height of jingoism now be snuggling up to Crist?

I want Meek to win. I haven't been shy about saying that. I also always figured Crist went into this race the favorite because he could siphon from the left and the right. But I never expected Crist to run this piss-poor of a campaign, and I now fear he will prove me wrong by placing poorly and ruin my hopes of a Meek win by taking the Democrats down with the ship.

But hey. Maybe I'm just in pessimistic mood. Maybe I was more on the mark last week. And for some reason, there aren't a billion polls coming out on this race right now, despite no candidate polling above 43 on a good day.

People have been chiding me for months, telling me a vote for Meek is a vote for Rubio. Well look at the world around. Crist is spoiling this race for us. He has tossed out his political future on the right, and is scorching the fields as he explores life on the left. Crist won't win this way, but can do a lot of damage. And Wexler is enabling the destruction.

Maybe I'm too pessimistic right now, and was more on spot last week. Hopefully the polling will turn around a bit as all candidates take to the airwaves with a little more oomph. Meek has people like Al Gore, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden behind him, and those should be worth more outside a small part of South Florida than Wexler could ever dream. But things have to swing into gear quick.

Adams Would Say No For Rape Victims?

Something tucked into a HuffPost article caught my attention today. Apparently, the Republican National Coalition for Life is very excited about Sandy Adams, one of 63 House candidates they have endorsed who are "pro-life without exception."

In other words, they oppose freedom of choice even in the event the mother was raped and in cases of incest. Follow some links and you realize she even opposes in cases where the mother's life is in danger.

The article as a whole focuses primarily on Senate candidates, which makes sense. Senators, after all, are the ones who vote for Supreme Court justices, likely the only people with the power to impose these kinds of archaic restrictions.

But RNC for Life spokesperson Dianne Edmondson make special note of four House candidates who were especially exciting candidates to watch, and Adams was among them. I've written before about Adams' extreme views on other constitutional issues. I'm sure more will come up, but here is a list so far.

- Adams opposes direct election of U.S. Senators, preferring the Legislature take the reins there.

- Adams wants to repeal the amendment which created the federal income tax.

- Adams opposes a woman's right to choose, even in cases of rape, incest, or threat to the mother's health.

And you though the Tea Party was all about upholding the constitution. Turns out that includes one particular reading of it, and not a complete one at that.

Now, it's no secret Democrat Suzanne Kosmas is among the most endangered incumbents in the U.S. House. An NRCC-funded internal poll released last week shows Adams beating Kosmas 49-37. But can a candidate this extreme really be considered as a reasonable alternative?

What It Means To Lose A Country

Obama is just like Castro. That seems to be the message behind this advertisement from the Marco Rubio campaign. Check out the last line.

"As the son of exiles, I understand what it means to lose a country."

So he understands what happens when communist revolutionaries take over a nation through an armed revolt and turn dissenters into political prisoners. A lot of connection to what's happening in America today, right?

I mean, seeing the Democrats win landslide elections the past two election cycles, including watching President Obama receive nearly 70 million votes, more than any candidate in American history, is exactly like witnessing a violent revolution. Exactly the same.

And seeing left-of-center programs programs like the very watered-down health care package, and proposals intended to save the world, is kind of like tossing your enemies into political prisons and letting them die from dehydration. Exactly the same.

And suffering through less than two years of President Obama has to be exactly like dealing with 36 years of continuous, uninterrupted tyranny on behalf of the Castro brothers. Why, it's just amazing conservatives aren't fleeing to Costa Rica to escape the terrible, oppressive regime in power within the United States right now.

The funny thing, of course, is that the Tea Party camp is the crew dressing up like revolutionaries right now.

But this also shows just how far Rubio will go to push the meme Democrats are really some type of destructive force pushing not only a philosophically wrong agenda, but one that will totally end the American way of life. The hyperbole is ludicrous.

All this is especially funny to me since there is no way Marco Rubio will get a majority of votes in the Senate race this year. He could win, of course, but the current front-runner is polling in the low 40s. I guess it's fine to conservatives win with a plurality as long as they are Republicans.

But even if the Rubios and Joe Millers win on Election Day, I'd like someone to point out they are coming in without the majority support of their state voters, and they they represent not an outspoken majority but a group of well-organized activists who came out ahead in three-way races during a mid-term. And then I hope they remember that people like Rubio did so comparing the Obama administration to one that seized power and allowed zero dissent.

Hopefully, though, a majority of Florida voters will see through this insane, extremist rhetoric, and remind Rubio that voters can still stop nutjobs from seizing the reins of power here.

What Wave? Garcia Up on Rivera

Don't look now, but Democrats in Florida may make net gains against all predictions on doom in House races this year. A new poll shows Joe Garcia up 7 points on David Rivera in Florida's 25th. Now, it's just an internal poll, so I won't go nuts on it just yet, but that's a big enough lead someone ought to commission an independent poll pretty darn quick.

The Greenberg Quinlan Rosner poll, commissioned by the DCCC, pegs this with Garcia at 40, Rivera at 33, Tea Partier Roly Arrojo at 7 and Whig Craig Porter at 2 percent. I'd be a lot happier if Garcia was over 50 right now, but this means even if all the Tea Party voters came home and voted Republican, the race would be tied. And while people always want to cry spoiler, I don't believe those third-party voters would come out for a mid-term election to cats anything but a protest vote.

The Garcia camp is obviously giddy. From a release:

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“This poll makes one thing clear - South Floridians are rejecting Tallahassee politician David Rivera's scandal plagued past because they know he can't be trusted,” said Shripal Shah, Regional Press Secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Voters are supporting Joe Garcia because they understand that he will fight for middle class families and will work hard to bring jobs to South Florida.”

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If nothing else, this shows a great opportunity for a pickup, despite the doom-and-gloom predictions making all the national headlines. As I've said again and again, this is a very winnable race for us. If it wasn't a territory trending our way, then Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart wouldn't be fleeing this custom-made district to run for his brother's seat instead.

But more important, Rivera is a terrible candidate. Last week, I noted he is now resorting to calling Garcia a henchman of Castro. His past is peppered with accusations of domestic violence, inescapable financial problems and an unorthodox history of quashing dissent. This is who the Republican Party of Florida has chosen as a successor to a seat drawn solely for the purpose of adding to its Congressional majority.

My rosy prediction the Dems could gain a seat in Florida this year hinge upon Garcia winning, so I am pulling for him in a very big way. Since the DCCC also has a money advantage right now, I'm rosier about this South Florida race every day.