Sen. Diane Feinstein canceled a campaign fundraiser after the Roll Call published a Lobbyist's invitation to constituents inviting them to attend. The invitation to donate to Feinstein's campaign listed Feinstein's various Committee roles as meal courses on the fundraiser's luncheon menu (i.e. power on the menu to be bought).
Iran appears to have an American voting problem. They can't seem to use their vote to remove politicians from office. Regardless of how the people vote, the incumbent wins. That is the claim of many in Iran.
This afternoon, at his televised California town hall meeting, Obama said he knows folks are angry about the AIG bonuses. He said he is angry about them. He says blame is flying everywhere, at Treasury, Democrats, and Republicans. He said if folks need to blame someone, blame him. He said, ultimately, I am responsible. I am the president. All well and good as far as it goes. His words, however, don't allude to the depth of the first major black mark on his presidency.
Bi-partisanship is alive and well in Congress as Democrats and Republicans alike stepped up to the pork spending trough funded by your and my tax dollars. Seems most blogs want to focus on Obama's willingness to sign the bill, rather than your and my representatives who put the pork in there in the first place. Many incumbent Democrats and Republicans ran in 2008 on cutting wasteful spending only to renege on their promise 4 months after election. Why do we continue to reelect them?
When the electorate, predominantly Republican, will elect a Democrat, rather than their convicted felon incumbent Sen. Ted Stevens, there is hope and reason to work within the Vote Out Incumbents Democracy movement and organization. Congratulations Alaska, on narrowly doing the right thing. We empathize with the only other choice being a Democrat.
From Michigan's Supreme Court race to the many incumbent losses in the House of Representatives, to the incumbent losses in the Senate (Oregon's Smith, N. Carolina's Dole, New Hampshire's Sununu), the anti-incumbent vote made its presence very visible in this election. It was decidedly an anti-incumbent vote against the GOP. However, both major parties can no longer ignore the power of the independent voters (6% of whom decided the Democratic direction of this race), nor the power of voters exercising their right and obligation to vote out incumbents when government disappoints the voters.
Continue reading "Anti-Incumbent Voters, Alive, Well, and Growing." »
The details in some of the polls now show 12% of Republicans intending to vote for Barack Obama. This reflects an anti-incumbent target bigger than individual incumbents, aimed selectively at the Republican Party itself. Given Republican control of the House of Representatives from 1995 to 2007, where all spending and tax law finds its beginning, and control of the Senate from 2001 to 2007, in addition to a Republican President from 2001 to the present, and given the dire economic condition of the country and world economy today, it is no great surprise that voters would focus anti-incumbent sentiment on the Republican Party and its incumbents primarily.
Ordinarily, this would not be considered a healthy anti-incumbent movement, but yet another round of musical chairs between the duopoly parties. One can logically argue that this switching of parties does not even reflect an anti-incumbent strategy, or movement. But, as with many logical arguments, that conclusion may prove to be false, if one or more of the premises is proven false. An explanation is in order.
Continue reading "Anti-incumbent Sentiment Opens Door of Opportunity" »
It is a terrible year for America's economy. But, it may prove to be a great year for some challengers across the country. From civil service pensions thrown into jeopardy by squeezed state budget shortfalls, to the 3/4 trillion dollar credit bailout of financial institutions, challengers have never had a better platform upon which to challenge incumbents responsible for the failures to prevent these perilous events.
Congress' disapproval ratings now in the mid to high 70% range. But who thinks 70% of Congressional incumbents will be unelected this November? (See graphs below). No one! What is this incredible disconnect all about?
I received the following email from Jim in Florida:
Dear Editor of V.O.I.D.Let me preface the remainder of this correspondence by stating I am an avid fan of VOID's political commentary and insight.
I thought you should know about one incumbent Congressman here in Florida that more than deserves a "V.O.I.D. Tag" as ripe for being ousted from office.
In light of the fact Florida's 23rd Congressional District contains some of the poorest cities and towns in the State of Florida with over 25% of the population barely surviving at or below the poverty level, 16 year incumbent Congressman Alcee "Corruptocrat" Hastings has spent the campain contributions he has received on "Flowers for Consituents" as well as Fine Dining at Upscale Hotels and Florida Resorts (according to FEC Disbursement Reports).
Hastings spent over $15,000.00 on Flowers, all purchased from one Florist in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, specifically "The Bashful Daisy" (strange spending eh?).
He also spent over $60,000.00 on Fine Dining & Catering, mostly spent at the luxurious Westin Resort & Country Club, Westin Florida.
Hastings' Democratic Challenger Dr. Ray Torres Sanchez (D), is on a "David v. Goliath" quest to oust incumbent Hastings during the upcoming August 26th Primary, but it is a politically heavy lift.
The supporting information can be found at: http://raytorressanchezforcongress2008.com/hastingsdiet.html
In closing, I'm wondering if V.O.I.D. would consider providing internet commentary on the aforementioned, to help replace Alcee Hastings with a new Congressman that I'm more than certain you would approve of ?
Sincerely,
Jim in West Palm Beach FL
[Editors Note: VOID is a non-affiliated, non-partisan organization. Views of those submitting letters to the editor are posted only to reflect the views of the VOID supporter submitting the letter to the editor. VOID does not endorse any specific candidates for elected office.]
I have been informed and checked out a new anti-incumbent web site. It is very nicely done and provides very good coverage of the current event issues that warrant voters critically evaluating the vote for or against their representative this November.
The site is called "Good Bye Incumbents" and it is a very well laid out and easy site to read and navigate. My only criticism is they don't permit comments to their column articles. It is however a great information site with lots of photos for those who need them to keep the visual interest and attention span going. Very well done. Congratulations to Jack Walsh, the site designer. And welcome Jack to the anti-incumbent movement.
UPDATE: Jack Walsh has implemented comments to his articles on his site. Good move. Check it out.
Nelson Walker sent us the following email of interest:
Hi guys and gals, from tenurecorrupts.com
Now that the latest political buzzword is 'CHANGE', I guess I'm gonna have to get on the bandwagon...
I say the CHANGE that is needed in our country is to end the permanent status quo in Congress.
How many of you realize that the average reelection rate in the House of Representatives is over 98% ? And in the Senate it is over 92% ?
Do you really, really think that Congress does such a good job that it deserves to be reelected over and over again, ad infinitum ? Something is wrong !
Doesn't this sound like Congress has a real need for CHANGE ?
Since they are not likely to ever let us term limit them, we have to do it ourselves. And it is easy to do. We simply have to NEVER REELECT THEM !
During this Presidential Election, vote for whoever you want for president. But when it comes to your members of Congress in either House, or either party, vote only for challengers, never for incumbents.
If we succeed in knocking down their reelection rates to the low 70 or 80 percentile rates, they will get the message and let us have a constitutional amendment for term limits for Congress.
Now THAT would be REAL CHANGE !!!
--Nelson Walker, TenureCorrupts.Com
The following list was found at DefendUSA covering high profile government corruption from 2002 through 2005. But, the corruption continues in Washington with billions and billions of U.S. dollars stolen and misappropriated in Iraq, enormous losses to taxpayers as a result of continuing no-bid contracts, and the ever so subtle tactics of replacing taxes with user fees and stealing from our children's wages taxes for national debt being accumulated today. Not to mention Alaska's Jim Clark guilty plea, La. Dem. Jefferson's ongoing indictment, and this February's indictment of Rep. Rick Renzi (R) for extortion, wire fraud, money laundering and other charges related to a land deal in Arizona.
The Primaries and Caucuses are the primary place for anti-incumbent voters to register their initial anti-incumbent vote. Far too many American voters assume the main ballot entry is for President. It is not. Take a look at how many seats are up for grabs in my own district. Your district has very similar ballot options for the Primary election. To vote anti-incumbent means voting for the challengers, and the place to do that first is in the Primary elections.
I am back in the swing of Googling the terms '2008 anti-incumbent' to take the pulse of the movement. The term is being bandied about many more folks than in previous cycles this decade. That's a good thing. But, their commentaries seem to miss the mark. They use the anti-incumbent term to support their incumbents, their incumbent party, or their incumbent ideological wishful dreams.
However, their comments don't reflect a genuine understanding of the anti-incumbent movement; obvious by their numerous references to an anti-incumbent mood. Mood and movement are two entirely different things. VOID is the only legitimate anti-incumbent movement, and all others miss the mark entirely as demonstrated in following paragraphs and quotes.
Continue reading "Only 1 Real Anti-Incumbent Organization" »
Tom Blakely's article at The Hill, Analysis: Incumbents At Risk This Year, is making the rounds at publications like Newsweek and Politico. But, we have seen such articles in past elections, and the risk was not realized. Blakely is marking one race, and writing about voter sentiment. But, VOID members know, it will take more than individual sentiments to make an anti-incumbent sentiment produce an anti-incumbent movement at the polls. It will take the growth of the VOID organization to contact and organize voters in that direction knowing they are acting in concert with each other by the millions.
The Rothenberg Political Report says:
Democratic voters are angry with Congress now for not taking Bush on strongly enough over the war in Iraq. That explains why Congress' job ratings are so low. But that anger is likely to dissipate, and it is difficult to imagine Democrats (or even independents) voting against Democratic House incumbents merely to make a point.
H.R. 4088, The SAVE Act of 2007 (Secure America with Verification and Enforcement, [pdf] is an outstanding piece of bipartisan legislation. No amnesty provisions; this Bill puts border security and enforcement of existing and new laws as the number one priority. Largely developed and co-sponsored by freshman Congresspersons, this Bill is the best evidence yet, that voting out incumbents can bring the changes that America needs.
Continue reading "Freshman Congresspersons's SAVE Act: A Winner" »
The Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21 filed comments today with the Federal Elections Commission opposing a new attempt by Members of Congress to circumvent McCain-Feingold, correctly known as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, by raising soft money for ballot initiatives.
Just another reason to vote out these incumbents who continuously put power and politics ahead of the people and the nation.
In the clearest sign yet that the 2008 elections will continue the growth of the anti-incumbent sentiment, a new Reuters / Zogby poll demonstrates Americans are extremely disappointed in current politicians, but, hopeful about the future. Logically, that sentiment portends removing more of the current politicians and bringing in new ones campaigning on change.
Our politicians just can't seem to resist throwing tax payer's dollars away and increasing the national debt. You are not going to believe this. They can't seem to get much else right, either.
Stephen Barr writes about the President's advisory board on federal employees pay having recommended a 2.5% across the board pay raise for the coming year. So, what do you think Pres. Bush and Congress do with that information? Reject it, of course, and propose a 3% and 3.5% raise respectively, instead.
Continue reading "Today's Politicians - Inept, Corrupt, and Wrong!" »
Mississippi is a state with a tradition of almost never voting out incumbents. Change is not a positive word in Mississippi politics, traditionally. But, Katrina altered that in a big way. A record number of incumbents are losing their primary races to challengers as Mississippians have recognized the value and power of their vote to remove incompetence, ineptitude, and corruption from offices of power.
The Clarion Ledger has the details in their article, Anti-incumbent sentiment throws out some veterans.
In a bizarre bit of irony, the Wash. Times reports, the GOP, unseated in 2006 by an anti-incumbent wave, is being told by Republican Pollster Frank Luntz, to embrace the anti-incumbent wave and use it now against Democrats, in light of Congress' 18% approval rating.
Increasingly, a measure by which many Independent voters determine whether or not to vote for an incumbent or their challenger, is based on who is funding their campaign, and in what amount. One American hero is largely responsible for the public having that ability. His name is Fred Wertheimer. It is a name VOID supporters, Independents, and all voters concerned with responsible, ethical, and accountable government should get acquainted with.
This YouTube video of Dick Cheney on invading Iraq in 1994 is absolutely unbelievable considering his diametrically opposite lies and deceptions after becoming Vice President. His defenders say his 1994 views on how invading Iraq would be the greatest of mistakes and lead us to a quagmire with no exit, was altered by 9/11. But, that is both false and illogical. Iraq had NOTHING to do with 9/11.
When the so called "Immigration Bill" died on the Senate floor last week, as it should have according to polls, Congress threw up their hands and literally abdicated responsibility for fixing the problem. It is as if Congress is saying to the American public, "OK, you didn't like what we tried to shove your way, now live with nothing being done about border security or illegal immigration. We will show you." This is not acceptable.
One of VOID's supporters, Nelson Walker, has a video on YouTube, you may want to check out if term limits appeals to you. VOID takes no position one way or another on term limits, but, many of VOID's supporters sincerely believe term limits are the best way to prevent politicians from becoming corrupted by their positions of power. If you are a supporter of Term Limits, check out Walker's YouTube video, and receive a free bumper sticker advocating term limits.
Pres. Bush wants our soldiers to fight Iraq's civil war with them. Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has a vested interest in seeing the numbers of our soldiers fighting his battles grow, not decrease. A very large number of Iraqi's believe a lot of the violence is due to America's presence in Iraq. If, however, our presence is reduced, then al-Maliki becomes the person to blame for violence, not the Americans.
Continue reading "GOP Incumbents Between Rock and Hard Place." »
Independent parties are springing up like dandelions after a warm Spring rain. Some are very religiously based spin offs of the Constitution Party like the Independent American Party and the American Independent Party of California. Some take a very non-ideological approach like the oldest Independent Party which has been around since 1934. And some are very democratic (small 'd') oriented, focusing intensely on restoring democratic processes and principles, like the Independence Party of New York.
An opinion piece in the NY Times, reports:
This is what happens when governments hide their money under a rock: On the eve of what is supposed to be a new day in Albany, another New York state senator has been indicted, this time charged with diverting to his own pocket more than $400,000 in state money that he earmarked for charities in his district.
State Senator Efrain González Jr., a Democrat from the Bronx, has told reporters that he is innocent of charges that he routed the funds to such things on the prosecutor's list as his cigar company, his daughter's college tuition, jewelry, home renovations and Yankee tickets. Mr. González is scheduled for arraignment today and is said to be looking forward to his day in court.
After spending 10 hours glued to the TV watching the election results, it became obvious none of the politicians, or the pundits for that matter, understood what was taking place. The change in leadership in the House of Representatives, and likely the Senate, was a result of a growing anti-incumbent movement amongst voters, which decided to hold incumbents responsible for lack of results and solutions to America's growing list of problems.
By 2:15 AM this morning, the spin had already begun. James Carville (D) said this was not an anti-incumbent election, but an anti-Republican one. Halley Barbour (R) said this switching of parties was just part of the cycle, which voters go through every 12 to 16 years. Others said this was all about Iraq. But, they missed the central theme of yesterday's elections.
- Charley Reese, a syndicated columnist for LewRockwell.com has written an excellent article on the rationale for voting out incumbents, entitled: Incumbents Out.
We at VOID thank Mr. Reese for adding his voice to the Vote Out Incumbents mission and goal of restoring efficiency, integrity, and responsibility to our government.
Anti-incumbent fever, aimed mostly at Republicans, seems to be continuing to gain momentum. If Republican incumbents in Kentucky are in trouble, then perhaps no incumbent Republican is safe. According to a WHAS-TV-sponsored SurveyUSA poll Democratic challenger John Yarmuth has edged ahead of incumbent Republican Anne Northup.
Jack Cafferty hosted a CNN special entitled "Broken Government" this evening. In that show, he called for ousting ALL incumbents in response to our broken government. We thank you Jack for adding your voice to the VOID mission and highlighting our strategy to replace ineffective, corrupt, and irresponsible incumbents who have broken our government and lied about what they were doing every inch of the way.
Among others, some of the evidence of our broken government which Jack cited are: skyrocketing debt, broken and unaccountable voting systems, war based on lies, lack of resources and commitment to win the war, open borders 5 years after 9/11, corruption rampant throughout Congress, corruption in the White House with no bid contracts and hidden projects, illegal immigration without action, and defiance and circumvention of our Constitution by the highest leaders in our government.
Certainly sounds like Jack Cafferty has been reading our web site. Thanks again, Jack. We appreciate very much your taking our Vote Out Incumbents message to prime time TV. It is about time.
In a poll conducted by Zogby International for the Buffalo News since the revelations of the Foley scandal 50% of those voters polled think less favorably regarding Representative Reynolds than they did before the scandal.
Other poll results show soft support for Foley from Republicans, where he leads only by a 50 to 30 percent score. The converse being that 30% of Republicans polled favored the challenger, Democrat Jack Davis. The overall numbers show Davis leading Reynolds 48% to 33. For further breakdown of the poll numbers, click here.
The latest USA Today/Gallup poll shows a continuing downward trend in incumbency support. This poll shows that voters' support for their incumbent representative is rapidly approaching the 50% mark, down from 63 to 57% in the latest polling, while exactly 50% feel that incumbents overall deserve reelection.
According to an Oct. 2nd poll by the Lycoming College Polling Institute, incumbent Representative Don Sherwood is trailing in the 10th Congressional District race by nearly 10 points to Democratic challenger Christopher Carney. To me one of the more compelling numbers in their breakdown as published in KeystonePolitics.com is that Carney had 26% of the Republican vote. Can we conclude from that number that there's anti-incumbent sentiment in that district?
The latest ABC News/Washington Post poll shows that approval of the job done by Congress is at its lowest in a decade, 32%, and that Americans now trust Democrats over Republicans by 19%. Is this indicative of anti-incumbent sentiments or anti-majority?
Pollster John Zogby's analysis of the latest Reuters/Zogby polling indicates that born-again Christians polled 15-20% less likely to vote Republican in races currently lead by Democrats, but that Democrats are not getting that bump. Read more of his analysis in Undecided America - Key to Control of Congress?
With only about 4 weeks until the general election on November 7, the Ohio senate race pitting Republican incumbent Mike DeWine and his Democratic challenger Congressman Sherrod Brown is not looking good for the incumbent.
There may be a huge backfiring strategy in play in many states and districts. The Washington Post writes about a strategy by both the DNC and RNC to bring voters who don't care about any candidates on the ballot to the polls using ballot initiatives. The hope is that these candidate neutral voters will show up to vote on initiatives like banning smoking, limiting taxes, or stem cell research, in the hope that by virtue of their affinity with that conservative or liberal initiative, they will also vote party ticket for the conservative or liberal candidate.
This has all the makings of a whopping backfire in an election climate of huge anti-incumbent sentiment. These ballot initiatives may very well bring out far more anti-incumbent voters who otherwise would have stayed home for lack of appeal to either of the candidates. If this ballot initiative strategy is as ill-conceived a strategy as I think it is, we could actually see some surprise reversals in some races, where the anti-incumbent voter's turnout became far higher than strategists expected, thanks to the ballot initiatives.
Incumbent Clay Shaw Jr. (R-FL) has seen his lead over Democratic challenger State Senator Ron Klein evaporate. Senator Klein leads Shaw 43 to 42 percent in the most recent poll by Anzalone Liszt Research. The poll has a margin of error of 4.4 percent.
Continue reading "Florida Congressional Race Now a Toss-Up" »
Ohio incumbent Senator Mike DeWine's (R) poll numbers show his seat to be in potential jeopardy against Democratic challenger Sherrod Brown. This is according to a new Mason Dixon poll. While the poll shows them virtually tied, the unfavorable numbers for DeWine are souring against Brown's.
The key to this race is likely to be the votes of independents. In this poll, Brown leads among independents by a 52 percent to 33 percent margin.
The latest Mason Dixon poll of the Senate race in Montana shows Republican incumbent Conrad Burns trailing his Democratic opponent Jon Tester by a 47 percent to 40 percent margin. 3 percent support a third party candidate and 10 percent undecided. Margin of error is 3%. Montana is a traditionally Republican state.