Wednesday Rundown

On the path to ten contributions for Tom Allen, we currently have two. Can we get eight more this afternoon? Pretty please? Ousting Two-Faced Susan Collins would be a heck of a reward.

Kentucky: Lots of hits here today. First up, the Louisville Courier-Journal has received a bunch of letters from Kentuckians angry at Mitch McConnell over his disgusting comment about troop deaths in Iraq. (HT: DMKY) Phrases like "beyond the pale" and "incredibly callous" populate these letters. Also, following yesterday's piece in the Politico, CQ Politics runs a story on the incongruity of Mitch McConnell talking tough on cutting spending while campaigning for re-election in Kentucky on the taxpayer-funded largesse he has brought home in the form of pork projects. Meanwhile, McConnell makes more threats and draws more protests. Finally, the Club for Growth is slamming McConnell's support for pork projects. (Could they be in touch with Larry Forgy or other possible primary opponents for McConnell? I wouldn't doubt it.)

Oregon: Speaker Jeff Merkley's Senate campaign snagged another major endorsement, the Oregon AFL-CIO. It's especially notable given that a two-thirds vote of its member unions is required for any endorsement. The OR AFL-CIO represents 145,000 members.

Idaho: Former Congressman Larry LaRocco's Senate campaign has kicked off Veterans for LaRocco. LaRocco will also be liveblogging on Daily Kos today at 2pm Eastern, 1pm Central, Noon Mountain, 11am Pacific (in other words, in half an hour!).

Oklahoma: Speaking of Daily Kos liveblogs, State Senator Andrew Rice, campaigning to depose the vile Jim Inhofe, will hold a liveblog session on Daily Kos tomorrow at 4pm Eastern, 3pm Central, 2pm Mountain, 1pm Pacific. Oklahoma has been wracked by terrible ice storms recently, which the Rice campaign has blogged about. I'm sure I speak for all readers when I wish all Oklahomans well as they recover from the recent storms.

New Jersey: Politics1 reports:

State Republican leaders have been disappointed with the lack of a strong candidate to challenge aging Senator Frank Lautenberg (D) next year. State Assemblyman Joe Pennachio and wealthy developer Anne Estabrook are both considered weak candidates. Now comes word that the NRSC is interested in enticing State Assemblyman Kevin O'Toole (R) into the race. O'Toole -- despite the name -- is a Korean-American who currently represents an urban district and has run well with Democrats and Independent voters in the past. He is also Chair of the powerful Essex County Republican organization. The Korean-American community is seen as a strong potential fund-raising base, as money woes are a big GOP concern for 2008. O'Toole has reportedly agreed to meet with NRSC officials to discuss the race.

Over the last several years, New Jersey has just been a big tease to Republicans. Keep it up!

Alaska: Roll Call looks at Alaska political dynamics, noting that Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich is still "seriously considering a bid," and that State Senator Hollis French could be a solid Senate candidate if Begich declines a 2008 Senate bid. Names mentioned for the Republicans if Ted Stevens doesn't run "include Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, 2006 gubernatorial candidate John Binkley, and 1996 Senate candidate and real estate developer David Cuddy."

Michigan: The Associated Press reports that "Businessman Andrew "Rocky" Raczkowski and state Rep. Jack Hoogendyk said they are leaning toward entering the Republican primary for U.S. Senate next year." Senator Carl Levin demolished Raczkowski in 2002 by a 61-38 margin. (HT: Michigan Liberal)

Kit Bond is an idiot.

There is a political victory to be had by Democrats regarding yesterday's special House elections in Ohio and Virginia in that the Dems forced the already-heavily-in-the-red NRCC to blow over half-a-million bucks to defend heavily-Bush-voting seats that should have been easy victories.