Although the majority of 2nd District Democrats cast their vote for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, today Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-IN02) announced that as a Democratic party super-delegate he would be supporting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Rep. Donnelly made his announcement via a press release from his official congressional office. Although Donnelly has been emphasizing lately in the local press that he is only interested in working on district issues while he's in Washington, apparently he's very much interested in fulfilling party obligations while on taxpayer time. Also of interest is the fact that Donnelly chose to endorse Sen. Obama only aftercampaign contributions from the Hope Fund PAC run by Obama. he received $7,500 in

Donnelly cited Obama's ability to build "bipartisan majorities" and his work for affordable health care as some of the reasons behind his endorsement. It does appear that Sen. Obama will have a difficult task building bipartisan majorities since he was rated as the most liberal member of the United States Senate by National Journal and has received accolades from some of the most liberal groups in American politics.

Joe Donnelly's support for Sen. Obama's nationalized health care proposal illustrates the choice that 2nd District voters will face this fall. Canada, Germany, and other nations have nationalized their health care systems with disastrous results. The only people who win in a government controlled health care system are the bureaucrats.  Standing in contrast to these proven policies of failure is Luke Puckett, the Republican candidate running against Joe Donnelly.  Puckett is advocating for a market based solution to the rising cost of health care, a solution that puts consumers first and unleashes the ingenuity of the American people in a way that Barack Obama and Joe Donnelly seem to fear.

GILLIBRAND CAUGHT TRYING TO PULL FAST ONE WITH LATEST MAILER (NY-20)
Glens Falls Post Star, May 11, 2008: "...Republican congressional candidate Alexander 'Sandy' Treadwell accused U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand of using hyperbole...'Congresswoman Gillibrand sees the big hole in America's immigration policies and that's why she's working hard to fix it,' proclaims the glossy mailer the federal government paid $35,000 to print and mail out to homes in the 20th Congressional District. The mailer discusses legislation Gillibrand...cosponsored that would increase the number of federal border patrol agents and expand an electronic program employers use to verifying immigration status of workers, among other provisions. Treadwell said Gillibrand is being insincere because she would not support a motion that would have brought the legislation to an immediate vote by the full House. 'She's taking credit for a bill as a cosponsor, but at the same time she's doing nothing to get the bill to the floor to a vote,' Treadwell, a former state secretary of state from Lake Placid, said in a telephone interview after issuing a press release on Friday." (more)

CAPPIELLO GETS NOD, SETS SIGHTS ON MURPHY (CT-05)
WTNH, May 10, 2008: "Today, hundreds of Republican political activists from around Connecticut spent part of their Saturday at congressional district conventions. Republicans in the 5th District are promising an aggressive battle to take the seat back from the Democrats. Sen. David Cappiello of Danbury had everything go his way today as 5th District Republicans selected him as their candidate for Congress. He had been introduced by former longtime Congresswoman Nancy Johnson...Cappiello says his opponent, Rep. Chris Murphy, has broken too many promises. 'He promised two years ago he was going to fix the crisis, the gasoline crisis, it's gone up 56%, the cost of gasoline,' Cappiello said...Johnson says Cappiello is the Republicans best hope of recapturing the district she held for 24 years. 'Thanks to President Bush, Cappiello has already raised a million dollars for his campaign against Chris Murphy, assuring the battle for the 5th District will be a high profile race again,' she said." (more)

HILL: ENVIRONMENT CAN WAIT UNTIL AFTER ELECTIONS (IN-09)
Evening News & Tribune, May 10, 2008: "Ninth District Rep. Baron Hill, D-Seymour, was surprised to see billboards popping up around Southern Indiana, which challenge his record on the environment. According to the organization Greenpeace USA, the billboards are meant to call attention to Hill's record of support for weak fuel economy efficiency standards, the coal industry and his inaction on global warming legislation...Hill sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which he said has plans to move forward with environmental issues after the November election...Yet [Edyta] Sitko feels each day that passes is a loss that impacts the environment, therefore the organization went ahead with the three billboards, two of which are along Interstate 65." (more)

ESCH CAUGHT PLAGIARIZING (NE-02)
Omaha World Herald, May 9, 2008: "House candidate Jim Esch acknowledged that part of a posting on his campaign's Web site was taken verbatim from a Brookings Institution report on the housing crisis...Esch said the mistake occurred as the campaign was rushing to respond to a housing proposal from Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb. Esch said an aide sent him the Brookings passages to help craft a posting on his Web site...Compounding the error, he said, footnotes that were included in his policy director's e-mail were lost when Esch copied the text onto his Web site posting...Esch lost to Terry, a five-term incumbent, in 2006." (more)

THE BLIP:
FRESHMEN DEMS FEAR DOWNBALLOT DRAG
The Weekly Standard Blog, May 9, 2008:  "Sixteen Freshmen Democrats sent a letter to the superdelegates right after the North Carolina and Indiana primaries -- by which time it was pretty apparent that they were campaigning against the eventual nominee. On the one hand, you could argue that by waiting until after those primaries failed to 'change the game,' they risked nothing. On the other hand, why alienate Obama at this point -- unless you really were worried that he would be far worse for your re-election chances than Clinton?  This brings full circle the conventional wisdom on Barack Obama's ability to help down-ballot candidates. In the very districts that are most marginal -- most at risk -- Democrats would rather run with Hillary Clinton heading the ticket than Obama. And don't forget that Democrats have been dreading for years the prospect of running with Clinton.  A lot has changed in the last few months." (more)

POLL SHOWS SHEA-PORTER IN DANGER (NH-01)
Politico, May 5, 2008: "...The Granite State poll also contained some encouraging news for House Republicans. It showed Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.) trailing her potential Republican rival, former GOP Rep. Jeb Bradley, 45 to 39 percent, in a head-to-head matchup.  She only wins 43 percent of the vote against a lesser-known Republican opponent, former state Health Commissioner John Stephen. The fact that Shea-Porter is polling well under 50 percent (the sign of political health for an incumbent) against both Republicans should be worrisome for Democrats, especially given the strong national environment for the party. Shea-Porter has been among the party's weakest fundraisers and faces a credible Republican challenger in November.Shea-Porter also suffers from a relatively low net favorability rating: only 39 percent of voters view her favorably, while 28 percent view her unfavorably. Her plus-11 net rating is down 15 points since February. 'If the New Hampshire state motto is "live free or die," then Carol Shea-Porter's enthusiastic support for higher taxes and bigger government are a political death knell,' said National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Ken Spain." (more)

DEMS DISTANCE THEMSELVES FROM PELOSI
Roll Call, May 6, 2008: "...some vulnerable Democrats interviewed last week hemmed about a possible Pelosi visit to their district. Most said they will run on their own records ﾗ rather than that of party leaders...Rep. Zack Space (D-Ohio) said he 'has not asked for any surrogates to come to my district, and I don't intend to.'...In the air, [Pelosi] will star as a bogeyman in Republican ads...[Don] Cazayoux put some distance between himself and Pelosi by suggesting last week he would consider supporting someone else for Speaker...Ed Goeas, a Republican strategist and president of The Tarrance Group, said Pelosi will provide GOP candidates 'value-added' in their races. He pointed to results from the Harris Poll in February that showed Pelosi's negative ratings have jumped 12 points, to 57 percent, while her positives have dropped 13." (more)

MILLER-MEEKS MAKES AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE NO. 1 PRIORITY (IA-02)
Keokuk Daily Gate City, May 5, 2008: "Dr. Mariannette Miller-Meeks was standing outside Senator Grassley's office in Washington D.C. with several other doctors. She said she felt there would be no action on Medicare disparity after meeting with Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-Mount Vernon.) It was at that point she said she might run for Congress. She decided to run as a Republican...Being a doctor, Miller-Meeks has a big interest in health care. Last Monday she performed surgery in the morning before hitting the campaign trail. She said changes need to be made in the single payer healthcare system that has continually decreased payment to providers and hospitals to control costs and ultimately ration care and limit innovation and technology..." (more)

CHENEY TO STUMP FOR DAVIS (MS-01)
Associated Press, May 5, 2008: "Vice President Dick Cheney will appear in heavily Republican DeSoto County next week to campaign for the GOP's Greg Davis the day before a special election to fill an open congressional seat. Davis faces Democrat Travis Childers in a May 13 runoff in the 1st District, which stretches across 24 counties in northern Mississippi. 'The vice president intends on working hard this cycle to return a Republican majority to Congress,' Cheney spokesman Jamie Hennigan said Monday in confirming his boss' May 12 appearance...Davis, 42, is mayor of Southaven, a fast-growing community in DeSoto County, just south of Memphis, Tenn.Davis campaign spokesman Ted Prill said the Cheney appearance at the DeSoto Civic Center will help 'energize our base.' 'Greg is happy to stand on stage and have the support of the leaders of his party. Travis Childers cannot run far enough away from Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi.' Childers has criticized Republican efforts to tie him to Clinton and Obama, who are running for president; and Pelosi, the House speaker." (more)

SWEETLAND CAMPAIGN TAKES SHAPE (NY-25)
Syracuse Post Standard, May 6, 2008: "Republican congressional candidate Dale Sweetland's campaign picked up steam Monday as his most formidable Republican opponent, Assemblyman Bob Oaks, withdrew from the race and endorsed him. Sweetland also pocketed the endorsement of the man he hopes to succeed - 10-term incumbent Rep. James Walsh, R-Onondaga. 'This is a winnable race,' said Sweetland, the former Onondaga County Legislature chairman...Sweetland promised to run an issues-oriented campaign promoting common-sense solutions to the economic difficulties people are facing...Sweetland said donors have been steadily calling him since Thursday night, when the Onondaga County Republican Committee voted to endorse him over the other three Republicans...Onondaga County Republican Chairman John DeSpirito III said Sweetland's goal is to raise $500,000 by July. Walsh pledged to hold a fundraiser for Sweetland in Washington and to use his connections to raise money." (more)

THE BLIP:
PELOSI ON "VIOLATING" CAMPAIGN PROMISES: "GET OVER IT"
Politico, May 6, 2008:  "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is about to lead her party into a major showdown over Iraq funding by violating two Democratic campaign pledges in one fell swoop. To the critics, whether anti-war activists or House Republicans, Pelosi has made her feelings clear: Get over it...she is expected to break one promise ﾗ her 2006 pledge for a more open and inclusive committee process...Democrats are using the Iraq bill as leverage for billions of dollars in domestic spending priorities...Explaining the threatened tantrum, Jo Maney, spokeswoman for Republicans on the House Rules Committee, said: 'You said you were going to do something and you didn't. They are using process for political objectives.'...In her campaign pamphlet in 2006...Pelosi declared that 'bills should be developed following full hearings and open subcommittee and committee markups, with appropriate referrals to other committees.'" (more)

Associated Press, May 6, 2008: "Democrats are finding more excuses to ignore the promise they made when they took over Congress that they wouldn't pass laws increasing the budget deficit.
Now they're willing to do it again for a $13 billion extension of unemployment aid and a doubling of education benefits for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan...Deficit hawks in both parties worry that the stimulus bill opened the door to further deficit-swelling legislation. They view the rule ﾗ dubbed 'PAYGO' in inside-the-Beltway slang for pay-as-you-go ﾗ as a key bulwark against Congress' propensity to spend outside its means...The GOP approach on an AMT [Alternative Minimum Tax] fix has forced House Democrats to abandon paying as you go or else face the ire of taxpayers who would otherwise be hit by the AMT's average $2,000 tax increase..." (more)

The longer the chaos of the Democrat presidential primary plays out, the more a liability Barack Obama becomes to congressional candidates running on the Democrat ticket this year. Evidence that the bloom is off the Obama rose is Travis Childers' adamant denial he accepted an endorsement from Obama. 

Childers, a candidate in the open seat of Mississippi's 1st Congressional District, told reporters, "Senator Obama hasn't endorsed my candidacy.  I have not been in contact with his campaign nor has he been in contact with mine..."  (WREG, April 28, 2008)

However, an email from Obama's presidential campaign sent April 22nd encouraged supporters to make phone calls and turn out voters for Childers in the special election runoff. 

"Today we can give Travis the boost he needs to finish strong," read the Obama email, "and show that our movement is dedicated to change up and down the ballot." (Obama email, WREG, April 28, 2008)

See the story by WREG here. 

Childers isn't the only Democrat distancing himself from Obama.  North Carolina Governor Mike Easely, a superdelegate, endorsed Hillary Clinton today over the odds-on favorite to win the state's primary, Barack Obama. 

With less than a month until the Mississippi election to fill the open congressional seat, the question to Travis Childers is, "If not Obama, who? Hillary?"  Former President Bill Clinton lost the state of Mississippi in 1996, and President George W. Bush won the state in 2000 with 59% of the vote and again in 2004 by an even wider margin of 62%.  No matter how you slice it, Democrat Travis Childers isn't going to pick a candidate favorable to his district unless he endorses John McCain.

In the heart of Indiana's 2nd Congressional district, the price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline on Tuesday was $3.75 a gallon. For premium, motorists had to shell out $3.95 a gallon. The price of gasoline has risen over 55% since the Democrats took control of Congress in 2007 declaring that they had a solution for the high cost of fuel.

So far, Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-IN02) has responded to the high price of gas by holding a press conference at a gas station just outside of South Bend saying he has sent a letter to President Bush requesting that 20 million barrels of oil from the strategic petroleum reserve be sent onto the market and that the SPR stop taking any more deliveries until prices go back down.

According to Donnelly, if the SPR followed through on his plan by releasing 20 million barrels of oil onto the market, prices would drop by about $0.25. That's a pretty optimistic number considering that our nation uses a little over 20 million barrels of oil a day. There are 365 days in a year, Joe Donnelly wants to give us one day of relief from high gas prices, that's not a genuine and meaningful solution, Joe.

Donnelly has yet to embrace the idea of a federal gas tax holiday over the summer driving season and he has voted time and again to raise taxes on oil companies and block our use of domestic oil and gas reserves that are just waiting to be tapped into. Like his liberal San Francisco Speaker, Joe Donnelly prefers to talk about the problem of high energy costs and blame "big oil" instead of providing solutions.

Another bit of energy relief policy that Donnelly is a proponent of is the "Federal Price Gouging and Prevention Act." This bill imposes significant civil and criminal penalties on those who charge "unconscionable excessive" prices for fuel. According to the Heritage Foundation, the effects of this bill would be roughly the same as an all out price control on fuel sales. By vaguely defining what counts as price gouging, Congress creates an environment in which gas retailers must constantly assess whether or not their market driven prices could fall under the vague definition of price gouging that could land them on the wrong side of a federal court case.

Taken all together, Rep. Donnelly's proposals to lower the cost of gasoline represent the very worst of the energy policies of the 1970s. After four years of absolutely terrible economic and energy policies, Americans selected Ronald Reagan over Jimmy Carter. Let's hope that after two years of inept Congressional leadership, Americans will once again select common sense over political hot air and real solutions over political platitudes this November.

Here's your daily does of outrage, courtesy of Travis Childers, who is flat-out lying about Barack Obama endorsing him.

This video captures the moment quite well - and shows Childers uncomfortably avoiding the question.

So, what happens when an Obama endorsement backfires and you need to backpedal - and quickly? Click here to see.

NRCC Press Secretary Ken Spain had this to say about Childers lying:

"Travis Childers didn't seem to mind when Sen. Obama was fundraising for his campaign, but now that the endorsement has become public and he is being scrutinized for it, he has forsaken Obama. Travis Childers claims to be a 'conservative we can trust,' but we are quickly finding out that he is neither a conservative nor is he trustworthy."

Read the entire report here

Democrats in Nevada's 3rd Congressional District are pulling their hair today after learning that their highly-touted candidate, Robert Daskas, dropped a bomb on the party by announcing he was ending his bid for Congress.

Travis Childers needs to explain to Mississippi voters why he's accepting support from the most liberal member of U.S. Senate, who also happens to be running for president.

Sen. Barack Obama has endorsed Travis Childers and states in his letter to supporters that they are part of the same "change movement." Does Travis Childers share the same vision for America that Barack Obama has? By accepting such an endorsement, it appears that Childers is in agreement with Obama's extreme agenda that is greatly out of touch with Mississippi values.

Childers has been campaigning around the district claiming he would stand up for the issues important to Mississippi voters. However, Childers will have to answer to the voters for accepting and endorsement from Obama, whose extremist and liberal agenda consists of:

• An all-out assault on Second Amendment rights and those who support them
• Opposition to ending the unconscionable act of partial birth abortion, which is illegal in MississippiProviding drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants
• Raising taxes on middle-class Americans
• Teaching sex education to children in Kindergarten and saying it is "the right thing to do"

Obama's endorsement letter for Travis Childers asks Mississippi voters to join their "change movement" and even asks to donate directly to Obama's campaign. This so-called "change movement" has blatantly insulted gun-owners and church goers nationwide. Travis Childers owes Mississippians an explanation. Travis Childers cannot have it both ways. He should either stand up for Mississippi values or reject Barack Obama's extremist agenda.

Ashwin Madia is under fire for being dishonest with the voters of Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District in order to secure the Democrat party's nomination.  In an attempt to appeal to radical left-wing liberals, Madia declined to mention that he once supported President Bush. Madia was asked on Minnesota Public Radio just days before Minnesota's Democrat Convention who he voted for in the 2000 presidential election, and Madia didn't tell the truth:

(Minnesota Public Radio, 04/16/08)

Just days after clinching his party's nomination, Madia tried to tell Minnesota Public Radio that he  "misspoke" about his support for Gore.  Ashwin Madia is already proving that he is big on rhetoric, but not on telling the truth. It seems that Madia deliberately tried to hide the truth in order to beat out his Democratic counterpart for the DFL nomination. Now that he has secured the nomination, the only thing the voters know for sure about Ashwin Madia is that he is willing to say anything in order to score political points.

"After campaigning against President Bush and claiming that he supported Al Gore in 2000, Ashwin Madia's decision to come forward with the truth  now that he has secured his party's nomination is suspect to say the least," said NRCC spokesman Ken Spain. "Clearly, he was so worried about grabbing on to the third rail of far-left liberal Democratic politics that he avoided the truth until he thought he was in the clear. This is the kind of self-serving dishonesty and doublespeak that voters have grown tired of in politicians."

Ashwin Madia has already showed the voters of Minnesota that they cannot rely on his word.  Now that Ashwin Madia has proven his willingness to pander to left-wing liberals at the expense of Minnesotans, will he forgo taking a clear position on the issues that are important to the voters he claims he wants to represent?