Looking to add a little S&M or even political Kama Sutra into your life? Just ask Rep. Etheridge a question. He will have you half-nelsoned faster than a leather-clad dominatrix queen in glittering high heels.

Hat Tips to Free Conservatives and Doug Powers

You have to love how The Washington Post describes the assault:

“”Who are you?” asked Etheridge, grabbing one of the cameras and pointing it down — a move more typically seen from Hollywood bodyguards than congressmen. The second camera rolled as Etheridge, irritated, held the wrist of the first cameraman, then pulled the student to his side and grabbed him in a hug.”

That was closer to a Half-Nelson. Not a Barney hug. (Wait, better not give them any ideas)

I must say that we have some real pieces of work down herein NC. Etheridge, former Gov. Mike Easley whose corruption would make Blago sick to his stomach and of course, an Ag Secretary who served two years and a former House Speaker who is still in jail. Of course, the less said about John Edwards, the better.

Per CNN, Etheridge issued an apology:

“I have seen the video posted on several blogs. I deeply and profoundly regret my reaction and I apologize to all involved. Throughout my many years of service to the people of North Carolina , I have always tried to treat people from all viewpoints with respect. No matter how intrusive and partisan our politics can become, this does not justify a poor response. I have and I will always work to promote a civil public discourse.”

Looks like his opponent has just had a ready-made campaign made for him, for free.

Powers suggests the text for such an ad:

Etheridge’s opponent Renee Ellmers’ campaign might get some advertising mileage out of this one (suggested slogan: “I’ll focus my swings on knocking out the debt instead of my constituents”)

Go here to donate to Renee Ellmer’s campaign.

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If nothing else comes out of the 2010 elections, it is that the population as a whole and the conservative wing in particular, are paying a lot more attention to their state and local primaries this cycle. No more of the “ho-hum, just let the Establishment guy/gal sail through” type of thinking.

From Real Clear Politics:

ID-1: Labrador Upsets Ward In GOP Primary

Local tea party favorite Raul Labrador upset Vaughn Ward last night in the Republican primary for Idaho’s 1st congressional district. Labrador overcame a fundraising disadvantage and Ward’s endorsement by Sarah Palin to win 48-39 percent.

Labrador, who told the Idaho Statesman that the key to his victory was a consistent conservative message, will now face freshman Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick.

After defeating Republican Bill Sali in 2008 with 51 percent in the conservative 1st district, Minnick entered this election cycle as one of the most vulnerable incumbents. But he’s voted with his party less than any other member of Congress, according to the Washington Post Votes Database, and flies back to his district nearly every weekend, despite the distance and unease.

As poisonous as Obama is to Democrat hopefuls, the GOP Establishment touch is proving to be just as noisesome to many of their own handpicked candidates.

This is bad news for both sitting RINOs and those that the Establishment are grooming for the usual, “Yes, but…” type of compromising with the opposition.

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While I have been pounding for 15 months that the Democrats are most likely going to suffer an electoral defeat the likes of which have not been seen in modern politics, regular readers here also know that I have also issued similar warnings about RINOs as well.

State’s Evidence 1:

From The Washington Post via Michelle Malkin

Utah Sen. Bob Bennett lost his bid to be nominated for a fourth term Saturday, defeated at the state Republican Party convention amid a strong conservative sentiment that threatens to unseat other establishment-backed Republicans in the months to come.

Bennett, who had spent the past two decades as a respected insider in the Senate, came under fire in recent months for what some claimed were his insufficient conservative bona fides.

Bennett’s critics cited his vote for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) as well as his seat on the Senate Appropriations Committee — both symbols, conservatives said, of his lack of commitment to shrinking the size of government.

While state Republicans had expressed uneasiness with Bennett, it was the DC-based Club for Growth that helped crystallize that opposition. The Club spent more than $200,000 on a combination of television ads, direct mail pieces and phone calls designed to influence the 3,500 (or so) delegates who attended Saturday’s state convention.

Under convention rules, all eight candidates appeared on the first ballot. The top three — attorney Mike Lee, former Congressional candidate Tim Bridgewater and Bennett (in that order) advanced to the second round of balloting.

Bennett was defeated there as Lee, a former counsel to popular former Gov. Jon Huntsman, and Bridgewater, who had lost two races against Rep. Jim Matheson (D), advanced to the final ballot.

Repeat after me, “There is NO such thing as a safe seat.”

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With November now less than six months away, I thought this was a good time take a quick pulse of where things stand in the Senate campaigns.

Missouri:

From Rassmussen Reports:

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of the state’s Likely Voters shows Carnahan, Missouri’s secretary of state, with 42% of the vote. Only four percent (4%) would opt for some other candidate, while another four percent (4%) are undecided at this point.

Still, support for both candidates has changed little over the past several months. Since January, Blunt has earned between 47% and 50% support. His support was slightly lower in September and December of last year.

Carnahan’s support has ranged between 41% to 43% in surveys conducted in 2010. She earned a high of 46% last September and December.

Missouri voters are even more strongly in favor of repeal of the new national health care plan than voters nationally. Sixty-two percent (62%) of Missouri voters favor repeal of the plan, up three points from 59% a month ago, while 35% are opposed to repeal. This includes 51% who Strongly Favor repeal and 27% who Strongly Oppose it.

This is a critical race if the GOP has a chance to recapture the Senate. While Blount leads by 8 now, it would not surprise me if this became a much closer race. Which could become very worrisome, since St. Louis is loaded with ACORN and SEIU agents who will do their best to bribe, cajole and import as many voters as they can to get to the polls. More than once. Plus this is more than one questionable judge in that state that very could allow all sorts of shenanigans to occur under the radar. One need look no farther than the debacle in 2000 when one judge allowed certain St. Louis polls to remain open until midnight, so that the AFL-CIO could bus in more voters. Which is probably what caused Ashcoft to have his legit win be stolen out from under his feet.

Florida:

From Rasmussen Reports:

The Florida Senate race appears to be a whole new ballgame with Republican Governor Charlie Crist’s decision to run as an independent.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Florida Voters finds Crist earning 38% support to Republican Marco Rubio’s 34% and Democrat Kendrick Meek’s 17%. Eleven percent (11%) are undecided.

Two weeks ago, before Crist announced his decision to run as an independent candidate, Rubio held a seven point advantage in the race.

Since then, Crist has gained eight (8) percentage points in the poll while Rubio and Meek have each dropped three (3) points. It remains to be seen if this is a temporary bounce or a lasting change in the race.

Frankly, I think this both temporary and that Rubio will run away with this race. Meek is living up to his name and Crist is playing with political dynamite first by dropping out of the GOP primary (which I first called back in February) and then running as independent. Snuggling up to Obama and his policies is poison to any politician today, no matter what party they are from.

I predict that Rubio gets 50%+ of the vote come November. The polls did not switch by some 50% between Crist and Rubio in less than six months for no reason.

Colorado:

From Rasmussen Reports:

Support for the candidates in Colorado’s U.S. Senate race largely remains in the same narrow range it’s been in for months, with all three Republicans continuing to hold modest leads over their Democratic opponents.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in the state finds former Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton with 48% support to 41% for incumbent Democratic Senator Michael Bennet. Norton posts a 46% to 41% lead if her opponent is former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, who is challenging Bennet for the Democratic Senate nomination.

But Norton, who has led the race for months, is now being challenged by Ken Buck, a county district attorney who also picks up 48% support to Bennet’s 41%. That’s Buck’s best showing yet. He enjoys a 45% to 40% lead over Romanoff.

Ex-State Senator Tom Wiens also gets 45% of the vote to Romanoff’s 40%. His 44% support puts him in a virtual tie when matched with Bennett who earns 42%

Another important state for the GOP. Colorado has been trending Democrat for the past 10-15 years, but that seems to ending and a turn to the right seems to be on the horizon. A massive influx of illegals, higher crime rates and fiscal problems are causing disenchantment in the state.

Since not everything has been settled as far as primaries are concerned, it is a bit early to be making any predictions. However, this is a prime state for the GOP to pick up and it looks like that the odds are in their favor for now.

Meanwhile, looking to the future, Chucky “Marie Antionette” Schumer will officially be challenged by businessman Jay Townshend:

From Big Government:

Remember Joe and Eileen Bailey? They are the imaginary friends of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) who accompany him wherever he goes. He talks about them often.

charles_schumer

This year, New Yorkers may finally realize that it’s only Schumer’s imaginary friends who benefit from his presence in the senate. Businessman Jay Townsend may be the person who convinces them of it.

Townsend – who announced his candidacy against Schumer last Saturday – opened his campaign with a speech which featured the Baileys. Townsend said, “Senator, instead of inventing a family that does not exist, perhaps you could find some time to listen to real New York families that are struggling to make ends meet, put their kids through school and pay the taxes and fees you impose upon them from your throne on Capitol Hill.”

He said of Schumer, “One person, more than any other, stands as a stark symbol of what is wrong with Washington. Chuck Schumer is considered the most powerful Democrat on Capitol Hill. He is the head financier, the architect, the enabler, the avatar, the cheerleader-in-chief of an Imperial Congress that turns a deaf ear to those begging to be heard; the back of a hand to those who dare disagree.”

Schumer appears to be more vulnerable than many assume.

I 100% agree with that. Schumer is a perfect fit for my “no seat is safe” scenario. This campaign will probably be a bloodbath and of course, very expensive. Schumer is the face of everything that is wrong in the Nation’s Capital. Corruption, graft, special favors for friends, unabashed arrogance and criminal behavior. Schumer has those in spades.

I have also long wanted a new Olympic event called the “Mic Mile”. Take two chairs, place Schumer in one and Jesse Jackson in the other. Place the microphone a mile down from Constitution Ave., fire a starter’s gun and see who can reach that microphone first. It would be a race for the ages.

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You know all of those long-running jokes about the British and their rotten teeth? Well, thanks to more unconstitutional meddling by the Moes, Larrys and Curlys that occupy Congress, we Americans can have the same crooked, broken smile as our longtime friends across the pond. Especially your kids.

From Sen. Jim Demint via Big Government:

For millions of American teenagers braces are an embarrassing rite of passage, and for their parents, a tremendous cost. According to bracesinfo.com, the average prices of straightening a teenager’s teeth is about $5,400. In South Carolina, where themedian family income is approximately $45,000, the cost of braces for one child can total more than 10 percent of a parent’s gross income for the year.

Because braces are so expensive, many families pay for them through an installment agreement with their dentist. This is often a fair and affordable option that allows families to avoid charging the expense on their credit card and paying double-digit interest rates.

But the Democrats in Washington are clamping down on health care payment plans with the banking bill. As the bill is currently written, health care providers, or any other business that allows customers to make payments in more than four installments or assesses any kind of late fees, will be treated under the same terms as AIG, Freddie Mac and Goldman Sachs. A new Consumer Financial Protection Agency, housed in the Federal Reserve, will regulate their transactions and could subject them to further regulatory burden.

The banking regulation bill was supposed to crack down on Wall Street, but it’s just another power grab that’s going to hurt Main Street doctors, dentists and small-town businesses. And, certainly the families who struggle to find ways to pay for their doctor bills.

From toilets to lightbulbs to automobiles to your own backyard, there is basically nothing you do from the time you get out of bed to the time you go to sleep that the government, at any level, is not sticking it’s nose into. Now they want to get into your mouth as well.

How wonderful it will be when you wake up in the morning and have a blinding toothache or a crown that has fallen out, to find that your local dentist has already used up his yearly allotment of hours and cannot see you or any other patient. Because some nameless, faceless government paper-pusher has deemed it so.

That is how it is done in Britain and why they have some of the world’s teeth. Granted, it is rather fitting, seeing that when it comes to socialism, there is little to ever smile about.

On the other hand, I WILL be smiling at the title of Sen. MAJORITY LEADER Jim DeMint come next January.

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And the trend towards towards a Democrat slaughter continues unabated. Just more proof that no seat is “safe” in this political climate.

From Politico: (Hat Tip: Hot Air)

In a major blow to Democrats, House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey has told close associates that he will not seek re-election and an announcement of his plans is expected as early as Wednesday.

The Wisconsin Democrat faces tough poll numbers at home, but until Tuesday night his staff had insisted he was running aggressively and had hired campaign staff. But a person close to him confirmed the decision to POLITICO Wednesday and said Obey was preparing to make a statement. …

Obey’s frustration with the White House has been no secret either, and his unhappiness helps explain the repeated delays in the House over moving ahead with new funding for the war in Afghanistan. He himself is torn about the President Barack Obama’s commitment of increased U.S. troops at a time of continued economic troubles at home. And after first setting a Memorial Day deadline, Democrats admit privately that Congress may not complete action on the package until the July Fourth recess.

The combination of his retirement—and Murtha’s death—means a major change in the hierarchy of the Appropriations panel itself. And if Democrats retain power, Rep. Norman Dicks (D—Wash) will be pushed to the forefront after serving until recently as chairman of the Interior and natural resources subcommittee, overseeing one of the smaller of the dozen annual bills.

As Ed Morrisey mentions:

When committee chairs retire, it usually means they don’t expect to remain committee chairs for very much longer. When an Appropriations Committee chair retires — a position considered one of the pinnacles of Congressional power — then that goes double. Obey had an iron grip on power and wielded it to great effect, except on the issue of Afghanistan. On that issue, Barack Obama circumvented Obey’s power of the purse by allying with Republicans and moderate Democrats for war funding.

With Murtha passed on and Obey and Dodd stepping down, this creates major power vacuums in the Democrat committee leadership on both sides of the Capitol, regardless of what happens in November. Even if the Dems pull off a miracle and retain power in both houses, they will much more inexperienced members heading these prize committees. Which can only benefit the American taxpayer.

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And so this little man shows what a true coward he is.

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Backstabville) has announced, that rather have his ass be kicked to the curb in November, he is going to step down from his seat.

From Politico: (Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin)

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), who had a central role in the health reform fight as the leader of anti-abortion Democrats, plans to announce Friday that he will not run for reelection, a Democratic official said. Without Stupak on the ballot, the seat becomes an immediate pickup opportunity for Republicans. “Now with health care done, he’s retiring,” a friend said. “He has thought about retiring for the last three cycles, but was always talked into staying: to elect John Kerry to help end the war, to elect a Democratic majority to get health care done.” President Barack Obama called Stupak on Wednesday and asked him not to retire. Stupak, 58, also resisted entreaties from Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), the dean of the Wolverine State delegation. Republicans immediately attributed Stupak’s decision to step down as a direct consequence of his health care vote. “

Ed Morrisey over at Hot Air sums it up:

The Upper Peninsula district that Stupak represents normally wouldn’t be entirely hostile to a Democrat. They tend to be working-class, pro-life but not necessarily deeply conservative. Stupak offered them a kind of middle-road populism with a pro-life core that suited his constituents.

After Stupak’s reversal, Democrats won’t get that chance. His populist-lite patter merely enabled the radicals in the Democratic Party to seize control of Congress, and Stupak in the end refused to stand against it. In this district, expect to see a referendum on Nancy Pelosi, and don’t expect the constituents to get enthusiastic about sending another Democrat to Washington to enable her and her radical agenda.

Chalk up another GOP pickup in November.

The only thing that is “inevitable” nowadays is the slaughterhouse that the House Democrat delegation is being led to. It will be enough to make Wes Craven flinch.

Doug Ross put it best:

I hear what cinched Stupak’s decision was President Obama’s promise to campaign for him.

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