So, Erick Erickson decided to make a big push against SOPA today, again bringing out the primary threat card. I also had a post on SOPA and PROTECT IP today.

We were heard. On the House side, Speaker John Boehner echoed Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and said the committee needs to find consensus before the bill can get a vote. And again, conservatives like Darrell Issa, Justin Amash, and Jason Chaffetz aren’t going to lie down and quit. So as long as Boehner and Cantor are true to their words, SOPA is dead in the House this Congress.

On the Senate side, of the 16 Republicans co-sponsoring PROTECT IP, I’ve received word of six of them changing their minds. Kelly Ayotte, Roy Blunt, John Boozman, Chuck Grassley, Orrin Hatch, and Marco Rubio are dropping their support. Moe was keeping track, but I think Ayotte flipped after the posted.

The threat of electoral consequences is all a politician will listen to. Democrats know that the online left won’t lift a finger, so Democrats are still backing SOPA and PROTECT IP, much to Markos Moulitsas’s disappointment. We stood on principle, while Daily Kos just whined. We got results, he got blown off.

Erick even tried to make this a bipartisan thing, where both sides would primary the SOPA and PROTECT IP supporters, but he got crickets.

Lamar Smith remains primary target number one though, as he does his best impression of the Saddam Hussein Ministry of Propaganda. The Allies are not in Iraq! SOPA is still in control of the country! It’s all lies! Also, Lamar Smith is himself an E-PARASITE. Will he resign and report to prison?

Read More →

So, Erick Erickson decided to make a big push against SOPA today, again bringing out the primary threat card. I also had a post on SOPA and PROTECT IP today.

We were heard. On the House side, Speaker John Boehner echoed Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and said the committee needs to find consensus before the bill can get a vote. And again, conservatives like Darrell Issa, Justin Amash, and Jason Chaffetz aren’t going to lie down and quit. So as long as Boehner and Cantor are true to their words, SOPA is dead in the House this Congress.

On the Senate side, of the 16 Republicans co-sponsoring PROTECT IP, I’ve received word of six of them changing their minds. Kelly Ayotte, Roy Blunt, John Boozman, Chuck Grassley, Orrin Hatch, and Marco Rubio are dropping their support. Moe was keeping track, but I think Ayotte flipped after the posted.

The threat of electoral consequences is all a politician will listen to. Democrats know that the online left won’t lift a finger, so Democrats are still backing SOPA and PROTECT IP, much to Markos Moulitsas’s disappointment. We stood on principle, while Daily Kos just whined. We got results, he got blown off.

Erick even tried to make this a bipartisan thing, where both sides would primary the SOPA and PROTECT IP supporters, but he got crickets.

Lamar Smith remains primary target number one though, as he does his best impression of the Saddam Hussein Ministry of Propaganda. The Allies are not in Iraq! SOPA is still in control of the country! It’s all lies! Also, Lamar Smith is himself an E-PARASITE. Will he resign and report to prison?

Read More →

We celebrated Monday when House Majority Leader Eric Cantor effectively signaled the death of SOPA, the Stopping Online Piracy Act. Cantor said the Internet censorship bill would not see a vote until there was consensus on the matter. As long as Darrell Issa, Justin Amash, and Jason Chaffetz are on the case there will be no consensus on sweeping Internet censorship, so Cantor’s position basically kills SOPA this Congress.

This was a well earned victory for conservatives, and we owe the above allies thanks for sticking up for our values against formidable opposition. Barack Obama refused to pledge a SOPA veto even in the face of a massive petition from his supporters. Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith sponsored the bill, and notable tech leaders like Marsha Blackburn co-sponsored it. Well-funded groups like AFL-CIO, MPAA, and RIAA all lined up behind it.

It took everything we had to be heard on this. Our movement could hold nothing back. Erick Erickson himself had to threaten a primary challenge to Blackburn, and he was right to do it. But we got our way, and we should be glad.

But today, as SOPA protests go on across the Internet, we should be aware that there are a few lingering pockets of resistance, and be mindful of them.

Read More →

We celebrated Monday when House Majority Leader Eric Cantor effectively signaled the death of SOPA, the Stopping Online Piracy Act. Cantor said the Internet censorship bill would not see a vote until there was consensus on the matter. As long as Darrell Issa, Justin Amash, and Jason Chaffetz are on the case there will be no consensus on sweeping Internet censorship, so Cantor’s position basically kills SOPA this Congress.

This was a well earned victory for conservatives, and we owe the above allies thanks for sticking up for our values against formidable opposition. Barack Obama refused to pledge a SOPA veto even in the face of a massive petition from his supporters. Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith sponsored the bill, and notable tech leaders like Marsha Blackburn co-sponsored it. Well-funded groups like AFL-CIO, MPAA, and RIAA all lined up behind it.

It took everything we had to be heard on this. Our movement could hold nothing back. Erick Erickson himself had to threaten a primary challenge to Blackburn, and he was right to do it. But we got our way, and we should be glad.

But today, as SOPA protests go on across the Internet, we should be aware that there are a few lingering pockets of resistance, and be mindful of them.

Read More →

In Utah, besides the Presidential election, there are two statewide races: Governor and Senate. Given his popularity and the fact that Utah is staunchly conservative and decidedly red, there is little drama in the Governor’s race as incumbent Republican Guy Herbert should win easily. The only chance the Democrats have of winning is if Joseph Smith ran on their ticket. At the present time, there is not even an announced candidate although state senator Karen Morgan has been mentioned as the possible sacrificial lamb.

Regarding the Presidential vote, there is no doubt either that Utah’s six electoral votes will go to the eventual Republican nominee.

For the Senate, incumbent Republican Orrin Hatch faces re-election. However, his biggest challenge comes not from the Democratic Party but from his own party. Heeding the lesson of 2010 and the chain of events that ousted incumbent Republican Robert Bennett, Hatch needs to learn from his mistakes. In 2010, Bennett failed to accurately gauge the strength of the Tea Party movement within the state’s party. They dominated the state convention that decides who goes on the primary ballot. Hence, Hatch needs to highlight and tout his conservative credentials, especially in the fiscal area. He must do this to thwart another Tea Party challenge to his incumbency. Utah Tea Party activist David Kirkhan has been making noises, but has not officially declared his candidacy. It may just be posturing to gain influence at the convention, or he may be nudging Hatch more to the right. Still, the possibility of his entry into the race should not be underestimated.

And Hatch certainly faces headwinds in Utah. First, he must run the gauntlet of a state nominating convention followed by a primary. Second, surveys out of Utah indicate that the popularity of Hatch has taken a hit in his home state. Third, because his biggest potential opposition may be from the Tea Party and because they are above all else fiscally conservative, Hatch’s vote in favor of TARP may prove a little too toxic for Utah Republicans. Fourth, his support of certain judicial nominees since he sits on the Senate’s Judiciary Committee may be a topic of discussion. This is considered the third most conservative state in the Nation and many of his Senate votes over the years may not sit too well with some of the more conservative elements in the party. And finally, with incredibly low Congressional ratings, Hatch may be viewed as part of that problem.

Ironically, another name mentioned as a possible foil within the Party other than Kirkhan has been the still popular ex-Governor-turned-Presidential-aspirant, John Huntsman. However, the longer he hangs in the Presidential sweepstakes (and it does not appear he will drop out before Super Tuesday) the less opportunity he has to consolidate support amongst the Utah GOP. Regardless, some of his views and comments on the campaign trail could be construed as being to the left of Hatch. Another potential name is the highly popular 3rd District Representative Jason Chaffetz. Many polls indicate that he would seriously challenge Hatch for the Republican nomination and possibly defeat him in a primary.

Utah gains a seat in the House this time. After the 2000 census, the GOP dominated legislature created a map designed to make it difficult for Jim Matheson- the only Democrat in the Utah Congressional delegation- who represents the 2nd District. He said before the current maps were released that if the same was done this time, he would have to reconsider his political future. In effect, the new map drew him into the newly created 4th District and so altered the 2nd District that (1) Matheson HAS decided to run in the 4th District and (2) the 2nd District is, in fact, the de facto “new district.” This sets up the very real possibility that 2nd District- currently held by Matheson- will flip to Republican and that Matheson will most likely win the 4th District. Previously, Matheson’s 2nd District had a PVI rating of +15 Republican. The fact that Matheson, a Democrat, could win consistently in such a Republican district attests to Matheson’s popularity in Utah and explains why some drool at the prospect of a Matheson-Hatch match up for the Senate seat. But, the map makers did themselves a favor by allowing Matheson an out into the 4th District. It further sets into the motion the probability that the GOP will add a seat in the House. But most importantly, it took out the only real viable Democratic opposition to Hatch.

And this has had the effect of discouraging the Democratic Party and demoralizing it somewhat in Utah. Obviously, they are aware of the waning popularity of Hatch within his party coupled with a general anti-incumbent atmosphere with some Tea Party reluctance thrown in for good measure. The fact that Matheson has bowed out of that race into the 4th District race is a serious blow to their chances. Make no mistake, it would have been difficult for Matheson to unseat Hatch, but he was their best bet in Utah in 2012. Instead, they now have to look at the very real possibility that reapportionment has added a Republican seat to the House and that a Republican is all but assured retention of the Senate seat. The result is that the Democratic Party must now hope that a perfect storm of anti-incumbency fervor, Tea Party insurgency and emergence of a viable Democrat occurs in order for a best case scenario for them- a best case scenario that would not even guarantee them electoral gains in the House or Senate.

Assuming Chaffetz does not make a later than usual entry into the Senate race against Hatch (polls indicate he would actually unseat Hatch), he is safe for re-election in the 3rd District as is Republican Rob Bishop in the 1st District. Assuming Matheson wins in the 4th, that leaves only an open seat in the 2nd District. That would heavily favor a Republican, most likely Steven Sandstrom. Hence, Republicans pick up a House seat, retain the Governor’s seat and a Senate seat. Even if Chaffetz leaves his 3rd District seat open in a bid for the Senate, Kurt Bradburn is set to assume this seat and keep it in Republican hands.

Thus, our running count thus far is:
Obama 16 electoral votes to 19 for the GOP nominee;
A net gain of two House seats (WA and UT)
A net gain of two Governors (WA and MT)
No change in the Senate

Next stop: Oregon

Next: Oregon

Wednesday night I put off all Tech at Night topics except for SOPA because the critical mark up votes in Committee were coming up. We weren’t supposed to be able to stop SOPA, but we could at least raise awareness, put up a fight, and prepare for the floor votes. And sure enough, the vote to keep the Internet censorship provisions went in favor of censorship 22-11.

Well, it turns out, we managed to slow the process down. After we made our threats to start working on primary challenges over that 22-11 vote, Lamar Smith put off SOPA, halting the current process until next week at the earliest. Stay sharp, but feel good about this delay. The longer we delay, the more we can gain support for the OPEN Act instead of SOPA.

SOPA opponents Darrell Issa, Zoe Lofgren, Jared Polis, and Jason Chaffetz also deserve credit. Why yes, that list does include a Democrat. Just shows how wrong Lamar Smith is to side with disgraced former Senator Chris Dodd and the MPAA on this. Two men who between them have no clue how the Internet works.

Read More →

Wednesday night I put off all Tech at Night topics except for SOPA because the critical mark up votes in Committee were coming up. We weren’t supposed to be able to stop SOPA, but we could at least raise awareness, put up a fight, and prepare for the floor votes. And sure enough, the vote to keep the Internet censorship provisions went in favor of censorship 22-11.

Well, it turns out, we managed to slow the process down. After we made our threats to start working on primary challenges over that 22-11 vote, Lamar Smith put off SOPA, halting the current process until next week at the earliest. Stay sharp, but feel good about this delay. The longer we delay, the more we can gain support for the OPEN Act instead of SOPA.

SOPA opponents Darrell Issa, Zoe Lofgren, Jared Polis, and Jason Chaffetz also deserve credit. Why yes, that list does include a Democrat. Just shows how wrong Lamar Smith is to side with disgraced former Senator Chris Dodd and the MPAA on this. Two men who between them have no clue how the Internet works.

Read More →