September 1st, 2010, Washington, DC–From ALG News’ Capitol Hill Correspondent Derek Baker: 
In the Senate, Sen. Lisa Murkowski has lost to attorney Joe Miller in the Alaska Republican primary, becoming the third incumbent senator this year (after Specter and Bennett) to lose a primary re-nomination fight. Murkowski conceded last night to Miller since she still had a deficit of 1,469 votes. Another interesting Senate race is the battle for Obama’s former Illinois Senate seat, where Rep. Mark Kirk and state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias are tied in the polls. The Hill is reporting that DSCC Chair Sen. Robert Menendez sent out an urgent fundraising appeal on behalf of Giannoulias stating, “Nothing would give them more bragging rights than winning this seat.”
Bottom Line: Not only are Democrats trailing by 10 points in the general ballot and expected to take heavy losses in November, many seats that are already in the hands of Republicans will likely be occupied by more conservative members. Miller is one example of the trend, and while it doesn’t bode well for Democrats, moderate Republican members will be feeling the pressure as well come January.
In the House, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, the Dallas-area Democrat that was recently exposed for awarding over $25,000 in scholarships to family members – responded recently by stating “While I am not ashamed of helping, I did not intentionally mean to violate any rules in the process. To rectify the matter immediately, I will reimburse the funds by the end of this week.”
Bottom Line: Not much news is emanating from the House, other than the latest news on ethics breaches. Dems are increasingly distancing themselves from Obama and Pelosi, while Republicans attempt to focus on Obama’s failure to reverse the economic slide… with some providing conservative alternatives to address the situation. It’s looking increasingly likely the House will be in the hands of Republicans, but will it have a conservative, constitutional bent?
At the other end of the Avenue, Obama announced in an Oval Office address last night that “the American combat mission in Iraq has ended. Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country.” Obama repeated his promise to withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011, and added “We have met our responsibility. Now, it is time to turn the page.” Senate GOP Leader McConnell issued a statement noting that this good news was in large part due to President Bush’s surge and overall strategy for winding down the war in Iraq, stating in part, “It sure makes things easier when you reject your own campaign rhetoric about how the surge – the Petraeus plan – shouldn’t happen and wouldn’t work.”
Obama concluded his remarks by addressing the state of the economy, stating, “Our most urgent task is to restore our economy, and put the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs back to work.” Obama went on to say that improving the economy and helping the middle class is “my central responsibility as president.”
Bottom Line: While Obama mentioned Bush twice in his speech, he took pains to say the two disagreed on the war and not to give his predecessor any credit for the results. Same story from VP Biden, who refused to comment on whether or not Bush deserved credit.
On the domestic front, Obama makes his 13th or so pivot to the economy, but the populace is no longer listening. While much will be proposed in the coming weeks, there’s nothing BO and the Dems can do (that fits with their liberal ideology) that will make one iota of positive impact on the economy in 2010.
Time to Get to Work
Even if Glenn Beck’s rally was not political, the means to restoring constitutional, limited government to the nation are very much political.
Behind the Unemployment Numbers
Expect the Administration to be running some key data through the spin cycle this Labor Day weekend.
Obama’s Katrina: Compassion or Inaction?
The Obama Administration has a chance to learn from mistakes made during Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf oil spill.
Wind Power Could Result in Higher Workplace Fatalities, Study Shows
Despite information offered to the contrary, the generation of wind power may be more dangerous than alternatives like coal.
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