easycougar
10-22-2010, 07:04 AM
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/GOP-challenges-Pelosi-in-deep-blue-San-Francisco-1293244-105478378.html
GOP challenges Pelosi in deep-blue San Francisco
By: Byron York
Chief Political Correspondent
October 21, 2010
(AP)
It's not your everyday congressional race when the Republican candidate welcomes the support of Cindy Sheehan, the antiwar gadfly, and Matt Gonzalez, who was Ralph Nader's running mate in 2008. Yet that is exactly what is happening in San Francisco, where Republican John Dennis is challenging House Speaker Pelosi in what may be Pelosi's first-ever truly competitive race.
Republicans in Washington talk about Pelosi losing her post as speaker if the GOP wins control of the House. Dennis talks about Pelosi losing her seat in the House altogether. It's a long, long shot -- Pelosi has won her last three re-elections with 72 percent, 80 percent, and 83 percent of the vote -- but it appears Dennis is making progress.
Since August, Dennis has raised three times as much money as Pelosi, and the $2.1 million he's collected so far is in the ballpark with her total. Dennis cites internal polling from a few months ago showing that roughly 35 percent of independents and Democrats in the district are growing tired of Pelosi's leadership, and the Dennis campaign is conducting a new poll that they hope will show support growing.
"We feel really good," he says. "Our reception has gotten a lot better, and the media attention in the district has grown exponentially in the last two weeks."
Dennis won the endorsement of Sheehan -- who pulled 17 percent of the vote when she ran against Pelosi in 2008 -- because he opposes the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. (Gonzalez endorsed Dennis for mostly the same reason.) Dennis wants to see the United States begin pulling out of Afghanistan even earlier than President Obama's July 2011 goal. He's also against the Patriot Act and would like to see a U.S. military drawdown worldwide.
Put that together with his positions on some other hot-button issues -- he's pro-choice and pro-gay marriage, although in both cases Dennis says what he'd really like to see is government staying out of peoples' personal affairs -- and some political analysts think he's trying to run to as a Democrat Lite.
Not really. Dennis, a wealthy businessman and investor who says he's been a Republican for more than 25 years, has a strong libertarian streak and supported Rep. Ron Paul in the 2008 presidential race. But ask him how he would have voted on the most important bills that came before the House in the last two years and you'll get a pretty Republican answer. Obamacare? He would have voted against it. Stimulus? Against. Auto bailouts? Against. Cap and trade? Against. Wall Street reform? Against. He also favors making all the Bush tax cuts permanent.
Dennis met with House Minority Leader John Boehner in September, and the GOP seems happy to have him running. "His candidacy is of symbolic importance to the party," says a GOP strategist. "The race is certainly an uphill climb, to say the least, but there are a lot of people across this country who would like to see the speaker break a sweat."
So far, Pelosi has barely acknowledged Dennis' existence and has declined his challenge to a debate. Last month, when Dennis, who had never met Pelosi, flew to Washington to do some interviews, he and a few aides went to the Dubliner, a Capitol Hill bar. "And who shows up but Nancy Pelosi," Dennis recalls. "She recognized me. I talked to her about the debate, and she was dismissive about it. The conversation ended not long after that."
More recently, Pelosi said she's just too busy campaigning for other Democrats to take time to debate her own opponent. "My priorities are to elect a Democratic Congress," she said. "Time is money for me -- to move around this country, amass resources, put my candidates on TV. Whether I get a bigger majority in my district or not is not the point." Dennis posted video of Pelosi's rather haughty performance on YouTube, and so far it has gotten more than 300,000 hits. (He also got a lot of Internet attention with an ad portraying the speaker as the "wicked witch of the left.")
In this GOP year, Republicans are hoping to knock off a number of the Democrats' most senior lawmakers: Barney Frank, John Dingell, John Spratt and others. Even with so many trends running in a Republican direction, defeating Pelosi in San Francisco is probably beyond reach. But Dennis is sending an unmistakable message: Republicans will challenge any Democrat anywhere -- even in San Francisco.
GOP challenges Pelosi in deep-blue San Francisco
By: Byron York
Chief Political Correspondent
October 21, 2010
(AP)
It's not your everyday congressional race when the Republican candidate welcomes the support of Cindy Sheehan, the antiwar gadfly, and Matt Gonzalez, who was Ralph Nader's running mate in 2008. Yet that is exactly what is happening in San Francisco, where Republican John Dennis is challenging House Speaker Pelosi in what may be Pelosi's first-ever truly competitive race.
Republicans in Washington talk about Pelosi losing her post as speaker if the GOP wins control of the House. Dennis talks about Pelosi losing her seat in the House altogether. It's a long, long shot -- Pelosi has won her last three re-elections with 72 percent, 80 percent, and 83 percent of the vote -- but it appears Dennis is making progress.
Since August, Dennis has raised three times as much money as Pelosi, and the $2.1 million he's collected so far is in the ballpark with her total. Dennis cites internal polling from a few months ago showing that roughly 35 percent of independents and Democrats in the district are growing tired of Pelosi's leadership, and the Dennis campaign is conducting a new poll that they hope will show support growing.
"We feel really good," he says. "Our reception has gotten a lot better, and the media attention in the district has grown exponentially in the last two weeks."
Dennis won the endorsement of Sheehan -- who pulled 17 percent of the vote when she ran against Pelosi in 2008 -- because he opposes the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. (Gonzalez endorsed Dennis for mostly the same reason.) Dennis wants to see the United States begin pulling out of Afghanistan even earlier than President Obama's July 2011 goal. He's also against the Patriot Act and would like to see a U.S. military drawdown worldwide.
Put that together with his positions on some other hot-button issues -- he's pro-choice and pro-gay marriage, although in both cases Dennis says what he'd really like to see is government staying out of peoples' personal affairs -- and some political analysts think he's trying to run to as a Democrat Lite.
Not really. Dennis, a wealthy businessman and investor who says he's been a Republican for more than 25 years, has a strong libertarian streak and supported Rep. Ron Paul in the 2008 presidential race. But ask him how he would have voted on the most important bills that came before the House in the last two years and you'll get a pretty Republican answer. Obamacare? He would have voted against it. Stimulus? Against. Auto bailouts? Against. Cap and trade? Against. Wall Street reform? Against. He also favors making all the Bush tax cuts permanent.
Dennis met with House Minority Leader John Boehner in September, and the GOP seems happy to have him running. "His candidacy is of symbolic importance to the party," says a GOP strategist. "The race is certainly an uphill climb, to say the least, but there are a lot of people across this country who would like to see the speaker break a sweat."
So far, Pelosi has barely acknowledged Dennis' existence and has declined his challenge to a debate. Last month, when Dennis, who had never met Pelosi, flew to Washington to do some interviews, he and a few aides went to the Dubliner, a Capitol Hill bar. "And who shows up but Nancy Pelosi," Dennis recalls. "She recognized me. I talked to her about the debate, and she was dismissive about it. The conversation ended not long after that."
More recently, Pelosi said she's just too busy campaigning for other Democrats to take time to debate her own opponent. "My priorities are to elect a Democratic Congress," she said. "Time is money for me -- to move around this country, amass resources, put my candidates on TV. Whether I get a bigger majority in my district or not is not the point." Dennis posted video of Pelosi's rather haughty performance on YouTube, and so far it has gotten more than 300,000 hits. (He also got a lot of Internet attention with an ad portraying the speaker as the "wicked witch of the left.")
In this GOP year, Republicans are hoping to knock off a number of the Democrats' most senior lawmakers: Barney Frank, John Dingell, John Spratt and others. Even with so many trends running in a Republican direction, defeating Pelosi in San Francisco is probably beyond reach. But Dennis is sending an unmistakable message: Republicans will challenge any Democrat anywhere -- even in San Francisco.