Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and Sec. of State Jennifer Brunner: Starting dominoes or playing chicken? (Photo c/o The Plain Dealer.)

Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner just sent out her thank-you message to her email list from her unsuccessful U.S. Senate primary against Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, now Ohio Democrats’ nominee to face Rob Portman in the fall.

She’s not happy. And, progressive as ever.

With no mention of Lee.

In her words:

Dear [name],

Thank you for your amazing support of my race for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in Ohio.

Our campaign broadened the progressive base in Ohio. We fought to make people matter more than money. We were outflanked in money, endorsements and establishment pushback.

With the support of a broad and diverse group of activists and supporters like you who helped us get our message to other Ohioans, we pulled off a campaign that has amazed many.

We were outspent 4 to 1 overall and on broadcast media 100% to 0. We can take what we learned and help new candidates of all races, nationalities, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and age become part of our government, so that our government looks and thinks more like us. Please keep up the fight. You can be certain I will.

Thank you again for all you have done.

Sincerely,

[signed]
Jennifer Brunner

Garrison

Democratic Ohio state Rep. Jennifer Garrison announced this afternoon that she is no longer seeking the Democratic nomination for Ohio Secretary of State, the position currently held by Democratic U.S. Senate Candidate Jennifer Brunner.

On her Facebook page, she wrote:

I would like to thank all of the wonderful people in Ohio that supported me in my campaign over the last 6 months for Secretary of State. I announced today that I am no longer seeking that office, but will always be working to help the people of this region and state.

Marc Kovac broke the news this afternoon, announcing that she would not be seeking the Sec of State nomination or to retain her House seat.  Ohio Daily Blog has Garrison’s full statement.

Garrison’s views on LGBT and choice issues had caused quite a stir both upon her entrance to the race and when Franklin County Commissioner Marilyn Brown dropped out of the race.  Of Garrison’s entrance in the race, I wrote at the time:

Ohio is not a liberal state, by any means, but I’m still not sure that Garrison can win a statewide Democratic primary in 2010.  If anything, Garrison’s announcement may have been the best way either to drive up interest in Brown — or to lead some other Democrats to consider jumping in the race.

Not quite, but . . .

Right now, it looks like the leading options to replace Garrison are Sharen Neuhardt, who fared poorly in her 2008 U.S. House race against U.S. Rep. Steve Austria when all other Democrats in Ohio had enormous success, and Franklin County Clerk of Courts Mary Ellen O’Shaughnessy, who lost two races for Franklin County Commissioner (1992 & 2002) and a run at Congress in 2000.  The Cleveland Scene reported earlier this week that Neuhardt has taken out petitions for the race.  [UPDATE: Multiple people are reporting to me that O'Shaughnessy is making the phone rounds today, letting people know that she, too, is in the race.  The Dispatch more or less reported this as a "soon-to-be fact" on Friday.]

My question is simple: Why either of these people?  As Marilyn Brown has amply proven, it’s not enough to be a progressive.

Particularly when entering the race this late — relative to, say, the long-raging U.S. Senate battle — the Democratic replacement for this race needs to stand out if he or she is to have any real shot at defeating the Republican, former House Speaker Jon Husted.  I see one of two ways that this could work: (1) The person has a name that Ohioans know, someone who starts out with some name recognition to go after Husted with some power from the very start, or (2) the person is an “outsider” who can enter the race with non-political credibility for the job in a way that would depoliticize the Democratic side of the race against Husted.

My pick for 1 would be attorney John Gilligan (bio), who I understand from several people already has considered the race.  My pick for 2 would be Ohio State Law Professor Dan Tokaji (bio), author of the Equal Vote blog and someone who I know personally and greatly respect.  I’ve not spoken with either person about the race.  They are emblematic of my views on the type of candidate Democrats need to compete in this race in light of today’s news.  There may be others who fit the bill.

Thoughts?

Brown

On the eve of the election for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, I (belatedly) wanted to let folks here know about my article from Saturday at Metro Weekly, “Massachusetts Robocalls“:

The National Organization for Marriage appears to be making automated telephone calls today in support of U.S. Senate candidate and Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown (R) and attacking his opponent, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley (D), for her strong pro-marriage equality position. Coakley is running an unexpectedly close race for the seat held by the late Senator Edward Kennedy (D), the election for which will be held Tuesday.

Longtime LGBT activist Mary Breslauer, a volunteer member of Coakley for Senate cabinet, this afternoon relayed a report received by the campaign:

“Our household just got an automated call from the ‘National Organization for Marriage,’ with a 202 area code. The auto call features a male voice, which is clearly a recording, asking if you support marriage as being only between a man and a woman. If you say ‘yes,’ then the voice urges you to vote for Scott Brown as the only candidate with a proven record of supporting marriage as between a man and a woman. The call says that his opponent is a ‘radical’ supporter of same-sex marriage who has opposed letting the people decide and has used taxpayer dollars to support the agenda of same-sex marriage. The call ends by asking if ‘we can count on you to vote for Scott Brown.’ The quality of the recording is mediocre at best.”

[UPDATE: NOM also apparently sent out a mass-e-mail on Monday urging support for Brown, per the DC Agenda.]

Coakley

As President Obama and former President Clinton lent their support to Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley’s race for U.S. Senate, so did a lesser, liberal voice from the other side of the country: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.

In a message sent today to his entire e-mail list, Newsom forwarded a letter from the late Senator Edward Kennedy’s widow, Vicki Kennedy, strongly calling for support for Coakley. In his message, Newsom said:

This Tuesday, there is a special election to fill Senator Kennedy’s Senate seat in Massachusetts. Following Senator Kennedy is no easy task, but I know that Martha Coakley will do everything she can to protect his legacy, starting with passage of the health care bill.

As Republicans across the nation pour money into this election, there is a good chance that Martha’s opponent can win in an upset. Without Martha Coakley in the Senate, health care for millions of Americans is in peril.

The full e-mail, with Vicki Kennedy’s attached e-mail, can be found below the jump.

[UPDATE: Ohio Lt. Governor Lee Fisher, running for U.S. Senate, did the same thing at 6:39 p.m. on a Friday evening, writing, in part:

As you may already know, Massachusetts is holding a special election next Tuesday to fill Senator Kennedy's Senate seat. Democrat Martha Coakley is committed to helping jump-start job creation and tackle the major problems facing our country, while her Republican opponent has pledged to do everything he can to block progress in Washington — starting with the health care reform bill.

Unfortunately, this message of obstruction has galvanized Republicans across the country, giving him an outside shot to win the race in an upset.

So, there you go.]

* * * * *

Newsom E-mail

Friends:

I wanted to pass on this message I received from Senator Ted Kennedy’s widow Vicki.

This Tuesday, there is a special election to fill Senator Kennedy’s Senate seat in Massachusetts. Following Senator Kennedy is no easy task, but I know that Martha Coakley will do everything she can to protect his legacy, starting with passage of the health care bill.

As Republicans across the nation pour money into this election, there is a good chance that Martha’s opponent can win in an upset. Without Martha Coakley in the Senate, health care for millions of Americans is in peril.

Now is the time to help Martha Coakley!

Please Click Here To Make A Contribution To Help In These Final Critical Days.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

——————————————————————————————————————————————

From: Vicki Kennedy <office@marthacoakley.com>
Date: Wed, Jan 14, 2010 at 1:59 PM
Subject: A Message from Victoria Reggie Kennedy
To: gavin@gavinnewsom.com

Dear Gavin,

Throughout my husband Ted’s life, you were always there for him, for me and for the entire Kennedy family.  We are tremendously grateful for your friendship and support in the past, and we ask you to stand with us now to support Martha Coakley in the crucial race to fill Ted’s remaining term.

This Tuesday, January 19 everything is on the line.  The people of Massachusetts will decide who will be their next Senator, and we need  Martha Coakley.

The importance of having a voice and a vote that you can count on in Washington has never been more evident than during this ongoing health care debate. And we’re going to need every vote again.

Ted fought for national health care reform for 40 years.  He believed that every American deserved their chance at the American dream, but that as long as an illness or preexisting condition could bankrupt an American family, that great goal could never become a reality. We need Martha Coakley to continue our shared fight for national health reform, to reduce costs for businesses and families and increase coverage in Massachusetts and throughout this country.  This race will be very close and we need you to get us to victory.

We have just 5 days to do the hard work of electing Martha Coakley so that we can continue the agenda that Ted made the fight of his life  –  reforming health care, ensuring equality and justice for all, protecting our seniors, and rebuilding our economy to allow everyone to prosper.  That fight for working families cannot stop – not now, not when so much is at stake for Massachusetts and America.  And that’s why I’m asking you to ensure that we are victorious this Tuesday.

Stand with me and support Martha Coakley by making a contribution of $35, $50, or whatever you can do today.  My husband fought all his life to keep moving this nation forward — now we must make it the fight of ours.

We need to do everything it takes to ensure our shared fight continues.  I am asking you personally to do one more thing for Martha Coakley.

We cannot do this without you.

With gratitude,
Vicki Kennedy
P.S.  I know together we can keep fighting for our shared vision of the future.  Please go online today to www.marthacoakley.com to make a difference.

Stonewall Democrats released a rather strong statement this afternoon, concluding that promises in the attempt to garner votes aren’t what matter.  Executive Director Michael Mitchell said in the statement, “A better indicator of what Mr. Ford’s future work for the LGBT community might look like is what he’s already done: nothing.”

The full statement:

Stonewall Democrats doubtful about change of heart from Harold Ford, Jr.

“New promises from Harold Ford, Jr. do not cancel past votes. Then Congressman Ford demonstrated with repeated votes for the Federal Marriage Amendment his stark opposition to marriage equality and his total lack of concern for protecting LGBT people and their families. While National Stonewall Democrats is, frankly, heartened by Mr. Ford’s recent about-face on same-sex marriage because it demonstrates how far public opinion on marriage equality has changed, we are not certain that it reflects anything about his own views besides a desire to be more appealing to Democratic primary voters in New York,” said Michael Mitchell, Executive Director of Stonewall Democrats.

“Our community has been taught the harsh lesson that promises and election year pandering from a politician are not indicative of that person’s actions in Congress. A better indicator of what Mr. Ford’s future work for the LGBT community might look like is what he’s already done: nothing.”

[UPDATE: Thanks to Matt Yglesias for posting the news.]

She’s so special that she even got the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.

I love to hear about JFK! He had dog named Pushinka that was a gift from Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev. When Pushinka arrived, the President had him checked for spying devices because it was during the Cold War. My family takes good care of me and has me checked out, too – but not for hidden microphones.

I’m thankful I have a family and home. Many Ohioans are thankful for what my mom did to make sure our elections and state records are safe and reliable. Just think of what she could do if we sent her to the U.S. Senate! That’s why we need all you other underdogs (and big dogs, too) tohelp her with a donation.

I didn’t like it last time, and I don’t like it this time.  I get that her fund-raising is not what one would hope, but repeated fund-raising emails from a dog is just absurd.  If Jennifer Brunner wants to be a United States Senator, I would hope that her campaign — which initially started as being a message-based enterprise that was outpacing her primary opponent, Lee Fisher, on message at every turn — reflected that desire.  There are some animal lovers who might like such a targeted, cutesy message, but it’s clear this is going to her entire e-mail list.

If Brunner wants the DSCC to take her campaign seriously — which its chair is not doing — she probably should start by doing the same herself.

The full e-mail, in all its canine glory, is below the jump.

* * * * *

Dear Chris,

I’m Laney, the underdog. I wrote to some of you earlier. Thanksgiving is a good time to remember the things we’re thankful for–I’m thankful for my home and my family.

It wasn’t always so good for me. I started out as an underdog. A lot of people didn’t think I could be a top dog, but my mom did.  My mom is one of those rare people who sees the potential in everyone, and she didn’t gave up on me. Her name is Jennifer Brunner. She sees the potential in Ohio, too, and she’s running for the U.S. Senate where some say she is the underdog.

Now, I don’t just live with people, I have two dog brothers, Jake and McGuffey, who live with us, too.  Jake is older and kind of bothered by things like Guffey and me wrestling and stealing each other’s bones. But Jake has learned to put up with us, kind of like voters put up with politicians who wrestle to live up to their promises and play games of one-upmanship. I guess Jake figures, like voters, he can’t change the status quo.

Once in awhile, though, someone comes along who does change the status quo, because she knows it’s right and has the courage to do it. My mom is one of those leaders.  She isn’t a politician who just does what the pollsters want her to do. She does what she believes is right.

She cleaned up Ohio’s elections, for one thing.  She helped businesses by making it easier for them to file all sorts of paperwork they need and to get information about Ohio’s people that will help grow jobs.

She’s so special that she even got the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.

I love to hear about JFK! He had dog named Pushinka that was a gift from Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev. When Pushinka arrived, the President had him checked for spying devices because it was during the Cold War. My family takes good care of me and has me checked out, too – but not for hidden microphones.

I’m thankful I have a family and home. Many Ohioans are thankful for what my mom did to make sure our elections and state records are safe and reliable. Just think of what she could do if we sent her to the U.S. Senate! That’s why we need all you other underdogs (and big dogs, too) to help her with a donation.

Please give her $25 or $50 or pledge $10 a month starting now. You won’t be sorry. I’m not. And when she’s our Senator, Ohio will go from being an underdog to being the new top dog. She’s top dog in my book, and in your book, she’ll be a great U.S. Senator.

So, please give to her campaign today.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Laney (the Underdog)

But I don’t know how this advances that strategy:

I’m an underdog. And you can believe me on that. My owners found me at a pet shelter in an old house in north Columbus a little over 2 years ago. I was named “Lane” I guess because they found me emaciated and wandering around Lane Avenue. I was pretty scared and traumatized, just like many people are today with the tough times they deal with.

That’s the opening line from Brunner’s latest fundraising e-mail pitch.  It is from Laney — her dog.  And it goes on:

Lately, my mom’s been pretty busy.  She’s running for the U.S. Senate. I watch how hard she works and I’ve even heard her on the phone for hours working to raise money. Once I heard my mom and her oldest real daughter, Kate, talking about how this was the first time a woman would be elected from Ohio to the U.S. Senate. I swear I even heard her say “underdog.” I couldn’t believe it!

I get their campaign strategy, but I don’t think this is it.  I’m not sure if e-mails from a candidate’s dog win over an e-mail list to give an underdog campaign more money.  I’ve been more than willing to say that the money distinction — during the primary — isn’t make or break just yet, but looking desperate at the same time (and not exactly looking Senatorial) aren’t the way to make up the difference.

I really hope this isn’t the new “strategy” of Brunner’s post-finance team shake-up.

Read the full pitch below the jump.

[UPDATE: on the "ya do what ya need to do" front, the ask is getting attention -- although only in the "say what you want, just spell my name right" category.  In addition to being noted by the Dispatch, Brunner's pitch was picked up by the USA Today On Politics blog.]

* * * * *

Brunner’s E-mail

Dear Chris,

I’m an underdog. And you can believe me on that. My owners found me at a pet shelter in an old house in north Columbus a little over 2 years ago. I was named “Lane” I guess because they found me emaciated and wandering around Lane Avenue. I was pretty scared and traumatized, just like many people are today with the tough times they deal with.

I remember being in a cage. And this tall woman was looking at me and then quietly kneeled beside my cage. The next thing I knew, I had a leash on my collar and she and this big guy wanted to take me that night, but they wouldn’t let them until I had some kind of operation. So they left and said they would be back in a few days. In the meantime, I got kennel cough from some beagle puppies. I never got the operation until after they took me home.

Things weren’t so good for me at first. I coughed something awful and chewed up everything in sight. They were pretty mad when I chewed up a picture frame with all 3 of their kids’ pictures in it. Eventually, I got the hang of things.  I learned how to play with toys, walk in the park and avoid chewing family photos. It wasn’t easy.

Lately, my mom’s been pretty busy.  She’s running for the U.S. Senate. I watch how hard she works and I’ve even heard her on the phone for hours working to raise money. Once I heard my mom and her oldest real daughter, Kate, talking about how this was the first time a woman would be elected from Ohio to the U.S. Senate. I swear I even heard her say “underdog.” I couldn’t believe it!

I heard Kate say, “Mom, you know, you don’t have to do this.” Then I heard my mom say, “I owe it to you and Laura and all the young women who need someone to prove to them that they can be whatever they want to be.”  That’s my mom.

She never gave up on me. She won’t ever give up on you. That’s why all of us underdogs understand that she’ll make a great U.S. Senator.

That’s why we need all you other underdogs (and big dogs, too) to help her with a donation.

Please give her $25 or $50 or pledge $10 a month starting now. You won’t be sorry. I’m not. And when she’s our Senator, Ohio will go from being an underdog to on its way to being the new top dog.

She’ll help grow jobs in Ohio, because she’s smart, she listens, she works hard, and she knows how to bring together the people and the parts we need to build a thriving economy in Ohio. She’s top dog in my book, and in your book, she’ll be a great U.S. Senator.

So, please give to her campaign today.

Woof best regards,

Laney (the Underdog)

Whitman

Chris Cillizza’s snarky dismissal of, along with Chuck Todd’s more ambiguous but similar statement about, the “Did Meg Whitman vote?” issue feels a little odd to me.  Whitman, former eBay CEO, recently announced that she is seeking the governor’s office in California, by way of the Republican primary.

But, then, according to The San Francisco Chronicle:

A year ago, The Chronicle reported that Whitman, 53, had not registered as a Republican in California until 2007 and had a spotty voting history for several years in the state before that. Last week, a Sacramento Bee investigation found no evidence of Whitman’s voting before 2002 in several other states where she lived previously.

If a person has been completely unengaged personally in the political electoral process that surrounded him or her, then I think a fair question can be raised about the genuineness of that person’s interest in running for elective office.  This is particularly so when, as a business executive, that person is talking about and acting on political and legislative issues constantly as they occurred and impacted the person’s business.  I don’t think it says something real about the person’s fitness for office, but I think it legitimately raises questions about their interest in office.

[Andrew concurs: "It shows a lack of interest in the political process, which is a bad thing for a governor to have."]

It’s interesting how media folks choose sometimes to keep a topic in the middle of debate — no matter how clean an answer there might be (ahem, birthers) — and other times determine that something isn’t worthy of discussion and just brush it off the table.

One of Whitman’s Republican opponents is hitting on the un-voting record … and in a tough ad:

Rob Miller

Last night, at a little past 12:15 a.m., I wrote about “one important way in which the power of communication has changed hands from the few in Washington to the multitudes across the country.”

This was based on the $50,500 that Rob Miller had raised, completely as a result of being the named opponent of U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, whose outburst to the entire chamber of Congress of “You lie!” directed at President Obama was one of the most disgusting things I’ve seen in about 15 years of active engagement with politics.

It was a complete debasement of the political process and also of basic human propriety.

The Internet noticed.

I concluded last night’s post — after acknowledging Rep. Wilson’s apology — by writing:

By both public shaming and by campaign dollars, Representative Joe Wilson — and hopefully all politicians of all stripes — realized tonight that people can spread messages nearly as quick as you can say them. People who abhor the things you say can respond to — and counteract — your message just as quickly

I based that, of course, off of Wilson’s written apology and news of his phone call to the President, which was taken by Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

Then, today happened.

Twenty-four hours later, two things are clear: Wilson’s learned nothing and I had dramatically underestimated how many people agreed with me about how destructive Wilson’s outburst was.

Rob Miller — a person very, very few of us had even heard of 28 hours ago running for a seat very few of us had ever thought about — had raised more than $675,000 from 18,494 people on ActBlue alone for his race.

It has been reported that he spent $700,000 on his entire congressional race against Wilson in 2008.  Counting all his fund-raising — including by methods outside of ActBlue — Miller raised as much in 27 hours as he raised in his entire run last time.

Astounding.

And yet, it’s not done yet.

Far from remaining quiet and apologetic, Rep. Wilson, realizing no doubt as Miller’s money expanded exponentially throughout the day that his congressional future hangs in the balance, decided to justify his behavior — and ask folks for money.  He explained that his outburst happened because of emotional conversations he had with constituents — as passionate as he is on this issue — during the recess.  He told them: “I will not be muzzled.  I will speak up and speak loudly against this risky plan.”

His crescendo climaxes with a Rovian miracle.  He twists the very understandable, common-sense opposition to his Joint Session of Congress Temper Tantrum into: “They want to silence anyone who speaks out against it.”

No, this did not happen to any of the many — even extreme — opponents of Obama’s goals for health care reform.  Just you.  Just the guy who showed no sense of propriety or common decency toward the President or Congress — despite being an elected member (for now) of the latter.

Decide for yourself below the jump whether Wilson’s “apology” of last night was genuine, and then decide if you want to visit Rob Miller’s ActBlue page one more time.

Mass. A.G. Coakley, Senate candidate?

The Associated Press reported today that someone claiming to be representing Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley took out the necessary paperwork to file to run in the special election to fill Sen. Edward Kennedy’s seat in the U.S. Senate.

Michael Jones at change.org reported on the good news that this could be for LGBT equality — including noting the fact that Coakley is responsible for the first state challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, which I reported on earlier.  The Boston-based Jones wrote:

But when it comes to LGBT rights and working on behalf of LGBT constituents, she’s certainly on par with the legacy of Sen. Kennedy.

An individual who answered Coakley’s campaign number this afternoon said that no statement has been issued regarding the AP report but that they would be in touch if there was.

I’m a big Coakley fan and am very excited at the prospect of her being a major candidate for the Senate seat.  As early as February, I noted that the signs were pointing toward Coakley seeking a way to the Senate.