Tuesday 9/21

- Harry Reid calls Kirsten Gillibrand the "hottest member". Odd.

- "Sharron Angle: Just Too Extreme"

RALSTON:
A QUINTET OF U.S. SENATE RACE NUGGETS:

Nugget No. 1 - FOX News gushes like an RJ reporter/editor/publisher in reporting a dead heat (again) in the race: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/09/21/fox-news-polls-track-tea-party-influence-battleground-states/

But a look at the crosstabs of these cheap polls once again reveals infirmities that raise questions about any of the results. You can find them on the same page.

Even though they just did a poll in the race, the FOX folks conducted another and still have independents as way too much of the universe - 29 percent, which is twice their registered numbers in the state - and have Republicans and Democrats essentially even. If they had kept the same model as before - also skewed - Reid would be leading by 1. And Reid losing independents to Angle by 19 points? Seems strange.

Can anyone get me a sample in one of these polls that makes any sense?

Nugget No. 2 - A new Angle web ad is a DREAM to look at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEyU4Zf2DYE

I predict TV ads with a similar theme soon - Reid loves amnesty, causes unemployment.

Nugget No. 3 - Why does the Angle campaign keep denying things - as she repeatedly did on a recent FOX News interview - that so easily can be refuted by audio or video clips? Truly bizarre.

The latest: Reid puts out a new ad designed to appeal to veterans: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q2fdBLRKP8

Angle spokesman Jerry Stacy responds thusly:

"Sharron Angle's father is a veteran of World War II and the Korean War and receives care from a Veterans' Affairs hospital. Never has Sharron Angle called for privatizing Veterans' Affairs and never has Sharron called for the end of Veterans' Affairs"

What? There is audio, used previously, from an interview with KNPR in which Angle clearly says she wants a "privatized system."

This is a familiar pattern: Say something, then pretend it was never said, apparently forgetting there is this thing called videotape and often it is on the Internet.

Orwell would love this technique.

Nugget No. 4 - One person who is making a horse's patootie out of himself in the crossfire of this race is GOP Assemblyman Ed Goedhart, who owns a dairy company and put out a news release attacking that Reid ad by Anderson Dairy folks as showing he favored one company over another. The backbencher, whose only claim to fame so far was to defend viewing what appeared to be porn by saying it was research for a fishing trip, has served nicely as a bullet for smashmouth Reid-basher Chuck Muth's gun.

But now Goedhart has followed up with another release, referring folks to a Washington Post story he says backs up his allegations against Reid: http://www.keepmilkpriceslow.org/g2gnews/news12112006.htm

It is a fascinating story, but it might have too many words for Goedhart to read because he seems to have missed two critical points besides Reid's involvement on behalf of Anderson Dairy:

1. It was Jon Kyl's idea. He's a GOP senator, Mr. Ed.
2. Speaker-in-Hoping John Boehner pulled a nice stunt to get it through the House. He's also a Republican, Mr. Ed.

We asked Goedhart to come on "Face to Face" to debate the issue with Anderson Dairy. He agreed, then backed out. When I asked him why, he said his story didn't lend itself to "sound bites." Then he accused me of just listening to Reid's folks on the subject - I have not even talked to Reid's people about this topic. And after I asked him about the GOP connections to the bill, he suggested the next thing I'd do is blame Bush 43.

You can't make this stuff up. And he is a duly elected official.

Nugget No. 5 - American Crossroads and Patriot Majority are back:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZOKv_NPW9o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=056xxfoJ6cQ