Who Is David M. Rivera?

NRCC spokeswoman Joanna Burgos told Talking Points Memo, ""It's Miami, there are lots of David M. Riveras."

According to the VoteBuilder, a people search engine used by the Democratic National Committee and the Florida Democratic Party, there is only one David Rivera in the Miami area. I blacked out the address and phone number.

Rivera has been featured in a Miami Herald investigation. Rivera claims it was another David M. Rivera who went to court in a domestic violence case involving Jenna Dorticos. Congressional candidate Rivera said he never met Dorticos. However, Rivera appeared in a Facebook photo with Dorticos' mother.

Another bizaree part of the story is Rivera was involved in a car accident with a Liberty Mailing Services truck carrying leaflets accusing Rivera of domestic violence. Talking Points Memo has the accident report. The Rivera campaign has made no attempts to claim another David M. Rivera was responsible for the accident.

This is a serious allegation: if there is another David M. Rivera who was involved in a domestic violence case with Dorticos then I will be more than happy to make corrections. However, voters have a right to know and there are holes in Rivera's story. It is rather strange behavior to show up in a Facebook photo with the mother of a woman Rivera previosly denied knowing. It is hard to believe Rivera did not know the van was carrying leaflets accusing him of domestic violence. What is even more disturbing is the van was forced off the road because of his driving. Rivera's road rage alone poises serious questions about his fitness to serve.

Bill Posey's Seat Labeled Vulnerable

The National Republican Congressional Committee has added Rep. Bill Posey to their list of vulnerable incumbents.

A GOP official said simply, "better safe than sorry," mostly because Posey is a freshman.

Posey has received national attention for questioning President Barack Obama's citizenship and introducing a bill requiring "a copy of the candidate’s birth certificate." The bill is redundant. The Constitution makes clear only the Founding Fathers did not have to naturalized citizens, in order to serve as President.

No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

Side note: Posey has not answered Stephen Colbert's challenge and provide proof he is not part gator.

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Larry Cretul May Run Against Alan Grayson

Larry Cretul is considering running against Congressman Alan Grayson. The NRCC views Grayson as vulnerable because he was against the war in Iraq and bailout recipients' excessive bonuses.

“Floridians know Larry Cretul as a workmanlike public servant who understands that getting things done means not worrying about grabbing headlines,” said NRCC spokesman Andy Sere. “Alan Grayson is the obnoxious guy at the dinner party who ends up embarrassing the poor soul who invited him. If Speaker Cretul gets into this race, the contrast couldn’t be clearer.”

The NRCC assumes all voters share the ideological views of the base. Grayson defeated Ric Keller because voters did not share the GOP worldview. RedState.com can do ambush interviews on Grayson over a failed earmark. People hate paparazzi-style stalking.

I will be the first to admit Grayson comes off as a jerk and no candidate is unbeatable. Cretul's dilemma is he doesn't have much of a voting base in Grayson's district. The Republican brand isn't doing well in Congressional elections. Cretal has his own problems of tax increases, $400 million raid on trust funds, increasing Florida's deficit and running secret meetings. Grayson will relish pounces on those faults.

Grayson is a rising star in the Democratic Party. Both parties need attack dogs and Grayson fits the bill. The only reason we are talking about Cretul is because House Speaker Ray Sansom got into trouble for the porked-filled aircraft hanger project. Before then Cretul was on no one's political radar. The NRCC will not clear the field for Cretul. I hardly call that a vote of confidence.

Michael Steele Has Got Problems

The Hill article on Michael Steele not granting money to debt ridden campaign committees is hysterical. All the sources are off-the-record. The fact remains Steele is taking heat for his mismanagement.

Former RNC chair Mike Duncan planned to send checks of $3 million each to the NRCC and NRSC. Steele sat on his hands and finally sent $1 million checks to both committees. The NRCC and NRSC are mad because Steele waited so long and then stiffed both committees of $2 million.

“Steele and his team were told, I think, as much as they cared to hear,” the source said. “I don’t believe there were long conversations between the two chairmen.”

Steele has been all over the talking heads shows since being elected RNC chair. Steele neglected to do the job he was elected to do.

Following a series of misstatements that have resulted in criticism from both inside and outside the GOP, Steele canceled a number of interviews scheduled for this week, including one with The Hill, ostensibly to focus on hiring several senior staffers.

As part of his damage-control efforts, Steele participated in a Friday conference call with members of the RNC, where he apologized and sought to reassure them that he would refocus on the task at hand, according to several people who participated in the call.

Sure sign Steele has jumped the shark: Republicans are concerned about a Saturday Night Live video mocking Steele.

NRCC Fearmongering on FISA Bill

I'm on the NRCC email list. It's painful reading, but occasionally I catch nuggets like this fearmongering message sent out by Chairman Tom Cole. The latest email is titled "The Terrorist Threat to America Never Expires."

Even though our intelligence agencies have helped us successfully avoid attacks on our soil, in a few days from now, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) will expire. If Congress lets this bill expire, our intelligence personnel, both here and abroad, will be extremely handicapped and will have a harder time saving American lives from terrorist threats.

The President and Republican leaders in both the House and Senate believe it is long overdue for Congress to pass and send to the President a long-term bill that updates the FISA laws vital to our national security.

Do you agree with your Republican leaders that we need permanent FISA legislation?

American families deserve security and not uncertainty, and they understand that our terrorist surveillance laws help keep our country safe from attack. It speaks volumes about the national security priorities of congressional Democrats that they have failed to permanently close the terrorist loophole after six months. The time for excuses has expired, it's now time for action.

If you believe it’s time to draft responsible legislation that ensures that we quickly close the intelligence gap, sign this petition today.

Cole never mentions that the White House denied violating the Fourth amendment and spying on domestic calls. The Supreme Court ruled in Katz v. United States that national security and executive privilege does not allow the federal government to domesticly wiretap without a warrant.

Retroactive immunity would allow telecommunication companies to gather information and conversations on American citizens. A Mellman Group poll found 63 percent want to government to require a warrant before domestically wiretapping phone calls.

Support for this constitutional right is both deep and wide, cutting across every demographic segment. Whether they are old or young (age 60+ 61% warrants required, age 50-59 61%, age 40-49 66%, age 18-39 66%), more or less educated (college grads 67%, some college 65%, high school or less 57%), black or white (black 83% warrants required, whites 60%), upper class or lower (upper/upper-middle 63% warrants required, middle 66%, working/lower 57%) overwhelming majorities favor requiring warrants for government wiretaps of Americans’ international conversations. Eight-in-ten percent (80%) of Democrats, 56% of independents, and even half (50%) of the President’s own Republicans oppose tapping Americans’ international conversations without a warrant.

Public demand for requiring warrants for wiretaps of Americans’ international conversations also cuts across geography. Large majorities in every part of the country favor requiring warrants: 72% in the Northeast, 64% in the South, 62% in the West, and 57% in the Midwest. Both less religious voters (68% warrants required) and those who are very religious (59% warrants required) oppose wiretapping Americans’ international conversations without a warrant. The same is true of both households with veterans (58%) and non-veteran households (65%).

Public opinion is on the Democratic Party's side. That did not stop several Democrats from voting to extend FISA.

Jay Rockefeller (D-WV),
Evan Bayh (D-IN),
Daniel Inouye (D-HI),
Tim Johnson (D-SD),
Herb Kohl (D-WI),
Mary Landrieu (D-LA),
Claire McCaskill (D-MO),
Mark Pryor (D-AR),
Blanche Lincoln (D-AR),
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA),
Ken Salazar (D-CO),
Tom Carper (D-DE),
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD),
Jim Webb (D-VA),
Ben Nelson (D-NE),
Bill Nelson (D-FL),
Kent Conrad (D-ND),
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)

No Democrat in Congress is arguing that terrorists should be protected from wiretapping. The argument goes to sheds when the Bush administration is forced to defend this assertion. The exchange between Russ Feingold and Alberto Gonzales is a perfect example.

Feingold: Do you know anyone in government who ever took that position?

Gonzales: No, but that is not what I said.

Feingold: It is a disgrace and disservice to your office and the President to have accused people on this Committee of opposing eavesdropping on terrorists.

Gonzales: I didn't have you in mind or anyone on the Committee when I referred to people who oppose eavesdropping on terrorists. Perish the thought.

Feingold: Oh, well it's nice that you didn't have us "in your mind" when making those accusations, but given that you and the President were running around the country accusing people of opposing eavesdropping on terrorists in the middle of an election, the fact that you didn't have Congressional Democrats in "mind" isn't significant. Your intent was to make people think that anyone who opposed the "TSP" did not want to eavesdrop on terrorists, even though that was false. No Democrats oppose eavesdropping on terrorists.

Gonzales: I wasn't referring to Democrats.

The White House wants retroactive immunity because they are afraid what telecommunication companies will say about the administration in court. Bush may have foolishly thought going around the FISA court was protecting America. Bush is protecting his own self-interest. The President has made warrantless wiretapping and torture conservative values.

Republicans Will Sink With John Boehner

The bad news continues for Congressional Republicans. The DCCC raised $4.1 million in November. The NRCC tallied up $2.7 million during the same period. The bigger problem the NRCC only has $2.3 million on hand. The DCCC has $30.7 million in the bank. The numbers are not better for Republican Senate candidates.

On the Senate side, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ended November with $25.5 million banked, more than double the cash on hand of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, with about $10.4 million.

It is easy to figure out the fundraising woes. The Republican leadership is too stupid to split from Bush. The party now is having trouble fundraising and is in danger of losing more seats. The House Republican leadership is so out of touch with the American people that it's making Democrats' job easier.

Who can forget John Boehner declaring that "Rumsfeld is the best thing that’s happened to the Pentagon in 25 years." That is the statement of a man utterly unserious about military matters. Hear are other things Boehner said in his interview with George Stephanopoulos.

"...if we were to pull out before we win, we will embolden every terrorist in every corner of the world."

"...instead of fighting them in Iraq, we’ll be fighting them on every street in America."

"Let’s not take the problems in Iraq, the tough fight that we’re in there..."

Boehner is RNC talking points and nothing more. This is the best the House Republicans can do for leadership. In 2006, Boehner contends that Saddam Hussein had WMDs and it was only a metter of time before they were found. Most conservatives have been up the Saddam WMD myth long ago.

Voting against SCHIP and and for the increasingly unpopular Bush administration torture policy is not going to aid House Republicans when Democrats have stronger presidential candidates. Someone explain to me how Boehner plans to win back the majority by aligning himself with Bush and raising less money than Democrats?