John Nichols: Stevens Indictment Comes Earlier Than Dems Hoped

[marmar]

from The Nation:




Stevens Indictment Comes Earlier Than Dems Hoped
posted by John Nichols on 07/29/2008 @ 4:07pm



Voters should know whether incumbent senators are in serious trouble with the law before election day.

It helps to shape the decision-making process.

Indeed, as Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, says of the election-year indictment of an incumbent senator like Alaska Republican Ted Stevens: "It really does affect the likelihood of re-election."

Unfortunately for Democrats who have been salivating at the prospect that they might grab an Alaska's Senate seat from a wounded Stevens this fall, Tuesday's indictment of the incumbent by a federal grand jury in Washington on seven counts of filing false financial disclosures may have come before wrong election.

Alaska is a Republican-leaning state -- even weak Republicans, such as appointed Senator Lisa Murkowski in 2004, have survived serious challenges. (No Democrat has won a Senate race in Alaska since 1974, when the Watergate scandal was credited with pulling a first-term senator named Mike Gravel through.)

This year, however, Democrats were feeling very good about the prospects of Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, the scion of a family with deep roots in the state's politics, in a November race against the longest Republican in the Senate. The last poll completed before Tuesday's indictment had Begich winning a November race against Stevens 50 percent to 41 percent. .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters/340474

[liberal N proud]

1. It is only 96 days to the election

Not much time to raise the money and a base strong enough to overcome the corruption of the GOP that should be clear to the voters at this point.

[AlinPA]

2. He will probably be re-elected again. "Uncle Ted " and all that. nt

[wishlist]

3. Such an indictment can never come too early, its about time! nt

[lame54]

4. They could theoretically have a different repug indictment every day till election day

[KharmaTrain]

5. So Now When Does Don Young Go Down?

He's been hanging out there for almost as long as Senator NO...spending millions on lawyers. I expect he'll get indicted, but what's taking so long here?

Also, few have mentioned the new scandal involving Gov. Palin...along with the lingering housing deal that Lisa Murkowski got (I'm not sure if that investigation is still going).

I'm sure most the voters in Alaska were well aware of Stevens troubles (btw, did his kid get nailed yet, too?) and Young's mess already has led to GOOP challengers and he's been trailing Gary Berkowitz for several months now.

An indictment this close to an election can backfire if it appears to be politically motivated and, please try to remember, an indictment is not a conviction...innocent until proven guilty, ya know. We've seen what a politicized DOJ is all about (Siegleman) and its a breath of fresh air that this didn't stonewall the Alaskan investigation like it has in other places.

There are a bunch of GOOPers that are targets of investigations...Doolittle comes to mind. Let's see if he gets indicted.

[gratuitous]

6. So Stevens' indictment is really (say it with me now)

Good news for Republicans!

:eyes:

Fuckin-ay, I would think the Nation would hire writers just a tad smarter than that.

[patrice]

7. My Libertarian attorney husband says this is a setup . . .

to prepare the way for charges against Obama in re Rezko.

Please dispell this theory for me; I'm nearly paralyzed with worry.