but the fact that he considers this as only "Leaning Republican" is positive.

It all reads the same:

- beat Jost
- moderate Delegate
- Bronze Star Vet
- Teacher of the Year
- Republican District
- Democrats long-shot

The root of "news" is "new". None of this is "new", so it's not "news".

Maybe we're short on news, so how about speculation:

- Democrats gaining momentum (seize majority in State Senate)
- Near misses elsewhere
- Widespread disapproval with government and their war
- People are terrified of being pulled over for fear of having to pay a $1500 speeding ticket???!!!!

Maybe the Democrats can win? Maybe it's time for something new, rather than a lot more of the same?

and I don't see where the "Douchebag of Liberty" revealed a CIA agent.

The "Prince of Darkness" is getting better!

Republicans are divided; Democrats are united.  Probably still leaning Republican, but it may be a lot closer than expected.

Local politics or referendum on the Bush agenda?

If it's local politics the Republicans win.  If it's a referendum on Bush, the Democrats win (probably).  If it's in between--you tell me.

You only have one chance to vote to change Washington this year.  Forgit for Congress.

Saying that Bush won the district by %60 percent in 2004 makes the seat a Republican retention is perhaps the dumbest reason I've ever heard.  George Bush won the country by 50.7% in 2004, and now only about 30% of the country wants Bush.  So by simple math... 30 - 50 = a 20% dip... 60 - 20 = 40% of the 1st CD approves of Bush?  Quite likely.

So there it is, if the election is a referendum on Bush, Forgit wins.  But that's not as likely as what most elections are, and that is: a referendum on the candidates.  That means: who campaigns better in 1 month, and who turns out the vote.  And that's where we come in to play.

What occurs to me is that all other things being equal, the majority of voters in CD-1 might be pragmatic enough to want to elect someone who will be in the majority in the House. Forgit should not be objectionable to moderate Republicans and Reagan Democrats, given that he is a decorated veteran and is centrist if not conservative on some of the hot button social issues.  I'm guessing that Forgit will have broad enough appeal to win, if he can get over the name recognition disadvantage. 

If people look just at the politicians on paper (through the printed news media), one would hope that a Democrat has a reasonable chance to win. I mean I knew nothing of Phil Forgit and very much liked the pictures of his family, resume and so on. I could relate easily to him as a family man, teacher (my wife's a teacher) and veteran (I'm a veteran with a brother in Iraq right now). But the other night I listen to his elect me speech posted here at RK, and quite frankly I was appalled.

The Ist CD Dems selected the wrong guy I'm sorry to say, because Phil's win as the nominee will go down as nothing more than a phyrric victory. The guy's attitude sucks and smacks of careerist politician.

Perhaps the press (Rob Novack and company) won't notice and will only pick up on Phil's resume. That would be good. But it would really be a race if the Ist CD democrats were energized by a man who would unite not just the base ... but who could inspire independents to jump on board. I'm very doubtful we have that winning formula in place, which means Count Darkula is probably correct in his banal assessment.

That's too bad but fatefully a real possibility.

Guys, you are not thinking clearly. Most of the military are out of state residents. If you are planning to go after the military vote, you need to concentrate on the retirees.

One very large concern at the moment is the DoD attempt to force retirees off the military's medical program. They have put together a scheme to more than double the premiums for retirees, and have outlawed company paid supplement plans. Most retirees were promised free medical for life, then DoD implemented the Tricare program with premiums and usage fees.

Companies that hire retirees, such as defense contractors and many other businesses, offered plans that would cover the fees. But with the outlawing of these plans, retirees must buy their own supplement or do without. I can tell you that independent supplement costs to cover a family are nearly four times what Tricare charges for the basic medical plan alone.

Changing to a company plan is even more expensive because the retiree must go through a special screening process because they didn't buy the plan when they were hired. To make matters worse, many companies require either the employer health plan or the Tricare supplement in order to gain access to dental and vision plans. If the retiree decides to remain on Tricare, then they lose the other plans in addition to the outlawed supplement.

The candidate who says that they will fight to get all military retirees the same health plan that Congress enjoys will win hands down.  Dump Tricare (Try-care) for Federal Employees Health Benefit plan. 

Looking at the latest election results, as well as the polling from the gop's little CD1 get together, one could say that there is a lot of discontent within Wittman's base. Not only are the HR folks up in arms, there is apparently no strong endorsement in some of the northen counties either. The question is whether your candidate can make points on national issues rather than trying to tie local concerns to a national seat. This is, after all, Congress and not the GA.

The National Journal also reports that the election "will greatly favor the GOP nominee in this race."  Of course, they're using data from 2004. 

The truth is that Wittman is not a shoo-in.  Look at the election for the 28th CD, which geographically takes up about 1/2 of the 1st CD.  Pollard (D) lost by only 1.4 percent.  We're going to put some boots on the ground for Phillip Forgit.  If you're interested in helping, contact info@thebrigades.org