Below are articles titled "Allen launches Senate bid amid talk of White House ambitions" and "Allen Tells Supporters His Focus Is Reelection" where he announces his bid for reelection to the United States Senate.
George Allen is one of the most dangerous GOP Neocons running for office today and he "is already the GOP 2008 "front-runner!" in my opinion as I have previously posted with credible documentation:
http://www.raisingkaine.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2728
Please consider this post like a part two of my previous post about George Allen. We need to know what people are saying about George Allen, why that is important, and I will offer what I consider to be a sound strategy to help defeat Allen in 2006.
Here is what top Neocon leaders and publications are saying about George Allen:
1) Rush Limbaugh:
http://www.badgolfer.com/departments/features/rush-limbaugh-radio-king-golf-2124.htm
Q: Who's your Republican candidate in 2008?
A: Right now I like George Allen. I anticipate the John McCain and Rudy Giuliani talk will die down in the end. But it's wide open. Republicans who win elections are conservatives, though.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,172675,00.html
"It's early. The danger with mentioning names is that you hurt the feelings of people that you leave out. I'm going to leave some people out because of time constraints, but when I hear George Allen speak, there's a part of me, "Yes, rah-rah."
2) Sean Hannity:
http://www.dcdebate.com/2005/10/25/sean-hannity-sen-allen-08-republican-frontrunner/
Sean Hannity: Sen. Allen '08 Republican Frontrunner
Hotline on Call reports conservative talk radio and TV show co-host Sean Hannity calls Senator George Allen (R-VA) the early frontrunner for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.
+óGé¼+ôAn important take-away lesson: ALLEN SPENDS A LOT OF TIME ON CONSERVATIVE TALK RADIO.+óGé¼-¥ The Senator, who recently won a National Journal Insider+óGé¼Gäós poll Insider+óGé¼Gäós poll among Republicans on who+óGé¼Gäód take the nomination, outlined three issues he+óGé¼Gäós like to focus on in his 2006 VA Senate re-election campaign: illegal immigration, judges, and spending.
Hannity tried to get Allen to endorse former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani as a Vice Presidential nominee to run on a ticket with him, but Allen dodged the question responding that there are many talented individuals in the party.
3) Mary Matalin:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10909406/
MR. RUSSERT: "How about the Republicans, Mary Matalin? Who+óGé¼Gäós the front-you said that Hillary Clinton is the front-runner on the Democratic side, who+óGé¼Gäós the front-runner on the Republican side?
MS. MATALIN: Well, the insider front-runner is George Allen.
4) Jerry Falwell:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/16/le.01.html
BLITZER: Looks like he's (John McCain) gotten over some of the bad blood as well. Is he someone that you could support for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008?
FALWELL: Well, of course, it's far too early to endorse anybody. But the question you asked, the question is yes. I know no reason why I could not support him. I don't know where we'll come down to. We have a senator here in Virginia who's thinking the same thoughts like George Allen.
5) CPAC Poll:
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/2/13/212836.shtml?s=ic
Monday, Feb. 13, 2006 9:25 p.m. EST
Sen. George Allen Tops CPAC Poll
6) NewsMax.com:
http://www.newsmax.com/adv/feb06/
NewsMax.com
FLASH: Sen. George Allen hasn+óGé¼Gäót announced he's running in 2008, but he appears to be the early favorite among former NFL players-turned-politicians... Allen is a "rising star in the Republican Party and around the country,+óGé¼-¥ Kemp told the publication The Hill.
7) The Virginia Republican activist grassroots:
http://vaconservative.com/archives/category/allen-for-president/
"Commonwealth Conservative >> Allen for President"
This link contains numerous recent posts and pictures from the Virginia Republican activist grassroots on George Allen, his 2006 Democratic opponents, and his 2008 Presidential ambitions!
THERE IS NO OTHER REPUBLICAN 2008 PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL WHO IS GETTING THIS AMOUNT OF HEAVY SUPPORT FROM SO MANY TOP GOP GRASSROOTS LEADERS, ACTIVISTS, AND PUBLICATIONS!
Taking out George Allen in 2006 will not only be a win for Virginia but it will also be a crushing blow to the GOP Neocon activist base. That would take away their clear first choice and would help to cause a bigger internal fight for the GOP 2008 nomination than what will probably happen if Allen wins big in 2006!
Here is where George Allen is most vulnerable and what are the best ways to take him out in 2006 in my opinion:
1) Emphasize what Tim Russert Said about George Allen that Allen did not deny: "Of a hundred, a hundred United States senators, you ranked three in your support of the president. Ninety-six percent of the time, you supported George W. Bush. Are you concerned about being presented as a rubber stamp for the president?"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11711506/
MEET THE PRESS
Transcript for March 12
George Allen, Joe Biden, Michael Gordon and Bernard Trainor
Updated: 12:14 p.m. ET March 13, 2006
MR. RUSSERT: Of a hundred, a hundred United States senators, you ranked three in your support of the president. Ninety-six percent of the time, you supported George W. Bush. Are you concerned about being presented as a rubber stamp for the president?
SEN. ALLEN: "Well, look at the+óGé¼GÇ¥whatever those 96 percent are. If+óGé¼GÇ¥obviously I agreed with whatever that position was, 96 percent of the time..."
I would strongly emphasize that Allen has been nothing but a Neocon Bush rubber stamp (the same kind that Virginia voters rejected in Jerry Kilgore in 2005) and that when he has disagreed with Bush, it has been to run as "Bush-Heavy" (as opposed to Bush-Lite" that was a slogan used in the 2004 Presidential election) to the GOP Neocon activist base.
Here are two excellent examples of where Allen has publicly disagreed with Bush to please his base of voters and how he is running as "Bush-Heavy" to please his base (which is all the things that they like in Bush and more!):
A) The Judiciary:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9764239/
MEET THE PRESS
Transcript for October 23
George Allen, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Chuck Schumer, Stephen Hayes, George Packer & Frank Rich
NBC News
Updated: 11:57 a.m. ET Oct. 23, 2005
MR. RUSSERT: But you did say that you did not believe that Harriet Miers was the most qualified person to replace O'Connor. You said, "That's his description," meaning George Bush. "[Sen. George Allen] disagreed with Bush's view that Miers is the most qualified person to replace O'Connor. `That's his description,' Allen said. `It would not be mine.'"
SEN. ALLEN: That's correct. The president said she was the best qualified and somebody asked me, "Do you think she is?" I said, "No. I would have somebody else." I had recommended other people from the 4th Circuit that I know, such as Judge Wilkinson, Luttig and Karen Williams, who actually wrote an opinion on a very--when you want to talk about activist courts, you see, for example, on the 9th Circuit they strike down the Pledge of Allegiance in schools because of the words "under God."
B) Illegal Immigration:
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/4/2/141737.shtml?s=icp
Sen. George Allen split with President Bush over the illegal immigration crisis on Sunday, making him the only likely 2008 presidential candidate to back an "enforcement first" approach to border security.
"I think it's vitally important that we first and foremost recognize that there's a consensus in America that we need to secure our borders," Allen told ABC's "This Week."
"I don't think that we ought to be passing anything that rewards illegal behavior or amnesty," he said, before adding pointedly: "Is that different than the president's position? Apparently so."
Allen said that the Bush guest worker program would amount to "rewarding illegal behavior . . . It allows those who are here illegally then to get in line to become a citizen. If we have a reward for illegal behavior all we'll get is more illegal behavior. I want us to secure our borders."
The bottom line is that George Allen is a Bush rubber stamp 96% of the time except for when it is politically convenient for him to break with Bush to simply please his base of activist supporters! If this is not so, then why is Allen getting all of the open support from top Neocon leaders, activists, and publications that you see quoted above while no other 2008 GOP contender is getting nearly that much open support?
So a vote for George Allen in 2006 is just a vote for what you see in Bush now which most of the country rejects in the polls, is a vote for someone who will say anything to please the extreme right wing GOP Neocon activist base, and is a vote for what Jerry Kilgore ran on in 2005 against Tim Kaine which Virginia voters rejected!
I would ask anyone to name just ONE ISSUE that George Allen does not agree with Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity on. I honestly cannot think of even one issue where they do not agree in all of the interviews that I have seen and read so far:
http://www.georgeallen.com/site/c.hgITL5PKJtH/b.1510111/k.CBC3/VirginianbspValues.htm
|Taxes & Budget | Jobs & Economy | Immigration | Security | Virginia Values | Health Care | Education | Energy | Technology |
2) Pump Allen hard with these questions that he clearly does not want to answer mentioned in the article "Allen launches Senate bid amid talk of White House ambitions" which are: "ARE YOU GOING TO RUN IN '08?" and "WILL YOU COMMIT TO SERVING OUT YOUR ENTIRE SIX YEAR TERM?"
WARREN: "ARE YOU GOING TO RUN IN '08?"
ALLEN: "I know what I'm going to do; I'm running in '06."
WARREN: "WILL YOU COMMIT TO SERVING OUT YOUR ENTIRE SIX YEAR TERM?"
ALLEN: "Look as I told you it is very hard to predict the future. Whatever I do it will be consistent with the values and the trust of the people of Virginia."
Here is the bottom line: George Allen is clearly going to run for President in 2008 as is very well documented and he is trying to use a 2006 Senate victory as a boost and fundraiser for his 2008 Presidential campaign. Being a Senator will also be sort of a consolation prize if he should not win in 2008 so he will still have some power!
Here is how to beat Allen on this issue: George Allen claims to believe in what he calls "Virginia Values" on his website:
http://www.georgeallen.com/site/c.hgITL5PKJtH/b.1510111/k.CBC3/VirginianbspValues.htm
Allen has to be pressed constantly on this question: How can you honestly claim to believe in "Virginia Values" when you will not commit to serving out your 6 year term if you win your Senate race because if you do run for President in 2008 and win, then Democratic Governor Tim Kaine will appoint a Democratic successor to fill your vacated Senate seat that you ran for who will not be for the same "Virginia Values" that you claim to be for and that you ran on to win the seat in 2006?
There is no credible answer that Allen can give to this question if it is asked in the specific context of Tim Kaine appointing a Democratic successor to fill his vacated Senate seat if he runs for President and wins!
Allen should be pressed hard on committing to serve his entire 6 year term if he wins in 2006 and he should be constantly asked "do you want Tim Kaine to fill your vacated Senate seat with a Democrat?"
That, along with showing his busy travel record, will send a clear message to Virginia voters that if Allen is reelected to the Senate in 2006 that Virginia will only have a part time Senator and that Allen is not really for the "Virginia Values" he claims to be for if he is willing to let Tim Kaine appoint a Democrat to be his successor if he runs for President and wins in 2008!
3) Nail George Allen on this outrageous quote: "Karl Rove is trying to unite this country in this effort, by the way" in the context of what Rove said "President Bush and the Republican Party do. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many Democrats."
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0601/22/le.01.html
CNN LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER
Aired January 22, 2006 - 11:00 ET
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARL ROVE, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF: The United States faces a ruthless enemy. And we need a commander in chief and a Congress who understand the nature of the threat and the gravity of the moment America finds itself in.
President Bush and the Republican Party do. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many Democrats.
(END VIDEO CLIP)...
BLITZER: "I'll give you the last word, Senator Allen, on Samuel Alito. Go ahead.
ALLEN: Karl Rove is trying to unite this country in this effort, by the way.
I would play this tape in the media constantly and ask Allen constantly: Do you think that "Karl Rove is trying to unite this country in this effort, by the way" when Rove said "Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many Democrats" in the context of people "who understand the nature of the threat and the gravity of the moment America finds itself in?"
These are exact quotes and should be on CNN archives for people to see. If enough people in Virginia can see Allen actually saying "Karl Rove is trying to unite this country," then it will come back to hurt him badly in his 2006 Senate race because that quote is absolutely outrageous and is far out of the mainstream of most voters!
George Allen tries to look good and sound good with his "Common Sense Jeffersonian Conservative Principles" theme and with his picture taken with Ronald Reagan so it is not always easy to see through his disguise to see what Allen is really all about:
http://www.georgeallen.com/site/c.hgITL5PKJtH/b.1466187/k.5C65/Jeffersonian_Principles.htm
Common Sense Jeffersonian Conservative Principles
It is not my intention to do away with government. It is rather to make it work -- work with us, not over us; stand by our side, not ride on our back. Government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it; foster productivity, not stifle it."
- Ronald Reagan
Allen also said on Sean Hannity's radio program on Monday, April 3 that "when you are the one who has the football, people will be chasing you" so you can also expect to see Allen try to make himself look macho with a lot of football quotes since his father was well known former Redskins coach George Allen.
It is my very strong and definite opinion that because of all this evidence and documentation that George Allen is one of the most dangerous GOP Neocons running for office and that his 2006 Senate race deserves about as much attention now as Tom Delay's House race in Texas would have received if DeLay was still running!
I also recommend supporting Jim Webb's campaign against George Allen just like how Gen. Wes Clark is doing:
http://securingamerica.com/webb
+óGé¼+ôAmerica needs people like Jim Webb - because we need leaders. We need to put Jim Webb in the Senate. He'll make sure that we make the right decisions on the war - and he'll make sure that we'll make the right decisions to help the people of Virginia.
"I've known Jim for over 20 years. He's a Naval Academy graduate. He's one of the real heroes of the Vietnam War. He was a great fighter - who then got out of the military and chose to serve his country in other ways.
"I knew him when he was the assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs in the Reagan administration. I just think he's a terrific man, he's a terrific leader - he's the kind of leader Virginians can count on."
~ Wes Clark
Please forward this on so that all people will know what George Allen is really all about, to see how serious that Allen's 2006 Senate race is, to help bring more attention to this race, and to help James Webb win the June 13 primary so that we will have the best chances to beat Allen in November!
Mitch Dworkin
http://www.securingamerica.com/
http://securingamerica.com/webb
Gen. Wes Clark's endorsement of Jim Webb against George Allen
http://www.webbforsenate.com/
Jim Webb for Senate website
http://webb.bluestatedigital.com/page/s/join
Sign up to receive Jim Webb for Senate campaign E Mails!
https://secure.webbforsenate.com/page/contribute
Contribute what you can to help Jim Webb!
--------------------
Allen launches Senate bid amid talk of White House ambitions
Jay Warren / WSLS NewsChannel 10
Apr 12, 2006
"I'm officially declaring my candidacy for reelection to the United States Senate," proclaimed Sen. George Allen at the Roanoke stop of his re-election campaign swing. Allen, who is seeking a second term, proudly declared his commitment to the Commonwealth of Virginia. "My friends, I want to continue working for you," he told the crowd of 50.
But these days, Allen gets more questions about his possible White House bid than he does about his current Senate bid. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) even dropped a '08 hint in his introduction of Allen. "And who knows. There's going to be another vacancy in 2008. We like that too," Goodlatte said to the cheering gathering.
I asked Allen about the buzz.
WARREN: "ARE YOU GOING TO RUN IN '08?"
ALLEN: "I know what I'm going to do; I'm running in '06."
WARREN: "WILL YOU COMMIT TO SERVING OUT YOUR ENTIRE SIX YEAR TERM?"
ALLEN: "Look as I told you it is very hard to predict the future. Whatever I do it will be consistent with the values and the trust of the people of Virginia."
But his travel schedule looks a little different. Recently, Allen's been to North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa, New Hampshire, Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Colorado, and Arizona.
WARREN: "DOES THAT INDICATE NATIONAL AMBITIONS ABOVE VIRGINIA?"
ALLEN: "It indicates that people ask me to come to help them in their campaigns."
But now that focus shifts to his campaign. It's a Senate campaign that Newschannel 10 Political Analyst Dr. Bob Denton says could be tougher than expected and the White House talk isn't helping.
"What was going to be an easy campaign is now one where he is going to have to be here, run hard, spend money here and really talk and remind people of his role as governor," Denton said.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/11/AR2006041101739.html
U.S. SENATE RACE
Allen Tells Supporters His Focus Is Reelection
By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 12, 2006; Page B02
U.S. Sen. George Allen (R) formally asked Virginia voters to reelect him yesterday, even as he travels the country in search of support for a presidential bid that could begin soon after he would start a second six-year term in Congress.
Flanked by his wife, his three children and Northern Virginia Republicans, Allen, 54, called for a national taxpayer bill of rights and a renewed focus on national security, economic opportunity and conservative values.
Sen. George Allen began his reelection campaign by telling backers that it's "vitally important that you have someone in the United States Senate fighting and working to make sure we don't have tax increases." (By Robert A. Reeder -- The Washington Post)
In front of a biotech facility he helped lure to Prince William County as governor in the mid-1990s, Allen urged about 100 supporters to "reach out to all people," saying that "if they work for a living, if they pay taxes, if they care for their families, they ought to be on our team."
With two Democrats vying for the chance to unseat him in the fall, Allen promised to wage "a positive, constructive campaign based on our ideas to move Virginia and America forward."
Immediately after the 20-minute speech, while speaking to reporters, the senator refused to promise that he would stay in office for a full term. He said he has made recent trips to 2008 presidential primary and caucus states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, because "they invited me."
"If I get elected, I'm going to be the U.S. senator from Virginia," Allen told the reporters.
For how long?
"As long as God gives me the breath to do so, and the trust of the people of Virginia," he said.
Is that a promise?
"When we get to the future, I'll determine the future," he said, then quoting his father, former Redskins coach George Allen.
"My father ingrained in me and his players that the future is now," he said. "I'm paying attention to the present, the now, and we'll worry about the future when you get to the future. I'm focused on running for reelection."
That answer has not satisfied Democrats, who already have begun to savage Allen for running two campaigns at once and for telling the New York Times that being in the Senate is "too slow." In a release yesterday, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee derided what it called the "Bored Ambition Tour."
"Allen's ambition for higher office has blinded him to the problems regular Virginians face on a daily basis," said Karl Frisch, spokesman for the Democratic committee.
Allen kicked off his Virginia campaign in Northern Virginia, aides said, to underscore the growing importance of the state's largest population center. The former governor, congressman and delegate had always started his campaigns in Charlottesville.
He later flew to Hampton Roads and then to Richmond for rallies and was scheduled to crisscross the state today and tomorrow.
At the first stop, Allen touted his record, as governor from 1994 to 1998 and as a senator since 2001. And he demonstrated the aw-shucks, cowboy-boot-wearing style that has made him one of the state's most popular Republicans for more than a decade.
"I'm grateful to all of y'all here," Allen said at the headquarters of the American Type Culture Collection in Manassas. "I will seek to do the very best that I can, in whatever way I can, to advance our principles, to uphold our values and to make Virginia and America an even better place to live, learn, work and raise our families."
Allen cited his record as governor, specifically the state's abolition of parole and reform of the welfare system as signature accomplishments during his four years in the Executive Mansion.
And he mentioned his work in the Senate to support the military, promote economic expansion and fight against activist judges, especially on the U.S. Supreme Court.
But he became especially animated while talking about battling higher taxes in the Senate. He said he was "proud" to co-sponsor several tax cut bills, including one to keep Internet access free from taxation.
"The last thing we need are these avaricious state and local tax commissars putting an 18 percent tax on your monthly Internet access bill," Allen roared. "It is vitally important that you have someone in the United States Senate fighting and working to make sure we don't have tax increases and prevent tax increases."
Allen pledged a four-point plan to guarantee low taxes, fiscal accountability, a balanced budget amendment and a "paycheck penalty" that would involve withholding salaries of members of Congress when it fails to pass annual budget bills.
Allen is unopposed for the GOP nomination and will report his latest fundraising next week. But by the end of 2005, he had amassed a $6.8 million war chest, leaving his Democratic opponents trailing in the money race.
Democratic Senate candidate Harris Miller, a former lobbyist for the high-tech industry, announced Monday that he has raised $539,000, almost double that of his primary opponent, Ronald Reagan's former U.S. Navy secretary James Webb, who has raised about $260,000.
"People are ready for a change," said Miller's communications director, Taylor West. "Whether George Allen commits to six years or six months, in the end people are not pleased with the last six years. Harris Miller is going to be talking about what we need to do to change it."
Kristian Denny Todd, Webb's campaign manager, said: "We feel like Virginia deserves better representation, not the half-hearted approach he has given the past six years. We'd like to think this seat in the Senate means more than a placeholder for George Allen."
Webb and Miller will face each other in the June 13 primary for the opportunity to challenge Allen in the Nov. 7 general election.