Eric Kleefeld August 20, 2010, 9:02 AM

Democrats Hope Money, Manpower Stem Losses
The Associated Press reports: “Under no illusions about their challenges this fall, Democrats are expressing optimism that the party’s financial might and voter turnout operations will help stem widespread losses. The GOP’s governing track record may help, too, they say. ‘There’s a lot of doom and gloom about it, but I think we’re going to do a lot better than people think,’ Tim Kaine, the Democratic Party chairman, told Democratic National Committee members at a two-day meeting. ‘We’ve got a long way to go, but I think a number of factors are moving in the right direction for us.’

Anthony Kennedy Favors Civilian Courts In Terrorism Cases
The Associated Press reports: “Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy said Thursday that most terrorism cases should be tried in civilian courts. Kennedy addressed participants in the 9th Circuit Judicial Conference on Maui, where a panel discussion earlier this week reached a consensus in favor of using civilian courts instead of military commissions in most terrorism cases. ‘Article III courts are quite capable of trying these terrorist cases,’ Kennedy said, agreeing with the conclusion.”

Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will travel in the morning to St. Louis, Missouri. He will deliver remarks at 11 a.m. ET to the Democratic National Committee’s Summer Meeting. In the afternoon, he will travel to Wilmington, Delaware.

Israelis And Palestinians To Resume Direct Talks
The New York Times reports: ” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to announce Friday that Israel and the Palestinians will return to direct negotiations for the first time in 20 months, delivering the Obama administration a small victory in its protracted effort to revive the Middle East peace process, two officials briefed on the situation said Thursday evening. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, have agreed to place a one-year time limit on the talks, these officials said.”

GOP Outside Cash Has Dems Scrambling
Politico reports: “Republicans and their allies have been working for months with single-minded focus on plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on ads funded by a combination of existing special interest groups and newly formed political outfits. But Democratic operatives trying to raise money for expensive ad campaigns report that the wealthy liberals (and, to some extent, labor unions) who wrote huge checks to independent groups for advertising campaigns in the past three election cycles are sitting on their wallets.

On Midterm Stump, Bill Clinton Is Defender in Chief
The New York Times reports on the increasing role that former President Bill Clinton has been playing on the campaign trail: “Few people may have more credibility paying a compliment to Mr. Obama than Mr. Clinton. Tense exchanges between the two men were an unforgettable element of the 2008 presidential race, which by all accounts Mr. Clinton took far longer to get over than Hillary Rodham Clinton did. ‘If you’re a Democrat, you need to hold your head up,’ Mr. Clinton said this week, delivering the pep talk of a coach who is disappointed with his team’s behavior. ‘I’m tired of reading about how we’re all belly-aching.’

Eyeing Sen. Scott Brown In 2012, Massachusetts Dems Building Up War Chests
The Hill reports: “Democrats in Massachusetts are building up their campaign war chests for a possible showdown with Sen. Scott Brown (R) in 2012. While it is too early to tell who will seek to challenge Brown, more than a few Democrats have more than $1 million cash on hand to give them a running start. The first Republican senator elected in the commonwealth of Massachusetts since 1972 will be a major Democratic target in the next election cycle.”

2010 elections, Anthony Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Israel, Israel/Palestine, Roundup, Scott Brown, Terrorism