2010 elections

Top Five Political Catch Phrases Of 2010

Brian Beutler | December 29, 2010, 12:45PM

Sarah Palin

A big part of politics is coming up with catchy slogans and phrases so that voters draw conclusions that help your party. They run the gamut from Barack Obama's "Yes we can!" to Sarah Palin's "death panels."

The flipside of that is that you have to avoid saddling yourself with unflattering slogans and catch phrases. A bad gaffe will stick to a politician like flypaper -- sometimes for years. These buzzwords and catchphrases bubble up into the political discourse all the time. Most of them dissipate harmlessly, but a few attach themselves to their subjects like stink on, well, chickencrap.

Here's our list of the top five political catch phrases of 2010 -- the good, the bad, and the ugly.

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Sharron Angle

Harry Reid Camp Tells Sharron Angle To 'Man Up'

Brian Beutler | October 21, 2010, 5:35PM

NV-SEN candidates Sharron Angle (R) and Harry Reid (D)

Examples of female politicians questioning their male rivals' manhood are about a dime a dozen at this point. Christine O'Donnell told her primary opponent Mike Castle to get his "man-pants" on. Sharron Angle told Harry Reid to "man up" and gut Social Security. Democrat Robin Carnahan told her Missouri Senate rival Roy Blunt to repeal his own health care..."and man up." Sarah Palin said Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has "the cojones" that to tackle immigration reform that Barack Obama could use -- just one of many times she emasculated some of her enemies: "impotent, limp, and gutless reporters" and Republicans who won't "man up" and support the Tea Party.

Now one of the men on the receiving end of this phallic fusillade is turning the tables.

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CO-SEN

Tea Party Favorite Ken Buck Wins CO-SEN GOP Primary

Eric Lach | August 10, 2010, 11:40PM

Ken Buck

In the end, voters overlooked the gaffes. Ken Buck has beaten Republican Party establishment favorite Jane Norton in the Colorado Senate primary, having survived a number of caught-on-tape gaffes that plagued his campaign's closing days.

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CO-SEN

PPP Poll: Dem Bennet In Better Shape For CO-SEN General Election Than Romanoff

Thomas Rhiel | August 10, 2010, 1:46PM

Michael Bennet

If Sen. Michael Bennet comes out on top in today's Democratic Senate primary in Colorado, he'll be ahead against either of his potential Republican challengers, a new PPP (D) survey shows. Democrat Andrew Romanoff, on the other hand, will be in a slightly tougher spot if he wins.

In its general election match-ups, the new PPP survey shows Bennet, the appointed incumbent, ahead of Republican Jane Norton 46%-40% and edging Republican Ken Buck 46%-43%. Andrew Romanoff, the Democratic challenger who sold his house to help fund his campaign, is down a point to Norton and up a point against Buck. The poll's margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points.

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CO-SEN

PPP Poll: Bennet, McInnis And Norton Lead Heading Into CO Primaries

Eric Lach | August 9, 2010, 2:59PM

Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO)

A new PPP poll of tomorrow's Colorado Senate and gubernatorial primaries shows tight races all around, but maybe a little breathing room for incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet, who's facing a tough, late-charging challenge from former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff.

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CO-SEN

Outside Groups Put Up Late Ads In CO-SEN Race

Thomas Rhiel | August 9, 2010, 1:27PM

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Sen. candidate Jane Norton (R-CO)

Outside groups are making their presences felt in the closing days of the Colorado primaries as two new ad campaigns -- one attacking Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet, the other praising Republican Jane Norton -- hit the airwaves.

One series of ads, sponsored by a 527 group called "New Leadership For Colorado," slams Bennet for voting to "bail out Wall Street" and for voting against benefits for seniors. The ads (which you can hear on the 527's website) are made to sound like news reports -- and that's not the only reason they're misleading:

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CO-SEN

McCain Stumps For Norton In Colorado: She'll Be 'One Of Our Leaders'

Eric Lach | August 9, 2010, 11:01AM

CO Gov. candidate Jane Norton (R) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) spent Sunday in Colorado in support of Jane Norton, the party favorite in the Senate primary who's facing a tough challenge from Tea Party-friendly Ken Buck.

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CO-SEN

SurveyUSA Poll: Colorado's Senate General Election A Real Toss-Up

Thomas Rhiel | August 2, 2010, 11:37AM

Michael Bennet

SurveyUSA is out with new polling from the Colorado Senate race, and it looks like it'll be a close one no matter how the Democratic and Republican primaries turn out.

The survey shows Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet in tight races with both possible Republican candidates. He leads Jane Norton 46%-43%, and he's neck-and-neck with Ken Buck, 43%-43%. Meanwhile, Andrew Romanoff, who's polling just about even with Bennet in the Democratic primary, is also in two close contests. Norton leads Romanoff 45%-40%, and Romanoff is in a 44%-44% dead heat with Buck.

The TPM Poll Averages give the edge to the two Republicans. The Poll Average puts Norton up over Bennet 45.6%-42.5%, and it shows her up against Romanoff 44.4%-40.8%. The TPM Poll Average shows Ken Buck leading Bennet 46.1%-42.3%, and Buck ahead of Romanoff 47.0%-42.2%.

The margin of error of the latest SurveyUSA poll is ±3.1 percentage points. The primary is August 10.

CO-SEN

SurveyUSA Poll: Ken Buck Leads Jane Norton By 9 GOP's CO-SEN Primary

Thomas Rhiel | August 2, 2010, 10:48AM

Colorado GOP Senate candidates Ken Buck and Jane Norton

A new SurveyUSA poll of Colorado's GOP Senate primary puts tea party favorite Ken Buck ahead of Jane Norton, 50%-41%. SurveyUSA's previous poll of the race, from June 17, gave Buck a cushier 53%-37% advantage.

The GOP Senate primary in Colorado has been particularly gaffe-filled this year. Buck has called tea party birthers "dumbasses," and Norton has called for "a NASA budget that doesn't cater to making Muslims feel good," among other things.

The TPM Poll Average shows Buck with 44.5% and Norton with 37.3%. The margin of error of SurveyUSA's latest poll is ±4.1 percentage points. The primary is August 10.

CO-SEN

Rasmussen Poll: CO-SEN GOPers Holding Pretty Steady -- Even After Gaffes

Eric Lach | July 27, 2010, 3:36PM

Colorado GOP Senate candidates Ken Buck and Jane Norton

The latest Rasmussen poll of the Colorado Senate race shows Republicans Ken Buck and Jane Norton leading either of their likely potential Democratic opponents in the general -- despite recent gaffes that have attracted unwelcome headlines for both GOPers.

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CO-SEN

Colorado Republican Ken Buck Caught On Tape (Again!) -- This Time Calling Birthers 'Dumbasses'

Eric Lach | July 26, 2010, 10:02AM

CO Senate candidate Ken Buck (R)

By the time his campaign's over, they're going to need the jaws of life to extract Ken Buck's foot from his mouth.

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CO-SEN

Rocky Mountain Lows: Colorado Republicans Stumbling Toward Primary Finish Line

Eric Lach | July 26, 2010, 8:32AM

Clockwise from top right, all from Colorado: Former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R), GOP primary candidates for Governor Scott McInnis and Dan Maes, GOP Senate primary candidates Jane Norton and Ken Buck.

With just days to go before the August 10 Senate and gubernatorial primaries, Colorado Republicans are tripping, sparring and in some cases, falling apart. Each of the four major Republican candidates in the Senate and gubernatorial races seems to have done at least some self-inflicted damage recently. It's created an odd dynamic in which many of these Republican candidates haven't been able to truly capitalize on their opponent's troubles -- simply because they've been too busy dealing with their own.

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CO-SEN

Norton Ad Skewers Buck For 'I Do Not Wear High Heels' Comment (VIDEO)

Eric Lach | July 23, 2010, 11:28AM

Colorado Senate candidate Jane Norton (R)

You wouldn't expect this to take long -- and it didn't. Colorado Republican Jane Norton has a new ad seizing on her Senate primary opponent Ken Buck's comment that people should vote for him "because he does not wear high heels."

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CO-SEN

CO GOPer Jane Norton: NASA Budget Shouldn't 'Cater To Making Muslims Feel Good'

Eric Lach | July 21, 2010, 4:37PM

Colorado Senate candidate Jane Norton (R)

Remember the right-wing freakout over NASA administrator Charles Bolden's comments that the agency was reaching out to Muslim nations? At least one Republican Senate candidate seems to have bought the hype.

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Jane Norton

Colorado Republicans Fight Over How Dangerous Obama Really Is

Brian Beutler | July 14, 2010, 11:37AM

Colorado GOP Senate candidates Ken Buck and Jane Norton

Is Barack Obama the greatest threat to America right now? Is he an archetype of the true greatest risk to our country: liberalism? Or is he just in, like, the Top Five?

That's the debate Republicans in Colorado are having today. As the GOP Senate primary approaches, the top two Republican candidates -- Jane Norton and Tea Party favorite Ken Buck -- are leapfrogging each other in an asymptotic rush to reach Tom Tancredo levels of crazy.

It all started Thursday, when, appearing at a conservative rally, Tancredo told a crowd that Obama is "the greatest threat" to the United States. What followed was a case study in how extreme the pressure is on GOP candidates to move ever rightward.

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CO-SEN

Norton Hits Obama For Not Going To War Against Islam (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | June 18, 2010, 5:38PM

Colorado senate candidate Jane Norton (R)

Colorado Senate hopeful Jane Norton (R) has given her campaign website a facelift. And as part of that facelift she's hitting Barack Obama for...not going to war against Islam.

The site, screencapped below features a still frame from a new ad, attacking Obama and Washington liberals for abandoning the War on Terrorism.

The ad includes a May 26, 2010 Reuters headline saying "Obama doctrine to make clear no war on Islam." This is supposed to be a bad thing.

Watch:

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CO-SEN

Romanoff Beats Bennet At Colorado Dem Convention -- But The Primary Has Just Begun

Eric Kleefeld | May 24, 2010, 10:54AM

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D-CO)

It was a busy political weekend in Colorado, with both the state Democratic and Republican parties holding their conventions -- and snubbing incumbents and frontrunner candidates on both sides, most notably Dem Sen. Michael Bennet. However, this is not the last word in the campaign on either side.

Bennet's primary challenger, former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, handily won the convention by a margin of 60%-40% -- though Bennet was still over the 30% threshold needed to guarantee a place on the primary ballot, without having to petition his way onto it. For Romanoff, the upshot of his win here is that he will be listed in the first position on the primary ballot, with the incumbent Bennet in the second place on the ballot. This outcome had been expected since the party caucuses in March, in which Romanoff's supporters won more delegate seats.

This largely comes from two factors. First, Romanoff took advantage of a general anti-incumbent frustration with Washington. But second and perhaps more importantly, Bennet is an appointed Senator who never ran for anything before -- and therefore lacked the political base of Romanoff, who was far more organized for this early stage of the campaign. However, Bennet still has an edge in the primary for now, with the TPM Poll Average putting him ahead of Romanoff by 43.0%-32.5%.

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CO-SEN

Poll: Dem Sen. Bennet Leads GOP Rivals In Colorado Senate Race

Eric Kleefeld | May 19, 2010, 1:24PM

Michael Bennet

The new survey of Colorado by Public Policy Polling (D) suggests that Dems are picking up steam in this state's key Senate race, with both incumbent Dem Sen. Michael Bennet taking a lead over Republican establishment favorite Jane Norton, and both Bennet and his primary challenger Andrew Romanoff leading all of the Republican contenders.

Bennet leads former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton by 44%-41%, and leads Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck and state Sen. Tom Wiens by six and eight points respectively. Romanoff edges Norton by 43%-41%, is ahead of Buck by three points, and leads Wiens by four points. The poll of registered voters has a ±3% margin of error. The full results are available here.

The TPM Poll Average has Norton edging Bennet by 44.1%-43.0%, with recent momentum in Bennet's favor, and Norton narrowly leading Romanoff by 44.2%-41.2%.

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CO-SEN

Poll: Dem Sen. Bennet Picks Up Steam In Colorado Primary

Eric Kleefeld | May 18, 2010, 1:41PM

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D-CO)

The new survey of Colorado from Public Policy Polling (D) shows Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet increasing his support against his primary challenger, former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff. Meanwhile, the race for the GOP nomination is turning into a dogfight.

The numbers for the Dems: Bennet 46%, Romanoff 31%. The survey of likely Dem primary voters has a ±4.7% margin of error. Back in March, Bennet had a much smaller lead of 40%-34%. The primary will be held on August 10.

Bennet was first appointed to the Senate in January 2009, to take the seat formerly held by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. He was previously the superintendent of the Denver public schools, but had never held a prior elected public office. Romanoff got into the race later in the year.

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CO-SEN

Poll: Dem Sen. Michael Bennet In Toss-Up Race

Eric Kleefeld | March 12, 2010, 10:22AM

Michael Bennet

The new survey of Colorado from Public Policy Polling (D) shows Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet in a close race. This is itself an improvement from most other polls, which have shown him running behind his Republican opponents.

When tested against three Republican candidates, Bennet is tied 43%-43% against former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton, leads Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck by 46%-40%, and leads state Sen. Tom Wiens by 45%-37%. The TPM Poll Average has Norton ahead of Bennet by 46%.1-41.0%.

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CO-SEN

CO-SEN GOP Candidate Jane Norton: Social Security 'Has Turned Into A Ponzi Scheme' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | March 11, 2010, 10:45AM

Colorado senate candidate Jane Norton (R)

Former Colorado Lt. Gov. Jane Norton, a candidate for the Republican nomination for Senate, called Social Security a "Ponzi scheme" at a recent public event.

Appearing at a Tea Party-hosted Republican candidate forum on Tuesday, Norton was asked to name federal programs that she thought were unconstitutional, under the scope of the federal government's enumerated powers, and also whether it was constitutionally permissible for the government to run the Social Security program as it exists now, with the government controlling the money.

"The federal government is fundamentally out of control," Norton answered. "They are seizing control of things like car companies, banks, insurance companies. They're encroaching in areas of education, of the EPA and its endangerment finding, circumventing the rule of law, circumventing legislative processes. They are absolutely out of control. With regard to Social Security, it has turned into a Ponzi scheme. The money that people pay into it should be there for when they are ready to retire."

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CO-SEN

Norton Comes Out Swinging, Still Lags Bennet

Evan McMorris-Santoro | October 15, 2009, 6:35PM

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO)

Former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton (R) raised just over half a million dollars in her first two weeks or so as a Senate candidate in Colorado. Republicans in the state consider her to be a strong contender in the race, and since she entered the race on 9/15, they've ponied up to support her bid. According to her FEC filing, she's kept most of what's she's raised and entered the fall with a little more than $491,000 on hand.

Those totals lag behind the man she hopes to unseat, however. Sen. Michael Bennet (D) raised just north of $1 million in the same period, and has reported a war chest of more than $2.85 million.

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