Rumored DSCC Pullout Leaves One of Two Possibilities of Democrat Deception

The Denver Post reports that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is pulling out of Colorado. Now frankly, I'm not ready to buy it, seeing as how the media jumped off the cliff last week with inaccurate reports about the DSCC's counterpart withdrawing from the state.

But if it is true, maybe there's a connection with this fundraising email sent out very recently from the Mark Udall campaign:

The bad news: Bob Schaffer's report revealed he has stockpiled a huge sum of money -- nearly $3 million -- for use in the final weeks before Election Day. That's a far higher "cash-on-hand" figure than we reported, an alarming advantage we must act to remedy right now.

So we've set an urgent internet fundraising goal of $250,000 -- which we absolutely need to reach to close the money gap before Election Day. Please contribute whatever you can afford towards this final effort.

Mark Udall is telling his supporters that his opponent Bob Schaffer has an "alarming advantage." Meanwhile, we're supposed to believe the PR of "state Democratic sources" that Udall "is comfortably ahead."

So we're left with two choices. Either:

• Democratic leaders are lying to the Denver Post and its readers in an attempt to create a self-fulfilling prophecy, OR


• Mark Udall is lying to his supporters to wring money out of them that he doesn't need

With undecided voters starting to tune in for the last two weeks of the campaign, now would seem an inopportune time for Mark Udall and the Democrats to cede the airwaves. We'll have to wait and see which alternative is indeed the case.

Fundraising Keeps Race Daunting for Bob Schaffer, Raises Questions for Mark Udall

Bob Schaffer has a steep uphill climb in the last few weeks of Colorado's U.S. Senate race. There's a lot working against him. And the third quarter fundraising numbers don't make it much easier:

Democratic Senate candidate Mark Udall posted his best fundraising quarter of the campaign, raising $2.7 million through Sept. 30, about $800,000 more than his Republican rival, Bob Schaffer.

Schaffer collected $1.9 million in the quarter that ended Sept. 30, his campaign reported. That brings to $6.6 million the total the former congressman has raised.

Interestingly, though, the Denver Post also reports that Bob Schaffer has $2.7 million on hand, compared to $545,000 for Mark Udall. Schaffer needs to deploy that cash advantage strategically and aggressively to give his campaign any shot at pulling out victory on November 4.

Oh, and Politicker notes that "Udall's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for documentation of their third-quarter numbers." And the reports from both campaigns are not yet posted up on the FEC disclosure site, either.

In the meantime, a few questions for review:

• Will there be any contributions for Mark Udall from Jodie Evans or far-Left Hollywood celebrities?
• Did Udall visit retired sweatshop owner Susie Tompkins-Buell for more money on his latest swing to California?
• Did tax cheat Charlie Rangel's PAC add more to the $12,000 Udall's Senate campaign has already received?

If for no other reason, it will be good to have answers to these questions for posterity. The FEC reports will shed the needed light.

Will Mark Udall Take a Donation from Terrorist Sympathizer Jodie Evans?

We have confirmed that Jodie Evans of Code Pink fame did not endorse the slogan "We Support the Murder of American Troops" - as plausible as that may sound.

Why does it sound plausible, you say? Because she announced public support for terrorist groups in Iraq, professed sympathy for 9/11 terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden, and gave personal embrace to Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez. Most recently, she led a delegation to personally kowtow to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, leader of the repressive anti-American Iranian regime. (H/T Campaign Spot)

So what does it say if Mark Udall accepts a Jodie Evans donation at this weekend's Hollywood fundraiser? Or will Udall have the courage to say "Thanks, but no thanks"?

Another Far-Left Hollywood Fundraiser for Mark Udall Raises More Questions

Update: Edited to remove unfounded section originally quoted but later removed from Townhall article.

Townhall columnist Scott Bensing clues readers into a big Hollywood fundraiser this weekend for Mark Udall and some of his Democratic Senate candidate buddies. Of course, the usual out-of-touch, vapid Hollywood Lefties will be there to bolster the Udall campaign.

But Bensing also points out:

Most upsetting of the event attendees is Jodie Evans. Is she a movie star? No. A Hollywood power-player? No. Evans is a hero to the liberals of Hollywood because she is a representative of the dominant wing of the Democrat party – she is the co-founder of Code Pink.

If Reps. Allen, [Mark] Udall and [cousin Tom] Udall along with Kay Hagan, Jeff Merkley, Al Franken, Jeanne Shaheen and Mark Begich don’t agree with these views, why would they take such generous donations?...

Good question. Mark Udall really isn't trying to distance himself from the theme of this Freedom's Watch ad, is he.

But here are a couple other relevant questions: First, is this Hollywood fundraiser going to outshine Mark Udall's San Francisco fundraising event hosted by retired sweatshop owner Susie Tompkins-Buell?



And, maybe more importantly, will Barbra Streisand be there?

Of Charlie Rangel & Susie Tompkins-Buell: Mark Udall on Campaign Finance "Ethics"

With Friday's report from the Rocky Mountain News that Mark Udall refuses to return contributions from admitted tax cheat (and fellow Democratic Congressman) Charlie Rangel, the list continues to grow of dirty money flowing into the Udall campaign.

After all, Mark Udall is the only candidate in this U.S. Senate race to take campaign contributions from jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Do you remember Norman Hsu, indicted for federal campaign finance violations? Yes, Mark Udall gave $1,000 of his Hsu money to charity. But as blogger Chris Rodriguez pointed out last year:

On top of the $1,000 he's giving back, let's not forget the $5,000 he got from the Hsu funded "For A Change PAC", the $10,000 from the Hsu funded "Searchlight Leadership Fund" (Harry Reid's PAC), and $40,000 from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committees, also recipients of large Hsu donations.

Norman Hsu. Charlie Rangel. What about Susie Tompkins-Buell?

[Tompkins-Buell's company] Esprit de Corp. was found by the National Labor Relations Board to have illegally interrogated and intimidated $2-an-hour Chinese workers, and then to have shut down a factory to keep them from unionizing. The Department of Labor found that an Esprit contractor doctored payroll records and refused to pay overtime.

Tompkins-Buell - whose "sweatshop" problems were detailed at length in the far-Left Nation magazine on May 16, 1994 - later sold Esprit for millions of dollars, which she now uses as a prominent Democratic Party fundraiser.

According to the Federal Elections Commission, Susie Tompkins-Buell and her husband Mark Buell each gave $2,300 to Mark Udall's campaign on June 19, 2007. Both Tompkins-Buell and her husband list San Francisco as their residence. Also on June 19, the Udall campaign took in nearly $50,000 from a series of San Francisco area contributors - his largest one-day California take in all of 2007. On May 31, 2007 - 19 days before all the funds poured in - the Udall campaign reported paying Tompkins-Buell $972.50 for "event personnel."

So was the retired "sweatshop" owner Susie Tompkins-Buell not only giving thousands to the Mark Udall campaign, but also organizing a $50,000 fundraiser for him? It sure looks that way.

And the Mark Udall campaign has the audacity to say what?

"Bob Schaffer may be the most ethically challenged candidate ever to run for office in Colorado," [Udall spokeswoman Tara] Trujillo said. "When Jack Abramoff's candidate rattles off about campaign contributions, he's getting really desperate."

More ethically challenged than Mark Udall, taking and keeping money from Jack Abramoff, Norman Hsu, Charlie Rangel, and Susie Tompkins-Buell? Puh-lease.

Mark Udall's Real Constituency Not Colorado But Environmental Interests

That line in the sand keeps shifting, as Boulder liberal Mark Udall seeks funding from out-of-state donors at an environmentally-themed fundraiser:

Congressman Mark Udall of Colorado, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, will be in Austin for a fundraising lunch at Chez Zee on Monday. The cost is $100 a plate (organizers say they charge less for people who can’t afford that); donors of $250 or more can attend a pre-lunch reception.

Organizers are giving the event an environmental bent: “Like his father, the late Congressman Morris Udall (D-AZ), Mark is a leader on environmental issues,” reads an email sent out last week. “Thanks to Mark, the Rocky Flats nuclear facility is now a wildlife refuge. He is also a leader on alternative energy.”
. . .
What’s interesting to me is that Mark Udall is coming down to Austin at all. He’s in a pretty tight race, it’s two months till election day, and surely there’s a ton of money to be had in Colorado.

The Udall campaign tells me fundraising events are closed to the press. I’m waiting to hear back from a press secretary about the appeal of coming down to Texas.

Which out-of-state political candidates can you name, other than the presidential ones, that have come to Austin in the last couple of years to raise money?

Things must be getting a little tense for the sagging Udall campaign if he is traveling to Texas with less than two months to go until the election to buy votes raise cash for his campaign or for environmental concerns.

Shouldn't Udall be in DC representing his Colorado constituents instead of pandering to environmental special interests either on his or the cause's behalf, now that the long August break is over?

Grand Junction Sentinel: Mark Udall's Broken Promise Spells Trouble

Getting caught up on an important editorial I missed - this, from the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel last Friday:

So [Mark] Udall took the easy route. Sure, he said, he would vote for keeping Congress in session. That’s a safe enough answer, and one that’s not likely to cost any votes at all. Voters who don’t follow candidates closely, and there are many of those, might even see that interview and conclude Udall supports offshore drilling. That’s the best of both worlds for the congressman.

But anyone who knows Udall’s record knows he takes the Nancy Pelosi line on offshore drilling: He’ll support it when you-know-what freezes over.

This is the funny part. For the past 10 days, the Lefties have been stamping their feet, pointing to a meaningless vote Mark Udall never promised to make, and saying, "Look, see? He did keep his promise to vote against adjournment!"

Never mind he promised to vote for the adjournment resolution - which succeeded by one vote - but missed the vote because he was late getting back to Washington, DC, from a fundraiser - raising funds from whom -- we don't know yet. Never mind that the recorded voice vote on the mere formality of a resolution was contrived by Democrat leaders for the sole purpose of giving Lefties a talking point and shielding Udall from a well-deserved critique.

But the Sentinel gets beyond the issue of the broken promise itself, which simply encapsulates Mark Udall's problematic history and out-of-touch plans on energy policy. Even if Udall had somehow kept his promise, his opposition to drilling until "you-know-what freezes over" and his narrow views of energy solutions remain. The missed vote simply serves to highlight Udall's record and his lack of interest in a comprehensive energy policy.

But the Sentinel's conclusion says something at least as troubling about Mark Udall:

We’d prefer to see candidates simply answer questions honestly. In this case the honest answer would have been to say he’d try to get back for the vote, but he could make no promises.

Though he'd still have his troublesome energy record to defend, Udall would have been better off not making promises he can't keep.

On Mark Udall's Crucial Missed Vote: Just One Minute Late? Fundraising with Whom?

Blogger Civil Sense over at The Colorado Index has some keen insight into Mark Udall's disastrous missed vote in Congress on Tuesday:

Apparently, Mark Udall missed the vote by one minute as he traveled from the airport, and the House leadership would not delay it any longer for Udall to arrive at the Capitol. Congressman Udall would have voted yes on the issue and plans to issue a statement for the Congressional Record noting this....

We at this blog are tough on Democrats, but we also try to be fair. As the Denver Post story confirms the Udall staffer's telephone call to a friend, Mark Udall deserves the benefit of the doubt in this situation. Nancy Pelosi likely did throw Udall under the proverbial bus. It is unlikely that lefty bloggers would cut a Republican candidate similar slack for inadvertently breaking a promise.

However, I agree with Ben DeGrow that even though it was not Mark Udall's fault that he missed the vote, his alliance with the Delay, Don't Drill, Do-Nothing Democrat energy agenda will continue to harm the people of Colorado.

My commentary that Civil Sense is referencing can be found here.

Meanwhile, the Bob Schaffer campaign has issued a challenge to Mark Udall:

The Bob Schaffer for Senate campaign today called on Boulder Congressman Mark Udall to reveal details of fundraising events in Colorado this past Tuesday that resulted in Udall missing two days of votes in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“By his campaign’s own admission, Boulder Liberal Udall chose to attend campaign fundraising events in Colorado rather than to show up for the work in Washington that he was elected to do as a Boulder congressman,” said Schaffer campaign manager Dick Wadhams. “Colorado voters deserve to know the identity of these campaign donors who Boulder Liberal Udall considers more important than showing up and voting in Congress.”

It's a good question: From whom was Mark Udall raising funds that cost him apparently one crucial minute to follow through on an important promise to represent Colorado's domestic energy needs? We'll be waiting with bated breath for a response.

Mark Udall Campaign Drunken Sailor Spending Strategy May Be Cause for Regret

For two straight quarters, the Mark Udall campaign reports that it's spending like a drunken sailor:

Schaffer campaign manager Dick Wadhams argued, however, that Udall is burning through money at an unsustainable rate, noting he spent almost $300,000 more than he raised from April through June. The $2 million cash-on-hand advantage the Democrat held over the former Fort Collins congressman in April has been cut almost in half by Schaffer, he said.

"The only thing that matters from here to the election is how much money you have in the bank, how many more bullets you have left to shoot," Wadhams said. "Even though he had a very good fundraising quarter, when you spend $2.3 million, it negates everything."

Back in April, we speculated about where the money was going:

Patent leather office chairs or golden bathroom fixtures at campaign headquarters? Solar-powered Blackberries? Or maybe it's being wasted on high-paid online staffers? Udall's friend Governor Bill Ritter probably wishes some of that money could be shared to cover his outstanding campaign debts.

This time some of the money was spent on buying television ads - which along with 527 smear ads, has helped to forge a small advantage for Mark Udall. But this rapid depletion of funds - combined with Bob Schaffer's more cost-effective strategy - may later be a source of regret for the Boulder liberal.

After all, there are more painful debate experiences to come.

Robert Redford Woos the Ladies for Mark Udall ... What About Barbra Streisand?

From Penny Parker, Rocky Mountain News columnist-about-town, another example of how Boulder liberal Mark Udall is cashing in off his ties with Hollywood celebrities:

If you're a woman "of a certain age" and you get an e-mail from Hollywood hunk Robert Redford, pay attention. That was PR princess Wendy Aiello's reaction last week when she received the cyberspace message from the actor asking her to donate to Congressman Mark Udall's senatorial campaign.

"I'll tell you, it was fun to open e-mails and see one from Robert Redford," Aiello told me when she forwarded the pitch from the Sundance Kid. "I hope I have a Redford sighting at the Democratic National Convention. I'll be looking for him."

The e-mail missive was sent to roughly 50,000 registered voters, according to Udall spokeswoman Tara Trujillo.

Somehow I'm doubtful that Mark Udall would get such a response from male supporters if they received an email advertising this Hollywood fundraiser - with or without the picture attached.

Hollywood Liberal Women Rally to Fund Boulder Liberal Mark Udall's Campaign

From the Politico:

One hundred of Hollywood’s most politically savvy women, ranging in age from early 20s to 75 years old, have been quietly gathering over the past few months, planning the event. It should benefit at least seven challengers to GOP incumbents this November — all of them in Senate seats that might make a serious difference in swinging crucial votes over the next two years, no matter who sits in the White House.

There’s no real organization in place yet, not even a rudimentary website. Going by the formal-sounding name Voices for a Senate Majority, the group has already signed agreements with a half-dozen Democratic challengers — Maine’s Tom Allen, Alaska’s Mark Begich, Minnesota’s Al Franken, New Hampshire’s Jeanne Shaheen and cousins Tom and Mark Udall from, respectively, New Mexico and Colorado — and is pledging a minimum of $100,000 to each of their campaigns.

Hollywood liberals sending cash to the Boulder liberal ... It won't exactly be the first time. There was the sweet $1,000 contribution from Barbra Streisand to Mark Udall's Senate campaign. Well, after all, Senate candidates who get donations from Hollywood liberals can be some of "the luckiest people in the world."

As September's liberal Hollywood fundraiser for Mark Udall approaches, we're also reminded of his special Left-wing Daily Kos fundraiser.

Mark Udall is becoming known by the company he keeps.

Photoshop by El Presidente.

A Tale of Two Fundraisers: Dana Perino for Bob Schaffer vs. Daily Kos for Mark Udall

One of the major necessities of political campaigns is fundraising - this is especially true for a high-profile office like U.S. Senate. Tonight Colorado residents are holding a fundraiser for Republican candidate Bob Schaffer. The guest of honor is local Colorado woman Dana Perino, who happens to work as the President's press secretary. This was enough to set off the alarm bells from the Mark Udall camp:

"Bob Schaffer's agenda is all about continuing the policies of the Bush administration that have failed our families, our national security, and our economy," said Udall's campaign spokeswoman, Taylor West.

"It's no wonder that President Bush, Dick Cheney, and now even their employees are doing everything they can to prop up his candidacy."

Schaffer's campaign manager, Dick Wadhams, said the Udall campaign "should be ashamed of themselves for attacking a Colorado woman who has distinguished herself as a spokeswoman for the president of the United States.

"I think she does an excellent job," Wadhams said.

There's a little political back-and-forth jousting not uncommon for this campaign, though as demonstrated here before, you do have to be very skeptical of what Taylor West says. Especially when West tries to take attention away from her own candidate's Washington insider, liberal ties.

But the more important distinction missed in the story is that Bob Schaffer raises more money from Coloradans (including myself: a small contributor), while Mark Udall is collecting more money from out-of-state liberal interest groups. Perhaps that's why Udall's fundraising events with Far Left groups like the Daily Kos don't make the local news. But they do tell a lot about the candidate.

Mark Udall Campaign Bleeding Cash

Boulder liberal Rep. Mark Udall raised $1.45 million in the last quarter. We all know that. But it's kind of surprising that the Dead Governors fell asleep at the wheel on the real story: Udall spent $831,000 from October through December.

If the Mark Udall camp is performing a media buy, we haven't seen it. So where is all that money going? Patent leather office chairs or golden bathroom fixtures at campaign headquarters? Solar-powered Blackberries? Or maybe it's being wasted on high-paid online staffers? Udall's friend Governor Bill Ritter probably wishes some of that money could be shared to cover his outstanding campaign debts.

Meanwhile, Republican Bob Schaffer raised $1.02 million but spent only $366,000 during the same period. As a result, he actually gained against Udall in cash on hand. In a press release sent out from the Schaffer campaign, Dick Wadhams said, "We are well on our way to bringing in the resources necessary to beat Boulder Liberal Mark Udall and his out-of-state liberal elitist donors this fall."

Fundraising is only part of the equation - how wisely and efficiently money is spent in support of an effective campaign plan also matters greatly.

And Mark Udall spends his campaign money almost as extravagantly as he spends taxpayer money on favors to campaign contributors.

Bob Schaffer Raises More Money from Coloradans, Mark Udall from Out-of-State

Judging by money donated to their respective campaigns from within Colorado, it would appear Republican Bob Schaffer is the favored candidate at this point. Of Boulder liberal Mark Udall's nearly $2.2 million raised, only $918,822 (or about 42 percent) has come from within Colorado. Of Bob Schaffer's more than $1.9 million raised, $1,332,049 (or about 69 percent) has come from within Colorado.

Seems like out-of-state special interests are more keen on electing Mark Udall than Coloradans are. Something to think about.

Mark Udall, Addicted to Lying

It is hard to believe that the Mark Udall campaign is so disjointed that it doesn't know how often they have been outed as liars on this blog. It is happening again, today.

Let's do some quick and simple math. For the last several reporting cycles, Mark Udall has been reporting raising money at the rate of about $13,000 per day.

That is quite impressive, and the Udall campaign has been touting those figures hard, though not on a per day basis.

Two days ago, we put up a graphic that the Mark Udall campaign has been using to fund raise. It claimed that Mark Udall had raised via the grass roots $27,443.

Yesterday, we checked the graphic again. It was up to $28,888. Today it is up to a whopping $28,958.

Does this mean that Mark Udall will be reporting in 15 days, or so, that his campaign donations have fallen dramatically? We don't think so. It means that Mark Udall thinks the public so dumb that it can't catch him in a lie as simple and obvious as this one.

Annoy Mark Udall today, think.

Too Cheap to Invest In Himself

Politicker is reporting that Mark Udall can't seem to find the confidence to invest even a dollar in his own campaign:

One of those candidates is Democrat Mark Udall who is running for US Senate and has raised over $3.7 million in contributions with none of that money coming from himself as of the last filing. His opponent, Republican Bob Schaffer, has donated $4600 to his own campaign, according to the website OpenSecrets.org.

Today's Chuckle

We're not going to link to this, but Mark Udall put out a fund raising email that had among it's many curious statements this most curious statement:

Act for change. Contribute today and give me the advantage I'll need to defeat Bob Schaffer -- and keep this seat out of extremist hands!

That's strong stuff. It seems to us that the msm was calling Mark Udall an extremist, but we don't recall any such label attached to Bob Schaffer. So many people, msm and bloggers alike have called Mark Udall a progressive or reliably left wing that it is hard to keep up, but we try.

Apparently Mark Udall's campaign strategy is to freely admit that he is a flaming (as in forest fire) Boulder liberal but to call Bob Schaffer an extremist.

We're laughing at Mark Udall.

Money Race Even, Rules aren't.

The Boulder Daily Camera is reporting that, discounting the almost $1.2 million that Mark Udall transferred into his senate race from his congressional race coffers, both men have about the same amount of money on hand.

Mark Udall took advantage of a designed campaign finance law quirk that allows a sitting congressman to raise funds for a senate race before his official announcement while his opponent cannot. Thus, Udall had an almost 15 month head start in fund raising. Not coincidentially, Udall voted himself this advantage.

We have to chuckle at another Mark Udall lie:

"This is just another indication of the deep support Mark [ Udall ] has earned among Colorado's working families all across the state -- and we didn't have to sneak behind closed doors to embrace a president who is totally out of step with Colorado voters to do it," [ Mike ] Melanson said.

Mark Udall went to Daily Kos in California to raise funds. While Kos is in step with the folks in Boulder, there is no possibility that either Mark Udall or Mike Melanson will claim that he is in step with Colorado values.

The reason Mark Udall is being so obstinate about refusing to clean up the pine bark beetle mess is that he is getting so much money from the Sierra Club and its allies. Time will tell if the voters will decide they like their forests brown, dead, and burned as Mark Udall's major funders do. Who is raising funds from people who are out of step with Colorado? We think it is Mark Udall.

Fund Raiser

The Boulder Daily Camera reminds us:

On the Republican side, President Bush is scheduled to attend a $5,000-a-couple fundraising event Thursday at a private Cherry Hills Village home on behalf of Bob Schaffer, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs, for the U.S. Senate.

Bush Fundraiser for Schaffer

The Denver Post is reporting that President Bush will be in Colorado for a $1500 a person fund raiser for Bob Schaffer on Jan 31.

Our friends at Rocky Mountain Politics published an identical report six days ago.