Great new Sean Duffy ad: 'Get America Rolling Again! '

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Sean Duffy, the Congressional candidate endorsed by Gov. Palin in Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District, has a great new campaign ad:



h/t: Ed Morrissey

- JP

Sean Duffy wins big in Wisconsin's 7th district

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Sean Duffy has won the GOP Primary in Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District by a wide margin and will face Democrat state Sen. Julie Lassa in the general election:

The winner will succeed Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.).

Lassa easily defeated Don Raihala of Superior for a shot at the seat held for more than four decades by Obey.

Duffy, a former Ashland County district attorney, beat Daniel Mielke for the Republican nomination while Lassa, a state senator, outdistanced Don Raihala, a Democrat from Superior.

With roughly half of the precincts reporting, Duffy, who was endorsed by Sarah Palin, captured 68 percent of the vote to Mielke's 32 percent.

- JP

They're dropping like flies

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With the announcement of his retirement Wednesday, liberal Wisconsin Democrat David Obey became the 18th Congressional Democrat to hang 'em up this year and avoid the possibility of a humiliating defeat in the midterm elections. LA Times senior political blogger Andrew Malcolm made some observations on Obey's Ordeal at Top of the Ticket:

Walking away from what would have been the campaign fight of his long career, Obey said he had never walked away from a campaign fight in his long career.

But as Andrew Taylor of the Associated Press points out, Obey's repeated election successes, including three state Assembly terms, have also made him "a symbol of entrenched incumbency that's falling out of favor with discontented voters" this year.

Obey, who was once expelled from Catholic school for punching a nun, would have had to defend his liberal spending record and his vote for President Obama's controversial, expensive healthcare bill in a time of stubbornly high unemployment, exploding deficits and likely tax hikes. He was once quoted as referring to the new president as the "crown prince."

The most likely opponent for the powerful Appropriations Committee chairman -- but now someone else -- is a 38-year-old, aggressive Republican county prosecutor named Sean Duffy. He's already received the backing of numerous Washington party activists, Tea Party supporters and Sarah Palin in the state's Sept. 14 primary.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Obey's retirement next January "a big loss for us." For her too; Obey and the late John Murtha were two of her most powerful lieutenants.

Obey's departure prompted political forecasters to move Wisconsin's Seventh District into the toss-up category from the Democratic gimme it's been for two generations. And it also raised spirits among Republicans as a signal that such a powerful Democratic chairman might be detecting some November political handwriting that he was about to lose his chair. And, thus, opt to go out on top.

Obey has stood for reelection more than 20 times over the years, and he's only had to break a sweat a couple of those times. But recent polling indicated his vulnerability in an election year when the voters appear to be more disgusted than ever with the arrogant D.C. Democrats in control of the nation who refuse to bend to the will of the people.

- JP

Duffy Campaign Welcomes Palin Endorsement (Updated)

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Just hours after receiving Sarah Palin's endorsement, Sean Duffy's campaign manager Wednesday expressed the campaign staff's reaction to receiving the first formal endorsement of a House challenger in 2010 by the former GOP vice presidential candidate:

"We are absolutely thrilled to have Gov. Palin's endorsement," campaign manager Chris DeRose told Politco. "Coming on the anniversary of Chairman Obey's $787 billion failed stimulus bill is even sweeter."

Duffy, currently the Ashland County District Attorney, is challenging to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Obey (D-WI) for his Congressional Seat. Gov. Palin asked asked her supporters to donate to Duffy's campaign on the first anniversary of the stimulus bill. Obey was one of the measure's principle authors.

The Duffy campaign is having a "money bomb" Wednesday, hoping to raise $25,000 for the day. Sarah Palin supporters appear to have responded to her call to help Duffy. With less than three hours to go as of this posting, the operation had raised $23,495, about 94 percent of the goal.

Update 1: $24,170 (96.7 percent) with 2 hours to go.

Update 2: $24,505 (98.0 percent) with 1 hour and change to go.

Update 3: $24,585 (99.1 percent) with a half hour remaining.

Update 4: $25,895 (104.5 percent) final ally. Gov. Palin tweeted -

RT @SarahPalinUSA Congrats to @Duffy4Congress for exceeding his money bomb goal! #rollwithsean http://bit.ly/9FLr9V (thx 4 all your help!)

- JP

Sarah Palin blasts stimulus, endorses Sean Duffy

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Sarah Palin blasted the stimulus bill on its first anniversay Wednesday morning in a strongly worded post on her Facebook Notes page. The former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate, in her Facebook op-ed, also essentially endorsed Congressional candidate Sean Duffy of Wisconsin:

Stimulus Bill Anniversary Proves Not-So-Stimulating

One year ago today, President Obama signed a nearly trillion dollar stimulus package and handed our children the bill. What did we get for that massive price tag? Many promises, but the promises have proven false. On this stimulus anniversary, Washington needs to hear our message that Americans expect, and deserve, better.

Americans were promised the stimulus would keep unemployment under 8%. It’s now well over that. We were promised it would be targeted and pork-free. It’s been loaded with pork, corporate giveaways, union bosses’ goodies, and other manners of waste. We were promised there would be no fraud, but our government now tells us it can’t even verify the eligibility of people applying for the $325 billion worth of stimulus tax provisions. We were promised there would be strict oversight, but billions of dollars apparently were allotted to congressional districts that don’t even exist. We were promised it would provide “green jobs” for Americans, but 80% of the $2 billion they spent on alternative energy went to purchase wind turbines built in China! We were promised it would help state governments weather the recession, but states receiving the stimulus bait will be in worse fiscal shape now because local governments will be on the hook for new unfunded mandates and continuation of government programs they couldn’t afford in the first place – as many of us governors warned state legislatures.

One year later, we see plainly that the stimulus was not a well-thought out plan. It hasn’t revived our economy; instead the debt-ridden package will prove to be a drag on our economy. It hasn’t put us on the path to a better future; instead it’s unfairly mortgaged our children’s future and stolen opportunities from them. It hasn’t strengthened us; instead it endangers our freedom and security by making us even more beholden to foreign lenders. The legacy of the stimulus isn’t jobs or economic growth – it’s more dangerous debt.

But there is hope! And this hope lies in draining the swamp in D.C. and sending Commonsense Conservatives to Washington who understand the need for fiscal restraint. Those who are willing to rein in spending, respect Constitutional limits, and repeal the stimulus should get our support, and those who have been part of the problem should be replaced.

In this election year, we’ll see many daring Davids take on entrenched Goliaths. Just one of these many brave souls is a northern Wisconsin patriot named Sean Duffy. He’s running in Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district against a liberal Goliath who’s been in Congress over 40 years now and has the dubious distinction of being the author of the stimulus bill. To commemorate the anniversary of the signing of the stimulus, Sean Duffy is holding a fundraising “money bomb” for his campaign so he can replace the career politician who drafted this government-bloating behemoth.

If you’re frustrated about the waste in the stimulus bill, please support a solid fiscal conservative who will work to repeal it. Please visit Sean Duffy’s website and help him help us correct the mistakes of this past year.

On this first anniversary of the stimulus, let’s send a message to the big-spenders in Washington by helping Sean Duffy unseat the author of the stimulus. Let’s put government back on our side and get to work revitalizing America!

- Sarah Palin

- JP