Democrats lose their final Senate race in Louisiana last night. And you know who gets the credit right?

Courtesy of the AP: 

Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy has denied Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana a fourth term, calling his Senate victory "the exclamation point" on midterm elections that put Republicans in charge on Capitol Hill for President Barack Obama's last two years in office. 

With nearly all votes counted, unofficial returns showed Cassidy with a commanding victory in Saturday's runoff as he ousted the last of the Senate's Deep South Democrats. In the South, Democrats will be left without a single U.S. senator or governor across nine states stretching from the Carolinas to Texas.

Of course this is just the latest win in a string of victories for the Republicans who essentially ran the board this election cycle.

The Republicans were able to convince the barely attentive voters that President Obama was an abject failure and slime any Democrat who had dared work with him to pass legislation. Resulting of course in the loss of several Senate and Congressional seats.

Landrieu was doomed from the very start.

However that is the factual explanation for what happened.

In Sarah Palin's world she done did it.

Yeah of course she was trying like crazy to get Bill Cassidy's conservative opponent Rob Maness elected up until the official November, at times even seeming to be blissfully unaware that he had no shot, but she showed up in that airport hangar for Cassidy (She even got all dressed up.), and  that is all she wants people to remember.

When the chips were down and her candidate was crushed like a ball of soggy wet tissue paper, she suddenly decided that Bill Cassidy was her guy all along and she went to work for him. Which in her case meant a Facebook post or two, and showing up in an airport hangar in her "trolling for men in bars" outfit.

I mean if she had not shown up to support Cassidy who knows whether he could have pulled off this victory or not? (Spoiler alert:  He would have.)

Senate vote on Keystone XL oil pipeline fails to pass.

I just watched this thing crash and burn on MSNBC.

It would not have made any difference anyway, as it is almost a certainty that the President would have vetoed it once it came to his desk.

You don't get the Chinese to buy into reducing fossil fuel emissions and then immediately sign off on a big oil pipeline project designed to transport some of the nastiest dirtiest oil on the planet across the country.

Here is more from the New York Times: 

The battle over approving the pipeline, which will carry petroleum from the oil sands of Canada to the Gulf Coast of Texas, ultimately became a proxy war for the Louisiana Senate seat, where Ms. Landrieu and Republican Representative Bill Cassidy are locked in fight for votes in their oil-rich state ahead of the Dec. 6 runoff election. 

Ms. Landrieu — who, if re-elected, will lose her coveted position as chairwoman of the energy committee when Republicans take the Senate majority next year — spent the past few days working furiously to round up Democratic support for her bill, which she had hoped would be her last, best chance of holding on to her Senate seat. 

On Tuesday morning, she was at least one vote short of the filibuster-proof 60 votes she needed. And despite cajoling, persuading, browbeating, and making an impassioned plea to her colleagues during a closed-door lunch — which one attendee described as “civilized but pretty contentious” — Ms. Landrieu, who has so often bulldozed her way to success through sheer force of will, came up just short.

I feel badly for Senator Landrieu, I really do. However I really do not think the passage of this bill would have made one bit of difference in her runoff with Cassidy.

And to be honest I would rather lose another Senate seat than see this project go forward.

Well great now we are on the cusp of starting another war with the Native American people. Over a stupid pipeline yet.

Courtesy of Lakota Voice:  

In response to today’s vote in the U.S. House of Representatives to authorize the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, the Rosebud Sioux Tribal President announced that the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (Sicangu Lakota Oyate) recognizes the authorization of this pipeline as an act of war. 

The Tribe has done its part to remain peaceful in its dealings with the United States in this matter, in spite of the fact that the Rosebud Sioux Tribe has yet to be properly consulted on the project, which would cross through Tribal land, and the concerns brought to the Department of Interior and to the Department of State have yet to be addressed. 

“The House has now signed our death warrants and the death warrants of our children and grandchildren. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe will not allow this pipeline through our lands,” said President Scott of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. “We are outraged at the lack of intergovernmental cooperation. We are a sovereign nation and we are not being treated as such. We will close our reservation borders to Keystone XL. Authorizing Keystone XL is an act of war against our people.” 

In February of this year, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and other members of the Great Sioux Nation adopted Tribal resolutions opposing the Keystone XL project. 

“The Lakota people have always been stewards of this land,” added President Scott. “We feel it is imperative that we provide safe and responsible alternative energy resources not only to Tribal members but to non-Tribal members as well. We need to stop focusing and investing in risky fossil fuel projects like TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline. We need to start remembering that the earth is our mother and stop polluting her and start taking steps to preserve the land, water, and our grandchildren’s future.” 

The Rosebud Sioux Tribe, along with several other South Dakota Tribes, stand together in opposition to risky and dangerous fossil fuel projects like TransCanada’s Keystone XL. The proposed route of TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline crosses directly through Great Sioux Nation (Oceti Sakowin) Treaty lands as defined by both the 1851 and 1868 Fort Laramie Treaties and within the current exterior boundaries of the Rosebud Sioux Reservation and Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation.

Well that could not be any more disturbing to read.

And the Lakota tribe is completely in the right on this issue.  Something that usually I would expect the Democrats to recognize.

Look I understand why Mary Landrieu sponsored the bill to authorize the Keystone XL pipeline, and I understand why some Democrats feel they must support it.

But ultimately it will not help Landrieu hang onto her Senate seat, and it WILL anger not only the native American people but also the environmentalist who have usually been a reliable demographic for Democrats.

Personally I would rather lose a Senate seat, than to lose the support of voters that we are desperately going to need in the next two years.

Sarah Palin will be in a Louisiana airport hangar today and she wants EVERYBODY to know it!

Now you may have heard that there was this Unity Rally earlier this week that supported Bill Cassidy in his run off against Mary Landrieu.

Now that Rally featured a couple of political heavyweights like Senator David Vitter, Governor Bobby Jindal, and possible presidential candidate Senator Ran Paul.

However that rally got very little press coverage, and do you know why?

Because it did not have a Sarah Palin in attendance, that's why!

However as we speak she is glad handing with Louisiana voters, pressing the flesh with her cold unyielding flesh, and regurgitating word salad talking points faster than a Presto Salad Shooter.

And we know this because EVERY media outlet is telling us that it is happening.

Politico:

The 2008 vice presidential nominee plans to appear alongside Cassidy, “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson and defeated conservative Senate candidate Rob Maness at a GOP unity rally on Saturday afternoon in Monroe, according to a source familiar with the event. The Palin visit follows a Monday event with Maness, Cassidy and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in Baton Rouge. 

Palin supported Maness in the primary and predicted that the underdog candidate could shock the country and advance to the runoff. Ultimately, Maness garnered 14 percent of the vote as Cassidy and Landrieu advanced, a greater amount of support than Cassidy predicted during an interview in October. Cassidy will need some of Maness’s voters to turn out on Dec. 6 after finishing with 41 percent of the vote last week to Landrieu’s 42 percent.


CNN: 

Palin and Robertson will attend a GOP unity rally for Cassidy on Saturday afternoon in Monroe, Cassidy's spokesman confirmed. The story was first reported by Politico.

The New Star:  

Former Alaska governor and Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin will be in Monroe Saturday to campaign alongside U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge.

KTBS:  

Sarah Palin travels to Louisiana this weekend to rally with Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bill Cassidy, as tea party backers line up for the GOP congressman in hopes of defeating Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu. 

There are a few others as well, but you get the point. 

In case you are wondering that is significantly more coverage than that original rally on Monday attracted. Which of course is why one invites a Sarah Palin to appear at an event designed to attract media attention and potential voters.

But the question to ask is why is this event getting so much attention, while the first one received very little? And the reason is not simply because it features a washed up politician and former reality show flop, along with a former roadie for the band ZZ Top. It is because Palin understands how to do self promotion.

Palin has been drawing attention to herself ever since her days as Miss Wasilla. ("Look I'm in a bathing suit. Ooh, watch me stroke my flute.")

Remember this was the woman who wore a pushup bra in order to get her way in Wasilla city council meetings.

So yes Palin understands how to attract attention to an event, and clearly her team went all in with getting the word out to the various national news agencies and local news outlets. (Can't have that first event, that she was not invited, to getting more attention now can we?)

Now will that attention result in votes for Bill Cassidy, or simply a handful of gawkers hoping to get a gander at the crazy lady who says stupid things on TV?

Well I think we all know the answer to that.

The Unity Rally to save face is a go. Repeat the Unity Rally to save face is a go.

Courtesy of Attention Seeking Annie's Facebook page:

 Looking forward to being back in northern Louisiana tomorrow as we unite behind our nominee Bill Cassidy as he faces Senator Mary Landrieu on the December 6th U.S. Senate runoff. Hope you can join Phil Robertson, Col. Rob Maness, Congressman Cassidy, myself and many other conservatives as we unite towards victory on December 6th! 

"Many other conservatives." Names to be provided later. On a need to know basis.

I am wondering if it is in Palin's contract that any event which uses her likeness for promotion, MUST only use one from between 2008 and 2009. Anything after that is probably a reason to stand them up in her mind.

Speaking of photos I wonder if the one that they chose for Phil Robertson is reflective of his feelings about being included in this hastily thrown together event?

"Wait, you want me when? And where?"

The whole thing is being held in a hangar at the Monroe Regional Airport in Louisiana. Which of course has class written all over it.

Besides that way Palin does not even have to miss her next flight.

Just a couple of photo-ops, and a short word salad infused speech, and she can catch the next plane out of there. 

I will be interested in learning about the attendance for this glorified barbecue.

Personally I will be surprised if the crowd is even comparable to the attendance from one of those stupid Kirk Cameron movies.

Well it looks like Sarah Palin is finally going to Louisiana to stump for what looks to be the "Unity Rally" part two.

Losing candidate Rob Maness and loser at everything Sarah Palin to be in Louisiana on November 15.

Courtesy of The Hill:  

Sarah Palin will travel to Louisiana this weekend to throw her weight behind Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who is seeking to finish off an impressive Republican midterm campaign cycle by taking out incumbent Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) 

Palin, Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson, and Tea Party Senate candidate Rob Maness, who challenged Cassidy in the general election, will be on hand for a Republican “unity rally” in Monroe on Saturday, according to a source familiar with the event.

Now it should be noted that THIS rally will be in Monroe, Louisiana and not at the Olde College Inn in  New Orleans as Palin originally stated last week.

As it turns out THAT rally already took place, with Palin nowhere to be seen.

But now we have this new "Unity Rally" sans any political heavyweights, though it DOES feature one of those Duck Dynasty Dipshits.

Gee you know I hate to be a cynic but it almost feels that this was quickly thrown together for some reason. Hmm, I wonder why?

The Hill also mentions Palin's lack of clairvoyant abilities:  

Maness had attacked Cassidy for months, saying he was a part of the problem in Washington, and Palin predicted a Maness victory over Cassidy as recently as late October, but both are now singing Cassidy’s praises.

But hey Joni Ernst won, so who cares how many Palin endorsees flamed out during the primaries and general elections, right?

So look perhaps Palin was wrong about which Unity Rally she was going to attend, I mean if they are all going to be called the "Unity Rally" that COULD prove a little confusing.

And perhaps she was also wrong in identifying which town or city it was being held in, but if you look at a map it turns out that Louisiana has a whole bunch of towns and cities so one could see how that could be confusing.

The point is that she is now attending a "Unity Rally" for Bill Cassidy, just like she said she was.

So she is not a liar dammit!

So where exactly is Sarah Palin going to be on Monday?

I'm sure that none of you have yet forgotten Palin's deer in the headlights response to Hannity calling her out over what job in politics for which she might be willing to campaign.

In order to make it sound that she was much tool busy "protecting the freedom of Americans" by supporting candidates and making public appearances, Palin rattled this off:

"Saturday I'll be in Louisiana, tonight I am very pleased to hear that at the College Inn in New Orleans we have a unity effort going on there right now with Colonel Rob Maness and his supporters, in that race against Mary Landrieu, joining with the..the winner of the GOP you know that open jungle primary that..uh..Louisiana has, we will see Cassidy and Maness, and their supporters come together to make sure that Mary Landrieu, and her participation in this lawlessness, these felled policies of Obama's, that they don't get back to Washington D.C.. We'll have the GOP there and we'll do that by unity. So I want to participate in things like that to help."

Now Palin made those remarks on Friday, November 7th, however in an article written the next day about the event, they listed the attendees as follows: 

Maness will formally endorse Cassidy during a star-studded Republican rally in Baton Rouge on Monday that will feature presumed presidential candidates Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Gov. Bobby Jindal. 

U.S. Sen. David Vitter, state Sen. Elbert Guillory, state Rep. Paul Hollis, 6th Congressional District candidate Garret Graves, former U.S. Rep. Jeff Landry, and LAGOP chairman Roger Villere will also attend the "Unity Rally."

A "star studded" rally demonstrating unity, yet Palin who not only bragged about attending but almost made it sound like the event was her brainchild, is not among the listed participants.

Now why is that?

Could it be that she lied? (Well of course it could she does that all of the time.) OR could it be that she is simply not considered a "star" in Louisiana Republican circles?

Hmm, well I guess we'll know after Monday.

Sarah Palin takes to Facebook to triple down on Rob Maness. I bet she would have tried to book passage on the Titanic even AFTER it hit the iceberg.

So yesterday I wrote that Palin told Breitbart that she was all in for the badly trailing third party candidate Rob Maness in Louisiana, despite the fact that in the last poll he only garnered 4%.

We all wondered out loud what could be motivating her, as there is absolutely NO way that Maness can win this, and the GOP candidate really does not need his help in making sure that Landrieu does not get to 50% which insures a runoff after November.

So yesterday Palin took to Facebook to promote the Breitbart article, but also to make it crystal clear that she in no way wants to help the Republican establishment candidate win.

Here is the post (Which includes a stirring video in support of Maness by the way.):

Maness Momentum continues in Louisiana! "The Great One" Mark Levin has spoken and Col. Maness is his man for the U.S. Senate from the Pelican State! Last week for the first debate the GOP establishment’s "chosen one" didn't even bother to show up. No wonder really – he'd have a hard time deciding which side he's on. President Reagan said "trust but verify." Check out Congressman Cassidy's long liberal record, folks, of votes to raise the debt ceiling, votes for President Obama's "hate crimes" legislation, votes supporting amnesty for illegal aliens, and his long record of support for liberal pro-choice candidates including the very one he's running against now – Senator Mary Landrieu! Heck, Bill Cassidy even openly opposed Ronald Reagan! Is this the best the GOP can do? Nope. Folks, if we want to WIN in Louisiana, we need to stand in clear contrast to the liberal ways of Obama/Landrieu/Reid. We need to stand with someone who stood tall in uniform for us for 32 years – conservative Col. Rob Maness (USAF, ret.).

Wow, Palin certainly does not like this Cassidy guy!

While it is true that Cassidy missed the first debate at Dillard University (He has only agreed to participate in two out of five.), he WAS at yesterday's where both of the lead candidates debated each other and pretended Maness was simply not there. Which according to the polls he might as well not be.

Okay at this point, especially since Mark Levin has joined Palin is backing a doomed candidate, I have to think that the Koch brothers are grooming Maness for another political run in the future.

This must be all about getting his name out there, so that when he runs for Congress, for Governor, or for school board president, people will recognize the name and that might possibly garner him a few more votes.

Yeah either Palin is being paid to pimp this loser, or she simply has even worse judgment in choosing candidates than she does in choosing parenting techniques. ("Okay kids here's the plan. I want you to drink as much as you can, then we will go to the city where almost everybody hates me, and I will unleash you into the neighborhood. Now remember, you're a Palin. Act like one.")

P.S. Speaking of the brawl, Bristol got a shout out from Stephen Colbert during his piece on gay marriage last night.

Palin finally posts to Facebook about her encounter with a slimy bayou inhabitant. But enough about Rob Manness.

Picture courtesy of Facebook. Hair courtesy of Willow's extensive training in hair design.

Courtesy of Mama Medusa's Facebook page:

It was so nice to be back in the bayou campaigning for a great patriot, true conservative, and proven fighter for America – Col. Rob Maness! Most enjoyable was visiting with Rob's supporters who see in him what the rest of America will be blessed to see – his selfless drive towards solutions and his positive conservative message that resonates not just in Louisiana but all across this great nation. (Yes a message that resonates so well that the majority of he country has no flipping idea who this is.)

Rob’s momentum has really got the permanent political class scared back in D.C. – the democrats obviously dread Rob's inevitable momentum building as the November 4th U.S. Senate election draws near, but now the GOP establishment is starting to go nuts! The professional politicians are snapping at the Colonel like a hungry gator; they're spreading all sorts of anonymous bunk to try to get him out of the race, mocking his humble public servant's heart (Okay who had "servant's heart" on their Sarah Palin babble bingo card?), and... well, you know the game they play by now. (Hey, with all due respect, good ol' boys in the GOP machine – after you've served America for 32 years wearing our nation's uniform, after being in combat, after sacrificing as much as Rob and his family have in the name of true public service for our country, and after you’ve literally FOUGHT for our freedom like Rob has, THEN you can kick your feet up on your comfy desk in some swank office and talk to us about who gets to run for office and who doesn’t.) (And you have done all of that when?)

Remember Rob's first campaign ad? (http://youtu.be/aBNQBx6JOcw) He had me at gator wrestling! (Well of course! Watching a cold blooded creature, with horrible skin, wrestled into submission while its mouth is being taped closed probably reminds her of her wedding night.) He's obviously tough enough to take on the career politicians and the alligators in the swamp. Speaking of which, thanks to Bryan & Brooke Zar and the Restaurant des Families staff, we got to serve up the best tasting gator dishes I've ever had! (Ok, the only ones I've ever had.) The fried gator was amazing and I got to fly home with some of it! (Yeah why throw it away in Louisiana when there are perfectly good trashcans here at home?) Thank you, too, InstaGator team, for bringing the surprise guest that also afforded me a first. Holding that local reptile made me admire you Louisianans even more! 

Louisiana, the contrasts in your U.S. Senate race couldn’t be clearer. This really is a race between "two of them versus one of us": two Washington politicians versus an American hero, Col. Rob Maness. He's got the momentum; please keep it up and thank you for sharing this fighter with the rest of America. We need him!

Yeah like a hole in the head, they need him. 

But the facts are that Louisiana will never get Maness, because he is going to come in a distant third.

A recent CNN/ORC poll released Sunday morning shows 43 percent support for Landrieu and 40 percent for Cassidy, while Rob Maness only garnered 9 percent of the support from respondents.

However with him on the ticket it might keep Mary Landrieu from getting the 50% she needs  to win, and that will force a runoff in December.

There is little chance that Maness will get enough votes to participate in that runoff, however it might give Republican Bill Cassidy the time he needs to launch a more cohesive campaign and actually take the Senate seat away from Landrieu.

And one has to wonder if that was not the goal all along?

Somebody might want to show this to Alaska Senator, and political coward, Mark Begich.

"I have made a very bad mistake."

Courtesy of Talking Point Memo: 

By supporting a measure that would have expanded background checks on gun buyers, Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Kay Hagan (D-NC) appear to have found a way to please both fellow Democrats and their red state constituents. 

The latest survey released Thursday by Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling showed that Landrieu and Hagan actually bolstered their re-election prospects by supporting the background checks legislation. Facing potentially difficult races next year in a pair of states that were carried by Mitt Romney in 2012, Landrieu and Hagan were two of the final Democrats to ultimately pledge support for the measure, which ultimate failed in the Senate last month. Four other red state Democrats joined most Republicans to vote against the legislation. 

But PPP’s findings, the latest in the firm’s ongoing effort to gauge reaction to the gun bill, suggested that the votes will be more of an advantage than a disadvantage for Landrieu and Hagan. 

In Louisiana, the poll found that 71 percent of voters support “requiring background checks for all gun sales, including gun shows and the Internet.” Forty-four percent of voters there said they are more likely to back Landrieu in 2014 as a result of her vote. Meanwhile, just a little more than a quarter said they are less likely to support her. Another 29 percent said her vote will make no difference on whether they support Landrieu for re-election. 

Conversely, Landrieu’s Republican colleague from Louisiana, Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), earned low marks for his opposition to the background checks measure. The poll showed that 40 percent of voters are less likely to support Vitter, who will be up for re-election in 2016. 

An overwhelming majority of Hagan’s constituents in North Carolina — 73 percent — are also in favor of expanding background checks. Fifty-two percent of Tar Heel State voters said they are now more likely to vote for Hagan in 2014 because she supported the bipartisan Senate bill. And much like in Louisiana, Hagan’s Republican counterpart may have committed a political pratfall by opposing the bill. Half of North Carolina voters said they are now less likely to support Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) as a result of his “no” on the background checks legislation. Burr will be up for re-election in 2016.

So by recognizing the mood of the country, and ignoring NRA backed calls to bully them into submission, these two brave women managed to earn the respect of their constituents and help their reelection chances in the process.

Gee it must be nice to have Senators with integrity.

Can somebody please tell me what that's like?