Meet Jason Levesque, Republican candidate for Congress, Maine's 2nd district.

The Race
Jason Levesque is running against Rep. Michael Michaud in Maine's second Congressional district.

The last Republican elected in that district was Olympia Snowe, who left that office in 1995 after winning the senate seat she currently holds. Since then, the seat has been held by Democrats - first John Baldacci (now Maine's lame-duck governor) and Michael Michaud. In 2002, Michaud ran as a moderate, pro-life Democrat and was narrowly elected. He was the only freshman Democrat to vote for the ban on partial-birth abortion.

Enter the Obama administration.

Michaud voted for the stimulus, for Obamacare and for card check. Like most Blue Dog Democrats, Michaud's 'moderation' crumbles under pressure from Democrat leadership. I should say here that I like Mike Michaud. I've met him a number of times and he's a nice guy. However, his votes on the stimulus and Obamacare are deal-breakers for me, and it's personal. Michaud's inability to say no to Nancy Pelosi has helped lead this country into frightening levels of debt. Debt that my daughters will have to pay back someday.

The Candidate (from his website)
After graduating from Edward Little High School in Auburn, Levesque started college at West Virginia Wesleyan University. Unfortunately unable to continue paying for college, he left after several semesters to enlist in the United States Army. He served in the First Infantry Division and earned the highly-prized Expert Infantry designation. His leadership abilities were first noticed by superior officers who elevated him in rank and responsibilities as an Infantry Team Leader. Upon discharge, he served six years in the U.S. Army Reserves, including several extended tours of duty as a Drill Sergeant at Fort Leonard Woods, MO.

Levesque continued college at the University of Southern Maine, working to pay his tuition. His jobs included swimming instructor for the Portland School System and Lewiston YWCA. He also took his leadership skills and knack for organization to several marketing firms where he managed and trained employees around the country. It was with this experience and background that he began Argo Marketing Group and built it into a nationally recognized Marketing logistics firm.

Levesque is married to the former Tracey Bilodeau, who grew up in Augusta and attended Cony High School. She is a graduate of New England Culinary Institute. She has a successful career as a chef and restaurant manager, which she has put on hold to raise a young family.

Jason and Tracey live in Auburn with their three children: Alexandra (Ali), 12; Ethan, 4, and two year old Sarah.

Why Levesque Could Win
Well, to start...this. Obama won this state by 17 points in 2008. His approval rating is now -7, and the second district is more rural and conservative than the first. In a PPP poll of the district taken last month, Levesque is within striking distance of Michaud.

Maine loves re-electing incumbents, but if Republican turnout in the district is heavy enough, Levesque could pull out a win. I've noticed that Michaud is running more ads this year than in previous years, but his independent image has been tarnished by his allegiance to the Obama/Pelosi agenda.

Levesque is in a hard fight, but this is a year in which hard fights seem a bit more winnable. With enough support, and turnout, he could ride the wave and send Mike Michaud into retirement.

If you can, help send a fiscally conservative small business owner to Congress and take away one of Nancy Pelosi's Blue Lapdogs.

Posted by: Slublog at 05:30 PM | Comments (17)
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I've been looking forward to this all day. 12 calls, 5 visits, 2 meetings later I not only was looking forward to this, but also hitting myself in the face with a bat.

* speaking of bats, it's show up loud or go home for the Rangers, tied with the Rays now in the top of the 4th. Both trying to earn that coveted "get creamed by the Yankees" opportunity of a lifetime.

Anyway, here's the present standings as of last night, but wasn't the anticipation riveting?

The standings after week 5.

Commando Pete: 43
Joltin' J's: 41
Pupster: 41
JCred: 41
Michelle's Donate Used Gitch: 40
Dr Spank: 40
boniface ballers: 40
Khatmandu Yaks: 39
Bruin 22: 39
End Run To Glory: 39
Conservative in the City: 39
Ian Badness: 39
3rd_Bird: 39

and in the HOF:

DrewM 35
Gabe Malor 29
DiT 28

Keep pickin, and remember, if you don't think too good, don't think too long.

It works for me.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 05:21 PM | Comments (7)
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Businessman, Conservative, Aggie.

And not Cornell A&M either, the one down here in Texas that Keef Olbermann sneered about.

TX -17 was redrawn a few years ago, carving Chet Edwards outta my town. It runs from just south of Ft. Worth, through Waco on to College Station, with a little rectangle thingy between. They took Killeen and Ft. Hood away from him, and that was his major focus for the past 20 plus years, the Army, and the two major veterans hospitals in the area.

Our main gripe with Chet has been he's a Democrat enabler. He voted against Obamacare (he knows hemlock when he smells it). I expected him to jump Republican years ago like Ralph Hall, but he thought he was bulletproof and invisible. Well he's not.

Here's a campaign ad:

RCP says TX-17 "leans Rep". Chet survived the gerrymander on Obama's coattails last time around. He's still got a lot of steam down here, and in DC. He's a senior member on both the Budget and Appropriations Committees, and also chairs the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations subcommittees. Flores would start somewhere further down in the pecking order.

But he'll vote with us.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 05:07 PM | Comments (28)
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No money for Driehaus, who is running in Delaware. And they'd planned a $500K buy. Ooooh, burn.

And five more, too including Suzie Kosmas in Delaware and also Kathy Dahlkemper, also of Delaware.

Okay, no, Dreihaus is Ohio, Kosmas is Florida, and Dahlkemper is Pennsylvania. Since I'm just apparently claiming every race is in Delaware might as well be consistent about it.

They're also pulling out of three open seat races, all of which are in Delaware.

(No, still kidding. They're not in Delaware. Delaware has exactly one at-large Congressman and it appears that race is well in hand for the Democrat, alas.)

Allah covered this last night, pointing out that Kosmas, for example, was promised by Obama that he'd protect NASA jobs in exchange for her health care vote. And now she's left to the wolves, by which I mean, us. Yum.

He also said that it would be fun, fun, fun to note each one of these that came up, and you know what? It is fun.

Thanks to Slubs and DrewM.

I missed the ewok (ran out of jokes) but threw one up at the end of Drew's post about Steele/Dingell race (and I think you can tell who's going to win based on names alone). Check it out, I think it's funny.

Ewok the Vote: Here's an ewok for these three losers. One warning: When I don't have a good joke I just use the f-word and take it further than I should probably go.

Posted by: Ace at 03:17 PM | Comments (197)
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Homegrown RightWing Terrorists Attack Political Enemies

Darnell Goldson, a Democrat Alderman representing the West Rock section of New Haven, CT, was letting his daughter out to the school bus stop when he noticed his house had been pelted with eggs and one of his lawn signs had been violently dry-humped and left for dead.

It was a campaign sign for Republican candidate Linda McMahon.

According to some insidey local scuttlebutt (read: a local rumor unverified by me, so buyer beware), a few weeks ago, this fellow was asked by New Haven Mayor DeStefano to not come out publicly in support of McMahon, but he did it anyway.

What does it mean to be a black Democrat in New Haven and Connecticut?

What I concluded is that in New Haven, it means being ignored by the Democratic nominee for Senate. It means that as a demographic that robotically votes for the Democrat, you will be ignored because, well, who else are you going to vote for?

So, the answer to the question as to why I am voting for the Republican is simple. It was many years ago I learned how to think for myself, and not let labels define who I am, or how I think. Yes, I registered as a Democrat at the tender age of 18, and yes, I generally vote for the Democratic candidate, but not always. I reject the notion of group-think; I like the American idea of individuality and freedom.

I no longer mindlessly vote for the label, but instead for the person I believe will best serve the community and issues that are important to me.

How refreshing.

Thanks to Wiserbud.

Posted by: LauraW at 03:03 PM | Comments (41)
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Doctor, Navy man, husband, father, and strong advocate for free markets and free citizens.

Can he win? Well, he's within three points of the socialist incumbent. And the thing is, he sorta did win last time -- except his "Ruling Class Right" primary opponent, an incumbent he defeated, got vengeance by endorsing the Democrat challenger.

And even in that Obama wave year, he still only lost by two and a half thousand votes.

He's kind of being screwed over again this year, as the US Chamber of Congress is, of course, supporting his opponent. With foreign money, doubtless.

Dan Riehl explains that this is why he's in such a bloodletting mood against the establishment.

And this does seem to be a pattern, doesn't it? From write-in campaigns, to running as independents, to endorsing the Democratic challenger -- the ruling class establishment seems to be its own party with its own membership and its own interests, and official party label doesn't seem to matter that much to them.

Posted by: Ace at 01:56 PM | Comments (92)
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Issuing an injunction against DADT.

Gee, I wonder if the reporter likes this decision.

A federal judge has issued a nationwide injunction stopping enforcement of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, ending the military's 17-year-old ban on openly gay troops.

U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips' landmark ruling Tuesday was widely cheered by gay rights organizations that credited her with getting accomplished what President Obama and Washington politics could not.

By "Washington politics" she means the citizenry deciding upon what laws they shall abide by by acting through their elected representatives.

And it wasn't that they "could not" do it -- it's that they chose not to do it.

But that's what we have judges for, I guess. Fixing our political decisions when we get them wrong. I'm so happy we have editors!

Posted by: Ace at 12:15 PM | Comments (394)
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Remember when we started talking about Obama's inevitable temper tantrum over a year ago? I was just reminded of that this week with the White House's lashing out at, well, pretty much everybody: Wall Street, apathetic Democrats, Boehner, the Chamber of Commerce, the "professional left," Rove, congressional Republicans, congressional Democrats, bankers, the "rich" (for not spending money), Israel, Arizona, Fox News (his go-to, evergreen Emmanuel Goldstein) , the TEA Party, Limbaugh, Beck, Bush, police, insurance companies, the media (for "distorting" the news), doctors, and, of course, America. I'm sure there are others, like the recent, preemptive, "Don't make me look bad" (or I'll have to lash out at you too). Mostly it has been serial lashing out, but lately there has been a bit of an overlap--a logjam of blame. All of this hearkens back to something Ace mentioned last January--something that Victor Davis Hanson touched on yesterday--that there is always a "they" to spirit away the sins of Reverse Jesus.

Boy, what a tantrum. It's a symphony of rage with many interesting grace notes along the way, like the generic slurpee sipper bogeyman--probably the same guy who talks about Obama like a dog. And, geez, will he be sore after the election. I don't see him turning the corner, like Clinton, because that might indicate The One was wrong about something. After all, a "Custer decision" cannot be reversed.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 12:08 PM | Comments (63)
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Some of you keep getting your IPs erroneously banned. I've been like totally space-camp for weeks and I haven't gotten to unbanning these.

If you were banned, email me at aceofspadeshq and then the ending you'd put for a gmail address.

Make sure you include the *banning message,* cut and paste that. That will include your IP.

If you're not getting that specific message, saying you're banned, you're not -- and there's some other problem, possibly with your firewall, or your company's firewall or screening software, etc.

Posted by: Ace at 12:02 PM | Comments (32)
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Miss him yet? Damn, I do.

more...

Posted by: Ace at 11:25 AM | Comments (112)
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