Bumped from the diaries -- Jonathan

In yesterday's Wall Street Journal Karl Rove presented a thoughtful opinion piece on how to read the results of elections to be held Tuesday in Virginia, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.  Regardless of Rove's projected outcomes in these elections, he makes the mistake of seeing the results, as most of Washington will see them, through the lens of partisanship, and he measures the outcome, only as Washington has come to measure all outcomes, in terms of partisan advantage .  

According to Rove, "Voters have lived under Democratic rule for nine months, and many of them, especially independents, don't like what they are seeing.  Tuesday's election will provide the most tangible evidence of how strong a backlash is building - and just how frightened centrist Democrats should be of 2010.  For Republicans, it looks as if hope and change are on the way."

I have a different view of what Tuesday's results may tell us and not because I am a Democrat.

In an off-year without many campaign horse-races, Boston is hitting an electoral cross-roads. Boston Mayor Tom Menino, an establishment, machine politician of 16 years is facing the first real challenge of his career.

And it couldn't be more refreshing. Boston is starving for some energy and innovation. The budget process is hashed out in secret; the transportation system is dated and unimaginative; and Boston (the "Athens of America") is somehow behind the curve in green technology. And while the Democratic Party has been renewed nationwide, Boston (a bastion for the Democratic party) is still stuck in the same tired, machine-driven politics of the past. Menino relies on his relationships, not his record.

16 years is long enough for anyone . What we need are people with fresh ideas, who bring energy and openess to city government. City Councilor at-large Sam Yoon has more than a real shot to defeat Menino – he's young, energetic and innovative.  Sam is the right leader, with the vision to transform Boston – its economy, politics and infrastructure and involve the citizens of Boston and their ideas in the effort.

Bostonians are taking notice and so is The New Republic:

UPDATE: Full disclosure, as many of you know, I have been publicly supportive of Carolyn Maloney beyond this one post and I have discussed her potential candidacy with her personally. If she runs - which I hope she does since she'd be a great Senator - I'd be honored to work on her campaign. --

Interesting news out of NY:  A Quinnipiac poll released today looking forward to a possible matchup for the 2010 Democratic Primary for US Senator from NY, shows US Rep. Carolyn Maloney ahead of incumbent Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and challenger Jonathan Tasini.

It is pretty extraordinary to show an incumbent Senator losing a primary to an opponent who hasn't begun to campaign.  Just as significant as the head-to-head poll, despite a well-publicized six-month effort by Gillibrand to sway New York voters, her favorable numbers have not moved.

Big news: A new Public Policy Polling poll today shows Brian Moran leading the Democratic primary race for Governor in Virginia.  That's despite McAuliffe spending a half million dollars, hiring 100 staffers and calling me an `ass.'

What this poll shows is that despite how much McAuliffe thinks this race is all about the money, in Virginia money isn't everything.

This race is really simple - do Virginia voters want to continue to follow the leadership of Tim Kaine, Mark Warner and Barack Obama - a leadership based on grassroots support from the bottom-up - or will Virginia be dominated by big-money politics and the people who raise it.

From the diaries - Todd

For those of you not familiar with Bob Bauer, he is one of the nation's leading election lawyers, representing, among others, Barack Obama on personal matters, the Obama for America campaign, the Democrat's House and Senate campaign committees, and the Democratic National Committee.  Last year, Bauer took on Republicans throughout the campaign, fighting against attempts to "callously attempting to dismantle needed reforms to make up for their fundraising deficiencies."  Bob Bauer also led Barack Obama's massive nationwide voter protection network over the course of the campaign.

This week, Bob Bauer put his thoughts on the Change Congress Donors' Strike on paper, giving a thorough analysis of Change Congress' fight to remove big money from American politics.  Bauer posted his take on his blog, and the full post can be viewed below.

For more on the Change Congress Donor Strike, visit http://change-congress.org.

I've talked about Roy Bennett and his imprisonment for weeks, talked about his courage, about Roy really being the heart and soul of the MDC opposition to Mugabe in Zimbabwe, and rejoiced when I learned he was released from the horrors of the Mutare prison -- a prison that is known throughout Zimbabwe as Robert Mugabe's torture prison. A place where if you are lucky enough to escape torture, you still have to fight off starvation because you are lucky to be fed once a week.

I met Roy Bennett in 2008.  I was in Africa trying to help rid Zimbabwe of Robert Mugabe.  I saw first hand the risk that Roy and others were taking to promote, through democratic means, new leadership and real change in Zimbabwe - waging a campaign against Robert Mugabe and the ruling Zanu-PF party.  I saw the risk Morgan Tsvangirai was taking in having the guts to stand election and challenge Robert Mugabe with Roy's help and the help of other brave Zimbabweans who were willing to make a stand for their country.

At least 110 of them are dead.

Roy Bennett remains in custody today, and authorities intend to hold him until at least March 4, it was said in an MDC press release.  As Bennett is held on charges of 'terrorism,' Zimbabwe military police backed by Mugabe have tried to use him as a political pawn to ensure their own blanket amnesty, no doubt sensing that Mugabe's ZANU-PF party is bound to lose power in the near future.  One of my colleagues who I've worked with in Africa and who I know and trust, said that when Roy Bennett was told that Mugabe's men were trying to use him to bargain for amnesty, he immediately said, "stick it."

I know Roy Bennett from my time in the region, and can say without a doubt that he is one of the most courageous men I've ever met, with an unending determination to fight for a safe and prosperous Zimbabwe.

More updates after the jump...

Yesterday marked a triumph for this people-powered movement. Obama's win proved that the politics-as-usual is over, that no longer are we at the mercy of party bosses, big money candidates, and the Washington insiders. We control our Party. It is the people's time. And I celebrated that fact last night.

But as Obama said yesterday (in slightly different context, of course), "we must [...] dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America." So, despite our triumph, the work of this movement continues.

With that inspiration, I officially announce that I have joined the Brian Moran for Governor campaign in Virginia. As the Media Consultant and General Strategist for the campaign, I'll fight for Brian and his mission - to stand-up for working families and continue the progress that Governors Kaine and Warner began.