This is the inaugural edition of the BenWatch, a blog devoted to tracking the Pro-Hillary and Anti-Obama slant to Ben Smith's coverage of the Democratic primary at Politico.  

As anyone who's been paying attention will know, Ben clearly has a bias.  This blog aims to: a.) expose that bias for what it is; b.) give other disaffected Politico (an allegedly neutral politcal news outlet that has sponsored a Democratic debate and which has had inredible access to the candidates) readers a place to record grievances; c.) explore the agenda of the center-right Politico.com.

Attentive readers will know that Ben's pieces have the feel of soft-core porn for Hillary (where Larry Johnson and Taylor Marsh would be hard-core).  They will know that Ben broke the incendiary "story" that even Larry Johnson wouldn't break about tenuous connections between Obama and Ayers in Hyde Park. 

It seems like a lot of people watched last night's debate. Today, many people have been asking me what "Rezko" was and why Hillary brought it up. They rightfully believed that Obama dodged the explanation and that there was more to the story. Personally, when I heard his explanation (pasted below in bold from the debate transcript), I laughed. His answer proved that he's just another typical politician guilty of typical political follies.

"Here's what happened: I was an associate at a law firm that represented a church group that had partnered with this individual [Rezko] to do a project and I did about five hours worth of work on this joint project. That's what she's referring to."

On LunchBox today, host Adam Green on: Iraq, Democrats, George W. Bush, Harry Reid, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, polls and more...

via the New York Post

“There’s nothing like losing a skirmish that leads me to want to win the next round more,” Spitzer told a group of donors at a breakfast in Manhattan, according to a source at the event.

“The knockout blow is coming very soon,” he threatened - hinting at a possible coup against Silver.

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“I don’t think tactics that impugn our integrity work,” Canestrari said. “We need to deal with these things in a rational, unemotional manner.”

Another shocked Assembly Democrat said, “He’s f- - -ing nuts. He’s like a maniac. . . I first thought his aggressive thing was a posture, a strategy to make us the enemy, but I no longer think that. Now I think he’s got a very serious temper management issue.”

(more)

Now the Democrats have selected Denver as the host city for the 2008 National Convention, we will soon see pundits writing how this will make Colorado and neighboring states more likely to vote Democratic for President. Previously others have written that the Republicans having their convention in Minneapolis will help them win in Minnesota & Wisconsin. For example – "The Midwest has become strategic ground," said David Schultz, who teaches politics at Hamline University in St. Paul. "Bring the convention here, get the faithful excited, and spotlight that you care about the Midwest and farmers." Schultz said it's also a "symbolic black eye" to Minnesota Democrats trying to keep alive the spirit of Hubert Humphrey and Paul Wellstone. "It's a purple state now, and Republicans increasingly view this as a winnable state," he said.

On Wednesday, House Democratic leaders had their Capitol news conference disrupted by a group of anti-war activists led by Cindy Sheehan.

According to press accounts, Sheehan said "We put them back in power," she said of the Democrats. Passing out fliers calling for defunding the Iraq war, Sheehan shouted: "These are our demands. And they're not requests -- they're demands."

Recently State Senator Liz Krueger, who is in charge of the Democratic State Senate Campaign Committee, said that the Democrats would not be picking up new State Senate Seats in New York adding that Democrats do better in presidential years.  Republican Majority Leader Joe Bruno predicted that his party would pick up seats.  Both views are correct, but it should not have been the case.

Hold tight - cuz the asylum is about to get a bit more insane.

It's lookin' like the last bit of sanity (Rodney Capel) will soon be fleeing the coup, and that the State of NY's Dem-a-goguery is bound for even more misery.

Hard to believe that's possible, right?

One would think that Herman D. and Co. would take this precious opportunity to scout some new, fresh talent ... or just to scout - period.

But one would so obviously be wrong. For the second time in as many years, it appears the shit's just gonna continue to sail downstream, to the next puppet in line.

The mantra used to be, “No Republican has won statewide office in New York State without Conservative Party backing since the late Senator Jacob Javits in 1974.” 

In today’s New York Times there is this line, “…the state Conservative Party, without whose backing no Republican has been elected governor since 1974.”

Checking the record just half way back and the spin becomes obvious.  Looking at statewide offices from 1984 to the present the Republican candidate who also ran on the Conservative line lost 18 races and won only nine, including Reagan for President in 1984.  Also, one Republican ran with out the Conservative line and lost. 

In the latest Harris poll Bush’s job approval drops to 29% positive, though it is fully at 67% positive among Republicans, it is only 19% among independents and 10% among Democrats and there is no gender gap.  Only 24% feel the country is going in the right direction.  Will this mean the Republicans will lose control of Congress?

Approval of the job Congress is doing is a paltry 18% positive with Republican respondents having a 3-point worse opinion of the job Congress is doing than the Democrats.  When ask how Republican and Democratic members were doing in Congress those polled gave Republicans in Congress 20% positive and Democrats in Congress 23% positive. 

News coverage of the recent Siena College poll was dominated by how much Eliot Spitzer and Hillary Clinton were beating their ill-fated Republican opponents; there was other interesting information.  Between Siena’s March poll and their May poll, George Pataki argued with legislative leaders about the state budget and began a tour of presidential primary states.  During this period, among likely voters in the state his favorable rating moved negative 30-points. 

Pataki’s favorable rating had been 53% favorable to 40%, a 13-point net positive after his hospital stay, which was up from January when he had only a 4-point positive.   By May, he dropped precipitously to a negative 38% favorable to 55% unfavorable, a net 17-point negative.  The governor even has a low rating among Republicans, who give him a paltry 49% to 45% favorability rating.  This, together with Bush’s declining poll numbers, adds to the problems facing Republican statewide candidates and should bring shock waves through the state’s Republican Congressional delegation.   

In the latest Hotline ranking of the top twenty-five marginal House districts, the net change if the election were held today would have net one Democratic seat switch to the Republican side and six Republican seats would be up for grabs (all other races would result in each party holding its seat).  If the Democrats took all six Republican seats there would be a net pickup of only five votes in the House for the Democratic side.

On their list of the top fifty contested races, however, Republican seats are moving up the list, spelling more trouble for the GOP.  And in the second twenty-five races, the Democrats might pick up as many as an additional fifteen seats if you, include the independent in Vermont.  The fly in the ointment is that except for the first Clinton mid-term election in 1994, when the Democrats lost 54 seats, all the mid-term elections since 1982 have only had single digit moves.  This is largely the result of the historic Republican turnout advantages in non-presidential years, and the advantages that modern mapping and computerized reapportionment have given incumbents.