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<p>By Alexander Burns (@aburnspolitico, <a href="mailto:aburns@politico.com">aburns@politico.com</a>) <br />
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<strong>TODAY -- UNITY RALLY & VICTORY LAP</strong>: DNC Chairman Tim Kaine is in Denver today for a unity event with Colorado Democrats, as defeated Senate candidate Andrew Romanoff and other state pols are expected to close ranks around the party's general election ticket. For Democrats, Colorado is a microcosm of all the dynamics they're hoping will drive the fall campaign: a bloody Republican Senate primary (in addition to their own), a less than credible GOP gubernatorial candidate threatened by an independent conservative opponent and a well funded Democratic ticket running with heavy national support. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs trumpeted the results in Colorado and other states this week in his briefing, declaring: “I'm hard pressed to think of a race ... where we didn't end up in good position either with who won or in good position with who the eventual Democratic nominee will face in a general election.” And Kaine was exultant in a Wednesday interview with POLITICO: “What we see is Democrats picking good candidates, Democrats coming together and Republicans picking flawed candidates and, frankly, candidates that are kind of continuing to divide their party.” The DNC is set to capitalize on the glow of Tuesday's elections by unveiling a set of new campaign tools for the base -- for the web and in mail form -- that declare: “This election offers a choice.” Here's Kaine's take on the elections: <a href="http://politi.co/buOURz">http://politi.co/buOURz</a> ; see the new campaign initiative here: <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/cZ9NwO">http://bit.ly/cZ9NwO</a> <br />
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<strong>LAST NIGHT - RALLYING AROUND RANGEL</strong> - Former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel celebrated his 80th birthday with a fundraising bash at The Plaza, starting the countdown to the Sept. 14 Democratic primary where his career hangs in the balance. POLITICO's Maggie Haberman reports: “The Harlem Democrat was clearly moved - and said as much - by the outpouring. But he was also buoyant as he stood on stage for more than two hours, with wife Alma beside him for much of the event, in the storied hotel's chandelier-appointed and gilded Grand Ballroom. 'I've been to a lot of funerals but this damn sure ain't no funeral!' quipped the embattled congressman into a microphone. He ended the night dancing solo on stage to raucous applause from the remaining guests. ... Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate who had clearly been split about whether to go, gave an impassioned speech defending Rangel's work in Washington. And Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer said that Rangel had fought 'for New York through thick and thin and never let us down when it comes to delivering' for the state.” <a href="http://politi.co/b65jw6">http://politi.co/b65jw6</a> <br />
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As immigration dominates in Florida, AFSCME runs with the state aid vote and Marco Rubio chides Harry Reid, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily cheat sheet for the 2010 midterm elections. <br />
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<strong>ALL GEORGIANS NOW -- DEAL FACES BARNES</strong>: Former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel has conceded defeat in the Republican runoff primary for governor, clearing the way for a general election fight between former GOP Rep. Nathan Deal and former Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes. Handel finished just a few thousand votes behind Deal, but declined to pursue a recount. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Jim Galloway sketches out the fall campaign to come: “With Handel's defeat, age, gender and government experience have been largely removed from the campaign equation. Barnes is 62. Deal will turn 68 this month. Both are lawyers with long careers in politics. 'Outsider' is a term that applies to neither. ... Geography becomes a factor. Both Deal and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, a Republican up for re-election, hail from Gainesville. House Speaker David Ralston is from Blue Ridge - which would complete a north Georgia triumvirate of power in the Capitol, should Deal and Cagle win in November. Barnes is from suburban Marietta, but look for the Democrat to test Deal's appeal south of I-20, perhaps with some subtle stoking of regional jealousy. .... Memories of Barnes' style remain, Republicans hope. 'It's very difficult to say, “I wasn't a good listener eight years ago, but I'm a good listener now.” It's a tough sell,' said Chip Lake, chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/aBAPsc">http://bit.ly/aBAPsc</a> <br />
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<strong>COMING THIS WEEKEND -- WHO'S HELPING WHO?</strong> “U.S. Senator John McCain and Governor Jan Brewer will campaign together this Friday, August 13th and Saturday, August 14th. Senator McCain and Governor Brewer will make stops around the state, including Sierra Vista, Yuma, Lake Havasu City, Pinetop-Lakeside and Payson.” <br />
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<strong>SPEAKING OF IMMIGRATION</strong>: Both candidates in Florida's Republican primary for governor have focused in on the issue even more closely in the final two weeks of the campaign. State Attorney General Bill McCollum unveiled a proposal that would go even further than Arizona's law, allowing judges to use immigration status as a factor in setting bail. Former health care executive Rick Scott, however, is on the air with a new ad undercutting McCollum on the very same subject -- showing a clip of McCollum saying Florida shouldn't have immigration laws “quite that far out” as the Arizona law, and contrasting it with footage of McCollum insisting: “I didn't say it was far out. I beg to differ with you.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/c4Wr3F">http://bit.ly/c4Wr3F</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/cCNncm">http://bit.ly/cCNncm</a> <br />
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<strong>POLL OF THE DAY -- DARKEST BEFORE IT'S TOTALLY BLACK</strong>: Americans are down, down, down on the state of the nation, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll. Just 32 percent said the country is on the right track, while Congress drew an approval rating of 21 percent. Both parties are in the pits, with Republicans drawing positive ratings from a record low 24 percent of voters and Democrats nine points better at 33 percent. President Barack Obama's numbers were split at 47 percent approval and 48 percent disapproval. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/bZ67BU">http://bit.ly/bZ67BU</a> <br />
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<strong>TWO TAKES</strong> -- From the Journal's writeup: “'Even with Republicans having low numbers, they are the opposition party and are going to benefit from people saying, “We're ticked off and we want a change,”'said Republican pollster Bill McInturff, who conducted the survey with Democratic pollster Peter Hart. 'The way you vote your discontent is to say you're going to vote Republican.' Mr. Hart said the 2010 contest is being pulled by the sentiment associated with the JetBlue flight attendant who fled his plane via the emergency chute after an altercation with a passenger. Calling it the 'JetBlue election,' Mr. Hart said: 'Everyone's hurling invective and they're all taking the emergency exit.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/d2UKcG">http://bit.ly/d2UKcG</a> </p><p><strong>AFTER THE VOTE</strong>: Democrats and their allies are playing a bit of offense at the end of the week, touting the enactment of the FMAP bill as a job-creation measure. AFSCME launched a radio ad campaign in 17 Democratic House districts that praises lawmakers for having “voted to get .... communities the money they need to avoid may of these layoffs” of teachers, firefighters and police officers, and saying member of Congress “cracked down on an unfair tax loophole and made it harder for corporations to ship ... jobs overseas.” It's not just an issue for the House, either: Senate candidates including North Carolina's Elaine Marshall have been taking aim at Republicans on employment, with Marshall jabbing in a statement: “After 16 years in Washington, Senator Burr is out of touch ... Washington should be helping create jobs, not blaming folks who can't find one.” More on the AFSCME campaign here: <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/9BDCbZ">http://bit.ly/9BDCbZ</a> <br />
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<strong>SIGN OF THE TIMES</strong>: Former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, having defeated social conservative activist Bob Vander Plaats in the Republican primary, is steering clear of divisive social issues in the general election -- including the Iowa Supreme Court's position on gay marriage. The Des Moines Register: “Branstad intends to stay out of the debate over whether Iowa voters should remove Supreme Court justices for legalizing gay marriage. 'This is a ballot issue, and Gov. Branstad believes this is an issue on which people need to decide for themselves,' spokesman Tim Albrecht said today. 'He respects the secret ballot and believes people should vote their conscience.' ... [Branstad] has said Iowans should be allowed to vote on whether to change the state's constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. But his statement today made clear that he would not join an effort to remove justices who unanimously declared Iowa's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional. ... Vander Plaats, who finished second to Branstad in June's Republican primary, is leading an effort to remove the justices.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/b0kQMy">http://bit.ly/b0kQMy</a> <br />
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<strong>PILING ON REID</strong>: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid drew a barrage of criticism from Republicans, including some of the GOP's prominent Hispanic members, when he questioned this week how “anyone with Hispanic heritage could be a Republican.” Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio was among the voices sharply criticizing Reid, declaring on Fox News: “It's outrageous. It's ridiculous. ... Americans of Hispanic descent know what the strongest issue there is and that is economic empowerment and upward mobility.” Reid is spending Thursday at a rally in Las Vegas marking the 75th anniversary of Social Security, offering an oh-so-subtle contrast message with challenger Sharron Angle's position on entitlements. <a href="http://politi.co/9PxIwZ">http://politi.co/9PxIwZ</a> <br />
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<strong>ON THE WEST COAST -- 'THE FUN PART'</strong> -- Former NBA player Chris Dudley, the Republican candidate for governor of Oregon, is up with a new television spot targeting former Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber's record on jobs. “For 14 years, Oregon's unemployment has been above the national average,” Dudley says in the ad, naming a time frame that includes Kitzhaber's tenure as governor. “If we send the same people to do the same job - we'll get the same result.” Oregon Public Broadcasting says it's the first commercial in which either of the two candidates has directly targeted his opponent. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/bOvwk7">http://bit.ly/bOvwk7</a> Watch it here. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/ct9qMl">http://bit.ly/ct9qMl</a> <br />
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<strong>NEXT CYCLE</strong>: Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar, a possible retirement prospect for 2012, said Wednesday he isn't ready to hang up his spurs just yet. He told the AP in South Bend: “I suppose there will be a place and a time to do that, to rally the forces, to get the fundraisers going and all of that type of thing. But that's my intent day by day. ... Most people in the Senate know I will be around, therefore they have to deal with me on that basis.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/91vz6f">http://bit.ly/91vz6f</a> <br />
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<strong>ACROSS THE BIG MAP</strong> -- with POLITICO's Tim Alberta: <br />
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-- Another for Minnick. Idaho Rep. Walt Minnick became the first Democrat since 2006 to win the title of “Taxpayer Hero” from the spending watchdog Citizens Against Government Waste. The award adds to Minnick's already sterling list of conservative credits: he's also one of the highest-rated Democrats by the Club for Growth and has the endorsement of the Chamber of Commerce. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/bHWJ9J">http://bit.ly/bHWJ9J</a> <br />
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-- The new Amtrak commute? Democratic Rep. Chris Carney has launched a Joe Biden-esque ad campaign that touts his commute between Washington and Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District. “I may work in Washington, but I'll never live there,” Carney says, becoming the latest Democratic incumbent to flee from DC. “There's too much politics, and not enough common sense.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/bdk8NQ">http://bit.ly/bdk8NQ</a> <br />
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-- Indy on the air. Jeremiah Heaton, a third-party candidate in Virginia's 9th Congressional District, has actually started running television ads in the race against Democratic Rep. Rick Boucher and Republican state Del. Morgan Griffith. Blaming both parties for “feeding from the same trough for years,” Heaton says: “Special interest money: I have never taken it and I never will.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/afEkBd">http://bit.ly/afEkBd</a> <br />
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-- Crist getting cornered. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has spent months resisting questions about which party he would caucus with in the Senate, and did the same Wednesday during a visit to CNN. “I'm not gonna commit to either one, because I'm only committed to the people of Florida,” Crist said. But pressed further, Crist acknowledged that he would “probably” pick a party to line up with -- an admission the Marco Rubio campaign seized as a sign that Crist isn't as above the fray as he claims to be. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/cLowiK">http://bit.ly/cLowiK</a> <br />
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-- Brown gets a GOP checkbook. San Diego developer Alex Spanos, an owner of the Chargers who has given more than $6 million to the California GOP since 2001, has opened his wallet for Democrat Jerry Brown's gubernatorial campaign, to the tune of $20,000. Spanos gave no explanation to the Sacramento Bee: “Natalia Orfanos, a Spanos spokeswoman, said neither Spanos nor his company, A.G. Spanos Cos., publicly discuss political donations.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/cWfBuM">http://bit.ly/cWfBuM</a> </p><br>
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