Democrats Lurch Left; Name Rice As Senate Leader

In a decided lurch to the left side of the political spectrum, the Senate Democratic caucus has chosen Andrew Rice as leader designate for the 2011-2012 legislative session.

The current Democratic Leader, Senator Charlie Laster (D-Shawnee) will continue serving as leader for the upcoming session slated to commence in February 2010, but will step down as leader after the Nov. 2010 elections. Laster has served as Democratic Floor Leader since January of 2007.

Rice, the Oklahoma Cityan who lost a U. S. Senate bid against incumbent Republican Jim Inhofe in 2008, is noted for his social activism and votes for liberal issues, including votes in favor of abortion and against tort reform.

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Clintons Losing Liberal Support To Obama

From Fox News ~ Like lovers scorned, Bill Clinton’s longtime liberal supporters are walking out on him, slamming the door behind them and rebuking the 42nd president for his behavior leading up to last weekend’s South Carolina primary.

Clinton’s base seems to be eroding fast as liberal Democratic stalwarts join up with Barack Obama, whose message of change seems now to apply not only to the Bush Administration of the last seven years, but the eight-year Clinton Administration that preceded it.

Obama’s biggest “get” was Sen. Ted Kennedy, who abandoned his neutrality in the presidential race and endorsed Obama over Hillary Clinton on Monday. While Obama insists the Massachusetts senator’s endorsement was not a repudiation of anyone, it was clear that Kennedy - along with his niece Caroline Kennedy and son Rep. Patrick Kennedy — had reached beyond the Clintons to pass the mantle of the Democratic party’s liberal wing to Obama.

And while the Kennedys may open the floodgates, they were hardly the first liberals to abandon the Clintons for Obama. In recent weeks the Clintons have watched many of their supporters drift to the young senator from Illinois.

Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the Democrats’ 2004 presidential candidate, endorsed Obama recently. On Tuesday, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius climbed aboard, the morning after she delivered the Democrats’ rebuttal speech to President Bush’s State of the Union address.

Even novelist Toni Morrison, who once called Bill Clinton the “first black president,” has come out for Obama.

Liberal criticism of the Clintons has come from inside and outside the Beltway, from former supporters and colleagues. It ranges from the thinly veiled to the blatant. Robert Reich, former Clinton labor secretary, on his personal blog: “Bill Clinton’s ill-tempered and ill-founded attacks on Barack Obama are doing no credit to the former President, his legacy, or his wife’s campaign. Nor are they helping the Democratic party … Now, sadly, we’re witnessing a smear campaign against Obama that employs some of the worst aspects of the old politics.”

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'Progressive Americans' Site Helps Andrew Rice

A "Progressive Americans for Andrew Rice" website reports it has helped raised $1,170 from 23 apparently local donors and $27,210 from 366 donors in total.

"ActBlue" is designed to help Rice, a freshman state senator, win the Democratic Party nomination for the U. S. Senate, a seat now held by conservative Republican Jim Inhofe.

"ActBlue" is an online political fundraising tool for Democratic candidates to public office. It bills itself as "the online clearinghouse for grassroots action." Launched in 2004, it has become a major fundraising tool for Democrats, particularly favored by the netroots and left-leaning bloggers.

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